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(Vatican Radio) As Pope Francis prepares for his next pastoral visit to Portugal on Friday, analysts are reflecting on the important ecumenical and interfaith fruits of his historic visit to Egypt.

Among the most powerful images of his brief trip to Cairo were his warm embrace with the Grand Imam of Al Azhar, Sheik Ahmed Al-Tayeb and an ecumenical encounter at a Coptic church where 29 people died in a suicide bombing last December. The Pope stood in prayer in front of the bloodstained wall, lighting a candle beside photos of those who were killed in the attack.

Just before the ecumenical prayer service at the church of Saints Peter and Paul, Pope Francis and the Coptic Orthodox leader Pope Tawadros II also signed a joint declaration, reaffirming their shared roots in faith and stating their desire to end the practice of re-baptising converts. The statement also calls for a common translation of the Lord’s Prayer and a common date for the celebration of Easter.

To find out more about the significance of this declaration, Philippa Hitchen spoke to the emeritus rector of the Pontifical University of St Anselm, Benedictine Father Mark Sheridan, who serves on the commission for dialogue between the Catholic and the Oriental Orthodox Churches….

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Fr Mark believes that, as well as being very important for the broader ecumenical dialogue, it’s also good for the Catholic and Orthodox Churches in Egypt, because it seeks to remove “a problem which caused a lot of friction in the past”.

The re-baptising of converts was not carried out by all Coptic bishops, he says, but “a significant group did”. The practice began under the previous Pope Shenouda III, partly out of a fear of proselytising. “There was good reason for that”, Fr Mark says, but there have since been declarations that the Churches “do not engage in proselytism”, and this removes another point of friction.

Asked about the difficulties of implementing the spirit of the new declaration, Fr Mark says: “It’s the same as in the Catholic Church: Pope Francis has set out a rather clear policy in many areas, but there’s resistance against him as well”.

He says the document is of importance for bishops, in particular and some of the clergy, while many people on the street “don’t understand the difference” between Catholics and Orthodox.

Progress in the dialogue is achieved, Fr Mark believes, when “people at the top are on the same wavelength”. Within the dialogue between Catholics and Oriental Orthodox, he says, there are excellent relations among the majority of participants, who have become “friends after so many years”.

There is significant agreement, Fr Mark continues, on many issues, including the recognition of martyrdom, and the search for a shared date to celebrate Easter. At grass roots level, he says, relations between Catholics and Oriental Orthodox are often much closer than at leadership level.

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Vatican City, May 9, 2017 / 12:19 pm (CNA/EWTN News).- Although the Fatima apparitions happened 100 years ago, the Vatican’s resident Fatima-expert, has said they contain a message that’s both relevant and needed in the world today.

“The apparitions of Fatima are a historical event with an extraordinary significance, and they have a meaning that’s not only religious, but also socio-political,” Cardinal Jose Saraiva Martins told CNA in an interview.  

What Our Lady offered during her apparitions is a message “that deals with mankind as mankind, not only Christians or believers,” and because of this, it “has an extraordinary authority” in the world today.

Prefect Emeritus of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints, Cardinal Martins is himself from Portugal, and has written extensively on the apparitions.

On May 13, 1917, the Virgin Mary appeared to three shepherd children – Lucia, Francisco, and Jacinta – in a field while they were tending their family’s sheep.

In her message to the children, Mary brought with her requests for conversion, prayer (particularly the recitation of the rosary), sacrifices on behalf of sinners, and a three-part secret regarding the fate of the world.

Although there are many different elements to the requests made by Our Lady, Cardinal Martins said her appeals can be summed up in four key themes.

“I always say there are four key chapters, four points of extreme authority,” he said. “So what are these four points?”

Faith

“The first point, the first appeal of the Madonna, is an appeal to faith,” Cardinal Martins said.

Her appeal in this regard “is very current because, unfortunately, we live in a world in which the faith is falling. Unbelief is growing, and the Catholic faith, the faith of the Gospels, is increasingly decreasing.”

“We are walking toward a pagan world,” the cardinal continued, explaining that in many ways man no longer believes in the Gospel. People have an “abstract faith,” he said, but the Gospel is not a part of their concrete lives.

Thus Mary’s call to faith, even after 100 years, “has an extraordinary authority,” he said.

“Man today needs faith, to believe in something; to believe in God, who is our common father, to believe in our brothers, we are all children of the same Father, we are all brothers.”

Understanding the link between these two aspects is fundamental for the world today, not just for Christians, but for all mankind, he said, adding that man needs to recognize that “one’s origin is from God, it is not autonomous.”

“There is no world war, (but) there are small wars, as the Pope says, and they are worse than a world war, because a world war has a beginning and an end and then it finishes.”

“These small wars, on the other hand, are worse than the world wars because they don’t end.”

Conversion

Cardinal Martins said there is a second key appeal made by Mary “which is very important, and that is conversion.”

“The Madonna spoke many times to the shepherds about the need for man to convert … to increasingly draw nearer to God, and so to always draw nearer to our brothers and sisters,” he said, explaining that “the second appeal depends on the first.”

Throughout her six appearances Mary encouraged them to pray the rosary daily and to offer sacrifices in reparation for sins.

In her third appearance to the shepherds, Mary told them: “Sacrifice yourself for sinners, and say many times, especially whenever you make some sacrifice: O my Jesus, it is for love of Thee, for the conversion of sinners, and in reparation for the sins committed against the Immaculate Heart of Mary.”

Conversion is something still missing from in the world, Cardinal Martins said, noting that in all of her apparitions Mary consistently insisted “on the need for man, especially today, to increasingly draw nearer to his origin, to God.”

Peace

The third “chapter” of Our Lady of Fatima’s message is an appeal for peace, Cardinal Martins said.

Mary spoke to the children about peace often and urged them to pray for peace, he said, noting that her request came as the global armies were embroiled in World War I.

Our Lady’s message was to “do penance, ask for peace, because otherwise man will disappear,” he said, as is evidenced in the vision the children had of hell and the souls who anguishing there.

Perhaps one of the most impressionable aspects of the apparitions, he said, is Mary’s insistence “on the absolute, urgent need to have peace, to fight for peace, to ask God for peace.”

He stressed the need to continue to pray for peace today, because “man today needs many things, but especially peace, with himself and others.”

He referenced the many conflicts raging throughout the world, saying “one of the most painful wounds today is this fighting one with the other; the lack of peace between Muslims and Christians, the inhabitants of this country and the inhabitants of that country, etc.”

Hope

“Many people today lack many things, but lack one above all: hope.”

Hope is the fourth and final chapter of Mary’s message, Cardinal Martins said, explaining that “man today doesn’t have hope, he lives a life without a future, without the hope of a future.”

And if a person doesn’t have hope in the future – whether in his own life or in his relationships with others – “then what life is this?” the cardinal asked, noting that sadly, “it’s a life that many times, unfortunately, many times ends in suicide.”

Pointing to the high suicide rate among teens, he said many youth end up killing themselves “because they live a life that has no meaning for them. They lack hope, they lack a vision for the future.”

Hope, he said, “is fundamental for man,” so it’s natural for those who lose hope to turn to suicide in their despair, because they feel that “there is no sense to my life if it doesn’t have a destination that it must reach.”

So what Mary asks for from the men of today, and “what God demands of men today, (is) a deep faith, a hope, brotherhood among us – which is greatly lacking – so we will have peace, which we need to live a dignified life,” he said.

Cardinal Martins said this synthesis of the message of Fatima is not only relevant for the world today, but “it’s an obligation for the Church.”

The message of Fatima ought to be lived not just individually, but “as a human community,” he said, explaining that the three children were able to respond to Our Lady’s appeals with “an extraordinarily unique, unrepeatable mission.”

Even though they were young children, they were able to communicate and spread Mary’s message to the entire world with their sacrifices and prayers, he said, adding that the centenary of the apparitions, coupled with the canonization of Francisco and Jacinta, “does nothing but underline this importance.”

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IMAGE: CNS photo/Philippe Vaillancourt, Presence

By Philippe Vaillancourt

SAINT-JEAN-DE-MATHA, Quebec (CNS) -- When the Order of Cistercians of the Strict Observance left Oka, Quebec, to escape suburban sprawl, they left behind an oversized, aging building.

Their new Trappist abbey, nested in the forests and rolling hills of the Lanaudiere region and known for its cutting-edge ecological architecture, has been heralded as the 21st-century monastery. But, more importantly, it has become pivotal in the monks' sweeping spiritual renewal.

"We wanted to reconnect with the monastic foundations of our way of life," said Dom Andre Barbeau, Val Notre-Dame's abbot. "Here, you can hear silence."

"Monastic life has always had the same purpose: becoming new men by following Christ, who has made everything anew. Our monastic journey hasn't really changed. But (moving here) allowed us to experience a re-foundation (of our spiritual life)," said the abbot.

Their new home embraces simplicity, with its straight lines. Inside, the smell of freshly cut wood perfumes every room, while the ecological approach is embodied in geothermal heating, triple glazing, water recovery and vegetated roofs. In the church, they chose to have the entire wall behind the altar in glass. While praying the holy offices, they contemplate the mountain, the trees and the animals. The communal spaces are designed to develop a sense of brotherhood, while making sure that each individual monk can find a personal balance.

"Solitude and communion are in balance. Silence and speech are in balance. There's always a tension between two values, two poles. And one isn't more desirable than the other," said Dom Andre, as he is known.

The relationship between the abbey and its natural surroundings also cherishes this balance. The omnipresent, oversized windows give a feeling of permanent communion with the surrounding forest.

"That opening allows us to develop a different relationship with the Creator," said Dom Andre.

Each monk contributes to the abbey. In the main hall, near the entrance, Brother Jean-Marc, who used to be the community's cook, greets the visitor jokingly.

"Do you want to spend the rest of your life here?" he asks, a mischievous smile on his face. He seems heartened by the recent arrival of a new brother, a man in his mid-40s.

Down the hall, Brother Bernard puts the finishing touches on a few embroidered bags he has crafted, one of the numerous creative projects he works on. These items are designed for sale.

Moving here has made the Trappists rethink their relationship with their environment, as the community must earn its living from manual work. It's no longer possible to take care of 3,000 apple trees or 2,500 sugar maples like they used to do in Oka. The monks have instead learned to tap the nurturing powers of the surrounding 187-acre forest.

Since 2014, they have transformed and commercialized edible forest products. With some of his fellow monks, Brother Bernard has discovered the riches of the abbey's backwoods. At the monastery's gift shop, one can find larch needles, marinated fiddleheads and products made from milkweed, next to the more usual chocolates and caramels. For the Val Notre-Dame monks, the forest holds a precious bounty. Occasionally, they even share a meal made entirely of ingredients harvested on their estate.

"We've learned to rely on the forest's biodiversity, and to respect what is given to us (by the Creator)," said Dom Andre.

At the gift shop, Brother Emmanuel shows off local cheese and honey prepared by nearby producers, calling them signs of the community's integration to the regional rural economy. In just eight years, the Trappists have become the main distributors of locally grown foods in Lanaudiere.

Pope Francis environmental encyclical, "Laudato Si', on Care for Our Common Home," struck a chord in the monks' renewal process. In this new natural and human environment, the idea of a "common home" put forward by Pope Francis in his encyclical has a tangible meaning.

"We must rethink everything," said Dom Andre. "We must revisit and rethink everything, even our own institutions. By revisiting our conceptions of God, we necessarily revisit our solidarities and our human mediations."

"We live in an era in which our institutions no longer meet the deepest human aspirations. Neither the family, nor the church (achieves that). The monks must thus find new ways to create a new society, a new community, a new brotherhood," he said.

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Vaillancourt is editor-in-chief of Presence info, based in Montreal.

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