Vatican City, Dec 1, 2016 / 05:02 am (CNA/EWTN News).- In his message for the 2017 World Day of Prayer for Vocations, Pope Francis focused on the need to be “missionary disciples” who first fall in love with God, and are then propelled into... Read more

Vatican City, Nov 30, 2016 / 04:15 pm (CNA/EWTN News).- The Bishop of Rome sent a message to the Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople on Wednesday, continuing a recent tradition of ecumenism between the Catholic and Eastern Orthodox Churches. “The exchange of delegations between Rome and Constantinople on the occasion of the respective feast days honouring the brother apostles Peter and Andrew is a visible sign of the profound bonds that already unite us,” Pope Francis said Nov. 30 in his message to Bartholomew I, the Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Constantinople. “So too, it is an expression of our yearning for ever deeper communion, until that day when, God willing, we may witness to our love for one another by sharing the same eucharistic table. In this journey towards the restoration of eucharistic communion between us, we are sustained by the intercession not only of our patron saints, but by the array of martyrs from every age, who 'despite the tragedy of our divisions… have preserved an attachment to Christ and to the Father so radical and absolute as to lead even to the shedding of blood'.” The message was conveyed by a Holy See delegation to Istanbul to celebrate the feast of St. Andrew, who founded the see. The delegation was led by Cardinal Kurt Koch, president of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity, and it took part in a Divine Liturgy celebrated by Patriarch Bartholomew.A similar visit to Rome is made annually by an Eastern Orthodox delegation for the feast of Ss. Peter and Paul. Pope Francis wrote in his message that the “strong commitment to re–establishing the unity of Christians” confirmed at the Pan-Orthodox Council in June “is for Catholics a source of real encouragement.” He recalled that Bartholomew “has always remained conscious of existing difficulties to unity and has never tired of supporting initiatives which foster encounter and dialogue,” but added that “the history of relations between Christians, however, has sadly been marked by conflicts that have left a deep impression on the memory of the faithful. For this reason, some cling to attitudes of the past.” The Pope emphasized that “only prayer, common good works and dialogue can enable us to overcome division and grow closer to one another.” He noted that through dialogue, “over the last decades Catholics and Orthodox have begun to recognize one another as brothers and sisters and to value each other’s gifts, and together have proclaimed the Gospel, served humanity and the cause of peace, promoted the dignity of the human being and the inestimable value of the family, and cared for those most in need, as well as creation, our common home.” Francis then pointed in particular to the work of the Joint International Commission for Theological Dialogue between the Orthodox and Catholic Churches. Regarding their September document on synodality and primacy during the first millennium, he said that “though many questions remain, this shared reflection … can offer a sure foundation for discerning ways in which primacy may be exercised in the Church when all Christians of East and West are finally reconciled.” The Pope concluded, saying, “In assuring you of my daily remembrance in prayer, I renew my best wishes for peace, health and abundant blessings upon you and all those entrusted to your care. With sentiments of brotherly affection and spiritual closeness, I exchange with Your Holiness an embrace of peace in the Lord.” Read more

Vatican City, Nov 30, 2016 / 08:18 am (CNA/EWTN News).- On Wednesday Pope Francis added world famous director Martin Scorsese to the list of Hollywood stars he has welcomed for a private meeting in the Vatican, following an official Rome preview of Scorsese’s new film “Silence.” Based on a Japanese historical fiction novel recounting Christian persecution in Japan during the 17th century, “Silence” will hit theaters in December and recounts the story of two Jesuit priests who travel to Japan in the midst of the violence to search for the missing mentor, played by Liam Neeson. According to a Nov. 30 communique from the Vatican, Scorsese, his wife and their two children were present for the meeting with Pope Francis, alongside the film’s producer and his wife. Msgr. Dario Edoardo Vigano, Prefect of the Secretariat for Communications, accompanied the group. Described in the communique as “very cordial,” the meeting lasted about 15 minutes. The Pope told his guests that he had read the 1966 novel “Silence,” written by Japanese author Sh?saku End? and which served as the inspiration for Scorsese’s new movie. Francis then spoke of the “sowing” of the faith Jesuits did in Japan and of the “Museum of the 26 Martyrs,” which was built on Nishizaka Hill in 1962 alongside a monument commemorating the 100th anniversary of the canonization of the 26 martyrs executed at the site in 1597. During the brief meeting Scorsese gifted the Pope with two paintings related to the theme of “hidden Christians.” One of them depicts a highly venerated image of the Virgin Mary painted by a Japanese artist in the 18th century. Pope Francis, on his part, gave his guests rosaries. Other Hollywood biggies Pope Francis has met include Angelina Jolie and Leonardo DiCaprio, who came to the Vatican to speak with the Pope about climate change following the release of Francis’ 2015 environmental encyclical Laudato si. A preview of “Silence” was shown Nov. 29 at the Pontifical Oriental Institute in Rome, and another preview is set to take place Dec. 1 inside the Vatican’s filmoteca. Scorsese, who grew up Catholic and spent a year in seminary as a youth, has made other religious films in the past. His latest was the controversial 1988 movie “The Last Temptation of Christ,” which was based on an adaption of the novel by Nikos Kazantzakis and focused on Christ’s humanity and emotional suffering, rather than the physical pain he endured. The film was heavily criticized as “sacrilegious” by many in the U.S. and abroad, including by several bishops, by St. Teresa of Calcutta and by Mother Angelica. Regarding the Catholic faith in Japan, it arrived to the country during the 16th century through the efforts of the Jesuit missionary Saint Francis Xavier (1506-1552). Jesuit outreach to the Japanese continued after his death, and around 200,000 Japanese had entered the Church by 1587. Religious tensions led to a period of persecution during that year, during which many churches were destroyed and missionaries forced to work in secret. But few episodes of martyrdom took place during this time, and within a decade 100,000 more Japanese became Catholic despite the restrictions. During 1593, Franciscan missionaries came to Japan from the Philippines by order of Spain's King Philip II. These new arrivals gave themselves zealously to the work of charity and evangelism, but their presence disturbed a delicate situation between the Church and Japanese authorities. Suspicion against Catholic missionaries grew when a Spanish ship was seized off the Japanese coast and found to be carrying artillery. Toyotomi Hideyoshi, a powerful imperial minister, responded by sentencing 26 Catholics to death. The group was comprised of three native Jesuits, six foreign Franciscans, and several lay Catholics including some children. Sentenced to die by crucifixion and lancing, they were first marched 600 miles to the city of Nagasaki. During the journey they underwent public torture meant to terrorize other Japanese believers in Christ. But all of the 26 held out courageously, even singing the hymn of praise “Te Deum” when they arrived at the hill where they would be crucified. Three of the best-known martyrs of Nagaki are Saints Paul Miki, John of Goto and James Kisai. Though none were priests, all were associated with the Jesuits: Miki was training for the priesthood, while Kisai was a lay brother and John of Goto was a catechist preparing to enter the order. Read more

Vatican City, Nov 30, 2016 / 05:38 am (CNA/EWTN News).- In his last set of catechesis on mercy, Pope Francis focused on the works of praying for the living and the dead, as well as burying the dead, insisting that since we are all part of one family in... Read more

Vatican City, Nov 30, 2016 / 03:04 am (CNA/EWTN News).- Alongside the various technological advances booming throughout the world, the digital age has also brought with it questions as to exactly what effect these new technologies are having on the global market, particularly when it comes to jobs. Pope Francis himself has brought up both the benefits as well as the concerns of technology on several occasions, including in his 2015 environmental encyclical, Laudato si'. Weighing these pros and cons is one of tasks he has given particularly to the Centesimus Annus Pro Pontifice Foundation, which will discuss the issue in a series of conferences to be held throughout the coming year. Established by St. John Paul II in 1993 after the publication of his encyclical Centesiums annus (which comemmorated the 100th anniversary of Leo XIII’s Rerum novarum) the foundation is designed to be a hub for thought on how to apply the Church’s social doctrine to current problems. Domingo Sugranyes Bicke, the foundation’s chairman, said that in addition to other pressing issues such as youth unemployment, human trafficking, and economic and financial crime, new technologies will be a hot topic up for discussion in the coming year. When it comes to new technologies – such as information technology, man-machine communication, bio-technologies and advanced robotics – Bicke said the effect they are having on the global market is a question “difficult to answer,” because while they exist and are growing, “they are not standardized enough” to knows exactly how they will develop or influence job creation in the future. “It’s like at the beginning when you had these new machines for textile, or these new machines for typing, typewriters, they were not standardized. Each one was different and it took a number of decades until really new technology was kind of standardized (and) you know exactly what you have to learn,” he said, noting that “this is not the case today.” Instead, people working in these new areas “are learning every day,” Bicke said, noting that the technological and digital revolution currently underway “is much deeper than probably anything we’ve known in the past,” so the questions are “much more difficult to answer.” When it comes to opportunities for new technologies to shape the job market, Bicke said he sees the most progress in projects such as “highly technological satellites,” but noted that the field is rather specific. More generally, he said new technologies are currently providing a number of opportunities in smaller-scale areas such as services that analyze and package data in quicker, more useful ways. Another area is in biology and the analysis of health data and new treatments, he said. “These are two examples where lots of things are happening, more than we know,” he said, but noted that the people doing these things might not be as visible, because “they have a lot of work” and aren’t necessarily promoting their work on television. However, one of the concerns about the promotion of new technologies is that these technologies may be taking jobs away from people. Pope Francis himself expressed concern over this point in Laudato si', cautioning in paragraph 128 that the goal of new technology “should not be that technological progress increasingly replace human work, for this would be detrimental to humanity.” “The orientation of the economy has favored a kind of technological progress in which the costs of production are reduced by laying off workers and replacing them with machines,” he said, noting that “to stop investing in people, in order to gain greater short-term financial gain, is bad business for society.” While there are certainly instances in which this has happened, Bicke said that whether new technologies are actually taking jobs from people is “the great question” of the day, but the answer is still “not clear.” “The studies are not conclusive whether the 'job fear' … is really something happening, or is it just imagination. It’s still difficult to understand,” he said. What is clear, though, is an increased growth in the availability of both “highly qualified jobs” and “unqualified jobs,” whereas those in the middle seem to “lose their chances.” Bicke said the reason for this might be that the process is “more transformative,” meaning that rather than jobs disappearing, they are simply changing. Addressing concerns, particularly in Europe, that migrants will take jobs from locals, Bicke said this “is nonsense. It doesn’t mean anything,” because job creation “is a complex thing.” “It depends on the month, it depends on technology, it depends on innovation,” he said, explaining that the current difficulty in finding jobs could be boiled down to the “general cycle” of the economy, and the fact that “we are still in a low phase of the cycle.” Unemployment, specifically among youth, was among the topics discussed at a Nov. 19 conference held by the Centesimus Annus Foundation titled “Work, Innovation and Investment: Can Precariousness be Faced?” The theme will also be carried forward during another conference the foundation will hold in January, as well as during a larger conference taking place in May which will place a special emphasis on the role of new technologies. Gathering experts on Catholic social doctrine as well as those in professional environments, the conferences are designed to build on each other and foster dialogue as to what effect “precariousness” and uncertainty have on the job market, on the economy, and on human psychology and anthropology. Also up for discussion will be how new technologies and new areas of investment “can be elements of answer to these problems which no one seems to know how to handle,” Bicke said, adding that “It’s a problem that’s very complex” since it has to do with investment, technology, and education. Solutions won’t be available overnight, he said, stressing that the discussion is one that will keep moving forward as the foundation continues to carry out its work. The people who will participate in their meetings, he said, have specific responsibilities in various businesses and organizations, and because of this can “help find solutions in their own environment.” Finding new economic and social models that are “more inclusive and more supportive of human development” is a priority for them, and is something for which Pope Francis asked during their annual meeting in May, Bicke said. He stressed the need to look for different types of alliances that could help make these models a reality, including collaboration with those from other religions. When it comes to the global economy, a change in mentality is needed, he said, noting that Catholic social doctrine has constantly insisted that “the basis of the reasoning of many economic theories is wrong, because it starts from an anthropology of the human being seen as an isolated element which only looks for its own individual satisfaction, and it’s not true.” Reality “is much more complex,” particularly because it is based on relationships, Bicke said, pointing to the importance of knowing how to build up need for solidarity and generosity in business life. “It sounds provocative, but already Pope Benedict spoke on that very, very specifically,” and “it’s still on the agenda.” Bicke said that in his opinion, some of the most urgent points to address are the need for better practical professional education, which he said is lacking throughout most of Europe, apart from Germany. However, one area that seems to be helping is entrepreneurship, which is something growing especially in the United States. “There’s a whole range of new areas where there are new companies coming up which create jobs, so part of the solution is there,” he said, noting that this is also holds true on the level of poverty. In some places where there is very little money, you see people “who become autonomous and create their own way of living,” calling this type of entrepreneurship one “practical answer” to the problem of unemployment. Read more

Vatican City, Nov 30, 2016 / 03:04 am (CNA/EWTN News).- Alongside the various technological advances booming throughout the world, the digital age has also brought with it questions as to exactly what effect these new technologies are having on the global market, particularly when it comes to jobs. Pope Francis himself has brought up both the benefits as well as the concerns of technology on several occasions, including in his 2015 environmental encyclical, Laudato si'. Weighing these pros and cons is one of tasks he has given particularly to the Centesimus Annus Pro Pontifice Foundation, which will discuss the issue in a series of conferences to be held throughout the coming year. Established by St. John Paul II in 1993 after the publication of his encyclical Centesiums annus (which comemmorated the 100th anniversary of Leo XIII’s Rerum novarum) the foundation is designed to be a hub for thought on how to apply the Church’s social doctrine to current problems. Domingo Sugranyes Bicke, the foundation’s chairman, said that in addition to other pressing issues such as youth unemployment, human trafficking, and economic and financial crime, new technologies will be a hot topic up for discussion in the coming year. When it comes to new technologies – such as information technology, man-machine communication, bio-technologies and advanced robotics – Bicke said the effect they are having on the global market is a question “difficult to answer,” because while they exist and are growing, “they are not standardized enough” to knows exactly how they will develop or influence job creation in the future. “It’s like at the beginning when you had these new machines for textile, or these new machines for typing, typewriters, they were not standardized. Each one was different and it took a number of decades until really new technology was kind of standardized (and) you know exactly what you have to learn,” he said, noting that “this is not the case today.” Instead, people working in these new areas “are learning every day,” Bicke said, noting that the technological and digital revolution currently underway “is much deeper than probably anything we’ve known in the past,” so the questions are “much more difficult to answer.” When it comes to opportunities for new technologies to shape the job market, Bicke said he sees the most progress in projects such as “highly technological satellites,” but noted that the field is rather specific. More generally, he said new technologies are currently providing a number of opportunities in smaller-scale areas such as services that analyze and package data in quicker, more useful ways. Another area is in biology and the analysis of health data and new treatments, he said. “These are two examples where lots of things are happening, more than we know,” he said, but noted that the people doing these things might not be as visible, because “they have a lot of work” and aren’t necessarily promoting their work on television. However, one of the concerns about the promotion of new technologies is that these technologies may be taking jobs away from people. Pope Francis himself expressed concern over this point in Laudato si', cautioning in paragraph 128 that the goal of new technology “should not be that technological progress increasingly replace human work, for this would be detrimental to humanity.” “The orientation of the economy has favored a kind of technological progress in which the costs of production are reduced by laying off workers and replacing them with machines,” he said, noting that “to stop investing in people, in order to gain greater short-term financial gain, is bad business for society.” While there are certainly instances in which this has happened, Bicke said that whether new technologies are actually taking jobs from people is “the great question” of the day, but the answer is still “not clear.” “The studies are not conclusive whether the 'job fear' … is really something happening, or is it just imagination. It’s still difficult to understand,” he said. What is clear, though, is an increased growth in the availability of both “highly qualified jobs” and “unqualified jobs,” whereas those in the middle seem to “lose their chances.” Bicke said the reason for this might be that the process is “more transformative,” meaning that rather than jobs disappearing, they are simply changing. Addressing concerns, particularly in Europe, that migrants will take jobs from locals, Bicke said this “is nonsense. It doesn’t mean anything,” because job creation “is a complex thing.” “It depends on the month, it depends on technology, it depends on innovation,” he said, explaining that the current difficulty in finding jobs could be boiled down to the “general cycle” of the economy, and the fact that “we are still in a low phase of the cycle.” Unemployment, specifically among youth, was among the topics discussed at a Nov. 19 conference held by the Centesimus Annus Foundation titled “Work, Innovation and Investment: Can Precariousness be Faced?” The theme will also be carried forward during another conference the foundation will hold in January, as well as during a larger conference taking place in May which will place a special emphasis on the role of new technologies. Gathering experts on Catholic social doctrine as well as those in professional environments, the conferences are designed to build on each other and foster dialogue as to what effect “precariousness” and uncertainty have on the job market, on the economy, and on human psychology and anthropology. Also up for discussion will be how new technologies and new areas of investment “can be elements of answer to these problems which no one seems to know how to handle,” Bicke said, adding that “It’s a problem that’s very complex” since it has to do with investment, technology, and education. Solutions won’t be available overnight, he said, stressing that the discussion is one that will keep moving forward as the foundation continues to carry out its work. The people who will participate in their meetings, he said, have specific responsibilities in various businesses and organizations, and because of this can “help find solutions in their own environment.” Finding new economic and social models that are “more inclusive and more supportive of human development” is a priority for them, and is something for which Pope Francis asked during their annual meeting in May, Bicke said. He stressed the need to look for different types of alliances that could help make these models a reality, including collaboration with those from other religions. When it comes to the global economy, a change in mentality is needed, he said, noting that Catholic social doctrine has constantly insisted that “the basis of the reasoning of many economic theories is wrong, because it starts from an anthropology of the human being seen as an isolated element which only looks for its own individual satisfaction, and it’s not true.” Reality “is much more complex,” particularly because it is based on relationships, Bicke said, pointing to the importance of knowing how to build up need for solidarity and generosity in business life. “It sounds provocative, but already Pope Benedict spoke on that very, very specifically,” and “it’s still on the agenda.” Bicke said that in his opinion, some of the most urgent points to address are the need for better practical professional education, which he said is lacking throughout most of Europe, apart from Germany. However, one area that seems to be helping is entrepreneurship, which is something growing especially in the United States. “There’s a whole range of new areas where there are new companies coming up which create jobs, so part of the solution is there,” he said, noting that this is also holds true on the level of poverty. In some places where there is very little money, you see people “who become autonomous and create their own way of living,” calling this type of entrepreneurship one “practical answer” to the problem of unemployment. Read more