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Updated: 1 hour 31 min ago
Catholic Medical Association sees growth in troubled times
Washington D.C., Jun 19, 2013 / 04:00 am (CNA/EWTN News).- The Catholic Medical Association has seen “steady growth” in membership, providing fellowship for Catholic medical professionals as conscience rights and religious freedom are increasingly threatened.
“We’ve become more effective at witnessing in the world,” said John Brehany, the group's executive director. “It’s a great organization, full of great people, who are trying to live their faith.”
“One of the purposes of the CMA is to assist the Church in communicating medical ethics and the Church’s teaching on life and love within the medical profession and within society at large,” Brehany told CNA June 18. “We strive to be of assistance to the Church whenever we can.”
The association’s local chapters are present in 31 states and over 70 dioceses. Membership at the national level has almost doubled in the past seven years, while the number of chapters has increased from eight to 75 in the same time period.
“Our goal is to get one chapter, at least, in every diocese of the U.S.,” Brehany said. “We provide opportunities for our members to connect on a local level.”
Guilds host talks and organize service opportunities and socials. They provide mutual support and help their members know “that there are other good people out there in the field who are trying to live the Catholic faith.”
The Catholic Medical Association was founded in the 1930s and reached a high point in the 1960s. Since then, declines in Mass attendance and Catholic school enrollment have had a negative impact on membership.
The association has about 2,000 national members, and many chapters have local members who attend an annual White Mass for health care professionals or other events.
“Anybody who wants to help integrate Catholic principles into healthcare can join at some level,” Brehany said.
Active and retired physicians are the primary members. However, associate membership is open to dentists, podiatrists, physician assistants, nurse practitioners, and others with doctoral degrees.
Affiliate membership is open to nurses, students, seminarians, clergy and religious, and other friends and supporters of the association and its mission.
The association’s national conference provides members “a unique experience of faith and fellowship and education,” Brehany said.
The conference provides spiritual sustenance such as daily Mass, confession, Eucharistic adoration and scheduled rosaries. Conference talks often focus on ethical issues in medicine, and fulfill continuing education requirements necessary for attendees to renew their medical licenses.
The Catholic Medical Association publishes the ethics journal Whittaker Quarterly, which according to Brehany is the oldest U.S. journal dedicated to ethics in medicine.
This June, the association has a four-day “boot camp” in Philadelphia for medical students. The gathering provides opportunities for prayer, study and fellowship, and helps prepare students to defend their faith and to “grow to be solid Catholic caregivers.”
Brehany said the Catholic Medical Association is particularly important in light of present trends.
“Probably one of the biggest battles of our day, going on as we speak, is an attack on religious freedom and also conscience rights,” he said.
He said conscience rights in health care “just never have been adequately protected.”
Especially since the Supreme Court legalized abortion nationwide in 1973, those with “an ideology hostile to life” have tried to force doctors to perform abortions and sterilizations and to force students to be trained in these procedures, Brehany said.
“They haven’t gone away. They’ve gotten even more powerful – even more determined – to enforce these things,” he said. “People get this pressure. Sometimes it is concerted and planned.”
Other times, this pressure comes from a cultural atmosphere that holds that the role of the doctor is “to give the patient what she wants.”
“That’s not ever what doctors thought, especially when it comes to doing abortion, and yet we see those attacks coming more and more.”
He said there is no official litmus test on these issues to get into medical school or to advance in a career, “but there are these subtle pressures all the time to go along with our relativist culture, and that is a challenge.”
The Catholic Medical Association is also engaged in the broader fight to defend religious freedom.
Several dozen association members have spoken at religious freedom rallies sponsored by the Stand Up for Religious Freedom Coalition.
The association is encouraging its members to participate in the upcoming Fortnight for Freedom, observed June 21-July 4, to support the U.S. bishops’ opposition to the federal contraception mandate.
The mandate would require employers, including many Catholic organizations, to provide access to insurance coverage for sterilization and contraception, including abortifacient drugs.
“We’re trying to get our doctors involved in local events and in local rallies, so they can help to explain to people why conscience rights and religious freedom are so important in medicine,” Brehany said. “They are important for the doctors and health care professionals who offer care, but they are important as well for patients who receive that care.”
He said the relationship between a physician and a patient is “at the heart of medicine” and often involves trying to meet a patient’s emotional and spiritual challenges as well.
He said the association has “great concern” about the extent to which the government is “taking more and more dictatorial control over medicine,” especially in its control over what services are provided or not.
“We are afraid that they will be either ordering people to do things that violate their conscience, or to withhold treatments that are really of benefit to the patient.”
Brehany encouraged Catholic medical professionals to “band together for mutual support,” to know their rights, and to use the resources of the Catholic Medical Association.
“Catholics really have to stick together and give a unified, compelling, really nationwide interest.”
“We’ve become more effective at witnessing in the world,” said John Brehany, the group's executive director. “It’s a great organization, full of great people, who are trying to live their faith.”
“One of the purposes of the CMA is to assist the Church in communicating medical ethics and the Church’s teaching on life and love within the medical profession and within society at large,” Brehany told CNA June 18. “We strive to be of assistance to the Church whenever we can.”
The association’s local chapters are present in 31 states and over 70 dioceses. Membership at the national level has almost doubled in the past seven years, while the number of chapters has increased from eight to 75 in the same time period.
“Our goal is to get one chapter, at least, in every diocese of the U.S.,” Brehany said. “We provide opportunities for our members to connect on a local level.”
Guilds host talks and organize service opportunities and socials. They provide mutual support and help their members know “that there are other good people out there in the field who are trying to live the Catholic faith.”
The Catholic Medical Association was founded in the 1930s and reached a high point in the 1960s. Since then, declines in Mass attendance and Catholic school enrollment have had a negative impact on membership.
The association has about 2,000 national members, and many chapters have local members who attend an annual White Mass for health care professionals or other events.
“Anybody who wants to help integrate Catholic principles into healthcare can join at some level,” Brehany said.
Active and retired physicians are the primary members. However, associate membership is open to dentists, podiatrists, physician assistants, nurse practitioners, and others with doctoral degrees.
Affiliate membership is open to nurses, students, seminarians, clergy and religious, and other friends and supporters of the association and its mission.
The association’s national conference provides members “a unique experience of faith and fellowship and education,” Brehany said.
The conference provides spiritual sustenance such as daily Mass, confession, Eucharistic adoration and scheduled rosaries. Conference talks often focus on ethical issues in medicine, and fulfill continuing education requirements necessary for attendees to renew their medical licenses.
The Catholic Medical Association publishes the ethics journal Whittaker Quarterly, which according to Brehany is the oldest U.S. journal dedicated to ethics in medicine.
This June, the association has a four-day “boot camp” in Philadelphia for medical students. The gathering provides opportunities for prayer, study and fellowship, and helps prepare students to defend their faith and to “grow to be solid Catholic caregivers.”
Brehany said the Catholic Medical Association is particularly important in light of present trends.
“Probably one of the biggest battles of our day, going on as we speak, is an attack on religious freedom and also conscience rights,” he said.
He said conscience rights in health care “just never have been adequately protected.”
Especially since the Supreme Court legalized abortion nationwide in 1973, those with “an ideology hostile to life” have tried to force doctors to perform abortions and sterilizations and to force students to be trained in these procedures, Brehany said.
“They haven’t gone away. They’ve gotten even more powerful – even more determined – to enforce these things,” he said. “People get this pressure. Sometimes it is concerted and planned.”
Other times, this pressure comes from a cultural atmosphere that holds that the role of the doctor is “to give the patient what she wants.”
“That’s not ever what doctors thought, especially when it comes to doing abortion, and yet we see those attacks coming more and more.”
He said there is no official litmus test on these issues to get into medical school or to advance in a career, “but there are these subtle pressures all the time to go along with our relativist culture, and that is a challenge.”
The Catholic Medical Association is also engaged in the broader fight to defend religious freedom.
Several dozen association members have spoken at religious freedom rallies sponsored by the Stand Up for Religious Freedom Coalition.
The association is encouraging its members to participate in the upcoming Fortnight for Freedom, observed June 21-July 4, to support the U.S. bishops’ opposition to the federal contraception mandate.
The mandate would require employers, including many Catholic organizations, to provide access to insurance coverage for sterilization and contraception, including abortifacient drugs.
“We’re trying to get our doctors involved in local events and in local rallies, so they can help to explain to people why conscience rights and religious freedom are so important in medicine,” Brehany said. “They are important for the doctors and health care professionals who offer care, but they are important as well for patients who receive that care.”
He said the relationship between a physician and a patient is “at the heart of medicine” and often involves trying to meet a patient’s emotional and spiritual challenges as well.
He said the association has “great concern” about the extent to which the government is “taking more and more dictatorial control over medicine,” especially in its control over what services are provided or not.
“We are afraid that they will be either ordering people to do things that violate their conscience, or to withhold treatments that are really of benefit to the patient.”
Brehany encouraged Catholic medical professionals to “band together for mutual support,” to know their rights, and to use the resources of the Catholic Medical Association.
“Catholics really have to stick together and give a unified, compelling, really nationwide interest.”
NY abortion expansion fails amid Catholic opposition
New York City, N.Y., Jun 19, 2013 / 12:07 am (CNA).- New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo's proposed bill to dramatically expand legal abortion in the state died in the state senate following months of Catholic and pro-life opposition.
The four-senator Independent Democratic Coalition, which has a power-sharing agreement to control the senate with the Republican Party, declined to introduce the abortion measure as part of Gov. Cuomo’s 10-point “Women’s Equality Agenda” measures.
The Republican co-leader of the senate, Sen. Dean Skelos, is pro-life. He said he would not allow a bill with the abortion plank to reach the floor, the New York Post reports.
Jeff Klein, who leads the Independent Democratic Coalition, said the coalition supports abortion rights but could not find the votes to pass it.
Gov. Cuomo, a Democrat, criticized the breakaway coalition. He warned in a radio interview that the issue would play a role in their re-election campaigns, according to Bloomberg News.
Cuomo is a possible presidential candidate in 2016. He is a Catholic but has strongly backed abortion rights despite Church teaching that abortion takes an innocent life.
The New York Catholic Conference strongly opposed the bill, saying the expansion of abortion is “unnecessary and harmful.”
“Rather than voting on a bill that will increase the tragedy of abortion for both women and children, we urge policy makers to look at constructive ways to reduce abortion and truly make abortion 'rare,'” the conference said June 10.
The proposal would have declared abortion to be a “fundamental right.” It would have allowed any licensed “health care practitioner,” including non-doctors, to perform abortions. It would have barred any abortion regulations such as parental notification for a minor considering abortion, while also decriminalizing abortions after 24 weeks into pregnancy when a woman’s health was in danger.
The legislation would also have protected abortionists who kill women during abortions from being charged with manslaughter.
Proponents of the bill contended that it simply codifies federal law, but the New York Catholic Conference said this was “disingenuous and misleading.”
They noted that Pennsylvania convicted the late-term abortionist Kermit Gosnell for performing 21 abortions after the 24-week limit, but the New York would explicitly legalize these abortions.
The New York proposal would “make New York a safe haven for late-term abortionists like Gosnell, encouraging them to set up clinics here, without fear of prosecution, to prey upon vulnerable women and children.”
Cardinal Timothy Dolan had criticized the bill in January, warning it would increase New York’s “scandalous” abortion rate.
Other pro-life groups, including Democrats for Life of America, opposed the bill.
New York state has one of the highest abortion rates in the nation. Over 40 percent of pregnancies in New York City end in abortion, almost twice the national average.
The four-senator Independent Democratic Coalition, which has a power-sharing agreement to control the senate with the Republican Party, declined to introduce the abortion measure as part of Gov. Cuomo’s 10-point “Women’s Equality Agenda” measures.
The Republican co-leader of the senate, Sen. Dean Skelos, is pro-life. He said he would not allow a bill with the abortion plank to reach the floor, the New York Post reports.
Jeff Klein, who leads the Independent Democratic Coalition, said the coalition supports abortion rights but could not find the votes to pass it.
Gov. Cuomo, a Democrat, criticized the breakaway coalition. He warned in a radio interview that the issue would play a role in their re-election campaigns, according to Bloomberg News.
Cuomo is a possible presidential candidate in 2016. He is a Catholic but has strongly backed abortion rights despite Church teaching that abortion takes an innocent life.
The New York Catholic Conference strongly opposed the bill, saying the expansion of abortion is “unnecessary and harmful.”
“Rather than voting on a bill that will increase the tragedy of abortion for both women and children, we urge policy makers to look at constructive ways to reduce abortion and truly make abortion 'rare,'” the conference said June 10.
The proposal would have declared abortion to be a “fundamental right.” It would have allowed any licensed “health care practitioner,” including non-doctors, to perform abortions. It would have barred any abortion regulations such as parental notification for a minor considering abortion, while also decriminalizing abortions after 24 weeks into pregnancy when a woman’s health was in danger.
The legislation would also have protected abortionists who kill women during abortions from being charged with manslaughter.
Proponents of the bill contended that it simply codifies federal law, but the New York Catholic Conference said this was “disingenuous and misleading.”
They noted that Pennsylvania convicted the late-term abortionist Kermit Gosnell for performing 21 abortions after the 24-week limit, but the New York would explicitly legalize these abortions.
The New York proposal would “make New York a safe haven for late-term abortionists like Gosnell, encouraging them to set up clinics here, without fear of prosecution, to prey upon vulnerable women and children.”
Cardinal Timothy Dolan had criticized the bill in January, warning it would increase New York’s “scandalous” abortion rate.
Other pro-life groups, including Democrats for Life of America, opposed the bill.
New York state has one of the highest abortion rates in the nation. Over 40 percent of pregnancies in New York City end in abortion, almost twice the national average.
Obama threatens veto as fetal pain bill passes House
Washington D.C., Jun 18, 2013 / 05:22 pm (CNA/EWTN News).- Despite passing the U.S. House of Representatives, a bill to prohibit abortions after 20 weeks of pregnancy faces an uncertain future as President Obama's administration has suggested that he will veto it.
“(S)cience is on our side,” Representative Marsha Blackburn, (R- Tenn.) told MSNBC in an interview.
Blackburn joined other pro-life representatives, including Michelle Bachmann (R- Minn.) and Virginia Foxx (R- N.C.) in defending the Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act, which would ban abortions 20 weeks into a pregnancy and later, based on science indicating that unborn children can feel pain by this point. Exceptions in cases of rape, incest or a risk to the mother’s life were included in the final House version of the legislation.
The House of Representatives approved the bill by a vote of 232-293 on June 18, following its passage by the House Judiciary Committee. The legislation will now advance to the Senate, where opponents have vowed to fight it.
The Obama Administration has said that should the legislation gain the approval of both the House and Senate, the president's “senior advisors would recommend that he veto this bill.”
A statement of administration policy criticized the bill, saying that it “would unacceptably restrict women's health and reproductive rights and is an assault on a woman's right to choose.”
The statement alleged that the legislation “is a direct challenge to Roe v. Wade and shows contempt for women's health and rights, the role doctors play in their patients' health care decisions, and the Constitution.”
It is unclear how the Supreme Court would react to the pro-life legislation were it to be challenged as a violation of the 1973 Roe v. Wade decision.
Pro-life advocates pointed to polls showing that the majority of Americans support restricting late-term abortions.
“May we in humility confront this national sin and may we mourn what abortion reveals about the conscience of our nation,” said Rep. Foxx.
Rep. Trent Franks (R-Ariz.), who introduced the legislation, argued in a June 13 statement that “(k)nowingly subjecting our innocent unborn children to dismemberment in the womb, particularly when they have developed to the point that they can feel excruciating pain every terrible moment leading up to their undeserved deaths, belies everything America was called to be.”
“This is not who we are,” he said.
Pro-life advocates have attempted to gain support for the bill's cause, using the hashtag #theyfeelpain on Twitter.
Despite the pledged opposition from the Senate and White House, supporters are confident that the American people are becoming more aware of the reality of abortion.
Last year, a similar piece of legislation that would have applied only to the District of Columbia failed to pass the House of Representatives.
“The tide of the American conscience will only continue to shift toward life and away from dismembering unborn babies in the womb,” said Rep. Franks in a June 18 tweet.
“(S)cience is on our side,” Representative Marsha Blackburn, (R- Tenn.) told MSNBC in an interview.
Blackburn joined other pro-life representatives, including Michelle Bachmann (R- Minn.) and Virginia Foxx (R- N.C.) in defending the Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act, which would ban abortions 20 weeks into a pregnancy and later, based on science indicating that unborn children can feel pain by this point. Exceptions in cases of rape, incest or a risk to the mother’s life were included in the final House version of the legislation.
The House of Representatives approved the bill by a vote of 232-293 on June 18, following its passage by the House Judiciary Committee. The legislation will now advance to the Senate, where opponents have vowed to fight it.
The Obama Administration has said that should the legislation gain the approval of both the House and Senate, the president's “senior advisors would recommend that he veto this bill.”
A statement of administration policy criticized the bill, saying that it “would unacceptably restrict women's health and reproductive rights and is an assault on a woman's right to choose.”
The statement alleged that the legislation “is a direct challenge to Roe v. Wade and shows contempt for women's health and rights, the role doctors play in their patients' health care decisions, and the Constitution.”
It is unclear how the Supreme Court would react to the pro-life legislation were it to be challenged as a violation of the 1973 Roe v. Wade decision.
Pro-life advocates pointed to polls showing that the majority of Americans support restricting late-term abortions.
“May we in humility confront this national sin and may we mourn what abortion reveals about the conscience of our nation,” said Rep. Foxx.
Rep. Trent Franks (R-Ariz.), who introduced the legislation, argued in a June 13 statement that “(k)nowingly subjecting our innocent unborn children to dismemberment in the womb, particularly when they have developed to the point that they can feel excruciating pain every terrible moment leading up to their undeserved deaths, belies everything America was called to be.”
“This is not who we are,” he said.
Pro-life advocates have attempted to gain support for the bill's cause, using the hashtag #theyfeelpain on Twitter.
Despite the pledged opposition from the Senate and White House, supporters are confident that the American people are becoming more aware of the reality of abortion.
Last year, a similar piece of legislation that would have applied only to the District of Columbia failed to pass the House of Representatives.
“The tide of the American conscience will only continue to shift toward life and away from dismembering unborn babies in the womb,” said Rep. Franks in a June 18 tweet.
Construction begins on new home for elderly in Thailand
Korat, Thailand, Jun 18, 2013 / 04:07 pm (CNA/EWTN News).- A new home for the elderly in Thailand will seek to restore respect for senior citizens and to fight the escalating problems of elderly abandonment and suicide in the country.
Bishop Joseph Chusak Sirisut of Nakhon Ratchasima told CNA that there is an absence of “social care centers for the elders in this whole region.”
Construction has begun on a new home for the elderly in Korat, its foundational stone laid under the patronage of Bishop Sirisut and Fr. Paul Cherdchai Lertjitlekha, provincial superior and president of the St. Camillus Foundation Thailand.
Fr. Lertjitlekha explained that the effort is not seeking to encourage children to “abandon their elders” to nursing homes.
Rather, he said, such homes are “a last resort” that can help to ensure that the elderly’s right to health care and pastoral care is fulfilled.
“The love and affection of the family can’t be substituted,” he stressed.
The new home is a pastoral response to the demographic situation in Thailand. A recent study from the Institute for Population and Social Research at Mahidol University showed Thailand as having the highest number of senior citizens in the Association of South East Asian Nations, creating concerns for its future economy.
At the same time, the report found that people are having fewer children, and this trend will aggravate the problem in coming years.
The Diocese of Nakhon Ratchasima has donated 7.2 acres for the new home for the elderly, which is expected to cost about 80 million Baht, close to 2.6 million U.S. dollars.
The diocese and the St. Camillus Foundation have each initially pooled 20 million Baht and hope to fundraise in order to complete the project in three years.
Fr. Giovanni Contarin, project coordinator for the St. Camillus Foundation Thailand, said that the home is being built with the aid of “support, prayers, collaboration and…Divine Providence.”
It will meet a great need in the country, he added, noting that “Thailand is very poor in giving palliative care to the patients.”
The northeastern Isan zone of Thailand, where the new home for the elderly is being constructed, is among the poorest regions of the country, Fr. Contarin explained. Composed of 20 provinces, the area has a large population of displaced and impoverished people. Young people seeking jobs are often lured into drugs, human trafficking and other crime.
Bishop Sirisut said that these “alarming facts” must be met with pastoral care. He described the project as “love in action and love in service,” adhering to the Gospel as encouraged by Pope Benedict XVI in his encyclical, Caritas in Veritate.
Respect for the life and dignity of senior citizens is “in peril” today, added Fr. Contarin, pointing to a report by Thailand’s Department of Mental Health which indicates that the suicide rates of those aged 70-74 have increased more than those of young people in their 20s.
The new home for the elderly is a “pastoral project” that aims to “provide assistance to people of all creeds, the poor and the rich, who are abandoned and left unattended, to suffer a lonely death,” he stressed.
While acknowledging that “the task is immense,” Fr. Contarin explained that the St. Camillus Foundation has worked for 400 years in a spirit of “faith, charity, service and transparency as a foundation.”
“This project will help us…to build inter-faith sharing and a foundation for dialogue and conversion of heart,” he said.
Bishop Joseph Chusak Sirisut of Nakhon Ratchasima told CNA that there is an absence of “social care centers for the elders in this whole region.”
Construction has begun on a new home for the elderly in Korat, its foundational stone laid under the patronage of Bishop Sirisut and Fr. Paul Cherdchai Lertjitlekha, provincial superior and president of the St. Camillus Foundation Thailand.
Fr. Lertjitlekha explained that the effort is not seeking to encourage children to “abandon their elders” to nursing homes.
Rather, he said, such homes are “a last resort” that can help to ensure that the elderly’s right to health care and pastoral care is fulfilled.
“The love and affection of the family can’t be substituted,” he stressed.
The new home is a pastoral response to the demographic situation in Thailand. A recent study from the Institute for Population and Social Research at Mahidol University showed Thailand as having the highest number of senior citizens in the Association of South East Asian Nations, creating concerns for its future economy.
At the same time, the report found that people are having fewer children, and this trend will aggravate the problem in coming years.
The Diocese of Nakhon Ratchasima has donated 7.2 acres for the new home for the elderly, which is expected to cost about 80 million Baht, close to 2.6 million U.S. dollars.
The diocese and the St. Camillus Foundation have each initially pooled 20 million Baht and hope to fundraise in order to complete the project in three years.
Fr. Giovanni Contarin, project coordinator for the St. Camillus Foundation Thailand, said that the home is being built with the aid of “support, prayers, collaboration and…Divine Providence.”
It will meet a great need in the country, he added, noting that “Thailand is very poor in giving palliative care to the patients.”
The northeastern Isan zone of Thailand, where the new home for the elderly is being constructed, is among the poorest regions of the country, Fr. Contarin explained. Composed of 20 provinces, the area has a large population of displaced and impoverished people. Young people seeking jobs are often lured into drugs, human trafficking and other crime.
Bishop Sirisut said that these “alarming facts” must be met with pastoral care. He described the project as “love in action and love in service,” adhering to the Gospel as encouraged by Pope Benedict XVI in his encyclical, Caritas in Veritate.
Respect for the life and dignity of senior citizens is “in peril” today, added Fr. Contarin, pointing to a report by Thailand’s Department of Mental Health which indicates that the suicide rates of those aged 70-74 have increased more than those of young people in their 20s.
The new home for the elderly is a “pastoral project” that aims to “provide assistance to people of all creeds, the poor and the rich, who are abandoned and left unattended, to suffer a lonely death,” he stressed.
While acknowledging that “the task is immense,” Fr. Contarin explained that the St. Camillus Foundation has worked for 400 years in a spirit of “faith, charity, service and transparency as a foundation.”
“This project will help us…to build inter-faith sharing and a foundation for dialogue and conversion of heart,” he said.
Jesus 'wants pastors, not combers of sheep,' Pope Francis says
Vatican City, Jun 18, 2013 / 01:12 pm (CNA/EWTN News).- Christians are called to be evangelists, seeking out the sheep who are lost rather than staying at home tending to the few who have never left, Pope Francis said at the Vatican's Paul VI Hall.
“It's the 99 who we're missing! We have to go out, we must go to them,” the Bishop of Rome said June 17 to the participants of the annual convention of the Diocese of Rome.
“The Lord wants pastors, not combers of sheep; pastors! And when a community is closed, always among the same people who talk, this community is not a community that gives life.”
Pope Francis opened his speech discussing grace, and its tremendous power to make saints out of sinners, through the freedom it brings. He called the power of grace “revolutionary,” and that it must have a revolutionary effect on the hearts of Christians.
“Only one thing is necessary to become saints: accept the grace that the Father gives us in Jesus Christ. Behold, this grace changes our heart. We continue to be sinners, because we are all weak, but even with this grace that makes us think that the Lord is good, that the Lord is merciful.”
The heart revolutionized by grace, he said, will be “full of tenderness for those bearing the wounds of life.” He turned to the many people in Rome who live without hope.
Everyone, the Bishop of Rome said, can think of those “who are immersed in deep sadness that they try to get out of, believing to have found happiness in alcohol, in drugs, in gambling, in the power of money, in sexuality without rules.” These people, he said, are living without hope.
“How can we go ahead and offer hope? Go down the street saying, 'I have hope'? No! With your testimony, with your smile, saying: 'I believe that I have a Father.'”
“The proclamation of the Gospel is this: with my words, with my testimony to say: 'I have a Father.'”
Yet, he emphasized, Christians should not proselytize, or to seek to convince others. “The Gospel is a like a seed,” he said, but the sowing must be done with both word and witness.
“The word alone is not enough, not enough. The word without the witness is air. Words are not enough.”
The proclamation of the Gospel, he said, is “destined primarily to the poor, to those who often lack the essentials for a decent life. The good news is first announced to them, that God loves them before all others and comes to visit them through the acts of charity that the disciples of Christ carry out in his name.”
“We have to go to the flesh of Jesus suffering,” Pope Francis said, “to the existential peripheries.”
To do this, he stressed, requires courage, but this courage is necessary to bring the Gospel to neighborhoods, workplaces, and “wherever people … develop relationships.”
Speaking to leaders in his diocese, which is approximately 82 percent Catholic, the pontiff made reference to the Gospel passage of the shepherd who leaves the 99 sheep to seek the one which is lost.
“But, brothers and sisters, we have one; it's the 99 who we're missing! We have to go out, we must go to them! In this culture – let's face it – we only have one. We are the minority.”
“And do we feel the fervor, the apostolic zeal to go out and find the other 99? This is a big responsibility and we must ask the Lord for the grace of generosity and the courage and the patience to go out, to go out and proclaim the Gospel.”
He noted the temptation to “stay home, with the one lamb. It's easier to comb its hair, caress it.”
“But the Lord wants pastors, not combers of sheep; pastors! And when a community is closed, always among the same people who talk, this community is not a community that gives life.”
“It's a sterile community, it is not fruitful. The fruitfulness of the Gospel is by the grace of Jesus Christ, yet through us, our preaching, our courage, and our patience.”
Pope Francis assured his listeners that evangelization is not easy, and that it will be opposed by the devil, but this spiritual battle is “the daily lot of Christians.”
The work of bringing Jesus' grace to others, he said, is a martyrdom. “Martyrdom is this: to fight the fight, every day, through witness … Of some, the Lord asks the martyrdom of life, but there is the martyrdom of every day, of every hour: the witness against the spirit of evil, who does not want us to be evangelists.”
He concluded by focusing on the love God has for each person, noting that the “cross forcefully reminds us that we are sinners, but above all that we are loved, that we are so dear to God's heart.”
“Every person needs to feel themselves loved the way they are because this is the only thing that makes life beautiful and worthy of being lived.”
In our time, when what is freely given seems to fade in our interpersonal relationships, we Christians proclaim a God who, to be our friend, asks nothing but to be accepted,” he said.
“Think of how many live in desperation because they have never met someone who has shown them attention, comforted them, made them feel precious and important.”
“We, the disciples of Christ, can we refuse to go to those places that no one wants to go out of fear of compromising ourselves or the judgment of others, and thus deny our brothers and sisters the announcement of God's mercy?” the Pope added.
“We have received this gratuity, this grace, freely. We must give it freely. Don't be afraid of grace. Don't be afraid to go out of yourselves, out of our Christian communities, to go and find the 99 who are not home.”
“Go out to dialogue with them, and tell them what we think. Go show them our love, which is God's love.”
“It's the 99 who we're missing! We have to go out, we must go to them,” the Bishop of Rome said June 17 to the participants of the annual convention of the Diocese of Rome.
“The Lord wants pastors, not combers of sheep; pastors! And when a community is closed, always among the same people who talk, this community is not a community that gives life.”
Pope Francis opened his speech discussing grace, and its tremendous power to make saints out of sinners, through the freedom it brings. He called the power of grace “revolutionary,” and that it must have a revolutionary effect on the hearts of Christians.
“Only one thing is necessary to become saints: accept the grace that the Father gives us in Jesus Christ. Behold, this grace changes our heart. We continue to be sinners, because we are all weak, but even with this grace that makes us think that the Lord is good, that the Lord is merciful.”
The heart revolutionized by grace, he said, will be “full of tenderness for those bearing the wounds of life.” He turned to the many people in Rome who live without hope.
Everyone, the Bishop of Rome said, can think of those “who are immersed in deep sadness that they try to get out of, believing to have found happiness in alcohol, in drugs, in gambling, in the power of money, in sexuality without rules.” These people, he said, are living without hope.
“How can we go ahead and offer hope? Go down the street saying, 'I have hope'? No! With your testimony, with your smile, saying: 'I believe that I have a Father.'”
“The proclamation of the Gospel is this: with my words, with my testimony to say: 'I have a Father.'”
Yet, he emphasized, Christians should not proselytize, or to seek to convince others. “The Gospel is a like a seed,” he said, but the sowing must be done with both word and witness.
“The word alone is not enough, not enough. The word without the witness is air. Words are not enough.”
The proclamation of the Gospel, he said, is “destined primarily to the poor, to those who often lack the essentials for a decent life. The good news is first announced to them, that God loves them before all others and comes to visit them through the acts of charity that the disciples of Christ carry out in his name.”
“We have to go to the flesh of Jesus suffering,” Pope Francis said, “to the existential peripheries.”
To do this, he stressed, requires courage, but this courage is necessary to bring the Gospel to neighborhoods, workplaces, and “wherever people … develop relationships.”
Speaking to leaders in his diocese, which is approximately 82 percent Catholic, the pontiff made reference to the Gospel passage of the shepherd who leaves the 99 sheep to seek the one which is lost.
“But, brothers and sisters, we have one; it's the 99 who we're missing! We have to go out, we must go to them! In this culture – let's face it – we only have one. We are the minority.”
“And do we feel the fervor, the apostolic zeal to go out and find the other 99? This is a big responsibility and we must ask the Lord for the grace of generosity and the courage and the patience to go out, to go out and proclaim the Gospel.”
He noted the temptation to “stay home, with the one lamb. It's easier to comb its hair, caress it.”
“But the Lord wants pastors, not combers of sheep; pastors! And when a community is closed, always among the same people who talk, this community is not a community that gives life.”
“It's a sterile community, it is not fruitful. The fruitfulness of the Gospel is by the grace of Jesus Christ, yet through us, our preaching, our courage, and our patience.”
Pope Francis assured his listeners that evangelization is not easy, and that it will be opposed by the devil, but this spiritual battle is “the daily lot of Christians.”
The work of bringing Jesus' grace to others, he said, is a martyrdom. “Martyrdom is this: to fight the fight, every day, through witness … Of some, the Lord asks the martyrdom of life, but there is the martyrdom of every day, of every hour: the witness against the spirit of evil, who does not want us to be evangelists.”
He concluded by focusing on the love God has for each person, noting that the “cross forcefully reminds us that we are sinners, but above all that we are loved, that we are so dear to God's heart.”
“Every person needs to feel themselves loved the way they are because this is the only thing that makes life beautiful and worthy of being lived.”
In our time, when what is freely given seems to fade in our interpersonal relationships, we Christians proclaim a God who, to be our friend, asks nothing but to be accepted,” he said.
“Think of how many live in desperation because they have never met someone who has shown them attention, comforted them, made them feel precious and important.”
“We, the disciples of Christ, can we refuse to go to those places that no one wants to go out of fear of compromising ourselves or the judgment of others, and thus deny our brothers and sisters the announcement of God's mercy?” the Pope added.
“We have received this gratuity, this grace, freely. We must give it freely. Don't be afraid of grace. Don't be afraid to go out of yourselves, out of our Christian communities, to go and find the 99 who are not home.”
“Go out to dialogue with them, and tell them what we think. Go show them our love, which is God's love.”
Argentine bishops concerned over assisted reproduction law
Buenos Aires, Argentina, Jun 18, 2013 / 12:04 pm (CNA/EWTN News).- Responding to a new law on assisted fertilization, the bishops of Argentina stressed that “not everything that is technically possible is ethically and legally acceptable.”
Argentine lawmakers recently voted overwhelmingly to approve legislation requiring all health care plans to offer a range of artificial fertility treatments to anyone at least 18 years of age.
In their statement, made public on June 15, the executive committee of the Argentine Bishops’ Conference recalled that every human being, including those conceived outside the body, has the same dignity and rights.
“The transmission of human life enjoys such dignity that it cannot be submitted to technical parameters,” the bishops explained. “Among the goods that are affected is the right of conceived children to an identity.”
“Moreover, the recently approved law on ‘comprehensive access to medically assisted reproduction’ raises concerns because of the legalization of new forms of manipulating human lives at the embryonic level,” they added.
Given the new law, they continued, it is necessary to implement an “express prohibition of any form of destruction of human embryos, or of their utilization for commercial, industrial or experimental purposes.”
The Argentine bishops observed that the country has long protected human life from conception, a policy that they called “wise.”
“This protection, far from being the expression of a religious viewpoint, is a manifestation of the respect that each human life deserves and that is at the foundation of the functioning of our system of human rights,” they said.
They also praised the European initiative “One of Us,” which seeks to defend human embryos from manipulation and destruction, and they recalled the words of Pope Francis, who said on May 12, “I invite you to keep everyone focused on the very important issue of respect for human life from the moment of conception.”
Argentine lawmakers recently voted overwhelmingly to approve legislation requiring all health care plans to offer a range of artificial fertility treatments to anyone at least 18 years of age.
In their statement, made public on June 15, the executive committee of the Argentine Bishops’ Conference recalled that every human being, including those conceived outside the body, has the same dignity and rights.
“The transmission of human life enjoys such dignity that it cannot be submitted to technical parameters,” the bishops explained. “Among the goods that are affected is the right of conceived children to an identity.”
“Moreover, the recently approved law on ‘comprehensive access to medically assisted reproduction’ raises concerns because of the legalization of new forms of manipulating human lives at the embryonic level,” they added.
Given the new law, they continued, it is necessary to implement an “express prohibition of any form of destruction of human embryos, or of their utilization for commercial, industrial or experimental purposes.”
The Argentine bishops observed that the country has long protected human life from conception, a policy that they called “wise.”
“This protection, far from being the expression of a religious viewpoint, is a manifestation of the respect that each human life deserves and that is at the foundation of the functioning of our system of human rights,” they said.
They also praised the European initiative “One of Us,” which seeks to defend human embryos from manipulation and destruction, and they recalled the words of Pope Francis, who said on May 12, “I invite you to keep everyone focused on the very important issue of respect for human life from the moment of conception.”
Pope explains how Christians can love bombers
Vatican City, Jun 18, 2013 / 11:00 am (CNA/EWTN News).- Pope Francis tackled Jesus’ teaching that Christians must love their enemies by asking a series of provocative questions, such as, how can we love those who “bomb and kill so many people?”
As he began his June 18 homily, the Pope illustrated how difficult and wide-ranging Jesus’ teaching on loving one’s enemies can be by posing a series of questions to the congregation.
How can we love those who decide to “bomb and kill so many people?” How can we “love those who out of their for love money prevent the elderly from accessing the necessary medicine and leave them to die?”
And at the more general level, the Pope asked how Christians can love those who only pursue “their own best interests, power for themselves and do so much evil?”
“It seems hard to love your enemy,” he stated, but Jesus asks it of us.
It is a teaching that is “so hard, but so beautiful, because it makes us look like the Father, like our Father: it brings out the sun for everyone, good and bad. It makes us more like the Son, Jesus, who in his humiliation became poor to enrich us, with his poverty,” he preached.
The Holy Father’s homily for daily Mass at his residence was based on the Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount and his charge to his disciples to “love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your heavenly Father.”
Pope Francis told the congregation that there are two ways that Christians should love their enemies and they are both contained in Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 5.
The first way is to look to the Father who “makes the sun rise on evil and good” and “rain fall on the just and unjust.” God “loves everyone.”
The pontiff added, Jesus “forgive his enemies” and “does everything to forgive them.” Taking revenge, on the other hand, is not Christian, he warned.
The second thing that Christians should do to love their enemies is to pray for them. “When we pray for what makes us suffer, it is as if the Lord comes with oil and prepares our hearts for peace,” he remarked.
“Pray! This is what Jesus advises us: ‘Pray for your enemies! Pray for those who persecute you!’ Pray!
“And say to God: ‘Change their hearts. They have a heart of stone, but change it, give them a heart of flesh, so that they may feel relief and love.
Pope Francis then made his homily more personal by posing a question for the congregation to consider.
“Let me just ask this question and let each of us answer it in our own heart: ‘Do I pray for my enemies? Do I pray for those who do not love me?’
“If we say ‘yes,’ I will say, ‘Go on, pray more, you are on the right path!’ If the answer is ‘no,’ the Lord says: ‘Poor thing. You too are an enemy of others!’
“Pray that the Lord may change the hearts of those. We could say: ‘But this person really wronged me,’ or they have done bad things and this impoverishes people, impoverishes humanity. And following this line of thought we want to take revenge or that eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth,” the Pope preached.
He also pointed out that loving one’s enemies “impoverishes us,” because it makes us poor “like Jesus,” who, when he came to us, “lowered himself and became poor” for us.
And yet, Jesus’ impoverishment was not a “bad deal” but brought about the salvation of the world, pouring out “the grace that has justified us all, made us all rich,” he said.
Pope Francis closed his homily by urging those present to pray for their enemies, “those who do not wish us well: it would be nice if we offered the Mass for them: Jesus, Jesus' sacrifice, for them, for those who do not love us."
As he began his June 18 homily, the Pope illustrated how difficult and wide-ranging Jesus’ teaching on loving one’s enemies can be by posing a series of questions to the congregation.
How can we love those who decide to “bomb and kill so many people?” How can we “love those who out of their for love money prevent the elderly from accessing the necessary medicine and leave them to die?”
And at the more general level, the Pope asked how Christians can love those who only pursue “their own best interests, power for themselves and do so much evil?”
“It seems hard to love your enemy,” he stated, but Jesus asks it of us.
It is a teaching that is “so hard, but so beautiful, because it makes us look like the Father, like our Father: it brings out the sun for everyone, good and bad. It makes us more like the Son, Jesus, who in his humiliation became poor to enrich us, with his poverty,” he preached.
The Holy Father’s homily for daily Mass at his residence was based on the Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount and his charge to his disciples to “love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your heavenly Father.”
Pope Francis told the congregation that there are two ways that Christians should love their enemies and they are both contained in Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 5.
The first way is to look to the Father who “makes the sun rise on evil and good” and “rain fall on the just and unjust.” God “loves everyone.”
The pontiff added, Jesus “forgive his enemies” and “does everything to forgive them.” Taking revenge, on the other hand, is not Christian, he warned.
The second thing that Christians should do to love their enemies is to pray for them. “When we pray for what makes us suffer, it is as if the Lord comes with oil and prepares our hearts for peace,” he remarked.
“Pray! This is what Jesus advises us: ‘Pray for your enemies! Pray for those who persecute you!’ Pray!
“And say to God: ‘Change their hearts. They have a heart of stone, but change it, give them a heart of flesh, so that they may feel relief and love.
Pope Francis then made his homily more personal by posing a question for the congregation to consider.
“Let me just ask this question and let each of us answer it in our own heart: ‘Do I pray for my enemies? Do I pray for those who do not love me?’
“If we say ‘yes,’ I will say, ‘Go on, pray more, you are on the right path!’ If the answer is ‘no,’ the Lord says: ‘Poor thing. You too are an enemy of others!’
“Pray that the Lord may change the hearts of those. We could say: ‘But this person really wronged me,’ or they have done bad things and this impoverishes people, impoverishes humanity. And following this line of thought we want to take revenge or that eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth,” the Pope preached.
He also pointed out that loving one’s enemies “impoverishes us,” because it makes us poor “like Jesus,” who, when he came to us, “lowered himself and became poor” for us.
And yet, Jesus’ impoverishment was not a “bad deal” but brought about the salvation of the world, pouring out “the grace that has justified us all, made us all rich,” he said.
Pope Francis closed his homily by urging those present to pray for their enemies, “those who do not wish us well: it would be nice if we offered the Mass for them: Jesus, Jesus' sacrifice, for them, for those who do not love us."
Children's journey of beauty ends with papal visit
Vatican City, Jun 18, 2013 / 09:02 am (CNA/EWTN News).- This coming Sunday, almost 500 disadvantaged children will arrive at the Vatican on a special red train, where they will be greeted by Pope Francis as part of their “Journey of Beauty.”
The project focuses on children, Cardinal Gianfranco Ravasi explained, “because I think that therein lies the root from which we must build a generation of young persons who still have ... the beauty of creativity – that doesn't seem old at the start – who aren't already discouraged the way we are but who are ready to live more the future that awaits them.”
The “Children’s Train: A Journey of Beauty” was unveiled during a June 18 press conference at the Vatican’s press office by Cardinal Ravasi, head of the Pontifical Council for Culture, and other organizers.
The children’s initiative was actually born out of a suggestion by a participant in the pontifical council’s event for creating dialogue between believing and non-believing adults, called the Courtyard of the Gentiles.
The Courtyard of the Children initiative first launched in December 2012, with the aim of giving young kids the chance to directly experience beauty through art and the world of images.
Patrizia Martinez, the coordinator of the Children’s Courtyard, said that it has been very well received by the kids, most of whom come from difficult circumstances.
“I am here to share the joy and enthusiasm of the children,” Martinez said.
In fact, this will be the first time that many of the kids have traveled on a train, let alone a red “Frecciarossa” bullet train.
The June 23 voyage to the Vatican will begin in Milan and stop in Bologna and Florence on the way to Rome.
In each city, disadvantaged children from the city who have been taking part in the Courtyard initiative will board the train, which is being made available by the Italian State Railway.
In total, 450 children of various nationalities and between the ages of six and 10-years-old will travel with their teachers, family members and volunteers to the Vatican.
Prior to the voyage, the children visited the cathedrals in their respective cities and discovered how it was built, learned about the artistic works within it and encountered its beauty.
The Courtyard has also been active at the Bambino Gesù Pediatric Hospital in Rome, where the staff worked to expose the young patients to glimpses of beauty and the strength of cooperation.
The Children’s Train will arrive in Rome on Sunday morning and will pause at Saint Peter’s station, one stop before the Vatican train station.
Since the train is electric and there are no overhead electrical lines inside the Vatican, the train will be pulled the remaining half of a mile by a diesel locomotive.
The children will be welcomed to Rome by a band from the Virgilio Institute and 50 other kids who have prepared works of art for them.
The pinnacle of the event will be a gathering in the Vatican’s Paul VI Hall, where the children will be treated to an hour of entertainment and music and be visited by Pope Francis.
The Vatican press office director, Father Federico Lombardi, told reporters June 18 that he expects the Pope will meet with the group after he recites the noontime Angelus in St. Peter’s Square.
The project focuses on children, Cardinal Gianfranco Ravasi explained, “because I think that therein lies the root from which we must build a generation of young persons who still have ... the beauty of creativity – that doesn't seem old at the start – who aren't already discouraged the way we are but who are ready to live more the future that awaits them.”
The “Children’s Train: A Journey of Beauty” was unveiled during a June 18 press conference at the Vatican’s press office by Cardinal Ravasi, head of the Pontifical Council for Culture, and other organizers.
The children’s initiative was actually born out of a suggestion by a participant in the pontifical council’s event for creating dialogue between believing and non-believing adults, called the Courtyard of the Gentiles.
The Courtyard of the Children initiative first launched in December 2012, with the aim of giving young kids the chance to directly experience beauty through art and the world of images.
Patrizia Martinez, the coordinator of the Children’s Courtyard, said that it has been very well received by the kids, most of whom come from difficult circumstances.
“I am here to share the joy and enthusiasm of the children,” Martinez said.
In fact, this will be the first time that many of the kids have traveled on a train, let alone a red “Frecciarossa” bullet train.
The June 23 voyage to the Vatican will begin in Milan and stop in Bologna and Florence on the way to Rome.
In each city, disadvantaged children from the city who have been taking part in the Courtyard initiative will board the train, which is being made available by the Italian State Railway.
In total, 450 children of various nationalities and between the ages of six and 10-years-old will travel with their teachers, family members and volunteers to the Vatican.
Prior to the voyage, the children visited the cathedrals in their respective cities and discovered how it was built, learned about the artistic works within it and encountered its beauty.
The Courtyard has also been active at the Bambino Gesù Pediatric Hospital in Rome, where the staff worked to expose the young patients to glimpses of beauty and the strength of cooperation.
The Children’s Train will arrive in Rome on Sunday morning and will pause at Saint Peter’s station, one stop before the Vatican train station.
Since the train is electric and there are no overhead electrical lines inside the Vatican, the train will be pulled the remaining half of a mile by a diesel locomotive.
The children will be welcomed to Rome by a band from the Virgilio Institute and 50 other kids who have prepared works of art for them.
The pinnacle of the event will be a gathering in the Vatican’s Paul VI Hall, where the children will be treated to an hour of entertainment and music and be visited by Pope Francis.
The Vatican press office director, Father Federico Lombardi, told reporters June 18 that he expects the Pope will meet with the group after he recites the noontime Angelus in St. Peter’s Square.
Fargo's new bishop-elect aims to help faith flourish
Fargo, N.D., Jun 18, 2013 / 04:01 am (CNA/EWTN News).- Monsignor John T. Folda, the bishop-elect of the Fargo diocese, looks forward to promoting the Catholic faith in eastern North Dakota following his episcopal consecration June 19.
“My challenge will really be how to implement the new evangelization here in the Diocese of Fargo, and to help the faith to flourish,” Msgr. Folda told CNA June 17.
“I hope I can...positively promote and share the faith with others,” he said, noting the example of his own long-time bishop, Fabian W. Bruskewitz of the Lincoln diocese.
On April 8, Pope Francis appointed Msgr. Folda Folda the eighth bishop of Fargo, succeeding Bishop Samuel J. Aquila, who was transferred to the Denver archdiocese in 2012.
He will be consecrated bishop on June 19 by Archbishop John C. Nienstedt of Saint Paul and Minneapolis, at Fargo's Cathedral of Saint Mary.
Msgr. Folda had been ordained a priest of the Diocese of Lincoln, and served as rector of Saint Gregory the Great Minor Seminary for 14 years prior to his appointment as bishop of Fargo.
“I just look forward to meeting the people of the diocese,” he said. “I've had an opportunity to meet quite a few of the priests already, and I want to get to know them better as soon as possible...they're the people I'll work with most closely, so that's a priority.”
“Visiting as many parishes as I can, and different institutions of the diocese, really just getting to know the Diocese of Fargo – that's going to be my first priority, and that's what I'm looking forward to.”
“I think that's always really enjoyable for a bishop, to first just travel around a little bit” and get to meet the people of his diocese, Msgr. Folda added.
Initially, he plans to learn about his new diocese, becoming familiar with its parishes, schools and institutions, as well as the priests, deacons, religious sisters, and seminarians in Fargo. “I'm kind of in my learning, my homework stage; I have to do my research and meet people.”
He did add that the new evangelization “is certainly on everyone's mind right now, and on mine,” and that it will be an emphasis of his episcopacy.
As a seminary rector for so many years, Msgr. Fold said that Catholic education and priestly vocations will be particular “areas of interest” to him, but that “those are just two of the facets of a very big project.”
His 14 years as rector of St. Gregory's has “ helped me to understand the priesthood better,” he reported. “I think I have a much better understanding of the needs not just of seminarians, but of priests themselves,” having seen many seminarians move towards priestly life.
“Certainly I think I have a better understanding of priestly vocations now, and that is something that any bishop has to be not just interested in, but directly involved with.”
“I think I'll be able to hit the ground running when it comes to the preparation of our future priests,” Msgr. Folda said, and in “inviting men to consider the priesthood.”
Msgr. Folda served as a priest under Bishop Bruskewitz for 20 years, and said that he admired his example of energy and joy in teaching the faith.
“It seemed like he never lost his spirit of enthusiasm for our faith … he certainly wasn't afraid to defend the faith or respond to challenges to the faith, but he always did so with great good humor and with a good spirit, a real positive spirit.”
“I hope I can imitate that in my own time as bishop, just to positively promote and share the faith with others.”
“I hope I can also have an opportunity to meet with young people and just spend some time with them, get to know them and be a part of their lives,” he added.
“They are the future of the Church...so really to work with them closely and to get to know them, what's on their minds, where their lives are headed – that's going to be very important for me.”
Msgr. Folda wants to emphasize “the presence of Christ among us,” both in the sacraments and in “the people in the Church.” His motto a Latin phrase from the Gospel of John meaning “And the word became flesh,” and it is meant to remind us “clearly of the dignity of every human being” since Christ took on “our human nature.”
“We need to look reverently on our brothers and sisters and appreciate their innate dignity, and realize they share this same humanity with Christ our Lord, and that I think hopefully imbues our relationships with a higher level of respect and mutual support,” he reflected.
He noted appreciatively that North Dakotans already have a culture of life, which he said he “can only hope to support” and to be involved with. Furthermore, those of his flock he has already met have “a real down to earth quality” with a “clear understanding of what's important, what matters.”
“That's similar to the people I've known in Nebraska as well, and so I feel a real affinity for the folks I've met up here.”
“I'm very happy to be here,” Msgr. Folda concluded. “I was very happy to be given this call to serve, and you can't help but be nervous about the challenges of such a large responsibility, but at the same time, I put my faith in God.”
“I trust his grace is always there. For whatever calling he gives, he gives the grace to carry it it out – I put my trust in that.”
“My challenge will really be how to implement the new evangelization here in the Diocese of Fargo, and to help the faith to flourish,” Msgr. Folda told CNA June 17.
“I hope I can...positively promote and share the faith with others,” he said, noting the example of his own long-time bishop, Fabian W. Bruskewitz of the Lincoln diocese.
On April 8, Pope Francis appointed Msgr. Folda Folda the eighth bishop of Fargo, succeeding Bishop Samuel J. Aquila, who was transferred to the Denver archdiocese in 2012.
He will be consecrated bishop on June 19 by Archbishop John C. Nienstedt of Saint Paul and Minneapolis, at Fargo's Cathedral of Saint Mary.
Msgr. Folda had been ordained a priest of the Diocese of Lincoln, and served as rector of Saint Gregory the Great Minor Seminary for 14 years prior to his appointment as bishop of Fargo.
“I just look forward to meeting the people of the diocese,” he said. “I've had an opportunity to meet quite a few of the priests already, and I want to get to know them better as soon as possible...they're the people I'll work with most closely, so that's a priority.”
“Visiting as many parishes as I can, and different institutions of the diocese, really just getting to know the Diocese of Fargo – that's going to be my first priority, and that's what I'm looking forward to.”
“I think that's always really enjoyable for a bishop, to first just travel around a little bit” and get to meet the people of his diocese, Msgr. Folda added.
Initially, he plans to learn about his new diocese, becoming familiar with its parishes, schools and institutions, as well as the priests, deacons, religious sisters, and seminarians in Fargo. “I'm kind of in my learning, my homework stage; I have to do my research and meet people.”
He did add that the new evangelization “is certainly on everyone's mind right now, and on mine,” and that it will be an emphasis of his episcopacy.
As a seminary rector for so many years, Msgr. Fold said that Catholic education and priestly vocations will be particular “areas of interest” to him, but that “those are just two of the facets of a very big project.”
His 14 years as rector of St. Gregory's has “ helped me to understand the priesthood better,” he reported. “I think I have a much better understanding of the needs not just of seminarians, but of priests themselves,” having seen many seminarians move towards priestly life.
“Certainly I think I have a better understanding of priestly vocations now, and that is something that any bishop has to be not just interested in, but directly involved with.”
“I think I'll be able to hit the ground running when it comes to the preparation of our future priests,” Msgr. Folda said, and in “inviting men to consider the priesthood.”
Msgr. Folda served as a priest under Bishop Bruskewitz for 20 years, and said that he admired his example of energy and joy in teaching the faith.
“It seemed like he never lost his spirit of enthusiasm for our faith … he certainly wasn't afraid to defend the faith or respond to challenges to the faith, but he always did so with great good humor and with a good spirit, a real positive spirit.”
“I hope I can imitate that in my own time as bishop, just to positively promote and share the faith with others.”
“I hope I can also have an opportunity to meet with young people and just spend some time with them, get to know them and be a part of their lives,” he added.
“They are the future of the Church...so really to work with them closely and to get to know them, what's on their minds, where their lives are headed – that's going to be very important for me.”
Msgr. Folda wants to emphasize “the presence of Christ among us,” both in the sacraments and in “the people in the Church.” His motto a Latin phrase from the Gospel of John meaning “And the word became flesh,” and it is meant to remind us “clearly of the dignity of every human being” since Christ took on “our human nature.”
“We need to look reverently on our brothers and sisters and appreciate their innate dignity, and realize they share this same humanity with Christ our Lord, and that I think hopefully imbues our relationships with a higher level of respect and mutual support,” he reflected.
He noted appreciatively that North Dakotans already have a culture of life, which he said he “can only hope to support” and to be involved with. Furthermore, those of his flock he has already met have “a real down to earth quality” with a “clear understanding of what's important, what matters.”
“That's similar to the people I've known in Nebraska as well, and so I feel a real affinity for the folks I've met up here.”
“I'm very happy to be here,” Msgr. Folda concluded. “I was very happy to be given this call to serve, and you can't help but be nervous about the challenges of such a large responsibility, but at the same time, I put my faith in God.”
“I trust his grace is always there. For whatever calling he gives, he gives the grace to carry it it out – I put my trust in that.”
US bishops' group approves $9 million in anti-poverty funds
Washington D.C., Jun 18, 2013 / 02:14 am (CNA/EWTN News).- The domestic anti-poverty program of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops has approved more than $9 million in grants to help alleviate poverty and injustice throughout the United States.
Ralph McCloud, director of the Catholic Campaign for Human Development, said in a June 17 statement that “Catholics should be proud of this opportunity to get involved in making a real difference in the lives of the people in their communities.”
The recent grants were approved by the bishops serving on the campaign subcommittee, during a June meeting in San Diego, Calif.
Of the allocations this year, more than $1.5 million will go to the Catholic Campaign for Human Development’s new National Strategic Grant Program, which focuses “on issues that are broader in scope regionally and that require a more intensive community response, especially from the Catholic community.”
Other activities that will be supported by the new grants include the “statewide launch of a clinic in California that provides alternatives to abortion,” along with programs to “strengthen fatherhood and families,” and “funding for parishes and other congregations in Florida to address criminal justice reform.”
McCloud explained that the grants “represent the Catholic Church and the bishops of the United States standing in solidarity with those determined not to give in to the despair caused by pervasive poverty in our country.”
He said that the organization “is just as committed as ever to standing by those who want to create a better life for themselves, their families and their communities.”
“As always, CCHD continues to support grassroots groups making real change, advancing justice and human dignity, providing hopeful alternatives to young people, supporting the rights of immigrants, and empowering entrepreneurs,” he said.
Ralph McCloud, director of the Catholic Campaign for Human Development, said in a June 17 statement that “Catholics should be proud of this opportunity to get involved in making a real difference in the lives of the people in their communities.”
The recent grants were approved by the bishops serving on the campaign subcommittee, during a June meeting in San Diego, Calif.
Of the allocations this year, more than $1.5 million will go to the Catholic Campaign for Human Development’s new National Strategic Grant Program, which focuses “on issues that are broader in scope regionally and that require a more intensive community response, especially from the Catholic community.”
Other activities that will be supported by the new grants include the “statewide launch of a clinic in California that provides alternatives to abortion,” along with programs to “strengthen fatherhood and families,” and “funding for parishes and other congregations in Florida to address criminal justice reform.”
McCloud explained that the grants “represent the Catholic Church and the bishops of the United States standing in solidarity with those determined not to give in to the despair caused by pervasive poverty in our country.”
He said that the organization “is just as committed as ever to standing by those who want to create a better life for themselves, their families and their communities.”
“As always, CCHD continues to support grassroots groups making real change, advancing justice and human dignity, providing hopeful alternatives to young people, supporting the rights of immigrants, and empowering entrepreneurs,” he said.
Vatican lawyer not surprised by court's refusal to hear abuse case
Washington D.C., Jun 18, 2013 / 12:04 am (CNA).- A dismissed request that the International Criminal Court investigate U.S. clergy sex abuse as a crime against humanity misunderstands the nature of the Catholic Church, the Vatican’s U.S. lawyer has said.
“It’s no surprise, as the claims against Benedict are based on a fictitious theory of how the Catholic Church works,” said Jeffrey Lena, the Holy See's attorney in the U.S., told CNA June 17.
“It’s not a monarchical structure. The monarchical structure is a convenient fiction that plaintiffs use in order to tie local problems to the Holy See.”
The International Criminal Court said in a May 31 letter to the Center for Constitutional Rights that there is not presently a basis to proceed with a request for an investigation of former Pope Benedict XVI and other Vatican leaders for crimes against humanity, the Associated Press reports.
“The matters described in your communication do not appear to fall within the jurisdiction of the court,” a court official’s letter said.
The New York-based Center for Constitutional Rights, together with the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, had brought the claims before the global court based in The Hague, Netherlands.
They contended that then-Pope Benedict had “direct and superior responsibility for the crimes against humanity of rape and other sexual violence committed around the world.”
The court only had jurisdiction from the year 2001 onwards. It is the world’s only permanent war crimes tribunal. It has received more than 9,700 independent proposals for inquiries since 2002.
Before he was elected to the papacy in 2005, Pope Benedict XVI served as head of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. That congregation only had limited responsibility over abuse cases until 2001, when it took responsibility for the cases from the Roman Rota.
On June 14 Vatican spokesman Father Federico Lombardi told CNA the Holy See always thought the international court would reject the request, “given the unfounded accusation.”
“It’s no surprise, as the claims against Benedict are based on a fictitious theory of how the Catholic Church works,” said Jeffrey Lena, the Holy See's attorney in the U.S., told CNA June 17.
“It’s not a monarchical structure. The monarchical structure is a convenient fiction that plaintiffs use in order to tie local problems to the Holy See.”
The International Criminal Court said in a May 31 letter to the Center for Constitutional Rights that there is not presently a basis to proceed with a request for an investigation of former Pope Benedict XVI and other Vatican leaders for crimes against humanity, the Associated Press reports.
“The matters described in your communication do not appear to fall within the jurisdiction of the court,” a court official’s letter said.
The New York-based Center for Constitutional Rights, together with the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, had brought the claims before the global court based in The Hague, Netherlands.
They contended that then-Pope Benedict had “direct and superior responsibility for the crimes against humanity of rape and other sexual violence committed around the world.”
The court only had jurisdiction from the year 2001 onwards. It is the world’s only permanent war crimes tribunal. It has received more than 9,700 independent proposals for inquiries since 2002.
Before he was elected to the papacy in 2005, Pope Benedict XVI served as head of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. That congregation only had limited responsibility over abuse cases until 2001, when it took responsibility for the cases from the Roman Rota.
On June 14 Vatican spokesman Father Federico Lombardi told CNA the Holy See always thought the international court would reject the request, “given the unfounded accusation.”
Cardinal pushes for law to protect pain-capable unborn
Washington D.C., Jun 17, 2013 / 05:10 pm (CNA/EWTN News).- The U.S. bishops’ point man on pro-life issues is calling on federal legislators to support a bill that would ban late-term abortions after unborn children are able to feel pain.
“(O)ur citizens were deeply shaken by the revelations of Dr. Kermit Gosnell’s actions that led to his being convicted of murder and other crimes committed in the course of providing abortions,” Cardinal Sean O’Malley of Boston said in a June 14 letter to U.S. representatives.
“This tragic circumstance led many Americans to realize that our permissive laws and attitudes have allowed the abortion industry to undertake these procedures. All decent and humane people are repulsed by the callous and barbarous treatment of women and children in Gosnell’s clinic, and in other clinics that abort children after 20 weeks.”
Gosnell, an abortionist in Philadelphia, drew media attention when he was recently convicted of murdering several babies who survived his abortions. The trial unveiled a filthy clinic with numerous health code violations and poor treatment of women.
The trial prompted a renewed push among pro-life activists to fight against late-term abortions, which are performed on unborn children the same age as the babies murdered by Gosnell.
Speaking as chairman of the U.S. bishops’ Committee for Pro-Life Activities, Cardinal O’Malley urged the passage of the Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act.
The legislation would ban abortions 20 weeks into a pregnancy or later on the ground that unborn children are capable of feeling pain by this point.
The legislation will be heard on the House floor this week after the House Judiciary Committee approved it by a 20-12 vote.
Cardinal O’Malley said eyewitnesses of the children killed at Gosnell’s clinic saw them born alive and “crying or screaming in pain, until their lives were intentionally and deliberately ended.”
He said late-term abortions also pose “serious dangers” to women, several of whom have died or suffered serious complications from the procedures.
The cardinal also countered arguments that “mainstream” abortion clinics should handle the procedures instead.
“This misses the point,” he said. “Many women were sent to Gosnell by those very clinics, because they wanted nothing to do with abortions performed at such a late stage in the child’s development. What does it say about us as a nation, if we will not act against abortions that even full-time abortionists find abhorrent?”
Cardinal O’Malley explained that Catholic teaching recognizes that “every child, at every moment of existence, deserves love and the protection of the law.”
“We do not believe any person or government has the right to take the life of an innocent human being – and we hold that the real problems that lead women to consider abortion should be addressed with solutions that support both mother and child,” he said.
The bill’s author, Rep. Trent Franks (R-Ariz.), discussed the bill in a June 13 statement.
“Knowingly subjecting our innocent unborn children to dismemberment in the womb, particularly when they have developed to the point that they can feel excruciating pain every terrible moment leading up to their undeserved deaths, belies everything America was called to be,” he said. “This is not who we are.”
U.S. Supreme Court decisions in 1973 struck down most states’ abortion laws nationwide. Legislation must be carefully tailored to pass the high court’s permissive standards, and it is unclear how the court would react to the proposed bill.
A similar measure applying only to the District of Columbia failed to pass the House last year, the Washington Post reports.
Supporters of the bill are seeking to rally support on social media sites like Twitter using the hashtag “#theyfeelpain.”
“(O)ur citizens were deeply shaken by the revelations of Dr. Kermit Gosnell’s actions that led to his being convicted of murder and other crimes committed in the course of providing abortions,” Cardinal Sean O’Malley of Boston said in a June 14 letter to U.S. representatives.
“This tragic circumstance led many Americans to realize that our permissive laws and attitudes have allowed the abortion industry to undertake these procedures. All decent and humane people are repulsed by the callous and barbarous treatment of women and children in Gosnell’s clinic, and in other clinics that abort children after 20 weeks.”
Gosnell, an abortionist in Philadelphia, drew media attention when he was recently convicted of murdering several babies who survived his abortions. The trial unveiled a filthy clinic with numerous health code violations and poor treatment of women.
The trial prompted a renewed push among pro-life activists to fight against late-term abortions, which are performed on unborn children the same age as the babies murdered by Gosnell.
Speaking as chairman of the U.S. bishops’ Committee for Pro-Life Activities, Cardinal O’Malley urged the passage of the Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act.
The legislation would ban abortions 20 weeks into a pregnancy or later on the ground that unborn children are capable of feeling pain by this point.
The legislation will be heard on the House floor this week after the House Judiciary Committee approved it by a 20-12 vote.
Cardinal O’Malley said eyewitnesses of the children killed at Gosnell’s clinic saw them born alive and “crying or screaming in pain, until their lives were intentionally and deliberately ended.”
He said late-term abortions also pose “serious dangers” to women, several of whom have died or suffered serious complications from the procedures.
The cardinal also countered arguments that “mainstream” abortion clinics should handle the procedures instead.
“This misses the point,” he said. “Many women were sent to Gosnell by those very clinics, because they wanted nothing to do with abortions performed at such a late stage in the child’s development. What does it say about us as a nation, if we will not act against abortions that even full-time abortionists find abhorrent?”
Cardinal O’Malley explained that Catholic teaching recognizes that “every child, at every moment of existence, deserves love and the protection of the law.”
“We do not believe any person or government has the right to take the life of an innocent human being – and we hold that the real problems that lead women to consider abortion should be addressed with solutions that support both mother and child,” he said.
The bill’s author, Rep. Trent Franks (R-Ariz.), discussed the bill in a June 13 statement.
“Knowingly subjecting our innocent unborn children to dismemberment in the womb, particularly when they have developed to the point that they can feel excruciating pain every terrible moment leading up to their undeserved deaths, belies everything America was called to be,” he said. “This is not who we are.”
U.S. Supreme Court decisions in 1973 struck down most states’ abortion laws nationwide. Legislation must be carefully tailored to pass the high court’s permissive standards, and it is unclear how the court would react to the proposed bill.
A similar measure applying only to the District of Columbia failed to pass the House last year, the Washington Post reports.
Supporters of the bill are seeking to rally support on social media sites like Twitter using the hashtag “#theyfeelpain.”
Quebec euthanasia bill blasted for enshrining 'power to kill'
Quebec City, Canada, Jun 17, 2013 / 04:03 pm (CNA/EWTN News).- A Quebec bill to allow lethal drug prescriptions for patients in pain would give doctors “the power to kill” and further lessen the value society places on the ill and dying, a Canadian pro-life group said.
“We must not give anyone – especially not our doctors – the power to kill. We must keep our hospitals safe and protect the weakest and the most vulnerable among us. It is a matter of public safety, of dignity, of true compassion and solidarity,” the Catholic Organization for Life and Family said in a statement.
Social Services Minister Veronique Hivon introduced the Quebec government’s medically assisted suicide bill on June 12.
The bill would allow a doctor to administer fatal drugs to a mentally sound patient who repeatedly gives written consent, CBC News reports. Two physicians would have to approve a suicide request.
Patients who qualify for euthanasia would not need to accept all available treatments. Rather, they would qualify if they experience “constant and unbearable physical or psychological pain which cannot be relieved in a manner the person deems tolerable.”
Canada’s federal government has said it will review the proposed bill’s implications, as assisted suicide and euthanasia are illegal under the national criminal code.
“The laws that prohibit euthanasia and assisted suicide exist to protect all Canadians, including those who are potentially the most vulnerable, such as people who are sick or elderly, and people with disabilities,” Canadian Justice Minister and Attorney General Rob Nicholson said June 12.
He noted that a large majority of the Canadian parliament voted against changing the national laws.
Hivon said she believed society was ready for the bill, which she described as allowing people at the end of life “to die with autonomy and dignity.”
However, the Catholic Organization for Life and Family, which was co-founded by the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops and the Knights of Columbus, warned that justifications for the bill serve as camouflage for euthanasia.
“It is all very well to play with words, but the fact remains that killing is not caring,” the group said. “Let us put an end to confusing the terminology.”
The organization said palliative care is “the only human response” to suffering at the end of life. It urged Quebec to “preserve the mutual trust that is the foundation for genuine relationships between us.”
The group also pointed to worrying precedents in other nations.
“In countries that have legalized euthanasia and assisted suicide – despite the safeguards and restrictions that have been put in place – we’ve seen increased depreciation for human life,” the organization said. “In the name of budgetary efficiency, particularly vulnerable people have been encouraged to ask for euthanasia or to commit suicide.”
“This danger is real and is likely to increase with the aging of our population, the rise in demand for health care services and the related costs.”
The Catholic Organization for Life and Family noted that following the legalization of euthanasia in Belgium in 2002, cases in the country rose from 235 in 2003 to 1,133 in 2011. Strict adherence to promised standards is lacking, it said, while Belgian euthanasia lobbyists are now seeking legal euthanasia for children and those with dementia.
The organization reminded Christians of the biblical injunctions against murder, citing the biblical commandment “You shall not kill,” and God’s words in Genesis, “I will require a reckoning for human life.”
At the same time, it explained, Christians should oppose “overly aggressive treatment and the maintenance of life at all costs.”
Denying or ending “extraordinary treatments” are not euthanasia, the group said.
“We must not give anyone – especially not our doctors – the power to kill. We must keep our hospitals safe and protect the weakest and the most vulnerable among us. It is a matter of public safety, of dignity, of true compassion and solidarity,” the Catholic Organization for Life and Family said in a statement.
Social Services Minister Veronique Hivon introduced the Quebec government’s medically assisted suicide bill on June 12.
The bill would allow a doctor to administer fatal drugs to a mentally sound patient who repeatedly gives written consent, CBC News reports. Two physicians would have to approve a suicide request.
Patients who qualify for euthanasia would not need to accept all available treatments. Rather, they would qualify if they experience “constant and unbearable physical or psychological pain which cannot be relieved in a manner the person deems tolerable.”
Canada’s federal government has said it will review the proposed bill’s implications, as assisted suicide and euthanasia are illegal under the national criminal code.
“The laws that prohibit euthanasia and assisted suicide exist to protect all Canadians, including those who are potentially the most vulnerable, such as people who are sick or elderly, and people with disabilities,” Canadian Justice Minister and Attorney General Rob Nicholson said June 12.
He noted that a large majority of the Canadian parliament voted against changing the national laws.
Hivon said she believed society was ready for the bill, which she described as allowing people at the end of life “to die with autonomy and dignity.”
However, the Catholic Organization for Life and Family, which was co-founded by the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops and the Knights of Columbus, warned that justifications for the bill serve as camouflage for euthanasia.
“It is all very well to play with words, but the fact remains that killing is not caring,” the group said. “Let us put an end to confusing the terminology.”
The organization said palliative care is “the only human response” to suffering at the end of life. It urged Quebec to “preserve the mutual trust that is the foundation for genuine relationships between us.”
The group also pointed to worrying precedents in other nations.
“In countries that have legalized euthanasia and assisted suicide – despite the safeguards and restrictions that have been put in place – we’ve seen increased depreciation for human life,” the organization said. “In the name of budgetary efficiency, particularly vulnerable people have been encouraged to ask for euthanasia or to commit suicide.”
“This danger is real and is likely to increase with the aging of our population, the rise in demand for health care services and the related costs.”
The Catholic Organization for Life and Family noted that following the legalization of euthanasia in Belgium in 2002, cases in the country rose from 235 in 2003 to 1,133 in 2011. Strict adherence to promised standards is lacking, it said, while Belgian euthanasia lobbyists are now seeking legal euthanasia for children and those with dementia.
The organization reminded Christians of the biblical injunctions against murder, citing the biblical commandment “You shall not kill,” and God’s words in Genesis, “I will require a reckoning for human life.”
At the same time, it explained, Christians should oppose “overly aggressive treatment and the maintenance of life at all costs.”
Denying or ending “extraordinary treatments” are not euthanasia, the group said.
Catholic, Orthodox groups unite to promote online safety
Washington D.C., Jun 17, 2013 / 12:23 pm (CNA).- A new website launched by the U.S. bishops’ communication department and the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America is striving to provide internet safety advice for families.
The site, www.faithandsafety.org, aims to be a resource for parents wanting to help their children navigate the internet, mobile devices and other technologies safely and within a “faith framework.”
Along with its associated Facebook and Twitter accounts, the website offers resources aimed at both internet safety and growing in faith.
“Our children look to their parents for wisdom and guidance,” said Archbishop Demetrios of the Greek Orthodox Church in America. “However, many parents feel somewhat ill-equipped to help their children traverse the unfamiliar terrain of the digital social world.”
“This joint initiative between our two Churches is a positive step in helping parents equip their children in the digital world,” he explained.
Bishop John C. Wester of Salt Lake City, who chairs the U.S. bishops’ communications committee, wrote the first blog post for website, which launched June 13, in the middle of Internet Safety Month.
“We want to meet families and young people where they are – increasingly, that is in the digital world. We believe this website can be a gateway for families that are seeking to integrate their digital lives and their faith lives,” he wrote.
Features on the site include reviews for websites and mobile apps, as well as columns addressing issues such as cyberbullying and practical how-to guides for internet security. In the coming months, content will be expanded to include greater video content and regular columns by Catholic and Orthodox leaders on faith and technology.
Faithandsafety.org will also include content from Common Sense Media, an independent nonprofit organization that works to help families and children navigate modern media and technology.
The site emphasizes that its purpose is not to teach parents how to “spy” on their children’s online activity, but rather to “promote healthy dialogue within your family on how to use technology appropriately.”
“We believe that this site, presented from the perspective of the Greek Orthodox and Catholic Church, provides a unique perspective on being missionaries of faith on the Digital Continent,” Bishop Wester said.
The site, www.faithandsafety.org, aims to be a resource for parents wanting to help their children navigate the internet, mobile devices and other technologies safely and within a “faith framework.”
Along with its associated Facebook and Twitter accounts, the website offers resources aimed at both internet safety and growing in faith.
“Our children look to their parents for wisdom and guidance,” said Archbishop Demetrios of the Greek Orthodox Church in America. “However, many parents feel somewhat ill-equipped to help their children traverse the unfamiliar terrain of the digital social world.”
“This joint initiative between our two Churches is a positive step in helping parents equip their children in the digital world,” he explained.
Bishop John C. Wester of Salt Lake City, who chairs the U.S. bishops’ communications committee, wrote the first blog post for website, which launched June 13, in the middle of Internet Safety Month.
“We want to meet families and young people where they are – increasingly, that is in the digital world. We believe this website can be a gateway for families that are seeking to integrate their digital lives and their faith lives,” he wrote.
Features on the site include reviews for websites and mobile apps, as well as columns addressing issues such as cyberbullying and practical how-to guides for internet security. In the coming months, content will be expanded to include greater video content and regular columns by Catholic and Orthodox leaders on faith and technology.
Faithandsafety.org will also include content from Common Sense Media, an independent nonprofit organization that works to help families and children navigate modern media and technology.
The site emphasizes that its purpose is not to teach parents how to “spy” on their children’s online activity, but rather to “promote healthy dialogue within your family on how to use technology appropriately.”
“We believe that this site, presented from the perspective of the Greek Orthodox and Catholic Church, provides a unique perspective on being missionaries of faith on the Digital Continent,” Bishop Wester said.
Jesus makes slaps, insults 'nothing,' Pope declares
Vatican City, Jun 17, 2013 / 11:00 am (CNA/EWTN News).- Jesus makes it possible for Christians to “turn the other cheek” because they have received “all” from him, making slights, insults and even good things “nothing,” Pope Francis said.
He delivered his comments in his June 17 homily on Matthew 5:38-42, where Jesus tells his disciples, “You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.’ But I say to you, offer no resistance to one who is evil. When someone strikes you on your right cheek, turn the other one to him as well.”
Pope Francis said that Christians should pray that, “when we are confronted with the choice of the slap, the coat, the 100 kilometers, we must pray the Lord to ‘open up our heart’ so that ‘we are benevolent and meek.’ We must pray so that we do not fight for small things, for the ‘nothings’ of daily life.”
“A true Christian,” he remarked, “knows how to solve this bi-polar opposition, this tension that exists between ‘all’ and ‘nothing,’ just as Jesus has taught us: ‘First search for God’s Kingdom and its justice, the rest comes afterwards.’”
The Pope then reflected on the kind of righteousness that Jesus brings, which is “totally different from ‘eye for eye, tooth for tooth.’”
Jesus’ justice is explained by St. Paul, the Holy Father said, pointing to his description of Christians as “people who have nothing in themselves but possess all things in Christ.”
“So, Christian security is exactly this ‘all’ that is in Christ. ‘All’ is Jesus Christ. Other things are ‘nothing’ for a Christian,” he added.“This is the secret of Christian benevolence that always goes together with meekness,” Pope Francis emphasized.
“A Christian is a person who opens up his or her heart with this spirit of benevolence, because he or she has ‘all’: Jesus Christ. The other things are ‘nothing.’
“Some are good, they have a purpose, but in the moment of choice he or she always chooses ‘all,’ with that meekness, that Christian meekness that is the sign of Jesus’ disciples: meekness and benevolence,” the Pope said.
He also pointed out that living “like this is not easy, because you really do receive slaps! And on both cheeks!”
The Holy Father also commented on times when Christians and the Church make errors, saying, “all our errors stem from when we say ‘nothing’ is ‘all,’ and to ‘all’ we say it does not count.”
Pope Francis even linked this mentality and disposition to war.
“When one takes on an option for ‘nothing,’ it is from that option that conflicts arise in families, in friendships, between friends, in society. Conflicts that end in war: for ‘nothing!’ ‘Nothing’ is always the seed of wars, because it is the seed of selfishness,” he said.
“Following Jesus is not easy,” the Pope concluded, “but it’s not difficult either, because on the path of love the Lord does things in such a way that we can go forward; it is the Lord himself who opens up our heart.”
Cardinal Attilio Nicora concelebrated the Mass with the Pope in St. Martha’s House and was accompanied by people from the Vatican’s Financial Information Authority. Cardinal Luis Tagle of Manila, who is in Rome to take possession of his titular parish, was also present at the celebration.
He delivered his comments in his June 17 homily on Matthew 5:38-42, where Jesus tells his disciples, “You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.’ But I say to you, offer no resistance to one who is evil. When someone strikes you on your right cheek, turn the other one to him as well.”
Pope Francis said that Christians should pray that, “when we are confronted with the choice of the slap, the coat, the 100 kilometers, we must pray the Lord to ‘open up our heart’ so that ‘we are benevolent and meek.’ We must pray so that we do not fight for small things, for the ‘nothings’ of daily life.”
“A true Christian,” he remarked, “knows how to solve this bi-polar opposition, this tension that exists between ‘all’ and ‘nothing,’ just as Jesus has taught us: ‘First search for God’s Kingdom and its justice, the rest comes afterwards.’”
The Pope then reflected on the kind of righteousness that Jesus brings, which is “totally different from ‘eye for eye, tooth for tooth.’”
Jesus’ justice is explained by St. Paul, the Holy Father said, pointing to his description of Christians as “people who have nothing in themselves but possess all things in Christ.”
“So, Christian security is exactly this ‘all’ that is in Christ. ‘All’ is Jesus Christ. Other things are ‘nothing’ for a Christian,” he added.“This is the secret of Christian benevolence that always goes together with meekness,” Pope Francis emphasized.
“A Christian is a person who opens up his or her heart with this spirit of benevolence, because he or she has ‘all’: Jesus Christ. The other things are ‘nothing.’
“Some are good, they have a purpose, but in the moment of choice he or she always chooses ‘all,’ with that meekness, that Christian meekness that is the sign of Jesus’ disciples: meekness and benevolence,” the Pope said.
He also pointed out that living “like this is not easy, because you really do receive slaps! And on both cheeks!”
The Holy Father also commented on times when Christians and the Church make errors, saying, “all our errors stem from when we say ‘nothing’ is ‘all,’ and to ‘all’ we say it does not count.”
Pope Francis even linked this mentality and disposition to war.
“When one takes on an option for ‘nothing,’ it is from that option that conflicts arise in families, in friendships, between friends, in society. Conflicts that end in war: for ‘nothing!’ ‘Nothing’ is always the seed of wars, because it is the seed of selfishness,” he said.
“Following Jesus is not easy,” the Pope concluded, “but it’s not difficult either, because on the path of love the Lord does things in such a way that we can go forward; it is the Lord himself who opens up our heart.”
Cardinal Attilio Nicora concelebrated the Mass with the Pope in St. Martha’s House and was accompanied by people from the Vatican’s Financial Information Authority. Cardinal Luis Tagle of Manila, who is in Rome to take possession of his titular parish, was also present at the celebration.
Interim bank appointment means Pope wants cardinals' advice
Rome, Italy, Jun 17, 2013 / 10:30 am (CNA/EWTN News).- The temporary selection of a prelate for the so-called Vatican Bank shows Pope Francis is waiting for the advice of the cardinals he tapped as advisors before deciding the fate of the financial institute, according to a source in the Vatican’s Secretariat of State.
The appointment of the prelate “must not be charged too much with expectations of a reform. The Pope needed to fill a post and wanted to give a signal that he really cares about the IOR issue, but he also showed the sensibility to make an ‘ad interim’ appointment, presumably waiting for the cardinals’ suggestions,” the anonymous State Secretariat source said June 15.
Monsignor Battista Ricca was appointed as prelate for the Institute for Works of Religion, also known by its Italian initials IOR, on June 15.
The prelate serves as a liaison between the cardinals’ oversight commission – composed of five cardinals and traditionally presided over by the Secretary of State – and the council of superintendents, which is made up of five laymen who are bankers or financial experts.
The institute is headquartered inside Vatican City and is entrusted with safeguarding and administering property or funds that are designated by clients to benefit religious works or charities.
The commission of cardinals typically chooses the candidate for the prelate position without the Pope’s formal approval.
But Father Federico Lombardi, director of the Vatican press office took the unusual step of saying in his June 15 announcement that the appointment was made with the “approval of the Holy Father.”
According to the prominent Italian Vatican expert Sandro Magister, this would mean “it is a prelate of the Pope, more than of the IOR.”
Actually, the prelate post remained vacant since 2010, when the previous prelate, then-Monsignor Piero Pioppo, was appointed papal nuncio to Cameroon and Guinea.
The secretary of Cardinal Angelo Sodano, Msgr. Pioppo, received his appointment as prelate for the institute while his boss chaired its oversight commission. At that time, it had already been announced that Cardinal Sodano would leave the post in a few months and be replaced by Cardinal Bertone, the current Secretary of State.
By appointing his secretary, “Sodano kept the institute under his shadow,” said Gianfranco Svidercoschi, the former vice director of the Vatican newspaper L’Osservatore Romano, in a June 17 conversation with CNA.
Before Msgr. Pioppo’s appointment in 2006, the post of prelate was vacant since 1993, when Monsignor Donato de Bonis was made a bishop and no replacement was named.
A monsignor who works in the Vatican’s Curia and requested anonymity explained June 15 that Pope Francis decided to make sure the prelate post was filled to “show his resolution to solve the case” and because “too many rumors had been circulating” about the Institute for Works of Religion.
The new prelate, Msgr. Battista Ricca, is a Vatican diplomat who works in the Second Section of the Secretariat of State and also manages a set of religious houses, including St. Martha’s House, where Pope Francis has decided to live.
Msgr. Ricca and Pope Francis are also friends and reportedly have lunch together every day, making it significant that the Holy Father moved ahead with the appointment, disregarding any chatter about him promoting his friends.
In Svidercoschi’s view, “this proves his will to govern without any external or internal interference.”
Given that the appointment of Msgr. Ricca is temporary, the next moment for assessing Pope Francis’ plan for reforming the Curia will likely be the Oct. 2-4 meeting of the eight cardinals who will advise the pontiff.
They will probably also counsel the Pope on reforming the Institute for Works of Religion, but whether or not this will lead to a complete overhaul remains to be seen.
According to Sandro Magister, that the appointment is “ad interim” proves that “a big reform for the IOR is coming up or at least will be discussed.”
But an even bigger signal that financial reform will continue at the Vatican has already been sent.
This past April 10, the Vatican said it will report on its progress in responding to the Key and Core areas of recommended changes that the European Council’s financial oversight committee, Moneyval, said it should make. The committee had asked only for an update on the core areas.
The recommendations were the result of a voluntary evaluation that Moneyval carried out to help the Vatican comply with international standards on preventing money laundering and the financing of terrorism.
In a June 17 follow-up interview, the same Secretariat of State source said, this fact alone “lets us presume that the whole Vatican financial system will be reformed.”
If that reading is correct, the cardinals “might suggest to reform, change or even to abolish the IOR,” the source added, but the financial institute will always have to fulfill the requirements of the Vatican’s oversight financial system.
The appointment of the prelate “must not be charged too much with expectations of a reform. The Pope needed to fill a post and wanted to give a signal that he really cares about the IOR issue, but he also showed the sensibility to make an ‘ad interim’ appointment, presumably waiting for the cardinals’ suggestions,” the anonymous State Secretariat source said June 15.
Monsignor Battista Ricca was appointed as prelate for the Institute for Works of Religion, also known by its Italian initials IOR, on June 15.
The prelate serves as a liaison between the cardinals’ oversight commission – composed of five cardinals and traditionally presided over by the Secretary of State – and the council of superintendents, which is made up of five laymen who are bankers or financial experts.
The institute is headquartered inside Vatican City and is entrusted with safeguarding and administering property or funds that are designated by clients to benefit religious works or charities.
The commission of cardinals typically chooses the candidate for the prelate position without the Pope’s formal approval.
But Father Federico Lombardi, director of the Vatican press office took the unusual step of saying in his June 15 announcement that the appointment was made with the “approval of the Holy Father.”
According to the prominent Italian Vatican expert Sandro Magister, this would mean “it is a prelate of the Pope, more than of the IOR.”
Actually, the prelate post remained vacant since 2010, when the previous prelate, then-Monsignor Piero Pioppo, was appointed papal nuncio to Cameroon and Guinea.
The secretary of Cardinal Angelo Sodano, Msgr. Pioppo, received his appointment as prelate for the institute while his boss chaired its oversight commission. At that time, it had already been announced that Cardinal Sodano would leave the post in a few months and be replaced by Cardinal Bertone, the current Secretary of State.
By appointing his secretary, “Sodano kept the institute under his shadow,” said Gianfranco Svidercoschi, the former vice director of the Vatican newspaper L’Osservatore Romano, in a June 17 conversation with CNA.
Before Msgr. Pioppo’s appointment in 2006, the post of prelate was vacant since 1993, when Monsignor Donato de Bonis was made a bishop and no replacement was named.
A monsignor who works in the Vatican’s Curia and requested anonymity explained June 15 that Pope Francis decided to make sure the prelate post was filled to “show his resolution to solve the case” and because “too many rumors had been circulating” about the Institute for Works of Religion.
The new prelate, Msgr. Battista Ricca, is a Vatican diplomat who works in the Second Section of the Secretariat of State and also manages a set of religious houses, including St. Martha’s House, where Pope Francis has decided to live.
Msgr. Ricca and Pope Francis are also friends and reportedly have lunch together every day, making it significant that the Holy Father moved ahead with the appointment, disregarding any chatter about him promoting his friends.
In Svidercoschi’s view, “this proves his will to govern without any external or internal interference.”
Given that the appointment of Msgr. Ricca is temporary, the next moment for assessing Pope Francis’ plan for reforming the Curia will likely be the Oct. 2-4 meeting of the eight cardinals who will advise the pontiff.
They will probably also counsel the Pope on reforming the Institute for Works of Religion, but whether or not this will lead to a complete overhaul remains to be seen.
According to Sandro Magister, that the appointment is “ad interim” proves that “a big reform for the IOR is coming up or at least will be discussed.”
But an even bigger signal that financial reform will continue at the Vatican has already been sent.
This past April 10, the Vatican said it will report on its progress in responding to the Key and Core areas of recommended changes that the European Council’s financial oversight committee, Moneyval, said it should make. The committee had asked only for an update on the core areas.
The recommendations were the result of a voluntary evaluation that Moneyval carried out to help the Vatican comply with international standards on preventing money laundering and the financing of terrorism.
In a June 17 follow-up interview, the same Secretariat of State source said, this fact alone “lets us presume that the whole Vatican financial system will be reformed.”
If that reading is correct, the cardinals “might suggest to reform, change or even to abolish the IOR,” the source added, but the financial institute will always have to fulfill the requirements of the Vatican’s oversight financial system.
Economy, politics must serve man, Pope tells G8
Vatican City, Jun 17, 2013 / 08:05 am (CNA/EWTN News).- In a message to Britain’s Prime Minister David Cameron, Pope Francis underscored that the “material and spiritual welfare” of every person must be the impetus behind political and economic efforts to remedy the economic crisis and help the poor.
The goal of both economics and politics, the Pope said in his June 15 letter, “is to serve humanity, beginning with the poorest and most vulnerable wherever they may be, even in their mothers’ wombs.”
Pope Francis wrote his reply to David Cameron after the British prime minister sent him a letter dated June 5, in which he outlined his priorities for the United Kingdom’s turn as president of the Group of Eight Industrialized Nations, which is meeting June 17-18 in Northern Ireland.
The prime minister told the Pope that he wants to help developing and developed nations by “restoring strong and sustainable growth to the world economy.” He plans to employ as tools: increasing international cooperation to prevent tax evasion, expanding free trade and improving governmental transparency.
The Holy Father responded to Cameron’s plan by writing, “(i)f this topic is to attain its broadest and deepest resonance, it is necessary to ensure that all political and economic activity, whether national or international, makes reference to man.”
“Every economic and political theory or action,” the Pope explained, “must set about providing each inhabitant of the planet with the minimum wherewithal to live in dignity and freedom, with the possibility of supporting a family, educating children, praising God and developing one's own human potential.”
“This is the main thing,” he stated, “in the absence of such a vision, all economic activity is meaningless.”
“Money and other political and economic means must serve, not rule, bearing in mind that, in a seemingly paradoxical way, free and disinterested solidarity is the key to the smooth functioning of the global economy,” Pope Francis wrote, repeating a theme that has frequently appeared in his daily homilies.
The G8 is holding its annual meeting in Lough Erne, Northern Ireland and one topic that will certainly be raised is the ongoing conflict in Syria.
On that score, the Pope said, “I earnestly hope that the Summit will help to obtain an immediate and lasting cease-fire and to bring all parties in the conflict to the negotiating table.”
He also observed that achieving peace “demands a far-sighted renunciation of certain claims, in order to build together a more equitable and just peace.”
Pope Francis told Prime Minister Cameron that he is pleased to see that Britain is working to place man at the center of its priorities by listing among its goals improving food security and protecting women and children from sexual violence during conflict.
The goal of both economics and politics, the Pope said in his June 15 letter, “is to serve humanity, beginning with the poorest and most vulnerable wherever they may be, even in their mothers’ wombs.”
Pope Francis wrote his reply to David Cameron after the British prime minister sent him a letter dated June 5, in which he outlined his priorities for the United Kingdom’s turn as president of the Group of Eight Industrialized Nations, which is meeting June 17-18 in Northern Ireland.
The prime minister told the Pope that he wants to help developing and developed nations by “restoring strong and sustainable growth to the world economy.” He plans to employ as tools: increasing international cooperation to prevent tax evasion, expanding free trade and improving governmental transparency.
The Holy Father responded to Cameron’s plan by writing, “(i)f this topic is to attain its broadest and deepest resonance, it is necessary to ensure that all political and economic activity, whether national or international, makes reference to man.”
“Every economic and political theory or action,” the Pope explained, “must set about providing each inhabitant of the planet with the minimum wherewithal to live in dignity and freedom, with the possibility of supporting a family, educating children, praising God and developing one's own human potential.”
“This is the main thing,” he stated, “in the absence of such a vision, all economic activity is meaningless.”
“Money and other political and economic means must serve, not rule, bearing in mind that, in a seemingly paradoxical way, free and disinterested solidarity is the key to the smooth functioning of the global economy,” Pope Francis wrote, repeating a theme that has frequently appeared in his daily homilies.
The G8 is holding its annual meeting in Lough Erne, Northern Ireland and one topic that will certainly be raised is the ongoing conflict in Syria.
On that score, the Pope said, “I earnestly hope that the Summit will help to obtain an immediate and lasting cease-fire and to bring all parties in the conflict to the negotiating table.”
He also observed that achieving peace “demands a far-sighted renunciation of certain claims, in order to build together a more equitable and just peace.”
Pope Francis told Prime Minister Cameron that he is pleased to see that Britain is working to place man at the center of its priorities by listing among its goals improving food security and protecting women and children from sexual violence during conflict.
Archbishop Mueller: human dignity central to education
Glasgow, Scotland, Jun 16, 2013 / 04:17 pm (CNA/EWTN News).- Speaking at the launch of a foundation at the University of Glasgow, the prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith stressed the importance of upholding human dignity in education.
Archbishop Gerhard L. Mueller delivered the Cardinal Winning Lecture on June 15 at the Scotland university.
The lecture marks the launch of the Saint Andrew's Foundation for Catholic Education, a new venture to form Catholic educators. It is the fruit of a partnership among the Church, the University of Glasgow and the Scottish government.
Archbishop Mueller's talk focused on the nature and distinctiveness of Catholic education, as well as the challenges it both faces and presents in today's world.
Catholic education, he said, arises out of the encounter between the Church and cultures. He recalled Saint Augustine's vision of his own culture, the best of which he thought “had its roots in Plato and Aristotle … who had articulated the truth of the supreme Good.”
This supreme Good, for those thinkers, was “the development of the rational mind in conformity with the truth and the nourishing of the will through the attainment and practice of the virtues.” The basis for this vision was the human person, and his natural drive for the good and the true.
St. Augustine added to this foundation the theological virtues which, “in addition to the natural goods and virtues of the human person, are the heart of education.”
Archbishop Mueller advocated for an understanding of “Catholic” which includes the breadth of “all that is good in the philosophies of societies and human culture.”
“To equip Catholic teachers with this broad philosophy of life is the key to the mission of the new St. Andrew’s Foundation. This will serve the self-confidence of Catholic teachers in their work in schools and provide a contribution to society as a whole.”
Focusing on education, the archbishop spoke of relativism as a threat, because the objects of education, the true and the good, “stand in some way outside the person” and are transcendent.
“A danger in the relativism of modern society is the assumption that human freedom essentially entails creating one’s own truth and moral good.”
The implications of relativism, he said, “would lead to the breakdown of society...if pursued to their logical conclusion.”
Archbishop Mueller examined the underlying purpose of education, saying, “it is surely part of the enterprise of higher education that it not simply mirror back the values of the society at large, nor simply that it produce those who will serve the economy through excellence in business or industry, science or the arts.”
“An important element is also the ability to take a critical stance and examine the underlying assumptions, philosophies and ideologies in society today and especially those underlying the very disciplines that higher education pursues.”
He encouraged the St. Andrew's Foundation to be a place for “critical engagement” with the philosophies underpinning education, suggesting that many academic disciplines are value-laden, contrary to popular belief.
Archbishop Mueller said that education has a “central place” in proclaiming the dignity of the human person. He lauded the vision of Blessed John Henry Newman, whom he said was “firmly opposed to any reductive or utilitarian approach” to education.
“He sought to achieve an educational environment in which intellectual training, moral discipline and religious commitment would come together,” reflected the archbishop.
This holistic approach must take into account the communal aspects of the person, as well as his overall dignity, he explained.
“The Church is almost alone, it seems, in being prepared to assert the dignity the human person as bearing the image of God – a vision available to reason, and once deep at the heart of western culture, but which is now so generally denied,” he said.
He lamented that the youth are growing up in a culture of relativism, individualism, utilitarianism and “a lack of interest in the fundamental truths of human life.”
In such an atmosphere which denies the dignity of the human person, “freedom is reduced to mere arbitrary whim, and the pursuit of true value is reduced to a consumerism that never satisfies,” he said.
“The Church must give back to young people the true understanding of their own value that has been taken from them,” through communication of the faith and our destiny in Christ in Catholic education.
“This re-proclamation and defense of humanity and its true worth lies at the center of the Church's Mission,” Archbishop Mueller said.
He added that he hopes the St. Andrew Foundation will study this vision, form teachers according to it, and support the schools “in which this vision becomes realized.”
During his visit to Scotland, the congregation head also visited a primary school, addressed clergy at the cathedral of the Motherwell diocese, and delivered a message from Pope Francis to the Catholics of Scotland.
Pope Francis, said the message, hopes the St. Andrew Foundation “will help promote and improve the quality of instruction … given to future educators in the country’s Catholic schools.”
Archbishop Gerhard L. Mueller delivered the Cardinal Winning Lecture on June 15 at the Scotland university.
The lecture marks the launch of the Saint Andrew's Foundation for Catholic Education, a new venture to form Catholic educators. It is the fruit of a partnership among the Church, the University of Glasgow and the Scottish government.
Archbishop Mueller's talk focused on the nature and distinctiveness of Catholic education, as well as the challenges it both faces and presents in today's world.
Catholic education, he said, arises out of the encounter between the Church and cultures. He recalled Saint Augustine's vision of his own culture, the best of which he thought “had its roots in Plato and Aristotle … who had articulated the truth of the supreme Good.”
This supreme Good, for those thinkers, was “the development of the rational mind in conformity with the truth and the nourishing of the will through the attainment and practice of the virtues.” The basis for this vision was the human person, and his natural drive for the good and the true.
St. Augustine added to this foundation the theological virtues which, “in addition to the natural goods and virtues of the human person, are the heart of education.”
Archbishop Mueller advocated for an understanding of “Catholic” which includes the breadth of “all that is good in the philosophies of societies and human culture.”
“To equip Catholic teachers with this broad philosophy of life is the key to the mission of the new St. Andrew’s Foundation. This will serve the self-confidence of Catholic teachers in their work in schools and provide a contribution to society as a whole.”
Focusing on education, the archbishop spoke of relativism as a threat, because the objects of education, the true and the good, “stand in some way outside the person” and are transcendent.
“A danger in the relativism of modern society is the assumption that human freedom essentially entails creating one’s own truth and moral good.”
The implications of relativism, he said, “would lead to the breakdown of society...if pursued to their logical conclusion.”
Archbishop Mueller examined the underlying purpose of education, saying, “it is surely part of the enterprise of higher education that it not simply mirror back the values of the society at large, nor simply that it produce those who will serve the economy through excellence in business or industry, science or the arts.”
“An important element is also the ability to take a critical stance and examine the underlying assumptions, philosophies and ideologies in society today and especially those underlying the very disciplines that higher education pursues.”
He encouraged the St. Andrew's Foundation to be a place for “critical engagement” with the philosophies underpinning education, suggesting that many academic disciplines are value-laden, contrary to popular belief.
Archbishop Mueller said that education has a “central place” in proclaiming the dignity of the human person. He lauded the vision of Blessed John Henry Newman, whom he said was “firmly opposed to any reductive or utilitarian approach” to education.
“He sought to achieve an educational environment in which intellectual training, moral discipline and religious commitment would come together,” reflected the archbishop.
This holistic approach must take into account the communal aspects of the person, as well as his overall dignity, he explained.
“The Church is almost alone, it seems, in being prepared to assert the dignity the human person as bearing the image of God – a vision available to reason, and once deep at the heart of western culture, but which is now so generally denied,” he said.
He lamented that the youth are growing up in a culture of relativism, individualism, utilitarianism and “a lack of interest in the fundamental truths of human life.”
In such an atmosphere which denies the dignity of the human person, “freedom is reduced to mere arbitrary whim, and the pursuit of true value is reduced to a consumerism that never satisfies,” he said.
“The Church must give back to young people the true understanding of their own value that has been taken from them,” through communication of the faith and our destiny in Christ in Catholic education.
“This re-proclamation and defense of humanity and its true worth lies at the center of the Church's Mission,” Archbishop Mueller said.
He added that he hopes the St. Andrew Foundation will study this vision, form teachers according to it, and support the schools “in which this vision becomes realized.”
During his visit to Scotland, the congregation head also visited a primary school, addressed clergy at the cathedral of the Motherwell diocese, and delivered a message from Pope Francis to the Catholics of Scotland.
Pope Francis, said the message, hopes the St. Andrew Foundation “will help promote and improve the quality of instruction … given to future educators in the country’s Catholic schools.”
Pope's friendliness impresses Harley-Davidson crowd
Vatican City, Jun 16, 2013 / 09:01 am (CNA/EWTN News).- Harley-Davidson owners flocked to St. Peter’s Square today for a chance to greet Pope Francis, and they came away struck by his friendliness and closeness to the people.
“To be here and see the Pope is absolutely amazing. He’s so friendly, he’s just so friendly,” said Bob from the Lakeside, England chapter as he spoke to CNA June 16.
His fellow Lakeside member Harry agreed. “He’s so friendly, and he comes to you,” he commented.
A Swiss motorcyclist went even further in her esteem for the new pontiff. “For me, he is the best Pope now – Papa Francesco,” said Simone from Lucerne.
For his part, Pope Francis offered a short greeting to the motorcyclists after celebrating a Mass for the Gospel of Life weekend that was organized by the Vatican as part of the ongoing Year of Faith.
Before praying the Angelus, the Pope noted with pleasure that Edward Focherini, a journalist and father of seven who was killed by the Nazis because of his faith, was beatified yesterday in Carpi, Italy.
“He saved many Jews from Nazi persecution. Together with the Church in Carpi, we give thanks to God for this witness of the Gospel of Life!” he declared.
Pope Francis also offered his sincere thanks to everyone who came “from Rome and from many parts of Italy and the world, especially families and those who work more directly for the promotion and protection of life.”
In his homily for the Gospel of Life Mass, the Pope underscored the importance of following God’s call for living a fruitful life, contrasting it with self-centered lifestyles that lead to slavery and death.
The crowd of pro-life pilgrims and the Harley aficionados certainly brought a different feel to the atmosphere in St. Peter's Square, but regardless of their reasons for being there, they all heard what the Pope had to say.
The motorcyclists drove to Rome from all over Europe and even overseas to take part in the 110th anniversary celebrations for the Harley-Davidson brand. They began invading the city on Thursday, and the low rumble of their engines has been present around the Vatican since then.
Via della Conciliazione, the street that leads to St. Peter’s Square, was packed with rows of Harleys parked along both sides of the road, about four or five bikes deep. Many of the motorcyclists decked out their rides with flags, stickers with the Vatican keys or pictures of Pope Francis.
Besides seeing the Pope, the “Harleyste” – as they are known in Italian – enjoyed the world famous architecture, such as the Coloseum. “The old buildings are just amazing and this place (St. Peter’s) is just fantastic,” said Bob from the Lakeside Chapter.
“To be here and see the Pope is absolutely amazing. He’s so friendly, he’s just so friendly,” said Bob from the Lakeside, England chapter as he spoke to CNA June 16.
His fellow Lakeside member Harry agreed. “He’s so friendly, and he comes to you,” he commented.
A Swiss motorcyclist went even further in her esteem for the new pontiff. “For me, he is the best Pope now – Papa Francesco,” said Simone from Lucerne.
For his part, Pope Francis offered a short greeting to the motorcyclists after celebrating a Mass for the Gospel of Life weekend that was organized by the Vatican as part of the ongoing Year of Faith.
Before praying the Angelus, the Pope noted with pleasure that Edward Focherini, a journalist and father of seven who was killed by the Nazis because of his faith, was beatified yesterday in Carpi, Italy.
“He saved many Jews from Nazi persecution. Together with the Church in Carpi, we give thanks to God for this witness of the Gospel of Life!” he declared.
Pope Francis also offered his sincere thanks to everyone who came “from Rome and from many parts of Italy and the world, especially families and those who work more directly for the promotion and protection of life.”
In his homily for the Gospel of Life Mass, the Pope underscored the importance of following God’s call for living a fruitful life, contrasting it with self-centered lifestyles that lead to slavery and death.
The crowd of pro-life pilgrims and the Harley aficionados certainly brought a different feel to the atmosphere in St. Peter's Square, but regardless of their reasons for being there, they all heard what the Pope had to say.
The motorcyclists drove to Rome from all over Europe and even overseas to take part in the 110th anniversary celebrations for the Harley-Davidson brand. They began invading the city on Thursday, and the low rumble of their engines has been present around the Vatican since then.
Via della Conciliazione, the street that leads to St. Peter’s Square, was packed with rows of Harleys parked along both sides of the road, about four or five bikes deep. Many of the motorcyclists decked out their rides with flags, stickers with the Vatican keys or pictures of Pope Francis.
Besides seeing the Pope, the “Harleyste” – as they are known in Italian – enjoyed the world famous architecture, such as the Coloseum. “The old buildings are just amazing and this place (St. Peter’s) is just fantastic,” said Bob from the Lakeside Chapter.
Pope: Selfish living leads to slavery, death
Vatican City, Jun 16, 2013 / 06:25 am (CNA/EWTN News).- As he met with thousands of pro-life advocates from around the globe, Pope Francis stressed that the Gospel is the “way to freedom and life,” but lifestyles that are “dictated by selfishness” lead to slavery and death.
“Dear brothers and sisters,” the Pope urged, “let us look to God as the God of Life, let us look to his law, to the Gospel message, as the way to freedom and life. The Living God sets us free!”
He addressed his homily for the June 16 Mass in St. Peter’s Square to pilgrims from Australia, Asia, Europe and North and South America, who filled the famous piazza up to its gates.
They were also joined in the square by around 1,400 people on their Harley-Davidson motorcycles, who came to Rome to celebrate 110 years of the iconic American machine and to receive the Pope’s blessing during the Angelus prayer that followed the Mass.
Pope Francis based his homily on the first reading from 2 Samuel, which recounts King David committing adultery with Bathsheba and conspiring to have her husband killed, and the Gospel reading from Luke 4, where Jesus forgives the adulterous woman of her sins.
The Holy Father distilled his reflections into three simple points: “first, the Bible reveals to us the Living God, the God who is life and the source of life; second, Jesus Christ bestows life and the Holy Spirit maintains us in life; and third, following God’s way leads to life, whereas following idols leads to death.”
King David’s adultery serves to show “human drama in all its reality: good and evil, passion, sin and its consequences,” the Pope said, underscoring that despite his evil actions, God brought life to David when he repented.
“Whenever we want to assert ourselves, when we become wrapped up in our own selfishness and put ourselves in the place of God, we end up spawning death,” he said as he examined the consequences of David’s actions.
This raises the question of what our image of God is, Pope Francis remarked.
“Perhaps he appears to us as a severe judge, as someone who curtails our freedom and the way we live our lives. But the Scriptures everywhere tell us that God is the Living One, the one who bestows life and points the way to fullness of life,” the pontiff preached.
He then turned to the Gospel reading from Luke, in which Jesus allowed himself to be approached by a woman who was a sinner and forgave her sins.
The Pope said that in this interaction it can be seen how “Jesus is the incarnation of the Living God, the one who brings life amid deeds of death, sin, selfishness and self-absorption.
“Jesus accepts, loves, uplifts, encourages, forgives, restores the ability to walk, gives back life. Throughout the Gospels we see how Jesus by his words and actions brings the transforming life of God,” he preached.
Thelife-giving power of God is also given through the Holy Spirit, Pope Francis taught.
“The Christian is someone who thinks and acts in everyday life according to God’s will, someone who allows his or her life to be guided and nourished by the Holy Spirit, to be a full life, a life worthy of true sons and daughters. And this entails realism and fruitfulness,” he explained.
The Pope cautioned that this “does not mean that we are people who live ‘in the clouds,’ far removed from real life, as if it were some kind of mirage. No! Those who let themselves be led by the Holy Spirit are realists, they know how to survey and assess reality. They are also fruitful; their lives bring new life to birth all around them.”
Returning to the theme of the weekend – The Gospel of Life – Pope Francis made his final point: that following God leads to life but all other ways lead to death.
“But all too often, people do not choose life, they do not accept the ‘Gospel of Life’ but let themselves be led by ideologies and ways of thinking that block life, that do not respect life, because they are dictated by selfishness, self-interest, profit, power and pleasure, and not by love, by concern for the good of others,” he said.
This way of living is not new, the Pope explained, calling it “the eternal dream of wanting to build the city of man without God, without God’s life and love – a new Tower of Babel.”
“It is the idea that rejecting God, the message of Christ, the Gospel of Life, will somehow lead to freedom, to complete human fulfillment,” he noted.
The result of this turning away from God is that he “is replaced by fleeting human idols which offer the intoxication of a flash of freedom, but in the end bring new forms of slavery and death,” the Pope stated.
He finished his homily by invoking the intercession of “Mary, Mother of Life,” asking her “to help us receive and bear constant witness to the ‘Gospel of Life.’”
After the Mass finished, Pope Francis prayed the Angelus with the faithful and gave a special mention to the Harley-Davidson contingent.
“Dear brothers and sisters,” the Pope urged, “let us look to God as the God of Life, let us look to his law, to the Gospel message, as the way to freedom and life. The Living God sets us free!”
He addressed his homily for the June 16 Mass in St. Peter’s Square to pilgrims from Australia, Asia, Europe and North and South America, who filled the famous piazza up to its gates.
They were also joined in the square by around 1,400 people on their Harley-Davidson motorcycles, who came to Rome to celebrate 110 years of the iconic American machine and to receive the Pope’s blessing during the Angelus prayer that followed the Mass.
Pope Francis based his homily on the first reading from 2 Samuel, which recounts King David committing adultery with Bathsheba and conspiring to have her husband killed, and the Gospel reading from Luke 4, where Jesus forgives the adulterous woman of her sins.
The Holy Father distilled his reflections into three simple points: “first, the Bible reveals to us the Living God, the God who is life and the source of life; second, Jesus Christ bestows life and the Holy Spirit maintains us in life; and third, following God’s way leads to life, whereas following idols leads to death.”
King David’s adultery serves to show “human drama in all its reality: good and evil, passion, sin and its consequences,” the Pope said, underscoring that despite his evil actions, God brought life to David when he repented.
“Whenever we want to assert ourselves, when we become wrapped up in our own selfishness and put ourselves in the place of God, we end up spawning death,” he said as he examined the consequences of David’s actions.
This raises the question of what our image of God is, Pope Francis remarked.
“Perhaps he appears to us as a severe judge, as someone who curtails our freedom and the way we live our lives. But the Scriptures everywhere tell us that God is the Living One, the one who bestows life and points the way to fullness of life,” the pontiff preached.
He then turned to the Gospel reading from Luke, in which Jesus allowed himself to be approached by a woman who was a sinner and forgave her sins.
The Pope said that in this interaction it can be seen how “Jesus is the incarnation of the Living God, the one who brings life amid deeds of death, sin, selfishness and self-absorption.
“Jesus accepts, loves, uplifts, encourages, forgives, restores the ability to walk, gives back life. Throughout the Gospels we see how Jesus by his words and actions brings the transforming life of God,” he preached.
Thelife-giving power of God is also given through the Holy Spirit, Pope Francis taught.
“The Christian is someone who thinks and acts in everyday life according to God’s will, someone who allows his or her life to be guided and nourished by the Holy Spirit, to be a full life, a life worthy of true sons and daughters. And this entails realism and fruitfulness,” he explained.
The Pope cautioned that this “does not mean that we are people who live ‘in the clouds,’ far removed from real life, as if it were some kind of mirage. No! Those who let themselves be led by the Holy Spirit are realists, they know how to survey and assess reality. They are also fruitful; their lives bring new life to birth all around them.”
Returning to the theme of the weekend – The Gospel of Life – Pope Francis made his final point: that following God leads to life but all other ways lead to death.
“But all too often, people do not choose life, they do not accept the ‘Gospel of Life’ but let themselves be led by ideologies and ways of thinking that block life, that do not respect life, because they are dictated by selfishness, self-interest, profit, power and pleasure, and not by love, by concern for the good of others,” he said.
This way of living is not new, the Pope explained, calling it “the eternal dream of wanting to build the city of man without God, without God’s life and love – a new Tower of Babel.”
“It is the idea that rejecting God, the message of Christ, the Gospel of Life, will somehow lead to freedom, to complete human fulfillment,” he noted.
The result of this turning away from God is that he “is replaced by fleeting human idols which offer the intoxication of a flash of freedom, but in the end bring new forms of slavery and death,” the Pope stated.
He finished his homily by invoking the intercession of “Mary, Mother of Life,” asking her “to help us receive and bear constant witness to the ‘Gospel of Life.’”
After the Mass finished, Pope Francis prayed the Angelus with the faithful and gave a special mention to the Harley-Davidson contingent.