Catholic News 2

Pope Francis is now in Mexico but echoes of his visit to Africa remain. Ugandans are still celebrating and savouring that visit.

Following the historic visit of Pope Francis to Africa, in November 2015, Ugandans recently hosted a colourful celebration to acknowledge the contribution of various persons and organisations. The invitation to the celebration was extended to the papal organising committee, government officials and sponsors who contributed towards making the event a great success.

The thanksgiving and get-together event, held at the Uganda Catholic Secretariat premises, attracted over 400 invited guests. The event was characterised by jubilant songs, traditional and folk dances. The guest of honour was the country’s Prime Minister, Honourable Ruhakana Rugunda. Also present were the Archbishop of Gulu and Chairman of the Uganda Episcopal Conference, Archbishop John Baptist Odama; Bishop Joseph Franzelli of Lira Diocese; Bishop John Baptist Kaggwa of Masaka; Catholic secretariat staff and several public and private dignitaries.

Archbishop Odama informed the guests that the Holy Father, Pope Francis had written to him expressing gratitude to all Ugandans for their warm welcome during his visit.

“The whole event was a success which gave the Pope great joy. The crowds that received and accompanied him everywhere he went were a sign that people are yearning for Christ. It would not have been possible without the fervent hard work put in by everyone involved thus we are gathered here to celebrate that,” said Archbishop Odama adding, “The visit also left us with a very important lesson that the Church and the state can be partners in promoting the common good.” The Archbishop thus asked the Prime Minister to convey the Church’s sincere appreciation to the office of the Republican President and his government for the help and cooperation rendered during the pontifical visit.

Archbishop Odama told the guests that the Pope’s visit made all Ugandans proud. He urged Ugandans to maintain unity, hard work and a spirit of consultation. “The presence of the various leaders from different political parties and religions, the unprecedented handshake of the two presidential candidates in 15 years was proof that the Pope’s visit knew no religion nor political background but was a demonstration that Uganda only shares oneness,” the Archbishop emphasised.

At the thanksgiving celebration, the Prime Minister of Uganda, Honourable Rugunda Ruhakana also addressed guests. He said that many memorable events have taken place in the nation since and because of the papal visit. “The Holy Father ignited national cohesion in practice. We are used to political opponents hitting at each. It is not a common sight to see the warmth of the handshaking that we witnessed at the Namugongo shrine thus we should follow the Pope’s example of unity,” said Rugunda adding that, “Unity, solidarity and ecumenism were examples the Holy Father showed to Ugandans.”

(Uganda Episcopal Conference)

Email: engafrica@vatiradio.va

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(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis had an unscheduled encounter with six members of the Mexican Jesuit community on Sunday evening in the Apostolic Nunciature, where the Holy Father is staying while in Mexico City.

"They had a small conversation,” – said Vatican spokesman Fr. Federico Lombardi, SJ, – “During all his trips abroad, the Pope has small informal meetings with his brothers [Pope Francis is a member of the Jesuits], and it happened when the Pope returned from the [Federico Gomez Children’s] Hospital.”

During the meeting, the Jesuits gave Pope Francis a relic of Blessed Miguel Pro, a Martyr killed in 1927, during the anti-clerical regime of President Plutarco Elías Calles.

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The Auxiliary Bishop of the Catholic Archdiocese of Juba, Bishop Santo Loku Pio says the Government of South Sudan should ensure that the media in the country do their work without hindrance to enable them enlighten South Sudanese on the reconciliation process. The Bishop further said that journalists should be given freedom to fully inform citizens if the nation is to grow and if peace is to take root.

The Auxilliary Bishop was speaking during the celebration of the tenth anniversary of Radio Bakhita on Monday 8 February at St Joseph’s Parish in Juba. In his address, the Bishop highlighted the importance and dignity of the human person.

He called on journalists to play a bigger role in combating tribalism and nepotism in the country. His sentiments were echoed by the chairman of the South Sudan national alliance, Dr. Lam Akol Ajawin, who said that the courts of law should be the ones controlling journalists, not security organs. “If you deny people the freedom of expression, you are inciting them to cause chaos, said Dr. Lam.

Dr. Lam also said the National Alliance’s participation in the South Sudan’s transitional government would be to work to handle the current economic situation. The Alliance will also ensure that the coming government respects human rights and the basic laws, he pledged.

Meanwhile, UNESCO, National Ministry of Information and the Embassy of Sweden on Thursday 11th February launched women and youth radio listener clubs in Rumbek.

Women and youth listener clubs received four bicycles, ten radio sets and four mobile phones. The clubs also received four digital audio recorders, rechargeable batteries and units.

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(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis’ meeting with the head of the Russian Orthodox Church, Patriarch Kirill, has been hailed as an historic event.

The meeting took place on Friday 12 February in Cuba as the Pope made his way to Mexico for an apostolic journey.

The meeting marks the first encounter in history between a Pope and a Russian Orthodox Patriarch in the nearly 1,000 years since Eastern Orthodoxy split with Rome.

“Finally!” Pope Francis said as he embraced Patriarch Kirill in a private room at Havana’s airport where the three-hour encounter took place. “We are brothers” he said.

And the two leaders signed an unprecedented joint declaration in which they express their hope that the meeting “may contribute to the re–establishment of [the] unity willed by God, for which Christ prayed”. 

“May our meeting inspire Christians throughout the world to pray to the Lord with renewed fervour for the full unity of all His disciples. In a world which yearns not only for our words but also for tangible gestures, may this meeting be a sign of hope for all people of goodwill!” the declaration reads.

Just days after the meeting the Vatican’s Apostolic Nuncio to Moscow, Archbishop Ivan Jurkovic told Vatican Radio that he hopes this meeting is the first of many to come:

Listen: 

Archbishop Jurkovic says the future of the unity of Christian Churches will certainly reap great benefits from this meeting.

He expresses his belief that such an event “should become a normal event: they are calling each other ‘my brother’, and meetings with brothers should never be an extraordinary event”.

The Archbishop says that he is convinced that in the future we will see more such meetings which will become part of ‘ordinary communication’.

“These meetings will show our common concern for the destiny of mankind and for the destiny of the Church” he said.

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Boston, Mass., Feb 15, 2016 / 04:45 am (CNA/EWTN News).- A Massachusetts court ruling against a Catholic school may have set a dangerous precedent that interferes with religious schools’ ability to hire staff consistent with their mission, critics said.

“This court decision makes it impossible for faith-based institutions to survive,” Andrew Beckwith, president of the Massachusetts Family Institute, told CNA.

Beckwith was responding to a court ruling that Fontbonne Academy, an all-girls Catholic school in Milton, Mass., violated state anti-discrimination laws. The ruling suggested that religious freedom exemptions do not apply to the school because it accepts non-Catholic students.

“If this decision stands, it will either force faith-based schools to close their doors to anyone who is not of the same religion or they will have to give up their beliefs and hire without any regard to faith which will ultimately cease to make them faith-based institutions,” Beckwith said.

In June 2013, Matthew Barrett was hired as a food services director at Fontbonne Academy. But the school rescinded the job offer a few days later after discovering that Barrett was in a civil same-sex marriage.

Fontbonne Academy’s CEO, Mary Ellen Barnes, told Barrett that he could not be hired because his lifestyle is inconsistent with the Catholic Church’s teaching on marriage. She explained that every employee is expected to be a minister of the school’s Catholic mission.

The school is sponsored by the Sisters of St. Joseph of Boston. The college preparatory high school says it offers students of all faith an “education that opens them to the Catholic heritage of the search for God and the expression of faith through concern for the dear neighbor.”

Shortly after Barrett’s job offer was rescinded, he sued Fontbonne Academy. He claimed that the school discriminated against him because of his gender and his sexual orientation.  

In December 2015, the Norfolk Superior County Court ruled in favor of Barrett. The court also claimed that the school could not deny Barret the job since the duties of a food services director do not include promoting the teachings of the Catholic faith.

Beckwith said that all positions within a religious school represent the school’s identity, not just those relating to teaching the faith.

“Religious schools should be able to decide who they hire. This is part of their constitutional right of free exercise of religion and association protected by the First Amendment,” Beckwith told CNA.  

“The government should not be able to decide if a job has anything to do with religion,” he said. “Catholics and Protestants acknowledge Jesus Christ as their Savior who fed the masses with bread and fish and washed the feet of his disciples.”

“Christ literally and spiritually fed his followers. He demonstrates that every single job is infused with a faith element and the person doing the job is a witness to that faith,” Beckwith added.

Alliance Defending Freedom senior counsel Gregory S. Baylor said it is dangerous to have the government determine the hiring practices of religious schools.

“You are on a slippery slope if you allow the government to determine which jobs it deems ‘religious’,” Baylor told CNA. “The government should not be allowed to interfere with a religious school’s hiring practices and what it believes is important to remain true to its mission and identity.”

“Religious schools should be able to have representatives that behave in a manner that is consistent with their beliefs so that there is no misunderstanding where the school stands on controversial issues,” he said.

The court also ruled that Fontbonne Academy did not qualify for a religious exemption to the state’s anti-discrimination laws because it does not restrict membership and enrollment to only one religion.

“Welcoming students of all faiths, its student body has included non-Catholics, including Muslims, Jews, Baptists, Buddhists, Hindus, and Episcopalians. It follows that Fontbonne, as employer has no statutory exemption from the provisions that prohibit employment discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation,” the judgement states.

Beckwith argued that the judge misinterpreted the statute for religious exemptions.

“The judge created a very narrow interpretation for religious exemptions that is outside of the intent of the legislature,” Beckwith said. “According to the ruling, if Fontbonne Academy allows non-Catholic students, then that means they lose their religious freedom protections. This is wrong.”

“Religious freedom allows schools to set limits on what the behavioral standards are for its academic programs and faculty. But what this ruling says is that they don’t get to do that unless they only have Catholic membership and enrollment,” he said.

“This logic goes against the academic spirit of debate and diversity. Fontbonne allows for non-Catholic participation in its school precisely because of its desire for authentic debate and diversity,” Beckwith said.

Fontbonne Academy currently has more than 320 students enrolled who come from over 40 communities around the greater Boston. There are more than 30 international students at the school.

The school only requires its administrative and theology faculty to be Catholic.

Martin Scanlan, associate professor at Boston College, said that religious institutions have a right to preserve their identity, especially since they do not impose their beliefs on others of different faiths.  

“Catholics schools strike a positive balance between their Catholic identity and respecting the fact that not everyone enrolled or participating is Catholic,” he told CNA. “In fact, religious institutions live their faith more fully when they are allowed to serve a population that includes people with different religious views.”

Baylor said that religious schools can be proactive in preserving their identity by clearly establishing their beliefs and hiring practices to avoid legal disputes.

“One of the most important things that religious schools can do is to clearly state in writing what their beliefs, policies and practices are and then consistently apply those policies. They also need to clearly explain in advance where they draw the line – if any – on their hiring practices and who can and cannot be allowed to perform a specific job,” Baylor said.

“In this way, many disputes can be avoided. If they are not, these schools should know they have legal recourse,” he said.

Photo credit: Stephen Kiers via www.shutterstock.com

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