Vatican City, May 9, 2018 / 05:02 pm (CNA/EWTN News).- In June 1978 the Archbishop of San Salvador, Oscar Romero, went to the Vatican to meet with the Bishop of Rome, Paul VI. At that meeting, the Pope encouraged his fellow bishop to help the Salvadora… […]
Vatican City, May 9, 2018 / 02:10 pm (CNA/EWTN News).- The Vatican’s long-rumored China deal was discussed by Myanmar’s bishops this week during an ad limina visit with Pope Francis, according to the Archbishop of Yangon.
Cardinal Charles … […]
Vatican City, May 9, 2018 / 11:14 am (CNA/EWTN News).- After a two-day meeting in Rome, the governing council of the Vatican office for the Synod of Bishops approved the text to be used as the working document for the upcoming October gathering dedicated to youth.
The May 7-8 meeting of the governing council was presided over by Pope Francis and centered on finalizing the text.
A compilation of ideas and thoughts from five sources, the document includes information from answers to a questionnaire sent out to bishops conferences; answers to an online questionnaire for youth; an international seminar on youth that took place in Rome in September 2017; contributions and suggestions from both individuals and groups; and the concluding document of the March 19-24 pre-synod meeting in Rome, which gathered some 300 youth from around the world.
According to a May 9 communique on the Synod of Bishops’ council meeting, a draft of the working document was presented which generated “an interesting exchange of opinions.”
Suggestions were made for changes to the text. Once the changes were incorporated, the document was approved by each of the council members participating.
Participants also discussed how the October synod will be organized. The meeting was closed by Pope Francis, who thanked the council for their contributions and for “the spirit of fraternal communion in which the meeting took place.”
A preparatory document for the October synod released in January 2017 insisted on the need for a global approach and stressed that the voices of youth needed to be heard, and that they would be protagonists in the discussion leading up to the synod.
In the final document written by youth during the pre-synod meeting in March, young people urged the Church to be more authentic, more modern, and more creative in the way it interacts with young people, specifically in how it addresses controversial issues.
The youth, who included Catholics and non-Catholics, largely said they felt left out and that they wanted to be taken seriously, as leaders and contributors to important discussions happening in the Church.
They also said they didn’t want the Church to shy away from talking about hard or controversial topics, such as sexuality and women’s roles in the Church, but wanted people who could speak with them openly and honestly. They also asked for mentors who could help them navigate the tough issues and listen patiently to their questions.
Vatican City, May 9, 2018 / 10:25 am (CNA/EWTN News).- The first hearing in a trial against the former president of the Institute of Religious Works (IOR) – known as the “Vatican Bank” – and his lawyer took place today at the Va… […]
Vatican City, May 9, 2018 / 08:45 am (CNA/EWTN News).- Pope Francis and the primate of the Orthodox Church of the Czech Lands and Slovakia, His Beatitude Metropolitan Rastislav, will meet for the first time later this week, the Vatican announced Wednes… […]
Vatican City, May 9, 2018 / 02:46 am (CNA/EWTN News).- Pope Francis said Wednesday that nothing can take away a person’s baptism or the salvation and identity they gain as a child of God, which is why the Church only allows for the sacrament to be administered once.
“Baptism is not repeated because it imprints an indelible spiritual sign: This sign is never erased by any sin, though sin prevents baptism from bringing the fruit of salvation,” the pope said during his May 9 general audience.
Just as parents give their children earthly life, the Church gives spiritual life through baptism, making each person a son of God through Jesus Christ, he said, explaining that at the moment of baptism, God tells each person that “you are my beloved child.”
“This paternal voice, imperceptible to the ear but well audible to the heart of those who believe, accompanies us for our entire lives, without abandoning us,” he said, adding that this is why the Church believes in only one baptism for salvation.
The belonging a person obtains from baptism “is something you never lose,” Francis said, even if a person sins with something as serious as murder, their belonging to God and his Church never goes away, “he continues to be a son.”
Even though everyone is a sinner and there is a great need for conversion in life of each person, “God never rejects his children,” he said, and asked the crowd to repeat the phrase with him out loud.
Speaking to pilgrims who braved a rainy forecast to join him for the audience in St. Peter’s Square, the pope continued his catechesis on baptism, focusing this week on the moment a person is actually baptized when the priest invokes the Trinity, saying “I baptize you in the name of the Father, of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.”
He then pointed to the biblical passage in St. Paul’s letter to the Romans in which the apostle asked: “Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, so that as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life.”
The baptismal font is the place where one actually rises with Christ, he said, adding that in baptism, “the old man is buried, with his deceptive passions, so that he is reborn as a new creature.”
“At the same time you die and are born, and the same salutary wave becomes for you tomb and mother,” the pope said, quoting St. Cyril of Jerusalem.
Man’s rebirth as a new creation, then, naturally “demands that the man corrupted by sin is reduced to dust,” he said, adding that the images of the tomb and of the maternal womb referred to by St. Cyril are “incisive” phrases which express the reality of what happens during baptism.
To be incorporated in the body of Christ through baptism means one must also conform to him, Francis said, adding that the action of the Holy Spirit during the sacrament purifies, sanctifies and justifies the person in order to bring them into one body united to Christ.
This dynamic is expressed when the priest anoints the baptized person with oil after reciting the phrase: “God himself consecrates you with the chrism of salvation so that inserted into Christ, priest, king, and prophet, you will always be members of his body for eternal life.”
Pope Francis closed his address saying the entire vocation of a Catholic can be summed up as the necessity to live united to Jesus Christ and his Church “in order to carry out the same mission in this world, bringing fruits which last forever.”
“Animated by the only Spirit, the entire People of God participate in the functions of Jesus Christ, priest, prophet and king, and carry the responsibility of the mission and service that derive from them,” he said.
To participate in the kingly and prophetic priesthood of Christ, he said, means above all “to make oneself a free offering to God, giving testimony through a life of faith and charity, putting them at the service of others in the example of the Lord Jesus.”
Rome, Italy, May 8, 2018 / 04:00 pm (CNA/EWTN News).- Will a Mass celebrated in an Italian dialect pave the way for translation of the Roman Missal into regional dialects?
The question was raised April 28, when Archbishop Giovanni Angelo Becciu,… […]
Vatican City, May 8, 2018 / 11:15 am (CNA/EWTN News).- The Dicastery for the Laity, Family and Life published updated statutes Tuesday, reconfirming their connection with the re-formed Pontifical John Paul II Theological Institute, established by Pope Francis in September 2017.
The statutes say the dicastery “is directly linked to the ‘Pontifical John Paul II Theological Institute for Marriage and Family Sciences,’ both with headquarters and affiliated institutes, to promote a common direction in marriage, family and life studies.”
The new statutes also state a required minimum of only two lay under-secretaries, rather than the previously required three – one to head each of the three sections on laity, family and life – suggesting that the awaited appointment of a third under-secretary may be on hold.
The dicastery had two under-secretaries, Dr. Gabriella Gambino for the section on laity and Dr. Linda Ghisoni for the section on life, appointed late last year.
An additional update is the dicastery’s work to “deepen the reflection on the relationship between men and women in their respective specificity, reciprocity, complementarity and equal dignity” and to promote the participation of women in the Church and society, through valuing the “feminine genius.”
Regarding youth, the dicastery also highlighted the “particular concern of the Church for the young… in the midst of the challenges of today’s world” and stated its support for the pope’s initiatives in the area of youth ministry.
Pope Francis approved the statutes ad experimentum, which could possibly be until the completion of a new apostolic constitution outlining the structure and duties of the Roman Curia, which is being drafted by the Council of Cardinals.
The dicastery, which replaced separate pontifical councils on the family and on the laity, was established Sept. 1, 2016. It is headed by Prefect Cardinal Kevin Farrell and Secretary Fr. Alexandre Awi Mello, who was appointed in May 2017.
Cardinal Farrell has said, in reference to controversy over Pope Francis’ writings on family life, that “we need to say what our teaching is, and that’s not a yes and no answer.”
According to the statutes, which go into effect May 13, the dicastery has the task of dealing with projects related to the broad topics of the apostolate of the laity, the institution of marriage, and the family within the life of the Church, including the organization of events and the support of theological studies related to these areas.
The dicastery is responsible for the World Meeting of Families and World Youth Day.
It is to promote pastoral care of the family “in the light of the papal Magisterium”, protecting its dignity and wellbeing “based on the sacrament of marriage” and fostering “its rights and responsibility in the Church and in civil society, so that the family institution can always better fulfil its functions both in the ecclesial and in the social sphere.”
The disastery will “discern the signs of the times to value opportunities in favour of the family, take on with trust and evangelical wisdom the challenges that relate to it, and apply in today’s society and in history the plan of God for marriage and the family,” which the statutes link in particular to the World Meeting of Families.
It also “monitors the activity of Catholic institutes, associations, movements and organizations … whose purpose is to serve the good of the family.”
Regarding life issues, it promotes and supports “responsible procreation” and organizations “which help women and families to welcome and cherish life, especially in the case of difficult pregnancies and to prevent abortion.” It also supports organizations which help post-abortive women.
The dicastery supports “the protection of human life from conception to its natural end, bearing in mind the needs of the person in the various stages of evolution.”
It also studies and promotes formation in biomedicine and law based on Catholic moral doctrine and the Magisterium.
Other projects will include formation of engaged and newly married couples, and the promotion of openness to the adoption and fostering of children.
Referencing paragraphs 296-306 of Pope Francis’ 2016 apostolic exhortation on love in the family, Amoris laetitia, the statutes say the dicastery “expresses the pastoral care of the Church also in relation to so-called ‘irregular’ situations.”
The statutes also make reference to the Second Vatican Council’s constitutions Lumen gentium, on the Church, and Gaudium et spes, on the Church in the modern world.
The Pontifical Academy for Life is also connected to the dicastery, as it relates to issues connected with its competency.
Pope Francis re-founded what was previously the John Paul II Institute for Marriage and Family Sept. 19, 2017, making it a theological institute charged with studying marriage and the family from a scientific perspective.
Vatican City, May 7, 2018 / 10:18 am (CNA/EWTN News).- The ongoing crisis in Venezuela has produced a tremendous flow of emigration, with thousands fleeing the instability and hyperinflation under Nicolas Maduro’s socialist government to seek refuge in neighboring countries.
Venezuelans who choose to leave their country, as with any migrant, face a plethora of obstacles, risks, and unknowns, including an increased number of neighboring nations closing their doors, as well as the danger of falling victim to traffickers.
In a bid to help host countries support the influx of their Venezuelan neighbors and provide migrants the resources they need to integrate into their new countries, the Vatican’s office for migrants and refugees has partnered with eight South American bishops’ conferences in launching a project aimed at providing this support.
Titled “Bridges of Solidarity,” the project was presented May 7 by the two undersecretaries of the Vatican’s migrant office – part of the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development and is overseen by Pope Francis directly – Fr. Michael Czerny, SJ, and Fr. Fabio Baggio, as well as Fr. Arturo Sosa, father general of the Society of Jesus and himself a Venezuelan.
The office is partnering with the bishops of Colombia, Brazil, Ecuador, Peru, Chile, Bolivia, Paraguay, and Argentina.
The project is in line with the 20 actions points drafted by the Vatican’s migrant section as part of Pope Francis’ 4-step plan for assisting migrants and refugees: to welcome, protect, promote and integrate.
Services offered through the project, which is designed to run for 24 months, include the building of centers and shelters for migrants; assistance finding housing and jobs; the facilitation of access to education and healthcare; advocacy and legal assistance; professional training of pastoral workers and awareness campaigns aimed at sensitizing local communities to the needs of migrants and the risks they face.
Funding, according to Fr. Baggio, happens partially at a local level, but the dicastery also helps in seeking support from private donors and partnerships.
Fr. Czerny said the department’s mission is to “assist the Church wherever needed, wherever possible, in accompanying migrants, refugees and victims of human trafficking.”
As a refugee himself, Czerny said one of the biggest areas they want to address helping migrants to have access to good information, thus lowering the risks they face along the way.
The looming questions for any migrant, Czerny said, are “what awaits you? What lies ahead? What do you need to know now that’s going to happen that you can be a bit better prepared? Or are you always arriving shocked, surprised and disappointed?”
“I don’t think there’s a better example of where the Church, throughout [the continent] can cooperate so that as people undertake these difficult journeys and that they are supplied with good information all along the way,” he said, referring to the new project.
Providing the right information, he said, plays a key role in the prevention of trafficking, “because people are trafficked when they lack the necessary information in order to make good decisions.”
In comments to CNA, Czerny said migrants generally lack two key areas information, the first being the practical “what do you do when…” info, as well as answers to questions about what a migrant should do when they arrive to a bus station or shelter, and what to say and not to say.
The other area is a lack of correct information, he said, noting there is often an abundance of false information that reaches migrants, and “false information is the beginning of the trafficking problem…people are oriented in the wrong direction and they end up trapped.”
Compounding the issue is the fact that many see the issue as something chaotic, assuming that it would be difficult to get the right information to migrants in the first place.
However, “when we look at it practically it’s not chaotic, it’s practical. It’s people, and people are coming and if you have good information you can share it,” Czerny said, adding that cell phones and other digital tools make it easy to share information, “but it has to be good information.”
Pope Francis has often been outspoken about the issue of trafficking. He addressed the topic again, speaking specifically about the problem of false information, in a video message to the Second International Forum on Modern Slavery, taking place May 5-8 in Argentina, published May 7.
The pope said slavery is not something of the past, but is a grim reality for many men, women and children throughout the world.
Confronted with this “tragic reality,” the pope said “no one can wash their hands who does not want to be, in some way, complicit in this crime against humanity.”
He spoke of the need to overcome “the veil of indifference” covering this issue, and said it often times appears as if “many don’t want to understand the scope of the problem.”
“There are those who, being directly involved in criminal organizations, don’t want this to be talked about simply because they get high profits thanks to the new forms of slavery,” he said, noting that there are also those who know about the problem, but don’t want to talk about it “because they find themselves at the end of the chain of consumption.”
According to Fr. Czerny, the problem of prostitution, to which the pope was likely referring, is the biggest area of trafficking that migrants fall victim to.
Pope Francis said that enforcing stricter laws are not enough, but the root causes must also be addressed, such as poverty, violence, and corruption.
The response to this issue, he said, must be based on creating opportunities for a true integral human development, beginning with education, which he said is “the key point.”
Francis closed his message noting that the task is a difficult one which requires both patience and perseverance, but which will help in building “a society that is renewed and oriented toward freedom, justice and peace.”
Vatican City, May 6, 2018 / 05:33 am (CNA/EWTN News).- God’s love requires that we give our best to each and every one of our brothers and sisters, even those who are in the final stage of their life, Pope Francis said during his Regina Coeli add… […]
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