Catholic News 2

(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis stopped at the Archbasilica of Saint Mary Major after arriving in Rome from Mexico on Thursday afternoon. His plane landed at Rome’s Ciampino Airport, and the Holy Father went by car to the Basilica, before returning to the Vatican.

During his brief visit to the Church, Pope Francis placed a bouquet of flowers in front of the Marian Icon, Salus Populi Romani. The Holy Father always venerates the icon before and after his international apostolic trips.

Full Article

(Vatican Radio) The number of Pope Francis’ followers on his @Pontifex Twitter account in 9 languages climbed above 27 million during his visit to Mexico.  The most popular language is Spanish with 11,146,700 followers, the second is English with 8,680,000 and the third is Italian with 3,365,500. The other languages in order of popularity are Portuguese, Polish, French, Latin, German and Arabic. 

Pope Benedict launched the @Pontifex account on the 12th of December 2012 whilst Pope Francis sent his first tweet on the 17th of March 2013. 

Full Article

Gen 15:5-12, 17-18, Phil 3:17—4:1, Lk 9:28b-36

A movie called Mask is based on the true story of a 16-year-old boy named Rocky Dennis. He has a rare disease that causes his skull and the bones in his face to grow larger than they should. As a result, Rocky’s face is terribly misshapen and disfigured. His grotesque appearance causes some people to shy away from him, and others to snicker and laugh at him. Through it all, Rocky never pities himself. Nor does he give way to anger. He feels bad about his appearance, but he accepts it as a part of life. One day Rocky and some of his friends visit an amusement park. They go into a “House of Mirrors” and begin to laugh at how distorted their bodies and faces look. Suddenly Rocky sees something that startles him. One mirror distorts his misshapen face in such a way that it appears normal – even strikingly handsome. For the first time, Rocky’s friends see him in a whole new way. They see from the outside what he is on the inside: a truly beautiful person. Something like this happens to Jesus in today’s Gospel. During his Transfiguration, Jesus’ disciples saw him in a whole new way. For the first time they saw from the outside what he is on the inside: the glorious, beautiful Son of God

Introduction: The readings for the Second Sunday of Lent highlight Jesus’ identity as God’s beloved Son (revealed at his baptism and Transfiguration) and confront us with the mystery of his death on the cross. Hence, the main theme of today’s readings is an invitation as well as a challenge to us to do what Abraham did:  put our Faith in the loving promises of the merciful God who sent His Son to die for us and to transform our lives by renewing them during Lent.  Our transformed lives will enable us to radiate the glory and grace of the transfigured Lord to all around us by our Spirit-filled lives.  The first reading describes the transforming of a pagan patriarch into a believer in the one God, the transforming of his name from Abram to Abraham and God’s making of His first Covenant with  man through Abraham and his descendants as a reward for Abraham’s obedience to God. In the second reading, St. Paul argues that it is not observance of the Mosaic Law and circumcision that transforms people into Christians, and hence, the Gentiles need not become Jews to become Christians. In the Transfiguration account in today’s Gospel, Jesus is revealed as a glorious figure, superior to Moses and Elijah who appear with him. He is identified by the Heavenly Voice as the Son of God. Thus, the Transfiguration experience is a Christophany, that is, a manifestation or revelation of who Jesus really is. Describing Jesus’ Transfiguration, the Gospel shows us a glimpse of the Heavenly glory waiting for those who do God’s will by putting their trusting Faith in Him.

First reading, Genesis 15:5-12, 17-18: Abram (God later changed his name to Abraham), is presented as the first person since Noah to hear and heed the Voice of God. At God's prompting, Abram moved his considerable holdings from the ancient city of Ur in Mesopotamia (modern Iraq), to a land he knew not (modern Palestine). As a reward for Abram’s trust and obedience, God promised him numerous descendants. He also promised Abram a land for himself and his family. When Abram asked for a sign that would seal this promise, God entered into a unilateral contract with him, using an ancient ritual of contract.  The parties who wanted to seal a contract would split the carcass of one or more animals, lay the halves on the ground, and walk between them, saying "May I be so split in half if I fail to keep the agreement we are sealing here." Abram fell into a trance and witnessed the procession of the fire pot and torch moving between the carcass halves. This symbolized God’s presence and action.   As this was a unilateral contract between God and Abraham, Abraham was not asked to walk between the carcass halves. 

Second Reading, Philippians 3:17-4:1: Among early Christians in several places there was a controversy about whether one had to keep the old Jewish law in order to be a follower of Christ. Saint Paul argues forcefully here that one does not have to do so. Those who say one must, are really "enemies of the cross of Christ," because they're acting as if the death and Resurrection of Jesus are not what save us; rather, they hold that keeping the law is what saves them. In particular, the law required eating kosher food and having males circumcised. The food is what Paul alludes to in ridiculing their devotion to their stomachs, and the circumcision is what he means when he says they glory in their "shame."

Exegesis: The objective: The primary purpose of Jesus’ Transfiguration was to allow him to consult his Heavenly Father in order to ascertain His plan for His Son’s suffering, death and Resurrection.  The secondary aim was to make his chosen disciples aware of his Divine glory so that they might discard their worldly ambitions and dreams of a conquering political Messiah and might be strengthened in their time of trial. Further, the Transfiguration enabled Jesus to present himself to the apostles as Israel’s redeemer as had already been foretold by the prophets (St. Ephrem).  The Transfiguration established Jesus’ glorious identity as the beloved Son of God and placed his divine Sonship in the context of Jewish expectations about the Kingdom and the Resurrection.  The event took place in late summer, just prior to the Feast of Tabernacles.  Hence, the Orthodox Church celebrates the Transfiguration at about the time of the year when it actually occurred in order to connect it with the Old Testament Feast of the Tabernacles.  The Western tradition recalls the Transfiguration at the beginning of Lent, and then celebrates the formal feast on August 6.

The location of the Transfiguration was probably Mount Hermon in North Galilee, near Caesarea Philippi, where Jesus had camped a week before this wondrous event.  Mt. Hermon was a desolate mountain, 9200 feet high.  The traditional oriental belief that Transfiguration took place on Mount Tabor is based on Psalm 89:12.  But Mount Tabor is a small mountain or a big hill in the south of Galilee, less than 1000 feet high, with a Roman fort built on it.  Hence, it would have been an unlikely place for solitude and prayer.  

The scene of Heavenly glory:   While praying, Jesus was transfigured into a shining figure, full of Heavenly glory. “In 1st century Judaism and in the NT, there was the belief that the righteous get new, glorified bodies in order to enter heaven (1 Cor 15:42–49; 2 Cor 5:1–10). This transformation means the righteous will share the glory of God. One recalls the way Moses shared the Lord's glory after his visit to the mountain in Ex 34. So the disciples saw Jesus transfigured, and they were getting a sneak preview of the great glory that Jesus would have. (NET Bible notes).”

Moses and Elijah are seen with Jesus at the Transfiguration, because both of them had experienced the Lord in all His glory.  Moses had met the Lord in the burning bush at Mount Horeb (Ex 3:1-4). The Transfiguration scene closely resembles God’s revelation to Moses, who also brought along three companions and whose face also shone brilliantly (see Ex 24:1; 34:29).  After his encounter with God on Sinai, Moses' face shone so brightly that the people were frightened, and thereafter, whenever Moses went into the Tent to consult the Lord, he had to wear a veil over his face when he came out (Ex 34:29-35). The Jews believed that Moses had been taken up in a cloud at end of his earthly life (Josephus, Antiquities of the Jews 4. 326). Elijah traveled for forty days to Mt. Horeb on the strength of the food brought by an angel (1 Kgs 19:8).  At Mt. Horeb, Elijah sought refuge in a cave as the glory of the Lord passed over him (1 Kgs 19:9-18).  Finally, Elijah was taken directly to heaven in a chariot of fire without seeing death (2 Kgs 2:11 -15). 

These representatives of the Law and the Prophets – Moses and Elijah - foreshadowed Jesus, who is the culmination of the Law and the Prophets.  Both earlier prophets were initially rejected by the people but vindicated by God.  The Jews believed that the Lord had buried Moses in an unknown place after his death (Dt 34:  5-6), and that Elijah had been carried to heaven in a whirlwind (II Kings 2:11).  Thus, the implication is that, although God spared Elijah from the normal process of death and Moses from normal burial, He did not spare His Son from suffering and death. Peter, overwhelmed at the scene, exclaimed how good it was for them to be there.   His remark about three booths (or tents) may be a reference to the Jewish festival of Succoth, the most joyful of Jewish days, when booths were erected in which the people dwelt during the time of the feast and from which all kinds of presents and sweets came.   Or it may be a reference of reverence, alluding to tabernacles to house the patriarchs and the Son of God.

God the Father’s Voice from the cloud: “In the Old Testament the cloud covered the meeting tent, indicating the Lord’s presence in the midst of his people (Ex 40:34-35) and came to rest upon the Temple in Jerusalem at the time of its dedication (1 Kgs 8:10).” (NAB notes). The book of Exodus describes how God spoke to Moses at Mount Sinai from the cloud.  God often made appearances in a cloud (Ex 24:15-17; 13:21 -22; 34:5; 40:34; 1 Kgs 8:10-11).   I Kgs, 8: 10 tells us how, by the cover of a cloud, God revealed His presence in the Ark of the Covenant and in the Temple of Jerusalem on the day of its dedication.  The Jews generally believed that the phenomenon of the cloud would be repeated when the Messiah arrived.  God the Father, Moses and Elijah approved the plan regarding Jesus' suffering, death and Resurrection.  God’s words from the cloud, “This is my Son, the Beloved; with him I am well pleased; listen to him,” are the same words used by God at Jesus' baptism (3:17), with the addition of "listen to Him."  At the moment of Jesus’ death, a Roman centurion would declare, “Truly, this man was the Son of God” (15:39).  These words summarize the meaning of the Transfiguration, that on this mountain, God revealed Jesus as His Son -- His beloved -- the One in whom He is always well pleased and the One to whom we must listen. By the words “This is my Son; listen to Him!” Jesus is not simply presented to the apostles as the Son of God, but as God’s mouthpiece. This designation is especially significant in the presence of Moses and Elijah because it tells the apostles that Jesus is the voice of God par excellence—even compared with the Law and the Prophets—through his filial relationship with the Father. It is directed to the prophets as well, granting them a theophany in the person of Christ; Moses and Elijah had wished to see God in the Old Testament, and the Transfiguration of Christ fulfilled their wish.” (Andreas Andreopoulos, Metamorphosis: The Transfiguration in Byzantine Theology and Iconography, 48-49) 

The three transformations in our lives in our journey towards eternity: The first change begins at Baptism which washes away original sin, transforming us into children of God and heirs of heaven. The second transformation takes place through our victory over the trials and tribulations of life.  Every challenge, every difficulty, every moment of suffering, is an opportunity for transformation and spiritual growth. The third transformation takes place at death.  Eternal life in Heaven, perhaps after a period of further transformation in Purgatory, is granted to those who have been found worthy.  The last transformation or transfiguration will be completed at the Second Coming when our glorified body is reunited with our soul.

Life messages: (1) The “transfiguration” in the Holy Mass is the source of our strength: In each Holy Mass, the bread and wine we offer on the altar become “transfigured” or transformed into the living Body and Blood of the crucified, risen and glorified Jesus.  Just as Jesus' transfiguration strengthened the apostles in their time of trial, each holy Mass should be our source of Heavenly strength against temptations, and our renewal during Lent.  In addition, our Holy Communion with the living Jesus should be the source of our daily “transfiguration,” transforming our minds and hearts so that we may do more good by humble and selfless service to others.

(2) Each time we receive one of the Sacraments, we are transformed: For example, Baptism transforms us into sons and daughters of God and heirs of heaven. Confirmation makes us temples of the Holy Spirit and warriors of God.  By the Sacrament of Reconciliation, God brings back the sinner to the path of holiness.

(3) The Transfiguration offers us a message of encouragement and hope: In moments of doubt and during our dark moments of despair and hopelessness, the thought of our transfiguration in Heaven will help us to reach out to God and to listen to His consoling words: "This is My beloved Son."  Let us offer our Lenten sacrifices to our Lord, that through these practices of Lent and through the acceptance of our daily crosses we may become closer to him in his suffering and may share in the carrying of his cross so that we may finally share the glory of his Transfiguration.

4) We need “mountain-top experiences” in our lives: We share the mountain-top experience of Peter, James and John when we spend extra time in prayer during Lent.  Fasting for one day can help the body to store up spiritual energy.  This spiritual energy can help us have thoughts that are far higher and nobler than our usual mundane thinking.  The hunger we experience can put us more closely in touch with God and make us more willing to help the hungry.  The crosses of our daily lives also can lead us to the glory of transfiguration and resurrection.

Arthur Ashe, the legendary Afro-American Wimbledon player was dying of cancer. He received letters from his fans, worldwide, one of which read: “Why did God select you for such a dreadful disease?” Ashe replied, “The world over, 5 crore children start playing tennis, 50 lakhs learn the game, 5 lakh turn professional; 50,000 come to the circuit, 5,000 reach Grand Slams, 50 reach Wimbledon, 4 to the semifinals, 2 to the finals. When I won the Wimbledon crown, I never asked God, “Why me?” Today, in pain, I shouldn’t be asking God, “Why me?” Wimbledon crown, cancer cross. That’s Christianity! That is why Jesus reminds his three apostles about his death and Resurrection immediately after his glorious transfiguration.

(Source: Homilies of Fr. Anthony Kadavil)

Full Article

(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis gave a lengthy press conference on the flight back from Mexico to Rome on Thursday, sharing thoughts on many subjects including pedophile priests, Mexico’s 'desaparecidos', the Church in Ukraine and the Zika virus.

Philippa Hitchen reports: 

Asked why he had not met with relatives of the 43 Mexican student teachers who went missing in Guerrero state in 2014, Pope Francis said he had spoken at length about the problems of assassinations by criminal gangs and drug traffickers. He said he was willing to meet with the relatives but there are many groups representing the 'desaparecidos' and there are also internal disputes among these groups.

Another Mexican journalist asked about the problem of child abuse and the legacy which Marcial Maciel, founder of the Legionaries, left in the country. Pope Francis said that a bishop who knowingly moves a priest accused of abuse from one parish to another is ‘irresponsible’ and should resign from his post. He also stressed how hard his predecessor Pope Benedict had worked over the past decade to tackle the problem and pointed to the various steps he has taken with his Council of Cardinals, the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith and the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors.

Asked about immigration and the threats of U.S. presidential candidates to build walls along the southern border, the Pope said he would not comment on the U.S. elections but added “a person who thinks only of building walls anywhere – rather than building bridges – is not a Christian”.

Pope Francis also spoke at length about his historic meeting last Friday with Russian Orthodox Patriarch Kirill and about the concerns of Greek Catholics in Ukraine who feel betrayed by the encounter. He said he understood these fears, expressed by Greek Catholic Archbishop Sviatoslav Schevchuk, adding that he is entitled to his own ideas regarding the conflict in Ukraine. It’s important to take the comments in context, the Pope insists, since Archbishop Schevchuk also describes the encounter as “a good thing” which he hopes will lead to further dialogue.

Asked about responses to the Zika virus which is causing birth defects, especially across Latin America, the Pope stressed that abortion is a crime which can never be justified as a lesser evil and which goes against the Hippocratic oath that doctors must take. Using contraceptives to avoid pregnancy can be acceptable in difficult situations, he said, noting that Pope Paul VI authorized nuns in Africa to do the same half a century ago when they were threatened with rape.

The Pope also talked about the European Union, saying that he will soon be receiving the prestigious Charlemagne prize which he will offer for the future of the continent. Endorsing the concept of a ‘re-founding’ of the European Union, he asked who could be the founding fathers of today?

One American journalist returned to the question of marriage, asking how a merciful Church can forgive the sins of a murderer more easily than someone who divorces and remarries? Pope Francis said the post-Synod document on the family – which should be published before Easter – will explore in depth the question of marital breakdown and especially the need for better marriage preparation. He noted how many couples are pressured into getting marriage quickly if there is a baby on the way, saying that as bishop of Buenos Aires he instructed his priests to put off such weddings until the couples were ready to commit to each other for the rest of their lives. Divorced and remarried couples must be reintegrated into the life of the Church, the Pope stressed, adding that it is a long journey but that “all the doors are open”.

Commenting on revelations this week that Pope John Paul II had a long standing close friendship with an American woman, Pope Francis replied that a man who is unable to have such good friendships with women is “a man who is missing something” in his life. Personally speaking, he said, he likes to ask advice from women who “see things in a different way”. The Church and its priests have still not really understood how much good women can bring in terms of advice, help and healthy friendships, he added.

Speaking of future trips and meetings, Pope Francis said he’d like to travel to China and that he was hoping to meet soon with the Grand Imam of al-Azhar, Ahmed el-Tayeb. Finally  the Pope joined journalists in thanking Alberto Gasbarri, the organizer of papal trips for the past four decades, who is retiring at the end of the month. 

Full Article

Washington D.C., Feb 18, 2016 / 06:22 am (CNA/EWTN News).- While Catholic nuns are required to obey health care regulations that they say violate the teachings of their faith, large corporations like ExxonMobil are exempt, a new website says.

That fact and other details of the Little Sisters of the Poor v. Burwell court case are available on the new site: thelittlesistersofthepoor.com/#littlesisters, announced the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty, the legal group that represents the sisters, on Tuesday.

“This website demonstrates that everything the Little Sisters of the Poor do is motivated by faith,” said Melinda Skea, director of communications for the Becket Fund. “It also shows that the government has very weak claims to force the Little Sisters to violate their faith.”

Issued under the Affordable Care Act, the HHS mandate requires employers to offer free coverage for contraception, sterilization and some drugs that can cause abortions.

The regulation has sparked a years-long dispute between the administration and hundreds of plaintiffs nationwide, who argue that the mandate forces them to violate their religious convictions.

Meanwhile, some other health plans have been “grandfathered” in and are not subject to the mandate. These include plans offered by ExxonMobil, Chevron, Visa Inc. and PepsiCo.

Furthermore, the U.S. Military includes a family insurance plan that does not offer the mandated services.

And, according to the website, one in three Americans do not have a health plan that satisfies the mandate. The Little Sisters say that since so many employers are offered exemptions under various justifications, there is no reason that they should not receive a religious exemption as well.

While a narrow religious exemption to the mandate is offered to houses of worship and their affiliates, many faith-based charities and non-profits – including the Little Sisters – do not qualify due to a stipulation in tax law that was used to determine religious exemptions.

Instead, the administration has offered what it calls an “accommodation” whereby religious non-profits such as the Little Sisters can notify the government of their moral objections, and government in turn will order the issuer of their health plan to provide the coverage.

However, the Little Sisters argue that this still violates their religious beliefs because they would ultimately be facilitating access to services they believe are immoral. Failure to comply with the mandate would mean fines estimated at $2.5 million per year – 40 percent of what the sisters beg for annually to run their ministry.  

The sisters’ case against the mandate is currently before the Supreme Court as part of a bundle of cases. The oral arguments for the case are set for March 23.

The website also tells the story of the Little Sisters, whose foundress St. Jeanne Jugan cared for the poor and the elderly around her in post-revolution France, even picking up an elderly woman off the street and offering her own bed to the woman.

After 175 years, the Little Sisters minister to over 31,000 poor persons in 31 countries. They operate almost 30 homes for the elderly and the dying in the U.S.

A typical day for a sister involves a 5:30 a.m. wake-up, prayer, caring for the elderly in their particular home, and recreation.

“To be a Little Sister is we care for the elderly until the end. It’s not like a coming and going. Once they come in, they belong to our family,” stated Sister Georgia in a video featured on the website.

“And that’s our greatest joy, being at the service of the others and the elderly,” she continued.

Full Article

Aboard the papal plane, Feb 18, 2016 / 10:00 am (CNA/EWTN News).- During his inflight news conference en route from Juarez to Rome, Pope Francis responded to recent criticism from Republican U.S. presidential candidate Donald Trump, who called the Pope “political” and has threatened to build a wall along the U.S.-Mexican border.

“A person who thinks only about building walls, wherever they may be, and not building bridges, is not Christian. This is not in the Gospel,” the Pope said Feb. 18.

Pope Francis was asked to respond to comments from Donald Trump, who had referred to the Pope as a “pawn” for the Mexican government. Trump says that he will build a wall along the border of the United States and Mexico to prevent undocumented immigrants from entering the U.S.
 
The Pope spoke to journalists on his return flight from Mexico's Ciudad Juarez to Rome. He paid an official Feb. 12-17 visit to the country, which climaxed with the celebration of Mass at the U.S.-Mexico border Mass in Juarez City.

Immigration is a theme close to Francis' heart. A son of Italian immigrants, the Argentine pontiff frequently speaks out asking world leaders to overcome an attitude of indifference and to welcome incoming migrants with dignity and respect.

The Pope also touched on the issue in his speech to U.S. Congress last September, telling lawmakers not to be “fearful of foreigners,” and reminding them of the many positive contributions immigrants make to the life of society. He also pointed out that many of them are descendants of immigrants themselves.

However, in a Feb. 11 interview with Fox Business Network, Donald Trump criticized the Pope’s sympathy toward immigrants, as well as his decision to celebrate a Mass at the U.S.-Mexico border.

“I think the Pope is a very political person, I think he doesn't understand the problems our country has,” he said.

Trump said the Pope doesn’t understand the “danger” of having an open border with Mexico, and suggested that Mexico’s leaders seduced the Pope into the Mass in order to keep the border the way it is, “because they're making a fortune and we're losing.”

In addition to his comments about Pope Francis, Trump has repeatedly made offensive remarks toward immigrants, and has threatened not only to build a wall along the border, but to make Mexico pay for it when he does.

In a June 28 interview with CNN, Trump suggested that should he be elected, he would build a 2,500km (1,553 ft.) wall along the U.S.-Mexican border because, in his opinion, “a wall is needed in certain areas.”

He said that Mexico “makes a fortune” off the U.S., and that a wall “is a tiny little peanut compared to that. I would do something very severe unless they contributed or gave us the money to build the wall.”

In his comments to journalists onboard the papal plane, Pope Francis jested, saying he is grateful to have been called a politician, since Aristotle defined the human person as “animal politicus,” meaning, “a political animal.”

“At least I am a human person,” he said, adding that as for being a pawn of the Mexican government, he’ll leave that “up to your judgment and that of the people.”

While he can’t tell anyone who vote for, Francis said that what he can say is that “this man is not Christian if he has said things like that.” The Pope said that we have to see if Trump really said things the way he did, but that in the meantime he’s willing to give him “the benefit of the doubt.”

On Wednesday Vatican spokesman Fr. Federico Lombardi responded to Trump’s criticism of the Pope’s sympathy toward immigrants, calling the presidential candidate’s remarks “very strange” and suggesting that he get more perspective.

“The pope always talks about migration problems all around the world, of the duties we have to solve these problems in a humane manner, of hosting those who come from other countries in search of a life of dignity and peace,” Lombardi said.

He noted that Pope Francis frequently makes similar remarks to leaders across Europe, which is something Trump would know “if he came to Europe.”

Full Article

IMAGE: CNS/Paul Haring

By David Agren

CIUDAD JUAREZ, Mexico (CNS) -- Speaking from the symbolic platform of the U.S.-Mexico border, Pope Francis pleaded for the plight of immigrants while warning those refusing to offer safe shelter and passage that their actions and inhospitable attitudes were bringing about dishonor and self-destruction as their hearts hardened and they "lost their sensitivity to pain."

Recalling the story of Jonah and his instructions from God to save the sinful city of Ninevah by telling the residents that "injustice has infected their way of seeing the world," Pope Francis' homily called for compassion, change and conversion on migration issues.

He alluded to Mexico and the United States as Ninevah, the city he said was showing symptoms of "self-destruction as a result of oppression, dishonor, violence and injustice." He also said mercy was a way to win over opponents.

He also preached urgency.

"We cannot deny the humanitarian crisis which in recent years has meant the migration of thousands of people, whether by train or highway or on foot, crossing hundreds of kilometers through mountains, deserts and inhospitable areas," Pope Francis said Feb. 17 to hundreds of thousands of people from both sides of the border.

"The human tragedy that is forced migration is a global phenomenon today. This crisis, which can be measured in numbers and statistics, we want to measure instead with names, stories and families."

The Mass capped a six-day trip to Mexico in which Pope Francis traveled to the northern and southern borders and denounced the indignities of discrimination, corruption and violence. During the trip he also asked oft-oppressed indigenous peoples for their forgiveness and chastised the privileged political and business classes -- saying their exclusionary actions were creating "fertile ground" for children to fall into organized crime and drug cartels.

Pope Francis delivered his homily a stone's throw from the Rio Grande, which has swallowed so many migrants over the years as they vainly tried to enter the United States in search of bettering their lot in life and, more recently, escaping violence enveloping Central America.

The Mass was celebrated as a binational event with thousands watching across the Rio Grande in El Paso and in a college football stadium. Pope Francis saluted the crowds watching at the Sun Bowl stadium and Bishop Mark Seitz of El Paso for providing technological connections that allowed them to "pray, sing and celebrate together" and "make us feel like a single family and the same Christian community."

The pope focused on migration, along with the dangers migrants encounter en route to their destinations and the difficulties of surviving on the margins of society without protections.

"Being faced with so many legal vacuums, they get caught up in a web that ensnares and always destroys the poorest," Pope Francis said.

Migration has marked Mexico for generations, though the number of Mexicans leaving the country is now surpassed by those returning -- involuntarily or otherwise -- as poor job prospects, an increasingly fortified border and anti-immigration initiatives prompt most to stay put.

Ironically, Mexico has assumed an unlikely role over the past several years: enforcer as it detains and deports record numbers of Central Americans trying to transit the country -- while many more of those migrants are preyed upon by criminals and corrupt public officials and suffer crimes such as kidnap, robbery and rape. The Mexican crackdown came after thousands of Central American children streamed through Mexico in 2014, seeking to escape forced enlistment in gangs and hoping to reunite with parents living in the shadows of American society, working minimum-wage jobs to support children left with relatives they hadn't seen in years.

"Each step, a journey laden with grave injustices. ' They are brothers and sisters of those excluded as a result of poverty and violence, drug trafficking and criminal organizations," Pope Francis said, while lauding the priests, religious and lay Catholics who accompany and protect migrants as they move through Mexico -- acts of compassion not always popular with the authorities.

"They are on the front lines, often risking their own lives," he said. "By their very lives they are prophets of mercy. They are the beating heart and accompanying feet of the church that opens its arms and sustains."

"They are brothers and sisters of those excluded as a result of poverty and violence, drug trafficking and criminal organizations," Pope Francis said. "Injustice is radicalized in the young. They are 'cannon fodder,' persecuted and threatened when they try to flee the spiral of violence and hell of drugs. Then there are the women unjustly robbed of their lives."

Pope Francis ended his homily by returning to the example of Jonah and his call for conversion in Ninevah. He called "mercy, which always rejects wickedness," a way to win over opponents, saying it "always appeals to the latent and numbed goodness in every person," and urged people to follow Jonah's example.

"Just as in Jonah's time, so too today may we commit ourselves to conversion," Pope Francis said. "May we commit ourselves to conversion. May we be signs lighting the way and announcing salvations."

Ciudad Juarez once held the dubious distinction of "murder capital of the world." More than 10,000 lives were lost between 2008 and 2012 as drug cartels battled over a coveted smuggling route and young people were seduced by easy money into illegal activities that led to their deaths.

The pope's visit was promoted by civic officials as a rebirth for Ciudad Juarez, though priests say the city still suffers vices such as exclusion and violence -- in lower numbers than before -- and jobs with low salaries and long hours in the booming factory for export economy, all of which strain family life.

- - -

Follow Agren on Twitter: @el_reportero.

- - -

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/Maria Grazia Picciarella, pool

By Carol Glatz

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- An assembly of bishops at the Vatican should have more input from the lay faithful, said church experts attending a seminar hosted by the head of the Synod of Bishops.

A renewed understanding of the role of the people of God and their bishops "warrants considering not just the bishop of Rome (the pope) and the episcopate in the synodal process, but also the lay faithful," said a communique issued by the synod's secretary general, Cardinal Lorenzo Baldisseri.

The communique, released by the Vatican press office Feb. 17, provided a brief summary of the conclusions reached by a seminar held Feb. 6-9 at the Vatican. Sponsored by the synod's secretary-general, the gathering looked at the Synod of Bishops as being at the service of a "synodal church."

Participants, who included professors and experts in ecclesiology and canon law from all over the world, reflected on Pope Francis' call "to overcome self-referentiality in the ordained ministries in order to go back to seeing bishops as those" who each represent their local diocese and together represent the entire church, the statement said.

This rediscovery of the bishop's relationship to the local and universal church and the role of the lay faithful requires rethinking ways lay Catholics can play a bigger part in the entire synodal process -- in preparing for a synod, in the actual gathering and in implementing final decisions, it said.

Based on the past two synod gatherings on the family, which consulted with the lay faithful beforehand through questionnaires and other methods of input, this kind of consultation with "the people of God" must become a permanent feature in preparing for a synod, it said.

A number of participants at the seminar said they hoped there would be "greater listening to and involvement of the faithful who take part in a synodal assembly," specifically by taking greater advantage of the presence and input of lay experts and observers, it said.

"Even though they cannot vote, they can carry out a role that is important, in any case, in the discernment and decision-making process," it said.

The communique repeated Pope Francis' call for a more "listening church."

Listening involves more than just hearing, it said, in that the process recognizes "each one has something to learn -- the faithful, the episcopal college, the bishop of Rome. Each one listening to the other and everyone listening to the Holy Spirit, the spirit of the truth."

- - -

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

By Cindy Wooden

ABOARD THE PAPAL FLIGHT FROM MEXICO (CNS) -- With physicians across Central and South American urging women to postpone pregnancy because of the Zika virus that causes birth defects, Pope Francis said using contraceptives could be a "lesser evil."

Holding a news conference Feb. 17 on his way back to Rome after a six-day visit to Cuba and Mexico, the pope was asked if the use of artificial contraceptives or abortion could be considered "a lesser evil" when the baby had a high risk of birth defects.

"Abortion is not a lesser evil -- it's a crime," Pope Francis said. It is the deliberate taking of an innocent human life. "It's an absolute evil."

"Don't confuse avoiding pregnancy with abortion," the pope said.

The concept of a "lesser evil" may apply to artificial birth control, however, he said, pointing to Blessed Paul VI's consent in the early 1960s for women religious in the then-Belgian Congo to take the pill when rape was being used as a weapon of war.

Unlike abortion, he said, "avoiding pregnancy is not an absolute evil. In certain cases, as in this one and such as the one I mentioned of Blessed Paul VI, it was clear."

At the same time, Pope Francis pleaded with doctors and scientists "to do their utmost to find vaccines against these mosquitoes that carry this disease."

Health officials have urged women to postpone their pregnancies for two years, because the Zika virus can produce microcephaly, a rare neurological condition that causes smaller heads in newborns, affecting the normal development of their brain.

In general, the Catholic Church is opposed to artificial birth control, but promotes natural family planning to space births.

- - -

Follow Wooden on Twitter: @Cindy_Wooden.

- - -

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