Mother Teresa of Calcutta, a saint for our time

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Mother Teresa of Calcutta, a saint for our time

On September 4, during the Jubilee of Mercy and 19 years after her birth to heaven, Pope Francis canonized in St. Peter's Square the Albanian-born nun Mother Teresa of Calcutta, beatified by St. John Paul II in 2003. Nobel Peace Prize laureate, she made love for the least and the disinherited her principal earthly mission.

Giovanni Tridente-December 12, 2016-Reading time: 5 minutes

A Saint for our times. On Sunday, September 4, Pope Francis canonizes in St. Peter's Square Blessed Mother Teresa of Calcutta, foundress of the Missionaries and Missionaries of Charity, whose earthly apostolate was entirely dedicated to the care of the poorest and most marginalized of society.

Raising her to the honors of the altars in the Jubilee of Mercy, nineteen years after her birth to heaven, the Holy Father proposes her as a model and hope for our times, and of a Church that cares for those who are left behind or even "discarded" on a daily basis. Mother Teresa spent all her energies - from the vigor of her early years to the increasing health problems of recent times - to heal the sufferings of the poorest of the poor, of so many of the poor, of so many of the poorest of the poor, of so many of the poor. "unloved, unloved, uncared for." she met in the streets. And today, she is singled out as an "apostle of the least of these".

There is only one God, and he is one God for all.

A woman who has been able to transform the conception of welfare practices, placing the Gospel model at the center, which is a reciprocal relationship between the giver and the receiver, in understanding and respect, sharing lifestyles and living conditions.

She considered that "being rejected is the worst disease a human being can suffer from".The initiatives have always had an inclusive and welcoming character, even in the diversity of cultures, languages and religions. "There is only one God, and he is one God for all."he once wrote; that is why "it is important that all appear equal before Him.": "we must help a Hindu to be a better Hindu, a Muslim to be a better Muslim, and a Catholic to be a better Catholic.".

The Congregation founded by her was officially recognized in 1950 in the Archdiocese of Calcutta, and gradually began to spread to various parts of India; the spread to other countries of the world, including the communist countries of the former Soviet Union and Cuba, began in 1965, when Paul VI granted the Missionaries of Charity pontifical right.

Later, Mother Teresa founded the Missionaries of Charity (1963), the contemplative of the sisters (1979), the Contemplative Brothers (1979), and the Missionary Fathers of Charityad (1984), as far as religious vocations are concerned; but he also founded the branch of the lay and that of the Missionaries and that of the Collaboratorsof different creeds and nationalities, and the Corpus Christi Movement (1991) for priests who wanted to share her charism. At her death, Mother Teresa's sisters numbered about 4,000, present in 610 mission houses in 123 countries; today the number of houses in the world is 758 (242 in India), and the sisters number 5,150.

In the preface to the book "Let us love the unlovable." -published in the past few weeks and which collects two unpublished interventions of the new saint in 1973 in Milan, in a meeting with young people and religious women - on the example of Mother Teresa, Pope Francis invites young people to be "bridge builders to overcome the logic of division, of rejection, of fear of one another." and to put themselves at the service of the poor.

Five key words

She then highlighted 5 key words that summarize well the existential and missionary trajectory of the apostle of charity. First and foremost, prayer, in order to rediscover every day "the taste of life". y "to take a fresh look at whom we meet".. Charity, to become close to "to the peripheries of men". y "witnesses of God's caress for every wound of humanity.". Operative Mercy, which for Mother Teresa was "the guide of his life, the path to holiness, and it could be for us as well".. Family, where the figure of the mother stands out: the Albanian nun asked the mothers to bring back "prayer to your families".being "more and more the joy and comfort of God". Finally, young people, to whom the Pope, following the example of the saint, asks that "do not lose hope, do not let your future be stolen".to fly high, to be nourished by the Word of God and, in dialogue, to offer a witness to the whole world.

The initiatives

Numerous initiatives are planned for what is considered one of the most significant events of the Holy Year of Mercy, along with the transfer and veneration of the remains of St. Pio of Pietrelcina and St. Leopold Mandic in the Vatican Basilica in February.

After a large thematic exhibition dedicated to Mother Teresa in the traditional Meeting of Rimini for Friendship among Peoples - the meeting organized by the Rimini movement for Communion and LiberationOn September 2, a prayer vigil will be held in the Basilica of St. John Lateran with Cardinal Vicar Agostino Vallini, followed by a solemn Eucharistic adoration. The prayer intentions will be directed to the holiness of families, religious and especially priests, ministers of mercy. During adoration it will also be possible to approach the Sacrament of Confession in various languages.

On September 3, Pope Francis' Jubilee catechesis will be held in St. Peter's Square, and in the afternoon, in the Basilica of Sant'Andrea della Valle, a time of prayer and meditation with art and music will be held, followed by Holy Mass and the veneration of the relics of the saint.

The other important event, after the highlight of the canonization on September 4 in St. Peter's Square presided over by Pope Francis, will be the celebration of the Mass of Thanksgiving the following day, presided over by Cardinal Secretary of State Pietro Parolin, on the first liturgical feast of the saint.

On the afternoon of September 5, in the Basilica of St. John Lateran, it will be possible to venerate the relics of the nun, which will also be exposed during the following day. On September 7 and 8, the relics will go to the Church of St. Gregory the Great, where it will also be possible to visit Mother Teresa's room in the adjoining convent.

The miracle

The miracle attributed to the intercession of the future saint consists of the healing, which took place in 2008, of a Brazilian man from the diocese of Santos, now 42 years old, who went into a coma in the operating room due to "multiple brain abscesses with obstructive hydrocephalus"The patient was found to be perfectly conscious, sitting up, awake and symptom-free when the surgeon entered the operating room. After a half-hour delay due to technical problems, when the surgeon entered the operating room, he found the patient perfectly conscious, seated, awake and symptom-free; it was later learned that his wife had asked her acquaintances to pray to the Blessed of Calcutta, to whom she was devoted.

In September last year, the disappearance of the disease was unanimously declared scientifically inexplicable by the medical consultation. Subsequently, the favorable opinion of the theologian consultants and of the bishops and cardinals also arrived.

Good Samaritan Icon

Mother Teresa is buried in Calcutta, at the headquarters of the Missionaries of Charity. On her tomb, simple and white, is written the verse from the Gospel of John: "Love one another as I have loved you."in memory of his extraordinary testimony of operative mercy.

St. John Paul II, in proclaiming her blessed in 2003, said of her: "Icon of the Good Samaritan, she went everywhere to serve Christ in the poorest of the poor. Not even conflicts and wars could stop her.". And he added: "By the witness of her life, Mother Teresa reminds everyone that the evangelizing mission of the Church passes through charity, nourished by prayer and listening to the word of God.". His greatness, the Polish Pope continued in his homily, "lies in his ability to give without regard to cost, to give 'until it hurts.' His life was a radical love and a bold proclamation of the Gospel.".

Chronology

5.9.1997 Mother Teresa surrenders her soul to God. Less than two years after her death, the Cause of Canonization is initiated.

19.10.2003 She was beatified by St. John Paul II during World Missionary Day, only six years after her death.

4.9.2016 The Pope proclaims her a saint. The miracle attributed to her intercession is the healing of a seriously ill man.

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TribunePaweł Rytel-Andrianik

WYD has exceeded all expectations

World Youth Day (WYD) ended a month ago in Krakow. A multitude of young people from countless countries gathered around Pope Francis and renewed their faith. The event had a special significance for Poland, on which the spokesman of the Bishops' Conference reflects in this article.

December 12, 2016-Reading time: 3 minutes

Thanks to the Pope's direct style, the enthusiasm of young people and good organization, World Youth Day (WYD) in the dioceses and in Krakow exceeded all expectations. We could say that this event was one of the most important in the more than 1,000 years of Poland's history. For the first time, a meeting was attended by young people from more than 180 countries.

"Young people-sofa": these words, pronounced by Pope Francis in Italian and Polish, express that the times we are living in today need people who do not confuse happiness with the comfort of a sofa and laziness. Undoubtedly, for many it is easier and more profitable to have deluded young people, who confuse happiness with a couch or a sofa; it is more convenient for them than to have intelligent young people, who want to respond to all the aspirations of the heart. "I ask you: do you want to be sleepy, gawking, dazed young people? Do you want others to decide the future for you? Do you want to be free?"Pope Francis told young people, encouraging them twice to take charge of their own lives and not to retire at the age of 20.

The enthusiasm of faith is a characteristic of WYD. In Krakow it was not easy to hear those speaking in Polish, because the streets were filled with the singing of people from all over the world. Their enthusiasm, smiles and joy were shared by the inhabitants of Krakow, who showed their sense of hospitality by generously welcoming the pilgrims. In the meetings with the Pope we could feel the family atmosphere, and the Holy Father seemed like a grandfather addressing his grandchildren.

The youth praised the organization of WYD. Some participants said that the Campus Misericordiae in Brzegi was the largest and best prepared infrastructure in the history of WYD. They appreciated the efforts of the State and the Church, as well as volunteers, to best accommodate young people from all over the world.

The Bishops of Poland, like the youth, are very grateful to the Holy Father Francis for having chosen Poland, and in particular Krakow for this WYD, which coincided with the celebration of the 1,050th anniversary of the Baptism of Poland and with the Jubilee of Youth, in the Year of Mercy. The farewell Holy Mass was like sending sparks of mercy to the whole world. The young people accepted the challenge with enthusiasm.

There are more and more reports of conversions of young people who have experienced the closeness of God and the transformation of their lives after WYD. The hunger for values has also awakened in many people. It is evident even on the web, where young people want to share the contents of the faith and their spirituality. It is to the credit of Francis, who has once again surprised many. The successor of St. Peter, at almost 80 years of age, has spoken the language of adolescents, using comparisons that were imprinted on the imagination.

Perhaps for the first time in the history of the Church, the expression "hard disk" was heard in the homily of a Pope. The young people, however, understood exactly what the Pope's words expressed: "Trust in God's remembrance: his memory is not a 'hard disk' that records and stores all our data, his memory is a tender heart of compassion, which rejoices by eliminating definitively any vestige of evil." (Campus Misericordiae, July 31, 2016). In the same way, the words spoke to the imagination: "Before Jesus we cannot sit and wait with our arms folded; we cannot respond to him, who gives us life, with a thought or a simple 'little message'.". But it was not only the language with which the Pope spoke to the young people, but also its meaning. The young people felt that they were talking to someone close to them. Returning from Poland, Francis confessed on board the plane that he had spoken to the young people like a grandfather to his grandchildren.

After WYD, the Presidency of the Polish Bishops' Conference underlined: "In recent days the community spirit that our Fatherland so badly needs for its development has once again emerged among our compatriots. The community spirit, extending its roots in the 1,050 years in our history, gave Poles for centuries a strong sense of identity. A community of values, which is above divisions, makes us look to the future of our country with hope."

With hope we await what will happen after WYD Poland, confident that the treasure - in the biblical sense - will not be buried, but multiplied. Now, however, much depends on each one of us.

Paweł Rytel-Andrianik

The authorPaweł Rytel-Andrianik

Director of the Office of International Communication, Secretariat of the Polish Bishops' Conference.

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Pope's teachingsRamiro Pellitero

The Church rejuvenates

On June 14, the Letter of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith was made public. Iuvenescit Ecclesia ("The Church Rejuvenates"), on the relationship between hierarchical and charismatic gifts for the life and mission of the Church.

September 3, 2016-Reading time: 2 minutes

It is dated May 15, the Solemnity of Pentecost, and has the express approval of the Supreme Pontiff Francis, in an Audience granted to the Prefect of the Congregation on March 14 of the present year. It is, therefore, a document that participates in the ordinary magisterium of the successor of Peter.

In this case, there is also a circumstance that increases the interest of the Letter: it is the first document of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith approved by Francis in his pontificate. The aim of the text is "remember, in the light of the relationship between gifts jeand charismatic, the theological and ecclesiological elements whose understanding can be favor a participation fecund of the new aggregations to the community.nion and to the mission of the Church".. After reviewing the fundamental elements of the doctrine on charisms in Scripture and in the Magisterium, it offers elements of identity of the hierarchical and charismatic gifts and provides some criteria for the discernment of the new ecclesial groups. Although the focus is on these new groups, the doctrinal foundations recalled in the Letter are of enormous importance for a correct understanding of the relationship between the apostolic ministry and the consecrated life.

In the face of those who have erroneously pre-established the relationship in the Church between the institutional dimension and the charismatic dimension in terms of contrast or opposition, the Magisterium since St. John Paul II has insisted that both dimensions are equally essential (co-essential) for the divine constitution of the Church founded by Jesus. Coessentiality is not to be understood as a track with two parallel rails, but as a single furrow in which breadth and depth - even though distinguishable - are inseparable, because, as Benedict XVI affirmed, the two dimensions of the Church are equally essential, "in the The essential institutions of the Church are also charismatic and charisms must be institutionalized in one way or another in order to have coherence and continuity"..

The latest document of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith thus appears, in time and content, as the portico that allows us to enter into a coherent reading of some of the Pope's recent interventions. The Apostolic Letter The goods temporaryThe Apostolic Constitution on certain competencies in economic and financial matters offers new guidelines for greater transparency in the administration of the patrimony of the Holy See. The Apostolic Constitution Vultum Dei quaerereThe Pope, while expressing appreciation, praise and thanksgiving for the consecrated life and monastic contemplative life, offers provisions on twelve themes to be incorporated into the Constitutions or Rules of each of the Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life: formation, prayer, the Word of God, Eucharist and Reconciliation, fraternal life in community, autonomy, federations, enclosure, work, silence, means of communication and asceticism. On August 4, described by Francis as the day of "a Jesuit among friars", the Pope addressed the Dominicans in the morning during a meeting with the General Chapter of the Order of Friars Preachers and the Franciscans in the afternoon during a visit to the Basilica of St. Mary of the Angels in Assisi, on the occasion of the 8th Centenary of the "Pardon of Assisi". After the July break, the catechesis in the Wednesday audiences were once again focused on the Year of Mercy.

The Church has once again shown its rejuvenated face at World Youth Day, conceived by Pope Francis as a "celebration of the "signal prophetic for Poland, for Europa and for the world".a sign of hope called fraternity, of which our war-torn world is so much in need today.

The authorRamiro Pellitero

Degree in Medicine and Surgery from the University of Santiago de Compostela. Professor of Ecclesiology and Pastoral Theology in the Department of Systematic Theology at the University of Navarra.

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The unity that the Orthodox have to recognize

The long-awaited Pan-Orthodox Council, long prepared, was held in Crete with the absence of some important Churches, including Moscow. Also a sign, in spite of everything?

August 31, 2016-Reading time: 2 minutes

What should have been - in the initial intention - the first Pan-Orthodox Council after more than a thousand years of history, a meeting of the fourteen churches of Orthodoxy that recognize some form of honorary primacy of the Patriarch of Constantinople, was held on the island of Crete. "Should have been", because in the end four of the fourteen Orthodox Churches did not participate in the council, and among them was the Moscow Church, that is, the most powerful and numerous Orthodox Church, which encompasses more than half of all the Orthodox faithful in the world.

It is possible to analyze the facts: in January 2016 all the Orthodox Primates decided to hold the Council in June in Crete, and signed the decision. Despite the fact that this agreement was adopted at a synodal meeting, in the weeks preceding the event, the hierarchs of some Churches began to reject the decision, putting documents and controversies under discussion again. There are problems within the Orthodox communion that need to be resolved: the disagreement between the Patriarchs of Antioch and Jerusalem as to who is to exercise canonical authority in the Orthodox community of Qatar; the request of a part of the Orthodox in Ukraine to found an autocephalous Church separate from the Moscow Patriarchate; divergences concerning the interpretation and approach to relations with other Christians, etc.

All this motivated the decision of the Churches of Moscow, Bulgaria, Georgia and Antioch to cancel their participation in the council. If we consider the event - which actually has constant characteristics in the history of the councils - with "political" eyes, we will see a confusing reality, a council (that of Crete) that seems an example of what can be produced by the division between Churches that belong to the same communion, but are to some extent "victims" of nationalism because they are Church-States. However, if we look at it with different eyes (as Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople has done in a very clear way), we can consider what is happening as a test, as a first step towards a unity that is a witness before the world, abandoning completely the "spiritual worldliness", which is a tremendous disease for all the Churches. What happened in Crete is interesting in the first place for the whole Christian world, and the process begun can also be a sign for peace in the world.

The authorOmnes

Ecumenism

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Pope's teachingsRamiro Pellitero

Like a loving mother

The Apostolic Letter, in the form of Motu proprio "Like a loving mother". The canons of the Code of Canon Law, which regulate the "grave motives" that can lead to the removal of diocesan bishops, eparchs and those assimilated to them by law, are made even more explicit.

August 31, 2016-Reading time: 3 minutes

In the last month we have received from Pope Francis a new document very representative of his way of responding, as Successor of Peter, to the challenges of the present time. It is the Apostolic Letter, in the form of a Motu propriotitled Like a loving motherThe "Canon Law", a small text of a normative nature that further clarifies the canons of the Code of Canon Law, which regulate the "grave motives" that can lead to the removal of diocesan bishops, eparchs and those assimilated to them by law.

With this document, the Pope specifies that among the serious causes is the negligence of bishops in the fulfillment of their office, in particular with regard to cases of abuse of minors. The love that the Church professes for all her children, like that of a loving mother, translates into special care and attention for the smallest and most defenseless. Neglect in the defense of the helpless, such as children who have suffered the horror of abuse, mortally damages a mother's love and in many cases causes incurable wounds. Firmness in the face of negligence is a requirement of maternal love and an effective school of prevention. In this Extraordinary Holy Year, with this Apostolic Letter, the Pope shows us once again that mercy is a mother's tender love, which is moved by the fragility of her newborn child and embraces it, supplying all that it lacks so that it can live and grow. From the perspective of maternal love, we can review other interventions of Pope Francis in recent weeks.

As a loving mother, the Pope continues to comment on Gospel passages in the catecheses of the Wednesday and Saturday Audiences to introduce us to the unfathomable mystery of divine mercy. Through some parables of mercy, we have been taught the correct attitude for praying and invoking the Father's mercy. Also through miracles, understood as signs, Jesus Christ reveals to us the love of God, as in the wedding at Cana or in the healing of the blind man by the roadside or of the leper who came to him in supplication. "Jesus never remains indifferent to prayer made with humility and trust, he rejects all human prejudices, and shows himself close, teaching us that we too need not be afraid to approach and touch the poor and the excluded, because in them is Christ himself.".

With the patient attitude of a loving mother, the Pope sat before the priests gathered to celebrate their Jubilee in this Holy Year and addressed three meditations to them during the spiritual retreat organized for the occasion. Showing the path between distance and celebration, Francis meditated first on the "dignity shamed" and the "dignified shame"which is the fruit of mercy. He then meditated on the "receptacle of mercy". which is our sin and presented Mary as the recipient and source of mercy. In the last meditation, he proposed to focus on the works of mercy, under the title. "The good odor of Christ and the light of His mercy.". The priestly retreat, preached on the eve of the Solemnity of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, was a precious occasion to advise us to reread the Encyclical Haurietis aquas of Pius XII and remind us that the center of mercy is the Heart of Christ and that "the heart that God unites to this moral misery of ours is the heart of Christ, his beloved Son, which beats as one heart with that of the Father and that of the Spirit.".

Finally, we have found the exercise of a loving mother in the Jubilee of the sick and disabled, in the various audiences and in the apostolic journey to Armenia, the land of Noah, where the small Catholic community and the Armenian Apostolic Church, a century after the genocide of 1915, receive the maternal embrace of the Pope, who wants, with his words and gestures, to show his special solicitude for the most helpless.

The authorRamiro Pellitero

Degree in Medicine and Surgery from the University of Santiago de Compostela. Professor of Ecclesiology and Pastoral Theology in the Department of Systematic Theology at the University of Navarra.

Pope Francis

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TribunePedro José Caballero

Quality education requires freedom

The National Catholic Confederation of Parents and Students' Parents proposes a quality education that forms the person in freedom, respecting parents, the main educators of their children, and without ideological interference from outside the family.

August 31, 2016-Reading time: 3 minutes

Education, in a broad sense, is the way to achieve the fullness of each person's values and aptitudes, and even the personal satisfaction that comes from self-fulfillment throughout life. Furthermore, it has a dimension of solidarity in that it allows us to contribute to the improvement of society and, therefore, to help others. Education is essential in people's lives, even more so if we take into account that those who renounce it are self-limiting.

The right to education is a basic right, included in almost all treaties, declarations and constitutions of the last centuries, especially since World War II; and in Spain it is included in Article 27 of the Constitution.

It is true that in many countries such essential principles as full schooling have not yet been achieved - more than 124 million children of basic education age were not attending school according to NGO data. Entreculturaspresented in 2015-, but it is also true that it is being fought for and that much progress has been made in recent years.

This right to education is held by the child, but its exercise falls on the parents, who are their representatives and the first educators. They are responsible for their education and it is in the family where the children receive their first learning and where they will later go as a reference.

Parents have the right and the obligation to educate their children in goodness, truth and freedom, providing them with an education in accordance with their own criteria. That is why the formation of parents is so important.

Children should be educated according to the principles and convictions of their parents, who will be their moral reference all their lives, and not according to the self-interested principles that a state or political party wants to impose.

On the other hand, parents are not able to instruct their children in all branches of instrumental and pedagogical knowledge, so society has had to look for schools to fill this role.

But we cannot forget that the school educates by delegation of the parents and, therefore, its function is secondary and complementary to that of the family. For this reason, families turn to third parties: schools or educational centers.

This social necessity of schools should not mean that parents should disregard the education of their children, placing the educational responsibilities on the school, but rather that both should collaborate and share their work and dedication to achieve the best possible education for the student, so that he/she can develop his/her potential to the maximum.

This is one of the tasks that CONCAPA promotes and supports in its defense of education and the family within freedom, because there can be no quality education or formation of the person without freedom.

Freedom of education - to educate our children according to our religious, moral or pedagogical convictions - is a recognized right in most countries, although it is often not effectively fulfilled due to the totalitarian temptation of some governments that seek to impose their ideologies over those of the family.

From CONCAPA we continue to defend quality education in freedom, where parents are respected as the main responsible educators of their children, free of ideological interference from outside the family. In this way, society as a whole will benefit, since responsible, respectful and free citizens will be formed.

The family is the reference point for children, adults and the elderly. A necessary referent that -when it does not exist- causes conflicts in the person.

It is true that today's family functions differently than it did thirty years ago, but this is due to social dynamics, which does not mean that there should not be some common keys that constitute the fundamental gear of the family institution, among others, that of introducing children to the most valuable areas of life: transcendence, love, solidarity, respect....

With regard to education, we must begin by talking about the family school and then move on to other aspects such as: Who teaches parents how to educate their children? Who collaborates with parents in the education of their children? What right do parents have to choose what they want for their children?

It is clear that parents have every right in the world to choose what is best for their children, although they are not always allowed to choose, but it is also true that no one teaches parents in their work of parenting, but rather they learn through experience, common sense, reading or, in the best of cases, by attending a course.

For this reason, it is important to collaborate with another entity, the school, which is the one to whom you entrust your children and from whom you expect help, so a fluid relationship in this field is fundamental.

Parents, children, teachers... this is the way to achieve a suitable climate that allows progress in the education of children, because the interests of each are diverse but converge for the good of the child.

In addition, parents and teachers know a different side of that child that they can communicate with each other to enrich their mutual perception, without interfering with each other.

The authorPedro José Caballero

National President of CONCAPA

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Bishop Juan Carlos Elizalde: "The Pope asks us to raise the spirits of the faithful".

Since taking office as the new bishop of Vitoria on March 12, Bishop Juan Carlos Elizalde has launched, among other things, a Sunday evening Mass for young people in the cathedral, and the diocese, in tune with the Pope, has recently celebrated a significant gesture of solidarity with refugees.

Rafael Hernández Urigüen-August 31, 2016-Reading time: 5 minutes

Among the pastoral priorities of the new bishop of Vitoria is to promote a number of projects that are underway in the diocese to better serve the needy, promote peace, care for families, promote evangelization and the transmission of the faith and raise vocations.

The diocese of Vitoria belongs to the ecclesiastical province of Burgos and its patrons are Saint Prudentius and Saint Ignatius. With a century and a half of existence, it has two cathedrals (the old one of Santa María and the new one of the Inmaculada).

It serves its 330,000 inhabitants thanks to its 432 parishes and 230 priests. In addition, there are 63 priests from Vitoria in the missions. There are 72 religious priests and 62 non-priestly professed religious. There are nine contemplative monasteries for women and one for men. The total number of professed religious is 600. There are also two major seminarians. In 2014 was the last priestly ordination.

In the last recorded year there were 1,406 baptisms, 1,358 first communions, 228 confirmations and 343 canonical marriages in the diocese. Diocesan Caritas invested more than 2.5 million euros in the needy and has 26 care centers where 18,956 people were assisted.

First of all, we are very grateful to Bishop Elialde for finding time in his schedule to attend this interview, which the readers of Palabra, both in Spain and Latin America, are undoubtedly looking forward to.

You arrive in Vitoria with a wealth of experience, which includes university pastoral work, the animation of the Camino de Santiago from the Collegiate Church of Roncesvalles (where you have exercised your ministry as prior) and also in the diocesan curia of Pamplona. Do you think that this experience can inspire your new episcopal ministry?

-It is true that what you do makes you, shapes you and forms you. The Nuncio, to encourage me in my new task, told me: "Do not worry. What the Pope wants is for you to be in Vitoria as you were in Roncesvalles, in Pamplona or at the university. And the Way of St. James is like a parable of life, which is a journey, process, maturation, growth".

This helps me to accompany and to believe, taking advantage of the changes that every person has to face. The experience of episcopal vicar in Pamplona has taught me to be close to my brother priests, unconditionally. And the university confirms to me that young people are the joy and the future of the Church and that, therefore, they have to be at the heart of my episcopal ministry.

The Diocese of Vitoria has the tradition of a priestly movement that sought in the exercise of the ministry the main source of spirituality. How to translate it into the present, so that it contributes to the revitalization of the diocesan seminary?

-I believe that priestly joy is the first source of vocations. I understand that today the profile of the priest, the priestly identity is very clear. When one rereads the priestly texts of the Magisterium of the Church from the Second Vatican Council until now and thinks of the priestly profile of the last Popes, one is moved. What priest is not going to fit there?

If one knows who he is and is sharing the priesthood with priest friends, it is almost inevitable to infect him. From this priestly joy will come creative initiatives to promote vocations: testimonies, pilgrimages, prayer meetings, personal accompaniment and a thousand other activities.

Vitoria has prestigious Catholic schools and a youth that has the means to access culture. How could they specifically support vocational animation? From your experience, how do you think vocational concerns are best fostered in the field of education?

-The diocese of Vitoria is the Church on pilgrimage in Vitoria. It includes, of course, the large schools and their religious men and women. Young people have to recognize themselves as Christians outside the classroom as well, and that implies a network of celebrations, events, meetings and fields of collaboration and service. We are all there, and if the young person has at his side priests, religious men and women and couples whom he loves and values, he will surely feel called vocationally.

Vitoria is also a university city. It has several centers of the Public University and also private schools. If I remember correctly, there are ten between faculties and schools. How do you plan to transfer your university experience to the capital of Alava? What would you say about this specific field of evangelization?

-It is a field as exciting as it is difficult. Many of those who study on the Vitoria campus are not from Alava and are just passing through. The most committed Christians from Alava are already committed in their parishes and communities of origin and that is one of the reasons why it is not easy to work in the university.

The current proposal of campus ministry is to create work forums where there is room for a faith-culture encounter, an intellectual growth of Christian activists and a way of evangelizing young people. It is a periphery that must be attended with creativity and height. I believe that Vitoria is doing well. Perhaps it would be necessary to promote more the interrelation of the university pastoral with the work that is done with all the youth and with the vocational work.

Upon learning of your appointment, your extensive experience in the world of the media was also highlighted. Pope Francis insists with his constant magisterium and testimony on the importance of evangelizing from the different platforms that make up public opinion. What practical ideas could you suggest in this area?

-I am really no expert. I believe that transparent and profound communication does a lot of good and creates a dynamic of trust, interest and closeness to the Church and the message of Jesus. I admire people who handle the networks wonderfully and communicate things that are worthwhile. We have to "jump on that bandwagon" because it does a lot of good and we Christians have something great to communicate. We should go hand in hand with communication professionals and the freshness of young people who are so creative when it comes to transmitting the interior.

Vitoria is the capital of the Basque Autonomous Community. Have you already made contact with the civil authorities? How do you see the cooperation of the Church with the political institutions in the concrete and plural sphere of the Basque Country?

-Yes, I have met calmly with the local and regional authorities. Most of them are in their first term of office and, therefore, I have seen that they are very enthusiastic and that there are many points of common interest, although there are also irreconcilable issues. We have coincided later in many events.

Both in formal meetings and in more occasional ones, I have claimed the religious fact as part of life, inspiring the noblest behaviors and, consequently, a social good and not something marginal, reduced to the private sphere and without any kind of visibility, recognition or social support. I believe that we Christians should help those in power to discover the contribution of the Church to society and, from there, to ask for their collaboration, since it is something that affects the common good.

Anything else you would like to add?

-I am still under the emotion of my episcopal ordination, but I have to admit that I have never prayed so much nor have I ever felt so much the prayer of my confreres. When the Lord's mission overflows, you have to go to the fundamentals and rely on what cannot fail you. Surprisingly, I am serene and happy, confident in the Lord, in his mediations and in the prayers of the patient readers. Pope Francis, when I greeted him in St. Peter's Square on the occasion of my appointment, told me that we pastors have to raise the spirits of our communities, because sometimes they are a bit low. And it is an observation that I keep very much in mind.

The authorRafael Hernández Urigüen

Pope Francis

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Hilary Putnam (1926-2016): an American philosopher.

Hilary Putnam has been one of the most important philosophers of the twentieth century. His thought has evolved from the stricter scientism of the Vienna Circle to an open pragmatism in which there is ample room for non-scientific knowledge, the humanities, ethics, aesthetics and religion.

Jaime Nubiola-August 31, 2016-Reading time: 4 minutes

Last March 13, he passed away at his home in ArlingtonAmerican philosopher Hilary Putnam died at the age of 89 near Boston. As Martha Nussbaum wrote in a touching obituary in the Huffington Post, "the United States has lost one of the greatest philosophers this nation has ever produced. Those who were fortunate enough to know him as students, colleagues, and friends remember his life with deep gratitude and love, for Hilary was not only a great philosopher, but above all a human being of extraordinary generosity.". Putnam has been a giant of American philosophy, who has taught generations of students at Harvard and through his numerous publications has invited many, many people to think. A very striking feature of his personality was his gentle cordiality and an extraordinary intellectual humility that flatly rejected any cult of personality. In my case, my debt to him is enormous, both personally and intellectually, and with these lines I would like to pay an emotional tribute to the man who has been my "American teacher" for the last 25 years.

Born in Chicago in 1926, he studied mathematics and philosophy in Pennsylvania. He received his Ph.D. in 1951 from the University of California, Los Angeles, with a thesis on the justification of induction and the meaning of probability. These were central themes in the work of his dissertation director Hans Reichenbach, a leading member of the Vienna Circle and an emigrant to the United States in the wake of World War II. Among Reichenbach's students was Ruth Anna, also a philosopher, whom Hilary Putnam would marry in 1962. In 1965 Putnam joined the prestigious Department of Philosophy at Harvard University, where he held the Walter Beverly Pearson Chair of Modern Mathematics and Mathematical Logic until his retirement in May 2000. Before joining Harvard he had taught at Northwestern, Princeton and MIT.

Cutting-edge thinker

Undoubtedly, it can be stated emphatically that Putnam was an avant-garde thinker. As Stegmüller wrote, it can be said of him that in his intellectual evolution he has summed up most of the philosophy of the second half of the twentieth century.

His philosophical production focused for decades on the great topics of contemporary discussion in philosophy of science and philosophy of language. His articles are written with extraordinary rigor, in conversation - or rather, in discussion - with Rudolf Carnap, Willard Quine and his colleagues in Anglo-American academic philosophy. In addition to the quality of his writing, he is impressive for the delicate discrimination to which he subjects the most difficult problems in order to gain understanding. By his way of working, Putnam teaches that philosophy is difficult, that is, that philosophical reflection - just as in other areas of knowledge when it comes to the most basic questions - has considerable technical complexity. Of course Putnam knew that many philosophical problems are ultimately unsolvable, but he liked to repeat the words of his friend Stanley Cavell: "There are better and worse ways to think about them.".

Among his vast philosophical production, I would like to highlight his book Renewing Philosophyin which it brings together the Gifford Lectures taught at the University of St Andrews in 1990, perhaps because in the summer of 1992 I was at Harvard with him and he let me read the galley proofs. As the title suggests, those pages are written with the conviction that the sorry state of philosophy today calls for a revitalization, a thematic renewal. Putnam conceived that book as a diagnosis of the situation of philosophy and suggested the directions that such a renewal might take. Putnam was not writing a manifesto, but rather a style of doing philosophy, of bringing together rigor and human relevance, which are the properties that have been seen as distinguishing two radically opposed modes of doing philosophy, Anglo-American analytic philosophy and European philosophy.

Hilary Putnam has never been carried away by the winds of intellectual fashions and - which is rare among philosophers - has time and again rectified his views as he has refined his understanding of the problems he addressed. That has led some to accuse him of philosophical fickleness, but it seems to me that the ability to rectify is really the hallmark of the love of truth. "I used to think this..., whereas now I think that". Just as we all do in our ordinary lives, changing our minds when we receive new data and understand better reasons, why should it be any different when doing philosophy?

In this regard, it is worth transcribing what he wrote in the prologue to his recent Philosophy in an Age of Science (2012): "I long ago abandoned Carnap's and Reichenbach's (different) versions of logical empiricism, but I continue to draw inspiration from Reichenbach's conviction that philosophical examination of the best contemporary and past science is of great philosophical importance, and from Carnap's example in his continual re-examination and critique of his own earlier views, as well as from the political and moral commitment of both Carnap and Reichenbach.".

However, what perhaps some people have not forgiven him for was his conversion to the religion of his grandparents, Judaism. In the last decades of his life he began to dedicate twenty minutes a day to traditional Jewish prayers and little by little reflection on ethics and religion appeared more and more frequently in his texts: "As a practicing Jew." -explained in How to renew the philosophy-, "I am someone for whom the religious dimension of life is increasingly important, even though it is a dimension about which I do not know how to philosophize, except indirectly. When I began teaching philosophy in the early 1950s, I considered myself a philosopher of science (although in a generous interpretation of the expression 'philosophy of science' I included philosophy of language and philosophy of mind). Those who know my writings of that stage may wonder how I reconciled my religious streak, which even then was to some extent behind, with my general materialist-scientific worldview at that time. The answer is that I did not reconcile them: I was a conscientious atheist and I was a believer; I simply kept those two parts of myself separate.".

This "double life", these two divided parts of himself, was not satisfactory to him in his last stage: "I am both a religious person and a natural philosopher, but not a reductionist."In this regard, he wrote in his very recent autobiography, which opens the thick volume dedicated to him in the Library of Living Philosophers. I remember now that Putnam called me sometimes "the catholic pragmatist"thanks to him I had discovered the pragmatist philosophy and the thought of Charles S. Peirce to which I have devoted myself since 1992. I pray now for his eternal rest and hope one day to be able to continue the kindly conversations with this giant of philosophy who was not afraid to openly acknowledge his religiosity in a paganized academic world.

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Initiatives

Researching the secrets of success in marriage

Omnes-August 31, 2016-Reading time: < 1 minute

When two young people enter into marriage, they do so with the illusion of loving each other and uniting their lives forever. However, official figures show alarmingly that many couples abandon that dream somewhere along the way: the number of marital breakups is growing steadily every year.

- Jokin de Irala, Professor of Preventive Medicine and Public Health. Principal investigator of the project "Education of Affectivity and Human Sexuality" (EASH) of the Institute of Culture and Society (ICS) of the University of Navarra.

-Alfonso Osorio, Researcher of the EASH project and Professor of Psychology at the University of Navarra.

According to the National Institute of Statistics, 162,554 marriages were celebrated in Spain in 2014. In the same year there were 105,893 annulment, separation and divorce judgments, which was a ratio of 2.3 per 1,000 inhabitants. This is 5.4 % higher than what was recorded in 2013.

The figures are worrying because divorce not only has a negative impact on the couple - according to studies, divorced people suffer more health-related problems - but also on their children and society in general.

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Martín Ibarra Benlloch. The memory of the martyrs

Martín Ibarra Benlloch is 54 years old, married and father of a large family. He holds a doctorate in history and is a professor at the University of Navarra and the University of Zaragoza. He combines his university work with the presidency of the Historical Commission of the Martyrs of the diocese of Barbastro Monzón.

Omnes-August 31, 2016-Reading time: 3 minutes

Martín Ibarra is especially committed to the memory of the Spanish martyrs of the 20th century. Historian specialized in ancient history, specifically in the women of antiquity, in 1998 he began working as director of the archives of the sanctuary of Torreciudad and in the Mariological Institute. In 2004 the bishop of Barbastro-Monzón asked him to help in the cause of the martyrs in the Historical Commission of the diocese.

"As a result of this research I met many people. I gathered a lot of documentation that I published in a two-volume book about the religious persecution in the diocese of Barbastro-Monzon. It is a book that begins in 1931 and ends in 1941. It studies the religious persecution in Spain explaining the causes of the persecution and the consequences as a unique phenomenon."he points out. As a result of this publication he came to the conclusion that on the surface we know a lot about the martyrs but in reality we know very little. "They ask me five or six questions about each of the martyrs and I don't even know how to answer them. I don't even have a photo of many of them. In antiquity there were many martyrs, but no one collected information about them. As a result, as the years and centuries went by, people began to invent stories."he explains.

To avoid similar situations with the martyrs of the 20th and 21st centuries, he decided to collect as much information as possible about them. "I got together with several people who are friends of the martyrs and we took forward the Martyrs' Days of Barbastro. I had the support of the Claretians, who have in Barbastro the Museum of the Claretian Martyrs, a unique museum. They have a lot of relics, objects that belonged to the martyrs. I have counted on that support and then I have been gathering support from other people, mostly lay people, but also from priests and religious institutions.".

As a result of this support, the Jornadas Martiriales de Barbastro was born, the first edition of which was held in 2013. The conference is usually attended by university professors, priests, religious, relatives of the martyrs and lay people interested in the martyrs. In addition to the round tables, they organize concerts of martyr music, book presentations, film screenings and short film contests.

"On the one hand, we have managed to make this conference a point of reference throughout Spain, even though they are humble conferences. On the other hand, we have achieved that for the first time there is a clear diffusion of this issue outside the processes of beatification of martyrdom."he said. Martin regrets that once the martyrs were beatified, they were never spoken of again, "and that does not make sense. We have to talk a lot before and, above all, after they are beatified. We have to give a lot of information about them"..

This is how he and the other members of the Historical Commission of the diocese came up with the idea of launching the short film contest on martyrs in the context of the conference. "The idea is very simple. If there is a group of young people from parishes, schools, high schools, colleges, universities..., who decide to make a short film about a martyr, in the end they will end up being interested in knowing who that person was. They will ask for documentation, they will investigate ..... In the case of the towns, if they do this in the place where the martyr was, they will end up collecting a lot of documentation that we in the bishoprics do not have. It is the way to save a lot of information that otherwise could be lost. Besides, in this way, the young people who participate in a short film are filled with the good values that the martyrs had.".

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Christianity and emotionality

Omnes-June 30, 2016-Reading time: 7 minutes

"Why not stop and talk about feelings and sexuality in marriage?"asks Pope Francis in the exhortation Amoris Laetitia (n. 142). The question has troubled anthropologists and historians ever since Roland Barthes denounced the postponement of feelings in history: "Who will make the history of tears? In what societies, in what times has there been weeping?"

– Álvaro Fernández de Córdova Miralles, University of Navarra

Recent research has revealed the influence of Christianity on Western emotionality. Its history, forgotten and labyrinthine, must be rescued.

Few phrases have had greater repercussions than St. Paul's exhortation to the Philippians "Have the same feelings among yourselves that Jesus had." (Fl 2, 5) Is there room for a historical analysis of this singular proposal? Seventy years ago, Lucien Febvre referred to the history of sentiments as a "that great mute"and decades later Roland Barthes wondered: "Who will make the history of tears? In what societies, in what times have people cried? Since when did men (and not women) no longer cry? Why has 'sensitivity' at a certain point become 'mushy'?".

Following the cultural turn experienced by historiography in recent decades, a new frontier has opened up for researchers, which has been called the emotional turn (emotional turn). Although its contours are still blurred, the history of pain, laughter, fear or passion, would allow us to know the roots of our sensibility, and to notice the imprint of Christianity on the landscape of human feelings. In this sense, the medieval period has proved to be a privileged place to study the passage from the psychic structures of the ancient world to the forms of modern sensibility. To do so, it has been necessary to replace the categories of "infantilism" or "sentimental disorder" attributed to medieval man (M. Bloch and J. Huizinga) with a more rational reading of the emotional code that shaped Western values (D. Boquet and P. Nagy).

From the apatheia Greek to the evangelical novelties (1st-5th century)

The history of medieval sentiments begins with the "Christianization of the affections" in the pagan societies of Late Antiquity. The clash could not have been more drastic between the Stoic ideal of the apatheia (liberation from all passion conceived in negative terms) and the new God that Christians defined with a sentiment: Love. A love that the Father manifested to men by giving his own Son, Jesus Christ, who did not hide his tears, nor his tenderness, nor his passion for his fellow men. Aware of this, Christian intellectuals promoted the affective dimension of man, created in the image and likeness of God, considering that to suppress the affections was to "castrate man" (castrare hominem), as Lactantius states in an expressive metaphor.

It was St. Augustine - the father of medieval affectivity - who best integrated the Christian novelty and classical thought with his theory of the "government" of the emotions: feelings had to submit to the rational soul in order to purify the disorder introduced by original sin, and to distinguish the desires that lead to virtue from those that lead to vice. Its consequence in the institution of marriage was the incorporation of carnal desire - condemned by the Ebionites - into marital love (Clement of Alexandria), and the defense of the bond against the disintegrating tendencies that trivialized it (adultery, divorce or remarriage).

It was not a moral austerity more or less admired by the pagans. It was the path to "purity of heart" that led virgins and celibates to the highest heights of Christian leadership because of the self-mastery and reorientation of the will that it entailed.

Destroying Eros and Unitive Eros (5th-7th c.)

The new psychological equilibrium took shape thanks to the first rules that promoted ascetic exercise and the practice of charity in those "living fraternal utopias" that were the first monasteries. Clerics and monks strove to map the process of conversion of the emotions, and to reconstruct the structure of the human personality by acting on the body: the body was not an enemy to be defeated, but a vehicle for uniting the creature with the Creator (P. Brown).

The ideal of virginity, founded on union with God, was not so far from the ideal of Christian marriage based on fidelity and refractory to the divorced and polyandrous practices widespread among the Germanic societies of the West. This is revealed by the alliance between the Irish monasteries and the Merovingian aristocracy, who engraved on their tombstones the terms carissimus (-a) o dulcissimus (-a) referring to a husband, a wife or a child; a sign of the Christian impregnation of those "emotional communities" that tried to escape from anger and the right to revenge (faide) (B. H. Rosenwein).

The common mentality did not evolve so quickly. Ecclesiastical prohibitions against abduction, incest, or what today we would call "domestic violence", were not taken up until the tenth century. In no text, neither secular nor clerical, is the word "domestic violence" used. love in a positive sense. Its semantic content was burdened by the possessive and destructive passion that led to the crimes described by Gregory of Tours.

Little was known at the time about the strange expression charitas coniugalisused by Pope Innocent I (411-417) to describe the tenderness and friendship that characterized conjugal grace. The dichotomy of the two "loves" is reflected in the notes of that eleventh-century scholar: "lovedesire that tries to monopolize everything; charitytender unity". (M. Roche). This idea reappears in Amoris laetitia: "Married love leads to see to it that the whole emotional life becomes a good for the family and is at the service of life together." (n. 146).

Carolingian tears (8th-9th c.)

Relying on anthropological optimism The Carolingian reformers demanded the equality of the sexes with an almost revolutionary insistence, considering conjugality the only good that Adam and Eve preserved from their passage through Paradise (P. Toubert).

In this context a new lay religiosity emerged, which invited to a less "ritual" and more intimate relationship with God, linking with the best Augustinian prayer. Sorrow or compunction for sins committed began to be valued, leading to such pompous gestures as the public penance of Louis the Pious for the murder of his nephew Bernard (822). Then appeared the masses "of petition of tears" (Pro petitione lacrimarum): tears of God's love that move the sinner's heart and purify his past sins.

This sentiment, requested as grace, is at the basis of the gift of tearsconsidered a sign of the imitation of Christ who wept three times in the Scriptures: after the death of Lazarus, before Jerusalem and in the Garden of Olives. Merit or gift, virtue or grace, habitus ("usual disposition" According to St. Thomas Aquinas) or charism, pious men go in search of tears which, from the eleventh century, become a criterion of holiness (Fr. Nagy).

The revolution of the love (12th century)

The most audacious psychological findings occurred in two seemingly antithetical fields. While the canonists defended the free exchange of consent for the validity of marriage, in the Provençal courts the invention of the fin d'amors ("courtly love") - often adulterous - which exploited feelings of joy, freedom or anguish, as opposed to marriages imposed by lineage. Clergymen and second-class aristocrats then discovered the love of choice (de dilection) where the other is loved in his or her otherness for what he or she is, and not for what he or she brings to the spouse or the clan. A free and exclusive love that facilitated the surrender of bodies and souls, as expressed by Andrea Capellanus and experienced by those Occitan troubadours who passed from human to divine love by professing in a monastery (J. Leclercq).

The new discoveries took a long time to permeate the institution of marriage, which was folded to the political and economic interests of the lineage. Between the eleventh and fourteenth centuries, the extended family (kinship of different generations) was progressively replaced by the conjugal cell (spouses with their children), due in large part to the triumph of Christian marriage, now elevated to a sacrament. The more daring canonists developed the concept of "marital affection" (affectio maritalis) that contemplated the fidelity and reciprocal obligations of the conjugal union, beyond the social function that had been assigned to it.

The road to sainthood was slower. It was promoted in the 13th century with the canonization of four married laymen (St. Homobono of Cremona, St. Elizabeth of Hungary, St. Hedwig of Silesia and St. Louis of France), who took up the lay holiness of ancient Christianity, although the spousal ideal was not reflected in the processes preserved as a specific path of perfection (A. Vauchez).

From mystical emotion to the debates of modernity (14th-20th century)

The socio-economic crisis of the 14th century modified the sentimental cartography of Western Europe. Religious devotion began to identify itself with the emotion it embodied. It was the mystical conquest of emotion. Laywomen such as Marie d'Oignies († 1213), Angela da Foligno († 1309) or Clare of Rimini († 1324-29) developed a demonstrative and sensory religiosity, charged with a rapturous mysticism. They sought to see, imagine and embody the sufferings of Christ, for his Passion acquired the central place in devotions. Never before had tears become so plastic, nor were they represented with the strength of a Giotto or a Van der Weyden.

Medieval emotions left a deep furrow in the face of modern man. Protestantism radicalized the most pessimistic Augustinian notes, and Calvinism repressed their expressions with a strict morality centered on work and wealth (M. Weber). At this anthropological crossroads, feelings oscillated between rationalist contempt and romantic exaltation, while education was torn between Rousseauian naturalism and the rigorism that introduced the slogan "children do not cry" in children's stories.

It was not for long. Amorous romanticism swept away the bourgeois puritanism of the institution of marriage, so that by 1880 the imposed unions - so opposed by medieval theologians - became a relic of the past. Sentiment became the guarantor of a conjugal union progressively fractured by the divorce mentality and an affectivity contaminated by the hedonism that triumphed in May '68. The emotional confusion of adolescents, sexual vagrancy or the increase in abortions are the consequence of that idealistic and hedonistic system. naif which has given way to another realistic and sordid call to rethink the meaning of its conquests.

– Supernatural Amoris laetitia is an invitation to do so by listening to the voice of those feelings that Christianity rescued from classical atony, oriented to family union and projected to the heights of mystical emotion. Paradoxically, the greatness of its history is mirrored on the surface of its shadows: the tears of water and salt discovered by the same Carolingians who underpinned the conjugal union. Pope Francis wanted to rescue them, perhaps conscious of those words that Tolkien put in Gandalf's mouth: "I will not say to you: do not weep; for not all tears are bitter.".

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The urgency of a mission of proximity

Giovanni Tridente-June 17, 2016-Reading time: < 1 minute

On several occasions in recent weeks, the Holy Father has reiterated the importance of caring for every creature, especially those in need or suffering.

– Giovanni Tridente, Rome

@gnntrident

Dialogue, peace and solidarity, health, suffering and consolation, but also poverty and immigration, proximity in mission, inclusive economy and care for creation. These are the central themes of most of the speeches of Pope Francis in the audiences held with various interlocutors in recent weeks. The common thread is always the same: attention to every individual who inhabits the earth, in particular to those who find themselves in situations of need or in the condition of victims of the most absurd and corrupt "systems"...

Article incomplete. If you want to read the latest contents of Palabra, you can subscribe to the digital or paper edition of the magazine.

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Bishop Juan del Río: "The military has an innate natural religiosity".

Omnes-June 17, 2016-Reading time: 2 minutes

The Service of Religious Assistance to the Spanish Armed Forces (SARFAS) celebrated its 25th anniversary. The Military Seminary also celebrated its fifth anniversary on April 18. The military archbishop, Mons. Juan del Río, explains the specific task of his archdiocese to guarantee religious assistance to military, police and their families.

– Enrique Carlier

In the context of the 25th anniversary of SARFAS and the Military Seminary, an emotional meeting was held on April 16 at the Military Archbishopric, attended by the rectors, formators and priests who have passed through the Military Seminary during its twenty-five years of existence. The meeting paid tribute to Cardinal José Manuel Estepa Llaurens, who established the military seminary and was also one of the drafters of the Apostolic Constitution. Spirituali militum curae.

This Constitution, which regulates the spiritual care of the military through the military ordinariates, was signed by St. John Paul II on April 21, 1986.

On April 17, coinciding with the World Day of Prayer for Vocations, Bishop del Río presided over the ordination of a new military priest.

About SARFAS, the military seminary and the peculiar pastoral task carried out by the military archbishopric, we talked with the head of this ecclesiastical circumscription: Archbishop Juan del Rio. He receives us in his office on Nuncio Street, where there is an image of the Macarena that points to the archbishop's Sevillian past, which is confirmed when we hear his clear Andalusian accent.

What exactly is SARFAS?
This is the Service of Religious Assistance to the Armed Forces. It was established by Royal Decree 1145 of September 7, 1990, and develops the agreement between the Holy See and the Spanish State on religious assistance to the Armed Forces of January 3, 1979.

The military archbishopric provides the part of this service that assists religiously and spiritually the Catholic members of the Armed Forces and the Police.

What is new about SARFAS compared to the configuration of the former Army Ecclesiastical Corps?
-SARFAS is the result of an important step that was taken in 1990 when the former chaplains of the ecclesiastical corps, who were then military, moved to a new configuration. It emphasizes more the pastoral aspects of the military chaplain and the presence of the Catholic Church in the Armed Forces.

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Palliative care: comprehensive care when wellness is important

Few situations are as delicate as the last stage of life, and few are so lacking in clarity. Along with palliative care ("a privileged form of disinterested charity," says the Catechism), concepts such as dignified death and euthanasia are handled, or the purpose of sedation is unknown.

Omnes-June 17, 2016-Reading time: 2 minutes

Treating each person as best as possible as he or she nears the end of life is undoubtedly a major challenge. A patient once commented to his doctor: "You have a bit of a specialty. ungratefulWe, the patients and their families, expect doctors to cure; however, you do not cure them, you control that they do not have pain and that they do not suffer!".

This thought-provoking comment allows us to recognize a part of the truth. In the field of palliative care, physicians cure the patient's common illnesses, those that can be cured. But when the end is near because there is an incurable disease, the patient must be cared for and accompanied during the process to ensure that both he and his family live each moment with the greatest possible well-being.

The World Health Organization (WHO) defines palliative care as "the approach that improves the quality of life for patients and families facing the problems associated with life-threatening illness through the prevention and relief of suffering by early identification and impeccable assessment and treatment of pain and other physical, psychosocial and spiritual problems.".

This definition indicates that the focus of end-of-life care is both the patient and his or her family. The family is the unit of care. In addition, in order to adequately treat the different types of suffering, comprehensive care is necessary, with the contribution of the most highly trained professionals in each area. Doctors, nurses, nursing assistants, psychologists, chaplains, social workers, physiotherapists, etc., must contribute the best of their knowledge and work as a team to control the patient's suffering.

Xavier Sobrevia is a medical doctor and delegate of the Health Pastoral of the Bishopric of Sant Feliu de Llobregat.

Christian Villavicencio-Chávez is a geriatrician. Master in palliative care. Associate Professor of Bioethics and Palliative Medicine. International University of Catalonia.

Euthanasia

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A historical coincidence

June 17, 2016-Reading time: < 1 minute

Eight hundred years ago St. Francis of Assisi requested an indulgence for those who went to the Portiuncula: a clear precedent for what Pope Francis desires in the Jubilee of Mercy.

Just on August 2, 2016, in the middle of the Holy Year of Mercy, it will be the 800th anniversary of the Porziuncola, the place for which St. Francis of Assisi asked Pope Honorius III, at that time in Perugia, to grant a plenary indulgence for all those who would frequent this place and go to confession. It would be the first time that an indulgence would have been given outside Rome, Santiago, St. Michael of Gargano and Jerusalem. Above all, forgiveness of everything would have been granted free of charge. As the Diploma Theobald, after some hesitation, the Pope agreed, but immediately a cardinal in his entourage urged him to limit the terms of the indulgence: "Bear in mind, sir, that if you grant this man such indulgence, you would destroy those overseas."

Perhaps if the request of St. Francis of Assisi had been accepted, there would have been no occasion for the reform that Luther had brought about by the abuse of the question of alms and indulgences. Although restricted, St. Francis obtained something and was able to announce it: "My brothers and sisters, I want to take you all to paradise!". Eight hundred years in advance he had obtained what is now normal, that is, to obtain complete remission of guilt simply by repenting, confessing and going to church.

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A great honor for the first Christian nation

Omnes-June 17, 2016-Reading time: 2 minutes

On the occasion of the Pope's visit to Armenia, the Ambassador to Spain writes for PALABRA an analysis of the significance of Francis' trip to his country.

– Avet Adonts

– Supernatural Pope's visit to any country, as in this case to Armenia, is a great honor and a very important event. Despite the fact that the Armenian Apostolic Church is an independent Church, historically very warm relations have been established with the Catholic Church, and in particular with the Holy See, which continue to be preserved and developed.

Even today, these relations continue to develop actively. As fundamental pieces that exemplify mutual respect, it is worth mentioning the placement in 2005 of the statue of St. Gregory the Illuminator (or the Armenian), Apostle of Armenia and founder of the Armenian Church, in one of the external niches of St. Peter's Basilica in the Vatican, being the first time that the statue of a saint of Eastern rite was placed among the founding saints that surround the exterior of St. Peter's Basilica; and the official recognition of the Armenian cleric and philosopher St. Gregory of Narek as a Doctor of the Church by Pope Francis at the Mass officiated for the Centenary of the Armenian Genocide.

Literally two or three days ago the motto of Pope Francis' visit to Armenia was communicated, which reads. Visit to the first Christian country. In this way, Pope Francis picks up the baton from Pope John Paul II, who visited Armenia in 2001 as part of the events commemorating the 1700th anniversary of the adoption of Christianity in Armenia. As His Holiness Pope Francis indicated in his Message to Armeniansat the Mass celebrated on April 12, 2015, Armenia was "the first among the nations that throughout the centuries embraced the Gospel of Christ"..

In 301 Armenia, adopting Christianity as the official state religion, became the first Christian country in the world. For centuries, being surrounded by non-Christian countries and empires, the Armenian people underwent many hardships, multiple wars, but remained steadfast in their decision. They never questioned their Christian faith. The Pope's visit to Armenia is a tribute to the Armenian people and their millennial history, as well as a call for peace for the region and the world.

This visit is also prioritized by the Vatican. That is evident from the program of the visit. The Pope will spend three days in Armenia: from June 24 to 26. In addition to the capital Yerevan and the Holy See of Armenia, Echmiatsin, he will also visit Gyumri, the second largest city of the Republic, as well as pilgrimage sites of great religious significance on the territory of Armenia. His Holiness the Pope will be received by the highest political and religious authorities of Armenia.

Avet Adonts is Ambassador Extraordinary and Lenipotentiary of the Republic of Armenia to the Kingdom of Spain.

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Pope does not forget Armenians

Omnes-June 17, 2016-Reading time: 2 minutes

From June 24-26 Pope Francis will tour Armenia on an apostolic journey that is expected to be a new milestone in ecumenical relations. The trip will conclude with the signing of a joint declaration with the Catholicos of the Armenian Apostolic Church.

– Miguel Pérez Pichel

Pope Francis' arrival in Armenia on June 24 is part of his visit to the country. call to evangelize both in the geographical and existential peripheries. It is also part of the need to promote ecumenical dialogue and strengthen ties between the Catholic Church and the Armenian Apostolic Church. In this sense, Pope Francis proclaimed the Armenian religious saint Gregory Narek as Doctor of the Church on April 12, 2015 during the Mass celebrated in St. Peter's on the occasion of the centenary of the Armenian genocide.

Armenia is a country of 3,060,631 inhabitants and an extension of 29,800 square kilometers, bordering Turkey, Georgia, Azerbaijan and Iran. The Armenian population is mainly orthodox. The 94,7 % of the population belongs to the Armenian Apostolic Church (of orthodox tradition). 4 % are Catholic or Protestant, 1.3 % are Yazidis and there is also a small Muslim community.

The Armenian Apostolic Church has its origin in the evangelization by the apostles Bartholomew and Thaddeus. Armenia adopted Christianity as its official religion in 301 during the reign of Tiridates III thanks to the work of St. Gregory the Illuminator. It is therefore the first country in the world to proclaim itself Christian. In 428 the Sassanid Persian Empire conquered the kingdom, although the Armenians managed to guarantee their religious freedom and a certain autonomy. In 506 the Armenian Christians accepted monophysitism. In the 7th century the Islamic caliphate, which arose on the Arabian Peninsula, absorbed Armenia. The country managed to establish a wide autonomy from Arab power after a revolt in 780. It regained its independence in 885. From that date on, the Armenians had to deal with the expansionist pretensions of Byzantines and Arabs, as well as with the invasions of Turks, Mongols and other Asian peoples. This situation left the Armenian kingdom exhausted before the rising Ottoman power at the end of the Middle Ages.

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Seville hosts the Expovida exhibition

Omnes-June 17, 2016-Reading time: < 1 minute

During these days, an exhibition can be visited in the capital of Seville that dismantles, with images, the main arguments of those who justify abortion.

– Rafael Ruiz Morales

On May 13, the feast of the Virgin of Fatima, the Valentín de Madariaga Foundation, in Seville, hosted the inauguration of the Expovidaan itinerant exhibition promoted and supported by the organization Right to Live which will remain open to the public until June 13.

Before a good number of participants, Dr. Gador Joya kicked off with a reflection on the current situation of the right to life in Spain, subtly framed in the current pre-electoral period.

The exhibition has been arranged in the privileged setting of the main courtyard of what was the U.S. pavilion during the 1929 World's Fair, around which the elements that make up the exhibition are located.

The eight life-size reproductions of the different stages of evolution of the fetus in the mother's womb are striking, making visible and tangible a reality that, beyond opinions and going beyond any ideological positioning, has an entity of its own. Together with these, an interesting discourse, mainly graphic, opens with the compilation of scientific data related to the gestation of the human being, after which, under the epigraph "The other holocaust", reveals the stark techniques employed in the elimination of human life through the practice of abortion.

It continues to show the silenced physical and psychopathological consequences suffered by women subjected to this intervention.

The exhibition sends a resounding message: the woman, the mother, must be a death penalty-free zone.

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One third of the world's monasteries are in Spain

Omnes-June 17, 2016-Reading time: 2 minutes

On May 22, the annual Day of Prayer for Vocations to the Contemplative Consecrated Life was celebrated. In Spain there are 9,153 nuns and monks.

– Enrique Carlier

On Sunday, May 22, the Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity, the celebration of the Pro orantibus DayThis is the day on which the whole Church prays to the Lord for vocations to the contemplative consecrated life.

In tune with the Holy Year convoked by Pope Francis, this year's motto was. "Behold the Face of mercy", and its objectives: to pray for consecrated men and women in the contemplative life, as an expression of recognition, esteem and gratitude for what they represent; to make known this specific vocation, so current and necessary for the Church; and to promote initiatives to encourage the life of prayer and the contemplative dimension in the particular Churches through the participation of the faithful in some monastery celebration.

819 monasteries
On the occasion of the Pro orantibus Daythe Secretariat of the Episcopal Commission for Consecrated Life has published a set of certainly revealing data on the numerous representation of the contemplative life in Spain, to the point that our country counts with "one third of the total number of monasteries worldwide".

The Secretariat also points out that "the most numerous presence is female contemplative life, with a total of 784 female monasteries and 8,672 nuns." (these data refer to December 2015). The Poor Clares and the Discalced Carmelites are the congregations with the highest number of contemplative nuns in Spain and in the whole Church.

We refer here to autonomous monasteries, with a direct link to the bishop of the diocese in which they are located.

The men's monasteries are governed by regulations similar to those of religious life, which is also reflected in the specific apostolic mission they carry out.

As of December 2015, Spain had 35 male monasteries and a total of 481 monks. The monasteries with the most monks are the Benedictine and Cistercian monasteries.

In this Pro orantibus Day We also pray for hermits and hermitesses, who live their contemplative spirituality in an even more solitary way. There are some who live this hermit life hidden from the eyes of men, residing in remote places in various Spanish dioceses.

By diocese
Toledo is the diocese with the most female monasteries with 39, followed closely by Seville, 37; Madrid, 32; Valladolid, 27; Burgos, 26; Valencia, 25; Pamplona and Tudela, Granada and Cordoba, with 22; and Malaga 19.

For its part, Burgos is the diocese with the most male monasteries: 4, followed by Madrid with 3 and the Canary Islands, Orihuela-Alicante and Pamplona and Tudela with 2.

On the occasion of the day, Archbishop Vicente Jiménez Zamora, Archbishop of Zaragoza and president of the Episcopal Commission for the Consecrated Life, pointed out that "Within the Church, the consecrated life and, in a special way, the consecrated contemplative life, is called to be a living transparency of the merciful Face of Christ".

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Religion subject: the number of students in high school doubled

Omnes-June 16, 2016-Reading time: < 1 minute

From the last report of the Episcopal Conference on the option of the student body for Catholic religious education, the notable increase in the number of high school students is positively surprising.

– Javier Hernández Varas y Diego Pacheco

With the prospect of the elaboration of an educational pact to be implemented after the general elections, here are some considerations regarding the teaching of religion that should be kept in mind when drafting such an important document of such transcendence for the future of our students.

In a first argument of a statistical nature, it should be taken into account that, in spite of the current situation that originates objective difficulties that have repercussions on the deterioration of the religion class, 63 % of the students continue to want to receive Catholic religious instruction. In the 2015-16 academic year, out of a total of 5,811,643 students enrolled in it, 3,666,816 students have enrolled in it.

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Rethinking faith in the digital age

June 16, 2016-Reading time: < 1 minute

In the digital era in which we live, we cannot deny the risks we run, but neither can we fail to see the great opportunities that lie ahead.

An irreversible theme: social networks. Politicians, televisions, radios, companies, businesses, etc., everyone has taken them on in such a way that these realities are no longer conceivable without them. They are also a challenge and an opportunity for Catholic entities.

A challenge because they influence (for better and for worse) our lives. An opportunity because in relation to evangelization they offer us previously unthinkable advantages.

The authorOmnes

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The economic impact of the Church's cultural activity: 32 billion euros

Omnes-June 16, 2016-Reading time: < 1 minute

The Church's mission is undoubtedly of a spiritual nature, but its activity has a beneficial impact on the economy. This is demonstrated by the latest studies published by the EEC.

– Enrique Carlier

In recent weeks and within the context of the income tax declaration campaign, the Spanish Episcopal Conference (CEE) is carrying out a praiseworthy work of transparency by providing the public with abundant information not only on the activities of the Church and how it uses the 250 million euros it receives each year from taxpayers, but also on the economic impact of all its cultural, charitable, liturgical and educational activities.

Certainly, it can be said that Spanish society has hit the jackpot with the Church, with its rich cultural heritage and with all the activities, initiatives and efforts of individuals and ecclesial institutions that later revert -either directly or indirectly- to the benefit of all. No one with a little objectivity doubts this reality. The difficult thing is to quantify it. And that is what the EEC, particularly its Vice-Secretariat for Economic Affairs, is now working on.

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Pentecost in art

Omnes-June 16, 2016-Reading time: 1 minute

On May 20, 1985, John Paul II gave a homily at a Mass with artists in Brussels: "The Church has long since made a covenant with you [...] Do not interrupt this extraordinarily fruitful contact! Do not close your spirit to the breath of the divine Spirit!". This dialogue between art and the Church was undoubtedly an important concern of John Paul II. In Brussels, he addressed the problem of the artistic representation of God.

The representation of the divine mystery is a basic problem of Christian art. It also concerns the way to represent the Holy Spirit. Artists have to decide in which symbolic language the reality behind the visible things can be most adequately expressed. Nor is the representation of the Holy Spirit obvious in the history of art.

The first iconographic representations of Pentecost emerged in the 5th century as a consequence of the dogmatic decisions of the Councils of Nicaea (325) and Constantinople (381). In any case, the most important formula for the Holy Spirit in the images of late antiquity was the dove (Mt 3:16), in accordance with the great importance of the biblical witness in the faith of the early Church. Also in contemporary art, the most frequent image of the Holy Spirit is the dove.

In the third and fourth centuries, ecclesiastical writers had allegorically referred the dove to Christ or to the human soul, and it had the same meaning in the reliefs and paintings of the sepulchral art of that time. But since the biblical truth of the triune God was elevated to dogma of the Church, (381), in the images the dove was reserved for the Person of the Holy Spirit. In the images, the rays that surround it or depart from it indicate its condition of divine gift.

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Initiatives

Hope in Austria for Middle Eastern Christians

Omnes-June 16, 2016-Reading time: < 1 minute

Austria has 8.7 million inhabitants, and last year it took in 90,000 refugees: with the exception of Sweden, no other country in the European Union has taken in so many. AMAL is one of the Christian-inspired associations where people who want to help and support refugees collaborate.

AMAL is an Arabic word meaning hope. The association mainly accompanies families of Christian migrants, mostly from Syria and Iraq, who have already been granted asylum by the state and will remain in the country.

Imad, his wife Ghadir and their three children, ranging in age from 4 to 8 years old, are very grateful for AMAL's work. They are a Catholic family from Damascus, where Imad had a good job as a company manager. But the war came, and the persecution of Christians. The family fled to Austria on an eventful journey. "When we arrived in Austria, we explained to everyone that we were Christians. They were very surprised: here they did not know that there were Christians in Syria. We had to explain to them first that yes, indeed, there are Christians in Syria!"says Imad.

Austria

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Latin America

Populisms in America, more pain than glory

Omnes-June 16, 2016-Reading time: < 1 minute

The Bolivarian left is in retreat in Latin America, drowned by its own excesses: mismanagement of the State, corruption, abuse of power, personalism and the economic crisis.

– Juan Ignacio Brito

The political star of the Latin American populist left is fading. A decade ago it shone brightly; today it has been driven from power, its hours are numbered or it is under severe threat in the countries where until recently it dominated without counterweights. The deterioration of the economic situation, the weariness of the population with a polarizing discourse, the rampant corruption and the exhaustion of personalisms have finally put in check a political tendency that promised to free Latin America from its chains and has ended up generating hatred and more poverty. It is not strange that the Bolivarian left has criticized the decision of the Brazilian Senate to open an impeachment trial and suspend President Dilma Rousseff for 180 days, denouncing it as a "coup d'état". This is a common accusation in the political vocabulary of progressive populism. Without going any further, Nicolás Maduro, the Venezuelan president, resorted to it to justify his decision to decree a state of economic emergency and call for a "coup d'état". "recover the productive apparatus, which is being paralyzed by the bourgeoisie."through takeovers of companies. The objective, according to Maduro, is "defeat the coup d'état".

Juan Ignacio Brito is Dean of the School of Communication, Universidad de los Andes, Santiago, Chile.

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Latin America

Go to the periphery of the Canadian Great North

Canada: ten million square kilometers, second largest country in the world, thirty-six million inhabitants, 40 % Catholics... Ten provinces in the south and three national territories in the east, and three national territories in the south. Grand NordThe periphery: a periphery with some of the largest and most depopulated dioceses in the world. Their bishops speak to us.

Fernando Mignone-June 16, 2016-Reading time: 5 minutes

In Canada there are 62 dioceses of the Latin rite and ten of the Eastern rite. On January 25, Pope Francis transferred six dioceses in the Canadian North to ordinary canonical legislation. That is, they will no longer receive financial support from Rome as missions. But since they obviously need it (only two of the 32 communities in the Northwest Territories are self-sufficient), the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops (CCCB) is studying solutions. On January 25, the president of the CCCB, Bishop Douglas Crosby, OMI, of Hamilton (Ontario), reminded us that the Pilgrim Church is missionary by nature. "As Catholics, we have entered a new phase in our history. Now, all together, we must continue our common effort to find new ways to sustain and extend our presence and service in Northern Canada.".

Yukon Territory

Bishop Hector Vila was born in Lima in 1962. On February 7 of this year he took possession of the 725,000 square kilometers of the Diocese of Whitehorse, where 42,000 people live, of which 8,000 are Catholics. "Distances are a challenge. The farthest mission is a thousand kilometers away. In winter, with 40 or 50 degrees below zero, there are areas that are absolutely incommunicado.". On one occasion, the previous bishop had traveled to a very distant location on a Holy Thursday. The problem was that it coincided with a field hockey final, so that only one person went to the Mass in Cena Domini. "Going to church on Sundays is relative here: the priest may arrive after a long trip, but maybe there is a bingo game that is a priority for people, rather than Mass."

"Another challenge is that there are five priests and me for 23 parishes and missions. It's difficult to cover them, except in Whitehorse, where I reside. Depending on the proximity to Whitehorse, you go to those places once or twice a month. This fact opens a distance between the Church and the people. Sometimes we send priests who come from outside and stay for a year or two but then go back to their dioceses. It is not possible to form community".he laments. The need for shepherds is great. "In the summer season, in some places like Dawson City, there is more attendance. Tourists go to look at nature and the number of worshippers increases. But when the people leave the city, go fishing or hunting deep in the woods..., Mass attendance decreases a lot.". Therefore, "There is a lack of pastoral presence and each community has its own difficulties. In some places there are suicides, cases of drugs, alcohol...".

However, "In the Teslin community it's different. They have the elders [elders, leaders] who always come to Mass. This community relies on the work of Sister Trudy, from the Canadian public association of the faithful. Madonna Housewho has been in the diocese for 62 years. years. For 20 or 30 years Trudy has been visiting the community, the elderly, in any need. This pastoral presence has meant that when I visited them, I found a well-formed community.".

Northwest Territories

Mark Hagemoen, whose Diocese of Mackenzie-Fort Smith covers 1,500,000 square kilometers, tells how on Sunday, May 1, he arrived in a village where he baptized ten faithful and confirmed 65 others. He had been in another village shortly before, whose chapel the villagers had repaired after it had been destroyed in a flood. Bishop Hagemoen was able to give 17 first communions. There had not been any there for 20 years. "It was a great way to reopen that chapel, which was overflowing. Our people love to celebrate the sacraments and funerals. I have 8 priests, 5 religious sisters, and a young man, of Vietnamese origin, who will be starting his first year at Christ the King Seminary near Vancouver in September.". This pastoral work benefits a population of 50,000 people, half of whom are Catholics. Half a dozen indigenous languages and dialects are spoken (some of them endangered), in addition to English and French.

Bishop Hagemoen was born in Vancouver in 1961 and was ordained a priest on May 12, 1990. He was rector of a small Catholic university and a passionate mountaineer when he was appointed bishop in October 2013. "Laudato si' speaks in a special way to this town".he says, "as many of his faithful are hunters and fishermen; but the caribou are disappearing due to climate change, and mining must yield to the Creator's demands, according to several elders".

A few days ago I connected by cell phone with Bishop Hagemoen while he was on tour in the Western Arctic. "I frequently visit our 32 communities, only 5 of which are parishes. When I arrived, less than three years ago, 7 had no cell phone towers; today they all have..."This is a blessing, since it means better communication, and at the same time it is a misfortune, because it favors cultural homogenization, materialism and hedonism. "We have, in the city of Yellowknife two Catholic elementary schools and a Catholic high school, subsidized by the state.". They are the only ones in the diocese. Yellowknife is the capital of the territory, and was visited by St. John Paul II. That Pope tried to meet with indigenous people in Fort Simpson, (population 1,300) on his tour of Canada in September 1984, but fog prevented him from landing. He diverted to Yellowknife, from where he promised by radio to those waiting for him that he would return. He did so on September 19 and 20, 1987.

Nunavut Territory

The Diocese of Churchill-Hudson Bay, with an area of almost 2,000,000 square kilometers, encompasses the northern part of the province of Manitoba and a large part of the Nunavut Territory, whose ice cap reaches the North Pole. There are 35,000 people living in Nunavut; 85 % are inuits (Eskimo). There are about 10,000 Catholics in the diocese. They speak Inuktikut, a language in which many religious magazines are published.

Bishop Anthony (Tony) Krotki, a Missionary Oblate of Mary Immaculate, was born in 1964 and ordained in 1990 in Poland. He then went to Nunavut, where he was ordained bishop three years ago. It was not easy to reach him by telephone because a snowstorm prevented him from traveling to his destination after administering confirmations in Whale Cove. He is in charge of 17 parishes, 8 priests (4 are Polish Oblates) plus Bishop Emeritus Reynald Rouleau OMI, two religious sisters (in Whale Cove) and a seminarian of Polish origin who will be ordained a diocesan priest in 2017. He will then have two priests incardinated in the diocese. He speaks passionately of going to the periphery. "If they accept you, they themselves take you to the peripheries. It may be a situation at home, such as the loss of a loved one, when the family is so bad that they need your presence to be and walk with them.".

This town has great difficulties. "Our people were nomadic, they traveled. Today, in the villages we have, they can no longer travel because they have a house that is built. It's hard for the youth to cope with their situation; what do you do; you don't have a job, you don't have much of a job possibility. You will have to go somewhere else to study, but when you finish and you have a diploma, where do you work if your community has 300 or 600 people? There are no jobs for anybody. And then there is frustration. So life is very difficult. They're always looking.".

Bishop Krotki asks the missionaries to "We want them to be present in every moment of the families' lives. Families are the most important thing for us. We see that everything starts in the family. The families here are very large, and they are connected to distant communities, a thousand or two thousand kilometers away. They have to be strong to stay connected to relatives they can't visit.".

That is why the Church must adapt to this particularity. "We missionaries have to embrace their way of life, their customs, their history, and that's not easy when we have another culture. We have to create a space for the new that we see in the Arctic. And our people who live here realize who can embrace their culture, customs, traditions, way of living and surviving. Can all missionaries do that? I have met some who could not. We encounter the periphery on a daily basis. And especially when young people have a hard time, to survive, to live, when their life hangs by a thin thread." (referring to the fact that there are many suicides, especially among young people).

"In my experience, it is the people who tell me where I have to go, where the peripheries are, what I have to do. Sólo necI need to listen. I think that today's missionaries must be attentive. Otherwise, we will not be able to do all the good that is asked of us"..

The authorFernando Mignone

Montreal

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"Pope Francis is the man of the Church for this moment."

Omnes-June 13, 2016-Reading time: 3 minutes

We recalled some important moments in the recent history of the Church with Bishop Szymanski, who at 94 years of age has been a first-hand witness to some milestones, such as the Second Vatican Council in which he participated.

– Lourdes Angélica Ramírez, San Luis Potosi

On October 8, 1965, Pope Paul VI closed the Vatican Council IIThe meeting was attended by 2,540 bishops from all over the world. Arturo Antonio Szymanski Ramirez, 94, Archbishop Emeritus of San Luis Potosi (Mexico). He is a cultured and simple man, whose intelligent narrative is interspersed with a jovial humor that is contagious. With sympathy he reviews personal memories of those years.

You were a Council Father and met Benedict XVI and John Paul II. What can you tell us about them?
-Benedict XVI is a wise man who tried to put doctrines in order. He was a Pope who did a lot for the Church. I was amazed. He is German and had been a teacher. I met him at the Second Vatican Council. In the first session of the Council, Ratzinger was an advisor to Cardinal Josef Frings, Archbishop of Cologne. But already in the second session he was appointed the Council's theologian because they saw that he had a lot of capacity. In the Council, Cardinal Alfredo Ottaviani, who was of the Roman current, and Cardinal Frings, who was of the renovating current of the Church, were fighting. It was very interesting, because they were both half-blind, and at the Council one could see how they would fight each other in the Council hall and after the discussion, the two of them would go half-blind, holding hands, to the cafeteria where we all used to go next to St. Peter's Basilica.

At the Council I went to learn what the episcopate of the whole world thought. I was with Africans, with Chinese... The talks during meals were very enriching.

Cardinal Wyszynski, who was the primate of the Polish bishops, invited everyone with a Polish surname to lunch and he invited me, because of my surname, but I was not Polish [laughs]. And I went to the lunch, in a street near the courthouse, near the Vatican. I arrived and when it was time to go to the table, Wyszynski, who was like a prince for the Poles, sat at the head and he sat me on his right and on the other side a young bishop called "Lolek". And we were eating, talking..., in short, we became very good friends and when we finished eating the Cardinal asked me if I had brought a car. I told him: "I came in a cab." He then told "Lolek", "Take it away.". "Lolek" was Karol Wojtyła, of course. So he gave me a ride in a little Fiat and we became friends. And we tried and looked for each other and everything. He was about my age, a little older than me. I liked him because he was very approachable. Then we wrote to each other and suddenly, when the conclave to elect the successor of John Paul I, one day Cardinal Corripio, who was not a cardinal then, spoke to me and told me: "I was very friendly: "Hey, didn't you hear on the radio that Papa came out with a very strange last name, 'Woj-something'. I think he must be an African.". And I turned on the radio and heard that my friend had been elected Pope. I sent him some letters telling him that I was glad that the Pope was my friend. And when he went to Rome I wrote to him telling him that I was going and he always invited me to concelebrate, or to lunch or breakfast. Whenever I went he always invited me. The Pope was my friend, and he was my driver.

Several months have passed since Pope Francis' apostolic trip to Mexico. What is your assessment?
-The Pope is the man of the Church for this moment, and the visit is, we all realized, the visit of a Shepherd. He came as a Shepherd, he did not care if they were sheep or goats or God knows what. He spoke to everyone as members of the human family and came to do what he has often said: to live the liturgy of encounter. In order to live the liturgy of encounter, each one of us must know our personality, our temperament. With the temperament that God has given us, we should be people of good character, so we should not be quarrelsome. Knowing each one's character, we must realize that we are not equal, that we are diverse. Therefore, we must live diversity, and in diversity we must deal with those who believe and those who do not believe. With everyone. We are diverse. What do we have to do? Seek the common good, and that is the theology of encounter that the Pope came to realize now that he was in Mexico.

Pope Francis

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Debate

Ask with heart

The liturgy proposes three feasts with a "synthetic" character: the Most Holy Trinity, Corpus Christi and the Sacred Heart of Jesus.

Juan José Silvestre-June 1, 2016-Reading time: 6 minutes

After the main season of the liturgical year, which, centered on Easter, lasts for three months - first the forty days of the Lent and then the fifty days of the Easter Season - the liturgy proposes three feasts that have a "synthetic" character: the Most Holy Trinity, the Corpus Christi and finally, the Sacred Heart of Jesus. This last solemnity makes us consider the Heart of Jesus and, with it, his whole person because the heart is the summary and the source, the expression and the ultimate background of thoughts, words and actions: "God is love." (1 Jn 4:8). When, with the communion antiphon of this solemnity, we place our gaze on the pierced side of Christ, of which St. John speaks (cf. 19:37), we understand the Evangelist's very strong affirmation in his first letter: "God is love.". "It is there, on the cross, that this truth can be contemplated. And it is from there that we must now define what love is. And, from that gaze, the Christian finds the orientation of his life and his love." (Deus caritas est, 12).

Sacred Heart

The Feast of the Sacred Heart makes it easier for us to open our hearts, helps us to see with our hearts. It is good to remember that the Fathers of the Church considered that the greatest sin of the pagan world was its insensitivity, its hardness of heart, and they often quoted the prophecy of the prophet Ezekiel: "I will take away your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh." (cf. Ez36:26). To convert to Christ, to become a Christian, meant to receive a heart of flesh, a heart sensitive to the passion and suffering of others. It is also Pope Francis who, in our own day, forcefully reminds us that a globalization of indifference is spreading more and more: "In this world of globalization we have fallen into the globalization of indifference. We have become accustomed to the suffering of others, it has nothing to do with us, it doesn't matter to us, it doesn't concern us!" and that is why he asked with intensity: "God of mercy and Father of all, awaken us from the slumber of indifference, opens our eyes to their suffering and deliver us from insensitivity, the fruit of worldly well-being and from closing in on ourselves". (Francis, Prayer in memory of the victims of migration, Lesbos, 16-IV-2016).

We must be imbued with the reality that our God is not a distant God untouchable in his bliss. Our God has a heart; indeed, he has a heart of flesh. He became flesh precisely so that he could suffer with us and be with us in our sufferings. He became man to give us a heart of flesh and to awaken in us a love for those who suffer, for those in need. As St. Josemaría graphically said: "Notice that God does not declare to us: instead of the heart, I will give you a will of pure spirit. No: he gives us a heart, and a heart of flesh, like that of Christ. I do not count on one heart to love God, and on another to love the people of the earth. With the same heart with which I have loved my parents and I love my friends, with that same heart I love Christ, and the Father, and the Holy Spirit and Holy Mary. I will never tire of repeating it: we have to be very human; otherwise, we cannot be divine either." (It is Christ who passes, 166).

Tears of Jesus

An admirable manifestation of this heart of flesh of Christ is that our God knows how to weep. This is one of the most moving pages of the Gospel: when Jesus saw Mary weeping over the death of her brother Lazarus, even he could not hold back his tears. He experienced a deep shock and burst into tears (cf. Jn 11:33-35). "The evangelist John, with this description, shows how Jesus unites himself to the sorrow of his friends by sharing their grief. The tears of Jesus have puzzled many theologians over the centuries, but above all they have washed many souls, they have soothed many wounds" (Francis, Vigil of Tears, 5-V-2016). In the face of bewilderment, disconsolation, tears, from the co- reason of Christ flows prayer to the Father. "Prayer is the true medicine for our suffering" (idem).

Ask for forgiveness of sins

In the Holy Mass there are many moments in which we encounter the prayer to the Father in the face of suffering and pain for sins committed, the true source of all evil. One of them is the prayer that the priest addresses to God at the conclusion of the penitential act of the Mass: "May almighty God have mercy on us, forgive us our sins and bring us to eternal life". This formula is already found in the 13th century manuscript of the Archive of Santa Maria Maggiore, and we also find it, in a similar way, in the 10th century Roman-Germanic Pontifical, among the prayers that, in the ordinances of public or private penance, accompanied the penitent's confession.

These words of supplication to God addressed by the priest, in which he asks in a general way for the forgiveness of sins ("dimissis peccatis nostris"), manifest his role as mediator, which corresponds to him insofar as he sacramentally represents Christ, who always intercedes for us before the Father.

In considering that role of mediator, of intercessor of the priest, we can consider some words of Pope Francis in which he reminds priests of the need for the gift of tears. "In what way does the priest accompany and make grow on the path of holiness? Through pastoral suffering, which is a form of mercy. What does pastoral suffering mean? It means to suffer for and with people. And this is not easy. To suffer as a father and a mother suffer for their children; I would even say, with anxiety....

To explain myself, I ask you some questions that help me when a priest comes to me. They also help me when I am alone before the Lord. Tell me: do you cry, or have we lost our tears? I remember that in the old Missals, those of another era, there is a beautiful prayer to ask for the gift of tears. The prayer began like this: 'Lord, you who gave Moses the command to strike the stone so that water would flow, strike the stone of my heart so that tears would flow...': that was more or less the prayer. It was very beautiful. But how many of us cry before the suffering of a child, before the destruction of a family, before so many people who cannot find their way... The cry of the priest... Do you cry? Or have we lost our tears in this presbytery? Do you cry for your people? Tell me, do you pray the prayer of intercession before the tabernacle? Do you wrestle with the Lord for your people, as Abraham wrestled: 'What if there were fewer? What if there were 25? What if there were 20?...' (cf. Gen 18:22-33). That courageous prayer of intercession... We speak of parresia, of apostolic courage, and we think of pastoral projects, this is fine, but parresia itself is also necessary in prayer. Do you struggle with the Lord? Do you argue with the Lord as Moses did? When the Lord was fed up, tired of his people and said to him: 'You be still... I will destroy them all, and I will make you the leader of another people. No, no! If you destroy the people, you destroy me too'. They had the pants! And I ask a question: Do we have the pants to fight with God for our people?" (Francis, Address to the clergy of the diocese of Rome, 6.III.2014) How much good it would do us to pray this short prayer with the spirit of intercession of which the Holy Father speaks to us, with a true heart of flesh!

Our sins

Returning to the prayer, with its verb in the subjunctive, it expresses a wish or promise, so that the formula is presented as a supplication addressed to God. In this context, the Missal expressly recalls that this absolution lacks the efficacy proper to the sacrament of Penance (cf. Roman Missal, GIRM, n. 51). A final detail of this formula of absolution is the use of the first person plural ("we... our sins... take us") which shows that the priest, who had joined the assembly in the general confession, now also feels in need of the propitiatory value of the Eucharist and seeks to dispose himself to the fruitful participation of the Holy Mass through a suitable spirit of penance. The priest intercedes before the Father, but he is also a member of the People of God. Like any member of the faithful who participates in the celebration, the celebrant recognizes himself as a sinner, needing to dispose himself fruitfully to the celebration, confessing that he is a sinner and invoking the purification that comes from God. As St. Augustine recalled: "I, brethren, because God has willed it, am certainly his priest, but I am a sinner, and with you I beat my breast and with you I ask forgiveness" (St. Augustine, Sermon 135, 7). Thus, the whole Church "is at once holy and always in need of purification, and constantly seeks conversion and renewal" (Lumen gentium, n. 8).

This brief prayer reminds us that I ask God for forgiveness, for only He can grant it to me, and at the same time, I ask forgiveness with the whole Church and for the whole Church. In this way to celebrate is really to celebrate "with" the Church: the heart is enlarged and one does not do something, but is with the Church in conversation with God.

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Charlemagne Prize, the dream of a new European humanism

Giovanni Tridente-June 1, 2016-Reading time: < 1 minute

In the presence of political leaders, kings, ambassadors and international representatives, Pope Francis received the 2016 International Charlemagne Prize at the Vatican.

– Giovanni Tridente

"A new European humanism". With this dream, expressed "with mind and heart, with hope and without vain nostalgia, like a son who finds in mother Europe his roots of life and faith."Pope Francis concluded his impassioned speech on the occasion of the presentation of the Charlemagne Prize, which he received on May 6 in the Sala Regia of the Vatican City.

In the presence of political leaders, kings, ambassadors, and international representatives, the Pope has evoked the memory of of the founding fathers of Europe, recalling how they themselves knew how to "to seek alternative and innovative ways in a context marked by the wounds of war"..

To make this dream of a new humanism effective, it is necessary to rediscover, according to the Pope, three capacities. The first is to know how to "integrate"because "rather than bringing greatness, wealth and beauty, exclusion causes baseness, poverty and ugliness."not in vain "the European identity is, and always has been, a dynamic and multicultural identity"..

It is also necessary to know how to re-find the "capacity for dialogue".recognizing "the other as a valid interlocutor". and looking "the foreigner, the migrant, the one who belongs to another culture as a subject worthy of being listened to, considered and appreciated.". Finally, it is necessary to return to "generate"perhaps by resorting to "new economic models that are more inclusive and equitable, oriented not for a few, but for the benefit of the people and society".

Other awardees:

2016Francisco
2009: Andrea Riccardi
2008Angela Merkel
2004John Paul II
1999Tony Blair
1988Helmut Kohl

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The Patriarch and the Pope: an ecumenism of solidarity

May 13, 2016-Reading time: 2 minutes

The recent visit of Pope Francis and Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew to the island of Lesbos has highlighted how open ecumenical relations contribute to the advancement of human rights. Here is an assessment from the Patriarchate of Constantinople.

– John Chryssavgis

The significance of the joint visit to Lesbos on Saturday, April 16, by the highest representatives of the Christian Churches of the East and West cannot be downplayed. And its impact on the refugee crisis should not be diminished, despite its spiritual and symbolic dimension, as well as its apolitical nature and refreshing spontaneity.

This was the fifth time the two leaders have met, and the second time they have made a joint pilgrimage since the election of Pope Francis in 2013. On each of these occasions both have expressed solidarity with people suffering from war, persecution, poverty and hunger, as well as from the ecological repercussions of social injustice. Francis and Patriarch Bartholomew have emphasized on several occasions, and from the very beginning of their relationship, that they understand well the role of the Church in the world. They know what matters, or at least what should matter to the Church; and they understand that the Church's responsibility and ministry must be present in the world.

Many of the encounters of these two extraordinary men have been spontaneous. For example, when the Patriarch attended the inaugural Mass of the Pope's pontificate in March 2013, it was the first time in history that such a thing had happened: not since the 20th century or since the Council of Florence in the 15th century, not since the schism (or split) between the Roman Church and the Orthodox Churches; it had never happened before.

Just a year later, when Francis invited Presidents Peres and Abbas to the Vatican in June 2014, he spontaneously asked Bartholomew to extend the invitation with him to these two political leaders. It was also a way of reminding them that the religious must transcend the political and that violence cannot be sustained in the name of religion.

John Chryssavgis Archdeacon of the Ecumenical Patriarchate; theological advisor to the Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople Bartholomew.

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Emergency ecumenism

May 13, 2016-Reading time: < 1 minute

The remarkable novelty of Pope Francis' visit to the refugees on the Greek island of Lesbos is not only in his message of mercy. It is also a truly ecumenical journey.

In its very quick trip to Lesbos -he was on the island for only five hours-, Pope Francis has given us an important testimony on the humanitarian emergency of refugees. The then Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger wrote several times that in Europe we are moving back towards a form of "neo-paganism", and explained that one of the characteristics of ancient paganism was "insensitivity". It was Christianity that taught us to pity and to consider the suffering other as our "neighbor". Now, in our old Continent, less and less Christian, we see and read reactions from so-called Christian leaders, and also from other people, characterized by this "insensitivity".

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Lesbos: A visit among the "last" to raise awareness among the powerful

Giovanni Tridente-May 13, 2016-Reading time: 2 minutes

Francis thus explained the purpose of the trip to the Greek island: to draw the world's attention to this serious humanitarian crisis.

– Giovanni Tridente, Rome

It is a very tired Pope who speaks to journalists on the return flight from Lesbos, the Greek island that has become a gateway to Europe for so many migrants and refugees fleeing famine and wars in the countries on the opposite shores of the Mediterranean. There, in the refugee camp of Moria, where several hundred are housed, Francis - together with His Holiness Bartholomew, Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople, and His Beatitude Ieronymos, Archbishop of Athens and of all Greece, has shaken handsOne by one, more than two hundred people, mainly children. A day that has been "for me too strong, too strong...". In the background, the Pope had announced on the way out that he would be "a journey marked by sadness": "we are going to meet the greatest humanitarian catastrophe after the Second World War".He had told reporters accompanying him.

The purpose of the trip, which lasted a few hours and was organized in a few days, was communicated by the Pope himself to the refugees: to be with you and to tell you that you are not alone, in addition to "to draw the world's attention to this grave humanitarian crisis." e "implore the solution of the same.": "We hope that the world will pay attention to these tragic and truly desperate situations of need, and respond in a way worthy of our common humanity.". He encourages them not to lose hope: "The greatest gift we can offer each other is love: a merciful look, a request to listen and understand each other, a word of encouragement, a prayer.". A visit among the "last", to sensitize the powerful, in the sign of ecumenism.

After shaking hands, hugging people and kissing children, Pope Francis, Patriarch Bartholomew and Archbishop Ieronymos signed a joint statement, calling for the attention of public opinion for this "colossal humanitarian crisis caused by the spread of violence and armed conflict, by the persecution and displacement of religious and ethnic minorities, as well as by the dispossession of families from their homes, violating their human dignity, freedoms and fundamental human rights.". If, on the one hand, it is necessary to restore to these people the levels of security and the return to their homes and communities, it is necessary to continue to make all necessary efforts to "to assist and protect refugees of all religious denominations.". In other words, the priorities of the international community must be the protection of human lives and the adoption of inclusive policies for all.

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A monument to mercy in every diocese as a reminder of the Jubilee

Giovanni Tridente-May 13, 2016-Reading time: 2 minutes

A "monument" to mercy in every diocese, as a living reminder of the Jubilee: Pope Francis entrusted this desire to the faithful at the end of the Prayer Vigil with the followers of the spirituality of Divine Mercy, celebrated on April 2 on the sagrato of St. Peter's Basilica.

– Giovanni Tridente, Rome

The idea, to be specified with the bishops, is to build, where possible, structural works where mercy is lived, such as a hospital, a home for the elderly, a family home for abandoned children, a school where necessary, a community for the recovery of drug addicts... as a concrete initiative and sign of the Holy Year.

The Holy Father himself, in his address to the Vigil, spoke of the fact that God never tires of expressing his mercy, "and we should never get used to receiving it, seeking it and desiring it.". A very fruitful circumstance was this year's celebration, since it coincided with the eleventh anniversary of the birth to heaven of St. John Paul II, who as Pope instituted "Divine Mercy Sunday" in fulfillment of a request of St. Faustina Kowalska.

Referring to "so many faces" that God assumes through his mercy, the Pope has spoken of the fact that "it's always something new that provokes awe and wonder.". Mercy, he added, expresses "above all God's closeness to his people."which "manifests itself primarily as help and protection." and therefore as an attitude of "tenderness": "a word almost forgotten and of which today the world - all of us - need".. Certainly, the ease with which it is possible to speak of mercy corresponds to a more committed requirement for "to be witnesses of that mercy in the concrete"..

Among the other faces of mercy, the Holy Father also emphasized compassion and sharing. "as compassion and communication": "Whoever receives it the most, the more he is called to offer it, to communicate it; it cannot be kept hidden or retained only for himself.". On the other hand, "knows how to look into the eyes of each person".which is precious to him because it is unique. This merciful dynamism is also something that "can never leave us alone"but what not to be afraid of.

During the Holy Mass celebrated the following day on the sagrato of St. Peter's Basilica, Francis has invited the faithful to "read and reread" the Gospel, "book of God's mercy."which remains open and in which everyone will have to continue to write "the signs of Christ's disciples, concrete gestures of love, which are the best testimony of mercy".. The Pope has invited us to be cautious in our daily life. "inner struggle between the closed heart and the call of love to open the closed doors and to come out of ourselves.". In this regard, we should look to the example of Christ, who, after having passed through "the closed doors of sin, death and hell, he also wishes to enter into each one to open wide the closed doors of the heart.".

"Many people are asking to be heard and understood."added the Holy Father. For this reason "the Gospel of mercy, to proclaim it and write it in life." you need "people with patient and open hearts", so many "'good Samaritans' who know compassion and silence before the mystery of the brother and sister; he asks for generous and joyful servants who love freely without expecting anything in return.".

Pope Francis

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Man, who are you? The intellectual legacy of St. John Paul II

Omnes-May 13, 2016-Reading time: 3 minutes

Thirty years have passed since Pope St. John Paul II initiated World Youth Days. Karol Wojtyła died in April 2005 and it is possible that, eleven years later, many of the young people who will attend the XXXI WYD in Krakow in July are already unaware of his extraordinary figure. These pages help to get to know his intellectual legacy, centered on the value of the person, of love and of the body.

– Juan Manuel Burgos

The thought of Karol Wojtyła/John Paul II as a philosopher, theologian and poet is both extensive and profound. He offers contributions on a wide variety of issues: from women (Mulieris dignitatem y Letter to women) to his nation, Poland, or the homeland. He understood, for example, that society should be founded on participation and not on alienation, and that the system-prójimo should take precedence over the system-community; he defended at the United Nations his vision of human rights and international relations; and he considered the family to be "communio personarum".

Here, as a matter of space, we will deal only with his most fundamental contributions and those to which he devoted more space in his writings.

From poetry to philosophy
But in order to be able to interpret and value his thought, it is necessary to know first his interesting intellectual history. And that history begins with poetry. In fact, his first text published, under a pseudonym, is the poem On your white grave: "Over your white tomb/ mother, my love extinguished, / a prayer from my filial love: / give her eternal rest."

The young Wojtyła mourns his dead mother while beginning his studies in Polish philology at the Jagiellonian University in Krakow. His literary and artistic vocation was so strong that he continued to write poetry until his death (Roman triptych), but, above all, the call to the priesthood prevailed in the context of a Poland occupied by Nazi troops. It was thus that he came into contact with philosophy and, more specifically, with Thomism. "At the beginning it was the great obstacle. My literary training, centered on the human sciences, had not prepared me at all for the theses and scholastic formulas that the manual proposed to me, from the first to the last page. I had to make my way through a thick jungle of concepts, analyses and axioms, without even being able to identify the ground I was treading on. After two months of clearing vegetation, the light came and the discovery of the deep reasons for that which I had not yet experienced or intuited reached me. When I passed the exam, I told the examiner that, in my opinion, the new vision of the world that I had conquered in that melee with my manual of metaphysics was more precious than the grade obtained. And I was not exaggerating. What intuition and sensibility had taught me about the world until then, had been solidly corroborated" (Do not be afraid, André Frossard, pp. 15-16).

Wojtyła consolidated his training as a Thomistic philosopher (and theologian) at the. Angelicum He was invited to do a thesis on St. John of the Cross, another of his great sources of inspiration. But when he returned to Krakow, something relevant happened: he was asked to write his habilitation thesis on the phenomenologist Max Scheler, then very fashionable. It so happened that Scheler, although a disciple of Husserl - and, therefore, framed himself in modern philosophy (far removed from Thomism) - proposed an ethics that seemed to have many points of contact with Christianity. Wojtyła decided to analyze this question, which proved decisive in his intellectual evolution. "I truly owe a lot to this research work. [the thesis on Scheler].. The phenomenological method was thus grafted onto my previous Aristotelian-Thomistic training, which has allowed me to undertake numerous creative essays in this field. I am thinking in particular of the book Person and action. In this way I have been introduced to the contemporary current of philosophical personalism, the study of which has had repercussions on the pastoral fruits" (Gift and Mystery, p. 110). The study of Scheler, in fact, put him in contact with contemporary philosophy, showing him that it possessed valuable elements that should be integrated into it, and that the best way to achieve this was philosophical personalism.

When Karol Wojtyła formulates this conviction, his path of intellectual formation is over. From here he will begin his own itinerary with a very precise starting point: the person.

Juan Manuel Burgos is a full professor at the CEU - San Pablo University.

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Missionaries of Mercy, there is no excuse not to let yourself be welcomed.

Omnes-May 13, 2016-Reading time: 3 minutes

The Missionaries of Mercy, appointed by Pope Francis in the context of the present Jubilee Year, are another tool to bring sinners closer to God's forgiveness, to welcome the repentant and to invite to conversion. Jesús Higueras, parish priest of Santa María de Caná (Pozuelo) and Missionary of Mercy, explains their functions.

– Jesús Higueras Esteban

For children preparing for their First Communion, and for many of the young people who participate in Confirmation catechesis, Pope St. John Paul II is a historical figure, recent yes, but not connected to any of their life experience. For previous generations this holy Pontiff is the Pope of our youth, the Pope of our vocation, the Pope who has marked the main milestones of the first part of our life. Because of his Polish origin, he was deeply sensitized to the revelations of St. Faustina Kowalska, to the point that we could say that he is the Pope of Divine Mercy.

Contemplation of Mercy
Therefore, we can see as a continuity with the Pontificate of John Paul II the desire expressed by Pope Francis at the beginning of Lent 2015 to convoke a Jubilee Year dedicated to the contemplation of the Mercy of God. It is an idea that he has repeated to us since the beginning of his Pontificate. Already in his first Angelus on March 17, 2013 he told us: "Let us not forget this word: God never tires of forgiving. Never. 'And, Father, what is the problem?' The problem is that we get tired, we don't want to, we get tired of asking for forgiveness. He never tires of forgiving, but we, sometimes, we get tired of asking for forgiveness. Let us never tire, let us never tire. He is a loving Father who always forgives, who has a merciful heart for all of us. And let us also learn to be merciful to everyone. Let us invoke the intercession of Our Lady, who held in her arms the Mercy of God made man".. He has repeated this message in different ways over the years.

But we were all surprised by the Pope's announcement in number 18 of the Bull Misericordiae Vultus in which he said that "During Lent of this Holy Year, I intend to send out the Missionaries of Mercy. They will be a sign of the Church's maternal solicitude for the People of God, so that they may enter deeply into the richness of this mystery so fundamental to the faith. They will be priests to whom I will give the authority to forgive also the sins that are reserved to the Apostolic See, so that the breadth of their mandate may become evident. Above all, they will be a living sign of how the Father welcomes those who seek his forgiveness. They will be Missionaries of Mercy because they will be the artisans of an encounter charged with humanity, a source of liberation, rich in responsibility, in order to overcome obstacles and take up again the new life of Baptism. They will allow themselves to be led in their mission by the words of the Apostle: 'God subjected all to disobedience, that he might have mercy on all' (Rom 11:32). All, then, without excluding anyone, are called to perceive the call to mercy. Let the missionaries live this call conscious of being able to fix their gaze on Jesus, 'merciful high priest and worthy of faith'" (Rom 11:32). (Hb 2, 17). These words encapsulate all that the Pope expects of us so that the Mercy of God may be felt everywhere during this Year. This new figure of the "Missionaries of Mercy" brings the Jubilee and the graces that accompany it closer to the Eternal City.

First of all, he says that this experience is ecclesial, it is the Church that sends us, we do not go on our own but, like the Apostles, we are also sent to "to announce a year of the Lord's favor". The Church, as Mother, wants to watch over all her children, both those who live in the paternal house and those who, for very different reasons and in very diverse circumstances, have distanced themselves from her. This is a year for everyone, whether from near or far, to listen to the message of salvation of Jesus Christ, Son of God, a message of mercy and understanding.

Jesús Higueras Estebanis parish priest of St. Mary of Cana.

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Clear condemnation of Daesh genocide in the UK

Omnes-May 13, 2016-Reading time: < 1 minute

No one doubts that the crimes of Daesh constitute a full-fledged genocide. But a clear condemnation from the international community was missing.

– Miguel Pérez Pichel

It is difficult to calculate the numbers of the barbarity of Daesh (also known as Islamic State) against religious minorities in Iraq and Syria (Christians, Yazidis, Shiites and other minorities), or simply against those who dissent from their extreme practices, regardless of their creed. The first-hand testimonies that reach us through witnesses who manage to flee the territory under Daesh control are very revealing: mass killings, mutilations, enslavement, rape...

In February, the European Parliament called for an end to the genocide caused by Daesh. MEPs condemned the serious human rights violations perpetrated by this terrorist group and its extermination techniques, particularly against members of religious and ethnic minorities. In March, it was US Secretary of State John Kerry who stated that Daesh's crimes against the Iraqi and Syrian population, in particular against members of religious minorities there, constitute violent genocide. Finally, in April, the House of Commons of the British Parliament approved, by 278 votes in favor and none against, to declare and confirm that a real genocide against Christians, Yazidis and other religious minorities is taking place in Syria and Iraq.

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Europe, beacon of humanity

May 13, 2016-Reading time: < 1 minute

The refugee crisis directly affects Europe. Pope Francis, who has been with refugees on the island of Lesbos, has addressed this problem in an important speech to the Diplomatic Corps accredited to the Holy See.

Mass emigration to Europe is a new phenomenon caused by war, poverty and the threat of terrorism in areas of high geostrategic sensitivity, such as the Middle East.

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Fatima prepares the centenary of the apparitions with prayer, penance and conversion

The Church in Portugal is preparing to celebrate, in a year's time, the apparitions of Our Lady at Fatima. What does the message of Fatima mean for today's Christian?

Ricardo Cardoso-May 13, 2016-Reading time: 5 minutes

The succession of times brings us closer to the centenary of the apparitions of the Blessed Virgin Mary at Fatima. Preparing the celebration of a centenary is not an easy task, but it is more difficult to know, understand, accredit and live the determining events that make Fatima the altar of the world, as St. John Paul II said. The centenary takes on a deeper meaning, because it is not a matter of celebrating the past or the history, but of rediscovering the designs that the eternity of God desires for the temporality of man.

Fatima's experience

We are accustomed to look at Fatima starting from fractioned, partial or watertight realities. For some, the historical and sociological dimensions will be emphasized, recognizing the plurality and the numerous origin of thousands of people who, in the last century, have frequently come to Fatima. For others, sociology specializes in data on attendance at Masses, confessions, pilgrimages and other religious activities. In the sphere of faith, there are those who look at this "religious phenomenon" without giving credit to it; others distance themselves by not accepting the multiple forms of manifestations of popular piety or the simplicity with which many pilgrims know how to manifest their most sincere and natural love for the Blessed Virgin. Another group, no less reduced, summarizes the experience of Fatima to the practice of pious acts and of a mass religiosity, but forgetting that Fatima is not outside the theological dynamism and, consequently, of the salvific plan of God for humanity and for the concrete life of every man and woman of all times.

Concretizing what is being said, it becomes clear and evident that the centenary of the apparitions of Our Lady in Fatima has to be analyzed from a wide, total and transversal point of view. Strictly speaking, it must be clarified that the apparitions of Fatima are a true and profound lesson of Theology, where the encounter of God with man continues to be a necessity of manifestation of His Love and Mercy, creating conditions for man to accept the salvation already operated in Christ. Thus, the apparitions of Fatima are a guarantee and an invitation to live more fully the gift of faith in concrete circumstances, in concrete dynamisms and in concrete lives.

The historical context

The so-called "private apparitions" cannot be understood simply as responses to human problems. It is necessary to understand them as an appeal of God in the course of time so that the radical nature of the Gospel and the proclamation of the Good News are not drowned out by the circumstances in which they are inserted. This is how the historical context of the apparitions of Fatima can be understood.

The little shepherds were born at the beginning of the 20th century, during the last years of the Portuguese monarchy. The republic is aggressively implanted in Portugal by a revolutionary, armed and anticlerical elite that intends to change the socio-cultural fabric of the Portuguese nation. The first republican laws disentailed all church property, the clergy were persecuted, the religious orders and brotherhoods that had survived liberalism were extinguished and public religious events were prohibited. On the other hand, Europe had become a battlefield; the world was fighting the First World War and the Russia of the Czars was giving rise to the Bolshevik revolution.

In the face of what Our Lady identifies as "the evils of the world", the message of Fatima comes as God's answer to the risks that threatened to collapse Humanity. At the same time, it is important to dwell on some of the characteristics of the recipients of the message (the three children): they belonged to poor families, and were innocent, truthful and pious. Before the apparitions they will reveal astonishment, trust, curiosity, some cultural ignorance and, at the moment when the republican authorities take them prisoner and threaten them, they remain faithful to the truth of which they were witnesses.

What is Fatima?

It would be easier to say that Fatima is no longer since May 13, 1917. On that date it ceased to be a village isolated from the whole world and inhabited by good and simple people. With the apparitions of the Blessed Virgin everything changed: Fatima remained a reference in the eyes of believers and non-believers.

Fatima is one of the best places for the encounter of people and of people with God. In the past, it was said that the message of Fatima was a lesson of profound theology of the encounter of God with man and, consequently, the Shrine of Fatima manifests this encounter with the plurality of people and sensibilities that come there. Thus, the shrine of Fatima became a Atrium where thousands of people move, driven by the most diverse motivations or intentions.

The sanctuary of Fatima is not only experienced in social, spatial, architectural and cultural variety. It is also a true lung of spirituality. Catholics of all nations, proofs of love of all possible genders, sensitivities of all kinds with the beginning and the end of their gaze on the Virgin Mary mingle there. Even if the message of Fatima is not very well known, which would clarify the reason, it is necessary to understand that the thousands of pilgrims who come to Fatima are carried by the heart, in a heart to heart encounter. The certainty of the presence of the Mother of God in that place is what people seek, with the certainty that there everything is different because everything is a witness of the presence of the Virgin.

Starting from the consideration that Fatima is a place of special encounter with our Mother, it is possible to testify to the plan of God's Love that does not cease to turn our hearts back to His Love in every way. Contacting with the message of Our Lady in Fatima, especially with the Memories Lucia, we dwell on the dialectic of heaven and earth, of the world of God and the world of man, of dialogue and revelation, of certainty and doubt. The remoteness in which Humanity found itself is resolved by the closeness of God who sends the angels to prepare the meetings of the Virgin with the little shepherds, and replaces the hardness of the adults with the docility of the children to the voice of the Virgin.

Starting and finishing point

In our time, in which everything is once again submerged in a distancing of mankind from God, the message of Fatima can fall victim to different interpretations. Therefore, rather than looking at interpretations, we must assume the attitude and dynamism of Love.

To summarize Our Lady's message at Fatima, three words suffice: prayer, penance and conversion. There, Our Lady invites us to a life of intimacy with the Lord and lived totally in Him; she moves us to make acts of penance that manifest our love for Him in reparation for the sins of men; and she invites us to change, to experience a continuous conversion where Love is our only certainty.

For all these reasons, the centenary of Our Lady's apparitions at Fatima leads us to want our lives to be lived in total trust in God and in Our Lady's Immaculate Heart. The Heart of the Mother becomes, then, the point of departure and the point of arrival of our hearts, where the Virgin gives us the assurance that "My Heart will be your refuge" (June apparition) so that we do not lack the certainty revealed in the July apparition: "¡Pt last, My Immaculate Heart will triumph!".

The authorRicardo Cardoso

Vila Viçosa (Evora, Portugal)

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Art to help future artists

Van Gogh, searching for God's colors

Vincent Van Gogh is undoubtedly one of the essential artists of the 19th century. His paintings -and his letters- impress us and thousands of our contemporaries today, because they say a lot, to the point that they can even speak to us of God. That is why he is a frontier painter, today more current than ever.

Jaime Nubiola-May 13, 2016-Reading time: 5 minutes

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In the surprising novel by Markus Zusak, The book thief (2005), little Liesel tries to describe to young Max, imprisoned in a cellar, what the sky looks like that day: "Today the sky is blue, Max, and there is a huge elongated cloud, uncoiled like a rope. At the end of the cloud, the sun looks like a yellow hole." After listening to the story, the young man sighs with emotion. He has been able to picture heaven in Liesel's words.

Perhaps this is what moves and excites us when we contemplate the paintings of Vincent van Gogh (1853-1890), who knew how to capture the soul of the simple and everyday things in order to be able to express them in his work: "Art is sublime when it is simple."she writes to her brother Théo. When we read her letters - which are the best self-portrait of her soul - we discover the history of a passion, the inescapable call to the place where beauty allows no distractions: "How many times in London, coming home in the evening from Southampton Street."writes to him on October 12, 1883, "I stopped to sketch on the docks of the Thames."or the wheat fields under the sky of Arles, which were taking away his heart: "...".They are vast expanses of wheat under overcast skies, and I was not hard pressed to try to express the sadness, the extreme loneliness." (10-VII-1890).

If we were to try to decipher the story of Vincent van Gogh's life, his material limitations and miseries would undoubtedly overwhelm us with their marked sadness: "It was too long and too great a misery that had disheartened me to such an extent that I could no longer do anything." (SEPTEMBER 24, 1880). However, his soul was nourished by a happiness incomprehensible to most, a privilege of exquisite and lucid spirits; in the same letter he will add: "I couldn't tell you how happy I am to have taken up drawing again." (24-IX-1880). The passion for his art allows him to continue producing beauty, even from the abyss of a devastating illness: "I got sick." -he wrote on April 29, 1890. "at the time I was making almond blossoms. If I could have kept working, I would have made other flowering trees, as you can guess. Now the flowering trees are almost over.". The privilege that the present enjoys over the past allows us to know that the trees he painted, those almond blossoms, had already entered the history of works full of beauty; but despondency had also reached his heart, the academic world had turned its back on him and loneliness had unhinged him.

Van Gogh had a deep desire to know himself, to make clear what things troubled his soul, what uncontrollable passions cornered him: "I am a passionate man, capable and subject to do more or less foolish things that I sometimes regret." (VII-1880); this would explain why he wrote to his brother Théo some 650 letters and why he painted 27 self-portraits: "It is said, and I willingly believe it, that it is difficult to know oneself; but it is not easy to paint oneself either. That's why I'm working on two self-portraits at the moment, also for lack of another model." (October 5 or 6, 1889). In his letters he sketched a self-portrait as eloquent in his descriptions as are his paintings: "I want to say that even if I encounter relatively great difficulties, even if for me there are gloomy days, I would not want, it would not seem fair to me that someone should count me among the unfortunate.".

Van Gogh was a great reader, in love with books and knowledge."I have an irresistible passion for books. Need to instruct myself as to eat my bread." (VII-1880)-, with a desire for self-improvement that never left him: "I spent more on colors and fabrics than on me." (5-IV-1888). The work gives him an overflowing joy: "I feel in me a force that I would like to develop, a fire that I cannot let extinguish, that I must stoke." (DECEMBER 10, 1882). And the eagerness to perfect his art even made it possible for him to reflect on his work: "Life goes by like this, time doesn't come back, but I work hard at my job, precisely because I know that the opportunities to work don't come back". (10-IX-1889). As if to support his conviction, he quotes a phrase from the American painter Whistler: "Yes, I did it in two hours, but to do it in two hours I had to work for years." (2-III-1883).

Reminiscing a Goethe's poem of 1810: "If sight were not like a sun, I could never look upon it; if in us were not found the power of God Himself, how could the divine enrapture us?"It is shocking to recall the candor of Van Gogh's soul in his early years, when the love of God was his protection and his refuge. In 1875, from Paris, Vincent told Théo that he had rented a room and had put paintings on the wall, among them Bible Reading by Rembrandt. In the letter he describes and interprets the scene of the painting: "It is a scene that brings to mind the words, 'Truly I tell you, when two or three beings are gathered in my name, I am in the midst of them'" (JULY 6, 1975). It is a moment in which dreams squeeze his soul and in which love for Christ rejoices his heart in search of that light that will shine later in his work: "You know that one of the fundamental truths of the Gospel is. let the light shine in the darkness. Through the darkness into the light." (NOVEMBER 15, 1975). Vincent's heart was steeped in love for God. He had wanted to be a pastor and missionary in his youth and only devoted himself fervently to painting in the last ten years of his life.

From the diaphanousness of a mind and heart that had not yet suffered the ravages of illness, Vincent, the artist who loved books, the one who preferred to buy brushes and colors rather than food, could assure with moving conviction, the presence of God in all that is beautiful and good: "In the same way it happens that everything that is truly beautiful and good, of inner, moral, spiritual and sublime beauty in men and in their works, I think that this comes from God and that everything that is evil and wicked in the works of men and in men themselves, is not from God and neither does it seem good to God." (VII-1880). Half a century later, Simone Weil in Waiting for God will write in the same vein: "In everything that arouses in us the pure and authentic feeling of beauty there is really the presence of God.".

The Argentine writer Roberto Espinosa recently visited the church of Auvers-Sur-Oise, "that gothic church where his religious heart has been moved". and where the remains of the artist rest: "After wandering aimlessly in search of the 'monument', on a wall and between two mausoleums, two tombstones stare unblinkingly at the midday sun: Ici repose Vincent van Gogh (1853-1890) and at his side, Théodore van Gogh (1857-1891). A tapestry of ivy shelters the pain of fraternal graves".. Neither of them had reached the age of forty. Their souls united, between missives and brushes, in search of eternity, of the colors and the light of God.

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Heaven: the highest expression of the divine and the human

We call it heaven, because it evokes transcendence, infinity, overcoming the limit. We also say "vision of God".

Paul O'Callaghan-May 13, 2016-Reading time: 4 minutes

Ask with heart

We call it skybecause it evokes transcendence, infinity, the overcoming of the limit. We also say "vision of God", beatific visionbecause God, whom we see, is infinitely blessed, happy. The expression communion It is also valid to speak of man's immortal destiny, because it is a close union with God that does not eliminate the human subject, a union between two who love each other: the Creator and the creature. One could also say happiness perfectbecause with God man finds a definitive satisfaction. The term paradiseThe "sealed garden" expresses well the material and corporeal delight that awaits men who have been faithful to God. We also call it glorybecause it denotes honor, wealth, power, influence, light. And finally, the Johannine expression eternal lifelife that God instills in man when he creates and saves him, but in this case the life of Godand therefore eternal, permanent as God is.

Eternal life and faith in Jesus Christ

According to the New Testament the gift of eternal life depends on faith in Jesus Christ. "Everyone who sees the Son and believes in him has eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day." (Jn 6:40). "Whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me possesses eternal life." (Jn 5:24). In other words, for those who believe in Jesus Christ, eternal life, the life of God, already begins in this life. Perhaps for this reason we can speak, as does a document from the seventh century, the "Bangor Antiphonary", of "eternal life in the glory of Christ.".

In his encyclical Spe salviBenedict XVI wonders whether the promise of eternal life is really capable of moving man's heart and motivating his life. "Do we really want this: to live forever? Perhaps many people today reject faith simply because eternal life does not seem desirable to them. They do not want eternal life at all, but the present life, and for this, faith in eternal life seems to them rather an obstacle. To go on living forever - without end - seems more like a condemnation than a gift... But to live forever, without an end, would only be ultimately boring and in the end unbearable." (n. 10). For many, in fact, heaven leads to the thought of perpetual boredom. Is the promise of perpetual emptiness worth risking one's life for? "I am not afraid of death." writer Jorge Luis Borges once said. "I have seen many people die. But I'm afraid of immortality. I'm tired of being Borges." (The immortal). This feeling touches the hearts of many men when they hear of the hereafter.

Divinization

And at the same time, the response of faith is not complex. On the contrary. Eternal life, heaven, is the fruit of the infusion of divine life in man, which opens in faith and is consummated in glory. Man, said the Fathers of the Church, is "divinized," made divine (2 Pt 1:4). Man shares fully in the divine life, without ever reaching the point of be God, without being confused with the divine nature. In this sense, the happiness of heaven is not something that results from being in the "company" of God, from being present in the divine environment, because it is a participation in the very life by which God is happy. God is, the First Vatican Council teaches us, "in itself and from itself perfectly happy.". Therefore, if man were not perfectly happy forever in heaven, God would be to blame. Like lovers, God does not say to us: "You will be happy with me", but: "I will make you happy". This is a holy and divine determination. Jesus himself says to the righteous at the final judgment: "Well done, good and faithful servant; since you have been faithful in a little, I will give you an important position: enter into the joy of your lord"(Mt 25:21,23). Man participates in the life and joy of God; this is why he becomes happy forever, without fail. Man praises God, certainly, but he is also praised by God, and he remains enchanted by the eternal affection of his Father God. And so on forever.

But another difficulty remains. If man is united with God to the point of experiencing the divine life as his own, should it not be said that he has been absorbed by God, fused in Him, without his own personality? Is man not like a grain of salt that falls into the divine ocean and dissolves without leaving a trace of his individuality? This is an important question for Christian anthropology: if man loses his personality in God in heaven, then what value will his personhood have in this world? It is interesting what the Catechism of the Catholic Church: "To live in heaven is 'to be with Christ'. The elect live 'in Him,' even more, they have there, or better, find their true identity thereits own name". (n. 1025).

Fullness for man

Where the idea that the divinized finds himself fully realized in God is best expressed is the doctrine that the righteous come to to God, they enjoy the beatific vision. The vision expresses not only union, but also separation, distinction. One does not see that which is too close to the eyes. Sight requires objectivity, otherness, distance. Thus, St. Paul says in his letter to the Corinthians: "Now we see as in a mirror, confusedly; then we will see eye to eye. My knowing is now limited; then I shall know as I have been known by God." (1 Cor 13:12). And also in the first letter of St. John: "We are now the children of God, and it is not yet manifest what we shall be. We know that when he shall appear, we shall be like him, because we will see you as you are" (1 Jn 3:2).

Thus, when man sees God with a light that God himself infuses him with (the lumen gloriae), fully enjoys the divine life, without the mediation of anything seen, that is to say, face to face. He enjoys forever. And he does not want to, nor can he, cease to contemplate the eternal feast of divine life. He will remain freely with God forever.

The authorPaul O'Callaghan

Ordinary Professor of Theology at the Pontifical University of the Holy Cross in Rome.

Ask with heart

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ColumnistsGreg Erlandson

The challenges of the Church in the United States

The decline in priestly vocations is a major challenge for the Catholic Church in the United States. The arrival of foreign priests also requires an effort of adaptation on the part of both the faithful and the clergy.

May 13, 2016-Reading time: 2 minutes

There are many issues facing the leaders of the Catholic Church in the United States: religious freedom, the emerging Hispanic majority, the horror of sexual abuse by some priests... However, there are other very significant challenges facing the Church. One of them is the growing shortage of clergy.

While the number of active priests obviously varies from diocese to diocese, overall the decline has been striking. According to statistics from the Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate (CARA), there were a total of 58,000 priests in the United States in 1970, with an average age of 35. In 2009, the number was 41,000 priests, with an average age of 63. At the same time, the Catholic population continues to grow at a rate of between 1 % and 2 % per year.

To make matters worse, CARA estimates that between 2009 and 2019, half of the current active priests will retire. The good news is the number of priests being ordained per year: five hundred. The bad news is that these new priests replace only one-third of the priests who retire or die.

Throughout most of the history of the Catholic Church in the United States there has been a shortage of native-born priests, and most of that shortage has historically been filled by foreign priests. In recent years there has been an increase in priests from Africa, Asia and Latin America. Approximately 25 % of the diocesan priests currently serving in the United States were born outside the country; but, because of immigration restrictions, they typically remain here for about five years.

This influx of foreign priests has been a blessing, but it can also be a challenge. Preparing priests to serve in a distant country, different in customs and attitudes, presents one challenge. Another is preparing U.S. priests and parishioners to receive and understand these foreign priests.

The question facing the leaders of the Catholic Church in the United States in the next decade is how to continue to meet pastoral needs in the face of an expected reduction in the number of clergy. Increasing the number of permanent deacons, increasing the responsibility of the laity in pastoral tasks, and making greater vocational efforts to grow the number of seminarians may be part of the solution.

The authorGreg Erlandson

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

America

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Easter Message

April 20, 2016-Reading time: 2 minutes

Holy Week in Pontevedra is not that of Valladolid or Seville but, in spite of everything, I was surprised by the number of young people who took to the streets in an area of Spain where the outpouring of emotion is not exactly the usual gesture. As I watched the processions pass by, I thought about how many young people are capable of being moved by the beauty of a suffering Christ without this having a significant impact on our lives. Processions are not an invention of Christianity. polis already carried their gods on their shoulders. European man's admiration for the spectacle is in the genes, the opportunity to glimpse the supernatural reality of the religious symbol is in the soul. There is nothing more terribly beautiful than a dying God, ask Unamuno, Velázquez or Mel Gibson. But for a Christian, the death of Christ is not a spectacle, it is something that must be lived from within.

The wonder of processions lies not in their capacity to electrify the senses, but in the possibility that the tension of the senses can move the soul to share the cross of Christ. There are two fundamental perspectives in the Passion: that of the spectator and that of Simon of Cyrene. The spectator contemplates a scene that can provoke laughter, indifference, repulsion or admiration; he will always keep a distance from the beauty he contemplates, so that it will hardly have an impact on his life. Simon of Cyrene does not know how Christ's road to Calvary was, he could not paint it, nor describe it as so many artists have done; but he does know well the exact weight of that Cross, the burning of the splinters stuck in the flesh or the exhausted panting of Jesus. In the processions of Holy Week, in the classes at the University, with our friends or acquaintances we always adopt a role of the two previous ones, many times, letting our genes play a trick on us.

The authorOmnes

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Causes of the saints, new rules on assets

The reform process involving various bodies of the Roman Curia has focused in recent weeks on the Congregation for the Causes of Saints.

Giovanni Tridente-April 13, 2016-Reading time: 3 minutes

With the approval of Pope Francis, the new "Norms on the administration of the assets of the Causes of beatification and canonization."The new laws, which have repealed those dating back to August 20, 1983, established under the pontificate of John Paul II, will be in force. They will be in force ad experimentum for three years.

In the letter in which, with the signature of the Cardinal Secretary of State, the decision is reported, the renewed role of vigilance that will be exercised by the Apostolic See is immediately emphasized so that all the causes that arrive in Rome - after the closing of the diocesan phase - do not suffer obstacles or brakes due to too high expenses and fees. These rules, therefore, affect the correctness of the administrative management and the transparency of the various acts that lead to the inscription of a Servant of God in the book of saints. Whoever proposes a Cause of beatification and canonization - diocese, religious congregation, institute, etc. - must constitute an economic fund in which all the offerings and contributions received for the support of the same cause will converge. In the same sense, it should appoint an Administrator of this "pious cause fund", a function that can also be carried out by the Postulator General.

Among the tasks that correspond to the new figure are those of scrupulously respecting the intentions of those who have offered donations for the cause; keeping regularly updated accounts, and drawing up annual financial statements - both preventive, before September 30, and consumptive, until March 31 -, which must then be approved by the so-called "Actor", that is, by the proposer of the cause. Once approved, these balances must also be sent to the Postulator. In the case of General Postulations - as is typical in religious orders - it is specified that they must keep separate accounts for the different causes.

Another novelty introduced concerns the supervision of the administration of these goods, which will be exercised, depending on the case, by the diocesan bishop, the major superior, the episcopal conferences or, where foreseen, the Apostolic See itself. This supervision will extend to all economic movements concerning the cause, as well as to the revision and approval of the annual balance sheets.

The highest supervisory authority remains the Congregation for the Causes of Saints, which must be informed in a timely manner and can request financial information and documentation at any time, as well as verify the balances acquired. The control will also include the respect of the fees and the various expenses according to the rates established by the same Congregation for the Roman phase of the cause.

Whoever, for whatever reason, does not respect all these rules or commits abuses of an administrative-financial nature may be sanctioned by the Congregation, as provided for in the Code of Canon Law (alienation of ecclesiastical goods, extortion, corruption).

A further innovation concerns the constitution of a "Solidarity Fund" in the Congregation, into which, in addition to the free offerings, possible leftovers from the various causes, once the canonization has been celebrated, will be collected. It will be destined to support those causes that, having reached the Roman phase, find it difficult to support the costs of the process. It will always be at the discretion of the Congregation to accept possible requests for contributions from the proposers of causes, which must always be endorsed by the bishop and, in any case, by the competent ordinary.

The contributions that the proposers must enter for the Roman phase of the causes are established by the Congregation and communicated to the Postulator, and then must be entered at different times, depending on whether it is recognition of martyrdom or heroic virtues, or recognition of the presumed miracle.

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ColumnistsAndrea Tornielli

Reforms: first, the heart

Without the reform of hearts, structural reforms would imitate criteria that do not take into account the nature of the Church: this basic idea underlies the Pope's words and witness.

April 13, 2016-Reading time: 2 minutes

Three years into Francis' pontificate, the Church has unfinished business: the reform of the financial and economic institutions of the Holy See has been completed, work is underway to reform the Roman Curia and the media. On the occasion of the anniversary of the election, criticism has been heard that much more was expected in the reforms, and that there is much to be done.

It is true that the Church is "semper reformanda"must always be reformed in a process that never ends. But the greatest reform, which should be daily and not only for the hierarchy but for all the faithful, is fidelity to the Gospel, so that this message is better and better proclaimed and witnessed, leaving behind incrustations, prejudices and schemes that risk becoming ideology. Along with witnessing, announcing and teaching, the Church has to convert and always look at its origin, without becoming an NGO or a power group: to reform itself every day. What the Pope, with his witness of mercy and tenderness, his example, his gestures and his words, asks of the whole Church and of those who listen to him without prejudice is a great reform, which is not first of all a "structural" reform, but a reform of hearts. Without this, any structural reform is doomed to failure.

The Pope's words clearly indicate that the reform of hearts, "pastoral conversion," is a necessary condition for structural reforms, not a consequence of them or something separate. There is a risk that the Pontificate's message will be reduced to a slogan, as if it were enough to change a few key words: terms such as "peripheries" have become fashionable. The Pope's witness, in fact, suggests to everyone an evangelical radicalism, without which the reforms would imitate business criteria and could fall into technicalities that do not take into account the nature of the Church, which cannot be compared to that of the transnationals, as Benedict XVI often repeated in the past.

The authorAndrea Tornielli

Pope Francis

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Decrees of canonization: Mother Teresa of Calcutta will become a saint on September 4

Mother Teresa of Calcutta, the Albanian nun who founded the Missionaries of Charity, will be canonized on Sunday, September 4. The decree was signed by Pope Francis during the Ordinary Consistory held at the Vatican on March 15.

Giovanni Tridente-April 13, 2016-Reading time: 5 minutes

On the same occasion, the dates for the canonizations of four other future saints were also made official: on Sunday, June 5, the Polish priest Stanislaus of Jesus Mary and the nun Maria Isabel Hesselblad, foundress of the Order of St. Bridget, will be elevated to the glory of the altars. And on Sunday, October 16, will be proclaimed saints José Sánchez del Río, martyred in 1929 in Mexico when he was only 14 years old, and José Gabriel del Rosario Brochero, a very popular priest in Argentina to whom Pope Francis is very devoted.

Mother Teresa's canonization had already been announced months ago as being near precisely during the Jubilee of Mercy, for the witness of service to the last that characterized her entire life and for her apostolate among the poor, the sick, and in general the "last and the forgotten". Her humility, notwithstanding the immense good she has done in the world, led her to define herself as a "woman of mercy". "little pencil in the hands of God."She found the strength for this immense charitable work, often in situations truly close to the limits of human dignity, in prayer. Mother Teresa was also the first Nobel Peace Prize laureate, received in 1979, when in her famous speech in Oslo on the occasion of the award ceremony she made a moving appeal against abortion: "Please don't destroy the children, we will take them in.") to be elevated to the honor of the altars.

The story of Maria Isabel Hesselblad, foundress of the "Brigids", is also linked to the most needy; she emigrated to America when she was very young to help her family financially, worked as a nurse in a large hospital in New York, and there she experienced pain and suffering. Later, in 1904, she reconstituted the Order of St. Bridget in Rome; during the Second World War she gave refuge to many persecuted Jews and transformed her home into an oasis of charity. Today she is venerated as Mother of the poor and Teacher of the spirit.

The apostolate of the Pole Stanislaus of Jesus Mary dates back to 1600, exercised as a preacher and confessor, until the foundation of the Congregation of the Minor Marian Clerics, which has among its purposes the suffrage for the needy souls in purgatory.

The figure of José Gabriel del Rosario Brochero immediately brings to mind the first Argentinean Pope. Much loved by his people, the priest lived in Argentina between the 19th and 20th centuries, and was known as the "gaucho priest" because - like the ranchers in his country - he traveled immense distances on a mule to be close to everyone. In 2013, on the occasion of his beatification, Francis described him as a shepherd with the scent of sheep, a priest "who became poor among the poor". and became "a caress from God to his people"..

Another new Latin American saint is José Sánchez del Río, martyred in 1928 at the age of 14, during the revolt of the "Cristeros" against the anti-Catholic persecutions ordered by the then Mexican president Calles. Captured by government soldiers, he did not renounce his faith despite torture and mistreatment, screaming to the death: "¡Long live Christ the King!". On its body would be found this writing: "Dear Mom, I have been captured. I promise you that in paradise I will prepare a good place for all of you."concluding: "Your Joseph dies in defense of the Catholic faith for the love of Christ the King and the Virgin of Guadalupe.".

New decrees

Pope Francis has also authorized the Congregation for the Causes of Saints to promulgate other decrees concerning the miracles attributed to the intercession of Blessed Manuel González García, who was Bishop of Palencia and founder of the Eucharistic Reparatory Union and of the Congregation of the Eucharistic Missionary Sisters of Nazareth; Blessed Isabel de la Trinidad, professed nun of the Discalced Carmelite Order; the Servant of God Maria-Eugenio de Jesus Niño, also a professed monk of the Discalced Carmelites and founder of the Secular Institute of Our Lady of Life; and the Servant of God Maria Antonia de San Jose, Argentinean founder of the Beaterio de los Ejercicios Espirituales in Buenos Aires.

In addition, the decrees of heroic virtues of the Servants of God were authorized for Stefano Ferrando, a Salesian who was Bishop of Shillong and founder of the Congregation of the Missionary Sisters of Mary Help of Christians; Enrico Battista Stanislao Verjus, titular bishop of Limyra, belonging to the Congregation of the Missionaries of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus; Giovanni Battista Quilici, parish priest and founder of the Congregation of the Daughters of the Crucified; Bernardo Mattio, also a parish priest; Quirico Pignalberi, professed priest of the Order of Friars Minor Conventual; and of the Servants of God Teodora Campostrini, foundress of the Congregation of the Minimal Sisters of Charity of Mary of Sorrows; Bianca Piccolomini Clementini, foundress in Siena of the Company of Saint Angela of Merici; Maria Nieves Sanchez y Fernandez, professed religious of the Daughters of Mary of the Pious Schools.

Penitential Liturgy at St. Peter's

On March 4, Pope Francis once again celebrated a penitential liturgy in St. Peter's Basilica for the initiative "24 hours for the Lord".The first of its kind, a worldwide campaign to help rediscover the Sacrament of Reconciliation during Lent, was carried out. It is not by chance that he himself has resorted to confession, before confessing some of the faithful.

"Today more than ever, especially we Pastors, we are called to listen to the cry, perhaps hidden, of those who wish to meet the Lord".Francis said during his homily, adding that "we must certainly not diminish the demands of the Gospel, but we cannot run the risk of spoiling the sinner's desire to be reconciled with the Father, because what the Father expects before anything else is the son's return home.".

Catholics in the world are on the rise

In recent days, statistical data concerning the Catholic Church in the period 2005-2014 have been released, from which it emerges first of all that the Catholic faithful have grown in recent years by 14.1 %, at a higher rate than the world population (10.8 %). Obviously, the growth is very diverse in each continent: for example, it is very high in Africa (41 %) and Asia (20 %), good in America (11.7 %) and somewhat scarce in Europe (2 %), where Catholics represent 40 % of the population.

With regard to the distribution of Catholics in the world, the primacy goes to America (48 %), followed by Europe (23 %), Africa (17 %), Asia (11 %) and Oceania (1 %).

There has also been an overall increase in the number of priests (+2.3%) to 415,792, with differences also according to geographic area: in Africa and Asia there has been an increase of 32.6 % and 27.1 % respectively, while in Europe there has been a decrease of 8 %. The evolution of the number of seminarians is analogous, and since 2005 has increased from 114,439 to 116,939, thanks above all to the emerging continents, Asia and Africa.

The number of women religious in the world is 668,729, while the ecclesial component that has grown the most in recent years (+33.5 %) is that of permanent deacons, who have increased from 33,000 in 2015 to 45,000 in 2014.

Pope Francis

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Ethics in the company: a serious, clear and profitable spiritual accompaniment

The Social Doctrine of the Church affirms that personal perfection and holiness are possible in the business world. But certain approaches and behaviors can also lead away from God. Hence the desirability of a spiritual accompaniment that offers clear criteria of justice and charity, and suggests ways of living Christian spirituality in this area.

Omnes-April 13, 2016-Reading time: 3 minutes

Work in the company occupies a very important place in many people's lives, both in terms of time spent and existential aspects. This work can fill a large part of the minds of those who participate in its activities-sometimes also outside working hours; it can also generate moods in one way or another; it affects the family, both in economic terms and in personal contribution; it is a continuous source of relationships with other people-colleagues, clients, bosses; and, most importantly, work in the company affects relationships with God.

Indeed, certain approaches, attitudes and behaviors in business can lead us away from God or, on the contrary, can lead us to sanctify these realities, to bear Christian witness and to sanctify ourselves. Here we can apply some luminous words of the last Council: "Those who are engaged in often tiring work must find in these human occupations their own improvement, the means of helping their fellow citizens and of contributing to raising the level of society as a whole and of creation." (Lumen Gentium, 41).

All this leads us to affirm that those who, in various ways, work in the company need spiritual accompaniment in aspects related to this facet of their lives.

A serious approach to this spiritual accompaniment in the work of the company requires knowing, at least minimally, what companies are and how they function, as well as the most frequent moral problems that arise in them.

We will deal with all of this below, and then conclude with a set of ideas that can be useful for an adequate spiritual accompaniment of people in this area of business.

The company's raison d'être

The company has a raison d'être that gives it moral legitimacy. And this raison d'être is not "to make money", as might be claimed from a very simplistic, and perhaps somewhat cynical, view of the company. The company must make money at least to survive, and also to grow and continue to make productive investments and create jobs. But just "making money" - or in more precise terms "creating wealth" - is not enough to give moral legitimacy to the company. This is also done very effectively by the drug mafias.

The legitimacy of the company, like that of any social institution, comes from its contribution to the common good. The Church, as stated by St. John Paul II, "recognizes the positivity of the market and the company, but at the same time indicates that these must be oriented towards the common good". (Centesimus Annus, 43). In this line, he added that "the purpose of the enterprise is not simply the production of profit, but rather the very existence of the enterprise as a community of men who, in various ways, seek the satisfaction of their fundamental needs and constitute a particular group at the service of society as a whole." (cf. ibid., 35).

For his part, Pope Francis has not hesitated to speak of the vocation of the entrepreneur, adding that this vocation is the vocation of the entrepreneur. "It is a noble task, as long as it allows itself to be challenged by a broader sense of life; this allows it to truly serve the common good, with its efforts to multiply and make the goods of this world more accessible to all". (Evangelii gaudium, 203). And in his last encyclical, the present Pope, while condemning not a few corporate abuses, insisted that corporate activity "it is a noble vocation aimed at producing wealth and improving the world for everyone." (Laudato si', 129).

Businesses run with ethical and Christian criteria certainly contribute to the common good and, ultimately, improve the world in various ways: they efficiently produce truly useful goods and services; they provide decent jobs that allow for the personal development and support of workers and their families; they make possible the activity of other businesses and professionals; they create wealth that is partly passed on to society as income, taxes and perhaps donations; they innovate and generate knowledge that, in some way, contributes to the good of society as a whole; and they provide an effective channel for the fructification of savings.

company

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San Francisco de Guayo: a mission for the Warao Indians of Orinoco

The Tertiary Capuchin missionaries are the ones who have given stability to the mission of San Francisco de Guayo, founded in 1942. Today, through a church, a hospital and a school, it serves a thousand and a half Warao Indians in the labyrinthine delta of the Venezuelan Orinoco.

Marcos Pantin and Natalia Rodríguez-April 13, 2016-Reading time: 7 minutes

Hernan has just returned to Caracas from his medical internship. It has been a seven-hour river trip and a ten-hour road trip from the mission in San Francisco de Guayo. Exhausted, he speaks with pause, weighing the words, as one who needs to discern between the experiences and some somber reflections that occupied him during these months.

The Guayo mission brings together some 1,500 indigenous people of the Warao ethnic group (canoe people), who live in palafitos (constructions on stakes on flood-prone land) on the banks of the Orinoco delta, in the extreme eastern part of the country. Venezuela. It has a small hospital, a church, a school and little else. The mission hospital serves about twenty small communities scattered in a labyrinth of water and jungle. They do not speak Spanish. In their palafittes without walls, the Waraos have no drinking water other than what they collect from the rains. They feed on fish, tubers and corn arepa.

The Waraos are the most peaceful of the pre-Columbian indigenous peoples. They dispersed throughout the delta fleeing from the warrior tribes. The men dedicate themselves to fishing and the women take care of the children and make handicrafts that they sell as best they can. Despite the growing enculturation, the gap between the two worlds remains huge. This is what haunts the young doctor as he describes Guayo's mission below.

In critical conditions

There is no permanent doctor in the village. Only those of us who are on internship. The continuity of medical care relies on three nurses, two of whom are Capuchin missionary nuns. The nearest general hospital is several hours away. Sometimes we see more than a hundred patients a day. Some of them come rowing for more than three hours from their settlements scattered throughout the delta.

Gradually we were taking charge of the situation. These communities are in serious survival problems. Some have been wiped out by two prevalent diseases: tuberculosis and HIV.

Almost half of those born will not reach five years of age. The very high infant mortality is due to dehydration, mainly caused by diarrhea. In addition, the water brought in by state tankers is not entirely healthy.

The general situation of shortages in public hospitals is cruelly exacerbated in Guayo. Treatment for tuberculosis and HIV is expensive and scarce.

Little by little we understood that it was a patient struggle: we had to keep the illusion burning despite the difficulties and do everything we could. The waraos are not very effusive in their expressions of gratitude. At first we were shocked, compared to what happens in the rest of the country where patients, grateful, do not fail to repay the doctor in some way. But even though we did not fully understand this cultural difference, we were driven by the desire to serve.

We had long conversations with the villagers. We would enter the palafitos to share and enter their world. In Guayo, time flows intermittently. There are periods of intense activity in the hospital or in the extreme communities, and very calm hours at dusk.

The attractiveness of the service

However, we should not imagine a gloomy outlook. The difficulties are interwoven with hope. It is paradoxical, but Guayo is a magnet for big hearts. On the opposite bank lives a French couple. Louis is a doctor and Ada an anthropologist. They have been in the village for twelve years. They love the waraos and they have done a lot of good. They ran an inn where they had a water treatment plant that also supplied the town. As tourism declined, the government confiscated the plant. Now they make do with a tiny facility.

There is never a shortage of trainee doctors. One afternoon, on my way back from my rounds of some communities scattered along the canyons, absorbed in my thoughts, I almost stumbled upon some children drawing pictures on the boards of the walkways between the palafitos. It was a contest to win gifts for Epiphany. It had been organized by Natalia, a medical student who, after her internship, had returned from Caracas with a shipment of clothes, medicines and toys. Natalia did her medical internship in another community, but she used to come to Guayo to lend a hand.

Capuchin Tertiary Sisters of the Holy Family

The mission of San Francisco de Guayo was founded by Father Basilio de Barral in 1942. A scholar of the Warao language, he published a catechism and several didactic works in this language. The Capuchin tertiary missionaries arrived later and have given permanence to the mission.

Sister Isabel López arrived from Spain very young, in 1960. She came with nursing studies and has practiced for several decades in the delta. She has seen the town grow and evangelization expand. Today the hospital in Guayo bears her name, but that doesn't matter much to her. I was very impressed by Sister Isabel. As she walks leisurely through the village, she spreads optimism and hope all around her. One afternoon I was coming back from a tour of the communities, deflated; grotesque images and memories were swarming over me like a cloud of mosquitoes filling a mangrove swamp at sunset. Isabel saw me coming and pretended to meet me. I don't quite remember what she said, but it restored my enthusiasm. I am still amazed at the skill with which she handed out candy to the children who tugged at her habit as we chatted.

Some confidences

Natalia was able to record some of Sister Isabel's confidences in an improvised interview that I transcribe here.

Said the sister: "Look, without the love of Jesus Christ I would do nothing. Jesus is the center of my consecrated life, of my spiritual life and of my community life. Without Him I would do nothing. He is my support, that's why I'm here, and look how happy I am, with the age I am. It is an extraordinary thing. Listen to me, doctor: if I were born again, I would be a Capuchin Tertiary of the Holy Family and a missionary. One hundred percent missionary, and with a smile, because I have always been very cheerful and I have never lost my smile. A little older, yes, because one is older, but the smile is not lost.

The initial motivation for coming here was evangelization, to make Christian people, because in Guayo there was nothing. The current motivations are still the same or even greater. I have a lot of hope, a lot of concern for the people, for what we are seeing in Guayo: the sickness, the poverty, the children who are dying.

There are those who criticize the missionaries for being too paternalistic. But I can't help it, that a child comes to my house and I don't give him a piece of candy? Children and the elderly are my predilection. And the little ones look at me and see something: affection. I would like to have many things to give to children, even if they say I am paternalistic or maternalistic".

Natalia then asked Sister Isabel what her fears or most difficult moments had been. She responded as follows: "I have not had many difficult moments, I have been very happy and I always feel happy. Difficult moments? Well, seeing such great poverty, seeing people dying. The river impresses me a lot. Seeing the water, you get into a boat and you don't know... I have experienced many dangers on the river. But very few difficult moments. I have had a lot of joy, very happy, very dedicated.

I'm not tired. People say Isabel is a goldfinch. But I am seventy-seven years old and sometimes my strength is lacking. It shows at work, but of course, very well. I don't feel old. I feel the same. I was telling you: after 56 years, it seems like yesterday and I haven't done anything. I haven't left the Delta.

A doctor in the Orinoco delta

In order to practice medicine in Venezuela, each student must complete a year of supervised internships. These are generally carried out in poor areas, but there is the possibility of working in the city and receiving some financial compensation. There is no shortage of students looking for the toughest areas and conditions in the peripheries.

Alfredo Silva studied medicine at the Central University of Venezuela, in Caracas, and is about to finish his internship working for the indigenous people of the Orinoco delta, in that tangle of canals where the river melts before reaching the Atlantic. We asked him a few questions.

Why did you decide to do your internship here?

-I came to the delta for the first time during the Easter vacations in 2006. It was for a volunteer program organized by my school. We did social work and catechetical activities. The place and the people won me over.

I went back for two months in 2014, during my sixth year. I brought with me Jan, a fellow student. It was very enriching. We felt useful. We saw how our efforts paid off. We could help a lot and give opportunities to those who had none.

At the beginning of 2015 we decided to do our final year internship here. It was not easy. We were short of money. Other destinations offered financial benefits, while coming here requires raising funds and always putting something of your own. But medicine had gotten deep inside us and pushed us to serve. For years I have been thinking of joining Doctors Without Borders, an NGO that provides humanitarian aid in areas affected by war or natural disasters. But here we have faced situations comparable to those in terms of mortality, food conditions and serious diseases.

How have your motivations evolved during these months?

-A professor suggested that we launch a study on the tuberculosis and HIV that devastate these communities. The academic aspect calmed many of our relatives, who were worried about the difficulties we would face. The results of the study could give us access to postgraduate studies.

As the months passed, the misery we touched daily reaffirmed our motivation to serve as we advanced in our research. It is the way to face this sad paradox: the Waraos live in the destitution of the indigenous world, but they are plagued by the evils of today's society.

What have been your best moments?

-It's something you don't look for. Rather, you are surprised to be happy, fulfilled, working in the most miserable places. The need of others makes you feel useful.

Months ago we visited a family where mother and daughter were suffering from tuberculosis. The eldest son was suffering from malnutrition. We made the necessary arrangements to get the necessary medical treatment, which took a long time to arrive. When we returned to the site, only the son had survived. In this grim condition we were able to save the boy. It is very hard, it takes time to sink in, but it can also be very enriching.

What have been your fears?

-When you witness such strong situations, you want to help and do things. It is the fear of not being able to help, because you are fighting against something that is beyond you. This involves a constant struggle to stay motivated. It's scary to think that when you leave, it will eventually collapse.

The Waraos are very receptive to our help, but resources are insufficient. They always need more. If you serve a community, they will expect you to come every day. But medicines are limited. The nearest hospital is too far for them to paddle a canoe. If I were to try to describe the Waraos, I would say they are born survivors. They have few tools, but a lot of patience to cope with today's world. Yet they struggle with the joy and simple charm of the pristine. They are still trusting, noble, welcoming.

If you went back in time, would you go back?

-Yes, of course, totally. I have no regrets. Many good things have happened and I have learned a lot. You realize that you don't need so many things to live.

The authorMarcos Pantin and Natalia Rodríguez

Caracas

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"Without the Episcopal Conference, the path of the Church in Spain is incomprehensible."

The Spanish Episcopal Conference (CEE) is celebrating its 50th anniversary. On that occasion, there will be two international congresses: one in June, on the nature and history of the Episcopal Conferences; and another in autumn, on Paul VI, the Pope who instituted them. We spoke with Cardinal Ricardo Blázquez Pérez about the anniversary and other current issues.

Enrique Carlier-April 13, 2016-Reading time: 8 minutes

The Episcopal Conferences arise from the Second Vatican Council, which concluded on December 8, 1965. Only two years later, the first Plenary Assembly of the Spanish Episcopal Conference began, which lasted from February 26, 1967 to March 4. It was held at the Casa de Ejercicios del Pinar de Chamartín de la Rosa, in Madrid.

The first statutes were approved on February 27 and ratified by the Holy See that same year. On February 28, the Archbishop of Santiago, Cardinal Fernando Quiroga Palacios, was elected the first president of the EEC. And on March 1, the official constitution of the EEC took place.

About this half-century of the Conferences and about the Spanish Conference in particular, we wanted to talk to its president, Cardinal Ricardo Blázquez, who also kindly answered us, as usual with him, to other current issues affecting the Church in Spain.

What is your assessment of these fifty years of the life of the Bishops' Conferences? Have they lived up to the expectations of the Council? -There are two institutions of the Church born in the context of the Second Vatican Council, namely, the Synod of Bishops and the Bishops' Conferences, which in my opinion have been very fruitful in the fifty years since the Second Vatican Council. They have been very effective instruments for the implementation of the Council.

Regarding the Spanish Episcopal Conference, the same day the Second Vatican Council was closed, the bishops wrote a letter, signed in Rome, where they expressed their determination to establish the Episcopal Conference as soon as possible. It was a prompt decision that showed the receptive attitude of the bishops of the Church in Spain to the Council.

Since then, its documents have been numerous. The Conference has constantly accompanied the dioceses and their faithful in reflection and orientation. Undoubtedly, the Council was right in creating the Episcopal Conferences, and ours has been attentive at every historical juncture and has given very considerable help, which should be acknowledged and thanked.

Do you consider that the authentic ecclesiological nature of the Conferences has taken hold inside and outside the Church, or is there still some confusion? -Probably the ecclesiological significance of the Bishops' Conferences has not yet been adequately perceived by many. In fact, I have received letters from people who assumed that the President of the Conference was the "head" of the bishops and had authority over the dioceses in Spain. Sometimes they are surprised when they are answered that only the Pope has authority over the bishops; and that in each diocese the bishop has the responsibility to guide it; and that the Conference is a help, if you will, very qualified, for the bishops.

In our specific case, has the Spanish Episcopal Conference contributed effectively to the coordination of the Spanish bishops? -My conviction is that the organs of the Episcopal Conference have acted with an awareness of their responsibility and of the precise scope of their manifestations. It has certainly contributed to promote the union among the bishops and the coordinated pastoral action of the dioceses. Welcoming the Council, orientations in more complicated moments, communion among the bishops and convergent pastoral action of all... in these and other points, the Spanish Episcopal Conference has rendered an invaluable service. The functioning of both the Plenary Assembly and the other personal and collegial bodies has been, in my experience, correct. The actions of the Conference will probably have been more brilliant at some moments and more discreet at others, but it has always acted in fulfillment of its mission.

On the other hand, the bishops are not in favor of an absorbing action of the Conference. They recognize the role of the Conference, but do not want it to encroach on the responsibility entrusted to them. It is true that at certain times the challenges posed to the Conference have been more urgent and delicate, to which it was necessary to respond promptly and seriously.

What would have been the most relevant milestones of these fifty years of the EEC's life? What main achievements would you highlight? -In my opinion, the first ten years or so of the Conference were decisive in responding to the reforms called for by the Council and in bringing the Spanish Church into harmony with the Council's Declaration on religious freedom, at the time of what we have called the transition. The Church, with the guidance of the Council, was able to provide valuable help to Spanish society and the political community in those years. As is well known, there were misunderstandings, difficulties and also collaboration.

In these fifty years the Conference has helped all the bishops and their dioceses in all fields of pastoral action: doctrine, liturgy, catechesis, charity, Church-State relations, attention to priests, religious, consecrated persons, lay people, associations of the faithful, seminaries, missions, education, etcetera. Without the Episcopal Conference, the long history of the Church in Spain is incomprehensible. The various diocesan action plans and the pastoral letters of the bishops bear witness to this valuable assistance.

Any anecdotes or significant experiences from these five decades? -I have fond memories. I was ordained a bishop in 1988; when I participated in the Plenary Assembly for the first time, I felt how the collegial affection was also a warm welcome and fraternal affection from the bishops. I was received in the Assembly not only as someone who by right took part in it, but above all as someone who was cordially received. I have learned from other bishops that they also had a similar impression. Bishops are united not only by pastoral duty, but also by bonds of affection and a personal attitude of sharing their work and hopes.

According to the current Pastoral Plan of the EEC, what are the main difficulties facing the Church in Spain? -For a long time the bishops have been convinced that evangelization in our present situation, the new evangelization, is the most urgent and fundamental challenge facing Catholics in Spain.

The transmission of the Christian faith to the new generations is a decisive task. The family, in this task as in the education of children in general, is irreplaceable. We are concerned about religious indifference and forgetfulness of God. The last Pastoral Plan, approved a few months ago, is moving in this direction. We wish to make a revision that leads to a pastoral conversion of the forms, of the institutional channels, of the difficulties and of the joyful experiences in this order.

Fostering communion in the Church, witnessing to the Gospel, celebrating the sacraments with greater authenticity and being consistent in the service of charity and mercy to all, especially the poorest, most marginalized and distant, are tasks that we have been fulfilling and wish to intensify.

In March 2005 you were elected president of the EEC; the March 13 from 2010On March 12, 2014, he was re-elected for a second term as president of the episcopate. Always in March, what is your assessment of these last two years at the head of the EEC? -I would add another date in March in my personal biography: on March 28, 1988, the nuncio informed me of the Pope's decision to appoint me bishop.

I have noticed a warmer communion among all of us. Missionary realism leads us to accentuate our trust in the light and strength of the Lord in order to face the daily work for the Gospel. Hope was in other times - for example, in the years of the Council - was enhanced by euphoria; in our times, genuine hope is deeply tested. We are focusing on the fundamental tasks and attitudes want to be more humbly evangelical. Our weakness urges us to trust in the strength of Christ. Pope Francis, with his life and words, helps us effectively.

In recent years the number of priestly vocations in Spain has been growing slightly. How do you see the vocational panorama? -For a long time now we have been suffering a severe vocation crisis for vocations to the priestly ministry and the consecrated life. There are some exceptions which, compared to the years of extraordinary abundance, are not so bad. There are some religious communities that are more vigorous, but in general we suffer from a shortage. This scarcity does not mean a decline in fidelity. Sometimes there is an upturn, but I do not think it is significant from the point of view of vocational take-off. The crisis of seminarians is probably a crisis of priests, and the crisis of priests is a crisis of Christian communities.

The work for priestly vocations has been very intense for many years. The most sensitive sufferings of the bishops are related to the seminaries. Pastoral work for vocations must involve families, catechesis, parishes, apostolic movements and communities. We need a "vocational culture", that is, a broad environment, a network of coordinated efforts and Christians converging in this pastoral field.

The subject of Religion continues to suffer in some places, especially due to the different application of the law in the different Autonomous Communities. Why is it rejected by some? -Parents have the right to educate their children in their convictions; the cultural environment in which we live theoretically recognizes this right, but does not always act consistently to put it into practice.

The subject of religion in school is not a privilege, but a right that is in fact a service to students, families and society as a whole. It is a reasonable solution to make it compulsory for state schools and free choice for parents and possibly for their children. But this form of action is not always loyally respected, so why is it that, when there is such a high proportion of applications, this truly democratic request is sometimes denied?

It is also understood that the fulfillment of this right to religious education requires a quality in the teaching of religion. I would ask for more respect for the right of parents.

For example, what do you think of the fact that the Constitutional Court has still not resolved the appeal against the abortion law? -Publicly, as President of the Episcopal Conference, in a speech at the opening of the Assembly and on other occasions, I have expressed my opinion on the matter. It is this: I do not understand, I do not know why the law that was appealed when we were in the opposition was not changed when we had the opportunity to govern.

The right to life, from the womb to natural death, is an inviolable right. The edifice of human rights is shaken when the most fundamental of rights is not respected. As Pope Francis has repeated, the mother who finds herself in a distressing situation to receive her unborn child must be helped. The Church has some resources to help, and even if they are limited, they are effective. There are centers that provide a decisive service to the life of the child and the confidence of the mother.

How do you see the socio-economic and unemployment situation in our country, and do you think that enough is being done for the most disadvantaged? -It is a difficult question, because it includes an ingredient of generosity to share and a factor of technical work that complicates things. The Bishops' Conference deals with this question in the Pastoral Instruction "The Church at the service of the poor", which was made public in April in Avila.

The percentage of unemployed, especially young people, is very high in our country, although we must recognize the slow and steady decline in recent years. Let us deepen in the Year of Mercy our attention to the poor and unemployed, with a clear awareness that the goods of creation are for all humanity. Let us cultivate solidarity among all, with those near and far; and let us unite our technical efforts without falling into ideologies that obscure both the problems and the solutions. High unemployment is a task that concerns everyone and that affects many people, depriving them of the necessary resources and the due recognition of their dignity. How can young people form a family without sufficient resources?

How do you see the current political situation? -I view the situation with concern, not so much because of the unprecedented political map resulting from the general elections of December 20, but because of the immense difficulties shown by political leaders to approach, talk and jointly seek the most appropriate solution. It is saddening when one day after the other they get into a fight with each other and postpone the irreplaceable dialogues to find a solution that will give us all serenity and confidence.

It is not up to the Episcopal Conference to point out where the path should lead; we express our respect for all parties and we do not exclude or veto any of them. The citizens, who are also us, have voted and we respect the verdict of the ballot box. We are willing to collaborate with the government that is formed for the good of society. The causes of justice, freedom, reconciliation and peace are also our causes, both for general ethics and evangelical demands.

From various political parties voices are raised in favor of a repeal or revision of the agreements of the State with the Holy See. Are these statements of concern to the EEC? -I would ask why this question appears in the public square whenever proposals for the future are made by some groups. Do the Agreements do so much harm to society? Have they not been a reasonable formula on the road to respectful and concordant relations? Are the Agreements an easy resource or a lure to heat up tempers? Are these political manifestations about denouncing the Agreements, breaking them, revising them? The public opinion should be spoken clearly and not in a foggy atmosphere that introduces confusion.

On the other hand, the current Agreements are in harmony with the Constitution, forged in a climate of consensus and approved by all Spaniards. Our history cannot consist of weaving and unweaving, as Penelope did, sowing insecurity and uncertainty.

The authorEnrique Carlier

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What are our values?

We reflect on the response that Christians are giving to the arrival of refugees in European countries. Are we letting ourselves be driven by fear or are we acting in accordance with the Gospel?

Miguel Pérez Pichel-April 13, 2016-Reading time: 3 minutes

The rejection by Catholic social organizations in Spain and other European countries of the agreement between the European Union and Turkey for the return of refugees who irregularly enter the Schengen area responds to an act of humanity, values and commitment to evangelical teachings. The Church (and its members) cannot look the other way when hundreds of thousands of families with small children try to flee war, violence, slavery, misery....

It is true that action must be taken to ensure that the flow of migrants does not cause chaos at the borders. In fact, the complaint of the transit countries (Greece, Hungary, Austria...) is not about opening their doors to those fleeing, but about the lack of coordination within the European Union.

In this regard, the document made public by CaritasCONFER, the Social Sector of the Society of Jesus and Justice and Peace (later joined by other social institutions) offer solutions. Among others, it proposes "enable safe and legal access routes to Europe". as a way to fight against mafias; or "to establish a new system of distribution of the refugee population in Europe that is fair to the States and to the refugees.".

The response of Catholics can only be to welcome those who flee, those who seek refuge and a future. Europe's attitude can shame, provoke scandal. The Bishop of San Sebastián, José Ignacio Munilla, was very clear: Europe is "betraying their Christian roots." by signing the agreement with Turkey.

Nor should we forget that the war and the Daesh offensive in Syria and Iraq have hit not only Sunni Muslims, but have also caused the death and flight of hundreds of thousands of Christians, Yazidis and Shiites. Should we forget about them? The Church helps all refugees regardless of their creed, of course. But in a special way, it must come to the aid of our brothers and sisters in faith. Among the refugees who arrive in dinghies on the shores of Greece and then travel thousands of kilometers on foot to reach Germany, France or Denmark, there are also Syrian and Iraqi Christians. Christians who live in refugee camps or in reception centers alongside their Muslim compatriots. Christians who often suffer discrimination from other refugees and who feel abandoned in countries they thought were their brothers and sisters, but which nevertheless reject them. The Church is also with the Christian refugees. A Church that, in a praiseworthy ecumenical act, together with Protestants and Orthodox, helps all those who arrive: churches have been made available to welcome them, hundreds of volunteers have been mobilized, collections have been made, they have been given a voice?

The action of Christians is not a simple paternalistic act of charity, the result of the "sentimentalist" and "do-gooder" culture that seems to rule in certain sectors of European society. Such attitudes are all very well to mobilize society immediately in the face of a humanitarian crisis, but they end up being forgotten as soon as the media focus their attention on another issue. The Christian response goes beyond this. Organizations such as Caritas or Aid to the Church in Need have been helping refugees in their places of origin in Lebanon, Syria or Iraq for years. The advance of Daesh in Syria and Iraq has emptied these countries of Christians. In Syria, Christians have fled to Turkey, Lebanon and to areas controlled by the Bacher Al Asad regime. In Iraq, they have taken refuge mainly in Iraqi Kurdistan and Jordan.

Bishop Juan Antonio Menéndez of Astorga, a member of the Episcopal Commission for Migration, acknowledged that the refugee situation poses a series of challenges for the Church: "A humanitarian challenge that involves the defense of the dignity of life and of the person of refugees and forcibly displaced persons, support for family reunification and the reception, hospitality and solidarity with refugees. An ecclesial challenge that is expressed in the pastoral and spiritual care of Catholics of the Latin and Eastern Rite, in ecumenical and interreligious dialogue. A cultural challenge that commits us to build a culture of encounter, peace and stability"..

Let us hope that we, the citizens of Europe, can also take up these challenges to prevent Europe from betraying its traditional Christian values and ceasing to be Europe.

The authorMiguel Pérez Pichel

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