Luis Rosales or the overflowing taste of joy

Gabriela Mistral (1889-1957): 75 years after receiving the Nobel Prize

Luis Rosales or the overflowing taste of joy

The poet from Granada can be described as open to joy, understood above all as a gift and as the direct consequence of having been created by God and the acceptance of pain as part of life.

Carmelo Guillén-November 1, 2020-Reading time: 5 minutes

There are many aspects of Luis Rosales' literary work that have always attracted my attention, among others his persistence in the correct use of language, understood as a means of communication and as a system of vital installation, or his intelligent capacity to transform reality into evocative poetic words, brilliantly perceptible, and a copious flow of inspiration. However, none more attractive to me than his enormous ease in bringing out the best face of reality, that of joy.

From that verse of his: "life is a free miracle", one knows that his poetry is reliable, that, from the certainty of what is real, one can achieve surprising and memorable texts, like the ones he writes.

Titles such as The lighted house, The heart's content o Diary of a resurrection already outlines the master lines of his creative approach, which always springs from the light provided by life itself. Any event, any minute detail, any approach to his own existence is poetizable material for him, especially when, as he himself has said, "it only illuminates the best in us".

If we trace his poetic work, we can say of Rosales that is a poet open to joy, understood above all as a gift and as the direct consequence of having been created by God. It could not be otherwise for him: man, made in the image and likeness of his Maker, must reflect not only his goodness, or his beauty, or his truth, or his uniqueness, but his joy. God is in himself joy to the fullest degree. But this joy is not something isolated, but rather, as St. Josemaría Escrivá would say, "has its roots in the form of a cross".

Thus, in any approach to the lyrical trajectory of the poet from Granada, it is essential to delve into the pain-joy interaction, which is the solid basis of his thought and metaphysics, without insisting on one aspect more than the other because both reflect the same inner fire. Many of his micropoems -those are quite a few of his verses: aphorisms or sparks with their own autonomy- show it. In fact, Rosales himself states that "people who do not know pain are like unblessed churches/ like a bit of sand that dreamed of being a beach/ like a bit of sea" because "pain is the law of gravity of the soul,/ it comes to us illuminating us, spelling our bones.". He was the protagonist of this experience following the death of three of his siblings, after his mother - the starting point for the writing of The lighted house- and, finally, of his father, apart from the one he also experienced after the death of some indisputable close friends (Juan Panero, among others).

"Every pain" -he insists. "it makes us know the world anew, each new pain is a dazzling of the truth". And it is in that enclave where the importance of joy becomes apparent, he says: "Watch over your joy, and the rest will be given to you as well. Watch your joy, but do not go in search of it. It is not necessary. When the vital impulse is slowing down with the years, it is necessary to learn to live."This is an indispensable requisite for maintaining the state of peace and serenity of mind that the passage of time demands. If the supernatural sense of suffering is lost -it is often expressed in one way or another- joy ceases to bear fruit. The two, I say, go hand in hand. In fact, the two go hand in hand, "when they hit rock bottom, they always confuse sorrow and joy".

What Rosales sometimes calls "the circles of weeping". is what clarifies, without a doubt, the mystery of human existence and, therefore, that of joy. But, at this point, what is pain? It says it very clearly: "is the flame of Your Visitation"In other words, a manifestation of God, of his nearness, of his presence; a realization that we are in his hands and that we are a faithful reflection of his will, in other words: "a long journey, / is a long journey that always brings us closer, / that leads us to the country where all men are equal; / just like the word God, its happening has no birth, / but revelation, / just like the word God, it makes us of wood to burn us.".

For sure, at this point, one gets the feeling that that firm and coherent Catholicism that Rosales always showed, now emerges more eloquently than ever before.On the one hand, it gives meaning to the equalization or fraternity of human beings, which will be so important in his ultimate poetry, of cosmopolitan character, with a common father, God; on the other, it reflects what we have traditionally understood as "conversion of the heart" (the latter, by the way, a very Rosales word): man needs to allow himself to be cauterized by the divine word. If the poet demands something of himself, it is his own inner transformation, under the protection of divine mercy, of which all individuals are in need. In a long poem "confessional and orational at the same time, a poem of existential recapitulation."as described by Luis Felipe Vivanco, titled ".Mercy"He develops this ascensional path to the love of God the Father, and he undertakes it from tears, from the skin of astonishment that reflects suffering, with the full confidence that its fruit is jubilation and joy.Today that begins / this ascension silenced by the fever of astonishment; / tell me, tell me, Lord, what is this joy of mine, / why does my voice taste like wood when I name you, / [...] / what kind of burning vision do we call love, / hasn't the night arrived where everything comes together, / may your will be done in me, my God".

Undoubtedly, light and all the possible vocabulary within the semantic field of luminescence (lit, fire, burning...) will serve our poet as a guiding thread to unravel the course of his poetic discourse: that joy is the direct consequence of the acceptance of pain: "it should only matter to you / to distinguish clearly between having satisfactions and having joys / this is the key to living."The learning process, which is acquired over the years but has its origins in "the filial memory we still have of God", that is to say, in the proclamation of knowing that we are his children. To assume it, nothing more necessary than to exercise patience, as he announces in one of his compositions: "waiting is part of the joy"and ends up qualifying: "of that sober joy that does not disturb or offend". If in a celebrated sonnet, José Hierro, a poet close in time to Rosales, says, without room for qualification, that he arrived at joy through pain, our author does not fall short in this sense: for him, the world that surrounds him bears the implicit imprint of pain, but this, instead of being an obstacle, is the enriching sap of the human being, a joyful song that generates optimism, an evident proof that, just as the house of his long poem ends illuminated, so does his spirit, in full readiness to welcome whatever comes his way, leaving us proof that his poetry, as a whole, is a genuine reference of the most fertile and radiant religious poetry of the 20th century.

Gabriela Mistral (1889-1957): 75 years after receiving the Nobel Prize

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"A state can limit seating capacity in churches, but not suppress worship activity."

Maria José Atienza-November 1, 2020-Reading time: 5 minutes

The limitations imposed by a civil government must be "proportionate to the end pursued" and, in no case, can the pandemic legitimize "the suppression of the fundamental right to religious freedom," says Rafael Palomino, professor of State Ecclesiastical Law.

March 13, 2020, Spain. A State of Alarm was declared due to the COVID19 health crisis; the unthinkable had become real and Catholics witnessed the closure of churches and the cancellation of public worship, something that had not been known since the 1930's. Although there were a series of practically "universal" measures in the case of the Spanish dioceses regarding the total closure of churches and the limitation of public worship, not all of them opted for the same solution. Although there was a series of practically "universal" measures in the case of the Spanish dioceses, regarding the total closure of temples and limitation of public worship, not all opted for the same solution: there were places where the closure of parishes was advised and others where, following the required sanitary measures, it continued to be possible to attend Holy Mass, for example.

https://youtu.be/winHqNQmc_k

A conjuncture that combines two instances: the civil and the religious one. and that has led to a certain bewilderment on the part of some of the faithful who have wondered how far, in a free and democratic society, a civil authority can the extent to which, in a free and democratic society, a civil authority can decide on religious practice. can decide on religious practice.

The pandemic continues to be present in our lives and, as a consequence, we continue to experience partial confinements, area closures, etc., which leads us to ask ourselves, will we see churches closed again? With these questions on the table, we spoke with Professor of Ecclesiastical Law at the Complutense University of Madrid, Rafael Palomino, Professor of Ecclesiastical Law at the Complutense University of Madrid. to know what can be demanded and what cannot, in conditions that, in themselves, alter and condition the normal parameters on which our social and, therefore, religious life is based.

P- Some people claim that the pandemic has been a "perfect excuse" to limit freedom of worship or even prohibit attendance to churches by the civil government. To what extent is this claim true? Can a civil government establish limits in areas such as churches? Has religious freedom been violated at any time with a health "excuse"?

R.P. -A statement such as the pandemic has been an excuse to limit freedom of worship needs to be contrasted or proven with certain data. I do not have data that allow me to say that this affirmation is true or false. Yes, I have been able to verify that, inside and outside Spain, there have been punctual actions of the public authority that have supposed an illegal limitation of the fundamental right of religious freedom. These actions must be denounced. It is equally true that the public authority may limit fundamental rights: there are no unlimited rights. But limitations must be proportionate, necessary for the purpose pursued. In this case, proportionate to the purpose of preserving public health. And of course, what does not legitimize the pandemic is the suppression of the fundamental right to religious freedom, not even under the declaration of a state of alarm.

The attitude of citizens

P- In the case of Spain, especially in the early stages of the pandemic, the decisions of the bishops regarding the total closure of the churches were not the same in all the dioceses: some closed completely, others maintained worship with the established limitations if the parish priests so decided... etc. This led to certain confusions between what could and could not be "demanded" in the field of attendance to religious worship. What can and cannot be carried out? Is it always better, for the faithful, to abide by the decisions of a civil government even if they consider them unjust or disproportionate?

R.P. -It is normal that the decisions of the Spanish bishops have not been exactly the same, uniform. The incidence of the virus is not identical throughout the national territory, the situation of the Community of Madrid is not the same as that of Cantabria or Melilla, to give a few well-known examples. What can be demanded or not from the ecclesiastical authorities, from the bishops, from the parish priests? It seems to me that the starting point is similar to the one that arises in the secular sphere. Let us look at it. According to canon 213 of the Code of Canon Law - the basic and supreme norm governing the Catholic Church - thehe Christian faithful have the right to receive spiritual goods, principally the word of God and the sacraments. This is a truly fundamental right, not a toast to the sun, something necessary for the faithful. Remember that, as we said before, there are no unlimited rights: neither is this one. But the limitation (not suppression, which would be very serious) of the right to the reception of spiritual goods must be adopted with the prudence proper to good authorityThe company's actions must be proportionate, suitable and necessary, complying with the regulatory requirements of the civil authority, of course, but not guided solely by criteria of convenience or opportunity.

We cannot reduce God to the phone or TV screen: The Word of God became flesh, not a screen, you know what I mean: as far as possible, with prudence, the goods of salvation must reach people and people must also reach the house of God in body, because we are not only spirit, much less are we an image on a screen.

On the other hand, the faithful must comply with all legitimate prescriptions of the civil authority. (even if we do not like the people who at a given moment occupy public office) even when they disagree or consider - we all have an alternative ruler inside us - that things can be done better, much better. And if it is seriously considered that the decisions of the authority are unjust or disproportionate, what corresponds to the conduct of a faithful Christian who, being a Christian, is a good citizen (or wants to be one) is to challenge those administrative decisions before the courts of justice.

P- In this so-called "second wave", in which the measures are somewhat less restrictive, we observe, however, situations such as that of last September in Ibiza, where the civil government decreed "the suppression of the activity of worship", while at the same time allowing the opening and attendance to places of greater concurrence. Legally, can this type of attitudes be sustained or, on the contrary, is it necessary, and consequently, to appeal them?

R.P. - The suppression of worship activities by the public authority is a contradiction in terms, it is a nonsense, it is a paradigm of arbitrariness. The civil authority cannot, by reason of states of alarm, suppress acts of worship. It is totally out of its competence. What it can do is to limit proportionally the capacity of places of worship or to establish measures for public safety or public health. It is true that the public authority has reasoned, more often than not, with materialistic criteria, which has led it to consider that "essential services" for the population can only be, practically, two things: shopping in a supermarket and being cured in a hospital. And this is a mistake that ignores the root of the fundamental rights of the person and the spiritual nature of the human being. Legally, these decisions, norms or administrative resolutions are contrary to law: they must be appealed, but not only for their own benefit, as the expression goes, but also to remind the public authorities that the fundamental rights of the person limit their arbitrariness.

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Pope relaunches Global Education Pact

Giovanni Tridente-November 1, 2020-Reading time: 5 minutes

With creativity and courage, promoters of a path of hope

A year and a half after the first appeal, Pope Francis has returned to relaunch the Global Education Pact, to rebuild a more welcoming, just and supportive world, starting from the foundations of the education of the new generations.

To accept the challenge presented to us by history and to sign together a global educational pact, which aims to "look beyond" the immediate situation of individual and specific social emergencies, to put the person back at the center and thus build a sustainable future for every member of the human family. In these few lines we can summarize the great future perspective, undoubtedly prophetic, which rests on the educational necessity, initiated by Pope Francis more than a year ago. On September 12, 2019, the Holy Father appealed with a. Message to all representatives of the earthWe are committed to the goal of making everyone do his or her part in an area as central to future generations as education.

In retrospect, one notices that this theme represents a vision already expressed many times throughout the pontificate, in particular in the structure of the apostolic exhortation Evangelii gaudium and in the encyclical Laudato si'which, for obvious reasons, refer to the orientations of the Council and the post-Council.

Benedict XVI...

How not to recall, in this line, also the great contribution already made by Benedict XVI in his Magisterium. In 2008, the famous Letter to the Diocese and City of Rome "on the urgent task of education", in which he listed closeness and trust arising from love as the keys to initiate an authentic education, starting from the fundamental experience in the family. Ratzinger did not skimp in saying that even if the responsibility is primarily personal, it is "a responsibility that we share together, as citizens of the same city and the same nation, as members of the human family and, if we are believers, as children of the one God and members of the Church".

Francisco...

Returning to the programmatic document of Pope Francis' pontificate, Evangelii gaudium, it is evident that the task of missionary outreach, which calls everyone to carry the proclamation of the Gospel, is evident "in all places, on all occasions, without delay, without disgust and without fear."to discover and transmit the "mystique" of living together and experiencing true fraternity. In Laudato si' the reference to education is very precise and it is necessary to create inclusive communities that know how to listen and dialogue constructively, initiating processes of exchange and transformation to guarantee future generations a future of hope and peace.

All these aspects resurfaced in a more evident way in the third encyclical of a few weeks ago, Fratelli tutti, where, drawing from the rich tradition of the Social Doctrine of the Church, the complexity of human affairs, with its dark points and its dramas, is projected with a light of hope, dreaming of a better future for all the inhabitants of the earth, children of the same Father and, therefore, brothers and sisters.

The Global Compact

The Message with which in 2019 the Pope invited to a global educational pact does not make explicit a concrete action per se, nor does it define a program, but we could say that it initiates a process, calls for a commitment, invites to an alliance. In short, he summons all people of good will who feel called to do so, even with reciprocal differences, to place their forces at the service of a common project. The Pope does speak explicitly of a Village of education, in which "The commitment to generate a network of human and open relationships is shared in diversity", after having first prepared the ground "of discrimination with the introduction of fraternity".

Still in this village -"to educate a child it takes an entire village".It will be possible to adapt education to all the components of the person: study and life, in teachers, students, families and civil society, with all the intellectual, artistic, sporting, political and entrepreneurial expressions....

The impetus launched by the Pontiff more than a year ago finally recalled in short "the courage to place the person at the center", "the courage to invest the best energies with creativity and responsibility" and "the courage to form people available to put themselves at the service of the community".

A new impetus

The idea was to bring together in Rome public personalities who, at the global level, have positions of responsibility and concern for the future of young people, to reflect together on how to initiate "processes of transformation" and find solutions that lead to "a humanism of solidarity, which responds to the hopes of man and the design of God".

This event was to take place on May 14 of this year but was postponed for reasons related to the Coronavirus pandemic.

Meanwhile, on October 15, with an event at the Pontifical Lateran University coordinated by the Congregation for Catholic Education, the idea of the Global Education Pact has been relaunched even more explicitly and urgently, also thanks to the experience of the health emergency.

The initiative included a video-message from UNESCO's Director General Audrey Azoulay, who, referring to the pandemic, underlined how it has "revealed all the existing social inequalities", a crisis that especially affects the most vulnerable and "has triggered what can be defined as the globalization of indifference, especially towards the most fragile".

It was a long awaited Pope Francis' message. This second intervention, this "relaunch" a year and a half later, could not fail to take into account Covid-19, and that the opening words of the Holy Father began right here: the health emergency "has accelerated and amplified many of the emergencies and emergencies that we had noted, and has manifested many others".

But the Pope immediately warns: health measures may help, but they must be accompanied by "a new cultural model" that cannot fail to put the dignity of the human person first.

Education, on this point, represents - and the Pope reiterates it - "one of the most effective ways of humanizing the world and history", "a natural antidote to individualistic culture".

Therefore, Francis calls it an "integral itinerary," a "shared journey" that leads to overcoming loneliness and mistrust, but also indifference to forms of violence, abuse and slavery, including exploitation of the planet.

Seven specific objectives

The call for the urgency of signing an educational pact is also dictated by the current health crisis, so the Pope's final appeal is to involve everyone in a "plural and multifaceted process" with seven concrete objectives: to put the person, his or her dignity and uniqueness at the center; to listen to the voice of children, boys and young people; to promote the full participation of girls and young women in education; to consider the family as the first and indispensable educating subject; to educate one another to welcome the marginalized and vulnerable; to reform the economy and politics in favor of the common good and integral ecology; finally, to protect the common home from the exploitation of resources, demanding more sober lifestyles and developing a true circular economy. A call to courage, to creativity, to be promoters of a path of hope.

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Latin America

Preserving the Christian cultural heritage, a service to the Church and society

Joao Carlos Nara Jr.-November 1, 2020-Reading time: 6 minutes

The academic tradition on cultural heritage is long in Brazil. Early on, the nationalist policy of the Republic established a National Historical and Artistic Heritage Service, which has pointed to the baroque architecture of colonial times as a fundamental artistic reference of the Brazilian soul, similar to the French option for the Middle Ages as the historical cradle of France.

This is often the way intellectual elites think when they propose the monuments of the past as a banner of historical legitimization for emerging nations. However, with the passage of time, the patrimonialization of memory has reinforced the awareness of the expiration of the preservation criteria themselves, which needs constant study and updating. Of course, in Brazilian legislation the focus has migrated from the cultural asset to the cultural reference, i.e., from mere materiality to the attribution of value by society.

In any case, both the preservation and the appropriation of emblematic artifacts require a collective commitment, which is often difficult to achieve. of emblematic artifacts require a collective commitment, often difficult to achieve. often difficult to achieve.

Brazil: heritage preservation

The heritage of the Catholic Church in Brazil -historical, artistic, cultural and documentary assets-is abundant and represents about 50 % of the country's total cultural heritage.. For this reason, when the Agreement between the Holy See and the Brazilian State concerning the Legal Status of the Catholic Church in Brazil was concluded in Vatican City on November 13, 2008, two of its articles dealt specifically with the cultural goods of the Church, their protection and preservation. By the Agreement, the Church recognizes that these goods, although belonging to it, also belong to the Brazilian people; therefore, it undertakes to make them available to the people. The State, in turn, safeguarding the original purposes of these assets, undertakes to cooperate with the Church to value, conserve and promote the enjoyment of the Church's cultural assets.

Following the Agreement, the National Conference of Brazilian Bishops (CNBB) National Conference of Bishops of Brazil (CNBB) has created a Special Commission to study the matter. Commission to study the matter. It is now a permanent part of the Episcopal Pastoral Commission for Culture and Education. Meanwhile, many ecclesiastical provinces and dioceses in and dioceses in Brazil have also created their own commissions to assist and guide preservation and promotion policies. to assist and guide heritage preservation and promotion policies. and promotion of heritage.

The Rio de Janeiro Commission

This is the case, for example, of São Sebastião do Rio de Janeiro, where the Cardinal Orani João Tempesta formed, on October 18, 2018, the "Comissão de Preservação do Patrimônio Histórico e Cultural da Arquidiocese do Rio de Janeiro e seu Interesse".. This Commission is already carrying out several projects in the city: inventories, conservation plans, restoration projects, etc. A very important task is the investigation of the properties, since many of the classified buildings belong to one of the many secular brotherhoods of Rio de Janeiro and are not under the direct responsibility and administration of the archdiocese.

According to Cardinal Tempesta, "it is important that every diocese should have a commission in charge of conservation and restoration. of the cultural property of the Churchand to carry out a prior analysis of the construction, modification and restoration projects of the buildings and their collections".

It is well known that the work of cultural heritage management requires specialized knowledge. In the Brazilian case, it is also necessary to know how to dialogue with the various heritage protection bodies. In this sense, the cardinal summarized: "Another fundamental role of the Heritage Preservation Commission is integrating the Church with the other actors involved in the preservation of cultural heritageThe main challenges for the preservation and maintenance of cultural property are many, and only with the participation of all can more positive results be achieved".

Iconoclasm and cultural legacy

The initiative has come at a good time. On the one hand, a new iconoclasm of the world is echoing a new iconoclasm, which aims to tear down or vilify monuments. vilify monuments. Even in a small Brazilian town, founded by the "Apostle of Brazil", the the "Apostle of Brazil", St. Joseph of Anchieta, a city that bears his name and where the National Sanctuary of the the National Sanctuary of the country's patron saint, the bronze statue of the saint, located in the the bronze statue of the saint, located in the square, has been covered with red graffiti. At the destruction of the National Museum of Brazil, which was consumed by fire in 2018, has in 2018, has thrown those working in preservation into uncertainty about the future of cultural heritage. about the future of cultural heritage.

Commenting on these sad episodes, the curator of the Archdiocesan the curator of the Archdiocesan Commission, Fr. Silmar Alves Fernandes: "Whether because of economic crises that restrict funding, or because of a lack of interest in the whether it is due to a lack of interest resulting from a lack of awareness of the importance of so many works, or even to the imprudence of relegating of the importance of so many works, or even the imprudence of relegating cultural priorities to the background, the cultural priorities on the back burner, the fact is that several foreseeable and avoidable accidents are to be and avoidable accidents that, unfortunately, leave behind losses of incalculable value. incalculable losses. In the face of so many situations, the preservation of our historical and cultural heritage is a task that must be carried out with the utmost care. cultural heritage is a task that we must fulfill if we want to leave future generations the legacy of our heritage. leave to future generations the legacy of our identity as a people and a nation. nation.".

However, care for heritage goes beyond mere cultural or civic interest. As Pe. Silmar himself points out: "As for religious collections, like ours, the task also involves a commitment to the transmission of faithwhich is conferred on us as a mission, as followers of Jesus Christ"..

An international seminar

In order to make the Commission's mission known to the diocesan clergy, to the owners of classified property, and to professionals involved in preservation efforts, the Commission promoted as its first act the International Seminar on Catholic Historical and Cultural Heritagefrom June 3 to 7, 2019, at the National Historical Museum of Rio de Janeiro. The event was attended by its 200 registered participants, including priests, religious and seminarians, professionals in engineering, architecture, conservation and restoration, students and artists. Before the beginning of the sections, Mr. Orani Tempesta presided over a solemn Eucharistic concelebration in the parish of Our Lady of Mount Carmel, the former cathedral of Rio.

After the welcome from the curator of the commission, Pe. Silmar Alves Fernandesthe inaugural lecture of the seminar was given by Monsignor José Roberto Devellard, specialist in Sacred Art.

The event was followed by presentations by Brazilian and Portuguese experts, distributed Portuguese experts, divided into four sections: faith and religiosity; heritage protection; conservation and restoration conservation and restoration; collections, resources and investments. investments. In addition to the researchers, presentations were also made by ecclesiastical authorities and staff from authorities and important personalities of the Brazilian political and cultural scene. Brazilian political and cultural scene.

The seminar concluded with two guided visits, the first to the Archdiocesan Museum of Sacred Art, located in the basement of the Cathedral of St. Paul. Museum of Sacred Art, located in the basement of the Cathedral of San Sebastian. Sebastian Cathedral. Among the exhibits on display is the Golden Rose, a gift from Leo XIII to Princess Isabella to Princess Isabella for the abolition of slavery, the throne on which the Emperor Don Peter II attended Mass, some relics, sacred vessels and a series of works of art and jewelry. a series of works of art and jewelry.

Delivery of the works

The second was a guided visit to the chapel of Our Lady of Victory, inside the church of the Third Order of the Minims of St. Francis of Paola. The reason was special: the delivery of the completed restoration works to the population. The eighteenth century chapel, in rococo style, is one of the treasures of the city. It was made by the master Valentim da Fonseca e Silva, a brown man, son of a freed slave, who died in 1813, one of the most important artists of the Brazilian colonial period. The chapel houses paintings by Manuel da Cunha, a freed slave. Due to the action of time, the varnishes of the works darkened and hid the particularities of the pieces.

The restoration was done in a very short time, counting on the contribution of devotees and donors. The Cardinal thanked the commitment of the people with the sacred patrimony and the creativity for the economic measures adopted. "Even in times of scarce resources, I congratulate the Commission for the search for ways, for the first achievements, for the concern with the restoration of the Catholic patrimony. Preserving memory and thinking about future generations are part of our responsibility."said Don Orani.

Sacred art and upcoming commemorations

The same cardinal is encouraging the celebration of the upcoming jubilees, which are being organized by the Canon Cláudio dos SantosPastoral Coordinator of the Archdiocese and pastor of the Metropolitan Cathedral. The first commemoration is the 90th anniversary of Christ the Redeemer on October 12 next year, feast of Our Lady of the Conception Aparecida, patroness of Brazil. The iconic statue is the largest monument in Brazil. Art deco of the world.

Then, the main historical milestones will be: the bicentennial of the Independence of Brazil in 2022, the 450th anniversary of the creation of the territorial Prelature of Rio de Janeiro by Gregory XIII in 2025, and the 350th anniversary of its elevation to a diocese by Innocent XI in 2026. The Heritage Preservation Commission will play an important role in all these commemorations. The curator of the Commission, Fr. Silmar, has summarized in the three theological virtues the whole effort of preserving the Christian heritage: "This is the world we wish to echo in the sacred spaces preserved, with living faith, unwavering hope and love unfolding on earth. It is precisely there that the human creature recognizes his Creator, who intermittently blows all his creative ingenuity upon his ear, so that the world may not seem a desolate desert, but that there may be many oases for the thirsty pilgrims of Eternal Beauty.".

The authorJoao Carlos Nara Jr.

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Twentieth Century Theology

Modern revolutions and "Dignitatis humanae".

Juan Luis Lorda-November 1, 2020-Reading time: 8 minutes

The statement Dignitatis humanae of the Second Vatican Council confronted one of the great themes of the Church's dialogue with modernity, provoked the Lefebvrian schism and was the object of a precise discernment by Benedict XVI.

In 1972 Zhou Enlai, China's premier under Mao, managed to arrange a visit by U.S. President Richard Nixon. In an informal conversation, past and present revolutions were discussed and Zhou Enlai, who had been educated in Paris, was asked what he thought of the French revolution. He replied that "it was too early to tell". The anecdote, reported by the Financial Times, went around the world and became enshrined as an icon of the tempus lento of Chinese wisdom. Only much later did a diplomat acting as interpreter at the time clarify that Zhou Enlai was not referring to the revolution of 1789, but to that of May 1968.

With that, the anecdote lost its charm, but not its truth: both the revolution of 1789 and that of 1968 still operate on our culture and Christian life. The processes of individuals can last for decades, but those of culture can last for centuries.

Centuries lasted the process by which the Roman Empire was Christianized, and centuries by which the medieval European "nations" were constituted with the conversion and development of the barbarian, Germanic and Slavic peoples. Then, in two or three centuries, the nations were transformed into monarchical states, with borders fixed by wars and royal marriages. And since the 17th century, due to the ups and downs of the wars of religion, the desire grew for governments to be founded on rational bases and to better protect the rights of the people against the arbitrariness of the rulers: electing the rulers and dividing and limiting their powers.

Two stories and two separations

What was a utopia of parlor talk became policy with the independence of the United States (1775). Having to invent themselves, they chose to put it into practice. Precisely because a significant part of the American population came from dissidents who had fled or been expelled from confessional (Protestant) countries such as England and Germany, they agreed to honor God and respect their neighbors, but also that the state should not interfere at all in religious matters.

In France (1789), the process was completely different: at a time of economic and institutional crisis, enlightened and audacious minorities took over the state and brought about a transformation from above, overthrowing the monarchy and its supporters: the nobility and the Church with the traditional strata.

The United States was born with the churches voluntarily separated from the State. In France, the Church was part of the old national order, and the separation was an enormous tear in the national conscience forged over the centuries: the nation became a theoretically separate state, but practically aggressive, because it wanted to diminish the power of the Church, considered as a retrograde force opposed to progress. The same scheme, although less violent, would be followed in Spain, Italy and the American nations with independence.

Major objections

The Church, as an institution, was left wounded and on the defensive. It was very difficult to believe in the sincerity and honesty of a project where there seemed to be no room. And it was very difficult to believe that we were working for human rights when they were so easily violated for reasons of state.

Moreover, that the people constituted themselves as the source of all law and gave themselves the laws was hurtful to Christian ears. For God is the source of morality. Although it was no more than a rhetorical exaggeration, because in reality, most of the rights are not created, but are actually recognized. And it also hurt to impose freedom of worship where the Catholic unity of nations was broken, preferring the opinion or the whim of each one, and giving the same rights to all. This was considered an unacceptable relativism: truth does not have the same rights as error. This is how the great Popes of the 19th century expressed themselves.

Delayed effects of Modernity

In the Catholic conscience, the certainty of preserving the essence of the Christian nations has survived, with the consequent hurt and sadness for the losses and the nostalgia for the past. That is why it took a long time to enter the political game and, in a way, it never fully entered. The same nostalgia seemed to keep alive another impossible alternative.

This would have two negative effects: one, that traditional Catholics are accustomed to criticize or make moral judgments, but not to operate and defend themselves effectively in the democratic political game. The other is that they are not accustomed to evangelizing. For centuries they have worked in the instruction (catechism) and maintenance of worship, but there are hardly any channels, institutions or custom to evangelize in European countries. Preaching is done inside the churches, but not outside the churches. In the past, nations were constitutively Christian, and the state was expected to settle difficulties as a matter of law and order.

The purpose of the Council

Since he proposed it John XXIIIThe Council wanted to resituate the Church in the modern world and relaunch evangelization. It would also be an operation of centuries. The calmer and more conciliatory atmosphere of the post-war period (double post-war) facilitated dialogue, although an important part of the Church had remained under communist domination, where there was no dialogue at all.

The great efforts of the Council led to a renewal of the image of the Church as mystery (Lumen gentium), overcoming a historical, sociological or canonical vision that it also has. This was already very important to situate the Church in the modern world by elevation. The other great document Gaudium et spes However, the very history of the document's preparation led us to see that what the Church can say in the opinionated fields of family, economy, politics, education and culture is based on her revealed knowledge of the human being. An approach that the pontificate of St. John Paul II would insist on.

The tension of Dignitatis humanae

In this context, it is understandable that the effort to position the Church in the modern world also led to the discernment of conflicting issues, such as the acceptance of religious pluralism or freedom of conscience in the face of religious truth, and the separation of Church and State. This implied the acceptance of democracy as a valid system of political coexistence. And, incidentally, the renunciation of the aspiration for national religious unity as an objective of Christian action. If this were to happen, it would have to be by conviction, but not by imposition.

This change of aspirations and strategy had already been proposed by Jacques Maritain in Integral Humanism. And it was assumed by Christian politicians who had thought and entered the democratic game (Don Luigi Sturzo and the Italian and German Christian democracy).

The statements of Dignitatis humanae

The decree Dignitatis humanae begins by acknowledging the growing modern concern for freedom, also in the religious sphere. Then, he expresses the uniqueness of the Christian faith as revealed truth, and insists that "all men are obliged to seek the truth", but also "truth imposes itself only by the force of truth itself".. This means that the civil authority has to protect this process of religious freedom, granting a free exercise and without proscribing any legitimate exercise, as long as it does not disturb the social order.

Precisely because it is based on the moral principles of the person, it can affirm that "leaves intact the traditional Catholic doctrine concerning the moral duty of men and societies towards the true religion and the one Church of Christ.".

The document is very nuanced, but it was evident that there was, at least, a change of approach. Thus, and more severely, it was judged by several bishops and mainly by Marcel Lefebvre, who would write at length on the subject and would come to the conclusion that the doctrine of the Council departed from the established teaching of the Church and the Council had to be considered invalid. In the end, this would provoke a schism, and an echo that has not ceased to be heard and that also reaches many non schismatic Catholics.

Different experiences of the Church

It should be noted that in Dignitatis humane very different experiences converged

a) that of the bishops of the United States, where separation is one of the foundations of the State and the Catholic Church has enjoyed freedom from the beginning;

b) that of the bishops of the confessional Protestant states (Holland, German states, Scotland, Sweden, Norway, Finland...) and of England, where the division of Church and State allowed, since the middle of the 19th century, the normal development of the Catholic Church, previously forbidden and punished;

c) that of the bishops of the countries under communist domination, who saw in that declaration a defense of the Church based on fundamental rights of the person; among them, Karol Wojtyła;

d) could hardly speak (and today neither) those under Muslim rule, who would gain a lot if religious freedom were recognized in their countries;

e) in reality, the Catholic confessional countries were very few (and in regime of exception), above all, Spain, Portugal and some American nations to varying degrees. The rest lived with greater or lesser comfort and recognition in democratic regimes with religious freedom and separation.

Benedict XVI's Address to the Curia (2005)

On December 22, 2005, in his first year as pope, Benedict XVI addressed a very special Christmas greeting to the Roman Curia. He took advantage of the occasion to address the most important issues of the pontificate: the judgement on the interpretation of the Council, going beyond the rupturist adventures and at the same time the fundamentalist criticisms. It is a brilliant text.

At the beginning, Benedict XVI acknowledges that there has been a reform, but not a rupture. Without renouncing any of its principles, there has been a change of doctrinal approach. He refers, evidently, to the nuances required by the judgments of the Popes of the 19th century on liberalism, the separation of Church and State, and religious freedom.

Here are some phrases: "It was necessary to learn to recognize that, in these decisions, only the principles express the lasting aspect, remaining in the background and motivating the decision from within. On the other hand, the concrete forms are not equally permanent, since they depend on the historical situation and can therefore undergo changes. Thus, substantive decisions may remain valid, while the forms of their application to new contexts may change. For example, if freedom of religion is considered as an expression of man's inability to find the truth and is thus transformed into a canonization of relativism, then it is improperly shifted from social and historical necessity to the metaphysical level, and is thus deprived of its true meaning, with the consequence that it cannot be accepted by those who believe that man is capable of knowing the truth of God and is bound to that knowledge on the basis of the inner dignity of truth. On the contrary, something totally different is to consider freedom of religion as a necessity that derives from human coexistence, indeed, as an intrinsic consequence of the truth that cannot be imposed from outside, but that man must make it his own only through a process of conviction. The Second Vatican Council, recognizing and making its own, with the decree on religious freedom, an essential principle of the modern State, took up once again the deepest patrimony of the Church.". Remember also that, in the beginning, the Church, while recognizing the authority of the emperors and praying for them, defended its religious freedom against the pretensions of the Roman state. That is why so many martyrs died: "They also died for freedom of conscience and for the freedom to profess one's faith, a profession that no State can impose, but which can only be made one's own with the grace of God, in freedom of conscience." He concludes: "A missionary Church, aware that it has the duty to proclaim its message to all peoples, must necessarily be committed to the freedom of faith.".

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Rafael Palomino: "A State can limit the capacity of churches, but not suppress the activity of worship".

Maria José Atienza-November 1, 2020-Reading time: 4 minutes

March 13, 2020, Spain. A State of Alarm was declared due to the COVID19 health crisis; the unthinkable had become real and Catholics witnessed the closure of churches and the cancellation of public worship, something that had not been known since the 1930's. Although there was a series of practically "universal" measures in the case of the Spanish dioceses, regarding the total closure of churches and the limitation of public worship, not all of them opted for a total closure of churches and the limitation of public worship. Although there was a series of practically "universal" measures in the case of the Spanish dioceses, regarding the total closure of temples and limitation of public worship, not all opted for the same solution: there were places where the closure of parishes was advised and others where, following the required sanitary measures, it continued to be possible to attend Holy Mass, for example.

A conjuncture that combines two instances: the civil and the religious and that has led to some bewilderment on the part of some of the faithful who have wondered to what extent, in a free and democratic society, a civil authority can decide on religious practice.

The pandemic continues to be present in our lives and, as a consequence, we continue to experience partial confinements, area closures, etc. This leads us to ask ourselves, will we see churches closed again? With these questions on the table, we spoke with Rafael Palomino, Professor of Ecclesiastical Law at the Complutense University of Madrid, to find out what can and cannot be demanded in conditions that already alter and condition the normal parameters on which our social and, therefore, religious life is based.

Some people claim that the pandemic has been a "perfect excuse" to limit freedom of worship or even prohibit attendance to churches by the civil government. To what extent is this claim true? Can a civil government establish limits in areas such as churches? Has religious freedom been violated at any time with a health "excuse"?

-A statement such as the pandemic has been an excuse to limit freedom of worship needs to be contrasted or proven with certain data. I do not have data that allow me to say that this statement is true or false. Yes, I have been able to verify that, inside and outside Spain, there have been punctual actions of the public authority that have supposed an illegal limitation of the fundamental right of religious freedom. These actions must be denounced. It is equally true that the public authority can limit fundamental rights: there are no unlimited rights. But limitations must be proportionate, suitable, necessary to the end pursued. In this case, proportionate to the purpose of preserving public health. And of course, what does not legitimize the pandemic is the suppression of the fundamental right to religious freedom, not even under the declaration of a state of alarm.

In the case of Spain, especially in the early stages of the pandemic, the decisions of the bishops regarding the total closure of the churches were not the same in all the dioceses: some closed completely, others maintained worship with the established limitations if the parish priests so decided... etc. This led to certain confusions between what could and could not be "demanded" in the field of attendance to religious worship. What can and cannot be carried out? Is it always better, for the faithful, to abide by the decisions of a civil government even if they consider them unjust or disproportionate?

-It is normal that the decisions of the Spanish bishops have not been exactly the same, uniform. The incidence of the virus is not identical throughout the national territory, the situation of the Community of Madrid is not the same as that of Cantabria or Melilla, to give a few well-known examples. What can be demanded or not from the ecclesiastical authorities, from the bishops, from the parish priests? It seems to me that the starting point is similar to the one that arises in the secular sphere. Let us look at it. According to canon 213 of the Code of Canon Law - the basic and supreme norm governing the Catholic Church - the Christian faithful have the right to receive spiritual goods, principally the word of God and the sacraments. This is a true fundamental right, not a toast to the sun, something necessary for the faithful. Let us remember that, as we said before, there are no unlimited rights: neither is this one. But the limitation (not suppression, which would be very serious) of the right to the reception of spiritual goods must be adopted with the prudence proper to good authority, that is, in a proportionate, suitable and necessary manner, complying with the normative requirements of civil authority, of course, but not guided only by criteria of convenience or opportunity.

We cannot reduce God to a telephone or television screen: the Word of God became flesh, not a screen, you know what I mean: as far as possible, with prudence, the goods of salvation must reach people and people must reach the house of God also in body, because we are not only spirit, much less are we an image on a screen.

On the other hand, the faithful must comply with all the legitimate prescriptions of the civil authority (even if we do not like the persons who at a given moment occupy public office) even when they disagree or consider - we all have an alternative ruler inside us - that things can be done better, much better. And if it is seriously considered that the decisions of the authority are unjust or disproportionate, what corresponds to the conduct of a faithful Christian who, being a Christian, is a good citizen (or wants to be one) is to challenge those administrative decisions before the courts of justice.

In this so-called "second wave", in which the measures are somewhat less restrictive, we observe, however, situations such as that of last September in Ibiza, where the civil government decreed "the suppression of the activity of worship", while at the same time allowing the opening and attendance to places of greater concurrence. Legally, can this type of attitudes be sustained or, on the contrary, is it necessary, and consequently, to appeal them?

-The suppression of worship activities by the public authority is a contradiction in terms, it is a nonsense, it is a paradigm of arbitrariness. The civil authority cannot, because of states of alarm, suppress acts of worship. It is totally out of its competence. What it can do is to limit proportionally the capacity of places of worship or to establish measures in favor of public safety or health.

It is true that the public authority has reasoned, more often than not, with materialistic criteria, which has led it to consider that "essential services" for the population can only be, practically, two things: shopping in a supermarket and being cured in a hospital. And this is a mistake that ignores the root of the fundamental rights of the person and the spiritual nature of the human being. Legally, these decisions, norms or administrative resolutions are contrary to law: they must be appealed, but not only for their own benefit, as the expression goes, but also to remind the public authorities that the fundamental rights of the person limit their arbitrariness.

Spain

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Education

Vincenzo Buonomo: "Education as part of a universal solidarity".

On October 15, the Global Compact on Education at the Pontifical Lateran University. Palabra has interviewed the Rector of the University, Vincenzo Buonomo, Vatican advisor.

Giovanni Tridente-November 1, 2020-Reading time: 3 minutes

The rector of the Lateran University, Vincenzo Buonomo, offered us some reflections on this initiative for education, which is so important to Pope Francis and which we have presented in the previous pages.

Rector Buonomo, as an educator, what challenges you most about the Global Compact?

-The Pope's desire is to build a "global village of education" capable above all of constituting a network of relationships and dialogue between the various educational bodies: the family, the school, the Church, the university, politics and institutions.

As educators, the Pact requires us to develop a vision that sees education as part of a universal solidarity and to assume a dual responsibility: to make training places capable of educating, and not just providing concepts, and to build a culture of integral education that overcomes the fragmentation and counterpointing of knowledge, restoring full confidence in research as the basis of teaching.

Professor, the Pope speaks of an "educational catastrophe" also as a consequence of the pandemic. How to face this growing scenario of social gap and cultural inequality?

-I will borrow the image evoked by the Pope in the recent Encyclical Brothers AllThe stranger in the street. Everyone avoids him, out of convenience, distrust or indifference. The Samaritan - who, curiously enough, is also a "stranger" because of his context - stops and does his part, that is, acts. It would be easy to say that it is a matter of lived charity or philanthropy or compassion, when, in fact, we are dealing with a choice, that of acting in a concrete situation, without a motivation: it is the idea of gratuitousness, which is the continuation of solidarity.

In this way, the educational instances must operate by "taking charge" of reality, following effective therapies for each diagnosis. In this path, the University assumes an important responsibility.

Despite covid19, the planning of initiatives linked to the Pact has not been interrupted; the theme of peace and citizenship has been entrusted to the Lateranense. How do you plan to develop it?

-First of all, as an institution of the Holy See, we initiated a collaboration, following the indications of the Congregation for Catholic Education, with the United Nations University for PeaceThe UN is a UN agency for the training of personnel in the service of peace missions and conflict prevention and resolution activities.

Following the signing of an agreement between the two university institutions on October 31, 2019, a first research path on the themes of the "diplomacy of art" was launched. Subsequently, the deepening and study of the positions of the Church's magisterium on peace, one hundred years after the first encyclical on the subject, began, Pacem dei munus of Benedict XV. A research oriented to understand the comparison, the sequel and the effects of the studies and teachings on peace, on the juridical-political processes at the international level and on the process of institutionalization of the international community for the prevention, regulation and resolution of conflicts.

Since 2018, a Cycle of studies on these fields has been taught at your University. Who is it aimed at and what are the perspectives from a pastoral and professional point of view?

-The training course (diploma and degree) was established in 2018 by Pope Francis with the aim of training international officials and mediators, future diplomats, peacemaking experts, operators in post-conflict scenarios, those responsible for the Third Sector, pastors and religious who live their ministry in war scenarios.

On the academic side, this means the study of theories and intervention tools to ensure the affirmation of a culture of peace that is the result of the convergence of means, elements, methods, notions and theories to prevent and resolve conflicts.

We believe that this academic proposal, which is structured on the so-called peace sciencescan help the younger generations to understand that peace is not only or the opposite of the absence of war, but the fruit of effective processes, of "artisanal transformations carried out by villages". (you remember Brothers All), in which everyone is called to give proof of selfless love, responsibility and efficiency.

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ColumnistsMauro Leonardi

The art of weaving and repairing

To be "weavers of fraternity", to have the ability to "mend" relationships without damaging the seams of the soul is key to any Christian vocation.

November 1, 2020-Reading time: < 1 minute

For the World Mission Sunday celebrated on October 18, Pope Francis stressed the importance of being "fraternity weavers".. At the Angelus that day he said: "It is a beautiful word, 'weavers'. All Christians are called to be weavers of fraternity. In a special way, missionaries - priests, consecrated men and women and lay people - who sow the Gospel in the great field of the world. Let us pray for them and give them our concrete support".

Entire civilizations have based their way on the ability to know how to weave, in the sense of knowing how to mend, repair or readjust objects to prolong their functioning or to build others. New bronze statues from the casting of other statues, Christian churches from pagan temples, new cities from old cities. Today this is no longer the case because, from an economic point of view, it is often not convenient: how many times have we been told that the cost of the repair is higher than the cost of the new object.

The relationship, however, often requires the art of knowing how to weave by mending. This is true for everyone, not only for missionaries. If we do not know the value of restoring and mending a broken one, we are condemned to affective isolation.

It is important to understand that, in the process of breaking and mending, of crisis and overcoming, which concern a vocation, whatever it may be, mending does not spoil but improves. Mending a tear is like making a beautiful embroidery, precious, attentive, tidy, but which, unlike embroidery, will be appreciated not when it is seen, but precisely because no one will see it. Some tailors carry the inscription: "We make invisible patches", and place their pride precisely in knowing how to repair with a light hand so that no one notices. This is something that each of us must learn for our lives.

The authorMauro Leonardi

Priest and writer.

Rome

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Catholic Adoration Music: International Overview

This time we leave Spain and look beyond our country, to approach the music and Catholic worship musicians internationally. We have a great journey to share and a great adventure, aware that there are many Catholic singers and we will not be able to mention them all.

The Beloved produces love-November 1, 2020-Reading time: 5 minutes

We have a great journey to share and a great adventure, aware that there are so many Catholic singers that we will not be able to mention them all.

Great people have paved the way in this genre, enlightened by the Spirit, with a special anointing. anointing. We reconnect here with King David, with the Lord's anointed.

Dominican Republic

In this line we would like to open this journey with Jon Carlo, from Dominican Republic. It is said of Jon that "his parents didn't know what to do with their son." when he went to jail in the early 90s. Based in New York, they did not imagine in 1993 that, after a charismatic retreat, he would come out in love with Jesus Christ. In 2013 he made his presentation at the World Youth Day in Rio de Janeiro, and in some moments, such as the Vigil with the Pope, also at the WYD in Panama (2019).

Singer, songwriter and producer, Jon has 2 albums in his career: My greatest passion y You are strongerHe is also involved in other productions. Jon is very active in the Latino culture. He lives in Mc Allen, Texas.

Worship and praise have a woman's voice: Celines, also dominicanShe leaves us captivated with her soft voice.

We are moved by his own words: "To give the best to God is not to give much, but to give with much love all that you have, even if it is little. When God inspired me with this Word, I was thinking of the offering of the poor widow (Mark 12:41-44). It seemed that this humble woman had given very little. However, Jesus knew that she had given with great love and generosity, ALL that she had. This was what touched his heart. Surely her offering went unnoticed by many, but not by Jesus. For, as the Word says, God does not look at what is seen. God looks at the heart (1 Samuel, 16-7)".

Celinés gives us Jesus in her voice, with her capacity to welcome Him and give Him to us live with her charisma of adoration and praise. We would like to mention her presence in Open sky, one of the most important worship gatherings, which brings together a multitude of singers in Mexico.

Continuing in this line, we do not want to leave out other women such as Esther Hernández, Dominican composeror guitarists such as Liana PolancoThe "The Worship and Praise" program, which accompanies many of them in their moments of adoration and praise or in their productions.

Lately it stands out Kairy Marquez, who resides in Atlanta, USA. As a youth, she was part of the Youth Ministry at the Catholic Charismatic Center in the Bronx, serving as a youth retreat server. Her album Fly was produced by Jon Carlo, who gave her wings as Director of Praise on tour: "I bring music from God.".

Argentina

We continue traveling and on this route we stop in Argentina, where we are from. Kiki Troiasinger, composer and producer. Many know him for having traveled thousands of stages and moments of prayer with the well known catholic singer-songwriter. Martin Valverde. We see them intertwined in a long history of mission, Argentina-Mexico.

Kiki Troia's solo adventure has also been going on for many years, but recently he has delighted us with an album through his Facebook livewhere he gave us wonderful songs that bring us closer to God. Kiki is also known as a producer or pianist of some projects of Spanish catholic singers, such as Friar Nacho in their first albums, or Nico Montero, o Mary's Candlewho chose the piano of this arranger for the song From Mary: The Embrace; which closes the recording of the missionary project on the Rosary.

As for Martin Valverde, we have seen him travel to hundreds of countries with his testimony and his songs, which have helped us to grow, worship and pray; you will remember that mythical song: No one loves you like I do, or his first verses: "How long I've waited for this moment, how long I've waited for you to be like this...". We thank them both for their joint ministry.

From Argentina comes another woman, Athenasproduced by Jonatán Narváez, who has directed the projects of many Catholic musicians in Spain: Marcelo Olima based in Almería, Roberto Vega, Luis Alfredo Díaz, Migueli, Beatriz Elamado, and artists from other countries such as Querubines, Cristina Plancher, Daniel Poli, Carlos Seoane, Father Juan Andrés Barrera, Marcela Gael, etc. We invite you to approach all these Catholic singers, to dive into their melodies and experiences of God.

Athenas has 3 albums in its musical career: Christ Queen, Your grace is sufficient for me and everything is yours.. Together with her husband Tobias Buteler at the piano, are the visible face of a group of brothers who put their faith and talent at the service of evangelization, to bring young people to Jesus through their simple songs.

Peru, Canada, United States...

And in this journey, we came across a surprising fact, the musical group of Servants of Perua congregation of young people of Marian spirituality born in 1998 with young people from several Latin American countries. Their habits attract attention on stage or in videos. In this line of religious life began the well-known Chilean singer Hermana Glendaof which we know its mythical songs, such as Because I am afraid, and so many more. She has given thousands of prayer concerts all over the world. But we have talked about her in the first article about worship music in Spain, where she currently resides.

From Canada we received Matt Maher, although he moved to Arizona with his mother. He started in music and received a scholarship from the Arizona State University Jazz Department; he majored in jazz piano. He began attending St. Timothy Catholic Community in Mesa, Arizona. The meeting with Rich Mullins and Ivorya hotel pianist, helped him focus on making music for Christ.

When Pope Benedict XVI visited the United States in April 2008, Maher led the musical worship before crowds of thousands of people at the Youth Rallyin Yonkers, New York. We saw him kneeling with his guitar at the Copacabana Vigil at WYD 2013 in Rio, presided over by Pope Francis.

The song that took everyone's breath away was Lord I Need YouThe only thing we need is a guitar and a voice to get us into the heart of Christ, poor, humble, crucified and resurrected. Since he signed with Essential Records has a long series of recorded Cd's.

We continue to meet people who take us with the talent of music to the service of prayer and worship; we meet with John Michael Talbot, Franciscan, a U.S. national and founder of the monastic community The Brothers and Sisters of Charity in Eureka Springs, Arkansas. With a discography of more than 40 cd's, his music is peculiar and undoubtedly brings us closer to Jesus from other perspectives.

We mention a few more singers who preach with their voice, their music, the Word of God and the God of Life, the only one who has the last word. music, the Word of God and the God of Life, the only one who has the last Word on the Word on each person's life story: Alonso Sanabria (Costa Rica), Marco Lopez (Chile), Saily (Cuba), Alonso Sanabria (Costa Rica) Marco Lopez (Chile), Saily (Cuba), the group Alfareros (Dominican Republic), Pablo Martínez (Argentina) and so many others who at the international level continue to kneel before our Jesus, companion of the road and fatigues, of joys and consolations. Undoubtedly, He is the the driving force.

As St. Francis of Assisi used to say: "Therefore Therefore withhold nothing of yourselves, that he who is offered to you may receive you whole. all whole who is offered to you all whole".. May it be so in every heart of international and national Catholic musicians! national!

-The beloved produces love

The authorThe Beloved produces love

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"Fratelli Tutti": Friendship and fraternity, dialogue and encounter.

Re-reading Fratelli Tutti: complexity, action and dreams

Reading the text of Pope Francis' encyclical Fratelli tutti, I was struck by three words in particular: complexity, action and dream.

Giovanni Tridente-October 30, 2020-Reading time: 3 minutes

Reading the text of the encyclical Fratelli tutti Pope Francis, I was struck by three words in particular.

The first is the complexityThe Pope Francis enters into this concept: not understood in a mechanical sense, but as a series of phenomena that concern mankind. complexity that characterizes man by examining all the issues and implications that have to do with the life of each one of us and our relationship with the life of others.

The second word is actionWe must take care of it! Each one of us, with our competences and according to our responsibilities, must try to to give light to this world full of situations that need to be reviewed and updated. This actionin my opinion, is about community (governments and nations must do this) and individual responsibility. to which every individual of good will is called. On the other hand, this is the meaning of the encyclical: a circular letter that is not only for the Church, but is addressed to all those who look at the world with perspective.

The third word is dreamDream with hope, we can do it!

Common good

This encyclical is an excellent vademecum that sums up the Church's vision of the common good. It is no coincidence that it is labeled "social", because summarizes the Social Doctrine of the Church with references also to earlier Magisterium (Deus caritas est of Benedict XVI and Centesimus Annus of John Paul II) and in continuity with the latter. I would advise everyone, both heads of state and government and all citizens, to read it; not so much as a matter of adherence to the principles of faith, but rather by the desire to build a better society.

Communication and dialogue

To quote John Paul II, if I had to summarize in one title the Fratelli Tutti, would use his famous expression addressed to Roman citizens: Damose da fa' ("Let's get going" in Roman dialect). It is a call to action, because the world is succumbing to so many situations and it is up to us to change it: let's get moving!

Already in the Christus vivitdedicated to young people, Pope Francis invites us not to reduce communication to a tool, but rather to make ourselves communicationbecause deep down we are.

This encyclical outlines, in my view, the element of the dialogue. There is a revolution of intention with respect to this word: dialogue also takes into account what the other has to say and what can help me to better understand the world. This is a fundamental aspect, which should encourage us to to initiate these paths of relationship with others and at the same time overcome all the bad uses of the network: avoid monologues by seeking from the other something useful for me and for society as a whole.

The Gospel proposes a key word: love. Love, not understood as pure sentimentality, but as a to be a neighbor to those close to us as well as to those who live in situations far from our comfort zone. This is the key to changing the world: the Church has been teaching this for 2000 years and in this encyclical the method is offered in the second chapter with the parable of the Good Samaritan.

We must care for those to whom we would not give credit in the first place.This is what the Good Samaritan does.

(You can also read here the analysis by Ramiro Pellitero of the Encyclical Fratelli Tutti that we offered on the day of its publication).

"Fratelli Tutti": Friendship and fraternity, dialogue and encounter.

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Zamora has a new bishop

The priest Fernando Valera Sánchez succeeds Bishop Gregorio Martínez Sacristán, who died on September 20, 2019, in the See of Zamora.

Maria José Atienza-October 30, 2020-Reading time: 2 minutes

At noon today, Friday, October 30, 2020, the Holy See has made public the appointment of Fernando Valera Sánchez as bishop of Zamora . Pope Francis has appointed this 60-year-old priest from Murcia, until now the spiritual director of the major seminary of San Fulgencio and the minor seminary of San José in the diocese of Cartagena.

The see of Zamora was vacant after the death of Msgr. Gregorio Martínez SacristánSeptember 20, 2019. He is at the head of the diocese, as diocesan administrator, José Francisco Matías Sampedro.

Fernando Valera Sánchez

A native of Bullas, a town in Murcia where he was born on March 7, 1960. In 1977, he entered the San Fulgencio Seminary of the Diocese of Cartagena, then in Granada, and completed his ecclesiastical studies at the Faculty of Theology in Granada. On April 3, 1983, he was ordained deacon in the city of Murcia and received priestly ordination on September 18, 1983, in his hometown.

In 1987 he obtained a degree in Philosophy from the University of Murcia, where he also completed a doctorate program. Reason, discourse and history in contemporary philosophy.. In 1995 he obtained a Licentiate in Spiritual Theology from the Pontifical University of Comillas and in 2001 a Doctorate in Theology from the same university.

He has several published works: In the midst of the world. Secular spirituality of the diocesan priest. y The Holy Spirit and the life of the presbyter as well as other collaborations in congresses and various articles in specialized magazines. In his 37 years of priestly life he has carried out various pastoral and academic assignments and activities. In his teaching work he has been Professor of Scientific Methodology and has taught the subjects of Sacraments at the service of the community y Pneumatology. Since 2007 he was Professor of Pneumatology as a key to understanding Fundamental Theology of the Theological Institute of Murcia OFM, a center attached to the Faculty of Theology of the Pontifical University Antonianum of Rome. Professor of Spiritual Theology, Sacrament of Holy Orders and Matrimony at the Instituto Superior de Ciencias Religiosas San Dámaso, in its distance learning section in Murcia.

His pastoral assignments have been numerous and he also spent a year in the Highlands of Bolivia as a missionary priest. fidei donum.

At present, he was Spiritual Director of the Congregation of the Missionary Sisters of the Holy Family, of diocesan right, Spiritual Director of the Major Seminary of San Fulgencio and the Minor Seminary of San José. Member of the College of Consultors of the Diocese of Cartagena and Canon of the Holy Church Cathedral of Murcia.

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"I dream of a Europe where the person is a value in itself."

Maria José Atienza-October 27, 2020-Reading time: 3 minutes

Pope Francis has sent a letter to Secretary of State Card. Parolin on the occasion of the 40th anniversary of the Commission of the Bishops' Conferences of the European Union (COMECE), the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the Holy See and the European Union and the 50th anniversary of the Holy See's presence as Permanent Observer to the Council of Europe.

Three anniversaries that coincide in time and are the basis of the current situation of the Holy See in Europe. On this triple occasion, the Pope Francis wanted to reflect on the Europe's significance in the world and the importance of its historyThe company's roots and, above all, the work for the future at a time of uncertainty such as the one the whole world is going through.

Europe's Christian roots

The Pope has defended Christian identity undeniable, including in the shaping of the various initiatives of European unity and wanted to take up the words that "St. John Paul II spoke at the European Act in Santiago de Compostela: Europa, "find yourself again. Be yourself"." because, as the Holy Father wanted to emphasize, "In a time of sudden change, there is a risk of losing one's identity, especially when the shared values on which society is founded disappear"..

Pope Francis has made specific reference to these values by appealing to the "millenary history, which is an open window to the future."and has launched an appeal not to betray "your longing for truth, which since ancient Greece embraced the earth, bringing to light the deepest questions of every human being; of your thirst for justice, which developed with Roman law and, with the passage of time, became respect for every human being and for his rights; of your desire for eternity, enriched by the encounter with the Judeo-Christian tradition, which is reflected in your heritage of faith, art and culture.".

Defense of life

The Pope has been very clear on the Europe that he "dreams" for the future by launching a meridian defense of life in all its stagesfor Europe to be . "A land where the dignity of all is respected, where the person is a value in itself and not the object of an economic calculation or a commodity. A land that cares for life in all its stages, from the moment it emerges invisible in the womb to its natural end". Nor has he left behind the importance of the family, close and common, in the sense of a community: a "family of peoples, distinct from one another, but nevertheless united by a common history and a common destiny.". In this line, as he has been doing repeatedly in his last interventions, he reminded that "the pandemic, have shown that no one can make it on their own.".

Land of hospitality and solidarity

This concept of a common family, the Pope emphasized, is to be reflected in solidarity as "fundamental expression of every community "that "demands that each take care of the other". individualism that often prevails. In a special way he wanted to emphasize "the many fears that are present in our societies today, among which I cannot hide the mistrust of migrants". recalling that "the necessary reception of migrants cannot be limited to simple operations of assistance to those who arrive, often escaping from conflicts, famine or natural disasters, but must allow their integration so that they can "know, respect and also assimilate the culture and traditions of the nation that welcomes them.".

Secularism, not secularism

Starting from this pluralistic understanding of European society, Pope Francis has taken up the idea of his predecessors with one of the clearest statements of recent years in this regard: the hope that Europe will be a land of "a healthy secularity, where God and Caesar are distinct but not opposed to each other. A land open to transcendence, where believers are free to publicly profess their faith and to propose their own point of view in society. The times of confessionalism are over, but - it is hoped - also that of a certain secularism that closes the doors to others and above all to God, because it is clear that a culture or a political system that does not respect openness to transcendence, does not adequately respect the human person.".

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13 new cardinals for the Church

Giovanni Tridente-October 25, 2020-Reading time: 2 minutes

Pope Francis announced, at the end of this Sunday's Angelus, the creation of 13 new cardinals at the Consistory to be held on November 28, among them 4 over 80 years of age. This is the seventh Consistory since he was elected. The The number of cardinals he has created will thus rise to 101, of whom 79 are electors and 22 are non-electors, from almost 60 different nations.

The new cardinals will be, in order:

Mario Grech (Malta), Secretary General of the Synod of Bishops;
Marcello Semeraro (Italy), Prefect of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints;
Antoine Kambanda (Rwanda), Archbishop of Kigali;
Wilton Daniel Gregory (United States), Archbishop of Washington;

José Fuerte Advincula (Philippines), Archbishop of Capiz;
Celestino Aós (Chile), Archbishop of Santiago de Chile;
Cornelius Sim (Brunei), Vicar Apostolic;
Augusto Paolo Logiudice (Italy), Archbishop of Siena-Colle Val d'Elsa-Montelcino;
Mauro Gambetti (Italy), Guardian of the Franciscan Community of Assisi.

Felipe Arizmendi Esquivel (Mexico), bishop of San Cristobal de las Casas;
Silvano Maria Tommasi (Italy), Apostolic Nuncio;
Friar Raniero Cantalamessa (Italy), Preacher of the Pontifical Household;
Enrico Feroci (Italy), parish priest of Santa Maria del Divino Amore in Castel di Leva.

On this occasion too, Pope Francis' election confirms the "logic of the peripheries" that has always characterized previous consistories, favoring nations of the world that are often "not news". which has always characterized previous consistories, favoring nations of the world that often "are not news". On this occasion the "fiduciary choices" are also striking, we could say, which refer to personalities who have given their lives for the Church in their ministry, such as the preacher Friar Raniero Cantalamessa, Nuncio Tommasi and the pastor of the Marian shrine in the outskirts of Rome to whom the Romans are so devoted, Enrico Feroci.

Finally, it is worth noting the "Franciscan option": three of the thirteen elected belong to the Order of Friars Minor Capuchin and Conventual Friars of St. Francis of Assisi: Aós, Cantalamessa and Gambetti.

Pope Francis

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The faithful will be able to gain plenary indulgence throughout November

This was established by Cardinal Mauro Piacenza, in the Decree of the Apostolic Penitentiary on plenary indulgences for the faithful departed in the current pandemic situation. published on October 23.

Maria José Atienza-October 23, 2020-Reading time: 3 minutes

This decree states that plenary indulgences for the faithful departed will be extended for the entire month of November, with a series of modifications in the usual way of obtaining this indulgence in order to safeguard the security measures of the faithful at all times.

A large number of requests

The Decree alludes to the numerous requests from priests and pastors to the Apostolic Penitentiary that this year, because of the "covid-19" epidemic, pious works be commuted in order to obtain the plenary indulgences applicable to the souls in purgatory.

For this reason, the Apostolic Penitentiary, by special mandate of His Holiness Pope Francis, has established a series of facilities to obtain these indulgences and avoid crowds in cemeteries and other places of worship:

Plenary indulgence for those who visit a cemetery and pray for the deceased even if only mentally, established as a rule only on specific days from November 1 to 8, may be moved to other days of the same month until the end of the month.. These days, freely chosen by the faithful, can also be independent of each other.
The plenary indulgence of November 2, established on the occasion of the commemoration of All the Faithful Departed for those who piously visit a church or oratory and recite there the "Our Father" and the "Creed", can be transferred not only to the preceding or following Sunday or to the day of the Solemnity of All Saints, but also to another day of the month of November, freely chosen by each of the faithful.

Spiritual union for those who cannot leave

The elderly, the sick and all those who for serious reasons cannot leave their homefor example because of restrictions imposed by the competent authority for the time of the pandemic, may obtain the plenary indulgence provided they are spiritually united with all the other faithful, completely detached from sin and with the intention of fulfilling as soon as possible the three usual conditions (sacramental confession, Eucharistic communion and prayer according to the intentions of the Holy Father), before an image of Jesus or of the Blessed Virgin Mary, say the following prayers The pious prayers for the deceased, for example, lauds and vespers of the Office of the Dead, the Marian rosary, the crown of Divine Mercy, other prayers for the deceased that are dearer to the faithful, or the devote themselves to a meditative reading of one of the Gospel passages proposed by the liturgy of the dead, or perform a work of mercy by offering to God the pains and difficulties of their own lives.

Facilitate Confession and Holy Mass

The decree further calls on priests with appropriate faculties to "to offer themselves with particular generosity to the celebration of the sacrament of Penance and to administer Holy Communion to the sick and recalls that with regard to the spiritual conditions for the full attainment of the indulgence it is necessary to have recourse to the indications already given in the note "On the sacrament of penance in the current pandemic situation", issued by the Apostolic Penitentiary on March 19, 2020″.

Finally, the document signed on October 22, 2020, the memorial of St. John Paul II, is noteworthy "since the souls in Purgatory are helped by the suffrages of the faithful and especially by the sacrifice of the altar pleasing to God (cf. Conc. Tr. Sess. XXV, Decr. De Purgatorio), all priests are earnestly invited to celebrate Holy Mass three times on the day of the Commemoration of All the Faithful Departed, in accordance with the Apostolic Constitution "Incruentum Altaris", promulgated by Pope Benedict XV, of venerable memory, on August 10, 1915″.

Deceased

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Education

"We ask for an educational itinerary on the person that includes religion."

Maria José Atienza-October 23, 2020-Reading time: 3 minutes

The Spanish bishops propose the possibility of an itinerary, in primary and secondary education, related to the personal dimension that includes, in a dignified manner, the learning of Catholic Religion.

Include an educational itinerary related to the most personal, human and transcendental dimension. of the person in which the subject of Catholic Religion has its place.. This is the proposal that, from the Episcopal Commission for Education and Culture of the Spanish Episcopal Conference The aim is to initiate a dialogue, so far unsuccessful, in order to provide a dignified and necessary framework for Catholic religious education in the educational legislation.

This was explained by the Secretary General of the EEC, Msgr. Luis Argüello, together with the president of the Episcopal Commission for Education and Culture, Bishop Alfonso Carrasco, at a press conference with media professionals this morning.

In the wake of Pope Francis

The Global Education Pact Pope Francis has been the framework in which this proposal has been launched to those responsible for education in the Spanish Government whose Organic Law for the modification of the LOE (LOMLOE) does not include, among its proposals, a comprehensive, real and fair vision of the Catholic religion subject, freedom of choice of the educational model for families or equal conditions for the creation of private and public schools.

In this regard, Bishop Argüello recalled that "The CEE and its teaching commission are responsible for everything that has to do with the Religion class in the school, but not only that, but also for everything that has to do with humanization, the promotion of human values, everything that means putting the person at the center".. In relation to the positive assessment of various politicians in relation to the encyclical Fratelli TuttiArgüello recalled that in this text, the Pope "insists that all the dimensions of the person express his dignity: also the transcendent dimension. To be able to teach in school to students and families who so desire the doctrine of the Church, the biblical tradition or the Gospel of Jesus where fraternal love is spoken of, seems to us something valuable.".

A specific itinerary that includes religion

For its part, Bishop Alfonso Carrasco Rouco, has directly referred to the proposal they want to put on the table for dialogue with the government. "we propose to integrate a field in primary and secondary education, related to the personal, transcendent dimension... just as there is a field of natural sciences". In this line, he has defended that this space is "necessary for an integral education. There is no sense in a purely utilitarian education"..

The Bishop of Lugo has specified that the idea is not exclusive, it is not a question of eliminating one or another subject of Civic Values or similar, but to frame, within a single space, the subject of Civic Values. "education in moral values, in respect for the conscience, identity and tradition of children".. This underlies the right of parents to decide on the education of their children, since this tradition and identity is generally given by the family environment.

"The child has the right to know his world", Carrasco pointed out, that is why there must be different ways, "there can be no single format that forces everyone to be educated as the authority thinks.". For this reason, he has pointed out at various times "The modalities can be varied, appropriate to the identity of the people and one of them must be Catholic", to which he added the need for shared guidelines "referring to the elementary human values on which our society is built: the relationship with nature, the treatment of others, equality between men and women, justice, openness to the needy"?

With this proposal, the bishops intend to resume the dialogue in order to open ways to place the learning of Catholic Religion and the knowledge of the transcendental dimension of the human being within the educational curriculum.

Teaching openness

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Vatican clarifies Pope's remarks on same-sex unions

Civil cohabitation between homosexuals: what the Pope said and what he did not say

The media all over the world have broadcast some phrases of the Pope that have been understood as an approval of marriages between homosexual persons, or of comparable civil unions. Is this so? As in other similar situations, to find out, it is necessary to go beyond the headlines and the brief information that does not add nuances or mention the exact tenor of his words.

Juan Portela-October 22, 2020-Reading time: 3 minutes

This information refers to a documentary on Francis that collects opinions of the Pope on several very disparate topics, many of them taken from previous occasions. This is the case with the interview the Pope gave in May 2019 to Valentina Alazraki, Televisa's correspondent in Rome, and his question on "whether a homosexual couple can bring their children to church". The version offered by the documentary some fragments of Pope Francis' answer is: "Homosexual people have the right to be in the family, they are children of God, they have the right to a family. No one can be kicked out of the family, nor make life impossible for them because of that. What we have to do is a law of civil cohabitation. They have the right to be legally covered"..

These sentences seem to contain a tight allusion to the question raised, but also to the possibility of homosexual children in a family (with their right not to be thrown out of the family because of their homosexual condition)... and an opinion about the convenience of a civil legislation guaranteeing certain rights to those in a homosexual union.

Now, as it has been learned, the documentary at this point does not respond to the answer given by Televisa, but has "edited" it, as, by the way, it was already edited at the time by the Holy See. The result is that what the Pope answered about the way to treat a possible homosexual child appears as the claim of a family and a legal union (some may have understood that also "matrimonial") for people of the same sex. The sequence of the argument has been disrupted.

Regarding the proposal that they be granted certain forms of civil protection, the Pope's last sentence then adds: "I defended that.". This was precisely the case when in his country he opposed the law for gay marriage, asking for the introduction of certain legal protection as an alternative. Therefore, there is no equivalence between marriage and same-sex unions.

Change of doctrine?

So, has there been a change in the Church's doctrine on homosexuality? We solve it by reading two brief but decisive texts.

The first is point 2358 of the Catechism of the Catholic Church, regarding the treatment of homosexual persons: "An appreciable number of men and women present deeply rooted homosexual tendencies. This inclination, objectively disordered, constitutes for most of them a real trial. They must be received with respect, compassion and gentleness. All signs of unjust discrimination should be avoided in their regard. These people are called to carry out the will of God in their lives, and, if they are Christians, to unite to the sacrifice of the cross of the Lord the difficulties they may encounter because of their condition". Therefore, they must be treated with respect for their dignity.

The second is number 251of Amoris laetitia, Pope Francis does not intend to approve homosexual unions: "There is no basis for assimilating or drawing even remote analogies between homosexual unions and God's design for marriage and the family [...] It is unacceptable that local churches are under pressure in this matter and that international agencies make financial aid to poor countries conditional on the introduction of laws instituting same-sex "marriage"."

Pointing out the need for legal coverage of certain aspects does not imply approving these unions or considering them morally good; the Pope thus does not speak of "marriage", but of a law of "cohabitation", which is on another level. Already in 2014, an interviewer asked the Pope this question: "Many countries regulated civil union. It is a path that the Church can understand, but to what extent?". The Pope's answer was: "Marriage is between a man and a woman. The secular States want to justify the civil union to regulate various situations of cohabitation, driven by the need to regulate economic aspects between people, such as, for example, social work. It is necessary to look at each case and evaluate them in their diversity"..

Pope Francis

Vatican clarifies Pope's remarks on same-sex unions

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"On the street you don't know what to do, or where to go."

Maria José Atienza-October 22, 2020-Reading time: 4 minutes

For 27 years, Caritas has been highlighting the reality of homelessness during these days. A situation that affects more than 40,000 people and against which we are invited to raise our voices because, as this year's slogan highlights: "Homelessness kills. And what do you say? Say enough. Nobody Homeless".

They are called Ana y Jorge Ivan... but also Manuela, Pepe, Rosa or Yaiza... because each person living on the street has a name, a story, a process, sometimes unexpected, that has led them to be left without the most basic elements of a dignified life: a roof under which to shelter, a place to return to, a home.

This year, the homelessness campaign powered by Spanish Caritas is marked by the coronavirus pandemic in two ways: the impossibility of carrying out the actions of the campaign and the very serious impact that the pandemic has on the economy and that is taking its toll, in a particularly cruel way, on the people who have the least. "Homelessness kills".This year's motto states that homelessness leads to the death of people in extreme cases, but always kills the dignity, hopes and dreams of all those who suffer from it.

How does a person come to live on the street?

The answer is not unique but, as Jorge Ivanone of the homeless people Caritas serves, "ending up on the street is easy"simpler than we may think at first. "I saw myself on the street overnight".he adds. He is right, according to data from the VIII Foessa Report on Social Exclusion and Development in Spain, 2.1 million people suffer from insecure housing situations

The story of this almost 53-year-old Colombian is marked by the successive labor and economic crises in our country, where he arrived in 2003, fleeing the social and economic situation in Colombia. Although at the beginning, he recognizes, "had a hard time finding work"After a while, he began to run several call shops, owned by a friend. The problems started around 2010, with the closure of these call shops. From time to time he would get some work, but it was already very difficult for him so that, little by little, these small jobs disappeared. Then, unable to meet the expenses, Jorge Iván went to live with some friends. "I was very well with them, for about two or three years, until they were also very bad, they became unemployed and had to give up the apartment. I was left with no place to go.". Through a friend, she contacted Cáritas, where she was "I was very well taken care of and was welcomed the next day.". Between one thing and the other, he spent more than two weeks on the street "it is difficult" he stresses. "I had never lived that experience before. You don't know what to do or where to go. All I could think about was getting out of that situation..

Hit by the pandemic

This mental block was also suffered by Anawho found himself without a house to live in, "for trusting the wrong people" as she says, and whose situation became untenable in March, with the outbreak of the coronavirus. Although she earns a minimal rent (less than 400 €), she has also known the harshness of the street. For a time she lived in a rented room at an acquaintance's house, "But I had a problem with the person with whom she had a relationship and she threw me out and took my things; from then on everything went downhill, I asked for help, but there was always a problem: either my age, or that I was not eligible for another one because I had a minimum income or because of my dog".. Slept in bus and train stations, "but with the coronavirus they wouldn't let us sleep inside anymore and they kicked us all out." She was lucky enough to be hosted from March to July in the shelter of an NGO, but that ended and she found herself on the street where she had to live for the rest of her life. "you can't go to the bathroom, eating is complicated because they don't let you... and even less with a puppy...".

A roof and a future

Both Jorge Iván and Ana have found a way out and a hope thanks to the homeless programs of Caritas Madrid. They, and many others who have benefited from these programs, do not hide their gratitude. "Forever grateful to those who have given me this opportunity." underlines Jorge Iván, "Now I am renewing my papers to be able to find a job and study Business Administration, which has been my great desire and now I am looking forward to it"..

Ana emphasizes that "the fact that you can take a shower, sleep in a bed with sheets, eat... you can't pay for that with money." currently lives in the Juan Luis Vives municipal shelter, "very happy"but adds "I want to apply for a supervised apartment so that I can live with my puppy.".

Jorge Iván and Ana are just two samples of those 40,000 stories of the people that Caritas Spain is currently serving in its various programs for the homeless. Very different people and stories that are united by homelessness and of which, one more year, Caritas makes us aware in this campaign. "Homelessness kills. AND WHAT DO YOU SAY? Say enough. No One Homeless" that calls us to a necessary implication to put an end to this reality. .

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Latin America

What is happening in Chile? At the gates of a constituent referendum

Marco Gambino-October 21, 2020-Reading time: 3 minutes

"A shadow fell over the honor of the police. All its members knew that they were forbidden to use their weapons, but that weapons could be used against them. They knew that several of them had been badly wounded at various points in the capital. And they were expected to stand at isolated points, targets for all kinds of projectiles, while the troops stood aside and the masses became aware of the absence of the state.". Any Chilean reading this might think that it is a description of the violence unleashed on Sunday, October 18, 2020, in the so-called "Ground Zero" of Santiago. But no: they are the words with which Alexander Solzhenitsyn describes what happened in Russia, in March 1917 (cfr. "The Red Wheel"). A mere coincidence?

Pain and perplexity

Pain, perplexity, impotence: these are the feelings that the vast majority of the inhabitants of Chile experienced this Sunday, when they saw two Catholic churches desecrated and burned. The same feelings that exactly one year ago shook us when, simultaneously, several Metro stations and some temples burned, while the lumpen looted supermarkets in the outskirts of the capital. In the following days, these images were replicated in the main cities. The trigger was the increase of 30 pesos (4 cents on the dollar) in public transportation and the call of students, the extreme left and some unions to evade payment. When we were able to recover from the knock outThe phenomenon was called a "social outburst" and, according to some media reports, was due to the accumulated rage of a sense of abuse and inequality of the most dispossessed sectors of society.

We were again surprised when, in the following days, massive demonstrations -some close to or exceeding one million people- took place, of a predominantly peaceful nature. They reflected a generalized but somewhat confused discontent. Posters were raised against politicians, the pension system, male chauvinism, animal abuse, environmental pollution, highway fees... and in favor of free abortion, sex education without taboos, vegan food, homosexual marriage... Periodically, violent attacks on private and public property, looting of supermarkets, burning of university campuses... returned.

Spontaneous?

The explanation of a "spontaneous outburst" did not seem credible. Citizens began to demand that the authorities impose order. The head of the Investigative Police went so far as to declare that he had a lot of information about what happened on October 18 and that it would soon be made public. We are still waiting. A state of siege was decreed, the military took to the streets and there were intervals of calm. But the military were stationed at strategic points, without intervening, while the Carabineros police bore the brunt of the situation, confronting violent groups with an urban guerrilla organization with bare hands.

In mid-November violence broke out again, while in Parliament the political center practically disappeared. The left demanded the resignation of President Piñera. When the specter of civil war began to loom, a glimmer of hope emerged: on November 15, 2019, the political forces - excluding the Communist Party and another extreme left-wing party - signed the "Agreement for Social Peace and the New Constitution".

It was then that the silent majority learned that the first priority was a Constitution to re-found Chile. A plebiscite was set for April 2020, but Covid forced it to be postponed to October 25.

Climate of polarization

2020 has been a surrealist nightmare: pandemic, quarantine, deconfinement, return of violent demonstrations on Fridays in Plaza Baquedano. Anniversary of the "social explosion". For that day, the Teachers' College, which refused to resume classes for fear of coronavirus outbreaks, called for a march... Of course, with a mask.

And so we are: with a level of polarization not seen since the October 1988 plebiscite, which decided the end of Pinochet's military regime. With a minority, but very virulent, cocktail of anarchists-riotous gangs-narco-traffickers who are out to destroy everything in their path. Two of them became sadly famous because they put a bomb in the Basilica del Pilar in Zaragoza (they have already served their sentence in Spain and are back). On the other hand, the public forces are overwhelmed: internal and international human rights organizations do not allow them to act.

It does not seem the best climate to start a constituent process. But the Virgin of Carmen, Patroness of Chile, has taken us out of worse situations.

The authorMarco Gambino

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"God will call to account those who have not sought peace."

Maria José Atienza-October 20, 2020-Reading time: 4 minutes

Pope Francis took part in the International Meeting of Prayer for Peace "No One is Saved Alone - Peace and Fraternity" promoted by the Community of Sant'Egidio The event, which took place on the afternoon of October 20, brought together representatives of the world's major faiths in Rome.

The meeting, which began after 4:00 p.m., was divided into two parts. The first part focused on the prayer for peace of the various confessions. The Basilica of Santa Maria d'Aracoeli hosted the prayer of Pope Francis together with the Patriarch of Constantinople, Bartholomew I, and representatives of the various Orthodox and Protestant churches; while Jews gathered in the Synagogue and finally, Muslims and representatives of Buddhist and Eastern religions in the Capitoline Museums.

During this prayer meeting, the pope glossed the passage from Matthew in which he narrates the crucifixion of Christ and how the evil thief throws him that challenge Save yourself!a temptation, which Francis wanted to point out "is the temptation to think only of protecting oneself or one's own group, to have only one's own problems and interests in mind, while everything else does not matter."

The Pope also wanted to warn that this selfishness of the soul ends up creating a God to suit us. "How often we want a god to our measure, rather than to become the measure of God; a god like us, rather than to become like Him. But thus, instead of the adoration of God we prefer the cult of self". On Calvary, the Holy Father pointed out, ".the great duel took place between God who came to save us and man who wants to save himself; (...) The arms of Jesus, open on the cross, mark a turning point, because God does not point the finger at anyone, but embraces everyone".

Prayer, the root of peace

After the prayer service, the various religious leaders went to Piazza del Campidoglio in the presence of the President of the Italian Republic and the Mayoress of Rome. In his welcoming remarks, Prof. Andrea Riccardi emphasized that "today we have prayed with one another because prayer is the root of peace.". Pope Francis' latest encyclical, Fratelli Tuttiand its central theme: fraternity and social friendship, was repeatedly recalled by the attendees, as Sergio Mattarella, President of the Italian Republic, who wished to recall how he "The spirit of Assisi is being renewed today in Rome in a difficult time when the pandemic has highlighted our common fragility."and praised the role of religions in working for peace and solutions to crises. "the testimony of religions can help the world to emerge from resignation with confidence".

Also Bartholomew Ithe Patriarch of Constantinople, wished to emphasize, recalling the Fratelli Tutti y Laudato Si' how "to build the fraternity that leads to peace and justice, to feel familiar, we have to start by taking care of our common home in which we all find ourselves and everything created by God" (...) the great religions and their sacred texts show us a picture in which man is part of creation with all that it contains, the common home is a mirror in which our image is reflected".

The Muslim also took the floor, Mohamed Abdelsalam Abdellatif, General Secretary of the Superior Committee of the Human Fraternity, Haïm Korsia, Chief Rabbi of France, Shoten Minegishi, mBuddhist monk and a Sikh representative.

Peace, a primary task in politics

In his closing remarks in the square, Pope Francis recalled the spirit of Assisi that gave rise to this meeting of dialogue and prayer for peace among representatives of the Community of Sant'Egidio. In this sense, he recalled that that meeting enclosed "a prophetic seed" that has been maturing in encounters and ideas". and, although the current conflicts and tensions are evident, the Pope emphasized that "we must recognize the steps that have been taken in the encounter between religions and what has been worked on as brothers". which has led to developments such as the "Document on Human Fraternity for World Peace and Common Coexistence".

As the Pope wanted to remind us, "the commandment of peace is inscribed in the depths of religions, the diversity of religions does not justify enmity but religions are at the service of peace."for all these reasons, he emphasized "I urge believers to pray for peace, not to resign themselves to war. To put an end to war is the duty of political leaders before God. God will call to account those who have not sought peace and have fomented tensions and war.".

No one is saved alone

¿How to prevent conflicts, how to pacify warlords, how to prevent conflicts and how to pacify warlords.asked the Pope "No people can achieve peace on its own. The lesson of the pandemic is to be a community that sails a common boat where the evil of one harms all, no one is saved alone."concluded the Holy Father.

After the Pope's words, those present observed a minute's silence in memory of the victims of the pandemic and of all wars, followed by the reading of the manifesto for peace. A manifesto that the religious leaders symbolically gave to a group of children of various nationalities and religions and they gave it to others present. The meeting ended with the symbolic gesture of lighting the candelabra of peace and the signing of the manifesto by the various religious representatives.

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Cinema

Dying in peace: palliative care, a true progressive option

Maria José Atienza-October 16, 2020-Reading time: 2 minutes

Everyone wants to die in the best possible way, surrounded by the love and care of others. When people feel loved, they do not want to end their lives. This is reflected in "Dying in peace, Palliative vs Euthanasia", the documentary by Goya Productions which shows the truly dignifying option for the terminally ill: palliative care.

The documentary, "Dying in peace, Palliative vs Euthanasia".,which can be seen from the next October 21 totally free of charge on the web www.morirenpaz.org for all the Spanish-speaking countries, it gathers the testimonies of nurses, family members, doctors and volunteers who accompany the sick in those last moments. It also shows the setback that would result from the legal opening to euthanasia, such as the one to be carried out in Spain, which opens the door to abuses in this field and underlies an economicist vision of life in which the dignity of the person does not really fit.

Palliative care, real progress

"Almost all those who ask for euthanasia what they really want is to have their pain removed, ignoring that today there are means to eliminate suffering without eliminating the sufferer."This is the doctor's statement Marcos Gómez, with a long professional experience, this is also the understanding of the Dr. Alvaro Gándara which emphasizes that palliative care is the civilized and progressive way society has the obligation to care for the weak and not to eliminate them.

Giving value to life

The documentary, made in collaboration with the ACdP, the Telefamilia Foundation and the Cari Filii Foundation, comes to the screens at a time when various political forces in countries such as Spain are seeking not only to decriminalize euthanasia but to elevate it to the status of a law. A project that has received the rejection, among others, of the Spanish Bioethics Committee which has warned the Spanish government that "legalizing euthanasia and/or aid to suicide means starting a path of devaluation of the protection of human life whose borders are very difficult to foresee, as the experience of our environment shows us." and, on the contrary, he is in favor of "the protocolization, in the context of good medical practice, of the use of palliative sedation"..

Euthanasia

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Art to help future artists

Omnes-October 15, 2020-Reading time: 2 minutes

The Francisco de Vitoria University has organized a charity art auction "Ayudarte" with the aim of creating a scholarship fund for students affected by COVID-19.

"AyudArte, artists helping artists".This is the name of this auction for which renowned contemporary artists from the world of painting, photography and sculpture have donated one of their already created or unpublished works, with the objective of raising funds for a study grants aimed at students from 2nd to 4th year of the Design, Fine Arts and Architecture degrees of the UFVwho are seeing their continuity of training at the university compromised by situations of ERTE, ERE, layoffs or others of a similar nature derived from the socioeconomic effects of COVID 19.

Spot for the presentation of "Ayudarte".

It is about 27 lots The works of different modalities in which we can find signatures such as the photographers Ouka Leele, Lupe de la Vallina, the poster artist Cruz Novillo or the sculptor Antonio Azzato. The works are exhibited these days at the Hall of Building H from today until October 21. In addition, the following have been organized guided tours that will be held from Monday through Friday from 10:00h to 14:00h and from 16:00h to 20:00h.

The auction, moderated by Pablo Melendo Beltrá, will be held on October 22 in person (as far as possible), with the possibility of bidding by telephone.

A project that, as it stands out, Pablo López RasoThe director of the Fine Arts and Design degrees shows that "the works that these artists selflessly donate for our charity event propose that art is not mere entertainment, that it is in fact a statement of intent in favor of life and against fear and a pretext to vindicate a model of culture capable of generating hope in all that unites us as people who seek good, truth and beauty.".

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Bishop Semeraro, new Prefect for the Causes of Saints

Maria José Atienza-October 15, 2020-Reading time: 2 minutes

The bulletin Today's Holy See's daily newspaper included the appointment of the hitherto Bishop of Albano, Marcello Semeraro, as the new Prefect of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints.

A native of Monteroni di Lecce, in Puglia, Msgr. Semeraro was, since 2013 Secretary of the Council of Cardinals. He is also a member of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints and of the Dicastery for Communication and Consultor to the Congregation for Oriental Churches.

He succeeds Cardinal Giovanni Angelo Becciu, who resigned on September 24.

Monsignor Mellino will be the new secretary of the Council of Cardinals, replacing Monsignor Marcello Semeraro.

mons semeraro_pope francisco_synod amazonia

Brief biography

Marcello Semeraro, who will be 73 years old next December, was ordained a priest in 1971.

He received his initial formation at the Pius XI Pius XI Pontifical Regional Pullés Seminary in Molfetta and subsequently perfected his theological studies at the Faculty of Theology of the Pontifical Lateran University in Rome, where he obtained his Licentiate and Doctorate in Sacred Theology. He then began the ministry of teaching dogmatic theology at the Pullés Theological Institute and then also ecclesiology at the Faculty of Theology of the P.U.L.L.

In 1998 he was appointed by St. John Paul II Bishop of Oria and in October 2004 he was assigned to the Suburbicarian Church of Albano.

He was Special Secretary of the 10th General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops on The Bishop: Servant of the Gospel of Jesus Christ for the Hope of the World.

Participated as a member by pontifical designation in the XIV Ordinary General Assembly on The vocation and mission of the family in the Church and in the contemporary world; in the XV Ordinary General Assembly on Young People, Faith and Vocational Discernmentl and in the Special Assembly for the Panamazon Region in 2019

Pope Francis

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Curia reform is already underway

David Fernández Alonso-October 14, 2020-Reading time: 2 minutes

The Council of Cardinals has met, eight months later, to resume the work process of the new Apostolic Constitution that will regulate the composition and functioning of the Roman Curia. On this occasion, the meeting was held virtually by videoconference, yesterday, Tuesday, at 4:00 p.m.

The Cardinal Councilors have already met with Pope Francis on several occasions to study the draft of the new Apostolic Constitution. It will replace the current Pastor bonuspromulgated by John Paul II and in force since June 28, 1988. It is composed of 193 articles, 2 annexes and subsequent modifications introduced by Benedict XVI and Francis.

Increased lay presence

Among the issues being addressed in the draft are. relations between the Curia and the Bishops' Conferences; the presence of the lay faithful, both men and women, in the lay faithful, men and women, in managerial positions in the offices of the Curia and other Church offices of the Curia and other Church bodies; or the study of the theological-pastoral bases for these theological-pastoral bases of these aspects.

The Women's Consultation of the Pontifical Council for Culture is one of the bodies created in recent years, composed mainly of lay people.

At Tuesday's meeting, the Council of Cardinals presented Pope Francis with the draft of the new Constitution, which is expected to be titled Predicate evangelium. During the summer months, the Council has had the opportunity to work through the internet on the text of the new document, in order to present an updated version of the draft to the Holy Father.

Reform is already underway

Francis addressed the meeting from Casa Santa Marta and emphasized that "reform is already underway, also in some administrative and economic aspects". Also connected to the meeting were Cardinal Óscar A. Rodríguez Maradiaga, Reinhard Marx, Sean Patrick O'Malley, Oswald Gracias, while the Vatican was joined by Cardinal Secretary of State Pietro Parolin and Cardinal Giuseppe Bertello, as well as the Secretary of the Council, Monsignor Marcello Semeraro, and the Deputy Secretary, Monsignor Marco Mellino.

The next meeting of the Council of Cardinals is scheduled for the month of December and will be held December and will be held virtually, as has been done on this occasion. as has been done on this occasion.

Pope Francis

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Latin America

The "clave latina" continues to grow in the U.S.

David Fernández Alonso-October 13, 2020-Reading time: 3 minutes

The Hispanic community of the United States gathered again in the Virtual Workshop of the V Encuentro for Dioceses. The objective is to promote pastoral activity in the face of the current situation, marked by the atypical circumstances of this year.

The Subcommittee on Hispanic Affairs of the V National Meeting of Pastoral Hispana-Latina held on October 9 and 10 a virtual event for the Dioceses, as a support for those Dioceses that have not been able to hold their Diocesan Workshops. This event was intended to address some of the issues that have been presented by the pastoral panorama of the Church and society during this year. Among these are the crisis caused by the coronavirus pandemicthe call to the racial justice, the economy or the continued impact of the global climate change.

The sixth "milestone" of the Meeting

The objective of the event was primarily aimed at completing the sixth "milestone" of the process of the V Meeting: envisioning the future of Hispanic ministry in the U.S.The V Encuentro will be a great opportunity to: assist dioceses and organizations to identify, create or refine their pastoral responses at the local level; celebrate the fruits of the V Encuentro; and promote mission and the joyful apostolate.

Church leaders in the United States, such as the Auxiliary Bishop of Detroit, could be seen and heard on the online broadcasts of the event, Arturo Cepedachairman of the Subcommittee on Hispanic Affairs of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB); the Apostolic Nuncio to the United States of America; the President of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB); and the Apostolic Nuncio to the Holy See. Christophe PierreThe president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, Archbishop of Los Angeles, or the president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, Archbishop of Los Angeles, José H. Gómez.

"The landscape has changed, and there is a an urgent need to be even more creative and resourceful. as we adapt our pastoral responses generated by the V Encuentro process to this new reality," said Cepeda.

Nuncio Christophe Pierre, in a video message, addressed current social problems that have affected the current social problems that have affected the Latino community, such as the pandemic, racial tensions and pandemic, racial tensions and social inequality. "The Hispanic-Latino community, in particular recent immigrants, has suffered and has recent immigrants, has suffered and at times been dehumanized by the separation of families and the separation of families and the prolonged incarceration of those seeking a better life," said the a better life," the nuncio affirmed. He went on to say that "the Holy Father calls us to calls us to resist this dehumanizing throwaway cultureespecially by counteracting individualism and remembering that we are remembering that we are connected by our common humanity, our faith and our common home. our common home.

He added that the search for a cure for the coronavirus is undoubtedly a priority. But an equally high priority is the search for a cure for social inequality. Pierre encouraged the leaders present to reject individualism and seek pastoral conversion by working for justice, diversity and solidarity in a spirit of contemplation.

Recovering evangelical energy

José H. Gomez, Archbishop of Los Angeles and President of the USCCB presided over the celebration of the Eucharist from the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels, which was broadcast live for all those attending the event.

Mass Archbishop Jose Gomez — Archbishop Jose H. Gomez of Los Angeles during the Eucharistic celebration broadcast for the V Virtual Encounter.

"All of our lives have been turned upside down with the pandemic, but today. we want to recover the evangelical energy that we felt during the V Encounter.The joy of the Gospel that Pope Francis speaks of," said Msgr. Gomez, encouraging to continue sharing the joy of serving and evangelizing that the Encounter generated.

The spirit of Encuentro in the U.S. Hispanic community continues to grow and strengthen. continues to grow and strengthen, manifesting a sign of unity and joy in evangelization. and joy in evangelization.

Hispanics

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DOMUND: helping the Church to be Church

Maria José Atienza-October 13, 2020-Reading time: 4 minutes

In the words of José María Calderón, Director of OMP Spain, "The World Mission Sunday collection, the DOMUND, which the Church celebrates all over the world, is the most important of all the activities of the Church.he way we Christians are concerned about the Church, wherever it may be.

– Supernatural World Mission Day, World Mission Sunday, DOMUNDThe 2020 edition was presented this morning in Madrid, at the headquarters of the Pontifical Mission Societies, at a press conference attended by the following speakers José María Calderón, Bishop Bernardito AuzaApostolic Nuncio to Spain and Enrique RosichComboni Missionary in Chad.

Virtual and face-to-face actions

This year's campaign emphasizes the availability of the missionaries' hearts with the slogan "...".Here I am, send me", and which has the peculiarity of being universal - not exclusive to the Spanish church. A The campaign was also marked by the coronavirus, which meant that the vast majority of the actions surrounding the Day took place in the digital environment: virtual solidarity race, donations through the web, etc. However, this has not stopped the exhibition "Domund uncovered", which can be visited in the Cathedral of Burgos until October 20, and the proclamation of DOMUND, in the same church, by Felix Sancho, president of the Hereda San Pablo Burgos Basketball Club.

Beyond charity

The Director of the Pontifical Mission Societies in Spain has especially emphasized the following colons during the presentation of the campaign. The first, the awareness that helping the DOMUND is not just an act of charityThe Church's catholicity is not only a reality, but a manifestation of the reality of the Church's catholicity: "Helping DOMUND is helping the church to be church; it means that the Christian feels responsible for the whole Church." Closely linked to this reflection was the second point: it is the universal Church that sends out missionaries where they are needed and who distributes the aid received.

A year of mission

For his part, the Apostolic Nuncio in Spain, Bishop Bernardito Auza, wanted to emphasize that "although the Church always prays for its missionaries, with this Day we also want to thank them and help them in their work". and explained the initiative of Pope Francis so that priests in formation within the Vatican diplomatic corps have an exclusive year of missionary experience in one of the dioceses dependent on the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples or on the Congregation for Bishops, because "Pope Francis is very clear that the Church is born of mission."

Living with people

Life in a church less than 100 years old, the Catholic community of Chad, was the focus of the intervention of the Comboni missionary. Enrique Rosich. This Melilla native, raised in Madrid, wanted to emphasize that his first experience of arriving in Chad in 1981 was that of "to be helped by a people who do not know you, but who receive you as sent by God". Among his experiences, he has reported that "A catechist once told me that Jesus gives us words that are very difficult to put into practice, for example, when Jesus speaks of loving the enemy, and there the enemy can kill you...but Jesus does not change his word". Rosich also wanted to emphasize that in the mission "one does not do things, one lives with the people. That is to be a missionary, to live with them"..

Generosity, in spite of everything

One of the most curious facts that were revealed at the presentation of the campaign was the fact that contributions from Spain and the United States account for half of what is received in OMP worldwide. Last year, the Spanish contribution to the DOMUND amounted to more than 10 million euros. This amount helps the Church's presence in 149 mission territories. This year, with the COVID19 crisis, the collection is expected to be somewhat more difficult: the decrease in church attendance, the impossibility of visiting schools or the traditional piggy bank are some of the initiatives that cannot be carried out due to the pandemic. For this reason, the PMS appeals for generosity, in spite of everything, facilitating the means of contribution and always asking for prayers for the missionaries who make the Church throughout the world.

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The World

A "plus" for Catholic universities

They elaborate a reference framework to promote the Social Responsibility of Universities and to better communicate the added value of Catholic university institutions.

David Fernández Alonso-October 9, 2020-Reading time: 2 minutes

– Supernatural International Federation of Catholic Universities (IFCU) has elaborated, as a result of three years of collaborative work, the Newman's Framework. In doing so, it echoes the growing number of initiatives around the world to promote University Social Responsibility (USR). "This document is specifically intended to help our members to initiate a process of evaluation of their practices in this field", says François Mabille, secretary general of the IFCU.

In line with Church tradition

The rankings The current rankings, which have emerged in recent years (Shanghai or Times Higher Education), rate universities in an increasingly competitive environment. These rankings are mainly based on limited scientific criteria and overlook values that are essential for today's societies. The Newman Framework is intended to be a reference for promoting USR.. "Based on the dynamics governing higher education today, [this Framework] establishes the need to propose viable alternatives that transmit principles and values that are in line with the humanist and Catholic tradition of the Church."says Montserrat Alom, Director of the International Center for Research and Decision Support (CIRAD-FIUC).

international federation of catholic universities

In this way, Newman's Framework Newman's Framework places the notion of responsibility at the center of university and community life. life of the university and the entire community. This instrument includes a number of 160 indicators and twenty criteria classified in four different areasgovernance, environmental protection efforts, practices environmental protection efforts, practices of how the employer implements the "three missions", and overall "three missions"; and overall consistency with respect to institutional identity.

The first with artificial intelligence

In addition, for the elaboration of the Reference Framework, they have collaborated closely with the ThinkTank Glob'experts-GMAP Center. Thanks to this partnership, the Newman Frame of Reference is the first of its kind to be based on the use of artificial intelligence (IA) to offer a dynamic evaluation system that respects the diversity of contexts in which institutions are located. Access to this tool will enable universities to gain a better understanding of their achievements in the area of USR.The company will have reliable data at its disposal to redefine its institutional development strategies.

The fact of giving visibility and quantifying quantifying its Social Responsibility policies and practices, will enable Catholic universities to more easily promote and communicate their unique added value in the higher education landscape. higher education.

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Experiences

The profaned chalice that travels through Spain

Maria José Atienza-October 8, 2020-Reading time: 2 minutes

A The chalice, shot and desecrated by Daesh jihadists during the occupation of Qaraqosh, is visiting various places in Spain at the initiative of the pontifical foundation Aid to the Church in Need.

Priests were able to celebrate with this chalice, and active and contemplative nuns, families and young people prayed before it. A "pilgrimage" promoted by Aid to the Church in Need (ACN), which recalls the reality, more current than ever, of the persecutions that Christians suffer in many parts of the world.

The chalice

The chalice was rescued from the rubble of the temple where it was kept, Salar, a Syrian Catholic Christian from Qaraqosh, located in northern Iraq, in the Nineveh Plain region.

A sacred vessel that shows the aftermath of the bombing of the church and a firefight specifically targeting liturgical objects.

Qaraqosh is the largest Christian-majority town in Iraq and possibly the region, with 50,000 inhabitants, almost all of them Christians: Chaldean Catholics, Syriac Catholics, and Syriac Orthodox. The ACN Spain's ecclesiastical assistant, Jesús Rodríguez TorrenteThe calyx, he emphasizes that the chalice, "With this destruction it is like the Heart of Jesus who sheds his blood day after day for each one of us, thus making it a symbol of surrender and of God's Love. It is no longer an object of pain and hatred, but quite the opposite.".

"This chalice that represents so many persecuted priests shows us a look of hope and trust in God, which teaches us how to live the faith in our countries."emphasizes Rodríguez Torrente.

The chalice, which has already visited places such as Cordoba, Guadix and Malaga, is scheduled to arrive in the cities of Santander and Bilbao in the coming weeks.

Persecuted and exiled

The Christian majority in this area of Iraq was the first target of Daesh terrorists when they invaded Mosul and the Christian-majority towns of the Nineveh Plain in the summer of 2014. 120,000 Christians, children, adults, elderly, entire families had to flee in a matter of hours. Most of them made their way to Erbil, capital of Iraqi Kurdistan. Until they were able to return to what was left of their homes, they lived thanks to the charity of the Church. Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) has helped them with 34.5 million euros for shelter, food and basic necessities.

After four years of jihadist occupation, Mosul and the populations of the Nineveh plain are free and reconstruction is beginning. The three major Churches of Iraq have signed an agreement with Aid to the Church in Need to work on the reconstruction of these populations. A project that has the express support of Pope Francis, who constantly recalls, in audiences and speeches, the reality of persecuted Christians and the need to help them and pray for them.

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DOMUND 2020: different campaign, same objective

"Here I am, send me" is the motto of this year's DOMUND campaign. A call to participate in the missionary work of the Church within and beyond our borders and that suffers even more, if possible, the consequences of the coronavirus epidemic that we are living.

Maria José Atienza-October 8, 2020-Reading time: 2 minutes

October, the missionary month par excellence in the life of the Church, revolves, to a large extent, around the World Mission Sunday campaign. World Mission Sunday.

One goal, that of every year: to make possible the continuity of the more than 10,000 Spanish missionaries who carry out their pastoral work throughout the world.

The 2020 campaign is marked by the limitations of a pandemic that is ravaging the entire planet and that, in a harsher way, affects those territories already marked by hunger, wars, religious persecution, etc., those areas where missionaries leave their lives. The same objective, a different campaign, a necessary call.

The protagonists

Pontifical Mission Societies has launched its campaign, this year, under the motto "Here I am, send me.". An invitation to be part of this shared mission of the Church, despite the limitations of Covid19.

This edition is materialized in the stories of a family of the Neocatechumenal Way with five children living in Arusha (Tanzania), a medical missionary of the Handmaids of the Sacred Heart of Jesus living in Yaoundé, two diocesan priests, one in Japan and the other in Peru, a nun in Angola and a religious in Oceania.

Different charisms united by the work of evangelization and propagation of the faith, and which also articulate the materials proposed for catechesis and religion classes around the day.

The campaign

How is this year's DOMUND campaign developing? Through its website www.domund.esThe event, in which the testimonies of the protagonists and the initiatives to collaborate this year are made known.

In addition to the direct donation, the I Virtual Solidarity Run Domund 2020 is presented as one of the main axes of this different campaign: the "runner" chooses equipment, distance and a donation.

Once the data has been completed and the economic collaboration has been remitted, the penultimate Sunday of October, the 17th and 18th, you can do this race walking or running, also from OMP encourage runners to upload a photo with the bib on social networks with the Hashtag: #CorrePorElDomund and publicize this initiative.

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The World

Carlo Acutis. To live as an original, so as not to die as a photocopy.

Carlo Acutis, the 15-year-old Italian boy who died of fulminant leukemia and was beatified by Pope Francis, considered the Eucharist "my highway to heaven". Today many young people and educators are inspired by his testimony.

Giovanni Tridente-October 8, 2020-Reading time: 7 minutes

Published in the Dossier "Next Saints. The most beautiful face of the Church." (Word 676-677. April 2019)

A fully Eucharistic and tenderly Marian adolescent, with a life - albeit brief - lived in a totally Christocentric way. These are the distinctive features of the testimony of faith of the very young Italian Carlo Acutis, who died when he was only 15 years old from fulminant leukemia. An assiduous frequenter of daily Holy Mass since the day of his First Holy Communion - received with special permission at the age of 7, in the monastery of Bernaga, in Perego, near Lecco - he had become accustomed to remain in deep recollection before the tabernacle both before and after the celebration. Moreover, she used to recite the Holy Rosary every day, nourishing towards the Blessed Virgin a filial tenderness: "my heavenly Mother".

Convinced that it is necessary to avoid "dying as a photocopy"and that you have to live as you were born, as a a "original"following the goal that is our homeland, the young Carlo often commented that his young Carlo frequently commented that his life program was "to be always united to Jesus".. His "secret" to achieve this undertaking and this deep desire was precisely the Sacraments and prayer, especially the Sacraments and prayer. and this deep desire were precisely the Sacraments and prayer, in particular the Eucharist, which he Eucharist, which he considered "my highway to Heaven". (an expression that has has become the title of a documentary film and a book about him). figure). Acting as a compass on this earthly road to holiness, the Word of God. Word of God.

An incarnated faith

Born on May 3, 1991 in London, where his parents had moved temporarily for work reasons, and died in Monza (Diocese of Milan) on October 12, 2006, Pope Francis proclaimed him Venerable July 5, 2018.

From a well-off family, he was able to live the faith in all aspects of his life from an early age. of his life from an early age, first attending the elementary and middle schools of the Marcelline Sisters the elementary and middle schools of the Marcelline Sisters (a congregation dedicated to the Christian education of the youth, founded at the beginning of the 19th century) and then the first years of his life. the beginning of the 19th century) and then the first years of high school with the Jesuits of the high school Les website XIII in Milan.

He felt more fortunate than anyone who had lived at the time of Christ, because he said that in order to meet Jesus "It is enough to enter the church. We have Jerusalem under our house".. He also frequently approached the Sacrament of Reconciliationconsidering that he should do "like the hot-air balloon, which, in order to rise to the top, needs to unload the weights."The same way, in fact, "in order to rise to Heaven, the soul needs to remove also the small burdens, which are venial sins.".

He attracted a lot of his schoolmates, who felt good with him, even though he was not a person who was fond of fashions; moreover, he used to invite them to go to Mass together and be reconciled with the Lord.

He is remembered for his great talent for computer computer science - he was considered a true genius for his age, with skills that could only be acquired by those who had already skills that could only be acquired by those who had already completed university studies, passion that he cultivated and through which he testified to his faith by creating mainly web pages and films, graphic design and programming, so much so that he is spoken of as a that he is spoken of as a possible patron saint of the Internet, and in general of those who work in the field of communication. those who work in the field of social communication.

The Eucharist at the center

Before the disease that attacked him in 2006 and led to his death in a few days, he had devised and organized a exhibition on the Eucharistic miracles in the world, which demonstrates the cult he nurtured towards the Blessed Sacrament, and which also served as an occasion for him to make people realize "that truly in the host and in the consecrated wine are the body and blood of Christ. That there is nothing symbolic, but that it is the real possibility of finding it."as his mother, Antonia, later recounted. "At that period he was an assistant catechist and this exhibition seemed to him a new way to help him think about the Eucharistic Mystery.". The Dicastery for Communication of the Holy See has also made a documentary film about her, titled Signsin which testimonies of doctors and scientists on the verifiability and certainty of each of the miracles are collected.

The exhibition devised by Venerable Carlo Acutis, which is of course also available onlinehas already the world on all five continents and, in particular, in the United States, where it has been installed in almost 10,000 parishes United States, where it has been installed in nearly 10,000 parishes and more than 100 universities, thanks also to the contribution of the Knights of Columbus. universities, thanks also to the contribution of the Knights of Columbus. Other exhibitions were dedicated to "Marian Apparitions and Shrines in the World in the world", "Angels and Demons" and "Hell, Purgatory and Paradise". "I wanted to shake souls and it has there has been fruit."his mother continues to tell his mother.

Among other things, he was also closely linked to Fatima and in particular to the Apparition of the Angel, which preceded those of Our Lady. Fatima and in particular to the Apparition of the Angel, preceding those of Our Lady, with his call to live a virtuous life and to make reparation for offenses against the Eucharist. Eucharist. "Carlo was also impressed by Our Lady's phrase of August 19, in which she says that many souls go to hell because there is no one to pray and sacrifice for them". hell because there is no one to pray and sacrifice for them".. A phrase that for him became a kind of obsession, so much so that it obsession, so much so that "for being small, he offered small penances". a the Virgin thinking of the souls in Purgatory.

Charity with all

It is important to emphasize, therefore, its great charitable spirit He had a great love for his neighbor, starting with his parents, but also for the poor, the abandoned elderly, the marginalized and the homeless, to whom he donated in various ways the savings from his weekly allowance. In the neighborhood he was known by all and had befriended several doormen, many of whom were immigrants of Muslim or Hindu religion, to whom he was not afraid to talk about himself and his faith. For example, he made a deep friendship with the domestic servant of his house, Rajesh, a Hindu and a Braman, who soon after would convert and ask to receive the sacraments: "He told me that I would be happier if I came closer to Jesus. I was baptized a Christian because it was he who infected me and dazzled me with his deep faith, his charity and his purity.".

The beatification process began on February 15, 2013. February 2013, and almost four years later the diocesan phase was closed in Milan, when his fame of sanctity had exploded his fame of sanctity had already exploded worldwide, in a completely mysterious but understandable way. completely mysterious, but at the same time understandable.

"We can say that, just as he was famous among his classmates for his classmates for his facility with computer programs or editing films and videos, so his life and and videos, so his life and his figure are now familiar to hundreds of thousands of boys and of thousands of boys and girls thanks to the Internet networks. Some associations, parishes and high schools have even chosen him as a role model for young people. young people".said Nicola Gori, postulator the occasion of the Synod the postulator of the cause of beatification, Nicola Gori.

All that, therefore, "thanks to these social networks of which he has been a user and promoter, showing everyone that these means can be used in a lawful and responsible way for the good of the community and personal growth".. Indeed, his secret was to consider that "any means is useful to announce salvation to the world"..

Among others of its "very special secrets to reach quickly". the goal of holiness - in addition to the Holy Mass, the Rosary and the daily visit to the Blessed Sacrament, as we have seen, young Carlo suggested to his friends the need to desire the young Carlo suggested to his friends the necessity of desiring to "wholeheartedly" holiness, "and if you still do not you have to ask the Lord for it with insistence".He also advised to read a passage of Sacred Scripture every day, to go to confession weekly, to go to Scripture each day, to go to confession weekly, and to "also for venial sins".making offerings and resolutions "to the Lord and the Our Lady to help others"., and continually ask for help "to your Guardian Angel who has to become your best friend"..

In a notebook he had written: "Sadness is the look directed at oneself, happiness is the look directed at God. happiness is the look directed towards God. Conversion is nothing more than is nothing more than shifting one's gaze from below to above. A simple movement of the eyes.".

A few months before the Lord called him to Himself, while he was on vacation with his parents, he asked his mother, "What did you do? while on vacation with his parents, he asked his mother: "Do you think I should be a priest?"indirectly communicating this desire of yours, probably unconscious. Today, his mother is aware that her son is is playing the role of a priest from heaven. Indeed, Carlo "I didn't understand why the stadiums are so full for concerts, but the churches are so empty. concerts, and yet the churches are so empty".and he repeated that sooner or later his contemporaries would understand would understand that it is truly worthwhile to offer one's life for Christ. Y probably is interceding from on High.

The offering of suffering

At the hospital bed, already aware that his life was coming to an end, he said to his parents: "I'm not going to die, I'm going to die, he said to his parents: "I offer to the Lord the sufferings that I will have to undergo, for the Pope and for the Church, so as not to go to Purgatory and to go straight to Paradise. Purgatory and go straight to Paradise".. Sufferings that came, but which he lived with the thought to those whom he considered would surely be worse off than he was.

His mortal remains rest in Assisi, the small town of the Poor Brother - a Saint whom Carlo venerated very much - where the family had a second home and where he had expressly asked to be buried.

There are numerous publications recounting his brief but intense his brief but intense life of faith and several hundred web pages and blogs that speak of his that speak of him in different languages. Many are also the stories of conversion stories of conversion linked to his testimony and which occurred after his death, from all corners of the world, from Indonesia to China, from Korea to Brazil, from the United from Indonesia to China, from Korea to Brazil, from the United Arab Emirates, Egypt, Vietnam, Germany, Holland and the United States, including testimonies of his conversion, the United States, including testimonies of people who have received thanks, with including testimonies from people who have received graces, with the corresponding medical communications. In the intercessory prayer for his beatification and canonization, he is remembered as the one who made the the one who made the Eucharist the "the center of his life and the strength of his daily commitment"..

Pope Francis' decision to elevate him to the altars in such a short time has been received with great enthusiasm and is a source of consolation for all those who refer to his figure as a model for evangelization. It is not by chance that many catechists, schools, colleges, schools and parishes draw on his experience to animate their various activities and there is also a website which bears his name and collects all these experiences. The testimony that this very young Blessed leaves to parents and families is to educate their children to prayer from an early age and to encourage them on the path of faith."Their journey revolved around Jesus, who was at the center. People who allow themselves to be transformed by Jesus and have this strong friendship with God challenge others, they radiate the image of God."his mother will say later. In fact, "all of us unconsciously seek God.". And everyone has sensed it in the young Carlo Acutis.

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Towards a global education pact

David Fernández Alonso-October 7, 2020-Reading time: 2 minutes

On October 15 a worldwide event promoted by Pope Francis will take place on October 15. with the topic Rebuilding the global education pact. A meeting that aims to rekindle the commitment commitment for and with the young generations, renewing the passion for a more open and inclusive more open and inclusive education, capable of patient listening, constructive dialogue and mutual understanding. constructive dialogue and mutual understanding.

Faced with this call from the Pontiff, the International Catholic Education Office Catholic Education Office (OIEC), together with other agencies and organizations, has mobilized to to to collect the opinions of different people people from the world of educationof superiors general of religious institutions dedicated to education religious institutions dedicated to education and international experts, on how to overcome international experts, on what to do to overcome the difficulties and resistances, what to change in education in order to build a more human, fraternal, supportive and sustainable world, solidarity and sustainability, and how to focus on people and educate them integrally from within. educate them integrally from within.

Lights for the road

The result is shown in the new book Lights for the road. It has brought together projects and programs that show the way and evidence that it is possible to improve the right to education, build the culture of peace or weave solidarity or care for the Common House. "This participatory book has been created as a a space for meeting and dialogue, to shed light on the path towards a global educational pact. It is an open book, incomplete, which aims to inspire everyone, to infect you, to encourage you to share your visions, to dialogue, debate, search and work together, from any corner of the world."writes the Project Director of the International Office of Catholic Education, Consultant to the Vatican's Congregation for Catholic Education. Juan Antonio Ojeda Ortizin the introduction to the new volume.

In this line, he explains that "it is about building together an education of, with and for all. Education is everyone's business, because it affects affects them equally. Therefore, we must give a voice and decision-making capacity to each of the affected each of the affected parties, to generate together an educational project that does not exclude anyone but that does not exclude anyone, but includes everyone.".

Pope Francis

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Raising VAT on education benefits no one

Maria José Atienza-October 7, 2020-Reading time: 3 minutes

The presentation of the draft of the General State Budget for next year brought with it an unpleasant surprise for more than two million families: the possibility of raising the VAT on subsidized and private education to 21%. A rise that those who defend it have tried to sell as a measure of financial savings in this time of crisis.

Nothing could be further from the truth. The increase of the 21% to private and subsidized education (or to private health care, for example) would entail, if applied, not only an increase in current spending on education, but also the loss of jobs, lower income tax collection or an increase in unemployment benefits. This was pointed out by organizations representing the different sectors of private education, both in formal and non-formal education, in a communiqué issued on October 2 to learn of this possibility.

The worst moment

Luis Centeno, Assistant Secretary General of Catholic Schoolsone of the signatories of this declaration points out to Revista Palabra that "It is the worst possible time to raise the VAT on private education and private health care. Middle and lower class families are the ones who will suffer the most from this increase". This is a hard blow for the majority of charter school students who do not come from wealthy families.

The measure does not seem to be supported either by economic reasons or by social demand; In fact, there are already several voices, even from within the government groups, that point to the ineffectiveness of this possibility which, as the Deputy Secretary General of Escuelas Católicas points out, would in no way represent a measure of containment or savings in public spending since "the possible transfer of students from private and subsidized education to public education would imply a considerable increase in public spending on public schools or places, which are twice as expensive as private or subsidized schools"..

In addition, of course, the problem it would pose for "more than two million students and families who attend subsidized or private centers. Likewise, it could also affect other families who take their children to private university centers." and workers, business fabric..., etc. that is developed around these educational initiatives. "With respect to the number of workers." - notes Luis Centeno - "only in subsidized education, they involve more than 150,000, who could be seriously affected by the loss of jobs".. In other words, we would be talking about a decrease in personal income tax collection and an increase in the social benefits of those who would lose their jobs.

Limits freedom of choice

The increase that this increase in Value Added Tax would have on household spending could be as much as a serious problem for freedom of choice of the educational center, "Parents would be less able to choose because of the higher cost of fees for high school or university education; secondly, it would affect the fact that some students would decide to switch to public education because they could not afford these fees, which would lead to the closure of many schools".

So, why this proposal?

As Luis Centeno emphasizes "Subsidized education is not a privilege at all, is simply the State's way of enabling all social classes to exercise their right to education, regardless of their economic level." so that a new attack on private and state-subsidized education "desiring by all means that public education be the only offer available to the vast majority of citizens." In the end, it is still a discriminatory measure for those who have fewer economic resources but the same right to freedom of choice.

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New bishops for Burgos, Zaragoza and Barcelona

– Supernatural Holy See made public at 12:00 noon the appointments made by Pope Francis for the offices of Burgos y Zaragoza and a new auxiliary of Barcelona.

Omnes-October 6, 2020-Reading time: 3 minutes

The hitherto bishop of Bilbao, Msgr. Mario Iceta becomes the incumbent of the Archdiocese of Burgos while Bishop Carlos Manuel Escribano Vicente Jiménez as Archbishop of Zaragoza; Barcelona has a new auxiliary bishop, Javier Vilanovawho was, until then, rector of the interdiocesan seminary of Cataluña.

– Supernatural Holy See made public at 12:00 noon the appointments made by Pope Francis for the offices of Burgos y Zaragoza and a new auxiliary of Barcelona.

At the same time that these appointments were made public, Pope Francis accepted the resignations presented by Archbishop Fidel Herraéz and Archbishop Vicente Jiménez Zamora, Archbishops of Burgos and Zaragoza, respectively, at the age of 75.

Bishop Iceta, Bishop of Bilbao since 2010

Bishop Mario Iceta Gavicagogeascoa was born in Gernika (Biscay), Diocese of Bilbao, on March 21, 1965. He holds a Doctorate in Medicine and Surgery from the University of Navarra (1995) and a Doctorate in Theology from the John Paul II Pontifical Institute for Studies on Marriage and the Family in Rome (2002). He holds a Master's Degree in Banking and Credit Institution Management from the Fundación Universidad y Empresa and the UNED (1997).

On July 16, 1994 he was ordained a priest in the cathedral of Cordoba, his diocese of incardination. On February 5, 2008, he was appointed titular bishop of Alava and auxiliary of Bilbao. He received the episcopal consecration on April 12 of the same year. On August 24, 2010 he was appointed bishop of Bilbao, beginning his ministry on October 11 of the same year.

In the Spanish Episcopal Conference, he has been a member of the Executive Commission and the Permanent Commission since March 2020. He has been vice president of the Episcopal Commission for the Secular Apostolate and president of the Episcopal Subcommission for the Family and the Defense of Life from 2014 to 2020. He had been a member of this Subcommission since 2008.

He is founder of the Andalusian Society of Bioethics Research and of the specialized journal "Bioethics and Health Sciences" (Cordoba, 1993). He is a corresponding member of the Royal Academy of Cordoba in the Section of Moral, Political and Social Sciences (2006). He is a member of the Academy of Medical Sciences of Bilbao (2008) and of the Royal Academy of Medicine and Surgery of Seville (2018).

Escribano, Bishop of Calahorra and La Calzada-Logroño since 2016.

Bishop Carlos Manuel Escribano Subías was born on August 15, 1964 in Carballo (La Coruña). He studied theology at the University of Navarra and obtained a degree in Moral Theology from the Pontifical Gregorian University (1994-1996). He was ordained a priest on July 14, 1996, being incardinated in the diocese of Zaragoza.

In this diocese of Zaragoza he held various pastoral positions. He was pastor in the parish of the Sacred Heart and in the parish of Santa Engracia, and also professor at the Regional Center for Theological Studies of Aragon. On July 20, 2010, he was appointed bishop of Teruel and Albarracín, and there he received episcopal ordination on September 26 of that same year. On May 13, 2016, he was appointed bishop of the diocese of Calahorra and La Calzada-Logroño, where he took canonical possession on June 25, 2016.

In the Spanish Episcopal Conference, he has been president of the Episcopal Commission for the Laity, Family and Life since March 2020. He is also a member of the Permanent Commission. Since 2015, he has been the Consiliary of Manos Unidas.

Between 2010 and 2020 he was a member of the Episcopal Commission for the Secular Apostolate. Within this Commission, he was the bishop responsible for the Department of Youth Ministry (2017-2020) and national consiliary of Catholic Action (2011-2018). He was a member of the Episcopal Subcommission for the Family and Defense of Life (2010-2017).

Javier Vilanova, rector of the Interdiocesan Seminary of Catalonia since 2018.

Javier Vilanova Pellisa was born in Fatarella (Tarragona) on September 23, 1973. He was ordained priest on November 22, 1998 for the diocese of Tortosa, where he has carried out his priestly ministry.

He has been parochial vicar of the parishes of Mare de Déu del Roser in Tortosa (1998-1999) and San Miguel Arcángel in Alcanar (1999-2003). He was also rector of the parishes of Asunción de Forcall, Castellfort and Portell, San Pedro Apóstol de Cinctorres, Madre de Dios de las Nieves de la Mata, San Bartolomé de La Todolella and Virgen del Pópulo de Olocau del Rey (2003-2007). He has been rector of the parishes of Alfara de Carles (2014-2019), Sacred Heart of Jesus of Raval de Cristo (2016-2019) and San Lorenzo of Pinell de Brai (2019).

In addition, he has held the positions of delegate for Catechesis (2014-2016) and for Vocation Ministry (2003); rector of the seminary of Tortosa (2007) and spiritual director of the interdiocesan seminary of Catalonia (2016-2018). Member of the College of Consultors (2007) and the Presbyteral Council (2007).

Currently, and since 2018, he is rector of the interdiocesan seminary of Catalonia. He is a missionary of Mercy and ordinary confessor of the Community of Augustinian Sisters of St. Matthew.

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Integral ecology

"Fratelli Tutti": Friendship and fraternity, dialogue and encounter.

We offer an analysis of the encyclical "Fratelli Tutti" issued by the Holy Father Francis on the feast of St. Francis of Assisi, which offers a Christian perspective on the current social reality.

Ramiro Pellitero-October 4, 2020-Reading time: 5 minutes

Pope Francis' third encyclical Fratelli tutti, on fraternity and social friendship, is a social encyclical written in the context of the "Christian convictions".offered in a dialogue with all people of good will. These Christian convictions are reflected in the reference to the Second Vatican Council: "The joys and hopes, the sorrows and anxieties of the people of our time, especially the poor and those who suffer, are at once the joys and hopes, the sorrows and anxieties of the disciples of Christ." (Gaudium et spes, 1).

Therefore, it starts from a look at the world that "is more than an aseptic description of reality.". It is a "attempt to look for a light in the midst of what we are living".The method is that of ethical and pastoral discernment, which, as the word indicates, seeks to discern the path of the good in order to channel, overcoming the risks of unilateral polarization, the actions of the Church's members (n. 56). The method is that proper to ethical and pastoral discernment, which seeks, as the word indicates, to distinguish the path of good in order to channel, overcoming the risks of unilateral polarization, personal action in the context of society and cultures.

When trying to fraternity and social friendshipthe Pope declares that he stops at the universal dimension of fraternity. Not surprisingly, one of the key points of the document is the rejection of individualism. "We are all brothers", members of the same human family, which comes from a single Creator, and which sails in the same boat. Globalization shows us the need to work together to promote the common good and care for life, dialogue and peace.

A world marked by individualism

Although there is no lack of recognition of scientific and technological advances and of the efforts of many to do good - as we have seen on the occasion of the pandemic -, we are still faced with "the shadows of a closed world": manipulations, injustices and selfishness, conflicts, fears and "culture of walls".xenophobia and contempt for the weak. Dreams are broken, a common project is lacking and the difficulty to respond to personal and social crises is evident. "We are more alone than ever in this overcrowded world that makes individual interests prevail and weakens the community dimension of existence." (n. 12). All this manifests the "accentuation of many forms of individualism without content." (n. 13) and occurs before "an unacceptable international silence" (n. 29). To overcome cynicism, fill the void of meaning in life and avoid violence we need, says the Pope, "recovering the shared passion for a community of belonging and solidarity." (n. 36).

Opening to the world from the heart

How can we respond to this situation? How can we achieve a real opening to the world, i.e. communication that makes us better and contributes to improving society? The Gospel presents the figure of the good Samaritan (Chapter 2: "A Stranger on the Road"). One thing is clear: "The existence of each of us is linked to that of others: life is not time that passes, but time of encounter." (n. 66). We are made for a fulfillment that can only be achieved in love: "It is not a possible option to live indifferent to pain, we cannot let anyone remain 'on the sidelines of life'. This should outrage us, to the point of making us come down from our serenity to be upset by human suffering." (68).

In our lives there is always an opportunity to start living fraternity again. To answer the question, "Who is my neighbor? "He does not invite us to ask ourselves who are those who are close to us, but to become close to us, our neighbors". (n. 80).

Therefore, there is no excuse for the slavery, closed nationalism and mistreatment, slavery and towards those who are different: "It is important that catechesis and preaching include in a more direct and clear way the social meaning of existence, the fraternal dimension of spirituality, the conviction about the inalienable dignity of each person and the motivations to love and welcome all". (n. 86)

– Supernatural opening is a key word. To "think and develop an open world" (title of chapter 3), we need a heart open to the whole world (chapter 4). One guarantee is an openness to transcendence, the openness to God: "God is love, and he who abides in love abides in God." (1 Jn 4,16).

Francisco declares: "I was especially encouraged by Grand Imam Ahmad Al-Tayyeb, whom I met in Abu Dhabi to recall that God 'has created all human beings equal in rights, duties and dignity, and has called them to live together as brothers among themselves.' (Document on human fraternity for world peace and common coexistence, Abu Dhabi, 4-II-2019) (5).

For Christians, "Faith fills us with unprecedented motivation in recognition of the other, because those who believe can come to recognize that God loves every human being with infinite love and 'thereby confers on him infinite dignity' (John Paul II, Message to the Disabled, November 16, 1980)" (n. 85). Proof of this is that "Christ shed his blood for each and every one, so that no one remains outside his universal love" (n. 85). (Ibid)

Openness of cultures to each other

This has to be manifested in the cultures: "Other cultures are not enemies to be preserved from, but are distinct reflections of the inexhaustible richness of human life." (147), always from and for people: to promote "the value of neighborly love, the first indispensable exercise to achieve a healthy universal integration". (151).

At the service of the person and of cultures, and of their mutual openness, is placed "the best policy" (title of chapter 5), a work of craftsmanship that should be aimed at the common goodguided by fraternity and social friendship, driven by love. "How much love did I put into my work, what did I advance the people in, what mark did I leave on the life of society, what real ties did I build, what positive forces did I unleash, how much social peace did I sow, what did I provoke in the place entrusted to me?" (n. 197)

Truth and dignity

In the background of this universal dimension of human fraternity that the Pope wishes to promote is what is truly valuable, because not everything is worth the same: "A culture without universal values is not a true culture" (John Paul II, Speech 2-II-1987) (146). Truth is discovered through wisdom, which entails an encounter with reality. (cf. n. 47). Truth does not impose itself or defend itself violently, but opens itself in love. Also the truth of human dignitythe inalienable dignity of every human person regardless of origin, color or religion, and the supreme law of fraternal love". (n. 39). At the same time, the relationship of love with truth protects it from being mere sentimentalism, individualism or humanism closed to transcendence (cf. n. 184),

Dialogue, encounter, search for peace

The real dialogue(see chapter 6: "Dialogue and social friendship"). is not a matter of mere negotiation in search of private benefits.The heroes of the future will be those who know how to break this unhealthy logic and decide to respectfully sustain a word loaded with truth, beyond personal convenience. God willing, these heroes are silently brewing in the heart of our society". (n. 202).

Nor with manipulated consensus or imposed relativism: "Before the moral norms that prohibit intrinsic evil there are no privileges or exceptions for anyone. There is no difference between being the master of the world or the last of the wretched of the earth: before moral demands we are all absolutely equal." (John Paul II, Enc. Veritatis splendor, 96)

It is necessary to to search for a new culture that recovers kindness. To begin again, in fact, from the truth, together with justice and mercy, with the craftsmanship of Peace (see chapter 7: "Paths of reunion"). This is why war and the death penalty must be opposed.

Religions are called to collaborate in the front line of this project (see chapter 8: "Religions at the service of fraternity in the world"). God cannot be silenced either in society or in the heart of man.: "When, in the name of an ideology, one wants to expel God from society, one ends up worshipping idols, and immediately man is lost, his dignity is trampled upon, his rights violated." (n. 274). Christians believe that in him is found the authentic source of human dignity and universal brotherhood.

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Jutta Burggraff (1952-2010): a smiling theologian

The tenth anniversary of the death of this German theologian is an invitation to continue to think boldly about faith incarnated in life, to do a smiling theology, open to culture and to the personal world of human relationships.

Jaime Nubiola-October 3, 2020-Reading time: 4 minutes

November 5 marks the tenth anniversary of the death of Jutta Burggraf, the German theologian whose intelligence and smile illuminated the campus of the University of Navarra for nearly fifteen years, first as a student of Theology and, from 1999, as professor of Dogmatic Theology and Ecumenism. My sister Eulalia had the good fortune to be close to her and has shared her memories with me. I leave the floor to her and add a few comments at the bottom:

"I knew Jutta Burggraf as a fellow doctoral student in the Faculty of Theology at the University of Navarra - she was noted for her intelligence - and as a resident at the Colegio Mayor itself. In spite of her German accent, she spoke perfect Spanish, but - half jokingly, half seriously - she said that she imagined hell as dinner time at the Colegio Mayor, because all the girls spoke at the same time and in Spanish!

I was struck by his personality: he was not moved by custom or common criteria, but he analyzed questions in depth, in conscience, and acted accordingly. Surely because of this, it was evident that he really prayed. When she was before the Blessed Sacrament, she "spoke with God"; she sat peacefully smiling and looking at the tabernacle, like someone enjoying a conversation with a friend.

He had a marked sensitivity towards people who -we would now say- are in a marginal situation. It was not in vain that he had studied special pedagogy before theology. For this reason, when a person had, for example, a disability, he felt a special esteem for him, more along the lines of friendship than compassion.

I had the opportunity to attend many of Jutta's classes or lectures. She broke the mold, as she completely captured the attention through a speech read - with emphasis and frequently raising her smiling gaze - sitting behind a table. Her speech was always profound and understandable: it seemed easy and almost self-evident what she was saying, even if it was not. Her words were always very attractive.

On a couple of occasions he asked me to review a text of his that he was preparing to publish. Although I dared to make some small formal suggestions, I can say that they were excellent texts both in writing and in their structure and content. She worked with great order. She was very conscientious in the work she scheduled in advance - as a good German - and she met the deadlines!

I would like to highlight his work in the field of Ecclesiology and, in particular, Ecumenism. Perhaps the fact of having lived in Germany with people from other Christian communities, led him to have this concern for the unity of the Church very much alive. He gave a very significant title to one of the books he published on ecumenism: Knowing and understanding each other (Rialp, 2003). I also remember that his publication and his lectures on forgiveness helped many people (Learning to forgive, 2008). Finally, I would like to mention his very generous collaboration -many hours of hidden and sacrificial work- in order to bring to light the Dictionary of Theology published by Ediciones Universidad de Navarra in 2006".

So much for the testimony of my sister Eulalia. On December 3, 2011, the Faculty of Theology of the University of Navarra paid a heartfelt tribute to the person who, on the occasion of her death, had been the subject of her testimony. "José Morales, an outstanding representative of the group of women who, after Vatican II, have made theology a central part of their dedication to God and to others in the Church".

Jutta Burggraf has written more than twenty books, more than seventy articles in specialized journals and participated in numerous symposiums and congresses. In May 2009, I coincided with her at a table at the XX Symposium on Church History in Spain and America, held at the Real Alcázar of Seville, under the presidency of Cardinal Carlos Amigo and with the general theme of Identity, pluralism, freedom. I can assure you that the intelligent simplicity of his brilliant presentation and his cordial smile captivated all of us in attendance.

In his theological sketch, Professor Morales pointed out that Jutta Burggraf "He had the conviction that good theology is equivalent to an art of living. [...] He silently understood that theology is not an infused or charismatic science. It presupposes and demands a constant effort, like any truly human task in which body and mind come together to generate, sometimes painfully, an inner effort that transforms reality and the very person who thinks and feels. Theology was for Jutta a service and a necessary ministry that is carried out in the Church, for the Church and the whole of humanity".

In his works he addressed important issues of today's society: the vocation and mission of the laity, the meaning of freedom, the union of Christians, human sexuality, feminism, and many others. His direct reading is a very enriching experience: it is always thought-provoking as well as captivating in its clear-sighted simplicity. When I read his Freedom lived with the strength of faith (Rialp, 4th ed. 2008), I took these three notes that reflect well the personality of the author: "When I am with a loved one, I am happy." (p. 72); "It is better to be wrong than not to think." (p. 113), and "Truth breeds hatred when it hardens or petrifies." (p. 204).

Only ten years have passed since Jutta Burggraf's passing and her writings have as much strength and appeal as when she published them. Jutta, with her gentle smile, was a true frontier thinker who touches the hearts and minds of her readers.

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Twentieth Century Theology

Background on the fraternity: Inspiration of "Fratelli Tutti".

Ramiro Pellitero-October 3, 2020-Reading time: 3 minutes

Fraternity is an issue that has always preoccupied the Church, which from the beginning has seen in her head, Christ, the brother of his brothers and sisters. We have several antecedents - both near and far - that, in some way, will have inspired the new encyclical "Fratelli Tutti". We refer both to the words of Pope Francis himself in some of his meetings or liturgical celebrations, as well as to certain magisterial documents.

- Text Alejandro Vázquez-Dodero

An encyclical, "Fratelli TuttiThe title of the book, "The World of the Humanity", is addressed to the whole of humanity, to the heart of each person, without the title "The Humanity of the Humanity of the Humanity". "Brothers all"Contrary to what some people think, it refers only to men and does not include women. This title chosen by the Pope is nothing more than a literal quotation from St. Francis - Admonitions, 6, 1: FF 155 - and is naturally not modifiable, as he himself has pointed out.

Encyclical Lumen Fidei

Lumen Fidei was published on June 29, 2013 by the current pontiff, and in its point 54 invites us to "return to the true root of fraternity". A fraternity that, unlike what modernity pretends, refers to a common Father, and goes beyond the mere construction of a universal fraternity among men based on equality.

Encyclical Laudato Si

Published on May 24, 2015, with that great pretense of discovering the glory that God deserves through creation, among other purposes. The Roman Pontiff, referring to St. Francis of Assisi, highlights his well-known communication with every creature. He says, "entered into communication with everything created (...)". In fact, she referred to every creature with the sweet name of "sister"..

Laudato Si'In his book "Universal Communion," which he calls "universal communion," and in a display of integration of the human heart, he invites us to reflect on the fraternal consequences of mistreatment or indifference to the other creatures of this world. He goes so far as to affirm that "any cruelty to any creature is contrary to human dignity". Because, as the Pope will conclude, we are all together as brothers and sisters on a wonderful pilgrimage, "intertwined by the love that God has for each of his creatures".

In Chapter V, the Holy Father refers to the desirability of greater dialogue among the world's religions, given that the majority of the world's inhabitants declare themselves to be believers. This is in favor of the construction of "networks of respect and fraternity".

Other magisterial references and papal pronouncements

The encyclical Populorum Progressio The Declaration of St. Paul VI, published on March 26, 1967, deals with the need to promote the development of peoples.

Among other references to fraternity, he will say that "Man must meet man, nations must meet each other as brothers and sisters, as children of God. In this mutual understanding and friendship, in this sacred communion, we must likewise begin to act as one to build up the common future of mankind.".

With regard to the promotion of fraternity, he points out that "Between civilizations, as between people, a sincere dialogue is indeed a creator of fraternity."

In the solemn Te Deum of 2006, Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI called for the promotion of "the transforming power of social friendship," an expression that Pope Francis uses again in his new encyclical.

Finally, in the Pope's Apostolic Journey to the United Arab Emirates - Abu Dhabi, February 3-5, 2019- signed, together with the Grand Imam of Al-Azhar, Ahmed Al-Tayyeb, the "Document on Human Fraternity for world peace and common coexistence". It was a milestone in the path of interreligious dialogue, within the framework of the consideration that we are all brothers and sisters, children of the same Father.

Consequently, through the dialogue with the world of St. Paul VI, the dialogue of peace of St. John Paul II and the dialogue of charity in truth of Benedict XVI, we find ourselves today in the "dialogue of friendship" announced by Francis, which is nothing more than a reflection of the fraternity to which we are all universally called.

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Father S.O.S

Psychological strategies for spiritual accompaniment (II)

It was commented in the Part I how to establish the framework and the foundations of the relationship. Let us now look at how to encourage an asymmetric relationship that is created bidirectionally.

Carlos Chiclana-October 3, 2020-Reading time: 3 minutes

The desirable and natural thing is that the companion is chosen by the person accompanied. In various institutions, he/she can be proposed to the interested parties and accepted with a supernatural vision. However, it is necessary to provide human means for this relationship to be sustained and, if it is felt that it is not going to work, it would be better to do it with another person.

Establishing trust and intimacy

Only the other person can open their home and show you inside the rooms, family photos, corners that are not so tidy or clean. For that, they need to trust you. There will be people who with supernatural trust will do it right away, without fear and with openness. You have to enter on tiptoe, with immense delicacy, without taking intimacy or trust for granted, without making unwelcome comments and with reverence for that sacred place to which only he and God have access, and which he is now teaching you.

It will be beneficial to create a safe environment - both physical and psychological - that contributes to the development of mutual respect and trust. There will be people who prefer an open space or a closed room, a little time or a lot, fast or slow, and, if possible and appropriate boundaries are respected, we can provide this as a token of service.

It will increase his confidence to show genuine interest in his growth; to look at him while he speaks, in active listening; to follow his interests and not our own or those we have for an institution or apostolate; to make suggestions and not impositions; to give him new ideas; to open horizons according to his requests; to remember where he is going; to know his real concerns and to be solicitous.

Permission should be asked to go into sensitive or new topics, with respect for their privacy and time. Some simple personal issues, well selected and with clear limits, can be told to enhance communication.

Both must be clear that the relationship is asymmetrical, that they have a responsibility to be in their position to be able to act freely. It is not based on friendship, even if it can be developed, and that what the companion says is not just advice, but is part of a search for God and his will.

It will be necessary to show extreme respect for his ideas, concerns, occurrences, blunders, way of being and learning style. We can validate his feelings and emotions; constantly support him; encourage his new actions, also those that include taking risks, facing the fear of failure or doing badly; not being scared and not scolding him.

It will also help if we establish clear agreements and comply with what we commit to (schedules, frequency of conversations, availability, contact outside of conversation times and how to do so).

To be present

When we are with a person we have to be just that, with full awareness and presence (not answering the cell phone or asking for permission, not leaving him or her stranded, not attending to other things, dedicating the expected time) and create natural relationships using an open, flexible style that shows security and confidence. We will take care of how we look at him/her, how we listen to him/her, how we ask questions with delicacy.

It could be something similar to dancing with someone, you have to be there and be flexible to adapt to the music, to how the partner is, to the moment, to the step that brings that day, listen, look, and from there is from where you act.

For this we can use our experience in the "dance floors" with other people, intuition, what we have considered and prayed for when preparing that moment of accompaniment, trusting in inner knowledge.

If he plays music we don't know, instead of jumping in, we will do so with an openness to not knowing about something and saying so - I think about it, I pray about it, I ask about it - and to take risks, with confidence. When difficult or costly subjects come up, we will try not to be shocked or at least not to show it outwardly, and we will not laugh in moments of tension.

If we are present in each moment, we will not be anchored in a single way to help you, nor will we give canned advice, we will look for different ways for that historical moment, and we will choose the most effective at each moment, always looking for plans for growth, development, help of interest, to move forward, to enhance freedom, novelty, acceptance.

It will be very unusual to have to ask for an account or to scold, because when we ask the person the questions in hypothesis or proposal mode, with questions, with suggestions for prayer on a subject, it will be likely that he himself will see the way. At the same time, when it is necessary to intervene firmly, it is our responsibility to do so.

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Experiences

The Order of the Holy Sepulcher assists the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem

Maria José Atienza-October 2, 2020-Reading time: 2 minutes

The blow that the coronavirus pandemic has dealt in the Holy Land to the system of religious pilgrimages and tourism has caused many families to see their main economic engine endangered in recent months. In these difficult times, the Grand Magisterium of the Order of the Holy Sepulchre has been able to send 3 million to the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem, in addition to the regular aid provided each month.to meet the humanitarian needs of its faithful.

This aid has made it possible to respond quickly to a series of urgent needs, including attention to the basic needs of 2,400 families in more than 30 parishes with the distribution of vouchers for food, hygiene and child care products, medicines and payment of bills, as highlighted by the General Administrator of the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem, Sami El-Yousef as well as helping 1,238 families in Jordan and 1,180 families in Palestine to pay school fees.

This special donation was made possible thanks to the response of the various Lieutenancies of the Order of the Holy Sepulchre throughout the world. As highlighted by the Governor General of the Order of the Holy Sepulchre, Amb. Leonardo Visconti di Modrone "although they also had to face the needs caused by the health emergency in their own countries, they wanted to make their closeness to their brothers in the Holy Land felt. We are grateful that the special support from the Covid-19 fund did not replace the regular commitment of our members to contribute to the daily life of the diocese of Jerusalem, but rather added to it.".

Ongoing support

The situation in the Holy Land, as in several other countries, continues to show critical situations and, in the coming weeks and months, the funds sent will continue to be used so as not to abandon those who continue to find themselves in a state of need. The purpose of the Order of the Holy Sepulcher is to help its members in their quest for holiness and, in particular, to help the Christian presence in the Holy Land by providing the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem with the financial means to support its structures. This translates into economic collaboration and the promotion of pilgrimages to the Land of the Lord. All this united to the prayer for their brothers in the Holy Land.

Response to the serious situation caused by COVID19 "has far exceeded our expectations and has given us the breathing space we needed to face this emergency with greater serenity. We have all been surprised and impressed by the immediate response and its scope."he pointed out Msgr. Pierbattista PizzaballaApostolic Administrator of the Patriarchate.

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Pope's teachings

The Pope in September. "Healing the world": everyone's task

Since August 5, the Pope has been giving a catechesis at his Wednesday audiences, entitled Healing the world. The aim is to guide Catholics and enlighten everyone - in the current context of the Covid-19 pandemic and the "social diseases" it reveals - for the construction of a better world, full of hope.

Ramiro Pellitero-October 1, 2020-Reading time: 5 minutes

Francis indicated at the beginning of the catechesis that he would do it under a triple focus: the message of the Gospel, the theological virtues and the social doctrine of the Church. And in this triple key he shows himself to be an excellent teacher and catechist of the faith. Moreover, no doubt in this way he has been preparing for the publication of his new encyclical on fraternity (Fratelli tutti).

Christ brings healing and salvation

In the first catechesis, the Pope explained how the kingdom of God brings with it, at the same time, healing and salvation; and is manifested in faith, hope and love. The healing speaks to us about our physical, spiritual and social illnesses. Jesus dealt with all these dimensions of the sick. For example, when healing the paralytic of Capernaum (cf. Mk 2:1-12)

"Christ's action is a direct response to the faith of these people, to the hope they place in him, to the love they show for one another. And so Jesus heals, but he does not simply heal paralysis, he heals everything, he forgives sins, he renews the life of the paralytic and his friends. He is born again, let's put it this way. A physical and spiritual healing, all together, fruit of a personal and social encounter." (General Audience5-VIII-2020)

How to help heal our world? The Church, which as an institution is not responsible for dealing with health issues or giving socio-political indications in this regard, has developed some social principles that help in the healing - we could say integral - of people, while at the same time inviting them to open themselves to the salvation offered by the Christian message. The main ones are: "the principle of the dignity of the person, the principle of the common good, the principle of the preferential option for the poor, the principle of the universal destination of goods, the principle of solidarity, of subsidiarity, the principle of care for our common home." (Ibid.)

Faith and dignity, hope and economy

In the second catechesis (Faith and human dignityAugust 12), Francis pointed out that the pandemic is not the only disease to be combated, as it has brought to light other diseases. "social pathologies"on the basis of an individualistic and throwaway culturewhich reduces the human being to "a consumer good". This is a way of forgetting the human dignity, which is based on the creation of man as the image and likeness of God. This fundamental dignity of every person is the basis of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (of 1948), as recognized not only by believers but by many people of good will. And human dignity has serious social, economic and political implications and promotes attitudes such as care, concern and compassion.

He then focused on the preferential option for the poor and the virtue of charityas two "means" proposed by Christianity (August 19, 2020). The first -he strongly emphasized- is not a political, ideological or party option, but is at the heart of the Gospel. The life of Jesus, his teachings and his followers are recognized as the most important of all. "by his closeness to the poor, to the little ones, to the sick and the imprisoned, to the excluded, to the forgotten, to those who are deprived of food and clothing." (cf. Mt 25:31-36), and with that parameter we will all be judged.

"Faith, hope and love necessarily push us towards this preference for the most needy, which goes beyond the purely necessary assistance. It implies in fact walking together, letting ourselves be evangelized by them, who know well the suffering Christ, letting ourselves be 'infected' by their experience of salvation, their wisdom and their creativity.".

Therefore, it is necessary to work to heal and change the "sick social structures"because "From the pandemic, as from any crisis, we come out better or worse". And we would like to come out better. "It would be sad if the vaccine for Covid-19 were to give priority to the rich! [...] There are criteria for choosing which industries to help: those that contribute to the inclusion of the excluded, to the promotion of the last, to the common good and to the care of creation. Four criteria".

The fourth day - August 26 - was focused on the universal destination of assets and the virtue of hope. An economy is sick if it promotes "the sin of wanting to possess, of wanting to dominate brothers and sisters, of wanting to possess and dominate nature and God himself".. The subordination of the legitimate right to private property to the universal destination of goods is a 'golden rule' of the social-ethical order (cfr. Laudato si', 93).

Do I think about the needs of others?

The following week - September 2 - the pope returned to the virtue of faith, this time in connection with solidarity. Solidarity is not only about helping others, but it is also a matter of justice, with "strong roots in the human and in nature created by God.". In the biblical story of Babel, what prevailed was the desire to win at the cost of instrumentalizing people; at Pentecost, the opposite is true: harmony triumphs, because each person serves as an instrument to build the community. The key question is: "Do I think about the needs of others?".

Subsequently, he discussed love and the common good. The Christian response to the pandemic and the ensuing socio-economic crises is based on love. And love is expansive and inclusive, reaching out to all, to civic and political relationships, and also to enemies.

"The coronavirus shows us that the true good for everyone is the common good, not just (the) individual good - of people, companies or nations - and, vice versa, the common good is a true good for the person." (cfr. Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1905-1906). A virus that knows no barriers must be met with a love that knows no barriers. And this must be translated into social structures. But the common good is, to begin with, the task of each and every one of us. And for Christians it is also a mission.

"Christians, especially the lay faithful, are called to bear good witness to this and can do so thanks to the virtue of charity, cultivating its intrinsic social dimension.". Each one must manifest it in his daily life, even in the smallest gestures.

Care and contemplation

In the seventh catechesis he focused on care of the common home and contemplative attitude. Care for the sick, the elderly and the weak must be associated with care for the earth and its creatures. And for that, as the encyclical teaches Laudato si', contemplation is necessary. Without it, it is easy to fall in "the unbalanced and arrogant anthropocentrism". that turns us into despot dominators over others and over the earth. "Those who do not know how to contemplate nature and creation do not know how to contemplate people in their richness. And those who live to exploit nature end up exploiting people and treating them as slaves.".

Instead, Francisco assures, "the contemplative in action tends to become a guardian of the environment [...], trying to combine ancestral knowledge of millenary cultures with new technical knowledge, so that our lifestyle is always sustainable.". That is why contemplating and caring are two fundamental attitudes. And it is not enough to say "well, I'll make do": "The problem is not how you manage, today; the problem is: what will be the inheritance, the life of the future generation?". It is important to contemplate in order to heal, protect and leave a legacy for those who come after us.

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"Participation in the Eucharist is essential."

Maria José Atienza-October 1, 2020-Reading time: 3 minutes

The Secretary General of the EEC, Msgr. Luis Argüello stressed the need to "overcome confrontation" and to exercise mutual care with responsibility in the difficult times we are going through. He also stressed the value of freedom of worship "with the appropriate measures" and the need that Catholics have for the sacraments.

Need for collaboration

The Auxiliary Bishop of Valladolid and Secretary General of the EEC has highlighted these issues at the press conference called to report on the work of the Standing Committee which took place on October 29 and 30.

In addition to reporting on issues related to the work of the Commission, Bishop Argüello wanted to refer to the delicate social, health and economic situation we are going through, which has also been a matter of conversation and reflection of the bishops gathered in the Permanent Commission. In this line, he wanted to underline the need to overcome the social confrontation that can be observed among many political and social groups and that, as he pointed out, produces perplexity in society: "Political and social leaders call us to unity, but many stones of division are thrown on the road, which fills the citizens with perplexity".

To counteract this reality, the Secretary General of the EEC appealed to the responsibility of all citizens. "in small gestures of mutual care, to contribute to slowing the spread of the coronavirus and to get out of the way of any confrontational strategy." and has called on politicians "to lead with concrete proposals and their own testimony of listening and dialogue, of agreement, this path of citizen collaboration".

The Church cannot "wear a mask on our hearts or our intelligence that does not allow us to denounce situations in which dignity, freedom or social justice are at stake".

Bishop Argüello did not avoid referring to more controversial issues that are being attacked by government agencies in these uncertain times. "The Church"he stressed, "wants to be a sign of reconciliation, but it observes tensions within itself and cannot look the other way when the dignity of the person, human life, freedom of education, the fate of seasonal workers and immigrants, or the situation of homes for the elderly and families affected by the crisis are at stake in the public square", in this line, he wanted to point out that the Church cannot "to wear a mask on our hearts or our intelligence that does not allow us to denounce situations in which dignity, freedom or social justice are at stake...".".

The social confrontation was very present in the speech of the secretary general of the bishops, who also highlighted the concern of the Spanish episcopate in the face of "the amendment to the totality of the democratic transition, especially in what it had of concord, reconciliation and looking forward"and has launched a call to Spanish society to exercise with "civic responsibility the common care in the spirit of generosity, concord and civil friendship that springs from the fraternity we profess in invoking a common father.".

"Participation in the Eucharist is essential."

The LOMLOE, the situation of the Valley of the Fallen or the restrictions on worship that have been promoted in some places under the umbrella of the pandemic, were some of the topics that came up in the questions of the information professionals. With regard to the current socio-health situation, Bishop Argüello wanted to point out that "the Church has expressed its desire to collaborate so that the coronavirus does not spread. From this collaboration we believe that participation in the Eucharist is an essential part of the Eucharist. and from there we want to combine how to celebrate the Eucharist with the participation of the Catholic people, as far as possible and taking into account the sanitary measures. It seems to us a better criterion of proportionality, according to the capacity of each temple or place of worship, than an absolute number.".

Religious freedom

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Integral ecology

The debate on euthanasia continues

Rafael Miner-September 29, 2020-Reading time: < 1 minute

The Spanish government's decision to move forward with the Organic Law regulating euthanasia highlights, once again, the need to promote an environment where the commitment to life and the care of the most vulnerable people is a priority. "Incurable", as the Spanish bishops have emphasized, does not mean "unquestionable".

Palabra has dealt on several occasions with euthanasia and the poor vision of man and his dignity that it reflects:

ForumWord about "What is dying with dignity? Perspectives on euthanasia and palliative care." (go to entry).

Summary of the document "Sowers of hope". (go to entry).

Letter Samaritanus bonus of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith (read document).

Euthanasia

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Experiences

Holy Week Proclamation to the Most Holy Christ of Humility

Omnes-September 28, 2020-Reading time: 2 minutes

Text María Jesús Mata Carretero. Degree in Economics and Business Administration

It all started on Saturday, November 9, 2019, by chance, I was in Toledo spending a few days with some friends and Divine Providence wanted me to attend the celebration of the Holy Mass in the "Conventual Church of the Monastery of San Juan de los Reyes" of the emblematic city without knowing, at any time, that the monthly Eucharist of the "Brotherhood - Brotherhood of the Holy Christ of Humility" was being celebrated.

At the end, the parishioners moved to a small chapel where there was an admirable to a small chapel where there was an admirable Christ. We prayed a beautiful a beautiful prayer and then we kissed him. A brother took a picture of Christ from his wallet and gave it to me as a gift. Christ to give it to me as a gift. I thanked him and asked him, please, to pass the prayer card through the image. At that moment, it was when I discovered its its sublime name "Santísimo Cristo de la Humildad de Toledo", a carving of the Sevillian sculptor Don Darío Fernández from the year 2007.

From that moment on, a cordial friendship began. a series of "blessed" coincidences and circumstances, together with a faith circumstances together with a faith that has moved mountains, everything happening in a totally "Predestined" way. totally "Predestined".

When on January 13 the Eldest Brother, Don Luis Bolado, invited me to pronounce the proclamation I felt happy and immensely honored, for such a high distinction towards my person. For me it represents a great honor and an authentic privilege, to have been named the "First Proclaimer of the Brotherhood - Brotherhood of the Holy Christ of the Humility of Toledo" an Andalusian, specifically, a native of the municipality of the Alpujarra of Almeria of Canjáyar where I developed my childhood and adolescence, although at the present time I reside in Almeria.

But, at the same time, I was at a loss for words to address the 400 brothers and sisters of this historic Brotherhood of Toledo, since they did not know me at all. they did not know me at all. I did not expect them to remember me for such a significant and special occasion. special occasion, a detail that I am very grateful for and I am proud of it. proud of it, to be able to express the affection that I feel towards our "Santísimo "Santísimo Cristo de la Humildad".

I only wish, deeply, to have lived up to and fulfilled the expectations that Christ and his brothers and sisters deserved and expected from me, together with the imposition of the precious medal, as a sister of the Brotherhood.

A very emotional and endearing afternoon - evening of Saturday, March 7, 2020 that I will never forget, because at all times I was received and treated as one more toledana.

Thank you!

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EWTN TV prepares to take off in Spain

The world's largest Catholic communications group, EWTN, is already in Spain. It has just announced that it will start broadcasting on December 8, 2020. It is not generalist, but it is more than a religious information channel. It was founded almost 40 years ago by Mother Angelica in Alabama (USA). We spoke with its president in Spain, José Carlos González-Hurtado Collado.

Francisco Otamendi-September 25, 2020-Reading time: 5 minutes

Mother Angelica left this world in 2016, but her legacy continues. EWTN (Eternal Word Television Network is seen in 150 countries and its managers are preparing its launch in Spain.

Its president, José Carlos González-Hurtado Collado, studied Business Studies and Law at ICADE, and returned to Spain this year after 25 years. "I have had a long career in multinational companies." "I am the happy husband of Doris, of Austrian nationality, who D.m. will come to live in Spain for the first time, and the happy father of 7 children".." he adds. EWTN Spain will not carry advertising, as in any other country, so its president asks for collaboration from Spanish society.

-Could you explain the main messages of Mother Angelica?

EWTN was founded by Mother Angelica, a contemplative and partially disabled nun, who at the age of almost 60 founded it in Alabama, in the heart of American Protestantism. Today, it has become the largest religious media network, not only Catholic, in the world, with an estimated 310 million households watching it every day ... It is impossible not to see the hand of Providence.

EWTN is an unequivocally Catholic network, very close to the Magisterium of the Church. We have also been called "uncompletely Catholic". Many Spaniards know but do not remember how wonderful it is to know that Jesus Christ is our Savior and to have the Church as our Mother. They have been distanced from their own happiness by a suffocatingly anti-Catholic environment and encouraged by a belligerent media against the Church. We come to kindle the light of the Gospel in millions of homes in Spain. Look, the Catholic faith is a wonderful gift and something we sometimes forget or take for granted...; we want to bring the joy and pride of being Catholic to those who need to remember it, or know it for the first time.

-This is not a general information channel, but a channel focused on religious information. Is this correct?

EWTN is not a generalist channel, it is an unequivocally Catholic channel. But it is not just a religious information channel. It is a channel that will provide a wide range of programming for the formation and information of all. It includes discussion programs, news programs, entertainment programs for children and youth, animation programs, exclusive series, live coverage of Church events, documentaries, short films and movies..., all always in conformity with the magisterium of the Catholic Church. Finally a TV channel that the whole family can watch without feeling offended or embarrassed! We will also have a YouTube channel and a presence that we are already building on Facebook and Instagram.

Arrival in Spain

-You have stated that EWTN is coming to Spain. "at a time when we need it most".

A friend of mine recently told me "The orcs have come to the kitchen. We have left them and they are stealing everything we care about." I think it is a good image of what is happening in our country. I say this with no intention of offending anyone... and I beg you to consider it so. I am Spanish, very much so, but I have been living outside Spain for 25 years. Now I return and I find a country that is in some aspects unrecognizable, and not for the better. There are many who show a great determination to uproot and shred every one of the values of Christianity. I believe that what we Catholics have lacked is to act as Our Lord asked of us, as salt and light of the world and also of our land. We Catholics have to recognize "our dignity" as St. Leo the Great told us, and to remember that we are "a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a consecrated nation, a people chosen by God to proclaim his wonders." in the words of St. Peter.

I am optimistic because I know that in the end Good will win - that is what we have been promised by those who can do it - but I am also a realist and I know that Evil exists and may be stronger today than ever and that all it needs to spread is for the good guys to do nothing. EWTN is a magnificent, I would say unique instrument for that purpose.

-¿Will EWTN be pay-per-view or free-to-air, and will it have conventional advertising?

We intend to create EWTN Spain so that it can be accessed from all platforms (Movistar, Vodafone, Orange, Euskaltel...) and for that we are negotiating with them. In this way we estimate that we would reach 70 % of Spanish households.

It is important to mention that EWTN will not carry advertising (neither in Spain nor in any other part of the world); this avoids possible interference from advertisers and allows the Catholic message to be conveyed to the public. "unaccompanied". But on the other hand, it limits the sources of financing... For this reason, I would like to ask all the readers of Palabra that if you want a TV channel that serves your faith and helps to create a Christian society in our country and for your families, please collaborate. I would like to ask you very directly to donate to make EWTN a reality in Spain. I am told that in Spain there is no "culture" to donate. I believe that Spaniards are generous with projects that they see as urgent and necessary. This is one of them.

-What is your plan for launching in Spain and what are the objectives? Are you going to appeal to Catholics?

The great advantage of EWTN Spain is that it has access to all EWTN Global content without restrictions. That is why the budget we need for the launch is limited. A little more than 2 million euros of which more than 90 % will be used for adaptation, distribution and advertising and marketing... And yes, we appeal to Spanish Catholics to collaborate in creating "your" TV channel.

A secular project

-Is EWTN linked to the Catholic hierarchy in any country?

Of course we have contacts with the pastors of the Church, some Spanish bishops have shown us great support and I want to thank them from here; also the global CEO of EWTN belongs to the group of media advisors of the Holy Father, but something distinctive of EWTN is that both in Spain and around the world it is run by committed lay Catholics. This is what the founder wanted and this is how it has been done.

EWTN does not belong to any diocese or to the Episcopal Conference in Spain or in any other country, nor is it affiliated with any group or movement within or outside the Church, nor is it linked to any association or political party. St. John Paul II said that "the hour of the laity has sounded". and called us to lead the new evangelization. EWTN is answering that call, and I ask you and your readers to pray for the project. It is much needed.

EWTN Profiles

Beginnings: In 1981, a religious superior of a contemplative convent in Alabama opened a television channel. She was Rita Antoinette Francis Rizzo, Mother Angelica. Today EWTN is seen in 310 million homes.

Catholic:EWTN is not a generalist channel, but it is not only a religious information channel. Everything is broadcast in accordance with the magisterium of the Catholic Church, assures its president.

Resources: EWTN does not carry advertising and its leaders want to ask Spaniards to donate and be generous with this project.

Equipment: "It's an extraordinary management team," says González-Hurtado, augmented by fundraising and media experts.

More information: It can be found at www.ewtn.es

How to support

First, with prayer. The president of EWTN Spain, José Carlos González-Hurtado, calls on all of us to "to pray for the project. It is much needed.

Donations. You can contact us through the email [email protected] or through the website www.ewtn.es And for donations you can send a bank transfer to the current account ES 96 2038 2207 1460 0099 1530, opened in the name of Asociación EWTN España, or send a nominative check to EWTN España at c/Lazo 4, Santo Domingo, 28120 Madrid.

The authorFrancisco Otamendi

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The World

We return with joy to the Eucharist!

An invitation to attend Mass "without substitutes" as soon as possible.

Ricardo Bazan-September 24, 2020-Reading time: 2 minutes

Cardinal Robert Sarah, Prefect of the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments, has sent a letter to the Presidents of the Episcopal Conferences of the Catholic Church, a document approved by Pope Francis, with the purpose of giving guidelines on the celebration of the liturgy during and after the pandemic we are currently experiencing.

Dimension community

The document begins by highlighting the importance of the importance of the communitarian dimension, that is, that the relational dimension is intrinsic to man, created in the image and likeness of the Triune God. is intrinsic to man, created in the image and likeness of the Triune God. Thus as well as the "Mr. Jesus began his public ministry by calling a group of disciples calling a group of disciples to share with him in the life and proclamation of the Kingdom. the proclamation of the Kingdom; from this small flock the Church is born"..

Freedom of worship

Cardinal Sarah draws attention to the fact that "Christians, as soon as they enjoyed freedom of worship, were quick to build places that would be domus Dei et domus Ecclesiae where the faithful could recognize themselves as a community of God, a people called to worship and constituted as a holy assembly. God, a people called together for worship and constituted as a holy assembly".. From In this way, it makes clear the necessity and connaturalness of Catholics being able to celebrate the central mystery of the faith in a communitarian way, i.e., the faith the central mystery of faith in a communitarian way, that is, faith is not a private matter. is not a private matter.

Collaboration with the civil authority

Christians have always have always sought to live "formed in the value of community life and in the search for the common good". in the pursuit of the common good".Hence, during this time of pandemic has been manifested "a great sense of responsibility" on the part of the bishops and pastors who have been able to abide by the norms issued by the civil authority with a view to preventing civil authority with a view to preventing contagion, including the "have been willing to take difficult and painful difficult and painful decisions, even to the point of prolonged suspension of the faithful from participation of the faithful in the celebration of the Eucharist"..

Let us return to the Eucharist

"However, as soon as as soon as circumstances permit, it is necessary and urgent to return to the normality of Christian life, which has as its home the church building. normality of Christian life, which has as its home the building of the church, and the celebration of the liturgy, particularly the Eucharist". From Thus, the Prefect of the Congregation urges the bishops to take up again the celebration of the the celebration of the Holy Mass as the source from which all the activity of the Church flows (cfr. of the Church (cf. Sacrosanctum Conciliumn. 10), always with due observance of sanitary with due observance of the sanitary norms.

Some hazards

Warns of some dangers resulting from the fact that the people of God have been deprived of the sacraments. the sacraments: equating the transmissions of the Holy Mass with personal personal participation in the Eucharist; substituting physical contact with the Lord, truly present in the Eucharist the Lord, truly present in the Eucharist; the reduction of the Holy Mass, on the part of the civil authority, to a by civil authority, to the status of a meeting equated to recreational activities recreational activities; allowing the State to legislate on liturgical norms; to go so far as to prevent hygienic norms as to deny the faithful the right to receive the Body of Christ and adore Him in the the faithful the right to receive the Body of Christ and to adore Him in the manner the right to receive the Body of Christ and to adore Him in the manner provided for. To this end, he warns the bishops to be vigilant and trusts in their action "cautious but firm" so that the faithful may return to the Eucharist. Eucharist.

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A congress addresses the 50th anniversary of the doctorate of Saint Teresa of Jesus

St. Teresa of Jesus: 50 years of an unprecedented doctorate

On September 27, 1970, St. Paul VI proclaimed St. Teresa of Jesus a Doctor of the Church. It was the first time that a woman received this recognition. It was definitively ratified "the sublime and simple message of prayer" that "the wise Teresa" bequeathed to us. Commemorative events are held around the anniversary.

Hernando José Bello-September 19, 2020-Reading time: 7 minutes

"The Ecstasy of St. Theresa" is shown in all its splendor. Related News

Times of the Pope Pius XI. A commission is studying the possibility of granting St. Teresa of Jesus the title of Doctor of the Church. Several, for their own purposes, already consider her as such. In fact, the statements of the Supreme Pontiffs point to it: Pius X had called her a "preeminent teacher" and his successor, Pius XI himself, considered her an "exemplary teacher of contemplation". The commission, however, does not give the green light; instead of giving the nihil obstatpoints out an impediment: obstat sexus.

The story is told by Father Arturo Diaz L.C., chaplain of the monastery of Discalced Carmelites of the Incarnation (Avila), in his book "Who do you say I am? Santa Teresa seen by her Carmelites". He warns that St. Teresa had to face something similar to that of the obstat sexus four hundred years ago. Those who opposed her foundations based their arguments against her on her condition as a woman. They reminded her of the words of St. Paul: "Women should be silent in churches." (1Co 14:34), "I do not allow women to teach". (1Tm 2:12). St. Teresa, questioned, consults the Lord in prayer and receives an answer: "Tell them not to go by only one part of the Scriptures, but to look at others, and if they can possibly bind my hands." (Conscience accounts, 16).

Of course, they could not be tied down. St. Teresa, driven by Jesus Christ, would not stop founding and, four centuries later, the Vicar of Christ, the Holy Father Paul VI, would grant her the title of "Doctor". The Pope revealed his intentions in the homily he delivered in St. Peter's Square on October 15, 1967, the liturgical memorial of the saint from Avila: "We intend to recognize her [St. Teresa] one day, as we did St. Catherine of Siena, with the title of Doctor of the Church."

Previously, Pope Montini had asked the Sacred Congregation of Rites to study, once again, the possibility of declaring a woman a Doctor of the Church. On December 20, 1967, the Congregation's verdict was unanimously positive. The following year, on September 12, the Discalced Carmelite Order submitted to the Pope the official request for St. Teresa to be proclaimed Doctor; the relevant documentation began to be prepared. Finally, on July 15, 1969, the Spanish Cardinal Arcadio Maria Larraona defended the official Ponencia for the Doctorate at the Sacred Congregation for the Causes of Saints. The members of the assembly gave a favorable response. The Pope could now, without obstat sexus to proclaim St. Teresa of Jesus a Doctor of the Church.

The sources of a "brilliant and profound profound"

"We have just conferred or, or rather, we have just recognized santa Teresa of Jesus on títitle of Doctor of the Church". Thus Paul VI began his homily homily on September 27, 1970. Finally, the day he had longed for had arrived (shortly afterwards, on October 4, the Pope would also confer the doctorate on St. Catherine of Siena). to St. Catherine of Siena).

In his homily, St. Paul VI spared no words to describe the new Doctor. "Eximia Carmelite", "saint so singular and so great", "exceptional woman", "religious who, wrapped in humility, penance and simplicity, radiates around her the flame of her human vitality and her dynamic spirituality", "reformer and founder of a historical and distinguished religious Order", "brilliant and fruitful writer", "teacher of spiritual life", "incomparable contemplative" and "tireless active soul". "How great, unique and human, how attractive is this figure!" (The Pope also did not want to overlook the fact that the great Reformer of Carmel was Spanish: "In his personality, the traits of his homeland can be appreciated: the strength of spirit, the depth of feelings, the sincerity of heart, the love for the Church.").

Referring to the doctrine of St. Teresa, Paul VI affirms that it "shines through the charisms of truth, fidelity to the Catholic faith and usefulness for the formation of souls." Undoubtedly, the Pontiff observes, "At the origin of the Teresian doctrine are her intelligence, her cultural and spiritual formation, her readings, her dealings with the great masters of theology and spirituality, her singular sensitivity, her habitual and intense ascetic discipline, and her contemplative meditation. But, above all, we must highlight "the influence of divine inspiration in this prodigious and mystical writer".. The Teresian iconography shows it: the saint is usually represented with pen and book in hand, accompanied by a dove, symbol of the Holy Spirit.

Prayer: the core of the message of the "Mother of Spirituals".

In St. Peter's Basilica there is a statue of St. Teresa of Jesus with an inscription underneath that reads. reads: "S. Teresia Spirit[ualium] Mater."St. Teresa, Mother of Spirituals". On that September 27, 1970 St. Paul VI took note of this and pointed out: "All recognized, we can say with unanimous consent, this prerogative of St. Teresa to be mother and teacher of spiritual persons. St. Teresa's prerogative to be mother and teacher of spiritual persons. A mother full of charming simplicity, a teacher full of admirable depth. [...] We have now confirmed it, so that, endowed with this masterly title magisterial title, she will henceforth have a more authoritative mission to carry out within her religious family her religious family, in the praying Church and in the world, by means of her perennial and current message, the perennial and current message: the message of prayer".

This message, the Pope exhorts, "comes to us, tempted, by the lure and by the compromise of the outside world, to yield to the hustle and bustle of modern life and to lose the true treasures of our soul for the conquest of the seductive treasures of the earth." And he insists: "This message comes to us, children of our time, while we are losing not only the habit of conversing with God, but also the sense and the need to adore and invoke him". Hence the convenience of directing the eyes and the heart to the "sublime and simple message of the prayer of the wise Teresa".

The foundations of Teresian doctrine and spirituality spirituality

"All great mystics have had" -writes Crisogono de Jesús Sacramentado (1904-1945), a Discalced Carmelite and one of St. Teresa's biographers. one of St. Teresa's biographers-, "among the multitude and diversity of images that enveloped his teachings, a broader allegory that, embracing all the others, responds to a synthesis of his work all the others, responds to a synthesis of his work, to which it lends unity and beauty". In the case of the mysticism of Avila, what is this allegory? allegory? Father Chrysogonus himself answers: the Inner castle with their dwellings.

St. Teresa explains that God is in the soul as in the center of a castle, in the most important dwelling place, "where things of great secrecy pass between God and the soul." (Moradas I, 1, 3). The spiritual life consists, then, in going deep into the soul until it reaches where Christ dwells.

The door to enter the castle is prayer, which, as we have seen, is essential in the saint's doctrine. She underlines "the great good that God does to a soul that disposes it to have prayer with a will." and shortly thereafter defines it with great simplicity and grace: "It is nothing else mental prayer, in my opinion, but to try friendship, being often alone with the one we know loves us." (Book of Life, 8, 4-5). It should be known that St. Teresa never asked her Carmelites for an elaborate prayer: "I do not ask you now to think about Him, nor to draw out many concepts, nor to make great and delicate considerations with your understanding; I do not ask you more than to look at Him" (Road to perfection, 26, 3). Certainly, prayer presents itself as an uncomplicated reality, but at the same time, warns the saint from Avila, it requires the effort of perseverance.

In addition to prayer, Father Chrysogonus points out others "two fundamental columns" of the Teresian spiritual doctrine: mortification and humility. On the first, St. Teresa writes in Road to Perfection: "To believe that [God] admits to his close friendship gifted people without jobs is nonsense." (18, 2). The "close friendship" so proper to prayer, as the saint conceives it, is impossible without mortification, since "gift and prayer is not pitied". (4, 2). Therefore, both corporal and spiritual mortification are indispensable for the life of prayer, the latter being undoubtedly more important.

Humility

Closely linked to prayer and mortification is the virtue of humility. "What I have understood is that this whole foundation of prayer is founded on humility." (Book of Life, 22, 11); "It seems to me that they [mortification and humility] always go together; they are two sisters that there is no reason to separate them." (Road to perfection, 10, 3). Famous is the definition of humility that the Reformer of Carmel leaves recorded in the Moradas: "I was once considering for what reason our Lord was so friendly to this virtue of humility, and this was laid before me - to my mind, without considering it, but immediately - that it is because God is the supreme Truth, and the humility is to walk in truth; it is very great to have no good thing from us, but misery and being nothing; and whoever does not understand this, walks in a lie". (Moradas VI, 10, 8).

Faced with a false interpretation of the expression "humility is to walk in truth", "which reduces it to a kind of foolish formality with which a refined pride and arrogance is often covered".Father Chrysogonus observes that, for St. Teresa, humility implies resignation to the divine will, a willingness to suffer without being upset when one's fame is attacked, or to bear without complaint the dryness of prayer. The basis of humility is ultimately found in the knowledge of God and of oneself. The soul convinced that God is everything and that it is nothing is in possession of the truth and will therefore be humble.

And this is exactly where the mystic doctor places the true essence of the "spiritual": not in the experience of extraordinary phenomena, but in humility. "Do you know what it is to be truly spiritual? To make yourselves slaves of God, to whom - marked with his iron, which is that of the cross, because they have already given him their freedom - he can sell you for slaves to the whole world, as he was, who does you no wrong or small mercy; and if you are not determined to this, do not be afraid that you will profit much, because all this building - as I have said - is its foundation humility, and if there is not this very truly, even for your good, the Lord will not want to raise it very high, because he does not give everything on the ground." (Moradas VII, 4, 9).

Undoubtedly, many more things could be highlighted about the teachings of St. Teresa of Jesus: her love for the Humanity of Jesus Christ and the Eucharist; her filial relationship with the Blessed Virgin; her particular devotion to St. Joseph; her fidelity to the Church. These, and so many others, are jewels that continually appear while reading and studying her writings. What better way to celebrate half a century of his doctorate than by being determined, with "determined determination," to delve into his legacy.

The authorHernando José Bello

"The Ecstasy of St. Theresa" is shown in all its splendor. Related News

A congress addresses the 50th anniversary of the doctorate of Saint Teresa of Jesus

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Nuria Gispert dies

The former president of Caritas Barcelona diocese between 1998 and 2004, and of Caritas Spain in 2004, died at the age of 84.

Ferran Blasi-September 18, 2020-Reading time: < 1 minute

Núria Gispert, born the same year as the beginning of the war, and who had always lived in Barcelona, in the neighborhood of Sant Andreu de Palomar, has died in Barcelona at the age of 84. Throughout her life, this neighborhood has witnessed the exercise of her role as a teacher and her work in the promotion of all kinds of social work, and her presence in politics.

Among his responsibilities is that of having been president of the Barcelona diocesan Caritas from 1998 to 2004, and of Spanish Caritas in 2004.

She was exemplary in everything, and always a consistent Catholic in her human and Christian concerns, and was a member of several left-wing parties.

Núria Gispert was a member of the Barcelona City Council, where she always kept in mind her social activism as part of her human and Christian commitment. One year, during the Merced Festivities, she gave the opening speech and spoke out strongly against unjust social inequalities.

He also helped other diverse social initiatives, and even after his retirement he continued with his active and stimulating presence in the tasks of the interreligious center Braval, in the orbit of the Church of Montalegre entrusted to the prelature of Opus Dei and other activities of social air as Trinitat Jove or the Pere Tarrés Foundation.

Núria Gispert had received the Gran Creu de Sant Jordi, from the Generalitat de Catalunya and the Gold Medal of the City.

The authorFerran Blasi

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Twentieth Century Theology

Dostoyevsky in 20th Century Theology

With the characters of his novels, Dostoyevsky manifested the depth of the mystery of evil; of human misery and sin; redemption in love: and the scandal of the cross of Christ. All this could not be said with ideas.

Juan Luis Lorda-September 17, 2020-Reading time: 7 minutes

His life (1821-1881) can be considered his main novel, and the inspiration for all those he wrote. He was born and lived his childhood in a hospital for the poor, of which his father was the director. As a young man he let himself be carried away by gambling (a wound that never closed) and connected, like his friends, with the modern, enlightened, positivist, liberal and socialist ideas that came from the West (and that he would later hate) and fought with arrogance against the traditional world and the traditional Christian religion. Caught by the tsarist police in a "revolutionary" group (quite innocent in fact), he was condemned to death. After nine months in prison, his sentence was commuted to 4 years of hard labor in Siberia, followed by 5 years of service as a private in Kazakhstan.

Discovering the Russian people and faith

Ten years in contact with the lowest, besides childhood. But among those people and in those remote places, he discovered the immense Christian piety (not very enlightened) of the Russian people. Also the awareness of sin and, in many cases, the inability to overcome it.

There were all kinds, but also believers who accepted their sorrows and were merciful to others and to Dostoyevsky himself, who was so hard hit by fortune. He was converted. He became a supporter of the people and their love for the passion of Christ and his mercy for those who suffer. And he will feel opposed to those Western ideas that, with various formulas, want to build a new, enlightened and godless society. He thinks that these ideas come from Western Catholicism, which he detests (and does not know). Moreover, he shares the traditional idea that Russia is the Christian stronghold, after the Christian West broke away and fell into heresy and the Byzantine Empire was destroyed by Islam. It has the historical mission to bring the Gospel to the whole earth.

The recumbent Christ

He himself, as an epileptic, irascible and compulsive gambler, and always haunted by debts (because he supports many relatives), knows well the holes of freedom and its abysses. The same epileptic crises are moments of lucidity and liberation from so much burden.

In 1867, at the age of 46, he married (second marriage) a charming girl, who helped him write The player. And they spend a few months in Switzerland, always asking for advances for their works and eaten by debts (she pawns several times her wedding ring and her clothes).

A little daughter born there died two months later. And one day in the museum of Basel, she stumbled upon the recumbent Christ of Holbein, placed on a sheet, with the cadaverous skin, the traces of all the tortures, the wild eyes and the disjointed face. She never tires of looking at him (she tells about it in her diary). She knows that this is God's method, the extent of the defeat of good by sin, and the extent of love in redemption through suffering. It is the strength and also the scandal of faith.

Since 1867, works and personalities

These are the most fruitful years. There is a succession of works with their unforgettable characters.

In the same 1867, Crime and Punishmentwith the emancipated and "modern" Raskolnikov, the unfortunate drunkard Marmeladov and his daughter Sonia, the good soul, prostituted to support the family, who will redeem Raskolnikov.

In 1870, The idiotwith the candid and disconcerting Prince Mischkin, epileptic and good to the point of sacrifice. In 1871, the Demons o The demoniacsThe first of its kind, a true prophecy of the construction of a society without God. In 1875, The adolescentThe lesser known, where a boy learns about the struggle between good and evil in his father's life. In 1879, the masterpiece, The Brothers Karamazovwith a fantastic gallery of characters: the father, Fiodor, bourgeois, vulgar and carnal, and his three sons: the liberated and modern (and atheist) Ivan; Dimitri (Mitia) who, from the start, resembles his father; and Alyosha (Alexis) who wants to be a monk; and his spiritual master, the venerable monk Zosima, and the fourth and unrecognized bastard son (Smerdiakov), with all the seeds of evil?

But all the characters carry inside or stumble outside the drama of evil.

Theological impact

Since the end of the 19th century, Dostoyevsky's work was received. And it stunned so many leading theologians. Among the Protestants, Karl Barth stands out. Among the Orthodox, the group of Christian intellectuals who emigrated to Paris with the Russian Revolution: the thinkers Berdiaev and Chestov. The theologians: Boulgakov, Florovsky, and especially Evdokimov, who will deeply study evil in his work.

Instead, traditional orthodox theology did not connect with him. Among Catholics, many, but it is worth focusing on the masters: Guardini, De Lubac and Charles Moeller.

Romano Guardini and the characters

Guardini was very interested in Dostoyevsky's work at a very early age, when he began his courses on the Weltanschauung Christian in Berlin. And in 1930, he took advantage of some conferences to put his ideas in order: Dostoyevsky's religious universe (Emecé, Buenos Aires 1954). He is focused on the characters and shows an enviable mastery of the work as a whole. In his own words: "The seven chapters that make up this book deal with the religious element and its problematics in Dostoyevsky's work considered through his five great creations: Crime and punishment, The idiot, Demons, A teenager, y The Brothers Karamazov [...]. Ultimately all of Dostoevsky's characters are determined by forces and elements of a religious order." (11). "He is a creator of human personalities of such greatness that it is only possible to measure it little by little." (256).

Study first the people, with their simple piety (and a bit of paganism) and especially those little women full of compassion. "For Dostoevsky, as for all the great Romantics, the word 'people' awakens resonances of veneration." (17). In contrast to Western "society", which has lost its roots in nature, tradition and Christianity. The people is the natural unity and not the individual. It venerates its saints, its monks, its icons and leads a hard life without complaint. Chapter 2 follows this meekness and two Sonias, fantastic female figures; the first one, the wife of the "Russian pilgrim" Makar (of The adolescent). The second, from Crime and punishmentperhaps the most moving character of all. In Chapter 3, we study the religious, the pilgrim Makar, and the staretz Zósima (from The Karamozov Brothers), a good and wise man who knows how to lead souls.

The entire chapter 4 is centered on Alyoscha, the Karamazovs' youngest brother. He wants to be a monk and looks like an angel. Although his brother Ivan, in a memorable conversation, warns him that he is also a Karamazov and that in his blood there will be storms. And there are, because his candor is proven. He admires Zosima, but, in the end, he does not measure up to her.

Chapter 5, entitled Rebellionstudies the surprisingly long and Legend of the Grand InquisitorIt is a mistake to leave to people a freedom with which they can sin (in this God is wrong); it is enough to keep them satisfied. The moderns also want to supplant God and be more reasonable, dispensing with the madness of sin and the cross. Among them Ivan Karamazov, also discussed here. This connects with chapter 6, dedicated to "impiety", mainly in The demoniacsand the contrast between the simple unbeliever (Kirilov) and the one who, deep down, hates God and those who remind him of Him (Stavrogrin). Finally (chap. 7), we study the christic figure of Prince Mischkin, doomed to failure.

The drama of atheistic humanism

This very famous work by De Lubac was conceived during the Second World War, in the face of the disaster caused by atheistic cultures (Nazism and Communism) and the overbearing (and sometimes insolent) atheism of radicals and positivists in politics and culture. The thesis of the book, inspired or at least illustrated by Dostoyevsky, is: "It is not true that man [...] cannot organize the earth without God. What is true is that without God, he cannot, in the end, do more than organize it against man." (Encuentro, Madrid 1990, 11).

It is divided into three parts. In the first he contrasts Nietzsche with Kierkegaard. Both existentialists and (like Dostoyevsky) angry at bourgeois falsehood, but Kierkegaard finds his authenticity in submitting to God and Nietzsche in dispensing with Him. Kierkegaard knows he needs to be forgiven. And Nietzsche assumes the freedom to live on his own, because God is a limit and, moreover, a fiction. We are alone. The second part explains Comte and his positivist pretension (to the point of ridicule).

The third part bears the significant title Dostoyevsky prophet. He compares him, first, with Nietzsche. Then comes a marvelous chapter (III,2), which is The bankruptcy of atheism. The tremendous holes in the atheist project, with three suggestive points: The man Godwhich is the project to replace God. The Tower of Babela construction "not to go up to heaven, but to bring it down to earth". (229): there are two formulas, the realism of the Grand Inquisitor (all quiet) and the romanticism of utopian socialisms, which become criminal (demonic) when they are tried (The demoniacs). The third point is The Crystal Palace; "this palace is the universe of reason, as concluded by modern science and philosophy." (238). They want to be only natural and they cannot, because nature is wounded and created and destined for God.

Greek wisdom and Christian paradox

It is a brilliant book by the Leuven priest and professor Charles Moeller, famous for his 8 volumes of Twentieth century literature and Christianity. It occurred to him to compare how the classical world, Greek and Roman, and the Christian world deal with the great existential questions. And he chose great literary works to illustrate it. First, sin. Actually unknown in classical literature, where the protagonists are surprised by the battles that the gods give in them (the passions). In contrast, Shakespeare's and Dostoyevsky's analyses identify freedom and its downfalls and limits. In Dostoyevsky, he studies the differences between the sin of weakness (Marmeladov) and the sin of the gods (Marmeladov). "sin against the light" (Ivan K., Stavrogin).

In the second part, The problem of suffering. The classics only knew how to respond by maintaining the type with the greatest possible dignity. Christians have been introduced in their sense by the cross of Christ, scandalous to reason. That is why he studies The elevation by suffering in Shakespeare and Dostoyevsky: "betrothal with pain", "redemptive suffering". y "the joy of the cross". It is the world of the suffering righteous, of the "humiliated and offended"of the scandalous victory of evil over good. But it is "Christ crucified the one who explains the paradox of the suffering righteous, a God who humbles Himself and descends to man." (183).

The beauty that will save the world

One of Dostoyevsky's considerations will also end up having an immense theological impact. It is the question addressed to Prince Mischkin: "Is it true, Prince, that you once said that beauty will save the world?". He does not answer with words, but he answers with his life. The beauty that saves is the beauty of love that leads to redemptive sacrifice.

Blondel had warned that, in modern culture, the way of cosmological knowledge has been blinded to reach God, and also the moral way, by the study of human freedom (the moral good). There remains the path of beauty. Von Balthasar also raises this point in Only love is worthy of faith. And he tries to do so in all his work, which aims to show the extent to which the kenosis of Christ, out of love, is the true beauty and true sign of God in this world, prolonged in the exercise of charity.

In his Nobel Prize speech (1972), Solzhenitsyn, with the tragedies of the 20th century behind him, recalled: "Only beauty will save the world". "The ancient trinity of Truth, Goodness and Beauty is not simply an empty, faded formula as we thought in the days of our pretentious, materialistic youth. If the tops of these three trees converge as the scholastics claimed, if the too obvious, too direct systems of Truth and Goodness are crushed, cut off, prevented from breaking through, then, perhaps, the fantastic, unpredictable, unexpected offshoots of beauty will emerge and ascend to the same place [...]. Then, Dostoyevsky's remark, 'Beauty will save the world,' will not be a phrase just blurted out but a prophecy. After all, it was given to him to see beyond, being, as he was, a portentously enlightened man."

Literature

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TribuneGreg Erlandson

America's dark hour

This difficult situation for the United States, due to a wave of protests on top of the problems created by the pandemic, is a "dark hour" for America.

September 10, 2020-Reading time: 3 minutes

The double helix of America's DNA contains two strands that sum up its national identity. The first is sometimes described as "American exceptionalism," the Reaganite image of a "city on the hill," a beacon for nations, an ideal realized more fully than anywhere else. The second thread is his own frustration at failing to live up to that ideal: slavery, mistreatment of the poor and marginalized, a widening gap between the rich and the rest.

"Make America great again." is an open reference to the first thread, an inarticulate nostalgia for an imagined "golden age" in which we felt we were masters of our own destiny. These last few months recall the second thread: the fragmented response to the pandemic, the partisanship that rejects as "medical tyranny" the invitation to wear a mask, the ruptures in our health and education systems, and finally the outburst of frustration and anger not only among racial and ethnic minorities, but also among young whites.

In an analysis of the mismanagement of the pandemic, the Washington Post called us "a nation of individuals". That individualism that contributes so much to the American character and its myths of the rugged cowboy and the active entrepreneur has metastasized into a selfishness that speaks of rights but not responsibilities, and rewards individual freedom over the common good even during a global pandemic.

Without a national policy, the closure of businesses, schools and churches has been uneven, provoking a backlash in many communities. The bishops have rightly noted the demands of the confinement, although they have been criticized even by some Catholics who saw attacks on religious freedom in the restrictions on Masses. Archbishop Jose Gomez, president of the U.S. bishops' conference, left no room for such arguments. He led a national liturgy of prayer on Good Friday, telling Catholics that God wanted his people to learn that "we are a family" and urging them to "take care of each other". Only when it appeared that the Church was being treated unfairly, as in Minnesota, where businesses had more lenient openness directions than churches, did the bishops protest, asking not for special treatment, but for equal treatment.

As unemployment rose, it became clear that the black and Latino populations were being disproportionately affected, not only economically, but also by the virus, in terms of death and hospitalization rates. At that time of great fear and tension, the horrific murder of George Floyd ignited a hotbed of grievances. There were national protests every day. This and other crimes resuscitated the movement. "Black Lives Matter, only this time the demonstrations were attracting not only blacks but whites as well, and not only in the big cities but in small towns seemingly far from the urban chaos.

In 2018 the bishops published a pastoral letter on racism entitled. Open wide your hearts: the enduring call of love. Now, as demonstrations erupted across the country and reports of racial violence piled up, the bishops condemned Floyd's murder and called for institutional reforms.

One of the strongest calls for justice came from Bishop George Thomas of Las Vegas. In a pastoral letter, Bishop Thomas called for "a genuine conversion of heart and a commitment to renew our communities.". "We are a Church that holds that all life is sacred, from the moment of conception until natural death." he said. "Under the banner of Catholic social teaching, we say with resounding voices: 'Yes! Black Lives Matter!'"

In the wake of the demonstrations, which still continue daily in some cities, activist groups have targeted the statues. At first, the toppled statues were of Confederate leaders who fought to defend slavery as an institution, and lost. But the anti-statue movement spread, threatening the country's founding fathers like Jefferson and Washington, and then extending even to saints like St. Junipero Serra, who is blamed for the Spanish conquest and the mistreatment of California's indigenous peoples.

In the wake of these attacks, Archbishop Gomez issued a remarkably temperate letter explaining his appreciation for "Fray Junipero," a "defender of human rights". But the archbishop also challenged the demonstrators to understand the past, saying that "historical memory" is the "soul of every nation". "History is complicated."he said. "Facts matter, distinctions must be made, and the truth counts."

At this tense moment in American society, Archbishop Gomez illustrates the values that the Church brings to the public square: an appreciation for social justice and the common good, humility and a commitment to truth.

But in a noisy election year, rocked by illness and division, it is an open question whether the country will be able to listen to the bishops.

The authorGreg Erlandson

Journalist, author and editor. Director of Catholic News Service (CNS)

America

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Pope's teachings

Theological-pastoral aspects of the new Directory for Catechesis

A few weeks ago, a new Catechetical Directory was published by the Pontifical Council for the Promotion of the New Evangelization. It is the third since the Second Vatican Council, after those of 1971 and 1997. We offer a commentary.

Ramiro Pellitero-September 1, 2020-Reading time: 5 minutes

To present the new Directory for Catechesis, we will make some preliminary remarks, and then dwell on the need for a catechesis that is a proclamation of the faith, and mention some of the challenges it faces today. Among them, the Directory highlights the digital culture and the globalization of culture.

Three preliminary notes

First of all, it must be recognized that the idea of catechesis that many people have had for decades refers to instruction in religion, especially for children.. Without neglecting the training of children and young people, the current circumstances have led to the rediscovery of the adult catechesiswhich, taking the model of the first centuries, is proposed as a "paradigm" for other catecheses.

In any case, catechesis is a necessity for all Christians, whatever their age and circumstances. No one should consider himself or herself "already formed". For all, the new Directory for Catechesis offers a general framework and important guidelines.

Secondly, catechesis should be distinguished from other forms of education in the faith, which are complementary within the broad process of the Church's evangelizing mission. school religious education, as reflective information on the contents of the Christian faith. This subject can be addressed to believers or non-believers. It is situated within the framework of the cultural formation, proper to the school or higher academic institutions, so that "makes the Gospel present in the personal process of assimilation, systematic and critical, of culture." (n. 313). To this end, this discipline must have the same academic rigor as the other disciplines in the curriculum. In this way it will be able to shed light on the interdisciplinary nature of a humanizing formation, so important today for personal, family and social life.

– Supernatural catechesis on the other hand, is not part of a school system. Its objective is the initiation and then the progressive formation of the already Christian: to increase in him the personal adhesion to Christ and the maturity in his following. In its presentation, the Directory points out the double objective of the catechesis with these words: "To mature the initial faith and to educate the true disciple through a deeper and more systematic knowledge of the person and message of Our Lord Jesus Christ." (exhort. ap. Catechesi tradendae, 19).

It is interesting to note how all this helps to dispel two possible misunderstandings about catechesis: that of a teaching limited to cognitive aspects, and that of a formation limited to merely human wisdom. Catechesis is, on the other hand, education for life, specifically for Christian life. It aspires to form disciples of Christ.

Centrality of the proclamation of the faith and missionary conversion

Today's complex context, characterized by profound cultural changes, abandonment of the ecclesial faith in countries with a long Christian tradition, together with difficulties and demands for spiritual, moral and pastoral renewal within the Church itself, challenge us to a new evangelization (cf. nn. 38-39).

Gospel means good news. To evangelize is to announce the good news of God's love brought by Christ-the Son of God made man, who died and rose for us-following the Master's command (cf. Mt 28:19).

The proclamation of faith in Christ, dead and risen, is called, in the New Testament, kerygma. Pope Francis has renewed the call for a missionary conversion of the whole Church and of every Christian. This makes today's catechesis necessary for a missionary conversion. kerygmatic catechesisThis means emphasizing this first proclamation of the faith. Now, this proclamation is not an abstract principle, a phrase, a mere piece of information or a speech articulated to convince the interlocutor, but rather the testimony of the personal encounter with Jesus Christ. From this central point, faith unfolds its "contents": it is proclaimed and confessed in the Church (Creed), it is celebrated in the liturgy (sacraments), it is lived in its own style (Christian morality) and it is manifested and nourished in dialogue with God (prayer).

Although the first announcement (kerygma) is not identified with catechesis, but precedes it; today this proclamation cannot be left behind, because many have not yet experienced a personal encounter with Jesus (cf. n. 56).

To say that today there is a need for a kerygmatic catechesis is equivalent to saying a catechesis "called to be, first and foremost, a proclamation of the faith and should not delegate to other ecclesial actions the task of helping to discover the beauty of the Gospel." (n. 57). It is a question of each person, through catechesis, to "may I discover that it is worth believing" (ibid.).

It should be kept in mind that in the proclamation of the faith Christ himself acts through the witness who proclaims it (cf. n. 58). This requires that the heralds of this news (educators of the faith, catechists and in general every Christian) "incarnate" this proclamation in their own lives, making their message credible: "Jesus Christ loves you, he gave his life to save you, and now he is alive by your side every day, to enlighten you, to strengthen you, to set you free." (Evangelii gaudium, 164). The main elements of a modern kerygmatic catechesis are presented in nn. 57-60 of the Directory.

In short, and along the lines indicated by St. Paul VI (Evangelii nuntiandi) and subsequent pontificates, especially the current one of Francis (Evangelii gaudium), it is now necessary to "kerygmatic catechesis".. In this way it will be possible to make the Christian faithful "missionary disciples".The document is in line with the Aparecida Document (fruit of the Fifth Conference of CELAM, 2007), inspired in turn by the universal call to holiness and apostolate proclaimed by the Second Vatican Council.

Digital culture and globalization

Taking into account the current context - in which the Directory highlights the digital culture and the globalization of culture (cfr. Presentation)- it is possible to exemplify the content of the document by gleaning various elements, whether positive or negative, which together constitute the challenges that catechesis must face today.

Without being exhaustive: the need to link truth and love; the centrality of witness, mercy and dialogue; spiritual transformation, promoted by catechesis, as a service to the inculturation of the faith; attention to the contributions of the human sciences (psychology, pedagogy, sociology, etc.) to improve education in the faith; the relationship between catechesis and popular piety; the change of sensitivity with a rejection of the mentality of moral and religious "obligation" and, therefore, with a more personal vision of catechesis and popular piety.) to improve education in the faith; the relationship between catechesis and popular piety; the change of sensitivity with a rejection of the mentality of moral and religious "obligation" and, therefore, with a more personalistic vision of moral education; doctrinal relativism; the need to better explain the freedom of the Christian; the priority of the unity or coherence of Christian life that education should foster; the understanding and practice of catechesis within the framework of the Christian community; the importance of liturgical education or "mystagogy" through the catechumenate; the elements of "digital culture" that can help or need help from education in the faith; the "languages" of catechesis, the "way of beauty" and the role of memory; the horizon of service to society and the transformation of the world; learning discernment at the educational and catechetical level; the articulation of local cultural elements with the universal outreach; the catechesis of the poorest, of migrants, of the imprisoned; the ecumenical dimension of catechesis and its role in the dialogue with religions, with the indifferent and unbelievers; catechesis and the perspective of the "gender" and other issues related to the culture of life and bioethics; forms and ways of family catechesis; catechesis and ecology, etc.

Of particular interest are the analysis of digital culturethe orientations on the paths to follow in the catechetical process -as part of the broader process of evangelization in pursuit of the fullness of human life - and all that concerns the formation of catechistsA great need and an ecclesial challenge at all levels.

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