Catholic News 2
DETROIT (AP) -- The needs of Flint, Michigan, "far exceed the state's capability," Gov. Rick Snyder said in a request for a federal disaster declaration and millions of dollars that could pay for clean water, filters and cartridges for residents whose water system has been contaminated by lead....
AUSTIN, Texas (AP) -- Ted Cruz has said that after working on George W. Bush's 2000 campaign, being passed over for a senior position with the new administration was "a crushing blow." Turns out, it was his own fault....
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) -- Lottery officials verified Friday that a warehouse supervisor from the small town of Munford, Tennessee, bought one of three tickets winning the world-record $1.6 billion Powerball jackpot....
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) -- The latest on a Tennessee couple that says they won the Powerball (all times local):...
Indonesia’s Church leaders have condemned Thursday’s terrorist attack in their capital Jakarta and are calling for a concerted effort across religions and societies to help end the scourge of terrorism. "We have to work hand in hand to protect our people, particularly our young people, from any ideology that can harm society," Father Paulus Christian Siswantoko, executive secretary of the Indonesian bishops commission for justice, peace and of pastoral care of migrants, told UCANEWS. Seven people were killed in the three-hour siege near a busy shopping district despite multiple blasts and a gunfight, and five of them were the attackers themselves. The terrorist group known as the Islamic State, or IS, claimed responsibility for the attacks. The Indonesian Catholic bishops’ conference has not issued a statement about the attack yet but “we at the commission see the incident as being a lesson for us,” said Father Siswantoko.&nb...
Indonesia’s Church leaders have condemned Thursday’s terrorist attack in their capital Jakarta and are calling for a concerted effort across religions and societies to help end the scourge of terrorism. "We have to work hand in hand to protect our people, particularly our young people, from any ideology that can harm society," Father Paulus Christian Siswantoko, executive secretary of the Indonesian bishops commission for justice, peace and of pastoral care of migrants, told UCANEWS.
Seven people were killed in the three-hour siege near a busy shopping district despite multiple blasts and a gunfight, and five of them were the attackers themselves. The terrorist group known as the Islamic State, or IS, claimed responsibility for the attacks.
The Indonesian Catholic bishops’ conference has not issued a statement about the attack yet but “we at the commission see the incident as being a lesson for us,” said Father Siswantoko. This is because terrorism has penetrated society and therefore all social elements must work together to protect society, he added.
The Communion of Churches in Indonesia, the umbrella body of Protestant churches, called on Christians in particular and Indonesian society in general not to let terrorism tear down unity in the country. “We must not surrender to all provocative actions that damages harmonious life,” they said in a statement.
The world's most populous Muslim nation is no stranger to terrorist related violence. In 2002, a series of bombings took place in Kuta, killing 209 people, mostly foreign tourists and injured hundreds.
In Pakistan, where terrorism is a major factor of daily life, Father Khalid Yousaf, acting executive secretary of the bishops' commission for social communications, condemned the terrorist attacks in Indonesia and expressed sympathy for the victims. "We are praying for peace in Indonesia and the whole world," he said adding “we understand the grief that the Indonesians are feeling as we in Pakistan have been facing a similar situation for over a decade." The only way to approach such groups and restore peace in the world is to initiate dialogue at every level, Father Yousaf said. (Source: UCAN)
Organizers of this month's International Eucharistic Congress in Cebu, the Philippines, have assured delegates of security following Thursday’s terror attack in the Indonesian capital, Jakarta, that killed at least seven people. "While we commiserate with the victims of the bombing, the incident provides even more impetus for us and our security agencies to be vigilant," said Auxiliary Bishop Dennis Villarojo of Cebu. The prelate, who serves as secretary-general of the congress said authorities are making the meeting "as secure as possible." Some 15,000 participants from 90 countries are expected to attend the 51st International Eucharistic Congress, Jan 24-31."Cebu is unlike Indonesia," said Bishop Villarojo, EXPLAINING, "We have never had any such incidents in the past due perhaps to the relative ease for the topography of Cebu to be secured." Bishop Villarojo said there have been no cancellations of ...
Organizers of this month's International Eucharistic Congress in Cebu, the Philippines, have assured delegates of security following Thursday’s terror attack in the Indonesian capital, Jakarta, that killed at least seven people. "While we commiserate with the victims of the bombing, the incident provides even more impetus for us and our security agencies to be vigilant," said Auxiliary Bishop Dennis Villarojo of Cebu. The prelate, who serves as secretary-general of the congress said authorities are making the meeting "as secure as possible." Some 15,000 participants from 90 countries are expected to attend the 51st International Eucharistic Congress, Jan 24-31.
"Cebu is unlike Indonesia," said Bishop Villarojo, EXPLAINING, "We have never had any such incidents in the past due perhaps to the relative ease for the topography of Cebu to be secured." Bishop Villarojo said there have been no cancellations of attendance. Following the Jakarta attack, the Philippines military announced that it has gone on "heightened alert." ((Source: UCAN)
With United Nations humanitarian teams witnessing scenes in Syria that “haunt the soul,” the UN chief said on Thursday the situation is “utterly unconscionable,” and warned that the use of starvation as a weapon during conflict is a war crime. “Perhaps nothing more urgently reflects the need to act than the harrowing scenes from Madaya,” Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon Ban told reporters at a press conference in New York following remarks to the UN General Assembly highlighting his 2016 priorities.For months, the Syrian town has been besieged by parties to the conflict – a war soon entering its sixth year. UN relief teams and their partners have only recently been granted access by the Government to deliver much needed food and medical aid to thousands of people trapped inside besieged towns like Madaya. “Shocking depths of inhumanity” was how Ban described the situation there. Relief staff who have entere...
With United Nations humanitarian teams witnessing scenes in Syria that “haunt the soul,” the UN chief said on Thursday the situation is “utterly unconscionable,” and warned that the use of starvation as a weapon during conflict is a war crime. “Perhaps nothing more urgently reflects the need to act than the harrowing scenes from Madaya,” Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon Ban told reporters at a press conference in New York following remarks to the UN General Assembly highlighting his 2016 priorities.
For months, the Syrian town has been besieged by parties to the conflict – a war soon entering its sixth year. UN relief teams and their partners have only recently been granted access by the Government to deliver much needed food and medical aid to thousands of people trapped inside besieged towns like Madaya. “Shocking depths of inhumanity” was how Ban described the situation there. Relief staff who have entered Madaya reported seeing “the elderly and children, men and women, who were little more than skin and bones: gaunt, severely malnourished, so weak they could barely walk, and utterly desperate for the slightest morsel.”
The Secretary-General said there can be no denying their suffering: “Many hundreds of people are in such a dire state that they require immediate medical attention, including through possible evacuation,” he stressed. “We are working to get medical teams and mobile clinics on the ground right away. I want to make a special plea for those in besieged areas of Syria. I would say they are being held hostage – but it is even worse. Hostages get fed.” He noted that almost 400,000 people are besieged in Syria – roughly half in areas controlled by the IS, 180,000 in areas controlled by the Syrian Government and its allies, and some 12,000 in areas controlled by opposition armed groups. (Source: UN)
(Vatican Radio) Leaders of the Anglican Communion are winding up a meeting in Canterbury on Friday after agreeing to temporary restrictions on the Episcopal Church in the United States for its position on same-sex marriage.Responding to the decision, the head of the Vatican's Council for ecumenical relations says he is "grateful" the bishops have excluded any more permanent divisions which could hinder the search for reconciliation between the two Churches .Philippa Hitchen takes a closer look:Listen At a press conference ahead of the official conclusion of the meeting on Saturday, the Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby reaffirmed the unanimous commitment of all the Anglican leaders to uphold the unity of the worldwide Communion, which numbers around 85 million members in 165 countries.But in a communique the Primates note that recent developments in the Episcopal Church regarding the recognition of same-sex relationships represents “a fundamental...
(Vatican Radio) Leaders of the Anglican Communion are winding up a meeting in Canterbury on Friday after agreeing to temporary restrictions on the Episcopal Church in the United States for its position on same-sex marriage.
Responding to the decision, the head of the Vatican's Council for ecumenical relations says he is "grateful" the bishops have excluded any more permanent divisions which could hinder the search for reconciliation between the two Churches .
Philippa Hitchen takes a closer look:
Listen
At a press conference ahead of the official conclusion of the meeting on Saturday, the Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby reaffirmed the unanimous commitment of all the Anglican leaders to uphold the unity of the worldwide Communion, which numbers around 85 million members in 165 countries.
But in a communique the Primates note that recent developments in the Episcopal Church regarding the recognition of same-sex relationships represents “a fundamental departure from the faith and teaching held by the majority of our Provinces on the doctrine of marriage”.
The unilateral decision by the Americans, the communique says, has created great pain and mistrust among the different parts of the Communion. Therefore the bishops have agreed that, for a period of three years, the Episcopal Church should no longer represent the Communion on ecumenical and interfaith bodies. While it continues to participate in the internal bodies of the Anglican Communion, it will not take part in decision making on issues of doctrine or polity.
Paul Handley, editor of the Church of England weekly paper, the Church Times, explains why this issue has become such a cause of conflict within the Anglican world
“What the African Churches are saying, in particular, is that it has soured the relationship between their Church and their community…..
The head of the Episcopal Church, Bishop Michael Curry said the sanctions will be painful for many Americans, whose move to be what he called “a more inclusive Church” was based not on “a social theory or capitulation to the ways of the culture” but rather on the commitment to be a house of prayer where “all are truly welcome”.
Here in Rome, the head of the Vatican’s Council for Christian Unity, Cardinal Kurt Koch, said he was grateful the bishops have opted for temporary sanctions, rather than any more permanent divisions which could hinder the search for reconciliation between the two Churches
“We are working for unity and not for divisions….but we continue our dialogue and this year we have also a beautiful opportunity (to mark) 50 years since the first official visit of an Archbishop of Canterbury in Rome….”
Later this year the Archbishop of Canterbury is expected to travel to Rome to meet with Pope Francis and mark together this important anniversary. In the meantime the Anglican leaders have asked Archbishop Welby to appoint a Task Force to continue this week’s conversation with the ambitious goal of restoring relationships and rebuilding trust among the still deeply divided parts of the global Communion.
IMAGE: CNS/EPABy Cindy WoodenVATICAN CITY (CNS) -- The Italian comedian talking about anew Pope Francis book was not joking when he said being a minister of God'smercy can have social and political implications.The corporal works of mercy of feeding the hungry andclothing the naked might not be controversial, but they are socially relevantactions. None of the corporal works, though, is as politically charged in theWest today as "welcoming the stranger," particularly if that strangeris a Muslim."We are called to serve Christ the crucified throughevery marginalized person," Pope Francis said in the new book, "TheName of God Is Mercy." "We touch the flesh of Christ in he who is outcast,hungry, thirsty, naked, imprisoned, ill, unemployed, persecuted, in search ofrefuge," the pope continued. "That is where we find our God, that iswhere we touch our Lord."The U.N. Refugee Agency reported last June that at the endof 2014, the number of people forcibly displaced because of persecution,conf...
IMAGE: CNS/EPA
By Cindy Wooden
VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- The Italian comedian talking about a new Pope Francis book was not joking when he said being a minister of God's mercy can have social and political implications.
The corporal works of mercy of feeding the hungry and clothing the naked might not be controversial, but they are socially relevant actions. None of the corporal works, though, is as politically charged in the West today as "welcoming the stranger," particularly if that stranger is a Muslim.
"We are called to serve Christ the crucified through every marginalized person," Pope Francis said in the new book, "The Name of God Is Mercy."
"We touch the flesh of Christ in he who is outcast, hungry, thirsty, naked, imprisoned, ill, unemployed, persecuted, in search of refuge," the pope continued. "That is where we find our God, that is where we touch our Lord."
The U.N. Refugee Agency reported last June that at the end of 2014, the number of people forcibly displaced because of persecution, conflict and violence reached the highest number ever recorded; it had grown to "a staggering 59.5 million compared to 51.2 million a year earlier and 37.5 million a decade ago." The U.N. estimated the number had surpassed 60 million by the end of 2015.
The chief cause of the increase was the conflict in Syria, a conflict that is ongoing and continues to send people fleeing.
In 2015, the U.N. reported, 244 million people, or 3.3 percent of the world's population, lived outside their country of origin.
The plight of migrants and refugees has been at the heart of Pope Francis' concern as pope. Soon after his election in 2013, he went to the Italian island of Lampedusa to pray for migrants who had drowned attempting to reach Europe and to meet those who made it safely and those who have welcomed them.
Meeting Jan. 11 with ambassadors representing their nations at the Vatican, the pope made his concern for migrants and migration the key focus of his speech.
While acknowledging the social and political challenges that come with welcoming migrants, Pope Francis insisted on the human and religious obligation to care for those forced to flee in search of safety or a dignified life.
The pope's concern for refugees is not just talk.
In September, the Vatican's St. Anne parish welcomed a family of four from Damascus, Syria, providing an apartment, food and other assistance because under Italian law, asylum seekers are not allowed to work for the first six months they are in the country. The parish of St. Peter's Basilica is hosting Eritrean refugees. A woman, whose husband is missing, gave birth to her fifth child shortly after arriving in Rome. She, the newborn and two of her other children are living in a Vatican apartment; she hopes soon to embrace her other two children, who are now in a refugee camp in awaiting the completion of family reunification procedures. In the meantime, the woman is hosting another Eritrean woman and her child in the apartment.
Archbishop Silvano Tomasi, the Vatican observer at U.N. agencies in Geneva, said the corporal work of mercy of welcoming strangers is "very political" and people's fears are natural. "It's something unavoidable that when you come into contact with the unknown, you are frightened."
"When we are detached, when we don't know them, we fear them and they fear us. The first reaction is suspicion," he said. To overcome fear and fulfill the Christian obligation of welcome and care, "the first step is to get to know each other."
Setting aside policies and procedures for determining how many refugees to accept, from where and how to vet them, Archbishop Tomasi said governments and politicians must pay greater attention to concrete steps for integrating newcomers. "That is what determines how people will react."
"We must say to migrants, 'You are in need. You are welcome here. We will give you housing, education, security. But there are values you must accept: the separation of religion and politics; respect and equality for women; respect for differences,'" he said.
In Europe and North America, integration is not adequately addressed, the archbishop said, "so it leaves room for misunderstanding, fear and is a way of justifying the rejection of persons who have a right to protection."
Speaking to the diplomats at the Vatican, Pope Francis said an exaggerated concern for oneself leads to indifference toward others and, worse, to "fear and cynicism."
But those forced to flee their homelands are the ones who have the most legitimate fears: Will they and their families survive? Which borders will be open to them? Will they be accepted? Will someone reach out a helping hand as they try to re-establish themselves?
Pope Francis insisted that people are the "paramount value to be cared for and respected." A lack of concern for migrants, he said, stems from the same sense of self-preoccupation and fear of change that views some human beings as "'not yet useful' -- like the unborn -- or 'no longer needed' -- like the elderly."
Welcoming the stranger is not always easy, the pope said. "The massive number of arrivals on the shores of Europe," for example, "appears to be overburdening the system of reception painstakingly building on the ashes of the Second World War." In addition, large numbers of newcomers with a different culture and religious tradition leads to obvious questions about respecting differences while preserving a nation's traditional cultural and religious values.
"Equally significant," he said, "are fears about security, further exacerbated by the growing threat of international terrorism."
Politically, Pope Francis said, nations must "find the right balance" between two serious and binding obligations: protecting the rights and safety of one's citizens and ensuring assistance to and acceptance of migrants.
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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.
By Junno Arocho EstevesVATICAN CITY (CNS) -- No onedeserves faith and no onecan buy it; faith is a gift that changes one's life and allows people torecognize Jesus as the sonof God with thepower to forgive sins, Pope Francis said at his morning Mass. Praise is the proof that one truly has faithand believes "that Jesus Christ is God in my life," the pope saidJan. 15 during the Mass in the chapel of the Domus Sanctae Marthae. Jesus, he said, was sent "to save us from our sins, to saveus and bring us to the father. He was sent for that, to give his life for oursalvation." However, the pope added that is "the most difficult point tounderstand."TheGospel for the day, Mark 2: 1-12, recounted Jesus' healing of a paralytic in Capernaum and thetension that arose among those who followed Jesus when he told the ailing man that his sinswere forgiven.Many in the crowd had their hearts "open to faith," but there were others, the pope said,who accepted Jesus as a healer but not his authority to f...
By Junno Arocho Esteves
VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- No one deserves faith and no one can buy it; faith is a gift that changes one's life and allows people to recognize Jesus as the son of God with the power to forgive sins, Pope Francis said at his morning Mass.
Praise is the proof that one truly has faith and believes "that Jesus Christ is God in my life," the pope said Jan. 15 during the Mass in the chapel of the Domus Sanctae Marthae.
Jesus, he said, was sent "to save us from our sins, to save us and bring us to the father. He was sent for that, to give his life for our salvation." However, the pope added that is "the most difficult point to understand."
The Gospel for the day, Mark 2: 1-12, recounted Jesus' healing of a paralytic in Capernaum and the tension that arose among those who followed Jesus when he told the ailing man that his sins were forgiven.
Many in the crowd had their hearts "open to faith," but there were others, the pope said, who accepted Jesus as a healer but not his authority to forgive sins.
The day's Gospel reading, the pope continued, is a call for Christians to ask themselves how strong their faith in Jesus is and to discern if their faith changes their lives and brings them closer to God.
"Faith is a gift. No one 'deserves' faith, no one can buy it; it is a gift," he said. "Does my faith in Jesus Christ bring me to humble myself, to repentance, to the prayer that says: 'Forgive me, Lord. You are God. You can forgive my sins?'"
Noting the crowd's reaction after Jesus' healing of the paralytic, Pope Francis said that is through praise that people prove their faith and belief that Jesus was sent to forgive sins.
"Praising is free. It is a feeling that is given by the Holy Spirit and brings you to say: 'You are the only God,'" he said. "May the Lord make us grow in this faith in Jesus Christ, who forgives us, who offers a year of grace, and may this faith brings us to praise."
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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.
