(Vatican Radio) The Year of Mercy may be coming to an end in the next few weeks, but for the past year the faithful of the Archdiocese of Brisbane, Australia have been journeying together and heeding Pope Francis’ call to delve more deeply into the mystery of God’s Mercy.The Archdiocese headed by Archbishop Mark Coleridge has been offering a series of initiatives such as pilgrimage walks and visits to seven nominated Mercy Churches in the Archdiocese, an emphasis on prayer and the Sacrament of Reconciliation, a focus on welcoming and settling refugees and a Jubilee of Prisoners.Listen to Lydia O'Kane's interview with Archbishop Mark Coleridge Reflecting on this Extraordinary Year, Archbishop Coleridge says, “it certainly has struck a powerful chord in many many hearts here, in a way that’s surprised me a little I confess, but I’m delighted… somehow this year, and I think it’s got to do with Pope Francis, has spoken a kind of idiom...
(Vatican Radio) The Year of Mercy may be coming to an end in the next few weeks, but for the past year the faithful of the Archdiocese of Brisbane, Australia have been journeying together and heeding Pope Francis’ call to delve more deeply into the mystery of God’s Mercy.
The Archdiocese headed by Archbishop Mark Coleridge has been offering a series of initiatives such as pilgrimage walks and visits to seven nominated Mercy Churches in the Archdiocese, an emphasis on prayer and the Sacrament of Reconciliation, a focus on welcoming and settling refugees and a Jubilee of Prisoners.
Listen to Lydia O'Kane's interview with Archbishop Mark Coleridge
Reflecting on this Extraordinary Year, Archbishop Coleridge says, “it certainly has struck a powerful chord in many many hearts here, in a way that’s surprised me a little I confess, but I’m delighted… somehow this year, and I think it’s got to do with Pope Francis, has spoken a kind of idiom that people understand; all kinds of people, they understand the language and the gestures of mercy…”
Mercy in Action
“Mercy”, underlines the Archbishop, “is a verb, it’s all about doing something and it’s not rocket science and again Pope Francis has shown that.” He adds, just like the Pope’s initiatives for the homeless in Rome, people are putting mercy into action in Brisbane. There are two young guys, Archbishop Coleridge says, from one of the Catholic schools who got a van and they “drive around Brisbane and all they do is wash the clothes of the homeless.”
Repentance and Mercy
During this Jubilee Year the primary focus has been on Mercy. But what about repentance? Asked about the need to repent before being merciful the Archbishop says, “you do, but it’s all a question of good timing, and again I think the Pope understands this when he talks about the need to accompany people… so I think what the Holy Father has been saying, and I agree totally, is you’ve got to, first of all get to know people; meet them; culture of encounter; walk with them on the way; listen to them before you say anything and when the right moment comes and the right relationship has been built, then there can be an appropriate call to repentance…”
Archbishop Coleridge stresses that there have been many practical gestures that have resulted from this Year of Mercy, noting the “idea of a Church that looks outward and not inward and is prepared to go out and start doing some of these very simple and very practical things…” “We need to enact Mercy publicly”, he says, “and therefore be a different kind of presence in society.”
null / Credit: Juthamat8899/ShutterstockWashington, D.C. Newsroom, May 1, 2024 / 17:05 pm (CNA).The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) released a new report on Wednesday highlighting the countries with the worst religious persecution in the world.From this report, which is released annually, USCIRF makes recommendations to the State Department on how to best advocate for religious freedom. The suggestions typically translate into sanctions from the U.S. against violating countries to pressure them to improve their religious tolerance. This year, the countries topping USCIRF's list of the world's most egregious religious freedom violators were Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, Burma, China, Cuba, Eritrea, India, Iran, Nicaragua, Nigeria, North Korea, Pakistan, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Vietnam.USCIRF recommends these nations be designated as "countries of particul...
The St. Louis Cathedral, the oldest Catholic cathedral in continual use in the United States, on April 9, 2020, in New Orleans. / Credit: Chris Graythen/Getty ImagesWashington, D.C. Newsroom, May 1, 2024 / 17:50 pm (CNA).A criminal investigation into the Archdiocese of New Orleans is based on a suspicion that it may be linked to child sex trafficking, according to allegations presented in a search warrant granted to Louisiana State Police.The affidavit requesting the search warrant, first obtained by the New Orleans-based WWL Radio, alleges that multiple sex abuse victims provided statements that claim they were transported to other parishes and outside of Louisiana, where they were sexually abused. It further alleges a scheme within the archdiocese in which abused children were instructed to provide "gifts" to certain priests, which were meant to signal that the children were targets for sexual abuse.According to the ...
Catholics in the Archdiocese of Baltimore pack the Cathedral of Mary Our Queen during a concluding listening session on the archdiocese's major parish restructuring plan on April 30, 2024. / Credit: Matthew BalanBaltimore, Md., May 1, 2024 / 18:10 pm (CNA).Hundreds of Catholic residents of Baltimore packed the Cathedral of Mary Our Queen on Tuesday evening to give their often-impassioned reactions to a process that could lead to the closure of nearly two-thirds of the city's parishes.Several parishes from the state's largest city organized large contingents to attend the April 30 meeting, which was the final of three listening sessions for the Archdiocese of Baltimore's "Seek the City" parish restructuring proposal. They made their presence known with custom-made T-shirts or ethnic attire, with some even carrying large banners that begged Archbishop William Lori to spare their churches.Parishioners from the Shrine of the Sacred Heart in the Mount Washington neighborhood of...