Vatican City, Sep 30, 2014 / 12:09 pm (CNA/EWTN News).- The Holy See has rejected the United Nations' Committee on the Rights of the Child's call for changes to canon law, and has formally criticized the group for a “grave misunderstanding” of the Holy See's sovereignty. In a response released Sept. 26, the Holy See delivered its comments on the Concluding Observations of the Committee on the Rights of Child. In January, the Committee had discussed the written report on the Convention on the Rights of the Child submitted by the Holy See as one of the states that had signed the convention. After a hearing held Jan. 16, the UN committee issued a report to which the Holy See responded in its Sept. 26 statement. The Holy See maintained that its treaty obligations under the Convention on the Rights of the Child apply to Vatican City State, and that its obligations do not touch on its relation with dioceses and religious orders throughout the world. “The Holy See, in accordance with the rules of international law, is aware that attempting to implement the CRC in the territory of other states could constitute a violation of the principle of noninterference in the internal affairs of States,” the response read. The response also underscored that “the Holy See does not ratify a treaty on behalf of every Catholic in the world, and therefore, does not have obligations to implement the convention within the territories of other states parties on behalf of Catholics.” The Holy See also criticized the fact that “the treaty body has plunged into canon law, which is a juridical system, however, not equivalent to that of States.” The committee's observations were published Feb. 7, and seemed meant to pressure the Church to change its teaching on human sexuality. For instance, the committee wrote with “regret that the Holy See continues to place emphasis on the promotion of complementarity and equality in dignity” of men and women; asked “the Holy See to review its position on abortion … identifying circumstances under which access to abortion services can be permitted;” urged the Holy See to “remove gender stereotypes from Catholic school textbooks … which may limit the development of the talents and abilities of boys and girls and undermine their educational and life opportunities.” The committee also expressed “concern about the Holy See's past statements and declarations on homosexuality which contribute to the social stigmatization of and violence against lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender adolescents and children raised by same sex couples.” The Holy See said that all of these pressures are beyond the text of the convention, and noted that it is “concerned about a lack of respect for the text of a treaty, which has been carefully drafted by States Parties, including the Holy See itself.” According to the Holy See, the committee has put into action “a clear and open violation” of the ordinary meaning of the terms of the convention when the concluding observations “advocate for abortion.” The response also addressed the committee’s promotion of “diverse forms of family” as a matter of principle, while “this expression is not found in the Convention nor it is defined.” Nor is the word “gender” contained in the text of the convention, and it is “apparently employed to incorporate a larger ideological platform,” the Holy See noted. The Holy See finally underscored that many of the recommendations “may also be viewed through the prism of religious freedom, in particular regard to the autonomy of religious communities to express their doctrine, manifest their faith and worship.” The response delivered Sept. 26 insisted that the understanding and documentation provided by the Holy See had been biased by the committee, and that the “concluding observations include inaccurate statements that have no evidentiary foundation,” while “many materials presented by the Holy See, especially regarding child protection, were dismissed and ignored.” Read more

Vatican City, Sep 30, 2014 / 09:13 am (CNA/EWTN News).- In his homily on Tuesday Pope Francis said complaining to God in times of suffering can be a prayer, but cautioned not to exaggerate our difficulties in front of those undergoing major tragedies. “Our life is too easy, our complaints are overdramatized,” the pontiff told those in the Vatican’s Saint Martha house in his Sept. 30 daily Mass. “Faced with the complaints of so many people, of so many brothers and sisters who are in the dark, who have almost lost all memory, almost lost all hope – who are experiencing this exile from themselves, who are exiled, even from themselves, (our complaints are) nothing!” The Holy Father noted how Job's prayer in the first reading seems to be a curse after having lost everything, and “his body had become a plague, a disgusting plague.” “He had lost all patience and he says these things. They are ugly! But he was always accustomed to speak the truth and this is the truth that he feels at that moment,” the pontiff said, noting how the prophet Jeremiah also cursed the day in which he was born. “But is this man blaspheming? This is my question: Is this man who is so very alone, blaspheming? Is it blasphemy when Jesus complains – 'Father, why have You forsaken me?’ This is the mystery.” Pope Francis then said he has listened to many “who are experiencing difficult and painful situations, who have lost a great deal or feel lonely and abandoned and they come to complain and ask these questions: Why? Why?” When he encounters these people, who often rebel against God, Pope Francis said he tells them: “Continue to pray just like this, because this is a prayer. It was a prayer when Jesus said to his father: 'Why have You forsaken me!'" Prayer means being truthful before God, he said, adding that we should all “pray with reality” because “true prayer comes from the heart, from the moment that we are living in.” The pope observed how many are in the same situation as Job who “do not understand what has happened to them, or why”, and there are “many brothers and sisters who have no hope.” “Just think of the tragedies, the great tragedies, for example, of these brothers and sisters of ours who because they are Christians were driven out of their homes and left with nothing: ‘But, Lord, I have believed in you. Why? Is believing in you a curse, Lord?’” Pope Francis also drew attention to the elderly, the sick and the many lonely people in hospitals, assuring that the Church constantly offers prayers all who walk in darkness. “The Church prays! She takes this pain upon herself and prays,” he said. There are even some who are angry with God who refuse to go to Mass over some trifling complaint with the Lord, the pope noted.  Pope Francis compared these difficulties in prayer to those had by Saint Therese of Lisieux, who celebrates her feast day on Oct. 1. Sick with tuberculosis at the end of her life, the saint struggled to keep her thoughts on God despite serious doubts that emerged in her heart.  “We all go through this situation, we experience this situation. There are so many people who think it all ends in nothing. Yet Saint Therese prayed and asked for strength to persevere in the dark. This is called entering into patience.” Bringing to mind the many who have lost everything or live in exile, the Pope explained that “Jesus walked this path: from sunset on the Mount of Olives to the last word from the Cross: 'Father, why have you forsaken me!” Pope Francis concluded his homily by giving two suggestions which can help us in moments of darkness, the first being “to prepare ourselves for when the darkness comes.” Secondly, we should “Pray, pray as the Church prays; pray with the Church for so many brothers and sisters who suffer exile from themselves, who are in darkness and suffering, without hope at hand.” This, he said, “is the prayer of the Church for these Suffering Jesus’ who are everywhere.” Read more

Vatican City, Sep 30, 2014 / 05:00 am (CNA/EWTN News).- The schedule of liturgical celebrations over which Pope Francis will preside in October is mainly booked with events surrounding the synod of bishops, which culminates with the beatification of Po... Read more

Vatican City, Sep 30, 2014 / 02:04 am (CNA/EWTN News).- The first woman ever to be appointed a member of a Vatican congregation explains that “women still have much to give to the Church with their personal charisma.” Sr. Luzia Premoli, superior general of the Combonian Missionary Sisters, was appointed a member of the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples on Sept. 13, and spoke recently to CNA. “The appointment took me by surprise, I did not expect it … but I was also joyful, because the appointment is a concretization of Pope Francis’ wish for more women in high ranking positions in the Catholic Church,” Sr. Premoli said. She added that her appointment “shows Pope Francis’ commitment” to having more women as decision-makers in the ranks of the Church. While women served in the Vatican already, as consultants or even under-secretaries and members of pontifical councils, there had never been a woman appointed as a member of a congregation, the higher ranking departments of the Roman curia. A native of Brazil and a Comboni sister from the age of 23, Sr. Premoli spent eight years as a missionary in Mozambique, and another eight in Brazil, where she was appointed provincial. She was elected superior general of her order in 2010. “Our charism is that of evangelizing peoples who have still not received the Gospel, and to help local Churches to be missionaries in their local environment and at the same time to be open to all the missionary challenges in the world,” Sr. Premoli said. Asked what she remembered most about her missionary experience, Sr. Premoli spoke of her time in Mozambique. “I was there in 1989, it was the time of a civil war, and I noticed that people evaluated every little thing they had: a piece of soap, a dress … after four years, I went back to Brazil on a vacation, and I felt just like I was going to another world, where things were wasted, and there was a love for unnecessary things.” She added that her experience “was a lesson to live a more sober life, to be able to evaluate everything we have.” During her experience as a missionary, she was also impressed by the fact that “in the midst of tragedies, women always carried their children on their shoulders, and that children were quiet and calm, as though the mother’s touch let them feel protected.” Motherhood is the contribution women can give to Church’s life, according to Sr. Premoli. “The Church is called 'mother', and a mother must bear the announce ment of this full and joyful life Jesus had given us.” She underscored that “although the Church has given an organization with almost exclusively men in the top ranks, the communities are full of women that give their personal contribution to the life of the Church.” The biggest contribution women can give to Church’s life is “the way women gaze at things, and their being heartfelt. Women have this peculiar passion, which probably come from their being capable of maternity,” explained Sr. Premoli. Sr. Premoli explained that “missionaries are needed everywhere, since mission can no longer be circumscribed to geographical areas. There is a mission within cities, there is a mission in different countries.” Read more

Vatican City, Sep 30, 2014 / 02:04 am (CNA/EWTN News).- The first woman ever to be appointed a member of a Vatican congregation explains that “women still have much to give to the Church with their personal charisma.” Sr. Luzia Premoli, superior general of the Combonian Missionary Sisters, was appointed a member of the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples on Sept. 13, and spoke recently to CNA. “The appointment took me by surprise, I did not expect it … but I was also joyful, because the appointment is a concretization of Pope Francis’ wish for more women in high ranking positions in the Catholic Church,” Sr. Premoli said. She added that her appointment “shows Pope Francis’ commitment” to having more women as decision-makers in the ranks of the Church. While women served in the Vatican already, as consultants or even under-secretaries and members of pontifical councils, there had never been a woman appointed as a member of a congregation, the higher ranking departments of the Roman curia. A native of Brazil and a Comboni sister from the age of 23, Sr. Premoli spent eight years as a missionary in Mozambique, and another eight in Brazil, where she was appointed provincial. She was elected superior general of her order in 2010. “Our charism is that of evangelizing peoples who have still not received the Gospel, and to help local Churches to be missionaries in their local environment and at the same time to be open to all the missionary challenges in the world,” Sr. Premoli said. Asked what she remembered most about her missionary experience, Sr. Premoli spoke of her time in Mozambique. “I was there in 1989, it was the time of a civil war, and I noticed that people evaluated every little thing they had: a piece of soap, a dress … after four years, I went back to Brazil on a vacation, and I felt just like I was going to another world, where things were wasted, and there was a love for unnecessary things.” She added that her experience “was a lesson to live a more sober life, to be able to evaluate everything we have.” During her experience as a missionary, she was also impressed by the fact that “in the midst of tragedies, women always carried their children on their shoulders, and that children were quiet and calm, as though the mother’s touch let them feel protected.” Motherhood is the contribution women can give to Church’s life, according to Sr. Premoli. “The Church is called 'mother', and a mother must bear the announce ment of this full and joyful life Jesus had given us.” She underscored that “although the Church has given an organization with almost exclusively men in the top ranks, the communities are full of women that give their personal contribution to the life of the Church.” The biggest contribution women can give to Church’s life is “the way women gaze at things, and their being heartfelt. Women have this peculiar passion, which probably come from their being capable of maternity,” explained Sr. Premoli. Sr. Premoli explained that “missionaries are needed everywhere, since mission can no longer be circumscribed to geographical areas. There is a mission within cities, there is a mission in different countries.” Read more

Vatican City, Sep 29, 2014 / 04:02 pm (CNA/EWTN News).- World Communications Day 2015 will focus on the theme “Communicating the Family: A Privileged Place of Encounter with the Gift of Love,” the Vatican announced Monday. According to the Sept. 29 release, the theme is in continuity with 2014's message, “Communication at the service of an authentic culture of encounter”, as well as with the theme of the forthcoming Synods on the Family. The Extraordinary Synod on the Family will begin within days, running Oct. 5-19. It serves as a precursor to the General Synod on the Family, as well as the World Meeting of Families in Philadelphia, both set to take place in 2015. “The daily news shows us the difficulties facing the family today,” the announcement reads. “Often, cultural changes do not help us appreciate how much the family is a good for society.” World Communications Day 2015 will take place May 17, and will reflect the task of telling those who “are perhaps wounded and disillusioned that love between a man and a woman is a good thing,” of letting “children know they are a most precious gift,” and of helping the “wounded and disappointed … rediscover the beauty of love”. “How can we show that the family is the privileged place where we experience the beauty of life, the joy and the gift of love, the consolation of forgiveness offered and received, and the encounter with the other?” The statement adds that the Church must relearn “how to show that the family is a great gift, something good and beautiful.” “It is an exciting task because it moves people to look at the true reality of the human person, and it opens the doors to the future, that is, to life.” In a Sept. 12 interview with CNA, Fr. John Wauck, a professor of the Institutional Church Communications faculty at the Pontifical University of the Holy Cross, spoke about the unique challenge of communicating under the pontificate of Pope Francis, especially in light of the upcoming Synod on the Family. “I think the novelty of Pope Francis, simply the novelty of his pontificate, but also his new way of communicating, is a challenge for journalists because they have to be careful about interpreting what the Pope is trying to say; and I think it is clear that the Pope is trying to provoke questions, raising new questions, opening questions for debate and he wants to see a lively discussion,” he said. “The responsible journalist,” he said, “is one who tries to see all of the things that are being said and not favoring one or another, we are giving a balanced perspective and all the ideas that are in play around … the Synod on the Family.” World Communications Day takes place each year on the Sunday before Pentecost. The Pope traditionally releases a message for the day on Jan. 24, observing the feast of St. Francis de Sales, patron saint of writers, journalists, and the Catholic press. Read more