dinsdag 31 mei 2011
Pope upholds primacy of Gregorian chant
Vatican City, May 31, 2011 / (CNA/EWTN News).-
Pope Benedict XVI has reminded church musicians of the primacy of Gregorian chant in the Mass, describing it “as the supreme model of sacred music.”
The Pope set out his views in a letter for the 100th anniversary of the Pontifical Institute of Sacred Music. The letter was read at the institute on May 26 and made public on May 31.
He praised Gregorian chant as being “of huge value to the great ecclesial heritage of universal sacred music.” But Pope Benedict also noted that sometimes it was erroneously “considered an expression of an idea corresponding to a past, gone and to be forgotten, because it limited the freedom and creativity of the individual and the community.” This was a view he wanted to counter.
“We always have to ask again: who is the true subject of the Liturgy? The answer is simple: the Church. It is the individual or group that celebrates the liturgy, but it is primarily God's action through the Church, which has its own history, its rich tradition and creativity.”
Gregorian chant, often referred to as plainchant, is named after the 6th century Pope Gregory the Great. He both simplified and cataloged the sacred music of the Church used throughout the year. It’s been the normative music of sacred liturgy ever since.
The present Pope stressed that there’s no tension between tradition and genuine progress in the development of sacred music.
“The liturgy, and therefore sacred music, lives in a correct and consistent relationship between healthy traditio and rightful progressio, always keeping in mind that these two concepts - that the Council Fathers clearly emphasized - complement each other because the tradition is a living reality and, therefore, it includes in itself the principle of development and progress.”
Music is a topic of particular interest to the Pope. He’s a great lover of classical music in general with a special fondness for Mozart and Bach. He’s also an avid pianist who has an upright piano in his Vatican apartment.
Pope Benedict noted in his letter that all his musical conclusions are mandated by the Second Vatican Council’s constitution on the sacred liturgy, “Sacrosanctum Concillium.”
maandag 30 mei 2011
Crisis of 'indifference' shows need for New Evangelization, Pope says
Vatican City, May 30, 2011 / (CNA/EWTN News).-
“The crisis we are living through,” he said, “carries with it signs of the exclusion of God from people's lives, a general indifference to the Christian faith, and even the intention of marginalizing it from public life.”
The Pope made his remarks on May 30 to members of the Pontifical Council for Promoting New Evangelization, as they prepare for their upcoming synod in 2012. During the meeting, which will take place Oct. 7-28 next year, bishops and other participants from around the world will discuss the late Pope John Paul II's vision of proposing the Christian faith in new ways.
Pope Benedict explained that “the term 'new evangelization' recalls the need of a new way of evangelizing, especially for those who live in a situation like today's where the development of secularization has left deep marks on even traditionally Christian countries.”
He noted that “proclaiming Jesus Christ, the sole Savior of the world, is more complex today than in the past, but our task continues to be the same as at the beginning of our history. The mission hasn't changed, just as the enthusiasm and courage that motivated the apostles and first disciples should not change.”
The Church's message, he said, “needs to be renewed today in order to convince modern persons, who are often distracted and insensitive. That is why the new evangelization must find the ways to make the proclamation of salvation more effective, the salvation without with life is contradictory and lacking in what is essential.”
Pope Benedict observed a growing “phenomenon” of people in modern society “who wish to belong to the Church but who are strongly determined by a vision of life that is opposed to the faith is often seen.”
“It is important to make them understand that being Christian is not a type of outfit that one wears in private or on special occasions, but something living and totalizing, capable of taking all that is good in modernity.”
He emphasized that the entire Christian community “is called to revive the missionary spirit in order to offer the new message that persons of our times are hoping for.”
The “lifestyle of believers needs real credibility, as much more convincing as the more dramatic is the condition of the persons to whom it is addressed.”
Pope Benedict expressed his desire to council members that they outline “a plan to help the entire Church and the particular different Churches in the commitment of the new evangelization; a plan whereby the urgency of a renewed evangelization takes charge of formation, particularly that of the new generations, and is united to the proposal of concrete signs capable of making the Church's response in this particular moment clear.”
Pope Benedict backs changes at Caritas
Vatican City, May 27, 2011 / (CNA/EWTN News).-
Pope Benedict XVI has given his backing to the reorganization of the international Catholic charity Caritas, which will see the organization work more closely under Vatican guidance in a bid to enhance its Catholic identity.
“Since Caritas Internationalis has a universal profile and is canonically a public juridical person, the Holy See is also responsible for following its activity and exercising oversight to ensure that its humanitarian and charitable activity, and the content of its documents, are completely in accord with the Apostolic See and the Church’s Magisterium,” the Pope told representatives of the organization at an audience in the Vatican May 27.
This week has seen 165 national affiliates of Caritas gather in Rome for the organizations general assembly. It’s been a week of turbulence and change.
In his opening address to the Caritas general assembly on May 22, Cardinal Robert Sarah of the Pontifical Council Cor Unum – the Vatican body responsible for Caritas – hinted at concerns over the charity’s lack of Catholic identity. Interestingly, four of Cardinal Sarah’s key concerns were almost identically echoed by the Pope today.
Just as Cardinal Sarah said in his opening address for the charity’s general assembly, Pope Benedict stated today that “Caritas Internationalis differs from other social agencies in that it is ecclesial; it shares in the mission of the Church.”
“This is what the Popes have always wanted and this is what your General Assembly is called forcefully to re-affirm,” the Pope said May 27.
The way Caritas carries out its work is different from humanitarian or philanthropic organizations, the Pope continued. “For us Christians, God himself is the source of charity; and charity is understood not merely as generic benevolence but as self-giving, even to the sacrifice of one’s life for others in imitation of the example of Jesus Christ.”
Pope Benedict built upon the importance of Caritas having a “transcendent foundation” that appreciates man’s eternal destiny, saying that without that solid mooring charities “risk falling prey to harmful ideologies.”
In May 22 remarks to CNA, Cardinal Sarah said that "the future will be very brilliant" for Caritas if it follows "the indication given by Pope Benedict XVI in 'Deus Caritas Est.'"
This was also the pole star for Caritas action offered by the Pope today. “In my first Encyclical, ‘Deus Caritas Est’, I reaffirmed how critical the witness of charity is for the Church in our day. Through such witness, seen in the daily lives of her members, the Church reaches out to millions of persons and makes it possible for them to recognize and sense the love of God, who is always close to every man and woman in need.”
Yesterday Caritas elected the 56-year-old Frenchman, Michel Roy, as its new general secretary. He follows in the footsteps of Lesley-Anne Knight, who was prevented from running for re-appointment to her post by the Vatican earlier this year. Meanwhile, the charity’s governance is also being revamped to give Vatican officials more control over its work.
Roy will now serve alongside Cardinal Oscar Rodriguez Maradiaga from Honduras who was re-elected for a second term as Caritas International’s president.
Caritas International is a confederate of 165 relief and social service organizations operating in over 200 countries and territories worldwide.
Catholic charity Caritas chooses new leader
Rome, Italy, May 26, 2011 /(CNA/EWTN News).-
Michel Roy has been elected as the new general secretary of Caritas, the Catholic Church’s confederation of charitable and development agencies. The 56-year-old Frenchman was voted in by a majority of delegates at the organization’s general assembly in Rome.
“I’m very moved by this. I’d like to thank Lesley-Anne (Knight) for the work she’s done so far and also all of you for the work that you do for this network which reflects the hopes of the poor to build a better world,” Roy told delegates upon his election. He is currently the international lobbying and advocacy director for Secours Catholique, the French affiliate of Caritas.
Roy’s election comes at difficult time for Caritas. The organization has heard calls this week from various high-ranking cardinals urging it to improve its Catholic identity. These calls include Cardinal Robert Sarah, the head of the Vatican body responsible for Caritas, the Pontifical Council Cor Unum.
In his opening address to the Caritas general assembly in Rome on May 22, Cardinal Sarah said, “A Caritas that wasn’t an ecclesial expression would have no meaning or existence. The Church cannot be considered as a partner of Catholic organizations. They are the organizations that take part in her mission.”
Later that day Cardinal Sarah told CNA that Caritas International’s new theme, “One Human Family – Zero Poverty,” which was unveiled at the same meeting, didn’t make sense because it’s unrealistic.
“I'm very hesitant to understand what zero poverty means, because Christ said we will always have the poor. So, what is a realistic way we can fight the poverty? But, it's difficult to absolutely cancel out poverty,” he said.
Cardinal Sarah also said that "the future will be very brilliant" for Caritas if it follows "the indication given by Pope Benedict XVI in 'Deus Caritas Est.'"
The next day, the liberal English Dominican Father Timothy Radcliffe O.P., was dropped as a speaker at the conference and replaced by Father Raniero Cantalamessa, the preacher of the Pontifical household.
Earlier this year, the Vatican also blocked Caritas’ current general secretary, Lesley-Anne Knight, from running for re-appointment to her post. The charity’s governance is also being revamped to give Vatican officials more control over its work.
Following his election on May 26, Michel Roy outlined his top four priorities for Caritas International.
“The challenges are put in the frame of the strategic plan that we have adopted here. It’s about the reinforcement of the humanitarian response of the Caritas network to the victims of man-made or natural disasters,” the new secretary general said.
His second objective is to promote and coordinate “integral human development,” so that the poor “can take their lives in their own hands and move forward.”
Roy listed his third priority as advocating for a “better and more just world.” He pointed to how the world is dominated by finances, and said, “we want to turn that world upside down and put the human being back at the center. The poor have to be our inspiration for that.”
Roy’s final goal is to improve the “coordination, access and communication among the members, so that each member participates in the promotion of the mission of the whole network.”
Roy has 30 years experience working for Secours Catholique in France. He began by working for the diocesan office in Paris in 1981. He is a father of two children and is an alumnus of the Sorbonne University in Paris, graduating in economics and oriental languages.
He’ll now serve alongside Cardinal Oscar Rodriguez Maradiaga from Honduras, who was re-elected for a second term as Caritas Internationalis president.
Caritas International is a confederation of 164 Catholic relief, development and social service organizations operating in over 200 countries and territories worldwide.
maandag 23 mei 2011
Pope appoints archbishop Thomas E. Gullickson as Nuncio in Ukraine
VATICAN CITY, Monday, May 23, 2011 (ZENIT.org) .-
Benedict XVI appointed apostolic Archbishop Thomas Edward Gullickson, titular Archbishop of Bomarzo as nuncio in Ukraine.
The archbishop was born on August 14, 1950 in Sioux Falls (South Dakota, USA), and was ordained priest on June 27, 1976.
On October 2, 2004 he was appointed titular Archbishop of Bomarzo and the same day, the apostolic nuncio in Trinidad and Tobago, Bahamas, Dominica, Saint Kitts andNevis, Saint Lucia and S. Vincent and Grenadines.
On December 15, 2004 he was appointed apostolic nuncio in Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados, Jamaica, Guyana and Suriname.
On 20 December the same year he was appointed apostolic nuncio in Grenada, also in the Antilles.
zondag 22 mei 2011
Pope Benedict: proclaiming Jesus Christ is the task of the Church
Vatican City, May 22, 2011 (CNA/EWTN News).-
Proclaiming Jesus Christ as “the way, the truth and the life” is the main task of the Church, Pope Benedict said in his Sunday Regina Coeli remarks.
“The New Testament put an end to invisibility of the Father. God showed his face, as confirmed by the response of Jesus to the Apostle Philip, ‘Whoever has seen me has seen the Father’,” the Pope told the faithful in St. Peter’s Square on May 22.
For Christians, he explained, “the way to the Father is to be guided by Jesus, by his word of truth, and in accepting the gift of his life.”
Pope Benedict suggested the way of Jesus Christ is to be found in “following him every day, in simple actions that make up our day.”
He then quoted his own words from the second volume of his book Jesus of Nazareth:
“That's the mystery of God: to act in the quietest way. He only builds slowly in the great story of mankind’s history. He becomes a man, but in order to be ignored by his contemporaries and influential forces in history ... He continually knocks in the quietest way on the doors of our hearts, and if we open ourselves to him, he slowly makes us able to ‘see’.”
Pope Benedict drew upon the gospel reading for today, the fifth Sunday of Easter, in which Jesus Christ tells his disciples “Have faith in God, believe also in me.” The Pope pointed out that this belief is a single act of faith, and not two separate actions.
He cited the counsel of the 13th-century Italian theologian St. Bonaventure, who said “Open your eyes, therefore, tend the spiritual ears, open your lips and you have your heart, that you can in all creatures see, hear, praise, love, worship, glorify, honor your God.”
Pope Benedict concluded by calling upon the Virgin Mary to “always help the pastors and those in the various ministries announced the good news of salvation, so that the Word of God will spread and multiply the number of disciples.”
He then led pilgrims in the singing of the Regina Coeli.
Pope asks Christians to pray for Church in China
Vatican City, May 18, 2011
(CNA/EWTN News).- Pope Benedict XVI has urged Catholics around the world to join him next week in praying for the Church in China.
“All Catholics throughout the world have a duty to pray for the Church in China: those members of the Faithful have a right to our prayers, they need our prayers,” the Pope said May 18.
Speaking at the end of his weekly audience, the Pope reminded pilgrims that May 24 is a global day of prayer for the Church in China. The date marks the feast of Our Lady, Help of Christians, who is venerated at the Shrine of Sheshan in Shanghai. The Pope established the custom of praying for China on this day back in 2007.
“By our prayers we can obtain for the Church in China that it remain one, holy and Catholic, faithful and steadfast in doctrine and in ecclesial discipline.”
China has an estimated 8 to 12 million Catholics. They are divided, though, between the state-sanctioned church that sometimes names bishops without the Vatican’s approval and an underground church wary of government ties.
“Chinese Catholics, as they have said many times, want unity with the universal Church, with the Supreme Pastor, with the Successor of Peter,” said the Pope. He added that prayer from others around the world was key to making that happen.
“We can help them to find the path to keep their faith alive, to keep their hope strong, to keep their love for all people ardent, and to maintain in its integrity the ecclesiology that we have received from the Lord and the Apostles.”
Pope Benedict finished his remarks by asking Mary “to enlighten those who are in doubt, to call back the straying, to console the afflicted, and to strengthen those who are ensnared by the allure of opportunism.”
zaterdag 21 mei 2011
vrijdag 20 mei 2011
woensdag 18 mei 2011
Pope reflects on how prayer can spark God’s mercy
Vatican City, (CNA/EWTN News).- Pope Benedict XVI continued his series of reflections on Christian prayer today as he spoke about the relationship between intercessory prayer and God’s mercy throughout history.
In his third installment on prayer, Pope Benedict looked at Abraham’s example of praying for mercy.
“We now turn to sacred Scripture and its witness to the dialogue between God and man in history, a dialogue culminating in Jesus Christ, the Word made flesh. We can begin with the prayer with which Abraham, the father of all believers, implores God not to destroy the sinful city of Sodom.”
At Sodom, Abraham asked God not to take vengeance upon the notoriously sinful city.
“Abraham’s prayer of intercession appeals to God’s justice, begging him not to destroy the innocent with the guilty. But it also appeals to God’s mercy, which is capable of transforming evil into good through forgiveness and reconciliation.”
This aspect of prayer, said the Pope, reflects God’s unfailing mercy for his creation.
“God does not desire the death of the sinner but his conversion and liberation from sin,” he explained.
“In reply to Abraham’s prayer, God is willing to spare Sodom if 10 righteous men can be found there. Later, through the prophet Jeremiah, he promises to pardon Jerusalem if one just man can be found,” the pontiff recalled.
He concluded by saying that God’s mercy was most spectacularly manifested over 2,000 years ago in Bethlehem.
“In the end, God himself becomes that just Man, in the mystery of the Incarnation. Christ’s prayer of intercession on the cross brings salvation to the world. Through him, let us pray with unfailing trust in God’s merciful love for all mankind, conscious that our prayers will be heard and answered.”
This is the third week Pope Benedict has used his Wednesday audience to teach pilgrims about Christian prayer. His previous theme – the lives of the saints – took two years to complete.
Vatican sets May 2012 deadline for global abuse guidelines
Vatican City, May 16, 2011 / 02:02 pm (CNA/EWTN News).- The Catholic Church is giving bishops worldwide until May next year to draw up new guidelines for dealing with cases of child sex abuse.
The deadline is included in a new letter that the Vatican’s Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith has sent to the world’s bishops.
“The aim is to give bishops a strong common denominator for drafting guidelines appropriate to their own national situation, with its unique culture and legislation,” said Vatican spokesman, Father Frederico Lombardi, SJ, at a press conference releasing the document May 16.
The letter is dated May 3 and is signed by the doctrine congregation’s head, Cardinal William Levada. It gives nine recommendations for bishops and episcopal conferences to consider:
--The sexual abuse of minors is a grave crime. Because of that all credible allegations should be referred to the Vatican.
--The person who reports the abuse should be treated with respect.
--The local Church should offer spiritual and psychological assistance to victims.
--The initial inquiry into any allegations should respect privacy and the good name of those involved.
--The accused priest should be informed of the accusation and given opportunity to respond unless there is serious reason not to do so.
--The ultimate responsibility for handling the case lies with the local bishop, although advisory groups or experts can assist.
--The law in each country regarding the reporting of such allegations to civil authorities should be followed.
--During the investigatory stage the local Church still has a duty of care towards the accused person.
--While always innocent till proven guilty, a priest can be removed from public ministry if their continued presence would endanger minors or cause scandal.
Fr. Lombardi says these nine points should help to provide a common approach throughout the world.
“Countries like the U.S., U.K., Germany and Ireland already have similar guidelines but the idea is to push other conferences where problems have not been so pronounced.”
The guidelines employed by the U.S. bishops arguably go further than today’s Vatican suggestions. American priests can be being suspended automatically during any investigation if the bishop deems the evidence significant enough.
Presently those countries which choose not to have guidelines – such as Italy – are guided by canon law and by a papal directive issued by Pope John Paul II in 2001. At that time, he raised the age at which a person is deemed to be a minor from 16 to 18.
That directive’s provisions were significantly strenghtened by Pope Benedict XVI last year. He increased the time-limit under which cases can be brought against alleged perpetrators from 10 to 20 years after a victim’s 18th birthday and created a fast-track by which guilty clerics can be dismissed from the priesthood. The downloading or distribution of child pornography was also added to the list of grave offenses.
Today’s guidelines are another reflection of Pope Benedict XVI’s attitude towards what he’s previously called the “filth” of clerical sex abuse.
The Vatican’s guidelines also say the Pope provides the model for how a bishop should deal with the issue. The new letter highlights “his availability to meet with and listen to the victims of sexual abuse” over the six years of his pontificate. It also quotes his 2010 pastoral letter to the Catholics of Ireland.
“You have suffered grievously and I am truly sorry. I know that nothing can undo the wrong you have endured. Your trust has been betrayed and your dignity has been violated.”
The Vatican is also suggesting preventative measures, including better screening of applicants for the priesthood.
“Particular attention, moreover, is to be given to the necessary exchange of information in regard to those candidates to the priesthood or religious life who transfer from one seminary to another, between different dioceses, or between religious Institutes and dioceses.”
The Vatican also said that formation should continue after ordination.
“Priests should be well informed of the damage done to victims of clerical abuse. They should also be aware of their own responsibilities in this regard in both canon and civil law. They should as well be helped to recognize the potential signs of abuse perpetrated by anyone in relation to minors.”
Rome’s exorcist finding Bl. John Paul II effective against Satan
Rome, Italy, (CNA/EWTN News).- The chief exorcist of Rome is seeing a rising number of young people coming under the influence of evil, but he has found in recent years that Blessed John Paul II is a powerful intercessor in the battle for souls.
A small, unassuming office in south-west Rome seems a rather ordinary setting in which to play out a grand battle between good and evil. It is here, though, that Father Gabriele Amorth has carried out most of his 70,000 exorcisms over the past 26 years.
“The world must know that Satan exists,” he told CNA recently. “The devil and demons are many and they have two powers, the ordinary and the extraordinary.”
The 86-year-old Italian priest of the Society of St. Paul and official exorcist for the Diocese of Rome explained the difference.
“The so-called ordinary power is that of tempting man to distance himself from God and take him to Hell. This action is exercised against all men and women of all places and religions.”
As for the extraordinary powers used by Satan, Fr. Amorth explained it as how the Devil acts when he focuses his attention more specifically on a person. He categorized the expression of that attention into four types: diabolical possession; diabolical vexation like in the case of Padre Pio, who was beaten by the Devil; obsessions which are able to lead a person to desperation and infestation, and when the Devil occupies a space, an animal or even an object.”
Fr. Amorth says such extraordinary occurrences are rare but on the rise. He's particularly worried by the number of young people being affected by Satan through sects, séances and drugs. He never despairs though.
“With Jesus Christ and Mary, God has promised us that he will never allow temptations greater than our strengths.”
Hence he gives a very matter-of-fact guide that everybody can use in the fight against Satan.
“The temptations of the Devil are defeated first of all by avoiding occasions (of temptation), because the Devil always seeks out our weakest points. And, then, with prayer. We Christians have an advantage because we have the Word of Jesus, we have the sacraments, prayer to God.”
Not surprisingly, ‘Jesus Christ’ is the name Fr. Amorth most often calls upon to expel demons. But he also turns to saintly men and women for their heavenly assistance. Interestingly, he said that in recent years one man – Blessed Pope John Paul II – has proved to be a particularly powerful intercessor.
“I have asked the demon more than once, ‘Why are you so scared of John Paul II and I have had two different responses, both interesting. One, ‘because he disrupted my plans.’ And, I think that he is referring to the fall of communism in Russia and Eastern Europe. The collapse of communism.”
“Another response that he gave me, ‘because he pulled so many young people from my hands.’ There are so many young people who, thanks to John Paul II, were converted. Perhaps some were already Christian but not practicing, but then with John Paul II they came back to the practice. ‘He pulled so many young people out of my hands.’”
And the most powerful intercessor of all?
“Of course, the Madonna is even more effective. Ah, when you invoke Mary!”
“And, once I also asked Satan, ‘but why are you more scared when I invoke Our Lady than when I invoke Jesus Christ?’ He answered me, ‘Because I am more humiliated to be defeated by a human creature than being defeated by him.”
The intercession of the living is also important, though, says Fr. Amorth. He reminds people that exorcism is a prayer and, as such, Christians can pray to liberate a soul or place from the Devil. However, three things are needed.
“The Lord gave them (the Apostles) an answer that also for us exorcists is very important. He said that overcoming this type of demon, you need much faith, much prayer and much fasting. Faith, prayer and fasting.”
“Especially faith, you need so much faith. Many times also in the healings, Jesus does not say in the Gospel it is me who has healed you. He says, you are healed thanks to your faith. He wants faith in the people, a strong and absolute faith. Without faith you can do nothing.”
ANTILLES EPISCOPAL CONFERENCE ANNUAL PLENARY MEETING OF BRIDGETOWN, BARBADOS MAY 8th – 14th, 2011
St. Patrick’s Catholic Cathedral in Bridgetown, Barbados witnessed a gathering of the priests, Religious and faithful of the island who participated in the Opening Mass for the 55th Annual General Meeting of the Bishops of the Antilles Episcopal Conference (AEC) which took place from 8th – 14th May, 2011.
Invoking the guidance and wisdom of the Holy Spirit on their first working day, the bishops reflected on the Holy Father’s Message for World Day of Peace 2011: “Religious Freedom, the Path of Peace.” This atmosphere of reflection was later to be deepened in a Study Day on Pope Benedict’s encyclical, CARITAS IN VERITATE (“Love in Truth”).
Almost everywhere the document has been made available not only to the clergy, but also to the Laity and to political leaders. Of utmost importance is the pope’s insistence that Love in truth – love respectful of mankind’s origin, sacredness and transcendent destiny – should be the driving force of any effort to put development at the service of each human being.
In discussing the implications of the Encyclical for the region the main concerns raised by the Bishops were: 1. That everywhere general elections be fair and an occasion for the people to make use of their political rights; 2. That people be enlightened to elect women and men ready to conduct policies in harmony with the Gospel values of solidarity with the poor, respect for life and protection of nature; 3. That youth be given hope in their future through sufficient job opportunities, a living wage and proper housing, so that our societies overcome poverty, violence, corruption and drug addiction.
The bishops then addressed many concerns that impact upon the church and the society.
1. NATURAL DISASTERS IN THE REGION: Every year the region is affected by disasters which result in loss of lives and homes with the accompanying trauma. The bishops of the AEC have decided to enter into collaboration with the Franciscan Sisters of the Sorrowful Mother to establish a TRAUMA RESPONSE TEAM to minister to those who will be thus affected in the region.
2. CATHOLIC EDUCATION IN THE REGION: Concern was expressed about the socio-economic realities of our day, realities that enshrine materialism, relativism and selfishness. To address these realities the bishops approved a Pastoral Letter on Catholic Education, the objective of which is to accentuate the dignity of the human person and their invaluable worth to self, church and society, and to produce citizens of integrity who are faith-filled, competent and responsible.
3. YOUTH MINISTRY IN THE REGION: Given the various trends in our society that tempt young people to believe that material things and passing pleasure define a person, it is imperative that the Church give greater priority to Youth Ministry. To that end, the bishops encourage the more than 500 youth from across the AEC who will be attending World Youth Day (August 11th – 21st, 2011) in Madrid, Spain where these young missionary disciples will meet and pray with the Holy Father. This religious experience will be followed up with the Regional Youth Rally scheduled for 2012 in St. Lucia, with the theme “Your Word is a Lamp for my Steps and a Light for my Path.”
4. VIRTUS: “Protecting God’s Children” in the Region. The Bishops re-affirmed their commitment to protecting and providing safe environments for children. For this purpose they have introduced the VIRTUS programme into the dioceses of the AEC. VIRTUS is developed by US based National Catholic Risk Retention Group Inc. It seeks to educate and train clergy, staff, parents, volunteers and other adults about the nature of child sexual abuse and how to prevent such harm to children. The goal is to have this programme in place in every diocese of the AEC.
5. VOCATIONS IN THE REGION: The promotion of vocations is an ongoing need in our region as it is elsewhere around the world. In its effort to address this reality the Vocations Commission of the AEC has arranged a two week training session for Vocation Directors. The first week is scheduled for August 8th – 13th 2011, at St. John Vianney Seminary in Trinidad. Throughout the AEC an annual week of Vocation Awareness will be observed in each diocese beginning with the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord, 2012.
6. SYNOD OF BISHOPS: The World Synod of Bishops will hold its thirteenth Ordinary General Assembly in Rome, October 7th – 28th, 2012. The theme for this Synod is “The New Evangelization for the Transmission of the Christian Faith.” The Bishops of the AEC elected a delegate and a substitute to attend the Synod. They also began their responses to the initial questions proposed by the Synod Secretariat noting that the theme of the Synod builds upon that of the 2007 Aparecida Conference of Bishops of Latin America and the Caribbean and the AEC priority of challenging all Christians to become Missionary Disciples of Christ.
7. ELECTIONS OF OFFICERS: Elections of officers for the AEC took place on Wednesday May 11th. Archbishop Patrick C. Pinder of Nassau, The Bahamas, was elected President, to succeed the outgoing President Archbishop Donald J. Reece of Kingston, Jamaica. Bishop Francis Alleyne of Georgetown, Guyana, was elected Vice President and Bishop Neil Tiedemann of Mandeville, Jamaica was elected Treasurer. The General Secretary of the AEC is Deacon Mike James of Guyana.
