Catholic News 2

The Director of Mission and Dialogue at the Catholic Secretariat of Nigeria, Fr. Cornelius Afebu Omonokhua has commended the new Gambian President, Adama Barrow for reversing an Executive Order signed by his predecessor Yahya Jammeh who, in 2015, declared Gambia an Islamic republic.

In his first news conference on  26 January this year, President Barrow announced that Gambia would no longer be called the Islamic Republic as signed into law by Jammeh. President Barrow said that although the Gambia has 90 percent Muslim population, he wanted the country to be a secular republic. This is in a bid to promote and restore peace and unity among Muslims and Christians.  

Fr. Cornelius Omonokhua  who was until recently a member of the Pontifical Council for Inter-religious Dialogue's special Commission for Religious Relations with Muslims (CRRM) made these remarks in an article titled, “Religious relations with Muslims.” The article was released to the public after the Pontifical Council for Inter-religious Dialogue, headed by Jean-Louis Cardinal Tauran, was received in the Vatican by Pope Francis on 9 February. 

Fr. Omonokhua is of the view that politicians and religious leaders in Africa need to champion constitutions that unite people.

“If every African Politician and Religious leader promoted the Constitution of the country and allowed Ecclesiastical and Sharia laws to be practised in the private domain, no extremist would have any basis to destroy the unity of the nation,” he said.

Speaking about his own country, Nigeria, Fr. Omonokhua said that suspicions were to be found both among Christians and Muslims.

“The suspicion on the side of some Christians that there is an Islamic agenda to make Nigeria an Islamic State is deep and strong. This is heating up the polity of the nation. Some Christians keep using Turkey, Egypt, Lebanon and countries in the Middle East that were once 90% Christian and have now become 99% Muslims as case studies to buttress their fears and agitations,” said Fr. Omonokhua.

Instead Fr. Omonokhua has called for harmonious co-existence between Muslims and Christians and encouraged Muslim-Christian societies to continue to live side-by-side notwithstanding the challenges of modern day terrorism. 

“Despite the insurgencies and terrorism in different parts of the world, Christians and Muslims still live together with the conscious or unconscious practice of the dialogue of life, religious experience, friendship, encounter, social engagements, presence and theological exchange. It is evident (though) that mutual suspicion is still deep in the hearts of many people especially victims of violence in many parts of the world,” he said.

Echoing the Pontifical Council for Inter-religious Dialogue, Fr. Omonokhua asserted that there is no option to dialogue. He said Christians need to build capacities which would enable them to engage people of other religions, especially Muslims, in dialogue.  “This optimism remains valid even though many people are suffering from the effects of religiously motivated violence and terrorism,” said Fr. Omonokhua.

(Fr. Paul Samasumo)
Email: engafrica@vatiradio.va

Full Article

Zurich, Switzerland, Feb 16, 2017 / 06:02 am (CNA/EWTN News).- Meet Elina Berglund: a nuclear physicist who will be known as the woman who developed the first natural cycle fertility app that is internationally certified to be as effective as contraception.

“It feels incredibly exciting that there is now an approved alternative to conventional pregnancy prevention methods, and that it’s possible to replace medication with technology,” Berglund told Business Insider.

The app, called Natural Cycles, was founded in Switzerland by Elina Berglund and her husband Raoul Scherwizl. They created the app as a way to go “beyond contraception,” and to “get to know your body and unique cycles,” according to their website.

“At Natural Cycles, we are all about combining scientific research and mobile tech to empower every woman worldwide with knowledge about her body, menstrual cycle and fertility.”

The app works on a sympto-thermal based system. Using mathematics and advanced technology, the app tracks a woman’s recorded daily temperature through a specific algorithm, which determines fertility, making it a competitive alternative to hormonal birth control and contraception.

This information allows women to know exactly where they are in their cycle, and even considers factors such as temperature fluctuations and cycle irregularities in order to make accurate predictions about ovulation.

The Business Insider also pointed to a recent clinical study, which concluded that the Natural Cycles prevention method is just as effective as the pill – without all of the side effects.

However, getting to this point was not easy for Berglund and her husband. Not long after its founding, the Natural Cycles app began to receive some severe investigatory restrictions from the Swedish Medicinal Products Agency.

The organization told the couple that the word “contraception” could not be included in their app. Throughout the ordeal, they also experienced a slash in overall revenue and bad publicity which made the app out to be a source of trickery and scandal.

“At that point, it felt tough. Really tough,” Berglund told Veckans Affärer in 2016, saying “after all, the app had been developed for birth control.”

Despite the hard road, the app just recently received official recognition and approval from Tüv Süd, a German inspection and certification agency. This step not only gives Natural Cycles a step up in legitimacy, but it also proves the effectiveness of natural methods over hormonal medications or contraceptive implants.

In the future, Natural Cycles has big plans to make up for lost time: they are targeting the U.K. with a big marketing sweep, and have their eyes on the United States – if the app gets approved by the FDA.

Right now, the app has over 150,000 users in over 160 countries around the world.

While the Catholic Church teaches that the use of contraception is immoral, because it separates procreation from the sexual act, it does approve of fertility mapping methods, such as Natural Family Planning.

NFP methods, such as the Billings Method or Creighton Model, help women and families achieve pregnancy – or prevent pregnancy, if there is a reason to avoid it – by tracking natural cycles, which is similar to the concept behind the Natural Cycles app.

Full Article

Full Article

Full Article

Full Article

Full Article

(Vatican Radio) The Holy See’s Permanent Observer of the Holy See to the United Nations, Archbishop Bernardito Auza, spoke on Wednesday to the Preparatory meeting for the United Nations Conference to Support the Implementation of Sustainable Development Goal 14: Conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources.

“Pope Francis urged dialogue at all levels and among the various fields of expertise to deal effectively with the challenges facing our environment,” – Archbishop Auza said – “In particular, His Holiness suggests dialogue about a common approach and common action in the international community, in national and local policies, in decision-making, in politics and the economy, as well as a dialogue between religions and the sciences.”

The full text of the Archbishop’s speech is below

Intervention of H.E. Archbishop Bernardito Auza

Apostolic Nuncio and Permanent Observer of the Holy See to the United Nations

Preparatory meeting for the United Nations Conference to Support the Implementation

of Sustainable Development Goal 14: Conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and

marine resources. Discussion on “Themes for Partnership Dialogues”

New York, February 15-16, 2017

Distinguished Co-facilitators,

My delegation wishes to congratulate you on your appointment as co-facilitators of this preparatory process leading to the High-level Conference to support the implementation of Sustainable Development Goal 14. My delegation welcomes the opportunity to share its view on the proposed “themes for partnership dialogues.”

In 2015, Pope Francis issued an Encyclical Letter entitled “Laudato Si’: On Care for Our Common Home,” regarding the urgent need to protect our planet and to develop a more integral ecology. He considered various aspects of the present ecological crisis, including marine pollution, ocean acidification, declining fish stocks, biodiversity loss, and degradation of marine and coastal ecosystems.

These same environmental challenges and calls to action form part of the proposed seven “themes for partnership dialogues.” At the core of these themes are the principles of respect for creation, the common good, the dignity of every human being and the justice due to all.

Pope Francis urged dialogue at all levels and among the various fields of expertise to deal effectively with the challenges facing our environment. In particular, His Holiness suggests dialogue about a common approach and common action in the international community, in national and local policies, in decision-making, in politics and the economy, as well as a dialogue between religions and the sciences. It is for this reason that he addresses the Encyclical to “all people” and not only to Catholics. This dialogue should engender a transformative action that goes beyond business as usual, bringing together science and religion, technology and philosophy, culture, economics and politics, individuals and groups.

My delegation therefore would urge the preparatory committee not only to consider partnerships involving science, law or business – which are all very necessary – but also to consider those with institutions of an ethical and religious character, because the fight against ecological problems has moral and spiritual dimensions. As Pope Francis affirms, environmental degradation and human and ethical degradation go hand in hand. It is impossible to address  adequately the negative impact of  human behavior  on the environment without considering the causes and effects of this behavior.

In this respect, my delegation would  urge the preparatory committee to consider partnerships with faith-based communities and other civic organizations, because on the ground and in international advocacy they reliably foster better care of and greater respect for our oceans, seas and marine resources.

My delegation supports the active consideration of partnerships at all levels. This will necessarily involve all sectors that seek the reduction of pollution and ocean acidity, sustainable  fisheries, the promotion of  the livelihood of small-scale fishermen, the recognition of the special circumstances of the poor — especially those living in the least developed countries and small island developing States — and the implementation of international, regional and local laws and policies in furtherance of these goals. No valid partner should be excluded from such dialogue.

Thank you, Co-facilitators.

Full Article

Madrid, Spain, Feb 16, 2017 / 01:56 am (CNA/EWTN News).- Father Alberto Gaton is the chaplain of a Spanish ship that combats human trafficking by rescuing people in the Mediterranean Sea. In the span of almost 5 months, his team has managed to rescue more than 3,000 people.

“Seventy percent of them are Christians fleeing from persecution in their countries,” he told CNA. “They're fleeing persecution from Boko Haram in Nigeria, the terrorists groups, the situation in their countries.”

From September 2016 through January 2017, the priest was aboard the “Frigate Navarra” in Operation Sophia, the EU anti-migrant smuggling operation in the Mediterranean Sea. The ship had a crew of 208 sailors.

“We were also collaborating to rescue people that the mafias have abandoned to their fate in the sea – we on the Frigate Navarra, along with other NGOs and other European naval forces, collaborated to make rescues,” he said.

In precarious make-shift boats of rubber and wood, hundreds of people try to cross the Mediterranean every day, the chaplain said. “Heavy storms frequently come up, and if we're not there, they would die.”

The main goal of Operation Sophia is to “combat the mafias which are trafficking in souls on the Mediterranean,” he said, and “always help to rescue those at sea, because they are the poor people of the land who embark from all points in Africa hoping to reach the coasts of Europe and who many times end up on the bottom of the sea.”

Sometimes, it happens that due to wind, rough seas or nightfall, the rescue is hindered, he said. “Thanks be to God, we were able to rescue all the boats we were responsible for, even though some of them were in very bad sea conditions.”

Fr. Gaton recalled his first rescue: “once inside the ship, they began to dance, it was a happy day because nobody died. It was marvelous to see those who were rescued safe and sound dancing.”

But the joy of days like that is offset by the profound sadness of seeing “what point this world has come to in wickedness of heart, which when God is forgotten, is capable of sending little children, pregnant mothers and babies in inflatable boats that are like shoe boxes, floating coffins with no other fate than to be rescued or lost.”

When they rescue refugees, he said, “the first thing is to recover from injuries, have something to eat, treat dehydration...But meanwhile I am always there with the families, with the sick.”

At one point, an old woman who had been rescued asked him to bless her and the girl she was carrying.

“The parents of the little girl had gone missing before the rescue and now it was the old woman who took care of her. She just asked me to bless them. We prayed together in the infirmary,” he recalled.

On another occasion, a Protestant pastor had fled his homeland due to persecution. “I helped him in everything I could,” the chaplain said, adding that most of the time, people don't ask for anything material. “They just want a prayer, a smile.”

Fr. Gaton told CNA that his work as a chaplain has been difficult. “You are faced with death, with suffering, with violence. If you're far from home and the priest introduces himself as another shipmate for the believers and non-believers with whom they can unburden themselves, they can talk and share like they can't do with the naval officers.”

In addition to carrying out the same tasks as the other sailors, his unique task is “to be with the parishioners without forgetting that you are a soldier, but giving your all as a priest. “

The priest said that every day, Mass was celebrated on the ship. However, since there was no chapel, it was celebrated on the deck, or else inside if there was bad weather.

Another especially moving moment for the chaplain was evening prayer, offered each day “at the moment of sunset, to the Lord of the calm and the storm.” Even the atheists would join in when there was a bad storm or if they had a sick relative.

The priest said that in the months spent at sea on the Frigate Navarra, they celebrated a First Communion, and several sailors took marriage or Confirmation prep classes.

“I always say that at sea, the atheists become agnostics; the agnostics become non-practicing Catholics, and the non-practicing, at least for a while, they practice. That's my experience.”

Fr. Gaton was ordained a priest at the age of 29, after exercising his ministry in Santander, Spain; Rome; and the United States, and at the advice of his bishop, he decided to join the army. When he began this service, he was already 45 years old.

Currently, he is Major Chaplain of the southern military region, a permanent major, and as such he belongs to the military archdiocese.

 

 

Full Article

Full Article

Full Article