donderdag 29 oktober 2009
Benedict XVI says Church needs to proclaim Gospel on the ‘digital continent’
Reflecting on the role of social networking and increasingly real-time electronic communication, Pope Benedict XVI said on Thursday that "modern culture is established, even before its content, in the very fact of the existence of new forms of communication that use new languages; they use new technologies and create new psychological attitudes.”
"Effectively," he continued, the advent of new technology “supposes a challenge for the Church, which is called to announce the Gospel to persons in the third millennium, maintaining its content unaltered but making it understandable.”
Quoting John Paul II's encyclical "Redemptoris Missio" that affirms: "Involvement in the mass media, however, is not meant merely to strengthen the preaching of the Gospel. There is a deeper reality involved here: since the very evangelization of modern culture depends to a great extent on the influence of the media.”
“It is not enough to use the media simply to spread the Christian message and the Church's authentic teaching. It is also necessary to integrate that message into the 'new culture' created by modern communications," the Holy Father asserted.
Pope Benedict also emphasized the need to promote a culture of respect, a culture aware of the dignity of the human being. He charged those companies and individuals responsible for the development and promotion of new media as ones “capable of developing the gifts and talents of each and of putting them at the service of the human community."
"In this way the Church exercises that which can be defined as a ‘deaconate of culture’ on today's ‘digital continent,’ using its means to announce the Gospel, the only Word that can save the human being,” the Pope proclaimed.
The task of enriching the elements of the new culture of the media, beginning with their ethical aspects, falls to the Pontifical Council for Social Communications. This Council must provide orientation and guidance in helping the particular churches understand the importance of communication, “which represents a key point that cannot be overlooked in any pastoral plan," the Pontiff explained.
Concluding, Pope Benedict recalled the 50th anniversary of the Vatican Film Archive founded by Blessed John XXIII, which possesses a "rich cultural patrimony pertaining to all humanity.” The archive must continue to collect and catalogue images "that document the path of Christianity through the suggestive witness of the image," he urged.
Pope calls Catholics to daily meditation on the Bible
Vatican City, Oct 28, 2009 / 10:37 am (CNA).-
At today's General Audience in St. Peter's Square, Pope Benedict provided a lesson on the theological renaissance of the 12th century, advising Christians to learn from the monks and set aside time every day to meditate on the Bible, “so that the Word of God will be the lamp that illuminates our daily path on earth."Benedict XVI began his address to the 15,000 faithful by recalling how the 12th century was a time of a spiritual, cultural and political rebirth in the West. In that time, theology “flourished, refining methods, advancing towards new problems, in contemplation of the mystery of God,” he said.
As fruits of this development, figures such as St. Thomas and St. Bonaventure would appear in the thirteenth century. The two different environments in which this theological activity flourished were monasteries and schools, which would soon gave birth to universities, an invention of medieval Christianity.
Monastic theology, the Pope added, was due to abbots gifted with evangelical fervor and dedicated to inspire and nurture the desire for God. The method was primarily linked to the prayerful contemplation of Holy Scripture and the texts of the Church Fathers. The monks, he expounded, "were devoted to the Sacred Scriptures and one of their main activities consisted in lectio divina, that is, a meditative reading of the Bible." The Holy Father noted the Synod on the Word of God last year recalled the importance of reading Scripture and said it must be built on monastic theology.
"As monastic theology is listening to the Word of God," the Pontiff said, "it is necessary to purify one's heart to welcome it and, above all, one must be full of fervor to encounter the Lord. Theology therefore becomes meditation, prayer, a song of praise, and the impetus for sincere conversion."
The Holy Father emphasized "it is important to reserve a certain time each day for meditation on the Bible so that the Word of God will be the lamp that illuminates our daily path on earth."
Scholastic theology, the Pontiff explained, was formed "around a master and his disciples, to train professionals of culture in an era in which knowledge was increasingly appreciated." The method involves the placement of a "quaestio," a question around which "the discussion between teacher and students revolved."
"The organization of the ‘quaestiones’ led to the compilation of evermore extensive syntheses, the so-called ‘summae’ that were vast dogmatic-theological treatises,” Pope Benedict said. “Scholastic theology sought to present the unity and harmony of Christian Revelation with a method, called precisely 'scholastic,' that grants faith in human reason."
"Echoing the invitation of the First Epistle of Peter scholastic theology invites us to be always ready to answer whoever asks the reason for the hope that is in us," he noted. It "reminds us that between faith and reason there is a natural friendship, founded in creation itself." Faith liberates reason, enabling the human spirit to rise to the loving contemplation of that fullness of truth which is God himself.
Let us pray, Benedict XVI concluded, "so that the path of knowledge and exploration of the mystery of God is always enlightened by divine love."
In his Italian-language greeting to young people, the sick and newlyweds, Pope Benedict XVI said, “Today the liturgy remembers the Holy Apostles Simon and Jude Thaddeus. Let their evangelical testimony sustain you, dear young people, in the commitment of daily faithfulness to Christ. Let it encourage you, dear sick, to always follow Jesus along the road of trial and suffering. Let it help you, dear newlyweds, to make your family a place of constant encounter with the Love of God.”
dinsdag 27 oktober 2009
Church of England bishop says 'Anglican experiment is over'
London, England, Oct 26, 2009 / (CNA).-
Members of the traditionalist Anglican group Forward in Faith recently concluded their annual gathering, which was dedicated to discussing Pope Benedict's overture to Anglicans. The general impression left by the conference was the “Anglican experiment is over,” a mood that was reinforced by Bishop John Hind officially announcing he is ready to become Catholic.
The 2009 National Assembly of Forward in Faith was held in the Emmanuel Centre, Westminster, London, October 23-24. The Assembly was originally scheduled before the Vatican announced its unprecedented move, but the issue dominated most of the discussion.
Speaking to the press during the event, the Right Reverend John Hind, Anglican Bishop of Chichester, announced he is considering becoming a Roman Catholic.
Hind, the most senior traditionalist in the Church of England, told “The Telegraph” that he is willing to sacrifice his salary and palace residence to join the Catholic Church.
“This is a remarkable new step from the Vatican,” he said. “At long last there are some choices for Catholics in the Church of England. I'd be happy to be re-ordained into the Catholic Church.”
The bishop said that he expects his previous ministry will be recognized in the Catholic Church, but stressed that the divisions in the Anglican Communion could make it impossible to stay. “How can the Church exist if bishops are not in full communion with each other?” he asked.
During the conference, the Right Reverend John Broadhurst, who is the Anglican Bishop of Fulham and the Primate of Forward in Faith, affirmed that “the Anglican experiment is over.”
Bishop Broadhurst said that Pope Benedict has made his offer in response to the pleas of Anglicans who despair at the disintegration of their Church. “Anglicanism has become a joke because it has singularly failed to deal with any of its contentious issues,” said the bishop.
“There is widespread dissent across the [Anglican] Communion. We are divided in major ways on major issues and the Communion has unraveled. I believed in the Church I joined, but it has been revealed to have no doctrine of its own. I personally think it has gone past the point of no return. The Anglican experiment is over.”
In an emotional closing speech on Saturday, Bishop Broadhurst used the metaphor of the frog and the boiling pot to describe the current Anglican status.
"The temperature at the pot has become intolerable, but the process of boiling started before the ordination of women… The truth is, the tragedy for us is the Church of England has presumed. It's presumed to know better than the tradition on many matters and it's presumed to know better than Jesus Christ about some matters,” he explained.
“And It is the presumption of our Church in this present period that has caused such pain and anguish to many of us.
“Oh yes, the ordination of women was the water being turned up; we knew that we were going to be cooked to death ...
“And what the general (Anglican) Synod did, was to say, ‘We will push the pot towards the edge of the gas, as long as you stay on this side of the pot, with a few ice cubes, it'll be all right,’” Bishop Broadhurst said.
Then he explained: “We've never claimed that Anglicanism is the Church of Jesus Christ, and we've always claimed and believed that there needs to be catholic unity.”
“This is about Anglicans in communion with Rome and not about Anglicans ceasing to be Roman Catholics,” he also said.
The Right Reverend Martyn Jarrett, Anglican Bishop of Beverley, also insisted on the fact that “there are questions over the church's survival,” explaining that the Church of England has changed too dramatically for some traditionalists.
“The offer from the Vatican is momentous and I felt a great sense of gratitude that the Roman Catholic Church is thinking about the position of traditionalist Anglicans,” he added.
Another participant at the “Forward in Faith” conference, Fr. Edward Tomlinson, Anglican Vicar of St. Barnabas, said that he would be following the lead of Bishop Hind.
“The ship of Anglicanism seems to be going down... We should be grateful that a lifeboat has been sent. I shall be seeking to move to Rome. To stay in the Church of England would be suicide,” Fr. Tomlinson said.
Forward in Faith is a worldwide association of close to 1,000 clergy and thousands of lay Anglicans founded in 1992 in opposition to the ordination of women as priests or as bishops, and most recently, to the ordination of active homosexuals. The association says that it finds such practices not only “contrary to the Scriptures as they have been consistently interpreted by the two thousand year tradition of the churches of both East and West,” but also as a “new and serious obstacle in the way of reconciliation and full visible unity between Anglicans and the Roman Catholic and Orthodox churches.”
Synod for Africa sends Pope 57 propositions
Vatican City, Oct 26, 2009 / (CNA).-
The Second Special Assembly for Africa of the Synod of Bishops closed yesterday after meeting almost continuously since October 4 to discuss the future of the Church in Africa. The Synod for Africa concluded on Saturday with Pope Benedict being presented the 57 propositions drawn up and approved by the Synod Fathers.
Pope Benedict offered his observations of the proceedings, saying, “the temptation could have been to politicize the theme, to speak less as pastors and more as politicians, and thus in a sphere which is not our own.”
Despite the “strong political implications” of the subject matter considered by the gathering, the Holy Father returned to his remarks at the opening of the synod, when he said that “reconciliation, justice and peace are not possible without a profound purification of the heart, without a renewal of the mind, a 'metanoia,' without the newness that arises from the meeting with God.”
To conclude the Synod for Africa, the Synod Fathers voted on a number of propositions, using the answers “placet” or “non placet,” which is Latin for “it pleases” or “it does not please.” The prelates selected 57 propositions to present to the Holy Father, from which he will prepare the final document on the assembly.
The propositions touched on many topics including “greater ecclesial communion at all levels, encouraging cooperation within the Church,” as well as an appeal to all those who are at war in Africa: “stop the hostilities and be reconciled!”
Another theme that was frequently discussed was the environment. Observing that there was “an irresponsible degradation and senseless destruction of the earth, which is 'our mother,'” the Synod Fathers noted that “some businesses, governments and multinational and trans-national companies engage in business that pollute the environment, destroy flora and fauna, thus causing unprecedented erosion and desertification of large areas of arable land... in complicity with those who exercise political and economic leadership in Africa.”
The bishops also raised their voices on the issues that impact women. They rejected abortion and so-called reproductive health rights of women, calling instead for the defense of the family and of human life. Additionally, they condemned “all acts of violence against women, such as the battering of wives, the disinheritance of daughters, the oppression of widows in the name of tradition, forced marriages, female genital mutilation, trafficking in women and several other abuses such as sex slavery and sex tourism.”
The Synod Fathers proposed that the Pope consider the “fifteen million migrants who are looking for an homeland and a place of peace,” called for the abolition of the death penalty, and asked that AIDS victims in Africa “receive the same quality of treatment as in Europe.”
Finally, the prelates emphasized the importance of “the professional training and ethical formation of journalists to promote a culture of dialogue which avoids division, sensationalism, disinformation and the offensive trivialization of human suffering, all of which could harm the harmony and peace of societies and communities.”
In a rare move, Pope Benedict has allowed the publication of a provisional and unofficial copy of the proposition as he prepares the final document of the Synod for Africa.
zondag 25 oktober 2009
‘Rise up!’ Pope Benedict tells Africa at close of Synod
Vatican City, Oct 25, 2009 / 10:01 am (CNA).-
Pope Benedict XVI’s homily for the close of the Synod of Bishops for African concluded the Lord of history does not tire of renewing oppressed humanity since the time of Moses. “Rise up, African continent, the land which received the Savior when as a child he had to flee with Joseph and Mary to Egypt so as to save his life from the persecution of King Herod,” Pope Benedict proclaimed.
Benedict XVI’s homily turned to Sunday’s first reading from Jeremiah. In the Book of Lamentations, there is an announcement of hope for the people of Israel, laid low by the invasion of the army of Nebuchadnezzar, the devastation of Jerusalem and the Temple and the deportation to Babylon.
In the Gospel, Jesus encounters along the road to Jerusalem Bartimaeus, who has lost his sight. “God is light and creator of light,” the Pope explained. “Man is the son of light, made to see light, but has lost his sight and wanders.”
“Brothers, we give thanks because this ‘mysterious meeting of our poverty and the greatness’ of God is realized also in the Synodal Assembly for Africa, which today concludes,” he added. “God has renewed his call: ‘Courage! Rise up…”
“And also the Church in Africa, through the bishops, come from all the Countries of the Continent, from Madagascar and the other islands, has received the message of hope and light to walk the way leading to the Kingdom of God,” the Holy Father continued. “Bartimaeus becomes a witness to the light, giving a firsthand account of healing, renewal, regeneration.”
“This is the Church in the world, a community of persons reconciled, workers of justice and peace, ‘salt and light’ amid a society of men and nations… Moving testimony has demonstrated to us that even in these most dark moments of human history, the Holy Spirit is at work transforming the hearts of victims and persecutors so that they recognize brothers.”
The Pontiff directed the synod fathers to the example of the encyclical “Populorum progressio,” elaborated by the Servant of God Paul VI and which missionaries have realized and continue to realize promoting a respectful development of local culture and locale. The Pope added, “After more than forty years, this appears to be the only logic capable of freeing the African people from the slavery of hunger and sickness.”
Before the Angelus prayer, Pope Benedict spoke of the rich reality of the local Churches presented by the Synod Fathers. Animated by the Word of God and the Eucharist, he explained, the Church works so that “no one is without the necessities to live and so that all can have an existence worthy of a human being.”
Benedict XVI said he shared the joys of the Christian communities, “which continue to grow in quantity and quality.” He added, “Naturally, the actual problems of Africa and the great need of reconciliation, justice and peace were immersed in the Assembly.”
“Today I desire to address all the African populations, especially those that share the Christian faith, so as to ideally entrust to them the ‘Final Message’ of the Synodal Assembly,” the Holy Father continued. “Dear brothers and sisters who hear me in Africa, I entrust in a special way to your prayers the fruit of this work of the Synod Fathers and I encourage you with the words of the Lord Jesus: You are the salt and light of the beloved African land!”
The Holy Father concluded by recalling next year’s Synod of Bishops for the Middle East, for which the “instrumentum laboris” will be presented during his visit to Cyprus.
After the Angelus prayer, the Pontiff extended his greeting to thousands of faithful gathered outside of Milan, Italy’s cathedral for the beatification of Father Carlo Gnocchi:
“Father Gnocchi worked ‘to restore the human person,’ gathering children orphaned and mutilated by the Second World War and offering them help and education. He gave his all until the very end and dying, donated his corneas to two blind children. His work has continued to develop and today the Father Gnocchi Foundation offers rehabilitation therapy to needy people of all ages. While I greet Cardinal Tettamanzi, Archbishop of Milan, and rejoice with the entire Ambrosian Church, I make my own the theme of this beatification: ‘Alongside life, forever.’”
DI TRINTA DJADUMINGU SIKLO B
Promé Lektura : Yeremias 31, 7-9
Salmo : Salmo 126, 1-6
Di dos Lektura : Hebreonan 5, 1-6
Evangelio : Marko 10, 46-52
E pasashi aki tin komo sentro aktitutnan di Bartimeo, pa loke ta parse importante pa nos analisá e aktitutnan aki, ku Marko ta presentá komo modelo pa e kristian ku ke sigui Hesus. E promé aktitut di e siegu ta un akto di reflekshon interno: Bartimeo ta rekonosé ku e no por mira, i e sa ku su situashon por ta mihó. E di dos aktitut ta di rekonosé den Hesus e hende ku por kambia su bida, Bartimeo tin fe den Hesus i ta p'esei e ta realisá su di tres akshon: grit’é i kana bai serka djE, no ta import’é kibra ku skema òf stroba, e tabata sa ku Hesus lo por a salb’é. Por último, despues di haña den Hesus sanashon pa su sieges , Bartimeo ta sigui Hesus riba e kaminda.
Ademas di e aktitutnan di Bartimeo, ta signifikativo akshon di e komunidat ku ta aktua mas komo opstákulo ku komo yudansa p'asina e siegu por mira: nan no ta lag'é papia ni aserká Hesus, tampoko nan ta intersedé p’e, sino ku nan ta preferá pa e keda siegu i pa e no “molostiá” Hesus. (Esaki ta duna nos base pa reflekshoná riba nos aktitut dilanti di hopi hende ku ke sali di nan sieges i no ta haña den nos aliento pa sigui dilanti.)
Kuantu siegu awe ta kana sin ku ta rekonosé nan komo tal? Siegunan ku no ke mira nesesidat di nan próhimo, siegunan ku ta buska felisidat den plaser i inresponsabilidat, siegunan ku ta kana sin sa pa unda nan ta dirigí nan mes, siegunan ku no ta mira loke nan tin i por lo tantu no ta duna loke nan mester, siegunan pa trabou, siegunan pa alkohòl i bisio, siegunan pa nan egoismo, siegunan ku no ke rekonosé nan kulpa den pleitu di famia, siegunan ku no por mira den felisidat di nan pareha e fuente di nan felisidat, siegunan ku no por haña den Kristu e fuente di nan amor, siegunan pa nan forma mediokre di biba bida. Enfin, ta parse ku tin hopi Bartimeo entre nos i talbes kada un nos por identifiká nos mes ku algun tipo di sieges. Pa nos tur e pasashi aki tin un palabra: na promé lugá bo mester por rekonosé bo sieges; di dos, lo bo tin ku vense e flohera ku ta indusí bo pa sigui biba den e sieges aki; i di tres, kere den Hesus, asérkE, no tene miedu pa pidié su salbashon; i por último, disidí di siguié.
Hesus no por sana nos sin nos mes , Hesus lo a pasa bai i e siegu nunka lo a mira si e no a pone di su parti; Hesus tabatin mester di akshon di e siegu pa por a kur’é. Pero loke ta mas importante ta loke ta sosedé na final, e siegu, unabes ku e por a mira, a sigui Hesus. Si nos aserka Hesus únikamente pa E por resolvé nos sieges, pero si unabes E yuda nos, nos alehá nos mes di dJE, e ora ei nos no por bisa ku nos a kaba ku nos sieges.
Rekuperá nos bista, o ser salbá pa Hesus, ta enserá un kambio di bida, un kambio di aktitut, ku ta tradusí su mes den siguimentu de Kristu. Ora un hende yega na mira, i e duna su mes kuenta di e hopi ku el a pèrdè pasobra e tabata leu di Kristu, e no por hasi nada otro ku bras’é i siguié. Esaki ta biba serka di djE, den orashon, pa medio di su Palabra, asta den Komunion; i tambe sirbiE, den solidaridat, mizerikòrdia i hustisia.
Pues laga nos aserká Hesus, rekonosiendo nos “siegesnan”, pidiend’ E su salbashon i pa nos disidí di kana riba su kaminda, kaminda di goso inmenso, di inmenso amor i pas; pero tambe di kompromiso, responsabilidat i solidaridat.
woensdag 21 oktober 2009
Understanding the Faith requires friendship with Christ, Pope says
Vatican City, Oct 21, 2009 / 10:44 am (CNA).-
Pope Benedict XVI addressed almost 40,000 people on Wednesday about a figure known as “the last of the Fathers of the Church,” St. Bernard of Clairvaux. The Holy Father spoke to the gathered faithful about how St. Bernard's example should show them that true understanding of the Faith requires an “intimate relationship with the Lord” and profound faith.Pope Benedict began his catechesis by describing the life of the celebrated French saint.
Born in 1090 in Fontaines, France to a "numerous and fairly well off” family, Bernard studied grammar, rhetoric and dialectic. At 20 years-old he entered the monastery of Citeaux, which the Pope described as a “more rigorous” monastic foundation than the existing ones of the time.
In 1115 he was sent by St. Stephen Harding, third abbot of Citeaux, to found a new monastery at Clairvaux, where Bernard himself became abbot. At Clairvaux the saint "insisted on the importance of a sober and restrained lifestyle, in food, in clothing and in the structures of the monastery, at the same time encouraging support and assistance for the poor."
Together with his theological writings and homilies, including the celebrated Sermons on the Song of Songs, Bernard maintained a vast correspondence, developed warm friendships with his contemporaries, defended sound doctrine, and combated heresy and outbreaks of anti-Semitism. Benedict XVI recalled Bernard’s writings against the heresy of the Cathars who despised the material and the body and thus despised the Creator. This monk defended the Jews, so much so that a rabbi, Ephraim, “addressed a stirring tribute” to him.
Pope Benedict also pointed out that St. Bernard wrote a very special book on how to be a good pope for a pupil of his, Bernardo Pignatelli, who became Pope Eugenius III.
Bernard of Clairvaux died in 1153.
Turning to the value of St. Bernard's teachings for modern Christians, the Holy Father The Pope highlighted "two central aspects” of Bernard's teaching which concern Jesus Christ and Mary his most holy mother. The Monk expressed "the Christian participation in the love of God.” "It is from this that he was given the title of Doctor Mellifluous,” the Holy Father expounded. “His praise of Christ, in fact, flows like honey."
Bernard of Clairvaux loved to repeat, "there is one name that matters, that of Jesus of Nazareth.”
For Bernard "true knowledge of God lies in a personal and profound experience of Jesus Christ. Faith is first of all an intimate personal encounter with Jesus, the experience of his closeness, of his friendship and his love. Only in this way can we learn to love him and know him even more. Let us hope that this can happen in all of us," Pope Benedict said.
Bernard also emphasized the "privileged place of the Virgin in the economy of salvation." "It is no coincidence," said Benedict XVI, “that Dante puts on the lips of the Doctor Mellifluous his sublime prayer to Mary: 'Virgin Mother, daughter of thy Son, humble and exalted more than any other creature, fixed term of eternal counsel.'"
St. Bernard's ideas, Pope Benedict concluded, "stimulate not only theologians but all believers.”
“At times we think we can resolve the fundamental questions about God, mankind and the world using only the power of reason. St. Bernard however, solidly rooted in the Bible and the Fathers of the Church, reminds us that without a deep faith in God, nourished by prayer and contemplation, an intimate relationship with the Lord, our reflections on the divine mysteries are in danger of becoming a futile intellectual exercise, and lose their credibility."
Manual for proper celebration of the Mass officially presented to the Pope
Cardinal Antonio Canizares, Prefect of the Congregation for the Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments, today officially presented Pope Benedict XVI with the “Compendium eucharisticum,” aimed at helping priests to properly celebrate Mass.
The compendium, which was officially published on October 19, is a collection of study materials, prayers and meditations related to the celebration of the Eucharist. According to Cardinal Canizares, it is “a response to the desire of the Holy Father and the request made by the bishops during the 2005 Synod on the Eucharist.”
According to the daily edition of L’Osservatore Romano, the document “puts together texts from the Catechism of the Catholic Church, prayers, theological explanations of the Roman Missal’s Eucharistic prayers and everything that may be useful for the correct understanding, celebration and adoration of the Sacrament on the altar.”
L’Osservatore Romano also explained that the Pope’s desire is that the compendium will help both priests and laity in “believing, celebrating and increasingly living out the Eucharistic Mystery.” The Holy Father also hopes that it will stimulate “every faithful person to make of their own lives a spiritual worship,” the paper added.
The compendium has been published in Italian by the Vatican’s publishing house and will soon be available in other languages, including English.
dinsdag 20 oktober 2009
Pope Benedict approves structure for admitting large groups of Anglicans into Catholic Church
In a Vatican press conference today, Cardinal William Levada, prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, announced that an Apostolic Constitution has been prepared in response to “many requests” from groups of Anglican clergy and faithful wanting to enter into full communion with the Church.
The Apostolic Constitution, which Cardinal Levada said “provides a reasonable and even necessary response to a world-wide phenomenon,” will be a “single canonical model for the universal Church which is adaptable to various local situations and equitable to former Anglicans in its universal application.”
The new canonical structure will allow former Anglicans to enter into full communion with the Church while “preserving elements of distinctive Anglican spiritual patrimony,” said Cardinal Levada. Addressing the status of married clergy, the cardinal said that married Anglican clergy would be allowed to be ordained as Catholic priests just as takes place in the Eastern Catholic and Orthodox Churches. Similarly, following the same tradition, those priests will not be allowed to be ordained bishops.
These ‘Personal Ordinariates’ will be formed, “as needed, in consultation with local Conferences of Bishops, and their structure will be similar in some ways to that of the Military Ordinariates which have been established in most countries to provide pastoral care for members of the armed forces and their dependents throughout the world,” the cardinal prefect said.
He added: “The provision of this new structure is consistent with the commitment to ecumenical dialogue which continues to be a priority for the Catholic Church, particularly through the efforts of the Pontifical Council for Promotion of Christian Unity.”
One large group of breakaway Anglicans which has been requesting a formal structure to be corporately received into the Catholic Church has been the Traditional Anglican Communion, made up of an estimated 400,000 members worldwide.
Cardinal Levada explained that this initiative “has come from a number of different groups of Anglicans.” He went on to say: “They have declared that they share the common Catholic faith as it is expressed in the Catechism of the Catholic Church and accept the Petrine ministry as something Christ willed for the Church. For them the time has come to express this implicit unity in the visible form of full communion.”
The prefect of the CDF also shared what Pope Benedict's hopes are for the process.
“It is the hope of the Holy Father, Pope Benedict XVI, that the Anglican clergy and faithful who desire union with the Catholic Church will find in this canonical structure the opportunity to preserve those Anglican traditions precious to them and consistent with the Catholic faith. Insofar as these traditions express in a distinctive way the faith that is held in common, they are a gift to be shared in the wider Church. The unity of the Church does not require a uniformity that ignores cultural diversity, as the history of Christianity shows. Moreover, the many diverse traditions present in the Catholic Church today are all rooted in the principle articulated by St. Paul in his letter to the Ephesians: ‘There is one Lord, one faith, one baptism.'”
Archbishop Augustine DiNoia, the former under-secretary at the CDF until recently, who helped draft the new structure, said: “We’ve been praying for unity for 40 years. Prayers are being answered in ways we did not anticipate and the Holy See cannot not respond to this movement of the Holy Spirit for those who wish communion and whose tradition is to be valued.”
He said there has been a “tremendous shift” in the ecumenical movement and “these possibilities weren’t seen as they are now.” He rejected accusations that the new Anglicans be described as dissenters. “Rather they are assenting to the movement of the Holy Spirit to be in union with the See of Peter, with the Catholic Church,” he said.
Technical details still need to be worked out, and these Personal Ordinariates may vary in their final form, Archbishop DiNoia said. Full details of the Apostolic Constitution will be released in a few weeks but today’s press conference went ahead because it had been planned sometime ago.
Cardinal Levada said 20-30 bishops have made requests, but more details will be given at a later date. Members of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity were consulted and although they were invited to attend today’s press conference, no representatives were able to attend.
The Traditional Anglican Communion broke from the Anglican Communion in 1991 over the decision of the Church of England to ordain women as priests. The TAC, as well as other breakaway groups of traditionalist Anglicans, have been hoping for such a structure ever since. The TAC formally made a request two years ago, after all its bishops signed their approval of the Catechism of the Catholic Church at a ceremony in England. Discussions were protracted owing to the unique nature of such a structure, in particular over whether Anglicans should have their own rite.
zondag 18 oktober 2009
Pope Benedict remembers persecuted missionaries on World Mission Sunday
Tens of thousands of faithful attended the Angelus with Pope Benedict XVI in St. Peter’s Square on World Mission Sunday. Pope Benedict’s words to them recalled missionaries who suffer persecution, including Father Ruggero Ruvoletto, killed in Brazil, and Father Michael Sinnot, kidnapped in the Philippines.
His message, Benedict XVI explained, was inspired by an expression from the Books of Revelation: “The nations will walk by its light.” The light is that of God, revealed by the Messiah and reflected on the Church, the Holy Father added.
“It is 'the light of the Gospel,’ that guides people towards the realization of one great family, in justice and peace, under the fatherhood of one good and merciful God,” Pope Benedict said. “The Church exists to proclaim this message of hope to all humanity, which in our time ‘has experienced marvelous achievements but which seems to have lost its sense of ultimate realities and of existence itself.’"
The Church, he continued, feels the urgency of working to ensure that the sovereignty of Christ is fully realized. The Pontiff expounded, “All of its members and articulations cooperate in this project, according to the different states of life and charisms.”
“On this World Mission Sunday I remember the missionaries, priests, religious and laity, who devote their lives to bringing the Gospel into the world, also facing hardships and difficulties and sometimes even real persecution. I think, among others, of Father Roger Ruvoletto, a Fidei Donum priest, recently killed in Brazil, and Father Michael Sinnot, a religious, kidnapped a few days ago in the Philippines.”
Pope Benedict publicly thanked the Pontifical Missions for their valuable service rendered in animation and education to mission and urged all Christians to a gesture of sharing, in material and spiritual help of the young, poorer local Churches.
Benedict XVI concluded by speaking about Sunday’s feast of St. Luke the Evangelist, whose Acts of the Apostles narrates “the spread of the Christian message to the ends of the known world.”
“Let us invoke his intercession, together with that of St. Francis Xavier and Saint Theresa of the Child Jesus, patroness of missions, and the Virgin Mary, so that the Church may continue to spread the light of Christ among all peoples,” the Holy Father concluded. “I ask you also to pray for the Special Assembly for Africa of the Synod of Bishops, which in recent weeks is taking place here in the Vatican.”
DI BINTINUEBE DJADUMINGU SIKLO B
Promé Lektura : Isaias 53, 10-11
Salmo : Salmo 33, 4-5, 18-19, 20. 22
Di dos Lektura : Hebreonan 4, 14-16
Evangelio : Marko 10, 35-45
Pa tur hende? El a bini pa duna su bida pa tur hende? I pa terorista- i violadornan, pa ladron i pa bandidunan pa ateonan i esnan ku no sa loke nan ke den bida...? Pa tur hende...?
Nos tin miedu ku ta SI . Hesus a bini p'asina nos tur tin bida i bida den felisidat. Por ta ku hendenan no a deskubrí Dios i ainda no a saboriá e alegria di sinti nan mes ruman di otro, ei ta nan pena i nan tristesa, hopi ta biba odiando òf amargá ku ta meskos ku biba sin ta felis. Esaki ta nos testimonio di kreyentenan den e mundu di awe: Nos mester ta testigu di e amor di Dios ku ta hasi di nos sirbidó di otro.
Ora un hende bisa ku e tabata ke biba manera "e promé kristiannan..." , di bèrdat ta sinti gana di hari, pasobra semper e evangelio di awe ta bin den nos mente. E disipelnan ku a kombibí ku Hesus, ku a skucha su bos direktamente i a kompartí pan kuné; ku a mira su milagernan... no tabata mihó ku nos, kasi lo bisa ku nan no a resaltá pa nan gran fe ni pa nan afan di sirbishi na otro. Un kos ta ... “ta ku Kristu” i otro hopi distinto ta “sigui Kristu”. Ta kere ku e apòstelnan riba e dia ei a keda den e promé parti. Nan tabatin mentalidat di kualke ser humano. Nan tabata buska e mihó puestonan i no di stima mas. Nan tabata kere si pero den sentido di haña rekompensa. Nan tabata pensa si pero ku aktitut di rekohé fruta. Asina nos ta komo hende ora Señor no a yega den nos intimidat.
No laga nos gaña nos mes, nos tur ke pa nan rekonosé nos trabou. Nos sa ku un persona di bèrdat ta trahadó ora e gradisí pa trabou ku a hasi p’e. Únikamente esnan trahadó sa di balorá trabou di e otro. Diferensia den bida kristian ta ku nos trabou no tin ku bai uní únikamente na espektativa di rekonosementu humano. Por ta ku otronan no ta rekonosé bo lucha i trabou, bo sakrifisio i preokupashonnan, pero ki grandi ta di duna bida pa otro sin interes, sin buska rekompensa! Únikamente Dios i abo sa balor di kada kos ku abo a hasi pa otro. Amor di Dios lo ta bo salario i bo rekompensa, bo sindikato i bo reinvindikashon mas urgente.
Gloria humano ta opskuresé gloria di Dios . Si move den kriterionan humano lo bo no komprondé. Mester "nase di nobo". Hopi bia den nos orashon diario nos ta hasi manera e apòstelnan, nos ta bisa Dios kua ta nos proposishonnan, kiko e mester hasi, na lugá di ta nos ta esnan ku ta laga Dios hasi loke mester pa nos.
E otro disipelnan a rabia ku nan pasobra nan tabata buska preferensia. Boso no ta kere ku nan tabata pensa ku tabata inoportuno pidi esaki, sino pasobra kada un tabatin deseo pa nan mes, ku loke e diesnan tambe a demonstrá nan ambishon. Hesus a probechá e okashon para skual nan tur.
Hopi bia den nos Iglesia nos ta mira ehèmpel di hende ku ke sobresalí riba tur otro.
Ora hende ta mira Iglesia nan ta hasié ku kriterionan únikamente humano, di tal manera saserdotenan ta "destiná", ser "obispu" o "vikario" ta un enkargo masha importante, i no bisa nada mes di ser Papa...
Mare nos por transmití na e rumannan ku sirbishi, spesial na esnan mas débil i den nesesidat di sosiedat, ta e kaminda pa hasi Dios presente den nos mundu. Ora nos haña nos mes dilanti di nos Señor, E lo no puntra nos ni e dògmanan, ni di Beibel, ni e mandamentunan i ni sikiera e sakramentunan, sino kon nos a biba den aktitut di sirbishi i disponibilidat. Ta puntra kon ainda tin kristian únikamente preokupá pa e puresa doktrinal ora en realidat Evangelio ta invitá nos na e puresa di bida i di kurason...
Únikamente un kristian ku por sirbi otro ta esun ku tin amor komo meta den su bida. Outoridat, segun Kristu, ta den sirbi e ruman.
E mihó manera di eksperensiá bida ta di sa ku tur loke un hende a biba ta bal la pena, ku el a hasi kada kos na su momento i ku e no a laga asuntunan pendiente pa un mañan ku lo no yega. Tempu di Dios yama "awor".
E apòstelnan tabata ke privilegio pa futuro. Pober di nos si den presente nos no deskubrí ku dor di duna, segun ehèmpel di Hesus, ta nos mihó rekompensa, nos mihó rekonosementu.
zaterdag 17 oktober 2009
First meeting between Holy See and Lefebvrists to take place October 26
Several months after Pope Benedict lifted the excommunications of four Society of St. Pius X bishops, the Director of the Holy See's press office, Father Federico Lombardi, announced today that the first meeting with representatives of the society will take place in Rome on Monday, October 26.
The meeting will be attended by a number of individuals, including Archbishop Guido Pozzo, secretary of the Ecclesia Dei Pontifical Commission; Archbishop Luis Ladaria Ferrer, secretary of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith (CDF); Dominican Father Charles Morerod, secretary of the International Theological Commission and consultor with the CDF; Archbishop Fernando Ocariz, Vicar General of Opus Dei and consultor with the CDF; and Jesuit Father Karl Josef Becker, also a CDF consultor.
According to Father Lombardi, the meeting will take place at the Palace of the Holy Office, which is where the CDF is housed. “The conversations will focus on open doctrinal questions and will remain confidential. A statement will be released at the conclusion of the meeting,” Lombardi explained.
After Pope Benedict XVI lifted the excommunications of the four Lefebvrist bishops, the Vatican Secretary State issued a statement on February 4, 2009, explaining a series of demands that the Lefebvrists must meet including “full recognition of the Second Vatican Council” and of the magisteriums of all the Popes since Pius XII.
On March 10, the Holy See released a letter from Pope Benedict XVI to the bishops of world in which he explained the reasons for lifting the excommunication, noting that “until the doctrinal questions are clarified, the Society has no canonical status in the Church, and its ministers – even though they have been freed of the ecclesiastical penalty – do not legitimately exercise any ministry in the Church.”
Despite this clear warning, the Lefebvrist bishops ordained a group of priests at the end of June, which prompted a statement from the Holy See’s Press Office reiterating what the Pope said in his letter to the world's bishops.
dinsdag 13 oktober 2009
Holy See asks sick to pray for priests, beatification of John Paul II
Vatican City, Oct 13, 2009 / (CNA)
Writing in the context of the Year for Priests, Archbishop Zygmunt Zimowski, the President of the Pontifical Council for Health Care Workers, has sent a letter to those who are sick and suffering, asking them to pray for priests and the beatification of Pope John Paul II.
The purpose of the Year is to call the whole Christian community to “rediscover the beauty of the priestly vocation and thus to pray for priests,” the archbishop said, noting that this includes the sick.
Archbishop Zimowski reminded sick people in his October 1 letter that priests play an important role in their lives. “A priest at the bedside of a sick person represents Christ himself, the Divine Physician, who is not indifferent to the fate of those who suffer. Indeed, through the sacraments of the Church, administered by a priest, Jesus Christ offers to a sick person healing through reconciliation and the forgiveness of sins, through anointing with holy oil and lastly in the Eucharist, in the viaticum in which Christ himself becomes, as Giovanni Leonardi used to say, ‘the medicine of immortality’ by which ‘we are comforted, nourished, transformed into God, and participants in the divine nature,” he wrote.
The head of the Council for Health Care Workers also pointed out that the conclusion of the Year for Priests coincides with the 25th anniversary of the founding of Pontifical Council. Pope John Paul II, he recalled, founded the Council on the memorial of Our Lady of Lourdes to demonstrate the Church's care for the sick.
“Because of this providential anniversary,” Archbishop Zimowski wrote, “I am near to each one of you and I invite you, dear sick brothers and sisters, to unceasingly address your prayers and the offering up of your sufferings to the Lord of life for the holiness of your well loved priests, so that they can with devotion and pastoral charity perform the ministry that is entrusted to them by Christ, the physician of bodies and souls.”
During the Year for Priests, he encouraged the faithful who are sick and suffering to “rediscover the beauty of the prayer of the Holy Rosary for the spiritual benefit of priests, in a special way during the month of October.” He also exhorted the sick to participate in Mass and adoration of the Eucharist, “every first Thursday and every first Friday of the month, which are respectively dedicated to devotion to the Eucharist and the Sacred Heart of Jesus.”
“I would like to remind you that in praying for priests one can obtain special indulgences this year,” the archbishop added.
Looking ahead to April 2010, the Polish archbishop asked for their prayers for the pilgrimage of hospital chaplains that is being first in the French towns of Lourdes and Ars to mark the Pontifical Council's anniversary.
Archbishop Zimowski summed up his prayer requests by saying, To you, therefore, dear sick and suffering brothers and sisters, I entrust the Church which needs your prayers and sufferings, the person of the Holy Father Pope Benedict XVI, and all the bishops and priests in the world, who strive every day for your sanctification. I ask from you a special prayer for priests who are sick and afflicted in their bodies who every day experience, like you, the weight of pain, together with the force of saving grace which comforts and heals the soul.”
The Polish prelate also urged the sick to pray for “the beatification and canonization of the Servant of God John Paul II” recommending that they offer a prayer for the needs of the Church, authored by the late Pontiff.
zondag 11 oktober 2009
Holy Father canonizes five new saints
Today, Pope Benedict XVI canonized five new saints in St. Peter’s Basilica, including Fr. Damian of Molokai. During his homily, the Holy Father noted that all of the saints followed the invitation of Christ: "Come, follow me!"
Speaking to the faithful packed in St. Peter’s Basilica this morning, the Pope described the invitation of Christ saying that he "invites his disciples to the total gift of their lives, without calculation and human self-interest, with a wholehearted faith in God."
This call, the Holy Father continued, is welcome by the saints who "place themselves in humble obedience" to follow the Lord.
They no longer focus on themselves, the Pope explained, but by their "logic of faith," they choose "to go against the trends of the time living according to the Gospel."
Benedict XVI then gave a brief description of each of the five newly-canonized saints: a bishop, a Trappist brother, two priests and a nun.
Archbishop Zygmunt Szczesny Feliński of Warsaw, founder of the Congregation of the Franciscan Sisters of the Family of Mary, was committed to evangelization and support for the poor, defending the oppressed during the Russian occupation of Poland, and was sentenced to 20 years in exile in Jaroslaw on the Volga. "His gift of himself to God and man," the Holy Father said in Polish, was "full of confidence and love," and "becomes a shining example for the entire Church."
To those younger generations today who "are not satisfied with what they have," the Pontiff gave the example of Rafael Arnaiz Baron, who came from a wealthy family and was a bit "of a dreamer." He died when he was 27 years old, a Cistercian oblate, considered one of the greatest mystics of the twentieth century.
The Pontiff next spoke of Dominican Father Francisco Coll y Guitard, founder of the Congregation of Dominican Sisters of the Annunciation Blessed Virgin Mary. Through his preaching, the saint spread his love of the Word of God and the Sacrament of Reconciliation among people especially the young.
Father Damian, the famous apostle of lepers, at 23 years of age left Flanders, Belgium to go on a mission to modern day Hawaii. "Not without fear and loathing," Pope Benedict underlined, "Father Damian made the choice to go on the island of Molokai in the service of lepers who were there, abandoned by all. So he exposed himself to the disease of which they suffered. With them he felt at home. The servant of the Word became a suffering servant, leper with the lepers, during the last four years of his life."
He continued, "To follow Christ, Father Damian not only left his homeland, but has also staked his health so he, as the word of Jesus announced in today's Gospel tells us, received eternal life."
The figure of Father Damian, Benedict XVI added, "teaches us to choose the good fight not those that lead to division, but those that gather us together in unity."
And finally, the Pope spoke of St. Mary of the Cross, of the Little Sisters of the Poor, and her "wonderful work to help the most vulnerable elderly." He noted that her initiatives and goals are "still valid today, given that many elderly people suffer from multiple poverty and loneliness, sometimes even being abandoned by their families."
The Pope concluded by inviting all present "to allow themselves to be attracted by the shining example of these saints, to be guided by their teachings so that our entire life becomes a hymn of praise to God's love."
Congolese hostage situation forces bishop to leave synod in Rome
A Congolese bishop participating in the Synod for Africa in Rome has had to return home after several of his priests were taken hostage in an attack on a church in his archdiocese.
Archbishop of Bukavu François Xavier Rusengo told the Synod he had to return to the war-torn eastern Democratic Republic of Congo because last Friday uniformed men burnt down one of his parishes, attacked priests and took others hostage.
The archdiocese had to pay a huge ransom for the hostages’ release, the Catholic Information Service for Africa (CISA) reports.
“Through these acts, it is the Church, remaining the only support for a terrorized, humiliated, exploited and dominated people who they would reduce to silence. Lord, may your will be done, may your kingdom of peace arrive,” Archbishop Rusengo said on Tuesday.
The synod issued a statement of solidarity with the archbishop and the Christians of Bukavu. The statement expressed hope that “reconciliation and the Good News of the Gospel” may be welcomed as the path to achieve conditions of human life founded on justice and reinforced by peace, “a gift from God.”
According to CISA, the synod also called on the Congolese government to do everything possible to restore a just order and to guarantee the peace necessary for a normal life.
zaterdag 10 oktober 2009
DI BINTIOCHO DJADUMINGU SIKLO B
Promé Lektura : Sabiduria 7, 7-11
Salmo : Salmo 90, 12-17
Di dos Lektura : Hebreonan 4, 12-13
Evangelio : Marko 10, 17-30
E esena di e hòmber riku ku nos a skucha awe a laga nos, sin duda, ku un sentimentu di duele. Tabata un enkuentro kasi kasual, esun di e hòmber ku a kore bai kontra Kristu pa puntr’é: "Maestro, kiko mi mester hasi pa mi haña bida eterno?” Na promé momento, nos ta sinti nos mes konmoví pa e pregunta aki. Sinseridat i generosidat di e hòmber ei bon i honrado ta impreshoná nos den forma grato. Kristu ta kontest’é ku pa alkansá bida eterno mester kumpli ku mandamentunan di Dios, i E ta menshoná nan. E hòmber ta kontesta ku semper for di su hubentut ela tené su mes na nan. E ora ei Kristu ta mir’é ku amor i ta bis’é: "Un kos so bo falta. Bai i bende loke bo tin i duna hende pober e plaka i lo bo tin tesoro den shelu. Despues bin i sigui Mi". Pero ora e hòmber a tende e palabranan aki ela bira tristu i a kana bai, pasobra e tabatin hopi rikesa. Loke a kuminsá siendo un esena felis, a konkluí ku un final tristu. Di e hòmber riku ei evangelio no a ni sikiera a warda e nòmber. Tabata un vokashon frakasá, un potensial santu, un ehèmpel ku awe nos lo a proklamá, si su reakshon riba e invitashon di Señor tabata otro.
Pa ser kristian no ta sufisiente pa ta bon, honrado, den sentido di kumpli ku mandamentunan di Dios. Tin un dimenshon nobo, ku mester preokupá nos i ta e generosidat di e kurason na kua Kristu ta yama nos. Evangelio ta un vokashon eksigente ku no ta kumpli únikamente ku atené na mandamentu. Kristianismo ta poseé un dimenshon sosial, hopi bia ignorá, ora nos limitá nos mes na un simpel pietismo, fe komprondé komo simpel práktika di e debernan religioso. Awe nos mester puntra nos mes ku tur sinseridat: kon mi a yega na e bienesnan ku mi ta poseé i ki uso mi ta duna nan? Inhustisia di plaka ta sintá hopi biaha tantu den orígen komo den fin ku nos ta dun'é.
Despues di e esena e hòmber riku ku a alehá su mes tur tristu, Kristu ta pronunsiá un di e frasenan mas fuerte di e evangelio: "Ki difísil ta pa esnan ku tin rikesa drenta den e Reino di Dios". No tin resentimentu den e palabranan aki. Ni tampoko nan ta un yamada insensato pa un lucha di klase, sino un atvertensia serio pa duna rikesa su berdadero dimenshon sosial i kristian. Di akuerdo ku pensamentu di Kristu, na unda malisia esensial di plaka ta sinta? Dikon "ta mas fásil pa un kamel pasa dor di wowo di un angua ku pa un riku drenta den Reino di Dios"? Peliger di plaka ta ku fásilmente e ta hasi kurason di hende egoista, e ta hasié insensibel pa doló di otro, e ta hasi ku no ta preokupá mas pa suerte di otro, e ta priva hende di sentido di hustisia. Plaka ademas ta profundamente malu si a yega n’e a kosto di doló di e próhimo òf si e ta fruta di inhustisia òf eksplotashon. Si ami ta gosa di komodidat, si mi tin un bon kuenta di banko, pero si e ta a kosto di a paga insufisiente salario, mi no tin ningun derecho riba uso di e bienesnan ei. Den e kaso aki, ya no ta kestion di perfekshon, sino di hustisia pa duna bèk loke no ta pertenesé na mi. Pero, ken ta kapas di rekonosé ku nan rikesa ta fruta di un piká sosial? Mashá poko ta esnan ku tin e kurashi pa rekonosé esaki i pa aktua konforme tal konvikshon. Reakshon normal di e riku dilanti e palabranan aki di Kristu ta di ignorá nan, talbes sinti su mes tristu i den hopi kaso, di tilda esun ku ta proklamá e doktrina di Kristu relashoná ku rikesa komo ekstremista.
Rumannan, e hòmber riku a alehá su mes ku tristesa for di Kristu pasobra e tabata biba mashá mará na su rikesa. E no tabata mal hende, e tabata tené su mes na e mandamentunan, e tabata ke poseé Reino di Dios, pero e tabata katibu di su plaka. Kristu ke pa nos ta liber, pa nos sa di kompartí i duna, no pegá na bienesnan ku ta pasa. Awe, ku tur sinseridat di nos kurason, laga nos hasi nos mes e pregunta aki: Ami ta biba e disposishon interior aki di generosidat, di renunsia.... mi por kompartí mi poseshonnan ku otro. Laga nos siña biba manera e promé kristiannan, a lo ménos den spiritu, ku nan no tabata konsiderá nada komo kos propio, sino ku nan tabata poseé tur kos den komun. Solamente asina, siendo liber di paden, nos lo ta riba kaminda di e Reino di Dios i nos lo logra e berdadero pas di kurason.
vrijdag 9 oktober 2009
God, not Obama will bring peace to the Middle East, says Jordanian bishop
The Vicar of Jordan, Most Rev. Selim Sayegh, spoke to CNA in Amman last week about the tensions in the Middle East as well as the diminishing number of Christians in the area. He noted that Catholics can assist those struggling in the region by praying for peace because “true peace comes from the Lord,” not Obama, or Israeli/Palestinian leaders.
Sayegh, who has served Jordan as an auxiliary bishop for 27 years, addressed the plight of Christians in the Middle East, particularly the ones living in Iraq. He noted that the while the situation isn’t desperate, less Christians are living in the area than is considered ideal.
“Why,” the bishop asked, are not only Christians but also Muslims leaving the area? “All of them, they are looking for peace…they want peace for their children,” he answered.
“Once peace is established into these countries...no one would think about leaving.”
He zeroed in on Iraq asking why anyone would leave – it’s “one of the richest countries in the world,” however “there is no hope.”
When Iraqi Christian’s leave, they go to Jordan or Syria, the vicar explained. But, “for the most part, the Christians don’t intend to become established in Jordan,” but they only “stay until they can obtain a visa to the United States, Europe or Australia.”
“It’s a very sad situation,” the bishop lamented, explaining that many of the Iraqis were educated, economically well-off people in their country, but when they leave, all of a sudden, “poof, and they have nothing.”
Bishop Sayegh said that Catholics around the world can help improve the situation in the Middle East not only by being “good citizens,” but also by praying for peace.
“Pray for peace because true peace comes from the Lord, it doesn’t come from Obama or from Netanyahu or from Abu Mazen,” but rather from the “Lord of peace,” the bishop remarked.
Reflecting on Christians’ role in the peace process, Bishop Sayegh said that they have their place, but that they are called to play a role by living out the faith. “That’s why every day in our churches we pray for peace,” since God is the only one who is “able to change the hearts” and to “arrive at peace” in the region.
Vatican appreciates Obama receiving Nobel Peace Prize
Vatican City, Oct 9, 2009 / 12:59 pm (CNA).
The Vatican offered its appreciation today for President Barack Obama’s work for peace on the international level, following the announcement that the president the winner of the 2009 Nobel Peace Prize.
Vatican spokesman Fr. Federico Lombardi told L’Osservatore Romano that President Obama’s reception of the award “is greeted with appreciation by the Vatican” due to his efforts “to promote peace in the international arena, particularly in the recent effort in favor of the nuclear disarmament."
Fr. Lombardi also said that he hopes that the honor “may generate the expected results for the future of humanity.”
Reacting to the award, President Obama stated that it isn’t necessarily “a recognition of my own accomplishments,” but rather a “call for all nations to confront the common challenges of the 21st century.”
Fox News reported that the award committee chose the President due to his work to reduce nuclear weapons, his commitment to easing tensions with the Middle East and his dedication to cooperation.
The chairman of the Norwegian committee charged with choosing the peace prize recipient, Thorbjoern Jagland, said that although the president’s initiatives have yet to bear fruit, “Only very rarely has a person to the same extent as Obama captured the world's attention and given its people hope for a better future.”
In his statement today, the president also said he does not feel that he deserves “to be in the company of so many transformative figures that have been honored by this prize.”
Previous winners of the award include Mother Teresa, Desmond Tutu, Nelson Mandela, Martin Luther King, Theodore Roosevelt, Elie Wiesel and Jimmy Carter.
Pope tells young concert performers, 'never yield to the temptation of war'
Rome, Italy, Oct 9, 2009 / (CNA).
Pope Benedict XVI attended a concert on Thursday evening as part of commemorations for the 70th anniversary of World War II. The Holy Father prayed that "the recollection of those sad events be a warning, especially to the new generations, never to yield to the temptation of war," and pointed to the ecumenical movement as a means to held build a civilization of peace.The concert, which was titled "Young People Against War (1939-2009)" took place yesterday evening in the Auditorium on Rome's Via della Conciliazione.
The musical celebration was played by the "InterRegionales Jugendsinfonie Orchester" and conducted by Jochem Hochstenbach. The programme included compositions by Gustav Mahler and Felix Mendelsshon-Bartholdy and texts by Johan Wolfgang Goethe, Heinrich Heine, Paul Celan and Berthold Brecht, as well as two poems by children imprisoned in the Theresienstadt concentration camp, read by Michelle Breedt and Klaus Maria Brandauer.
Organizations that helped put the event together included the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity, the Commission for Religious Relations with Judaism, the German embassy to the Holy See and the European "KulturForum" of Mainau.
Following the concert, Pope Benedict said that it was a joy for him to participate in the event and that the universal language of music is able to "encourage young people to build the future of the world together, drawing inspiration from the values of peace and the brotherhood of man."
Turning to the fact that it was the tragedy of World War II that occassioned the concert, the Pope called it "a terrible page of history steeped in violence and inhumanity which caused the death of millions of people, leaving the winners divided and Europe to be rebuilt. The war, instigated by National Socialism, affected many innocent peoples in Europe and on other continents, while with the drama of the Shoah it particularly affected the Jewish people, who were victims of a planned extermination."
And yet, the Pontiff noted, "calls for reason and peace were not lacking from many sides. Here in Rome, the heartfelt cry of my venerated predecessor Pius XII rang out. In his radio message of 24 August 1939 - on the very eve of the outbreak of war - he decisively proclaimed: 'nothing is lost with peace. Everything may be lost with war'. ... May the recollection of those sad events be a warning, especially to the new generations, never to yield to the temptation of war."
Pope Benedict then went on to mention the twentieth anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall, "an eloquent symbol of the end of the totalitarian Communist regimes of Eastern Europe," he said. "Europe and the entire world thirst for freedom and peace. Together we must build true civilisation, not founded on force but on the 'fruit of our victory over ourselves, over the powers of injustice, selfishness and hatred which can even go so far as to disfigure man.'"
"The ecumenical movement," he concluded, "can help to build [this civilization], working together with the Jews and with all believers. May God bless us and grant humankind the gift of peace."
donderdag 8 oktober 2009
Africa at risk of wave of colonization by liberalism, archbishop warns
Archbishop Joseph Tlhagale of Johannesburg, South Africa said this morning at the Synod for Africa that the continent faces a "second wave of colonization" from "liberalism, secularism and from lobbyists who squat at the United Nations."
The South African archbishop began his five-minute intervention by noting that moral values are "embedded in the diverse African cultures," and that, "alongside the Gospel values, are threatened by the new global ethic."
This ethic, he said, "aggressively seeks to persuade African governments and communities to accept new and different meanings of concepts of family, marriage and human sexuality." He also added that "the cultures of Africa are under heavy strain from liberalism, secularism and from lobbyists who squat at the United Nations."
Archbishop Tlhagale described the situation as "a second wave of colonization both subtle and ruthless at the same time."
Confronting the onslaught of African society requires a strong effort on the part of laity, said the South African prelate. By virtue of their Baptism, he explained, they "are expected to witness in the public square, in their families and places of work."
Unfortunately, he stated, "their Christian voice in the face of the many challenges in Africa, is weak, muffled or simply silent. The hierarchy is without credible partners in the work of the transformation of Africa. Lay Catholics need to be given a voice in order to stand up and be counted for their Catholic faith. The hierarchy cannot do it alone."
Church’s voice stronger than any lie or manipulation, says cardinal
The president of the Council of Episcopal Conferences of Europe, Cardinal Peter Erdö, said this week that although the Church’s voice often does not make the front page, it is always “stronger than any other noise, lie, propaganda or manipulation.”
During his remarks at the Synod of Bishops of Africa, the cardinal underscored that “Christ is the light of the world. He also illuminates the shadows of human history, and no darkness, no hatred, no evil can overcome him. In Him is our hope.”
“Although the voice of the Church and the testimony of each Christian seems weak, although that voice does not often make the front page of the major newspapers, this subtle voice is stronger than any noise, lie, propaganda or manipulation. We are witnesses of the strength of the martyrs,” he said.
“We Catholics of Europe,” the cardinal continued, “have learned from our history to be attentive to the destiny of African Christians, and we have learned as well to appreciate your fidelity, your testimony and the African martyrs who give lives—year after year in troubling numbers—for Christ and for His Church, and for us as well.”
“The Church in Africa deserves our gratitude and our profound esteem,” he said in conclusion.
woensdag 7 oktober 2009
Catholic sisters save over 300 children from deadly tsunami in Samoa
Appia, Somoa, Oct 7, 2009 / (CNA)
An Australian sister and her colleagues at a Samoan primary school saved the lives of 320 school children when she quickly moved them to higher ground after an earthquake triggered a tsunami warning.
The Queensland-born Sister Doris Barbero, a Salesian, was teaching at St. Joseph’s Primary School on the edge of the sea in a village in southwest Western Samoa. The school is sponsored by Catholic Mission in Australia.
On Sept. 29 Sr. Doris, two other sisters and 11 lay staff felt the violent rumbling of the earthquake. According to the Archdiocese of Sydney, she said her first reaction was relief that all the children and the school had come through unhurt.
Then came strong aftershocks and the tsunami warning.
"We realized we had a very short time to get the children away from the school and the sea and up to higher ground to the hills behind us," Sister Doris said in a phone conversation with the Archdiocese of Sydney.
Sr. Doris and the staff scrambled up the hills with the children, who ranged in age from four to fifteen years old.
The older children helped the younger ones, who were very frightened.
The group remained huddled in the hills until the following day, the Archdiocese of Sydney reports. Although they escaped, many did not know the fate of their families and some still have relatives missing.
Sr. Doris now wants to raise funds to build a secure tsunami shelter high in the hills behind the school with emergency supplies in the event of a future tsunami.
Samoa-born Catholic priests Fr. Paulino and Tui Kolio and Father Tie Tie celebrated a special evening Mass at St. Therese Church in Sydney last Friday for the grieving and distraught families of victims killed or missing in the wake of the tsunami.
The two priests, both based at St. Therese parish, are migrant chaplains with the Archdiocese of Sydney who serve the local Samoan community.
Patron saint of pharmacists teaches us about God's medicine, Pope says
Vatican City, Oct 7, 2009 / (CNA)
During his Wednesday general audience, held for 40,000 people in St. Peter's Square, Pope Benedict XVI focused his catechesis on St. John Leonardi, the patron saint of pharmacists. This Italian saint, the Pope taught, can show us that God's medicine, his son Jesus, “is the measure of all things.”
St. John Leonardi, Pope Benedict recalled, was born in the Italian town of Diecimo in the year 1541. He studied pharmacology but abandoned it to focus on theology and was later ordained a priest.
Together with Monsignor Juan Vives and the Jesuit Martin de Funes he helped to found the Pontifical Urban College of Propaganda Fide, in which countless priests have been formed. Throughout his religious life, John Leonardi never lost his passion for pharmacology, convinced that "God's medicine, which is Jesus Christ Who was crucified and rose again, is the measure of all things," the Pope said.
The saint was also involved in advising a group of young people who in 1574 founded the Congregation of the Priests of the Blessed Virgin Reformed, later known as the Clerics Regular of the Mother of God.
"The resplendent figure of this saint invites all Christians, first and foremost priests, to strive constantly towards the 'highest measure of Christian life,' which is sanctity," the Pope said. "Indeed, it is only from faithfulness to Christ that authentic ecclesial renewal can arise.
“In those years,” Benedict XVI recalled, “in the cultural and social passage from the sixteenth to the seventeenth century, the premises of contemporary culture began to be outlined, characterized by an unwarranted fracture between faith and reason which, among the negative effects it has produced, marginalized God and created the illusion of a possible complete autonomy of man, who chooses to live 'as if God did not exist.'”
"This is the crisis of modern thought which I have frequently had occasion to highlight and which often leads to forms of relativism," the Holy Father added. "John Leonardi understood what the true medicine for these spiritual ills was and he summarized it in the expression: 'Christ above all.'”
St. John Leonardi was also well-aware of how Jesus' parable of the weeds and wheat applied to the Church, Pope Benedict explained. He was “not scandalized by her human weaknesses and, in order to counteract the weeds, he chose to become good wheat; that is, he chose to love Christ in the Church and to contribute to making her a more transparent sign of Him."
"Conquered by Christ like St Paul, he pointed to and continues to hold up the Christocentric ideal for which we must give up all our personal interests," the Pontiff said. "Next to the face of Christ his eyes are fixed on the maternal face of Mary, who became the patron of his order."
"The example of this fascinating man of God,” Pope Benedict concluded, “is a model, a call to all priests and all Christians to live their vocation with enthusiasm."
Later, in his greeting to Italian-speaking pilgrims, Benedict XVI noted that today the Church honors Our Lady of the Rosary. He expounded: “To you, dear young people, I recommend praying the Rosary so that it may help you to do the will of God and to find safe refuge in the Immaculate Heart of Mary. Dear sick people, experience the comfort of our heavenly Mother so that you may confront moments of trial. For you, dear newlyweds, the recitation of this prayer constitutes a daily commitment of your family so that it may grow, thanks to the intercession of Mary, in unity and in fidelity to the Gospel.”
African cardinal says anti-retroviral drugs better than condoms at fighting AIDS
The Archbishop of Cape Coast, Ghana has said that resources intended to fight HIV/AIDS should be directed towards anti-retroviral drugs instead of condoms, explaining that prophylactics vary in quality and give the poor a “false sense of security” which facilitates the spread of the disease.
Speaking at a press conference, Cardinal Peter Kodwo Appiah Turkson said that if resources presently put into condom production instead subsidized anti-retroviral drugs, “I think we would be happier, in Africa, for the availability of the retroviral drugs then.”
“The ordinary use of condoms, just as a stop of AIDS, is not the given, appreciable resort in our case,” said the cardinal, who is the relator-general or secretary general of the current Synod of Bishops for Africa.
“We are talking about a product of a factory and there are different qualities. There are condoms which arrive in Ghana where in the heat they burst during sex and when that is the case, then it gives the poor a false sense of security which rather facilitates the spread of HIV/AIDS,” he added, according to the Catholic Information Service for Africa (CISA).
Cardinal Turkson called for abstinence and fidelity, saying they are the key to fighting the epidemic. He also said those who are infected should refrain from sexual relations.
The Ghanaian cardinal's comments mirror the findings of AIDS experts on how to combat the spread of the disease in Africa.
dinsdag 6 oktober 2009
Pope Benedict sees changing hearts as ultimate challenge for African Church
Vatican City, Oct 5, 2009 (CNA).-
The Synod for Africa held its first full meeting on Monday morning at the Vatican, with 226 of the Synod Fathers and the Pope present. The Holy Father told the assembly that while it is important to gather statistical data to understand the problems facing the African Church, the most important analytical approach is to “see everything in the light of God.”The Pontiff began the session by making some brief opening remarks in which he referred to the problems of Africa and to the goals of reconciliation, justice and peace.
"It is right to carry out empirical studies," he said, "yet practical analyses, though conducted with precision and competence, do not indicate the true problems of the world if we do not see everything in the light of God."
However, Pope Benedict cautioned, "our analyses are deficient if we do not realize that behind the injustice of corruption, and all such things, is an unjust heart, a closure towards God and thus a falsification of the fundamental relationship upon which all other relationships are founded."
The assembly was then addressed by Cardinal Francis Arinze, followed by Archbishop Nikola Eterovic, secretary general of the Synod of Bishops, who explained the activities of the council of the secretariat general since the last synodal assembly (First Special Assembly for Africa of 1994) and illustrated the preparations for the current synod.
Cardinal Peter Kodwo Appiah Turkson, archbishop of Cape Coast, Ghana, then took the floor and gave a report on the current state of the Church in Africa. Cardinal Turkson is serving as the relator general for the synod, which involves facilitating and moderating the discussions.
Cardinal Turkson recalled the history of the last synod on Africa in 1994, saying that the meeting “inspired a message of hope for Africa” when it was confronting a dark chapter of its history.
Fourteen years later, the cardinal said, “the Church still bears some of the 'lights and shadows' that occasioned the first Synod, it has also 'changed considerably. This new reality requires a thorough study in view of renewed evangelization efforts, which call for a more in-depth analysis of specific topics, important for the present and future of the Catholic Church on the great continent.'"
The leader of the Church in Cape Coast described the positive growth of the Church but noted that it is confined to the 48 Sub-Saharan nations of Africa. In addition, the Church is being confronted with failures in “fidelity and commitment of some clergy and religious to their vocations,” as well as the “loss of members to new religious movements and sects."
Despite the mixed results, Cardinal Turkson noted that there is “an emerging continental desire on the part of African leaders themselves for an 'African renaissance.'” There is, he explained, a radical relationship between governance and economy: “bad governance begets bad economy. This explains the paradox of the poverty of a continent which is certainly the most richly endowed in the world.”
Another phenomenon that the Church must vigilant about is the “global emergence of lifestyles, values, attitudes, associations, etc.” that destabilize society. “These attack the basic props of society (marriage and family), diminish its human capital (migration, drug-pushing and arms' trade) and endanger life on the planet," the cardinal said.
"It is clear that, although the continent and the Church on the continent are not yet out of the woods, they can still modestly rejoice in their achievement and positive performance, and begin to disclaim stereotypical generalizations about its conflicts, famine, corruption and bad governance,” he stated.
"The truth is that Africa has been burdened for too long by the media with everything that is loathsome to humankind; and it is time to 'shift gears' and to have the truth about Africa told with love, fostering the development of the continent which would lead to the well-being of the whole world.”
The solution proposed by the Ghanaian cardinal was the same as Pope Benedict's, namely, to pursue “reconciliation, justice and peace, made particularly Christian by their rootedness in love and mercy.”
This path, he said, “would restore wholeness to the Church-Family of God on the continent, and that the latter, as salt of the earth and light of the world, would heal 'wounded human hearts, the ultimate hiding place for the causes of everything destabilizing the African continent.'”
The task demanded of the African Church, Cardinal Turkson explained, is to sow seeds of life on a continent where some people “live under the shadow of conflict and death.” “She must preserve the continent and its people from the putrefying effects of hatred, violence, injustice and ethnocentrism. The Church must purify and heal minds and hearts of corrupt and evil ways; and administer her life-giving Gospel message to keep the continent and its people alive."
Cardinal Urosa calls on Venezuelans to fight to preserve religious education
The Archbishop of Caracas, Cardinal Jorge Urosa Savino, remarked to Catholics recently that the Venezuelan government decided long ago to expel religion from schools, and therefore they should avoid the temptation to fall into secularism or yield to its onslaught.
“This is the immense challenge that we face, amidst the onslaught of secularism. Once we learn of the laws and norms that will exclude religious education—which was never obligatory or compulsive—from school curricula and the school day, we will have to come up with creative ways to carry out our sublime mission,” the cardinal said.
While noting that the new federal law does not in itself prohibit religious education from the classroom, the implementation of the law is where the attempt will be made to do so, he explained.
This is the interpretation that has already been applied to the new law in certain regions of the country, the cardinal warned, saying the government had long decided it would move to expel religion education from schools.
Cardinal Urosa stressed that evangelization through education is also part of the Church’s mission, and therefore he called for the defense of “the identity of Catholic schools and insistence on our right to educate students in the faith.”
“If there is a temptation in which we must not fall it is the temptation of secularism, of softening the proclamation of our faith, of giving up carrying out the glorious mission of being messengers of the Kingdom of God, of resigning ourselves to do nothing about it,” the cardinal said.
Cardinal Urosa recalled the words of Christ, telling his flock, “Be not afraid” and trust in the Lord. “We have the structures, the personnel, the experience, and above all, we have the grace of God,” he added.
Venezuela’s new law on education was approved by the National Assembly, which is dominated by the party of Hugo Chavez. The vote was pushed through without any consultation with the opposition or other sectors of society.
Five continents reflect on Synod for Africa theme in second session
Vatican City, Oct 6, 2009 (CNA)
The Synod for Africa commenced with its second full session on Monday afternoon, listening to how the synod's theme (The Church in Africa at the Service of Reconciliation, Justice and Peace: "You are the salt of the earth. ... You are the light of the world") is understood in South America, North America, Asia, Europe and Oceania.The afternoon session was attended by Pope Benedict XVI and began at 4:30 p.m. in the Synod Hall.
Delegates from the continents of South America, North America, Asia, Europe and Oceania presented the gathering with a variety of ways that their local Churches can help the African Church live out the synod's theme. Some representatives also reflected on how the theme of the synod can be implemented on their respective continents.
The presentations were followed by a report from Archbishop Laurent Monsengwo Pasinya on the impact of Pope John Paul II's apostolic exhortation "Ecclesia in Africa," which was that fruit of the first Synod for Africa, held in 1994.
The first prelate to give his observations was Archbishop Raymundo Damasceno Assis of Aparecida, Brazil. He offered to share the "great wealth" of his episcopal conference's 54 years of existence as well as the resources of Latin American seminaries to help form priests and seminarians.
Archbishop Wilton Gregory of Atlanta spoke next, saying that the Church in the United States continues "to benefit from those people from Africa who recently have come as visitors and new residents to our shores." In particular, Archbishop Gregory found that, "Many of these new peoples bring with them a profound and dynamic Catholic faith with its rich spiritual heritage. These wonderful people challenge us to rediscover our own spiritual traditions that so often are set aside because of the influence of our secular pursuits."
Speaking for the continent of Asia, Archbishop Orlando Quevedo compared his continent with Africa. "The Church in Africa and the Church in Asia bear similar experiences of sorrow and joy. Sorrow at the many forces of a culture of death ... such as the increasing poverty and marginalization of our peoples; ... injustices against women and. children; ... our inability to compete with the powerful in a global economic order unguided by juridical and moral norms; religious intolerance instead of a dialogue of reason and faith.
"On the other hand," noted Archbishop Quevedo, "we experience great joy and hope in movements of justice and peace, ... in the solidarity of people of good will from different social classes and religious traditions to work for a more just, more peaceful, more fraternal social order."
The continent of Oceania's representative, Archbishop Peter William Ingham, said that the Church in his region shares a rich history of martyrs with the African Church. He also observed that, "In both Oceania and Africa, great work is being done by the Church and its agencies to help people recover their equilibrium in their communities and to manage risks that could arise from natural disasters."
Echoing a similar theme, was Europe's delegate, Cardinal Peter Erdö of Budapest. "We European Catholics have learned from our own history closely to follow the fate of African Christians, and we have also learned to respect your faithfulness, your witness, and the African martyrs who give their lives - year after year in worryingly-large numbers - for Christ and for His Church, and in the same way also for us. The Church in Africa has earned our gratitude and our profound respect," the cardinal said.
The second full assembly came to a close with a report from Archbishop Laurent Monsengwo Pasinya of the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Archbishop Pasinya explained to the gathering how the Church in Africa took up the recommendations of the first Synod for Africa with vigor. The first synod, he said, gave "fresh impulse to the life and mission of the Church in Africa."
On Tuesday morning, the Synod for Africa began its third full session with an address from His Holiness Abuna Paulos, patriarch of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church. The patriarch reminded the synod that in striving to meet the spiritual needs of the African faithful, "apostleship and social works cannot be treated separately."
Pope Benedict responded to the patriarch's words by thanking him for his presence, and saying, "In Christ we know that reconciliation is possible, justice can prevail, peace can endure! This is the message of hope which we are called to proclaim. This is the promise which the people of Africa long to see fulfilled in our day."
The synod fathers continued their speeches, warning against abuses across the continent. Archbishop Polycarp Pengo said that the Church in Africa must be willing to root out corruption and even to the point of denouncing clergy who abuse the role and practice of authority, resort to tribalism and ethnocentrism and act in a politically partisan manner.
Bishop Maroun Elias Lahham of Tunis, Tunisia closed out the session by calling for the North African Church to share their experiences with Islam in the upcoming Synod for the Middle East and for an opportunity for the the Church in Africa to share its experience of Islam "from Tunis to Johannesburg."
