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Culture

The hermit San Millán and the cradle of the Spanish language

November 12 is the feast day of San Millán, a saint from the 5th-6th century A.D. who gave his name to the Rioja town of San Millán de la Cogolla. His history is also linked to the beginnings of the Spanish language.

Loreto Rios-November 12, 2023-Reading time: 3 minutes
RelatedRelated NewsFrom North to South. Europe's Medieval Christian Roots.Related NewsAncient and Medieval Church History

San Millán was born in Berceo (now a town in La Rioja) in 473 AD. At that time, in the Iberian Peninsula, already Christianized, the Hispano-Romans and the newly arrived Visigoths coexisted. At that time, Euric reigned, although the long life of San Millán spanned 10 reigns, since he lived 101 years, from 473 to 574.

Shepherd in Berceo

From a hispanoroman and peasant family, he was a shepherd until he was 20 years old. From then on, he decided to embrace religious life and left Berceo to study with the anchorite Saint Felices de Bilibio. Subsequently, he became a hermit and returned to his native region, retiring to some caves that are now located in the town of San Millán de la Cogolla (a town that did not exist at that time and that was formed because many people went to settle there because of the saint).

Saint Millán, hermit

With a reputation for holiness due to his miracles, he soon had followers who formed a community in the nearby caves, both men and women, for example St. Citonato, St. Sophronius, St. Oria (Gonzalo de Berceo wrote the poem "Life of St. Oria") and St. Potamia, who today gives her name to one of the streets of the village.

Tombs of the Infantes de Lara at Suso

Due to the increase of followers, a Visigothic church was built next to the caves, which was later enlarged during the Mozarabic period. This church was polychrome, but in the year 1002 Almanzor set fire to it and today only some small remains of that decoration are preserved. From the original church, you can still see a Visigothic altar from the 6th century, the oldest one preserved in the Peninsula and in most of the West.

First traces of Spanish

The current Monastery of Suso, in San Millán de la Cogolla, is built in the caves where Saint Millán lived. Inhabited by highly educated monks, the famous Glosas Emilianenses were written there, the first written testimony of the Spanish language, clarifications to the Latin text that an anonymous monk copyist wrote in Romance on the right margin of the codex. Some Basque words also appear in these glosses.

When he died in 574, Saint Millán was buried in Suso, and his remains remained there until 1053, when King García decided to transfer him to the recently founded Santa María La Real de Nájera. However, according to tradition, the oxen transporting the funeral cart collapsed when they reached the valley, and there was no way to move them forward. This was interpreted by the king as a sign that the body of the saint should not leave the valley, and the Monastery of Yuso was built, where the remains of San Millán are preserved to this day. Both monasteries have been declared World Heritage Site.

Due to the transfer, a commemorative cenotaph of black alabaster was made in the Monastery of Suso in the 12th century, in which several figures are represented, among them St. Braulio, bishop of Zaragoza and first biographer of San Millán.

Gonzalo de Berceo

The Monastery of Suso became an important cultural center. In the 12th century, a boy named Gonzalo, born, like St. Millán, in Berceo, went there to be educated. This would be Gonzalo de Berceo, the first poet of known name who wrote his works in Romance instead of Latin. This is why this place is known as the "cradle" of the Spanish language.

In Suso also rest the remains (except for the heads) of the Seven Infantes de Lara, along with those of their ayo, Don Nuño.

The so-called "Cueva de Cuaresma" (Lenten Cave), where Saint Millán used to retire during Lent to fast and do penance, is also preserved. In the cave you can also see the tombs of noblemen who wanted to be buried near the saint. In another area of the small monastery are kept the bones of pilgrims of yesteryear that have been found in the valley.

Suso Monastery

Suso and Yuso

Today the Monastery of Suso does not house monks or hermits: the small building has remained on the top of the mountain as an architectural, historical, cultural and religious relic. However, in the monastery of Yuso still lives a community of Augustinian monks who preserve the religious cult of the place.

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RelatedRelated NewsFrom North to South. Europe's Medieval Christian Roots.Related NewsAncient and Medieval Church History
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  • His Beatitude Shevchuk: "We must not resign ourselves to war, it is always a tragedy".
The World

His Beatitude Shevchuk: "We must not resign ourselves to war, it is always a tragedy".

Omnes was able to speak with Monsignor Sviatoslav Shevchuk, Major Archbishop of Kiev, after his trip to Brussels where he met with various representatives of the European Union.

Antonino Piccione-November 11, 2023-Reading time: 4 minutes

His Beatitude Sviatoslav ShevchukThe major archbishop of Kiev has been in Brussels, where he arrived to attend the plenary assembly of the Commission of the Bishops' Conferences of the European Union (Comece).

There he also met with the leadership of the European Commission on the day Ursula Von der Leyen announced the first green light for negotiations on the entry of some countries, including Ukraine, into the European Union.

He also met with European Commission representatives Olivér Várhelyi, European Commissioner for Enlargement and Neighborhood Policy of the EU Commission, and Michael Siebert, Executive Director for EU Affairs.

Beatitude, how was the news of the first step towards Ukraine's entry into the European Union received?

Perhaps it is a coincidence, but exactly 10 years ago I came here to Brussels with the heads of Churches and religious organizations gathered in the All-Ukrainian Council. We had come here to declare the will of the Ukrainian people to return to the family of European nations. We brought to the European Summit a document bearing the signatures of the leaders of the Christian Churches and of the Jewish and Muslim communities. Today this text is signed with the blood of the sons and daughters of the Ukrainian people. To defend this European project, the Revolution of Dignity broke out in Ukraine and the Russian invasion of Crimea and Donbass began in 2014.

The root of the military confrontation we are experiencing today stems precisely from the political denial of the identity of a people.

Today I feel that the European Union has finally opened its doors. If this step had been taken 10 years earlier, perhaps so many victims would have been avoided.

Why do you say this?

-Europe is a family of nations. A civilization, not just an economic union. If we had not abandoned ourselves to our own desires, if we had not privileged the economy over the dignity of the human person, if we had let the peoples choose, recognizing them not as the object of negotiation between Europe and Russia, but as the subject of their own future, then, 10 years ago, many lives could have been saved.

So what value do Von der Leyen's words have today?

They are an encouragement, even moral, even psychological.they tell us that all those victims who defended the European identity of our people were not in vain.

Finally someone recognizes who Ukrainians are, why they live and why they die.

Pope Francis greets Ukrainian Archbishop Sviatoslav Shevchuk during a private meeting at the Vatican ©CNS photo/Vatican Media

What does the European Union mean to you?

-The values of the dignity of the person, of human life. It is very clear that the war in Ukraine is not a confrontation between two nations, but between two projects.
On the one hand, there is Russia, which is pursuing a return to a glorious past.

The past of an empire that wants to reconquer Ukraine, its former colony, and bring it back under a dictatorial system. On the other side is the Ukraine that wants to move forward, that looks to the future and does not want to go back.

There is a lot of talk, and rightly so, about the situation in the Middle East and very little about the war in Ukraine. What news is there? We live the tragedy of the Holy Land as our tragedy.

-We are very close to the Israeli people because, like them, the Ukrainian people are denied the very right to exist, and we are very close to the Christians of Palestine and the State of Israel.

It is interesting to note that the conflict in the Holy Land began on October 7 as a result of Hamas terrorist action.

In Ukraine, October was the bloodiest month in the last year.

The Russians slaughtered 1,000 of their own soldiers every day and our Ukrainian prisoners of war were shot en masse. A butchery. The war in Ukraine continues, the risk is that it will become a silenced war, a forgotten war. Just as it happened 10 years ago in the Donbass and Crimea. All this makes it urgent to plan for the future with a diplomatic plan.

There is little peace diplomacy, even here in the European Union. By the way, what is Cardinal Zuppi's mission like? 

-While in Italy to attend the Synod, I was able to visit Bologna and visit the Cardinal. We agreed on one fact: we cannot get used to war, because war is always a tragedy.

However, it is also true that every war ends with a peace agreement. And this peace agreement can already be woven by us today. We have talked a lot about the Ukrainian children kidnapped by the Russians, an issue on which, unfortunately, we have not been able to achieve any results so far.

We must insist, we must continue to seek all possible ways to free these children. Building peace requires the virtue of perseverance in doing good. We must not resign ourselves. War has a vicious and evil logic.

The men who initiate it, then become its slaves. War takes hold of everything and the man who falls victim to it is no longer able to get out of this cage. From a human point of view, the situation may indeed be a cause for despair. But if we look at the Founding Fathers of the European project, Schuman and Adenauer, were not overcome by despair but built Europe out of the rubble of World War II as a European peace project involving all nations. We must follow their example.

The authorAntonino Piccione

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Evangelization

Meeting the U.S. Secret Service Chaplain

Mark Arbeen is director of the U.S. Secret Service Chaplain Program. In this interview he talks about his conversion to Catholicism and his work, strongly influenced by the Virgin Mary and St. Michael.

Jennifer Elizabeth Terranova-November 10, 2023-Reading time: 5 minutes
RelatedRelated NewsThe archangels, gifts of God

Mary, Our Blessed Mother, always knows what she is doing.

Omnes had a chance to speak to Reverend Mark Arbeen, Chaplain Program Manager to the United States Secret Service. He spoke about his decision to convert to Catholicism, his position, and good old Saint Michael.

Mark Arbeen, Chaplain Program Manager to the United States Secret Service

It was in Mexico City in 2003 at the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe at Mass before his wedding when Mark made a promise to our Blessed Mother.

He was seated not too far from the altar and fell into what his friend described as a "trance." I wasn't breathing, I wasn't moving, I was staring," shared Mark. But recalls uttering the words to Our Blessed Mother, "If she [his soon-to-be wife] becomes pregnant, I'll become Catholic." He said he isn't sure exactly what transpired but remembers being "In the presence of Mary."

Mark and his wife would receive the 'good news' that they would be blessed with their first child not too long after their wedding, and Mark converted to Catholicism as he had promised our Blessed Mother that day in Mexico at the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe. This would "solidify" his decision to become Catholic."

Mark would eventually become a Catholic Church deacon, something he had no interest in pursuing. Before his conversion, he had gone to an Episcopal seminary and studied to become a priest, so it was somewhat familiar territory upon entering Catholic ministry.

He joked and said that his wife and colleague decided for him. Mark recalled asking them whether "I have a say in this decision?" He received a clear no and said, "it's a happy wife, happy life, type of thing.

Mark is one of many converts to Catholicism, which he attributes to the struggles in the liturgical Protestant world—Methodists, Lutherans, Episcopalians, and Presbyterians, to name a few. Mark said part of the reason for this is because "we do not have a leader at the top who says yes or no, and the Catholics have a Pope, and he is the final authority, the office of the Pope, which allows for more solid ground to operate, and to worship…and that, with everything that’s been going on in the Protestant world is a blessing to a lot of us." His diocese is part of the Personal Ordinariate of the Chair of St. Peter.

U.S. Secret Service

Around this time, Mark began to work for the Secret Service of the United States. The (USSS) is one of the nation's oldest federal investigative law enforcement agencies and was founded in 1865 as a branch of the U.S. Treasury Department. As it states on its official website:

The Secret Service performs two critical homeland security missions:

Through its protective mission, the Secret Service preserves continuity of government and ensures security at events of national significance by protecting the President and Vice President, their families, visiting heads-of-state/government, and other designated individuals.

In addition, the USSS also investigates threats against the White House, the Vice President's Residence, Foreign Missions, and other designated buildings within the Washington, D.C. area, so it is no wonder that these fine men and women who risk their lives to protect so many have a chaplain on call.

Mark Arbeen's second 'call,' if you will, is to work as the Chaplain Program Manager to the United States Secret Service. The idea for a program arose in 2013 2014 when the USSS began to have significant issues in the press. Moral was down, and a chaplain program seemed like a way to restore things.

Mark was solicited by the agent who was assigned to the task of researching a possible program. He said, at first. "I didn't want to have anything to do with it" but would help "in the "background." When the agent unexpectedly dies, Mark recalls serving at the woman's funeral, and the director of the USS approaches him, saying, "Father." Mark responds to him and says, "I am a deacon, and I am one of you." The director eventually hires Mark, and he begins working toward instituting this well-needed program.

The task took work, especially for new programs within any Department of Homeland Security agency. The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) was the only agency with a program like this, which meant they would be unique with the FBI.

While one does not have to be of any particular denomination or religion, it did work advantageously that Mark was Catholic because about 60 percent of the United States Secret Service is Catholic. But Mark said, "Understanding hierarchy with the other faith groups" is essential. He continued, "Being a former Episcopal, I understood that hierarchy, and being Catholic, I understand hierarchy."

A Day in the Life of the Chaplain Manager to the USSS

It's common for Mark to work and talk with the cardinals, archbishops, the chief rabbi of the United States, and other religious leaders. "It's a bigger role than people thought, "said Mark because he deals with leaders who decide to let one of their ministers become one of the USSS chaplains.

His main job is to manage volunteer chaplains in the United States. He currently has 140 employees, comprising all faiths, about 62, and both genders. He also has a portion who are atheists. But Mark emphasized what is essential is to be able to speak with them "on their terms, not on mine."

Mark noted that his Catholic religion has helped him "because the Catholic faith, especially since Vatican II, is about dialogue." He continued, "And having the ability to dialogue with other faith groups without trying to convert either one of them…[and] understanding where our commonalities are and focusing on that, and not on our differences, that is huge in the Catholic Church, and that's what every one of our bishops, archbishops, the cardinals and the Pope, they have to do this, and that's what I have to do in this job."

He also spoke of the need to receive the Blessed Sacrament, especially at busy times, like, for example, during the meeting of the General Assembly in New York City.

He said that a good percentage of the staff do request Communion on that Sunday, those who are unable to get to Mass, so around 25 to 30 hosts will be distributed to employees who are on the frontlines doing what they are called to do, protect the lives those they are assigned to. Some, however, can attend service.

It is no wonder that the Chaplain Program was implemented. The men and women who risk their lives to ensure the safety of others and their families are under tremendous stress. Mark said they have a "zero failure mission" and "if someone makes a mistake, [and] somebody dies, we can't have that."

Welcome, Saint Michael!

I asked Deacon Mark if he invokes Saint Michael and the archangels' role in the program. He again referred to the diversity of the people he works with and how Saint Michael is revered by not only the Catholics but also the Jews and Muslims. Saint Michael is the Patron Saint of Law Enforcement, which is unsurprising.

Mark said that he feels Saint Michael's presence "every day," but "it is not a pat on the back; I feel his sword on my back, pushing me," that pressure to do more. But he also feels comfort from Saint Michael when standing before a family who just lost somebody." He says Saint Michael's "wings cover."

What he loves most about his role is helping someone through a difficult period in their life. We say in law enforcement chaplaincy, "Our job is to be present to the people when they need us, not when we want to provide it." He said he would never equate himself to a law enforcement agent because "I run to them, but they run into the bullets, and that's a bravery that's sorely misunderstood." My agents will stand in front of the president of the United States of America and take a bullet for them. "It's a bravery that can't be taught."

We concluded the interview, and Deacon Arbeen said, "We have to recognize that Jesus redeems us, and we have to recognize the need for Jesus in the Sacrament and recognize the need for Jesus in our lives."

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Indi Gregory: the fight for a life

Indi Gregory has put her right to palliative care back on the table after being denied by a British judge who ordered her to be taken off life support despite the Bambino Gesu in Rome offering to provide it.

Maria José Atienza-November 10, 2023-Reading time: < 1 minute
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Culture

Consecration of the new altar of the Berlin Cathedral

Built by Frederick II of Prussia in 1773 for Catholics coming from Silesia, St. Hedwig's Church has undergone several reconstructions, mainly after World War II. In 2018, remodeling work began for the current cathedral.

José M. García Pelegrín-November 10, 2023-Reading time: 5 minutes

On November 1, just 250 years after the first consecration of the church of St. Hedwig (St. Hedwig), the new altar of Berlin's Catholic Cathedral was consecrated. The church was closed for five years to be completely remodeled inside.

The new altar

The new altar has a hemispherical shape, which corresponds to the dome that covers the building. A special feature of this altar is that it is built with "living stones" donated by the faithful from Berlin, other parts of Germany and other countries. However, the remodeling of the cathedral has not yet been completed, so it has been closed to the public again in order to finish the work.

Leo Zogmayer, the Austrian artist responsible for the interior of the cathedral, explained at a press tour on November 1 that the altar was made using the stone casting process: "Donated stones are added to a mixture of sand, gravel and white cement. This mass is poured into a negative mold. Once the mass has hardened and the mold has been demolded, the rough casting still needs to be finished by hand to expose the stones near the surface." The altar weighs about two and a half tons, but it almost seems to float, while conveying a massive presence.

A relic of St. Hedwig of Andechs, patron saint of the church, was embedded in the mensa of the altar during the consecration. The ambo is made of the same stone as the altar; its reduced shape corresponds to the minimalist geometric hemisphere of the altar.

Archbishop Heiner Koch, Archbishop of Berlin, recalled in his homily that "Jesus is the center and measure of the life of humanity. In him we find support and orientation in the challenges of our time, the center and measure of our lives. In the sacrifice of the cross, Jesus unites us with God in time and eternity; he unites heaven and earth and gives us redemption."

On the altar his death is celebrated, not only as a memorial, but as a real presence: here the bread and wine become the body and blood of Christ by the Spirit of God; here he is truly present. "Here what happened on the Cross and in the Upper Room is made present, because He loved His own who were in the world, He loved them to perfection. That is made present here, on this altar when the priest, called by the consecration, pronounces the words of consecration in the name of Jesus, in his authority. Christ is in our midst. The altar maintains communion with heaven: the communion of God, which alone gives peace. And it also maintains communion "with us and among us".

St. Hedwig's Cathedral

Berlin's Catholic cathedral, the Sankt Hedwigs-Kathedrale (St. Hedwig's Cathedral), is located in the center of the city, forming part of the so-called Forum Fridericianuma square planned by the Prussian king Frederick II (1712-1786) at the beginning of the emblematic avenue Unter den LindenThe construction was entrusted to one of the most outstanding German architects of the 18th century, Georg Wenzeslaus von Knobelsdorff, who was also the architect of the church.

The construction of the cathedral began in 1747 and represented the first Catholic church in Berlin since the Reformation. Frederick II decided to dedicate the church to St. Hedwig in honor of the new Catholic inhabitants of Berlin who arrived after the Second Silesian War, which ended in the same year. 

King Frederick II donated the land and suggested the circular shape, inspired by the Roman Pantheon. It has been claimed that initially Frederick II considered dedicating the building to "all the gods" (like the Pantheon), to be used by different religions, following his principle of tolerance. Whether this is true or not, Knobelsdorff maintained the circular shape of the Pantheon.

Construction was hampered by financial difficulties and the Seven Years' War, which delayed completion until November 1773. The dome and pediment frieze were completed in the late 19th century, and in 1886-1887, Max Hasak finished the building, covering the dome with a copper coating and crowning it with a lantern and cross. The interior was decorated in neo-baroque style. In 1927, Pope Pius XI granted the church the title of minor basilica. 

With the creation of the Berlin diocese on August 13, 1930 (until then it was part of the diocese of Breslau, today's Wrocław in Poland), the church of St. Hedwig became the cathedral of the new diocese. In 1930-1932, the interior was remodeled by the Austrian architect Clemens Holzmeister. 

Bernhard Lichtenberg, the brave dean

During the National Socialist period (1993-1945), the dean Bernhard Lichtenberg stood out as an opponent of the regime: after the pogrom, euphemistically called "Night of Broken Glass", which took place on the night of November 9-10, 1938, he prayed publicly for the Jews. The next day, Lichtenberg was imprisoned by the Nazi government and died on his way to the Dachau concentration camp. In 1965 Lichtenberg's remains were brought to the crypt of the cathedral. During renovation work in 2018, his relics were moved to another Berlin church dedicated to the martyrs; they will return to the cathedral crypt when the work is completed.

Berlin Cathedral in 1945 ©Landesdenkmalamt Berlin

In World War II, the cathedral suffered severe damage during an Allied air raid on the night of March 2, 1943, which destroyed the dome and left the interior and crypt completely charred. 

After the division of Berlin after World War II, the cathedral remained in East Berlin. It was restored between 1952 and 1963, by the West German architect Hans Schwippert, who reconfigured the space in an unusual way, creating a circular opening in the church leading to the crypt, where eight chapels were installed. The exterior was reconstructed following the historical model.

The restoration of the cathedral

At the beginning of the 21st century, it was decided to carry out a restoration to renovate the building. In the competition organized in 2013, the project of the Sichau & Walter studio from Fulda, in collaboration with the artist Leo Zogmayer, proposed closing the opening to the crypt, locating the descent into the crypt near the entrance and creating a large space in the upper church with the altar at its center.

This project was controversial, especially among Catholics who had suffered persecution during the communist period and had a strong attachment to the cathedral as remodeled by Hans Schwippert. After years of consultations, protests and studies, Archbishop Heiner Koch of Berlin and the cathedral chapter approved the project; work began in 2018.

Berlin Cathedral today ©Probekreuz Erzbistum

On a visit to the construction site for the press in September 2022, the dean of the cathedral, Tobias Przytarski, emphasized the principle behind the "new" cathedral: in the crypt, the baptismal font occupies the center, above which - in the church - is the altar, two meters in diameter. Just above the altar, in the dome, is the skylight covered by a diaphanous glass that opens to heaven: baptism and the Eucharist lead - "hopefully," Przytarski said with a wink - to heaven. The confessionals are in the lower church.

On the exterior, the most significant change is that the new three-meter-high golden cross will be placed above the tympanum of the portico instead of the dome, which will make it more visible. In addition, the previous heavy bronze doors will be replaced by transparent glass doors, which will provide a luminous transparency and symbolize transparency. Przytarski also mentioned a particularity of the stained glass windows, which are opaque, but contain air bubbles that will show the starry sky of Berlin on the day of Jesus' birth.

After the consecration ceremony of the altar, the cathedral has been closed to the public again, and is expected to reopen before Christmas 2024, when the organ, which was dismantled at the beginning of the works, will also be installed.

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ColumnistsFederico Piana

Round tables

If there is one image that can clearly explain the theme of synodality, it is the photograph of the tables of more than 400 participants: the round tables.

November 10, 2023-Reading time: 2 minutes

The Church has rediscovered the joy of walking together. If there is a definition that can best summarize the first session of the XVI General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops, it is this one. And if there is an image that can clearly explain the theme of synodality, it is the picture of the tables of the more than 400 participants: round tables where cardinals sat next to bishops, and bishops and cardinals next to lay men and women, consecrated men and women, young and old.

Apparently, this can be considered a minor detail but, in reality, it represents one of the important keys to understanding the entire synodal session. It is not by chance that Pope Francis himself, during the course of the General Congregations, sat at one of these round tables, bracketing the formality of the hierarchy and emphasizing the relationship of fraternity in membership.

Mutual listening and the sharing of experiences, both personal and ecclesial, are some of the specific features of synodality that favored the new method of work of the round tables, especially when dealing with burning issues: the future of missionary work, the valorization of ordained ministries, the empowerment of all the baptized, the role of women, the reactivation of ecumenism and interreligious dialogue, support for people far from the faith and the poor, the welcome of those who are different, the defense of minors and the vulnerable, and a true understanding of authority.

The participants in the Synod knew how to express their points of view, open their hearts, even disagree at times, but never in opposition. They did this by standing side by side and looking directly into each other's eyes: thanks to these round tables, they were able to build stable friendships and solid relationships that could change the future of the Church.

The authorFederico Piana

 Journalist. He works for Vatican Radio and collaborates with L'Osservatore Romano.

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ColumnistsRafael Domingo Oslé

Christians at the heart of public life

Our times demand a handful of magnanimous citizens, authentically free, who ennoble the public space with their good deeds, making it a place of encounter with God and service to humanity.

November 9, 2023-Reading time: 4 minutes

Throughout more than twenty centuries of history, and based on the experience of distinguished Christians, the Church has been developing a doctrine on the social participation of Christians in public life. 

This teaching is currently contained, among many other documents, in the pastoral constitution Gaudium et spes of the Second Vatican Council (esp. nos. 23-32) and the Apostolic Exhortation Christifideles laici of St. John Paul II. The Catechism of the Catholic Church(Nos. 1897-1917) offers a wonderful synthesis of it all. 

The crux of this doctrine can be summarized as follows: every Christian, through the fulfillment of his civic duties, must assume in conscience, with full freedom and personal responsibility, his own social commitment to animate the temporal order in a Christian way, respecting his own laws and autonomy. This willing duty to promote the common good through a voluntary and generous commitment is inherent in the dignity of the human person. 

Among the central issues affecting public life, the Church has always recalled the primacy of the person over society and the State, the preeminence of morality over law and politics; the defense of life from the moment of conception to its natural end, the centrality of the married family, the right and duty to work in dignified conditions; the right to health and education, private property with its social function as a necessity and guarantee of freedom in solidarity; the care of the planet as the common home of humanity, the need to develop a free, solidary and sustainable economic system, the construction of a just and stable peace through the establishment of an international community ordered by law.

A public life marked by secularism

Unfortunately, in the West, public life is far removed from the Christian principles that animated it at its birth and from the moral principles formulated by the natural law and the doctrine of the Church, which we have just outlined. This has been expressed by important thinkers such as Joseph Ratzinger, Charles Taylor, Jean-Luc Marion or Rémi Bragueamong many others. 

Our era has been described as secular, postmodern, post-Christian, post-truth and transhumanist. And all these adjectives are correct, all of which respond to a common denominator: living as if God did not exist and as if human beings had the right to take his place: the homo deus. 

Our public spaces, especially in some countries such as France, have become completely secularized; religions have been relegated to the private sphere if not to privacy; natural law is seriously questioned and even rejected outright by some Christians (just think of the famous No In the last few years, metaphysical thinking has been replaced by a weak and relativistic thinking, which is considered to be the most appropriate for an open and pluralistic society.

Moral conscience is treated as mere subjective certainty.

Political authority has been detached from any binding moral principle beyond human rights, which are no longer considered as natural requirements, but as products of human consensus, and therefore modifiable and extendable to the protection of acts contrary to nature.

Legal positivism stifles legal systems and suffocates citizens. 

The matrimonial family has become one of the many options within an offer that is already knocking on the door of polygamy as another mode of family unity. The abortion has been established as a right, yes, in a legal abortion!

The right to education is being trampled on by the public authorities, who use it as an instrument of social indoctrination. 

A discourse of political correctness has become widespread, restricting freedom of expression and imposing ways of speaking and behaving even in the most liberal academic spheres. There is constant pressure to live together according to ideological uniformity. 

Truth is considered a factory product that is produced in the laboratories of powerful people who only seek to dominate the world at any price. In the debate of many modern and advanced democracies, the denial of truth coexists with the dictatorship of the majorities.

The result is the so-called cancellation culture that has gone so far as to validate revenge as a political weapon. Populism is rampant in the public space. Meanwhile, religious practice has fallen alarmingly.

Moreover, the physical persecution that Christians are suffering in the world is similar to that suffered by our brothers and sisters in the faith during the Roman imperial era. The annual report presented by the organization Open Doors notes that the total number of Christians killed in 2022 was 5,621 and the total number of churches attacked under different levels of violence reached 2,110.

Christians committed to the truth

Thus, transforming public life today requires not only great ideas, but also and above all great people, exemplary and courageous Christians who are recognized in parliaments and public forums for their unwavering commitment to the truth, for their deep respect for all people regardless of the ideas they defend, for their ability to forgive seventy times seven, for their strong commitment to the poor and most needy and for their outright rejection of any form of political corruption. 

Our times demand a handful of magnanimous citizens, authentically free, who ennoble the public space with their good deeds, making it a place of encounter with God and service to humanity.

The authorRafael Domingo Oslé

Professor and holder of the Álvaro d'Ors Chair
ICS. University of Navarra.

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Integral ecology

Dr. Leal: "It is cheaper to end a patient's life than to accompany him".

The lack of palliative care in many countries "is due to a lack of interest on the part of public administrations. A management that, under a materialistic conception of the human being, prioritizes numbers over people," Dr. Francisco Leal (Hagen, Germany), director of the Pain Unit at the Clínica Universidad de Navarra in Madrid, who is taking part in a conference on "Notions of medicine for priests," tells Omnes.

Francisco Otamendi-November 9, 2023-Reading time: 3 minutes

Dr. Francisco Leal's topic at the conference on "Notions of medicine for priests" is pain and suffering, and the solutions provided by medicine. Although he specifies that "pain is beneficial in principle", because "it is produced by a state of alarm when a harm or danger is detected, and it protects us, it makes us react to the harm".

The doctor has no doubts about the efficacy of palliative care. "In Spain we have some of the best professionals in the world and, unfortunately, very little administrative and political support". He recognizes the crudeness of what he says, but considers that, following "an ideological bias that comes from supranational bodies and that does not consider the value of life", there are those who think that "it is cheaper to end a patient's life than to accompany him or her as he or she deserves".

The "Notions of Medicine for Priests" seminars will be held on Saturdays, October 21, November 11 (therapeutic incarceration) and December 2 (pathologies that can affect conjugal life) at the University of Navarra Clinic in Madrid.

Dr. Leal is a specialist in Anesthesiology, Resuscitation and Pain Management. He has received training in neuroscience from the Harvard University and in TRD (pain reprocessing therapy). He is also currently a professor at the Universities of Cadiz and Navarra. 

Suffering and pain: What are they, how do they occur, can they be avoided or fairly alleviated?

-They are two experiences that are often closely related. One can lead to the other and vice versa. Pain is a sensory and emotional experience associated (or similar to that associated) with actual or potential harm. Suffering is an emotional and mental response to pain or experiences. In addition to an emotional component, a spiritual component may be added. 

Pain is beneficial in principle. It is produced by a state of alarm when a damage or danger is detected. It protects us, it makes us react to the damage. The problem is when that alarm is not turned off and the pain becomes chronic.

We always try to alleviate pain; even chronic pain. In certain cases, we can now dare to say that we can cure it, thanks to the recent Pain Reprocessing Therapies that are giving very promising results.

Medicine offers patients a cure, but what if it can't be cured?

-Until recently, in the case of chronic pain, we could only aspire to palliation. For the first time, as I said before, we are beginning to cure this type of pain in many patients. In any case, we always try to apply E.M. Achard's famous sentence: "Cure sometimes, improve often, comfort always".

We are afraid of anesthesia, aren't we?

-Yes, that is a legacy from the past, when both anesthesia and surgery were very rudimentary, and it has remained in people's memory. Today anesthesiology is the medical specialty that has achieved higher safety standards, learning from the experience of pilots and aircraft construction. Part of our job is to listen to their doubts and explain these things to the patients so that they can enter the operating room with peace of mind.

Is palliative care effective, should it be a right for all, or is its cost high?

-There is no doubt about the effectiveness of the Palliative Care. In Spain we have some of the best professionals in the world and, unfortunately, very little administrative and political support. It is cheaper, and more effective, to have a good palliative team to care for the patient at home than to do it in a hospital. Unfortunately, there are managers who, under an ideological and utilitarian bias, consider that it is even cheaper to end the patient's life.

Spain and so many other countries have a deficit in palliative care. Why is this happening? Do we have trained professionals?

-The training and the professional and human quality of our professionals is enviable. It is such a demanding specialty that there is a phenomenon of self-selection of the best for such hard and human work.

The deficit of palliative care is due neither to training nor to professional vocations, but to a lack of interest on the part of public administrations. It is due to a management that, under a materialistic conception of the human being, prioritizes numbers over people. In the end, it is an ideological issue that comes from supranational bodies and does not consider the value of life. As I was saying before, not without a certain crudeness, it is cheaper to end life of a patient than to accompany him/her as he/she deserves.

The authorFrancisco Otamendi

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Gospel

Keep the flame burning. 32nd Sunday in Ordinary Time (A)

Joseph Evans comments on the readings for the 32nd Sunday in Ordinary Time and Luis Herrera offers a brief video homily.

Joseph Evans-November 9, 2023-Reading time: 2 minutes

The parable of the wise and foolish virgins is one of Our Lord's most dramatic parables and speaks to us of one of the most important themes: our entrance or exclusion from heaven.

The Church offers us this parable today, contextualizing it through the first reading, from the book of Wisdom, which extols the greatness of wisdom, and the second reading, in which St. Paul speaks of the second coming of Christ and of those who will rise to a new life with him.

Wisdom is not highly valued in contemporary society - we are more concerned with our appearance, or our influence, or our social position - but it was highly valued in ancient times and there are several Old Testament books about it. By linking a reading on wisdom to the parable of the wise and foolish virgins, the Church teaches us that true wisdom is that which leads us to heaven. 

Wise decisions are those that will lead us to eternal life with God. Therefore, whenever we have to make a decision, it is good for us to ask ourselves: will this way of acting lead me to Heaven? If the answer is "yes", we should do it. If the answer is "no", we should not do it.

The parable is very rich and has its roots in the wedding customs of Jesus' time, when young unmarried women went out to meet the bridegroom in the evening to accompany him with lighted lamps to the bride's house. They thus went as representatives of the bride and were "virgins" and therefore supposed to be chaste. 

It is frightening to think that chaste members of the Church, which is the bride of Christ, could also be excluded from heaven. One can live a form of chastity but let the oil of one's soul run out. What is this extra oil? Numerous Church Fathers and spiritual writers have given their interpretation. It may be charity, humility or the grace of God. It is probably all of these.

It speaks to us of that spiritual reserve of our soul that allows us to persevere when God seems to disappear from our life, when we fall into the darkness of sleep (which, as Jesus teaches in this parable, happens to all of us).

There is always a certain darkness in the Christian life and we can feel the apparent absence of God with greater or lesser intensity at different times in our lives.

There may be moments of darkness, when we seem to sleep, in a marriage or in a celibate vocation, but then the oil is the good habits of prayer, struggle and commitment that we have built and continue to live. 

The foolish virgins were foolish because they lived only for the thrill of the procession, for the fun of the moment. Wisdom arises from a heart that loves and realizes that love is more than emotion.

Love is a persevering quest that remains faithful and even grows in moments of darkness, seemingly dull, like oil, but with a flame burning.

Homily on the readings of the 32nd Sunday in Ordinary Time (A)

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

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The Vatican

The Pope: Madeleine Delbrêl, witness of faith in the suburbs of Paris

This morning at the General Audience, the Holy Father introduced a twentieth-century French woman, the Venerable Madeleine Delbrêl, who lived for more than thirty years in the poor and working-class suburbs of Paris. With her example, Francis calls to be "courageous witnesses of the Gospel in secularized environments". The Pope prayed for the peoples suffering from wars.

Francisco Otamendi-November 8, 2023-Reading time: 4 minutes
RelatedRelated NewsFrancis on the war in the Holy Land: "In the name of God, enough".

In the catechesis on the Passion for the evangelizationThe Pope, the apostolic zeal of the believer, who this morning completed his 25th session since January, has fixed his gaze on the Audience in the venerable French Madeleine Delbrêl, with the theme "The joy of faith among non-believers", and the Gospel passage in which Jesus speaks of the salt of the earth and the light of the world.

The Servant of God Madeleine Delbrêl (1904-1964), a social worker, writer and mystic, lived for more than thirty years, together with other companions, in the poor and working-class suburbs of Paris, Francis explained. "This choice to live on the peripheries allowed her to discover the love of God in everyday life and to make it known to those farthest away with a simple and fraternal lifestyle". 

After an agnostic adolescence, Madeleine came to know the Lord. She set out in search of God, responding to a deep thirst she felt within herself. "The joy of faith led her to choose a life entirely dedicated to God, in the heart of the Church and in the heart of the world, sharing simply in fraternity the life of the people of the street."

"Marxist ideology environments."

From her life witness, the Pontiff underlined in particular that "in that environment, where Marxist ideology predominated, she was able to experience that 'it is by evangelizing that we are evangelized'." "Madeleine's life and writings show us that the Lord is present in every circumstance and that he calls us to be missionaries here and now, sharing life with the people, participating in their joys and sorrows." 

The Venerable Frenchwoman teaches us, the Pope said, that "secularized environments also help us to convert and strengthen our faith," Francis stressed. "Let us not forget that life in Christ is "an extraordinary and extraordinarily gratuitous treasure," which we are called to share with everyone."

In "secularized" places

In his words to the French-speaking pilgrims, the Pope also reflected on the idea that we are evangelized by evangelizing. "With her heart always on the move, Madeleine allowed herself to be challenged by the cries of the poor and non-believers, interpreting them as a challenge to awaken the missionary aspiration of the Church. She sensed that the God of the Gospel must burn in us to the point of bringing his Name to all those who have not yet encountered him".

"Madeleine Delbrêl also taught us that we are evangelized by evangelizing, that we are transformed by the Word we proclaim. She was convinced that secularized environments are places where Christians have to struggle and can strengthen the faith that Jesus gave them."

Greeting the Spanish-speaking pilgrims, Francis returned to the same idea: "Let us ask the Lord to give us his grace to be courageous witnesses of the Gospel, especially in secularized environments, helping us to discover the essentials of the faith and strengthening us in difficulties. May Jesus bless you and the Blessed Virgin Mary watch over you".

Contact with non-believers

In another moment of the Audience, Pope Francis said "Contemplating this witness of the Gospel, we too learn that in every situation and personal or social circumstance of our lives, the Lord is present and calls us to live our time, to share the life of others, to mingle with the joys and sorrows of the world".

In particular, the Holy Father added, the Venerable Madeleine Delbrêl "teaches us that even secularized environments are useful for conversion, because contact with non-believers provokes in the believer a continuous revision of his way of believing and a rediscovery of the faith in its essentiality".

"Just peace" in the Holy Land

In addressing the Italian-speaking faithful, the Pontiff referred to Holy Land and to UkraineLet us think and pray for the peoples suffering from war. Let us not forget the martyred Ukraine, and let us think about the peoples Palestinian e Israelimay the Lord bring us a peace just. We suffer so much. The children suffer, the sick suffer, the elderly suffer, and so many young people die. War is always a defeat, let us not forget that. It is always a defeat.

The Pope also recalled that "tomorrow we will celebrate the liturgical feast of the Dedication of the Basilica of St. John Lateran, the Cathedral of Rome. May this anniversary awaken in everyone the desire to be living and precious stones, used in the construction of the House of the Lord".

"Let us pray for the deceased".

The petition for the deceased came when addressing the Portuguese-speaking pilgrims. "This month revives in us the nostalgic memory of our dead. They left us one day with a request, tacit or explicit, for our spiritual help in their passage to the beyond. We know that our prayers for them reach Heaven, and so we can accompany them there, strengthening the ties that bind us to eternity. Let us pray for them!" prayed Francis.

In his greeting to the Poles, he pointed out that "in a few days you will celebrate the anniversary of the recovery of Poland's independence. May this anniversary inspire you with gratitude to God. Pass on to the new generations your history and the memory of those who have preceded you in generous Christian witness and in love for your homeland. I bless you from my heart".

As usual, the Holy Father also addressed the pilgrims of other languages: English, German and Arabic, and concluded with the Our Father and the Apostolic Blessing.

The authorFrancisco Otamendi

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RelatedRelated NewsFrancis on the war in the Holy Land: "In the name of God, enough".
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The World

60 years of wonders: three Pontifical Universities celebrate communication

Three Roman Pontifical Universities are celebrating the 60th anniversary of "Inter mirifica", one of the first decrees approved by the Second Vatican Council, dedicated to the media.

Giovanni Tridente-November 8, 2023-Reading time: 2 minutes
RelatedRelated NewsThe Holy See's communication, between reform and evangelization Related NewsTwo of the Pope's recommendations for the Church media

Three Roman Pontifical Universities united by their passion for communication are celebrating together the 60th anniversary of one of the first decrees approved by the Second Vatican Council, the "....Inter mirifica"dedicated to the media and published on December 4, 1963.

Putting into practice Pope Francis' invitation to "network" among Universities and Ecclesiastical Faculties to "study the problems that affect humanity today, arriving at proposing adequate and realistic ways of solution" ("Veritatis gaudium"), the Pontifical University of the Holy Cross -through its Faculty of Institutional Communication-, the Pontifical Lateran University -through its Pastoral Institute Redemptor Homnis- and the Pontifical Salesian University -through its Faculty of Social Communication-, organized a three-day reflection on the problems that affect humanity today, the Pontifical Lateran University -through its Pastoral Institute Redemptor Homnis- and the Pontifical Salesian University -through its Faculty of Social Communication-, organized a three-day reflection on the important conciliar text and its historicity and updating.

It was undoubtedly one of the most fruitful seeds of the Vatican Council IIThe book, which had the merit of launching the Church's modern journey into communicative territories, is always cited when speaking of the link between the Church and the mass media. It is always cited when speaking of the link between the Church and the mass media, it is a bibliographical source of research and dissertations, and the focus of seminars and study days such as the one now being organized in Rome.

The first day of the Symposium, entitled 60 Years of Wonders, began on Tuesday, November 7, at the University of the Holy Cross, with a presentation of the historical-institutional perspective, examining the document "Inter mirifica" also in relation to previous documents, the pre-conciliar magisterium on communication, institutional communication itself during the Council and the implications for the Church's communication offices.

The following day's activity took place at the Pontifical Lateran University, focusing on the theoretical and practical dimension of the pastoral care of communication, examining, for example, the models of the theology of communication, the links of the Document with the current media context and the pastoral care of digital communication.

On the last day, it was the Salesian Pontifical University that hosted the Congress, focusing the various interventions on updating the document in the light of the logic of the Networks, and in particular of the digital Church, artificial intelligence, trainers and networked communication tools.

"Reflecting today on 'Inter mirifica' means placing oneself in a perspective of innovative academic research, no longer crystallized in one's own specific identity and formative proposal," said Massimiliano Padula, a sociologist at the Lateran University and one of the promoters of the initiative.

The deans of the three organizing institutions, Daniel Arasa for Holy Cross, Paolo Asolan for the Lateran University and Fabio Pasqualetti for the Salesian University, spoke at the Congress. Other speakers included sociologist Mihaela Gavrila, philosopher Philip Larrey and theologian José Maria La Porte.

An excellent opportunity, in short, to put into practice the other invitation of Pope Francis in "Veritatis gaudium", the apostolic constitution dedicated to Universities and Ecclesiastical Faculties, namely, that of integrating the different intellectual competencies to achieve "the inter- and transdisciplinarity that must be exercised with wisdom and creativity in the light of Revelation".

The authorGiovanni Tridente

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RelatedRelated NewsThe Holy See's communication, between reform and evangelization Related NewsTwo of the Pope's recommendations for the Church media
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Culture

"Madre no hay más que una", the option to see in theaters this month.

The boy and the heron y There is only one mother are the proposals of our film specialist to watch this month.

Patricio Sánchez-Jáuregui-November 8, 2023-Reading time: 2 minutes

As every month, Patricio Sánchez - Jaúregui recommends new releases, classics, or content you haven't seen yet. This month, the two proposals: El niño y la garza and Madre no hay más que una, are in the movie listings.

The boy and the heron

Hayao Miyazaki's presumed swan song is among his most open to interpretation. Through a series of surreal and melancholic images, "The Boy and the Heron" tells the charming and moving story of a boy's coming-of-age process in the face of tragedy.

Beautifully animated, this is a love letter to all the director's fans (Spirited Away, Princess Mononoke, Grave of the Fireflies...), sometimes confusing, sometimes clear, but undoubtedly moving.

A beautiful painting that becomes a magical and unforgettable experience. A worthy farewell to an absolutely exceptional artist, that you will want to revisit again and again, just to feel that pure, unadulterated, unfiltered Miyazaki magic.

The boy and the heron

DirectorHayao Miyazaki
ProducerStudio Ghibli
MusicJoe Hisaishi
Platform: Cinemas

There is only one mother

Documentary, testimony and report. "Mother there is but one" is a tribute to the most relevant figure in the life of human beings on earth, embodied in BlancaBea, Isa, AnaMaria, Olatz .... All of them united by this simple and unfathomable bond: motherhood, and all the circumstances that derive from it. Stories, problems, anecdotes...; surprises, novelties, illnesses... The juggling with work, the prejudices they face when they want to have children, the social or economic difficulties... Tragedy, comedy, life.

There is nothing like the beginning of everything. And that everything that begins, that life, begins inside a person with her laughter, tears, unexpected pregnancies, lost children, many hours without sleep and thousands of unimaginable dreams that come true... In the words of its director: "In a world in which being a mother is an exercise of juggling several at the same time, they deserved this tribute, so that from their mouth and own testimony, we can tell the world how wonderful it is to be a mother... and also to be children".

There is only one mother

Address : Jesús García
ScriptJavier González Scheible
Platform: In theaters
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The World

Italian citizenship for Indi Gregory 

The Italian government has granted Italian citizenship to Indi Gregory, the English girl whose life-saving treatments are to be suspended by the London High Court. Thanks to this, the girl could be transferred to the Bambino Gesù hospital in Rome, which has agreed to continue her treatment.

Antonino Piccione-November 7, 2023-Reading time: 2 minutes

The decision to grant the girl Italian citizenship was adopted yesterday (Monday, November 6) by the Italian Government. Thanks to this, the girl, affected by a rare disease, could be transferred to an Italian hospital, avoiding the interruption of the treatments that keep her alive. As reported in the communiqué issued after the urgently convened Council of Ministers, the Executive, "at the proposal of the Minister of the Interior, Matteo Piantedosi, has agreed to grant Italian citizenship to little Indi Gregory, born in Nottingham (UK) on 24 February 2023, considering the exceptional interest of the national community in guaranteeing further therapeutic development for the minor, and in the protection of pre-eminent humanitarian values which, in this case, are related to the preservation of health". As is known, Italian law prohibits any form of euthanasia. The decision follows the disposition expressed by the pediatric hospital "Bambino Gesù" in relation to the admission of Indi Gregory and the consequent request for the granting of Italian citizenship presented by the parents' lawyers. The Italian Government has also communicated to the hospital management and to the family its commitment to cover the costs of any medical treatment deemed necessary.

Indi Gregory is an eight-month-old English girl affected by a rare mitochondrial disease whose life-saving treatments are to be suspended by the High Court in London. The girl, born in February, suffers from mitochondrial depletion syndrome, an extremely rare degenerative genetic disease that causes the underdevelopment of all muscles. The meeting at Palazzo Chigi concluded in a few minutes, with a "quick decision" that made Indi Gregory an Italian citizen. Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni commented on Facebook, "Until the end, I will do what I can to defend (Indi's) life and the right of the mom and dad to do everything possible for her." The goal is to allow Indi's transfer to Rome, where the "disconnection" of the machines that keep her alive, especially the assisted ventilation, would be avoided. Indi is currently admitted to Queen's Medical Center in Nottingham, awaiting implementation of the Supreme Court ruling. There, doctors argue that continuing the therapies would only cause unnecessary suffering for the newborn. Indi's parents had appealed, backed by pro-life associations, to prevent the interruption of the treatments and to be allowed to transfer their daughter to Rome.

"From the bottom of our hearts, thanks to the government, we are proud that our daughter is Italian," commented Dean Gregory, Indi's father. "There is hope and confidence in humanity." The decree granting Indi Italian citizenship was signed by the President of the Republic. The parents immediately filed an appeal with the Supreme Court in London to be allowed to transfer her to the Bambino Gesù hospital.

The authorAntonino Piccione

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Integral ecology

Housing suffocates more than three million households, denounces Caritas

Spending on housing has become a "determining factor that unbalances the domestic economy", and is already "a big bottomless pit for many families, especially for those with lower incomes and more vulnerable," said today Caritas Spain and Foessa Foundation, which have proposed measures to alleviate this situation.

Francisco Otamendi-November 7, 2023-Reading time: 5 minutes
RelatedRelated NewsThe FACIAM Network claims to make homeless people more visibleRelated NewsHomeless people and organizations denounce the obstacles to leaving homelessness

Expenses related to the payment of housing and its supplies are by far the ones that have increased the most in family budgets, thus unbalancing the economies of millions of families in our country, denounced this morning. Natalia Peirogeneral secretary of Spanish Caritasand Daniel Rodríguez, member of the Foessa Foundation's research team, who presented the report entitled 'Income and expenses: an equation that conditions our quality of life'. 

Throughout his speech, unbalancing data were revealed in a socioeconomic context that continues to test the ability of households to survive, the report states.

For example, the lower income families spend more than six out of every 10 euros (63 %) on housing, supplies and food, compared to less than four out of every 10 euros spent by families with higher incomes. 

The actual figure, according to Caritas and Foessa Foundation, is that three million households (16.8 %) remain below the severe poverty line once these basic expenses, which represent a significant effort, have been paid. 

Another significant piece of contextual information is that while social housing stock in the European Union is around 9 percent, and in countries such as the Netherlands it even reaches 30 percent, in Spain the percentage is still 2 percent. 

Serious challenges

Natalia Peiro noted at the outset that "since the onset of the shocking tsunami triggered by the Covid-19 pandemic, whose consequences spanned both the social and economic spheres, along with its immense cost in terms of health, various events have continued to plague families and their economies. Challenges such as the conflict in Ukraine, the rising costs of energy supplies or the inflationary crisis, continue to test the ability of households to meet essential expenses such as food and housing".

In this line, Daniel Rodriguez has assured that "while it is necessary to address the income-expenditure equation simultaneously, probably the most pronounced deficit is currently in the area of expenditure. Thus, despite a moderate but steady growth in income, expenses, with special mention to housing, have risen significantly, which has generated significant challenges in terms of affordability and financial sustainability for many households". 

In his opinion, the rate of severe material deprivation has not shown a decrease proportional to the increase in total income. "This suggests that other factors, and in particular expenditures, may be playing a critical role in determining the living conditions of the population," he stressed.

The scourge of inflation

The Foessa study points out that while it is encouraging that income in Spain has increased by 11 % since the financial crisis of 2008, "the truth is that the inflationary context of recent months has caused household spending to increase by 30 %".

This disparity is even more pronounced among the poorest households, since the increase in income in these families has been practically non-existent (0.5 %).

The mismatch between the growth in income and the increase in expenses - together with the high percentage of working poor (11.7 %), and the low coverage and protective intensity of the minimum income (only 44 % of the population in severe poverty receive it) - "is causing the capacity of many families that were already in a situation of vulnerability to be overwhelmed. 

"In fact, the percentage of households in severe material poverty already stands at 8.1 % of the population (3.8 million people)," the expert pointed out.

Very precarious balances

Two of the solutions carried out by many households to reduce expenses, according to the report, is to share housing, or reduce energy expenditure. According to the latest data from the INE's Living Conditions Survey (2022), the number of families who could not keep their homes at an adequate temperature increased by 189 % compared to 2008, Daniel Rodriguez recalled.

"There is a constant precarious balance between guaranteeing the payment of the monthly housing payment and its supplies in the first days of the month, at the expense of falling below the severe poverty line and, as a result, neglecting other fundamental household needs. This struggle to find a balance between all the essential needs of the family becomes a constant challenge, since, despite the efforts and strategies implemented, it is often difficult to achieve a decent standard of living," explained Daniel Rodriguez.

More years and more effort for housing

The effort a family must make to acquire a roof over its head is also on the rise. Today it takes 7.7 years of gross annual income to buy a home, compared to 2.9 years in 1987. "Not only are more years needed, but in most cases, income is made up from various sources, as there are many more households with more than two incomes thanks to the incorporation of women into the labor market," said the sociologist from the Foessa Foundation.

Buying a home is not the only cause of stress on household finances. Half of the households with a rental home also suffer from financial stress. According to data from Einsfoessa 2021, using 2020 data, one-third of the rental population are in moderate stress and, even more worryingly, 16 % of the rental population experience extreme financial stress. This means that rent payments account for more than 60% of their income.

"As we learned in the Great Financial Recession of 2008, these precarious situations can be the prelude to even more severe crises, such as evictions and foreclosures. When families constantly struggle to cover housing costs, they become vulnerable to losing their homes and financial collapse," said Daniel Rodriguez.

As for food spending, the sociologist commented that we are witnessing "a brutal escalation of prices", and gave the example of olive oil, which is close to ten euros per liter in many supermarkets.

Some proposals

The study proposes some considerations in the area of both income and expenditure to improve the financial equilibrium of households. To this end, it considers the following to be decisive:

1) Concrete and effective intervention actions to guarantee access to decent and adequate housing (see art. 47 of the Spanish Constitution), such as enlarge the number of social housing units for rent, "which would provide families with an affordable and secure option to obtain quality housing at affordable prices." 

2) Plan and coordinate employment policies The company's programs are focused on groups with more difficult access to the labor market and take into account the personal and family situation of the worker.

3) Addressing job insecurity from a comprehensive perspective. "To achieve this, we must chart a course that continues on the path of reducing the temporary nature of contracts and the part-time nature of working hours, allowing more people to access full-time jobs with all the benefits that this entails."

4) To make the necessary legislative changes to ensure that domestic workers, The vast majority of them are women, to achieve full equality of labor and social security rights.

5) Establish an assurance system for minimum income with sufficient coverage, reaching the entire population in a situation of severe poverty, including people in an irregular administrative situation. 

6) "The aforementioned system of minimum income guarantee The amounts must also be sufficient, i.e., they must be in line with real prices and the cost of living, as well as with family composition. In addition, the commitment of both the central government and the autonomous regions is necessary, offering complementarity between the benefits provided by each of the levels of public administration," according to the report.

The authorFrancisco Otamendi

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RelatedRelated NewsThe FACIAM Network claims to make homeless people more visibleRelated NewsHomeless people and organizations denounce the obstacles to leaving homelessness
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Evangelization

The Virgin Mary's army of peace

For centuries, many Catholics around the world have dedicated a few minutes each day to pray the Holy Rosary. This custom turns millions of people into members of the "army of peace" organized by the Virgin Mary.

Paloma López Campos-November 7, 2023-Reading time: 7 minutes
RelatedRelated NewsPope invites families to pray the Rosary at homeRelated NewsThe Rosary in the light of St. John Paul II

One of the best known Catholic customs is the Holy Rosary. This prayer, urged on by the Virgin Mary, makes millions of people members of an "army of peace".

Lawrence Lew, promoter general of the Holy Rosary in the Order of Preachers

Lawrence Lew, a Dominican friar and general promoter of the Order's Rosary, says something similar. He is convinced that "Our Mother is asking us to become participants in the divine plan of peace". To this end, one of the best things we can do is to pray the Rosary, even if only during the little free moments we have each day.

In this interview with Omnes, he discusses the history of the Dominican order and this Catholic custom, as well as the real impact that intimacy with the Virgin Mary can have on our relationship with Christ.

What is the relationship between the Dominican Order and the Virgin Mary and the Holy Rosary?

– The oldest collection of stories dating to the 13th-century about the foundation of the Order of Preachers, who are also known as Dominicans after our founder St Dominic, recount that the Order was the fruit of Our Lady’s prayers. In various visions, Our Lady was seen imploring her Son, in his mercy, to give to the world an Order that would be dedicated to preaching the fullness of the Truth, to preaching the Gospel of Christ who is our one Saviour, to proclaiming the Good News of divine mercy and salvation for humanity.

The Rosary, which tradition says Our Lady gave in some way to St Dominic, is a perfect instrument for the mission and charism of the Dominican Order. For just as the Order was founded to contemplate divine truth and to preach the things that are contemplated, so the Rosary is firstly a meditation on the mysteries of salvation in Christ, and then, as an act of vocal prayer and also through Rosary processions and chapels and by being prayed on the streets wherever we go, it is also a visible and audible preaching of the Gospel to those around us.

As such, it was the Dominicans who preached the Rosary and taught it to the laity, especially through promoting Confraternities of the Rosary that would pray it and organise Marian processions. In the 16th-century Pope St Pius V, a Dominican pope, propagated the Rosary with the fifteen traditional Mysteries (Joyful, Sorrowful, Glorious) that was being prayed in the Dominican Order, and he also asked the Rosary Confraternity to pray for victory at the battle of Lepanto. What followed is well known and the success and popularity of the Dominican Rosary has its roots in this historical moment.

Why has a Rosary pilgrimage been organized in the United States?

– The Dominican friars in the USA, and especially in the Eastern Province of St Joseph, are to be credited for the organisation of the Dominican Rosary Pilgrimage. At a time of increasing polarisation, and the fragmentation of society, in times of unrest and of division, the Dominican response is, firstly, a call to concrete prayer. We turn to Jesus through Mary particularly through the Rosary so as to recall the goodness and mercy of God, and to see how beautiful is the call he has given us in Christ, which is to share in divine friendship. Dominicans preach this, and we try to give witness to this by the way we live together in our communities, and also by bringing people together to share in our prayer.

The Dominican Rosary Pilgrimage, it seems to me, did this so beautifully and well, and the mind was fed by the talks given by Fr Gregory Pine OP, and then the soul was uplifted by the processional Rosary interspersed with song, and finally, we were united through the Sacrament of the Holy Eucharist.

In today's troubled times, why is it important for Catholics to turn to the Virgin Mary?

– Mary is our mother, given to us by the Lord as he was dying on the Cross. There can be no more “troubled” time than this! So in our moments of distress and of death, we turn to the mother Christ gave us. Why? Because she lead us to her Son, our Saviour who is the conqueror of sin and death. Led by Mary to him, and clinging to him, we shall surely find that our troubles in this life are only temporary and passing compared to the eternal joy that is found in remaining close to Jesus. Mary always leads us to her Son. Thus St Thomas Aquinas said that Our Lady is like the star that guides ships safely to the harbour who is God.

Is there a real difference in the life of a Christian when he prays the Rosary?

– The Blessed Virgin Mary herself gave us the Rosary, and down to our current times she has appeared and recommended it to the saints. At Fatima, for example, Our Lady said she will be known as ’The Lady of the Rosary’, and she repeatedly asked the children of Fatima to pray the Rosary (five decades) every day. Our Lady, as a good mother, does not ask us to do anything superfluous or unnecessary, but rather, she asks us to do those things which are conducive to our salvation and to our true good. So many things which we do in life, which we occupy our days with are, in fact, unnecessary when compared to the goal of salvation through a deeper following of Christ and the living out of our Baptismal vocation.

The Rosary, for a Christian, will lead to a deeper friendship with God if we truly pray it. The problem, though, is that often the Rosary is just said, recited, and not prayed. The Rosary Confraternity guidebooks all remind us that the soul of the Rosary is meditation, that is to say, a mental focus on the mysteries of salvation, on what Jesus is doing for us, and the grace he wants to give us by these saving actions. But without meditation, the Rosary becomes lifeless, like a body without a soul – it is a corpse. Hence the saints of the Rosary, such as St Louis Marie de Montfort call us to pray the Rosary with attention, even just one decade at a time, if this will help us focus better.

How does Our Mother's presence influence our lives?

– God could have become man without a mother. But in his wisdom and providence, God chose to be born of a woman, as Scripture tells us. Therefore, the Son of God, in his Incarnation, has a mother and the Second Person of the Trinity takes his human flesh and DNA from Mary. This is a beautiful and astounding reality, and it also shows the divine humility that, in God's divine plan, he needs a mother. Hence, without Mary, there can be no incarnate Jesus Christ. Mary, therefore, and her presence so to speak makes all the difference.

As I said, Mary leads to her Son, and indeed, the Divine Maternity is envisioned by God from all eternity so that with the mother comes the Son, and the Son with the mother. Therefore, as soon as we turn to the Blessed Mother, we are also led to Christ and pray to Christ our God and Saviour. The Rosary, therefore, is a Christocentric prayer, as the popes have said, and it is a compendium of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

How can we pray the Rosary well, without falling into mere repetition of prayers?

– There are many ’spare’ moments in our day, those five minutes or so between things, or waiting for things to happen, which we might utilize by scrolling through our smartphones. These wasted moments, I think, can be converted into fruitful moments of prayer. Pray one decade of the Rosary at a time. There is no need to rush the prayers, but take in the world around you, and offer the world, its peoples, its situations to Jesus through Mary. As you pray that decade, consider that God has chosen to dwell among us, that he descends into the pain and suffering of our humanity, and that he has risen so that we too can transcend the misery of sin and death. Using sacred images of these Joyful, Sorrowful, and Glorious Mysteries can help, I think, to focus the mind on our prayer.

Lucia dos Santos, one of the seers of Fatima (OSV News photo /courtesy Shrine of Fatima)

We also need to be familiar with the Scriptures which are the source for our knowledge of these Mysteries. Hence St Jerome said that “ignorance of the Scriptures is ignorance of Christ”. The Rosary, by itself, does not make up for our ignorance of the written Word of God, so we do need to read the Scriptures as a basis for praying the Rosary. Hence part of the First Saturday devotion that Our Lady asked Sr Lucia of Fatima to propagate involves fifteen minutes of meditation on the mysteries of our salvation, that is to say, on the Scriptures. For the prayer of the Rosary is then a genuine meditation, a kind of ‘lectio divina’ on the Gospels, through which the Holy Spirit, acting on our knowledge, deepens our understanding of divine truths.

If we do this consciously throughout the day, one decade at a time, we will find at the close of the day that we have in fact offered up at least five decades of the Rosary without too much constraint on our time.

What words of encouragement would you like to address to those who have not yet taken the step to pray the Rosary frequently?

– As Our Lady of the Rosary said in 1917: “Will you pray the Rosary daily for peace and for an end to the war?” Our merciful mother asks us most courteously to become participants in the divine peace plan, and it is a grace to be invited to do this. As I said, Our Lady asks nothing superfluous of us, but only gives us whatever will aid our salvation and keep us close to her Son. Therefore, if you wish to grow in love for Jesus, and to become an active member of his “peace corps”, then please do take up a daily Rosary.

And if you struggle, or fail sometimes, or are distracted, or feel its all a bit dull and dry, then please persevere and offer up your difficulties to God. I too used to be in that position, and sometimes I feel that way too. However, because I trust Mary and love her as my mother, I try my best to please her, to do as she asks, with confidence that Mary always leads me to Christ who is “the Way, the Truth and the Life” (Jn 14:6). The Rosary, therefore, like physical exercise and other disciplines is not always enjoyable or pleasurable but it is always necessary. After all, the aim of the Rosary is to bring me closer to Jesus, and without him I can do nothing. (cf Jn 15:5).

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Spain

Cardinal Rouco encourages faith in God at the 25th CEU Congress

At the presentation of the 25th Catholics and Public Life Congress, which will take place from the 17th to the 19th of this month at the CEU San Pablo University, the Cardinal Archbishop Emeritus of Madrid, Antonio María Rouco Varela, encouraged the recovery of the relationship between public life and God: "We must rediscover faith in God, as the background that causes you and the end to which you go".

Francisco Otamendi-November 7, 2023-Reading time: 3 minutes
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"There was a historical need for a meeting such as the Catholics and Public Life Congress. A formula to give life to the need for a response in society, to move forward in search of the truth," said Cardinal Rouco Varela, in the analysis made on the occasion of the 25th edition of the CongressThe theme of the meeting is "Living, sharing, proclaiming. Evangelize". 

Cardinal Rouco Varela recalled the different topics that have been addressed since 1998 in the Congress, "from the sensitivity and evolution of the problems, related to the conception of man, with anthropology, the basic concerns of the Church in Spain".

In his speech, the Cardinal reflected on "what it means to be Catholic: to live the Christian faith in the communion of the Catholic Church". He also stressed that "the visible Church is a community of believers who, through baptism, enter into Christ as members of his Body. To be Catholic is to be in that community, the Body of Christ." "To be Catholic is to belong to Christ," he pointed out.

"Encounter with a Person".

Rouco Varela reminded us of Romano Guardini and the well-known phrase from the introduction to the encyclical of Benedict XVI, "Deus Caritas Est": "We have believed in the love of God: this is how a Christian can express the fundamental choice of his or her life. One does not begin to be a Christian by an ethical decision or a great idea, but by an encounter with an event, with a Person, who gives a new horizon to life and, with it, a decisive orientation", "Christ himself", the Cardinal added.

Throughout his presentation, Cardinal Rouco, who was introduced by Professor José Francisco Serrano Oceja, mentioned the Dogmatic Constitution Lumen gentium of the Second Vatican Council; he stated that "the Church will never disappear"; and he recalled different moments of the last Popes and of the current Pope Francis. 

Last Popes 

For example, he recalled that Paul VI was "an exceptional Pope" who appointed him Auxiliary Bishop of Santiago de Compostela in 1984, and recalled his suffering due to the "anarchy" in the years following the Second Vatican Council. He also referred at various times to the messages of St. John Paul II in Santiago, "Europe, be yourself". 

At the end, in response to some questions, he reiterated that the main thing is "the relationship of personal and public life with God", "the problem of God", he added. He then responded to the question of how to witness to the faith with "a very simple answer: by fulfilling the ten commandments of the law of God. Regarding the charisms, he said: "let them live". 

And as for the successive editions of the Congress emphasized that they have always been "in tune with the basic concerns of the Church in Spain and of the Pontificates of John Paul II, Benedict XVI and Francis".

Profound significance

After the cardinal, the president of the Catholic Association of Propagandists and the San Pablo CEU University Foundation, Alfonso Bullón de Mendoza, thanked the late president Alfonso Coronel de Palma for founding the congresses, and Cardinal Rouco Varela for his presence: he participated in and celebrated the concluding Mass of the first Congress of Catholics and Public Life in 1998.

The director of the CongressRafael Sanchez Saus, recalled that this meeting The event "has a profound significance", with national and international speakers, and will hear first hand the trajectory and projection of two Catholic congresses that have emerged outside our borders: Puerto Rico and Chile. 

This year, special importance has been given to the Youth Congress, and at its conclusion Magnus Macfarlane-Barrow, founder and CEO of Mary's Meals and Princess of Asturias Award for Concord 2023, will give the closing lecture entitled: "Charity and the art of living generously". Afterwards, the Manifesto with the main conclusions of the meeting will be read. 

The authorFrancisco Otamendi

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Evangelization

Abel LoayzaWe need more priests and lay animators in the communities".

Abel Loayza, a secular priest of the Diocese of Chiclayo-Peru and aggregate member of the Priestly Society of the Holy Cross, will exercise his priestly ministry in the Prelature of Moyobamba, located in the Peruvian Amazon since January 2021.

Juan Carlos Vasconez-November 7, 2023-Reading time: 5 minutes
RelatedRelated NewsLiturgy to the sound of drums: the Zairé rite and AmazoniaRelated NewsPedro BrassescoThe Latin American continent has its own history marked by synodality".

Mission territories have always had a very special attraction for Christians, because of the mystique of making the name of Christ and the beauty of the good news, of the Gospel, resound in every corner of the earth. 

– Supernatural territorial prelature of Moyobamba is an ecclesiastical province of the Church in Peru. The Prelature is entrusted by the Holy See to the Archdiocese of Toledo in Spain and has its seat in the town of Moyobamba, in the department of San Martin.

Loayza shares with Omnes his pastoral work in this territory of the Peruvian Amazon where priests and lay people keep alive the faith of villages and communities.

What are the main challenges facing this geographical area? 

-Moyobamba is the largest territorial prelature in Peru, covering 51,253 km². Each parish has villages or rural communities. The one I serve - one of the smallest - has 32 communities and 3 tribes. 

We have 25 parishes, served by 51 priests, most of them missionaries: 10 from Spain, 1 from India, 5 from Poland, 1 from Italy, 3 Peruvians from other jurisdictions, 11 religious and 20 priests incardinated in the Prelature of Moyobamba. 

The villages are scattered throughout the jungle and communication routes are precarious, especially during the rainy season (November-April) when the trails are impassable due to mud.

How is the interaction with the faithful in mission territory?

-Some priests travel for hours by boat on the rivers to attend to their communities. We priests try to reach the communities once a month, but the more remote villages receive one to three visits a year. The faithful want to receive the sacraments, especially Confession and the Eucharist. 

When the priest arrives, the faithful wait for him in the village chapel. The day begins with confessions, then follows the celebration of the Holy Mass in which some receive Baptism. After the celebration of the Eucharist, a catechesis is given to the faithful who wait for it and receive it with attention. Then the priest takes his leave, as he is expected in another rural community or in the parish seat. 

In most of the villages we have lay animators who receive monthly spiritual and catechetical formation. The animators celebrate the Sunday Liturgy of the Word in the absence of the presbyter, pray the Rosary, visit the sick, prepare the faithful to receive the sacraments and take material care of the chapel; without their collaboration the evangelization of these places would be more difficult, but the animators are few and there are many hamlets that do not have an animator. 

It is evident that we need more priests and more lay animators in the communities to reach more and better the faithful. 

How does the indigenous clergy function? 

-With the arrival of the Spanish missionaries from Toledo in 2004, the construction of St. Joseph's Seminary in Moyobamba began. Currently, we have 20 major seminarians and 19 minor seminarians preparing for the priesthood.  

There are 10 priests who have been formed in our seminary. They are young priests, well formed, pious and with a missionary spirit, who serve in the parishes of our Prelature, but they are still insufficient.

Our Bishop Rafael Escudero takes great care of his priests. We live and work in teams of two priests per parish, and every month we travel to the city of Tarapoto to attend the monthly retreat, followed by a theological updating class, the pastoral meeting and a luncheon where we celebrate the birthdays and anniversaries of priestly ordination for the month. 

The bishop of the prelature of Moyobamba with the clergy

At the end of the meeting, each priest returns to his parish to continue his mission; some of them travel up to 8 hours by van to attend the training sessions. For my part, every two months, a numerary priest of the Opus Dei He travels 13 hours by bus from the nearest center to Moyobamba to offer the spiritual care that the Work promises to each of its members. St. Josemaría's phrase "out of a hundred souls we are interested in a hundred" is a reality that I experience with each visit of this brother. 

How are you celebrating 75 years of life? 

-In 2023 we will celebrate the 75th anniversary of the foundation of the Prelature of Moyobamba. Our bishop has wanted many of the faithful to gain the plenary indulgence during this Jubilee year. For this purpose we have organized Jubilee meetings for priests, religious, lay animators, altar servers, young people, spouses, religion teachers and the sick. Each meeting begins with a Christian formation class, followed by a procession with the image of Our Lady and the recitation of the Rosary through the streets of Moyobamba to the cathedral, where confessions are heard and Holy Mass is celebrated. The meetings end with a festive get-together with our Bishop. 

Meeting of lay animators with the Bishop of Moyobamba

The central days of the Jubilee will be November 24 and 25, 2023. We have scheduled formation meetings to make known the history of evangelization in the Peruvian jungle, especially in the Prelature of Moyobamba. The days will close with the celebration of the Eucharist, which will be attended by the Bishops of Peru, the priests and faithful of our Prelature. We hope that all this will be for the glory of God and will help us to continue evangelizing this part of the Church.

Any event from working in these lands that has influenced you the most in your life?

-As soon as I arrived at the Prelature, I called the animators for the monthly meeting at the parish headquarters. Every first Friday of the month the animators make a pilgrimage to the parish to fulfill a promise they have made to the Sacred Heart of Jesus: to go to confession, receive communion and receive a Christian formation class. 

Mario, one of the animators, told me that his father was sick and wanted to go to confession and receive the Anointing and Viaticum, but that he had not been able to do so due to the restrictions of the pandemic time.

Mario had traveled four hours by motorcycle to get to the formation meeting. His father had also been an animator and for years on the first Friday of every month he also walked to the parish to go to confession and receive the Eucharist. 

After the meeting I accompanied Mario to his farm. We arrived at 5 pm, his father went to confession and, surrounded by his wife, children and friends of the farmhouse, he received the Anointing of the Sick and Viaticum. That was his last communion. After the priest took his leave, the sick man told his children that he wanted to rest for a moment, and a few minutes later he passed away peacefully. It was the first Friday of the month, but this time it was the Lord Jesus who visited him in his home. 

Crossing a river to go to mission areas
RelatedRelated NewsLiturgy to the sound of drums: the Zairé rite and AmazoniaRelated NewsPedro BrassescoThe Latin American continent has its own history marked by synodality".
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The Vatican

Monika Klimentová: "Everything took place in a climate of respect and charity".

Monika Klimentová, head of the press office of the Czech Bishops' Conference, was one of the members of the communications team for this session of the General Assembly of the Synod.

Giovanni Tridente-November 6, 2023-Reading time: 3 minutes

Now that the work of the first session of the General Assembly of the Synod Omnes had the opportunity to hear first-hand the impressions of one of the dozens of people who worked "behind the scenes" to ensure support for the entire organization. Monika Klimentová, head of the press office of the Czech Bishops' Conference, worked at the Synod throughout the month of October as part of the group of professionals in charge of communications.

What did it mean to you, as a lay faithful, to participate in this important ecclesial meeting?

-I was not a delegate to the Synodal Assembly, but I contributed to the international communications team, composed of the communications staff of the Synod Secretariat, the Dicastery for Communication and various members from all continents. Our role was to listen during the Assembly to the reports of the working groups or individual interventions and, if necessary, to recommend topics that resonated during the day for a daily press conference. We also suggested some members or participants of the Synod who could speak at the press conferences, in tune with the local Churches, including the Bishops' Conferences. By the will of Pope Francis, it was not possible to broadcast the content of the reports, but instead we were able to convey the "atmosphere" experienced by the various delegates. I must say that for me it was an edifying experience to participate in the entire Assembly and to witness firsthand this process of listening, discernment and mutual exchange desired by the Holy Father. Certainly, there were differences of opinion, but everything took place in a climate of respect and charity that impressed me very much.

For the first time a special methodology was used, which favored the exchange between members, participants and experts. How did you experience this "new procedure"?

-As I have already said, everything took place in a climate of friendship and dignity, starting with the smaller circles where bishops, priests, religious and lay people sat at the same table and each one could express his opinion on a specific topic. I think this methodology worked very well. I also talked about it with the bishop who has represented the Czech Republic, and he confirmed how these discussions exceeded his expectations. Everyone listened to each other; of course, they might not agree with everything that was said, but no one insulted the others because of a difference of opinion, but always tried to reach a common consensus.

Pope Francis was present as a member of the Assembly. How did you perceive the Holy Father's presence?

-Being able to sit in the same auditorium with the pastor of the whole Church is not something that happens every day and it is a significant emotion. Of course, the Pope did not participate in the "smaller circles", but he was always present in the Assembly when the results of the working groups were presented, listening attentively to everything that was said. Of course, during the breaks we also had the opportunity to greet him.

It has been said on several occasions that the synod is not a parliament and that what counts is "walking together". From the inside, can you confirm that this is exactly how things were?

-Yes, I can confirm that. In a synod the difference with a parliament is obvious. There are no parliamentary clubs, for example. The delegates prayed together, the days always began and ended with prayer and after three or four reports there was a space for silent recollection. At the beginning of each new module the Eucharist was celebrated, the preparation for which was entrusted to the different continents or rites. The delegates were not only able to "walk together" in the Paul VI Hall, but also made a communal pilgrimage to the catacombs, to the roots of Christianity. At the end, it is true, there was a vote on the final synthesis. This is perhaps the only element of comparison - albeit a somewhat forced one - with a parliament.

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ColumnistsJavier Segura

Abortion, a "human right"?

While various UN agencies devote a disproportionate amount of time and resources to helping girls have abortions, commitments to improve their access to education, water, sanitation, food and other urgent humanitarian services often take a back seat.

November 6, 2023-Reading time: 2 minutes

To commemorate the International Day of the Girl Child, a UN treaty body, the Committee on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women, has issued a statement affirming that "access... to safe and quality abortion is a human right under international law, and especially crucial for girls". The UN agency argues that unless young women have access to abortion, they will not be able to lead full lives or reach their full potential, and that unless widespread access to abortion is guaranteed, the debate on any other right may be worthless.

In another article I referred to how the UN Special Rapporteur for Freedom of Expression, Irene Kahn, had published a report recommending that governments and social media companies silence those who express traditional views on marriage, abortion, sexuality and gender identity. And I'm sure if you keep tracking we can find many more examples of these kinds of decisions.

The drift that the UN has been taking for years and that various international institutions are joining is very worrying. France is taking steps to recognize abortion as a right in the constitutional text. The French deputies voted with a strange unanimity, by 337 votes in favor and only 32 against.

The recognition of abortion as a right at the highest level would be something really serious. Those of us who know that, as St. John Paul II said, 'the death of an innocent person can never be legitimized,' would be breaking a law and could be denounced or imprisoned simply for promoting this type of approach. 

Do we realize the implication of all this? 

It is disconcerting and clarifying to see how the UN is embarked on this kind of agenda, and it makes us see clearly the potential of those who are promoting this vision of the world and of society markedly removed from the natural order. An agenda that they want to impose on the whole world as a new ideological colonization, as Pope Francis denounces. Abortion is, for them, the cornerstone of their project. Unless life is also an inalienable principle for us, the UN and the powerful of this world will advance and impose their totalitarian project with all their strength, including that of the law.

It is true that, until now, no UN resolution or treaty has ever considered abortion as a human right. But these kinds of statements by various committees are paving the way toward that goal. Meanwhile various UN agencies, including UN Women, devote a disproportionate amount of time and resources to helping girls to have abortions, while commitments to improve their access to education, water, sanitation, food and other urgent humanitarian services are often put on the back burner.

It is urgent to become aware of the enormous challenge we face. The UN and those who promote this type of ideology advance without twisting their course. The time will come for the final blow in which the persecution of those of us who defend life will be direct and under the protection of the law. It will not be long now. 

The authorJavier Segura

Teaching Delegate in the Diocese of Getafe since the 2010-2011 academic year, he has previously exercised this service in the Archbishopric of Pamplona and Tudela, for seven years (2003-2009). He currently combines this work with his dedication to youth ministry directing the Public Association of the Faithful 'Milicia de Santa Maria' and the educational association 'VEN Y VERÁS. EDUCATION', of which he is President.

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The Vatican

Francis on the war in the Holy Land: "In the name of God, enough".

At the Angelus on this Sunday of November, the Holy Father cried out to "stop in the name of God, cease fire" in Palestine and Israel. "Have the fortitude to say enough," he prayed, referring to the war in the Holy Land. Commenting on the Gospel, he said "no to the duplicity of preaching one thing and doing another".

Francisco Otamendi-November 5, 2023-Reading time: 3 minutes
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Pope Francis has prayed in the Angelus of this Thirty-first Sunday in Ordinary TimeIn his Gospel, Jesus rebukes the scribes and Pharisees who do not practice what they preach, that "in the name of God" the war in the Holy Land be stopped, that "they cease fire", and that "all possible ways be explored so that a widening of the conflict is absolutely avoided".

Moreover, the Pontiff said in a tone of anguish "that the wounded may be helped, that aid may reach the population of Gaza, where the humanitarian situation is extremely serious. The hostages, including so many children, must be released immediately and returned to their families".

"Let us think of the children involved in this war, as well as in Ukraine and other conflicts. Let us pray for the strength to say enough is enough," the Pope encouraged.

Nepal, Afghans, storm victims

After the recitation of the Marian prayer of the Angelus, Francis visited some places of suffering in the world and said he was "close to the people of Nepal, who are suffering because of an earthquake, as well as to the Afghan refugees who have found refuge in Pakistan, but who now do not know where to go". The Pope also prayed "for the victims of the storms and floods in Italy and other countries".

Referring to groups of pilgrims, he greeted with affection "all of you, Romans and pilgrims from other countries, in particular the pilgrims from Vienna and Valencia" and from Cagliari. "Please don't forget to pray for me," Pope Francis concluded, a request that is. prayer intention for the month of November.

No to the duplicity of heart and life

In the gospel commentaryBefore the Angelus prayer, referring to the scribes and Pharisees who "say and do not do", Pope Francis invited everyone, especially those with responsibilities, not to be "double-hearted" and not to worry only "about being impeccable on the outside".

Commenting on the Gospel passage from St. Matthew (23:1-12), proposed for today's liturgy, on Jesus' words to the scribes and Pharisees, which the Pope described as "very severe," he noted. two aspectsHe also pointed out "the distance between what is said and what is done, and the primacy of the exterior over the interior". On the first, he emphasized that, to the religious leaders of the people of Israel, "who claim to teach others the Word of God and to be respected as authorities of the Temple", Jesus questions "the duplicity of their lives: they preach one thing, but then live another".

"We are fragile," Francis added, and so we all experience "a certain distance between saying and doing." But having "a double heart," living with "one foot in two shoes," is something else. Especially "when we are called - in life, in society or in the Church - to play a role of responsibility".

"The rule is to be credible witnesses first."

"Let us remember this: no to duplicity!" he added. "For a priest, a pastoral worker, a politician, a teacher or a parent, this rule always applies: what you say, what you preach to others, commit yourself to live it first. To be teachers with authority it is first necessary to be credible witnesses."

Pope Francis concluded with the usual questions for examination, "Do we try to practice what we preach or do we live in duplicity? Do we say one thing and do another? Are we concerned only with appearing flawless on the outside, made up, or do we care for our inner life in the sincerity of the heart?"

In his concluding prayer, the Pontiff asked that we turn to the Virgin Mary. "May she who has lived with integrity and humility of heart according to God's will, help us to become credible witnesses of the Gospel."

The authorFrancisco Otamendi

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ColumnistsMartha Reyes

The Samaritan woman who went to confession at Jacob's Well

The Samaritan woman at Jacob's well is the daughter, the wife, the mother, the teacher, the catechist, the courageous and assertive woman who allowed herself to be healed in order to become a bearer of healing for many.

November 5, 2023-Reading time: 3 minutes
RelatedRelated NewsSt. Monica and the Mothers' Coffee in the 4th centuryRelated NewsGod betroths the woman

At John 4:1-30 is related what was perhaps one of the most extensive dialogues that remained written in the Gospel. It was not between Jesus and an apostle, a temple priest or a scholar of the word. Rather, it was with a sinful, alienated and marked woman, not a Jew, but a Samaritan. Jesus, who always thirsts for souls, as when on Calvary's cross he said "I thirst", at the foot of Jacob's well he said to this Samaritan woman: "... I thirst".Give me to drink. But if you knew the gift of God and recognized the one who asks you for water, you would ask me and I would give you living water. For assuredly, I say to you, whoever drinks of this water (of the well) he shall thirst again: but whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst". 

Under the unforgivable glare of the burning sun of the deserts of the region of Samaria, with a panorama discolored by drought and aridity, a dazzling contrast is painted between human realities and divine promises. In this desert, rivers of living waters will flow into eternity. The drama of the life of a woman with deep and insatiable affective deficiencies was about to be transformed. To her usual and daily experience of exile and desolation due to error or sin, she will be promised the experience that liberated souls live in spiritual intimacy with God who intertwine after finding themselves at some decisive crossroads in life.

Thirsty hearts

Jesus was talking to a woman anonymous to the readers but well known in her town. Throughout her life she was trying to fill notable voids with failed experiences of failed love. It is these deficiencies in human beings that become urgent but fruitless searches. The Samaritan woman had lived through five love failures which could no longer be camouflaged or excused.

Those five love breakups came into her life laden with insecurity, contempt, abandonment, irrelevance, lack of appetite, sadness and desolation. But how does one water the desert of Samaria until it blooms, and how does one transform a life plundered of so much innocence, purpose, fulfillment and happiness? It is the question that is heard so much in the offices of psychologists, life counselors, and spiritual guides. The answer would be this: only by accepting an offer not to be refused: the Creator of the seas and rivers will divert one of them from its course to force it through a dry heart until it is soaked with new illusions and hopes.

Humanity with a woman's face

The Samaritan woman is not only a used or aged woman's face with the blows of life; she is also the one who represented at that time the sins of all the people of Samaria who had built a temple on Mount Gerizim in disobedience to God, alienating themselves from the Jewish religion and customs. The Samaritans at some times in their history worshiped 5 gods brought from 5 pagan regions. When Jesus speaks to this woman with 5 husbands, he speaks to the whole region.

Personal sins and social sins often resemble and intertwine. Sinful humanity has the face of a wounded woman, and the sin of a nation has its origin in the pain of a girl raped of her innocence or of a creature outraged of her dignity and destiny.

The confessional next to the well

Jacob's well is that improvised confessional where souls thirsty for love will continue to arrive, but overflowing with pain. The wounds of the past are contaminated and stagnant water that threaten to make us sick. The thirst in the heart of a wounded woman has many names and adjectives: thirst for relevance, beauty, youth, purpose, successful motherhood with fruits and legacies. The Lord Jesus, physician and healer of pierced hearts, points out and confirms that the needs of the soul are as real for survival as those of the body, and offers generous portions of love and forgiveness. "Take of the water that I offer you, for the time will come, and it is near at hand, when true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and in truth." What an announcement! What a prophecy for a world that yearns for what would most sustain it: the constant presence of its God! And what an offer so impossible to refuse!

It is time to stop begging for crumbs of love when the Bread of Life is speaking to you. And if you accept God's gift, come out of anonymity and let yourself be recognized as a free and healed woman.
A healed woman will be positioned and empowered to transform many, as when at the end of John 4, it was she, and not Jesus' disciples, who ended up evangelizing Samaria. She is the daughter, the wife, the motherThe teacher, the catechist, the courageous and assertive woman who allowed herself to be healed in order to become the bearer of healing for many. Sit down with Jesus in the "Jacob's well", or better yet, in the confessional and in front of the Blessed Sacrament, to begin or complete the most extensive and complete dialogue you have ever had with Him, and I assure you that you will never be thirsty again.

The authorMartha Reyes

D. in Clinical Psychology.

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ColumnistsFrancisco Armenteros

Movements and parishes

The integration of the various movements and charisms in the life of parishes sometimes encounters situations that are difficult to manage.

November 5, 2023-Reading time: 2 minutes

I have read the report in the Experiences section of Omnes issue 732, October 2023, about the Omnes Forum about Integration of ecclesial groups into parish life. An interesting topic, about which some comments come to mind.

Some years ago - I don't remember how many, I would have to remember - I was commissioned to write an article on the presence of ecclesial movements in parishes, for this same magazine, which at that time still bore the name "Palabra" (Word). The then diocesan bishop of Getafe, D. Joaquín María López de Andújar, suggested a commentary based on his experience. He thought that, when some new movement or charism arrives to a diocese, or perhaps to a parish, as in the frame of reference of this Omnes Forum, the situation is similar to that of the father of a family to whom another child is born; there are parents who assume it very well, they adapt the spaces of the house, if necessary they put a bunk bed where there was a bed, etc., and there is no problem; but others do not know how to manage with the new child.

I limit myself now to underline something that María Dolores Negrillo, from the executive of Cursillos in Christianity, said during the Forum, when referring to priests who do not admit them, and reply when one of the members of a movement comes to offer to collaborate in the parish: "...".With all my love, I have to say that all the groups are done, and we don't know what to do with you."; or, in other cases: "They complicate our lives; we do not want them.". Indeed, these things do happen. 

I return to the comment of Bishop López de Andújar, because something similar sometimes happens with diocesan bishops, for example, in relation to permanent deacons or the Ordo virginum. It can be clarified that it is not obligatory to have either one (deacons) or the other (virgins); and, in practice, there is an enormous disproportion between the different dioceses in the case, for example, of permanent deacons, who exceed 60 in Seville or 12 in Getafe, while in some dioceses there are none at all.

In a similar way, we also find that not all priests allow the Neocatechumenal Way to be established in their parish. They begin with a catechesis of proclamation, but they do not always admit them. There is no doubt that the Way does much good to many souls, including many priests, who not only attend to them, but they themselves "walk". It is also remarkable the fact that the whole family, parents and children, usually "walk". But there is a fear of the risk of transforming the parish and configuring it in the style of the Way.

This is not always the case; nor is it generally the case with diocesan priests linked to other spiritualities: Communion and Liberation, Priestly Society of the Holy Cross, Focolare... If they change, the parish moves forward without trauma, or rupture.

My conclusion: there is a lot of progress to be made in this, in the sense that the report underlines: "Everyone agreed to dialogue".

The authorFrancisco Armenteros

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The World

Sister Nabila from Gaza: "We risk our lives every minute".

Nabila Saleh, a Sister of the Congregation of the Rosary of Jerusalem and resident in Gaza, shares with Omnes the extremely difficult situation in the area. The Pope calls daily at the Holy Family parish in the area, which has become a veritable "refugee camp".

Federico Piana-November 5, 2023-Reading time: 3 minutes
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Sister Nabila goes out from time to time. If, even for a moment, the shelling gives her a break, she pokes her nose out of the parish of the Holy Family and walks with her heart in her throat through the devastated and ghostly streets. Buildings reduced to a pile of rubble, blood and death. 

Gaza no longer exists, or almost does not exist. 

Nabila Saleh's pace is fast. The nun of the Congregation of the Rosary of Jerusalem knows that staying outside, going in search of food or checking that the school where she taught until a few weeks ago with her companions is not being looted and vandalized, could also mean not returning to the only Latin church in the city, which has become a refuge for 600 Christians. Poor Christians who have lost everything, no longer have a home, often not even children. And the children no longer even have parents.

"They are afraid. They have in their eyes the images of the Greek Orthodox parish hit by bombs. Eighteen Christians died that day and among them were eight minors. The wounded were taken in here by us," Sister Nabila tells Omnes.

Children also welcomed

In the group of 600 desperate people there are also 100 children, many of them disabled and in need of special and continuous care. These are the children cared for by Mother Teresa's nuns, who have found accommodation with elderly people who look after them all day long.

Holy Family Parish, Gaza

"Here we need everything," explains the nun, "because we lack food, water, medicine. We don't have any more fuel: we have enough gas oil left for one more week and then we don't know what will happen. The situation is very difficult, with the bombings we are risking our lives every minute". 

No place is safe

Sr. Nabila's account becomes more stark when she reveals that the school in the town that her congregation runs had welcomed Muslim refugees into its classrooms at the beginning of the war, but then "we had to abandon everything because the school is close to a hospital behind which there is a Hamas military post and the shelling had intensified in that same area."

Fortunately, given the impossibility of reaching the hospital, there are four doctors at the Sagrada Familia who take care of the wounded. And they do it tirelessly and with great difficulty.

Hope does not die

The Latin parish in Gaza could be considered a real refugee camp. To run it with love and devotion there is an almost exclusively female group, says the nun: "Three sisters of the Congregation of the Rosary, two sisters of the Incarnate Word and three sisters of Mother Teresa. Then there is a religious, Father Iusuf, parochial vicar".

The parish priest, Father Gabriele Romanelli, was trapped in Jerusalem when the Strip was closed, but he never misses an opportunity, even from a distance, to encourage and console his faithful. "The people - adds Sister Nabila - have not lost hope. They attend the two daily Masses celebrated in our church and pray the Holy Rosary with fervor".

The Pope's closeness

The person who answers the phone when Pope Francis calls - now almost every day - to the parish to inquire about the situation, is usually Nabila herself. "We - she reveals - tell him everything that happens here. Talking to him and knowing that he is praying for us gives us courage and strength to go on".

The people, says the nun, "when they know that the Pope has called, they thank God. They live all this with great joy.

The authorFederico Piana

 Journalist. He works for Vatican Radio and collaborates with L'Osservatore Romano.

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Pope's teachings

Trust and care

During the month of October, the Assembly of the Synod of Bishops took place in Rome, for "to put God back in the center of our gaze".. In addition, the Pope has published the following apostolic exhortations Laudate Deumon the care of our common home, and C'est la confianceabout St. Therese of the Child Jesus.

Ramiro Pellitero-November 4, 2023-Reading time: 9 minutes

For times of crisis, Christians turn to faith, which is about trust; and this means that, like Jesus, we must care for others and for the world around us. 

With this proposal, Francis places himself in full continuity with the beginnings of his pontificate, on the way to his eleventh anniversary. Then (May 13, 2013) he outlined his program in the shadow of St. Joseph, whose mission, the fruit of his faith, was none other than to guard God's gifts and serve his loving plan of salvation. 

In recent weeks, after his trip to Marseilles, on October 4 the Pope inaugurated the work of the Synodal Assembly on synodality in its first phase. The same day saw the publication of the apostolic exhortation Laudate Deum on the climate crisis. In the middle of the month, he signed the apostolic exhortation C'est la confiance, on the 150th anniversary of the birth of St. Teresa of the Child Jesus. 

Marseilles: the "shudder" of faith lived out 

The Pope went to Marseilles to take part in the celebration of the Mediterranean MeetingsThe event, in which the bishops and mayors of the area are carrying forward a process to foster a more humane world, where hope and fraternity have their place. In the background is the complex issue of migrants who arrive - or die - for example, crossing the Mediterranean. 

The trip was closed at the stadium Velodromewith the Mass where he stated that "we need a shudder" like that of John the Baptist in the womb of his mother Elizabeth, when he received the visit of Mary who was carrying the Messiah. 

"This The noted Peter's successor, "is the opposite of a heart that is dull, cold, comfortable with a quiet life, that is shielded in indifference and becomes impermeable, that hardens, insensitive to everything and everyone, even to the tragic discarding of human life, which today is rejected in so many people who emigrate, as well as in so many unborn children and in so many abandoned elderly". (homily 23-IX-2023). A summary of the Pope's message in Marseille could be: we must choose fraternity over indifference. 

The Synod from the point of view of trust

The Pope's two interventions (a homily and an address at the beginning of the October Synodal Assembly) set the tone for the work of those weeks. 

The homily of October 4 began by contemplating Jesus' prayer to the Father: "I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that you have hidden these things from the wise and prudent and revealed them to the little ones." (Mt 11:25). This prayer represents the gaze of Jesus in the midst of the difficulties he encounters (contradictions, accusations, persecution). 

He experiences a real "pastoral desolation", but is not discouraged: "At the moment of desolation, therefore, Jesus has a gaze that reaches beyond: he praises the wisdom of the Father and is able to discern the hidden good that grows, the seed of the Word welcomed by the simple, the light of the Kingdom of God that makes its way even during the night." 

Participate in the gaze of Jesus 

From this view of Jesus, and with references to St. John XXIII (cfr.. Allocution at the beginning of Vatican Council II, October 11, 1962) and Benedict XVI (cfr.. Meditation at the beginning of the synod on the new evangelization, October 8, 2012), Francis declares: "This is the main task of the Synod: to put God back at the center of our gaze, to be a Church that sees humanity with mercy." And all this at the prompting of the Holy Spirit. 

Only in this way, he adds, will we be able to be, as St. Paul VI proposed, a Church that "colloquium is made". (encyclical Ecclesiam suam, n. 34), "that imposes no burdens but a gentle yoke". (Mt 11:30). 

Thirdly, that gaze of Jesus, which blesses and welcomes, and which we want to make our own, "it frees us from falling into some dangerous temptations.". Francis points out three temptations: rigidity, lukewarmness and tiredness.. In the face of them, the gaze of Jesus turns to us "humble, vigorous and cheerful", The Church is capable in the midst of divisions and conflicts within and outside the Church, which must be "repaired" and "purified", as St. Francis of Assisi did. Not in herself, it is understood, who is holy and untouchable because of her divine side, but in us. "For we are all a People of forgiven sinners - both sinners and forgiven - always in need of returning to the source, which is Jesus, and setting out once again on the ways of the Spirit so that his Gospel may reach everyone." 

The Holy Spirit, protagonist of harmony

In his speech on October 4, Francis began by pointing out why he had chosen the theme of synodality for this synod (not an easy topic). It was one of the themes desired by the bishops of the world, along with that of priests and the social question. 

After recalling, as he has done so many times in recent months, what a synod is "not" (neither a parliament nor a meeting of friends), he underlined a theme dear to his heart: in the Synod there is a main protagonist who is not any of us, the Holy Spirit. 

"Let us not forget, brothers and sisters, that the protagonist of the Synod is not us: it is the Holy Spirit. And if the Spirit is among us to guide us, it will be a good Synod. If among us there are other ways of moving forward for human, personal, ideological interests, it will not be a Synod, it will be a more parliamentary meeting, which is something else. The Synod is a path made by the Holy Spirit".

He unites us in harmony, the harmony of all differences. If there is no harmony, there is no Spirit: it is He who makes it".

The Holy Spirit is like a mother who guides and consoles; like the innkeeper to whom the Good Samaritan entrusted the man who had been beaten on the road (cf. Lk 10:25-37). Synodal discernment consists precisely in learning to listen to the different voices of the Spirit. In rejecting the temptations of criticism "under the table" and spiritual worldliness. In prioritizing not talking, but listening. Listen in this "pause" that the whole Church makes during this month, like a holy Saturday, to listen to what the Holy Spirit wants to make us see. 

Laudate Deumon the climate crisis

Trust in God, proper to faith (hence the term "faithful" = one who has trust), also gives us the ability to trust those around us. And it leads us to care for what belongs to the common good, beginning with human dignity and the care of the Earth for all. 

The exhortation Laudate Deum (LD) is a continuation of the encyclical Laudato si' (LS)on caring for the common home (2015). 

A moral drama

In the framework of the Social Doctrine of the Church, the Pope starts, also here, from the astonished gaze of Jesus before the wonders of his Father's creation: "....Look at the lilies of the field..." (Mt 6:28-29). Now, by contrast, and in many cases, it is a true moral drama that involves various cases of what is called "structural sin" (cf. encyclical Sollicitudo rei socialis, 36; Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1869).

Francis affirms categorically the existence of the global climate crisis (nn. 5-19) in which human causes, if not the only ones, count significantly, even if sometimes denied or doubted by public opinion; he also affirms that some damages and risks will be irreversible, perhaps for hundreds of years. And that it is better to prevent a catastrophe than to regret it through negligence. "Nothing more is asked of us than some responsibility for the inheritance we will leave behind us after our passage through this world." (n. 18). Moreover, as the covid-19 pandemic has shown, everything is connected and no one is saved alone..

It deplores the technocratic paradigm that continues to advance behind the degradation of the environment. It is a way of thinking "as if truth, good and reality spontaneously spring from the same technological and economic power". (LS 105); as if everything were resolved by infinite or unlimited growth (LS 106). That is why it is necessary to rethinking our use of power (LS 24 ff.), its meaning and its limits, especially in the absence of solid ethics and a truly human spirituality. 

Lack of an effective international policy

From there he goes on, in a third point, to denounce the weakness of international policy (LS 34 ff) and the role of the international climate conferences with its advances and failures. Negotiations are not progressing because of countries that put their national interests ahead of the global common good (LS 169), with all that this entails in terms of "lack of awareness and responsibility" (LD 52). 

The fifth section is devoted by the Pope to expectations for the COP28 in Dubai (United Arab Emirates), scheduled to be held from November 20 to December 12, 2023. "We need to overcome the logic of appearing as sentient beings and at the same time not having the courage to produce substantial changes." (LD 56). 

The sixth and last point of the document sets forth the ".spiritual motivations" (nn. 61 ff.) "that spring from one's own faith", especially for the Catholic faithful, while at the same time encouraging the same for other believers. Recognition of God as Creator, respect for the world, the wisdom that flows from it and gratitude for all this are condensed in the very attitude of Jesus when he contemplated created reality and invited his disciples to cultivate similar attitudes (cf. n. 64). Moreover, the world will be renewed in relation to the risen Christ, who envelops all creatures and directs them to a destiny of fullness, so that there is mysticism in the smallest realities and that the world will be renewed in relation to the risen Christ, who envelops all creatures and directs them to a destiny of fullness. "the world sings an infinite Love: how can we not take care of it?" (n. 65).

In the face of the technocratic paradigm, the Judeo-Christian cosmovision invites us to sustain a "situated anthropocentrism", that is to say that human life is situated in the context of all creatures that make up a "universal family" (LS 89, LD 68). 

The Pope's proposal to the Catholic faithful is clear: individually, to reconcile ourselves with the world that shelters us, to beautify it with our own contribution. At the same time, to promote appropriate national and international policies. In any case, what is important, says Francis, is to "remember that there are no lasting changes without cultural changes, without a maturation in the way of life and in the convictions of societies, and there are no cultural changes without changes in people." (LD 70). And this includes important cultural signs - which can encourage processes of transformation at the social and political level - at the personal, family and community levels: "The effort of households to pollute less, reduce waste, consume wisely, is creating a new culture." (LD 71). This will allow you to move forward "on the path of mutual care"..

C'est la confianceSt. Therese's "secret": the "secret" of St. Therese

The exhortation C'est la confiance (abbreviated as CC) on trust in God's merciful Love, on the 150th anniversary of the birth of St. Therese of the Child Jesus and of the Holy Face (October 15, 2023), literally proposes the message of St. Therese: "Trust, and nothing but trust, can lead us to Love." (n. 1). Francis adds: "With trust, the wellspring of grace overflows in our lives, the Gospel becomes flesh in us and turns us into channels of mercy for our brothers." (CC 2).

The "attraction" of Jesus 

The first section, "Jesus for others"highlights two lights that shine in Therese's relationship with Jesus.

First, its missionary soul, because, as in every authentic encounter with Christ, her experience of faith called her to mission. "Therese was able to define her mission with these words: 'In heaven I will desire the same thing I desire now on earth: to love Jesus and to make Him loved'". (CC 9). 

Moreover, she understands that Jesus, in drawing her to Himself, also draws to Himself the souls she loves, without tension or effort. This happens on the basis of the grace of Baptism and through the action of the Holy Spirit, who, in fact, frees us from self-referentiality., of self-centered holiness. 

The second section, "the path of trust and love", expresses the message of this great saint, who understood what God asks of the "little ones". A message also known as "the path of spiritual childhood". It is a path that, as the Pope rightly points out, everyone can live, and which, I might add, has found other forms and expressions in saints such as Charles de Foucauld and Josemaría Escrivá. 

Beyond all merit, the daily neglect of the

And Francis explains by getting to the theological core of his document: in the face of a Pelagian idea of holiness (cfr. Gaudete et exsultate47-62), "Therese always stresses the primacy of God's action, of His grace". (CC 17).

What does Jesus ask of us? He does not ask for great deeds, but "only abandonment and gratitude". This does not mean, on our part, admitting a certain conformism or quietism, but rather, the Pope points out with reference to the saint, "his boundless confidence encourages those who feel fragile, limited, sinful to let go and transform in order to reach high." (CC 21).

As we can see, this trust and abandonment do not refer only to one's own sanctification and salvation, but embrace the whole of life, freeing it from all fear: "Full trust, which becomes abandonment in Love, frees us from obsessive calculations, from constant worry about the future, from fears that take away peace...." (CC 24). It is the "holy abandonment". 

In the midst of the darkness, a firmest hope

This trust, even in the midst of the most absolute spiritual darkness, was lived by Therese, who personally identified herself with the darkness that Jesus wanted to experience on Calvary for sinners. She "feels she is a sister to atheists and, like Jesus, sits at table with sinners (cf. Mt 9:10-13).. Intercede for them, while continually renewing their act of faith, always in loving communion with the Lord." (CC 26). 

The gaze on the infinite mercy of God, together with the awareness of the drama of sin (the Pope picks up the account of the saint in relation to the condemnation of the criminal Henri Pranzini) build the springboard from which Therese formulates her message. 

Love and simplicity at the heart of the Church 

The third section of the exhortation formulates this message in detail: "I will be love.". She is an example of how love for God is both ecclesial and very personal, heart to heart. "At the heart of the Church, my Mother."he decided, "i will be love". And Francisco adds: "Such a discovery of the heart of the Church is also a great light for us today, not to be scandalized by the limits and weaknesses of the ecclesiastical institution, marked by obscurities and sins, and to enter into her burning heart of love, which was kindled at Pentecost thanks to the gift of the Holy Spirit." (CC 41).

Precisely "thus arriving at the ultimate personal synthesis of the Gospel, which began with complete trust and culminated in total gift to others." (CC 44). And this expresses "the heart of the Gospel" (CC 48).

The Pope concludes by pointing out that "we still need to pick up this brilliant intuition of Therese and draw the theoretical and practical, doctrinal and pastoral, personal and communitarian consequences. We need audacity and interior freedom to be able to do so". (CC 50). 

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Cinema

Ana, from "Madre no hay más que una": "I do not realize myself: I am in relation to others".

On October 20, the documentary film "Madre no hay más que una" was released, a tribute to motherhood based on the testimony of six mothers who tell their experiences. Omnes interviewed Ana, one of the protagonists.

Loreto Rios-November 4, 2023-Reading time: 3 minutes
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On Friday, October 20, the documentary film "Madre no hay más que una", a tribute to motherhood through the example of six specific mothers: Ana, BlancaIsa, Olatz, María and Bea. Directed by Jesús García ("Medjugorje, la película") and produced by Gospa Arts, "Madre no hay más que una" shows the testimonies of these six mothers at a time when there are fewer and fewer births and even couples who have many children are judged.

You can see the theaters where you can enjoy the movie and more information. here.

Trailer for "Madre no hay más que una".

In Omnes we have interviewed Ana, one of the protagonists, a doctor in Philology who is dedicated to the research of ancient manuscripts and manuscripts. A few months ago she appeared in ABC because she was not allowed to board the train with her four children.

What did motherhood mean to you?

It was an overwhelming surprise that lasts to this day. I never imagined that motherhood could resize my life in such a way, filling everything with a new fullness. My children have helped me to take a renewed and grateful look at my own parents, to marvel even more at the mystery that is life, and even to understand its meaning more deeply: I look at my children and quickly understand that I am here to love and be loved, that because I have been called into existence I have an inalienable value and beauty. Living with them, moreover, allows me to rediscover the child in me, helps me to become small, simple, joyful.

How does your vocation to marriage make you grow in your relationship with God?

My marriage is the greatest gift I have received from God, from it our children are born: the way I found my husband against all odds and the way he complements me make me absolutely sure that there is a provident God who has made us cross paths; my husband is my resting place, the necessary help, my greatest joy.

At the same time, the opportunity for mutual self-giving that marriage means helps me to understand the dynamics of the gift in which our life finds its deepest meaning: I am made to give my life and I know this because in this giving to each other we experience ourselves more and more happily.

In today's society, the emphasis is often placed on the fact that motherhood means giving up other things, such as professional growth. Do you share this opinion?

For me, the first mistake involved in this diatribe is that of having placed family and work in the same place, as if in reconciling the two were on an equal footing. My motherhood and my responsibility shape me ontologically, but not my work, which I love and live as a mission, but in no way is on a par with my husband and my children.

For me it is rather the other way around, I believe that work should be adapted to the family, to its rhythms and needs, as far as possible. Moreover, if my children have brought something to my work, it is the possibility of living it in a very free way, without putting on it the forging of my self-esteem; my life is already full, regardless of my work performance. In fact, the expression "work fulfillment" has never convinced me; among other things, because I do not fulfill myself: I am in relation to others, who make me a wife, a mother and also a teacher.

What has been the biggest challenge of being a mother?

For me the greatest challenge, the greatest difficulty, is to understand that I cannot free my children from suffering, something I explain in the film; it is very difficult for me, although I know that this is so and that, in fact, I should not fall into the illusion or the trap of trying to keep them in a bubble. For a mother, a child's suffering hurts more than her own.

¿Phy do you think people should see this film?

I think this film is a gift because it shows that surrender, fatigue, renunciation of oneself, far from being an enemy to reach happiness, are its springboard. It saddens me that more and more we speak of children as a burden, instead of as an immense gift that we will not have enough life to contemplate, understand or be grateful for. I think we live in a society that proposes a very hedonistic and individualistic concept of happiness, for which motherhood is presented as an obstacle; and in this sense, it seems to me that the testimony of each of the mothers who appear in the film manages to show that the deepest joy is hidden among diapers and tiredness, but also among laughter, hugs and precious conversations before bedtime.

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United States

Dioceses in the United States celebrate the "Red Mass

Each year in October, dioceses in North America celebrate the so-called "Red Mass". The ceremony invokes God's guidance and blessing on members of the legal community and government officials.

Gonzalo Meza-November 4, 2023-Reading time: 3 minutes
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Each year in October, dioceses in North America celebrate the so-called "Red Mass", named after the liturgical color of the Votive Mass of the Holy Spirit. The ceremony invokes God's guidance and blessing on members of the legal community and government officials, the main guests of this liturgy. It is attended by magistrates, lawyers, government officials and members of the legal academic community. Although in most dioceses this Mass takes place on the Sunday preceding the first Monday in October (the start of the U.S. Supreme Court term), some jurisdictions hold it later in October.

The first Red Mass was celebrated in New York in October 1928. However, its origins date back to the 13th century. It is believed that the first such liturgy, focused on magistrates, took place in the cathedral of Paris in 1245 and then spread throughout Europe. Although the color red currently has a theological meaning that refers to fire and the presence of the Holy Spirit, when the Mass began in 1310 in England, the magistrates of the Supreme Court wore scarlet vestments and thus the name "Red Mass" was popularized.

Washington DC

One of the best known Red Masses is the one celebrated in the American capital at St. Matthew's Cathedral. This year's ceremony took place on Sunday, October 1, 2023. The liturgy was attended by nearly 900 people including two Supreme Court Justices (John G. Roberts, Jr., and Amy Coney Barret) as well as justices from other courts, diplomats and members of the federal government. Although Cardinal Wilton Gregory, Archbishop of Washington DC, usually presides at this Mass each year, on this occasion it was presided over by Auxiliary Bishop Mons. John Esposito (the cardinal was in Rome to participate in the Synod of Bishops).

In his homily, Msgr. Esposito noted, "Gathered here are eminent jurists, legislators, academics and advocates who do the quiet work of helping people with their daily problems. There are also men and women with different roles, all with different social and ethnic backgrounds and religious traditions." Referring to the Holy Spirit who descended on the Apostles at Pentecost, the prelate said, "Like them, this morning we raise our voices in confident prayer to ask God for the blessings of wisdom, knowledge, and the humility to accept what is true, distinguishing clearly between right and wrong, just and unjust." 

Los Angeles, California

On the other side of the country, on the west coast, this Mass took place on October 25 at the Cathedral of Our Lady of Los Angeles. It was organized by the local chapter of the Society of St. Thomas More and was attended by more than 200 people including judges, state legislators, lawyers, legal professionals, as well as Justice Patricia Guerrero, Chief Justice of the California Supreme Court. The liturgy was presided over by Archbishop Jose H. Gomez, Archbishop of Los Angeles, and the homily was given by Father Edward Siebert, a Jesuit priest and rector of Loyola Marymount University.

At the end of the Mass, Justice Guerrero delivered an address during which she praised the example of St. Thomas More and evoked the violence and suffering currently being experienced in the world. Guerrero said that St. Thomas More "represents a guiding figure for lawyers, judges and public servants to navigate the complexities of our work and our world. Thomas More reminds us that in a world that can often seem turbulent, we must not abandon our duty as guardians of the law," said Guerrero.

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RelatedRelated NewsAbortion and jurisprudence in the United States
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ColumnistsCelso Morga

On the Ombudsman's report

The Church is well aware today that sexual abuse is not only a grave sin, but also a crime that must be punished in the canonical forum and that she must collaborate with the judicial authorities of the States for its investigation and resolution also in the civil forum.

November 4, 2023-Reading time: 2 minutes

With regard to the Ombudsman's report on sexual abuse in the Church, and, above all, in relation to the extrapolations that have been made from the data presented in the GAD3 survey attached to the report, I would just like to make the following three considerations:

First: the Church - faithful laity, religious, hierarchy - wants and seeks only truth, love and justice. The truth consists in facts, not in demoscopic "estimates", which raise perplexity, social alarm, discredit, vilification and serious danger of defamation, in a matter so painful and delicate for everyone. Thank God, there are many people, both outside and inside the Church, who do not allow themselves to be carried away by this type of speculation. 

Second, the Church looks at the victims and desires only to listen, to heal and to repair, as far as possible, their wounds. They are her sons and daughters who have suffered a grave injustice that has painfully conditioned their entire lives. The Church wishes to treat them with the love of Jesus Christ. She asks and has repeatedly asked forgiveness for the past actions of some of her children, who did not know how to see and appreciate the gravity and injustice that was being done to innocent victims. The Church is well aware today that sexual abuse is not only a grave sin, but also a crime that must be punished in the canonical forum and that she must collaborate with the judicial authorities of the States for its investigation and resolution also in the civil forum. 

Third, the Church also looks with pity and sorrow on the victimizers, helping them - always safeguarding the presumption of innocence, as long as the crime is not proven - to assume their painful rehabilitation. They are also her children and she desires that, as far as possible, they come to a personal healing and reparation for the victims. 

The light and life of the Church is the Gospel, which can never go hand in hand with injustice and lack of love and truth.  

The authorCelso Morga

Archbishop emeritus of the Diocese of Mérida Badajoz

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Culture

Pablo Blanco and Francesc Torralba, winners of the Ratzinger Theology Prize 2023

The priest Pablo Blanco, professor of Theology at the University of Navarra and collaborator of Omnes, will receive this distinction together with the philosopher and theologian Francesc Torralba.

Maria José Atienza-November 3, 2023-Reading time: 3 minutes

Next November 30 Pablo Blanco and Francesc Torralba will receive, from the hands of Cardinal Pietro Parolin, Secretary of State of His Holiness, the Ratzinger Prize 2023 in a ceremony in which participants will reflect on the legacy of Joseph Ratzinger-Benedict XVI almost a year after his death.

It will be the first edition of the Ratzinger Awards to be presented after the death of the Pope Emeritus. Two Spaniards: Pablo Blanco and Francesc Torralba join the list of award winners, which includes names such as Joseph Weiler, Tracey Rowland, Hanna Barbara Gerlt-Falkovitz or Remi Brague.

Pablo Blanco is one of the most recognized experts on Benedict XVI today. He is a member of the editorial committee of the Opera omnia from Joseph Ratzinger in Spanish in the BAC publishing house and has written, in addition to a biography of Benedict XVI, other titles such as Benedict XVI, the theologian pope, Joseph Ratzinger. Life and Theology, Benedict XVI and the Second Vatican Council. o The theology of Joseph Ratzinger.

Omnes features some of the best-known articles on Joseph Ratzinger by this priest and professor who, interestingly enough, was hosting an Omnes Forum with Tracey Rowland in 2020.

Pablo Blanco

Pablo Blanco Sarto was born on July 12, 1964 in Zaragoza (Spain). He studied Hispanic Philology at the University of Navarra. In Rome he completed his studies of Theology at the Pontifical University of the Holy Cross, then he began his licentiate and doctorate in Philosophy, on the thought of Luigi Pareyson (1918-1991). He was ordained a priest on September 21, 1997.

In 2005 he completed his PhD in Dogmatic Theology at the University of Navarra, with a study on the fundamental theology and religions of Joseph Ratzinger.

He is currently a full professor at the University of Navarra in the areas of ecumenism, sacramental theology and ministry.

He collaborates with the Institut Papst Benedikt XVI. of Regensburg (Germany), with numerous Spanish and Latin American academic institutions, with various publishing houses and theological and pastoral journals.

Francesc Torralba

Francesc Torralba Roselló is a philosopher and theologian.

Born in Barcelona on May 15, 1967, he is married and father of 5 children. He holds a PhD in Philosophy from the University of Barcelona (1992), in Theology from the Faculty of Theology of Catalonia (1997), in Pedagogy from the University Ramon Llull (2018), in History, Archaeology and Christian Arts, at the Ateneu Universitari Sant Pacià, Faculty Antoni Gaudí (2022).

He is currently an accredited professor at the Ramon Llull University and teaches courses and seminars at other universities in Spain and America. He alternates his teaching activity with his commitment to writing and disseminating his thought, oriented towards philosophical anthropology and ethics.

The Ratzinger Awards

The Ratzinger Prize is the principal initiative of the Joseph Ratzinger-Benedict XVI Vatican Foundation. It is awarded, as established in the Statutes, to "academicians who have distinguished themselves for particular merits in publications and/or scientific research".

Nominations for the Prize are proposed to the Holy Father for approval by the Foundation's Scientific Committee, composed of five members appointed by the Pope, including Cardinals Kurt Koch (Prefect of the Dicastery for Promoting Christian Unity), Luis Ladaria (Prefect Emeritus of the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith), Gianfranco Ravasi (President Emeritus of the Pontifical Council for Culture), by His Excellency Msgr. Salvatore Fisichella (Pro-Prefect of the Dicastery for Evangelization), and by His Excellency Monsignor Rudolf Voderholzer (Bishop of Regensburg and President of the Institut Papst Benedikt XVI).

The Prize is awarded annually, since 2011, to two or three academics each time and, among its awardees, there are not only Catholics, but also members of other Christian confessions: an Anglican, a Lutheran, two Orthodox and one of the Jewish religion.

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The Vatican

Pope presides at Mass for Benedict XVI and deceased cardinals and bishops in 2023

At 11:00 a.m. on November 3, 2023, at the Altar of the Chair of the Vatican Basilica, Pope Francis presided at a Holy Mass in suffrage for Benedict XVI and the cardinals and bishops who died during the year.

Antonino Piccione-November 3, 2023-Reading time: 2 minutes
RelatedRelated NewsNovember: month to pray for the deceased and gain indulgencesRelated NewsThe souls in Purgatory: the importance of prayer

"God is love; he who abides in love abides in God and God abides in him" (1 John 4:16). These words, with which Benedict XVI's Encyclical "Deus Caritas Est" begins, express the core of the Christian faith. In a world in which the name of God is sometimes associated with vengeance or even hatred and violence, the Christian message of the God of Love is highly relevant.

The Pope begins his homily at the Mass celebrated in St. Peter's Basilica in suffrage of Benedict XVI and the cardinals and bishops deceased Benedict XVI, whom we remember today together with the cardinals and bishops who died during the year, wrote in his first encyclical that the program of Jesus is 'a heart that sees'. "How many times he reminded us that faith is not above all an idea to be understood or a moral to be assumed, but a person to be encountered, Jesus Christ," Francis emphasizes.

"His heart beats strongly for us, his gaze sympathizes with our affliction," as is the case with the widow at the center of today's Gospel, who has just lost her only son, and with him "the reason for living." "Here is our God, whose divinity shines forth in contact with our miseries, because his heart is compassionate," the Holy Father observes: "The resurrection of that son, the gift of life that conquers death, arises precisely from here: from the compassion of the Lord, who is moved by our extreme evil, death."

"How important it is to communicate this compassionate gaze to those who experience the pain of the death of their loved ones," the Pope stresses, emphasizing that "Jesus' compassion has one characteristic: it is concrete": "Touching the coffin of a deceased person was useless; at that time, moreover, it was considered an impure gesture that contaminated the one who performed it. But Jesus pays no attention to this, his compassion erases the distances and brings him closer. This is God's style, made of closeness, compassion and tenderness. And of few words.

Benedict XVI passed away at 9:34 a.m. on December 31, 2022. During the New Year's Mass, the Pope expressed affection and intercession for his beloved predecessor. In his homily, he said, "Let us entrust Benedict XVI to the Blessed Mother of God, that she may accompany him in his passage from this world to God."

Shortly after, during the prayer of the faithful, an intention was dedicated to the Pope Emeritus: "May the supreme Pastor who always lives to intercede for us receive him graciously into the kingdom of light and peace". Finally, during the Angelus, before the 40,000 faithful present in the square, Pope Bergoglio added: "In these hours, we invoke his intercession especially for Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI, who yesterday morning left this world. We unite all of us, with one heart and one soul, to give thanks to God for the gift of this faithful servant of the Gospel and of the Church".

The authorAntonino Piccione

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The Vatican

Pope reforms Pontifical Theological Academy

Rome Reports-November 3, 2023-Reading time: < 1 minute
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The Pope has signed another Motu Proprio. This time, the Ad theologiam promovendam, is conceived as the only one of a reform of the Pontifical Theological Academy.

The Pope wants to promote a more synodal, pastoral and transdisciplinary theology. In other words, to go a step further and to deepen the faith and help to explain it in the cultural context of each moment.

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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The smile of dedication to life

Sister Zelie Maria Louis, Sister of the Congregation Sisters of Lifesmiles after his final vows at St. Patrick's Cathedral in New York.

Maria José Atienza-November 3, 2023-Reading time: < 1 minute
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Vocations

John Paul Ebuka Oraefo: "The faith of the majority of Christians in Nigeria is still alive".

A seminarian of the Catholic diocese of Aguleri, John Paul Ebuka Oraefo is studying in Rome thanks to a scholarship from the CARF Foundation. For him, Rome is an opportunity for formation and union with the early Christians.

Sponsored space-November 3, 2023-Reading time: 3 minutes

He is studying his second year of theology in Rome. Originally from Ogbunike (Nigeria), John Paul Ebuka Oraefo was born into a Christian family with a deep-rooted Marian devotion, a key factor in his vocational process.

How did you discover your vocation to the priesthood?

-I was born into a family of practicing Catholics. My parents were especially devoted to the Virgin Mary. We participated in the "Rosary Crusade," a pastoral initiative in which we prayed the Holy Rosary and some other prayers for which the children of Fatima are known. In addition, my parents also wanted us to affiliate with the Legion of Mary. These Marian affiliations were very important in bringing me and my brothers closer to God through Mary. In addition, after every Sunday Mass, we would go to the priest to have him bless us before going home. This ignited my desire for the priesthood. I was about 6 years old when I became aware of this desire and made it known to my parents. They assured me that, if it was God's will, it would come to fruition. On September 13, 2008, at the age of 10, I was admitted to the minor seminary of the Catholic Archdiocese of Onitsha.

The Church in Nigeria still suffers persecution today. How do Christians live in these circumstances?

-The Church in Nigeria is still young and growing, adapting to the situations, challenges and circumstances of its time. Persecution is a threat that, historically, has accompanied the Church. The first Christians who suffered persecution in Rome probably did not know that that city would become the residence of Christ's vicar on earth and a city of pilgrimage. 

Only God can bring good out of bad situations. This is my hope and the hope of many Nigerians suffering persecution in different parts of Nigeria. The faith of most Christians is still alive and I personally have not heard or seen anyone who has renounced their faith as a result of persecution.

How is the coexistence with other religious confessions?

-Nigeria is home to a myriad of religious denominations ranging from Christianity to Islam and traditional religion. The adherents of these religions are mainly ordinary Nigerians, some of whom are conditioned by the political, social and economic situation in Nigeria. I am convinced that the followers of these religions can live together, respecting each other's beliefs. 

Personally, I have had a number of encounters with people of varied beliefs. I have studied and lived close to Muslims, most of whom are good friends of mine. I have also met some who practice the traditional religion. I am convinced that most of the problems people encounter with people of different religions are fueled by politicians who sometimes try to mix religion with politics for their own benefit. Unfortunately, this and much more has led to the emergence of terrorists and religious extremists who threaten and destroy the lives and properties of some Nigerians of different faiths and creeds. The fact that the government has not put a stop to this situation for almost a decade now is worrisome and perplexing.

What has studying in Rome given you?

–Studying in Rome has brought me many good things for which I will always be grateful to God, my bishop, my formators and the CARF Foundation. Studying in Rome has given me the privilege of meeting the Holy Father. It has allowed me to visit some of the places where the apostles and saints walked. 

Academic studies are one of the four aspects of the formation I receive here in Rome. The others are human, spiritual and pastoral formation. The academic formation is received at the university and the human, spiritual and pastoral formation is received at the International Ecclesiastical College. Sedes Sapientiae, where I live. Studying in Rome unites me in a special way to the apostles and Christians who suffered for the faith, giving their lives as witnesses to their faith. I wish to return home with the same zeal, steadfastness and endurance with which these men of faith lived their lives.

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United States

The rebirth of the Eucharist in New York City

New York State hosted its Eucharistic Congress at the Shrine of the American Martyrs, also known as the Shrine of Our Lady of the Martyrs, from October 20-22.

Jennifer Elizabeth Terranova-November 3, 2023-Reading time: 4 minutes
RelatedRelated NewsEucharistic Revival in the United States: Time of Grace and Encounter with Jesus.

New York State hosted its Eucharistic Congress in Auriesville, right outside Albany, at the Shrine of the North American Martyrs, also known as the Shrine of Our Lady of Martyrs.

The National Eucharistic Revival is a three-year initiative organized by the U.S. Catholic Bishops (USCCB). It aims to educate, unite, and bring the faithful to a more intimate relationship with Jesus in the Eucharist.

New York State’s -State Eucharistic Congress began on October 20 and ended on October 22.  

The aspiration of all those who planned, attended, and lauded the efforts from afar was to unite the faithful to the Eucharist and to emerge from the conference with a more profound reverence for the Real Presence of Christ in the Blessed Sacrament.

It is estimated that 10,000 people participated in the forty-hour weekend, and 7,000 on Saturday when they celebrated the principal Mass, followed by a procession later in the afternoon.

The Eucharist in New York

People from all walks of life attended: many youth groups, parish families, and men and women religious gathered on a rainy Saturday to recall the power of the Eucharist and to reignite the devotion to Our Lord. “…It was a true mosaic of the Catholic Church in New York, reported the Good Newsroom.” There were talks in English and Spanish by beloved Catholic speakers, booths, and catechesis, and the faithful had the opportunity to go to Confession and enjoy Adoration. Throughout the forty hours, those in attendance were reminded that the “Word becomes flesh in the hands of a priest.”

His Eminence, Timothy Cardinal Dolan, Archbishop of New York, was in Rome at the Synod but did pop up in a video in which he gave thanks to all his brother bishops, deacons, religious women and men, the Knights of Columbus, and all of the many who made the weekend possible. He said, “I’m distant physically, but I’m very close to you because of the power of the magnetism of the holy Eucharist.” He recalled his skepticism about having a “mini congress” and described the Eucharistic Conference in New York “as a dream long in coming.”

The Colosseum was packed, and it was “so emotional,” upon walking in, recalled Bishop Colacicco, Auxiliary Bishop for the Archdiocese of New York. He spoke about the reverence of the procession and how “moving” it was. He also talked about the sacredness of the spot of Our Lady of Martyrs Shrine. It was during the 17th century, in the 1640s, that the Jesuit missionaries were martyred for preaching the Gospel, eight of whom would be canonized in the 1930s. So, it was fitting to have this “Catholic revival” at such a sacred place.

A message of hope

Could this serve as an “antipasto” to the National Eucharistic Revival asked Cardinal Dolan. Bishop Colacicco is confident and said the statewide conference “has set the tone” and believes that “the faith that we have in the Lord’s presence in the Eucharist is strong and getting stronger.” The love of Jesus and the power of the Eucharist is what will save us. He is confident that the “blood of the holy ground” will continue to welcome more faithful Christians and spoke of the many “seeds that were planted for vocations, holy marriages, and family life.” In addition, he was grateful to have had the opportunity to bless babies. He also lauded and praised the speakers and said the talks “were brilliant and edifying.”

Bishop Edward Scharfenberger, Bishop of Albany and Chair of the Board of the Shrine of Our Lady of Martyrs, welcomed all those in attendance. His prayer for everyone was to receive the message “of hope and reassurance that Jesus wants to live in your heart.”

Missionary Church, Eucharistic Church

The Most Reverend Terry LaValley, Bishop of Ogdensburg, celebrated the principal Mass, and 16 bishops concelebrated and hundreds of priests from New York State. In his homily, he referred to Sacramentum Caricatis, which states, “A missionary Church is a Eucharistic Church. And said one of the hopes of the Eucharistic Revival is to form missionary disciples.”

Among the many speakers was Bishop Joseph Espaillat, who was the first Dominican bishop in the United States and the youngest. “He had the place on fire,” remarked Bishop Colacicco. The Bronx-born native knows how to engage the faithful. He is known as the ‘rapping priest’ and proves that his unconventional ways of teaching are his secret to evangelizing. He hosts a podcast, “Sainthood in the City,” that offers talks in English and Spanish and appeals to many but has a special connection with young Hispanic men, whom he encourages to be better.

Mother Clare Matthiass, CFR, the General Servant (Superior) of the Franciscan Sisters of the Renewal and the author of many popular books, gave an inspiring talk and said, “When we come together at Eucharistic adoration, it’s that offering suspended…” and reminded everyone that Our Lord always stays with us.

Music recorded by The Sisters of Lifewas played, which was meditative and calming. Some of the lyrics sung were, “I belong to you.”

It’s only the beginning of the National Eucharistic Congress. It has been eighty-three years since the last one, so get ready. From July 17 to 21 in Indianapolis, 80,000 people will gather to celebrate the Eucharist and the Real Presence in the Host.

Look out for processions organized by your local parish and prepare for the final phase of the Congress, but the commencement of a new spirit and grace that we receive only from He, who chose us.

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RelatedRelated NewsEucharistic Revival in the United States: Time of Grace and Encounter with Jesus.
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The World

Raimo GoyarrolaMy image of the Church is a trawler".

On November 25, Raimo Goyarrola will be ordained bishop and will take office as the new pastor of the diocese of Helsinki.

Maria José Atienza-November 3, 2023-Reading time: 7 minutes
RelatedRelated NewsFinland. Catholic Diaspora in non-Catholic templesRelated NewsA world reference. Ecumenism in Finland

Raimo (Ramón) Goyarrola is a Finnish Bilbao native because people from Bilbao are "born where they want to be".

He has not lost his Biscayan accent and humor, but his heart is completely Finnish. This 54-year-old doctor, a numerary priest of Opus Dei, arrived in Finland almost 20 years ago, in 2006. He has carried out most of his priestly work in Finland, in recent years as Vicar General of Opus Dei. diocese of Helsinki.

Teemu Jyrki Juhani Sippo, S.C.I., "so there was no Vicar General either," recalls Goyarrola. A few days before his episcopal consecration, Raimo Goyarrola talks to Omnes, a media with which he has collaborated more than once, about this new stage that is opening in his life and in his pastoral work.

In a few days you will be ordained bishop and take possession of the diocese of Helsinki. How have the last few years been for you?

-I was vicar general, yes, but in the sede vacante there are no curial offices, so there was no vicar general either. Besides, a few months after the sede vacante the Covid pandemic broke out and the work of the parishes diminished a lot. I thought about what I could do at that time, so I began to do my doctoral thesis in Palliative Care. The idea was to give a real medical solution to the sick at the end of life. At that time, the euthanasia debate was very hot and I know that euthanasia solves absolutely nothing. 

At that time I joined a palliative research group and circumstances have led me to become, according to my Finnish colleagues, the "expert on spirituality in palliative care". Until now, once a month or so I gave seminars on this topic to doctors and nurses all over Finland. 

What is the diocese of Helsinki like? 

- The diocese is territorially very extensive. It covers the whole country. About 340,000 square kilometers. We have 8 parishes. At present, there are 29 priests in the diocese, 5 of whom are Finnish priests, including the bishop emeritus and one priest who is in the diplomatic service. 

Here we do not have a Catholic structure as in other countries. I dream of a diocesan retreat house, which could also be used for youth camps. I dream of a seminary, a Catholic school, a home for the elderly, a palliative care hospital... I have a huge list of dreams and they are real, I see them already finished. 

We must dream, serving the people of God and facilitating the way to heaven! We cannot forget that the Church shows Jesus to go to heaven, but that heaven begins already on earth, with the presence of God, with the sacraments, with the grace of God.  

Along with this list of dreams, there is a long list of problems: economic, pastoral, of all kinds. The gift I ask God for Christmas is that the list of dreams be bigger than the long list of problems. There are problems and they are concrete, but dreams are also concrete. We have to focus on the positive.

What challenges await you?

-Now, at the diocesan level, we have to start renewing the parish councils and begin to work in this new stage. I am in a phase of praying a lot, of asking for light to start forming the councils.

My main idea is to row together. I am not going to do anything alone. I will have representative councils, with people who know and have solutions, because we must have ideas and actions. I want to rely totally on these councils. In our diocese, for example, there have been no "concrete pastorals" at the diocesan level: young people, the elderly, the sick, immigrants..., and I want to give an impulse to these things.

Trawler

I am very clear that in the Church we all row: My image of the Church is the trawler. In the trawler we all row. The bishop may be at the helm, setting the pace or changing the direction a little, but we all row: priests, laity, religious. I want the laity to support and I want to promote the participation of the laity. All together. 

Finland has a wide variety of denominations, how have you received your appointment?

-Since the appointment was announced, I have been surrounded by a great number of people. I am not exaggerating. There have been continuous calls, hundreds of messages, whatsapps, letters, emails... I am amazed by the support and the joy! 

At the social level, for example, the interest aroused by the new bishop is incredible. Here the Catholic Church is very small (0,3%) and, the day after the news, I met several Catholics and they told me "I saw him in the subway!" and I answered "Yes, I went by bicycle!", and it was because it had appeared on the news broadcast on the subway screens "New Catholic bishop in Finland". In a country like this, for the news to come out at that level and in the national newspaper, with a super positive approach... It's impressive! The Lutheran bishops, the Orthodox bishops... they all wrote or called me to ask me how they could help me. It's amazing!

People ask me if I'm nervous, but I don't even have time to be nervous. I have great inner peace because I am not alone!

Did you expect it? 

-Well, not really. In Helsinki there are two men's centers of Opus Dei and I lived, to facilitate the task of Vicar General, in the one that is closer to the Episcopal Palace. A little more than two months ago I moved to the university residence, which is in another area, to begin a new stage: apostolic work with young people, university students... I was excited and, suddenly, the Nuncio called me and asked me about it. It was a surprise; it was a moment of mixed feelings. I prayed and remembered Our Lady and St. Joseph and I said "here I am" and an impressive peace came over me. Since then I have had that peace, 

I have written to Pope Francis to thank him for everything. Now I will make my spiritual exercises in Rome and I will also visit different Dicasteries. I also hope to greet the Pope and give him a big hug. 

How is the relationship with other denominations?

- It is excellent. The ecumenism Here it is a gift, it is a miracle. I think it is an exception at the world level. In the Vatican they know us and they follow the work of the Official Dialogue with the Lutherans. We have even produced a document on the Eucharist, the ministry and the Church. It's marvelous! We talk, we pray, we dialogue? 

Every month we celebrate mass in 25 cities where there is no Catholic church. That means 25 Lutheran and Orthodox churches where we are allowed to say mass.

Finland is one of the few regions where there are more Catholics today than 50 years ago How is the Catholic population in Finland?

- We grow by about 500 new Catholics a year. Of that number, about half are Finns: children being baptized and adults joining the Church or being baptized as well, whether from other Christian denominations or not. The other half are migrants and refugees. The latter is also a challenge because refugees are generally sent to cities where there are no Catholic churches. One objective I have is to achieve a relationship with the State so that we can know where the Catholics are, be able to assist them and help them to integrate.

Here the Church has a very beautiful work of social integration and I think the State has to value it and even help. For example, in two weeks, I have spent almost 300 euros on gasoline because I am very clear about this: I want to be with the people and to be with the people I will have to travel a lot, thousands of kilometers to see them. Catholics in the DiasporaI want to be with them! I want to make a schedule to be with all Catholics, in Lapland and wherever it is necessary.

Here it's not smelling like sheep, but smelling like reindeer! I want to be a reindeer-smelling shepherd!

You are a numerary priest of Opus Dei. How does your charism influence your service to the diocesan Church?  

-In the Work I have learned to have a big heart where there is room for everyone and, as St. Josemaría used to say, I have learned that the Opus Dei is for to serve the Church as the Church wants to be served. 

I came to Finland because the Bishop of Helsinki at that time (Józef Wróbel, S.C.I.) specifically asked for a priest of Opus Dei. Bishop Javier Echevarría, who was the prelate of Opus Dei, thought of me and I said yes. I was in Seville, in the sunshine, and I came at -30. That is what I have learned in the Work: a big heart where there is room for everyone.

When I arrived in Finland I introduced myself to the parish priest and began to collaborate in the parish: baptisms, catechesis, Masses in Spanish because there was a fairly large Latin American community... Along with this, I started a chaplaincy at the university and Catholics and non-Catholics came, the local Church goes beyond the parish. At the university, or at the Opus Dei residence, we reached people that perhaps the parish could not reach. 

Where does the work of the Church begin and where does the work of the Work begin? I am convinced that they are one and the same. Through the work of the Work in Finland, many people join the Catholic Church every year. It is a imput We all add up! The Church is the sum. We are all. It is not an "either this... or that" it is a "plus": The cross of Christ is the sign +. We all row, as in the trawler (laughs). 

My spirituality is the same: holiness in the midst of the world. Now as a bishop, I will receive the fullness of a sacrament, but the mentality of simplicity and magnanimity that I have lived in the Work will be the same. I believe that simplicity leads you to trust in God and trust in God leads you to dream, to be magnanimous. The bishop is universal, I will belong to the universal college of bishops and the Church is catholic because there is room for all of us. We live the catholicity of the Church when we add and support each other. 

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ColumnistsSantiago Leyra Curiá

The ancients and the existence of God

The Creator, in the beginning, distinguished with His infinite love man, male and female: He placed at their disposal the other creatures and the possibility of corresponding to friendship with Him in freedom, loyalty, trust and intelligence.

November 3, 2023-Reading time: 4 minutes
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According to Paul of Tarsus, "since the creation of the world, the invisible nature of God-that is, his eternal power and divinity-has been clearly perceived in the things that have been made." (Letter to the Romans 1, 20).

The Creator, in the beginning, distinguished man, male and female, with His infinite love: He placed at their disposal the other creatures and the possibility of corresponding to their friendship with Him in freedom, loyalty, trust and intelligence. Man did not reciprocate, but misused the freedom, intelligence and trust placed in him, breaking his friendship with the Creator. Notwithstanding that disloyalty, God granted man the hope of a restoration of the old relationship and renewed his help through a series of alliances, of an ever widening scope, through righteous men:

a) Covenant with Noah, for all his family.

b) Alliance with Abrahamfor his entire clan.

c) Covenant with Moses, for all the people of Israel.

d) God offered the definitive Covenant, open to men and peoples of all times, revealing at the same time his own Being, his own intimacy: he did so by manifesting himself as Father and Son and Holy Spirit, through Jesus of Nazareth, the incarnate Son of God.

Xenophanes, of Colophon (Asia Minor), who lived more than 90 years - between 550 and 450 B.C.E. -, according to Aristotle, was the first to teach the unity of the supreme principle among the ancient Greeks. He did so in these words: "One God, the greatest among gods and men, not like men either by form or by thought. He sees all, thinks all, hears all. Without work, he governs all by the power of his spirit.".

Aristotle, from Stagira, in the Greek Chalcidic peninsula (NE of the Balkan peninsula), lived between 384 and 322 B.C. For him, God is the highest entity, the entity par excellence, is a living being that is sufficient to itself, sees and discerns the being of the remaining entities in their totality; its proper activity is the supreme knowledge; only God has wisdom (sophia); men can only have a certain friendship with it (philosophy). God is the prime mover, who, without being moved, moves, that is, generates, promotes the passage of the other entities from potency to act. Aristotle's God is not the Creator, he is not part of nature (he is not like the natural entities, animals, plants... that are the object of study by Physics) but he is the key entity of nature and, therefore, his study corresponds to the first Philosophy or Metaphysics.

M.T. Cicero, from Arpinum (Italy), lived between 106 and 43 B.C. and studied the Greek philosophers in Athens. Between 45 and 44 B.C. he wrote the work "On the nature of the gods", in which he exposes the philosophical doctrines on the divine in force in his time (Epicureanism, Stoicism and New Academy) in the form of a dialogue between several characters. In this dialogue, one of the characters, the Stoic Balbo, asks the following questions:

Wouldn't it be surprising if there is someone convinced that certain particles of matter exist, dragged along by gravity and from whose collision such an elaborate and beautiful world is produced?

Who, seeing the regular movements of the seasons and the order of the stars, would be able to deny that these things had a rational plan and affirm that all this is the work of chance?

How can we doubt that all this is done for a reason and, moreover, for a reason that is transcendent and divine?

Can any sane person believe that the structure of all the stars and this enormous celestial decoration could have been created from a few atoms that run here and there in a fortuitous and random way? Can a being devoid of intelligence and reason have created these things?

Justin was a philosopher of the second century trained in Greek philosophy. After meeting and converting to Christianity and seeing in it the culmination of knowledge, he continued to practice the profession of philosopher. He saw that ancient Israel possessed a barbaric philosophy that God himself had used as a channel to make himself known. He thought that all men who had lived according to reason, before Christianity, had already been Christians: such were for him the cases of Socrates and Heraclitus. He also affirmed that Christianity, in his time, was hated and persecuted because it was badly known.

Augustine (354/430), reading in 372 a book by Cicero, acquired a great inclination to the search for wisdom. When he began to read the Bible he became disgusted, to the point of giving up reading it because he considered it hard and incomprehensible. He was initiated by then in the Manichean doctrine that promised him the truth and apparently gave him an explanation to the problem of evil. Hearing in Milan the sermons of St. Ambrose and his allegorical interpretation of the texts of the Old Testament, he verified the rationality of the Christian doctrine.

One afternoon, in the garden of his house, he heard a child saying, as part of a game or a song: "Take and read". Augustine then read the letter of St. Paul to the Romans, 13:13: "Let us behave decently, as in the daytime: no eating and drunkenness; no lust and debauchery; no rivalry and envy. Rather, clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ and do not concern yourselves with the flesh to gratify its lusts."

At the age of 32 (year 386), Augustine was converted; in his Confessions, he will say: "Late I loved you, Beauty so ancient and so new, late I loved you! And You were within me and I was outside, and there I sought You; and, deformed, I burst into those beautiful things You did. You were with me and I was not with You. I was kept away from You by those very things that would not exist if they were not in You. You called, You cried out and broke my deafness. You shone, shimmered and ended my blindness. You diffused your fragrance and I sighed. I long for you. I tasted You and I hunger and thirst for You. You touched me and I was encouraged in your peace" (Conf. X, 26-36).

The central problem in Augustine's thought is that of happiness. For him, happiness is found in wisdom, in the knowledge of God. Faith seeks to understand; therefore, the conquest of wisdom requires a rigorous discipline, an advance in the moral, the intellectual and the spiritual. Having overcome his youthful presumption, Augustine understood divine authority and its mediations as a luminous guide to reason. His spirituality is based on the real Church (at the beginning, this universal and concrete community was made up of his mother Monica, Bishop Ambrose, his brother, his son and his friends). Over the years, he would become bishop of the universal Church in a diocese in Africa). Between the years 397 and 427 he wrote his work "Of Christian Doctrine", in which he indicates different ways of resolving the difficulties, derived from the letter of Scripture itself, of passages that are disconcerting for morality, in which case he points out the usefulness of exegesis or allegorical interpretation.

The authorSantiago Leyra Curiá

Corresponding member of the Royal Academy of Jurisprudence and Legislation of Spain.

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United States

U.S. bishops and government deplore acts of violence based on religious hatred

Cardinal Timothy M. Dolan, chairman of the USCCB's Committee on Religious Liberty, deplored the religious hate violence that has increased in the United States.

Gonzalo Meza-November 2, 2023-Reading time: 2 minutes
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On November 1, Cardinal Timothy M. Dolan, Archbishop of New York and Chairman of the U.N. Committee on Religious Liberty, said that he would like to thank the Archbishop of New York, Timothy M. Cardinal Dolan, for his U.S. Conference of Catholic BishopsCardinal Dolan deplored the acts of religious hatred violence that have increased in the United States since the Hamas attack on Israel on October 7. Referring to the murder south of Chicago of a 6-year-old Palestinian boy, Wadea Al-Fayoume, by Joseph Czuba, Cardinal Dolan said, "It is very disheartening to learn that the man accused of killing a 6-year-old Muslim boy in Chicago identifies himself as a Catholic. Nothing could be more antithetical to the teachings of our Church than the crime committed by this man."

The prelate added that, in the face of this type of violence based on religious hatred, we must affirm the fundamental truths of our faith: "Every human life is of incalculable value and hating our neighbor is a grave sin against God who created us in his image and likeness, violence only begets more violence and not justice," concluded the Archbishop of New York. In addition to brutally stabbing the boy Wadea Al-Fayoume on October 14 in his home, Joseph Czuba, 71, also seriously wounded the 32-year-old mother. The man has already been arrested and is facing 8 charges, including murder, attempted murder and hate crime. Authorities said that according to statements the victims were targeted because of their Muslim religion and the war between the two countries. Israel and Hamas.

U.S. government condemnation

In the face of this tragedy, on November 1, Vice President Kamala Harris also strongly condemned the crime and announced the implementation of a National Strategy to Counter Islamophobia in the United States. "As a result of the Hamas terrorist attack in Israel and the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, we have seen an uptick in anti-Palestinian, anti-Arab, anti-Semitic and Islamophobic incidents across the United States, including the brutal attack of a Palestinian American Muslim woman and the murder of her 6-year-old son."

These acts, Harris added, have given people the apprehension that they may be targeted simply because of their racial profiling, religion or appearance. In response, Harris said, "President Joe Biden and I have a duty not only to keep our nation's people safe, but to unequivocally and forcefully condemn all forms of hatred. Our nation was founded on the basic principle that all people should be free to live and profess their faith without fear of violence or persecution. Everyone has the right to live free from violence, hatred and intolerance," she said. This new Strategy against Islamophobia will be a joint effort led by the Domestic Policy Council and the National Security Council.

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Evangelization

The souls in Purgatory: the importance of prayer

All Souls Day is celebrated on November 2. For this reason, November has traditionally been the month in which special prayers are said for the souls in Purgatory.

Loreto Rios-November 2, 2023-Reading time: 6 minutes
RelatedRelated NewsNovember: month to pray for the deceased and gain indulgencesRelated NewsOn All Souls' Day, Pope encourages faithful to dream of heaven

In the month of November we pray especially for the souls in Purgatory. The tradition of praying for the dead dates back to the Old Testament and many saints have received visits from souls asking for prayers to enter Heaven.

"Longing for God", the greatest torment.

St. Faustina Kowalska, the saint who spread devotion to the Divine Mercy, explained her visit to Purgatory as follows: "At that time I asked Jesus: For whom should I still pray? He answered me that the following night He would let me know for whom I should pray.

I saw the Guardian Angel who told me to follow him. In a moment I found myself in a foggy place, full of fire and there was a multitude of suffering souls there. These souls were praying with great fervor, but without efficacy for themselves, only we can help them. The flames that burned them did not touch me. My Guardian Angel did not leave me for a single moment. I asked these souls what was their greatest torment? And they answered unanimously that their greatest torment was their longing for God. I saw the Mother of God visiting the souls in Purgatory. The souls call Mary "The Star of the Sea". She brings them relief. I wanted to talk to them more, but my Guardian Angel signaled me to leave. We came out of that prison of suffering. [I heard an inner voice] that said to me: 'My mercy does not desire it, but justice demands it'. From that moment on I unite myself more closely to the suffering souls" (Diary, 20).

St. Faustina also saw hell, of which she said after describing it: "I would have died (...) if the omnipotence of God had not sustained me. I write it by God's order so that no soul may excuse itself [by saying] that hell does not exist and that no one has been there or knows what it is like. (...) What I have written is a faint shadow of the things I have seen (...) When I came to myself I could not recover from my horror (...). Therefore I pray even more ardently for the conversion of sinners, I unceasingly invoke God's mercy for them" (Diary, 741).

While hell is an irreversible state, the souls in purgatory are saved, and will arrive in the presence of God after a process of purification. This is why we speak of three "Churches": the Church triumphant, which is the Church that is already in the presence of God; the Church purgative, made up of those who are undergoing the purification of Purgatory before going to Heaven; and the Church militant or pilgrim Church, made up of those of us who are still walking on earth.

Therefore, the prayer of the Church militant has a fruit for the purgative, and the living can pray for the souls in Purgatory.

What is Purgatory?

The catechism defines Purgatory as follows: "Those who die in grace and in the friendship of God, but imperfectly purified, although they are sure of their eternal salvation, undergo after their death a purification, in order to obtain the holiness necessary to enter into the joy of heaven" (Catechism, 1030); "The Church calls this final purification of the elect 'purgatory' which is completely distinct from the punishment of the damned. The Church has formulated the doctrine of faith concerning purgatory above all in the Councils of Florence (cf. DS 1304) and Trent (cf. DS 1820; 1580)" (Catechism, 1031).

The catechism goes on to say that "this teaching is also based on the practice of prayer for the dead, of which Scripture already speaks [...].... From the earliest times, the Church has honored the memory of the dead and offered suffrages on their behalf, in particular the Eucharistic sacrifice (cf. DS 856), so that, once purified, they may reach the beatific vision of God.

The Church also recommends alms, indulgences and works of penance in favor of the dead: 'Let us bring them relief and commemorate them. If the sons of Job were purified by the sacrifice of their father (cf. Jb 1:5), why should we doubt that our offerings for the dead bring them some consolation? Let us not hesitate, then, to help those who have departed and to offer our prayers for them' (St. John Chrysostom, In epistulam I ad Corinthios homilia 41, 5)" (Catechism, 1032).

Purgatory in Church Tradition

Already from the Old Testament there are testimonies of prayers for the dead: "Then he gathered two thousand silver drachmas from among his men and sent them to Jerusalem to offer a sacrifice of atonement. He acted with great righteousness and nobility, thinking of the resurrection. If he had not hoped for the resurrection of the fallen, it would have been useless and ridiculous to pray for the dead. But, considering that a magnificent reward was in store for those who had died piously, the idea was pious and holy. Therefore, he commissioned a sacrifice of atonement for the dead, that they might be freed from sin" (2 Macc 12:43-46).

There are references to Purgatory from the first centuries of the Church. Tertullian, born in the second century A.D., speaks in many of his writings of the purification of sins after death and of offering prayers for the deceased.

Saint Perpetua, martyr of the year 203, saw in her cell, while awaiting her execution, her deceased brother, Dinocrates, "suffocated with heat and thirsty, with dirty clothes and pale color". The saint understood that her brother "was in pain. But I was confident that he would be relieved of it, and I did not cease to pray for him every day, until we were transferred to the military prison (...). And I prayed for him, moaning and weeping day and night, so that through my intercession he would be forgiven.

VIII. The day we remained in the stocks, I had the following vision: I saw the place I had seen before, and Dinocrates clean of body, well dressed and refreshed (...). Then I understood that my brother had passed the penalty" (Acts of the MartyrsMartyrdom of Saints Perpetua and Felicidad and their companions, VII and VIII).

But there are many other examples: Clement of Alexandria, Cyprian of Carthage, Origen, Lactantius, Ephrem of Syria, Basil the Great, Cyril of Jerusalem, Epiphanius of Salamis, Gregory of Nyssa, St. Augustine, St. Gregory the Great....

Praying for the deceased: established by the Apostles

St. John Chrysostom (347-407) affirms that the custom of offering a mass for the deceased was established by the apostles themselvesIt was not without reason that it was determined, by laws established by the apostles, that in the celebration of the sacred mysteries, remembrance should be made of those who have passed from this life. They knew, in fact, that in this way the deceased obtain much fruit and gain great benefit" (Homilies on the Letter to the Philippians 3, 4: PG 62, 203).

In the "Acts of Paul and Thecla" (year 160) there is also a reference to a soul in purgatory, when the deceased daughter of a woman appears to her and tells himIn my place you shall have Thecla, the forsaken foreigner, to pray for me so that I may pass over to the place of the righteous".

In addition, inscriptions are also preserved in the catacombs. prayer request for the deceasedThe first Christians gathered at graves on the anniversary of the death of their loved ones to pray for them.

Indulgences

In addition to any prayer or work of mercy performed for the souls in purgatory, one way to intercede for them is the application of the indulgences which the Church grants in connection with certain works of piety. In the apostolic constitution "Indulgentiarum doctrina"Paul VI explains: "By God's mysterious and merciful designs, men are bound together by supernatural bonds, so that the sin of one harms the others, just as the holiness of one benefits the others. In this way, the faithful help one another to achieve the supernatural end. A testimony of this communion is already manifested in Adam, whose sin spread to all men".

Furthermore, Paul VI commented: "The faithful, following in the footsteps of Christ, have always tried to help one another on the way to the heavenly Father by means of prayer, the example of spiritual goods and penitential expiation (...). This is the very ancient dogma of the communion of saints, according to which the life of each of God's children, in Christ and through Christ, is united with a marvelous bond to the life of all other Christian brothers and sisters in the supernatural unity of the Mystical Body of Christ, forming a single mystical person (...).

The Church, aware from the beginning of these truths, initiated various ways to apply to each of the faithful the fruits of Christ's redemption, and for the faithful to strive for the salvation of their brothers (...).

The Apostles themselves exhorted their disciples to pray for the salvation of sinners; a very ancient custom of the Church has preserved this way of doing things, especially when penitents implored the intercession of the whole community, and the dead were helped with suffrages, especially with the offering of the Eucharistic sacrifice".

In this document, indulgence is defined as "the remission before God of the temporal punishment for sins, already forgiven as regards the guilt gained by the faithful, suitably prepared, under certain and determined conditions, with the help of the Church, which, as the administrator of redemption, dispenses and applies with full authority the treasure of the merits of Christ and the saints".

Indulgences can be partial or plenary. The indulgence plenary indulgence (which requires performing the act for which the indulgence is granted, together with confession, communion and prayer for the Pope's intentions, in addition to the rejection of all mortal or venial sin) implies the total remission of the penalty due for the sins, while the partial remission eliminates part of the penalty.

On November 2, All Souls' Day, a plenary indulgence can be gained for a deceased person in any church or public oratory. The faithful who devoutly visit the cemetery or pray for the deceased are granted plenary indulgence (applicable only to the souls in purgatory) on each of the days from November 1 to 8, and partial indulgence on the other days of the year.

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Gospel

Learning to serve. 21st Sunday in Ordinary Time (A)

Joseph Evans comments on the readings for the 31st Sunday in Ordinary Time and Luis Herrera offers a brief video homily.

Joseph Evans-November 2, 2023-Reading time: 2 minutes

Today's Gospel is like a slap in the face for me as a priest. Because in it, Jesus tells me very clearly what I should avoid, but I also see the sad spectacle of priests throughout history who have not avoided it. And I myself realize how easily I can go wrong if I am not attentive. 

What is Jesus talking about? He is warning the people against the behavior of the scribes and Pharisees. He is telling them that they should do whatever the scribes and Pharisees say, for they occupy "the seat of Moses".that is, that they were teachers of the law that God gave to Moses and that law, in the main, was good. But he goes on to say these alarming words: "Do and fulfill all that they tell you; but do not do what they do, for they say, but do not do".

How terrible. To be a religious leader and not practice what you preach. Jesus continues: "They carry heavy bundles and load them on people's shoulders, but they are not willing to lift a finger to push. All they do is for people to see them: they lengthen the phylacteries and enlarge the borders of the cloak; they like the first places at banquets and the seats of honor in the synagogues; they like to be bowed to in the squares and to be called rabbis".

May the Lord deliver us from that: placing heavy burdens on others and living in laziness and comfort ourselves. Trying to "look" religious in order to be seen by men. Wearing flashy clothes (how sad it is that priests worry too much about their clothing). Or wanting positions of honor and the best treatment.

How terrible: to enter religious life, the apparent service of God, in order to seek worldly benefits. Thank God, the times when being a priest or religious served to obtain earthly benefits are long gone, at least in many places. But we can still look too hard for the few possible perks, and there are still places in the world where the priesthood could be a way out of poverty or into a better life. So these are dangers to be aware of.

But Jesus is not only addressing priests. He speaks to all of us of radical service and of not using religion for our own earthly ends. How easily we can get it wrong. We can all impose burdens on others and do nothing to alleviate them. "I am in command," we say to our subordinates, "so you must serve me." Or without saying so, that is our attitude. And we forget that authority is not for others to serve us, but for us to serve them. Or we try to show off and appear pious and religious, which is like a corruption of religion.

And then, Jesus gets to his key point: "The first among you shall be your servant. He who exalts himself shall be humbled, and he who humbles himself shall be exalted.". The idea is clear: leadership is service.

Homily on the readings of the 31st Sunday in Ordinary Time (A)

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

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The Vatican

"Saints are not unreachable heroes," Francis encourages

On the Solemnity of All Saints, Pope Francis encouraged the faithful at the Angelus to consider that "the saints are not unreachable or distant heroes, but people like us, our friends, whose starting point is the same gift we have received."

Francisco Otamendi-November 1, 2023-Reading time: 3 minutes

On the traditional annual feast of All Saints' Day, November 1, Pope Francis said in the Angelus in St. Peter that "the saints are not unreachable or distant heroes, but people like us", and that "if we think about it, surely we have met some of them, some saints "next door": generous people who, with God's help, have responded to the gift they received and have allowed themselves to be transformed day by day by the action of the Holy Spirit".

Today, the day on which we celebrate the many unknown saints who have not been formally declared saints or blessed by the Church, the Holy Father wanted to fix his gaze "for a few minutes on holiness, in particular on two of its characteristics: it is a gift and, at the same time, it is a way".

"First of all, it is a gift," the Pope stressed. "Holiness is a gift of God that we have received in Baptism: if we allow it to grow, it can completely change our life (cf. Apostolic Exhortation Gaudete et exultate15), illuminating it with the joy of the Gospel".

"Holiness is a gift that is offered to everyone in order to have a happy life. And, after all, when we receive a gift, what is our first reaction?" Francis asked. "Precisely that we become happy, because it means that someone loves us; happy, "blessed", as Jesus repeats so many times today in the Gospel of the Beatitudes (cf. Mt 5:1-12)." But "every gift, however, must be accepted and carries with it the responsibility to respond, and the invitation to strive to ensure that it is not wasted". 

The Second Vatican Council recalls this when it affirms that all the baptized have received the same call to "maintain and perfect by their lives the holiness they have received" (Lumen gentium40), the Pontiff continued.

The saints, excellent companions on the road

With regard to the second point, the Pope stressed that the saints help us and are an example for us. "Holiness is also a journey, a journey to be walked together, helping one another, united to those excellent companions on the road who are the saints. They are our older brothers and sisters, on whom we can always count: they sustain us and, when on the road we err along the way, with their silent presence they never fail to correct us; they are sincere friends, on whom we can rely, because they desire our good, they do not point the finger at us and they never betray us. In their lives we find an example, from their prayers we receive help, and in communion with them we are united by a bond of fraternal love, as the liturgy says (cf. Roman Missal, Preface of the Saints I)".

With the saints, the Holy Father continued, "we form a great family on the way, the Church, made up of men and women of every language, condition and origin (cf. Rev 7:9), united by the same origin, the love of God, and oriented towards the same goal, full communion with Him, paradise: they have already reached it, we are on the way".

In conclusion, the Pope asked, as usual, some questions for examination: "Do I remember that I have received the gift of the Holy Spirit, who calls me to holiness and helps me to attain it? Do I thank him for it? Do I feel the saints close to me, do I turn to them? Do I know the history of some of them? It does us good to know the lives of the saints and to be motivated by their examples. And it does us a lot of good to turn to them in prayer."

"May Mary, Queen of All Saints, make us feel the joy of the gift received and increase in us the desire for the eternal goal," Francis said before giving the apostolic blessing.

Prayer for Ukraine, the Holy Land, and the dead 

After praying the Marian prayer of the Angelus, the Pope greeted pilgrims from various countries, Germany, Mexico (Monterrey), Denmark and Italy, among them the pilgrims of the Saints Marathon of the Association of Don Bosco.

The Holy Father also announced that tomorrow afternoon he will celebrate Mass at the Commonwealth Cemetery, commemorating the fallen of World War II. He added: "Let us continue to pray for the people who suffer because of today's wars. Let us not forget the martyred Ukraine, nor Palestine, Israel and so many other regions of the world where war is present".

In addition, on Friday the 3rd at 11:00 a.m. a Mass will be celebrated in St. Peter's Basilica in suffrage for the late Supreme Pontiff Benedict XVI and the cardinals and bishops who died during the year, as announced by the Vatican Press Office.

The authorFrancisco Otamendi

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The Vatican

The Pope promotes with a motu proprio a renewed theology

Paloma López Campos-November 1, 2023-Reading time: 3 minutes

Sala Stampa announced on November 1 in the morning that the Pontifical Academy of Theology has new statutes. Pope Francis has signed the motu proprio "Ad Theologiam promovendam", approving the modified regime of this scientific society.

The new statutes aim to ensure that the academy better fulfills its purpose. The Holy Father explains that "promoting theology in the future cannot be limited to abstractly reproposing formulas and schemes of the past." Theology is "called to interpret prophetically the present and to discern new paths for the future." To do this, "it will have to face the profound cultural transformations" that society is undergoing.

Renewing theology

In the light of the new era, Pope Francis wants to promote "the mission that our time imposes on theology". The Pontiff considers that "to a Church that is synodalThe key to achieving this is an "epistemological and methodological rethinking" of theology. The key to achieving this is an "epistemological and methodological rethinking" of theology.

In the motu proprio, the Pope points out that theological reflection "is called to a turning point, to a paradigm shift". This change will foster a "fundamentally contextual theology, capable of reading and interpreting the Gospel in the conditions in which men and women live daily". This rethinking "cannot but take place in a culture of dialogue and encounter between different traditions and knowledge, between different Christian confessions and different religions, openly confronting all, believers and non-believers".

Pope Francis warns that theology cannot be self-referential. Theology must "see itself as part of a network of relationships, first of all with other disciplines and other knowledge." In other words, it has to adopt the approach of transdisciplinarity, that is, "the pooling and fermentation of all knowledge in the space of Light and Life offered by the Wisdom that flows from God's Revelation" (Apostolic Constitution "Veritatis gaudium"). This perspective has other consequences, since "dialogue with other knowledge clearly presupposes dialogue within the ecclesial community and an awareness of the essential synodal and communitarian dimension of doing theology" (Apostolic Constitution "Veritatis gaudium").

The new statutes of the academy envisage the collaboration of key interlocutors: scholars from different Christian denominations or from other religions. Together with them, the aim is to "identify and open areas and spaces for dialogue that favor inter- and transdisciplinary dialogue".

Theology: truth and charity

In addition to dialogue, Francis believes that theology must be steeped in charity. He affirms that "it is impossible to know the truth without practicing charity". For this reason, theology must show itself to be "a true critical knowledge as sapiential knowledge, not abstract and ideological, but spiritual, elaborated on its knees, full of adoration and prayer". Theological reflection must be directed "to the open wounds of humanity and creation and within the folds of human history, to which it prophesies the hope of a unique fulfillment".

The Pope urges that theology be developed with an "inductive method". He invites it to "start from the different contexts and concrete situations in which people find themselves, allowing itself to be seriously challenged by reality, so as to become a discernment of the 'signs of the times'". It also encourages that theological reflection be imbued with the "common sense of the people.

Practically at the end of the motu proprio, Francis details that "theology is at the service of the Church's evangelization and the transmission of the faith". Thanks to it, faith becomes culture, that is, "the wise 'ethos' of the people of God, a proposal of human and humanizing beauty for all."

Community reflection

Considering the renewed mission of theology, "the Pontifical Academy of Theology is called to develop, in constant attention to the scientific nature of theological reflection, a transdisciplinary dialogue with other fields of knowledge". It is also necessary to open a space for the contributions that can be made in the conversation between believers and non-believers, between "men and women of different Christian confessions and of different religions".

The Holy Father invites, therefore, to create "an academic community of shared faith and study, which weaves a network of relationships with other formative, educational and cultural institutions and which knows how to penetrate, with originality and a spirit of imagination, into the existential places of the elaboration of knowledge, professions and Christian communities".

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Evangelization

Five notes of holiness, according to Gaudete et exultate

On March 19, 2018, the Solemnity of St. Joseph, Pope Francis signed the Apostolic Exhortation. Gaudete et exultate on the call to holiness in today's world. On the feast of All Saints, five notes of the Holy Father are collected "so that the whole Church may dedicate herself to promoting the desire for holiness".

Francisco Otamendi-November 1, 2023-Reading time: 6 minutes
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The Pope's appeal in the 177 points of his Exhortation Gaudete et exultate (Rejoice and be glad), is still current, even though five and a half years have passed since 2018. It is enough to examine the 125 notes of the exhortation to verify that it was not a flower of a day.

The following are abundant quotations from the dogmatic Constitution Lumen gentium of the Vatican Council, of his predecessors Benedict XVI, St. John Paul II, in particular in his Letter Novo millenio ineunteThe following are some of the most important sources of information: from the Catechism of the Catholic Church, St. Paul VI in Evangelii Nuntiandi, from saints, Fathers of the Church, theologians, philosophers and spiritual authors.

"We are moved," the Pope wrote, "by the example of so many priests, nuns, religious and lay people who dedicate themselves to proclaiming and serving with great fidelity, often at the risk of their lives and certainly at the cost of their comfort. Their witness reminds us that the Church does not need so many bureaucrats and civil servants, but passionate missionaries, consumed by the enthusiasm to communicate true life. The saints surprise, unsettle, because their lives invite us to get out of the quiet and anesthetizing mediocrity".

But also, the clear words of his points 1 and 2: "He wants us to be holy and does not expect us to settle for a mediocre, watered-down, liquefied existence. In fact, from the very first pages of the Bible, the call to holiness is present in various ways. This is what the Lord proposed to Abraham: "Walk in my presence and be perfect" (Gn 17,1). And those of St. Paul to the Ephesians: "For each of us the Lord chose 'that we should be holy and blameless before him in love'" (Ef 1,4).

"Saints next door."

And the well-known expression of Francis about the "saints next door" in this context: "Let us not think only of those already beatified or canonized. The Holy Spirit pours out holiness everywhere, on God's holy and faithful people, because 'it was God's will to sanctify and save men, not in isolation, without any connection with one another, but by constituting a people, who would confess him in truth and serve him in holiness'" (Lumen gentium).

"I like to see holiness in the patient people of God," the Pontiff added, "in the parents who raise their children with so much love, in those men and women who work to bring home bread, in the sick, in the elderly sisters who continue to smile. In this constancy to go on day by day, I see the holiness of the Church militant. This is often the holiness 'next door', of those who live close to us and are a reflection of the presence of God, or, to use another expression, 'the middle class of holiness'".

Five manifestations of love for God and neighbor

Here is a synthesis of some notes of sanctity, five in particular, as collected by the Pope in his Gaudete et exultate. They are the following: 1) Endurance, patience and gentleness. 2) Joy and sense of humor. 3) Boldness and fervor. 4) In community. And 5) In constant prayer.

"I will not dwell on the means of sanctification that we already know: the various methods of prayer, the precious sacraments of the Eucharist and Reconciliation, the offering of sacrifices, the various forms of devotion, spiritual direction, and so many others. I will only refer to some aspects of the call to holiness that I hope will resonate in a special way," Francis explains.

1) Endurance, patience and gentleness.

The first of these great notes is "to be centered, firm around God who loves and sustains. From this inner firmness it is possible to endure, to withstand the setbacks, the ups and downs of life, and also the aggressions of others, their infidelities and defects: "If God is with us, who will be against us?" (Rm 8,31). This is the source of the peace that is expressed in the attitudes of a saint". 

From such interior solidity, the witness of holiness, in our accelerated, fickle and aggressive world, is made of patience and constancy in doing good. It is the fidelity of love, because he who relies on God (pistis) can also be faithful in front of the siblings (pistós), does not abandon them in bad times, does not let himself be carried away by his anxiety and stands by others even when it does not bring him immediate satisfaction".

2) Joy and sense of humor

"What has been said so far does not imply a listless, sad, sour, melancholy spirit, or a low profile without energy," the Holy Father adds. "The saint is capable of living with joy and a sense of humor. Without losing realism, he enlightens others with a positive and hopeful spirit. To be a Christian is 'joy in the Holy Spirit' (Rm 14:17), because 'the love of charity is necessarily followed by joy, for every lover rejoices in union with the beloved [...] Hence the consequence of charity is joy'".

"Mary, who knew how to discover the newness that Jesus brought, sang: 'My spirit rejoices in God, my Savior' (Lc 1:47) and Jesus himself 'was filled with joy in the Holy Spirit' (Lc 10,21). When he passed by 'all the people rejoiced' (Lc 13,17). After his resurrection, wherever the disciples went there was great joy (cf. Ac 8,8). To us, Jesus gives an assurance: 'You will be sorrowful, but your sorrow will turn to joy. [...] I will see you again, and your hearts will rejoice, and no one will take away your joy' (Jn 16,20.22). I have told you this so that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full' (Jn 15,11)".

Francis acknowledges that "there are hard moments, times of the cross, but nothing can destroy supernatural joy, which 'adapts and transforms itself, and always remains at least as an outbreak of light that is born of the personal certainty of being infinitely loved, beyond all else. It is an inner security, a hopeful serenity that brings a spiritual satisfaction incomprehensible to worldly parameters."

3) Boldness and fervor

The Pope continues in his Exhortation with boldness. "Holiness is membershipIt is audacity, it is an evangelizing thrust that leaves a mark on this world," he writes. "To make this possible, Jesus himself comes to meet us and repeats to us with serenity and firmness: 'Do not be afraid' (Mc 6,50). I am with you always, to the end of the age' (Mt 28,20)".

"These words allow us to walk and serve with that attitude full of courage that aroused the Holy Spirit in the Apostles and led them to proclaim Jesus Christ," he encourages. "Boldness, enthusiasm, speaking freely, apostolic fervor, all of these are included in the word. membershipThe Bible also uses this word to express the freedom of an existence that is open because it is available to God and to others (cf. Ac 4,29; 9,28; 28,31; 2Co 3,12; Ef 3,12; Hb 3,6; 10,19).

4) In community

The Holy Father warns that "it is very difficult to fight against our own concupiscence and against the snares and temptations of the devil and the selfish world if we are isolated. Such is the bombardment that seduces us that, if we are too much alone, we easily lose our sense of reality, our inner clarity, and we succumb".

"Sanctification is a communitarian journey, two by two," he explains. "This is reflected in some holy communities. On several occasions the Church has canonized entire communities that heroically lived the Gospel or that offered to God the lives of all their members. Let us think, for example, of the seven founding saints of the Order of the Servants of Mary, of the seven blessed religious of the first monastery of the Visitation in Madrid, of St. Paul Miki and companions martyred in Japan, of St. Andrew Kim Taegon and companions martyred in Korea, in St. Roque Gonzalez, St. Alphonsus Rodriguez and companions martyred in South America. Let us also remember the recent testimony of the Trappist monks of Tibhirine (Algeria), who prepared together for martyrdom". 

"Similarly, there are many holy marriageswhere each one was an instrument of Christ for the sanctification of the spouse. Living or working with others is undoubtedly a path of spiritual development. St. John of the Cross said to a disciple: you are living with others 'so that they may work and exercise you,'" the Pontiff recalled.

"Community life, whether in the family, in the parish, in the religious community or in any other, is made up of many small daily details. This was the case in the holy community formed by Jesus, Mary and Joseph, where the beauty of Trinitarian communion was reflected in a paradigmatic way. It is also what happened in the community life that Jesus led with his disciples and with the simple people".

5) In constant prayer

"Finally," says the Pope, "although it may seem obvious, let us remember that holiness is made up of a habitual openness to transcendence, which is expressed in prayer and adoration. The saint is a person with a prayerful spirit, who needs to communicate with God. He is someone who cannot bear to suffocate in the closed immanence of this world, and in the midst of his efforts and dedication he sighs for God, goes out of himself in praise and expands his limits in the contemplation of the Lord. I do not believe in holiness without prayer, even if it does not necessarily involve long moments or intense feelings".

On this point, the Pope quotes St. John of the Cross, who "recommended that we should always strive to walk in the presence of God, whether real, imaginary or unitive, according to what the works we are doing allow us to do". (...) "Nevertheless, for this to be possible, some moments alone for God, in solitude with him, are also necessary. For St. Teresa of Avila, prayer is 'trying to be friends while we are often alone with the one we know loves us'.

From the Word to the Eucharist, with Mary

"The encounter with Jesus in the Scriptures leads us to the Eucharist, where that same Word attains its maximum efficacy, because it is the real presence of the One who is the living Word". In conclusion, the Pope writes: "I want Mary to crown these reflections, because she lived the beatitudes of Jesus like no one else (...) She is the saint among the saints, the most blessed, the one who teaches us the way of holiness and accompanies us. To converse with her consoles, liberates and sanctifies us. The Mother does not need many words, we do not need to make too much effort to explain to her what is happening to us. It is enough to whisper over and over again: 'Hail Mary...'".

The authorFrancisco Otamendi

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ColumnistsAntonio Moreno

All Saints and sinners 

A saint is not the one who does not fall, but the one who maintains hope in the final victory in spite of his partial failures and gets up again for the next battle.

November 1, 2023-Reading time: 4 minutes

On this All Saints' Day, we remember all those who are already in heaven: the saints of the altar and the unknown saints or "next door", as the Pope calls them. To speak of their virtues is nothing new, but why don't we speak of their sins? 

I have told many times that one of the driving forces of my life of faith is the call that St. John Paul II made to us (then) young people at the European Meeting in Santiago de Compostela in 1989. "Do not be afraid to be saints," he told us, and he remained so calm.

But how can we be saints? -asked the thousands of us who heard it and who understood holiness as something reserved for special people, whom God marked with stigmata and gave the ability to levitate.

We began to understand then that wanting to be a saint had nothing to do with the song of Alaska and Parálisis Permanente, which highlighted the most gothic aspects of what tradition has handed down to us, but rather with the life project of those who have known Jesus and his message and want to follow his path of truth and freedom in order to be transformed into Him.

From the first centuries, the Christian community has treasured the memory of those who have borne witness to this faith. A testimony that, as the Apostle James reminds us, is composed above all of works. Works such as those put into practice by the martyrs, confessing the faith unto death; the first missionaries, carrying the Word of God to the ends of the earth; the servants of the poor, giving their lives for the needy, and so on and so forth.

In the beginning, when Christian communities were small, the saints were known to everyone. They were people "from my parish". Their tombs were visited and everything they had done was kept in memory. They were venerated because, despite their faults, which everyone knew, grace had been stronger. It was no longer they who acted, but Christ who lived within them. But, little by little, the first-hand testimonies were lost, and the stories of the lives of the saints became legends to which, with the legitimate aim of extolling their figures, extraordinary anecdotes were added.

Let's not hold our heads in our hands, any self-respecting parent or grandmother has literarily embellished a family story to make children proud to feel part of the clan. Yes, you too.

And this, which happens in the best families, has also happened a bit in the history of the great ecclesial family, to the point that many texts of saints' lives are as credible as the adventures of any Marvel superhero. 

Perhaps for another time, in a society accustomed to myths, extraordinary stories would be valid; but in a disbelieving society like ours, what people need are real stories. And the real story of any Christian, the real story of any saint, is full of lights and shadows; of moments of clear faith and dark rebellion; of falls, of mistakes, of weaknesses, of humanity!

Talking about the sins of the saints, far from scandalizing the men and women of today, brings them closer, makes them real and, therefore, and most importantly, imitable. Because a perfect saint is a perfect invention, since it would not be compatible with the human condition.

And I am not talking about saints who, like St. Paul, St. Pelagia or St. Augustine had a life of public sin before their conversion, I am talking about saints who, throughout their life of faith, had to fight with their pride, their greed, their anger, their gluttony, their lust, their envy or their laziness.

How much I miss more chapters in the lives of the saints in which these struggles of those who wanted to let themselves be helped by grace, but were surely often defeated by their fragile nature, were explained! A saint is not the one who does not fall, but the one who keeps hope in the final victory in spite of his partial failures and gets up again for the next battle.

What good are the stories of physical battles against the devil that many hagiographies tell me, if they do not tell me first how they dealt with his subtle suggestions, his daily temptations, his everyday deceptions, the same ones we all suffer from?

Certainly, many saints tell their obscurities in their autobiographies, but their followers and spiritual children insist on covering them up, making their stories not credible. How much damage puritanism has done and continues to do! Rigidity generates frustration in those who practice it, because it turns the Christian life into a checklist impossible to complete; and it provokes scandal in those who contemplate it, because sooner or later the whitened sepulcher ends up letting its stench escape. 

Please, let the saints be saints; let them be divinely human; let them be earthen vessels containing a treasure; let them show that where sin abounded, grace abounded much more; let them boast of their weaknesses because, when they are weak, then they are strong; Let them show us that we should not be afraid to be saints, for the Lord has not come to sanctify the just but sinners; and let them show their heroic virtues, but putting in the first place that of humility. Happy All Saints' and Sinners' Day!

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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The Vatican

Holy Father asks to pray in November for the Pope, "whoever he may be".

The Holy Father has asked that the prayer intention for the month of November be the Pope.

Loreto Rios-October 31, 2023-Reading time: 2 minutes

As usual, the Pope has communicated in a video the prayer intention for the coming month. In this case, the theme for November is the Pope, with the motto: "For the Pope - Let us pray for the Pope, so that in the exercise of his mission he may continue to accompany in faith, with the help of the Holy Spirit, the flock entrusted to him".

We reproduce below the words spoken by the Holy Father in the video:

"Ask the Lord to bless me. Your prayer gives me strength and helps me to discern and accompany the Church by listening to the Holy Spirit.

By the fact of being Pope, one does not lose one's humanity. On the contrary, my humanity grows more and more each day with God's holy and faithful people.

Because being a pope is also a process. One becomes aware of what it means to be a pastor. And in this process he learns to be more charitable, more merciful and, above all, more patient, as is our father God, who is so patient.

I can imagine that all the Popes, at the beginning of their pontificate, had that feeling of fear, of vertigo, of the one who knows that he is going to be judged harshly. Because the Lord is going to ask us bishops to give a serious account.

Please, I ask you to judge with benevolence. And pray that the Pope, whoever he may be, today it is my turn, may receive the help of the Holy Spirit, may he be docile to that help.

Let us pray for the Pope, that in the exercise of his mission he may continue to accompany in faith the flock entrusted to him by Jesus and always with the help of the Holy Spirit.

[Moment in the video in which another scene of the Pope praying in a meeting is seen and he says: "Let us pray in silence this prayer of yours for me"].

And pray for me. Please.

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The World

Holy See mediates in the Middle East conflict by talking to Iran

The Holy See continues to mediate in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict: on Monday, October 30, a telephone conversation took place between Paul Richard Gallagher, Secretary for Relations with States and International Organizations, and Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Islamic Republic of Iran.

Antonino Piccione-October 31, 2023-Reading time: 2 minutes
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The aim is to avoid the much-feared escalation, laying the groundwork for a stable and lasting cease-fire between Israel and Hamas. While the war in the Middle East seems to be in its most dramatic phase (the Gaza Strip is a bloody battlefield), international talks in which the Holy See is involved continue.

On the morning of Monday, October 30, "a telephone conversation took place between Monsignor Paul Richard Gallagher, Secretary for Relations with States and International Organizations, and Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Islamic Republic of Iran, at the latter's request". This was reported by the director of the Holy See Press Office, Matteo Bruni, in a communication to journalists in which it is specified that "in the conversation, Monsignor Gallagher expressed the serious concern of the Holy See for what is happening in Israel and Palestine, reaffirming the absolute necessity to avoid the expansion of the conflict and to reach a two-state solution for a stable and lasting peace in the Middle East".

Pope Francis therefore entrusts to his "Minister of Foreign Affairs", Monsignor Paul R. Gallagher, the task of establishing a dialogue with Tehran, the main ally of Hamas and a "deterrent" to a wider conflict in the Middle East, with the nuclear threat always on the horizon. Just a few hours before the conversation between the two prominent representatives of Vatican diplomacy and Iran, Pope Francis launched during the Angelus in St. Peter's Square a new impassioned appeal for peace in the Holy Land: "Let us continue to pray for Ukraine and also for the grave situation in Palestine and Israel and for other war-torn regions. In Gaza, in particular, space must be left to guarantee humanitarian aid and the immediate release of hostages. Let no one abandon the possibility of stopping the weapons."

Citing the words of the Vicar of the Holy Land, Father Ibrahim Faltas, the Holy Father exclaimed: "Cease fire! Stop it, brothers and sisters! War is always a defeat, always!". Pope Francis' commitment, in addition to the peace mission between Ukraine and Russia entrusted to the president of the CIS, Cardinal Zuppi, also points to mediation in the Middle East conflict: last October 22, the Pontiff called US President Joe Biden to discuss the conflict and the need to "identify paths to peace".

Four days later, on October 26, 2023, Pope Francis spoke by telephone with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. Bergoglio reaffirmed his sorrow over the ongoing war in the Holy Land and recalled the "position of the Holy See, advocating the two-state solution and a special status for the city of Jerusalem." The United States, Turkey and now Iran are the most important international actors (along with Russia and China) that could determine the future of the conflict between the two states. Israel and Hamas.

The authorAntonino Piccione

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Spain

The Spanish bishops will decide in November on the "Cremades report".

The President of the Spanish Episcopal Conference, Juan José Omella, and the Secretary General of the EEC have appeared at a press conference after the extraordinary Plenary Assembly of the Spanish bishops focused on sexual abuse within the Church.

Maria José Atienza-October 31, 2023-Reading time: 5 minutes

Reiterating his pain and request for forgiveness for the "damage caused by some members of the Church with sexual abuse", the president of the Spanish bishops, Juan Jose Omella, began the press conference in which they announced the points worked by the Spanish prelates in what has been the fourth extraordinary Plenary Assembly in the history of the Church. Spanish Episcopal Conference and focused almost exclusively on the issue of sexual abuse committed within the church in Spain. 

On the one hand, the bishops commented on the Ombudsman's reportThe report, of which they have valued, in their own words, "the testimony collected from the victims, which makes it possible to place the victims at the center".

The bishops also wanted to highlight some of the recommendations proposed in this report, especially with regard to the care and accompaniment of victims and comprehensive reparation. On this point, the bishops have commissioned the Service for the Protection of Minors of the EEC an itinerary of the application of the recommendations of the Ombudsman, in relation to the channels of reparation, prevention and formation to prevent these facts. 

A reparation that includes economic reparation. In relation to the possible establishment of a fund to assume the compensation of victims of abuse, the secretary general of the bishops stressed that the Church is in favor of an "integral reparation of all victims in all areas" and that this fund should be participated in by all affected areas.

Both García Magán and Omella have repeatedly stressed that "reparation to the victims is not only economic but much broader", emphasizing especially the value of accompaniment. 

No consensus on the number of abuse victims

The number of victims of sexual abuse in the Church in Spain is not particularly clear. In May 2023, the Spanish bishops themselves, in their report To give light spoke of 927 victims who had contacted one of the diocesan offices or religious congregations set up for this purpose. The Ombudsman's report, on the other hand, lists 487 testimonies of victims of abuse within the Catholic Church.

The problem with this report lies in the survey it collects, conducted by GAD 3 and which, in the words of the report, was intended to be a "retrospective study of the prevalence and impact of sexual victimization experiences before the age of 18, in the adult population residing in Spain". This survey was carried out with a sample of 8,013 interviews, of which 4,802 were conducted by telephone and 3,211 online. This survey showed that "child sexual abuse committed in a religious environment is a problem that has affected 1.13 % of adults in Spain. The percentage of adults who were victims of abuse committed by a Catholic priest or religious is lower, 0.6 %, a figure similar to that found in studies carried out in other countries". Some media, extrapolating the data of the survey with the Spanish population, spoke these days of more than 400,000 minors victims of sexual abuse in a religious environment in Spain. 

An estimate that "does not correspond to the truth" as pointed out by Msgr. César García Magán, who has repeatedly emphasized the Church's fight against this social scourge. Even so, and asked by the bishops about this "dance of figures", both the Secretary General of the EEC and the President of the Spanish bishops did not want to give a definite figure.

The bishops stressed that the problem of sexual abuse is not quantitative, but qualitative, in the words of Omella "the figures, in the end, do not lead us anywhere and what we must attend to are the people: listen to them, accompany them and repair". 

The "Cremades audit

The other major topic of the Extraordinary Plenary Assembly on October 30 was the situation of the audit commissioned by the Episcopal Conference to the Cremades law firm - Sotelo. It should be recalled that when this assignment was made, in February 2022, Omella himself stressed that the investigation would have "all the necessary scope to clarify the cases that occurred in the past and to incorporate the highest levels of responsibility to prevent the repetition of these cases in the future". 

The audit, in which more than two dozen professionals from different fields and sensibilities participated, was scheduled to last one year, a time frame that, in Cremades' words, would allow "to have a true picture of what happened".

However, the development of this investigation has turned out to be much more complex than both the EEC and the firm itself expected. The first "delay" led to the idea of presenting this audit at the beginning of the summer of 2023; some rumors placed, once this date had passed, the month of October as the time to know the results of this assignment. This has not been the case and last October 11 the EEC "reminded the Cremades-Calvo Sotelo law firm of its commitment". In view of this circumstance, Javier Cremades was present at the Extraordinary Plenary Assembly to explain the reasons for this delay.

The difference in attendance in person and online and the "fatigue" pointed out by the president of the EEC seems to be the reason why the bishops have postponed until the Plenary next November their decision on this work that, as of today "is still alive" in the words of García Magán.

The spokesman of the EEC wanted to clarify that "the bishops have not received any previous report from Cremades" although "the meetings have been almost monthly and they have been informed of the progress of the work". 

It will be in November when it will be known how and in what form the results of the work carried out by Cremades' team for the Spanish Episcopal Conference will be presented. 

A social scourge 

If the Ombudsman's report, as well as other studies that address the problem of sexual abuse, makes one thing clear, it is the social magnitude of a problem for which the Church, evidently, does not go unpunished.

The Ombudsman's own report indicates that 11.7 % of the persons interviewed (8,013) stated that they had been victims of sexual abuse in childhood or adolescence. Of these attacks, most occurred in the family environment (34.1 %), followed by the public street (17.7 %), non-religious educational environment (9.6 %), non-family social environment (9.5 %), work (7.5 %), internet (7.5 %), and the Internet,5 %), Internet (7.3 %), religious educational environment (5.9 %), religious environment (4.6 %), leisure (4 %), sports (3 %) and health (2.6 %), among others reported in a smaller number of cases. In relation to the total sample (including informants who did not suffer any abuse), 0.6 % of people were victims of sexual abuse in a religious educational setting and 0.5 % in a religious setting. 

The data demonstrate the social problem of abuse and the need, therefore, to put the same effort into investigating and determining responsibilities in other areas as has been done by the public authorities with the Church.

For its part, in the face of this reality, "the Church wants to contribute to eradicating sexual abuse in childhood not only in the Church but in society as a whole and places its sad experience at the service of the Church to do so, in a spirit of collaboration," the bishops point out in the note. 

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Education

Alfonso Carrasco: "It is important to be aware of the educational task carried out by the Church."

The Congress "The Church in Education", organized by the Episcopal Commission for Education and Culture, will hold its final session on February 24, 2024. On the occasion of the "preliminary phase" that took place during the month of October, we interviewed Monsignor Alfonso Carrasco, president of the Commission.

Loreto Rios-October 31, 2023-Reading time: 6 minutes
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As stated on their website, "the Episcopal Commission for Education and Culture organizes the Congress 'The Church in Education' which will have its final session on February 24 in Madrid". Before this "final session", a "preliminary phase" took place during the whole month of October, which started on the 2nd in Barcelona, in which every Monday and Wednesday there has been a Experience and participation panel. In these panels 78 projects have been presented "which are developed in different educational areas". "In addition, in the Congress website spaces have been set up in which the entire educational community is invited to leave their experiences and reflections", as indicated on the Congress website.

On the occasion of the end of this first phase, which took place during the month of October, we interviewed Monsignor Alfonso Carrasco, president of the Episcopal Commission for Education and Culture.

How did the congress project come about and what are its main objectives?

The congress project arises as a response to a widely shared ecclesial responsibility for education, felt as urgent at this time of great educational changes in Spain and in the world, to which the Pope calls us with his proposal for a "global educational pact".

It is also the fruit of the experience of a long path of participation and of many meetings made possible by the work of these years also from the Commission. If there already existed in our educational world the perception of the need for mutual listening, collaboration and support in the face of the profound changes we are living, the public debate provoked by the elaboration of the Lomloe meant a new challenge to our presence and commitment as Church in education.

In this context, in 2022 the Congregation for Catholic Education published an Instruction on "the identity of the Catholic school for a culture of dialogue", insisting on the primary need to grow in the awareness of one's own identity and reminding us of some essential ideas: the educational mission is an intrinsic requirement of our faith and part of the very mission of the Church, first of all towards our own children; but at the same time it is also a fundamental instrument of our openness to society, of our willingness to propose and dialogue in an increasingly intercultural world.

From this set of factors, the initiative arises and the forms chosen for the realization of a Congress, as well as its main objectives, are explained:

  • to grow in awareness of the relevance of our educational mission, of the indissoluble relationship between faith and education;
  • to meet and listen to each other as the presence of the Church, to make it possible to face together the challenges of the present educational moment, to walk together and share resources;
  • to explain and propose our educational experience in the context of the social dialogue on education.

What are the main educational challenges facing society today?

I think that the main educational challenges are always the same, even if the social circumstances and the ways of implementation change a lot. The challenge today is no longer that our society does not respond to the right to education of children and young people, nor do the problems of the educational system lie in the lack of resources.

The difficulties originate rather from the rupture of the "educational pact": in the difficulty for families to assume their responsibility in education; in the tendency to restrict freedom of education, limiting the space for social initiative and its necessary financing, and privileging in many ways state-owned centers; in the temptation to impose on the educational world from the political power anthropologies and ideologies that contrast with those of important parts of society, as well as with the laicism or neutrality of the State.

But the challenges, in the end, are always the same: to ensure that the educational system, and each center, safeguards the centrality of the person, serves his or her integral formation, so that he or she is introduced to the knowledge of the world, grows in freedom and responsibility, and can make a real contribution to the renewal of society.

These challenges are posed in our time in all their radicality. Because the growth of social power and of technical means make the temptation to instrumentalize education and the pupils a credible one. And because then, since we do not educate sufficiently in the respect for the person of each one, the necessary learning of essential personal and social skills, of a real capacity for dialogue and tolerance does not take place, so that the uneasiness and conflicts tend to grow.

What can the Church contribute to this picture?

The Church can bring, first of all, a true educational passion, in which the person occupies the central place. By faith we know that our Lord gave his life on the cross for each one of us, that no treasure is worth as much as the life and soul of the least of us. Charity expresses itself in the desire for good, for the person to grow, to mature integrally, to understand the world and life in the light of true faith, to know how to assume his or her own responsibility. This is why the educational passion has moved the Church from the beginning.

This has given rise to a multitude of educational works and institutions, schools and universities. Therefore, we also bring concrete possibilities of education in the light of faith, an identity and a method that enrich the panorama of the educational system of a pluralistic society such as ours.

The way, fully realistic, to take care of the concrete person is also an important contribution. We are aware of the limitations, the pains, the difficulties, but we always carry a greater hope that allows us to attend to and take care of each one; and to make the school a place where everyone finds new possibilities. And, on the other hand, being introduced in the horizon of the full truth by the Gospel, we trust in reason, we look for it to be exercised and developed, as a fully personal factor: how could we respect someone, if we fail to propose a reasonable way of learning, of intelligence of the world and of life?

The Church does not exclude any dimension of the world or of the person from this apprenticeship, in order to safeguard the horizon of an integral formation. She insists, in particular, on the importance of moral and religious education, taking into account the identity of the learner, his or her cultural and religious heritage. The defense of respect for the person of the student, in the concrete of his existential roots, is a constant contribution of the Church, which insistently proposes it as necessary also today to the whole educational system.

In short, we value the existence of a good educational system, we defend the goodness of pedagogy, we accept the need to renew didactic methods without fear. And we want to be in the public educational space, in the school world, to promote joint deliberation, social dialogue, the desirable collaborative work.

And we would like our particular presence and commitment as Church in education to contribute not only to the freedom of teaching and the plurality of our educational system, but also to be a great public affirmation of the immense good that education is, as the first and indispensable expression of a sincere affection for the learner, of hope for his future and that of our society. We want to bring true love for education, a radical appreciation of each person.

What conclusions and fruits can be drawn from the meetings of the nine Experience Panels to date?

It is too early to draw conclusions and gather the fruit of the nine Panels. It would be necessary to wait to receive the contributions of reflection and experience of the protagonists of the different fields, of which only a brief selection has been able to express itself up to this moment.

It can already be said, however, that the preparatory work has involved the collaboration of many people, whose good will and desire to participate has been extraordinary. The panelists, likewise, have committed themselves in an admirable way, not only with their own contributions, but also by making very fruitful experiences of communion, sharing resources and time.

On the other hand, in spite of being only a window to entire educational worlds, we have been able to perceive a wealth of presence and commitment often unknown to ourselves. It is very important to be aware of the immense educational task that the Church has been carrying out, often for a long time, with the admirable personal dedication of so many.

We also see, in an initial way, the richness of our varied pedagogical experience, strengths, but also weaknesses; we perceive challenges. And, at the same time, we are happy to meet, to be able to share with our brothers the mission that is being carried out, and also to be able to make a voice resound in society that makes present educational and personal riches of which we are not always aware.

We perceive, finally, that we are taking steps on a road that is still long, but that it is very good to be able to undertake together. The panels are the beginning of a work: they are still awaiting the contributions of many, coming from every field; and they will come together in the work of the Conference on February 24.

But the Congress itself is, in reality, also a step in a broad horizon. May its celebration help us to walk together, from all spheres, protagonists and institutions, in the fulfillment of the educational mission of the Church, knowing how to be present and to respond to the changes and challenges of our time.

To grow in awareness of our identity, to manifest it in deeds and words, to live it in communion, will always be an intimately joyful experience, a good for others and a joy for those called to live this mission also in our times.

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Books

The survivorsThe lives of homeless people

The book "I sopravviventi", by Girolamo Grammatico, narrates the author's experiences working with homeless people.

Michele Mifsud-October 31, 2023-Reading time: 4 minutes
RelatedRelated NewsHomeless people and organizations denounce the obstacles to leaving homelessnessRelated News32 % of households, with serious difficulties for a decent living

The problem of poverty in European cities is related to the loss of employment, which leads to the loss of housing and social ties.

According to EUROSTAT, in 2021 and 2022, 21% of the European population has been at risk of poverty or social exclusion in the European Union due to unemployment.

A traumatic event in a person's life, such as an accident, loss of employment or livelihood, can lead a person to destitution, survival and homelessness.

The Italian writer Girolamo Grammatico, in his autobiographical novel "I sopravviventi"(title in Italian, in English "The Survivors", but not yet translated), explains how homelessness is not a living but a "surviving", although no one is called a survivor, because as human beings we are alive, we live; we do not survive, but we live our lives. On the other hand, whoever finds the bonds of his own life broken, survives poverty.

I sopravviventi

Title: I sopravviventi
AuthorGirolamo Grammatico
PublicationSeptember 26, 2023
EditorialEinaudi : Einaudi

The poor survive in misery, they are not dead; but they lead a life that no one would call a life, no one would say that life on the street, before the indifference of most passersby, with the lack of food, without shelter from the winter cold, with the consequences of physical and moral violence, could be called a life. The homeless only have the minimum necessary, when they can get it, but beyond that they have no affection, no people who care about them.

The book I have mentioned has given rise to many reflections in me. It recounts the sufferings of those who have lost their homes, their "abode", a term which, as the author points out, derives from the Latin "morari", to stay, or "to delay" if the "de" is prefixed with a reinforcing value. People who live not by choice in filthy places, where no one would want to stay, are people stigmatized for life as guilty of their own poverty. I do not believe that no one chooses to live on the street, even if out of shame at his or her condition a poor person might claim otherwise. No one chooses to live alone; those who live alone do so not because they choose to, but because they have no choice.

Who or what has made the "homeless" homeless, where they are, where we are and how we have become what we are based on how we have chosen to inhabit the world, because to understand who a person is we must start from how they inhabit the world, from where they are positioned in the world.

The homeless are labeled for what they do not have, a house, and not for what they are. Indeed, the homeless do not have the keys to a house and, above all, they do not have the keys to their own destiny.

The question of extreme poverty in the cities is linked to the responses that can be given, because if the cause can be an unforeseen and unforeseeable event, such as the loss of a job or of a family member, the consequences of poverty do not seem to be of political and social interest with a few exceptions, as in the help given by some realities that are completely dedicated to the poor. For example, the Pauline Fathers (or Vincentians), who through a project called "13 Houses" respond to these problems by providing the poor with a decent home in areas such as the slums of many metropolises, or in favor of people who have fled to another country as refugees or because as a result of natural catastrophes or wars they live in their own country but in conditions as if they were refugees abroad.

Homeless people, being exposed to malnutrition and life on the streets, can easily fall ill and end up with other problems such as alcohol addiction. A person suffering the consequences of their poverty is overwhelmed and crushed by the reality in which they live. The homeless, in their fragility, spend the day outdoors, and a few lucky ones spend the night in a shelter for the poor, but the majority always on the street, with the risk of being victims of violence, exploitation, low temperatures, with the problems sometimes of drugs, alcohol, human trafficking and exploitation. Some people flee from countries at war, others from poverty in their countries of origin, only to fall into abject poverty in our cities.

Girolamo Grammatico's book is a testimony of the work of a Samaritan in our millennium. As in the Gospel parable, even today there are still people who dedicate themselves for years to the service of other excluded human beings who live a life of poverty and who are our neighbor.

The people Jesus in the Gospel asks us to help are those we encounter every day because they are in need and physically close to us.

The subject of foreign people living in our countries makes me reflect, as a Catholic, on the welcome and on the subject of the neighbor who seeks means for his sustenance, just as in the Gospel according to St. Matthew, after the birth of Jesus, the angel appeared to Joseph in a dream and told him to leave with Mary and Jesus Child to flee to Egypt. The Holy Family had to go to a foreign country to avoid the murder of Jesus ordered by King Herod, going to live elsewhere without the certainty of a job and a home. In this Gospel passage, St. Joseph had to look for a job in a country that was not his own, to support his family, and he had to look for a home in which to live and protect Our Lady and the Infant Jesus.

This Gospel passage raises the question of what I can do as a Catholic, as a brother of Jesus, God who lived this reality as a child refugee with his family in a foreign country. What can I do, then, for my brothers who also experience this reality, because perhaps I have the key in my hand, if not to solve it, then at least to help those who are in difficulty.

The authorMichele Mifsud

Assistant Econome General of the Congregation of the Mission of the Vincentian Fathers, registered financial and investment advisor.

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  • Enrique Solano: "The Catholic scientist knows the beginning and the end of the film".
Integral ecology

Enrique Solano: "The Catholic scientist knows the beginning and the end of the film".

Enrique Solano, president of the Society of Catholic Scientists of Spain, points out in this interview with Omnes that "brilliant Catholic scientists and popularizers are needed to establish a bridge between specialized knowledge and the people on the street".

Maria José Atienza-October 30, 2023-Reading time: 5 minutes

Enrique Solano is president of the Society of Catholic Scientists of Spain. It is the Spanish branch of the Society of Catholic Scientists an international organization, created in 2016, which presents itself as a forum for dialogue for believing scientists who wish to reflect on the harmony and complementarity between science and faith.

Solano, PhD in Mathematical Sciences from the Complutense University of Madrid, dedicated to Astrophysics, is currently a Research Scientist at the Astrobiology Center.

His interest in demonstrating the compatibility of science and faith has led him to give numerous lectures and talks on this supposed conflict and, this year, the Francisco de Vitoria University hosted the second edition of the congress organized by the Society of Catholic Scientists of Spain, which addressed topics such as the relationship between technology and ethics or the vision of the Catholic scientist from the media and creation and evolution.

This relationship between science and faith, its history and the myths and truths that are intertwined in this area is the theme of the November issue of Omnes magazine.

Scientist and Catholic: Is the idea that these terms are incompatible still present?

-Unfortunately, this is so. The idea that science serves to "explain what there is" and religion is "for believing in something" is still accepted by a fairly significant percentage of society. In fact, there are surveys in the USA, carried out a few years ago with young people who abandoned the Catholic religion, which indicate that, among 24 possible causes, the conflict between science and religion appears in fourth place, even above the abandonment of the idea of a merciful God because of a family tragedy. This is enormously surprising and, dare I say it, scandalous, and gives us an idea of the work that remains to be done by Catholic scientists.

There are two main causes of this situation: on the one hand, the dominant current in society that tries to denigrate or even make everything that carries the adjective Catholic disappear from public life. And, on the other hand, the invisibility in which we Catholic scientists have lived for a long time, who have not wanted/been able to take the step forward to show ourselves to the public and let society know that we are not an extinct species in the past. Society of Catholic Scientists of Spain.

There are those who, even today, defend that a Catholic "subjugates" his rational knowledge to his faith, is this a credible statement? 

There are non-believing scientists who maintain that the Catholic scientist, when he goes to Mass, leaves his brain at the entrance of the church. Likewise, others defend that the Catholic scientist passes his results through the sieve of faith so that everything is coherent and harmonious. 

Neither of the two previous statements is true. In the words of George Lemaître, priest, father of the Big Bang and one of the most important cosmologists of the 20th century, "if a believer wants to swim, he had better do it just like a non-believer. And the same goes for the natural sciences, if a believer works in them he should do it as a non-believer." 

Scientists, both believers and non-believers, work using the same tools and the same methodologies. 

Many of the great advances in science have been made by believers. Does faith help scientific work?  

-This is one of the main arguments to show the harmony between science and faith. Many of the most brilliant scientists, including the "fathers" of some scientific disciplines, have been Catholics. And even today, in the 21st century, we find scientists of enormous prestige who have no problem in reconciling science and Catholic faith. As I indicated in the previous answer, all scientists, regardless of their beliefs, use the same methodology, which is what we call "scientific method". In this sense, faith contributes nothing to research. 

The advantage that the Catholic scientist has is that he knows the beginning and the end of the movie. He knows that there is a Creator who established laws in nature and knows that everything has a purpose and a purpose. Knowing that we are not the fruit of blind evolution and that we are destined to live a few decades in a cosmic ocean governed by forces infinitely superior to us, but that we are the result of God's love, that we have infinite dignity since we are made in His image and likeness and that we are offered the prize of eternal life at His side, is something that helps you not only to focus your scientific work but to live in a totally different way.

When and why did the divorce between science and faith occur? Why have we still not "overcome" it? 

-The high point of the rupture between science and faith occurred at the end of the 19th century, when different ingredients came together to create the "perfect storm". On the one hand, a new guild was introduced into society: the modern scientist, as we know it today, which had appeared only a few decades earlier. The difficulty of access of this guild to the universities, controlled by the Church at that time, generated in scientists a feeling of "tribe" with a common enemy: the Church. To this should be added the birth of a new philosophical current, Marxism, and the ideological use it makes of science, expanding the idea of the existence of two sides: science (the good side) that pursues the happiness of man through scientific and technical progress, and the Church (the bad side), determined to hinder this progress as much as possible. 

The culmination of this situation was the publication of two books, J. W. Draper's "History of the Conflicts between Religion and Science" in 1875 and Andrew Dickson White's "A History of the War of Science with Theology in Christianity" (1896). Both books are riddled with errors and inaccuracies, but they had an enormous impact on several generations of scientists, particularly in the Anglo-Saxon world. 

Today, no serious historian defends the conflict hypothesis and none of the books have any credibility for modern authors. But its aftermath is still evident within the scientific community. 

Are the media an aid to scientific dissemination? 

-No doubt about it. The Catholic scientist cannot be satisfied with living on his pedestal of knowledge. Brilliant Catholic scientists are needed, but there is also a need for disseminators who establish a bridge between specialized knowledge and the people on the street. Catholic scientists need to be present in the social debate. And, for this, the media are absolutely essential as an amplifying element.

From the Society of Catholic Scientists of Spain, for example, we have created the so-called "expert groups" that we make available to the media who want to know the opinion of a Catholic scientist on a particular discovery or a particular news item. 

It is necessary that the Catholic scientist be present in the social debate. And, for this, the media are absolutely essential as an amplifying element.

Enrique Solano. President Society of Catholic Scientists of Spain

Old questions such as evolution, extraterrestrial life, scientific progress or new ones, such as the advance of transhumanism, what challenges do they pose for a Catholic scientist?  

-In order to understand all these issues, it is necessary to have a holistic view of them. Science and faith add and do not subtract and both are necessary to reach a global understanding of the problem. Particularly interesting is the issue of transhumanism and how the Catholic faith can serve as a beacon to illuminate what can be done and distinguish it from what, even if it can be done, should not be done.

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Gospel

Called to holiness. Solemnity of All Saints

Joseph Evans comments on the readings for the Solemnity of All Saints.

Joseph Evans-October 30, 2023-Reading time: 2 minutes

Today's feast celebrates the many unknown saints who have not been formally declared saints or blessed by the Church. The first reading speaks of "an immense multitude, which no one could count, of all nations, races, peoples and tongues". In fact, anyone in heaven is a saint. 

There are many anonymous saints, holy people on their way to heaven, known only to those close to them. You may know some of them: what Pope Francis calls "saints.the saints next door". That saint could be your grandmother, who prays so much and thinks only of helping others. It could be a wonderful uncle who is a true man of God and works hard to help the poor and needy. Or a good Catholic worker who would rather lose his job than betray his conscience by doing something he knows is wrong. It could be a Catholic teacher who tries to prepare her classes as best she can out of love for God and bring some of that love into her teaching. These are people who are really trying to seek God, pray, live well, make good use of their talents and witness to Christ. The feast reminds us that we are all called to holiness, each one of us, to stand before the throne of God sharing in the triumph of the Lamb, because the victory of the saints is above all the victory of Christ in them. Holiness makes no distinctions and is of any race, age and social condition. Holiness is not something optional. In fact, if we do not try to be holy, we are wasting our lives in selfishness, because holiness is living for God and for others, not for ourselves. Holiness is reaching our full potential as human beings. It is letting God take us to the heights of love, soaring like eagles instead of crawling like worms in the mud. 

To be a saint is to try to fly: to propose to do good to others, to let God speak to our conscience and tell us: "...".Come on, my son, my daughter, can't you do a little better? Can't you aim a little higher?". And today's Gospel offers us the model of holiness. It is the beginning of Our Lord's Sermon on the Mount, when he outlines the Beatitudes: "...".Blessed are the poor in spirit....". The Beatitudes may seem unimpressive, but the more we analyze them, the more we realize how demanding they are. How difficult it is to be truly poor in spirit, to trust only in God and not in created things. How difficult it is to be meek, to be pure of heart, to be ever merciful, to strive for personal righteousness and social justice, to be peacemakers (remembering that peacemakers can often get caught in the crossfire), to be persecuted for the sake of justice. Today's feast invites us to renew our struggle for holiness, considering that it really is "heaven or ruin." If we do not make it to heaven, our life on earth will have been a complete waste.

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The Vatican

Pope calls on Church to "worship" and "serve"

This morning, at 10:00 a.m., the closing Mass of the Synod Assembly on the theme "For a Synodal Church: communion, participation and mission" was presided over by Pope Francis in the Vatican Basilica.

Loreto Rios-October 29, 2023-Reading time: 5 minutes

During the closing Mass of the Synod Assembly, the Pope delivered the homily, in which he called on those present to return to the core of the Gospel, the love of God: "Brother cardinals, brother bishops and priests, men and women religious, sisters and brothers, at the end of this stretch of road we have traveled, it is important to contemplate the 'principle and foundation' from which everything begins and begins again: to love God with all our lives and to love our neighbor as ourselves. Not our strategies, not human calculations, not the fashions of the world, but to love God and neighbor; that is the center of everything. But how do we translate this impulse to love? I propose two verbs, two movements of the heart on which I would like to reflect: to adore and to serve.

A Church that worships

On the first verb, "to adore," the Pope commented: "Adoration is the first response we can offer to the gratuitous and surprising love of God. For it is by being there, docile before him, that we recognize him as Lord, put him at the center and rediscover the wonder of being loved by him. The wonder of worship is essential in the Church. To adore, in fact, means to recognize in faith that God alone is Lord and that on the tenderness of his love depend our lives, the path of the Church, the destinies of history. He is the meaning of life, the foundation of our joy, the reason for our hope, the guarantor of our freedom".

The Holy Father also pointed out that adoration is a way of opposing idolatry: "Love of the Lord in Scripture is often associated with the struggle against all idolatry. Whoever worships God rejects idols because God liberates, while idols enslave, deceive us and never fulfill what they promise, because they are "the work of men's hands. They have mouths, but they do not speak; they have eyes, but they do not see" (Ps 115:4-5). As Cardinal Martini affirmed, Scripture is severe against idolatry because idols are the work of man and are manipulated by him; instead, God is always the Living One, "who is not at all as I think, who does not depend on what I expect of him, who can therefore alter my expectations, precisely because he is alive. The confirmation that we do not always have the right idea of God is that sometimes we are disappointed: I expected this, I imagined that God would behave like this, but I was wrong. In this way we return to the path of idolatry, pretending that the Lord acts according to the image we have made of him". It is a risk that we can always run: to think that we can "control God", enclosing his love in our schemes; instead, his action is always unpredictable, and for that reason it requires astonishment and adoration".

The Pope pointed out that there are many forms of idolatry, both worldly and spiritual: "We must always fight against idolatries; the worldly ones, which often come from personal vainglory - such as the desire for success, self-affirmation at any cost, the lust for money, the seduction of careerism - but also idolatries disguised as spirituality: my religious ideas, my pastoral skills. Let us be vigilant, lest we put ourselves at the center, instead of God. And now back to worship. Let it be central to us as pastors; let us devote time each day to intimacy with Jesus the Good Shepherd before the tabernacle. Let the Church be an adorer; let the Lord be adored in every diocese, in every parish, in every community. For only in this way will we turn to Jesus and not to ourselves; for only through adoring silence will the Word of God dwell in our words; for only before him will we be purified, transformed and renewed by the fire of his Spirit. Brothers and sisters, let us adore the Lord Jesus!".

To love and serve

Regarding the second verb he highlighted at the beginning of his homily, "to serve," the Pope emphasized that: "To love is to serve. In the great commandment, Christ unites God and neighbor so that they are never separated. There is no authentic religious experience that remains deaf to the cry of the world. There is no love of God without a commitment to care for one's neighbor, otherwise one runs the risk of Pharisaism. Carlo Carretto, a witness of our times, said that the danger, for us believers, is to fall into "a Pharisaic ambiguity, which sees us [...] withdrawn into our egoism and with our minds full of beautiful ideas for reforming the Church" (Letters from the Desert, Madrid 1974, 68-69). Perhaps we really have many beautiful ideas for reforming the Church, but let us remember: to adore God and to love our brothers and sisters with the same love, this is the greatest and unceasing reform. To be an adoring Church and a Church of service, that washes the feet of wounded humanity, that accompanies the path of the fragile, the weak and the discarded, that goes out with tenderness to meet the poorest. God commanded this in the first reading, asking respect for the least: the stranger, the widow and the orphan (cf. Ex 22:20-23). The love with which God freed the Israelites from slavery when they were strangers is the same love that he asks us to lavish on strangers in every time and place, on all those who are oppressed and exploited.

Remembering the victims of wars

On the other hand, the Pope also recalled the victims of wars: "Brothers and sisters, I think of those who are victims of the atrocities of war; of the sufferings of migrants; of the hidden pain of those who are alone and in conditions of poverty; of those who are crushed by the weight of life; of those who have no more tears, of those who have no voice. And I think of how many times, behind beautiful words and persuasive promises, forms of exploitation are encouraged or nothing is done to prevent them. It is a grave sin to exploit the weakest, a grave sin that corrodes fraternity and devastates society. We, disciples of Jesus, want to bring to the world another leaven, that of the Gospel. God at the center and next to Him those He prefers, the poor and the weak".

A "conversation of the Spirit

In conclusion, the Pope recalled the Synod Assembly, emphasizing the presence and action of the Holy Spirit during this process: "Dear brothers and sisters, the Synod Assembly is coming to an end. In this 'conversation of the Spirit' we have been able to experience the tender presence of the Lord and to discover the beauty of fraternity. We have listened to one another and, above all, in the rich variety of our histories and our sensitivities, we have listened to the Spirit. Today we do not see the full fruit of this process, but with open-mindedness we can contemplate the horizon that is opening before us. The Lord will guide us and help us to be a more synodal and missionary Church, one that worships God and serves the women and men of our time, going out to bring the comforting joy of the Gospel to all.

Brother cardinals, brother bishops and priests, religious men and women, brothers and sisters, for all this I say thank you. Thank you for the journey we have made together, for listening and for dialogue. And in thanking you, I would like to express a wish for all of us: that we may grow in the adoration of God and in the service of our neighbor. May the Lord be with us. And go forward, with joy!

Angelus

After the Angelus, during which the Pope reflected on the Gospel, the Holy Father once again remembered the victims of war and thanked those who joined the day of fasting and prayer for peace on Friday, October 27: "I thank all those who - in so many places and in so many ways - joined the day of fasting, prayer and penance that we celebrated last Friday, praying for peace in the world. Let us not give up. Let us continue to pray for Ukraine and also for the grave situation in Palestine and Israel and other war-torn regions. In Gaza, in particular, may there be room to ensure humanitarian aid and that the hostages are released immediately. Let no one give up the possibility of stopping the weapons. Let them cease fire. Father Ibrahim Faltas - I just heard him on the program "In His Image" - Father Ibrahim said, "Cease fire! Cease fire!". He is the Vicar of the Holy Land. We too, with Father Ibrahim, say: "Cease fire! Stop, brothers and sisters! War is always a defeat, always!".

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