Pope Benedict XVI / image of Our Lady of Guadalupe / Credit: Vatican Media / Public domain
CNA Newsroom, Jan 5, 2023 / 04:45 am (CNA).
The bishops of Mexico have invited the faithful to participate in a Mass to be celebrated for the late Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI at the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Mexico City.
“We invite you to participate in the Holy Mass for the soul of Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI in the distinguished national Basilica of Holy Mary of Guadalupe on Jan. 10 at 11 a.m.,” the invitation posted on Twitter states.
Benedict XVI passed away on Dec. 31, 2022, at 9:34 a.m. Rome time.
His body was transferred from the Mater Ecclesiae Monastery, where he lived, to St. Peter’s Basilica, where more than 120,000 people came to pray before his mortal remains.
Pope Francis presided at the funeral of Benedict XVI’s funeral Thursday, Jan. 5, in St. Peter’s Square beginning at 9:30 a.m. Rome time.
After the funeral, Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI will be buried in the same tomb that originally held the remains of St. John Paul II in the crypt of St. Peter’s Basilica.
This story was first published by ACI Prensa, CNA’s Spanish-language news partner. It has been translated and adapted by CNA.
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Cardinal Joseph Zen arrives at the West Kowloon Magistrates’ Courts on May 24, 2022, in Hong Kong, China. / Photo by Louise Delmotte/Getty Images
Rome Newsroom, Oct 27, 2022 / 08:24 am (CNA).
The trial of Cardinal Joseph Zen resumed in Hong Kong on Wednesday, days after the Vatican announced the renewal of its agreement with Beijing.
Prosecutor Anthony Chau Tin-hang took the floor on Oct. 26 in the West Kowloon Magistrates’ Court, where Zen and five other pro-democracy activists have been charged for failing to apply for local society registration for the 612 Humanitarian Relief Fund between 2019 and 2021.
The prosecution argued that the 612 Humanitarian Relief Fund needed to be registered with the police because of its “massive” size and “systematic” mode of operation, according to the South China Morning Post.
The fund helped pro-democracy protesters pay their legal fees until it dissolved itself in October 2021. Chau argued that the fund was political in nature and therefore did not qualify for the exemption in Hong Kong’s Societies Ordinance for organizations set up “for religious, charitable, social, or recreational purposes.”
The defense will make its arguments before Principal Magistrate Ada Yim Shun-yee on Oct. 31.
According to the defense, the Societies Ordinance was unconstitutional, gave an ambiguous definition of a “society,” and had requirements that went beyond what was necessary to protect national security, Asia News reported.
The Societies Ordinance required any club, company, partnership, or association of persons to register with the police commissioner or ask for an exemption within one month of its establishment.
Zen and the other democracy activists could face a $1,200 (HK$10,000) fine for violating the ordinance.
The cardinal was arrested in May along with other democracy activists under Hong Kong’s strict national security law but now faces a less serious charge. He has been free on bail since early May.
All the defendants have pleaded not guilty. Those accused with Zen are lawyer Margaret Ng, singer-activist Denise Ho, cultural studies scholar Hui Po-keung, activist Sze Ching-wee, and ex-legislator Cyd Ho, who is already jailed for a different charge.
The 90-year-old and retired bishop of Hong Kong’s most recent court appearance took place four days after the Vatican announced its decision to renew for another two years its provisional agreement with the Chinese government on the appointment of bishops. Zen has been one of the most outspoken critics of the Vatican’s agreement with China since it was first signed in 2018.
Pope Francis speaks to pilgrims gathered in St. Peter’s Square for the Angelus on the solemnity of All Saints on Nov. 1, 2023. / Credit: Vatican Media
CNA Staff, Nov 1, 2023 / 10:46 am (CNA).
Pope Francis on Wednesday told pilgrims in St. Peter’s Square that holiness is both a “gift” from God and a “journey” to which we must “commit” ourselves after we’ve received it.
The Holy Father delivered the remarks from the Apostolic Palace prior to a special recitation of the Angelus for the Nov. 1 solemnity of All Saints. The pope asked attendees to consider holiness in light of the feast day.
Holiness is “a gift, you can’t buy it,” Francis said. “And at the same time, it’s a journey. A gift and a journey.”
“Holiness is a gift of God, which we’ve received at baptism. And if we let it grow, it can completely change our lives,” he said.
The saints, the pope noted, “are not heroes who are unreachable or distant. They’re people like us, our friends, whose starting point is the same gift that we’ve received: baptism.”
“Holiness is a gift offered to everyone for a happy life,” the pope said. “After all, when we receive a gift, what’s our first reaction? It’s precisely that we’re happy, because it means that someone loves us. A gift of holiness makes us happy. It shows us how God loves us.”
But “every gift must be accepted, welcomed,” the pope said. And a gift “carries with it the responsibility of a response.” Holiness is “an invitation to commit ourselves,” Francis said, so that we do not squander the gift from God.
Pilgrims gather in St. Peter’s Square for the Angelus on the solemnity of All Saints, Nov. 1, 2023. Credit: Vatican Media
Holiness, the pope argued, is also “a journey. A journey to be made together, helping each other, united with those great companions, who are the saints.”
“They’re our elder brothers and sisters on whom we can always count,” he said. “The saints support us, and when we take a wrong turn along the way, with their silent presence, they never fail to correct us.”
The pope urged visitors to ask themselves several questions regarding receiving the gift of holiness: “Do I remember having received the gift of the Holy Spirit, who calls me to holiness and helps me to arrive there? Do I thank the Holy Spirit for this gift? Do I feel that the saints are close to me? Do I turn to them? Do I know the history of some of them?”
“May Mary, Queen of All Saints, help us feel the joy of the gift received and increase in us the desire for our eternal destination,” he said.
After the recitation of the Angelus, the pope noted that on Thursday he would be celebrating Mass at the nearby commonwealth war cemetery in Rome, in which are buried numerous soldiers who died in World War II.
“Let’s continue to pray for all those suffering from the wars of today,” Francis said. “We remember suffering Ukraine, suffering Palestine, suffering Israel. Let’s remember all the other parts of the world where war is happening.”
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