Catholic News 2
MOSCOW (AP) -- U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson arrived in Moscow Tuesday with an ultimatum for Russia: Side with the U.S. and likeminded countries on Syria, or embrace Iran, militant group Hezbollah and embattled Syrian leader Bashar Assad....
WASHINGTON (AP) -- The Latest on U.S. meetings with world leaders on the recent chemical weapons attack in Syria (all times local):...
(Vatican Radio) This Holy Week in Iraq, Christians and Muslims will walk for 140 km through the Nineveh Plain in the name of peace and the end of violence in a once mostly Christian inhabited area.The peace march is supported by the Chaldean Patriarchate, which declared 2017 as “the Year of Peace”.The march started in Ankawa, a suburb of Erbil city in northern Iraq, after participants took part in Palm Sunday Mass. The march will continue through Holy Week and will end in Qaradosh, close to the ruins of the Assyrian cities of Nimrud and Nineveh, about 32km from the city of Mosul.The Nineveh Plain is filled with ancient, religious sites. When the area was captured by so-called Islamic State terrorists in the summer of 2014, historic architecture and archeological remains, including the UNESCO world heritage site Hatra, were destroyed. Part of the territory was liberated in November 2016 by Iraqi forces. However, many towns and villages occupied by Christians were abando...
(Vatican Radio) This Holy Week in Iraq, Christians and Muslims will walk for 140 km through the Nineveh Plain in the name of peace and the end of violence in a once mostly Christian inhabited area.
The peace march is supported by the Chaldean Patriarchate, which declared 2017 as “the Year of Peace”.
The march started in Ankawa, a suburb of Erbil city in northern Iraq, after participants took part in Palm Sunday Mass. The march will continue through Holy Week and will end in Qaradosh, close to the ruins of the Assyrian cities of Nimrud and Nineveh, about 32km from the city of Mosul.
The Nineveh Plain is filled with ancient, religious sites. When the area was captured by so-called Islamic State terrorists in the summer of 2014, historic architecture and archeological remains, including the UNESCO world heritage site Hatra, were destroyed. Part of the territory was liberated in November 2016 by Iraqi forces. However, many towns and villages occupied by Christians were abandoned.
An estimated 100 people from Iraqi and other countries are expected to walk through these historic lands.
During the week-long journey, participants will pray for the rebirth of these abandoned towns as well as for peace and for the will to overcome all forms of violence.
The march aims to sow the seeds for a new the beginning of healing for a population torn apart by conflict and violence.
(Vatican Radio) On Monday near Dunkirk in northern France, a large fire engulfed the Grande-Synthe migrant camp, which housed between 1,000 and 1,500 people in tightly-packed wooden cabins.French officials say the fire was caused by a fight that broke out between the Afghans and the Kurds living in the camp on Monday afternoon. Ten people were injured, including six who sustained wounds from the fight. Reports say riot police intervened and clashed with 100 or 150 migrants.The Grande-Synthe migrant camp was opened in March 2016 by Medecins San Frontieres (Doctors without Borders). Most of the migrants that go to France are fleeing from violence and poverty in North Africa and the Middle East, with the hope of reaching Britain. The camp became more inhabited after another camp near Calais was destroyed in October and an influx of migrants from Afghanistan.The tension between the two groups made officials decide to dismantle the camp last month. Police have been called to break up n...
(Vatican Radio) On Monday near Dunkirk in northern France, a large fire engulfed the Grande-Synthe migrant camp, which housed between 1,000 and 1,500 people in tightly-packed wooden cabins.
French officials say the fire was caused by a fight that broke out between the Afghans and the Kurds living in the camp on Monday afternoon. Ten people were injured, including six who sustained wounds from the fight. Reports say riot police intervened and clashed with 100 or 150 migrants.
The Grande-Synthe migrant camp was opened in March 2016 by Medecins San Frontieres (Doctors without Borders). Most of the migrants that go to France are fleeing from violence and poverty in North Africa and the Middle East, with the hope of reaching Britain. The camp became more inhabited after another camp near Calais was destroyed in October and an influx of migrants from Afghanistan.
The tension between the two groups made officials decide to dismantle the camp last month. Police have been called to break up numerous violent outbreaks, including a fight last month that resulted in five injured men and a stabbing in November.
The inhabitants of the camp were evacuated and have been given emergency shelter, with two nearby gymnasiums already available. No plans have been made to rebuild the camp.
(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis met on Monday afternoon with a group of young patients, doctors and nurses from Rome’s ‘Bambino Gesù’ children’s hospital. The children, aged between 5 and 18, are taking part in a documentary programme on Italian television exploring the experiences of young patients and their families at the Catholic hospital.Listen to our report: The ‘Bambino Gesù’ hospital, just a stone’s throw away from the Vatican, is the largest pediatric research facility in Europe. It treats over a million and a half young patients each year, with children travelling from all over the world to make use of its specialized services and equipment.This was the second time the youngsters had come for a papal audience, which was being filmed for the TV series showing every Sunday evening on the RAI 3 channel.Hospital must be a familyIn his greetings to the children and staff, including the hospital director, Dr Mariella E...
(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis met on Monday afternoon with a group of young patients, doctors and nurses from Rome’s ‘Bambino Gesù’ children’s hospital. The children, aged between 5 and 18, are taking part in a documentary programme on Italian television exploring the experiences of young patients and their families at the Catholic hospital.
Listen to our report:
The ‘Bambino Gesù’ hospital, just a stone’s throw away from the Vatican, is the largest pediatric research facility in Europe. It treats over a million and a half young patients each year, with children travelling from all over the world to make use of its specialized services and equipment.
This was the second time the youngsters had come for a papal audience, which was being filmed for the TV series showing every Sunday evening on the RAI 3 channel.
Hospital must be a family
In his greetings to the children and staff, including the hospital director, Dr Mariella Enoc, Pope Francis spoke of the importance of providing a welcoming family environment. Each patient, he said, has a name and an individual story, which is more important that the sickness that he or she has come to cure. The hospital, he said, must always be first and foremost a family which takes care of the needs of each of its members.
Love overcomes fear
Going into hospital, Pope Francis said, can be quite frightening and he noted that some of the younger children cried at the audience because they confused a pope, dressed in white, with a doctor, who is coming to give them an injection. But a loving caress, he said, calms those fears and doctors are called to treat patients with their hearts and their love, as well as with their medical skills.
Finally Pope Francis thanked all the staff for providing “a witness of humanity” in the way they treat the children in their care. You are a family, he said, and nothing is more important than that!
The Catholic Bishops in West Africa have expressed their concerns about religious intolerance; unemployment among the youth; the menace of marauding herdsmen among other pastoral challenges affecting the countries of West Africa.These were part of the deliberations that the Catholic Bishops belonging to the Regional Episcopal Conference of West Africa (RECOWA-CERAO) told the Chairperson of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf of Liberia. This was at the conclusion of West African Bishops’ fifth Standing Committee meeting, held in Assinie, Ivory Coast, recently.RECOWA-CERAO brings together Catholic Bishops from 15 countries of West Africa, which include Benin, Burkina Faso, Cape Verde, Cote d’Ivoire, Ghana, Guinea-Bissau, Guinea, Liberia, Mali, Mauritania, Nigeria, Sierra-Leone, Senegal, Gambia, and Togo.During their Ivory Coast meeting, the Bishops deliberated on the challenge of youth unemployment including thes...
The Catholic Bishops in West Africa have expressed their concerns about religious intolerance; unemployment among the youth; the menace of marauding herdsmen among other pastoral challenges affecting the countries of West Africa.
These were part of the deliberations that the Catholic Bishops belonging to the Regional Episcopal Conference of West Africa (RECOWA-CERAO) told the Chairperson of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf of Liberia. This was at the conclusion of West African Bishops’ fifth Standing Committee meeting, held in Assinie, Ivory Coast, recently.
RECOWA-CERAO brings together Catholic Bishops from 15 countries of West Africa, which include Benin, Burkina Faso, Cape Verde, Cote d’Ivoire, Ghana, Guinea-Bissau, Guinea, Liberia, Mali, Mauritania, Nigeria, Sierra-Leone, Senegal, Gambia, and Togo.
During their Ivory Coast meeting, the Bishops deliberated on the challenge of youth unemployment including these youth’s high risk of exposure “to trafficking, drug abuse, violence and forced migrations”; religious intolerance and extremism, which pose “a serious threat to the right of every citizen to freely choose and practise the religion of his or her choice”; and the menace of herdsmen who, “often armed with dangerous weapons, are associated with rape, murder, destruction of farms, kidnaping and conflicts”.
Although the Bishops acknowledged with appreciation “the democratic transfer of power in many of our countries and the relative peace we are witnessing in our region,” they expressed their concern about “the disregard for the rule of law, weak institutions, shrinking space for political participation by all, frequent human rights violations and tortures” in some of the countries within the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS).
“We are also worried about political leaders who employ extra-democratic means to remain in power for life, we appeal to our political authorities to respect the democratic tenets of their countries,” the Bishops stated.
The regional body of Catholic Bishops met under the theme, The New Evangelization and its Challenges for the Church, Family of God in West Africa: the Role of the Bishops in the prevention, mediation, resolution and transformation of conflicts.
“As an organization committed to integral human development, RECOWA-CERAO is ever ready to partner with ECOWAS in contributing to the rapid development of our region and our continent,” the Bishops stated in their message availed to CANAA last Saturday.
(Father Don Bosco Onyalla, CANAA in Nairobi )
Below is the full text of the Bishops’ message.
MESSAGE OF RECOWA/CERAO TO H. E. ELLEN JOHNSON SIRLEAF PRESIDENT OF THE REPUBLIC OF LIBERIA AND CHAIRPERSON OF THE AUTHORITY OF HEADS OF STATES AND GOVERNMENTS OF THE ECONOMIC COMMUNITY OF WEST AFRICA STATES (ECOWAS)
PREAMBLE
We, the Catholic Bishops of the Regional Episcopal Conference of West Africa RECOWA-CERAO (Benin Republic, Burkina Faso, Cape Verde, Cote d’Ivoire, Ghana, Guinea-Bissau, Guinea, Liberia, Mali, Mauritania, Nigeria, Sierra-Leone, Senegal, The Gambia and Togo), having concluded our 5th Standing Committee Meeting from 28 to 31 March 2017 in Assinie, Cote d’Ivoire, wish to communicate to you some of the fruits of our deliberations on the theme: ‘‘The New Evangelization and its Challenges for the Church, Family of God in West Africa: the Role of the Bishops in the prevention, mediation, resolution and transformation of conflicts”.
COMMENDATION
We express our deep gratitude for your support to the African Faith Leaders Initiative on Post-2015 Development Agenda, which was spearheaded by our continental body, the Symposium of Episcopal Conferences of Africa and Madagascar (SECAM), towards the successful negotiation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in 2015.
In communion with our communities across West Africa, we also wish to express our heartfelt gratitude for the efficiency with which you managed the situation in The Gambia. We congratulate you on the firm position you took on behalf of the Authority of Heads of States and Governments of ECOWAS Commission, which led to the constitutional transfer of power to the rightfully elected President. With this, you sent a strong and clear signal to all political actors and leaders in our region.
We applaud the ECOWAS Vision 2020 which aims to move from an “ECOWAS of States to an ECOWAS of Peoples”. This is a clear strategic vision from the political leaders and therefore, calls for more collaborative and holistic regional development approaches and integrated programmes. We are happy about the positive and remarkable achievements in our region over the past decade.
SOME ACHIEVEMENTS
We are grateful to almighty God for the democratic transfer of power in many of our countries and the relative peace we are witnessing in our region. We are benefiting from the economic growth which brings hope to our citizens. In spite of these positive developments we are at pains to observe some significant challenges within our region which need to be addressed.
OUR CONCERNS
Political transition and instability
Political transitions of power in some countries are characterised by the disregard for the rule of law, weak institutions, shrinking space for political participation by all, frequent human rights violations and tortures. These are clear disregard for relevant treaties, laws and legal frameworks adopted by governments in our region. We urge our authorities to respect the commitment they have pledged to keep. We are also worried about political leaders who employ extra-democratic means to remain in power for life, we appeal to our political authorities to respect the democratic tenets of their countries.
The danger of youth unemployment
Sixty-five percent of our population is made up of the youth. Unfortunately, a majority of them are unemployed and therefore highly exposed to trafficking, drug abuse, violence and forced migrations. As long as they remain without jobs after their graduation and move about in our sub-region, they are easy preys to warlords and political criminals, who may recruit them for violent crimes and terrorism. There is an urgent need to reverse this trend by putting in place appropriate measures and incentives to create gainful employment opportunities for our youth.
Religious intolerance and extremism
The desire of religious extremist groups to forcefully “islamise” countries in our region poses a serious threat to the right of every citizen to freely choose and practise the religion of his or her choice. In the case of The Gambia which was declared an Islamic state, we are happy that this matter has been reversed with the current leadership. We strongly appeal that this situation should not be repeated in any country in our region. Whenever government adopts a particular religion as a state religion, the rights of other citizens to freedom of conscience and worship is infringed upon.
The menace of herdsmen
The recurrence of natural and man-made disasters such as floods, storms, desertification, food insecurity, forced migration, and other humanitarian crises related to climate change have become a serious threat to human and animal survival. Of particular concern is the environmental and social havocs wrecked by the herdsmen who move their cattle across communities and national borders in the region. These herdsmen, often armed with dangerous weapons, are associated with rape, murder, destruction of farms, kidnaping and conflicts. While there is freedom of movement of people and goods in our region, we appeal to our authorities to effectively address this particularly destructive activity.
OUR CONTRIBUTIONS
In line with the recommendations adopted, during our last Plenary Assembly held in Accra, Ghana, from 22-27 February, 2016 on the theme: ‘‘New Evangelisation and the challenges to the Church, Family of God in West Africa: Reconciliation, Development and Family Life’’, we the Catholic Bishops of RECOWA/CERAO are fully committed to create a regional structure for prevention, mediation, resolution and transformation in the event of conflicts in our region. The Catholic Church, through the national Bishops Conferences and their Justice, Development and Peace Commissions, mediates in governance and political issues in their respective countries in our region.
The creation of the Catholic Parliamentarians Liaison Offices at some national levels has positioned RECOWA-CERAO as a key and strategic development actor. We support the advocacy work of our National Conferences to monitor public policies and their implementation in order to promote good governance and the common good in public affairs.
We are in the process of creating in Abuja a RECOWA-CERAO Liaison Office to collaborate with relevant commissions and institutions of the ECOWAS. Furthermore, we have proposed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to define the terms of our mutual collaboration. We need the support of Your Excellency to facilitate these processes.
CONCLUSION
As an organization committed to integral human development, RECOWA-CERAO is ever ready to partner with ECOWAS in contributing to the rapid development of our region and our continent.
Finally, we thank you on behalf of RECOWA-CERAO and the Catholic Bishops Conference of Liberia (CABICOL) for accommodating us in your tight official schedule. We invoke God’s blessings on you and your people.
Monrovia, April 04, 2017
Most Rev. Ignatius A. KAIGAMA, Archbishop of Jos Nigeria, President of RECOWA/CERAO
The Diocese of Miao in remote northeast India last week remembered and prayed for an Indian missionary priest abducted by unknown gunmen in Yemen and whose whereabouts are still unknown. Bishop George Pallipparambil of Miao, in Arunachal Pradesh, gathered his priests around him on Thursday, April 6, to celebrate the Chrism Mass at the Christ the Light Shrine cathedral and prayed for Salesian priest Fr. Tom Uzhunnalil. The native of Kerala state belonging to Bangalore Salesian Province was kidnapped on March 4, 2016 after gunmen attacked a home for the sick and elderly of the Missionaries of Charity in Aden, in southern Yemen. In the assault four nuns of Mother Teresa and 12 other people present in the facility were massacred.Bishops gather their priests of the diocese on Holy Thursday to celebrate the Chrism Mass in commemoration of the institution of the priesthood and the Eucharist by Jesus at the Last Supper, during which the holy oils used in the var...
The Diocese of Miao in remote northeast India last week remembered and prayed for an Indian missionary priest abducted by unknown gunmen in Yemen and whose whereabouts are still unknown.
Bishop George Pallipparambil of Miao, in Arunachal Pradesh, gathered his priests around him on Thursday, April 6, to celebrate the Chrism Mass at the Christ the Light Shrine cathedral and prayed for Salesian priest Fr. Tom Uzhunnalil. The native of Kerala state belonging to Bangalore Salesian Province was kidnapped on March 4, 2016 after gunmen attacked a home for the sick and elderly of the Missionaries of Charity in Aden, in southern Yemen. In the assault four nuns of Mother Teresa and 12 other people present in the facility were massacred.
Bishops gather their priests of the diocese on Holy Thursday to celebrate the Chrism Mass in commemoration of the institution of the priesthood and the Eucharist by Jesus at the Last Supper, during which the holy oils used in the various sacraments are blessed. Bishop Pallipparambil celebrates the Chrism Mass a week earlier, to give time to his priests to return to their respective parishes and mission stations, most of which are in remote and difficult areas, to be able to celebrate the Holy Week liturgies with their faithful.
In the context of being faithful to the Lord always and having the courage to follow in the footsteps of Christ, the Salesian bishop and his priests gathered at the Christ the Light Cathedral of Miao for the Chrism Mass on April 6 and prayed for the release and safety of Fr. Tom. Before renewing their priestly promises, Bishop Pallipparambil congratulated his priests on the day of the priesthood and exhorted them to be priests after the heart of Jesus. "If you really want to know what kind of Priests Jesus is, look at the Cross", he said. Using the analogy of Pope Francis, he asked the priests to have the ‘smell of the sheep’. The Diocese of Miao continues to pray for Fr. Tom and for the safety of the Christians across the world and for peace.
(Vatican Radio) The Community of Sant’Egidio will hold their annual ecumenical prayer vigil on Tuesday, remembering especially the Coptic Christian martyrs and all those who are persecuted and killed for their faith.The vigil comes just two days after two Coptic churches in Egypt were bombed, killing up to 50 people and injuring dozens more.The prayer vigil will keep their martyrdom and the memory of other Christian martyrs’ alive. By remembering the names and stories of the victims, the community also recalls the words of Pope Francis, “Today, in the twenty-first century, our Church is a Church of martyrs.”The Community of Sant’Egidio is an international movement of Christian lay people who pray and work towards solidarity, dialogue, and Christian unity. It started after the Second Vatican Council in 1968, and is now represented in more than 70 countries.The vigil will be held at 18:30 at Basilica Santa Maria in Trestevere. Cardinal Kevin Josep...
(Vatican Radio) The Community of Sant’Egidio will hold their annual ecumenical prayer vigil on Tuesday, remembering especially the Coptic Christian martyrs and all those who are persecuted and killed for their faith.
The vigil comes just two days after two Coptic churches in Egypt were bombed, killing up to 50 people and injuring dozens more.
The prayer vigil will keep their martyrdom and the memory of other Christian martyrs’ alive. By remembering the names and stories of the victims, the community also recalls the words of Pope Francis, “Today, in the twenty-first century, our Church is a Church of martyrs.”
The Community of Sant’Egidio is an international movement of Christian lay people who pray and work towards solidarity, dialogue, and Christian unity. It started after the Second Vatican Council in 1968, and is now represented in more than 70 countries.
The vigil will be held at 18:30 at Basilica Santa Maria in Trestevere. Cardinal Kevin Joseph Farrell, Prefect of the Congregation of the Laity and Family Life, will preside.
(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis on Tuesday sent a message to a Portuguese radio station celebrating its 80th anniversary, saying it has done “exceptional work” in promoting “fraternal solidarity”.Listen to Devin Watkins’ report: In his message for Radio Renascença’s 80th anniversary, Pope Francis said he valued the station’s work of carrying “the Gospel of Jesus” to “Portugal and the immense Portuguese-speaking world”.He said the Radio has sown “fraternal solidarity and the mercy of God in the heart of humanity”.Pope Francis’ message was sent by Archbishop Angelo Becciu, Substitute of the Vatican’s Secretariat of State, and read to the Grupo Renascença Multimédia by Archbishop Rino Passigato, Apostolic Nuncio to Portugal.“Pope Francis cordially greets the great family of ‘Radio Renascença’ as its celebrates its 80th anniversary,” the mess...
(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis on Tuesday sent a message to a Portuguese radio station celebrating its 80th anniversary, saying it has done “exceptional work” in promoting “fraternal solidarity”.
Listen to Devin Watkins’ report:
In his message for Radio Renascença’s 80th anniversary, Pope Francis said he valued the station’s work of carrying “the Gospel of Jesus” to “Portugal and the immense Portuguese-speaking world”.
He said the Radio has sown “fraternal solidarity and the mercy of God in the heart of humanity”.
Pope Francis’ message was sent by Archbishop Angelo Becciu, Substitute of the Vatican’s Secretariat of State, and read to the Grupo Renascença Multimédia by Archbishop Rino Passigato, Apostolic Nuncio to Portugal.
“Pope Francis cordially greets the great family of ‘Radio Renascença’ as its celebrates its 80th anniversary,” the message reads, “and expresses his appreciation for the work of all those who, over the years, have served the Church with their daily work through this medium of social communications.”
The Holy Father also assured Radio Renascença of his “prayers for the fruitfulness of its many evangelizing initiatives”.
Transmitting out of Lisbon in Portugal, Radio Renascença (‘Radio Renaissance’) is a private, commercial station under the ownership of various organizations of the Portuguese Catholic Church.
The group celebrated its 80th anniversary with a Mass celebrated by Cardinal Manuel Clemente, Patriarch of Lisbon, and a tribute to the Radio’s employees.
Pope Francis granted an interview to Radio Renascença in September 2015.
(Vatican Radio) On 20 April 2017, Thursday of Easter Week, Pope Francis will hold an ordinary public Consistory for the vote of the Cardinals on several causes for canonization.Five causes of canonization are set for approval by the Cardinals: The Martyrs of Natal, Brazil: Andrea de Soveral, Ambrogio Francesco Ferro, diocesan priests, along with Matteo Moreira, a layman, and 27 companions, martyrs; Cristóbal, Antonio, and Juan, of Mexico, young martyrs; Faustino Míguez, Spanish Piarist priest, and founder of the Calasanzian Institute of the Daughters of the Divine Shepherdess; Angelo da Acri (in the world: Luca Antonio Falcone), Italian professed priest of the Franciscan Order of Friars Minor – Capuchin; The visionaries of Fatima, Francesco Marto and Jacinto Marto, children.The vote of the Cardinals is the final formality after Pope Francis gave approval for the causes to move forward. Upon receiving the approval of the Cardinals in Consistory, the Church will ...
(Vatican Radio) On 20 April 2017, Thursday of Easter Week, Pope Francis will hold an ordinary public Consistory for the vote of the Cardinals on several causes for canonization.
Five causes of canonization are set for approval by the Cardinals:
- The Martyrs of Natal, Brazil: Andrea de Soveral, Ambrogio Francesco Ferro, diocesan priests, along with Matteo Moreira, a layman, and 27 companions, martyrs;
- Cristóbal, Antonio, and Juan, of Mexico, young martyrs;
- Faustino Míguez, Spanish Piarist priest, and founder of the Calasanzian Institute of the Daughters of the Divine Shepherdess;
- Angelo da Acri (in the world: Luca Antonio Falcone), Italian professed priest of the Franciscan Order of Friars Minor – Capuchin;
- The visionaries of Fatima, Francesco Marto and Jacinto Marto, children.
The vote of the Cardinals is the final formality after Pope Francis gave approval for the causes to move forward. Upon receiving the approval of the Cardinals in Consistory, the Church will set dates for the canonization of the Blesseds.
