VATICAN INFORMATION SERVICE YEAR XXIII - N° 19DATE 28-01-2013
Summary: - POPE PRAYS FOR VICTIMS OF FIRE
IN BRAZILIAN DISCOTHEQUE
- INDULGENCES FOR THE WORLD DAY OF THE SICK - CHRISTIAN MEANING OF
'CARPE DIEM' - HOLOCAUST REMEMBRANCE DAY: THAT HORRORS OF THE PAST NOT
BE REPEATED - RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN FAITH AND MARRIAGE, THEME OF POPE'S
ADDRESS TO TRIBUNAL OF THE
ROMAN ROTA - ECUMENISM: WALKING BEYOND BARRIERS - AUDIENCES
- OTHER PONTIFICAL ACTS
POPE PRAYS FOR VICTIMS OF FIRE IN BRAZILIAN DISCOTHEQUE
Vatican City, 28 January 2013 (VIS) – Cardinal Secretary of State
Tarcisio Bertone, S.D.B., in the Holy Father's name, sent a telegram to
Archbishop Helio Adelar Rubert of Santa Maria, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil, for
the death of 231 youths on
Saturday in a fire at a discotheque of that locality.
"The Pope," reads the text, "shocked by the tragic death of hundreds of
young people … asks that you express his deepest condolences to the
families of the victims, sharing in the sorrow of all those who mourn them. He
entrusts the dead to
God, the Father of mercy, and prays for the comfort and restoration of the
wounded and for the courage and consolation of all those affected by the
tragedy. He sends his apostolic blessing to all those who are suffering and
those who are assisting
them."
Vatican City, 28 January 2013 (VIS) – Benedict XVI will grant Plenary
Indulgence to the faithful participating in the 21st World Day of the Sick to
be celebrated 7–11 February, in Altotting, Germany according to a decree
published today
and signed by Cardinal Manuel Monteiro de Castro and Bishop Krzysztof Nykiel,
respectively penitentiary major and regent of the Apostolic Penitentiary.
Persons following the example of the Good Samaritan, who "with a spirit of
faith and a merciful soul, put themselves at the service of their brothers and
sisters who are suffering or who, if sick, endure the pains and hardships of
life …
bearing witness to the faith through the path of the Gospel of suffering" will
obtain the Plenary Indulgence, once a day and under the usual conditions
(sacramental Confession, Eucharistic communion and prayer in keeping with the
intentions of the Holy
Father), applicable also to the souls of deceased faithful:
A) each time from 7–11 February, in the Marian Shrine of Altotting or
at any other place decided by the ecclesiastical authorities, that they
participate in a ceremony held to beseech God to grant the goals of the World
Day of the Sick, praying
the Our Father, the Creed, and an invocation to the Blessed Virgin Mary.
Faithful in public hospitals or any private house who, like the Good
Samaritan, charitably assist the ill and who, because of such service, cannot
attend the aforementioned celebrations, will obtain the same gift of Plenary
Indulgence if, for at
least a few hours on that day, they generously provide their charitable
assistance to the sick as if they were tending to Christ the Lord Himself and
pray the Our Father, the Creed, and an invocation to the Blessed Virgin Mary,
with their soul removed
from attachment to any form of sin and with the intention of carrying out as
soon as possible that which is necessary to obtain the plenary indulgence.
The faithful who because of illness, advance age, or other similar reasons
cannot take part in the aforementioned celebrations will obtain the Plenary
Indulgence if, with their soul removed from attachment to any form of sin and
with the intention of
carrying out as soon as possible the usual conditions, spiritually
participating in the sacred events of the determined days, particularly
through liturgical celebrations and the Supreme Pontiff's message broadcast by
television or radio, they pray for
all the sick and offer their physical and spiritual suffering to God through
the Virgin Mary, 'Salus Infirmorum' (Health of the Sick).
B) Partial Indulgence will be conceded to all the faithful who, between the
indicated days, with a contrite heart raise devout prayers to the merciful
Lord beseeching assistance for the sick in spirit during this Year of
Faith.
Vatican City, 27 January 2013 (VIS) – "Each moment can be the
auspicious 'today' of our conversion. Each day can be the salvific 'today'
because salvation is a continuous story for the Church and for each of
Christ's disciples. This is the
Christian meaning of 'carpe diem'; seize the day that God calls on you to
offer you salvation." These were the words that the Pope addressed to the
faithful gathered at noon today in St. Peter's Square to pray the Angelus.
As is customary, Benedict XVI commented on the Sunday liturgy's readings,
particularly the Gospel where St. Luke speaks of Jesus' presence in the
synagogue of Nazareth on a Saturday. "As an observer believer, the Lord does
not avoid the weekly
liturgy rhythm and joins in with the assembly of his fellow countryman to pray
and listen to the Scriptures. The rite called for a reading from the Torah or
from the Prophets, followed by a commentary. That day, Jesus rose to read and
found the passage
from the prophet Isaiah that begins: 'The spirit of the Lord God is upon me,
because the Lord has anointed me; He has sent me to bring Good News to the
afflicted.'" On finishing the reading, "in an attentive silence, Jesus says:
'Today this scripture
passage is fulfilled in your hearing.' St. Cyril of Alexandria affirms that
'today', situated between Jesus' first and His final coming, corresponds to
the believer's ability
to listen and repent. However, an even more radical meaning is that Jesus
himself is the 'today' of salvation history because He completes the fullness
of redemption."
"This Gospel passage also challenges us 'today'. Firstly, it makes us think
of our way of living Sunday; it is a day of family and of rest but even more,
it is the day that we dedicate to the Lord, participating in the Eucharist in
which we are
nourished with the Body and Blood of Christ and with His life-giving Word.
Secondly, in our times of dispersion and distraction, this Gospel passage
invites us to ask ourselves about our ability to listen. Before we can speak
of God and with God, we
have to listen to Him, and the Church's liturgy is the 'school' of this
listening to the Lord who speaks to us."
After praying the Angelus, the Pop released into the Roman sky two doves
that a boy and a girl from Catholic Action had brought to him to conclude the
Caravan of Peace in St. Peter's Square, the theme to which the month of
January is traditionally
dedicated.
HOLOCAUST REMEMBRANCE DAY: THAT HORRORS OF THE PAST NOT BE REPEATED
Vatican City, 27 January 2013 (VIS) – On this International
Remembrance Day dedicated to the remembrance of the victims of the Holocaust,
Benedict XVI, after praying the Angelus, said: "The memory of this enormous
tragedy that so severely
struck mainly the Jewish people should represent for all a constant warning so
that the horrors of the past are not repeated, so that every form of hatred
and racism is overcome, and so that the respect and dignity of the human
person is promoted".
Today also marks the 60th World Day for the Fight Against Leprosy and the
Pope expressed his "nearness to those suffering from that disease" and
encouraged the work of researchers, health care workers, and volunteers in
that area, particularly those
who are part of Catholic organizations and the association Friends of Raoul
Follereau. "I ask for the spiritual intercession of St. Damien De Veuster and
St. Marianna Cope?who gave their lives for those afflicted by leprosy?for you
all."
"This Sunday," he continued, "also marks a special day of intercession for
peace in the Holy Land. I thank all those who are promoting it in the
different parts of the world and a special greeting to those present here."
The Pope concluded by addressing the Polish faithful. "Today I join with
the Church in Poland in giving thanks for the life and ministry of the late
Cardinal Jozef Glemp. May the Lord reward his pastoral dedication and keep him
in His glory!"
RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN FAITH AND MARRIAGE, THEME OF POPE'S ADDRESS TO
TRIBUNAL OF THE ROMAN ROTA
Vatican City, 26 January 2013 (VIS) – This morning in the Clementine
Hall of the Apostolic Palace, the Holy Father received members of the Tribunal
of the Roman Rota on the occasion of the opening of the judicial year. His
address, from which
ample extracts follow, focused on the relationship between faith and marriage
in light of the "current crisis of faith that affects various areas of the
world, bearing with it a crisis of conjugal society."
“The Code of Canon Law defines the natural reality of marriage as the
irrevocable covenant between a man and a woman. Mutual trust, in fact, is the
indispensable basis of any agreement or covenant. On a theological level, the
relationship
between faith and marriage has an even deeper meaning. Even though a natural
reality, the spousal bond between two baptised persons has been elevated by
Christ to the dignity of a sacrament.”
“Contemporary culture, marked by a strong subjectivism and an ethical
and religious relativism, poses serious challenges to the person and the
family. First, the very capacity of human beings to bond themselves to another
and whether a union
that lasts an entire life is truly possible. … Thinking that persons
might become themselves while remaining ‘autonomous’ and only
entering into relationships with others that can be interrupted at any time is
part of a widespread
mentality. Everyone is aware of how a human being's choice to bind themself
with a bond lasting an entire life influences each person’s basic
perspective according to which they are either anchored to a merely human
plane or open themselves to the
light of faith in the Lord.”
"‘Whoever remains in me and I in him will bear much fruit, because
without me you can do nothing,’ Jesus taught His disciples, reminding
them of the human being’s essential incapacity to carry out alone that
which is necessary for
the true good. Rejecting the divine proposal leads, in fact, to a profound
imbalance in all human relationships, including marriage, and facilitates an
erroneous understanding of freedom and self-realization. These, together with
the flight from
patiently borne suffering, condemns humanity to becoming locked within its own
selfishness and self-centredness. On the contrary, accepting faith makes human
persons capable of giving themselves … and thus of discovering the
extent of being a
human person."
“Faith in God, sustained by God’s grace, is therefore a very
important element in living mutual devotion and conjugal faithfulness. This
does not mean to assert that faithfulness, among other properties, are not
possible in the legitimate
marriage between unbaptised couples. In fact, it is not devoid of goods that
‘come from God the Creator and are included, in a certain inchoative
way, in the marital love that unites Christ with His Church’. But, of
course, closing oneself
off from God or rejecting the sacred dimension of the conjugal bond and its
value in the order of grace make the concrete embodiment of the highest model
of marriage conceived of by the Church, according to God’s plan,
arduous. It may even
undermine the very validity of the covenant if … it results in a
rejection of the very principle of the conjugal obligation of faithfulness or
of other essential elements or properties of the marriage.”
“Tertullian, in his famous “Letter to His Wife”, which
speaks about married life marked by faith, writes that Christian couples are
truly ‘two in one flesh. Where the flesh is one, one is the spirit too.
Together they pray,
together prostrate themselves, together perform their fasts; mutually
teaching, mutually exhorting, mutually sustaining one another.’"
“The saints who lived their matrimonial and familial union within a
Christian perspective were able to overcome even the most adverse situations,
sometimes achieving the sanctification of their spouse and children through a
love reinforced by a
strong faith in God, sincere religious piety, and an intense sacramental life.
Such experiences, marked by faith, allow us to understand, even today, how
precious is the sacrifice offered by the spouse who has been abandoned or who
has suffered a
divorce—'being well aware that the valid marriage bond is indissoluble,
and refraining from becoming involved in a new union. … In such cases
their example of fidelity and Christian consistency takes on particular value
as a witness before
the world and the Church'.”
Lastly, I would like to reflect briefly on the ‘bonum c
niugum’. Faith is important in carrying out the authentic conjugal good,
which consists simply in wanting, always and in every case, the welfare of the
other, on the basis of a true
and indissoluble ‘consortium vitae’. Indeed, the context of
Christian spouses living a true ‘communio coniugalis’ has its own
dynamism of faith by which the ‘confessio’—the personal,
sincere response to the
announcement of salvation—involves the believer in the action of
God’s love. ‘Confessio' and ‘caritas’ are 'the two
ways in which God involves us, make us act with Him, in Him and for humanity,
for His creation. …
“Confessio” is not an abstract thing, it is “caritas”,
it is love. Only in this way is it really the reflection of divine truth,
which as truth is also, inseparably, love'.”
“Only through the call of love, does the presence of the Gospel
become not just a word but a living reality. In other words, while it is true
that ‘Faith without charity bears no fruit, while charity without faith
would be a sentiment
constantly at the mercy of doubt’, we must conclude that ‘Faith
and charity each require the other, in such a way that each allows the other
to set out along its respective path.’ If this holds true in the broader
context of communal
life, it should be even more valuable to the conjugal union. It is in that
union, in fact, that faith makes the spouses’ love grow and bear fruit,
giving space to the presence of the Triune God and making the conjugal life
itself, lived thusly, to
be ‘joyful news’ to the world.”
“I recognize the difficulties, from a legal and a practical
perspective, in elucidating the essential element of the ‘bonum
coniugum’, understood so far mainly in relation to the circumstance of
invalidity. The ‘bonum
coniugum’ also takes on importance in the area of simulating consent.
Certainly, in cases submitted to your judgement, there will be an ‘in
facto’ inquiry that can verify the possible validity of the grounds for
annulment, predominant
to or coexistent with the three Augustinian ‘goods’:
procreativity, exclusivity, and perpetuity. Therefore, don’t let it
escape your consideration that there might be cases where, precisely because
of the absence of faith, the good of
the spouses is damaged and thus excluded from the consent itself. For example,
this can happen when one member of the couple has an erroneous understanding
of the martial bond or of the principle of parity or when there is a refusal
of the
dual union that characterizes the marital bond by either excluding fidelity or
by excluding the use of intercourse ‘humano modo’.
“With these considerations I certainly do not wish to suggest any
facile relationship between a lack of faith and the invalidity of a marital
union, but rather to highlight how such a deficiency may, but not necessarily,
damage the goods of
marriage, since the reference to the natural order desired by God is inherent
to the conjugal covenant.”
Vatican City, 25 January 2013 (VIS) – This afternoon at 5:30pm, for
the feast of the Conversion of St. Paul, Benedict XVI presided over second
Vespers in the Basilica of St. Paul's Outside-the-Walls. The celebration
marked the closure of the
46th Week of Prayer for Christian Unity, which this year had the theme: "What
does God require of us?" Many representatives from other Churches and
ecclesial communities participated in the celebrations, including
Metropolitan-Archbishop Gennadios
(Limouris), representing the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople, and
Rev. Richardson, representing the Archbishop of Canterbury.
"Communion in the same faith is the basis for ecumenism," the Holy Father
said, emphasizing that "God gives us unity as something inseparable from the
faith" and that "the profession of baptismal faith in God, the Father and
Creator, who has revealed
Himself in His Son, Jesus Christ, pouring out the Spirit who gives life and
holiness already unites Christians. Without faith?which is first a gift from
God, but also the response of human persons?the entire ecumenical movement
would be reduced to a
type of 'contract', to adhere to out of common interest. … The
doctrinal questions that still divide us should not be overlooked or
minimized. Rather, they should be faced with courage, in a spirit of
fraternity and mutual respect. Dialogue, when
it reflects the priority of faith, can be open to God's action with the firm
confidence that alone we cannot build unity, but that the Holy Spirit is the
one who guides us toward full
communion and who allows us to see the spiritual wealth present in the
different Churches and ecclesial communities."
"In today's society," the Pope noted, "it seems that the Christian message
seems to have less and less of an impact on personal and communal lives. This
represents a challenge to all the Churches and ecclesial communities. …
While we walk
toward full unity, therefore, we have to pursue a concrete collaboration
between the disciples of Christ in order to further the spread of the faith in
the modern world. Nowadays there is a great need for reconciliation, dialogue,
and mutual
understanding, for a more incisive presence in today's reality."
"True faith in God is inseparable from personal holiness as well as from
the search for justice," the pontiff highlighted. After recalling that the
theme for this year's Week of Prayer for Christian Unity was proposed by the
Student Christian
Movement in India in collaboration with the All India Catholic University
Federation and the National Council of Churches in India, he assured his
prayers for all the Christians of that country who "at times are called to
bear witness to their faith
under difficult conditions. 'Walking humbly with God' means, first of all,
walking in the radicality of faith, like Abraham, trusting in God, even
placing our every hope and aspiration in Him, but it also means walking beyond
barriers, beyond the
hatred, racism, and social and religious discrimination that divide and damage
all of society."
"Our search for unity in truth and love, should never lose sight of the
perception that Christian unity is the work and the gift of the Holy Spirit
and that it goes well beyond our efforts. Spiritual ecumenism, therefore,
especially prayer, is at the
heart of ecumenical commitment. Ecumenism, however, will never bear lasting
fruit unless it is accompanied by the concrete gestures of conversion that
move our conscience and favour the healing of memories and relationships.
… Genuine conversion
… is a fundamental element of our ecumenical commitment. The renewal of
the inner life of our hearts and minds, which is reflected in everyday life,
is crucial in any dialogue or path of reconciliation, making ecumenism a
reciprocal commitment of
understanding, respect, and love, 'so that the world may believe'."
Vatican City, 26 January 2013 (VIS) – Today, the Holy Father:
- appointed Fr. Guy Charbonneau, P.M.E., as bishop of the diocese of
Choluteca (area 5,775, population 700,000, Catholics 586,000, priests 28,
religious 67),Honduras. The bishop-elect was born in 1946 in Montreal, Quebec,
Canada and ordained a priest
in 1970. Between 1970 and 2003 he served in various pastoral and
administrative roles on parochial, diocesan, and national levels in Honduras.
From 2008 to the present he was Superior General of the Society of Foreign
Missions of Quebec, Canada.
- appointed Msgr. Laurent Djalwana Lompo as auxiliary bishop of the
archdiocese of Niamey (area 200,000, population 7,400,000, Catholics 20,100,
priests 42, religious 90), Niger. The bishop-elect was born in 1967 in
Koulbou, Niger and ordained a
priest in 1997. He has served as pastor in and vocations director for the
archdiocese. From 2003 to the present he served as the archdiocese's vicar
general. The Holy Father has also assigned him the titular see of Buffada.
- appointed Fr. Rafael Garcia de la Serrana Villalobos as vice director of
the Department of Technical Services for the Governorate of Vatican City
State. Fr. de la Serrana Villalobos is a member of the clergy of the personal
prelature Opus Dei.
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