Catholic News 2
RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) -- The Latest on the Rio de Janeiro Summer Games opening ceremony (all times local):...
(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis sent a tweet on Friday saying: “Good luck to the athletes at Rio 2016: May you always be messengers of goodwill and true sporting spirit,” just hours before the official opening of the summer Olympics in the Brazilian city. Over ten thousand athletes are taking part in the Rio Olympics over the next 17 days, coming from more than 200 countries across the world.So, what are the feelings among the people of the host nation as it prepared to host this global sporting bonanza? Vatican Radio spoke to Brazil’s ambassador to Italy, Ricardo Neiva Tavares to find out.Listen to this interview with Brazil’s ambassador to Italy Ricardo Neives Tavares: Ambassador Tavares described the staging of the Olympics as an event of great importance for his nation that comes after years of preparations. He noted that the city had been able to reduce its predicted budget for the cost of building the infrastructure and pre...
(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis sent a tweet on Friday saying: “Good luck to the athletes at Rio 2016: May you always be messengers of goodwill and true sporting spirit,” just hours before the official opening of the summer Olympics in the Brazilian city.
Over ten thousand athletes are taking part in the Rio Olympics over the next 17 days, coming from more than 200 countries across the world.
So, what are the feelings among the people of the host nation as it prepared to host this global sporting bonanza? Vatican Radio spoke to Brazil’s ambassador to Italy, Ricardo Neiva Tavares to find out.
Listen to this interview with Brazil’s ambassador to Italy Ricardo Neives Tavares:
Ambassador Tavares described the staging of the Olympics as an event of great importance for his nation that comes after years of preparations. He noted that the city had been able to reduce its predicted budget for the cost of building the infrastructure and preparing for the Rio Games which, he said, are costing far less than the previous Olympics in London.
“We revitalized the city… Rio has been transformed for the better,” he said.
Some examples of this were the improvements to public transport including a new metro line and the planting of 15,000 new trees and the opening of two new museums. Ambassador Tavares said changes like this will be “lasting” ones and will directly benefit the city’s residents in the future.
Asked about the security risk during the staging of the Olympics, the Brazilian Ambassador said that the authorities had done “everything possible” to minimize this threat with 80,000 police and troops involved in the security operation. He also said Brazil was exchanging intelligence date on a daily basis with around 60 different countries but did concede that nobody can totally eliminate "100 percent" any potential security risks in these situations.
The run up to the Rio Olympics saw many concerns expressed about the threat to health posed by the Zika virus transmitted by mosquitoes, so is there cause for concern on this front? According to Ambassador Tavares there was “a lot of exaggeration” when it came to the threat posed by the Zika virus. He pointed out that it is currently winter time in Rio and therefore the threat posed by these mosquitoes in his view is “extremely low.”
Turning next to the question of Brazil’s troubled economy, the ambassador said although his nation had experienced two years of recession most economic data predicted Brazil experiencing a year of economic growth once more in 2017. He also welcomed Pope Francis’ message of encouragement to Brazil and its people ahead of the games. Noting that Brazil is the nation with the largest Catholic community in the world, Ambassador Tavares said it also had a long history of religious tolerance and peaceful co-existence between its many different ethnic and religious groups. It’s a “melting pot,” he said and Brazilians are very proud of this tolerance where “people of different faiths live side by side.”
Washington D.C., Aug 5, 2016 / 12:25 pm (CNA/EWTN News).- The 2016 United States elections are a time of tension and reflection for many Americans. For Catholic bishops, it's not so different.“It's always a joy to be a bishop, it’s always a challenge to be a bishop,” Cardinal Timothy Dolan of New York told CNA.“I think in an election year, the challenges might outweigh the joys.”He said bishops have the same duties and concerns as other Americans.“We're American citizens, we’re responsible, we’re loyal, we’re thoughtful. We study the issues, we try our best to be engaged in the process,” he said.“We're also pastors, so we try to remind our people of those basic biblical values, those classical Catholic values that have guided us through the ages, particularly as articulated by John Paul II: the dignity of the human person, the sacredness of human life, solidarity.“Those are three things that we k...
Washington D.C., Aug 5, 2016 / 12:25 pm (CNA/EWTN News).- The 2016 United States elections are a time of tension and reflection for many Americans. For Catholic bishops, it's not so different.
“It's always a joy to be a bishop, it’s always a challenge to be a bishop,” Cardinal Timothy Dolan of New York told CNA.
“I think in an election year, the challenges might outweigh the joys.”
He said bishops have the same duties and concerns as other Americans.
“We're American citizens, we’re responsible, we’re loyal, we’re thoughtful. We study the issues, we try our best to be engaged in the process,” he said.
“We're also pastors, so we try to remind our people of those basic biblical values, those classical Catholic values that have guided us through the ages, particularly as articulated by John Paul II: the dignity of the human person, the sacredness of human life, solidarity.
“Those are three things that we keep hammering away on. And we trust that our people under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit will make the right decision.”
Archbishop William Lori of Baltimore also reflected on the state of the country.
“It’s always a grace and a challenge to be a bishop, and it’s an especially bracing challenge during an election year,” he told CNA.
In such a time, he said, bishops need “to teach, and teach clearly … that which is most important.”
All the moral issues that face the U.S. are important and deserving of respect, he maintained.
“There are some that are truly life or death,” he said, referring to issues of human dignity and its “obliteration.”
For Archbishop Lori, bishops must provide guidance: “We certainly have to lay out the issues clearly and in their proper order.”
Both Cardinal Dolan and Archbishop Lori were attending the Supreme Convention of the Knights of Columbus in Toronto. The Catholic fraternal order has more than 1.9 million members around the world, and Archbishop Lori serves as its Supreme Chaplain.
The 2016 election campaign comes after the unprecedented nomination of businessman and provocative media personality Donald Trump as the Republican presidential candidate and a combative Democratic primary between former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders.
Some think the next president’s choice to fill a U.S. Supreme Court vacancy could set for decades the future of legal abortion and religious liberty in the country.
On top of these tensions are conflicts over immigration, excessive police force against African-Americans, anti-police violence, and several major terrorist attacks from Islamic State sympathizers.
Archbishop Lori spoke to the general sense of tension in American society.
“As a pastor of souls, I think that this is of great concern,” he said. “We have a situation where we are polarized. People aren’t any longer able to find those common truths and values that bind us together as a society.”
“This is a long-term preaching, teaching and pastoral project: to enable our Catholic people to be the ones who contribute to the rebuilding of this,” he added.
For Cardinal Dolan, the tensions and bad spirits in American society are perennial.
“We’re always going to have that,” he said. “We've had it, I'm afraid, since the Garden of Eden. There's always tension, there’s always misunderstanding.”
The cardinal had just met with the Chaldean Archbishop of Erbil, in Iraqi Kurdistan to discuss what Christians are facing there. In the wake of the 2003 U.S. invasion, the withdrawal of American forces, and the rise of the Islamic State, hundreds of thousands of Iraqi Christians have suffered forced expulsions, atrocities, and intense pressures to leave their homeland.
“You talk about somebody that's got wheelbarrows of problems – good God in heaven, it makes ours look like a walk in the park,” the cardinal said.
Using his own words, Cardinal Dolan recounted the bishop’s remarks:
“My people are so desperate that they're turning to Jesus Christ. They say politics isn’t working, weapons aren’t working, the nations have let us down. This tension, this retribution, this violence, it's destroying us.”
In this, the cardinal saw a lesson for Americans.
“Maybe we ought to take this as an invitation to return to Jesus in the gospel,” he said. “Boy, if they can do it, we can.”
IMAGE: CNS photo/Lise AlvesBy Lise AlvesRIO DEJANEIRO (CNS) -- High above the city, beneath the statue of Christ the Redeemer,Rio Cardinal Orani Tempesta blessed the Olympic torch, held by Brazil's formerOlympic volleyball player, Maria Isabel Barroso Salgado."Thisis the moment for us to surpass our difficulties and work together as a team,making our country and our world safer, less unequal, and putting love in thehearts of all," the cardinal told reporters.Fromthere, the Olympic torch was carried on the last leg of its 95-day Brazilianjourney toward Maracana Stadium, where the opening ceremony was to be held theevening of Aug. 5.FatherOmar Raposo, rector at the Christ the Redeemer Sanctuary, located at the baseof the statue, said the blessing was not scheduled by the Games' organizers,but was requested by Rio Mayor Eduardo Paes, a Catholic.FatherRaposo said having the torch lit at the statue "has a lot of spiritualmeaning" in the predominantly Catholic country."TheChrist, with hi...
IMAGE: CNS photo/Lise Alves
By Lise Alves
RIO DE JANEIRO (CNS) -- High above the city, beneath the statue of Christ the Redeemer, Rio Cardinal Orani Tempesta blessed the Olympic torch, held by Brazil's former Olympic volleyball player, Maria Isabel Barroso Salgado.
"This is the moment for us to surpass our difficulties and work together as a team, making our country and our world safer, less unequal, and putting love in the hearts of all," the cardinal told reporters.
From there, the Olympic torch was carried on the last leg of its 95-day Brazilian journey toward Maracana Stadium, where the opening ceremony was to be held the evening of Aug. 5.
Father Omar Raposo, rector at the Christ the Redeemer Sanctuary, located at the base of the statue, said the blessing was not scheduled by the Games' organizers, but was requested by Rio Mayor Eduardo Paes, a Catholic.
Father Raposo said having the torch lit at the statue "has a lot of spiritual meaning" in the predominantly Catholic country.
"The Christ, with his open arms, welcomes and protects all the peoples of the world, but Brazilians hope that the luck transmitted by the statue will remain with our Brazilian athletes," said a smiling Father Raposo.
The statue, one of Rio de Janeiro's most famous landmarks, has been a required stop for most tourists visiting the city, a fact that has not gone unnoticed by Olympic organizers and city officials. Due to concerns of possible terrorist attacks during the Olympics and Paralympics, officials have stepped up security on popular landmarks, like the statue. Metal detectors are expected to be in place, and at least 30 armed forces personnel will be guarding the statue 24 hours a day until the end of September.
"The Brazilian armed forces will be in charge of securing landmarks, airports and competition venues," said a spokesman for Brazil's army. Officials said more than 85,000 security personnel will be in place during the Games, including army, air force, marines, military police, as well as state and municipal police.
Father Raposo welcomed the extra security.
"The sanctuary is the gateway for visitors coming to Rio. This is an opportunity to make sure tourists see the Christ (statue) in a safe environment," he said.
He said the sanctuary estimates it will receive up to 10,000 visitors per day during the Olympics and Paralympics, almost double the normal number during holidays. Tickets for the tram are almost sold out for the entire period of the Games.
- - -
Copyright © 2016 Catholic News Service/U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. www.catholicnews.com. All rights reserved. Republishing or redistributing of CNS content, including by framing or similar means without prior permission, is prohibited. You may link to stories on our public site. This copy is for your personal, non-commercial use only. To request permission for republishing or redistributing of CNS content, please contact permissions at cns@catholicnews.com.
BELGRADE, Serbia (AP) -- In the Belgrade Zoo, special treatment is reserved for one elderly resident....
WASHINGTON (AP) -- U.S. employers added a healthy 255,000 jobs in July, a sign of confidence in the economy that will likely ease concerns about signs of weak growth in the midst of the presidential race....
ISTANBUL (AP) -- After raiding a home and business owned by someone suspected of loyalties to a banned Muslim cleric, police listed the incriminating evidence they found: two shotguns, a pistol, ammunition, a fake identity card - and three $1 bills....
CARROLLTON, Ga. (AP) -- A father charged with manslaughter Friday in the deaths of his 15-month-old twin girls had been drinking before he left them in a hot car in west Georgia, police said....
CHICAGO (AP) -- Video released Friday shows Chicago police firing repeatedly at a stolen car as it careens down the street away from them, then handcuffing the mortally wounded black teenager who was at the wheel after a chaotic foot chase through a residential neighborhood....
RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) -- Pele will not attend Friday's opening ceremony of the Rio Olympics because of poor health, denying Brazilians a chance to celebrate their greatest sports figure....
