Catholic News 2

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(Vatican Radio) One of the most touching interventions at the 51st International Eucharistic Congress in Cebu, Philippines, was made by an ex-“street child” from the city.

Maria “Maggie” Georgia Cogtas now works with other children who find themselves in the same dire situation she once found herself.

Listen to the interview by Seàn-Patrick Lovett with Maria “Maggie” Georgia Cogtas:

She told Vatican Radio the life on the street can be frightening and dangerous.

“I have encountered many street children. When we meet them they have scars on their…head,” she said.

“One time there was a street kid who was very badly beaten by a group, he had a wound in his head, he said to me he rushed to the hospital and asked for the security guards if they could help him,” Maggie continued. “So there was a doctor who said [he could help] then he stitched the wound of the child.”

Not all street children are homeless. Many just make their living on the street, begging or stealing food and money.

“Street could be children making their street their market for living, maybe they could use the street as instrument where they could food or money.”

In this case, Maggie said “the danger is not only in the street, but also in the home.”

“There are street children who are beaten by their family because I guess their stress-out parents convert their stress to their children,” she said.

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(Vatican Radio)  The final days of the Year of Consecrated Life are being marked in the Vatican with a theological symposium on religious life, taking place from 28 Jan to 1 Feb, on the theme Consecrated Life in Communion. A common foundation in the diversity of styles.

The event, hosted by the Vatican's Congregation for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life (CICLSAL), kicked off with a prayer vigil Thursday night (28 Jan) in St. Peter's Basilica. Pope Francis is set to close the Year of Consecrated Life with a Mass on Tuesday, 2 February, the World Day of Consecrated Life.

During Thursday night's vigil, Archbishop José Rodríguez Carballo, O.F.M., Secretary of the Congregation for Religious (CICLSAL), gave a reflection on the centrality of joy for the consecrated person.

"The beatitudes," he said, "are, here and now, the path to a full and joyful life. Joy is not a possibility but a responsibility for the consecrated person. If we believe that God can fill our hearts and make us happy; if we believe that the brothers and sisters God has given us are gifts from him (...) then we cannot but share with the world the gift of our joy in Christ".

Friday, the second day of the symposium on religious life, also began with a focus on joy. The first speaker was Cardinal João Bráz de Aviz, the Prefect of CICLSAL, who said, "As consecrated people, we have to show that God can fill our hearts and make us happy" and exhorted all to unity and fraternity as a means to live spirituality of communion in the Church.

Another presenter, Fr. Christoph Theobald, SJ, said, "To follow, to listen and to welcome the other: this is the style of Jesus that consecrated men and women are called to learn. They are consecrated to the service of what is happening where they live and work; witnesses of fraternity which, if lived authentically, becomes an 'alternative' way of life; men and women who look to the future with the prophetic gaze of one who sees the Holy Spirit continuously working and enriching the Church with new charisms."

Maria Grazia Angelini S.O.B. also presented at the symposium on religious life. She made the point that contemplation does not take us out of the world but inserts us fully into it: "God lives and works in the world and places us in the original state of contemplation. It is not an activity, a state of life, but a way of being that shines in itself: it is the unifying act of believing. The Spirit is working and leads us to what is essential, that is, to follow the Teacher".

Pope Francis opened the Year of Consecrated Life on 2 February 2015.

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(Vatican Radio) Australia’s ambassador to the Holy See, John McCarthy concluded his time in office on Friday, reflecting on the challenges and achievements of the past three years of service. He presented his credentials to Pope Benedict in the Vatican on November 12th 2012, just three months before the German pontiff announced his surprise resignation.

Ambassador McCarthy is a lawyer who was appointed Knight Commander of the Order of St Gregory the Great in 2006 for services to the Catholic Church and to the wider Australian community

As he took over as only the second resident Australian representative to the Holy See, the ambassador said he hoped to continue the work of his predecessor, Tim Fischer, especially in areas of peace and religious freedom, human rights and anti-trafficking.

On his last day in office, Philippa Hitchen asked him about his achievements and about how he has sought to raise the profile of his country within the Roman Curia…

Listen 

As a lawyer, Ambassador McCarthy says any achievement about his contribution must come from others, since “you can’t be a judge in your own case”. But he stresses that in a series of areas such as the campaign against human trafficking, the importance of Islam-Christian dialogue in the East or issues relating to the clerical sex abuse scandal, he has made clear Australia’s position and hopes that his submissions have had “some effect in terms of atmosphere and perhaps in policy making as well”.

The biggest challenges, he says, has been trying to put together the good will of people from different outlooks and cultures, “to take the inspiration of Pope Francis and Sr Eugenia Bonetti, for example” on the evils of human trafficking and “try to turn that into organizational association or alliance”. This is not only a challenge that he’s found, the ambassador says, but also “a big challenge in interfaith and intercultural dialogue generally”.

Asked about his passion for sports, in particular cricket, the ambassador speaks about his past experience as trustee of the Sydney cricket ground and about the establishment of the “international St Peter’s Cricket Club – the Vatican XI – in gold and white, with the red cross keys”. Through matches against teams including the Church of England XI and a Muslim team from Yorkshire, he notes that the club is now seen as “a significant symbol of interfaith and intercultural cooperation”.

Finally the ambassador speaks of a painting by “one of our finest portrait artists” Shen Jiawei, who produced the first officially commissioned portrait of Pope Francis. The portrait, which was presented to the Holy Father on behalf of the Australian people to mark the 40th anniversary of diplomatic relations in 2014, symbolizes “a part of what Australia has been able to do”, he says.

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(Vatican Radio) An official for Caritas Internationalis said the tit-for-tat killings seen in Burundi over the past months between supporters and opponents of President Pierre Nkurunziza have created “a complete climate of fear” among the population. The violence began in Burundi last April when President Nkurunzia announced he would seek a third term. Over 400 people have died and around 250,000 have fled abroad and many fear that the nation could be slowly sliding back into another civil war. Patrick Nicholson is the Communications Director for Caritas Internationalis and he spoke to Susy Hodges from the Burundian capital, Bujumbura.

Listen to the interview with Patrick Nicholson of Caritas Internationalis: 

“There’s fear everywhere”

Nicholson said he had spoken to many residents during his visit to Bujumbura and said that in the “contested” areas of the capital “there is a complete climate of fear” with people locking themselves into their houses after 6pm and sometimes even “locking themselves into their cellars.” He spoke of how he had heard the sounds of shooting at night during his stay in the Burundian capital.

“People are feeling their lack of freedom, the repression.”

Asked whether the population in Burundi fears that the nation could be sliding back into a civil war, Nicholson said that right now “people are not talking about a full-scale civil war” but are still living in a kind of limbo whilst hoping for “a political solution” to the nation’s crisis. He told us that the local Catholic Church has been a strong voice calling for an inclusive dialogue between the parties.

One of the impacts of this prolonged violence has been a worsening economic crisis which Nicholson said “really does bite.” The government can no longer offer free medical treatment at hospitals but often the patients cannot afford to pay for their treatment because they have no work or money and so Caritas tries to give a helping hand with their medical bills.

Turning to the future, Nicholson said Caritas is also trying to ramp up their humanitarian operation inside Burundi just in case “the worst happens” so they can help those in need. 

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The 51st International Eucharistic Congress taking place from Jan. 24-31, in the central Philippine city of Cebu, has as its main theme, “The Eucharist as Mission”.  Thousands of delegates and participants, among them  the clergy, religious and lay people, are taking part in this event to ‎promote ‎the ‎awareness ‎of ‎the ‎central place of the Eucharist in the life and mission of the Catholic ‎Church. ‎ 

Among several speakers invited to address the gathering is Indian Archbishop Thomas Menamparampil, the Apostolic Administrator of Diocese of Jowai in Meghalaya state of North-East India.   He served as the bishop of Dibrugarh for 11 years and the Archbishop of Guwahati for 20 years before his retirement on January 18, 2012.  But Pope Francis called him back from retirement in Feb. 2014 to serve as Apostolic Administrator to Jowai. 

Archbishop Menamparampil, who is renowned in north-east India for his peace initiatives among warring ethnic and tribal groups, delivered a talk on Jan. 27 on  "The Eucharist as Mission, ‎Mission as Dialogue".   Sean Patrick Lovett of Vatican Radio caught up with the 77-year old archbishop in the sidelines of the International Eucharistic Congress in Cebu to ask him about his talk.   Sean told him that in a gathering like the Eucharistic Congress where participants are used to hearing interventions of spiritual, theological and intellectual nature, his talk on Eucharist as dialogue was something unusual and interesting.   Archbishop Menamparampil explained why.

Listen: 

 

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By Dennis Sadowski

TUCSON, Ariz. (CNS) -- For a long time, Father Timothy Martinez felt alone.

Not so much in his priesthood and his responsibilities as pastor of Risen Savior Parish in Albuquerque, New Mexico, but because of his passion for astronomy and his concern about the media-driven divide between religion and science.

He wondered how the two be could be shown to be complementary and share with his parishioners ways they can appreciate creation by knowing a little more about the universe.

Then he attended the Vatican Observatory's Faith and Astronomy Workshop in 2015 and was back again for this year's session Jan. 11-15 in the Arizona desert near Tucson with his Celestron 11-inch reflector telescope in tow. Father Martinez is not feeling so alone anymore.

"It's confirmation that I'm not crazy," he said during a morning small group discussion near the end of the workshop. "That's important to say. This is part of pastoral ministry ... to help people reach holiness."

The priest was among 14 clergymen (of a total of 25 people in attendance) at this year's workshop at the Redemptorist Renewal Center. Jesuit Brother Guy Consolmagno, Vatican Observatory director, said the weeklong gathering was designed to help parish leaders, educators and interested laypeople know that there are many like believers and that they can demonstrate in their ministries that faith and science do not have to be at odds.

For Father Martinez, 52, studying the heavens and reading up on the latest astronomical discoveries gives meaning to his existence.

"Anything we can touch, we can explore isn't anything less than touching, exploring aspects of God, what God's up to. It deepens my understanding of what I'm doing in the world," he told Catholic News Service.

"(The universe) is a giant statement of God, of grace, love, God's unbounded generosity in creation itself. If I'm going to learn about God, then that's how I'm going to learn," he added.

Like Father Martinez, most of the priests at the workshop have long had an interest in astronomy. For some, their interest dates from childhood when they would look in wonder at the stars. Some had telescopes growing up and have graduated to bigger instruments today. Others were encouraged to pursue studies in the sciences by teachers, parents or other influential adults -- some even after they committed to their vocation.

In observing the universe, the priests said they have grown in their appreciation and awe of creation. Coming out of the workshop, they said they feel they can more readily address the faith-science gap and hopefully inspire their parishioners.

"For me, there's not just a material appreciation for creation, but a really spiritual appreciation," said Father James Kurzynski, pastor of St. Joseph Parish in Menomonie, Wisconsin, and a contributor to the Vatican Observatory's Catholic Astronomer blog.

"It's about seeing the world almost as a bit of an icon and that preferential heart of iconography of spirituality, that if I can look at an icon of Jesus Christ and reverence not as Jesus himself, but as a bridge that bring me closer to Jesus, there's that iconic nature of creation as well," he said.

Father Tim Nondorf, pastor of St. Clare Parish in Roseville, California, suggested that knowing God better can happen simply by studying creation.

"Religion answers two questions in our world: Who am I and why am I here. Science answers two questions in our world: What happened and how did it happen," Father Nondorf said. "When we can answer or use the tools to answer those four questions, we develop a more complete view of our world, of God and our relationships. When we limit ourselves to just religion or just to science, we limit our understanding."

The priests are all too aware of the apparent conflicts between faith and science. They say they have experienced the feeling among parishioners that science poses a threat to religion because it discounts faith, and that if people readily accept theories on the birth and evolution of the universe or the rise of life on Earth they are abandoning God.

"People don't want to have their understanding of the Bible challenged by science because they're afraid of where that might lead," said Father Bill Menzel, a retired priest of the Diocese of La Crosse, Wisconsin, a workshop attendee.

For Father Menzel and the other priests at the workshop, however, there is no conflict.

Both faith and science allow people to contemplate the mysteries and uncertainty that surround life, they said, and open ways to encounter God.

"Just how far does it (the universe) go, and how old is everything? What do we know and what don't we know? These mysteries are formative," said Father Christopher Zerucha, 32, parochial vicar at St. Mary Church in Painesville, Ohio.

He explained how he was eager to integrate what he learned into his work across the multicultural parish, particularly among young people.

Father Christopher Singer, chancellor of the Diocese of Erie, Pennsylvania, began to understand that studying science and accepting scientific discoveries did not compromise faith values as a student at Gannon University. He recalled professors in his astronomy and physics classes who were deeply spiritual and faithful to God.

That realization prompted him to ask deeper questions about God's purpose for his life while exploring creation and better understand that the theories about the origins of the universe do not conflict with traditional teachings of the Catholic faith.

"Our Catholic tradition faith and reason have been partners, cooperators from the very beginning," he said.

The priests exchanged ideas on taking what they experienced at the workshop to their parishes, schools, fellow priests and bishops and even into their local communities. Ideas included Bible studies that incorporate the heavens, presentations at programs such as Theology on Tap, telescope nights on parish grounds and thoughtful homilies that inspire parishioners to expand their views beyond a limited understanding of the world around them.

Father Bryan Reif, pastor, and Deacon Robert Schroeder, of St. Antoninus Parish in Cincinnati, have integrated astronomy into parish life, largely through monthly observing nights for parents and students at the parish school.

The gatherings began in 2009, the International Year of Astronomy, after the school was one of several recipients of a telescope under a program through a local museum. Deacon Schroeder has found that the nights have opened the door for conversations on faith and science.

For Father Reif, studying the heavens allows him to "tap into the gifts of the Holy Spirit" and hopefully inspire parishioners to do the same.

"It's that God has created all of this and you can use a telescope to see the things to see beyond the physical sight in the universe," he said. "It's so immense (and) in the midst of all of that immensity all of which is willed and kept in being by God's willingness, he wants to have a personal relationship with me."

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Follow Sadowski on Twitter: @DennisSadowski.

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By Carol Glatz

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- More than 1,000 "missionaries of mercy" from all over the world will receive a special mandate from Pope Francis to preach and teach about God's mercy, said Archbishop Rino Fisichella.

About 700 of the missionaries who were chosen by Pope Francis will be in Rome to receive their special mandate in person during an Ash Wednesday ceremony in St. Peter's Basilica Feb. 10, said the president of the Pontifical Council for Promoting New Evangelization, the office organizing events for the Year of Mercy.

For the holy year, which runs until Nov. 20, Pope Francis said he would designate "missionaries of mercy" to be unique signs of God's mercy. He is also giving them special authority to pardon sins that carry penalties that only the Holy See can lift.

During a news conference at the Vatican Jan. 29, Archbishop Fisichella said there had been a huge response from priests and religious men who -- with permission from their bishops or superiors -- requested to serve as these special missionaries.

The original plan was to have just 800 missionaries, however, the number of requests was so great, 1071 men ended up being chosen, Archbishop Fisichella said. The missionaries will serve in their own dioceses, but they may be invited by other bishops to visit other dioceses as well.

The pontifical council will send out to all the world's bishops a list of the names and personal contact information of all the missionaries appointed by the pope, the archbishop said.

It will then be up to an individual bishop to reach out to a missionary on the list to invite him to his diocese, as well as cover expenses and provide what may be needed for his stay, the archbishop said.

Missionaries were chosen from all over the world, he said, including China, United Arab Emirates and East Timor. There were to be 125 missionaries from the United States and 10 missionaries from Canada, the council said.

"It is only the pope who nominates these missionaries, not the bishops, and it is he who entrusts them with the mandate to announce the beauty of the mercy of God while being humble and wise confessors who possess a great capacity to forgive those who approach the confessional," the archbishop said.

Those who wanted to serve as special missionaries, but were not chosen, are encouraged to "work as witnesses of mercy in their own daily missions, in the parishes, institutes, and other communities where they offer their service with love," the council said on its website, www.im.va.

The appointed missionaries were invited to Rome for a special meeting with the pope Feb. 9. They were to receive their papal mandate the next day during a ceremony in St. Peter's Square in the presence of the relics of Sts. Padre Pio and Leopold Mandic -- both Capuchin priests who spent 14 hours or more a day hearing people's confessions.

It will be the first time their relics come to Rome, Archbishop Fisichella said. The relics were to be brought to St. Peter's Basilica by procession Feb. 5 and remain in the central nave in front the Altar of the Confession until Feb. 11.

The pope requested their relics be exposed for veneration in the basilica, according to jubilee organizers, to be a sign for the missionaries of how God welcomes those who seek forgiveness.

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PAVLISHCHEVO, Russia (AP) -- For Olga Druganina, Russia's economic turmoil has been a great business opportunity....

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GENEVA (AP) -- Indirect peace talks aimed at resolving Syria's five-year conflict began Friday at the U.N. headquarters in Geneva, without the participation of the main opposition group....

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BURNS, Ore. (AP) -- Video of the fatal police shooting of an Oregon wildlife refuge occupier appears to show the man reaching into his jacket before he fell into the snow. The FBI said the man had a loaded gun in his pocket....

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