VATICAN: POPE: INDIAN BISHOPS- PROMOTE UNITY
AMERICA: USA: ARCHBISHOP AUTHORIZES INTRODUCTION OF MUSICAL SETTINGS OF THE ROMAN MISSAL
ASIA: KOREA: 20,000 PRAY FOR PEACE AND UNITY
AFRICA: MALAWI: CLASH BETWEEN GOVERNMENT AND STUDENTS
TODAY'S SAINT: JUNE 17: ST. AVITUS
INDIAN BISHOPS: PROMOTING THE CHARISM OF UNITY
VATICAN CITY, 17 JUN 2011 (VIS) - This morning in theVatican the Holy Father received a fourth group of Indian prelates (from Madras-Mylapore, Madurai, Pondicherry andRaipur), who have just completed their "ad limina" visit. Continuing his reflections on the life of the Church in India, he spoke of the bishops' responsibilities towards clergy and religious. (IMAGE SOURCE: RADIO VATICANA)
"You are set over God's people as pastors, and you are called to teach, sanctify and govern the local Churches", the Pope told them, speaking English. "You do this through your preaching of the Gospel, your celebration of the Sacraments, and your care for the sanctity and effective pastoral action of the clergy. ... You are also called to govern in charity by means of a prudent vigilance in your legislative, executive and judicial capacities. In this delicate and demanding role, the bishop, as pastor and father, should so unite and mould his flock into one family that all, conscious of their duties, will wish to live and act as one in charity.
"Promoting the charism of unity, which is a powerful testimony to the oneness of God and a mark of the one, holy, catholic and apostolic Church, is among the most important responsibilities of the bishop", he added. "By your ministry, you are called to strengthen the people whom God has chosen to be His own, to serve them and to build them into a unified temple, a worthy dwelling-place for the Spirit".
"You are to be supportive of your priests, your closest collaborators, and to be attentive to their needs and aspirations, showing solicitude for their spiritual, intellectual and material well-being. They, as sons and co-workers, are called in turn to respect your authority, working cheerfully, humbly and with complete dedication to the good of the Church, but always under your direction. The bonds of fraternal love and mutual concern which you foster with your priests will become the basis for overcoming any tensions that may arise, and will promote those conditions which are most propitious for the service of the people of God, .... leading them to know their worth and to assume the dignity which is theirs as children of God".
The Holy Father went on: "Religious men and women also look to you for guidance and support. The witness of your own deep love for Jesus Christ and His Church will serve to inspire them as they devote themselves with perfect poverty, chastity and obedience to the life to which they have been called".
Benedict XVI concluded his remarks to the group by underlining the importance of consecrated life, and he asked the prelates to ensure that consecrated people "receive a solid human, spiritual and theological foundation". Finally, he expressed his particular appreciation for "the many women religious of the Church in India. They bear witness to its holiness, vitality and hope. They offer countless prayers and perform innumerable good works, often hidden, but nevertheless of great value to the up-building of God's kingdom".
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HOMAGE OF ARTISTS FOR POPE'S 60TH ANNIVERSARY AS PRIEST
VATICAN CITY, 17 JUN 2011 (VIS) - This morning in the Holy See Press Office a press conference was held to present the exhibition: "The splendour of truth, the beauty of charity: Homage of sixty artists to Benedict XVI for the sixtieth anniversary of his ordination to the priesthood".
Today's press conference was presented by Cardinal Gianfranco Ravasi, president of the Pontifical Council for Culture, and Msgr. Pasquale Iacobone, director of the council's Art and Faith Department.
The exhibition will be inaugurated by the Holy Father in the atrium of the Vatican's Paul VI Hall on 4 July, and will be open to the public from 5 July to 4 September.
Cardinal Ravasi explained that the idea to hold the exhibition arose from the Pope's meeting with artists in the Sistine Chapel on 21 November 2009. The artists participating in this initiative, most of them Italian, represent different categories: painting, sculpture, architecture, photography, literature, poetry, music, cinema and jewellery design.
The exhibition "has particular significance for the dialogue between the Church and artists, and because of the presence of famous modern artists from various areas of expression, who are tackling themes of great importance and spiritual profundity", Cardinal Ravasi said.
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VATICAN CITY, 17 JUN 2011 (VIS) - The Holy Father today received in separate audiences:
- Four prelates from the Conference of Catholic Bishops of India, on their "ad limina" visit:
- Bishop Devadass Ambrose Mariasdoss of Tanjore.
- Bishop Patras Minj S.J. of Ambikapur.
- Bishop Emmaniel Kereketta of Jashpur.
- Bishop Paul Toppo of Raigarh.
- Cardinal Angelo Comastri, archpriest of the papal basilica of St. Peter's in theVatican, vicar general of His Holiness for Vatican City and president of the Fabric of St. Peter's.
- Bishop Paul Hinder O.F.M. Cap., apostolic vicar of South Arabia.
- Bishop Camillo Ballin M.C.C.J., apostolic vicar of North Arabia.
This evening he is scheduled to receive in audience Cardinal Marc Ouellet P.S.S., prefect of the Congregation for Bishops.
ASIA: KOREA: 20,000 PRAY FOR PEACE AND UNITY
Around 20,000 Catholics, including 200 priests from across the country gathered today to pray for peace and reconciliation on a very tense Korean Peninsula.
The bishop’s conference’s Committee for the Reconciliation of the Korean People held the special Mass in Imjingak, near the demilitarized zone that separates North and South Korea.
It was the first national level reconciliation Mass in eight years and came at a time when tensions are running high.
Last year Seoul, accused the North of sinking a South Korean warship.
North Korea denied the charge but later launched an artillery barrage at a South Korean island.
“Most Catholics feel current relations between two Koreas are very serious,” said Father Timothy Lee Eun-hyung, the Mass organizer.
“Many hoped the Mass might help thaw frosty ties,” he added.
Bishop Peter Kang U-il of Cheju, who presided at the Mass, said during his homily that the issues of divided families and hunger in the north continue to haunt the peninsula.
Al the participants read out a letter appealing for reconciliation between the two Koreas and asking the two governments to reopen dialogue and restart cultural exchange.
AMERICA: USA: ARCHBISHOP AUTHORIZES INTRODUCTION OF MUSICAL SETTINGS OF THE ROMAN MISSAL
Modification will help people learn new parts, ease implementation
USCCB REPORT: BELLEVUE, Washington—Archbishop Gregory Aymond of New Orleans, chairman of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops’ (USCCB) Committee on Divine Worship, announced that diocesan bishops may permit the gradual introduction of the musical settings of the people’s parts of the Mass from the new Roman Missal in September. Primarily this affects the the Gloria, the Holy, Holy, Holy and the Memorial Acclamations.
This variation to the implementation of the Roman Missal, Third Edition, set to take place all at once on November 27, was authorized by USCCB president, Archbishop Timothy Dolan of New York, and adopted by the committee to allow parish communities to learn the various parts of the new translation “in a timely fashion and an even pace.”
The Committee on Divine Worship made the decision in response to requests from several bishops, echoed by the National Advisory Council. Some suggested that the various acclamations could be more effectively introduced throughout the fall, so that when the full Missal is implemented on the First Sunday of Advent, the congregation will have already become familiar with the prayers that are sung.
“I ask you to encourage this as a means of preparing our people and helping them embrace the new translation,” Archbishop Gregory told the bishops. The announcement took place June 16, during the U.S. bishops Spring Assembly near Seattle.
AUSTRALIA: PETROL BOMB THROWN INTO ORTHODOX CHURCH
HERALD SUN REPORT: A PETROL bomb thrown into a church has been blamed on a banner calling for the release of accused war criminal Ratko Mladic.
Priest Cedomir Videkanic, of St Stefan's Orthodox Serbian Church in Keysborough, says a molotov cocktail was thrown through the window before dawn yesterday.
Father Cedomir blamed the attack on the media for whipping up hatred over controversial "Free Mladic" banners at an international soccer friendly between Australia and Serbia last week.
"The banner created more of a problem. It does not help at all," he said.
Father Cedomir said although the banner should not have been at a big event, Mladic polarised opinion.
"Every war commander is a hero for some people and a criminal for other people," he said.
"So with Mladic, he was in a position to order shootings and in every war, (a) commander is in the same position. What do you think what is genocide?"
He said he would get legal advice about suing the media for inciting the attack.Father Cedomir said the International Criminal Tribunal made a "mockery" of justice and he would prefer to see former US president Bill Clinton on trial.
"I can accuse your newspaper and other newspapers as the ignition for young, silly people," he said.
Mladic, a former chief of the Bosnian Serb army who was dubbed the "Butcher of Bosnia", is accused of war crimes and genocide during the 1992-95 Bosnian war.
He was arrested last month almost 20 years after the alleged atrocities.
Those who were insulted by banners raised at the Socceroos v Serbia match at Etihad Stadium called last week for those responsible to be prosecuted under racial vilification laws.
A banner that read "Death to (Serbian president) Tadic, Freedom to Mladic" was confiscated, but no one was ejected from the arena.
EUROPE: GREAT BRITAIN: 33RD CONFERENCE ON JUSTICE AND PEACE- THEME WORKPLACE
IND. CATH. NEWS REPORT: Justice in the workplace will be the theme of the 33rd annual conference of the National Justice and Peace Network of England and Wales (NJPN). Around 400 people are expected to attend the event at Swanwick 15-17 July and the full title is ‘JUSTICE AT WORK - A Place of safety, fulfilment and growth’.
Rachael Maskell
This popular conference - with its mix of talks, workshops, and market place – aims to raise awareness of working conditions in the context of today’s economy and modern society. It will explore the dignity and reality of contemporary work from a Christian perspective, using Catholic Social Teaching. The conference is child-friendly with children and youth programmes running alongside the adult programme. The NJPN, a leading grassroots campaigning network, was established to encourage prophetic witness, raising awareness of justice and peace as central to the life of the Catholic Church.
Speakers include: David McLoughlin, Senior Lecturer in Theology at Newman University College and a founder member of the Movement of Christian Workers; Jon Cruddas MP, a member of the Transport and General Workers Union from 1989 until his election to parliament in 2001 and a supporter of the minimum wage; Frances O’Grady, deputy general secretary of the Trades Union Congress and the first woman ever to hold this post; John Battle, former National Co-ordinator of Church Action on Poverty and MP for Leeds West from 1987 until he stood down in 2010; CAFOD partner Sheila Kambobe, Deputy Director of the Jesuit Center for Theological Reflection in Zambia who has worked on UN programmes in Sierra Leone, East Timor and Cambodia.
More than 20 workshops will cover such issues as: ‘The Living Wage Campaign’, ‘Workers in the Informal Economy’, ‘The UK Arms Industry – Ethical Issues and Alternatives’, ‘God’s Compassion for Women involved in Prostitution’ and ‘A Balanced Approach – Does your work leave any space for life?’. Martin Foley, Director of Apostleship of the Sea, will address the challenges facing the global seafaring community; Rosie Bairwal, National Coordinator of the Catholic Association for Racial Justice, will explore discrimination in the workplace; John Fowler of the Farm Crisis Network will share experiences of rural workers; and Christine Allen, Director of Progressio, examine the impact of development workers in the global south.
A workshop on Migrant Domestic Workers will be led by Marissa Begonia, a migrant worker herself who is spokesperson for Justice for Domestic Workers, a British-based self-help group that has been working with trade unions in the UK to win support for an International Convention on Domestic Work. Just this week a new treaty she lobbied for was adopted by the International Labour Organisation (ILO) in Geneva which will protect millions of domestic workers around the world. Under the new international legal instrument, domestic workers will have rights such as an entitlement to social protection, to rest days and annual leave, collective bargaining and protection from abuse.
On the Saturday evening of the conference there will be a Question Time panel chaired by Bishop William Kenney, auxiliary in Birmingham Archdiocese. The panel will include Rachael Maskell, National Officer for 60,000 Community, Youth Workers and Not for Profit sector workers of the public sector union Unite. These include many who work for charities, housing associations and faith workers.
Places are still available and all are welcome. Download the booking form at: http://justice-and-peace.org.uk/documents/CONF%202011%20Booking%20Form.pdf
For more information see: www.justice-and-peace.org.uk
AFRICA: MALAWI: CLASH BETWEEN GOVERNMENT AND STUDENTS
The clash, which originated in February by a lecture held by a professor on the so-called "Arab revolution", progressively exacerbated. "The government closed the university and the Polytechnic, four professors were dragged to court, their salaries were canceled, and they were expelled from university because charged of an illegal strike ... then the four responsible for the 'Academic Staff Union were accused, too" says Fr. Piergiorgio Gamba, Monfort missionary to Fides. "These people have been ridiculed by the government in every way, but their strength is that they have already lived in the past both detention and expulsion, silence and persecution".
"The path covered in the comparison is very close to the culture of Malawi: no violence, paying in person, with people who always look fearful. Thirty years of dictatorship may be cured after two generations, one is not enough to make you forget the fear. The strategy used by teachers is the use of judicial courts, which in turn have deleted the measures that the government wanted to impose" the missionary said.
"Then, when the government could no longer put up resistance, the demonstration started. Students and teachers in their red-colored clothes crossed the city of Zomba, accompanied by a massive police presence, this time without tear gas, because it was obvious that the government did not have a moral majority in this dead end situation created by the government", said Fr. Gamba.
The government has announced that on July 4 the university will reopen". A choice to save face? The many divisions created and the lack of certainty that things have changed is not a good omen for the President, who increasingly uses the tactic of creating problems to appear later as the savior of his country, or even just to distract people's attention from other more serious problems for a country economically adrift " concludes the missionary. (L.M.)
TODAY'S SAINT: JUNE 17: ST. AVITUS
St. Avitus
ABBOT
Feast: June 17
ST. AVITUS was a native of Orleans, and, retiring into Auvergne, took the monastic habit, together with St. Calais, in the abbey of Menat, at that time very small, though afterward enriched by Queen Brunehault, and by St. Boner, Bishop of Clermont. The two Saints soon after returned to Miscy, a famous abbey situated a league and a half below Orleans. It was founded toward the end of the reign of Clovis I. by St. Euspicius, a holy priest, honored on the 14th of June, and his nephew St. Maximin or Mesnim, whose name this monastery, which is now of the Cistercian Order, bears. Many call St. Maximin the first abbot, others St. Euspicius the first, St. Maximin the second, and St. Avitus the third. But our Saint and St. Calais made not a long stay at Miscy, though St. Maximin gave them a gracious reception. In quest of a closer retirement, St. Avitus, who had succeeded St. Maximin, soon after resigned the abbacy, and with St. Calais lived a recluse in the territory now called Dunois, on the frontiers of La Perche. Others joining them, St. Calais retired into a forest in Maine, and King Clotaire built a church and monastery for St. Avitus and his companions. This is at present a Benedictine nunnery, called St. Avy of Chateaudun, and is situated on the Loire, at the foot of the hill on which the town of Chateaudun is built, in the diocese of Chartres. Three famous monks, Leobin, afterwards Bishop of Chartres, Euphronius, and Rusticus, attended our Saint to his happy death, which happened about the year 530. His body was carried to Orleans, and buried with great pomp in that city. |
SOURCE: http://www.ewtn.com/saintsHoly/saints/A/stavitus.asp#ixzz1PaONsRgA
TODAY'S GOSPEL: JUNE 17: Matthew 6: 19- 23
19"Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust consume and where thieves break in and steal,20but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust consumes and where thieves do not break in and steal.21For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.22"The eye is the lamp of the body. So, if your eye is sound, your whole body will be full of light;23but if your eye is not sound, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light in you is darkness, how great is the darkness!
