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(Vatican Radio) Promoting reconciliation and dialogue in a divided and wounded world is a top priority for the Society of Jesus under its new leader, Venezuelan Father Arturo Sosa, the first non-European to be elected as the Jesuit superior general.

Fr Sosa held a press conference on Tuesday morning to discuss his election last week by Jesuits from around the world who are meeting in Rome for their 36th General Congregation.

Philippa Hitchen went along to find out more about the reactions of the new ‘black pope’, as he’s popularly known, and the direction in which he’ll be leading the Church’s largest order of religious men…..

Listen: 

Fr Sosa said he was serene, surprised, grateful and “ready to respond with joy” to the challenges currently being discussed by the Jesuits holding their 36th general congregation since the order was founded by St Ignatius of Loyola, nearly five centuries ago.  

Speaking at the Jesuit headquarters, just down the road from St Peter’s Basilica, Fr Sosa thanked especially his predecessor, Fr Adolfo Nicolas who’ll be returning as a missionary to the Philippines to serve as spiritual director of the East Asian Pastoral Institute.

Venezuela's political crisis

Responding to journalists’ questions, the new Jesuit leader discussed the political crisis in his home country, Venezuela, where he said the government of President Maduro and the opposition have failed “to build bridges” of dialogue. The country’s dependence on declining oil revenues and the lack of political agreement has left the nation in a situation of “serious suffering,” he said.

Working with refugees, migrants and the poor

Asked about priorities for the order over the coming years, Fr Sosa said these are currently under discussion by delegates at the ongoing General Congregation, representing almost 17.000 Jesuit priests and brothers across the globe. However he pointed to key issues of interfaith dialogue, tackling poverty, working with migrants and refugees which emerged as priorities during the previous General Congregation back in 2008.

Uphold faith, work for justice

All Christians are called to work for reconciliation, Fr Sosa, said, though that can often seem like an impossible task in a world dominated by finance, the illegal arms trade and human trafficking. Yet the two pivotal goals of the Jesuits, he stressed, are to uphold the faith of the Church and to deepen an understanding of the world through research and education. Formation, he insisted, continues to be a priority in order to be able to witness to the Gospel and work for justice within the political, economic, social and cultural contexts of our times.

Serving the pope, the Church and humanity

Fr Sosa was asked how he felt about the nickname ‘black pope’, given to the Jesuits because of their plain black cassocks, but also on account of the power they were seen to wield within the Church in the early centuries of their existence. He replied that he didn’t like the name much, since Jesuits today seek to serve rather than to be in the front line, even if today there are some 70 Jesuit bishops, as well as the first Jesuit pope. Members of the order make a special vow of obedience to the pope, he concluded, so that they can best serve the Church, wherever and in whatever way that service is required. 

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(Vatican Radio) Bishops of the Catholic Eastern Rite Churches in Europe are meeting in Portugal from 20-23 October to discuss the challenge of the pastoral care of Eastern Catholic migrants in Western European nations, especially the preservation of their cultural and ecclesial identity. 

Please find below a press release in English on the upcoming meeting published by  the Council of European Episcopal Conferences:

The annual meeting of the Bishops of the Catholic Eastern Rite Churches in Europe is taking place this year at Fatima (Portugal), at the invitation of the Patriarch of Lisbon, Cardinal Manuel Clemente, President of the Portuguese Bishops’ Conference.

In this meeting-pilgrimage at the Marian Shrine of Fatima, which in 2017 is celebrating the centenary of the apparitions, the bishops representing 15 Catholic Eastern Rite Churches in Europe, along with bishops representing various episcopal conferences from Western European nations (France, Germany, Portugal, England and Wales and Spain), will examine the challenge of pastoral care of Eastern Catholics in these countries. In effect, since the collapse of the totalitarian regimes in Eastern European countries, a massive flow of Eastern Rite Catholic migrants, therefore belonging predominantly to sui iuris Churches, have started new lives in Western countries. After twenty years, with a fairly constant flow of new migrants and the birth of the second generation among those first arrivals, the welcoming local churches, largely Latin Rite in the Western nations, are faced with new challenges in terms of the preservation of  the cultural and ecclesial identity of these migrants.

At the Marian Shrine, along with the Prefect of the Congregation for the Oriental Churches, Cardinal Leonardo Sandri, participants will therefore analyse some issues and challenges linked to this particular migratory phenomenon. The economic situation of the countries of Eastern Europe which leads to migration will be examined with the help of the economist Prof. João Luís César das Neves; the issue of integration will be enriched by the testimonies of a Romanian family and a teacher working daily with the “children” of migrants; and there will also be an examination of the relationship between the welcoming church and the church of origin.

The meeting, marked by the daily celebration of Mass in various Eastern Rites, testifying to the riches of the different liturgical traditions in the Catholic Church, also envisages a visit to the Shrine of Our Lady of Nazaré and a prayer of entrustment, in the Shrine at Fatima, presided over by the Secretary of the Vatican dicastery in charge of the Oriental Churches, Slovakian Archbishop Cyril Vasil’.

Participants at the meeting, organised by the Council of European Episcopal Conferences (CCEE), also include Cardinal Angelo Bagnasco, attending his first meeting as the new President of CCEE.

The meeting will end on Sunday 23 October with the celebration of the Divine Liturgy presided over by His Beatitude Sviatoslav Shevchuk, Major Archbishop of Kyiv-Halyc, in the Church of the Most Holy Trinity and the procession through the Holy Door of Mercy.

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Information for journalists

The meeting is behind closed doors, apart from the opening session on Thursday 20 October from 1600 in the parish hall Rua dos Jerónimos, 3 in Lisbon, which will be followed by Vespers in the Byzantine Rite in the adjacent church.

A news release will be published at the end of the meeting on Monday 24 October. The full programme and list of participants are available at the website: www.ccee.eu

The meeting will take place at the Casa de Nossa Senhora das Dores (Fatima).

Within the Catholic Church there are particular Churches, called sui iuris Churches or Rites, in full communion with the Church of Rome but which are distinguished from the Latin Catholic Church by their different forms of liturgical worship and popular piety, sacramental (administration of the sacraments) and canonical discipline (legal norms), theologcial terminology and traditions. Throughout the world there currently exist 24 sui iuris Churches with different liturgical rites in full communion with Rome, 15 of which are of the Byzantine Rite.

List of the sui iuris Churches present at the meeting

•             Italo-Albanian Catholic Church (dioceses of Lungro and Piana degli Albanesi, in Italy)

•             Belarusian Greek-Catholic Church (Belarus)

•             Byzantine-Slav Rite Catholic Church of Bulgaria (Bulgaria)

•             The Maronite Archdiocese of Cyprus and Maronites in Europe (Cyprus, France and Western Europe)

•             Greek Byzantine Rite Catholic Church (Greece and Turkey)

•             Greek-Catholic Church in Poland

•             Romanian Greek-Catholic Church (Romania)

•             Ruthenian Greek-Catholic Church (Eparchy of Mukacevo, Ukraine)

•             Slovakian Greek-Catholic Church (Slovakia, Czech Republic)

•             Ukrainian Greek-Catholic Church (Ukraine, Poland, United States, Canada and Ukrainian communities throughout the world)

•             Hungarian Greek-Catholic Church (Hungary)

•             Armenian Catholic Church (Europe)

•             Church of the Chaldeans in Europe

•             Syrian Catholic Church

•             Greek-Catholic or Melkite Church

The first meeting took place in 1997 in the diocese of Hajdúdorog (Hungary) and was promoted by Cardinal Achille Silvestrini, then Prefect of the Congregation for the Oriental Churches, who wanted to create a space where the bishops of those churches, which had been particularly damaged by atheistic regimes, “may find with ever greater clarity their role in today’s Europe and be loved and respected for their history of loyalty to the Church and to the Pope, paid at a dear price” (From Cardinal Achille Silvestrini’s Introduction to the Acta of the first meeting).

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Sir 35:12-14, 16-18; 2 Tm 4:6-8, 16-18; Lk 18:9-14

William Barclay tells the story of the woman tourist in Germany. The guide took a group through Beethoven's house. He showed them the piano on which the genius had composed his Moonlight Sonata. A woman in the group immediately sat down and played some bars from the sonata. The guide told the group that Paderewski (world renowned Polish pianist and composer) had recently been shown the piano. The woman gushed, "And I wager he sat down and played just as I did." Archly the guide said, "No, Madam. He said he was not worthy to touch those keys."

Introduction: The main theme of today’s Gospel is that true humility must be the hallmark of our prayers. The central focus of today’s parable is not on prayer itself, but rather on pride, humility and the role of grace in our salvation.

Today we also observe the World Mission Sunday. This annual observance was instituted 89 years ago in 1926 by a Papal decree issued by Pope Pius XI. Every year since then, the universal Church has dedicated the month of October to reflection on and prayer for the missions. St. John Paul II once wrote: "We have, in World Mission Day, an excellent occasion for an examination of conscience with regard to our missionary obligation, and for reminding all the faithful of the Church, whatever be their function and place, that each one is involved in this duty." On World Mission Sunday, Catholics gather to celebrate the Eucharist and to contribute to a collection for the work of evangelization around the world. This annual celebration gives us a chance to reflect on the importance of mission work for the life of the Church. It reminds us that we are one with the Church around the world and that we are all committed to carrying on the mission of Christ, however different our situations may be.

The first reading today, is taken from Sirach, and is a perfect companion piece to the Gospel parable.  In one striking image from Sirach, the writer talks about "the prayer of the lowly, piercing the clouds to reach the unseen throne of God.”  Such prayers are heard because they come from the hearts of people who know how much they need God.  Although God has no favorites and answers the prayers of all, the oppressed, the orphans, the widows, and those who can least help themselves are His special concern.  The best prayer is humble and selfless service.  In the second reading, Paul celebrates the fact that he is near the finish line of his life, like a runner running a race, and that he has kept the Faith right up to this point.  He humbly awaits "the crown of righteousness" that only God can give him.  "I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the Faith!" In today’s Gospel parable about the Pharisee and the tax collector, Jesus reminds us that God hears the prayers those who approach Him in humility. God did not hear the prayer of the Pharisee because he exalted himself. His prayer was a prayer of thanksgiving that he was not as evil as other people; he announced to God his freedom from sin and detailed his fidelity in observing the prescribed fasts and in giving tithes. The tax collector’s prayer, “O God, be merciful to me, a sinner,” was heard because he humbled himself acknowledging his sins and requesting God’s mercy.

First reading, Sirach 35:12-14, 16-18: Around 175 BC, many Jews, living in cities where pagans were in the majority, unknowingly assimilated their culture. Hence Sirach, a wise Jew, taught them how faithful Jews should live a good life, what moral and spiritual choices they should make and what behavior would be honorable in religious people. Chapter 35 begins with a discussion of the kinds of sacrifice that would be truly acceptable to God. These include keeping the law, observing the commandments (verse 1), doing works of charity, giving alms (verse 2), refraining from evil and avoiding injustice (verse 3). In the passage chosen for the first reading, Sirach asserts that the just God has no favorites. Rather, He always hears and grants the humble prayers of the widows, the orphans, the lowly, the weak and the oppressed.

Second Reading, 2 Timothy 4:6-8, 16-18: Paul sees his imminent martyrdom in terms of sacrificial worship. That's what he means by the expression, "I am already being poured out like a libation." The New Jerusalem Bible says, in a footnote to this verse, "Libations of wine, water or oil were poured over the victims not only in Gentile sacrifices but also in Jewish ones, see Exodus 29:40 and  Numbers 28:7." In the second paragraph, Paul thanks God for vindicating him in his first trial before the Roman magistrate, giving him a chance to bear witness to the Gospel before the pagans.  But, though rescued once from the lion's mouth, Paul is realistic in predicting that he is bound for the Lord's Heavenly Kingdom, finishing his life’s race as a humble “Apostle of the Gentiles.” He writes, "I have finished the race; I have kept the Faith. From now on, the crown of righteousness awaits me, which the Lord, the just judge, will award to me on that day, and not only to me, but to all who have longed for His appearance." Although, like the Pharisee in Jesus’ parable, Paul reports his accomplishments, like the publican, he humbly acknowledges the source of strength for the success of his apostolate: “The Lord stood by me and gave me strength.”

Exegesis.  The context: Luke's Gospel shows special concern for the poor and the outsider.  Luke may have included the parable we hear today, which concerns the acceptability of the prayers of the humble publican as opposed to those of the proud Pharisee, at least in part, to encourage the Gentile converts who did not practice the Jewish Law as the Pharisees did.  In this parable, we see that God values the prayer of any humble and contrite heart. Luke puts greater emphasis on prayer than do the other Gospel writers, and he often mentions Jesus’ prayers (Luke 3:21; 6:12; 9:18; 9:28, 29; 11:1).  The parables about prayer unique to Luke’s Gospel are: 1) The Friend at Midnight (11:5-8), 2) The Widow and the Judge (18:1-8), and 3) The Pharisee and the Tax Collector (18:9-14).  These parables teach us to pray persistently, and humbly.  The central focus of today’s parable is not on prayer, but rather on pride, humility and the role of grace in our salvation.

Analysis: The parable has a two-fold meaning, giving us  i) a warning against pride and contempt for others, and ii) an admonition to approach God with a humble and repentant heart. The parable was mainly intended to convict the Pharisees who, on the one hand, proudly claimed they obeyed all the rules and regulations of the Law, while on the other hand, they ignored the Mosaic precepts of mercy and compassion.  The Pharisees were looked upon as devout, law-abiding citizens and models of righteousness.  But they were proud and self-righteous.  The tax collectors, on the other hand, were the most-hated group because they collected taxes for a foreign empire, and became rich by cheating people, often threatening them with false accusations.  In other words, they collaborated with the Romans and stole from the Jews.  Hence, they were considered by their fellow-Jews to be traitors, unclean and sinful.  The parable, however, shows that both men were sinners:  the difference was that the publican realized that he was, but the Pharisee did not.

The assessment of their prayers: Devout Jews observed three prayer-times daily, at nine AM, twelve midday and three PM.  They also considered prayer in the Temple as more efficacious than that made anywhere else.  In the parable, Jesus tells us about two men who went to pray, a Pharisee and a tax collector.  The Pharisee stood in the very front section of the Temple, distancing himself from his inferiors, and his prayer was egotistical.  He looked upon himself as superior to other people, and listed all his pious acts.  The Jewish Law required fasting only on the Day of Atonement, but this Pharisee fasted twice a week, possibly, on Monday and Friday, the market days, when the largest possible audience would see his whitened face and disheveled clothing -- the external marks of his fasting.  Although he was required to tithe only on his agricultural produce (Dt 14:22; Nm 18:21), this Pharisee paid tithes on all his wealth.  He was sure that he had done all that the law of God required --and even more, thus creating a “surplus” of righteousness and making the Almighty his “debtor.”

The Pharisee’s prayer: In short, the proud and self-righteous Pharisee did not really go to pray to God, but only to tell God how good he was in the guise of thanking Him.  He said this prayer "to himself"!  His prayer was also ineffective because he was proud, despising all others, including the tax collector, labeling them sinners.  He was really a good man, but he lacked compassion for others.  If the first big mistake of the Pharisee was to think that God would be impressed by his boasting, the second was in his thinking that he was better than others.  The Pharisee got what he asked for, which was nothing, while the sinner got what he asked for, which was everything.  Two things especially make our prayers void and of no effect: a proud sense of our own righteousness, and a contempt for others.  But a humble heart is contrary to both of these.

 The tax collector’s prayer: The second person was the tax collector. He stood at the back of the Temple and would not even lift his eyes to God. He confessed his sins and humbly asked for God’s mercy: “Kyrie, eleison”- "O God, be merciful to me--a sinner."  His prayer was short, but to the purpose. His heartbroken, humble prayer won him acceptance before God.  His only virtue was his humility, which led him to repentance and prompted him to ask for mercy.  While the Pharisee asked God, in effect, “Am I not better than my fellow-men?” the tax collector’s question to himself was, "Am I as good as God?"  Having defrauded his neighbors on behalf of the Roman overlords, the tax collector had much to be humble about.  He was a sinner, personally and corporately, a state which prompted him to pray: "God be merciful to me -- a sinner.” The Pharisee prayed as one who needed no forgiveness, and he got none; the tax collector prayed as one who needed forgiveness, and he received it. “Prayer does not change God, but it changes him who prays.” (Soren Kierkegaard). “If no change occurs as a result of prayer, then one has not really prayed.” (Fr. Raymond Brown).

 We might object to God’s forgiving the tax collector as he did not formally confess any sins, make a statement of repentance, offer to change his life or make any reparations for his sins (as the tax collector, Zacchaeus, did).  God’s approval of his prayer might appear to us to be a cheap form of grace.  But let us remember that the humble prayer of the tax collector implied all the formalities of repentance, restitution and change of life, and framed them in his awareness of his total unworthiness compared to the holiness of God. And so, as Jesus tells his audience and us, as a reward of his humble prayer for mercy, the tax collector received it and went home truly "justified," i.e., "reconciled to God."  St. Paul reminds us: “Not because of any righteous deeds we have done but because of His mercy, He has saved us through the bath of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit” (Titus: 3:5). The last words of the Gospel reading are a warning to us all: “Those who exalt themselves will be humbled; those who humble themselves will be exalted.”

Life messages: 1) Let us evict the Pharisee and revive the publican in each of us.  We become the proud Pharisee when we brag about our achievements giving no credit to God, when we seek praise and recognition from others for our accomplishments, and when we degrade others with insensitive comments, hurting their feelings.  In today’s Gospel, Jesus challenges us to imitate the humble publican (tax collector) by acknowledging our total dependence on God and His grace for all our achievements and blessings; by confessing to God daily our sinfulness and asking for His pardon and forgiveness; by praying for God’s continued daily support through His grace and for His strengthening  through the daily anointing and of His Holy Spirit living within us; and by becoming more sensitive to the needs and feelings of others, serving them as best as we can. 2) Let us include all the necessary ingredients in our prayers.  Our personal prayers must include our request for pardon and forgiveness for our sins, thanksgiving for the numerous blessings we receive daily from God, praise and worship, surrendering of our life and all our activities completely and unconditionally to God, acknowledging our weakness and total dependence on Him and finally, presenting our needs and petitions, accompanied by the fervent request for God’s strengthening in our weakness and temptations by the daily anointing of His Holy Spirit.   Let us pray every day: “Be merciful to me, a sinner.” 

3) Let us rid ourselves of self-justification: It is a tragedy that those who justify themselves leave no room to receive grace. Morally they may be living exemplary lives, yet their self-justification leaves no room for the grace of God to take hold. God can not give grace to them because they are not ready to receive it; they are too full.  If we are proud and complacent, there is not much room for God.  On the other hand, if we are truly humble we will find grace, mercy and peace.  There must be a space in our lives   for grace to enter and work its miracle.  One lesson of the parable for us is that we must keep our focus entirely on God and our relationship with Him, recognizing that we are constantly in need of His mercy and forgiveness.   

4)  Let us ask for God’s unconditional love and mercy during the Holy Mass. The Gospel is about God’s Divine Mercy.  The tax collector saw this clearly:  “Be merciful to me, a sinner.”  We repeat this phrase at the Holy Mass and in the Divine Mercy Prayer: “Eternal Father, we offer you the Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity of Your dearly beloved Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, in atonement for our sins and those of the whole world.”  This is why we are gathered together every Sunday morning.  We tell God that we offer Him His dearly beloved Son in atonement for our sins.  Let us conclude with the Divine Mercy Prayer: “For the sake of His sorrowful Passion, have mercy on us, and on the whole world.”

A touching story is told of a British missionary priest who lived   in a remote part of Tanzania.  He lived alone, a single white man among his African flock, speaking their language.  One day a British government official arrived on a tour of the area. The Tanzanian children ran out to welcome the visitor. They entertained the official by clapping, singing and dancing.  After the official left, the children excitedly told the missionary priest, "We saw a white man! We saw a white man!"   Some of the children said that the visitor was the first foreigner they had ever seen. The priest was amazed and exclaimed, "But I'm a white man. I'm a foreigner. But I've been living here with you all these years."   One of the children said, "You're not a white man; you're Jesus, you are our Father."  Mission Sunday reminds us that transparent Christian life, as lived by this missionary, radiating the real presence of Jesus within, is the mission of every Christian.                         

(Source: Homilies of Fr. Anthony Kadavil)

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Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, Oct 18, 2016 / 06:32 am (CNA/EWTN News).- Religious leaders in Ethiopia have joined together to plead for peace amid ongoing protests that have sometimes resulted in deadly violence.

“We the religious leaders of Ethiopia firmly believe that peace is a priceless grace from God. It is possible to worship with a calm spirit only when there is sustainable peace,” the leaders of the Inter-religious Council of Ethiopia said. “We Ethiopians have lived together through the ages sharing our joys and griefs, problems and challenges; and we are still practicing the same values.”

The Catholic Church in Ethiopia is represented on the interreligious council. Its statement was published by the Catholic News Agency for Africa.

The interreligious leaders called on people of different religions to accept each other with mutual respect, forgiveness and mercy and unite for peace. They asked Ethiopians to “look at your fellow Ethiopians as brothers and sisters, to repent of hatred and chaos and present all your concerns peacefully.”

The religious leaders were “deeply saddened” by the violence at the Irrecha thanksgiving celebration on Oct. 2 at Bishoftu Town, about 30 miles southeast of Addis Ababa. Over 50 people were killed in a stampede when police tried to disrupt an anti-government protest taking place amid the festival. Several people were hospitalized with severe injuries.

Anti-government protesters had approached a festival stage where religious leaders were speaking. In response, police fired teargas and rubber bullets at the protesters and shot live rounds into the air.

Protesters blamed police for causing the stampede. Clashes between protesters and security forces continued the next day.

President Mulatu Teshome Wirtu blamed the stampede on “some hooligans.” The Oromia region's spokesman's office, Fikadu Tessema, also blamed the stampede on the protesters.

Since November 2015, there have been sometimes violent protests in the Oromia region of Ethiopia. Protesters have called for wider political freedom and the release of detained opposition figures and journalists, the Associated Press reports.

Ethiopia’s government is accused of suppressing dissent and blocking access to the internet.

The leaders of the Inter-religious Council of Ethiopia said they have repeatedly asked Ethiopia’s prime minister and government officials to listen to people’s concerns and to respond immediately.

“We have also called on the faithful on different occasions to observe fasting and prayer for peace and calm,” they said. “Nevertheless, the peace of our country has declined from time to time.”

They stressed the sanctity of human life and the need for all parties to respect the right to life. They also called for compensation for the families of those who had lost their lives and for those whose property was damaged.

The religious leaders stressed the government’s responsibility to calm conflict. Local and international mass media and social media should avoid transmitting “messages that promote hatred, conflict and violence.”

In addition, the religious leaders recommended the establishment of a “peace taskforce” with religious leaders, elders, academics and business people from different parts of the country to advance national understanding, reconciliation and psychological relief.

 

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