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Christmas is just a couple of days away – this Sunday. And in view of the festivities ahead, we thought of hearing from Bangladesh’s new Cardinal Patrick D’Rozario, the Archbishop of Dhaka. He is one of the 17 new cardinals that Pope Francis created during a ceremony in the Vatican on Nov. 19. The selection s well as creation of Archbishop D’Rozario as cardinal by Pope Francis is indeed historic. The 73-year old Holy Cross prelate is not only Bangladesh’s first cardinal but he is also the first cardinal from among the Bengali-speaking people on either side of the divided Bengal, inhabiting Bangladesh and India’s West Bengal state.Card. D’Rozario earlier served as Bishop of Rajshahi from 1990 to ’95, and then Bishop of Chittagong from 1995 to 2010, when Pope Benedict XVI appointed him Coadjutor Archbishop of Dhaka. He became the Archbishop of Dhaka the following year. We called Card. D’Rozario on his...
Christmas is just a couple of days away – this Sunday. And in view of the festivities ahead, we thought of hearing from Bangladesh’s new Cardinal Patrick D’Rozario, the Archbishop of Dhaka. He is one of the 17 new cardinals that Pope Francis created during a ceremony in the Vatican on Nov. 19. The selection s well as creation of Archbishop D’Rozario as cardinal by Pope Francis is indeed historic. The 73-year old Holy Cross prelate is not only Bangladesh’s first cardinal but he is also the first cardinal from among the Bengali-speaking people on either side of the divided Bengal, inhabiting Bangladesh and India’s West Bengal state.
Card. D’Rozario earlier served as Bishop of Rajshahi from 1990 to ’95, and then Bishop of Chittagong from 1995 to 2010, when Pope Benedict XVI appointed him Coadjutor Archbishop of Dhaka. He became the Archbishop of Dhaka the following year.
We called Card. D’Rozario on his mobile phone in Dhaka to know about his new status and also to give us message for Christmas. We first asked him about how he regards his cardinalate.
Listen:
Over 2,000 inmates at the Tihar complex, the largest jail in India, took part in the Christmas celebration organized by the Prison Ministry of India (PMI) on Monday. PMI is a national voluntary organization recognized by the Catholic Bishops' Conference of India. It has around 6,000 volunteers, including priests, nuns and lay people, helping the jail inmates in about 800 prisons across the country. PMI annually organizes Christmas and other cultural programs for the prisoners across the country to bring joy to the inmates and advocate a message of peace and love in society.Father Savari Raj, PMI regional coordinator, told ucanews.com that for the past 10 days PMI has been organizing Christmas programs, including cultural events and Christmas carols, for prisoners in different jails across the country. "PMI organizes cultural performances by school children for inmates on patriotic and festive themes. It is just a way of making the prisoners feel part of society," Fat...
Over 2,000 inmates at the Tihar complex, the largest jail in India, took part in the Christmas celebration organized by the Prison Ministry of India (PMI) on Monday. PMI is a national voluntary organization recognized by the Catholic Bishops' Conference of India. It has around 6,000 volunteers, including priests, nuns and lay people, helping the jail inmates in about 800 prisons across the country. PMI annually organizes Christmas and other cultural programs for the prisoners across the country to bring joy to the inmates and advocate a message of peace and love in society.
Father Savari Raj, PMI regional coordinator, told ucanews.com that for the past 10 days PMI has been organizing Christmas programs, including cultural events and Christmas carols, for prisoners in different jails across the country. "PMI organizes cultural performances by school children for inmates on patriotic and festive themes. It is just a way of making the prisoners feel part of society," Father Raj said.
As the children associated with Chetnalaya — the social service wing of the Delhi Archdiocese — danced to the musical tunes and Santa Claus distributed candies to the inmates, the prisoners laughed, cheered and clapped with joy. Some of the inmates also sang Christmas carols during the program, which was attended by senior prison and PMI officials, including nuns and priests.
Akash Rajkumar , an inmate of the Tihar jail says that such events bring a little color and fun to the usually dull and mundane life inside the prison. "I look forward to such programs that give us hope that someday we will be out leading a normal life with our families," he said.
The 24-year-old has spent the last ten months inside the jail waiting for his rape trial to reach the courts. A former worker at a school in the nation's capital, Rajkumar claims he was framed. “I never thought I would end up at a place like this. I felt like killing myself when I was brought here but we have to be strong for the sake of our families,” he said, adding that staying within the prison's four walls was the worst punishment anyone can get.
Rajesh Sharma, another inmate awaiting trial for rape, told ucanews.com that nuns from PMI conduct regular Bible study for prisoners and "we learn a lot of positive things from these sessions. The nuns treat us like their children and counsel us if we are disturbed or have any problem. They are our family now. We look forward to their visit," said Sharma, who hails from Rohtak district in the northern Indian state of Haryana.
Apart from providing Bible study classes and values education to prisoners, PMI provides legal and financial aid to the prisoners. Father Raj said PMI helps prisoners who have received bail but are still languishing in the jails because they cannot afford the bail deposit. "We have been able to release 60 prisoners in the last year from Tihar Jail and are willing to help more," he said.
Speaking at the carols, Rajesh Chouhan, superintendent of jail no. 4, advised prisoners to adopt positive thoughts and then to bring them to life to create a peaceful and crime-free society. For the inmates, an evening of dance and music has brought some much-needed joy.
"The memories will stay with me for a long time. For a moment, it made me forget the pain of being in a jail. Children have come and performed for us. This means that we are not forgotten. We have people who care for us other than our families," Rajkumar said.
Source: UCANews
(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis, in his sollicitude for the Sovereign Military Order of Malta -- a lay religious Order (cfr. Constitutional Charter, art. 1, para. 1) that has, among its ends, that of “service to the faith and to the Holy Father” (ibid., art. 2, para. 1) – has ordered the establishment of a group of five authoritative members with the mandate of gathering evidence in order to inform the Holy See completely and in a short time about the event that has recently concerned the Grand Chancellor of the Order, Albrect Freiherr von Boeselager. This group is composed of Archbishop Silvano M. Tomasi, CS; Father Gianfranco Ghirlanda, SJ; Avv. Jacques de Liedekerke; Mr Marc Odendall; Mr Marwan Sehnaoui.
(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis, in his sollicitude for the Sovereign Military Order of Malta -- a lay religious Order (cfr. Constitutional Charter, art. 1, para. 1) that has, among its ends, that of “service to the faith and to the Holy Father” (ibid., art. 2, para. 1) – has ordered the establishment of a group of five authoritative members with the mandate of gathering evidence in order to inform the Holy See completely and in a short time about the event that has recently concerned the Grand Chancellor of the Order, Albrect Freiherr von Boeselager. This group is composed of Archbishop Silvano M. Tomasi, CS; Father Gianfranco Ghirlanda, SJ; Avv. Jacques de Liedekerke; Mr Marc Odendall; Mr Marwan Sehnaoui.
By Junno Arocho EstevesVATICANCITY (CNS) -- The reform of the Roman Curia is not a mere face-lift torejuvenate an aging body but a process of deep, personal conversion, PopeFrancis said.Meetingwith cardinals and the heads of Vatican offices for his annual Christmasgreeting, the pope warned that "it is not wrinkles the church shouldfear" but rather the stains that impede its growth and relevance in theworld."Thereform does not have an aesthetical end to make the Curia more beautiful; itcannot be understood as a sort of face-lift or applying makeup to beautify theelderly curial body, nor plastic surgery to remove wrinkles," the popesaid Dec. 22.Whilehis addresses in previous years focused on curial ills and medicinal virtues,this year's speech laid out a 12-step program of guiding principles gearedtoward an appropriate and long-lasting recovery."Itwas necessary to speak of illnesses and cures so that every operation -- to achievesuccess -- be preceded by an in-depth diagnosis, by acc...
By Junno Arocho Esteves
VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- The reform of the Roman Curia is not a mere face-lift to rejuvenate an aging body but a process of deep, personal conversion, Pope Francis said.
Meeting with cardinals and the heads of Vatican offices for his annual Christmas greeting, the pope warned that "it is not wrinkles the church should fear" but rather the stains that impede its growth and relevance in the world.
"The reform does not have an aesthetical end to make the Curia more beautiful; it cannot be understood as a sort of face-lift or applying makeup to beautify the elderly curial body, nor plastic surgery to remove wrinkles," the pope said Dec. 22.
While his addresses in previous years focused on curial ills and medicinal virtues, this year's speech laid out a 12-step program of guiding principles geared toward an appropriate and long-lasting recovery.
"It was necessary to speak of illnesses and cures so that every operation -- to achieve success -- be preceded by an in-depth diagnosis, by accurate analyses and must be accompanied and followed through with precise prescriptions," the pope said.
Although certain forms of resistance to reform may come from a sense of goodwill or fear, there are others that are based on malevolent intentions dressed like a wolf in sheep's clothing, he said.
"This last type of resistance hides behind justifying words and, in many cases, accusatory; finding refuge in traditions, in appearances, in formality, in what is known, or in wanting to bring everything on a personal level without distinguishing between the act, the actor and the action," the pope said.
However, no matter whether the intentions are good or bad, resistance is necessary and they "deserve to be heard, received and encouraged because it is a sign that that the body is alive."
"The absence of reaction is a sign of death!" he exclaimed.
Curial reform, however, must be viewed as a slow and delicate process that must be followed through with continuous discernment, wisdom and action but above all, "with many prayers."
Listing 12 criteria, the pope explained that the reform is at its heart a sign of the church's liveliness and a "process of growth and above all, conversion."
The guiding principles of the reform of the Roman Curia are:
-- Individuality (Personal conversion): A person's spiritual well-being can either strengthen the body of the Curia or damage it and make it sick.
-- Pastoral conversion: The workplace must have a pastoral spirit where "no one feels neglected and mistreated" and everyone can experience the care of the Good Shepherd.
-- Missionary spirit (Christ-centric): Without an authentic evangelical spirit and faithfulness of the church to its own vocation, "any new structure will corrupt in short time."
-- Rationality: No Vatican office is greater than another and the responsibilities of each office must be clearly distinguished.
-- Functionality: The merging of offices, demotions and promotions must always be done to streamline and hone in a dicastery's specific mission.
-- Up-to-date ("Aggiornamento"): Vatican offices must read "the signs of times" and adapt to the needs of the universal church.
-- Sobriety: The Roman Curia must be willing to simplify and slim down, especially when it comes to "offices that are no longer responsive to contingent needs."
-- Subsidiarity: Reorganize priorities within the offices and, if necessary, shifting responsibilities to another dicastery while working in sync with the Secretariat of State.
-- Synodality: Reducing or merging Vatican offices avoids fragmentation and allows for more frequent meetings between the pope and the heads of those offices.
-- Catholicity: The Curia should mirror the universality and multicultural nature of the church and hire personnel from around the world while emphasizing the important role of permanent deacons and the laity -- especially women -- in the life and mission of the church.
-- Professionalism: Every office must adopt a policy of personal formation to avoid the "rust" and routine of functionalism, as well as putting a definitive end to the practice of "promoveatur ut amoveatur" ("removal by promotion"). "This is a cancer!" the pope exclaimed.
-- Graduality (Discernment): Taking time by verifying, correcting and discerning methods and policies that can "allow the necessary flexibility to achieve a true reform."
He also highlighted the various steps, structural changes and continuing processes of the reform throughout his pontificate, all of which are meant to stress that "the heart and center of the reform is Christ."
Reciting a Christmas prayer written by the late Coptic Orthodox monk, Father Matta El Meskeen, the pope said the birth of Christ is a "celebration of the loving humility of God," which stands in stark contrast to the logic of ambitions, power, phariseeism, and domination.
Before greeting those present individually, Pope Francis said he had a gift for each one of them: a copy of Jesuit Father Claudio Acquaviva's 14th-century book, "Curing the Illnesses of the Soul," a guide for spiritual directors that emphasized expressing views gently without compromising in substance.
"It's a beautiful translation, it's well-made and I think it can help," the pope said.
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The full text of the papal address can be found at http://w2.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/speeches/2016/december/documents/papa-francesco_20161222_curia-romana.html
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Follow Arocho on Twitter: @arochoju.
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