Catholic News
Rome, Italy, Nov 27, 2014 / 04:43 pm (Aid to the Church in Need).- “We shouldn’t get our hopes up. I don’t see any sign of an immediate improvement in China-Holy See relations.” Thus commented Cardinal Joseph Zen Ze-kiun, Bishop... Read more
Rome, Italy, Nov 27, 2014 / 04:43 pm (Aid to the Church in Need).- “We shouldn’t get our hopes up. I don’t see any sign of an immediate improvement in China-Holy See relations.” Thus commented Cardinal Joseph Zen Ze-kiun, Bishop... Read more
Vatican City, Nov 27, 2014 / 09:23 am (CNA/EWTN News).- In his homily on Thursday Pope Francis said that although sin and corruption often seem to win out over good, Jesus gives us a promise of hope which enables us to keep “our heads held high.” “Do not give way to depression: Hope! Reality is ugly: there are many, many cities and people, so many people who are suffering; many wars, so much hatred, so much envy, so much spiritual worldliness and so much corruption. Yes, it's true, (but) all of this will fall!” the Pope said on Nov. 27. The Roman Pontiff offered his reflections to those present in the Vatican’s Saint Martha guesthouse for his daily mass. He began by turning to the day’s readings, which recount the ill fate of the biblical cities of Babylon and Jerusalem. Both cities fell for different reasons, he said, explaining that Babylon “falls because of its corruption” and warned that when sin accumulates, “you lose the ability to react and you start to rot.” Corruption gives a person a certain level of happiness, so they feel that they have power and that they are satisfied with themselves, the Pope said, however it leaves no room for God or for conversion. “(The) word 'corruption' says a lot to us today: not only economic corruption, but corruption with many different sins; the corruption of that pagan spirit, that worldly spirit. The worst (form of) corruption is the spirit of worldliness!” A corrupt culture makes you feel like you are already in heaven, however the truth is that “the corrupt culture is rotten.” Babylon, the Bishop of Rome said, is an example of every person and society who have distanced themselves from God, leading to corruption that eventually gives way to rot. Jerusalem, on the other hand, falls because she fails to welcome her Bridegroom, the pontiff said. The city was “distracted,” and because of this it fails “to welcome the Lord who comes to her rescue.” Pope Francis noted that although Jerusalem had the writings of Moses and all the prophets, “She did not feel in need of salvation. She left no room for salvation: her door was closed to the Lord!” Although the Lord was knocking on Jerusalem’s door, her people were not willing to let him in, listen to him or be rescued by him, the Roman Pontiff observed, so she falls. He then took the fate of the cities to a personal level, and asked those present which city they identified with: the “corrupt and self-sufficient Babylon (or the) distracted Jerusalem?” Pope Francis continued, alluding to how the coming end of the Church’s liturgical calendar is a reminder of the end of times and of the Lord’s second coming. Despite the fate of the two cities in the day’s reading, the pontiff stressed that “the message of the Church in these days does not end with destruction: in both texts, there is a promise of hope,” and Jesus urges us to lift our heads and not to be afraid. “When we think of the end of time, with all of our sins, with our history, let us think of the banquet which will be freely offered us and let us lift up our heads,” he said, noting that while the world is still full of suffering and hatred, we know it will come to an end. The Pope explained that the different evils and trials that we face “have their time,” which is now, and that we must endure this time with patience, like Jesus endured his passion and death. He concluded his homily by praying that the Lord would give to all “the grace to be prepared for the banquet that awaits us, always with our heads held high.” Read more
Mosul, Iraq, Nov 27, 2014 / 04:02 am (CNA/EWTN News).- Local media are reporting that on Monday, Islamic State militants blew up a convent and St. George's parish in Mosul, an Iraqi city captured by the Islamists in June. A resident of Mosul said “that cries of Allahu Akbar ‘God is Great’ rose from many mosques in the city as Islamist militants blew up the church located in one of Mosul’s Arab neighborhoods,” Rudaw, a Kurdish media outlet based in Erbil, reported Nov. 24. Abouna.org, a site run by Fr. Rif'at Bader of the Latrin Patriarchate of Jerusalem, reported that the convent was the Sisters of the Holy Heart's Monastery of Victory, in Mosul's Arab Quarter. The nuns of the convent, also known as al-Nasir, had fled Mosul in June, according to the BBC. Islamic State is a caliphate in portions of Iraq and Syria, which has persecuted all non-Sunnis in its territory – Christians, Yazidis, and Shia Muslims have all fled the area. Thousands of Christians and other minorities fled Mosul after a July 18 ultimatum demanding they convert, pay jizya, or be killed. They went to other towns in Nineveh province and in Iraqi Kurdistan. Prior to the destruction of al-Nasir convent and St. George's church, other non-Sunni places of worship and historical or cultural sites had already been destroyed. Churches have been taken over for use by Islamic State, with their crosses removed, or they have been destroyed entirely. Shiite mosques have been demolished. The tomb of the prophet Jonah, on which a mosque was built, was blown up by Islamic State in July. According to Rudaw, Monday's destruction in Mosul is in retribution for recent military setbacks to Islamic State. Both the Syrian regime and a US-led coalition frequently bomb Ar Raqqah, a prominent Syrian city held by Islamic State. Airstrikes killed nearly 100 people in the city on Nov. 25. Islamic State has displaced well more than 100,000 Christians from their homes. The Catholic charitable organization Aid to the Church in Need has launched a fundraising appeal “United in Faith” for the Christians of Iraq and Syria who have become refugees. The British branch of the charity is hosting an Advent Carol Service at St Mary Moorfields Church in London on Dec. 2 in order to raise awareness of the suffering of Iraqi Christians and to offer prayers and donations. Read more
Rome, Italy, Nov 26, 2014 / 05:02 pm (CNA/EWTN News).- Legal expert Alan Sears said that the push for marriage redefinition in the U.S. has provided a platform for the issue at large and that Pope Francis' visit in 2015 could mark a shift in the contentious debate. “This could be a turning point in the struggle for marriage,” he told CNA Nov. 26. “The Holy Father has the opportunity to speak in the USA, to step into the middle of this with the message of love, with a message of hope to clarify and help people to understand the beauty of God's design.” Sears serves as president of the international legal group Alliance Defending Freedom, which specializes in the protection of religious liberty worldwide. He was recently in Rome for the Nov. 17-19 colloquium on the complementarity of man and woman in marriage that was attended by Pope Francis. Also referred to as the “Humanum” conference, the gathering was sponsored by the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, in collaboration with the Pontifical Council for the Family, the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue, and the Pontifical Council for the Promotion of Christian Unity. The meeting came amid the ongoing push for the legalization of same-sex “marriage” in the U.S. – a contentious issue that's has left many Catholics divided. Sears believes many people today are deeply confused about the true nature of marriage and unaware of the security it provides to both individual families and society at large. Pope Francis' to Philadelphia for next year's World Meeting of Families could likely be just as impactful as that of St. John Paul II on the pro-life movement when he came to Denver, Colo. in 1993 for World Youth Day, he said. “One of the most incredible speeches was that which (John Paul) gave on the culture of life,” Sears recalled. It “was a turning-point moment” for the many in the pro-life movement whose work had largely been “pushed to the way-side” by secular press and those advocating abortion. Through his speech St. John Paul II sparked a new dimension of pro-life work that was founded on God's plan for humanity and the joy that life brings, he reflected. And what we are seeing now is an “incredible turn of public opinion,” so much so that “the pro-life movement is not too far away from a tipping point for victory.” In this context, the visit of Pope Francis – at a time when the debate on marriage is so fierce – could be the opportunity those fighting for traditional marriage have been waiting for, Sears observed. He explained that right now many U.S. courts “have chosen to redefine marriage through extra constitutional means, and assert that things which were always considered to be consistent with the constitution are unconstitutional, and many people just don't understand this.” He said that placing emphasis on the beauty of marriage during the papal trip could be a key step in helping society to understand the enormous benefits, love and protection growing up in a family with both a mother and a father provides to children. “People try to cover and say the only reason this is so bad with this attempted redefining and claiming something else as marriage is because of society's discrimination. That's not so,” Sears said. “The ideal best – every study, experience shows and culture has shown for thousands of years – is a mother and a father committed to each other for life.” Sears recalled a video that was shown during the marriage colloquium in which a man currently involved in a homosexual relationship in France gave his testimony about wanting to adopt children with his partner. After initially talking about their mutual desire to have children, the couple began to research about parenting and raising children. They eventually the couple decided that they shouldn't have children since “it would be an act of selfishness for us because we recognize we would be creating a situation of permanent motherless-ness that would be unnecessary for children.” Sears said Pope Francis has an opportunity during his visit to suggest concrete efforts people can make to both uphold and celebrate marriage, such as renewing wedding vows. The beauty of marriage “is one of the great confusions because people don't understand the joy marriage between a man and a woman brings that all other substitutes do not provide,” he said Sears noted how throughout his world travels, one thing he has constantly encountered in each place in the thousands of people he meets is a lack of knowledge and formation on Church teaching and scripture as it relates to marriage. So even “a simple sermon going back to the basics (of marriage), like John Paul's simple sermon going back to the basics of life” would be greatly effective coming from the Pope, he said.Alan Holdren contributed to this report. Read more
Istanbul, Turkey, Nov 26, 2014 / 04:43 pm (Aid to the Church in Need).- Since the beginning of the Iraq war in 2003, and especially since the eruption of the Syrian civil war in 2011, Turkey has become the destination—or passage way—for hun... Read more
Vatican City, Nov 26, 2014 / 05:20 am (CNA/EWTN News).- Pope Francis in his weekly general audience said that the Church on earth is on a pilgrimage to heaven guided by the Lord, who will lead us to the fullness of joy and truth at the end of time. “In today's catechesis we reflect on the Church (that is) on pilgrimage to the kingdom,” the Pope told those present in St. Peter’s Square for his Nov. 26 audience. “As was well affirmed in the Second Vatican Council, the Church is not a static reality, but continually journeys throughout history to the final and marvelous goal, which is the Kingdom of Heaven.” The Church, the Roman Pontiff continued, is not an end in herself, but is rather the “seed and beginning” of what will be experienced in heaven. When faced with this reality we realize that our imagination is limited, and that the splendor of the mystery of the Kingdom of God far surpasses what we are capable of seeing or perceiving it to be, the Pope observed. Questions that arise with realization are often “when will this final passage take place? What will the new dimension of the Church be like? What then will happen to humanity? And to the Creation that surrounds us?” he noted. Scripture tells us that although we do not know the day or time that the Lord will come again, we know that he is preparing a “new dwelling,” in which “the universe will be transformed and we will be fully enveloped by joy, peace and the love of God in the new heavenly Jerusalem,” the pontiff explained. Pope Francis then spoke of the beauty of the communion that exists between the heavenly and earthly Church, saying that the Church in heaven sustains and guides us through her intercession. The Kingdom of God, the pontiff explained, “is already inside of us, (but) we go forward journeying with God; Jesus and the Holy Spirit, who are the fullness (of the Kingdom).” As members of the pilgrim Church on earth, part of our mission entails praying for the souls in purgatory who are waiting to enter into eternal happiness, he continued. However, he noted that from the Christian perspective, distinction is not made “between who has died or who has not, but between who is with Christ and who is not; this is the fundamental and decisive element for our happiness.” The Bishop of Rome then referred to the writings of St. Paul, noting how the apostle tells us that at the end of time it will not only be humanity that is freed from corruption, but also the entirety of creation. “All things will be brought into the fullness of being, truth and beauty. This is God’s design for us and the Church’s vocation,” he said, explaining that paradise is not so much a place as it is a state of being. In this state, which is being prepared by for us by God, all of our hopes will be fulfilled and we will be freed from all evil, including death itself, the pontiff observed. “Although we (often) ignore the time in which the end of all creation will arrive, we know by Revelation that God is preparing for us a new earth, where justice will dwell and happiness will satisfy the desires of the human heart in a superabundant way,” he said. The Roman Pontiff concluded his address by asking for the intercession of Mary in helping us to be signs of hope for our brothers and sisters. He greeted pilgrims present from various countries around the world, including England, Kenya, Nigeria, Canada, the United States, Spain, Argentina and México. Read more
Ferguson, Mo., Nov 26, 2014 / 04:52 am (CNA/EWTN News).- Beneath the ongoing unrest in Ferguson, Missouri, are deep-rooted societal conflicts that are boiling over, say local leaders, and the Church has an opportunity to be at the forefront of reconcil... Read more
Olympia, Wash., Nov 26, 2014 / 02:27 am (CNA/EWTN News).- Washington state regulations cannot constitutionally require pharmacies and pharmacists to dispense abortion-causing contraceptives, said lawyers leading a legal challenge to the rules. &ldqu... Read more
Aboard the papal plane, Nov 26, 2014 / 12:08 am (CNA).- Pope Francis has said he aims to express the social doctrine of the Church, not the views of partisan political philosophies, suggesting it is reductionistic to say otherwise. “I don't know if the Pope is Social Democratic or not,” he told a French reporter during an in-flight conference Tuesday, who had mentioned the ideology popular among socialists in Europe. “I don't dare qualify myself on one side or another.” His comments came in response to a French reporter who asked if the Pope’s words before the European Parliament in Strasbourg, France Nov. 25 “could be heard as political words” which “could be compared to a Social-Democratic sentiment.” The reporter apparently referred to comments about the dangers of multi-national interests weakening the power of democratic nations for the sake of economic uniformity. “Can we say that you might be a Social-Democratic Pope?” the reporter asked. “This is a reductionism!” the Pope replied, joking that the question’s labeling “makes me feel like I’m part of an insect collection: 'This one is a social-democratic insect'." The Pope said he does not identify with any one side or label on such matters, pointing instead to “the message that comes from the Gospel, from which the social doctrine of the Church has been taken.” “In this concretely, and in other social or political things that I expressed, I have not detached myself from the social doctrine of the Church, no? And, the social doctrine of the Church comes from the Gospel and of the Christian tradition.” Pope Francis thanked he reporter for the question, saying “you made me laugh.” Read more
Strasbourg, France, Nov 25, 2014 / 05:05 pm (CNA/EWTN News).- Pope Francis said Tuesday that brotherhood and a spirit of mutual service are needed to overcome conflict, telling the Council of Europe that both the continent and Christianity have special... Read more
Select your answer to see how you score.
Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In