Index

18/12/2018-11:04

Deborah Castellano Lubov

Pope Calls to Protect Children from War & Exploitation in Message for 52nd World Day of Peace

Children must be protected, not exploited or abused.
Pope Francis has underscored the importance of this in his Message for the 52nd World Day of Peace, which is celebrated on January 1st, on the theme: ‘Good politics at the service of peace,’ which was presented today in the Vatican.
Cardinal Peter Kodwo Appiah Turkson, Prefect of the Vatican’s Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development, speaking at the presentation, stressed the importance of affirming children’s human rights and futures, as he explored the Holy Father’s message.
Young people, the African cardinal said, “should not be deprived of their future by depriving them of an experience of peace, even now…”
“We should make peace happen,” Cardinal Turkson stressed, in all aspects of life, at home, community, work, and nations.
The message reflected on children currently living in areas of conflict, and all those who work to protect their lives and defend their rights, and lamented “that one out of every six children in our world is affected by the violence of war or its effects, even when they are not enrolled as child soldiers or held hostage by armed groups.”
“The witness given by those who work to defend them and their dignity is most precious for the future of humanity.”
The Pope’s message, which places a great emphasis on the need to protect human rights, begins focusing on “Good politics at the service of peace”
“Bringing peace is central to the mission of Christ’s disciples. That peace is offered to all those men and women who long for peace amid the tragedies and violence that mark human history.”
“The ‘house’ of which Jesus speaks is every family, community, country and continent, in all their diversity and history. It is first and foremost each individual person, without distinction or discrimination,” and also our ‘common home.'”
Next addressed was the challenge of good politics, pointing out that peace “is like a delicate flower struggling to blossom on the stony ground of violence.”
When political life is not seen as a form of service to society as a whole, Francis noted, it can become a means of oppression, marginalization and even destruction, and reminds: “Jesus tells us that, “if anyone would be first, he must be last of all and servant of all” (Mk 9:35).
“Political office and political responsibility thus constantly challenge those called to the service of their country to make every effort to protect those who live there and to create the conditions for a worthy and just future. If exercised with basic respect for the life, freedom and dignity of people, political life can indeed become an outstanding form of charity.”
Next, “Charity and human virtues: the basis of politics at the service of human rights and peace,” was explored, recalling Pope Benedict XVI’s words: “Man’s earthly activity, when inspired and sustained by charity, contributes to the building of the universal city of God, which is the goal of the history of the human family.”
The Pope reminded the importance of voting, noting that “Every election and re-election, and every stage of public life, is an opportunity to return to the original points of reference that inspire justice and law.”
“One thing is certain,” the Pontiff affirmed, “good politics is at the service of peace. It respects and promotes fundamental human rights, which are at the same time mutual obligations, enabling a bond of trust and gratitude to be forged between present and future generations.”
Next, the message explored political vices, noting many are the fault of personal incompetence or to flaws in the system and its institutions. Clearly, it said, these vices detract from the credibility of political life overall.
The Pope reflected on the various forms of corruption: “the misappropriation of public resources, the exploitation of individuals, the denial of rights, the flouting of community rules, dishonest gain, the justification of power by force or the arbitrary appeal to raison d’état and the refusal to relinquish power.” In addition, he decried “xenophobia, racism, lack of concern for the natural environment, the plundering of natural resources for the sake of quick profit and contempt for those forced into exile.”
In the next section, Francis examined how good politics promotes the participation of the young and trust in others.
“When politics concretely fosters the talents of young people and their aspirations, peace grows in their outlook and on their faces,” he said, adding: “It becomes a confident assurance that says, ‘I trust you and with you I believe’ that we can all work together for the common good.”
“Politics is at the service of peace if it finds expression in the recognition of the gifts and abilities of each individual.”
Today more than ever, Pope Francis urged, our societies need “artisans of peace” who can be messengers and authentic witnesses of God the Father, who wills the good and the happiness of the human family.
The sixth section was on: “No to war and to the strategy of fear,” where the Successor of Peter reminded: “peace can never be reduced solely to a balance between power and fear.”
“To threaten others,” he decried, “is to lower them to the status of objects and to deny their dignity. This is why we state once more that an escalation of intimidation, and the uncontrolled proliferation of arms, is contrary to morality and the search for true peace.”
“Terror exerted over those who are most vulnerable contributes to the exile of entire populations who seek a place of peace. Political addresses that tend to blame every evil on migrants and to deprive the poor of hope are unacceptable.”
Rather, he continued, there is a need to reaffirm that peace is based on respect for each person…
“Our thoughts turn in a particular way to all those children currently living in areas of conflict, and to all those who work to protect their lives and defend their rights,” lamenting that one out of every six children in our world is affected by the violence of war or its effects, even when they are not enrolled as child soldiers or held hostage by armed groups.”
“The witness given by those who work to defend them and their dignity is most precious for the future of humanity.
The last section presented “A great project of peace.”
Recalling we are celebrating the seventieth anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, adopted in the wake of the Second World War, we ought to remember the observation of Pope John XXIII: ‘Man’s awareness of his rights must inevitably lead him to the recognition of his duties…The possession of rights also involves their recognition and respect by others.’”
“Peace, in effect, is the fruit of a great political project grounded in the mutual responsibility and interdependence of human beings.” But, he said, “it is also a challenge that demands to be taken up ever anew.”
“It entails a conversion of heart and soul; it is both interior and communal; and it has three inseparable aspects”: peace with oneself, peace with others and peace with creation.
Concluding, Pope Francis recommends: “The politics of peace, conscious of and deeply concerned for every situation of human vulnerability can always draw inspiration from the Magnificat, the hymn that Mary, the Mother of Christ the Savior and Queen of Peace, sang in the name of all mankind.”
***
On ZENIT’s Web page:
Full Message: https://zenit.org/articles/popes-message-for-52nd-world-day-of-peace/

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18/12/2018-12:37

Deborah Castellano Lubov

Comprehensive Response to Sexual Abuse Crisis Needed, Otherwise Mission of Church in the World Will Be in Jeopardy, Stress Vatican Meeting to Protect Minors' Organizers

Absent a comprehensive and communal response, not only will we fail to bring healing to victim survivors, but the very credibility of the Church to carry on the mission of Christ will be in jeopardy throughout the world.
The Organizing Committee of the meeting on “The protection of minors in the Church,” February 21-24, 2019, in the Vatican, stated this in a letter they sent to the encounter’s participants.
It was signed by Cardinal Blase J. Cupich, Archbishop of Chicago, USA; Cardinal Oswald Gracias, Archbishop of Bombay, India, and President of the Episcopal Conference of India; Archbishop Charles Scicluna, Archbishop of Malta and Assistant Secretary of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith; and Father Hans Zollner, SJ, President of the Center for the Protection of Minors of the Pontifical Gregorian University, member of the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors and appointed as referent of the Committee.
The letter begins by encouraging those reading it to reach out to and meet with abuse victims, to understand the gravity of the situation and collect information ahead of the meeting. The bishops also are directed to answer the questionnaire attached to this letter.
The questionnaire, the committee expressed, is to provide a tool for all the participants of the meeting in February to “express their opinions constructively and critically as we move forward, to identify where help is needed to bring about reforms now and in the future, and to help us get a full picture of the situation in the Church.”
The Holy Father, they explained, asked them to thank all bishops reading the letter for their support in completing the attached questionnaire to better prepare for the meeting, and “to urgently invite you to take up this road together. The Holy Father is convinced that through collegial cooperation, the challenges facing the Church can be met.”
“But each of us needs to own this challenge,” it continued, “coming together in solidarity, humility, and penitence to repair the damage done, sharing a common commitment to transparency, and holding everyone in the Church accountable.”
Following the publishing of the letter, Director of the Holy See Press Office, Greg Burke, made the following comments: “The organizers are urging participants to meet with victim survivors  in their own countries before coming in February. This is a concrete way of putting victims first, and acknowledging the horror of what happened.”
“The meeting on the protection of minors will focus on three main themes: responsibility, accountability and transparency.”
Here is the full Vatican-provided English text of that letter:
***
Dear Brothers in Christ,
“If one member suffers, all suffer together with it” (1 Cor 12:26). With these words Pope Francis began his Letter to the People of God (August 2018) in response to the abuse crisis facing the Church. Those abused by clerics were also damaged when “We showed no care for the little ones; we abandoned them.” And so, “If, in the past, the response was one of omission, today we want solidarity, in the deepest and most challenging sense, to become our way of forging present and future history.”
Absent a comprehensive and communal response, not only will we fail to bring healing to victim survivors, but the very credibility of the Church to carry on the mission of Christ will be in jeopardy throughout the world.
The first step must be acknowledging the truth of what has happened. For this reason, we urge each episcopal conference president to reach out and visit with victim survivors of clergy sex abuse in your respective countries prior to the meeting in Rome, to learn first-hand the suffering that they have endured.
Additionally, we ask you to answer the questionnaire attached to this letter. It provides a tool for all the participants of the meeting in February to express their opinions constructively and critically as we move forward, to identify where help is needed to bring about reforms now and in the future, and to help us get a full picture of the situation in the Church.
With this in mind, the Holy Father has asked us to thank you for your support in completing the attached questionnaire to better prepare for the meeting, and to urgently invite you to take up this road together. The Holy Father is convinced that through collegial cooperation, the challenges facing the Church can be met.
But each of us needs to own this challenge, coming together in solidarity, humility, and penitence to repair the damage done, sharing a common commitment to transparency, and holding everyone in the Church accountable.
Please note that we would be grateful to have your responses as soon as possible, but no later than January 15.
God bless in this Advent season,
Cardinal Blase J. Cupich
Cardinal Oswald Gracias
Archbishop Charles J. Scicluna
Fr. Hans Zollner SJ
[Original text: English]
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18/12/2018-09:05

Deborah Castellano Lubov

INTERVIEW: American Priest’s New Book Emphasizes the Christmas Message & May Help Faithful Prepare for Lord's Nativity

A new book on the fundamental Judeo-Christian belief that God is One and that He searches for us long before we search for Him, is on bookshelves near you.
It was written by Father Jeffrey Kirby, the Pastor of Our Lady of Grace Parish in Indian Land, South Carolina, who studied in Rome and received his doctorate from the Pontifical Holy Cross University.
This Advent, Zenit spoke with him about his latest work, which emphasizes as well, the Christmas message and how we can prepare for the Lord’s Nativity. Here is our conversation:
***Image result for god's search for us kirby
Zenit:  Father Kirby, tell us about your new book, God’s Search for Us. 
Father Kirby:   Thank you for this opportunity. My new book came from different parts of the research I did for my doctoral thesis a few years ago. The work was on conscience formation and, in order to argue for a moral teacher, I returned to some basic biblical beliefs. In particular, I returned to the core belief: God is One and He searches for us long before we search for Him.
This was an accepted perspective throughout salvation history. It was the view that helped us to understand the Incarnation, the Lord’s coming to us at Christmas. It was the context within which we understood the Passion, Death, and Resurrection of Jesus Christ.
This view, however, has been a neglected one in more contemporary times. Modern philosophy and contemporary thought accentuates our search for God or for meaning in this life. The emphasis has become solely our own journey or on our own effort to build a world for ourselves as we seek to create meaning and value for ourselves. While we certainly have a part to play in knowing God and seeking Him, the task can be a lonely one when God is removed or when He becomes a mere actor in our play. In such a scenario, our journey only leads to ourselves. It leads to emptiness and misery. In contrast, by putting first things first, we realize that God is the source of the meaning, value, and purpose of life. In accepting this reality, our search for Him builds on and complements his search for us.
Zenit:   So there’s a lot in this little book…
Father Kirby:   Yes, you could say that. But with that said, I want to stress that there’s nothing in the book that anyone would find overwhelming or confusing. In the end, the book is about God’s love for us. It is a love that is active and that pursues us. It is a love that searches for us and offers us fellowship.
Zenit: What about the subtitle: Five Truths from a Missing Coin. Could you explain how that fits into the book.
Father Kirby: In writing the different parts of the book, I realized that there was an inner harmony among them. I wanted to stress this unity and so I looked through the Sacred Scriptures. In its pages, I came across the parable of the Lord Jesus about the woman who lost a coin. It’s in Luke’s Gospel, Chapter 15, and was given as an encapsulated story of salvation history by the Lord. It emphasizes God’s search for us. It was the perfect context for the book and so I borrowed it as the unifying story of the book’s themes.
Zenit:   You mentioned the Christmas message earlier. Is this a good book for our Christmas preparation?
Father Kirby: Definitely. If anyone wants to really dive into the depths of the Christmas mystery, then God’s Search for Us can certainly help. It’s basic message – God is looking for us – is the story of Emmanuel, God-with-us. Hence, it could certainly help anyone prepare well for the Lord’s Nativity.

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18/12/2018-15:22

Anne Kurian-Montabone

Santa Marta: 'To Dream is to Open the Door to the Future'

“To dream is to open doors to the future,” said Pope Francis at the Mass on December 18, 2018, at Casa Santa Marta in the Vatican.
In his homily reported by Vatican News, the Pope meditated on the figure of St. Joseph, presented in the Scriptures as “a righteous man, an observant of the law, a worker, humble, lover of Mary…God reveals to him his mission, Joseph embraces his role and accompanies the growth of the Son of God “in silence, without judging, without speaking, without repeating”.
Saint Joseph helped Jesus “to grow, to grow,” continued the pope: “He sought thus a place for his son to be born; he took care of him; he helped him grow up; he taught him his charge: so many things … In silence. He never saw his son as a property: he let him grow in silence. He lets him grow: that would be the word that would help us a lot, we who by nature always want to put our noses everywhere, especially in the lives of others. And why is he doing this? Why the other …? And we start to behave … And he lets him grow. He protects. He helps but in silence. ”
The pope also pointed out that St Joseph is “the man of dreams…The dream is a privileged place to seek the truth because there we do not defend ourselves against the truth … And God also speaks in dreams. Not always, because usually, it’s our unconscious, but God often chooses to speak in dreams … it shows in the Bible, does not it? Through dreams ”
“Joseph was the man the man of dreams, but he was not a dreamer, eh? He was not a fancier. A dreamer is something else: he who believes … come, he is in the clouds, he does not have eyes on earth … Joseph had his feet on the ground. But he was open,” assured the pope.
He urged “not to lose the ability to dream the future”, encouraging: “Each of us: dream for our family, for our children, for our parents. Look how I would like their life to go. Priests too: to dream for our faithful, to what we want. To dream as young people dream, who are ‘shamed’ in the dream, and they find a way. ”
This, he concluded, “does not lose the ability to dream, because to dream is to open the doors in the future. It’s to be fruitful in the future. ”
During the celebration, the Pope specially prayed for the handicapped children of Slovakia who made the ornaments of the Christmas tree installed near the altar of the chapel.

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18/12/2018-07:00

Fr. Edward McNamara

LITURGY Q & A: Singing or Reciting the Alleluia

Answered by Legionary of Christ Father Edward McNamara, professor of liturgy and dean of theology at the Regina Apostolorum university.

Q: As lectors during weekday Masses, should we not all follow the same order? One sings the Alleluia, the other recites the Alleluia. Is not the Alleluia sung even during weekday Masses? — R.L., East Hartford, Connecticut

A: According to the General Instruction of the Roman Missal:

“62. After the reading that immediately precedes the Gospel, the Alleluia or another chant indicated by the rubrics is sung, as required by the liturgical season. An acclamation of this kind constitutes a rite or act in itself, by which the assembly of the faithful welcomes and greets the Lord who is about to speak to them in the Gospel and professes their faith by means of the chant. It is sung by all while standing and is led by the choir or a cantor, being repeated if this is appropriate. The verse, however, is sung either by the choir or by the cantor.

“a. The Alleluia is sung in every season other than Lent. The verses are taken from the Lectionary or the Graduale.

“b. During Lent, in place of the Alleluia, the verse before the Gospel is sung, as indicated in the Lectionary. It is also permissible to sing another psalm or tract, as found in the Graduale.

“63. When there is only one reading before the Gospel,

“a. During a season when the Alleluia is to be said, either the Alleluia Psalm or the responsorial Psalm followed by the Alleluia with its verse may be used;

“b. During the season when the Alleluia is not to be said, either the psalm and the verse before the Gospel or the psalm alone may be used;

“c. The Alleluia or verse before the Gospel may be omitted if they are not sung.”

No. 62 clearly recommends and promotes the singing of both Alleluia and verse and offers several solutions in order to achieve the singing of both Alleluia and its corresponding verse.

Since the missal desires that Acclamation and verse both be sung at each and every Mass, Sundays and weekdays, then any order that favors this objective may be employed.

If the reader is incapable of singing the Alleluia verse, he or she may be replaced by a choir or cantor who can sing the verse without having to come to the ambo.

Although not the ideal, and as a last resort, at daily Mass the Alleluia may be sung by the assembly and the verse recited by the reader.

Otherwise, if all else fails, it may be either omitted or recited by assembly and reader.

I believe that this possibility is implied in No. 63.c when it says that the Alleluia may be omitted if not sung. This “may” implies a possibility but not an obligation.

* * *

Follow-up: “Healing Masses”

With respect to our December 11 follow-up on offering the sacrament of the anointing of the sick during so-called Healing Masses, a reader, who is also a judicial vicar in his diocese, made the following observations.

“With regard to the celebration of the Sacrament of the Sick during Mass, I understand that people are not to be anointed unless they meet the ‘normal conditions’ for receiving the sacrament. However, it seems that we have to leave it up to the individual person to make that determination. While we can explain to people who ‘qualifies for the reception of the sacrament,’ it seems to be impossible to question a person at Mass as to their ‘qualifications.’

“Also, as to not repeating the sacrament for a month, except for a grave illness, the problem arises in which a person is anointed today and then is near death tomorrow. We are then asked to administer the ‘Last Rites,’ as if it is somehow different from the sacrament which was celebrated yesterday. Pastorally speaking, it does not appear advisable to start a discussion about sacramental theology with a distraught person or his or her family. While I am all in accord with the guidelines, there are exceptions, which I trust the Lord understands.”

I am substantially in agreement with these observations. But the original context of my reply was the practice of offering the sacrament at Mass on a monthly basis in a parish setting and probably along with other prayers for healing. It was this situation which could give rise to an indiscriminate administration of the sacrament.

I also agree that we should not make indiscrete inquiries to people who approach the sacrament during Mass. But we must be careful in our explanations and preparations so that it is received by those who can actually benefit from it.

Since the possibility of celebrating this sacrament during Mass is now well established, pastors have mostly learned how to best organize it from a pastoral perspective so that those who need it can receive it and those who are blessed with good health can be united in prayer for and with those who are afflicted.

* * *

Readers may send questions to zenit.liturgy@gmail.com. Please put the word “Liturgy” in the subject field. The text should include your initials, your city, and your state, province or country. Father McNamara can only answer a small selection of the great number of questions that arrive.

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18/12/2018-12:10

Deborah Castellano Lubov

Pope Appoints Andrea Tornielli Editorial Director of Vatican’s Dicastery for Communications

Pope Francis has appointed Italian Vatican journalist Andrea Tornielli, 54, editorial director of the Vatican’s Dicastery for Communications.
Announced in a Holy See Press Office bulletin, Tuesday, Dec. 18, 2018, Tornielli will hold this position which coordinates Vatican media. In the same bulletin, it was announced that the Pope nominated Andrea Monda as Director of L’Osservatore Romano.
Born in Chioggia, part of Venice in northern Italy, on March 19, 1964, Andrea Tornielli graduated in the History of the Greek Language from the University of Padua. He was editor at the monthly magazine 30 Giorni, then worked from 1996 to 2011 for the daily Il Giornale.
Since April 2011, he worked at the daily La Stampa, where he coordinated the website Vatican Insider . Married and father of three, he lives between Rome and Milan, according to his short biography published by the Holy See.
In a statement, the prefect of the Dicastery, Paolo Ruffini, assures that with Andrea Tornielli, “the editorial direction (which he is responsible for, in coordinating all the media of the Vatican) will have a safe, authoritative and visionary conduct; conscious of both the great history of the Vatican media and the future that can only be built if we are not afraid, and together.”
The new and first editorial director expresses his gratitude to the pope.
Mentioning the “long history” of the Vatican media, he points out that “these media continue to convey the message of the Successors of Peter and to give voice to the one who does not, thanks to a service in many languages, unique to world.”
Today, he believes, “we need a journalism that tells the facts first before commenting. A journalism that, at the time of the slogans, is able to analyze the reality while always taking into account all its factors.” Andrea Tornielli is committed to serving the Holy See “to help communicate, with all means and using all platforms, in a simple and direct way, the magisterium of the Pope who – as shown by the homilies of St. Martha – accompanies the people of God in every corner of the world. “
Article 9 of the Statute of the Vatican’s Dicastery for Communications notes that the editorial direction has as its mission: the orientation and the coordination of all the editorial lines of competence of the Dicastery; strategic development of new forms of communication; the effective integration of traditional media in the digital world, with constant attention to the universal dimension of the Holy See’s communication.

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18/12/2018-10:01

ZENIT Staff

Pope's Message for 52nd World Day of Peace

Below is the Vatican-provided text of Pope Francis’ Message for the 52nd World Day of Peace, which is celebrated on January 1st, on the theme: ‘Good politics at the service of peace:’
***
Good politics at the service of peace
1. “Peace be to this house!”
In sending his disciples forth on mission, Jesus told them: “Whatever house you enter, first say, ‘Peace be to this house!’ And if a son of peace is there, your peace shall rest upon him; but if not, it shall return to you” (Lk 10:5-6).
Bringing peace is central to the mission of Christ’s disciples. That peace is offered to all those men and women who long for peace amid the tragedies and violence that mark human history.[1] The “house” of which Jesus speaks is every family, community, country and continent, in all their diversity and history. It is first and foremost each individual person, without distinction or discrimination. But it is also our “common home”: the world in which God has placed us and which we are called to care for and cultivate.
So let this be my greeting at the beginning of the New Year: “Peace be to this house!”
2. The challenge of good politics
Peace is like the hope which the poet Charles Péguy celebrated.[2] It is like a delicate flower struggling to blossom on the stony ground of violence. We know that the thirst for power at any price leads to abuses and injustice. Politics is an essential means of building human community and institutions, but when political life is not seen as a form of service to society as a whole, it can become a means of oppression, marginalization and even destruction.
Jesus tells us that, “if anyone would be first, he must be last of all and servant of all” (Mk 9:35). In the words of Pope Paul VI, “to take politics seriously at its different levels – local, regional, national and worldwide – is to affirm the duty of each individual to acknowledge the reality and value of the freedom offered him to work at one and the same time for the good of the city, the nation and all mankind”.[3]
Political office and political responsibility thus constantly challenge those called to the service of their country to make every effort to protect those who live there and to create the conditions for a worthy and just future. If exercised with basic respect for the life, freedom and dignity of persons, political life can indeed become an outstanding form of charity.
3. Charity and human virtues: the basis of politics at the service of human rights and peace
Pope Benedict XVI noted that “every Christian is called to practise charity in a manner corresponding to his vocation and according to the degree of influence he wields in the pólis… When animated by charity, commitment to the common good has greater worth than a merely secular and political stand would have… Man’s earthly activity, when inspired and sustained by charity, contributes to the building of the universal city of God, which is the goal of the history of the human family”.[4] This is a programme on which all politicians, whatever their culture or religion, can agree, if they wish to work together for the good of the human family and to practise those human virtues that sustain all sound political activity: justice, equality, mutual respect, sincerity, honesty, fidelity.
In this regard, it may be helpful to recall the “Beatitudes of the Politician”, proposed by Vietnamese Cardinal François-Xavier Nguyễn Vãn Thuận, a faithful witness to the Gospel who died in 2002:
Blessed be the politician with a lofty sense and deep understanding of his role.
Blessed be the politician who personally exemplifies credibility.
Blessed be the politician who works for the common good and not his or her own interest.
Blessed be the politician who remains consistent.
Blessed be the politician who works for unity.
Blessed be the politician who works to accomplish radical change.
Blessed be the politician who is capable of listening.
Blessed be the politician who is without fear.[5]
Every election and re-election, and every stage of public life, is an opportunity to return to the original points of reference that inspire justice and law. One thing is certain: good politics is at the service of peace. It respects and promotes fundamental human rights, which are at the same time mutual obligations, enabling a bond of trust and gratitude to be forged between present and future generations.
4. Political vices
Sadly, together with its virtues, politics also has its share of vices, whether due to personal incompetence or to flaws in the system and its institutions. Clearly, these vices detract from the credibility of political life overall, as well as the authority, decisions and actions of those engaged in it. These vices, which undermine the ideal of an authentic democracy, bring disgrace to public life and threaten social harmony. We think of corruption in its varied forms: the misappropriation of public resources, the exploitation of individuals, the denial of rights, the flouting of community rules, dishonest gain, the justification of power by force or the arbitrary appeal to raison d’état and the refusal to relinquish power. To which we can add xenophobia, racism, lack of concern for the natural environment, the plundering of natural resources for the sake of quick profit and contempt for those forced into exile.
5. Good politics promotes the participation of the young and trust in others
When the exercise of political power aims only at protecting the interests of a few privileged individuals, the future is compromised and young people can be tempted to lose confidence, since they are relegated to the margins of society without the possibility of helping to build the future. But when politics concretely fosters the talents of young people and their aspirations, peace grows in their outlook and on their faces. It becomes a confident assurance that says, “I trust you and with you I believe” that we can all work together for the common good. Politics is at the service of peace if it finds expression in the recognition of the gifts and abilities of each individual. “What could be more beautiful than an outstretched hand? It was meant by God to offer and to receive. God did not want it to kill (cf. Gen 4:1ff) or to inflict suffering, but to offer care and help in life. Together with our heart and our intelligence, our hands too can become a means of dialogue”.[6]
Everyone can contribute his or her stone to help build the common home. Authentic political life, grounded in law and in frank and fair relations between individuals, experiences renewal whenever we are convinced that every woman, man and generation brings the promise of new relational, intellectual, cultural and spiritual energies. That kind of trust is never easy to achieve, because human relations are complex, especially in our own times, marked by a climate of mistrust rooted in the fear of others or of strangers, or anxiety about one’s personal security. Sadly, it is also seen at the political level, in attitudes of rejection or forms of nationalism that call into question the fraternity of which our globalized world has such great need. Today more than ever, our societies need “artisans of peace” who can be messengers and authentic witnesses of God the Father, who wills the good and the happiness of the human family.
6. No to war and to the strategy of fear
A hundred years after the end of the First World War, as we remember the young people killed in those battles and the civilian populations torn apart, we are more conscious than ever of the terrible lesson taught by fratricidal wars: peace can never be reduced solely to a balance between power and fear. To threaten others is to lower them to the status of objects and to deny their dignity. This is why we state once more that an escalation of intimidation, and the uncontrolled proliferation of arms, is contrary to morality and the search for true peace. Terror exerted over those who are most vulnerable contributes to the exile of entire populations who seek a place of peace. Political addresses that tend to blame every evil on migrants and to deprive the poor of hope are unacceptable. Rather, there is a need to reaffirm that peace is based on respect for each person, whatever his or her background, on respect for the law and the common good, on respect for the environment entrusted to our care and for the richness of the moral tradition inherited from past generations.
Our thoughts turn in a particular way to all those children currently living in areas of conflict, and to all those who work to protect their lives and defend their rights. One out of every six children in our world is affected by the violence of war or its effects, even when they are not enrolled as child soldiers or held hostage by armed groups. The witness given by those who work to defend them and their dignity is most precious for the future of humanity.
7. A great project of peace
In these days, we celebrate the seventieth anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, adopted in the wake of the Second World War. In this context, let us also remember the observation of Pope John XXIII: “Man’s awareness of his rights must inevitably lead him to the recognition of his duties. The possession of rights involves the duty of implementing those rights, for they are the expression of a man’s personal dignity. And the possession of rights also involves their recognition and respect by others”.[7]
Peace, in effect, is the fruit of a great political project grounded in the mutual responsibility and interdependence of human beings. But it is also a challenge that demands to be taken up ever anew. It entails a conversion of heart and soul; it is both interior and communal; and it has three inseparable aspects:
– peace with oneself, rejecting inflexibility, anger and impatience; in the words of Saint Francis de Sales, showing “a bit of sweetness towards oneself” in order to offer “a bit of sweetness to others”;
– peace with others: family members, friends, strangers, the poor and the suffering, being unafraid to encounter them and listen to what they have to say;
– peace with all creation, rediscovering the grandeur of God’s gift and our individual and shared responsibility as inhabitants of this world, citizens and builders of the future.
The politics of peace, conscious of and deeply concerned for every situation of human vulnerability, can always draw inspiration from the Magnificat, the hymn that Mary, the Mother of Christ the Saviour and Queen of Peace, sang in the name of all mankind: “He has mercy on those who fear him in every generation. He has shown the strength of his arm; he has scattered the proud in their conceit. He has cast down the mighty from their thrones, and has lifted up the lowly; …for he has remembered his promise of mercy, the promise he made to our fathers, to Abraham and his children for ever” (Lk 1:50-55).
From the Vatican, 8 December 2018
FRANCIS
_________________________
[1] Cf. Lk 2:14: “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among men with whom he is pleased”.
[2]
 Cf. Le Porche du mystère de la deuxième vertu, Paris, 1986.
[3]
 Apostolic Letter Octogesima Adveniens (14 May 1971), 46.
[4]
 Encyclical Letter Caritas in Veritate (29 June 2009), 7.
[5]
 Cf. Address at the “Civitas” Exhibition-Convention in Padua: “30 Giorni”, no. 5, 2002.
[6]
 BENEDICT XVI, Address to the Authorities of Benin, Cotonou, 19 November 2011.
[7]
 Encyclical Letter Pacem in Terris (11 April 1963), ed. Carlen, 24.
[02049-EN.01] [Original text: Italian] [Vatican-provided text]

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18/12/2018-16:04

Jim Fair

Rome: Andrea Monda Appointed Director of 'L’Osservatore Romano'

Pope Francis on December 18, 2018, named Andrea Monda, 52, to be the new Director of  L’Osservatore Romano, the Vatican’s Daily Newspaper.
“With Andrea Monda, L’Osservatore Romano will be able to continue initiating new projects in its centuries-old history,” said Dr. Paolo Ruffini, Prefect of the Dicastery for Communication. “The Holy See’s daily is one of the pillars of our communication, called to be increasingly involved in the process of integration of the Vatican informative system, as requested by the Holy Father in the Motu proprio that instituted the Dicastery for Communication.”
The Holy Father also appointed Italian Vatican journalist Andrea Tornielli, 54, editorial director of the Vatican’s Dicastery for Communications.
“The choice of Andrea Monda as new Director is a challenge and a response to Pope Francis’ appeal to be “Church going forth,” to “start” new processes also in communication,” Dr. Ruffini said in a press release. “Professor Monda has been able to communicate the beauty of the Gospel and the richness of the Christian life in ambits and with different languages between them: from literature to essay writing, from music to television. As a docent of religion, Monda knows well the needs, the concern and the dreams of today’s young people. Experience of which the texts of the 2018 Via Crucis were woven entrusted by the Pope, in fact, to Monda and his students.”
Monda is a University Professor. He is married and father of one child. He has a degree in Law and another in Religious Studies. He has written for various publications, including Avvenire and La Civiltà Cattolica; he teaches religion and conducts seminars on Christianity and Literature at Pontifical Universities.
“I learned the news of my appointment with a mixed feeling of joy and fear, wonder and incredulity and, above all, of intense gratitude,” Monda said in a statement December 18. “I’ve been engaged in journalism for more than 30 years and I was always concerned with cultural, religious and theological topics, not disdaining that particular professional realm called ‘Vaticanism,’ but I certainly couldn’t imagine that I would be called to direct the Holy See’s daily, that ‘most singular’ newspaper as Saint Paul VI described it when presenting it (on the occasion of the centenary of 1961), as ‘a newspaper of ideas’ that ‘doesn’t intend to give news only but wishes to create thoughts.’
“And the first idea that comes to mind is that L’Osservatore Romano is the daily of the Church and the Church is first of all the People of God. Now, then, starting from this point, it’s about corresponding with the spirit of service to the great trust accorded to me by the Holy Father, on entrusting to me the task to contribute — through the guidance of L’Osservatore Romano — to the completion of the reform of the Holy See’s system of Communication entrusted to the Prefect, Paolo Ruffini.”

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18/12/2018-00:15

ZENIT Staff

Caritas Offers Stories from 'Share the Journey' Campaign

On International Migration Day, December 18, 2018, Caritas is sharing glimpses of its global “Share the Journey” campaign with migrants and refugees. Through events and activities across the world, people founded friendships, built solidarity, and forged hope for the future.
Here are some inspiring examples of how people shared the journey this past year.

Global Solidarity Walk

In October, Caritas launched a 1 million kilometer global pilgrimage with migrants and refugees. Caritas president, Cardinal Luis Tagle, led a walk through Rome that ended up in Saint Peter’s Square. Watch Pope Francis’ words of encouragement for all Share the Journey pilgrims:

Since October 2018, communities, migrants, and refugees walked together all over the world. Walks have taken place in counties including Somalia, Chile, Greece, Iraq, Syria, Honduras, New Zealand, Jordan, Sweden, Thailand, Canada, the United States, Italy, and the United Kingdom.
In Iraq, Caritas gathered almost 500 people to run 10 kilometers in their first ever solidarity marathon.

Caritas Iraq's 10km Share the Journey race

Caritas Iraq’s 10km Share the Journey race

Share a meal with migrants and refugees

The Caritas global week of action in June saw communities sitting down and sharing a meal with migrants and refugees in many places across the world. Find out which countries participated. The week promoted the culture of encounter by bringing people together to eat, talk and share. The week coincided with World Refugee Day on June 20, 2018, so many events took place on this day.
Caritas Syria gave a beautiful testimony of how communities who have suffered the tragedy of war can find moments of healing when they sit down together to share: “Those who came to the meal have told us we not only fed hungry people with a rich meal, but we were also able to touch their hearts deeply and to help them start forgiving and connecting with others.” Read this blog from Caritas Syria.
Meal sharing took a quirky turn in Belgium where Caritas Belgium International conducted a social experiment. They arranged for a migrant or refugee to invite themselves to sit down with people eating in a restaurant. With such a request, who could say no? Watch the Caritas Belgium film in French.
Catholic Relief Services (one of Caritas’ US member organizations) challenged people’s perceptions of migrants and refugees with its “Be Unafraid” roving photo exhibition. They showed us that the fears that often tear communities apart can also be something that unites us. Watch this film about the Be Unafraid project.

Caritas Ambrosiana in Milan meanwhile organized abseiling down one of Milan’s skyscrapers. They were raising awareness of the difficulties migrants and refugees face. On the same day, they launched the Share the Journey/Scendi Dalla Pianta photo contest.

Global Compacts on migrants and refugees

The year closed with an important moment for the future of migration. On 10 December, International Human Rights Day, the UN adopted the Global Compact on Safe, Orderly and Regular migration. Caritas, as a member of Civil Society, contributed to the drafting process. Our advocacy staff was in Marrakesh for the signing. We urge governments to work towards implementing the Global Compact and ensure migrants and refugees have access to social services. Read our statement on the Global Compacts on migrants and refugees.

Cardinal Tagle’s Advent message

Caritas Advent card showing migrants Rajida in Bangladesh and Mary in BethlehemAs the end of 2018 draws near, Advent reminds us how closely the journeys of migrants and refugees tie in with that of the Holy Family. Cardinal Tagle reminds us that “Like Jesus, Mary and Joseph, the Shepherds and the Magi, we are all called on journeys which require strength, perseverance, humanity, wisdom, and courage.”

Read Cardinal Tagle’s Advent message in full

From Caritas Internationalis in Rome and from our 165 organizations around the world, we wish migrants, refugees and communities around the world a joyful International Migrant Day and a Christmas where hope is reborn.

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18/12/2018-00:20

Staff Reporter

Uzbekistan: Advent a Time for Spiritual Renewal

“Every year during the week before Christmas, we, the community of Catholic priests and religious in Uzbekistan, gather for two days of spiritual renewal and to exchange Christmas season greetings, since we cannot all be together on December 25th. This year our two-day celebration falls on December 17-18, 2018. It will also be the occasion to organize celebrations for Christmas share our activities to prepare a festivity dear to the faithful”.
The Apostolic Administrator, Franciscan Friar Jerzy Maculewicz, told Fides News Agency about Advent preparations in the small community of 3,000 Catholics in Uzbekistan. The scarcity of priests last Summer when one of the religious had to return to Poland for surgery, has been overcome.
“We are a small flock. We live the season of Advent with great intensity. We are all well and able to make progress. Our hope is strong,” said the Franciscan recalling his brief pastoral visits to each of the local communities. The most recent he made were to Urgench, about 1000 km from Tashkent, for the celebration of the parish feast of Mary Mother of Mercy and the parish of Buhara, to celebrate the patron, Saint Andrew.
The 3000 Catholics in Uzbekistan, spread out in the five main cities are a small minority in a population in which 80 percent are Muslim, 8 percent belong to the Russian Orthodox Church, and there are other small minorities.

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18/12/2018-00:21

Staff Reporter

Antonio Martín de las Mulas Wins 3th Fernando Rielo World Prize for Mystical Poetry

With the poetry book Viernes Santo (Good Friday), Antonio Martín de las Mulas Baeza (Madrid, Spain, 1977) has won the XXXVIII Fernando Rielo World Prize for Mystical Poetry, awarded on December 13, 2018, in New York, at the Instituto Cervantes. The prize is € 7,000, publication of the work and a commemorative medal. The Laureate is a lawyer by profession. As a poet, he has received several recognitions and his poems have been published in some literary magazines and anthologies. Of the work Viernes Santo, the jury has said that the voice of the poet expressed in its verses is the voice of Jesus in Golgotha, that from the heights of the cross, regards with a unique vision the littleness of the poet, transformed now in the lyric you.
From that view the crucified makes his own the situation of humanity, its weaknesses and its fears: “My blood is being poured out throughout the world, my heart dreams you in the eternal city”.  There is a special sensitivity regarding loneliness and human suffering, that the poet assumes out of the total disposition of the crucified one, that is no longer a passive victim, but an omnipotent maker for one who the cross is a throne, unconquerable rock, a saving altar.  It expresses, not without a certain/ apocalyptic bent, a profound theological content full of salvific hope through which Christ brings humanity to the Father:  He will come like a torrent wind in the fields/ like a wind that agitates green crests / opening the entire soul to the intense love of the Father.”Honorable mention has been granted to the poetic work Desnudando el alma of the Spanish writer Desamparados Escriva.  A work of great beauty and sensitivity proper of an enamored soul.  It is composed with excellent verses full of expressive recourses that spring forth from the wound of love: “No, it was not I who found Love, / it was He who found me…/ I got lost in that encounter / and I meander lost in its sea.”  The experience of absence and presence is not missing, just like that of the final union: “With You, there are moments in which I do not know if I am / I do not know if You are / I only know that we are.”The other finalists were: Antonio Bocanegra (Cádiz), Miguel Sánchez Robles (Murcia); Adela Guerrero Collazos (Cali); Theresia Maria Bothe (Sicilia, Italia); Pilar Elvira Vallejo (Madrid, España); María del Pilar Galán García (Valladolid, España); Marcelo Galliano (Buenos Aires, Argentina); Fernando Raúl Matiussi (Tucumán, Argentina) and Desamparados Escrivá Vidal (Tarragona, España).
The Jury was composed of Jesús Fernández Hernández, president of the Fernando Rielo Foundation; José Mª. López Sevillano, literary critic and permanent secretary of the Prize; Annalisa Saccà, poet and professor of Language and Literature at St. John’s University of New York; Hilario Barrero, poet, prose writer, translator and professor at the City University of New York; Marie-Lise Gazarian-Gautier, professor of Spanish and Latinoamerican Literature at St. John’s University of New York, and David G. Murray, literary critic and philologist.
The President of the Fernando Rielo Foundation, Fr. Jesús Fernández Hernández, in his message in the award ceremony, recalled the words of Fernando Rielo: “Mystical poetry begins where religious poetry ends. The referent of mystical poetry is a divine personal relationship with the Most Holy Trinity and what in this life can be conceived of a life eternal, familiar, intimate. (…) He also expressed that “mystical poetry, far from any ideology or manipulation, is empowering, inclusive and dialoguing; for that reason, it can cover all the registers and forms of literary expression. Nothing is opposed to the creative freedom of the mystic.”
The event featured a harp concert by the famous María Rosa Calvo-Manzano, which has more than three thousand concerts across five continents and numerous awards, in addition to being a member of several Academies of Fine Arts and World History.
The prize is for unpublished works in Spanish or English and has been awarded in venues such as the UN; the UNESCO; the French Senate and the Roman Campidoglio. Every year, it has the support of a wide Committee of Honor composed of Academicians of Language, History and Moral and Political Sciences, as well as writers, poets, university professors, and university rectors.
The ecumenical nature of the prize has made it possible for it to be awarded to poets from different Christian confessions -as a matter of fact in most cases-, but also non-Christian, demonstrating how mystical poetry can unite cultures and religions.
Biographical data of Antonio Martín de las Mulas Baeza (Madrid, 1977)Antonio Martín de las Mulas (Spain, Madrid, 1977) graduated in Law at the Universidad CEU-San Pablo in Madrid, although he had a vocation as a philosopher, a career in which he studied for two years. He devoted himself freely to law with considerable success for nearly fifteen years until 2015 when he decided to move to Medellín (Colombia) and dedicate himself, as a father of a family, to missionary life. He is a catechist for children in one of the most underprivileged neighborhoods of the town of Bello and is also part of the group “Queen of Peace” of Medellín, linked to the Catholic spirituality of Medjugorje. As a poet, he has received several recognitions, including the first prize in the XII Rodrigo Caro Poetry Contest in 2003. His poems have been published in various literary journals and anthologies.

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18/12/2018-01:07

ZENIT Staff

Niger: Hope Persists for Return of Kidnapped Fr. Gigi Maccalli

Three months have gone by since the kidnapping of Father Pier Luigi Maccalli, a priest of the Society for African Missions, SMA. There is no news on the place where he is held prisoner or on the steps taken to release him, Fides News Agency reported December 17, 2018.  His mission in Bomoanga, in Niger, where he worked for more than 11 years, has been closed: the missionaries and nuns had to take refuge in Niamey, the capital. The few remaining Christians are in despair. How will their Christmas be this year? And how will Father Gigi live it?
“Through some writings of Fr. Gigi himself, all of us, his SMA confreres, keep hope alive,” said Fr. Marco Prada, SMA.
For the 2013 Christmas celebrations Fr. Gigi wrote: “In the evening, in my mission, I often look at the sky. Today I understand why there are so many bright stars: they are the stars of the innocent. In Niger alone, malnutrition has already caused the death of more than 2,500 children between the month of January and September this year. We must also remember the news of last October: the macabre discovery of 92 bodies of migrants found at about ten kilometers from the border with Algeria. The truck that carried them broke down in the Nigerian desert. The victims were 7 men, 37 women, and 48 children. Even then there was a massacre of innocent: Rachel continues to cry her children and does not want to be consoled.
In 2014, the abducted missionary said: “This year, Christmas will be in the new church, even if it is still under construction and there are no doors or windows. For now, it is more like a stable: goats and sheep take refuge to protect themselves from the sun and the hens lay their eggs in the hidden corners.
Christmas 2017 – the last one spent freely in his community – Fr. Gigi urged not to give up hope: “Life is a network of two threads: joys and sorrows. Only the shepherds heard the angels sing in the sky on Christmas night, but many heard the broken sorrow of the women of Bethlehem who mourned the innocent saints. Christmas among tears of joy and sorrow, which merge together in a single embrace, in the river of life. So it is on a mission: an intertwining of experiences and strong emotions that tell the beauty of human adventure, which even God wanted to share and embrace …. but we do not abandon the hope that one day the desert will flourish!”

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18/12/2018-19:17

Redacción zenit

Protect Children

Pope Calls to Protect Children from War & Exploitation in Message for 52nd World Day of Peace

Says Peace Is a Challenge that Always Must Be Taken Up Anew

LITURGY Q & A: Singing or Reciting the Alleluia

And More on ‘Healing Masses’

INTERVIEW: American Priest’s New Book Emphasizes the Christmas Message & May Help Faithful Prepare for Lord’s Nativity

God’s Search for Us Highlights the Ideas that Built Western Civilization

Pope’s Message for 52nd World Day of Peace

‘Good politics at the service of peace’

Comprehensive Response to Sexual Abuse Crisis Needed, Otherwise Mission of Church in the World Will Be in Jeopardy, Stress Vatican Meeting to Protect Minors’ Organizers

Organizing Committee Members of February Meeting Send Letter to Participants Demanding Information, Transparency, and Noting Everyone in Church Must Be Held Accountable

Pope Appoints Andrea Tornielli Editorial Director of Vatican’s Dicastery for Communications

Prefect of Dicastery Praises Choice for Role Which Will Coordinate All Vatican Media

Caritas Offers Stories from ‘Share the Journey’ Campaign

Observing World Migration Day on December 18, 2018

Uzbekistan: Advent a Time for Spiritual Renewal

‘We are a small flock. We live the season of Advent with great intensity.’

Antonio Martín de las Mulas Wins 3th Fernando Rielo World Prize for Mystical Poetry

In Solemn Act at Cervantes Institute in New York

Niger: Hope Persists for Return of Kidnapped Fr. Gigi Maccalli

Focus on his Writings During Christmas Season

Santa Marta: ‘To Dream is to Open the Door to the Future’

Like Joseph, Accompany in Silence

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