an external level, and “active participation” has been confused
with external activity. Hence much still remains to be done on the path of
real liturgical renewal. In a changed world, increasingly fixated on material
things, we must learn to
recognise anew the mysterious presence of the Risen Lord, which alone can give
breadth and depth to our life.
"The Eucharist is the worship of the whole Church, but it also requires the
full engagement of each individual Christian in the Church’s mission; it
contains a call to be the holy people of God, but also one to individual
Subject: VISnews120618
From: Vatican Information Service - Eng - txt
holiness; it is to be
celebrated with great joy and simplicity, but also as worthily and reverently
as possible; it invites us to repent of our sins, but also to forgive our
brothers and sisters; it binds us together in the Spirit, but it also commands
us in the same Spirit
to bring the good news of salvation to others.
"Moreover, the Eucharist is the memorial of Christ’s sacrifice on the
Cross, His body and blood given in the new and eternal covenant for the
forgiveness of sins and the transformation of the world. Ireland has been
shaped by the Mass at the
deepest level for centuries, and by its power and grace generations of monks,
martyrs and missionaries have heroically lived the faith at home and spread
the Good News of God’s love and forgiveness well beyond your shores. You
are the heirs to a
Church that has been a mighty force for good in the world, and which has given
a profound and enduring love of Christ and His blessed Mother to many, many
others. Your forebears in the Church in Ireland knew how to strive for
holiness and constancy in
their personal lives, how to preach the joy that comes from the Gospel, how to
promote the importance of belonging to the universal Church in communion with
the See of Peter, and how to pass on a love of the faith and Christian
virtue to other generations. Our Catholic faith, imbued with a radical sense
of God’s presence, caught up in the beauty of His creation all around
us, and purified through personal penance and awareness of God’s
forgiveness, is a legacy that
is surely perfected and nourished when regularly placed on the Lord’s
altar at the sacrifice of the Mass.
"Thankfulness and joy at such a great history of faith and love have
recently been shaken in an appalling way by the revelation of sins committed
by priests and consecrated persons against people entrusted to their care.
Instead of showing them the
path towards Christ, towards God, instead of bearing witness to His goodness,
they abused people and undermined the credibility of the Church’s
message. How are we to explain the fact that people who regularly received the
Lord’s body and
confessed their sins in the Sacrament of Penance have offended in this way? It
remains a mystery. Yet evidently, their Christianity was no longer nourished
by joyful encounter with Jesus Christ: it had become merely a matter of habit.
The work of the
Council was really meant to overcome this form of Christianity and to
rediscover the faith as a deep personal friendship with the goodness of Jesus
Christ. The Eucharistic Congress has a similar aim. Here we wish to encounter
the
Risen Lord. We ask Him to touch us deeply. May He who breathed on the Apostles
at Easter, communicating his Spirit to them, likewise bestow upon us His
breath, the power of the Holy Spirit, and so help us to become true witnesses
to His love, witnesses
to the truth. His truth is love. Christ’s love is truth.
"My dear brothers and sisters, I pray that the Congress will be for each of
you a spiritually fruitful experience of communion with Christ and his Church.
At the same time, I would like to invite you to join me in praying for
God’s blessing
upon the next International Eucharistic Congress, which will take place in
2016 in the city of Cebu! To the people of the Philippines I send warm
greetings and an assurance of my closeness in prayer during the period of
preparation for this great
ecclesial gathering".
___________________________________________________________
THE KINGDOM OF GOD IS A GIFT, BUT IT REQUIRES OUR COLLABORATION
Vatican City, 17 June 2012 (VIS) - At midday today Benedict XVI appeared at
the window of his study to pray the Angelus with faithful gathered below in
St. Peter's Square. The Pope commented on the two brief parables in today's
Gospel reading: that
of the seed which grows while the farmer sleeps, and that of the mustard seed.
"Through these images taken from the world of agriculture", he explained, "the
Lord presents the mystery of the Word and the Kingdom of God, and indicates
the reasons for our
hope and our commitment.
"In the first parable, the focus is on the dynamism of the seed which,
scattered on the ground, sprouts and grows by itself, whether the farmer
sleeps or is awake. ... What supports the farmer in his daily efforts is his
trust in the power of the
seed and in the goodness of the earth. This parable recalls the mystery ... of
God's fruitful work in history. He is Lord of the Kingdom, and man is His
humble collaborator who contemplates and is gladdened by the divine creative
act, and patiently
awaits its fruits. ... Now is the time to sow, and the growth of the seed is
guaranteed by the Lord. All Christians, then, know that they must do
everything they can, but that the final result depends upon God: this
knowledge sustains them in their
daily trials, especially in moments of difficulty".
The Holy Father went on to note that the second parable mentions a specific
plant, "the mustard seed, which is considered to be the smallest of all
seeds". Nonetheless, "despite its diminutive size it is full of life and, when
it splits, a shoot is
born which is capable of breaking the earth ... and growing until it 'becomes
the greatest of all shrubs'. ... Such is the Kingdom of God: small in human
terms, ... being made up of those who do not trust in their own strength but
in that of God's love,
of those who are unimportant in the eyes of the world, yet through them the
power of Christ breaks forth and transforms that which is apparently
insignificant.
"The image of the seed was particularly dear to Jesus", the Pope added in
conclusion, "because it well express the mystery of the Kingdom of God. In
today's two parables it represents 'growth' and 'contrast': the growth that
comes about thanks to the
dynamism intrinsic to the seed itself, and the contrast that exists between
the smallness of the seed and the greatness it produces. The message is clear:
the Kingdom of God, though it requires our collaboration, is above all a gift
of God, a grace
which precedes man and his works. Our weak strength, apparently impotent
before the problems of the world, if united to that of God fears no obstacles,
because the victory of the Lord is certain".
___________________________________________________________
POPE CALLS FOR REFUGEES' RIGHTS TO BE RESPECTED
Vatican City, 17 June 2012 (VIS) - After praying the Angelus today, the
Pope made some remarks about World Refugee Day, an initiative promoted by the
United Nations which is celebrated on 20 June. "It seeks to draw the attention
of the international
community to the situation of so many people, especially families, who are
forced to flee their own lands because threatened by armed conflict and
serious forms of violence", the Holy Father said. "I assure these severely
tried brothers and sisters of
the Holy See's prayers and constant solicitude, at the same time expressing
the hope that their rights may always be respected and that they may soon be
able to be reunited with their loved ones".
The Pope went on: "Today in Ireland marks the closing celebration of the
International Eucharistic Congress which, over the last week, has made Dublin
the city of the Eucharist, as many people gathered in prayer in the presence
of Christ in the
Blessed Sacrament. Jesus chose to remain among us in the mystery of the
Eucharist, to bring us into communion with Him and with one another", he
said.
Finally the Holy Father mentioned Cecilia Eusepi, who will be beatified
this afternoon in the Italian town of Nepi. "She wanted to become a
missionary, but was forced to abandon her convent due to illness" and died at
the age of eighteen. "Her faith
was unshakeable, and she showed a great capacity to sacrifice herself for the
salvation of souls".
___________________________________________________________
INTERNATIONAL THEOLOGICAL COMMISSION RENEWS ITS WEBPAGE
Vatican City, 16 June 2012 (VIS) - In a communique made public today the
International Theological Commission announces that it has updated its
webpage. The page is to be found on the Vatican website (www.vatican.va) under
the section dedicated to
the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith.
The International Theological Commission, established by Paul VI in 1969,
assists the Holy See, and in particular the Congregation for the Doctrine of
the Faith, in examining the most important and pressing doctrinal issues. It
is made up of
theologians from various schools and nations, who stand out for their depth of
knowledge and their fidelity to Church Magisterium. The members of the
Commission - who number no more than thirty - are appointed by the Holy Father
for a period of five
years, at the suggestion of the cardinal prefect of the Congregation for the
Doctrine of the Faith and after consulting episcopal conferences. Over the
course of its history the Commission has, with the approval of its president,
published twenty-five
documents.
The new webpage opens with a brief historical overview of the institution
(Profile), followed by the provisional Statutes of 12 July 1969 and the
definitive Statues of 6 August 1982 (Statutes). The page also contains a
listing of members of the
Commission (List of the Members).
The most important part of the page is the collection of the twenty-five
documents published by the Commission. Most of them are in seven languages -
French, English, Spanish, German, Italian, Latin and Polish - although some
are also available in
Portuguese, Dutch, Hungarian, Russian and Czech. This collection is due to
expand as new language versions of the texts are produced (Published
Documents).
The webpage contains information about collected editions of the documents
in various languages, as well as a list of papal addresses made to the members
of the Commission (Pontifical Speeches). A further section (Documents)
includes various
contributions relative to the work and publications of the Commission,
especially comments and clarifications.
The Commission hopes that the renewed webpage may help and stimulate
consultation of documents, first and foremost by pastors, theologians, priests
and consecrated persons, as well as students and other faithful throughout the
world, particularly in
places where it is not easy to access publications of those texts.
___________________________________________________________
AUDIENCES
Vatican City, 18 June 2012 (VIS) - The Holy Father today received in
audience:
- Eduardo Gutierrez Saenz de Buruaga, the new Spanish ambassador to the
Holy See, for the presentation of his Letters of Credence.
- Cardinal Jaime Lucas Ortega y Alamino, archbishop of San Cristobal de la
Habana, Cuba.
- Ten prelates from the Episcopal Conference of Colombia, on their "ad
limina" visit:
- Archbishop Oscar Urbina Ortega of Villavicencio.
- Bishop Jose Figueroa Gomez of Granada en Colombia.
- Bishop Francisco Antonio Nieto Sua of San Jose del Guaviare.
- Bishop Antonio Bayter Abud M.X.Y., apostolic vicar of Inirida.
- Msgr. Damian E. Chavarria Carvajal, pro apostolic vicar of Mitu.
- Bishop Jose de Jesus Quintero Diaz, apostolic vicar of Leticia.
- Bishop Francisco Antonio Ceballos Escobar, apostolic vicar of Puerto
Carreno.
- Msgr. Oswaldo Jaramillo Osorio, pro apostolic vicar of Puerto Gaitan.
- Bishop Eulises Gonzalez Sanchez, apostolic vicar of San Andres y
Providencia.
- Bishop Edgar Hernando Tirado Mazo M.X.Y., apostolic vicar of
Tierradentro.
On Saturday 16 June the Holy Father received in audience:
- Cardinal Fernado Filoni, prefect of the Congregation for the
Evangelisation of Peoples.
- Archbishop Lorenzo Baldisseri, secretary of the Congregation for
Bishops.
- Six prelates from the Episcopal Conference of Colombia, on their "ad
limina" visit:
- Archbishop Flavio Calle Zapata of Ibague.
- Bishop Pablo Emiro Sales Anteliz of Espinal.
- Bishop Jose Miguel Gomez Rodriguez of Libano-Honda.
- Bishop Froilan Tiberio Casas Ortiz of Neiva.
- Bishop Francisco Javier Munera Correa I.M.C., apostolic vicar of San
Vicente - Puerto Leguizamo.
- Msgr. Obed Ramirez Granada, diocesan administrator of Florencia.
- Cardinal Paul Josef Cordes, president emeritus of the Pontifical Council
"Cor Unum".
___________________________________________________________
ACTS CONCERNING THE ORIENTAL CHURCHES
Vatican City, 16 June 2012 (VIS) - The Patriarch of Antioch of the
Maronites, with the consent of the Synod of Bishops of the Maronite Church
meeting pursuant to canon 85 paragraph 2 (2) of the Code of Canons of the
Eastern Churches, has
transferred:
- Bishop Camille Zaidan, bishop of the Patriarchal Curia, to the office of
archbishop of Antelias of the Maronites (Catholics 156,028, priests 162,
religious 353), Lebanon. He succeeds Archbishop Youssef Bechara, who resigned
from the pastoral care
of the same archdiocese in accordance with canon 210 para. 1-2 of the Code of
Canons of the Eastern Churches.
- Bishop Francois Eid O.M.M., eparchal vicar of Cairo, Egypt, and of Sudan
of the Maronites, to the office of patriarchal procurator before the Holy See,
having received prior pontifical assent. Bishop Eid will receive the tile of
eparchal bishop
emeritus of his former eparchy, under the terms of canon 211 para. 1 of the
Code of Canons of the Eastern Churches.
The Synod of Bishops of the Maronite Church has elected the following
archbishops and bishops, all of whom have received prior assent from the Holy
Father:
- Fr. Moussa El-Hage O.A.M., superior of the convent of Sts. Sarkis and
Bacchus in Edhen and Zghorta, as archbishop of Haifa and the Holy Land of the
Maronites (Catholics 7,000, priests 11, religious 9), Israel, and as
patriarchal exarch of Jerusalem
and Palestine (Catholics 504, permanent deacons 1) and Jordan (Catholics
1,500, priests 2). The bishop-elect was born in Antoura, Lebanon in 1954 and
ordained a priest in 1980. He studied in Jerusalem and in Rome and has held
various offices in his
religious order as well as being active in pastoral work and education. He
succeeds Archbishop Paul Nabil El-Sayah, who had earlier resigned from the
pastoral care of those circumscriptions to take up the office of bishop of the
Patriarchal Curia.
- Fr. Paul Rouhana O.L.M., secretary of the Middle East Council of
Churches, as bishop of the patriarchal vicariate of Sarba, Lebanon. The
bishop-elect was born in Amchit, Lebanon in 1954 and ordained a priest in
1982. He studied in Belgium and in
France and been active in education at "Saint Esprit" University in Kaslik. He
succeeds Bishop Guy-Paul Noujaim, who resigned from the pastoral care of the
same archdiocese in accordance with canon 210 para. 1-2 of the Code of Canons
of the Eastern
Churches.
- Fr. Maroun Ammar, rector of the major seminary of Ghazir, as bishop of
the patriarchal vicariate of Joubbe, Lebanon. The bishop-elect was born in
Haje, Lebanon in 1956 and ordained a priest in 1983. He has served as pastor
in various parishes and
is a judge at the Court of Appeal of the Maronite Tribunal of Lebanon. He
succeeds Bishop Francis Baissari, who resigned from the pastoral care of the
same archdiocese in accordance with canon 210 para. 1-2 of the Code of Canons
of the Eastern
Churches.
- Fr. Joseph Mouawad, vicar general of the eparchy of Jbeil-Byblos,
Lebanon, as bishop of the Patriarchal Curia. The bishop-elect was born in
Mayfouq, Lebanon in 1970 and ordained a priest in 1995. He studied in Rome and
has been active in pastoral
work, as well as teaching theology at "La Sagesse" University in Beirut and
"Saint Esprit" University in Kaslik.
- Fr. Georges Chihane, patriarchal administrator of Haifa and the Holy Land
of the Maronites, Israel, and patriarchal exarch of Jerusalem, Palestine and
Jordan, as eparchal vicar of Cairo, Egypt and Sudan of the Maronites
(Catholics 5,500, priests 6,
religious 3). The bishop-elect was born in Haret Sakhr, Lebanon in 1953 and
ordained a priest in 1979. He has served as pastor in various parishes in
Lebanon, France and Jordan.
___________________________________________________________
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.
