(Vatican Radio) Caritas Internationalis and the Lutheran World Federation’s charitable arm are jointly preparing a key event in Sweden’s Malmö arena as part of the October 31st anniversary of the Reformation.Pope Francis and Lutheran leaders are together hosting a day of ecumenical events in Sweden to kick off the 500th anniversary commemorations of the Reformation and to celebrate the progress that has been made in Catholic-Lutheran relations over the past half century.Following a joint prayer liturgy in Lund cathedral, the pope and the Lutheran leaders will travel to Malmö for a celebration of the witness that Catholics and Lutherans are giving together, working for justice and peace in countries around the world.To find out more about this unprecedented initiative, Philippa Hitchen spoke to the secretary general of Caritas Internationalis Michel Roy…Listen: Roy says the initiative originates with the Catholic and Lutheran Churches, which want ...
(Vatican Radio) Caritas Internationalis and the Lutheran World Federation’s charitable arm are jointly preparing a key event in Sweden’s Malmö arena as part of the October 31st anniversary of the Reformation.
Pope Francis and Lutheran leaders are together hosting a day of ecumenical events in Sweden to kick off the 500th anniversary commemorations of the Reformation and to celebrate the progress that has been made in Catholic-Lutheran relations over the past half century.
Following a joint prayer liturgy in Lund cathedral, the pope and the Lutheran leaders will travel to Malmö for a celebration of the witness that Catholics and Lutherans are giving together, working for justice and peace in countries around the world.
To find out more about this unprecedented initiative, Philippa Hitchen spoke to the secretary general of Caritas Internationalis Michel Roy…
Listen:
Roy says the initiative originates with the Catholic and Lutheran Churches, which want to show that after so many decades of “doctrinal theological discussions”, there is a move to “concrete action together to show that we are united”. While unity is a strong word, he says, it’s clear that Pope Francis has “a vision of unity” which follows this same goal.
Response to Colombia's peace process
While this is an “opportunity to speed up” cooperation, Michel Roy says that Catholic and Lutheran communities already work together in many places providing emergency responses, welcoming refugees or promoting peace and reconciliation. One good example which will be showcased in Malmö, he says, is the peace process in Colombia, which has been promoted by Caritas Colombia together with the Lutheran World Federation's World Service.
Declaration of Intent
During the Malmö event, he says, the leadership of Caritas Internationalis and the World Service will sign a Declaration of Intent to show that “we will go beyond and seize every opportunity of moving together”. While the two organisations are different in structure, this declaration aims to inspire and encourage people to work closer together to recover and promote human dignity, he says.
Key role of faith groups
Part of the inspiration for this stepped-up cooperation comes from Pope Francis “who is breaking all the barriers” and “rebuilding links” with Christians and other faith leaders, Roy explains. At the same time, he notes, “there is a strong call from the United Nations” and other organisations like the World Bank who “see the plus that we bring, as compared to simple civil society organisations”. The international community, he adds, is increasingly recognizing that where faith groups are organizing “at village level”, there is greater “leverage for the real fight against extreme poverty”.
Pray for peace in Syria
Finally Roy talks about the funds that will be raised by the sale of the tickets in Malmö arena, all of which will go towards supporting victims of the Syria conflict. The Caritas Syria programme, based in Aleppo, provides educational support for children there, while the Lutheran project helps Syrian refugees in neighbouring countries. Caritas Syria president, Bishop Antoine Audo, will be speaking at the Malmö event and participants will together pray the prayer that Caritas Syria has shared through the #peaceispossible campaign. Roy says “We believe in the power of prayer in such dire times and so we invite everyone to pray this prayer that you can find on the website dedicated to this campaign: syria.caritas.org
null / Credit: ShutterstockWashington, D.C. Newsroom, May 2, 2024 / 18:20 pm (CNA).The Florida Agency for Health Care Administration (AHCA) released a pair of emergency rules that it said are aimed at combating "misinformation" and a "deeply dishonest scare campaign" by the Biden administration about the state's new six-week pro-life law. The rules, published on May 1, establish guidance for lifesaving measures and clarify that certain procedures, including treatment for ectopic pregnancies, are not considered abortion and remain legal under the Florida Heartbeat Protection Act, which went into effect on Wednesday. This comes amid significant criticism over the state's pro-life law that prohibits abortions on women after six weeks of pregnancy except for in cases of rape, incest, or when the life of the mother is in danger. The new AHCA rules further clarify those exceptions. "The agency finds there is an immediate danger to th...
Oviedo Archbishop Jesús Sanz Montes accused the government of focusing "in a biased and manipulative way on the problem of pedophilia as something attributable only to the Catholic Church." / Credit: Archdiocese of OviedoACI Prensa Staff, May 2, 2024 / 18:50 pm (CNA)."They have done it again. It is a kind of obsessive mantra every time they need a smokescreen to distract from the real problems we have and to which they so clumsily and insidiously apply their tortuous governance."That is how the archbishop of Oviedo, Jesús Sanz Montes, began a letter released this week titled "The Accusing Rattle" in which he responds to the socialist government's announcement of an exclusive plan to address sexual and power abuses committed within the Catholic Church.In the opinion of the prelate, the country's executive "has tried to focus in a biased and manipulative way on the problem of pedophilia as something attributable only to the Catholic Church, which represents an exclusive...
Pope Francis meets with 300 priests taking part in the World Meeting of Parish Priests on May 2, 2024, at the Vatican. / Credit: Vatican MediaRome Newsroom, May 2, 2024 / 12:41 pm (CNA).Pope Francis published a letter on Thursday addressed to all parish priests in the world with his advice for building a missionary Church in which all the baptized share in the mission of proclaiming the Gospel."Parish communities increasingly need to become places from which the baptized set out as missionary disciples and to which they return, full of joy, in order to share the wonders worked by the Lord through their witness," Pope Francis wrote in the letter published on May 2.The pope presented the letter to 300 priests participating in the Synod on Synodality's "World Meeting of Parish Priests" during an audience at the Vatican, saying that their meeting is "an opportunity to remember in my prayers all of the parish priests in the world to whom I address these words with great affection."P...