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FIRST CONGREGATIONS OF CARDINALS THIS COMING MONDAY Vatican
City, 1 March 2013 (VIS) - Today, the first day of the Sede Vacante, Cardinal
Angelo Sodano, dean of the College of Cardinals, has begun to summon the
cardinals to the first of the General Congregations, as provided for by the
Apostolic Constitution “Universi Dominici Gregis”. This first General
Congregation will take place on Monday, 4 March, at 9:30am in the Synod of
Bishops Hall. A second General Congregation is also scheduled for 5:00pm in the
same place. Following is the text of
the letter: “As prescribed in the
Apostolic Constitution “Universi Dominici Gregis” of 22 February 1996 at No. 19,
analogous to the case of the death of the Supreme Pontiff, I have the duty to
officially communicate to Your Eminence the news of the vacancy of the Apostolic
See from the renunciation presented by Pope Benedict XVI effective from
yesterday evening, 28 February, at 8:00pm in Rome.” “On communicating this to
you I fulfil my duty of summoning Your Eminence to the first of the General
Congregations of the College of Cardinals, to be held on Monday, 4 March, at
9:30am in the Synod of Bishops Room in the Paul VI Hall.” “The General
Congregations will then continue normally until the complete number of Cardinal
electors is gathered and the College of Cardinals decides the date for those
Cardinal electors to enter into Conclave on the basis of what the recent Motu
Proprio of 22 February established regarding modifications in the norms relating
to the election of the Roman Pontiff.” “On my part, I am pleased
to take this opportunity to send you my fraternal greetings.”
BENEDICT XVI: TO
WORK FOR THE GOOD OF THE CHURCH AND OF HUMANITY Vatican City, 28 February
2013 (VIS) – This afternoon, shortly after 5:00pm, Benedict XVI left the Vatican
for the last time as Supreme Pontiff. A few moments earlier, in the San Damaso
Courtyard of the Vatican Apostolic Palace, Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, S.D.B.,
secretary of State of His Holiness, and other members of that dicastery bid him
farewell. In full military regalia, the Swiss Guard troops paid him homage. Also
present were Cardinal Agostino Vallini, vicar general of Rome, and Cardinal
Angelo Comastri, vicar general of His Holiness for Vatican City. Many of the
workers of the Vatican City State, with their families, were also in attendance
and greeted the Pope with warm applause.
Before leaving the
Vatican, Benedict XVI issued his last tweet: “Thank you for your love and
support. May you always experience the joy that comes from putting Christ at the
centre of your lives.” Shortly afterwards the
Holy Father, accompanied by his private secretary, Archbishop Georg Ganswein,
prefect of the Papal Household, took a car to the Vatican heliport where the
dean of the College of Cardinals, Cardinal Angelo Sodano, greeted him and he
boarded the helicopter that carried him to Castel Gandolfo. As the helicopter
lifted off, the bells of St. Peter's Basilica and the churches of Roma began
ringing. The Pope's helicopter
flew over the city of Rome, passing by the Colosseum and St. John Lateran
Basilica, and landed at the Castel Gandolfo heliport just after 5:20pm. Awaiting
the Holy Father were Cardinal Giuseppe Bertello and Bishop Giuseppe Sciacca,
respectively president and secretary general of the Governorate of Vatican City
State along with Saverio Petrillo, director of the Pontifical Villas, Bishop
Marcello Semeraro of the Diocese of Albano, and civil and religious authorities
of the area. The Pope was then taken by car to the Castel Gandolfo Apostolic
Palace, where he was greeted by hundreds of people while the bells of Castel
Gandolfo's parishes rang out. Shortly afterwards,
Benedict XVI appeared at the balcony of the Apostolic Palace and said to the
many faithful who were waiting to thank him for his pontificate: “Thank you.
Thank you all. Dear friends, I am happy to be with you, surrounded by the beauty
of Creation and your well wishes, which do me such good. Thank you for your
friendship and your affection. You know that this day is different for me than
the preceding ones. I am no longer the Supreme Pontiff of the Catholic Church,
or I will be until 8:00 this evening and then no longer. I am simply a pilgrim
beginning the last leg of his pilgrimage on this earth. But I would still—with
my heart, with my love, with my prayers, with my reflection, and with all my
inner strength—like to work for the common good and the Good of the Church and
of humanity. I feel very supported by your kindness. Let us go forward with the
Lord for the good of the Church and the world. Thank you. I now wholeheartedly
impart my blessing. Blessed be God Almighty, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Good
night! Thank you all!” Benedict XVI's
pontificate concludes at 8:00pm this evening (Rome time), at which time the
period of the Sede Vacante begins. The Swiss Guards will no longer be in charge
of his safekeeping—which detail will then be undertaken by the Vatican
Gendarmerie—and will return to the Vatican to offer their service to the College
of Cardinals. During this period the twitter account @Pontifex will be
deactivated. Once elected, the new Pope may, if he so desires, take over its
use. Benedict XVI's Fisherman's Ring and the seal of his pontificate will also
be destroyed at that time and the papal apartments in the Vatican Palace will be
sealed.
BENEDICT XVI IS
WELL: READING, LISTENING TO MUSIC, AND PRAYING Vatican City, 1 March
2013 (VIS) – The director of the Holy See Press Office, Fr. Federico Lombardi,
S.J., related some information regarding the Sede Vacante and the first hours of
Benedict XVI after having left the pontificate in a press conference this
afternoon. Fr. Lombardi spoke this
morning with Benedict XVI's personal secretary, Archbishop Georg Ganswein,
prefect of the Papal Household, who told him that, yesterday, His Holiness, who
was very calm and serene, had watched several news programs and expressed his
appreciation for the work of the journalists as well as for the participation of
those who had assisted in his departure from the Vatican and his arrival at
Castel Gandolgo. After a brief walk through the Apostolic Palace he went to bed
and slept very well. Today, as always, His
Holiness celebrated Mass at 7:00am and then prayed the Liturgy of the Hours. In
the afternoon he has another walk planned at 4:00pm, through the gardens of the
Castel Gandolfo Apostolic Palace, to pray the rosary. Benedict XVI brought with
him various books on theology, history, and spirituality. At the moment he is
reading from a book by the Swiss theologian Hans Urs von
Balthazar. Yesterday at 8:00,
Archbishop Giovanni Angelo Becciu, substitute of the Secretariat of State sent a
letter to all the diplomatic representatives to the Holy See informing them
that, during the period of the Sede Vacante, all matters will be dealt with by
the substitute and by the dean of the College of Cardinals, Cardinal Angelo
Sodano. Moreover, this morning,
the papal apartments in St. John Lateran were sealed.
MEMBERS OF THE
COLLEGE OF CARDINALS Vatican City, 1 March
2013 (VIS) – The College of Cardinals is currently comprised of 207 cardinals:
117 Cardinal electors who can vote in the election of the Pope and 90 cardinals
who are over the age of 80. First in the order of the hierarchy are
Cardinal-bishops. Currently six in number, these were originally the bishops of
the "suburbicarian" dioceses of Rome. Still today the Cardinal-bishops are
assigned one of these seven suburbicarian Sees, even though they are not bishops
of the diocese. Alongside the titular Cardinal-bishops of those Sees in the
hierarchy of the Church (with the exception of Ostia's titular who, since 1150,
has been the dean of the College of Cardinals), Pope Paul VI added, in his motu
proprio of 1965, “Ad Purpuratorum Patrum”, the patriarchs of the Eastern
Catholic Churches. The patriarchs are not assigned any further title because the
names of each of their patriarchal Sees is already included in their title as
cardinal. Second and most numerous
in the three orders of cardinals are the Cardinal-priests who are assigned the
“titulos” (title) of the important churches of the Diocese of
Rome. Last in the order of
cardinals are the Cardinal-deacons who were originally the seven deacons in the
Papal Household and the seven deacons who supervised the Church's works in the
districts of Rome during the early Middle Ages, when church administration was
effectively the government of Rome and provided for all of the city's social
services. Cardinal-deacons today are given title to one of these
deaconries. Following is the complete
list of the College of Cardinals according to their respective order of
precedence. Cardinal electors are marked with an asterisk. Cardinal-Bishops SODANO
Angelo ETCHEGARAY
Roger *RE
Giovanni Battista ARINZE
Francis *BERTONE
Tarcisio SARAIVA MARTINS
José Cardinal-Bishop
Patriarchs SFEIR Nasrallah
Pierre DELLY Emmanuel III
*NAGUIB
Antonios *RAÏ Béchara
Boutros Cardinal-Priests ARNS Paulo
Evaristo BAUM William
Wakefield CÉ Marco MACHARSKI
Franciszek KITBUNCHU Michael
Michai do
NASCIMENTO Alexandre *DANNEELS
Godfried WILLIAMS Thomas
Stafford *MEISNER
Joachim LOURDUSAMY D.
Simon OBANDO BRAVO
Miguel VIDAL Ricardo
J. GULBINOWICZ Henryk
Roman TOMKO
Jozef POUPARD
Paul WETTER
Friedrich PIOVANELLI Silvano
SIMONIS
Adrianus Johannes LAW Bernard Francis
BIFFI
Giacomo MARTÍNEZ SOMALO
Eduardo SILVESTRINI Achille
FALCÃO
José Freire SANTOS Alexandre José
Maria dos CANESTRI
Giovanni PIMENTA Simon
Ignatius CLANCY Edward
Bede SZOKA Edmund
Casimir PASKAI
László TUMI Christian
Wiyghan CASSIDY Edward
Idris *LÓPEZ RODRÍGUEZ Nicolas
de Jesús ANGELINI
Fiorenzo *MAHONY Roger
Michael RUINI
Camillo KOREC Ján
Chryzostom SCHWERY
Henri VLK
Miloslav FURNO
Carlo *DARMAATMADJA Julius
Riyadi *ORTEGA Y ALAMINO Jaime
Lucas AGUSTONI Gilberto
WAMALA
Emmanuel KEELER William
Henry *TURCOTTE Jean-Claude
CARLES
GORDÓ Ricardo María MAIDA Adam Joseph
*PULJI?
Vinko *SANDOVAL ÍÑIGUEZ
Juan TONINI
Ersilio MEDINA ESTÉVEZ Jorge
Arturo CASTRILLÓN HOYOS
Darío ANTONETTI
Lorenzo STAFFORD James Francis
DE
GIORGI Salvatore ARAÚJO Serafim FERNANDES
de *ROUCO
VARELA Antonio María *TETTAMANZI
Dionigi *PENGO
Polycarp *SCHÖNBORN
Christoph *RIVERA CARRERA
Norberto *GEORGE Francis
Eugene
JAWORSKI
Marian PUJATS
J?nis CACCIAVILLAN
Agostino SEBASTIANI
Sergio *GROCHOLEWSKI
Zenon *SEPE
Crescenzio MEJÍA Jorge María
*KASPER
Walter *DIAS Ivan
*AGNELO
Geraldo Majella RUBIANO SÁENZ
Pedro MCCARRICK Theodore
Edgar CONNELL
Desmond *BA?KIS Audrys
Juozas *ERRÁZURRIZ OSSA
Francisco Javier *TERRAZAS SANDOVAL
Julio *NAPIER Wilfrid
Fox *RODRÍGUEZ MARADIAGA
Óscar Andrés AGRÉ
Bernard *CIPRIANI Thorne Juan
Luis ÁLVAREZ MARTÍNEZ
Francisco *HUMMES
Cláudio *BERGOGLIO Jorge
Mario *POLICARPO José da
Cruz *POLETTO
Severino MURPHY-O'CONNOR
Cormac EGAN Edward
Michael HUSAR
Lubomyr *LEHMANN
Karl TUCCI
Roberto *SCOLA
Angelo *OKOGIE Anthony Olubunmi
PANAFIEU
Bernard *ZUBEIR Wako
Gabriel *AMIGO VALLEJO
Carlos *RIGALI Justin
Francis *O'BRIEN Keith Michael
Patrick SCHEID Eusébio
Oscar *ANTONELLI
Ennio *TURKSON Peter Kodwo
Appiah *TOPPO Telesphore
Placidus *PELL George
*BOZANI?
Josip *PHAM MINH MÂN
Jean-Baptiste *BARBARIN
Philippe *ERD?
Péter *OUELLET Marc
*VALLINI
Agostino *UROSA SAVINO Jorge
Liberato ROSALES Gaudencio B.
*RICARD
Jean-Pierre *CAÑIZARES LLOVERA
Antonio CHEONG Jinsuk
Nicholas *O'MALLEY Sean Patrick
*DZIWISZ
Stanis?aw *CAFFARRA Carlo
ZEN
ZE-KIUN Joseph *BRADY Seán Baptist
*MARTÍNEZ SISTACH Lluís
*VINGT-TROIS
André *BAGNASCO Angelo
*SARR
Théodore-Adrien *GRACIAS Oswald
*ROBLES
ORTEGA Francisco *DiNARDO Daniel N.
*SCHERER
Odilo Pedro *NJUE John
KARLIC
Estanislao Esteban MAZOMBWE Medardo
Joseph *VELA CHIRIBOGA Raúl
Eduardo *MONSENGWO PASINYA
Laurent *ROMEO
Paolo *WUERL Donald
William *ASSIS Raymundo
DAMASCENO *NYCZ Kazimierz
*PATABENDIGE DON Albert
Malcolm Ranjith *MARX Reinhard
ESTEPA
LLAURENS José Manuel *ALENCHERRY George
*COLLINS
Thomas Christopher *DUKA Dominik
*EIJK
Willem Jacobus *BETORI
Giuseppe *DOLAN Timothy Michael
*WOELKI
Rainer Maria *TONG HON
John MURE?AN Lucian
*THOTTUNKAL Baselios
Cleemis *ONAIYEKAN John
Olorunfemi *SALAZAR GÓMEZ
Rubén *TAGLE Luis
Antonio Cardinal-Deacons *TAURAN
Jean-Louis MARTINO Renato
Raffaele MARCHISANO Francesco
HERRANZ
Julián LOZANO BARRAGÁN
Javier *NICORA
Attilio COTTIER Georges Marie
Martin NAGY
Stanis?aw *LEVADA William
Joseph *RODÉ
Franc CORDERO LANZA di
Montezemolo Andrea VANHOYE Albert
*SANDRI
Leonardo *LAJOLO
Giovanni *CORDES Paul
Josef *COMASTRI Angelo
*RY?KO
Stanis?aw *FARINA
Raffaele COPPA
Giovanni *AMATO
Angelo *SARAH
Robert *MONTERISI
Francesco *BURKE Raymond
Leo *KOCH
Kurt *SARDI
Paolo *PIACENZA
Mauro *DE
PAOLIS Velasio *RAVASI
Gianfranco SGRECCIA
Elio BRANDMÜLLER
Walter BARTOLUCCI
Domenico *FILONI
Fernando *MONTEIRO de CASTRO
Manuel *ABRIL y CASTELLÓ
Santos *VEGLIÒ Antonio
Maria *BERTELLO
Giuseppe *COCCOPALMERIO
Francesco *AVIZ João BRAZ
de *O'BRIEN Edwin
Frederick *CALCAGNO
Domenico *VERSALDI
Giuseppe GRECH
Prosper BECKER
Karl *HARVEY James
Michael
STAMPS AND COINS
OF THE SEDE VACANTE Vatican City, 1 March
2013 (VIS) - The Philatelic and Numismatic Office of the Governorate of Vatican
City State has issued four stamps with the image of an angel raising the
pavilion (“umbraculum”) of the Apostolic Camera, the work of Italian artist
Daniela Longo. The stamps cost: €0.70 for mail to Italy, with a light green
background; €0.85 for mail to Europe, with a blue background; €2.00 for mail to
the Americas, with a grey background; and €2.50 for mail to Oceania, on a yellow
background. The use of these stamps
as postage is only available during the Sede Vacante, ending with the election
of the new Pope. Their philatelic use is allowed afterwards and the office will
continue to sell them to collectors. The initial printing is for 230,000
complete series. The folder including all four stamps costs €15.00. There is
also a smaller folder that was created on Pope Benedict XVI's renunciation of
the pontificate, which includes two stamps and costs €10.00. Regarding coins, a €2.00
one commemorating the Sede Vacante will be issued. It is the only one that will
be circulated seeing that, according to the European convention with the Vatican
City State, only one coin is allowed to be issued per year, with an extra one
permitted in the case of a Sede Vacante. There will, therefore, be two coins in
2013: one for the Sede Vacante and the other, to be issued in April, with an
image of Benedict XVI. The Sede Vacante coin,
125,000 of which will be minted, bears the emblem of the Cardinal camerlengo
with the pavilion of the Apostolic Camera. There will also be 10,000
silver €5.00 coins minted for the Sede Vacante that will have a dove of the Holy
Spirit and the words “Veni Sancte Spiritus” on one side and the emblem of the
Cardinal camerlengo with the pavilion of the Apostolic Camera and the phrase
“Sede Vacante 2013” on the other. Likewise, 5,000 gold €10.00 coins will be
minted. This will be a very small coin (13.85mm in size and 3g in weight) and
will have the same images and writing as the silver coin. The €5.00 and €10.00
coins are collectibles and, theoretically, can only be used within the Vatican.
They are not legal tender outside of the Vatican.
The
Most Reverend Bernard Longley, Archbishop of Birmingham, celebrated a special
Mass of Thanksgiving for Pope Benedict XVI, on the Feast of the Chair of St
Peter the Apostle, 22 February, in the Metropolitan Cathedral of St Chad,
Birmingham, packed to capacity.
The full text of the homily given by the
Archbishop of Birmingham on that occasion was released yesterday, Thursday, 28
February 2013, the last day of the eight-year Pontificate of His Holiness Pope
Benedict XVI.
Archbishop Bernard Longley said:
You are Peter and
on this rock I will build my Church.
“As little as two weeks ago nobody
could have foreseen that we should be gathered here for a Mass of thanksgiving
for the Pontificate of Pope Benedict. Although the Code of Canon Law makes
provision for the resignation of the Pope - and Pope Benedict himself has made
occasional reference to the possibility – nobody imagined that the present
pontificate would draw to a close in this way.
“Now that we have begun to
move beyond the original surprise we have a moment to reflect on the magnitude
and wisdom of the decision that the Holy Father has made and on the lasting
impact of the manner of his departure from the Petrine ministry. It is an act of
profound humility and of obedience and it mirrors the beginning of Pope
Benedict’s pontificate.
“The Holy Father was elected to succeed Blessed
Pope John Paul II in 2005 when he was already 78. Humility and obedience
characterised the decision he then made to accept this responsibility at an
already advanced age, simply placing his trust in Christ and obedient to the
will of the Father.
“He could little have imagined then how fruitful his
pontificate would be, especially through the impact of his teaching and his
apostolic journeys to many parts of the globe. Here in the United Kingdom in
2010, and more especially for us in the City of Birmingham, we were to benefit
from his presence and from the impact of his words.
“September 2010 was a
time of extraordinary grace for the Catholic community in England & Wales
and in Scotland. Pope Benedict, as our Supreme Pastor, set before us afresh the
central themes of the Gospel, relating them to our own time and experience – he
spoke up as a witness for the truth. In particular he strengthened our resolve
to continue to play our part in public and civic life, confident that the
contribution of faith to public service and the common good can be more clearly
demonstrated.
“What we witnessed was also a moment of spiritual
importance for the people of our countries who welcomed Pope Benedict with a
warmth that clearly moved him and in a way that confounded earlier critics of
the visit.
“As he bade the Holy Father farewell at Birmingham Airport
Prime Minister David Cameron said Pope Benedict had challenged the whole country
to sit up and think. A challenge to us all to follow our conscience to ask not
what are my entitlements, but what are my responsibilities? To ask not what we
can do for ourselves, but what we can do for others?
“The Holy Father
awakened the lasting though sometimes hidden memory of the Christian roots that
will always be the foundation of our society and he leaves us with a challenge.
How can we help others understand our common future in relation to the God who
is our only certain and unchanging point of reference?
“The impact of
Pope Benedict’s visit was felt not only by Christians but by many others for
whom faith in God is their compass-point in life. It highlights an opportunity
and a challenge that Blessed John Henry Newman recognised in the changing
society of his own time. It is not so much that the truth and beauty of God and
the values offered by religion are being ignored or rejected, but our own
attempts to express or share our faith sometimes fail to move our
contemporaries.
“The memory of his visit to Birmingham is heightened as
we thank God for the witness and ministry of Pope Benedict. He has listened to
the promptings of the Holy Spirit and in obedience he has decided to step down
from office next Thursday for the good of the Church that he loves. He wants the
whole Church to turn its attention in prayer towards the election of his
successor by the College of Cardinals next month (March).
“But we cannot
do so without this moment of gratitude and affection for one who heard the words
of Christ to Peter and knew that they were also addressed for a while to
himself: You are Peter and upon this rock I will build my Church. Soon they will
be addressed to another as the ministry that our Lord entrusted to Peter
continues to serve the Church in our own time.
“His brief but fruitful
pontificate has not been without its challenges and controversies, but Pope
Benedict has sought to confront them with truthfulness and charity. He has
offered positive initiatives in the service of the Gospel to counter the
negative forces that have threatened to undermine the effective preaching of the
Good News. Those special years dedicated to the Priesthood, the Year of St Paul,
and the Year of the Eucharist have led us to this Year of Faith inaugurated by
Pope Benedict last October.”
Archbishop Bernard Longley concluded: “The
Year of Faith with its emphasis on the New Evangelization will now usher in the
ministry of a new pope and set the tone for its early years. In the manner of
his departing, during this special year, Pope Benedict is emphasising that our
attention should always be focussed on our Lord Jesus Christ and on his Gospel
since these are served by the Church’s mission and in a particular way by the
Petrine ministry itself.
“Our Lord is calling Pope Benedict to another
way of serving the Church at the heart of which is a life of prayer. So we pray
that Pope Benedict may be blessed in the remaining days of his pontificate and
it the uncharted days ahead, knowing that his example will continue to be an
inspiration and a reason for
thanksgiving.”
Catholic Communications, Sydney
Archdiocese REPORT 1 Mar 2013
Bedelia Melville at the retreat held at the
Benedict XVI Retreat Centre at Grose Vale
The Young Catholic Women's
Interfaith Fellowship enriches and deepens faith and provides a unique
opportunity to learn from each other, develop fresh new perspectives and create
lasting friendships, says Bedelia Melville, assistant to the Archdiocese of
Sydney's Commission for Ecumenism and Inter-Religious Relations. One of this
year's successful candidates, Bedelia joined 16 other women from 12 dioceses
across the country at the Good Samaritan Sisters St Benedict Centre at Pennant
Hills last week for an intensive four days to mark the start of the
newly-restructured program. Ranging in age from 25 to 35, those taking part
included primary and secondary school teachers, a senior management consultant,
a family and faith educator, a lawyer with the Australian Federal Police, a
Public Relations Officer and an executive support officer with the NSW
Department of Family and Community Services. "The gathering was a wonderful
reminder of the broad diversity of the Church in Australia and the different
make up and demands of each diocese and I especially liked and admired the
instant openness and trust shown by all those taking part," she says. She was
also grateful not only for the diversity of backgrounds and experiences of each
of the women taking part in the program but the fact that they were a mix of
singles and marrieds.
"Some of those with families and these mothers'
input added interesting and important insights to our discussions."
Young Catholic women formed lasting and
supportive friendships at the four day weekend retreat
The
participants have now returned to their different dioceses from where they will
embark on post graduate studies in theology and faith formation from their homes
using the internet and modern technology. This is also the way the women who
created their own support groups during their four days at the Benedict XVI
Retreat Centre will keep in touch with one another to share resources, thoughts
and ideas, and to offer encouragement. The women will gather again at the
start of each of the four semesters in the program where they will renew
friendships and undertake another intensive four days of study, reflection,
prayer and meditation. Spread over two years, the program enables young
Catholic women to graduate with a Certificate in Theology, or for those such as
Bedelia who already has a Masters in Theology to further their studies in this
area. An initiative of the Australian Catholic Bishops Conference (ACBC), the
Young Catholic Women's Interfaith Fellowship promotes academic study, faith
formation and leadership development and acknowledges and encourages the rich
contribution women make to the Church and to their communities. Instigated in
2006 past programs have required those awarded fellowships to travel to the ACT
for a compressed 15-week live-in full-time course at the Australian Catholic
University's Canberra campus. "Women lead busy lives with many career and
family commitments making it difficult for them to take four months off. So this
year we decided to make the program more flexible so more women could
participate," explains Donella Johnston, Director of the ACBC's Office for the
Participation of Women (OPW).
Donella Johnston pays tribute to rich
contribution of recipients of Catholic Women's Fellowships
In order
to do this, the Fellowship's academic and theological studies will be run by the
Broken Bay Institute via its well known online study programs. Sponsored by
the ACBC together with religious congregations, institutions and Church
agencies, successful candidates in the Young Catholic Women's Interfaith
Fellowship are given scholarships valued at more than $12,000 which covers all
tuition, travel, accommodation and administrative costs during the two years of
their faith formation and academic study program.
"As well as financial
input from our sponsors, those taking part in the Fellowship this year are
receiving real support from their employers and families to enable them to
travel to Sydney five times over the next two years," says Donella who gives
high praise to the calibre, talents, commitment and dedication of this year's 17
successful candidates. "We had many strong applications this year. They were
uniformly outstanding and selection was difficult," says Andrea Dean, OPW's
Fellowship Coordinator. "We had to be quite firm about criteria. Some applied
but had not yet finished their undergraduate degree and were asked instead to
reapply after graduation." Bishop Peter Ingham, the ACBC's delegate for the
Council for Australian Catholic Women says the fellowship program is one of the
best things the Bishops Conference has done for women in the Church. "At the
foot of the Cross, the women were the ones who stood by Jesus. They were the
first to witness the resurrection and in many ways, I think this gives us a
scriptural basis for the lifting up of women in our Australian Church, and to
really support them and empower them to lead," he says. In this Year of Grace
and Year of Faith, when Catholics everywhere are marking the 5oth anniversary of
the start of Vatican II, when the contribution of women was not only fully
recognised by the Church but supported and encouraged, gives added resonance and
underlines the importance of the ACBC's fellowship initiative.
Natasha Free a primary teacher from Whyalla SA
is one of the successful fellowship candidates
"Until the retreat
last weekend I didn't realise that so far Australia is the only country that has
an OPW supported by a nation's Conference of Bishops," says Bedelia adding she
feels enormously privileged to have been granted a fellowship and to this unique
and very special opportunity. "During the four days we made long-lasting
friendships. It was an unforgettable time and the calibre, warmth and energy of
everyone there filled me with great confidence for the future of the Church in
Australia," she says. "From the moment we arrived we were made to feel so
welcome and throughout the four days we not only learned from each other but
were spoiled by the Good Samaritan Sisters who run the Centre with endless
supplies of delicious homemade cinnamon rolls and wonderful baked dinners where
we would talk into the night over food and glasses of wine." Women between
the ages of 25 and 35 are encouraged to apply for a Young Catholic Women's
Interfaith Fellowship. Applications and referee forms can be downloaded at www.opw.catholic.org.au SHARED
FROM ARCHDIOCESE OF SYDNEY
Agenzia Fides REPORT - "We are extremely
disturbed and greatly saddened by the violence and the loss of precious life in
the heat of the recent campaigns for the Livingstone parliamentary by-election,"
said a statement sent to Fides Agency, signed by the leaders of principial
Christian denominations in Zambia, Council of Churches in Zambia (CCZ),
Evangelical Fellowship of Zambia (EFZ) and Zambia Episcopal Conference
(ZEC). The campaign for the partial renewal of Parliament (the elections are
held today, February 28) was marked by tensions and violence that resulted in
the murder of a politician, Harrison Chanda, who was killed on February 25 in
Livingstone. "Our hearts and prayers go out to the family of the deceased and
all victims of violence. At the same time, we condemn in the strongest terms
possible, any form of political and electoral violence," the statement
said. "We further wish to appeal for calm and maximum restraint from the
various political parties in Livingstone and also from the Zambia Police
Service. It is incumbent on all of us not to do or say anything that might
worsen an already volatile situation." "This is not the time for
finger-pointing. What is needed now is for all stakeholders to do some serious
soul-searching: Is this the level our politics has come to? Is this the path we
want to pursue in our democratic dispensation?" The document concludes. (L.M.)
(Agenzia Fides 28/02/2013)
ASIA NEWS REPORT The violence erupted after the sentencing to death of a leader
of the Jamaat-e-Islami (Islamic Party), accused of war crimes in 1971. More than
800 injured. Among the victims, three policemen. Explosions in several
neighborhoods of the capital, temples and houses burnt the Hindu community in
the southeast. The Islamic religious authority in the country calls for
calm.
Dhaka
(AsiaNews / Agencies) - At least 35 people have died in Bangladesh in clashes
between police and supporters of the Islamic party Jamaat-e-Islami. Over 800 are
injured. The violence erupted in the late afternoon yesterday after Delwar
Hossain Sayeedi, a party leader accused of war crimes during the conflict of
1971, was sentenced to death. The verdict sparked yet another hartal (strike) by
the National Jamaat and its supporters, who in a short time set several towns
and villages on fire, destroyed some Hindu temples, left thousands of people
wounded. Among the victims there are three police officers, beaten to death when
2 thousand Jamaat activists attacked a police station in the northern district
of Gaibanda.
Riots broke out in different parts of the country. In the
southeastern district of Noakhali, some Islamic fundamentalists set fire to
houses and temples of the Hindu community. In Dhaka, the capital, a series of
bombs exploded in the residential districts of Mirpur-1, Kafrul, Mohammadpur,
Motijheel, Abdullahpur, Khilgaon and Uttara. Police have tightened security in
the city for fear that violence will escalate again after Friday
prayers.
The Islamic Foundation, which answers to the Ministry of
Religious Affairs, has asked all imams and mosques in the country not to feed
the tension in the Muslim community.
Tensions are high in the country
since February 5 last, when activists and bloggers of all ages, sexes and walks
of life launched a peaceful
demonstration to demand the government (led by the Awami League, ed) impose
the death penalty for those accused of war crimes. Supporters of Jamaat (which
is in opposition, ed) have accused the protesters of blasphemy and claim the war
tribunals are "politicized". On 18 February, Parliament passed an amendment to
the International Crimes (Tribunals) Act 1973, which now allows the death
sentence for war criminals. Since then, activists of the Jamaat-e-Shibir (youth
wing of the party) have gone on a rampage of vandalism throughout the country,
escalating until yesterday's climax.
The court found Delwar Hossain
Sayeedi guilty of 19 charges, including: murder of innocent civilians;
collaboration with the Pakistani army in killings and torture of unarmed people,
arson, rapes. In addition, during the war, he forced some Hindus to convert to
Islam, and seized assets and property belonging to this community.
Israel loved Joseph best of all his sons, for he was the
child of his old age; and he had made him a long tunic. When his brothers
saw that their father loved him best of all his sons, they hated him so much
that they would not even greet him.
One day, when his brothers had
gone to pasture their father’s flocks at Shechem, Israel said to Joseph,
“Your brothers, you know, are tending our flocks at Shechem. Get ready; I
will send you to them.”
So Joseph went after his brothers and caught up
with them in Dothan. They noticed him from a distance, and before he came
up to them, they plotted to kill him. They said to one another: “Here comes
that master dreamer! Come on, let us kill him and throw him into one of the
cisterns here; we could say that a wild beast devoured him. We shall then
see what comes of his dreams.”
When Reuben heard this, he tried to
save him from their hands, saying, “We must not take his life. Instead of
shedding blood,” he continued, “just throw him into that cistern there in the
desert; but do not kill him outright.” His purpose was to rescue him from
their hands and return him to his father. So when Joseph came up to
them, they stripped him of the long tunic he had on; then they took him
and threw him into the cistern, which was empty and dry.
They then sat
down to their meal. Looking up, they saw a caravan of Ishmaelites coming from
Gilead, their camels laden with gum, balm and resin to be taken down to
Egypt. Judah said to his brothers: “What is to be gained by killing our
brother and concealing his blood? Rather, let us sell him to these
Ishmaelites, instead of doing away with him ourselves. After all, he is
our brother, our own flesh.” His brothers agreed. They sold Joseph to the
Ishmaelites for twenty pieces of silver.
Responsorial Psalm PS 105:16-17, 18-19, 20-21
R. (5a) Remember the marvels the Lord has
done. When the LORD called down a famine on the land and ruined
the crop that sustained them, He sent a man before them, Joseph, sold as a
slave. R. Remember the marvels the Lord has done. They
had weighed him down with fetters, and he was bound with chains, Till his
prediction came to pass and the word of the LORD proved him true. R.
Remember the marvels the Lord has done. The king sent and
released him, the ruler of the peoples set him free. He made him lord of
his house and ruler of all his possessions. R. Remember the
marvels the Lord has done.
Gospel Mt 21:33-43, 45-46
Jesus said to the chief priests and the elders of the people:
“Hear another parable. There was a landowner who planted a
vineyard, put a hedge around it, dug a wine press in it, and built a
tower. Then he leased it to tenants and went on a journey. When vintage
time drew near, he sent his servants to the tenants to obtain his
produce. But the tenants seized the servants and one they beat, another
they killed, and a third they stoned. Again he sent other servants, more
numerous than the first ones, but they treated them in the same
way. Finally, he sent his son to them, thinking, ‘They will respect my
son.’ But when the tenants saw the son, they said to one another, ‘This is
the heir. Come, let us kill him and acquire his inheritance.’ They seized
him, threw him out of the vineyard, and killed him. What will the owner of
the vineyard do to those tenants when he comes?” They answered him, “He
will put those wretched men to a wretched death and lease his vineyard to
other tenants who will give him the produce at the proper times.” Jesus
said to them, “Did you never read in the Scriptures: The stone that
the builders rejected has become the cornerstone; by the Lord has this
been done, and it is wonderful in our eyes?
Therefore, I say to
you, the Kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people
that will produce its fruit.” When the chief priests and the Pharisees heard
his parables, they knew that he was speaking about them. And although they
were attempting to arrest him, they feared the crowds, for they regarded him
as a prophet.
Apostle of the Frisians, b. in England in the seventh
century; d. at Suitberts-Insel, now Kaiserswerth, near Dusseldorf, 1 March, 713.
He studied in Ireland, at Rathmelsigi, Connacht, along with St. Egbert. The
latter, filled with zeal for the conversion of the Germans, had sent St.
Wihtberht, or Wigbert, to evangelize the Frisians, but owing to the opposition
of the pagan ruler, Rathbod, Wihtberht was unsuccessful and returned to England.
Egbert then sent St. Willibrord and his twelve companions, among whom was St.
Suitbert. They landed near the mouth of the Rhine and journeyed to Utrecht,
which became their headquarters. The new missionaries worked with great success
under the protection of Pepin of Heristal, who, having recently conquered a
portion of Frisia, compelled Rathbod to cease harassing the Christians. Suitbert
laboured chiefly in North Brabant, Guelderland, and Cleves. After some years he
went back to England, and in 693 was consecrated in Mercia as a missionary
bishop by St. Wilfrid of York. He returned to Frisia and fixed his see at
Wijkbij Duurstede on a branch of the Rhine. A little later, entrusting his flock
of converts to St. Willibrord, he proceeded north of the Rhine and the Lippe,
among the Bructeri, or Boructuari, in the district of Berg, Westphalia. This
mission bore great fruit at first, but was eventually a failure owing to the
inroads of the pagan Saxons; when the latter had conquered the territory,
Suitbert withdrew to a small island in the Rhine, six miles from Dusseldorf,
granted to him by Pepin of Heristal, where he built a monastery and ended his
days in peace. His relics were rediscovered in 1626 at Kaiserwerth and are still
venerated there. St. Suitbert of Kaiserwerdt is to be distinguished from a holy
abbot, Suitbert, who lived in a monastery near the River Dacore, Cumberland,
England, about forty years later, and is mentioned by Venerable
Bede.
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