Catholic News 2

(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis during his weekly General Audience on Wednesday again appealed for Ukraine, reminding those gathered in St Peter’s Square that for a long time the country’s population has been suffering the consequences of armed conflict, forgotten, he said, by many.

Listen to Lydia O'Kane's full report on Pope Francis' General Audience

On April 3^rd during his Regina Coeli address the Pope announced a special charity collection to support the people of Ukraine telling the faithful it would be possible to contribute to the collection in all Catholic Churches in Europe on Sunday April 24^th and saying that, “this gesture of charity, beyond alleviating material suffering, expresses my personal closeness and the solidarity of the entire Church”.

On Wednesday, the Holy Father thanked in advance those who will contribute generously to this initiative this weekend.

The Pope also greeted pilgrims from Ukraine and Belarus on the occasion of an international conference marking the 30^th anniversary of the tragedy at Chernobyl. While praying for the victims of the disaster, he expressed gratitude to all those involved in alleviating their suffering.

During the Audience and speaking in Spanish, Pope Francis also expressed his closeness to the people of Ecuador who were hit at the weekend by a massive earthquake which has left over 500 people dead.

Full Article

The Anglican Consultative Council’s 16th meeting (ACC-16) which began on 8 April came to an end Tuesday 19 April in the Zambian capital of Lusaka. The meeting was held at Lusaka’s Anglican Cathedral of the Holy Cross.

The leader of the Anglican Communion, the Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby, delivered his address on 15 April. In his speech, he briefed members of the Anglican Consultative Council on the outcome of the Primates’ gathering and meeting that took place in Canterbury Cathedral in January 2016.

The outgoing chair of the Anglican Consultative Council described the just ended ACC-16 as a meeting that brought the body of Christ together.

“We’ve been able to see that our diverseness and that some of our differences in culture, language and ways of being are actually an enrichment of the body of Christ,” retired Malawi Bishop James Tengatenga said during a closing news conference on the evening of 18 April held at the Cathedral of the Holy Cross in Lusaka.

“It has been a celebration of the life of the Church, and God has been with us,” Bishop Tengatenga said.

The Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby, speaking at the same news conference, said the meeting’s opening Eucharist, which combined thousands of Anglicans with Zambian President Edgar Chagwa Lungu and Kenneth Kaunda, the country’s first president, and other government officials epitomised what the work of the Church is about.

Calling the Eucharistic Service a “hugely joyful celebration,” Archbishop Welby said it “summed up most of what the Church is about.” The Service gave the sense “that we can count on Christ for strength even in difficult times and difficult places; to look for truth as... a Jesus people,” the Archbishop of Canterbury said.

18 April was a marathon legislative day for the ACC-16.  The Council passed 44 resolutions.

The Council earlier in the week elected Hong Kong Archbishop Paul Kwong to be its next chair.

Kwong, the second and current Archbishop and Primate of Hong Kong Sheng Kung Hui, said at a brief news conference after his election, that he was “deeply honored and humbled” to be elected. He called the job a “huge responsibility to serve the ACC and the communion, together with the delegates” and also with the Instruments of Communion.

 “We have to make the communion relevant to the world, to the people that we are called by God to serve,” Archbishop Kwong said.

[Source: Episcopal News Service – Lusaka, Zambia]

Email: engafrica@vatiradio.va

Full Article

(Vatican Radio) In his continuing catechesis for this Holy Year of Mercy during his weekly General Audience, Pope Francis drew inspiration from the Gospel episode of Jesus’ dinner at the home of Simon the Pharisee. 

He said, "All of us are sinners, so many times we fall into the temptation of hypocrisy, believing that we are better than the other ”, but he continued, look at your sin, all of us need to look at our sins, our mistakes and look to the Lord,” because, he added, "this is the lifeline, the relationship between the sinner and the Lord."

The Pope was referring to the story from St Luke in which a woman known as a sinner comes up to Jesus, and bathes his feet in her tears and anoints them with precious perfume, but the Pharisee judges the woman by appearances. However, Jesus, underlined the Holy Father, distinguishes between the "sin and the sinner." 

The Lord, continued Pope Francis teaches Simon that “the woman’s act, as an expression of faith and trust in God’s mercy has merited the forgiveness of her sins.”

The Pope told the faithful gathered in St Peter's Square, it is a lesson for us all that “God’s mercy reaches out to everyone; it overcomes prejudice and surmounts all barriers.”

He added, that “through faith in Christ, we too have received the forgiveness of our sins and the new life of grace.”

Full Article

(Vatican Radio) On Monday 18 April, 2016, Christians from different denominations, and indeed various countries, gathered in the historic Cotswold parish church of St John Baptist in Cirencester, England. They’d gathered to pay their respects to a great musician and Anglican priest who, for the past fifty years, had put his immeasurable talent, and profound faith, at the service of ecumenism and evangelization.

Listen here as Phil Andrews talks to Canon Leonard Doolan about Fr John Beck’s commitment to ecumenism and evangelization through art and music.

An organ scholar whilst at Oxford, he studied under two greats of the twentieth century musical scene: Harold Darke, and Edmund Rubbra. With such a fine musical foundation, he combined this passion and talent with his faith, taking Holy Orders in the Church of England. Wherever sent to serve, his position always included music, whether as a cathedral precentor, or as “Priest Organist” in Cheltenham and Cirencester, his last two posts. All the while, Fr John was building links with Christians from other traditions, most especially Roman Catholics. 

It was to be Cirencester where the fruits of his musical and ministerial labours were to come to full fruition, both as an evangelist to young people, and as an ecumenist. By the 1980s Cirencester Parish Church Choir was ranked as one of the finest parish choirs in the country, and was regularly invited to sing in cathedrals and collegiate churches, most notably Westminster Abbey and St Paul’s, in London.

However, such a prize did not just happen, but involved a great deal of effort on behalf of many people: firstly, his wife, Susan Beck, with whom he worked almost seamlessly. There were also assistants who shared his pursuit of musical excellence; but most especially, it was to be the choristers themselves who gave considerable hours of their free time to rehearsals, and who realized the “Beauty of Holiness” which lay behind Fr John and Susan’s spirituality, and evangelical zeal. Indeed, this was to be a familial relationship, built upon loyalty and trust, and so it was no surprise that choristers from the past fifty years – some travelling from abroad - joined the congregation of dignitaries, ecumenical representatives, and parishioners in Cirencester Parish Church, to pay their respects to a man of great prayer, and integrity.

Although Fr John retired as Priest Organist of Cirencester Parish Church in the 1990s, he remained active in pastoral ministry, visiting the housebound, and serving in neighbouring country parishes. Also during this time, Fr John found great comfort and inspiration in the writings of Pope St John Paul, Pope Emeritus Benedict, and Pope Francis; indeed, shortly before Fr John's death, following a Mass in St Peter's Basilica celebrating the Feast of the Chair of Peter, Pope Francis conveyed a personal message of love and support to Fr John, via a friend based in Rome.

Full Article

South Sudan's government and rebels on Wednesday accused each other of hindering rebel leader Riek Machar's return to the capital to form a unity government, with monitors of a peace deal warning the delay was putting the agreement at risk.

A government official said Machar was held up because he had wanted to bring equipment and troops into Juba in excess of what was agreed with Kiir's camp. Machar told Al Jazeera television that the government was creating "obstacles" to his return.

The United States and the United Nations Security Council have both voiced concern over this latest setback. The body monitoring the peace deal, the Joint Monitoring and Evaluation Commission (JMEC) also said it was worried.

"The agreement is at risk," said former Botswana President Festus Mogae who is the JMEC chairman. "Having come so close to the formation of the transitional government of national unity, all parties must ensure that the spirit of reconciliation, compromise and dialogue embodied by the agreement should be protected," he said in a statement.

Under the power sharing deal, Machar will return to Juba and immediately be sworn in as first vice president.

JMEC includes members of the South Sudanese government, the opposition, as well as representatives from the African Union, United Nations, the United States, China and European nations. JMEC said it would meet on Thursday to discuss the matter.

Machar and his rival President Salva Kiir signed a peace agreement in August aimed at ending a two-year conflict in which thousands have been killed and 2 million forced to flee their homes.

Implementation of the August peace agreement has not been smooth.

(Reuters)

Full Article

(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis invoked Saint Anselm of Canterbury during his final blessing at his General Audience on Wednesday, when he traditionally mentions young people, the sick and infirm, and newlyweds.

Saint Anselm served as Archbishop Canterbury from 1093 to 1109, and his feast day is 21 April. He was proclaimed a Doctor of the Church in 1720. He is also venerated in Italy, where he is known as Saint Anselm of Aosta, the place of his birth.

“Tomorrow we commemorate Saint Anselm of Aosta, Bishop and Doctor of the Church,” Pope Francis said.

“May the example of his life move you, dear young people…to see in the merciful Jesus the true Master of life; May his intercession obtain for you, dear sick and infirm, serenity and peace in the mystery of the Cross; and may his doctrine be an encouragement for you, dear newlyweds, to educate your children with the wisdom of the heart,” prayed the Holy Father.

Saint Anselm is also venerated in the Anglican Communion. The current Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, last year created the Community of Saint Anselm, an Anglican religious community established at Lambeth Palace.

Full Article

(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis this week presided over the first meeting of the XIV Ordinary Council of the General Secretariat of the Synod of Bishops.

A statement released on Wednesday said the meeting, which took place from 18-19 April, began with a speech by  the Secretary General of the Synod of Bishops, Cardinal Lorenzo Baldisseri. In his remarks, Cardinal Lorenzo Baldisseri thanked Pope Francis for his presence, as well as for the recent publication of the , Post-Synodal Apostolic Exhortation, Amoris Laetitia.

The Ordinary Council then considered the results of the consultation taken to identify the theme of the next Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops. The consultation included offices of the Roman Curia, Episcopal Conferences, the Eastern Churches, and the Union of Superiors General. After much discussion, a list of proposed topics was submitted to the Holy Father for his consideration.

Finally, the members of the Council discussed the revision of the Ordo of the Synod of Bishops. Bishop Fabio Fabene, the Under-Secretary of the Synod of Bishops, gave a report on the study seminar organized by the Secretariat  following the speech given by Pope Francis on October 17, 2015.

From earlier group discussions on the matter, it emerged that synodality and collegiality must always be joined with the exercise of the ministry of the Bishop of Rome, in a way which fruitfully combines primacy, collegiality and synodality.

Full Article

Rome, Italy, Apr 20, 2016 / 03:19 am (CNA/EWTN News).- On April 29, the Trevi Fountain, one of the most popular and emblematic tourist spots in Rome, will be dyed red in recognition of all Christians who even today give their life for the faith.  

The event is being organized by Aid to the Church in Need and seeks to “call attention to the drama of anti-Christian persecution.”

In a statement posted on their website, the aid group said they hope this initiative will be “the start of a long lasting, concrete reaction everywhere so that the persecuted people of the 21st century can as soon as possible return to fully enjoying their natural right to religious freedom.”

The organizers added that “the systematic violation of the right to religious freedom, especially that of Christians, must become the central issue of the public debate.”

Speaking at the event will be the Chaldean Catholic Bishop of Aleppo, Syria, Antoine Audo, and Cardinal Mauro Piacenza, the International President of Aid the Church in Need. 

Iraq and Syria are two of the countries where there is a severe persecution of Christians, with the Islamic State killing, enslaving and driving people out of their homes. Christians in Nigeria are also at risk from attacks by the militant group Boko Haram, while Christianity is illegal in countries including North Korea and Somalia. 

As of now, various associations have joined the initiative including Communion and Liberation, Caritas Italy, the Christian Workers Movement, the Focolare Movement and pro-life organizations.

Pope Francis has spoken frequently during his papacy on modern-day martyrs. On April 7, the Pope called martyrs “the lifeblood of the Church.”

“It is the witness of our martyrs of today – so many! – chased out of their homeland, driven away, having their throats cut, persecuted: they have the courage to confess Jesus even to the point of death,” he said.

Trevi fountain. Credit: Martijn Smeets via www.shutterstock.com.

Full Article

Vatican City, Apr 20, 2016 / 05:44 am (Aid to the Church in Need).- On Wednesday Pope Francis stressed the importance of knowing how to distinguish between sin and sinner, adding that God’s mercy is not afraid to reach out and touch our sins in order to forgive them.

“The Word of God teaches us to distinguish between the sin and the sinner,” the Pope said April 20, noting that when it comes to sin, there are no “compromises.”

When it comes to sinners, “which are all of us,” it’s important to reach out to them, he said, adding that sinners “are like the sick who are healed, and in order to be cured the doctor must be close to them, visit them, touch them.”

However, Francis also clarified that in order to truly be healed, a sick person must first “recognize their need for the doctor!”

Pope Francis spoke to the thousands gathered in St. Peter’s Square for his Wednesday general audience. He continued his catechesis on mercy, turning to the Gospel passage in Luke in which Jesus dines at the house of Simon, a Pharisee, and forgives a “sinful woman” who washes his feet with precious oils.

In his speech, the Pope said that the episode brings out a comparison between two figures: Simon, the faithful and zealous follower of the law, and the anonymous sinful woman, who expresses repentance.

“While the first judges others based on appearances, the second with her actions expresses her heart with sincerity,” Francis said, noting that while Simon doesn’t want to compromise himself or get involved in Jesus’ life, the woman fully entrusts herself to the Lord “with love and veneration.”

As a Pharisee, Simon finds it incomprehensible that Jesus allows himself to be “contaminated” by sinners, as was the common mentality at the time. “He thinks that if Jesus were really a prophet he must recognize and stay away from (sinners) to avoid being stained, as if they were lepers.”

This attitude, Francis said, is typical of a certain understanding of religion which emphasizes the radical opposition between God and sin. However, the Pope stressed that the Word of God teaches us to distinguish between “the sin and the sinner.”

When it comes to the Pharisee and the sinful woman, “Jesus sided with the latter,” the Pope observed, explaining that since the Lord was free from “the prejudices which impede the expression of mercy,” he allowed the woman to continue her act of love and repentance.

“He, the Holy One of God, allows himself to be touched by her without the fear for being contaminated,” Francis said.

In forming a relationship with this woman, “Jesus puts an end to that condition of isolation to which the merciless judgement of the Pharisee and his fellow villagers, who insulted her, condemned her.”

Pope Francis then contrasted the hypocrisy of the doctors of the law with the humble and sincere act of the woman, whose conversion happened in front of everyone.

“All of us are sinners but many times we fall into the temptation of hypocrisy, to believe that we are better than others,” he said, and cautioned that instead of looking at others’ sins, we must first acknowledge our own faults and mistakes.

When Jesus responds to the woman’s act he doesn't give an explicit answer, but instead her conversion takes place “in front of everyone's eyes and shows that in (Jesus) shines the power of the merciful God, capable of transforming hearts.”

The sinful woman “teaches us the link between faith, love and gratitude,” the Pope said, noting that even Simon had to admit that the one he loves most is the one who has been forgiven more.

“God has locked up everyone in the same mystery of mercy; and from this love, which always precedes us, we all learn to love.”

Pope Francis closed his audience by encouraging pilgrims to give thanks to God for his “great and unmerited love,” and urged them to allow the love of Christ “to be poured into us: it is from this love that the disciple draws and on which he is based; from this love each one can be fed and nourished.”

Following his address Francis offered a special greeting to all those affected by Saturday’s deadly earthquake in Ecuador, which has so far killed an estimated 413 people and injured more than 2,500, according to CNN.

Speaking to Spanish-language pilgrims, the Pope offered assured their “brothers in Ecuador” of “our closeness and our prayer in this moment of suffering.”

He also made special mention of the ongoing armed conflict in Ukraine, which has been “forgotten by many,” and reminded faithful of a special collection that will take place in churches throughout Europe this Sunday, April 24, which will be used to meet the needs of the “humanitarian emergency” that has resulted from the conflict.

Full Article

Full Article