Vatican City, Jan 31, 2012 / 01:55 pm (CNA/EWTN News).- Bishop Francesco Moraglia was appointed by Pope Benedict XVI to the important post of Patriarch of Venice on Jan. 31. Despite the enormity of the job, he trusts God will help him succeed.
Bishop Moraglia, 59, told Vatican Radio that when the Pope asked him to move to Venice his "mood at the time was one of trepidation."
But that quickly changed after he "went to the chapel and talked to the Lord in the tabernacle, saying, 'In the end you are there, and so I trust in you.'"
During the 20th century, three former Patriarchs of Venice have gone on to occupy the papacy – Pope Pius X, Pope John XXIII and Pope John Paul I.
The new patriarch hails from Genoa, Italy and was ordained to the priesthood in 1977. Since being ordained he has taught dogmatic theology at various Catholic institutions in northwestern Italy. He has also served as an assistant pastor in a Genoese parish. He was ordained as Bishop of La Spezia-Sarzana-Brugnato in 2008.
The veteran Italian religious commentator Sandro Magister describes Bishop Moraglia as "without a shadow of a doubt a 'Ratzingerian' in both theology and liturgy." He also calls him a "man of culture," who is also keen to advocate the plight of the most vulnerable in society including, at present, those families facing economic difficulties.
Bishop Moraglia said the unemployment data in Italy alone makes him "shudder" because "we are talking about a 30 per cent of young people between 14 and 25 who have no work." That, in turn, creates serious insecurity for young people as they contemplate the future, he said.
Bishop Moraglia sees his role as primarily to "love his people" and to "make people understand that there is this feeling of love, of nearness: standing in their midst." After that, he said, a bishop must speak and give directions to his people while never losing sight of the fact that he is one of them.
During his four years as head of the La Spezia diocese, Bishop Moraglia has presided over a rise in seminary numbers and championed devotional practices like perpetual Eucharistic adoration.
He is now looking forward to shepherding the Archdiocese of Venice during the Year of Faith which begins October 2012.
His "deepest hope" is to be "in the midst of the people," whom he seeks to serve. He said he does not want to be their "master of the faith" but rather a "collaborator in the joy of these people."
The Patriarchate of Venice includes the Archdiocese of Venice along with nine suffragan dioceses. The patriarch's cathedral is St. Mark's Basilica in Venice.
Bishop Moraglia succeeds Cardinal Angelo Scola who became Archbishop of Milan last year after nine years as Venice's patriarch.
Courtesy: CNA Oringinal Post
Tuesday, January 31, 2012
Abortion law reform must be more than 'cosmetic,' says Spanish bishop
San Sebastian, Spain, Jan 31, 2012 / 02:00 pm (CNA/Europa Press).- Bishop Jose Ignacio Munilla of San Sebastian, Spain said he is hopeful that the reforms of the country's abortion law will not be "merely cosmetic" but will "take into serious consideration" the 1985 ruling of the country's Constitutional Court that "recognizes the right to life."
According to Europa Press, in an interview with Radio Euskadi on Jan. 30, Bishop Munilla said the scope of the proposed reforms is not yet known, but that the abortion law passed by the previous administration "is incompatible with current Spanish law as it enshrines abortion as a personal right."
"We have the duty to fight for the day in which abortion will be a nightmare of the past, like the slavery of those from Africa," the bishop said. He noted that women, and not just the unborn, are also the victims of abortion. ! "We are seeing more and more women who have had abortions come to us for psychological help, because abortion is always a tragedy," he said.
In the same interview, Bishop Munilla commented on the decline in the number of Church weddings in Spain, blaming the drop on the high rates of divorce and remarriage outside of the Church. "This has a great impact on the statistics," he said.
He also encouraged parents to keep their children in religious education classes and said attempts to expel religion from the public school "can only be understood as crisis of identity."
"It seems like we are embarrassed of our roots," he said, adding that it is "impossible" to understand Spanish culture apart from its "religious roots."
Courtesy: CNA Oringinal Post
According to Europa Press, in an interview with Radio Euskadi on Jan. 30, Bishop Munilla said the scope of the proposed reforms is not yet known, but that the abortion law passed by the previous administration "is incompatible with current Spanish law as it enshrines abortion as a personal right."
"We have the duty to fight for the day in which abortion will be a nightmare of the past, like the slavery of those from Africa," the bishop said. He noted that women, and not just the unborn, are also the victims of abortion. ! "We are seeing more and more women who have had abortions come to us for psychological help, because abortion is always a tragedy," he said.
In the same interview, Bishop Munilla commented on the decline in the number of Church weddings in Spain, blaming the drop on the high rates of divorce and remarriage outside of the Church. "This has a great impact on the statistics," he said.
He also encouraged parents to keep their children in religious education classes and said attempts to expel religion from the public school "can only be understood as crisis of identity."
"It seems like we are embarrassed of our roots," he said, adding that it is "impossible" to understand Spanish culture apart from its "religious roots."
Courtesy: CNA Oringinal Post
Bishop Lori: Catholics faced with choice between Jesus' mandate or Obama's
Washington D.C., Jan 31, 2012 / 03:16 pm (CNA/EWTN News).- The U.S. Catholic bishops' chairman for religious liberty says the Obama administration's contraception mandate tramples "the mandate of Jesus Christ" by requiring Catholic employers to choose between violating their consciences and denying services to non-Catholics.
Bishop William E. Lori of Bridgeport, Conn., who chairs the U.S. Bishops' Ad Hoc Committee for Religious Liberty, denounced the mandate in a Jan. 27 guest article in the Washington Post.
Bishop Lori warned of the "horrific" and "alarming" consequences that would come from forcing Catholic organizations to limit their services to members of their own faith in order to protect their religious liberty.
"In short, the administration is dictating that Catholic institutions and individual employers violate what America has always considered inviolable - their religious liberty and freedom of conscience," he said.
On Jan. 20, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services issued a finalized "preventative services" mandate requiring virtually all employers to purchase health insurance plans that cover sterilization and contraception, including drugs that cause early abortions.
Although a religious exemption to the mandate exists, religious organizations must restrict their services to primarily members of their own faith in order to qualify for it.
Therefore, Catholic hospitals, schools and social services agencies would not be exempt from the mandate, even though complying with it violates Catholic teaching.
In his guest article, Bishop Lori explained that by their nature, Catholic institutions follow their founder, Jesus Christ, by serving people "based on need, not creed."
He noted that Catholic school educators were honored for their contributions to America at a Jan. 25 White House ceremony. In part, he said, these educators were able to make a difference because their schools are open to students of all faiths or no faith at all.
Catholic schools in the United States teach more than 300,000 non-Catholic students, he said, including up to 90 percent of students in inner-city Catholic schools and over 40 percent of students in Catholic colleges and universities around the country.
The bishop also pointed out that Catholic hospitals serve one out of six people who seek hospital care annually.
"Not all of them are Catholic, and being a Catholic has never been a requirement to receive healing care," he said.
Bishop Lori also pointed out that Catholic Charities served the needs of more than 10 million people in America last year without distinguishing between Catholics and non-Catholics.
In order to continue their ministry without violating the tenets of their faith, these Catholic organizations and other across the country may be forced "not to feed or clothe, heal or educate practically anyone of another faith or creed," he said.
To force this decision would be detrimental to the common good and particularly to the poor and needy of society, he warned.
Bishop Lori finished by saying that forcing Catholic organizations to choose between following Obama's mandate and Jesus' mandate "strikes at the very heart of the right to religious liberty on which our country was founded."
Courtesy: CNA Oringinal Post
Bishop William E. Lori of Bridgeport, Conn., who chairs the U.S. Bishops' Ad Hoc Committee for Religious Liberty, denounced the mandate in a Jan. 27 guest article in the Washington Post.
Bishop Lori warned of the "horrific" and "alarming" consequences that would come from forcing Catholic organizations to limit their services to members of their own faith in order to protect their religious liberty.
"In short, the administration is dictating that Catholic institutions and individual employers violate what America has always considered inviolable - their religious liberty and freedom of conscience," he said.
On Jan. 20, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services issued a finalized "preventative services" mandate requiring virtually all employers to purchase health insurance plans that cover sterilization and contraception, including drugs that cause early abortions.
Although a religious exemption to the mandate exists, religious organizations must restrict their services to primarily members of their own faith in order to qualify for it.
Therefore, Catholic hospitals, schools and social services agencies would not be exempt from the mandate, even though complying with it violates Catholic teaching.
In his guest article, Bishop Lori explained that by their nature, Catholic institutions follow their founder, Jesus Christ, by serving people "based on need, not creed."
He noted that Catholic school educators were honored for their contributions to America at a Jan. 25 White House ceremony. In part, he said, these educators were able to make a difference because their schools are open to students of all faiths or no faith at all.
Catholic schools in the United States teach more than 300,000 non-Catholic students, he said, including up to 90 percent of students in inner-city Catholic schools and over 40 percent of students in Catholic colleges and universities around the country.
The bishop also pointed out that Catholic hospitals serve one out of six people who seek hospital care annually.
"Not all of them are Catholic, and being a Catholic has never been a requirement to receive healing care," he said.
Bishop Lori also pointed out that Catholic Charities served the needs of more than 10 million people in America last year without distinguishing between Catholics and non-Catholics.
In order to continue their ministry without violating the tenets of their faith, these Catholic organizations and other across the country may be forced "not to feed or clothe, heal or educate practically anyone of another faith or creed," he said.
To force this decision would be detrimental to the common good and particularly to the poor and needy of society, he warned.
Bishop Lori finished by saying that forcing Catholic organizations to choose between following Obama's mandate and Jesus' mandate "strikes at the very heart of the right to religious liberty on which our country was founded."
Courtesy: CNA Oringinal Post
Mexican city will not charge for seating along papal route
Mexico City, Mexico, Jan 31, 2012 / 05:54 pm (CNA).- The mayor of the Mexican city of Leon has announced that the city will not charge people for special seating along the papal motorcade route when Pope Benedict XVI visits the country in March.
After Mayor Ricardo Sheffeld initially said that the city of Leon planned to charge people to sit in the large grandstands that would line the city streets during the papal motorcade, Archbishop Jose Guadalupe Martin Rabago stepped in, calling it a bad idea.
"It would be better not to set up grandstands so that the people who line the streets to see the Pope pass by can do so without having to pay. That was the idea and I think that is what we all wanted, and I think it should be respected," Archbishop Martin Rabago said Jan. 28.
The apostolic nuncio to Mexico, Archbishop Christophe Pierre, called it "absurd to try to profit from people coming! together to see the Holy Father as he motorcades through Leon."
The mayor issued a press release on Jan. 30 reversing the city's plans and announcing that there would be no charge to see the Pope.
Archbishop Martin Rabago said workers are preparing for the 750,000 people expected to attend the Pope's outdoor Mass on March 25. "The number of tickets that will be distributed has almost been determined, but there are still some adjustments to be made."
"The platforms for the Mass are still being built, and the engineers and architects still have to make exact measurements in order to determine how many tickets we can provide," the archbishop explained.
Courtesy: CNA Oringinal Post
After Mayor Ricardo Sheffeld initially said that the city of Leon planned to charge people to sit in the large grandstands that would line the city streets during the papal motorcade, Archbishop Jose Guadalupe Martin Rabago stepped in, calling it a bad idea.
"It would be better not to set up grandstands so that the people who line the streets to see the Pope pass by can do so without having to pay. That was the idea and I think that is what we all wanted, and I think it should be respected," Archbishop Martin Rabago said Jan. 28.
The apostolic nuncio to Mexico, Archbishop Christophe Pierre, called it "absurd to try to profit from people coming! together to see the Holy Father as he motorcades through Leon."
The mayor issued a press release on Jan. 30 reversing the city's plans and announcing that there would be no charge to see the Pope.
Archbishop Martin Rabago said workers are preparing for the 750,000 people expected to attend the Pope's outdoor Mass on March 25. "The number of tickets that will be distributed has almost been determined, but there are still some adjustments to be made."
"The platforms for the Mass are still being built, and the engineers and architects still have to make exact measurements in order to determine how many tickets we can provide," the archbishop explained.
Courtesy: CNA Oringinal Post
Sen. Rubio introduces bill to overturn contraception mandate
Washington D.C., Jan 31, 2012 / 06:01 pm (CNA/EWTN News).- Senator Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) has introduced a bill to repeal regulations issued by the Obama administration that many faith-based organizations say would force them to buy health insurance plans that violate their consciences.
"The Obama Administration's obsession with forcing mandates on the American people has now reached a new low by violating the conscience rights and religious liberties of our people," Rubio said in a Jan. 31 statement.
Rubio also criticized the administration for "forcing religious entities to abandon their beliefs."
He described his bill, titled "The Religious Freedom Restoration Act of 2012," as "a common sense bill that simply says the government can't force religious organizations to abandon the fundamental tenets of their faith because the government says so."
On Jan. 20, the Department of Health and Human Services finalized a "preventative services" mandate that would require employers to purchase health insurance plans that cover sterilization and contraception, including some abortion-causing drugs.
The mandate includes a religious exemption, but it only applies to organizations that exist for the purpose of inculcating religious values and limit their service and employment primarily to members of their own faith.
The limited scope of the exemption means that most religiously-affiliated ministries and groups will not qualify for it.
Rubio introduced his bill on Jan. 31 "to provide religious conscience protections for individuals and organizations."
The legislation observes that the mandate's "absurdly narrow exemption," which is "unprecedented in Federal law," will exclude thousands of "charities, hospitals, schools or soup kitchens that hire or serve individuals who do not share their religious tenets."
It points out that "religious freedom and liberty of conscience are inalienable rights protected by the Declaration of Independence and the First Amendment to the United States Constitution."
Rubio's bill also notes that the Department of Health and Human Services refused to broaden the religious exemption to the mandate "despite receiving thousands of comments protesting" against its narrow scope.
If the bill became law, it will prevent any regulations issued under the Patient Protection and Affordable Health Care Act from requiring "any individual or entity" to provide coverage or information on contraception or sterilization if that individual or entity is opposed to doing so "on the basis of religious belief."
It also prohibits the imposition of a fine, penalty or other punishment on individuals or entities that make a religiously-based decision not to purchase such coverage.
Courtesy: CNA Oringinal Post
"The Obama Administration's obsession with forcing mandates on the American people has now reached a new low by violating the conscience rights and religious liberties of our people," Rubio said in a Jan. 31 statement.
Rubio also criticized the administration for "forcing religious entities to abandon their beliefs."
He described his bill, titled "The Religious Freedom Restoration Act of 2012," as "a common sense bill that simply says the government can't force religious organizations to abandon the fundamental tenets of their faith because the government says so."
On Jan. 20, the Department of Health and Human Services finalized a "preventative services" mandate that would require employers to purchase health insurance plans that cover sterilization and contraception, including some abortion-causing drugs.
The mandate includes a religious exemption, but it only applies to organizations that exist for the purpose of inculcating religious values and limit their service and employment primarily to members of their own faith.
The limited scope of the exemption means that most religiously-affiliated ministries and groups will not qualify for it.
Rubio introduced his bill on Jan. 31 "to provide religious conscience protections for individuals and organizations."
The legislation observes that the mandate's "absurdly narrow exemption," which is "unprecedented in Federal law," will exclude thousands of "charities, hospitals, schools or soup kitchens that hire or serve individuals who do not share their religious tenets."
It points out that "religious freedom and liberty of conscience are inalienable rights protected by the Declaration of Independence and the First Amendment to the United States Constitution."
Rubio's bill also notes that the Department of Health and Human Services refused to broaden the religious exemption to the mandate "despite receiving thousands of comments protesting" against its narrow scope.
If the bill became law, it will prevent any regulations issued under the Patient Protection and Affordable Health Care Act from requiring "any individual or entity" to provide coverage or information on contraception or sterilization if that individual or entity is opposed to doing so "on the basis of religious belief."
It also prohibits the imposition of a fine, penalty or other punishment on individuals or entities that make a religiously-based decision not to purchase such coverage.
Courtesy: CNA Oringinal Post
After energizing Vatican visit, Southern bishops ready to evangelize
Vatican City, Jan 31, 2012 / 09:28 pm (CNA/EWTN News).- The bishops of several southern U.S. states say they are returning home from their "ad limina" visit to Rome refreshed and ready to evangelize.
"I think we just felt so energized by being present with the Holy Father," Archbishop Thomas J. Rodi of Mobile, Ala. told CNA on Jan. 27.
"He is such a gracious man, a great man, a welcoming man. And I just feel very affirmed in my role as a bishop and now look forward to returning to Alabama so I can share that with the people of God."
Archbishop Rodi and 21 of his fellow bishops have been in Rome since Jan. 22 for discussions with Pope Benedict and Vatican officials on the health of the Church in their dioceses. The group comes from the states of Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Tennessee and Kentucky. They are the fifth delegation of U.S. bishops to visit to Rome in recent months, and on Feb. 1 they will return home.
"The Holy Father is obviously very concerned by evangelization in our world that is becoming increasingly secular and at the same time so hungry for the Word of God," said Archbishop Rodi, who was part of a group that met Pope Benedict on Jan. 27.
"He made it so beautifully clear," recalled Archbishop Rodi, "that the foundation of evangelization must be the calling of people into a personal relationship with Christ – those were his words, a personal relationship with Christ."
He said the Pope told them that he knows their "flocks are small but they are important," and that he wants them to be welcoming all those who seek to enter the Catholic Church.
Bishop Robert Baker of Birmingham, Ala. said the meeting with Pope Benedict gave him inspiration for the forthcoming Year of Faith, which begins Oct. 2012.
"I mentioned to him that he has already written encyclicals on hope and on charity and that we look forward to his next one on faith so that trilogy shall be complete," he said.
Bishop Baker explained how his diocese is already "cranking up in different ways," ahead of the Year of Faith. The diocese's preparations include the creation of a new "catechetical institute" to help certify those who teach the Catholic faith in schools and elsewhere.
Pope Benedict was also eager to hear from Bishop Baker about the Eternal Word Television Network, the global Catholic broadcaster based in the Diocese of Birmingham.
He said the Pope was particularly interested in the "efforts towards the new evangelization that are going on through EWTN."
Pope Benedict also asked Bishop Baker to encourage the station in its "continued collaboration with the Holy Father, the Vatican and bishops across the United States."
Bishop Baker explained to Pope Benedict how "the flavor of Catholicism in the South is drastically changed" because of the increased numbers of Latinos migrating to the area in recent years.
He related to the Pope how the local Church has stood in solidarity with the immigrant population, particularly over proposed new immigration laws in Alabama which he feels need to be "softened in terms of religious freedom."
They also discussed the challenge that changing demographics present to the Church's mission to evangelize.
"It calls us bishops into responding ourselves by learning Spanish and about the cultures of Latin America. And then having our priests and seminarians learn the Spanish language, too," said Bishop Baker.
The challenge is "not just to learn the language but embrace the peoples and the cultures," he explained.
Courtesy: CNA Oringinal Post
"I think we just felt so energized by being present with the Holy Father," Archbishop Thomas J. Rodi of Mobile, Ala. told CNA on Jan. 27.
"He is such a gracious man, a great man, a welcoming man. And I just feel very affirmed in my role as a bishop and now look forward to returning to Alabama so I can share that with the people of God."
Archbishop Rodi and 21 of his fellow bishops have been in Rome since Jan. 22 for discussions with Pope Benedict and Vatican officials on the health of the Church in their dioceses. The group comes from the states of Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Tennessee and Kentucky. They are the fifth delegation of U.S. bishops to visit to Rome in recent months, and on Feb. 1 they will return home.
"The Holy Father is obviously very concerned by evangelization in our world that is becoming increasingly secular and at the same time so hungry for the Word of God," said Archbishop Rodi, who was part of a group that met Pope Benedict on Jan. 27.
"He made it so beautifully clear," recalled Archbishop Rodi, "that the foundation of evangelization must be the calling of people into a personal relationship with Christ – those were his words, a personal relationship with Christ."
He said the Pope told them that he knows their "flocks are small but they are important," and that he wants them to be welcoming all those who seek to enter the Catholic Church.
Bishop Robert Baker of Birmingham, Ala. said the meeting with Pope Benedict gave him inspiration for the forthcoming Year of Faith, which begins Oct. 2012.
"I mentioned to him that he has already written encyclicals on hope and on charity and that we look forward to his next one on faith so that trilogy shall be complete," he said.
Bishop Baker explained how his diocese is already "cranking up in different ways," ahead of the Year of Faith. The diocese's preparations include the creation of a new "catechetical institute" to help certify those who teach the Catholic faith in schools and elsewhere.
Pope Benedict was also eager to hear from Bishop Baker about the Eternal Word Television Network, the global Catholic broadcaster based in the Diocese of Birmingham.
He said the Pope was particularly interested in the "efforts towards the new evangelization that are going on through EWTN."
Pope Benedict also asked Bishop Baker to encourage the station in its "continued collaboration with the Holy Father, the Vatican and bishops across the United States."
Bishop Baker explained to Pope Benedict how "the flavor of Catholicism in the South is drastically changed" because of the increased numbers of Latinos migrating to the area in recent years.
He related to the Pope how the local Church has stood in solidarity with the immigrant population, particularly over proposed new immigration laws in Alabama which he feels need to be "softened in terms of religious freedom."
They also discussed the challenge that changing demographics present to the Church's mission to evangelize.
"It calls us bishops into responding ourselves by learning Spanish and about the cultures of Latin America. And then having our priests and seminarians learn the Spanish language, too," said Bishop Baker.
The challenge is "not just to learn the language but embrace the peoples and the cultures," he explained.
Courtesy: CNA Oringinal Post
Monday, January 30, 2012
Police desecrate Eucharist at prison chapel in Mexico
Saltillo, Mexico, Jan 30, 2012 / 02:04 pm (CNA).- A group of police officers desecrated the Eucharist at a prison chapel in Saltillo, Mexico on Jan. 23 during an unannounced search for weapons.
In the early hours of Jan. 23, federal, state and local police officers, together with members of the special forces, arrived at the prison for a surprise weapons search.
According to the Council of Catholic Analysts, the security forces "opened the tabernacle, removed the ciborium containing the consecrated hosts, and threw it on the ground. The hosts were left broken and scattered all over the floor. "This information was verified by the chaplain in charge of prison ministry for the diocese," the council said.
The Diocese of Saltillo issued a statement acknowledging the need to maintain security in the prison but criticizing "the disproportionate use of public force, and in this case, t! he profanation of a chapel, which regardless of whether it had belonged to protestant brethren or to members of another religious confession, would equally have obliged us to issue a protest."
"There is no possible justification for what has happened," the diocese continued. "These actions are a profound assault not only on the Catholic community of Saltillo, but on the entire diocese, the universal Church and society, which is angered by the violent actions contrary to human dignity committed at this detention center."
"In addition to attacking the faith of the majority in Mexico, they also violate the rights to religious freedom, as well as the rights enjoyed by those persons deprived of their freedom and that are recognized by the Constitution of Mexico," the diocese said.
The Diocese of Saltillo held an act of reparation at the chapel on Jan. 27.
Courtesy: CNA Oringinal Post
In the early hours of Jan. 23, federal, state and local police officers, together with members of the special forces, arrived at the prison for a surprise weapons search.
According to the Council of Catholic Analysts, the security forces "opened the tabernacle, removed the ciborium containing the consecrated hosts, and threw it on the ground. The hosts were left broken and scattered all over the floor. "This information was verified by the chaplain in charge of prison ministry for the diocese," the council said.
The Diocese of Saltillo issued a statement acknowledging the need to maintain security in the prison but criticizing "the disproportionate use of public force, and in this case, t! he profanation of a chapel, which regardless of whether it had belonged to protestant brethren or to members of another religious confession, would equally have obliged us to issue a protest."
"There is no possible justification for what has happened," the diocese continued. "These actions are a profound assault not only on the Catholic community of Saltillo, but on the entire diocese, the universal Church and society, which is angered by the violent actions contrary to human dignity committed at this detention center."
"In addition to attacking the faith of the majority in Mexico, they also violate the rights to religious freedom, as well as the rights enjoyed by those persons deprived of their freedom and that are recognized by the Constitution of Mexico," the diocese said.
The Diocese of Saltillo held an act of reparation at the chapel on Jan. 27.
Courtesy: CNA Oringinal Post
Indy Catholic church plans to evangelize Super Bowl Village
Indianapolis, Ind., Jan 30, 2012 / 05:09 pm (CNA/EWTN News).- Indianapolis' St. John the Evangelist Church is located in the heart of the Super Bowl Village, and the historic Catholic church intends to open its doors to everyone.
"I think it's a gift that our city is hosting the Super Bowl and that we can be in the heart of it with our Catholic presence," parish administrator Fr. Rick Nagel told CNA on Jan. 27.
The church is three blocks from Lucas Oil Stadium, the site of the Feb. 5 NFL championship game between the New York Giants and the New England Patriots.
The Super Bowl Village features four 800-foot zip-lines, the longest temporary lines yet built.
Those zip-lines end right outside St. John the Evangelist, where the church has posted a sign that reads: "If you think the zip-line was a thrill, come on in to meet Jesus."
The church has incorporated the hugely popular sports event into its "Open Wide the Doors" outreach program, which was set up to minister to visitors to the area.
"We're opening our doors to evangelize, particularly in a city that's hosting a major world event," Fr. Nagel explained.
During these events, the parish offers more Masses, increases confession availability, and adds Eucharistic adoration hours.
"The New Evangelization really calls us as Catholics to sometimes reach out and bring what we believe to the street. That's our hope: that we can share this amazing Gospel message that we know to be true and right with others," Fr. Nagel said.
Both Pope John Paul II and Pope Benedict XVI have used the exhortation "Open wide the doors to Christ," which inspired the parish program's name.
Fr. Nagel said that the phrase encourages Christians to open the doors of their churches and to "open wide the doors of our hearts to receive Christ, who has the words of eternal life."
The 175-year-old parish has trained about 70 volunteers to give tours of the 140-year-old church building.
The tour "evangelists" also incorporate catechesis into their tours and explain why Catholics believe what they do, what sacred art represents, and what the function is of different parts of the Church.
"We're going to have a little bit of fun," the priest added. "We've got a life-sized cutout of Pope Benedict and it looks very real."
Visitors can have their picture taken with the cutout.
The parish also hopes to set up some stands where those who have questions about the Catholic faith can ask them.
"We'd love to have them go to Mass," Fr. Nagel remarked.
"If they need to be reconciled to God, or want to know more about the Church and the sacredness of our Church. They can ask questions about who we are and why we do what we do."
At least one former Super Bowl champion will also visit the parish.
St. John the Evangelist traditionally has a First Friday event for young adults where they can hear a talk about their faith and break into small groups for discussion over dinner.
The First Friday before the Super Bowl, the guest speaker will be Chris Godfrey, the former NFL Giants guard who played on the team that won Super Bowl XXI in 1987.
"He now spends his life evangelizing and bringing the Gospel to the country. He'll be giving a reflection on the call to holiness and how to answer God's call in our lives," Fr. Nagel said. "We're hoping to pack the house that night. It'll be a wonderful night of adoring our savior Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament."
Priests will hold confessions and there will be praise and worship music.
"In the heart of this secular event will be a very sacred night."
Fr. Nagel said that he is looking forward to having visitors at the parish.
"I think it's great that we're going to be able to host a lot of folks from the East Coast. There are a lot of Catholics coming from the East Coast. We've already received a lot of phone calls from folks asking about Mass times."
The church's outreach effort began in fall of 2011 when crowds of young people were at the Future Farmers of America gathering at the convention center across the street from the church.
Despite the large crowds, no passersby went into the church until Fr. Nagel opened its main doors.
The church has since held outreach efforts for the Big Ten Conference college football championship game and the National Catholic Youth Conference.
"In the future, we are prepared to do this for any major event in the city," the priest said.
The website of St. John the Evangelist is http://www.stjohnsindy.org.
Courtesy: CNA Oringinal Post
"I think it's a gift that our city is hosting the Super Bowl and that we can be in the heart of it with our Catholic presence," parish administrator Fr. Rick Nagel told CNA on Jan. 27.
The church is three blocks from Lucas Oil Stadium, the site of the Feb. 5 NFL championship game between the New York Giants and the New England Patriots.
The Super Bowl Village features four 800-foot zip-lines, the longest temporary lines yet built.
Those zip-lines end right outside St. John the Evangelist, where the church has posted a sign that reads: "If you think the zip-line was a thrill, come on in to meet Jesus."
The church has incorporated the hugely popular sports event into its "Open Wide the Doors" outreach program, which was set up to minister to visitors to the area.
"We're opening our doors to evangelize, particularly in a city that's hosting a major world event," Fr. Nagel explained.
During these events, the parish offers more Masses, increases confession availability, and adds Eucharistic adoration hours.
"The New Evangelization really calls us as Catholics to sometimes reach out and bring what we believe to the street. That's our hope: that we can share this amazing Gospel message that we know to be true and right with others," Fr. Nagel said.
Both Pope John Paul II and Pope Benedict XVI have used the exhortation "Open wide the doors to Christ," which inspired the parish program's name.
Fr. Nagel said that the phrase encourages Christians to open the doors of their churches and to "open wide the doors of our hearts to receive Christ, who has the words of eternal life."
The 175-year-old parish has trained about 70 volunteers to give tours of the 140-year-old church building.
The tour "evangelists" also incorporate catechesis into their tours and explain why Catholics believe what they do, what sacred art represents, and what the function is of different parts of the Church.
"We're going to have a little bit of fun," the priest added. "We've got a life-sized cutout of Pope Benedict and it looks very real."
Visitors can have their picture taken with the cutout.
The parish also hopes to set up some stands where those who have questions about the Catholic faith can ask them.
"We'd love to have them go to Mass," Fr. Nagel remarked.
"If they need to be reconciled to God, or want to know more about the Church and the sacredness of our Church. They can ask questions about who we are and why we do what we do."
At least one former Super Bowl champion will also visit the parish.
St. John the Evangelist traditionally has a First Friday event for young adults where they can hear a talk about their faith and break into small groups for discussion over dinner.
The First Friday before the Super Bowl, the guest speaker will be Chris Godfrey, the former NFL Giants guard who played on the team that won Super Bowl XXI in 1987.
"He now spends his life evangelizing and bringing the Gospel to the country. He'll be giving a reflection on the call to holiness and how to answer God's call in our lives," Fr. Nagel said. "We're hoping to pack the house that night. It'll be a wonderful night of adoring our savior Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament."
Priests will hold confessions and there will be praise and worship music.
"In the heart of this secular event will be a very sacred night."
Fr. Nagel said that he is looking forward to having visitors at the parish.
"I think it's great that we're going to be able to host a lot of folks from the East Coast. There are a lot of Catholics coming from the East Coast. We've already received a lot of phone calls from folks asking about Mass times."
The church's outreach effort began in fall of 2011 when crowds of young people were at the Future Farmers of America gathering at the convention center across the street from the church.
Despite the large crowds, no passersby went into the church until Fr. Nagel opened its main doors.
The church has since held outreach efforts for the Big Ten Conference college football championship game and the National Catholic Youth Conference.
"In the future, we are prepared to do this for any major event in the city," the priest said.
The website of St. John the Evangelist is http://www.stjohnsindy.org.
Courtesy: CNA Oringinal Post
Pro-life supporters take a stand in Barcelona
Barcelona, Spain, Jan 30, 2012 / 06:07 pm (CNA).- Hundreds of pro-life supporters gathered in Barcelona, Spain on Jan. 25 to protest the abortion services offered at hospitals linked to the Catholic Church in the Spanish region of Catalonia.
According to Tania Fernandez of the Right to Life in Barcelona, the march took place amid "the shouts of 100 radical and furious supporters of abortion, who were continuously hurling shouts and insults."
"Sensing their powerlessness in the face of our peace, joy and calm despite their shouts, blasphemies, idiocy, spitting and more, the abortion supporters began throwing 'rocks' and trash at us. This was all caught on video and the police have been informed," Fernandez said.
She thanked those "defenders" of life who participated in the march, including "mothers, fathers, children, aunts and uncles, grandparents, brothers and sisters! , grandchildren, friends, etc., who once again were there to bear witness to life."
Fernandez also thanked police for helping to protect the crowd from the attack. She noted the testimony of Father Custodio Ballester, who attended the annual March for Life in Washington D.C. on Jan. 23.
Fr. Ballester has frequently protested the abortions performed at several hospitals in Catalonia that have ties to the Catholic Church.
"Seeing the massive pro-life crowd in Washington, I thought: Barcelona is not alone! We are not alone! We have a vast world at our side," the priest said.
"This war against death is not limited to the unfortunate territory of our city and our country. This war was not ended on the day the abortion laws were passed," he added.
"This war was not ended on the day abortions began to be performed at San Pablo Hospital, at San Juan de Dios Hospital, at Granollers or Sant Celoni," Fr. Ballester said.&nbs! p;"This war was not ended on the day church leaders decided ! to remain silent … This war is worldwide."
Pro-life forces "can triumph in the future with the superior strength that the Lord of hosts will give us. The destiny of the world is at stake. No matter what happens, the flame of resistance will not and must not be extinguished," he said.
Courtesy: CNA Oringinal Post
According to Tania Fernandez of the Right to Life in Barcelona, the march took place amid "the shouts of 100 radical and furious supporters of abortion, who were continuously hurling shouts and insults."
"Sensing their powerlessness in the face of our peace, joy and calm despite their shouts, blasphemies, idiocy, spitting and more, the abortion supporters began throwing 'rocks' and trash at us. This was all caught on video and the police have been informed," Fernandez said.
She thanked those "defenders" of life who participated in the march, including "mothers, fathers, children, aunts and uncles, grandparents, brothers and sisters! , grandchildren, friends, etc., who once again were there to bear witness to life."
Fernandez also thanked police for helping to protect the crowd from the attack. She noted the testimony of Father Custodio Ballester, who attended the annual March for Life in Washington D.C. on Jan. 23.
Fr. Ballester has frequently protested the abortions performed at several hospitals in Catalonia that have ties to the Catholic Church.
"Seeing the massive pro-life crowd in Washington, I thought: Barcelona is not alone! We are not alone! We have a vast world at our side," the priest said.
"This war against death is not limited to the unfortunate territory of our city and our country. This war was not ended on the day the abortion laws were passed," he added.
"This war was not ended on the day abortions began to be performed at San Pablo Hospital, at San Juan de Dios Hospital, at Granollers or Sant Celoni," Fr. Ballester said.&nbs! p;"This war was not ended on the day church leaders decided ! to remain silent … This war is worldwide."
Pro-life forces "can triumph in the future with the superior strength that the Lord of hosts will give us. The destiny of the world is at stake. No matter what happens, the flame of resistance will not and must not be extinguished," he said.
Courtesy: CNA Oringinal Post
Lincoln bishop: prepare for 'suffering' under HHS mandate
Lincoln, Neb., Jan 30, 2012 / 06:14 pm (CNA/EWTN News).- Catholics may have to suffer for the integrity of their institutions, Bishop Fabian W. Bruskewitz of Lincoln, Nebraska announced in his response to the Obama administration's contraception mandate.
"We cannot and will not comply with this unjust decree. Like the martyrs of old, we must be prepared to accept suffering which could include heavy fines and imprisonment," Bishop Bruskewitz wrote in a letter he ordered to be read at every Sunday Mass in his diocese on Jan. 29.
"Our American religious liberty is in grave jeopardy," he warned, describing the impact of new rules that Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius has instituted as part of federal health care reform.
Those rules, confirmed as final on Jan. 20, will require most religious employers to cover contraception and sterilization, including some abortion-causing drugs, in new health care plans. Sebelius has given religious groups an extra year to comply, but rejected calls for a broader exemption clause.
"This means that all of our Catholic schools, hospitals, social service agencies, and the like will be forced to participate in evil," Bishop Bruskewitz explained.
The bishop recalled that the Church "has pleaded with President Obama to rescind this edict, but all pleas have been met with scorn and have fallen on deaf ears."
He described Secretary Sebelius as a "bitter fallen-away Catholic," and called her one-year deadline extension for non-exempt religious employers "an act of mockery" – because, he noted, "during that year, they must 'refer' people to the insurance that covers wicked deeds."
A proposed U.S. Senate bill, the "Respect for Rights of Conscience Act," would amend the health care law to let employers opt out of covering some services. Bishop Bruskewitz urged Catholics to call their elected representatives in support of the bill, and to protest the "outrage" of the contraception mandate.
Meanwhile, he said, the faithful should "pray and do penance that this matter may be resolved."
The bishop of Lincoln was one of a large number of U.S. Church leaders voicing alarm over the weekend, in letters distributed to parishes and read at Mass regarding the Health and Human Services order.
In the Diocese of Phoenix, Catholics heard a message from Bishop Thomas J. Olmsted, who declared that people of faith would not be "made second-class citizens" and "stripped of their God-given rights."
In Marquette, Michigan, Bishop Alexander K. Sample said that if the rule takes effect, "we Catholics will be compelled to either violate our consciences, or to drop health coverage for our employees and suffer the penalties for doing so."
New Orleans Archbishop Gregory M. Aymond stressed the need for action in his letter to the faithful over the weekend, as he decried the "unprecedented attack on religious liberty" by which the state was "violating our rights to make choices based on our morals and Church teaching."
Archbishop Aymond is in Rome for meetings with Vatican officials as well as Pope Benedict XVI, who issued his own warning to the U.S. Church just before Health and Human Services finalized the mandate.
In remarks to bishops of the Mid-Atlantic states on Jan. 19, the Pope said all U.S. Catholics must "realize the grave threats to the Church's public moral witness presented by a radical secularism which finds increasing expression in the political and cultural spheres."
Courtesy: CNA Oringinal Post
"We cannot and will not comply with this unjust decree. Like the martyrs of old, we must be prepared to accept suffering which could include heavy fines and imprisonment," Bishop Bruskewitz wrote in a letter he ordered to be read at every Sunday Mass in his diocese on Jan. 29.
"Our American religious liberty is in grave jeopardy," he warned, describing the impact of new rules that Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius has instituted as part of federal health care reform.
Those rules, confirmed as final on Jan. 20, will require most religious employers to cover contraception and sterilization, including some abortion-causing drugs, in new health care plans. Sebelius has given religious groups an extra year to comply, but rejected calls for a broader exemption clause.
"This means that all of our Catholic schools, hospitals, social service agencies, and the like will be forced to participate in evil," Bishop Bruskewitz explained.
The bishop recalled that the Church "has pleaded with President Obama to rescind this edict, but all pleas have been met with scorn and have fallen on deaf ears."
He described Secretary Sebelius as a "bitter fallen-away Catholic," and called her one-year deadline extension for non-exempt religious employers "an act of mockery" – because, he noted, "during that year, they must 'refer' people to the insurance that covers wicked deeds."
A proposed U.S. Senate bill, the "Respect for Rights of Conscience Act," would amend the health care law to let employers opt out of covering some services. Bishop Bruskewitz urged Catholics to call their elected representatives in support of the bill, and to protest the "outrage" of the contraception mandate.
Meanwhile, he said, the faithful should "pray and do penance that this matter may be resolved."
The bishop of Lincoln was one of a large number of U.S. Church leaders voicing alarm over the weekend, in letters distributed to parishes and read at Mass regarding the Health and Human Services order.
In the Diocese of Phoenix, Catholics heard a message from Bishop Thomas J. Olmsted, who declared that people of faith would not be "made second-class citizens" and "stripped of their God-given rights."
In Marquette, Michigan, Bishop Alexander K. Sample said that if the rule takes effect, "we Catholics will be compelled to either violate our consciences, or to drop health coverage for our employees and suffer the penalties for doing so."
New Orleans Archbishop Gregory M. Aymond stressed the need for action in his letter to the faithful over the weekend, as he decried the "unprecedented attack on religious liberty" by which the state was "violating our rights to make choices based on our morals and Church teaching."
Archbishop Aymond is in Rome for meetings with Vatican officials as well as Pope Benedict XVI, who issued his own warning to the U.S. Church just before Health and Human Services finalized the mandate.
In remarks to bishops of the Mid-Atlantic states on Jan. 19, the Pope said all U.S. Catholics must "realize the grave threats to the Church's public moral witness presented by a radical secularism which finds increasing expression in the political and cultural spheres."
Courtesy: CNA Oringinal Post
New initiative launched against federal contraception rules
Washington D.C., Jan 30, 2012 / 07:29 pm (CNA).- A new "Protect Our Conscience" campaign has been launched to help Catholic individuals, families, and parishes voice their opposition to the newly-confirmed federal contraception coverage mandate.
Matt Smith, president of Catholic Advocate, announced in a statement that his goal was "to have at least 100,000 faithful Catholics participate each month until Congress acts" to protect the rights of institutions that could be forced to cover contraception and sterilization for their employees.
"There are 17,782 parishes in the United States," Smith noted. "If faithful Catholics were able to average 115 letters per parish to their representative and each senator, Capitol Hill would receive over six million contacts on this issue. We would send a powerful message that cannot be ignored."
The campaign is currently seeking "parish leaders," who will receive a set of tools designed to answer questions, facilitate letter-writing, and help raise awareness within their churches.
Cardinal-designate Timothy M. Dolan, president of the U.S. bishops' conference, has called on Catholics to "let your elected leaders know that you want religious liberty and rights of conscience restored and that you want the administration's contraceptive mandate rescinded."
Along with the reversal of the mandate, the Protect Our Conscience campaign aims to build support for the "Respect for the Rights of Conscience Act," a bill that would amend federal health care reform to let employers opt out of covering some services.
Under the proposed legislation, health plans could "decline coverage of specific items and services that are contrary to the religious beliefs of the sponsor, issuer, or other entity offering the plan or the purchaser or beneficiary (in the case of individual coverage) without penalty."
Over the weekend of Jan. 28-29, a large number of U.S. bishops spoke out against the coverage mandate in letters read at Mass. The letters called for prayer and civic engagement, appealing to believers' right against state coercion in matters of faith and conscience.
Health and Human Services' contraception mandate, enacted as part of federal health care reform, has draw criticism for its narrow religious exemption, which applies only to groups that primarily employ and serve people of the same faith for the purpose of inculcating religious values.
Courtesy: CNA Oringinal Post
Matt Smith, president of Catholic Advocate, announced in a statement that his goal was "to have at least 100,000 faithful Catholics participate each month until Congress acts" to protect the rights of institutions that could be forced to cover contraception and sterilization for their employees.
"There are 17,782 parishes in the United States," Smith noted. "If faithful Catholics were able to average 115 letters per parish to their representative and each senator, Capitol Hill would receive over six million contacts on this issue. We would send a powerful message that cannot be ignored."
The campaign is currently seeking "parish leaders," who will receive a set of tools designed to answer questions, facilitate letter-writing, and help raise awareness within their churches.
Cardinal-designate Timothy M. Dolan, president of the U.S. bishops' conference, has called on Catholics to "let your elected leaders know that you want religious liberty and rights of conscience restored and that you want the administration's contraceptive mandate rescinded."
Along with the reversal of the mandate, the Protect Our Conscience campaign aims to build support for the "Respect for the Rights of Conscience Act," a bill that would amend federal health care reform to let employers opt out of covering some services.
Under the proposed legislation, health plans could "decline coverage of specific items and services that are contrary to the religious beliefs of the sponsor, issuer, or other entity offering the plan or the purchaser or beneficiary (in the case of individual coverage) without penalty."
Over the weekend of Jan. 28-29, a large number of U.S. bishops spoke out against the coverage mandate in letters read at Mass. The letters called for prayer and civic engagement, appealing to believers' right against state coercion in matters of faith and conscience.
Health and Human Services' contraception mandate, enacted as part of federal health care reform, has draw criticism for its narrow religious exemption, which applies only to groups that primarily employ and serve people of the same faith for the purpose of inculcating religious values.
Courtesy: CNA Oringinal Post
Sunday, January 29, 2012
Pope: Christ displayed his power in humble deeds
Vatican City, Jan 29, 2012 / 04:51 pm (CNA/EWTN News).- The power of Jesus Christ is manifested in humble service and love, Pope Benedict XVI said in his Sunday Angelus address Jan. 29.
"For man, authority often means possession, power, control success," the Pope said to thousands of pilgrims gathered in St. Peters Square.
"For God, however, authority means service, humility, love," he continued, "it means entering into the logic of Jesus who stoops to wash the disciples' feet, who seeks the true good of man, who heals wounds, who is capable of a love so great as to give up his life, because he is Love."
The Pope's comments came in a reflection on today's Gospel reading in which an unclean spirit identifies Jesus Christ as the "Holy One of God" during his travels in Galilee. The Pope observed how Jesus heals both spiritually and physically through his teaching and mirac! les.
"In a short time, his fame spread throughout the region, which he travels announcing the Kingdom of God and healing the sick of all kinds: word and deed."
He then quoted the fifth-century Church father St. John Chrysostom, who noted that Jesus "alternates the speech for the benefit of those who listen, moving on from wonders to words and again passing from the teaching of his doctrine to miracles."
The Pope suggested that Jesus' use of words immediately opened up most of those listening to "the will of the Father and the truth about themselves." However, not open to these words were the scribes who "struggled to interpret the Holy Scriptures with countless reflections."
Therefore Jesus also united to his words to miraculous actions as "signs of deliverance from evil," the pontiff explained. He further recalled how St. Athanasius, the third-century Church Father, would say that the "commanding and driving out de! mons is not human but divine work" and demonstrates how Jesu! s "distanced men from all diseases and infirmities."
"Divine authority is not a force of nature," concluded the Pope. Instead, it is "the power of the love of God who created the universe and, in becoming incarnate in His only begotten Son, in coming down to our humanity, heals the world corrupted by sin."
The Pope finished with a quotation from Romano Guardini, the 20th century Italian-German philosopher and theologian, who wrote that "the whole life of Jesus is a translation of power in humility ... Here is the sovereignty that lowers itself to the form of a servant."
Courtesy: CNA Oringinal Post
"For man, authority often means possession, power, control success," the Pope said to thousands of pilgrims gathered in St. Peters Square.
"For God, however, authority means service, humility, love," he continued, "it means entering into the logic of Jesus who stoops to wash the disciples' feet, who seeks the true good of man, who heals wounds, who is capable of a love so great as to give up his life, because he is Love."
The Pope's comments came in a reflection on today's Gospel reading in which an unclean spirit identifies Jesus Christ as the "Holy One of God" during his travels in Galilee. The Pope observed how Jesus heals both spiritually and physically through his teaching and mirac! les.
"In a short time, his fame spread throughout the region, which he travels announcing the Kingdom of God and healing the sick of all kinds: word and deed."
He then quoted the fifth-century Church father St. John Chrysostom, who noted that Jesus "alternates the speech for the benefit of those who listen, moving on from wonders to words and again passing from the teaching of his doctrine to miracles."
The Pope suggested that Jesus' use of words immediately opened up most of those listening to "the will of the Father and the truth about themselves." However, not open to these words were the scribes who "struggled to interpret the Holy Scriptures with countless reflections."
Therefore Jesus also united to his words to miraculous actions as "signs of deliverance from evil," the pontiff explained. He further recalled how St. Athanasius, the third-century Church Father, would say that the "commanding and driving out de! mons is not human but divine work" and demonstrates how Jesu! s "distanced men from all diseases and infirmities."
"Divine authority is not a force of nature," concluded the Pope. Instead, it is "the power of the love of God who created the universe and, in becoming incarnate in His only begotten Son, in coming down to our humanity, heals the world corrupted by sin."
The Pope finished with a quotation from Romano Guardini, the 20th century Italian-German philosopher and theologian, who wrote that "the whole life of Jesus is a translation of power in humility ... Here is the sovereignty that lowers itself to the form of a servant."
Courtesy: CNA Oringinal Post
Scholar punctures illusions of pro-cohabitation study
Boise. Idaho, Jan 29, 2012 / 07:05 pm (CNA).- A new study touting the "benefits" of cohabitation is based on deeply flawed ideas about human nature and fulfillment, according to a leading scholar on the social role of families.
"It's garbage-in, garbage out," said Dr. Scott Yenor, the Boise State University political science professor whose book "Family Politics: The Idea of Marriage in Modern Political Thought" (Baylor University Press, 2011) surveys changing ideas about society's fundamental institution.
CNA spoke with Yenor about a paper published in the February 2012 installment of the Journal of Marriage and Family, entitled "Reexamining the Case for Marriage: Union Formation and Changes in Well-being."
The study, Yenor says, "uses the 'thinnest' understanding of human happiness – one that requires the least of any human being – and judges relationships on that basis."
Lead author Dr. Kelly Musick, a Cornell University professor of policy analysis and management, says her research "shows that marriage is by no means unique in promoting well being, and that other forms of romantic relationships can provide many of the same benefits" to individuals.
"While married couples experienced health gains," Musick says of her findings, "cohabiting couples experienced greater gains in happiness and self-esteem. For some, cohabitation may come with fewer unwanted obligations than marriage and allow for more flexibility, autonomy, and personal growth."
But Yenor says Musick's study, coauthored with University of Wisconsin-Madison professor Larry Bumpass, reveals more about the authors' flawed assumptions, than it does about marriage and cohabitation.
"The standard that they're judging institutions by, is the self-assessment of individual happiness," Yenor explained. "The questions that they ask these people are along the lines of: 'Do you feel good about yourself?' They use such low standards to judge these situations."
"The lower the bar, the easier it is to hop over. They asked questions like whether married and cohabiting people were 'satisfied with themselves.' That's a very low bar."
Musick and Bumpass used data from the National Survey of Families and Households to examine the difference between married and cohabiting couples in seven areas: happiness, symptoms of depression, health, self-esteem, relationship with parents, contact with parents, and time with friends.
The authors of "Reexamining the Case for Marriage" focused exclusively on benchmarks for the well-being and social lives of individual adults. Their work is a response to other sociologists who have attempted to base pro-marriage arguments on findings about individual adult well-being.
Children thus receive few mentions from Bumpass and Musick, though it is noted they "tend to be part of the marriage package."
As Yenor pointed out, none of the benchmarks they used to judge the "benefits" of marriage against cohabitation actually involved the respondent's evaluation of the relationship itself.
Many kinds of questions, he said, could gauge the quality of a relationship between two people – rather than just the reported happiness of the individuals involved.
He suggested asking: "Do you trust the other person? Are you more 'one' with the other person? Do you pool your resources? Do you share labor? Do you share goals? Do you talk about the things you hold in common, and try to make them better?"
"Those are the things I would expect marriage to be better for, than cohabitation – not things like, 'Taken altogether, are you happy?'"
But Yenor observed that the authors of "Reexamining the Case for Marriage" were responding, in large part, to pro-marriage studies that may have made the same kinds of troubling omissions.
In his opinion, these defenders of marriage may have given too much ground to their opponents' assumptions, by focusing on marriage as a source of individual fulfillment for adults.
"What a lot of conservative scholars have done with the family – and this is what the journal article's going against – is to say: 'Even given the pitifully thin goal of modern self-esteem, marriage is better than cohabitation.'"
"Usually you want to judge marriage on other grounds: 'Is it good for the kids? Is love present? Are people living more virtuous lives?' But since society's rejected those kinds of standards, conservative defenders of marriage are willing to use the standard: 'Does it provide happiness and self-esteem?'"
"What I try to argue in my book, is that defenders of marriage and family life need to defend it on 'thicker' grounds," said Yenor.
"Once we give up, and say marriage is about promoting individual happiness and self-esteem, we've already lost most of the battle. The marriage that exists to promote those goals is already going to be a weak marriage."
"We need to defend marriage as a serious community that requires commitment, time, and investment – getting away from the goals that modern autonomy has set, and back to what the family's true goals are."
Pro-family sociologists, Yenor warned, will find the institution of family "increasingly difficult to defend" on the basis of their opponents' own assumptions about mere individual happiness.
Although Yenor is himself Lutheran rather than Catholic, his book "Family Politics" concludes with a discussion of Pope John Paul II's ideas about love, marriage, the family, and society.
He told CNA that sociologists, like other scholars, can learn much from the late philosopher-pope.
"What he does is defend necessary connections," Yenor recounted. "There are things that are connected, in the created order – and there are many attempts in the modern world, to sever those things that are connected.
"Love and marriage are connected – and when you try to disconnect them, you end up with less love, and bad relationships. Likewise, contraception severs the connection between sex and procreation. When you sever that connection, you end up with people using each other, and neglected children."
"In a way, he's a great sociologist," Yenor said of Pope John Paul II. "The original French sociologists of the 1800s were trying to establish, through social science, the connections that exist as sources of order in the world."
"What John Paul does, is show that those sources of order and fulfillment" – particularly the lifelong marriage of a man and a woman – "are rooted in human nature, which can't be changed and manipulated."
Courtesy: CNA Oringinal Post
"It's garbage-in, garbage out," said Dr. Scott Yenor, the Boise State University political science professor whose book "Family Politics: The Idea of Marriage in Modern Political Thought" (Baylor University Press, 2011) surveys changing ideas about society's fundamental institution.
CNA spoke with Yenor about a paper published in the February 2012 installment of the Journal of Marriage and Family, entitled "Reexamining the Case for Marriage: Union Formation and Changes in Well-being."
The study, Yenor says, "uses the 'thinnest' understanding of human happiness – one that requires the least of any human being – and judges relationships on that basis."
Lead author Dr. Kelly Musick, a Cornell University professor of policy analysis and management, says her research "shows that marriage is by no means unique in promoting well being, and that other forms of romantic relationships can provide many of the same benefits" to individuals.
"While married couples experienced health gains," Musick says of her findings, "cohabiting couples experienced greater gains in happiness and self-esteem. For some, cohabitation may come with fewer unwanted obligations than marriage and allow for more flexibility, autonomy, and personal growth."
But Yenor says Musick's study, coauthored with University of Wisconsin-Madison professor Larry Bumpass, reveals more about the authors' flawed assumptions, than it does about marriage and cohabitation.
"The standard that they're judging institutions by, is the self-assessment of individual happiness," Yenor explained. "The questions that they ask these people are along the lines of: 'Do you feel good about yourself?' They use such low standards to judge these situations."
"The lower the bar, the easier it is to hop over. They asked questions like whether married and cohabiting people were 'satisfied with themselves.' That's a very low bar."
Musick and Bumpass used data from the National Survey of Families and Households to examine the difference between married and cohabiting couples in seven areas: happiness, symptoms of depression, health, self-esteem, relationship with parents, contact with parents, and time with friends.
The authors of "Reexamining the Case for Marriage" focused exclusively on benchmarks for the well-being and social lives of individual adults. Their work is a response to other sociologists who have attempted to base pro-marriage arguments on findings about individual adult well-being.
Children thus receive few mentions from Bumpass and Musick, though it is noted they "tend to be part of the marriage package."
As Yenor pointed out, none of the benchmarks they used to judge the "benefits" of marriage against cohabitation actually involved the respondent's evaluation of the relationship itself.
Many kinds of questions, he said, could gauge the quality of a relationship between two people – rather than just the reported happiness of the individuals involved.
He suggested asking: "Do you trust the other person? Are you more 'one' with the other person? Do you pool your resources? Do you share labor? Do you share goals? Do you talk about the things you hold in common, and try to make them better?"
"Those are the things I would expect marriage to be better for, than cohabitation – not things like, 'Taken altogether, are you happy?'"
But Yenor observed that the authors of "Reexamining the Case for Marriage" were responding, in large part, to pro-marriage studies that may have made the same kinds of troubling omissions.
In his opinion, these defenders of marriage may have given too much ground to their opponents' assumptions, by focusing on marriage as a source of individual fulfillment for adults.
"What a lot of conservative scholars have done with the family – and this is what the journal article's going against – is to say: 'Even given the pitifully thin goal of modern self-esteem, marriage is better than cohabitation.'"
"Usually you want to judge marriage on other grounds: 'Is it good for the kids? Is love present? Are people living more virtuous lives?' But since society's rejected those kinds of standards, conservative defenders of marriage are willing to use the standard: 'Does it provide happiness and self-esteem?'"
"What I try to argue in my book, is that defenders of marriage and family life need to defend it on 'thicker' grounds," said Yenor.
"Once we give up, and say marriage is about promoting individual happiness and self-esteem, we've already lost most of the battle. The marriage that exists to promote those goals is already going to be a weak marriage."
"We need to defend marriage as a serious community that requires commitment, time, and investment – getting away from the goals that modern autonomy has set, and back to what the family's true goals are."
Pro-family sociologists, Yenor warned, will find the institution of family "increasingly difficult to defend" on the basis of their opponents' own assumptions about mere individual happiness.
Although Yenor is himself Lutheran rather than Catholic, his book "Family Politics" concludes with a discussion of Pope John Paul II's ideas about love, marriage, the family, and society.
He told CNA that sociologists, like other scholars, can learn much from the late philosopher-pope.
"What he does is defend necessary connections," Yenor recounted. "There are things that are connected, in the created order – and there are many attempts in the modern world, to sever those things that are connected.
"Love and marriage are connected – and when you try to disconnect them, you end up with less love, and bad relationships. Likewise, contraception severs the connection between sex and procreation. When you sever that connection, you end up with people using each other, and neglected children."
"In a way, he's a great sociologist," Yenor said of Pope John Paul II. "The original French sociologists of the 1800s were trying to establish, through social science, the connections that exist as sources of order in the world."
"What John Paul does, is show that those sources of order and fulfillment" – particularly the lifelong marriage of a man and a woman – "are rooted in human nature, which can't be changed and manipulated."
Courtesy: CNA Oringinal Post
Thursday, January 26, 2012
Cardinal Wuerl thinks Church can win contraception fight
Rome, Italy, Jan 26, 2012 / 01:51 pm (CNA).- Cardinal Donald Wuerl of Washington, D.C. believes that the Church can win its fight against the Obama administration's contraception mandate if it takes its case to the public.
"We still have before us the opportunity to make the case to the American people," said Cardinal Wuerl to CNA on Jan. 21.
"Americans by our tradition, by our heritage, are a people who tend to be very fair and don't readily admit to excluding blocks and groups of people from participation in the common good," he said.
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services announced Jan. 20 that it would not expand a religious exemption for employers who object to a requirement that their insurance plans cover contraception as part of a list of "preventative services."
The policy requires free coverage for sterilization and contraception, including some drugs that can cause abortions.
Cardinal Wuerl underscored that the mandate will affect Catholic schools, hospitals, universities and charitable outreach to the poor.
"This is all new, in the sense that never before in our history has any government simply issued a decree emptying the religious convictions and conscience protections of all the institutions that serve the poor," he said.
"All of a sudden, with one stroke of the pen, this administration has indicated that our objections to doing what the government wants us to do, our objections have no place.
"It is an outrageous situation."
Cardinal Wuerl was in Rome as part of a delegation of bishops from the Mid-Atlantic states. The group spent the week updating the Vatican on the health of the Church in their dioceses.
On Thursday, Jan. 19 they met with Pope Benedict who warned of them of a "grave threat" to religious liberty in the U.S., something he described as "the most American of freedoms."
Cardinal Wuerl thought the Pope's address was a very timely reminder that the Gospel "implies and even demands that we be engaged in the public effort to mold a good and just society."
With this in mind, the Pope told the bishops that the preparation of a new generation of "committed lay leaders" should be the "primary task of the Church in your country."
"I think this new generation that the Pope is speaking about is already present," said Cardinal Wuerl.
He believes that after two generations of young Catholics who suffered from "a devastating lack of solid catechetical teaching," there is "a generation coming along that has been nurtured in the faith." He credits that change to the production of the Catechism of the Catholic Church in 1992, and the influence of Blessed Pope John Paul II and Pope Benedict XVI.
"This generation is already rising up to say, 'What can we do to restore the sense of gospel values in our lives, in our families, in our institutions, in our communities?'
"We're seeing something wonderful happening."
Courtesy: CNA Oringinal Post
"We still have before us the opportunity to make the case to the American people," said Cardinal Wuerl to CNA on Jan. 21.
"Americans by our tradition, by our heritage, are a people who tend to be very fair and don't readily admit to excluding blocks and groups of people from participation in the common good," he said.
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services announced Jan. 20 that it would not expand a religious exemption for employers who object to a requirement that their insurance plans cover contraception as part of a list of "preventative services."
The policy requires free coverage for sterilization and contraception, including some drugs that can cause abortions.
Cardinal Wuerl underscored that the mandate will affect Catholic schools, hospitals, universities and charitable outreach to the poor.
"This is all new, in the sense that never before in our history has any government simply issued a decree emptying the religious convictions and conscience protections of all the institutions that serve the poor," he said.
"All of a sudden, with one stroke of the pen, this administration has indicated that our objections to doing what the government wants us to do, our objections have no place.
"It is an outrageous situation."
Cardinal Wuerl was in Rome as part of a delegation of bishops from the Mid-Atlantic states. The group spent the week updating the Vatican on the health of the Church in their dioceses.
On Thursday, Jan. 19 they met with Pope Benedict who warned of them of a "grave threat" to religious liberty in the U.S., something he described as "the most American of freedoms."
Cardinal Wuerl thought the Pope's address was a very timely reminder that the Gospel "implies and even demands that we be engaged in the public effort to mold a good and just society."
With this in mind, the Pope told the bishops that the preparation of a new generation of "committed lay leaders" should be the "primary task of the Church in your country."
"I think this new generation that the Pope is speaking about is already present," said Cardinal Wuerl.
He believes that after two generations of young Catholics who suffered from "a devastating lack of solid catechetical teaching," there is "a generation coming along that has been nurtured in the faith." He credits that change to the production of the Catechism of the Catholic Church in 1992, and the influence of Blessed Pope John Paul II and Pope Benedict XVI.
"This generation is already rising up to say, 'What can we do to restore the sense of gospel values in our lives, in our families, in our institutions, in our communities?'
"We're seeing something wonderful happening."
Courtesy: CNA Oringinal Post
Spanish government seeks to add parental consent to abortion law
Madrid, Spain, Jan 26, 2012 / 03:31 pm (CNA/Europa Press).- Spain's Minister of Justice, Alberto Ruiz Gallardon, announced on Jan. 25 that the government will work to change the country's abortion law to require parental consent for minors who wish to undergo the procedure.
Gallardon, a member of the People's Party, said the reform would "change the model of current abortion regulations to reinforce protection of the right to life and of minors."
In 2010 the People's Party filed a petition before the Constitutional Court questioning eight articles of Spain's abortion law, arguing that it should be reformed in accord with the court's 1985 ruling that established that the state has the duty to protect developing human life.
Gallardon criticized the law, which went into effect July 2010, for allowing abortion on demand up until the 14th week of pregnancy. He said the prov! ision violates article 15 of the Spanish Constitution, which recognizes that "everyone has the right to life."
He also questioned why the limit was set at 14 weeks and not 12 or 16. He said there was no explanation as why the unborn should be protected after the limit but not before.
In cases of abortion up until the 22nd week that are allowed for the health of the mother, the People's Party noted that this exception is broad enough to justify almost any reason for an abortion.
The party said the justification for abortion in cases of "risk of grave fetal anomalies, which would appear to include blindness or deafness, missing arms or limbs, or Down syndrome," bring to mind the "eugenic theories" of the 20th century that deemed some people "unworthy of living" or "burdensome."
Courtesy: CNA Oringinal Post
Gallardon, a member of the People's Party, said the reform would "change the model of current abortion regulations to reinforce protection of the right to life and of minors."
In 2010 the People's Party filed a petition before the Constitutional Court questioning eight articles of Spain's abortion law, arguing that it should be reformed in accord with the court's 1985 ruling that established that the state has the duty to protect developing human life.
Gallardon criticized the law, which went into effect July 2010, for allowing abortion on demand up until the 14th week of pregnancy. He said the prov! ision violates article 15 of the Spanish Constitution, which recognizes that "everyone has the right to life."
He also questioned why the limit was set at 14 weeks and not 12 or 16. He said there was no explanation as why the unborn should be protected after the limit but not before.
In cases of abortion up until the 22nd week that are allowed for the health of the mother, the People's Party noted that this exception is broad enough to justify almost any reason for an abortion.
The party said the justification for abortion in cases of "risk of grave fetal anomalies, which would appear to include blindness or deafness, missing arms or limbs, or Down syndrome," bring to mind the "eugenic theories" of the 20th century that deemed some people "unworthy of living" or "burdensome."
Courtesy: CNA Oringinal Post
Fr. Lombardi: Vatican corruption charges ‘well beyond reality’
Vatican City, Jan 26, 2012 / 04:11 pm (CNA/EWTN News).- The official Vatican spokesman says an Italian television broadcast claiming to disclose financial corruption at the Vatican exaggerated the situation.
Fr. Federico Lombardi, S.J., questioned the "debatable" journalistic methods employed in the broadcast's "diffusion of private documents."
The information in the program stretched "well beyond reality," he said in a Jan. 26 statement, adding that "the general situation of the government is not as negative as they want to make people believe."
Accusations of financial mismanagement in the Vatican were broadcast Jan. 25 on a prominent Italian television network in a show entitled "Gli intoccabili."
The program claimed that Archbishop Carlo Maria Viganò – now the Pope's official representative to the U.S. – wrote a private letter to Pope Benedict XVI on March 27, 2011, asking not to be transferred to the U.S. while new measures aimed at cleaning up the Vatican's financial situation were being implemented.
Archbishop Viganò was serving as the second in command for the Governatorate of Vatican City, before he was appointed as the new nuncio to the United States in October 2011.
In his work at the Holy See, he introduced financial controls and accountability procedures that transformed a multi-million dollar deficit into a significant surplus in just one year.
In a Jan. 26 statement, Fr. Lombardi responded to the broadcast, lamenting that it has become "all too familiar" to find biased reporting about the Catholic Church.
He stressed that governing the Vatican City-State is very complex, and said that the situation was presented in "a partial and banal way" so as to exalt "the negative aspects."
Fr. Lombardi noted the many positive effects of Archbishop Viganò's actions as Secretary General of the Government. He said that an accurate analysis of the financial changes within the Holy See must take into account changing markets and economic situations, as well as a notable increase in visitors to the Vatican Museums.
He also commented on the "significant expenses" required to meet the Vatican's important non-economic goal of supporting the universal Church.
The Vatican spokesman also underscored that Archbishop Viganò's appointment as the apostolic nuncio to the United States showed Pope Benedict's great trust in him.
Holy See officials, Fr. Lombardi said, continue to be guided by the standards of "healthy administration and of transparency" to which Archbishop Viganò committed himself.
Fr. Lombardi also said that the Vatican government is willing to "pursue all appropriate options," including possible legal action to defend the reputation of the Vatican officials mentioned in the broadcast.
Courtesy: CNA Oringinal Post
Fr. Federico Lombardi, S.J., questioned the "debatable" journalistic methods employed in the broadcast's "diffusion of private documents."
The information in the program stretched "well beyond reality," he said in a Jan. 26 statement, adding that "the general situation of the government is not as negative as they want to make people believe."
Accusations of financial mismanagement in the Vatican were broadcast Jan. 25 on a prominent Italian television network in a show entitled "Gli intoccabili."
The program claimed that Archbishop Carlo Maria Viganò – now the Pope's official representative to the U.S. – wrote a private letter to Pope Benedict XVI on March 27, 2011, asking not to be transferred to the U.S. while new measures aimed at cleaning up the Vatican's financial situation were being implemented.
Archbishop Viganò was serving as the second in command for the Governatorate of Vatican City, before he was appointed as the new nuncio to the United States in October 2011.
In his work at the Holy See, he introduced financial controls and accountability procedures that transformed a multi-million dollar deficit into a significant surplus in just one year.
In a Jan. 26 statement, Fr. Lombardi responded to the broadcast, lamenting that it has become "all too familiar" to find biased reporting about the Catholic Church.
He stressed that governing the Vatican City-State is very complex, and said that the situation was presented in "a partial and banal way" so as to exalt "the negative aspects."
Fr. Lombardi noted the many positive effects of Archbishop Viganò's actions as Secretary General of the Government. He said that an accurate analysis of the financial changes within the Holy See must take into account changing markets and economic situations, as well as a notable increase in visitors to the Vatican Museums.
He also commented on the "significant expenses" required to meet the Vatican's important non-economic goal of supporting the universal Church.
The Vatican spokesman also underscored that Archbishop Viganò's appointment as the apostolic nuncio to the United States showed Pope Benedict's great trust in him.
Holy See officials, Fr. Lombardi said, continue to be guided by the standards of "healthy administration and of transparency" to which Archbishop Viganò committed himself.
Fr. Lombardi also said that the Vatican government is willing to "pursue all appropriate options," including possible legal action to defend the reputation of the Vatican officials mentioned in the broadcast.
Courtesy: CNA Oringinal Post
Next Church doctor is model for evangelization
Rome, Italy, Jan 26, 2012 / 05:59 pm (CNA/EWTN News).- Today's world can learn a lot from St. John of Avila, according to those who have studied the life of the next Doctor of the Catholic Church.
"St. John of Avila is far from us in time, but nearby for his figure, his life, his evangelizing witness and for his teaching," Archbishop Juan del Río Martín of Spain's Archdiocese for Military Services told CNA.
Archbishop del Río Martín was one of three experts on the Spanish saint who gathered in Rome on Jan. 20 for the presentation of a new book in Spanish that explores the writings of St. John of Avila.
The archbishop, who wrote his doctoral thesis on St. John of Avila's teachings, believes that Pope Benedict made an investment in the future of the Church by choosing the 16th-century saint as the Church's newest doctor.
The Pope has called the Church to a new evangelization, he notes, and in the "Apostle of Andalusia" she has a "model of how to evangelize."
St. John of Avila was born in 1500 in the town of Almodovar del Campo, 155 miles south of Madrid. A Christian of Jewish descent, he studied law at the University of Salamanca, before being ordained a priest. He went on to become a great preacher, author and mystic, writing works that influenced St. Theresa of Avila, St. John of the Cross and St. Francis Borgia, among others.
He is credited with re-evangelizing the southern Spanish region of Andalusia after it was reclaimed from the Moors.
The Apostle of Andalusia is now venerated in Spain as the patron of the nation's priests.
In fact, Pope Benedict chose a meeting with priests and seminarians during World Youth Day celebrations this past August in Madrid to declare that the saint would become a Church "doctor."
He hoped that "the word and the example of this outstanding pastor will enlighten all priests and those who look forward to the day of their priestly ordination."
The recognition places St. John of Avila among 33 others, such as Sts. Thomas Aquinas, Augustine and Therese of Lisieux, whose contributions have been declared a source of truth and of value to Christians in all times. Church "doctors" are also required to have manifested "eminent learning" and "great sanctity" in their lives.
María de la Encarnación González, the postulator of the saint's cause for being declared a Church doctor, said that John of Avila truly lived out his faith and knew how to share it.
"St. John of Avila was a great communicator. Therefore, the work he did has led him to this point where the Pope considers that he demonstrated all of the requisites to become a Doctor of the Church," she said.
Though no date has been announced for his installation, it is significant that the Pope has chosen him to be a doctor as a "new evangelization" movement gears up in the Catholic Church.
Not only has a special Vatican department been created to oversee these efforts in the West, but bishops from around the world will come to Rome in Oct. 2012 to discuss the topic for three weeks.
"How do we evangelize in the 21st century?" asked Archbishop del Río Martín. Catholics must learn to express their love for Jesus Christ the way St. John of Avila did when he said he felt "leased by Christ," the archbishop remarked.
"In Jesus Christ," he said, "was revealed a God of love, who preaches and sends out love. And that love must be shown to men through the word, the sacraments and charity."
Courtesy: CNA Oringinal Post
"St. John of Avila is far from us in time, but nearby for his figure, his life, his evangelizing witness and for his teaching," Archbishop Juan del Río Martín of Spain's Archdiocese for Military Services told CNA.
Archbishop del Río Martín was one of three experts on the Spanish saint who gathered in Rome on Jan. 20 for the presentation of a new book in Spanish that explores the writings of St. John of Avila.
The archbishop, who wrote his doctoral thesis on St. John of Avila's teachings, believes that Pope Benedict made an investment in the future of the Church by choosing the 16th-century saint as the Church's newest doctor.
The Pope has called the Church to a new evangelization, he notes, and in the "Apostle of Andalusia" she has a "model of how to evangelize."
St. John of Avila was born in 1500 in the town of Almodovar del Campo, 155 miles south of Madrid. A Christian of Jewish descent, he studied law at the University of Salamanca, before being ordained a priest. He went on to become a great preacher, author and mystic, writing works that influenced St. Theresa of Avila, St. John of the Cross and St. Francis Borgia, among others.
He is credited with re-evangelizing the southern Spanish region of Andalusia after it was reclaimed from the Moors.
The Apostle of Andalusia is now venerated in Spain as the patron of the nation's priests.
In fact, Pope Benedict chose a meeting with priests and seminarians during World Youth Day celebrations this past August in Madrid to declare that the saint would become a Church "doctor."
He hoped that "the word and the example of this outstanding pastor will enlighten all priests and those who look forward to the day of their priestly ordination."
The recognition places St. John of Avila among 33 others, such as Sts. Thomas Aquinas, Augustine and Therese of Lisieux, whose contributions have been declared a source of truth and of value to Christians in all times. Church "doctors" are also required to have manifested "eminent learning" and "great sanctity" in their lives.
María de la Encarnación González, the postulator of the saint's cause for being declared a Church doctor, said that John of Avila truly lived out his faith and knew how to share it.
"St. John of Avila was a great communicator. Therefore, the work he did has led him to this point where the Pope considers that he demonstrated all of the requisites to become a Doctor of the Church," she said.
Though no date has been announced for his installation, it is significant that the Pope has chosen him to be a doctor as a "new evangelization" movement gears up in the Catholic Church.
Not only has a special Vatican department been created to oversee these efforts in the West, but bishops from around the world will come to Rome in Oct. 2012 to discuss the topic for three weeks.
"How do we evangelize in the 21st century?" asked Archbishop del Río Martín. Catholics must learn to express their love for Jesus Christ the way St. John of Avila did when he said he felt "leased by Christ," the archbishop remarked.
"In Jesus Christ," he said, "was revealed a God of love, who preaches and sends out love. And that love must be shown to men through the word, the sacraments and charity."
Courtesy: CNA Oringinal Post
Tuesday, January 24, 2012
Spanish bishop urges Christians to remain hopeful in despair
Valencia, Spain, Jan 24, 2012 / 02:04 pm (CNA/Europa Press).- Archbishop Carlos Osoro of Valencia in Spain called on Christians in Europe to remain hopeful in the Lord, despite difficult circumstances in life.
Catholics must "keep alive the hope that comes from God, especially in this time of despair and disappointment, " he said during a Mass at the Cathedral of Valencia on Jan. 22, the feast of the archdiocese's patron St. Vincent the Martyr.
"We live in a time in which we must not allow ourselves to be disturbed by the human situations that happen to us," the archbishop remarked. "What comes from God is much more important than what comes from man, because what comes from God is hope and God gives man a way out."
"It is precisely in a culture of despair and of disappointment where Christians must be present," he underscored, "because God is hope, He is love, and God's embracing of my life is what I also must share with others."
For this reason, he added, Christians must never react to the present-day circumstances with "hatred, separation or rupture, nor consider others to be a bother or a permanent inconvenience."
Courtesy: CNA Oringinal Post
Catholics must "keep alive the hope that comes from God, especially in this time of despair and disappointment, " he said during a Mass at the Cathedral of Valencia on Jan. 22, the feast of the archdiocese's patron St. Vincent the Martyr.
"We live in a time in which we must not allow ourselves to be disturbed by the human situations that happen to us," the archbishop remarked. "What comes from God is much more important than what comes from man, because what comes from God is hope and God gives man a way out."
"It is precisely in a culture of despair and of disappointment where Christians must be present," he underscored, "because God is hope, He is love, and God's embracing of my life is what I also must share with others."
For this reason, he added, Christians must never react to the present-day circumstances with "hatred, separation or rupture, nor consider others to be a bother or a permanent inconvenience."
Courtesy: CNA Oringinal Post
Pope emphasizes need for silence in digital world
Vatican City, Jan 24, 2012 / 02:44 pm (CNA/EWTN News).- Pope Benedict XVI believes that in a noisy world of constant communication people need silence more than ever.
He outlined his thoughts in his message for World Communications Day 2012, which is entitled "Silence and Word: Path of Evangelization." The Pope's letter was released Jan. 24 at the Vatican press office by Archbishop Claudio Maria Celli, head of the Pontifical Council for Social Communications.
"When messages and information are plentiful, silence becomes essential if we are to distinguish what is important from what is insignificant or secondary," the Pope says in a statement that will be read in Catholic churches around the world on May 20, 2012.
"This makes it possible to share thoughtful and relevant opinions, giving rise to an authentic body of shared knowledge," he writes.
Pope Benedict recommends making this interchange possible by developing "an appropriate environment, a kind of 'eco-system' that maintains a just equilibrium between silence, words, images and sounds."
He suggests that silence is required to make sense of the constant stream of information that people now receive via television, radio, the Internet and various forms of social media.
"In silence, we are better able to listen to and understand ourselves; ideas come to birth and acquire depth; we understand with greater clarity what it is we want to say and what we expect from others; and we choose how to express ourselves," he says.
He also observes that silence can allow other people to express their thoughts. In this way "we avoid being tied simply to our own words and ideas without them being adequately tested," and therefore, "space is created for mutual listening, and deeper human relationships become possible."
Pope Benedict believes that this use of silence is "often more eloquent than a hasty answer," because it "permits seekers to reach into the depths of their being and open themselves to the path towards knowledge that God has inscribed in human hearts."
The Pope sees this need for silence as a part of Christian life from the earliest times. He points to the "eloquence of God's love, lived to the point of the supreme gift," which is seen "in the silence of the Cross," when, after Christ's death "there is a great silence over the earth."
Silent contemplation also "immerses us in the source of that Love who directs us towards our neighbors so that we may feel their suffering and offer them the light of Christ, his message of life and his saving gift of the fullness of love," he writes.
Archbishop Celli summed up the Pope's message as reminding everyone that real communication involves pairing "words and silence" so that people are not "overwhelmed by the sheer volume of communication itself."
Monsignor Paul Tighe, Secretary of the social communications council, explained to CNA that the Pope's message "reminds us that the relevance of silence is equally important within the context of a digital environment."
"Especially when we now find ourselves continually bombarded by messages, by ideas, by opinions, by news.
"And so the Pope is saying we need silence if we're going to judge that, integrate it, make it our own and not simply be caught up in a flow of information."
Courtesy: CNA Oringinal Post
He outlined his thoughts in his message for World Communications Day 2012, which is entitled "Silence and Word: Path of Evangelization." The Pope's letter was released Jan. 24 at the Vatican press office by Archbishop Claudio Maria Celli, head of the Pontifical Council for Social Communications.
"When messages and information are plentiful, silence becomes essential if we are to distinguish what is important from what is insignificant or secondary," the Pope says in a statement that will be read in Catholic churches around the world on May 20, 2012.
"This makes it possible to share thoughtful and relevant opinions, giving rise to an authentic body of shared knowledge," he writes.
Pope Benedict recommends making this interchange possible by developing "an appropriate environment, a kind of 'eco-system' that maintains a just equilibrium between silence, words, images and sounds."
He suggests that silence is required to make sense of the constant stream of information that people now receive via television, radio, the Internet and various forms of social media.
"In silence, we are better able to listen to and understand ourselves; ideas come to birth and acquire depth; we understand with greater clarity what it is we want to say and what we expect from others; and we choose how to express ourselves," he says.
He also observes that silence can allow other people to express their thoughts. In this way "we avoid being tied simply to our own words and ideas without them being adequately tested," and therefore, "space is created for mutual listening, and deeper human relationships become possible."
Pope Benedict believes that this use of silence is "often more eloquent than a hasty answer," because it "permits seekers to reach into the depths of their being and open themselves to the path towards knowledge that God has inscribed in human hearts."
The Pope sees this need for silence as a part of Christian life from the earliest times. He points to the "eloquence of God's love, lived to the point of the supreme gift," which is seen "in the silence of the Cross," when, after Christ's death "there is a great silence over the earth."
Silent contemplation also "immerses us in the source of that Love who directs us towards our neighbors so that we may feel their suffering and offer them the light of Christ, his message of life and his saving gift of the fullness of love," he writes.
Archbishop Celli summed up the Pope's message as reminding everyone that real communication involves pairing "words and silence" so that people are not "overwhelmed by the sheer volume of communication itself."
Monsignor Paul Tighe, Secretary of the social communications council, explained to CNA that the Pope's message "reminds us that the relevance of silence is equally important within the context of a digital environment."
"Especially when we now find ourselves continually bombarded by messages, by ideas, by opinions, by news.
"And so the Pope is saying we need silence if we're going to judge that, integrate it, make it our own and not simply be caught up in a flow of information."
Courtesy: CNA Oringinal Post
Lay movements answer problems of today’s world, Vatican official says
Cordoba, Spain, Jan 24, 2012 / 06:07 pm (CNA).- Cardinal Stanislaw Rylko, president of the Pontifical Council for the Laity, said that lay ecclesial movements are a gift to the Church and an answer to the difficulties modern society presents.
"The ecclesial movements and new communities are a timely response of the Holy Spirit to the challenges the world poses to the Church in our times," he said.
Cardinal Rylko made his remarks during a Mass on Jan. 22 in Cordoba celebrating the one thousandth retreat lead by the movement Cursillo – a Spanish lay community founded in 1944.
The "Church looks to you with great hope and counts on you," the cardinal told the 2,000 Cursillo members gathered at the Cathedral of Cordoba.
Cardinal Rylko listed what he called the three tasks for lay associations and ecclesial movements today, and that is to be "schools of holiness, mission and communion."
"The world needs truly holy Christians, and for this reason the lay movements and associations should be missionary and evangelistic, and true schools of communion," he said.
Later during the Mass, Bishop Demetrio Fernandez of Cordoba noted that through the Cursillo movement, "thousands and thousands of people have encountered Jesus in his Holy Church."
He told the group members the Church embraces them and encourages them to evangelize modern society.
Courtesy: CNA Oringinal Post
"The ecclesial movements and new communities are a timely response of the Holy Spirit to the challenges the world poses to the Church in our times," he said.
Cardinal Rylko made his remarks during a Mass on Jan. 22 in Cordoba celebrating the one thousandth retreat lead by the movement Cursillo – a Spanish lay community founded in 1944.
The "Church looks to you with great hope and counts on you," the cardinal told the 2,000 Cursillo members gathered at the Cathedral of Cordoba.
Cardinal Rylko listed what he called the three tasks for lay associations and ecclesial movements today, and that is to be "schools of holiness, mission and communion."
"The world needs truly holy Christians, and for this reason the lay movements and associations should be missionary and evangelistic, and true schools of communion," he said.
Later during the Mass, Bishop Demetrio Fernandez of Cordoba noted that through the Cursillo movement, "thousands and thousands of people have encountered Jesus in his Holy Church."
He told the group members the Church embraces them and encourages them to evangelize modern society.
Courtesy: CNA Oringinal Post
Rep. Smith: HHS mandate is attempt to end Catholic health care
Washington D.C., Jan 24, 2012 / 06:16 pm (CNA/EWTN News).- Representative Chris Smith thinks that the Obama administration's decision to force religious organizations to purchase health insurance plans in violation of their consciences is an attempt to force "Catholic health care to cease to be."
"That's the end goal here. I think we have to be very blunt about it," he said in a Jan. 23 interview with CNA.
The Republican congressman from New Jersey also responded to President Barack Obama's Jan. 22 statement on the anniversary of the Supreme Court's Roe v. Wade decision, which legalized abortion in the United States.
President Obama reaffirmed his commitment to abortion, which he called a "fundamental constitutional right." He added that the 1973 decision "also affirms a broader principle: that government should not intrude on private family matters."
Rep. Smith said that President Obama's statement reveals his "bigotry and prejudice against the unborn child," whom he fails to include as a family member.
He also observed that the president's professed commitment to avoid interfering with the private matters of citizens is inconsistent with his administration's Jan. 20 decision to require virtually all health care plans to cover sterilization and contraception – including abortion-causing drugs – at no cost.
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services also announced that its finalized "preventative services" mandate would not contain an expanded religious exemption for employers who object to its requirements on religious grounds.
Since it was first proposed, the religious exemption policy has been harshly criticized as being too narrow.
The overwhelming majority of religious organizations will not qualify for the exemption, which applies only to organizations! that exist for the purpose of inculcating religious values an! d that primarily serve and employ members of their own faith.
Rep. Smith said that the mandate violates the conscience rights not only of those who object to contraception, but also those who object to abortion. The early abortion drugs Plan B and Ella are included in the "preventative services" that insurance companies are required to cover.
The congressman warned that the "misguided" policy might be a foreshadowing of further coercive abortion policies in the future.
He explained that during the heath care overhaul debate, Sen. Barbara Mikulski (D-Md.) offered the preventive health care amendment, upon which the HHS mandate is based.
Sen. Mikulski was asked during the debate if she would exclude abortion as a "preventative service" and she said no.
Rep. Smith said this illustrates a move toward saying that "preventive health care equals abortion, because you've got to get rid of that unwanted pregnan! cy."
A pro-abortion mindset sees an unwanted child as a "disease" or "a tumor to be excised," he explained.
Rep. Smith also stated that "coercion is embedded" in the legal abortion movement, and that he believes more attempts to force compliance can be expected under the current administration.
He illustrated his point by noting that "coercion begins in the first place against the baby," who has "no say in the violence that's coming his or her way."
Congressman Smith said that Americans must realize the significance of the threats being posed by the Obama administration's attacks on conscience rights.
"The mask is off," he said. "It's about time we woke up."
Courtesy: CNA Oringinal Post
"That's the end goal here. I think we have to be very blunt about it," he said in a Jan. 23 interview with CNA.
The Republican congressman from New Jersey also responded to President Barack Obama's Jan. 22 statement on the anniversary of the Supreme Court's Roe v. Wade decision, which legalized abortion in the United States.
President Obama reaffirmed his commitment to abortion, which he called a "fundamental constitutional right." He added that the 1973 decision "also affirms a broader principle: that government should not intrude on private family matters."
He also observed that the president's professed commitment to avoid interfering with the private matters of citizens is inconsistent with his administration's Jan. 20 decision to require virtually all health care plans to cover sterilization and contraception – including abortion-causing drugs – at no cost.
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services also announced that its finalized "preventative services" mandate would not contain an expanded religious exemption for employers who object to its requirements on religious grounds.
Since it was first proposed, the religious exemption policy has been harshly criticized as being too narrow.
The overwhelming majority of religious organizations will not qualify for the exemption, which applies only to organizations! that exist for the purpose of inculcating religious values an! d that primarily serve and employ members of their own faith.
Rep. Smith said that the mandate violates the conscience rights not only of those who object to contraception, but also those who object to abortion. The early abortion drugs Plan B and Ella are included in the "preventative services" that insurance companies are required to cover.
The congressman warned that the "misguided" policy might be a foreshadowing of further coercive abortion policies in the future.
He explained that during the heath care overhaul debate, Sen. Barbara Mikulski (D-Md.) offered the preventive health care amendment, upon which the HHS mandate is based.
Sen. Mikulski was asked during the debate if she would exclude abortion as a "preventative service" and she said no.
Rep. Smith said this illustrates a move toward saying that "preventive health care equals abortion, because you've got to get rid of that unwanted pregnan! cy."
A pro-abortion mindset sees an unwanted child as a "disease" or "a tumor to be excised," he explained.
Rep. Smith also stated that "coercion is embedded" in the legal abortion movement, and that he believes more attempts to force compliance can be expected under the current administration.
He illustrated his point by noting that "coercion begins in the first place against the baby," who has "no say in the violence that's coming his or her way."
Congressman Smith said that Americans must realize the significance of the threats being posed by the Obama administration's attacks on conscience rights.
"The mask is off," he said. "It's about time we woke up."
Courtesy: CNA Oringinal Post
Monday, January 23, 2012
Spanish bishop emphasizes role of victims in journey toward peace
San Sebastian, Spain, Jan 23, 2012 / 01:55 pm (CNA).- Bishop Jose Ignacio Munilla of San Sebastian, Spain has said that the country's victims of terrorism should occupy "the central place in the journey toward peace and reconciliation."
To forget the memory of the terrorism victims would be "reason to question the authenticity of our commitment to peace and reconciliation," the bishop said during a homily on Jan. 20, the feast of St. Sebastian.
He offered prayers that the patron saint of the diocese would grant "definitive peace to our people and particularly to our city."
Victims must occupy "a central place in the journey toward peace and reconciliation, so that we do not add new injustices to those already committed," the bishop said.
Bishop Munilla expressed gratitude that after almost 50 years of violence in the region, Catholics were able to celebrate the feast of St. Sebastian without the "explicit threat" of terrorism. "Let us be joyful and hopeful, not forgetful and unsupportive," he said.
"May the Lord receive into glory all those who were cruelly snatched from this life and may he alleviate the suffering of their families and move all of us to conversion," Bishop Munilla prayed.
The Spanish bishop went on to note the economic crisis that has gripped Spain and expressed solidarity with those who have been unemployed for long periods of time. He urged political leaders to "work together to find solutions" for the entire country.
On the other hand, he warned of the "great temptation" for believers to be "dragged into and absorbed by a worldly spirit, such that we end up thinking, feeling and acting as if God did not exist."
"The religious meaning of our existence is perfectly reconcilable with the positive values that are derived from authentic progress," the bishop explained. "In order to achieve that necessary maturity, in which modernity and religiosity are integrated, we need to live without hang-ups in the present day situation."
Courtesy: CNA Oringinal Post
To forget the memory of the terrorism victims would be "reason to question the authenticity of our commitment to peace and reconciliation," the bishop said during a homily on Jan. 20, the feast of St. Sebastian.
He offered prayers that the patron saint of the diocese would grant "definitive peace to our people and particularly to our city."
Victims must occupy "a central place in the journey toward peace and reconciliation, so that we do not add new injustices to those already committed," the bishop said.
Bishop Munilla expressed gratitude that after almost 50 years of violence in the region, Catholics were able to celebrate the feast of St. Sebastian without the "explicit threat" of terrorism. "Let us be joyful and hopeful, not forgetful and unsupportive," he said.
"May the Lord receive into glory all those who were cruelly snatched from this life and may he alleviate the suffering of their families and move all of us to conversion," Bishop Munilla prayed.
The Spanish bishop went on to note the economic crisis that has gripped Spain and expressed solidarity with those who have been unemployed for long periods of time. He urged political leaders to "work together to find solutions" for the entire country.
On the other hand, he warned of the "great temptation" for believers to be "dragged into and absorbed by a worldly spirit, such that we end up thinking, feeling and acting as if God did not exist."
"The religious meaning of our existence is perfectly reconcilable with the positive values that are derived from authentic progress," the bishop explained. "In order to achieve that necessary maturity, in which modernity and religiosity are integrated, we need to live without hang-ups in the present day situation."
Courtesy: CNA Oringinal Post
Vatican says 2012 papal visit to Lebanon ‘very possible’
Vatican City, Jan 23, 2012 / 04:12 pm (CNA/EWTN News).- A visit by Pope Benedict XVI to Lebanon later this year is "very possible," according to the Vatican's official spokesman.
The Pope would use the visit to deliver a document – known as an apostolic exhortation – that is the fruit of the discussions that took place at last October's Synod for the Middle East.
"In the context of the publication of a synod document, it is very possible and reasonable for the Pope to go to Lebanon and deliver this message," Vatican spokesman Fr. Federico Lombardi, S.J., told CNA on Jan. 23.
"Lebanon is certainly a country that desires the Pope's presence. Given that the Pope has already been to the Holy Land, Lebanon is a place that would be an option to host the Pope for this purpose," Fr. Lombardi said.
The Italian media is already speculating that the Pope will travel to the country in mid-September. Possible dates include Sept. 13, the Feast of the Exultation of the Holy Cross, and the following weekend, Sept. 22-23.
Pope Benedict could make stops in Lebanon's capital city of Beirut and the seat of the Maronite Catholic Patriarchate, Bkerké, as part of his trip.
"Well that's very much the hope there at the moment," said Monsignor John Kozar, president of the Catholic Near East Welfare Association, who recently visited Lebanon.
"There is a lot that would have to go into such a decision, and there are a lot of parties that will have to weigh in on that," he told CNA, adding that a papal trip "certainly would be a most welcome sign to the people and to the Church there."
Just over a quarter of the Lebanese population is Catholic, with the majority of those belonging to the Maronite Catholic Church, an Eastern Church in communion with Rome.
Blessed Pope John Paul II made a two-day visit to Lebanon in 1997 to sign the apostolic exhortation "A Hope for Lebanon," which drew together the work of the Special Assembly for Lebanon of the Synod of Bishops in 1995.
A papal visit later this year would be Pope Benedict's first journey to the Middle East since the emergence of the "Arab Spring," a series of popular uprisings across the region that have toppled a number of dictatorships over the past year.
Courtesy: CNA Oringinal Post
The Pope would use the visit to deliver a document – known as an apostolic exhortation – that is the fruit of the discussions that took place at last October's Synod for the Middle East.
"In the context of the publication of a synod document, it is very possible and reasonable for the Pope to go to Lebanon and deliver this message," Vatican spokesman Fr. Federico Lombardi, S.J., told CNA on Jan. 23.
"Lebanon is certainly a country that desires the Pope's presence. Given that the Pope has already been to the Holy Land, Lebanon is a place that would be an option to host the Pope for this purpose," Fr. Lombardi said.
The Italian media is already speculating that the Pope will travel to the country in mid-September. Possible dates include Sept. 13, the Feast of the Exultation of the Holy Cross, and the following weekend, Sept. 22-23.
Pope Benedict could make stops in Lebanon's capital city of Beirut and the seat of the Maronite Catholic Patriarchate, Bkerké, as part of his trip.
"Well that's very much the hope there at the moment," said Monsignor John Kozar, president of the Catholic Near East Welfare Association, who recently visited Lebanon.
"There is a lot that would have to go into such a decision, and there are a lot of parties that will have to weigh in on that," he told CNA, adding that a papal trip "certainly would be a most welcome sign to the people and to the Church there."
Just over a quarter of the Lebanese population is Catholic, with the majority of those belonging to the Maronite Catholic Church, an Eastern Church in communion with Rome.
Blessed Pope John Paul II made a two-day visit to Lebanon in 1997 to sign the apostolic exhortation "A Hope for Lebanon," which drew together the work of the Special Assembly for Lebanon of the Synod of Bishops in 1995.
A papal visit later this year would be Pope Benedict's first journey to the Middle East since the emergence of the "Arab Spring," a series of popular uprisings across the region that have toppled a number of dictatorships over the past year.
Courtesy: CNA Oringinal Post
Neocatechumenal Way welcomes Vatican approval for prayers
Rome, Italy, Jan 23, 2012 / 06:07 pm (CNA).- Francisco "Kiko" Argüello, the founder of the Neocatechumenal Way, thanked the Vatican for approving special "celebrations" or non-liturgical prayers within the movement's catechesis.
The gesture was "a huge consolation" and "an immense grace after so many years of suffering and work," Argüello told CNA.
Pope Benedict XVI met with around 7,000 members of the movement in the Vatican's Paul VI audience hall on Jan. 20 for an annual event to send families to mission destinations worldwide.
The invitation issued by the movement to bishops for the event said that the purpose of the meeting was for the Pope to "sign a Decree from the Congregation of Divine Worship recognizing the full approval of the liturgies of the Neocatechumenal Way."
Instead, approval for the non-liturgical practices of the group came by way of another source. It was Pontifical Council for the Laity that issued a decree of approval – after having consulted the Congregation for Divine Worship – for those "celebrations" present in their Catechetical Directory.
A Vatican official who requested anonymity clarified to CNA on Jan. 21 that approval of the Neocatechumenal Way's forms of "celebration" only applies to non-liturgical prayers within their catechesis and not to the Mass or other liturgies of the Church.
In this process "the Neocatechumenal Way obtained no new permissions whatsoever," said the official, who is familiar with the approval process for prayers and liturgies.
"Essentially, the Pontifical Council is only approving these things that are found in the Catechetical Directory of the Neocatechumenal Way, and in no way touches those things contained in the liturgical books."
He said that the decree served merely as an assurance that "there is nothing erroneous to the prayers that they use in the context of their catechetical sessions."
The Neocatechumenal Way was founded in 1964 in Spain by Argüello and Carmen Hernández. It draws its inspiration from the practices of the early Catholic Church, providing "post-baptismal" Christian formation in small, parish-based communities. The movement is present all over the world, and has an estimated membership of more than 1 million people.
Since its foundation, however, the group has been cautioned by the Vatican for inserting various novel practices into Masses organized by the movement. These include lay preaching, standing during Eucharistic Prayer, the reception of Holy Communion while sitting down, as well as the passing of the Most Precious Blood from person to person.
Argüello stressed that the Neocatechumenal Way has no distinct liturgy of its own but uses the Ordinary Form of the Roman Rite as approved by the Church.
"It's the Mass of the Church. On the basis of catechesis, we insist on what the Council underscored, that we should celebrate with both species. This is very difficult in large parishes or in large celebrations for logistical reasons, because of the wine, because of other things, it becomes very difficult," he said.
"It is clear to us that the Pope," he added, "who has a special charism as we have seen, realizes that the future of the new evangelization passes through the Christian community, through families, and the Christian community saves families, and families save society and save the Church."
He reflected on the history of the Neocatechumenal Way, noting that the group has "been around for more than 40 years, and we continue working with the same spirit."
The movement is "still on fire, just like in the beginning, with the desire to evangelize in Asia and in China," he said.
The Neocatechumenal Way currently has five seminaries in China and hopes to carry out further mission work in Thailand and Vietnam.
"I have told young people that we need 20,000 priests for China and five thousand young people have come forward. We have five thousand young people preparing themselves, finding out how much studies they have completed, how they can prepare themselves, how they can receive formation."
During the Jan. 20 meeting with the Pope, the movement also sent out 18 mission groups "to the aborigines in Australia as well."
The "state doesn't know what to do with them because they are psychologically destroyed," he explained. "Many drink and commit suicide. All they know how to do is give them money."
"And yet," he added, "we have sent an ad gentes mission there to evangelize them and bring them Jesus Christ, and we have already seen wonderful results."
Argüello on called on the members of the Neocatechumenal Way throughout the world to join together in their communities and parishes at "a Marian shrine in order to give thanks" for the papal approval. "She is interceding for us. We sense her closeness to us," he said.
Courtesy: CNA Oringinal Post
The gesture was "a huge consolation" and "an immense grace after so many years of suffering and work," Argüello told CNA.
Pope Benedict XVI met with around 7,000 members of the movement in the Vatican's Paul VI audience hall on Jan. 20 for an annual event to send families to mission destinations worldwide.
The invitation issued by the movement to bishops for the event said that the purpose of the meeting was for the Pope to "sign a Decree from the Congregation of Divine Worship recognizing the full approval of the liturgies of the Neocatechumenal Way."
Instead, approval for the non-liturgical practices of the group came by way of another source. It was Pontifical Council for the Laity that issued a decree of approval – after having consulted the Congregation for Divine Worship – for those "celebrations" present in their Catechetical Directory.
A Vatican official who requested anonymity clarified to CNA on Jan. 21 that approval of the Neocatechumenal Way's forms of "celebration" only applies to non-liturgical prayers within their catechesis and not to the Mass or other liturgies of the Church.
In this process "the Neocatechumenal Way obtained no new permissions whatsoever," said the official, who is familiar with the approval process for prayers and liturgies.
"Essentially, the Pontifical Council is only approving these things that are found in the Catechetical Directory of the Neocatechumenal Way, and in no way touches those things contained in the liturgical books."
He said that the decree served merely as an assurance that "there is nothing erroneous to the prayers that they use in the context of their catechetical sessions."
The Neocatechumenal Way was founded in 1964 in Spain by Argüello and Carmen Hernández. It draws its inspiration from the practices of the early Catholic Church, providing "post-baptismal" Christian formation in small, parish-based communities. The movement is present all over the world, and has an estimated membership of more than 1 million people.
Since its foundation, however, the group has been cautioned by the Vatican for inserting various novel practices into Masses organized by the movement. These include lay preaching, standing during Eucharistic Prayer, the reception of Holy Communion while sitting down, as well as the passing of the Most Precious Blood from person to person.
Argüello stressed that the Neocatechumenal Way has no distinct liturgy of its own but uses the Ordinary Form of the Roman Rite as approved by the Church.
"It's the Mass of the Church. On the basis of catechesis, we insist on what the Council underscored, that we should celebrate with both species. This is very difficult in large parishes or in large celebrations for logistical reasons, because of the wine, because of other things, it becomes very difficult," he said.
"It is clear to us that the Pope," he added, "who has a special charism as we have seen, realizes that the future of the new evangelization passes through the Christian community, through families, and the Christian community saves families, and families save society and save the Church."
He reflected on the history of the Neocatechumenal Way, noting that the group has "been around for more than 40 years, and we continue working with the same spirit."
The movement is "still on fire, just like in the beginning, with the desire to evangelize in Asia and in China," he said.
The Neocatechumenal Way currently has five seminaries in China and hopes to carry out further mission work in Thailand and Vietnam.
"I have told young people that we need 20,000 priests for China and five thousand young people have come forward. We have five thousand young people preparing themselves, finding out how much studies they have completed, how they can prepare themselves, how they can receive formation."
During the Jan. 20 meeting with the Pope, the movement also sent out 18 mission groups "to the aborigines in Australia as well."
The "state doesn't know what to do with them because they are psychologically destroyed," he explained. "Many drink and commit suicide. All they know how to do is give them money."
"And yet," he added, "we have sent an ad gentes mission there to evangelize them and bring them Jesus Christ, and we have already seen wonderful results."
Argüello on called on the members of the Neocatechumenal Way throughout the world to join together in their communities and parishes at "a Marian shrine in order to give thanks" for the papal approval. "She is interceding for us. We sense her closeness to us," he said.
Courtesy: CNA Oringinal Post
March for Life speakers urge national pro-life leadership
Washington D.C., Jan 23, 2012 / 06:48 pm (CNA/EWTN News).- Pro-life politicians spoke to participants at the March for Life in Washington, D.C. about the need for America's leaders to guide the country in affirming the value of every human life.
U.S. Speaker of the House John Boehner (R-Ohio) explained that "life and liberty" are two foundational principles that are intertwined to "form the core of our national character."
"When we affirm the dignity of life, we affirm our commitment to freedom," he said. When we fail to defend life, "freedom itself is diminished."
Hundreds of thousands of Americans, including many young people, gathered in the nation's capital for the annual March for Life on Jan. 23, one day after the 39th anniversary of Roe v. Wade, the Supreme Court decision that legalized abortion in the United States.
Prior to a march to Capitol ! Hill, attendees gathered on the National Mall to hear from congressmen and pro-life leaders.
Speaker Boehner delivered opening remarks at the march, in which he affirmed that "human life is not a political or economic commodity."
The Speaker explained that he has 11 siblings. "So I've never considered 'pro-life' to be a label or a position," he said. "It's just who I am."
Defending life is "not a matter of party," he said. Rather, it is "about standing on principle."
Rep. Chris Smith (R-N.J.), who is co-chair of the Congressional Pro-Life Caucus, told the crowd that the violent death of innocent children "is not an American value."
He thanked those present at the march for their "selfless struggle by prayer, fasting and works" to participate in what he called "the greatest human rights movement on earth."
The congressman also criticized President Obama for instituting policies and funding dec! isions that promote abortion throughout his last three years i! n office..
He explained that by appointing abortion advocates to key administrative positions, the president has worked to integrate abortion into national and international programs.
Rep. Smith observed that under President Obama the federal government has given more than $100 million dollars to the U.N. Population Fund, an organization that supports China's one child policy, which relies on forced abortions and sterilizations.
The administration is also "lavishly" funding embryo-destroying stem cell research, he added, and organizations including Planned Parenthood are now titled "partners" of the U.S. government.
In addition, Congressman Smith warned, the pro-life movement is being threatened by the president's "systematic undermining of conscience protections."
He pointed to a federal contraception mandate that was finalized by the Health and Human Services Department on Jan. 20, as one of those act! ions by the Obama administration that is targeting people with pro-life convictions.
HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius said on Jan. 20 that the administration would not expand a religious exemption for employers who object to a requirement that insurance plans cover contraception as part of "preventative services." The policy requires free coverage for sterilization and contraception, including some drugs that can cause abortions.
"Everyone must comply regardless of moral objections or religious tenets simply because Obama says so," Rep. Smith said.
He also noted that the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops was recently "thrown out" of a federal grant program to aid human trafficking victims because it would not offer referrals for abortion and contraception.
The congressman emphasized the importance of the 2012 presidential election and said that if President Obama is elected to a second term, he will work "aggressively" to forc! e "conformity and complicity" on the matter of abortion.
"! No one who values life can sit this one out," he said.
Courtesy: CNA Oringinal Post
U.S. Speaker of the House John Boehner (R-Ohio) explained that "life and liberty" are two foundational principles that are intertwined to "form the core of our national character."
"When we affirm the dignity of life, we affirm our commitment to freedom," he said. When we fail to defend life, "freedom itself is diminished."
Hundreds of thousands of Americans, including many young people, gathered in the nation's capital for the annual March for Life on Jan. 23, one day after the 39th anniversary of Roe v. Wade, the Supreme Court decision that legalized abortion in the United States.
Prior to a march to Capitol ! Hill, attendees gathered on the National Mall to hear from congressmen and pro-life leaders.
Speaker Boehner delivered opening remarks at the march, in which he affirmed that "human life is not a political or economic commodity."
The Speaker explained that he has 11 siblings. "So I've never considered 'pro-life' to be a label or a position," he said. "It's just who I am."
Defending life is "not a matter of party," he said. Rather, it is "about standing on principle."
Rep. Chris Smith (R-N.J.), who is co-chair of the Congressional Pro-Life Caucus, told the crowd that the violent death of innocent children "is not an American value."
He thanked those present at the march for their "selfless struggle by prayer, fasting and works" to participate in what he called "the greatest human rights movement on earth."
The congressman also criticized President Obama for instituting policies and funding dec! isions that promote abortion throughout his last three years i! n office..
He explained that by appointing abortion advocates to key administrative positions, the president has worked to integrate abortion into national and international programs.
Rep. Smith observed that under President Obama the federal government has given more than $100 million dollars to the U.N. Population Fund, an organization that supports China's one child policy, which relies on forced abortions and sterilizations.
The administration is also "lavishly" funding embryo-destroying stem cell research, he added, and organizations including Planned Parenthood are now titled "partners" of the U.S. government.
In addition, Congressman Smith warned, the pro-life movement is being threatened by the president's "systematic undermining of conscience protections."
He pointed to a federal contraception mandate that was finalized by the Health and Human Services Department on Jan. 20, as one of those act! ions by the Obama administration that is targeting people with pro-life convictions.
HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius said on Jan. 20 that the administration would not expand a religious exemption for employers who object to a requirement that insurance plans cover contraception as part of "preventative services." The policy requires free coverage for sterilization and contraception, including some drugs that can cause abortions.
"Everyone must comply regardless of moral objections or religious tenets simply because Obama says so," Rep. Smith said.
He also noted that the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops was recently "thrown out" of a federal grant program to aid human trafficking victims because it would not offer referrals for abortion and contraception.
The congressman emphasized the importance of the 2012 presidential election and said that if President Obama is elected to a second term, he will work "aggressively" to forc! e "conformity and complicity" on the matter of abortion.
"! No one who values life can sit this one out," he said.
Courtesy: CNA Oringinal Post
Youth a strong presence at DC March for Life
Washington D.C., Jan 23, 2012 / 07:05 pm (CNA/EWTN News).- Young people from across America made up a significant amount of the huge crowds that gathered in Washington, D.C. for the annual March for Life.
John Hughes, an 18-year-old student at Seton Hall Preparatory School in New Jersey, told CNA that he supports the event because "to not be pro-life is to be ignorant."
"Science has shown that life begins in the womb," he said, arguing that abortion advocates demonstrate a "lack of responsibility" in ignoring the science of fetal development.
Even most U.S. states, Hughes added, recognize an unborn baby as a living child if both mother and baby are killed in a violent crime.
The college student was among the massive crowds of young people who weathered fog and rain in the nation's capital to attend the annual March for Life on Jan. 23.
Organizers said they believe the event attracted more participants than last year's estimated 400,000.
The march was held one day after the 39th anniversary of the Supreme Court's 1973 Roe v. Wade decision that legalized abortion in the United States.
Hughes said that he is "one hundred percent" hopeful about the future of the pro-life movement, given several legislative pro-life efforts on the state level such as abortion restrictions or Planned Parenthood defunding.
"It's a youth movement," he said.
Kari Boyd, a student at Michigan State University, added that she believes abortion hurts women.
She explained that Planned Parenthood and other organizations that support abortion "are not telling women the truth" when they say that an unborn baby is a "blob of cells" and fail to show women that the fetus they carry is "another human being."
Support for women's rights does not create the "right to kill an innocent unborn child," Boyd said. "Women don't have the right to murder."
Matt Menendez, age 20, is the president of Harvard right to life. He explained that although the United States is largely pro-life, there are only a small minority of students at Harvard "who are willing to speak up" in defense of life.
"We're always fighting an uphill battle," he said. While the work is "very difficult," it is also "very, very rewarding."
He said that the group regularly receives calls and emails "from people who say they're afraid to be prolife."
Menendez described the group's work as "fighting an intellectual battle" in the hopes of "opening discourse" on a topic that is considered somewhat "taboo" and is "often ignored" at Harvard.
"It's really energizing to be part of that movement," he said.
Luciana Milano, another member of Harvard's right to life group, attended the march for the first time this year. She explained that attending Harvard strengthened her pro-life views because she was forced to defend her beliefs to those who disagreed with her.
She said that although the experience "has been difficult," it has made her "a stronger believer" in the dignity of all human life."
Describing the march as "awesome," Milano said that she was impressed and overwhelmed by the large number of people attending the event.
"The second that I saw large amounts of people, I almost cried," she said.
Courtesy: CNA Oringinal Post
John Hughes, an 18-year-old student at Seton Hall Preparatory School in New Jersey, told CNA that he supports the event because "to not be pro-life is to be ignorant."
"Science has shown that life begins in the womb," he said, arguing that abortion advocates demonstrate a "lack of responsibility" in ignoring the science of fetal development.
Even most U.S. states, Hughes added, recognize an unborn baby as a living child if both mother and baby are killed in a violent crime.
The college student was among the massive crowds of young people who weathered fog and rain in the nation's capital to attend the annual March for Life on Jan. 23.
Organizers said they believe the event attracted more participants than last year's estimated 400,000.
The march was held one day after the 39th anniversary of the Supreme Court's 1973 Roe v. Wade decision that legalized abortion in the United States.
Hughes said that he is "one hundred percent" hopeful about the future of the pro-life movement, given several legislative pro-life efforts on the state level such as abortion restrictions or Planned Parenthood defunding.
"It's a youth movement," he said.
Kari Boyd, a student at Michigan State University, added that she believes abortion hurts women.
She explained that Planned Parenthood and other organizations that support abortion "are not telling women the truth" when they say that an unborn baby is a "blob of cells" and fail to show women that the fetus they carry is "another human being."
Support for women's rights does not create the "right to kill an innocent unborn child," Boyd said. "Women don't have the right to murder."
Matt Menendez, age 20, is the president of Harvard right to life. He explained that although the United States is largely pro-life, there are only a small minority of students at Harvard "who are willing to speak up" in defense of life.
"We're always fighting an uphill battle," he said. While the work is "very difficult," it is also "very, very rewarding."
He said that the group regularly receives calls and emails "from people who say they're afraid to be prolife."
Menendez described the group's work as "fighting an intellectual battle" in the hopes of "opening discourse" on a topic that is considered somewhat "taboo" and is "often ignored" at Harvard.
"It's really energizing to be part of that movement," he said.
Luciana Milano, another member of Harvard's right to life group, attended the march for the first time this year. She explained that attending Harvard strengthened her pro-life views because she was forced to defend her beliefs to those who disagreed with her.
She said that although the experience "has been difficult," it has made her "a stronger believer" in the dignity of all human life."
Describing the march as "awesome," Milano said that she was impressed and overwhelmed by the large number of people attending the event.
"The second that I saw large amounts of people, I almost cried," she said.
Courtesy: CNA Oringinal Post
Archbishop Aymond focuses on St. Peter's character
Vatican City, Jan 23, 2012 / 09:28 pm (CNA/EWTN News).- St. Peter should be the model for all bishops because he allowed God to use his strengths and weaknesses, Archbishop Gregory M. Aymond of New Orleans said early this morning in Rome.
"My brothers, as we come to this tomb, as we have the privilege to stand before the remains of Peter, this great man, we certainly pray for ourselves as shepherds of the Church, that we can have the mind and heart of Christ to follow the example of Peter," he said in his Jan. 23 homily.
The Mass in the Crypt of St. Peter's Basilica marked the start of an official visit to the Vatican by the bishops of Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Tennessee and Kentucky.
Archbishop Aymond focused his reflections on the Gospel passage in which St. Peter declares Jesus is "the Christ." He said the passage displays the apostle's "profession of faith, his leap of faith, the courage, the boldness to step out into the deep and to say 'You are indeed the messiah, you are the one who was promised.'"
But Archbishop Aymond also contrasted the strengths of St. Peter's character with other times in his life when he failed to follow Jesus, even to the point of betraying him.
"It is important for all of us in ministry, in particularly for those of us in the episcopal ministry, that we look at the entire profile of Peter's personality – his gifts as well as his weaknesses," Archbishop Aymond told his fellow bishops.
"Peter's weakness do not minimize his holiness ... because we see that Jesus uses both Peter's strength as well as his weaknesses," he observed.
Through this experience, the archbishop explained, St. Peter "learns humility and learns obedience," giving an example for all bishops.
Archbishop Aymond is making the "ad limina" visit to Rome with 21 other bishops between Jan. 23 and 31.
The trips take place every five years and involve a meeting in which the bishops brief the Pope on the Church in their individual dioceses, visit with various Vatican departments, and make a pilgrimage to the tombs of Sts. Peter and Paul.
The group is the fifth delegation of U.S. bishops to make their way to Rome in recent months, leaving 10 more groups on the American roster.
After this morning's Mass, the bishops met with officials at the Congregation for Bishops and the Congregation for Clergy. Six of the bishops also had an audience with Pope Benedict.
In the evening they attended at reception at the United States Embassy to the Holy See, hosted by Ambassador Miguel H. Diaz.
Courtesy: CNA Oringinal Post
"My brothers, as we come to this tomb, as we have the privilege to stand before the remains of Peter, this great man, we certainly pray for ourselves as shepherds of the Church, that we can have the mind and heart of Christ to follow the example of Peter," he said in his Jan. 23 homily.
The Mass in the Crypt of St. Peter's Basilica marked the start of an official visit to the Vatican by the bishops of Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Tennessee and Kentucky.
Archbishop Aymond focused his reflections on the Gospel passage in which St. Peter declares Jesus is "the Christ." He said the passage displays the apostle's "profession of faith, his leap of faith, the courage, the boldness to step out into the deep and to say 'You are indeed the messiah, you are the one who was promised.'"
But Archbishop Aymond also contrasted the strengths of St. Peter's character with other times in his life when he failed to follow Jesus, even to the point of betraying him.
"It is important for all of us in ministry, in particularly for those of us in the episcopal ministry, that we look at the entire profile of Peter's personality – his gifts as well as his weaknesses," Archbishop Aymond told his fellow bishops.
"Peter's weakness do not minimize his holiness ... because we see that Jesus uses both Peter's strength as well as his weaknesses," he observed.
Through this experience, the archbishop explained, St. Peter "learns humility and learns obedience," giving an example for all bishops.
Archbishop Aymond is making the "ad limina" visit to Rome with 21 other bishops between Jan. 23 and 31.
The trips take place every five years and involve a meeting in which the bishops brief the Pope on the Church in their individual dioceses, visit with various Vatican departments, and make a pilgrimage to the tombs of Sts. Peter and Paul.
The group is the fifth delegation of U.S. bishops to make their way to Rome in recent months, leaving 10 more groups on the American roster.
After this morning's Mass, the bishops met with officials at the Congregation for Bishops and the Congregation for Clergy. Six of the bishops also had an audience with Pope Benedict.
In the evening they attended at reception at the United States Embassy to the Holy See, hosted by Ambassador Miguel H. Diaz.
Courtesy: CNA Oringinal Post
Sunday, January 22, 2012
Archbishop Chaput urges respect for life amid high disabled abortion rate
Washington D.C., Jan 22, 2012 / 04:07 pm (CNA/EWTN News).- An 80 percent abortion rate of those with disabilities shows the need to restore a fundamental respect for human dignity in America, said Archbishop Charles J. Chaput of Philadelphia.
He underscored that the plight of disabled babies highlights "a struggle within the American soul" that will shape the future of the nation.
"These children with disabilities are not a burden; they're a priceless gift to all of us," the archbishop said. "They're a doorway to the real meaning of our humanity."
Archbishop Chaput delivered the keynote address at the thirteenth annual Cardinal O'Connor Conference on Life on Jan. 22.
The conference, which was held at Georgetown University, took place one day before the March for Life, at which hundreds of thousands of Americans annually gather in the nation's capital to protest abortion and show their support for the dignity of all human life.
"Abortion kills a child, it wounds a precious part of a woman's own dignity and identity, and it steals hope," the archbishop said. "That's why it's wrong. That's why it needs to end. That's why we march."
He warned that without a strong foundation of faith and morals, America becomes "alien and hostile" to its founding ideals. This threat is clearly demonstrated in the country's treatment of the poor and disabled, which the archbishop said "shows what we really believe about human dignity."
In his talk, Archbishop Chaput focused on children with Down syndrome, a genetic disorder that affects development, appearance and cognitive function, and can cause other health problems.
He observed that prenatal testing is now able to detect up to 95 percent of pregnancies that have a strong risk of Down syndrome, and more than 80 percent of the unborn babies who are diagnosed with the disorder are aborted.
These babies are killed because of a flaw in their chromosomes that is "neither fatal nor contagious, but merely undesirable," he said.
The archbishop lamented the growing tendency of medical professionals to emphasize the possible defects of Down syndrome, thus steering expectant mothers of children with the disorder towards abortion.
Parents and doctors should be realistic about the challenges, understanding that raising a disabled child will involve "some degree of suffering," he said. However, they should also see the potential and beauty of children with special needs, realizing that no child is perfect.
Archbishop Chaput noted that today, individuals with Down syndrome have longer life expectancies than ever before and can generally "enjoy happy, productive lives."
"The real choice in accepting or rejecting a child with special needs is between love and unlove; between courage and cowardice; between trust and fear," he said.
This is a choice that must be faced on both an individual level and as a society, he added, emphasizing that "God will demand an accounting" of how we have used our freedom.
If we really "take God seriously," we will work to uphold the sanctity of human life and dignity of sexuality in our daily lives, he said.
This means that public officials should live out their Catholic faith in the laws that they support; doctors in the procedures they perform and the drugs they prescribe; and citizens in their actions on public issues, he explained.
He praised the work of people and organizations who aid those with disabilities, recognizing in them "an invitation to learn how to love deeply and without counting the cost."
Archbishop Chaput urged those present at the conference not to be afraid as they persevere in being an apostle to those around them.
"Fear is beneath your dignity as sons and daughters of the God of life," he said. "Never give up the struggle that the March for Life embodies," he added. "Your prolife witness gives glory to God."
Although changing the culture is "a huge task," we must recognize that we are being called by God to do so, the archbishop said. "He's waiting, and now we need to answer him."
Courtesy: CNA Oringinal Post
He underscored that the plight of disabled babies highlights "a struggle within the American soul" that will shape the future of the nation.
"These children with disabilities are not a burden; they're a priceless gift to all of us," the archbishop said. "They're a doorway to the real meaning of our humanity."
Archbishop Chaput delivered the keynote address at the thirteenth annual Cardinal O'Connor Conference on Life on Jan. 22.
The conference, which was held at Georgetown University, took place one day before the March for Life, at which hundreds of thousands of Americans annually gather in the nation's capital to protest abortion and show their support for the dignity of all human life.
"Abortion kills a child, it wounds a precious part of a woman's own dignity and identity, and it steals hope," the archbishop said. "That's why it's wrong. That's why it needs to end. That's why we march."
He warned that without a strong foundation of faith and morals, America becomes "alien and hostile" to its founding ideals. This threat is clearly demonstrated in the country's treatment of the poor and disabled, which the archbishop said "shows what we really believe about human dignity."
In his talk, Archbishop Chaput focused on children with Down syndrome, a genetic disorder that affects development, appearance and cognitive function, and can cause other health problems.
He observed that prenatal testing is now able to detect up to 95 percent of pregnancies that have a strong risk of Down syndrome, and more than 80 percent of the unborn babies who are diagnosed with the disorder are aborted.
These babies are killed because of a flaw in their chromosomes that is "neither fatal nor contagious, but merely undesirable," he said.
The archbishop lamented the growing tendency of medical professionals to emphasize the possible defects of Down syndrome, thus steering expectant mothers of children with the disorder towards abortion.
Parents and doctors should be realistic about the challenges, understanding that raising a disabled child will involve "some degree of suffering," he said. However, they should also see the potential and beauty of children with special needs, realizing that no child is perfect.
Archbishop Chaput noted that today, individuals with Down syndrome have longer life expectancies than ever before and can generally "enjoy happy, productive lives."
"The real choice in accepting or rejecting a child with special needs is between love and unlove; between courage and cowardice; between trust and fear," he said.
This is a choice that must be faced on both an individual level and as a society, he added, emphasizing that "God will demand an accounting" of how we have used our freedom.
If we really "take God seriously," we will work to uphold the sanctity of human life and dignity of sexuality in our daily lives, he said.
This means that public officials should live out their Catholic faith in the laws that they support; doctors in the procedures they perform and the drugs they prescribe; and citizens in their actions on public issues, he explained.
He praised the work of people and organizations who aid those with disabilities, recognizing in them "an invitation to learn how to love deeply and without counting the cost."
Archbishop Chaput urged those present at the conference not to be afraid as they persevere in being an apostle to those around them.
"Fear is beneath your dignity as sons and daughters of the God of life," he said. "Never give up the struggle that the March for Life embodies," he added. "Your prolife witness gives glory to God."
Although changing the culture is "a huge task," we must recognize that we are being called by God to do so, the archbishop said. "He's waiting, and now we need to answer him."
Courtesy: CNA Oringinal Post
Thursday, January 19, 2012
Vatican official urges universities to present Christ-based vision of man
Vatican City, Jan 19, 2012 / 01:57 pm (CNA).- The prefect of the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments, Cardinal Antonio Canizares, recently recalled that Catholic universities have the duty to present a vision of man based on Christ.
The cardinal made his comments at the end of the Pope's Jan. 18 general audience which he attended with a delegation from the University of Avila, Spain. The group presented the conclusions of the first world congress of Catholic universities, which took place in Avila Aug. 12-14, 2011.
In statements to L'Osservatore Romano, the Spanish cardinal recalled that "Catholic universities today more than ever have the duty to present a vision of man that reflects the truth of Christ."
Cardinal Canizares, who served as Bishop of Avila from 1992-96, said that it was then-Cardinal Ratzinger who encouraged him to found the University of Avila under the patronage of St. Teresa.
During his trip to Spain in August 2011 for World Youth Day, Pope Benedict XVI met with a group of university professors and reminded them that universities should embody "an ideal which must not be attenuated or compromised, whether by ideologies closed to reasoned dialogue or by truckling to a purely utilitarian and economic conception which would view man solely as a consumer."
Speaking at the monastery of El Escorial, the Pope recalled his own years teaching and encouraged professors to overcome the idea that "the mission of a university professor nowadays is exclusively that of forming competent and efficient professionals capable of satisfying the demand for labor at any given time."
Courtesy: CNA Oringinal Post
The cardinal made his comments at the end of the Pope's Jan. 18 general audience which he attended with a delegation from the University of Avila, Spain. The group presented the conclusions of the first world congress of Catholic universities, which took place in Avila Aug. 12-14, 2011.
In statements to L'Osservatore Romano, the Spanish cardinal recalled that "Catholic universities today more than ever have the duty to present a vision of man that reflects the truth of Christ."
Cardinal Canizares, who served as Bishop of Avila from 1992-96, said that it was then-Cardinal Ratzinger who encouraged him to found the University of Avila under the patronage of St. Teresa.
During his trip to Spain in August 2011 for World Youth Day, Pope Benedict XVI met with a group of university professors and reminded them that universities should embody "an ideal which must not be attenuated or compromised, whether by ideologies closed to reasoned dialogue or by truckling to a purely utilitarian and economic conception which would view man solely as a consumer."
Speaking at the monastery of El Escorial, the Pope recalled his own years teaching and encouraged professors to overcome the idea that "the mission of a university professor nowadays is exclusively that of forming competent and efficient professionals capable of satisfying the demand for labor at any given time."
Courtesy: CNA Oringinal Post
Byzantine Catholics in Pittsburgh archeparchy receive new archbishop
Washington D.C., Jan 19, 2012 / 05:39 pm (CNA/EWTN News).- Pope Benedict XVI has appointed Bishop William C. Skurla to be the Metropolitan Archbishop of the Byzantine Archeparchy of Pittsburgh.
Bishop Skurla, who currently leads the Eparchy of Passaic, N.J., became the administrator of Pittsburgh after the death of Metropolitan Archbishop Basil M. Schott in June 2010.
The appointment was announced by Archbishop Carlo Maria Viganò, apostolic nuncio to the United States, in Washington, D.C. on Jan. 19.
Bishop Skurla was born June 1, 1956 in Duluth, Minn., where he attended both public and Catholic elementary schools.
In 1981, he earned a bachelor's degree from Columbia University in New York. He later attended Mary Immaculate Seminary in Northampton, Pa., earning a master of divinity degree in 1986 and a master of theology degree in 1987.
Bishop Skurla entered the Franciscan community in Sybertsville, Pa. and was solemnly professed in 1985. He was ordained to the priesthood in 1987 and later served as Vicar of Holy Dormition Monastery in Sybertsville.
He was incardinated into the Eparchy of Van Nuys, Ca. in 1996 and named bishop of the eparchy in 2002. He has served as the bishop of the Eparchy of Passaic since 2007.
The 55-year-old bishop will be enthroned in Pittsburgh on April 18.
The Archeparchy of Pittsburgh, which is home to more than 58,000 people, encompasses all Byzantine Ruthenian Rite Catholics in Western Pennsylvania and several counties in Ohio, as well as the entire states of Alabama, Arkansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Texas and West Virginia.
Courtesy: CNA Oringinal Post
Bishop Skurla, who currently leads the Eparchy of Passaic, N.J., became the administrator of Pittsburgh after the death of Metropolitan Archbishop Basil M. Schott in June 2010.
The appointment was announced by Archbishop Carlo Maria Viganò, apostolic nuncio to the United States, in Washington, D.C. on Jan. 19.
Bishop Skurla was born June 1, 1956 in Duluth, Minn., where he attended both public and Catholic elementary schools.
In 1981, he earned a bachelor's degree from Columbia University in New York. He later attended Mary Immaculate Seminary in Northampton, Pa., earning a master of divinity degree in 1986 and a master of theology degree in 1987.
Bishop Skurla entered the Franciscan community in Sybertsville, Pa. and was solemnly professed in 1985. He was ordained to the priesthood in 1987 and later served as Vicar of Holy Dormition Monastery in Sybertsville.
He was incardinated into the Eparchy of Van Nuys, Ca. in 1996 and named bishop of the eparchy in 2002. He has served as the bishop of the Eparchy of Passaic since 2007.
The 55-year-old bishop will be enthroned in Pittsburgh on April 18.
The Archeparchy of Pittsburgh, which is home to more than 58,000 people, encompasses all Byzantine Ruthenian Rite Catholics in Western Pennsylvania and several counties in Ohio, as well as the entire states of Alabama, Arkansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Texas and West Virginia.
Courtesy: CNA Oringinal Post
Bishop encourages children to become 'little missionaries'
Madrid, Spain, Jan 19, 2012 / 06:04 pm (CNA).- Bishop Gerardo Melgar of Osma-Soria, Spain sent a letter to children reminding them that Jesus is counting on them to be "little missionaries."
"Jesus is counting on you as his disciples, that is, as persons who encounter him and strive to follow him," Bishop Melgar told them in his letter marking the Day of Missionary Children.
The day will be celebrated Sunday, Jan. 22.
The Lord "counts on you also as his missionaries, that is, as believers who not only live your faith, but also try to communicate it to others by speaking of him, praying together and helping them discover how important God is to you."
Bishop Melgar invited the children to spend the day with their families. "Let us pray together to the Lord that the Gospel will reach everyone, beginning with our families," he said.
In a section aimed at adults, he underscored that everyone is called to be a missionary. "It is us who have to show children by our own lives that Christ is truly important to us and that we are truly interested in making him the center of our existence," the bishop said.
In this sense, he noted, the faith is not something that should be hidden. "We cannot hide it for ourselves, but rather we must spread it to others so they may know the Lord and his Gospel, be converted and saved," he said.
Bishop Melgar concluded his letter by urging Catholics "to help children become 'little missionaries' to their families and their friends; and together let us be leaven and light amid a society filled with loneliness and emptied of God."
Courtesy: CNA Oringinal Post
"Jesus is counting on you as his disciples, that is, as persons who encounter him and strive to follow him," Bishop Melgar told them in his letter marking the Day of Missionary Children.
The day will be celebrated Sunday, Jan. 22.
The Lord "counts on you also as his missionaries, that is, as believers who not only live your faith, but also try to communicate it to others by speaking of him, praying together and helping them discover how important God is to you."
Bishop Melgar invited the children to spend the day with their families. "Let us pray together to the Lord that the Gospel will reach everyone, beginning with our families," he said.
In a section aimed at adults, he underscored that everyone is called to be a missionary. "It is us who have to show children by our own lives that Christ is truly important to us and that we are truly interested in making him the center of our existence," the bishop said.
In this sense, he noted, the faith is not something that should be hidden. "We cannot hide it for ourselves, but rather we must spread it to others so they may know the Lord and his Gospel, be converted and saved," he said.
Bishop Melgar concluded his letter by urging Catholics "to help children become 'little missionaries' to their families and their friends; and together let us be leaven and light amid a society filled with loneliness and emptied of God."
Courtesy: CNA Oringinal Post
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