Orthodox, Catholic leaders gather to discuss state of the ‘soul of Europe’
Vatican City, May 3, 2006 (CNA) - Starting
today, leaders from the Vatican and the patriarch of Moscow are meeting
together in for an historic joint conference in Vienna, Austria to
discuss the theme, "Returning a Soul to Europe".
The conference--
the first such cooperative venture by the Vatican and the Moscow
patriarchate- will examine the role of Christian Church leadership in
preserving the "soul" of Europe. In an April 29 preview, the Pontifical
Council for Culture said that the effort is the fruit of meeting last
November between Cardinal Paul Poupard and Patriarch Alexei II.
The Archdiocese
of Vienna reported that during a November 2005 visit to Moscow, the
president of the Pontifical Council for Culture spoke with the Russian
prelate about their shared concern about "the loss of identity on the
continent," and the necessity of reviving interest in Europe's
Christian patrimony.
Cardinal Paul
Poupard, president of the Pontifical Council for Culture will co-chair
the sessions of the conference, along with Metropolitan Kirill of
Smolensk, the head of external relations for the Moscow patriarchate.
At the
conclusion of the meeting, the two prelates plan to release a joint
statement to the world leaders who will be participating in the G8
summit meeting at St. Petersburg in July.
Vienna was chosen as a site for the conference because, as the Vatican release observed, it is midway between Rome and Moscow.
Pope Benedict,
through Secretary of State Cardinal Angelo Sodano, sent a message to
participants, stressing that "the Church, an expert in humanity, cannot
forget that only through fully preserving and appreciating the
patrimony of the values transmitted from its ancestors can Europe,
recognizing the diverse spiritual traditions that enrich it, write a
new page in its history that respects the dignity of the human person…”
He further
called for a new history which prohibits “violence and abuses against
human rights, which seriously obstruct the integral development of
nations and contaminate the heart of the human being, considerably
grieving the heart of the Creator".
Pope Benedict: Through apostolic ministry, Christ Himself maintains the Church
Vatican City, May 3, 2006 (CNA) - Speaking
to a crowd of some 52,000 people in St. Peter‘s Square today, Pope
Benedict XVI explained that through apostolic tradition, the Word of
God is passed down from Christ himself through the apostles and their
successors--in its full integrity--to members of the Church today.
The Holy
Father’s regular Wednesday audience earlier today was dedicated to the
idea of apostolic tradition, a theme he called of "great relevance in
the life of the Church".
"The Vatican
Council”, he began, “affirms that the [Church’s] Tradition is
'apostolic', above all in its origins.” He added that “God ... willed
to reveal it so that the salvation of souls may be integrally
transmitted to all generations ... For this, Christ, in Whom the will
of God is completed, sent the apostles to preach ... the Gospel as a
source of all truth and moral law".
He explained
that the apostles, "heads of an eschatological Israel were twelve, as
were the tribes of the chosen people", and this number "not only
expresses the continuation of the holy race, the twelve tribes of
Israel, but also the universal destiny of its ministry".
"The community,”
he said, “born from the pronouncement of the Gospel by those who were
first with the Lord ... can rely on the leadership of the twelve, as
did those who little by little united themselves with the successors in
the ministry of the Word and service toward the community.”
“Nevertheless,” the Pope stressed however, “one feels compelled to transmit to others the 'Good News' of the Lord's presence".
He went on,
saying that the Tradition the Church rests on "is the living Gospel
pronounced in its integrity by the apostles ... through their work the
faith was communicated to others and has arrived to us, until the end
of the world.”
“The Tradition”,
he said is “the history of the Spirit, working in the life of the
Church through the apostles and their successors, in faithful
continuity with the original experience".
The Holy Father
used the Gospel of St. Matthew to help illustrate his point, saying
that the apostolic mandate "implies a pastoral service ('make disciples
of all nations'), a liturgical service ('baptizing them'), and a
prophetic service ("teaching them to observe all that I have commanded
you') guaranteeing closeness to the Lord until the end of the ages ('I
am with you always until the end of time')".
He said that
"Thanks to the apostolic ministry, Christ Himself comes to one who is
called to the faith, overcoming the distance of the ages and offering
Himself, living and working, today in the Church and the world".
Pope Benedict mourns victims of Black Sea airline crash
Vatican City, May 3, 2006 (CNA) - Pope
Benedict has sent his personal condolences, by way of Cardinal
Secretary of State Angelo Sodano, for the victims of an Armenian plane
crash which occurred yesterday night off Russia’s Black Sea coast. All
113 passengers on board are now believed dead.
In the telegram,
sent to the Apostolic Nuncio in Armenia, Cardinal Sodano wrote that
“the Holy Father bows before the many victims and calls on them the
Mercy of Our Lord, asking Him to welcome them in His kingdom of Peace.”
Likewise, he
said that the Holy Father had asked him “to express his vivid sympathy
and assurances the families of the disappeared of his prayers, as well
to all those who have been affected. by this tragedy and as well to the
authorities and to all the Armenian people.”
The Airbus A-320 belonging to the Armenian airline Armavia was bound for Sochi, a Black Sea resort town.
Ordination of new Bishop will harm the Church, says Chinese dissident
, May 3, 2006 (CNA) - China's
state-sanctioned Catholic church has installed its second new bishop to
be appointed without Vatican approval this week. The Chinese Patriotic
Catholic Association ordained Liu Xinhong as bishop of the city of Wuhu
at St. Joseph's Church in the eastern province of Anhui on Wednesday.
Hong Kong's
Cable TV showed Liu, dressed in a yellow robe, bowing his head to
receive a yellow head piece from a clergyman. "My feeling at this
moment is to thank the Lord and our God from the depth of my heart," he
said, addressing the congregation.
Most Catholics
in Anhui belong to the underground Church and refuse to join the open,
state-sanctioned church. However, an "underground" lay leader in Anhui
who asked not to be named, told Asian Catholic news agency UCAN on May
2 that his community, as well as many "open Church" Catholics, “will
not accept a bishop without papal approval,” adding that “such an
ordination will harm Church efforts in evangelization and
reconciliation.”
The underground Catholics are mainly spread in the northern and northwestern part of Anhui province, according to the layman.
He also
disclosed that public security officers have already tightened control
on his group and others warning Catholics “not to create trouble." For
this reason, he said, he and several other lay leaders have left home
for a few days to avoid government control.
Another
underground Church leader told UCAN that the upcoming ordination
“openly confronts the Holy See and damages the hierarchy of the
universal Church.” This same Catholic said that in defying the order of
the Holy See, Father Liu would not gain the support of local Catholics.
Anhui has been
without a bishop since Bishop Joseph Zhu Huayu of Bengbu—part of the
state-run church--died at 86 in February 2005. The state church
combined the province's three dioceses -- Anqing, Bengbu and Wuhu - to
form Anhui diocese on July 3, 2001, but the Holy See still regards them
as separate dioceses.
On Sunday, China's state church ordained Ma Yinglin as bishop of the southwestern province of Yunnan.
Most Chinese
Catholics are only allowed to worship in government-controlled
churches, but an estimated 10 million are loyal to the Vatican. Formal
Sino-Vatican ties would give some security to China's Vatican
loyalists, who are frequently fined and sometimes sent to labor camps.
Harvard study challenges authenticity of abstinence, virginity pledges
Washington D.C., May 3, 2006 (CNA) - A
new study released by the Harvard School of Public Health challenges
the authenticity of pledges made by adolescents to abstain from
premarital sex until marriage.
According to
Concerned Women for America (CWA), the study attempts to belittle
virginity pledges by claiming that adolescents who make pledges to save
sex for marriage break their vows within the first year, and that those
who relent to premarital sex are more likely to claim that they never
made a virginity vow in the first place.
“This new
‘finding’ by Harvard is misleading and deceptive,” chided Janice
Crouse, CWA’s senior fellow of the Beverly LaHaye Institute. “This
study is in direct contradiction with the trends we have been seeing in
recent years –– both teen pregnancies and teen abortions are down, and
evidence indicates these trends are related to increased abstinence
among teens.
“Those who make
virginity pledges have shown greater resolve to save sex for marriage.
At the same time, those who have not made a conscious decision to
abstain from sex are more likely to engage in premarital sexual
activity,” Crouse said in a written release.
“The Harvard
report is wrong,” said Crouse. “I know numerous couples who have saved
sex for their wedding night. Research is clear –– that it is the best
recipe for marital happiness and well-being. Abstinence until marriage
is a beautiful promise that should be encouraged and promoted.”
Could Notre Dame help save Washington DC’s troubled John Paul II Center?
South Bend, Ind., May 3, 2006 (CNA) - The
University of Notre Dame may step in to save the financially troubled
John Paul II Cultural Center in Washington, D.C., which has been
suffering under economic strain since its opening in 2001.
A university
spokesman confirmed to the Detroit Free Press Monday that the
university was asked about the role it might play in the center’s
future and was analyzing the situation.
Msgr. William Kerr, the center’s director, confirmed Monday through a spokeswoman that talks are taking place.
“We are
negotiating with Notre Dame, but he can’t say anything more,” John Paul
II Cultural Center spokeswoman Sandy Peeler told the Free Press.
The John Paul II
Center is a little-visited museum located behind the Basilica of the
National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception, and adjacent to Catholic
University of America. An initiative of Cardinal Adam Maida, it opened
in 2001 and is currently operating in the red.
The center is
currently being underwritten with $40 million from Catholics in metro
Detroit through the archdiocese, which loaned $17 million to the center
to cover operating deficits and has guaranteed a $23-million mortgage
on the center.
Situation of Christians in West Bank worsening since Hamas take-over
Jerusalem, Israel, May 3, 2006 (CNA) - The
Catholic relief association, Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) recently
reported on the dire situation of Christians living in Israel’s West
Bank, since the Hamas party came to power. “The crisis for the area's
about 150,000 Christians has deepened,” they said, “especially with
increased intolerance to non-Muslims.”
In an interview
with ACN, Victor Tabash, a shopkeeper from Bethlehem who sells
Christian devotional gifts, put it this way: "It has become awful
living here. We do not believe what is happening. Since the election,
things have been getting worse and worse."
With a squeeze
on public finances and frequent problems traveling to Jerusalem where
many Palestinians work and shop, many reported that Israeli authorities
frequently close roads, preventing access to Tel Aviv Airport and the
city center.
ACN has offered
help to Christian shopkeepers by retailing their hand-made olive
devotional items such as crucifixes, cribs and rosaries, an act which
is generating funds for Christians in the West Bank.
Mr. Tabash said:
"The ACN project is doing a great job for us. We now have orders being
sent out from all over the world, from Canada to Australia and now
Poland."
In the last 40
years, the Christian population in the West Bank has slumped from about
20 percent of the total to less than two percent today.
Change of heart: University chancellor allows student fees to be directed to Catholic group
Madison, Wis., May 3, 2006 (CNA) - Chancellor
John Wiley of the University of Wisconsin-Madison has changed his mind
about directing student fees to religious organizations, saying Tuesday
that he “provisionally” approved of directing $145,000 to the UW Roman
Catholic Foundation.
The chancellor
was quick to add that it may be necessary to receive more information
about the Catholic group’s activities "before funding that may be
provisionally approved can actually be released," reported the Madison
Capital Times.
The funding was approved by student leaders earlier this year. His decision now goes to the Board of Regents for final approval.
Wiley argued in
a memo last month to student leaders that fees could not be used to
support religious activities without violating the constitution. The
Catholic group had threatened to sue if funding was rejected.
In a recent
memo, Wiley also wrote that he stood behind the principle that student
organizations based off campus, like the Catholic foundation, are not
eligible for rent or maintenance subsidies.
But the Madison
Capital Times reported that he now says he is granting a one-year
exemption to all organizations, and will ask the Board of Regents to
clarify the issue.
Cardinal Martino calls lay the ‘light and soul of society’
, May 3, 2006 (CNA) - “You
are a privileged partner and the light and soul of society,” said the
Vatican’s Cardinal Renato Martino, speaking on the role of lay people
in the Church during this week’s gathering of the Kolping movement in
Vienna, Austria.
Cardinal
Martino, who is president of the Pontifical Council for Justice and
Peace, addressed 39 delegates of the Kolping general council yesterday,
referring to the “social heritage of the Church as an orientation for
the action of Christians in the world.”
He also pointed
out the “urgent need to evangelize society according to the
requirements of the Church’s social teaching and heritage.”
As evidence of
this, Cardinal Martino developed the essential element which is the
compendium of the Social Heritage of the Church, elaborated under his
overseeing.
“The lay are the
privileged partner of the Compendium,” he said, “they are directly
present, where the organized secular and social life is; in the realm
of the economy, politics, work, and media.”
“They have to
deal directly with secular reality, they are therefore the bearers of
the practical social heritage of the Church,” he added.
The Cardinal
later expressed his wishes that the Compendium would bring maturity to
those in positions of responsibility, and enable them to be witnesses
in society.
Likewise, he
listed a number of challenges which Christians face in society. “It is
up to Christian lay to protect the value of the family, and to
reinforce the relation between ethics and economy. We have the
increasing feeling that economy alone, without ethics is not enough.”
Cardinal Martino
conceded that if “Good willing persons take up responsibility
positions, in politics, the economy and culture, we would succeed in
making this world a better place.”
The Kolping is a
Catholic international social organization, which uses education and
activities to promote the development of its members in the fields of
daily life.
Nun who launched Vatican website to launch faith-based community site
Vatican City, May 3, 2006 (CNA) - The
woman behind the much-renowned Vatican website is working on a new
faith-based community site, which will be launched this fall and aim to
bring together Catholics from around the world.
Sr. Judith
Zoebelein is the editorial director of the Internet Office of the Holy
See. In 1995, she and a handful of colleagues approached Pope John Paul
II about launching a Vatican website. The Pope gave his approval.
According to an
article in the May 8th issue of Business Week, what began as a Web page
of the Pope’s 1995 Christmas message has since become one of the most
expansive and visited websites. The current Vatican site typically gets
about one million visitors per month.
Now Sr.
Zoebelein is creating a second Vatican website aimed at bringing
together the faithful. There will be personal news updates, e-learning
programs, and areas set aside for families, young people, and parishes.
"People will be
able to find each other and work together online, and then go back and
use what they have learned or done in their own communities," Sr.
Zoebelein told Business Week.
Sr. Zoebelein said she believes the Net is the ultimate way to reach millions of people and to connect them with God.
The 57-year-old
American nun grew up in a middle-class household in the Hamptons on
Long Island. A member of the Franciscan Sisters of the Eucharist, Sr.
Zoebelein worked with social service agencies in Asia, Africa, and
Latin America.
According to
Business Week, she took an interest in computers and set up computer
networks in relief agency offices around the world. She was called to
the Vatican in 1991 to help out with its computer systems until the
Internet site was developed.
