It was a whirlwind two day trip with meetings with families, young people, Croatia’s civil, political, cultural, religious and academic leaders, and religious from this formerly war torn region. (IMAGE SOURCE: RADIO VATICANA)
Pope Benedict said farewell Sunday evening to a Croatia sad to see him go: a country whose 4.4 million people are almost all Catholic, whose close relationship to the Holy See goes back centuries. Those relations reinforced in modern times by Pope John Paul II who twenty years ago ensured the Holy See was the first state to recognize Croatia’s independence at the start of a brutal war that saw the break up of the former Yugoslav Republic.
And in taking his leave of President Ivo Josipovic at Zagreb’s Pleso airport, the Pope said his brief visit was graced with encounters that left a deep impression on his mind and heart – encounters that made him “feel part of” the Croatian people and their history.
The biggest of those encounters of course was the 400,000 strong mass at Zagreb’s racecourse Sunday to celebrate the first National Day for Croatian Catholic Families – the main pastoral purpose of this trip. The Pope came to reaffirm them in their faith, to encourage them to stand up with courage as witnesses to Christ and to the values of true Christian conscience in their daily lives.
Saying today’s society urgently needs the witness of “exemplary Christian families” to counter modern forms of aggressive secularism, Pope Benedict invited families to become “small churches” in which to live unity, communion and prayer and witness this love to others.
That’s a real challenge here, just as it is in any western country today – “especially Europe” the Pope was quick to say here. And he admitted it will require commitment and sacrifice.
In Croatia, one in nearly five marriages ends in divorce, and many think cohabitation without marriage is ok. The Pope called on families to “be courageous” and not give in to the secularized mindset that says living together is “a preparation or even a substitute for marriage.” It is possible he exclaimed, “to love without reserve,” and urged young people not to be afraid to commit to another person.
Speaking for Croatia’s Catholics once hesitant to express their views under intolerant Communist regimes, Krk Archbishop Zupan forcefully vindicated “the inalienable right to live and publicly express” their Catholic values.
Abortion has been legal since the Communist period, something the Archbishop demanded change, calling on political leaders here to review the 1978 legislation and to promote a mentality in defence of life.
Some 50,000 young people braved bad weather to hear the Pope at Saturday evening’s vigil tell them Jesus was their friend, a friend to trust in and rely on, who won’t let them down, even in hard times. He warned them against “enticing promises of easy success” and “lifestyles based more on appearances and material things than on inner depth.”
To Croatia’s young people, he held up the figure of Croatian Blessed Ivan Merz, a young man to live during the trying times of WWI who gave himself wholly over to Christ, and whose “astonishing and moving acts of charity and goodness” the Pope was asking them to imitate.
In a moving liturgy of vespers in Zagreb’s Cathedral, Pope Benedict spoke to men and women religious, seminarians and lay people, urging them to take up the example of the capital’s very own Blessed Cardinal Aloysius Stepinac at whose tomb the Pope prayed following the liturgy.
Pope Benedict called him “a fearless pastor” of the “terrible period of communist persecution” in which Croatian Catholics, particularly the clergy, were oppressed and suffered “systematic abuse aimed at destroying the Catholic Church.”
Pope Benedict called on the faithful here to be the “moral conscience of society, ” looking to Blessed Stepinac for inspiration though the challenges of today’s world are so different from those of the last century, more insidious and less obvious.
And that’s why the Pope talked about the need to rediscover “conscience” at the National Theater on Saturday – one of the other big events of this trip. Conscience grounded in truth and good, he reminded some 700 intellectual and religious elite there, is fundamental to a free and just society, for the quality of its social, civil and democratic life. And, he warned that if prevailing attempts to exclude religion and morality from the social conscience succeed, the current crisis in the West will continue and “Europe is destined to collapse in on itself,” an invitation for discernment and a conversion of hearts.
He reached out to other Christian churches and leaders of the Jewish and Muslim faiths, remarking that religion is not separate from society and in communion, there are opportunities to seek peace, the common good, justice and reconciliation.
Croatia’s accession to the EU was another major theme of this trip, something President Josipovic spoke of again in his farewell speech to the Pope, acknowledging the Pope’s challenge to “preserve” and “promote” Croatia’s particularly Christian spiritual, moral and cultural values within the EU just months away from its membership in the Union.
But perhaps I’ll remember most those words by Cardinal Stepinac which Pope Benedict recalled at Sunday Vespers: “mediocrity” in faith is one of “the greatest evils of our time.” “Either we are Catholic or we are not.” And judging from the enthusiasm and dynamism of Croatia’s faithful on this trip, they are anything but “mediocre”….
EUROPE: SPAIN: PRIEST- WELL-LOVED- KILLED IN HOME
In the same statement, Mgr.Lorca Planes desires that the facts and causes of death, that has shocked the whole diocese, are verified rapidly and especially in the city of Cartagena, where the priest was known and loved by many. The Pastor of the Diocese asks priests, religious and faithful to entrust the soul of Father Ricardo to the Lord and ask him to strengthen the faith of the family.
While the National Police investigation continues, the main hypothesis is that some thieves entered the victim's house, where the priest`s elderly and disabled sister also lived, and once discovered, they hit father Ricardo and killed him.
ASIA: CHINA: CANCELLATION OF ILLICIT ORDINATION OF BISHOP
The ordination for the bishop in Wuhan (Hankou) diocese has been postponed.
The ordination, without papal mandate, was originally scheduled for Thursday.
Father Joseph Shen Guo’an, the episcopal candidate, said today that he “was informed” about the cancellation but did not know the reason for it being postponed.
He said he does not know when it will be rescheduled either.
The news of the postponement began to spread on Friday. Bishops in the neighboring provinces confirmed that government officials informed them that afternoon but did not specify the reason.
Despite the postponement, a Church-in-China observer pointed out that this does not imply that “self-ordination” of the government-sanctioned “open” Church has come to an end.
Another observer, however, sees the postponement as a positive sign for both China and the Vatican.
“It is a good thing to handle this case in a prudent manner to avoid violating Church rules,” said Anthony Lam Sui-ki, senior researcher at Hong Kong diocese’s Holy Spirit Study Centre.
The China Church should wait for the Holy See’s comprehensive consultation to find a suitable candidate, he said.
Commenting on the phenomenon that some mainland priests are eager to become bishops, Lam said, “We will trust the conventional wisdom of the Church that these priests are unsuitable to become bishops.”
“The Holy See will choose priests who are humble and tolerant because these virtues mean they are willing to be committed to the Church, not to their personal interests,” he said.
http://www.ucanews.com/2011/06/07/china-postpones-illicit-bishop-ordination/
AUSTRALIA: ECONFERENCE ON THE WAY OF THE HEART
DIOCESE OF PARRAMATTA REPORT: In a first for the spiritual direction community in Australia, an eConference on'The Way of the Heart - Journeys of Transformation' will be held at eSites across Australia between 10.30am and 3.30pm (EST) on Wednesday 15 June.
Sponsored by the Conference of Spiritual Directors (CSD) Australia, the eConference is primarily designed for spiritual directors, but will be of interest also to others working in spirituality and in helping ministries.
Institute For Mission (1-5 Marion Street Blacktown) will be an eSite for 'The Way of the Heart - Journeys of Transformation' in the Catholic Diocese of Parramatta.
Hosted by CSD Australia Chairperson Brian Gallagher msc, the eConference willfeature key presenter Paul Beirne, Dean and Professor of Comparative Religion, Melbourne College of Divinity.
Calling on the riches of several religious traditions, Paul will be joined by by Facilitator Jill McCorquadale, Media Analyst Peter Malone msc and Spiritual Director Kate Garrone in an exploration of the universal quest to discover and follow our way – to truth and to life.
'The Way of the Heart - Journeys of Transformation' will involve several presentations, reflection and sharing, and e-interaction with the presenters and panel.
Participants are asked to register via the eConference website -http://csd.vividas.com/
While there is no fee for CSD members, a donation from non-members (via the eConference website) would be gratefully appreciated.
ABOUT THE SPEAKERS
Paul Beirne
Professor of Comparative Religion and Dean of the Melbourne College of Divinity, Paul has worked as a missionary in Korea for many years, and undertaken extensive research into Korean religious traditions. He has a background in spiritual direction (Heart of Life Centre) and East Asian studies (Yonsei University, Seoul; Catholic Theological Union, Chicago; and the University of Queensland).
Jill McCorquadale
A long-time member of the Conference of Spiritual Directors, Jill is an experienced spiritual director and facilitator and will chair the eConference.
Peter Malone
A theologian and media analyst, Peter was recently awarded an honorary Doctorate by the Melbourne College of Divinity. Peter taught at the National Pastoral Institute and Yarra Theological Union, before moving to the International Catholic Organisation for Cinema and the World Catholic Association for Communication 21 years ago. He has been world President of both associations.
Kate Garrone
A spiritual director and psychologist, Kate currently works for the Sisters of Mercy, growing an Australasian network of young adults committed to justice and compassion.
Brian Gallagher
Well known to CSD members through his ministry as a spiritual director, supervisor and educator (principally at the Heart of Life Spirituality Centre in Melbourne), Brian is currently the chair person of the Conference of Spiritual Directors, Australia.
Download eConference FlyerAFRICA: LIBYA: WOMAN RAPED BY GANG GRANTED ENTRANCE TO USA
CATHOLIC ONLINE REPORT: A Libyan woman who says she was brutally gang-raped by Colonel Moammar Khadafi's forces is on her way for psychological help in the United States. Marwa al-Obeidi said her sister Iman has been flown out of Benghazi. It's not immediately was not known where she was going in the U.S.
Iman al-Obeidi had rushed into Tripoli's Rixos Hotel in March where she shouted out her story of being stopped at a checkpoint, dragged away and gang-raped by soldiers.
LOS ANGELES, CA (Catholic Online) - Al-Obeidi told reporters she had spent the day crying because it was hard to see her sister leave -- but knew the trip was the best for her. "We just want a chance for her to be treated psychologically and to rest. My sister has just been through so much," Marwa told The Associated Press.
"Iman locked herself in her room in Doha and refused to leave the house. She would get nightmares and fall off the bed," Aisha bin Ismail said of her daughter. She turned her head away to hold back tears as she described her daughter's last few weeks.
Iman al-Obeidi had rushed into Tripoli's Rixos Hotel in March where all foreign correspondents are being forced to stay while covering the part of Libya under Khadafi's control.
She shouted out her story of being stopped at a checkpoint, dragged away and gang-raped by soldiers. As photographers and reporters recorded her words, government minders dragged her away.
Iman al-Obeidi later turned up in Tunisia and then in Qatar. She was suddenly expelled from Qatar this week and ended up in Benghazi. Qatar offered no explanation.
Al-Obeidi has said she was targeted by Khadafi's troops because she is from Benghazi, the rebel stronghold, although her rape claim could not be independently verified.
A human rights group aided by U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton arranged for Iman and their father to travel in a private plane to Washington, D.C. by way of Malta and Austria. The State Department expressed concern for al-Obeidi's safety after she was deported from Qatar. A U.N. human rights body called the deportation a violation of international law, because she was a recognized refugee.
Libyan authorities have alternately labeled al-Obeidi a drunk, a prostitute and a thief.
Marwa al-Obeidi claims that Qatar was friendly with the family until the last few hours before deportation. She said that Qatari authorities gave the family five hours notice to get on a military plane and leave Doha.
"Iman wanted to travel directly to America from Qatar, but for some logistical reasons Qatar wouldn't allow it. That's when they didn't treat us very nicely," said Marwa al-Obeidi. She and her mother refused to let pictures be taken by photographers and TV crews.
http://www.catholic.org/international/international_story.php?id=41671
TODAY'S SAINT: JUNE 7: ST. ROBERT OF NEWMINISTER
St. Robert of Newminster
CISTERCIAN ABBOT
Feast: June 7
He was a native of Yorkshire, and even in his childhood an enemy to the usual amusements of that age, loving only prayer, serious reading, and useful and pious employments. Having finished his studies, he was ordained priest, and instituted to a rectorship of a parish in the diocese of York; but after discharging that office some time with great assiduity and zeal, he resigned that living, and took the religious habit in the Benedictine monastery of our Lady in York. Richard, the prior of this house, and twelve others, desiring to serve God according to the primitive institute of the Benedictine Order, left the monastery, with leave of the abbot, and endeavoring to execute their project, struggled with incredible hardships; till Thurstan, the pious archbishop of York, gave them a desert valley, called Scheldale, with the town of Sutton, where, in the midst of winter, and in extreme poverty they founded the celebrated abbey which, from certain springs, was called Fountains, in 1132. The Cistercian Order, which had been lately introduced into England, and settled at Rievalle, was perfectly agreeable to the fervent dispositions of this holy colony; and at their request the monastery of Fountains was received into it by St. Bernard, who in his letters extols the perfection and sanctity of this new nursery of saints, which, from the beginning, was a model to the whole order for devotion, austerity in fasts, labor, by which all the monks procured their subsistence, fervor in all religious exercises, and cheerfulness in singing assiduously the divine praises. No murmur or sadness was known among them; nor any strife or contention ever heard of, unless of charity or humility: they never yielded to rest, till fatigued with labor; and always came hungry from their slender table, which was chiefly furnished with pulse and roots from their garden. St. Robert seemed so far to eclipse the rest of this holy company by the lustre of his piety, that they all had their eyes on him in their religions duties, and studied to transcribe his fervor in their actions. Ranulph of Merley, baron of Morpeth, paying a visit to the monastery of Fountains five years after its foundation, was so struck with the edifying deportment of the terrestrial angels who inhabited it, that he obtained of the abbot Richard a certain number of those monks, and built for them a monastery called Newminster, near Morpeth, in Northumberland, in 1137, of which St. Robert was appointed abbot. The saint in his new dignity thought it his duty not only to walk before his brethren, but to go beyond them all in every religious observance; and all his virtues seemed to receive new vigor, and a new degree of perfection in this eminent station. His affection to holy prayer is not to be expressed. He recommended to God continually those committed to his care, and with many tears poured forth his soul for them night and day. He was favored with the gift of prophecy and miracles. He founded another monastery a Pipinelle, or Rivebelle, in Northamptonshire, and lived in the strictest union of holy friendship with St. Bernard; also with St. Godric, a holy hermit in those parts, illiterate as to secular learning, but a most spiritual man. St. Robert finished his course by a happy death on the 7th of June, 1159. Miracles attested his sanctity to the world. He is named in the Roman Martyrology. |
SOURCE: http://www.ewtn.com/saintsHoly/saints/R/strobertofnewminster.asp#ixzz1ObmySR5H
TODAY'S GOSPEL: JUNE 7: JOHN 17: 1- 11
| John 17: 1 - 11 | |
| 1 | When Jesus had spoken these words, he lifted up his eyes to heaven and said, "Father, the hour has come; glorify thy Son that the Son may glorify thee, |
| 2 | since thou hast given him power over all flesh, to give eternal life to all whom thou hast given him. |
| 3 | And this is eternal life, that they know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom thou hast sent. |
| 4 | I glorified thee on earth, having accomplished the work which thou gavest me to do; |
| 5 | and now, Father, glorify thou me in thy own presence with the glory which I had with thee before the world was made. |
| 6 | "I have manifested thy name to the men whom thou gavest me out of the world; thine they were, and thou gavest them to me, and they have kept thy word. |
| 7 | Now they know that everything that thou hast given me is from thee; |
| 8 | for I have given them the words which thou gavest me, and they have received them and know in truth that I came from thee; and they have believed that thou didst send me. |
| 9 | I am praying for them; I am not praying for the world but for those whom thou hast given me, for they are thine; |
| 10 | all mine are thine, and thine are mine, and I am glorified in them. |
| 11 | And now I am no more in the world, but they are in the world, and I am coming to thee. Holy Father, keep them in thy name, which thou hast given me, that they may be one, even as we are one. |
