Cardinal Jose Advincula (right) during the his installation as new prelate of the Archdiocese of Manila on June 24, 2021. / Jose Torres Jr. / LiCAS News
Manila, Philippines, Oct 18, 2021 / 10:07 am (CNA).
Church leaders across Asia vowed to listen to the faithful as the diocesan phase of the Synod on Synodality started officially on Sunday, Oct. 17.
“Let us create opportunities for listening and dialogue on the local level through this synod,” said Cardinal Jose Advincula, Archbishop of Manila, in his homily during Mass to open the process.
He said that by listening, the Church will be able to share its mission with the people while also making everyone’s perspective part of the “synodal journey.”
“In God’s family, you have a voice, and your voice counts,” said Cardinal Advincula, adding that the process will involve “as many people as possible.”
In India, Matters India quoted Cardinal Oswald Gracias of Bombay urging the people “to walk together in the same path” in the synodal process.
“We have to encounter Jesus through prayer and adoration and to hear what the Spirit wants to say to the Church,” he said in his homily.
Bishop Emmanuel Trance of Catarman in the central Philippines told Church-run Veritas 846 in an interview that the synod should be an “encounter and beginning of unifying our local Church.”
He urged the faithful to “listen not only in our ears but also in our hearts.”
“Listening in this synodal process is to listen to the marginalized, even to the non-Christian community,” said the bishop.
The Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines earlier announced that “small circles” will gather in parishes, schools, and ecclesial communities “to pray together” and discuss issues affecting the Church during the synodal process.
The current synod is not the first to be held in the Philippines. In 1582, Manila had its first synod under its first bishop, the Dominican friar Domingo de Salazar, to discuss the rights of the Indigenous peoples under Spanish rule.
“A synod is not just an assembly in view of administration; it is a convocation guided by the Spirit for the challenge of mission,” read a statement signed by Archbishop Romulo Valles of Davao, president of the bishops’ conference, issued earlier this month.
He said that among the issues that will be discussed during the gatherings are the “challenges” posed by the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as the sexual and financial scandals in the Church and in government, “secularism and materialism, and the double-edged power of the digital world.”
In his homily on Sunday, Cardinal Advincula said that issues concerning women, children, the elderly, those in the business sector, government officials, the members of the LGBTQ+ community, and ordinary workers, among others, will be discussed during the process.
“We want to listen to you. We want to journey with you. We want to discern God’s will with you,” said the prelate. “No matter how far you feel you are from the Church and even from God, you have something to contribute.”
Pope Francis officially launched the synodal process at the Vatican on Oct. 9 to engage the entire Church in preparing for the Synod of Bishops’ next ordinary assembly in 2023.
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When Pope Pius IX declared the doctrine of the Immaculate Conception of the Virgin Mary on December 8, 1854, he had a golden crown added to the mosaic of Mary, Virgin Immaculate, in the Chapel of the Choir in St. Peter’s Basilica. / Daniel Ibañez/CNA
Vatican City, May 29, 2023 / 10:30 am (CNA).
To honor the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Vatican offers a special Marian pilgrimage within St. Peter’s Basilica each Saturday afternoon during the month of May.
The Marian itinerary brings pilgrims from Michelangelo’s marble sculpture of the Pieta to Our Lady of Perpetual Help, a 12th-century painting brought into the basilica in 1578 in a solemn procession.
For those unable to travel to the Eternal City, CNA is providing the following “virtual tour” with photos by Daniel Ibañez of eight beautiful images of Our Lady in St. Peter’s Basilica for the feast of Mary, Mother of the Church.
In St. Peter’s Basilica’s Chapel of the Choir, a large mosaic based on painting by Italian artist Pietro Bianchi depicts Mary, Virgin Immaculate, in the glory of heaven being venerated by St. John Chrysostom (left) and other saints. Daniel Ibañez/CNA
Virgin Immaculate
In the basilica’s Chapel of the Choir, a large altarpiece reveals Mary, Virgin Immaculate, in the glory of heaven above angels and saints. The mosaic based on an 18th-century painting by Italian artist Pietro Bianchi depicts St. John Chrysostom St. Francis of Assisi, and St. Anthony of Padua venerating the Blessed Virgin Mary.
The chapel is located on the left side of the basilica behind an iron gate designed by Gian Lorenzo Bernini. St. John Chrysostom is buried beneath the altar, which also contains relics of St. Francis and St. Anthony.
When Pope Pius IX declared the doctrine of the Immaculate Conception of the Virgin Mary on December 8, 1854, he had a golden crown added to the mosaic of Mary. Pope Pius X later added a larger diamond crown to mark the 50th anniversary of the declaration in 1904.
The original painting by Bianchi can be found in Rome’s Basilica di Santa Maria degli Angeli e dei Martiri.
Mother of the Church
St. Peter’s Basilica contains an icon of the Virgin Mary titled “Mater Ecclesiae,” which means “Mother of the Church.”. Daniel Ibañez/CNA
The basilica contains an icon of the Virgin Mary titled “Mater Ecclesiae,” which means “Mother of the Church.”
The original image of the Virgin Mary and the Christ Child was painted on a column in old St. Peter’s Basilica, built by Emperor Constantine in the fourth century. It was later transferred to the 16th-century St. Peter’s Basilica. Paul VI honored the icon with the title “Mater Ecclesiae” after the Second Vatican Council.
A mosaic of the Virgin Mary overlooking St. Peter’s Square was inspired by the original Mater Ecclesiae image. The mosaic was installed after the assassination attempt against St. John Paul II in 1981.
When he blessed the mosaic, John Paul II prayed “that all those who will come to this St. Peter’s Square will lift up their gaze towards you [Mary], to direct, with feelings of filial trust, their greetings and their prayers.”
In 2018, Pope Francis added the memorial of “Mary, Mother of the Church” to the liturgical calendar for the Monday after Pentecost.
Mother of Pilgrims
A restored 16th-century painting of Our Lady holding her Son can be found in St. Peter’s Basilica above the sarcophagus of Pope Gregory XIV under the title “Mother of Pilgrims.”. Daniel Ibañez/CNA
A restored 16th-century painting of Our Lady holding her son can be found in St. Peter’s Basilica above the sarcophagus of Pope Gregory XIV.
The image is titled “Mater Peregrinorum” or Mother of Pilgrims. The original artist is not known, but Italians also refer to the painting as the “Madonna di Scossacavalli” because it came from Rome’s Church of San Giacomo Scossacavalli, which was demolished in 1937 to create the current Via della Conciliazione leading to St. Peter’s Basilica.
Our Lady of Perpetual Help
A 12th-century painting on wood titled Our Lady of Perpetual Help in the Gregorian Chapel of St. Peter’s Basilica. Daniel Ibañez/CNA
A 12th-century painting on wood titled Our Lady of Perpetual Help, also known as Our Lady of Succor, was transferred to an altar in St. Peter’s Gregorian Chapel on February 12, 1578 with a solemn procession.
The painting was the first artistic restoration completed under Pope Francis’ pontificate during the Year of Faith, according to a book published by the Knights of Columbus.
The remains of the Doctor of the Church St. Gregory of Nazianzus (d. 390) are preserved in an urn beneath the Altar of Our Lady of Succor in the Gregorian Chapel, found on the right side of the basilica.
Ark of the Covenant
A mosaic altarpiece of the Presentation of the Virgin Mary in the Temple can be found above the tomb of Pope St. Pius X near the left-front entrance of the basilica. Daniel Ibañez/CNA
A colorful mosaic altarpiece of the Presentation of the Virgin Mary in the Temple brightens the wall above the tomb of Pope St. Pius X (d. 1914) in the Presentation Chapel near the left-front entrance of the basilica.
A young Mary is depicted on the steps of the Temple with her parents, Sts. Anne and Joachim, the grandparents of Jesus.
The mosaic completed by Pietro Paolo Cristofari in 1728 is based on a painting by 17th-century artist Giovanni Francesco Romaneli, the original of which can be found in Rome’s Basilica di Santa Maria degli Angeli e dei Martiri.
Gate of Heaven
According to Father Agnello Stoia, the pastor of the parish of St. Peter’s Basilica, the 15th-century image of Mary on the oldest door of St. Peter’s Basilica is a reminder of Mary’s title, “Gate of Heaven.”. Daniel Ibañez/CNA
The central door leading to basilica was retained from the old St. Peter’s Basilica and is known as the Filarete Door. Created by a Florentine artist in 1455, the door depicts Christ, the Virgin Mary, and the apostles Sts. Peter and Paul.
According to Father Agnello Stoia, the pastor of the parish of St. Peter’s Basilica, the 15th-century image of Mary on the door is a reminder of Mary’s title, “Gate of Heaven.”
Queen Assumed into Heaven
The mosaics decorating the interior dome of St. Peter’s Basilica depict the Blessed Virgin Mary next to Christ the Redeemer and the Apostles. Daniel Ibañez/CNA
Looking up at the soaring cupola, or dome, of St. Peter’s Basilica, one sees mosaics depicting the Blessed Virgin Mary next to Christ the Redeemer, along with St. John the Baptist and the apostles.
The mosaic of the Virgin Mary on the Great Dome, completed in 1610 by Orazio Gentileschi, is based on drawings by Italian Mannerist painter Giuseppe Cesari.
Mother of the Redeemer
Michelangelo’s Pieta conveys the faith and emotion of the Blessed Virgin Mary as she cradles in her arms the dead body of her only son after witnessing him crucified. Daniel Ibañez/CNA
Michelangelo Buonarroti carved the Pieta from a single slab of Carrara marble when he was 24-years old. The sculpture was unveiled in St. Peter’s Basilica for the Jubilee of 1500.
The moving sculpture conveys the faith and emotion of the Blessed Virgin Mary as she cradles in her arms the dead body of her only son after witnessing him crucified.
The sculpture sits above a side-altar near the front entrance of St. Peter’s Basilica, where Mass was sometimes offered before recent restrictions. Visitors to the basilica can only see the Pieta behind bulletproof glass after a man attacked the sculpture with a hammer in May 1972.
The Pieta was the only work of art that Michelangelo ever signed.
Healthcare workers arrive at a check-up camp in Malad, India on June 25, 2020. / Manoej Paateel/Shutterstock
Vatican City, Apr 5, 2022 / 10:00 am (CNA).
In April, Pope Francis is praying for healthcare workers, especially those who help the sic… […]
1 Comment
We read from Cardinal Advincula that “issues concerning women, children, the elderly, those in the business sector, government officials, the members of the LGBTQ+ community, and ordinary workers, among others, will be discussed during the [synodal] process.”
What a POWERFUL OPPORTUNITY that, through concurrent synods, the universal Church around the world might become more of a presence to be reckoned with by smaller secularist regimes around the world.
BUT, ON THE OTHER HAND, why does the Vademecum or synodal guideline (and now the cardinal) include every known sociological group on planet earth today, EXCEPT the primary “family” (of past millennia and of the natural law)?
From the Vademecum (synodal guidelines): “…women, the handicapped, refugees, migrants, the elderly, people who live in poverty, Catholics who rarely or never practice their faith, ETC. [and then] children and youth [….] people who have left the practice of the faith, people of other faith traditions, people of no religious belief, ETC.”
Is it because the LGBTQ lifestyle, along with the family, is also an unstated part of inclusive “ETC.”? And now explicitly stated, and insinuated as equivalent to the family?
And as was attempted unsuccessfully at the Synod on Youth (2018)? Not from the synod itself but from the self-appointed podium? My recollection is that such categorization of persons—and specifically the LGBTQ category—was deleted only at the “demand” of all eighteen (I think) bishop working groups reviewing the first-year draft synodal report at the beginning of the second session.
Synodality as “walking together,” one misstep at a time?
We read from Cardinal Advincula that “issues concerning women, children, the elderly, those in the business sector, government officials, the members of the LGBTQ+ community, and ordinary workers, among others, will be discussed during the [synodal] process.”
What a POWERFUL OPPORTUNITY that, through concurrent synods, the universal Church around the world might become more of a presence to be reckoned with by smaller secularist regimes around the world.
BUT, ON THE OTHER HAND, why does the Vademecum or synodal guideline (and now the cardinal) include every known sociological group on planet earth today, EXCEPT the primary “family” (of past millennia and of the natural law)?
From the Vademecum (synodal guidelines): “…women, the handicapped, refugees, migrants, the elderly, people who live in poverty, Catholics who rarely or never practice their faith, ETC. [and then] children and youth [….] people who have left the practice of the faith, people of other faith traditions, people of no religious belief, ETC.”
Is it because the LGBTQ lifestyle, along with the family, is also an unstated part of inclusive “ETC.”? And now explicitly stated, and insinuated as equivalent to the family?
And as was attempted unsuccessfully at the Synod on Youth (2018)? Not from the synod itself but from the self-appointed podium? My recollection is that such categorization of persons—and specifically the LGBTQ category—was deleted only at the “demand” of all eighteen (I think) bishop working groups reviewing the first-year draft synodal report at the beginning of the second session.
Synodality as “walking together,” one misstep at a time?