Belarus' authoritarian president invited Pope Benedict XVI
MINSK, Belarus, June 21,2008 — Belarus' authoritarian president invited Pope Benedict XVI to the mostly Orthodox former Soviet republic, the presidential press service said in a statement Friday.Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko made the offer the same day he met with Vatican's No. 2 official, Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, who is in the country to preside at the weekend consecration of the first Catholic church to be built in the capital city, Minsk, since 1910.The Orthodox church, which includes about 80 percent of the population, wields significant clout in Belarus through a 2003 agreement it signed with the government.But the Vatican under Benedict has been pursuing a goal of outreach to the world's 250 million Orthodox Christians. A trip to Belarus by Benedict could move the Vatican and Russian Orthodox Church one step closer to a meeting — and the ultimate goal of healing the nearly 1,000-year schism between the two main branches of Christianity.Lu ...Read More
The Church is growing in Pakistan
Vatican City, June, 21,2008 - In spite of the difficulties that the Church faces in Pakistan, it is growing, and, by forming priests and laity carefully, it is carrying forward interreligious dialogue; at the same time, by making its services available to serve the common good, it demonstrates that "the love of Christ is no mere abstraction". Benedict XVI encourages the actions of Catholics of Pakistan, "despite conditions that sometimes hinder their capacity to take root", in his address to the country's bishops, whom he received today for their five-year "ad limina" visit. "Whenever we courageously shoulder the burdens placed upon us in circumstances often beyond our control", he told them, "we encounter Jesus himself, who gives us a hope that surpasses the sufferings of the present because it transforms us from within". In his address, Benedict XVI emphasised among other things the importance of the example of faith that t ...Read More
25,000 Catholics poured through the streets of Quebec City
QUEBEC CITY, June 21, 2008 -- Nearly 25,000 Catholics from around the world poured through the narrow streets of Quebec City, accompanying the Eucharist in an outpouring of religious fervor absent from this city for at least half a century.The June 19 procession was one of the highlights of the 49th International Eucharistic Congress June 15-22. The Eucharist, held in an oversized modern monstrance, was driven through the streets on a platform pulled by a truck. Riding with the monstrance were Slovakian Cardinal Jozef Tomko, Pope Benedict XVI's representative to the congress; Quebec Cardinal Marc Ouellet; and Cardinal Theodore-Adrien Sarr of Dakar, Senegal.Jean Audet watched the procession with his 34-year-old son, Louis."It's very old, it reminds me of my young time," said the elder Audet, who is no longer a practicing Catholic.He explained that when he was young the English Canadians were Protestan ...Read More
New Latin patriarch of Jerusalem - Archbishop Fouad Twal
Vatican City, June 21, 2008 - As of today, Archbishop Fouad Twal is the new Latin patriarch of Jerusalem. Benedict XVI has accepted the resignation presented by His Beatitude Michel Sabbah, whose coadjutor Archbishop Twal has been since 2005. The new patriarch was born in Madaba, in Jordan, on October 23, 1940. In October of 1959, he entered the major seminary of Beit-Jala, and was ordained a priest on June 29, 1966. In September of 1972, he began studies in canon law at the Pontifical Lateran University, and in October of 1974 he entered the ecclesiastical Pontifical Academy. In 1975, he received his degree in canon law. From 1977 to 1992, he served as a diplomat at the apostolic nunciature of Honduras, the council for public affairs at the Vatican secretariat of state, the apostolic nunciature in Germany, and the apostolic nunciature in Peru. On May 30, 1992, he was appointed bishop of Tunis, and was ordained on July 22 of the same year. On May 31, 1995, ...Read More
Catholics who rely on Eucharist can better resist secularization
QUEBEC CITY - Catholics who rely on family members and the Eucharist can better resist secularization, Bishop Edward K. Braxton of Belleville, Ill., told pilgrims at the 49th International Eucharistic Congress.Bishop Braxton noted that the family in the Western Hemisphere "has changed dramatically."Citing statistics that only 25 percent of American families are made up of a mother, father and children, he said changes in the family and decreased attention on the family dinner have made the meal "merely feeding time.""We are challenged not to imitate secular society," which can undermine the family and marriage, said the bishop.The family "relies on the Eucharist" by praying and going to Mass together as well as having a family discussion of the homily, he said."There is nothing wrong with telling children" to turn off the computer and TV and "ev ...Read More
Obama, McCain among the scores of mourners at funeral Mass for Russert
WASHINGTON -- The presumptive Democratic and Republican presidential nominees were among the scores of mourners at the June 18 private funeral Mass for NBC News Washington bureau chief and "Meet the Press" moderator Tim Russert, who died June 13 at the age of 58.In his homily, Cardinal Theodore E. McCarrick, retired archbishop of Washington, said the presence of both Democratic Sen. Barack Obama and Republican Sen. John McCain was not only a special tribute to Russert, but to the U.S., speaking to the country's "values of respect and to those fundamental virtues which ultimately are more important even than politics and the shifting sands of public life."Before his unexpected death, Russert expressed his excitement about the 2008 presidential race and was eager to see the Obama-McCain race through to November.Though the funeral Mass at Holy Trinity Catholic Church in the Georgetown section of Washin ...Read More
Joseph Li Shan, Archbishop of Beijing, held a meeting for Olympic preparations
Beijing – His Excellency Joseph Li Shan, Archbishop of Beijing, held a meeting on June 12 for the Archdiocesan preparations for the Olympics, which will begin this August 8, in Beijing. Archbishop Li asked all parish priests, religious sisters, and laity to work together in offering improved pastoral and evangelization initiatives to the Chinese and foreign visitors: “every parish should offer its most competent lay members in receiving the visitors and meeting their needs, whether they be Catholic or non-Catholic, who wish to visit the church or participate in a religious service.” The Archbishop also appointed Father Matthew Zhen, Diocesan Chancellor, as the head of the Welcome Office for foreign visitors. The Archdiocese has already planned for 16 priests, along with other religious and laity to serve at the Olympic Village. In addition to the prayers of all Catholics, the Archdiocese will be offering the celebration of the Mass in English, French, and Italian for all guests. The ...Read More
Masochism or self-mutilation, has marked the life of the Church for two millennia
Vatican City - Masochism or self-mutilation, has marked the life of the Church for two millennia. The first was Judas, who thought it might be a good idea to make the person and the message of Jesus Christ more acceptable to worldly powers. Perhaps he did not have the time to come to know and to accept the mystery of God made man for mankind.Something similar happened following the Second Vatican Council, and after two thousand years of reflection on Jesus Christ and investigation: Karl Rahner especially took a “turning”, - which proved to be a pause and a transformation - distancing himself from earlier epochs, convinced as he was that up to then theological reflection had overlooked, or worse, forgotten the reality of man.In what did that "turning" consist ?To be brief: the origin of human discussion about God and divine revelation was not God Himself, instead it was man's questions about himself. Consequently, theology must always speak of man and hi ...Read More
Pope: Even in the third millennium Christians must pray
Vatican City Jun.19, 2008 – Even today at the start of the third millennium Christians must pray, but they must also act together for the good of their fellow human beings. Prayer is indispensable but not if it disconnected from charity-inspired action in the service of others. Benedict XVI devoted his thoughts in today’s general audience to Saint Isidore of Seville, a Father of the Church who lived between the 6th and 7th centuries, who even today teaches us about the need for the right mediation between the desire to lead a contemplative life and the duty to devote oneself to the service of others.To the more than 20,000 people present in St Peter’s Square, the Pope focused on Isidore’s thoughts. “Considered the last Christian Father of Antiquity,” he believed that in imitating Christ, who had an active life and at the same time withdrew to the “mountain” to pray, Christians can “devote themselves to contemplation without ...Read More
Vatican prepares guidelines for Interreligious dialogue
Vatican City, June 17, 2008 – The plenary meeting that the pontifical council for interreligious dialogue held at the Vatican last week was the first of this pontificate, and took place with a new president – Cardinal Jean-Louis Tauran – and with experts who were also newcomers to a great extent. And the aim of the plenary session was itself new: to develop new guidelines for the bishops, priests, and faithful in relating to other religions. This objective, Cardinal Tauran said, was decided "after many years of hesitation over its appropriateness." On Saturday, June 9, at the end of the three-day meeting, Benedict XVI received the participants in the Sala del Concistoro. He encouraged the publication of the guidelines because, he said, "the great proliferation of interreligious meetings in today's world requires discernment." This last word is used in ecclesiastical language to urge critical analysis and the choices that stem from it. ...Read More
WYD:14 Australians confirmed by Pope Benedict
FOURTEEN Australians will join a select group confirmed by Pope Benedict during the Catholic leader's visit to Sydney for World Youth Day (WYD)The Pope will anoint each confirmation candidate with holy oil during the final mass on July 20 of the six-day WYD event, expected to be attended by some 500,000 people. The candidates will also receive holy communion from Pope Benedict . The 14 people, drawn from all Australia's states and territories, will be aged between 16 and 43. Ten international visitors will join them to "receive the sacrament that marks the completion of baptismal grace", organisers say. "It's not every day that one is confirmed by the global leader of the Catholic Church before hundreds of thousands of people," WYD coordinator Bishop Anthony Fisher said in a statement released today. "The sacrament is life-changing and to receive the sacrament in this way will prove an unforge ...Read More
Pope Benedict XVI praised the work of the Catholic Church in southern Italy
SANTA MARIA DI LEUCA, Italy — Pope Benedict XVI on Saturday praised the work of the Roman Catholic Church in southern Italy as he began a two-day visit to the impoverished Apulia region.Tradition holds that it was here that Saint Peter, the disciple of Jesus considered the founder of the Christian Church, arrived from Palestine and headed to Rome to begin the evangelisation of Europe."This promontory between Europe and the Mediterranean, between West and East, reminds us that the Church has no borders, that it is universal," said the 81-year-old pontiff.Benedict also hailed the "generosity" of the port city of Brindisi that for years took in thousands of refugees from the former Yugoslavia and Albania.The German-born pope celebrated an open-air mass attended by several thousand people under a hot sun at a sanctuary dedicated to the Virgin Mary overlooking the sea in this town at the tip of the heel of Italy's "boot."&q ...Read More
Tim Russert's special moment with the Holy Father Benedict XVI
It was back in April when Pope Benedict XVI came to Washington. The Rev. David O'Connell, the president of The Catholic University of America, was hosting the pope for a large meeting with bishops.Before that meeting, the Vatican said O'Connell could invite 10 guests to a small session with Benedict . Tim Russert and I were the only journalists on that special guest list. We were both thrilled, but Tim, a devout Catholic with deep roots in the Church, was very excited.While we were waiting for the pope to arrive, he was like a little boy. He had his rosaries in his hand, ready for the pope to bless them. This was not the Tim Russert whom we all saw and admired as he grilled presidents, prime ministers, kings and mere politicians. When the pope finally approached him, he could barely utter a word. This was a special moment, and he knew it. For those of us who knew him for a long time, we certainly could appreciate what he was enjoying. His roots in Buffalo, New Yo ...Read More
Stem-cell research not a conflict between science and religion - U.S. bishops
ORLANDO, June 13, 2008 (vaticans.org) -- Declaring that stem-cell research does not present a conflict between science and religion, the U.S. bishops overwhelmingly approved a statement June 13 calling the use of human embryos in such research "gravely immoral" and unnecessary.In the last vote of the public session of their Jan. 12-14 spring general assembly in Orlando, the bishops voted 191-1 in favor of the document titled "On Embryonic Stem-Cell Research: A Statement of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops.""It now seems undeniable that once we cross the fundamental moral line that prevents us from treating any fellow human being as a mere object of research, there is no stopping point," the document said. "The only moral stance that affirms the human dignity of all of us is to reject the first step down this path."Archbishop Joseph F. Naumann of Kansas City, Kan., introduce ...Read More
U.S. Bishops conference: child sexual abuse by priests
ORLANDO, June 13, 2008 (vaticans.org) -- Opening their spring general meeting in Orlando, members of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops got an interim report on the causes and context of child sexual abuse by priests and made quick work of proposals to revisit the ethical guidelines on feeding tubes and to declare a National Catholic Charities Sunday in 2010.In the first morning session of the June 12-14 assembly at the Hyatt Regency Grand Cypress, the bishops also took a preliminary look at two documents they will vote on later in the meeting. The first was a 700-page draft translation of the proper prayers in the Roman Missal for each Sunday and feast day during the liturgical year.The other was a seven-page policy statement from the Committee on Pro-Life Activities that calls embryonic stem-cell research "a gravely immoral act" that crosses a "fundamental moral line" by treating human beings as mere obje ...Read More
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