VATICAN: POPE: MEETS PRESIDENT OF MALAYSIA/ DECLARATION ON ORDINATION/OTHER NEWS
AUSTRALIA: NEW COAT OF ARMS FOR MELBOURNE ARCHDIOCESE
TODAY'S SAINT: JULY 18: ST. BRUNO OF SEGNI
TODAY'S GOSPEL: JULY 18: Matthew 12: 38- 42
VATICAN: POPE: MEETS PRESIDENT OF MALAYSIA/ DECLARATION ON ORDINATION/OTHER NEWS
DECLARATION CONCERNING ILLEGITIMATE ORDINATION IN CHINA
VATICAN CITY, 16 JUL 2011 (VIS) - At midday today the Holy See released an English-language declaration regardingthe episcopal ordination of Fr. Joseph Huang Bingzhang, which took place on Thursday 14 July in the diocese of Shantou (Province of Guangdong, Mainland China). (IMAGE SOURCE: RADIO VATICANA)
"1. Fr. Joseph Huang Bingzhang, having been ordained without papal mandate and hence illicitly, has incurred the sanctions laid down by canon 1382 of the Code of Canon Law. Consequently, the Holy See does not recognise him as bishop of the diocese ofShantou, and he lacks authority to govern the Catholic community of the diocese.
"Fr. Huang Bingzhang had been informed some time ago that he could not be approved by the Holy See as an episcopal candidate, inasmuch as the diocese ofShantou already has a legitimate bishop; Fr. Huang had been asked on numerous occasions not to accept episcopal ordination.
"2. From various sources the Holy See had knowledge of the fact that some bishops, contacted by the civil authorities, had expressed their unwillingness to take part in an illicit ordination and also offered various forms of resistance, yet were reportedly obliged to take part in the ordination.
"With regard to this resistance, it should be noted that it is meritorious before God and calls for appreciation on the part of the whole Church. Equal appreciation is also due to those priests, consecrated persons and members of the faithful who have defended their pastors, accompanying them by their prayers at this difficult time and sharing in their deep suffering.
"3. The Holy See reaffirms the right of Chinese Catholics to be able to act freely, following their consciences and remaining faithful to the Successor of Peter and in communion with the universal Church.
"The Holy Father, having learned of these events, once again deplores the manner in which the Church in China is being treated and hopes that the present difficulties can be overcome as soon as possible".
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ANGELUS: RECOGNISING THE PRIMACY OF GOD THE FATHER
VATICAN CITY, 17 JUL 2011 (VIS) - At midday today Benedict XVI appeared at the balcony overlooking the inner courtyard of the Apostolic Palace at Castelgandolfo, to pray the Angelus with faithful gathered there.
Commenting, as he does every Sunday, on that morning's Gospel reading, the Pope explained how the parables are "brief narratives which Jesus uses to announce the mysteries of the Kingdom of heaven. Using images and situations taken from everyday life, the Lord wishes to show us the true foundation of all things. He shows us ... the God Who acts, Who enters our daily lives".
Using these narratives, "the divine Master invites us to recognise, first and foremost, the primacy of God the Father. Where He is not present, nothing good can exist. He is a decisive priority in all things. The Kingdom of heaven means, in fact, the lordship of God; in other words, His will must be assumed as the criterion-guide for our existence".
In today's Gospel Jesus compares heaven to a field of wheat, "in order to help us understand that something small and hidden, but possessing an irrepressible life force, is sown within us. Despite all the obstacles, the seed will develop and the fruit ripen, but the fruit will be good only if the terrain of life has been cultivated in accordance with the divine will.
"For this reason", the Pope added, "in the parable of the weeds among the wheat Christ warns us that, after the master had sown his seed, 'while everybody was asleep an enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat'. The meaning of this is that we must be ready to protect the grace we received on the day of Baptism, continuing to nourish faith in the Lord, which prevents evil from taking root".
Finally, the Pope turned his attention to the first reading of this morning's Mass, a passage from the Book of Wisdom underscoring the mercy and power of God. "If, then, we are all children of such a great and good Father", he said, "let us seek to resemble Him. This was the goal Jesus set Himself with His preaching, when He told His hearers: ''Be perfect ... as your heavenly Father is perfect".
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THE HOLY FATHER CALLS FOR AID TO SOMALIA
VATICAN CITY, 17 JUL 2011 (VIS) - After praying the Angelus today in the inner courtyard of the Apostolic Palace at Castelgandolfo, the Pope spoke of the "deep concern with which I am following news from the Horn of Africa, especially Somalia, where a serious drought followed, in some areas, by torrential rains, has led to a humanitarian catastrophe. Countless people are fleeing terrible famine in search of food and assistance.
"I hope", he added, "that international mobilisation will increase and much-needed aid will continue to reach these our sorely tried brothers and sisters, among whom are many children. May those who suffer not lack our solidarity and the concrete support of all people of good will".
Turning then to address French-speaking pilgrims the Holy Father remarked that "the holidays are certainly a good time for cultural and spiritual enrichment. Through the many sites and monuments you visit", he told them, "you may discover the beauty of the universal heritage which binds us to our roots. Allow yourselves to be drawn by the beautiful ideal which animated the builders of cathedrals and abbeys when they created those vibrant signs of God's presence in our land. May their ideal become your own and may the Holy Spirit, which looks into the depths of the human heart, inspire you to pray in those places, giving thanks and interceding for humankind in the third millennium".
The Holy Father then greeted Polish pilgrims in Castelgandolfo, recalling how "yesterday we celebrated Our Lady of the Scapular (Our Lady of Mount Carmel). The scapular", he explained, "is a special sign of union with Jesus and Mary. For those who wear it, it is a sign of filial reliance on the protection of the Immaculate Virgin. In our battle against evil, may Mary our Mother swathe us in her mantle".
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BENEDICT XVI RECEIVES PRIME MINISTER OF MALAYSIA
VATICAN CITY, 18 JUL 2011 (VIS) - The Holy See Press Office released the following communique at midday today:
"This morning the Holy Father Benedict XVI received in audience Najib Bin Abdul Razak, prime minister of Malaysia. The pirme minister subsequently went on to meet with Cardinal Secretary of State Tarcisio Bertone S.D.B. who was accompanied by Archbishop Dominique Mamberti, secretary for Relations with States.
"In the cordial conversations the positive developments in bilateral relations were discussed, and an agreement was reached to establish diplomatic relations between Malaysia and the Holy See.
"In addition, the political and social situation in the world and on the Asian continent was reviewed, with particular reference to the importance of inter-cultural and inter-religious dialogue for the promotion of peace, justice and greater understanding between peoples".
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VATICAN CITY, 18 JUL 2011 (VIS) - The Holy Father:
- Appointed Fr. Jose Manuel Garcia Cordeiro, rector of the Pontifical PortugueseCollege in Rome, as bishop of Braganca-Miranda (area 6,545, population 151,700, Catholics 149,200, priests 100, permanent deacons 4, religious 119),Portugal. The bishop-elect was born in Vila Nova de Seles, Angolain 1967 and ordained a priest in 1991. He succeeds Bishop Antonio Montes Moreira O.F.M., whose resignation from the pastoral care of the same diocese the Holy Father accepted, upon having reached the age limit.
- Appointed Antonio Pacella, official of the "Tipografia Vaticana - Editrice L'Osservatore Romano", as head of the management office of the same organisation.
On Saturday 16 July it was made public that he appointed:
- Bishop Julio Cesar Vidal Ortiz of Monteria, Colombia, as bishop of Cucuta (area 2,200, population 848,000, Catholics 774,000, priests 140, permanent deacons 8, religious 268), Colombia.
- Fr. Fulgence Razakarivony M.S., vice secretary of the administrative secretariat of the Episcopal Conference of Madagascar, as bishop of Ihosy (area 40,900, population 400,000, Catholics 72,000, priests 34, religious 125), Madagascar. The bishop-elect was born in Betsiholany, Madagascar in 1963 and ordained a priest in 1993.
- Bishop Ruy Rendon Leal, prelate of El Salto, Mexico, as bishop of Matamoros(area 19,457, population 2,018,000, Catholics 1,782,000, priests 122, religious 129), Mexico.
- Msgr. Grzegorz Rys of the clergy of the archdiocese of Krakow, Poland, rector of the major seminary, and Fr. Damian Andrzej Muskus O.F.M., provincial secretary for formation, as auxiliaries of the archdiocese of Krakow (area 5,730, population 1,601,000, Catholics 1,556,000, priests 2,089, religious 4,501). Bishop-elect Rys was born in Krakow in 1964 and ordained a priest in 1988. Bishop-elect Muskus was born in Nowa Sarzyna, Poland in 1967 and ordained a priest in 1993.
AMERICA: USA: BISHOPS HOST VOCATION FAIR AT WYD
WASHINGTON—The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) will host its first-ever Vocation Fair at a World Youth Day (WYD) on Wednesday, August 17. The Vocations Fair will be held at St. Francis Borgia Parish (Parroquia San Francisco de Borja) located just across the street from the U.S. Embassy in Madrid. The fair is co-sponsored by the USCCB Secretariat of Clergy, Consecrated Life and Vocations (CCLV) and the Secretariat for Laity, Marriage, Family Life, and Youth.
“This is a tremendous opportunity to invite our youth to open their hearts to Christ and respond to his call to the priesthood and the consecrated life,” said Archbishop Robert Carlson of St. Louis, Missouri, chairman of the CCLV Committee. Recent surveys of the newly ordained and those making their final religious profession indicate that at least 20 percent of them participated in a World Youth Day at one time or another. “We are very grateful to the pastor, Father José Antonio Vitón, and to the Jesuit community and parishioners at St. Francis Borgia for allowing us to hold the Vocations Fair at their home,” he added.
The fair will open with Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament and Evening Prayer, led by Cardinal Seán O’Malley of Boston, and will continue in the auditorium with featured speakers, opportunities for the youth to interact with bishops and other activities.
Speakers will include Father Robert Barron, founder of the global ministry Word on Fire, and Professor of Faith and Culture at University of St. Mary of the Lake in Mundelein, Illinois, and Father Joseph O’Connor, vocations director for the Diocese of Syracuse, New York. Noted Christian singer Danielle Rose will provide a witness talk regarding discerning religious life. Religious sisters and brothers from different communities and seminarians also will offer personal testimonies and put on a game show involving a “Vocations Lingo.” There will be social time with bishops, including an ice cream social at 8:30 p.m. Bishop Kevin C. Rhoades of Fort Wayne-South Bend, Indiana, will close the event with Night Prayer and Benediction. A separate chapel will be available during the fair for groups and individuals to pray before the Blessed Sacrament.
World Library Publications and Oregon Catholic Press will provide music for the event, and Salt and Light Television of Canada will film portions of the fair.
A profile of WYD pilgrims facilitated by the Madrid 2011 media office is attached.
EUROPE: AUSTRIA: LARGE FAMILY MEETING TO STRENGTHEN YOUNG FAMILIES
KATH.NET REPORT: For the 9th time, there will be a meeting for families, inPöllau in the Diocese of Graz-Seckau. "We can only recommend this to every family that wants to deepen their faith and their family life to come, it will do them good."The ninth meeting will be held from 19th to 24th of July. The motto for this meeting: "I can do all things with him who strengthens me" (Phil 4:13)" This meeting is for young families, young married couples and families with children up to age 13. Older children are invited to the Children's program as volunteers to help. There will beinteresting lectures and workshops for adults, for example from the Holy Cross, P. Bernhard Vosickyor Auxiliary Bishop Andreas Laun. Also an exchange of rounds or discussions with spouses, while the children experience her own colorful, spiritual and fun program. There are family-friendly times of prayer and shared moments in the family are not forgotten, as to the meals and the long lunch breakor in the evenings in the tavern, which round out the day comfortably.
The multifaceted program is to strengthen and invigorate the whole family. Theconditions of manyfamilies is often difficult as Schmalzbauer pointed out by the ICF:"God wants to help us. In thelight of His love, we can confront us with the dark andpainful pages of our lives - let it heal and transform, we may as families beauty and joy that God gives us testify! "
ASIA: IRAQ: LEADERS CONFERENCE TO PROMOTE UNITY AND EQUAL RIGHTS
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Kirkuk (AsiaNews) – “Closure is a sign of death; openness is a sign of growth and integration. Everyone must start from himself with a desire to rebuilt,” said Mgr Louis Sako, archbishop of Kirkuk, in an address for Iraq’s many ethnic and religious groups. He spoke at a conference organised by the Catholic Chaldean Archbishopric in cooperation with the Association for Threatened Peoples in Erbil (Kurdistan).The meeting brought together about 150 religious and political leaders representing Christian and Muslim groups of different ethnic background: Kurdish, Arab, Turkmen, Assyrian, Yazidi and Mandean.
Along with Mgr Sako, three Muslim representatives of ethnic Kurdish, Arab and Turkmen background—Umer Ibrahim, Abdul Karim Khalifa and Adil Salih—also spoke at the event.
Participants looked at the issue of coexistence from a socio-cultural, educational-psychological and religious point of view.
Here are the highlights of the archbishop’s address, in which he focused on religious pluralism and peaceful coexistence among the country’s various communities.
“Iraq is made up of various groups, which constitute a mosaic of cultures, civilisations, religions, sects and languages with many faces and colours.” Mgr Sako.
“Each carries a heritage that profoundly links us all. Our country needs a cultural and social model that promotes unity through pluralism, tolerance and harmonious coexistence among various religious and ethnic groups,” he explained. “Closure is a sign of death; openness is a sign of growth and integration.”
“Everyone must start from himself with a desire to rebuilt,” he explained. “Religions must act in a positive manner.” They must “end the climate of hatred and encourage responsible participation in the population” to reach more justice and harmony among men.
For this reason, politics must favour unity and not the interests of single groups, which cause divisions and conflict, the prelate said.
For him, religious groups must engage in dialogue so that “they can know each other and learn to live together”. This, however, cannot occur without the protection of religious freedom.
Hatred in modern Iraq is the outcome of the excessive politicisation of religion, the archbishop explained. In his view, some practical steps can be taken in favour of unity whilst separating religion from politics.
1) Each Iraqi should be willing to meet the Other, show a desire to know him, and downplay a tendency to highlight differences at the expense of exchanges.
2) Political leaders should write a constitution that guarantees equal rights and duties for all citizens.
3) The education system should stress national unity, eliminating from school programmes, books and religious institutions, expressions that favour hatred and the marginalisation of one religious group as opposed to others.
AFRICA: ANGOLA: PRIEST CALLS FOR SPIRIT OF LOVE AND PARDON AMONG MEN
ALLAFRICA REPORT- Longonjo — The parish priest of Longonjo district, 64 kilometres west of the city of Huambo, Amândio Graça Katula, this Sunday urged Catholic devotees to contribute in combating evil within the society so as to cultivate the spirit of love and pardon amongst man.
The parish priest of Longonjo district made this appeal during a Sunday mass in which he stressed that Christians should reflect good actions towards the society, taking into account the principles of Christ who saved humanity in exchange for his own life.
AUSTRALIA: NEW COAT OF ARMS FOR MELBOURNE ARCHDIOCESE
ARCHDIOCESE OF MELBOURNE RELEASE: The Catholic Archdiocese of Melbourne today adopts a new coat of arms.
The Diocese of Melbourne was created in 1848 out of territory of the then Archdiocese of Sydney, with James Alipius Goold as its first bishop. In 1874, the Dioceses of Sandhurst and Ballarat were formed out of territory of the Diocese of Melbourne, with the Diocese of Melbourne becoming a metropolitan archdiocese of the Ecclesiastical Province of Melbourne, and responsible for the Dioceses of Sandhurst and Ballarat as suffragan dioceses. The suffragan Diocese of Sale was similarly formed in 1887 out of the archdiocese.
In recent years, the Archdiocese has used a reduction of a pencil drawing of St Patrick’s Cathedral, which is the seat of the Archbishop of Melbourne, on its stationery, marketing communications collateral and online.
The Archbishop said, “I am very pleased with the new coat of arms. It incorporates the key elements which I would look for in an enduring symbol for this great archdiocese and I look forward to its progressive inclusion in all our stationery, marketing communications and publications.”
The Archbishop said that he hoped every one would take time to look at the explanatory notes that explain the various elements of the coat of arms.
Read the Catholic Archdiocese of Melbourne coat of arms explanatory notes
http://www.cam.org.au/melbourne-news/new-coat-of-arms-for-archdiocese-of-melbourne.html
TODAY'S SAINT: JULY 18: ST. BRUNO OF SEGNI
St. Bruno of Segni
BENEDICTINE BISHOP
Feast: July 18
Benedictine bishop, serving as Vatican librarian and cardinal legate. Born in Asti (Solero), Italy, in 1049, Bruno became a Benedictine while still young, and in 1079, Pope St. Gregory VII (r. 1073 - 1085) appointed him bishop of Segni. He left that see to reenter the monastic-life, becoming the abbot of Monte Cassino. Burno served as librarian to the Holy Roman See and as cardinal legate. Bruno's theologial work on teh Holy Eucharist set the standard for centuries. He was canonized in 1183. |
Source: http://www.ewtn.com/saintsHoly/saints/B/stbrunoofsegni.asp#ixzz1STIxJnBP
TODAY'S GOSPEL: JULY 18: Matthew 12: 38- 42
| Matthew 12: 38 - 42 | |
| 38 | Then some of the scribes and Pharisees said to him, "Teacher, we wish to see a sign from you." |
| 39 | But he answered them, "An evil and adulterous generation seeks for a sign; but no sign shall be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah. |
| 40 | For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the whale, so will the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. |
| 41 | The men of Nin'eveh will arise at the judgment with this generation and condemn it; for they repented at the preaching of Jonah, and behold, something greater than Jonah is here. |
| 42 | The queen of the South will arise at the judgment with this generation and condemn it; for she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon, and behold, something greater than Solomon is here. |
