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VATICAN INFORMATION SERVICE
YEAR XXIII - N° 5
DATE 08-01-2013
Summary:
- POPE TO THOSE AFFLICTED BY SICKNESS: YOU ARE THE LIVING IMAGE OF CHRIST
- MOURNING FOR DEATH OF BISHOP JOHN CHEN SHIZHONG
- AUDIENCES
- OTHER PONTIFICAL ACTS
___________________________________________________________
POPE TO THOSE AFFLICTED BY SICKNESS: YOU ARE THE LIVING IMAGE OF CHRIST
Vatican City, 8 January 2013 (VIS) - "Go and do likewise" is the theme chosen
by the Holy Father for his message on the 21st World Day of the Sick to be
celebrated 11 February, the liturgical feast of the Blessed Virgin Mary of
Lourdes, which will take
place this year at the Marian Shrine of Altotting, Germany. In the message the
Pope writes that "this Day represents for the sick, for health care workers,
for the faithful and for all people of goodwill 'a privileged time of prayer,
of sharing, of
offering one’s sufferings for the good of the Church, and a call for all
to recognize in the features of their suffering brothers and sisters the Holy
Face of Christ, who, by suffering, dying and rising has brought about the
salvation of
mankind'.”
"On this occasion," the pontiff continues, "I feel especially close to you,
dear friends, who in health care centres or at home, are undergoing a time of
trial due to illness and suffering. May all of you be sustained by the
comforting words of the
Fathers of the Second Vatican Council: 'You are not alone, separated,
abandoned or useless. You have been called by Christ and are his living and
transparent image'.”
"So as to keep you company on the spiritual pilgrimage that leads us from
Lourdes, a place which symbolizes hope and grace, to the Shrine of Altotting,
I would like to propose for your reflection the exemplary figure of the Good
Samaritan. The Gospel
parable recounted by Saint Luke is part of a series of scenes and events taken
from daily life by which Jesus helps us to understand the deep love of God for
every human being, especially those afflicted by sickness or pain. With the
concluding words of
the parable of the Good Samaritan, “Go and do likewise”, the Lord
also indicates the attitude that each of his disciples should have towards
others, especially those in need. We need to draw from the infinite love of
God, through an intense
relationship with him in prayer, the strength to live day by day with concrete
concern, like that of the Good Samaritan, for those suffering in body and
spirit who ask for our help, whether or not we know them and however poor they
may
be".
"This is true, not only for pastoral or health care workers, but for everyone,
even for the sick themselves, who can experience this condition from a
perspective of faith: 'It is not by sidestepping or fleeing from suffering
that we are healed, but
rather by our capacity for accepting it, maturing through it and finding
meaning through union with Christ, who suffered with infinite love', Benedict
XVI counsels, citing his encyclical "Spe Salvi".
"Various Fathers of the Church saw Jesus himself in the Good Samaritan; and in
the man who fell among thieves they saw Adam, our very humanity wounded and
disoriented on account of its sins. Jesus is the Son of God, the one who makes
present the
Father’s love, a love which is faithful, eternal and without boundaries.
But Jesus is also the one who sheds the garment of his divinity, who leaves
his divine condition to assume the likeness of men, drawing near to human
suffering, even to the
point of descending into hell, as we recite in the Creed, in order to bring
hope and light. He does not jealously guard his equality with God but, filled
with compassion, he looks into the abyss of human suffering so as to pour out
the oil of
consolation and the wine of hope".
"The Year of Faith which we are celebrating is a fitting occasion for
intensifying the service of charity in our ecclesial communities, so that each
one of us can be a good Samaritan for others, for those close to us. Here I
would like to recall the
innumerable figures in the history of the Church who helped the sick to
appreciate the human and spiritual value of their suffering, so that they
might serve as an example and an encouragement. Saint Therese of the Child
Jesus and the Holy Face, 'an
expert in the scientia amoris', was able to experience 'in deep union with the
Passion of Jesus' the illness that brought her 'to death through great
suffering'."
Also, "the Venerable Luigi Novarese, who still lives in the memory of many,
throughout his ministry realized the special importance of praying for and
with the sick and suffering, and he would often accompany them to Marian
shrines, especially to the
Grotto of Lourdes. Raoul Follereau, moved by love of neighbour, dedicated his
life to caring for people afflicted by Hansen’s disease, even at the
world’s farthest reaches, promoting, among other initiatives, World
Leprosy Day. Blessed
Teresa of Calcutta would always begin her day with an encounter with Jesus in
the Eucharist and then she would go out into the streets, rosary in hand, to
find and serve the Lord in the sick, especially in those 'unwanted, unloved,
uncared for'."
"Saint Anna Schaffer of Mindelstetten, too, was able to unite in an exemplary
way her sufferings to those of Christ: 'her sick-bed became her cloister cell
and her suffering a missionary service. Strengthened by daily communion, she
became an untiring
intercessor in prayer and a mirror of God’s love for the many who sought
her counsel'. In the Gospel the Blessed Virgin Mary stands out as one who
follows her suffering Son to the supreme sacrifice on Golgotha. She does not
lose hope in
God’s victory over evil, pain and death, and she knows how to accept in
one embrace of faith and love, the Son of God who was born in the stable of
Bethlehem and died on the Cross. Her steadfast trust in the power of God was
illuminated by
Christ’s resurrection, which offers hope to the suffering and renews the
certainty of the Lord’s closeness and consolation".
The Pope offers "a word of warm gratitude and encouragement to Catholic health
care institutions and to civil society, to Dioceses and Christian communities,
to religious congregations engaged in the pastoral care of the sick, to health
care
workers’ associations and to volunteers. May all realize ever more fully
that 'the Church today lives a fundamental aspect of her mission in lovingly
and generously accepting every human being, especially those who are weak and
sick'."
Benedict XVI then concludes, entrusting the 21st World Day of the Sick "to the
intercession of Our Lady of Graces, venerated at Altotting, that she may
always accompany those who suffer in their search for comfort and firm hope.
May she assist all who
are involved in the apostolate of mercy, so that they may become good
Samaritans to their brothers and sisters afflicted by illness and suffering".
___________________________________________________________
MOURNING FOR DEATH OF BISHOP JOHN CHEN SHIZHONG
Vatican City, 8 January 2013 (VIS) - Bishop John Chen Shizhong of Yibin in the
Sichuan province of mainland China died on 16 December 2012 at the age of 95.
The prelate, ordained to the priesthood in 1947, had been jailed in the
1950's, during the
Cultural Revolution, and condemned to forced labour. In 1985 he received
episcopal ordination and in 1988 became rector of the regional seminary of
Sichan, a position that he had to leave the following year because of his
health. He then returned to the
diocese of Yibin where he was bishop for over 20 years.
Remembering Bishop Chen Shizhong, his formation work with priests and
religious is foremost. Thanks to him, during the 1980's and 1990's, vocations
to the priesthood and religious life returned throughout the province. He
ordained more than 30 priests,
thus guaranteeing the Church's survival and development in a region marked by
a severe Maoism and in which the harshness and the persecutions of the
Cultural Revolution strongly characterized society and the life of the Church.
The prelate's funeral took place on 18 December in the cathedral of Yibin and
was attended by many of the diocese's faithful, priests, and religious. The
bishop's remains have been buried in the Catholic cemetery near the diocesan
seminary.
___________________________________________________________
AUDIENCES
Vatican City, 8 January 2013 (VIS) - Early this afternoon the Holy Father met
with archbishops Fortunatus Nwachukwu, titular archbishop of Acquaviva and
apostolic nuncio to Nicaragua and Nicolas Henry Marie Denis Thevenin, titular
archbishop of Eclano
and apostolic nuncio to Guatemala, along with members of their families.
___________________________________________________________
OTHER PONTIFICAL ACTS
Vatican City, 8 January 2013 (VIS) - Today the Holy Father appointed Bishop
Dennis J. Sullivan as bishop of Camden (area 6,967, population 1,443,274,
Catholics 511,822, priests 294, permanent deacons 150, religious 323), USA.
Bishop Sullivan, previously
titular of Enera and auxiliary of the Archdiocese of New York, was ordained to
the priesthood in 1971. He served as pastor of several parishes in the
Archdiocese of New York before receiving episcopal ordination in 2004. He has
been the vicar general of
the Archdiocese of New York since 2005 and, in the bishops' conference, serves
as a member of the Committee on the Protection of Children and Young People as
well as the Subcommittee on Asian and Pacific Islanders. He succeeds Bishop
Joseph A. Galante,
whose resignation from the pastoral care of the same diocese the Holy Father
accepted, in accordance with canon 401 para. 2 of the Code of Canon Law.
___________________________________________________________
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_cOGR3YdyfU8ZVsiUpTtiow)
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VISnews130108
VATICAN INFORMATION SERVICE YEAR XXIII - N° 5DATE 08-01-2013
Summary: - POPE TO THOSE AFFLICTED BY
SICKNESS: YOU ARE THE LIVING IMAGE
OF CHRIST - MOURNING FOR DEATH OF BISHOP JOHN CHEN SHIZHONG -
AUDIENCES - OTHER PONTIFICAL ACTS
POPE TO THOSE AFFLICTED BY SICKNESS: YOU ARE THE LIVING IMAGE OF CHRIST
Vatican City, 8 January 2013 (VIS) - "Go and do likewise" is the theme
chosen by the Holy Father for his message on the 21st World Day of the Sick to
be celebrated 11 February, the liturgical feast of the Blessed Virgin Mary of
Lourdes, which will
take place this year at the Marian Shrine of Altotting, Germany. In the
message the Pope writes that "this Day represents for the sick, for health
care workers, for the faithful and for all people of goodwill 'a privileged
time of prayer, of sharing, of
offering one’s sufferings for the good of the Church, and a call for all
to recognize in the features of their suffering brothers and sisters the Holy
Face of Christ, who, by suffering, dying and rising has brought about the
salvation of
mankind'.”
"On this occasion," the pontiff continues, "I feel especially close to you,
dear friends, who in health care centres or at home, are undergoing a time of
trial due to illness and suffering. May all of you be sustained by the
comforting words of the
Fathers of the Second Vatican Council: 'You are not alone, separated,
abandoned or useless. You have been called by Christ and are his living and
transparent image'.”
"So as to keep you company on the spiritual pilgrimage that leads us from
Lourdes, a place which symbolizes hope and grace, to the Shrine of Altotting,
I would like to propose for your reflection the exemplary figure of the Good
Samaritan. The Gospel
parable recounted by Saint Luke is part of a series of scenes and events taken
from daily life by which Jesus helps us to understand the deep love of God for
every human being, especially those afflicted by sickness or pain. With the
concluding words of
the parable of the Good Samaritan, “Go and do likewise”, the Lord
also indicates the attitude that each of his disciples should have towards
others, especially those in need. We need to draw from the infinite love of
God, through an intense
relationship with him in prayer, the strength to live day by day with concrete
concern, like that of the Good Samaritan, for those suffering in body and
spirit who ask for our help, whether or not we know them and however
poor they may be".
"This is true, not only for pastoral or health care workers, but for
everyone, even for the sick themselves, who can experience this condition from
a perspective of faith: 'It is not by sidestepping or fleeing from suffering
that we are healed, but
rather by our capacity for accepting it, maturing through it and finding
meaning through union with Christ, who suffered with infinite love', Benedict
XVI counsels, citing his encyclical "Spe Salvi".
"Various Fathers of the Church saw Jesus himself in the Good Samaritan; and
in the man who fell among thieves they saw Adam, our very humanity wounded and
disoriented on account of its sins. Jesus is the Son of God, the one who makes
present the
Father’s love, a love which is faithful, eternal and without boundaries.
But Jesus is also the one who sheds the garment of his divinity, who leaves
his divine condition to assume the likeness of men, drawing near to human
suffering, even to the
point of descending into hell, as we recite in the Creed, in order to bring
hope and light. He does not jealously guard his equality with God but, filled
with compassion, he looks into the abyss of human suffering so as to pour out
the oil of
consolation and the wine of hope".
"The Year of Faith which we are celebrating is a fitting occasion for
intensifying the service of charity in our ecclesial communities, so that each
one of us can be a good Samaritan for others, for those close to us. Here I
would like to recall the
innumerable figures in the history of the Church who helped the sick to
appreciate the human and spiritual value of their suffering, so that they
might serve as an example and an encouragement. Saint Therese of the Child
Jesus and the Holy Face, 'an
expert in the scientia amoris', was able to experience 'in deep union with the
Passion of Jesus' the illness that brought her 'to death through great
suffering'."
Also, "the Venerable Luigi Novarese, who still lives in the memory of many,
throughout his ministry realized the special importance of praying for and
with the sick and suffering, and he would often accompany them to Marian
shrines, especially to the
Grotto of Lourdes. Raoul Follereau, moved by love of neighbour, dedicated his
life to caring for people afflicted by Hansen’s disease, even at the
world’s farthest reaches, promoting, among other initiatives, World
Leprosy Day. Blessed
Teresa of Calcutta would always begin her day with an encounter with Jesus in
the Eucharist and then she would go out into the streets, rosary in hand, to
find and serve the Lord in the sick, especially in those 'unwanted, unloved,
uncared for'."
"Saint Anna Schaffer of Mindelstetten, too, was able to unite in an
exemplary way her sufferings to those of Christ: 'her sick-bed became her
cloister cell and her suffering a missionary service. Strengthened by daily
communion, she became an
untiring intercessor in prayer and a mirror of God’s love for the many
who sought her counsel'. In the Gospel the Blessed Virgin Mary stands out as
one who follows her suffering Son to the supreme sacrifice on Golgotha. She
does not lose hope in
God’s victory over evil, pain and death, and she knows how to accept in
one embrace of faith and love, the Son of God who was born in the stable of
Bethlehem and died on the Cross. Her steadfast trust in the power of God was
illuminated by
Christ’s resurrection, which offers hope to the suffering and renews the
certainty of the Lord’s closeness and consolation".
The Pope offers "a word of warm gratitude and encouragement to Catholic
health care institutions and to civil society, to Dioceses and Christian
communities, to religious congregations engaged in the pastoral care of the
sick, to health care
workers’ associations and to volunteers. May all realize ever more fully
that 'the Church today lives a fundamental aspect of her mission in lovingly
and generously accepting every human being, especially those who are weak and
sick'."
Benedict XVI then concludes, entrusting the 21st World Day of the Sick "to
the intercession of Our Lady of Graces, venerated at Altotting, that she may
always accompany those who suffer in their search for comfort and firm hope.
May she assist all
who are involved in the apostolate of mercy, so that they may become good
Samaritans to their brothers and sisters afflicted by illness and
suffering".
Vatican City, 8 January 2013 (VIS) - Bishop John Chen Shizhong of Yibin in
the Sichuan province of mainland China died on 16 December 2012 at the age of
95. The prelate, ordained to the priesthood in 1947, had been jailed in the
1950's, during the
Cultural Revolution, and condemned to forced labour. In 1985 he received
episcopal ordination and in 1988 became rector of the regional seminary of
Sichan, a position that he had to leave the following year because of his
health. He then returned to the
diocese of Yibin where he was bishop for over 20 years.
Remembering Bishop Chen Shizhong, his formation work with priests and
religious is foremost. Thanks to him, during the 1980's and 1990's, vocations
to the priesthood and religious life returned throughout the province. He
ordained more than 30
priests, thus guaranteeing the Church's survival and development in a region
marked by a severe Maoism and in which the harshness and the persecutions of
the Cultural Revolution strongly characterized society and the life of the
Church.
The prelate's funeral took place on 18 December in the cathedral of Yibin
and was attended by many of the diocese's faithful, priests, and religious.
The bishop's remains have been buried in the Catholic cemetery near the
diocesan seminary.
Vatican City, 8 January 2013 (VIS) - Early this afternoon the Holy Father
met with archbishops Fortunatus Nwachukwu, titular archbishop of Acquaviva and
apostolic nuncio to Nicaragua and Nicolas Henry Marie Denis Thevenin, titular
archbishop of
Eclano and apostolic nuncio to Guatemala, along with members of their
families.
Vatican City, 8 January 2013 (VIS) - Today the Holy Father appointed Bishop
Dennis J. Sullivan as bishop of Camden (area 6,967, population 1,443,274,
Catholics 511,822, priests 294, permanent deacons 150, religious 323), USA.
Bishop Sullivan,
previously titular of Enera and auxiliary of the Archdiocese of New York, was
ordained to the priesthood in 1971. He served as pastor of several parishes in
the Archdiocese of New York before receiving episcopal ordination in 2004. He
has been the vicar
general of the Archdiocese of New York since 2005 and, in the bishops'
conference, serves as a member of the Committee on the Protection of Children
and Young People as well as the Subcommittee on Asian and Pacific Islanders.
He succeeds Bishop Joseph
A. Galante, whose resignation from the pastoral care of the same diocese the
Holy Father accepted, in accordance with canon 401 para. 2 of the Code of
Canon Law.
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_cOGR3YdyfU8ZVsiUpTtiow)--
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