Europe

Rome, Italy, Apr 11, 2019 / 03:01 am (CNA).- The bare, white marble of Rome’s ‘Scala Sancta,’ which are believed to be the stairs trod by Christ on the day of his trial and death, are exposed and visible to pilgrims for the first time in almost 300 years.

The stairs, encased in wood since the 1700s, will be uncovered for veneration from April 11 to June 9, the feast of Pentecost. During this time, pilgrims may ascend the marble steps on their knees.

“We thought this opportunity was important,” Paolo Violini, the head of the restoration of the staircase, told EWTN. He said the idea to open the Holy Stairs to the public came when they removed the wood to restore it and discovered the beautiful white stairs beneath.

“No one had ever thought to be able to climb the marble stairs. It was simply restoration work, maintenance work of the wood covering them,” Violini said.

“The moment we saw what was underneath, the idea came to open them publicly… for the devoted, even for a brief period and for what is possible, obviously, for the conservation of the marble.”

“As long as the restoration of the wood is not finished, and it is not covered, it will be possible on the part of the faithful to climb to the top on one’s knees,” he said.

The Holy Stairs are held to be those which led to the praetorium of Pontius Pilate in Jerusalem, and which Christ would have ascended on his way to the trial before his Crucifixion.

According to tradition, the stairs were brought to Rome by St. Helena in the 4th century. The mother of Constantine the Great, it is believed that she restored many sites in the Holy Land and discovered the True Cross, in addition to other relics.

The stairs, which are near the Archbasilica of St. John Lateran, were first opened to the public more than 400 years ago by Sixtus V.

In 1724, Servant of God Benedict XIII covered the Holy Stairs in wood for their protection, since the marble had already begun to be worn down significantly by pilgrims over the prior century, Violini explained.
 
The marble under the wood has not been seen since then, he stated, and their “re-uncovering” during the end of Lent and Easter is a “highpoint.”

The Holy Stairs have been closed for over a year for restoration of the frescoes on the walls surrounding the steps and leading up to a once-private papal chapel, the Church of St. Lawrence.

The renewal of the wooden planks over the stairs was the final step.

But when the restoration workers removed the wood, they found deep divots in the center of the steps. “It was a surprise for all of us to see the state of conservation of these steps, with this central consumption, which digs a rather deep furrow, to the point that for some of the steps the whole depth is consumed,” Violini noted.

“But, going forward with the uncovering of the steps, we realized that it is nothing more than a sign of the use, of the consumption, of the pilgrims who went up on their knees,” he explained. “The furrow in the center was caused by the tip of the shoe that, resting on the step below, served to give the push to climb the next step.”  

Before being removed, the wood encasing the steps had squares cut out where pilgrims could reach down to touch the marble. There were also glass cases protecting spots believed to have marks of the bloody footprint of Christ.

Pilgrims who visit the stairs must ascend them on their knees as a sign of piety and reverence but can choose how they wish to pray while doing so. Those who cannot climb on their knees may kneel on the first step and then walk up one of the other staircases to reach the top.

There is also a plenary indulgence, or the remittance of temporal punishment due to sins which have already been forgiven, attached to ascending the entire staircase.

The usual conditions for a plenary indulgence must be met: the individual must be in the state of grace and have complete detachment from sin. The person must also pray for the pope’s intentions and sacramentally confess their sins and receive Communion up to about twenty days before or after the indulgenced act.

Alternately, a partial indulgence may be gained for every step climbed while meditating on the Passion of Christ.

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London, England, Apr 8, 2019 / 04:01 pm (CNA).- At a ecumenical rally to call for an end to knife crime, the Archbishop of Westminster on Saturday challenged the community to provide youths with positive alternatives to gangs.

Cardinal Vincent Nichols spoke at the Standing Together rally in London’s Trafalgar Square April 6. He highlighted efforts being taken by the Catholic Church to discourage gang enrollment and called for more action from parishes, schools, and parents.

“The only way of counteracting a gang culture is to create for young people a sense of belonging to something else: something that’s positive, creative and attractive to them,” said Nichols.

The April 6 event was hosted by Ascension Trust in partnership with London City Mission, Churches Together in Britain and Ireland, and the Diocese of Southwark. The goal of the rally is to encourage the community to work against gang violence and support those who have been affected by it.

In 2017 and 2018, 285 people in the UK died from stabbings, the highest number on record; and there have been 22 fatal stabbings in London in 2019, according to the BBC.

Knife offenses in England and Wales have risen steadily since 2014, to more than 39,800 in 2017-2018. The vast majority of knife offenses in England and Wales are assault or robbery; though most violent attacks do not involve the use of any weapon.

In London, black and minority ethnic teenage boys and young men are disproportionately affected by knife crime, both as victims and perpetrators.

Nichols drew attention to some Catholic schools in London who have worked with the Metropolitan Police on anti-gang programs. Before children are introduced to gangs, he said, these programs provide explanations of this life-style’s dangers and the means for children to counteract offers.

He also applauded the efforts of a parish priest in his archdiocese seeking to initiate a boxing club.  The cardinal said boxing has been a positive avenue for youth in the past. These opportunities even led to careers, as in the case of John Conteh, he said.

“In my youth in Liverpool there were a lot of Catholic parishes with boxing clubs because they taught discipline and the right use of strength,” he said.

“This was the alternative to gang culture and this is the kind of reaction we need to involve young people in a way that calls out their commitment and helps them to build discipline and self-control in their lives, and that’s the best counter to some of the worst influences today.”

Nichols also encouraged parents to talk to their children about truth, and find times to sit in silence and pray, specifically to counter the influences of social media. These outlets are restricting the full potential of young people, he said, noting the media contain false promises and is a promotion of instant gratification.

“In families and schools we need to be scrupulous in telling each other the truth and not hiding behind the half-truths, crudeness and unworthiness of things that are cheap, quick and popular today.”

Speaking directly to the youth, the cardinal encouraged young people to remove themselves from gangs and throw out knives at anonymous deposit boxes throughout the city. These weapons do not ensure security, he said, noting that carrying knife will only promote its use and put oneself and others at risk. Rather, he said young people should seek out sincere friendships.

“So build friendships, find places where you can go and sit and honestly talk and share your experiences with other people. Say your prayers, turn to God, turn to Christ and let your life grow from that relationship with Jesus rather than from anywhere else.”

The British government announced last month it would provide police in England and Wales an additional GBP 100m ($130.6m) in the next year to counter knife crime.

Police in England and Wales were also given greater power to search people without reasonable suspicion in areas where there is a risk that serious violence may occur.

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Paris, France, Apr 6, 2019 / 03:01 pm (CNA).- The Institut Catholique de Paris hosted a conference Tuesday to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the leadership organization for Catholic bishops’ conferences in Africa, at which the Church in Africa was invited to reflection on inculturation and its relationship with the Church in Europe.

The Symposium of Episcopal Conferences of Africa and Madagascar will hold its golden jubilee in Kampala July 26-30.

Brigitte Cholvy, a professor who directs post-graduate courses at the Institut Catholique de Paris, discussed the April 2 conference with La Croix, a French Catholic daily.

She told the publication that the interation between African and European theology means there is a need to discuss “the task of inculturation within a globalized context.”

“We need to be careful not to lean towards exoticism, while preserving all that has meaning in a given culture at a liturgical, ecclesial and Christological level,” Cholvy told La Croix.

The professor noted that those to be evangelized must be considered, while remembering also “that even in the most remote places in Africa, globalization has already arrived.”

According to Cholvy, the Institut Catholique de Paris “welcomes 50% of all doctoral students of Sub-Saharan origin,” and La Croix noted that many African priests and religious are educated in Europe.

The conference discussed Africa’s responsibility for mission; the family; and the relationships between faith and culture, and the Church and society.

Among the speakers at the conference was Fr. Leonard Santedi, rector of the Catholic University of the Congo, who said that SECAM “pursues common reflection above all,” and that “our voice needs to become stronger, less timid and be raised as it has been against Boko Haram in Nigeria.”

According to La Croix, self-reflection on the Church in Africa is hardly a new phenomenon; it noted the 1956 publication of “Des pretres noirs s’interrogent” (“Black priests challenge us”), which has been called “the birth of African theology”. The work, which La Croix said “led to the launch of reflection on African Christianity”, is a collection of more than 10 essays, with a preface by the then-Archbishop of Dakar, Marcel Lefebvre.

In May 2018 SECAM met with representatives of the German bishops’ conference to discuss integral human development, with both groups affirming their need to continue the work of evangelization. Such meetings have been occuring every four to five years since 1982.

The bishops pointed to poverty, misery, disease, and despair in Africa “caused by human greed and corruption, injustices of all kinds and violence and fratricidal wars,” and in Europe, a “dearth of spiritual values, excessive materialism and consumerism, individualism, little or no of respect for the life and rights of the unborn, of the aged and the infirm.”

“All of these evils .. point to the fact that as Church we still have a lot to do in our evangelization mission,” they affirmed.

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Manchester, England, Apr 5, 2019 / 11:55 am (CNA).- The international federation L’Arche says that a British hospital’s mistreatment of a man with Down syndrome in the weeks leading up to his death point to systemic faults in the medical ca… […]

Dublin, Ireland, Apr 2, 2019 / 04:01 pm (CNA).- Parents and Catholic schools near Dublin have expressed their opposition to a Department of Education plan to divest a school in the area from its Catholic patronage.

The Catholic Church runs more than 90 percent of schools in the Republic of Ireland, and receives government funds to do so.

The Department of Education has requested that one of the eight Catholic schools in the Malahide-Portmarnock-Kinsealy area, about 10 miles northeast of Dublin, be removed from Catholic patronage.

The request is part of an effort to reduce the role of the Catholic Church in education in Ireland. The Department of Education wants to reach 400 multi- or non-denominational schools by 2030, through a combination of divestment from Catholic patronage and new openings.

Last year, a law was adopted to prohibit Catholic primary schools from prioritizing Catholic students on admissions wait lists.

The Irish Times reported that a letter from the board of management of St. Oliver Plunkett’s School in Malahide told parents that the board and staff are entirely in favor of remaining under Catholic patronage, and that a change would have “huge implications”.

“A change in patronage would mean that First Penance, First Holy Communion and Confirmation would no longer be the responsibility of the school. Therefore, should you wish your child to receive the Sacraments, all preparation would take place outside of school hours and at a cost to parents,” the letter said.

It added that a patronage change “would impact the day to day running and management of the school, particularly in terms of managing finance, recruitment, allocation of resources.”

Parents at local schools have also been warned that Catholic holidays such as Christmas, Easter, and St. Patrick’s might no longer be celebrated at the schools were patronage changed, and that there would be a general change of culture at the schools.

A transfer of patronage would put the schools under either Educate Together, an educational charity which has been lauded by the National Secular Society of the U.K.; Community National School, a multidenominational model; or An Foras Patrunachta, a patron of Irish-language schools.

Parents of children at the schools will be asked to vote on whether they want their schol to divest from Catholic patronage.

In October 2018 Ireland adopted a law barring Catholic primary schools from taking religion into account in admissions. Under the new law, although Catholic schools can no longer use religion as a deciding factor in admissions, schools of minority religious groups, such as the Church of Ireland, can still use religion as a deciding factor to protect their ethos.

Previously, when a Catholic school was full, the admission process to determine which students would move off the waiting list could take religion into account.

Catholic organizations in Ireland have expressed worry that Catholic children and their parents could end up discriminated against under the new law, which they also fear could threaten the ethos of schools’ Catholic education.

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Rome, Italy, Mar 31, 2019 / 03:58 pm (CNA).- Returning to Italy from Morocco Sunday night, Pope Francis said the problem of child sexual abuse, in all its forms, cannot be tackled without understanding the influence of evil.

“The global scourge … […]

Rome, Italy, Mar 31, 2019 / 03:45 pm (CNA).- Pope Francis decried the regression of freedom of conscience in “Christian countries” during an in-flight press conference Sunday, telling reporters on his return trip from Morocco, “let&rs… […]

Edinburgh, Scotland, Mar 26, 2019 / 07:01 pm (CNA).- The Catholic Bishops Conference of Scotland is warning against the government’s restriction of free speech, amid fears that the Church’s stance on marriage and sexuality could make Catholics susceptible to hate crime allegations.

“Care must be taken to allow room for debate and a robust exchange of views, ensuring that ‘hate’ doesn’t include the kind of ordinary discourse where people reasonably hold divergent views,” reads the bishop’s statement submitted to the Scottish Government’s consultation on hate crimes.

“The fundamental right to freedom of expression, and the right of an individual to hold and express opinions, even if they are considered by some to be controversial or unwelcome must be upheld.”

This comes amid a national independent review of Scotland’s hate crime legislation, commissioned by the Minister for Community Safety and Legal Affairs, and released in May 2018.

In the review, Lord Bracadale, a retired Scottish judge, suggests that “there should be a protection of freedom of expression provision for offences concerning the stirring up of hatred.”

Catholic Parliamentary Office Director Anthony Horan said March 24 that the Church in Scotland supports this recommendation.

“In a climate of heightened sensitivity there is a very real danger that expressing or even holding individual or collective opinions or beliefs will become a hate crime,” Horan said.

“We must guard against this and ensure freedom of expression, thought, conscience and religion are protected.”

Scotland has experienced significant sectarian division since the Scottish Reformation of the 16th century, which led to the formation of the Church of Scotland, an ecclesial community in the Calvinist and Presbyterian tradition which is the country’s largest religious community.

Sectarianism and crimes motivated by anti-Catholicism have been on the rise in Scotland in recent years, and Catholics in Scotland are increasingly concerned that the government could consider their faith “hate speech,” according to local reports.

The Scottish government launched a campaign last year with posters addressed to ‘bigots, disablists, homophobes, racists, and transphobes’ across the country, saying that anyone engaging in “hate speech” will be reported to police.

The Scottish Catholic Observer reports that documents released under the country’s Freedom of Information Act last week revealed that the Scottish Government had received many complaints about the “Dear Bigots” campaign. A government official stated that there are “no plans to re-use the ‘Dear Bigots’ letter in future.”

“Some people might suggest that expressing the Catholic Church’s position on marriage or human sexuality could be an attempt to stir up hatred,” Horan said.

“This would obviously be wrong, but without room for robust debate and exchange of views we risk becoming an intolerant, illiberal society.”

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Dublin, Ireland, Mar 21, 2019 / 01:22 pm (CNA).- The Irish Bishops’ Conference has objected to job requirements mandating that certain consultant doctors be willing to participate in abortions, saying that the country’s new abortion law had promised to safeguard conscience rights for medical professionals.

“This precondition runs totally counter to a doctor’s constitutional and human right to freedom of conscience,” said the bishops, according to Irish Catholic.

“This totally undermines the whole concept of freedom of conscience which was guaranteed in the recent legislation,” they added.

In a statement following their Spring 2019 General Meeting in Maynooth, the bishops of Ireland addressed an advertisement for two consultants at the National Maternity Hospital in Dublin. As a job requirement, the candidates for the Obstetrics/Gynecology and Anesthesia positions must be willing to take part in abortions.

The bishops’ conference said these preconditions may rule out the best possible person for the job by eliminating candidates solely because they are unwilling to perform abortions.

“A doctor who is eminently qualified to work as a consultant in these fields is denied employment in these roles because of his/her conscience,” said the bishops, according to RTE.

“Doctors who are pro-life and who may have spent over a decade training in these areas and who may otherwise be the best candidate for these positions are now advised that, should they apply, they would not be eligible for consideration,” they said.

A spokesman for the National Maternity Hospital argued that the specific posts were funded by the Health Service Executive, a government agency, for the purpose of abortions.

“They are therefore for individuals willing to contribute to the provision of these services. Other past and future posts are not affected. The conscientious objection guidelines for staff in both hospitals remain unchanged,” the spokesman said, according to RTE.

Once a majority-Catholic and pro-life contingent, voters in Ireland last May voted to repeal the Eighth Amendment to their constitution, which had banned abortion. General practitioners are now allowed to perform abortions up to nine weeks and hospitals are allowed to perform the procedure up to 12 weeks of pregnancy.

The repeal has already led to concerns about freedom of conscience for medical professionals. At least 640 general practitioners in Ireland signed a petition in November objecting to the new obligation of referring patients to other doctors for abortions.

The majority of the country’s 2,500 general practitioners (GP) are unwilling to perform abortions. Only between 4 and 6 percent of GPs have said they would participate in the procedure.

The nation’s bishops recommitted themselves to helping pregnant women find the resources they need and educating those interested in apologetics defending life. To further these goals, the bishops have created a new Council for Life, led by Bishop Kevin Doran of Elphin.

“The council will give priority to exploring how best, in the current socio-cultural context, the Catholic community can offer practical support to women in crisis pregnancy, giving their unborn babies the best chance at life,” Bishop Doran said, according to Irish Catholic.

“It will also give priority to promoting an understanding of life questions among young people and to engaging them in the challenge of defending life.”
 
 

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