I will share from time to time, videos that speaks to my heart as I come across them ..Hope you and I can contemplate their meaning for us today ...
Wednesday, December 31, 2014
December 2014: Interfaith commitment to fight against human trafficking
..2095
December 2014: Interfaith commitment to fight against human trafficking
November 2014: The Pope builds bridges with the Orthodox Church and Islam
He addressed the European Parliament in Strasbourg and visited a mosque in Istanbul.
Tuesday, December 30, 2014
Monday, December 29, 2014
Sunday, December 28, 2014
March 2014: Pope Francis becomes the first Pope to go to confession in p...
March 2014: Pope Francis becomes the first Pope to go to confession in public. He also condemned the Italian mafia
Saturday, December 27, 2014
Thursday, December 25, 2014
Wednesday, December 24, 2014
Monday, December 22, 2014
The talk Pope Francis: Christmas greetings to Curia
Pope Francis: Christmas greetings to Curia
http://www.news.va/en/news/pope-francis-christmas-greetings-to-curia
(Vatican
Radio) Pope Francis received the heads and other senior officials of
the departments of the Roman Curia on Monday, in their traditional
exchange of Christmas greetings. In remarks prepared for the occasion
and delivered Monday morning, the Holy Father focused on the need for
those who serve in the curia – especially those in positions of power
and authority – to remember and cultivate an attitude and a spirit of
service.
“Sometimes,” said Pope Francis, “[Officials of the Curia] feel themselves ‘lords of the manor’ [It. padroni] – superior to everyone and everything,” forgetting that the spirit, which should animate them in their lives of service to the universal Church, is one of humility and generosity, especially in view of the fact that none of us will live forever on this earth.
“It is good to think of the Roman Curia as a small model of the Church, that is, a body that seeks, seriously and on a daily basis, to be more alive, healthier, more harmonious and more united in itself and with Christ”.
“The Curia is always required to better itself and to grow in communion, sanctity and wisdom to fully accomplish its mission. However, like any body, it is exposed to sickness, malfunction and infirmity. …
I would like to mention some of these illnesses that we encounter most frequently in our life in the Curia. They are illnesses and temptations that weaken our service to the Lord”, continued the Pontiff, who after inviting all those present to an examination of conscience to prepare themselves for Christmas, listed the most common Curial ailments:
The first is “the sickness of considering oneself 'immortal', 'immune' or 'indispensable', neglecting the necessary and habitual controls.
A Curia that is not self-critical, that does not stay up-to-date, that does not seek to better itself, is an ailing body. …
It is the sickness of the rich fool who thinks he will live for all eternity, and of those who transform themselves into masters and believe themselves superior to others, rather than at their service”.
The second is “'Martha-ism', or excessive industriousness; the sickness of those who immerse themselves in work, inevitably neglecting 'the better part' of sitting at Jesus' feet.
Therefore, Jesus required his disciples to rest a little, as neglecting the necessary rest leads to stress and agitation.
Rest, once one who has brought his or her mission to a close, is a necessary duty and must be taken seriously: in spending a little time with relatives and respecting the holidays as a time for spiritual and physical replenishment, it is necessary to learn the teaching of Ecclesiastes, that 'there is a time for everything'”.
Then there is “the sickness of mental and spiritual hardening: that of those who, along the way, lose their inner serenity, vivacity and boldness and conceal themselves behind paper, becoming working machines rather than men of God. …
It is dangerous to lose the human sensibility necessary to be able to weep with those who weep and to rejoice with those who rejoice! It is the sickness of those who lose those sentiments that were present in Jesus Christ”.
“The ailment of excessive planning and functionalism: this is when the apostle plans everything in detail and believes that, by perfect planning things effectively progress, thus becoming a sort of accountant. …
One falls prey to this sickness because it is easier and more convenient to settle into static and unchanging positions. Indeed, the Church shows herself to be faithful to the Holy Spirit to the extent that she does not seek to regulate or domesticate it. The Spirit is freshness, imagination and innovation”.
The “sickness of poor coordination develops when the communion between members is lost, and the body loses its harmonious functionality and its temperance, becoming an orchestra of cacophony because the members do not collaborate and do not work with a spirit of communion or as a team”.
“Spiritual Alzheimer's disease, or rather forgetfulness of the history of Salvation, of the personal history with the Lord, of the 'first love': this is a progressive decline of spiritual faculties, that over a period of time causes serious handicaps, making one incapable of carrying out certain activities autonomously, living in a state of absolute dependence on one's own often imaginary views.
We see this is those who have lost their recollection of their encounter with the Lord … in those who build walls around themselves and who increasingly transform into slaves to the idols they have sculpted with their own hands”.
“The ailment of rivalry and vainglory: when appearances, the colour of one's robes, insignia and honours become the most important aim in life. … It is the disorder that leads us to become false men and women, living a false 'mysticism' and a false 'quietism'”.
Then there is “existential schizophrenia: the sickness of those who live a double life, fruit of the hypocrisy typical of the mediocre and the progressive spiritual emptiness that cannot be filled by degrees or academic honours.
This ailment particularly afflicts those who, abandoning pastoral service, limit themselves to bureaucratic matters, thus losing contact with reality and with real people.
They create a parallel world of their own, where they set aside everything they teach with severity to others and live a hidden, often dissolute life”.
The sickness of “chatter, grumbling and gossip: this is a serious illness that begins simply, often just in the form of having a chat, and takes people over, turning them into sowers of discord, like Satan, and in many cases cold-blooded murderers of the reputations of their colleagues and brethren.
It is the sickness of the cowardly who, not having the courage to speak directly to the people involved, instead speak behind their backs”.
“The sickness of deifying leaders is typical of those who court their superiors, with the hope of receiving their benevolence.
They are victims of careerism and opportunism, honouring people rather than God. They are people who experience service thinking only of what they might obtain and not of what they should give. They are mean, unhappy and inspired only by their fatal selfishness”.
“The disease of indifference towards others arises when each person thinks only of himself, and loses the sincerity and warmth of personal relationships. When the most expert does not put his knowledge to the service of less expert colleagues; when out of jealousy … one experiences joy in seeing another person instead of lifting him up or encouraging him”.
“The illness of the funereal face: or rather, that of the gruff and the grim, those who believe that in order to be serious it is necessary to paint their faces with melancholy and severity, and to treat others – especially those they consider inferior – with rigidity, hardness and arrogance. In reality, theatrical severity and sterile pessimism are often symptoms of fear and insecurity”.
“The disease of accumulation: when the apostle seeks to fill an existential emptiness of the heart by accumulating material goods, not out of necessity but simply to feel secure. … Accumulation only burdens and inexorably slows down our progress”.
“The ailment of closed circles: when belonging to a group becomes stronger than belonging to the Body and, in some situations, to Christ Himself. This sickness too may start from good intentions but, as time passes, enslaves members and becomes a 'cancer' that threatens the harmony of the Body and causes a great deal of harm – scandals – especially to our littlest brothers”.
Then, there is the “disease of worldly profit and exhibitionism: when the apostle transforms his service into power, and his power into goods to obtain worldly profits or more power.
This is the disease of those who seek insatiably to multiply their power and are therefore capable of slandering, defaming and discrediting others, even in newspapers and magazines, naturally in order to brag and to show they are more capable than others”.
After listing these ailments, Pope Francis continued, “We are therefore required, at this Christmas time and in all the time of our service and our existence – to live 'speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love'”.
“I once read that priests are like aeroplanes: they only make the news when they crash, but there are many that fly. Many criticise them and few pray for them”, he concluded.
“It is a very nice phrase, but also very true, as it expresses the importance and the delicacy of our priestly service, and how much harm just one priest who falls may cause to the whole body of the Church
2014-12-22 Vatican Radio 1946
(Vatican
Radio) Pope Francis received the heads and other senior officials of
the departments of the Roman Curia on Monday, in their traditional
exchange of Christmas greetings. In remarks prepared for the occasion
and delivered Monday morning, the Holy Father focused on the need for
those who serve in the curia – especially those in positions of power
and authority – to remember and cultivate an attitude and a spirit of
service.“Sometimes,” said Pope Francis, “[Officials of the Curia] feel themselves ‘lords of the manor’ [It. padroni] – superior to everyone and everything,” forgetting that the spirit, which should animate them in their lives of service to the universal Church, is one of humility and generosity, especially in view of the fact that none of us will live forever on this earth.
“It is good to think of the Roman Curia as a small model of the Church, that is, a body that seeks, seriously and on a daily basis, to be more alive, healthier, more harmonious and more united in itself and with Christ”.
“The Curia is always required to better itself and to grow in communion, sanctity and wisdom to fully accomplish its mission. However, like any body, it is exposed to sickness, malfunction and infirmity. …
I would like to mention some of these illnesses that we encounter most frequently in our life in the Curia. They are illnesses and temptations that weaken our service to the Lord”, continued the Pontiff, who after inviting all those present to an examination of conscience to prepare themselves for Christmas, listed the most common Curial ailments:
The first is “the sickness of considering oneself 'immortal', 'immune' or 'indispensable', neglecting the necessary and habitual controls.
A Curia that is not self-critical, that does not stay up-to-date, that does not seek to better itself, is an ailing body. …
It is the sickness of the rich fool who thinks he will live for all eternity, and of those who transform themselves into masters and believe themselves superior to others, rather than at their service”.
The second is “'Martha-ism', or excessive industriousness; the sickness of those who immerse themselves in work, inevitably neglecting 'the better part' of sitting at Jesus' feet.
Therefore, Jesus required his disciples to rest a little, as neglecting the necessary rest leads to stress and agitation.
Rest, once one who has brought his or her mission to a close, is a necessary duty and must be taken seriously: in spending a little time with relatives and respecting the holidays as a time for spiritual and physical replenishment, it is necessary to learn the teaching of Ecclesiastes, that 'there is a time for everything'”.
Then there is “the sickness of mental and spiritual hardening: that of those who, along the way, lose their inner serenity, vivacity and boldness and conceal themselves behind paper, becoming working machines rather than men of God. …
It is dangerous to lose the human sensibility necessary to be able to weep with those who weep and to rejoice with those who rejoice! It is the sickness of those who lose those sentiments that were present in Jesus Christ”.
“The ailment of excessive planning and functionalism: this is when the apostle plans everything in detail and believes that, by perfect planning things effectively progress, thus becoming a sort of accountant. …
One falls prey to this sickness because it is easier and more convenient to settle into static and unchanging positions. Indeed, the Church shows herself to be faithful to the Holy Spirit to the extent that she does not seek to regulate or domesticate it. The Spirit is freshness, imagination and innovation”.
The “sickness of poor coordination develops when the communion between members is lost, and the body loses its harmonious functionality and its temperance, becoming an orchestra of cacophony because the members do not collaborate and do not work with a spirit of communion or as a team”.
“Spiritual Alzheimer's disease, or rather forgetfulness of the history of Salvation, of the personal history with the Lord, of the 'first love': this is a progressive decline of spiritual faculties, that over a period of time causes serious handicaps, making one incapable of carrying out certain activities autonomously, living in a state of absolute dependence on one's own often imaginary views.
We see this is those who have lost their recollection of their encounter with the Lord … in those who build walls around themselves and who increasingly transform into slaves to the idols they have sculpted with their own hands”.
“The ailment of rivalry and vainglory: when appearances, the colour of one's robes, insignia and honours become the most important aim in life. … It is the disorder that leads us to become false men and women, living a false 'mysticism' and a false 'quietism'”.
Then there is “existential schizophrenia: the sickness of those who live a double life, fruit of the hypocrisy typical of the mediocre and the progressive spiritual emptiness that cannot be filled by degrees or academic honours.
This ailment particularly afflicts those who, abandoning pastoral service, limit themselves to bureaucratic matters, thus losing contact with reality and with real people.
They create a parallel world of their own, where they set aside everything they teach with severity to others and live a hidden, often dissolute life”.
The sickness of “chatter, grumbling and gossip: this is a serious illness that begins simply, often just in the form of having a chat, and takes people over, turning them into sowers of discord, like Satan, and in many cases cold-blooded murderers of the reputations of their colleagues and brethren.
It is the sickness of the cowardly who, not having the courage to speak directly to the people involved, instead speak behind their backs”.
“The sickness of deifying leaders is typical of those who court their superiors, with the hope of receiving their benevolence.
They are victims of careerism and opportunism, honouring people rather than God. They are people who experience service thinking only of what they might obtain and not of what they should give. They are mean, unhappy and inspired only by their fatal selfishness”.
“The disease of indifference towards others arises when each person thinks only of himself, and loses the sincerity and warmth of personal relationships. When the most expert does not put his knowledge to the service of less expert colleagues; when out of jealousy … one experiences joy in seeing another person instead of lifting him up or encouraging him”.
“The illness of the funereal face: or rather, that of the gruff and the grim, those who believe that in order to be serious it is necessary to paint their faces with melancholy and severity, and to treat others – especially those they consider inferior – with rigidity, hardness and arrogance. In reality, theatrical severity and sterile pessimism are often symptoms of fear and insecurity”.
“The disease of accumulation: when the apostle seeks to fill an existential emptiness of the heart by accumulating material goods, not out of necessity but simply to feel secure. … Accumulation only burdens and inexorably slows down our progress”.
“The ailment of closed circles: when belonging to a group becomes stronger than belonging to the Body and, in some situations, to Christ Himself. This sickness too may start from good intentions but, as time passes, enslaves members and becomes a 'cancer' that threatens the harmony of the Body and causes a great deal of harm – scandals – especially to our littlest brothers”.
Then, there is the “disease of worldly profit and exhibitionism: when the apostle transforms his service into power, and his power into goods to obtain worldly profits or more power.
This is the disease of those who seek insatiably to multiply their power and are therefore capable of slandering, defaming and discrediting others, even in newspapers and magazines, naturally in order to brag and to show they are more capable than others”.
After listing these ailments, Pope Francis continued, “We are therefore required, at this Christmas time and in all the time of our service and our existence – to live 'speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love'”.
“I once read that priests are like aeroplanes: they only make the news when they crash, but there are many that fly. Many criticise them and few pray for them”, he concluded.
“It is a very nice phrase, but also very true, as it expresses the importance and the delicacy of our priestly service, and how much harm just one priest who falls may cause to the whole body of the Church
Sunday, December 21, 2014
Apostolic Nuncio's Christmas message 2014
Bloggers note: I visited the Apostolic Nunciature 2012 Photos https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10151290402661543.488053.516476542&type=1&l=a7d00d9373
http://www.nuntiatura.ca/office_en.html
1916
Christmas, 2014
To welcome and to share the abundance of God
We are just at the threshold of Christmas, a great event which – if we welcome it – is capable of changing our lives. A story by Tolstoy which I learned and owe to Pope Benedict XVI helps me to share the light and life that springs from Christmas:
Leo Tolstoy, the Russian writer, tells in a short story of a harsh sovereign who asked his priests and sages to show him God so that he might see him. The wise men were unable to satisfy his desire.
Then a shepherd, who was just coming in from the fields, volunteered to take on the task of the priests and sages. From him the king learned that his eyes were not good enough to see God. Then, however, he wanted to know at least what God does. "To be able to answer your question," the shepherd said to the king, "we must exchange our clothes."
Somewhat hesitant but impelled by curiosity about the information he was expecting, the king consented; he gave the shepherd his royal robes and had himself dressed in the simple clothes of the poor man. Then came the answer: "This is what God does." Indeed, the Son of God, true God from true God, shed his divine splendor: "he emptied himself, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men; and being found in human form he humbled himself…even unto death on a cross" (cf. Phil. 2:5ff).
At Christmas, as the Fathers say, God worked the sacrum commercium, the sacred exchange: he took on what was ours, so that we might receive what was his and become similar to God. Hence the exclamation that resonates from the first years of the Christian era: "Christian, recognize your dignity and, now that you share in God’s own nature, do not return to your former base condition by sinning" (From a Homily on Christmas by Pope St. Leo the Great).
What is this dignity? It is to have received the vesture of God. The vesture of God is love. "God is love" (1 John 4:8). In becoming man – in the mystery of Christmas – God has clothed everyone with his own vesture. He has placed within us his love. Yes, in you, in me, in every one of us there is not only our own love, that human capacity to love, that sometimes, or often, turns itself into egoism and hatred. Precisely by assuming our human nature and becoming one of us – this is Christmas – God has sown abundantly in every one of us his love, that love of God which is able to win all battles, overcome all difficulties, enabling us to live in peace with God, with ourselves and with each other. How can I not be able to forgive if the love of God is in me, that love which has the strength of the mercy of God?
Abundance. It is true, many are poor, and many have to contend with a shoestring budget to reach the end of the month. Economic abundance is not for everyone. But there is an abundance that all of us have, an abundance that does not cost a cent, it is the most valuable and is available to all. It is the abundance of love. That love which God gives to us and that we can share with one another.
O Lord: in this Christmas Season help us to be aware of the abundance that you have placed into our hands! It is the abundance of love, the capacity of giving ourselves, and bringing cordiality, joy and happiness to our brothers and sisters. Each of us is a rich person, carrying within ourselves the abundance of love that can be distributed to others. The world is poor and suffering because this abundance is kept in the safe, rather than given and shared. "Giving of ourselves" is the way to be at Christmas. Lord, help us to wear that vesture you give to us, and to share your love.
Then every day will be Christmas, a beautiful Christmas.
Luigi Bonazzi
Apostolic Nuncio
http://www.nuntiatura.ca/office_en.html
1916Apostolic Nuncio
Saturday, December 20, 2014
He has returned the Vatican to the centre of the world stage
1906
U.S.-Cuba normalization marks Vatican’s most significant diplomatic victory in generation
http://news.nationalpost.com/2014/12/19/god-politics-u-s-cuba-normalization-marks-vaticans-most-significant-diplomatic-victory-in-generation/
U.S.-Cuba normalization marks Vatican’s most significant diplomatic victory in generation
http://news.nationalpost.com/2014/12/19/god-politics-u-s-cuba-normalization-marks-vaticans-most-significant-diplomatic-victory-in-generation/
AP Photo/Gabriel Bouys, File PoolPope Francis and President Barack Obama smile as they meet at the Vatican Thursday, March 27, 2014.
Last
summer, Jorge Mario Bergolio, a middle-class Jesuit from Buenos Aires,
better known to most of the world as Pope Francis, sat down in his
Vatican office to write two extraordinary letters.
His Holiness had a simple message: To the leaders of the United States and Cuba, he urged rapprochement, an end to conflict and a move toward some kind of peace.
Remarkably, four months later, on Dec. 17, the Pope’s wish came at least partially true. In a surprise press conference this week, U.S. President Barack Obama announced a new, normalized relationship with Cuba.
Next year, for the first time since 1961, the U.S. will open an embassy in Havana. Travel restrictions between the two countries will be eased and commercial ties fostered.
In separate speeches, Mr. Obama and Cuban President Raul Castro praised the pontiff’s intervention. Pope Francis hosted talks between the two sides in the Vatican. More importantly, he served as a key moral and political guarantor for both parties.
“I want to thank His Holiness Pope Francis, whose moral example shows us the importance of pursuing the world as it should be, rather than simply settling for the world as it is,” Mr. Obama said.
The deal represents the most significant diplomatic victory for the
Vatican in a generation. And it came about in no small part because of
the Pope’s enormous personal popularity.
“It’s hard to say no to him,” said Fr. Thomas Reese, a senior analyst at the National Catholic Reporter.
In less than two years as pontiff, Pope Francis has shifted the way much of the world thinks about the Roman Catholic Church.
After years church leaders obsessing over abortion, contraception and opposition to gay rights, the pope has set them talking about poverty, economics and peace.
“What I would say is that he’s rebranding the Catholic Church,” said Fr. Reese.
In the process, Pope Francis may be upending a long-time relationship between God and politics in the Western world.
The first Jesuit pontiff is opening up space for progressives to embrace the church and its teachings, to use Catholic doctrine as a moral cudgel on the left after decades in which “God” and “conservative” have been near synonyms in the political sphere.
But as a new biography of Pope Francis makes clear, he is no radical or socialist. What he is, instead, is deeply skeptical of fixed ideologies, right, left or otherwise.
“He sees himself as defending ordinary people against the elites. And in a way the left and right thing is an elite argument,” said Austen Ivereigh, author of The Great Reformer, a comprehensive look at the pope’s background and early years.
“He wants to root himself and the church in the ordinary concerns of the poor.”
That hasn’t stopped some from trying to brand Pope Francis as a liberal or a Marxist. In fact, one of the reasons Mr. Ivereigh said he wrote the book was to try to correct what he sees as a widespread misinterpretation of the pope’s message.
Pope Francis hasn’t changed church doctrine on the most divisive questions of the age.
“He’s not in favour of gay marriage. He’s not in favour of abortion,” said Mr. Reese. What he’s done instead is re-order some public priorities. “He believes the church should stress firstly mercy,” said Mr. Ivereigh. He also thinks church leaders need to spend more time listening to ordinary people.
That said, while he is no communist, Pope Francis is clearly critical of capitalism.
“He just doesn’t buy the trickle-down theory,” said Fr. Reese. As a bishop in Buenos Aires, he became famous for taking the bus to the slums and visiting the homes of the poor.
“I think he developed a great sckpticism of capitalism and globalization [there]. Maybe Argentina was getting richer at one time, but he didn’t see the poor getting richer.”
Perhaps because he is so hard to pin down ideologically, Pope Francis
has become a lightning rod for criticism from both the left and the
right at various times in his career.
In his book, Mr. Ivereigh recreates with painstaking detail the role Fr. Bergolio, then head of the Jesuits in Argentina, played during the “Dirty War” in Argentina. When he first became pope, critics accused him of collaborating with the military junta. Some even said he served up two of his colleagues for assassination.
Mr. Ivereigh believes that account isn’t fair or accurate. It is true Fr. Bergolio did not speak out publicly against the junta. He also opposed the “liberation theologists,” church figures who mixed Catholic theology with Marxist teaching and who were active in Latin America at the time.
But he worked behind the scenes to help potential government targets flee Argentina. According to the account in The Great Reformer, he sheltered many in Jesuit-owned facilities and used Jesuit contacts across South America to smuggle dozens to safety.
To achieve that task, he relied on two things that shape him to this day: secrecy and connections.
“He’s a very canny strategist and he keeps his cards very close to his chest,” said Mr. Ivereigh. “He operates through relationships and quite informally, so there’s never much of a paper trail.”
That tendency was on also display in the recent negotiations.
“The restoration of U.S.-Cuba relations came as in incredible surprise,” he added. “It was huge news and very people knew about it. That’s very typical of him.”
Whatever happens behind closed doors, though, Pope Francis clearly intends to keep speaking out publicly on issues usually associated with the political left.
Fr. Reese, a fellow Jesuit, said the pontiff is planning to release an encyclical — a kind of authoritative letter — on the environment in 2015. And as events this week have shown, when this pope speaks, people listen.
“He has returned the Vatican to the centre of the world stage,” Mr. Ivereigh said.
National Pos
His Holiness had a simple message: To the leaders of the United States and Cuba, he urged rapprochement, an end to conflict and a move toward some kind of peace.
Remarkably, four months later, on Dec. 17, the Pope’s wish came at least partially true. In a surprise press conference this week, U.S. President Barack Obama announced a new, normalized relationship with Cuba.
Next year, for the first time since 1961, the U.S. will open an embassy in Havana. Travel restrictions between the two countries will be eased and commercial ties fostered.
In separate speeches, Mr. Obama and Cuban President Raul Castro praised the pontiff’s intervention. Pope Francis hosted talks between the two sides in the Vatican. More importantly, he served as a key moral and political guarantor for both parties.
“I want to thank His Holiness Pope Francis, whose moral example shows us the importance of pursuing the world as it should be, rather than simply settling for the world as it is,” Mr. Obama said.
“It’s hard to say no to him,” said Fr. Thomas Reese, a senior analyst at the National Catholic Reporter.
In less than two years as pontiff, Pope Francis has shifted the way much of the world thinks about the Roman Catholic Church.
After years church leaders obsessing over abortion, contraception and opposition to gay rights, the pope has set them talking about poverty, economics and peace.
“What I would say is that he’s rebranding the Catholic Church,” said Fr. Reese.
In the process, Pope Francis may be upending a long-time relationship between God and politics in the Western world.
The first Jesuit pontiff is opening up space for progressives to embrace the church and its teachings, to use Catholic doctrine as a moral cudgel on the left after decades in which “God” and “conservative” have been near synonyms in the political sphere.
But as a new biography of Pope Francis makes clear, he is no radical or socialist. What he is, instead, is deeply skeptical of fixed ideologies, right, left or otherwise.
“He sees himself as defending ordinary people against the elites. And in a way the left and right thing is an elite argument,” said Austen Ivereigh, author of The Great Reformer, a comprehensive look at the pope’s background and early years.
“He wants to root himself and the church in the ordinary concerns of the poor.”
That hasn’t stopped some from trying to brand Pope Francis as a liberal or a Marxist. In fact, one of the reasons Mr. Ivereigh said he wrote the book was to try to correct what he sees as a widespread misinterpretation of the pope’s message.
Pope Francis hasn’t changed church doctrine on the most divisive questions of the age.
“He’s not in favour of gay marriage. He’s not in favour of abortion,” said Mr. Reese. What he’s done instead is re-order some public priorities. “He believes the church should stress firstly mercy,” said Mr. Ivereigh. He also thinks church leaders need to spend more time listening to ordinary people.
That said, while he is no communist, Pope Francis is clearly critical of capitalism.
“He just doesn’t buy the trickle-down theory,” said Fr. Reese. As a bishop in Buenos Aires, he became famous for taking the bus to the slums and visiting the homes of the poor.
“I think he developed a great sckpticism of capitalism and globalization [there]. Maybe Argentina was getting richer at one time, but he didn’t see the poor getting richer.”
SABCU.S.
President Barack Obama shakes hands with Cuban President Raul Castro in
Soweto, South Africa, in the rain for a memorial service for former
South African President Nelson Mandela in December 2013.
In his book, Mr. Ivereigh recreates with painstaking detail the role Fr. Bergolio, then head of the Jesuits in Argentina, played during the “Dirty War” in Argentina. When he first became pope, critics accused him of collaborating with the military junta. Some even said he served up two of his colleagues for assassination.
Mr. Ivereigh believes that account isn’t fair or accurate. It is true Fr. Bergolio did not speak out publicly against the junta. He also opposed the “liberation theologists,” church figures who mixed Catholic theology with Marxist teaching and who were active in Latin America at the time.
But he worked behind the scenes to help potential government targets flee Argentina. According to the account in The Great Reformer, he sheltered many in Jesuit-owned facilities and used Jesuit contacts across South America to smuggle dozens to safety.
To achieve that task, he relied on two things that shape him to this day: secrecy and connections.
“He’s a very canny strategist and he keeps his cards very close to his chest,” said Mr. Ivereigh. “He operates through relationships and quite informally, so there’s never much of a paper trail.”
That tendency was on also display in the recent negotiations.
“The restoration of U.S.-Cuba relations came as in incredible surprise,” he added. “It was huge news and very people knew about it. That’s very typical of him.”
Whatever happens behind closed doors, though, Pope Francis clearly intends to keep speaking out publicly on issues usually associated with the political left.
Fr. Reese, a fellow Jesuit, said the pontiff is planning to release an encyclical — a kind of authoritative letter — on the environment in 2015. And as events this week have shown, when this pope speaks, people listen.
“He has returned the Vatican to the centre of the world stage,” Mr. Ivereigh said.
National Pos
Friday, December 19, 2014
Monday, December 15, 2014
Sunday, December 14, 2014
Thursday, December 11, 2014
Pope Francis: God's grace is not for sale
In his Thursday morning Mass, Pope Francis talked about God's love. In his homily, he said that God's love and grace cannot be controlled or even accumulated like merchandise.
Wednesday, December 10, 2014
Saturday, December 6, 2014
Catholic and Orthodox Church: A look at why the Pope's visit with Bartho...
Catholic and Orthodox Church: A look at why the Pope's visit with Bartholomew was key
Tuesday, December 2, 2014
It's estimated that over 36 million people around the globe, live under some type of slavery, most commonly, forced prostitution or forced labor
It's estimated that over 36 million people around the globe, live under some type of slavery, most commonly, forced prostitution or forced labor.
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Pope Francis joins religious leaders of different faiths, in fight again...
It's estimated that over 36 million people around the globe, live under some type of slavery, most commonly, forced prostitution or forced labor.
Monday, December 1, 2014
Pope: To end Islamophobia, Muslim leaders must condemn terrorist attacks
Pope: To end Islamophobia, Muslim leaders must condemn terrorist attacks
Pope to Ecumenical Patriarch: Christians must have a presence in the Mid...
As Brothers
During his visit to Turkey, Pope Francis celebrated the Feast Day of St. Andrew along with Ecumenical Patriarch, Bartholomew. The celebration was held in the Church of St. George in the city of Istanbul.
During his visit to Turkey, Pope Francis celebrated the Feast Day of St. Andrew along with Ecumenical Patriarch, Bartholomew. The celebration was held in the Church of St. George in the city of Istanbul.
Saturday, November 29, 2014
Pope Francis: ecumenical prayer with Patriarch Bartholomew
Pope Francis: ecumenical prayer with Patriarch Bartholomew
2014-11-29 Vatican Radio
1679
(Vatican
Radio) Pope Francis participated in an ecumenical prayer service on
Saturday evening with the Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople,
Bartholomew I. Below, please find the full text of Pope Francis' remarks
on the occasion.
******************************************
Your Holiness, my dear Brother,
Each evening brings a mixed feeling of gratitude for the day which is ending and of hope-filled trust as night falls. This evening my heart is full of gratitude to God who allows me to be here in prayer with Your Holiness and with this sister
Church after an eventful day during my Apostolic Visit. At the same timemy heart awaits the day which we have already begun liturgically: the Feast of the Apostle Saint Andrew, Patron of this Church.
In the words of the prophet Zechariah, the Lord gives us anew in thisevening prayer, the foundation that sustains our moving forward from one day to the next, the solid rock upon which we advance together in joy and hope. The foundation rock is the Lord’s promise: “Behold, I
will save my people from the countries of the east and from the countries of the west… in faithfulness and in righteousness” (8:7.8).
Yes, my venerable and dear Brother Bartholomew, as I express my heartfelt “thank you” for your fraternal welcome, I sense that our joy is greater because its source is from beyond; it is not in us, not in our commitment, not in our efforts – that are certainly necessary – but
in our shared trust in God’s faithfulness which lays the foundation for the reconstruction of his temple that is the Church (cf. Zech 8:9). “For there shall be a sowing of peace” (Zech8:12); truly, a sowing of joy. It is the joy and the peace that the world cannot give, but which the Lord Jesus promised to his disciples and, as the Risen One, bestowed upon them in the power of the Holy Spirit.
Andrew and Peter heard this promise; they received this gift. They were blood brothers, yet their encounter with Christ transformed them into brothers in faith and charity. In this joyful evening, at this prayer vigil, I want to emphasize this; they became brothers in hope.
What a grace, Your Holiness, to be brothers in the hope of the Risen Lord! What a grace, and what a responsibility, to walk together in thishope, sustained by the intercession of the holy Apostles and brothers, Andrew and Peter! And to know that this shared hope does non deceive usbecause it is founded, not upon us or our poor efforts, but rather upon
God’s faithfulness.
With this joyful hope, filled with gratitude and eager expectation, Iextend to Your Holiness and to all present, and to the Church of Constantinople, my warm and fraternal best wishes on the Feast of your holy Patron. And I ask you one favor: to bless me and the Church of Rome.
2014-11-29 Vatican Radio
1679
(Vatican
Radio) Pope Francis participated in an ecumenical prayer service on
Saturday evening with the Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople,
Bartholomew I. Below, please find the full text of Pope Francis' remarks
on the occasion.
******************************************
Your Holiness, my dear Brother,
Each evening brings a mixed feeling of gratitude for the day which is ending and of hope-filled trust as night falls. This evening my heart is full of gratitude to God who allows me to be here in prayer with Your Holiness and with this sister
Church after an eventful day during my Apostolic Visit. At the same timemy heart awaits the day which we have already begun liturgically: the Feast of the Apostle Saint Andrew, Patron of this Church.
In the words of the prophet Zechariah, the Lord gives us anew in thisevening prayer, the foundation that sustains our moving forward from one day to the next, the solid rock upon which we advance together in joy and hope. The foundation rock is the Lord’s promise: “Behold, I
will save my people from the countries of the east and from the countries of the west… in faithfulness and in righteousness” (8:7.8).
Yes, my venerable and dear Brother Bartholomew, as I express my heartfelt “thank you” for your fraternal welcome, I sense that our joy is greater because its source is from beyond; it is not in us, not in our commitment, not in our efforts – that are certainly necessary – but
in our shared trust in God’s faithfulness which lays the foundation for the reconstruction of his temple that is the Church (cf. Zech 8:9). “For there shall be a sowing of peace” (Zech8:12); truly, a sowing of joy. It is the joy and the peace that the world cannot give, but which the Lord Jesus promised to his disciples and, as the Risen One, bestowed upon them in the power of the Holy Spirit.
Andrew and Peter heard this promise; they received this gift. They were blood brothers, yet their encounter with Christ transformed them into brothers in faith and charity. In this joyful evening, at this prayer vigil, I want to emphasize this; they became brothers in hope.
What a grace, Your Holiness, to be brothers in the hope of the Risen Lord! What a grace, and what a responsibility, to walk together in thishope, sustained by the intercession of the holy Apostles and brothers, Andrew and Peter! And to know that this shared hope does non deceive usbecause it is founded, not upon us or our poor efforts, but rather upon
God’s faithfulness.
With this joyful hope, filled with gratitude and eager expectation, Iextend to Your Holiness and to all present, and to the Church of Constantinople, my warm and fraternal best wishes on the Feast of your holy Patron. And I ask you one favor: to bless me and the Church of Rome.
Friday, November 28, 2014
SEE PUTIN welcome Pope Francis: Russian Ambassador to the Holy See: Gorbachev was impressed by John Paul...
Russian Ambassador to the Holy See: Gorbachev was impressed by John Paul II | Rome Reports
Pope meets with the press, on his flight back to Rome
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See: that leads towards " TransVersality": interesting word the Holy Father The Pope chose to use here ..in describing the youth engagement in Dialogue
See: that leads towards " TransVersality": interesting word the Holy Father The Pope chose to use here ..in describing the youth engagement in Dialogue
Tuesday, November 18, 2014
Sunday, November 16, 2014
Pope Francis blasts abortion, euthanasia as 'sins against God' :: Catholic News Agency (CNA)
Pope Francis blasts abortion, euthanasia as 'sins against God' :: Catholic News Agency (CNA)
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Pope Francis greets pilgrims in St. Peter's Square during the Wednesday general audience May 28, 2014. Credit: Daniel Ibáñez/CNA.
.- Pope Francis has told a group of Catholic doctors that “playing with life” in ways like abortion and euthanasia is sinful, and he stressed that each human life, no matter the condition, is sacred.
“We're are living in a time of experimentation with life. But a bad experiment… (we’re) playing with life,” the Pope told an audience of 4,000 Catholic doctors gathered in the Vatican’s Paul VI Hall on Nov. 15.
“Be careful, because this is a sin against the Creator: against God the Creator.”
Pope Francis offered his words in an address given to members of the Italian Catholic Doctors Association in celebration of their 70th anniversary.
He recalled that many times in his years as a priest he heard people object to the Church’s position on life issues, specifically asking why the Church is against abortion.
After explaining to the inquirer that the Church is not against abortion because it is simply a religious or philosophical issue, he said it’s also because abortion “is a scientific problem, because there is a human life and it's not lawful to take a human life to solve a problem.”
Regardless of the many objections he has heard saying that modern thought has evolved on the issue, the Pope stressed that “in ancient thought and in modern thought, the word ‘kill’ means the same!”
“(And) the same goes for euthanasia,” he explained, observing that as a result of “this culture of waste, a hidden euthanasia is practiced on the elderly.”
This, he said, is like telling God: “’at the end of life I do it, like I want.’ It's a sin against God. Think well about this.”
The belief that abortion is helpful for women, that euthanasia is “an act of dignity,” or that it’s “a scientific breakthrough to ‘produce’ a child (who is) considered a right instead of accepted as a gift” are all part of conventional wisdom that offers a false sense of compassion, he said.
And this includes “(the) use of human life as laboratory mice supposedly to save others,” the Pope continued, saying that on the contrary, the Gospel provides a true image of compassion in the figure of the Good Samaritan, who sees a man suffering, has mercy on him, goes close and offers concrete help.
With today’s rapid scientific and technological advancements the possibility of physical healing has drastically increased, the Pope observed. However, the ability to truly care for the person has almost gone in the opposite direction.
Some aspects of medical science “seem to diminish the ability to ‘take care’ of the person, especially when they are suffering, fragile and defenseless,” he said, explaining that advancements in science and medicine can only enhance human life if they maintain their ethical roots.
“Attention to human life, particularly to those in the greatest difficulty, that is, the sick, the elderly, children, deeply affects the mission of the Church,” the Bishop of Rome continued, saying that often times modern society tends to attach one’s quality of life to economic possibilities.
Frequently the quality of a person’s life is measured by their physical beauty and well-being, he observed, noting how the more important interpersonal, spiritual and religious dimensions of human life are often forgotten.
“In reality, in the light of faith and of right reason, human life is always sacred and always ‘of quality’,” he said.
“No human life exists that is more sacred that the other, just like there is no human life qualitatively more significant than another solely in virtue of resources, rights, economic opportunities and higher social status.”
Pope Francis told the group that as Catholic doctors, it is their mission to affirm the sacredness and inviolability of human life, which “must be loved, defended and cared for,” through word and example, each in their own personal style.
He encouraged them to collaborate with others, including those with different religions, in seeking to promote the dignity of the human being as a basic criterion of their work, and to follow the Gospel’s instruction to love at all times, especially when there is a special need.
“Your mission as doctors puts you in daily contact with so many forms of suffering,” he said, and he encouraged them to imitate the Good Samaritan in caring for the elderly, the sick and the disabled.
By remaining faithful to the Gospel of Life and respecting life as a gift, difficult decisions will come up that at times require courageous choices that go against the popular current, the pontiff noted, saying that this faithfulness can also lead “to conscientious objection.”
“This is what the members of your association have done in the course of 70 years of meritorious work,” the Pope observed, urging the doctors to continue implementing the teachings of the Magisterium into their work with trust and humility.
“We're are living in a time of experimentation with life. But a bad experiment… (we’re) playing with life,” the Pope told an audience of 4,000 Catholic doctors gathered in the Vatican’s Paul VI Hall on Nov. 15.
“Be careful, because this is a sin against the Creator: against God the Creator.”
Pope Francis offered his words in an address given to members of the Italian Catholic Doctors Association in celebration of their 70th anniversary.
He recalled that many times in his years as a priest he heard people object to the Church’s position on life issues, specifically asking why the Church is against abortion.
After explaining to the inquirer that the Church is not against abortion because it is simply a religious or philosophical issue, he said it’s also because abortion “is a scientific problem, because there is a human life and it's not lawful to take a human life to solve a problem.”
Regardless of the many objections he has heard saying that modern thought has evolved on the issue, the Pope stressed that “in ancient thought and in modern thought, the word ‘kill’ means the same!”
“(And) the same goes for euthanasia,” he explained, observing that as a result of “this culture of waste, a hidden euthanasia is practiced on the elderly.”
This, he said, is like telling God: “’at the end of life I do it, like I want.’ It's a sin against God. Think well about this.”
The belief that abortion is helpful for women, that euthanasia is “an act of dignity,” or that it’s “a scientific breakthrough to ‘produce’ a child (who is) considered a right instead of accepted as a gift” are all part of conventional wisdom that offers a false sense of compassion, he said.
And this includes “(the) use of human life as laboratory mice supposedly to save others,” the Pope continued, saying that on the contrary, the Gospel provides a true image of compassion in the figure of the Good Samaritan, who sees a man suffering, has mercy on him, goes close and offers concrete help.
With today’s rapid scientific and technological advancements the possibility of physical healing has drastically increased, the Pope observed. However, the ability to truly care for the person has almost gone in the opposite direction.
Some aspects of medical science “seem to diminish the ability to ‘take care’ of the person, especially when they are suffering, fragile and defenseless,” he said, explaining that advancements in science and medicine can only enhance human life if they maintain their ethical roots.
“Attention to human life, particularly to those in the greatest difficulty, that is, the sick, the elderly, children, deeply affects the mission of the Church,” the Bishop of Rome continued, saying that often times modern society tends to attach one’s quality of life to economic possibilities.
Frequently the quality of a person’s life is measured by their physical beauty and well-being, he observed, noting how the more important interpersonal, spiritual and religious dimensions of human life are often forgotten.
“In reality, in the light of faith and of right reason, human life is always sacred and always ‘of quality’,” he said.
“No human life exists that is more sacred that the other, just like there is no human life qualitatively more significant than another solely in virtue of resources, rights, economic opportunities and higher social status.”
Pope Francis told the group that as Catholic doctors, it is their mission to affirm the sacredness and inviolability of human life, which “must be loved, defended and cared for,” through word and example, each in their own personal style.
He encouraged them to collaborate with others, including those with different religions, in seeking to promote the dignity of the human being as a basic criterion of their work, and to follow the Gospel’s instruction to love at all times, especially when there is a special need.
“Your mission as doctors puts you in daily contact with so many forms of suffering,” he said, and he encouraged them to imitate the Good Samaritan in caring for the elderly, the sick and the disabled.
By remaining faithful to the Gospel of Life and respecting life as a gift, difficult decisions will come up that at times require courageous choices that go against the popular current, the pontiff noted, saying that this faithfulness can also lead “to conscientious objection.”
“This is what the members of your association have done in the course of 70 years of meritorious work,” the Pope observed, urging the doctors to continue implementing the teachings of the Magisterium into their work with trust and humility.
Monday, November 10, 2014
Saturday, November 8, 2014
Human Dignity cannot be suppresses for long Benedict XVI and the Fall of the Berlin Wall
Human Dignity cannot be suppresses for long ...
Published on Nov 8, 2014
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Published on Nov 8, 2014
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During his pontificate, Benedict XVI spoke twice about the fall of the Berlin Wall. Both occasions marked the 20th anniversary of that historic moment ingrained in world history.
---------------------
ROME REPORTS, www.romereports.com, is an independent international TV News Agency based in Rome covering the activity of the Pope, the life of the Vatican and current social, cultural and religious debates. Reporting on the Catholic Church requires proximity to the source, in-depth knowledge of the Institution, and a high standard of creativity and technical excellence.
As few broadcasters have a permanent correspondent in Rome, ROME REPORTS is geared to inform the public and meet the needs of television broadcasting companies around the world through daily news packages, weekly newsprograms and documentaries.
Visit or website to learn more: http://www.romereports.com/
During his pontificate, Benedict XVI spoke twice about the fall of the Berlin Wall. Both occasions marked the 20th anniversary of that historic moment ingrained in world history.
---------------------
ROME REPORTS, www.romereports.com, is an independent international TV News Agency based in Rome covering the activity of the Pope, the life of the Vatican and current social, cultural and religious debates. Reporting on the Catholic Church requires proximity to the source, in-depth knowledge of the Institution, and a high standard of creativity and technical excellence.
As few broadcasters have a permanent correspondent in Rome, ROME REPORTS is geared to inform the public and meet the needs of television broadcasting companies around the world through daily news packages, weekly newsprograms and documentaries.
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Thursday, November 6, 2014
Pope at Santa Marta: Christians should not be afraid to get their hands ...
Pope at Santa Marta: Christians should not be afraid to get their hands dirty
Monday, October 20, 2014
Saturday, October 18, 2014
Seven facts you didn't know about Paul VI
1575
Published on Oct 18, 2014
Published on Oct 18, 2014
Click here to receive the latest news: http://smarturl.it/RomeReports
Visit or website to learn more: http://www.romereports.com/
He will be beaitified this Sunday in St. Peter's Square.
Cardinal Montini was worried during the conclave, knowing full well what was waiting for for him. During his 15 years as Pope, he fearlessly confronted the challenges of his time through 7 surprising gestures. ---
ROME REPORTS, www.romereports.com, is an independent international TV News Agency based in Rome covering the activity of the Pope, the life of the Vatican and current social, cultural and religious debates. Reporting on the Catholic Church requires proximity to the source, in-depth knowledge of the Institution, and a high standard of creativity and technical excellence.
As few broadcasters have a permanent correspondent in Rome, ROME REPORTS is geared to inform the public and meet the needs of television broadcasting companies around the world through daily news packages, weekly newsprograms and documentaries.
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He will be beaitified this Sunday in St. Peter's Square.
Cardinal Montini was worried during the conclave, knowing full well what was waiting for for him. During his 15 years as Pope, he fearlessly confronted the challenges of his time through 7 surprising gestures. ---
ROME REPORTS, www.romereports.com, is an independent international TV News Agency based in Rome covering the activity of the Pope, the life of the Vatican and current social, cultural and religious debates. Reporting on the Catholic Church requires proximity to the source, in-depth knowledge of the Institution, and a high standard of creativity and technical excellence.
As few broadcasters have a permanent correspondent in Rome, ROME REPORTS is geared to inform the public and meet the needs of television broadcasting companies around the world through daily news packages, weekly newsprograms and documentaries.
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Follow us...
Our WEB http://www.romereports.com/
FACEBOOK https://www.facebook.com/RomeReportsENG
TWITTER https://twitter.com/romereports
PINTEREST http://www.pinterest.com/romereports/
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Monday, October 13, 2014
Pope at Santa Marta: Holy law is not an end in itself
Holy law is not an end in itself 1550
2014-10-13 Vatican Radio
(Vatican
Radio) Be open to God's surprises, not closed to the signs of the
times and remember holy law is not an end in itself. This was Pope
Francis’ message this morning at Mass at Casa Santa Marta. Commenting on
the words of Jesus to the Doctors of the Law, the Pope urged the
faithful not to cling to their own ideas, but to walk with the Lord,
always finding new things.Jesus speaks of the Doctors of the Law who demand a sign and describes them as an "evil generation". Basing himself on this Gospel passage Pope Francis spoke about the "God of surprises”. He said these doctors repeatedly ask Jesus for a sign, and He replies that they are not able to "see the signs of the times":
"Why were these Doctors of the Law unable to understand the signs of the times? Why did they demand an extraordinary sign (which Jesus later gave to them), why they did not understand? First of all, because they were closed. They were closed within their system, they had perfectly systemized the law, it was a masterpiece. Every Jews knew what they could do and what they could not do, how far they could go. It was all systemized. And they were safe there".
They believed that Jesus did “strange things”: "He went about with sinners, ate with tax collectors." The Pope noted that they "did not like” Jesus, he “was dangerous; doctrine was in danger, the doctrine of the law”, which the theologians had formulated over the centuries. Pope Francis said that while they had "done this out of love, to be faithful to God", they had become “closed", they had "simply forgotten history. They had forgotten that God is the God of the Law, but He is also the God of surprises". On the other hand, said Francis, "God has often reserved surprises for His people" like when He saved them "from slavery in Egypt":
"They did not understand that God is the God of surprises, that God is always new; He never denies himself, never says that what He said was wrong, never, but He always surprises us. They did not understand this and they closed themselves within that system that was created with the best of intentions and asked Jesus: 'But, give us a sign'. And they did not understand the many signs that Jesus did give them and which indicated that the time was ripe. Closure! Second, they had forgotten that they were a people on a journey. On a path! And when we set out on a journey, when we are on our path, we always encounter new things, things we did not know".
And, he added, "a path is not absolute in itself," it is a path towards "the ultimate manifestation of the Lord. Life is a journey toward the fullness of Jesus Christ, when He will come again". This generation "seeks a sign", but the Lord says, " but no sign will be given it, except the sign of Jonah", that is "the sign of the Resurrection, the glory, of that eschatology towards “which we are journeying".
Pope Francis repeated, these doctors "were closed in on themselves, not open to the God of Surprises, they did not know the path nor this eschatology". So, when before the Sanhedrin Jesus claims to be the Son of God, "they tore their clothes", they were shocked saying that He had blasphemed. "The sign that Jesus gives to them - he said - was a blasphemy". And for this reason "Jesus says: an evil generation”.
Pope Francis added, "they failed to understand that the law they guarded and loved" was a pedagogy towards Jesus Christ. "If the law does not lead to Jesus Christ - he said – if it does not bring us closer to Jesus Christ, it is dead. And Jesus rebuked them for this closure, for not being able to read the signs of the times, for not being open to the God of surprises”.
"And this should make us think: am I attached to my things, my ideas, [are they] closed? Or am I open to God's surprises? Am I at a standstill or am I on a journey? Do I believe in Jesus Christ - in Jesus, in what he did: He died, rose again and the story ended there - Do I think that the journey continues towards maturity, toward the manifestation of the glory of the Lord? Am I able to understand the signs of the times and be faithful to the voice of the Lord that is manifested in them? We should ask ourselves these questions today and ask the Lord for a heart that loves the law - because the law belongs to God – but which also loves God’s surprises and the ability to understand that this holy law is not an end in itself".
Pope Francis concluded, this "journey” is a pedagogy "that leads us to Jesus Christ, the final encounter, where there will be this great sign of the Son of man.
Wednesday, September 24, 2014
Canadian bishops share results of Extraordinary Synod consultation
Canadian bishops share results of Extraordinary Synod consultation
http://bcc.rcav.org/canadian/4244-canadian-bishops-share-results-of-extraordinary-synod-consultation
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The faithful know Bible teachings, but not Vatican documents, one bishop saysBy Deborah Gyapong
Italian Cardinal Lorenzo Baldisseri, general secretary of the Synod of Bishops, leaves a meeting of cardinals in the synod hall at the Vatican in this Feb. 20 file photo. Cardinal Baldisseri will help oversee the proceedings during the extraordinary Synod of Bishops on the family at the Vatican Oct. 5-19. CNS photo / Paul Haring.
BEAUPRE, Que. (CCN)
Canada's bishops meeting in plenary here Sept. 15-19 heard differing perspectives from four dioceses on the working document, or Instrumentum Laboris, for the upcoming Synod on the Family.
Representing a rural francophone diocese, Moncton Bishop Valery Vienneau said when he was asked how the synod's Instrumentum Laboris would be read in his diocese, he thought, "it would be quite easy to do because the document will not be read by the people in my diocese, or even by most of the clergy in my diocese."
However even among those who didn't read the document, the upcoming synod has aroused a level of interest, he said.
Most people in his diocese would like to find in the document and the synod "an openness, a change of attitude, and a genuine note of hope," he said. "Those aspirations are inspired and supported by the way of doing things by our new Pope Francis."
"People expect changes in way things are presented and will be disappointed if things don't change," he said, noting serious changes are expected, not the status quo.
"The document recognizes clearly the reality of the non-reception of a large number of faithful of Catholic teachings on marriage and the family," Vienneau said. "This is unheard of in an official document of the Church: a recognition of a genuine gap between teachings of the Church and the reception of the faithful."
Though the faithful know Biblical teachings, they do not know Vatican documents or about natural law, he said.
Among the pending questions for his people: the role of the "genders," the possibility of same-sex marriage, the fact of people living together outside marriage, he said. "People have many opinions, but they are not too concerned about our positions."
"The faithful are more and more allergic to a Church that would intrude in their private lives or exclude those living in irregular situations," he said, noting the gap between the teachings of the Church and the experience in the lives of the faithful exists even among the more committed.
The document talks about "accompanying people who feel excluded, or marginalized in the church," and echoes the call of Pope Francis, in Evangelii Gaudium that calls for the Church to be "the open home of the Father, where there is a place for everyone in his or her difficult life."
"We don't want to simply condemn the culture and present what we already have been presenting," he said. "We have to find new way to present our teaching."
Keewatin-Le Pas Archbishop Murray Chatlain, representing a diocese with a large Aboriginal population said he could not speak concerning all Aboriginal people, but about the Dene and Cree of the western prairies and the north.
"For Aboriginal people, family is everything," he said. "It's not just one piece of you; it's everything about you, way beyond the nuclear family."
Everything is about relationships, including the way people name each other in terms of their relationship to each other, even if it is not exactly biological, he said.
Archbishop Chatlain acknowledged there has been a breakdown in Aboriginal culture and family units, noting it is not uncommon to meet 27-year old grandmothers. Fewer and fewer are coming to ask for marriage and most resist formal marriage preparation, he said.
Most couples live together and if they do marry, there can be a negative perception that "Now I own you," afterwards, he said.
In some, not all, of our Aboriginal communities, "addictions are calling on the shots on just about everything, wreaking havoc with other social structures," destroying families, causing violence, poverty, lack of attention to good parenting and other problems, he said.
Aboriginal men are struggling in their roles as men. Many lack literacy, or are unable to read well, and "more and more young men are at home babysitting while their common-law woman is making the money," he said.
Aboriginal communities are also affected by the "dramatically lopsided" ratio of 20 teenagers to every elder, he said. This strengthens the role of grandparents, who provide a sense of "stability and continuity." The elderly are not sent off to old folks' homes in a hurry, he said, but a grandchild might be sent to live with them. Adoption is common. A childless couple might be given a child to raise by their brother or sister, he said.
Catholic teachings can offer a sense of the man's role and "what it means to be a good father, and husband," he said. The Church can also help young people learn to communicate with each other better.
"Our Catholic understanding of the holiness of marriage us something our people really need to hear," he said. "Another strength is that we continue to pray with and for the Aboriginal families," noting they receive many requests for prayer and this has a powerful effect.
Quebec Auxiliary Bishop Denis Grondin described the document as a "laborious instrument," and noted the words "Resurrection," "Salvation," and "Redemption," never appear.
While "God" is mentioned 51 times, the "Holy Spirit" and "Jesus" eight times each, he said.
Bishop Grondin said in the past there were whole generations that "wanted to follow the Lord," but French families no longer have this simple vision.
Many are experiencing a sense of failure and are not sure they want to continue "risking to love," he said. "How can the French family be reached by the hope faith in Christ offers?"
Though francophones have tried to save their culture through preserving the French language, the culture that forms them is no longer Catholic but postmodern and North American, characterized by consumerism and secularism, he said.
Instead of the French language or Catholicism, social media and texting are more likely to bring people together. Aside from that, each person falls back on his or her own family.
"There's a desire to maintain one's pride in spite of personal failures or the precariousness of the family," he said. "There's a crisis of hope and confidence in the French world, and our high suicide rates remind us of this."
Bishop Grondin pointed to changes in vocabulary even among good Catholics who refer to their "partner" instead of their wife or husband. Though there seems to be a nostalgia for old-fashioned family life, it is no longer linked to a unanimous traditional model, he said.
Natural law is seen as a religious doctrine and "in that respect it is discredited," he said. "Tolerance is absolutized; freedom of the subject has been absolutized."
"Polls overtake reason, what is philosophical is, quickly branded as ideological, and not scientific," he said. There is not only a crisis of faith, but a "crisis of trust," he said.
Hamilton Auxiliary Bishop Daniel Miehm addressed document from the perspective of a largely urban, multi-ethnic diocese.
Immigration has swelled the diocese's Catholic population, most recently from countries such as the Philippines, Vietnam, the Indian subcontinent, Africa and Latin America, he said. These immigrants tend to be "more traditional in morality and more family-focused than Canadians of longer pedigree," he said.
At the same time the number of Catholics has nearly doubled, the number of marriages has "dropped by half," he said. "This is a big, big drop."
The message has not got out on the sacredness and sacramentality of marriage, he said.
Hamilton was very committed to the consultation process and received a good response, with 35% of respondents under age 45.
However, the language of the questionnaire was "so dense and so theological, many of our people had trouble answering the questions," he said.
The bishop said the Church has failed to communicate the rich, profound teachings on marriage and family. Even where the teachings are understood, however, there are "different levels of acceptance."
Respondents seem to largely reject or hold a questioning or challenging stance towards the teachings around artificial birth control, divorce and remarriage and on homosexuality, he said
Among younger people there is no knowledge of the expectation they should be married in church, he said.
"You can only prepare people for marriage once they show up at our rectory door," he said. "More and more they are showing up less and less."
The "social tsunami" of gay marriage reveals that "one gay or lesbian friend or family member trumps everything the Church has to say on this issue," he said.
What the Episcopal Conference may perceive as balance is not perceived that way, he said. "They see it as a rigid, narrow-minded focus." There is much work to be done in communicating the Church's focus, but "for a lot of those young people the ship has sailed on this particular issue."
The divorce and remarriage question remains a "challenge we continue to struggle with," in the diocese, "how to balance our Lord's teaching on marriage with sad reality of those whose marriages have failed."
After 15 years working in the marriage tribunal, Bishop Miehm said much work needs to be done to dispel the myths of the annulment process that continue even in the internet age. People think it takes too long for a "decree of nullity," that it costs too much, and the Church does not have the moral authority to make these judgments.
Divorced and remarried Catholics either present themselves for Communion, or drift away to another denomination where they feel more welcome, or leave the Church community altogether, he said.
http://bcc.rcav.org/canadian/4244-canadian-bishops-share-results-of-extraordinary-synod-consultation
1530
The faithful know Bible teachings, but not Vatican documents, one bishop saysBy Deborah Gyapong
Italian Cardinal Lorenzo Baldisseri, general secretary of the Synod of Bishops, leaves a meeting of cardinals in the synod hall at the Vatican in this Feb. 20 file photo. Cardinal Baldisseri will help oversee the proceedings during the extraordinary Synod of Bishops on the family at the Vatican Oct. 5-19. CNS photo / Paul Haring.BEAUPRE, Que. (CCN)
Canada's bishops meeting in plenary here Sept. 15-19 heard differing perspectives from four dioceses on the working document, or Instrumentum Laboris, for the upcoming Synod on the Family.
Representing a rural francophone diocese, Moncton Bishop Valery Vienneau said when he was asked how the synod's Instrumentum Laboris would be read in his diocese, he thought, "it would be quite easy to do because the document will not be read by the people in my diocese, or even by most of the clergy in my diocese."
However even among those who didn't read the document, the upcoming synod has aroused a level of interest, he said.
Most people in his diocese would like to find in the document and the synod "an openness, a change of attitude, and a genuine note of hope," he said. "Those aspirations are inspired and supported by the way of doing things by our new Pope Francis."
"People expect changes in way things are presented and will be disappointed if things don't change," he said, noting serious changes are expected, not the status quo.
"The document recognizes clearly the reality of the non-reception of a large number of faithful of Catholic teachings on marriage and the family," Vienneau said. "This is unheard of in an official document of the Church: a recognition of a genuine gap between teachings of the Church and the reception of the faithful."
Though the faithful know Biblical teachings, they do not know Vatican documents or about natural law, he said.
Among the pending questions for his people: the role of the "genders," the possibility of same-sex marriage, the fact of people living together outside marriage, he said. "People have many opinions, but they are not too concerned about our positions."
"The faithful are more and more allergic to a Church that would intrude in their private lives or exclude those living in irregular situations," he said, noting the gap between the teachings of the Church and the experience in the lives of the faithful exists even among the more committed.
The document talks about "accompanying people who feel excluded, or marginalized in the church," and echoes the call of Pope Francis, in Evangelii Gaudium that calls for the Church to be "the open home of the Father, where there is a place for everyone in his or her difficult life."
"We don't want to simply condemn the culture and present what we already have been presenting," he said. "We have to find new way to present our teaching."
Keewatin-Le Pas Archbishop Murray Chatlain, representing a diocese with a large Aboriginal population said he could not speak concerning all Aboriginal people, but about the Dene and Cree of the western prairies and the north.
"For Aboriginal people, family is everything," he said. "It's not just one piece of you; it's everything about you, way beyond the nuclear family."
Everything is about relationships, including the way people name each other in terms of their relationship to each other, even if it is not exactly biological, he said.
Archbishop Chatlain acknowledged there has been a breakdown in Aboriginal culture and family units, noting it is not uncommon to meet 27-year old grandmothers. Fewer and fewer are coming to ask for marriage and most resist formal marriage preparation, he said.
Most couples live together and if they do marry, there can be a negative perception that "Now I own you," afterwards, he said.
In some, not all, of our Aboriginal communities, "addictions are calling on the shots on just about everything, wreaking havoc with other social structures," destroying families, causing violence, poverty, lack of attention to good parenting and other problems, he said.
Aboriginal men are struggling in their roles as men. Many lack literacy, or are unable to read well, and "more and more young men are at home babysitting while their common-law woman is making the money," he said.
Aboriginal communities are also affected by the "dramatically lopsided" ratio of 20 teenagers to every elder, he said. This strengthens the role of grandparents, who provide a sense of "stability and continuity." The elderly are not sent off to old folks' homes in a hurry, he said, but a grandchild might be sent to live with them. Adoption is common. A childless couple might be given a child to raise by their brother or sister, he said.
Catholic teachings can offer a sense of the man's role and "what it means to be a good father, and husband," he said. The Church can also help young people learn to communicate with each other better.
"Our Catholic understanding of the holiness of marriage us something our people really need to hear," he said. "Another strength is that we continue to pray with and for the Aboriginal families," noting they receive many requests for prayer and this has a powerful effect.
Quebec Auxiliary Bishop Denis Grondin described the document as a "laborious instrument," and noted the words "Resurrection," "Salvation," and "Redemption," never appear.
While "God" is mentioned 51 times, the "Holy Spirit" and "Jesus" eight times each, he said.
Bishop Grondin said in the past there were whole generations that "wanted to follow the Lord," but French families no longer have this simple vision.
Many are experiencing a sense of failure and are not sure they want to continue "risking to love," he said. "How can the French family be reached by the hope faith in Christ offers?"
Though francophones have tried to save their culture through preserving the French language, the culture that forms them is no longer Catholic but postmodern and North American, characterized by consumerism and secularism, he said.
Instead of the French language or Catholicism, social media and texting are more likely to bring people together. Aside from that, each person falls back on his or her own family.
"There's a desire to maintain one's pride in spite of personal failures or the precariousness of the family," he said. "There's a crisis of hope and confidence in the French world, and our high suicide rates remind us of this."
Bishop Grondin pointed to changes in vocabulary even among good Catholics who refer to their "partner" instead of their wife or husband. Though there seems to be a nostalgia for old-fashioned family life, it is no longer linked to a unanimous traditional model, he said.
Natural law is seen as a religious doctrine and "in that respect it is discredited," he said. "Tolerance is absolutized; freedom of the subject has been absolutized."
"Polls overtake reason, what is philosophical is, quickly branded as ideological, and not scientific," he said. There is not only a crisis of faith, but a "crisis of trust," he said.
Hamilton Auxiliary Bishop Daniel Miehm addressed document from the perspective of a largely urban, multi-ethnic diocese.
Immigration has swelled the diocese's Catholic population, most recently from countries such as the Philippines, Vietnam, the Indian subcontinent, Africa and Latin America, he said. These immigrants tend to be "more traditional in morality and more family-focused than Canadians of longer pedigree," he said.
At the same time the number of Catholics has nearly doubled, the number of marriages has "dropped by half," he said. "This is a big, big drop."
The message has not got out on the sacredness and sacramentality of marriage, he said.
Hamilton was very committed to the consultation process and received a good response, with 35% of respondents under age 45.
However, the language of the questionnaire was "so dense and so theological, many of our people had trouble answering the questions," he said.
The bishop said the Church has failed to communicate the rich, profound teachings on marriage and family. Even where the teachings are understood, however, there are "different levels of acceptance."
Respondents seem to largely reject or hold a questioning or challenging stance towards the teachings around artificial birth control, divorce and remarriage and on homosexuality, he said
Among younger people there is no knowledge of the expectation they should be married in church, he said.
"You can only prepare people for marriage once they show up at our rectory door," he said. "More and more they are showing up less and less."
The "social tsunami" of gay marriage reveals that "one gay or lesbian friend or family member trumps everything the Church has to say on this issue," he said.
What the Episcopal Conference may perceive as balance is not perceived that way, he said. "They see it as a rigid, narrow-minded focus." There is much work to be done in communicating the Church's focus, but "for a lot of those young people the ship has sailed on this particular issue."
The divorce and remarriage question remains a "challenge we continue to struggle with," in the diocese, "how to balance our Lord's teaching on marriage with sad reality of those whose marriages have failed."
After 15 years working in the marriage tribunal, Bishop Miehm said much work needs to be done to dispel the myths of the annulment process that continue even in the internet age. People think it takes too long for a "decree of nullity," that it costs too much, and the Church does not have the moral authority to make these judgments.
Divorced and remarried Catholics either present themselves for Communion, or drift away to another denomination where they feel more welcome, or leave the Church community altogether, he said.
Sunday, September 7, 2014
Archbishop Christian Lépine - Witness
see video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ARJwJIyhRw#t=1560
When Cardinal Jean-Claude Turcotte reached the retirement age of 75, few observers could have predicted his successor as Archbishop of Montreal.
The Pope's choice to lead Canada's second largest diocese was Bishop +
Christian Lépine, announced just six months after his ordination as
bishop. The community quickly embraced its new shepherd, who was born in
Montreal and served as the director of the Archdiocese of Montreal's
Grand Séminaire, among his many pastoral appointments. He is a born
teacher, and loves transmitting the faith with a clear, understandable
language. In this Witness interview, viewers will meet the young, joyful
and articulate new leader of this historic archdiocese.
When Cardinal Jean-Claude Turcotte reached the retirement age of 75, few observers could have predicted his successor as Archbishop of Montreal.
The Pope's choice to lead Canada's second largest diocese was Bishop +
Christian Lépine, announced just six months after his ordination as
bishop. The community quickly embraced its new shepherd, who was born in
Montreal and served as the director of the Archdiocese of Montreal's
Grand Séminaire, among his many pastoral appointments. He is a born
teacher, and loves transmitting the faith with a clear, understandable
language. In this Witness interview, viewers will meet the young, joyful
and articulate new leader of this historic archdiocese.
‘We have to judge acts’: Vatican’s Cardinal Burke dismantles ‘Who am I to judge?’
1483Cardinal Raymond Burke, head of the Vatican’s highest court – the Apostolic Signatura – has given a lengthy televised interview in which he decisively rectifies the false notions about Pope Francis’ “Who am I to judge” quote that has been used frequently to suggest a change in Church teaching on the matter of homosexuality.
Host Thomas McKenna of Catholic Action Insight questioned Cardinal Burke about instances where people must make judgments in light of Pope Francis’ “Who am I to judge” phrase.
“We have to judge acts, we have to,” Cardinal Burke replied. “All day long we make judgments with regards to certain acts; this is what the natural law is: to choose good and to avoid evil.”
ALL this video is very informative and ...\
Remarks begin at 32:00.
“That kind of judgment is a part, but the acts themselves we have to judge, we couldn’t live a good and moral life otherwise,” he added.
McKenna followed up by noting that it would be wrong to interpret the pope’s phrase to indicate support for homosexual “marriage,” and Burke agreed.
The cardinal then addressed the hot button topic of tolerance and intolerance at the heart of the debate.
“I’m not intolerant of people of same-sex attraction,” he said. “I have great compassion for them and especially in our society today where many young people are led into the same-sex activity where they might not have been in the past because of complete relaxation of morals and a corruption.”
“I have great compassion for them but that compassion means that I want them to know the truth to avoid sinful acts for the sake of their own good for their own salvation and so you try to help the person,” he added. “Now that today isn’t well received by an aggressive homosexual agenda but that doesn’t mean that it’s not the right approach to take.”
For Cardinal Burke the approach is not only theoretical but also practical. He related that after a confirmation Mass a mother approached him angrily accusing him of calling her daughter evil. When he asked to what she was referring she spoke of columns he wrote in the diocesan paper about the traditional definition of marriage. Her daughter, she said, was “married” to another woman.
Cardinal Burke relates his response to the angry mother: “’No’, I said, ‘the acts which your daughter is committing are evil. Your daughter is not evil, but she needs to come to understand the truth about her situation.’”
The head of the Apostolic Signatura said there is much misunderstanding about the matter today “and sadly it leads to a lot of good people not doing what they should do, to help someone who is suffering in this condition.”
Monday, August 25, 2014
Christ calls everyone to holiness
1448
Commentary of the day :
Pope Francis
General Audience of 02/10/2013 (trans. © copyright Libreria Editrice Vaticana)
Christ calls everyone to holiness
In the Creed, after professing: “I believe in one Church”, we add the adjective “holy”; we affirm the sanctity of the Church, and this is a characteristic that has been present from the beginning in the consciousness of early Christians, who were simply called “the holy people” (cf. Acts 9,13, 32, 41; Rom 8,27; 1 Cor 6,1), because they were certain that it is the action of God, the Holy Spirit that sanctifies the Church.
But in what sense is the Church holy if we see that the historical Church, on her long journey through the centuries, has had so many difficulties, problems, dark moments? How can a Church consisting of human beings, of sinners, be holy? Sinful men, sinful women, sinful priests, sinful sisters, sinful bishops, sinful cardinals, a sinful pope? Everyone. How can such a Church be holy?
To respond to this question I would like to be led by a passage from the Letter of St Paul to the Christians of Ephesus. The Apostle, taking as an example family relationships, states that “Christ loved the Church and gave himself up for her, that he might sanctify her” (5,25-26). Christ loved the Church, by giving himself on the Cross.
And this means that the Church is holy because she comes from God who is holy, he is faithful to her and does not abandon her to the power of death and of evil (cf. Mt 16,18).
She is holy because Jesus Christ, the Holy One of God (cf. Mk 1,24), is indissolubly united to her (cf. Mt 28,20); She is holy because she is guided by the Holy Spirit who purifies, transforms, renews.
She is not holy by her own merits, but because God makes her holy, it is the fruit of the Holy Spirit and of his gifts. It is not we who make her holy. It is God, the Holy Spirit, who in his love makes the Church holy.
Tuesday, August 12, 2014
Vatican calls on Muslims to openly condemn attacks against minorities in...
Vatican calls on Muslims to openly condemn attacks against minorities in Iraq
IF WE as CHRISTIANS ...
1277 1448
IF WE as CHRISTIANS do NOT unite now! What will unite us....
AWAKE MY SOUL A W A K E
AWAKE MY SOUL A W A K E
http://press.vatican.va/content/salastampa/it/bollettino/pubblico/2014/08/12/0567/01287.html#Traduzione%20in%20lingua%20inglese
The whole world has witnessed with incredulity what is now called the "Restoration of the Caliphate," which had been abolished on October 29,1923 by Kamal Ataturk, founder of modern Turkey.
Opposition to this "restoration" by the majority of religious institutions and Muslim politicians has not prevented the "Islamic State" jihadists from committing and continuing to commit unspeakable criminal acts.
This Pontifical Council, together with all those engaged in interreligious dialogue, followers of all religions, and all men and women of good will, can only unambiguously denounce and condemn these practices which bring shame on humanity:
-the massacre of people on the sole basis of their religious affiliation;
-the despicable practice of beheading, crucifying and hanging bodies in public places;
-the choice imposed on Christians and Yezidis between conversion to Islam, payment of a tax (jizya) or forced exile;
-the forced expulsion of tens of thousands of people, including children, elderly, pregnant women and the sick;
-the abduction of girls and women belonging to the Yezidi and Christian communities as spoils of war (sabaya);
-the imposition of the barbaric practice of infibulation;
-the destruction of places of worship and Christian and Muslim burial places;
-the forced occupation or desecration of churches and monasteries;
-the removal of crucifixes and other Christian religious symbols as well as those of other
religious communities;
-the destruction of a priceless Christian religious and cultural heritage;
-indiscriminate violence aimed at terrorizing people to force them to surrender or flee.
No cause, and certainly no religion, can justify such barbarity.
This constitutes an extremely serious offense to humanity and to God who is the Creator, as Pope Francis has often reminded us.
We cannot forget, however, that Christians and Muslims have lived together - it is true with ups and downs - over the centuries, building a culture of peaceful coexistence and civilization of which they are proud.
Moreover, it is on this basis that, in recent years, dialogue between Christians and Muslims has continued and intensified.
The dramatic plight of Christians, Yezidis and other religious communities and ethnic minorities in Iraq requires a clear and courageous stance on the part of religious leaders, especially Muslims, as well as those engaged in interreligious dialogue and all people of good will.
All must be unanimous in condemning unequivocally these crimes and in denouncing the use of religion to justify them.
If not, what credibility will religions, their followers and their leaders have?
What credibility can the interreligious dialogue that we have patiently pursued over recent years have?
Religious leaders are also called to exercise their influence with the authorities to end these crimes, to punish those who commit them and to reestablish the rule of law throughout the land, ensuring the return home of those who have been displaced.
While recalling the need for an ethical management of human societies, these same religious leaders must not fail to stress that the support, funding and arming of terrorism is morally reprehensible.
That said, the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue is grateful to all those who have already raised their voices to denounce terrorism, especially that which uses religion to justify it.
Let us therefore unite our voices with that of Pope Francis: "May the God of peace stir up in each one of us a genuine desire for dialogue and reconciliation. Violence is never defeated by violence. Violence is defeated by peace. "
[01287-02.01] [Original text: French - working translation]
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