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By Junno Arocho Esteves

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- The seven new saints of the church were holy not because of their own efforts but because of "the Lord who triumphs in them and with them," Pope Francis said.

Each one "struggled to the very end with all their strength," which they received through perseverance and prayer, the pope said Oct. 16 at a canonization Mass in St. Peter's Square.

"They remained firm in faith, with a generous and steadfast heart. Through their example and their intercession, may God also enable us to be men and women of prayer," the pope told the estimated 80,000 people present at the Mass.

Seven large tapestries bearing the portraits of the new saints decorated the facade of St. Peter's Basilica, some representing specific aspects of their lives that exemplified their holiness.

Argentine "gaucho priest," St. Jose Gabriel del Rosario Brochero was portrayed sitting on a donkey, his humble means of transportation when traveling thousands of miles to minister to the poor and the sick.

St. Jose Sanchez del Rio, a 14-year-old Mexican boy martyred for refusing to renounce his faith during the Cristero War of the 1920s, was depicted holding a palm branch and rosary while a trail of blood and a single bullet were at his feet.

St. Salomone Leclerq, who was killed after refusing to renounce his faith at the height of the French Revolution, was shown with his eyes fixed toward heaven as an angel carried a palm, symbolizing his martyrdom for the faith.

The French Carmelite writer and mystic, St. Elizabeth of the Holy Trinity, was shown seated in prayer, and St. Manuel Gonzalez Garcia, a Spanish bishop who spent his life devoted to Eucharistic adoration, smiled radiantly.

Brightly colored tapestries also featured the images of two new Italian saints: St. Ludovico Pavoni, the founder of the Sons of Mary Immaculate, who dedicated his life to the vocational and spiritual education of the poor and hearing impaired, and St. Alfonso Maria Fusco, founder of the Congregation of the Baptistine Sisters of the Nazarene and of the Little House of Providence, a home for abandoned children.

The celebration began with Cardinal Angelo Amato, prefect of the Congregation for Saints' Causes, requesting Pope Francis enroll the six men and one woman "among the saints, that they may be invoked as such by all the Christian faithful."

Following the singing of the Litany of the Saints, the pope "declared and defined" their sainthood which was met with applause from crowd, many waving banners and flags in approval.

In his homily, the pope said the central theme of the Sunday readings was prayer, an important aspect in the lives of the newly canonized saints and something that obtained for them "the goal of heaven."

He reflected on the day's first reading which recalled Moses raising his arms in prayer while the Israelites fought Amalek's army. When Moses' arms would fall from weariness, the tide would turn against Israel.

Just as Aaron and Hur held Moses arms up until the Israelites won the battle, the pope said, so should Christians "support one another" in the "commitment to prayer."

"Weariness is inevitable," he said. "Sometimes we simply cannot go on, yet, with the support of our brothers and sisters, our prayer can persevere until the Lord completes his work."

Like Moses who grew weary, yet was sustained by Aaron and Hur, Christians must remember they are not alone in the church, the pope said.

"We are members of the body of Christ, the church, whose arms are raised day and night to heaven, thanks to the presence of the risen Christ and his Holy Spirit. Only in the church, and thanks to the church's prayer, are we able to remain steadfast in faith and witness," he said.

Looking at the day's Gospel reading, the pope said Jesus' parable of the widow who persists in seeking justice reveals "the mystery of prayer" which involves crying out persistently and not losing heart.

"To pray is not to take refuge in an ideal world, nor to escape into a false, selfish sense of calm. On the contrary, to pray is to struggle, but also to let the Holy Spirit pray within us," the pope said.

Before the final blessing, Pope Francis led the faithful in praying the Angelus and thanked the delegations as well as the pilgrims from the various countries of the new saints for their presence. The official delegations included Argentine President Mauricio Macri and cabinet ministers from Spain, France and Italy. The official Mexican delegation was headed by Roberto Herrera Mena, adjunct for religious affairs.

Pope Francis prayed that "the example and intercession of these luminous witnesses sustain the commitment of each one in your respective areas of work and service for the good of the church and the civil community."

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(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis is to pay a visit to the Archdiocese of Genoa on Saturday 27 May 2017.

A statement by the Holy See Press Office announcing the scheduled visit  was read on Sunday by the Archbishop of Genoa, Cardinal Angelo Bagnasco, during celebration of Holy Mass in his Cathedral.

Cardinal Angelo Bagnasco is also the President of the Italian Bishops’ Conference.

He described the news as “a particularly lovely event, which will help us, sustain us and encourage us”. 
 

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(Vatican Radio) Dialogue between Christians and Daoists can become “a beacon of light to our world torn asunder by wars, hatred, suspicion and fear”.

This is one of the passages from the final statement released at the closing of the first International Conference on  Christian – Daoist dialogue entitled “Seeking the Truth Together”.

The conference took place at Taipei Baoan Temple on 15 and 16 October. Promoted by the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue and the Taipei Baoan Temple Foundation and by the  Chinese Regional Bishops’ Conference. 

In preparation for the event Bishop Miguel Ángel Ayuso Guixot, Secretary of the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogye and its Undersecratary, Father P. Indunil Kodithuwakku, travelled to Singapore to meet with representatives of the local Church.

Please find below the full text of the Final Statement of the International Conference on
“Seeking the Truth Together:Christian - Daoist Dialogue”:

1.    By God’s grace and providence, we Christians and Daoist leaders, researchers and practitioners, have come together for a historic meeting held in Taipei Baoan Temple on the 15th -16th October 2016 themed: "Seeking the Truth Together: Christian Daoist Dialogue." The conference has concretized our resolve for a dialogue involving the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue, the local Catholic Church of Taiwan, the Daoist Baoan Temple, the Federation of Asian Bishops’ Conferences (FABC) and the World Council of Churches (WCC).
 
2.    Encouraged by the success of this encounter, we commit ourselves to share the fruit of our dialogue:

i). expressing deepest respect for one another’s tradition and agreeing to engage in sincere dialogue at local, national and international levels;

ii). emphasizing the need to seek the truth together for greater understanding, mutual enrichment and co-operation especially through compassionate service without distinction;

iii). acknowledging the challenges the world is facing linked to globalization, migration, religious and inter-cultural tensions and the rise of fundamentalism;

iv). hoping that Christians and Daoists coming together to dialogue becomes a beacon of light to our world torn asunder by wars, hatred, suspicion and fear;
 
v). agreeing to face together the challenges of secularization, eco-crisis and the scourge of indifference;

vi). stressing the importance of educating children to respect and appreciate their own culture and heritage, as well as those of others;

vii). promoting and defending universal values, namely justice, peace, unity, fraternity, freedom, and religious harmony.

3.    We express our gratitude to the conference committee for creating a pleasant atmosphere and for the warm hospitality that characterized this meeting. We also thank the Authorities of the Republic of China (Taiwan), the Department of Religious Studies of Fu Jen Catholic University and local Christian and Daoist believers for their generous support in making the conference a success. 

Pontifical Council for Interreligious
 Dialogue

The President of Taipei Baoan Temple Foundation
Executive Secretary

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(Vatican Radio) Police in Montenegro say they have detained 20 Serbs suspected of planning armed attacks after voting closes in the Balkan country's parliamentary elections. News of the attack comes as the pro-Western prime minister faces his toughest challenge yet to his quarter-century rule in a vote that commentators have described as as a choice between Russia and the West. 

Listen to the report by Stefan Bos:

As voting was underway, Montenegro's police said the 20 Serbs detained overnight came from neighboring Serbia and planned to collect automatic weapons to attack state institutions, police and possibly state officials. The suspects allegedly planned to carry out the massive attacks after Sunday's already tense parliamentary elections. 

In a statement, Police Director Slavko Stojanovic said the Serbs were charged with "forming a criminal organization and terrorism." He said one Serbian is still on the run.

The prosecutor's office said the group planned to attack people who gather in front of the parliament when the vote results are proclaimed, then storm the building in the capital and declare the victory "of certain parties" in the election. The statement claimed that they planned to capture Prime Minister Milo Djukanovic.

Police vans were seen bringing in the handcuffed suspects to the prosecutor's office in Podgorica, the capital.

MORE VIOLENCE FEARED 

People in Montenegro had expressed fear that violence could erupt on the streets of the capital Podgorica between opposition and government supporters after the results of Sunday's vote. The government also said hackers have attacked several web sites, including that of the ruling party.

Yet Serbia's prime Minister Aleksandar Vucic suggested that the arrests might have been staged by the government saying "it's a strange day on which all this is happening."

News of the possible attacks, came as opinion polls show that Montenegro's pro-Western prime minister Milo Djukanovic faces his toughest political challenge in decades. 

The long-ruling Democratic Party of Socialists is competing against pro-Russian and pro-Serbian opposition groups that strongly oppose the country's to join the NATO military alliance and its planned membership of the European Union.  

As he cast his ballot, Prime Minister Djukanovic said: "Following the election I expect Montenegro to keep moving towards its European and Euro-Atlantic integration."

'RUSSIAN COLONY'

He added that the ballot for the 81-seat parliament will decide whether Montenegro continues on a Western course or becomes "a Russian colony." 

Yet elsewhere Andrija Mandic, who leads the opposition Democratic Front remained confident. "I have no doubt that the opposition will show the strength it has and that the Democratic Front will be in the centre of the future government," he told reporters. 

Predominantly Orthodox Christian like Russia, Montenegro was Moscow's historical ally. But after splitting with Serbia in a 2006 referendum, Montenegro took a strong turn toward Western integrations.

The latest polls show that Djukanovic’s party will win a majority in parliament. However, if it does not get enough seats to rule alone, he might have difficulties forming a ruling coalition. 

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Washington D.C., Oct 16, 2016 / 12:09 pm (CNA/EWTN News).- As Planned Parenthood celebrates the centennial of the opening of its first birth control clinic, pro-life leaders are condemning the abuses of the nation’s largest abortion provider.

“Planned Parenthood’s 100-year anniversary is a tragic milestone for our nation and a reminder of the millions of unborn children who will never have a birthday,” a joint statement from pro-life leaders on the anniversary read.

“We mourn these children, as well as the women who have been hurt and exploited by the nation’s largest abortion chain.”

October 16 marks the 100-year anniversary of the founding of Planned Parenthood. It began as a birth control clinic in Brooklyn opened by Margaret Sanger. It is now the nation’s largest abortion provider, performing over 300,000 abortions annually in the United States.

The organization is running a #100YearsStrong campaign, highlighting its role in providing access to birth control and abortion for women.

“Planned Parenthood’s story began 100 years ago with a radical idea. That access to sexual and reproductive health care had the power to change lives and the world,” the group stated. “Planned Parenthood – once a single health center, is now known and trusted for it’s [sic] sexual and reproductive health care.”

It also touted other health services it provides. “We’re the largest source of sexual education in the country and an essential provider of cancer screenings, diagnosis and treatment of STIs, and other preventive care – as well as a catalyst for laws and policies that ensure equal access to health care and reproductive freedom.” While saying it’s a “provider of cancer screenings,” Planned Parenthood’s clinics actually provide only referrals for screenings.

And although Planned Parenthood casts itself as a health care provider, a coalition of pro-life groups has started a #100YearsOfAbuse campaign to bring to light how the group profits from abortion while claiming that it is only a small part of their health care package.

Members of the coalition include the groups Alliance Defending Freedom, Americans United for Life, the March for Life, the Family Research Council, the Pro-Life Action League, Radiance Foundation, Students for Life of America, and Susan B. Anthony List.

The website includes videos of how Planned Parenthood “double-dips” by receiving compensation for abortions from mothers and for fetal tissue from tissue procurement companies, and how their income from tax dollars, while not going directly to abortions, is fungible – it frees up other resources for abortion services.

The 100-year anniversary is no occasion for celebration, pro-life leaders insisted.

“It’s a pretty somber milestone in American history,” Kristan Hawkins, president of Students for Life of America, told CNA.

When Sanger founded the first clinic she was “advocating that certain types of people were unfit to procreate,” Hawkins said. Then Planned Parenthood pushed for abortion “for those children they were unable to stop from being conceived,” she added.

As the nation’s largest abortion provider, Planned Parenthood continues this work today – even while receiving taxpayer dollars – the pro-life leaders said.

The Hyde Amendment prohibits federal taxpayer dollars from funding elective abortions, and Planned Parenthood claims the money – mostly from Medicaid reimbursements and health grants – does not directly fund abortions. Planned Parenthood received over $500 million in taxpayer funding in the 2014-15 fiscal year.

“In the last three years alone, Planned Parenthood has committed nearly one million abortions while receiving a total of $1.5 billion from the American people, against our will. We represent the growing number of Americans who oppose Planned Parenthood’s extreme abortion agenda and seek to defund this abortion giant,” the pro-life leaders’ statement read.

In 2015, undercover videos released by the citizen journalist group Center for Medical Progress showed Planned Parenthood executives discussing the pricing of fetal tissue with actors posing as representatives of tissue procurement companies.

Although Planned Parenthood has not been found breaking the law by multiple congressional investigations, the videos sparked a conversation about the group and its purported mission of being a vital health care provider for women.

“I think it’s really important for pro-lifers to keep talking about Planned Parenthood,” Hawkins said, noting that the conversation has quieted down in recent months.

“The election’s kind of taken some of that wind and steam away from that movement, and I think that’s really helped them,” she said.

Abby Johnson is a former Planned Parenthood clinic director who quit her job after watching an abortion there on ultrasound. She is the foundress of And Then There Were None, a group which helps abortion clinic workers leave the industry.

She says she saw firsthand the abuses and “deceit” at Planned Parenthood, and expressed her sadness at having worked for them for eight years.

“For 100 years, Planned Parenthood has told women that they aren’t strong enough to be mothers or achieve their goals. For 100 years, PP has treated women as commodities and exploited them in order to increase their business revenue,” she said in a written statement.

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