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Vatican Radio) “Jesus is risen!” – “He is truly risen, as he said!”

Those were Pope Francis’ words as he delivered his traditional Urbi et Orbi (to the city and the world) message from the central loggia of St Peter’s Basilica on a sunny Easter Sunday.

Listen to our report: 

The Pope said that “by his resurrection, Jesus Christ has set us free from the slavery of sin and death, and has opened before us the way to eternal life.”

In every age, the Holy Father underlined, “the Risen Shepherd tirelessly seeks us, his brothers and sisters, wandering in the deserts of this world.  He goes in search of all those lost in the labyrinths of loneliness and marginalization.  He takes upon himself all those victimized by old and new forms of slavery,… and takes upon himself children and adolescents deprived of their carefree innocence…”

The Risen Shepherd continued Pope Francis walks beside all those forced to leave their homelands as a result of armed conflicts, terrorist attacks, famine and oppressive regimes.  He also prayed that the Risen Lord would grant the leaders of nations the courage they need to prevent the spread of conflicts and to put a halt to the arms trade.

During his address the Pope prayed for peace in the Middle East especially in war torn Syria recalling Saturday's attack which killed dozens of people near the city of Aleppo, calling it "the latest vile attack on fleeing refugees".

He also looked to the African Continent praying that the Good Shepherd would remain close to the people of South Sudan, Sudan, Somalia and the Democratic Republic of Congo, who, he said,  “endure continuing hostilities, aggravated by the grave famine affecting certain parts of Africa.”

Remembering too Latin America, the Pope shared his hope that it would be possible for bridges of dialogue to be built and to seek viable and peaceful solutions to disputes.

Turning his attention to Europe the Holy Father prayed that the Risen Lord would grant hope to those experiencing moments of crisis and difficulty, especially due to high unemployment, particularly among young people. He also made special mention of Ukraine expressing the hope  that the country, “still beset by conflict and bloodshed, would regain social harmony.”

Finally, taking his leave Pope Francis said, “may Jesus, who vanquished the darkness of sin and death, grant peace to our days.”

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(Vatican Radio) Members of St Peter’s Cricket Club take off for Fatima in Portugal on Wednesday for an interfaith tournament, as well as a visit to the world famous Marian shrine.

The four day sporting tour takes place just ahead of Pope Francis' visit to Fatima on May 12th and 13th to mark the 100th anniversary of the Marian apparitions there. 

St. Peter’s players, comprised of priests and seminarians studying for the priesthood in Rome, travel to Lisbon and will spend the first day at the shrine in Fatima. Throughout this third ‘Light of Faith’ tour, they’ll be hosted by the municipal council and people of Miranda do Corvo, near the historic university city of Coimbra.

One of the goals of the 'Vatican' Cricket Club, established in 2013 under the auspices of the Pontifical Council for Culture, is to build bridges with people of other Christian Churches and other faith communities.

Seminarian Jose Mathew from India is one of the team’s top bowlers. He talked to Philippa Hitchen about preparations and expectations for this Portuguese pilgrimage…

Listen:

Jose says the Vatican team has been preparing well for the tour, with a programme of physical exercise and practice matches, played against some other Pontifical colleges in Rome, as well  against a visiting team from England.

There will be three matches during the Portugal tour, but the team has other fixtures also lined up back in Rome with clubs from Ireland and the UK.

Jose says he had never dreamed of visiting Portugal and was unaware that cricket was played there, having only seen Portuguese footballers on TV. He recalls how he learnt at school about the Portuguese who came to India and how some of the words in his native language derive from Portuguese words.

Sports and spirituality

Jose says St Peter’s has strong bowling and fielding skills, since most of the players are young and physically fit, making them fast in the outfield. He admits there are some “technical problems” with their batting and that they will be having two training sessions later in the year to "rectify" this.

Finally Jose speaks about the spiritual side of this sporting pilgrimage, recalling that the team is comprised not of “cricketers who happen to be seminarians, but we’re seminarians who happen to be cricketers”.  Prayer and spiritual exercises “come before cricket for us”, he says, so this visit to Fatima is first and foremost an opportunity of “meeting Our Lady face to face”. 

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To express the Easter joy, Nigeria’s Bishop of Sokoto Catholic Diocese, Bishop Matthew Kukah with the diocese’s Legion of Mary Society, on Easter Sunday, visited patients in two health centres: Federal Neuro-psychiatric Hospital Kware LGA and Amanawa Leprosarium.

The annual Easter visit which witnessed its fourth year was led by Bishop Kukah and Bro Emmanuel Igono, City of Refuge Comitium President.

The team which was well received at both hospitals donated relief items to the patients.

Bishop Kukah prayed for the sick and urged them to keep faith in God for their healing and restoration.

The clinic administration appreciated the Bishop and his team for choosing to celebrate Easter with them and for the items donated to the patients.

(Richie Nabuk, Catholic Diocese of Sokoto, Nigeria)

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Pakistan’s military, security and intelligence agencies have foiled a possible terrorist attack on Christians in Lahore planned for Easter.   The army said on Monday  they captured a female medical student, identified as Noreen Leghari, who admitted she was part of a planned attack on an unnamed church during Easter.  At a news briefing on Monday, Maj. Gen. Asif Ghafoor, the director general of the army's public relations wing showed part of a video in which the woman said she had travelled from her hometown of Hyderabad to Lahore and was working with two other men to carry out the attack.‎

Security remained tight on all churches of Lahore where 72 people were killed in a suicide bombing at a recreational park in Lahore on Easter 2016.  More than 25 police officials aided by 30 youth volunteers remained on guard during five Easter Masses at the Catholic cathedral.

Archbishop Sebastian Shah of Lahore exchanged bouquets with police officials amid applause at the end of the Easter vigil Mass on April 16. Senior Superintendent of Police Ali Raza shared Easter greetings with the congregation at Sacred Heart Cathedral, Lahore.  "Kindly cooperate with security personals on duty, they are for your own protection. Keep a watchful eye on your surroundings even when worshiping. Report any suspicious item or person," he said.   Father Jahanzeb Iqbal, rector of the cathedral said they thanked the police and army for their protection and Christians remained vigilant day and night during the services. 

The female terror suspect was arrested following a joint operation by police, security and intelligence agencies on Friday in Lahore's Factory Area near Punjab Housing Society.  A terrorist was killed in the exchange of fire, while Leghari and two other terror suspects were arrested.  Four four soldiers were injured. Suicide jackets and explosive material were recovered from the suspects.

In the video, Leghari confessed, ‎"they had two (explosives-filled) jackets and four hand grenades, and the jackets were to be used for an attack on some church during Easter, and I was to be the suicide bomber."  ‎"But before that, on the night of April 14, the security forces raided our hideout,"‎ she said.   

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(Vatican Radio)  The Vatican has announced that Pope Francis will visit the northern Italian cities of Cesena and Bologna on Sunday, 1 October 2017.

His pastoral visit coincides with the 300th anniversary of the birth of Pope Pius VI in 1717, who reigned as Pope from 15 February 1775 until his death on 29 August 1799.

Pope Francis will make the trip at the invitation of Archbishop Matteo Maria Zuppi of Bologna and Bishop Douglas Regattieri of Cesena-Sarsina.

A communique released by the Archdiocese of Bologna says the Pope’s pastoral visit occurs on “the occasion of the Diocesan Eucharistic Congress”, at which event the faithful are invited to renew their “efforts towards the diffusion, knowledge, and understanding of Sacred Scripture”.

Archbishop Zuppi goes on to thank Pope Francis for his “kind acceptance of the invitation”.

Please find below the full programme of Pope Francis’ visit:

07.00               Departure from Vatican Heliport

08.00               Arrival in helicopter at the Hippodrome of Cesena

                        Meeting with local people in Piazza del Popolo

                        Meeting with clergy, young people, and families in the Cathedral

10.00               Departure in helicopter from Hippodrome of Cesena

10.20               Arrival in Bologna

                        Visit to the regional Hub of Via Mattei

                        Meeting with young immigrants landed upon the Italian coast

12.00               Recitation of the Angelus in Piazza Grande, with the participation of representatives of the world of work

12.30               Lunch with poor people in the Basilica of San Petronio

14.30               Meeting with the clergy in the Cathedral

15.30               Meeting with university staff and students in the Basilica of San Domenico

17.00               Celebration of Holy Mass

18.45               Departure in helicopter from Bologna and return to the Vatican

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Fire partially damaged priest’s residence and part of Assumption Cathedral in Kathmandu, Nepal Arson attack on April 18.   Arsonists attempted to set on fire Assumption Cathedral, the first public Catholic ‎worship place in Hindu-majority Nepal.‎

Father Ignatius Rai, pastor of the cathedral parish said the incident occurred around 3 a.m. on April 18 ‎when "unknown persons" broke into the church premises.‎ ‎"This is shocking. The local Christian community is now living under threat," said, Father Rai.‎

They started a fire that partially damaged the priest’s residence and the western part of the church. A ‎car and two motorbikes were also completely burnt.  No casualties were reported.‎ The incident took place two days after Easter. Police are currently investigating the case.‎

This is the second time the church has been targeted. A bomb exploded there in 2009, claiming three lives ‎including a school girl and injuring 15 more.‎ In 2010, Ram Prasad Mainali, chief of the Nepal Defense Army, a little known Hindu extremist group, ‎was arrested in connection with the incident.‎

‎"We are panicking. Nobody left anything in the church premise this time so we don’t know whether it ‎was a personal attack or by some disgruntled organization," said Father Silas Bogati, former parish ‎priest of the Assumption Cathedral parish.‎

Condemning the attack, the parish released a statement seeking fair investigation into the attack.‎ "The Catholic Church has been involved in social work for half a decade now and will continue with ‎our work despite the frequent attacks," the release written in Nepali said, adding that no-one should ‎allow the attack to disrupt religious harmony in the country.‎

Nepal will hold the first local elections in two decades on May 14. The upcoming elections have been ‎seen as a significant step toward the implementation of a new constitution passed by the Nepal ‎government in 2015.‎

The constitution for the first time mandates a restructured, federal and secular republic.‎ However, the Rastriya Prajatantra Party, the fourth-largest force in parliament has decided to campaign ‎for the reinstatement of a Hindu state in the upcoming polls. ‎

‎"We are eagerly looking forward to the upcoming local elections in the country and we are in the ‎process with the government. This incident, if politically motivated will not harm the peaceful ‎environment in the country," said Father Bogati.‎

Assumption Cathedral, which can seat 1,000 people, incorporates Buddhist and Hindu elements in a ‎pagoda-gothic style. Nepal's first public Catholic church was built after a new constitution promulgated ‎in 1991 gave Nepal's people the freedom to practice any religion in public provided there is no attempt ‎to convert others. Prior to that, Catholic services were held in the Hindu kingdom only in chapels of ‎Catholic schools, convents and social centers.‎

Catholics make up a tiny portion of Nepal's Christian population, with the majority being Protestants. ‎The Nepal Catholic Directory counts about 8,000 Catholics in Nepal, mostly in the eastern region where ‎parishes were set up in 1999. Nepal has a population of some 28 million people, 80 percent of whom are ‎Hindus.‎ (UCAN)

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Washington D.C., Apr 18, 2017 / 03:18 am (CNA/EWTN News).- Chocolate bunnies and marshmallow Peeps have graced the shelves of U.S. stores for weeks in anticipation of Easter, but now that the actual Easter Season has begun, how should Catholics observe it?

“We cannot, as Christians, walk out of Easter liturgy and wash our hands of the business. Our life is forever changed, and it can never be what it was, if we believe that a man has walked out of the tomb,” said Fr. Hezekias Carnazzo, director of the Institute of Catholic Culture.

Easter Sunday begins the liturgical season of Easter, which continues through the celebration of the Ascension to Pentecost Sunday, 50 days in all. Each day of the Octave of Easter, the first eight days of the season, is a solemnity and ends on the Second Sunday of Easter, or Divine Mercy Sunday.

The Easter Triduum follows the 40-day penitential season of Lent, which is marked by penance, prayer, and almsgiving.

However, once the Triduum is over and Catholics cast off their Lenten penances, what comes next? Was Lent just one big detox program, and is the Easter Season a marathon of steak dinners, chocolate eggs, Netflix binges and bigger bar tabs, while practices of daily Mass and prayer are neglected?

Not so, said liturgical experts, who stressed that Catholics can both celebrate Easter and also grow in their spiritual life.

How do we do that? First, Catholics must remember the spiritual focus of the season, which is on Christ’s Resurrection and the evangelization that immediately follows from it, Fr. Chrysostom Baer of the Norbertines of St. Michael’s Abbey in Orange County, Calif., told CNA.

“The apostles were trying to convert the world because Jesus rose from the dead. And they really got the impulse to go at Pentecost, but the message is ‘Jesus died and rose’,” he said.

This evangelization was powered by a type of “evangelical poverty,” he said, pointing to the Acts of the Apostles: “The community of believers was of one heart and mind, and no one claimed that any of his possessions was his own, but they had everything in common. With great power the apostles bore witness to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and great favor was accorded them all.”

While Easter is not a time for hairshirts and fasting, he clarified, Catholics shouldn't feel like they must abandon good Lenten practices during Easter, if those practices help them be better Catholics – especially if they gave up things that were occasions of sin for them.

The Resurrection should change everything about our lives, Fr. Hezekias insisted, because in the words of St. Paul, since Jesus rose from the dead, “death no longer has dominion over Him.”

“It’s no great mystery that God is not able to be controlled by death. The great mystery is that a man walked out of the tomb that day. He was filled with Divine life. He’s the God-man. His divinity destroyed the power of death, but destroyed the power of death over us,” he said.

“We can say now, we who have been baptized in Him, death no longer has dominion over us,” he said. “Easter, Pascha, is the Christian life. Death no longer has dominion over us.”

This means that the created world has been brought back “into communion with God,” he said, and that realization should change how we see everything.

“I would think the first best way to celebrate the season is to go to daily Mass. That is bar none, the best,” Fr. Chrysostom said. “Because it really puts you in the mind of the Church, with regard to the season. The prayers change every day, but they’re all focused on the Resurrection.”

Catholics should also continue any good practices they fostered during Lent like prayer or almsgiving, he insisted, and should give attention to virtues they cultivated from Lenten penance.

“The Easter Season is for fostering those virtues that you’ve planted during Lent, and allowing them to grow,” he said. This requires taking “concrete steps” and not just vague promises to ensure that good habits are maintained, he added.

For instance, if someone gave alms during Lent, they could resolve to give money to the poor a certain number of times per week, he said.

However, Easter shouldn’t just be lived at church, but “it’s got to live out in our everyday lives,” Fr. Hezekias told CNA. There must be a “more intense realization that every aspect of my life has come into communion with God.”

“What about reading the Gospel in our homes or singing the Gospel in our homes before we bless the food at the dinner of that Sunday?” he suggested.

Another way to do this is for Catholics throw a party, he said, which we can enjoy in a new way having first fasted during Lent.

“The reason the Church has us set aside meat [during Lent] is because we’ve become dependent on those things,” Fr. Hezekias explained. “The key to the celebration of Easter and Pascha is the re-ordering in our life, that now I eat meat as a gift from God,” he said.

If someone has given up meat for 40 days, he explained, they will appreciate its goodness all the more: “Suddenly they take a bite of meat, and what do you say? ‘Thank you, God!’”

And Catholics should party together.

“I think what makes a feast really a feast is that it’s shared, with friends,” Fr. Chrysostom said, and where drinks served “heightens the conviviality and the joy.”

“Everyone should be asking themselves right now, who should I invite to my home [during the Easter Season]?” Fr. Hezekias said. They should also consider inviting the newly baptized at their parish over to their homes.

“We’ve forgotten our ability as Christians to go out and really have a party,” he said. “Our society is starving because of that. We’re the ones who are supposed to be showing everyone else what true joy is, but unfortunately we’ve forgotten it ourselves.”

“We’ve got to re-discover that for the sake of society.”

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