Luca Marcolivio, Author at ZENIT - English

Pope to Consecrated: Beware Of Counter-Testimonies; Good Accompaniment Needed

Luca Marcolivio — Tue, 31 Jan 2017 13:18:30 +0000

The crisis of religious vocations is not only the effective diminution of consecrations but also the high rate of abandonments. The phenomenon poses a problem of “fidelity” and is not framed only in the context of an “epoch of change” but in a “change of epoch,” noted Pope Francis during his audience today, in the Clementine Hall of the Apostolic Palace, to participants in the Plenary Session of the Congregation for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life.
In fact, “fidelity” to one’s vocation was the subject chosen by the assembly: an “important” topic, stressed the Pope, at a time in which this “fidelity” is being “put to the test,” as the statistics also demonstrate.
He said the Church is facing a “hemorrhage” that weakens consecrated life and the life itself of the Church, and noted that these abandonments are “very worrying.”
As verified by the participants in the Plenary Session, we are not living a simple “epoch of change” but a “change of epoch,” in which it is difficult to assume serious and definitive commitments, also because of a “cultural and social context,” which immerses us in the “culture of the fragment, of the provisional, which can lead to living a la carte and to being slaves of fashions” and of “consumerism,” forgetting the beauty of a simple and austere life” and causing many times a great existential void.
Hence, the Holy Father lamented the “strong practical relativism, according to which everything is judged dependent upon a self-fulfilment that is often foreign to the values of the Gospel, where “economic rules substitute moral , dictating laws and imposing one’s own systems of reference at the expense of the values of life.
In “a society where the dictatorship of money or profit advocates a vision of existence by which one who does not produce is discarded,” it is evident that “one must first let oneself be evangelized to then be committed in evangelization,” glossed Francis.
In face of this, it is necessary to deal with the “world of youth,” which is “complex” and, at the same time, “rich and challenging”: on one hand, there are “not a few” young people who are “very generous, solidaristic and committed at the religious and social level”; many of them “seek a true spiritual life” and “hunger for something different from what the world offers.”
Other young people, however, are “victims of the logic of worldliness,” or “of success at any price, of easy money and easy pleasure”: it is the Church’s task, affirmed the Pontiff, “to be alongside them to infect them with the joy of the Gospel and of belonging to Christ. This culture must be evangelized if we do not want young people to succumb.”
The Pontiff did not fail to stigmatize “situations of counter-testimony, which render fidelity difficult” within consecrated life itself: “routine, exhaustion, the burden of the management of structures, internal divisions, the quest for power, a worldly way of governing the Institutes, a service of authority that sometimes becomes authoritarianism and at other times ‘laissez-faire.’
If consecrated life wants to keep “its prophetic mission and its attraction” and continue to be a “school of fidelity to “those who are near and those who are far off (cf. Ephesians 2:17),” it must “maintain the freshness and novelty of the centrality of Jesus, the attraction of spirituality and the strength of the mission, show the beauty of the following of Christ and radiate hope and joy,” affirmed Francis.
“Fraternal life in community” is nourished “by community prayer, by prayerful reading of the Word, by active participation in the Sacraments of the Eucharist and of Reconciliation, by fraternal dialogue and by sincere communication among its members, by fraternal correction, by mercy towards a brother or sister who sins, by the sharing of responsibilities,” accompanied “by an eloquent and joyous testimony of a simple life alongside the poor and by a mission that favors the existential peripheries.” When a man or woman Religious does not find the support of their Community, they will go to “seek it outside, with all that this implies,” admonished the Pope.
A religious vocation is a true and proper “treasure,” gift of Jesus Christ and, therefore, is preserved from the logics of “worldliness” and from little deviations and distractions that, in the long run, can give way to “great infidelities”: the antidote is to “keep one’s gaze fixed on the Lord,” so that “no one robs us of this treasure and so that it does not lose its beauty with the passing of time,” he added.
Needed are “brothers and sisters experts in the ways of God, to be able to do what Jesus did with the disciples of Emmaus: to accompany them on the journey of life and in the moment of disorientation and to rekindle faith and hope in them, through the Word and the Eucharist (cf. Luke 24:13-35).
“Accompaniment” and “spiritual direction” specified Francis, are “lay” charisms, which can be carried out by priests or by non-presbyterial figures, such as laymen or Sisters
The Holy Father lamented that many vocations “are lost because of a lack of valid ‘accompaniers’”: to be avoided, therefore, are all forms of accompaniment that create dependencies, which protect, control and render infantile; we cannot be resigned to walk on our own. Close, frequent and fully adult accompaniment is necessary.
Therefore, an accompanier must be “completely detached from prejudices and personal or group interests and foster a discernment that is not limited to the choice “between the good and the bad, but between the good and the better between what is good and that which leads to identification with Christ,” concluded Francis.

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Francis Makes Himself an Ambassador of 'Good News'

Luca Marcolivio — Tue, 24 Jan 2017 16:31:30 +0000

According to Monsignor Dario Edoardo Vigano, Prefect of the Secretariat for Communication, the three salient points of Pope Francis’ Message for the 51^st World Day of Social Communications, published today on the occasion of the Memorial of Saint Francis of Sales, Patron of Journalists, are “purity of the look,” the “good news,” professionalism and truthfulness in information.
Meeting this morning with journalists accredited to the Vatican Press Office, Monsignor Vigano revealed numerous other salient passages of the document, whose theme is ”Fear Not, for I am with You” (Isaiah, 43:5). To Communicate Hope and Trust in Our Time: rejection of prejudices toward others; promotion of the culture of encounter; the search for an “open communicative style that does not give to evil the role of protagonist.”
In this ‘ethical’ address, the Prefect of the Secretariat of Communication brought to light the continuity with the teaching of Pius XII who, to the question if it is licit to represent evil, answered positively, so long as it does not become a winning and positive protagonist.”
To convey “good news” does not mean, therefore, to spread a naive optimism” but implies a “pure look towards a “complex reality.” After all, noted Monsignor Vigano, the word “look” itself is recurrent in “Bergoglio’s vocabulary,” because the verb “to look” permeates profoundly Jesuit and Ignatian spirituality. “To “observe,” “contemplate”,” and “discern” are acts that commit to “freedom” and “responsibility.”
Monsignor Vigano then mentioned Wim Wenders film “So Far, So Close.” which begins with an evangelical quotation, which seems, in fact, to go in the direction suggested by the Pontiff: “If your eye is sound, your whole body will be full of light” (cf. Matthew 6:19-23).
This purity of the look refers to “looking at the impurity of the world without being “taken over” by it, wearing the “right spectacles.” Purity, in this case, is not connected so much with the sixth Commandment, but with the absence of “hypocrisy,” which determines “false relations in which it is difficult to move,” added the head of the Dicastery.
If on one hand it is easier to communicate “scandalous” and “prurient” news, the Pope is certainly not asking journalists to represent “Heidi’s world,” but to “go in depth” and open “areas of hope” for “human dignity.” The “good news” of these days, for instance, is the “support” and “closeness” that the Italians are demonstrating in different ways in relating to those affected by the earthquakes of Central Italy.
In making himself champion of “good news,” Francis is well aware that he must address a world of “divisions” and disagreements, including in the heart of the Church of Rome. However, he himself is aware that it is better to have constructive “criticism” and “respectful dissent” around one, rather than being surrounded by “adulators,” observed Monsignor Vigano.
In face of a communications world that is going through tumultuous transformations, in the passage from printed and televised communication to a “social” communication, the need for “rapid” information often clashes with the need for objectivity and veracity, stressed Monsignor Vigano, who pointed out “ideology” as another enemy of the truth, which puts about rapid and pre-packaged answers distancing itself from the humanity of the one who is the object of the information.
During the round table, moderated by the Assistant Director of the Vatican Press Office, Paloma Garcia Ovejero, the Vatican expert of CNN, Delia Gallagher intervened, who, in the first place, also reflected on the urgency of “good news,” which in the U.S., among others, has a fixed space in almost all headlines: CNN itself, for instance, offers the rubric Heroes, dedicated to the unknown heroes of everyday life.
“Good news,” added the American journalist, is always combined with truthfulness and “accuracy,” always looking for the “right words,” each one working in his own littleness, being “precise” about things,” in order to gain the “trust of those who read and listen.”
Gallagher pointed out a risk regarding modern information, overwhelming the media: the deluge of data, in which positive news, though published, risks being suffocated under the weight of scandals and morbidity.
According to CNN’s Vatican expert, the media’s treatment of the Apostolic Exhortation Amoris Laetita is an example of how many papal documents are in need of a long time to be digested, while “news has its progression, we want the whole truth immediately …”, said Delia Gallagher, concluding that to be a journalist “it’s not necessary to be cynics” but, what is needed is a “pure look,” accompanied by the “joy of doing this work,” though laborious.

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“Witness Faith With Joy and Do Not Engage In Proselytism,” Is Francis’ Advice to Young People of Guidonia

Luca Marcolivio — Tue, 17 Jan 2017 11:54:17 +0000

It was an intense and unforgettable afternoon for Saint Mary’s parish at Setteville of Guidonia, gladdened yesterday by Pope Francis’ visit. On his arrival at 3:40 pm, the Holy Father first greeted the assistant parish priest, Father Giuseppe Bernardino, 50, suffering from amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. After a brief conversation and a silent prayer, the Pontiff administered to the priest the Sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick.
In the next two hours, the Pope met the different pastoral realities of the parish, among which were 30 elderly and sick, including three children suffering from Down’s Syndrome; the youngsters of catechesis, including many young people of the after Confirmation course and a group of Scouts, with whom he chatted for over half an hour, answering several questions.
Then Francis greeted 45 infants, baptized in the course of 2016, and he reminded their parents of the importance of the family. Then a meeting was held with some one hundred faithful who help the parish priest, Father Luigi Tedoldi, in his pastoral work. The Pontiff gave them some advice, pausing on the value of the mission.
After greeting the priests and five seminarians of the parish, the Holy Father went to the sacristy to hear the confessions of four penitents: a young couple, that look after the Assistant Parish Priest, a young person of the course following Confirmation, and the father of a sick child.
At 5:40 pm, the celebration of the Mass began, during which the Pontiff gave an off-the-cuff homily, reflecting in particular on the danger of “gossip” and of tittle-tattle, especially in the parish environment.
Shortly before taking leave of the parish community of Setteville of Guidonia, Francis greeted numerous faithful gathered in front of the church since midday, who followed the visit on giant screens set up for the occasion.
On the occasion of his meeting with recently confirmed young people, the Pope thanked them for the designs he received and reflected on a recurrent problem in parishes: Confirmation as the “good-bye Sacrament,” after which many youngsters stop frequenting the Oratories.
“’Post-Confirmation,’ if you will, is a problem. And the fact that you are here, is a grace of the Lord. The Lord has given you this grace to not make Confirmation the “good-bye» Sacrament until the wedding day. So many years without a community … And you have been chosen by the Lord to be a community. And this is great,” commented Francis.
Another point addressed during the conversation with youngsters was “Christian witness,” which, as such, implies “talking about the Lord with joy,” where many tend to do so “with a certain sadness.” Moreover, he added, it makes no sense to go “every Sunday to Mass,” when then “I don’t talk to my parents, I’m not interested in the elderly, I don’t help the poor, I don’t go to visit the sick.” That is, it’s not enough to witness with the “word,” the “heart” and “hands” are also necessary or – as a girl said, intervening in the discourse – “giving oneself,” “opening oneself to the other,” accepting him “as he is” and exercising “humility, “forgiveness” and the “works of mercy.”
Once again, the Holy Father warned about the risks of “proselytism,” understood as an attitude to “convince” someone who doesn’t believe, and taking the first initiative. Instead, it is opportune to “live in such a way that it is he or she who asks me: ‘Why do you live like this? Why did you do that?” and then yes, do explain.” Therefore, it is important first to give example and witness, so “the Holy Spirit enters the heart, makes it restless with the testimony of Christians.”
Speaking of “forgiveness,” Francis acknowledged that “it’s difficult but it can be done,” because although often “the wound can heal […] the scar remains.” And he reminded that forgiveness is certainly not “alms” but “is born in the heart and one begins to treat that person as if nothing had happened … a smile and, slowly, forgiveness comes. Forgiveness is not done by decree: we must engage in an interior journey to forgive.”
Answering a question on what is the greatest gift God has given us,” the Pontiff replied: it’s a great gift to live in a family. And once again, he made use of the occasion to refer to the role of grandparents, with whom – noted the Pope – many youngsters speak more readily than with their parents. Hence this advice: “talk with your grandparents; ask your grandparents questions. Grandparents are the memory of life, they are the wisdom of life.”
The conversation then moved to the difficult challenge of “never losing the faith through the highs and lows of life.” Moments can happen, said the Pontiff, based on his personal experience, that in certain circumstances the faith can be “lost altogether or in part, but then in time you rediscover it.” “There are dark days, everything is dark … I also went through such days in my life,” confided Bergoglio, suggesting that one must “not get scared” but “pray and have patience, and then the Lord makes Himself seen, He makes us grow in the faith and go forward.”
In this context, Francis spoke about his meeting on Saturday, during which he baptized 13 children affected by the earthquake, with a desperate father who lost his wife in the quake of last August 24.
“One thinks: can this man have faith after this tragedy?” wondered the Pope.
“Respect that darkness of the soul,» Pope Francis suggested, «then it will be up to the Lord to reawaken the faith. Faith is a gift of the Lord. It is for us only to protect it … One doesn’t study to have faith; faith is received as a gift.”

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'A Parish Where There Is No Gossip, Is a Perfect Parish!' Says Pope

Luca Marcolivio — Mon, 16 Jan 2017 14:55:38 +0000

Jesus Christ’s first disciples were “sinners,” like all of us, but they had a great strong point: they never spoke badly of one another and in this they gave a great example, succeeding in spreading the Gospel throughout the world. In his first post-Jubilee parish visit to Setteville of Guidonia in Rome, Pope Francis prayed for a special grace for the community: to never “gossip,” to never talk about one another.
The Holy Father took his cue from today’s Gospel (John 1:29-34), to reflect on the concept of “testimony”: many of John the Baptist’s disciples listened to the prophet’s testimony, chose to follow Jesus and “remained happy,” saying: “We have found the Messiah!” Those first disciples of the Nazarene “felt Jesus’ presence thanks to a man, John, who gave witness of Christ.
Casting a look on today’s reality, the Pontiff noted: “So many Christians confess that Jesus is God,” and among these there are “priests” and “bishops.” A question arises, however: “Do they all give witness of Jesus?”
To be Christians, continued the Pope, is something very different from being “fans of a team” or adhering to a “philosophy. It also goes beyond simple respect for the “Commandments,” of a “I must do this …”
Those first disciples, the Apostles, did not follow a course,” nor did they “go to university” to give witness of Jesus Christ. Moreover, they were all “sinners,” not “only Judas” of whom, after all, we do not know what happened after his death,” in as much as, perhaps, God’s mercy could have saved him.
The Twelve Apostles, added Francis, were full of defects, they were “envious,” experienced “jealousy between them,” argued about who should “occupy the first place.” They were even “traitors” and it is demonstrated by the fact that “when Jesus was seized, they all fled …. They were afraid, they hid.” Peter himself, “who was the head,” tried to follow the Master up closer in his final trial but “when a servant recognized him, he denied Jesus.” Thus, St. Peter’s Successor stressed: “The first Pope betrayed Jesus.”
However, all those first disciples “let themselves be saved” and became “witnesses of salvation,” granted to them by Jesus. They committed “so many sins,” including the Lord’s betrayal, but they were great in one aspect: “They weren’t gossipers, they did not talk badly of one another,” as opposed to so many of today’s communities, where they end by “skinning one another.”
Hence, the Pope re-launched a strong point of his preaching: “A community where there are gossipers doesn’t give witness. If you have something to say, say it to the face or, at most, “say it to the parish priest.” From whence the Bishop of Rome drew his recommendation to Saint Mary’s parish: “I would like this community to make the resolution not to gossip.” In face of such a temptation, “bite your tongue!”, he added.
Given that “the Apostles never gossiped about one another, “a parish without gossip is a perfect parish,” made up “of witnesses,” of which one can say credibly “How they love one another!”, said Francis, praying finally to the Lord for the parishioners of Setteville of Guidonia, to be given the grace “never to talk about one another.”

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Better Not to Be a Lukewarm Catholic or a Lukewarm Lutheran, Pope Says

Luca Marcolivio — Fri, 14 Oct 2016 16:31:22 +0000

An “ecumenical pilgrimage” brought Lutherans from the place of the 1517 schism to the See of Peter, in the heart of the Catholic Church, from which they have been separated for half a millennium.
A few months from the 500th anniversary of the Reformation and three weeks from his historic trip to Sweden, Pope Francis received Thursday in the Vatican the representatives of the German Lutheran Church, after having done the same last week with the English Anglicans, having also an ecumenical celebration of Vespers with their Primate, Justin Welby, at Saint Gregory al Celio.
The meeting was something for which to “thank God,” because now “we are walking on the path that goes from conflict to communion,” stressed the Holy Father during the audience granted to the Lutheran pilgrims in Paul VI Hall.
“We have already gone together over an important stretch of the road,” he continued. Along the way we have experienced contrasting sentiments: grief for the division that still exists between us, but also joy for the fraternity already rediscovered.
Francis expressed his satisfaction with the “very numerous and enthusiastic presence” of Lutherans in the Vatican, received as “an evident sign of this fraternity,” that “fills us with hope that mutual understanding might continue to grow.”
As Saint Paul recalls, “in virtue of our Baptism, we all form the one Body of Christ. In fact, the different members form only one body,” hence “we belong to one another and when one suffers, all suffer, when one rejoices, all rejoice (cf. 1 Corinthians 12:12-26),” recalled the Pontiff.
“We can continue our ecumenical path with confidence, because we know that, beyond the many questions that still separate us, we are already united,” added the Pope, re-launching the ecumenical “motto” put forward for the first time by Saint John XXIII: “What unites us is much more than what divides us!”
Then the Holy Father recalled the purpose of his planned trip to Lund, in Sweden, on October 31-November 1: to “remember, after five centuries of the beginning of Luther’s Reformation” and to thank the Lord “for fifty years of official dialogue between Lutherans and Catholics.”
In reality, he explained, an “essential part of this commemoration will be the turning of our gaze to the future in view of a common Christian witness to today’s world, which has so much thirst for God and His mercy.”
From all Christians, without distinctions, the world expects a “testimony” that renders “visible the mercy that God has in our relations through the service to the poorest, the sick, to those who have abandoned their land to seek a better future for themselves and for their dear ones.”
It is, in fact, “ in putting oneself at the service of the neediest” that “we experience our being already united”: it is, therefore, “God’s mercy that unites us,” affirmed the Pope.
The Bishop of Rome requested young people in particular to be “witnesses of mercy.”
“While theologians carry forward the dialogue in the doctrinal field, you must continue to seek with insistence occasions to meet one another, to get to know one another better, to pray together and to offer your help to one another and to all those who are in need,” he said to them.
By way of conclusion to his address, the Pontiff exhorted the Lutherans to be “free of all prejudice” and to trust “only the Gospel of Jesus Christ,” in order to become “protagonists of a new stage of this journey that, with God’s help, will lead to full communion.”
Responding to questions from the pilgrims, Pope Francis confirmed one of his strong convictions: proselytism is the “worst poison against ecumenism.”
He then stressed that “Ecclesia semper reformanda,” the Church is always subject to reforms, although, in the course of history, many of these were not very “happy,” and often “mistaken” or “exaggerated.” In any case, he added, “the most important reformers in the Church were the Saints,” many of whom, maybe, were not “theologians” but “humble people,” “with their soul bathed by the Gospel.”
To the question of one who asked him what he appreciated most of the Lutheran church, he answered: “I like Lutherans who truly follow the faith of Jesus Christ,” while “I don’t like lukewarm Catholics and lukewarm Lutherans.”
It is “hypocritical,” the Pope then said, “to defend Christianity in the West” and “throw out a refugee, a famished person, one who is in need of help.”
While hypocrisy is “the sin that Jesus condemns the most,” a true Christian always imitates the Good Samaritan, and gets his pointers from the Beatitudes.
The Holy Father posed the last provoking question to himself: “who is better between Evangelicals and Catholics?” And the answer – in German – was: “Besser sind alle zusammen. Vielen Dank!” or “better if they are all together. Thank you very much!”

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INTERVIEW: “Reconciliation” Between Catholics, Orthodox “Now Closer,” Says Archbishop Forte

Luca Marcolivio — Thu, 29 Sep 2016 14:50:56 +0000

The 14th Plenary Session of the Mixed Commission for the Theological Dialogue between the Orthodox church and the Catholic Church, which ended last week, represents a further step on the path of reconciliation. Convinced of this is Archbishop of Chieti-Vasto, Bruno Forte, whose diocese hosted the ecumenical meeting.
In particular, the agreement on the primacy and synodality represents an encouraging acceleration, after almost a decade of stalling in the ambit of these meetings: not since 2007 had a final document been produced. This year’s success was likely influenced by the epochal meeting between Pope Francis and the Orthodox Patriarch of Moscow, Kirill, which took place in Cuba last February 12.
The only “shade” in the recent plenary, was the abstention of the Georgian Orthodox on the final document, while the controversy continues on the Uniates, although it is not “emphasized,” according to Monsignor Forte.
In a conversation with ZENIT, the Archbishop of Chieti-Vast, one of the representatives of the Italian Episcopate most committed to ecumenism, expressed his satisfaction for the results obtained.
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ZENIT: Excellency, what are the most significant aspects of the Catholic-Orthodox agreement of Chieti on the primacy and synodality?
Archbishop Forte: In the first place, it is very important that we arrived at a common document on the subject of the primacy and on synodality. It was since 2007 at Ravenna, that there were no common results: the meetings of Cyprus, Vienna and Amman held in these years did not succeed in coming to a consensus. Now this has happened with the sole abstention of the Orthodox Church of Georgia on some aspect. And it is an important result.
ZENIT: More in general, what were the points of agreement between the various Churches?
Archbishop Forte: The necessity was affirmed of a first and a head (to use the language of Canon 34 of the Apostles, which is very important for the Orthodox) not only in the local Church (the Bishop) and at the regional level (the Patriarch), but also at the universal level and it was recognized that in the universal communion of the Churches, this role corresponds to the Bishop of Rome, the first of the Patriarchal Churches of the first millennium, when East and West were united.
ZENIT: Instead, where were the major disagreements found?
Archbishop Forte: The difficulty for the Orthodox is to admit the universal power of the Pope’s direct and immediate jurisdiction over the whole Church. Yet they accept that in the first millennium the synergy with Rome was decisive also in the East.
ZENIT: What is your opinion on the controversy of the Ukrainian “Uniates”?
Archbishop Forte: The question is delicate but is not emphasized: every Church, whether or not in communion with Rome, is respected.
ZENIT: The Chieti meeting took place seven months after the historic embrace between Pope Francis and Patriarch Kirill: in what measure was the historic event received by the reporters present in the past days?
Archbishop Forte: These meetings certainly had a great influence on the atmosphere of fraternity lived and on the will to reach a consensus.
ZENIT: Hence, after a millennium, can we say that the reconciliation between Catholics and Orthodox is closer?
Archbishop Forte: I really think so. There is still a long way but the model of conjugation between synodality and primacy certainly opens a fruitful way.

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INTERVIEW: Central Africa: Peace Is Now Truly Possible

Luca Marcolivio — Tue, 23 Aug 2016 14:58:06 +0000

His was one of the most appreciated interventions in this first brief period of the 37^th Rimini Meeting. For Father Federico Trinchero, 39, Carmelite missionary in the Central African Republic since 2009, it was a return to his native land, Romagna, but down there, at Bangui, capital of a country still lacerated by a terrible civil war, there are already those who miss him.
In the course of his testimony at the meeting, the missionary talked about how some locals, knowing about his imminent transfer to Rimini, offered themselves to polish his shoes in sign of solicitude and affection. In fact, there is much gratitude in Central Africa for these missionaries from Europe, who transformed their convent into a refugee camp, and who did not flee not even during the blackest moments of the civil war.
After Pope Francis’ visit, however, — who last November 29 opened the first Holy Door at Bangui, making it the “spiritual capital” of the world –, something has changed for the better. Father Trinchero described the signs of this hope to ZENIT, following his report last Sunday.
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ZENIT: Father Federico, how important was the Holy Father’s visit last November? What changes has it brought about?
Father Trinchero: By the design of Providence, I found myself at Bangui in two of the most important moments of its history. I speak first of all of the bloodiest war that ever involved Central Africa: notwithstanding the fact that in the past coups d’Etat and conflicts weren’t lacking, the level of violence was never so high. In the positive, we had the Pope’s visit, which happened in fact in the midst of this war. The Holy Father’s coming seems to have truly started a path of peace. It can’t be said that the war is ended, but certainly there is no shooting as there was at first.
ZENIT: In your opinion, what were the Holy Father’s words that struck the heart of Central Africans?
Father Trinchero: Certainly, when he said that Bangui was becoming “the spiritual capital of the world,” a phrase that, undoubtedly, surprised us and that, perhaps, we still do not truly understand its meaning. The Central Africans were struck, probably, not so much by the adjective “spiritual” but by the noun “capital”: at one point, they could relate a lot to those “last” that, in the Gospel, become the “first.” Used to occupying the last places, the Pope placed us on the stand. I’m not saying that we must teach others something – this would be pride – but now, however, we have perhaps something to say to the world and we didn’t expect this. “Spiritual” is what we must be: it is a commitment the Pope gave us and we will see in the coming years what it really means.
ZENIT: What are the most outstanding human characteristics of the Central African people?
Father Trinchero: They are a people that, year after year, I am getting to know and love ever more. This daily coexistence with them has enabled me to know their defects better and appreciate their virtues more. One of their good qualities is to smile when suffering. Many of the Italians here, to whom I’ve shown the photo of the refugee camp, have said to me: “”they have lost everything but one sees they are happy.” They are able to endure a lot, to smile in suffering, to always see the positive side of everything and not despair. In appearance they might seem passive and not very dynamic but in fact they always commit themselves and give the best of themselves.
ZENIT: How receptive are the Central Africans to the Christian message?
Father Trinchero: From the point of view of the faith, we find all the defects and merits of a young Church. There is much enthusiasm; the churches are packed, the Movements very frequented, young people take part in the life of the Church and are very willing. While here in Europe priests don’t know what to invent to attract young people, in Central Africa sometimes we don’t even publicize our initiatives for fear that too many will come! God isn’t a problem for them, He is not – as I often say – something that one discusses but Someone with whom one discusses. For them, it is as if God were part of the family’s friends.
Instead, problems arise in conversion from beliefs linked to witchcraft and regarding how the Gospel can really become life and change their moral behavior. In particular, in regard to the family and marriage, there is still a long way to go. I’m referring in particular to the fear of Sacramental Marriage on the part of young couples. Unfortunately, few weddings are celebrated in church and those who do are, in the main, mature couples who have lived for many years in concubinage and already have several children. Another obstacle is the dowry. There is also much sexual disorder, promiscuity, homelessness, individuals that have children from several relationships, children that grow up without the figure of the father. Truly united families are rare.
ZENIT: What is the state of inter-religious coexistence in Central Africa?
Father Trinchero: Before the war, Central Africa was an example of good Islamic-Christian relations. The official figures – which in my opinion should be looked at again – speak of 25% of Catholics and 25% of Protestants; hence, half of Central Africans would be Christians. Then there is 15% of Muslims, while the rest of the population is animist. Muslims have decreased (many have fled), while I think Catholics are somewhat more. Unfortunately, this war, which began for reasons of economic interests, has resulted in an inter-religious conflict, which then degenerated. Initially the Muslims harassed the Christians then, through the Antibalaka Movement, the latter avenged themselves: first the Muslims destroyed the churches, then the Christians destroyed the mosques. It will take years to return to what it was before, although some signs of improvement are being registered. It’s probable that for some time a sentiment of frustration was latent on the part of Christians that, in commercial activities are often the servants of the Muslims, owners of the greater part of businesses. Although being the majority, they suffered this situation of subjection.
ZENIT: What were the loveliest episodes you lived at Bangui from the beginning of your mission?
Father Trinchero: As I was saying earlier, relations between Christians and Muslims are slowly returning to normality and I noticed it in a recent personal experience. A short time ago, I was transporting chairs in a car, with the help of a Muslim. He was the first Muslim with whom I was speaking after two years of war. During the trajectory, I made a mistake and turned into a prohibited direction. The policeman wanted to fine me, but my Muslim friend was against it, because – he argued – I was a “minister of God.” I would honestly have paid for that contravention but he succeeded in impeding it: it was a gesture I appreciated very much.
Then, last Christmas, we witnessed a true and proper miracle. We so wanted to give a gift to our children in the refugee camp, but there were a good 500 and, in fact, it didn’t seem possible except that in the afternoon of December 24 two high-powered cars arrived at Carmel, from which well-dressed gentlemen descended unloading boxes with 1600 gifts and games for our children. They then disappeared and we don’t know where they came from or who they were, nor did we see them again. So Providence heard us: we who wanted to make this gift, He sent us His “ministers” and we, in a few hours, were able to distribute the gifts to the children of the entire refugee camp.

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FEATURE: Apostles of Christ in the Cradle of Islam

Luca Marcolivio — Mon, 22 Aug 2016 18:08:27 +0000

Evangelization and interreligious dialogue can go together harmoniously.
This was the affirmation made at the Rimini meeting for Friendship Among Peoples this week, with the testimony of Bishop Camillo Ballin.

Related: Read the Pope’s message to the Meeting, regarding this year’s theme.

The 72-year-old priest, a native of the Diocese of Vicenza, entered the Comboni Order in 1963, and was ordained in 1969.
When he was asked where he would like to be sent as a missionary, he expressed three preferences: “1) Arab countries; 2) Arab countries; 3) Arab countries …”
This was the first of the anecdotes recounted at the Rimini Meeting by the Apostolic Vicar for Northern Arabia, explaining that he perceived his missionary destination as the Lord’s will.
In the course of a one-hour conference on the theme “To Live as Christians,” introduced by the director of Tracce [Footprints], David Perillo, the prelate talked about his enduring pastoral experience in the cradle of Islam: an adventure that began 47 years ago, at the moment of his priestly ordination.
Bishop Ballin, who has covered his present assignment since 2011, is titular of a diocese with just over two million Catholics, seven times the size of Italy and which includes four countries: Bahrain, Qatar, Kuwait and Saudi Arabia.
He has lived almost half a century on the fringes of Christianity, leading a community that has always represented a small minority, made up almost totally of immigrants.
Whether in Bahrain or Kuwait, Islam is the state religion and Shari’a is the main source of law, while in Saudi Arabia no worship, not even in private, is allowed outside of Islam and it is even prohibited to speak of one’s faith, recalled Bishop Ballin.
These are countries that “have based their economy on oil, but the fall in the price has put them in serious difficulty. Politics can do very little if there is no change, a conversion of heart,” affirmed the Apostolic Vicar.
In the Gulf countries, the Catholic Church has very limited freedom of action, without the possibility of influencing the social and political realm. Also in Kuwait, Bahrain and Qatar, where religious pluralism is formally legitimate, it is almost impossible in fact to build churches, parishes or oratories — given the threats and blackmail of fundamentalist Imams. Monasteries are totally absent.
Some greater space is granted to Catholic schools, however, Christian youngsters who have passed their school-leaving examinations are obliged to continue their studies in Europe or America, because access to the universities is only possible for Muslims.
The meagre Christian population in this southern area is, in any case, of a low average age, also because one who has not obtained local citizenship by the age of 60 is obliged by law to return to his country of origin.
So how do Christians live in Arab countries? What sort of witness can they give in such a hostile and ghettoizing context? Bishop Ballin is convinced that their presence is part of God’s plan: “We, Christians, collaborate for a more human society. Our vocation is the whole world; we send disciples of Jesus Christ and it is our mission to help them so that where they go they are ‘light of the world and salt of the earth,’” he said.
In any case, in the Gulf countries the few churches that exist are very frequented and equipped with a Chapel for Perpetual Adoration of the Most Blessed Sacrament and of a grotto of Our Lady, for devotion to Our Lady of Arabia.
In Bishop Ballin’s opinion, the Lord has sent Christians to that land “to be messengers of God in the heart of Islam.”
“We don’t export oil but disciples of Jesus,” he added.
The Apostolic Vicar admitted that, in almost half a century, no Muslim has been baptized: the five that requested it were either spies or were looking for a pretext to obtain a European passport. The bishop refused all of them.
Despite this, Bishop Ballin is radiant and has a peaceful heart. “If after 47 years, I’m still in the Arab world, it’s because I’ve found brothers among Christians and Muslims who accompany me in my life. I’ve never had a personal problem with the Muslims; instead, I have found among them sincere and very faithful friends,” he said.
“After 47 years, I can say that what I’ve received from the Arab world is infinitely more than what I’ve given. I am profoundly convinced and happy to be able to say with all sincerity to any Arab or non-Arab brother: you are a good for me,” concluded the prelate, in reference to the theme of this year’s Rimini Meeting.
“Bishop Ballin’s words remind us that the Christian presence is something greater than what we have in mind. It is greater than the words he can’t say and than the works he can’t do,” commented the moderator, David Perillo, at the end of the testimony.

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Patriarch of Jerusalem: Can a Gazan Child Ever Grow Up to Be Healthy?

Luca Marcolivio — Tue, 26 Apr 2016 16:52:51 +0000

A touching testimony full of hope was given earlier this month by the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, Fouad Twal, on the situation of Christians in the Holy Land.
Patriarch Twal was meeting with students and docents of the Pontifical University of the Holy Cross in Rome.
The Patriarchate of Jerusalem, which covers a very vast territory, includes Israel, Palestine, Jordan and Cyprus, and gathers within it “the descendants in direct line of the Christians of the very first Christian community, the Mother Church of Jerusalem,” recalled Patriarch Twal.
A small community, which shortly after evolved into two branches: the Ecclesia ex circumcisione (Judeo-Christians) and the Ecclesia ex gentibus (Romans, Greeks, Aramaeans, Canaanites, Phoenicians, Philistines, Nabataeans, Moabites, Ammonites, etc.). Their universal language was Aramaic but in the cities Greek and Latin were also spoken.
Around the 7th century, when by this time the whole of Palestine was Christianized, the Judeo-Christians disappeared from the Holy Land, the community ex gentibus continued to expand notably, even evangelizing the Bedouins.
Again in the 7th century, with the arrival of Islam, the scene began to change “slowly but radically”: the language and culture became Arabic and Christianity began to withdraw.
Various regimes followed one another in the centuries: Arab, crusader, Mameluke, Ottoman and English, up to the present day, in which native Christians of the Holy Land are “aware, yesterday as today, of the historic-salvific importance of what happened close to their homes and how, in time, this happy proclamation was spread from here.”
“Simple, people,” “lovers of peace” and “hospitable,” the Christians of the Holy Land also have an “extraordinary gift of endurance,” commented Patriarch Twal.
At present, Christians number 450,000, hence less than 2% of the entire population of the Holy Land, while in Jerusalem their number does not reach 12,000.
Despite the connotations of “little flock,” sadly and constantly, moreover, in diminution, the Christians remain “an integral and essential part of their community,” revealing themselves a “pad” between the two “majority presences” Jewish and Muslim.

Today’s problems

Hence the Patriarch reflected on the specifics of the most recent problems of his territory, which are added to the historical hardships: beginning with the wall of separation that — more than 700 kilometers long and eight meters high, in addition to isolating the Palestinian population — “limits the freedom of movement, of study, of work, of travelling and of medical care.”
Then there is the phenomenon of the “intifada of knives,” which involves very young kids of 12-13 years age that, thus armed, fight for reasons that have nothing to do with politics.
For their part, the Israeli military have “broken nerves” and, sometimes, open fire with much ease when it would be far more “human” to capture the delinquents and deliver them to the courts, stressed the Patriarch.
In regard to the tragic situation of Gaza, Patriarch Twal lamented the “numberless painful consequences, especially among the youngest population, the profound psychic, relational and existential wounds left by the traumas suffered: following the three conflicts of 2008, 2010 and 2014, for whose reconstruction, the 5 billion dollars allocated were never released, the reason being that peace is the conditio sine qua non.
At this point the Patriarch asked: “Who can really heal an eight-year-old child who has seen his parents die, or his grandmother, who could not come down from the house because she couldn’t walk, or was too deaf to be aware of the danger? Who can make of this child a healthy, normal citizen, who feels affection and respect for all?”
However, a sign of hope for the Holy Land comes from the agreement between the Holy See and Palestine, sealed on June 26, 2015. When the Apostolic Nuncio in Jerusalem, Monsignor Giuseppe Lazzarotto, asked him for his opinion on the matter, Patriarch Twal’s answer was: “In keeping with its conscience and spirit of justice, the Holy See must recognize the State of Palestine now and not wait for the whole of Europe to pronounce its recognition, otherwise it would have no merit. By recognizing the State of Palestine now, it will have the gratitude of the whole Muslim world.”
Turning to the “mad and meaningless” project of the construction of a new section of wall in the Valley of Cremisan, the Patriarch stressed the contrary decision of the Israeli Court of Justice that, a year ago, declared such a wall “not necessary for Israel’s security.”
A decision for which “we cried victory: victory of the Israeli judges that obeyed the military orders, victory of the Saint Yves Legal Society, which took the case in hand, victory of the Christians that prayed every Friday in the field to impede the construction of the wall,” said Patriarch Twal.

Israel

The Israeli government is such that, although proclaiming itself “secular and democratic,” in reality is behaving increasingly as a “Jewish confessional military regime,” lamented the Patriarch, referring, among other things, to the school system, in which all pupils, including the non-Jewish, receive only the teaching of the Jewish religion and the Christians thus risk “losing their roots,” while subsidies to Catholic schools have been reduced.
All this notwithstanding the agreement signed with the Holy See in 1993, in which the State of Israel committed itself “to freedom of religion and conscience, to the promotion of mutual understanding between nations, to tolerance between the communities and to respect for life and human dignity.”
Israel, therefore, has put in place a true and proper occupation that, in itself, is “always an odious reality: it harms the occupier who loses the sense of respect and of the dignity of others, as it does to the one occupied, in whom the sense of rejection, of rancour and of rebellion grows.”
A paradoxical aspect of this state of things is that, although with a notable flow of tourists from all over the world (China and Japan included), to come to the Holy City with his community the parish priest of Ramallah must ask for the government’s authorization two months ahead of time and the government itself decides at its discretion if he can go, also leaving at home and allowing to depart members of the same family.
If Israel would like to become a truly “democratic” and not “Zionist” State, the hope should be for the birth of “two States” Israeli and Palestinian, with clear and secure borders, as desired by the International Community and also by the Holy See.
In this tragic scenario, the Christians of the Holy Land continue to live an “ecumenical dimension” of dialogue and to be “living witnesses of the history of salvation.” Moreover, “with their prayer and their love, with their trials and with their faith,” they can impede “the Holy Places themselves from being reduced to being only archaeological sites.”

God’s call to Europe

Responding to a question of ZENIT on the situation of the refugees in the Middle East and in Europe, the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem stressed that in Jordan alone, the refugees constitute 20% of the whole population, hence a percentage some twenty times higher than the numbers of the Old Continent.
Therefore, according to Patriarch Twal, Europe should open itself more to the evangelical precept: ”I was a stranger and you welcomed me” (Matthew 25:35). “Our way of welcoming and receiving will be the criterion with which the Lord will judge us,” he stressed, recalling that the last Iraqi refugees in Jordan were “all Christians”: they “lost everything but they never lost the faith. They could have saved themselves by converting to Islam, but they preferred to lose everything.”
“You have everything in Europe, but not the courage to deprive yourselves of something. I was in Austria, where I saw tens of abandoned country houses, which remained empty. If we don’t want the refugees to come to us, the International Community and politics must make peace in their home, and they will gladly stay. If, however, we, out of interest, sell arms and make war in their home, those will be the consequences. We can’t play with the destiny of peoples!” added the Patriarch.

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Father Spadaro: Amoris Laetitia Is a Jesuit Document

Luca Marcolivio — Mon, 11 Apr 2016 12:48:11 +0000

There is no change in doctrine, however, there is an evolution in the understanding of the Gospel and in the understanding of the doctrine itself. Commenting in the heat of the moment on the Post-Synodal Apostolic Exhortation Amoris Laetitia, the Director of the Jesuit Magazine La Civilta Cattolica, Jesuit Father Antonio Spadaro, identified in Pope Francis’ document a distinctly Jesuit approach, which puts before everything the personal relation with God of every individual believer, with all the process of discernment that stems from it.
In an interview with ZENIT, Father Spadaro also pointed out similarities and differences between Amoris Laetitia and Pope Wojtyla’s Familiaris Consortio and other documents of previous teaching, revealing how there is between them an essential “continuity” but, with time, there has also been an evolution of thought in the knowledge of human situations.
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ZENIT: Father Spadaro, in the recently published Apostolic Exhortation, Pope Francis insists very much on “discernment” and on “conscience” — they are two concepts that are very dear to you, Jesuits.
Father Spadaro: Certainly. This document puts at the center two fundamental concepts: the truth of the Gospel and people’s conscience, understanding them not in opposition but in profound connection. Discernment in fact is this: to discover, concretely and not in the abstract, what God wills for my life, with all my capacities and difficulties. There are consciences that know perfectly what the evangelical ideal is but, at the same time, because of their own personal limitations, have a hard time adapting themselves to it. Therefore, it is necessary to understand what the Lord wants in that situation and to value also the small steps that a person can take.
ZENIT: Is what is said true, therefore, that the pastoral approach changes but not the Doctrine?
Father Spadaro: It depends on what we understand as Doctrine. Doctrine is not a rock that falls from Heaven and remains immobile forever. There is certainly an evolution of the pastoral approach but, at the same time, there is an evolution in the understanding of the Gospel. The evangelical principles remain perfectly intact. The Gospel is not understood as a rock but as bread that gives nourishment. At the same time, there is an evolution of the Doctrine. There are so many cases in the history of the Church in which principles have remained firm but the understanding of the principles has led to a doctrinal evolution: we think of religious freedom, of slavery, of the death penalty, of the appreciation of other religions, of salvation, of the need to be part of the Catholic Church. Therefore, this document is part of this great process of the Church’s journey in history and of an evolution in the understanding of the Gospel.
ZENIT: You spoke of “salvation.” Do you think on the part of the Pontiff and of the Synodal Fathers there was renewed attention to the subject of the welfare of souls?
Father Spadaro: Yes, absolutely. At the general level, the element that seems to me that is emerging more forcecefully from this Apostolic Exhortation is the pastoral understanding of the Doctrine, by which the Doctrine has no meaning if it is not geared to the salus animarum of which the last canon of the Code of Canon Law speaks. The salvation of souls must remain the absolute and inexorable reference.
ZENIT: The general feeling, nevertheless, is that this Apostolic Exhortation does not in fact put a tombstone on the debate on the family today. Are you also of this opinion?
Father Spadaro: It is absolutely clear that this Apostolic Exhortation does not put stones above anything. We are before a passage in the journey that the Church undertakes, as was Familiaris Consortio at the time of Saint John Paul II, or Benedict XVI’s Sacramentum Caritatis. They are stages of a journey that generates a debate and a comparison and this certainly is also a crucial and significant moment.
ZENIT: What are the main similarities and differences set off between Familiaris Consortio and Amoris Laetitia?
Father Spadaro: There is both a dimension of continuity and a dimension — not so much of discontinuity but — of evolution within a thought. Held in consideration is how, in Familiaris Consortio, John Paul II spoke of the prohibition of Communion to the divorced and remarried, as a general norm, valid for all, making the exception, however, for those that live a common family life but abstain from sexual relations. Therefore, he posed a condition that, however, was not at the same level of the norm. Pope Wojtyla affirmed in fact that, in some cases, remarried divorced must continue to live together for the good of the children. For his part, Benedict XVI expressed an encouragement to live this situation.
Amoris Laetitia affirms essentially that all cases cannot be enclosed within a valid general norm for all, always and in every case. Hence the discernment of which we spoke earlier: there is continuity but, has happens with Familiaris Consortio, Amoris Laetitia also moves toward a more profound dimension of human situations.
[Translation by ZENIT]

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