(Vatican Radio) Vatican Weekend for June 25, 2016 features full coverage of the first two days of the Apostolic visit of Pope Francis to Armenia where he arrived on Friday to begin his 14th apostolic journey abroad. Armenia is a landlocked mountainous nation which borders with to the west Turkey, to the East Azerbaijan, to the north Georgia and to the South Iran. He was welcomed there by the President of the nation’s Republic Serzh Sargsyn and the Catholicos of All Armenia Karekin II.Listen to a programme presented and produced by Veronica Scarisbrick: This visit of Pope Francis to the first country ever to adopt Christianity as a state religion sports a logo which highlights this historic factor along with the dates of the journey which are the 24th to the 26th of June. It’s a circular logo divided in half by two colours, yellow for the Vatican and purple for the Armenian city of Etchmiadzin,seat of the Armenian Apostolic Church where Po...
(Vatican Radio) Vatican Weekend for June 25, 2016 features full coverage of the first two days of the Apostolic visit of Pope Francis to Armenia where he arrived on Friday to begin his 14th apostolic journey abroad. Armenia is a landlocked mountainous nation which borders with to the west Turkey, to the East Azerbaijan, to the north Georgia and to the South Iran. He was welcomed there by the President of the nation’s Republic Serzh Sargsyn and the Catholicos of All Armenia Karekin II.
Listen to a programme presented and produced by Veronica Scarisbrick:
This visit of Pope Francis to the first country ever to adopt Christianity as a state religion sports a logo which highlights this historic factor along with the dates of the journey which are the 24th to the 26th of June. It’s a circular logo divided in half by two colours, yellow for the Vatican and purple for the Armenian city of Etchmiadzin,seat of the Armenian Apostolic Church where Pope Francis is staying as a guest of the Catholicos Karekin II.
Within the design one can spy the outlines of two significant places in Armenia, snow capped Mount Ararat with its biblical connotations and the Monastery of Kor Virap located on its slopes. A monastery Pope Francis will also visit on Sunday and where Gregory the Illuminator credited for the conversion of this nation to Christianity in 301, so at the beginning of the fourth century, was once held prisoner at the bottom of a well.
(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis on Saturday urged young people in Armenia to be active peacemakers in a world suffering from persecutions and conflict. Speaking at an open air prayer service in Yerevan to leaders of all the Churches in Armenia, the Pope called on people of faith to abandon “rigid opinions and personal interests”, showing instead humility and generosity on the path towards full Christian unity.Philippa Hitchen reports: During the prayer service for peace in Yerevan’s central Republic Square, the leader of the Armenian Apostolic Church, to which most believers in the country belong, Catholicos Karekin II spoke bluntly about the suffering and conflicts that plague the Caucasus region today. He recalled the fighting that flared again last April in the contested Republic of Nagorno-Karabakh where, he said, “Armenian villages were bombarded”, killing both soldiers and civilians.The Patriarch also talked again about the Armenian genocide ...
(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis on Saturday urged young people in Armenia to be active peacemakers in a world suffering from persecutions and conflict. Speaking at an open air prayer service in Yerevan to leaders of all the Churches in Armenia, the Pope called on people of faith to abandon “rigid opinions and personal interests”, showing instead humility and generosity on the path towards full Christian unity.
Philippa Hitchen reports:
During the prayer service for peace in Yerevan’s central Republic Square, the leader of the Armenian Apostolic Church, to which most believers in the country belong, Catholicos Karekin II spoke bluntly about the suffering and conflicts that plague the Caucasus region today. He recalled the fighting that flared again last April in the contested Republic of Nagorno-Karabakh where, he said, “Armenian villages were bombarded”, killing both soldiers and civilians.
The Patriarch also talked again about the Armenian genocide a century ago, noting how countries including Germany, an ally of Turkey during the First World War, have recently moved to recognize the atrocities as a key step towards peace and reconciliation in the region.
Pope Francis, in his words to the Christian leaders, also spoke of that “immense and senseless slaughter”, saying it is not only right, but also a duty to keep the memory of that tragedy alive. But memory, he insisted, must be transformed by love and by the driving force of faith to sow seeds of peace for the future. Memory, infused with love, he said, becomes capable of setting out on new and unexpected paths, where designs of hatred become projects of reconciliation
The Pope also spoke of the wars and conflicts in the Middle East today, fueled by the proliferation of weapons and by the arms trade. Adressing the young people present in the windswept square, he urged them to become peacemakers, “actively engaged in building a culture of encounter and reconciliation”.
Citing a famous 12th century Armenian figure, Catholicos Nerses IV, remembered as a champion of efforts towards church unity, Pope Francis said Christians must find the courage to abandon rigid opinions and personal interests in order to “heal memories and bind up past wounds”. He urged Armenians to work with humility and generosity for a peaceful society, based on dignified employment for all, care for those most in need and the elimination of corruption.
At the end of the prayer service, the Pope and the Patriarch watered seedlings of a vine planted by young Armenians in a model of Noah's Ark, believed to have come to rest after the great flood on the slopes of Mount Ararat, whose snow capped peaks dominate the eastern part of the country
Please find below the English translation of Pope Francis’ address at the Ecumenical Prayer Vigil for Peace in Yerevan
Venerable and Dear Brother, Supreme Patriarch-Catholicos of All Armenians,
Mr President, Dear Brothers and Sisters,
God’s blessing and peace be with all of you!
I have greatly desired to visit this beloved land, your country, the first to embrace the Christian faith. It is a grace for me to find myself here on these heights where, beneath the gaze of Mount Ararat, the very silence seems to speak. Here the khatchkar – the stone crosses – recount a singular history bound up with rugged faith and immense suffering, a history replete with magnificent testimonies to the Gospel, to which you are heir. I have come as a pilgrim from Rome to be with you and to express my heartfelt affection: the affection of your brother and the fraternal embrace of the whole Catholic Church, which esteems you and is close to you.
In recent years the visits and meetings between our Churches, always cordial and often memorable, have, thank God, increased. Providence has willed that on this day commemorating the Holy Apostles of Christ we meet once again to confirm the apostolic communion between us. I am most grateful to God for the “real and profound unity” between our Churches (cf. JOHN PAUL II, Ecumenical Celebration, Yerevan, 26 September 2001: Insegnamenti XXIV/2 [2001], 466), and I thank you for your often heroic fidelity to the Gospel, which is a priceless gift for all Christians. Our presence here is not an exchange of ideas, but of gifts (cf. ID., Ut Unum Sint, 28): we are reaping what the Spirit has sown in us as a gift for each (cf. Evangelii Gaudium, 246). With great joy, we are walking together on a journey that has already taken us far, and we look confidently towards the day when by God’s help we shall be united around the altar of Christ’s sacrifice in the fullness of Eucharistic communion. As we pursue that greatly desired goal, we are joined in a common pilgrimage; we walk with one another with “sincere trust in our fellow pilgrims, putting aside all suspicion and mistrust” (ibid., 244).
On this journey, we have been preceded by, and walk with, many witnesses, particularly all those martyrs who sealed our common faith in Christ by their blood. They are our stars in heaven, shining upon us here below and pointing out the path towards full communion. Among the great Fathers, I would mention the saintly Catholicos Nerses Shnorhali. He showed an extraordinary love for his people and their traditions, as well as a lively concern for other Churches. Tireless in seeking unity, he sought to achieve Christ’s will that those who believe “may all be one” (Jn 17:21). Unity does not have to do with strategic advantages sought out of mutual self-interest. Rather, it is what Jesus requires of us and what we ourselves must strive to attain with good will, constant effort and consistent witness, in the fulfilment of our mission of bringing the Gospel to the world.
To realize this necessary unity, Saint Nerses tells us that in the Church more is required than the good will of a few: everyone’s prayer is needed. It is beautiful that we have gathered here to pray for one another and with one another. It is above all the gift of prayer that I come this evening to ask of you. For my part, I assure you that, in offering the bread and cup at the altar, I will not fail to present to the Lord the Church of Armenia and your dear people.
Saint Nerses spoke of the need to grow in mutual love, since charity alone can heal memories and bind up past wounds. Memory alone erases prejudices and makes us see that openness to our brothers and sisters can purify and elevate our own convictions. For the sainted Catholicos, the journey towards unity necessarily involves imitating the love of Christ, who, “though he was rich” (2 Cor 8:9), “humbled himself” (Phil 2:8). Following Christ’s example, we are called to find the courage needed to abandon rigid opinions and personal interests in the name of the love that bends low and bestows itself, in the name of the humble love that is the blessed oil of the Christian life, the precious spiritual balm that heals, strengthens and sanctifies. “Let us make up for our shortcomings in harmony and charity”, wrote Saint Nerses (Lettere del Signore Nerses Shnorhali, Catholicos degli Armeni, Venice, 1873, 316), and even – he suggested – with a particular gentleness of love capable of softening the hardness of the heart of Christians, for they too are often concerned only with themselves and their own advantage. Humble and generous love, not the calculation of benefits, attracts the mercy of the Father, the blessing of Christ and the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. By praying and “loving one another deeply from the heart” (cf. 1 Pet 1:22), in humility and openness of spirit, we prepare ourselves to receive God’s gift of unity. Let us pursue our journey with determination; indeed, let us race towards our full communion!
“Peace I give to you. Not as the world gives it, do I give it to you” (Jn 14:27). We have heard these words of the Gospel, which invite us to implore from God that peace that the world struggles to achieve. How many obstacles are found today along the path of peace, and how tragic the consequences of wars! I think of all those forced to leave everything behind, particularly in the Middle East, where so many of our brothers and sisters suffer violence and persecution on account of hatred and interminable conflicts. Those conflicts are fueled by the proliferation of weapons and by the arms trade, by the temptation to resort to force and by lack of respect for the human person, especially for the weak, the poor and those who seek only a dignified life.
Nor can I fail to think of the terrible trials that your own people experienced. A century has just passed from the “Great Evil” unleashed upon you. This “immense and senseless slaughter” (Greeting, Mass for Faithful of the Armenian Rite, 12 April 2015), this tragic mystery of iniquity that your people experienced in the flesh, remains impressed in our memory and burns in our hearts. Here I would again state that your sufferings are our own: “they are the sufferings of the members of Christ’s Mystical Body” (JOHN PAUL II, Apostolic Letter on the 1700th Anniversary of the Baptism of the Armenian People, 4: Insegnamenti XXIV/1 [2001], 275). Not to forget them is not only right, it is a duty. May they be a perennial warning lest the world fall back into the maelstrom of similar horrors!
At the same time, I recall with admiration how the Christian faith, “even at the most tragic moments of Armenian history, was the driving force that marked the beginning of your suffering people’s rebirth” (ibid., 276). That is your true strength, which enables you to be open to the mysterious and saving path of Easter. Wounds still open, caused by fierce and senseless hatred, can in some way be configured to the wounds of the risen Christ, those wounds that were inflicted upon him and that he bears even now impressed on his flesh. He showed those glorious wounds to the disciples on the evening of Easter (cf. Jn 20:20). Those terrible, painful wounds suffered on the cross, transfigured by love, have become a wellspring of forgiveness and peace. Even the greatest pain, transformed by the saving power of the cross, of which Armenians are heralds and witnesses, can become a seed of peace for the future.
Memory, infused with love, becomes capable of setting out on new and unexpected paths, where designs of hatred become projects of reconciliation, where hope arises for a better future for everyone, where “blessed are the peacemakers” (Mt 5:9). We would all benefit from efforts to lay the foundations of a future that will resist being caught up in the illusory power of vengeance, a future of constant efforts to create the conditions for peace: dignified employment for all, care for those in greatest need, and the unending battle to eliminate corruption.
Dear young people, this future belongs to you. Cherish the great wisdom of your elders and strive to be peacemakers: not content with the status quo, but actively engaged in building the culture of encounter and reconciliation. May God bless your future and “grant that the people of Armenia and Turkey take up again the path of reconciliation, and may peace also spring forth in Nagorno Karabakh (Message to the Armenians, 12 April 2015).
In this perspective, I would like lastly to mention another great witness and builder of Christ’s peace, Saint Gregory of Narek, whom I have proclaimed a Doctor of the Church. He could also be defined as a “Doctor of Peace”. Thus he wrote in the extraordinary Book that I like to consider the “spiritual constitution of the Armenian people”: “Remember [Lord,] those of the human race who are our enemies as well, and for their benefit accord them pardon and mercy… Do not destroy those who persecute me, but reform them; root out the vile ways of this world, and plant the good in me and them” (Book of Lamentations, 83, 1-2). Narek, “profoundly conscious of sharing in every need” (ibid., 3, 2), sought also to identify with the weak and sinners of every time and place in order to intercede on behalf of all (cf. ibid., 31, 3; 32, 1; 47, 2). He became “the intercessor of the whole world” (ibid., 28, 2). This, his universal solidarity with humanity, is a great Christian message of peace, a heartfelt plea of mercy for all. Armenians are present in so many countries of the world; from here, I wish fraternally to embrace everyone. I encourage all of you, everywhere, to give voice to this desire for fellowship, to be “ambassadors of peace” (JOHN PAUL II, Apostolic Letter for the 1700th anniversary of the Baptism of the Armenian People, 7: Insegnamenti XXIV/1 [2001], 278). The whole world needs this message, it needs your presence, it needs your purest witness. Kha’ra’rutiun amenetzun! (Peace to you!).
(Vatican Radio) In Sharjah, the St Michael’s Catholic Church on Wednesday hosted iftar, the meal eaten by Muslims after sunset during Ramadan, for some 500 labourers and other guests for the first time in its decades-long history.Parish Priest Father Varghese Chempoly said: “We wanted to show the spirit of unity and brotherhood practised in the UAE. Our prayer is to protect this country and guide its leaders. We also took the iftar initiative in line with the declaration of Pope Francis of 2016 as the Year of Mercy.”He added that another inspiration behind the iftar was the parish youth who reach out to the poor every Ramadan. Fr. Wissam Al Massadeh, assistant priest at St. Michael’s Church, took an initiative to send youth to traffic signals every day at 6 pm to distribute dates and water to the motorists. Many of them were very pleased to know that it was an initiative of the Catholic Church.“We’re so happy to welcome our Muslim brethren...
(Vatican Radio) In Sharjah, the St Michael’s Catholic Church on Wednesday hosted iftar, the meal eaten by Muslims after sunset during Ramadan, for some 500 labourers and other guests for the first time in its decades-long history.
Parish Priest Father Varghese Chempoly said: “We wanted to show the spirit of unity and brotherhood practised in the UAE. Our prayer is to protect this country and guide its leaders. We also took the iftar initiative in line with the declaration of Pope Francis of 2016 as the Year of Mercy.”
He added that another inspiration behind the iftar was the parish youth who reach out to the poor every Ramadan. Fr. Wissam Al Massadeh, assistant priest at St. Michael’s Church, took an initiative to send youth to traffic signals every day at 6 pm to distribute dates and water to the motorists. Many of them were very pleased to know that it was an initiative of the Catholic Church.
“We’re so happy to welcome our Muslim brethren for iftar,” said Fr. Varghese. “For most of the workers, who came from different labour accommodations, it was their first time in a church,” he added.
“It is doubly a new experience for me as I’ve never been to a church before and never had iftar as a guest of another faith. I’m so honoured to be here today and their hospitality is lovely,” said Abdul Razak, 25, a welder from India.
Vijay Varghese, a parishioner who has been regularly going to the church for 20 years, said “the response to the iftar was ‘tremendous’. This invite to the church has been received so well, it shows the spirit of togetherness of the UAE.”
Religious figures spoke on interfaith harmony shortly before iftar. The guests also received gift bags after iftar.
There have also been reports of the Sikh and the Hindu communities in the Gulf nation, hosting the ‘iftar’ during Ramadan to demonstrate the spirit of tolerance and peaceful coexistence in the country. Religious leaders of different faiths have praised the UAE leadership and community for nurturing an environment where diversity is respected and welcomed.
Yerevan, Jun 25, 2016 / 10:56 am (CNA/EWTN News).- Working toward full communion is a project of love, humility and peace, Pope Francis told Armenian Orthodox leaders gathered at an ecumenical meeting on Saturday.“With great joy, we are walking together on a journey that has already taken us far, and we look confidently towards the day when by God’s help we shall be united around the altar of Christ’s sacrifice in the fullness of Eucharistic communion,” he said.About 95 percent of Armenia’s 3 million people practice Christianity. Of those Christians, about 92 percent belong to the Armenian Apostolic Church, which is in communion with the other Oriental Orthodox Churches.Pope Francis, together with the Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos Karekin II, the leader of the Armenian Apostolic Church, offered prayers and remarks on peace and unity in the Armenian city of Yerevan during the Holy Father’s visit to the country.“On this journey, we have bee...
Yerevan, Jun 25, 2016 / 10:56 am (CNA/EWTN News).- Working toward full communion is a project of love, humility and peace, Pope Francis told Armenian Orthodox leaders gathered at an ecumenical meeting on Saturday.
“With great joy, we are walking together on a journey that has already taken us far, and we look confidently towards the day when by God’s help we shall be united around the altar of Christ’s sacrifice in the fullness of Eucharistic communion,” he said.
About 95 percent of Armenia’s 3 million people practice Christianity. Of those Christians, about 92 percent belong to the Armenian Apostolic Church, which is in communion with the other Oriental Orthodox Churches.
Pope Francis, together with the Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos Karekin II, the leader of the Armenian Apostolic Church, offered prayers and remarks on peace and unity in the Armenian city of Yerevan during the Holy Father’s visit to the country.
“On this journey, we have been preceded by, and walk with, many witnesses, particularly all those martyrs who sealed our common faith in Christ by their blood. They are our stars in heaven, shining upon us here below and pointing out the path towards full communion,” he said.
Francis particularly focused on the example Catholicos Nerses Shnorhali, a 12th century leader and saint of the Armenian Apostolic Church who showed a great love not only for his own people but also for those in other Churches, the Pope said.
Nerses understood that Christ desired the unity of all churches, Francis said, and he worked tirelessly to achieve that goal. He also understood the need to grow in mutual love in order to heal past wounds.
“Let us make up for our shortcomings in harmony and charity,” said Pope Francis, quoting Saint Nerses, “and even – (Nerses) suggested – with a particular gentleness of love capable of softening the hardness of the heart of Christians, for they too are often concerned only with themselves and their own advantage.”
By praying together in a spirit of love and humility, both Churches can prepare to receive God’s gift of unity, Pope Francis added.
“Let us pursue our journey with determination; indeed, let us race towards our full communion!”
Pope Francis and Catholicos Karekin II also both spoke of the need to work for peace in their addresses at the meeting. In attendance at the meeting were many refugees from neighboring countries of Azerbaijan, Syria, and Iraq, driven out of their countries by war, violence and terrorism.
In addition to the current conflicts in the Middle East, Pope Francis also recalled “the terrible trials” of the past century in Armenia, particularly the massacre of as many as 1.5 million Armenian Christians in 1915, which the Holy Father has referred to as a genocide.
Pope Francis’ June 24-26 trip to Armenia includes a time to pray at the Tzitzernakaberd Genocide Memorial Complex. He is the second Pope to visit Armenia, after Pope John Paul II who, in 2001, signed a joint declaration with Catholicos Karekin II, calling the 1915 massacres a genocide.
“Here I would again state that your sufferings are our own: ‘they are the sufferings of the members of Christ’s Mystical Body,’’ Pope Francis said in his address, quoting Pope John Paul II.
“At the same time, I recall with admiration how the Christian faith, even at the most tragic moments of Armenian history, was the driving force that marked the beginning of your suffering people’s rebirth,” Francis added.
“Those terrible, painful wounds suffered on the cross, transfigured by love, have become a wellspring of forgiveness and peace. Even the greatest pain, transformed by the saving power of the cross, of which Armenians are heralds and witnesses, can become a seed of peace for the future.”
Pope Francis also recalled the peaceful witness of the Armenian Saint Gregory of Narek, whom the Holy Father declared a Doctor of the Church last year.
“He could also be defined as a ‘Doctor of Peace,’ Francis said.
“Narek… sought also to identify with the weak and sinners of every time and place in order to intercede on behalf of all. He became ‘the intercessor of the whole world.’ This, his universal solidarity with humanity, is a great Christian message of peace, a heartfelt plea of mercy for all,” the Pope said.
“The whole world needs this message, it needs your presence, it needs your purest witness. Kha’ra’rutiun amenetzun! (Peace to you!).”
LAKE ISABELLA, Calif. (AP) -- A voracious and deadly wildfire in central California has burned 150 homes and the toll may rise, fire officials said Saturday....
LAKE ISABELLA, Calif. (AP) -- A voracious and deadly wildfire in central California has burned 150 homes and the toll may rise, fire officials said Saturday....
YEREVAN, Armenia (AP) -- The world should never forget or minimize the Ottoman-era slaughter of Armenians, Pope Francis declared Saturday even as he urged Armenians to infuse their collective memory with love so they can find peace and reconcile with Turkey....
YEREVAN, Armenia (AP) -- The world should never forget or minimize the Ottoman-era slaughter of Armenians, Pope Francis declared Saturday even as he urged Armenians to infuse their collective memory with love so they can find peace and reconcile with Turkey....
MOGADISHU, Somalia (AP) -- Gunmen stormed a hotel in Somalia's seaside capital Saturday, taking guests hostage and "shooting at everyone they could see," before security forces pursued the grenade-throwing assailants to the top floor and ended the hours-long assault, police and witnesses said. At least 14 people were killed....
MOGADISHU, Somalia (AP) -- Gunmen stormed a hotel in Somalia's seaside capital Saturday, taking guests hostage and "shooting at everyone they could see," before security forces pursued the grenade-throwing assailants to the top floor and ended the hours-long assault, police and witnesses said. At least 14 people were killed....
(Vatican Radio) During the afternoon of his second day in Armenia, Pope Francis’s schedule included a visit to the Armenian Apostolic Cathedral and to the Armenian Catholic Cathedral in the city of Gyumri, the second most populous city of the Nation.Listen to the report by Linda Bordoni: After morning an open-air Mass in Gyumri’s central Square and lunch at a convent, the Pope travelled to the airport to board the plane taking him back to Yerevan for an event featuring an Ecumenical Encounter and a Prayer for Peace in the capital city’s Republic Square.On the way, a first stop took him to the Apostolic Armenian Cathedral of the Holy Mother of God.Here Pope Francis and Catholicos Karekin II were to be greeted by Armenian Apostolic Bishops and by a small group of disabled people and Syrian refugees. After praying in silence before the Marian Icon of the Seven Wounds and venerating the Crucifix together with the Catholicos, the Pope was to impart his Apostolic ...
(Vatican Radio) During the afternoon of his second day in Armenia, Pope Francis’s schedule included a visit to the Armenian Apostolic Cathedral and to the Armenian Catholic Cathedral in the city of Gyumri, the second most populous city of the Nation.
Listen to the report by Linda Bordoni:
After morning an open-air Mass in Gyumri’s central Square and lunch at a convent, the Pope travelled to the airport to board the plane taking him back to Yerevan for an event featuring an Ecumenical Encounter and a Prayer for Peace in the capital city’s Republic Square.
On the way, a first stop took him to the Apostolic Armenian Cathedral of the Holy Mother of God.
Here Pope Francis and Catholicos Karekin II were to be greeted by Armenian Apostolic Bishops and by a small group of disabled people and Syrian refugees.
After praying in silence before the Marian Icon of the Seven Wounds and venerating the Crucifix together with the Catholicos, the Pope was to impart his Apostolic Blessing.
The Apostolic Armenian Cathedral is known also as the Seven Wounds of the Holy Mother of God. Located in Vartanants Square, it is the seat of the Diocese of Shirak .
The church is topped with a large dome at the center surrounded with 2 minor domes. Unlike other Armenian churches, the altar at the Holy Mother of God is unique for its multi-iconic decoration. The church remained active during the Soviet years. After the 1988 Spitak earthquake, the building was restored after independence thanks to the contribution of Armenian benefactors who had emigrated to Argentina. The two minor domes that fell down during the earthquake were replaced with new ones and tthe fallen domes are currently placed in the church yard.
The second Cathedral Pope Francis to receive the Pope’s visit on Friday afternoon is the Armenian Catholic Cathedral of the Holy Martyrs.
Here, the Pope and the Catholicos are greeted at the main entrance of the church by Archbishop Raphael Francois Minassian, the Ordinary of Eastern Europe for Armenian Catholics and by the Parish Priest .
Awaiting them inside the small cathedral, a group of benefactors of the Armenian Catholic Church.
The Cathedral is the seat of the Ordinariate for Armenia, Georgia, Russia, and Eastern Europe of the Armenian Catholic Church. Construction for the building began in December 2010 and was completed in 2015.
The cathedral was originally to be named "Holy Cross", but was changed to "Holy Martyrs" in effort to pay tribute to the victims of the Armenian Genocide.
(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis on Saturday appointed a new bishop to the Diocese of Guntur in southern India’s Andhra Pradesh state. Fr. Bhagyaiah Chinnabathini, a parish priest from the Diocese of Nalgonda, in the neighboring state of Telangana, is the new bishop of Guntur. The 60-yeaer old priest takes over from Bishop Gali Bali, who has retired.Fr. Chinnabathini priest was born on Sept, 19, 1956, at Motakondur-Yadagirigutta Mandal. After attending the minor seminary of Warangal he pursued philosophical and theological studies at St. John’s Regional Seminary di Hyderabad. He has a Master’s degree in Literature from Osmania University, Hyderabad, and another Master’s in Education from Annamalai University, Chennai. Following his priestly ordination on May 3, 1983, he served Nalgonda Diocese and abroad in various capacities, such as assistant parish priest at St. Mary’s Church, Lingampally (19...
(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis on Saturday appointed a new bishop to the Diocese of Guntur in southern India’s Andhra Pradesh state. Fr. Bhagyaiah Chinnabathini, a parish priest from the Diocese of Nalgonda, in the neighboring state of Telangana, is the new bishop of Guntur. The 60-yeaer old priest takes over from Bishop Gali Bali, who has retired.
Fr. Chinnabathini priest was born on Sept, 19, 1956, at Motakondur-Yadagirigutta Mandal. After attending the minor seminary of Warangal he pursued philosophical and theological studies at St. John’s Regional Seminary di Hyderabad. He has a Master’s degree in Literature from Osmania University, Hyderabad, and another Master’s in Education from Annamalai University, Chennai.
Following his priestly ordination on May 3, 1983, he served Nalgonda Diocese and abroad in various capacities, such as assistant parish priest at St. Mary’s Church, Lingampally (1983-1985); Annunciation Church, Silveru, and Christ the King Church, Jedcherla (1985-1987); Sacred Heart Church, Bhirmaram (1987-1991) and Holy Rosary Church, Kethepally (1991-1994). Fr. Chinnabathini also served in Germany as chaplain at Herford (1994-1995). Back in his diocese, he became director of the Kolping Centre and was in charge of the Diocesan Youth Centre. (1995-2002). Subsequently he was appointed parish priest of St. Joseph’s Church, Kodad (2002-2003); assistant parish priest in a parish in England in (2003-2005); parish priest in a parish Germany (2006-2007); parish priest at St. Mary’s Church, Hannover, Germany (2007-2011). Since 2011, Fr. Chinnabathini has been parish priest at the Infant Jesus Shrine di Miryalaguda, Diocesi di Nalgonda.
Guntur Diocese, which Fr. Chinnabathini will be heading soon, is a suffragan of the Metropolitan Archdiocese of Visakhapatnam.
Rome, Italy, Jun 25, 2016 / 06:02 am (CNA/EWTN News).- What is Benedict XVI's own view of his historical resignation? What has the fall-out been from his secretary Archbishop Georg Gänswein's controversial remark on an “expanded petrine office”? What about the “Prophesy of Malachy,” which allegedly sees Francis as the last pontiff?In a recent and candid conversation, veteran journalist and EWTN Rome correspondent Paul Badde sat down with Archbishop Gänswein, who gave his take on these and a number of other questions.The German archbishop currently serves Pope Francis as Prefect of the Papal Household, and has also maintained his duties as secretary for retired pontiff Benedict XVI.'Nature had spoken'When a massive lightning strike lit up the top of Saint Peter's dome on the evening of Feb. 11, 2013, many observers chose to interpret this as a divine reaction to the historical announcement of Pope Benedict's resignation, made ...
Rome, Italy, Jun 25, 2016 / 06:02 am (CNA/EWTN News).- What is Benedict XVI's own view of his historical resignation? What has the fall-out been from his secretary Archbishop Georg Gänswein's controversial remark on an “expanded petrine office”? What about the “Prophesy of Malachy,” which allegedly sees Francis as the last pontiff?
In a recent and candid conversation, veteran journalist and EWTN Rome correspondent Paul Badde sat down with Archbishop Gänswein, who gave his take on these and a number of other questions.
The German archbishop currently serves Pope Francis as Prefect of the Papal Household, and has also maintained his duties as secretary for retired pontiff Benedict XVI.
'Nature had spoken'
When a massive lightning strike lit up the top of Saint Peter's dome on the evening of Feb. 11, 2013, many observers chose to interpret this as a divine reaction to the historical announcement of Pope Benedict's resignation, made that very morning. As his personal secretary, Archbishop Gänswein, reminisced about how both he and Benedict only found out about the lightning strike after the event. “The impression was one of a sign from above, a reaction,” he told Badde. When he showed Benedict images of the spectacular incident a few days later, the pope asked whether this was some kind of digital montage, Gänswein said, adding: “however, nature had spoken.”
How Pope Benedict sees his decision to resign today
Archbishop Gänswein spoke about the painful emotional impact of Benedict's farewell from the papal office and household. “Indeed, I found myself compelled to openly cry,” he said. However, with three years having passed since, “there has been a lot of reflection, personal reflection included.”
He affirmed that “Pope Benedict was – and to this day all the more is – very much at peace with his decision to resign, and that it was the right step to take. That helped me personally to overcome my initial resistance and accept what Pope Benedict truly realized after much struggle and prayer, what he found to be the right thing and then decided on.”
Benedict's greatest joys since retiring, Gänswein said, are “to have time for prayer, for reflection and reading – but also for personal encounters,” despite also living “the life of a monk” in the monastery he now resides in.
An 'Expanded Petrine Office?'
There are a number of cardinals, Paul Badde said during the interview, that are “upset when hearing that the Church currently has two living successors to Peter. Recently you spoke about an expanded petrine office, that Pope Benedict is said to have introduced. Could you explain that a bit further?”
“I saw from among the reactions that I was imputed to have said a number of things that I did not say. Of course, Pope Francis is the legitimate and legitimately elected pope,” Archbishop Gänswein said.
“Any talk of two popes, one legitimate, one illegitimate, is therefore incorrect.” What he did in fact say, Archbishop Gänswein added, was that Benedict continues to be present in prayer and sacrifice, which bears spiritual fruit.
The archbishop also dismissed any talk of problems or even some form of rivalry. “When applying common sense, faith and a little theology, that should be clear.”
The 'Prophecy of the Popes'
During the interview, Paul Badde referenced an old alleged prophecy that has recently gained traction in some clerical discussions: The “Prophesy of the Popes.” Also known as the “Prophesy of Malachy,” the prediction is attributed to Saint Philipp Neri – according to which, Pope Francis may be considered to be the last pope.
“Indeed, when looking at the prophecy, and considering how there was always a sound reference to popes mentioned in its history – that gives me the shivers,” Archbishop Gänswein admitted.
Although Catholics aren't required to accept the prophecy, “speaking from historical experience, one has to say: Yes, it is a wake-up call.”