CATHOLIC NEWS WORLD: THURS. DEC. 23, 2010: HEADLINES-
VATICAN: POPE CELEBRATIONS FOR CHRISTMAS ONLINE
AFRICA: ANGOLA: ARCHBISHOP CALLS FOR REFRAIN FROM EXCESS ALCOHOL
EUROPE: POLAND: CARDINAL CALLS FOR SPIRITUAL REFLECTION AND SILENCE
AFRICA: ANGOLA: ARCHBISHOP CALLS FOR REFRAIN FROM EXCESS ALCOHOL
TODAY'S SAINT: DEC. 23: ST. JOHN OF KANTY
TODAY'S GOSPEL: DEC. 23: LUKE: 1: 57-66
VATICAN: POPE CELEBRATIONS FOR CHRISTMAS ONLINE
POPE'S CHRISTMAS CELEBRATIONS VIA THE INTERNET
VATICAN CITY, 23 DEC 2010 (VIS) - The websites of Vatican Radio (www.radiovaticana.org) and of the Pontifical Council for Social Communications (www.pccs.org), as well as the website www.pope2you.net, in close collaboration with the Vatican Television Centre (CTV) and through an agreement with Telecom Italia, will be offering a new service for the Christmas holiday period: live coverage of the liturgical celebrations presided by the Holy Father.
The Pope's celebrations - Midnight Mass on 24 December, his Christmas Message and "Urbi et Orbi" blessing at midday on 25 December, and Mass for the World Day of Peace on 1 January - will be transmitted in live audio/video linkup with commentary in six languages: Italian, French, English, German, Spanish and Portuguese. The Midnight Mass will also have commentary in Chinese, and the Mass of 1 January in Arabic.
The service has been made possible thanks to Telecom Italia's technology platform "Content Delivery Network", which enables rapid and effective distribution of multimedia content, making it accessible to computers and iPhones all over the world.
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VATICAN CITY, 23 DEC 2010 (VIS) - The Holy Father appointed:
- Bishop William Slattery O.F.M., of Kokstad, South Africa, as metropolitan archbishop of Pretoria (area 16,579, population 6,102,000, Catholics 206,200, priests 109, permanent deacons 11, religious 273), South Africa, and as the country's military ordinary. The archbishop-elect was born in Portlaoise, Ireland in 1943 he was ordained a priest in 1970 and consecrated a bishop in 1994.
- Msgr. Abel Gabuza, apostolic administrator of the archdiocese of Pretoria, South Africa, as bishop of Kimberley (area 123,083, population 1,968,000, Catholics 121,050, priests 40, permanent deacons 4, religious 25), South Africa. The bishop-elect was born in Alexandra, South Africa in 1955 and ordained a priest in 1984.
- Fr. Savio Hon Tai-Fai S.D.B., professor of theology at the seminary of Hong Kong, China, member of the International Theological Commission and academic ordinary at the Pontifical Academy of Theology, as secretary of the Congregation for the Evangelisation of Peoples, at the same time raising him to the dignity of archbishop. The archbishop-elect was born in Hong King in 1950 and ordained a priest in 1982.
- Archbishop Francesco Coccopalmerio, president of the Pontifical Council for Legislative Texts, as a member of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith.
AMERICA: ECUADOR: NEW PROGRAMS FOR NEW MIGRANTS
The plan includes: on the one hand supporting the reintegration of Colombians who decide to return home, and on the other, improving the living conditions of Colombians who remain in Ecuador, promoting their socio-economic inclusion into society with access to employment, basic health services, education and housing.
The statement sent to Fides says that IOM has been working since 2001 on infrastructure projects and providing support to improve the quality of life of Colombians and the local population along the northern border of Ecuador. So far, about 550,000 people have benefited from the construction of 259 potable water plants and sanitation services, 94 bridges, road improvements and the strengthening of civil society and local government.
Ecuador is the country with the largest number of Colombian refugees. According to UNHCR, this Country has granted refugee status to more than 52,452 Colombians in grave danger in Colombia.
AFRICA: ANGOLA: ARCHBISHOP CALLS FOR REFRAIN FROM EXCESS ALCOHOL
ALL AFRICA REPORT: The archbishop of Lubango, Gabriel Mbiligui, urged Tuesday in this city the population to abstain from exaggerated consumption of alcohol during Christmas and new year.
In an interview to ANGOP, part of Christmas preparation in the Catholic Church, the archbishop considered it necessary for the population to consume alcohol in moderate manner, thus avoiding endangering their health.Gabriel Mbilingui reminded that 25 of December is a date in which the son of God was born (Jesus Christ), "reason why we should celebrate with jubilation and thank the creator for placing on earth the Messiah for saving us", he stated.
EUROPE: POLAND: CARDINAL CALLS FOR SPIRITUAL REFLECTION AND SILENCE
Cardinal Nycz; photo - east newsTHENEWSPL. REPORT: A top Polish cardinal is calling for deep reflection on the events of 2010, particularly April’s Smolensk air crash which killed President Kaczynski and 95 others.
In a pastoral letter to be read out in Roman Catholic churches in Poland on Christmas Day, Kazimierz Nycz, the Metropolitan of Warsaw, describes 2010 as a very difficult time for Poles – the year of the Smolensk plane crash and of successive floods which caused extensive damage in many parts of Poland.
“The emotions surrounding these events call for deep reflection and sometimes even silence, following the example of that Word which became silent on the cross,” the Cardinal writes.
The cardinal’s letter comes after a year of bitter argument among politicians over the cause of the Smolensk air crash, and accusations of ‘hate campaigns’ being levelled at political opponents. 2010 also saw the murder of a political activist in Lodz in the autumn.
In his Christmas letter, Cardinal Nycz calls for responsibility for the spoken word, in the family and the work place, in the circle of friends, in the media as well as in social and political life.
The Word
The letter stresses that we are witness to a glaring abuse of the word.
“Grave lies are labelled as departure from the truth, while statements filled with the venom of hatred create absurd divisions among people and whole societies,” Cardinal Nycz wrote, also mentioning the widespread use of the brutal and indecent words in public discourse.
In the Cardinal’s view, the abuse of the spoken word is present also in the way the people talk about the Church as well as in how some of the clergy address the people today.
“It is only using the language of ‘truth and love’ and through respect for man’s dignity and freedom that any human community can be built, from the family to the nation and state,” the letter says, stressing that each and every word should build unity among the people, and not divide them. (mk/pg)
http://www.thenews.pl/national/artykul146034_cardinal-calls-for-truth--love-and-reflection.html
ASIA: VIETNAM: CATHOLICS HELP POOREST THIS CHRISTMAS
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Hanoi (AsiaNews) - Caritas and the Church of Vietnam have decided to celebrate Christmas this year with Vietnam's poorest, across the country, by organizing events and parties. In the cathedral of Hanoi over a thousand people - including street children, the elderly, people with HIV / AIDS and poor - participated in yesterday's Mass to celebrate the birth of Jesus After the service, some groups received Christmas gifts from priests, nuns , seminarians and volunteers who work and lived with them.
Archbishop Nguyen Van Nhon, of Hanoi, expressed words of hope to the volunteers: "Your presence reminds us that we must not waste time. And we must do our duty and live by our mission. You have been courageous in accepting a hard life, that makes us people who are passionate and enthusiastic. If sometimes you feel sad and disappointed because you think you can do nothing, you must be proud instead and think that by your example you have awakened our conscience and that of society. "
During the week, with the theme "Christmas Love", the faithful of the diocese of Phan Thiet visited and brought gifts to 230 families living in difficult circumstances, hundreds of orphans, lonely elderly and disabled people. On 24 and 25 December the Caritas of the Diocese will bring a "Christmas of love" to people living in small and remote islands like Phu Qui and Binh Thuan.
Saigon archdiocese Pastoral Centre organized a Festival of Christmas for 4500 disabled. The event is an opportunity for social workers, volunteers, directors of shelters and reception centres to bring happiness and peace of Christmas to refugees.
Representatives and volunteers of Caritas have also visited the lepers of the sanatorium Eana of Ban Me Thuot, and those of Dakka and Darring in the Diocese of Kontum. There was mobilization among the people who donated money and medicine to the sick, and prayed for those suffering from leprosy, orphans and disabled people of the Highlands.
http://www.asianews.it/news-en/Vietnamese-Church-celebrates-Christmas-with-the-poorest-20336.html
AUSTRALIA: GOVERNMENT TO INVESTIGATE SCHOOL FUNDING
CATH NEWS REPORT: The Federal Government's school funding review panel said it would investigate the funding needs of students from all schools - government, Catholic and independent - and would consider funding from all sources, reports The Age.
An emerging issues paper form the Review is the product of a national listening tour on which its panel heard the views of more than 70 educational groups. While most of the paper is devoted to reporting those views, the paper also sets out the panel's thinking on the issue of equity.
''It believes that equity should ensure that differences in educational outcomes are not the result of differences in wealth, income, power or possessions,'' the paper says.
''The panel does not intend it to mean that all students are the same or will achieve the same outcomes, but rather that they will not be prevented from achieving their maximum potential because of their background or family circumstances.''The chairman of the schools funding review, businessman David Gonski, has told The Age that some education groups had encouraged the review panel to look at what obligations should be attached to public funding.
He said there had been questions about whether schools receiving government money should have to give ''full details of their activities'', as well as have ''some sort of regulatory environment in terms of their fee structure''.
It had also been suggested that the regulation could vary according to the level of funding received. ''If you get only a small amount of funding, maybe you don't have all of those requirements. If you get a lot of funding, maybe you do,'' he said.
But Mr Gonski stressed that the review panel had not yet formed a view on the issue. ''These are suggestions made, not by us, but by others ... and we haven't made up our minds, but we will look at that,'' he said.
TODAY'S SAINT: DEC. 23: ST. JOHN OF KANTY
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TODAY'S GOSPEL: DEC. 23: LUKE: 1: 57-66
57Now the time came for Elizabeth to be delivered, and she gave birth to a son.58And her neighbors and kinsfolk heard that the Lord had shown great mercy to her, and they rejoiced with her.59And on the eighth day they came to circumcise the child; and they would have named him Zechari'ah after his father,60but his mother said, "Not so; he shall be called John."61And they said to her, "None of your kindred is called by this name."62And they made signs to his father, inquiring what he would have him called.63And he asked for a writing tablet, and wrote, "His name is John." And they all marveled.64And immediately his mouth was opened and his tongue loosed, and he spoke, blessing God.65And fear came on all their neighbors. And all these things were talked about through all the hill country of Judea;66and all who heard them laid them up in their hearts, saying, "What then will this child be?" For the hand of the Lord was with him.
