VATICAN: POPE: VISITS OSSERVATORE ROMANO- PAPER TURNS 150
EUROPE: OTTO VON HAPSBURG- CROWN PRINCE- DIES- AGE 98
ASIA: PAKISTAN: ATTACK AGAINST CHRISTIAN HOSPITAL BY MUSLIM GROUP
TODAY'S GOSPEL: JULY 5: Matthew 9: 32- 38
VATICAN: POPE: VISITS OSSERVATORE ROMANO- PAPER TURNS 150
BENEDICT XVI VISITS OFFICES OF THE "OSSERVATORE ROMANO"
VATICAN CITY, 5 JUL 2011 (VIS) - This morning the Holy Father visited the headquarters of the "Osservatore Romano" newspaper, which is currently celebrating the 150th anniversary of its foundation. Its first edition appeared on 1 July 1861. (image source: Radio Vaticana)
The Pope greeted the director, vice director and journalists, congratulating them on the current anniversary. "By your daily work, out of sight and not without fatigue", he told them, "you create this unique form of communication which acts at the service of the ministry of Peter's Successor, making a specific contribution to the spread of the Gospel and the witness of truth. Indeed, by propagating the Pope's teaching, by providing information on his activities and those of the Roman Curia, and echoing Catholic life in the world, the 'Osservatore Romano' helps the faithful to consider contemporary issues in the light of the Word of Christ and the Magisterium of the Church, while remaining attentive to the signs of the times. In this perspective, the Holy See's newspaper is a vital resource, which needs to be increasingly understood and appreciated".
"Dear friends, continue to work joyfully in the great of 'Areopagus' of modern communications, treasuring the long history of this eminent newspaper. The memory of the past is fruitful only if it becomes an occasion to draw nourishment from deep roots, and to look to the future with hope".
The Holy Father concluded by encouraging those who work on the newspaper "not to forget that, although you certainly need appropriate technical and professional training in order to carry out the mission with which you have been entrusted, what is vital above all is that you incessantly cultivate a spirit of prayer, service and faithful adherence to the teachings of Christ and His Church".
BXVI-VISIT/
FORTHCOMING EXHIBITION OF THE VATICAN SECRET ARCHIVES
VATICAN CITY, 5 JUL 2011 (VIS) - At midday today in the Holy See Press Office, a press conference was held to present an exhibition entitled "'Lux in Arcana' - the Vatican Secret Archives unveiled". The exhibition will be inaugurated in Rome's Capitoline Museums in February 2012.
Participating in today's conference were Cardinal Secretary of State Tarcisio Bertone S.D.B.; Cardinal Raffaele Farina S.D.B., archivist and librarian of Holy Roman Church; Bishop Sergio Pagano B., prefect of the Vatican Secret Archives; Giovanni Alemanno, mayor of Rome; Dino Gasperini, Rome's local councillor for culture and the historical centre, and Umberto Broccoli, superintendent for the city's cultural heritage.
Cardinal Bertone pointed out that "the inherent richness of this exhibition is amplified by the fact that it is being organised outside the Vatican, on the Capitol Hill which symbolically represents the 'heart' ofRome and its relationship with the papal city down the centuries. The challenge was to make the resources of the Vatican Secret Archives, with all their academic knowledge and experience, converge with those of the capital city, the Capitoline Museums and the office of the superintendent for archives and museums of the local authorities of Rome".
For his part, Cardinal Farina explained that "ancient pontifical documents of great importance, as well as letters concerning significant aspects of the life of the Church in the world, will be leaving the Vaticanfor the first time and will be available to be viewed by visitors to the Capitol Hill, traditional headquarters of the government of Rome".
Bishop Pagano noted that the exhibition "aims to throw light on the reality of this venerable institution (the Vatican Archives), on its nature, its contents and its activities. Hence the choice of theme as 'Lux in Arcana'".
"Among the millions of documents held in the Vatican Secret Archives we have chosen around one hundred which illustrate the complexity of the overall holdings", said the bishop. These include "the 'Dictatus papae' of Gregory VII (1073-1085); Clement VII's letter to the English parliament on the matrimonial cause of Henry VIII (1530), and the codex of the trial of Galileo Galilei (1616-1633)".
The exhibition, he explained, "thus offers the wider public its first chance to enter the reality of the Vatican Secret Archives. ... Modern technology will enable visitors to enter the Pope's archive and to understand the role it has played over the centuries at the service of the Holy See and the world of culture, preserving and handing down an enviable patrimony of knowledge".
Finally the mayor of Rome highlighted how "the city of Rome, capital of Italy and see of the Roman Pontiff, is proud to host this event which, in some way, underlines the bond between the secular city and the religious city. ... It is a courageous gesture on the part of the Holy See to organise an exhibition at this level, at the same time agreeing to let these precious documents leave the Vatican. 'Lux Arcana' is an opportunity to recount to Romans and pilgrims the extraordinary adventure of man".
AMERICA: USA: FR. CORAPI: OFFICIAL SOLT RELEASE: PLEASE PRAY
Fr. John A. Corapi submitted his resignation from the Society of Our Lady of the Most Holy Trinity ("SOLT") early in June. SOLT is a Society of Apostolic Life of Diocesan Right with its regional office in Robstown, Texas.
While SOLT does not typically comment publicly on personnel matters, it recognizes that Fr. John Corapi, through his ministry, has inspired thousands of faithful Catholics, many of whom continue to express their support of him. SOLT also recognizes that Fr. Corapi is now misleading these individuals through his false statements and characterizations. It is for these Catholics that SOLT, by means of this announcement, seeks to set the record straight.
A woman, well known to Fr. John Corapi, mailed SOLT a signed letter detailing allegations of Fr. Corapi's sexual activity with adult women, abuse of alcohol and drugs, improper sacramental practices, violation of his promise of poverty, and other wrongdoing.
After receiving the allegation, SOLT formed a three person fact-finding team to ensure that it handled this matter in accordance with canonical norms. The team included a priest-canonist, a psychiatrist, and a lawyer. Two were members of religious orders, and one was a lay Catholic. Two were men, and one was a woman. All three have national reputations and substantial experience in ecclesiastical processes related to priest disciplinary issues.
As the Society was engaging this team, Fr. Corapi filed a civil lawsuit against his principal accuser. He contended that she had defamed him and breached her contract. The contract, according to Corapi's lawsuit, contained a provision binding the woman to silence about him. He offered the woman $100,000 to enter this agreement.
SOLT's fact-finding team subsequently learned that Fr. Corapi may have negotiated contracts with other key witnesses that precluded them from speaking with SOLT's fact-finding team. Many of these witnesses likely had key information about the accusations being investigated and declined to answer questions and provide documents.
When the fact-finding team asked Fr. Corapi to dismiss the lawsuit, to forbear from foreclosing his mortgage, and to release her and other individuals from their contractual obligations to remain silent about him, he refused to do so and, through his canonical advocate, stated: "It is not possible for Father Corapi to answer the Commission's questions at this time."
SOLT's fact-finding team has acquired information from Fr. Corapi's e-mails, various witnesses, and public sources that, together, state that, during his years of public ministry:
He did have sexual relations and years of cohabitation (in California and Montana) with a woman known to him, when the relationship began, as a prostitute; He repeatedly abused alcohol and drugs; He has recently engaged in sexting activity with one or more women in Montana; He holds legal title to over $1 million in real estate, numerous luxury vehicles, motorcycles, an ATV, a boat dock, and several motor boats, which is a serious violation of his promise of poverty as a perpetually professed member of the Society.
SOLT has contemporaneously with the issuance of this press release directed Fr. John Corapi, under obedience, to return home to the Society’s regional office and take up residence there. It has also ordered him, again under obedience, to dismiss the lawsuit he has filed against his accuser.
SOLT's prior direction to Fr. John Corapi not to engage in any preaching or teaching, the celebration of the sacraments or other public ministry continues. Catholics should understand that SOLT does not consider Fr. John Corapi as fit for ministry.
Father Sheehan will not be available for comments as he is attending the SOLT General Chapter from July 5-23.
EUROPE: OTTO VON HAPSBURG- CROWN PRINCE- DIES- AGE 98
JESUSCARITASEST.ORG REPORT: On Mon. July 4, 2011, Otto von Hapsburg died at age 98. He was the successor of Emperor Karl of the Autrio-Hungarian empire. He was a direct descendant of
the Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire. The Hapsburg family was one of the most influential in European history. His descendant was emperor in 1438. He was born on November 20, 1912
and Christened Franz Joseph Otto Robert Maria Anton Karl Max Heinrich Sixtus Xavier Felix Renatus Ludwig Gaetan Pius Ignatius. He was born to Charles I Emperor and Zita of Bourbon-Parma. He was born in Villa Wartholz in Reichenau an der Rax, Austria-Hungary. In November 1916, Otto became Crown Prince of Austria, Hungary and Bohemia. (Image source: http://otto.twschwarzer.de/)
At the end of WWI in 1918, the monarchies were abolished. His family was forced into exile in Switzerland. His father died in 1922. He studied at the Catholic
University of Leuven, Belgium and spoke 7 languages.
After renouncing his title to the throne he entered European politics. He was elected to the European Parliament as Christian Democrat and remained there
for 20 years. On October 3 2004, Pope John Paul II beatified Otto’s father, Emperor Karl.
Otto von Habsburg’s wife, the Archduchess Regina, died in February 2010.
He belonged to various Catholic Orders. He received numerous awards and wrote many books. He leaves behind his 7 children,2) Monika (* 13.09.1954), verh. Gonzaga Herzog von San Angelo: Baltasar, Gabriel, Rafael, Santiago.
3) Michaela (* 13.09.1954), verh. Eric d´Antin, verh. Hubertus Graf von Kageneck: Marc Joan, Carla, Justin.
4) Gabriela (* 14.10.1956), verh. Christian Meister: Severin, Lioba, Alena.
5) Walburga (* 05.10.1958), verh. Archibald Graf Douglas: Mauritz.
7) Georg (* 16.12.1964), verh. Eilika Herzogin von Oldenburg: Sophie, Ildiko, Karl Konstantin.
ASIA: PAKISTAN: ATTACK AGAINST CHRISTIAN HOSPITAL BY MUSLIM GROUP
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Lahore (AsiaNews) – An attempt by a group of Muslims to take over the Christian Hospital in Taxila was recently foiled. On Saturday, Malik Nur Muhammad, Malik Riaz and Malik Abdul Razzak, influential local Muslims, filed a First Information Report (FIR) with police against the administration of the hospital. The facility, which is located almost 32 kilometres from Islamabad, was established by United Presbyterian Church. They complainants say they bought the hospital and accuse the administrators of refusing to hand it over. They also accuse the current administration of blasphemy but did not include such an accusation in their original application.After filing their complaint, Malik Nur Muhammad, Malik Riaz and Malik Abdul Razzak went to the Christian hospital to have the administrators arrested based on their charges. Four members of the staff were held by police. However, the hospital director Ashchenaz M. Lall rejected the claims made by the Muslims.
“The property was not sold,” he said. “Malik Nur and his sons, with the help of a local politician from the PML-N (Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz) fabricated a case against the administration of the Christian hospital. The Christian hospital was established in 1922 by missionaries from the United Presbyterian Mission. Only the Presbyterian board holds the right to sell the property. This is an attempt to take over a missionary property by force.”
The Catholic Bishop of Islamabad-Rawalpindi Rufin Anthony went to the Christian Hospital in Taxila and contacted various Christian activists and leaders.
Upon the involvement of the Catholic Church, the district coordination officer (DCO) in Rawalpindi, Saqib Zafar, also travelled to Taxila where he ordered an immediate investigation into the matter.
“The initial investigation has revealed that the claims made by Malik Nur Muhammad are false,” DCO Zafar said. “There are loopholes in the FIR. It was registered on the backing an influential politician belonging to the PML-N. We will make sure that the culprits are arrested."
“This is not a first attempt to take over Church or missionary property by force,” Bishop Rufin Anthony told AsiaNews. “The Christian Hospital in Taxila has been targeted by various groups in the past," the prelate explained.
"The Catholic Church has always stood by the Churches that have been attacked by extremists. We are closely monitoring the situation and I am in constant touch with the authorities. We demand the government arrest the culprits and set an example so that such incidents are not repeated."
Samson Simon Sharaf, principal of St. Mary`s College and a Catholic activist, also condemned the incident and visited the Christian Hospital in Taxila. “Religious sentiments against Christians were exploited for petty self-interest," he said, "and could have led to large scale rioting and arson like in Gojra. A big fiasco was averted" (see Fareed Khan, “Eight Christians burned alive in Punjab,” inAsiaNews, 1 August 2009).
AFRICA: DEM. REP. OF CONGO: PEACE MARCH TO HELP CONGOLESE
"As a Congolese citizen I was told I had to inform the public about what is happening in my Country. Since I like to walk, I thought I would make the pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela, approaching with the utmost courtesy, the other pilgrims, trying to explain to them the tragedy of the DRC - says Mpaliza -. I was carrying a camera with which I recorded the comments of the pilgrims I met. I came back from Santiago with 300 messages of peace, videotaped in 17 languages from 30 countries".
"Last year – recalls Mpaliza - the UN published the Mapping report stating that in the DRC serious war crimes with more than 5 million deaths were committed. This report documents the period from 1993 to 2003, but fighting continued until 2009, while in the east of the Country serious violence is still committed, just think about the tragedy of war rapes. Facts which nobody seems interested in talking about".
"This year - continues Mpaliza - I thought about heading off to Rome, carrying with me the messages and files prepared with the Congolese living in Emilia Romagna in addition to the Mapping report by the UN to deliver them to local governments and associations that I find along the way. I am walking along the Francigena, and along the way I stop in different places where scheduled meetings are programmed with the authorities and the local population. I see people amazed by the enormity of the tragedy of Congo but ask me questions, a sign that there is an interest on their part".
AUSTRALIA: RIP JUDGE MEAGHER- FAMED JUDGE AND CATHOLIC-PRAY FOR SOUL
Screenshot from the Sydney Morning Herald
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Loquacious and erudite former judge of the NSW Court of Appeal and old boy of St Ignatius College, Riverview, Roddy Meagher, died on Sunday night, reports the Sydney Morning Herald. He was 79.
Meagher had an enviable career at the Bar. He was named one of Sydney's most adroit QCs on intellectual property matters in 1988. He served as a justice of the NSW Supreme Court and Court of Appeal from 1989 until 2004. He married Penny Moss in 1962. She died of cancer in 1995.A cousin of Patrick White, Meagher's family owned country stores, the wealth providing a Jesuit education, a University of Sydney law degree and a sense of Irish Catholic irony that turned his many pronouncements into occasions of public outrage or amusement.
He said his only daughter, Amy, was angry. ''She's talking about being disinherited, which is odd because I'm leaving her this house [in Darling Point], my farm in Bowral and my portfolio of shares.'' He was pulling legs again, the Herald said
TODAY'S SAINT: JULY 5: ST. ANTONIO MARIA ZACCARIA
St. Antonio Maria Zaccaria
FOUNDER
Feast: July 5
| Founder of the Clerks Regular of St. Paul, commonly known as the Barnabites; b. in Cremona, Italy, 1502; d. 5 July, 1539. While he was still an infant his father died, leaving the care of the child's education to his mother, who taught him compassion for the poor and suffering by making him her almoner. After completing the studies given in the schools at Cremona he was sent to Padua for his philosophy, and in 1520, when he had finished this course, began the study of medicine in the university at that place. At the age of twenty-two he received his degree of Doctor of Medicine and returned to Cremona to practise his profession. Three years later he began to study theology and received holy orders in 1528. He now devoted himself with renewed energy to works of charity and mercy, visiting and consoling the sick in hospitals and poor-prisons. The ministry of preaching and the administration of the sacraments produced such great fruit that St. Antonio was encouraged to seek a larger field for his labours and to carry out a great project which he hard formed for the good of souls. He went to the populous city of Milan, of which he was a burgess, and entered the Confraternity of Eternal Wisdom. Among the members of this religious body he allied himself with two priests, Fathers Ferrari and Morigia, and told them of his idea of founding a congregation of secular clergy. Northern Italy at this period was in a deplorable condition. Frequent wars had devastated the country. The advent of the Lutheran soldiery and their contempt for everything Catholic had spread the contagion of bad example, while famine and plague followed in the track of the soldiers. These scourges combined to produce a state of misery that appealed most powerfully to Antonio and his associates. "The Congregation of the Regular Clerks of St. Paul", St. Antonio's work, which began with five members, was canonically sanctioned by Pope Clement VII in 1533. Their rule bound them to "regenerate and revive the love of the Divine worship, and a truly Christian way of life by frequent preaching and the faithful administration of the sacraments." The first superior of the new congregation was St. Antonio, who soon hecame known in Milan as an apostle. Besides giving conferences in churches to ecclesiastics and lay people, he went into the streets of the city with crucifix in hand, and produced great fruit in souls by preaching on the Passion and Death of Christ and the need of penance for sin. In 1536 he resigned the superiorship to Father Morigia and later went to Vicenza at the request of Cardinal Ridolfi. There he succeeded in reforming morals and in bringing two religious communities of women to a stricter observance of their rule. In the latter labour he was greatly aided by a congregation of nuns "The Angelicals of St. Paul", which he had founded in Milan. He introduced, also, the devotion of the "Forty Hours' Prayers", in Vicenza. The last two years of his life were spent in Milan. He sought there a more suitable church for his Congregation and accepted the offer of the church of S. Barnabas, but died before the affaire was arranged. From this church of St. Barnabas, the Congregation received the name by which its members are commonly known, i.e. Barnabites. Worn out by his voluntary penences, as well as by his untiring labours of charity, he was attacked by fever during one of his mission. Knowing that this illness was his last, he had himself brought to his native city, Cremona. There, in his mother's house, he received the last sacraments and peacefully expired at the early age of thirty-seven. His body was found incorrupt 27 years after his death. He was declared Blessed by Pope Pius IX in 1849. (See BARNABITES.) On 15 May, 1897, he was solemnly canonized in St. Peter's, Rome, by Pope Leo XIII. His writings are: "Detti notabili, raccolti da varii autori" (Venice, 1583); "Constitutiones ordinis clericorum regularium" (not published); "Sermones super praeceptis Decalogi" (not published). |
SOURCE: http://www.ewtn.com/saintsHoly/saints/A/stantoniozaccaria.asp#ixzz1RG30CtXx
TODAY'S GOSPEL: JULY 5: Matthew 9: 32- 38
| Matthew 9: 32 - 38 | |
| 32 | As they were going away, behold, a dumb demoniac was brought to him. |
| 33 | And when the demon had been cast out, the dumb man spoke; and the crowds marveled, saying, "Never was anything like this seen in Israel." |
| 34 | But the Pharisees said, "He casts out demons by the prince of demons." |
| 35 | And Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every disease and every infirmity. |
| 36 | When he saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. |
| 37 | Then he said to his disciples, "The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; |
| 38 | pray therefore the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest." |
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