Catholic News 2

Indonesia, the world’s largest Muslim-majority nation‎ now has its first state Catholic college. The State Catholic Institute (STAKatN) opened on 6 April in Pontianak, the capital of the West Kalimantan province.  Originally founded in 2006 as the Santo Agustinus Pastoral Institute, the new government-run educational institution began the long process of state accreditation in 2010, which recently ended with official approval from the Ministry of Religious Affairs. 

Andreas, a local Catholic, spoke to AsiaNews noting that the milestone was achieved due to the efforts of important local Catholic figures, such as the provincial governor, the bishop and priests.  Religious Affairs Minister Lukman Hakim Saiffudin, West Kalimantan Governor Cornelis M H, Archbishop Agustinus Agus of Pontianak took part in the opening ceremony.  Arch. Agus invited all former students to adhere to the Church's mission in the province, so that Catholic education can remain strong for the local community.  "Providing a religious education to our people in this vast territory has been a great challenge for us because of the lack of catechists," he said. "Not only are there not enough teachers with a Catholic education, but teachers as a whole are a rarity in this province," the archbishop added.

More than 1,250 students have graduated from the institute in its ten-year history, 31 of whom have since embarked on an academic career.  More than 700 other students have found jobs.   According to the education department in Pontianak only 355 schools in this huge province have teachers trained at Catholic schools. Overall, "we have 1,222 high schools across the province," Arch. Agus pointed out.  Out of 4,341 primary schools, only 1,603 have Catholic teachers. Out of 378 senior high schools, only 89 have Catholic teachers," the prelate added.

A shortage of priests and catechists is one of the biggest problems for the Catholic community in Kalimantan, the Indonesian portion of Borneo island comprising 5 provinces . It has only four dioceses in the western province, and only one for each of the central, southern, and eastern provinces.  Bishop Pius Riana Prapdi of Ketapang in West Kalimantan told AsiaNews last year that the lack of Catholic educators was the main obstacle to spreading the faith.  Difficult economic conditions in remote areas of Indonesia, exacerbated by the lack of infrastructure, put "human development" at the centre of the Church's mission.  One of the best ways to meet this goal is to offer the best possible education to local youth, Bishop Prapdi said.   (Source: AsiaNews)

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ACTS 10:34a, 37-43; COL 3:1-4; JOHN 20: 1-9

 “He is not here.” Egyptian pyramids are world-famous as one of the “seven Wonders” of the ancient world. But they are actually gigantic tombs containing the mummified bodies of Egyptian Pharaohs. Westminster Abby is famous, and thousands visit it because the dead bodies of famous writers, philosophers and politicians are entombed there. But there is a Shrine of the Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem, and pilgrims from all over the world visit a tomb there which is empty with a note at its entrance which says, “He is not here.” It is famous because Jesus Christ Who was once buried there rose from the dead, leaving an empty tomb, as He had told his disciples he would. Thus, He worked the most important miracle in His life, defying the laws of nature and proving that He is God. We rejoice at this great and unique event by celebrating Easter.

Significance of Easter: Easter is the greatest and the most important feast in the Church. It marks the birthday of our eternal hope.  "Easter" literally means "the feast of fresh flowers."  We celebrate it with pride and jubilation for three reasons:

1) The Resurrection of Christ is the basis of our Christian Faith.  The Resurrection is the greatest of the miracles -- it proves that Jesus is God.  That is why St. Paul writes:  “If Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain; and your Faith is in vain…  And if Christ has not been raised, then your Faith is a delusion and you are still lost in your sins…  But in fact, Christ has been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who have fallen asleep” (I Cor 15:14, 17, 20).  If Jesus Christ did not rise from the dead, then the Church is a fraud and faith is a sham. But if Jesus really did rise from the dead, his message is true! Without the Resurrection, Jesus would have remained forever a good person who had met a tragic end.  People would remember some of his teachings, and a handful of people might try to live according to them. All the basic doctrines of Christianity are founded on the truth of the Resurrection.  “Jesus is Lord; He is risen!” (Rom 10:9) was the central theme of the kerygma (or "preaching"), of the apostles.     There is a story of two women who stood before Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris. One asked, "Why can't we build structures like this anymore?" Her friend answered, "The people who built this had Faith. Today we have only opinions. And you can't build a cathedral with opinions."

2) Easter is the guarantee of our own resurrection.  Jesus assured Martha at the tomb of Lazarus: “I am the Resurrection and the Life; whoever believes in Me will live even though he dies” (Jn 11:25-26).  Christ will raise us up on the last day, but it is also true, in a sense, that we have already risen with Christ.  By virtue of the Holy Spirit, our Christian life is already a participation in the death and Resurrection of Christ (Catechism of the Catholic Church, #1002, #1003).  

3) Easter is a feast which gives us hope and encouragement in this world of pain, sorrows and tears.  It reminds us that life is worth living.  It is our belief in the Real Presence of the Risen Jesus in our souls, in His Church, in the Blessed Sacrament and in Heaven that gives meaning to our personal, as well as to our common, prayers.   Our trust in the all-pervading presence of the Risen Lord gives us strength to fight against temptations and freedom from unnecessary worries and fears.  The prayer of St. Patrick, the Apostle of Ireland, reads: “Christ before me, Christ beside me, Christ within me, never to part.”

Reasons why we believe in the Resurrection of Jesus: (a) Jesus himself testified to his Resurrection from the dead (Mark 8:31; Matthew 17:22; Luke 9:22). (b) The tomb was empty on Easter Sunday (Luke 24:3). Although the guards claimed (Matthew 28:13) that the disciples of Jesus had stolen the body, every sensible Jew knew that it was impossible for the terrified disciples of Jesus to steal the body of Jesus from a tomb guarded by a 16 member team of armed Roman soldiers. (c) The initial disbelief of Jesus’ own disciples in his Resurrection, in spite of his repeated apparitions.  This serves as a strong proof of his Resurrection. It explains why the apostles started preaching the resurrected Christ only after receiving the anointing of the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost. (d)  The transformation of Jesus’ disciples: The disciples of Jesus were almost immediately transformed from men who were hopeless and fearful after the crucifixion (Luke 24:21, John 20:19) into men who were confident and bold witnesses of the Resurrection (Acts 2:24, 3:15, 4:2). (e) The Jews and the Romans could not disprove Jesus’ Resurrection by presenting the dead body of Jesus. f) The apostles and early Christians would not have faced martyrdom if they were not absolutely sure of Jesus’ Resurrection. (g)  The Apostle Paul’s conversion from a persecutor of Christians into a zealous apostle, preaching the Good News of Jesus throughout much of the Gentile world supports the truth of Jesus’ Resurrection (Galatians 1:11-17, Acts 9:1,  Acts 9:24-25,  Acts 26:15-18). (h) The sheer existence of a thriving, empire-conquering early Christian Church, bravely facing three centuries of persecution, supports the truth of the Resurrection claim. (i) The New Testament witnesses do not bear the stamp of dupes or deceivers. The apostles and the early Christians were absolutely sure about the Resurrection of Jesus.

Exegesis: The Resurrection of Jesus had certain special features. First, Jesus prophesied it as a sign of His Divinity: “Tear down this temple and in three days I will build it again” (Jn 2:19).  Second, the founder of no other religion has an empty tomb as Jesus has.  We see the fulfillment of Christ's promise on the empty cross and in the empty tomb. The angel said to the women at Jesus’ tomb: “Why are you looking among the dead for One Who is alive?  He is not here: He has been raised” (Luke 24:5-6).  The third special feature is the initial disbelief of Jesus’ own disciples in his Resurrection, in spite of his repeated apparitions.  This serves as a strong proof of his Resurrection. It explains why the apostles started preaching the Risen Christ only after receiving the anointing of the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost.  Proclamation and witness-bearing are the main themes of today’s readings. In the first reading, St. Peter shares his own experience of Christ’s Resurrection and its joy with the newly baptized members of Cornelius’ family. In the second reading, St. Paul bears witness to his experience of the risen Lord on the Damascus Road, which converted him from a persecuting Pharisee into a zealous apostle of Jesus. Today’s Gospel explains the empty-tomb Resurrection experience of Mary Magdalene, Peter and John. Mary Magdalene proclaims her personal experience: “I have seen the Lord.”

Life messages: 1) We are to be Resurrection people:  Easter, the feast of the Resurrection, gives us the joyful message that we are a “Resurrection people.”  This means that we are not supposed to lie buried in the tomb of our sins, evil habits and dangerous addictions.  It gives us the Good News that no tomb can hold us down anymore - not the tomb of despair, discouragement, doubt or death itself.  Instead, we are expected to live a joyful and peaceful life, constantly experiencing the real presence of the Risen Lord in all the events of our lives.  “This is the day the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad” (Psalm 118:24). 

2) We need to seek our peace and joy in the Risen Jesus:  The living presence of the Risen Lord gives us lasting peace and celestial joy in the face of the boredom, suffering, pain and tensions of our day-to-day life.  “Peace be with you” was Jesus’ salutation to his disciples at all post-Resurrection appearances.  For the true Christian, every day must be  an Easter Day lived joyfully in the close company of the Risen Lord.

3) We are to be transparent Christians: We are called to be transparent Christians, showing others, through our lives of love, mercy, compassion and self-sacrificing service, that the Risen Jesus is living in our hearts.  

4) We need to live new, disciplined lives in the Risen Jesus:  Our awareness of the all-pervading presence of the Risen Lord in and around us, and the strong conviction of our own coming resurrection, help us control our thoughts, desires, words and behavior.  This salutary thought inspires us to honor our bodies, keeping them holy, pure and free from evil habits and addictions. Our conviction about the presence of the Risen Lord in our neighbors, and in all those with whom we come into contact, should encourage us to respect them and to render them loving, humble and selfless service.

5) We need to remember Easter in our Good Fridays:  Easter reminds us that every Good Friday in our lives will have an Easter Sunday, and that Jesus will let us share the power of his Resurrection.  Each time we display our love of others, we share in the Resurrection.  Each time we face a betrayal of trust and, with God’s grace, forgive the betrayer, we share in the Resurrection of Jesus.  Each time we fail in our attempts to ward off temptations – but keep on trying to overcome them – we share in the Resurrection.  Each time we continue to hope – even when our hope seems unanswered – we share in the power of Jesus’ Resurrection.  In short, the message of Easter is that nothing can destroy us – not pain, sin, rejection, betrayal or death – because Christ has conquered all these, and we, too, can conquer them if we put our Faith and trust in Him. 

6) We are to be bearers of the Good News of Resurrection power. Resurrection is Good News, but at the same time, it’s sometimes painful because it involves death. Before the power of the Resurrection can take hold in our own lives, we’re called to die to sin, to die to self. We may even have to die to our own dreams, so that God can do what He wants to do with our lives. Resurrection is about seeing our world in a new way. Early that Easter morning, Mary did not find what she was looking for, the dead body of Jesus. But she found something better than she could have imagined: the Risen Jesus. Sometimes, the things we think we want most are not granted to us.  What we get instead is an experience of God’s new ways of working in the world. That’s the power of the Resurrection. When those moments come, we must spread the news--just as Mary did: We have seen the Lord! (Fr. Anthony Kadavil) 

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Retired Indian Bishop S. Edward Francis of Sivagangai, in Tamil Nadu state, passed away on Wednesday, 11 April.   He was 86.  His funeral Mass was scheduled for Wednesday, 12 April, in St Justin’s Higher Sec School campus, Sivagangai and his mortal remains will be laid to rest in St. Alangara Annai Cathedral, Sivagangai. 

Bishop Edward Francis was born on 3 June 1930 at Sendamaram, Tamil Nadu. He was ordained priest on 25 March 1957.  When St. Pope John Paul II created the Diocese of Sivagangai on 3 July, 1987, he appointed Bishop Francis its first bishop.  He was consecrated bishop on 30 August, 1987.  When he stepped down from office on 1 September 2005 after reaching the retirement age of 75, Coadjutor Bishop Jebamalai Susaimanickam succeeded him.  Bishop Edward Francis was a priest for 60 years and a Bishop for 29 years.   Sivagangai is a suffragan of the Metropolitan Archdiocese of Madurai.

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The Chaldean patriarch in his Easter message released on April 9 in Baghdad highlights the suffering and daily grief endured by Christians in Iraq and the world.

The Chaldean Catholic Church has dedicated 2017 as the Year of Peace. For the patriarch, Holy Week culminating in the Easter celebration offers a fresh hope to breathe new life into prayer and reflection, reconciliation and dialogue.

Find below Patriarch Louis Raphael Sako’s  message in its entirety

 1.    Christians in Iraq (as in the whole world) are getting ready these days to celebrate the glorious Pascal – Resurrection, in spite of their suffering and daily grief, due to racism that they have faced and are still facing because the unfairly made decisions and unjust legislations; in addition to the heartbreaking attack by terrorists causing serious wounds that cannot be ignored, especially for expelling them from their homes. Therefore, we expect the government officials and religious authorities to embrace them, and do more than routine courtesy and the consideration of the majority and the minority, by releasing a concrete initiative to support their continued existence, as native people of this land; to guarantee their rights as equal citizens; and to treat them as genuine partners in “self-determination”.

2.    For all these reasons, including migration, our Chaldean Church  in Iraq  has  become a "small Flock", though a lively, powerful, and ecumenically open-minded church that helped and is still helping the poor and the displaced, including 700 university students (among the IDPs of Mosul and Nineveh Plain) by providing accommodation and related support to all of them regardless of their faith and ethnicity. This is our Church that serves with love for the benefit of all people; inspires hope; encourages solidarity; seeks reliability to build bridges; supports dialogue; and national reconciliation. Therefore the Chaldean Patriarchate called  for (1) a 140 km march for peace on the Holy Week from Erbil to Alqosh in the north of Iraq and (2) a conference on 10 May 2017 entitled "Citizenship and co-existence in the message of the religious pulpit" in cooperation with the Official Integrity Commission.

3.    In the midst of the deterioration in the Iraqi security; infrastructure; and economy during the past 14 years, the defeat of ISIS (Da'esh, those who brought death, destruction and displacement), and the subsequent triumph of all courageous armed forces in the area has made Iraqis proud and hopeful. Thus, the time has come for politicians to; unite and correct their routes; commit their energies in the right directions to build a modern civil state; integrate into the national identity; and adopt sound economic, social and educational programs. So that our country will find its’ way to a qualitative revival at all levels. Then Iraqis will enjoy a more secured and peaceful future of justice, dignity and freedom.

4.    Since Christianity means to bear what we are called for in life, I urge Christians in general and the Chaldeans in particular not to allow the above mentioned “incidents” to frustrate them and turn off the Easter flame in their hearts, but rather to :

–    Deepen their fidelity to Christianity and to their Church; strengthen their affiliation to their homeland; renew trust and consolidate ties with their fellow citizens of different backgrounds; and to keep in mind that their presence in this land is a sign and a story of a historical existence for 20 Centuries.

–    Come out of their current negative attitude and not to dwell in unsecured solution of immigration, but to return to their towns and their normal lives, keeping this strong bond with their history, heritage, language and the memoir of their ancestors, saints and martyrs. It is worth mentioning here that despite the limited capabilities of the Chaldean Church, we began to rehabilitate the towns of Alqosh line (north Mosul).

–    Unite their stances and speeches as brothers of one nation. Since the “so-called” terms of Chaldean, Syriac and Assyrians etc. are similar to the fingers of one hand, in which they become “one” in spite of their individuality. However, such distinctions should encourage unity and appreciate uniqueness, because diversity means richness and unity should be looked at as a requirement for Christians to keep their political presence and contribution to public affairs.

–    Work efficiently with their fellow Iraqi citizens of different faiths, such as Muslims, Yazidis, Sabian Mandaeans, etc. in confronting the challenges they face together as a nation. This will ultimately guide people in this country to promote diversity, multiplicity and respect differences within the framework of a completely practiced citizenship and the common rules of moral conduct.

5. The Chaldean Church has dedicated 2017 as a year of peace. Hence, this holy week of  Easter celebrations, represents  an excellent opportunity to provide us with a strong hope for peace, stability and a new life through prayer, reflection, reconciliation and dialogue.

 I would like to extend my heartfelt congratulation to all Iraqis together with my sincere wishes of peace and prosperity for our beloved Iraq.

May God bless us all with a real Resurrection.

+Louis Raphael Sako

Chaldean Patriarch of Babylon

Baghdad 9 of April 2017

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(Vatican Radio) European Bishops are encouraging young people to take action and work for the good of their communities.

The Commission of the Bishops’ Conferences of the European Union (COMECE) has given its support for the creation of the European Solidarity Corps (ESC). The program will foster an environment where young people can volunteer and get involved in the community.

In a press statement, the Bishops note that “the ESC can help young people to take up this role in lending their ‘own personal efforts for the good of the community in general and, in particular, for the good of the weakest and neediest’”

The ESC was launched last December, after President Jean-Claude Juncker of the European Commission had pitched the idea. He said during his State of the Union speech: “By voluntarily joining the European Solidarity Corps, these young people will be able to develop their skills and get not only work but also invaluable human experience.”

Pope Francis has stressed the importance of young people’s involvement in society. COMECE is committed to encouraging these people to give of themselves for the good of the community and of those in need.

Rooted in the EU values of solidarity and engagement, participants of the Corps will not only reflect those values, but will gain skills and experiences that will prepare them for future careers, education, and training. 

COMECE provided recommendations to the EU on the creation and sustainment of the program. It suggested the EU have a private budget line for the program as well as a legislative framework based on the objective of deeper community involvement and volunteering.

To read the full program, click here.

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Fr. Reggie Malicdem, Rector of the Manila Cathedral, encouraged the faithful not to be afraid or embarrassed to go to confession and be more open to its “healing power”.

Catholics he said, should not let fear keep them from receiving the peace the sacrament provides. He said that being ashamed or scared are common feelings and reasonable for people to feel that way because it’s somehow part of the process of asking for an apology. “That’s humility but let us not allow them to keep us from experiencing this unique gift the church provides for the faithful,” Fr. Malicdem said.

“Don’t be scared or ashamed so that you will see and receive the benefit from the Sacrament of Confession because we know that God’s mercy is infinite,” he said. He  added that a common question asked regarding the sacrament is why Catholics should confess to a priest when they can pray directly to God. He said God could have easily communicated to humanity directly but He didn’t do that, he used the people to relay his message instead. In the same way, he said God established priesthood of imperfect men as instruments to convey his love, mercy and forgiveness.

“When saying sorry you want someone to listen to you and you want to hear that you are being forgiven. In the Church we use tangible elements of our faith,” Malicdem said. “Even us priests confess our sins to our fellow priests. We cannot absolve our own sins and the priest is our instrument,” he added.

The Rector also said that confession does not start from entering the confessional but  it requires preparation by expressing sincere sorrow for sins and a firm purpose not to commit them again. “And so anyone wishing to confess must possess contrition before confession which helps us to express how we feel about getting it wrong,” he said.

Many churches across the country have started allotting more time for the faithful to encounter Jesus Christ in the sacrament of Penance this Holy Week. CBCPNews

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(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis has invited Christians to contemplate the Cross and to celebrate the holy days leading to Easter.

Continuing his catechesis on Christian hope, the Pope was addressing the crowds gathered in St. Peter's Square for the weekly Wednesday General Audience.

Listen to the report by Linda Bordoni:

Unlike worldly hopes, which fail to bring lasting satisfaction Pope Francis told the faithful that “our Christian hope is grounded in God’s eternal love”.

Reflecting on the Gospel of John, the Pope recalled Jesus’ words as he entered Jerusalem: “unless a grain of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains just a grain of wheat; but if it dies, it produces much fruit”.

These words, he said, can help us understand the mystery of God’s promise – think of a tiny seed that falls to the ground; if it remains closed unto itself nothing happens, if it breaks open it gives life to an ear of wheat, and then to a plant that will yield fruit. 

Jesus, the Pope said, brought a new hope into the world: like the seed he became tiny and fell to the earth. His saving death and resurrection show that the self-giving love that is God’s very life can transform darkness into light, sin into forgiveness, apparent defeat into eternal victory.

If anyone asks me, Francis said “how is hope born? I answer from the Cross: look at the Cross, look at the Crucified Christ, that is where you will find hope that never vanishes, that lasts for eternity”. 

He who chooses to live and love with humility in the way Jesus has shown, the Pope continued, and chooses the hope He has given to us, makes the winning choice.  

For he who thirsts for worldly things and strives only to satisfy his own desires, he said, will never be satiated warning that  “it’s a nasty kind of thirst, the more you have the more you want” and at the end you will lose everything. 

Thus, he said, the Cross of Christ is the source of that unfailing hope which gives meaning and direction to our lives.  

And underlining the fact that love is the motor that drives our hope, he said that the Cross is not the goal; it’s a step towards the glory to which we are called.

“As we celebrate these holy days, the days of love which lead to Easter, the Pope concluded, I would like to give each of you a task: contemplate the Cross and say to the Lord: “with You nothing is lost; You are my hope”.

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Pope Francis on Wednesday appointed a new bishop to the Diocese of Manado, in the North Sulawesi province of Indonesia.   The new bishop is Provincial of the Missionaries of the Sacred Heart (M.S.C.) in Indonesia, Father Benedictus Estephanus Rolly Untu.   ‎The Pope appointed the 60-year old priest after Bishop Joseph Theodorus Suwatan, M.S.C., stepped down two days after reaching the age of 77.  According to the Church’s Canon Law, the normal retirement age of a bishop is 75, but if needs be, the Pope could ask him to continue.

Bishop-designate Fr. Untu was born on 4 January, 1957 in ‎Lembean, in Manado Diocese. After attending St. Francis Xavier Minor Seminary of Kakaskasen, he completed his philosophical and theological studies at the Sacred Heart Major Seminary of Pineleng.  After his perpetual vows as a Missionary of the Sacred Heart on 15 January, 1983, Fr. Untu was ordained a priest on 29 June, the same year.

Manado Diocese, a suffragan of the ecclessiastical territory of Makkassar, became a diocese in 1961.   It caters to the pastoral needs of some 138,000 Catholics out of a total population of over 5.9 million spread across a vast territory of over 90,000 sq.km.  Manado Diocese has 63 parishes with 139 priests, 176 nuns and 59 seminarians.

After his ordination, Fr. Untu was assigned the following responsibilities:

‎1983-1984:‎      Assistant parish priest at Manado’s Cathedral of the Most Sacred Heart of Mary

‎1984-1985: ‎     Parish priest at Queen of the Holy Rosary at Tuminting, ‎Manado

‎1985-1986: ‎     Obtained a diploma in spirituality from Adhyatma Vidya Pitha in Bangalore, India ‎

‎1986-1991: ‎     Assistant at the M.S.C. novitiate  at Karangayar, in Purwokerto Diocese, Central Java

‎1989-1990: ‎     Temporary novice master at the M.S.C. novitiate , Karanganyar

‎1987-1991: ‎     Parish priest at St. Joseph the Worker, Karanganyar ‎

‎1991-1994: ‎     Obtained licentiate in dogmatic theology from the Catholic University of Louvain, Belgium

‎1995-2005:‎      Formator of M.S.C. scholastics and professor at the Sacred Heart Major Seminary, Pineleng, Manado; member of the presbyterial council and of the College of Concultors of Manado Diocese.

‎1996-1997: ‎     MSC Vice-provincial of Indonesia

‎1998-2002: ‎     Vice-director of the School of Philosophy Sacred Heart Seminary, Pineleng

‎2003-2005: ‎     Superior of MSC scholastics at Pineleng ‎

‎2005-2011: ‎     Assistant to MSC Provincial of Indonesia

‎2011-2016: ‎     MSC Provincial of Indonesia

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Manchester, N.H., Apr 12, 2017 / 04:05 am (CNA/EWTN News).- Pope Francis has dismissed a New Hampshire priest from the clerical state, after the priest was convicted of stealing some $300,000 from the local diocese, a hospital and a deceased priest's estate.

“On February 28, 2017, Pope Francis decreed Edward J. Arsenault dismissed from the clerical state, and dispensed him from all obligations subsequent to sacred ordination, including that of celibacy,” the Diocese of Manchester said in a statement last week.

“By virtue of this decree, Edward J. Arsenault has no faculties to act, function, or present himself as a priest.”

In 2014, Arsenault was sentenced to four years in prison. He was ordered to repay $300,000 in restitution, according to local media reports.

Arsenault was convicted of writing checks from the dead priest’s estate to himself and of billing a hospital for consulting work he never did, according to the Associated Press.

He admitted to spending the money on travel and expensive restaurants for himself and a male partner. He pleaded guilty to three charges of theft in 2014.

Last week, Arsenault was moved to house arrest. He is up for parole in February next year, the Associated Press reported.

As a priest, Arsenault had previously worked for the Manchester diocese. He helped to handle a clergy sex abuse scandal in the state and to implement new child protection policies.

 

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Vatican City, Apr 12, 2017 / 04:22 am (CNA/EWTN News).- On Wednesday the Vatican announced that EWTN’s Chairman of the Board Michael Warsaw has been named by Pope Francis a consultor of the Vatican Secretariat for Communications.

The announcement of Warsaw’s appointment was made in an April 12 communique from the Vatican, along with the names of 13 other new consultors.

Warsaw was promoted to Chairman of the Board for EWTN in 2013. He has worked for EWTN since 1991, and had been named president in 2000, and CEO in 2009. He also serves as publisher of the National Catholic Register since the paper's acquisition by EWTN in 2011.

He has worked for more than 35 years in media, and has overseen EWTN's television, radio, and internet programming and production, as well as hosting the program “Bookmark.” He had been appointed COO in 2009.

EWTN was founded in 1981 by Mother Angelica, of the Poor Clares of Perpetual Adoration. The network today transmits programming to more than 264 million homes in 144 countries. What began with approximately 20 employees has now grown to nearly 400.

The religious network broadcasts terrestrial and shortwave radio around the world, operates a religious goods catalog and publishes the National Catholic Register and Catholic News Agency, among other publishing ventures.

In addition to Warsaw, other new consultors to the Secretariat are: Fr. Ivan Maffeis, Undersecretary of the Italian Bishops Conference; Fr. José María La Porte, Dean of the Faculty of Institutional Social Communications of the Pontifical University of Santa Croce; Fr. Peter Gonsalves, S.B.D., Dean of the Faculty of the Science of Social Communications at the Pontifical Salesian University; Fr Eric Salobir, O.P., Promoter General for Social Communications of the Order of Preachers; Fr. James Martin S.J. of America Magazine; Fr. Jacquineau Azétsop S.J., Dean of the Faculty of Social Sciences at the Pontifical Gregorian University; Paolo Peverini, Professor of Semiotics at Luiss Guido Carli University; Fernando Giménez Barriocanal, President and Managing Director of Radio Popular-Cadena COPE; Ann Carter of Rasky Baerlein Strategic Communications; Graham Ellis, Vice Director of BBC Radio; Dino Cataldo Dell’Accio, Chief ICT Auditor at the United Nations and Michael Paul Unland, Executive Director of the Catholic Media Council.

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