Vatican City, Sep 29, 2014 / 01:58 pm (CNA).- In an effort to show what Scripture tells us about “the beyond,” often obscured by a society that leans toward darkness, Fr. Mark Haydu has published a new book exploring the depiction of angels... Read more

Vatican City, Sep 29, 2014 / 10:43 am (CNA/EWTN News).- A former Vatican spokesman has written, against the backdrop of the house arrest of a former nuncio being investigated for abuse of minors, that the Church is the only international body acting effectively against pedophilia. In an op-ed published in the Italian daily “La Repubblica” Sept. 25, Joaquin Navarro-Valls commented on the house arrest in Vatican City of Jozef Wesolowski, the former apostolic nuncio to the Dominican Republic who was laicized earlier this year. He faces criminal charges under Vatican City's civil laws. The house arrest of Wesolowski “is a very important penal action,” stressed Navarro-Valls, who was head of the Holy See press office from 1984-2006. Navarro-Valls emphasized that “the Holy See was legally fit and morally ready” to handle such an “extreme and shameful crime” thanks to a “legal rigor the Church has been maintaining against pedophilia for 20 years, ever since abuses first came to light.” Navarro-Valls praised the norms put into effect by St. John Paul II, and stressed that the zero tolerance line against clerical sex abuses was carried forward by Benedict XVI, though “not everyone remembers this.” “Pope Francis’ decision must be rightly appreciated, but it is noteworthy that it is the logical and coherent consequence” of a modus operandi that stretches back to the time of his two immediate predecessors. Navarro-Valls then emphasized that “the Church is the only communitarian and institutional body” that is “effectively acting” in order to eradicate pedophilia “both in canonical and penal law terms” as well as “in cultural terms.” The former Vatican spokesman said that “the framework given by the data on pedophilia is not reassuring.” Navarro-Valls stressed that the FBI Law and Enforcement Bulletin showed that the sexual abuse of minors is one of the lesser-reported crimes – only between one and 10 percent of cases are brought into the light; and quoted CNN data affirming that five percent of the average population were sexually harassed as children. Navarro-Valls also noticed that “according to Diana Russell, 90 percent of sexual abuse is committed within the family, and is hidden by a conspiracy of silence,” and that “according to the US Department of Justice, the boy or the girl was son/daughter or close relative of the abuser in almost half the cases of sexual abuse of minors.” The issue of pedophilia, he said, is one of “asking who really faces this abuse, and with which cultural, legal, and penal tools it is possible to ascertain and punish the perpetrators.” In the end, he concluded, “the Church is the only communitarian and institutional body that is effectively acting to eradicate pedophilia.” Read more

Vatican City, Sep 29, 2014 / 06:31 am (CNA/EWTN News).- On Monday’s feast of the archangels Pope Francis spoke of the ongoing battle between the devil and mankind, encouraging attendees to pray to the angels, who have been charged to defend us. “He presents things as if they were good, but his intention is destruction. And the angels defend us,” the Roman Pontiff told those gathered for his Sept. 29 Mass in the Vatican’s Saint Martha residence chapel. The Bishop of Rome began by pointing to the day’s readings taken from Daniel 7 in which the prophet has a vision of God the Father on a throne of fire giving Christ dominion over the world, and Revelation 12, which recounts the battle in which Satan, as a large dragon, is cast out of heaven by St. Michael. Noting how these are strong images portraying “the great dragon, the ancient serpent” who “seduces all of inhabited earth,” the Pope also drew attention to Christ's words to Nathanael in the day’s Gospel from John when he tells him “You will see heaven opened and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of man.” All of these readings, he said, speak of “the struggle between God and the devil” which “takes place after Satan tries to destroy the woman who is about to give birth to a son.” “Satan always tries to destroy man: the man that Daniel saw there, in glory, and whom Jesus told Nathaniel would come in glory,” the Roman Pontiff observed, explaining that “from the beginning the Bible speaks to us of this: Satan's (use of) seduction to destroy.” Envy could be the devil’s motive, he said, pointing to how Psalm 8 tells us ‘You have made man superior to the angels.’ And that angel of great intelligence could not bear this humiliation; that a lower creature was made superior to him; and he tries to destroy it.” Pope Francis then noted how “So many projects, except for one's own sins, but many, many projects for mankind's dehumanization, are his work, simply because he hates mankind.” He continued by explaining that although the Bible tells us that the devil is astute and cunning in his attacks, we have the angels to defend us. “They defend mankind and defend the God-man, the superior man, Jesus Christ who is the perfection of humanity, the most perfect." “This is why the Church honors the angels, because they are the ones who will be in the glory of God – they are in the glory of God – because they defend the great hidden mystery of God – namely, that the Word was made flesh.” It is therefore the responsibility of the People of God “to safeguard man, the man Jesus,” the Pope went on, because “he is the man who gives life to all men.” However this is not easy because Satan has invented “humanistic explanations that go against man, against humanity and against God” in order to destroy us. “This struggle is a daily reality in Christian life, in our hearts, in our lives, in our families, in our people, in our churches,” the Pope went on, adding that “if we do not struggle, we will be defeated.” “But the Lord gave this task primarily to the angels: to do battle and win,” he said, drawing attention to the final song of Revelation which reads "now have salvation and power come, and the kingdom of our God and the power of his Anointed. For the accuser of our brothers is cast out, who accuses them before our God day and night.” Pope Francis concluded his homily by encouraging those present to pray to the Archangels Michael, Gabriel and Raphael, and to recite the prayer to Saint Michael often. We should do this “so he may continue to do battle and defend the greatest mystery of mankind: that the Word was made Man, died and rose again. This is our treasure. That he may battle on to safeguard it.” Read more

Vatican City, Sep 28, 2014 / 10:59 am (CNA/EWTN News).- Bishop Kieran Conry of the U.K. dioceses of Arundel and Brighton has announced his resignation after revealing he has been “unfaithful” to his “promises as a Catholic priest.” “I am sorry for the shame that I have brought on the diocese and the Church and I ask for your prayers and forgiveness,” he said in a brief statement, which has been read in all the Church's of the dioceses over the weekend. In the Sept. 27 announcement, the bishop wrote: “going back some years, I have been unfaithful to my promises as a Catholic priest.” “As a result, however, I have decided to offer my resignation as bishop with immediate effect and will now take some time to consider my future.” “I want to apologize first of all to the individuals hurt by my actions,” the statement read, “and then to all of those inside and outside the diocese who will be shocked, hurt and saddened to hear this.” The resignation announcement was made hours before The Daily Mail released a major article about an alleged affair between the bishop and a woman six years ago. The U.K. publication also alleges that the prelate was involved more recently with a married woman and mother of two children. Bishop Conry acknowledged to The Daily Mail this summer that the married woman had spent the night at his house twice, adding that she is not the only woman who has done so. However, he denied a sexual relationship with the woman. The woman’s husband recently filed for divorce and is considering legal action against the Church, according to his lawyer. According to the report, the bishop denied this more recent alleged affair as having anything to do his decision to step down. He said that resignation relates to the “relationship of six years ago,” later adding that it is “liberating” and “a relief” to have news of that affair become public after years of secrecy. He also denied that Church authorities had known about the affair. In the official statement, Bishop Conry offered assurance that his actions were not illegal and did not involve minors. “This is a sad and painful moment,” wrote President of the Bishops' Conference of England and Wales, Cardinal Vincent Nichols, in a brief statement following the announcement. “It makes clear that we are always a Church of sinners called to repentance and conversion and in need of God's mercy.” “All involved in this situation are much in my prayers today.” Ordained a priest in the Archdiocese of Birmingham in 1975, Bishop Conry was named Bishop of Arundel and Brighton on May 8, 2001. He was known for a liberal approach to numerous areas of Church teachings, including artificial contraception. Neither the Holy See press office nor the Vatican Congregation for Bishops had any response to the resignation announcement as of Monday evening in Rome. The Vatican has not yet posted news of Pope Francis accepting the resignation.**Updated Sept. 29, 2014 11:00 MST.   Read more

Vatican City, Sep 28, 2014 / 10:10 am (CNA/EWTN News).- Retired pontiff Benedict XVI joined some 50,000 pilgrims in Saint Peter's Square on Sunday, Sept. 28 for a meeting between Pope Francis and elderly people from around the world. Welcoming his predecessor, the Holy Father described Pope Benedict as the “grandfather of all grandfathers.” “I have said many times that it gives me great pleasure that he lives here in the Vatican, because it is like having a wise grandfather at home. Thank you!” Gathered together in front of Saint Peter's Basilica beneath the sunny September sky, pilgrims heard from a number of people who gave witness of their own experiences, interspersed with musical interludes which included performances by Andrea Bocelli. One of the motifs of the morning's events centered on an icon of the Presentation of Jesus in the Temple. This image, which stood beside the altar, depicted Mary and Joseph presenting the child Jesus to the elderly prophets, Simeon and Anna. This icon will also be present on the square next Sunday during the opening Mass for the Synod on the Family. Addressing the crowds, the Pope recalled the series of testimonies which had been given over the course of the morning, taking special note of those from the people of Erbil, Iraq, who had escaped violent persecution. “To all of these together we express a special 'thank you!'! It is very good that you have come here today: it is a gift for the Church.” Like violence against children, the Pope said, “violence against the elderly is inhuman.” “But God does not abandon you, and He is with you! With his help you are and continue to be the memory for your people; and also for us, the great family of the Church.” The Pope noted the faith of these elderly persons, comparing it to “trees which continue to bear fruit,” as they give witness even amid the “most difficult trials.” “And this is true even in the most ordinary of situations, where there might be other temptations, and other forms of discrimination.” “Old age, in particular, is a time of grace, in which the Lord renews us in his call: he calls us to protect and transmit the faith, he calls us to pray, especially to intercede; he calls us to be close to those in need.” The elderly and grandparents have the “the capacity to understand the most difficult situations,” he said, adding that their prayer “is strong” and “powerful!” To grandparents in particular, the Pope entrusted a “great task: to transmit life experience, the history of a family, of a community, of a people; to share wisdom with simplicity, and the same faith: the most precious legacy!” It is a blessing, when a family keeps its grandparents close. “The grandfather is twice father, and the grandmother is twice mother,” the Holy Father said. Recalling last Sunday's visit to Albania, where grandparents would baptize the children in secret, he said: “Well done! (These grandparents) were brave amid persecution and saved the faith in their country!” Pope Francis noted that not all elderly persons and grandparents have a family which can take care of them. Therefore, “we welcome houses for the elderly... so long as they are truly houses, and not prisons!”These homes should not be institutions where the elderly are “forgotten, hidden, or neglected.” The Holy Father expressed his closeness to those living in these institutions, and his gratitude for those who take care of them. These homes ought to be the “lungs” and “sanctuaries” of humanity, in which the old and weak are cared for. The Pope also recommended that young people, when they are “miserable and sad,” go and visit the elderly to “become joyful.” Pope Francis warned against the reality of the abandonment of the elderly, describing it as a “hidden euthanasia,” the effect of a “culture which discards” human beings: children, unemployed youth, and elderly persons are discarded on the pretense of maintaining a system of economic “balance”. The center of this culture is no longer “the human person,” but “money.” “We are all called to counter this poisonous culture of waste,” the Pope said. All Christians and “men of good will” are called to create a society that, in contrast, is “more welcoming, more human, more inclusive,” one which “does not need to discard” those who are physically or mentally weak, those who are old: “a society which measures its success” according to according to the care given to these persons. A people which does not care for its grandparents, Pope Francis said, jeopardizes its future by doing away with its memory, as well as its roots. He warned: “You have the responsibility of keeping these roots alive in yourselves” through prayer, the Gospel, and works of mercy. In this way, we are like “living trees,” which will continue to bear fruit even in old age. Read more

Vatican City, Sep 28, 2014 / 09:27 am (CNA/EWTN News).- There is no future without the encounter between generations, Pope Francis said –  addressing the tens of thousands of grandparents and elderly men and women gathered for Mass in Saint Peter's Square. The Sept. 28 Mass followed an international encounter with the Holy Father and the elderly earlier in the morning.   Pope Francis opened his homily with a reflection on the Gospel reading in which Mary was greeted by her cousin Elizabeth, describing the passage as ”the encounter between young and old, an encounter full of joy, full of faith, and full of hope.” In the scene, Mary is very young, while “Elizabeth is elderly, yet God’s mercy was manifested in her and for six months now, with her husband Zechariah, she has been expecting a child.” Here, the Pope said, “Mary shows us the way: she set out to visit her elderly kinswoman, to stay with her, to help her, of course, but also and above all to learn from her – an elderly person – a wisdom of life.” Turning to the first reading, the Holy Father reflected on the commandment to "Honour your father and your mother, so that your days may be long in the land that the Lord your God is giving you." (Ex. 20:12). “A people has no future without such an encounter between generations,” he said, “without children being able to accept with gratitude the witness of life from the hands of their parents.” This gratitude on the part of children to those who “gave you life is also gratitude for our heavenly Father.” Acknowledging how young people, “for complex historical and cultural reasons,” at times feel the need to break free “from the legacy of the older generation” in a “kind of adolescent rebellion,” the Pope called for “a new and fruitful intergenerational equilibrium” to be restored. Otherwise, the result is “a serious impoverishment for everyone,” and a society in which prevails a “false freedom, which almost always becomes a form of authoritarianism.” Pope Francis turned his reflection to the letter of Paul to Timothy, stressing that “Jesus did not abolish the law of the family and the passing of generations, but brought it to fulfillment.” Rather, he “formed a new family, in which bonds of kinship are less important than our relationship with him and our doing the will of God the Father.” At the same time, it is “the love of Jesus and the Father” which “completes and fulfills” the love and respect for the rest of the family,” renewing “family relationships with the lymph of the Gospel and of the Holy Spirit.” Like the head of the community who, in the reading, is compelled to show respect for the elderly and other family members, so to the Virgin Mary, “though she became the mother of the Messiah, felt herself driven by the love of God taking flesh within her to hasten to her elderly relative.” “The wisdom of Elizabeth and Zechariah,” he continued, “enriched her young spirit.” Although they were not expert parents, they were nonetheless “experts in faith, experts in God, experts in the hope that comes from him: and this is what the world needs in every age. Mary was able to listen to those elderly and amazed parents; she treasured their wisdom, and it proved precious for her in her journey as a woman, as a wife and as a mother.” In turn, the Pope continued, “the Virgin Mary likewise shows us the way: the way of encounter between the young and the elderly.” “The future of a people necessarily supposes this encounter: the young give the strength which enable a people to move forward, while the elderly consolidate this strength by their memory and their traditional wisdom.” At the conclusion of the Mass and just before the final blessing, Pope Francis offered some brief reflections ahead of the recitation of the Angelus prayer. Recalling Saturday's beatification of  Opus Dei prelate, Álvaro del Portillo in Madrid, Pope Francis reflected on the new Blessed's “exemplary Christian and priestly witness,” which can “arouse in many the desire to adhere always more to Jesus and to the Gospel.” The Pope also noted that next Sunday marks the opening Mass for the Synod on the family, and invited everyone to pray to Mary Salus Populi Romani for this event. He asked that the faithful also pray for Cardinal Lorenzo Baldisseri, Secretary General of the Synod of Bishops, as he prepares for this event. Finally, before the leading the Angelus prayer in Latin, Pope Francis invoked Mary's protection for “the elderly of the entire world, especially for those who live in situations of great difficulty.” Read more