A moment at the vigil in preparation for Christmas, held on Dec. 22 at the Church of St Saviour in Jerusalem. / Credit: Marinella Bandini
Jerusalem, Dec 23, 2023 / 09:42 am (CNA).
Christians in Jerusalem began the weekend before Christmas with an evening of prayer and music.
On Friday, Dec. 22, in the Church of St. Saviour, the Latin parish of Jerusalem, a small crowd of faithful gathered around the patriarch, Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, for the penitential liturgy and Christmas carols performed by the three choirs of the parish.
“It is a moment of penance, but also of joy,” said the cardinal, introducing the prayer. “Bringing to God our poverty, our sins, is always an experience of joy because it means experiencing forgiveness, mercy, which we all need. Let us also bring to Him all the pain for our land so that He may transform it, according to His will, into good and mercy.”
One of the parish choirs of the Church of St. Saviour in Jerusalem performing at the prayer vigil in preparation for Christmas, held on Dec. 22 in Jerusalem. Credit: Marinella Bandini
The first part of the vigil was dedicated to the listening of the Word.
The parish priest, Father Amjad Sabbara, delivered a brief homily on the “Christmas of Greccio,” experienced by St. Francis of Assisi in 1223.
On the occasion of the eighth centenary of this event, the faithful can obtain an indulgence by praying before a Nativity scene in a Franciscan church, such as that of St. Saviour in Jerusalem, where two are set up. The usual conditions must also be met: confession, communion, and prayer according to the intentions of the Pope.
The nativity scene built by the Franciscan friars of the Custody of the Holy Land at the entrance of the Church of San Salvatore in Jerusalem. Credit: Marinella Bandini
This was also the aim of the vigil evening in preparation for Christmas. Two priests were available for confessions throughout the time.
Father Amjad Sabbara, the Latin pastor of Jerusalem, listens to a confession during the vigil in preparation for Christmas, held on Dec. 22 at the Church of St. Saviour in Jerusalem. Credit: Marinella Bandini
In the second part of the vigil, three choirs took turns, presenting a wide repertoire of Christmas carols.
Before the final blessing, the patriarch emphasized once again the aspect of joy and hope: “May Christmas be a moment of smiles because when the Lord is with us, we have nothing to fear, and this should be seen on our faces.”
The Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, gives the final blessing at the end of the vigil in preparation for Christmas, held on Dec. 22 at the Church of St. Saviour in Jerusalem. Credit: Marinella Bandini
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A screenshot from a video from Ukraine that went viral on March 12, 2022 during Russia’s attack on Kyiv, the Ukrainian capital. / YouTube
Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Mar 15, 2022 / 15:30 pm (CNA).
The scene in the video is solemn and inspirational, and has resonated with Catholics around the world.
As a vehicle carrying the Blessed Sacrament makes its way through the streets of Kyiv, people genuflect and bow their heads in a moving display of piety, reverence, and wartime solidarity.
The video, set to dramatic Ukrainian folk music, purports to show the transfer of the Eucharist from the Greek Catholic cathedral in Kyiv to a bunker for safekeeping from missile attacks and Russian forces closing in on the Ukrainian capital. But was that really the case?
A Twitter user identified as Krzysztof Wasilewski, a U.K.-based Catholic deacon and pharmacist, posted the video on March 12. The post was captioned: “Transfer of the Blessed Sacrament from Kiev Cathedral to a bunker the last time was in WWII Impressive People Kneeling in Adoration #PrayforUkraine.” The tweet has since garnered more than 2,800 retweets and more than 10,000 likes.
“I’m not even catholic, but I find this incredibly moving. The people of Ukraine are truly awe inspiring. Beautiful. #StandWithUkraine,” one tweet read.
Transfer of the Blessed Sacrament from Kiev Cathedral to a bunker the last time was in WWII Impressive People Kneeling in Adoration #PrayForUkrainepic.twitter.com/G99yOc52lq
But the now-viral video is not what it seems. No such transfer of the Blessed Sacrament has taken place, as far as CNA can establish. Instead, the video appears to show a Ukrainian military funeral procession that took place years ago, long before the current Russian invasion.
“This is not a procession with the Holy Gifts. It carries the body of slain soldiers who defended the homeland,” a Ukrainian journalist based in Kyiv told CNA. “The video features a song that Ukrainians sing when they say goodbye to folk heroes.” The journalist, who requested anonymity, has been providing daily dispatches about the war for St. Rita’s Radio, an EWTN radio affiliate in Norway.
Red flags While the initial tweets about the video generated a groundswell of praise and prayers directed at the suffering people of Ukraine, the video also raised questions.
Why move the Eucharist from the Greek Catholic Cathedral of the Resurrection of Christ in Kyiv in the first place? The head of the Ukrainian Catholic Church, Major Archbishop Sviatoslav Shevchuk, along with other church leaders, had taken refuge from Russian missile attacks on the city in a safe space beneath the cathedral — why not bring the Blessed Sacrament there?
And if it had been necessary to transfer it to another location, would the motorcade have met with such spontaneous reactions from passersby along the route — in a minority-Catholic city?
Even after other Twitter users began to sleuth out the answers to some of these questions, people continued to share the video. “Catholic or not, this is supposedly fake,” one tweet read. “Just shows how easily humans are swayed when preyed on their emotions.”
One Twitter user, apparently misreading a translated document, insisted that the video showed the funeral procession for a Ukrainian pilot killed in 2018. But it turns out out that the same video was posted to YouTube in 2015, as noted by Twitter user Colin Kreuzer on March 14. You can watch the full 2015 video below.
Wasilewski, whose tweet went viral, told CNA on March 15 that he had received the video, with the description about the transfer of the Blessed Sacrament, from fellow Catholic deacons in an online faith forum.
Was he disappointed or upset that the video wasn’t what he thought it was? The most important thing, he said, is to pray for Ukraine.
CNA Staff, Mar 23, 2021 / 07:22 pm (CNA).- Republican lawmakers in Pennsylvania this week chose not to present a proposed constitutional amendment to voters via an emergency process. The amendment would have opened a two-year window during which victim… […]
Cardinal Gerhard Müller (center) and Father Joseph Hamilton (at left), personal secretary to the late Cardinal George Pell, were among the priests celebrating the Jan. 10, 2024, Mass held on the first anniversary of the cardinal’s death. / Credit: Elizabeth Alva
Rome Newsroom, Jan 10, 2024 / 16:45 pm (CNA).
A requiem Mass was held in Rome on Tuesday evening to mark the first anniversary of the death of Cardinal George Pell and to celebrate the cardinal’s illustrious ecclesiastical career.
The chapel of the Domus Australia was filled to capacity for the Mass, which was celebrated by Cardinal Gerhard Müller. In attendance were numerous cardinals and bishops, an array of priests from Rome, ambassadors to the Holy See, and faithful from Rome and abroad who came to pray for the beloved cardinal.
The chapel of the Domus Australia was filled to capacity for the Jan. 10, 2024, Mass, which was celebrated by Cardinal Gerhard Müller. Credit: Elizabeth Alva
Father Joseph Hamilton, rector of the Domus Australia and Pell’s former secretary, noted in an exclusive interview with EWTN: “I think His Eminence was very loved here in the city of Rome. His witness was very much appreciated and his loss was very unexpected.”
“I think that a beautiful Mass to commemorate his life, to pray for the repose of his soul, and to ask for his intercession here in the chapel, which he renovated and which he loved, I’m hoping will bring consolation and some degree of closure for those who have been grieving for the cardinal over the last year,” Hamilton added in his interview.
Pell died at the age of 81 on Jan. 10, 2023, after suffering a cardiac arrest following a scheduled hip replacement days prior at Rome’s Salvator Mundi hospital. He previously served as archbishop of Sydney and Melbourne before Pope Francis appointed him to head the Vatican’s Secretariat for the Economy in 2014, making him the most senior Australian prelate.
Cardinal Raymond Burke was among those at the Mass on the first anniversary of Cardinal George Pell’s death Jan. 10, 2024. Credit: Elizabeth Alva
During his homily, Müller reflected on the long illustrious life of the departed cardinal, noting that Pell and Pope Benedict — who passed away less than two weeks before the cardinal — were “role models of the true faith.”
Müller reflected on his early life, noting that the cardinal showed great “athletic abilities” and “high intellectual talent,” which would have brought him “a brilliant career in the world.” But, Müller continued, Pell eschewed worldly goals and opted to “follow Christ’s call to the priestly service.”
Cardinal Gerhard Müller at the requiem Mass on Jan. 10, 2024, marking the first anniversary of Cardinal George Pell’s death. Credit: Elizabeth Alva
Pell was renowned for his quick wit and towering stature. Müller, reflecting on his personal relationship with the late cardinal, highlighted Pell’s commitment to “marriage and family in the spirit of Christ, teachings against relativization by secularist-minded participants in the Synod of this topic.”
Müller also touched upon the darkest chapter of Pell’s life, which stands as “a great testimony of Christian patience.”
Cardinal George Pell gives an interview to EWTN News in Rome, Italy, on Dec. 9, 2020. Credit: Daniel Ibáñez/CNA.
Pell was convicted on Dec. 11, 2018, on five charges of sexual abuse while he served as archbishop of Melbourne in the late 1990s. After serving 404 days in solitary confinement, Australia’s high court unanimously overturned the convictions, based on reasonable doubt of the appellate proceedings, in April 2020.
“He was relentlessly pursued by a bloodthirsty mob and made himself a victim of justice by anti-Catholic agitators in the media and the police apparatus,” Müller remarked regarding the vilification of the late cardinal in mainstream media.
Auxiliary Bishop Richard Umbers of the Archdiocese of Sydney spoke with EWTN after the Mass, noting that the evening was an opportunity to mark “the anniversary of a man who was a lion in the Church. I think it’s giving due recognition to someone who’s been very important in the life of Australia, if not in fact the whole world.”
While recognizing that Pell was a “lightning rod for the Church,” Umbers explained that he was a man “of great strength and tremendous courage.”
Pell’s legacy is not just limited to his theological acumen or reforms of the Vatican’s handling of financial affairs, but it is most tangibly seen in the revitalization of the Church in Sydney.
“I think the impact of Cardinal Pell is very visible in Sydney,” Umbers said. “He was a big man with great vision, and the last 20 years in the Archdiocese of Sydney have seen real growth and leadership amongst a number of young Catholics.”
“You find an environment there which is quite extraordinary. A lot of life, especially in the area of university chaplaincy. He [Pell] invested heavily in that area and took great interest in the next generation of leaders,” Umbers added.
According to Father Hamilton, one of the hallmarks of Pell’s legacy will be his example of strength and unity for the Church as it is going through a period marked by division and is mired in crises.
“We are one Catholic Church, we have one faith, we have one pope, we’re one people. If we stand together, we’re strong. If we’re divided, we’re weak, and I think that his [Pell’s] witness to us and his legacy to the Church is that it is one, holy, catholic, apostolic Church that he was proud to serve and that he was proud, in a very humble way, to be a confessor of. I think that that leaves us an astonishing and shining example,” he said.
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