Catholic News 2

The Bishop Emeritus of Torit in South Sudan, Paride Taban Kenyi, 81 has been honoured by the Anglican Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby with the Hubert Walter Award for Reconciliation and Interfaith Cooperation. South Sudan’s Catholic Radio Network (CRN) reports that Bishop Paride recently wrote to thank Archbishop Welby for the honour. The award was given to Bishop Paride at a Lambeth Palace ceremony recently. 

In his letter, Bishop Paride expressed appreciation to Archbishop Welby for the award. The Catholic prelate described the award as a credit to activities of the Holy Trinity Kuron Peace Village and all people of South Sudan. He asked Archbishop Welby to continue praying for South Sudan’s peace.

Bishop Paride is also winner of the 2013 United Nations’ Sergio Vieira de Mello Prize in recognition of his efforts in promoting peace in South Sudan. 

It all started in 1999 when Bishop Paride established the Holy Trinity Kuron Peace Village in South Sudan’s Eastern Equatoria state. The project, which initially began as a demonstration farm later expanded in 2004, to become a village where people from different tribes, nations and religions live and work together in peace. 

Speaking about his recent award to Mission Aviation Fellowship (MAF), Bishop Paride who has been flying with MAF for more than 30 years, described the Peace Village and surrounding area as uniquely peaceful in spite of South Sudan’s raging conflict. 

“It’s a very peaceful area now,” Bishop Taban told MAF. “You can drive 300 km from Boma to Kapoeta. You can travel even at midnight. It’s so peaceful. You can’t believe it. You can live without thinking of any security. At night you can walk through the forest without thinking of any danger. One can’t imagine that there’s such a place in South Sudan,” he said. He said while there were still some incidents of Cattle rustling, the value of peace is always emphasised. 

In 2016 the Bishop Emeritus of Torit told Jieng Council of Elders in Juba that South Sudanese needed to learn 20 words and eight phrases if lasting peace is to be restored in the country.

“The words are Love, joy, peace, patience, compassion, sympathy, kindness, truthfulness, gentleness, self-control, humility, poverty, forgiveness, mercy, friendship, trust, unity, purity, faith and hope.  These are 20, and the eight phrases are: I love you, I miss you, thank you, I forgive, we forget, together, I am wrong, I am sorry, ” Bishop Paride said in a statement circulated to Radio Vatican. He urged the troubled nation to return to values of the past. He said when he was a youth, various tribes in South Sudan lived in harmony.

(Email: engafrica@vatiradio.va)

Full Article

(Vatican Radio)  The Holy See and the State of Israel has released a joint communique, detailing the progress made by the Bilateral Permanent Working Commission on Tuesday.

The Commission met on 13 June in a Plenary Session "to continue negotiations pursuant to the Fundamental Agreement between the Holy See and the State of Israel of 1993, Art. 10 paragraph 2."

The communique says participants were "pleased with the progress accomplished at the working level regarding the negotiations, and the cordial atmosphere in which the meetings took place."

It also expresses the Plenary's hopes "for a rapid conclusion of ongoing negotiations and the signing of the document."

The official English-language translation of the joint communique is below:

The Bilateral Permanent Working Commission between the Holy See and the State of Israel met today, 13th June 2017, in Vatican City, at the Plenary level, to continue negotiations pursuant to the Fundamental Agreement between the Holy See and the State of Israel of 1993, Art. 10 paragraph 2.

The meeting was headed by Msgr. Antoine Camilleri, Undersecretary for the Holy See's Relations with States, and by Mr. Tzachi Hanegbi, Minister for Regional Cooperation of the State of Israel.

The Plenary was pleased with the progress accomplished at the working level regarding the negotiations, and the cordial atmosphere in which the meetings took place. The outcomes of today’s Plenary give hope for a rapid conclusion of ongoing negotiations and the signing of the document. The Plenary further acknowledges the collaborative efforts of both sides for the implementation of the 1997 Bilateral Legal Personality Agreement.

Delegation of the Holy See:
Msgr. Antoine Camilleri, Undersecretary for Relations with the States of the Holy See, Head of Delegation;
H.E. Arch. Giuseppe Lazzarotto, Apostolic Nuncio in Israel;
H.E. Arch. Antonio Franco, Apostolic Nuncio;
Fr. Oscar Marzo, O.F.M., Office of the Congregation for the Oriental Churches of the Holy See;
Msgr. Ionut Paul Strejac, Desk officer, Secretary of State of the Holy See;
Mr. Henry Amoroso, Principal Legal Adviser;
Fr. Jacek Jasztak, O.F.M., Vicar of the Custody of the Holy Land;
Fr. Ibrahim Faltas, O.F.M., Custody of the Holy Land;
Sr. Kathy Zimmermann, F.S.E., Secretary of the Delegation

Delegation of the State of Israel:
Mr. Tzachi Hanegbi, Minister for Regional Cooperation;
H.E. Oren David, Ambassador of Israel to the Holy See;
Mrs. Emi Palmor, Director General (MOJ);
Mr. Ehud Keinan, External Advisor, Co-Chairman of the Working Level of the Bilateral Permanent Working Commission;
Mr. Akiva Tor, Head of World Jewish and World Religions Affairs Bureau (MFA);
Dr. Joseph Draznin, Advisor for the Minister for Regional Cooperation;
Mrs. Sharon Regev, Director of the World Religions Affairs Department (MFA);
Mrs. Tamar Kaplan, Principal Deputy Legal Advisor and Director of the Diplomatic and Civil Law Department (MFA);
Mr. Itai Apter, Director, International Civil Affairs, Office of the Deputy Attorney General (International Law) (MOJ);
Mr. Reuven Eidelman, Diplomatic and Civil Law Department (MOJ);
Mr. Moshe Golan, External Advisor;
Mr. Amir Haran, Senior Advisor to the Director General (MOJ);
Mrs. Dorit Shimon, Advisor for the Minister for Regional Cooperation.

Full Article

(Vatican Radio) The 20th meeting of the Council of Cardinals concluded on Wednesday in the Vatican.

A briefing by Greg Burke, Director of the Holy See Press Office, said the so-called C9 members met with the Pope for three days. The next such meeting is scheduled to  take place in September.

The Council is studying the plans for reforming the Apostolic Constitution “Pastor Bonus” on the Roman Curia. 

Listen to the report by Linda Bordoni:

According to Burke amongst the topics under discussion were new ways in which the Roman Curia can better serve the local Churches, further decentralization of Roman Dicasteries, the status of unmarried and widowed deacons and internal issues regarding various Dicasteries of the Curia.

Cardinal George Pell reportedly provided an update on the work of the Secretariat for the Economy, of which he is the President, while the prefect of the Secretariat for Communications, Monsignor Dario Edoardo Viganò presented a report on the state of the reform of the Vatican’s communication system as well as a presentation of the new projects involving Vatican media in accordance with Pope Francis’ call to push forward with courage in order to embrace the challenges of digital and technological evolution in a rapidly changing world.

Please find below the full text of the briefing:

Briefing of the Director of the Holy See Press Office on the Twentieth Meeting of the Council of Cardinals, 14.06.2017

At 13.00 today, the Director of the Holy See Press Office, Greg Burke, gave a briefing on the twentieth meeting of the Council of Cardinals attended by the Holy Father Francis.

The Council of Cardinals met with the Holy Father for three days: Monday 12, Tuesday 13 and Wednesday 14 June. All members of the Council were present apart from Cardinal Sean O’Malley of Boston.

Pope Francis was absent this morning owing to the General Audience.

The working sessions took place in the morning from 9.00 to 12.30, and in the afternoon from 16.30 to 19.00, and were dedicated to further consideration of the ways in which the Roman Curia can better serve the local Churches. For example, a larger consultation board made up also of members from consecrated life and the laity, for candidates proposed for appointment as bishop.

Among other proposals, the possibility of transferring some functions from the Roman Dicasteries to the local bishops or episcopal councils, in a spirit of healthy decentralization.

For example, the transfer of the Dicastery for the Clergy to the Episcopal Conference for examination and authorization for: the priestly ordination of an unmarried permanent deacon; the passage to new marriage for a widowed permanent deacon; the request for priestly ordination by a widowed permanent deacon.

The Cardinals gave further consideration to various Dicasteries of the Curia, in particular the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples.

The Council studied and reread texts proposed for submission to the Holy Father regarding the Dicastery for Interreligious Dialogue; the Dicastery for the Oriental Churches; the Dicastery for Legislative Texts; and three tribunals: the Apostolic Penitentiary, the Supreme Tribunal of the Apostolic Segnatura and the Tribunal of the Roman Rota.

Cardinal George Pell provided an update on the work of the Secretariat for the Economy, of which he is the president. Particular attention was paid to the steps ahead made in the process of planning of economic resources and in monitoring financial plans for the first trimester of 2017 which have substantially confirmed, with few exceptions, the budget data. Shortly the budget process will begin for 2018, and the monitoring for the second trimester of 2017.

The prefect of the Secretariat for Communications, Msgr. Dario Edoardo Viganò, presented a report on the state of the reform of the communication system of the Holy See; he illustrated the economic and management progress of the SPC, demonstrating positive results. He then explained the projects in the realization phase of the new communication system, in accordance with the Holy Father’s recent address on the occasion of the Dicastery’s first Plenary.

The next meeting of the Council of Cardinals will take place on 11, 12 and 14 September 2017.

Full Article

Vatican City, Jun 14, 2017 / 03:47 am (CNA/EWTN News).- On Wednesday, Pope Francis said that God’s love isn’t something we earn or deserve by our good works, but that it is free and unconditional – no matter what.

“God's first step towards us is that of an anticipated and unconditional love. God loves first,” Pope Francis said June 14.

“God does not love us because there is some reason that causes love. God loves us because He Himself is love, and love tends to spread and give by its nature. God does not even tie his benevolence to our conversion: if anything this is a consequence of God's love.”

“Saint Paul says it perfectly,” he continued: “‘God demonstrates his love for us in the fact that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us’ (Rm 5:8).”

“None of us can live without love,” the Pope said, but to believe that love is earned is to fall into a type of slavery. “Perhaps much of the anguish of contemporary man comes from this: to believe that unless we are strong, attractive and beautiful, then no one will take care of us.”

“Behind such seemingly inexplicable behavior arises a question,” he continued: “is it possible that I do not deserve to be called by name? That is, to be loved?”

Pope Francis reflected on this question during the general audience Wednesday, considering what it is like when we do not recognize that we are loved and cherished by God or the people around us, especially as children.

“Many people today,” he said, “look for visibility only to fill an inner void: as if we were people eternally in need of confirmation. But, imagine it, a world where everyone begs for reasons to attract the attention of others, and no one is willing to love one another for free?”

“Imagine a world like this: a world without the freedom to love! It looks like a humane world, but in reality it is a living hell.”

How much selfish and narcissistic behavior comes about because of this loneliness, he asked. When a child is not loved or does not feel loved, he said, this is when in adolescence they can start to act out, or even become violent. Behind this behavior “is often a heart that has not been recognized.”

What can we do to help people know they are loved by God? Francis said that when love is given and received freely between people, even in just a simple look or smile, this is what transforms sadness and loneliness into happiness and joy.

An exchange of glance, of smiles, has the power to open those closed in sadness, he said. By looking someone in the eyes, we can open the doors of someone’s heart.

“What can make us happy if not the experience of love given and received?” he said,

Just like in the story of the Prodigal Son, fathers and mothers are often one of the greatest examples of a Christ-like love on earth, the Pope pointed out, explaining how he has known many mothers with children in prison, who continue day after day to visit them, never ceasing “to suffer for her child.”

Parents love their children even when they are sinners and “God does the same thing with us: we are his beloved children! But is it possible God has some children he does not love? No. We are all God's beloved children.”

“In Him, in Christ Jesus, we have been loved, beloved, desired. There is Someone who has engraved in us a primordial beauty, that no sin, no wrong choice will ever erase completely.”

Because of the heat, Pope Francis began the audience by stopping to greet the sick and their families in the Pope Paul VI hall, where they could watch and hear the audience on screens, but inside the air-conditioned building.

“But we all remain together connected by the Holy Spirit, who is the one who always creates unity,” he said.

Concluding, Francis asked the crowd: “What is the medicine to change the heart of a person who is not happy?”

“Love!” the crowd responded. “Stronger!” he said. “Love!” they shouted louder. “Very good, very good, everyone,” the Pope said smiling.

Full Article

Vatican City, Jun 14, 2017 / 06:31 am (CNA/EWTN News).- Pope Francis and the Council of Cardinals held their 20th round of meetings in Rome this week, continuing their work on reform of the Roman Curia, including their discussion of ways the Curia can better serve local churches.

According to a June 14 communique, the meetings largely continued the work of previous gatherings, including progress on the possibility of transferring some faculties from Vatican dicasteries to local bishops or episcopal conferences “in a spirit of healthy decentralization.”

Proposals also considered ways in which the Curia could deepen service to the local churches, as well as widen the scope of those consulted in the proposal of candidates for bishop appointments to include more lay people and members of consecrated life.

Taking place at the Vatican June 12-14, all nine members were present for the five sessions of meetings, with the exception of Cardinal Sean O’Malley. Pope Francis was present except for Wednesday morning during the general audience, as is ordinary.

As during their meetings in April, the cardinals continued their inspection of texts proposed for submission to Pope Francis on the dicasteries for Interreligious Dialogue, Eastern Churches, Legislative Texts, and the three courts of the Roman Curia: the Apostolic Penitentiary, the Apostolic Signatura, and the Roman Rota.

The Apostolic Penitentiary is the tribunal in charge of cases involving excommunication and serious sins, including those whose absolution is reserved to the Holy See, while the Signatura functions as a sort of Supreme Court. The Rota, for its part, is akin to a court of appeals or court of “last instance,” and is also where marriage nullity cases are judged.

They also made further considerations on various departments, in particular the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples.

Cardinal George Pell gave an update on the Secretariat for the Economy. “Particular attention has been paid to the steps taken in the process of planning the economic resources and the monitoring of the financial plans for the first quarter of 2017, which substantially confirmed, with few exceptions, the budget data,” the communique stated.

Cardinal Pell reported that they will soon begin the process of planning the budget for 2018 and monitoring the second quarter of 2017.

Head of the Vatican Secretariat for Communications, Bishop Dario Edoardo Viganò reported on the state of the reform of the Holy See communications. In his presentation he highlighted the positive economic and managerial performance of the Secretariat.

He also explained the projects under the new communication system, formed by Pope Francis in June 2015, saying that they are in line with the Pope’s words during his audience at the dicastery’s first plenary May 3-5.

Established by Pope Francis shortly after his pontificate began in 2013, the Council of Cardinals serves as an advisory body on Church governance and reform, with special emphasis on the reform of Pastor bonus, the apostolic constitution which governs the Roman Curia.

Keywords that have come out of the cardinals’ meetings so far and which have emerged as guiding principles for the ongoing Curial reform are harmonization, simplification, synodality, and the Church’s “missionary drive.”

The council of cardinals is set to meet again September 11-13 to continue discussion on moving forward in reforming curial structures.

Full Article

Washington D.C., Jun 14, 2017 / 08:44 am (CNA/EWTN News).- Republican House Majority Whip Steve Scalise, 51, was among multiple persons shot in an incident at a Congressional baseball practice in Alexandria, Virginia, Wednesday morning.

Scalise, a Catholic, was shot at the hip and was transported to surgery. He is reportedly in stable condition.

“Prior to entering surgery, the Whip was in good spirits and spoke to his wife by phone,” Scalise’s office said in a statement. “He is grateful for the brave actions of U.S. Capitol Police, first responders, and colleagues.”

After hearing about the shooting, House Democrats at a separate baseball practice started a spontaneous prayer for the victims.

.@HouseDemocrats praying for our @HouseGOP @SenateGOP baseball colleagues after hearing about the horrific shooting. https://t.co/y2HEUaSuzd pic.twitter.com/6HBrlnxtey

— Rep. Ruben J. Kihuen (@RepKihuen) June 14, 2017 A total of five people were “medically transported” from the scene, according to authorities.

Shots were fired around 7:15 a.m. Wednesday morning while Republican lawmakers were practicing for Thursday's Congressional Baseball Game.

U.S. Capitol Police shot and apprehended the gunman, who was taken to the hospital. Alexandria Police tweeted that the “suspect is in custody and not a threat.”

Congressman Scalise is a Republican who was elected to represent Louisiana in 2008. Before running for Congress, he had served in the Louisiana state senate for four months and in the Louisiana House of Representatives for 12 years.
 
He is married to the former Jennifer Letulle and they have an 8 year-old daughter, Madison Carol and an 8 year-old, Harrison Joseph.  

 

Scalise is a life-long Catholic. He and his wife are members of the St. Agnes Catholic Church. Two years ago he tweeted a photo of his daughter’s first communion.

Madison had her First Communion yesterday. Jennifer, Harrison and I are so proud of her. #Beaming pic.twitter.com/SJa53Le9yj

— Rep. Steve Scalise (@SteveScalise) April 20, 2015 The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, which started its Spring General Assembly this morning in Indianapolis, opened their conference with a prayer for the victims of the shooting as well as the victims of a massive apartment fire in London last night. USCCB Vice President Archbishop Jose Gomez gave the prayer, which was also posted to Twitter.

The bishops begin their meeting with a prayer for those impacted by violence in Alexandria and London. #USCCB17 pic.twitter.com/jcsF1Byosu

— US Catholic Bishops (@USCCB) June 14, 2017 Cardinal Donald Wuerl, Archbishop of Washington, D.C. also tweeted that he was praying for the congressman.
 
Roughly 15-25 people were at the practice, including Sens. Rand Paul, R-Ky., and Jeff Flake, R-Ariz. Paul told MSNBC that “it would have been a massacre” if Capitol Police weren't there.

Full Article

IMAGE: CNS photo/Shawn Thew, EPA

By

ALEXANDRIA, Va. (CNS) -- U.S. House Majority Whip Steve Scalise of Louisiana was listed in stable condition after being shot by a gunman early June 14 and transported out of a baseball field in Alexandria, a suburb of Washington. He was scheduled to undergo surgery.

Michael Brown, police chief for the city of Alexandria, said five people were medically transported from the scene of the shooting to receive medical care. Multiple news reports said two U.S. Capitol Police officers who were part of the Catholic congressman's protective detail also were shot, as well as an aide to Texas Congressman Roger Williams.

Scalise, a Republican, was with a group of House members and staff at a baseball practice to prepare for the 56th annual Congressional Baseball Game, played each summer by members of Congress.

Cardinal Donald W. Wuerl of Washington tweeted: "Our prayers go out for @SteveScalise, the Capitol Police and others wounded or affected by this morning's attack."

President Donald Trump said in a statement that he and Vice President Mike Pence were aware of the shooting incident in Virginia "and are monitoring developments closely." 

"We are deeply saddened by this tragedy," he said. "Our thoughts and prayers are with members of Congress, their staffs Capitol Police, first responders and all others affected."

Scalise was first elected to the U.S. House in 2008, representing Louisiana's 1st Congressional District. Before that, he was a member of the Louisiana House and the Louisiana Senate, serving from 1996 to 2008.

Rep. Mike Bishop, R-Michigan, told a Detroit radio station that Scalise was standing on second base when he was shot.

"I was looking right at him," Bishop told. "He was a sitting duck."

Scalise's wounds are not believed to be life-threatening. He and his wife, Jennifer, have two children and are members of St. Catherine of Siena Parish in Metairie, Louisiana, a suburb of New Orleans. The couple's children attend the parish school.

Authorities said at least one suspect was in custody and was transported to an area hospital. Schools in the area near the shooting were immediately put on lockdown and bomb-sniffing dogs monitored the grounds of the U.S. Capitol at mid-morning.

- - -

Copyright © 2017 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/Bob Roller

By Carol Glatz

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- To involve young people in preparations for the Synod of Bishops on youth in 2018, the Vatican has released an online questionnaire to better understand the lives, attitudes and concerns of 16- to 29-year-olds around the world.

The questionnaire -- available in English, Spanish, French and Italian -- can be found on the synod's official site: youth.synod2018.va/content/synod2018/it.html and is open to any young person, regardless of faith or religious belief.

The general secretariat of the synod launched the website June 14 to share information about the October 2018 synod on "Young people, faith and vocational discernment" and to link to an online, anonymous survey asking young people about their lives and expectations.

The answers to the questionnaire, along with contributions from bishops, bishops' conferences and other church bodies, "will provide the basis for the drafting of the 'instrumentum laboris,'" or working document for the assembly, synod officials said in January.

Young people from all backgrounds are encouraged to take part in the questionnaire because every young person has "the right to be accompanied without exclusion," synod officials had said.

The list of 53 mostly multiple-choice questions is divided into seven sections: general personal information; attitudes and opinions about oneself and the world; influences and relationships; life choices; religion, faith and the church; internet use; and two final, open-ended questions. The write-in questions are an invitation to describe a positive example of how the Catholic Church can "accompany young people in their choices, which give value and fulfillment in life" and to say something about oneself that hasn't been asked in the questionnaire.

Other questions ask about living arrangements; self-image; best age to leave home and have a family; opinions about education and work; measures of success; sources of positive influence; level of confidence in public and private institutions; and political or social activism.

The section on faith looks at the importance of religion in one's life and asks, "Who Jesus is for you?" That question provides 16 choices to choose from, including "the savior," "an adversary to be fought," "an invention" and "someone who loves me." It also asks which topics -- promoting peace, defending human life, evangelization, defending truth, the environment -- are the most urgent for the church to address.

The Vatican's preparation for a synod generally includes developing a questionnaire and soliciting input from bishops' conferences, dioceses and religious orders. This is the first time the Vatican's synod organizing body put a questionnaire online and sought direct input from the public.

A synod's preparatory phase seeks to consult of "the entire people of God" to better understand young people's different situations as synod officials draft the working document. The synod on youth will be looking for ways the church can best and most effectively evangelize young people and help them make life choices corresponding to God's plan and the good of the person.

- - -

Copyright © 2017 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

Full Article