Catholic News 2
WASHINGTON (AP) -- President Donald Trump on Monday denied his immigration order was to blame for the chaos at the nation's airports over the weekend, instead pointing to computer glitches, protesters and even the "tears of Senator Schumer."...
(Vatican Radio) Archbishop Ivan Jurkovic, Permanent Observer of the Holy See to the United Nations and Other International Organizations in Geneva addressed the 140th meeting of the Executive Board of the World Health Organization on Monday "Public health dimension of the world drug problem."See below the statement by Archbishop Ivan Jurkovic“Public health dimension of the world drug problem” Mr. Chairman, The Holy See Delegation commends the Secretariat for clearly articulating the major public health concerns resulting from drug use, drug use disorders and related health conditions. The number of deaths that result from the use of psychoactive drugs, the level of drug-attributable disease burden, and the incidence of HIV infections as well as hepatitis B and hepatitis C caused by injecting drugs present compelling evidence that this situation has reached “alarming proportions”, as is stated in the report. This evidence shou...
(Vatican Radio) Archbishop Ivan Jurkovic, Permanent Observer of the Holy See to the United Nations and Other International Organizations in Geneva addressed the 140th meeting of the Executive Board of the World Health Organization on Monday "Public health dimension of the world drug problem."
See below the statement by Archbishop Ivan Jurkovic
“Public health dimension of the world drug problem” Mr. Chairman, The Holy See Delegation commends the Secretariat for clearly articulating the major public health concerns resulting from drug use, drug use disorders and related health conditions. The number of deaths that result from the use of psychoactive drugs, the level of drug-attributable disease burden, and the incidence of HIV infections as well as hepatitis B and hepatitis C caused by injecting drugs present compelling evidence that this situation has reached “alarming proportions”, as is stated in the report. This evidence should be sufficient to refute the claims among some social movements that the recreational use of psychoactive substances is not harmful and thus should be freely permitted in various social sectors. While the Secretariat has outlined the important and unique role that the WHO should play in response to this global emergency, let us also acknowledge that a purely medical approach will not be sufficient to resolve the crisis. Pope Francis noted the following at a conference on this topic held at the Pontifical Academy of Sciences in November 2016: “Clearly there is no single cause of drug addiction. Rather, there are many factors that contribute to it, among which are the absence of a family, social pressures, the propaganda of drug dealers, and the desire for new experiences.” Thus, a comprehensive and cooperative approach is required and should include the strengthening of capacity in health and social services, as well as cooperation with justice, education, and law enforcement sectors.
Even these strategies, however, will not be effective unless intensive treatment and social rehabilitation are made available by States and by civil society institutions, including those sponsored by the Catholic Church and other religious organizations, in all parts of the world. As Pope Francis has maintained, each drug dependent person has “a unique personal story and must be listened to, understood, loved … valued and appreciated in his or her dignity in order to enable them to be healed.”
Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
(Vatican Radio) The greatest strength of the Church today is in the little, persecuted Churches. That was the message of Pope Francis at the morning Mass in the chapel of the Casa Santa Marta. At the heart of the Pope’s homily were the martyrs: “Today there are more than in the first ages” – but the media says nothing about them, he continued, because it’s not news. Pope Francis invited us to remember those who suffer martyrdom.“Without memory there is no hope,” the Pope said, basing his homily on the reading from the Letter to the Hebrews. The first Reading of the Mass is an exhortation to remember the whole history of the people of the Lord. The liturgy in these days focuses on the eleventh chapter of Hebrews, which speaks of memory – and first of all, a “memory of docility,” the memory of the docility of so many people, beginning with Abraham, who was obedient, who went out from his own land without knowing where he wa...
(Vatican Radio) The greatest strength of the Church today is in the little, persecuted Churches. That was the message of Pope Francis at the morning Mass in the chapel of the Casa Santa Marta. At the heart of the Pope’s homily were the martyrs: “Today there are more than in the first ages” – but the media says nothing about them, he continued, because it’s not news. Pope Francis invited us to remember those who suffer martyrdom.
“Without memory there is no hope,” the Pope said, basing his homily on the reading from the Letter to the Hebrews. The first Reading of the Mass is an exhortation to remember the whole history of the people of the Lord. The liturgy in these days focuses on the eleventh chapter of Hebrews, which speaks of memory – and first of all, a “memory of docility,” the memory of the docility of so many people, beginning with Abraham, who was obedient, who went out from his own land without knowing where he was going. In particular, the section of Hebrews 11 read in today’s Mass dealt with other memories: the memory of the great works of the Lord, accomplished by Gideon, Barak, Samson, David; “so many people,” the Pope said, “who have done great things in the history of Israel.
Today there are more martyrs than in the first ages: the media says nothing because they're not newsworthy
There is also a third group we remember: the martyrs, “those who have suffered and given their lives, as Jesus did,” who “were stoned, tortured, killed by the sword.” The Church, in fact, is “this people of God,” “sinful but docile,” which “does great things and also bears witness to Jesus Christ, to the point of martyrdom”:
“The martyrs are those that carry the Church forward, they are those who support the Church, who have supported her [in the past] and [who] support her today. And today there are more than in the first centuries. The media doesn’t speak of them because they're not newsworthy, but so many Christians in the world today are blessed because [they are] persecuted, insulted, incarcerated. There are so many imprisoned solely for carrying a cross or for confessing Jesus Christ! This is the glory of the Church, and our support, and also our humiliation: we who have so much, everything seems so easy for us, and if we are lacking something we complain. But let us think of these our brothers and sisters who today, in numbers greater than in the first ages, are suffering martyrdom!”
“I cannot forget,” Pope Francis continued, “the testimony of that priest and that sister in the Cathedral of Tirana [Albania]: years and years of imprisonment, forced labour, humiliations,” for whom human rights did not exist.
The greatest strength of the Church is the small, persecuted Churches
Then the Pope recalled that the greatest strength of the Church of today is in the “little Churches” that are persecuted:
“And we too – it’s also true and just – we are satisfied when we see a great ecclesial act, which has great success, Christians who demonstrate… and this is beautiful! Is this strength? Yes, it’s strength. But the greatest strength of the Church today is in the little Churches, tiny, with few people, persecuted, with their Bishops in prison. This is our glory today, this is our glory and our strength.”
The blood of the martyrs is the seed of Christians
“A Church without martyrs – I would dare to say – is a church without Jesus,” the Pope said in conclusion. He then invited those present to pray “for our martyrs, who suffer so much… for those Churches that are not free to express themselves: they are our hope.” And the Pope recalled that in the first ages of the Church, an ancient writer said “the blood of Christians, the blood of the martyrs, is the seed of Christians”:
“They, with their martyrdom, their witness, with their suffering, even giving their life, offering their life, sow Christians for the future and in other Churches. Let us offer this Mass for our martyrs, for those who are now suffering, for the Churches that suffer, who do not have liberty. And let us thank the Lord for being present with the strength of the Holy Spirit in these our brothers and sisters who today are bearing witness to Him.”
LONDON (AP) -- The Latest on President Donald Trump, his travel ban on seven Muslim-majority countries and other immigration actions (all times local):...
QUEBEC CITY (AP) -- A shooting at a Quebec City mosque during evening prayers left six people dead and eight others wounded in an attack that Canada's prime minister called an act of terrorism. Police arrested two suspects....
WASHINGTON (AP) -- President Donald Trump is vigorously defending his immigration restrictions, as protests spread throughout the country, saying "this is about terror and keeping our country safe."...
(Vatican Radio) At least 6 people were killed and eight others injured in Quebec City, Canada Sunday night in an attack on a mosque during evening prayers.Listen to Devin Watkins' report: Quebec provincial police say six people are dead and eight others were wounded after shots were fired inside the Islamic cultural centre of Quebec on Sunday night during evening prayers.A witness told CBC's Radio-Canada that two masked individuals entered the mosque and that it seemed they had a Quebec accent.Canada’s Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Quebec Premier Philippe Couillard have both taken to Twitter to call it a terrorist attack.The president of the cultural center, Mohamed Yangui, said the shooting happened in the men's section of the mosque.He added that, at the moment of the attack, the men were praying on the ground floor of the building, while women and children were upstairs.Quebec provincial police spokeswoman, Christine Coulombe said, “We can conf...
(Vatican Radio) At least 6 people were killed and eight others injured in Quebec City, Canada Sunday night in an attack on a mosque during evening prayers.
Listen to Devin Watkins' report:
Quebec provincial police say six people are dead and eight others were wounded after shots were fired inside the Islamic cultural centre of Quebec on Sunday night during evening prayers.
A witness told CBC's Radio-Canada that two masked individuals entered the mosque and that it seemed they had a Quebec accent.
Canada’s Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Quebec Premier Philippe Couillard have both taken to Twitter to call it a terrorist attack.
The president of the cultural center, Mohamed Yangui, said the shooting happened in the men's section of the mosque.
He added that, at the moment of the attack, the men were praying on the ground floor of the building, while women and children were upstairs.
Quebec provincial police spokeswoman, Christine Coulombe said, “We can confirm that around 50 people were at the mosque at the time of the attack. The deceased were men approximately 35 to 70 years of age.”
She also said that the situation around the mosque was under control and that two people had been arrested in connection with the shooting.
The names of those arrested were not released.
BOGOTA, Colombia (AP) -- The revolution will now be televised....
Oscar season is looking more and more like one very well-dressed protest against President Donald Trump....
YANGON, Myanmar (AP) -- Myanmar politicians, activists and others shocked by the assassination of a longtime adviser to leader Aung San Suu Kyi gathered Monday at a cemetery for his funeral, while police investigated the motive for the killing....
