Vatican City, Sep 9, 2014 / 05:04 pm (CNA/EWTN News).- Pope Francis has offered prayerful condolences to the family of Steven Sotloff, a U.S. journalist who was executed earlier this month by militants of the Islamic State. “(Pope Francis) entrusts Steven’s soul to the Lord and offers prayers for you and all who mourn his death,” Cardinal Pietro Parolin, Vatican Secretary of State, said in a telegram sent Sept. 5 to the journalist’s family on the Pope's behalf. “Upon you and your loved ones, he invokes the Almighty's blessings of consolation and strength.” Sotloff, 31, disappeared in August 2013 during a trip to Syria. The freelance journalist had worked for the magazines Time and Foreign Policy. On Sept. 2 the Islamic State released a video showing his beheading; Sotloff’s family held a memorial service for him at a Florida synagogue Sept. 5. Cardinal Parolin said that Pope Francis “urges people everywhere to reject violence, aggression and lack of compassion, and asks each one to pray and work for forgiveness, healing and peace.” Sotloff was seen for the first time since his disappearance in the execution video of James Foley, a U.S. journalist killed by Islamic State forces in August. Pope Francis called Foley’s family soon after that video’s release. The Islamic State said the executions are retaliation for U.S. airstrikes. The militant group has also threatened to kill a British man being held hostage. The Islamic State, a Sunni Islamist group, emerged earlier this year as one of the rebel groups fighting in the Syrian civil war. This spring it spread its operations to Iraq, taking control of Mosul and swaths of territory in the country's north and west. It has now established a caliphate in the territory it controls across Iraq and Syria. The Islamic State has persecuted all non-Sunni persons in its territory: tens of thousands of Christians, Yazidis, and Shia Muslims have all fled the caliphate.   Read more

Vatican City, Sep 9, 2014 / 01:14 pm (CNA/EWTN News).- In a recent meeting with Pope Francis, former Israeli president Shimon Peres suggested forming an “Organization of United Relations” to counter those who use religion for terroristic aims. Peres, who stepped down as president of Israel in July, met with Pope Francis for 45 minutes and suggested that the Pope guide his proposed international organization. The former president was one of the main characters of the invocation for peace in the Middle East held in the Vatican Gardens June 8, and Pope Francis holds him in great esteem. Though Peres is no longer Israeli president, Pope Francis referred to him during the Gaza crisis, reportedly phoning him. Peres’ trip to Rome shows his desire to remain a player in the Middle East peace process. In an interview granted to the Italian weekly “Famiglia Cristiana” on the eve of his visit to Pope Francis, Peres stressed that the “United Nations are now out of time. We now need an Organization of United Religions.” According to Peres, this organization would be “the best way to contrast with terrorists who kill in the name of their faith.” Pope Francis listened to Peres’ proposal “with attention, though he has not made any personal commitment,” Fr. Federico Lombardi, director of the Holy See press office, told journalists. Peres also maintained that “as there is a United Nations charter, a Charter of United Religions should be drafted” in order to “state in the name of all faiths that slaughtering people, and committing mass killings, has nothing to do with religion.” According to Fr. Lombardi, Pope Francis told Peres “there are Holy See branches” working in these fields, including the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace and that for interreligious dialogue, and he referred him to them. The Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue issued a strongly-worded declaration in August, following the expansion of the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS), calling on all religious leaders, those of Islam in particular, to address and condemn the caliphate’s acts of terror. The week before the Pope Francis’ trip to Jordan and Israel, Cardinal Tauran, president of the pontifical council, visited Jordan and issued a common document of solidarity together with Prince El Hassan bin Talal, founder of the Jordan Royal Institute for Interfaith Studies. Bin Talal traveled to Rome Sept. 4, and met with Pope Francis after Peres. During their 30-minute meeting, bin Talal presented the center’s activities to the Pope, putting an emphasis on the common ground of the Golden Rule and showing Jordan’s efforts in building peace in the region. Fr. Lombardi stated that the Jordanian prince also showed the Pope the possibilities of collaboration in activities of solidarity in a globalized world. In September, Prince Ghazi bin Muhammad, brother of bin Talal, sponsored a summit of Christian leaders in the Middle East convoked by King Abdullah II to address the widespread emergencies facing Christians in the region; Jordan is widely seen as a protector of Christians in the area. Abdullah and bin Muhammad met with Pope Francis April 7 to indicate Jordan’s full support for his visit to the Holy Land. It is likely that the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue continue this particular dialogue with Jordan, while the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace will be charged with preparing a dossier on an “Organization of United Religions.” The Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace has voiced several times in recent years, in speeches and documents, their concern for the crisis of the United Nations and the need to reform the organization. The talks between Peres and the Vatican may tend toward this particular issue. Peres' proposal is not, however, unprecedented. There have been several attempts to create a global dialogue of faiths, most of them referring to the meetings of the “Parliament of the World’s Religions.” The first of these meetings took place in Chicago in 1893, under the name of World’s Parliament of Religions. The centenary of their first meeting was celebrated in 1993 in Chicago. The tone of the meeting was set by a document, “Towards a Global Ethic: an Initial Declaration,” mainly drafted by the controversial theologian Hans Kung. The next meeting of the “Parliament of the World’s Religions” will take place in the United States in 2015.   Read more

Vatican City, Sep 9, 2014 / 10:04 am (CNA/EWTN News).- In his homily at Tuesday's Mass, Pope Francis spoke about the love of Christ for his Church, noting how in the Gospel he prayed for his disciples, chose them personally, and remained close to each. “These are things of love! Love does not consider whether someone has an ugly face or a beautiful face: it loves! And Jesus does the same: He loves and chooses with love. He chooses all,” the Pope voiced to attendees of his Sept. 9 Mass. In God’s book, “no one is ‘important’ – in inverted commas – according to the criteria of the world: it is the common people.” Taking his cue from the day’s Gospel, from Luke, which recounts Christ's choosing of the Twelve Apostles, the Roman Pontiff explained that a major theme evident is prayer, because Christ “spent the night in prayer to God” before naming them. “It seems a little strange that he who came to give us salvation, who has the power, prays to the Father;" however, “Jesus is the great intercessor.” “He stands before the Father in this moment, praying for us. And this should give us courage! Because in moments of difficulty or of need…he is praying.” Explaining how Christ's work today consists in praying for the members of his Church, the Roman Pontiff noted that we often forget about this. But “this is our strength: to be able to say to the Father, ‘But if you, Father, will not consider us, consider your Son who prays for us.’” The Pope went on to recount how after Christ prays in the Gospel, he goes on to choose the Twelve from among all of his disciples. This shows clearly that “it was not you who chose Me; I chose you!” he quoted, noting that “this second moment gives us courage: ‘I am chosen, I am chosen by the Lord! On the day of Baptism he chose me.” Christ chooses all, regardless of how we look or our status in life, the Bishop of Rome observed, saying that a key characteristic of everyone called by him is that “they are sinners. Jesus has chosen sinners. He chooses sinners.” “And this is the accusation made by the doctors of the law, the scribes: ‘This man goes to eat with sinners, he talks to prostitutes…’ Jesus calls everyone!” Bringing to mind the parable of the wedding of the son, the Roman Pontiff recounted how when none of the invited guests showed up, “what did the master of the house do? The Gospel says he told his servants: ‘Go out and bring everyone to the house, good and bad.’ Jesus has chosen everyone.” He then drew attention to the final part of the Gospel, in which large crowds came to Christ in order to hear him preach and to be healed. Christ, the Pope observed, is “near to the people.” “He is not a professor, a teacher, a mystic who is far from the people and speaks from the professor’s chair. No! He is in the midst of the people, he lets them touch him, he lets them ask of him. That’s Jesus: close to the people.” Pope Francis went on to describe how this nearness was nothing new for Christ, explaining that he emphasized it “in his way of acting, but it is something that comes out of God’s first choice of his people.” “God says to his people, ‘Consider: What people have a God as close as I am to you?’ God’s closeness to his people is the closeness of Jesus amid the crowds.” The Roman Pontiff concluded his reflections by emphasizing how the Lord is “one who prays, one who chooses the people, and one who is not ashamed to be close to the people. And this gives us confidence in him. Let us trust in him because he prays, because he has chosen us, and because he is close to us.” Read more

Vatican City, Sep 9, 2014 / 08:54 am (CNA/EWTN News).- As Cardinal Sean Brady resigns at the customary age of 75, newly appointed Archbishop of Armagh and Primate of Ireland Eamon Martin says he is looking forward to shepherding his new flock. “I genuinely feel honored to assume the role of 'Shepherd' in the Archdiocese of Armagh. I look forward to serving the people of sixty-one parishes in the counties of Armagh, Derry, Louth and Tyrone,” Archbishop Martin said in a Sept. 8 statement announcing his appointment. “I feel humbled to be following in the footsteps of St Patrick, and like him, I pray for God’s strength to pilot me, God’s wisdom to guide me, God’s shield to protect me.” Named a coadjutor of the Armagh archdiocese in January 2013, Archbishop Martin took up his role as head of the Church in Ireland on Sept. 8. “Over the past 16 months I have been encouraged and inspired by the enthusiasm of our young people and the dedication of our teachers, the commitment and pastoral care given by our priests and religious, and the willingness of so many people to become actively involved in the life of their parishes and diocese,” he said. Born in Derry in 1961, Archbishop Martin was ordained a priest for the diocese June 28, 1987, after which he served as assistant pastor at the cathedral of the diocese of Derry until 1989. He then taught at St Columb's College in Derry until 1998. He has also served as Secretary-General of the Irish Episcopal Conference, Vicar General of the Diocese of Derry and as diocesan administrator from November 2011 until January 2013 upon the resignation of Bishop Séamus Hegarty. The archbishop has also held the position as a director of the National Board for Safeguarding Children in the Catholic Church, which was established following the revelation of the clerical abuse crisis in the Church in Ireland. In his remarks on Monday, he said he hopes to put a “fresh heart” into the renewal of the Irish Church, and expressed his readiness to collaborate with the laypeople, priests and religious of the diocese. “I pray that my heart can be more like the Heart of Jesus, burning with love for everyone,” he said, explaining that “Not far from all of us today are people who feel isolated or lonely; people whose hearts are heavy with worry, illness or anxiety,” Perhaps there is also someone “whose heart is broken by grief or loss; a man or woman whose heart has grown colder because of some cruelty or emptiness in their lives – past or present,” the archbishop continued. “Every day, then, as long as this today lasts, let us keep encouraging one another with the love and compassion of Christ.” Archbishop Martin then pointed out that while there can be no doubt that numerous challenges will come, “I look forward with trust and hope in God to sharing with others the ‘Joy of the Gospel.’ Please pray for me.” Archbishop Martin succeeds Cardinal Sean Brady whose resignation at the age of 75 was recently accepted by Pope Francis. He is a native of the diocese of Laragh in Co Cavan, and has served as leader of the diocese since 1995. The cardinal faced criticism during his tenure to his personal role in documenting a case of pedophilia in 1975 in which the victims were sworn to confidentiality. In a statement Monday, Cardinal Brady congratulated Archbishop Martin for his new role, and encouraged all to “rejoice and be glad” at receiving him as their new shepherd. “I am pleased that Pope Francis has today accepted the resignation which I offered to him on the occasion of my seventy fifth birthday,” Cardinal Brady said. “I pray that God may give to Archbishop Eamon in abundance all the graces he needs and I assure him of my help and total support at all times.” Going on, the cardinal voiced that he is “quite confident that the people of the Archdiocese – priests, religious and lay faithful – will give to their new Archbishop the same whole-hearted support and faith-filled loyalty which they have always given to me and for which I will be eternally grateful.” Archbishop Martin also offered his personal greetings to the leaders and members of other Christian Churches and faith traditions. “I hope that, as Cardinal Sean did before me, I can share their friendship and their passion for the Gospel of Christ,” he said. “I also send my good wishes to people of other faiths and traditions, and to civic and political leaders throughout the diocese, assuring them of my respect and cooperation with them in serving the common good.” His Mass of installation will take place at St. Patrick’s Cathedral in Armagh at 7.30 p.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 7, the Feast of the Holy Rosary. Read more

Vatican City, Sep 9, 2014 / 03:10 am (CNA/EWTN News).- Five members of the College of Cardinals have joint-authored a book defending Church doctrine regarding divorced and remarried Catholics, affirming that it is the most merciful approach. Set to be published in English this October, the book is entitled “Remaining in the Truth of Christ: Marriage and Communion in the Catholic Church.” It offers a response to Cardinal Walter Kasper's call for the Church to open its doors to allow divorced and remarried Catholics to receive the Eucharist. According to publisher Ignatius Press, the book will outline both biblical arguments in support of current Church doctrine as well as the teachings and practices of the early Church. In their online summary, Ignatius Press explains that the book “traces the centuries-long history of Catholic resistance” to the reception of communion by divorced and re-married Catholics, and reveals “serious theological and canonical difficulties inherent in past and current Orthodox Church practice.” “In neither of these cases, biblical or patristic, do these scholars find support for the kind of ‘toleration’ of civil marriages following divorce advocated by Cardinal Kasper,” they observed. During a two-hour address to a consistory on the family in February, Cardinal Kasper, president emeritus of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity, discussed marriage and family life, devoting the last section of his speech to “the problem of the divorced and remarried.” In that portion he asked, “is it not perhaps an exploitation of the person” when a person who has been divorced and remarried is excluded from receiving Communion, and suggests that for “the smaller segment of the divorced and remarried,” perhaps they could be admitted to “the sacrament of penance, and then of Communion.” He echoed the same sentiments in a May interview with Commonweal, during which he discussed his proposal that divorced and remarried persons might receive Communion, suggesting that Christians aren't called to be heroic when he said that living together as brother and sister is “a heroic act, and heroism is not for the average Christian.” Referring to the conclusion drawn by the cardinals, Ignatius Press explained that the various studies examined in the book “lead to the conclusion that the Church's longstanding fidelity to the truth of marriage constitutes the irrevocable foundation of its merciful and loving response to the individual who is civilly divorced and remarried.” “The book therefore challenges the premise that traditional Catholic doctrine and contemporary pastoral practice are in contradiction.” The five cardinals authoring the book are Cardinal Gerhard Müller, prefect of the Doctrine of the Faith; Raymond Leo Burke, prefect of the Apostolic Signatura; Walter Brandmüller, president emeritus of the Pontifical Committee of Historical Sciences; Carlo Caffarra, archbishop of Bologna and one of the closest theologians to St. John Paul II in questions of morality and the family; and Velasio De Paolis, president emeritus of the Prefecture for Economic Affairs of the Holy See. In addition to the cardinals, four expert theologians and professors have also made contributions to the book. They are Robert Dodaro, O.S.A., the editor,  John Rist and Jesuits Paul Mankowski and Archbishop Cyril Vasil. Read more

Vatican City, Sep 9, 2014 / 02:35 am (CNA/EWTN News).- Pope Francis may visit Turkey Nov. 29-30, strengthening the links with the Orthodox Church’s Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I and advancing their common commitment to ecumenism, peace and e... Read more

Vatican City, Sep 9, 2014 / 12:27 am (CNA/EWTN News).- Papal blessing certificates, often bought to mark weddings and first Communions, will soon only be available for purchase directly from the Vatican where the funds will be allocated to charity. ... Read more