Catholic News 2
CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) -- A cargo plane contracted by UPS went off the runway and over a steep, wooded hillside Friday at a West Virginia airport, killing the pilot and co-pilot, an airport official said....
MOGADISHU, Somalia (AP) -- A U.S. service member has been killed in Somalia during an operation against the extremist group al-Shabab - the first U.S. combat death there in more than two decades - as the United States steps up its fight against the al-Qaida-linked organization in a country that remains largely chaos....
WASHINGTON (AP) -- Republicans are claiming a triumph by pushing their legislative centerpiece scuttling much of President Barack Obama's health care law through the House. It was a perilous journey, and its Senate pathway will be at least as bumpy with little doubt the measure will change, assuming it survives....
(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis on Friday greeted members of the Pontifical Romanian College or Collegio Pio Romeno on the occasion of its 80th anniversary. Listen to this report: This Roman Pontifical College has been training seminarians from all over the world for eight decades in the Eternal City and on Friday the Pope on this auspicious occasion had two wishes for those present.The first was to preserve memory and the second, to cultivate hope.Speaking about the former, the Holy Father said that by tuning into ones ecclesial memory which he added, lives through the events that each era presents us with, “you will be helped to overcome dangerous temptations that may arise, such as settling for mediocrity, settling for a normal life; where one jealously guards their own time and their own well-being.The Pope described their College as a place where seminarians train as if they were “in a gym” in order to give their lives for the good of others.On the theme o...
(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis on Friday greeted members of the Pontifical Romanian College or Collegio Pio Romeno on the occasion of its 80th anniversary.
Listen to this report:
This Roman Pontifical College has been training seminarians from all over the world for eight decades in the Eternal City and on Friday the Pope on this auspicious occasion had two wishes for those present.
The first was to preserve memory and the second, to cultivate hope.
Speaking about the former, the Holy Father said that by tuning into ones ecclesial memory which he added, lives through the events that each era presents us with, “you will be helped to overcome dangerous temptations that may arise, such as settling for mediocrity, settling for a normal life; where one jealously guards their own time and their own well-being.
The Pope described their College as a place where seminarians train as if they were “in a gym” in order to give their lives for the good of others.
On the theme of cultivating hope, Pope Francis said that there was, “so much need to nourish Christian hope, that hope that gives a new outlook, capable of discovering and seeing good, even when it is obscured by evil”.
Concluding his address the Pope had a special greeting for those present from the Pontifical College of St. Ephrem, which provides lodgings for those student priests of the Arabic language from all of the Oriental Catholic Churches and who are welcomed by the Pontifical Romanian College (Pio Romeno).
The Pope said that, “by meeting you I think of the situation in which there are so many faithful in your lands, many families who are forced to leave their homes in the face of waves of violence and suffering. I want to embrace these brothers and sisters in a special way, together with their Patriarchs and Bishops.”
(Vatican Radio) Even now there are people in the Church who use rigidity to cover-up their own sins. That was the warning of Pope Francis at the morning Mass at the Casa Santa Marta. Commenting on the first Reading, from the Acts of the Apostles, the Pope focused on the figure of Saint Paul who, from being a rigid persecutor, became a meek and patient proclaimer of the Gospel.“The first time the name ‘Saul’ appears,” he said, “is at the stoning of Stephen.” Saul, he observed, was a “young man, rigid, idealistic,” and he was “convinced” of the rigidity of the law.No to rigid people living a double life in the ChurchHe was rigid, the Pope insisted, but he was “sincere.” Jesus, on the other hand, condemned those who were rigid but “insincere”:“They are rigid people living a double life: They make themselves look good, sincere, but when no one sees them, they do ugly things. On the other hand, th...
(Vatican Radio) Even now there are people in the Church who use rigidity to cover-up their own sins. That was the warning of Pope Francis at the morning Mass at the Casa Santa Marta. Commenting on the first Reading, from the Acts of the Apostles, the Pope focused on the figure of Saint Paul who, from being a rigid persecutor, became a meek and patient proclaimer of the Gospel.
“The first time the name ‘Saul’ appears,” he said, “is at the stoning of Stephen.” Saul, he observed, was a “young man, rigid, idealistic,” and he was “convinced” of the rigidity of the law.
No to rigid people living a double life in the Church
He was rigid, the Pope insisted, but he was “sincere.” Jesus, on the other hand, condemned those who were rigid but “insincere”:
“They are rigid people living a double life: They make themselves look good, sincere, but when no one sees them, they do ugly things. On the other hand, this young man was honest. He believed that. I think, when I say this, of the many young people in the Church today who have fallen into the temptation of rigidity. Some are sincere, they are good. We have to pray that the Lord might help them to grow along the path of meekness.”
Others, he said, “use rigidity in order to cover over weakness, sin, personality problems; and they use rigidity” to build themselves up at the expense of others. Pope Francis said that in this way, Saul grew even more rigid, to the point where he couldn’t tolerate what he saw as a heresy; and so he began to persecute the Christians. But, the Pope said, parenthetically, at least Saul allowed children to live – nowadays, those who persecute Christians don’t even spare children.
Saul then went to Damascus to arrest the Christians in order to take them as prisoners to Jerusalem. And on the road to Damascus, he encountered “another Man, who spoke with a language of meekness: ‘Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?’”
Saint Paul: From persecutor to evangelizer
“This rigid young man, who had become a rigid man – but sincere! – was made a little child, and allowed himself to be led where the Lord called him.” This is “the power of the meekness of the Lord.” Saul, then, having become Paul, proclaimed the Lord to the very end, and suffered for Him:
“And so this man preached to others out of his own experience, from one part to another: persecuted, with so many problems, even in the Church, even having to suffer from Christians quarreling among themselves. But he, who had persecuted the Lord with the zeal of the law, said to the Christians, ‘With those same things by which you have drawn away from God, with which you have sinned – with the mind, with the body, with everything – with those same members now you are perfect, you give glory to God.’”
Let us pray for those who are rigid, that they may follow the way of meekness of Jesus
“There is a dialogue between what is sufficient, rigidity, and meekness,” the Pope said, and this is “the dialogue between a sincere man and Jesus, who speaks to him with sweetness.” And so, he said, “begins the story of this man whom we have known from his youth, in the stoning of Stephen, who would end up betrayed by an internal conflict among Christians.” For some, the life of Saint Paul “is a failure,” like that of Christ:
“This is the path of the Christian: to go forward along the path marked out by Jesus: the path of preaching, the path of suffering, the path of the Cross, the path of the resurrection. Today, in a special way, let us pray to Saul for those in the Church who are rigid: for the rigid who are sincere, as he was, who have zeal, but are mistaken. And for the rigid who are hypocrites, those who live a double life, those of whom Jesus said, ‘Do what they say, but not what they do.’ Let us pray today for the rigid.”
(Vatican Radio) The Coptic Orthodox leader, His Holiness Pope Tawadros II, on Friday embarked on his first pastoral visit to the United Kingdom.It is the first time that Pope Tawadros II, Pope of Alexandria and Patriarch of the See of Saint Mark, has visited the UK as head of the Coptic Orthodox Church whose membership remains predominantly in Egypt. During Pope Francis’ recent two-day apostolic journey to Egypt Pope Francis and Pope Tawadros took a significant step forward in the quest for unity by signing a joint declarationin which they say they will recognise each other’s Sacrament of Baptism.Coptic Christians currently represent 80% of Christians in the Middle East.According to the Coptic Orthodox Church UK media release Pope Tawadros is scheduled to visit Coptic Orthodox parishes across the UK, officiating liturgical services and performing several consecrations, while generally taking time to engage with parishioners. He will also engage wi...
(Vatican Radio) The Coptic Orthodox leader, His Holiness Pope Tawadros II, on Friday embarked on his first pastoral visit to the United Kingdom.
It is the first time that Pope Tawadros II, Pope of Alexandria and Patriarch of the See of Saint Mark, has visited the UK as head of the Coptic Orthodox Church whose membership remains predominantly in Egypt.
During Pope Francis’ recent two-day apostolic journey to Egypt Pope Francis and Pope Tawadros took a significant step forward in the quest for unity by signing a joint declarationin which they say they will recognise each other’s Sacrament of Baptism.
Coptic Christians currently represent 80% of Christians in the Middle East.
According to the Coptic Orthodox Church UK media release Pope Tawadros is scheduled to visit Coptic Orthodox parishes across the UK, officiating liturgical services and performing several consecrations, while generally taking time to engage with parishioners.
He will also engage with various ecumenical, interfaith and official members of British society at a series of events planned throughout the course of his stay.
His Grace Bishop Angaelos, General Bishop of the Coptic Orthodox Church in the United Kingdom, will receive Tawadros upon his arrival and accompany him throughout his stay.
Bishop Angaelos has described the visit as an historic one “not only of the 118th Pope of Alexandria to the United Kingdom, but more personally for His Holiness Pope Tawadros, as his first engagement with his flock across Britain. For Coptic Christians here, it will be an opportunity to spend time with the head of their Church, and their spiritual father”.
The Bishop also pointed out the past one has been a particularly difficult year for Christians in Egypt “with recent and ongoing attacks, and thus the visit will also be an opportunity for their brothers and sisters to hear directly from His Holiness about the situation there, and how they can provide greater support for them.”
The press release also says that during his visit, one of the most significant engagements will be when the Pope Tawadros addresses hundreds of youth from Coptic parishes across England at a meeting during which they will present on the various ministries they engage with under the umbrella of Coptic Youth Mission.
Bangladesh’s cardinal has launched a “devoted appeal to unity” to the Christian leaders and Churches of the country to overcome their conflicts and divisions that has almost brought the country’s first Christian microcredit institution to a halt. Since last year, the managing board of the Dhaka-based Christian Cooperative Credit Union Limited (CCCUL), which covers various denominations, has not been renewed because of disagreement among Christian leaders. This has led to the institution’s paralysis, preventing it from granting loans. "It is sad and at the same time scandalous to see the recent divisions and disunity within Christian communities in Bangladesh and abroad," the country’s first cardinal noted in his appeal. According to Card D'Rozario, the situation is due to "conflicts over ideologies, approaches and strategies, leadership and interests, power, and positions taken by Christian organizations...
Bangladesh’s cardinal has launched a “devoted appeal to unity” to the Christian leaders and Churches of the country to overcome their conflicts and divisions that has almost brought the country’s first Christian microcredit institution to a halt. Since last year, the managing board of the Dhaka-based Christian Cooperative Credit Union Limited (CCCUL), which covers various denominations, has not been renewed because of disagreement among Christian leaders. This has led to the institution’s paralysis, preventing it from granting loans.
"It is sad and at the same time scandalous to see the recent divisions and disunity within Christian communities in Bangladesh and abroad," the country’s first cardinal noted in his appeal. According to Card D'Rozario, the situation is due to "conflicts over ideologies, approaches and strategies, leadership and interests, power, and positions taken by Christian organizations and socio-economic institutions." The net result of this is that “Ordinary people are the victims of such conflicts and divisions,” the prelate added. “For them, divisions threaten the Christian community. " Therefore, "listening to the voice of simple people, I urge all interested parties to turn to God's mercy and forgiveness, and abandon the spirit of revenge, hatred and exaggerated judgments. Build your vision, values, mission and actions around Christ, who is a source of unity, healing, and reconciliation. Let the Risen Lord be present. May prayers accompany each one of you," Card. D'Rozario exhorted.
The bank was created in 1955 by American Holy Cross priest Fr Charles J. Young, at a time when Dhaka’s Christians, unable to get loans from regular financial institutions, found themselves exposed to unscrupulous loan sharks. The CCCUL offers easy low interest loans. Today it has 36,000 shareholders members, 47,000 savings account holding members with an equivalent of $ 66 million in estimated assets, making it one of Asia's largest credit unions.
The dispute pits the old guard and other candidates. The credit union’s outgoing group barred some candidates from running by cancelling their membership. The Supreme Court of Bangladesh postponed the election of the CCCUL management board scheduled for 6 January.
Some Christians have welcomed Card. D’Rozario’s initiative, wishing it had come earlier. Speaking about corruption among CCCUL leaders, who they say came to power illegally, they called for fresh and clean elections to the board. (Source: AsiaNews)
(Vatican Radio) Hungarian authorities say eleven men have been indicted over the deaths of 71 migrants who suffocated in the back of a refrigerated truck in 2015. The announcement comes at a time when migrants fleeing war and poverty are becoming increasingly desperate searching for ways to enter Western Europe as Hungary has come under international pressure over its tough anti-migration policies. Listen to the report by Stefan Bos: The chief prosecutor of Hungary's Bacs-Kiskun County, László Nánási, said the 11 men from Afghanistan, Bulgaria and Lebanon allegedly smuggled some 1,200 people from the Hungary-Serbia border to Austria or Germany in 2015.That led to a horrific discovery: Migrants from Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan were among the victims found in the back of a refrigerated truck with Hungarian license plates. It was abandoned in the emergency lane of the A4 highway near Parndorf, Austria, not far from the Hungarian border, on A...
(Vatican Radio) Hungarian authorities say eleven men have been indicted over the deaths of 71 migrants who suffocated in the back of a refrigerated truck in 2015. The announcement comes at a time when migrants fleeing war and poverty are becoming increasingly desperate searching for ways to enter Western Europe as Hungary has come under international pressure over its tough anti-migration policies.
Listen to the report by Stefan Bos:
The chief prosecutor of Hungary's Bacs-Kiskun County, László Nánási, said the 11 men from Afghanistan, Bulgaria and Lebanon allegedly smuggled some 1,200 people from the Hungary-Serbia border to Austria or Germany in 2015.
That led to a horrific discovery: Migrants from Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan were among the victims found in the back of a refrigerated truck with Hungarian license plates. It was abandoned in the emergency lane of the A4 highway near Parndorf, Austria, not far from the Hungarian border, on August 27, 2015. Those who died included 59 men, eight women and four children.
Investigators say the migrants were locked into the truck the day before near the town of Mórahalom, Hungary, near the Serbian border. They likely died within three hours, while the vehicle was still in Hungary.
OPENING TRUCKS
Hungarian prosecutor Nánási said in a statement that despite their pleas to open the truck doors, the smugglers were reportedly told by their boss to cross into Austria as soon as possible.
Charges against the defendants include organized human smuggling and the torture of the smuggled persons.
Prosecutors say they are seeking life imprisonment for four defendants and shorter terms at a maximum-security facility and expulsion from Hungary for the rest. The trial will be held at a court in central Hungary where the smugglers began the trip which ended in the migrants' deaths.
Nine of the alleged smugglers are in custody, while prosecutors have filed a motion to try the other two defendants in absentia.
Hungarian prosecutors say the alleged 30-year-old Afghan leader of operation earned some 300,000 euros or $328,000 from the group's smuggling activities in 2015, Nánási said. Among his alleged accomplices are Bulgarian drivers and a Bulgarian-Lebanese man who obtained the vehicles and the temporary license plates.
MORE SUFFERING
Just a day after the 71 deaths, the smugglers locked a group of 67 migrants into another closed truck near Mórahalom taking them to the Austrian town of Gols.
While the condition of the migrants became life-threatening, they were able to kick open the doors of the truck and no one died. Two of the defendants are facing charges of life-threatening battery in the case.
Yet the incidents have underscored European Union concerns that migrants and refugees are becoming very desperate searching for ways to enter more welcoming Western European nations. The European Commission, the EU's executive, criticized Hungary's recent introduced decision to detain asylum seekers in container camps, including families and unaccompanied teenagers.
Now György Bakondi, chief security adviser to the prime minister, says the government is ready to adjust some of its controversial policies but only under certain conditions. "We have made a gesture that if it can be worked out we are willing to take a closer look at the possibility that if this 14 to 18-year-old are willing to undergo DNA examination than they can be allowed into the country," he said. But Bakondi warned: "That does not mean they would be able to move around freely. Instead they will be taken from this transit zones to guarded camps."
He admitted that "in the end the negotiations with the [European] Commission's experts were unsuccessful because they think that the physical and legal border closures are unacceptable." Hungary's fiercely anti-migration Prime Minister Viktor Orbán has defended his controversial policies, which also include razor wire border fences, saying the mainly Muslim migrants trying to enter threaten his nation's and Europe's "Christian culture and heritage", while critics have called him a nationalist opportunist.
Vatican City, May 5, 2017 / 03:04 am (CNA/EWTN News).- In the prayer video for May, Pope Francis challenged the Catholic community to pray that the continent's Christians will witness to reconciliation, justice, and peace.Beyond the natural beauty of Africa, the Pope said, “we see its joie de vivre, and above all, we see grounds for hope in Africa’s rich intellect, cultural, and religious heritage.”The May 4 video began with footage expanding over the beautiful landscapes of Africa, and changes to quick scenes of diverse individuals reflected in mirrors – like a doctor with a San Damiano Crucifix hanging beside her, a shop owner reflected among the goods in his shop, and a woman in traditional African attire smiling among vegetables in the market place.However, as the music became more heartfelt, the Pope admitted, “we cannot fail to see fratricidal wars decimating peoples and destroying these natural and cultural resources,” and the mirror sp...
Vatican City, May 5, 2017 / 03:04 am (CNA/EWTN News).- In the prayer video for May, Pope Francis challenged the Catholic community to pray that the continent's Christians will witness to reconciliation, justice, and peace.
Beyond the natural beauty of Africa, the Pope said, “we see its joie de vivre, and above all, we see grounds for hope in Africa’s rich intellect, cultural, and religious heritage.”
The May 4 video began with footage expanding over the beautiful landscapes of Africa, and changes to quick scenes of diverse individuals reflected in mirrors – like a doctor with a San Damiano Crucifix hanging beside her, a shop owner reflected among the goods in his shop, and a woman in traditional African attire smiling among vegetables in the market place.
However, as the music became more heartfelt, the Pope admitted, “we cannot fail to see fratricidal wars decimating peoples and destroying these natural and cultural resources,” and the mirror splinters as two men used coarse tools to break apart bricks.
Pope Francis then asked for prayers to assist the Christian communities’ witness to Christ, and promote peace among the countries struck by bloodshed and famine.
“Let us join with our brothers and sisters of this great continent, and pray together that Christians in Africa, in imitation of the merciful Jesus, may give prophetic witness to reconciliation, justice, and peace,” said Pope Francis, appearing near the end of the video.
Then the video pans to a pair of hands reaching to pick up a piece of broken mirror, fractured in the previous scene, and a man lifts it up to reflect the smile of a woman facing him.
The Apostleship of Prayer, which produces the monthly videos on the Pope’s intentions, was founded by Jesuit seminarians in France in 1844 to encourage Christians to serve God and others through prayer, particularly for the needs of the Church.
Since the late 1800s, the Jesuit-run global prayer network has received a monthly, “universal” intention from the Pope. In 1929, an additional missionary intention was added by the Holy Father, aimed at the faithful in particular.
Starting in January, rather than including a missionary intention, Pope Francis has elected to have only one prepared prayer intention – the universal intention featured in the prayer video – and will add a second intention focused on an urgent or immediate need if one arises.
The Pope’s prayer videos are filmed in collaboration with the Vatican Television Center.
Kansas City, Kan., May 5, 2017 / 06:01 am (CNA/EWTN News).- The Archdiocese of Kansas City in Kansas announced this week a halt to their involvement with Girl Scouts USA, and an eventual transfer of their support to alternative scouting programs.“With the promotion by Girl Scouts USA (GSUSA) of programs and materials reflective of many of the troubling trends in our secular culture, they are no longer a compatible partner in helping us form young women with the virtues and value of the Gospel,” stated a May 1 announcement from Archbishop Joseph F. Naumann of Kansas City in Kansas.“I want to express my appreciation for the many extraordinary Girl Scout leaders of the archdiocese who have served so many so well. We look forward to having as many of them as are willing to join us in leadership roles as we take this new step,” he continued.In January, Archbishop Naumann asked his parishes to begin transitioning support from Girl Scouts USA to alternate programs. ...
Kansas City, Kan., May 5, 2017 / 06:01 am (CNA/EWTN News).- The Archdiocese of Kansas City in Kansas announced this week a halt to their involvement with Girl Scouts USA, and an eventual transfer of their support to alternative scouting programs.
“With the promotion by Girl Scouts USA (GSUSA) of programs and materials reflective of many of the troubling trends in our secular culture, they are no longer a compatible partner in helping us form young women with the virtues and value of the Gospel,” stated a May 1 announcement from Archbishop Joseph F. Naumann of Kansas City in Kansas.
“I want to express my appreciation for the many extraordinary Girl Scout leaders of the archdiocese who have served so many so well. We look forward to having as many of them as are willing to join us in leadership roles as we take this new step,” he continued.
In January, Archbishop Naumann asked his parishes to begin transitioning support from Girl Scouts USA to alternate programs. This shift is becoming effective in the 2017-2018 kindergarten class throughout Kansas City archdiocese parishes.
The American Heritage Girls is the preferred alternative, as well as the Little Flower Girls Club.
“Pastors were given the choice of making this transition quickly, or to, over the next several years, ‘graduate’ the Scouts currently in the program,” stated Archbishop Naumann.
“American Heritage Girls, a program based on Christian values, we believe is a much better fit for our parishes.”
Over the past few years, Girl Scouts USA have made some controversial shifts in their program, including contributing to organizations who support Planned Parenthood and integrating questionable material in their books.
These changes have proved to be challenging for many organizations involved with GSUSA, including the Catholic Church. Other dioceses in the country have also distanced themselves from the Girl Scouts, including the Archdiocese of St. Louis in 2016.
“The decision to end our relationship with Girl Scouting was not an easy one,” Archbishop Naumann said.
Over the past ten years, the Archdiocese of Kansas City has tapped into their resources to spend “hundreds of hours” researching the Girl Scout organization and spending time with current Scouts and their families.
The archdiocese additionally delved into the many concerns raised by the “disturbing content in materials and resources developed and promulgated by the national organization.”
These concerns included having Margaret Sanger, Betty Friedan, and Gloria Steinem as role models for the Girl Scouts, all of whom are known for their advocacy of both contraception and abortion.
Girl Scouts USA also contributes over a million dollars annually to the World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts (WAGGGS), a lobby group which funds International Planned Parenthood.
There was another controversy with some material in the GSUSA Journey manual, in which the Archdiocese of Kansas City requested – and was granted – the removal of the questionable material their books. This included “several offensive and completely age-inappropriate role models.”
“It is disturbing that such an intervention on our part was necessary,” Archbishop Naumann noted.
“We prefer to partner with youth organizations that share our values and vision for youth ministry, not ones that we have to monitor constantly to protect our children from being misled and misinformed,” he continued.
Moving forward, Catholic parishes in the Archdiocese of Kansas City are encouraged to support American Heritage Girls, a group founded in 1995 with about 20,000 members nationwide. Another recommended group is the Little Flowers Girl Club, a Catholic-based group in the US and Canada.
“To follow Jesus and his Gospel will often require us to be counter-cultural,” the Kansas City archbishop said.
“Our greatest responsibility as a church is to the children and young people in our care…It is essential that all youth programs at our parishes affirm virtues and values consistent with the Catholic faith.”
