VATICAN RADIO IMAGE SHARE - POPE RECORDS MESSAGE FOR BLIND AND VISUALLY IMPAIRED
Vatican City, 11 June 2013 (VIS) – This morning the Holy Father sent the following audio message to the Italian Association for the Blind and Visually Impaired (Unione Italiana Ciechi e Ipovedenti) on the occasion of their summer program for around 75, mostly elderly, persons at their Le Torri Centre in Tirrenia, Italy, specializing in rehabilitation studies and vacations.
“I know that … some of you wanted to come to Rome,” the Pope said. “Thanks to modern technology, I can come to you! Thank you for your appreciation, for your affection, and especially for your prayers.”
“The Gospels tell us that Jesus had a particular care for the blind. Besides other sick persons, He healed many blind persons. But the healing of a visually impaired person has special symbolic meaning: it represents the gift of faith. It is a sign that concerns us all because we all need the light of faith to walk along the path of life. This is why Baptism, which is the first Sacrament of Faith, was also called 'illumination' in antiquity.”
“I ask the Lord to renew the gift of faith in each of you, so that your spirits may always have God's light, the light of love that makes sense of our lives, illuminates it, gives us hope, and makes us good and available to our brothers and sisters.”
“I also wish the best for your association. … Always spread a culture of encounter, solidarity, and hospitality towards persons with disabilities, not just asking for the proper social services but also encouraging their active participation in society.”
“I entrust you all to the protection of the Blessed Virgin Mary, our Mother. I ask you to pray for me and for my service to the Church and I wholeheartedly bless you, together with your loved ones.”
Vatican City, 11 June 2013 (VIS) – This morning the Holy Father sent the following audio message to the Italian Association for the Blind and Visually Impaired (Unione Italiana Ciechi e Ipovedenti) on the occasion of their summer program for around 75, mostly elderly, persons at their Le Torri Centre in Tirrenia, Italy, specializing in rehabilitation studies and vacations.
“I know that … some of you wanted to come to Rome,” the Pope said. “Thanks to modern technology, I can come to you! Thank you for your appreciation, for your affection, and especially for your prayers.”
“The Gospels tell us that Jesus had a particular care for the blind. Besides other sick persons, He healed many blind persons. But the healing of a visually impaired person has special symbolic meaning: it represents the gift of faith. It is a sign that concerns us all because we all need the light of faith to walk along the path of life. This is why Baptism, which is the first Sacrament of Faith, was also called 'illumination' in antiquity.”
“I ask the Lord to renew the gift of faith in each of you, so that your spirits may always have God's light, the light of love that makes sense of our lives, illuminates it, gives us hope, and makes us good and available to our brothers and sisters.”
“I also wish the best for your association. … Always spread a culture of encounter, solidarity, and hospitality towards persons with disabilities, not just asking for the proper social services but also encouraging their active participation in society.”
“I entrust you all to the protection of the Blessed Virgin Mary, our Mother. I ask you to pray for me and for my service to the Church and I wholeheartedly bless you, together with your loved ones.”
POPE FRANCIS : "EVERYTHING IS GRACE. EVERYTHING" AND LATEST FROM VATICAN
Vatican Radio REPORT: The Gospel should be generously and simply proclaimed said Pope Francis during morning Mass Tuesday in the Casa Santa Marta chapel. Poverty and praise of God, he said are the two key signs of an evangelical and missionary Church. Instead a rich Church becomes an old, lifeless Church, it becomes an NGO that neglects the true treasure of God's free grace. Pope Francis began his homily quoting Jesus exhortation to the Apostles, sent to proclaim the Kingdom of God: "Provide yourselves with no gold or silver, not even with coppers for your purses" (M 10:9). He said the Lord wants us to proclaim the Gospel with simplicity, a simplicity "that gives way to the power of the Word of God," because if the Apostles had not had "confidence in the Word of God," "they would probably have done something else”. Pope Francis went on to identify the "key word" in the mandate given by Jesus: "Freely you have received, freely give." He said everything is grace and when we leave grace “a little to one side” in our proclamation, the Gospel “is not effective". "Evangelical preaching flows from gratuitousness, from the wonder of the salvation that comes and that which I have freely received I must freely give. This is what they were like at the beginning. St. Peter did not have a bank account, and when he had to pay taxes, the Lord sent him to the sea to catch fish and find the money in the fish, to pay. Philip, when he met Queen Candace’s finance minister, did not think, 'Ah, good, let’s set up an organization to support the Gospel ...' No! He did not strike a ‘deal’ with him: he preached, baptized and left".
Pope Francis said the Kingdom of God, "is a free gift”, but he also added that from the beginning of the Christian community, this attitude has been subjected to temptation. "There is the temptation to seek strength", he said, “ elsewhere than in gratuity”. This temptation creates "a little 'confusion," he warned, where “proclamation becomes proselytizing”. Instead "our strength is the gratuitousness of the Gospel." The Lord, "has invited us to preach, not to proselytize." Citing Benedict XVI, Pope Francis stated that "the Church does not grow through proselytizing but by drawing people to her". And this attraction, he said, comes from the testimony of "those who freely proclaim the gratuity of salvation".
"Everything is grace. Everything. And what are the signs of when an apostle lives this gratuity? There are so many, but I will underline only two: First, poverty. The proclamation of the Gospel must follow the path of poverty. The testimony of this poverty: I have no wealth, my wealth is the gift I received, God: this gratuity is our wealth! And this poverty saves us from becoming managers, entrepreneurs ... The works of the Church must be brought forward, and some are a little complex, but with a heart of poverty, not with the heart of an investment broker or an entrepreneur…"
Pope Francis continued, "The Church is not an NGO: it is something else, something more important, and this is the result of gratuity. Received and proclaimed". Poverty "is one of the signs of this gratuity." The other sign "is the ability of praise: when an apostle does not live this gratuity, he or she loses the ability to praise the Lord." Praising the Lord, in fact, "is essentially gratuitous, it is a gratuitous prayer: we do not ask, we only praise"
"These two are the signs of an apostle who lives this gratuity: poverty and the ability to praise the Lord. And when we find the apostles who want to build a rich Church and a Church without the gratuitousness of praise, the Church becomes old, the Church becomes an NGO, the Church becomes lifeless. Today we ask the Lord for the grace to acknowledge this generosity: 'Freely you have received, freely give'. Recognizing this gratuity, this gift of God . Let us move forward in preaching of Gospel".
Tuesday morning Mass was concelebrated by Archbishop Gerhard Ludwig Müller Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith and was attended by Congregation Staff.
SHARED FROM RADIO VATICANAACCORD BETWEEN HOLY SEE AND CAPE VERDE
Vatican City, 11 June 2013 (VIS) – On Monday, 10 June, in the offices of the Government Palace in the capital city, Praia, in the presence of Prime Minister Jose Maria Neves, an Accord between the Holy See and the Republic of Cape Verde on the juridical status of the Catholic Church in Cape Verde was signed.
The signatories were: for the Holy See, Archbishop Dominique Mamberti, secretary for Relations with States, and for the Republic of Cape Verde, Mr. Jorge Alberto da Silva Borges, Minister of Foreign Affairs.
The agreement, taking note of the good relations that have developed between the Holy See and the Republic of Cape Verde in the last 37 years, defines and guarantees the legal status of the Catholic Church and regulates areas including canonical marriage, places of worship, Catholic institutions of instruction and education, the teaching of religion in schools, the Church's charitable care activities, pastoral care in the military and in penitential and health care facilities, and the property and taxation system. The agreement, which consists of a preamble and 30 articles, will enter into force on the thirtieth day after the exchange of instruments of ratification.
Vatican City, 11 June 2013 (VIS) – Today, Holy See Press Office Director Fr. Federico Lombardi, S.J., issued the following declaration:
“As agreed at its third meeting in Hanoi, Vietnam, in February 2012, the Vietnam - Holy See Joint Working Group will hold its fourth meeting in the Vatican on 13-14 June. The meeting will serve to strengthen and develop bilateral relations between Vietnam and the Holy See".
Vatican City, 11 June 2013 (VIS) – Archbishop Silvano M. Tomasi, C.S., Holy See permanent observer to the United Nations and other international organisations in Geneva, addressed the 23rd Session of the Human Rights Council after the Holy See delegation had reviewed the UN Report on Access to Medicines. Archbishop Tomasi's statement points out an “insufficient attention to certain factors cited as 'key elements' by the Special Rapporteur”.
Instead of the legal factors that were the Report's main focus, “the Holy See Delegation found that the Report paid insufficient attention to basic needs of individuals and families, at all stages of the life cycle from conception to natural death.” In order to effectively provide access to medicines, “an integral human development approach that promotes just legal frameworks as well as international solidarity, not only among States, but also among and between all peoples” must be developed. The Holy See noted, with alarm, “the difficulties millions of people face as they seek to obtain minimal subsistence and the medicines they need to cure themselves” and called for “establishing true distributive justice which guarantees everyone adequate care on the basis of objective needs.”
While the prerequisite of States' responsibility in making medicines available is clear, “the strong engagement of non-governmental and religious organizations in providing both medicines and a wide range of treatment and preventive measures to ensure the full enjoyment of the right to health also should have been acknowledged.” Archbishop Tomasi concluded his address with the observation that “optimal facilitation of access to medicine is a complex endeavour and deserves comprehensive analysis and acknowledgement of all factors contributing to its promotion, rather than a more restricted analysis of legal, economic, and political frameworks.“
Vatican City, 11 June 2013 (VIS) – The following prelates passed away between January and March of this year:
- Bishop Moses Bosco Anderson, S.S.E., auxiliary emeritus of Detroit, Michigan, USA, on 1 January at the age of 84.
- Archbishop Joseph-Aurele Plourde, emeritus of Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, on 5 January at the age of 98.
- Bishop John Martin Darko, emeritus of Sekondi-Takoradi, Ghana, on 12 January at the age of 67.
- Bishop Michel Pollien, auxiliary emeritus of Paris, France, on 15 January at the age of 75.
- Cardinal Jozef Glemp, archbishop emeritus of Warsaw, Poland, on 23 January at the age of 83.
- Bishop Jean-Felix-Albert-Marie Vilnet, emeritus of Lille, France, on 23 January at the age of 90.
- Bishop Reinhold Stecher, emeritus of Innsbruck, Austria, on 29 January at the age of 91.
- Archbishop Joseph Cassidy, emeritus of Tuam, Ireland, on 31 January at the age of 79.
- Bishop Jacques Nguyen Van Mau, emeritus of Vinh Long, Viet Nam, on 31 January at the age of 99.
- Bishop John Michael D’Arcy, emeritus of Fort Wayne-South Bend, Indiana, USA, on 3 February at the age of 80.
- Bishop Joseph O. Egerega, vicar apostolic emeritus of Bomadi, Nigeria, on 3 February at the age of 72.
- Bishop Ignace Baguibassa Sambar-Talkena, emeritus of Kara, Togo, on 3 February at the age of 77.
- Bishop Joseph Theophile Louis Marie Madec, emeritus of Frejus-Toulon, France, on 5 February at the age of 89.
- Archbishop Arthe Guimond, emeritus of Grouard-McLennan, Alberta, Canada, on 6 February at the age of 81.
- Bishop Douglas Joseph Warren, emeritus of Wilcannia-Forbes, Australia, on 6 February at the age of 93.
- Bishop William Anthony Hughes, emeritus of Covington, Kentucky, USA, on 7 February at the age of 91.
- Bishop Amedeus Msarikie, emeritus of Moshi, Tanzania, on 7 February at the age of 81.
- Cardinal Giovanni Cheli, president emeritus of the Pontifical Council for Pastoral Care of Migrants and Itinerant People, on 8 February at the age of 94.
- Bishop Oswaldo Brenes Alvarez, emeritus of Ciudad Quesada, Costa Rica, on 11 February at the age of 70.
- Bishop Jesus Ramon Martinez de Ezquerecocha Suso, emeritus of Babahoyo, Ecuador, on 16 February at the age of 77.
- Bishop Anthony Theodore Lobo, emeritus of Islamabad-Rawalpindi, Pakistan, on 18 February at the age of 75.
- Bishop Pedro Lisimaco de Jesus Vilchez Vilchez, emeritus of Jinotega, Nicaragua, on 19 February at the age of 83.
- Bishop Norbert Mary Leonard James Dorsey, C.P., emeritus of Orlando, Florida, USA, on 21 February at the age of 83.
- Bishop Jose Gustavo Angel Ramirez, M.X.Y., vicar apostolic emeritus of Mitu, Colombia, on 23 February at the age of 79.
- Cardinal Julien Ries, cardinal deacon of Sant’Antonio di Padova a Circonvallazione Appia, on 23 February at the age of 92.
- Bishop Giovanni D’Ascenzi, emeritus of Arezzo-Cortona-Sansepolcro, Italy, on 26 February at the age of 93.
- Cardinal Jean Marcel Honore, archbishop emeritus of Tours, France, on 28 February at the age of 92.
- Bishop Julian Voronovsky, M.S.U., emeritus of Sambir-Drohobych of the Ukrainians, Ukraine, on 28 February at the age of 76.
- Archbishop Gabriel Marie Etienne Vanel, emeritus of Auch, France, on 1 March at the age of 88.
- Archbishop Cleto Bellucci, emeritus of Fermo, Italy, on 7 March at the age of 91.
- Bishop Ignatius Anthony Catanello, auxiliary emeritus of Brooklyn, New York, USA, on 11 March at the age of 74.
- Bishop Gerard Sithunywa Ndlovu, emeritus of Umzimkulu, South Africa, on 13 March at the age of 74.
- Bishop Akio Johnson Mutek, of Torit, Sudan, on 18 March at the age of 55.
- Bishop Orozimbo Fuenzalida y Fuenzalida, emeritus of San Bernardo, Chile, on 27 March at the age of 87.
- Archbishop Charles Amarin Brand, emeritus of Strasbourg, France, on 31 March at the age of 92.
Vatican City, 10 June 2013 (VIS) – This morning, the Holy Father received Cardinal Raymond L. Burke, prefect of the Supreme Tribunal of the Apostolic Signatura.
Vatican City, 11 June 2013 (VIS) – Today, the Holy Father appointed Bishop Alan Stephen Hopes as bishop of East Anglia (area 12,570, population 2,855,000, Catholics 99,200, priests 118, permanent deacons 36, religious 131), England. Bishop Hopes, previously auxiliary of Westminster, England, and titular of Cuncacestre, serves as chairman of the Liturgy Committee on the Catholic Bishops' Conference of England and Wales
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TODAY'S MASS ONLINE : TUES. JUNE 11, 2013
| Video Added As becomes available Matthew 10: 7 - 13 | |
| 7 | And preach as you go, saying, `The kingdom of heaven is at hand.' |
| 8 | Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse lepers, cast out demons. You received without paying, give without pay. |
| 9 | Take no gold, nor silver, nor copper in your belts, |
| 10 | no bag for your journey, nor two tunics, nor sandals, nor a staff; for the laborer deserves his food. |
| 11 | And whatever town or village you enter, find out who is worthy in it, and stay with him until you depart. |
| 12 | As you enter the house, salute it. |
| 13 | And if the house is worthy, let your peace come upon it; but if it is not worthy, let your peace return to you. |
40000 AT PRO-LIFE NATIONAL VIGIL IN IRELAND - RECORD BREAKING ATTENDANCE
(Image Share "Keep Ireland Pro-Life" Facebook)
The Bishops Conference of Ireland encouraged the public to attend: The decision by the present Irish Government to legislate for abortion means that Irish law will permit the direct and intentional killing of innocent unborn babies. Doctors in Ireland have confirmed that mothers already receive any life-saving treatments they need during pregnancy – and that this is achieved without directly targeting the life of the baby.
The Choose Life: We Cherish them Both, Vigil of Prayer for the Right to Life of Mothers and their Unborn Babies, was an opportunity for all people of faith and goodwill to join in prayer for mothers and unborn babies, that they will continue to be protected, cherished, and safeguarded from all harm.
The next Vigil for Life will take place on Saturday 8 June 2013 from 2-4pm in Merrion Square, Dublin. Please be part of this special day and invite as many of your family, friends and loved ones as you can.
In the words of Pope Francis, before he became Pope:
“Caring for life from the beginning to the end. What a simple thing, what a beautiful thing. So, go forth and don’t be discouraged. Care for life. It’s worth it!” (Mass in honour of Saint Raymond Nonnatus, Patron Saint of Expectant Mothers, Argentina (31 August 2005)
The Vigil brought many famous people of Ireland including Church hierarchy, politicians to defend life:
REMEMBERING BISHOP J. SULLIVAN OF BROOKLYN RIP - FUNERAL
The Funeral Mass for Bishop Sullivan will be held at St. Ephrem’s Church on Wednesday, June 12th @ 11AM. Click HERE for directions to the Church
- On Wednesday, June 12th @ 11AM we will be LIVE STREAMING the Funeral Mass of Bishop Sullivan. Please return to this page at the above time in order to watch
- On Wednesday, June 12th @ 7:30PM Currents will be dedicating it’s show to Bishop Sullivan and the Funeral Mass
- On Thursday, June 13th @ 9AM & 5PM NET TV will be rebroadcasting the Funeral Mass for those who missed the LIVE coverage. NET TV is on ch. 97 on TimeWarner and ch. 30 on CableVision. If you do not have these cable providers you can stream NET TV HERE
- On the EVENING of Thursday, June 13th return back to this page to watch ON DEMAND coverage of the Funeral Mass
MORE ON BISHOP SULLIVAN: http://jceworld.blogspot.ca/2013/06/rip-bishop-joseph-sullivan-of-brooklyn.html
Bishop DiMarzio reflects on Bishop Sullivan
Retired Auxiliary Bishop of the Diocese of Brooklyn, the Most Reverend Joseph M. Sullivan, died June 7, 2013, after a May 30th car accident on the Long Island Expressway in Syosset, New York. Bishop Sullivan was critically injured in the three-car collision and was immediately airlifted to Nassau University Medical Center in East Meadow, New York. He died from injuries sustained from the impact.
“We mourn the passing of Bishop Joseph Sullivan,” said Bishop Nicholas DiMarzio. “During his tenure, Catholic Charities of Brooklyn and Queens became a nationally recognized provider of social services. Even in retirement, Bishop Joe continued to serve on many boards for Catholic hospitals and health institutions. He epitomized the best of our Church’s teaching and the fundamental option for the poor. He was an outstanding priest.”
Bishop Sullivan was born on March 23, 1930, one of 11 children of the late Thomas and Margaret Sullivan. Bishop Sullivan attended St. Ephrem’s elementary school and St. Michael’s Diocesan High School, both in Brooklyn, and Manhattan College. In 1950, he began studies for the priesthood at Immaculate Conception Seminary in Huntington, L.I., and was ordained June 2, 1956, by Archbishop Thomas E. Molloy in St. James Cathedral in Brooklyn.
After a three-year period as a newly-ordained priest at Our Lady of Lourdes parish in Queens Village, he was assigned to study social work, and in 1961 he earned a master’s degree from the Fordham University School of Social Work. In that same year, he was appointed assistant director of Catholic Charities’ childcare division and four years later was named the director. Bishop Sullivan also earned a master’s in public administration from New York University. In 1968, when Bishop Francis J. Mugavero became the Diocesan Bishop, he chose then–Father Sullivan to succeed him as the executive director of Catholic Charities and appointed him Secretary to the Ordinary for Charities.
He was elected executive vice-president of the board of trustees of Catholic Charities in 1979. In the following year, on Oct. 7, 1980, he was one of three Brooklyn priests named Auxiliary Bishops by then Pope John Paul II. The others were late Anthony Cardinal Bevilacqua and Bishop Rene A. Valero. Bishop–elect Sullivan was also given the title of Titular Bishop of Suliana. As an auxiliary bishop, Bishop Sullivan held the titles of Vicar for Human Services and Regional Bishop for the 62 parishes of the Brooklyn West Vicariate.
Other pastoral work in which Bishop Sullivan helped serve were health care issues and needs, where he played an instrumental role in the formation of St. Vincent’s Catholic Medical Centers, which joined the hospitals and related facilities of the Diocese with similar institutions conducted by the New York Sisters of Charity. Bishop Sullivan has served on numerous Church and civic boards concerned with health and human services on the national, State and local levels. These have included the chairmanship of the Catholic Medical Center of Brooklyn and Queens and membership on the board of Catholic Charities USA. Also included in his activities outside the Diocese has been his service as chairman of the Social Development and World Peace Department of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops.
In the late 1990s, he chaired an ad hoc committee that produced a pastoral letter on charity — “In All Things Charity: A Pastoral Challenge for the New Millennium” — approved by the U.S. bishops in November 1999. He said the message was intended “to reclaim the meaning of charity,” which he said had become a pejorative term in modern society. Bishop Sullivan is survived by his sisters Betty, Dolly and Fran, and brothers John, Pete and Ralph; he has over 100 nieces, nephews, and grandnieces and grandnephews. He was predeceased by his brothers Gerard, Richard, Thomas and William. Funeral arrangements are pending and will be released as they become available.
“We mourn the passing of Bishop Joseph Sullivan,” said Bishop Nicholas DiMarzio. “During his tenure, Catholic Charities of Brooklyn and Queens became a nationally recognized provider of social services. Even in retirement, Bishop Joe continued to serve on many boards for Catholic hospitals and health institutions. He epitomized the best of our Church’s teaching and the fundamental option for the poor. He was an outstanding priest.”
Bishop Sullivan was born on March 23, 1930, one of 11 children of the late Thomas and Margaret Sullivan. Bishop Sullivan attended St. Ephrem’s elementary school and St. Michael’s Diocesan High School, both in Brooklyn, and Manhattan College. In 1950, he began studies for the priesthood at Immaculate Conception Seminary in Huntington, L.I., and was ordained June 2, 1956, by Archbishop Thomas E. Molloy in St. James Cathedral in Brooklyn.
After a three-year period as a newly-ordained priest at Our Lady of Lourdes parish in Queens Village, he was assigned to study social work, and in 1961 he earned a master’s degree from the Fordham University School of Social Work. In that same year, he was appointed assistant director of Catholic Charities’ childcare division and four years later was named the director. Bishop Sullivan also earned a master’s in public administration from New York University. In 1968, when Bishop Francis J. Mugavero became the Diocesan Bishop, he chose then–Father Sullivan to succeed him as the executive director of Catholic Charities and appointed him Secretary to the Ordinary for Charities.
He was elected executive vice-president of the board of trustees of Catholic Charities in 1979. In the following year, on Oct. 7, 1980, he was one of three Brooklyn priests named Auxiliary Bishops by then Pope John Paul II. The others were late Anthony Cardinal Bevilacqua and Bishop Rene A. Valero. Bishop–elect Sullivan was also given the title of Titular Bishop of Suliana. As an auxiliary bishop, Bishop Sullivan held the titles of Vicar for Human Services and Regional Bishop for the 62 parishes of the Brooklyn West Vicariate.
Other pastoral work in which Bishop Sullivan helped serve were health care issues and needs, where he played an instrumental role in the formation of St. Vincent’s Catholic Medical Centers, which joined the hospitals and related facilities of the Diocese with similar institutions conducted by the New York Sisters of Charity. Bishop Sullivan has served on numerous Church and civic boards concerned with health and human services on the national, State and local levels. These have included the chairmanship of the Catholic Medical Center of Brooklyn and Queens and membership on the board of Catholic Charities USA. Also included in his activities outside the Diocese has been his service as chairman of the Social Development and World Peace Department of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops.
In the late 1990s, he chaired an ad hoc committee that produced a pastoral letter on charity — “In All Things Charity: A Pastoral Challenge for the New Millennium” — approved by the U.S. bishops in November 1999. He said the message was intended “to reclaim the meaning of charity,” which he said had become a pejorative term in modern society. Bishop Sullivan is survived by his sisters Betty, Dolly and Fran, and brothers John, Pete and Ralph; he has over 100 nieces, nephews, and grandnieces and grandnephews. He was predeceased by his brothers Gerard, Richard, Thomas and William. Funeral arrangements are pending and will be released as they become available.
Bishop Sullivan’s life and accomplishments
During his lifetime Bishop Joseph Sullivan accomplished much for the glory of God and the service of the people of God. CLICK HERE to view a listing of some of those accomplishments.
A Poem by Bishop Sullivan
Remembrance - Most Reverend Joseph M. Sullivan
14-YEAR OLD BOY BRUTALLY KILLED ON STREET IN SYRIA
ASIA NEWS REPORT
Muhammad al-Qatta, a 14-year-old coffee seller, was killed on Sunday by a group of Islamists, executed in public, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported. For Bishop Jean Clement Jeanbart, a jihadist victory would mean that Christians could no longer practice their religion in Syria. In an appeal to all Catholics, he calls on them to pray for an end to the war and for the reconciliation of the Syrian people.
_0611_-_Madre_Muhammad_(318_x_324).jpg)
Aleppo (AsiaNews) - The public execution of Muhammad al-Qatta, a young coffee seller brutally assassinated on Sunday by a group of jihadists in Aleppo for insulting Muhammad, "is a terrible event that shocked the entire population of the city, Muslims and Christians, who do not want an Islamic state in Syria," Mgr Jean Clement Jeanbart, Melkite Archbishop of Aleppo, told AsiaNews. For the prelate, such an act is yet another example of the brutality of foreign militants fighting in Syria.
"Christians," he explained, "are terrified by these militias and fear that in the event of their victory they would no longer be able to practice their religion and that they would be forced to leave the country." Sending more weapons to the country would only lead to more such cases of violence, he added.
Reported by Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, an organisation run by rebels in exile Muhammad al-Qatta's case has been repeated around the world.
The incident occurred on Sunday in one of the districts of the city controlled by Islamist insurgents. The young man was working at his kiosk when two men approached him demanding a cup of coffee for free. The boy protested, saying that "even Muhammad himself would have done the right thing and paid."
Outraged by the answer, the two fighters took away little Mohammed. After beating him, they led him to the streets getting people to bear false witness against him by saying that the boy had insulted the prophet and Islam.
After reading the verdict, the teenager was blindfolded and killed with two shots to the neck and the back, in front of his parents and a crowd of over a hundred people, forced to watch the execution. What actually happened has yet to be confirmed however.
In a video aired on a rebel website, a woman claiming to be Muhammad's mother describes her son's brutal killing, saying that the boy was working to help the family.
This morning, the Islamic court of the "Caliphate of Iraq and the Levant", the name by which Islamists call the districts of Aleppo under their rule, issued a statement in which it denied responsibility in the case, claiming that it had never authorised Muhammad al-Qatta's execution or trial.
For Mgr Jeanbart, Islamic Courts are a scourge that plagues most of the areas controlled by al-Qaeda affiliated foreign militias, which are also opposed by local pro-rebel groups, not to mention by supporters of Bashar al-Assad.
"As soon as they reached the city," the bishop said, "Islamist guerrillas, almost all of them from abroad, took over the mosques. Every Friday, an imam launches their messages of hate, calling on the population to kill anyone who does not practice the religion of the Prophet Muhammad. They use the courts to level charges of blasphemy. Who is contrary to their way of thinking pays with his life (see video)."
The prelate called on all Catholics to pray for Syria. "Let us turn to God for an end to the conflict and the violence and for the reconciliation of our people." (S.C.)
SHARED FROM ASIA NEWS IT
Muhammad al-Qatta, a 14-year-old coffee seller, was killed on Sunday by a group of Islamists, executed in public, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported. For Bishop Jean Clement Jeanbart, a jihadist victory would mean that Christians could no longer practice their religion in Syria. In an appeal to all Catholics, he calls on them to pray for an end to the war and for the reconciliation of the Syrian people.
_0611_-_Madre_Muhammad_(318_x_324).jpg)
Aleppo (AsiaNews) - The public execution of Muhammad al-Qatta, a young coffee seller brutally assassinated on Sunday by a group of jihadists in Aleppo for insulting Muhammad, "is a terrible event that shocked the entire population of the city, Muslims and Christians, who do not want an Islamic state in Syria," Mgr Jean Clement Jeanbart, Melkite Archbishop of Aleppo, told AsiaNews. For the prelate, such an act is yet another example of the brutality of foreign militants fighting in Syria.
"Christians," he explained, "are terrified by these militias and fear that in the event of their victory they would no longer be able to practice their religion and that they would be forced to leave the country." Sending more weapons to the country would only lead to more such cases of violence, he added.
Reported by Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, an organisation run by rebels in exile Muhammad al-Qatta's case has been repeated around the world.
The incident occurred on Sunday in one of the districts of the city controlled by Islamist insurgents. The young man was working at his kiosk when two men approached him demanding a cup of coffee for free. The boy protested, saying that "even Muhammad himself would have done the right thing and paid."
Outraged by the answer, the two fighters took away little Mohammed. After beating him, they led him to the streets getting people to bear false witness against him by saying that the boy had insulted the prophet and Islam.
After reading the verdict, the teenager was blindfolded and killed with two shots to the neck and the back, in front of his parents and a crowd of over a hundred people, forced to watch the execution. What actually happened has yet to be confirmed however.
In a video aired on a rebel website, a woman claiming to be Muhammad's mother describes her son's brutal killing, saying that the boy was working to help the family.
This morning, the Islamic court of the "Caliphate of Iraq and the Levant", the name by which Islamists call the districts of Aleppo under their rule, issued a statement in which it denied responsibility in the case, claiming that it had never authorised Muhammad al-Qatta's execution or trial.
For Mgr Jeanbart, Islamic Courts are a scourge that plagues most of the areas controlled by al-Qaeda affiliated foreign militias, which are also opposed by local pro-rebel groups, not to mention by supporters of Bashar al-Assad.
"As soon as they reached the city," the bishop said, "Islamist guerrillas, almost all of them from abroad, took over the mosques. Every Friday, an imam launches their messages of hate, calling on the population to kill anyone who does not practice the religion of the Prophet Muhammad. They use the courts to level charges of blasphemy. Who is contrary to their way of thinking pays with his life (see video)."
The prelate called on all Catholics to pray for Syria. "Let us turn to God for an end to the conflict and the violence and for the reconciliation of our people." (S.C.)
SHARED FROM ASIA NEWS IT
PROVIDING HOMES FOR THE HOMELESS POOR IN AUSTRALIA
ARCHDIOCESE OF CANBERRA RELEASE
Fr Chris Riley, whose Youth off the Streets program runs “interventions” in emerging hot spots for homelessness, said half of the problem in a region such as the ACT could be solved “by providing houses”.
He said many homeless people had “just fallen on hard times” and did not necessarily suffer from an underlying trauma that made the problem more complex.
“Fifty per cent of your homeless just need a home,” he said, adding that he could see no evidence of the affordable housing governments had promised.
St Vincent de Paul national CEO Paul Falzon said, apart from arguments around compassion and dignity, a “shrewd economic argument” could be made for providing housing because research had shown that it costs the community more, in services, to leave someone homeless for a protracted period that it does to give them a house.
Leaving people homeless was “a waste of economic resources and a waste human life”, he said.
The society’s national vice-president, Graham West, agreed that the approach should be “housing first”, but was pessimistic about governments’ commitment to providing affordable housing and meeting the 2020 targets.
Other panellists in the forum included ACT Anglicare’s Jenny Kitchin, Homelessness Australia CEO Nicole Lawder, and Australian Catholic University law professor and human rights advocate Fr Frank Brennan. CEO of the Australian Indigenous Education Foundation Mr Andrew Penfold gave the keynote address, while Canberra businessman Mr Glenn Tibbitts set the scene with a moving account of his former life on the streets.
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Inroads into the 2008 White Paper’s target of halving homelessness by 2020 could be made simply by providing more affordable housing, experts have argued in a forum on homelessness run by the St Vincent de Paul Society in Canberra.Fr Chris Riley, whose Youth off the Streets program runs “interventions” in emerging hot spots for homelessness, said half of the problem in a region such as the ACT could be solved “by providing houses”.
He said many homeless people had “just fallen on hard times” and did not necessarily suffer from an underlying trauma that made the problem more complex.
“Fifty per cent of your homeless just need a home,” he said, adding that he could see no evidence of the affordable housing governments had promised.
St Vincent de Paul national CEO Paul Falzon said, apart from arguments around compassion and dignity, a “shrewd economic argument” could be made for providing housing because research had shown that it costs the community more, in services, to leave someone homeless for a protracted period that it does to give them a house.
Leaving people homeless was “a waste of economic resources and a waste human life”, he said.
The society’s national vice-president, Graham West, agreed that the approach should be “housing first”, but was pessimistic about governments’ commitment to providing affordable housing and meeting the 2020 targets.
Other panellists in the forum included ACT Anglicare’s Jenny Kitchin, Homelessness Australia CEO Nicole Lawder, and Australian Catholic University law professor and human rights advocate Fr Frank Brennan. CEO of the Australian Indigenous Education Foundation Mr Andrew Penfold gave the keynote address, while Canberra businessman Mr Glenn Tibbitts set the scene with a moving account of his former life on the streets.
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CONCORDAT SIGNED BETWEEN VATICAN AND CAPE VERDE IN AFRICA
Agenzia Fides report - The President of the Republic of Cape Verde, Jorge Carlos de Almeida Fonseca, yesterday 10 June, signed the Concordat between the Holy See and Cape Verde, in Praia. The agreement was signed on behalf of the Holy See by His Exc. Mgr. Dominique Mamberti, Secretary for Relations with States.
The agreement regulates, among other things, the legal status of the Catholic Church in the Country, the Catholic teaching in schools and matrimonial matters.
"It is, without doubt, a very important tool to allow the Church and the State of Cape Verde to work at the service of the poor and the promotion of human dignity," said to Lusa Agency His Exc. Mgr. Ildo Augusto dos Santos Fortes, Bishop of Mindelo.
The signing of the Concordat of Cape Verde is followed with attention and interest by the Episcopal Conference of Angola and Sao Tomé, says a statement published on the website of the Conference which recalls the common membership of Angola and Cape Verde in Portuguese-speaking Countries. The Bishops also emphasize the need to "reach a concordat agreement between the Angolan State and the Vatican State".
The message concludes by recalling that prior to Cape Verde the only Portuguese-speaking African country to sign a concordat with the Holy See, was Mozambique (in December 2011). (L.M.) (Agenzia Fides 11/06/2013)
The agreement regulates, among other things, the legal status of the Catholic Church in the Country, the Catholic teaching in schools and matrimonial matters.
"It is, without doubt, a very important tool to allow the Church and the State of Cape Verde to work at the service of the poor and the promotion of human dignity," said to Lusa Agency His Exc. Mgr. Ildo Augusto dos Santos Fortes, Bishop of Mindelo.
The signing of the Concordat of Cape Verde is followed with attention and interest by the Episcopal Conference of Angola and Sao Tomé, says a statement published on the website of the Conference which recalls the common membership of Angola and Cape Verde in Portuguese-speaking Countries. The Bishops also emphasize the need to "reach a concordat agreement between the Angolan State and the Vatican State".
The message concludes by recalling that prior to Cape Verde the only Portuguese-speaking African country to sign a concordat with the Holy See, was Mozambique (in December 2011). (L.M.) (Agenzia Fides 11/06/2013)
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TODAY'S SAINT : JUNE 11 : ST. BARNABAS
St. Barnabas
APOSTLE
Feast: June 11
 Information:
| arnabas (originally Joseph), styled an Apostle in Holy Scripture, and, like St. Paul, ranked by the Church with the Twelve, though not one of them; b. of Jewish parents in the Island of Cyprus about the beginning of the Christian Era. A Levite, he naturally spent much time in Jerusalem, probably even before the Crucifixion of Our Lord, and appears also to have settled there (where his relatives, the family of Mark the Evangelist, likewise had their homes — Acts 12:12) and to have owned land in its vicinity (4:36-37). A rather late tradition recorded by Clement of Alexandria (Strom., II, 20, P.G., VIII, col. 1060) and Eusebius (H. E., II, i, P. G., XX, col. 117) says that he was one of the seventy Disciples; but Acts (4:36-37) favours the opinion that he was converted to Christianity shortly after Pentecost (about A.D. 29 or 30) and immediately sold his property and devoted the proceeds to the Church. The Apostles, probably because of his success as a preacher, for he is later placed first among the prophets and doctors of Antioch (xiii, 1), surnamed him Barnabas, a name then interpreted as meaning "son of exhortation" or "consolation". (The real etymology, however, is disputed. See Encyl. Bibli., I, col. 484.) Though nothing is recorded of Barnabas for some years, he evidently acquired during this period a high position in the Church. When Saul the persecutor, later Paul the Apostle, made his first visit (dated variously from A.D. 33 to 38) to Jerusalem after his conversion, the Church there, remembering his former fierce spirit, was slow to believe in the reality of his conversion. Barnabas stood sponsor for him and had him received by the Apostles, as the Acts relate (9:27), though he saw only Peter and James, the brother of the Lord, according to Paul himself (Galatians 1:18-19). Saul went to his house at Tarsus to live in obscurity for some years, while Barnabas appears to have remained at Jerusalem. The event that brought them together again and opened to both the door to their lifework was an indirect result of Saul's own persecution. In the dispersion that followed Stephen's death, some Disciples from Cyprus and Cyrene, obscure men, inaugurated the real mission of the Christian Church by preaching to the Gentiles. They met with great success among the Greeks at Antioch in Syria, reports of which coming o the ears of the Apostles, Barnabas was sent thither by them to investigate the work of his countrymen. He saw in the conversions effected the fruit of God's grace and, though a Jew, heartily welcomed these first Gentile converts. His mind was opened at once to the possibility of this immense field. It is a proof how deeply impressed Barnabas had been by Paul that he thought of him immediately for this work, set out without delay for distant Tarsus, and persuaded Paul to go to Antioch and begin the work of preaching. This incident, shedding light on the character of each, shows it was no mere accident that led them to the Gentile field. Together they laboured at Antioch for a whole year and "taught a great multitude". Then, on the coming of famine, by which Jerusalem was much afflicted, the offerings of the Disciples at Antioch were carried (about A.D. 45) to the mother-church by Barnabas and Saul (Acts 11). Their mission ended, they returned to Antioch, bringing with them the cousin, or nephew of Barnabas (Colossians 4:10), John Mark, the future Evangelist (Acts 12:25). The time was now ripe, it was believed, for more systematic labours, and the Church of Antioch felt inspired by the Holy Ghost to send out missionaries to the Gentile world and to designate for the work Barnabas and Paul. They accordingly departed, after the imposition of hands, with John Mark as helper. Cyprus, the native land of Barnabas, was first evangelized, and then they crossed over to Asia Minor. Here, at Perge in Pamphylia, the first stopping place, John Mark left them, for what reason his friend St. Luke does not state, though Paul looked on the act as desertion. The two Apostles, however, pushing into the interior of a rather wild country, preached at Antioch of Pisidia, Iconium, Lystra, at Derbe, and other cities. At every step they met with opposition and even violent persecution from the Jews, who also incited the Gentiles against them. The most striking incident of the journey was at Lystra, where the superstitious populace took Paul, who had just cured a lame man, for Hermes (Mercury) "because he was the chief speaker", and Barnabas for Jupiter, and were about to sacrifice a bull to them when prevented by the Apostles. Mob-like, they were soon persuaded by the Jews to turn and attack the Apostles and wounded St. Paul almost fatally. Despite opposition and persecution, Paul and Barnabas made many converts on this journey and returned by the same route to Perge, organizing churches, ordaining presbyters and placing them over the faithful, so that they felt, on again reaching Antioch in Syria, that God had "opened a door of faith to the Gentiles" (Acts 13:13-14:27). Barnabas and Paul had been "for no small time" at Antioch, when they were threatened with the undoing of their work and the stopping of its further progress. Preachers came from Jerusalem with the gospel that circumcision was necessary for salvation, even for the Gentiles. The Apostles of the Gentiles, perceiving at once that this doctrine would be fatal to their work, went up to Jerusalem to combat it; the older Apostles received them kindly and at what is called the Council of Jerusalem (dated variously from A.D. 47 to 51) granted a decision in their favour as well as a hearty commendation of their work (Acts 14:27-15:30). On their return to Antioch, they resumed their preaching for a short time. St. Peter came down and associated freely there with the Gentiles, eating with them. This displeased some disciples of James; in their opinion, Peter's act was unlawful, as against the Mosaic law. Upon their remonstrances, Peter yielded apparently through fear of displeasing them, and refused to eat any longer with the Gentiles. Barnabas followed his example. Paul considered that they "walked not uprightly according to the truth of the gospel" and upbraided them before the whole church (Galatians 2:11-15). Paul seems to have carried his point. Shortly afterwards, he and Barnabas decided to revisit their missions. Barnabas wished to take John Mark along once more, but on account of the previous defection Paul objected. A sharp contention ensuing, the Apostles agreed to separate. Paul was probably somewhat influenced by the attitude recently taken by Barnabas, which might prove a prejudice to their work. Barnabas sailed with John Mark to Cyprus, while Paul took Silas an revisited the churches of Asia Minor. It is believed by some that the church of Antioch, by its God-speed to Paul, showed its approval of his attitude; this inference, however, is not certain (Acts 15:35-41). Little is known of the subsequent career of Barnabas. He was still living and labouring as an Apostle in 56 or 57, when Paul wrote I Cor. (ix, 5, 6). from which we learn that he, too, like Paul, earned his own living, though on an equality with other Apostles. The reference indicates also that the friendship between the two was unimpaired. When Paul was a prisoner in Rome (61-63), John Mark was attached to him as a disciple, which is regarded as an indication that Barnabas was no longer living (Colossians 4:10). This seems probable. Various traditions represent him as the first Bishop of Milan, as preaching at Alexandria and at Rome, whose fourth (?) bishop, St. Clement, he is said to have converted, and as having suffered martyrdom in Cyprus. The traditions are all late and untrustworthy. With the exception of St. Paul and certain of the Twelve, Barnabas appears to have been the most esteemed man of the first Christian generation. St. Luke, breaking his habit of reserve, speaks of him with affection, "for he was a good man, full of the Holy Ghost and of Faith". His title to glory comes not only from his kindliness of heart, his personal sanctity, and his missionary labours, but also from his readiness to lay aside his Jewish prejudices, in this anticipating certain of the Twelve; from his large-hearted welcome of the Gentiles, and from his early perception of Paul's worth, to which the Christian Church is indebted, in large part at least, for its great Apostle. His tenderness towards John Mark seems to have had its reward in the valuable services later rendered by him to the Church. The feast of St. Barnabas is celebrated on 11 June. He is credited by Tertullian (probably falsely) with the authorship of the Epistle to the Hebrews, and the so-called Epistle of Barnabas is ascribed to him by many Fathers.
(Taken from Catholic Encyclopedia)
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SOURCE: http://www.ewtn.com/saintsHoly/saints/B/stbarnabas.asp#ixzz1xUBP4PYn
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