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(Vatican Radio) The Pontifical Commission for Latin America has issued a statement on the celebration of the Jubilee of Mercy on the American continent. The full text is below.

THE CELEBRATION OF THE EXTRAORDINARY JUBILEE OF MERCY ON THE AMERICAN CONTINENT

Bogotá, Colombia -- August 27-30, 2016

                The Extraordinary Jubilee of Mercy is the fruit of the Holy Spirit’s strong and timely inspiration to Pope Francis. All Christians, Christian communities and their shepherds have been invited to contemplate more deeply the mystery of Mercy, attribute of God, revealed and realized in its fullness by Jesus Christ and spread by the grace of the Holy Spirit. In this way, the Holy Father is guiding us to live the essential part of the Gospel as good news for individuals, families, peoples and nations. For this reason, from August 27th to the 30th, the continental Celebration of the Extraordinary Jubilee of Mercy will be taking place in Bogotá.

            Along with the journey of the Jubilee year, being celebrated in Rome and in the local churches of the entire world, this event will constitute one of the great convocations on a continental level. More than 400 people from North America, Central America, South America and the Caribbean will gather to welcome and celebrate the gift of the Mercy of God revealed and realized fully in Jesus Christ by the action of the Holy Spirit.

            The continental Celebration of the Extraordinary Jubilee of Mercy was convoked and organized jointly by the Pontifical Commission for Latin America (CAL) and the Latin American Episcopal Council (CELAM), in contact and collaboration with episcopates in the United States and Canada. The Church of the Americas will be assembled in Bogotá to live the Jubilee, a sign of the communion of the churches of the whole continent, mutually committed to celebrating and radiating the Gospel of Mercy from Alaska to Tierra del Fuego. Having passed the halfway point of the Jubilee Year already, in Bogotá the initiatives, experiences and works already carried out, as well as the fruits received, will be briefly summarized. The celebration proposes living this “year of grace” as a renewed impetus to the continental mission, especially in light of the Aparecida document and the Apostolic Exhortation Evangelii Gaudium.

            15 Cardinals and more than 120 Bishops are already registered along with participants from all nations of the continent. Rectors of National Marian Shrines, male and female religious superiors, heads of different works of mercy in American countries, American directors of associations, ecclesial movements and new communities, priests and lay people working in different ecclesial, social and popular areas will all be taking part. The event will be presided over by Cardinal Marc Ouellet, President of CAL, accompanied by his collaborators and by Cardinal Rubén Salazar, Archbishop of Bogotá and President of CELAM, who will also count on the coordination committee of the Latin American Episcopal Council.

            An important audio-visual message from the Holy Father, Pope Francis, is expected for the inauguration of this celebration, which from its very first moment has had his full approval and encouragement.

            Much more than a congress, this initiative constitutes a great event. And, for this reason, its program foresees only four addresses. The first address will be from by Archbishop Rino Fisichella, a significant presence, since he is the President of the Pontifical Council for the Promotion of the New Evangelization, to whom the Holy Father has entrusted everything related to the scheduling and organization of the Jubilee Year. “This is the Great Time of Mercy,” is the title of his conference, which will echo the Bull of Indiction of the Extraordinary Jubilee, especially when it affirms that “From the heart of the Trinity, from the depths of the mystery of God, the great river of mercy wells up and overflows unceasingly.” The second address, titled “The Church, Sacrament of Mercy,” will be given by Cardinal Marc Ouellet. Work groups will be guided to delve into and share the contents of these talks, in light of the different experiences, reflections and initiatives of the local churches of the continent.

            The schedule includes a Penitential Liturgy at the very beginning of the Celebration, to encourage an examination of conscience and the supplication of mercy of all of the participants, with personal confessions.

            Another major moment of the Celebration will be dedicated to the American saints. Indeed, the entire event is being presented under the motto taken from an expression of Pope Francis from May 2, 2015 when he made the invocation: “May a powerful gust of holiness sweep through all the Americas during the coming Extraordinary Jubilee of Mercy!”. This part will have as a prelude the third talk, to be offered by Fr. Eduardo Chavez, Canon of the Basilica of the Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe, top “Charismatic” expert of the Guadalupan event, who will speak about “Holiness in the Times of Francis.” Fr. Chavez will focus especially on the saint par excellence, the first disciple and missionary, the Mother of God and Mother of the American nations, to whom Pope Francis has a deep devotion, as he demonstrated once more when traveling through Mexico under the gaze and with the heart of Our Lady of Guadalupe. “He is my merciful gaze,” said Our Lady of Guadalupe to St. Juan Diego of God , according to the narration of the Nican Mopohua. On the other hand, the Guadalupan event is at the origins of the formation of the American continent and its evangelization.

            Immediately afterwards, some saints of the continent who stand out as “witnesses of mercy” will be presented, to gather up their legacy and consider the ways they edify the Church today and mark her mission. Several speakers will talk about the “missionary saints of the first evangelization” (Bishop Laval, José de Anchieta, Junípero Serra…), the saintly priests (Toribio de Mogrovejo, Rafael Guizar y Valencia, Brochero…), the saintly mystics (Rose of Lima, Mariana of Quito, Teresa of the Andes…), the saints of the defenseless (Peter Claver, Laura Montoya, Mother Cabrini…), the saints of charity (Martin de Porres, Katharine Drexel, Peter of St. Joseph of Betancur…), the martyr saints (Mexican martyrs, Kateri Tekakwitha, Oscar A. Romero …), the educator saints (Miguel Febres Cordero, John Neumann…).

            An entire day will be dedicated to Works of Mercy on the American continent. A panel will meet to discuss some of the most significant Works of Mercy, like the “Hogar de Cristo” (Christ’s Home) in Chile, the “Fazendas da Esperanza” (Hope Farms), “Project Rachel,” and migrant assistance centers and others. Additionally, all of the participants will be divided into groups that will visit different sites of corporal and spiritual works of mercy, especially in the poorest areas and environments of Bogotá, in its social and existential peripheries.

            Finally, the theme of “Mercy as the Soul of a Culture of Encounter, Forgiveness and Reconciliation on the American Continent” will be confronted. This will be presented by the two voices of Archbishop Luis Augusto Castro Quiroga of Tunja, President of the Colombian Bishops’ Conference and Archbishop José Horacio Gómez of Los Angeles.

            The American Celebration of the Jubilee of Mercy will conclude with a “Continental Rosary for Peace,” to be followed by the Holy Eucharist presided over by Cardinal Rubén Salazar Gómez and the concluding words will come from the Presidents of CAL and CELAM. Prayer for Pope Francis and for his ministry will be an accompanying element of the participants’ activities for the duration of the entire encounter. 

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Homs, Syria, Aug 11, 2016 / 10:08 pm (CNA/EWTN News).- The war-torn Cathedral of Homs sits in the heart of western Syria.

When the area was occupied by the Syrian civil war’s opposition forces, they turned the cathedral into a military headquarters.

The occupation took its toll. Icons of the cathedral were stolen, severely damaged or defaced. The marble columns were almost completely ruined. The ambo has been targeted by gunfire, while many furnishings were burned.

In the crypt, the tombs of priests were desecrated. One body was torn from its resting place.

Even the roof has holes caused by rocket damage, as large as 23 feet in diameter.

The siege lasted from April 2011 to May 2014, killing some 2,000 people. Now, the Syrian opposition has withdrawn. Christians are returning home.

They need to rebuild their cathedral, which is dedicated to Our Lady of Peace.

Pontifical foundation Aid to the Church in Need launched a fundraising campaign in late July for the Melkite Greek Catholic cathedral. It aims to collect about $89,000 to repair the worst damage.

It is a tragedy for a city that was previously known as a crossroads of religious pluralism.

“Homs was the cradle of one of the most ancient Christian communities in the East, but Christian blocks like Bab al Dreib and Hamidiya have been abandoned by about 80 percent of the residents,” the pastoral charity said.

Many churches are damaged and unfit for use. However, the situation in Homs has stabilized. Despite the destruction at the cathedral, religious worship have taken place there once again. First Communions have been celebrated.

On July 1, the International Day of the Child, there were signs of renewed life in Homs. That day, the children of Syria celebrated a “Day of Prayer for Peace.” Some 700 Christian children in Homs took the streets for a peace procession.

The procession stopped by all the half-destroyed churches of Homs. It ended in front of the Homs cathedral, where children lit candles in front of an icon of the Infant Jesus of Prague, offering prayers for peace.

In a short address, Archbishop Jean Abdo Arbach described the Infant Jesus as “the source of peace for our children and our country.”

The posters of the Infant Jesus decorated the sections of the cathedral that were still standing. They will remain in the cathedral.

Donations for the cathedral’s reconstruction may be given through the Aid to the Church in Need website, www.churchinneed.org.

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Hagatna, Guam, Aug 12, 2016 / 12:01 am (CNA/EWTN News).- A priest in Guam has admitted to abusing around 20 children, a revelation that comes amid an ongoing investigation into abuse accusations surrounding the local archbishop.

Accusations against Fr. Louis Brouillard, 95, were made during a public hearing last week to lift Guam’s statute of limitations on child abuse. The accusations were raised by a man who lives in Hawaii and said he was sent to a Catholic school in Guam, where he was abused twice, including by Fr. Brouillard in the 1950s.

The priest served in Guam between the 1940s-1970s, during which he taught at San Vicente and Father Duenas Memorial Catholic schools.

According to The Associated Press, after the accusations were made, Fr. Brouillard admitted in an interview to having abused “a couple of boys” while teaching at the schools.

Fr. Brouillard could not come up with an exact number of children he had abused, but said it was “maybe 20.” He said that he had confessed his sins to other priests on the island, and was told to “do better” and perform regular penance, such as praying for the victims.

“At that time, when I was that age, I got the impression that kids liked it, so I went ahead. But now of course, I know it's wrong and I'm paying for it,” he said, according to The Associated Press.

The hearing in which the accusations were made took place at the Guam Legislature and aims to enact Bill 326, which would strike down the current two-year statute of limitations for civil claims involving the sexual abuse of minors.

If passed, the measure would repeal the entirety of the current law and establish that action against child abusers may be taken at any time in any court of competent jurisdiction.

Brouillard’s admissions come shortly after Pope Francis appointed Archbishop Savio Hon Tai-Fai, secretary of the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples, as apostolic administrator “sede plena” of the Archdiocese of Agaña, which serves Catholics in Guam, a U.S. island territory in the northwestern Pacific Ocean.

The appointment was made shortly after Archbishop Anthony Apuron of Agaña was accused of sexual abuse dating from the 1970s, and of failing to implement strong policies on the handling of clerical sex abuse.

As apostolic administrator “sede plena,” Archbishop Hon now governs the archdiocese because its ordinary is incapable of doing so. Though Archbishop Apuron remains archbishop, he is not able to exercise his office while Archbishop Hon remains as apostolic administrator.

Allegations against Archbishop Apuron surfaced in May with accusations from a former altar boy, who said that he was molested at age 12, when he spent the night at a rectory with then-Father Apuron. The alleged incident took place in the mid-1970s in Agat, a town located almost 13 miles southwest of Hagåtña, Guam's capital, when Archbishop Apuron was a parish priest.

Shortly later, another allegation surfaced, also involving a former altar server who had spent the night at the rectory.

Archbishop Apuron, however, has denied the allegations, calling the most recent a “malicious and calumnious accusation.”

Archbishop Apuron, 70, is a native of Guam. He was ordained a priest of the Order of Friars Minor Capuchin in 1972. He was appointed an auxiliary bishop of Agaña in 1983, its apostolic administrator in 1985, and he has served as archbishop since 1986.

In 2014, a California man had accused Archbishop Apuron of having molested his cousin. However, the cousin did not confirm the accusation, and no charges were filed.

The Pope's decision to appoint Archbishop Hon as apostolic administrator of Agaña also falls shortly after his release of the motu proprio “As a loving mother,” which provides for the removal of bishops from office in cases where they are negligent in dealing with sex abuse cases.

 

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