Edinburgh, Scotland, Sep 4, 2014 / 04:04 am (CNA/EWTN News).- Multiple Scottish bishops have appealed to Catholics to vote in the Sept. 18 referendum which will decide whether or not Scotland will become independent of the United Kingdom. “Alo... Read more
Vatican City, Sep 4, 2014 / 02:01 am (CNA/EWTN News).- Benedict XVI met in a private audience with two leaders involved in promoting the Traditional Latin Mass, or the extraordinary form of the Roman rite, on Monday afternoon. Benedict met Sept. 1 with Cosimo Marti, co-founder of the Switzerland-based Juventutem International Federation, and Joseph Capoccia, director of the annual “Populus Summorum Pontificum” pilgrimage to Rome, the Italian newspaper La Stampa reported. Both groups are involved in promoting the Traditional Latin Mass under Benedict's 2007 motu proprio “Summorum Pontificum”, which liberalized the celebration of the Traditional Latin Mass. Archbishop Georg Ganswein, Benedict’s personal secretary, in a July letter invited Marti to an audience with the emeritus Pope. The archbishop’s letter came in response to a letter that Marti sent before Benedict’s February 2013 resignation, requesting an audience. The Juvenile International Federation is a network of associations of youth who support the Traditional Latin Mass; it has had a presence in Rome for 10 years. Marti chose Cappocia to join him at the audience, which was held at Benedict's personal residence in Mater Ecclesiae. Cappocia is general delegate of the International Union Summorum Pontificum. Since 2012, his organization has organized an international pilgrimage to give thanks for Benedict's motu proprio regarding the extraordinary form and to show their desire to take part in the new evangelization. The next pilgrimage will be held in late October, and will include an Oct. 24 Mass said by Cardinal George Pell, prefect of the Secretariat for the Economy, in Rome’s Santissima Trinita dei Pellegrini parish. Read more
Jerusalem, Israel, Sep 4, 2014 / 12:03 am (CNA/EWTN News).- Spiritual preparations for the Nativity of Mary blending culture and faith are underway in the Holy Land, where the Indian Chaplaincy serves emigrants from Goa and elsewhere in India. “A grandiose celebration of the Nativity of Virgin Mary, called the ‘Monti Fest’ by the Konkani speaking group, is being organized by the Indian Chaplaincy in Holy Land with traditional gaiety and religious fervor,” said Fr. Tojy Jose, O.F.M., head of the Indian Chaplaincy in Holy Land, to CNA Sept. 2. Konkani is the official language of the Indian state of Goa, which was long a Portuguese colony, and has an unusually high concentration of Christians for the nation – 27 percent. In Goa, the feast of Mary's Nativity is an major family celebration, serving as a thanksgiving festival blessing the harvest of new crops, observed with a festive lunch centered on the blessed grain of the harvest. Mary is the protector and patroness of the Indian Chaplaincy in the Holy Land, and the feast of her birth is expected to draw more than 2,500 Konkani-speaking migrant workers from Jaffa, Tel Aviv, and Jerusalem, as well as pilgrims from around the world. “The celebration of the birth of Blessed Virgin Mary has a special relevance in the modern world, as it binds the migrant community together,” Fr. Jose said. “As they continue to celebrate it in whatever way they can, they enjoy the nostalgia of connecting with their own families and parishes back home.” The Franciscan priest noted that since the Sept. 8 feast falls this year on a Monday, a working day for the migrant laborers in Israel, it will be observed locally on the Saturday within its octave, Sept. 13, so that more Indians can participate. Mindful of the long queue of persons for confession, Fr. Jose added that “a weekend holiday also makes an easy opportunity for the faithful to make confessions to prepare spiritually for the feast.” A novena leading up to the observance of the feast begins Sept. 4, drawing on both mariological and christological themes to help the people deepen their understanding of Mary's role in redemption, and her virtues to be imitated. The novena will also include intercessory prayers for peace in the region, and a day-long retreat will be held Sept. 6. The Sept. 13 observance of Mary's Nativity will be held in Jaffa. Patriarch Fouad Twal of Jerusalem will lead a procession from St. Peter's to St. Anthony's parish. The procession will conclude with a Mass said in Konkani by Fr. Santhosh Rodrigues, director of the Center for Family Apostolate in the Mangalore diocese. In Jerusalem, the feast will be observed with a procession led by Fr. Stephane Milovitch, O.F.M., to St. Savior's Franciscan Monastery, where Fr. Dominic Mendonsa, O.P., will say Mass in Konkani. And in Haifa, Fr. Dharma Pichaimuthu, O.F.M., will say Mass at St. Joseph's Latin parish with a blessing of new grain, followed by a fellowship meal. Read more
Washington D.C., Sep 3, 2014 / 05:07 pm (CNA/EWTN News).- A poster campaign distributed at 25 colleges and universities in the U.S. and Mexico calls students to question the predominance of 'hook-ups' and assures students there are healthy alternatives to the culture often promoted by university orientations. “Expect more. That’s our stand. Are you in good hands?” read the posters, sponsored and distributed by the Love and Fidelity Network. “At this time when students are transitioning into college and are often expected to participate in the hook-up culture by default, we want these posters to encourage students to think critically about their decisions,” said Caitlin (Seery) La Ruffa, director of the Love and Fidelity Network. “Instead of portraying the hook-up culture as inherently integral to collegiate life as orientation programs often do, we hope to spark discussion and give support to students seeking a healthier alternative.” The poster campaign is part of a larger series of programing meant to help counteract the prevalence of the hook-up culture – a dominant social script on college campuses and young adult communities that promotes noncommittal physical encounters. The posters and upcoming speeches and talks highlight the hook-up culture’s impact on relationships and the family, counteracting tacit support of hook-ups by many college administrations. A prevalence of hook-ups among college students, the programing’s experts say, make the maintenance of healthy relationships more difficult, and raise the risk of anxiety, depression, and sexual assault among a campus population. “College freshmen often come to campus looking forward to the best four years of their life,” La Ruffa said. “But campus orientations all too often do not set students up for successful and happy relationships. We believe that students deserve to hear a different message, and to know that there can be an alternative to the hook-up culture that can leave students unfulfilled, used, and unhappy.” Read more
Caracas, Venezuela, Sep 3, 2014 / 03:16 pm (CNA/EWTN News).- The Archbishop of Caracas demanded Wednesday that the Our Father be respected, after the Venezuelan government presented a prayer to the country's late president, Hugo Chavez, which is a parody of the Lord's Prayer. “In recent days a new version of Christianity’s most universal prayer, the ‘Our Father,’ has been made known. In it, the prayer is addressed to deceased President Chavez instead of to God our Heavenly Father,” Cardinal Jorge Urosa Savino said Sept. 3. “Whoever says this new and inappropriate version of the Our Father adhering to the literal text is committing the sin of idolatry, by attributing to a human person qualities and actions that are proper to God,” he warned. During a Sept. 1 meeting of the United Socialist Party of Venezuela, the government presented the “delegate’s prayer,” a manipulation of the Our Father renamed “Our Chavez,” to pray for the intercession of the deceased leader. Cardinal Urosa noted that the Our Father was taught by Christ himself in the Sermon on the Mount, “and therefore is untouchable.” “Just as no one would be allowed to change the words of the national anthem in order to honor somebody, neither is it licit to change the Our Father or any other Christian prayer, such as the Creed. The Catholic religious symbols, prayers, and elements must be respected,” he stated. The parody of the Our Father addressed to Chavez reads: “Our Chavez, who art in heaven, the earth, the sea, and we, delegates, hallowed be thy name. Thy legacy come, so we can spread it to people here and elsewhere. Give us this day light to guide us. Lead us not into the temptation of capitalism, deliver us from the evil of oligarchy, like the crime of contraband, because ours is the homeland, peace, and life. Forever and ever. Amen. Viva Chavez!” Chavez, a socialist leader, held power in Venezuela from 1999 until his death in 2013. He fostered a cult of personality similar to that of Fidel Castro, and also aligned himself with such leaders as Evo Morales, Rafael Correa, and Daniel Ortega. Frequently in conflict with Catholic leaders, he reportedly reconciled with the Church in his last days. While acknowledging the respect many Venezuelans have for the late president, Cardinal Urosa emphasized that “it is essential to remember that the Our Father is part of the sacred patrimony of the Catholic Church and of all Christian churches throughout the world. It is not licit to modify it, manipulate it, or use it as a tool. We Catholics demand that the Our Father be respected.” Cardinal Urosa therefore called on the government and on the Venezuelan Socialist Party not to publicize the prayer, “so that there isn’t another reason for division among the Venezuelan people.” He concluded his statement invoking the protection of the country’s patroness, Our Lady of Coromoto, and inviting all Venezuelans to join together “around Jesus Christ, true God and true man, to recite the real Our Father and pray to God for peace and harmony in our beloved Venezuela.” Archbishop Roberto Luckert Leon of Coro told Union Radio that the parody is "an abuse, and a manifestation of mediocrity and lack of creativity in making a prayer." Read more
Vatican City, Sep 3, 2014 / 01:21 pm (CNA/EWTN News).- Despite a biography title labeling him the “Unknown Pope,” Benedict XV had a tremendous impact on life of the Church, and his legacy of diplomacy and efforts for peace live on today. On Sept. 3, 1914 – 100 years ago today – Giacomo Giambattista della Chiesa was elected Bishop of Rome. della Chiesa, a longtime diplomat who had been Archbishop of Bologna since 1907, took the name Benedict XV when he was elected a little more than a month after the outbreak of World War I. While his efforts for peace in the midst of the Great War were pivotal in his pontificate, his impact cannot be limited to those peace efforts. Having been elected shortly after the beginning of World War I, Benedict XV put into action a strong commitment to peace with strongly worded messages to the nations at war. Of his 13 encyclicals, five concerned peace, as did two of his three apostolic exhortations. The tradition of papal adherence to non-violence had begun under Bl. Pius IX, who had promoted a culture of peace. Bl. Pius' successor, Leo XIII, then made a proposal for peace at a conference on disarmament in which took part at The Hague on May 18, 1899. On that occasion, some of the 26 nations taking part in the conference acknowledged the Pope as a mediator in conflicts because of his “universal paternity.” Benedict XV continued the commitment to peace of his predecessors, and developed the Church’s doctrine on just war. della Chiesa understood that new arms would overshadow the difference between combatants and non-combatants, and immediately opposed the Great War. On Aug. 1, 1917, he issued a peace plan in which he defined war as “useless massacre.” Despite his constant efforts to avert the war, his voice was ignored by belligerent countries and the Holy See was not invited to take part to the peace conference held at Versailles in 1918. Benedict XV understood that the Holy See had to improve its diplomatic efforts: at the beginning of the war, the Holy See had diplomatic relations with only the Austro-Hungarian and Russian empires – both of which collapsed during the world war. After the war, the network of Vatican relations increased, and Benedict XV formed the basis of the modern network of nunciatures. His biographer John Pollard stressed that “by the time Benedict died in 1922, the Vatican had relations with nearly all of the great powers, including Germany, except America and the USSR.” The experience of First World War increased the Holy See's desire to separate from the Italian state, and this is the reason why the Holy See does not accept residential ambassadors who deal with Italy as well as with the Holy See. During the First World War, in fact, there was only one national embassy in Rome. When both Austria and Germany – then at war with Italy – withdrew their diplomatic representation, the Holy See found itself without German or Austrian interlocutors. The Holy See objected to ambassadors being withdrawn because while Italy might have been at war with Austria and Germany, the Holy See was not. Together with his diplomatic action, Benedict XV carried forward a huge humanitarian effort during the war. He was the patron of “The Work of Prisoners,” a group who aided prisoners of war. The Pope spent some 82 million lire of the time – roughly 8 billion dollars today – on the effort. The group made some 700,000 requests for information about prisoners; 40,000 requests for repatriation; and 500,000 communications to the families of prisoners. Priests, apostolic nuncios and bishops also visited prisoner camps on the Pope's behalf. This effort is at the basis of the Holy See's humanitarian effort, which recently led Pope Francis to appoint Cardinal Fernando Filoni as his personal envoy to Iraq. Beyond his diplomatic and humanitarian activity, Benedict XV also issued the 1917 Code of Canon Law, the first time that canon law had been codified. He was honored when Joseph Ratzinger was elected Bishop of Rome in 2005, and took his name, as Benedict XVI. At his first General Audience address, held April 27, 2005, Ratzinger noted that “I wanted to be called Benedict XVI in order to create a spiritual bond with Benedict XV, who steered the Church through the period of turmoil caused by the First World War. He was a courageous and authentic prophet of peace and strove with brave courage first of all to avert the tragedy of the war and then to limit its harmful consequences.” “Treading in his footsteps, I would like to place my ministry at the service of reconciliation and harmony between persons and peoples, since I am profoundly convinced that the great good of peace is first and foremost a gift of God, a precious but unfortunately fragile gift to pray for, safeguard and build up, day after day, with the help of all.” Benedict XV's many efforts at peace, diplomacy, and organizing ecclesial life demonstrate that though he is largely unknown, he has had a tremendous impact on the Church since his pontificate. Read more
Rome, Italy, Sep 3, 2014 / 11:59 am (CNA).- Responding to threats on the life of an anti-mafia priest, the Italian bishop’s conference issued a letter offering support and calling for an end to corruption and injustice. “The Italian Church, which in recent years has not failed to make heard it's voice educating to legality, confirms it's closeness to and its esteem for Fr. Luigi in a time when he has been made the subject of gratuitous intimidations,” the Sept. 1 letter read. Signed by Cardinal Angelo Bagnasco, President of the Italian Bishops Conference, the letter responded to a threat made last week on the life of Fr. Luigi Ciotti. Italian mafia boss Totò Riina, was overheard in prison saying the anti-mafia priest had to be killed. Fr. Ciotti is likely a target as the founder of two organizations, Abele and Libera, which fight mafia corruption and crime. In the letter, the cardinal wrote of the organizations: “For faithfulness to the Gospel (the organizations promote) a process of education to the good against all forms of injustice and corruption.” “His courageous and intelligent actions have spread to the many faces of degradation and social unrest: from the fight against organized crime to the treatment of various forms of addiction,” including gambling and usury. Cardinal Bagnasco commended the many people of good will who help fight mafia activity, saying that for them, “lawlessness has not just been a theoretical issue, but a practical commitment.” Cardinal Bagnasco also praised the courageous work of “so many bishops and priests who, mostly anonymous, continue to work for a more human society, according to the Gospel of Jesus Christ.” By providing a sense of hope in instances of violence and death, “the Church continues to carry out her mission,” he wrote. Quoting a March 21 speech made by Pope Francis, the cardinal explained that the Catholic Church “is a Church that 'interferes' without hesitation to denounce the incompatibility between the mafia and the Gospel.” It is one “that does not forget that the serious, attentive and documented report is the proclamation of salvation. Also at the cost of life.” During a one-day trip to the Italian region of Calabria earlier this summer, Pope Francis also denounced the dishonesty and violence perpetrated by members of the local mafia in one of his masses. “When adoration of the Lord is substituted by adoration of money, the road to sin opens to personal interest ... When one does not adore the Lord, one becomes an adorer of evil, like those who live by dishonesty and violence,” the Pope said in his June 21 outdoor Mass in Sibari, Italy. “This evil must be fought, must be expelled. It must be told no,” he said, adding that those who have chosen the mafia are “not in communion with God. They are ‘excommunicated.’” Following the Pope’s strong condemnations, police in the region took a stand against the local mafia during a July 2 procession in the town of Oppido Mamertina, which carried a statue of the Virgin Mary. According to Italian news agency ANSA, the procession paused in the middle of their route in front of the home of local 'Ndrangheta leader Peppe Mazzagatti, 82, who is currently serving a life-sentence and is under house-arrest due to health reasons. Those bearing the Marian statue made a gesture like a bow in front of Mazzagatti’s house. After the incident, ANSA reports that the Italian Carabinieri, a branch of the police accompanying the statue abandoned the procession and later called anti-mafia prosecutors. Although such acts are not infrequent in the region, the Carabinieri’s abandonment of the procession was a first and signified a condemnation of the homage paid to the mafia leader. Read more
Rome, Italy, Sep 3, 2014 / 05:26 am (CNA).- Global Catholic relief agency Caritas Internationalis has launched a new video aimed at promoting awareness about the need to help one another in the fight against worldwide hunger. Released Sept. 1, the film is part of Caritas' “One Human Family, Food for All” project, a global initiative which aims to end world hunger over the next decade. The animated video does not contain any dialogue, but depicts several emaciated persons as they struggle in vain to feed themselves with over-long spoons. As the story progresses, the characters learn that the only way they can overcome their own hunger is by first helping one another. The aim of the clip, said Caritas campaign communications officer, Laura Sheahen, is to show that “we are all in this together, as one human family. What each person does affects whether another person is hungry, even if we can't always see the connection. There really is a connection.” In an interview with CNA, Sheahen explained that the allegory of the “long spoons” appears in various cultures and religious traditions around the globe. “It is a powerful way to show what happens when you stop thinking about your own needs and start thinking about other people's needs,” she said. “You might receive a lot more than you give when you turn around and have a change of heart.” One of the ways the global community can help in the fight against hunger, Sheahen said, is by being aware of systemic issues and chain reactions caused by laws and price-hikes in food production. “It's really like throwing a pebble in a pond,” she said. “The ripples go out. A change in the price of rice in Thailand that's shipped overseas can really affect hungry people in Somalia.” “We ask people to just be aware of how we're all interconnected.” Launched in December 2013, Sheahen said that “One Human Family, Food for All” aims to “raise people's awareness about hunger, tell people what has worked in different contexts to reduce hunger,” be it through improved irrigation systems, food storage, and so on. Part of the campaign, she said, is to establish programs to support farmers, fishermen, and those who transport food. An example of the need for such support comes from India, where the seriousness of the hunger crisis has led some farmers to commit suicide. These farmers, she explained, become trapped in “a cycle of death,” in which they take out loans to buy seeds or other supplies needed to run their farms. If the harvest fails, or if the farmers are unable to repay the loans, they “massive financial pressure and shame” coming from money lenders, the inability to live up to family customs, and so on. One of the ways in which Caritas is supporting farmers in such situations is by helping them to become self-sufficient, encouraging them to use local seeds and supplies, thereby lessening their reliance on moneylenders. While Caritas has received substantial support in helping to reduce global hunger over the past few decades, Sheahen says “there are still 800 million hungry people in the world. That's just something we want to see end.” Read more
Vatican City, Sep 3, 2014 / 04:42 am (CNA/EWTN News).- In his general audience Pope Francis continued his catechesis on the Church, turning to the aspect of her maternity, of which the Virgin Mary is a model encouraging us to reach out to our brothers and sisters. “The Church is also mother because she cares for her children and guides us on the path of salvation,” the Pope stated in his Sept. 3 general audience. “She nourishes and sustains us with the sacraments; she illuminates us with the light of the Gospel, orients us to the good, encourages us in moments of darkness and defends us from the snares of evil, exhorting us to vigilance so as not to succumb to its seductions.” Addressing the thousands of pilgrims gathered in St. Peter’s Square to hear his weekly address, the pontiff began by noting that “In our catechesis, we have often noted that we do not become a Christian on our own, but by being born and nurtured in the faith in the midst of the People of God, that is the Church.” The Church, he said, “is a true mother who gives us life in Christ and, in the communion of the Holy Spirit, brings us into a common life with our brothers and sisters.” Pointing to the mother of Jesus, the Roman Pontiff explained that “The model of maternity for the Church is the Virgin Mary” who “in the fullness of time conceived through the Holy Spirit and gave birth to the Son of God.” “Her motherhood continues through the Church, who brings forth sons and daughters through baptism, whom she nourishes through the Word of God,” he said. “The birth of Jesus in the womb of Mary as firstborn of many brothers is a prelude of the new life that Christians receive in baptism.” Going on, the Bishop of Rome observed how Jesus “gave the Gospel to the Church” in order to “bring forth new life by generously proclaiming his word and winning other sons and daughters for God our Father.” As a mother, he explained, the Church “nurtures us throughout life by illuminating our path with the light of the Gospel and by sustaining us with the Sacraments, especially the Eucharist.” “With this nourishment, we are able to choose the good and be vigilant against evil and deceit, and overcome the difficult moments of life with courage and hope,” the pontiff noted, stating that “This is the Church: a mother who has at heart the good of her children.” Concluding his address, Pope Francis explained that since we are all a part of the Church, we have the call “to live this same spiritual, maternal attitude toward our brothers and sisters.” “Let's not forget that in the Church we are all baptized, and that her maternity is also expressed in our ability to welcome, to forgive, and to instill courage and hope.” He then invited all present to invoke the intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary, praying that we can “learn from her that tenderness which allows us to be witnesses of maternity of the Church.” Following his reflections, the Roman Pontiff extended greetings to groups of pilgrims present from various countries around the world, including Ireland, Malta, Sri Lanka, South Africa, Canada, the United States, Cuba, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Colombia and bishops visiting from Cameroon for their ad limina. Read more
Kyiv, Ukraine, Sep 3, 2014 / 04:02 am (CNA/EWTN News).- As Ukraine's crisis continues to escalate, the nation's apostolic nuncio stressed that its people deserve more than after-the-fact aid and should be allowed to live in peace, without the threat of outside aggressors. Archbishop Thomas Gullickson, a native of Sioux Falls, has served as apostolic nuncio to Ukraine since 2011. In a recent interview with Vatican Radio, he voiced concern for the life of the Church in Ukraine, saying in effect that Russian aggression places the Church’s institutional survival at risk. Addressing potential criticism that his alarm may sound exaggerated when compared to the images coming from Syria and Iraq, Archbishop Gullickson told CNA Sept. 1 that he believes it important “that we do not become insensitive to the plight of others and especially to that of our Catholic brothers and sisters around the world.” “We cannot turn away from injustice perpetrated against others. In a sense, we all stand condemned over the tragic situations around the world which have transformed countries on several continents into lawless regions and failed states,” he said. “How can we wash our hands or entirely ignore the affliction destroying the Middle East? The same goes for Ukraine.” “We owe people more than an after-the-fact aid intervention to bind up wounds and restore essential services destroyed by an aggressor; we owe them more than a belated salvage operation, if you will.” According to the BBC, nearly 2,600 people have been killed since April, when Russia's annexation of Crimea prompted rebels to take over large parts of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions. Heavy fighting continues near Ukraine's strategic Mariupol port, which lays off the Azov Sea. Rebel forces are currently attempting to capture the city, but Ukrainian government troops are holding ground. Russian president Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian president Petro Poroshenko met Aug. 26 to discuss the ongoing crisis, shaking hands and leaving with Poroshenko’s assurance that a new “roadmap” to peace would be laid out. However tensions skyrocketed when at least 1,000 Russian troops entered Ukraine two days later, prompting an Aug. 29 emergency U.N. Security Council meeting to address the situation. With his words, Archbishop Gullickson said he is calling to task “anyone listening and capable of taking steps to save a neighbor, to give shelter and assistance to family groups, or to keep whole peoples from being swallowed up in the vortex.” The nuncio underscored that “to ask what should have been done, as if it were too late, would be to write off Ukraine entirely and that would be wrong. I suppose anyone could counter by saying ‘who is kidding whom’? Can the world’s movers and shakers effectively intervene for the sake of justice and to promote lasting peace? They should at least try. Why not hope for a better world?” Archbishop Gullickson stressed that he “had seen so much positive growth and will for good in Ukraine over the last half year, that I would recommend more decisive involvement by the West in opposition to Russian aggression.” “For the first time in a millennium, perhaps, the Ukrainian people should be given a free hand to seek out their own future without outside interference.” Archbishop Gullickson said he is aware he is not providing a roadmap for peace, but that “even if I had a plan, an answer or a solution, the question is who indeed would listen and respond.” “When it comes to doing the right thing, we ought to be able to expect our chosen political leaders to rise to the challenge and must per force be at a loss when we find them no longer at the service of the common good and objective truth, but rather at the beck and call of vested interests.” He then added: “Let me just say I rejoice in all of the men and women here in Ukraine who give of themselves unselfishly and untiringly in the cause of peace and for the sake of building up a new Ukraine where justice prevails.” “I would rejoice all the more if the rest of the world would support this people’s efforts to forge a united and prosperous Ukraine, where all can live in peace.” Read more
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