Salvador Rodea, Superior General of the Teatinos: "I believe that we know our charism perfectly well and we want it to be assumed as it is".
Interview with the leader of the Teatinos on the V centenary of their foundation. As a result of this event, he explains the nature of their charism, their identity, mission and the discernment process they are carrying out about their future.
The Theatines, the first religious order composed solely of priests, celebrated the 500th anniversary of their foundation on September 14, 2024. In addition to this occasion, a pilgrimage was made to the St. Peter's Basilicawhere Pope Francis received them with great affection. There addressed an invitation to themFidelity must be renewed. There can be no fidelity that is not renewed; remaining founded on the old, yes, but at the same time ready to demolish what is no longer necessary to build something new docile to the Spirit and trusting in Providence.".
Its name comes from the diocese of the Italian city of Chieti, Theate in Latin, where one of the founders, Pietro Carafa, later Pope Paul IV, was bishop.
Omnes had the opportunity to interview its Superior General, Father Salvador Rodea González, a 54-year-old Mexican engineer, who was re-elected at the 168th General Chapter for a second six-year term, until 2028. He shared some of his thoughts, among them the commitment to strengthen identity; to be creative in adapting whatever is necessary to make people fall in love with Jesus Christ and the process of discernment about future missions "ad gentes" to the East.
The Franciscans and Dominicans are older than you, but the Jesuits are not, are they?
-That's right, the Franciscans, like the Dominicans, are about 800 years old, although we are the first different form of religious, which is called "clerics". We were born in 1524, as an institute of consecrated life with religious life. We are not mendicants like the Franciscans or the Mercedarians, but we are clerics, that is, priests. And fraternal life is one of our great characteristics.
Are you the first religious order composed solely of priests?
-Yes, at the beginning they were all diocesan priests and they took the three vows and began to live in community.
It was said that at the end of the day the theatines gave to the poor everything they had not used.
-It was a very radical idea at the time of St. Caetanus, to live from the Altar and the Gospel, just enough, just enough, nothing more. No fixed income, no business, simply with what was necessary. Providence provided enough to eat. It was a very radical life at that time.
Can you give us some examples?
-There are always people, especially among the richest, who, wanting to save their souls, offer things or have churches and convents built or buy indulgences. There were many who approached us with this intention. For example, in his letters to Count Oppido of Naples, St. Caetan warns him: "If you continue to bring things, we will close this house"; in fact, we try not to have more than what is necessary, what is needed, so as not to lose this radicality.
Your order was born before the Council of Trent. Is it part of the Counter-Reformation?
The term Counter-Reformation has always been used, but the correct term would be Catholic reform, because St. Cajetan did not intend to respond to Luther and other reformers, but to carry out a Christian reform from within the Church, with the charism of the reform of the priesthood.
Let us not forget that St. Caetanus was an apostolic prothonotary, therefore he knew many details of the time about the religious and secular clergy, he knew the excesses and vices, and he considered that things could not go on like that.
So it was with St. Caetanus that a reform among the clergy began?
-In fact, the origin of the reform comes from St. Catherine of Siena, it was forged in the 15th century, ending in the 16th century with the Council of Trent.
What about the Jesuits?
-They were born in 1540, that is, 16 years after the Theatines. St. Caetano was related to St. Ignatius of Loyola and there are two theories: one that the Pope wanted the Jesuits to join us, and the other the opposite. But there were charismatic characteristics that prevented this fusion.
If I am not mistaken, in the audience Pope Francis indicated that "it is said that the Theatines had something with the Jesuits"....
-In fact, one of the founders of the Theatines was Pietro Carafa and it is said that when he was elected Pope Paul IV, St. Ignatius trembled, he considered the fact adverse to his order, instead Paul IV confirmed the Jesuits.
The charisma has changed today, what is the challenge before you?
-The charism should be the same, adapting it to the present time. The Theatines suffered in 1910 a loss of the originality of the charism, because there were only 16 Theatines left in the Order in the whole world. Then Pope St. Pius X, who had great devotion to St. Caetan, said that it was necessary to prevent them from disappearing. The Prefect of Consecrated Life at that time proposed that two congregations of Diocesan Right that were on the island of Mallorca unite to strengthen the Theatines.
Since the Theatines were already an order of pontifical right, the name was kept, but with this fusion they became more than a hundred with the Ligurians and those of the Holy Family, losing a little the essence by uniting these different spiritualities. Then the Superior General of that time asked to return to the study of the sources and then followed the foundations in Mexico, Argentina and later in Brazil, always looking for the originality of the charism, adapting it but without losing the essence.
What then is the main challenge for the Theatines today?
-I believe that we Theatines know our charism perfectly well, and we want it to be assumed as it is. That is why we are always working on initial and ongoing formation, because we want there to be a clear identity.
The second challenge is to be creative and, therefore, to understand the figure of the world; otherwise, we work as we did in the 16th century. On the other hand, today the image of the world is different and that of the 21st century even more so, so we must understand how to adapt ourselves in order to reach our people, inviting them and making them fall in love with Our Lord Jesus Christ. This is the great challenge.
What is most attractive about theatines in today's world, especially among young people?
-Among the young people who knock on our door to become theatines, what attracts them most is fraternal life in the face of a world that invites individuality, selfishness and consumerism.
They also have other apostolate structures, don't they?
-Even though we live from Providence, we have schools and houses of spirituality. These are part of a dynamic of Church life aimed at preparing young people, children and families through education. In this way, instead of giving them a bag of food, we prepare them for tomorrow by giving them the tools they need to face the future. Better than receiving an apple is being able to grow it. Although education was not a charisma that existed at the beginning, it is a charisma that we inherited from the Ligorians.
Could you give me an example?
-In the city of Cali, Colombia, when we arrived in a neighborhood with so much violence, we thought of a dining hall for the children, then we saw that it was not enough and we built a school. But how do you do it when the children come without having breakfast? And then when they leave they go to places where there is violence... So we adapt everything: they come to school, go to class, have breakfast, follow lessons, have lunch, play sports and in the afternoon they go home.
This neighborhood has changed after 30 years, to the point that it has been upgraded to a higher category, and now we are in difficulties because the taxes have increased significantly, before it was category 5, now it is category 3 and therefore we cannot maintain it. What do we do? Do we give it to the diocese or do we change the neighborhood to work in? We need to reflect on these things.
How many priests are in the order?
We are 147 priests, 7 deacons, 5 solemnly consecrated, about twenty first-professed theologians, as well as novices and aspirants, mostly from Mexico and Brazil.
In Argentina there is a lot of devotion to San Caetano as the patron saint of bread and work, why?
-It is a devotion that was born almost spontaneously thanks to Mama Antula. She was the one who brought it to the convent where they started. They built a chapel there and the train that came to Buenos Aires from the interior of the country used to arrive there, and when people got off the train they thought they would find work and there was the statue of San Cayetano. God uses unthinkable means.
Were there particular difficulties in some countries?
-We had a wonderful presence in some countries from which it was necessary to leave for reasons of war or because we could not get there, in Asia, in the Caucasus, in Armenia, in Africa. Although now we are receiving invitations from these places and listening to the voice of the Spirit, because some confreres feel the desire to go to other cultures and are opening their hearts. In fact we are in the West, but not in Asia or Africa. And probably we will have a missionary branch 'ad gentes' as it was said in the Second Vatican Council. We are in discernment. Although here in Europe we need to re-evangelize, the voice of the Spirit does not tire and opens new doors.
How to get out of the crisis and save the marriage
Although it is sometimes difficult to see it, there are many reasons for wanting to save your marriage: the good of the couple itself; the good of the children, if there are any; and the good of society.
Recently in a conversation I had with a devastated man, he expressed: "I don't know what is going on but I don't like the fact that I take care of one man's children while my children are taken care of by another".
He came to me for guidance in times of confusion and pain. It had been a couple of years since he separated from his wife and both of them already had a new partner. At the time, they both thought their relationship was unsustainable and saw divorce as the only solution.
But their current reality screams at them that they did not bet on a real solution, but succumbed to the modern deception of immediate gratification.
Now they both want to go back. They wish they could be reunited but they are afraid.
Recognizing crises
In the face of crisis, we can either self-destruct or grow. Crisis involves facing unexpected circumstances for which we are unprepared. They come into our lives to make us aware of our strengths. But if we rush, we lose the opportunity to grow and, paralyzed, we opt for what appears as an immediate solution. In marital crises, we may be haunted by the phrase: "I'm leaving today" or "You're leaving now! But it is necessary that we opt for real solutions, that we choose to grow and not to victimize ourselves.
Saving the marriage
So I ask that if you are going through a crisis in your marriage, you stop before making any decisions and consider this path of blessing for both of you, for all of your marriage, and for all of your life. family.
First of all, to save your marriage you have to want it: a little willingness and with the right tools, you will take your relationship to an enviable level. Stop. Think that you don't really want to end your marriage, but rather the problems in it.
There are many reasons for wanting to save your marriage: the good of your children (studies support the conviction that the best psychological and emotional development of children occurs in homes where mom and dad love each other); the good of the couple itself (there is ample evidence that a well-matched marriage feels good physically and emotionally); and the good of society (the social fabric is broken down in many ways by divorce and separation).
Making decisions in the midst of conflict is a mistake with serious consequences: calm down, there is no hurry. Tell your spouse: "I need help and I will seek it".
Nourish hope: to think that it is not possible to live together in peace under the same roof is a delusion. Everything has a solution with a sincere effort and with God's help.
Avoid accusations: it does not work at all to be underlining everything that the other does wrong under the eyes of the spouse who feels frustrated. The best thing to do is to think carefully about the personal changes that need to be made, recognizing that no human being is perfect, neither are we. I can commit myself to changes in my own behavior. If I have vices, accept with peace that they are hurting me and those I should love the most. Work to replace those vices with their equivalent virtues. Seek personal help before proposing couples therapy.
To cleanse the heart of all kinds of grievances: to know how to forgive, to act as if the offense had not occurred, to stop anchoring oneself in the past and to decide to improve in the present.
Persevere in the fight: your marriage needs you. Even if the other has declared that he or she no longer loves you or can do nothing, you are on the team of Jesus Christ who said firmly: "what God has joined together let no man put asunder" (Mt 19, 4-6). It is not about begging for love, but giving it with maturity. We should not encourage codependency but work to become the best version of ourselves. It is about bringing marriage to a joyful maturity in love.
Lean on God: turn to the expert in love. Let us pray and ask for prayers from those who love us. Let there be no doubt: God wants unity.
A new conquest must be undertaken. Dedicate yourself to falling in love with your spouse every day. Stop seeing what he does not give you and start giving what you have stopped giving because of your own resentments.
Fulfill your own responsibility and put the rest in God's hands. Do you want the good wine of love to reach your home? Do your part, fill the water jars to the brim and God will work the miracle.
What has happened to us so that even something as pleasant for some and economically interesting for others as tourism has become a source of conflict?
Tourismphobia is a trend that I know well because I am lucky enough to live in one of the world's most fashionable tourist destinations: Malaga. My city keeps appearing in the rankings of the most desired places to visit. Its pleasant climate, its wide cultural and museum offer, the beauty of its streets, beaches and natural landscapes, the friendliness of its people (forgive the immodesty), and its unique gastronomy have made it an enviable place where everyone wants to come to live or at least spend a few days.
The benefits of this trend for the people of Malaga are unquestionable, as the income from tourism benefits everyone, but there are also many drawbacks that we have to suffer: young people have to look for a house outside the city because they cannot access the real estate market, rising prices of basic products, overcrowding of streets and public spaces, disappearance of traditional commerce...
Tourism overcrowding and tourism phobia
Tourist overcrowding has the paradoxical power to transform unique spaces, and therefore admired, in common and hateful. A Malaga without muscatel, espetos and pescaíto, because what tourists like are hamburgers and imported beer, would not be the city that inspired Picasso; and a Malaga with beaches, museums and bars crowded to the point of not finding room, would not be the City of Paradise that the Nobel Vicente Aleixandre sang about; and a Malaga without Malagueños, would not be the city that Antonio Banderas takes for idem. The same could be said of other cities such as Venice, Rome, Athens or Cancun. Finding the right balance is difficult and it is up to the institutions to get down to work so as not to kill the goose that lays the golden eggs.
However, today I would like to reflect on another no less important perspective for finding solutions to the problem of tourismphobia, and that is the way we behave when we go sightseeing. I remember with great affection Ana, a saintly woman of my family. parish that, during pilgrimages, she would not allow the service staff to make her room in the hotels where we stayed for several nights. She said that the bed was the first thing she had made every morning since she was a little girl and that, because she was away from home, she was not going to stop doing it. "This way, besides," she would tell me with the shining eyes of someone preparing a surprise, "I'll give the girl a treat when she comes into my room."
His attitude helped me to understand that tourists should be aware that the places they pass through are not their home. But not, as many do, to be uninhibited and behave as they would not do at home; but to be extremely respectful and careful, as when you are a guest in a strange home. Because one leaves the next day and if I have seen you I do not remember, but the people who work there and those who live in that city, deserve my consideration and thanks for their hospitality.
The essence of tourism
Without going to the extreme of Ana, whose attitude could put a lot of people out of work if it spreads, we should review what tourism means to us: is it a superficial experience that consists only of seeing new things and indulging our senses without caring about who is around us or, on the contrary, do we seek to admire beauty, enrich our spirit and meet people from other places?
In this regard, the recent message from the Holy See on the occasion of the World Tourism Day advocated placing the culture of encounters at the center of tourism activity, so strongly defended by Pope Francis "the encounter," says the text, "is an instrument of dialogue and mutual knowledge; it is a source of respect and recognition of the dignity of the other; it is an indispensable premise for building lasting bonds".
Tourists or pilgrims?
We must seek to encounter others because we are pilgrims in a world in which countries are ever closer, but people are ever farther apart. For this reason, Pope Francis recently invited young people not to be mere tourists, but pilgrims. "May your journey," he told them, "not be simply a passing through the places of life in a superficial way: without capturing the beauty of what you encounter, without discovering the meaning of the roads you travel, capturing brief moments, fleeting experiences to preserve them in a selfie. The tourist does this. The pilgrim, on the other hand, immerses himself fully in the places he finds, makes them speak, makes them part of his search for happiness".
That is the key, not to lose sight, at home and abroad, that we are pilgrims and we are just passing through. So "¡Buen camino!
Journalist. Graduate in Communication Sciences and Bachelor in Religious Sciences. He works in the Diocesan Delegation of Media in Malaga. His numerous "threads" on Twitter about faith and daily life have a great popularity.
Dialogue and inculturation of the faith. Keys to the Pope in Asia and Oceania
On his longest apostolic journey to date Pope Francis has sought to bring a message of hope and closeness to the faithful of Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, East Timor and Singapore.
What has the Pope said in the countries of Asia and Oceania that he has visited? There are those who look for "novelties" in the papal teachings, but what is important is what he says in the different contexts.
Following in the footsteps of the previous pontiffs, he has visited Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, East Timor y Singapore. Already in Rome, at the general audience of the following Wednesday (18-IX-2024), he thanked God for having granted him "....do as an old Pope what I would have wanted to do as a young Jesuit, because I wanted to go there as a missionary.".
Compared to the current situation in Europe, he noted, the Church is much more alive in those places, and he has seen this by listening to the testimonies of priests, nuns, lay people and above all "catechists, who are the ones who carry out evangelization".
Faith, fraternity, compassion
In Indonesia, Christians are few in number (10 %) and Catholics are a minority (3 %). In a place where Muslims are very numerous, the Pope admired the nobility and harmony in diversity, so that Christians can witness to their faith in dialogue with great religious and cultural traditions.
The motto of the visit to that country was ".faith, fraternity and compassionvalues that the Pope underlined for everyone, starting with Christians (cf. Speech at the Cathedral of Jakarta, "The Pope has stressed the importance of the following values, 4-XI-2024). In this framework, the Gospel enters every day in the concrete, in the life of every people, welcoming it and giving it the grace of the dead and risen Jesus.
Dialogue and collaboration among believers
Francis held an interreligious meeting in Jakarta at the Istiqlal Mosque (cf. Speech 5-IX-2024), designed by a Christian architect and linked to the Catholic Cathedral of St. Mary of the Assumption by the "subway tunnel of friendship". The Pope encouraged the faithful to continue with this communication in the life of the country: "I encourage you to continue along this path: that all of us, all together, each cultivating our own spirituality and practicing our own religion, may walk in search of God and contribute to building open societies, founded on mutual respect and mutual love, capable of isolating rigidities, fundamentalisms and extremisms, which are always dangerous and never justifiable".
In this perspective, he wanted to give them two orientations. First of all, always see in depth, because beyond the differences between religions, differences in doctrines, rites and practices, "...," he said.we could say that the common root of all religious sensibilities is one: the search for an encounter with the divine, the thirst for the infinite that the Most High has placed in our hearts, the search for a greater joy and a life stronger than death, which animates the journey of our lives and urges us to go out of ourselves to meet God.". And he insisted on the fundamental: "Looking in depth, perceiving what flows in the most intimate part of our lives, the desire for fullness that lives in the depths of our hearts, we discover that we are all brothers, all pilgrims, all on the way to God, beyond what differentiates us.".
In doing so, he alluded to one of the key issues of these days: the significance of religions, and the dialogue and collaboration between believers (cf. the analysis of Ismatu Ropi, an Indonesian Muslim academic, in Alpha and Omega12-IX-2024). A few days later he would tell the young people in Singapore: "all religions are a path to God". (Encounter, 13-IX-2024). This is so, and it is fulfilled in the religions themselves and to the extent that they respect human dignity and do not oppose the Christian faith. This is not said, therefore, in reference to the deformations of religion such as violence, terrorism, Satanism, etc.
On the other hand, neither did the Pope affirm that religions are equivalent to each other, or that they have the same value in the Christian perspective (cf. the Declaration on the Christian Faiths of the Church of Jesus Christ of Nazareth). Nostra Aetate of the Second Vatican Council and the subsequent magisterium (cf. the Declaration Dominus Iesus, of 2000).
In fact, Catholic doctrine teaches that religions, along with elements of truth and goodness, have elements that need to be purified.
Secondly, Francis invited us to take care of the relationships between believers. Just as a subway passage connects, it creates a link, "what really brings us closer is creating a connection between our differences, taking care to cultivate bonds of friendship, attention, reciprocity.".
In fact, far from any relativism or syncretism, these links, as previous Popes have also insisted and practiced, "...are the result of the same bonds that have been established in the past.allow us to work together, to walk together in the pursuit of some goal, in the defense of human dignity, in the fight against poverty, in the promotion of peace. Unity is born of personal bonds of friendship, of mutual respect, of the mutual defense of the spaces and ideas of others.".
In other words, it is "promoting religious harmony for the good of humanity"The Joint Declaration prepared for this occasion is along these lines (cf. Istiqlal joint statement).
"In it we assume responsibility for the great and sometimes dramatic crises that threaten the future of humanity, particularly wars and conflicts, unfortunately also fueled by religious instrumentalizations; but also the environmental crisis, which has become an obstacle to the growth and coexistence of peoples. Against this backdrop, it is important that the values common to all religious traditions be promoted and strengthened, helping society to 'eradicate the culture of violence and indifference'.’".
A beacon of light and beauty
The Pope said in his audience on Wednesday, September 18 that in Papua New Guinea he found "the beauty of a missionary Church, going forth". This archipelago, where more than eight hundred languages are spoken, appeared to him as an ideal environment for the action of the Holy Spirit that "loves to make the message of Love resonate in the symphony of languages"..
The country has a great Christian majority and a quarter of them are Catholics. There he highlighted the evangelizing work of the missionaries and catechists; the atmosphere of understanding, without violence; the horizon of fraternity and human development as "leaven" of the Gospel. "Because"He said, evoking the magisterium of his predecessors John Paul II and Benedict XVI, "....there is no new humanity without new men and new women, and this can only be done by the Lord.".
"To all who profess to be Christians." noted upon arrival in the country, "I strongly urge you not to reducefaith to an observance of rites and precepts, but that it consists in love, in loving and following Jesus Christ, and that it can become a lived culture, inspiring minds and actions, becoming a beacon of light that illuminates the path. In this way, faith will be able to help society as a whole to grow and find good and effective solutions to its great challenges."(Meeting with the authorities at the "APEL Haus", Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea, 7-IX-2024).
Inculturation of faith and education
Francis turned his attention to East Timor, the youngest country in Asia: about 65 % of the population is under 30 years of age, it has 98 % Catholics and, at the same time, it is a poor country in need of support, starting with literacy.
In his history, he noted at the general audience of the 18th, "highlights the strength of the human and social promotion of the Christian message."where the Church has collaborated with all the people in the process of independence, on the road to peace and reconciliation.
"It's not about"He pointed out, recalling the visit of John Paul II in 1989 to those lands, "....of an ideologization of faith, no, it is faith that becomes culture and at the same time illuminates, purifies and elevates it. (...) It is necessary to inculturate faith and evangelize cultures.". This is another key to the Pope's trip.
He encouraged them to continue on this path to overcome new challenges: emigration and unemployment, poverty, alcohol consumption among young people. He urged them to carefully train the future ruling class of the country, with the support of the Social Doctrine of the Church: "Invest in education, in education in the family and in education at school. An education that puts children and young people at the center and promotes their dignity. (...) The enthusiasm, freshness, projection towards the future, courage and ingenuity, typical of the young, together with the experience and wisdom of the elderly, form a providential mixture of knowledge and generous impulses for tomorrow."(Meeting with the authorities at the Presidential Palace in Dili, 9-IX-2024)
In his meeting with the Catholic hierarchy and pastoral collaborators (cf. Speech in the cathedral of Dili, 10-IX-2024) he invited them to care for and spread the perfume of the Christian message.. To this end, he proposed to combat mediocrity, spiritual lukewarmness and worldliness, and to promote evangelization with a spirit of service, taking care to provide adequate formation: "Do not stop deepening in the doctrine of the Gospel, do not stop maturing in spiritual, catechetical and theological formation, because all this is necessary to announce the Gospel in this culture of yours and, at the same time, to purify it of archaic and sometimes superstitious forms.".
"Let us remember that with the perfume we must anoint the feet of Christ, which are the feet of our brothers and sisters in faith, beginning with the poorest. The most privileged are the poorest. And with this perfume we must take care of them. The gesture that the faithful make when they meet you is eloquent here,priests: they take the consecrated hand, bring it close to their forehead as a sign of blessing.".
During the Mass in Dili, the capital of the country, in which half of the population (about 700,000 people) participated, he proposed to them to become small before God (cf. Homily, 10-IX-2024). bullying (Encounter, 11-IX-2024).
Nothing is built without love
The last stop of his trip was Singapore, a country very different from the previous ones, at the forefront of the economy and material progress. With few Christians but alive and committed to fraternal dialogue between ethnic groups, cultures and religions. Even in wealthy Singapore there are the "little ones" who follow the Gospel and become salt and light, witnesses of a greater hope than that which economic benefits can guarantee.
During the Mass he celebrated at the national stadium, the Singapore Sports Hub (cfr. Homily, 12-IX-2024) among the great skyscrapers stressed that nothing is built without love, although some might think that this is a naive statement.
Finally, in the meeting with young people (Catholic Junior College(13-IX-2024) asked them to cultivate a healthy and constructive critical spirit: "Young people must be courageous enough to build, to move forward and to get out of the 'comfort' zones. A young person who always chooses to spend his life in a 'comfortable' way, is a young person who gets fat. But he does not fatten his belly, he fattens his mind.". Then you have to take risks, to go out, not to be afraid to make mistakes. We must use the media in such a way that they help, not enslave.
Talking about marriage is, perhaps, one of the most important attitudes in the world. punkWe Catholics are called to defend, promote and incarnate.
October 4, 2024-Reading time: 2minutes
The Real Academia Española de la Lengua (Royal Spanish Academy of Language) describes, in its third meaning, the term punk as a "musical movement that emerges as a youth protest and whose followers adopt unconventional attire and behavior".. According to this description, to speak of a so-called marriage, marriageis perhaps one of the most important attitudes punkWe Catholics are called to defend, promote and incarnate.
To show, not only that a solid marriage between a man and a woman can be lived in spite of all the trials and tribulations - rivers, muds and mire - but also that this unique, imperfectly perfect relationship is not only plausible, but also the healthiest thing for a society (cf. Apostolic Exhortation Amoris Laetitia, 52)
In that marvel of a text, the Letter to Diognetus, referring to the first Christians, we read that "just like everyone else, they marry and beget children, but they do not get rid of the children they conceive. They have the table in common, but not the bed.". Eighteen centuries later, if we want to "to be in the world what the soul is in the body", we are called to see ourselves reflected in this definition. Today more than ever, the revolution that the world and society need has, at its epicenter, marriage.
Along with this conviction, we cannot ignore the fact that our society is intimately wounded in this primordial nucleus that is marriage, especially in what we call the West: gender ideology, the ease of divorce, the numerous broken families, fierce individualism..., make it urgent that the Church, each one of us Catholics, from our own vocation, respond to this call for healing. Recovering marriage is, perhaps, the "sign of the times" of our passage through the world.
With this recovery we speak of family accompaniment, preparation for marriage, formation of affectivity and, above all, of welcoming all those who come to this "field hospital" or those who must be sought out on the outskirts of our society.
As a priest who organized a macro-wedding for a score of couples who had not received the sacrament of matrimony noted: "We'll have to stain ourselves! We'll have to do something to make those who 'won't marry' at least consider getting married!"
"The good of the family is decisive for the future of the world and the Church."the Apostolic Exhortation Amoris Laetitia. For this reason, marriage, the first constituted family, continues to be a pastoral challenge for the laity, priests and consecrated persons in which we must invest creativity, effort and time. Yes, we will have to get dirty!
The Second Session of the Synod aims to be "a service of the Church to the world".
The members of the Second Session of the Synod of Bishops hope that this journey of the People of God will become "a service of the Church to the world," in which freedom, harmony and peace will stand out.
After the morning's work, some members of the Second Session of the Synod of Bishops gave a press conference to talk about the beginning of these days, which will last until the end of October.
During the hearing, the following spoke Giacomo Costa Riccardo Battocchio, both Special Secretaries of the Assembly; María de los Dolores Palencia Gómez and Monsignor Daniel Ernest Flores, both Delegate Presidents of the Assembly; and Paolo Ruffini, Prefect of the Dicastery for Communication.
The Prefect was the first to speak and confirm that the members of the Second Session will try to appear daily before the media to comment on the work of the day. Ruffini also explained that the essential elements of this Second Session are spirituality and prayer, as shown by the retreat with which everything began.
The Prefect commented that "the world situation is very much on the minds and in the hearts of those participating in the Synod," so the day began with a prayer for peace.
The Synod is a way
For his part, Giacomo Costa began his speech by assuring that the Second Session is not a mere repetition of what happened in 2023. He assured that "we have learned a lot" and that the members of the Assembly are "called to go one step further than last year".
The Special Secretary then clarified some ideas about the Synod of Synodality, the first of them echoing Pope Francis: "This is not a parliamentary assembly, but a place of listening and communion". Costa developed this by assuring that "the Synod is a place to opt for Life" and to "take a step towards forgiveness", proof of which is the Penitential Act that took place within the framework of the Assembly.
On the other hand, the Secretary General pointed out that these days of work are not "the final destination", but that there is still a long way to go. So much so, that until the month of June 2025 all the People of God can send their contributions to the working groups. The General Secretariat of the Synod "will be in charge of compiling the contributions and delivering them to the interested working groups".
From this stems a fundamental idea that Pope Francis has often repeated: the most important thing about the Synod is not the topics discussed, but learning to work together as a Church.
Synodal, missionary and merciful Church
Monsignor Riccardo Battocchio, also Special Secretary, spoke about the importance of the Penitential Act, which is part of the search for union with the whole Church. "The penitential act"He said "it seeks to set the tone for the whole assembly", "to give a style to the Church", which becomes aware of the reality of sin.
Alongside this wound, he continued, the Church observes that "the love of God does not tire, but makes us capable of living new relationships". This gives us the opportunity to become what Msgr. Battocchio called a "missionary and merciful synodal Church.
Battocchio also highlighted the work of the theologians in this Second Session, during which their task will be to facilitate "attentive listening and theological understanding of the contributions at the individual and group levels. Thanks to them, the Special Secretary stressed, "it will be possible to draw up a final document.
The Synod and the harmony of perspectives
For her part, María de los Dolores Palencia Gómez expressed her joy during the press conference for the opportunity given to the delegate presidents and facilitators to meet beforehand to resolve doubts and create community". Thanks to this, "the Assembly has begun with much encouragement and freedom".
The Delegate President conveyed her feeling "that the journey is made together" and that the idea is not to draft a final document, but to "work" and "deepen" the issues in order to fulfill the objective of "the mission", that is, to evangelize. Palencia Gómez ended his speech by summarizing the Synod as "a service of the Church to the world".
The last to speak was Monsignor Daniel Ernest, who reiterated that the members of the Assembly have not "arrived at the same place as last year" but have grown". He also defended the synodal method as an opportunity for each member of the People of God to offer his perspective.
"Perspective is not an enemy of truth, but the normal way of acting in the Church," said the Delegate President. As an example of this, he pointed to the four Gospels. In the same sense, he affirmed that "it is important for the Church to listen, not to accept everything that others say, but to understand".
Trini and Alberto: "Marriage is for enjoyment. We are lovers."
First they wrote 'Sex for nonconformists'.. Now, Trini Puente, Alberto Baselga and Antonio Tormo (+), have written '.Marriage for nonconformistsin which they launch a positive and realistic message about marriage. The October issue of Omnes magazine is about marriage, a topic of universal interest, and this interview can be an appetizer of what you will find in the dossier.
Francisco Otamendi-October 3, 2024-Reading time: 8minutes
The authors of 'Marriage for Nonconformists' make it clear that "there will be compromises, as in any human relationship, but marriage is for enjoyment". But neither should an unrealistically 'happy' marriage be presented, in which no mention is made of challenges.
They consciously repeat one word, "lovers.". They love the term "lovers" because "that's what we spouses are: experts at loving and letting ourselves be loved," they say.
A flash on the authors of this book, edited by RialpTrini Puente has directed educational centers for 20 years, and is director of the 2rd cabinet. And her husband, Alberto Baselga, has a master's degree in Promotion and Sexual Health from the Uned. Both have a master's degree in Marriage and Family from the University of Navarra and are professors at the UIC in Barcelona. Antonio Tormo, director and scriptwriter of more than 50 documentaries, has just passed away.
Neither in the book nor in the interview they avoid any topic, for example, sexuality, "nuclear in marriage", or the need to "recover the tenderness and the looks of love". To expand, these are her Instagram accounts, @lonuestro.infoand on Facebook, lonuestro.info.
Let's get to the conversation.
His book is written by six hands. Talk a little about the third co-author, Antonio Tormo, a man of cinema.
-Antonio has been a great friend, teacher and confidant, and he has just passed away. We met many years ago, but we never imagined that we would write a book together. When we started working on the book, his health had already begun to deteriorate.
We felt privileged to have shared so many meetings, chatting about the book, about the good we wanted to do and how to get it there. In his unwavering optimism, he used to say: "Let it be a timeless book. That, years from now, if someone reads it, nothing will sound old to them."
He was a man of great faith, and now that faith has been confirmed. He had a deep love for God and Our Lady. He was a person without prejudice, who wanted to help everyone, regardless of whether or not they shared his ideas. We thank God for having found him on our path and for having accepted us as his apprentices.
We also thank professors Jaime Nubiola, Lucas Buch and José Brage who helped us with recommendations and clarifications. And of course to all the friends who read the manuscript and gave their opinion.
Marriage is to be enjoyed, you reiterate. The desire to love and be loved, and for life. And yet, the social perspective is often quite negative.
- We always say that marriage is for enjoyment, not for bitterness. There will be compromises, as in any human relationship, but to exaggerate that aspect is a mistake. Neither should an unrealistically 'happy' marriage be presented, in which challenges are not mentioned, or if they are presented, solutions are offered that are not useful because of their simplicity, but that inexperienced people take as true.
This is dangerous because it creates expectations that are not real. Young people are enthused without verifying if they have the formation and the necessary qualities to live marriage to the fullest. It is not a matter of motivating them, but of forming them in the truth. And the truth is sufficiently attractive, for those who have this vocation, to enthuse them.
There is a word they repeat a lot, and it seems consciously. Lovers. Love stories.
- We love the word "lovers" because that is what we spouses are: experts in loving and letting ourselves be loved. It is a word that we must recover to define those married couples who struggle every day to increase their love.
Knowing how to be happy is key in life and, of course, in marriage. In the book we include real life examples of people who have or have not known how to be happy. First you have to desire happiness and then put in place the means to achieve it. This is an important theme that we develop in depth.
How to have good sex in marriage, is the title of one section. We ask you.
- This book is intended for believers and non-believers alike. Sometimes, on our Instagram, we get asked, "As Catholics, what should we do in sexuality?" What many don't know is that God has placed sexuality in human beings and has given us the instructions through revelation. We know what makes us happy and what does not. What we Catholics must do is to make this message known without putting God as an excuse, using the intelligence He has given us. Since this message is for all mankind, not only for Catholics, isn't it?
The first thing is to see sexuality as something clean, willed by God. In the book we explain that sex is meant for marriage, and only in this context is it truly fulfilling. Outside of it, you do not receive the benefits that God has prepared and it does not make you a better person. In marriage, on the other hand, it does. Good sex in marriage makes you a better person. At Marriage for nonconformistsWe stop to explain it in detail because, said in this way, it is surprising. It seems that sex is something permitted, consented to, in marriage, but not something holy and desired by God.
To despise sex is to despise something fundamental to human nature, they say.
- We go a step further and say that, to a certain extent, to despise sex is to do God a disservice. As we mentioned before, God has placed sex in the world for marriage, and when it is used outside of it, it is detracted from. We must recover that clean look towards what is a divine gift, a means to give glory to God within marriage.
Satisfactory sexual relations, enjoyed by both partners, strengthen the marriage. They help to forgive more easily, increase complicity, and facilitate the education of children, since the couple better understands each other's point of view. Enjoying sex in marriage is not something minor; those of us who have experienced it know that it strengthens mutual understanding and affection.
What about when you turn one year older? Male and female sexuality are different.
- Indeed, male and female sexuality are very different, and in the book we address this topic in depth, explaining it from a scientific point of view. We analyze the male and female brain, exploring where sexual desire resides and what differences exist between the two. We also analyze how everyday concerns affect desire. It's not just a question of education; there is an important biological basis.
Over the years, these differences become more pronounced, so it is essential to get to know each other well and talk openly about what each of you likes. A good tip for married couples is to schedule intimate encounters. This does not detract from spontaneity, but allows you to prepare the ground and disconnect the brain to enjoy the moment.
The more we talk about sex in marriage, the easier it will be to explain it to our children. We also discuss in the book how to approach the subject of sexuality with children.
Oral sex, the so-called sex toys, anal sex. In the book they talk about it openly. Some practices are sold as if it were Disneyland.
- Many young people believe that certain practices are forbidden to them because they are Catholic, such as anal sex. In this book, we address this issue bluntly, explaining what this practice consists of, so that each person can reflect on whether it is something good in itself or a bad use of their sexuality.
Although in pornography, both visual and written, it is presented as something appetizing and natural, our vision is quite different. Here we explain the preparations, risks and consequences that many people are unaware of.
We know that this chapter may come as a surprise, but we believe it is necessary to speak honestly. It is important for anyone to have a clear understanding of what anal intercourse is all about, and for our young people to have access to the right information to decide for themselves whether or not this practice enhances their sexuality.
Children. Birth rates are very low in the Western world, with some exceptions. One suffers with this issue. Some consideration of natural methods.
- It was another subject that took us many hours to discuss and meditate on. It cannot be trivialized. Contraceptive methods have taken hold in society and among Catholics. Having a large family is seen as irresponsible or something complicated to advise.
Natural methods were intended as a way to learn about a woman's fertility rhythms and to better understand her sexuality, not to compete in effectiveness with the pill, condoms, IUDs, etc.
The use of natural methods is something very intimate in the couple and of conscience. The number of children is something that concerns the conscience of the spouses. Hence the importance of forming their conscience well. To trivialize it from one extreme or the other is to oversimplify an issue that must be resolved by the couple. In the book we try to deal with it objectively.
In your book you talk about phases of love in marriage, childhood, adolescence, maturity. Can you explain this for a moment?
- Marriage, married life, is not something static and immutable; it is like people, who go through childhood, adolescence and maturity. Childhood represents the early days, when everything is easy and we are ready for anything. Then come the mortgage, children, daily coexistence, work, political families, etc., factors that make us enter a complicated stage. It is what we call the adolescence of love. Depending on the case, this stage will be more or less complicated.
Without going through this stage, mature or true love will never be achieved. We must try to go through this phase in the best possible way and mature our love as soon as possible. As in biological adolescence, there will be people - in this case, married couples - who will remain in adolescence all their lives, without reaching true love. On the contrary, others will overcome this stage soon and come to enjoy their marriage quickly.
A good formation and a good accompaniment will make many marriages happy and set an example to their children and to society.
Marriage breakups are frequent, despite the fact that the bride and groom, when they got married, only had eyes for their wife or husband. How do you keep your heart? They talk about infidelities...
- Marriage is the most complicated relationship, but it is the only one that leads to true love. Just because it is natural does not mean that it is easy. Jesus reproaches the Pharisees for having adapted marriage to their needs. Haven't we done the same?
In order for everyone to fit in, have we not lowered our standards, allowing married couples to settle for a flat and shallow married life? We speak of the original marriage, that which is in the core of the human being and which leads him or her to give glory to God.
The bride and groom, once married, must take care of that love and be accompanied by couples who enjoy their relationship or by trained people with the necessary knowledge to help them. It is necessary to make a real transformation in marriage preparation.
As for infidelities, it seems that only sexual infidelity is mentioned. In the book, we mention some others, such as infidelity of the heart. This consists of closing oneself to the other, not accepting anything he or she offers. In some cases, we pretend to have a 'happy marriage', but deep down in our hearts we are closed to love. There are many cases that we describe in the book, and we also deal with more infidelities that complicate the path to true love.
The penultimate one: How do you 'recover' the wife, or husband, in marriage? Perhaps we have experienced it. What is your recipe?
- There is no magic formula, but what is essential is the willingness of both parties to heal and strengthen the relationship. It is about remembering the love that once united you and that, over time, may have been neglected.
In our book, we offer some practical advice, such as learning to express each other's needs. Often, marriages that run into difficulties are not only due to selfishness, but also to lack of communication or poor advice.
It is important that both parties understand the mistakes they may have made and, with mutual support, work to fix them. The good news is that most problems can be solved, as long as there is commitment and a sincere desire to regain love.
And the last one. It is moving to see you talk about tenderness, about the look... The world is hard, sometimes implacable. Happy marriages improve society, they conclude.
- Our objective with this book is to make marriages happy and therefore stable. What good are stable marriages if they are not happy? Bright and cheerful homes begin with happy marriages. Maintaining them is relatively easy. Striving for happiness is what makes the difference. Tenderness and loving glances must be recovered. In our book we try to explain how.
Tenderness and glances are not sentimentality, they are the food for love. The real transformation of our society will be made by happy marriages.
If we want to create a new Christian culture as an alternative to the present one, what are the steps we should take?
October 3, 2024-Reading time: 5minutes
We are called to be salt and light in our present world, however complex it may be. We must care for our brothers and fight with all our strength for the regeneration of our society. We have not chosen it, but this is the time that God has given us to live among our brothers and sisters, to walk at their side. As Gandalf said to Frodo Baggins: "We cannot choose the times we live in, the only thing we can do is decide what to do with the time we have been given." God has given us this time, and we are responsible for opening new paths, as well as keeping our heritage alive. But then, if we want to create a new Christian culture to serve as an alternative to the one that is already emerging in our world today, what are the steps we should take?
In my life I have had many teachers, as Gandalf was for Bilbo. Fernando Sebastián, Archbishop of Pamplona and Bishop of Tudela, with whom I had the privilege of working side by side as delegate for education in the diocese of Navarre.
I once heard an idea from him that helped me to situate myself in this point we are discussing. He was giving a lecture in which he precisely analyzed our world and pointed out three circles of action on which a society should be reformed.
The first, said the Aragonese cardinal, was that of personal conversion. Everything must start from there. Otherwise, any reform or change will be built on sand. At a time when people are clamoring for the reform of socio-political structures, in reality what is most urgent is the transformation of persons, of each person, beginning with my own conversion.
The second part of Augustine's sentence brings us back to this initial point: "Nos sumus tempora; quales sumus, talia sunt tempora."(We are the times; as we are, so will be the times). Perhaps, if we look at the times in which we live, we will realize how we are. Simply by turning the phrase around, it reflects the degree of vitality of Christians living in these times, as a mirror would. It is undoubtedly a spur. And at the same time it shows us the only way to start again. To begin with our conversion.
This first circle seems to me to be particularly important today. Conscience is the last redoubt of freedom in a society in which there is the possibility of directing our impulses by knowing every last corner of our life thanks to the big data (data intelligence). They know what we like, they serve us appropriate content, personalized for us, according to our age, place where we live, preferences, etc.
And they have the ability to guide our behaviors and shape our thinking. Never has the capacity to manipulate people been so powerful. That is why the authentic cultural resistance, the true barrier against the most radical alienation, is a man configured by Christ.
The second circle is that of close relationships. Starting with one's own family, which is undoubtedly the first and foremost social nucleus. D. Fernando called us to take care of our family and to live as Christians, as a domestic church, our ordinary life. How many resonances also came to me when I heard these words! And how we have had to live it in the times of confinement by COVID-19! The domestic church has become a tangible reality in that time when we were locked up in our homes; it was not a simple theological idea.
That family circle, that first social instance, is the most important and fundamental when it comes to generating a new society, radically alternative to the one offered by today's world. Never before has the witness of a united, fruitful family, with faithful spouses who love each other in any situation, been so striking. Today, this type of relationship is radically countercultural, but it lays the solid foundation for a new way of understanding life.
Giving our children the gift of faith is the best gift we can give them, but it is also a way of building the society of tomorrow. Transmitting the faith, passing the witness from generation to generation, is the best evangelization that the Church can do.
We must transmit a faith that is alive, that teaches our children to live in the midst of this world and to be committed Christians themselves. Many times I hear parents who live in fear of the world they are going to leave their children. I like to remember the phrase of Abilio de Gregorio: "Do not worry about the world you are going to leave to your children, but about the children you are going to leave to this world". The education of children is a great contribution to the creation of a new Christian culture.
In this second circle of social relations, Father Fernando encouraged Christian families to create bonds and community with other families that have the same criteria, the same values that emanate from the Gospel of Jesus Christ. That is the next step to be taken, the one we have to take in order to build a new society. We have to create bonds, establish relationships between families that have the same vision of the world in order to create a small community in which being a Christian is something natural.
Fernando invited us to participate, together as Christians, in the civil society closest to our lives, the reality in which we are immersed: the community of neighbors, our children's school council, the neighborhood parties, our work in the office... How much life we can give in all these environments, creating a true current that is born from the Good News of the Lord! Everything is transformed when Christians live it.
And neighborhood communities can truly be community and not constant quarrels; neighborhood festivals can be celebration and unity, creative and joyful; work can become a nucleus of friendship, with close ties that go beyond the merely economic.
This second circle has always been vital in confronting totalitarian regimes. It was the cultural struggle that St. John Paul II maintained, for example, with his theater group in communist Poland. Small nuclei of identity that, by various means, keep their roots alive and transmit them to others.
The third circle is that of political life. When a new culture, new relationships, a new vision of life in civil society is born, then naturally a new politics will be born. The great institutional relationships, the unions, the political parties, the media... all of this will be Christianized, in truth, when the previous circles have vitality.
Because, as we know, the great temptation is to think that when a supposedly Christian political party wins the elections, when there are powerful means of communication that can carry the Gospel as others spread its messages, then everything will be solved. But experience tells us that, in the best of cases, this would be a giant with feet of clay that would end up crumbling.
This is the way forward: to build from the bottom up, to lay the foundations of the building, to dream, perhaps, of great projects for the future, doing the small actions that we can and must do in the present.
Teaching Delegate in the Diocese of Getafe since the 2010-2011 academic year, he has previously exercised this service in the Archbishopric of Pamplona and Tudela, for seven years (2003-2009). He currently combines this work with his dedication to youth ministry directing the Public Association of the Faithful 'Milicia de Santa Maria' and the educational association 'VEN Y VERÁS. EDUCATION', of which he is President.
Fidelity, God's plan. 17th Sunday in Ordinary Time (B)
Joseph Evans comments on the readings for Sunday 27th Sunday in Ordinary Time and Luis Herrera offers a brief video homily.
Joseph Evans-October 3, 2024-Reading time: 2minutes
God's plan for marriage is truly beautiful. As today's readings show, it all began when God gave Eve, the first woman, as a wife to Adam, the first man. Adam is delighted to see her. She is the companion, the equal, that he could not find in the rest of creation. And the text concludesFor this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh".
But things soon went awry. Adam and Eve fell into sin and began to blame each other: Adam blamed Eve, and Eve blamed the serpent. All sorts of abuses ensued, particularly the mistreatment and oppression of women, such as polygamy and divorce. To try to improve things, Moses later allowed divorce, requiring that the divorced woman be given at least a certificate of divorce, so that she would have some legal status to protect her.
And this brings us to today's Gospel, where the Pharisees ask Jesus about this question. "Is it lawful for a man to put away his wife?", and cite Moses' permission for divorce. But Jesus gives a surprising answer. "Because of the hardness of your hearts Moses wrote this commandment".
"Because of the hardness of your heart"and the permission to divorce came from Moses, not from God. Jesus then reminds them of God's original plan. In other words, permission to divorce was never God's plan: it was only a concession made by man. "because of the hardness of your heart". Even the disciples are surprised, but Jesus insists: divorcing your spouse and trying to remarry is not a true marriage, it is adultery because, if your first marriage was valid, you are still married. And he concludes: "For what God has joined together, let no man put asunder".
To accept divorce is to doubt God and His power. It is almost blasphemy. When God unites two people, he unites them by his power with an unbreakable bond and we should not doubt it.
And with divorce comes that other great evil, contraception. So it is interesting that, having made it clear that divorce is evil, Jesus then shows his love for children. "Let the children come to me: do not hinder them, for the kingdom belongs to such as these.of God". Then we read: "taking them in his arms, he blessed them by laying his hands on them". The Bible only shows God encouraging and blessing openness to life. Nowhere does God discourage us from having children.
Homily on the readings of Sunday 27th Sunday in Ordinary Time (B)
Priest Luis Herrera Campo offers his nanomiliaA short one-minute reflection for these Sunday readings.
Pope to pray a Rosary for peace and calls for a Day of Prayer
"In this dramatic hour of our history, as the winds of war and violence continue to devastate entire peoples and nations," Pope Francis revealed this morning, at the opening Mass of the October Synodal Assembly, that on Sunday he will ask the Virgin Mary in a special way for peace, praying the Rosary in St. Mary Major, In addition, he has called for a Day of prayer and fasting on October 7.
Francisco Otamendi-October 2, 2024-Reading time: 6minutes
The dramatic days and hours of war and violence in the Middle East, together with the other existing wars, such as in Russia and Ukraine, have prompted Pope Francis to turn to the intercession of Mary Most Holy to ask for the gift of peace.
Next Sunday he will go to the Basilica of St. Mary Major, where he will recite the Holy Rosary, "and I will address to Our Lady a request," which he did not specify. "And if possible, I also ask you, members of the Synod, to join me on this occasion."
"And on the following day (October 7, feast of Our Lady of the Rosary), "I ask everyone to live a Day of Prayer and Fasting for peace in the world. Let us walk together, let us listen to the Lord, and let us allow ourselves to be led by the breeze of the Spirit," he said at the conclusion of a Mass in St. Peter's Square. Holy Mass opening of the Second Session of the XVI Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops.
Synod: "Discerning together the voice of God".
At the beginning of his homily at Mass on October 2, the Pope referred to today's memorial and outlined some guidelines for the members of the Synod.
"We celebrate this Eucharist in the liturgical memory of the Holy Guardian Angels, at the reopening of the plenary session of the Synod of Bishops. Listening to what the Word of God suggests to us, we could take three images as a starting point for our reflection: the voice, the shelter and the child," the Pope said.
"First, the voice. On the way to the Promised Land, God advises the people to listen to the "voice of the angel" that He has sent (cf. Ex 23:20-22)."
"It is an image that touches us closely, because the Synod is also a journey in which the Lord places in our hands the history, dreams and hopes of a great People of sisters and brothers scattered throughout the world, animated by our same faith, driven by the same desire for holiness so that, with them and through them, we may try to understand what path to follow to get where He wants to lead us."
"It is not a parliamentary assembly."
"It is a matter, with the help of the Holy Spirit," the Successor of Peter stressed, of "listening to and understanding the voices, that is, the ideas, the expectations, the proposals, in order to discern together the voice of God speaking to the Church."
"As we have repeatedly reminded,Ours is not a parliamentary assembly, but a place of listening in communion, where, as St. Gregory the Great says, what someone has in himself partially, another possesses completely, and even if some have particular gifts, everything belongs to the brethren in the "charity of the Spirit" (cf. Homilies on the Gospels, XXXIV)".
No agendas to impose
The Pope disqualified "arrogance", and warned "not to turn our contributions into points to defend or agendas to impose, but let us offer them as gifts to be shared, ready even to sacrifice what is particular, if this can serve to bring forth, together, something new according to God's plan".
"Otherwise, we will end up locked in a dialogue among the deaf, where each one tries to "take water to his own mill" without listening to others and, above all, without listening to the voice of the Lord". "The solutions to the problems we face are not ours, but His. Let us listen, then, to the voice of God and of his angel", he stressed.
The Holy Spirit, master of harmony
As for the second image, the shelter, Francis pointed out that "wings are powerful instruments, capable of lifting a body off the ground with their vigorous movements. But, even though they are so strong, they can also fold and narrow, becoming a shield and a welcoming nest for the young, in need of warmth and protection.
This image is a symbol of what God does for us, but also a model to follow, especially in this time of assembly".
He also recalled that "the Holy Spirit is the master of harmony, who, with so many differences, is able to create a single voice".
Making us small
With regard to the third image, that of the child, the Pope recalled that "it is Jesus himself, in the Gospel, who "places him in the midst" of the disciples, showing him to them, inviting them to convert and become little like him. This paradox is fundamental for us.
The Synod, he said, "given its importance, in a certain sense asks us to be 'big' - in mind, heart and outlook - because the issues to be dealt with are 'big' and delicate, and the scenarios in which they are situated are broad and universal",
And quoting Benedict XVI, he said: "Let us remember that it is by making us small that God 'shows us what true greatness is, indeed, what it means to be God'" (Benedict XVI, Homily on the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord, January 11, 2009).
"It is not by chance that Jesus says that the children's angels "in heaven are constantly in the presence [of] the heavenly Father" (Mt 18:10); that is, that the angels are like a "telescope" of the Father's love.
In conclusion, he prayed that "we ask the Lord, in this Eucharist, to live the coming days under the sign of listening, of reciprocal custody and humility, to listen to the voice of the Spirit, to feel welcomed and welcomed with love, and to never lose sight of the trusting, innocent and simple eyes of the little ones, of whom we want to be a voice, and through whom the Lord continues to appeal to our freedom and our need for conversion".
Penitential vigil on the eve
Yesterday evening, on the eve of the Mass to begin the work of the Synodal Assembly, the Pontiff expressed his shame for the sins of the Church and asked for forgiveness from God and the victims....
The Pope stated that sin "is always a wound in relationships: the relationship with God and the relationship with the brothers", and added that "no one is saved alone, but it is equally true that the sin of one releases effects on many: just as everything is connected in good, so it is also connected in evil".
In the Penitential celebration The testimonies of a survivor of sexual abuse, of a volunteer engaged in the reception of migrants and of a nun from Syria were heard, narrating the drama of war.
Requests for pardon read by seven cardinals
At the same time, several cardinals read apologiesThe Pope himself wrote. It was necessary to call by name and surname our main sins, "and we hide them or say them with too polite words," Francis pointed out.
In fact, seven well-known cardinals asked forgiveness for the sins against peace (Cardinal Oswald Gracias, Archbishop of Bombay); creation, indifference to the needy and migrants, indigenous peoples (Cardinal Michael Czerny); the sin of abuse (Cardinal Sean Patrick O'Malley); the sin against women, the family, the youth (Cardinal Kevin Farrell); the sin of doctrine used as a stone to be thrown (Cardinal Victor Manuel Fernandez); the sin against the poor, poverty (Cardinal Cristobal Lopez Romero, Archbishop of Rabat). Kevin Farrell); the sin of doctrine used as a stone to be thrown (Card. Victor Manuel Fernández); the sin against the poor, poverty (Card. Cristóbal López Romero, Archbishop of Rabat): the sin against synodality, understood as the lack of listening, communion and participation of all (Card. Christoph Schönborn).
"Today we are all like the publican."
Pope Francis acknowledged that the healing of the wound begins with the confession of the sin we have committed and reflected on the Gospel of St. Luke that narrates the parable of the Pharisee and the tax collector.
The Pharisee "expects a reward for his merits, and thus deprives himself of the surprise of the gratuity of salvation, fabricating a god who could do nothing but sign a certificate of presumed perfection. A man closed to surprise, closed to all surprises. He is closed in on himself, closed to the great surprise of mercy. His ego makes no room for anything or anyone, not even God."
But "today we are all like the tax collector, with our eyes lowered and ashamed of our sins," the Successor of Peter said. "Like him, we stand back, clearing the space occupied by vanity, hypocrisy and pride - and also, let us say it, to us, bishops, priests, consecrated men and women, clearing the space occupied by presumption, hypocrisy and pride." Therefore, he added, "we could not invoke the name of God without asking forgiveness from our brothers and sisters, from the earth and from all creatures.
Restoring "broken trust" in the Church
"How could we pretend to walk together without receiving and giving the forgiveness that restores communion in Christ," the Pope concluded. Confession is "the opportunity to restore trust in the Church and in her, trust broken by our mistakes and sins, and to begin to heal the wounds that do not stop bleeding, breaking the unjust chains," he said, citing the book of Isaiah. In this sense, the Pope said: "We would not want this weight to slow down the path of the Kingdom of God in history", and admitted that "we have made our share, even of mistakes".
Pope's Prayer
The Pope finally encouraged the intercession of St. Therese of the Child Jesus, patroness of the missions, and said this prayer:
"O Father, we are gathered here conscious that we need your loving gaze. Our hands are empty, we can only receive as much as you can give us. We ask your forgiveness for all our sins, help us to restore your face which we have disfigured by our unfaithfulness. We ask forgiveness, feeling ashamed, of those who have been wounded by our sins. Give us the courage of sincere repentance for conversion. We ask this by invoking the Holy Spirit to fill with his grace the hearts you have created, in Christ Jesus our Lord. We all ask for forgiveness, we are all sinners, but we all have hope in your love, Lord. Amen.
At the end of the celebration, the Holy Father invited everyone to greet each other with the sign of peace, which symbolizes reconciliation and the desire to walk together in unity.
Francisco Aparicio: "Faith made Luis Valls a social banker".
The history of Spanish banking cannot be understood without Luis Valls-Taberner (1926-2006), executive vice-president of Banco Popular since 1957, at the age of 31, and then president (1972-2004). The banker left an extensive legacy of social action and thousands of people supported by the foundations he promoted, Francisco Aparicio told Omnes. The late 'red priest' of Vallecas, Enrique Castro, called him 'the banker with sandals'.
Francisco Otamendi-October 2, 2024-Reading time: 8minutes
Luis Valls-Taberner Arnó, born in Barcelona into a family of family of the Catalan bourgeoisie, in 1926, he was the fifth of six brothers and was six years older than the youngest, Javier, who would be co-president of Popular with him for years.
Luis Valls' parents were deep believers, and he studied at the Jesuits, Marists and La Salle Brothers, and then Law at the University of Barcelona. He earned his doctorate and taught at the universities of Barcelona and Madrid. In his early twenties, the young Valls discovered his vocation to Opus Dei, and asked for admission as a numerary.
"This way of taking his faith to the ultimate consequences of a vital commitment made him an absolutely atypical banker in his time. Austere, supportive, freedom-loving and with a humanist spirit", Francisco Aparicio describes him. Valls helped the Communist Party and Comisiones Obreras, as well as religious institutions -especially many convents of nuns-: it was something constant in his social action. It became famous the recurrent question that he always asked them "What do you need?
To learn more about Luis Valls, Omnes spoke with Francisco Aparicio (Cartagena, Murcia, 1955), a lawyer who knew and treated Luis Valls for more than 25 years, and was his executor. They worked together on many projects, and he has succeeded him in the foundations for example, Fundación Hispánica, and in the management and vision of its social action.
Modern social responsibility, and the concept of CSR, emerged in the United States in 1953. It would take decades to reach the codes of good governance in Spain. But there were pioneers, for example Banco Popular, founded in 1926...
- Luis Valls, president of Banco Popular for several decades, was no ordinary banker. Despite leading one of the most profitable financial institutions in the world, Valls did not behave like a typical businessman. Affectionately nicknamed "the banker with sandals" by Enrique Castro, also known as the 'red priest', Valls combined his financial vision with a deep social vocation. This nickname was no accident; his commitment to helping others was something that defined him.
At 1957, at the age of 31, Luis Valls was appointed executive vice-president, and began to Banco Popular's social action, what did it consist of?
- Luis Valls promoted the creation of several foundations with a clear objective: to help those who truly needed it, always separating the actions of the bank from those of the foundations. They were two independent worlds.
He put this vision into practice when, shortly after taking the helm of the bank, he proposed that the "statutory fees", i.e. the annual fees they were entitled to receive for being directors, should be donated to social causes.
The sum of these annual donations was the great source of the foundations, the vehicle through which the social action was carried out. In addition, and throughout more than 50 years of this social action, many friends, acquaintances and good-hearted people donated large amounts of money as one-time, non-recurring donations. These two sources of income nourished the foundations inspired by Luis Valls to help thousands of people and institutions.
He always understood that Banco Popular's purpose went far beyond just being an example of seriousness, profitability and business soundness, Valls wanted to go further with a vision of social banking, a new dimension.
Luis Valls reportedly had one of the lowest salaries of the presidents of Spanish financial institutions, and he also donated a large part of it to foundations, to expand opportunities for people. Is this the case or is it a well-intentioned hoax?
- Many are surprised that Luis Valls, president of one of the most important banks in the country, was not motivated by personal gain. He was a person totally detached from material things and there are many traits and behaviors that prove it. He was the bank president who received the lowest salary in Spain, although there is no doubt that his salary was very high. In 2004, almost at the end of his mandate, his colleagues multiplied his salary by 3 or 4 compared to the Catalan banker (750,000 euros per year compared to more than 3 million euros for the leaders of the banking sector at that time).
If that were not enough, almost all his money Valls was donating during his career to help individuals and institutions. It is well known his austerity in his dress, always elegant and correct, but, it is said, he was only known for 6 suits. Many more examples are recounted in Testimonials at his web page.
Were the accounts of the foundations transparent? They did not advertise their work?
- Transparency, as in the bank, was non-negotiable in the foundations. All accounts were always supervised by the corresponding public body and, obviously, by the governing bodies of each foundation. Everything is conveniently reflected in the books and, in summary form, is accessible on the foundations' websites.
You report that he personally took care of the requests that came into his office. Was he generous or stingy? Tell us your philosophy: What is it to help without appearing?
- The foundations were governed by some basic principles that are described in detail in the "Criteria for Action", a document that set out their identity and the way to proceed in their management. Some of them are striking, such as the fact that they never wanted to be the only ones to support the initiative; they asked you to look for other travel companions to share the risk. At the same time, I was able to verify that the idea was solid.
Other examples are the insistence on "saying no early if it was not clear to you so as not to make people wait" and not publicizing the approval of a loan to avoid the "call effect". Thousands of people testify to their appreciation for the work of foundations in their lives, families and institutions.
The work of the foundations was not only to provide financial resources, but also advice on the implementation of projects, contacts or suppliers and other needs beyond the monetary ones. In the foundations, they accompanied people in meeting their challenges and took a long-term interest in the progress and achievement of objectives.
Valls was extremely careful with the management of resources. For him, every donation or loan had to be a carefully considered and absolutely viable decision.
Can you tell us about the credits or honor loans that you launched?
- Just as in other cases, foundations specialize in topics such as art, road safety, immigration or other laudable initiatives, in the case of the foundations inspired by Valls, the focus was on the individual and his or her specific needs. It did not matter the area of activity or the personal task that each person carried out, only his or her need was relevant and to know if and how he or she could be helped.
There are thousands of actions that foundations have carried out and continue to carry out in these almost 50 years. Some in Spain, but many others outside our borders. One of the principles of the foundations stands out, especially with students. It was common to find cases in which part of the debt was forgiven in exchange for extraordinary grades. It is a gesture that shows how the essence of the foundations and their founding spirit was to help the progress of people, of society, always giving the best that we all have inside.
To make Luis Valls' open-mindedness explicit, it is reported that Banco Popular was one of the first to support Santiago Carrillo's Communist Party and Comisiones Obreras. It also helped more than a few convents of nuns.
- He was open-minded, conciliatory and, according to many "a liberal"This made him a friend in all areas of the political spectrum. Moreover, being his political convictions close to the Christian democracy, he made good friends in the PSOE and in Workers' Commissionsfor example. As a banker, he took this independence to its ultimate consequences, his being the first bank (for a time, the only one) to grant credit to the Communist Party before the 1978 elections.
In his twenties, Valls discovered his vocation to Opus Dei and asked for admission as a numerary. Did his vocation and spirituality influence his professional life as a banker, humanist and philanthropist?
- At the age of 21 he applied for admission to Opus Dei, a Catholic organization of which he was a member until his death. This way of taking his faith to the ultimate consequences of a vital commitment made him an absolutely atypical banker in his time. Austere, supportive, freedom-loving and with a humanist spirit, Luis Valls was a very relevant character of his time and one of the so-called "free men" of his time. Big Seven of the bank.
Your commitment to religious bodies Valls' social action -special attention was paid to many convents of nuns- was a constant feature of his social action. Valls visited and took an interest in congregations with extreme needs, which he helped, advised and accompanied. Not only with money via loans through the foundations, but also by offering them suppliers who could help them and, always, being very close to them by visiting them or taking an interest in their needs by telephone.
Many other congregations benefited from the sensitivity of Luis Valls and his team of collaborators. The recurring question he always asked them, "What do you need?" became famous.
One point that caused controversy after the death of Luis Valls was the relationship of people in the Bank with the co-president for some years, Javier Valls, Luis' brother.
- Family was an axis in Valls' life. Although his origins and a large part of them resided in Barcelona, he never lost the link with his mother and siblings. His father died when Luis was very young. The family bond also took shape in the bank, where up to three brothers, Pedro, Felix and Javier, worked with him.
The succession at the bank, when Luis was already ill and elderly, was unanimously endorsed by the Board of Directors. Ángel Ron, who worked with Valls for more than 20 years, was the person chosen. A competent and recognized person in the sector and, for those who wanted to look for other relationships, not linked to Opus Dei, he led the institution almost until 2017, when the bank passed into the hands of Banco Santander.
Some people wondered why his brother Javier, Vice-Chairman for so many years, was not his successor. It is not easy to know the reasons, but what does seem clear is that the Board of Directors unanimously accepted his resignation and appointed Ángel Ron as Chairman: unanimity in a Board of Directors implies a prior consensus accepted by all. On the other hand, a different proposal from the then recently deceased Chairman of the Board was not even discussed, and this was not a matter that would have been left to chance.
My personal impression is that some people do not understand the freedom of the people of Opus Dei in the questions of professional, social, political, economic, etc. But the interviewee is you.
- Indeed, there are some people, a few, who still do not understand freedom, and there are some people, a few also, who do not understand that there are people who can give their life or their time to God and to others, and, with certain frequency, they look behind every behavior for profit, self-affirmation or power. They are not the majority, far from it.
For those who have this way of thinking, it may be difficult to imagine that the faithful of Opus Dei are as free as any other Catholic in professional, social, political or economic matters, and that they do not act in groups. Specifically, in the history of Banco Popular, there have been several situations in which two Opus Dei members have coincided on the Board of Directors or among the directors, with projects that are not only different but even antagonistic: this is normal, since each has his own opinions and his own ways of dealing with the problems of the company.
Tell me, in conclusion, any quality or virtue of Luis Valls. And some defect, because we all have defects.
- Valls, like all people, had faults and virtues. Some say that he was somewhat dry in his manner, since grandiloquence was not his best attribute and, at times, according to some collaborators, "he was not easy to understand". He was somewhat reserved and, at times, enigmatic. It was not easy to know what he was thinking and some claim that he had an intimidating gaze with long silences.
We are in front of a multifaceted person who was much more than a great banker, a humanist and a philanthropist. An unrepeatable figure, good, hardworking and generous. He was a prudent character and many emphasize that he liked to influence much more than to command.
Luis Valls created a different way of banking and helping society. Thousands of employees, shareholders, the media and tens of thousands of beneficiaries through his foundations are witnesses to this, and will continue to be so in the years to come thanks to the daily work of the management team of Patronato Universitario, Fundación Hispánica and Fomento de Fundaciones.
The Second Session of the Synodal Assembly will take place from October 2 to 27. When it ends, the phase of reception of the conclusions throughout the Catholic Church will begin, as indicated by Pope Francis.
Giacomo Costa SJ-October 2, 2024-Reading time: 4minutes
The Second Session of the XVI Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops opens on October 2. At its conclusion, on October 27, the phase of discernment by the pastors will conclude and the phase of reception of the conclusions in the whole Church and in each of the local Churches will begin, in the forms and modalities to be indicated by Pope Francis.
The task of the Assembly is to seek answers to the guiding question indicated by Pope Francis, "How to be a synodal Church in mission?", and to indicate concrete ways of putting them into practice, in relation to the themes proposed in the "Instrumentum laboris" for the Second Session (IL2).
IL2 opens with the prophet Isaiah's vision of the messianic banquet (25:6-8), thus clarifying that the horizon of a synodal Church is mission at the service of God's desire that all human beings and all peoples be invited to the banquet of his Kingdom. Without a clear perspective of missionary proclamation, the Synod would run the risk of being only a self-referential exercise.
The text of IL2 is organized in four sections, which correspond to the first four modules of the work of the assembly. By reading its summary one can realize what is at stake in the Second Session and its relevance for the life and mission of the Church.
Fundamentals and relationships
The first section, "Foundations," outlines the theological horizon in which the work must be situated. It is not a treatise on ecclesiology, but touches on points such as the sacramental nature of the Church, the shared sense of synodality, the reciprocity between men and women in the Church, and the dialogue between the Church's differences, which does not compromise its unity, but rather enriches it.
The second section, "Relationships," focuses on the relational fabric of which the Church is composed, indispensable for sustaining persons and communities. The emphasis on relationships responds to the desire for a Church that is less bureaucratic and closer to people, which is associated throughout the world with the terms "synodal" and "synodality." But it is also in line with Christian anthropology.
As Benedict XVI has written, "the human creature, as a spiritual creature by nature, is fulfilled in interpersonal relationships. The more authentically she lives them, the more her personal identity matures" ("Caritas in veritate", n. 43).
Attention to relationships is expressed in concreteness. Thus, the following are addressed: the relationship between charisms and ministries; the ways in which the Church is "perceived as home and family" (IL2, n. 33); the peculiar nature of ordained ministers (bishops, priests and deacons) and their relationship with the rest of the People of God; the exchange of gifts that binds the local Churches together in the one universal communion. The gaze is never turned inward, but remains focused on the mission, since it is precisely the quality of relationships that makes the proclamation of the Gospel credible.
Roads and places
The third section, "Pathways," focuses on the processes of fostering and developing relationships, promoting harmony in the community through the ability to face conflicts and difficulties together.
The issues of formation and discernment are addressed here, as well as a reflection on decision-making processes based on the participation of all and the recognition of differentiated responsibility among the members of the community according to the role of each one, with a view to an inalienable, but not unconditional, decision-making competence of hierarchical authority. Finally, this section addresses the promotion of a culture and concrete forms of transparency, accountability and evaluation of the work of those in positions of responsibility.
Finally, the fourth section, "Places," focuses on the concreteness of the contexts and the variety of cultures in which the Church lives. The latter represents a crucial challenge for a Church that defines itself as Catholic, that is, universal, and wants to be able to welcome everyone without asking anyone to uproot himself or herself from his or her own culture. Here there is room for the Bishop of Rome's service to unity, the most appropriate forms for its exercise in today's world and the search for institutions and structures capable of promoting unity in diversity and diversity in unity.
The Holy Spirit and the Synod Assembly
The outcome of the discernment of the Synodal Assembly cannot be predicted, but some results already achieved can be recognized. Synod 2021-2024 shows that it is possible to imagine participatory paths on a global scale and that people with very different, if not opposing, points of view can meet, dialogue and, above all, be willing to listen together to the Holy Spirit and discern what he is inviting them to.
It is precisely the fact of sharing the same Trinitarian faith that is the cornerstone for mutual acceptance and for the uncompromising articulation of perspectives that may seem quite distant. Thus it was also possible to experiment with an articulation of the global and the local - that is, the universal and the particular - that escaped both homogenization and particularism. This was certainly a first attempt, which will have to be further improved.
A key factor in all this is the method-which has become characteristic of the synodal process-based on conversation in the Spirit. With the necessary adaptations to the different contexts, it proves capable of promoting, in an atmosphere of prayer and readiness for mutual acceptance, a consensus that escapes polarization. These results encourage us to look forward to the Second Session, but even more so the certainty, repeatedly confirmed, that the protagonist of the Synod is the Holy Spirit.
The authorGiacomo Costa SJ
Special Secretary of the XVI Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops
Hadjadj will address in this meeting the deep moral wound of the abuses committed within the Church and the roots of the evil involved in the actions of those who perpetrate these crimes. All this in a conversation with journalist Joseba Louzau about Fabrice Hadjadj's latest book, Wolves disguised as lambspublished by Encuentro and in which the author puts his gaze and his deepest reflection on what it means, for the life of the Church, the realization of a painful reality that, in some cases, came to be dressed in apparent sanctity, like wolves disguised as lambs.
The Omnes Forum, which is sponsored by the CARF Foundation and Banco Sabadell, will take place on on-sitethe next October 24, 2024at 19:30 h. at the Postgraduate Headquarters of the University of Navarra in Madrid (C/ Marquesado de Santa Marta, 3. 28022 Madrid).
UPDATE
The capacity for this event is full. If you wish to receive the video of the event, a few days after its celebration, you can request it through the following e-mail address [email protected]
Synod members hold retreat prior to Second Session
The members of the Second Session of the Synod of Bishops, which begins in Rome on October 2, met beforehand to celebrate a retreat that ended with a Mass in St. Peter's Basilica.
Enrique Alarcón, before the Synod: "It is the Spirit who guides us".
Of the 17 Spanish male members of the Synod, Enrique Alarcón was the only layman in 2023. In addition, there were 4 women: two other laywomen, Eva Fernández Mateo and Cristina Inogés, and two religious sisters. Now, Enrique Alarcón, former president of Frater, facing the Second Session of the XVI Synodal Assembly in Rome, October 2-27, asks for prayers for the Pope and the Synod.
Francisco Otamendi-October 1, 2024-Reading time: 2minutes
"I will have to be in the Synodof course. The appointment was not for a part of the Synod, but for the whole Synod, and this is the second part. With courage in my heart, and with concern for the responsibility that comes with something so great, which has been placed in the hands and hearts of those of us who are there".
This is how Enrique Alarcón comments to Omnes on his preparations to participate in the Second Session of the XVI Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops on synodality in Rome, where 365 members - 269 bishops and 96 non-bishops, not definitive figures - will meet with the Pope to answer the question: "How to be a missionary synodal Church," as Ricardo Battocchio, special secretary of the Assembly, explains in the October issue of Omnes magazine.
"A month is a long time, it means a lot of preparation for me to get around, with the issue of the electric wheelchair, luggage... Fortunately, there is the humility of my wife, who gives up a month of her work, and comes there, so that I can be there. So we are going to the Synod in 2 for 1", adds Enrique Alarcón.
"We know what faith is like: walking sometimes in the shadows."
"We trust that it is the Lord who is guiding us at this moment in history, and the Church has to respond. Even if it costs us, even if sometimes we do not see it. But we know what faith is like. It is to walk, sometimes in the shadows, in the fog, but it is the Spirit who guides us. And this is where the Synod will bear fruit. Just as the first Assembly did, so will this one, and in that confidence we will be there," the former president of the Synod told Omnes. Frater (Christian Fellowship of People with Disabilities), which he has chaired for several years.
During the first Assembly, Enrique Alarcón He told Omnes: "The presence of a Pope in a wheelchair is impressive". "Listening in the Holy Spirit should permeate the Church."
"Prayer for the Holy Father, for all, for me."
When we told him about our intention to pray for the Assembly, Enrique Alarcon said: "Thank you for your prayers, for your prayers. For me, I need it, to see if I can have enough physical and mental strength to endure the long days of work. The work there is very deep, very serious, as you know. And for everyone. For the Holy Father, because we need the work to bear fruit. So thank you very much. A big hug, and courage and go ahead with everything forever, see you later, my friend".
As for Frater, he adds: "I'm feeling fine, I still have some autumn aches and pains, but we're getting there. In Frater everything is moving forward, calm, it is the first year that the new team is here, it is a year of running in. But they are already planning things, they are moving a lot, visiting the dioceses, with a lot of enthusiasm and a lot of encouragement, as Frater should".
Mass at the beginning of the Synod
Official opening of the work of the Synodal Assembly with a concelebrated Mass in St. Peter's Square on the feast of the Guardian Angels, Wednesday, October 2, the program includes a penitential celebration presided over by the Pope with the testimonies of three victims of abuse, war and indifference to migration. Among the new features: four forums open to the public. You can consult here the outline of the Instrumentum Laboris of the Synod, and the Letter of the Holy Father to Cardinal Mario Grech, dated February 22 of this year.
Mario Marazziti: "Old age is the litmus test of our civilization".
On the occasion of the International Day of Older Persons on October 1, writer Mario Marazziti tells Omnes that "this hyper-consumerist world produces waste, including human waste", and speaks of Pope Francis' meeting with grandparents and the "sting of loneliness".
Francisco Otamendi-October 1, 2024-Reading time: 6minutes
Mario Marazziti is an essayist and leader of RAI, editorialist of "Corriere della Sera" and member of the Italian National Commission of Inquiry on Social Exclusion. Historical spokesman of the Sant'Egidio Community, he is one of the coordinators of the international campaign for the abolition of capital punishment and for a better quality of life for the elderly, and was part, together with Nelson Mandela, of the mediation team that put an end to the civil war in Burundi. Marazziti was a member of the Italian Parliament, chairman of the Human Rights Committee and of the Social Affairs and Health Committee of the Chamber of Deputies.
In addition, Mario Marazziti is one of the promoters of the humanitarian corridors, the program that allows the most vulnerable forced refugees to arrive safely in Europe, and accompanies their social integration with the help of civil society. He is also one of the animators of the Età Grande (Great Age) Foundation, promoted by Archbishop Vincenzo Paglia, president of the Academy for Life of the Holy See, to help Western societies to value the life of the elderly in society.
Talking to Marazziti was not easy. When he was not in Syria or on another trip, he was preparing the meeting of grandparents with Pope Francis, or tasks of the Età grande Foundation. In the end, we practically became friends.
What does the Età Grande Foundation do?
- In the Paul VI Hall, on April 27, 2024, thousands of grandparents and grandchildren gathered around Pope Francis, in a strange time like ours, at the initiative of the Età Grande Foundation. It was created to restore dignity to old age and to start precisely from the "extra years", which feed the "material culture of discarding", the reconstruction of the ability to live together and also revive European humanism. It was like a vision of the world as it could be. That of the two world wars, that of reconstruction, that of democracy.
The future is reborn from here to escape the flattening of the present and the absence of dreams. By giving representation to the voice -ignored- of millions of elderly people and, together with them, of grandchildren, who in a world flattened on the present receive the memory and the value of the other, antidote against contemporary haste and loneliness, Pope Francis' catechesis on old age was given content, and a vision was drawn.
At the meeting there were testimonies...
- These days I have been wondering what is the difference between a father's love and a grandfather's love. It is a different love. It is a love, perhaps, "purer". Our only task is to love it. "Transmit without pretending," said a grandfather, Fabio. And this wisdom of gratuitousness was confirmed by his granddaughter Chiara: "With my parents, with my sister, it is an enormous love, but within this greatness there is also conflict. With my grandparents it is a more tender, complicit, patient love".
Gratitude and concern for others are like medicine in a world where everything is sold and everything is bought. And where the very word old age is frightening, like the conquest that it is.
Sofia, a 91-year-old woman born in Rome, explained it in personal terms: "I have wrinkles, but I don't feel like a burden. My personal experience leads me to say that it is possible to age well. The real burden of life is not old age, but loneliness." After the death of her husband, she decided to live with other people. She visits and telephones the elderly in institutions, and receives many young people in a co-housing of the Community of Sant'Egidio: she tells them the story of the war in Rome, the bombings, the solidarity, the choice to hide the Jews from Nazi persecution. A living and good memory for today.
Give us some thoughts on the Pope's words.
- Pope Francis, following John Paul II's Letter to the Elderly on the eve of the Great Jubilee, last year dedicated an entire cycle of catechesis to this age, to the "magisterium of fragility": a key to helping the world emerge from the "throwaway culture", of which migrants and the elderly are almost necessarily a part in a hyper-consumerist world that produces waste, including human waste. Old age as a litmus test of the level of our civilization.
The marginalization of the elderly corrupts all seasons of life, not just old age. She often returns to the fact of what her grandmother learned about Jesus, who loves us, who never leaves us alone, and who urges us to be close to one another and never exclude anyone. And the teaching never to take an elderly relative away from the table and the house because he or she has become ill.
Pope Francis embodies and communicates a Christianity rooted in the Gospel, which knows well that next to the sacrament of the table is the sacrament of the poor: the parable of the Last Judgment in chapter 25 of Matthew, the presence of Jesus and his body in each person alone, abandoned, poor, in each of these "my little brothers and sisters" is not incidental, it is constitutive. And he places this Gospel wisdom at the service of a bewildered world, which empties or inverts the meaning of words, which loses the sense of the horror of war to the point of turning it into a habitual companion: and thus makes the old man to whom we owe everything inapparent.
What happened to Covid-19 and the elderly?
- After the pandemic we could have understood: "We are in the same boat". But it seems that those who are not yet grown up always think that they are in another boat and have another destiny. In the Covid-19 pandemic, more than 40 % of all the victims of the first wave, in Italy, in Spain, in Europe, in the West, were elderly people in institutions. Another 25 % were elderly at home. This means that, given that the elderly in an institution represented only 3 % of the total number of elderly, the home alone, without services, without doctors, protected 15 times more the life of an elderly person in an institution.
This should have triggered a radical change in the overall welfare of the elderly, creating models of proximity, innovative forms of co-housing, small assisted living facilities, a continuum of networked social welfare services centered on the home, integrated home-based socio-health care, multiplying protected hospital discharges, since most pathologies are chronic, not acute. On the other hand, investments in nursing homes and institutions, which offer a guaranteed significant financial return, are on the rise.
There are many studies showing that loneliness doubles the risk of death from the same chronic diseases. But the system cannot change. In Italy a step forward has been taken with the law 33/2023, a historical turning point, which points out these actions at least as a complementary care pathway, but it is still underfunded. It may be the beginning of a counterculture and a rethinking. And then there is the Charter of the Rights of the Elderly, which the Gran Edad Foundation is also beginning to disseminate in Europe. These are starting points, which must be disseminated.
How can we ensure a fuller and better quality of life for the elderly?
- We started to do everything possible to keep our elderly at home. And to ask for support from public facilities, insurance, financial sector, in nurses, services, caregivers. It is a saving for healthcare and a gain for society. Even in the extreme phases of life, not in the acute ones. Our grandchildren will see that even dying is part of life and that there is great emotional intensity even when there is little life. They will not want us to end our days in loneliness and isolation, as when their hospitalized grandparents "disappeared," never to reappear after the Covid.
I know of many experiences promoted by the Community of Sant'Egidio of conviviality among elderly people, together with a caregiver, who fend for themselves; there are hundreds of them. They would all be people destined to an institution and to be a social cost, as well as human.
Can you share some indicators from Italy?
- In a Europe of 448.8 million people, with an average age of 44.5 years, and 21.3 % aged 65 and over, the average age in Italy was 45.7 years in 2020, and growing at a faster rate: 24.1 % aged 65 and over, and 46.5 years on average in 2023.
New births, as is well known, are declining rapidly, 379,000 in the last year. With a birth rate of 6.4 per thousand inhabitants: and it was 6.7 the previous year. But in Italy only happens before what also happens in France, in Spain.
Finally, some comments on the Ipsos research on the pastoral care of Italian dioceses with the elderly, presented at the Etá Grande Foundation.
- The Catholic Church itself, which is neither "denialist" nor "giovanilist" [youth activist], is well aware that the hair of many Christians is graying or whitening, but it does not yet have an active and specific response to these "extra years" which are a blessing, but risk being a curse. Ipsos research has for the first time studied the Church and its attitude towards older people. There is more attention than in the surrounding world, but mostly in the 'social and health' chapter, not in the 'people' chapter, brothers and sisters.
In Italy there are 14 million, but in the Church there is nothing like the attention it rightly pays to the less than 200,000 young adults who marry each year. Imagination is needed. And not just habit. Let us initiate this counter-narrative, which frees the world from fragmentation and reduces the sting of loneliness, which is the true pandemic of our time.
The Second Session of the Synod of Bishops will take place in October 2024, so the Pope has asked Catholics around the world to join him in praying for the shared responsibility of all the baptized in the mission of the Church.
The Pope Francis asks Catholics to pray during the month of October "for a shared mission", that is, the evangelizing task that corresponds to all the baptized. With the Second Session of the Synod beginning on October 2, the Holy Father wants to recall, through this intention, that "all Christians are responsible for the mission of the Church".
Francis explains that "we priests are not the leaders of the laity, but their shepherds". The call of Christ, which is addressed to all equally, reminds us that vocations complement each other, that "we are community". Therefore, the Pope adds, "we must walk together on the path of synodality".
The Pontiff continues his message stressing that all Catholics must "bear witness with our lives and take co-responsibility for the mission of the Church". This responsibility belongs to all the baptized, who "are in the Church in their own house and have to take care of it".
The synod as a sign of co-responsibility
The Pope concludes by asking that "we pray that the Church may continue to support by every means a synodal way of life, under the sign of co-responsibility, promoting participation, communion and shared mission among priests, religious and laity".
Pope Francis took advantage of his visit to Belgium to beatify Ana de Jesus, a disciple of St. Teresa of Avila. The now blessed was the one who was responsible for collecting the works of the great Spanish saint and mystic.
Anne of Jesus is widely known in Belgium, the country where she died after founding several monasteries there.
Now you can enjoy a 20% discount on your subscription to Rome Reports Premiumthe international news agency specializing in the activities of the Pope and the Vatican.
Oriental and Occidental. The two lungs of the Church
They have been called the two lungs of the Catholic Church, the Eastern and the Western. The Antiochians gave rise to the Syro-Malabar church. The countries with more Eastern Catholics are Ukraine and India, and the United States due to emigration.
Pedro María Reyes Vizcaíno-September 30, 2024-Reading time: 3minutes
To St. John Paul II we owe the comparison of the Church as a body living with two lungs: "We cannot breathe as Christians or, better, as Catholics, with only one lung; we must have two lungs, that is to say, the eastern and the western" (Address to non-Catholic Christian communitiesParis, May 31, 1980).
What are these two lungs with which the Church breathes? From the beginning of its preaching, the Catholic faith was incarnated in the cultures it reached: the Church experienced very early on what we now call inculturation of faith.
From the time of the Roman Empire, the cultural differences and the way of living Christianity in each environment crystallized in the rites. These were basically three in the western part of the Empire: the Roman or Latin rite; the Hispanic rite, currently called the Mozarabic rite; and the Ambrosian rite, which is currently lived in Milan.
And five in the eastern part of the Empire and nearby regions: the Alexandrian rite, in Egypt; the Byzantine rite, in the Greek area; the Antiochene rite, in SyriaThe Chaldean rite, in ancient Mesopotamia; and the Armenian rite.
Antiochians arrived in India
In the following centuries almost all of them spread to other countries as a result of the evangelizing impulse of the Christians of each country. The Antiochenes reached India, giving rise to the Syro-Malabar Church, which is currently in the news.
The rites are not only the various ways of celebrating the sacraments, but in each of them there is a way of relating to God, an experience of faith and particular customs and devotions. Recent pontifical documents praise the rich spiritual patrimony of each rite. Ecclesiastical hierarchies of their own have also emerged, especially in the Eastern rites.
Relationship between divisions and rites
Unfortunately, the divisions of the Church that began in Christian antiquity had a strong impact on the rites, especially in the Eastern rites, which, being very dependent on their own hierarchy, were more vulnerable to schisms. The separation of the Nestorians alienated the Chaldeans and that of the Monophysites alienated the Armenians and the Alexandrians.
At the turn of the first millennium, the Catholic Church was only Latin and Greek. And in 1054 this also came to an end with the Eastern Schism. Only the Maronite Church, of the Antiochian rite, which prides itself on being the only Eastern Church that has always been Catholic, remained in communion with the Successor of St. Peter.
The Council of Trent was attended only by Latin bishops, a rarity in the history of ecumenical councils, because the Maronite bishops, who were invited, could not attend because they lived in Muslim territory.
sui iuris or autonomous churches
But the Church never forgot that it has two lungs. Trent boosted relations with Eastern Christians, and as a result, several groups joined the Catholic Church. The first were a group of Ukrainian bishops, who signed the Union of Brest in 1595. This was followed by new agreements with other communities. These unions were not easy, because unfortunately from the Christian West there were many attempts to introduce Latin customs to those who had just returned to full communion with Rome. It is also true that after several centuries of separation, in many groups there were many adherents of non-Catholic doctrines.
There are currently 22 Eastern Churches united to Rome, called sui iuris or autonomous Churches. In addition to their own liturgical books, they have their own Code of Canon Law promulgated by St. John Paul II in 1990. Therefore, they have disciplinary norms different from the Latin ones: it is known, for example, that among the Eastern Catholics there are married priests.
In its hierarchical organization, the Synod of the ritual Church is important, and the highest authority is the Patriarch or Major Archbishop. According to the Pontifical Yearbook, they have about 18 million faithful. The countries with the highest number of Eastern Catholics are Ukraine and India, and the United States also stands out for its emigration.
Pope in Belgium asks not to cover up abuse, and beatifies Anne of Jesus
A strong condemnation of abuses and abusers, attention to the needy, migrants and refugees, to the unborn - by praising King Baudouin's courage in not signing the legalization of abortion - and to the elderly, and appeals to build peace and a Europe of solidarity, were some of Pope Francis' priority themes in Belgium and Luxembourg.
Francisco Otamendi-September 29, 2024-Reading time: 6minutes
With a Mass and homily at the King Baudouin stadium in Brussels, and the recitation of the AngelusPope Francis' trip to Luxembourg and Belgium, which began last Thursday in Luxembourg, concluded with a welcome by the Grand Dukes Henri and Maria Theresa.
Precisely this Saturday, in an act outside of the official program, the Pope went to pray at the tomb of the King BaudouinThe royal crypt of the church of Our Lady of Laeken, in the presence of the current Belgian kings, Philippe and Matilda.
The Holy Father praised there the abdication in 1992 of the then Belgian king for 36 hours, in order not to sign the law on the legalization of abortion. The Pope asked to look to his example at a time when "criminal laws" are gaining ground, and asked the bishops to advance his cause for beatification.
Mass in Brussels, beatification of Anne of Jesus
This Sunday morning, before the closing Holy Mass, the Pope was applauded in the King Baudouin stadium by thousands of people, about forty thousand according to the authorities, carrying flags of many countries, and blessed babies brought to him by families and the security team.
In addition, the Pontiff proceeded to the beatification of the venerable Spanish Discalced Carmelite nun Ana de Jesús (1945-1621), who died in Brussels and was considered the 'right hand' of St. Teresa of Jesus in her foundations.
Anne of Jesus founded the first convent of the Discalced Carmel in Brussels, and remained there as prioress until her death, although she also founded convents in Louvain (1607) and Mons (1608). At the end of her life, she suffered from a degenerative disease that left her totally paralyzed in seven years.
The mission
In his homily, centered on a reflection on three words (openness, communion and witness), the Pope based his meditation on this Sunday's Gospel to affirm that "all of us, with Baptism, have received a mission in the Church, which is a gift we have received, not by our merits, but by the grace of God; we are not privileged. To cooperate with love in the free action of the Holy Spirit we need to carry out this mission with humility, gratitude and joy". "The community of believers is not a circle of the privileged," he stressed.
Abuse: when children are scandalized and abused
Then, around the second word, communion, he referred with extreme harshness to the abuses and the abusers. It should be remembered that Belgium is a country deeply wounded by these crimes, about which the Parliament has announced a national investigation, and the resignation, for example, of Roger Vangheluwe, bishop of Bruges, after admitting to having sexually abused minors. His crimes were time-barred, but the Pope removed him from the clerical state when he was already emeritus, at the age of 87.
The Holy Father said that "the only way of life is to share. Selfishness is scandalous". "Let us think of what happens when little ones are scandalized, beaten, abused, by those who should have taken care of them. Let us think of the wounds of pain and helplessness, especially in the victims, but also in their families and in the whole community, with the mind and with the heart".
Petition to the bishops: evil does not hide itself
"The stories of some of these little ones that I met the day before yesterday are coming back. I listened to them, I felt their suffering for being abused. In the Church there is room for everyone, but we will all be judged, and there is no room for abuse. There is no place for covering up abuse. I ask all of you: do not cover up abuse. I ask the bishops, do not cover up the abuses, we must condemn the abusers, and help them to heal from this disease of abuse". (applause).
"Evil is not hidden, evil has to be discovered, to be known. As some of the abused did, and with courage. Let it be known, and let the abuser be judged (more applause).
Whether layman, laywoman, priest or bishop. The word of God is clear. It says: that the protests of the harvesters and the poor group cannot be ignored." "Abused people are a cry that goes up to heaven. Let us listen to Jesus in the Gospel." "My grandmother used to say: the devil enters through the pockets".
Finally, in relation to the third word, witness, he referred once again to Blessed Anne of Jesus, "a spiritual magnet" in the shadow of a "giant of the spirit," St. Teresa of Jesus. At the Angelus prayer, as usual, he prayed for peace, and prayed to the Virgin Mary, in her invocation of Sedes Sapientiae, the seat of wisdom.
With victims of abuse
Upon his arrival in the Belgian capital on Friday, the 27th, the Pope had referred tothe abuse in his address to the authorities, noting that "the Church is holy and sinful." "The Church must be ashamed, ask forgiveness and try to resolve this situation with Christian humility," the Holy Father said. He further stated that "a single abuse is enough to be ashamed of."
Later, throughout the trip, there would be more news about abuse. For example, a hearing at the end of the day for 17 victims of abuse by Belgian priests, at the Nunciature, also unscheduled.
The Vatican Press Office, via Telegram, explained that those present "were able to bring to the Pope their own story and pain and express their expectations regarding the Church's commitment against abuse."
"The Pope was able to listen and get close to their suffering," the note continues, "expressed his gratitude for their courage and the feeling of shame for what they had suffered as children because of the priests to whom they were entrusted, taking note of the requests they made for him to study them."
With the poor and with migrants
The Pope's Saturday had begun with a breakfast with nine disadvantaged people and migrants from the parish of Saint-Gilles, which every morning, at tables set up in the middle of the old nave, offers coffee to homeless people, refugees and the poor of the city center.
In addition, the Pontiff was able to receive at the Nunciature two refugee families from various countries. A Christian from Syria and a Muslim from Djibouti, welcomed by the Community of Sant'Egidio, who arrived in Belgium through the activation of the so-called 'humanitarian corridors'.
Evangelizing in societies far removed from the faith: the Synod
Pope Francis' meeting yesterday, Saturday, with bishops, priests, religious and pastoral agents, in the Basilica of the Sacred Heart in Koekelberg, was one of the main events of the papal trip.
The topic of abuse, which had been present the day before, came up again, but the topic of the Synod also came up in a prominent way, which Andrea Tornielli, editorial director of the Dicastery for Communication, commented on.
"What is the priority of the Synod that is about to begin? What is the main and most important objective of the reform in the synodal sense of the Church? From Brussels, from the Basilica of the Sacred Heart in Koekelberg, where he met with bishops, clergy, religious and pastoral agents, Pope Francis outlined an answer by relaunching a question."
"The synodal process," he said, motivated by listening to a testimony, "must be a return to the Gospel; it must not have among its priorities some "fashionable" reform, but must ask itself: how can we bring the Gospel to a society that no longer listens to it or has moved away from the faith? Let us all ask ourselves this question.
"Therefore, they are not 'trendy' reforms," he has written Tornielli. "There are perspectives that end up putting in the background the pressing and fundamental question that Francis raised again: that of the proclamation of the Gospel in secularized societies. Perspectives that end up forgetting the only true purpose of every reform in the Church: the good of souls, the care of God's holy and faithful people."
Europe united in solidarity
The trip had begun last Thursday. Before the country's authorities, the Pontiff, in addition to thanking them for their welcome, underscored the "special geographical situation" of Luxembourg, which "has distinguished itself (in its history) for its commitment to build a Europa united and in solidarity. And, as is very frequent in all his audiences and apostolic trips, he asked the rulers for the commitment to "carry forward the negotiations" to achieve peace.
Women in the Church
The role of the woman in the Church, and specifically in the encyclical Laudato sí' and the climate debates, was an issue that emerged in the Pope's visit to universities in Leuven, especially at the French-speaking Catholic University in 'Louvain-La-Neuve' yesterday afternoon.
At the conclusion of the Mass at the King Baudouin stadium, Pope Francis is scheduled to transfer to the Melsbroek air base for the farewell ceremony, leave for Rome at 12:45 p.m., and land at Rome/Fiumicino international airport at around 3:00 p.m. this Sunday.
The Church celebrates this Sunday, together with the feast of the archangels St. Michael, St. Gabriel and St. Raphael, the Journey World Day of Migrants and Refugees with the motto: "God walks with his people". You can consult here the Message of the Holy Father for this Sunday, and commentaries on the Gospel corresponding.
Some have defined the Holy Land as the fifth Gospel. The experience of setting foot on the land that welcomed the Word Incarnate is a particular immersion in the Word of God. In the Holy Land the new and the old Covenants are touched and the written fact is given color and three-dimensionality.
Since the first centuries of Christianity and before that, with the preservation of the memory of the Jewish people, the holy places have been the object of custody and veneration.
The oral traditions handed down from generation to generation have often been scientifically supported by archaeological research and excavations carried out, especially in the last two centuries.
Pilgrimage to the Holy Land is more than a journey; it is a journey, in a way, to the Gospel, so it is especially useful to make them with guides that combine both aspects as "Traces of our Faith", published by the Foundation. Saxum.
Among the many holy places that are guarded among Israel and PalestineSome of them stand out for their devotional, archaeological and historical interest.
Mary's house in Nazareth
The Basilica of the Annunciation in Nazareth stands on the remains of Christian places of worship dating back to the first centuries of Christianity.
In the archaeological research that the "Studium Biblicum Franciscanum" carried out before erecting the present basilica, they found a building dedicated to worship, in which there were numerous Christian graffiti, dating from the late 1st and 2nd centuries. Among them, an inscription "Ave Maria" in Greek stands out. Tastings carried out on the walls of this house, partially excavated in rock, as was customary at the time, relate them to those kept in the basilica of Loreto, in Italy.
The Bethlehem Grotto
The location of the cattle cave where Christ was born was already known in the middle of the second century. Bethlehem was announced by Micah as the birthplace of the Messiah and the birth of Christ is recorded in the Gospel of Luke (Lk 2:1-7).
To the location of the cave transmitted by the first Christians is added the fact that, as happened with other holy places related to Judaism and Christianity, the Roman authority wanted to "erase" them by building on them pagan temples or sacred groves, as was the case of the grotto of Bethlehem. These attempts at silencing not only did not succeed, but also marked, in a way, the most important places.
The grotto in question is today inside a 4th century basilica, exactly on a lower floor, under the presbytery. It is an excavation in the rock, usual in the Judea of the 1st century to keep shepherding equipment or the animals themselves. The cleft in the rock that is preserved on one side is, according to tradition, the first place where the Son of God rested on earth. Today, a silver star marks this place.
Temple of Jerusalem
The place where the Temple of Jerusalem stood has been one of the most studied of all those in the Holy Land. It is the holiest place for the Jews and has special importance for the followers of the Muslim religion as well.
The first great temple in Jerusalem was ordered to be built by David and it was his son, Solomon, who completed and consecrated it in the eleventh year of his reign, that is, around 960 B.C. (Kings 5, 15 - 7).
Although there are numerous sources that speak of this temple, archaeological research has not been able to find significant remains of this huge and rich construction.
After the return of the Jewish people to Jerusalem, the building of the second, more modest temple began, which was dedicated in 515.
Beginning in 20 B.C., Herod the Great began the restoration and enlargement of the Temple of Jerusalem. This great temple is where St. Joseph and the Virgin Mary went to present an almost newborn Jesus.
The evangelists Matthew, Mark and Luke record Christ's prophecy about the destruction of the Temple. A reality that was seen by many of those who heard it since, in the year 70, the temple was burned by the Roman legions during the siege of Jerusalem. Half a century later, on these ruins, monuments with statues of Jupiter and the emperor were erected. Various studies and excavations, which are still continuing, have been able to virtually reconstruct this great temple.
In Jerusalem, part of the walls of that construction still remain, although the best known is the western wall that we know as the Wailing Wall: approximately 60 meters long and about 20 meters high. Since the 14th century it has been the holy place of prayer for the Jews. This wall is the closest to the place where the Holy of Holies was located, which experts place linearly under the ground now occupied by the Dome of the Rock of the Al Aqsa Mosque.
Capernaum: the synagogue and the house of Peter
The synagogue of Capernaum, together with the synagogue recently found in Magdala, is one of the best preserved and most artistically valuable synagogues known.
The remains found show a rich building, quite large, built with white limestone and profusely decorated in its columns and arches. Although these remains date from approximately between the 4th and 5th centuries, this synagogue was built over an earlier, 1st century synagogue of which stone pavement has been found under the central nave of the prayer hall and in which Jesus may well have prayed and taught (Mk 1:21-28; Lk 4:31-37).
A few meters from this synagogue there is a basilica from the end of the 5th century, built on an octagonal structure that, according to an ancient tradition, stands on the site where the house of St. Peter once stood, where Jesus cured his mother-in-law (Mt 8:14-15; Mk 1:29-31; Lk 4:38-39). Various excavations have confirmed that, in fact, the basilica stands on what was once a 1st century B.C. dwelling consisting of a series of rooms connected by a courtyard.
Pool of Bethesda or Betzata
Although it is not a center of devotion, the accuracy with which this set of pools found in successive excavations in the nineteenth, twentieth and twenty-first centuries is described makes this enclave one of the most interesting places as a confirmation, in stone, of the Scriptures.
Located in the exact spot where the Scriptures locate it, its ruins are currently located in the Muslim quarter of Jerusalem, a few meters from the Lions' Gate (known as the Sheep Gate, through which the cattle entered for the sacrifice in the Temple). The excavations show a pool divided by a wall that created two separate basins, which speak of the great construction that this pool entailed, of which the evangelist St. John notes that it had "five porticoes" (Jn 5:1-3).
The place of the crucifixion and burial of Jesus
The large model that can be seen in the Israel Museum, corresponding to the physiognomy of Jerusalem in the time of the Second Temple, shows the limits of the walls of the city.
city at that time. These limits leave out, as the Gospels narrate, the rock with a shape approximating that of a skull that protruded from a quarry in the northeastern part of the city (Mt 27:32-56; Mk 15:21-41; Lk 23:26-49; Jn 19:17-30). That was the point where the crucifixion and death of Christ took place and, a few meters away, on a rock, the burial of the body of the Lord.
This area of the holy city has been the main subject of archaeological research and excavations that have been revealing various rooms, areas and burials that follow the line narrated in the Holy Scriptures.
The Roman conquest buried this area under a pagan temple, which meant that it was exceptionally well preserved. In the 4th century when, with the Christianization of the Empire, these holy places became a place of Christian veneration again.
The first basilica built on the Holy Sepulchre dates from this date, and excavations have revealed three zones: a circular mausoleum around the tomb; a courtyard, where the rock of Calvary was in the open air, and a basilica with five naves and an atrium. The tomb was isolated from the rock, cutting it and building the edicule that protects it. In 2016, with the latest restoration of the current edicule (from 1810), the overlapping marble slabs were removed down to the original stone. Today, the entire plot, from the tomb of Jesus to the place of the crucifixion, is part of the temple complex.
In addition to being able to touch the hollow of the Cross in what is today the Calvary Chapel, just below, in the Adam Chapel, part of the original rock can be seen.
"Touching" the Gospel
To set foot in the Holy Land is, in a way, to enter personally into the life of the Gospel. As Jesús Gil, priest and author of "Footsteps of Our Faith" points out, "the Gospels are read with different eyes after having passed through the Holy Land. I remember reading to a group in Capernaum the beginning of the Gospel according to St. Mark, from verse 14 of the first chapter to verse 12 of the second. Listened to there, under the shade of the sycamore trees, among the ruins of the synagogue and Peter's house, it suddenly made sense, it became alive. One person said to me: 'That piece of the Gospel is true. And if that piece is true, then the whole Gospel is true.
A space for dialogue between classical and contemporary sacred art
On the ruins of a late Gothic church, the Kolumba Diocesan Museum of Cologne stands as a harmonious fusion of old and new, integrating a chapel built in the 1950s.
Diocesan museums are not only spaces dedicated to the display of sacred art; especially in a secularized society, they are also places that evidence the influence of Christian art and culture on contemporary life. Unlike cathedral treasures, which tend to focus on liturgical art, diocesan museums engage in a dialogue with contemporary culture, exhibiting contemporary art alongside pieces of traditional Christian art.
A prominent example in Germany is the Diocesan Museum of CologneThe museum is remarkable both for its architecture and for its artistic collection, which creates a profound dialogue between classical and contemporary art. Its name "Kolumba" comes from the late Gothic church dedicated to the 3rd century martyr, known in Spain as Santa Coloma. This church, once the largest parish church in Cologne, was destroyed during World War II. The museum was built over its ruins by Swiss architect Peter Zumthor. Inaugurated in 2007, the building has received prestigious architectural awards such as the German DAM Architecture Prize (2008) and the North Rhine-Westphalia Architecture Prize (2011).
A fusion of past and present
The Kolumba Museum is a good example of harmony between old and new: the modern building integrates the ruins of the destroyed church and the chapel "Maria in den Trümmern", built in 1950 by the Cologne architect Gottfried Böhm. It is also possible to explore archaeological excavations in the basement of the museum: from elevated walkways you can see the remains of Roman dwellings and ecclesiastical buildings from the Carolingian, Romanesque and Gothic periods.
The sober exterior of the building is clad in warm gray brick, which lends dynamism to the wide walls. This minimalism is also reflected in the interior: the decorative sparseness and the selective use of materials allow all the attention to be focused on the works of art. The gray brick of the new building merges with the basalt and brick of the ruins, following the layout of the old church and thus maintaining historical continuity. Peter Zumthor's architecture thus takes on historical fragments while creating an ideal setting for the contemporary exhibition.
The museum houses an interior courtyard that replaces a medieval cemetery, contributing to the atmosphere of reflection and contemplation that characterizes it. At the heart of the building is a large exhibition hall where ancient and modern works of art coexist, promoting the aforementioned dialogue between eras.
History and development of the Kolumba Museum
The museum was founded in 1853 by the "Society for Christian Art" and in 1989 it was taken over by the Archdiocese of Cologne. In 2004, it adopted the name "Kolumba", in reference to the destroyed church. Conceived as a "museum of contemplation", its purpose is to invite the public to explore art as a reflection of life. The collection spans pieces from late antiquity to the present day, with a special emphasis on Christian art. Each year, in mid-September, a new annual exhibition is presented, combining works from the permanent collection with modern art. These exhibitions, bearing titles such as "Infinite Space Expands" (2007/2008), "Man Leaves Earth" (2008/2009) or "Sanctuary" (2013/2014), give new meaning to the collection each year. The current one is dedicated to "The alphabet of art".
The chapel "Mary in the ruins".
One of the most emblematic elements of the Kolumba Museum is the "Mary in the Ruins" chapel, built in 1950 by Gottfried Böhm as a symbol of hope after its destruction. The church of St. Kolumba, documented since 980, was almost completely destroyed during World War II, leaving standing only part of its outer walls and a late Gothic statue of the Virgin Mary on a pillar.
The chapel, which stands on the ruins of the church, has a simple, tent-like structure. Böhm designed a three-tiered basalt altar and decorated the chapel with works by renowned artists, such as the "Windows of the Holy Spirit" by Jan Thorn Prikker and a "Window of St. Catherine" by Georg Meistermann.
In 1957 a Blessed Sacrament chapel was added, which today houses a tabernacle designed by the artist Elisabeth Treskow. The elegant simplicity of the architecture, coupled with the symbolism of the art, makes this chapel a central place for worship in ColonyThe church has a daily celebration of Holy Mass and a daily confession schedule.
On the morning of September 27, Pope Francis landed in Belgium, a country that "evokes something small and big at the same time, a Western country and at the same time central, as if it were the beating heart of a giant system."
In its meeting with the authorities and the civil society of the country, the Holy Father described Belgium "as the ideal place, almost a synthesis of Europafrom which to contribute to the physical, moral and spiritual reconstruction. He compared this nation to "a bridge where each one, with his language, mentality and convictions, meets the other and chooses the word, dialogue and exchange as means to relate to each other". In other words, a country "indispensable for building peace and repudiating war".
For this reason, the Holy Father stressed, "Europe needs Belgium to carry forward the path of peace and fraternity among the peoples that form it". Something important because, according to the Pontiff, "we are close to an almost world war".
But this role played by Belgium does not rest on his shoulders alone. Francis explained that "the Catholic Church wants to be a presence that, bearing witness to its faith in the risen Christ, offers to individuals, families, societies and nations, an ancient and ever new hope, a presence that helps everyone to face challenges and trials, without volatile enthusiasm or gloomy pessimism, but with the certainty that the human being, loved by God, has an eternal vocation of peace and good, and is not destined to dissolution or to nothingness."
Abuses in the Church
However, the Pope wanted to put on record that "the Church is holy and sinful". It moves "between light and shadow," as shown by the "results of great generosity and splendid dedication" when confronted with "the shame of the abuse of minors."
"The Church must be ashamed, ask forgiveness and try to resolve this situation with Christian humility," the Holy Father said referring to the abuses. He further stated that "a single abuse is enough to be ashamed of".
The Pontiff also referred to "forced adoptions" that occurred "in Belgium between the 50s and 70s of the last century". Francis explained this phenomenon by saying that "often families and other social entities, including the Church, thought that, in order to remove the negative stigma, which unfortunately in those times affected the single mother, it would be better for both mother and child that the latter be adopted."
Responsibility of the authorities
The Pope stressed that this was a great mistake and prayed before all "that the Church may find in herself the strength to act with clarity and not to conform to the dominant culture, even when that culture uses, by manipulating them, values that derive from the Gospel".
The Bishop of Rome also prayed "that those who govern may know how to assume their responsibility, the risk and honor of peace, and know how to ward off the danger, ignominy and absurdity of war". Finally, Francis confessed to those present that during his visit to Belgium he hopes to revive a "desire for hope", a gift of God.
University professors in Belgium
On the afternoon of Friday the 27th, the Pope held a meeting with university professors in Belgium. In his speech, he pointed out that the main task of the university is "to offer an integral formation so that people acquire the necessary instruments to interpret the present and project the future".
Francis pointed out that "cultural education is never an end in itself and universities must not fall into the temptation of becoming cathedrals in the desert, but are by their very nature places where ideas and new stimuli for human life and thought are promoted."
Expanding the frontiers of knowledge
The Holy Father stressed the role of the university as a place where "the passion for the search for truth" is promoted. In this sense, Catholic institutions must bring to this search "the leaven and salt of the Gospel of Jesus Christ".
Francis invited those present to "widen the frontiers of knowledge" to create "a vital space that embraces life and challenges it". This is an essential question because, in the Pope's words, "to widen the frontiers and to be an open space for man and society constitutes the great mission of the university".
Faced with the culture of relativism and mediocrity, the Pontiff stressed that the university has to fight against "weariness of spirit" and "soulless rationalism". It is the task of university professors in particular to foster "a culture that is capable of facing today's challenges," for which the Pope thanked the professors for their work aimed at achieving this.
The Spanish Episcopal Conference prepares a major vocations congress
On September 26 and 27, the Standing Commission of the Spanish Episcopal Conference met. Among the topics discussed were the 2025 Vocations Congress, the ecumenical celebration for the anniversary of the Council of Nicaea and the approval of some appointments.
On September 26 and 27, the Standing Committee of the Spanish Episcopal Conference held its 268th meeting. Among the topics discussed by the bishops were the Vocations Congress to be held in 2025, the ecumenical celebration for the anniversary of the Council of Nicaea in November 2025 and the approval of some appointments.
2025 Vocations Congress
The aforementioned Vocations Congress will be held in Madrid from February 7 to 9 and will mark the end of the 2021-2025 pastoral plan. The Episcopal Conference hopes that these days will be "a great celebration" and that they will promote "the spirituality of vocation". According to the press release issued by the institution, some 3,500 participants are expected to attend.
Also in relation to vocations, the Standing Commission assessed during the meeting the results of the "Marriage Week" held in February. Taking into account the impact of this initiative, the Episcopal Conference agreed that "this 'Marriage Week' should be an ordinary campaign of the Church."
2024 data
On the other hand, Alfredo Dagnino, president of the Regulatory Compliance Body, presented the first phase of the work of this entity. In addition, the bishops received the data related to Apse Media, the Spanish Institute of Foreign Missions and the National Catholic Confederation of Parents and Students' Parents.
Regarding economic data, the Standing Commission reviewed the budgets of the Episcopal Conference and the proposed distribution of the Interdiocesan Common Fund for 2025 that they intend to present at the November Plenary Assembly.
Appointments
Regarding appointments, the Standing Committee has approved the following:
-Cecilia Ruiloba Castelazo (consecrated laywoman of the Regnum Christi), as director of the secretariat of the Episcopal Subcommission for Universities and Culture.
-Luis Miguel Rojo Septién (priest of the Congregation of the Mission), as delegate of Cáritas Española.
-José Cristóbal Moreno García (priest of the Diocese of Orihuela-Alicante), as National Consiliary of the Federation of the Apostolate of Divine Mercy in Spain.
-José Ruiz Pérez (layman of the diocese of Albacete), as president of the Federation of the Apostolate of Divine Mercy in Spain.
-Marta Ventura Arasanz (a laywoman from the Archdiocese of Barcelona), as national president of the Spanish Federation of the Hospitality of Our Lady of Lourdes.
Jorge López Martínez (priest of the Archdiocese of Burgos), as ecclesiastical advisor to the Spanish-American Secular Apostolic Cooperation Work.
Press conference
During the press conference held on Tuesday, October 1, the Secretary General of the Spanish Episcopal Conference attended to the journalists who came to the headquarters of this institution. In the round of questions, the secretary general responded to a question raised about the crime of offenses to religious sentiment. Without making direct mention of other laws that protect the feelings of people, Monsignor García Magán expressed his surprise at the lack of protection of religious sentiment, which "is reduced to nothing".
The secretary general also pointed out that this situation leaves "a large part of Spanish society defenseless". Bearing in mind that "the right to religious freedom is a fundamental right", García Magán expressed his disagreement with the regulation of the aforementioned crime.
Another topic discussed at the press conference was the PRIVA Plan. The Secretary General explained that the reparation commission was constituted at the end of September and in it "there is no clergyman or bishop", in order to maintain its independent character.
Pope in Luxembourg: "Where there is a needy person there is Christ".
In a meeting with the Catholic community of Luxembourg, Pope Francis asked those present to go out with joy to evangelize and never abandon those most in need.
Pope Francis met with members of the catholic community of Luxembourg during his visit to this country. In his speech, he joined in the celebration of the "Marian Jubilee, with which the Church of Luxembourg remembers four centuries of devotion to Mary, 'Consolation of the afflicted', patroness of the country".
Precisely because of this Jubilee, the Pontiff encouraged Catholics to ask "the Mother of God to help us to be '....missionariesready to bear witness to the joy of the Gospel', conforming our hearts to his 'in order to place ourselves at the service of our brothers and sisters'".
Luxembourg, cozy house
In this line, the Holy Father wanted to emphasize three concepts: "service, mission and joy". In relation to service, Francis emphasized "welcome" as a spirit "of openness to all" that "does not admit any kind of exclusion". The Pope then invited the Catholics of Luxembourg "to continue to make your country a welcoming home for all who knock at your door asking for help and hospitality".
Regarding the mission, Francis said that the Church of Luxembourg cannot withdraw "into itself, sad, resigned, resentful", but must accept "the challenge, in fidelity to the values of always, to rediscover and revalue in a new way the ways of evangelization". For this, it is essential "to share responsibilities and ministries, walking together as a community that announces and makes synodality 'a lasting way of relating' among its members".
The Holy Father stressed that "love urges us to proclaim the Gospel by opening ourselves to others, and the challenge of proclamation makes us grow as a community, helping us to overcome the fear of embarking on new paths, pushing us to welcome with gratitude the contribution of others".
Joyful and "dancing" faith
Finally, speaking about joy, the Pope said that the Catholic faith "is joyful, 'dancing', because it shows us that we are children of a God who is a friend of man, who wants us to be happy and united, that nothing makes him happier than our salvation".
Francis also warned that "the Church is hurt by those sad, dull and long-faced Christians. These are not Christians. And he asked Catholics to "have the joy of the Gospel" and "not to lose the ability to forgive".
The Pope said goodbye to the Catholics of Luxembourg, thanking the "consecrated men and women," the "seminarians, priests, everyone" for their work. Finally, he stressed once again the most repeated idea during his brief visit: "Where there is a needy person, there is Christ", so it is essential to share with them what one has.
Marta Rodríguez: "Women have to help the Church to understand itself".
Marta Rodríguez Díaz, PhD in Philosophy at the Pontifical Gregorian University, talks to Omnes about the issue of women in the Church, but with an updated perspective, far from the clichés that usually prevail in this debate.
Marta Rodríguez Díaz holds a PhD in Philosophy from the Pontifical Gregorian University. This native of Madrid is a professor in the Faculty of Philosophy at the Pontifical Athenaeum Regina Apostolorum. There she coordinates the academic area of the Institute of Women's Studies. A specialist in women's and gender issues, her doctorate, focused on the philosophical roots of gender theories, won the Bellarmine Prize 2022 for the best doctoral thesis at the Gregorian University. Marta Rodriguez was also head of the Dicastery for Laity, Family and Life.
First of all, why is there still a "theme" around women in the Church?
-In fact, figures like St. Hildegard of Bingen or St. Teresa of Jesus were already "protesting" against the way in which men of the Church conceived women. A more immediate origin can be found in the 20th century. In the middle of the century, several factors converged: on the one hand, the sexual revolution and the 1968 movement caused a kind of fracture between women and the Church, which led to a cooling and even a certain distancing of many from the ecclesial institution. On the other hand, there is an awareness, also within the Church, that the presence of women in public life is a "sign of the times" (as defined for the first time by John XXIII).
The Council matured the theological bases for a full insertion of women in the Church, as subjects of rights and duties... but the assimilation of this novelty has been slow.
The post-conciliar Magisterium has continued along this line, but as St. John Paul II said in "Christifidelis Laici"49 it is necessary to move from theoretical recognition of women's dignity to practical realizations. In short, this century has witnessed a major change in the way women are conceived and positioned in society. The Church could not remain oblivious to these transformations, and has had (and must continue to have) an analogous path of assimilation and transformation.
In a world where the concept of woman seems to have been diluted, how do we define woman?
-A woman is a human person of female sex. Sex is not an accidental, accessory aspect... sex touches and permeates all the dimensions of the person: body and soul. According to John Paul II, the person is not sexed because of the sexed body, but it is in the body that this difference is most clearly manifested, but it has a deeper root. In the end, male and female are two distinct and complementary ways of being the image and likeness of God.
As far as culture is concerned, in the human being it is not possible to distinguish between nature and culture. That is to say: it is a legitimate distinction, but it is a distinction of reason. In reality, nature and culture are always fused. The nature of the human being is to be cultural. Therefore, being a woman is a natural and cultural fact at the same time.
You have known the cultural and social differences around the world. How do you understand the task of women in different places where the Church is present?
-Phew! That's a difficult question. Simplifying things a lot, we could say that the visions move between two poles: one that conceives the task of women as a subsidiary and second-level activity, and another that understands the protagonism that they are called to exercise today.
The difference between one pole and the other lies in a different anthropological and ecclesiological conception. Those who are on the side of protagonism start from an idea of complementarity between man and woman, where both are equal in dignity and different. For this reason they need each other: not only in the order of doing, but also in the order of being. And not because they are incomplete, but because only in the reciprocal encounter they reach their fullness as persons.
The vision of the Church that sustains the protagonism is not that of a democracy governed by quotas, but that of the Church as a mystery of communion, synodal, where all vocations are important, and the ministries are at the service of the People of God.
On the other hand, in places where the task of women is conceived in a more reductive way, the starting point is an idea of anthropological submission of women to men, and a clericalist idea of the Church.
There is a kind of identification of power and the sacrament of Holy Orders whereby, without access to priestly orders, there is no "equality" for women in the Church Is this real?
-First of all, it must be understood that, in the Church, the ministry is always an authority that is received for service, not as a personal dignity, or a dominion.
In the case of women, the Evangelii Gaudium n. 104 gives a very important clue. He says that the legitimate claims of women raise questions for the Church that cannot be easily evaded. And he says: the point is to separate power in the Church from the presbyteral ministry. That is to say: the sacrament of Holy Orders is necessarily linked to an authority, but this is not the only source of potestas (power) within the Church.
The sacrament of baptism is in itself a configuration with Christ, and by virtue of it, the Church can also grant authority to the laity so that they can exercise it at the service of the People of God. This is a theme that has been worked on in recent years, also at the level of canon law. And it seems to me that the path the Church is taking by placing synodality at the center of reflection is a way of overcoming a clerical conception of the Church. This should in no way undermine the dignity of the priest (I can personally say that I am a lover of the ministerial priesthood!), but rather place him within the Body from which and to which he has been called.
Is there a ceiling, no longer of glass but of concrete, for women in the Church?
-I don't think there is at the theological or even canonical level, but there is, especially in some contexts, at the cultural level. This is what I was saying before about "Christifidelis Laici". There are many things that could be done and are not done because of a question of mentality.
It seems to me that Pope Francis is wanting to give signs of change in this regard, and the idea would be for bishops' conferences and dioceses to follow in his footsteps: appointing women to positions of responsibility, placing them on councils, etc.
What, then, does woman bring in an original way to the task of the Church in the world?
-If we believe that sex is really something that touches the whole person, then we understand that men and women have a different relational modality, a way of reasoning, relating, and acting, which has different tonalities.
A world thought and made only by men is very poor, as is a world made only by women. We need the other perspective, which completes, corrects, modulates.
In addition to complementary work in all fields, women in the Church are called to awaken their feminine, spousal and maternal face.
Women have to help the Church to understand herself more fully, and that happens through, as Pope Francis says, "to think the Church with feminine categories". Olé! I believe that this opens a prophetic path that we have to explore.
What is the path for women as believers?
-In a few words: to incarnate a luminous femininity, from which to open prophetic paths for the Church that respond to the signs of the times today.
Would that all were prophets. 26th Sunday in Ordinary Time (B)
Joseph Evans comments on the readings for Sunday 26th Sunday in Ordinary Time and Luis Herrera offers a short video homily.
Joseph Evans-September 27, 2024-Reading time: 2minutes
Jesus Christ came to offer us true freedom, but it is difficult for us to know in what this freedom consists. This question is very pertinent to today's readings.
Both the first reading and the gospel present an episode of people speaking and acting through the Holy Spirit and someone trying to stop them. In the first reading, two men begin to prophesy and Joshua wants to stop them. Joshua thinks they could rival Moses' authority.
In the Gospel, the apostle John has similar concerns (as Joshua was the beloved disciple of Moses, John was the beloved disciple of Jesus). "John said to him, 'Teacher, we saw one casting out demons in your name, and we wanted to hinder him, because he does not come with us.' Jesus answered, 'Do not hinder him, for whoever works a miracle in my name cannot then speak evil of me. He who is not against us is for us'".
He did not like the idea of anyone outside his group using God's power, just as Joshua did not like the idea of anyone outside the 70 elders - which was like Moses' group - prophesying.
But in both cases, this attitude is corrected. Moses corrects Joshua. "Would that all the Lord's people would receive the spirit of the Lord and prophesy!". And Jesus says to John: "Do not hinder him, for whoever performs a miracle in my name cannot then speak evil of me. He who is not against us is for us'". We have here the contrast between the flexibility, the freedom of spirit, of Moses and Jesus and the rigidity of their followers.
It is a good reminder of the danger of rigidity. We are constantly faced with two temptations: laxity or license on the one hand, and rigidity on the other. In the Church we must respect the freedom and approaches of others. There are many paths to God, many forms of worship and prayer. This variety is good and should be respected. It is also good to see people living their prophetic witness - we are all called to be prophets - bearing witness to God in many ways. We should also value the faith of other Christians. Let us not hinder them. They are not against us: they are for us.
Everyone who does good will receive his reward. "Whosoever shall give you a cup of water to drink because you are Christ's, verily I say unto you, he shall not be left without reward.". So, instead of detecting faults in others, let us see their goodness.
But the opposite of true freedom in the Spirit is the false freedom of vice. Hence the other side of the coin is to be willing to cut off any evil deed in our own life. And that is why Our Lord speaks of the need to radically "cut off" every form of sin.
Homily on the readings for Sunday 26th Sunday in Ordinary Time (B)
Priest Luis Herrera Campo offers his nanomiliaA short one-minute reflection for these Sunday readings.
The Holy See announced on September 26 the elevation to diocese of the apostolic administration of Estonia. This new diocese, which receives the name of Tallinn, maintains its territorial configuration and "its status as an Ecclesiastical Circumscription immediately subject to the Holy See".
With this elevation to the rank of diocese, Pope Francis has appointed Msgr. Philippe Jean-Charles Jourdan bishop of this local church. This French priest, a member of Opus Dei, was the apostolic administrator of Estonia since 2005 and titular bishop of Pertusa.
The news of the elevation to a diocese comes in the midst of the celebrations for the first centenary of the Apostolic Administration of Estonia. A community that in the last 50 years has multiplied by 1,000 and that maintains a cordial and fruitful relationship with the Lutheran Church in Estonia with which it shares "positions very close to those of the Catholic Church on family issues, marriage between a man and a woman, or the defense of life" as Monsignor Jourdan pointed out in a recent interview with Omnes.
In addition, the Estonian Catholic community hopes that in the near future the Pope will give the green light for the beatification of the martyred Bishop Eduard Profittlich SJ.
Pope considers Luxembourg key to "building a united Europe".
Pope Francis highlighted the role of Luxembourg as a key "for building a united and united Europe", given its geographical position and historical background.
Upon arrival in Luxembourg, the Pope Francis had a meeting with the authorities and the diplomatic corps of the country. In addition to thanking everyone for their welcome, the Holy Father began by highlighting in an address to those present the "special geographical situation" of Luxembourg.
This characteristic, he pointed out, makes the country a place of "confluence of different linguistic and cultural areas", and a "crossroads of the most relevant European historical events". Precisely for this reason, Luxembourg "has distinguished itself by its commitment to build a Europa united and supportive".
The Pope pointed out that, despite its small size, Luxembourg is "a founding member of the European Union and its predecessor Communities, the seat of numerous European institutions, including the Court of Justice of the Union, the Court of Auditors and the Investment Bank". He also underlined "the solid democratic structure" of the country, in which "the dignity of the human person and the defense of his fundamental freedoms are safeguarded".
Wealth as responsibility
Francis then invited Luxembourg to continue to set an example in this sense "so that relations of solidarity may be established among peoples, so that all may be participants and protagonists in an orderly project of integral development".
This development, the Pontiff continued, "in order to be authentic and integral, must not despoil and degrade our common home, nor must it leave peoples or social groups on the margins". Referring to the country's economy, the Pope warned that "wealth is a responsibility. For this reason, I ask for constant vigilance so as not to neglect the most disadvantaged nations, indeed, so that they may be helped to emerge from their conditions of impoverishment".
Luxembourg's leadership
The Holy Father insisted on this idea, stressing his desire that "Luxembourg, with its peculiar history, with its equally peculiar geographical situation, with slightly less than half of its inhabitants coming from other parts of Europe and the world, be a help and an example in showing the way forward for the reception and integration of migrants and refugees".
In his address, Francis also noted the "resurgence" in Europe "of disagreements and enmities which, instead of being resolved on the basis of mutual good will, negotiation and diplomatic work, lead to open hostilities, with their aftermath of destruction and death". To resolve this, he affirmed, "it is necessary to look upwards, it is necessary that the daily life of the peoples and of their rulers be animated by high and profound spiritual values".
The Gospel as renewal
The Pope explained the reason for his trip to Luxembourg and Belgium by saying that "as successor of the Apostle Peter, in the name of the Church, expert in humanity" his job is "to bear witness that this vital sap, this ever new force of personal and social renewal is the Gospel". The Pope insisted that "the Gospel of Jesus Christ is the only one capable of profoundly transforming the human soul, making it capable of doing good even in the most difficult situations".
The Pontiff ended his speech by stressing once again that Luxembourg has the opportunity to lead a society centered on values and respect for human dignity, and praying God for a blessing for the country.
Pope Francis landed on the morning of September 26 in Luxembourg. He was received at the airport of this small European country by the Prime Minister of Luxembourg, Luc Frieden, and the Grand Dukes, Henri and Maria Theresa.
Manuel López: "In Alzheimer's, the most important thing is silence".
Manuel Lopez-Lopez (83), shares with Omnes some reflections after his Mexican wife, Lita, passed away from Alzheimer's in 2023. In his book 'Navegando del duelo a la esperanza' he has written a few. Now he completes it with Omnes. For example, the great lesson of the "communication of silence" with these sick people. The prologue is by his psychiatrist friend Enrique Rojas.
Francisco Otamendi-September 26, 2024-Reading time: 6minutes
In 2006, Manuel, his Mexican wife Lita, and their children were living in Indianapolis (USA), and in a preventive health program, Lita was diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease. After coming to Spain, she spent the last ten years in the Laguna Care Hospital until her death last year.
After a conversation with the psychiatrist Enrique Rojas, a great friend of his, he wrote the book 'Navegando del duelo a la esperanza' (Navigating from mourning to hope), published by Free Booksin which she has offered an emotional survival manual for those facing the disease. "This is a text that mixes resilience and hope," wrote Dr. Enrique Rojas, who often appears in this conversation with Lita's husband, and who prefaced the book.
Naval engineer Manuel López-López, who has three children and six grandchildren and is in love with the sea, has explained in 176 pages practical advice for accompanying a sea sick person. Alzheimer'sbased on their personal experience; messages for caregivers; and stages and strategies that can help in the transition from grief to hope.
Now, in the interview, he goes off script, and talks about how he feels about this moment. We almost kept our questions to ourselves, and listened to him.
You use sea images when talking about the Alzheimer's process.
- When you find that the person who has been your 'half person', so to speak, because I was lucky enough to find my wife very young, and we have been together all our lives, then the first part of the breakup is extremely hard. Because you see that the other person, it is not that they are gone, because that is one of the things I have learned during this time, that they do not leave, they are there. What happens is that we continue to insist on communicating with them in a way that they no longer communicate.
At the beginning, this had a great impact on me. In fact, during the whole process, there was a very noticeable deterioration. When, at the end of the issue, we were approaching port, there was a decision to be made. To say, this is as far as we have come and this is the end, or to say: this is as far as we have come, and now we are going to start another navigation. Fortunately, I was lucky enough to meet a number of people who helped me find the next sailing.
The spiritual aspect has been fundamental, he reveals. The invisible people...
- Yes. I think that the thought that they are still there, that they are helping us to find our next path, and that above all, it is true, or I feel it, that there is that next navigation, is what gives one peace and serenity, because if not, it would be horrible, wouldn't it?
I think that all this, in the end, concludes, and this is a little of what I have tried to learn in these 17 years -I am a man with a technical background-, but this cannot be learned, because it is not a problem to be solved, it is a state to live with,
That is very important, because what I call the invisible people are the ones that lead us to that situation of looking for the next stage. And in my experience, it has been one of the great discoveries, to see that the invisible people are the ones who create the future. People that many times we don't even know their names, but many times I talk about it. They are people who do not do it for money, they do it out of compassion, out of empathy, out of charity, although now the use of words that have religious connotation is badly considered.
Tell a lesson learned from caring for your wife, Lita.
- I think that in this whole process, the discoveries that one is having, at the end, the person, when you are alone, and you are in the middle of a silence, that is an important topic for me. During all this journey, I have been transforming a verbal communication into a communication with silences. And for me, in this disease, silence is fundamental. I think it is the most important thing.
And we think that what we have to do is to make them remember, to make them talk, to make them answer us..., No, no, they know where they are, and one look is enough for you to see how they know where they are.
You mean your wife, don't you?
- Yes, yes. And besides, she was in a residence, where she has been for ten years, of the Foundation. Vianorte-LagunaAnd I have had a great relationship with the rest of the people who were there. That feeling that you get when you go into a nursing home for Alzheimer's patients, that they are disconnected, and that is not the case.
When you go in and look at them, they sense that connection, which to me is tremendously important. Because many times you might think: they are parked. It's not true. They are connected, and what they are waiting for is someone to look at them and connect them with their silence. That is fundamental, and that is what those people do, who many times we don't even know their names, but who are with them all day long.
This, for me, is the great lesson I have learned during this time. This is not an economic issue, it is something very different.
You have already answered me something else. What would you say to a family member, a caregiver....
- Yesterday a colleague called meand he asked me a question that really struck me. It will be two years in February, my wife passed away in February 2023, and there are days when I am more tender than others, aren't there? The question was: would you take care of your wife again, just like you took care of her before? That question is for me the summary of the whole process. And my answer is this: I would start again tomorrow.
(Manuel gets emotional, and recovers after a while. We continue).
- And then there is another series of elements that enter into this whole process, which is what is in the book I call it 'The Perfect Storm'. And that's because not one person leaves. The perfect storm is for those who stay. For me, dismantling my house has been tremendously emotional, because you dismantle the house and you dismantle your memories. When we presented the book, I told my son: you have to come with me.
"Manolo, look for the next port."
The truth is that it has all been too much together. When she passed away, I went to Dr. Enrique Rojas, the neurologist, with whom I have been very close friends for many years, and he told me: look Manolo, what you have to do is to look for the next port. For that, take the logbook, which I had been writing since day zero, with the daily emotions.
This is a subject that people should take into account. Because many times, when you read what you have done after eight days, you start to see aspects that you had not seen before -our brain is something absolutely unknown to me-, and that helps us to value things. Enrique Rojas told me: within a year you have to have this on the street, and I had only written strategic plans, balance sheets, company stuff.
Did he give you the idea?
- He put the obligation on me. It is one thing to have an idea, and another to have an obligation imposed on you. I also have the theory that things are not casual, they are causal. A series of things began to happen to me, when my wife was at the end of her life, and Enrique Rojas appeared, with whom I had not seen for 50 years. My only objective and project in life was to take care of her. I went daily to see her at the residence. So much so that Telemadrid found out about it and made a video. And I thought, what I have learned, surely it can help someone. As long as it helps one person, it will be worth it. That was the argument he used, and with which he convinced me.
This happened after his wife passed away, or before?
- My wife dies in February, I reconnect with Enrique Rojas the first week of January, he receives me in his office the following Tuesday, and in that meeting he "imposes" the subject on me. And my wife dies three weeks later.
This is causal, you say, not casual.
- That's right.Moreover, in the first talk we had, Enrique Rojas revealed to me an aspect that can happen to people who have had a long, complicated professional life, doing interesting things -I left Spain in 1970-. And that is to get into what I call a comfort capsule. Spiritual issues exist, but they are not the ones that really guide your life. Enrique gave me five things to work on, and one of them was the spiritual area.
But you were already a Christian...
- Yes, yes, but I don't know. It's a matter of putting values in line with your behavior. I can be a Real Madrid supporter, but I don't have to go around telling everyone. At that time, I was lucky that the problems I had been having, had not forced me to develop an important spiritual activity. My wife and I, from the very first moment, tried to make our children better than us. And with that simple expression, we organized our life. Enrique Rojas, for me, was an 'envoy'. A person sent to tell me this.
The Holy See will be the one to decide "the solution" for Torreciudad
Torreciudad has returned to the headlines following the announcement by the bishop of Barbastro Monzón of "leaving in the hands of the Holy See the solution to the differences of criteria with the Prelature of Opus Dei. Opus Dei expresses its "full confidence in the study to be made by the Holy See on this matter".
A new twist, although perhaps predictable, in the process of conversations between the Prelature of Opus Dei and the bishopric of Barbastro Monzón in relation to the Marian temple of Torreciudad.
The communiqué from the Bishopric of Barbastro
On Wednesday, September 25, the Aragonese bishopric announces on its website that it had left "in the hands of the Holy See the solution to the differences of criteria with the Prelature of Opus Dei regarding the juridical, canonical and pastoral regularization of Torreciudad".
The bishopric points out that it has handed over to the Vatican information on "the contractual relationship on this diocesan enclave since 1962, as well as the twenty meetings held over the last four years between both parties". In the brief communiqué issued by the Aragonese diocese it is also informed that this "request for intervention was transferred last week to the Secretariat of State and to the Dicastery for the Clergy", so that the Holy See would already be on the case while Torreciudad was hosting the last of the great celebrations of the temple, the Marian Family Day.
Authorities together with the bishop of Barbastro-Monzón at the 32nd Marian Family Day in Torreciudad
Opus Dei's response
A few hours later, Opus Dei issued a communiqué in which he points out that "the Prelature has kept the Holy See informed of the course of the conversations at all times" and that, in fact, the Dicastery of the Clergy "has had all the relevant documentation since September 2023, and that it has been updated since then."
The diocese continues to point to the regularization of the "status of Torreciudad and erect it, canonically, as a sanctuary" as the key to this process. On this point, the Prelature recalls that on August 30, 2023, it sent the bishopric its proposal for the statutes of the Shrine. A proposal that received a response "six months later by convening a technical meeting in March, which was satisfactory for both parties. However, in a subsequent meeting on June 30, the Diocese delivered a draft that changed some of the most important points previously agreed upon".
On the part of the Prelature, they argue that, the Opus Dei Opus Dei "has always shown its willingness to reach an agreement, within the margins that it has considered to be guaranteed by civil and canon law". A willingness that, according to Opus Dei, "has not met with the correspondence that could be expected, after the refusal of the Diocese to reach any agreement except the acceptance of its own terms". The content of this new draft represented a new stumbling block in the understanding of both parties and now the Holy See will be in charge of deciding the future of the temple, which will be 50 years old in 2025. A decision in which the Prelature expresses "full confidence".
Both the bishopric of Barbastrina and Opus Dei have expressed their desire to "reach a resolution of this matter," as the diocese of Monsignor Angel Perez Pueyo points out. Opus Dei has also expressed its desire to "continue working for the Diocese and for the universal Church from the point of view of the diocese". Torreciudad (...) with the same communion and trust that has always existed".
The process between the bishopric of Barbastro Monzón and Torreciudad
Since July 2023, the process of talks between the bishopric of Barbastro Monzón and the Opus Dei prelature regarding Torreciudad has gone through several stages.
On July 17, 2023, the bishop of the small Aragonese diocese of Barbastro Monzón published a series of "Appointments and some changes to move forward together for better pastoral care." which included the appointment of "José Mairal Villellas, rector of the Sanctuary of Torreciudad to (...) be responsible for the pastoral and ministerial care until the existing canonical situation between both institutions is regularized".
The surprise was great, not only among the faithful, but also in the Prelature of Opus DeiThe appointment of the new church and the dissemination of the devotion to the Virgin of Torreciudad, since the appointment had been made from unilateral manner by the diocese and spoke of the need for a "regularization of the canonical situation".
At that time, Omnes published an article which explained the reasons given by both parties for, on the one hand, considering the appointment as legitimate and, on the other hand, for not doing so and announcing a careful study of the matter.
As a result of this appointment, the process that had been underway for several years between the Prelature of Opus Dei and the Aragonese diocese to reach a new agreement regarding the sanctuary and the consequent problems of understanding that had arisen along the way.
In this matter, issues that directly concern two legal spheres converge: the power to appoint a rector and to make the new church a diocesan sanctuary, which are upheld by Canon Law, and the validity of the emphyteutic census contract for the cession of the old hermitage and the image of the Virgin of the Angels of Torreciudad, which are framed within Civil Law.
Ownership of the image and the wayside shrine
It should be borne in mind that what is nowadays identified as Torreciudad comprises, in the foreground, the church designed by the team of architects led by Heliodoro Dols. This construction was made possible thanks to the donations of the faithful from different places encouraged by Opus Dei. This new church belongs to the Canonical Foundation of the Sanctuary of Our Lady of the Angels of Torreciudad.
Both the image of the Virgin of Torreciudad and the old hermitage are the property of the diocese of Barbastro-Monzón. However, in 1962, by means of what is known as contract emphyteutic (a type of contract used in law to assign in perpetuity the useful domain of a property or object under the conditions agreed by the parties) are assigned in perpetuity to the civil entity Inmobiliaria General Castellana, S.A. (later Desarrollo Social y Cultural, S.A.).
As noted in the article published in August 2024 in the same media, one of the points of friction between the bishop of Barbastro-Monzón is the consideration of the validity of this contract, signed between Opus Dei and the bishopric of Barbastro in 1962, in which it was agreed that the useful domain of the hermitage and the image of the Virgin would be transferred in perpetuity.
Ángel Pérez Pueyo does not recognize the validity of those agreements, while Opus Dei defends that they are fully valid and should be the basis for any legal modification. Legal sources consulted by this media point out that, in the civil sphere, it is difficult to defend the nullity of these agreements, which were made following the pertinent legal guidelines at all times.
In fact, these differences of criteria are what caused the Opus Dei Prelature not to attend the conciliation act requested by the Bishopric and set for December 20, 2023, since, according to the basis on which it was presented, its attendance at that conciliation act would imply acceptance of the nullity of the 1962 agreements.
The appointment of the rector
In relation to the decision to appoint a rector for Torreciudad, the diocese of Barbastro-Monzón referred to the need to "regularize" the canonical situation of the sanctuary as a reason for this appointment, although it did not specify the nature of this situation.
Subsequently, the Diocese of Barbastro-Monzón itself pointed out that "in the case of Torreciudad, and in order to regularize its canonical situation with the diocese, the Prelature was asked to propose to this bishopric a list of three priests to make the appointment of the rector (c. 557 §1). With the passing of the months, and not having received this list after several requests, we have opted for the appointment of José Mairal, pastor of Bolturina-Ubiergo, to whose parish belongs the hermitage-sanctuary of Torreciudad".
Why did Opus Dei not present a list of three priests? The Prelature responded to this question by stressing that the statutes in force for Torreciudad specify that "the appointment of the rector and the designation of the priests in charge of pastoral care corresponds to the Regional Vicar of the Prelature."
These statutes are based on the same canon that the Bishopric pointed out, since it determines that "the diocesan Bishop freely appoints the rector of a church, without prejudice to the right of election or presentation, when this right legitimately belongs to someone; in this case, it is up to the diocesan Bishop to confirm or institute the rector".
This is the procedure that has been followed in Torreciudad. Since there has been no change in the legal status of Torreciudad and meetings are being held to reach a new agreement, the "Prelature understands that it is not necessary to present a list of three candidates".
Faced with the decision of the bishop of Barbastro-Monzón in July 2023 to declare the office of rector of Torreciudad vacant and proceed to appoint a priest of the Diocese, the Opus Dei prelature decided to appeal to the Holy See.
Thus, on September 1, 2023, the rector appointed by Bishop Pérez Pueyo began to carry out this task, which translated into a weekly celebration of Holy Mass in the church.
Torreciudad, a diocesan sanctuary?
At present, the status of the Torreciudad temple is still that of a semi-public oratory.
Making Torreciudad a diocesan sanctuary had long been the desire of the Prelature and the origin of the negotiations that began in 2020 with the bishopric of Barbastro Monzón.
With the status of diocesan sanctuary, the temple erected in 1975 would be governed according to the existing regulations The bishop of Barbastro-Monzón may approve the new statutes and establish an agreement with the Prelature that will include the appointment of the rector by the bishop, in accordance with canons 556 and 557 of the Code of Canon Law.
These canons foresee that the appointment of the rector corresponds to the diocesan bishop and this would be done, after the presentation of a list of three candidates by the Opus Dei prelature of the possible rector", as the Opus Dei prelature pointed out in an extensive document of questions and answers last March.
On December 8, 2023, the bishop of the diocese of Barbastro Monzón announced that Torreciudad will become a "diocesan sanctuary when appropriate" and that he had consulted the Dicastery for the Clergy during his stay in Rome last November 28, during the meeting that all the Spanish bishops held with Pope Francis to analyze the situation of the Spanish seminaries. This news suggested that there was a green light from the Vatican to move forward in this process but, months later, there has been no further information.
The requests of the bishopric of Barbastro Monzón
The conversations between the Prelature of Opus Dei and the Bishopric of Barbastro continue to this day. It should not be forgotten that the new church has been a turning point in the spiritual, social and economic revitalization of the area. However, the positions of both sides do not seem to find a satisfactory solution.
In its request for conciliation, the Bishopric of Barbastro asked "to restore the carving of the image of the image of Our Lady of Torreciudad, without causing any damage, to its original location, located in the Hermitage of Torreciudad" and "the reversion to the Diocese of the Hermitage, Hostelry and annexed dependencies object of the contract of emphyteutic census elevated to public deed on September 24, 1962, the purpose of which was the transfer of the useful domain by the Diocese of Barbastro of the property consisting of the Sanctuary destined to the worship of Nuestra Señora de Torreciudad, together with its guest house and annexed premises, with a surface area of 120 square meters, in favor of the mercantile company INMOBILIARIA GENERAL CASTELLANA, S.A. (today DESARROLLO SOCIAL, S.A.)".
This would involve de facto a declaration of nullity of the agreements signed in the 1960s. Following the usual trend in the management of diocesan sanctuaries, the Bishopric would have to take charge of the maintenance, security and pastoral and economic care of this Hermitage, Hostelry and dependencies.
In addition, the diocese requested the Opus Dei a financial contribution to the bishopric that the prelature considered "disproportionate", taking into account that the income generated by the ordinary activity of the sanctuary "is not enough to cover 30 % of the expenses, and the Association Patronato de Torreciudad has to take charge of finding resources to cover the rest of the expenses". A figure that also has to be agreed upon in the conversations between the prelature and the diocese.
One year later, the Torreciudad process is today with the engine running but in low gear and awaiting a prompt and fair solution.
Chronology
2020- The Prelature of Opus Dei has proposed to the Diocese of Barbastro-Monzón its desire to update some details of the legal framework of Torreciudad. Its proposal was to elevate the temple to a diocesan sanctuary.
July 17, 2023: The Bishop of Barbastro Monzón publishes a series of appointments among which is that of the diocesan priest Jose Mairal as rector of Torreciudad.
July 18, 2023: The Prelature of Opus Dei in Spain published a communiqué on the appointment of a rector in Torreciudad, stressing that it will study the matter carefully.
July 22, 2023: The Bishopric summons Opus Dei to an act of conciliation defending as a basis the nullity of the emphyteutic census contract signed on September 24, 1962. (The Prelature would have knowledge of this act in December 2023).
August 20, 2023: The Bishop of Barbastro Monzón presides the day of the Virgin in Torreciudad.
August 31, 2023: Opus Dei sent the diocese a proposal of agreement, which includes both legal and pastoral questions, in which it is proposed that the new church be considered a diocesan canonical shrine.
October 3, 2023: The entity Desarrollo Social S.A. delivers to the Court of Barbastro a document in which it points out the reasons for the validity of the emphyteutic census contract signed on September 24, 1962.
December 2, 2023: Notification was received at the headquarters of Opus Dei in Spain from the Barbastro courts for the act of conciliation with the Prelature, filed on July 22, 2023 by the Bishopric.
December 8, 2023: The Bishop of the Diocese of Barbastro Monzón announces the approval of the Holy See to convert Torreciudad into a diocesan sanctuary.
March 1, 2023: Opus Dei publishes an extensive document clarifying some points about Torreciudad and publishes the details of the emphyteutic census contract as well as the request for conciliation.
September 25, 2024: The Bishopric of Barbastro Monzón announces that "it has placed in the hands of the Holy See the solution to the differences of criteria with the Prelature of Opus Dei regarding the juridical, canonical and pastoral regularization of Torreciudad". The bishopric had transferred the case to the Secretariat of State and the Dicastery for the Clergy the third week of September.
Ana Villota: caring for people with mental illness in supervised apartments
The Asociación de Iniciativas Sociales (AISS), directed by Ana Villota, with psychologists and caregivers, has presented to the media its initiative of supervised apartments for people with mental illnesses. The event was attended by Javier Ojeda, delegate of the diocese of Madrid for Caritas Madrid, and Susana Hernández, head of social works of Exclusion of Caritas Madrid.
Francisco Otamendi-September 25, 2024-Reading time: 3minutes
AISS is a non-profit association, founded in 1999, which provides supervised apartments for people with disabilities. mental illness. It has several apartments in Madrid (four full time, including night), and also offers a home help service.
Its director and founder, Ana Villota, explained this morning that the association "focuses on the attention and care of people, those who need us because of their particular circumstances, AISS accompanies and welcomes, and faith in God is the axis of the association. This project is based on a religious idea, love of neighbor is fundamental. That is, to love others as we love God.
"Thanks to faith."
The event featured the violinist Miren de Felipe, with Schubert's Ave Maria, followed by the Lord's Prayer in seguidillas, with the dancer Christian Almodóvar, Ángel del Toro on vocals, and Javier Romanos on guitar.
Dancer Christian Almodóvar, and other artists, at the AISS event.
"Love for others and for God pushes us to continue working day by day in the most complicated moments, and also teaches us to enjoy the good moments, of which there are many. Smiles and hugs often speak louder than words," said Ana Villota.
"To set up this project I needed my professional career, but everything would have been very short if it had not been for this religious legacy. I find, thanks to faith, peace to be able to develop this work with guarantee, and precisely this premise is what we want to emphasize today with this beautiful visit of Javier and Susana".
Psychologists and caregivers
Also present at the event, in addition to the people living in the apartment, were the psychologist Ana, who provides therapy to AISS users; Arancha, daily caregiver of the apartment, and other caregivers of supervised apartments, such as Mélida Miguelina, Dominican, or Dulce María.
Ana learned about AISS through the CEUShe has told Omnes that she "appreciates the role I have in providing support and how grateful the patients themselves are, being able to talk to them, and that they recognize your work. It's nice to see how they live here, the functions of daily life - the routines are important - and we appreciate being able to make them feel good."
Striving for an integrated life
Susana Hernández, head of social work for Exclusion de Caritas MadridHe pointed out that "in Caritas we also have projects with mental illness, but they are for homeless people. And we agree on the need to eliminate the stigma, to accompany, to make the disease is not a reason to stop being a citizen, in this case of Madrid, or Spain, It is fortunate to see that there are other people working and doing important work, sharing values.
Javier Ojeda, for his part, said that "on behalf of Caritas Madrid, we thank you for being able to get to know closely and enjoy the experience of caring, with affection and professionalism, for those people with whom you share life and future".
"As Ana (Villota) commented in an interview on the Cope channel, "there are four verbs that are very important, and that Pope Francis highlights when speaking of the drama of migrants. They are to welcome, protect, promote and integrate".
"Avoid isolation and individualism."
"We believe that you live these same verbs in your sheltered apartments, in your daily life with people with mental health. That is why we share with you that desire and that effort for these people to lead a fully normalized and integrated life, offering the same living conditions that we have the rest of people, "added Javier Ojeda.
"To build a society that includes everyone is not an act of charity more understood, (...), but it must also offer opportunities for social participation. To promote it in community spaces, because all of us have some kind of disability: an excess of selfishness, inability to put ourselves in the place of others, violent attitudes ....".
"We all have much to learn and much to teach, and we must play our part in the field of integration, avoiding isolation and individualism (...). We thank you for your efforts to make life easier and more dignified for persons with disabilities. mental healthWe encourage you to continue in this task," concluded the diocesan delegate for Caritas Madrid.
In his general audience Pope Francis spoke forcefully about the existence of Satan and recommended turning to the Word of God as an infallible method for overcoming temptations.
In the audience On September 25, Pope Francis continued his catechesis on the Holy Spirit. On this occasion he focused on the passage of the temptations in the desert.
The Pontiff began his reflection by clarifying an error that could arise when reading this episode of the Gospel. "In going into the desert, Jesus obeys an inspiration of the Holy Spirit, he does not fall into a trap of the enemy." The confirmation of this is read in a verse of the Gospel after the temptations, as the Pope pointed out: "Once He had overcome the trial, He - it is written - returned to Galilee 'full of the power of the Holy Spirit'".
The existence of Satan
This detail is very important, because the Pontiff pointed out that "Jesus in the desert freed himself from Satan", so that "now he can free himself from Satan". Something essential in an age in which "at a certain cultural level, it is believed that Satan simply does not exist".
"However," Francis warned, "our technological and secularized world is full of magicians, occultism, spiritualism, astrologers, sellers of amulets and spells and, unfortunately, real satanic sects." The devil, in a cunning way, "expelled from faith, re-enters with superstition".
In fact, "the strongest proof of Satan's existence is not found in sinners and obsessed people, but in the saints!" Pope Francis confirmed. But it cannot be denied either that "the devil is present and active in certain extreme and 'inhuman' forms of evil and wickedness that we see around us."
Overcoming Satan with the Word of God
The Holy Father has insisted that "it is in the lives of the saints that the devil is forced to come out into the open, to set himself 'against the light'". They are also the ones who are often best equipped to confront Satan. "The battle against the spirit of evil is won as Jesus won it in the desert: with blows of the Word of God". And along with this, "St. Peter also suggests another means that Jesus did not need, but we do: vigilance. Francis also repeated an idea that he often says: "You cannot dialogue with the devil.
In this regard, the Pontiff quoted a Father of the Church, Caesar of Arles. This saint explained that after Christ's victory on the Cross, the devil "is tied, like a dog to a chain; he can bite no one, except those who, defying danger, approach him... He can bark, he can urge, but he cannot bite, except those who wish to do so."
Today, the Pope noted, "modern technology, in addition to many positive resources to be appreciated, also offers innumerable means to 'give the devil a chance,' and many fall into his trap."
Confidence in the victory of Christ
However, the Holy Father said that "the awareness of the devil's action in history should not discourage us". Catholics must feel "confidence and security" because "Christ has conquered the devil and has given us the Holy Spirit to make his victory our own".
The Pope concluded his meditation by inviting us to pray with the hymn "Veni Creator": "Remove the enemy from us, give us peace quickly. Be our guide so that we may avoid all evil".
The future of the planet and the challenges of artificial intelligence under scrutiny at the Vatican
The Plenary Assembly of the Pontifical Academy of Sciences opened on September 23. For three days, its members will discuss Artificial Intelligence, the care of the planet and the so-called "age of the Anthropocene".
On September 23, 2024, the Plenary Assembly of the Plenary Assembly of the Pontifical Academy of Sciences. The Pope FrancisThe speech was delivered to the participants, thus kicking off discussions on highly topical issues such as artificial intelligence (AI) and the so-called "Anthropocene era".
The event includes three days of in-depth discussions, featuring distinguished scientists and technology leaders committed to solving the global challenges of our time.
Words of the Holy Father
In his speech prepared for the occasion, the Pontiff first expressed his concern about the destructive impact of human activities on nature and ecosystems, and congratulated the Academy for the choice of topics, stressing in this regard the importance of a science that takes into account the common good and social justice.
The central reference was to the "Anthropocene," a term coined in the early 2000s by the atmospheric scientist Paul Crutzen, now a member of the same Pontifical Academy, to define the current era in which the effects of human activities on the planet are evident. Consequences "increasingly dramatic for nature and for human beings, especially in the climate crisis and the loss of biodiversity" that such an attitude is generating.
On the other hand, he could not fail to mention artificial intelligence, whose development "can be beneficial for humanity, promoting innovations in the fields of medicine and health," as well as helping to protect the natural environment itself. It is also necessary to "recognize and prevent the risks of manipulative uses" that this technological development can entail, the Pope added.
Assembly Program
The Assembly days include lectures and panel discussions with presentations from some of the world's leading scientists and technologists. During the first day, a panel explored the topic of ethics in artificial intelligence, with the participation of Demis Hassabis, CEO of Google DeepMind, and Frances Hamilton Arnold, Nobel Laureate in Chemistry. It was mentioned that "artificial intelligence represents an extraordinary opportunity to accelerate scientific discoveries", although "its application must be accompanied by a strong social responsibility".
On the second day, the debate focused on climate change and biodiversity loss. People are becoming aware, for example, of the urgency of acting in a coordinated manner to address these crises, knowing that "science must guide the actions needed to ensure a livable future."
Highlights of the third day include a session dedicated to emerging sciences, with talks on quantum physics and applications of AI to medicine. Among other things, there will be talks on the use of artificial intelligence in marine science and how it can improve sustainable ocean management and protect marine biodiversity.
Previous Academy initiatives
The Pontifical Academy of Sciences has a long tradition of reflection on ethical and scientific issues of global relevance. Its previous plenaries have addressed topics such as human resilience during climate change and pandemic response, such as COVID-19. In 2022, the Academy explored the theme of "resilience of people and ecosystems under climate stress," highlighting the key role of science in mitigating environmental crises.
This year, the focus was on AI, considered by many to be a "cognitive-industrial revolution". As the Pope also stated, the impact of this technology "on peoples and on the international community requires greater attention and study," thus calling for a responsible use of emerging technologies to avoid exacerbating inequalities and to foster true progress.
María Vallejo-Nágera: "We must get used to reading the Bible as a family".
Despite being the most translated and sold book in the world, many Catholics do not know the Bible well. María Vallejo-Nágera wants to find a solution to this and has therefore begun to write "La Biblia para zoquetes", a collection with which she wants to help the faithful to rediscover the Word of God.
María Vallejo-Nágera has begun a project of immense dimensions: to help the "biblical oafs" to understand the Bible. With the editorial Palabra is preparing a collection of some 11 volumes in which he will explain little by little all the events of the Scripture.
The simple language and touch of humor that the author brings to her works allows adults, believers and atheists alike, to approach the best-selling and most translated book in the world with a different perspective. María Vallejo-Nágera assures that she does not explain the Bible for theologians and connoisseurs, but for ordinary Catholics, for all those who open a copy of the Old Testament and get a headache trying to locate the people or pronounce the names of the places through which the Chosen People pass.
The first volume of the collection covers the story from Adam and Eve to Abraham and, as the author points out, serves as an appetizer to begin the great adventure of all Catholics: delving into the Bible.
What is a "biblical dunce" and why are you dedicating a collection of books to it?
- A "biblical dunce," to begin with, is an adult. A biblical dunce is a person who, Catholic or not, has no idea about the Bible. The dunce may have a copy of the Bible, sitting on a shelf full of cobwebs, but he doesn't know it.
I have written the book with a very simple vocabulary, with a little humor, with no desire to attack anything or anyone in the Bible. The idea is that the reader wakes up and is very attentive to the information in the Bible. The goal is that people who do not understand the Bible can understand the basics by reading "The Bible for Dummies".
This book is like the appetizer that prepares you for the steak that comes later. I want the book to arouse the reader's curiosity to take the plunge and read the Bible.
How did you prepare to write this book?
- At the age of 53 I was fortunate to be accepted at Harvard. I studied there for a full year a course on the Old and New Testament and early Christianity up to the 12th century. There I fell in love with this subject and realized that I had to do something when I returned to Madrid.
On my return I enrolled at the Pontifical University of Comillas and obtained a degree as a Specialist in Biblical Spirituality. I studied hard and decided to tell what I had learned, but in my own way. I started to tell my friends about it through a school I set up in the Prado Museum, explaining the Bible in front of the paintings. We ended up with 120 women going to the Museum and we received the blessing of Cardinal Rouco's secretary.
The school level was very simple and is the one I have kept for the collection, because it is what the dunces need.
In the book you talk about a "philosophical-spiritual indigestion" if people read the Bible too fast. What can we do to avoid this "indigestion"?
- It is enough to read the Bible 20 minutes a day, starting little by little. And I especially recommend the Navarre Bible and the Jerusalem Bible, because they are full of small print that helps you understand the context. In particular, the Navarra Bible is perfectly translated, which is a very important detail.
In addition, I invite people to go to my book when they don't understand something in the Bible, where I try to provide the context to better understand what we read.
You say that the Bible is a very current book even though it was written thousands of years ago. Why?
- The Bible is a book that can be translated into the present. The issues it deals with are the same ones that arise for us today. We do not travel through the desert, but we still have the same problems of faith, we are concerned about the same questions. So much so, that when we read the "Song of Songs", the prophetic books or the wisdom books, we see the moral and emotional issues of thousands of years ago that are still valid today.
What about the inconsistencies that many point out in the Bible?
- We are talking about a very ancient and complex book, written by hands we do not know. We must also take into account that there are many parts of the Bible that we have lost over the centuries and that we are discovering little by little.
The Bible is a very complex book. I remember a professor of Genesis at Harvard who explained to us that, from one verse to the next, we are clearly missing a piece. Knowing this, it is not surprising that there are inconsistencies.
Why don't Catholics know the Bible?
- Catholics were forbidden for a long time to read the Bible. This had a meaning and that is that normally the laity did not have the necessary formation to understand the text.
I believe that the Church has failed in this, because after the Second Vatican Council the prohibition was lifted but the Bible has not been explained to us. By doing that, I dare say that, because of this lack of knowledge, we are not even able to understand the depth of the Mass.
The Protestants have taken the lead and we should be ashamed of ourselves. The Catholic needs to dust off the Bible and start getting to know it.
What is the best disposition for reading the Bible?
- We must open our hearts and tell the Lord that we do not understand what we read. We must ask God for the grace to understand it. It is good to start from the beginning, read little by little and let the Lord give us light. And better yet, we should get used to reading the Bible as a family.
Pope invites to "disarm communication" and encourages dialogue
Pope Francis has chosen as the theme for World Communications Day 2025 a phrase taken from the first letter of St. Peter: "Share with meekness the hope that is in your hearts."
Pope Francis has chosen as the theme for the World Communications Day 2025 a phrase inspired by a letter of St. Peter: "Share with meekness the hope that is in your hearts".
The Pontiff wants to point out how often "communication is violent" and prevents "the conditions for dialogue" from being established. For this reason, he invites everyone to "disarm communication".
By linking the theme of the Day with the Jubilee of the Esperanza which is celebrated in 2025, Francis affirms that "we cannot do without a community that lives the message of Jesus in such a credible way that it gives a glimpse of the hope that it carries, and is able to communicate the hope of Christ with deeds and words even today".
The Sala Stampa of the Holy See held on Tuesday, September 24, a press conference to discuss the next World Youth Day to be held in Seoul (South Korea) in 2027.
The press conference was attended by Cardinal Kevin J. Farrell, Prefect of the Dicastery for the Laity, Family and Life; Archbishop Peter Soon-Taick Chung, Archbishop of Seoul; Bishop Paul Kyung Sang Lee, Auxiliary Bishop of Seoul; and Gabriela Su-Ji Kim, a young Korean catechist.
The vitality of Catholics in Korea
The first to speak was Cardinal Farrell, who highlighted Pope Francis' choice of Seoul as "a beautiful sign of the universality of the Church and the dream of unity". In this sense, "every World Youth Day is a valuable opportunity for the host Church to celebrate, together with other Churches, its own culture and faith."
Although Catholics in South Korea are a minority, the cardinal assured that the country's believing community "is full of vitality and initiatives of all kinds, and is enriched by the heroic witness of so many martyrs".
For this reason, the prefect expressed his hope that World Youth Day 2027 will be "an opportunity for all young people to rediscover the beauty of the Christian life and to bring to the ordinary circumstances of daily life the renewed desire to be disciples of Jesus and faithful to his Gospel". Something that, Cardinal Farrell said without a doubt, "will have great benefits for the Church in Korea, for the Asian continent and for the Church globally".
On the other hand, the Cardinal highlighted "the natural openness of Asia to the coexistence of cultures, to dialogue and complementarity". He affirmed that this "will be of great help to the young pilgrims in their journey to become the messengers of peace of the future".
The theme of World Youth Day 2027
The Prefect then made public the motto chosen by Pope Francis for World Youth Day in Seoul: "Take courage: I have overcome the world". The phrase is intended to bring hope to all young people, giving prominence to "the witness and courage that flow from the Easter victory of Jesus".
Cardinal Farrell also said that the "passing of the baton" of the symbols of World Youth Day "will take place on November 24, the Solemnity of Christ the King of the Universe, during the Holy Mass in St. Peter's Basilica".
The Prefect concluded his speech by expressing his hope "that many young people, even those who have never participated in a WYD, will travel a journey, especially an interior one, in the next three years, to meet the Successor of Peter in Asia and together give a courageous witness to Christ".
Evangelization of Seoul
Before the intervention of the Archbishop of Seoul, a video shown by the Sala Stampa recalled the evangelization of South Korea, carried out mainly by the laity. Based on this, Archbishop Peter Soon-Taick Chung said that "the Korean Catholic Church bears witness to the voluntary and dynamic faith of its first faithful, who received the seeds of the Gospel without the help of missionaries, guided by the Holy Spirit."
The Archbishop recalled that "during periods of persecution, the early Korean faithful sent desperate letters to the Pope, fervently requesting missionaries to preserve their faith and join the universal Church." Now, centuries later, "the Pope has once again accepted the request of our Church, inviting young people from all over the world to join the World Youth Day pilgrimage, participating in WYD Seoul 2027."
Joy of being members of the Church
This pilgrimage, said Msgr. Soon-Taick Chung, "will be a meaningful journey in which young people, united with Jesus Christ, will reflect and discuss the current challenges and injustices they face." It will also "be a great celebration that will allow everyone to experience the vibrant and energetic culture created by Korean youth" and an opportunity for young people from the country hosting the pilgrims to "share the concerns and passions of their peers."
The Archbishop concluded his message by committing himself "to the young people of the whole world to experience the profound joy of being members of the Church" and inviting everyone to participate in World Youth Day in Seoul.
Forgiveness and generosity in the lives of Seoul Catholics
Following the Archbishop's remarks, Paul Kyung Sang Lee spoke. The auxiliary bishop of Seoul began by stressing that "Korea finds itself in a unique context, different from that of previous World Youth Day celebrations, characterized by the harmonious coexistence of different religious traditions."
Because of its history, "the Korean Catholic Church has consistently embodied the Christian virtues of 'forgiveness' and 'sharing,' promoting these values in society and coexisting peacefully with other faiths."
Seoul World Youth Day slogan and logo in English
Logo and preparations
The auxiliary bishop of Seoul indicated that preparations for World Youth Day have already begun and showed the logo of the meeting, "which reflects the vision and aspirations of this event that will mark an epoch".
"At the center of the logo is a cross; the red and blue colors symbolize Christ's triumphant victory over the world. The element on the left, facing upwards, indicates God in Heaven, while the element on the right, facing downwards, symbolizes Earth, illustrating the fulfillment of God's will on Earth through its unity."
The logo was created in the style of traditional Korean art, "using the unique brushstroke techniques of Korean painting and subtly incorporating Hangul characters that represent 'Seoul. In addition, the image also features the English acronym for World Youth Day: WYD.
Regarding the colors, Paul Kyung Sang Lee explained that "the red on one side of the cross symbolizes the blood of the martyrs, harmonizing with the theme of courage. The blue represents the vitality of young people and symbolizes the call of God." When seen together, the colors are reminiscent of those of the Korean flag. "Finally, the yellow color shining behind the cross represents Christ, who is the 'light of the world.'"
Rekindling the faith of young people in Seoul
The last to speak was Gabriela Su-Ji Kim, a Korean catechist who participated in the itinerant Synod with young people in Rome as a delegate from her country in 2017. Gabriela echoed the consequences of COVID-19, which prompted many young people from the faith and the communities were dissolved due to the security measures imposed.
The young woman showed enthusiasm because, despite the "challenge of a scattered flock," WYD in Seoul "will be a crucial opportunity to rekindle the flames of faith, not only in Korea, but also throughout the world."
In this way, Gabriela concluded, "we will forge a path of unity, hope, courage and passion, welcoming people from all walks of life, not just Catholic believers, to walk together in harmony."
On September 29, the Church celebrates the World Day of Migrants and Refugees with the theme: "God walks with his people".
On this occasion, the Spanish Episcopal Conference has presented the materials that the Church in Spain has prepared for this day.
Bishop Vicente Martín, member of the Episcopal Commission for Social Pastoral and Human Promotion, was the first to present the event, recalling that "the issue of migration affects us all and we have to manage it together: State, Church and society".
Bishop Vicente Martin wanted to point out the pastoral reflection approved in March by the Spanish bishops, which "is the framework in which the Church works this pastoral care of migrants". In this exhortation of the Spanish bishops there is "a proposal for a cross-cutting pastoral work with migrants".
Bishop Martin pointed out several challenges for the Church in the face of this reality: "inwardly, to be welcoming in order to live Catholicism, to widen the tent. Outwardly, to go out to meet the discarded people". The auxiliary bishop of Madrid recalled that there is the right to migrate but also the right not to migrate and stressed that those who arrive "must feel that they are part of the community to which they belong, not second class".
Once again, the Church has called for a national pact on migration as a framework for action that combines human dignity and security.
"Welcoming, promoting and integrating is our way of being at the side of migrants," said Bishop Martin.
For his part, the director of the Department of Migration, Xabier Gómez, began his speech by pointing out that "the Church has been reminding Christians of the importance of the phenomenon of migration for more than a hundred years," referring to the 110th day.
Gomez wanted to "share good news to raise our gaze and place human dignity and the common good at the center. The chosen motto reminds us that God walks with his people, in his people, in people. People on the move are Christ himself on the way," he said. Therefore "he is not with those who reject them. What we have to do is to fight against poverty, not against the poor.
In this sense, Gómez has highlighted the need to "de-ideologize what refers to migrations. Because what all this does is to defocus the issue. We are talking about people, about lives that are lost, about human dignity and the common good".
Gómez has put on the table some of the main data of the work of the Spanish Church with migrants: there are more than 120 centers serving migrants and refugees and more than 390,000 people have benefited in 2022".
Materials
Various materials have been prepared for this year's campaign. The reference document is the exhortation "Welcoming and Missionary Communities". Along with this, they offer 4 podcasts, "Crossing borders".
Gómez presented, in broad outline, the Atlantic Hospitality project, an ecclesial network in which 26 dioceses from 10-11 countries participate and which, in the next few days, will present the Atlantic Hospitality Guide that includes safe spaces along the Atlantic route as well as "podcasts to offer migrants, in their own language, information to help them manage their first arrival at the border. We will also work to connect with sponsors who can set up work projects in the populations of origin".
Finally, the apostolic vicar of Western Sahara, Mario Leon, who has been in the Sahara for 20 years, explained that "our churches are all migrants. People come for a while, the reality is hard". "The phenomenon of migration has hit us more since 2015. Until then it was concentrated in Rabat or Casablanca and they came to Sahara to pass through. We have had to learn; we with our smallness, we are two parishes, the first thing is to welcome and celebrate the faith. The migrants share their faith with us and make us live the faith in a very lively way". León referred to one of his parishes whose community "is completely migrant. What we want is that they feel at ease, we see this phenomenon as an opportunity: they have given us community life... they have given us faith". León explained the work that, in coordination with various entities and communities, is being carried out from Sahara to attend to these thousands of displaced people.
One of the questions that was in the air from the very first moment of the presentation of this Day was the possibility of Pope Francis' visit to Canary Islands. At this point, the auxiliary bishop of Madrid stressed that, for the Church in the Canary Islands, such a visit "would be a great joy and an endorsement for this work as well as a breath of hope for the people received".
Presentation of the materials prepared by the Spanish Episcopal Conference for World Day of Migrants and Refugees 2024
Bishop Philippe Jourdan: "Our Lady wanted to remain in the Estonian language, even after the Lutheran reform".
Philippe Jean-Charles Jourdan arrived in Estonia in 1996, when he was appointed Vicar General of the Apostolic Administration of Estonia. On March 23, 2005, he was appointed titular bishop of Pertusa and Apostolic Administrator. He is second only to Eduard Profittlich SJ, who is in the process of beatification.
The Apostolic Administration of Estonia is 100 years old. It was on November 1, 1924 when this land ceased to be part of the Latvian archdiocese of Riga and began its journey. It is one hundred years, but in its first half, the presence of the Catholic Church in Estonia was almost non-existent, due to the Soviet occupation that the country suffered from 1940 to 1991. Since September 26, 2024, the Apostolic Administration of Estonia is the Diocese of Tallinn.
The former Apostolic Administrator since 1996, the Frenchman Philippe Jourdan, is now bishop of the new diocese of this Baltic region, which, as a second name, has the name of Maarjamaa o Land of MaryThe Catholic presence in the country since the thirteenth century, which has experienced many vicissitudes up to the present day, is a reminiscence of the Catholic presence. In a country that has been secularized for generations, the faith is making inroads and, every year, dozens of baptisms and conversions bear witness to this.
What is the reality of the Catholic Church in Estonia?
-According to the latest census of 2021, approximately 0.8 % of the Estonian population is Catholic. It may not seem like much, but for us it is a lot.
In the 1970s a German did a doctoral thesis on the history of the Church in Estonia in the 20th century. He did it very well, conscientiously. Among the things he pointed out was how, in the early 1970s, there were five or six Estonian Catholics in Estonia. Not fifty or sixty, but five or six. I was able to meet at least two of these six. They were already very old when I arrived; I was going to visit them in the old people's home where they were. You cannot imagine what an old people's home was like in a post-Soviet society of the 1990s like ours: terrible. Well, from those five in the 1970s to today we have grown more than a thousandfold. It has been a great grace of God.
How has the Estonian faith survived throughout its history?
-Although we are now celebrating 100 years of Apostolic Administration, this does not mean that Catholics arrived in 1924. We have had a Catholic presence in Estonia since the 13th century, but the Church in Estonia - in other northern European nations - almost completely disappeared with the Lutheran Reformation in the 16th century. Catholicism was uprooted and banned for three centuries.
Interestingly, in Estonia at the beginning of the 19th century the Catholic Mass was celebrated again thanks to a Spanish nobleman, who served in the army of the Russian Tsar (at that time this land was part of the Russian Empire) and was the military governor of Tallinn. This nobleman asked the Tsar for permission to celebrate Catholic Mass in Tallinn for the Polish soldiers of the army.
The first Estonian converts to Catholicism date back to the 1930s; but shortly afterwards, in 1940, the Soviet occupation came. Many fled, and others were killed or deported, like my predecessor Eduard Profittlich, who died in prison.
The Catholic Church survived, but with great suffering for more than forty years. During this time there was only one priest, strictly guarded by the Soviet police, for the whole country.
A man who converted in the 1980s recalled that, after being baptized with his mother, when the priest went to register them, she asked if it was not risky to put their names in the parish register because, if they were discovered, for example, her son would not be able to access higher education. This priest told them that when the police called him, he came with a yellow and a red sock and when they saw him, they took him for a madman and threw him out on the street. In this way he protected himself and the Catholics.
Indeed, the Estonian Catholics of that time were heroes, some even martyrs.
In the 1940s, 20 % of the Estonian population was deported to Siberia. We are talking about one in five people. Not all of them died, but a great many did.
There is no family in Estonia that has not had deportees, and some family members have died in deportation. That marks a people for generations. That is why the possible beatification of Profittlich is so significant for the people here. Before God it is obvious that all saints and blessed are on an equal footing, but the life of one of them may have a special significance because of the events they have lived through.
Eduard Profittlich decided to share the fate of a large part of the Estonian people. He could have escaped, but he stayed and experienced what many Estonians experienced.
This beatification is a way of recognizing what has happened in this country and also to give a sense of hope. We should not stop at the fact that these people have died, but that even in those concentration camps, in the prisons, they knew how to live with hope and faith.
Last year more than fifty baptisms were performed Is the Estonian population receptive to the faith?
-Estonian society is a very pagan society. But the reality is that it has remained the same for tens of years.
Currently, 25-30 % of the population consider themselves believers, followers of some religion; the rest have no religion. When I arrived in 1996, the percentage was the same. Unfortunately, in Europe, secularization has advanced in these twenty years, but we have remained at the same level. Today, many countries are not far behind us in these figures. On the other hand, the population here is receptive; there are actually few atheists.
There are many people who claim to believe in something but do not recognize themselves in a constituted Church, especially in the Lutheran Church.
When Pope Francis was here in 2018, the Nuncio acknowledged to me that it had been the best part of his trip through the Baltic countries. The Pope had been told that Estonia was the hard part of the trip, after Lithuania, which is Catholic, and Latvia, which is half and half. But the people came to see him enthusiastically, partly because the "Pope's" visit to the Baltic countries was the most important one.Pope of Rome" as they say here, he came to see them and, moreover, because of the Pope's ability to "get into the pocket" of the people, especially non-Catholics. The president of the nation was known for not wanting to set foot in a church of any denomination. The Pope told her a Vatican joke, that John XXII was asked how many people worked in the Vatican, and he replied "about half". When the president, who may have had a similar experience, heard this, she laughed a lot and everything was very relaxed. When they left, the president said to me: "What the Pope has told me is very important to me, it helps me a lot.". On other occasions, she herself has said "the only one man of God" [as pastors or priests are called here] who tells me something is the Pope".. That was the impression of many Estonians in those days.
Every day there are a good number of people coming to the faith. In recent years, moreover, we have noticed that more and more young people are coming: people between 20-30 years of age, asking to be baptized or to be received into the Catholic Church.
How are relations with the Lutheran Church?
-We have very good relations. There is an intense ecumenical life here. In Estonia there is a Ecumenical Council of Churches. The president is the Lutheran archbishop, and I am the vice president. We see and talk to each other frequently.
The Lutheran Church in Estonia has positions very close to those of the Catholic Church on family issues, marriage between a man and a woman, or the defense of life. We try to give common witness on these moral issues. Last year I went, together with the Lutheran archbishop, to visit the parties represented in parliament. They don't always listen to us, of course, but the important thing is that we go together to dialogue with them and that they see the position of Christians on many issues. Another example is that when Pope Francis came, in 2018, as our temples are small, the Lutherans let us have their churches for the meetings.
Estonia was one of the first countries to consecrate itself to Our Lady. Is there anything left of that Marian presence?
-The curious thing is that, although Estonia is a country with a Lutheran tradition and the majority of the population has no religion, in the Estonian language the name "..." still exists.Land of Mary". (Maarjamaa) as the second name of Estonia. Just as in France they say "the hexagon" to refer to the country, here - even people who have no faith - say that "the hexagon". Land of Maryno problem. The Cardinal of Riga commented to me in astonishment how it was possible that "for those Estonian pagans, the land of Mary is so important, and we Latvians have lost it.".
For some reason, Our Lady has remained in the language even after the Reformation. I have researched the consecration of Estonia to Our Lady by Innocent III, and apparently we are the second country in the world consecrated to Our Lady. The first was Hungary in the 10th century, then Estonia in the 13th century, and then all the others: Spain, France, Italy...
One of the annual events is the pilgrimage to Viru Nigula. How did it come about?
-It was an initiative that was born in the last Holy Year, in 2000. When Pope St. John Paul II asked that pilgrimages to shrines of Our Lady be organized in each region, we asked ourselves where we could go.
In that search, we found that in the Middle Ages there was a 12th century church dedicated to the Virgin, to which pilgrimages were made in the Middle Ages. There is evidence that people were still going, even 100 years after the Reformation, even though it was burned down. Lutheran pastors were outraged and even sent bailiffs to arrest the pilgrims. It seemed idolatrous to them, because they came to the ruins of the church of the Virgin and, on their knees, went around the temple three times.
We have been going to this place since the year 2000. We celebrate Mass in the Lutheran church of the village and from there we go in procession, with the image of the Virgin, to the ruins of the old sanctuary of Viru Nigula. It has not been possible to rebuild it, but we have put a stained glass window of the Virgin, very beautiful. It is not a very big sanctuary, but it is a good place to pray and one of the northernmost Marian sites in Europe.
One million children to receive medical treatment thanks to Vatican's "global partnership
The work will focus on the creation of a network dedicated to the care of children around the world and specialized support to health personnel in the field.
With the blessing of Pope Francis, an ambitious global healthcare project for children has been launched. The initiative, called the Pope's Global Alliance for Children's Health, aims to provide medical care to one million children over the next three years, bringing hope and health care to the neediest areas of the world.
Seed of our future
The Holy Father received in audience the promoters and partners of the project, welcoming them with words that underline its importance: "Children are the seed of our future. With children we can build a new world".
The Alliance was proposed by Mariella Enoc, a leading figure on the Italian and international healthcare scene. President of the Bambino Gesù Children's Hospital from Rome until February 2023, has a long experience in the health sector and a deep commitment to humanitarian causes. His vision and leadership will therefore play a crucial role in the development of this global initiative, given his extensive experience in the management of healthcare facilities and international projects.
For this reason, Pope Francis entrusted the development of the initiative to the U.S. non-profit organization "Patrons of the World's Children Hospital". The work will focus on two main fronts: the creation of a worldwide children's network, a true humanitarian community - which links with the experience of the World Children's Day -and the creation of a network dedicated to the care of children around the world, focusing on specialized support for healthcare workers in the field.
An innovative system
The operational core of the Alliance is based on an innovative system called Hub and Spoke. Hubs are hospitals of excellence that join the initiative around the world, providing specialized expertise and advanced care.
The hubs, on the other hand, are health centers and health points located in areas of the world with a high unmet demand for healthcare. The Bambino Gesù Pediatric Hospital in Rome, known as "the Pope's hospital," has been designated the first Hub of this worldwide network, confirming the direct involvement of the Holy See.
The connection between the Hub and the Spoke will be made through a multilingual digital platform, integrated with a telemedicine system: a state-of-the-art technological infrastructure that will enable knowledge sharing and remote technical support, thus overcoming geographical barriers and allowing physicians to collaborate in real time in the care of young patients.
Local spokespersons will have the crucial task of identifying the most urgent pediatric cases and preparing the initial medical and administrative documentation. Two leading international health organizations will coordinate their network: CUAMM (Doctors for Africa) and PIME (Pontifical Institute for Foreign Missions).
Fabrizio Arengi Bentivoglio, President of Patrons of the World's Children Hospital, stressed the importance of reaching children in less visible areas of the world. "There are hundreds of thousands of children who need help every day in areas that are rarely talked about, for whom there are no protection mechanisms in place," he explained. "These are the first children we want to help," among whom are undoubtedly all those who are suffering the consequences of the war in Ukraine and Gaza or the various natural disasters.
The project involves other relevant organizations in addition to those mentioned above, including companies such as Almaviva and Teladoc Health, but also Georgetown University Medical Center in Washington. Advocacy, fundraising and awareness-raising activities will instead be entrusted to Patrons of the World Children's Hospital.
Ethnicity, culture and religion in Georgia: a diverse country
Georgia is a mosaic of cultural, ethnic and linguistic traditions. Its strategic location, straddling Europe and Asia, has been essential for the creation of a complex society, the result of the encounter, and clash, between peoples and religions.
Georgia, like other Caucasus countries, is a mosaic of different cultural, ethnic and linguistic traditions. Its strategic location, straddling Europe and Asia, has been essential for the creation of a complex society, the result of the encounter, and clash, between peoples, empires and religions.
The Georgians
The Georgian ethnicity itself represents about 83-86 % of the population, but does not form a uniform bloc. Georgians are divided into several regional subgroups, such as the Kartveli, Mingreli, Svani and Lazi, each with distinct linguistic and cultural characteristics.
However, they all speak Southern Caucasian languages (Standard Georgian is the dominant literary language and the other languages are closely related to it).
The main group, the Kartveli (the name of Georgia, in the local language, is Sakartvelo, i.e., "Country of the Kartveli"), originates from the central and eastern regions and speaks standard Georgian (although with various accents and dialects, at least 17), the official language of the country.
Then there are the Mingrelians, who live mainly in the western Samegrelo region and speak Mingrelian, a language of the same family as Georgian but not mutually intelligible. The Svani people populate the mountains of Svanetia, in the northwest of the country. They speak Svano, another South Caucasian language, and are known for their cultural and geographical isolation.
Finally, the Lazi (or Laz) are a small ethnic group inhabiting the Adjara region near the Turkish border. They speak Laz, a language similar to Mingrelian, and are mostly Muslim.
As South Caucasian languages, Georgian and its cognates are not related to other languages, being isolated languages. The alphabet used for these idioms is also unique. In fact, as mentioned in a previous article, three writing systems have been used over the centuries to write the Georgian language: mkhedruli, once the royal alphabet, and the one used today, which has 33 characters (out of the original 38), asomtavruli and nuskhuri, the latter two used only by the Georgian Church, in the texts of religious ceremonies and in iconography.
Ethnic minorities
Among the ethnic minorities living in Georgia there are ArmeniansAzeris, Russians, Ossetians, Abkhazians, Greeks and Kurds.
Interior of Svetitskhoveli Cathedral
Armenians constitute, together with Azeris, the largest minority in the country. They are especially concentrated in the Samtskhe-Javakheti region, where in some cities, including the capital, Akhaltsikhe, they represent more than 90 % of the inhabitants.
Until a few years ago, it was very common for the Armenian population not to be able to speak Georgian (as public education in their region provided a limited number of hours of instruction in the country's official language). Lately, especially since the time of Mikheil Saakashvili, the situation has been changing and the Armenian community is becoming better integrated in Georgia, although it has a long historical presence and its own linguistic and religious identity.
Azerbaijanis live mainly in the Kvemo-Kartli region, on the border with Azerbaijan. Predominantly Muslim, they speak a Turkic language, Azerbaijani. Russians, on the other hand, are a small but always influential minority, especially during the Soviet period, to the extent that their language is still widely understood and spoken, especially among the older generations.
Abkhazia and South Ossetia: Open wounds
The Ossetians are an Iranian-speaking (Indo-European) population with a predominantly Orthodox Christian religion. They live in South Ossetia (with capital at Tskhinvali), a separatist region in northern Georgia, and in the Russian republic of North Ossetia-Alania. They descend from the Alans and Sarmatians, tribes from Central Asia, and converted to Christianity during the Middle Ages, under Georgian influence.
The Mongol invasions caused the expulsion of the Ossetians from their homeland (today in Russian territory) and their deportation to the Caucasus, where they formed three distinct political units: Digor, in the west; Tualläg, in the south (today's South Ossetia, in Georgia); Iron (today's North Ossetia-Alania).
Historically, South Ossetia has always been part of Georgia, but the local population, mostly ethnic Ossetians, was culturally and linguistically related to the North Ossetians. However, even during the Soviet period, South Ossetia remained part of Georgia, in this case of the Georgian Soviet Socialist Republic, albeit enjoying a particular autonomy.
With the dissolution of the Soviet Union in the early 1990s, the newly independent Georgia adopted a policy of strengthening sovereignty and national identity throughout the territory, which caused unrest among ethnic minorities. Thus, in 1991, South Ossetia declared its independence, triggering a civil war, the First Russo-Georgian War, with a series of ethnic violence and massacres and a mass migration that saw many Ossetians fleeing to Russia, on the one hand, and thousands of Georgians leaving the region for good, on the other.
The war ended with a fragile cease-fire in 1992, mediated by Russia, which maintained peacekeeping troops (coincidentally, like those Russia maintained in Artsakh/Nagorno-Karabakh or elsewhere) in the region. However, South Ossetian independence was never recognized by the international community.
The Second South Ossetia War, also known as the Five-Day War, the August War or the Russo-Georgian War, broke out in 2008, also involving Abkhazia, after a period of tensions between the Saakashvili government and Putin's government, which strongly opposed the Georgian prime minister for his policy of rapprochement with the West and his attempts to regain control over the separatist regions.
Faced with the upsurge of violence in the region, Russia then decided to intervene under the pretext of protecting its citizens in South Ossetia and Abkhazia (many Ossetians and Abkhazians had Russian citizenship), something similar to what happened with the annexation of Crimea in 2014 and the invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
The Russian intervention put an end to the conflict in just five days and marked the formal recognition by Russia of the independence of South Ossetia and Abkhazia. Here, among other things, the previous conflict in the 1990s had led to a real ethnic cleansing of the Georgian component, which was then the majority in the region (in 1989, Abkhazians, a North Caucasian-speaking people of predominantly Orthodox Christian religion, numbered about 93,000, 18 % of the population, while Georgians numbered 240,000, 45 %. As of 1993, Abkhazians came to represent about 45 % of the population).
In 2021, the European Court of Human Rights accused Russia of human rights violations in the separatist regions of Abkhazia and South Ossetia.
Christianity in Georgia
The beauty of the Georgian churches and monasteries is overwhelming, with the enveloping aroma of incense from the entrance, the sound of polyphonic chants (Georgian polyphony, not only liturgical but also popular, fascinated the Russian composer Igor Stravinsky, is now protected by Unesco and NASA has even sent a recording of it into space), icons and frescoes, typical of the local ecclesiastical architecture. Medieval churches, such as those in Mtskheta and Gelati, testify to the country's ancient architectural and spiritual tradition.
In fact, the culture of Georgians is deeply rooted in Christian traditions, and the local autocephalous Orthodox Church plays a crucial role in the life of the country.
In pre-Christian Georgia, which was very diverse in terms of religious cults, local pagan beliefs coexisted with Hellenistic cults (especially in Colchis), the cult of Mithras and Zoroastrianism. It is in this context that, according to tradition, Christianity was first preached by the apostles Simon and Andrew in the 1st century, later becoming the state religion of the Kingdom of Iberia (Kartli) in 337 (the second state in the world after Armenia to adopt Christianity as its official religion), by a Greek woman (according to one tradition, related to St. George), the much venerated Saint Nino (Christian) of Cappadocia, whose effigy can be found everywhere.
The Georgian Orthodox Church, initially part of the Church of Antioch, obtained autocephaly and gradually developed its own doctrinal specificity between the 5th and 10th centuries. The Bible was also translated into Georgian in the 5th century, with the local alphabet created and developed for this purpose (although some recent studies have identified a probable much older, pre-Christian alphabet). As elsewhere, the Church was instrumental in the development of a written language, and most of the earliest written works in Georgian were religious texts.
The adoption of Christianity placed Georgia on the front line between the Islamic and Christian worlds, but Georgians remained stubbornly attached to Christianity, despite repeated invasions by Muslim powers and long episodes of foreign domination.
After annexation to the Russian Empire, the Russian Orthodox Church took control of the Georgian Orthodox Church from 1811 to 1917, and subsequent Soviet rule resulted in harsh purges and systematic repression of religious freedom. In Georgia, too, many churches were destroyed or converted into secular buildings. Once again, the Georgian people were able to react, incorporating religious identity into the strong nationalist movement.
In 1988, Moscow finally allowed the Georgian Patriarch (katholikos) to start consecrating and reopening and restoring closed churches. After independence in 1991, the Georgian Orthodox Church finally regained autonomy and full independence from the state.
Religious freedom
According to the Georgian Constitution, religious institutions are separate from the government and every citizen has the right to freely profess his or her faith. However, more than 83 % of the population adheres to the Orthodox Christian confession, with minorities of Russian Orthodox (2 %), Armenian Apostolic Christians (3.9 %), Muslims (9.9 % mainly among Azeris, but also Laz), Roman Catholics (0,8 %) and Jews (the Georgian Jewish community is of very ancient tradition and considerable importance, although its size was drastically reduced during the 20th century due to massive emigration to Israel, where today several famous Israeli Jews in show business and culture are of Georgian origin, such as the singer Sarit Haddad).
I greeted this beautiful country from the peaks of the Caucasus, first in the coolness, at over 3,000 meters, near the border with the Russian Federation and the splendid Holy Trinity Monastery of Gergeti, and then in the heat of the sulfurous bath, with water at about 50 degrees, in an ancient structure in Tbilisi. But I promised myself that I would return and return soon.
Svetitskhoveli Cathedral
Subscribe to Omnes magazine and enjoy exclusive content for subscribers. You will have access to all Omnes
Pope links "true power" to "care for the weakest".
"True power is not in the dominion of the strongest, but in the care of the little ones, the weakest, the poor...". This is what Pope Francis said at the Angelus of this 25th Sunday in Ordinary Time, in which he asked, once again, that "we pray for peace".
Francisco Otamendi-September 22, 2024-Reading time: 3minutes
"Today's liturgy speaks to us of Jesus, who announces what will happen at the end of his life. The Son of Man is going to be delivered into the hands of men, and they will kill him; and after he is dead, three days later he will rise again".
"But the disciples, as they follow the Master, have something else on their minds, and also on their lips. When Jesus asked them what they were talking about, they did not answer. Let us pay attention to that silence," Pope Francis suggested in the meditation preceding the Angelus of this September 22, the 25th Sunday in Ordinary Time, taking as a reference the Gospel of today.
"The disciples kept silent because they were arguing about who was the greatest," the Pontiff continued. "They keep silent out of shame. What a contrast with the Lord's words. While Jesus entrusted to them the meaning of his own life, they spoke of power. And shame closes their mouths, just as pride had previously closed their hearts".
"Put yourself at the service of all"
"Jesus answers them openly: 'Whoever wants to be first, let him be last. If you want to be great, make yourself small. With a word as simple as it is decisive, Jesus renews our way of living. He teaches us that true power does not lie in dominating the strongest, but in caring for the weakest. True power is taking care of the weakest. This makes you great.
Francis continued to reflect on this idea: "Here is why the Master, in a moment, calls a child, places him among the disciples and embraces him saying: 'whoever welcomes a child like this in my name, welcomes Me'".
"We have been welcomed. He who was rejected, rose again."
"The child has no power, the child has need (...). Man needs life. All of us are alive because we have been welcomed. But power makes us forget this truth. And we become dominators, not servants. And the first to suffer are precisely the last, the little ones, the weak, the poor".
"How many people suffer and die because of power struggles. They are lives that the world rejects, as it rejected Jesus (...) He did not find an embrace, but a Cross, Yet the Gospel remains a living word full of hope. He who was rejected is risen. He is the Lord".
We can now ask ourselves, the Pope pointed out: "Do I know how to recognize the face of Jesus in the least of these? Do I care for my neighbor by serving generously? Do I thank those who care for me? Let us pray together to Mary to be like her, free from vainglory and ready to serve".
Condemnation of all violence and wars
Following the recitation of the Marian prayer of the AngelusThe Holy Father prayed for Juan Lopez, murdered a few days ago in Honduras. Juan Lopez was coordinator of the social pastoral of the diocese of Trujillo and a founding member of the pastoral of the poor. Integral Ecology In Honduras, as reported by Omnes, I join this church in mourning and condemning any form of violence.
He then greeted the Ecuadorians living in Rome, who are celebrating Our Lady of the Swan; a choir from Toledo, families and children from Slovakia, Mexican faithful, and various associations. In concluding, he asked that "the detainees be in dignified conditions", and as he always does, he asked that "we pray for peace" remembering that "on the war fronts, the tension is very high; that the voice of the people who ask for peace be heard". "Let us not forget the tormented Ukraine, Palestine, Israel, Myanmar".
Pope Francis has insisted since the beginning of his pontificate on the danger of the Third World War "in pieces" that is unfolding. One of the latest warnings came during his address to the Diplomatic Corps accredited to the Holy See in January 2024.
To find out if this qualification of the Pontiff can really be applied to the situation of current warfare, Omnes spoke with María Teresa Gil Bazo, Professor of International Law at the University of Navarra. She explains that "what defined the so-called world wars was the explosion of armed conflicts on different continents, in alliances and battles fought beyond the territory of the states involved. The increase in armed conflicts in recent years has seen the multilateral action of states in different territories beyond their borders. In this sense, we can speak of an undeclared Third World War".
With open fronts in different countries of the world, tension on the international level is increasing. While the Pope insists on the shared responsibility to build for "future generations a world of greater solidarity, justice and peace" (Pope Francis, Message for the World Day of Peace 2024).
The Pope's warnings are justified. According to the Geneva Academy of International Humanitarian Law and Human Rights, at least 6 international conflicts are currently underway. However, there are more than 110 violent local clashes in various territories. Faced with this situation, the Pontiff cries out for peace and asks for prayers in all his general audiences and in a multitude of public interventions.
War in Ukraine
One of the flashpoints that Francis mentions the most is the war between Ukraine and Russia. The current conflict broke out on February 24, 2022, although its precedents are much earlier. Many authors point out that the beginning of the war was the "Euromaidan," unrest that took place in Ukraine for several months in 2014 over Russian interference in the country's politics. Soon after, Russia's annexation of the Crimean peninsula followed, which increased the tension. However, the severity of the conflict reached its climax on February 24, 2022, when the Russian army invaded Ukrainian territory.
From the very first moment of the invasion, the events took on an international tinge. The governments of several countries reacted to the Russian advance and denounced the actions of Putin and his army. Many nations have offered assistance to Ukraine during these two years, although it is true that there are other countries that support Russia.
The economic impact of this war is very high, but Pope Francis constantly highlights the consequences of the war for the people of the territory. Many Ukrainian citizens have had to move to escape the bombings and the United Nations has pointed out that this is the largest refugee crisis since World War II. In this regard, Dr. Gil Bazo points out that "since February 2022 more than six million Ukrainian refugees have arrived in Europe".
Faced with this situation, European countries have had to respond quickly and effectively, including, as the Navarra professor points out, "the granting of temporary protection for the first time in the European Union to all Ukrainians just a few days after the Russian invasion of Ukraine". This reaction, she continues, "teaches us that there are no 'refugee crises', but crises in the responses to protection needs". This idea is shared by Pope Francis, when he publicly calls on many occasions for countries to be generous in welcoming people fleeing the fighting.
A church destroyed after Russian shelling (OSV News photo / Vladyslav Musiienko, Reuters)
Israel and Palestine
Another frequent mention of the Pontiff is the war in Gaza between Israel and Palestine. Although the confrontation between these blocs has been making headlines since October 7, 2023, the reality is that this war has been going on for more than 75 years.
In 1948, the United Nations decided to divide the Mandate of Palestine, which had been in the hands of the British, into two different States: one Jewish and the other Arab. While the first group accepted this division, the Arabs opposed it, arguing that the division implied for them a decrease in the territory they had held up to that time.
Despite the refusal of the Arab side, on May 14, 1948, the Jews declared Israel's independence. Almost immediately, the international community recognized the new state, thus ignoring the claims made by Palestine. From that moment on, the Arabs declared war on the Israeli state, but they did not achieve victory and thousands of Palestinians were displaced far from the territory.
Since 1948 Palestine and Israel have been at loggerheads over this issue. However, experts believe that a truce or agreement to resolve the conflict is very difficult to reach. In December 2023, Omnes was able to interview two people, a Jewish woman and an Arab woman, who spoke about the current standoff in Gaza. Both agreed that a resolution to the war is complicated to reach, as neither side wants to give in to the demands of the other.
Iranian attack on Israel in retaliation for the conflict with Palestine (OSV News photo / Amir Cohen, Reuters)
The main demands for an end to the war are incompatible. Both Israel and Palestine demand that the other state recognize their authority over the disputed territory. These are mutually exclusive demands on which it is almost impossible to reach a middle ground.
International experts have proposed three different solutions. On the one hand, some think that the best way to end the conflict would be the creation of a single federal state in which Israelis and Palestinians coexist. Others think that the establishment of two separate states should be accepted, as was proposed by the United Nations last century and suggested by the Pope. Finally, there are those who believe that three different States should be formed, without Palestine being properly speaking one of them, but with Israel, Egypt and Jordan living side by side.
It is not easy for any of these proposals to be accepted, which is why the flames of war are still burning after all these years. In spite of this, Pope Francis frequently insists on the need for dialogue. He demands that political leaders think of the generations that are suffering the drag of the conflict. In his address to the diplomatic corps accredited to the Holy See in January 2024, he made an "appeal to all parties involved to agree to a cease-fire on all fronts, including in Lebanon, and for the immediate release of all hostages in Gaza."
Fire in Africa
Africa is also a zone of conflict, even though the Pontiff does not mention it so often. While it might seem that the clashes on the African continent have more of a local tinge, the reality is that their consequences can be felt all over the planet.
Obviously, one of the major crises caused by war in Africa is the migration of millions of people to other countries. However, the importance of these conflicts lies not in the consequences for the countries hosting the migrants, but in the destruction they are causing within Africa.
Soldier in Nigeria (OSV news photo / Afolabi Sotunde/Reuters)
The aforementioned Geneva Academy of International Humanitarian Law and Human Rights ranks Africa as the continent with the second highest number of armed conflicts on the planet. Specifically, it notes that 35 conflicts are ongoing in Burkina Faso, Cameroon, the Central African Republic, Sudan, South Sudan, Somalia, Senegal, Mali, Mozambique, Nigeria and the Democratic Republic of Congo.
For its part, the "International Crisis Group" organization closely monitors, thanks to the collaboration of experts, the situation of clashes around the world. In a tracking list that they update every month, they mention the situations that are worsening. In February 2024 they indicated that hostilities are escalating in Mozambique, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Guinea, Senegal, Chad, South Sudan and Burkina Faso.
Many conflicts in Africa are caused by terrorist groups attacking different groups or are battles over territory, but political instability is not conducive to progress towards peace.
Tension in America
On the other side of the ocean, on the American continent, tensions are also very high. On the one hand, there are the multitude of conflicts in which the United States is currently involved: Yemen, Somalia, Niger and Syria. The role of the American power is frowned upon by many actors in the international community, who criticize the US involvement in local events in other countries.
Some armed conflicts are also being waged within the Americas, especially in Colombia and Mexico. Although the Geneva Academy of International Humanitarian Law and Human Rights does not consider these conflicts to be international clashes, it is true that they add to the long list of tensions accumulating in the Americas.
Developments in Mexico are particularly important, as several waves of violence have taken place during 2024 that have plagued the country. The fight against drug cartels and gangs is far from a peaceful end at present. This has caused thousands of Mexican migrants to cross the U.S. border to seek refuge.
At the same time, Haiti has made international headlines. Gangs took control of the country in the face of government inaction. Since then, violence has taken to the streets and the administration has imposed a curfew after declaring a state of alarm.
Violence in the streets of Haiti (OSV News photo / Ralph Tedy Erol, Reuters)
Silence in Armenia
Readers will recall that in December 2023 Omnes published an extensive report on the situation in Armenia. Following a massacre in which more than 20,000 Armenians lost their lives in 1920, the citizens of this country have gone through several armed conflicts involving the Soviet Union and, especially in recent years, Azerbaijan.
After two bloody wars in less than three years, the Armenians have had to abandon part of the territory, in particular the Artaj area which has passed into the hands of Azerbaijan. Not only that, but the Azerbaijani government started in 2023 a process to erase Armenia's presence in the territory. However, as Middle East expert Gerardo Ferrara explains, "from documents in the possession of historians, it is known that Artsakh, or Nagorno Karabakh, has been Armenian land at least since the 4th century AD and a dialect of the Armenian language is spoken there."
The little media coverage of what is happening between Armenia and Azerbaijan is giving rise to a "silent genocide", denounced, however, by Pope Francis, who in turn stresses the urgency of "finding a solution to the dramatic humanitarian situation of the inhabitants of that region, encouraging the return of the displaced to their homes in a legal and safe manner, as well as respecting the places of worship of the various religious denominations present in the area" (Address to the diplomatic corps accredited to the Holy See on January 8, 2024).
However, the authorities deny what is happening in Armenia and it is difficult to establish a way to achieve a stable and peaceful situation.
India Division
In 1947 the British colony of India was divided into two parts: the Dominion of Pakistan (which in turn split into Pakistan and Bangladesh) and the Union of India (now the Republic of India). However, this partition was not peaceful and the quarrel over the boundaries of each territory escalated into a war. Thousands of people lost their lives and millions disappeared in riots and armed conflicts.
The focus of the fighting is the Kashmir region, disputed between India, Pakistan and China. The latter occupied the northeastern area, while India controls the southern and central area, and Pakistan rules in the northwestern region. There is also a part of the Kashmiri population that claims the independence of the territory.
The great danger of the India-Pakistan dispute is the nuclear threats between the two sides, which reached a climax in 2012. Despite this, in 2021 the two sides agreed to a ceasefire.
However, diplomatic relations are still not as expected. India demands that Pakistan give up the territory of Kashmir, while the Pakistani government considers that the disputed territory has shown its rejection of the Indian administration and should be allowed to become independent or incorporated into Pakistan.
Police stand guard outside a school adapted as a shelter for Christians in Pakistan (OSV News photo / Charlotte Greenfield, Reuters).
China and India
As already mentioned, India and China are at loggerheads over Kashmir, but that area is not the only source of conflict. For decades, the two countries have been at loggerheads over the demarcation of their adjoining borders along a line thousands of kilometers long. On May 5, 2020, at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, the military on the border opened fire. A Chinese army group advanced across border territories they had agreed upon as common patrol lines. This move surprised India, which responded immediately.
China has an extensive missile arsenal (CNS photo / Thomas Peter, Reuters)
After a few months of fighting, the two sides signed a ceasefire agreement. However, on June 15, they clashed again when, according to the Chinese army, Indian soldiers entered their territory and set fire to their belongings. The fighting was particularly fierce and both governments quickly tried to bring the situation under control. To this end, the Chinese and Indian administrations and media concealed facts and manipulated information, leaving even the events of May 5 in the shadows.
Although there is no open armed conflict as such at the moment, groups from each of the nations are constantly carrying out incursions or attacks. At the diplomatic level, there is a climate of mistrust and there does not seem to be a fluid dialogue between the countries.
On the other hand, at the military level, the soldiers of both sides withdrew from the areas that provoked the confrontation in 2020. Despite this, according to the data of "International Crisis Group", China has more than 50,000 troops on the disputed line. By all appearances, India has a larger number of military agents in the area.
The experts of the "International Crisis Group" organization affirm that "the military reinforcement and the construction of infrastructures on both sides of the border, although technically they do not violate the agreements between the parties, break with their spirit and deepen mistrust". On this basis, they state that "the two sides should consider the possibility of establishing a high-level communication channel that would serve to clarify misunderstandings, complementing the existing hotlines".
The Korean conflict
The relationship between North and South Korea is also of international concern. After a three-year war in the mid-20th century, the two countries signed an armistice. Despite this, the two nations claim that the entire land of Korea belongs to them and threats are constantly crossed.
The international press often highlights the nuclear danger posed by the confrontation between these two powers, but there is currently no open armed confrontation. However, on January 15, 2024, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un publicly stated that he does not consider a peaceful solution to the conflict possible and proposed to officially declare South Korea a hostile state.
South Korean soldier (CNS photo / Kim Kyung-Hoon, Reuters)
Ready?
Considering the amount of accumulated tensions, since the beginning of 2024 many politicians and rulers have warned citizens of a possible full-scale war. From U.S. President Joe Biden to Russian President Vladimir Putin, leaders frequently mention the need to be prepared for war.
So much so that in Denmark, for example, they have established compulsory military service for the country's women as well. For his part, Emmanuel Macron, President of France, made public statements asking the other European countries to consider the possibility of a war in case Russia continues to advance. These statements increase distrust among the population and provoke a sense of uncertainty for the future.
Media war
Another focus that is often forgotten is the battle in the media and social networks. The rise of new technologies has very positive consequences for the development of society, but it also has a negative impact.
The ease of sharing information, as well as the tools that allow you to modify or even create an image from scratch, make the Internet a hole in which it is difficult to distinguish reality from lies.
Peace calls
Against this backdrop, the words of Pope Francis in his message for the 2019 World Day of Peace become topical. In it he affirmed that "peace can never be reduced to a simple balance of force and fear". On the contrary, the Pontiff explained, "peace is based on respect for each person, regardless of his or her history, on respect for law and for the common good."
Every year the Bishop of Rome publishes a few words reflecting on peace. But, of course, his predecessors also advocated peace during their terms of office. A clear example of this is Pope Paul VI, a man who lived through the two World Wars. In his encyclical "Populorum Progressio" he made it clear that "peace is not reduced to an absence of war, the fruit of an always precarious balance of forces. Peace is built day by day, in the establishment of an order willed by God, which brings about a more perfect justice among men".
Joint liability
Both Pope Francis and his predecessors have seen law as a way to resolve conflicts. The current Bishop of Rome frequently calls for a "humanitarian law". Commenting on this issue, Dr. Maria Teresa Gil Bazo explains that "Law can and must put the person at the center. International law already contains bodies of norms concerning armed conflicts and the treatment of persons even in situations of war. But the law has limits and is sometimes violated. This is where the role of a society that demands real solutions from its rulers is most relevant.
In this regard, Francis denounced in 2013 "the culture of well-being, which leads us to think of ourselves, makes us insensitive to the cries of others, makes us live in soap bubbles, which are beautiful but are nothing, they are the illusion of the futile, of the provisional, which leads to indifference towards others, or rather, leads to the globalization of indifference" (Pope Francis' speech on July 8, 2013 during his visit to Lampedusa). And it is important to fight against this indifference because the answer to stop the current conflicts is to recognize the common responsibility to promote peace. A peace that is "laborious and artisanal", as Pope Francis defines it in his encyclical "Fratelli Tutti".
Torreciudad celebrates Family Day in spite of the rain
The weather conditions forced to celebrate the events inside the temple of Torreciudad. In spite of this, about 3000 people attended this traditional appointment with the Virgin whose central mass, for the second consecutive year, was presided by the bishop of Barbastro-Monzón.
Hundreds of families have come to the Marian Journey of the Family of Torreciudad in its 32nd edition. A day marked by rain and bad weather, which was not an obstacle to celebrate this traditional day at the Marian temple of Torreciudad.
Ángel Pérez Pueyo, bishop of Barbastro Monzón, was in charge of presiding over the Mass for the families, which this year was celebrated inside the church erected in 1975.
During the homily, the bishop highlighted how "in a world that seems to be increasingly fragmented, the family becomes a space for reconstruction, to love, forgive and serve".
Taking as an analogy the building that has sheltered thousands of people from the rain, Pérez Pueyo has pointed out that the family "is the sanctuary of the ordinary where, without making noise, the greatest things are done. In the little things of everyday life, at work, in moments of sharing, in difficulties and joys, God is at work. If we are capable of rediscovering the value of the simple, if we learn to love and serve in our own home, we will already be beginning to transform the world.
During the celebration, a message was also read out by the Pope Francis sent to the participants of the Day in which the pontiff encouraged to take care of the home as "the first place where everyone learns to love and relate to others from the experience of being loved" and encouraged families to face together "the moments of adversity" and to witness with their lives the "beauty of faith in Christ".
Due to the weather, the scene of the offering of flowers and fruits was changed, as well as that of a numerous offering of children to the Virgin of Torreciudad. At noon, the Alborada Choir The afternoon, the participants prayed the rosary and received the blessing with the Blessed Sacrament.
Santiago Segura and "A Gentleman in Moscow", what you have to see this month
This month there are two very different recommendations, but entertainment is guaranteed in both. On the one hand, the fourth installment of "Padre no hay más que uno" and on the other, the series "Un caballero en Moscú".
We recommend new releases, classics, or content you haven't seen yet from your favorite platforms. This month's recommendations are a movie and a series that are very different in nature but are sure to entertain viewers.
There is only one father 4
There is only one father 4
DirectorSantiago Segura
Screenwriters Santiago Segura
ActorsSantiago Segura, Toni Acosta, Martina Valeria de Antioquía, Calma Segura
Platform: Cinemas
Santiago Segura continues his crusade of naive, happy family movies, giving the audience what they like in a formulaic way in the best sense. In this installment, the destabilizing act comes when the eldest daughter of the family turns 18, and her boyfriend proposes and she accepts. The film features its star cast, high-flying cameos, and sharp dialogue, creating a reflection on time in the background. A safe choice for anyone who wants to unwind and have fun.
A gentleman in Moscow
A gentleman in Moscow
Director: Sam Miller
ScreenwritersDavid Hemingson
Actors: Ewan McGregor, Johnny Harris, Leah Harvey
PlatformsAmazon Prime
Based on the wonderful 2016 novel by Amor Towles, "A Gentleman in Moscow" is set in post-revolutionary Russia, where Count Alexander Rostov, a Russian aristocrat, is saved from death and placed under house arrest as the Bolshevik Revolution unfolds before him.
Stripped of his title and material wealth and placed under house arrest for life in a grand Moscow hotel, Rostov creates a life of unlikely friendships, romance and the enduring power of human connection, as well as witnessing Russian history in that incredible microcosm.
William Tell is a legendary character whose story is related to the freedom and independence of Switzerland and who is identified as a symbol of paternal love and the struggle for justice.
September 21, 2024-Reading time: 4minutes
Over the centuries, the figure of William Tell has embodied the ideals of the struggle for freedom and independence of Switzerland first and later those of paternal love and the struggle for justice.
According to legend, Tell was born in the canton of Uri and married a daughter of Furst of Altinghansen, who together with Arnold of Melchthal and Werner of Stauffacher had sworn on September 7, 1307 in Gruttli to free his homeland from the Austrian yoke.
The Habsburgs pretended to exercise sovereign rights over the Waldstetten and Herman Gessler of Brunoch, "dance" of those cantons on behalf of Emperor Albert, wanted to impose his authority with acts of real tyranny that irritated those rough mountain people.
He wanted to force all Swiss to unveil themselves in front of a hat, placed at the top of a pole on the Altdorf square, which, according to the conjecture of the historian Müller, must have been the ducal hat.
Tell, indignant, came down from the mountain to the square of Altdorf, wearing the characteristic costume of the shepherds of the Four Cantons, covered his head with a hood and wearing sandals with wooden soles reinforced with soles and bare legs. And he refused to submit to this humiliation.
The William Tell test
The "dance" ordered him to stop. And, knowing his skill in the handling of the crossbow, he threatened him with death if he did not succeed in knocking down with the arrow, from 120 steps away, an apple placed on the head of the youngest of Tell's sons. From this terrible ordeal, which legend has it that took place on November 18, 1307, the skillful crossbowman emerged victorious. When Gessler noticed that Tell was carrying a second hidden arrow, he asked him for what purpose he was carrying it. "It was for you, if I had had the misfortune to kill my son," was the reply. Gessler, incensed, ordered him to be put in chains, and to prevent his compatriots from freeing him, he wanted to lead him himself across Lake Lucerne to the castle of Kussmacht.
In the middle of the lake they were surprised by a violent storm, caused by an impetuous south wind, very frequent in that region, and, faced with the danger of capsizing and drowning, he ordered the prisoner's chains to be removed and to take the helm, for he was also a skilled navigator.
Tell managed to board next to a platform, known since then by the name of "Tell's Leap," located not far from Schwitz. He quickly jumped ashore and, giving the boat a push with his foot, left it again at the mercy of the waves. Nevertheless, Gessler managed to gain the shore and continued his march towards Kussnacht. But Tell went ahead and, stationing himself in a suitable place, waited for the tyrant to pass and mortally wounded him with an arrow.
This was the beginning of an uprising against Austria. Tell took part in the battle of Morgaten (1315) and, after a quiet life, died in Bingen in 1354, being a recipient of the Church.
History and legend
The story has been passed down through Swiss tradition. Contemporary chronicles of the Swiss revolution of 1307 do not mention Tell. But at the end of the 15th century Swiss historians began to speak of the hero, giving various versions of the legend.
Gessler's name does not appear in the complete list of the Altdorf "dances". None of them were killed after 1300. On the other hand, a governor of Kussnacht is found to have been killed when he jumped to earth by an arrow shot by a peasant whom he had molested in 1296, the event taking place on the shores of Lake Lowertz and not on Lake Schwitz. Probably the legend has taken as its origin this historical fact, prelude of the insurrection of 1307.
Tell is not a name, but a nickname; it comes, like the German word "tal", from the old German "tallen", to speak, not to know how to be silent, and means exalted madman, having been applied in contemporary chronicles to the uprising of the three conspirators of Gruttli, considered, before the triumph, mad and reckless.
Frendenberger wrote in 1760 a book entitled "William Tell, Danish Fable". The legend, in fact, is found in the Scandinavian countries before the Swiss story-legend. It is quoted, among others, by the Danish chronicler Saxo Grammaticus, in his "Danish History", written at the end of the 10th century, attributing it to a Gothic soldier named Tocho or Taeck.
It is probable that emigrants from the north, settled in Switzerland, imported the legend and even the name. Similar legends exist in Iceland, Holstein, on the Rhine and in England (William of Cloudesley).
In honor of William Tell
The plausible thing is, as it happens in analogous cases, that all these legends have been accumulated to a real personage, since the construction of chapels in honor of Tell, only thirty years after the date in which his death is situated, proves in an indisputable way that the legends were supported in a real fact. These chapels are still the object of veneration in Switzerland. One of them stands on the shores of Lake Schwitz, on the same platform on which the hero jumped ashore. It is said that, when it was built in 1384, its inauguration took place in the presence of 114 people who had known Tell personally.
Rossini wrote an opera on the theme and Schiller a drama. This, in 1804, is the last one he composed and is considered his masterpiece. A totally harmonious work," says Menéndez y Pelayo in his work Ideas Estéticas, "and preferred by many to the rest of the poet, is William Tell, in which one certainly does not admire the grandeur of Wallenstein or the pathos of Mary Stuart, but a perfect harmony between the action and the scenery, a no less perfect interpenetration of the individual drama and of the drama which we might call epic or of transcendental interest, and a torrent of lyrical poetry, as fresh, transparent and clean as the water that flows from the very Alpine peaks".
Pope asks Cardinals for "courage" to achieve "zero deficit" in Vatican
Francis has sent a letter to the cardinals focusing on the progress of the economic reform of the Holy See and asks for an additional effort to achieve the complete economic reorganization of the Vatican.
The Holy See made public this morning the letter that Pope Francis sent to the members of the College of Cardinals in which he asks the cardinals for a real effort and commitment to achieve the economic reorganization of the institutions of the Holy See.
In this letter, the Pope recalls the Church's need for continual reform, the spirit on which the reform of the Roman Curia and the Apostolic Constitution are based. Predicate Evangelium.
Within this reform, the Pope emphasizes the economic reform of the Holy See. The work in this regard, the pontiff emphasizes, "has been far-sighted and has made it possible to acquire a greater awareness that the economic resources at the service of the mission are limited and must be managed with rigor and seriousness so that the efforts of those who have contributed to the mission are not dispersed. patrimony of the Holy See".
The Pope thanked the members of the College of Cardinals for their efforts in this regard, but also asked them to make an "additional effort on the part of everyone so that 'zero deficit' is not just a theoretical objective, but a truly attainable goal."
For this reason, Francis emphasizes, the ethical policies that have been implemented in recent years are joined by "the need for each institution to strive to find external resources for its mission, setting an example of transparent and responsible management at the service of the Church".
Cost reduction and avoidance of superficialities
The Pope concretizes this effort in the need for "cost reduction" and calls for services to be carried out "in a spirit of essentiality, avoiding the superfluous and selecting our priorities wisely".
Francis also called for an exercise of fraternity and solidarity among the various institutions of the Holy See, pointing to the image of families in which "those who are in a good economic situation come to the aid of the neediest members," and encouraging Vatican institutions with surpluses to "contribute to covering the general deficit."
Acting with generosity among themselves, the Pope assures us, is also "a prerequisite for asking for generosity also from the outside".
A clear request that the Pope addressed to the cardinals, asking also for "courage and spirit of service" to be able to continue the work of the Church in the future, as well as a participation in the reform process through "your knowledge and experience".
This letter adds to the numerous efforts that have been launched by the Vatican for a more effective and efficient efficient economic management and transparent of the Holy See.
While political news attention continues to focus on Venezuela, the persecution of the Catholic Church in Nicaragua intensifies. Omnes has contacted five Nicaraguan sources, three exiled for years and two from the country, to give the key to what is happening: their points of view are on the side, on this same page. Recent events are summarized here.
Francisco Otamendi-September 20, 2024-Reading time: 5minutes
Relations between the Nicaraguan government, presided over by Daniel Ortega, and the Catholic Church, as well as with other countries and international organizations, are going through a time of great tension, which has worsened in recent months.
Pope Francis referred to this, in an exceptional way, last August 25, when, before leaving on a trip to Southeast Asia and Oceania, he stated in the Angelus in St. Peter's Square: "To the beloved people of Nicaragua: I encourage you to renew your hope in Jesus. Remember that the Holy Spirit always guides history towards higher projects. May the Immaculate Virgin protect you in moments of trial and make you feel her maternal tenderness. May Our Lady accompany the beloved people of Nicaragua".
In the Nicaraguan rainy season, summer in Europe, and so far in 2024, the tension has been reflected in controversial decisions by the government of Daniel Ortega, perhaps also influenced by the nearby Venezuelan country, which have led him to break off relations with Brazil, for example.
Diplomatic relations with Brazil and the Vatican severed
In fact, two days after the Pope's words, on August 27th, Ortega qualified Lula da Silva, his Brazilian counterpart, as "dragged" for his critical position regarding the official result of the Venezuelan elections, during a virtual summit with heads of state of the Bolivarian Alliance for the Peoples of Our America (ALBA).
Also with the Vatican diplomatic relations are broken, since 2022, when Archbishop Waldemar Sommertag, apostolic nuncio, was expelled from the country in a decision that the Holy See described as "inexplicable". "Inexplicable, but not unexpected, considering that in the previous months Ortega had already given a strong diplomatic signal. Indeed, the representative of the Holy See is always, by international convention, the dean of the Diplomatic Corps accredited in a country. But Ortega had decided that no, there would no longer be a dean, effectively marginalizing the Holy See's diplomat", he explained in Omnes Andrea Gagliarducci.
As one of the sources consulted, who lives in Miami, told this newspaper, "there is no apostolic nuncio at this moment in Nicaragua. The last one was removed, and that is on purpose. It is not so much that they are against the Pope, but that the apostolic nuncio is one more piece they have to take care of, and they prefer not to have to take care of him. The same thing happened with the Brazilian ambassador, for a stupid reason, that he did not go to an anniversary celebration".
Expulsions and cancellation of NGOs
Almost at the same time, the Ortega government legally cancelled numerous non-governmental organizations (NGOs), of Catholic inspiration and also evangelical in this case, for various reasons, up to 5,600 dissolved according to several analysts, including a Catholic pension and insurance fund for elderly priests.
On the other hand, there have been some notorious facts, such as the dissolution The Jesuits issued a communiqué condemning the aggression and pointing out that these acts are aimed at "the full establishment of a totalitarian regime". Or the expulsion of bishops, priests and seminarians, and of congregations such as the Missionaries of Charity of St. Teresa of Calcutta, welcomed in Costa Rica.
Bishops and priests to Rome
Among those expelled is Nicaraguan prelate Rolando Álvarez (Matagalpa), sentenced in February 2023 to more than 26 years in prison for crimes considered treason, released from prison in January of this year and sent together with another bishop, Isidoro Mora (Siuna), 13 priests and 3 seminarians to the Vatican in Rome, according to Bishop Silvio Báez from Miami.
Indeed, Rolando Alvarez reappeared in June in Seville with Archbishop José Ángel Saiz Meneses, who explained through social networks that the Nicaraguan bishop was making a courtesy and rest visit to his archbishopric, without specifying the date.
Báez, for his part, invited Catholics to thank "Pope Francis for his interest, his closeness and affection for Nicaragua, and for the effectiveness of Vatican diplomacy (...). Thanks to the Lord and the Holy See we celebrate this great joy today," he said.
The government of Nicaragua declared that "this agreement reached with the intercession of the high authorities of the Catholic Church of Nicaragua and the Vatican represents the will and permanent commitment to find solutions, recognizing and encouraging the faith and hope that always animate the Nicaraguan believers, who are the majority".
Complaints from agencies
Various international organizations have taken a position on these and other events. For example, the United Nations Office for Human Rights noted in June of last year an intensification in Nicaragua of the persecution of members of the Catholic Church, "as part of the deterioration of freedoms in the country and of the increasing restrictions on civic space," it reported. Efe.
The UN Deputy High Commissioner for Human Rights, Nada Al-Nashif, a Jordanian national, denounced this situation and called on the regime of Daniel Ortega to "stop its persecution of the Church and civil society" in an updated report on Nicaragua to the United Nations Human Rights Council. He also recalled the country's lack of participation in the UN human rights mechanisms. report The UN, which highlights continued violations of human rights and erosion of civic and democratic spaces.
Controversies
However, in February of this year, Nicaragua disqualified the latest UN investigations on human rights in its country, which have denounced the repression of the government presided over by Daniel Ortega, because "the reports of these groups that call themselves experts on human rights" are "criteria manipulated by a group of people who are financed precisely to distort the reality of our country".
On the other hand, the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) has been reporting that religious freedom in Nicaragua continues to worsen, and has demanded that the government "cease attacks on religious freedom, the persecution of the Catholic Church and release all persons arbitrarily deprived of their freedom".
Now, the Nicaraguan lawyer exiled in the United States, and author of the study Martha Patricia Molina, 'Nicaragua Church Persecuted', assures Omnes that "the Nicaraguan dictatorship has attacked the Catholic Church in different ways on more than 870 occasions".
Some conciliatory statement
According to media Central American, this year's Holy Week celebrations in Nicaragua have taken place "under severe restrictions by the Sandinista regime of Daniel Ortega and Rosario Murillo". Attorney Molina has estimated that more than four thousand processions were cancelled in the country as a result of last year's ban on public religious activities, including traditional processions.
The Archbishop of Managua, Cardinal Leopoldo Brenes, held Palm Sunday celebrations in the grounds of the Metropolitan Cathedral of Managua. The vice-president and spokesperson of the government, Rosario Murillo, had personally told the cardinal, during a televised address at the beginning of March, that "the days of chimes and broken glass were behind us.". However, the repression continued to manifest itself, the media reported.
To provide the best experiences, we use technologies such as cookies to store and/or access device information. Consenting to these technologies will allow us to process data such as browsing behavior or unique IDs on this site. Not consenting, or withdrawing consent, may adversely affect certain features and functions.
Functional Always active
The storage or technical access is strictly necessary for the legitimate purpose of enabling the use of a specific service explicitly requested by the subscriber or user, or for the sole purpose of carrying out the transmission of a communication over an electronic communications network.
Preferences
The storage or technical access is necessary for the legitimate purpose of storing preferences not requested by the subscriber or user.
Statistics
Technical storage or access that is used exclusively for statistical purposes.Storage or technical access that is used exclusively for anonymous statistical purposes. Without a request, voluntary compliance by your Internet service provider, or additional records from a third party, information stored or retrieved solely for this purpose cannot be used to identify you.
Marketing
The storage or technical access is necessary to create user profiles to send advertising, or to track the user on a website or multiple websites for similar marketing purposes.
Charisms and new communities
