Pope Benedict urges world solidarity with persecuted Christians
Vatican City, Mar 27, 2006 (CNA) - Before
praying his weekly Angelus prayer before a crowd of thousands in St.
Peter’s Square on Sunday, Pope Benedict expressed his solidarity with
persecuted Christians around the world, sending his “warm encouragement
to carry on in the patience and charity of Christ,” awaiting the full
realization of the “Kingdom of God to come.”
His words come
as Afghanistan’s Abdul Rahman faces a possible death sentence for
converting from Islam to Christianity 16 years ago. Rahman’s case has
been turned back to the Attorney General because of gaps in the
evidence, but due to that country’s Islamic laws, his fate remains
uncertain.
The Holy Father
began by likening his words with last week’s consistory, in which 15
men were elevated to the position of cardinal.
He called
Friday’s event “an intense ecclesial experience that enabled us to
taste the spiritual wealth of collegiality, finding ourselves together
among brothers from different backgrounds, all united in a single love
for Christ and His Church."
"In some way,”
he went on, “we relived the situation of the first Christian community,
united around Peter and Mary Mother of Jesus to welcome the gift of the
Spirit and undertake to spread the Gospel throughout world.”
He gave a
sobering explanation of the role of cardinal saying that, “Faithfulness
to this mission even unto the sacrifice of their lives is a distinctive
characteristic of cardinals, as their oath testifies and as symbolized
by the red they wear, the color of blood."
Calling it a
"providential coincidence" that the consistory’s March 24th date
coincided with "the commemoration of missionaries who, over the past
year, have died on the frontiers of evangelization and service to man
in various parts of the earth,” the Pope said that the day “provided an
opportunity for us to feel closer than ever to those Christians who
suffer persecution because of their faith.”
“Their witness,
of which news reaches us every day,” he said, “and especially the
sacrifice of those killed, edifies and encourages us to an ever more
sincere and generous evangelical commitment.”
The Pontiff
particularly pointed to “those communities living in countries where
religious freedom is lacking or where, despite its affirmation in
theory, in practice it suffers many restrictions.”
To those
communities, he sent his “warm encouragement to carry on in the
patience and charity of Christ, seed of the Kingdom of God to come."
The Holy Father
concluded his address by expressing "solidarity in the name of the
entire Church" and "daily recollection in my prayers" to those who work
in the service of the Gospel under such difficult conditions.
"The Church
marches forwards in history”, he said, “and spreads over the earth
accompanied by Mary, Queen of the Apostles…We ask her to guide us on
our daily journey and to protect with special concern those Christian
communities undergoing the greatest difficulty and suffering."
Pope Benedict: New cardinals are called to serve Church as spouses
Vatican City, Mar 27, 2006 (CNA) - On
Saturday, Pope Benedict celebrated Mass with the 15 new cardinals
created in Friday’s consistory. In presenting them with their new
ecclesial rings of office, he compared their new roles to that of
spouses, stressing their duty to serve with love.
He called the rings "a sign of dignity, pastoral solicitude and ever stronger communion with the See of Peter."
During his
homily, Benedict recalled that the previous day’s celebration coincided
with the liturgical Solemnity of the Annunciation of the Lord, during
which, he said, "we recognize the origins of the Church."
"Everything
began from there," he said. "Every historical achievement of the Church
and every one of her institutions must be shaped by that primordial
wellspring. They must be shaped by Christ, the incarnate Word of God."
The Pope gave particular attention to the word “beloved”, with which the Angel Gabriel addresses the Virgin Mary.
"Origen”, he
pointed out, “observes that no such title had ever been given to a
human being, and that it is unparalleled in all of Sacred Scripture. It
is a title expressed in passive form, but this 'passivity' of Mary ...
implies her free consent. ... In being loved, Mary is fully active,
because she accepts with personal generosity the wave of God's love
poured out upon her."
Turning then, to
the day’s reading from St. Paul’s Letter to the Hebrews, the pontiff
said that the mystery of the double 'yes' to God from Christ and from
the Virgin must illuminate the lives of the ministers of the Church,
and support the cardinals in their mission as the "Senate of Peter's
Successor."
He said that
“Today's event emphasizes the Petrine principle of the Church, in the
light of the other, Marian, principle which is even more fundamental.”
“The importance
of the Marian principle in the Church”, Benedict recalled, “was
particularly highlighted, after the [Second Vatican Council], by my
beloved predecessor Pope John Paul II, in keeping with his motto 'Totus
tuus'."
"Everything in
the Church, every institution and ministry, including that of Peter and
his successors,” he stressed, “is 'included' under the Virgin's mantle,
within the grace-filled horizon of her 'yes' to God's will. ... The
theme of the relationship between the Petrine principle and the Marian
principle is also to be found in the symbol of the ring which I am
about to consign to you.
He called the
ring a “nuptial sign” saying that it must remind the cardinals that
“first and foremost you are intimately united with Christ so as to
accomplish your mission as bridegrooms of the Church, ... which you are
called to serve with the love of a spouse.”
In this light,
the Pope said that “the two dimensions of the Church, Marian and
Petrine, come together in the supreme value of charity, which
constitutes the fulfillment of each."
"Everything in
this world will pass away. In eternity only Love will remain," said the
Holy Father who went on to recall how the Virgin, after receiving the
Angel's message, went to he cousin Elizabeth "'in order to be of
service to her.' ... Those who love forget about themselves and place
themselves at the service of their neighbor.”
This, he said is
the “image and model of the Church…Every ecclesial community, like the
Mother of Christ, is called to accept with total generosity the mystery
of God Who comes to dwell within her and guides her steps in the ways
of love.
Pope Benedict
concluded by saying that “this is the path along which I chose to
launch my pontificate, inviting everyone, with my first Encyclical, to
build up the Church in charity as a 'community of love'."
Afghan court to release Christian convert, but national tension remains high
Kabul, Afghanistan, Mar 27, 2006 (CNA) - An
Afghan man facing a possible death sentence for converting to
Christianity from Islam 16 years ago is set to be released, but massive
protests in the mostly-Muslim country suggest that Abdul Rahman’s fate
is still largely in question.
Following heavy
speculation over the weekend, a BBC report has confirmed the release,
citing a government official who wished to remain anonymous. He said
that the case is being handed back to the Attorney General due to
numerous gaps in the evidence.
Because tensions in the country continue to run high, details of the release have not been made public.
Jeff King,
president of the Washington DC-based group, International Christian
Concern, said that “Technically, [Rahman] will still be in danger as
the case is being turned back to the prosecutor for review”, but
speculated that “this is a technicality.”
King requested
the people keep Rahman in their prayers. “He will be in grave danger as
long as he remains in the country. The fundamentalists will seek to
kill him regardless of what the courts say,” he warned.
Earlier this
morning, thousands of Afghan’s took to the streets of the northern
Afghan city of Mazar – e—Sharif to protest Rahman’s release.
The country’s
legal system, which is based on Islamic Sharia law, suggests that
Rahman must receive death if he fails to renounce Christianity and turn
back to Islam. According to the BBC, a prosecutor in the case said that
“He would have been forgiven if he changed back. But he said he was a
Christian and would always remain one. We are Muslims and becoming a
Christian is against our laws. He must get the death penalty.”
Leaders in the
international community have staunchly spoken out against the case
citing massive violations of human and religious rights.
Writing last
week to Afghanistan’s president Hamid Karzai, the Vatican appealed to
“profound human compassion,” and “firm belief in the dignity of human
life and by respect for every person's freedom of conscience and
religion,” asking for the case to be dropped.
The court said
earlier that they were also looking into whether or not Rahman was
mentally stable enough to undergo the trial—a discrepancy which could
have contributed to his release. Critics however, charge that the
tactic is simply a way for Afghanistan to skirt international criticism
without changing an unjust law.
Pope promises further collaboration with College of Cardinals
Vatican City, Mar 27, 2006 (CNA) - Earlier
today, Pope Benedict XVI met with the 15 new cardinals created in last
Friday’s Ordinary Public Consistory. During the meeting, he
particularly greeted the English-speaking prelates and promised more
meetings with the College of Cardinals, similar to last Thursday’s day
of prayer and reflection.
Speaking on the
need for collaboration, the Holy Father said that “the meetings of the
entire College of Cardinals with Peter's Successor, such as that of
last Thursday, will continue as privileged moments to seek together how
best to serve the Church, entrusted by Christ to our care."
In addition, he
extended his “warm greetings” to “the newly created English-speaking
Cardinals. They include, Cardinal William Levada, Prefect of the
Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith; Cardinal Gaudencio Rosales,
Archbishop of Manila, the Philippines; Cardinal Nicholas Cheong
Jin-suk, Archbishop of Seoul, Korea; Cardinal Sean O’Malley, OFM Cap.,
Archbishop of Boston, United States of America; Cardinal Joseph Zen
Ze-kiun, SDB Bishop of Hong Kong, China; and Cardinal Peter Dery,
Archbishop Emeritus of Tamale, Ghana.
“Venerable and
dear Brothers,” he said, “in renewing to you my fraternal greetings and
offering my fervent prayers for the mission that has been entrusted to
you for the service of the universal Church, I once again commend you
to the protection of Mary, Mother of the Church.”
He likewise
extended greetings to “the family members and friends of our newly
created Cardinals, together with the lay faithful, who have accompanied
them to Rome for the solemn celebrations of last Friday and Saturday.
He said he hoped
that their time in the Eternal City would deepen their “love of the
Church and strengthen [their] faith in Jesus Christ our Savior and
Lord.”
He also
encouraged them “to continue to pray for our Cardinals and to support
them with your love and affection,” closing with the wish that “God
Bless you all!”
Priest sends open letter to Michael Schiavo on anniversary of Terri’s death
, Mar 27, 2006 (CNA) - The
priest who witnessed Terri Schiavo’s final hours at her bedside last
March reiterated his previous statement that her husband, Michael
Schiavo, is a murderer and called on him to “embrace a life of
repentance” and to seek forgiveness.
Terri was a
41-year-old severely disabled Florida woman, who died during Holy Week
last year; after her husband instructed that her feeding tube be
removed, knowing that it would lead to her death.
In a strongly worded open letter to Terri’s husband, Fr. Frank Pavone recalled that last year he called Michael a murderer.
“Some have
demanded that I apologize to you for calling you a murderer,” wrote the
priest. “Not only will I not apologize, I will repeat it again. Your
decision to have Terri dehydrated to death was a decision to kill her.”
The national
director of Priests for Life read his letter to a worldwide audience on
an internationally broadcast religious service Sunday morning. It was
written to mark the one-year anniversary of Terri’s death.
“It doesn’t
matter if Judge Greer said it was legal. No judge, no court, no power
on earth can legitimize what you did,” he continued. “It makes no
difference if what you did was legal in the eyes of men; it was murder
in the eyes of God and of millions of your fellow Americans.”
The priest
recounted Terri’s agonizing death. “As one of only a few people who
were eyewitnesses to Terri’s dehydration, I have to speak,” he wrote.
Fr. Pavone,
claiming to write on behalf of “tens of millions” of outraged
Americans, said Michael’s decision to remove Terri’s feeding tube is
offensive.
“Your actions
offend us,” he wrote. “You have offended those who struggle on a daily
basis to care for loved ones who are dying, and who sometimes have to
make the very legitimate decision to discontinue futile treatment.”
Millions of
Americans continue to wonder why Michael did not let Terri’s family
take care of her, as they were willing to do, he said. “She had no
terminal illness. She was simply a disabled woman who needed extra care
that you weren’t willing to give,” he wrote.
“Not only have
you killed Terri and deeply wounded her family, but you have disgraced
our nation, betrayed the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and undermined the
principles that hold us together as a civilized society,” he stated.
Vatican announces conditions for establishing official relations with China
Rome, Italy, Mar 27, 2006 (CNA) - In
an interview with Hong Kong’s I-Cable TV, the Vatican’s Secretary for
Foreign Relations, Archbishop Giovanni Lajolo, said that, with certain
conditions, the time is ripe for addressing the issue of relations
between the Vatican and Communist China.
“Our opinion is
that the time is ripe: we trust in the spirit of openness of the
supreme authorities of the People’s Republic of China, who cannot
ignore the expectations of their people as well as the signs of the
times,” the archbishop said.
Nevertheless,
Archbishop Lajolo noted that diplomatic relations are “bilateral, and
therefore the Holy See cannot move without the consensus of the
government of Beijing.” He said that contact up to now has been
“informal, with officials at high and low levels. We have told
everyone clearly what we are asking for, what we can concede and what
we cannot give up.”
Archbishop
Lajolo said the issue of religious freedom, specifically the Holy See’s
ability to independently name bishops, is at the heart of the
differences with Beijing.
China has set
the Vatican’s severing of ties with Taiwan and the acceptance of the
Chinese government’s authority to name bishops as conditions for
establishing diplomatic relations. For the first time Archbishop
Lajolo made it known the Vatican explicitly rejects that
condition. “Faithfulness to the Successor of Peter, who Christ
himself established as the Church’s guide, is at risk,” he warned.
“You cannot be Catholic if you are not in communion with the Pope,” the archbishop stated.
Catholics called to celebrate dignity of women on Mother’s Day
Lincoln, Neb., Mar 27, 2006 (CNA) - The
Family Life Office of the Diocese of Lincoln and The Leaven, a Catholic
lay apostolate, will co-sponsor a celebration of the spiritual
maternity inherent to women.
Project Mother’s
Day 2006 will feature keynote speaker Colleen Hammond, author of the
rapidly selling book Dressing With Dignity
(www.DressingWithDignity.blogspot.com).
The fashion show
event will include petitions to merchants, asking them to provide
tasteful, feminine and modest clothing for women and girls.
“Immodest
fashions, contraception, and abortion make a mockery of women,” says
Juliana Davis, co-founder of The Leaven. “It wasn’t until I read
Colleen’s book that I realized immodest fashions are tied to a
multi-faceted affront to our sacred dignity.”
On her blog,
former model and Weather Channel anchor Hammond highlights top
designers, whose fashions demonstrate that modesty does not mean
looking manly or boring. Her concept of feminine design meshes with the
philosophy of recently canonized feminist Edith Stein, whose book,
Woman, describes the uniquely distinct character of women.
The Leaven was founded in 1987 to promote Pope Paul VI’s 1968 encyclical Humanae Vitae.
Mobile faith: Church in Scotland launches text message service
, Mar 27, 2006 (CNA) - The
Catholic Church in Scotland has launched a new text message service,
which will include Church news and requests to pray, reported the
Sunday Scotsman Newspaper.
The service will
also seek to mobilize Catholics by advising them of radio and
television talk shows on moral issues, urging them to call in. It also
intends to prepare weekly audio and video services for download. It is
the first church in the United Kingdom to offer such a service. It
already offers a text message Bible verse service.
The Church will
distribute 100,000 flyers over the next month to promote the new
service, which will be free to subscribers and operated by volunteers
in Glasgow. Costs of the service will be shouldered by the Church's
communications budget.
For the first
time, the text message service will offer both audio and video podcasts
of the Scottish Church’s General Assembly in May. The podcasts will
consist of edited highlights from the daily worship and debates. The
debates will also be streamed to the latest mobile phones.
Scotland has
about 700,000 Roman Catholics; about 230,000 attend church regularly.
Church officials estimate that about 20,000 people will subscribe to
the new service.
Pseudo-Catholic group says right to abortion ‘essential’ for women
Mexico City, Mexico, Mar 27, 2006 (CNA) - The
Mexican branch of the pro-abortion group “Catholics for a Free Choice”
(CFFC) presented the Spanish version of the book, “Our Right to Choose:
Toward a New Ethic of Abortion,” in Mexico City last week, in a
ceremony attended by various leaders of the movement to legalize
abortion in Latin America.
The author,
Beverly Wildung Harrison, who wrote the book in English in 1983,
attended the event, along with Frances Kissling, the founder of
“Catholics for a Free Choice.” Chery White, professor at the Methodist
seminary of Mexico, Maria Van Doren, a missionary nun of the Sisters of
the Immaculate Heart of Mary, and Maria Consuelo Mejia, director of
CFFC in Mexico, were likewise all in attendance.
During the
event, Mejia said the book was a fundamental component of the feminist
strategy to legalize abortion, which she called “a social good.”
“Power today is in the hands of women, and therefore the outlook for
Latin America is hopeful” for the legalization of abortion, she said.
Mejia also
called Christian tradition "insufficient, because throughout the
centuries it has denied women the right to choose regarding
procreation.”
“The right to
choose regarding procreation is indispensable for there to be a truly
moral society. This right of women to choose, including access to
abortion, is an indispensable good for the building of a more
equitable, free and just society, to be able to exercise reproductive
power as a social good utilized in their benefit and not as a
biological accident,” Mejia added.
“No society can be considered moral if it does not foster and spread the right to decide about reproduction,” she said.
During her
remarks, Frances Kissling said it was essential “to speak of a
Christian ethic of abortion, it’s time for women to write the four
gospels; because Christian conservative tradition is become stronger
and is silencing the debate.”
Maria Van Doren,
who is a Sister of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, called herself a
collaborator to CFFC. “It’s possible to give another theological
explication to these issues in order to remove the sense of guilt from
abortion, because it is not murder and it is not true that women who
accept it have no conscience,” she said.
“The book,” she
continued, “emphasizes that sexuality should not necessarily lead to
procreation, and that having a family is not a divine mandate.
The Bible with all its myths cannot give a theological argument.”
“Women should have the right to decide about the fetus, without any
absolute parameters,” Van Doren said.
Ecuadorian bishops call on government, natives to dialogue about free trade agreement
Quito, Ecuador, Mar 27, 2006 (CNA) - The
Bishops’ Conference of Ecuador has called on that country’s government
to act deliberately on the Confederation of Indigenous Nationalities,
and not to provoke confrontations that only endanger the country.
In a statement
signed by the president of the Conference, Bishop Nestor Herrera, the
bishops warned that confrontations between the two sides do nothing to
help maintain harmony among Ecuadorians.
“We accept (the
government’s) principle that recourse to violence must be abandoned
before there can be dialogue, but we also believe that this principle
is valid in normal circumstances--not in an explosive situation such as
the one we are experiencing,” the bishops stated.
The bishops
emphasize that their mediation in the conflict is not in response to an
invitation by either one of the parties, although last Wednesday they
did pass on a proposal by the Confederation to the government, which
promptly rejected it.
The indigenous
communities that make up the Confederation launched a series of
protests and roadblocks after the Ecuadorian government announced it
would enter into free trade negotiations with the United States.
After several
days of protests, Confederation leaders announced a momentary halt to
the demonstrations. The Ecuadorian government said it would
maintain a state of emergency in the provinces where protests are being
held.
Chilean bishop slams government’s announcement to distribute morning-after pill
Santiago, Chile, Mar 27, 2006 (CNA) - Responding
to an announcement by Chile’s Heath Minister, Maria Soledad Barria,
that the government would make the morning-after pill “universally
available,” Auxiliary Bishop Cristian Contreras Villarroel of Santiago
slammed the announcement saying, “Equality should be sought out for
those situations that are good for the human being.”
Last week,
Barria said the morning-after pill would be made available for all who
request it. He added that this was not new, but part “of the
government’s plan.” “The issue”, he said, “is about improving
equal access to an emergency contraceptive, together with counseling,
sexual education, etc.”
“At heart is the
scientific discussion about its abortifacient nature,” Bishop
Villarroel said in response. “And since this is about the life of
a human person, from the moment of conception, I would like to suppose
that we are all sensitive to the right to life and that nobody would
use euphemisms like ‘termination of pregnancy’ to refer to abortion, as
I suppose nobody would confuse ‘euthanasia’ with ‘avoidance of
therapeutic cruelty’.”
He also
countered that “the argument about ‘equality’ in this context is
questionable because the explanation being given is socio-economic and
does not take into account the dignity or the potentiality of the human
person.”
“If the issue is
equality,” he continued, “and if we mean to show that by pointing out
the access a young girl from a rich neighborhood has to the pill versus
girls from poorer areas, then I think there are other needs, in matters
related to peoples’ health care, that our leaders ought to be
addressing.”
He used for
example, “the scandalous discrimination between rich and poor in
patients with serious illnesses. To me this is real issue that
needs to be dealt with, along with other situations of true injustice.
Equality should be sought out for those situations that are good for
the human being,” the bishop said.
