Catholic News 2

Bishop Hinder calls for prayer and silent help for Christians and Muslims suffering in Yemen and says that the situation there is disastrous. 

As reported by AsiaNews Bishop Paul Hinder, apostolic vicar of southern Arabia (UAE, Oman and Yemen) notes that it is not possible at present to draw a full picture of the situation because it is difficult  to go there and have credible information. None of the parties involved in the war can be said to be “innocent”, noted Mgr Hinder. “Violations” are perpetrated on both sides. In the end, it is the civilian population that pays the price, often forgotten and abandoned to itself, forced to face a “cholera emergency” as well.

According to WHO he said, almost 74,000 cases of cholera have been reported with more than 600 dead (40 per cent children). Up to 300,000 people are at risk. Every ten minutes a child under five dies. Health facilities are on the verge of collapse he observed.

UN humanitarian chief Stephen O'Brien is among those sounding the alarm. Yemen, he said, is facing “total social, economic and institutional collapse”. Yemenis’ suffering was no coincidence, he added, but rather the fault of those involved and inaction by world powers.

If nothing is done, cholera cases could quadruple in the next month to 300,000, half of them children, with hospitals unable to meet the demand.

“For Yemen,’” said Mgr Hinder, “I feel a silent sorrow that embraces both Muslims, who are 99 per cent of the population, as well as Christians, almost all foreigners, who have remained for a variety of reasons. Certainly, the conditions vary depending on the area of the country, but the difficulties and the sufferings touch everyone.”

“I continue to pray for the people without special proclamations or announcements,” the prelate added. “My prayers are not only personal, but embrace the whole community. Recently, during a visit to an Abu Dhabi parish, I shared my intentions with the faithful, asking them to pray for peace in Yemen” he said.

Some people and organisations have “offered financial and material aid, but distribution remains a problem,” the apostolic vicar explained. “For now, we collect the offerings, waiting to see how we can deliver them and "relieve at least some of the sufferings.”

“We are ready to help, but the climate is difficult, and we have to move carefully.” The Church continues its silent help through prayer, waiting for developments, including political ones after Qatar was excluded from the Arab coalition. The important thing is to not forget, to keep attention alive, and continue our spiritual mission of memory through prayer he said.

So far, more than 8,000 people have died, more than 44,000 injured and 3 million displaced. Almost 19 million people (out of a population of 24 million) are in need of humanitarian assistance to varying degrees. The conflict has brought almost seven million people to the brink of starvation. 

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(Vatican Radio)  The heads of Catholic religious congregations of the Philippines have called for an “end to martial law" in the southern third of the country saying it is "not the proper response to terrorist attacks in just one city on a vast island.”  "The declaration of martial law is an extreme measure, and based on the reports we have received ... is a reaction disproportionate to the situation," read a statement by the Association of Major Religious Superiors in the Philippines (AMRSP) issued on June 6. 

The influential association voiced its criticism a day after opposition lawmakers petitioned the Supreme Court to review and nullify President Rodrigo Duterte's imposition of martial law in Mindanao, after terrorist gunmen claiming to have links with the so-called Islamic State laid siege to Marawi city on May 23. The petition filed by six House lawmakers led by Rep. Edcel Lagman said there was no revolution or ‎invasion where public safety required the declaration of martial law and suspension of the writ of ‎habeas corpus. It said the proclamation contained ``fatal inaccuracies and falsities.''‎   The petitioners said congressional leaders and the majority of lawmakers allied with Duterte were ‎derelict in their constitutional duty by refusing to convene a joint session of Congress to vote whether ‎to revoke the martial law proclamation. ‎

The poor – victims of collateral damage 

"Such a drastic and sweeping government response to terrorist activity would only enhance the perception of power and social impact that the terrorist groups aims to achieve locally and internationally," read the statement by AMRSP, the joint forum of heads of religious congregations which run most of the country's top universities and institutions..  The religious leaders said they are "gravely concerned" by the declaration of martial law in Mindanao, saying that they "reject the strategy of a war on terrorists in the manner that the [government] has been waging the war on drugs."  "In a war against [Islamic State] terrorists, as in the current war on drugs, it is the poor who are the greatest victims, often dismissed as 'necessary collateral damage,'" read the group's statement.

Human rights groups reported that close to 12,000 suspected drug users and peddlers have been killed in the Philippine government's campaign against illegal drugs.  Armed clashes continue as thousands of government security forces use armored vehicles and aircraft to try to flush out the terrorists from Marawi.  More than 200,000 people have been affected by the conflict in the past two weeks, many of whom have sought shelter outside of the city.

The Catholic bishops in Mindanao had earlier issued a statement supporting martial law but only as a temporary measure.  On the other hand, AMRSP said while they deplore the "violent attacks" of the terrorist group, they also condemn the "equally violent reaction of government troops."  The religious superiors ‎ said the Marawi crisis could be resolved without the president proclaiming martial law over the whole of Mindanao.  "After intensive study and discussion ... we reject the imposition of martial law … as a sweeping solution to the crisis."  "Such an approach only blinds the government to the real socio-economic problems in Mindanao, which even President Duterte acknowledges are among the root causes of the crisis," it added. 

The religious group vowed to extend assistance to civilians caught in the crossfire and focus on what it can do in terms of relief assistance and "in fostering a culture of peace and not hatred."

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Vatican City, Jun 6, 2017 / 05:30 am (CNA/EWTN News).- More than 130 imams and religious leaders throughout the UK have joined voices in strongly condemning recent terrorist attacks in London and Manchester, calling the acts “cold-blooded murders.”

In a joint statement issued June 5, the imams and other religious leaders said they condemn the recent terror attacks in Manchester and London “in the strongest terms possible.”

Coming from a range of backgrounds across the UK, the signatories said that in “feeling the pain the rest of the nation feels, we have come together to express our shock and utter disgust at these cold-blooded murders.”

In an unprecedented move, the imams who signed the statement also declared that they will not perform the traditional Islamic funeral prayer for the attackers.

Signatories urged fellow imams and religious authorities to withdraw the privilege of the prayer because of the “indefensible actions” of the perpetrators, which are “completely at odds with the lofty teachings of Islam.”

Seven people were killed and 48 others injured in London the night of June 3 when three men drove a van into a crowd of people on London Bridge around 10 p.m. local time. The men then went on a stabbing spree in nearby Borough Market, where people were enjoying a night out at restaurants and pubs.

The three men reportedly shouted “this is for Allah” during the attack. The three attackers were shot dead by police within eight minutes of the first emergency call.

According to police, 12 more people have been arrested in connection to the attacks.

Saturday's assault marked the third terror attack in the UK in three months. In March a separate car and knife attack in Westminster left five people dead, and a bombing at an Ariana Grade concert in Manchester May 22, killed 22 people, most of whom were youth.

Such “ruthless violence” is never acceptable, the declaration read, but especially during Ramadan, when Muslims around the world are focused on “prayer, charity and the cultivation of good character.”

This only serves to demonstrate how “utterly misguided and distant the terrorists are” from the Islamic faith, the signatories said, adding that the “reprehensible actions” of the attackers has neither religious legitimacy nor their sympathy.

“Alongside our friends and neighbors, we mourn this attack on our home, society and people, and feel pain for the suffering of the victims and their families,” they said, and prayed “that the perpetrators be judged in accordance with the gravity of their crimes in the hereafter.”

“Their acts and willful dismissal of our religious principles alienates them from any association with our community for whom the inviolability of every human life is the founding principle,” they said, quoting the Qaran.

The signatories also commended the actions of the police and emergency personnel for their courage and “rapid response” the night of the attack.

Closing their statement, the faith leaders said they are praying “for peace and unity, and for all the victims of terror both at home and across the globe, who are targeted, irrespective of their faith.”

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Kyiv, Ukraine, Jun 6, 2017 / 06:02 am (CNA/EWTN News).- Cardinal Lubomyr Husar, Major Archbishop Emeritus of Kyiv-Halych and former head of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church, died May 31 at the age of 84.

Among his many accomplishments as priest, bishop, and cardinal, he is well remembered for welcoming St. John Paul II on his visit to Kyiv and Lviv in Ukraine in 2001, when he was the first Pope to visit the former Soviet republic.

Cardinal Husar was born in 1933 in Lviv. He fled from the Soviets in Ukraine with his parents in 1944, first to Austria, and then to the United States in 1949. He studied at St. Basil’s College Seminary in Stamford, Conn. in the early 1950s, and continued his studies at the Catholic University of America in Washington and at Fordham University in New York.

He was ordained a priest of the Ukrainian Eparchy of Stamford in March 1958 and taught at St. Basil’s College Seminary until 1969. From 1966 to 1969 he was the pastor of Holy Trinity Ukrainian Catholic Church in Kerhonkson, N.Y.

He was secretly consecrated a bishop in 1977, and celebrated the 40th anniversary of his episcopal ordination in April of this year. His consecration was unacknowledged publicly until 1996 due to Blessed Paul VI's Ostpolitik efforts at reaching out to the Russian Orthodox Church and the Eastern Bloc.

Bishop Husar returned to Ukraine in 1991 after the collapse of the Soviet Union and served as spiritual director of Holy Spirit Seminary in Lviv.

The Ukrainian Catholic synod of bishops elected him major archbishop – father and head of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church – in 2000, and St. John Paul II made him a cardinal the following month. He resigned his position as in February 2011 at the age of 77.

Pope Francis sent a letter to Cardinal Husar’s successor, Major Archbishop Sviatoslav Shevchuk ofKyiv-Halych, calling the late cardinal “one of the highest and most respected moral authorities of recent decades for the Ukrainian people,” and praising him for his love and warmth, especially the young.

He called Cardinal Husar a father and spiritual guide for his Church, “which he gathered from the 'catacombs' where she was forced to flee persecution, and to whom he restored not only the ecclesiastical structures, but above all the joy of her history, founded on faith through and beyond any suffering.”

The Pope expressed his desire to “be among those praying to the heavenly Father” for Cardinal Husar’s soul.

The Divine Liturgy for the cardinal's burial was held June 5 at the Patriarchal Cathedral of the Resurrection.

Cardinal Husar is greatly admired in Ukraine, where signs have already appeared calling for his speedy canonization.

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Washington D.C., Jun 6, 2017 / 12:08 am (CNA/EWTN News).- Despite its pro-life actions, the latest health care reform bill has “many serious flaws,” the U.S. bishops have said.

People without a strong voice in the political process “must not bear the brunt of attempts to cut costs,” several leaders with the U.S. bishops' conference told U.S. Senators in a June 1 letter. They said lawmakers have “grave obligations” related to health care legislation and need to reject the “grave deficiencies” of the American Health Care Act.

The U.S. bishops’ letter to senators stressed the principles of universal health care access, respect for life, truly affordable health care, conscience protections, and the need for health care that is comprehensive and of high quality.

They asked the Senate to reject major changes to Medicaid, to retain protections for human life, to increase tax assistance for those with low-income and the elderly, to retain a cap on health care plan costs for the elderly, to protect immigrants, and to add health care protections.

On May 2 the House of Representatives narrowly voted (217 to 213) to pass a bill to repeal the 2010 Affordable Care Act and to replace it with the American Health Care Act.

The latest bill would replace the 2010 legislation’s individual insurance mandate with a 30 percent premium fine for having a significant gap in coverage. More tax credits would be offered, and the allowable contributions to health savings accounts would also be expanded.

The bill would cap the expansion of Medicaid and would allow states to determine which “essential health benefits” to recognize as mandatory for health plans. Under the 2010 legislation, this included hospitalizations and maternity care. The new bill would allow states to charge persons more based upon their health history, provided the states set up pre-existing pools. Under current law, this is forbidden.

The bill bars funding for abortion providers like Planned Parenthood for one year, instead directing $422 million in these funds to health care providers that do not perform abortions.

However, the new legislation faces an uncertain future in the Senate.

The bishops said that the Catholic Church “remains committed to ensuring the fundamental right to medical care, a right which is in keeping with the God-given dignity of every person, and the corresponding obligation as a country to provide for this right.”

The U.S. bishops’ conference leaders who signed the letter were Cardinal Timothy M. Dolan of New York, chair of the bishops’ Committee on Pro-Life Activities; Archbishop William E. Lori of Baltimore, chair of the Ad Hoc Committee for Religious Liberty; Bishop Frank J. Dewane of Venice, who chairs the Committee on Domestic Justice and Human Development; and Bishop Joe S. Vásquez of Austin, who heads the Committee on Migration.

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