Church and communication: a challenge of 21 centuries

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Evangelization

Church and communication: a challenge of 21 centuries

Advertise the good news of salvation is a fundamental task of the Church, which must make use of every language of communication present in society.

Pablo Alfonso Fernández-April 4, 2024-Reading time: 6 minutes

Since its origin, the Church has been entrusted by Jesus Christ with the task of communication: its evangelizing mission consists in proclaiming the Gospel. the good news of salvation. In order to carry it out, he counts principally on the help of the Holy Spirit, who enlightens, impels and vivifies his Church. But, as theology teaches, grace is no substitute for nature, and for this reason it is appropriate to employ the human means at our disposal to facilitate its action in souls.

Among these media are the so-called Information Sciences, with all the technical background and specifications of an increasingly professionalized activity.

Communication tasks have evolved with the media and specialized training, so it is important to consider the best way to carry out institutional communication in the Church, while respecting and facilitating the work of professionals.

This is a necessary collaboration, which benefits both the communicators in their work of presenting and disseminating events of informative relevance, and the Church itself, which becomes better known and can show the world the beauty of the Gospel in the events presented as news.

An ethical task

As in other professions, the task of the communicator has a strong component of trust. The information source we choose is determined by the guarantees of veracity and integrity in the interpretation of the reality that it transmits to us.

For this reason, the Church cannot remain unaware of the moral implications of the use of the media, and it is in her interest to contribute to their development in a way that respects the dignity of the person. This is affirmed in the Decree Inter MirificaThe first of these recognizes the human right to information and its link to truth, charity and justice.

It also invites us to think about the consequences that what is transmitted has on people's behavior, and therefore reminds us of the responsibility of professionals, recipients and the civil authority when selecting and disseminating content.

Basically, it is a matter of remembering that there is a difference between the informative resonance that an event may have and its relevance. We must recognize that it is in our interest to be up to date, but we must learn to read events in a different key than sensationalism, in order to know how to interpret what is happening: a fallen tree always makes more noise than a growing forest. And this applies both to events in the world and to those that have to do with the life of the Church.

The British priest Ronald Knox (1888-1957) explained that in Jerusalem everyone knew at once that Judas had hanged himself, but very few noticed Mary's simple and fruitful fidelity.

For more than 50 years, the Church has been helping to reflect on this task from an ethical perspective, with the Messages for Social Communications Day. The Pope publishes them every year on the occasion of the feast of St. Francis de Sales, and they make us look at some relevant and topical aspect that awakens consciences. For example, in his message for 2024, Pope Francis mentions some of the consequences of the use of artificial intelligence.

With its own dynamics

The aforementioned document of the Second Vatican Council also reminds us that "it is primarily up to the laity to enliven these means with a human and Christian spirit". This is one of the expressions of the Social Doctrine of the Church, to which it generically referred to Benedict XVI in his first Encyclical. There he explained that it is not the task of the Church to undertake on its own the political enterprise of realizing the most just society possible.

It is true that it cannot and must not remain on the sidelines of this struggle for justice, but it is inserted in it through rational argumentation and must awaken the spiritual forces, striving to open the intelligence and the will to the demands of the good (cfr. Deus caritas est, n.28).

With regard to the tasks of communication, it is understood that the role of the ecclesiastical authority is not properly that of having certain means from which to contribute to public opinion, but rather to enliven the various initiatives of the citizens with the Christian spirit.

It is true that the Church does not have as its own mission an institutional presence in the world of communication, nor in the world of education, hospital care or the provision of social services. But, at the same time, it enjoys the same rights as any other public or private institution to direct or promote initiatives in these fields of social life.

For this reason, it is also understood that the promotion of Catholic media is possible (and to this proposal the Decree dedicates the Decree Inter Mirifica Chapter II), who can act in the world of communication with professionalism and present their informative proposal, like any other valid interlocutor in society.

Institutional Communication in the Church is increasingly carried out with greater professionalism, and the efforts of ecclesiastical Universities to give importance to the preparation of professional communicators who can lead Media Delegations in the dioceses or launch initiatives in the world of news agencies about the Church are to be welcomed.

A recent encounter

In a recent colloquium organized by a Spanish diocese, a group of journalists were invited to discuss Church communications in a climate of frankness and mutual respect. For example, the discussion on the management of information on abuses served to call for greater professionalism on the part of reporters and better channels of communication with Church authorities.

The conclusion of the meeting was that the media are willing to publish more information about the Church, and that the work of the Media Delegations is appreciated and valued by the professionals of the general media.

In fact, most of the news about the Church are positive references, about Caritas, testimonies of people involved in educational tasks or the care of the religious artistic heritage.

In general, social interventions promoted by the Church are of informative interest, as are some religious events that involve the mobilization of resources in the places where they take place, such as pilgrimages or patron saint celebrations.

A necessary contribution

In any case, the vision of the activity of the Church from some media is still limited, either because of ignorance or ideological interests. Some professionals are still entrenched in a certain closed-minded mentality towards spiritual life, which tends to marginalize the opinions and actions of believers simply because they belong to people who understand their faith as something important and decisive in their lives. No attention is paid to the reasonableness or interest of the proposals, and they are directly branded because of their origin without even listening to them.

This is well reflected in a passage of the novel The awakening of Miss Prim (Natalia Sanmartín, 2014). The protagonist of this story maintains a dialogue with the owner of the house where she works as a librarian. At one point in the conversation she rejects an argument, considering that its origin lies in the religious convictions of her interlocutor. But he invites her to reason, and to tell him whether or not she thinks what he has said is correct: if she can only contradict him on the grounds that it comes from a believer, it is not a valid argument.

Some would like Catholics to return to the catacombs, or at least not to leave the sacristies. In some circles it seems that the Edict of the emperor Julian (361-363), which demanded that the teachers of the schools of Rhetoric and Grammar believe loyally in the gods, should remain "confined in the churches to comment on Matthew and Luke".

There is an effort to show the contributions of faith to social life as irrelevant, or to reduce its impact to a limited sphere without recognizing its influence on so many cultural manifestations that shape coexistence.

Believing thought is tolerated at most as a folkloric expression that has its place and its moment, as a concession to an inevitable regionalism, but it is not admitted as a reasonable and sensible posture that can help the development of the world.

Servants of truth

The Church is called to share in the destiny of mankind and therefore has the right and the obligation to make herself known in her words, in her actions and in her contributions to the common good. For their part, those who work in the elaboration and diffusion of informative messages must be ever more conscious of their responsibility as servants of the truth.

This was recently recalled by Pope Francis in an address on March 23 of this year to the directors and workers of RAI and their families, in which he described their work as a true public service that is a gift to the community, and encouraged them to cultivate an attitude of listening that would help them to grasp the truth as a reality. symphonymade up of a variety of voices.

The true service of a professional communicator, in the words of the Pope, contributes to truth and the common good, promotes beauty, sets in motion dynamics of solidarity and helps to find meaning in life in a perspective of good. Their work involves everyone, and brings new perspectives to reality, without pursuing audience quotas to the detriment of content.

It may seem an idealized or somewhat naive vision, but the alternative would be defeatism, and it seems that Francis is not willing to throw in the towel: a greater supply of quality content can be built, it all depends on the ability to dream big.

And it concludes with an invitation to media professionals to turn their work into a surpriseThe Church should be a place of companionship, unity, reconciliation, listening, dialogue, respect and humility. This is a challenge for journalists and for those who collaborate with them in their work in the Church.

The authorPablo Alfonso Fernández

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Gospel

The sending of the apostles. Second Sunday of Easter (B)

Joseph Evans comments on the readings of Sunday II of Easter and Luis Herrera offers a short video homily.

Joseph Evans-April 4, 2024-Reading time: 2 minutes

"As the Father has sent me, even so I send you.". This is the beautiful message of the Gospel of today's Mass, a day also called Divine Mercy Sunday. The sending of the apostles, the preaching of the Church, and the sending of Christ to us too, are part of God's merciful plan so that his saving message may reach all peoples and all times.

Jesus Christ sends you and me to proclaim his good news of salvation in our particular place: our town, our city. Someone brought the good news to us; now we are commissioned to bring it to others. It is not based on our abilities or our power, but on the power of the Holy Spirit. And so we read: "When he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, 'Receive the Holy Spirit'.". It is the gift of the Spirit, and not our own gifts, that enables us to evangelize. And an important part of this good news is the forgiveness of sins: "...".Whose sins ye forgive, they are forgiven; whose sins ye retain, they are retained".

A key aspect of mercy is the forgiveness of sins, which comes to us primarily in the sacrament of Confession. We are instruments of mercy when we bring people to confession. But we can also be instruments of mercy in other ways: for example, when we reconcile people. I once heard of a dying lady who said to an acquaintance of hers, a woman who had had a bitter quarrel with another woman: "Isn't it time you reconciled with her?". He used his last breath to try to reconcile others. How much we need to pray for more forgiveness in the world. All the wars we witness these days are precisely expressions of a lack of forgiveness and only make forgiveness more difficult.

But we have received the breath of the Spirit, which is more powerful than the foul breath of Satan. We have the power to be merciful and peacemakers as Christ calls us to be (Mt 5:7,9). We could bring the peace of Christ if only we had faith. Today's Gospel also shows us Thomas' lack of faith. He needed healing. Sometimes we fail to share God's mercy with others because we ourselves do not believe in it enough. In practice, we consider Christ more dead than alive. Then we need to touch Jesus, to come into contact with him, in Scripture, in the Eucharist, in the poor, so that he transforms our lack of faith into deep belief. "Do not be unbelievers, but believers"Jesus tells us. And we can answer with Thomas: "My Lord and my God!".

The homily on the readings of Sunday II of Easter (B)

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

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Pope calls for a cease-fire in Gaza and a fraternal world

In his catechesis on the cardinal virtue of justice, the Holy Father urged the construction of a fraternal and united world during the Wednesday Audience of the Octave of Easter. And he called for a cease-fire in Gaza and against the "madness of war", with the rosary and the New Testament of a young 23-year-old soldier killed in Ukraine, Alexander.

Francisco Otamendi-April 3, 2024-Reading time: 3 minutes

Pope Francis again this morning called for an immediate cease-fire in the Gaza Strip, so that humanitarian aid can reach the civilian population, and for the release of hostages, and expressed his "deep sadness" over the death of seven aid workers following an Israeli bombing. "I pray for them and their families," he said.

He also showed the rosary and a New Testament of Alexander, a young 23-year-old soldier killed in the war in Ukraine. On this occasion, the Pontiff called for an end to "the madness of war, which always destroys", and asked not to forget "the tormented Ukraine, so many dead!

At that time, at the end of the General Audience On the Wednesday of the Octave of Easter, the Pope asked for a moment of silent prayer for all the dead, asking that we "pray" for peace, with the testimony of Alexander and of so many young people killed in this war and in others that plague the world.

The death in Gaza the day before yesterday of seven aid workers from the non-governmental organization World Central Kitchen (WCK), founded by chef José Andrés, has shocked the international community. The NGO's deceased include British nationals, citizens of Australia, Poland, a Palestinian and a dual US/Canadian citizen.

Justice, fundamental for peaceful coexistence

Today's Audience took place in St. Peter's Square and the Pope read all his speeches in person before numerous groups of pilgrims and faithful from Italy and around the world. In his address in Italian, he continued the cycle of catechesis on "Vices and Virtues" by focusing his reflection on the theme of justice with a reading of an excerpt from the Book of Proverbs 21.

The second of the cardinal virtues is justice. It is the social virtue par excellence. The Catechism of the Catholic Church defines it as follows: "The moral virtue that consists in the constant and firm will to give to God and to one's neighbor what is due to them" (n. 1807), Francis began by quoting the motto that represents it: "unicuique suum - to each his own".

It is a fundamental virtue for peaceful coexistence in society, which consists of regulating relationships -with God and among people- with fairness, giving each one his due; and for this reason it is symbolically represented by a scale.

"Without justice there is no peace"

"The just person is upright, simple and honest; he knows the laws and respects them; he keeps his word; in his speech he does not use half-truths or deceitful subtleties. To live this virtue it is necessary to watch and examine oneself, to be faithful "in little and in much," and to be grateful."

"Justice is an antidote to corruption and other harmful behaviors -such as slander, false testimony, fraud, usury- that eat away at fraternity and social friendship. For this reason, it is essential to educate in the sense of justice and foster a culture of legality". "Without justice there is no peace," the Pope said.

In his words to pilgrims of different languages, the Holy Father prayed that "the light of the Risen Christ may guide us along paths of justice and peace, and the life-giving power of his love may make us bold builders of a more fraternal and united world. May Jesus bless you and the Holy Virgin watch over you".

Divine Mercy Sunday

In greeting the Polish pilgrims, Pope Francis recalled the Divine Mercy Sundaywhich the Church celebrates on April 7, and which "recalls the message of saint Faustina Kowalska. Let us never doubt God's love, but let us firmly and confidently entrust our lives and the world to the Lord, asking him especially for a just peace for the war-torn nations".

The authorFrancisco Otamendi

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Mother Cabrini, the patron saint of immigrants

Cinema

Cabrini, the Italian woman who revolutionized New York

The life of the first U.S. citizen saint, Francisca Javier Cabrini, comes to theaters under the direction of Alejandro Monteverde in a film of singular photographic and musical beauty.

Paloma López Campos-April 3, 2024-Reading time: 3 minutes

The first U.S. citizen to be canonized already has a film. Under the direction of Alejandro Monteverde ("Sound of Freedom", "Bella" or "Little Boy") the biography of the Italian saint comes to the screens. Francisca Javier Cabrini.

Mother Cabrini founded, together with six other companions, the order of the Missionaries of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. As superior, she wanted to take the mission to the East, to care for the needy children there. However, at the request of Pope Leo XIII, she ended up traveling to the United States, specifically to New York, to begin social work with the orphaned children of the "Five Points".

After many obstacles and a hard process of adaptation to American life, so hostile to Italian immigrants, Mother Cabrini managed to expand her work of accompanying and caring for the most vulnerable in many U.S. cities. She finally became a U.S. citizen and died in Chicago at the age of 67.

Still from the film "An Italian Woman (Cabrini)" (Angel Studios).

Impeccable photography and soundtrack

Alejandro Monteverde portrays the passionate life of this nun in a film that premiered on March 8 in the United States and will arrive in Spain on May 10. It stars Cristiana Dell'Anna, who plays the role wonderfully. Cabrini's firmness is seen in Dell' Anna's looks, making sure that the viewer cannot help but admire this brave woman who stood up to an entire society.

Gorka Gómez Andreu's photography is visually magnificent. Moving from Rome to New York, the scenes are of a special beauty. Accompanied by Gene Back's soundtrack, it is difficult to sit indifferent in front of the screen.

However, the script written by Alejandro Monteverde and Rod Barr makes the film lose some of its charm. It is a shame that some moments of such a moving story with great potential to inspire the audience are lost in the dialogue.

The image and the music do much more to tell the story of Mother Cabrini's life than the script, which is hard to get hooked on. However, there are phrases that leave the viewer thinking and the articles written and read aloud by the character Theodore Calloway, a journalist of the "New York Times", magnificently reflect the work of the missionaries. These "off-screen" interventions really help to understand the greatness of what Francisca Cabrini and her companions did in New York.

Cabrini, imperfect and admirable

On the other hand, the film depicts the harshness of Italian immigrant life, but does not revel in the pain. On the contrary, the film provides an enlightened view of suffering, focusing on what the protagonist describes in the film as an "empire of hope". It is surprising, however, that such a noble enterprise is not shown praying to its promoter, a nun who is now a saint.

The protagonist appears only once praying and it is in a moment of absolute despair. Cabrini will enter a church again throughout the film, but instead of praying she argues loudly with Archbishop Corrigan.

In spite of this, the foundress of the missionary order does make frequent allusions to God and to the importance of considering her neighbor as a child of the Father. Likewise, the characters repeat on many occasions that Cabrini faces many problems precisely because she is a woman. The film makes an admirable effort to show that sex is not a limitation for the saint, but its devastating phrases in this regard reach an almost extreme harshness towards the masculine at times.

A must see movie

All in all, the film is worthwhile. It brings the difficult life of immigrants in the United States to our times, and the testimony of Mother Cabrini continues to touch the hearts of many. Her courage and love for the most vulnerable are exemplary, bringing tears to the audience's eyes when least expected.

The quality of the picture and sound completely erase the prejudice that Christian cinema is not up to Hollywood standards, for in this film Monteverde has ensured that the final product is of the finest quality. The film is not perfect, nor was Cabrini, something the feature is not afraid to show, but it is a powerful, inspiring and true story. It is the story of a holy woman who was not afraid to defy boundaries out of an authentic and evangelical love for her children, the vulnerable.

Cinema

Mother Cabrini, the patron saint of immigrants

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Pope's teachings

Evangelizing with the style of mercy

Catholics are called to mission and the Pope has deepened this universal vocation through aspects such as education, mercy and the witness of hope.

Ramiro Pellitero-April 3, 2024-Reading time: 7 minutes

What are today's educational priorities? How can we transmit today, especially among young men and women, the meaning of life as a "mission"?

As the next Jubilee, in 2025, approaches, the Pope has referred in recent weeks to the great themes of the evangelizing mission: faith and its transmission, mercy as the principal manifestation of charity, hope as the force that sustains us on our journey.

The formative and educational task

On the occasion of the 90th anniversary of the archiepiscopal seminary of NaplesThe Pope had a meeting with the authorities and seminarians. With regard to formation, Francis noted, the Church is like a "a work in continuous construction"..

"And this is also what he asks of you: to be servants-this means ministers-who know how to adopt a style of pastoral discernment in every situation, knowing that all of us, priests and laity, are on the way to fullness and are workers in a work under construction. We cannot offer monolithic and ready-made answers to today's complex reality, but must invest our energies in proclaiming what is essential, which is the mercy of God, manifesting it through closeness, paternity and gentleness, perfecting the art of discernment.".

He stressed the need for a priestly formation that is rooted in commitment, passion and creativity, together with charity, spiritual life and fraternity.

On a more general level, that of Catholic-inspired education, the Pope wrote a message for the Congress promoted by the Spanish bishops and held in Spain during the month of February, with the title "....The Church in Education. Presence and Commitment"(cfr. Message of 20-II-2024). The previous congress of similar characteristics had been held one hundred years earlier.

Francis writes: "The Church's educational mission has continued down through the centuries. Then and now, we are driven by the same great hope that springs from the Gospel, with which we look to all, beginning with the smallest and most vulnerable.". He adds that education is first and foremost "an act of hopeThe "new" in the face of people, the horizons of their lives, their possibilities of change and of contributing to the renewal of society.

"Today -continues the Pope- the educational mission has a particular urgency, which is why I have insisted on aglobal education pact (cf. Francis, Message launching the Global Education Pact, 2019 and Working Paper, 2020), whose priority is to know how to put the person in the center".

He goes on to evoke some fundamental principles for a Catholic-inspired education.

First, the right to education, for no one should be excluded, considering that there are still so many children and young people without access to education in so many parts of the world, suffering from oppression, war and violence.

For this reason, Francis exhorts the congress participants (on the final day there were about 1200 educators from all over the country, gathered in Madrid), to work first and foremost for the needs of Spain, but without forgetting anyone.

"Be sensitive to the new exclusions generated by the throwaway culture. And never lose sight of the fact that the generation of relationships of justice among peoples, the capacity for solidarity with those in need, and the care of the common home will pass through the hearts, minds and hands of those who are educated today.".

Thirdly, it stresses that "what is proper to Catholic education in all areas is true humanization, a humanization that springs from faith and generates culture.".

This is supported by the reality that Christ lives and is among us: "Christ is alive and is among us.Christ always dwells in the midst of our homes, speaks our language, accompanies our families and our people".

Finally, he thanked the commitment of so many people in favor of Catholic education in Spain who, at the same time, contribute to the cultural identity of our society; bearing in mind that "education is a choral work, which always calls for collaboration and networking."social friendship, culture of encounter and craftsmanship of peace.

Man-woman, image of God

In the context of a speech to Congress "Man-woman image of God. For an anthropology of vocations"(1-III-2024), Francis pronounced himself on the "uglinessThe "gender ideology, insofar as it tends to annul the differences between men and women and, therefore, to cancel humanity.

First and foremost, he pointed out, it is necessary to rediscover that ".the path of the human being is vocation"because man himself is a vocation. "Each one of us discovers and expresses himself as a call, as a person who fulfills himself in listening and responding, sharing his being and his gifts with others for the common good.".

This is reflected in our behavior: "This discovery brings us out of the isolation of a self-referential self and makes us look at ourselves as an identity in relationship: I exist and live in relationship with the one who engendered me, with the reality that transcends me, with others and the world around me, in relation to which I am called to embrace with joy and responsibility a specific and personal mission.".

The Pope explained that today there is a tendency to forget this reality, reducing the person to his material needs or primary demands, as if he were an object without conscience or will, dragged through life as part of a mechanical cog.

"On the other hand -he remarked- men and women are created by God and are the image of the Creator; that is, they carry within them a desire for eternity and happiness that God himself has sown in their hearts and that they are called to fulfill through a specific vocation.". It is an inner tension that we must not extinguish, for we are called to happiness.

A vocation to the "we

This has important consequences: "The life of each one of us, without excluding anyone, is not an accident of the road; our being in the world is not a mere fruit of chance, but we are part of a plan of love and we are invited to go out of ourselves and to realize it, for ourselves and for others.".

The successor of Peter pointed out that this is not a task that is external to our lives, but rather "a dimension that involves our very nature, the structure of our being a man-woman in the image and likeness of God.".

And he insisted: "Not only have we been entrusted with a mission, but each and every one of us is a mission.". Here he took up again some words he had said earlier: "I am always a mission; you are always a mission; every baptized person is a mission. Whoever loves sets himself in motion, goes out of himself, is attracted and attracts, gives himself to the other and weaves relationships that generate life. For the love of God no one is useless and insignificant." (World Mission Day, 2019).

He evoked, in this regard, the illuminating words of the saintly Cardinal Newman: "I have been created to do and to be what no other has been created to do. (...) I have my own mission. Somehow I am necessary for their intentions". And also: "[God] has not created me uselessly. I will do good, I will do his work. I will be an angel of peace, a preacher of the truth in the place he has appointed me and even if I do not know it, to follow his commandments and serve him in my vocation." (Meditations and questionsMilano 2002, 38-39).

Francis pointed out the need and importance of deepening these topics, in order to disseminate "awareness of the vocation to which every human being is called by God, in the different states of life and thanks to his or her multiple charismas". Also to question the current challenges in relation to the anthropological crisis and the necessary promotion of human and Christian vocations.

The importance, in this regard, of developing "an ever more effective circularity among the various vocations, so that the works that flow from the lay state of life at the service of society and the Church, together with the gift of the ordained ministry and the consecrated life, may contribute to generate hope in a world over which heavy experiences of death are looming.".

Three themes on the horizon of the 2025 jubilee

Finally, it is worth noting the Pope's address to the dicastery for evangelization (15-III-2024), in connection with the preparation of the 2025 Jubilee.

In outlining the framework of contemporary challenges, he underscored the secularism (living as if God did not exist) of recent decades, the loss of a sense of belonging in the Christian community and indifference to the faith. These challenges need adequate responses, also taking into account the digital culture in which we find ourselves: to know how to situate the legitimacy of today's much-claimed autonomy of the person, but not on the margins of God.

After this introduction the Pope pointed out three important themes at this time and in view of the Jubilee of 2025.

The transmission of faith

First of all, the rupture in the transmission of the faith. In this regard, he pointed out the urgency of recovering the relationship with families and formation centers. And he pointed out that faith is transmitted above all by the witness of life. A testimony that has a center: "Faith in the Risen Lord, which is the heart of evangelization, to be transmitted requires a meaningful experience, lived in the family and in the Christian community as a life-changing encounter with Jesus Christ".

In this context, he stressed the importance of catechesis. In this context, he also emphasized the ministry of the catechist, especially in the field of youth, at the service of evangelization.

A third call for attention, in the same context, was addressed by the Pope to the Catechism of the Catholic ChurchThe "The Church is a fundamental reference for the education of the faith. "In this sense, I encourage you to find ways in which the Catechism of the Catholic Church can continue to be known, studied and appreciated, so that it can provide answers to the new needs that have emerged over the decades.".

The spirituality of mercy

Second theme: mercy, as "fundamental content of the work of evangelization"We have to circulate through the veins of the body of the Church. "God is mercy"as St. John Paul II had already announced at the beginning of the third millennium.

In relation to mercy, Francis pointed out the role of the pastoral care of shrines and also that of the missionaries of mercy, as witnesses of that divine mercy in the sacrament of the Confession of sins. "When evangelization is carried out with the anointing and the style of mercy, it finds greater listening, and the heart is more open to conversion.".

The strength of hope

Finally, the Bishop of Rome referred to the preparation for the Ordinary Jubilee of 2025 under the sign of the power of hope, and announced that in a few weeks the apostolic letter for its launch will be published. Hope will occupy a central place, as a "smaller" virtue that seems to be carried by its two sisters, Faith and Charity, but it is also the one that sustains them (Francis often evokes this passage from Paul Claudel's works in The Portico of the Mystery of the Second Virtuein 1911).

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Iraq: what became of the Garden of Eden?

The World

Religions in Iraq

In this article, which concludes a series of two, Gerardo Ferrara delves into the religions currently present in Iraq.

Gerardo Ferrara-April 3, 2024-Reading time: 6 minutes

Aram Pano, Iraqi priest: "What Iraq needs is fraternity". Related News

In the previous article on Iraq, we reported that in the country Islam is the religion of 95-98 % of the population, 60 % Shiite and 40 % Sunni approximately (on the differences between Shiites and Sunnis we refer to our article on Iran). Non-Islamic minorities represent less than 2 %, in particular Christians, Jews, e-mails and Yazidis.

However, until 2003, Iraq was home to one of the largest Christian minorities in the Middle East, with 1.5 million believers: they were 6 % of the population (12 % in 1947), but today less than 200,000 remain.

Christianity in Iraq

Christianity has been present in Iraq for millennia (also here, as in Iran, longer than the current state religion, Islam), and with a very rich tradition.

Traditionally, St. Thomas the Apostle is considered the evangelizer of Mesopotamia and Persia, followed in the mission by Addai (Thaddeus), one of the seventy disciples of Jesus and first bishop of Edessa, and his disciple Mari (famous is the Anaphora of Addai and Mari, considered one of the oldest Eucharistic formulas), already in the first century. The Church of the East, also known as the Church of Persia, the Assyrian Church or the Nestorian Church, with its own specific identity, was born between the 3rd and 4th centuries, when it separated from Western Christianity at the Council of Ephesus (431), when the Assyrian and Persian bishops did not accept the condemnation of Bishop Nestorius and their ideasand later with the Council of Chalcedon (451). This led to a split within the Eastern Church, with Chalcedonian and non-Chalcedonian ecclesiastical hierarchies at odds.

The Assyrian Church, whose center of gravity was therefore in Mesopotamia and Persia, was characterized by the Antiochene tradition, represented above all by Theodore of Mopsuestia, friend and confrere in the same monastic community as John Chrysostom in Antioch, and the liturgy proper to the early Church, very close therefore to the Jewish synagogal. Not being influenced by the Hellenistic mentality and philosophy, not even by architecture, his theology is very spiritual and symbolic, lacking almost completely in abstract conceptual tools, to the point that in Syriac we do not have systematic works of theology, but allegorical accounts, homilies in verse that develop biblical symbolism, writings that relate the ascetic and mystical experiences of their respective authors, such as Aphraates the Wise or Ephrem the Syrian, considered Fathers of this Church on a par with Narses, Theodore himself, Abraham of Kashkar and others.

Assyrian Christianity had an enormous fecundity in the first millennium. Its missionaries, in fact, long before Matteo Ricci and other Western evangelizers, reached as far as China (as attested by the Nestorian stele, erected in 781 in Xi'an, central China, to celebrate 150 years of Assyrian Christian presence in the country), Afghanistan and the Himalayas, along the Silk Road routes.

Assyrian Christians

When we speak of Assyrian Christians, we are not referring to the ancient Mesopotamian people, but to an ethno-religious group that speaks Syriac (a modern variant of ancient Aramaic) and professes Syriac Christianity (or Assyrian, synonymous in this case with "Syriac" and not Assyrian-Babylonian). Today, the Assyrians number around 3.5 million, settled mainly in Iraq (300,000, mainly between Baghdad, Mosul and the Nineveh plain), Syria (180,000), the United States and Europe. They were also numerous in southern Turkey, but were exterminated or exiled in the course of the Assyrian Genocide (contemporaneous, but less known than Armenian) which involved the systematic massacre of between 275 and 750 thousand Assyrian Christians, also obviously denied by Turkey but recognized internationally and by historians worthy of the name.

The cradle of this ethnic and religious group is the city of Mosul (ancient Nineveh, on the banks of the Tigris), along with the Nineveh Plain (northeast of the latter city), an area that is part of the governorate of Nineveh but whose inhabitants claim an autonomous Assyrian province. Between the city of Mosul and the Nineveh Plain (also inhabited by Kurds, Turkmen, Arabs, Yazidis and other ethno-religious groups) lie some of the most important holy sites of Syriac and world Christianity, including the 4th century Syriac Catholic monastery of Mar Benham, near the Christian city of Qaraqosh (Bakhdida, in Aramaic, 50.000 inhabitants before the proclamation of ISIS and 35,000 today), the church of Al-Tahira (Immaculate, in Arabic, the oldest church in Mosul, from the 7th century), the monasteries of Mar Mattai and Rabban Ormisda (among the oldest Christian monasteries in the world).

The language they speak is an evolution of ancient Aramaic, in one of its eastern variants now called suroyo or turoyo, which is still very widespread among the population.

Before the Arab-Islamic conquest, Christians were a majority in Iraq, but their presence, although still fundamental at the cultural and economic level, as in other countries of the Middle East, is at constant risk, especially after the fall of Saddam Hussein. According to Cardinal Louis Raphaël I Sako, Patriarch of the Chaldean Church of Iraq but a point of reference for all Iraqi Christian communities, now increasingly united in what Pope Francis calls "ecumenism of blood", after the overthrow of the dictator, 1,200 Christians were killed (including several priests and deacons and Archbishop Paulos Faraj Rahho), 62 churches were severely damaged and more than 100,000 people became refugees, deprived of all their possessions.

The persecution, already fierce due to Al Qaeda attacks (dozens killed in several Baghdad churches, the murder of priest Ragheed Ganni in 2007, of Bishop Sahho in 2008, to name but a few), intensified in 2014, when ISIS jihadists invaded Mosul and occupied the Nineveh Plain for about a year, turning against the minorities present, in particular Christians and Yazidis.

A Aid to the Church in Need report highlights how, even with a partial return of refugees to the various towns and cities between Mosul and the Nineveh plain after the defeat of the Caliphate (between 20 % and 70 % depending on location and conditions), the situation of Christians (and other groups) in the country remains dramatic and the exodus continues.

At present, Syriac Christianity in Iraq is present under different denominations. In fact, since the 16th century, a considerable part of the Syriac Orthodox Church and the Eastern Syriac Church have returned to communion with Rome, formally accepting the Council of Chalcedon and its conclusions on Christological questions, while safeguarding their own spiritual traditions, theological and liturgical traditions (like other Eastern Churches, they define themselves as Sui Iuris Churches), and are respectively the Syro-Catholic Church (of the Western Syriac rite, like the Syriac Orthodox Church) and the Chaldean Church, the majority in the country (of the Eastern Syriac rite, like the Syriac, or Assyrian, Church of the East).

The Yazidis

In addition to Christians and e-mailsAnother Iraqi minority that we hear a lot about lately are the Yazidis.

They are a Kurdish-speaking population professing Yazidism, a syncretic religion. They are mainly concentrated in the Sinjar region, about 160 km east of Mosul.

Their belief in a supreme and ineffable God, who relates to the world through his seven creator angels or avatars, whose first in dignity is Melek Ta'ùs (angel of the peacock or fallen angel), has created around them the denomination of worshipers of the devil (Satan), since, according to some oriental stories, the tempter of Eve assumed the figure of a peacock.

They are called Yazidis because this Peacock angel is said to have split into a triad and manifested over time in the form (always avatars) of a number of pivotal figures for this people, including Yazid (the Umayyad caliph Yazid ibn Mu‛awiyah) and Sheikh Adi ibn Musafir (a great Muslim Sufi of the 12th century). They believe, in a curious mixture of Gnosticism, Christianity and Islam, in metempsychosis (reincarnation, a Gnostic element), immortality of the soul, paradise for the righteous and punishment for sinners, consisting of transmigration into lower beings until the day of reckoning.

Their cults are also syncretic, mixing Christian elements (baptism, forms of communion), probably due to contacts with Christian communities, especially Nestorian (which also strongly influenced Islam and its rites), Gnostic and Muslim (circumcision, fasting, pilgrimage, although for the Yazidis the pilgrimage takes place annually to the shrine of Sheikh Adi in Lalish, in northern Iraqi Kurdistan).

The Gnostic origin is equally evident in the communitarian order, of a theocratic nature and according to the level of knowledge of the mysteries, between laymen (defined as "aspirants") and clerics (divided into various categories).

The Yazidis were undoubtedly the most persecuted minority under the ISIS caliphate, as they were considered, unlike Christians, mere pagans, or worse, devil worshippers, and therefore liable to be persecuted to death unless they converted to Islam.

It is estimated (the figures come from Marzio Babille, UNICEF spokesman) that in the period of occupation of northern Iraq by Abu Bakr Al-Baghadi's jihadists, at least 1,582 young Yazidi girls between 12 and 25 years of age were kidnapped (if not twice as many) to be raped and used as sex slaves, passed from one guerrilla to another, and then often become pregnant, even more than Christian girls.

The horrors of their stories shocked and outraged the whole world at the time, which however no longer seems interested in the fate of the survivors of this barbarism in a country increasingly abandoned to itself.

The authorGerardo Ferrara

Writer, historian and expert on Middle Eastern history, politics and culture.

Iraq

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Truth and charity in the gender ideology controversy

Culture

Church, youth and gender debate: an impossible relationship?

Gender, youth e Churchwritten by Marta Rodríguez Díaz and published by Meeting makes an effort to bridge the gap that seems to open up when a person, especially a young person, addresses the issue of gender.

Maria José Atienza-April 2, 2024-Reading time: 3 minutes

Gender ideology and Christian vision Related News

Without going too far away, at least in the West, there are more and more frequent cases of "transsexual, gender-fluid friends" that we find around us. A reality with special incidence in young people.

The speed and breadth with which the gender issue has burst into society, and therefore also into the Church, has not been a good companion for calm deliberation or fruitful dialogue. On the contrary, in this field, prejudice and lack of understanding and dialogue seem to be the keynote on "both sides". A puzzle whose pieces have proven difficult to put together on more than a few occasions.

This generational, social and pastoral gap that always seems to open up around this issue is precisely what Marta Rodriguez tries to avoid with Gender, youth and Churchpublished by Encuentro and is presented as a necessary bibliography in the pastoral work with young people.

Gender, youth and Church

AuthorMarta Rodríguez Díaz

Editorial: Encounter

Pages: 196

Year: 2024

From her experience as an educator and living with young people, Marta Rodriguez Diaz begins with this apparent unsolvable opposition to address not only the impact of gender theories in society, but the way to treat those who, in one way or another, are within this complicated environment and their families.

In fact, Rodriguez Diaz, academic director of the course on "Gender, Sex and Education", of the Francisco de Vitoria University in collaboration with the Regina Apostolorumwas responsible for the Dicastery for Laity, Family and Life.

Term "gender".

Particularly interesting is the book's position on the assumption or not of the term genrealso within the Church. In this sense, Marta Rodriguez Diaz is in favor of a critical assumption of the term gender in order to establish a fruitful dialogue with today's society and avoid wounds or misunderstandings on the part of all actors.

The author approaches this relationship from the starting point of proximity. From that friend of a child, or student of a school in which a class is taught, etc., and that makes us look at this reality with different eyes.

It is surprising to see the open-mindedness and conceptual openness with which the author, without yielding in the least in the doctrinal or moral sphere on gender, deals with these cases.

In this sense, the book encourages a courageous attitude of acceptance, especially on the part of family members and educators, but without legitimizing behavior. Rodriguez does not speak from a theoretical point of view, but proposes, based on experience and dealing with young people, a series of very interesting principles for coexistence and, above all, the accompaniment of young people who define themselves as LGTBI+.

Accompaniment and listening

Perhaps the most important term in this book is precisely the latter, accompaniment and next to it, that of listen. For those who work in youth and family ministry in the Church, Rodriguez Diaz advocates taking on the task of accompanying, not convincing, those who live situations that are far from the Church's morals and doctrine on sexual responsibility.

The author does not hide the need for continuous, open and conscious training of those who accompany these young people.

Nor does she avoid the need for patience and flexibility on the part of the companion. In addition to this patient accompaniment, the author stresses the value of really listening to these people.

Marta Rodríguez Díaz develops this position with the conviction that, deep down, those who defend or live a way of life marked by gender theory, share the longing for a true love relationship.

An interesting book, especially useful for parents and educators that helps to face, without fear, the task of dialoguing with a world marked by gender and in which the Church must continue to act as mother, teacher and above all, companion and guide for the youngest.

Youth

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Francis calls for respect for human life in his Easter Message for 2024

Pope encourages Catholics to be "joyful witnesses" of the Risen Christ

In his Easter Monday meditation, Pope Francis encourages Catholics to be "joyful witnesses" of Christ's Resurrection.

Paloma López Campos-April 1, 2024-Reading time: < 1 minute

"You are looking for Jesus." Easter Sunday of the Resurrection of the Lord (B) Related News

After Easter Sunday, Pope Francis prays this Easter Monday the "Easter Vigil".Regina Caeli". Looking out from the balcony overlooking St. Peter's Square, the Holy Father encourages Catholics to notice "the joy of women at the resurrection of Jesus. He further explained that this is a joy that is born "from the living encounter with the Risen Lord" and that "impels them to spread and recount what they have seen".

Francis points out that Christ's Resurrection "changes our lives completely and forever," for it is "the victory of life over death." With the Risen Lord, the Pope continues, "every day becomes the stage of an eternal journey, every 'today' can look forward to a 'tomorrow'".

The joy of the Resurrection

The Pontiff recalls in his meditation that this joy and hope of the Resurrection "is not something distant," but a gift that all Catholics have from the day of their Baptism. Therefore, the Bishop of Rome insists, "let us not renounce the joy of the Resurrection, but let us not renounce the joy of the Resurrection. Easter".

But how can we ensure this joy? Pope Francis advises us to go out to meet the Risen Lord, "because he is the source of a joy that is never extinguished". This encounter takes place "in the Eucharist, in his forgiveness, in prayer and in charity lived".

The Pope invites us to bear witness

Finally, Francis asks that "we should not forget that the joy of Jesus also grows in another way, as women always demonstrate: announcing it, bearing witness to it. Because joy, when it is shared, increases".

The Pope concludes by asking the intercession of the Virgin Mary to help all Catholics to be "joyful witnesses" of the Risen Christ.

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Culture

Forgiveness, the key to a healthy life, focuses April's Omnes magazine

The April 2024 print magazine deals with the theme of forgiveness, approached with a multifaceted dimension, along with other interesting articles on abuse prevention, current socio-political conflicts and cultural proposals.

Maria José Atienza-April 1, 2024-Reading time: 4 minutes

Forgive and be forgiven. Easter brings to the rhythm of the Church's liturgy the mystery that gives meaning to faith: the resurrection of Christ and, with it, the recovery of the grace of the children of God, the breaking of the chains of death resulting from sin. God's forgiveness emerges as the source of life and the model of the necessary forgiveness among men.

The difficult act of forgiveness

Few realities are as complex and difficult to deal with as the sorry. Forgiving and being forgiven is the focus of this April 2024 dossier. To this end, the magazine approaches this question from different angles.

Psychologist Patricia Díez unpacks the importance of forgiveness as the basis of human relationships, in an interview in which Díez defines forgiveness as an act of love, "a taking of a position before a person and before an evil that is presented to us; one chooses to love the person, but not the evil committed. In this sense, the person who forgives recognizes the evil and values it as such, but does not equate the bad 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".

Andrea Gagliarducci delves into the historical requests for forgiveness embodied in the life of St. John Paul II and those that seem necessary today, as in the case of the conflict between Russia and Ukraine.

Mariano Crespo, for his part, unpacks the meaning of the "purification of memory" and the affirmation of human dignity that an act of forgiveness entails. The dossier ends with an interesting article by Fernando del Moral on forgiveness as a sacrament of the Church: Confession.

Synod moves forward

The Synod of Synodality also has more than one place in the April 2024 issue of Omnes magazine. Not surprisingly, the missive sent to Cardinal Mario Grech by Pope Francis indicating the path of this work, with the creation of specific groups and the reservation of some topics, has once again brought the synodal process to the forefront.

This new path is referred to in the This month's Tribune, Bishop Vicente JiménezApostolic Administrator of the dioceses of Huesca and Jaca and coordinator of the Synodal Team of the Spanish Episcopal Conference for the Synod of Bishops, which is analyzing the forms of work proposed.

Our editor in Rome, Giovanni Tridente has interviewed Fr. Giacomo Costa, SJ, Special Secretary of the Synodal Assembly, who explains the new method of work of the Synod of Synodality based on the Working Groups. These groups, coordinated by the Synod Secretariat, will have input from around the world.

The Pope's teachings This month's issue focuses on the Pope's words, which in March touched on such sensitive topics as the scope of gender ideology, insisting that man and woman are the image of God, and the educational work of the Church, which the Pope recalled has been carried on throughout the centuries. Then and now we are driven by the same great hope that springs from the Gospel, with which we look at everyone, beginning with the youngest.

Anti-abuse work and a German theologian

The work of the Latin American Council of the Center for Interdisciplinary Research and Training for the Protection of Minors, CEPROME, a reference institution in the work of training in the prevention of sexual abuse in ecclesiastical environments for Latin America, is the focus of this magazine's theme in America.

Last March, CERPOME held the third of its congresses focused, in this edition, on the concept of vulnerability. One of its speakers, Luis Alfonso Zamorano, points out in an interview contained in this issue, the importance of accompaniment, listening and healing processes of the victims of abuse.

Juan Luis Lorda's Twentieth Century Theology focuses on "Una mystica persona" by Heribert Mühlen, a German author who was associated with the Charismatic Renewal and whose theses, in Lorda's opinion, "continue to contribute to renewing the theology of the Holy Spirit and the Church. There are nuances to the transfer between the grammar of pronouns and the ontology of persons".

For his part, Reverend SOS delves into Spatial Computing, "a form of processing that considers three-dimensional space as a scenario for interacting with digital systems" and that can become an ally in the task of formation and catechesis.

World War III

Our Reasons report, on the other hand, delves into the reality of the "third world war in pieces", as the Pope calls an international panorama marked by instability and conflicts. The report covers the international political panorama from the war in Ukraine or the Holy Land to the various conflicts in Africa, America, China and India, among others.

In the last pages, the culture section, Carmelo Guillén brings the poetry of Cardinal Jose Tolentino Mendonça, prefect of the Dicastery for Culture and Education and one of the most representative voices of the latest Portuguese lyric poetry.

The content of the magazine for the month of April 2024 is available in its digital version (pdf) for subscribers of the digital and print versions.

In the next few days, it will also be delivered to the usual address of those who have the subscription printed.

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Pope Francis' trip to Venice

Rome Reports-April 1, 2024-Reading time: < 1 minute

On April 28, Pope Francis will travel to Venice. There he will visit the women's prison and meet with a group of artists participating in the Venice Art Biennale, where the Holy See is also participating with its own pavilion.

Afterwards, he will hold a meeting with a group of young people.

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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Photo Gallery

Flowers take over the Vatican for Easter

A Swiss Guard observes the floral decoration prepared for Easter Sunday 2024 in St. Peter's Square at the Vatican.

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

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TribuneBishop Vicente Jiménez Zamora

Synod moves towards October 2024

The Synod on Synodality has entered a new stage of its journey with the constitution of study groups for specific topics. A new step on this path of rediscovery of the nature and mission of the Church.

April 1, 2024-Reading time: 3 minutes

The Synod on Synodality continues its journey towards the second session in October 2024. As a result of the first session of the XVI Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops for October 2023has been the Synthesis Report (IdS), which constitutes the reference document for the work of the People of God between the two sessions. The Synthesis Report consists of three parts and twenty chapters. Each chapter contains the convergencesthe issues to be addressed and the proposals dialogue.

During the time between the two sessions we are invited to keeping the synodal dynamism alive in the local ChurchesThe project has involved the entire People of God in recent years, so that an ever-increasing number of lay people, members of consecrated life and pastors can live it directly, starting from a fundamental and guiding question: ¿What is the best way to achieve this goal?How to to be a synodal Church in mission?

The synodal work in this phase is articulated on three complementary levels: local Church; groupings of Churches (regional, national and continental); and the whole Church in the relationship between the primacy of the Bishop of Rome, episcopal collegiality and ecclesial synodality.

The deepening of these three levels should be done according to transversal principles: the mission of evangelization as the driving force and raison d'être of the Church; the promotion of participation in the mission of all the baptized; the articulation between the local and the universal; the spiritual character of the entire synodal process.

Pope Francis, in a letter addressed to the Secretary General of the Synod, Msgr. Mario Grech, (22.02.2024) indicates the path to follow before the celebration of the second session of the Synod in October 2024.

The Pope affirms that the The Synthesis Report "lists numerous important theological questions, all related in varying degrees to the synodal renewal of the Church and not lacking in juridical and pastoral implications [...] Such questions, by their very nature, require in-depth study. Since it is not possible to carry out this study in the time of the second session (October 2-27, 2024), the Pope disposes that they be assigned to specific Study Groups in order to be able to examine them adequately".

In order to comply with this disposition and mandate of the Holy Father, the General Secretariat of the Synod (14.03.2024) has published the document: Study Groups on topics arising from the first session to deepen in collaboration with the Dicasteries of the Roman Curia.

To this end, study groups are being formed to study in depth the ten themes indicated by Pope Francis. They are the following: 1) Some aspects concerning the relationships between the Eastern Catholic Churches and the Latin Church (IdS 6). 2) Listening to the cry of the poor (IdS 4 y 16). 3) The mission in the digital space (IdS 17). 4) The revision of the Ratio Fundamentalis Institutionis Sacerdotalis in synodal missionary perspective (IdS 11). 5) Some theological and canonical questions regarding the specific ministerial forms (IdS 8 y 9). 6) The revision, in a synodal and missionary perspective, of the documents on the relationships between Bishops, Consecrated Life, Ecclesial Aggregations (IdS 10). 7) Some aspects of the figure and ministry of the Bishop (in particular: the criteria for the selection of candidates for the episcopate, the judicial function of the Bishop, the nature and development of the visitations, the role of the Bishop in the episcopate, the role of the bishop, and the nature and development of the bishop's ministry). ad limina Apostolorum) in a synodal missionary perspective (IdS 12 y 13). 8) The role of the Pontifical Representatives from a missionary synodal perspective (IdS 13). 9) Theological criteria and synodal methodologies for a shared discernment of controversial doctrinal, pastoral and ethical issues (IdS 15). 10) The reception of the fruits of the ecumenical journey in ecclesial praxis (IdS 7).

In addition, in the service of the synodal process in the broader sense, the General Secretariat of the Synod will activate a Permanent Forum to deepen the theological, canonical, pastoral, spiritual and communicative aspects of the synodality of the Church, also to respond to the request of "to promote, in an appropriate place, the theological work of terminological and conceptual deepening of the notion and practice of synodality." (IdS 1p). In carrying out this task, he will be assisted by the International Theological Commission, the Pontifical Biblical Commission and a Commission on Canon Law established at the service of the Synod in agreement with the Dicastery for Legislative Texts.

With the convocation of the Synod of Bishops, Pope Francis invites the whole Church to question herself on a decisive theme for her life and mission. The synodal itinerary, which is along the lines of the "aggiornamento" of the Church proposed by the Second Vatican Council is a gift and a task: walking together, the Church will be able to learn to live communion, to realize participation and to open herself to mission. The synodal journey manifests and realizes the nature of the Church as the pilgrim and missionary People of God.

The authorBishop Vicente Jiménez Zamora

Apostolic Administrator of the dioceses of Huesca and Jaca. Coordinator of the Synodal Team of the EEC for the Synod of Bishops.

Synod

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EditorialOmnes

To forgive, to be forgiven, to ask for forgiveness

One of the most complicated topics, especially in the times we live in, is forgiveness. Forgiveness as the act of forgiving and as receiving forgiveness from others.

April 1, 2024-Reading time: 2 minutes

Pope Francis' frequent allusion to international conflicts and tensions is well known when he says that we are living through "a third world war in pieces".

It is a war consisting of many clashes, in principle not global but local, and perhaps not only warlike.

They may take the form of unilateral conquests, wars, international affronts, humiliations and many other expressions, but they are always situations that give rise, in addition to terrible damage to lives and property, to divisions and hatred between peoples that often outlive the generations that lived through them.

Since this is an experience we are all familiar with, it seems almost superfluous to say that the same phenomenon also occurs in the lives of individual people.

We sometimes suffer from a lack of respect for people and their rights, we endure real injustices, sometimes openly real and sometimes perceived as such, or not rooted in intentionally harmful behavior.

This can lead to tensions between people, temporary estrangements or long-lasting enmities, and even psychic problems can appear.

It must be recognized that it may not be easy to break out of this dynamic, and to offer forgiveness as a game. This other logic presents several variants: the benevolence to forgive, the audacity to ask for forgiveness, the openness to receive forgiveness when it is offered to us.

For this reason, it is worth pausing to consider what all these behaviors mean. Some texts in this issue provide different approaches: the basically anthropological aspects, the psychological explanation, the philosophical and theological consideration.

The difference and reactions between forgiveness and forgetting, or between forgiveness and cancellation, are discussed; and the narrow line that separates the true request for forgiveness from the strategy that uses it to achieve political objectives or to whitewash an image is analyzed.

Forgiveness is more difficult if it is intended to be adopted without a predisposition rooted in behavior.

Education in the family and outside it, and more broadly the habit of tolerance and understanding that forms virtue, have very direct positive personal and social effects. And in the context of the life of Christians, the grace received from God makes the ability to forgive a characteristically Christian reaction.

In this area, the one who forgives does not find the source of his disposition in his own condition: he first receives forgiveness and learns it from a God who knows how to forgive, no matter what happens.

The authorOmnes

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Francis calls for respect for human life in his Easter Message for 2024

May the Risen Christ open a path of peace for the martyred populations of the Holy Land and Ukraine, with respect for international law, an immediate cease-fire and the rapid release of the hostages. May the light of the resurrection make us "aware of the value of every human life", Pope Francis prayed in the Urbi et Orbi Blessing of 2024.

Francisco Otamendi-March 31, 2024-Reading time: 6 minutes

Respect "for the precious gift of life" has been a central idea of the Easter Message Pope Francis in the Urbi et Orbi Blessing to the people of Rome and the world, given by the Holy Father from the central balcony after the celebration of this year's solemn Easter Sunday Mass in St. Peter's Square and the recitation of the Regina Coeli to the Virgin Mary. The message was read by the Pope.

At the Mass, presided over by the Holy Father and whose first concelebrant was Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re, dean of the College of Cardinals, the famous Gospel in which Mary Magdalene went to the tomb at dawn, saw the slab removed from the tomb, and after warning Peter and the "other disciple, whom Jesus loved," it was they who ran and saw the linen cloths lying and the shroud with which Jesus' head had been covered.

"Jesus of Nazareth, the Crucified One, is risen."

"Today the proclamation that went forth two thousand years ago from Jerusalem resounds throughout the world: "Jesus of Nazareth, the Crucified One, is risen" (cf. Mk 16:6),2 the Holy Father began his message.

"The Church relives the amazement of the women who went to the tomb at dawn on the first day of the week. The tomb of Jesus had been closed with a great stone; and so too today there are heavy rocks, too heavy, that close the hopes of humanity: the rock of war, the rock of humanitarian crises, the rock of human rights violations, the rock of human trafficking, and others."

We too, like the women disciples of Jesus, asked one another: "Who will roll these stones away from us? And here is the great discovery of Easter morning: the stone, that great stone, had already been rolled away. The astonishment of the women is our astonishment. The tomb of Jesus is open and empty. From there everything begins".

"Jesus alone removes the stones that close the way to life."

"Jesus Christ is risen, and He alone is able to remove the stones that block the path to life. Moreover, He Himself, the Living One, is the Way; the Way of life, of peace, of reconciliation, of fraternity," the Pope continued.

"He opens for us a passage that is humanly impossible, because He alone takes away the sin of the world and forgives our sins. And without God's forgiveness that stone cannot be removed. Without the forgiveness of sins, it is not possible to get out of the closed minds, prejudices, reciprocal suspicions or presumptions that always absolve oneself and accuse others.

Only the risen Christ, giving us the forgiveness of sins, opens the way to a renewed world. He alone opens for us the doors of life, those doors that we continually close with the wars that proliferate in the world.

On this day in which we celebrate the life given to us in the resurrection of the Son, we remember God's infinite love for each one of us, a love that surpasses every limit and every weakness".

"Contempt for the precious gift of life."

"And yet, how often the precious gift of life is scorned," the Successor of Peter stressed. "How many children cannot even see the light? How many die of hunger or lack essential care or are victims of abuse and violence? How many lives are bought and sold for the growing trade in human beings?"

"On the day on which Christ has freed us from the slavery of death, I urge all those with political responsibilities to spare no effort to combat the scourge of human trafficking, working tirelessly to dismantle its networks of exploitation and to lead those who are its victims to freedom.

May the Lord comfort their families, especially those who anxiously await news of their loved ones, assuring them of comfort and hope.

May the light of the resurrection enlighten our minds and convert our hearts, making us aware of the value of every human life, which must be welcomed, protected and loved.

Holy Land, Ukraine, Syria, Lebanon, Balkans, Armenia and Azerbaijan

In his address, the Pope addressed "his thoughts primarily to the victims of so many conflicts that are ongoing in the world, beginning with those in Israel and Palestine, and in Ukraine. May the Risen Christ open a path of peace for the martyred populations of these regions" and formulated the petitions indicated at the beginning for a cease-fire, the release of hostages, etc.

"Let us not allow the ongoing hostilities to continue to severely affect the already exhausted civilian population, and especially the children. How much suffering we see in their eyes. With their eyes they ask us: why? Why so much death? Why so much destruction? War is always an absurdity and a defeat. Let us not allow the winds of war to blow ever stronger over Europe and the Mediterranean. Let us not give in to the logic of arms and rearmament. Peace is never built with weapons, but by reaching out and opening our hearts".

He then referred to Syria," which has been suffering the consequences of a long and devastating war for fourteen years. So many dead, so many missing people, so much poverty and destruction await answers from everyone, including the international community.

My gaze turns today in a special way to Lebanon, long affected by an institutional blockade and a profound economic and social crisis, now aggravated by hostilities on the border with Israel. May the Risen Lord console the beloved Lebanese people and sustain the whole country in its vocation to be a land of encounter, coexistence and pluralism.

My thoughts turn in particular to the Western Balkan Region, where significant steps are being taken towards integration into the European project. May ethnic, cultural and confessional differences not be a cause of division, but a source of wealth for the whole of Europe and the entire world.

I also encourage talks between Armenia and Azerbaijan so that, with the support of the international community, they can continue the dialogue, help displaced persons, respect the places of worship of the various religious denominations and reach a final peace agreement as soon as possible".

Terrorism, Myanmar, Haiti, African continent...

"May the Risen Christ open a path of hope to people in other parts of the world who suffer from violence, conflict and food insecurity, as well as from the effects of climate change.

May it give comfort to the victims of all forms of terrorism. Let us pray for those who have lost their lives and implore the repentance and conversion of the perpetrators of these crimes.

May the Risen Lord assist the Haitian people, so that the violence that is wounding and bloodying the country may cease as soon as possible, and that they may progress on the path of democracy and fraternity. May he comfort the Rohinyá, afflicted by a serious humanitarian crisis, and open the way to reconciliation in Myanmar, a country that has been torn by internal conflicts for years, so that every logic of violence may be abandoned once and for all.

To open avenues for peace on the African continent, especially for the exhausted populations in Sudan and throughout the Sahel region, in the Horn of Africa, in the Kivu region of the Democratic Republic of Congo and in the province of Cabo Delgado in Mozambique, and to put an end to the prolonged drought situation that affects large areas and causes famine and hunger.

May the Risen Lord shine his light on migrants and on all those who are going through a period of economic hardship, bringing them comfort and hope in times of need.

May Christ guide all people of good will to unite in solidarity, to face together the many challenges that concern the poorest families in their search for a better life and happiness".

At the end of the Mass, before reading the Easter Message, the Pontiff greeted the many faithful present in St. Peter's Square.

In concluding, as emphasized, Pope Francis prayed that "the light of the resurrection may illuminate our minds and convert our hearts, making us aware of the value of every human life, which must be welcomed, protected and loved. Happy Easter to all!"

Calls to prayer

The Pope's appeals to prayer, in particular for peace in the face of the wars and conflicts that plague the world, have intensified in recent years. Without going any further, the Way of the Cross of Good Friday, written by the Roman Pontiff although he was unable to attend in person, was marked by the celebration of the year dedicated to prayer in the Church. For this reason, there were many references to Christian prayer.

At the same time, hope has been one of the virtues most frequently mentioned by Pope Francis in recent days. For example, at the Easter Vigil yesterday, or in his recent words to the youth of the world on the occasion of the fifth anniversary of his apostolic exhortation "Christus vivit", in which he encouraged them to recover hope.

"Let us cling to the Risen One."

When considering the fact narrated in the Gospels, that the stone of the tomb, which was very large, had been rolled away, the Pontiff noted yesterday at the Easter Vigil that this is "the Passover of Christ, the power of God, the victory of life over death, the triumph of light over darkness, the rebirth of hope amidst the rubble of failure. It is the Lord, the God of the impossible who, for all time, rolled away the stone and began to open our gravesso that hope may have no end. Towards him, then, we too must raise our eyes".

The authorFrancisco Otamendi

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A concert to celebrate the Resurrection of Christ

Culture

Young people celebrate the Resurrection of Christ with a concert

On April 6, a concert will be held to celebrate the Resurrection of Christ. The event will take place at 6:30 p.m. in the Plaza de Cibeles in Madrid.

Loreto Rios-March 31, 2024-Reading time: 2 minutes

For the second consecutive year, the Catholic Association of Propagandists organizes the Resurrection Festival, a macro-concert with an important line-up of guest artists. The first edition, which took place in 2023, gathered more than 60,000 attendees, much more than expected.

"We can only conclude that the balance since last year has been very positive," Pablo Velasco, communications secretary of the Catholic Association of Propagandists, told Omnes. "It was a very special event and we had never organized anything like it. We had an enormous degree of uncertainty due to our inexperience. What we did know was that what we wanted was to celebrate the resurrection of the Lord in the center of Madrid and invite anyone who wanted to participate to that joy."

The idea of convening this concert arose, he adds, to celebrate the Christian joy of the resurrection, and it is an initiative that "responds to the very essence of the Catholic Association of Propagandists. Our charism lies in the presence of Christ in public life. The purpose of the feast of the Resurrection is basically to celebrate the most important event in history".

This event seems to be "here to stay", as Alfonso Bullón de Mendoza, president of the Catholic Association of Propagandists, recently affirmed. This year, the concert of the II Feast of the Resurrection is scheduled for April 6 at 6:30 pm at Plaza Cibeles in Madrid, and will feature, among others, the group Modestia Aparte, Marilia (who was a member of the well-known musical duo Ella Baila Sola), Father Guilherme (the priest DJ of the WYD in Portugal), DJ El Pulpo, Hakuna, Juan Peña y Esténez (Guillermo Esteban, formerly Grílex).

Also participating in the event will be the Christian group HTB WorshipThe resurrection is a feast shared by all Christian denominations and the intention is that all Christians can celebrate it together. However, not only believers are invited to this concert, but everyone who wants to attend: "It is a celebration open to everyone. Precisely this feature is essential for all Catholics," says Pablo Velasco.

Because, as Marilia, former member of the musical group Ella Baila Sola, recently commented about this event, music "unites everyone", regardless of one's beliefs, and "love is above all".

Guillermo Esteban was of the same opinion, who stated at the press conference promoting this event that "things with love work", while Hakuna pointed out that music "goes from heart to heart", so it is not necessary to share the same beliefs to enjoy it.

Therefore, this celebration, says Pablo Velasco, is "an opportunity to celebrate, to share this great joy. It is also a good time to invite friends and a good occasion to spark important conversations." "Seeing how it went last year, I wouldn't miss it," he concludes.

A concert to celebrate the Resurrection of Christ

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ColumnistsAntonio Moreno

Freedom Day

The greatest act of freedom ever consummated is that of Jesus giving his life for all humanity. By his resurrection, he has set us free by breaking the chains of death.

March 31, 2024-Reading time: 4 minutes

In the accounts of the Resurrection of Jesus, there is a detail that should not go unnoticed if we are interested in knowing whether it is reasonable to believe in the 21st century. Why did those who saw the Risen One face to face not recognize him at first glance?

The Gospels record this phenomenon on several occasions: Mary Magdalene, weeping at the foot of the tomb, mistook him for a gardener; the two from Emmaus accompanied him during a long walk and did not recognize him until nightfall, when breaking bread; even his closest friends, his own disciples, were unable to recognize him when they were fishing and he appeared on the shore of the lake.

Leaving for another day the reflection on the mysterious capabilities of the glorious body of Jesus, let us focus on its meaning: the resurrection of the one from Nazareth may be a historical fact verified by a thousand and one sources, we can have it in front of us, even converse with him; but, if we do not take the step of believing, we will be unable to see it, unable to recognize it.

Why doesn't the most transcendental event in the history of mankind (the realization that death is only a step towards another form of life) become more evident? Why has God preferred to go unnoticed by the majority of the world's population and has shown himself only to a few?

The easy solution had already been suggested to him by the tempter after the 40 days in the wilderness. He put him on the eaves of the temple in Jerusalem and said to him: "If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down from here, for it is written: 'He has given orders to his angels concerning you, that they should take care of you'". If he had listened to him, the whole world would have believed in him at once and undeniably. Why did he not make a spectacle of faith? Why does not God, being God, show himself in a sensational, clear and unquestionable way? Why, if he loves man, does he not make use of his power so that every man may believe in him and be saved?

To try to understand God, the best we can do is to put ourselves in his place and see him from his perspective. God is love, and love requires free, not forced, consent. For this reason, a marriage in which it is discovered that one of the spouses has been forced or has hidden interests is said to be null and void, it has not existed. It has not been true because there has not been love, but interest or fear. In the same way, God loves us and as a good lover He wants to be reciprocated, but He must leave us the necessary freedom for this correspondence to be true. Believing out of interest or fear is not believing, it is pretending. Faith, which is nothing other than loving God above all things, must be a free and personal response to the proposal that he makes to us. God's omnipotence is demonstrated in his capacity to make himself small, insignificant, to the point of lowering himself to the level of the being he loves in order to be reciprocated... or not.

That is why we have been celebrating the Passion, Death and Resurrection of Jesus Christ for 2,000 years and for many it is nothing more than an excellent reason to spend a few days of vacation at the beginning of spring or, if anything, to enjoy the cultural manifestations that this commemoration entails. This event does not take root, because there has been no encounter with the living person of Jesus, who has passed in front of us and we have not recognized him.

It is the mystery of the freedom with which he created us and which we so often disfigure with our language. We speak of freedom of expression, for example, but we cancel those who do not conform to the norm; we speak of sexual freedom, but at the cost of killing those who are conceived for that reason but who we do not want to be born; we speak of freedom to decide a dignified death, when in reality we force those who do not want to suffer to commit suicide because we do not give them alternatives; we boast of being free societies, but we look the other way in the face of situations of trafficking, or precarious work; We proclaim an education in freedom, but we allow technology to enslave our children; we boast about free markets, but we exploit the poorest countries; we compete to be the countries with the most freedoms, but we prevent the entry of those who have no choice but to flee from the lack of freedom in their countries; we pride ourselves on advancing in social freedoms at the cost of destroying the family as the nucleus for the growth of people in love and freedom.

Freedom never destroys, never does wrong, never looks the other way, but involves itself, builds, loves without waiting. The greatest act of freedom ever consummated is that of Jesus giving his life for all humanity. With his resurrection, he has set us free by breaking the chains of death. Freedom sets us free to the extent that it transforms a person's life and leads him or her to seek the common good.

Pope Francis recalled that "to be truly free, we need not only to know ourselves, on a psychological level, but above all to know the truth in ourselves, on a deeper level. And there, in the heart, to open ourselves to the grace of Christ".

This is what the Magdalene, the disciples of Emmaus, and the disciples did to know themselves interiorly and to see that they had before their eyes God himself. Perhaps you have had him before you on several occasions throughout your life and you have not seen him. Perhaps you have him before you right now and you do not see him. Remember that only the truth sets us free. Happy Freedom Day! Happy Easter... or not!

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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Easter. Time for mystagogy

Living Easter in fullness supposes, for every Christian, rediscovering the reality of the Mystery of God into which we are introduced by the liturgy of this time of grace and sacramental experience.

Sister Carolina Blázquez OSA-March 31, 2024-Reading time: 9 minutes

The time of Easter begins, which in the ancient Church was called the time of mystagogy. It was the goal of the whole journey of the catechumenate that marked the rhythm of the Christian communities that prepared themselves every Lent, in a special way, for the welcoming of new members.

Easter, therefore, in the Church of the fourth and fifth centuries, was both the summit on the path of preparation for candidates to enter the community of the saved and the source of constant renewal of the communities themselves.

They were truly perceived as a maternal womb. In them the mystery of Mary was constantly revived: generating, gestating and giving birth to the life of the new children of God, the neophytes, who, at the same time, at the same time, vivified and renewed the life of those who were already believers.

This fulfilled Jesus' words to Nicodemus, whom he invited to be born again, even though he was old (cf. Jn 3:3-7).

Historical evolution

After the Edict of Milan and, finally, with the recognition of Christianity as the official religion of the Roman Empire, conversions to the Christian faith increased considerably.

Although it was already taking shape, this caused the process of incorporation into Christianity to be institutionalized with some very definitive steps. In the awareness that "Christians are not born, they are made" (Tertullian, Apology against the Gentiles18,4), the catechumenate process was long and could last several years in some cases.

However, since entry into the economy of grace is the greatest good, these processes of preparation were shortened so that prolonged waiting would not provoke an elitist sense of faith, confusing good preparation with a certain personal dignity in order to receive the sacraments.

One could thus forget the authentic meaning of the word that the Church invites us to say just before receiving Eucharistic communion: "O Lord, I am not worthy that you should come into my house, but one word from you will be enough to heal me" (cf. Mt 8:8).

On the other hand, because those already baptized wished to make their children partakers of grace, infant baptism was imposed until the baptism of adults became practically extinct.

Hence the neglect of this entire catechetical and mystagogical itinerary of incorporation into the Church which, since the Second Vatican Council, we are trying to recover in a creative and updated way as a proposal for the revitalization of the faith of believers and for the evangelization and incorporation into the Church of new members of the faithful.

In fact, some ecclesial realities, daughters of the conciliar renewal, have assumed steps or the itinerary, more or less complete, of this whole catechumenal process in which the personal experience of encounter with Christ -the awakening in faith-, the ecclesial insertion through the liturgical-sacramental way and the existential process of conversion are integrated in a balanced way.

There is something key here for this moment of the Church in which we live. We are offered a framework or guide for all our educational or catechetical projects in the faith that always run the risk of moving in the somewhat fruitless efforts of an intense external education since, in many cases, the faith has not been awakened because the personal encounter with Christ has not taken place or, instead, in the promotion of proposals of awakening in the faith that, without a careful subsequent catechetical and formative itinerary at all levels and, especially, liturgical-sacramentally, tend to be eminently subjective experiences that run the risk of being soon extinguished, to the rhythm of the emotions.

Pope Francis reminded us of these two dangers in Desiderio Desideravi connecting with his previous magisterium in which he has repeatedly asked us to be attentive and careful to avoid neo-Pelagian or, on the contrary, neo-Gnostic tendencies in the Church (cf. DD 17).

To achieve this liturgical vitality, the key is in the formative proposal through liturgical or mystagogical catechesis, taking up the practice of the ancient Church and readapting it to the needs of the present in the creative fidelity that always characterizes the steps of renewal in the Church. Already in Sacrosanctum Concilium We were invited to work in this direction (cf. SC 36), we were also invited to work in this direction (cf. SC 36). Evangelii Gaudium The New Directory for Catechesis for the Year 2020 takes up the theme of mystagogical catechesis (cf. EG 163-168) and the New Directory for Catechesis for the Year 2020 takes up this question again (nn. 61-65; 73-78).

Continuously delivered

The process is explained in detail in the RCIA, the Ritual for the Catechumenate of Adults, written in 1972. In 2022 we celebrate the 50th anniversary of its publication and, despite the fact that so many years have passed and that it is one of the significant fruits of the conciliar liturgical reform, it is still a little known and little appreciated document, although it can be a magnificent instrument for developing catechetical and liturgical formation processes that help to deepen the Christian life of those who are already believers.

The deepening of the catechumenate process helps to live in the memory that the Christian is always a forgiven sinner, thus experiencing that the joy of salvation springs, not from our achievements or our personal perfection, but from the constant acceptance of God's mercy.

This position of truth and humility before God frees us from the temptation to think of ourselves as the elder son as opposed to the prodigal son (cf. Lk 15:29-32) or the Pharisee as opposed to the tax collector (cf. Lk 18:9-14). We live in a process of uninterrupted conversion, being continually brought forth in faith until Christ is formed in us (cf. Gal 4:19).

After the kerygmatic period, in which the heart of the Gospel is proclaimed, which would correspond to today's methods of evangelization or first proclamation, for those who after conversion to the faith expressed the desire to begin a process of incorporation into the Church, entry into the catechumenate was offered.

This was conceived as a long time accompanied by some Christians, the catechists, who were to introduce, little by little, in the knowledge of the faith and in the experience of prayer with the consequent conversion of customs, which this brought with it.

Fundamental to the itinerary was prayer and familiarization with the Word of God, the educational task in the doctrine and faith of the Church, as well as the conversion of customs, which for many could mean a significant change in life habits, mentality and criteria, even profession....

St. Augustine, for example, abandoned his profession as an orator after his conversion. He was ashamed of living by selling lies dressed as truth just because they were well told, seeking, moreover, to be esteemed and to enjoy prestige. Before the truth of Christ, the masks in which he had hidden from himself for years fell off (Cf. Confessions IX, II, 2).

This process of the catechumenate was intensified in the last Lent before the moment of baptism, which was always received in the context of Easter, concretely at the Easter Vigil. This last Lent was called the time of purification or illumination and was an absolutely unique and special time.

Each week, marked by Sunday, was linked to an extremely beautiful and expressive step or gesture: the choice or inscription of the name, the scrutinies or strong times of discernment on the truth of one's life before the light of the Word, the exorcisms, the delivery of the profession of faith, of the Our Father, the anointings, the rite of the Effetá... At this moment all the ecclesial gestures and rituals express the gestation, the preparation for the new birth that will find in the night of Easter, the great baptismal night, its definitive expression.

At Easter, the Lenten memory of God's mercy is transformed into a grateful memory of salvation in the face of the last and definitive of the mirabilia DeiThe Resurrection of Christ from the dead. This grace of the resurrection during Easter is not only proclaimed, it is realized in us through the sacraments that incorporate us into the glorious Body of Christ, His life enters into ours.

It is a journey of transformation in Christ, so that the path of a whole Christian life, of years of following and progressive conformation to Christ, is given to us on the night of Easter, especially during the Easter fiftieth and, as a prolongation of this, in each daily Eucharist, which is a pledge of what we already are and what we are called to be.

In your Light we see the light

As we are limited, as we need time to take in, to welcome, to understand this clarity offered by the Mystery of God in Christ, the mother Church deploys mystagogy.

The time just after the celebration of the Paschal Triduum, the Easter fiftieth, has this pedagogical sense of rumination to better assimilate and of deepening to become aware of the gift already received.

The Christian life of each one of us can be understood as a prolonged time of mystagogy until full entrance into the Mystery in the life of Heaven.

Many of us, baptized in infancy, need this time to understand what we celebrate, what we believe and, ultimately, what we are. We are assimilating what we have received as our identity through faith and the sacraments.

It is necessary, therefore, to develop mystagogical processes as the Fathers of the fourth century did with the neophytes who attended the sacramental celebrations for the first time. Since they had received the sacraments of initiation in a single night, during the Vigil, they needed to go deeper into what they had experienced so that, by knowing it better, they could be configured according to this new condition received in the image of Christ.

There is a new way of perceiving reality as the bearer of the Mystery of God into which we are being introduced by the liturgical action and Easter is the propitious time for this. In it, the mystagogical dimension is accentuated and enhanced because it is the time of fullness, of fulfillment where everything returns to its first and ultimate reality, to its created referentiality and to its truth in God revealed in the Risen Christ.

This paschal liturgical mystagogy has, in particular, several dimensions or levels:

Creative mystagogy

At Easter the liturgical signs connect us with creation: the Fire that purifies and illuminates from within, the light of the paschal candle and the pure wax made by the bees, the baptismal water, the oil of the holy chrism, the wind of the Spirit, the life that mysteriously awakens from winter lethargy in spring and that bursts into the Temple through the floral decorations, the white and gold of the fabrics....

These cosmic dimensions of the liturgy require careful explanation. They are not mere decorative elements. Through them, the Church expresses the creational dimension of the resurrection event, overcoming any subjectivism or emotivist reductionism of faith.

The risen Christ has filled reality with light from within. This means the torn veil of the temple, the floor torn by earthquakes and the tombstones moved, as the evangelists tell us when narrating the moment of the Death and Resurrection (cf. Mt 27:51-54.28:2).

The knot of vital relationships: with God, with ourselves, with others and with creation, has been untied. From this moment on, everything is transcended by God and is God-bearing, as if the mystery of Mary were fulfilled in every creature, everything is opened to the Spirit and the flesh-pneuma antagonism is reconciled, the life of grace is enlightened through the flesh of this world.

In the liturgy nothing is opaque, closed in on itself or separated from the rest. Everything is transfigured, radiating clarity and life. The bread and wine become totally docile to the Word of God and the action of the Spirit.

This, which takes place in the liturgy, goes beyond the walls of the church and, through the sacramental gaze of the believer transformed by the celebration in which he participates, touches his daily reality, making it a sacramental space and time.

Historical-salvific mystagogy

The Christian, throughout his whole life, as if the whole history of Israel were actualized in his own history, is invited to pass from slavery to freedom, from night to light, from the desert to the promised land, from sadness to feasting, from hunger to the wedding feast, from death to life, introduced with Christ, in the last red sea of life, death and burial to rise with Him to a new life, participating in his own resurrected life.

To live this experience, familiarity with Sacred History through the Word of God read, proclaimed and celebrated in the liturgy is fundamental. The Easter Vigil is the teacher of this mystagogical task.

His journey through the Old Testament through the historical, prophetic and sapiential books expresses the fears, the longings, the limits, the thirst of man's heart, constantly saved by the powerful hand of God.

All this pedagogy of God with the people finds its fulfillment in the New Testament, with the Christ event and his Resurrection.

It is necessary to dwell on the readings of each celebration, to illuminate their meaning in Christ and existentially for the man of today, to trust in the performative power of the Word that finds in the sacramental framework its maximum expression. It does what it says.

Sacramental Mystagogy

Easter is, par excellence, the time of the sacraments. The saving power that flowed from the Body of Christ has passed to his Church and, thanks to her action, the whole of man's existence has been blessed and saved.

The sacraments connect us with the risen Christ, they are the opportunity to encounter his glorious flesh. Thus, we are incorporated into him primarily through Eucharistic communion, which fulfills the communion inaugurated in baptism: Christ in us, we in him, in a spousal sense: united in one flesh, the Flesh offered by Christ for the life of the world.

This communion nourishes us, transforms us and moves us to live everything human from this dimension of resurrection. At Easter the sacraments of initiation are celebrated and, as a grace that flows from them, it is the propitious moment for the celebration also of the sacraments of vocation: marriage and Holy Orders, as well as the consecration of virgins.

It is the time in which the human with its mystery of growth, love, mission and limit can unfold without fear, in a fruitfulness whose fruit is the presence of the Kingdom, holiness.

Throughout this Easter that we are beginning, may we ministers, religious, catechists and pastoral leaders be able to deploy a creative mystagogical action in our celebrations, in our catechetical tasks, in our homilies, so that we may be truly transformed by what we receive and in what we receive.

This is a task of knowledge in the Jewish sense of the word: a knowledge that is communion and love, that embraces all the dimensions of the person to the point of touching the deepest part of the being, to the point of moving the heart, of introducing into intimacy, of illuminating existence according to Christ.

This is the proper action of the Holy Spirit, the great Mystagogue, that is why Easter, the time of mystagogy, is the time of the Spirit, in fact, its goal is at Pentecost.

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Pope at Easter Vigil: "It is always possible to begin again".

Pope reminds us that the Resurrection of Christ gives new hope

This Saturday, March 30, at 7:30 p.m. Pope Francis presided over the celebration of the Easter Vigil, celebrated in St. Peter's Basilica at the Vatican.

Loreto Rios-March 30, 2024-Reading time: 4 minutes

At 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, March 30, the Pope presided at the Easter Vigil in St. Peter's Basilica. The ceremony, which lasted almost two and a half hours, began in the atrium of the Basilica with the blessing of the fire and the preparation of the Easter candle.

After the procession to the altar, with the candle lit, and the singing of the Exultet, the Liturgy of the Word and the Baptismal Liturgy took place, during which Pope Francis administered the sacraments of Christian initiation to eight catechumens.

The sealed stone

In his homily, which he read personally, the Pope pointed out that "women go to the tomb in the light of dawn, but within themselves they still carry the darkness of the night". Because, "although they are on their way, they are still paralyzed, their heart has remained at the foot of the cross. Their sight is blurred by the tears of Good Friday, they are immobilized by pain, locked in the feeling that it is all over, and that the event of Jesus has already been sealed with a stone. And it is precisely the stone that is at the center of their thoughts. They ask themselves: 'Who will roll away the stone from the entrance to the tomb? When they arrive at the place, however, the surprising force of the Passover strikes them: 'When they looked,' says the text, 'they saw that the stone had been rolled away; it was a very large stone' (Mk 16:4)" (Mk 16:4).

The Holy Father paused to reflect on these two moments, "who will roll away the stone" and "when they looked, they saw that the stone had been rolled away".

The end of the story

"To begin with," says Francis, "there is the question that overwhelms his heart broken by sorrow: who will roll away the stone from the tomb? That stone represents the end of the story of Jesus, buried in the darkness of death. He, the life that came into the world, has died; He, who manifested the merciful love of the Father, received no mercy; He, who relieved sinners from the yoke of condemnation, was condemned to the cross. The Prince of peace, who freed an adulteress from the violent fury of the stones, lies in the tomb behind a great stone. That rock, an impassable obstacle, was the symbol of what the women carried in their hearts, the end of their hope. Everything had shattered against this slab, with the dark mystery of a tragic pain that had prevented them from realizing their dreams".

As the Pope pointed out, "this can happen to us too. Sometimes we feel that a tombstone has been placed heavily at the entrance to our heart, suffocating life, extinguishing confidence, locking us in the tomb of fears and bitterness, blocking the path to joy and hope. They are 'stumbling blocks of death' and we find them, along the way, in all the experiences and situations that rob us of the enthusiasm and strength to go forward; in the sufferings that assail us and in the death of our loved ones, which leave in us emptinesses impossible to fill; in the failures and fears that prevent us from realizing the good we desire; in all the obstacles that restrain our impulses of generosity and prevent us from opening ourselves to love; in the walls of selfishness and indifference that repel our commitment to build cities and societies that are more just and dignified for mankind; in all the yearnings for peace shattered by the cruelty of hatred and the ferocity of war. When we experience these disillusions, we have the feeling that many dreams are destined to be shattered and we too ask ourselves in anguish: who will roll away the stone from the tomb?

Endless hope

It is at this moment that the second part of the Gospel comes into play: "When they looked, they saw that the stone had been rolled away; it was a very large stone". The Pope pointed out that this is "the Passover of Christ, the power of God, the victory of life over death, the triumph of light over darkness, the rebirth of hope amidst the rubble of failure. It is the Lord, the God of the impossible, who forever rolled away the stone and began to open our tombs, so that hope may never end. Towards him, then, we too must look".

Let's look at Jesus

The Pontiff then invited us to "look to Jesus": "He, having assumed our humanity, descended into the abysses of death and crossed them with the power of his divine life, opening an infinite breach of light for each one of us. Resurrected by the Father in his flesh, which is also ours with the power of the Holy Spirit, he opened a new page for humanity. From that moment on, if we let ourselves be led by the hand of Jesus, no experience of failure or pain, no matter how much it hurts us, can have the last word on the meaning and destiny of our life. From that moment on, if we allow ourselves to be held by the Risen One, no defeat, no suffering, no death can stop us on our journey towards the fullness of life.

Renew our "yes".

The Holy Father invited every Christian to renew his "yes" to Jesus. In this way, "no stumbling block will be able to suffocate our heart, no tomb will be able to enclose the joy of living, no failure will be able to lead us to despair. Let us look to him and ask him that the power of his resurrection may remove the rocks that oppress our soul. Let us look to Him, the Risen One, and let us walk with the certainty that in the dark background of our expectations and of our death there is already present the eternal life that He came to bring".

Finally, the Pope concluded by asking everyone to let their "hearts burst with joy on this holy night," and closed his homily by quoting J. Y. Quellec: "Let us sing of the resurrection of Jesus together: 'Sing of him, far-off lands, rivers and plains, deserts and mountains [...] sing of the Lord of life who rises from the tomb, brighter than a thousand suns. O peoples destroyed by evil and stricken by injustice, landless peoples, martyred peoples, drive away on this night the singers of despair. The man of sorrows is no longer in prison, he has broken through the wall, he hastens to reach us. Let the unexpected cry be born from the darkness: he is alive, he is risen. And you, brothers and sisters, small and great [...] you in the effort of living, you who feel unworthy to sing [...] may a new flame pierce your heart, may a new freshness invade your voice. It is the Lord's Passover, it is the feast of the living'".

Pope at Easter Vigil: "It is always possible to begin again".

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The Pontifical Gregorian University to have new general statutes

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Pope approves new statute for St. Mary Major

Pope Francis has approved a new statute and regulations for the Chapter of St. Mary Major. With this measure, the Pontiff seeks to enable the canons to dedicate themselves fully to the spiritual and pastoral accompaniment of the faithful.

Giovanni Tridente-March 30, 2024-Reading time: 3 minutes

With a chirograph dated March 19, 2024, Pope Francis approved the new bylaws and regulations for the Chapter of the Papal Basilica of St. Mary Major in Rome. The measure is intended to free the canons from financial and administrative obligations, allowing them to devote themselves fully to the spiritual and pastoral accompaniment of the faithful.

The Pontiff granted Monsignor Rolandas Makrickas, coadjutor archpriest of the basilica, the necessary authority for the application of the new regulations and the government of the Chapter, while temporarily retaining legal representation and administrative powers.

After all, Bishop Makrickas had been entrusted with the task of Extraordinary Commissioner of the Chapter, including financial management, as of December 15, 2021. The fruits of that assignment have now led to this final decision of Pope Francis.

In another rescript, the Pope also established that canons and coadjutors of the Chapter who have reached or will reach the age of 80 will assume the status of "honorary", retaining certain benefits such as housing, robes and chapter allowance. They will be able to continue their voluntary liturgical-pastoral service and have access to the canonical cemetery. The same provision applies to those who have not participated in chapter celebrations and sessions for some time, regardless of their age.

This measure marks a turning point in the life of the prestigious Chapter of St. Mary Major, custodian of important relics - among them the centenary effigy of the "Salus Populi Romani", to which Pope Francis is very devoted - in accordance with the principles of the apostolic constitution "Praedicate Evangelium".

The new statute

The document concerning the statute of the chapter and canons of the Papal Basilica of St. Mary Major, approved by the Pontiff, defines the structure and functions of the chapter and canons, underlining, as mentioned above, the importance of liturgical and pastoral activities.

It deals with various aspects, such as the composition of the chapter, the functions of the cardinal archpriest and canons, appointments by the Roman Pontiff, vacations and spiritual exercises, the celebration of Mass and pastoral activities. In addition, provisions are specified concerning the termination of the office of the canons, the celebration of funeral Masses for deceased canons, the management of the movable and immovable property of the chapter, the appointment and functions of the Board of Auditors, as well as final provisions concerning the interpretation of the present statute and the competent tribunal in contractual and economic matters.

Finally, all legal, regulatory and customary norms in force up to now are hereby repealed.

The Regulations

The Regulations contain the details of the rules and procedures governing the role of canons within the Basilica. Among the provisions, there is information regarding the assignment of accommodations, financial responsibilities, chapter sessions, spiritual and liturgical duties, as well as how to resign from the office of canon.

The norms also establish the rules for participation in liturgical functions, voting procedures during chapter sessions, and the responsibilities of the officers and secretary. Provision is made for revocation of accommodation in case of delinquency and for dealing with situations of inconsistency in the conduct of canons.

A bit of history

The Chapter of the Basilica of St. Mary Major takes the form of a Priestly College under the direction of a cardinal archpriest, also known as the Liberian Chapter.

Its existence is attested for the first time in the 12th century and the first codices of the Chapter date from the 13th century with dates of 1262, 1266 and 1271. Documents from the 14th century already attest to the first efforts to establish fixed rules for the functioning of the Chapter, approved by the Pontiffs of the time.

The authorGiovanni Tridente

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Evangelization

Juan Manuel CoteloBefore taking the step to forgive, it seems impossible".

Juan Manuel Cotelo delved into real stories of terrorist attacks, infidelities or massacres that find forgiveness in "The greatest gift."

Maria José Atienza-March 30, 2024-Reading time: 3 minutes

"We stake the truth of our faith on concrete acts of love," says filmmaker Juan Manuel Cotelo in this interview. Cotelo, who is now embarking on the project of Make a mess, directed in 2019, a film-documentary that has lost none of its topicality: The greatest gift.

In it he looks at real stories of forgiveness, but of hard, shocking, almost stark forgiveness. Stories that make us question ourselves if we would really be willing to forgive, because, deep down, we have set limits to forgiveness and that has killed it at the root.

Forgiveness is like love, it changes its meaning when you give it a last name. This is the axis around which Cotelo's work revolves, which we talked about in order to put a face and a history to forgiveness.

Beyond the script: How does one approach forgiveness in life?

-In real life, there is no one who enjoys asking for forgiveness or forgiving. Because forgiveness always arises from a wound that we have caused, or that has been caused to us.

However, even if it is difficult for us, we all have the experience that it is good for us to ask for forgiveness and to forgive. It is the only thing that closes our wounds, even if the scars remain.

In order to take this step, it is not advisable to rely on one's own feelings, nor on one's own strength. Because the normal thing is that the feeling goes in the opposite direction to forgiveness and the forces tell us that we cannot take the step.

That is why we must allow ourselves to be helped by good people on earth and by the spiritual help of Heaven. A high jumper with his own strength can overcome a very small height, but with a pole vault he can climb much higher. That is the help we need and, if we ask Heaven for it, we will never lack it.

Cotelo in a clip from the movie "The Greatest Gift".

At The greatest giftTim points out that "forgiveness is the most difficult and dignified act of man.". Are we more human when we forgive? Isn't revenge more natural?

-We are human when we love and when we hate. We are human in all circumstances. And what we can all naturally experience is that resentment feels bad, terrible... and forgiveness feels great.

But, in order to experience it, we have to take the step. Before taking it, it seems impossible. Afterwards, we see that it was not so bad. Everything that brings us closer to love dignifies us, elevates us. And everything that leaves us tied to resentment, sinks us. Not in theory, but in practice.

Do we need God to fully understand and embrace forgiveness?

-I do not believe that we can do anything "only on the human plane," as if there were divine activities and others that are not. Everything we do, starting with the fact that we are alive, is a divine act. There is no option to separate the human from the divine, except artificially.

The reality is that we need God to breathe and, of course, to love. When our heartbeats are separated from the heartbeats of God's love, we suffer. When our thoughts are separated from God's thoughts, we suffer.

When our acts are separated from the will of God, we suffer. The distinction between the human and the divine is purely theoretical. St. Paul expresses it marvelously: "In Him we live, move and exist.". Therefore, we undoubtedly need God to forgive, as much as we need legs to ride a bicycle. We would not take a single pedal stroke without God.

Christianity is the religion of forgiveness. Why is it often forgotten even among Christians themselves?

-Because the examination of our life of faith is not theoretical, it is always practical. Again I quote St. Paul: "I do the evil I don't want to do, and the good I want to do, I don't do." Solution: full trust in the power of grace, in God's help.

Those who believe that good intentions and a good doctrinal formation are enough are mistaken and the discovery of their limitations will be traumatic. Jesus says it clearly: "Without Me, you can do nothing".

The doctors of the law whom Jesus called hypocrites did not have theoretical religious problems. They were doctors! The same thing could happen to any of us, if we are content to know the theory or even if we preach it. We stake the truth of our faith on concrete acts of love. This is what we ask for in the Our Father: "Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us."

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The Pope's Good Friday: Celebration of the Lord's Passion and Stations of the Cross from Santa Marta

After the celebration of the Passion of the Lord, preached by Cardinal Raniero Cantalamessa, O.F.M. Cap., Pope Francis followed this year's Stations of the Cross from Santa Marta, to avoid further health problems.

Maria José Atienza-March 29, 2024-Reading time: 3 minutes

The Pope witnessed only half of the celebrations proper to Good Friday. The Pope presided over the celebration of the Passion of the Lord in St. Peter's Basilica, but minutes before the beginning of the Stations of the Cross in the Colosseum, the Holy See Press Office announced that the Pope would follow the prayer from his house in Santa Marta. This year, the meditations for the Stations of the Cross have been written by the Pope himself.

A Via Crucis of the Pope without the Pope

"In prayer with Jesus on the Way of the Cross", This is how Francis has entitled these meditations that accompanied the prayer of the 14 Stations of the Cross, which Francis, for health reasons, was unable to attend. The text is rooted, in a direct way, with the celebration of the Year of Prayer the Catholic Church in preparation for the Jubilee of 2025.

Lay people, young people, nuns and priests have been the bearers of the cross, with whom the hundreds of attendees have prayed this Via Crucis, touring the interior of one of the places of martyrdom of the Christians of the first hour.

The Pope's meditations began with a plea for forgiveness to Jesus for our lack of dedication to prayer, which leads to a superficiality of life: "I realize that I hardly know you because I know little of your silence, because in the frenzy of hurry and busyness, absorbed by things, trapped by the fear of not staying afloat or by the desire to always put myself at the center, I do not find the time to stop and stay with you".

Francis also wanted to focus on selfishness and self-centeredness, so typical of today's society, that instead of going to God "I close myself in on myself, mentally ruminating, digging into the past, complaining, sinking into victimhood, a champion of negativity".

The figure of the Virgin Mary and her sorrowful and maternal presence in the Passion of Christ led the Pope to recall that "the gaze of one's own mother is the gaze of memory, which cements us in the good. We cannot do without a mother who gives birth to us, but neither can we do without a mother who puts us in charge in the world" and to look at women, who are so often mistreated in this world.

Francis also wanted to focus on the weaknesses of our lives that we must turn into opportunities for conversion, like the Cyrenean whose weakness "changed his life and one day he would realize that he had helped his Savior, that he had been redeemed through the cross he carried"; falls that, lived at the Lord's side, "hope never ends, and after every fall we get up again, because when I make mistakes you do not tire of me, but you draw closer to me".

This Way of the Cross 2024, the twelfth to be celebrated under the pontificate of Pope Francis, is marked by the celebration of the year dedicated to prayer in the Church. For this reason, there have been continuous references to Christian prayer. The Pope asked "Jesus, may I pray not only for myself and my loved ones, but also for those who do not love me and do me harm; may I pray according to the desires of your heart, for those who are far from you; making reparation and interceding on behalf of those who, ignoring you, do not know the joy of loving you and of being forgiven by you". and insisted on the "unheard of power of prayer" and the need to persevere in it.

Celebration of the Lord's death

Previously, the Pope had presided over the celebration of the Passion of the Lord in St. Peter's Basilica. Cardinal Raniero Cantalamessa, O.F.M. Cap., preacher of the Papal Household, gave the homily at the celebration, which was attended by more than 4,000 faithful, together with dozens of priests, bishops and consecrated persons.

Cantalamessa wanted to emphasize the "I am" of Christ, which shows that "Jesus did not come to improve and perfect the idea that men have of God, but, in a certain sense, to invert it and reveal the true face of God".

The preacher of the pontifical house also emphasized how God "stops" in the face of human freedom: "God is devoid of all ability, not only coercive but also defensive, in the face of human creatures. He cannot intervene with authority to impose himself on them".

The triumph of Christ, Cantalamessa continued, "takes place in mystery, without witnesses. Jesus appears only to a few disciples, out of the spotlight. They tell us that, after having suffered, we should not expect an external and visible triumph, like earthly glory. The triumph is given in the invisible and is of an infinitely superior order because it is eternal".

The Pope, visibly tired, continued the celebration of Good Friday with the adoration of the Cross and communion. A liturgy marked by silence and recollection.

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