Vatican City, Jun 9, 2015 / 07:59 am (CNA/EWTN News).- Days after declaring that a decision on the Medjugorje apparitions would be coming soon, Pope Francis cautioned against basing one’s faith solely on predicted visions or anything other than C... Read more
Rome, Italy, Jun 9, 2015 / 06:01 am (CNA/EWTN News).- During recent meetings which were held separately, both the Polish bishops and the Eastern Catholic bishops from Europe have discussed the family in view of the upcoming Synod on the Family, and are likely to uphold Catholic pastoral care for families. The bishops from Poland will be on the front line at the synod, giving an overall view of the family and not focusing merely on the contentious issues of access to Communion for the divorced and remarried, and pastoral openings to homosexual relationships. A source in a congregation at the Roman Curia told CNA that “the feeling of the Polish bishops is that John Paul II’s teaching on marriage and family has been betrayed” by the “shadow council” led by some German bishops at the Pontifical Gregorian University on May 25. The lecture delivered the last week of May to the Polish bishops' conference's general assembly by Fr. Dariusz Kowalczyk, SJ, gives one to understand the issues at stake for the Polish bishops. Grounded in St. John Paul II's pastoral care and speaking about granting access to Communion for the divorced and remarried, Fr. Kowalczyk indicated two criticisms. “The first question we should ask ourselves,” he said, “is this: Does the Church have the authority to give sacramental absolution and Holy Communion to divorced persons cohabiting in non-sacramental unions? This question of Communion for those people is comparable to the issue of the mandatory celibacy of priests, or on another the level, to that of ordaining women.” He then continued: “If we answer the question of Communion for remarried divorcees by saying that a change in the Church's current doctrine and practice is possible, then a second question can be asked: From the pastoral viewpoint, would the new, proposed sacramental practice be useful? Would it edify the Church or not? After all, the fact that something could be possible from the doctrinal point of view, does not necessarily imply that it would be good for the Church from a pastoral point of view.” Fr. Kowalczyk then concluded that “We have two arguments here: one is doctrinal and the other pastoral – a risk of confusion on the indissolubility of marriage. Both concern the sacramental sign, which has theological, anthropological, and didactic meanings.” The doctrinal argument, he said, “can be considered from two perspectives: that of sin, which contradicts sacramental Communion (understood both as a sacramental sign and as grace), and that of the relation between the meanings of each of the sacraments.” The arguments presented by Fr. Kowalczyk – that admitting the divorced and remarried to Communion would contradict the nuptial significance of the Eucharist, and it would also confuse people about the indissolubility of marriage – will be core issues at October's Synod of Bishops. In addition to the Polish bishops, the Eastern Catholic bishops of Europe have also held a meeting regarding the family and its pastoral care. The more than 40 bishops met in Prague June 4-7 to further develop their responses to the many challenges facing families. Among the participants were Archbishop Cyril Vasil', secretary of the Congregation for the Oriental Churches. Archbishop Vasil' contributed a chapter to Remaining in the Truth of Christ, in which he argued that there is no coherent position among the Eastern Orthodox Churches which favors oikonomia – a practice which some, including Cardinal Kasper, have cited as a justification for admitting the divorced and remarried to Communion. At the conclusion of their meeting, the Eastern Catholic bishops stated that the Church, including particularly Eastern Catholic Churches, “gives its yes to the family, the fundamental cell of human society where every person becomes more and more him / herself.” “The family, the domestic Church spoken of by Saint John Chrysostom and repeated by the Second Vatican Council, as workshop and training ground for humanity, is not just the place where the transmission of faith happens, but where the fundamental principles of living together are learned … husbands and wives, parents and children, brothers and sisters are called to love each other: everyone in the family has a unique and important role.” The Eastern Catholic bishops added that “in preparation for the Synod of Bishops … the episcopal participants at the meeting were committed to promoting an evermore careful preparation for the sacrament of matrimony, so that husband and wife, with the strength of grace, might generate a true communion of life welcoming children and educating them.” The Eastern Catholic bishops also discussed “the on-going situation of external aggression” in eastern Ukraine, where Russian troops and Russian-backed separatists are fighting the national government. The bishops “demonstrated their solidarity with the people of Ukraine, above all the Greek Catholics, exhorting them to pursue the path of dialogue and unity between the country's Christian churches which a particular attitude of misinformation – especially at the international level – aims to undermine.” Finally, the bishops discussed the "too ‘discretionary’ attitude – bordering on discrimination" toward Catholics by local governments in southeastern Europe “which seem to want to attack the Catholic Church under the administrative, economic and financial profile.” Read more
Stuttgard, Germany, Jun 9, 2015 / 03:55 am (CNA/EWTN News).- For fans of Church history and architecture, 3D imaging may be the second-best thing to time travel, allowing them to experience a medieval church as it existed hundreds of years ago. User... Read more
Vatican City, Jun 9, 2015 / 01:08 am (National Catholic Register).- Cardinal Gerhard Müller has spoken out firmly against trying to adapt the Church’s teaching to today’s often pagan lifestyles, saying such an approach introduces subjectivism and arbitrariness. In an interview with the Catholic newspaper Die Tagespost on June 6th, the prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith warned that placing “any so-called lived realities” on the same level as scripture and tradition is “nothing more than the introduction of subjectivism and arbitrariness, wrapped up in sentimental and smug religious terminology.” The cardinal’s comments have been widely seen as a criticism of a recent “shadow council” when bishops and experts from Germany, France and Switzerland met May 25 in Rome to discuss how the Church could adapt its pastoral approach to today’s current lived experiences, especially regarding sexual ethics. Bishop Franz-Josef Bode of Osnabrück, a participant at the meeting and one of the German episcopate’s representatives at the upcoming Synod on the Family, has gone on record saying that the “lived realities” of people should be a source of information for dogmatic and moral truths, the Austrian site Kath.net reported. But Cardinal Müller stressed that these “lived realities” can sometimes be very pagan and that the faith cannot be the result of a compromise between acceptable Christian ideas, abstract principles and the practice of a pagan lifestyle. He added that Rome will strengthen bishops’ freedom and responsibility, but this will be threatened by “nostalgias for national churches and by the haggling over social acceptance.” The German cardinal also said that the Pope invited each bishop to the October synod as a “witness and teacher of the revealed faith.” Referring to the recent controversial closed-door meeting in Rome, Cardinal Müller said it is right to exchange information on any point or major issue. But he added that one cannot organize the truth. If this principle were to be adopted and taken as true by the Church, leading her to take her cue from public opinion, then the Church would be “shaken to her foundations," he said. The Catholic Church is mother and teacher of all churches, he said, one that teaches and is not taught. “She does not need anybody – as superior and as adapted to our times he might think he is – to teach her a notion of the right faith, because in her, the apostolic tradition has been faithfully safeguarded and always will be preserved." Bishop Koch appointed On Monday, Pope Francis appointed Bishop Heiner Koch of Dresden-Meißen as the new Archbishop of Berlin. Bishop Koch was also present at the May 25 meeting and will be one of the three German bishops to attend the October synod. He is currently chairman of the bishops’ marriage and family commission and known to strongly support the Cardinal Kasper thesis on admitting some remarried divorcees to Holy Communion. Bishop Koch, 61, is also a proponent of Church recognition of same-sex unions. He has said that "any bond that strengthens and holds people, is in my eyes good; that applies also to same-sex relationships." In an interview earlier this year with a local German newspaper, the prelate said that to “portray homosexuality as a sin is hurtful” and that the Church “needs a different language when it comes to homosexuals.” “I know gay couples who value ??reliability and commitment and live these in an exemplary manner,” he said. Since the 1950s, all archbishops of Berlin have gone on to become a cardinal. The archdiocese is likely to grow in prominence in the coming years as the bishops' conference is understood to want to move its headquarters from Bonn, the former West German capital, to Berlin. The Pope appointed Bishop Koch archbishop following his election last week by the Berlin archdiocese. Read more
Erbil, Iraq, Jun 9, 2015 / 12:03 am (CNA/EWTN News).- Despite the potential threat from the nearby Islamic State, several monks and students in northern Iraq have found refuge in an ancient monastery, certain they are in God's hands no matter what happens. Erbil’s Chaldean Archbishop Bashar Warda said that those who have chosen to remain in the fourth century Monastery of Saint Matthew have “expressed their faith that this is a secure place.” He told CNA June 8 that although these Christians are now being protected by the Kurdish military, their sense of safety is not only due to the military presence. “There is a kind of feeling that they cannot express but they at least feel relaxed in a way that even if, God forbid, something would happen, they are in safe hands.” The Iraqi archbishop was the main speaker at a Thursday press briefing in Rome regarding the latest developments in his war-torn country. Although the Islamic State maintains control over much of the region after seizing the area last summer, and many people in nearby villages have fled, three monks and six students have expressed their determination to remain in the monastery. "We can see the battles and the airstrikes from here in front of us, especially at night,” Yousif Ibrahim, a monk at the monastery, told USA Today. “The sky lights up at night, but we of course are not scared. God protects us." In June 2014, the Islamic State launched an offensive against northern Iraq, overruning the nation's second-largest city of Mosul. In August, it further extended its reach in the regions surrounding the city. The militants have displaced hundreds of thousands of Christians, Yazidis, and Shia Muslims from their homes while slaughtering or enslaving thousands of others. The monastery, known also as Mar Mattai, was established in 363 by the hermit Saint Matthew, who had fled Rome during the persecutions of the emperor Julian the Apostate. The monastery is one of the oldest Christian monasteries in Iraq. It is currently under the authority of the Syrian Orthodox Church. Sahar Karaikos, a student at the monastery, said he is not afraid despite the very real possibility of the monastery being invaded. "I don’t even want to think or speak about the destruction the Islamic State would cause if they took our monastery," he told USA Today. Located on the edge of the conflict, Saint Matthew’s Monastery risks becoming the latest Christian landmark to be destroyed by the militant group's campaign throughout Iraq. Archbishop Warda said the destruction of the Christian heritage is tragic, but he is more concerned with the people’s faith. “They’ve destroyed walls and historical sites, but they were unable to destroy the faith of the community. And that’s the good news. That our people our people are strong enough to leave everything behind and just stay Christians.” Many Christians have been killed since the militants began their campaign to establish a caliphate. For those who remain, martyrdom remains a possibility. Archbishop Warda at the June 4 briefing responded to a relevant question: whether he was prepared for martyrdom. He responded: “It’s better not to think about it.” “When it comes, my wish is just to be ready. All I wish is to be ready and to have the courageous response like my people have given. Christ is the only wish that we love.” Read more
Washington D.C., Jun 8, 2015 / 07:03 pm (CNA/EWTN News).- For most graduating college seniors, the final weeks of school focus on exams, saying goodbyes and looking to their next steps in life. But for three seniors studying architecture at The Cath... Read more
Vatican City, Jun 8, 2015 / 03:52 pm (CNA/EWTN News).- The value and beauty of marriage, based on the complementarity of man and woman, is lamentably being challenged by “gender ideology,” Pope Francis warned the bishops of Puerto Rico on Monday. “The complementarity of man and woman, the crown of the divine creation, is being questioned by gender ideology in the name of a freer and more just society,” the Pope said June 8 at the Vatican's Santa Marta hall. “The difference between man and woman is not meant to stand in opposition, or to subordinate, but is for the sake of communion and generation, always 'in the image and likeness of God.'” Pope Francis exhorted the bishops to take care of the treasure of the sacrament of marriage, saying that “without mutual self-giving, the two cannot even understand the depth of what it means to be man and woman.” During his address, the Pope also encouraged the bishops to avoid political and ideological trends; to strengthen pastoral care of families; and to participate in discourse in the public sphere. Please find below the full text of Pope Francis' remarks: Dear brothers in the Episcopate: I rejoice in being able to greet you on the occasion of the Ad Limina Apostolorum pilgrimage visit. It is my desire that (this visit) be a fruitful experience of communion for each one of you and for Church on its pilgrim journey in Puerto Rico. I thank His Excellency Roberto Octavio González Nieves, Archbishop of San Juan and President of the Bishops Conference for the words he addressed to me in the name of all of you. In that beautiful Caribbean archipelago was founded one of the first three dioceses that were established on the American continent. Since then, the Church’s history has been interwoven with the faithfulness and tenacity of its pastors, religious, missionaries and lay people that, responding to the times and places, knew how to communicate the joy of announcing Christ the Savior, in whose name so many initiatives for the common good were created in the liturgical, social and educational fields, that have profoundly marked the public and private life of the Puerto Rican people. You, as heralds of the Gospel and guardians of the hope of your people, are called to continue writing that work of God in his local Churches, enlivened by a spirit of ecclesial communion, endeavoring to make the faith grow and the light of truth also shine in our days. Mutual confidence and sincere communication among yourselves will permit the clergy and the faithful to see the authentic unity desired by Christ. Moreover, faced with the magnitude and disproportion of problems, the bishop needs to have recourse not only to prayer but also the friendship and brotherly assistance of their brothers in the episcopate. Do not waste energy in divisions and confrontations, but instead building and collaborating. You already know that “the more intense communion is, the more mission is fostered.” (Pastores gregis, 22) Know how to keep your distance from all political or ideological trends that would make you lose time and the true ardor for the Kingdom of God. The Church, by reason of her mission, is not tied to any political system in order to always be able to be “a sign and a safeguard of the transcendent character of the human person.” (Gaudium et spec 76) The bishop is a model for his priests and he encourages them to always seek spiritual renewal and to rediscover the joy of pastoring his flock within the great family of the Church. I ask (you to have) a welcoming attitude towards them, that they feel listened to and guided so they can grow in communion, holiness, wisdom, and bring to everyone the mysteries of salvation. Looking toward the upcoming Jubilee of Mercy, recall first of all to yourselves and then to (your) priests, the service of being faithful servants of God’s forgiveness, above all in the sacrament of Reconciliation, that allows (the penitent) to experience in the flesh the love of God and to offer the penitent the source of true interior peace. (cf. Misericordiae vultus, 17) To have good pastors it is necessary to do the work of fostering vocations, so as to have an adequate number of vocations and especially in the seminaries, you should offer a proper formation to the candidates. The seminary is the plot of land that calls for the most careful attention of Bishop Shepherd. Providing the faithful with the sacramental life and offering them an appropriate continual formation makes it possible for them too to fulfill their own mission. The Puerto Rican faithful, and in particular the associations, the movements and the educational institutions are called to generously collaborate so that the Good News may be announced in all environments, including those most hostile and distanced from the Church. It is my heartfelt desire that, inspired by the example of distinguished laymen like Blessed Carlos Manuel Rodríguez Santiago, model of dedication and apostolic service, or the venerable teacher Rafael Cordero y Molina, you continue advancing on the path of a joyful observance of the Gospel, going deeper into the Church’s Social Teaching, and participating lucidly and serenely in the public debates that concern the society that you live in. Among the initiatives necessary to strengthen more and more is family pastoral ministry, in the face of the serious social problems that afflict it: the difficult economic situation, emigration, domestic violence, unemployment, drug trafficking, corruption. These are realities that are cause for concern. Allow me to draw your attention to the value and beauty of marriage. The complementarity of man and woman, the vertex of the divine creation, is being questioned by gender ideology, in the name of a freer and more just society. The difference between man and woman is not meant to stand in opposition, or to subordinate, but is for the sake of communion and generation, always “in the image and likeness of God.” Without mutual self-giving, the two cannot even understand the depth of what it means to be man and woman. (General Audience April 15, 2015) The sacrament of marriage is a sign of the love of God for humanity and Christ’s self-giving to his Spouse, the Church. Take care of this treasure, one of the “most important of the Latin American and Caribbean peoples.” (Aparecida, 433) Finally, among the greatest challenges for the apostolic work, is the implementation of the Joint Pastoral Plan in the dioceses, by means of programs drawn up to proclaim Christ and to respond to the concerns of society and of the People of God today, in which the missionary dimension must always be present even to the farthest existential peripheries. I assure you of my prayers for you as well as for the priests, consecrated religious and for all the lay faithful of that beloved land of Puerto Rico. Please give everyone the pope’s greetings. Watch over with zeal and patience that portion of the Lord’s vineyard that has been entrusted you, and go forward together. I entrust the work of evangelization in Puerto Rico to the Most Holy Virgin Mary, asking you to not forget to pray for me, I impart with affection the Apostolic Blessing. Read more
Berlin, Germany, Jun 8, 2015 / 01:37 pm (CNA/EWTN News).- The Vatican confirmed on Monday, June 8 that Pope Francis has appointed Bishop Heiner Koch of Dresden-Meissen as Archbishop of Berlin. As Archbishop of Berlin, he will shepherd a population of 5.7 million, of whom 407,000 are Catholics. The Berlin archdiocese also has 421 priests and 668 religious. Bishop Koch was born in 1954 in Duesseldorf, and studied theology in Bonn. He was ordained a priest of the Archdiocese of Cologne on his 26th birthday, in 1980. Bishop Koch, who is 60, served as a parish priest and a youth chaplain, and was on the organizing committee for the 2005 World Youth Day, held in Cologne. In 1996, he was named a monsignor. In 2006 he was consecrated a bishop, and appointed auxiliary bishop of Cologne. In January 2013, he was made Bishop of Dresden-Meissen. In 2014, Bishop Koch was appointed by the German bishops conference as chairman of the Commission for Marriage and the Family. Bishop Koch is also involved in preparations for the Synod on the Family being held in Rome in October, and joins Cardinal Reinhard Marx of Munich and Freising and Bishop Franz-Josef Bode, of Osnabrueck as the bishops who will represent Germany at the synod. All three delegates are known to support the 'Kasper proposal', which would allow some divorced-and-civilly-remarried Catholics to receive Communion after a period of penance. According to a list of participants compiled by Edward Pentin and published by the National Catholic Register, Bishop Koch was present at the “Shadow Council” held May 25 at the Pontifical Gregorian University. That meeting aimed to promote “a pastoral opening on issues such as communion for the divorced and remarried, and the pastoral care of homosexuals,” according to one of its participants. And in a February interview with a German newspaper, Bishop Koch called for changes in the pastoral care of homosexuals, saying that to “portray homosexuality as a sin is hurtful,” adding that the Church “needs a different language when it comes to homosexuals … I know gay couples who value reliability and commitment and live these in an exemplary manner.” Read more
Vatican City, Jun 8, 2015 / 10:45 am (CNA/EWTN News).- Pope Francis on Sunday met with Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner, the president of his native country. She assured the Roman Pontiff of the affection and closeness of his fellow Argentines and asked ... Read more
Rome, Italy, Jun 7, 2015 / 03:53 pm (CNA/EWTN News).- The head of Ukraine’s Greek Catholic Church said the country is facing a “humanitarian catastrophe” with global consequences that cannot be ignored by the international community. ... Read more
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