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Child abuse: Pope's hospital at the forefront of treatment and prevention

The "Bambino Gesù" Pediatric Hospital in Rome, the Pope's hospital, treats more than 100 new cases of abused and mistreated children and young people every year.

Giovanni Tridente-June 5, 2024-Reading time: 3 minutes
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The Pediatric Hospital "Bambino Gesù". The Rome Hospital treats more than 100 new cases of children and young people who are victims of abuse and maltreatment every year. This is what emerges from the data released by the same Polyclinic and Pediatric Research Center, owned by the Holy See, on the occasion of the International Day of Innocent Children Victims of Assault, which is celebrated on June 4.

In more than 40 years of activity, the Roman facility - a point of reference for the health of children throughout Italy and abroad - has recorded more than 5,000 cases of violence against minors, including 3,000 in the last 15 years alone, according to a press release. These are alarming figures, which illustrate a phenomenon that is unfortunately widespread, affecting both children and adolescents of all social classes.

The most common forms of abuse detected are neglect or excessive care, face-to-face violence, sexual abuse, and physical and psychological abuse. In the majority of cases, more than 80 %, the perpetrators of this type of violence are members of the victim's own family.

Prevention and detection

The average age of the patients admitted to the hospital is 12 years old, and the hospital's caseload also includes traumatized minors from Ukraineand other war-torn countries. To intercept at-risk cases early, the hospital has been applying a special screening procedure for incoming minors since 2009.

"The children who come to us carry the signs of violence in their minds and hearts," explains Paola De Rose, a neuropsychiatrist at Bambino Gesù, "but they all have the opportunity and the right to change the trajectory to which life has exposed them so far. And our task is to contribute to heal those wounds".

In fact, the hospital has developed specific psychological support channels, such as the "Child Care" neuropsychiatric day hospital, to which more than half of the cases intercepted in the emergency department go. There is also the Lucy helpline, a 24-hour hotline for emergency situations.

One project also involves some young patients by having them express their own experiences of violence with drawings: smiling faces surrounded by black, monstrous animals or terrifying figures screaming, crude and direct images of a discomfort that the Bambino Gesù undertakes to accept and treat.

Useful tools and projects

Also in the area of prevention, the hospital's portal offers content developed by the polyclinic's neuropsychiatrists with information for children on how to recognize potential risk situations and an indication of the signs that parents should watch out for to intercept the problem.

Finally, on the research front, the Hospital of the Holy See is promoting projects to study the impact of abuse and maltreatment on children's mental health and to define appropriate treatment programs. A protocol is being developed to support children and adolescents exposed to domestic violence during the Covid 19 pandemic and a series of psychoeducational interventions in schools on the topics of violence, bullying and cyberbullying.

For more than 150 years

The Bambino Gesù Pediatric Hospital was founded in Rome in 1869 as the first true Italian pediatric hospital, following the model of the Hôpital des Enfants Malades in Paris, on the initiative of the Dukes Salviati. In 1924 it was donated to the Holy See, becoming to all intents and purposes the Pope's Hospital. 

In 1985, it received recognition as an Institute for Research and Treatment Science (IRCCS), which combines medical care with intensive research activities. In 2006, it received its first accreditation from the Joint Commission International (JCI), the institute that certifies excellence in safety and quality of care worldwide.

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The Vatican

IOR, myth and reality of the so-called "Vatican bank".

There is a whole narrative concerning the Institute for Works of Religion (IOR), the so-called "Vatican bank," that defines the institute as a place of opaque business and dubious management. The facts, however, tell a different story.

Andrea Gagliarducci-June 4, 2024-Reading time: 7 minutes
RelatedRelated NewsWhat has and has not changed in the so-called "Vatican Bank".

There is a whole narrative about the Institute for the Works of Religion (IOR), the so-called "vatican bank"This is a narrative that has developed even recently, marking a before and after in the management of Vatican finances, and which describes the new management of the IOR as being in total discontinuity with the previous management. And it is a narrative that has developed even recently, marking a before and after in the management of Vatican finances, and which describes the new management of the IOR as in total discontinuity with the previous management.

The facts, however, tell a different story, apart from certain judicial events that have seen former Vatican managers convicted of mismanagement (but the sentence is still under appeal, and it will have to be clarified whether it was really a question of mismanagement or rather of having complied with specific requests) or other judicial events that have paradoxically seen the IOR in conflict with the Secretariat of State, to which the Institute decided not to grant an advance of credit in the context of the now infamous acquisition of the Sloane Avenue building.

These are, by the way, recent lawsuits. Because before that, the IOR had been involved in the so-called Ambrosiano scandal, a financial crash for which the Institute, without acknowledging any personal responsibility, decided to compensate savers with a voluntary contribution as partial compensation for losses. It was the so-called "Geneva Agreement", recounted in detail by Francesco Anfossi in his book "IOR. Lights and Shadows of the Vatican Bank from the Beginnings to Marcinkus". Although it must be said that the IOR collaborated with the investigators from the beginning, and in fact there were also journalistic investigations - such as the book "Ambrosiano: il contro processo", by Mario Tedeschi, who was not pro-Church - that came to theorize that the IOR was used as a scapegoat to hide other responsibilities, attributable, according to the book, to the leadership of the Bank of Italy at the time.

And then there was the question of the Ustaša Treasury, an ugly affair according to which the blood-stained treasure that the Croatian Nazi Ustaša had seized on the basis of Jews deported during the war had passed through the IOR. It was Jeffrey Lena, who accepted the position of defense counsel for the Holy See when no one wanted to do so, who showed how all the arguments were basically speculation. All this shows how the myth of the IOR as a "Vatican bank" without any transparency can fall under its own weight. But what do the facts say?

The work of the IOR

On September 11, 1887, the cardinal's commission "Ad Pias Causas" was created. It is a secret commission, which meets in an office called "the black hole", because it was the place where the censorship of the Papal State was located and, by a nice irony, where Gioacchino Belli, who delighted us with a series of irreverent sonnets, worked as an employee. And it is a commission daughter of the "Questione Romana", because it serves to administer those goods, legacies and pious works that come to the Holy See and that this one tries to hide from the confiscation of the Italian State.

The Institute managed to guarantee the financial autonomy of the Holy See even when Rome was occupied by the Nazis (1943 and 1944), years in which its extraterritorial spaces, "in a city not yet open", sheltered and hid multitudes of Jews and anti-fascists. After all, that is what Vatican finances are for.

The fact is that the IOR is not a bank. It is a central organ of the Holy See: not an organ of the Curia, but an instrument to help, precisely, religious works. The IOR has no offices outside the Vatican, and has only recently obtained a Vatican IBAN, after the Holy See entered the SEPA transfer zone, that is, the Single Euro Payments Area.

The IOR's path to being recognized by foreign institutions as a reliable counterparty has been particularly long, as it has been for all financial institutions in the world.

John Paul II established the IOR's new statutes in 1990, while the first external audit dates back to the mid-1990s. In the 2000s, the IOR implemented a series of pioneering measures, which were also recognized by the international evaluators of Moneyval, the Council of Europe committee that assesses states' adherence to international standards against money laundering and terrorist financing.

Investments are always made prudently, according to the so-called rule of 3 (assets, gold, real estate), which ensures the necessary diversification of assets.

In times of crisis, gold is taken abroad; in times of need, it is invested in real estate, and these are also part of the benefits of employees, who can obtain houses at reduced prices. The IOR is independent in management, but in fact it is fundamental for the Holy See.

The IOR's audit work

It has often been pointed out that in the last decade the IOR has carried out a control of the accounts, among other things through expensive external consultants, such as the Promontory Financial Group, which then ended up in some judicial matters. However, it is enough to read the report of the Council of Europe's Moneyval Committee on the Holy See/Vatican City State, which assesses compliance with the financial rules of the countries that adhere to them, to understand how the IOR had long ago begun an operation of auditing and transparency of the accounts.

The report, published on July 4, 2012, gave an overall positive assessment of the legislative measures and reforms adopted by the Holy See and the Vatican to prevent and combat illicit activities of a financial nature. In particular, it recognized the IOR's efforts to adapt to international standards. And not only that.

According to the report, the IOR's customer due diligence procedures "in some cases go beyond the requirements established" by the first Vatican anti-money laundering law (i.e., Law No. CXXVII, which was amended by the Decree of January 25, 2012 also because of these deficiencies). We read in paragraph 471 that "the procedures partially contain requirements that were missing or unclear in the original version of the AML Law".

This mitigates to some extent the negative impact on effectiveness due to the fact that a significant number of elements of the legal framework were not introduced until after Moneyval's first on-site visit.

In paragraph 476, then, the Moneyval report noted that "the IOR began a review and update of the customer database in November 2010. The IOR has shown a clear commitment to complete the process by the end of 2012. Six people are involved in this project and are actively reaching out to clients for updated information. By the end of 2011, the Institute had updated its client database module of approximately 50% of individuals and 11% of legal entities."

Data from the latest report

The latest IOR annual report was published in June 2023 and refers to 2022. Some figures may help to understand it. In 2022, the IOR had 117 employees and 12,759 clients. Compared to 2021, there are more employees (there were 112), but far fewer clients: in 2021, the IOR had 14,519 clients.

Considering that the screening of accounts considered not compatible with the IOR's mission ended some time ago, the first impression is that the IOR is no longer an attractive place for its first clients, i.e. religious institutions. Just an impression, of course, but a sobering one.

The report noted that in 2022 the IOR had 29.6 million euros of net profit, a significant increase over the previous year, but still on a downward trend that, despite some recovery, seems constant since 2012. In fact, it goes from the 86.6 million profit declared in 2012 - which quadrupled the previous year's profit - to 66.9 million in the 2013 report, 69.3 million in the 2014 report, 16.1 million in the 2015 report, 33 million in the 2016 report and 31.9 million in the 2017 report, to 17.5 million in 2018.

In contrast, the 2019 report quantified the profit at €38 million, which was also attributed to the favorable market. In 2020, the year of the COVID crisis, the profit had been slightly lower, at €36.4 million. But in the first year after the pandemic, a 2021 still unaffected by the war in Ukraine, it was back to a negative trend, with a profit of only €18.1 million.

Now, we are back on the threshold of 30 million profits, but it remains to be seen whether these profits include the 17.2 million seized from former president Angelo Caloia and Gabriele Liuzzo, who had to answer for embezzlement and self-laundering committed in connection with the process of divestment of the huge real estate assets owned by the Institute and its subsidiaries, SGIR and LE PALME. whose sentences had become final in July 2022. In this case, we would be talking about much lower actual profits.

Of these profits, 5.2 million euros were distributed: 3 million euros for religious works of the Pope, 2 million euros for charitable activities of the Cardinal's Commission and 200,000 euros for charitable activities coordinated by the prelate of the Institute.

There is a technical figure to keep in mind, namely TIER 1, which is the main component of a bank's capital. In 2019, it was 82.40%. In 2022, however, TIER is 46.14%, certainly up from 38% in 2021, but still indicative of a halving of capital. Still a robust TIER 1, well above the figures required of European banks, but still showing a halving of capital in prospect.

According to the IOR, "the Moneyval rating places the Institute as one of the highest rated institutions in the world". The IOR currently works with more than 45 different financial counterparties. To give some figures, in 2022 the IOR received 5.2 billion resources in entrustment and carried out 100,000 payment transactions. The net assets amount to 578.5 million euros.

Beyond the figures, IOR President Jean-Baptiste de Franssu stressed in his address to the report that "the quality of products and services has improved significantly, ethics has become a constant point of reference, both in the management of resources and in the governance of the Institute, and the relationship with clients is more than ever at the heart of every commitment," while IOR Prelate Giovanni Battista Ricca emphasized that targets have been greatly reduced thanks to "greater awareness." It must be said, however, that the IOR's investments have always been conservative, aimed at not affecting the patrimony too much, which is what is always allocated to religious works.

Moneyval's latest report

Rather than a paradigm shift, the IOR has worked in the wake of continuity with previous management. The latest Moneyval report - actually a very technical follow-up - was published on May 28 and showed how the IOR has continued to make technical improvements. Previously, the Holy See was "non-compliant" with Recommendation 13 on correspondent banking, while some "minor deficiencies" remain in relation to Recommendations 16 and 24 on transfers and legal persons, but they are now "broadly compliant," whereas previously they had been assessed as non-compliant.

In summary, of the 39 applicable recommendations, the Holy See now complies or largely complies with 35 points, and partially complies with 4 of the recommendations. Technical details, one might say. But they are important to demonstrate that Vatican finances are not, indeed, a place of lack of transparency and possible criminality. There is the IOR of the media and the IOR of reality. And the reality says that the IOR has worked and continues to work to fully comply with international standards.

The authorAndrea Gagliarducci

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United States

Church in the United States presents annual abuse report

The U.S. bishops' conference has released the sexual abuse report investigating cases reported between July 2022 and June 2023.

Paloma López Campos-June 4, 2024-Reading time: 2 minutes
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The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops has published a report The report contains data on sexual abuse and financial compensation within the national Church for the year 2023.

The report indicates that 1,254 victims of abuse filed a total of 1,308 complaints. Of these, the vast majority are adults who have now reported the assaults they suffered as children.

Fight against abuse in the United States

To address these cases, dioceses and eparchies in the United States provided services to 183 victims and their families to support them. At the same time, they continued to provide assistance to another 1,662 individuals whose cases had already been included in previous years' reports.

As part of the prevention work, the Church examined the background of people working in church activities, whether they were priests, employees or volunteers. Training efforts were also intensified to identify cases of sexual abuse more quickly.

According to the report, the accused include seven clerics who have been removed from ministry or who have retired. However, 91 % of the accused priests are now deceased, "permanently removed from ministry or laicized." In short, "no credibly accused cleric is active".

Walking with victims of abuse

The president of the bishops' conference, Archbishop Timothy P. Broglio, laments at the beginning of the report the suffering of the victims. "These figures are not just numbers," he assures, "the statistics are the many stories and accounts of the betrayal of trust and the lifelong journey to recovery."

He also underlines his gratitude "to the surviving victims for denouncing the abuses they suffered, for holding us all accountable and for allowing us to walk alongside them".

Protecting minors

The document is based on information provided by an audit by StoneBridge Business Partners, a consulting firm of New York City. In addition, the data was supplemented by a survey conducted by the Center for Applied Research in Apostolate (CARA). The dates studied in the audit range from July 1, 2022 to June 30, 2023, and 100 % of the dioceses in the country participated in the process.

The report is one of the measures included in the Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People signed by the U.S. bishops in 2002. This charter outlined "a comprehensive framework of procedures for addressing allegations of sexual abuse of minors by Catholic clergy and establishing protocols to protect children and young people."

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Education

"Christ and eternal life: the beauty of our faith."

On May 9 and 10, the III Congress for religion teachers was held at the Universidad de los Andes (Santiago, Chile) under the title "Christ and eternal life: the beauty of our faith".

Verónica Ibáñez-June 4, 2024-Reading time: 5 minutes
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The congress Alberto Lorenzetti, one of the Auxiliary Bishops of Santiago, who encouraged those present to "know how to adapt to their audience when announcing their faith in Jesus. He pointed out that today this dialogue is not easy because, rather than speaking to the world of an unknown God as Paul did in Athens, it is necessary to speak of a forgotten God and we are faced with the challenge of reaching the hearts of children and young people.

Presenting Christ

Father Lucas Buch, of the University of Navarra, emphasized the idea of maintaining a cordial, personal relationship with the students, speaking to them heart to heart.

He explained that the task of a religion teacher is not to demonstrate Christ, but to present him. The first thing is to pray for their students - since it is Christ who must be presented -, to try to live what they teach, because to a great extent what the children believe about Christ will depend on what they see in their teachers, and, finally, to propose Christ in such a way that the children will be able to recognize him.

We know if a person is a Christian not because he or she is able to expound the Christian faith very well, but because he or she walks in that truth. The main way in which a teacher of religion transmits Christ is by living him. As Pope Paul VI said: "Contemporary man listens more willingly to witnesses than to teachers, or, if he listens to teachers, it is because they are witnesses".

Transmitting faith with hope

Throughout the congress, the need to educate with hope was emphasized several times. Klaus Dröste, dean of the Faculty of Psychology and Humanities of the Universidad San Sebastián, pointed out that hope often does not abound in young people because they do not see their life as something great, something worth living. It is convenient to open in them perspectives of eternity. This hope will allow them to anchor their hearts in God and to order their lives, in spite of all the problems they have at present.

If a young person discovers this, he will be able to reread his history, his calamities, his frustrations, his successes, his failures, his qualities in a new light. He will learn that good can come out of everything.

Lucas defined the mission of the religion teacher with two verbs: to awaken and to transmit. On the one hand, to awaken the students, to accompany them in the discovery of the talent that God has given them, to wait with them for their vocation to awaken, and, on the other hand, to transmit the faith with hope, especially to this postmillennial generation. As is well known, many young people have the feeling that what happens does not depend on them, but on external factors, perhaps because the world in which we live is too complex and they think they cannot change anything that happens. All this has somehow crystallized into a generalized pessimism, which also has its expressions in mental health problems.

In a society like ours, where everyone is encouraged to be self-sufficient, Christianity has such a revolutionary message: from the moment of our conception, we depend on others. Saying to a student: you are made to love and to be loved, because God is love, communion of persons, can open great horizons for him.

Lights for classrooms

Religion teachers are called to keep the Word of God alive, namely the Gospel, and to ensure that it continues to resonate in the hearts of young people. However, there is the challenge of making it understood, because it is a very concise text. Don Lucas suggested reading the Scripture together and resolving any doubts that may arise.

Charity is also an unquestionable way of Christ's presence, and religion class is an environment that can offer the opportunity to experience mercy, that is, to get close to someone in need, to a sick person, to an elderly person, to someone to help.

Telling the story of the saints, whose lives can be understood only in the light of God, also allows us to draw closer to Christ, because the Lord shines in them. Each student can find in a saint his or her inspiration, that which touches him or her deeply.

The way of beauty

Andrea Torres, a philosopher, explained that beauty should accompany the teaching of religion because it is God who manifests himself in it. Moreover, God has created the whole world in order for human beings to know and enjoy Him. This idea can instill hope in young people.

Don Lucas Buch insisted that beauty also speaks to us of a reality that transcends the purely mundane, the purely useful, and for this reason it is also a channel for Christ. Perhaps the religion class itself can be an opportunity for students to have an experience of beauty, to learn to enjoy a work of art, which can help Christ to be present in their lives. By showing beauty, sensitivity and a taste for great beauty can be educated. In this sense, the use of images, poetry or music offers a way.

Talking about eternity

At the congress, it was suggested that death and eternal truths can be spoken of with delicacy. It is necessary to do so, because that is where hope is anchored. As Don Lucas pointed out, in a multicultural context it is important to speak clearly about what the Christian proposal is, avoiding simplistic visions of eternal life. It is important to show that these truths have a meaning and help us to live in a certain way.

In the light of judgment, for example, the teacher can teach how to cultivate memory, to ask questions that allow us to build a meaningful life.

Hell can be understood, as Dostoyevsky says, as the suffering of not being able to love. It can be brought to the present life by talking to the students about resentment, about not wanting to forgive, not wanting to love someone. It must be clearly distinguished from purgatory, where there is hope and a desire for love. To understand this, it can be useful to comment that it is possible to pray for the deceased and to seek communion with those who are in this state.

Finally, in order to refer to Heaven, the teacher needs great creativity to see how he can offer his students experiences of communion, sometimes simply by deepening those they already have, in order to assimilate them to Heaven, where there is no room for isolation.

The Christian proposal

Finally, Don Lucas proposed that, in the face of the great longings that reside in the hearts of men (to be loved, to maintain deep relationships, to be someone, to help others) - desires that are supported by environmental assumptions (individualism and the need to show performance, self-sufficiency and hypersexuality, emotivism as a criterion for evaluating whether something is good or bad, overprotection) - there is a Christian proposal to make to young people: the awareness that God loved us first, the design of communion, the invitation to be part of a love story that is interwoven with our stories and the conviction that there is more joy in giving than in receiving. In short, it is about showing the beauty of our faith.

The authorVerónica Ibáñez

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Resources

How to pray

For man, being created in the image of God implies the possibility of a relationship of mutual communication: prayer.

Alejandro Vázquez-Dodero-June 4, 2024-Reading time: 5 minutes
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Point 27 of the Catechism of the Catholic Church summarizes the deepest and most genuine aspect of our human nature: "....The desire for God is inscribed in the heart of man, because man has been created by God and for God; and God never ceases to draw man to himself, and only in God will man find the truth and happiness he never ceases to seek.".

Only the human being is capable of knowing and loving beyond the material and finite. As a spiritual being, like God himself, he can know and love him: the creation of man in the image of God implies the possibility of a relationship of mutual communication. And precisely for this reason, by being in God's image and thus participating in Him, who is pure love, man is a being capable of loving Him, and he does so through a life of prayer.

We are earthly, but we long for the eternal, which is God. A God we can deal with, whom we can address and love, as we will now discuss.

What is prayer? Why and what is prayer for?

– Supernatural prayer is a dialogue with God, and not a "magic wand", as Pope Francis points out.

We call our conscious and colloquial relationship with God prayer. The word "prayer" comes from the Latin verb precorwhich means to beg, to go to someone requesting a benefit. The term "prayer" comes from the Latin noun oratiowhich means language, speech, discourse.

It would be to elevate the soul to God or to ask him for the goods that are convenient for us. It would also be in essence a family conversation, a union of the man who considers himself a son, with God, his father.

Prayer is indispensable for the spiritual life. It would be like breathing, which allows the life of the spirit to advance. 

In prayer we actualize our faith in God's presence, we foster the hope that leads us to direct our lives towards him and to trust in his providence. And we enlarge our hearts by responding to divine love with our own love.

On the other hand, in the life of prayer, the Liturgy -and, at its core, the Eucharist- is of vital importance, for through it, or in it, the soul is united to Christ, the model and way of all Christian prayer. 

Various ways to pray?

Yes, we used to say that to pray is to dialogue, to speak, with God, about what: as St. Josemaría Escrivá would point out, "...".of Him, of you: joys, sorrows, successes and failures, lofty ambitions, daily worries..., joys and sorrows: and thanksgivings and petitions: and Love and atonement. In two words: to know Him and to know you: "treat each other!" (The Way, 91).

There are a thousand ways to pray, and we do not need an artificial, rigid method to address our Father. If we love, we will know how to discover personal, intimate ways that lead us to this continuous dialogue with the Lord.

One way is "mental" prayer. One can imagine the Gospel scene from the life of Jesus and meditate on it. Then apply one's understanding to the object of considering the concrete trait of the Lord's life that the passage suggests to us. And finally to tell him what usually happens to us, what is happening to us. After that comes listening, because God speaks, he responds to those who question him, with interior motions, seeing the answer to the questions that we have been able to ask him.

This does not consist in making pretty speeches or consoling phrases. It is also sometimes a look at an image of Jesus or Mary; at others, the offering of good works, of the results of fidelity; and always looking for Jesus, and not for oneself.

To pray we must rely on the Holy Spirit, who teaches us and reminds us of all that Jesus said, and also educates us in the life of prayer, arousing expressions that are renewed within permanent forms of prayer: blessing God, asking for forgiveness, imploring Him for what we need, thanking Him and praising Him.

We can also turn to "vocal" prayer, or those prayers that we learned, perhaps as children, and others that we have incorporated throughout our lives: the Our Father, Hail Mary, Holy Rosary, etc. 

– Supernatural Holy Mass and other liturgical acts would also be prayer, of course, dispensing a divine grace of its own.

On the other hand, we have the "intercessory" prayer, which consists of a petition on behalf of another. It knows no frontiers and also includes our enemies. It is based on the trust we have in our Father God, who wants the best for his children and attends to their needs.

Finally, we should refer to prayer "of thanksgiving," since every joy and every sorrow, every event and every need can be a reason for prayer of thanksgiving; and to prayer "of praise," totally disinterested, which is addressed to God; it sings for Him and gives Him glory not only for what He has done but for being Who He is (cf. Catechism of the Catholic Church No. 2644-2649).

Prayer in daily life.

We observe how in the Old Testament Abraham, Moses and the prophets spoke and listened to God. In the New Testament, Jesus teaches us how we can relate to our Father God.

Prayer has had many experiences throughout the centuries. The saints are a clear example of the fact that in every age and circumstance God seeks each person and that each person can respond to Him by entering into a true dialogue with Him.

Regardless of their beliefs, all men and women are called to communicate with God, as we said. Through creation, God calls every being from nothingness into existence. Even after having lost, through his sin, his likeness to God, man continues to be the image of his Creator: he continues to long for the One who created him and does not cease to seek him. By entrusting our lives to him, by sharing with the Lord all that we do or the state in which we find ourselves, we already pray.

God calls each person to the mysterious encounter of prayer. It is he who takes the initiative in prayer, placing in us the desire to seek him, to speak to him, to share our life with him. Thus, whoever prays, whoever is ready to listen to God and to speak to him, responds to this divine initiative.

When we pray, that is, when we speak to God, it is the whole person who prays. But where does prayer come from? From the soul or from the spirit, according to Sacred Scripture; and more often, it is the heart that prays.

It is in the heart, in the depths of our being, that the personal encounter of each one of us with God takes place.

Prayer, however, requires, as the Catechism of the Catholic Church emphasizes in Nos. 2559-2564, that we want to pray and learn to pray, and we do this through the Church: listening to the word of God, reading the Gospels and, above all, imitating the example of Jesus. 

How does Christian prayer differ from the "prayer" of other religions or pseudo-religions?

The main difference of Christian prayer with respect to the forms of some other forms of prayer is that it spiritualist trends lies in the search for a personal encounter with God, which is different from a simple individual search for peace and inner balance. This is what we referred to in our article of last February 1, when commenting on pseudo-religions and the new age.

Christian prayer is always determined by the structure of the Christian faith. It is Christ himself who teaches us how to pray, which means praying within his mystical body, which is the Church.

Christian prayer also has a communitarian dimension. Even in solitude, it always takes place within that "communion of saints" in which and with whom one prays, both publicly and liturgically, as well as privately. 

The Christian, even when alone and praying in secret, has the conviction to pray always in union with Christ, in the Holy Spirit, together with all the baptized, for the good of the universal Church, present, past and future. 

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The Vatican

Pope Francis: "The encounter with the migrant is an encounter with Christ".

Pope Francis has chosen the theme "God walks with his people" for the 110th World Day of Migrants and Refugees.

Paloma López Campos-June 3, 2024-Reading time: 2 minutes
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The Church will celebrate the 110th World Day of Migrants and Refugees on September 29, 2024. Pope Francis has published his message for this day, with the motto "God walks with his people".

The Pontiff relates the synodal journey the Church is making to the biblical story of the Exodus: "a long journey from slavery to freedom that prefigures that of the Church towards the final encounter with the Lord".

Likewise, the Holy Father affirms that "it is possible to see in the emigrants of our time, as in those of every age, a living image of the people of God on their way to their eternal homeland".

Francis points out that, like the Jews in the exodus, "migrants often flee situations of oppression and abuse, of insecurity and discrimination, of lack of development projects". Alongside these serious threats, "they encounter many obstacles on their way," such as lack of resources, dangerous and poorly paid jobs, and disease.

However, the Pope says, we cannot lose hope, because "God precedes and accompanies the journey of his people and of all his children in every time and place". The Holy Father recalls the various elements that represented God's presence in the desert: the Tent of Meeting, the Ark, the bronze serpent and the manna, among others.

God, companion of the migrant

As then, "many migrants experience God as a traveling companion, guide and anchor of salvation. But "God not only walks with his people," the Bishop of Rome affirms, "but also in his people, in the sense that he identifies with men and women in their journey through history."

This means that "the encounter with the migrant, as with every brother and sister in need, is also an encounter with Christ." And if this is so, says the Pope, then "the poor save us, because they allow us to meet the face of the Lord".

Pope Francis concludes his message by asking Catholics to unite with migrants and refugees and to turn "to the intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary, sign of sure hope and consolation on the journey of the faithful People of God."

The Pontiff's message is accompanied by the following prayer:

God, almighty Father,
we are your pilgrim Church
who walks towards the Kingdom of Heaven.
Each of us dwells in our own homeland,
but as if we were foreigners.
Every foreign region is our homeland,
However, every homeland is for us a foreign land.
We live here on earth,
but we have our citizenship in heaven.
Do not allow us to become masters
of the portion of the world
that you have given us as a temporary home.
Help us to never stop walking
together with our migrant brothers and sisters
to the eternal abode that you have prepared for us.
Open our eyes and our hearts
so that every encounter with those in need
also becomes an encounter with Jesus,
Your Son and our Lord.
Amen.
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RelatedRelated News"We need effective, supportive and creative ways of welcoming migrants."Related NewsDisplaced persons and migrants: "they are people, not numbers"
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The President of the IOR, speaker at the Omnes Forum in Rome

Omnes has organized a Forum in Rome that will be attended by the President of the Institute for Works of Religion.

Maria José Atienza-June 3, 2024-Reading time: < 1 minute

The president of the Institute for the Works of Religion, Jean-Baptiste Douville de Franssuwill be the speaker at the Omnes Forum on "Transparency and co-responsibility in the support of the Church. The work of the IOR".which will take place tomorrow, June 4 at 3:30 p.m. at the Pontifical University of the Holy Cross in Rome.

This meeting will provide an opportunity to learn about the work carried out by the Institute for the Works of Religion in favor of transparent and committed management, as well as its main lines of action.

The meeting will be moderated by Prof. Jesús Miñambresof the CASE Study Group (Corresponsabilità Amministrazione e Sostegno Economico alla Chiesa)
 
This Omnes Forum is sponsored by Banco Sabadell and the Carf Foundation, with the collaboration of the Pontifical University of the Holy Cross and Gruppo di Studio CASE.

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The Vatican

Jesús Miñambres: "The need for transparency in the management of the Church is becoming more and more vivid".

Jesús Miñambres, Professor of Canon Law, is the coordinator of the CASE Study Group at the Pontifical University of the Holy Cross.

Maria José Atienza-June 3, 2024-Reading time: 3 minutes

Professor of Canonical Patrimonial Law at the Pontifical University of the Holy Cross, Jesús Miñambres, is also the coordinator of the Case Group, (Corresponsabilità Amministrazione e Sostegno Economico alla Chiesa), an international interdisciplinary research group on issues related to the management and subsistence of the Catholic Church.

Miñambres, who will be in charge of introducing the president of the Institute for the Works of Religion, Jean-Baptiste Douville de Franssu, at the Forum Omnes which will take place tomorrow in Rome, has previously attended Omnes with the aim of bringing readers closer to the reality of the Institute for Works of Religion (IOR).

Isn't a Vatican bank a contradiction? How can the IOR be explained? 

-The Institute for the Works of Religion was founded at the end of the 19th century and was reorganized during the 20th century and so far in the 21st century to serve as an instrument for the management of financial investments to the Holy See at the service of the universal mission of the Church and also of the particular Churches and Institutes of Consecrated Life and other entities.

In addition, it also serves to facilitate certain services, such as the delivery of resources to the environments that need them, the preservation and the realization of deposits of the Holy See's entities, the transparent management of the Vatican's employees' payrolls, etc.

In recent years we have seen a substantial change in the IOR's financial management, especially in terms of transparency. What are the main developments? Is this change due to external requirements? 

-The need for transparency in the management of the Church's resources is becoming more and more pressing.

In general, since 1983 there has been a norm that obliges the faithful to render an account of the goods they have donated (cf. can. 1287 §2 of the Code of Canon Law).

The realization of this prescription at a universal level is becoming more complex, but the IOR has made every effort to achieve it and for several years has been publishing a fairly detailed balance sheet with the Institute's assets and liabilities, the number of clients, the movements during the year...

The Institute seeks to make the resources entrusted to it yield a positive result, at least in recent years, a net profit of 36 million euros in 2020, 18 million euros in 2021 and 29 million euros in 2022. The profit is sent to the Roman Pontiff to be used in the fulfillment of his mission (this is one of the ways in which the functioning of the Roman Curia is financed). 

Certainly, the assumption of the euro as the Vatican's currency, initially through an agreement with Italy and, after 10 years, with another direct agreement with the European Union, has also given an impetus to the search for transparency. These international agreements require a series of practices and controls that have helped to accelerate the implementation of certain management transparency practices.

Mensuram Bonam What do you see as the key points of these guidelines? Are they competitive in today's market? 

-Ethical investments are not only competitive, but are expressly sought after and publicized by many companies in need of investors.

The ESG (Environmental, Social, Governance) principles have been adopted by many entities, so much so that an Italian newspaper specializing in economics and finance has "invented" an index of the Milan stock exchange for its readers with companies that claim to follow these criteria: the index is called SOLE24ESG MORN.

The IOR, and the other Vatican institutions, has also adopted these principles and has added a reference to the Church's social doctrine, which reinforces the ethical commitment and provides parameters for evaluating it. The principles that govern the Church's social doctrine are human dignity, the common good, solidarity, social justice, subsidiarity, care for the common home, inclusion of the vulnerable and integral ecology. The document of the Academy of Social Sciences that you cited develops the implications of these principles for investment management.

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Gospel

A heart of flesh. Solemnity of the Sacred Heart of Jesus (B)

Joseph Evans comments on the readings for the Solemnity of the Sacred Heart of Jesus.

Joseph Evans-June 3, 2024-Reading time: 2 minutes

Through the prophet Hosea - today's first reading - God uses dramatic language to show his inner rejection of the idea of abandoning Israel. His heart, he says, his inner self, "turns" within him: it is the verb haphakwhich means "to turn", "to overturn" or "to overthrow". Thus, Moses' rod "turned" into a serpent and the sword of the cherubim that prevented the entrance to paradise "turned every which way". Likewise, God promised Lot not to "overthrow" a certain city, that is, not to destroy it. Hence the verb can be translated as "turns" or "turns back," but, whatever the translation, it expresses an intense inner activity, a significant change of direction. There is a sense that God is wounded by the very idea of delivering Israel to destruction.

God then says that his "heart is troubled"; this last word, kamarThe same word is used to describe Joseph in Egypt "longing" for his younger brother Benjamin upon his arrival. The same word is used to describe Joseph in Egypt "longing" for his younger brother Benjamin upon his arrival. 

The anthropomorphic language is intended to show the depth of God's love for Israel and his tender mercy toward it. But what in the Old Testament was only a metaphor-the spiritual God has no physical heart-becomes literal reality in Jesus. Our Lord assumes a heart of flesh. And he is not only wounded metaphorically, but actually on the Cross. Thus, today's Gospel shows us a soldier piercing his side and from the wound gushes blood and water. The evangelist John reminds us of the words of the prophet Zechariah: "...".They will look at the one they pierced".

This ties in wonderfully with today's second reading, in which St. Paul prays for the Ephesians, and for us, to "Let Christ dwell in your hearts by faith; let love be your root and your foundation."to help us to understand "the love of Christ, which transcends all knowledge". God is wounded so that we may be wounded too. When men became hard-hearted, with a heart of stone, God put on a heart of flesh so that our hearts would be softened. The very nature of love is that it seeks love in return. This wonderful feast of the Sacred Heart of Jesus speaks to us of divine love, which is so great that it longs for the love of its creature, humanity, and the love of each one of us in particular. The Heart of Christ was pierced to open in our hearts a breach of love through which He could enter them. And the water and the blood that are shed are also like a channel for us to go up to his heart. 

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The Vatican

Pope Francis invites Catholics "to be 'Eucharistic'".

Pope Francis reflected on the gift of the Eucharist on this Solemnity of Corpus Christi.

Paloma López Campos-June 2, 2024-Reading time: 2 minutes
RelatedRelated NewsCorpus Christi encourages the hungryRelated NewsThe miracles of Liège, Daroca and Bolsena gave impetus to Corpus Christi

Pope Francis has prayed the Angelus with all the faithful present in St. Peter's Square. During the meditation, he reflected on the feast of the Corpus Christirecalling "the dimension of the gift" of the Eucharist.

Through the breaking of the bread, the Pontiff said, we see that "Jesus gave his whole life". This is why the celebration of the Eucharist cannot be "an act of worship detached from life or a mere moment of personal consolation".

On the contrary, the Pope stressed, at every Mass Catholics must be aware of their communion with Christ. This union "makes us capable of becoming bread broken for others, capable of sharing what we are and what we have".

To be "Eucharistic

In this sense, the Pope invited the faithful "to be 'Eucharistic', that is, people who no longer live for themselves". Francis asked Catholics to make "their lives a gift for others", becoming "prophets and builders of a new world".

To make this concrete in daily life, the Pontiff gave the example of daily occasions such as avoiding selfishness, promoting fraternity, accompanying our brothers and sisters in pain, caring for the needy and offering one's talents.

To conclude his meditation, the Pope posed several questions for personal reflection: "Do I keep my life for myself alone or do I give it away like Jesus? Do I spend myself for others or do I shut myself up in my own little self? And, in everyday situations, do I know how to share or do I always seek my own self-interest?"

Pope Francis calls for peace

At the end of the Angelus, the Holy Father asked for prayers for Sudan, "where the war that has been going on for more than a year has not yet found a peaceful solution". He also recalled "Ukraine, Palestine, Israel, Myanmar...". Francis launched "an appeal to the wisdom of the rulers to stop the escalation and to put all their efforts into dialogue and negotiation".

Finally, he greeted pilgrims from Italy, Croatia and Madrid, as well as "the faithful of Bellizzi and Iglesias; the 'Luigi Padovese' Cultural Center of Cucciago; the postulants of the Daughters of the Oratory; and the group 'Pedalea por los que no pueden' (Pedal for those who cannot)".

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RelatedRelated NewsCorpus Christi encourages the hungryRelated NewsThe miracles of Liège, Daroca and Bolsena gave impetus to Corpus Christi
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Culture

The miracles of Liège, Daroca and Bolsena gave impetus to Corpus Christi

The 13th century saw a strong impulse of devotion to the Eucharist, at a time when some doubted the real presence of Jesus Christ. The events that took place in Liege, Daroca (Aragon), and Bolsena, near Orvieto, in Italy, and the arguments of St. Thomas Aquinas (the 'Aquinas'), moved Pope Urban IV in 1264, to institute the solemnity of Corpus Christi. The "first procession" took place in Daroca.  

Francisco Otamendi-June 2, 2024-Reading time: 5 minutes

The conversion of bread and wine into the Body and Blood of Christ at the moment of consecration, a sacrament instituted by the Lord at the Last Supper, with the command "do this in memory of me", is a central event in the daily life of the Church, as the Popes have recalled, but there have been times when heretical doctrines were spread which affirmed that the presence of Jesus in the sacramental species was symbolic, not real.  

In this context, beginning in 1200, in the middle of the 13th century, a series of Eucharistic miracles began to occur, which finally prompted Pope Urban IV to declare the Feast of Corpus Christiof the Body and Blood of Christ, firstly on August 11, 1264, with a bull addressed to the Patriarchate of Jerusalem (occupied by himself before being elected pope), and then a second bull addressed to the entire Catholic world.

Saint Juliana of Liège and distinguished theologians

As the Franciscans of the Custody in the Holy Land emphasize, the motif that inspired the feast originated in Flanders, where in the mid-13th century the Eucharistic movement was already very active against the spread of heresies. At that time, the Belgian nun Saint Julienne de Mont Cornillon (Liège) and other nuns had a series of mystical visions in which the Lord made them understand the absence in the Church of a solemnity in honor of the Blessed Sacrament.

In 2010, the late Benedict XVI referred to St. Julienne of Liège with these words: "I wish to present to you a female figure, little known, but to whom the Church owes great recognition, not only for her holiness of life, but also because, with her great fervor, she contributed to the institution of one of the most important liturgical solemnities of the year, that of Corpus Christi. It is about saint Juliana de Cornillonalso known as Saint Juliana of Liege".

"Juliana was born between 1191 and 1192 near Liège, in Belgium. It is important to underline this place, because at that time the diocese of Liège was, so to speak, a true 'Eucharistic cenacle'. There, before Juliana, distinguished theologians had illustrated the supreme value of the sacrament of the Eucharist and, also in Liège, there were women's groups generously dedicated to Eucharistic worship and fervent communion. These women, guided by exemplary priests, lived together, devoting themselves to prayer and works of charity".

The good cause of the Feast of Corpus Christi, Benedict XVI explained, "also won over St. Pantaleon of Troyes, who had met the saint during his ministry as archdeacon in Liege. It was precisely he who, on becoming Pope under the name of Urban IV, in 1264 wanted to institute the Solemnity of Corpus Christi as a feast of obligation for the universal Church. In the bull of institution, entitled 'Transiturus de hoc mundo' (August 11, 1264) Pope Urban alludes with discretion also to the mystical experiences of Juliana, endorsing their authenticity".

The Sacred Bodies in Luchente and Daroca

It is fair to point out that a few years earlier, and in parallel, on March 7, 1239, the miracle known as the miracle of the Sacred Bodies of Daroca had taken place in Valencian and Aragonese lands, whose historical sequence is recorded in the document of 1340 known as the Letter of Chiva, preserved in the Collegiate Archive of Daroca.

The story was also collected, in 1860, in a study by Tomás Orrios de la Torre, canon of the Collegiate Church of the municipality of Daroca, which has been republished with several appendices, for example in 2014, when it was 775 years since the miracle occurred in Luchente (Valencia) on February 23, 1239. and 750 years since the institution of the feast of Corpus Christi in the universal Church.

The documents accredit to the satiety the miracle of the six consecrated forms that the captains of the Tercios of Daroca, Calatayud and Teruel were going to receive communion, before launching themselves to the conquest of the castle of Chio in Muslim land, and that they could not do it because of an attack of the enemy. The six forms, hastily kept by a priest in a corporal, appeared, when picked up, completely bloodied, without the least explanation in natural terms.

Against all odds, being a minority and under siege, the Christians were victorious in the battle. Those present there understood this event as a miracle, a manifestation of God, in an account recorded in the Letter of Chiva, which Orrios de la Torre collected, and which was also synthesized in the Heraldo de Aragónand other places. 

"First Corpus Christi procession".

In addition, the captains of the three companies that intervened in the battle wanted to take the cloth with the bloody hosts to their cities, but the proof of the miracle could only have one destination, and the luck fell on Daroca, because not agreeing on the award, it was arranged that a "blind" mule was put on the road to Christian territory, carrying in a chest the miracle. It passed Teruel, and already in Daroca, the mule stopped at the convent of the Trinitarians, and burst. The sacred forms remained in the church, and it was accepted by all that the Aragonese city should be the custodian of this miracle of Eucharistic faith.

This 14-day walk from Valencia to Daroca has been called "the first Corpus Christi procession", and is narrated by historians of the time. Numerous pilgrims arrived, in addition to those who came from many parts of Europe on their way to Santiago de Compostela.

Later, the Catholic Monarchs ordered the construction of a chapel, and rebuilt what would be one of the first basilicas in Spain with a central transept. It is the current basilica of Santa María de los Sagrados Corporales de Daroca, granted this dignity by Leon XIII in 1890, and called La Colegial.

The Nuncio, in the Corpus Christi of Darocense

In this Darocense temple has taken place last Thursday the celebration of the solemnity Bernardito Auza, Papal Nuncio, and the Archbishop of Zaragoza, Monsignor Carlos Escribano, in the presence of other prelates, priests and numerous faithful who participated in the subsequent procession.

Nuncio Auza recalled in his homily that "from the love that flows from the Eucharist, the bishops invite us to actualize this mystery day by day. Only from the abasement of Love, the mysticism of this sacrament is understood. The Pope tells us: 'You will not achieve with your hands what you do not first meditate on your knees'". 

By the way, Daroca already has a relic of the one known as the apostle of the Internet, beato Carlo Acutiswho will be canonized, and who was characterized by a great love for the Eucharist.

The miracle of Bolsena

After Pope Urban IV was elected, two syndics from Darocco went to Rome to inform him of the event, and they were presented by St. Bonaventure and by St. Thomas Aquinaswho were later named patrons of the municipality of Daroca.

As is well known, Saint Thomas Aquinas is the author of the hymn Adoro te devoteHe composed it in honor of the sacramentalized Lord at the request of the Pope, precisely on the occasion of the institution of the feast of Corpus Christi.

This was also the time of the miracle of Bolsena (Italy), in which a consecrated Host was transformed into flesh while celebrating Mass by a priest who doubted the real presence of Christ in the Eucharist. In this case, the sacramental species were inspected by the Pope himself, and reviewed also by St. Thomas Aquinas, as indicated in the eucharistic miracles website of Blessed Carlo Acutis. The relic of this miracle has been in the cathedral of Orvieto ever since.

In various catecheses and addresses over the years, Pope Francis has centered the Church's missionary action on the Eucharist.

The authorFrancisco Otamendi

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Culture

Caring and being cared for: the value of fragility

Book review Corporeality, technology and desire for salvation. Notes for an anthropology of vulnerability. published by Jorge Martín Montoya Camacho and José Manuel Giménez Amaya.

Pablo Alfonso Fernández-June 2, 2024-Reading time: 4 minutes

The most direct path to a meaningful existence is to discover one's own and others' vulnerability. This statement, simple in its expression, but profound in its consequences, condenses the anthropological proposal made by Professors Montoya and Giménez Amaya in a recent publication of the "Philosophy and Public Theology" collection of the Dykinson publishing house, entitled Corporeality, technology and desire for salvation. Notes for an anthropology of vulnerability.

This book is the result of years of interdisciplinary and collaborative work within the context of the Science, Reason and Faith research group of the University of Navarre.which was born from the impulse of Professor Mariano Artigas. Its content presents, together and adapted to the new format, some previous publications of its authors in specialized magazines, and does not intend to present a systematic treatise, but to establish an anthropological starting point. 

This is a solidly argued academic reflection, with abundant critical apparatus and expository rigor, based on the philosophy of the Anglo-Saxon thinker Alasdair McIntyre. After an opportune introduction, which neatly gathers some concepts developed later on, he sets out his thesis in three chapters that deal respectively with the issues enunciated in the title: the corporeality and its psycho-biological contingency, the technology unfocused from their natural purposes, and the desire for salvation which opens the human being to transcendence and is presented as the core concept of the whole study. 

The authors build their argumentation from a reflection on the purposes of human life, with which they understand biological fragility and its manifestations in social life. Thus they understand aging as "a meeting place for understanding man", and the virtues of care as the sphere of gratuitousness that allows us to overcome a utilitarian logic of exchange. The philosophical approach draws on many sources that are conveniently cited, and gives us an idea of the origin and development of these concepts. Throughout the paragraphs, the reader is introduced to the concepts that converge in the thesis of the book: biological contingency, metabolic vitalism, corporeal intentionality, desire for salvation, just generosity... At the same time, they are presented by two philosophy professors with previous training in the world of Engineering and Medicine, which provides a more accurate vision when facing questions related to technological evolution or the field of health. 

In addition, the book's interest goes beyond the academic sphere, and the authors have managed to present it with illustrative stories taken from literature with which they end each of the three chapters. These timely references to the works of Aldous Huxley (Brave New World), Mary Shelley (Frankenstein) and Euripides (Iphigenia), contribute to show the universal human implications of their study, beyond their obvious interest for specialists. The careful wording of the text makes it easy to read, and an emotionally charged cover image challenges the reader to understand that he or she is not confronted with a matter of hollow theoretical abstractions. It is taken from the painting "Hospital Visiting Day" by the French painter Geoffroy (1853-1924). The moving prologue, by Professor Javier Bernácer, is yet another proof that the proposal of this book touches the human being's fiber. Its authors have managed to arouse interest in what they understand "may be one of the most important developments in anthropological research in the coming years". 

It is provocative, in these times of technological innovations, artificial intelligences, and promising announcements of the overcoming of any limit, to state without further ado that human nature is vulnerable. It is an indecent audacity for many to face aging, illness and death as a condition of humanity, an opportunity for growth and discovery of the meaning of life, and not as an untimely obstacle, a limit to overcome or an uncomfortable miscalculation in the happiness programs of efficient modernity. 

Corporeality, technology and desire for salvation

AuthorsJorge Martín Montoya Camacho and José Manuel Giménez Amaya.
Editorial: Dykinson
Pages: 160
Year: 2024

From this vision, which predominates in the utilitarian mentality and enthroned health and physical vigor as the ultimate goals of existence, vulnerable life does not deserve to exist, hence the effort to suppress it from the beginning if it is detected in a prenatal diagnosis, or to facilitate its prompt elimination once the wear and tear caused by time has been verified. The search for a full life, which has directed the efforts of philosophy in the history of human thought, is reduced to full hedonism, and is satisfied with achieving a life that is not worthy of existence. pagewithout the relief that human suffering brings.

That is why I think that the authors are right in giving academic category and depth of thought to a vital expression, to an intuition that Christianity has filled with meaning from faith: weakness makes us human and in need of salvation. The pretension of absolute autonomy cannot be the ultimate goal of our life, because this conception of the human being disregards a fundamental category: relationship. Vulnerability is not the enemy to be beaten, but an inseparable companion on our journey who insists on reminding us of who we are. 

In its pages we discover, with an impeccable intellectual journey, a convincing philosophical expression of the Gospel of life, so necessary to proclaim in today's world. St. John Paul II encouraged us in this task when he invited us to build the "civilization of love" (cfr. Apostolic Letter Salvifici doloris, n. 30). As Pope Francis also calls today for a "revolution of tenderness" that invites us to "take the risk of encountering the face of the other, with his physical presence that challenges us, with his pain and his complaints, a constant body to body" (Apostolic Exhortation Evangelii Gaudium, n. 88).

The authorPablo Alfonso Fernández

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ColumnistsAntonio Moreno

Weddings, baptisms and communions

The celebrations of weddings, baptisms and communions have changed, in many cases, from being a celebration of joy for the sacrament to a search for personal satisfaction.

June 2, 2024-Reading time: 4 minutes

The president of the Spanish Episcopal ConferenceMons. Luis Argüelloa few weeks ago, denounced the unreasonableness of making first communions look like weddings. Today I am going to go further: Aren't weddings already an exaggeration?

It is paradoxical that, in an era such as ours, in which the valuation of the marriage institution (with or without sacrament) is in its lowest hours, wedding ceremonies have become events of an uncommon magnitude and complexity. The wedding is, in fact, for some, much more important than the marriage itself. 

The mess begins at the so-called bachelor parties, which might have made sense when the bride or groom left their parents' house to start a life together, but most couples today know well what it's like not to sleep at mom and dad's house.

Goodbyes might have their logic when marriage meant giving up living only for oneself to start living for one's spouse and children; but many young married couples continue to hang out with lifelong friends, are open to new love affairs because they do not believe in love forever, and the highest common responsibility they come to assume is to adopt a pet (or several) together.

Does it really make sense to keep calling them bachelor parties when in reality many marriages today are just two singles living together?

As for weddings, they have become an unbridled race for the "me plus". The effect that in the villages led families to compete to see who could best entertain the guests, has been multiplied by the effect of social networks.

Event and catering companies are aware of this human weakness, envy, and inflate prices to exorbitant levels.

Many couples are forced to organize a wedding far beyond their tastes and possibilities to avoid comparisons. It is no longer just the wedding, the dress, the banquet...; it is the most original invitation, the most photogenic church, the funniest pre-wedding, the most decorated car, the most exclusive menu, the best-stocked sweet table, the most curious gift for the guests, the most unforgettable newlywed dance, the most fashionable DJ... Hundreds of details that make couples and their families suffer a lot.

How many people stop getting married for the simple (and logical) reason that today's weddings are crazy! 

A wedding with hundreds of guests had a social meaning when what was being celebrated was a fruitful and forever union, since the two families were united by strong ties.

At the wedding, family members and friends would support the bride and groom and even help them financially, as they were still young, to begin their new life together, from which would be born offspring that would extend the family surnames.

But what sense does it make for a couple to invite their family to a ceremony to be paid for by all when the average age of marriage in Spain is around 35, the average length of marriage is 16 and the average number of children is one? And when a family member marries twice or three times? What are we celebrating? Who are we wrapping up? Which of the three parties is the good one and which should be forgotten?

The social character of the wedding has been lost and has given way to a ceremony where the "we" is no longer celebrated, but the cult of the "I" typical of the narcissistic culture in which we live.

Everyone wants to be, even for a day, the baby at the christening, the bride at the wedding and even the dead at the funeral; to be the center of attention, to receive the applause, to have a good photo shoot and to travel to a resort with an all-inclusive bracelet.

The rampage of this generation's self-parties began with birthdays, which ceased to be a simple snack with cousins; followed by graduation ceremonies, even to collect the title of child! continued by the initiation trip to Eurodisney (the communion, let's not fool ourselves, is a mere excuse for many) and, thus, followed a long list of celebrations designed to feel the center of the world.

I am not saying that important things should not be celebrated in style, because it is also very easy to fall into the most stale and stingy puritanism; but to put logic in everything and help, especially, so that no one is left without receiving a sacrament for lack of money or desire to get into trouble (how many children are not baptized because their parents are leaving, leaving...!) 

It is urgent to talk more with young people to help them regain their sanity in the celebrations, to make them see that perhaps they should lift their foot off the accelerator that drives them towards the precipice of nothingness and regain the sobriety that gives the wine of the wedding at Cana.

This new wine does not make us drunk or take us away from our reality, but quite the contrary: it makes us savor the true meaning of the celebration and invites us to put on our best clothes to enter the great banquet, the wedding of the lamb, in which, then yes, we will all be the bride at the wedding. 

The authorAntonio Moreno

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.

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Culture

"Champion" and "The Holdovers", movie suggestions for this month.

"Champion" and "The Holdovers", two particularly interesting films currently in theaters, are the audiovisual proposals for June.

Patricio Sánchez-Jáuregui-June 1, 2024-Reading time: < 1 minute

Two films with very different plots that hit theaters in Spain are the proposals to see this month.

Champion

Dylan is a 13-year-old boy and captain of the soccer team, his passion shared with his best friend, Youssef. The announcement of a future competition fills them with joy and they begin to prepare, when Dylan suffers a serious injury.

Based on the life of Job Tichelman, co-writer of the film, who was born with a spinal cord malformation, Campeón is a hymn to friendship, perseverance, solidarity and an example of the educational value of soccer.

Champion

Director: Camiel Schouwenaar
ScriptCamiel Schouwenaar and Job Tichelman
Actors: Maik Cillekens, Anouar Kasmi, Kailani Busker
Platform: Cinemas

An uplifting and inspiring film for the whole family, it has been widely screened at festivals and has won a dozen awards.

The Holdovers

A cantankerous boarding school teacher must stay at the school over the Christmas vacations to look after a handful of students who have nowhere else to go. He soon forms a bond with a smart but damaged troublemaker and the school's head cook, a woman who has just lost a son in the Vietnam War.

One of this year's big surprises, Holdovers is an honest and mature story about adolescence, family and friendship, an ode to second chances and the important things in life.

Touching without falling into sentimentality, and with a sharp point of comedy, it is a thought-provoking dramedy through a story woven with care and mastery, with a neat script and performances that eat up the screen, led by the genius of Paul Giamatti, who makes a lonely and pathetic character into someone endearing, worthy of our love. 

The Holdovers

DirectorAlexander Payne
ScriptDavid Hemingson
Actors: Paul Giamatti, Da'Vine Joy Randolph, Dominic Sessa
Platform: Cinemas
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Integral ecology

Arizmendiarrieta Foundation, the reasons for more humane companies

The priest José María Arizmendiarrieta was an exceptional case for his effectiveness in promoting companies, which today turn out to be a business group of reference in Europe. Following in his footsteps, the Arizmendiarrieta Foundation is today based on the principles of Christian humanism, without losing sight of the needs arising from business competitiveness.

Juan Manuel Sinde-June 1, 2024-Reading time: 5 minutes
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The now Venerable José María Arizmendiarrieta stood out for his ability to apply the principles and values of the Social Doctrine of the Church in the context of the mid-twentieth century in a small town in Gipuzkoa. He knew how to reconcile convictions rooted in a deep faith with a pragmatism reflected both in his objectives ("The ideal is to do the good that can be done, not the good that is dreamed of") and in his approaches to bring together people of different political, economic and social sensibilities ("Ideas separate, needs unite").

Among the approximately 400,000 priests scattered throughout the world, who shared the same formation, he was an exceptional case for his effectiveness in promoting companies, which today turn out to be a reference business group in Europe.

This double reference to the principles of Christian humanism and the needs derived from business competitiveness are today the vectors of the company's business proposals. Foundation Arizmendiarrieta, heir to the priest who gave it its name.

The Social Doctrine of the Church and the enterprise

Perhaps it is worth recalling, therefore, some of the principles of the Social Doctrine of the Catholic Church that are particularly applicable to the business world:

- Respect for the equal human dignity of all people (because they are all children of God). It implies that all people in the company must be treated according to this condition, regardless of their responsibility or their position in the company's hierarchy.

- Search for the common good, which implies giving priority to the needs of the collective project over the (legitimate) interests of the various stakeholders (workers, shareholders, etc.).

- Promote the participation of workers in management, results and ownership, so that work is an opportunity for the realization and development of human capabilities.

- Maintain criteria of internal solidarity among the different groups mentioned above, making the company a community of people and not just an organism for producing goods and services.

- Maintain policies of solidarity with the community in which it operates.

As a consequence, it would mean accepting that the priority objective of a company is not to obtain maximum short-term profits for its shareholders, but to satisfy the people of the different stakeholders in a balanced way.

On the other hand, however, it is necessary to take into account the characteristics of the competitive scenario in which companies currently operate. In this regard, we can emphasize that in recent decades two major factors have changed this scenario for companies in general: the accelerated progress of scientific discoveries and their technical applications, and the globalization of the economic processes of production, distribution, financing and consumption.

Reasons from the business point of view

Within this framework, following the reflections of various groups of people representing different economic, political and social sensibilities, the reasons for more humane companies from a business point of view would be the following:

As a consequence of the aforementioned scientific-technical development, the role of people in companies has changed radically, and the proper management of knowledge and innovation, which resides precisely in them, is of vital importance.

Therefore, they play a critical role in the competitiveness and success of all types of companies by contributing their intelligence, concerns, creativity, empathy and ability to work as part of a team.

3. The globalization process requires, on the other hand, that companies and countries that cannot compete via costs must seek other elements of competition, based on constant improvement in quality and new value propositions for their customers, which, in turn, depend on people, thus reinforcing the importance of people.

4. But to ensure its leading role, in this context, a new business model is needed that facilitates and enhances the knowledge and involvement of all agents in a shared project.

5. On the other hand, it is considered that change must be built on trust, based on transparent, truthful and systematic information and on a management model that encourages participation in the "day to day". This trust must be shared among the company's community, the groups with which it interacts and the public administrations.

6. It is therefore necessary to introduce cultural and organizational changes in companies, which implies significantly adapting the traditional relationship model between employers and workers, in order to formulate a common project that will have a positive influence on competitiveness and value creation for the company. It is therefore essential to ensure that people have a decent salary, training for the future, adherence to the business project, job satisfaction, and the social cohesion that facilitates teamwork.

7. The proposed change implies understanding the objectives of business in a broad sense and not only as the pursuit of maximum short-term profit. Progress should be made in formulas for international success in which the company is conceived as an organism that satisfies a constellation of interests in a balanced way, while also taking into account ecological and human rights issues.

8. In any case, the responsibility for change lies with everyone, but especially and to a greater extent with those who hold power in the company, highlighting the importance of the exemplarity of entrepreneurs and managers and progress in the cultural change towards teamwork, honesty in relationships and openness to the changes necessary for the sustainability of the company.

9. Without forgetting that experience indicates that in order to promote participation it is necessary to generate favorable environmental conditions on the part of public institutions and economic and social agents, in the sense of favoring a socio-productive model that prioritizes social, economic and environmental sustainability and the collective interest over individual interest.

10. Emphasizing, however, that the change towards this new model is not only a matter of legal regulations, nor is it automatic, but that it is necessary to manage and work internally on the corporate culture, which first requires the commitment of the company's top management so that the new culture is designed and organized in such a way as to achieve the participation and commitment of all workers and their representatives.

11. It implies, therefore, the initiative of managers and employers, who are responsible for initiating the change, although for the effective implementation of this model of participation, it will need to attract the support of the people who form part of the company and the interest of their representatives, taking into account the powers of information and consultation attributed to them in the Workers' Statute.

Conclusions

All this would lead us, in short, to the search for a balance between:

-A humanistic business model, with the values described above.

-An advanced business model that enhances and takes advantage of people's knowledge and skills to achieve a competitive and sustainable company.

-A business model that takes into account in its design and operation the strengths and weaknesses of the local culture and is susceptible of being promoted by the public institutions involved.

It is important to underline, in any case, that experience shows that change in the company in the proposed direction requires deep convictions from a humanistic, if not transcendent, point of view, so that they take root with sufficient strength to avoid being aggravated by cyclical difficulties. Instrumental approaches aimed exclusively at improving competitiveness are therefore not enough.

The authorJuan Manuel Sinde

President of the Arizmendiarrieta Foundation

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United States

Church in the United States presents synthesis document for Synod

The U.S. bishops' conference has presented the "National Synthesis of the People of God in the United States of America for the Intermediate Stage of the Synod 2021-2024," where they show the gratitude and concerns of the participants.

Paloma López Campos-May 31, 2024-Reading time: 4 minutes
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The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops has presented the "Synthesis National People of God in the United States of America for the Intermediate Stage of Synod 2021-2024." In this documentThe report reflects "the perception that there is a deep desire among Catholics in the United States to rebuild and strengthen our communion as the Body of Christ," they say.

The bishops express their confidence that "along the synodal journey, the Spirit opens spaces where we can talk about long-standing tensions and at the same time deepen the bonds of our baptismal communion." It is therefore an occasion to "practice with grace the humanly delicate art of listening to one another and speaking together."

With the presentation of this document, the bishops' conference wants to invite "to study and reflection, not in isolation, but together with the lived experience". They also hope that this Synod "is a significant moment in the life of the Church".

Welcoming church

The synthesis of this phase of the Synod notes that the dialogue "has exposed, or brought to light, underlying tensions." However, fruits have also emerged, "two basic hopes for the Church." The document refers to these illusions as "the Safe Harbor of Certainty and openness and the prophetic mystery at the heart of our Burning Communion."

Regarding that "Safe Harbor," the document affirms that the Church can be a place "where the faithful are welcomed, sustained and loved." Or, in other words, "a place for healing during the journey of missionary discipleship." On the other hand, "the Church is called not only to be a safe place, but also a Burning Communion that bears witness to the Gospel with prophetic zeal."

One of the most important aspects where these two facets of the Church are seen, according to the Synod's local working groups, is in multicultural parish communities. In these groups, the exemplary welcome of some parishes fosters "relationship building" and shows "a hospitality that goes beyond a superficial welcome."

Participation beyond the Synod

The national synthesis document of the Synod reflects the desire of many people "for greater attention to formation for evangelization." This is because "the faithful, including marginalized groups who participated in the Synod, communicated a desire to participate in the evangelizing mission of the Church."

In order to achieve this, the working groups have proposed striving for "stronger catechesis and formation, focusing specifically on evangelization programs, the social doctrine of the Church and the role of the family."

In this regard, "many participants expressed tensions about women's active participation in the work of proclaiming the Good News of Christ. In this regard, "many participants expressed tensions about women's active participation in the work of proclaiming the Good News of Christ. young people adults to actively participate in their faith.

Obedience to God

The synthesis of the Synod also includes the opinion of some participants, who think that this stage the Church is going through is "an invitation to deepen our trust in God, who can work through the imperfect members of the Body of Christ".

Precisely for this reason, they consider that "the ongoing synodal experience has offered the People of God a reminder of our call to existential obedience". And that, despite the tensions among the faithful, "our communion of shared faith in Christ calls us to walk together, actively participating in the mission of the Church".

Tensions from the past

These tensions mentioned were an important part of the conversation at this stage of the Synod. In relation to these, the document says that "participants expressed a sincere and urgent desire to address those concerns that most deeply impacted our communion as the People of God." In the vast majority of cases, these tensions were defined as "confusion."

This confusion occurs in "cases of communication, both from the hierarchy and from the secular and Catholic media, which reflect and perpetuate the division within the universal Church and send contradictory messages". But it also occurs in the "area of Church teaching and tradition," "in situations related to the liturgy," "around the Social Doctrine of the Church," and "the tension between a welcoming spirit and the need to articulate the Church's teaching."

The Synod as an experience of unity

The document reflects "the desire of the participants to grow in unity and to take advantage of this moment of the synodal process. Therefore, we hear a call "to go beyond the tensions" to "form ourselves profoundly in the work of encounter and reflection".

In this sense, synodality in the Church "must be a central focus of formation in co-responsibility".

The bishops in the synodal process

The U.S. bishops also participated in this stage of the Synod. Many of them "shared positive experiences of synodal listening in their dioceses" and "the challenges posed by changing cultures within their presbyteries."

The episcopate recognizes that "priests from other countries should be appreciated for their gifts". At the same time, they admit that "ecclesiological positions vary among priests", which "can be a source of division", which the bishops have to alleviate.

The synthesis points out that "some of these polarizations are of political origin, others of a more explicitly theological nature". Therefore, it is important "the integration of a synodal style of conversation, especially in parishes and dioceses, in search of better human relations and mutual understanding".

On the other hand, "the bishops gave a generally positive evaluation of the relations between them and the Holy See". However, many expressed that "direct contact with Rome is not very frequent" and that "communication between the bishops and the offices of the Holy See could be better".

Nevertheless, the episcopate expressed its "appreciation for the work of the Apostolic Nuncio". In fact, "the experience of the Ad Limina visits to Rome were described as occasions of fraternity and joy".

Gratitude for the Synod

The conclusion of the document expresses "gratitude for this synodal journey," thanks to which much progress has been made "as partners in the Church in the United States." In addition, the participants say they are "aware of Pope Francis' notion of a culture of encounter".

The synthesis points out that the tensions mentioned during the work "need not disturb the communion of charity in the Church". It also underlines "the desire and strength of the People of God to commit themselves to the work of synodality".

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Culture

Education, ideological battlefield or preparation for life?

The suicide of the West. The renunciation of the transmission of the The book "Education and Education in a Globalized World" gathers the main theories, names and projects that have marked education in the last centuries.

Maria José Atienza-May 31, 2024-Reading time: 2 minutes
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"We are moving towards a society of mediocrities in which no one knows more than anyone else. Objective truth will not exist and the most voted opinion will be taken as such. The greatest absurdities will be accepted because no one will dare to go against the majority". This is one of the maxims with which Alicia Delibes Liniers culminates her work. The suicide of the West. The renunciation of the transmission of knowledge.

This is a very interesting volume through which we learn about the names and theories that have marked education in the last three centuries, leading to the current and worrying situation of schools and universities in the West.

Backed by an extensive curriculum in the field of teaching, Delibes Liniers goes through the vicissitudes of the educational field starting with the rupture that the values of the French Revolution meant for the development of schools. As expected, one of the names at the center of this part is Rousseau.

The French thinker's ideas led to a conception of educational freedom that was committed to the non-existence of rules, teachings or discipline and that led, from its first applications, to educational disasters of the first order in France.

The author also reviews educational theories and applications such as the one marked by Wilhelm von Humboldt in Prussia or the different names and stages that the famous Institución Libre de Enseñanza had in the cultured spheres of Spain. 

The greatest qualitative leap came in the West after the two world wars, the rise of socialism in Eastern Europe and Asia and the development of Marxist theories in education. John Dewey, of whose educational theories, contrary to any hint of exigency, Hannah Arendt made a magnificent critique, stands out at the beginning of these years.

However, it was the May 68 revolution that has undoubtedly had the greatest impact on the evolution of educational theories and projects in the West in recent decades, and to which the author devotes a large part of the second part of this book. 

The suicide of the West. The renunciation of the transmission of knowledge.

AuthorAlicia Delibes Liniers
Editorial: Encounter
Pages: 360
Year: 2024

Of special interest, perhaps because of its proximity to the current situation, is the analysis made by Alicia Delibes Liniers of the different waves of thought translated into educational projects and laws in the last twenty years of the twentieth century, as well as the interesting reflection on some realities that, even today, drag the educational field in the West, especially in Spain, such as the emergence of multiculturalism or what Delibes Liniers describes as "pedagogical myths", namely sustainable education, inclusiveness or the teacher. Googleand that are, in short, a more political than educational proposition in their conception. Some myths that join the pretended imposition of a unique thought through the classrooms. 

The suicide of the West. The renunciation of the transmission of knowledge is an almost obligatory book for those who are interested in understanding the "anti-educational" drift of education in the West and the betrayal resulting from the politicization of education. Also to understand that, perhaps, all is not lost and we can learn from the more than obvious mistakes of ideologies and the successes of an education in which effort, perseverance and respect are valued.

A book that has the virtue of being read with pleasure and calls for personal reflection. A perfect compilation of the last centuries in education in which, hopefully, we can look at the possible solutions and the mistakes already made to achieve an integral social commitment in the educational task. 

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Culture

Catholic scientists: María Alicia Crespí, first professor of a Higher Technical School in Spain

On May 31, 2012, María Alicia Crespí, a reference for women chemists in Spain, passed away. Omnes offers this series of short biographies of Catholic scientists thanks to the collaboration of the Society of Catholic Scientists of Spain.

Ignacio del Villar-May 31, 2024-Reading time: 2 minutes
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María Alicia Crespí González (1922-2012) was a pioneer in the field of Chemical Engineering and the first woman to hold the position of professor in a Higher Technical School in Spain.

Born in Pontevedra, she came from a family of illustrious academics and studied at the Doroteas Sisters of Pontevedra. She completed her studies in Chemistry in Santiago and completed her doctoral thesis in Chemical Engineering at the Faculty of Sciences.

After her doctorate she began to excel at Piritas Españolas of the National Institute of Industry, where she eventually became head of the Procedures Section of the Industrial Research Division.

Her tireless desire for economic independence led her to make her way in the scientific world. From 1957 to 1984, she led research and projects at the Nuclear Energy Board, now CIEMAT, with a focus on the prevention of contamination at nuclear facilities.

In 1975, she reached a crucial milestone when she obtained the chair of Electrical Engineering at the Madrid School of Architecture, becoming the first professor of a Higher Technical School in Spain. She also stood out for her lighting and environmental conditioning projects for emblematic places such as the Louvre and the Prado, as well as being a professor at the School of Commerce in Ciudad Real.

Throughout her life, María Alicia organized symposia, wrote numerous papers and directed the Seminar on Environmental Conditioning of Museums at the Museum of Pontevedra, where she wanted to leave her legacy. Passionate about culture in all its expressions, she enjoyed music, fine arts and archeology.

She was also happily married to Ángel González Ferrero, to whom she bequeathed part of her fortune and the other to cultural institutions, the Provincial Museum of Pontevedra and Catholic entities such as Caritas and the Congregation of Religious of Santa Dorotea, where she was educated. The latter is explained by the fact that she maintained a close relationship with this religious congregation, especially with Sister Milagros Ramiro, her spiritual mother whom she used to visit in Pontevedra.

The authorIgnacio del Villar

Public University of Navarra.

Society of Catholic Scientists of Spain

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Culture

Culture, religions and life in eSwatini (Swaziland)

Second part of the report on eSwatini (Swaziland) by historian Gerardo Ferrara focusing on the country's culture, religion and traditions as well as the role of the Catholic Church.

Gerardo Ferrara-May 30, 2024-Reading time: 6 minutes
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Typical elements of traditional Swazi society and landscape were the beehive-shaped huts covered with dry grass. Some of them can still be seen today, touring the country.

In a typical village, the chief (often polygamous) had several huts, one for each wife, including a larger one occupied by his mother.

This tradition is preserved in the country's monarchy, where the figure of the queen mother is of great importance. Although the king (Ngwenyama) is the supreme head of state and of the nation and currently holds legislative and executive power (normally the succession to the throne follows a dynastic line, from father to son, but it may happen that the Liqoqo, or Supreme Council composed of traditional leaders), the queen mother, known as Indlovukazi (Great Elephanta), is considered a maternal and protective figure, the queen mother, known as Indlovukazi (Great Elephanta), is considered a maternal figure and protector of the nation and the royal family, to the extent that she is often consulted by the monarch on important matters relating to the nation and the Swazi people.

Her role is to advise and guide the monarch in his decisions, as well as to preserve and promote the traditions and cultural values of Swaziland and, in the event that the king is young or unfit to rule, the queen mother may assume the position of regent until the child reaches adulthood or until the king proves himself fit to rule.

2 key quotes

The two most important public ceremonies in the country require the presence not only of the king, but also of the queen mother.

The first, the Incwala ("ceremony of the first fruits" or "ceremony of the royalty"), is celebrated on December 21 (beginning of the austral summer) on the pretext of offering the first fruits of the harvest to the king. The second, better known, is the Umhlanga, of eight days of duration, in which the virgins of marriageable age cut reeds, present them to the queen mother and then dance with the naked torso before her and the king. The origin of Umhlanga, whose main purpose is to promote chastity and community work, goes back to an ancient custom, Umchwasho, a traditional ritual of sexual abstinence in which unmarried women were not allowed to have sexual relations. Young girls were required to wear necklaces usually made of wool and placed around the neck like a scarf (those under 18 were required to wear blue and yellow necklaces and were not allowed to have any contact with men, while those over 19 wore a red and black necklace and, although they were allowed to have contact with men, they were not allowed to have sexual relations with them). The person or family of the girl who violated Umchwasho was sentenced to pay a fine (usually a cow).

The traditional Umchwasho ritual continued, especially between 2001 and 2005, when King Mswati III reintroduced it in the country to combat the AIDS epidemic, encountering the opposition of many women who refused to wear the obligatory headscarf. The king himself, by the way, was fined a cow for marrying during the Umchwasho period. 

Another typical traditional element of the Swati culture is the sangoma, a soothsayer often consulted by the population for the most diverse reasons, including determining the cause of an illness or even death.

Religions in eSwatini

Much of the population of eSwatini is nominally Christian: Protestants make up 35% (the country's first missionaries arrived with the British colonizers), Amazionists 30% and Catholics less than 5%. There are also animists and small minorities of Muslims (1%) and Hindus (0.15%).

The AmaZions

The AmaZions, also known improperly as "Zionists" (Zion Christian Church), are a syncretic religious community present in Swaziland (present-day sWatini), as well as in other parts of southern Africa. Their worship combines Christian elements, such as baptism, with other traditional rituals typical of local animism (e.g., shamans dressed in white with a staff in hand). Their faith is characterized by a strong sense of spirituality, ancestor worship and belief in the power of divine healing and spiritual protection. Music and singing are an integral part of their religious services, which often involve fervent celebrations and worship.

The founder of this cult is considered to be the South African Engenas Lekganyane, who established the Zion Christian Church in South Africa in 1910, but in reality the origin of this "Church" goes back to Petrus Louis Le Roux, a member of John Alexander Dowie's Christian Church based in Zion (USA), from which Lekganyane later separated. 

The AmaZions began to settle in Swaziland during the 20th century, bringing with them their faith and religious practices. Their presence was gradually consolidated, with the formation of communities and congregations that play an important role in the social and cultural life of Swaziland. 

AmaZions, as well as Protestants and Catholics, coexist peacefully in eSwatini and the communities and their leaders often exchange courtesy visits on the occasion of their respective traditional festivals, in addition to collaborating on various social initiatives.

The Catholic Church

During our trip to Swaziland, we were able to see how fundamental the Catholic community (less than 60,000 faithful out of a population of 1,161,000) is to the life of the country.

Introduced in Swaziland by the first missionaries who arrived in 1913, the Servants of Mary, Catholicism has always stood out for its primary and secondary education.

The only diocese present is that of Manzini, a suffragan of Johannesburg (the country is part of the South African Bishops' Conference), with 18 parishes, 33 priests and 3 seminarians. It also manages no less than 75 schools (the most important and prestigious in the whole country) and 25 charitable institutions.

Over the years, the Catholic Church has established numerous primary and secondary schools in Swaziland, providing quality education to thousands of young people (regardless of ethnicity or religion). These educational institutions have played a major role in the development of education in the country and have contributed to the formation of generations of students, including several members of government and key national institutions. In addition to schools, the Catholic Church has also founded hospitals, clinics and other health services to provide adequate medical care to the entire community.

During our trip we were able to meet the only bishop of Swaziland, Msgr. Juan José Ponce de León, an Argentinean missionary and formerly bishop in South Africa, initially sent by Pope Francis to Manzini as apostolic administrator and later appointed bishop of that diocese. Mgr. Ponce de Leon spoke as a true leader, far-sighted and very intelligent in dealing with the complex local reality (made of tribalism and Christianity often mixed) and expressed the need for the local Church to count on local priests and nuns not only as reference figures at the pastoral level, but also in communication and formation.

In fact, Bishop Ponce de Leon reiterated that the Catholic Church in Swaziland runs the best schools and hospitals in the country, and that many Swazi political leaders have studied in Catholic schools, even if they belong to Protestant sects or to the syncretic Zionist creed. The Catholic bishop, therefore, is considered as a kind of ideal representative of all the Christians of the country before the government and enjoys great authority before all the inhabitants of Swaziland.

The Catholic Church has also always supported the promotion of social justice, human rights and the dignity of the person in a country where a role of mediation and awareness-raising on major social issues such as poverty, inequality and the fight against AIDS is more necessary than ever.

The contribution of the Catholic Church, and of the other local Churches, and of Catholic missionaries has been great (we were able to meet the missionaries of St. Francesca Cabrini at the mission of St. Philip, walking through desolate stretches of red earth mixed with dense vegetation and villages scattered with huts) in the fight against the scourge of HIV in Swaziland. We were able to meet the missionaries of St. Francesca Cabrini at the mission of St. Philip, walking through desolate stretches of red earth mixed with dense vegetation and scattered villages of huts) in the fight against the scourge of HIV in Swaziland (the country, which had the highest incidence rate of the disease in the population and one of the lowest life expectancies in the world, thanks to prevention and treatment provided, has seen the life expectancy of its inhabitants double in a few years and the incidence of the virus halved).

The role of the missionaries, priests, nuns and lay personnel who run these facilities is also to exercise the authority available to the Church to persuade people, especially pregnant women, to get tested for HIV, to prevent transmission of the virus to the fetus through antiretroviral therapy, tuberculosis testing and treatment, and to provide adequate information for the prevention and treatment of cervical cancer to young women.

Impressions of the trip

I return to Rome excited and amazed by Africa, by its bright colors, by the lively people I met, especially young people and children, who competed to greet me and shake my hand. I will remember the sunsets on the dusty roads, of a crimson red that warms the heart, the smiles of the people, the generosity of the welcome and, above all, the children, dozens of them on the sandy roads, at dawn or after sunset, to walk kilometers and kilometers just to get to school and return home at the end of the day.

And I ask myself: where do dreams come from? I remember that as a child, in a small village in southern Italy, it was easy for me to be content and to think that the world ended where the forest began. Is it possible, then, to be happy, to be content with what one has, even in the midst of poverty, of epidemics that kill lives, in the absence of those small and great certainties of Western man of which there is not even a shadow in Africa?

After all, all it takes is a piece of tin or a plastic bottle to play with, a little food to fill the stomach and a lot of affection to warm the soul and make a child happy, in Africa as in the rest of the world. What does it take to make a man happy?

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Guest writersArturo Cattaneo

Tackling "the dark side of digital progress".

The Declaration "Dignitas Infinita" of the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith points out "the dark side" of digital progress. Pope Francis encourages Catholics to confront this threat through an anthropological conversion.

May 30, 2024-Reading time: 2 minutes
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The Declaration "Dignitas infinitaAfter recalling the theological foundations of human dignity, he focuses on some of its serious violations, such as sexual abuse, the "human rights violations of human dignity," and the "human rights violations of human dignity. abortionSurrogate motherhood, euthanasia and assisted suicide, gender theory, sex change...

The Magisterium has already pronounced itself on these issues on several occasions, so the Declaration limits itself to summarizing these teachings. The last of the violations of human dignity examined is probably the one in which the Vatican document enters a terrain still little explored from a moral point of view: the digital world.

It illustrates the dangers inherent in the progress of digital technologies, progress that tends to "create a world in which exploitation, exclusion and violence grow", trends that "represent the dark side of digital progress". Mention is made of the easy dissemination of false news and slander, the risk "of dependence, isolation and progressive loss of contact with concrete reality", aspects that hinder the development of authentic interpersonal relationships, and also cyber-bullying, the spread of pornography and gambling.

It is pointed out that, as "the possibilities of connection grow, it is paradoxically the case that everyone is in fact increasingly isolated and impoverished in interpersonal relationships".

A change of era

In his address to the Roman Curia in December 2019, Pope Francis began by saying: "We are not simply living in a time of change, but in a change of epoch. We are therefore in one of those moments in which changes are no longer linear, but of profound transformation; they constitute choices that rapidly transform the way of living, of interacting, of communicating and elaborating thought, of relating among human generations, and of understanding and living faith and science."

A change of era that is essentially promoted by the digital revolution, which already affects all aspects of our lives and which obviously also constitutes a great challenge for the Church.

Human dignity in digital progress

Faced with the many negative consequences of this revolution or - in the words of the document - "the dark side of digital progress" (n. 61), there is often a tendency to seek disciplinary solutions, banning or controlling the use of the Internet or digital media. This may certainly be appropriate and necessary to protect children in particular, but it certainly does not solve many problems.

In this sense, the exhortation of the document is important when it addresses the human community, encouraging it to "be proactive in addressing these trends with respect for human dignity. In our globalized world, the new digital technologies have opened up many possibilities both for evangelization and - on the human level - for us "to feel closer to one another, to perceive a renewed sense of unity of the human family that impels us to solidarity and serious commitment to a more dignified life for all".

Faced with all this, the Pope, in the above-mentioned address to the Roman Curia, exhorted us to "allow ourselves to be challenged by the challenges of the present time and to grasp them with the virtues of discernment... starting from the very center of man, with an anthropological conversion". These are far-reaching intuitions, even if they certainly require further deepening, concreteness and a renewed commitment on the part of both society and the Church, in order to proactively confront the dangers inherent in the new era.

The authorArturo Cattaneo

Priest. He has taught Canon Law in Venice and Theology in Lugano and is the author of several publications in the areas of Ecclesiology, Canon Law and pastoral care of marriage.

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RelatedRelated NewsWhat is happening in the digital world?Related NewsRethinking faith in the digital age
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  • The Eucharist and the Covenant. Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ (B)
Gospel

The Eucharist and the Covenant. Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ (B)

Joseph Evans comments on the readings for the Solemnity of the Body and Blood of Christ Luis Herrera offers a brief video homily.

Joseph Evans-May 30, 2024-Reading time: 2 minutes

The Eucharist can be seen from many points of view. By making present and giving us Jesus Christ, God and man, it is not surprising. He is infinite in His divinity, so the ways of approaching Him are infinite, as the many charisms of the Church demonstrate. That is why this year's Feast of Corpus Christi focuses especially on the sacrificial and covenantal aspects of the Eucharist, going back to the celebration of the covenant between God and Israel on Mount Sinai. There are many links between that episode, with the giving of the Law and the offering of sacrificial animals, and the Last Supper and the death of Christ on the Cross.

Just as Moses received a law from God, Christ - as God himself - gave us a new law, which began in his Sermon on the Mount but culminated in his new commandment, promulgated precisely at the Last Supper. The law expressed the conditions of the covenant with God, but this had to be ratified by means of a sacrifice and a ritual meal. Thus, Moses sent some young men to offer burnt offerings and then sprinkled half of the blood of the animals on the altar (representing God's part of the covenant) and the other half on the people (representing their part). Jesus sent two disciples to prepare the Passover meal in which he would no longer offer animals, but himself, and the blood - the blood in the chalice is the same blood that was shed on Calvary - would not only be sprinkled on us, but we would receive it within ourselves. In this way, the union between God and man is no longer merely external and ritual, but profoundly interior: whereas God came down to unite himself to his people, Israel, now God enters into us to be with us personally, though always within the Church. Thus, Jesus in today's Gospel makes it clear that ".this is my blood of the covenant". Moses and the elders will then eat with God on the mountain, in what is represented as a kind of heavenly palace. The previous meal of the lamb that the Israelites had eaten to free themselves from Egypt, saved by its blood painted on their doorposts, was like the covenant meal of the people. Now all members of the Church can participate in the covenant meal of Christ, the Lamb of God, eating his body and blood as a foretaste of heaven. We now participate in the heavenly liturgy of the Lamb, which we see described in Revelation. As today's second reading tells us, Christ has gone to the heavenly sanctuary as mediator of a greater covenant, a covenant that we renew and in which we participate at every Mass. 

Homily on the readings of the Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ (B)

The priest Luis Herrera Campo offers its nanomiliaA short one-minute reflection for these Sunday readings.

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The Vatican

"Let us pray for the children who lose their smiles in war."

During today's Audience, Pope Francis prayed for the suffering children who have lost their smiles in Ukraine, Palestine and Israel, and once again prayed for peace. He also recalled the upcoming Solemnity of Corpus Christi, the deaths in Papua New Guinea, the memory today of St. Paul VI, inviting us to read his letter 'Evangelii Nuntiandi', and Bl. Cardinal Stefan Wyszyński.  

Francisco Otamendi-May 29, 2024-Reading time: 3 minutes

On the day of the liturgical memorial of St. Paul VI, whom he called "an ardent pastor of love for Christ," Pope Francis began the liturgy with a speech in which he said: "I am a great pastor of love for Christ. Audience This morning we will begin a new cycle of catechesis, with the theme "The Spirit and the Bride", "in which we will meditate that the Holy Spirit guides the People of God to the encounter with Jesus, our hope". The Bride is the Church, he added.

To do this, according to the Holy Father, we will go through "the great stages of salvation history: the Old Testament, the New Testament and the time of the Church".

In these first catecheses on the Spirit in the Old Testament, "we will not do 'biblical archaeology'. On the contrary, we will discover that what is given as a promise in the Old Testament has been fully realized in Christ. It will be like following the path of the sun from dawn to noon," the Pope stressed.

From chaos to cosmos, from confusion to harmony

In the Genesis account of creation, "the Spirit of God manifests himself as a mysterious power that transforms the world from chaos to cosmos, that is, from confusion to harmony, transforming the formless, empty and dark earth into a beautiful, clean and orderly place. This same Spirit continues to act in us today, ready to bring order to the chaos that can exist in our lives and in our surroundings," the Pontiff said.

The apostle Paul introduces a new element in this relationship between the Holy Spirit and creation. He speaks of a universe that 'groans and suffers as with birth pangs,'" according to Romans 8:22. "It suffers because of man who has subjected it to the 'slavery of corruption'. It is a reality that concerns us closely and dramatically. The Apostle sees the cause of creation's suffering in the corruption and sin of humanity that has dragged it into its estrangement from God. This remains as true today as it was then," Francis added.

"We see the havoc that humanity has wreaked and continues to wreak on creation, especially on that part of it that has the greatest capacity to exploit its resources. St. Francis of Assisi shows us a way out, to return to the harmony of the Creator Spirit: the path of contemplation and praise. The Poor Man wanted the creatures to raise a song of praise to the Creator: 'Praise be to you, my Lord...'. 

Veni creator Spiritus, start with each one of us.

"Brothers and sisters," the Pope continued, "the Spirit of God, who in the beginning transformed chaos into cosmos, is at work to bring about this transformation in every person. Through the prophet Ezekiel, God promises: 'I will give you a new heart; I will put a new Spirit within you... I will put my Spirit within you' (Ezek 36:26-27)."

"There is an external chaos -social and political- and an internal chaos within each one of us. The former cannot be cured if we do not begin to cure the latter! May this reflection awaken in us a desire to experience the Creator SpiritFor more than a millennium, the Church has put on our lips the cry to ask: 'Veni creator Spiritus', Come, O Creator Spirit! Visit our minds. Fill the hearts you have created with heavenly grace'".

Corpus Christi

In his words to the pilgrims of different languages, Pope Francis recalled that we are "close to the solemnity of the feast of St. Peter. Corpus Christi. Let us ask the Lord that his Spirit of love may make of us a permanent offering, for the glory of God and the good of his holy People. May Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament bless you and the Blessed Virgin, the most pure tabernacle of his presence, watch over you.

Also to German-speaking pilgrims: "Dear German-speaking pilgrims, the imminent Solemnity of Corpus Domini invites us to adore with living faith the Body and Blood of Christ. In the mystery of the Eucharist he makes himself present through the Holy Spirit to remain with us always and to transform our lives".

To Polish-speaking pilgrims, the Pope addressed "a special thought to the pilgrims gathered in Rome in prayerful memory of the Blessed Cardinal Stefan WyszyńskiHe is for the Church in Poland and in the world a model of fidelity to Christ and Our Lady. Let us learn from him the generosity to respond to the poverty of our time, including that caused by the war in many countries, especially in Ukraine".

Already in Italian. Francis, who has prayed for the victims of the landslide in Papua New Guineasaid a prayer "for the martyred Ukraine, for the girls and boys who have suffered all kinds of physical problems because of the war, children who have to relearn how to walk, to move around, who have lost their smiles. It is very ugly when a child loses his or her smile".

"Let us pray for the Ukrainian children, for those in Palestine and Israel, for the war to end..., and let us not forget Myanmar, and so many countries that are at war. Children in war suffer. Let us ask the Lord to be close to all of them and let us pray for peace", the Pope concluded.

The authorFrancisco Otamendi

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  • The 1924 Synod of Shanghai: a historical analysis through the Propaganda Fide Archives.
The World

The 1924 Synod of Shanghai: a historical analysis through the Propaganda Fide Archives.

On May 21, the Pontifical Urbaniana University held a conference to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the first Council of the Catholic Church in China. One of the aspects discussed at this event was the preparatory phases of the council, through the historical archives of the Dicastery for Evangelization.

Giovanni Tridente-May 29, 2024-Reading time: 3 minutes
RelatedRelated NewsConcilium Sinense: A Century of History and Prophecy for the Catholic Church in China

In the context of the congress held on May 21, 2024 at the Pontifical Urbaniana University and dedicated to the centenary of the first council of the Catholic Church in China one of the papers explored the preparatory phases of such an event by using the Historical Archive of Propaganda Fide preserved since 1600 by the Dicastery for Evangelization.

This conference was given by the priest and archivist Flavio Belluomini - in charge of the Archives - and offered a unique insight into the interaction between Catholic missionaries in China and the Holy See during the preparation and celebration of the first General Synod in the Asian country.

Preparations

According to the speaker, preparations for the Synod of Shanghai began with the arrival of Bishop Celso Costantini in Hong Kong on November 11, 1922. In his communication to Cardinal Van Rossum, Prefect of the Sacred Congregation of Propaganda Fide, Costantini stated: "I will send further news shortly. In the meantime I will study the appointment of the Commission for the drafting of the Synod and I will make the corresponding proposal to Your Eminence....".

Thus began a meticulous process of compiling the minutes of the conferences of the Ordinaries of the seven Chinese ecclesiastical regions, as requested by Propaganda in its own Instruction of December 3, 1920.

A dossier entitled "First Negotiations on the General Synod" documents this preliminary phase, showing how the general discussions were transformed into clear and precise canons, as the head of the Historical Archives of Propaganda Fide explained in his report. In practice, Costantini and his Commission of Consultors, composed of 23 members, including seven Chinese, worked intensively to draw up a synodal outline divided into five books, following the structure of the 1917 Code of Canon Law.

The Shanghai Synod celebration

The Synod officially began on May 15, 1924. The documentation in the Historical Archives contains details of the pre-assembly announcements, including the convocation and organizational arrangements, as well as a report on the participants: 46 bishops, three apostolic prefects and 37 bishops provicar.

Costantini reported that the Synod began in a climate of mistrust, due above all to the perception of Benedict XVI's "Maximum Illud" (dedicated to the work of missionaries throughout the world) as a reproach to the Chinese episcopate. To deal with these difficulties, Costantini allowed ample freedom of discussion and organized a typing service to quickly distribute all the proposed corrections.

Approval of Minutes

After the conclusion of the Synod, on June 14, 1924, Costantini wrote to the Prefect of Propaganda Fide: "The Synod, stripped of the parts that were placed 'ad abundantiam' in the outline, remained in structure and substance as it had been presented, managing to be much improved. It was discussed word for word." Four years of examination and approval of the acts followed, during which time numerous experts were consulted, especially to resolve the question of Chinese terms to designate the Catholic Church.

The final stage of approval culminated on June 4, 1928, when the plenary congregation approved the acts by decree on June 12. This long process of revision and approval demonstrated the importance of collaboration between the local missionaries and the Roman authorities.

Complementary studies

Belluomini's report, presented at the Pontifical Urbaniana University, highlights the importance of the documentation preserved in the Historical Archives of Propaganda Fide for understanding the dynamics between the Holy See and the Church in China in the first quarter of the 20th century.

The archivist concluded his intervention by suggesting that further studies could deepen the local and Roman contribution to the formation of the synodal acts, offering a more complete understanding of this historical event. It was a true moment of dialogue and collaboration, despite initial mistrust and the complex linguistic and cultural issues addressed.

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RelatedRelated NewsConcilium Sinense: A Century of History and Prophecy for the Catholic Church in China
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The Vatican

Pope Francis: "Whoever welcomes a migrant, welcomes Christ".

Pope Francis asks Catholics to pray with him this June for every migrant fleeing their country because of armed conflict and poverty.

Paloma López Campos-May 28, 2024-Reading time: < 1 minute
RelatedRelated NewsPope travels to Marseille to support inclusion of migrantsRelated News"We need effective, supportive and creative ways of welcoming migrants."Related NewsCommunication on immigrants and refugees, between solidarity and fear

The World Prayer Network has communicated the intention of Pope Francis for the month of June. The Holy Father wants Catholics to pray especially for migrants "fleeing their country."

In his message, Francis expressed his sorrow for the "drama experienced by people forced to leave their land to flee from wars or poverty. To this "feeling of uprootedness", they add the "alarm" and "fear" that they encounter "in some countries of arrival".

Faced with this situation, the Pontiff warns of "walls", which "separate families" and grow "in the hearts" of people. A mentality that, says Pope Francis, "we Christians cannot share". On the contrary, we must be open, because "a migrant must be accompanied, promoted and integrated".

"Whoever welcomes a migrant welcomes Christ," the Holy Father affirms. Therefore, Catholics must "promote a social and political culture that protects the rights and dignity of the migrant".

Pope Francis concludes his message by asking that "we pray that migrants fleeing war or hunger, forced into journeys filled with danger and violence, may find acceptance and new opportunities in life."

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RelatedRelated NewsPope travels to Marseille to support inclusion of migrantsRelated News"We need effective, supportive and creative ways of welcoming migrants."Related NewsCommunication on immigrants and refugees, between solidarity and fear
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Vocations

Martino Bonazzetti, missionary in Angola: "In their eyes you can see the joy of being Christians".

Father Martino Bonazzetti, an Italian missionary of the Society of African Missions, carries out his pastoral work in Desvio da Barra do Dande, Angola.

Federico Piana-May 28, 2024-Reading time: 2 minutes

There is something extraordinary about the small domestic church that forms the Desvio da Barra do Dande community. First of all, it is located in Bengo, one of the eighteen provinces into which Angola, a country on the western coast of southern Africa, is divided.

Moreover, it is literally spread over a diameter of thirty kilometers around a construction site that hides a dream: the construction of a new port that, it is hoped, should lift the poor conditions of a population struggling with a low standard of living, bordering on poverty. In order not to let this dream slip away, thousands of people have decided to move in around the construction site and start working with the contractors. 

True community of faith

In a short time a true community of faith took shape, with a parish, the one dedicated to the Holy Family, and ten chapels scattered throughout the vast territory. Father Martino Bonazzetti, a missionary of Italian origin and member of the Society of African Missions (SMA), arrived here a few months ago. 

The religious, together with another religious, is in charge of animating the whole community and that there is no lack of sacraments and evangelization. "It is not easy, but we try with all our strength", confesses the missionary, who emphasizes how complicated it is to manage a parish and ten chapels separated even by a few hours of walking: "There are, on average, seven kilometers, four of asphalt and three of dirt. And here we can only count on a few common means or on the so-called "common means". San Francisco Horsethat is, our legs.

Father Martino Bonazzetti with some of his parishioners.

The joy of being a Christian

When the two priests cannot go to all the chapels, the catechists take over. "Each attached community has one. If there is no celebration, the catechist leads a simple prayer meditating on the Word of God," says Father Bonazzetti. And it is exciting to know from his words that the inhabitants of Desvio da Barra do Dande make every effort not to miss the Sunday service celebrated in the parish of the Holy Family: "It takes them up to an hour's walk to get there. And in their eyes you can see the joy of being Christians".  

This is also noticeable in the intensity with which they sing, adds the priest: "Even if there are only five of them at Mass, they sing just the same. And when you hear them sing, you can't help but exclaim: 'They are really happy!

Even more family

Although he has just arrived in Bengo, Father Bonazzetti has a desire in his heart: to bring this small domestic church even closer together by creating closer and more familiar relationships. "It is an attempt," he says, "to make it so that, in each house, in turn, we can all pray together. This means that, if there can be no Eucharistic celebration, on that Sunday the faithful can gather to pray and meditate in neighboring houses."

As in a big family, where vocations are increasing exponentially: "The candidates to the priesthood - says the missionary - are so many that we cannot admit all of them.

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A wreath for the Queen of Heaven

A girl places a wreath of flowers on an image of the Virgin Mary during a day of Marian prayer at Our Lady of Lourdes School in West Islip, N.Y.

Maria José Atienza-May 27, 2024-Reading time: < 1 minute
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Education

Philip Joseph Gilotaux. From the field to the books

Felipe exchanged land and animal management for books. This Argentine agricultural engineer has been carrying out a curious and fruitful work of evangelization and apostolate through books for years. 

Juan Carlos Vasconez-May 27, 2024-Reading time: 2 minutes

Although he was beginning his time at the University 50 years ago as an agricultural engineer, Gilotaux has been an eyewitness to the evolution and challenges of his nation over the decades. 

At the age of 36, in view of the financial difficulties his father was facing in his business, he decided to leave agronomy and return to Buenos Aires, together with his brother, to support him. 

Shortly thereafter, he began a new adventure, marked by print, which would turn his life and his professional, personal and vocational projection around. 

A new vocation

Philippe Eugene Joseph Gilotaux, Philippe, intended to pursue a career as an agronomist, but everything changed when he had to help his father's business. After achieving a peaceful liquidation of the family business, Philip found himself at a professional crossroads. It was then that he discovered his true vocation: books. 

During his commercial travels in the interior of Argentina, he recalls, "I noticed a significant lack of quality literature, which inspired me to become a book peddler."

Thus, "establishing connections with local bookstores and meeting the demands of friends and acquaintances." Felipe focused on offering works by renowned classic authors and spiritual literature that quickly captured the public's attention. 

His ability to identify and satisfy readers' needs led him to expand his business beyond the greater Buenos Aires area, even reaching the picturesque city of Bariloche, located more than 1,200 kilometers from the capital.

Over time, Felipe specialized in spirituality books, responding to his clients' specific requests and consolidating his reputation as a reliable provider of quality spiritual literature. 

An unexpected testimony

This task goes beyond sales to be a channel through which to bring people closer to God. Felipe recalls one of the most striking stories of his career: the owner of a bookstore in Bragado, a small town in the interior of the country, "initially showed little interest in books"offered by Felipe.

However, after quickly selling all consignment copies and receiving positive feedback, "he decided to immerse himself in his reading, which led him to strengthen his connection with the Church and share his transforming experience with the local parish priest. He was surprised because the bookseller was not exactly known for his piety".

In addition to being a salesman, Felipe has also worked in book publishing, an outstanding example of which is the work Love, Pride and Humilitywhich has more than 250 short chapters. Despite initial doubts about its commercial success, "This work has sold more than 30,000 copies in Argentina, demonstrating that intuition and vision are not the most important things in the publishing world; the Holy Spirit is what really moves these businesses".

For over 50 years, Felipe has been a channel through which countless people have found inspiration, spiritual guidance and personal growth through reading. His commitment and dedication have contributed to "transform lives, leading many people to God and away from vices."

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The Vatican

Pope celebrates first World Children's Day

On May 25-26, Pope Francis celebrated in Rome the first World Children's Day, organized by the Dicastery for Culture and Education, with the theme "I make all things new".

Loreto Rios-May 26, 2024-Reading time: 3 minutes
RelatedRelated NewsPope Francis institutes World Children's Day: peace, environment and fraternity

As part of the celebration of World Children's Day, the Holy Father met with children from all over the world on Saturday, May 25, at the Olympic Stadium in Rome. This event was inaugurated by a parade of more than one hundred delegations dressed in traditional costumes. Upon his arrival, the Pope was greeted by the organizers of the Day, accompanied by five children, one from each continent, who greeted Francis in their native language.

Then, the Pontiff said a few words The children were able to ask him questions in front of the 50,000 people in attendance.

Speech at the Olympic Stadium

To begin with, the Papa expressed his joy for the celebration of World Children's Day. "In you, children, everything speaks of life and of the future. And the Church, who is a mother, welcomes you and accompanies you with tenderness and hope. Last November 6, I had the joy of welcoming thousands of children from many parts of the world to the Vatican. That day they brought with them a torrent of joy; and they asked me their questions about the future. That meeting left a mark on my heart and I understood that this talk with you had to continue, had to be extended to many other children and adolescents. And that is why we are here today, to continue the dialogue, asking questions and giving answers", Francis explained.

On the other hand, the Pope recalled the children who live in countries at war or in difficult situations: "There are girls and boys who cannot go to school. These are realities that I also carry in my heart, and I pray for them. Let us pray for the children who cannot go to school, for the children who suffer from wars, for the children who have nothing to eat, for the children who are sick and no one takes care of them".

Referring to the theme of the Day, Francis said that "it is very beautiful. Think: God wants this, everything that is not new passes away. God is novelty. The Lord always gives us novelty. Dear children, let us go ahead and have joy. Joy is health for the soul. Dear children, Jesus said in the Gospel that He loves you very much. One question: Does Jesus love you very much? You can't hear it [the children answer 'yes']. And the devil, does he love you [the children answer 'no']. Excellent! Courage and go ahead.

To conclude, the Pope prayed a Hail Mary to the "Mother of Heaven" with the children.

Closing Mass

On May 26, at 10:30 a.m., the Pope presided at the closing Mass of World Children's Day. Francis began his homily by explaining to the children the mystery of the Holy Trinity: "Dear children, dear girls, we are here to pray, to pray together, to pray to God. Do you agree? Do you agree? Yes? And we pray to God, God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit. How many 'gods' are there? One in three persons: the Father who created us all, who loves us so much, and when we pray to God the Father, what is the prayer we all pray? [they answer: the Lord's Prayer]".

The Holy Father then focused on the Second Person of the Trinity: "What is the name of the Son [answer: Jesus]? We pray to Jesus to help us, to be close to us and also when we receive communion we receive Jesus and Jesus forgives us all our sins. Is it true that Jesus forgives everything? Is it true? Yes, but does he always forgive everything [answer: yes]? Always, always, always? [answer: yes]".

Thirdly, the Pontiff moved on to the most "difficult": the Holy Spirit. "The problem is: who is the Holy Spirit? Eh, it is not easy, because the Holy Spirit is God, He is within us. We receive the Holy Spirit in Baptism, we receive him in the Sacraments. The Holy Spirit is the one who accompanies us in life. We think about it and we say it together: 'The Holy Spirit accompanies us in life,'" the Pope explained.

To conclude his homily, Francis stressed the importance of the Virgin Mary in the Christian life: "We Christians also have a Mother, what is the name of our Mother? What is the name of our Heavenly Mother? [answer: Mary] Do you know how to pray to Our Lady? [answer: yes] Are you sure? Let's do it now, I want to hear... [they recite the Hail Mary]".

Finally, the Pope asked the children to pray for everyone: for himself, for parents, grandparents, sick children and for peace in the world.

Other activities and next call for proposals

World Children's Day also featured a speech by actor Roberto Benigni, who starred in the movie "Life is Beautiful," after the closing Mass, as well as the praying of the Regina Coeli with all the children.

Finally, at around 12:10 p.m. on May 26, the Pope announced the date of the next World Children's Day: September 2026. "We look forward to seeing you there, thank you all", Francis invited.

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The World

A trip to the south. Discovering eSwatini

First part of the travel and historiographic account of eSwatini or Swaziland by historian Gerardo Ferrara.

Gerardo Ferrara-May 25, 2024-Reading time: 7 minutes
RelatedRelated NewsCulture, religions and life in eSwatini (Swaziland)

This time I am going to write an article a bit different from the usual. Why? First of all, because it is a country that I did not know, before visiting it a few days ago... In fact, it is a country that few people know, because it is very small and remote compared to the traditional tourist routes.

Secondly, because it is a place in the far south of sub-Saharan Africa, light years away from the lands of the Middle East and the Mediterranean to whose history I have devoted so many years. Therefore, it will be a trip we will make together to go - hear, hear! - to Swaziland (now officially eSwatini)!

The author of the article with Ncamiso Vilakato ©Gerardo Ferrara

Let's go.

Why are we going to Swaziland? To shoot a short documentary about an alumnus of the Pontifical University of the Holy Cross whose studies in Social and Institutional Communication were financed by CARF Foundation. So, the first stop was Madrid, where I met up with two Spanish friends and colleagues.

At the airport, we boarded an Ethiopian Airlines flight (the main air transport company in Africa is from Ethiopia itself), so we made a stopover in Addis Ababa to continue to Maputo (Mozambique), where we rented a car to drive the nearly 80 km that separate the Mozambican capital from the border with eSwatini.

In Maputo, a city that is part of the Portuguese colony of Mozambique, we have the opportunity to breathe a seemingly Portuguese air (some excellent cream cakes on sale at the airport, which comfort us after a good 30-hour trip, and the croissant The most expensive in history, a good 18 dollars, taken in Addis Ababa) and to speak a little Portuguese.

A child at eSwatini ©Gerardo Ferrara

But driving out and leaving the airport area suddenly plunges us into a completely different atmosphere: the greenery, the streets crowded with men, women, children, black students (and us, the only three Europeans in a brand new red car! ) who rush into the streets, chase each other, shout, live much more intensely than in Europe, it scares us and excites us at the same time (we also have to be careful with the potholes on the roads, partly unpaved), especially when we pass through Beira, where we have to slow down because it is dusk and dozens of students leave their schools (here they go all day to school) and walk for miles and miles on foot, to get home. And our red car with three bald white guys inside, in a rural area of Mozambique, is not something you see every day in these parts!

We arrive at the border in the afternoon... It is cold (Swaziland is a mountainous country and in April we are already in late autumn) and, once the customs formalities are completed, we manage to cross and finally meet Ncamiso Vilakato, a former student of the University of the Holy Cross in Rome, who will welcome us and act as our guide for the next few days, to show us the service he provides to the local Church and the role of the Church in the country.

During the remaining two hours of travel, most of it on a comfortable deserted highway that the king of eSwatini wanted to have built in his country after having seen those of South Africa, the marked difference between Swaziland and Mozambique becomes apparent: different colonizing powers have brought to the small country we have just entered different languages (Portuguese in Mozambique, English in eSwatini), different customs and a totally Anglo-Saxon sense of order.

I had left Rome on Sunday April 14 at 10.30 am... I finally arrived in Hlatikulu, in southern Swaziland and 40 km from the border with South Africa, at 9 pm on Monday April 15, after 12,000 km and about 35 hours! And Hlatikulu, a village of 2,000 souls at the highest point of the country (over 1,200 meters above sea level) shows us a side of Africa that we did not expect (apart from the impala that crossed the road just before): cold, fog, rain.

Swaziland or eSwatini?

The country once known as Swaziland was renamed by royal decree eSwatini in 2018. In fact, both terms are used and have the same meaning: land of the swatisthe predominant ethnic group in the state.

It is located in sub-Saharan Africa, has an area of just 17,363 km² and a population of just over one million inhabitants, of which about 80% are of ethnic origin. swatis (making it one of the few countries in Africa characterized by a large ethnic majority with insignificant minorities), plus a 12% of Zulus and Sotho (another Bantu lineage) and a small percentage of white Anglo-Saxons or Boers, Middle Easterners and Indians.

I must admit that, although I know many people of African descent, focused as I am on the Middle East, I had never been interested in non-Semitic languages and was surprised to learn that the Bantu languages (including Bantu) are not of African descent. swatiThe Bantu, the language of Swaziland, Zulu and Swahili) represent the largest linguistic grouping, or linguistic family, in Africa: up to 300 languages with a common origin (the Bantu people, originally settled between Cameroon and Nigeria, which then spread across central and southern Africa through migrations that lasted thousands of years). Think of these languages (which are part of the great Nigerian-Kordofanian linguistic family, whose most widespread language, a true lingua franca throughout East Africa, is Swahili, with almost 72 million speakers: Hakuna matata!) are spoken throughout Central and Southern Africa and are often mutually intelligible (Xosa or Zulu speakers, for example, can understand Swati or Sotho speakers and vice versa).

Thus, I learned that, for example, the missal in which mass is celebrated in eSwatini is in another language (Zulu) which, however, is easily understood by the local population, who speak Swati, a closely related language.

©Gerardo Ferrara

A bit of history

eSwatini has a rich and complex history that has its roots in the pre-colonial past of sub-Saharan Africa, dating back to the migrations of Bantu peoples from Nigeria and Cameroon, who arrived in the area around the year 1000, expelling the indigenous Bushmen population. 

The Swazi, today the predominant ethnic group in the country, emerged in the 18th century with the formation of the kingdom led by King Ngwane III. The Swazi kingdom developed by alternating marriage alliances and wars against other ethnic groups, in particular the Zulus (spread mainly in the north of present-day South Africa).

However, in the 19th century, the Swazis faced pressure from European settlement in the region. In 1902, the country became a British protectorate following the Second Boer War (1899-1902) between the British Empire and the two independent Boer republics, the Transvaal Republic and the Orange Free State (the Boers were descended from Dutch settlers). During this period, the British introduced the system of indirect administration, granting a semblance of autonomy to the Swazi monarchy.

In 1968, under the reign of Sobhuza II, eSwatini became independent from the United Kingdom and was able to develop significantly through mining and agriculture.

After the death of Sobhuza II in 1982, power passed to his son Mswati III, the current monarch of the country. His rule has been characterized by criticism for the lack of democracy and the violation of human rights. Mswati, in particular, promulgated in 2006 a new Constitution that introduced absolute monarchy, limited, or rather, annulled the powers of Parliament and dissolved political parties (now reduced only to representative associations).

The drama of AIDS

Since the 1980s, Swaziland has faced significant challenges, including widespread poverty, HIV/AIDS, economic inequality and resource scarcity. 

AIDS, in particular, has claimed thousands of victims, to the point that in 2017, 28.8% of the population aged 15-49 was infected with the virus, according to the United Nations Programme on AIDS and HIV. 

In 2016 alone, there were 9,443 new cases and more than 3,000 deaths as a result of HIV. 

The former Swaziland is the state in the world with the highest incidence of HIV among its population. The epidemic is generalized: that is, it affects the entire population, although some groups (prostitutes, adolescents, young women and homosexuals) more than others.

The magnitude of the phenomenon can be traced back to ancestral traditions that allow polygamy and consider procreation a sign of prosperity (King Mswati himself has 11 wives, 35 children and 3 grandchildren), as well as to the scarce culture of prevention and the inertia of institutions for decades in creating a serious prevention program. Due to poverty, therefore, many young girls resort to prostitution, favoring the spread of the virus. 

It was not until 2004 when the implementation of Antiretroviral Therapies (ART) began, which has been very successful, to the point that since 2011 the incidence among adults has been reduced by half, as has the number of HIV-positive births, thanks to the mandatory treatment of pregnant and breastfeeding women (it is estimated that today 90% of HIV-positive people have been diagnosed and receive antiretroviral treatment).

There are many NGOs involved in the fight against the disease, and the Catholic Church is at the forefront, with its specialized centers, including that of the Missionary Sisters of the Sacred Heart of Jesus at Mission San Felipe (which we were able to visit), which offers programs not only for prevention and treatment of AIDS/HIV (especially for pregnant women, where antiretroviral treatment blocks transmission of the virus to the fetus, which can be born healthy), but also for fighting poverty and lack of education, gender violence and other diseases, where antiretroviral treatment blocks the transmission of the virus to the fetus, which can be born healthy), but also in the fight against poverty and lack of education, gender violence and other devastating diseases such as tuberculosis and cervical cancer.

Swaziland has been so devastated by AIDS and its consequences on the population that King Mswati III introduced a law in 2001 requiring chastity (female, of course!) until the age of 24.

The dramatic consequences of the epidemic include not only the very high mortality rate among the adult population (but not only) and the drastic decrease in life expectancy, but also the very high number of orphans (there are no official figures, but it is estimated that some 100,000 children live in groups in conditions defined as childhood without adults), for whom in recent years so-called Neighborhood Care Points (VCPs) have been created, communities in which people organize themselves to care for orphans and children in vulnerable conditions.  

RelatedRelated NewsCulture, religions and life in eSwatini (Swaziland)
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The World

Friends of Monkole Foundation highlights the work of volunteer doctors

On the occasion of Africa Day, which is celebrated on May 25, the Friends of Monkole Foundation held last Tuesday a conference entitled "Africa: the hidden work of Spanish doctors" at the Clínica Universidad de Navarra (Madrid).

Loreto Rios-May 24, 2024-Reading time: 2 minutes
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The event brought together important healthcare professionals, including Dr. Gonzalo Ares, Head of Pediatrics at the Hospital Rey Juan Carlos; Dr. Luis Chiva, Head of Gynecology at the Clínica Universidad de Navarra; Dr. Juan Ramón Truan, Secretary of Orthopedic Surgeons of Spain for the World (COEM), and Nicole Ndongala, CEO of the Karibu Association.

The opening conference was given by Dr. Gonzalo Ares, Head of Pediatrics at the Rey Juan Carlos Hospital. This was followed by a round table discussion moderated by Olga Tauler, a professional from the Monkole Hospital in Kinshasa (Congo).

The president of the Foundation Friends of Monkole, Enrique Barrio, pointed out that "with this day we want to make visible the impressive activity carried out as volunteers by our health professionals on the African continent".

In the last calendar year, the health professionals who volunteer with the Friends of Monkole Foundation, including gynecologists, cardiologists, traumatologists, pediatricians, midwives, dentists, ophthalmologists and nurses, have spent more than 2,000 hours with patients at the Congolese hospital, including consultations, surgeries and training.

The Friends of Monkole Foundation

The foundation, now in its twelfth year, "finances health care for Congolese families without resources through the Monkole mother and child hospital and its three medical clinics on the outskirts of the capital," according to the association.

Last year, Friends of Monkole served 40,708 people and indirectly helped 116,269.

Monkole Hospital was opened in a barracks in 1991 and now has 150 beds and more than 300 professionals. This center "aims to change healthcare in the Democratic Republic of Congo and, from there, in the whole of Africa, with the objective of focusing on the patient and not on economic or social aspects". On the other hand, "it was the first hospital to give food and sheets to its hospitalized patients. This year this hospital, located in the commune of Mont-Ngafula in Kinshasa (population 500,000) is celebrating its 33rd anniversary," says Friends of Monkole.

Recently, the hospital was awarded the Medal of Civil Merit by His Majesty King Felipe VI, which it received at the Spanish Embassy in Kinshasa at a ceremony presided over by the Spanish Ambassador to Kinshasa, His Majesty King Felipe VI, in a ceremony presided over by the Spanish Ambassador to Kinshasa, His Majesty King Felipe VI. Congo.

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Are priesthood and diaconate for women?

Regarding the tasks of women in the Church, the Pope has excluded a female diaconate that is part of the sacrament of Holy Orders, in line with previous teachings. Ecclesiology expert Philip Goyret analyzes them.

Philip Goyret-May 24, 2024-Reading time: 8 minutes
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One fact stands out before our eyes because of its inexorable evidence: in the Church the presence of women is far superior to that of men. At Sunday Mass, in catechesis, in consecrated life, the numbers are predominantly female. But another fact is also evident: in the Catholic Church, the higher positions of government and worship are filled exclusively by men. We could say, simplifying things a lot, that we find ourselves with a Church of women presided over by men.

In large part, the reason for this paradox can be centered on the reservation of the sacrament of Holy Orders to men, given that in the Catholic Church only those who have received it can preside at Eucharistic worship, can be named bishops or Popes. If we add to this the greater religious sensitivity of women, we understand the reason for this situation, whether we agree with it or not. In fact, it would seem logical that those who are more sensitive to religious matters should be in charge of religious matters. Shouldn't we change the current praxis?

An articulate panorama thus emerges, which I will try to clarify, first framing the terms of the debate, then explaining the arguments of Catholic theology, and finally adding some considerations dictated more by rationality and common sense than by dogmatics. 

The context of the debate

The reservation of the ministerial priesthood exclusively to men enjoyed peaceful acceptance throughout the life of the Church until, in the twentieth century, it was the focus of numerous attacks that, even today, animate the debate on the subject. It is argued that the progressive parity of women's rights with men in the political, business, sporting, military, cultural and other fields should also be reflected in the Church.

Unsurprisingly, the pressure in favor of the female priesthood comes largely from exponents of the radical feminist movement, who consider the reservation of the priesthood to men as a form of discrimination against women, which should be eliminated. According to the interpretation of the egalitarian current of thought of this movement, the current practice would clash with Gal 3:28 ("There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus"), and would therefore be the result of a patriarchal anthropology, today obsolete and unsustainable.

The call to abolish all forms of discrimination, as proclaimed by the Constitution "Gaudium et spes"The Second Vatican Council, n. 29 ("every form of discrimination in the fundamental rights of the person, whether social or cultural, on grounds of sex, race, color, social status, language or religion, must be overcome and eliminated as contrary to the divine plan") would have inaugurated a new era in the Church, in which men and women would have the same rights also with regard to the ordained ministry.

There are also ecumenical reasons for this reflection, since in many Christian confessions (and in some non-Christian religions, such as Judaism), this reservation no longer exists. The situation has become even more complicated in recent years with the spread of gender ideology. If sexual identity is thought of as an exclusive matter of personal choice, not necessarily determined by the biological constitution with which one is born, we can hardly consider it as a sine qua non condition for access to or exclusion from the priesthood.

The priesthood in Catholic theology

The first thing to keep in mind is that the foundations of the exclusively male priesthood are neither anthropological (a supposed superiority of men) nor "strategic" (a supposed greater autonomy), but come from revelation, in the strong sense of the concept: God has revealed, has established and has given us the ministerial priesthood in a masculine form, not feminine, and therefore the Church does not consider herself authorized to change this disposition, admitting women to priestly ordination.

We find this revelation more in gestures than in words. In fact, the twelve apostles, whom Jesus chose to make them sharers in his priesthood, were men, not women. When the apostles in turn sacramentally ordained the next generation, they felt bound to this way of proceeding of the Lord, and chose male candidates.

The irreformable character of the link between the priesthood and the male condition was well rooted from the beginning in the Church's self-awareness; when, in the first centuries of Christianity, sects arose that wanted to entrust the exercise of the priestly ministry to women, they were immediately rebuked by the Fathers and denounced as heresies, as is shown by numerous texts of St. Irenaeus, Tertullian and St. Epiphanius. The same thing happened in the following centuries: the Church considered it a binding apostolic praxis.

It could be argued, of course, that this praxis was conditioned by the circumstances of the time, in which the figure of women had little public relevance and was seen in a subordinate position. It should be remembered, however, that Jesus did not allow himself to be conditioned by the cultural customs of the time, but openly challenged them, also with regard to women: he spoke freely with them, he gave them as an example in the parables, he granted them equal rights with respect to marriage, he welcomed sinners, etc.

The apostles, for their part, did not relent on this issue either when evangelization expanded outside the Semitic sphere into the Greek and then Roman world, where, because of the existence of pagan priestesses, the presence of "Christian priestesses" would not have scandalized.

The other strong argument of revelation, actually a premise of the previous one, is that the Son of God became incarnate by taking on a sexed human nature in a masculine, not feminine, way, and it is the virtue of that human nature, instrument of the divine, which is made sacramentally present in the candidate when he is ordained priest. This is a direct consequence of the dogmatic theology of the "repraesentatio Christi Capitis" and of the "in persona Christi" at the basis of the sacrament of Orders.

In short, the masculine human nature of Jesus Christ is sacramentally "prolonged" in a "support" that must necessarily be masculine in order to be a valid support. Let us not forget that the incarnation of the Son of God does not end with his Ascension to heaven: Jesus Christ was male and continues to be male.

It is true that the New Testament does not explicitly address the question of the non-admission of women to the priesthood. But the great scholarly exegetes on the subject, such as Albert Vanhoye, consider it an anachronism to demand this from the biblical data alone; they serenely examine the whole of the New Testament texts and conclude by bringing to light, on the one hand, the extreme importance that these writings give to the priestly ministry, and at the same time show how the ancient ecclesial tradition on the reservation of sacred orders to men is in a relationship of continuity with the biblical data. Indeed, it is revelation as a whole - the New Testament data read in the light of the living tradition of the Church - that translates into ecclesial faith regarding the valid subject of the ministerial priesthood.

The Church officially affirmed this doctrine in a document issued by the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith (now the Dicastery) on October 15, 1976, the Declaration "Inter insigniores". A few years later, "to clear up any doubts on a question of great importance, which concerns the divine constitution of the Church herself", St. John Paul II reaffirmed in the Apostolic Letter "Ordinatio sacerdotalis"(May 22, 1994) "that the Church has in no way the faculty to confer priestly ordination on women and that this sentence must be considered definitive by all the faithful". According to a declaration of the same Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, published a year later, this doctrine "requires a definitive assent" because "it has been infallibly proposed by the ordinary and universal magisterium".

Female Diaconate

A reference to the "female diaconate" cannot be omitted here, in the limited space available. The reasons why the Church reserves the ministerial priesthood (episcopate and presbyterate) to men are not immediately applicable to the diaconate, since deacons do not act "in persona Christi". 

If we add to this the historical fact of the existence of deaconesses in the Church of the first millennium, especially in the Eastern sphere, the question arises spontaneously as to why we cannot have them now. 

Very briefly, we can make three considerations here. On the one hand, it is not clear that the "deaconesses" of the first millennium are comparable to what today we call diaconate: the fact that they were called deaconesses does not necessarily indicate a ministry identical to what today we call diaconate in the strict theological sense. 

Moreover, the historical-liturgical sources testify that the functions of the deaconesses were not the same as those of their deacon peers: these preach, baptize, bless, distribute communion, things forbidden to those, whose functions are limited to assisting the presbyters and bishops in that which, for reasons of modesty, would be unseemly to be performed by men, such as, for example, baptism by immersion of adult women or the anointings proper to the rites of Christian initiation, even more so in a social context where the separation between men and women was stricter than today. 

A document of the International Theological Commission of 2003, entitled "The Diaconate: Evolution and Perspectives", moves in this direction. Let us not forget, finally, that the identification of the theological identity of the diaconate is still in a germinal phase, because for many centuries it was considered only as a "stepping stone" to the presbyterate. 

It is therefore not prudent to make definitive decisions now, and that is why the Church is limiting herself, for the time being, to maintaining the current praxis as something disciplinary, waiting for the moment when dogmatic theology and then the magisterium will make a definitive pronouncement. 

A commission instituted "ad hoc" by Pope Francis for the specific study of this topic concluded its sessions in 2018 without reaching satisfactory results. Two years later a new commission was instituted with the same objective, which is still working. The theme is also present, although without convergence, in the summary report of the first session of the XVI Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops, still in progress (n. 9).

At the present time, can. 1024 of the Code of Canon Law is in force, which says: "Only the baptized male receives sacred ordination validly", and this applies to the three degrees of sacred orders: episcopate, presbyterate and diaconate. The same indication is found in can. 754 of the Code of Canons of the Eastern Churches.

Attitudes toward the priesthood and the diaconate

It is important to keep in mind that, to a very large extent, the discussion on this topic does not take place in the sphere of Catholic dogmatics, but in areas of a more existential nature, or of approaches to the redefinition of the priesthood. Indeed, if I shift the epicenter of the ministerial priesthood from sacramental worship to the ministry of preaching (as happens in the Protestant world), it is more difficult to explain why a woman could not do it, since, strictly speaking, preaching is not exercised "in persona Christi".

Sadly, the air one breathes in the debates on our theme often smacks of power optics: one wishes to command, and since it was the apostles to whom Jesus said: "you who have followed me will sit on twelve thrones to judge the twelve tribes of Israel" (Mt 19:28), one aspires to sacramental ordination in order to "inherit" this attribution. We forget - this is true for both men and women, perhaps more so for men ordained as priests - that the priesthood is a "ministerial" priesthood, that is, a priesthood to serve.

The priestly vocation is a vocation to service, even if at times this service is carried out from positions of government, and even if being ordained always entails belonging to the hierarchy. Those who do so only in view of power should not really be ordained. Here again we find an endemic pathology that is difficult to eradicate: clericalism, which affects clerics with a "caste mentality" and "careerist" greed, but also, paradoxically, those who would like to be clerics in order to participate in power.

Finally, on the question of rights (why can a man be ordained and a woman cannot?) we must remember something very elementary and at the same time very important: a woman does not have the right to receive holy orders for the same reasons that a man does not have the right to receive holy orders. This right does not exist: neither for men nor for women. It is a purely gratuitous gift, not derived from the baptismal condition, even if it presupposes it.

These considerations cannot be closed without mentioning the imperative need to eliminate from the Church the "macho" praxis and attitudes, pardon the expression. Women can and should occupy many more spaces in the Church: in teaching at all levels, in the administration of goods, in justice, in works of charity, in pastoral councils, in the organization, and in so many others; but access to the sacrament of Orders is not the indicated path, nor the valid one, nor the opportune one. May God grant that the topic may find a rational and serene reflection, leaving aside ideological approaches and preconceived positions.

The authorPhilip Goyret

Professor of Ecclesiology at the University of the Holy Cross.

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Gospel

"Make disciples of all peoples". Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity (B)

Joseph Evans comments on the readings for the Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity (B).

Joseph Evans-May 24, 2024-Reading time: 2 minutes

After his Resurrection, Jesus sends his disciples, telling them: "Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.". It is not an easy order: "disciples to all peoples". We are among them. And baptize them all "in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit". 

The Church has done so ever since: any other formula or wording would not be valid. To baptize is to immerse, to be washed, to participate in the life and death of Christ. When James and John asked Our Lord for the first places in his kingdom, thinking that he was going to establish an earthly and political one, Jesus answered with these mysterious words: "Can you drink the cup that I shall drink, or be baptized with the baptism with which I shall be baptized?" (Mk 10:38). Here, by "baptism" Jesus means his passion and death. In other words: "Just as I plunge into the depths of human suffering, are you willing to plunge yourself also? Are you willing to share in my baptism, my suffering, my death?

When we are baptized in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, we also enter into the life of the Trinity. When we baptize a baby - or an adult - and immerse it in water or pour water on the child's head, we are immersing that child in the very life of the Trinity, we could say that we are pouring the Trinity on and into that child.

The mystery of the Trinity opens us to the mystery of God's inner life, which is clearly beyond our comprehension. If we could understand God, he would not be God. God is by definition infinite, and we are finite. There is always more to discover. As St. Catherine of Siena wrote in the 14th century: "God is infinite.You are a mystery as deep as the sea, in which the more I seek, the more I find; and the more I find, the more I seek.".

Praying is like diving into God, into divine life. We do not need oxygen, or rather, faith is our oxygen and the angels and saints guide us. The sea is both dark and full of light and there is no danger of drowning. We are offered the opportunity to immerse ourselves in a higher way of life. We need to know each person of the Trinity individually. We can pray to God in general, as God, but our relationship with God will be deeper by dealing with each person. And let us do our best to immerse, to immerse, others in the life of the Trinity through our witness. We are now sent to make disciples of all nations, beginning with our own.

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The Vatican

Carlo Acutis to be canonized

The Dicastery for the Causes of Saints has recognized a miracle attributed to Carlo Acutis. As a result, the young Internet apostle will be canonized. The news comes along with the recognition of miracles performed through the intercession of other blessed and servants of God, including two martyrs.

Paloma López Campos-May 23, 2024-Reading time: 2 minutes
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In a decree published by the Dicastery for the Causes of Saints, the Vatican confirms the miracle performed through the intercession of Blessed Carlo Acutis. With this, the canonization of the Internet apostle, known for his love of the Eucharist, is now possible.

Carlo Acutis and his highway to Heaven

Carlo was born in London in 1991 and died in 2006 of leukemia. Despite his young age, he carried out an apostolate through the Internet that reached thousands of people, to whom he spoke about the Eucharist. He considered Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament "a highway to Heaven" and died with a reputation for holiness. It is not surprising, therefore, that Pope Francis proclaimed him venerable as early as 2018.

Shortly thereafter, in 2020, the Pontiff beatified Carlo Acutis in the Basilica of St. Francis of Assisi. Four years later, another miracle performed thanks to his intercession led the Vatican to take the step for the young man to be canonized.

As the decree of the Dicastery notes, Pope Francis has convoked a consistory in which "the canonization of Blessed Giuseppe Allamano, Marie-Léonie Paradis, Elena Guerra and Carlo Acutis" will be discussed.

Upcoming saints

Giuseppe Allamano was an Italian priest who died in 1926. He founded the religious congregations of the Consolata Missionaries and the Consolata Missionary Sisters. In 1990, Pope St. John Paul II celebrated his beatification and now he will be elevated to the altars thanks to another miracle recognized by the Vatican.

Marie-Léonie Paradis is also the founder of a congregation, the Little Sisters of the Holy Family. This Canadian nun died the same night she received the news of the approval of the congregation's rule, after decades of working to help priests along with her sisters.

For her part, Elena Guerra is a nun whom Pope John XXIII called "the apostle of the Holy Spirit in modern times". She founded the congregation of the Oblate Sisters of the Holy Spirit, also known as Zitinas. The Dicastery for the Causes of Saints recognized the miracle attributed to her intercession on April 13, 2024.

Martyrs, priests and laypersons

The decree published by the Sala Stampa also recognizes a miracle through the intercession of the Venerable Servant of God Giovanni Merlini, an Italian priest of the 19th century. It also notes the heroic virtues of the Servant of God Guglielmo Gattiano, a Capuchin priest who died in 1999.

On the other hand, there are two lay people whose heroic virtues have been recognized by the Dicastery: Ismael Molinero Novillo, a Spaniard who died during the civil war from tuberculosis; and Enrico Medi, an Italian physicist known for his informative work.

In addition, the Dicastery for the Causes of Saints mentions the martyrdom of a diocesan priest and a laywoman. The first, Stanislaus Kostka Streich, was born in 1902 in Poland and died at the age of 36 martyred for his faith in his country. Likewise, the Servant of God Maria Magdalena Bódi died a martyr at the age of 24 in Hungary.

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The Vatican

Holy See and China, progress in sight?

Rome Reports-May 23, 2024-Reading time: < 1 minute
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Although there are no official diplomatic relations between the Vatican and the People's Republic of China. But Cardinal Parolin says the Chinese Bishops' Conference and the Vatican have been in dialogue about the possibility of an official presence in the country.

May 2024 will mark the 100th anniversary of the meeting of the First Council of the Catholic Church in China, in which, for the first time, the native Chinese were able to contribute to the activities of the Church in their country of origin.

AhNow 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.

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More than 20 miles with the Blessed Sacrament

Pilgrims and priests travel more than 12 miles from Laporte to Walker, Minnesota, along the Paul Bunyan State Trail during the May 20, 2024, National Eucharistic Pilgrimage.

Maria José Atienza-May 23, 2024-Reading time: < 1 minute
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Educating for forgiveness. God's forgiveness

God is always ready to forgive us and that repentance - pain for the offenses committed - leads us to go to confession, a sacrament that reconciles us with Him.

Julio Iñiguez Estremiana-May 23, 2024-Reading time: 9 minutes
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In the previous article, We are called upon to deal with God's forgiveness, as we dedicate ourselves to forgiveness among people. 

To speak of forgiveness presupposes the existence of sin. Only if we recognize that we offend God-that we sin-can we come to understand the greatness of God who forgives us. 

Our purpose in addressing this topic is to help parents and educators to educate their children and students in gratitude to God, who is always ready to forgive us, and in repentance - sorrow for the offenses committed - which leads them to go to confession, the sacrament that reconciles us with Him. 

One of the constants of Revelation is God's forgiveness, a manifestation of his infinite love for man -for every man-. Let us look at some examples found in the Gospels.

Jesus Forgives Peter and confirms him in his mission

We will begin with an endearing episode that took place, very early in the morning, on the shore of Lake Tiberias. St. John, who witnessed it all, tells us about it in the last chapter of his Gospel.

A group of Jesus' disciples had spent the whole night fishing, but they returned empty when it was already dawn. Then "Jesus appeared on the shore; but the disciples did not know it was Jesus. Jesus said to them, 'Boys, have you any fish?' They answered, 'No.' He said to them, 'Cast the net on the right side of the boat, and you will find some. They cast it, and could not pull it out, because of the multitude of fish. 

And they pulled 153 large fish.

Then, after roasting some fish on the coals that He Himself had prepared, "Jesus comes and takes the bread and gives it to them, and the fish likewise," although none of the disciples dared to ask Him who He was, for they knew well that it was the Lord."

After the meal a moving conversation takes place between Jesus and Peter:

-He answered, "Yes, Lord, you know that I love you. Jesus said to him, 'Feed my lambs'. A second time he asked him, 'Simon, son of John, do you love me?' He said to him, 'Yes, Lord, you know that I love you'. He said to him, 'Shepherd my sheep'. For the third time he asks him, 'Simon, son of John, do you love me?' Peter was saddened that he asked him a third time, 'Do you love me?' And he answered him, 'Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you'. Jesus said to him, 'Feed my sheep' ". 

In contemplating this scene, it is impossible not to look back at another episode that occurred a few days earlier, in the courtyard of the High Priest's house, when Peter denied knowing Jesus three times. "Then Peter remembered the words that Jesus had said to him, "Before the cock crows twice, you will have denied me three times." And he burst into tears." When Jesus asks Peter three times: "Do you love me?", he is telling him that he forgives his betrayal and that if he loves him, everything will be erased and the promise he made him some time ago in the region of Caesarea Philippi will stand: "You are Peter, and on this rock I will build my Church, and the gates of hell will not prevail against it" [Mt 16:18]. This is how Peter understood it, who "was saddened because he asked him for the third time: 'Do you love me?'", publicly demonstrating his repentance for the triple denial and his great love for his Master and Lord.

Here we have, therefore, the three essential elements of God's forgiveness: there is a guilt that man recognizes as his own; there is repentance - taking care of the examination of conscience - and a request for forgiveness to God, who is the one who has been offended; and God always forgives completely - "The guilt of Israel shall be sought for, and there shall be none, and the sin of Judah, and it shall not be found" [Jeremiah 50:20] - and forever - "And when they are forgiven, the LORD will remember their sins no more" [Isaiah 38:17].

With God's forgiveness, no trace of sin remains: "And if your sins are as scarlet, they shall be white as snow; and if they are red like crimson, they shall be as wool" [Isaiah 1:18]; and God's grace - his friendship and trust - is restored.

Jesus also offered Judas Iscariot forgiveness for his betrayal, calling him "Friend" even though he knew that his kiss was the sign agreed upon with those who came to arrest him: "Friend, do what you have come to do" [Mt 26:50]. But Judas did not repent - he and God know what happened in his heart - and, as far as we know, he could not be forgiven.

When he did not accept the trust that the Lord offered him, continuing to live no longer made sense to him, and he hanged himself. This same danger would threaten us if we were afraid of not being forgiven. Let us always trust in God's forgiveness.

Jesus forgives the good thief and promises him heaven

When they came to Calvary, there they crucified Jesus and two other malefactors, one on his right and the other on his left.

-Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do," Jesus exclaimed. [Lk 23:33]

One of the wrongdoers reviled Jesus, while the other rebuked him and made public his repentance for the misdeeds they had both committed:

-We are here justly, because we get what we deserve for what we have done; but this one has done no wrong," he said to his companion.

-Jesus, remember me when you come into your Kingdom," she asked Jesus, assuming her kingship.

-Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in Paradise," the Lord answered him.

[Luke 23:42-44]

Here is another lesson in God's forgiveness. Jesus, already hanging on the cross, asks the Father to forgive all those who are insulting and tormenting him "because they know not what they do".

I know of no one, before Jesus, who has been so indulgent and compassionate with his accusers and executioners. He is able to do it, and He does it, because He is true God; and if He is hanging on the cross it is only by His own choice, because He has chosen this way of redeeming us.

For his part, the "good thief", who is clear that Jesus should not have to be on the cross - "this one has done no wrong"-, repentant of his past bad life, asks him: "remember me when you come into your kingdom". And the Lord immediately answers his request: "today you will be with me in Paradise".

Jesus Christ has earned for us the right to be forgiven

From the great truth that the good thief says to his companion, reprimanding him for his bad behavior towards the Innocent One, in the same condemnation as them: "We are rightly here, (...); but this man has done no wrong", we will try to understand, as far as possible, the mystery of the Passion of Christ.

Jesus, hanging on the cross between two evildoers, is the Second Person of the Blessed Trinity, who became man to carry out the plan of God-Father, Son and Holy Spirit-to rescue the human race from the power of sin and death. Already at the time of the Incarnation of the Son of God, the angel tells Joseph, the husband of Mary, that the child "you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins" [Matthew 1:21]. And what was God's plan to redeem us from our sins and free us from the power of the devil? To give his Son to give life to the world by his death: "On the tree he bore our sins in his own body, so that we, dead to sin, might live for righteousness." [1 Pet 2:24]. Let us see how Jesus traveled this road to Golgotha.

Jesus Christ decided to bear all sins, beginning with original sin and continuing with those committed by all men of all times. But be careful, he does not bear our sins as one bears a burden that one throws on one's back without making it one's own. No! In a mysterious way, without having any sin-he could not sin because he is God, and he did not commit any sin, as the good thief confessed-he took on all our sins: "God made him who knew no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God," explains St. Paul in [2 Corinthians 5:21].

José Miguel Ibáñez Langlois, in his book "The Passion of Christ" of Rialp, reflects: "He must have done tremendous violence to carry in his heart what he hates most in this world, the only thing he hates: the anti-God, which is sin".

Our Lord took upon himself all the endless miseries, including the sicknesses with their hardships and limitations, of all men from Adam and Eve to the end of time: "He took our infirmities upon him, he bore our griefs. He was pierced for our iniquities, he was crushed for our sins" [Isaiah 53:4-5].

This is how we understand his terrible suffering in the Garden of Olives: we see him prostrate in the dust, in true agony under the unbearable weight of the sin of the world, "there came upon him a sweat like drops of blood falling to the ground", which leads him to ask the Father: "Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me!", and which ends in his definitive victory: "yet not my will, but yours be done" [Luke 22:42-44].

This was the way that Jesus chose to redeem us: the suffering of assuming all the sins of the human race and the extreme violence that he suffered throughout the Passion, until he died on the cross, constitutes a sacrifice pleasing to God because it is offered by God himself - the Son of God - and it redeems all men from their sins because it is the sacrifice of a Man - the Son of Mary - who offers his own blood as an offering pleasing to God. And only out of love, out of his infinite love for mankind.

Our Lord, being one of us, has earned for us the right to be forgiven by God and opens for us the doors to the Kingdom of Heaven.

The Passion of Christ is the most important thing that has ever happened to each of us in our lives. For this reason, our response to the Lord's self-giving can only be gratitude, and following Him in carrying out the mission that He has entrusted to us.

Apologizing is not the same as asking for forgiveness. 

In a celebrated essay entitled "Forgiveness, C. S. Lewis explains that there are important differences between asking for forgiveness and apologizing. He puts it this way:

"In my opinion, we often misinterpret the forgiveness of God and of men. As for God, when we think we are asking for forgiveness, we often want something else (unless we have observed ourselves carefully): in reality, we do not want to be forgiven, but to be excused, but these are two very different things.

To forgive is to say "Yes, you have committed a sin, but I accept your repentance, at no time will I use the fault against you and between the two of us everything will go back to the way it was". On the other hand, to apologize is to say "I realize that you couldn't help it or you didn't mean to and you weren't really guilty". If one has not been truly at fault, there is nothing to forgive." 

Sometimes we men deceive ourselves by apologizing -for example, by inventing extenuating circumstances- when what we really need is to be forgiven. When we want God's forgiveness, it is important for us to be clear that, if an action requires forgiveness, an excuse is not enough.

God always forgives

In his Gospel, St. Luke gathers three parables on mercy and forgiveness, culminating in the most beautiful one, that of the "prodigal son" [Luke 15:11-32], which we have chosen to conclude. 

The youngest son asked his father: "Father, give me the part of the estate that corresponds to me". Once he received his inheritance, he left for distant lands and squandered "his fortune living luxuriously". Then he began to suffer all kinds of hardships, and even starvation.

Then he decided to return home and ask for forgiveness: "Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you; I am no longer worthy to be called your son; treat me as one of your hired servants". The father, delighted to have him back, organized a banquet to celebrate his son's return home.

When the eldest son returned from the field, having heard the reason for the feast, he was indignant and did not want to enter it. His father went out to meet him and, after listening to his complaints, said: "Son, we should celebrate and rejoice, because this brother of yours was dead and has come back to life, he was lost and has been found".

I think that this illustrates well the infinite mercy of God, who is always willing to forgive the man who comes to him in repentance to ask forgiveness for his sins.

A forgiving God

"God manifests his power, not by creating, but by forgiving", prays the Church [Sunday XXVI T.O.]. "You will cast all our sins into the depths of the sea" [Micah 7:19]. 

Jesus commissions the Apostles to preach "in his name penance and remission of sins to all nations" [Luke 24:47].

Earlier, in his first appearance to the Apostles on the evening of the same Easter day, he had instituted the sacrament of Penance: "Receive the Holy Spirit; whose sins you forgive, they are forgiven them; whose sins you retain, they are retained" [John 20:22-23]. 

By going to this sacrament in repentance we recover the grace of justification and, with it, the joy of a new beginning in our life.

We must forgive others

Just as we have full confidence that God always forgives our sins, we must also be very clear that he will not do so if we do not forgive from our hearts those who offend us. 

This doctrine is exemplified by the Master in the parable of the "cruel debtor": "I forgave you all your debt because you begged me to do so. Should you not also have had mercy on your companion" [see Matthew 18:23-33]. And, after teaching the Lord's Prayer to his disciples, Jesus tells them: "But if you do not forgive men, neither will your Father forgive you your sins" [Matthew 6:15]. 

On the other hand, forgiving others always gives peace to "both parties", erases the distances generated by the offense and harmony is restored.

Jesus Christ raises us to a life of intimacy with God

Our Lord, being true God and perfect man, through the mystery of his Passion and Death, has earned for us the right to be forgiven by God and opens for us the way to the happiness of eternal life. 

In each one's personal encounter with Jesus, we begin to live differently and, impelled by grace, we can freely direct our lives towards the end for which we were created.

Recommended reading:

Apostolic Exhortation "Reconciliation and Penance". St. John Paul II

The authorJulio Iñiguez Estremiana

Physicist. High School Mathematics, Physics and Religion teacher.

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Integral ecology

Palliative care "a genuine form of compassion," Pope says

The Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops has organized a symposium on palliative care together with the Pontifical Academy for Life under the theme "Towards a Narrative of Hope: An International Interfaith Symposium on Palliative Care". The Pope sent a message to the participants in which he radically condemned euthanasia.

Loreto Rios-May 22, 2024-Reading time: 3 minutes
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"This interreligious symposium is an occasion to identify the importance of the care palliative care, especially in promoting the dignity of the human person in times of illness and at the end of life," said Bishop William McGrattan, president of the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops, in the video presentation of the symposium.

The event, which takes place in the city of Toronto (Canada), is organized in two days, the first on May 21 and the second on May 23.

Hope in difficult situations

The Holy Father sent a message to the participants and speakers at the symposium in which he pointed out that the theme "is timely and necessary" because "today, as we witness the tragic effects of war, violence and injustices of various kinds, it is all too easy to give in to pain and even despair."

In the face of this reality, the Pope stressed the importance of hope, since "as members of the human family and especially as believers, we are called to accompany, with love and compassion, those who struggle and have difficulty in finding reasons for hope (cf. 1 Pet 3:15). Indeed, hope is what gives us strength in the face of the questions posed by the challenges, difficulties and anxieties of life."

This suffering, Francis acknowledges, can be especially acute "when we are faced with a serious illness or at the end of life. All those who experience the uncertainties so often brought about by illness and death need the witness of hope provided by those who care for them and remain at their side." The Pope then pointed out the importance of palliative care in these circumstances, since "while seeking to alleviate as much as possible the burden of pain, it is above all a concrete sign of closeness and solidarity with our suffering brothers and sisters. At the same time, this type of care can help patients and their loved ones to accept the vulnerability, fragility and finitude that mark human life in this world."

Condemnation of euthanasia

The Pope then condemned euthanasia, "which is never a source of hope or genuine concern for the sick and dying. On the contrary, it is a failure of love, a reflection of a 'throwaway culture' in which 'people are no longer considered a supreme value to be cared for and respected' ('Fratelli Tutti,' 18)."

Francis warned of the danger of presenting euthanasia "falsely as a form of compassion. Yet 'compassion,' a word that means 'to suffer with,' does not imply intentionally ending a life, but rather a willingness to share the burdens of those who face the final stages of our pilgrimage on earth."

True compassion: palliative care

In the face of this reality, the Pope contrasts palliative care, which "is a genuine form of compassion, because it responds to suffering, whether physical, emotional, psychological or spiritual, by affirming the fundamental and inviolable dignity of every person, especially the dying, and helping them to accept the inevitable moment of passage from this life to eternal life."

Furthermore, the Holy Father stressed that "our religious convictions offer a deeper understanding of illness, suffering and death, considering them part of the mystery of divine providence and, for the Christian tradition, a means towards sanctification. At the same time, the compassionate actions and respect shown by medical personnel and caregivers have often created the possibility for those at the end of their lives to find spiritual consolation, hope and reconciliation with God, family and friends."

Along these lines, Francis stressed the relevance of the role of caregivers and physicians at the end of a person's life: "Your service is important - I would even say essential - in helping the sick and dying to realize that they are not isolated or alone, that their lives are not a burden, but always remain intrinsically valuable in the eyes of God (cf. Ps 116:15) and being united to us by the bonds of communion."

In concluding his message, the Pope encouraged the participants in the symposium to "advance palliative care for the most vulnerable of our brothers and sisters. May your discussions and deliberations during these days help you to persevere in love, to give hope to those at the end of life and to advance in building a more just and fraternal society."

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RelatedRelated News"Palliative care should be a right, not a privilege."Related NewsManuel SerranoPalliative care is a manifestation of humanity".
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The Vatican

Francis encourages to ask Mary for humility, source of peace

During the Wednesday Audience after Pentecost, Pope Francis encouraged the pilgrims in St. Peter's Square to ask the Virgin Mary for the virtue of humility, which is "the source of peace in the world and in the Church". And he said that "where there is no humility, there is war, discord, division. Humility saves us from the Evil One".    

Francisco Otamendi-May 22, 2024-Reading time: 2 minutes

The Pope has contemplated in the Audience This morning of the month of May to the Virgin Mary in her "school of humility, which is the surest way to heaven". "God is attracted by Mary's littleness, by her inner littleness", Mary also "was humble in difficult moments, it is her most granite virtue, always small, humble", he said. This is a theme dear to the Pope's heart, who said at other times.

The Holy Father concluded with Mary and her humility the last of the catechesis sessions of the cycle on the vices and virtues, in which at the end, before praying the Our Father and giving the Blessing, as usual, he prayed for peace in the "martyred Ukraine", in Palestine, in Israel and in so many places in the world at war. Earlier, while driving through St. Peter's Square in the Popemobile, he blessed and gave a caress to numerous babies brought by their families.

"Make our life a Magnificat".

"She is amazed when the angel brings her God's announcement and remains at the foot of the cross, while the idea of a triumphant Messiah is shattered," the Pontiff continued. "Mary is a model of humility and littleness, let us ask Mary to teach us to live the virtue of humility, to make our life a Magnificat."

In fact, the reading for the Audience's reflection was the Gospel of St. Luke, when Mary visits her cousin St. Elizabeth, and exults: "My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord, my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, because he has looked upon the humility of his handmaid. From now on all generations will congratulate me".

"The great antagonist of pride."

The Pope began his catechesis by pointing out that humility is not one of the three theological virtues or of the four cardinal virtues, but it is "the root and foundation of the Christian life, the gateway to all the virtues, the great antagonist of the most lethal of vices, pride. Pride and pride swell the human heart. [...]. Humility comes from humus, earth. At times, "we feel invaded by delusions of omnipotence, which do us great harm. We are wonderful creatures, but limited". The Pope cited as one of the remedies for pride "the contemplation of the starry sky, the moon and the stars. [...] What is man that you should remember him?"

Humility is the virtue of people who keep in their hearts the perception of their own smallness, he continued. "There is a very ugly vice, arrogance, pride, which makes us seem more than we are. Humility and poverty of spirit are the door to everything. Humility leads us to place everything in its right measure".

In his address to the pilgrims in several languages, the Pope referred, among other things, to the children who, in Poland and in other places make their First Communion on these dates, so that they may remember the children who suffer in war-torn countries. He also encouraged to pray for vocations and consecrated life.

The authorFrancisco Otamendi

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  • Youth, care and evangelization, among the lines of study at Holy Cross University
Education

Youth, care and evangelization, among the lines of study at Holy Cross University

Evangelization, identity, youth, creativity, care, governance of the Church and of the person are the seven themes that will characterize the academic research of the Pontifical University of the Holy Cross in the coming years as it celebrates its first 40 years of life.

Giovanni Tridente-May 22, 2024-Reading time: 3 minutes
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About to celebrate its first 40 years of life, the Pontifical University of the Holy Cross in Rome - born at the wish of St. Josemaría Escrivá and founded by Blessed Álvaro del Portillo in October 1984 - is making rapid progress in the implementation of academic research through a unitary project that aims to address multiple topics in an interdisciplinary and inter-university manner.

A mandate from the Pope

It is also about responding to a specific mandate of Pope Francis, contained in the apostolic constitution "Veritatis gaudium" on universities and ecclesiastical faculties, six years after its signing (January 29, 2018).

Number 4 of this document, in fact, speaks of the "renewal" and "relaunching" of the contribution of ecclesiastical studies and identifies (letter c) inter- and transdisciplinarity as a "fundamental criterion" and "vital principle of the unity of knowledge", although "in the distinction and respect for its multiple, related and convergent expressions".

In this line, the University of the Holy Cross has launched two different calls for applications in recent years, the first one ended in May 2023 and the next one ended just a few days ago.

Proposals related to five strategic areas of study and interest of the University are collected as a result of suggestions gathered by the faculty community itself through interviews and focus groups as early as December 2021.

Once made, these proposals are evaluated and analyzed by a scientific committee in which professors from inside and outside Holy Cross participate according to qualitative and quantitative criteria, in tune with the strategic themes of the University, guaranteeing the continuity and development of the research presented and, of course, the interdisciplinary scope and the ability to involve several researchers and academic institutions.

The proposals submitted

In the first call, 13 proposals were submitted and three projects were approved, involving some thirty professors and researchers from some fifteen universities and academic institutions from different countries.

The call that ended this year, on the other hand, gathered 14 proposals with the participation of more than 50 professors from Holy Cross and a significant number of researchers from other universities.

On this occasion, 4 projects were selected, which together with the 3 previous ones (7 in total) receive funding to cover both administrative management expenses and those related to publications, congresses, participation in conferences and travel abroad.

Projects approved

The topics of reference for these projects include, in order:

Evangelization. The aim is to study the biblical, patristic and historical-theological foundations of a "theology of evangelization", relying on the contribution of the communication sciences and the sociology of religion, in order to define an organic body of reflection leading to the creation of a new institutional discipline to be included in the curriculum of theological studies.

Identity. International forum of experts to explore the essential elements that constitute the identity of Christian-inspired universities and the dimensions in which this is expressed: from teaching to research, including their social and cultural impact. Participants include the University of Notre Dame (USA), the University of Asia and the Pacific (Philippines) and the Universidad Panamericana (Mexico).

Youth. A multi-year project (8 years) of continuous listening to young people, to better understand their values, expectations and hopes. The first phase focused on the religious experience of young people. Partner institutions include the University of Birmingham (UK), Campinas University (Brazil) and Strathmore University (Kenya).

Beginning in the 2024/2025 academic year

Creativity. The project aims to develop an interdisciplinary research on creativity that integrates the contributions of the natural, human, philosophical and theological sciences most relevant to the subject, investigating this characteristic as a "human way of being in the world".

Participants include the University of Copenhagen (Denmark), the London School of Economics (United Kingdom) and the Catholic University of America (United States).

The care. To base on anthropological foundations the so-called "culture of care", a profound vocation of the human person, starting from historical-critical analyses and redefining the concept from those elements that challenge its traditional notion.

Participants will include the University of Valladolid (Spain), the University of the Isthmus (Guatemala) and the University of Messina (Italy).

Church government. Reflection on the foundations of power in the Church, its theological roots, the different forms of power, the proposals of the First and Second Vatican Councils, the dichotomy between the power of order and the power of jurisdiction, the rights of the faithful, etc. Among the universities involved are the University of Navarra and the San Dámaso University of Madrid.

The individual. Exploration of the notion of the individual and the different statuses (metaphysical, theological, empirical, psychological, transcendental, juridical-political and digital) attributed to it, in order to renew reflection in the philosophical and cultural spheres.

Participating universities include Roma Tre (Italy), the Scuola Superiore Sant'Anni di Pisa and the Univrsité de Fribourg-Suisse (Switzerland).

The authorGiovanni Tridente

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Education

Braval, 25 years sowing social cohesion in El Raval of Barcelona

In the neighborhood of El Raval, with 47,000 inhabitants (3% percent of the population of Barcelona), 51 % are immigrants, while in Barcelona they are 22 %, in Catalonia 16 %, and in Spain 13 %. In 25 years, since 1998, the Braval association has been promoting social cohesion, fighting against marginalization and promoting the "social elevator". Braval has had 1,600 participants from 8 to 18 years of age from 30 countries and 10 languages, practicing 9 religions.    

Francisco Otamendi-May 21, 2024-Reading time: 4 minutes

Braval's 6 indoor soccer teams and 6 basketball teams compete in the Barcelona School Sports Council (CEEB) Sports Games with teams from all the neighborhoods of Barcelona. The president of Braval, the pedagogue Josep Masabeu (Sabadell, 1952), considers that participating in a standardized league "favors accommodation and mutual knowledge between natives and immigrants".

Braval is an initiative for development and human and social promotion of Opus Dei in the neighborhood of El Raval, which for 25 years has been doing more than a grain of sand to facilitate the integration of immigrants into society. Because El Raval is dominated by an impoverished middle class with a high number of families at risk of social exclusion.

And indeed, through the activities and programs The Braval program, which revolves around collective sports, allows young people to get to know each other, understand each other, understand each other, respect each other a little more every day, promote each other, and make friends, as Marc, a young man from the Philippines who arrived in Barcelona at the age of eight with his parents and came to Braval to play soccer, tells us.

Marc and his friends

"Thanks to Braval, I am where I am, finishing my degree in Business Administration and Management," says Marc, who speaks of the friends he has made at Braval, after listening to Josep MasabeuThe affective aspect, which is very difficult to typify, to add and subtract, is what makes this go forward in the end".

Marc, for example, talks about Ramadan: "We have always been curious about how Ramadan is lived, a whole month... I have had Muslim friends who have invited me to be with them for a day, a suffering, without eating, and then, after sunset, the family comes, and they set the whole table with food. It's okay for that guy to invite his friends who are not Muslim." Marc explains that he is Catholic and that his grandparents were Catholic. Generally, in the Philippines, the population is Catholic.

Masabeu reports that currently, there are 250 participants in the activities, 0 absenteeism and dropouts, and a 90 percent school success rate in ESO (at Braval they offer extracurricular activities and educational reinforcement, so they learn about these things).

15,000 hours per year to help others

"We work exclusively with volunteers. In one year, 160 volunteers of different profiles collaborate with Braval, dedicating 15,000 hours a year to helping others. Since the beginning, we have had 1,010 volunteers," says Josep Masabeu, who is proud to have volunteers from the young people who have participated in the programs. They have become volunteers themselves.

Another reason to rejoice is that of the 1,600 participants, 580 children are working with a contract, having completed all the legal and administrative procedures, 220 have completed high school, 310 have completed vocational training, and 27 have finished university studies. "They are citizens committed to the development of our country". 

Braval's influence

Is Braval's influence noticeable over the years? Masabeu does not dodge the answer, nor does he hide his identity. "The neighborhood is problematic, but it is quiet, it has changed for the better, although there are problems, of course. Filipinos, Pakistanis and Bangladeshis are the most common nationalities. In another order of things, there has been a lot of cleaning of narco-flats. A problem that we have had for a long time are the buildings that investment funds buy and do not rehabilitate, this is not fixed in two days. Housing is a problem".

"But then, another factor to take into account is that we have kids, volunteers from 9 religions, Catholics, Evangelists, Adventists, Orthodox, Muslims, Buddhists, Hindus, Jehovah's Witnesses, Jews, agnostics..., the average permanence of the kids in Braval's activities is six years".

Respect for beliefs

"We respect all beliefs, but we do not hide our Christian identity. A priest from Santa Maria de Montalegre [church in El Raval, entrusted to Opus Dei in 1967, from whose volunteers Braval's idea came up], one or two days a week, and those who want to talk to him. What's more, the kids talk a lot about religion. Because almost every day is the feast of some religion. What is the feast? What do you celebrate? Why do you eat this and not this? Are you coming to my party? I'll come to yours... These are normal conversations among kids. 

Sometimes, some journalists and politicians say that religion is a factor of confrontation, and so, in order not to cause problems, we have to show that we are all non-denominational. "For these kids, this argument means losing many possibilities of help," adds Masabeu.

"Because let's see. Any person has five legs: family, work, friends, customs and beliefs. These kids have very complicated family situations, in general terms, and those who have arrived by boat, have no real family; work, the percentage of unemployment is very high; their friends are "just as 'quinquis' as they are"; their customs, they cannot live their customs here as they did in their country; what do they have left? Their beliefs. Well, lean on beliefs and you'll see. If belief becomes the only identity factor, we are at the gates of jihadism. We have talked a lot with the Mossos, with the police, etc., about all this". 

Friendly, friendly relationship

Let's look at the La Rambla bombings, he continues. "What happened? Their only reference ended up being a small piece of their religion. At Braval, we have achieved a very affectionate, friendly and friendly relationship. We also have two catechesis groups, which we offer to families when they come every year, and we offer Catholic catechesis, which is what I know, because Braval began in 1998, but was consolidated in 2002, on the occasion of the centenary of the birth of Saint Josemaría Escrivá, founder of Opus Dei".

Now two boys are being confirmed, and a third is being confirmed and making his First Communion. They are 16 years old, and then a volunteer. "Confirmed on May 31 In Montalegre, the Cardinal [Juan José Omella, Archbishop of Barcelona] is going. All the teams will go there, because they have invited their friends, so everybody will wear the best piercings..., the best suits, but they will go, because they are friends, I come to your party, and you come to my party...".

Reflection on immigration

In addition to the regular activities, Josep Masabeu says that from 2005 to date 129 Conversations on Immigration have taken place, in which "we have brought together 660 experts from various fields and backgrounds in the search for operational guidelines to effectively resolve the difficulties of immigration processes. The knowledge acquired has been published in the book "Keys to success for the social elevator.". Braval, he says, "has become a point of analysis on immigration and social cohesion".

The authorFrancisco Otamendi

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The Vatican

Eucharistic Congress in Quito aims to promote fraternity

The International Eucharistic Congress to be held in Ecuador from September 8 to 15 wants to remind Catholics of the importance of the Eucharist for living in fraternity.

Paloma López Campos-May 20, 2024-Reading time: 3 minutes
RelatedRelated NewsInternational Eucharistic Congress in Quito. Eucharist, fraternity and unityRelated NewsCorrado Maggioni: "Mary leads us to the Eucharist."Related NewsMonsignor Espinoza MateusWe want to renew Eucharistic life in Ecuador".

The Holy See has held a press conference to present the 53rd Eucharistic Congress to be held at Quito (Ecuador) from September 8 to 15, 2024. With the theme "Fraternity to save the world", the three interventions of the press conference revolved around the Eucharist as "heart of the Church" and expression of its universality.

The three speakers were the Archbishop of Quito, Monsignor Alfredo José Espinoza Mateus; the Secretary General of the International Eucharistic Congress 2024, Juan Carlos Garzón; and Corrado Maggioni, President of the Pontifical Committee for International Eucharistic Congresses.

Eucharistic Missionaries

In his speech, the Archbishop of Quito expressed his wish that the Eucharistic Congress of September be "that voice with a Latin American accent for the Church of the whole world". A voice that he described as "of hope" and "prophetic" that proclaims "to all that fraternity is the only possible way to make and build a new world".

Monsignor Espinoza Mateus emphasized that "there are many wounds in the world" and that this is the mission of the National Eucharistic Congress, which aims to show that "the Eucharist leads us to be builders of fraternity".

The Archbishop concluded by pointing out that "the Eucharistic Congress will make us fully aware that we are 'Eucharistic missionaries of fraternity'". Finally, he welcomed all those who will come to Quito in September.

Fraternity, the basis of the Eucharistic Congress

For his part, Juan Carlos Garzón, secretary general of the Eucharistic Congress, linked the theme of this meeting to the encyclical "Fratelli Tutti", because it "coincides with the ecclesial meaning of the Eucharist, source of communion for those who celebrate it, with its mission to make visible in the wounds of the world the healing work of Christ".

Father Garzon analyzed the Basic Document of the Eucharistic Congress, which in its introduction mentions "a dream of fraternity. A fraternity, said the Secretary General, that must spring "from the Eucharistic experience" and tend "towards it as its goal.

The three parts of the Basic Document explore three perspectives of the main theme: wounded fraternity, fraternity realized in Christ and fraternity as healing of the world.

The Secretary General indicated, based on the above-mentioned document, that "the Eucharist is the healing of our love" and thanks to it a "we" is born, oriented "to mutual service in the real and visible neighbor, that is, Eucharistic love overflows to heal the wounds of the world".

History and current events of the Eucharistic Congress

In the last intervention of the press conference, the president of the Pontifical Committee, Conrado Maggioni, highlighted the history of the International Congresses, from the first one held in Lille in 1881 to the present day. He noted that the various meetings in places as varied as Quebec, Manila, Buenos Aires, Nairobi or Seoul, "marked 'eucharistically' the path of the Church in these countries in their respective continents".

On this occasion, said Maggioni, the Eucharistic Congress of Quito is "a decisive appeal to 'fraternity' seen as a gift from Heaven and, at the same time, as a human commitment to convert inimitable relationships into fraternal bonds, within the concerns of the present".

The President of the Pontifical Committee affirmed that "the Eucharistic Congress has become an opportunity to express the Church of the Eucharist, in the light of the Second Vatican Council and the resulting liturgical reform". In this way, "the inseparable link between the Mass and Eucharistic worship outside of it is promoted, paying attention to the lived experience".

The Eucharist at the heart of the Church's mission

For Conrado Maggioni, the fact that the Eucharistic Congress is international makes it possible "to revive the awareness that the presence of Christ among us and through us is the heart of the Church and her mission". The gathering to celebrate Christ sacramentalized allows "to focus on the only leaven capable of truly leavening human history and turning it into new dough for the Kingdom of Heaven".

Maggioni concluded his speech at the press conference by affirming that "the internationality of the Congress manifests the universality of the Eucharistic mystery that shapes every baptized person, in his or her state of life, as well as every Christian family, religious community, parish and diocese".

Logo of the 53rd International Eucharistic Congress, to be held in Quito, Ecuador (Photo CNS / Courtesy of the Archdiocese of Quito).
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RelatedRelated NewsInternational Eucharistic Congress in Quito. Eucharist, fraternity and unityRelated NewsCorrado Maggioni: "Mary leads us to the Eucharist."Related NewsMonsignor Espinoza MateusWe want to renew Eucharistic life in Ecuador".
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  • "The Primate of Poland," a film about the cardinal who paved the way for St. John Paul II.
Cinema

"The Primate of Poland," a film about the cardinal who paved the way for St. John Paul II.

A Contracorriente Films releases in theaters on May 24 "The Primate of Poland", a film that tells the story of Cardinal Stefan Wyszynski (1901-1981), a key figure in Poland during the period of World War II and the Cold War.

Loreto Rios-May 20, 2024-Reading time: 2 minutes
RelatedRelated NewsIt all began in Wadowice. The museum house of St. John Paul II

– Supernatural film "The Primate of Poland," directed by Polish director Michal Kondrat ("Divine Mercy," "Two Crowns"), stars Slawomie Grzymkowski ("Alarm," "War Victim"), Adam Ferency ("Cold War," "Pornography"), Marcin Tronski ("And the Violins Stopped Playing") and Katarsyna Zawadzka ("Bod obnovy"), and centers on the life of Cardinal Wyszynski after he spent three years imprisoned by the Communists, when he had to initiate a struggle for religious freedom.

This blessed cardinal, ordained a priest in 1924, suffered religious persecution by the Nazis during World War II, when he was also chaplain of the hospital of the insurgents of the Polish National Army. After the war, he was ordained bishop and was given the title of "Primate of Poland".

However, the end of the war did not bring peace to the Church in Poland, but persecution by the Communist Party continued. Cardinal Wyszynski was imprisoned in 1953, and subsequently placed under house arrest.

The film focuses precisely on this stage of the protagonist's life, with a shocking beginning: the brutal torture by the Communist party of the Polish bishop Antoni Baraniak, who had a close relationship with both Cardinal Wyszynski and the future John Paul II.

Movie poster

However, the development of the film does not stop at these violent episodes, but at the tense relations between Wyszynski and the government, which wants the Primate to use his influence to get the Polish people to vote in the elections. Meanwhile, the Cardinal is under constant surveillance. Spied on by microphones in his place of residence, the tentacles of the party reach even his closest collaborators, so he will need all his expertise and intelligence to carry forward relations with the government, without allowing the party to infiltrate the Church, but at the same time seeking a balance so that the Polish people do not suffer repression and religious freedom is not limited.

In the background, we witness the progress of a young Karol Wojtyla until his election as Pope, the violent repression of workers' demonstrations against the communist government in Gdansk and Gdynia and the celebration of the thousandth anniversary of the baptism of Poland, an anniversary that the government intends to eclipse through parallel events of a political and atheistic nature.

The development of the story maintains interest at all times, with a leading actor who approaches his role with sobriety and excellence.

Wyszynski was recently beatified on September 12, 2021. Although for logical reasons he has been overshadowed by the figure of St. John Paul IIThis film is a magnificent tribute to his important legacy. In fact, John Paul II addressed him, after he was elected Pope, with these words: "There would be no Polish Pope [...] if it were not for your faith, which did not shrink from prison and suffering".

Trailer for the movie "The Primate of Poland".
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The Vatican

Pope at Pentecost: "We do not give up, we speak of peace and forgiveness".

At the Mass of the Solemnity of Pentecost, celebrated by Pope Francis in St. Peter's Basilica this morning, the Holy Father referred to the action of the Holy Spirit in our souls and to the proclamation of the Gospel with boldness. He also stressed that "we surrender to the Spirit, but not to the forces of the world, and we speak of peace, forgiveness, acceptance and life".  

Francisco Otamendi-May 19, 2024-Reading time: 4 minutes

"In the account of Pentecost, the Acts of the Apostles shows us two areas of the action of the Holy Spirit in the Church, in us and in the mission. With two characteristics, strength and kindness. The action of the Spirit in us is strong, as symbolized by the signs of wind and fire, which often in the Bible are related to the power of God". 

This is how the Pope began his homily at the Eucharistic Celebration Pentecost Sunday at St. Peter's, in which he often left the official text and spoke from the heart.

Without the power of the Holy Spirit, he continued, "we will never be able to defeat evil, nor overcome the desires of the flesh, of which St. Paul speaks. Without this strength, we will not succeed. Impurity, idolatry and envy can be overcome with the Spirit. He gives us the strength to do so, because he enters into our heart, arid, hard and cold, which ruins our relationships with others and divides our communities. And He enters into this heart and heals everything. Jesus showed us this when, moved by the Spirit, he withdrew for forty days to the desert to be tempted, and at that moment his humanity also grew, was strengthened and prepared for the mission".

"At the same time, the action of the Paraclete in us is kind, strong and gentle. Wind and fire neither destroy nor incinerate what they touch. The former sounds in the house where the disciples are, and the fire rests gently in the form of flames on the head of each one." 

"This gentleness is a trait of God's action, which we find so often in the Bible," and which "delicately cultivates the small plants of the virtues, waters them, protects them with love, so that they grow and become strong," and "we can taste, after the effort of the struggle against evil, the sweetness of mercy and communion with God. The Spirit gives us the strength to push, and is also delicate, the Holy Father summarized.

"Sent to proclaim the Gospel, with boldness."

Then the Pontiff said: "The Paraclete anoints us, he is with us, he acts by transforming their hearts (he is referring to the disciples), and he instills in them a boldness that impels them to transmit to others their experience of Jesus and the hope that animates them. This is also true for us who have received the gift of the Holy Spirit in Baptism and Confirmation.

"From the cenacle of this Basilica we are sent to proclaim the Gospel to everyone, going ever further, not only in a geographical sense, but beyond ethnic and religious barriers, for a truly universal mission, and thanks to the Spirit we can and must do it with the same strength and the same kindness. Not with arrogance and impositions. The Christian is not overbearing, his strength is different, it is that of the Spirit".

"We continue to speak of peace, forgiveness, welcome, life".

"That's why we don't give up," he then added, in what seemed like an important section of his message in this feast of Pentecost. "We surrender to the Spirit, but not to the forces of the world. We continue to speak of peace to those who want war, of forgiveness to those who sow revenge, of welcome and solidarity to those who close doors and erect barriers, of life to those who choose death, of respect to those who like to humiliate, insult and discard, of fidelity to those who reject every bond and confuse freedom with a superficial, opaque and empty individualism."

Welcoming all, hope, granting peace

"All this without letting ourselves be frightened by the difficulties, by the mockery, or by the opposition that today, as in the past, is never lacking in apostolic life". And the way we do it with this strength, "our proclamation must be gentle," he stressed, "to welcome everyone, everyone, everyone, everyone. let us not forget the parable of those invited to the feast who did not want to go. Go to the crossroads and bring everyone, everyone, everyone. Good and bad. Everyone. The Spirit gives us the strength to go ahead and call everyone, with that kindness. He gives us the gentleness to welcome everyone".

In conclusion, the Pope pointed out that "we have great need of hope. It is not optimism, it is something else. We need hope. We need to raise our eyes to horizons of peace, fraternity, justice and solidarity. This is often not easy. But we know that we are not alone. We know that with the help of the Holy Spirit, with his gifts, together we can make this path more passable.

"Let us renew, sisters and brothers, our faith in the presence with us of the Comforter, and let us continue to pray: 'Come, Creator Spirit, enlighten our minds, fill our hearts with your grace, guide our steps, grant our world your peace. Amen.

Regina coeli: reading and meditating on the Gospel

Later, from the window of the apostolic palace, Pope Francis prayed the Regina coeli with the pilgrims and Romans gathered in St. Peter's Square on a rainy day. The Holy Father encouraged them, as he has done on other occasions, to pay attention to the "words that express the marvelous sentiments of God's eternal love". 

The Word of God, inspired by the Spirit, encourages us every day, and for this reason he invited us to "read and meditate on the Gospel every day", carrying it in our pockets, The Word of God "silences all the talk", he stressed, also encouraging silent prayer of adoration. "May Mary make us docile to the voice of the Holy Spirit".

After the recitation of the Marian prayer, Francis recalled on this solemnity of Pentecost  that "the Holy Spirit creates harmony from different realities, "harmony in hearts, in families, in society, in the whole world", and prayed for the growth of "communion and fraternity" and an end to wars in the Holy Land, Palestine, Israel and in so many other places. 

He also thanked the people of Verona for welcoming him at his visit He also remembered the pilgrims from East Timor, "whom I will be visiting soon," those from Latvia and Uruguay, and the Paraguayan community in Rome, among other groups.

The authorFrancisco Otamendi

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Newsroom

Kolumban Reichlin, chaplain of the Swiss Guard: "Every day of his life, service to the Holy Father has priority for the Swiss Guard".

The Benedictine Kolumban Reichlin is, since 2021, the chaplain of the Swiss Guards Corps that defends and protects the Pope.

Hernan Sergio Mora-May 19, 2024-Reading time: 4 minutes
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Every May 6, in the courtyard of 'San Damaso' in the Vatican, resounds the oath of the new recruits to the Swiss Guard. It is the smallest army in the world, founded in 1506 by Pope Julius II, and charged with the surveillance, security and protection of the Pontiff inside the Apostolic Palace, during his travels and services of honor and at audiences and receptions.

34 new guards swore allegiance to the Pope last May 6, on the anniversary of the 1527 sack of Rome (Sacco di Roma), when most of the members of this corps died defending Pope Clement VII from the lansquenets of Charles V of Habsburg's army.

Audience of new Swiss Guard recruits with the Pope on May 6, 2024. (CNS photo/Vatican Media)

An emotional ceremony during which the chaplain of the Swiss GuardKolumban Reichlin, a Benedictine, appointed by Pope Francis on September 1, 2021, read in its entirety the oath:

"I swear to serve faithfully, loyally and honorably the Supreme Pontiff Francis and his legitimate successors, as well as to dedicate myself to them with all my strength, sacrificing, when necessary, even my life for their defense.

I also assume these commitments with respect to the Sacred College of Cardinals for the duration of the vacancy of the See.

I also promise the Captain Commander and my other superiors respect, loyalty and obedience. I swear it. May God and our Patron Saints assist me".

After the reading, the new recruits, called one by one by name, come forward and with their left hand on the flag of the Guard and their right hand raised with three fingers open, as a symbol of the Trinity, swear: "I..., swear to observe faithfully, loyally and honorably all that has been read to me at this time. May God or his saints assist me".

The Pope with Swiss Guard Commander Christoph Graf and Chaplain Kolumban Reichlin on May 6, 2024 ©CNS photo/Vatican Media

On the occasion of this new anniversary, Omnes interviewed Father Kolumban Reichlin, who explained some details about the spirituality of these soldiers.

How many Swiss Guards are there and how long does their service last?

- The target is 135 men. Guardsmen commit to serve at least 26 months, although some stay longer and continue for one or even several more years.

Are they married or do they have to be single?

- When guardsmen join the corps, they must be single. After five years of service, they may marry. There are currently 24 married guardsmen, with a total of 21 children.

What is the spirituality of a Swiss guard like?

- What characterizes the Guardsmen is, above all, their willingness to serve, their sense of community and their zest for living life. Every day of their lives, service to the Holy Father takes priority over their personal plans and interests. And the close coexistence they have for two years in the large Swiss Guard family, made up of more than one hundred people, demands and fosters great social skills.

And in all this, the guards are young people who love life, and in this there is much of what Jesus teaches in the Gospel.

What religious activities are there in barracks life?

- Every day, we celebrate Holy Mass in the Guard Chapel. On weekends, four.

In addition, the guards have the opportunity to participate in Eucharistic Adoration twice a week and to pray the rosary together.

Once a month there is a family Holy Mass followed by an aperitif and lunch together. The patron saints of the guards are also celebrated: St. Martin, St. Sebastian and St. Nicholas of Flüe.

Do the guards always have to be Swiss and Catholic?

- It is like this. To be a Swiss guard, one must be a Swiss citizen, a Catholic and be familiar with Christian practice; the latter must be confirmed in writing by the parish priest or the head of the parish in which the candidate to join the corps lives.

Is it true that some have discovered a religious vocation?

- Yes, it is a gift and a great joy that spiritual vocations are awakened or strengthened repeatedly during their stay in the Guard, and that sometimes they study theology, enter a seminary or join a religious community once they return to Switzerland.

What is their relationship with Pope Francis?

- In conversations with the guards, I always perceive a great esteem for Pope Francis. His authentic, credible and fatherly manner impresses and edifies them.

He is like a grandfather to them, always grateful, interested, with a word of encouragement on his lips.

And what do their families say?

- In my opinion, most families are proud of their sons' and brothers' decision to serve in the Swiss Guard and also of their testimony of dedication, discipline and sense of responsibility at such a young age.

Tell us something interesting about your experience...

- What fascinates me about my service as a Guard chaplain is to see how these young men, as they are challenged and promoted during their service and life in the Guard, make great strides in the development of their personalities.

They can almost be see the buds grow and begin to blossom. It is a privilege to see how life develops, grows and matures and, as a chaplain, to be able to accompany, encourage and promote this process humanely and spiritually as a midwife, so to speak.

The authorHernan Sergio Mora

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The Vatican

Pope Francis travels to Verona to speak about peace

Pope Francis has traveled to Verona, where he delivered several speeches in which he spoke about peace.

Paloma López Campos-May 18, 2024-Reading time: 3 minutes
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Pope Francis has traveled to Verona to hold several meetings in the Italian city. During his brief visit, which lasted about ten hours, he gave several speeches, focusing on peace.

In a first meeting with priests and consecratedThe Pontiff delved into two aspects, the call and the mission. Regarding the call, Francis emphasized that "at the origin of the Christian life is the experience of the encounter with the Lord, which does not depend on our merits or our commitment, but on the love with which He comes to seek us".

It is important, the Pope pointed out, to note that "at the origin of consecrated life and priestly life is not ourselves, our gifts or some special merit, but the Lord's surprising call, his merciful gaze that has bent over us and chosen us".

Call and mission

For this reason, the Holy Father said that the call of the Lord "is pure grace, pure gratuity, an unexpected gift that opens our hearts to astonishment before the condescension of God". In the face of this call, he insisted, we must maintain an attitude of surprise, for this is "the first foundation: to welcome the call we have received, to welcome the gift with which God has surprised us. If we lose this awareness and this memory, we run the risk of putting ourselves at the center instead of the Lord.

The Pope then assured that "if we remember this, that He has chosen me, even when we feel the weight of weariness and disappointment, we remain serene and confident, certain that He will not leave us empty-handed".

After the call comes the mission, as the Pontiff explained. A mission that the Pope encourages to be bold and creative, that knows how to "read the signs of the times and respond to the needs".

Pope addresses priests and young people

One of these needs is forgiveness, Francis said. In this line, he advised priests "to forgive everything" and to avoid making the sacrament of Penance "a torture session." "The Church needs forgiveness," the Holy Father has affirmed. "We must bring the caress of God's mercy especially to those who thirst for hope, to those who are forced to live on the margins, wounded by life or by some mistake committed, or by the injustices of society."

Pope Francis concluded his address to priests and consecrated men and women by thanking them for their generous dedication and encouraging them to be courageous in bringing God's love to the whole world and to live "a capable holiness".

Later, in a meeting with children and young people during which those present addressed several questions to the Holy Father, Francis asked the little ones to be "signs of peace" in the world, in their daily lives, and advised them not to be afraid "to go against the current" to do good.

Pope Francis calls for peace

The Pope then presided over the meeting "Arena of Peace. Justice and Peace will kiss". There he also answered several questions from the audience. In his answers, the Pontiff insisted on the importance of knowing how to create a community, avoiding individualism, because "no one exists without others, no one can do everything alone".

In the same vein, Francis affirmed that "we must invest in young people, in their education, to convey the message that the path to the future cannot pass only through the efforts of an individual, however well-intentioned and prepared he may be, but that it passes through the action of a people, in which each one plays his role, each one according to his tasks and according to his abilities".

The Pontiff also wanted to point out the culture of indifference and asked those present to fight against it. "We are masters at washing our hands," Francis said forcefully. To change this, the Pope advised to "walk with the little ones of the world", with children, with the elderly, with the weak, to listen to their pain and share it.

On the other hand, the Bishop of Rome explained that "peace must be cultivated, and today in the world there is this grave sin: not taking care of peace! The world is running, it is necessary at times to know how to slow down the race and not let ourselves be overwhelmed by activities and leave space in us to the action of God, to the action of our brothers, to the action of society that seeks the common good".

The Holy Spirit, creator of peace

The Pope concluded his speeches at this meeting by focusing on women, who are necessary "to find peace. Moreover, to stimulate the effort to achieve harmony, he said that "peace is made with the feet, hands and eyes of the peoples involved, all together".

The Pontiff's visit to Verona ended with the celebration of Pentecost. During the Mass, the Pope pointed out the importance of the Holy Spirit as the protagonist of our lives. "The Spirit is, above all, the one who changes our lives," Francis said.

He is the one who "gives us the courage to live a Christian life," he said. He is "the one who saves us from the danger of making us all equal" and, at the same time, generates "harmony" in the Church.

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Evangelization

Five years since the beatification of Guadalupe Ortiz de Landázuri

On May 18, 2019, thousands of people attended the beatification of Guadalupe Ortiz de Landázuri, professor, numerary of Opus Dei and, since 2024, patroness of the Official College of Chemists of Madrid.

Paloma López Campos-May 18, 2024-Reading time: 4 minutes
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On May 18, 2019, thousands of people flocked to the Palacio Vistalegre Arena in Madrid. It was nine in the morning, but joyful smiles and excited voices surrounded that venue in Carabanchel with a single motive: the beatification of Guadalupe Ortiz de Landázuri.

Guadalupe Ortiz de Landázuri (Office for the Causes of Saints. Prelature of Opus Dei)

D. in chemistry, professor of industrial master's degree and numerary professor of the Opus DeiGuadalupe stands out, in the words of Pope Francis, for being an example of the "sanctity of normality. 44 years after her death, citizens from Singapore, Mexico, the United States, Nigeria and other countries traveled to Madrid to celebrate the great step in the cause of canonization of this woman.

What was it about Guadalupe that brought so many people together in one place? It is not only that she was the first beatified laywoman belonging to Opus Dei. For José Carlos Martín de la Hoz, diocesan postulator of the cause of canonization of the professor, one of the reasons can be found in the words that Pope Francis said about her. The Pontiff defined her "as the saint of joy, but a joy with content, because she always sought to love God and others, and therein lies the source of the peace she spread around her.

Saint of joy and normality

That smile of Guadalupe is precisely what was seen in all the posters of Vistalegre. Those who attended the event met the face of a woman who shone for her "virtue of patience," the diocesan postulator emphasizes.

Vistalegre was attended by those who at some point were impressed by this "scientific researcher", "laboratory woman" and "patient teacher", a person "gifted with a great understanding for listening and guiding others".

And while there is no doubt that Guadalupe Ortiz de Landázuri is important for those close to Opus Dei, her life also has something to say to all Catholics. As the postulator of the cause of canonization points out, "we are going through a complex stage in the history of Western civilization, for we are at the end of one stage and the beginning of another. The new culture of globalization that is emerging will be Christian and, therefore, in accordance with the dignity of the human person, if we Christians follow the examples of life and enthusiasm of the saints".

Guadalupe Ortiz de Landázuri and Opus Dei

Examples such as Guadalupe, whom St. Josemaría Escrivá invited to travel to Mexico to promote the work of Opus Dei and to share the faith with those he met. After leading several projects in Spain, the founder of Opus Dei wanted him to work on the other side of the Atlantic. And so he did. In 1950 he traveled to Mexico to open the first residence for university students in the country.

From that moment on and for five years, Guadalupe continued working for the women of Mexico, helping peasant women, young and adult women, not only spiritually, but also professionally and personally.

In 1956, St. Josemaría again asked for her help and, on this occasion, the professor traveled to Rome to assume some tasks of government in Opus Dei. Regarding the collaborative relationship between the founder of the Work and Guadalupe, José Carlos Martín de la Hoz says that "St. Josemaría always treated Guadalupe with particular confidence, since she was one of the first women who followed him after the Spanish Civil War and, as she was a professional and mature woman, he was able to rely on her".

Guadalupe Ortiz de Landázuri was well aware of her vocation to Opus Dei. Her commitment to her work was united, as the diocesan postulator explains, with "the mandate of charity". For this reason, Martín de la Hoz believes that "she will undoubtedly go down in history as a woman who knew how to be attentive to detail with everyone she met, and that is what Opus Dei is all about: loving God and others in the midst of the world".

In the middle of the world

That knowing how to be in the middle of the world is what those who came to Vistalegre on May 18, 2019 admired. It is also the reason why the Official Association of Chemists of Madrid has named Guadalupe as its official patron saint. A decision that the dean, Iñigo Pérez-Baroja, justifies "for her love of chemistry, for her strong Christian conventions, for her example of the sanctity of normality, for being the first expatriate entrepreneur of social works, for her ability to communicate and disseminate her scientific knowledge".

Therein lies part of the legacy of Guadalupe, who did not want to be a woman of science or a woman of faith. Like St. Therese, she wanted everything: God, the world, contemplation and action....

Guadalupe Ortiz de Landázuri dedicated herself to loving the world passionately, responding to the invitation of St. Josemaría Escrivá. That is what was celebrated at Vistalegre, joy in normality. It was a celebration of a woman whose words could be uttered by any Christian today: "I want to be faithful, I want to be useful and I want to be a saint" (Letter to St. Josemaría Escrivá, February 1, 1954).

On that May 18, 2019, in Vistalegre, the life of Guadalupe Ortiz de Landázuri was celebrated, who "with the joy that flowed from her conscience as a daughter of God (...) put her many human and spiritual qualities at the service of others, helping in a special way other women and their families in need of education and development" (Letter Pope Francis to the prelate of Opus Dei for the beatification of Guadalupe).

The Palacio Vistalegre Arena during the beatification of Guadalupe Ortiz de Landázuri (Flickr / Prelature of the Holy Cross and Opus Dei
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New norms for the discernment of apparitions and supernatural phenomena

The norms include six different vows for discerning cases of apparitions and point out that "in the usual way, a positive recognition by the ecclesiastical authority of the divine origin of alleged supernatural phenomena cannot be expected".

Hernan Sergio Mora-May 17, 2024-Reading time: 5 minutes

The Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith has submitted the the Church's norms for discerning the veracity or otherwise of alleged supernatural phenomena.es, underlining the great richness of many of these phenomena and the critical issues of others, thus enabling the Church to act "with all her pastoral solicitude".

At the presentation, the prefect of the Dicastery, Cardinal Victor Fernandez, indicated that these norms of the Dicastery "have the strong support of the Holy Father" and are "a guide for discerning situations that may occur out of the ordinary in the Christian community."

In presenting the topic in the Press Room of the Holy See, Cardinal Fernandez recounted some cases that he knew personally, even amusing ones, which were "particularly solvable", so that in these "we do not proceed further". Without forgetting that "the faithful are never obliged to believe in these phenomena", since the revelation has already been completed in the Holy Scriptures.

In other words, the discernment will not be oriented "towards a declaration of the supernatural character of the event but towards a prudential declaration" unless the Pope considers otherwise, with six possible conclusions, which will thus lead the Church to give answers in a short time.

The document stresses that "these events have often brought about a great wealth of spiritual fruits, growth in faith, devotion, fraternity and service, and in some cases have given rise to various Shrines scattered throughout the world that today form part of the heart of popular piety of many peoples".

"The Rules for proceeding in the discernment of alleged supernatural phenomena that we now present," the Prefect of the Dicastery indicated, "are not necessarily intended to be a control nor, even less, an attempt to quench the Spirit. In fact, "in the most positive cases, of events of presumed supernatural origin, the diocesan bishop is encouraged to appreciate the pastoral value and also to promote the diffusion of this spiritual proposal".

Without ignoring that "in some cases of events of supposed supernatural origin very serious critical issues are detected", being used to "obtain profit, power, fame, social notoriety, personal interest".

The norms that applied until today - explains the introduction of the document - were approved by St. Paul VI in 1978, with revisions in 2019, and with the need for a global revision in 2023, leading to the approval of the bishops and cardinals of the Dicastery in April 2024, and the approval of Pope Francis last May 4, and come into force on May 19, 2024 on the Solemnity of Pentecost.

If in the past the Dicastery intervened "the bishop was asked not even to appoint him", today instead "the Dicastery publicly demonstrates its involvement and accompanies the bishop in the final determination".

Today, a statement of "supernaturalness," as might normally occur, is "substituted by a Nihil obstatwhich authorizes positive pastoral action, or by some other determination appropriate to the concrete situation". This is also because "declaring the supernatural character of an event for many people the visionaries were transformed into 'saints'".

On the other hand, as provided for in the new Norms, the possibility of a declaration of "non-supernaturality" remains unchanged, only when objective signs clearly indicating manipulation underlying the phenomenon appear, for example, when an alleged seer declares to have lied, or when the evidence indicates that the blood on a crucifix belongs to the alleged seer, etc.

The different types of votes

Discernment of the alleged supernatural phenomena may lead to the following conclusions:

1- Nihil obstat - Although no certainty is expressed about the supernatural authenticity of the phenomenon, numerous signs of an action of the Holy Spirit "in the midst" are recognized... For this reason the diocesan bishop is encouraged to appreciate and pastoral value and to promote the diffusion of this spiritual proposal, also through possible pilgrimages to a sacred place.

2- Prae oculis habeatur - Although important positive signs are recognized, some elements of confusion are also noted... If there are writings or messages, a doctrinal clarification may be necessary.

These first two conclusions are sufficient for the faithful to trust

3- Curatur - Several or significant critical elements are detected, but at the same time there is already a wide diffusion of the phenomenon and the presence of spiritual fruits related and verifiable with it. In this sense, a prohibition that could disturb the People of God is not recommended. In such cases, the diocesan Bishop is urged not to encourage this phenomenon.

4- Submandate - The critical problems detected are not linked to the phenomenon itself, which is full of positive elements, but to a person, a family or a group of people...

In these cases, the pastoral guidance of the specific place where the phenomenon occurs is entrusted to the diocesan bishop or to another person delegated by the Holy See, who, when he cannot intervene directly, will try to reach a reasonable agreement.

5- Prohibetur et obstruatur - "Despite the presence of legitimate requests and some positive elements, the critical issues and risks appear serious," then "the Dicastery asks the diocesan bishop to publicly declare that participation in this phenomenon is not permitted."

6- Declaration of non-supernaturalness. In this case, the diocesan bishop is authorized by the Dicastery to declare that the phenomenon is not recognized as supernatural.

Neither the diocesan bishop, nor the Episcopal Conferences, nor the Dicastery, as a general rule, will declare that these phenomena are of supernatural origin. And in the event that the Dicastery should grant a Nihil obstatsuch phenomena do not become an object of faith. Unless the Holy Father wishes to authorize a procedure in this regard.

Procedures to follow

In the first place, "it is up to the diocesan Bishop, in dialogue with the national Episcopal Conference, to examine the cases of alleged supernatural phenomena occurring in his territory and to formulate the final judgment on them, to be submitted to the approval of the Dicastery".

Then, "in the event that the elements collected seem sufficient, the diocesan bishop decides to initiate a phase of evaluation of the phenomenon, in order to propose to the Dicastery a definitive judgment in his Votum".

In addition, a "commission of inquiry" must be set up, whose members include at least one theologian, one canonist and one expert, chosen according to the nature of the phenomenon" and that "a notary is also appointed to attend the meetings and take minutes of the interrogations".

And if there are "videos, audios, photographs" disseminated by the media, which have as author a person involved in the alleged phenomenon, such material must be subjected to a careful examination by experts", as well as submitting the "findings to an organic laboratory related to the extraordinary event".

Among the negative criteria are doctrinal errors, subjective perception of the phenomenon; a sectarian spirit that generates division in the ecclesial fabric; evident search for profit, power, fame, social notoriety; seriously immoral acts, but also "psychic alterations or psychopathic tendencies of the subject, which may have influenced the alleged supernatural event, or psychosis, mass hysteria or other elements attributable to a pathological horizon".

Then the diocesan Bishop, with the help of the Delegate, will prepare a report on the alleged phenomenon. And "taking into account all the facts of the case, both positive and negative, draw up a Votum".

Whatever the approved determination, the diocesan bishop has the duty to continue to monitor the phenomenon and the persons involved, specifically exercising his ordinary power.

Instead, in the case where the alleged supernatural phenomena can be attributed with certainty to a deliberate intention to mystify, the diocesan bishop will apply the canonical penal legislation in force on a case-by-case basis. This does not mean that the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith does not have the right to intervene. motu proprioat any time and in any state of discernment, in relation to the alleged supernatural phenomena.

Some specific cases

Regarding some events, such as what happened in Medjugorje, Cardinal Fernandez indicated that "with these norms it is easier to reach a prudential conclusion".

He also considered that the growth of devotion to an event does not depend on a declaration of supernaturalness.

Regarding the 'apparitions' in the town of Trevignano, in the province of Rome, he indicated that the bishop, encouraged by the Dicastery, declared the 'non-supernaturalness'. And if these people want to continue "we have no police, we cannot forbid them to ask for money on a land that is not ours". In the meantime, in order to reach excommunication - he specified - schism is necessary.

The authorHernan Sergio Mora

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United States

Christ travels through the United States: Eucharistic Pilgrimage begins

Joel Stepanek, one of the organizers of the Eucharistic Pilgrimage in the United States, talks about this great event that is part of the Eucharistic Renaissance.

Paloma López Campos-May 17, 2024-Reading time: 4 minutes
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Joel Stepanek, vice president for programming and administration of the Eucharistic Congress

The National Eucharistic Pilgrimage begins in the United States. From May 17 to July 16, thousands of Catholics will take to the streets of the country along the four established routes, in order to prepare the Eucharistic Congress.

Joel Stepanek is the event's vice president of programming and administration. His job is to coordinate all the teams mobilized for this great event in the country. Married and father of three children, he has been involved in youth evangelism for a long time.

As this interview shows, for him, this Eucharistic Pilgrimage is a great opportunity for American Catholics, a historic event in which they have invested many resources and efforts to promote the Eucharistic Revival.

What is the origin of this Eucharistic Pilgrimage and why do you think it is important for it to be held before the National Eucharistic Congress?

- The National Eucharistic Pilgrimage came about during the planning meetings for the Congress. We thought it would be wonderful to make a pilgrimage with the Blessed Sacrament to Indianapolis in the weeks leading up to that moment of Eucharistic Renewal. Knowing that thousands of Catholics will be in Indianapolis, there are also many who will not be able to be there and this Pilgrimage allows those people to have a meaningful participation in the Congress.

There are many local dioceses that are planning events that will allow many more people to be part of this project that the Holy Spirit is doing in the United States. And the main reason for the Pilgrimage is to pray. We have four routes with our Lord and we are going to use that time to pray for our country.

The four routes have different titles: Mary, Elizabeth Ann Seton, Juan Diego and Junipero Serra. Why did they choose those names?

- The three saints are close to the points of origin of these routes. They made sense as patrons of the routes that start from each region because of the connection they have with them. The Marian Route, on the other hand, passes through ChampionWisconsin, which is the only apparition of Our Blessed Mother in the United States.

Eucharistic Pilgrimage routes
The four routes of the National Eucharistic Pilgrimage (OSV News illustration / courtesy National Eucharistic Congress)

How is the process to coordinate so many people in such an important event?

- Our wonderful team has been working with the local parishes and dioceses to help them organize these events. We actually bring the pilgrims and the Blessed Sacrament, but it is the local parishes and dioceses that organize the events. So the National Eucharistic Pilgrimage has been a catalyst for dioceses and parishes to organize their own Eucharistic events.

In fact, much of the work has been about connecting the dots. We are excited to tour these places and celebrate the Eucharist with so many people. People will gather to pray, serve and worship Christ in their own areas.

Have you learned anything new about parish or diocesan life from working with them on this project?

- I've been very blessed by how enthusiastic people are about this. I think sometimes in the U.S. Church there can be an idea that dioceses are too bureaucratic, that local parishes can be more about maintenance than mission.

However, wherever we have gone they have really stepped forward into something new and evangelizing.I have been very edified by the willingness of the people in the places we have gone, not only do they want to do something for their people, but they are enthusiastic about it.

There will be processions with the Blessed Sacrament, what measures will you take to ensure that Christ in the Blessed Sacrament is guarded and respected during the Eucharistic Pilgrimage?

- Each route will have with it two chaplains, many times they are priests, at a couple of times there will be deacons. So the ordinary ministers of the Eucharist will always be responsible for the procession with the Blessed Sacrament.

The priest chaplains and deacon chaplains have specific instructions on how the Blessed Sacrament is to be deposited at the end of the day, as well as emergency precautions. If anything should happen during the course of the pilgrimage, from bad weather to a road blockage due to a protest, we have thought about it and made provision for it.

Can people with reduced mobility or those who, for various reasons, are unable to make the entire route participate in the Eucharistic Pilgrimage?

- They can do it, and that's why I think the work of the local parishes and dioceses has been so critical. Much of what we will do with the pilgrimage, in terms of public events, does not necessarily involve walking.

Certainly, there will be processions in the cities and people will be able to join in at various points along the route to walk with the pilgrims. But many times, there will be events in the parishes with a Eucharistic exposition, prayer evenings, penance services, etc.

People with mobility problems will have many opportunities to participate in any of these events, which are part of the National Eucharistic Pilgrimage.

Who are the perpetual pilgrims and how have they been chosen?

- The Perpetual Pilgrims are a group of young adults from all over the United States who applied to participate. They are young people between the ages of 21 and 29 who wanted to walk with the Lord for eight weeks. They went through a fairly dense interview process with written applications. Once selected, they have gone through a formation process that included an initial retreat in February and weekly formation sessions, as well as individual meetings with our team, to prepare them for the physical and spiritual challenge that this pilgrimage will entail.

You are very involved in youth ministry, what do you see in the attitude of young people in the Church that gives you hope?

- The seeds of the Renaissance are in the young Church. Teenagers and young adults have been attracted to the Eucharist. They have a very Eucharist-centered faith, which is good. I think it's been beautiful to see youth ministry and young adult ministry grow over the last few decades. For young Catholics in the United States, this moment is especially significant because it provides a moment of unity within the Church.

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The World

Concilium Sinense: A Century of History and Prophecy for the Catholic Church in China

This year is the 100th anniversary of the "Concilium Sinense", the first Council of the Catholic Church in China. On this occasion, the Pontifical Urbaniana University has organized the international convention "100 years of the Concilium Sinense: between history and the present".

Giovanni Tridente-May 17, 2024-Reading time: 3 minutes
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On Tuesday, May 21, 2024, the Pontifical Urbaniana University will host an international congress entitled "100 years of the Concilium Sinense: between history and the present", in commemoration of the centenary of the First Council of the Catholic Church in China. This historic event, which took place in the Cathedral of St. Ignatius of Loyola in Shanghai in 1924, marked a milestone in the apostolic mission and development process of the local Church in China, underlining the importance of a native Church led by native bishops and priests.

A bit of history

The event, which is now a century old, was convened in the context of the apostolic letter "Maximum Illud"Pope Benedict XV and was born as an attempt to deeply root the Christian faith in the Chinese social and cultural fabric. In fact, the Pope, whose birth name was "Giacomo della Chiesa", in his 1919 letter, urged the recognition that faith in Christ was not alien to any nation and that being a Christian did not imply submission to foreign powers. The Council of Shanghai aligned itself with this view, promoting Chinese ecclesiastical autonomy and combating colonial influences on ecclesiastical practices.

During the "Sinense Council" crucial decisions were made for the growth of an indigenous clergy. Bishops and priests from the Asian country were encouraged to take on the leadership of local communities, which marked a decisive turning point in the history of the Catholic Church in China. The conciliar provisions were thus intended to counteract the colonial mentality and to foster the formation of an ecclesial identity proper to that territorial context. This also included the promotion of diocesan synods, meetings between religious and laity, and support for the creation of lay-led associations.

The centennial congress

The international congress organized by the Urbaniana will not only be a historical celebration, but also an opportunity to reflect on the actuality of that synodal experience, announced in a note from Fides, an organization that, together with the university, depends directly on the Dicastery for Evangelization (Section for First Evangelization and the New Particular Churches), and which, together with the Pastoral Commission for China, is coordinating the work.

Congress poster

The event will be attended by the Bishop of Shanghai, Joseph Shen Bin, Cardinal Secretary of State Pietro Parolin, and Cardinal Luis Antonio G. Tagle, proprefect of the Dicastery for Evangelization, who will deliver the closing address. Tagle, proprefect of the Dicastery for Evangelization, who will deliver the closing address.

Chinese academics and researchers will also speak, including Professor Zheng Xiaoyun, president of the Institute of World Religions of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, and Professor Liu Guopeng, a researcher at the same organization.

The proceedings will be introduced by a video message from Pope Francis and the screening of the documentary "Between History and the Present. 100 years of the Council of Shanghai".

Between memory and prophecy

The Shanghai Council, with its groundbreaking decisions, remains "a source of inspiration for the contemporary Church," reads the preparatory material. Indeed, the promotion of a local clergy and the development of the local Church are themes that continue to resonate today, especially in an era of globalization and growing intercultural tensions. The conference will seek to draw lessons from that experience to meet the modern challenges of evangelization.

A look to the future, to continue building, with hope and determination, a truly Catholic Church, in the fullest and most universal sense of the term.

The authorGiovanni Tridente

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Integral ecology

Patricia Díez: "Forgiveness germinates in the family".

Being wrong is nowadays a cause of anguish, it triggers anxiety and makes people unable to accept themselves as they are, which is why forgiveness is becoming increasingly important as a basis for human relationships. In this interview, Patricia Díez, PhD in Psychology, talks about this topic.

Francisco Otamendi-May 16, 2024-Reading time: 6 minutes
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The lack of real interpersonal relationship and the increase of a virtual relationship (more ideal) have favored the fear of error, of making a mistake, of showing an image of oneself that does not meet social standards, and "have increased the pictures of depressionanxiety, the need for approval, the cult of the body and even the inability to be assertive for fear of rejection," says Patricia Díez Deustua, PhD in Psychology, clinical psychologist and family therapist at the Multidisciplinary Unit for Family Assistance (UMAF).

This professor of the International University of Catalonia (UIC) lives in Sant Cugat del Vallés, is a mother of twelve children, and considers, in this interview with Omnes, that in the context she cites "the concept of forgiveness as the basis of human relations is once again gaining importance. Asking for forgiveness and forgiving are forms of love applicable to any society".

What does it take to understand forgiveness?

-Understanding who the person is and how he/she manifests him/herself. We all manifest ourselves to others and to the world at three levels: a cognitive, an affective and a behavioral level. That is to say, through our way of thinking, feeling or behaving we define who we are. This is what we call personality. One thing is who I am and another how I behave.

And what do we mean by offense?

-The offense refers to a moral wrong that is felt by a subject as a transgression to his or her person, causing a certain degree of discomfort in the person who suffers it.

In this sense, the offense can be objective or subjective, because it can be the result of the subject's interpretation of certain facts or it could be based on sensations, for example. A person may intend to offend another and yet not offend him because his emotional level has not been altered after the alleged offense.

It could be the case of a small child who thinks that by telling his mother that he does not intend to pull up his socks he could offend her; or the typical opposite situation, in which a WhatsApp is interpreted as offensive when it was not intended to be because the intentionality or the tone in which it was written has been interpreted.

It has an emotional impact...

-Correct, for something to offend me means that it has altered my affective plane. The offense is an evil that is felt, it hurts me, it offends me, it affects me in some way in a negative way, it transgresses me. If this transgression did not exist, this negative emotional impact, we could not be talking about forgiveness because nothing would be offending me. The offense refers to this negative affectation that impacts on the offended: "the self feels hurt", negatively affected by something, which reason interprets as bad. Therefore, when we speak of interpersonal forgiveness, there are three elements to take into account: the offense, the offender and the offended..

Patricia Díez with her husband and children

Forgiveness is born from the one who feels offended...

-Yes, the one who has the possibility to forgive or not the evil received by the offender. That is to say, when someone offends, the one who has the power to initiate a process of forgiveness is the offended person: an external evil affects me and I am responsible for repairing, reestablishing or doing something about it or deciding not to do it; the ball is now in my court without having decided to do so.

This reflection is undoubtedly interesting because we must be aware that forgiveness is born from the offended subject and therefore does not need the repentance of the offender for it to happen, although it is undoubtedly easier. I can decide to forgive, as the free subject that I am, independently of the attitude of my offender, and free myself from the evil that conditions my emotional state.

Define forgiveness.

-There is consensus on issues such as forgiveness is a free act of the will; it is not forgiven by mistake or unintentionally; it seeks to reduce the negative feelings resulting from the offense while promoting positive feelings and good motivations toward the offender. We found consensus in involving benevolence as part of the process.

We could define forgiveness as an act of love, understood as taking a position before a person and before an evil that is presented to us; we choose to love the person, but not the evil committed. In this sense, the one who forgives recognizes the evil and values it as such, but does not equate the evil action with the subject who commits it, but is able to see in him a person worthy of being loved in spite of his mistakes.

By taking a position, we mean that, although it is born from an act of free and voluntary decision to want to forgive, it is possible that this act must be renewed when negative emotions appear. That is why in psychology, instead of an act, we speak of the process of forgiveness, because it requires a period of time..

There are several processes involved in forgiveness.

-Forgiveness is a process that is necessary for forgiveness to take place, although not at the same time. On the one hand, he describes a cognitive process, a decision to forgive the other (Decisional Forgiveness) and, on the other hand, an emotional process. That is, the heart has its time and although I can decide to forgive at a given time, not always when it is easy to decide, the damage could still produce discomfort (Emotional Forgiveness).

What role does the affective part of the person play?

-Affections are about the impact that the world and the things that happen in it have on me, therefore, they arise in any circumstance.

Not only do they have a subjective character (each one is affected by things in a certain way) but, in addition, we do not choose the magnitude of how I am affected. What is proper to the person -as a rational being and different from the animal- is, precisely, to direct that affection with reason and to weigh the concrete circumstances that surround him. It is up to the animal to respond directly to affect: I am hungry, I eat; I am sleepy, I sleep; I am angry, I attack, etc., because it moves within an instinctive framework of behavior. The person has the capacity to possess himself and to manage his affections towards the most prudent behavior.

I do not decide how or how much things affect me, but I do decide what to do with that affection and thus I manage to control it, diminish it, increase it, etc. Therefore, the ability to differentiate facts from sensations, the objective from the subjective, the offending person from the offended person, etc., is of great importance.

A distinction is made between the person and his or her actions.

–When a person forgives another person, he is communicating that he is worth more than his actions, that he is worth more than his mistakes and that what he is worth is worthy of being loved. The person is always worth, his actions are not. In other words: the value of people is absolute, the value of their actions is relative. For this reason, forgiveness is the most perfect form of love, because it returns good when we receive evil. Forgiveness implies a change of look at the offender, becoming a benevolent look without detracting from the realism of the evil committed. This is the reason why forgiveness is not at odds with justice. The wrong must be repaired and such reparation may even be demanded by the offended party, who believes that the reparation is doing good to the one who committed the offense. This is the case of mothers who, having forgiven their children for a prank, nevertheless demand that they go to the room to refrain or abstain them from some reward.

Tell me something to help me understand.

-Those who know they are fragile are more capable of understanding the error of others. Empathy is one of the variables that have been shown to condition (but not determine) forgiveness. In other words, it is necessary to know oneself to be fragile in order to understand the fragility of others. And it is then that we could affirm that it is fair to forgive as well as it could be fair to want reparation for the offense. In this sense, forgiveness, as the authors say, is not forgetting or condoning. If one person steals from another, the situation could be said to demand both forgiveness from the offended and reparation from the offender, even if it is not necessary for forgiveness to occur.

In addition, forgiveness is a process....

-Imagine for a moment that you decide to forgive your partner who has run the company you were running together into the ground. You make the decision to forgive him and you even believe that you have succeeded. But it is also possible that when you pass by his house you will relive the feelings that once offended him. That does not depend directly on anyone. It is at that moment that one has to renew the decision to forgive, but the process already started with the first decision.

The process that begins with a decision ends with peace, both with the offender and with the offense; the offense no longer offends me and I am able to feel positive affection towards my offender. To forgive is not to forget the offense but to forget the pain it has caused me; it is to be able to think about it without feeling affected by it because I have achieved peace. Forgiveness leads to a possible reconciliation where the relationship is strengthened.

A message I would like to convey.

-We need a culture of forgiveness, of unity that overcomes brokenness, loneliness, anxieties, etc.; we need to rehabilitate a culture in which people grow and develop with the experience of being loved unconditionally, regardless of the mistakes they may make. The seed of this culture, so necessary for the psychic and spiritual health of society, is cultivated in the family.

The authorFrancisco Otamendi

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