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OSWIECIM, Poland (AP) -- Pope Francis paid a somber visit in silence to the Nazi German death camp of Auschwitz-Birkenau on Friday, with his only public comment a guest book entry begging God's "forgiveness for so much cruelty."...
ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) -- The Latest on the Zika virus in Florida (all times local):...
WASHINGTON (AP) -- The computers of the House Democratic campaign committee have been hacked in an intrusion that investigators say resembles the recent cyber breach of the Democratic National Committee, a spokeswoman for the committee said Friday....
PHILADELPHIA (AP) -- Hillary Clinton capped a four-day convention celebration with a plea for national unity and tolerance. Now, one of the most divisive and distrusted figures in American politics must convince voters that she, rather than Republican rival Donald Trump, can bring a deeply divided nation together....
(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis on Saturday was scheduled to visit Divine Mercy Sanctuary in Kraków, Poland.The Basilica is the resting place of Saint Faustina Kowalska, the founder of the Divine Mercy devotion.Father Krzysztof Marcjanowicz is from Kraków and now works at the Pontifical Council for the Promotion of the New Evangelization.He told Vatican Radio the Devotion to Divine Mercy is important to the devotional life of the people of Poland.Listen to the Vatican Viewpoint featuring the interview with Krzysztof Marcjanowicz: “I think that devotion to the Divine Mercy in Poland is maybe the second largest religious idea immediately after the Madonna in Czestochowa,” – he said – “We feel the idea of Divine Mercy like our personal thoughts and personal thing that touches the heart of every one of us in Poland.”“Speaking of Divine Mercy, and speaking of God’s Mercy like a general idea: The Mercy is the way God acts with u...
(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis on Saturday was scheduled to visit Divine Mercy Sanctuary in Kraków, Poland.
The Basilica is the resting place of Saint Faustina Kowalska, the founder of the Divine Mercy devotion.
Father Krzysztof Marcjanowicz is from Kraków and now works at the Pontifical Council for the Promotion of the New Evangelization.
He told Vatican Radio the Devotion to Divine Mercy is important to the devotional life of the people of Poland.
Listen to the Vatican Viewpoint featuring the interview with Krzysztof Marcjanowicz:
“I think that devotion to the Divine Mercy in Poland is maybe the second largest religious idea immediately after the Madonna in Czestochowa,” – he said – “We feel the idea of Divine Mercy like our personal thoughts and personal thing that touches the heart of every one of us in Poland.”
“Speaking of Divine Mercy, and speaking of God’s Mercy like a general idea: The Mercy is the way God acts with us. If you think about original sin, the first thing that God’s made was to … show that even if you are a sinner, I will not leave you alone,” –he continued – “I will always leave you the way to paradise open; that’s the mercy, because we didn’t gain this, we didn’t even sometimes ask for this. But the Lord is always ready to forgive, and that’s the Divine’s character: the Mercy. It is the way he shows us his love.”
(VATICAN RADIO) With Pope Francis visiting Auschwitz on Friday, many World Youth Day pilgrims have also been paying a visit to the Nazi concentration camp.The Centre for Dialogue and Prayer in Oswiecim was founded for all those who were touched by what happened in the Nazi concentration and extermination camps located there.Vatican Radio’s Lydia O’Kane interviewed Fr. Manfred Deselaers, programme manager at the Centre for Dialogue and Prayer in Oswiecim, to find out what he hopes visitors will gain from their experience.Listen: “The first experience is always something like a shock,” Father explained“This negative experience of evil is very powerful, and my hope (and our task) is that this is not only a negative experience, that we do not go home depressed,” he added.Fr. Manfred hopes that guests do not leave Auschwitz doubting the goodness of the human race, nor doubting the goodness of God. Though after seeing such horrific marks left fr...
(VATICAN RADIO) With Pope Francis visiting Auschwitz on Friday, many World Youth Day pilgrims have also been paying a visit to the Nazi concentration camp.
The Centre for Dialogue and Prayer in Oswiecim was founded for all those who were touched by what happened in the Nazi concentration and extermination camps located there.
Vatican Radio’s Lydia O’Kane interviewed Fr. Manfred Deselaers, programme manager at the Centre for Dialogue and Prayer in Oswiecim, to find out what he hopes visitors will gain from their experience.
Listen:
“The first experience is always something like a shock,” Father explained
“This negative experience of evil is very powerful, and my hope (and our task) is that this is not only a negative experience, that we do not go home depressed,” he added.
Fr. Manfred hopes that guests do not leave Auschwitz doubting the goodness of the human race, nor doubting the goodness of God. Though after seeing such horrific marks left from the World War II concentration camp, such feelings may be difficult to resist at first.
However, Father urges that the lives of those lost at the concentration camp in Auschwitz can teach us to make a world where we respect one another’s dignity. He hopes that this is the message the young people go home with, this is the testament of the victims they remember.
Father described how one survivor of Auschwitz, who met with some young German people, said to him: "Manfred, isn’t it wonderful that today we can be friends?"
“And I hope that people leave this place, especially the young, with this mission: that their task [is] building the future,” Fr. Manfred emphasised.
Father told another story, something that had happened to him that morning. A young girl from Syria asked him what she could do for her country; that is, how could she build a “civilization of love”, as St. Pope John Paul II called for, in a country greatly afflicted with war and suffering.
Fr. Manfred replied: “Like Maximilian Kolbe, he died; he was killed during the war. But he is [a] saint because his love was not killed.
So our task is that we don’t stop [loving], even if the environment is full of hate.”
In an increasingly violent world, Fr. Manfred’s words have never been more relevant.
(Vatican Radio) Thousands of young people from all over the world are in Krakow, Poland this week taking part in the World Youth Day (WYD) celebrations.The 6-day WYD gathering offers the opportunity for young people to deepen their own Catholic faith and to grow in confidence about witnessing faith in contemporary society.Vatican Radio’s Lydia O’Kane spoke to Bishop Mark O’Toole from the Diocese of Plymouth, to discuss the importance of WYD in terms of evangelization and catechesis and what he hopes young people will gain from the experience.Listen: Bishop O’Toole says “World Youth Day is at the heart of evangelization”. Millions of people who have experienced World Youth Day have grown in confidence in their faith, no matter what their cultural context, with many discovering a “new sense of purpose and vocation in reaching out to others”.Talking about the significance of WYD in this Year of Mercy, Bishop O’Toole said that it i...
(Vatican Radio) Thousands of young people from all over the world are in Krakow, Poland this week taking part in the World Youth Day (WYD) celebrations.
The 6-day WYD gathering offers the opportunity for young people to deepen their own Catholic faith and to grow in confidence about witnessing faith in contemporary society.
Vatican Radio’s Lydia O’Kane spoke to Bishop Mark O’Toole from the Diocese of Plymouth, to discuss the importance of WYD in terms of evangelization and catechesis and what he hopes young people will gain from the experience.
Listen:
Bishop O’Toole says “World Youth Day is at the heart of evangelization”. Millions of people who have experienced World Youth Day have grown in confidence in their faith, no matter what their cultural context, with many discovering a “new sense of purpose and vocation in reaching out to others”.
Talking about the significance of WYD in this Year of Mercy, Bishop O’Toole said that it is “the providence of God that these things have come together”, particularly alongside the recent canonization of Pope John Paul II. He says “it is a wonderful thing for us all to have this rich experience of the tenderness of God” and to witness that sharing of faith in a very public way. WYD allows us to become “instruments of mercy to those who we encounter”.
In today’s society, young people are facing new struggles “to commit to something permanent” and discover “a deep sense of purpose and meaning in life”. WYD presents an “unparalleled opportunity” for people to step back from the milieu of social media, and allow themselves time to thing and pray, and gain the “strong sense of the Church as a universal family”.
Bishop O’Toole stresses the importance of Catechesis at WYD, saying that these sessions present a vital opportunity for young people to enter into a dialogue with Church leaders and understand the “magisterial teaching of the Church in a very accessible way”. It provides a profound impact and opportunity for the formation of faith.
Bishop O’Toole expressed his hopes that young people who attend WYD have a “real sense that they have encountered the person of Jesus Christ in their own lives”, and that they will leave with the confidence to share their own experience with their peers. He concluded that faith is most of all communicated through witness, and it is the “witness of the individual young people which will spread the Gospel”.
(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis on Friday morning paid an emotional visit to the Auschwitz-Birkenau memorial and museum, the site of a Nazi concentration and extermination camp where more than 1.1 million people, mostly Jews, were put to death during the Second World War.Prior to his visit to the camp, the Pope decided he would not give a speech, saying he preferred to enter alone, in silent prayer. “I would like to go to that place of horror without speeches, without crowds -- only the few people necessary,” he explained. “Alone, enter, pray. And may the Lord give me the grace to cry.”Lydia O’Kane is in Poland with Pope Francis, and sends this report: For the Pope, this visit to the former Nazi concentration camp at Auschwitz-Birkenau was to be one of silence and prayer.The only sounds to the heard were the shutters of the ever present cameras as a solemn Pope Francis walked alone through the infamous gate that reads “Arbeit macht frei” &nda...
(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis on Friday morning paid an emotional visit to the Auschwitz-Birkenau memorial and museum, the site of a Nazi concentration and extermination camp where more than 1.1 million people, mostly Jews, were put to death during the Second World War.
Prior to his visit to the camp, the Pope decided he would not give a speech, saying he preferred to enter alone, in silent prayer. “I would like to go to that place of horror without speeches, without crowds -- only the few people necessary,” he explained. “Alone, enter, pray. And may the Lord give me the grace to cry.”
Lydia O’Kane is in Poland with Pope Francis, and sends this report:
For the Pope, this visit to the former Nazi concentration camp at Auschwitz-Birkenau was to be one of silence and prayer.
The only sounds to the heard were the shutters of the ever present cameras as a solemn Pope Francis walked alone through the infamous gate that reads “Arbeit macht frei” – “work sets you free”.
The Pope was then driven in an electric car to the notorious block 11, also known as the death block where Franciscan priest, Fr Maximillian Kolbe was killed after offering up his life for a complete stranger 75 years ago. You could hear a pin drop as the Pope sat in prayer with his eyes firmly closed in this place of suffering.
In one of the most poignant moments of this visit to Auschwitz I, the Pope met with survivors of this camp of terror, now elderly men and women who are the living witnesses to the horrors that took place here.
He greeted each one with a kiss on both cheeks and clasped their hands. Then holding a candle the Pope lit a lamp he had donated.
Following a prayerful visit to Maximillian Kolbe’s cell, Pope Francis made the 10 minute journey to Auschwitz II Birkenau, which was built in 1941 and saw the extermination of Jews on a massive scale. He saw for himself the train tracks and carriages that brought hundreds of thousands of people to their deaths and the now burnt out gas chambers that extinguished so many lives.
Then with a rabbi chanting Psalm 130 in Hebrew, this visit of reflection and prayer drew to a close with Pope Francis laying a votive lamp at the foot of the monument commemorating those people who never came home.
The United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said Thursday that South Sudan stands on the brink of an abyss. Ban Ki-moon made the remarks during a United Nations open debate on peacebuilding in Africa.“As we meet, South Sudan remains precariously poised on the brink of an abyss. The promises of the new State for peace, justice and opportunity have been squandered. I am appalled by the scale of sexual violence documented by our Human Rights teams. We demand accountability for all atrocities and that the leaders of South Sudan commit to the peace process,” the UN Chief said in remarks at the gathering. UN rights officials are reporting at least 120 cases of rape over the past three weeks around Juba in South Sudan.Recently Oxfam South Sudan also spoke of its concerns regarding the troubled nation. The organisation said the country is facing an acute humanitarian crisis and emergency levels of food insecurity due to the on-going conflict that has persisted ...
The United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said Thursday that South Sudan stands on the brink of an abyss. Ban Ki-moon made the remarks during a United Nations open debate on peacebuilding in Africa.
“As we meet, South Sudan remains precariously poised on the brink of an abyss. The promises of the new State for peace, justice and opportunity have been squandered. I am appalled by the scale of sexual violence documented by our Human Rights teams. We demand accountability for all atrocities and that the leaders of South Sudan commit to the peace process,” the UN Chief said in remarks at the gathering.
UN rights officials are reporting at least 120 cases of rape over the past three weeks around Juba in South Sudan.
Recently Oxfam South Sudan also spoke of its concerns regarding the troubled nation. The organisation said the country is facing an acute humanitarian crisis and emergency levels of food insecurity due to the on-going conflict that has persisted notwithstanding a peace accord signed by the warring factions.
According to Oxfam South Sudan, 6.1 million people will need some humanitarian assistance by the end of 2016.
At the peacebuilding debate in the United Nations, the UN Secretary-General was, however, quick to note that although instability persists in South Sudan, Central African Republic, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Libya and Mali, and a number of other nations, it is important to emphasise that this is not the full story of Africa.
“There is another narrative, largely untold, of growing economies, improved living standards and expanding democratic space. Our shared responsibility is to nourish these seeds of peace and prosperity. One way we can do that is to nurture inclusive, transparent, effective and accountable institutions and help the nations of Africa achieve the Sustainable Development Goals. When institutions are weak, nations cannot thrive,“ Ban Ki-moon said.
(Email: engafrica@vatiradio.va)
(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis on Friday appointed Father Fintan Monahan as the new Bishop of Killaloe in Ireland. Aged 49, the Bishop-elect is currently serving as Diocesan Secretary in the Archdiocese of Tuam.In a separate development, Pope Francis on Friday accepted the resignations of Martin Drennan, Bishop of Galway and Kilmacduagh and Bishop Seamus Freeman of Ossory, both of Ireland. The two men stepped down in accordance with Article 401§2 of the Code of Canon Law. Please see below an overview of the life and ministry of Bishop-elect Monahan:• Fintan Monahan was born in Tullamore, Co Offaly, on 23 January 1967. His parents are Tom and Peg Monahan and he has one brother, Seán, and one sister, Caitríona, who is married to Dominic. From 1980-1996 the family lived in Carraroe, Co Galway where his father was principal teacher at Scoil Chuimsitheach Chiaráin, An C...
(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis on Friday appointed Father Fintan Monahan as the new Bishop of Killaloe in Ireland. Aged 49, the Bishop-elect is currently serving as Diocesan Secretary in the Archdiocese of Tuam.
In a separate development, Pope Francis on Friday accepted the resignations of Martin Drennan, Bishop of Galway and Kilmacduagh and Bishop Seamus Freeman of Ossory, both of Ireland. The two men stepped down in accordance with Article 401§2 of the Code of Canon Law.
Please see below an overview of the life and ministry of Bishop-elect Monahan:
• Fintan Monahan was born in Tullamore, Co Offaly, on 23 January 1967. His parents are Tom and Peg Monahan and he has one brother, Seán, and one sister, Caitríona, who is married to Dominic. From 1980-1996 the family lived in Carraroe, Co Galway where his father was principal teacher at Scoil Chuimsitheach Chiaráin, An Cheathrú Rua. In 1996 the family moved to Castlegar, Galway City, the native home of his mother.
• Primary education was in Tullamore and secondary education was in Carraroe before studying for the priesthood for the Archdiocese of Tuam in Saint Patrick’s College, Maynooth in 1984. In 1987 he completed a B.Sc. in NUI Maynooth, a B.D. in the Pontifical University in 1990, an S.T.L. in Biblical Theology in 1992 and a H.Dip. in Education in NUI Galway in 1993.
• Ordination to the priesthood was in Séipéal Mhic Dara, An Cheathrú Rua on 16 June 1991 by Archbishop Joseph Cassidy. While studying for the H.Dip. in Education in Galway he was curate in An Tulach, Baile na hAbhann, Conamara from 1992-1993. From 1993-2006 he taught Science, Irish and Religion at the diocesan college, Saint Jarlath’s College in Tuam, along with coaching basketball and hurling.
• In 2006 Archbishop Michael Neary appointed him chaplain to Saint Jarlath’s College and diocesan secretary. During that time he also worked in the area of communications, vocations promotion and served as editor of the Tuam Diocesan Magazine, New Dawn. In recent years he joined the Communications Council of the Irish Episcopal Conference.
• Bishop-elect Monahan is a fluent Irish speaker and enjoys the outdoor life, hill walking, jogging, cycling, swimming and gardening.
