Catholic News 2

(Vatican Radio) Also on Friday, Pope Francis appointed Indian Archbishop Francis Assisi Chullikatt Apostolic Nuncio to Kyrgyzstan, a former Soviet republic in central Asia.   Archbishop Chullikatt who is already Apostolic Nuncio to Kazakhstan and Tajikistan, based in Kazakh capital Astana, was the Holy See’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations in New York from 2010 to 2014.   Before that, the 63 year old prelate from southern Indian’s Kerala state served as Apostolic Nuncio to Jordan and Iraq.   He entered the diplomatic service of the Holy See in 1988 and served in the Holy See’s missions in Honduras, in various countries of southern Africa, in the Philippines, at the UN and in the Secretariat of State in the Vatican. 

Full Article

With less than a month to the 17th Plenary Assembly of the Symposium of Episcopal Conferences of Africa and Madagascar (SECAM), preparations are underway to bring together over 100 delegates in the Angolan capital of Luanda.

The theme of the Plenary is “The family in Africa, yesterday, today, and tomorrow: in the light of the gospel.”

According to the provisional program emailed to invited participants, members of SECAM’ Standing Committee will meet on Monday, 18 July, ahead of the plenary scheduled to open officially with the celebration of the Holy Eucharist at the Holy Family Parish in Luanda.

SECAM President, Archbishop Gabriel Mbilingi of Lubango, Angola, is scheduled to preside over the deliberations.

New pastoral challenges facing the African family today and finding new ways of evangelising the families; the influence of modern media and new ideologies on the family in Africa today; making SECAM stronger and a more committed family of God on the continent are among topics lined up for presentation and discussion.

The 17th Plenary of SECAM is scheduled to close officially on 24 July with the celebration of the Holy Eucharist.

Held every three years, the Plenary Assembly “is the highest body of SECAM and, as such, defines major policies and guidelines.” Launched officially in 1969 by Pope Paul VI in Uganda during the first-ever visit of a Pope to Africa, SECAM will be 50 years old in 2019.

Delegate Cardinals, Archbishops, and Bishops from across Africa, Secretaries General from regional and national Bishops’ conferences, SECAM staff, and representatives of some Church funding organisations, are among the expected participants at the week-long plenary.

(By Father Don Bosco Onyalla, CANAA in Nairobi)

Email: engafrica@vatiradio.va

Full Article

Yerevan, Jun 24, 2016 / 07:24 am (CNA/EWTN News).- Praying at the main cathedral of the Armenian Apostolic Church at the start of his three-day visit to the Caucasus nation, Pope Francis praised the “spirit of ecumenism,” and its role in promoting human dignity against “grave forms of material and spiritual poverty.”

“We offer to the world – which so urgently needs it – a convincing witness that Christ is alive and at work, capable of opening new paths of reconciliation among the nations, civilizations and religions,” the Pope said Friday. “We offer a credible witness that God is love and mercy.”

The Pope made these remarks during his visit to the St. Etchmiadzin cathedral at the invitation of Karekin II, the supreme head of the Armenian Apostolic Church. It is believed to be the oldest cathedral in the world.

The Armenian Apostolic Church, Armenia's national church, is an Oriental Orthodox Church to which 93 percent of the population belongs.

“When our actions are prompted by the power of Christ’s love, understanding and reciprocal esteem grow,” Francis said, “a fruitful ecumenical journey becomes possible, and all people of goodwill, and society as a whole, are shown a concrete way to harmonize the conflicts that rend civil life and create divisions that prove hard to heal.”

The “spirit of ecumenism,” he explained, “prevents the exploitation and manipulation of faith.” This is because “requires us to rediscover faith’s authentic roots, and to communicate, defend and spread truth with respect for the dignity of every human being and in ways that reveal the presence of the love and salvation we wish to spread.”

The visit to Saint Etchmiadzin cathedral, the mother church of the Armenian Apostolic Church, is the first major stop on Pope Francis' June 24-26 visit to the Caucasus nation.

Following a greeting by Catholicos Karekin II, Pope Francis Francis expressed his gratitude for the invitation to visit Saint Etchmiadzin, along with the bishops and archbishops of the Armenian Apostolic Church.

The Pope reflected on the nation's Christian legacy, saying he thanked God “for the light of faith kindled” in Armenia, which has given it a “particular identity and made it a herald of Christ among the nations.”

“Christ is your glory and your light. He is the sun who has illuminated and enlivened you, accompanied and sustained you, especially in times of trial.”

In 301 A.D., Armenia became the first nation to establish Christianity as its state religion, “at a time when persecutions still raged throughout the Roman Empire,” the pontiff recalled.

“For Armenia, faith in Christ has not been like a garment to be donned or doffed as circumstances or convenience dictate,” he said. Rather, it is “an essential part of its identity, a gift of immense significance, to be accepted with joy, preserved with great effort and strength, even at the cost of life itself.”

This “luminous testimony of faith,” the Pope said, “is a shining example of the great efficacy and fruitfulness of the baptism received over seventeen hundred years ago, together with the eloquent and holy sign of martyrdom, which has constantly accompanied the history of your people.”

Francis turned to the dialogue between the Catholic Church and the Armenian Apostolic Church, and acknowledged the steps that have been taken over the years under the pontificates of St. John Paul II and Benedict XVI.

Included among these are the consignment of the relic of Saint Gregory the Illuminator for the new Cathedral of Yerevan, and the joint declaration between St. John Paul II and Karekin II.

“May the Holy Spirit help us to attain the unity for which our Lord prayed, so that his disciples may be one and the world may believe,” he said.

The pontiff decried the divisions and conflicts in the world, along with “grave forms of material and spiritual poverty, including the exploitation of persons, not least children and the elderly.”

“It expects from Christians a witness of mutual esteem and fraternal cooperation capable of revealing to every conscience the power and truth of Christ’s resurrection,” he said.

Joint initiatives and cooperation in the context of a commitment to unity, therefore, serve the common good, the Pope said.

“All these are like a radiant light in a dark night and a summons to experience even our differences in an attitude of charity and mutual understanding.”

He closed his address by invoking the intercession of Mary, St. Gregory the Illuminator, and doctor of the Church St. Gregory of Narek to “bless all of you and the entire Armenian nation.”

The Francis' visit to Armenia comes little over a hundred years after the 1915 Armenian genocide, during which some 1.5 million Christians were killed by the Ottoman Empire, and millions more displaced.

He is also the second pontiff to visit the Caucasus nation, after St. John Paul II's in 2001.

Full Article

IMAGE: CNS/Paul Haring

By Cindy Wooden

ABOARD THE PAPAL FLIGHT TO ARMENIA (CNS) -- Commenting on the peace agreement reached in Colombia, Pope Francis hailed the end of "more than 50 years of war and guerilla warfare and so much bloodshed."

Pope Francis told reporters flying with him to Armenia June 24 that he prayed Colombia would "never return to a state of war" again.

Although he usually does not answer questions on his flights from Rome to other countries, Pope Francis was asked by his spokesman, Jesuit Father Federico Lombardi, to comment on both the Colombia agreement and the results of a June 23 referendum in England on membership in the European Union.

The decision to leave the EU "was the will expressed by the people," the pope said.

The English decision, he said, "requires great responsibility on the part of all of us to guarantee the good of the people of the United Kingdom and the good and coexistence of the whole European continent."

After his brief response to the questions, Pope Francis returned to his normal routine on outbound flights, walking the length of the plane and personally greeting each of the almost 70 media representatives. He collected letters and books and signed a few autographs.

The Colombian government reached a cease-fire agreement June 23 with the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, known as FARC, ending 52 years of hostilities. The government and the Marxist guerillas have been in talks since 2012, reaching agreement on what the parties describe as five pillars.

The final pillar, the demobilization of the guerillas, was the most difficult to settle. The other pillars cover political participation, rural development, the illicit economy, and victims of the violence and were settled in earlier negotiations.

In the United Kingdom, voters June 23 decided to exit the EU by 52 percent to 48 percent. The decision sent a shock wave through world financial markets and led Prime Minister David Cameron to announce his resignation.

The referendum turnout was 71.8 percent as more than 30 million people went to the polls. It was the highest turnout in a UK-wide vote since the 1992 general election.

Voters in Great Britain and Wales decided strongly to leave the EU while residents of Northern Ireland and Scotland supported staying in the European bloc.

Britain has two years to complete the withdrawal process under EU rules.

- - -

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.

Full Article

IMAGE: CNS photo/Remo Casilli, Reuters

By Cindy Wooden

YEREVAN, Armenia (CNS) -- A solid, sorrow-tested Christian faith gives believers the strength to overcome even the most horrific adversity, forgive one's enemies and live in peace, Pope Francis said.

Arriving in Armenia June 24, Pope Francis went straight to the twin concerns of his three-day visit: Promoting Christian unity and honoring the determined survival of Armenian Christianity despite a historic massacre and decades of Soviet domination.

The high profile of the pope's ecumenical concern and the importance of faith in Armenian culture were highlighted by making the trip's first official appointment a visit to the cathedral of the Armenian Apostolic Church at Etchmiadzin.

The arrival ceremony at the airport was defined as informal, but featured a review of the troops and a greeting by a young boy and a young girl, who offered Pope Francis the traditional gifts of bread and salt. His entrance into Holy Etchmiadzin, as it commonly is known, was heralded with the pealing of church bells. As the pope and patriarch processed down the aisle between crowds of flag-waving faithful, a deacon led them, swinging an incense burner.

For the first two events on the papal itinerary, the English translations of the speeches of the pope's hosts -- the Armenian Orthodox patriarch and the country's president -- repeatedly used the word "genocide" to describe the deaths of 1.5 million Armenians at the hands of the Ottoman Turks between 1915 and 1918.

The pope's prepared text for his speech in Italian used the Armenian term "Metz Yeghern" or its Italian equivalent, "the Great Evil." However, when speaking, the pope added the Italian "genocidio."

Turkey objects to the term "genocide" and recalled its Vatican ambassador for about a year after Pope Francis in April 2015 quoted St. John Paul II in describing the massacre as the first genocide of the 20th century.

Pope Francis, visiting the Orthodox cathedral at Etchmiadzin and addressing government officials later at the presidential palace, did not focus on the tragedy, but on the faith of the country's 3 million people, the need for reconciliation and peace in the region and the role of Christians in showing the world that faith is a power for the good of humanity.

For both nights of his trip, Pope Francis was to be the houseguest of Catholicos Karekin II, patriarch of the Armenian Apostolic Church.

"This sign of love eloquently bespeaks, better than any words can do, the meaning of friendship and fraternal charity," the pope said.

In a world "marked by divisions and conflicts, as well as by grave forms of material and spiritual poverty," he said, people expect Christians to provide a witness and example of mutual esteem and close collaboration.

All examples of brotherly love and cooperation, despite real differences existing among Christians, the pope said, "radiate light in a dark night and a summons to experience even our differences in an attitude of charity and mutual understanding."

Besides being an example of how dialogue is the only way to settle differences, he said, "it also prevents the exploitation and manipulation of faith, for it requires us to rediscover faith's authentic roots," defending and spreading truth with respect for the human dignity of all.

Catholicos Karekin echoed the pope's emphasis on the importance of Christian cooperation "for keeping and cherishing Christian ethical values in the world (and) for strengthening love" which is the only path to true security and prosperity.

He told the pope, "after the destruction caused by the Armenian Genocide and the godless years of the Soviet era, our church is living a new spiritual awakening." Nearly 90 percent of Armenia's population belongs to the Armenian Apostolic Church; Catholics, mostly belonging to the Eastern-rite Armenian Catholic Church, make up almost 10 percent of the population.

At the presidential palace later, Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan praised Pope Francis for having used the word "genocide" a year ago. "We don't look for culprits. We don't spread accusations," he said, according to the English text given to reporters. "We simply want things to be called by their names."

While the pope and president were meeting privately, Armenian public television broadcast images from the Armenian memorial prayer service Pope Francis presided over at the Vatican last year. They included the clip of him using the word "genocide."

Pope Francis told the president and government officials, "Sadly that tragedy, that genocide was the first of the deplorable series of catastrophes of the past century made possible by twisted racial, ideological or religious aims" that extended to "planning the annihilation of entire peoples."

Unfortunately, he said, "the great international powers looked the other way."

"Having seen the depths of evil unleashed by "hatred, prejudice and the untrammeled desire for dominion," people must make renewed commitments to ensuring differences are resolved with dialogue, he said.

"In this regard, it is vitally important that all those who declare their faith in God join forces to isolate those who use religion to promote war, oppression and violent persecution, exploiting and manipulating the holy name of God," Pope Francis said.

At a time when Christians are again experiencing discrimination and persecution, he said, it is essential that world leaders make their primary goal "the quest for peace, the defense and acceptance of victims of aggression and persecution, (and) the promotion of justice and sustainable development."

- - -

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.

Full Article

Full Article

Full Article

Full Article

Full Article

Full Article