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BRASILIA, Brazil (AP) -- The lower chamber of Brazil's Congress on Friday began a debate on whether to impeach President Dilma Rousseff, a question that underscores deep polarization in Latin America's largest country and most powerful economy....
LANSING, Mich. (AP) -- Michigan would have the toughest lead-testing rules in the nation and require the replacement of all underground lead service pipes in the state under a sweeping plan that Gov. Rick Snyder and a team of water experts unveiled Friday in the wake of Flint's water crisis....
PALMYRA, Syria (AP) -- When Islamic State fighters overran the ancient Syrian town of Palmyra almost a year ago, Maha Abderrazak was among tens of thousands of terrified civilians who fled west, many escaping with just the clothes on their backs and the few belongings they could carry by hand....
VATICAN CITY (AP) -- Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders issued a global call to action at the Vatican Friday to address "immoral and unsustainable" wealth inequality and poverty and warn of the consequences to future generations if solutions are not found....
(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis made his customary visit to the Papal Basilica of St. Mary Major in Rome on Thursday evening, ahead of his Apostolic Journey to the Greek island of Lesbos this Saturday.During the course of his 30-minute visit to the Salus populi Romani icon, the Holy Father presented a bouquet of white and blue roses - the colors of the Greek flag - to the ancient Marian icon before pausing for a moment of silent prayer.The Vatican released the official program of Holy Father's visit to Lesbos earlier on Thursday.
(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis made his customary visit to the Papal Basilica of St. Mary Major in Rome on Thursday evening, ahead of his Apostolic Journey to the Greek island of Lesbos this Saturday.
During the course of his 30-minute visit to the Salus populi Romani icon, the Holy Father presented a bouquet of white and blue roses - the colors of the Greek flag - to the ancient Marian icon before pausing for a moment of silent prayer.
The Vatican released the official program of Holy Father's visit to Lesbos earlier on Thursday.
(Vatican Radio) Vatican Weekend for April 17, 2016 features a selection of readings and reflections for the Sunday gospel presented by Jill Bevilacqua for her series "There's More in the Sunday Gospel than Meets the Eye" and a bird's eye view of the past week in the Vatican with EWTN bureau chief here in Rome, Joan Lewis.A programme presented and produced by Veronica Scarisbrick:
(Vatican Radio) Vatican Weekend for April 17, 2016 features a selection of readings and reflections for the Sunday gospel presented by Jill Bevilacqua for her series "There's More in the Sunday Gospel than Meets the Eye" and a bird's eye view of the past week in the Vatican with EWTN bureau chief here in Rome, Joan Lewis.
A programme presented and produced by Veronica Scarisbrick:
Democratic Republic of Congo’s Diocese of Wamba has marked the beginning of its diocesan synod with a colourful liturgy and procession. The Diocese of Wamba, in Congo DR, is located in the Ecclesiastical province of Kisangani and has a population of about 600 000 inhabitants. Of these, an estimated 40,000 are ‘forest peoples’ or pygmies. The theme of the diocesan synod is, "The Church of Wamba marching towards new Evangelization. " The Bishop of Wamba, Janvier Kataka, presided over the opening ceremonies at the Cathedral of Wamba. A huge crowd of the faithful from the diocese together with synod delegates attended the Eucharist. Also present was Fr Emmanuel Nsukula, a priest of the Diocese of Matadi, who will facilitate the work of the diocesan synod. In his homily, Bishop Kataka reminded the delegates that they were participating in what was truly a milestone in the life of the diocese since this was the first-ever synod the diocese...
Democratic Republic of Congo’s Diocese of Wamba has marked the beginning of its diocesan synod with a colourful liturgy and procession.
The Diocese of Wamba, in Congo DR, is located in the Ecclesiastical province of Kisangani and has a population of about 600 000 inhabitants. Of these, an estimated 40,000 are ‘forest peoples’ or pygmies.
The theme of the diocesan synod is, "The Church of Wamba marching towards new Evangelization. "
The Bishop of Wamba, Janvier Kataka, presided over the opening ceremonies at the Cathedral of Wamba. A huge crowd of the faithful from the diocese together with synod delegates attended the Eucharist. Also present was Fr Emmanuel Nsukula, a priest of the Diocese of Matadi, who will facilitate the work of the diocesan synod.
In his homily, Bishop Kataka reminded the delegates that they were participating in what was truly a milestone in the life of the diocese since this was the first-ever synod the diocese was beginning. The Bishop urged delegates to work towards moving the diocese into a future where the work of Evangelization would have new and added momentum.
During the liturgical procession, a model of the Wamba Diocesan Cathedral laden with ‘model building bricks’ from different communities of the diocese, including communities of the minority ‘forest peoples’ or pygmies, was solemnly carried in procession. The model was then placed in the baptistry where Congo’s Blessed Anuarite, a daughter of Wamba, was herself baptised. The ‘building blocks’ in the model of the Cathedral symbolise a gathering of all the united children of Wamba under one roof of the Church.
The Synod delegates solemnly recited the profession of faith before the faithful to register their intention of faithfully discharging the responsibility entrusted to them by their communities.
Born in Wamba, Blessed Marie Clementine Anuarite Nengapeta was a nun who became a martyr about the age of 25 when Simba rebel forces killed her, in 1964.
During her beatification in 1985, Pope Saint John Paul II likened her act of forgiving her aggressor, before she died, to that of Christ.
(Source: Radio Nepoko/Vatican Radio English Africa Service)
(Vatican Radio) God always gives His grace and dignity to the hardened heart which choses to open itself with meekness to God’s Spirit. That was Pope Francis’ message during his Friday morning Mass at the Casa Santa Marta.Listen to Devin Watkins’ report: Pope Francis commented on the biblical passage of the day which recounts the conversion of St. Paul, saying zeal for holy things does not mean one’s heart is open to God.Pope Francis gave the example of a man extreme in his fidelity to the principles of his faith, Paul of Tarsus, but whose heart was totally deaf to Christ, so much so that he even agreed to persecute Jesus’ followers who lived in Damascus.Humility which opens the heartAll Paul’s plans and zeal take a sudden turn on the road to Damascus, the Pope affirmed, so that his story becomes “the story of a man who allows God to change his heart.” Paul is wrapped in a powerful light, hears a voice calling him, falls down, ...
(Vatican Radio) God always gives His grace and dignity to the hardened heart which choses to open itself with meekness to God’s Spirit. That was Pope Francis’ message during his Friday morning Mass at the Casa Santa Marta.
Listen to Devin Watkins’ report:
Pope Francis commented on the biblical passage of the day which recounts the conversion of St. Paul, saying zeal for holy things does not mean one’s heart is open to God.
Pope Francis gave the example of a man extreme in his fidelity to the principles of his faith, Paul of Tarsus, but whose heart was totally deaf to Christ, so much so that he even agreed to persecute Jesus’ followers who lived in Damascus.
Humility which opens the heart
All Paul’s plans and zeal take a sudden turn on the road to Damascus, the Pope affirmed, so that his story becomes “the story of a man who allows God to change his heart.” Paul is wrapped in a powerful light, hears a voice calling him, falls down, and is momentarily blinded.
“Saul the strong, the confident, was on the ground,” the Holy Father said. In that condition, “he understood his truth, that he was not the man whom God wanted him to be, because God has created all of us to stand on our feet, to hold our head high.” The voice from heaven not only asked him, ‘why are you persecuting me?’ but also invited Paul to rise.
“Get up and you will be told. You have yet much to learn,” the Pope said. “And when he started to get up, he was not able because he recognized his blindness. In that moment he lost his sight. ‘And he let himself be led.’ His heart, began to open itself. Thus, taking him by the hand, the men with him led him to Damascus and for three days he stayed there, blind, and took neither food nor drink. This man had hit his low-point but he realized immediately that he must accept this humiliation. And the true path towards opening one’s heart is humiliation. When the Lord sends us humiliations or allows them to visit us, it is exactly for this reason: that the heart be open, docile; that the heart convert itself to the Lord Jesus.”
Protagonist is the Holy Spirit
Paul’s heart is opened. In those days of loneliness and blindness, his interior vision is changed. Then God sends him Ananias, who lays his hands on Saul and his eyes are opened. But there is an aspect to this dynamic which, Pope Francis said, must be taken into consideration: the action of the Holy Spirit.
“We must remember that the protagonist in these stories is neither the doctors of the law, nor Stephen, nor Phillip, nor the eunuch, not even Saul… The real protagonist is the Holy Spirit. The protagonist of the Church is the Holy Spirit who guides the people of God. And immediately scales fell from his eyes and he recovered his sight. He got up and was baptized. The hardness of Paul’s heart becomes docility to the Holy Spirit.”
The Dignity to Rise
The Holy Father concluded his reflection, saying “It is beautiful to see how the Lord is capable of changing hearts, turning a hardened, stubborn heart into one docile to the Holy Spirit. All of us have a hardened heart. All of us. Let us ask the Lord that He make us see that hardness of heart leaves us on the ground. Let us ask Him to give us the grace and – if necessary – the humiliations not to remain on the ground but to rise, with the dignity with which God created us, that is, the grace of a heart open and docile to the Holy Spirit.”
(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis on Friday received the President of Bolivia, Juan Evo Morales Ayma, who subsequently met with Archbishop Paul Richard Gallagher, the Secretary for Relations with States.A statement from the Holy See Press Office said:“During the discussions, which took place in a cordial atmosphere, various themes were considered regarding the current socio-economic situation of the Country, with special attention to social policy. The parties focused on the relations between Church and State, evoking Bolivia’s long Christian tradition and the decisive contribution of the Church to the life of the Nation. Reference was also made to questions of common interest, such as education, healthcare and assistance to the poor. Attention then turned to various international situations.”President Morales came to Rome to attend a conference sponsored by the Pontifical Academy of Social Sciences marking the 25th anni...
(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis on Friday received the President of Bolivia, Juan Evo Morales Ayma, who subsequently met with Archbishop Paul Richard Gallagher, the Secretary for Relations with States.
A statement from the Holy See Press Office said:
“During the discussions, which took place in a cordial atmosphere, various themes were considered regarding the current socio-economic situation of the Country, with special attention to social policy. The parties focused on the relations between Church and State, evoking Bolivia’s long Christian tradition and the decisive contribution of the Church to the life of the Nation. Reference was also made to questions of common interest, such as education, healthcare and assistance to the poor. Attention then turned to various international situations.”
President Morales came to Rome to attend a conference sponsored by the Pontifical Academy of Social Sciences marking the 25th anniversary of Pope St. John Paul II’s social encyclical "Centesimus Annus."
Lesbos, Greece, Apr 15, 2016 / 03:00 am (CNA/EWTN News).- Pope Francis’ visit with refugees and migrants in Greece this Saturday could be a moment of leadership at a time when political concerns overshadow the world’s attention, said a relief agency leader in the country.“The Pope’s trip to the frontlines of the European refugee crisis comes at a critical time. The continent of Europe is currently experiencing a vacuum of leadership with the politics of the crisis oftentimes overshadowing the plight of those on the move,” Josh Kyller of Catholic Relief Services told CNA.Kyller is the U.S.-based relief agency’s emergency coordinator for the refugee and migrant response in the region. He said the Pope is “making the ultimate statement by avoiding the politics.”“Instead, he draws our attention to the tens of thousands of those who are suffering.”Kyller spoke to CNA from Athens on April 13, shortly before Pope Francis’ on...
Lesbos, Greece, Apr 15, 2016 / 03:00 am (CNA/EWTN News).- Pope Francis’ visit with refugees and migrants in Greece this Saturday could be a moment of leadership at a time when political concerns overshadow the world’s attention, said a relief agency leader in the country.
“The Pope’s trip to the frontlines of the European refugee crisis comes at a critical time. The continent of Europe is currently experiencing a vacuum of leadership with the politics of the crisis oftentimes overshadowing the plight of those on the move,” Josh Kyller of Catholic Relief Services told CNA.
Kyller is the U.S.-based relief agency’s emergency coordinator for the refugee and migrant response in the region. He said the Pope is “making the ultimate statement by avoiding the politics.”
“Instead, he draws our attention to the tens of thousands of those who are suffering.”
Kyller spoke to CNA from Athens on April 13, shortly before Pope Francis’ one-day visit to the Greek island of Lesbos, a major transit point for refugees and migrants seeking entry to Europe. He will be accompanied by the Orthodox Patriarch of Constantinople, Bartholomew, and Orthodox Archbishop of Athens and all Greece, Ieronymos II.
The Pope said April 13 he would go with them “to express my closeness and solidarity to the refugees and citizens of Lesbos and to all the Greek people (who are) so generous in their welcoming.”
Most of the refugees arriving in Greece are from Syria, Afghanistan or Iraq. More than 80 percent of the new Syrian arrivals are Muslim.
Kyller said the Pope has shown that he welcomes everyone regardless of religious difference.
Upon arriving in Lesbos, Kyller said, Pope Francis will find a detention camp for migrants. But he will also find much more than that.
“He’ll find a community of vacationers and retirees, and a lot of incredible volunteers. There are police and fences – and a lot of boats still coming and leaving. He’ll encounter people with hopes, fears, anxiety, and confusion right next to people filled with good will, compassion and mercy.”
“He’ll see the best and the worst sides of people and politics. He will be welcomed, of course, and he will find a lot of despair that he will want to find a way to offer hope through grace.”
Most of the refugees have traveled for weeks to arrive in Greece. They would rather have stayed in their homelands, but feared the violence there.
Since March 2011, over 250,000 people have been killed in the Syrian civil war. Millions more have been displaced.
“Refugees arriving in Europe have recounted in horrific detail the atrocities they witnessed within their homeland,” Kyller said. “As one mother told a CRS staffer, ‘You wouldn't put a child on this boat unless it’s safer than your home’.”
“Many risk their lives for this new start,” he added. Many are targeted by traffickers and suffer exploitation and abuse. Some have spent all their savings or go into major debt to reach Europe.
Most of the refugees seek to reunite with their relatives in countries like Germany or Sweden.
Kyller said that Catholic Relief Services’ guiding principles includes solidarity. This is the idea that “loving (and helping) our neighbor has global dimensions.”
“The Pope is the very embodiment of that principle,” he said.
Before other European countries closed their borders to migrants, Greece had been struggling to keep up due to its fragile economy.
Over 150,000 refugees and migrants have arrived in Greece by sea so far in 2016. At the village of Idomeni, over 10,000 people who aim to move deeper into Europe are stranded near the Macedonian border.
“Following the closures, the situation has gotten even more severe,” Kyller said. Conditions there “deteriorate by the day.”
While the migrant crisis has caused security fears in parts of Europe, Kyller said that Greece is more focused on concerns related to the economy and the employment crisis.
Catholic Relief Services and its local partners like Caritas have helped over 300,000 people in Greece, the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Serbia, Croatia, Albania and Bulgaria.
“We continue to adapt our priorities to the evolving situation. The Caritas network is vast and well-integrated into each of the countries where we work. This fact helps us reach the least-served groups as well as the countries that support them,” Kyller said.
Support for migrants and refugees includes food, winter clothing, sanitation, temporary shelter, legal aid and assistance in language translation.
There have been immigrant protests and clashes with police in Idomeni in recent days. On Sunday about 300 migrants, including women and children, were injured when they tried to break through the border fence on the Macedonian border. Police fired tear gas and bullets at them.
Police have arrested 14 pro-refugee activists from Britain, Germany and other European countries. They accused them of encouraging hundreds of migrants to storm the fence, the New York Times reports. The activists allegedly thought the action would generate sympathy and help re-open borders.
