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(Vatican Radio) Following a new wave of violence engulfing the nation, bishops of the Central African Republic (CAR) have launched an appeal to all men and women of goodwill to “staunch the violence that is spreading like wildfire.” 

Noting that notwithstanding the accord signed between the government and armed groups on June 19, CAR bishops decry the fact that clashes have not ceased and over 100 people have been killed in the past weeks.

The recent deal, mediated by the Rome-based Catholic Saint Egidio Community was signed by Bangui government leaders and 13 of the 14 armed groups and aimed at ending a 4-year sectarian conflict that has killed thousands of people.

The bishops point out that all those killed – be they defenseless civilians, soldiers fighting on behalf of the government and members of an armed group – are all brothers and sisters of ours”.

They recall that also Caine and Abel were born in the same family and grew up and were educated with the same values, they were not saved from fratricidal violence.

“Is there a way out of the violence?” the bishops ask, “How can we heal an evil-orientated heart?” “How can we take responsibility before criminal acts and destruction?” “How can we build together a society in which no one causes another to suffer?”

According to the bishops “the cries of our brothers and sisters reach the Lord and He is asking us to change our perspective, our behavior and take responsibility for our actions” because welcome and collaboration are the high road towards true dialogue and sincere reconciliation”.

The bishops’ appeal came in a pastoral letter released during their Plenary Assembly which ended on June 25. It spoke also of the pain and frustration of the bishops themselves as they continue to witness the bloodshed of innocent people.

They say they are certain that “hatred and the spirit of revenge will not become an endless spiral of violence if the reciprocal effort is made to view each other as neighbors”.

“In order to overcome religious, political and social differences (…) the parties must disarm their hearts and stop being instruments of death”, overcoming the fear of the other and giving reconstruction and trust a chance, “putting talent and intelligence at the service of reconstruction and not of destruction” they say.

Finally, the bishops ask the people of CAR to “give the Institutions a chance to favor peace and economic development and ask leaders of all the parties involved to overcome ideological divisions and personal interests in the name of common good.

The letter concludes with a “thank you” to the international community and to all those who continue to lend their support in the painful journey towards peace and reconstruction. 

The conflict in CAR began when mainly Muslim Seleka fighters seized power and ousted then-President Francois Bozize, prompting reprisal killings from anti-balaka militias drawn from the Christian minority.

According to the UN the inter-religious and inter-communal conflict has led to between 3000 and 6000 death and displaced more than 450,000 others, majority of whom have fled to neighboring Cameroon.

The armed militia that did not attend the Rome meetings was one of the smaller ones, the “Retour Reclamation et Rehabilitation” or 3R.

A Saint Egidio spokesman added that its absence was due to logistical problems and that the other signatories were confident that they would be able to convince the group to join the pact.

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The heads of the member Churches of South Sudan’s Council of Churches (SSCC) have empathised with the people of South Sudan who fled their homes to take  refuge  in  Addis Ababa, Ethiopia as a result of the ongoing conflict in that country. The heads of SSCC were in Addis Ababa for a meeting when they paid a visit to the refugee settlement hosting South Sudanese nationals.

In a Pastoral message issued 23 June, the Church leaders highlighted several means  through which they have tried to encourage peace in the troubled nation. Since the armed conflict in South Sudan began, in December 2013, the SSCC have been deeply concerned  about the killings, rape, lootings and human rights abuses prevalent because of the conflict in that country.

According to the United Nations refugee agency, UNHCR, there are almost 2 million  internally displaced and close to a thousand refugees since the conflict started in 2013. The heads of SSCC in their recent Pastoral message, insist that differences between the warring factions be addressed through nonviolent means and that the rule of law be respected. In 2015, the Church leaders undertook a similar mission to Kigali in Rwanda where they determined to implement an action plan for peace, with the view to address the root causes of the conflict in the world’s youngest nation. The action plan is rooted on three pillars of Advocacy, Neutral Forums (dialogue) and Reconciliation.

During the recent meeting of SSCC in Addis Ababa, the heads of South Sudan’s Churches appreciated the enormous generosity of Ethiopia and its people in hosting the refugees.

“In a world where migrants are becoming increasingly unwelcome almost everywhere, Ethiopia shines out as a beacon of hope and of Gospel values,”  the Pastoral message reads in part.

The Pastoral message emphasises important questions as to how the Church can be a light in the situation and how the Church can give hope as she has the responsibility to be the voice of the voiceless. The message urges Ethiopia and other neighbours of South Sudan to continue to welcome those who seek sanctuary across borders. They further call upon the international community to continue their generous humanitarian assistance and plead that much more be done since the challenge is great and resources few. 

Having said this, the Church leaders reiterate what they have always said that there is no moral justification whatsoever for killings and atrocities happening in South Sudan since 2013.

The Pastoral message is signed by all the Christian leaders of South Sudan who comprise the South Sudan’s Council of Churches (SSCC).

(Collins Obidiagha, Vatican Radio)

Email: engafrica@vatiradio.va

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Vatican City, Jun 27, 2017 / 04:43 am (CNA/EWTN News).- On Tuesday Pope Francis said that the older generation should not stop striving in their spiritual lives, but that God calls them to be spiritual ‘grandparents’ to young people, who can learn from their experiences.

“And this is what the Lord today asks us: to be grandparents. To have the vitality to give to young people, because young people expect it from us; to not close ourselves, to give our best: they look for our experience, for our positive dreams to carry on the prophecy and the work.”

“I ask the Lord for all of us that he give us this grace,” the Pope said June 27.

Pope Francis said a special Mass June 27 in the Pauline Chapel of the Apostolic Palace to celebrate the 25th anniversary of his ordination as an auxiliary bishop of Buenos Aires in 1992.

The Mass was attended by the cardinals in Rome. This was the Pope's final morning Mass before the start of the usual summer break from morning activities. They will resume in September after he returns from his apostolic trip to Colombia.

For his homily, Francis preached on the day’s first reading, which contains the continuation of a dialogue between God and the now elderly Abraham. In this dialogue we hear three imperatives, the Pope said: “Get up! Look! Hope!”

Abraham, he said, was more or less the same age as those present when God called him.

“He was going to go into retirement, in retirement to rest... He started at that age. An old man, with the weight of old age, old age that brings pain, illness.... But you, as if you were a young man, get up, go go!”

“And to us today the Lord says the same: ‘Get up! Look! Hope!’ He tells us that it's not time to put our life in closure, not to close our story, not to compile our story. The Lord tells us that our story is open, still: it is open until the end, it is open with a mission. And with these three imperatives tells us the mission: ‘Get up! Look! Hope!’” Francis emphasized.

The Pope reflected that there are some people who might not want the older people around, maybe calling them a “gerontocracy of the Church.” These people don't know what they are saying, he explained: “we're not geriatrics, we're grandparents.”

And if we don’t understand this, we should pray for the grace to do so, he said.

This is because we are “Grandparents to whom our grandchildren look. Grandparents who have to give them a sense of life with our experience. Grandparents not closed in the melancholy of our story, but open to give this. And for us, this ‘get up, look, hope’ is called ‘dreaming,’” he said.

“We are grandparents called to dream and give our dream to today's youth: they needs it.”

Pope Francis explained what these three words mean. To get up, he said, means you have a mission, you have a task. Just like Abraham walked, not making a home anywhere but only taking a tent, we are called to continue forward, all the way to the end of our lives.

In the second command, to “look!” God tells Abraham set his gaze on the horizon, always looking and moving ahead. There is a mystic spirituality to the horizon, the Pope said. It doesn’t end, but the further forward you go, the horizon continues to recede into the distance.

The third imperative was to have hope. Just like Abraham should not have been able to have children because of his age and because of the sterility of his wife, the Lord promises him offspring as numerous as the stars and Abraham has faith in the word of God.

This is the kind of hope in God's promises we are called to have, Francis said.

At the end of the Mass, Pope Francis thanked Cardinal Angelo Sodano, the dean of the College of Cardinals, for his kind words, as well as everyone for their well-wishes and for celebrating Mass with him on his anniversary.

“Thank you for this common prayer on this anniversary, asking forgiveness for my sins and perseverance in faith, hope, charity,” he said.

“I thank you so much for this fraternal company and ask the Lord to bless you and accompany you on the road of service to the Church. Thank you very much.”

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London, England, Jun 27, 2017 / 07:02 am (CNA/EWTN News).- A Jewish girls' school has received a failing report from a British education standards monitor because it did not teach its pupils about sexual orientation and gender reassignment.

The report concerns Vishnitz Girls School, an Orthodox Jewish school in the London borough of Hackney for students up to age eight. Inspectors charged that the school did not give its students a “full understanding of fundamental British values.”

The British education standards office, informally known as Ofsted, faulted the school’s lack of instruction about all legally protected characteristics, including sexual orientation and gender-reassignment, the U.K. newspaper The Telegraph reports.

Ofsted charged that this means students have “a limited understanding of the different lifestyles and partnerships that individuals may choose in present-day society.” It said school policy “restricts pupils’ spiritual, moral and cultural development and does not promote equality of opportunity in ways that take account of differing lifestyles.”

The school monitor has inspected the school three times in less than a year. Its report suggested school officials are aware school policy does not fulfill U.K. equality laws.

The school’s annual tuition is about $6,600. The Ofsted report did praise the school’s resources, its teachers’ expertise, and its improvements in areas like safeguarding children and leadership.

However, failure to meet Ofsted’s requirements could shut down a school.

The British Department of Education has required schools to teach “fundamental British values,” in reaction to reports that extremist Muslim groups were trying to infiltrate schools. In November 2014, these requirements were strengthened, with all schools being required to promote equality and diversity, as defined by the education department.

At the time, the British newspaper The Guardian reported these rules were likely to conflict with Catholic, Jewish, Muslim, and other religious schools because they require them to prioritize secular law over religious teachings.

In 2014 a highly ranked Catholic school in Suffolk drew criticism from government inspectors for allegedly failing to prepare students for modern life in Britain.

The school filed a formal complaint about the investigation. The school said parents complained that the inspectors asked children as young as ten about same-sex sexual acts and transsexualism.

Ofsted and the “British values” requirement drew criticism from Catholic leaders like Conservative MP Sir Edward Leigh, president of the Catholic Union of Great Britain. He charged that Ofsted “appears to be guilty of trying to enforce a kind of state-imposed orthodoxy on certain moral and religious questions.”

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Vatican City, Jun 27, 2017 / 07:16 am (CNA/EWTN News).- On Tuesday the Vatican announced Pope Francis' pick of Mons. Alfred A. Schlert to be the next bishop of the Diocese of Allentown in Pennsylvania, himself born and raised in the diocese.

Bishop-elect Schlert, 55, fills the vacancy left when his predecessor, Bishop John Oliver Barres was appointed to the Diocese of Rockville Centre, New York at the end of January.

In a statement on the appointment June 27, Bishop Barres said that Mons. Schlert “has a blend of holiness, intelligence and pastoral experience that will serve the mission of the Catholic Church in the Diocese of Allentown in an extraordinary way.”

“He is primarily a loving pastor with an insightful and compassionate pastoral charity and a non-stop New Evangelization missionary spirit,” the statement continued.

“He is humble and down to earth and has this incredibly creative sense of humor that is charitable and puts everyone around him at ease. He is calm and steady but passionate about Father, Son and Holy Spirit and the Catholic Church’s mission of mercy in the world.”

Mons. Schlert, who was born and raised in the Diocese of Allentown, has been serving as Diocesan Administrator of Allentown since Bishop Barres' move to New York.

It is the first time a priest of the diocese has been named its bishop.

Bishop-emeritus of Allentown, Edward P. Cullen said that the people of the region have received “a great blessing” with the appointment of Mons. Schlert.

“The formation he received in the seminary of Saint John Lateran in Rome brought out in his heart and soul a powerful love for all of God’s children,” Bishop Cullen said in a statement June 27.

“His intellectual capacity is extraordinary, and his 30 years of ministry reflects his gifts as a homilist, a writer and an administrator whose heart is as compassionate and forgiving as is his love of God.”
 
Bishop-elect Schlert will bring “prudence and sound judgement to every aspect of the pastoral life of the diocese,” he continued.

“I can say without reservation that Bishop-elect Schlert is truly God’s chosen and beloved. Let us bring to him the fullness of our spiritual support.”

Bishop-elect Schlert was born in Easton, Pennsylvania on July 24, 1961, just six months after the Diocese of Allentown was formed.

He attended both Catholic grade school and Catholic high school before entering Saint Charles Borromeo Seminary in Overbrook. He also studied theology at the Pontifical Roman Seminary and the Pontifical Lateran University.

He was ordained a priest at the Cathedral of Saint Catherine of Siena in Allentown on Sept. 19, 1987.

He served as assistant pastor of St. Francis of Assisi Church in Allentown, and as a professor at his alma mater, Notre Dame High School, and as the Catholic chaplain at Lehigh University.

In 1992 he completed graduate studies at the Pontifical North American College and Pontifical Lateran University in Rome, receiving a Licentiate in Canon Law from the Pontifical Lateran University.

Mons. Schlert was named Vice Chancellor and Secretary to Bishop Thomas Welsh in 1997.

From 1998-2008 he was in residence at the Cathedral of Saint Catherine of Siena while serving as Vicar General of the diocese under Bishops Edward Cullen and John O. Barres. In this position he oversaw the coordination of all the administrative offices of the diocese.

He was given the title of monsignor by Pope St. John Paul II in 1999. Benedict XVI named him a Prelate of Honor, the second highest rank of monsignor, in 2005.

While Vicar General, he was also pastor of St. Theresa of the Child Jesus Church in Hellertown from July 2008-Feb. 2010.

His ordination and installation as bishop will take place at the cathedral on Thursday, Aug. 31st.

In addition to English, he also speaks Italian.

Bishop-elect Schlert “loves the People of God of the Diocese of Allentown,” Bishop Barres stated.

“He is a priest’s priest and now will be a Bishop’s Bishop. He is very serious about prayer and sacrifices deeply to pray deeply. Bishop-elect Schlert is a natural teacher who fine-tuned his ability to communicate in religion classes at Notre Dame High School in Easton. I am ecstatic about Pope Francis’ providential choice.”

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Marawi, Philippines, Jun 27, 2017 / 09:04 am (CNA/EWTN News).- Captured priest Father Teresito “Chito” Suganob was seen alive on Sunday in a part of a Philippines city under Islamist militant control, Agence France Presse reports.

“We don’t have details of his health. We were just told that he was sighted alive,” military spokesman Lt. Col. Jo-Ar Herrera told reporters in Marawi, citing reports from rescued civilians.

Militants of the Maute group stormed the city of Marawi, on the island of Mindanao, May 23. The group, formed in 2012, pledged allegiance to the Islamic State in 2015.

The militants still have about 100 civilian hostages, whom they use as human shields, ammunition carriers, and stretcher-barriers.

Father Suganob, who is vicar general of the Marawi territorial prelature, was featured in a video released one week after his capture. He appealed to President Rodrigo Duterte to withdraw the army and stop the airstrikes.

Several bishops, including Cardinal Orlando Quevedo of Cotabato, have appealed for the hostages’ release.

Most of the city’s 200,000 people have fled since its occupation. Nearly 400 people have been killed in the fighting in Marawi.

The city is mostly Muslim. An eight-hour truce on Sunday allowed residents to celebrate the end of Ramadan, but military air and artillery bombardment of militant enclaves resumed with the truce’s end.

The government has said some of the militants appear to be from abroad, including countries like Russia, Indonesia, and Malaysia. Herrera said there are indications other slain militants have come from the Middle East.

The militants’ violence began after a failed army and police raid to capture Isnilon Hapilon, a local Islamist leader. Their initial attack burned several buildings, including the Catholic cathedral and the bishop’s residence.

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IMAGE: CNS/L'Osservatore Romano

By Cindy Wooden

VATICAN LETTER (CNS) -- The Catholic Church is not a "gerontocracy" ruled by old men, 80-year-old Pope Francis said; "we aren't old men, we are grandfathers."

"We are grandfathers called to dream and to give our dreams to the young people of today. They need it so that from our dreams, they can draw the strength to prophesy and carry out their task," the pope told about 50 members of the College of Cardinals.

Celebrating the 25th anniversary of his ordination as a bishop June 27, Pope Francis concelebrated Mass in the Pauline Chapel of the Apostolic Palace.

Most of the cardinals present were officials of the Roman Curia or retired curial officials living in Rome. Many of them needed assistance up and down the small steps to the altar at Communion time.

The Mass was celebrated the day before Pope Francis was to create five new cardinals: Archbishop Jean Zerbo of Bamako, Mali, 73; Archbishop Juan Jose Omella of Barcelona, Spain, 71; Bishop Anders Arborelius of Stockholm, Sweden, 67; Bishop Louis-Marie Ling Mangkhanekhoun, apostolic vicar of Pakse, Laos, 73; and Auxiliary Bishop Gregorio Rosa Chavez of San Salvador, El Salvador, 74.

With an average age of 71.6 years, the new cardinals would lower by two months the average age of the entire College of Cardinals. However, the new members would increase slightly the average age of the cardinal electors, the group of those under the age of 80 and eligible to vote in a conclave to elect a new pope.

On the day of the pope's anniversary Mass, the average age of the 116 cardinal electors was 71 years, four months and 15 days; the five new members would raise the average by 11 days.

Before the new members were added, the entire College of Cardinals had 220 members and an average age of 78 years, five months and 23 days. The five new members would lower the average to 78 years, three months and one day.

None of the new cardinals, though, are as old as the patriarch Abraham was when God called him to leave his home and set out for a new land.

The Bible says Abraham was 75 years old when he got the call, the pope noted at his anniversary Mass. "He was more or less our age. He was about to retire."

At 75, "with the weight of old age, that old age that brings aches, illness," Abraham heard God call him "as if he were a scout," the pope said. God tells him, "Go. Look. And hope."

God says the same thing to the pope and the cardinals, he said. "He tells us that now is not the time to shut down our lives or to end our stories."

Instead, the pope told the cardinals, God continues to call each of them to keep moving forward and continues to give each of them a mission.

And every mission, he said, involves the three imperatives God gave Abraham: "Get up. Look. Hope."

God tells Abraham, "Get up. Walk. Don't stay still. You have a task, a mission, and you must carry it out walking. Don't stay seated," the pope said.

Abraham's tent is a key symbol in the story, he said. The only thing Abraham built solidly was an altar "to adore the one who ordered him to get up and to set out." His tent was his mobile shelter.

"Someone who does not like us would say that we are the gerontocracy of the church," the pope told the cardinals. "He doesn't understand what he is saying."

The cardinals are not just old men, but are grandfathers in the church, the pope said. "If we don't feel like we are, we must ask for that grace."

As grandfathers, the cardinals should know that their grandchildren are watching them and looking to them, he continued. They must help young people find meaning in their lives by sharing their experiences.

For that to happen, the pope said, the cardinals cannot be focused on "the melancholy of our story," but must be dreamers who continue to look to the future with hope, knowing that God continues to act in human history.

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Follow Wooden on Twitter: @Cindy_Wooden.

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