CATHOLIC WORLD NEWS: SUN. SEPT. 20, 2009: HEADLINES:
VATICAN: POPE: TRUE WISDOM, DEFENDS AGAINST FALSEHOOD-
AMERICA: USCCB RELEASES SUGGESTIONS FOR UNITY-
AFRICA: URBANIZATION CREATES SHORTAGE OF RESOURCES-
EUROPE: ENGLAND: DOWRY OF MARY PILGRIMAGE WITH BISHOP-
AUSTRALIA: POSSIBLE NEGOTIATIONS FOR FR. MAGUIRE-
VATICAN
POPE: TRUE WISDOM, DEFENDS AGAINST FALSEHOOD
Among the groups of faithful gathered in the courtyard of the Apostolic Palace of Castel Gandolfo to pray the Angelus together with Pope Benedict XVI this Sunday, was a large group of pilgrims from the Czech Republic, where the Pope will visit next Saturday.Addressing those gathered before the Angelus, the Holy Father, referred to the passage of the Letter of James in Sundays liturgy, which speaks of true wisdom that detoxifies the presence of falsehood and selfishness: (insert PAPA) "Today, the Pope said, perhaps in certain dynamics of society, we see quite often a lack of respect for the truth and the word, together with a tendency towards aggression, hatred and revenge. (SOURCE: http://www.youtube.com/vatican#
PEACE & RECONCILIATION
Pope Benedict during his Sunday Angelus at Castel Gandolfo recalled the many conflicts that exist in the world, adding that almost everyday there is news of daily tragic victims both military and civilians."In recent days, he said, news of the terrible attack on Italian soldiers in Afghanistan has caused me deep pain. The Pope added his thoughts were with Afghan civilians and other troop contingents that suffered losses and «operate to promote peace and the development of institutions.»Then quoting from his Encyclical Caritas in Veritate the Holy Father reiterated his encouragement in the promotion of solidarity among nations based on justice, peace and reconciliation.
(SOURCE: http://www.youtube.com/vatican#
AMERICA
USCCB RELEASES SUGGESTIONS FOR UNITY
The USCCB reports that about 2.1 billion people claim the name Christian. These followers of Christ are divided among numerous religious groups including Catholics, Protestants, Evangelicals, Orthodox, and even those who do not associate themselves with any one Christian group.Father Leo Walsh, Associate Director of the U.S. bishops’ Secretariat for Ecumenical and interreligious affairs, notes that all Christians are called to be one but it won’t happen tomorrow. That in mind, he offers.
Ten Things to Know about Working for Christian Unity
The Commandment for Christian Unity Comes from Christ Himself. On the night before he died, Christ prayed, “May they all be one…so that the world may believe.” (Jn 16:21ff) Christ prayed for it. We have to pray and work for it too.
The Biggest Stumbling Block to the Credibility of the Gospel is a Divided Christianity. Sadly, modern society is not well disposed towards religion in general and Christianity in particular. As the world has become more secular, one of the chief arguments people use against Christians is that we simply don’t have our act together. We need to change that perception if we want to be taken seriously.
Working for Christian Unity is Integral to the Life of the Church. The Apostle Paul constantly worked and prayed for unity in the Church. So too should today’s Catholics. In his encyclical Ut Unum Sint, Pope John Paul II said: “Thus promoting Christian unity, is not just some sort of "appendix" which is added to the Church's traditional activity. Rather, ecumenism is an organic part of her life and work and consequently pervades all that she is and does...”
“Convergence” not “Compromise” is the Key to Christian Unity. Working for Christian unity does not mean giving up what is essential to the Catholic faith simply to get along with other Christians. Rather, it is searching for ways to express the truth of the gospel. For Christians the Truth is not a something, but a someONE, and that is Jesus the Christ. Like a wagon wheel with Christ at the center and each Christian on the spokes, in the search for truth, the closer we get to Christ, the closer we get to one another.
Ecumenism Happens on Many Levels. Ecumenism can happen in a marriage where the spouses come from different Christian traditions or through a program between a parish and a local Orthodox, Protestant or Evangelical congregation. Or it could be on the diocesan, national, or international level.
The First Work of Unity is Prayer. Christians can and should pray together for unity. When we join our prayers for unity to the prayer of Christ, then unity is possible. This is a sign of the real, but imperfect communion which we share in our common baptism. However, because we are not in full communion, Catholics should not receive the Eucharist in other churches and vice versa.
The Second Work of Unity is Common Work and Witness. Working together in areas of common concern is a powerful step toward unity. What we can do together, we should do together, especially in acts of charity. Many parishes and congregations work together to run common food pantries, social service agencies, medical clinics and emergency response teams.
The Third Work of Unity is Dialogue. Once Christians have prayed and worked together, it makes sense to explore the beliefs, practices and doctrines we hold in common. Dialogue starts with seeking to know the other and often there is more that unites than divides us. When we understand where we converge, we can begin to honestly explore the theological and practical issues that still divide us.
Apathy and Proselytism are Opposed to Unity. We live in a privileged time. The animosities that brought about a divided Christianity are no longer present. Yet we cannot sit back and do nothing. Likewise, proselytism, or the deliberate targeting of another Christian or group of Christians for the sole purpose of getting them to reject their church to join another, is not allowed. Some people may feel called in conscience to change from one tradition to another, but “sheep stealing” is unacceptable.
Achieving Unity is Going to Take a Long, Long Time.We have lived in a divided Christianity for almost a thousand years. Christian unity is not going to be achieved overnight. But by praying together, working together and engaging in charitable, deliberate dialogue, we can work with the Holy Spirit so that the prayer of Christ at the Last Supper, “that they all may be one…that the world may believe” will come to fruition. We have lived in a divided Christianity for almost a thousand years. Christian unity is not going to be achieved overnight. But by praying together, working together and engaging in charitable, deliberate dialogue, we can work with the Holy Spirit so that the prayer of Christ at the Last Supper, “that they all may be one…that the world may believe” will come to fruition. (Source: http://www.usccb.org/comm/archives/2009/09-182.shtml
Ten Things to Know about Working for Christian Unity
The Commandment for Christian Unity Comes from Christ Himself. On the night before he died, Christ prayed, “May they all be one…so that the world may believe.” (Jn 16:21ff) Christ prayed for it. We have to pray and work for it too.
The Biggest Stumbling Block to the Credibility of the Gospel is a Divided Christianity. Sadly, modern society is not well disposed towards religion in general and Christianity in particular. As the world has become more secular, one of the chief arguments people use against Christians is that we simply don’t have our act together. We need to change that perception if we want to be taken seriously.
Working for Christian Unity is Integral to the Life of the Church. The Apostle Paul constantly worked and prayed for unity in the Church. So too should today’s Catholics. In his encyclical Ut Unum Sint, Pope John Paul II said: “Thus promoting Christian unity, is not just some sort of "appendix" which is added to the Church's traditional activity. Rather, ecumenism is an organic part of her life and work and consequently pervades all that she is and does...”
“Convergence” not “Compromise” is the Key to Christian Unity. Working for Christian unity does not mean giving up what is essential to the Catholic faith simply to get along with other Christians. Rather, it is searching for ways to express the truth of the gospel. For Christians the Truth is not a something, but a someONE, and that is Jesus the Christ. Like a wagon wheel with Christ at the center and each Christian on the spokes, in the search for truth, the closer we get to Christ, the closer we get to one another.
Ecumenism Happens on Many Levels. Ecumenism can happen in a marriage where the spouses come from different Christian traditions or through a program between a parish and a local Orthodox, Protestant or Evangelical congregation. Or it could be on the diocesan, national, or international level.
The First Work of Unity is Prayer. Christians can and should pray together for unity. When we join our prayers for unity to the prayer of Christ, then unity is possible. This is a sign of the real, but imperfect communion which we share in our common baptism. However, because we are not in full communion, Catholics should not receive the Eucharist in other churches and vice versa.
The Second Work of Unity is Common Work and Witness. Working together in areas of common concern is a powerful step toward unity. What we can do together, we should do together, especially in acts of charity. Many parishes and congregations work together to run common food pantries, social service agencies, medical clinics and emergency response teams.
The Third Work of Unity is Dialogue. Once Christians have prayed and worked together, it makes sense to explore the beliefs, practices and doctrines we hold in common. Dialogue starts with seeking to know the other and often there is more that unites than divides us. When we understand where we converge, we can begin to honestly explore the theological and practical issues that still divide us.
Apathy and Proselytism are Opposed to Unity. We live in a privileged time. The animosities that brought about a divided Christianity are no longer present. Yet we cannot sit back and do nothing. Likewise, proselytism, or the deliberate targeting of another Christian or group of Christians for the sole purpose of getting them to reject their church to join another, is not allowed. Some people may feel called in conscience to change from one tradition to another, but “sheep stealing” is unacceptable.
Achieving Unity is Going to Take a Long, Long Time.We have lived in a divided Christianity for almost a thousand years. Christian unity is not going to be achieved overnight. But by praying together, working together and engaging in charitable, deliberate dialogue, we can work with the Holy Spirit so that the prayer of Christ at the Last Supper, “that they all may be one…that the world may believe” will come to fruition. We have lived in a divided Christianity for almost a thousand years. Christian unity is not going to be achieved overnight. But by praying together, working together and engaging in charitable, deliberate dialogue, we can work with the Holy Spirit so that the prayer of Christ at the Last Supper, “that they all may be one…that the world may believe” will come to fruition. (Source: http://www.usccb.org/comm/archives/2009/09-182.shtml
AFRICA
URBANIZATION CREATES SHORTAGE OF RESOURCES
CNS reports that the rapid urbanization of African cities is creating a shortage of resources, poor sanitation, social and political unrest and environmental issues.Urbanization is such a problem that bishops of southern Africa hope to bring it up as a topic at the Oct. 4-25 Synod of Bishops for Africa at the Vatican, Archbishop Buti Tlhagale of Johannesburg, South Africa, told U.S. bishops in late August.U.N.-Habitat, the agency for human settlements, said unsustainable growth in African cities is leading to lack of housing, services, employment opportunities and infrastructure to support the population."The State of African Cities," a 2008 report by U.N.-Habitat, expressed concern that cities are becoming more and more dysfunctional in terms of access to basic resources and livelihoods for their inhabitants."History has shown that high urban growth rates in Africa tend to translate into significant urban informal settlement and slum formation," the report said.It said that by 2030, the African urban population is expected to more than double its 2007 level of 373.4 million."Despite the fact that African cities are generating about 55 percent of the continent's total GDP (gross domestic product), a massive 43 percent of its urban populations are living below the poverty line," said the report.In West and Central Africa, the report said, more than half of all city dwellers live in poverty, and in very few cities are the water and electricity supply dependable.The U.N.-Habitat report said urbanization has created civil unrest and significant political risk in Africa's cities.It added that with increasing population, space for housing becomes more scarce."As a result, land prices rise sharply, and land becomes increasingly unaffordable to the urban poor," it said."Water and food supply insecurity, especially for large cities, is looming large," it said. "At least 14 African nations are already facing water stress or scarcity and many more will start experiencing water and food stresses over the next decades. Agricultural lands are rapidly disappearing, particularly in the northern sections of the region. Water resources are becoming more and more scarce."In a 2005 report, "The Urban Transition in Sub-Saharan Africa," the Cities Alliance, a coalition of cities and their development partners committed to the reduction of poverty, said the phenomenon of "rural-to-urban migration can be explained by two forces: the attraction of economic opportunity in cities exerts a 'pull,' while the limitations of opportunity in rural areas create a 'push.'"The driving force to leave rural areas may be stronger to some in African countries where agriculture has been stagnant or declining or where local conflict has devastated the countryside, the publication added. In those cases, it said, migration is "crucial to ensuring sustainable livelihoods, especially for households facing constant uncertainty." (Source:
EUROPE
ENGLAND: DOWRY OF MARY PILGRIMAGE WITH BISHOP
The Catholic Heral reports that about 3,000 pilgrims gathered in Walsingham on Sunday September 6 for the annual Dowry of Mary pilgrimage. Bishop Bernard Longley, auxiliary in Westminster, was the principal celebrant and homilist at the p
ilgrimage Mass celebrated in the Chapel of Reconciliation. Following the Mass the pilgrims processed along the Holy Mile to the abbey ruins of the original Walsingham shrine where the Blessed Sacrament was exposed and adored by Anglicans and Catholics alike. Bishop Michael Evans of East Anglia concelebrated the Mass and took part in the pilgrimage. In his homily Bishop Longley said: "You may have wondered why we call the pilgrimage the Dowry of Mary Pilgrimage. A dowry is the property that a wife brings to her husband in marriage and England has been known for many centuries as the Dowry of Mary. In relation to the Trinity Mary is sometimes spoken of as daughter of the Father, mother of the Son and spouse of the Holy Spirit. "It is good to recognise that the Catholic 
Church can reflect the universal call to England that Mary brings to the Holy Spirit includes today the many nations and cultures that make up the universal Church and that is truly reflected here." He also welcomed the ethnic chaplaincies at the Mass. He said: "We can see very clearly in our pilgrimage of Catholics from African and South American countries, from Asia and Eastern Europe as well as those whose families have lived for many generations in these islands how the holiness in the Kingdom of God."We see what it means to live side by side, united by the same Catholic faith." (SOURCE: http://www.catholicherald.co.uk/life/cl0000476.shtmlUCAN reports that thousands of residents and environmental activists, religious leaders among them, have rallied against a 200-megawatt coal-fired power plant b
eing built in the southern Philippines.
Children wave flags, some of which read ‘No to CFPP(coal-fired power plant),’ during the protest in Maasim.(Photo courtesy of Jean Marie Ferraris/LRCKsK-Davao)
The plant site sits across Sarangani Bay from the 140-hectare (345-acre) Kamanga Marine protected site and opponents fear it will cause massive pollution in the area.
Father Romeo Catedral, social action director for Marbel diocese, told UCA News the protesters do not believe the plant owner's assurance they will burn "clean carbon coal" from Indonesia.
Some 5,000 people joined the "Holy Covenant Action" at the Maasim town plaza, Sarangani province on Sept. 14. Opponents fear that mercury, released when fossil fuels are burnt, will get into the rivers and the marine area, causing irreversible damage to nature and food security.
Catholic Bishop Dinualdo Gutierrez of Marbel and an aleem (Islamic scholar) were among religious leaders who each gave five-minute talks. They quoted verses from the Bible and Qur'an, respectively, to explain their opposition to the coal plant.
Participants expressed their opposition to the project by signing a "covenant between God and the people of Maasim."
Filipino-led Conal Holdings Corporation is building the plant in a limestone-rich area in Father Catedral's diocese at the southern tip of Mindanao, the main southern Philippine island. The project is a joint venture with Thailand's Electricity Generating Public Company (EGCO).
Conal says the venture hopes to provide cheaper electricity than is currently available, since coal costs less than other fossil fuels, and coal from Indonesia is even cheaper than local coal. Conal engineers insist mercury emission would be controlled, but construction has been halted for now, in the face of protests, to give time to reassure local people, according to the company's website.
The planned three-year initial construction phase would reportedly provide jobs for at least 1,300 workers.
Despite the company's claims, Erwin Quinones, a paralegal staff worker with the NGO Kasama sa Kalikasan (companion in nature), told reporters: "There is no such thing as clean coal."
The rally was organized by Maasim People's Coalition on Climate Change, which comprises members of Santa Cruz Catholic parish, the homegrown Iglesia Filipina Independiente (Philippine independent Church), Church of Christ, Sovereign Grace Church International and Notre Dame Catholic High School of Maasim.
"The Church is not against progress, cheaper power rates or new industry, but we oppose a plant that harms the environment for the future," Father Catedral told UCA News.
Since coal contains mercury, iron, magnesium and lead, burning it pollutes the atmosphere, he argued. He echoed the bishop in noting that God entrusted the earth to human stewardship.
The priest also pointed out that the coal plant will affect farmers even though it is situated in a rocky section of the town and will not destroy any agriculture land.
"The plant will pump 750,000 liters of water an hour from nearby rivers that also irrigate surrounding farms," the social action director explained, speaking from Koronadal City, formerly called Marbel. "This will have harmful effects on nearby farms."
Marbel diocese covers South Cotabato and Sarangani provinces, General Santo City and parts of Sultan Kudarat province. Church statistics say 77 percent of the 1.6 million residents are Catholics.
(SOURCE: http://www.ucanews.com/2009/09/18/interreligious-gathering-vows-to-fight-coal-plant/
eing built in the southern Philippines.Children wave flags, some of which read ‘No to CFPP(coal-fired power plant),’ during the protest in Maasim.(Photo courtesy of Jean Marie Ferraris/LRCKsK-Davao)
The plant site sits across Sarangani Bay from the 140-hectare (345-acre) Kamanga Marine protected site and opponents fear it will cause massive pollution in the area.
Father Romeo Catedral, social action director for Marbel diocese, told UCA News the protesters do not believe the plant owner's assurance they will burn "clean carbon coal" from Indonesia.
Some 5,000 people joined the "Holy Covenant Action" at the Maasim town plaza, Sarangani province on Sept. 14. Opponents fear that mercury, released when fossil fuels are burnt, will get into the rivers and the marine area, causing irreversible damage to nature and food security.
Catholic Bishop Dinualdo Gutierrez of Marbel and an aleem (Islamic scholar) were among religious leaders who each gave five-minute talks. They quoted verses from the Bible and Qur'an, respectively, to explain their opposition to the coal plant.
Participants expressed their opposition to the project by signing a "covenant between God and the people of Maasim."
Filipino-led Conal Holdings Corporation is building the plant in a limestone-rich area in Father Catedral's diocese at the southern tip of Mindanao, the main southern Philippine island. The project is a joint venture with Thailand's Electricity Generating Public Company (EGCO).
Conal says the venture hopes to provide cheaper electricity than is currently available, since coal costs less than other fossil fuels, and coal from Indonesia is even cheaper than local coal. Conal engineers insist mercury emission would be controlled, but construction has been halted for now, in the face of protests, to give time to reassure local people, according to the company's website.
The planned three-year initial construction phase would reportedly provide jobs for at least 1,300 workers.
Despite the company's claims, Erwin Quinones, a paralegal staff worker with the NGO Kasama sa Kalikasan (companion in nature), told reporters: "There is no such thing as clean coal."
The rally was organized by Maasim People's Coalition on Climate Change, which comprises members of Santa Cruz Catholic parish, the homegrown Iglesia Filipina Independiente (Philippine independent Church), Church of Christ, Sovereign Grace Church International and Notre Dame Catholic High School of Maasim.
"The Church is not against progress, cheaper power rates or new industry, but we oppose a plant that harms the environment for the future," Father Catedral told UCA News.
Since coal contains mercury, iron, magnesium and lead, burning it pollutes the atmosphere, he argued. He echoed the bishop in noting that God entrusted the earth to human stewardship.
The priest also pointed out that the coal plant will affect farmers even though it is situated in a rocky section of the town and will not destroy any agriculture land.
"The plant will pump 750,000 liters of water an hour from nearby rivers that also irrigate surrounding farms," the social action director explained, speaking from Koronadal City, formerly called Marbel. "This will have harmful effects on nearby farms."
Marbel diocese covers South Cotabato and Sarangani provinces, General Santo City and parts of Sultan Kudarat province. Church statistics say 77 percent of the 1.6 million residents are Catholics.
(SOURCE: http://www.ucanews.com/2009/09/18/interreligious-gathering-vows-to-fight-coal-plant/
AUSTRALIA
POSSIBLE NEGOTIATIONS FOR FR. MAGUIRE
CathNews reports that Tony Long, the chairman of the parish council of Father Bob Maguire's Saints Peter and Paul Church in South Melbourne said a representative from the church hoped to meet with Melbourne Archbishop Denis Hart over the priest's retirement.
"We want to introduce someone who is known to the archdiocese who's
removed from the heat," Long was quoted as saying in a WA Today report.
"There will be some merit in sitting down out of the public view to see if there is some middle ground."
A spokesman for Archbishop Hart said on Thursday that he believed a hand delivered letter from Fr Bob had been received. The archbishop would not be commenting further, the spokesman said.
"The matter is between himself and Fr Maguire," the spokesman told AAP.
Fr Bob told AAP on Thursday he hoped the letter would be received sympathetically.
(SOURCE: http://www.cathnews.com/article.aspx?aeid=16537
"We want to introduce someone who is known to the archdiocese who's
removed from the heat," Long was quoted as saying in a WA Today report."There will be some merit in sitting down out of the public view to see if there is some middle ground."
A spokesman for Archbishop Hart said on Thursday that he believed a hand delivered letter from Fr Bob had been received. The archbishop would not be commenting further, the spokesman said.
"The matter is between himself and Fr Maguire," the spokesman told AAP.
Fr Bob told AAP on Thursday he hoped the letter would be received sympathetically.
(SOURCE: http://www.cathnews.com/article.aspx?aeid=16537
TODAY'S SAINT
St. Andrew Kim Taegon
MARTYR
Feast: September 20
Inform
ation:Feast Day:
September 20
Born:
August 21, 1821
Died:
September 16, 1846
Canonized:
6 May 1984 by Pope John Paul II
Major Shrine:
Chŏltusan (Martyr's Mound), Seoul, South Korea
Patron of:
Korean Clergy
A Vietmanmese mayor of a village and a Catholic., Andrew served as a catechist until his arrest in a persecution. He died on a march into exile. Andrew was canonized in 1988 by Pope John Paul II.
(SOURCE: http://www.ewtn.com/saintsHoly/saints/A/standrewkimtaegon.asp
TODAY'S MASS READINGS
25TH SUN ORDINARY TIME/YEAR B
Wisdom 2: 12, 17 - 20
12
"Let us lie in wait for the righteous man, because he is inconvenient to us and opposes our actions; he reproaches us for sins against the law, and accuses us of sins against our training.
17
Let us see if his words are true, and let us test what will happen at the end of his life;
18
for if the righteous man is God's son, he will help him, and will deliver him from the hand of his adversaries.
19
Let us test him with insult and torture, that we may find out how gentle he is, and make trial of his forbearance.
20
Let us condemn him to a shameful death, for, according to what he says, he will be protected."
Psalms 54: 3 - 8
3
For insolent men have risen against me, ruthless men seek my life; they do not set God before them. [Selah]
4
Behold, God is my helper; the Lord is the upholder of my life.
5
He will requite my enemies with evil; in thy faithfulness put an end to them.
6
With a freewill offering I will sacrifice to thee; I will give thanks to thy name, O LORD, for it is good.
7
For thou hast delivered me from every trouble, and my eye has looked in triumph on my enemies.
James 3: 16 - 18
16
For where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there will be disorder and every vile practice.
17
But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, without uncertainty or insincerity.
18
And the harvest of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace.
James 4: 1 - 3
1
What causes wars, and what causes fightings among you? Is it not your passions that are at war in your members?
2
You desire and do not have; so you kill. And you covet and cannot obtain; so you fight and wage war. You do not have, because you do not ask.
3
You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions.
GOSPEL
Mark 9: 30 - 37
30
They went on from there and passed through Galilee. And he would not have any one know it;
31
for he was teaching his disciples, saying to them, "The Son of man will be delivered into the hands of men, and they will kill him; and when he is killed, after three days he will rise."
32
But they did not understand the saying, and they were afraid to ask him.
33
And they came to Caper'na-um; and when he was in the house he asked them, "What were you discussing on the way?"
34
But they were silent; for on the way they had discussed with one another who was the greatest.
35
And he sat down and called the twelve; and he said to them, "If any one would be first, he must be last of all and servant of all."
36
And he took a child, and put him in the midst of them; and taking him in his arms, he said to them,
37
"Whoever receives one such child in my name receives me; and whoever receives me, receives not me but him who sent me."
Mark 9: 30 - 37
30
They went on from there and passed through Galilee. And he would not have any one know it;
31
for he was teaching his disciples, saying to them, "The Son of man will be delivered into the hands of men, and they will kill him; and when he is killed, after three days he will rise."
32
But they did not understand the saying, and they were afraid to ask him.
33
And they came to Caper'na-um; and when he was in the house he asked them, "What were you discussing on the way?"
34
But they were silent; for on the way they had discussed with one another who was the greatest.
35
And he sat down and called the twelve; and he said to them, "If any one would be first, he must be last of all and servant of all."
36
And he took a child, and put him in the midst of them; and taking him in his arms, he said to them,
37
"Whoever receives one such child in my name receives me; and whoever receives me, receives not me but him who sent me."
