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(Vatican Radio) An ecumenical delegation from Finland met with Pope Francis on Thursday, marking the feast day of their country’s patron saint, the 12th century Saint Henrik.

While around three quarters of the population belongs to the Lutheran Church, Catholics in Finland make up a tiny minority of about 15.000 faithful, led by their first native bishop of Helsinki since the Reformation, Teemu Sippo. The delegation visiting the Vatican this week includes Bishop Sippo, together with the Lutheran bishop of Turku Kaarlo Kalliala and the Finnish Orthodox Metropolitan Elia of Oulu.

In his words to the group, the Pope noted that Christians in Finland are celebrating the centenary of the Finnish Ecumenical Council, as well as marking the centenary of their nation as an independent state. May this anniversary, he said, “encourage all the Christians of your country to profess faith in the Lord Jesus Christ – as did Saint Henrik so zealously – offering a witness of faith to the world today and putting that faith into practice through concrete acts of service, fraternity and sharing”.

To find out more about this traditional ecumenical encounter, Philippa Hitchen talked to Mgr Matthias Turk, who deals with Catholic-Lutheran relations for the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity

Listen: 

Mgr Turk says it is a special coincidence that the feast day of the patron saint of Finland, St Henrik, is on the January 19th which coincides with week of prayer for Christian unity. For more than 30 years, he says, they have been coming with an ecumenical pilgrimage and “we’re very glad to have arrived at such a level of communion and ecumenical  fellowship which is very dear to us”.

Mgr Turk points out that in past years the Reformation Jubilee was considered to be “a very German festival” but nowadays, as Rev Martin Junge of the Lutheran World Federation has said, the Reformation has become both international and ecumenical as well. So from Rome, on the international Catholic level, he says, we “took many occasions, in different countries, to commemorate this important event, not only for the Protestant and Lutheran churches, but also for Catholic church, as a reform of a Church that permanently needs to be renewed”.

Mgr Turk speaks about the “3 fold approach to Reformation year” which is firstly to be grateful and give thanks for the communion that has grown up between Christians over the past 50 years of dialogue, secondly to ask forgiveness for the wrongdoing and guilt which has accumulated on both sides, and thirdly to renew “our common witness for Christ to world of today” which is suffering in so many ways.

Recalling Pope Francis’ visit to Sweden last September for a joint commemoration of the Reformation, Mgr Turk says the pope rightly agreed to the invitation of the LWF which is another indication of “the communion that has grown among us”. The results of the dialogue, he says, show that “all those controversial themes from the past, like scripture and tradition, sacramental life, even ministry of the Church” have come closer to a more mutual understanding so that “unity lies ever closer before us”. The pope’s intention in travelling to Lund, where the LWF was founded, he says, was “to acknowledge what has been achieved and orient ourselves to the new questions and next steps of our ecumenical journey that lie before us”.

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Card Gracias of Mumbai,  issued an appeal on the occasion of the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity, which began on Wednesday saying “Let us pray together to accomplish Jesus’s prayer that ‘all may be one’.”

Card Oswald archbishop of Mumbai and president of the Federation of Asian Bishops' Conferences (FABC), notes that the celebration takes place every year, from 18 to 25 January, but "this year it takes on an even greater significance because of the 500th anniversary of the Protestant Reformation,  an event that triggered a profound division in the Christian world between the Catholic Church and the Reformed Churches."

At the same time, the cardinal underlines the efforts made in favour of dialogue last year by Pope Francis, who in October signed a Joint Declaration with Bishop Munib Younan, President of the World Lutheran Federation.

Thus, "by embracing and signing the declaration, they put an end to 500 years of separation and hostility" he said.

As for the Church in Mumbai, Catholics and the Pentecostal Churches jointly organised the octave of prayer for the first time this year.

The main event is set for 20 January, when Card Gracias will lead the prayer in Our Lady of Salvation Church in Dadar. Ecumenical prayers will also be held in ten parishes across the diocese. (AsiaNews)

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The Church in Kenya has reiterated Pope Francis’ message calling for the protection of child migrants and refugees.

Governments and political leaders in countries where refugees are fleeing conflict have been encouraged to ensure peace in their countries and create conditions that are favourable for their own people. If this is done, many children and young people would be spared much of the suffering that comes from the trauma of being refugees and migrants.

In reference to Pope Francis’  message on the 103rd World Day of Migrants and Refugees marked last Sunday, the Kenya Conference of Catholic Bishops’ (KCCB) Chairman of the Commission for Refugees, Migrants and Seafarers, Bishop Joseph Alessandro said many refugee children are suffering at the hands of malicious and unscrupulous people.

“In the present world and in many places, people are trafficking children and introducing them to prostitution, pornography, drugs, child labour and (as) soldiers. These children are disadvantaged by being foreigners and have no means to protect themselves hence should be looked after,” the Bishop said.

Bishop Alessandro called on the faithful in Kenya to put into practice the Corporal and Spiritual Works of Mercy by welcoming and integrating refugees and migrants in their midst. He urged them to do something about the needs of migrants and refugees especially those who are young.

“Help young refugees and migrants since they have no voice. They have the right to belong, to good health and a stable family and to adequate education both at home and at school. They need models to emulate and time for recreation and to mingle with others,” The Bishop emphasised.

Pope Francis in his Sunday message for the 2017 World Day of Migrants and Refugees titled, “Child Migrants, the Vulnerable and the Voiceless” made a heartfelt appeal on behalf of migrants and refugees.

“Since this is a complex phenomenon, the question of child migrants must be tackled at its source. Wars, human rights violations, corruption, poverty, environmental imbalance and disasters, are all causes of this problem. Children are the first to suffer, at times suffering torture and other physical violence, in addition to moral and psychological aggression, which almost always leave indelible scars,” the Holy Father said.

(Rose Achiego in Nairobi)

Email: engafrica@vatiradio.va

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Rome, Italy, Jan 19, 2017 / 09:56 am (CNA/EWTN News).- After the death of Opus Dei Prelate Bishop Javier Echevarría Rodríguez in December, members of the prelature are gathering in Rome in preparation for the election of their new leader, which will take place in the coming days.

Set to begin Jan. 21 with a special session for women, the election process has no definite end date, since after the new prelate’s election, discussion about future governance is expected to last several days.

The former prelate, Bishop Echevarría, died Dec. 12 at the age of 84 in Rome due to respiratory failure several days after being hospitalized with pneumonia. The bishop served as St. Josemaria's secretary from 1953 to 1975, and was ordained a priest of the prelature in 1955, at the age of 23. He was later named secretary general of Opus Dei, and was elected prelate in 1994. He was consecrated a bishop the following year.

Since Echevarría’s death the prelature's ordinary government has been headed by his auxiliary, Msgr. Fernando Ocariz, expected by some to be a natural replacement for the late prelate.

Context

Founded in 1920 by St. Josemaria Escriva, Opus Dei was declared a “personal prelature” by St. John Paul II in 1982, meaning it is a structure that is composed of a prelate, clergy, and lay members united in carrying out certain pastoral activities through a specific spiritual path that isn’t limited to geography, but can be lived no matter where its members are.

Until now, the organization is the only personal prelature in the Catholic Church.

Opus Dei’s spirituality emphasizes that holiness can be achieved by anyone, and is dedicated to spiritual growth and discipleship among the laity, teaching its members to use their work and their ordinary activities as a way to encounter God.

Currently there are roughly 92,000 members of the prelature, of whom 2,083 are priests. Apart from the members of the Priestly Society of the Holy Cross, there are some 1,900 priests who serve in dioceses throughout the world. However, despite the prelature’s many priests, the majority of members are women, who form roughly 57 percent of the prelature.

Once the new prelate has been approved by the Pope, he will become the third successor of St. Josemaria Escriva, whose immediate successor was Bl. Alvaro del Portillo.

In a Jan. 15 article on the Opus Dei website, Msgr. Ocariz said members “are living this period in an attitude of prayer, going especially to the Holy Spirit.”

“We live these days very close to the Holy Father Francis and the whole Church, of which Opus Dei is a small part,” he said, adding that “of course, we feel a strong sense of gratitude for the pastoral work and the good example given by Bishop Javier Echevarría.”

Conditions

For a candidate to be eligible as the next Prelate they must be a priest who is at least 40 years old, has been a part of the prelature for at least 10 years, has been ordained for at least five years, and is a member of the Congress of electors.

Currently there are 94 priests from 45 countries who fit the bill, including many who serve as regional vicars, meaning they represent the Prelate in the countries in which they serve. Other eligible priests have either spent long tenures working in Rome or in one of the 49 circumscriptions that make up the prelature.

According to Opus Dei’s statutes, which list a set of qualities desirable in a prelate, their leader must in short stand out in terms of how he lives the virtues of piety, charity, and prudence, his love for the Church and the Magisterium, as well as his fidelity to the spirit of Opus Dei.

Studies, both civil and ecclesial, are also factors, as well as having competence in pastoral government.

The Process

Elections for a new prelate begin with a plenary meeting of the Central Advisory, the prelature’s women’s council, which will take place Jan. 21.

During this initial stage, each of the women participating will submit the name or names from among the priests in the electoral congress whom they think is best suited for the job. They will then pass these recommendations to the congress, who will vote for a candidate with these suggestions in mind.

The official election process is set to begin Jan. 23.

A total of 194 faithful, all men, involved in Opus Dei pastoral work throughout the world will participate in the actual elections, including both priests and lay people who are at least 32 years old and have been a part of the prelature for at least nine years.

In comments at a Jan. 16 press briefing on the elections, Professor Ines Llorens, a canonist and member of Opus Dei, stressed the importance of the women’s contribution at the start of the process, saying the Central Advisory council “is the central department and has an important role in the government of Opus Dei.”

Referencing their founder, she said St. Josemaria Escriva “wanted women to have a specific part to say things and he wanted this to be manifested in the prelature’s statutes.”

“The fact that we are the first to say our opinions is important. That voice is always listened to.”

Once the elections are over and the new prelate has accepted the position, either he or a representative of the prelature will ask Pope Francis for his confirmation of the candidate, since it is technically the Pope who appoints the Prelate of Opus Dei.

The Pope can reject the new prelate, in which case the electoral congress would go back to the drawing board and propose a new candidate.

However, should Francis accept the new prelate, participants in the congress will then meet for several more days in order to select members of the central councils that assist the prelate in his governance.

Professor Eduardo Baura, also a canonist and member of the prelature who was present at the Jan. 16 briefing, told journalists that “being a personal prelature, Opus Dei is not like dioceses where there is a procedure – the proposals of the nuncios, the relationship with the episcopal conference, the proposals of the Congregation for Bishops.”

“This process isn't there for the Opus Dei Prelate,” he said, noting that when the Pope gave the prelature its statutes, “he chose the canonical method of an electoral congress with an election and then a nomination from the Pope.”

The Pope's decision “is unquestionable,” Baura said, but noted that “it usually confirms what has been decided in the congress.”

In the final stage of the process, members of the congress will make an evaluation of the current state of the prelature and its activities throughout the world.

Plenary sessions will then be held to discuss different proposals determining the guidelines for the new incoming government, who will serve under the new prelate for an eight-year period until the next general congress.

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By Junno Arocho Esteves

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Although great strides have been made through 50 years of ecumenical dialogue, Catholics and Lutherans must continue to work toward becoming a full and visible sign of unity for the world, Pope Francis said.

A continued "communion of harmony" will allow Catholics and Lutherans to "find further convergence on points of doctrine and the moral teaching of the church," the pope told members of a pilgrimage from the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland Jan. 19.

"I pray to the Lord that he may bestow his blessing on the Lutheran-Catholic Dialogue Commission in Finland, which is working diligently toward a common sacramental understanding of the church, the Eucharist and ecclesial ministry," he said.

The pope met the Finnish delegation during the annual Week of Prayer for Christian Unity. The theme chosen for the 2017 observance was: "Reconciliation: The love of Christ compels us."

The week of prayer, Pope Francis said, urges Catholics and Lutherans to reconcile and "draw closer to one another anew through conversion."

"True ecumenism is based on a shared conversion to Jesus Christ as our Lord and redeemer. If we draw close to him, we draw close also to one another," the pope said.

Recalling his visit to Sweden last October to commemorate the 500th anniversary of Martin Luther's efforts to reform the church, the pope said Luther's intention "was to renew the church, not divide her" and that the joint commemoration "was important on both the human and theological-spiritual levels."

"The gathering there gave us the courage and strength in our Lord Jesus Christ to look ahead to the ecumenical journey that we are called to walk together," he said.

Helping those who suffer persecution and violence, he added, can further unite Christians "on the journey toward full communion."

In doing so, the pope said, Catholics and Lutherans can put their witness of faith into practice "through concrete acts of service, fraternity and sharing."

Speaking off-the-cuff, Pope Francis thanked Lutheran Archbishop Kari Makinen of Turku for bringing his grandchildren to the meeting.

"We need the simplicity of children; they teach us the way to Jesus Christ," the pope said.

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IMAGE: CNS photo/Marcin Mazur, Bishops' Conference of England and Wales

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JERUSALEM (CNS) -- Christians have a responsibility to oppose the construction of Israeli settlements in Palestinian territories, said bishops from the U.S., Canada and Europe.

"This de facto annexation of land not only undermines the rights of Palestinians in areas such as Hebron and East Jerusalem but, as the U.N. recently recognized, also imperils the chance of peace," said bishops who participated in the Holy Land Coordination Jan. 14-19.

"So many people in the Holy Land have spent their entire lives under occupation, with its polarizing social segregation, yet still profess hope and strive for reconciliation. Now, more than ever, they deserve our solidarity," said the statement, issued Jan. 19, at the end of the visit.

Bishop Oscar Cantu of Las Cruces, New Mexico, chairman of the U.S. bishops' Committee on International Justice and Peace, was among the 12 bishops who signed the statement. Bishop Lionel Gendron of Saint-Jean-Longueuil, Quebec, represented Canadian bishops. The statement also was signed by representatives of the Council of European Bishops' Conferences, the Commission of the Bishops' Conferences of the European Community and the Southern African Catholic Bishops' Conference, as well as bishops from the United Kingdom and other European countries.

During their visit, the bishops visited Hebron, West Bank, where the main market area is closed off to accommodate the security needs of some 800 Israeli settlers. Afterward, Bishop Cantu told Catholic News Service, "It becomes clearer that (the settlements) are not just about outlying settlements but something more systematic; more about infiltrating Palestinian land and forcing Palestinians out by making them so uncomfortable with such limited freedom they don't want to continue living there."

Three of the bishops also visited the Gaza Strip, where an Israeli blockade has made it difficult to get supplies for reconstruction of buildings destroyed by Israeli shelling. Bishop William Nolan of Galloway, Scotland, one of the bishops who visited Gaza, said he left feeling "sad and helpless" at the poverty and lack of basic commodities.

In 2006, a government led by Hamas was elected in Gaza. Israel, the United States and the European Union have listed Hamas -- an Islamic political party with an armed wing -- as a terrorist organization and have imposed economic sanctions against Gaza.

In their statement, the bishops said Christians had a responsibility to help "the people of Gaza, who continue to live amid a man-made humanitarian catastrophe. They have now spent a decade under blockade, compounded by a political impasse caused by ill-will on all sides."

They also said Christians must continue to encourage nonviolent resistance, as encouraged by Pope Francis.

"This is particularly necessary in the face of injustices such as the continued construction of the separation wall on Palestinian land, including the Cremisan Valley," the statement said.

The barrier is a series of cement slabs, barbed wire fences and security roads snaking across part of the West Bank. If completed as planned, the separation wall would stretch nearly 400 miles and restrict the movements of 38 percent of residents of the West Bank. Israel maintains that the barrier contributed significantly to a decrease in the number of terrorist attacks, while Palestinians contend that the barrier is simply another Israeli land grab, imprisons them and imposes travel limitations.

The bishops said that each year since 1998, they have called for justice and peace, "yet the suffering continues."

"So this call must get louder," their statement said. "As bishops, we implore Christians in our home countries to recognize our own responsibility for prayer, awareness and action."

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