zondag 11 oktober 2009
Holy Father canonizes five new saints
Vatican City, Oct 11, 2009 / (CNA).
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."
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
Vatican City, Oct 10, 2009 / (CNA).
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.
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.
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