West African Bishops assure politicians: We are not in competition with you

West African Bishops assure politicians: We are not in competition with you

Bishops of West Africa under the RECOWA - CERAO association

In their pastoral message, the West African Bishops reaffirm their prophetic mandate, challenge pastors and religious leaders, in Africa, to live credible lives. They also speak of their pain at the sight of boats overloaded with young people that perish in the Mediterranean Sea.

Paul Samasumo – Vatican City

The Bishops of West Africa, under the auspices of RECOWA-CERAO have assured African Governments and politicians that they have no intention of usurping the powers of governments or replacing politicians. In a Pastoral Message at the end of the third Plenary Assembly held in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, last week, the Bishops, however, said they have a prophetic responsibility to promote good governance, the rule of law and transparent elections.

RECOWA-CERAO is an association of West African Bishops from the 11 Episcopal Conferences who comprise 16 Countries: The Republic of Benin, Burkina Faso, Cape Verde, Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana, Guinea-Bissau, Guinea, Liberia, Mali, Mauritania, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, Gambia and Togo.

Politicians: Let not power dominate your hearts

“With you and for you, we pray that the privileges and pleasant aspects of power do not dominate your hearts, but that you fulfil your responsibility in a spirit of service, in the manner of Jesus Christ, who came not to be served but to serve and give his life as ransom for the multitude. Without wishing to take your place, your mission being of a different nature, the Church, however, stands by your side. With you, she wants to work to promote peaceful nations and communities more united around the new values of the Kingdom that transcends ethnic and geographical barriers. With governments, she wants to work together to promote good governance, the rule of law, transparent elections, smooth conduct of the elections, respect for the national constitution and the election results,” the Bishops say in a message signed by Nigerian Coadjutor Archbishop of Abuja and Apostolic Administrator of Jos, Ignatius Kaigama, who is also the President of RECOWA-CERAO.

The Bishops have urged their brother-Bishops, in Africa, priests and all religious leaders to cultivate credible lifestyles that will be a sign of hope for the faithful

To be a sign of hope, Church leaders need to be “credible pastors, witnesses who proclaim the Gospel not only in words but also and above all in the witness of their own lives. The Church in Africa cannot be the sign of hope she wants to be if those who animate and represent her are not credible. We call for an awareness of what pastors are called to be, of the trust that Christ placed in them, as “salt of the earth and light of the world,” the Bishops said.

Terrorism and fundamentalism in the West African region

There has been an increased spate of terrorist attacks and intercommunal violence in Africa’s Sahel region, particularly in West Africa.

“The paradox of our region with the development of new forms of fundamentalism, sources of blind violence, which sow terror and destabilise our nations call us to question. Can we still speak of holy war? In the name of which God and which religion can one still kill human beings and moreover innocent persons who are only asking to be alive?” reads the message.

The Bishops want West African governments to do more in combatting terrorism; to work together and protect lives.

Our hearts suffer to see boats overloaded with young people

o the young people of Africa, the Bishops say, “You represent the present and the future of Africa, which must struggle with all resources for the dignity and happiness of her sons and daughters. In this context, we cannot be silent about the phenomenon of migration of young Africans to Europe. Our hearts as pastors and fathers suffer at the sight of these boats overloaded with young people, women and children, which are destroyed in the waves of the Mediterranean. Certainly, we understand your thirst for happiness and well-being that your countries do not offer you. Unemployment, misery, poverty remain evils that humiliate and revolt. However, they are not enough for you to sacrifice yourselves by taking such dangerous paths and to destinations where happiness seems to escape those who live in these places that you so desire to reach. God did not strip Africa. On the contrary, He has provided her with so much human and natural resources that it can offer all her children what they need. That is why we call for a more just international order so that with the goods of the earth belonging to all, we arrive at a better distribution of the resources of the world, a more just remuneration of the efforts of each one, that the riches of our countries benefit everyone,” said the Bishops.

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Pope in Romania: I come as a pilgrim of brotherhood

Pope in Romania: I come as a pilgrim of brotherhood

Pope Francis and the Romanian Orthodox Patriarch Daniel

Pope Francis meets with the Permanent Synod of the Romanian Orthodox Church telling them he comes “as a pilgrim desirous of seeing the Lord’s Face in the faces of my Brothers.”

By Lydia O'Kane

In his address to the Permanent Synod of the Romanian Orthodox Church, the Pope spoke of the Lord’s resurrection, as being at “the very heart of the apostolic preaching handed down and preserved by our Churches.”

Suffering and sacrifice

He noted that in Romania, as in so many other places nowadays, many had experienced the passover of death and resurrection in the form of persecution. Pope Francis remembered those who were “martyrs and confessors of the faith”. What these people suffered, said the Pontiff, “even to the sacrifice of their lives, is too precious an inheritance to be disregarded or tarnished.  It is a shared inheritance, he added, and it summons us to remain close to our brothers and sisters who share it.”

Speaking to those present, the Pope recalled Pope John Paul II’s address to this Holy Synod twenty years ago with the words. “I have come to contemplate the Face of Christ etched in your Church; I have come to venerate this suffering Face, the pledge to you of new hope”. Pope Francis told them that he too had come to Romania “as a pilgrim desirous of seeing the Lord’s Face in the faces of my Brothers.” 

Unity and Remembrance           

Pope Francis also recalled the words of Patriarch Teoctist in Bucharest over twenty years ago “Unite, Unite”. The Pope described this proclamation as inaugurating a new time: “the time of journeying together in the rediscovery and revival of the fraternity that even now unites us.” “The remembrance of steps taken and completed together, he said, encourages us to advance to the future in the awareness – certainly – of our differences, but above all in thanksgiving for a family atmosphere to be rediscovered and a memory of communion to be revived, that, like a lamp, can light up the steps of our journey.”

Journeying together

Journeying together also means listening to the Lord, Pope Francis pointed out, “especially in these more recent years, when our world has experienced rapid social and cultural changes.  He continued by saying that, “technological development and economic prosperity may have benefited many, yet even more have remained hopelessly excluded, while a globalization that tends to level differences has contributed to uprooting traditional values and weakening ethics and social life, which more recently has witnessed a growing sense of fear that, often skillfully stoked, leads to attitudes of rejection and hate.”

A New Pentecost

The Pope concluded that the, “journey comes to an end, as it did in Emmaus, with the insistent prayer that the Lord remain with us.” He said that, the path before us leads from Easter to Pentecost: from that Paschal dawn of unity that emerged here twenty years ago, we have set out towards a new Pentecost.” 

Our own journey has begun anew, Pope Francis emphasized, “with the certainty that we are brothers and sisters walking side by side, sharing the faith grounded in the resurrection of the one Lord.”

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Pope addresses Romania’s civil authorities: Full text

Pope addresses Romania’s civil authorities: Full text

Pope Francis shakes hand with President Klaus Iohanius (Vatican Media)

Pope Francis addresses the authorities, civil society, and diplomatic corps of Romania, the first engagement of his 3-day Apostolic Journey. The full text of his prepared remarks is below:

Address of His Holiness Pope Francis
Meeting with Authorities, Civil Society and the Diplomatic Corps
Bucharest, Presidential Palace
31 May 2019

Mr President
Madam Prime Minister,
Your Beatitude,
Members of the Diplomatic Corps,
Distinguished Authorities,
Representatives of the different Religious Confessions and of Civil Society,

Dear Friends,

          I offer a cordial greeting and express my gratitude to Their Excellencies the President and the Prime Minister for the invitation to visit Romania and for their kind words of welcome, extended also in the name of the other Authorities of the nation, and of this beloved people.  I greet the members of the Diplomatic Corps and the representatives of civil society gathered here.

          My respectful greeting goes likewise to His Beatitude Patriarch Daniel, and to the Metropolitans and Bishops of the Holy Synod, and to all the faithful of the Romanian Orthodox Church.  With affection, I greet the Bishops and priests, men and women religious, and all the members of the Catholic Church, whom I have come to confirm in faith and to encourage on their journey of life and Christian witness.

          I am happy to find myself in this, your ţara frumoasă (beautiful land), twenty years after the visit of Saint John Paul II and in this semester when Romania, for the first time since its entrance into the European Union, holds the presidency of the Council of Europe.

This is a fitting time to think back on the thirty years that have passed since Romania was liberated from a regime that oppressed civil and religious liberty, isolated the nation from other European countries, and led to the stagnation of its economy and the exhaustion of its creative powers.  In these years, Romania has been committed to building a sound democracy through the plurality of its political and social forces and their reciprocal dialogue, through the fundamental recognition of religious freedom and through the country’s full participation on the greater international stage.  It is important to acknowledge the great strides made on this journey, despite significant difficulties and privations.  The determination to advance in various areas of civil, social, cultural, and scientific life has released much energy and generated many projects; it has unleashed great creative forces that had previously been pent up, and has encouraged a number of new initiatives that have guided the country into the twenty-first century.  I trust that you will carry forward these efforts to consolidate the structures and institutions needed to respond to the legitimate aspirations of the citizenry and to encourage the nation’s people to realize its full potential and native genius.

          At the same time, it must be acknowledged that while the changes brought by the dawn of this new era have led to genuine achievements, they have also entailed inevitable hurdles to be overcome and problematic consequences for social stability and the governance of the territory itself.  I think in the first place of the phenomenon of emigration and the several million people who have had to leave their homes and country in order to seek new opportunities for employment and a dignified existence.  I think too of the depopulation of many villages, which have lost many of their inhabitants, the effects of this on the quality of life in those areas, and the weakening of the profound cultural and spiritual roots that have sustained you in times of trial.  At the same time, I pay homage to the sacrifices endured by so many sons and daughters of Romania who, by their culture, their distinctive identity and their industriousness, have enriched those countries to which they have emigrated, and by the fruit of their hard work have helped their families who have remained at home.

          Confronting the problems of this new chapter of history, identifying effective solutions, and finding the resolve to implement them, calls for greater cooperation on the part of the nation’s political, economic, social and spiritual forces.  It is necessary to move forward together with conviction in following the highest calling to which every state must aspire: that of responsibility for the common good of its people.  To move forward together, as a way of shaping the future, requires a noble willingness to sacrifice something of one’s own vision or best interest for the sake of a greater project, and thus to create a harmony that makes it possible to advance securely towards shared goals.

          This is the path to the building of an inclusive society, one in which everyone shares his or her own gifts and abilities, through quality education and creative, participatory and mutually supportive labour (cf. Evangelii Gaudium, 192).  In this way, all become protagonists of the common good, where the weak, the poor and the least are no longer seen as undesirables that keep the “machine” from functioning, but as citizens and brothers and sisters to be fully incorporated into the life of society.  Indeed, how they are treated is the best indicator of the actual goodness of the social model that one is attempting to build.  Only to the extent that a society is concerned for its most disadvantaged members, can it be considered truly civil.

          This entire process needs to have a heart and soul, and a clear goal to achieve, one imposed not by extrinsic considerations or by the growing power of centres of high finance, but by an awareness of the centrality of the human person and of his or her inalienable rights (cf. Evangelii Gaudium, 203).  For a harmonious and sustainable development, the concrete practice of solidarity and charity, and the increased concern of social, civil and political forces for the pursuit of the common good, it is not enough to modernize economic theories, or professional techniques and abilities, however necessary these in themselves may be.  It requires developing not just material conditions but the very soul of your people.

          In this regard, the Christian Churches can help to rediscover and strengthen the beating heart that can be the source of a political and social action based on the dignity of the person and leading to commitment to work with fairness and generosity for the overall common good.  At the same time, they themselves seek to become a credible reflection of God’s presence and an attractive witness to his works, as they grow in authentic mutual friendship and cooperation.  This is the path that the Catholic Church wishes to follow.  She desires to contribute to the building up of society.  She desires to be a sign of harmony in the hope of unity and to be at the service of human dignity and the common good.  She wishes to cooperate with the civil authorities, with the other Churches and with all men and women of good will, journeying together with them and placing her specific gifts at the service of the entire community.  The Catholic Church is no stranger to this; she shares fully in the spirit of the nation, as is demonstrated by the participation of her faithful in the shaping of the country’s future and in the creation and development of the structures of integral education and forms of charitable assistance suited to a modern state.  In this way, she desires to contribute to the building up of society and of civil and spiritual life in your beautiful land of Romania.

Mr President,

          In offering my prayerful good wishes for Romania’s prosperity and peace, I invoke upon you, your family, upon all those here present, and upon all the country’s people an outpouring of God’s blessings.

          God bless Romania!

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Pope in Romania: Treatment of the poor is best indicator of social model

Pope in Romania: Treatment of the poor is best indicator of social model

Pope Francis speaks to Romanian Civil society (Vatican Media)

In his first public event on Romanian soil, Pope Francis invites diplomats and civil servants to build an inclusive society where all share their gifts and abilities, and says the way the poor are treated is the best gauge of the goodness of a nation’s social model.

By Devin Watkins

Pope Francis addressed Romania’s authorities, members of civil society, and diplomatic corps on Friday morning, shortly after arriving in the capital, Bucharest.

He expressed his joy for the opportunity to visit the ţara frumoasă, or beautiful land, of Romania, 20 years after Pope St. John Paul II.

Challenges and achievements since fall of communism

Thirty years have passed since the nation was liberated from a repressive communist regime, which led to economic stagnation and isolation from other European countries.

Romania, said Pope Francis, has made “great strides” in “building a sound democracy through the plurality of its political and social forces and their reciprocal dialogue, through the fundamental recognition of religious freedom and through the country’s full participation on the greater international stage.”

He said this new era has brought both achievements and challenges, including emigration which has seen millions of people leave their homeland in search of work.

“I think too of the depopulation of many villages, which have lost many of their inhabitants, the effects of this on the quality of life in those areas, and the weakening of the profound cultural and spiritual roots that have sustained you in times of trial,” he said.

The Pope paid homage to these emigrants who have enriched their host countries through their cultural identity and industriousness.

Integrate the poor in society

Pope Francis urged the nation’s civil leaders to set aside their differences for the sake of a greater project, and to promote the common good of all Romanians.

An inclusive society, he noted, allows every person to share their gifts, ideas, creativity, and labor.

“In this way, all become protagonists of the common good, where the weak, the poor and the least are no longer seen as undesirables that keep the ‘machine’ from functioning, but as citizens and brothers and sisters to be fully incorporated into the life of society.”

He said that how the poor are treated is “the best indicator of the actual goodness of the social model that one is attempting to build.”

Catholic Church helps build Romania’s future

The Pope said Christian Churches can help Romania to put the dignity of the person at the center of political and civil life, as they seek to be “a credible reflection of God’s presence”.

He said the Catholic Church wishes to help build up Romanian society.

“She desires to be a sign of harmony in the hope of unity and to be at the service of human dignity and the common good.”

The Catholic Church, he said, also aims to assist in building up the “civil and spiritual life in your beautiful land of Romania.”

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Pope Francis welcomed to Bucharest for 3-day visit to Romania

Pope Francis welcomed to Bucharest for 3-day visit to Romania

Pope Francis greets the President of Romania (AFP)

As the papal plane touches down in Bucharest on Friday morning, Pope Francis is welcomed to Romania’s capital by President Klaus Iohannis and a delegation of Catholic and Orthodox leaders, at the start of his 3-day Apostolic Journey to the EU member state.

https://youtu.be/kYzz8CzZajg

By Devin Watkins

Pope Francis’ visit to Romania is his 30th Apostolic Journey abroad, and takes place under the official motto “Let’s walk together”.

He follows in the footsteps of Pope St. John Paul II, who made the first papal visit to the Orthodox-majority nation 20 years ago in May 1999.

Friday in Bucharest

The Holy Father spends Friday in the capital, Bucharest. His first engagement is with Romania’s civil authorities at the Presidential Palace. He also encounters the permanent Synod of the Romanian Orthodox Church, and prays the Our Father with them at the new Orthodox Cathedral.

The Pope finishes the day by celebrating Mass for the city’s Catholics at Saint Joseph Cathedral.

Saturday in Transylvania region

On Saturday, Pope Francis flies to the northeastern city of Bacău, where he will take a helicopter to Miercurea Ciuc, in the Transylvania region, to celebrate Mass at the Marian Shrine of Şumuleu Ciuc.

He also travels to Romania’s second largest city, Iași. There he will make a private visit to Our Lady Queen of Iași Cathedral, and hold a Marian encounter with young people and families.

Sunday in Blaj

On the last day of his visit, Pope Francis visits the central city of Blaj.

In the morning he will celebrate the Divine Liturgy and beatify 7 Greek Catholic bishops who were martyred under the communist regime.

The last event on the Pope’s schedule is an encounter with the Roma community in the Barbu Lautaru neighborhood of Blaj.

Pope Francis departs Sunday afternoon from Sibiu’s airport, and returns to the Vatican in the early evening.

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Aloysius John new Secretary General of Caritas Internationalis

Aloysius John new Secretary General of Caritas Internationalis

Caritas is often the first on the scene to help, and stays on when other humanitarian agencies have left

The Caritas confederation this week elected Aloysius John as the new Secretary General for a mandate of four years. He told Vatican Radio & News about how he plans to put his new mandate into practice.

By Linda Bordoni

Aloysius John’s election came at the end of the confederation’s 31st General Assembly during which Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle was reconfirmed as President.

John succeeds Michel Roy who finishes his two-term mandate this year. He is no stranger to the Rome headquarters of Caritas Internationalis where he has been heading the Institutional Development and Capacity Strengthening of the network.

After having been elected by the representative council following four days of intense meetings to plan out the Catholic confederation’s strategic direction for the next four years, Aloysius John told Linda Bordoni of his feelings of motivation and inspiration with which he has received this new mandate.

Aloysius John said that it is with a spirit of service and humility that he takes on this assignment.

He said Caritas has been entrusted by the Church “to help the poor and the needy to become autonomous – recognizing their place in society, in the image of God”.

Of course with a large and complex confederation like Caritas Internationalis, with its 160 members who work in almost every country of the world, vision, fore-planning and strategy are of utmost importance.

Inspired by Catholic faith, Caritas describes itself as the helping hand of the Church, reaching out to the poor, vulnerable and excluded, regardless of race or religion, to build a world based on justice and fraternal love. It carries out its mission with short and long term relief and development programmes and when a crisis hits, it is already on the ground thanks to a capillary network that includes small groups of volunteers to some of the biggest global charities.

So, John explained, his mission is to work with efficiency in order “to help the poor have the best in society”.

The Gospel is our programme

Addressing Caritas members during the just ended General Assembly, Pope Francis said the Gospel must be their programme.

“The Gospel is our programme”, John said, “and if I look at the parable of the Good Samaritan it inspires me.”

His example of compassion, he added, his attention,  care for the wounded, the way he was able to get down to his level to carry him and take him to the inn to receive the care he was in need of shows us with what spirit we must conduct our work.

“This is the parable that guides me. We should be compassionate towards the poor, love them and care for them, listen to them and defend their rights,” he said.

Challenges

Aloysius John said his first challenge on the job will be to make sure the Caritas family is working for a common vision and then respond effectively and efficiently to the needs of the people.

This, he said, means capacitating the people who are going to support those in need.

And then, he continued, we need to focus on finances and on how to receive funding from solidarity; how to animate solidarity and empower others to become co-responsible in responding to the needs of victims of disasters, conflict and poverty.

Mobilizing the process at different levels

The new Secretary General also spoke of the need to make sure this process is mobilized on different levels.

“For example at a parish level, in Christian communities - by helping people learn how to help in situations of emergency,” he said.

And of course at a diocesan level and at the national level by lobbying political leaders and involving the international community.

During the General Assembly it was agreed that a top priority lies in the review of a strategic framework for Caritas as it faces the urgent need for a change in the model of development in the face of climate change.

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Pope Francis sends message to Bose Liturgical Conference

Pope Francis sends message to Bose Liturgical Conference

Altar used by Pope Francis to celebrate Mass in Dublin's Phoenix Park

Pope Francis sends a message to participants attending the 17th International Liturgical Conference which is taking place at the Monastery of Bose.

The 17th International Liturgical Conference "ALTAR - Recent acquisitions, new problems", opens Thursday at the Monastery of Bose in Northern Italy.

The Conference is being organized by the Monastery along with the National Office for Ecclesiastical Cultural Heritage of the Italian Episcopal Conference, in collaboration with the National Council of Architects.

The altar was the theme of the International Liturgical Conference in Bose in 2003 and the symposium is returning to this subject to present the latest results of historical studies in the past fifteen years and to discuss new questions that have arisen.

Particular attention will be given to New Testament foundations of the Christian altar and to its image today.

Marking the opening of the event Pope Francis sent a message Thursday signed by Vatican Secretary of State, Cardinal Pietro Parolin.

In it, the Pope sends his greetings to the participants and expresses the hope that reflections during this symposium will lead to a more mature understanding of “the liturgy as the source and culmination of an ecclesial and personal life full of fraternity.”

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