Catholic News 2
NEW YORK (AP) -- Kelly Ripa returned to her daytime talk show Tuesday after time off to "gather (her) thoughts" in response to learning her co-host Michael Strahan is leaving, saying the incident had started a conversation about workplace respect....
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) -- Prince's sister believes the superstar musician didn't have a will and has asked a Minnesota court to appoint a special administrator to oversee his multimillion-dollar estate, according to court documents filed Tuesday that could signal a looming fight over Prince's assets....
RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) -- Rhetorical skirmishes continued Tuesday in North Carolina over a law limiting protections for LGBT people, as Democrats criticized a Republican's plea to "keep our state straight" a day after dozens were arrested and dueling demonstrations were held for and against the law....
KIEV, Ukraine (AP) -- As Ukraine and Belarus on Tuesday marked the 30th anniversary of the Chernobyl nuclear accident with solemn words and an angry protest, some of the men who were sent to the site in the first chaotic and frightening days were gripped by painful memories....
CHICAGO (AP) -- When Dennis Hastert pleaded guilty last year to breaking banking laws, sentencing guidelines suggested that the former House speaker would probably serve no more than six months in prison for making illegal withdrawals to conceal a dark secret from his past....
CINCINNATI (AP) -- A coroner's report released Tuesday showed new details of vicious violence in the shooting deaths of eight members of a rural southern Ohio family, finding most victims were shot three to nine times each and some of them were bruised. Meanwhile, the hunt for whoever is responsible continued to expand, with more than 200 law enforcement officials involved....
(Vatican Radio) To mark the fourth centenary of the death of William Shakespeare Veronica Scarisbrick delves into Vatican Radio archives to find out more about the papacy and Shakespeare.What she discovers are a few quotes on the part of Pius XII, a pope who it seems was a bit of a fan of this great Englishman and sometimes peppered his speeches with Shakespearian quotes.A programme presented and produced by Veronica Scarisbrick: Beginning in 1946 while speaking of Mother Cabrini. It was the 9th of July and while highlighting how her thoughts flew high when it came to doing good, he quoted from her writings saying: “I feel the world is too small to satisfy my desires". And then added how in reading these words he was reminded of Portia from “The Merchant of Venice” who once said: "My little body is a-weary of this great world". A year later, this time it was the 5th of May and while speaking to delegates of an international postal co...
(Vatican Radio) To mark the fourth centenary of the death of William Shakespeare Veronica Scarisbrick delves into Vatican Radio archives to find out more about the papacy and Shakespeare.
What she discovers are a few quotes on the part of Pius XII, a pope who it seems was a bit of a fan of this great Englishman and sometimes peppered his speeches with Shakespearian quotes.
A programme presented and produced by Veronica Scarisbrick:
Beginning in 1946 while speaking of Mother Cabrini. It was the 9th of July and while highlighting how her thoughts flew high when it came to doing good, he quoted from her writings saying: “I feel the world is too small to satisfy my desires". And then added how in reading these words he was reminded of Portia from “The Merchant of Venice” who once said: "My little body is a-weary of this great world".
A year later, this time it was the 5th of May and while speaking to delegates of an international postal congress he said: "Any international congress is of particular interest to Us. It bespeaks a breaking down of needless barriers and a uniting of nations. And quoting form Hamlet he said that is”a consummation devoutly to be wished".
Finally in March 1948 while speaking to students at the 'American Overseas School of Rome', Pius XII said: “Even the delicate irony of your genial Shakespeare points up to this holy design for a home and class room when it fits into the woeful pageant of the seven ages of man, played too often on the stage of the world". And he then quoted 'As you like it:
"...the whining schoolboy, with his satchel
And shining morning face, creeping like a snail
Unwilling to go to school"
(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis said Tuesday that the clergy should serve lay people and not make use of them and spoke out against clericalism, calling it one of the greatest distortions affecting the Church in Latin America. His comments came in a wide-ranging letter reflecting on the role of the laity that was addressed to Cardinal Marc Ouellet, President of the Pontifical Commission for Latin America. The Pope’s letter was a follow-up to the commission’s recent Plenary Assembly whose theme was “the indispensable role of the lay faithful in the public life of Latin American countries.” In his letter, Pope Francis explained that he wished to follow-up the discussions and reflections that emerged during the Plenary Assembly in order to prevent them "from not bearing fruit." He urged the clergy to look closely at the people and lives of the lay faithful and avoid falling into the trap of adopting certain slogans on their behalf that seem w...
(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis said Tuesday that the clergy should serve lay people and not make use of them and spoke out against clericalism, calling it one of the greatest distortions affecting the Church in Latin America. His comments came in a wide-ranging letter reflecting on the role of the laity that was addressed to Cardinal Marc Ouellet, President of the Pontifical Commission for Latin America. The Pope’s letter was a follow-up to the commission’s recent Plenary Assembly whose theme was “the indispensable role of the lay faithful in the public life of Latin American countries.” In his letter, Pope Francis explained that he wished to follow-up the discussions and reflections that emerged during the Plenary Assembly in order to prevent them "from not bearing fruit."
He urged the clergy to look closely at the people and lives of the lay faithful and avoid falling into the trap of adopting certain slogans on their behalf that seem well-meaning but in practice don't succeed in supporting the lives of our communities. Pointing to the example of a famous phrase “it’s time for the laity,” he noted that in this particular case, that clock has ground to a halt.
We must remember, he said, that as clergy we all began our lives as lay people and that “we’d do well to recall that the Church is not an elite of priests, of consecrated people, of bishops but all of us make up the faithful and Holy People of God.”
Turning to the issue of clericalism, the Pope said he considered it the outcome of “a mistaken way of living out the ecclesiology proposed by the Second Vatican Council” and described clericalism as “one of the greatest distortions affecting the Church in Latin America.” He said clericalism has many negative impacts such as wiping out the personality of Christians and causing a belittling of the grace of our baptism that the Holy Spirit has placed in the hearts of lay people. Clericalism, he reminded, “forgets that the visibility and the sacramentality of the Church belong to all the people of God and not just to an illuminated and elected few.”
On the positive side, Pope Francis noted that Latin America is characterized by many examples of popular ministry and piety, saying it is one of the few spaces where the laity (including their pastors) and the Holy Spirit have been able to come together without clericalism which he said “seeks to control and put a brake on this anointment by God of the faithful.” He warned that this popular ministry “has its limits” and can sometimes lead to distortions of religion but said if it is "steered properly" it can generate many excellent human values such as generosity, devotion, sacrifice and openness to others.
Pope Francis spoke of the importance of giving encouragement and support to the efforts of the lay faithful who work in the public sphere but at the same time stressed “it is not the job of the pastor to tell the lay people what they must do and say” in those situations, adding “they know more and better than us.” “It’s illogical and even impossible,” he continued, “for us as pastors to believe that we have the monopoly on solutions for the numerous challenges thrown up by contemporary life.”
In conclusion, the Pope reiterated that the lay faithful are the protagonists of the Church and the world and stressed that “we are called to serve them, not to make use of them.”
Listen to this report by Susy Hodges:
(Vatican Radio) The Holy See Press Office has issued a communiqué with regard to the contract with the auditing firm PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) which was suspended on April 12.PwC had been hired by the Holy See to perform an audit of Vatican finances.The communiqué offers the following clarifications:“The suspension of auditing activities is not due to considerations linked to the integrity or quality of the work initiated by PwC, let alone the intention of one or more entities of the Holy See to block the reforms in progress.However, issues have emerged regarding the meaning and scope of certain clauses of the contract and their methods of implementation. Such elements will undergo the necessary examination. The decision to proceed in this way was taken after suitable consultations between the competent bodies and experts in the field.It is hoped that this phase of reflection and study may take place in an atmosphere of serenity and collaboration. The ...
(Vatican Radio) The Holy See Press Office has issued a communiqué with regard to the contract with the auditing firm PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) which was suspended on April 12.
PwC had been hired by the Holy See to perform an audit of Vatican finances.
The communiqué offers the following clarifications:
“The suspension of auditing activities is not due to considerations linked to the integrity or quality of the work initiated by PwC, let alone the intention of one or more entities of the Holy See to block the reforms in progress.
However, issues have emerged regarding the meaning and scope of certain clauses of the contract and their methods of implementation. Such elements will undergo the necessary examination. The decision to proceed in this way was taken after suitable consultations between the competent bodies and experts in the field.
It is hoped that this phase of reflection and study may take place in an atmosphere of serenity and collaboration. The commitment to adequate economic and financial auditing remains a priority for the Holy See and for Vatican City State”.
(Vatican Radio) “The Progress of Regenerative Medicine and its Cultural Impact:” that’s the theme of an international conference coming up later this week in the Vatican. The third in a series of Vatican conferences on stem cell research and regenerative medicine, the April 28-30 meeting will gather leading medical and scientific researchers, patients, politicians and policy makers, business leaders and philanthropists for an “open dialogue about the interconnections among cellular research, technology, faith and culture.”Listen to this report by Tracey McClure: Organized by the Pontifical Council for Culture’s Science and Faith office, the conference will focus on medical breakthroughs in the treatment of Cancer and Diabetes in children. The world’s some 6,000 rare diseases, which account for more than 300 million patients, will also be examined as a “global emergency” in need of a global response. ...
(Vatican Radio) “The Progress of Regenerative Medicine and its Cultural Impact:” that’s the theme of an international conference coming up later this week in the Vatican. The third in a series of Vatican conferences on stem cell research and regenerative medicine, the April 28-30 meeting will gather leading medical and scientific researchers, patients, politicians and policy makers, business leaders and philanthropists for an “open dialogue about the interconnections among cellular research, technology, faith and culture.”
Listen to this report by Tracey McClure:
Organized by the Pontifical Council for Culture’s Science and Faith office, the conference will focus on medical breakthroughs in the treatment of Cancer and Diabetes in children. The world’s some 6,000 rare diseases, which account for more than 300 million patients, will also be examined as a “global emergency” in need of a global response.
Introducing the conference to the press Tuesday, Msgr. Tomasz Trafny, Director of the Council for Culture’s office for Science and Faith, said one of the aims is to introduce to the layman some of the thousands of ethically-sound and “significant” medical advances being achieved in laboratories and clinics around the world. And, he said, to foster a conversation about novel ways to fund research and make new treatments available to those who need them.
Bringing business leaders and philanthropists to the table will not only empower researchers, Trafny observed, it may encourage people to look beyond patents and profits so that no one is left feeling “abandoned or marginalized” in the healthcare system.
Trafny said the conference aims at showing that treatments for many illnesses are available now and that “science is truly progressing in a significant way.” “But we also want to challenge scientific views that do not correspond to the boundaries of our code of ethics, without polemicizing or [taking any irrefutable position].”
Today's Cellular Revolution: our bodies hold the key to cures
Dr. Robin Smith, President of the Stem for Life Foundation which has partnered with the Council for Culture in organizing the conference, noted that the first two Vatican seminars (2011 and 2013) focused primarily on adult stem cell research. Over the last fifteen years, she said, some 5,000 clinical trials have been carried out using adult stem cells while trials involving embryonic stem cells – which involve destruction of the embryo - have only numbered 38. This is a clear indication, she observed, that researchers are more successful in controlling the development of adult stem cells for therapeutic use.
What we’re witnessing today, she added, is a “cellular revolution” in which our own bodies hold the key to tomorrow’s cures.
