Catholic News 2
TRENTON, N.J. (AP) -- Gov. Chris Christie's week started with Beachgate - viral photos showing him lounging on a public beach closed by the state budget shutdown. Next week, Bridgegate will revisit....
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) -- Amy Bernard and her brother kept their mother out of a nursing home as long as they could, until Parkinson's and dementia took their toll and she was seriously injured in a fall....
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) -- State election officials from across the U.S. are gathering this weekend amid an uproar over a White House commission investigating allegations of voter fraud and heightened concern about Russian attempts to interfere with last fall's election....
CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) -- Opposition leader Leopoldo Lopez was released from prison and placed under house arrest Saturday after more than three years in military lockup, a shock reversal that fueled hopes for a broader amnesty for dozens of jailed activists as the country slides ever deeper into political turmoil....
HAMBURG, Germany (AP) -- Russian President Vladimir Putin hailed his first face-to-face meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump, saying Saturday he thinks Trump accepted his assurances that Russia didn't meddle in the U.S. presidential election and that their conversation could be a model for improving ties between the two countries....
HAMBURG, Germany (AP) -- President Donald Trump assailed North Korea as a "problem and menace" Saturday as he met with Asian allies on the sidelines of an international summit to find consensus on next steps after Pyongyang's recent test-launch of an intercontinental ballistic missile....
HAMBURG, Germany (AP) -- World powers lined up against U.S. President Donald Trump on climate change Saturday, reaffirming their support for international efforts to fight global warming....
(Vatican Radio) Sea Sunday is being marked this 9th of July by Christian churches around the world. The day aims to highlight the challenges seafarers face every day, but it also serves as a time to pray for those at sea, their families and those who support them.John Green, is Director of Development for the Apostleship of the Sea UK. He spoke to Lydia O’Kane about the dangers seafarers face and the isolation they can feel while on board their vessels.Listen: The mobile phone you make calls on, the clothes you wear; chances are that these important everyday items, that we take for granted, are in our possession because they have been shipped to us.Dangers at Sea“For most people shipping and seafarers are out of mind, yet 95% of world trade comes by sea”, explains John Green who adds that often seafarers have to make hazardous journeys in order to deliver their cargo on board. “Working at sea is dangerous in the first place just because of the s...
(Vatican Radio) Sea Sunday is being marked this 9th of July by Christian churches around the world. The day aims to highlight the challenges seafarers face every day, but it also serves as a time to pray for those at sea, their families and those who support them.
John Green, is Director of Development for the Apostleship of the Sea UK. He spoke to Lydia O’Kane about the dangers seafarers face and the isolation they can feel while on board their vessels.
Listen:
The mobile phone you make calls on, the clothes you wear; chances are that these important everyday items, that we take for granted, are in our possession because they have been shipped to us.
Dangers at Sea
“For most people shipping and seafarers are out of mind, yet 95% of world trade comes by sea”, explains John Green who adds that often seafarers have to make hazardous journeys in order to deliver their cargo on board. “Working at sea is dangerous in the first place just because of the sea… last year’s statistics show that nearly a hundred ships of more than a hundred tonnes sank… and there are about a thousand seafarers who lost their lives…”
He also points out the other big issue that faces seafarers is piracy, and whilst it has declined in recent years, he stresses that it is still present in West Africa and South Asia.
Isolation
Another aspect of working on the high seas is that seafarers can be on board ships for lengthy periods of time and can feel a real sense of isolation. Green says, “they’re cut off from their families, most seafarers won’t have internet or phone at sea… and on board they will be cut off from each other…”
The Apostleship of the Sea is present in 300 ports around the world and it has a network of port chaplains and volunteers. Their role is to visit those on board and see what their needs are whether it be practical or pastoral assistance.
Apart from the generous support of donations, John Green says that people can play their part in practical ways such as becoming part of an Apostleship of the Sea Port Chaplaincy team which visits seafarers on board ships.
(Vatican Radio) At the request of Pope Francis, the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments is writing to Diocesan Bishops to remind them that it falls to them above all to duly provide for all that is required for the celebration of the Lord’s Supper. Below find the English language translation of Circular letter to Bishops on the bread and wine for the Eucharist CONGREGATION FOR DIVINE WORSHIPAND THE DISCIPLINE OF THE SACRAMENTS Prot. N. 320/17 Circular letter to Bishopson the bread and wine for the Eucharist At the request of the Holy Father, Pope Francis, the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments is writing to Diocesan Bishops (and to those who are their equivalents in law) to remind them that it falls to them above all to duly provide for all that is required for the celebration of the Lord’s Supper (cf. Lk 22: 8,13). It is for the Bishop a...
(Vatican Radio) At the request of Pope Francis, the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments is writing to Diocesan Bishops to remind them that it falls to them above all to duly provide for all that is required for the celebration of the Lord’s Supper.
Below find the English language translation of Circular letter to Bishops on the bread and wine for the Eucharist
CONGREGATION FOR DIVINE WORSHIP
AND THE DISCIPLINE OF THE SACRAMENTS
Prot. N. 320/17
Circular letter to Bishops
on the bread and wine for the Eucharist
At the request of the Holy Father, Pope Francis, the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments is writing to Diocesan Bishops (and to those who are their equivalents in law) to remind them that it falls to them above all to duly provide for all that is required for the celebration of the Lord’s Supper (cf. Lk 22: 8,13). It is for the Bishop as principal dispenser of the mysteries of God, moderator, promoter and guardian of the liturgical life in the Church entrusted to his care (Cf. CIC can. 835 § 1), to watch over the quality of the bread and wine to be used at the Eucharist and also those who prepare these materials. In order to be of assistance we recall the existing regulations and offer some practical suggestions.
Until recently it was certain religious communities who took care of baking the bread and making the wine for the celebration of the Eucharist. Today, however, these materials are also sold in supermarkets and other stores and even over the internet. In order to remove any doubt about the validity of the matter for the Eucharist, this Dicastery suggests that Ordinaries should give guidance in this regard by, for example, guaranteeing the Eucharistic matter through special certification.
The Ordinary is bound to remind priests, especially parish priests and rectors of churches, of their responsibility to verify those who provide the bread and wine for the celebration and the worthiness of the material.
It is also for the Ordinary to provide information to the producers of the bread and wine for the Eucharist and to remind them of the absolute respect that is due to the norms.
The norms about the Eucharistic matter are given in can. 924 of the CIC and in numbers 319 – 323 of the Institutio generalis Missalis Romani and have already been explained in the Instruction Redemptionis Sacramentum issued by this Congregation (25 March 2004):
“The bread used in the celebration of the Most Holy Eucharistic Sacrifice must be unleavened, purely of wheat, and recently made so that there is no danger of decomposition. It follows therefore that bread made from another substance, even if it is grain, or if it is mixed with another substance different from wheat to such an extent that it would not commonly be considered wheat bread, does not constitute valid matter for confecting the Sacrifice and the Eucharistic Sacrament. It is a grave abuse to introduce other substances, such as fruit or sugar or honey, into the bread for confecting the Eucharist. Hosts should obviously be made by those who are not only distinguished by their integrity, but also skilled in making them and furnished with suitable tools” (n. 48).
“The wine that is used in the most sacred celebration of the Eucharistic Sacrifice must be natural, from the fruit of the grape, pure and incorrupt, not mixed with other substances. […] Great care should be taken so that the wine intended for the celebration of the Eucharist is well conserved and has not soured. It is altogether forbidden to use wine of doubtful authenticity or provenance, for the Church requires certainty regarding the conditions necessary for the validity of the sacraments. Nor are other drinks of any kind to be admitted for any reason, as they do not constitute valid matter” (n. 50).
In its Circular Letter to the Presidents of the Episcopal Conferences regarding legitimate variations in the use of bread with a small quantity of gluten and the use of mustum as Eucharistic matter (24 July 2003, Prot. N. 89/78 – 17498), the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith published the norms for the celebration of the Eucharist by persons who, for varying and grave reasons, cannot consume bread made in the usual manner nor wine fermented in the normal manner:
“Hosts that are completely gluten-free are invalid matter for the celebration of the Eucharist. Low-gluten hosts (partially gluten-free) are valid matter, provided they contain a sufficient amount of gluten to obtain the confection of bread without the addition of foreign materials and without the use of procedures that would alter the nature of bread” (A. 1-2).
“Mustum, which is grape juice that is either fresh or preserved by methods that suspend its fermentation without altering its nature (for example, freezing), is valid matter for the celebration of the Eucharist” (A. 3).
“The Ordinary is competent to give permission for an individual priest or layperson to use low-gluten hosts or mustum for the celebration of the Eucharist. Permission can be granted habitually, for as long as the situation continues which occasioned the granting of permission” (C. 1).
The same Congregation also decided that Eucharistic matter made with genetically modified organisms can be considered valid matter (cf. Letter to the Prefect of the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments, 9 December 2013, Prot. N. 89/78 – 44897).
Those who make bread and produce wine for use in the Mass must be aware that their work is directed towards the Eucharistic Sacrifice and that this demands their honesty, responsibility and competence.
In order to facilitate the observance of the general norms Ordinaries can usefully reach agreement at the level of the Episcopal Conference by establishing concrete regulations. Given the complexity of situations and circumstances, such as a decrease in respect for the sacred, it may be useful to mandate a competent authority to have oversight in actually guaranteeing the genuineness of the Eucharistic matter by producers as well as those responsible for its distribution and sale.
It is suggested, for example, that an Episcopal Conference could mandate one or more Religious Congregations or another body capable of carrying out the necessary checks on production, conservation and sale of the Eucharistic bread and wine in a given country and for other countries to which they are exported. It is recommended that the bread and wine to be used in the Eucharist be treated accordingly in the places where they are sold.
From the offices of the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments, 15 June 2017, Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ.
Robert Card. Sarah
Prefect
X Arthur Roche
Archbishop Secretary
The Catholic bishops of the Philippines on Saturday elected a new president, who will lead their conference for the coming two years. Archbishop Romulo Valles of Davao was elected the president of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) at the start of the 8-10 July plenary assembly at the Pope Piux XII Catholic Center in Manila. He takes over from Archbishop Socrates Villegas of Lingayen-Dagupan, who is finishing his second and final term. Bishop Pablo Virgilio David of Kalookan has been elected CBCP vice president.Outgoing president Arch. Villegas who delivered a keynote address to open the plenary session said the Church must continue to reach out to people with open hands rather than clenched fists. It is in that space that they will continue to meet the living Christ. “Closed fists do not love; they hurt. Closed fists do not touch, they strike and injure. Closed fists and prayer do not match; open hands ...
The Catholic bishops of the Philippines on Saturday elected a new president, who will lead their conference for the coming two years. Archbishop Romulo Valles of Davao was elected the president of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) at the start of the 8-10 July plenary assembly at the Pope Piux XII Catholic Center in Manila. He takes over from Archbishop Socrates Villegas of Lingayen-Dagupan, who is finishing his second and final term. Bishop Pablo Virgilio David of Kalookan has been elected CBCP vice president.
Outgoing president Arch. Villegas who delivered a keynote address to open the plenary session said the Church must continue to reach out to people with open hands rather than clenched fists. It is in that space that they will continue to meet the living Christ. “Closed fists do not love; they hurt. Closed fists do not touch, they strike and injure. Closed fists and prayer do not match; open hands in ‘orante’ [praying] belong to our Christian tradition,” Arch. Villegas said. He stressed that an open hand that gives is one of the best symbols of Christian faith “because giving is the best proof of loving”. “We have no tradition of closed fists for our mission is to imitate the crucified hands that remain open to forgive,” he said.
In his opening message, the Arch. Villegas narrated the lessons he learned through the years as head of the Philippine Catholic hierarchy. Among them, he said, are the attitude of listening and fortitude in the face of adversities and recent challenges the Church is facing. His address did not mention President Rodrigo Duterte by name, but Villegas recalled how they were attacked as a “bunch of hypocrites” and how they’ve been “calumniated and slandered”. “We have been cursed and ridiculed but you our shepherds have chosen to fly high when the mockers of the Church chose to go so low,” the archbishop said. The Church had faced a barrage of attacks and insults from Duterte and his supporters for criticizing his war on drugs that claimed thousands of lives. . When the Church criticized Duterte’s ruthless war on drugs that has killed an estimated 10,000 suspected drug users and peddlers so far, the Philippine president did not minced words and came out fiercely with diatribes and even expletives against the bishops, accusing them of corruption, hypocrisy and womanizing. “I know that the values of an open hands, fortitude and listening will be same pastoral tools that we will use to serve and guide the flock of God,” Arch. Villegas added.
The 4-year long CBCP leadership of Arch. Villegas has had its share of challenges even with the previous administration of Benigno Aquino, such as a controversial population control bill and issues of corruption. During his term the nation faced two devastating natural disasters - the earthquake in Bohol province and the typhoon Yolanda that destroyed vast areas in the Visayas. Pope Francis visited the Philippines in 2015 mainly to express his closeness with the people of Visayas. The following year the Philippines hosted the 51st International Eucharistic Congress in Cebu.
Looking back at the four year, the 56-year old archbishop recalled many lessons he learned which he would always keep as "treasures of my heart”. He is concluding his term amidst a spate of challenges facing the Church and the nations, among them extrajudicial killings in the war on drugs, an islamist insurgency in the south, the need for ethical standards in social media and political engagement.
As of Saturday, 85 bishops — 74 active, five diocesan administrators and six retired — attended the opening of the plenary assembly. The CBCP is currently composed of 131 members— 83 of them are active, five are administrators, and 43 are retired from 86 ecclesiastical jurisdictions. (Source: CBCPNews)
