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(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis has given an interview to the Catholic Italian daily, Avvenire to mark the end of the Holy Year of Mercy, saying that the Jubilee and Ecumenism are the fruits of the Second Vatican Council.Listen: In the lengthy interview to Avvenire the Holy Father gives his assessment of the Jubilee of Mercy and touches on the complex journey towards Christian Unity and the legacy of the Second Vatican Council.Speaking from the Casa Santa Marta the Pope talks about the Church's path of living and witnessing to the Gospel as a way of mercy and not as an ideology.Pope Francis explains that, he did not have a plan for the Jubilee. “I simply let myself be guided by the Holy Spirit”, he says.Stressing the importance of forgiveness, the Pope comments, that he likes to think that God has a bad memory. “He forgives and forgets”.Turning his attention to the issue of Christian Unity, the Pope underlines the significant steps taken during this ...
(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis has given an interview to the Catholic Italian daily, Avvenire to mark the end of the Holy Year of Mercy, saying that the Jubilee and Ecumenism are the fruits of the Second Vatican Council.
Listen:
In the lengthy interview to Avvenire the Holy Father gives his assessment of the Jubilee of Mercy and touches on the complex journey towards Christian Unity and the legacy of the Second Vatican Council.
Speaking from the Casa Santa Marta the Pope talks about the Church's path of living and witnessing to the Gospel as a way of mercy and not as an ideology.
Pope Francis explains that, he did not have a plan for the Jubilee. “I simply let myself be guided by the Holy Spirit”, he says.
Stressing the importance of forgiveness, the Pope comments, that he likes to think that God has a bad memory. “He forgives and forgets”.
Turning his attention to the issue of Christian Unity, the Pope underlines the significant steps taken during this Extraordinary Year on the path of reconciliation between Christians, adding that this work goes back to the Vatican II.
Unity, Pope Francis says, has three roads: to walk together doing charitable works, to pray together, and then to recognize the common confession as expressed in the common martyrdom, the ecumenism of blood.
With ecumenism, the Holy Father stresses, it is crucial to serve with the poor, who are "the flesh of Christ".
Pope Francis will conclude the Extraordinary Year of Mercy on Sunday, the feast of Christ the King.
Peace is the supreme good for all citizens and all communities in Myanmar: says a heartfelt appeal to political and military leaders launched by a group of Burmese religious leaders, including Cardinal Charles Maung Bo, Archbishop of Yangon. In the document, sent to Fides by the Cardinal himself, says: "We, representatives of all religions living in Myanmar appeal to political leaders, military leaders and armed groups, so that they seek the path of reconciliation and peace as a common good of all people".Religious leaders are concerned about the new clashes in the civil conflict among the armed groups of ethnic minorities and the Burmese army in the states of Kachin and Karen, as well as for new religious violence against the Muslim minority Rohingya in Arakan state, which broke out right after the national conference on ethnic minorities organized in September by the Burmese government.The recent clashes between Myanmar’s armed forces (Tatmadaw) and what the mili...
Peace is the supreme good for all citizens and all communities in Myanmar: says a heartfelt appeal to political and military leaders launched by a group of Burmese religious leaders, including Cardinal Charles Maung Bo, Archbishop of Yangon. In the document, sent to Fides by the Cardinal himself, says: "We, representatives of all religions living in Myanmar appeal to political leaders, military leaders and armed groups, so that they seek the path of reconciliation and peace as a common good of all people".
Religious leaders are concerned about the new clashes in the civil conflict among the armed groups of ethnic minorities and the Burmese army in the states of Kachin and Karen, as well as for new religious violence against the Muslim minority Rohingya in Arakan state, which broke out right after the national conference on ethnic minorities organized in September by the Burmese government.
The recent clashes between Myanmar’s armed forces (Tatmadaw) and what the military call a "a militant group of Rohingya Muslims" have increased. In the latest incident, at least 30 Muslim fighters are said to have died. This has led Card. Charles Maung Bo, to issue an appeal over the renewed fighting between government forces and rebel groups in Rakhine State (western Myanmar). Rohingya are a Muslim minority (just over a million people) originally from Bangladesh, who have been denied Myanmar citizenship and whose members live in refugee camps in several parts of the country.
Current military operations are concentrated in Maungdaw, on the border with Bangladesh. Security forces have cordoned off the area, preventing the entry of humanitarian aid and independent observers. Since early October, 60 Rohingyas and 17 government soldiers have died in clashes. Government soldiers continue to go from village to village to clear them of rebel elements. Residents and human rights activists have slammed the military for carrying out summary executions, rapes and arson. According to Human Rights Watch, at least 430 homes of Rohingya refugees were set on fire for no reason.
In a country of about 135 ethnic groups, peaceful coexistence has always been a struggle, especially with the central government, which is dominated by ethnic Burmese.
After the military and several rebel groups signed an armistice in October 2015, peace talks resumed in late August at the Panglong Conference (promoted by Aung San Suu Kyi), but so far they have not yielded any of the desired results.
For Card Bo, “Our wars are not winnable. Sixty years have proved that. They have inflicted chronic suffering on thousands. They have deterred human development and provoked greater animosity.”
The text sent to Fides emphasizes the elements of hope: "Democracy is in its early days. We had a new Panglong conference with the participation of all minority groups. Our country is courted by the world. Millions of tourists arrive to visit this country every year. We have had peaceful elections, we have a legitimate parliament. President Daw Su leads the nation with confidence and wisdom. Our dreams are slowly becoming reality. We deeply appreciate all those who worked for it".
But there are downsides: "The nightmare of war continues. There are more than 200,000 internally displaced people. New conflicts are added to old ones. The presence of refugees proliferates the human trafficking, the phenomenon of drugs and violence threatens to explode in communities. Internal conflicts have caused chronic suffering to thousands of people, discouraging human development and have caused much animosity".
Religious leaders recall that in 1947, General Aung San, Prime Minister of the first government of the nation, "had the foresight to involve everyone in the dialogue, exploring the agreement factors first and leaving the contentious issues later. Aung San favored a federal solution".
The text continues: "We appeal to all of you, political leaders of the National League for Democracy, the military chiefs, leaders of armed groups, ethnic political parties and civil society groups, to explore a common policy for conflict resolution. We call on all the religious leaders so that they are an instrument of peace. Myanmar needs one religion today: that is peace, it is our common religion". "We are brothers and sisters. It is urgent to stop wars and build peace and justice for all", he concludes.
(Source: Agenzia Fides; AsiaNews)
Damascus, Syria, Nov 18, 2016 / 12:08 am (CNA/EWTN News).- Fr. Alejandro León is a Salesian missionary who has lived more than 13 years in the Middle East, and in Syria since 2011 – precisely when its civil war began. He has said that being there during the war is “ a sign of mercy and the love of God,” even though it involves risking his own life and often being close to death.The priest, born in Venezuela in 1979, said he has witnessed several miracles, because he works with young people who can put aside revenge and foster a love for reconciliation, which has led them to care for the relatives of Muslim extremists.“Taking that step has been hard, but it has been very freeing for them” and “they have realized that those women and children are not culpable, and in the end, they are also our brothers and sisters,” he told CNA.He knew when he joined the Salesians that he wanted to “offer to the young people the education and gene...
Damascus, Syria, Nov 18, 2016 / 12:08 am (CNA/EWTN News).- Fr. Alejandro León is a Salesian missionary who has lived more than 13 years in the Middle East, and in Syria since 2011 – precisely when its civil war began. He has said that being there during the war is “ a sign of mercy and the love of God,” even though it involves risking his own life and often being close to death.
The priest, born in Venezuela in 1979, said he has witnessed several miracles, because he works with young people who can put aside revenge and foster a love for reconciliation, which has led them to care for the relatives of Muslim extremists.
“Taking that step has been hard, but it has been very freeing for them” and “they have realized that those women and children are not culpable, and in the end, they are also our brothers and sisters,” he told CNA.
He knew when he joined the Salesians that he wanted to “offer to the young people the education and generosity that he had received.” So in 2003, when he was 24, he offered to go “wherever was the greatest need,” and his superiors indicated the Middle East.
After studying in Egypt and Italy, Fr. León, who was recently ordained a priest, was sent to Syria. “The war was beginning and I accepted,” he said.
Agreeing to go to a country at war scared him, he said, but he recalled that once he was there he realized something fundamental: “I had a very happy life thanks to my family and the Salesians and it really grieves me that there were so many children that could not have the same opportunity.”
“The risk is worth it, and if this turns out badly and something happens to me, I believe I have lived long enough to have found the meaning of life and this is to know I am deeply loved by God.”
“Even though as Salesians we have promised obedience to our superiors, they have given us a lot of freedom so that just those who want to stay in Syria are there. I believe than each one of us, of the seven who are in the three communities, have experienced powerful moments of abandonment, of decisively surrendering ourselves wholeheartedly to the Lord, telling him that no matter what happens, I'm in his hands for as long as he wants,” the missionary reflected.
The three Salesian communities in Syria are located in Aleppo, Damascus, and Kafroun (35 miles northwest of Homs).
Their homes are known in Syria as an “oasis of peace” because they seek to unite under the Gospel and with Christ all the Christians in the area.
Fr. León said that in Syria, “there are times when we need to care of the sick, the dying, or burials, and you know that on the way missiles and bombs are falling, but it's in these situations in which you decide you're going to go all the way or just halfway. Because if we stay in Syria it's not to take care of the buildings but to serve and be a sign of mercy and the love of God in the midst of the people, and that involves risking our lives.”
“We risk our lives sometimes, even though we try to be as prudent as possible. But what can't happen is that in order to protect ourselves we only go halfway with our service: we're staying in Syria to serve, and we decided that as long as there are Christians who need us, we'll be there in Syria with them.”
This sense of fidelity and service to the Christians is based, Fr. León explained, “on the sense of family, which is so important for Salesians.”
In his work with the young people as director and general coordinator for the activities the Salesians undertake in Syria, Fr. León noted that the biggest challenge is to form them so they are prepared to rebuild their country once the war is over.
“There will be companies and countries ready to rebuild the walls in the cities, but what will be needed are persons, young people, very prepared to rebuild the hearts, souls and the spirit of that society … this will be the main mission of the Syrian youth.”
Another difficulty is “the cultural idea of vengeance which is very ingrained,” which does not arise out of hatred but out of “love for that loved one who has died and who must be avenged because of that love.”
“In Syria everyone has someone to avenge” the priest lamented, adding that his work is also to seek to promote reconciliation and not vengeance.
“Our Syrian young people are going to refugee centers where there are, in addition to many abandoned people, women and children of the Muslim extremists who are taking part in the attacks,” he explained.
“You would have to put yourselves in the shoes of those guys and think about what they have overcome to be able to help and take care of, for example, the son of someone who ordered the bombing that killed my cousin or my brother.”
“Taking that step, for a lot of them has been hard, but it also has been very freeing. They have realized that in the end the children of those extremists are not culpable and in the end they are also our brothers and sisters.”
He said that the war and “the mystery of suffering” has made a lot of young adolescents with whom the Salesian work in Syria to have serious doubts about their faith.
“The problem of evil has created a crisis of faith, but with our witness and being close to them, many young people have overcome this and afterwards have been able to have a much more authentic experience of Christ.”
In fact, this country “is among those that have given the most vocations to the Salesian family, even before the war. Also those who during the war have overcome their doubts, have come into a deep spiritual life which makes them ask themselves what God wants from them. And that is something beautiful.”
WASHINGTON (AP) -- In a ghost town of dead coral off a remote Pacific island, scientists have found a bit more life....
