Subject: VISnews120330
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VATICAN INFORMATION SERVICE
YEAR XXII - N° 68
DATE 30-03-2012
Summary:
- JEWS AND CATHOLICS: THE ECONOMIC CRISIS IS A CRISIS OF MORAL VALUES
- APPEAL FOR SOLIDARITY TOWARDS AUTISTIC PEOPLE AND THEIR FAMILIES
- NEW FUNERAL RITES: NO TO THE SCATTERING OF THE ASHES OF THE DECEASED
- BENEDICT XVI'S PRAYER INTENTIONS FOR APRIL
- OTHER PONTIFICAL ACTS
___________________________________________________________
JEWS AND CATHOLICS: THE ECONOMIC CRISIS IS A CRISIS OF MORAL VALUES
Vatican City, 30 March 2012 (VIS) - "Religious perspectives on the current
financial crisis: vision for a just economic order" was the theme of the
eleventh meeting of the Bilateral Commission of the Delegations of the Chief
Rabbinate of Israel and the
Holy See’s Commission for Religious Relations with Jews, which was held
in Rome from 27 to 29 March. The event was presided by Rabbi Shear Yashuv
Cohen, and by Cardinal Peter Kodwo Turkson, president of the Pontifical
Council for Justice and Peace.
In an English-language joint statement issued at the end of the meeting, the
two sides highlight that, "while many factors contributed to the financial
crisis, at its roots lies a crisis of moral values in which the importance of
having, reflected in a
culture of greed, eclipsed the importance of being; and where the value of
truth reflected in honesty and transparency was sorely lacking in economic
activity".
"At the heart of Jewish and Catholic visions for a just economic order is the
affirmation of the sovereignty and providence of the Creator of the world with
Whom all wealth originates and which is given to humankind as a gift for the
common good", the
text adds. Therefore "the purpose of an economic order is to serve the well
being of society, affirming the human dignity of all people, each created in
the divine image". This concept "is antithetical to egocentricity. Rather, it
requires the promotion
of the well being of the individual in relation to community and society". It
also "posits the obligation to guarantee certain basic human needs, such as
the protection of life, sustenance, clothing, housing, health, education and
employment". The
commission also identifies certain particularly vulnerable categories of
people, among them migrant and foreign workers "whose condition serves as a
measure of the moral health of society".
The statement recalls the obligation on countries with developed economies "to
recognise their responsibilities and duties towards countries and societies in
need, especially in this era of globalisation". In this context the
participants in the meeting
recall "the universal destination of the goods of the earth; a culture of
“enough” that implies a degree of self-limitation and modesty;
responsible stewardship; an ethical system of allocation of resources and
priorities". They likewise
mention the "partial remission of debts on national and international levels",
highlighting the need "to extend this to families and individuals".
The members of the bilateral commission underscore the role that faith
communities must play in contributing to a responsible economic order, and the
importance of their engagement by government, educational institutions, and
the media. Finally they
note how "the crisis has revealed the profound lack of an ethical component in
economic thinking. Hence, it is imperative that institutes and academies of
economic studies and policy formation include ethical training in their
curricula, similar to that
which has developed in recent years in the field of medical ethics".
___________________________________________________________
APPEAL FOR SOLIDARITY TOWARDS AUTISTIC PEOPLE AND THEIR FAMILIES
Vatican City, 30 March 2012 (VIS) - Archbishop Zygmunt Zimowski, president of
the Pontifical Council for Health Pastoral Care, has written a message for the
Fifth World Autism Day, which falls on 2 April, in which he makes an appeal
for sensitivity and
supportive solidarity towards autistic people and their families. In the
message, made public yesterday, he recalls how "autistic spectrum disorders
constitute ... a grave alteration of behaviour, of verbal and non-verbal
communication, and of social
integration, with a wide-ranging effect on the normal development and
evolution of the personality".
"The Church", writes the archbishop in his English-language message, "sees as
impelling the task of placing herself at the side of these people - children
and young people in particular - and their families, if not to breakdown these
barriers of silence
then at least to share in solidarity and prayer in their journey of
suffering". This is particularly important because families with autistic
children, "although they look after these children with loving care,
experience repercussions as regards the
quality of their own lives, and are often, in their turn, led to be closed up
in an isolation that marginalises and wounds". For this reason the Church and
all men and women of good will "feel committed to being ‘travelling
companions’ with
those who live this eloquent silence, which calls upon our sensitivity towards
the suffering of others".
The president of the pontifical council highlights the efforts of health care
workers, educators, professionals and volunteers, adding that "the scientific
world and health care policies must also be encouraged to engage in and ...
increase diagnostic,
therapeutic and rehabilitative pathways that can address a pathology which
affects more people in numerical terms than could have been imagined only a
few years ago. To encourage and sustain, in the supportive action of the world
of schools, voluntary
work and associations, these efforts is a duty, not least to discover and
bring out that dignity which even the gravest and most devastating disability
does not eliminate, and which always fills us with hope".
Finally Archbishop Zimowski commends autistic people and their families to
God. "Although enveloped in the mystery of silence because of a grave
psychological disturbance, they are never alone, inasmuch as they are
passionately loved by God and, in Him,
by the community of those whose faith commits them to becoming a living and
transparent sign of the presence of the Resurrected Christ in the world".
___________________________________________________________
NEW FUNERAL RITES: NO TO THE SCATTERING OF THE ASHES OF THE DECEASED
Vatican City, 30 March 2012 (VIS) - The second Italian-language edition of the
"Funeral Rites", produced by the Vatican Publishing House, was presented
recently at the headquarters of Vatican Radio. Among other things, the new
edition contains fully
revised biblical texts and prayers.
The first novelty refers to the visit to the family, which was not part of the
earlier edition. Msgr. Angelo Lameri of the National Liturgical Office of the
Italian Episcopal Conference, explained how "for a priest this a moment to
share in the
suffering, to listen to the mourning relatives, to learn about certain aspects
of the deceased's life with a view to a correct and personalised presentation
during the funeral".
Another change involves the revised and enriched ritual for the closing of the
coffin; with a number of different texts for various situations: an elderly
person, a young person, or someone who has died unexpectedly. Other changes
involve the
pronouncement of words recalling of the deceased at the moment of the
committal, and the introduction of a broad range of possibilities for the
prayer of the faithful.
However the most significant new departure, contained in the appendix of the
book, concerns cremation. Msgr. Lameri explained that the issue of cremation
had been placed in an appendix to highlight the fact that the Church,
"although she does not oppose
the cremation of bodies, when not done 'in odium fidei', continues to maintain
that the burial of the dead is more appropriate, that it expresses faith in
the resurrection of the flesh, nourishes the piety of the faithful and favours
the recollection
and prayer of relatives and friends".
In exceptional cases the rites normally celebrated at the cemetery chapel or
the tomb may be celebrated at the cremation site, and it is recommended that
the coffin be accompanied to that site. One particularity important aspect is
that "cremation is
considered as concluded when the urn is deposited in the cemetery". This is
because, although the law does allow ashes to be scattered in the open or
conserved in places other than a cemetery, "such practices ... raise
considerable doubts as to their
coherence to Christian faith, especially when they conceal pantheist or
naturalistic beliefs".
The new "Funeral Rites" also focuses on the search for the meaning of death.
Concluding the presentation, Bishop Alceste Catella, president of the
Episcopal Commission for Liturgy, explained that "the book is testament to the
faith of believers and to
the importance of respect and 'pietas' towards the deceased, respect for the
human body even when dead. It is testament to the pressing need to cultivate
memory and to have a specific place in which to place the body or the ashes,
in the profound
certainty that this is authentic faith and authentic humanism".
___________________________________________________________
BENEDICT XVI'S PRAYER INTENTIONS FOR APRIL
Vatican City, 30 March 2012 (VIS) - Pope Benedict's general prayer intention
for April is: "That many young people may hear the call of Christ and follow
Him in the priesthood and religious life".
His mission intention is: "That the risen Christ may be a sign of certain hope
for the men and women of the African continent".
___________________________________________________________
OTHER PONTIFICAL ACTS
Vatican City, 30 March 2012 (VIS) - The Holy Father appointed Bishop Luis
Artemio Flores Calzada of Valle de Chalco, Mexico as bishop of Tepic (area
22,777, population 1,139,584, Catholics 1,107,800, priests 215, religious
2215), Mexico.
___________________________________________________________
Per ulteriori informazioni e per la ricerca di documenti consultare il
sito: www.wisnews.org e www.vatican.va
Il servizio del VIS viene inviato soltanto agli indirizzi di posta
elettronica che ne hanno fatto richiesta. Se per qualunque motivo
non si desidera continuare a riceverlo, si prega di visitare nostra pagina
dinizio:
http://212.77.1.245/news_services/press/vis/italinde.php
Copyright (VIS): Le notizie contenute nei servizi del Vatican
Information Service possono essere riprodotte parzialmente o totalmente
citando la fonte: V.I.S. - Vatican Information Service.
--Boundary_(ID_9qPvptw1vKTvrRU2YZloqg)
Content-type: text/html; CHARSET=US-ASCII
Content-transfer-encoding: 7BIT
VISnews120330
VATICAN INFORMATION SERVICE YEAR XXII - N° 68DATE 30-03-2012
Summary: - JEWS AND CATHOLICS: THE ECONOMIC
CRISIS IS A CRISIS OF MORAL
VALUES - APPEAL FOR SOLIDARITY TOWARDS AUTISTIC PEOPLE AND THEIR
FAMILIES - NEW FUNERAL RITES: NO TO THE SCATTERING OF THE ASHES OF THE
DECEASED - BENEDICT XVI'S PRAYER INTENTIONS FOR APRIL - OTHER
PONTIFICAL ACTS ___________________________________________________________
JEWS AND CATHOLICS: THE ECONOMIC CRISIS IS A CRISIS OF MORAL VALUES
Vatican City, 30 March 2012 (VIS) - "Religious perspectives on the current
financial crisis: vision for a just economic order" was the theme of the
eleventh meeting of the Bilateral Commission of the Delegations of the Chief
Rabbinate of Israel and
the Holy See’s Commission for Religious Relations with Jews, which was
held in Rome from 27 to 29 March. The event was presided by Rabbi Shear Yashuv
Cohen, and by Cardinal Peter Kodwo Turkson, president of the Pontifical
Council for Justice and
Peace.
In an English-language joint statement issued at the end of the meeting,
the two sides highlight that, "while many factors contributed to the financial
crisis, at its roots lies a crisis of moral values in which the importance of
having, reflected in
a culture of greed, eclipsed the importance of being; and where the value of
truth reflected in honesty and transparency was sorely lacking in economic
activity".
"At the heart of Jewish and Catholic visions for a just economic order is
the affirmation of the sovereignty and providence of the Creator of the world
with Whom all wealth originates and which is given to humankind as a gift for
the common good",
the text adds. Therefore "the purpose of an economic order is to serve the
well being of society, affirming the human dignity of all people, each created
in the divine image". This concept "is antithetical to egocentricity. Rather,
it requires the
promotion of the well being of the individual in relation to community and
society". It also "posits the obligation to guarantee certain basic human
needs, such as the protection of life, sustenance, clothing, housing, health,
education and employment".
The commission also identifies certain particularly vulnerable categories of
people, among them migrant and foreign workers "whose condition serves as a
measure of the moral health of
society".
The statement recalls the obligation on countries with developed economies
"to recognise their responsibilities and duties towards countries and
societies in need, especially in this era of globalisation". In this context
the participants in the
meeting recall "the universal destination of the goods of the earth; a culture
of “enough” that implies a degree of self-limitation and modesty;
responsible stewardship; an ethical system of allocation of resources and
priorities". They
likewise mention the "partial remission of debts on national and international
levels", highlighting the need "to extend this to families and i
dividuals".
The members of the bilateral commission underscore the role that faith
communities must play in contributing to a responsible economic order, and the
importance of their engagement by government, educational institutions, and
the media. Finally they
note how "the crisis has revealed the profound lack of an ethical component in
economic thinking. Hence, it is imperative that institutes and academies of
economic studies and policy formation include ethical training in their
curricula, similar to that
which has developed in recent years in the field of medical ethics".
APPEAL FOR SOLIDARITY TOWARDS AUTISTIC PEOPLE AND THEIR FAMILIES
Vatican City, 30 March 2012 (VIS) - Archbishop Zygmunt Zimowski, president
of the Pontifical Council for Health Pastoral Care, has written a message for
the Fifth World Autism Day, which falls on 2 April, in which he makes an
appeal for sensitivity
and supportive solidarity towards autistic people and their families. In the
message, made public yesterday, he recalls how "autistic spectrum disorders
constitute ... a grave alteration of behaviour, of verbal and non-verbal
communication, and of
social integration, with a wide-ranging effect on the normal development and
evolution of the personality".
"The Church", writes the archbishop in his English-language message, "sees
as impelling the task of placing herself at the side of these people -
children and young people in particular - and their families, if not to
breakdown these barriers of
silence then at least to share in solidarity and prayer in their journey of
suffering". This is particularly important because families with autistic
children, "although they look after these children with loving care,
experience repercussions as
regards the quality of their own lives, and are often, in their turn, led to
be closed up in an isolation that marginalises and wounds". For this reason
the Church and all men and women of good will "feel committed to being
‘travelling
companions’ with those who live this eloquent silence, which calls upon
our sensitivity towards the suffering of others".
The president of the pontifical council highlights the efforts of health
care workers, educators, professionals and volunteers, adding that "the
scientific world and health care policies must also be encouraged to engage in
and ... increase
diagnostic, therapeutic and rehabilitative pathways that can address a
pathology which affects more people in numerical terms than could have been
imagined only a few years ago. To encourage and sustain, in the supportive
action of the world of schools,
voluntary work and associations, these efforts is a duty, not least to
discover and bring out that dignity which even the gravest and most
devastating disability does not eliminate, and which always fills us with
hope".
Finally Archbishop Zimowski commends autistic people and their families to
God. "Although enveloped in the mystery of silence because of a grave
psychological disturbance, they are never alone, inasmuch as they are
passionately loved by God and, in
Him, by the community of those whose faith commits them to becoming a living
and transparent sign of the presence of the Resurrected Christ in the
world".
NEW FUNERAL RITES: NO TO THE SCATTERING OF THE ASHES OF THE DECEASED
Vatican City, 30 March 2012 (VIS) - The second Italian-language edition of
the "Funeral Rites", produced by the Vatican Publishing House, was presented
recently at the headquarters of Vatican Radio. Among other things, the new
edition contains fully
revised biblical texts and prayers.
The first novelty refers to the visit to the family, which was not part of
the earlier edition. Msgr. Angelo Lameri of the National Liturgical Office of
the Italian Episcopal Conference, explained how "for a priest this a moment to
share in the
suffering, to listen to the mourning relatives, to learn about certain aspects
of the deceased's life with a view to a correct and personalised presentation
during the funeral".
Another change involves the revised and enriched ritual for the closing of
the coffin; with a number of different texts for various situations: an
elderly person, a young person, or someone who has died unexpectedly. Other
changes involve the
pronouncement of words recalling of the deceased at the moment of the
committal, and the introduction of a broad range of possibilities for the
prayer of the faithful.
However the most significant new departure, contained in the appendix of
the book, concerns cremation. Msgr. Lameri explained that the issue of
cremation had been placed in an appendix to highlight the fact that the
Church, "although she does not
oppose the cremation of bodies, when not done 'in odium fidei', continues to
maintain that the burial of the dead is more appropriate, that it expresses
faith in the resurrection of the flesh, nourishes the piety of the faithful
and favours the
recollection and prayer of relatives and friends".
In exceptional cases the rites normally celebrated at the cemetery chapel
or the tomb may be celebrated at the cremation site, and it is recommended
that the coffin be accompanied to that site. One particularity important
aspect is that "cremation is
considered as concluded when the urn is deposited in the cemetery". This is
because, although the law does allow ashes to be scattered in the open or
conserved in places other than a cemetery, "such practices ... raise
considerable doubts as to their
coherence to Christian faith, especially when they conceal pantheist or
naturalistic beliefs".
The new "Funeral Rites" also focuses on the search for the meaning of
death. Concluding the presentation, Bishop Alceste Catella, president of the
Episcopal Commission for Liturgy, explained that "the book is testament to the
faith of believers and
to the importance of respect and 'pietas' towards the deceased, respect for
the human body even when dead. It is testament to the pressing need to
cultivate memory and to have a specific place in which to place the body or
the ashes, in the profound
certainty that this is authentic faith and authentic humanism".
Vatican City, 30 March 2012 (VIS) - Pope Benedict's general prayer
intention for April is: "That many young people may hear the call of Christ
and follow Him in the priesthood and religious life".
His mission intention is: "That the risen Christ may be a sign of certain
hope for the men and women of the African continent".
Vatican City, 30 March 2012 (VIS) - The Holy Father appointed Bishop Luis
Artemio Flores Calzada of Valle de Chalco, Mexico as bishop of Tepic (area
22,777, population 1,139,584, Catholics 1,107,800, priests 215, religious
2215), Mexico.
Per ulteriori informazioni e per la ricerca di documenti consultare il
sito: www.wisnews.org e www.vatican.va Il servizio
del VIS viene inviato soltanto agli indirizzi di posta elettronica che
ne hanno
fatto richiesta. Se per qualunque motivo non si desidera continuare a
riceverlo, si prega di visitare nostra pagina dinizio: http://212.77.1.245/news_services/press/v
s/italinde.php
Copyright (VIS): Le notizie contenute nei servizi del Vatican
Information Service possono essere riprodotte parzialmente o totalmente
citando la fonte: V.I.S. - Vatican Information Service.
--Boundary_(ID_9qPvptw1vKTvrRU2YZloqg)--
--- NetMgr/2 1.0y+
* Origin: NetMgr+ @ Sursum Corda! BBS Meridian MS USA (1:396/45)
