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(Vatican Radio) How is Pope Francis changing the Catholic Church’s relations with other Christians? How has the goal of the ecumenical movement altered over recent years? And what is the model of full communion as understood by the Catholic Church today? Those are just some of the questions being discussed at a plenary meeting of the Pontifical Council for the Promotion of Christian Unity taking place in Rome this week.

On Thursday participants met with Pope Francis who stressed that striving for Christian unity is an essential requirement of faith for all believers and a personal priority of his own. During the meeting members are also exploring the concept of unity as understood in the Orthodox and Protestant Churches, as well as in the newer ‘free Church’ communities.

Among those taking part in the discussions is Dominican Father Robert Christian, a former professor at Rome’s Angelicum university and currently responsible for the formation of Dominicans in the Western United States. He’s also a member of the Anglican-Roman Catholic International Commission and a consultor with the Pontifical Council.

He told Philippa Hitchen more about the focus of the November 8th to 11th encounter…

Listen: 

Fr Robert talks about the nature of Christian unity as summarized in five words beginning with the letter ‘c’: creed, code, cult, communion and charity, but he points out that not all those in dialogue with the Catholic Church share that same idea of unity….

At the heart of ecumenical discussions, he says, is the understanding of the Petrine ministry and he notes that many other Christians “feel a frustration at not being able to speak with one voice” about the Word of God.

Since Pope John Paul II published his encyclical on Christian unity, ‘Ut Unum Sint’, he notes how many partners in dialogue have been trying to re-evaluate how the Petrine ministry can serve the whole Church, while not renouncing the uniqueness of that role.

Speaking of the way the decisions of Pope Francis and his predecessors have affected the ecumenical dialogues, Fr Robert points to the changes taking place within the Synod of Bishops, established during the Second Vatican Council. Pope Francis, he says, is moving towards giving “deliberative power” to the Synod, and discussions at the plenary are examining “models of synodality which would include the participation of those who are not bishops”.

Discussions about ethical and moral issues, he says, are secondary to the question of how such decisions are made, as the Anglican-Roman Catholic International Commission is currently exploring.

Regarding the goal of the ecumenical movement, he warns against “thinking we have gone as far as we can go”. Rather than just tolerating diversity, he says “we want diversity to be an expression of richness in unity, so we’ll keep working for that.

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(Vatican Radio) A new book that explores the themes and the content of Pope Francis’ homilies and discourses from when he was archbishop of Buenos Aires was presented on Thursday in the Vatican.

Vatican Secretary of State, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, Cardinal-elect Blase Cupich and the newly elected Superior General of the Jesuits, Fr Arturo Sosa, were present for the presentation together with man behind the book. 

Listen to the report by Linda Bordoni:

Jesuit father Antonio Spadaro, no newcomer to other editorial adventures that feature Pope Francis, is the man who collected the material that makes up the book and edited it giving life to the very first unabridged collection of the writings of Jorge Mario Bergoglio during the 14 years he was archbishop of Buenos Aires.

He explained that its very title which translates loosely into: “In your eyes are my words” speaks of Pope Francis’ need to look people in the eyes when he is talking to them.

Francis – he says – never sees a generic mass or crowd in front of him, nor is he capable of fixing his gaze on a piece of paper he may be reading from without relating personally to the people he is speaking to.

The volume, presented on Thursday at the Jesuit Curia in Rome, is a kind of an ‘opera omnia’ of Bergoglio’s episcopal ministry. Most appropriately, it also features an eye-to-eye conversation between the Pope and Fr. Spadaro about the main themes of Francis’ papacy and about how his personal gestures and choices – right from the very first days of his pontificate – have been molded and charged by his experience as a leader of the flock in Buenos Aires.   

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(Vatican Radio) Archbishop Ivan Jurkovic, Permanent Observer of the Holy See to the United Nations and Other International Organizations in Geneva spoke on Wednesday at the World Trade Organization (WTO) during a discussion on intellectual property rights.

The Vatican diplomat said access to health care must always be assured when discussing intellectual property.

“As we are all aware, health is a fundamental human right, essential for the exercise of  many other rights, and it is necessary for living a life in dignity,” – Archbishop Jurkovic said – “The realization of the right to health should be a fundamental goal of national policies and programmes, regardless of respective economic, social, cultural, religious or political  contexts. However, for millions of people around the world, the full enjoyment of the right to health remains an elusive goal, due, inter alia, to obstacles in access to high quality, affordable, and acceptable medicines. 

The full text of the statement is below

Statement by H.E. Archbishop Ivan Jurkovic, Permanent Observer of the Holy See to the United Nations and Other International Organizations in Geneva

at the World Trade Organization (WTO) Trade Related Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPs) Council, Geneva, 9 November 2016

Mr. President,

Since this is the first time  my  Delegation is taking  the floor during  the current session  of  the  TRIPs  Council,  allow  me  to  begin  by  congratulating  you  on  your assumption  of  the  Chair  and  by  assuring  you  of  the  full  support  of  the  Holy  See Delegation. The initiative of the UN Secretary General echoes the concern expressed by the Holy See  regarding  agreements on intellectual property and access to medicines and essential health care.  The achievement of a stronger balance between the  protection of  the right of  inventors, international human rights  law and public health objectives is clearly foreseen in Sustainable Development Goal  3:  to  Achieve Universal Health Coverage  (UHC).  This  is  a  unique  moment  in  history.  Ensuring  the  success  of  the SDGs,  including  an  end  to  the  epidemics  of  AIDS,  tuberculosis,  malaria  and neglected  tropical  diseases  and  combating  hepatitis,  water-borne  and  other communicable  diseases  will  require  global  solidarity  and  partnership,  especially  in times of diverse and demanding global challenges.

As  the  UN  Secretary-General  has  stated,  in  spite  of  all  the  efforts  and  the promising results from the Millennium Development Goals, millions have been left behind; consequently,  Member States have agreed on the Sustainable Development Goals targeting the year 2030. In the Encyclical Letter  Laudato sii  Pope Francis  recalls the troubling extent of exclusion in our world  "(...) there is little in the way of clear awareness of problems which  especially  affect  the  excluded.  Yet,  they  are  the  majority  of  the  planet's population, billions of people (...)". [49, 51]

 2. Our focus must  thus  remain strong and  we must remain unwavering  in our commitment to leave no one behind and to build a more sustainable world by 2030. Access  to  affordable  medicines  no  longer  represents  a  challenge  just  for  the Least Developed  and other developing  countries; it  has  also  become  an  increasingly urgent issue for developed  countries.  In particular,  States  find themselves unable to combat antimicrobial resistance. Moreover, developing countries are confronted with a  serious  lack  of  new  medicines,  even  as  public  health  budgets  are  constrained worldwide.

As  we  are  all  aware,  health  is  a  fundamental  human  right,  essential  for  the exercise  of  many  other  rights,  and  it  is  necessary  for  living  a  life  in  dignity.  The realization  of  the  right  to  health  should  be  a  fundamental  goal  of  national  policies and  programmes,  regardless  of  respective  economic,  social,  cultural,  religious  or political  contexts.  However,  for  millions  of  people  around  the  world,  the  full enjoyment of the right to health remains an elusive goal, due, inter alia, to obstacles in access  to  high  quality,  affordable,  and  acceptable  medicines.  This  constitutes  a challenge  to  the  flourishing  of  human  dignity,  which  represents  the  basis  of  all human  rights,  including  the  right  to  life,  health  and  integral  development  of  the human person.

Access to essential medicines, which  satisfy the priority health care needs of the population, is a key component of the right to health  (WHO definition available at:  http://www.who.int/medicines/services/essmedicines_def/en/).  Since  essential medicines must  be selected with due regard to  disease prevalence and public health relevance,  evidence  of  clinical  efficacy  and  safety,  and  comparative  costs  and  cost effectiveness,  they  should  be  available  at  prices  that  are  affordable  both  to individuals and local communities. Thus, if we are to put in place policies that reflect human dignity and a human rights approach we must  confront  and remove barriers, address  questions  of  affordability,  and  particularly,  temper  a  disproportionate  and exaggerated demand for profits.  Through  dialogue, which represents the best  way to confront the problems of our world and to seek solutions that are truly effective,  we can contribute towards the building of  a better  world and a better future for coming generations.  Three  helpful  principles  for  such  dialogue  are:  solidarity,  subsidiarity, and concern for the common good. Solidarity means we care about the concerns of others  as  much  as  our  own.  Subsidiarity  means  we  accept  others  as  equals,  allows them to speak for themselves, we listen, and we help them to participate if they need such help.

3. The  Report  of  the  High-Level  Panel  represents  a  point  of  departure  from which  we  could start to discuss remedies and  correct the misalignments and policy incoherencies between the individual and corporate rights of inventors, innovators or manufacturers  and  broader  human  rights.  This  will  facilitate  a  discussion  of  trade and health in the context of  the common good  and  emphasize  access to technologies as a right linked to health and life. Indeed, "underlying the principle of the  common good is respect for the human person as such, endowed with basic and inalienable rights  ordered  to  his  or  her  integral  development"  (Pope  Francis,  Encyclical  Letter, Laudato si par. 157).

As stated by Pope Francis: “Interdependence and the integration of economies should  not  bear  the  least  detriment  to  existing  systems  of  health  care  and  social security; instead, they should promote their creation and good functioning. Certain health  issues…require  urgent  political  attention,  above  and  beyond  all  other commercial or political interests.”(  Address of Pope Francis at the United Nations Office in Nairobi, 26 November 2015.)

Thank you, Mr. President.

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An organising committee for the next Uganda Martyrs Day on 3 June, 2017 has been appointed by Bishop  Vincent Kirabo of Hoima, the Diocese that will lead the celebrations.

The annual day commemorates the heroic faith of the 45 Martyrs Catholic and Anglican who were burnt to death on the orders of the then king of Buganda between 1885 and 1887. The twenty-two Catholic Martyrs among them were beatified on 6 June, 1920 by Pope Benedict XV. They were declared saints on 18 October 1964 by Pope Paul VI.

Below is an article by Jacinta W. Odongo from the New Contact, a publication of the Uganda Episcopla Conference.

Bishop of Hoima appoints committees to spearhead the 2017 Martyrs Day celebration

With exactly seven months to the 2017 Uganda Martyrs day celebrations, Rt. Rev. Vincent Kirabo, the Bishop of Hoima Diocese has appointed an organizing committee at Diocesan level to spearhead the June 3 celebration which will be held at Namugongo Catholic Shrine.

Bishop Kirabo, who was installed in February this year in a colorful celebration, commissioned nine organizing committees and leaders on Friday October 14, 2016 in Hoima Diocese. The diocese of

Hoima will animate the 2017 Uganda Martyrs celebration on behalf of Mbarara Ecclesiastical province.

The nine organizing committees which have been allocated tasks include Liturgy, Security and Ushering, Finance, Publicity, Research and Documentation, Pilgrims, Transport and Accommodation, Catering and Welfare, Health, Decoration, beautifiation and sanitation.

The bishop appointed Msgr. Matthias Nyakatura as the overall overseer of all the nine committees, Rev. Fr. Robert Mugisa, who is the Diocesan Pastoral Coordinator, as the Overall Coordinator and Dr. Emmanuel Kiiza Aliba, the Executive Secretary of the Justice and Peace Department of the

Uganda Episcopal Conference, as the chairperson.

Dr. Aliba said that the newly set up committees plan to handle the preparations of the 2017 Martyrs celebration in the most effective and efficient way.

“This isn’t our first time to lead the Martyrs day celebration. From our past experience, we did a good job and we believe we can handle this even much better,” he said adding that they sent a

team of 10 people to Kiyinda-Mityana Diocese to study how they conducted their preparations for the 2016 celebration so as to borrow a leaf.

He noted that the preparations and actual celebrations have been estimated to a budget of at least shs500m. “During our first meeting we decided that all the work of fundraising should be done in three vicariates of the diocese which includes Hoima, Kibale and Masindi,” he explained.

He added, “Our system of fundraising is going to be very simple. We have over 800,000 Catholic faithful in our diocese and we plan to ask each Christian to contribute only shs1000.We also plan to involve school children whereby each child will be asked to bring an egg. We believe this plan

is going to work out because each vicariate will involve all their parishes.”

The committees will be holding their meetings every third Friday of the month.

The Diocese of Hoima last presided over the Martyrs Day celebrations in 2001. The annual celebration commemorates the heroic faith of the 45 Martyrs, both Catholic and Anglican, who were burnt to death on the orders of Kabaka Mwanga II, the then king of Buganda between 1885

and 1887. Twenty two Catholic Martyrs were beatified on June 6, 1920, by Pope Benedict XV, and on October 18 1964, Pope Paul VI canonized them as Saints.

Of the 22 Martyrs who were canonized, two of them, St. Andrew Kaggwa and St. Anatoli Kiriggwajjo came from Hoima Diocese. In addition to the 22 Catholic Martyrs, there are two Catechists from Paimol: Blessed Daudi Okelo and Blessed Jildo Irwa who were killed in 1918. The

two Catechists were beatified by St. Pope John Paul II on October 20, 2002.

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(Vatican Radio) This year’s Christmas tree and Nativity scene in St. Peter’s Square will be inaugurated and lit up on December 9th and will highlight several issues such as care for the environment, the sick and migrants. A communique from the governing office of Vatican City said the 25 metre-high spruce tree for 2016 will come from the region of Trentino in northern Italy and when it’s cut down local school students will plant nearly 40 new spruce and larch seedlings in a nearby area to replace trees suffering from a parasite that had to be culled.

It said the tree will be adorned with handmade ornaments featuring drawings made by children undergoing treatment for cancer and other illnesses at several Italian hospitals.

Measuring 19 metres in width, this year’s giant Nativity scene will feature 17 statues dressed in traditional Maltese costumes as well as a replica of a traditional “Luzzu” Maltese boat.

In its communique, the Vatican City’s governing office said this boat not only represents tradition: fish and life but also, unfortunately the realities of migrants who in these same waters cross the sea on makeshift boats to Italy.

Pope Francis will receive in audience on December 9th shortly before the tree-lighting ceremony the designer of the Nativity scene, artist Manwel Grech, representatives from Trent and Malta as well as several children who designed the Christmas tree ornaments.  

The lit-up tree will remain in St. Peter’s Square until the feast of the Lord’s Baptism on January 8th. 

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Bangladesh’s largest religion is Islam, with Muslims constituting over 88% of the nation’s over 156 million population.   Hindus and Buddhists are the most significant minorities of the country, while  Christians, Sikhs, animists and atheists form the minuscule remainders.  Catholicism came to the region in the 16th century with the arrival of Portuguese sailors. Today, the country’s Catholic population of over 350 thousand accounts for just 0.2 percent of the population.  Among several foreign missionary congregations working in Bangladesh are the Xaverian Missionaries, who are identified by the initials SX after their name.   And today, we have with us Fr. Marcello Storgato, a 73-year old Rome-born Xaverian missionary, who worked in Bangladesh for 21 years from 1972 until 1994 when he was called to serve in the Xaverian media in Brescia, Italy.   In an interview with him, we came to know a lot about the Xaverian mission in Bangladesh.  Today, in the first of a 2-part interview,  Fr. Storgato, who has been a Xaverian missionary for 50 years, first tells us about his congregation. 

Listen:  

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(Vatican Radio) Philippine Catholic bishops have joined several dissenting voices denouncing a Supreme court decision allowing a hero's burial for the late dictator Ferdinand Marcos.

"It mocks our fight to restore democracy. I am puzzled and hurt, and in great grief," said Archbishop Socrates Villegas of Lingayen-Dagupan, president of the Philippine bishops' conference.

The prelate, a protege of the late Cardinal Jaime Sin of Manila who helped oust Marcos through the so-called "People Power Revolution" of 1986, said he was "very sad" with the court decision.

The highest court in the Philippines ruled on Tuesday, that former president Ferdinand Marcos will be granted a “hero’s burial”, ending a nearly three-decade fight by those who regard him as a human rights abuser and kleptocrat. The supreme court said it had cleared all legal obstacles and petitions filed against moving his remains to the Libingan ng mga Bayani, or Heroes’ Cemetery, in Manila.

The judges voted nine to five, rejecting six petitions. Its ruling ended a deeply emotional public argument between tens of thousands who suffered violence and oppression under his tenure and those who reminisce about the years of iron-fisted rule.

Marcos had put the country under martial law for years, in effect giving him autocratic powers for the majority of his time in office. He closed media outlets, banned people from gathering and imposed curfews. Critics were rounded up, arrested and tortured.

After millions took to the streets in a “People Power” revolution in 1986, Marcos and his family fled to the US. He was accused of vast rights abuses and stealing $10bn (£8bn) from state coffers. He died three years later (1989) in Hawaii. Presently, the body of the late dictator lies in a glass coffin at a mausoleum in his hometown province of Ilocos Norte.

But the family have since made a political comeback. Ferdinand Marcos Jr, 58, came second in the vice-presidential elections this year. He welcomed the ruling on Tuesday, saying it was an important step in the national healing and reconciliation process.

President Rodrigo Duterte, a close friend of Marcos' son Ferdinand Jr., earlier said the late president should be interred at the cemetery because the issue has long divided the country.

"I will allow the burial of [Marcos] … not because he is a hero but because he was a Filipino soldier," Duterte said even before he became president in May.

The proposed move was opposed by all quarters of society. Franciscan Father Robert Reyes led a protest run in Manila in July against a plan for Marcos to be interred in a cemetery for heroes in Manila. Known for his penchant to run for a cause, Reyes said Filipinos should "rise up, come out, and not be afraid to stand for the truth" and oppose the plan. "A dictator is not a hero and should not be given the honor to lie with heroes," said Father Reyes who is also known as the "running priest."

Father Reyes laments that Duterte is "twisting history" when he entertained the appeal from the Marcos family. "President Duterte, you should respect history, you cannot manipulate history. The worst thing that ever happened to the Philippines is Marcos," said the  priest.

He urged the president not to be part of the "crime of deceiving the people and accepting the lies of the Marcoses." The priest said burying Marcos in the cemetery is an insult to the thousands of victims of martial law whose families continue to seek justice from the Marcos family.

Following the Supreme Court decision, thousands of protesters staged rallies, arguing that army guidelines disqualify soldiers guilty of moral turpitude from being buried there, although Marcos was never found liable in a criminal case.

Families and friends of martial law victims also piled stones with the names of their loved ones on the proposed burial site for the late president. 

"We will not stop our opposition, and if need be we will barricade the cemetery," said Father Reyes who urged the people to "sweat it out and make sacrifices for justice," and urging the Marcos family to give their patriarch a "proper" burial elsewhere. "I might even join you and pray with you," he said.

The Order of Friars of Minor (OFM) in the Philippines, also demonstrated in a Nov. 10 statement their extreme disappointment over the Supreme Court decision allowing former President Ferdinand E. Marcos burial at the Libingan ng Mga Bayani.

“We, the friars of the Order of Friars Minor-Province of San Juan Bautista in the Philippines, who participated in the struggle for justice and peace during and after martial rule express our sadness, disappointment, frustration, dissatisfaction, irritation with the Supreme Court decision,” said Br. Alejo Villanueva, OFM Provincial Animator.

The Filipino vice-president, Leni Robredo, said the ruling would “keep the wounds of the past unhealed”. The National Historical Commission of the Philippines also opposed the move, saying Marcos lied about the medals he received as a soldier during the second world war.

(Source: UCANews; The Guardian)

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Vatican City, Nov 10, 2016 / 08:25 am (CNA/EWTN News).- On Thursday, Pope Francis spoke about Christian unity and ecumenism, specifically what they are not. Namely, they aren’t about uniformity or the total absorption of one religion by another, but instead consist of a common communion in Christ.

“Ecumenism is true when Christians are able to shift the focus from themselves, from their arguments and formulations, to the Word of God who demands to be heard, accepted and witnessed in the world,” the Pope said Nov. 10.

“Because of this, the various Christian communities are called not to ‘compete,’ but to cooperate.”

Pope Francis addressed members of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity gathered in Rome for their plenary assembly at the Vatican.

Throughout his pontificate Francis has placed a strong emphasis on ecumenism and interreligious dialogue. The last few months alone have included several ecumenical meetings, such as in Lund, Sweden, and in Georgia and Azerbaijan.

In his speech, the Pope gave three examples of what he considers to be “false models of communion” that don’t really lead to unity, but instead “contradict it in its true essence.”

The first of these, he said, is believing that unity is a result of human effort, when in reality, it is always and only a gift of the Holy Spirit.

“We humans are not able to create unity alone, nor can we decide on the forms and times. So what is our role? What must we do to promote unity among Christians?” he asked, explaining that “our task is to accept this gift and make it visible to all.”

The best way to do this? Francis believes it is by “journeying” along the path. Though we may be far from full communion, there are often glimpses of hope, he said. Putting aside presumption, we can recognize how everyone is a sinner and everyone is in need of God’s love and mercy.

“Likewise, the unity of love is already a reality when those whom God has chosen and called to form his people together announce the wonders he has done for them, especially by offering a testimony of life, full of love for all people,” he said.

When we meet “as brothers, we pray together, we work together in proclaiming the Gospel and in service to the least we are already united,” he continued.

Only along this path, he said, can the theological and ecclesiological differences between Christians be surpassed, according to the Holy Spirit and “for the good of the Church.”

The second false model of unity Francis proposed is to believe that unity is equivalent to uniformity.

When the different theological, liturgical, spiritual and canonical traditions are “genuinely rooted in the apostolic tradition,” he noted, they are an “asset, not a threat” to the unity of the Church.

If we let ourselves be guided by the Holy Spirit, he said, the “richness, the variety, diversity” do not become a source of conflict, but are instead a point of enrichment.

The “ecumenical task,” then, is to respect “legitimate diversity” and work to successfully address what seem like irreconcilable differences, even when they persist.

Similarly, Pope Francis said that unity is not “absorption,” but a unification around the same center, the Lord.

“It is not enough to be unanimous in understanding the Gospel, but it is necessary that all believers are united to Christ and in Christ,” he said.

“In doing so, we Christians can recognize ourselves as brothers and sisters who believe in the one Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, engaged together to find ways to obey the Word of God.”

It is both personal conversion, and conversion as a community, to conformity with Christ which allow us to grow in communion among ourselves, the Pope said, explaining that this must be the spirit of every meeting which strives to bring differences closer together.

Jesus himself prayed in John 17:21 that “they may all be one, as you, Father, are in me and I in you,” Francis noted.

“The unity of Christians is an essential requirement of our faith. A requirement that flows from the depth of our being believers in Jesus Christ,” he said. “We call for unity, because we invoke Christ.”

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