CATHOLIC WORLD NEWS: OCT. 27, 2009: HEADLINES-
VATICAN: MESSAGE TENTH ANNIVERSARY OF THE ELECTION OF KAREKIN II -
ASIA : THAILAND: SEMINARIANS LEARN TO RESPECT NUNS-
AMERICA: USA: USCCB TO VOTE AT GENERAL ASSEMBLY-
AFRICA: KENYA: ANGLICANS MIXED REACTIONS ABOUT POPE'S INVITATION-
EUROPE: ENGLAND: ANGLICANS DISCUSS POPE'S OVERTURE-
AUSTRALIA: BISHOP'S CONFERENCE WELCOMES MIGRANTS-
VATICAN
MESSAGE TENTH ANNIVERSARY OF THE ELECTION OF KAREKIN II
(VIS) - Today, the Pope's message to His Holiness Karekin II on the tenth anniversary of his election and enthronement as Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos of All Armenians was made public. "I know of your personal commitment to dialogue, cooperation and friendship between the Armenian Apostolic Church and the Catholic Church," the Holy Father writes, "clearly expressed by the various meetings that have taken place recently between Your Holiness and the Successor of Peter. I pray that the good relations that have been established between us may continue to grow in the years ahead." Benedict XVI emphasizes that "recovery of freedom for the Church in Armenia towards the end of the last century brought joy to Christians throughout the world. The immense task of rebuilding the ecclesial community fell upon Your Holiness's shoulders. What has already been achieved, in such a short time, is truly remarkable: new initiatives have flourished for the Christian education of the young, for the training of clergy, the creation of new parishes, the building of new churches and community centres, as well as the promotion of Christian values in the social and cultural life of the nation." The Pope concludes the message asking God that "through the intercession of Saint Gregory the Illuminator," founder and patron of the Armenian Apostolic Church, "we may be ever more closely united in a holy bond of Christian faith, hope and love."MESS/ANNIVERSARY ELECTION/KAREKIN II VIS 091027 (230)
AMERICA
USA: USCCB TO VOTE AT GENERAL ASSEMBLY
USCCB reports that the U.S. bishops will vote on five United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) chairs-elect of five committees at their November 16-19 General Assembly in Baltimore. The following bishops were nominated for these positions.
The Committee on Clergy, Consecrated Life, and Vocations
Archbishop Robert J. Carlson
Bishop Michael F. Burbidge
The Committee on Divine Worship
Archbishop Gregory M. Aymond
Archbishop Allen H. Vigneron
The Committee on Domestic Justice and Human Development
Bishop Stephen E. Blaire
Bishop Frank J. Dewane
The Committee on Laity, Marriage, Family Life, and Youth
Archbishop Joseph F. Naumann
Bishop Kevin Rhoades
The Committee on Migration
Bishop James A. Tamayo
Archbishop José H. Gomez
Coverage of the assembly is open to credentialed media. There will be media conferences after all open sessions, November 16-18, and they will be available through live streaming on the USCCB Web site. Reporters seeking to cover the meeting on site can download a credential application from the Web at http://www.usccb.org/comm/credentialform.pdf and submit it by November 7, by fax (202-541-3173) or mail to
November Meeting CredentialsDepartment of Communications3211 4th St., NEWashington, DC 20017-1194 (SOURCE: http://www.usccb.org/comm/archives/2009/09-217.shtml
AFRICA
KENYA: ANGLICANS HAVE MIXED REACTIONS ABOUT POPE'S INVITATION
CISA reports that Pope Benedict XVI’s surprise move to make full communion with the Anglicans has elicited mixed reactions from local Catholic and Anglican clergy.Anglican Church of Kenya (ACK) Archbishop Eliud Wabukala told a local daily that there were major theological differences in the way they understand the ministry and administration of sacrament and added that any local Anglican priest wishing to cross over to the Catholic Church must understand these differences beforehand.He added that the Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams had sent letters welcoming the offer but he was essentially dealing with local England context and does not apply to other provinces.The Apostolic Constitution (a formal papal decree) issued by the Holy See for the reception into full communion with the Catholic Church and Anglican tradition provided for the establishment of ’personal ordinariates’ to cater for the Anglicans wishing to enter the new union.National Canon Lawyer of the Catholic Bishops in Kenya, Fr Dominic Kimengich welcomed the Pope’s move adding that it was the fruit of the long held discussions on the unity between the two religions, which he said began in the 1990’s.Asked if the move-did not contradict the Catholic Church’s stance on married priests, Fr. Kimengich explained, “What the Anglican priests were talking about comes from the oriental rite, where both celibate and married clergymen are accommodated, while within our case, we follow the Latin rite, which exclusively allows only the celibate clergymen.”(SOURCE: http://www.cisanewsafrica.org/story.asp?ID=4205
ASIA
THAILAND: SEMINARIANS LEARN TO RESPECT NUNS
UCAN reports that final-year seminarians have been told they must show greater respect for nuns and women co-workers after a report revealed simmering tensions between the two groups.
Seminarians and nuns at the seminar pose fora photo with Father Chaiyo Kitsakul (seated left)and Father Miguel Garaizabal (beside him)
Priests are accused of being high-handed and disrespectful in some cases and of inappropriate behavior in others, according to Sister Kanlaya Trisopha, former chaplain of the Catholic Commission for Women.
Sister Kanlaya was speaking on the issue at a seminar and workshop for about 20 final-year seminarians and nuns about to take their final vows. The event, held in Ban Phu Wan pastoral training center in Sam Phran, west of Bangkok, aimed at helping participants avoid such tensions in the future.
Referring to a report on the matter during the Oct. 12-15 meeting, Sister Kanlaya highlighted a case "where a priest, who had a problem with a nun, brought up the issue in his homily and wrote about it in the weekly newsletter."
"Even though the priest didn't name the nun, the nun knew he was referring to her and she didn't have the chance to respond."
Sister Kanlaya told the seminar that the behavior of clergy sometimes raised eyebrows among the laity, citing a case involving a nun and a priest who worked together daily. "Instead of going home, the priest would take the nun to a recreational spot for dinner and only return to his church late at night. This was questioned by laypeople," Sister Kanlaya said.
She said another source of tension came from the way instructions were sometimes given. Her report reveals that some priests do not discuss instructions with nuns and other women co-workers, simply handing them written orders.
"From a woman's perspective, this shows disrespect, while men don't see it as an issue," Sister Kanlaya said.
Father Chaiyo Kitsakul, rector of Saeng Tham College, the national major seminary in Sam Phran, told participants, "There have been problems between priests and nuns because men and women see things from different perspectives."
Priests often use their status, consciously or unconsciously, to dominate others, he said. He called on the seminarians to "listen to others, especially women and nuns."
Father Miguel Garaizabal, a resource person for the workshop, told UCA News problems arise when priests feel that it is the duty of nuns to serve them.
"This training is aimed at both men and women to respect and fully support each other and build a model of friendship and collaboration," said the Spanish Jesuit priest.
Nun participants also shared experiences of inappropriate behavior by seminarians. Immaculate Heart of Mary Sister Alicesara Suripa admitted she has "warned" seminarians who "touch us or try to hold our hands."
Sornchai Dhipo, a seminarian from Chiang Mai diocese, said he would now be more sensitive toward women co-workers. He recalled an incident in which a new priest, upon arriving at a parish, asked a nun to vacate her office for him. This act soured the relationship between the two.
The recent workshop is the eighth in a series of annual dialogue sessions between final-year seminarians and nuns. In future, "we plan to invite lay women Church workers to attend as well," said Father Chaiyo.
(SOURCE: http://www.ucanews.com/2009/10/27/seminarians-learn-about-how-priests-should-respect-nuns/
EUROPE
ENGLAND: TRADITIONALIST ANGLICANS DISCUSS POPE'S OVERTURE
CNA reporst that members of the traditionalist Anglican group Forward in Faith recently concluded their annual gathering, which was dedicated to discussing Pope Benedict's overture to Anglicans. The general impression left by the conference was the “Anglican experiment is over,” a mood that was reinforced by Bishop John Hind officially announcing he is ready to become Catholic.
The 2009 National Assembly of Forward in Faith was held in the Emmanuel Centre, Westminster, London, October 23-24. The Assembly was originally scheduled before the Vatican announced its unprecedented move, but the issue dominated most of the discussion.
Speaking to the press during the event, the Right Reverend John Hind, Anglican Bishop of Chichester, announced he is considering becoming a Roman Catholic.
Hind, the most senior traditionalist in the Church of England, told “The Telegraph” that he is willing to sacrifice his salary and palace residence to join the Catholic Church.
“This is a remarkable new step from the Vatican,” he said. “At long last there are some choices for Catholics in the Church of England. I'd be happy to be re-ordained into the Catholic Church.”
The bishop said that he expects his previous ministry will be recognized in the Catholic Church, but stressed that the divisions in the Anglican Communion could make it impossible to stay. “How can the Church exist if bishops are not in full communion with each other?” he asked.
During the conference, the Right Reverend John Broadhurst, who is the Anglican Bishop of Fulham and the Primate of Forward in Faith, affirmed that “the Anglican experiment is over.”
Bishop Broadhurst said that Pope Benedict has made his offer in response to the pleas of Anglicans who despair at the disintegration of their Church. “Anglicanism has become a joke because it has singularly failed to deal with any of its contentious issues,” said the bishop.
“There is widespread dissent across the [Anglican] Communion. We are divided in major ways on major issues and the Communion has unraveled. I believed in the Church I joined, but it has been revealed to have no doctrine of its own. I personally think it has gone past the point of no return. The Anglican experiment is over.”
In an emotional closing speech on Saturday, Bishop Broadhurst used the metaphor of the frog and the boiling pot to describe the current Anglican status.
"The temperature at the pot has become intolerable, but the process of boiling started before the ordination of women… The truth is, the tragedy for us is the Church of England has presumed. It's presumed to know better than the tradition on many matters and it's presumed to know better than Jesus Christ about some matters,” he explained.
“And It is the presumption of our Church in this present period that has caused such pain and anguish to many of us.
“Oh yes, the ordination of women was the water being turned up; we knew that we were going to be cooked to death ...
“And what the general (Anglican) Synod did, was to say, ‘We will push the pot towards the edge of the gas, as long as you stay on this side of the pot, with a few ice cubes, it'll be all right,’” Bishop Broadhurst said.
Then he explained: “We've never claimed that Anglicanism is the Church of Jesus Christ, and we've always claimed and believed that there needs to be catholic unity.”
“This is about Anglicans in communion with Rome and not about Anglicans ceasing to be Roman Catholics,” he also said.
The Right Reverend Martyn Jarrett, Anglican Bishop of Beverley, also insisted on the fact that “there are questions over the church's survival,” explaining that the Church of England has changed too dramatically for some traditionalists.
“The offer from the Vatican is momentous and I felt a great sense of gratitude that the Roman Catholic Church is thinking about the position of traditionalist Anglicans,” he added.
Another participant at the “Forward in Faith” conference, Fr. Edward Tomlinson, Anglican Vicar of St. Barnabas, said that he would be following the lead of Bishop Hind.
“The ship of Anglicanism seems to be going down... We should be grateful that a lifeboat has been sent. I shall be seeking to move to Rome. To stay in the Church of England would be suicide,” Fr. Tomlinson said.
Forward in Faith is a worldwide association of close to 1,000 clergy and thousands of lay Anglicans founded in 1992 in opposition to the ordination of women as priests or as bishops, and most recently, to the ordination of active homosexuals. The association says that it finds such practices not only “contrary to the Scriptures as they have been consistently interpreted by the two thousand year tradition of the churches of both East and West,” but also as a “new and serious obstacle in the way of reconciliation and full visible unity between Anglicans and the Roman Catholic and Orthodox churches.”(SOURCE: http://www.catholicnewsagency.com/new.php?n=17493
AUSTRALIA
BISHOP'S CONFERENCE WELCOMES MIGRANTS
Cath News reports that President of the Australian Catholic Bishops Conference Archbishop Philip Wilson told participants of a migrant and refugee conference that Australia's immigration can be improved, and urged for more than just lip service to the migrant's plight.
He encouraged the more than 100 participants at the the Pastoral Care of Migrants and Refugees gathering to consider the moral obligation of taking real steps toward reducing the fear factor of migration by recognising the gifts brought to the Catholic Church by migration.
"Our pastoral response has to be affected by the reasons for the migrants' arrivals in Australia," he said. "Have they come because they have been driven out of their homeland with no prospect of returning, for example, or have they been the victims of extreme violence and hatred in their homelands before they came to Australia?
"There is a two fold challenge for the Catholic Church in Australia: firstly, to look after the needs of the new arrivals," he said. "The numerical consistency (of new arrivals), geographical dispersion and, most of all, their socio-cultural cohesion or lack of it will test the ingenuity of pastoral workers.
"Secondly, the increasing ethnic and cultural diversity of at least half of the Australian Catholic population calls for a re-thinking of the theoretical and practical assumptions about the identity of the Catholic Church that is in Australia," he said.
(SOURCE: http://www.cathnews.com/article.aspx?aeid=17321
TODAY'S SAINT
St. Frumentius
BISHOP
Feast: October 27
Information:
Feast Day:
October 27
Born:
Tyre (modern Sur, Lebanon)
Died:
380 in Ethiopia
Patron of:
Abyssinia, Ethiopia
ST. FRUMENTIUS was yet a child when his uncle, Meropins of Tyre, took him and his brother Edesius on a voyage to Ethiopia. In the course of their voyage the vessel touched at a certain port, and the barbarians of that country put the crew and all the passengers to the sword, except the two children. They were carried to the king, at Axuma, who, charmed with the wit and sprightliness of the two boys, took special care of their education; and, not long after made Edesius his cup-bearer, and Frumentius, who was the elder, his treasurer and secretary of state; on his death-bed he thanked them for their services, and in recompense gave them their liberty. After his death the queen begged them to remain a court, and assist her in the government of the state until the young king carne of age. Edesius went back to Tyre, but St. Athanasius ordained Frumentius Bishop of the Ethiopians, and vested with this sacred character he gained great numbers to the Faith, and continued to feed and defend his flock until it pleased the Supreme Pastor to recompense his fidelity and labors. (SOURCE: http://www.ewtn.com/saintsHoly/saints/F/stfrumentius.asp
TODAY'S GOSPEL
Luke 13: 18 - 21
18
He said therefore, "What is the kingdom of God like? And to what shall I compare it?
19
It is like a grain of mustard seed which a man took and sowed in his garden; and it grew and became a tree, and the birds of the air made nests in its branches."
20
And again he said, "To what shall I compare the kingdom of God?
21
It is like leaven which a woman took and hid in three measures of flour, till it was all leavened."
