ColumnistsMontserrat Gas Aixendri

Adult centrism

Surrogacy is an example of the interest of wealthy adults over the rights of women and children who become products to be bought and sold.

March 21, 2023-Reading time: 2 minutes

Some politicians talk about the welfare of children and the so-called "best interests of the child".

They do well, because they are our future. However, legislative trends go in other directions, in which, despite the good will of some, what really ends up counting is the desire and interest of adults.

The examples are unfortunately not few, but the case of surrogacy is emblematic. An emerging practice in which the child and the woman are turned into objects or products to be bought and sold.

The surrogacy business is built on the desire to have a child, and surrogacy is presented as a solution. However, that desire of adults, however legitimate, cannot be obtained at any cost, especially if that cost is to treat vulnerable women as if they were objects, and children as if they were commodities to be bought and sold. A child should always be a gift, not the object of adult desire.

In the public debate there is a broad consensus against this practice: from feminist groups to religious denominations. However, a large part of European legislation plays an important role in the public debate. double game in relation to this issue. While from the front they reject this practice in defense of the dignity of women, through the back door they legitimize it by normalizing the recognition of the filiation of children born abroad by these means.

Not a few states seem to be bowing to pressure from certain interest groups in this business whose fundamental raison d'être is the production of children on demand.

On March 3, I had the opportunity to speak at the seminar held in Casablanca on the occasion of the signing of the Declaration for the Universal Abolition of Surrogacyalso known as the Casablanca Declaration. It is necessary to work together to develop a universal commitment to protect women and children from the global surrogacy market.

Through this Declaration, experts from all over the world have asked States to take measures to prohibit this practice in their territory. It is a question of prohibiting and not regulating or setting conditions. It has been shown that the legalization of certain practices leads to the so-called "legalization effect". slippery slopeThe slippery slope, with an increase in assumptions, although the contrary is claimed.

The fact that some celebrities are resorting to gestational surrogacy does not help to have a broader social rejection towards this business with human beings, which I would dare to compare with slavery, because as in slavery, there are numerous economic interests that move.

Only a determined and courageous attitude such as the one that has been undertaken in Casablanca can achieve this ambitious goal: to eradicate a practice that is based exclusively on the wishes of adults and disregards the interests and rights of children.

The authorMontserrat Gas Aixendri

Professor at the Faculty of Law of the International University of Catalonia and director of the Institute for Advanced Family Studies. She directs the Chair on Intergenerational Solidarity in the Family (IsFamily Santander Chair) and the Childcare and Family Policies Chair of the Joaquim Molins Figueras Foundation. She is also Vice-Dean of the Faculty of Law at UIC Barcelona.

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Giulio Mencuccini, the bishop who evangelized "on two wheels".

Giulio Mencuccini was the last foreign bishop to leave Indonesia after leaving the government of the diocese of Sanggau because of his age. Now in Italy, his dream is still to evangelize "on two wheels". 

Federico Piana-March 21, 2023-Reading time: 3 minutes

A priest riding down dusty trails on a powerful dirt bike is not something you see every day. Who knows what must have been the look on their faces in Kalimantan when they first saw him speeding along in his billowing cassock sitting on a rough leather saddle and gripping a gleaming handlebar.

It was almost the middle of the 1970s and Passionist religious Giulio Mencuccini had just arrived in the Indonesian island region of Borneo, coming directly from Italy. "You have to know one thing: when I arrived there was only one paved road and to reach my confreres I traveled 500 kilometers by bus. It was a real adventure," he tells Omnes, with a touch of pride.

The first motorcycle

There, the man who would later be appointed bishop of the Sanggau diocese in the 1990s soon had to get used to the inconsistency of the roads and if he wanted to visit a village he had to walk. "And what a hike we had! Backpack on shoulder, I and the other missionaries would walk the so-called 'mice roads' to bring the people the Gospel and consolation."

It was in 1975 when Mencuccini, tired of spending hours and effort to reach urban agglomerations miles apart, decided, together with two of his brothers, to buy three trial motorcycles, considered capable of overcoming all kinds of obstacles.

Apostolate on two wheels

It was the impetuous beginning of a sweeping evangelization. "Yes, because with the motorcycles we could visit all the villages. In the evening we would celebrate mass in one and in the morning of the next day we would celebrate mass in another."

The motorcycle also gave another opportunity to the young Passionist missionary: "Being able to move around much more easily, I could afford to stay in the villages in the evenings. And the night was the right time to teach the rosary, do catechesis and hear confessions". The overnight stay of the missionaries in the villages was an added advantage, because after prayer, before going to bed, there were long talks in which the elders often participated. "In essence, staying overnight in the villages helped greatly in the expansion of the faith...".

Exponential growth

The figures prove Mencuccini right. In 32 years of pastoral government, his diocese has grown from 11 to 1,608 churches, 966 of which were blessed by the biker bishop himself. "They are all churches recognized by the Indonesian Ministry of Religion and were built also thanks to the help of the government," says the cleric, who explains why, even today, there is a special attention from the authorities towards the Church: "Catholic schools, present not only in the diocese but throughout the country, are highly appreciated because they welcome everyone, not only Catholics. And in our schools have studied many of those who, over time, have assumed positions of responsibility".

Msgr. Mencuccini
Msgr. Mencuccini with a group of bikers

Last foreign bishop

At the age of seventy-seven, in 2022, the biker bishop returned to Italy on November 30, handing over the government of the Sanggau diocese to Monsignor Valentinus Saeng, an Indonesian religious.

In fact, Mencuccini was the last foreign bishop to leave Indonesia, which fills him with joy because it is a clear sign that the local Church is in good health.

Also thanks to his apostolate carried out on motorcycles. "Today the baptized in my diocese are more than 370,000, almost 50% of the population. And now in Sanggau, in addition to the priests, the nuns also have motorcycles, 140 in all."

The dream: 10,000 bikers to the Pope

To think that Mencuccini, now that he has returned to Italy, will abandon his passion for motorcycles is a pious illusion.

His new big dream is to bring ten thousand motorcycle enthusiasts before Pope Francis in St. Peter's Square: after all, they too need catechesis. "I still get excited when I think of Masses celebrated outdoors before an expanse of motorcyclists next to their flaming two-wheelers. Hearing them honking their horns after my blessing almost brings tears to my eyes."

Meeting Valentino Rossi

In Mencuccini's account there is also space for a very personal memory that a motorcycle lover like him will find hard to erase: the meeting, in 2008, with the motorcycle champion Valentino Rossi. It was a party in his honor and on that occasion he signed many T-shirts for me to take back to Indonesia.

He used to spend his vacations very often in the Southeast Asian country. Once he came to see me and said, "Monsignor, be careful because your motorcycle has normal tires, they are not like racing tires, if you are not careful you can slip." His advice? I still follow it today when I get on a motorcycle.

The authorFederico Piana

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

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Culture

Sexy" monsters, Mr. Wonderful's "mantra" and the adolescent crisis of meaning

Writer and filmmaker Diego Blanco presented in Bilbao his new documentary, 'Cuando oscurece', which addresses the "epidemic of sadness" among young people.

Guillermo Altarriba-March 20, 2023-Reading time: 2 minutes

"Covid-19 has brought to the surface another, much deeper pandemic, an epidemic of sadness." So says the official synopsis of the When it gets darkthe documentary directed by Diego Blanco that was presented last weekend at the XVII edition of the Catholics and Public Life Conference of the Basque Country, organized by the Catholic Association of Propagandists (ACdP).

For Blanco, this sadness is especially worrying in young people, and he criticizes the fact that it is being approached on many occasions in the wrong way. "We are tackling in a therapeutic way, with pills and psychologists, something that is based on a lack of sense", said the documentary filmmaker and writer in Bilbao, who has been tackling the issue of mental health and suicide in adolescents for years.

Three paradigm shifts that "drive people crazy".

He is also the author of the series of novels The Secret Fire Club warned that at the base of adolescent suffering there is a double crisis: "the attack on the family and on the most basic biology, science has been replaced by a certain mythology". From there, he pointed out, there have been three paradigm shifts "that are driving the kids crazy".

The first is a narrative change: "Today the protagonists of movies are the bad guys," he said, referring to postmodern narratives starring traditionally evil characters, such as vampires or witches. "We are in a new dark romanticism, where the monster is sexy and the bad guy - because stories have to have a bad guy - is the prince, who represents machismo and heteropatriarchy," he reflected.

Secondly, a psychological change, by which it is intended "that psychology responds to what is the meaning of your life". "They tell you that happiness is your responsibility, and that if you're not happy it's because you haven't tried hard enough," Blanco lamented, criticizing what he considers "the Mr. Wonderful mantra." The last change would be technological: "we carry in our pockets a device designed as a slot machine," he pointed out.

A narrative proposal

In the face of this, what proposal does Blanco put forward? "A narrative proposal," he says, quoting the theologian Hans Urs von Balthasarwho argued that divine revelation is narrative, has the form of a tragedy, and the pope FranciscoHe said that it is through stories that one can understand oneself. "Books or films are small units of meaning, they show that the suffering the characters go through is not absolute," Blanco stressed.

This is what the speaker is working on in the project he is taking to various schools throughout Spain, Ex Libris, a literary and filmic itinerary where he tries to make students understand that they are the protagonists of their lives, but not authors. "We Christians have an advantage: the Author has become a character, nothing that happens to us has not happened to Him first, including suffering," he said, and recalled that Christ's salvation took place, precisely, through suffering. "God does not send you anything that He has not gone through," he concluded.

The authorGuillermo Altarriba

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Evangelization

Pilar RíoThe laity, men and women "of the world at the heart of the Church" : The laity, men and women "of the world at the heart of the Church".

Interview with the professor of the Pontifical University of the Holy Cross on the role of the laity in a synodal Church.

Antonino Piccione-March 20, 2023-Reading time: 5 minutes
RelatedRelated NewsCardinal FarrellThe lay movements must feel that they are an integral part of the Church".Related NewsPope explains that the laity can carry out spiritual direction of others

Chilean, extraordinary professor at the Faculty of Theology of the Pontifical University of the Holy Cross, where she teaches Ecclesiology and Sacraments. Also a graduate in Journalism, she worked at "El Mercurio" in Santiago before moving to Rome.

We put some questions to Pilar Río, in order to shed some light on what the Pope Francis points out as the attitude "of the laity to live primarily their mission in the secular realities in which they are immersed every day, but this does not exclude that they also have skills, charisms and competencies to contribute to the life of the Church: in liturgical animation, catechesis and formation, structures of government, administration of goods, planning and execution of pastoral programs, etc.".

"What are the main dimensions of synodality and what temptations should we beware of?

-The synodality is a constitutive dimension of the Church, a style of life and work that manifests its being a mystery of communion for the mission, so that what the Lord is asking of us at this moment in history could be summarized, in a certain sense, in these attitudes: meet - listen - discern - walk together as a united people in carrying out the mission that Christ has entrusted to his Church.

The word "synod" comes from the Greek and means "to walk together".

– Supernatural synodality indicates, therefore, a path of reflection, listening, narration and dreaming for the future, which aims at renewing the way of being and acting of the Church as a missionary communion. Sharing a vision, a perspective that attracts us, and identifying the stages and modalities (processes) that activate a lasting and effective change.

It is an experience inspired by the Holy Spirit, which therefore retains a wide margin of openness and unpredictability, characteristic of the Spirit, who blows and goes where he wills. This is why we use the expression "celebrating the Synod", because in reality it means recognizing the action of the Spirit who always accompanies our Church.

As for the temptation from which we must guard against, let me recall the recent words of Pope Francis for whom "the path that God is showing the Church is precisely that of living communion and walking together in a more intense and concrete way.

It is inviting it to overcome independent ways of acting or parallel paths that never meet: the clergy separated from the laity, consecrated persons separated from the clergy and the faithful, the intellectual faith of certain elites separated from popular faith, the Roman Curia separated from the particular Churches, bishops separated from priests, young people separated from the elderly, spouses and families little involved in the life of communities, charismatic movements separated from parishes, and so on. This is the most serious temptation at this time".

Who is the lay faithful and what role can be attributed to the laity in a synodal Church?

-The layperson is a faithful Christian, that is, a person baptized and therefore incorporated into Christ and the Church. By virtue of his status in the world, theological and not simply sociological, this Christian is called by God into the world to inform it with the spirit of the Gospel.

Hence its role in a synodal Church is that of an active ecclesial subject, fully participating in and co-responsible for the whole mission of the Church and, in a special but not exclusive way, for the sanctification of the world.

Its entire mission is oriented, also in a synodal key and therefore together with the other members of the Church, to evangelization, sanctification and charity lived in the midst of the world.

With regard to services such as catechesis, liturgical animation, formation, collaboration in certain tasks of pastors, administration of goods, care of pastoral structures, etc., it must be remembered that the lay person, as a member of the faithful, has not only the right but also, on some occasions, the duty to assume them, obviously according to his or her lay condition.

In both the intra-ecclesial and temporal spheres, there are many complex challenges that the laity cannot fail to face.Can you recall any that you consider particularly important?

As regards the first, the intra-ecclesial sphere, the most demanding challenges concern the issues of mutual collaboration, formation (of both laity and pastors), overcoming dichotomies, mutual fears and mistrust, listening, a more incisive presence of women, enhancing the professional skills of the laity, the risk of clericalization....

In the temporal sphere, however, I would refer first of all to the challenge of recognizing the fully ecclesial value of the special and irreplaceable mission of the laity in the world, but also of recognizing the charism of lay life.

The challenges are also those of not becoming worldly, hence the importance of sacramental life and prayer, of living with one's feet on the ground but with one's eyes turned towards heaven, of not taking refuge in protected environments but going out to the peripheries.

In short, to be men and women "of the Church in the heart of the world" and men and women "of the world in the heart of the Church".

Basically, the sanctification of temporal realities constitutes the challenge of challenges. A challenge that we are called to play in many fields: the goods of life and the family, culture, the economy, the arts and professions, political institutions, social structures, and international relations.

The more incisive presence of women in the life and mission of the Church, as baptized persons, is a right. Do you consider it fully recognized in the perspective of Evangelii gaudium, the programmatic document of the current pontificate?

-I would say that Francis has innovated to the point of introducing a paradigm shift, for which we can only be grateful and thankful. "The lay faithful [as faithful] - these are the words of the Holy Father - are not 'guests' in the Church, they are in her house, so they are called to take care of their own house. The laity, and especially women, must be more valued in their competencies and in their human and spiritual gifts for the life of parishes and dioceses. They can carry the proclamation of the Gospel in their "everyday" language, engaging in various forms of preaching. They can collaborate with priests in the formation of children and young people, help engaged couples in their preparation for marriage and accompany them in their conjugal and family life. They should always be consulted in the preparation of new pastoral initiatives at all levels, local, national and universal. They should have a voice in the pastoral councils of the particular Churches. They should be present in the offices of the dioceses. They can help in the spiritual accompaniment of other lay people and also contribute to the formation of seminarians and religious. We are not guests but, as baptized women, ecclesial subjects, participants and co-responsible for the whole mission".

Although these words of the Pope emphasize the intra-ecclesial aspect of mission, I would also like to highlight the important ecclesial task that women are called to carry out in the world, contributing with their feminine genius to the care of the human.

The Cardinal Farrellurged to overcome "the logic of 'delegation' or 'substitution'. What steps remain to be taken to overcome this reductive logic? 

-This logic makes us see how far we are still far from a recognition of conciliar ecclesiology, more specifically of the second chapter of the dogmatic constitution on the Church Lumen gentium on the People of God, where the Christian, by reason of baptism, appears as a subject of the mission, as a missionary disciple, as Pope Francis often says.

In fact, the mission is not shared through the hierarchy, but directly from Christ to the Church, to each baptized person, so that Christians are not auxiliaries, delegates or substitutes, but true protagonists of the ecclesial mission.

Starting from this awareness can be a good beginning to initiate a change of mentality and culture within the Church, which concerns not only the pastors, but also the laity themselves. To deepen and assimilate the doctrine on the People of God that the Council has bequeathed to us is a fundamental step.

The authorAntonino Piccione

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ColumnistsJavier Segura

Abortion and freedom

The fear of social stigma, of political death, silences the voices of the necessary discrepancy for the survival of conscience.

March 20, 2023-Reading time: 3 minutes

That's the thing about good writers. They are always current.

I am rereading a text by Julián Marías from 1975 from the book Real Spain that when read with a historical perspective one cannot help but wonder whether it refers to the Franco dictatorship or to what Benedict XVI called 'the dictatorship of relativism' that we are living today.

I leave it to the reader to judge.

As long as a people remains alert, with historical vitality, with mental health, with lively beliefs, with capacity for reaction and initiative, it can withstand a clumsy, immoral, oppressive political regime, without this meaning the annulment of freedom. Political freedom may be minimal, almost non-existent, but considerable social and personal freedom can persist, which is even more important.

On the other hand, excessive leveling, homogeneity, the absence of tensions and 'differences of potential' within a society, the constant hammering of uniform ideas or pseudo ideas in schools, in the University, in the Press, in all the media, the lack of discrepant and creative individualities, can lead a society, formally governed in an admirable manner, to a tremendous demoralization, to a passivity that means, if one looks at things squarely, an annulment of freedom.

Julián Marías

The curious thing about the article is that our philosopher does not talk about politics, but he talks about the abortion and analyzes its social repercussions following its expansion in Sweden in those years.

A matter in which Julián Marías saw at stake a whole way of seeing society, human relations, the very destruction of freedom, which are being undermined from below, from their roots.

What would this great defender of freedom say today? Would he find an alert people, capable of resisting? Or would he rather have succumbed to the 'continuous hammering of pseudo-uniform ideas in the schools, in the University, in the Press' and today we would add in the social networks of the Internet?

I fear that we are in times in which this dictatorship is advancing at an accelerated pace. The news of the arrest in Great Britain of the Catholic priest Sean Gough and of Isabel Vaughan Spruce for praying in silence in front of an abortion clinic give us a glimpse of the path of that 'tremendous demoralization' that means the annulment of freedom, as Julián Marías predicted.

And the actions that are coming, especially from the elites who guide UN policies, are along the same pro-abortionist lines, rejecting as "harmful" and "discriminatory" values those that defend the family and life as the foundation of society.

The unique thought based on a new anthropology and that wants to configure a new social order advances and wants to colonize, imposing itself by the force of law, all the spaces of life.

Most people do not know how to act in the face of this pressure. We impose on ourselves a self-censorship that leads us to keep quiet, at least in the public sphere. And although we know that the king is naked, we dare not say so for fear of reprisals.

I return again to the text by Julián Marías in search of answers on what to do in this situation.

The future of freedom depends on a problem of balance. If there is a sufficient number of men and women capable of exercising their personal freedom and not allowing themselves to be imposed by any kind of terrorism -from that of machine guns to that of fashions or 'science'-, (...) the current immense offensive against freedom will be overcome, and freedom will prevail.

And in a few years, men will wonder how they could have been fascinated by such a stupid nightmare.

Julián Marías

We bravely exercised that freedom against machine-gun terrorism years ago. The brutal force of the attacks did not silence the conscience of many of our fellow citizens. And now, with time, we wonder how people could be fascinated and even justify murder for political reasons.

But the terrorism of fashion or of 'science', as defined by Julián Marías, seems to be more lethal in this loss of freedom than the same terrorism of machine guns.

And so the fear of social stigma, of political death, silences the voices of the necessary discrepancy for the survival of conscience. We are still fascinated by this nightmare. Many years have passed and we still have not woken up from this bad dream. Perhaps this is the main problem.

I return to the master and conclude with his words, which I believe perfectly describe the moment we find ourselves in:

But if a few years pass without this happening - perhaps no more than a decade - the lack of freedom will be firmly established, freedom will be extirpated for a long time, and the world will enter one of its long dark ages in which the human condition is reduced to the indestructible minimum without which it is not possible to live, until the vocation for life as freedom slowly germinates again.

Julián Marías
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

Pope Francis: "Are we happy to say that Jesus loves us?"

Pope Francis prayed the Angelus on this fourth Sunday of Lent, known as the Sunday of Joy.

Paloma López Campos-March 19, 2023-Reading time: 2 minutes
RelatedRelated NewsLent, a time of miracles

On the fourth Sunday of LentOn Joy Sunday, Pope Francis prayed the Angelus and gave a meditation on the Gospel passage about the man born blind, a prodigy that "is not well received by many people and groups".

Francis began by looking at the disciples, who are looking for a culprit and wondering whether it is the fault of the parents or of the blind man himself. The Pope pointed out that "it is comfortable to look for a culprit, instead of asking more demanding questions, such as, for example: what does the presence of this man mean for us, what does he ask of us?"

After the healing and that first question, come the reactions. Some are skeptical, others consider it illicit to heal on the Sabbath and, finally, there are fearful reactions. "In all these reactions, closed hearts emerge in front of the sign of Jesus, for various reasons: because they look for a culprit, because they do not know how to be surprised, because they do not want to change, because they are blocked by fear".

Joy in simplicity

However, there is one person whose reaction is quite different. As the Pope pointed out, "the only one who reacts well is the blind person: happy to see, he testifies to what has happened to him in the simplest way: 'I was blind and now I see'". The blind man "is not afraid of what others will say: he has already known the bitter taste of marginalization all his life, he has already felt the indifference and contempt of passers-by, of those who considered him a discard of society, useful at most for the pity of some alms".

All this should lead us to ask ourselves "what would we have said then? And, above all, what do we do today? Like the blind man, do we know how to see the good and be grateful for the gifts we receive? Do we witness to Jesus or do we spread criticism and suspicion? Are we free in the face of prejudice or do we associate with those who spread negativity and gossip? Are we happy to say that Jesus loves us and saves us or, like the parents of the man born blind, do we allow ourselves to be caged for fear of what people will think? And also, how do we welcome the difficulties and sufferings of others, as curses or as occasions to become close to them with love?"

In conclusion, the Pope asked for the intercession of the Virgin Mary and of St. José"a just and faithful man".

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12 readings on St. Joseph

On December 8, 1870, at the request of the Fathers of the First Vatican Council, Pope Pius IX proclaimed St. Joseph patron of the universal Church, as Pope Francis recalled. Now, in 2023, on the eve of his Solemnity, which will be on the 20th Monday, as the liturgy celebrates the Fourth Sunday of Lent on the 19th, some readings on the Holy Patriarch are offered.

Francisco Otamendi-March 19, 2023-Reading time: 3 minutes
RelatedRelated NewsYear of St. Joseph: good husbandRelated News"The most eloquent thing about St. Joseph is its silences."Related NewsYear of St. Joseph: good fatherRelated NewsYear of St. Joseph: good worker

Pope Francis wrote in his apostolic letter 'Patris corde' (With a Father's Heart) (8.12.2020), that "on the one hundred and fiftieth anniversary of Blessed Pius IX, on December 8, 1870, declaring him as 'Patron of the Catholic Church', I would like - as Jesus says - that 'the mouth may speak of that with which the heart is full' (cf. Mt 12:34), to share with you some personal reflections on this extraordinary figure, so close to our human condition".

On the occasion of this event, the Pope established a Year of St. Joseph, especially dedicated to him, which concluded on December 8, 2021, the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception, as reported by Omnes. 'Patris corde'. is therefore the first document cited in this brief list of readings.  

The titles offered are varied. For example, works by the Polish writer Jan Dobraczyński, Henri-Michel Gasnier, the researcher and theologian Pedro Beteta, Fabio Rosini, or the Carmelite family.

Here are a few texts:

1)  'Patris corde'.Pope Francis. 

A beloved father, a father in tenderness, obedience and welcome; a father of creative courage, a worker, always in the shadows: with these words Pope Francis describes St. Joseph in a tender and touching way (Vatican News). Ramiro Pelliterio commented on. Omnes Pope Francis' twelve catecheses on St. Joseph.

2) The shadow of the Father, Jan Dobraczyński. 

The author faces the task of remaking not only the life of the holy Patriarch, but also the environment in which he developed. The subtitle is 'History of Joseph of Nazareth'.

3) Redemptoris custosSt. John Paul II.

In six sections, St. John Paul II reflects on the figure of St. Joseph, Custos of the Redeemer, encouraging all Christians to trust in his patronage and to always keep his humble and mature way of serving before their eyes.

4) The silences of San JoséHenri-Michel Gasnier

From the historical basis of the Gospel allusions and the data of Tradition, corroborated by the Holy Fathers, the author describes the man who watched over and cared for Mary and Jesus on earth.

5) St. Joseph. Welcoming, protecting and nurturing. Fabio Rosini.

Reflection on the figure of St. Joseph, who marks a path for every Christian who wants to better understand the relationship between freedom and obedience to God, between one's autonomy and the Father's initiative.

6) St. Joseph, model ChristianPedro Beteta

The book shows "the human and divine greatness of the Holy Patriarch in whom the maximum heights of perfection are reached". "No one like St. Joseph acquired greater identification with Christ, his virginal Son," he affirms. Another of his works is Discovering St. Joseph in the Gospel.

7) St. Joseph in the faith of the Church. Francisco Canals (ed).

There are 16 studies and essays published in this non-exhaustive anthology, which aims to point out the fundamental milestones in the understanding of the figure of St. Joseph. The teachings of the Magisterium, of the saints and of scholars of the holy Patriarch have been taken into account.

8) The Patronage of St. Joseph on Carmel. Carmelite Superiors General.

This is a letter of the Superiors General of the O. Carm. and O. CV. Carm. and O.CV.D. to the Carmelite Family on the 150th anniversary of the proclamation of the patronage of St. Joseph over the universal Church.

9) Devotion to St. Joseph in St. Josemaría Escrivá. Laurentino María Herrán-

Many Christians have-and have had-a great devotion to St. Joseph. In these pages we offer the devotion professed to him by St. Josemaría Escrivá, who called St. Joseph Master of inner lifeand wrote the homily In the workshop of Joséincluded in the volume 'Es Cristo que pasa'.

10) St. Joseph, father and guide. Dominique Le Tourneau.

On December 8, 2021, the year dedicated to St. Joseph came to an end. On this occasion, the author presented in Omnes the main features of the father and guide of Jesus and of all Christians.

11) Prayer to St. Joseph. Pope Francis. 

In his letter 'Patris corde', Pope Francis proposes the following prayer at the end of the text:

Hail, guardian of the Redeemer
and husband of the Virgin Mary.
To you God entrusted his Son,
Mary placed her trust in you,
with you Christ was forged as a man.
O blessed Joseph,
show yourself a father to us too
and guide us on the path of life.
Grant us grace, mercy and courage.
defend us from all evil. Amen.

12) A devotion of Francis.In the same letter 'Patris corde'.Pope Francis opened his heart in note 10, as follows: "Every day, for more than forty years, after Lauds, I recite a prayer to St. Joseph taken from a 19th century French devotional book of the Congregation of the Religious of Jesus and Mary, which expresses devotion, trust and a certain challenge to St. Joseph: 'Glorious Patriarch St. Joseph, whose power knows how to make impossible things possible, come to my aid in these moments of anguish and difficulty. Take under your protection the very serious and difficult situations that I entrust to you, so that they may have a good solution. My beloved Father, all my trust is placed in you. Let it not be said that I have invoked you in vain and, as you can do everything with Jesus and Mary, show me that your goodness is as great as your power. Amen'".

The authorFrancisco Otamendi

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  • Priestly vocation. "The call is as current today as it was in the first centuries."
Vocations

Priestly vocation. "The call is as current today as it was in the first centuries."

Their names are Pedro, Hashita, Rosemberg Augusto, Ivan and David. They are young, they have their whole lives ahead of them, that same life that they have put entirely at the service of God. Their stories and backgrounds could not be more different. They come both from families with Catholic roots and from environments without faith or of other beliefs. All of them have decided, like the Apostles, to leave their boats and their father and follow him. These young men shared with Omnes their fears and joys, the story of their vocation and their idea of the future and what the Church and the world ask of priests in today's world.

Maria José Atienza-March 19, 2023-Reading time: 8 minutes
RelatedRelated NewsThe day our son told us: "I want to be a priest".Related NewsPope Francis explains the figure of the priest at an important congress in Rome

The family of Hasitha Menaka Nanayakkara is striking for its originality. The son of a Buddhist father and a Catholic mother, this deacon of the Archdiocese of Colombo, who is not yet in his thirties, has lived the Catholic faith since he was a child. "My father, who is a Buddhist, respected his wife and children and also his faith. We respected him. In fact, recalls Hashita, "from time to time the subject of religion would come up when we talked at dinner, but each of us knew how not to bring the conversation to a point of division, but to one of seeing diversity and accepting it." 

Also in the life of Rosemberg A. Franco, the faith and example of his mother, a catechist since his youth, influenced his piety and vocational discernment. For this Guatemalan, "it is very clear that I met God thanks to the great devotion of my mother, who always bent her knees before Jesus. My vocation I feel deep inside me that it is the vocation that God has thought of since my mother's womb. When I was a child I played to celebrate mass, and something very nice that I remember is playing in processions, because in Guatemala, the popular devotion is very special for all Catholics". 

The example of these mothers and fathers was the humus from which God used to make the call to his service grow in these young people. A life of strong faith, as Hashita points out: "Baptizing children is not enough, although it is the most important thing. For me and my sister it was a blessing to have a mother who baptized us and educated us in the faith. She, with her simple faith knew that she had to be light and salt where she was: in her family. My mother took us to Mass and catechesis. Every day, my sister, my mother and I prayed the Rosary at night. Dad didn't pray with us, of course, but he never forgot to turn down the TV so as not to distract us."

Also for Iván Brito, who is preparing to become a priest at the Castrense Seminary in Spain, the "testimony of a priest relative and the religiousness of my family" played a decisive role in his decision to respond to the priestly vocation. 

Entering the seminary is always a time of mixed feelings in the family and in the person concerned. Ivan, being a military man, decided that "the best option, with respect to service, was within the Armed Forces." 

david repor vocation
David Carrascal

David Carrascal is in his sixth year at the Conciliar Seminary in Madrid. He recalls how "although I accepted my admission to the seminary, it was a little more difficult for my parents, because they had many doubts about what my life in the seminary would be like; perhaps a little influenced by what they had seen in old stories or movies. But at no time did they make it difficult for me." "For me it was a gift from the Lord that my family, my friends and my parish supported me in my entry to the seminary," says this native of Madrid. 

The answer

Although at the age of 13, after a confession Rosemberg Franco told the priest that he felt "that He wants me to be like you, to be a priest."It was a long time before he made up his mind. Years later, he tells Omnes, "I was already a primary school teacher and one day, entering the Church, I met a former teacher, who was surprised and said to me: 'You come to Church? His surprise, Franco emphasizes, came from the fact that "while I studied education, I never showed any religious interest in class". 

It was not just a chance encounter. That professor asked his former pupil "What do you say to Jesus in your prayer?". Rosemberg replied: "Nothing, I just see him, I don't know what to say to him. Then he said these words to me, tell him: 'Jesus, help me to fall more in love with You'. From that day on, my prayers begin like this. 

Franco had ended his engagement "with a very nice girl who brought me closer to God" and at that time he began to ask the Lord "help me to fall more in love with You". 

In 2014 he began attending vocational meetings at the National Major Seminary of the Assumption in Guatemala, and in 2015 he entered the Guatemalan Seminary where he has studied until 2019. 

Pedro de Andrés is a deacon of the Diocese of Madrid, trained at the Diocesan Missionary Seminary. Redemptoris Mater-He will be ordained to the priesthood in May 2023. His family, who belong to the Neocatechumenal Way, raised him in theó in an atmosphere of solid and communitarian piety. 

In his case, he notes: "The restlessness for the call arose gradually. At the age of 14, when I entered my own community, I seriously considered becoming a priest for the first time, as a joyful response to the unconditional love of Christ for me, which had been announced to me. However, this first impulse did not take concrete form because of my refusal to enter the Minor Seminary due to my shyness. As the years went by, a strong question appeared within me: 'Lord, what is my vocation? What do you want me to be? This question continued to resonate within him until his university years. 

In the summer of 2012, Peter went on a pilgrimage to Lourdes: "I laid at Our Lady's feet the question of vocation, because I didn't know what to do. It would be a year later, during World Youth Day, when "after speaking for the first time about my vocational concerns with a priest, the Lord called me during a Eucharist: 'I am the Light of the world, he who follows me does not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life'. These words of Christ were for me the true vocation: God was calling me! It was no longer I who sought to know what His will was for me, it was He Himself who spoke and called me. Full of joy and nerves, I got up to go to the seminary. 

"No angel appeared to communicate to me God's call to the priesthood, but little by little I saw that it was my path," says Hasitha Menaka, amused. In his native Sri Lanka, during his early years, he studied at a Catholic school. Later, he attended a Buddhist school. "In that school we were few Christians. When the other students did their Buddhist rites before classes began, I talked to Jesus alone. I had to make an effort to live what I believed. My classmates would ask questions about my faith and I had to search for the answers and how to explain it. This endeavor made me deepen my own faith by looking for 'reasons for our hope' I experienced it as challenges from the environment that make a person grow. When you know and understand what you believe, you want to live it and transmit that truth to others. I believe that in this process I heard the call to the priesthood.

In the face of doubt and fears? Prayer

Any life of relationship, whether with God or with another person, brings with it moments of doubt and inner turmoil. These boys, who are the priests of tomorrow, live it every day. At the same time, they are clear that these doubts and fears have to be dealt with in prayer, because many times they come "when we separate ourselves from our Lord, looking only at our miseries and forgetting the fidelity of Jesus towards us", as Hasitha Menaka points out. 

gus repor vocation
Rosemberg Augusto Franco

Something similar underlines Rosemberg Franco: "Many times, during my time in the seminary, there have been many doubts and fears and what has kept me on my feet is prayer; my own and that of so many souls who bend their knees praying for me, the help and accompaniment of my spiritual director, confession, and above all the daily encounter with Jesus in Holy Mass. 

Sometimes, of course, from my human condition it is difficult for me to abandon myself fully in the arms and plans of God, but it is there where I remember that I must see with supernatural vision everything that happens to me, that if everything is to save more souls, that if everything is for the greater glory of Him, may His will be done". 

Doubts and, also, fear before a path that is presented, from now on, especially exposed to criticism and even social mockery. A reality that, in the words of David Carrascal, "is based on three ideas: Recognize who calls to the vocation, knowing that the Lord has not called us to a life without difficulties; The second thing to ask for those who hinder the life of priests, which make more difficult a free surrender to the Lord. And finally, to pray for those who criticize, who dishonor priests, to know how to welcome and love them, because for them too is the proclamation of the Lord". 

What is the world asking of us? Holiness

What should the priest of today be like? "Holy," emphasizes Rosemberg Franco. "Today the Church wants holy priests and holy faithful, the call to holiness is as current as it has been since the first centuries". And not only priests, "that the saints of this century, be they priests, religious, nuns and laity, will sustain the faith, will keep alive the love of the Lord, in the face of a society that is sinking into superficiality and individualism, consumerism and relativism". 

A conviction shared by Menaka, for whom "living what one believes is the best way of evangelization in a non-Christian environment as well as in a Christian one. The very life of a Christian is a preaching of what he believes and, in a non-Christian environment, the joy and holiness of Christians attract the attention of others".

A universal call to holiness that, in the case of Pedro de Andrés, is concretized in a strongly missionary charism, as he explains: "We walk the Way in a community as one more brother, participating in the celebrations of the Word, the Eucharist and the Conviviality with families, singles, young people, older people, priests... We are one more Christian who follows Christ in the Church. From this relationship with Christ, who loves us as sinners, is born the zeal for evangelization, for the mission ad gentes.". 

The Christian's life is the one that can respond to this thirst for God that, without knowing it, permeates the current environment, especially among the young. As David points out: "In my experience with friends and parishes where I have been, I have been able to see that there is a great thirst for God, but, at the same time, many currents and ideals that make it more difficult for young people to find the transcendent". 

"I am fully happy."

pedro repor vocaicon
Pedro de Andrés

"Today I can say that yes, I am happy," Peter affirms emphatically - "The source of this happiness is not in goods, not even in human securities. Happiness comes to me from intimacy with Christ. He is the one who called me, the guarantor of my life. That is why every day prayer is a fundamental part of my life, through the Liturgy of the Hours, the prayerful reading of Sacred Scripture, spiritual reading, contemplative prayer... In this precariousness there are times when fears of the future arise, but it is with Christ that I can leave my land and my kindred, like Abraham, to the land that he shows me, where he is already waiting for me and where he will unite me to his cross, which is the source of evangelization".

Hasitha Menaka counts among her reasons for joy, first of all "my vocational journey and my priestly formation in my country and in Spain", but also the fruits of the witness of her family, which is manifested in "my two baptized nephews, my mother's life and my father's good heart".

Stories of vocation, very different lives and one call: to be the voice and hands of Christ in the midst of the world. 

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A ship carved in silence

The author tells a beautiful story of devotion and details to celebrate the Solemnity of St. Joseph.

Santiago Populín Such-March 19, 2023-Reading time: 3 minutes

- Dad, will you tell me a story? But a long one, tomorrow is March nineteenth and there is no school.

Laughing, his father replied:

- You know these dates well, don't you, Juanito... Well, let's see, let me think of one while you put on your pajamas.

- Daddy, don't tell mommy, but I like your stories better, hers are a bit boring, they have no castles, no battles, no monsters, no villain to capture....

With a sly laugh, his father replied:

- I already have one, but this time it won't be about castles, battles or monsters, nor will there be a villain to catch. Today, I'll tell you a special one.

- Well, what's it all about?

- Many, many years ago, there lived in a humble village a boy of about twelve years old, very virtuous, with a big heart. Every morning he helped his father in his carpentry workshop and in the afternoons he liked to play with his friends. But this boy had a very special ability: every piece of wood or log he found, he carved it and turned it into something useful; for example, a toy, a spoon, or any other household tool.

One afternoon, while walking through the orchard, he found a large olive tree trunk that had perhaps fallen from some woodcutter's hand. He was overjoyed, for he had been looking for one of that size for some time, so that he could make himself a small trunk to store his tools. As it was a very heavy trunk, he went home at full speed to look for the wheelbarrow.

When he returned, he found the log intact and breathed deeply with great relief. On his way home, he stopped by the town market to buy something his father had ordered for him, and while waiting to be served, he heard behind him some young parents lamenting that they did not have enough money to buy a toy boat for their young son.

He recognized those voices, he knew who they were. They were a very poor family living near the river, not far from his home. On his way home, he had an idea. Instead of using the log to make his trunk, he thought of carving a boat to give to that child.

He entered his house, greeted his parents and had dinner with them. When his parents went to sleep, he silently went to his father's workshop. There, next to the log, all his tools were waiting for him under the shelter of a bright torch. All night long he carved the log, and made a beautiful boat.

When he had it ready, he sanded it down and, before the rooster crowed, he took a piece of cloth out of his pocket and used it to make the sail. The sky was clearing and before the chickens began to fuss about claiming their kernels of corn, he extinguished the torch, took the boat and returned to his room without a trace.

When sThe sun came up and while his mother was preparing breakfast, he took the boat and left in a hurry. Arriving at the boy's house, he looked out the window and saw no movement.

Relieved to have arrived in time, he left the boat at the door and ran out of sight.

In the afternoon, his mother asked him to go to the river to fill the water jugs. Tired from not having slept all night, he slowly went down to the river. As he dipped the pitcher into the river, he was surprised by the crash of a small boat in his hands.

He recognized it - it was the one he had been making all night - took it in his hands, looked up and saw a little boy with a big smile running towards him to retrieve it.

He handed it to him, and the boy said, "Thank you so much for stopping it, I thought I'd never catch it. See you later.

As he returned home, with jugs full of water and a smile on his face, he remembered some words his father had said to him months before: "Son, never forget that there is more joy in giving than in receiving".

Juanito, this story is over.

Juanito yawned, like a sleepy lion, and with his hands rubbing his eyes, he asked his father:

- Dad, what was that boy's name? He did something good and without anyone knowing it was him?

His father, smiling and looking at him with affection, replied:

- That child's name was Joseph.

The authorSantiago Populín Such

Bachelor of Theology from the University of Navarra. Licentiate in Spiritual Theology from the University of the Holy Cross, Rome.

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  • Pablo Muñoz RuizStained glass windows are jewels that enlighten us".
Culture

Pablo Muñoz RuizStained glass windows are jewels that enlighten us".

It is easy to be enraptured to enter a cathedral full of stained glass windows coloring the interior. The art with glass has always sought to impress the viewer, because its author in the end what he wants is "to captivate you and tell you things when you see it, that will guide you the course of the look, and when you turn around to leave you wrap and accompany you.

Paloma López Campos-March 18, 2023-Reading time: 7 minutes
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Vetraria Muñoz de Pablos is a family business dedicated to the creation, restoration and conservation of stained glass. It is very normal that we encounter this type of art when we enter a church, however, we usually do not know much of what happens at that point.

Pablo Muñoz Ruiz, a graduate in Fine Arts and member of the Vetraria team, lowers the stained glass windows to our height so that we can get to know them a little better.

What does stained glass restoration consist of?

-Restoration as an idea proposes the recovery of an asset that has been damaged or deteriorated to bring it to its initial state, as far as possible, eliminating the factors that have deteriorated it and improving its conservation for the future. That put into practice is complex because there are many cases and very different. In addition, the restoration of a stained glass covers different areas, not only involves the restoration of an object. The historical stained glass is both enclosure, plastic and iconographic support and light filter. When restoring a stained glass window we take into account all these factors and we consider not only the material restoration of the object, but also the restoration of the iconographic program and the interior light created as a symbolic form.

The stained glass window is an element that makes you notice its presence long before you see it, because it generates a luminous environment that envelops you. In this sense, every moment in history has sought to give it an intentional and specific meaning. The light is not the same in the Gothic period, which is based on the words of Jesus "I am the light of the world; he who follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life", as in the Baroque period, in which all available white light is sought, or in a contemporary space that has multiple intentions. 

We have always insisted on the need to restore each of these elements as a whole, as they are part of the identity of the work. Logically there are very different works in very different spaces with very different approaches and circumstances, but our commitment always leads us to value the property as a whole, so that the intervention is as complete and respectful as possible. In the end, the ideal is that the restoration itself goes unnoticed and that the work is put in value in the environment in which it was designed.

What is the current state of stained glass art?

-Stained glass, like many other artistic and craft disciplines, has always depended heavily on architecture. Depending on the use and need for light that has been throughout history the stained glass has been giving solutions to that architecture. It is an artistic discipline that is born and takes place mainly in religious art, but since the late nineteenth century until now there are also very good examples of stained glass outside the religious environment.

 Contemporary architecture has dispensed with many of these disciplines in favor of prefabricated materials and standardized assemblies for industrial use, which makes the current windows occupy very special or more exclusive spaces, with a clear purpose of intervention in the environment they occupy. So there are really two lines in which it develops: The stained glass independent of the architecture that is displayed and exhibited in exhibition halls along with painting and sculpture. And a stained glass in formal and conceptual transformation that is adapting to new materials and new forms within architecture. The concepts of enclosure, plastic support and light filter that I was talking about before are still inevitable factors to take into account and therefore continue to work when creating and conceiving new works.

How has this industry changed with technology?

 -Technology influences everything. And art and technology have always gone hand in hand. In the case of the stained glass even more so because everything that builds it, all the materials used and the processes necessary for its realization have been and are an undoubted technological boast, both in the manufacture of glass and metals that accompany it or the treatment and subsequent processing.

On the other hand, the digital world has been a part of every workshop for more than two decades. For us, digital scaling, multi-tool numerical control centers, laser cutting and engraving or plotters are perfectly integrated into many daily tasks. But all these state-of-the-art tools coexist with medieval processes, 19th century machines and hand tools that we also use on a daily basis. The work is still the same and is still substantially done in the same way as centuries ago, although there are tools that make things easier in some aspects.

Do the original works undergo variations after restoration?

-It depends on the cases and the deterioration they have suffered. We could say that a restoration is the result of poor conservation, so in restoration damage that in a good conservation would not have occurred or would not have become dramatic are contemplated. In the case of stained glass windows that lack protection or physical barriers that defend them, it is easy for breakage and loss of glass to occur, which has traditionally led in many cases to unfortunate emergency interventions that end up producing other types of damage and makes subsequent restorations more complicated.

Restoration is always dramatic for a work of art of any kind because it involves the treatment of the damage that has violated the work, so it is important that it is carried out by qualified professionals to restore its entity and ensure its conservation and stability over time.

What process should be followed for the conservation of stained glass windows? 

-To conserve a stained glass, like any other good, you must first assess what may be the causes of deterioration, both physical and environmental, and to establish appropriate protective measures to prevent these damages occur. Once these causes have been established and the appropriate protection has been carried out, it is when the restoration and conservation guidelines should be established, which are easy to carry out when the damage has been minimized as much as possible. It is much more expensive to restore than to conserve. What happens is that conservation involves surveillance and guardianship that must be organized by people trained to know what to do at all times within an orderly framework, and that part is complicated to coordinate.

Is the process different in churches, because they are holy places? 

-We always work thinking that the window has a function within the temple and is not a decontextualized object in a museum, and that function should continue to play as long as the temple remains active. That is its justification and raison d'être and is an important factor to consider when intervening.

Sometimes you restore a work that is not in its proper place, or that is missing elements that have been lost and are necessary to understand it, or that was part of a whole that has been altered or diminished. In these cases, the recovery of the initial idea that returns the work to its religious function is more than necessary, because it is part of its identity, it is what it was designed for and it is what justifies it. It is not always possible because it logically implies the use of resources that are not always available, but it is important to go as far as possible to make it happen.

¿How is the creative process in the creation of stained glass windows?

-As we have been talking about, the window needs and uses a number of materials, techniques and procedures quite large and varied. Each with its particularities and requires specific knowledge. That translates into the sum of several trades that in earlier stages of history were developed in a specialized way by different workers. Nowadays, these large workshops of specialized workers are not possible and one assumes all the tasks to be performed. Drawing, cartoning, cutting, painting, furnaces and melting, leaded, blacksmithing, masonry, the office and the commercial part as well.

It is quite complex. But for us the most important thing is the dialogue or the conversation that is generated with the place where it is destined. It's not about making a piece that can be placed in a space or a window, it's about the work making sense in its place. That it captivates you and tells you things when you see it, that it guides your gaze, and that when you turn around to leave it envelops you and accompanies you. That is our job.

Are there any interesting facts about stained glass that people don't usually know?

-Well, honestly, I would say that almost everything. The windows are usually at a height that makes them inaccessible to almost anyone, and when you can see them up close it is difficult to understand them if someone has not previously explained what you are seeing beyond an image. We try to do as much dissemination as we can, among heritage professionals, art enthusiasts and other groups. The phrase "I could not imagine that this could be so" is quite frequent.

There are many different techniques applicable to glass that allow us to create a stained glass. It can be painted as a painting with water or oil techniques, melt in pieces or layers in a furnace, assembled with metals such as lead, bronze or iron, or cast with materials such as concrete or resin. Not to mention the variety of different procedures that allow us to alter the nature of the glass to change color or shape. Stained glass is an art unknown to most people and yet it is extraordinarily seductive and exciting for those who approach and begin to discover it.

What glass works do you recommend us to see?

-We could begin to cite many European works such as the Sainte Chapelle which is an inevitable reference and exciting to see. But I prefer to focus on Spain because we have very good stained glass and very good sets. In religious art could begin by citing many cathedrals. In Segovia we have been working for several years on an ambitious project that finances with great effort the cathedral chapter and will be completed in a few years. It has a magnificent set of Mannerist stained glass windows, others of the seventeenth and nineteenth extraordinary. The cathedral of Avila also, in the area of the presbytery and the transept. Seville is fantastic. Granada. The cathedral of Leon of course. There are some unknown jewels such as the stained glass windows of the Chapel of the Hospital Niño Jesús in Madrid from 1881. The church of the Jerónimos, next to the Prado museum.

And outside the religious environment are magnificent stained glass windows of the Bank of Spain in Madrid. It has a collection of late nineteenth and early twentieth century that are reference in any art book. It also has contemporary stained glass of the 80s very interesting. At the Complutense University in the faculty of philosophy, or in the auditorium of the school of architecture. It is not difficult to find stained glass in our environment, what is difficult is that people appreciate them for what they are: the jewels that enlighten and enrich us.

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Riches of the Roman Missal: the Sundays of Lent (IV)

On the Sunday of Joy, the fourth Sunday of Lent, the collect prayer and the liturgy invite us to approach the redemptive mystery of Christ.

Carlos Guillén-March 18, 2023-Reading time: 3 minutes
RelatedRelated News"All that is Mine is Yours", Fourth Sunday of Lent

Crossing the equator of Lent, we come to the Sunday called Laetare by the first words of the entrance antiphon: "Rejoice, Jerusalem...!". Surprisingly, this Sunday's Collect has no direct reference to the joy proper to this Sunday.

O God, who through your Word bring about in a marvelous way the reconciliation of the human race, grant that the Christian people may hasten, with joyful faith and diligent dedication, to celebrate the coming Paschal feasts.Deus, qui per Verbum tuum humáni géneris reconciliatiónem mirabíliter operáris, praesta, quaésumus, ut pópulus christiánus prompta devotióne et álacri fide ad ventúra sollémnia váleat festináre.

Before going deeper into its content, it should be noted that this new text for the Missal of Paul VI was composed on the basis of a prayer from the sacramentary. Gelasianum Vetus and to a Lenten sermon by Pope St. Leo the Great (+461). 

From amazement to joy

The structure of this sentence consists of the shortest possible invocation -Deus-followed by an interesting anamnesis clause and a single petition. The part of greatest theological depth is that recollection of the admirable way in which the Father brings about the reconciliation of the human race through his Word. This is the key around which not only the text of the Collect but the whole liturgy revolves, since the reconciliation of humanity through the Word made man is the center of our faith. 

Let us note the fine way in which the Church converts doctrine into contemplation with a single word: mirabiliter. Liturgical prayer (lex orandi) proposes the truth that we must believe (lex credendi), but it also helps us to desire it, awakening our amazement. The attention is fixed on that way so out of the ordinary, so proper to the work of God, the only one capable of doing truly "admirable" things. The use of this adverb projects us towards Easter Sunday, where admiration will reach its climax in the Easter Proclamation: "What an astonishing benefit of your love for us! What incomparable tenderness and charity! To redeem the slave, you gave the Son! Necessary was the sin of Adam, which has been erased by the death of Christ. Blessed is the guilt that deserved such a Redeemer!

Let us find here the strongest foundation of our joy as Christians, in this amazement at the love of God the Trinity for mankind that leads the Church to invite her children to rejoice, to rejoice and to exult with joy. It is very appropriate to quote one of the first texts of the pontificate of Francis: "The joy of the Gospel fills the heart and the whole life of those who encounter Jesus. Those who allow themselves to be saved by him are freed from sin, from sadness, from inner emptiness, from isolation. With Jesus Christ joy is always born and reborn".

From joy to haste

It is not about remembering amazing events of the past, which no longer affect us. The present indicative of the verb operis emphasizes that reconciliation continues to take place today, especially through the action of the Holy Spirit in the liturgical celebration; it is something that affects us existentially. From this conviction comes what we then ask of God: that his people may be able to hasten (festinare) in order to arrive at these upcoming solemnities with a ready, willing and prepared delivery (prompta devotione) and a lively, active, animated faith (alacri fide).

The collection for the Fourth Sunday of Lent transmits this movement to us, it reminds us that we are on pilgrimage. It makes us think, for example, of the joyful and hasty march of the Virgin (cum festinatione) when she went to visit Elizabeth, when she learned from the angel that her cousin was in the sixth month of pregnancy (cf. Lk 1:39); and also in the firm decision with which Jesus went up to Jerusalem with his disciples, when his Passion was already near (cf. Lk 9:51; 12:50; 13:33).

Amazement and joy set God's people on the way. To be sustained on the way and to reach the end, it is necessary to ask for faith, faith with works, and also to be willing to carry one's cross generously in pursuit of the Master. The reward will be to enter into his Kingdom, into joy, into Life. St. Josemaría used to say that "authentic love brings with it joy: a joy that has its roots in the form of the Cross" (Forge, n. 28). A Christian's penance is joyful, not because it does not cost him, but because he lives joyfully in Christ, even when he identifies himself with him by carrying the Cross. And on the horizon of his journey, which he travels with haste, joyful faith and diligent dedication, is the feast that will never end.

The authorCarlos Guillén

Priest from Peru. Liturgist.

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Vincenzo Paglia appeals to the need for an ethics of algorithms

The multiplicity of fields in which Artificial Intelligence intervenes and its influence on daily life makes it necessary to reflect on it in order to orient it towards the common good.

Antonino Piccione-March 17, 2023-Reading time: 6 minutes

"In order to meet the challenges of AI, the Rome Appeal proposes an algorethics, that is, an ethics of algorithms, capable of acting not as an instrument of containment, but as an orientation and guide, based on the principles of the Social Doctrine of the Church: dignity of the person, justice, subsidiarity and solidarity. The addressees are society as a whole, organizations, governments, institutions, international technology companies: all are needed to share a sense of responsibility that guarantees to all humanity a future in which digital innovation and technological progress put the human being at the center".

This is one of the key passages of the speech delivered by Msgr. Vincenzo Paglia, President of the Pontifical Academy for Life, in the framework of the Day of study and formation for journalists, promoted by the ISCOM Association and the Pontifical University of the Holy Cross.

Technological innovation has always been a feature of the information world. With the power of algorithms, today's Artificial Intelligence increasingly conditions the scenarios of journalism. Automation processes raise ethical, professional and legal questions. They end up affecting the very foundations of the journalistic profession: independence, training, ethics.

Is it possible to take advantage of the opportunities offered by the technological leap while safeguarding the journalist's culture, sense of smell and sensitivity? This is the central question of the initiative that has been debated by academics, information professionals, jurists and digital experts.

Pope Francis, in the audience granted last February 20 to the Pontifical Academy for Life, said the following, in reference to the much broader topic of bioethics: "It is paradoxical to speak of an 'augmented' man if one forgets that the human body refers to the integral good of the person and, therefore, cannot be identified only with the biological organism", a wrong approach in this field actually ends up not by 'augmenting', but by 'compressing' man".

Hence," continues the Pontiff, "the importance of knowledge on a human, organic scale," even in the theological sphere, in order to promote a new humanism, a new technological humanism we might say. The Holy Father's words serve as a kind of backdrop to the reflection of Monsignor Vincenzo Paglia, for whom "the core of the debate surrounding artificial intelligence - that is, what makes this specific technology unique and enormously powerful - is its ability to act on its own: AI adapts its behavior according to the situation, analyzes the effects of its previous actions and works autonomously. Advances in computing power, the availability of huge amounts of data and the development of new algorithms have led artificial intelligence to make epochal leaps in recent years."

As for the pervasive influence of Artificial Intelligence, of which few are fully aware, "it is good to read," suggests Paglia, "Susanna Zuboff's book, Surveillance capitalism, in which the author shows the enormous power over our lives of those who hold the data collected and processed through AI over our lives."

To the point - the book says - that the surveillance capitalists know everything about us, while it is impossible for us to know what they know. They accumulate an infinite amount of data and knowledge about us, but not for us. They take advantage of our future so that someone else can benefit, but not us.

As long as surveillance capitalism and its marketplace of future behaviors can thrive, ownership of the new means of behavior modification will eclipse the means of production as a source of wealth and power in the 21st century.

Avoiding a Manichean approach, that is, avoiding enthusiastic adhesions and unfounded exclusions, in line with Day's approach, according to which it is not a matter of choosing between the two extremes, between the ultra-technophiles who extol the praises and exalt the emerging technologies and the technophobic pessimists who demonize them, Paglia draws attention to what he considers "the decisive issue", namely that "these devices have no body. They are machines that can process abstract streams of data. But only machines. The fact that we perceive behaviors or effects of processes with automation leads us to overlook the fact that machines come to us through very different processes. They are an imitation of appearances. In reality, machines do not speak to us, listen to us, or respond to us, simply because they do not even know we exist and do not understand what they are saying to us."

Faced with the risk that the impetuous development of technology may lose sight of the human dimension, the Pontifical Academy for Life organized in 2020 the conference "The Human Dimension of Life".RenAIssance. For a humanistic artificial intelligence', and jointly promoted, on February 28 of the same year in Rome, the signing of an appeal for responsibility.

This appeal took the name - recalls Paglia - of Rome Appeal for the Ethics of AI, and "was signed in the first instance by myself, as president of the Pontifical Academy; by Brad Smith, president of Microsoft; by John Kelly III, deputy CEO of IBM; by Qu Dongyu, director general of the FAO; and by the then Minister for Technological Innovation and Digitalization Paola Pisano on behalf of the Italian government. We were also able to count at the time on the presence and applause of the then President of the European Parliament, David Sassoli".

In order to orient the challenges of AI towards respect for the dignity of every human being, the President of the Pontifical Academy for Life specifies that "the Appeal of Rome proposes an algorethics, that is, an ethics of algorithms, capable of acting not as an instrument of containment, but as orientation and guidance". The Pope says about algorethics: "it aims to ensure a competent and shared verification of the processes by which the relationships between human beings and machines are integrated in our time. In the common pursuit of these objectives, the principles of the Social Doctrine of the Church make a decisive contribution: dignity of the person, justice, subsidiarity and solidarity. They express the commitment to be at the service of each person in his or her integrity, without discrimination or exclusion. But the complexity of the technological world calls for a more articulated ethical elaboration, so that this commitment can be truly "incisive".

Who are the recipients? All of society, answers Paglia, organizations, governments, institutions, international technology companies: "all are needed to share a sense of responsibility that guarantees all of humanity a future in which digital innovation and technological progress put the human being at the center".

What commitments do the signatories undertake and on the basis of what fundamental principles?
There are six, Paglia explains, the guiding principles of conduct that signatories are called upon to observe: "Transparency: in principle, artificial intelligence systems must be understandable; Inclusion: the needs of all human beings must be taken into account so that everyone can benefit and offer all individuals the best possible conditions for expression and development; Responsibility: those who design and implement artificial intelligence solutions must proceed with responsibility and transparency; Impartiality: do not create or act on the basis of bias, thus safeguarding fairness and human dignity; Reliability: artificial intelligence systems must be able to operate reliably; Security and privacy: artificial intelligence systems must operate securely and respect the privacy of users."

The Rome Appeal is above all a cultural movement that wants to bring about change, so much so that it has reached its interreligious signature. "Thus, on January 10 of this year, before the Pope, we presented ourselves together with representatives of the Abu Dhabi Peace Forum (Arab Emirates) and the Commission for Interreligious Dialogue of the Chief Rabbinate of Israel. On the same day, after the first signatories of the Rome Appeal confirmed their commitment to the conception and realization of an artificial intelligence that follows its principles, we brought together prominent speakers who analyzed the subject from both a religious and secular perspective," adds Paglia, aware that "religions have played and will continue to play a crucial role in shaping a world in which the human being is at the center of the concept of development. For this reason, an ethical development of artificial intelligence must also be approached from an interfaith perspective. At our January event, the three Abrahamic religions came together to guide humanity's search for meaning in this new era."

The next step - concluded Monsignor Vincenzo Paglia - is the involvement of Eastern religions, with the intention that in 2024, in Japan, "we will join our voices to those of our brothers and sisters of other religious traditions, so that technological conquests are used for the benefit of all, and promote human dignity, equity and justice", and "shared values such as human fraternity, instead of division and mistrust".

The authorAntonino Piccione

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The Vatican

Women as the key to interpreting the future

The presence, leadership and the richness that the feminine perspective brings to the Church and society have been some of the main themes of Pope Francis' recent speeches.

Giovanni Tridente-March 17, 2023-Reading time: 3 minutes

Inclusion, respect and creativity. These are three fundamental characteristics, according to the Pope FrancisThe feminine is capable of transmitting in a specific way, exercising that "care" that our society needs to achieve a "better world". Elements of true leadership that make women uniquely extraordinary to face - together with other social actors - the challenges of our time.

Reflections that the Holy Father has shared in recent days with scholars and researchers gathered under the aegis of the Strategic Alliance of Catholic Research Universities (SACRU) - the network of universities that collaborate on an ongoing basis to promote excellence in studies in the field of the social doctrine of the Church - and members of the Centesimus Annus Pro Pontifice" Foundation"The meeting was held in Rome precisely for an initiative on women's leadership.

Care

The theme of care refers back to the Mass at the beginning of his pontificate, a few years ago. ten yearson the solemnity of San Joseon March 19, 2013, when the newly elected pontiff referred precisely to the putative father of Jesus, strong, courageous and hardworking, but from whose soul springs "a great tenderness, which is not the virtue of the weak, but rather the opposite: it denotes strength of spirit and capacity for attention, compassion, true openness to others, love".

Aspects that may well be applied to the sensitivity of the women and project them to give life in the world to a "greater inclusiveness" and "greater respect for others. This means, according to the Pontiff, recognizing that "true wisdom, with its thousand facets, is learned and lived by walking together," and in so doing becomes "a generator of peace."

Integrating everyone

Today, in fact, it is even more necessary to "integrate everyone, especially the most economically, culturally, racially and gender fragile", safeguarding the "sacred principle" of excluding no one. In short, as a mother would do with her children: "inclusive, always".

All persons must therefore be "respected in their dignity and fundamental rights", especially if it is a question of womenwho unfortunately are "more easily subjected to violence and abuse". Among them, the Pope Francis points out, as she has done on other occasions, economic discrimination - "they pay you less" - or even dismissal after pregnancy, a real "scourge".

The Holy Father's invitation is not to leave women victims of abuse and exploitation without a voice, to speak out of their pain and denounce the many injustices to which they are subjected.

On the other hand, space must also be given to the action of women themselves, "naturally and powerfully sensitive and oriented to the protection of life in every state, in every age and condition".

Creativity

Another characteristic to be valued is creativity, in order to face today's challenges in a new and original way, since the "female contribution to the common good is undeniable", just think of the many women mentioned in Sacred Scripture or in the history of the Church who, with courage, have allowed "important turning points at decisive moments in the history of salvation". Among them are also the women "next door" who heroically carry forward "difficult marriages, children with problems...".

Pope Francis then declared himself edified by the determination, courage, fidelity, but also by the "capacity to suffer and to transmit joy, honesty, humility, tenacity" and patience of the women he met. women and mothers, that when they are entrusted with even complex tasks, then "things go better".

Harmonious synthesis

The Pontiff made a final reference to the recent context, notorious in recent weeks, related to artificial intelligence, where also here the contribution of women remains indispensable.

Faced with a scenario that is still unknown and not yet fully explored, where one travels by conjecture and approximations, the female presence would have "so much to say", because women "know how to synthesize in a unique way, in their way of acting, three languages: that of the mind, the heart and the hands".

A "brilliance" that women themselves, thank God, are also capable of transmitting to men.

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Sunday Readings

To follow one's vocation. Solemnity of St. Joseph (A)

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

Joseph Evans-March 17, 2023-Reading time: 2 minutes

St. Joseph is a great saint because he was always ready to respond to God's challenges. To use an image from the world of tennis, Joseph was always willing to respond to whatever serve life threw at him. And each challenge led him to greater fidelity. 

The Gospel of today's solemnity - a feast that fills us with so much joy and encourages us to renew our own vocation - shows us Joseph having to face one of the greatest challenges anyone can face: the thought of losing the love of his life. And his anguish was even greater because he was facing a distressing situation without knowing how it had come about. Mary was pregnant, but how? Numerous theories have been proposed as to what Joseph might have been thinking, but the key point is that his priority is not to embarrass Mary. Isn't it amazing that the first episode we find in the Christian gospels is about a man trying not to embarrass a woman? There are great lessons here, especially for us men. The Gospels are much more "feminists" than we think.

So she decided to put an end to the betrothal in the most discreet way possible. While she was thinking about this, an angel of the Lord appeared to her in a dream and said: "Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary your wife, for the child in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will bear a son, and you are to name him Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins."What is the angel saying here? He is saying to St. Joseph (and to us through him): do not be afraid to follow your vocation. A vocation that for St. Joseph was both marriage and celibacy, as it was for Our Lady. Mary and Joseph lived both vocations and, therefore, are models for both married and celibate people.

The angel tells Joseph: do not be afraid to live your vocation knowing that this is totally beyond you, that God has intervened, that you are entering a situation in which you are totally inadequate, that it takes you far beyond the limited - though perfectly legitimate - plans you had made ("that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit".).

Don't be afraid to enter into a situation where the Holy Spirit does things you don't understand, asks you for a level of love you never expected, even a whole new level of purity and refinement. Don't be afraid to allow the Holy Spirit to complicate your life with the entrance of God made man into it. God broke into your life in a whole new way, just as He breaks into ours. For most of us it is a call to marriage; some of us are called to celibacy.

Today's feast challenges us to consider how we respond to God's plans, which often means changing our own, aware that those plans may also come to us through intermediaries, just as God's plans came to Joseph through an angel.

Homily on the readings of the Solemnity of St. Joseph (A)

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

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  • Jean-Luc MoensI don't want to go to heaven without my wife".
Vocations

Jean-Luc MoensI don't want to go to heaven without my wife".

Mathematician, married and father of seven children, Jean-Luc Moens is a member of the Emmanuel community, one of the charismatic communities of the Catholic Church. In an interview granted to Omnes, he tells us how he lives this call of God in the midst of the world with the particularities of the community to which he belongs.

Leticia Sánchez de León-March 16, 2023-Reading time: 8 minutes

Jean-Luc Moens is a layman, father of a family, known throughout the Catholic charismatic scene.

He was the first moderator of Charis, an institution erected on December 8, 2018 by the will of Pope Francis and which brings together various charismatic entities of the Catholic Church throughout the world.

During his term as moderator, Moens defended the importance of an authentic spiritual experience, unity among the members of the charismatic community and collaboration with other realities of the Catholic Church.

In 2021 he left his position as moderator of Charis to take care of his family, especially his daughter, who became seriously ill during that period.

How is your daughter?

- The same. He had a stroke, his heart stopped. It's not clear why it happened, but for a while he was not feeling well, and one day he fell to the ground, in front of his daughter. My daughter said to her daughter at the time, "Call the ambulance." When the ambulance arrived, his heart stopped. They gave her - as is normal in these cases - the resuscitation maneuver, only they did it for 45 minutes.... she was 42 years old at the time.

Jean-Luc Moens
Jean-Luc Moens with his wife and daughter

When she was still in a coma after the first stroke, her husband abandoned her. My daughter was left with nothing: she lost her body, her husband, her house, her children, her job. She lost everything. Now she has hemiplegia (paralysis of half of her body) on the left side; and her right leg does not work well either.

In addition, the stroke damaged her brain and she has lost her immediate memory, she forgets recent things. At some point, talking to her children, she says, "How was school?" -and they tell him- and after an hour, the same question, "How was school?". It's very hard for them because they don't understand what's going on.

At first, my wife and I looked for a place where we could take her in and take good care of her, with all the particularities that the disease entails, but they were all old people's homes and she is so young...so we transformed our house so that she could live with us. We put in everything electric so that she could open the doors, an elevator so she could go up to the second floor, etc.

I tell all this to say that, in spite of everything, I know that God loves me. And I see in this situation a plan of God for me. I don't know if we will see that plan here on earth, but we will certainly see it in heaven. We have to think about it this way, because if not, it is impossible to go on.

This year is the year of St. Therese of Lisieux and she always said in her letters: "Jesus has sent me this suffering, thank you Jesus". All this makes our faith grow. Without faith it is difficult to face difficulties. What the Lord gives us to live, is also to give witness and hope, because we must hope.

When Jesus asks his apostles, "Who do you say that I am?" Peter replies, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God," and Jesus replies as if to say, "Well done, my Father has inspired this to you." But then he adds - "Now I have to go to Jerusalem to be rejected, imprisoned, crucified..." and then Peter says, "Ah no, not that."

We are like Peter: we want a glorious Christ, but we do not accept a crucified Christ. And this is also our vocation. Because everything changes if we see our life as a whole. I may live 80 or 85 years or die tomorrow, but it is not the end.

I see time on earth and time after death in a mathematical way: time on earth is a limited time that is inserted in an infinite whole, "timelessness". The important thing is to observe our life as a whole, so that what I live now will find its meaning and reward in the second part.

Regarding infinity, you are a mathematician. This idea of infinity, the concept of eternity, how do you understand it? How can you accept that infinite, eternal time, to which we all aspire?

- Someone said "Eternity is very long, especially at the end" (he laughs). I think a lot about eternity: we humans live inserted in a concrete time, and we don't have the capacity to imagine what eternity is like.

But, as a mathematician, I explain it to myself as follows: We live in three dimensions: the first dimension is linear, it is time, like a horizontal line. If we add a second dimension, a vertical line, we would have space. And with these two conditions of time and space it is possible for movement, the third dimension, to exist. If we leave for a moment those three dimensions (space, time and movement) and we see everything from outside, we would be in a fourth dimension, and if I am outside these dimensions, I see everything in an instant.

This is God for us: he is outside space-time and sees everything in an instant. Eternity is an instant and a present that never ends. But it is a present, not a waiting.

Because if we think of eternity as a time that does not end, we would not want to go, because we would find it boring. That said, it remains a mystery to human eyes.

Mathematician, married, with 7 children and 13 grandchildren. Your vocation came late in life. What is vocation for you?

- Call. "Vocare" is "to call." I am convinced that God calls each one with a unique plan. God never does things in series, each one is unique. What is holiness? It is to become what God wanted me to be. The saint is the one who fully realizes his vocation.

Carlo Acutis used to say: "Everyone is born original and unfortunately they die as photocopies". The saint is the one who remains original, and that is our vocation.

For me vocation is not just knowing if I will marry, if I will be a priest, etc. Certainly, it is part of the vocation, but vocation is also my place in the Church, what the Lord asks of me, my mission, how I am called by Him to serve - to serve Him - in the world. In this sense there is an infinity of vocations, and that is the beauty of it. Clearly the fulfillment of my vocation is to be married, to be a father, grandfather, etc., but my vocation is also to evangelize, to make God known.

Vocation implies something broader, more extensive and that I freely accept. It is not that God has called me and put me on rails like a train that follows a pre-established path and does not go off the rails. When one takes another route that perhaps is not the one God wants for him, God adjusts his plan in some way.

I also feel very fortunate to live at this time in history. Because in this time, after Vatican II, as a layman, I can be sure that my vocation is holiness. As a layman, I have been an evangelizer all my life.

Forty-five years ago I spoke to a priest, and I said, "I would like to be a missionary," and he said, "But you are married and have children, that is impossible." But it was possible. I was chosen to evangelize full time. What an immense grace! We are all called to be witnesses of the Faith in the world, but I had the grace of being able to do it full time, in community. And this is a gift from God in my life that I thank Him for every day.

Jean Luc Moens

This "call", this mission that you mention, becomes a reality in your life through the community to which you belong, the Emmanuel Community. What is the charism of this community?

- Like any charism it is difficult to explain in a few words, but we can say that the basis is the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. And this outpouring has changed my life. I was a Christian because I was born into a Christian family: I went to Mass every Sunday and prayed the three Hail Marys at my bedside every night, nothing else. Then I received the outpouring of the Holy Spirit and began to have a personal relationship with God, with Jesus. Jesus became a person for me, with whom I talk a lot. And to whom I also try to listen (he laughs).

Our community was born from the outpouring of the Holy Spirit and, together with this, the moments of fraternal sharing with the other members of the community are important. In fact, the vocation of Emmanuel is to make God known to all people, whether they are far away or close to the Church. Its members are committed together to live adoration, compassion for the needy, evangelization, communion of states of life (laity, priests, consecrated together) and the special devotion to Therese of Lisieux to advance on the path of holiness.

Because how does the Spirit speak? Often we would like to hear the voice of God: "Jean Luc, you have to do this", but usually we don't. I have heard the voice of God in my life, but the normal thing is to listen to the brothers. I have heard the voice of God in my life, but the normal thing is to listen to the brothers and God speaks through the brothers.

I always like to make a comparison: What is a community charisma? It is like a cocktail. The Church is like a wine cellar where all the ingredients are, all of them belong to the Church. Each community takes certain ingredients in different quantities.

For example, if we take the ingredient of poverty, evangelization, love for the Church, and mix it well, we have the Franciscans. If we add preaching, study, we have the Dominicans; and if we take the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, fraternal life, adoration, compassion for the poor... we mix it all well. et voilàThe Emmanuel Community. Which is unique. But in every cocktail there is a base liquid or main ingredient: for us it is the outpouring of the Holy Spirit and fraternal life.

A community charism is, in fact, a path to holiness. I entered a community to be a saint, nothing less. I want to be a saint. And with our particular charism and together with my brothers, and through the other elements that I have already mentioned, I travel a path of holiness, but, which lasts a lifetime obviously, it is not that when I entered, I became a saint, it is a path and that is my true vocation. And this gives me immense joy.

You were the moderator of Charis until you decided to leave your position due to your daughter's health problems. Do you consider the family the first place where your vocation materializes?

- Of course. My first place of holiness, of this calling, is my family, and first of all my wife. I didn't get married to be out doing other things. I believe that the vocation to holiness, wherever it may be, is lived above all in the family; I cannot become a saint far from my family, or from my wife. in spite of my family.

No, I can become a saint because I am married, I am a father, I am a grandfather, and that is where the Lord is waiting for me, and when I said that the Lord speaks through the brothers, the Lord speaks to me through my wife first of all, because I cannot listen to others without first listening to my wife.

I believe that we have reached a moment in the history of the Church in which this call to holiness of the laity, of married people and of the family as a whole, is becoming clearer and clearer.

I see that awareness of family sanctity is beginning to emerge: the Ulma family, for example, a Polish family, will be beatified all together, as a family: the parents and the six children and also the seventh child they were expecting.

Another example is the Rugamba family in Rwanda - I am helping in the cause of beatification and I hope they will be beatified soon - and so many other examples that are making it clear that married life is also a call to holiness, and the Church wants to give this sign to married people.

I don't want to go to heaven without my wife. And I want all my children, even my children-in-law, all of them, to go with me to heaven. And that's why I pray for each one of them every day.

The authorLeticia Sánchez de León

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Culture

The mystery of another presence. The chapel of St. John Paul II in the cathedral of Madrid.

A few months ago, Cardinal Carlos Osoro, Archbishop of Madrid, inaugurated a chapel dedicated to St. John Paul II in the Almudena Cathedral in Madrid, the work of architects Benjamín Cano and Diego Escario. In addition to a brief description of the chapel, we reflect on some of the symbolisms of Christian architecture from its origins to the present day, which are present in this work by Cano and Escario.

Andrés Iráizoz-March 16, 2023-Reading time: 6 minutes

Cathedrals are buildings designed to last "forever" and it is common that over the centuries works are carried out in them that, little by little, alter their physiognomy. When the cathedral of Santa María la Real de la Almudena there was a series of side chapels, one of which is the one that the Cathedral Chapter decided to dedicate to St. John Paul IIPope who dedicated the cathedral in 1993. 

When the commission came to Cano and Escario's studio, there was already a first chapel that they decided to respect and they designed an interior envelope made with a series of wooden porches very close to each other that allow to see through it the original architecture but with a very subtlety achieved, because the visitor experiences being in a completely new chapel. 

That is to say, Cano and Escario propose their performance as a scenic spatial plot within the space of a side chapel. This, in turn, is framed in the overall space of the cathedral.

General view of the chapel of John Paul II. ©Archimadrid/Luis Millán

Symbolic elements

At the entrance to the chapel, there is a large rock that symbolizes the material dimension of creation. The marble rock, in addition to this significance, refers to the primacy of Peter and apostolic continuity.

Just behind this stone, like a boat, there is a longitudinal and narrow table on the far end of which there is a paschal candle, on whose vertical, attached from heaven or Abraham's bosom, hang three luminaries symbolizing the Holy Trinity.

Traditionally, stone was used in temples for the materialization of their vaults, symbolizing the celestial and/or sacred realm. 

Here there is an apparent change, as Cano and Escario have opted for the use of wood, a choice of great interest and subtlety because, in essence, the idea is to symbolize the union of the faithful in the building of the church. If in some examples, the faithful are represented by the carved stones, here it is the pieces of wood in their successive porticoes, thirty centimeters apart from each other, that make the original chapel transparent: it is the Church in motion, in tradition and vibrantly current, configuring the structure of the Chapel, thus symbolizing the place of this world and the work of man in his design to dominate creation. 

Reliquary with the blood vial of the Holy Pope. ©Archimadrid/Luis Millán

Joseph's workshop would also be represented here, recalling, in this wood, both the Church's commitment to creation and the Polish Pope's passion for forests and mountains.

St. John Paul II began his pontificate by commending the whole Church to the Virgin Mary with that memorable invocation ".Totus Tuus". (All yours). In this chapel, perhaps we miss, figuratively, that mystery of the virginal Marian presence. However, perhaps in a more cryptic way, in these Petrine settings we want to intuit, already reflected in its section, something like the maternal cloister of Our Mother, Saint Mary. In this sense, it should be noted that one of the novelties introduced by Christian architecture was that, unlike the classical temples of Greece and Rome, the faithful passed into the interior of the temple. This concept is embodied in the general conception of Christian churches in which, like a mother's womb, the faithful are engendered in the world of grace.

In this case, we can also see this gestating presence both in the floor plan and in the section. While in other chapels of the cathedral it is not possible to access its interior, but they are conceived only for observation, in this chapel of St. John Paul II we can establish an internal tour that tells us about the beginning and end of the significance of the symbols included.

The purity of the spiritual dimension is symbolized in the light emitted by the paschal candle and the lights interspersed as luminaries between the wooden porticoes that symbolize the dawn and the shadows of the life of the faithful and the saints, giving an impression of the background in perspective with its seriality. They are the milestones and lights that Providence marks on the path of wandering through this life until reaching the Father.

In this symbolic group, we can also understand that we are seeing the mystery of our redemption, in which Jesus Christ is incarnated in matter (rock) and after his life represented in the boat, which in turn is the Church, after his Ascension, he opened the way that leads to the encounter with God the Father. 

Rock with the opening words of the pontificate of St. John Paul II. ©Archimadrid/Luis Millán

This wooden ascent breaks through the paths of life, from the beginning of the checkerboard floor to the zenith of redemption from which the Cross of Christ hangs. 

Below it, as a sacramental preamble, there is a confessional for penitents.

The slats that rise from the ground plane towards it, break their path and directionality in a graceful itinerary, like children who are always playing in its presence. 

These tables house in the lower part of the chapel some rhomboidal luminaries with photos of the life of the Pope or of the life of St. John Paul II as significant milestones of his history and passage through this life. These scenes from the life of the saint are like windows that open from his intimacy to the exterior space of the faithful.

At the back of the chapel there is a large photo of St. John Paul II behind which is located the space for the ministry of penance, which, together with the Eucharist and the other sacraments, is the way established by Jesus Christ to initiate our resurrection already in this life. This - the confessional - by grace elevates us penitentially to the Father. In other words, the penitent is thus transformed into an embryo destined to be born into eternal life. Man is thus shown to be the image and likeness of God, sanctified by grace and elevated to the supernatural order.

In this case, since it is a penitential chapel and there is no altar, this image remains as a frontal before the confessional, symbolizing the enormous dedication and appreciation for this sacrament in the life and teaching of Pope Wojtyła. As the Dean of the Cathedral pointed out at the inauguration, it would be a nice attitude of the visitor, before entering the chapel, that consideration of the saint to the young people who said: "enter, do not be afraid and open the doors to Christ"; words pronounced by him immediately after his accession to the Petrine ministry.

In one of the lateral rhombuses, also backlit, the reliquary that was kept in the cathedral of Madrid has been placed, in that first space dedicated to the Polish Pope, housing a vial with his blood.

One of the walls of the chapel. ©Archimadrid/Luis Millán

If we look at the formal aspects of the scenic plot that the chapel offers us, we could say that it has minimalist reminiscences, organic Nord-European architecture, conceptual art and a particular "manner" of arranging and conceiving things with a marked expressiveness.

There is a great formal purification that in turn reveals architecturally certain complexity and contradiction in the language used. The games and warps that the elements of the wooden porches in their coming and going, lowering and raising asymmetrically ... etc., attest to this.

We could also speak of a trace or symbolic air of the Holy Week processions, with a certain nocturnal effect of the same. Something like the collective unconscious that the artists, I do not know if willingly or unwillingly, have left captured. It is the archetypal dream of the sacred in man manifested by its symbolic rituals. Scenarios of a journey: the mystery of another presence.

The authorAndrés Iráizoz

Architect.

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Sunday Readings

A new look. Fourth Sunday of Lent (A)

Joseph Evans comments on the readings for the Fourth Sunday of Lent and Luis Herrera offers a brief video homily.

Joseph Evans-March 16, 2023-Reading time: 2 minutes

Lent is meant to prepare us for the great conquest of light over darkness that is the Resurrection of Christ. And in today's readings the Church leads us to a deeper faith in Jesus, presenting it as true vision, participation in his light. There is a vision that transcends the physical. There is a light that is not only seeing, but also living. There are people who, simply by their life, give light. That is why St. Paul says to the Ephesians in today's second reading: "Before you were darkness, but now you are light through the Lord. Live as children of light". And he quotes a saying that seems to have been in circulation at the time: "Awake thou that sleepest, arise from the dead, and Christ shall enlighten thee.".

The Gospel focuses on this same theme with St. John's account of the healing of the man born blind. This man was physically blind, but thanks to faith in Christ he recovers his sight. But Jesus stresses that his true sight is spiritual, his faith. Our Lord contrasts this with the Pharisees who, though physically able to see, remain in spiritual darkness because of their lack of faith. So Our Lord concludes the miracle by saying: "For a judgment I have come into this world: that those who do not see may see, and those who see may become blind.".

The Church encourages us to see in a new way through growth in faith. We can do all the Lenten acts we want, but if we end this time without a deeper faith in Jesus Christ as God made man and our Savior, all our efforts will have been in vain. We want to live in our own lives this extraordinary exchange between Jesus and the man born blind: "Do you believe in the Son of man?". asked the Lord. And he answered: "And who is he, Lord, that I should believe in him?". Jesus said to him: "You have seen him, and it is he who speaks to you.". And he replied: "I believe, Lord."and adored him. We are invited to know Jesus better and to see him more clearly with the eyes of faith.

The first reading also speaks of sight in the episode of the prophet Samuel who finds and anoints David king. When Jesse introduces him to his eldest sons, Samuel is impressed and thinks that one of them must be the chosen one. But God tells him not to take any notice of their appearance or stature: "It is not a question of what man sees. For man looks at the eyes, but the Lord looks at the heart". And finally David, the youngest, a mere boy, will be the chosen one.

Faith will lead us to see others more as God sees them, to realize their divine potential despite possibly disappointing first impressions. Faith is an anointing, an outpouring of grace upon us, so that we may confidently follow God as sheep follow their shepherd. By faith we see God, also in others, and follow him with confidence.

Homily on the readings of the Fourth Sunday of Lent (A)

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

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Vocations

Carlos Chiclana: "Priests must take care of themselves in order to take care of others".

What kind of priests does the Church need today? What should their human and spiritual formation be like? Do they miss anything in this formation? These are some of the questions addressed at the March 15 Omnes Forum on the affective life and priestly personality.

María José Atienza / Paloma López-March 15, 2023-Reading time: 4 minutes
RelatedRelated NewsWhich priests do we need? To form missionary pastorsRelated News"All for you", the testimony of a young seminarian

Joan Enric Vives, archbishop and president of the Episcopal Commission for the Clergy and Seminaries of the Spanish Episcopal Conference, and Dr. Carlos Chiclana, psychiatrist and author of "Retos, risks and opportunities in the affective life of the priest", were the speakers at the last Omnes Forum focused on Affective Life and Priestly Personality. Keys to formation, organized in conjunction with the CARF Foundation and with the collaboration of the bank Sabadell.

Dozens of people gathered at the headquarters of the Carlos de Amberes Foundation (Madrid, Spain), on Wednesday, March 15 for this Forum, which highlighted the need for clear and adequate formation during seminary time and during priestly life, as well as the main conclusions that Dr. Chiclana's team has drawn from its study "....Challenges, risks and opportunities of the priest's affective life", in which more than a hundred priests and seminarians participated.

The director of Omnes, Alfonso Riobó, welcomed speakers and attendees, stressing that "affectivity and happiness are closely related", since through good training, "affectivity can be integrated into the personality as a whole", a necessary aspect for the fulfillment of any person.

"Priestly formation is a single great way."

Joan Enric Vives, Archbishop and President of the Episcopal Commission for the Clergy and Seminaries of the Spanish Episcopal Conference and Bishop of Urgell, was the first to speak. In his intervention he referred to "Forming missionary pastorsThe "Plan for Priestly Formation of the Church in Spain, a document that obtained total unanimity on the part of all the Spanish bishops", essential for understanding the formation process of priests and seminarians. In this text, it can be seen that "priestly formation is a single great path".

Vives wanted to start from the idea that the sacrament of Holy Orders consists in "making the grace of the fatherhood of God reach everyone". The priest, the bishop explained, is "a bearer 24 hours a day, all his life, until he dies, of the grace of priestly ordination for the Church and for the world". Precisely for this reason, it is important that "the formation process lasts a lifetime, not only during the seminary period.

In this regard, the Bishop of Urgell stressed that "psychiatry and priestly formation have to go together, they have to seek together the welfare of our priests and seminarians". Especially important is "the collaboration with psychiatry and psychology in the period of vocational discernment".

All this without forgetting that "one also forms oneself, welcoming the gift of God, allowing the Holy Spirit to form you in the Church and in the paths that life opens up for us".

The importance of taking care of the heart

Vives pointed out that "priests, as men that they are, do not cease to have some needs and shortcomings. Therefore, it is good that "they have as a motto for life the importance of letting themselves be helped.

The help they can get is aimed at taking care of the heart, something that Pope Francis has echoed many times. Writing the role of the heart is constantly emphasized.

But why is it important to take care of the heart? As Vives affirmed, because this attention allows "to form the heart of man so that he can love as Christ loves his Church".

Keys to formation in pastoral charity

Joan Enric Vives ended his talk by specifying five keys to formation in pastoral charity, in order to help both seminarians and priests. The points mentioned by the bishop were:

  • Acquire the feelings of the Son of God
  • Feeling with the People of God, feeling it as one's own
  • To give consistency to the personality
  • Living fraternity
  • Welcoming simplicity of life, poverty and spiritual infancy
  • Fostering an evangelizing or missionary spirit

Spiritual life as the center of everything

The second speaker was psychiatrist Carlos Chiclana, who focused his presentation on the results of the aforementioned study. A total of 128 priests and seminarians participated in this study, with an average age of approximately 50 and 20 years of priestly life.

Dr. Chiclana explained that the study was based on "five open-ended questions about what challenges seemed most significant for the affective life of a priest, what risks they appreciated, what opportunities they saw, what helped them in particular in their formation on affectivity and what they missed in the formation".

The results showed that "the areas of greatest interest are spiritual life, loneliness, interpersonal relationships and training", however, Chiclana clarified that among the participants "it is not shown that they lacked training in relation to loneliness, both physical and emotional".

The conclusions of the study

Carlos Chiclana affirmed that, taking into account the data provided by the study, it is important "to strengthen in priests all that is relational, friendship", so that "they can live human relationships with normality, intimacy, affective freedom and commitment".

In addition, the psychiatrist proposed "that all seminarians be psychologically evaluated to help them". In order to know them better and help them "to put all the necessary means to mature in their personal vocation". And, along with all this, to reinforce the idea that "priests have to take care of themselves in order to be able to take care of others".

Antidotes against loneliness

Dr. Chiclana, like Vives, wanted to specify some points and, in his case, they referred to the fight against the loneliness that can afflict priests and seminarians:

  • Orderly attachment that provides safety and security
  • Social integration
  • Nurturing relationships with others
  • Reaffirmation of the value
  • Reliable partnership with others
  • Guidance through someone trustworthy and experienced

Responsibility and integration

After the presentations, there was a question and answer session in which issues such as the accompaniment of the priests of the families in the Christian communities were raised. To which Dr. Chiclana responded that "the first and simplest thing is material". If priests are helped in day-to-day matters, pastors can devote more time to the administration of the sacraments and to their spiritual life.

For his part, Vives explained that "there is a mutual responsibility" that should lead us to "foster different forms of fraternity", in order to take care of each other.

They also discussed the idea of excluding a pathway, whether spiritual or psychological, when the priest or seminarian has some kind of discomfort, causing the problem to try to be solved from a very limited point of view. In this aspect, Dr. Chiclana stressed the importance of promoting integrity in all aspects of the person, so that each issue is worked on in the most appropriate way, thus managing to "integrate both spiritual and human aspects".

The authorMaría José Atienza / Paloma López

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The Vatican

Francis asks St. Joseph to help us "to be faithful and courageous apostles".

Pope Francis encouraged during this Wednesday's general audience in St. Peter's Square to ask St. Joseph, "patron of the Universal Church," to help us "to be faithful and courageous apostles, open to dialogue, and ready to face the challenges of Evangelization," to which all the baptized are called by our Christian vocation.

Francisco Otamendi-March 15, 2023-Reading time: 5 minutes
RelatedRelated NewsWho is in charge of the Church and how is it organized internally?Related News"The path of evangelization does not always depend on our will."

During the general audience, Pope Francis encouraged us to ask St. Joseph to help us "to be faithful and courageous apostles, open to dialogue and ready to face the challenges of evangelization," to which all the baptized are called by our Christian vocation.

After formulating the petition to the Lord through the intercession of St. Joseph, the Argentinean Pope thanked "in a special way all the people belonging to the political parties and social leaders of my country, who have joined together to sign a letter of greeting on the occasion of the tenth year of the pontificate. Thank you for this gesture", he said. 

Then, the Holy Father added that "just as you have united to sign this letter, how nice that you unite to talk, to discuss, and to carry the homeland forward. May Jesus bless you and the Holy Virgin watch over you".

The mention to St. Joseph and to the political and social leaders of Argentina took place when he referred to the Spanish-speaking faithful and pilgrims. A little later, addressing the Italian-speaking pilgrims, the Pope expressed his "closeness to the people of Malawi, who have been hit by a cyclone in recent days. May the Lord sustain the families and communities hit by this calamity. 

Also, as is customary in almost every audience and at the Angelus, the Pope made an appeal regarding the war in Ukraine. On this occasion he addressed political leaders to "respect places of worship".

Christian vocation, a call to the apostolate

At the audience, which for the second time this year, on a sunny day, took place in St. Peter's Square, Pope Francis continued his catechesis on the passion to evangelize, "and in the school of the Second Vatican Council, let us try to understand better what it means to be 'apostles' today," he said. 

"The word "apostle"brings to mind the group of the Twelve apostles chosen by Jesus. Sometimes we call "apostle" a saint, or more generally bishops. But are we aware that being apostles refers to every Christian, and therefore also to each one of us? Indeed, we are called to be apostles in a Church that we profess in the Creed to be apostolic". 

His first words referred to the mission, and to the call. "So, what does it mean to be an apostle? It means to be sent on a mission. Exemplary and foundational is the event in which the Risen Christ sends his apostles into the world, transmitting to them the power that he himself has received from the Father and giving them his Spirit. We read in John's Gospel: 'Jesus said to them again: "Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, even so I send you." Having said this, he breathed on them and said to them, "Receive the Holy Spirit"' (20:21-22)"

"Another fundamental aspect of being an apostle is the vocation, that is, the call," Pope Francis stressed. "It has been so from the beginning, when the Lord Jesus "called those whom he wanted, and they came to him" (Mk. 3:13). He constituted them as a group, attributing to them the title of "apostles", so that they might be with him and be sent on mission. In his letters, St. Paul presents himself as follows: "Paul, called to be an apostle" (1 Cor 1:1) and also: "Paul, a servant of Christ, an apostle by vocation, chosen for the Gospel of God" (Rom 1:1). And he insists on the fact that he is "an apostle, not of men, nor through any man, but through Jesus Christ and God the Father, who raised him from the dead" (Gal 1:1); God called him from his mother's womb to preach the Gospel among the nations (cf. Gal 1:15-16).

Priests, consecrated and lay faithful 

Immediately, the Pope began to draw consequences from the Scriptures. "The experience of the Twelve and the witness of Paul also challenge us today," he said. "Everything depends on a gratuitous call from God; God chooses us also for services that at times seem to exceed our capacities or do not correspond to our expectations; to the call received as a gratuitous gift it is necessary to respond gratuitously. 

The Council says: "The Christian vocation, by its very nature, is also a vocation to the apostolate" (Decree Apostolicam actuositatem [AA, 2)". 

"The witness of the first Christians also illuminates our apostolate in the Church today. Their experience shows us that it is God who chooses us and graces us for the mission," he said.

"It is a call that is common, 'as common is the dignity of the members, which derives from their regeneration in Christ; common is the grace of sonship; common is the call to perfection: one salvation, one hope and undivided charity'," he added, citing No. 32 of the Lumen Gentium (LG) of the Second Vatican Council. 

"It is a call that concerns everyone, both those who have received the sacrament of Holy Orders and consecrated persons, as well as every lay faithful, man or woman," the Holy Father stressed. "And it is a call that enables one to carry out one's apostolic task actively and creatively, in the heart of a Church in which 'there is a variety of ministries, but a unity of mission. To the Apostles and their successors Christ conferred the task of teaching, sanctifying and ruling in his own name and authority. But even the laity, made sharers in the priestly, prophetic and kingly ministry of Christ, fulfill their role in the mission of the whole people of God in the Church and in the world' (AA.2)".

Collaboration between laity and hierarchy: equal dignity, no privileges

"In this context, how does the Council understand the collaboration of the laity with the hierarchy? Is it merely a strategic adaptation to new emerging situations?" the Pope asked. And he responded by stressing that there are no "privileged categories." 

It is not a matter of strategic adaptations, the Pope pointed out. "Not at all, there is something more, which goes beyond the contingencies of the moment and which maintains its own value also for us. "The Church," the Decree Ad Gentes affirms, "is not truly founded, nor fully alive, nor a perfect sign of Christ among the nations, as long as there does not exist and work with the Hierarchy a laity properly so called" (n. 21). 

"In the context of the unity of the mission, the diversity of charisms and ministries must not give rise, within the ecclesial body, to privileged categories; nor can it serve as a pretext for forms of inequality that have no place in Christ and in the Church. This is because, although 'some, by the will of Christ, have been constituted doctors, dispensers of the mysteries and pastors for the others, there is an authentic equality among all in terms of the dignity and action common to all the faithful in order to build up the Body of Christ' (LG, 32)." "Who has more dignity, the bishop, the priest...? No, we are all equal," he added.

"Thus posed, the question of equality in dignity asks us to rethink many aspects of our relationships, which are decisive for evangelization," Pope Francis concluded. "For example, are we aware of the fact that with our words we can damage people's dignity, thus ruining relationships? While we try to dialogue with the world, do we also know how to dialogue among ourselves believers? Is our speech transparent, sincere and positive, or is it opaque, equivocal and negative? Is there a willingness to dialogue directly, face to face, or do we send messages through a third party? Do we know how to listen in order to understand the reasons of the other, or do we impose ourselves, perhaps also with soft words?" 

"Dear brothers and sisters, let us not be afraid to ask ourselves these questions," the Pope concluded. "They can help us to verify the way we live our baptismal vocation, our way of being apostles in an apostolic Church."

The authorFrancisco Otamendi

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Vocations

Cardinal Lazzaro You: "For there to be good shepherds, all means must be provided".

There are many dimensions of the priesthood that require the diligent attention of the Church. In public opinion, the outlook is often negative: a decline in the number of vocations, polemical conceptions of the priesthood, less than exemplary behavior... Cardinal Lazzaro You addresses all these aspects in this interview.

Alfonso Riobó-March 15, 2023-Reading time: 11 minutes

Cardinal Lazzaro You Heoung Sik, from Korea, was appointed by Francis Prefect of the Dicastery for the Clergy in 2021. He is a jovial person, who radiates affection and sympathy. In the informal conversation that surrounded this interview with Omnes in Rome, he defined himself as a "tifoso" (enthusiastic supporter) of priests. Few expressions would better indicate what is desired in those who perform this task.

A little over a year ago you arrived at this Dicastery as Prefect. What is the significance of appointing a Korean bishop to this task?

-It is the first time that a Korean has been appointed Prefect of a Dicastery of the Holy See. I see it as a reciprocal gift. It is not that I as a person have much to give, but I would like to offer much. At the same time, it is an enrichment for me.

Allow me at the beginning of this interview to recall something that the Holy Father has written to journalists in his Message for the World Communications Day This year's theme: that the important thing is to "speak from the heart". If we speak from the heart, what we say comes through, because the heart resembles the Lord. With the heart, it works; without the heart, it does not work. Therefore, in response to the message of Pope Francis, and in order to put it into practice, I will try to speak from the heart.

How is it being implemented Praedicate Evangelium in the Dicastery?

-The Apostolic Constitution Praedicate Evangelium has reformed the Roman Curia. The Pope prepared it from the beginning of his pontificate; already in April 2013, a little more than a month after the beginning of his pontificate, he formed the Council with the eight cardinals from different continents, and studied the whole life of the Church together with them; this is the Church in synodal mode. Moreover, it is significant that these cardinals are pastors in their respective dioceses; therefore, the Constitution is made by pastors, which is very important. Perhaps experts can make some observations from the point of view of Canon Law, but it is a text drawn up from a pastoral perspective.

In the Constitution, the Pope wanted to put evangelization in the foreground, and that is why the Dicastery for Evangelization is in the first place. This means that the first task in the Church is to announce the Word of God, the good news; it is something very beautiful. We announce the good news with our witness; without it there is no evangelization. And then comes Charity, which in the Church is the first task. Praedicate Evangelium has become the third Dicastery, that of the Service of Charity.

This is what we priests and pastors also have to do: it is necessary to proclaim the Word, and this requires that we always live the Word, and with it we put into practice Charity, a reciprocal and concrete love. For this reason, in the Dicastery for the Clergy, it is important to form priests according to Praedicate Evangelium. It is not a task for a single day, but a vision, a path to be traveled forward, starting with us, with myself: I am the first person to be converted.

How does the Dicastery work?

-As you were saying, we have only been here for a short time, and several of those in charge of the Dicastery are new. Our main concern is not to change the structures of this Organism, but to put heart and soul into our daily work. Without a heart, we cannot move forward. That is our task.

And we try to do it in collaboration among ourselves; thus, we have to find a vision of the Dicastery, and we are doing it with the help of listening to all the Members and to the Consultors, among whom there are experts in the various fields, coming from various countries.

Our relationship with the other Dicasteries is also one of collaboration: our work is a team effort.

We do not forget that our task is a service to the local Churches. It has always been a characteristic of the Holy See, but now the Pope has stressed even more that our role is to serve the local Churches and the bishops and priests throughout the world. We are there to serve, not to command, oversee or control. The bishops who come here for whatever reason feel it: they feel good, because they feel very much loved. 

A novelty is the competence of the Dicastery over personal prelatures. How is the relationship with the Prelature of Opus Dei?

We have received the information about the personal Prelature with great joy. With the Opus Dei we have had many meetings and gatherings. 

This task reminds us that we are all for the Lord, we are for the Church. So let us open our hearts. Let us speak. Let us listen to each other. Let's look at the issues, and let's get to where God wants us to go together. The Holy Spirit will carry us forward. This is what I have told the members of the Prelature, and they were happy to hear it. 

Last November I ordained twenty-five deacons of the Prelature of Opus Dei. It was very nice. As the date was approaching, I told them: to ordain these seminarians, I want to get to know them first; and I asked them to come and see me. We talked for about an hour, getting to know the history of each one of them. One was an engineer, another a professor, or a journalist, or a doctor... but with the call to the priesthood everything changed; they met the Lord and changed course. How beautiful this is! Even after the ordination we were together in a very familiar atmosphere. 

One of your tasks is to take care of priests, in terms of their person and their pastoral ministry. Isn't it a great responsibility today?

-Pope Francis has observed that we are going through a change of era, both in the Church and in society itself. Having spoken with him a lot, I think the important thing is that we ask ourselves: what kind of Church does God want now? And, given that the priesthood is a service in the Church, in that context, which priests are needed in the Church?

Now, since a priest does not fall from heaven, but requires formation, we must ask ourselves: how to form this priest? Finally, this will lead to the possibility of finding vocations, so the question remains: which Church, which priests, which formation, which vocations?

I am convinced that Pope St. John Paul II was right when he said in Tertio millennio adveniente that the Church is the home and source of communion. Francis adds that it is synodal, because we walk together. In turn, to walk together means that one lives the Word, otherwise one cannot walk with others. To live the Word is very important, because it is a requirement derived from the fact that we are Christians. In speaking of the synodal Church, the Pope is referring precisely to this. Already in Evangelii Gaudium stresses the importance of the Word, and in fact, has instituted the annual celebration of the Word of God Sunday.

Jesus says that he who lives the Word and puts it into practice builds the house on rock, and he who does not put it into practice builds on sand. The Word leads us to love; he who puts the Word into practice goes towards others, and his life becomes reciprocal love.

We understand the priesthood in reference to Jesus, who is always a priest, but in a particular way when he dies on the Cross. When death was approaching, the Lord felt abandoned by God, because he did not show himself as Father ("My God, why have you forsaken me?"), and for the men, who first cry out "Hosanna" and then they scream "Crucify him." There, between heaven and earth, when Jesus suffers the greatest pain, his death opens paradise to us. The greater the pain of Jesus, the greater the grace for humanity. He himself becomes a sacrifice, a true priest. I conceive my priesthood on the cross.

When I was ordained to the priesthood, my spiritual father gave me this cross [the sign], And he said to me: éhis is your spouse, live your whole life as between husband and wife, no matter who wins, always put yourself under the other, under the spouse. The Pope wants us to listen to each other, to participate together, with the help of the Holy Spirit to discern what God wants; not only the Church, but each community, each diocese, each movement.

How is it being applied in the Ratio Fundamentalis Institutionis Sacerdotalisthe basic document for the formation of priests?

-The Ratio Fundamentalis is a very important instrument.

In the Dicastery we are aware that circumstances are not the same in all countries, and we see that situations are different, and even within a nation like Spain there is diversity in the different dioceses. For this reason, it is necessary to prepare the necessary formation guidelines for each place, applying the general principles of the Ratio Fundamentalis concretized in the Ratio nationalis. 

It is true that, in every diocese, the main responsible for the seminary is the bishop; but the formators, the seminarians, the families, the People of God are also responsible for the seminary: all must walk together. The seminary also walks as a synodal Church. If the bishop acts alone, or the rector of the seminary, then we would be facing a symptom that things are not going well.

We see that currently vocations are decreasing a lot. In the past it was not uncommon to find seminaries with one hundred and fifty or two hundred seminarians, or even more, while now many have only five, ten or fifteen. How can these seminaries move forward?

And in Spain, where a visit to all seminaries is in progress?

-How much the Church in Spain has contributed to evangelization! It has brought the faith to so many places in the world! It has been a beautiful help, also for the seminaries! Now, however, how many seminarians are there?

We must recognize that it is difficult to form the priestly life well if there are only ten or fifteen seminarians; it is a challenge today to have a good number of priestly vocations, to have the necessary formators, to make the seminaries financially sustainable, to make community life possible. It is difficult in spite of the good desire, of a holy desire to grow. That is why we have asked the Spanish bishops to study it, and they themselves have told us that it is advisable to do so.

To be honest, I must say that some bishops are not capable of doing this. For this reason, the apostolic visitation to which you refer has been planned, in the hope that in the future the seminaries will be able to grow again.

The right people have been sent for the visitation that is taking place in these weeks, and they have been sent to see the situation at close quarters. Not all the Spanish bishops are convinced of its necessity, but, taking them into consideration, I have told them to make their own proposals, so that we can study them.

So, are some Spanish seminaries expected to close?

-Not necessarily. It is true that, if it were convenient to create an interdiocesan seminary, it would be necessary to close a diocesan seminary, otherwise it would be impossible, but the visitation is not aimed at closing seminaries.

The visitators, once they have completed their work, will discuss everything with the bishops and will consider together, if necessary, which specific seminaries should be closed or reoriented; and in the end, it will be the Pope who will decide, after careful discernment of all the proposals.

For our part, we are always ready to serve. It is important to understand that the task of fostering vocations is everyone's responsibility, as well as forming candidates for the priesthood. To move forward, everything must be done in the key of the synodal Church.

For all these reasons, I think that the visitation is a moment of grace for all of us, for the bishops, seminarians and Christian communities. The first moment may be a moment of difficulty and suffering, but for the future it will be a moment of grace.

Are such visits to seminars frequent?

-Yes, of course. There are, or have been, other visits of this nature in other countries, either to all the seminaries of the country or to those of certain provinces or regions.

Let us not forget that the ultimate purpose of forming priests is to ensure that there are good pastors, and to this end all means must be provided, because it is a very important work, and it is the task of the Holy See to encourage this formative task of the seminaries.

The data indicate a decrease in the number of seminarians in the world. How do you see the evolution of vocations in Rome?

-Indeed, in general, the number of seminarians is falling everywhere, and there are very few places where it is increasing. A first important factor is that there are few children and fewer Christian families.

Secondly, priests must be encouraged to be good shepherds. A priest is a good shepherd when he resembles Jesus: this is a necessary and moving witness.

When there is a lively and beautiful community around priests, abundant vocations also arise.

We must always return to the primitive community, which was nourished by the Word of God and the Sacraments, loved one another, shared everything...: this is the example of a Church that is communion, that is a true community.

Are priests well distributed in the areas where they are needed?

-The most appropriate distribution of priests is done in several ways.

I am thinking, for example, of the priests who are transferred Fidei donum to other countries, with the necessary inculturation, since they have to get to know and integrate into the mentality of the country, learn to live with the people they meet there, etc. This is not always easy, since it requires putting before one's own mentality and traditions, the culture of the new place where one arrives and the proclamation of the Gospel.

For us priests, and for seminarians, it is very important to have a missionary spirit. In the five years that I was rector of the seminary, and in the eighteen years that I was bishop of the diocese - therefore, for twenty-three years - I would ask every seminarian this question: are you willing to go anywhere in the world? Some would say that it was difficult for them because they could not stand the cold, or the heat, or whatever; and some would say yes because they liked to travel. But it is not for one trip, it is for your whole life!

You must want your bones to rest there; your tomb must be there. Then everyone already said yes, that they were ready to go wherever it was necessary for Jesus, for the Church. Many still remind me of this: You told us that we had to be ready to go anywhere! Yes, it is true, one who feels called to be a priest has to be prepared to assume this missionary attitude.

The data on difficult situations also come across your desk. What are the causes of vocational crises?

-The reasons can be very varied.

One of the existing difficulties is the problem of loneliness: there are priests who feel lonely.

The seminary is not only an institution to form future priests, but it is the community of those who follow Jesus. Jesus loves you, and you become a disciple of Jesus. You try to live the Word, and around the living of the Word that communion is formed. Everything in the life of the seminary and during the time of formation must be a community life.

However, once you become a priest, what happens? If the sense of community or priestly life is abandoned, if meditation is neglected, if there is no life of adoration, if the breviary begins to fail, if I let myself be carried away by the rush to work, if confession disappears, if I neglect the rosary and Mass, if the priest goes to bed late, stays up until midnight busy with the computer and gets up very late... where is the right life? Thus the priest will hardly feel the joy of the Gospel and will fall into the feeling of loneliness and disappointment. In such conditions it is logical to feel lonely.

In the midst of so much activity, what place does the spiritual life of priests have?

-As I was saying before, it is necessary to take care of that communitarian aspect of the priest: that the priest seeks out other priests, takes care of relationships, promotes communion, goes to confession, etc. Without this, it is also difficult to have a solid spiritual life, despite the many occupations.

For example, we are now very busy with the cell phone and with the possibilities of the digital world, which in themselves are good, but... Oh, it's terrible!

We really have to stay awake, not fall asleep, seek God with all our strength, be in Him, and also help each other.

A few weeks ago I gave a spiritual retreat to about fifty priests; it was very enriching, and I spoke personally with those who asked me, which was a large group.

Many spoke to me about their activities in the parish, and how they sometimes have to spend too much time working on administrative matters, to the detriment of their more direct task as pastors. But there are so many lay people who could help in these tasks! And the priest will be able to act more as a pastor.

Does loneliness, or too much work, affect affectivity?

-A balanced affectivity is very important for celibacy. How can we achieve this maturity? It is not easy, but it is necessary to cultivate the path that leads to human maturity, together with the living of the Word.

A person is never alone if he seeks to live in God. Our God is not solitude, He is One and Triune. And we cannot live alone, neither humanly. 

Another aspect of training is the cultural and intellectual aspect.

-Reading and study are very important for a priest. Before I became rector of the seminary, I was also a professor at the major seminary for four years, and I continued to be one afterwards.

Well, I noticed that when someone said "enough" to the intellectual life, the whole general tone of his life diminished. It is not necessarily a matter of knowing a lot, but of attaining a wisdom that comes from God, and for that one must be well trained and study.

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ColumnistsAntonio Moreno

Seminar Day

Around the celebration of Seminary Day, it is important to encourage the only Christian vocation: holiness, service, absolute surrender of one's existence translated into total surrender, consecration to God or marriage.

March 15, 2023-Reading time: 3 minutes

On this day in the year 1660, Saint Louise de Marillac died in Paris. As a teenager, she wanted to become a nun, but her poor health prevented her from doing so, so she married a man with whom she shared 12 years of difficult marriage. When her husband died, she consecrated herself to the Lord by serving the poor and the sick, accompanying St. Vincent de Paul in starting the Society of St. Louise de Marillac. the Daughters of Charity.

Her life teaches us that the Christian vocation is one: holiness, and that this is developed in the concrete circumstances in which God makes himself present in the history of each one of us. Louise was a saint when she was single, married and consecrated, because her life was a letting herself be made by the Lord in each of those three states.

In the days leading up to the feast day of San JoseThe Church is holding its traditional Seminary Day campaign. It is a time for reflection on vocations and to encourage young men to consider their possible call to the priesthood. Of course, it is important that priestly vocations arise, but I think that, without realizing it, we project a certain predilection for one vocation over others, which, in my opinion, could be counterproductive today.

Until a few years ago, in our sociologically Catholic societies, marriage was the norm. It was considered the natural call and many people got there almost without thinking about it. They met a boy or a girl, started dating and got married in the Church because that was what everyone did. Those who deepened their faith, came to a more serious reflection about their vocation and they could consider the priesthood or the consecrated life. Marriage too, but as what it is: a sacrament of service to the community, a path to holiness.

Today things have changed a lot. If in the year 2000 75% of the weddings celebrated in Spain were Catholic, in 2020 this percentage dropped to 10%. Even so, many of those few who still go to parish offices to request the sacrament do so manifestly against it, because they have not waited for the link to live together and are not willing to accept what faith reveals to us about its meaning and purpose. In these circumstances, Christian marriage is still very much devalued today within the Church itself and it is normal that it continues to be considered a "second-rate" vocation, because it is blurred.

In the preface to the Catechumenal Itineraries for Marriage and Family Life of the Dicastery for the Laity, Family and Life, Pope Francis reflects on this reality by calling attention to "the fact that the Church devotes much time, several years, to the preparation of candidates for the priesthood or religious life, but devotes little time, only a few weeks, to those preparing for marriage."

It does not occur to us to ordain a young man, no matter how much desire and conviction he may have for his priestly vocation, after giving him an eight-session or weekend course. Nor do we imagine admitting a candidate to the priesthood after an eight-session or weekend course. consecrated lifeHowever much in love she may be with the charism of the foundress, without a long period of novitiate and vocational discernment. But, to gain access to the sacrament of matrimony, it is enough to take your boyfriend or girlfriend by the arm, attend a few talks and off you go, to found a domestic Church for life according to the designs of the Lord!

By presenting marriage as an inferior vocation, since less preparation or discernment is needed to enter it, we are causing many to enter it deceived, for while in the past social customs accompanied the spouses, what today's society understands as living as a couple has nothing to do with the Christian family. Some marriages are directly null and void and many others fail because they are closed to sacramental grace.

But this undervaluation of the marriage may also close the doors to many potential candidates for ordination who may not believe themselves capable of meeting the (supposedly) higher requirements of the priesthood, opting for the always easier (apparently, out of ignorance) married life.

Let us not make distinctions when presenting to young people the different ways in which the Lord can call them. With the teachings of St. Louise de Marillac, in the midst of the Seminary Day campaign, let us encourage the only Christian vocation: holiness, service, absolute dedication of one's own existence... And let God be the one who calls through the different forms of life, which are not so far from each other. St. Joseph, patron of seminaries and married to boot, can also serve as an example.

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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Evangelization

Francisco VelezThe Church asks the confreres to be consistent with their faith".

Interview with Francisco Vélez de Luna, president of the General Council of Brotherhoods and Brotherhoods of the City of Seville.

Maria José Atienza-March 14, 2023-Reading time: 4 minutes
RelatedRelated NewsMarcelino ManzanoAlmost half of our seminarians come from the world of sororities".Related News"The brotherhoods bring hope to thousands of people and lead them to faith."

Seville and Holy Week are two inseparable terms. The strength that have in Spain the Sisterhoods and Brotherhoods is especially noticeable in the Andalusian capital that welcomes, during the week of passion, more than 2 million people. But the brotherhoods and fraternities go beyond their penitential station.

Their evangelizing capacity touches the hearts of young and old and they are a dike to contain secularization. Proof of this is that, in the areas where popular piety is strongest, there are many more baptisms and sacramental marriages or, as I pointed out in this article, "the number of baptisms and sacramental marriages is very high, Marcelino ManzanoAccording to the Diocesan Delegate for Brotherhoods and Confraternities of the Archdiocese of Seville, almost half of Seville's seminarians come from the world of brotherhoods.

Francisco Vélez de Luna chairs the Council of Brotherhoods and Confraternities of Sevillea lawyer by profession, a deep believer and for many decades linked to the brotherhood worldIn this interview for Omnes, he stresses the need for ongoing formation for the friars since "formation is the nourishment of faith.

Being president of the Council of Brotherhoods in a city like Seville, epicenter of the popular religiosity of Passion, is something more than a "management position". What are your challenges? 

-First of all, I must point out that the General Council of Brotherhoods and Brotherhoods of the City of Seville is a diocesan organization that groups together all the brotherhoods canonically erected in the city of Seville. Archdiocese of Seville. The President of the Council must ensure the fulfillment of the purposes established in the Statutes, approved by the ecclesiastical authority, as well as coordinate the work of each of the Sections in which the brotherhoods are organized: Sacramental, Penitential and Gloria.

We live in a society in which secularization is a reality that is advancing day by day. There are many who consider the confraternities as the "dike of containment" in the face of secularization... 

-Popular piety is of great importance in the pastoral activity of the Church at the present time. It is undeniable the power of convocation of the confraternities and the devotion that inspire thousands and thousands of people. thousands of people. Hence, the ecclesiastical hierarchy increasingly values the importance of popular piety and a good proof of this is the II International Congress of Brotherhoods and Popular Piety The Archbishop has recently convoked a meeting for the coming year.

How is faith lived in a brotherhood? What do you say to those who accuse the confreres of living a "sentimental piety"? 

- In a sisterhood, faith is lived on two levels. The first level is personal, the way in which each person approaches the unfathomable mystery of God and participates in the spiritual life to which we are all called, and this is done through sacramental practice.

The second level is the collective level, sharing the faith with the brothers, united by the same devotion to the titular friars, the formation activities that are organized and the charity, which should not only be material, but also of accompaniment to so many people who need the solidarity and warmth of their fellow men.

What does the Church ask of the confreres in our society?

-That they be consistent with the faith they profess. That there be unity of life, coherence between what is believed and what is practiced. This is the way in which every confrere, as a faithful son of the Church, must contribute to the building of the Kingdom of God. That synodality to which both the Pope and the rest of the pastors have been calling us lately.

Do you think that the spiritual accompaniment and formation of the friars should be improved to make them aware of their witness of faith? 

-In recent years, a great deal of progress has been made in the work of the training and there is still a long way to go. In fact, formation never ends, since it is the nourishment of faith, of spirituality. A faith that does not develop remains stagnant, stagnant. It is necessary to take care of it with the formative task so that it makes us grow inside.

velez brotherhoods
José Ángel Saiz, Archbishop of Seville, and a priest from the Archdiocese of Seville.

Beyond the day of the penitential station, how does a Brotherhood live throughout the year? 

-The recent pandemic that we have suffered has brought to the surface the assistance work that the confraternities carry out, which is many and varied. All the sororities have their own Charity Council that channels this work, sometimes exclusively in charge of the brotherhood, sometimes united with others to promote the actions.

The Council itself has a welfare work, "Fraternitas Project", which it carries out in one of the most socially and economically depressed areas, in a neighborhood that, unfortunately, is among the three poorest in our country.

There are many people who, without the contribution of the sororities and the Church, through Caritas, can meet the most basic needs on a daily basis.

The Sacramental and Gloria Brotherhoods are also a strong reality in Seville and elsewhere. What role do they have within the Council? 

-The Sacramental and Gloria Brotherhoods participate in the general purposes of any brotherhood: worship, formation and charity, although they have their own charisms.

The main task of the Sacramentals is to foster devotion and worship of Jesus in the Sacrament, truly alive and present in the Eucharist.

The brotherhoods of Gloria are eminently Marian. Most of them worship the mystery of the divine maternity of Mary. They are very intimate devotions, which bring together families and many settlements of the city, in which they vertebrate their neighbors as a true common denominator and a specific sign of identification.

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RelatedRelated NewsMarcelino ManzanoAlmost half of our seminarians come from the world of sororities".Related News"The brotherhoods bring hope to thousands of people and lead them to faith."
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The Vatican

Pope Francis' pastoral theological legacy after 10 years of pontificate

10 messages of Francis from his 10 years of Pontificate. This is how Msgr. Mariano Fazio, auxiliary vicar of Opus Dei, summarizes the legacy that the Pope has left to the Church and society from 2013 until today. These ideas were presented at an event recently organized by the Academy of Catholic Leaders and the Pontifical Commission for Latin America.

Mariano Fazio-March 13, 2023-Reading time: 4 minutes
RelatedRelated NewsMariano Fazio: "The Christian must be traditional, not traditionalist: open to renewal, without falling into an imprudent progressivism".

I would like to underline some points from the Magisterium of Pope Francis, which are helping to renew the faith of the Church always within the tradition.

Ten years is a long time, so it is necessarily a selection of ideas.

"The name of God is mercy.".

In reminding us that Jesus Christ is the face of the Father's mercy, Pope Francis raises a reality that St. John Paul II insisted on so strongly: he tells us that the proclamation of the kerigma is the fundamental message of the Christian faith. God became incarnate to save us, dying on the Cross and opening to us the doors of his forgiveness through his infinite mercy.

The Beatitudes, the heart of the Gospel.

Both the beatitudes and chapter 25 of the Gospel of St. Matthew - where the foolish and wise virgins, the parable of the talents and the final judgment are spoken of - are the heart of the Gospel, because these texts reveal the divine mercy and its welcome in the heart of each person.

Marriage, participation in God's love.

At Amoris laetitiaeThe Pope rereads the hymn of love from the letter of St. Paul to the Corinthians, which allows us to understand that the love of spouses is a participation in the love of God: "I may have faith that can move mountains; if I do not have love, I am nothing," says St. Paul.

And the Pope adds in his apostolic exhortation: "We will not be able to encourage a path of fidelity and mutual dedication if we do not stimulate the growth, consolidation and deepening of conjugal and family love.". He proposes, in particular, that three words be used in the family to stimulate this love: thank you, pardon, permission.

The Good Samaritan, an inspiration to welcome others.

In the encyclical Fratelli tutti, the Pope suggests a re-reading of the parable of the Good Samaritan. He traces its antecedents in the Old Testament and asks the reader which character he identifies with.

Looking at today's world and even at the Church, he affirms: "There are still those who seem to feel encouraged or at least authorized by their faith to sustain various forms of closed and violent nationalism, xenophobic attitudes, contempt and even mistreatment of those who are different". Francis invites that in catechesis and preaching we should be more mindful of speaking of the dignity of each person.

The sanctity "next door"..

At Gaudete et exsultateFrancis brings holiness closer to ordinary life, recalling those daily gestures that we can bring to fullness with the presence of God. He says: "I like to see holiness in the patient people of God: in the parents who raise their children with so much love, in those men and women who work to bring home the bread, in the sick, in the elderly nuns who keep smiling. In this constancy to go on day by day, I see the holiness of the Church militant. This is often the holiness next doorof those who live close to us and are a reflection of God's presence, or, to use another expression, 'the middle class of holiness'".

To the young: God is Love. Christ saves. Live.

These three realities make up the experiential kerygmatic proclamation that Francis wants to transmit to you. "You will not know the true fullness of being young," he says in Christus vivit-If you do not meet the great friend every day, if you do not live in friendship with Jesus. And he adds that friends help us to mature and are, at the same time, a reflection of the Lord's affection.

Having friends teaches us to open up, to understand, to care for others, to get out of our comfort zone. For this reason, friendship with Jesus transforms, because he "wants you as his instruments to spread light and hope, because he wants to count on your courage, freshness and enthusiasm". The Lord invites everyone to the missionary proclamation in "any environment, even in the existential peripheries, even to those who seem the most distant, the most indifferent".

Contagiousness of the joy of the Gospel.

The Pope invites us to live and transmit the joy of the Gospel, and reminds us of this with expressions such as: "Do not have the face of Lent without Easter". In other words, the Christian must renew hope - sometimes so many times a day - because "God can act in any circumstance, even in the midst of apparent failures". Pessimism is not Christian. Whoever gives himself to God out of love will be fruitful.

"Such fruitfulness is often invisible, unfertile, it cannot be counted. One knows well that one's life will bear fruit, but without pretending to know how, or where, or when". Nothing done for love is lost: no work, no sincere concern, no act of love for God, no generous fatigue... But this waiting does not imply inactivity or a passive attitude since, in the mystery of an apparent sterility, "we only know that our dedication is necessary".

Caring for and protecting the common home.

Drawing inspiration from the words of the saint of Assisi -"Laudato si'"-Pope Francis recalls the need to care for the earth, which has been entrusted to us by God. "I urgently invite you to a new dialogue on how we are building the future of the planet. We need a conversation that unites us all, because the environmental challenge we are experiencing, and its human roots, concern and impact us all."

The Pope underlines the intimate relationship between the poor and the fragility of the planet, with the conviction that everything in the world is connected. He also denounces the throwaway culture and proposes a basis for developing a new human ecology.

Faith, light to see ourselves and to see as Christ does.

The Pope dedicated his first encyclical to faith. Lumen fidei explains that faith helps us to participate in the vision of Jesus. "For faith, Christ is not only the one in whom we believe, the ultimate manifestation of God's love, but also the one with whom we unite ourselves in order to believe. Faith does not only look at Jesus, but looks from Jesus' point of view, with his eyes: it is a participation in his way of seeing."

He also pointed out that it is urgent to recover the luminous character proper to faith, "because when its flame is extinguished, all the other lights end up languishing". Faith, says the Pope, is born of an encounter with the living God, who calls us and reveals his love to us, "a love that precedes us and on which we can rely to be sure and build our lives".

Pity and the revolution of tenderness.

The Pope made numerous references to Christian devotions that can provoke a revolution in the life of Christians if they are lived with tenderness: he invited us to put up the crib at Christmas to welcome God (Admirabile Signum)has written about St. Joseph so that we can learn to be the custodians of others. (Patris Corde) and we know that he goes to greet the Virgin Mary in the Roman basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore every time he returns from a trip. These are the gestures of a son from whom we learn to be children of the Father.

The authorMariano Fazio

Priest, historian and professor. Current auxiliary vicar of Opus Dei.

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RelatedRelated NewsMariano Fazio: "The Christian must be traditional, not traditionalist: open to renewal, without falling into an imprudent progressivism".
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The Vatican

Ten articles to understand Pope Francis

The Holy Father Francis celebrates today the tenth anniversary of his pontificate (2013). During these years, he has emphasized love for his neighbor, especially the poorest and most discarded, and on relevant issues such as human fraternity, the fight against abuses, care for creation and the family, and various reforms, in addition to calling for peace.

Francisco Otamendi-March 13, 2023-Reading time: 2 minutes

On the occasion of these fundamental themes expressed by Pope Francis in these ten years as Successor of Peter, Omnes has collected articles and contributions that may be useful to remember in order to better understand the Pope's government.

Without trying to be exhaustive, because the list could be long, here are some of them.

1) Pope Francis' 9 "bets".

Giovanni Tridente recalled in his article nine years of Pope Francis' pontificate at the head of the Church, and nine challenges for which the Roman Pontiff is betting. 9 bets that remain fully valid in the pontificate of the Argentinean Pope

The 9 "bets" of Pope Francis

2) The culmination of the reforms in the Holy See: "Praedicate Evangelium".

On June 5, 2022, the Apostolic Constitution came into force. 'Praedicate Evangelium'.on the Roman Curia and its service to the Church. Thus culminated the process of reforms of the Curia and Vatican organisms that, since the beginning of his pontificate, has marked the passage of Pope Francis through the Petrine See.

"Praedicate Evangelium": a long-awaited reform

3) Pope Francis and initiatives for dialogue with Islam.

Andrea Gagliarducci analyzed the latest meeting of Pope Francis with the Grand Imam of Al Azhar in Bahrain, which confirms a dialogue based on encounter.

Pope Francis and initiatives for dialogue with Islam

4) Beyond Ukraine. Concern and work for peace.

The President of the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue, Cardinal Miguel Angel Ayuso, spoke with Omnes on the Pope, the Church as a 'field hospital', and interreligious dialogue.

Cardinal Ayuso: "What the Holy Father and the Church are doing for peace is essential".

5) Fight against abuses. The reform of Book VI of the Code of Canon Law.

Another focus of Francis' pontificate has been the fight against sexual abuse committed by persons in or around the Church. In this regard, Omnes interviewed Juan Ignacio Arrieta, Secretary of the Pontifical Council for Legislative Texts, on the reform of Book VI of the Code of Canon Law.

Bishop Arrieta, on the reform of the Code: "Now the crimes, the penalties and the way to apply them are well determined".

6) The Synodal Church. The challenge of a total conversion in forms and structures.

The Synod of Synodality, a process of ecclesial renewal in the Church, is a central theme in the agenda of Francis in recent years. Bishop Luis Marin de San Martin, O.S.A., works together with Cardinal Mario Grech and the French nun Nathalie Becquart, the visible nucleus of the Synod Secretariat. He spoke to Omnes of the Pope and the Synod.

Msgr. Luis Marín: "The Synodal Church is not an invention of the Pope".

7) Benedict XVI and Francis. Continuity and novelty.

Contrary to what some would like to imply, Cardinal Herranz considers that there is no opposition between the pontificates of Francis and Benedict XVI. In an eloquent interview he emphasized that there are "different pastoral priorities between the two, but no fundamental differences".

Cardinal Julián Herranz: "I do not see differences in doctrine between Benedict and Francis, but harmony".

8) Catechesis: from the messages of St. Paul to the conversion of the heart

The Wednesday catecheses of this pontificate have touched on very diverse topics. Mercy, the figure of St. Joseph or the role of the elderly in society have been some of the protagonists of these audiences.

St. Joseph and the priesthood

9) The "sociology" of Francis

For Massimiliano Padula, sociologist of cultural and communicative processes at the Pastoral Institute of the Pontifical Lateran University, Guardini's influence explains the keys to Francis' thinking.

Massimiliano Padula: "Francis has his eye on today's problems".

10) Francis and the youth

On the occasion of WYD Lisbon to be held from August 1 to 6, 2023 in the Portuguese capital with the theme "Mary arose and departed without delay", Pope Francis, "challenged" young people to a life on the road like Mary.

7 things the Pope asks of you for WYD Lisbon 2023
The authorFrancisco Otamendi

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Francis and the priesthood: 10 years encouraging "Shepherds after the heart of Christ".

The tenth anniversary of the election of Pope Francis and the approach of March 19, the Solemnity of St. Joseph and the day on which we pray especially for vocations to the priesthood, provide the framework for recalling the keys in which Pope Francis situates the priestly ministry today.

Giovanni Tridente-March 13, 2023-Reading time: 6 minutes

The priest is one who has decided to follow and imitate Christ, living fully his own ministry-vocation, in a missionary dynamic in which he cares for the faithful entrusted to him, but without tiring of going out to look for those who for so many reasons have moved away "from home", or from the sheepfold to refer to an evangelical image. 

This is, in a few words, the synthesis of the thought and teaching on priestly ministry that Pope Francis has "dispensed" throughout the ten years of his pontificate, which will be completed this March 2023.

A "photograph" that can also be deduced from the Pontiff's personal example of how he has "incarnated" being a shepherd according to the heart of Christ, in the midst of a society full of demands and needs.

In order to show some salient features, we have chosen ten public interventions of the Holy Father - speeches, homilies, letters - each one corresponding to each year of his ministry as pastor of the universal Church, and another for the year just begun.

-2013. Departure to the peripheries

One of his first speeches could not be other than the homily of his first Chrism Mass as Bishop of Rome, before the priests of his diocese recalling the day of his ordination, on March 28, 2013. Here the Pope, referring to the readings proper to that celebration, explains that the priest is the one who carries "on his shoulders the people entrusted to him" and bears the names of these people -"our faithful people"- "engraved in his heart". Then there is the anointing oil, which is "for the poor, for prisoners, for the sick and for those who are sad and lonely". 

A clear overriding reference to the "Church on the way out" and the forgotten, and explicit reference to the "the last and the forgotten," and an explicit reference to the "peripheries", where sorrows and joys, anguish and hopes meet, and where the priest must bring the strength and redemptive efficacy of this "anointing". 

-2014. The time of mercy 

A merciful priestly heart is what Pope Francis presents the following year to the priests of his diocese, at the beginning of Lent, in a meeting in the Paul VI Hall on March 6, 2014. 

Here he recalls, referring to a passage from the Gospel of Matthew, that the place where Jesus most often found himself was "on the roads" and this allows us to grasp the depth of his heart, animated by compassion for the many tired and exhausted "crowds". The Pontiff went on to explain how the Church finds herself in the "time of mercy," a great intuition that his predecessor John Paul II had already conveyed to the People of God. 

For priests, this translates into "closeness" and closeness to those who are wounded in their own lives, demonstrating "bowels of mercy", for example, in the administration of the sacrament of Reconciliation, but also in the attitude of welcoming, listening, counseling, absolving... Therefore, one must "have a heart moved" and this can only happen if one lives the mercy of God in the first person.

-2015. "Don't tire of forgiving".

"Don't get tired of forgiving. Be forgiving."as Jesus did. This is what Pope Francis asked the priests during his trip to Cuba in September 2015, in his homily during the prayer of Vespers with the consecrated in the cathedral of Havana.

He then recalled that it is still fundamental for a pastor to go in search of the least of these: the hungry, the imprisoned, the sick according to the "protocol of Matthew 25". 

And the privileged place to welcome these brothers and sisters is the confessional, without being neurotic or ill-disposed, but allowing the embrace of forgiveness to flow.

-2016. Aiming at the center of the person

Continuing with the theme of Mercy, in 2016 the Pope proclaimed a special Jubilee, and on the day dedicated to priests, on the feast of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, June 3, he began by speaking of the need to "point the heart" of pastors "to the center of the person," to the strongest roots of life and to the core of affections, imitating the Good Shepherd, who "is mercy itself." 

To form this heart that imitates Christ, the Holy Father suggests three actions to priests: to go out of themselves to seek out those who no longer want to be part of the flock; to be able to listen to and accompany the steps of people with generous compassion and a spirit of inclusion; to rejoice in perceiving themselves as that channel of mercy that precisely brings people closer to God.

-2017. Experts in the art of discernment

Obviously, before becoming a priest, one goes through an intense formation process, and one of the aspects that Pope Francis is keen to emphasize, drawing also on his familiarity with the Ignatian and Jesuit tradition, is that of discernment.

An art that is learned above all by becoming familiar with listening to the Word of God, with a growing knowledge of one's inner world, affections and fears.

He explained this to the seminarians of the Campania seminary of Posillipo, gathered at the Vatican on May 6, 2017, reiterating the urgency of "fleeing the temptation to take refuge behind a rigid norm or behind the image of an idealized freedom." 

-2018. Prayer, obedience and freedom

In September 2018, Pope Francis addressed the priests of the Archdiocese of Valencia, accompanied by its Archbishop Antonio Cañizares Llovera. 

Taking advantage of the Jubilee of St. Vincent Ferrer celebrated that year, the Pontiff proposed three fundamental means for a priest to preserve friendship and union with Jesus Christ.

First of all, prayer, because a priest who deprives himself of it "does not get very far", and people realize this; then, obedience to preach the Gospel to every creature, that is, the proclamation of the Word, which must be done with joy without feeling that he is its master or even "entrepreneur". 

Finally, the freedom to know how to "go out" to meet one's brother, but also to know how to distance oneself from worldliness.

-2019. Two links: Jesus and the People

On the occasion of the 160th anniversary of the death of the Holy Curé of Ars (John Mary Vianney), proposed by Pius XI in 1929 as patron of all parish priests, on August 4, 2019 Pope Francis wrote a fatherly letter to all the priests of the world, brothers who silently "leave everything" to dedicate themselves to the life of their communities. Brothers who work "in the trenches" and who. "they put their face" to care for and accompany his people. 

The purpose of the letter is explained by the Pope in the introduction: to be close, to give thanks and encouragement. It should not be forgotten that it comes at a time of strong criticism of priests, following the sad events of sexual abuse. 

After thanking them for their "perseverance", endurance, administration of the sacraments and passion for the people, the encouragement consisted in reiterating the importance of not neglecting "two bonds that constitute our identity", that which unites us to Jesus - "seek him, find him and enjoy the joy of letting yourselves be healed, accompanied and counseled" - and that which unites us to the people - "do not isolate yourselves from your people", "do not close yourselves in closed and elitist groups". 

-2020. Called to announce and prophesy the future

The following year Francis wrote a new letter, this time to the priests of the diocese of Rome, since, because of the Covid-19 pandemic, it was not possible to celebrate the Chrism Mass together.

Here, too, it is a matter of being close to and accompanying a community of brothers who, however, were severely tested by the consequences of health restrictions.

The Holy Father's approach is to point everything - after the many sufferings seen and experienced - to the Resurrection: "As a priestly community we are called to announce and prophesy the future", trying to establish "an ever new time: the time of the Lord". 

-2021. Dreaming of a Church entirely at service

"Dear brother priests, I invite you to always have great horizons, to dream, to dream of a Church entirely at your service, of a world that is more fraternal and in solidarity. And for this, as protagonists, you must make your contribution. Do not be afraid to dare, to risk, to go forward because you can do everything with Christ who gives you strength". These are the words that Pope Francis addressed in June 2021 to the priests of the Convitto San Luigi dei Francesia community located in the heart of Rome. 

Together with this incentive, which refers to all priests, the Pontiff reaffirmed the importance of "being apostles of joy," without forgetting a bit of healthy humor, well aware that this sensitivity has its source in remaining rooted in Christ.

-2022. The four proximities

In February of last year, on the initiative of the then Prefect of the Dicastery for Bishops, Cardinal Marc Ouellet, a symposium on the theology of the priesthood was held at the Vatican, where Pope Francis received the participants in audience. 

Here, the Holy Father invited priests to "intercept the change" of the times we are living in, remaining anchored "to the living and wise Tradition of the Church, which can afford to set out on the journey without fear". 

As "concrete instruments" of this mission today, he spoke more extensively of the "four proximities" already mentioned. First of all, closeness to God, from whom to draw the necessary strength; closeness to the bishop, to consolidate the bonds of obedience and the capacity to listen; closeness among priests, to feel part of a great community; finally, closeness to the people of God, to "carry out the Lord's way.

-2023. True witnesses of God's love

The most recent intervention addressed to priests is the prayer meeting - together with deacons, consecrated persons and seminarians - that Pope Francis had with them in his trip to the Democratic Republic of the Congo in early February.

Here he returned, as he did at the beginning of his pontificate, to the reference to anointing and the oil "of consolation and hope", that the Lord gives to his people through his sacred ministers. The Holy Father then reiterated the importance of service - to serve the people and not to be used by them - conjuring up three particular temptations.

The first is "spiritual mediocrity," which can be overcome through the daily celebration of the Eucharist and the Liturgy of the Hours. Then, the challenge of "worldly comfort" must be overcome by spreading models of sobriety and interior freedom.

Finally, the temptation to superficiality, learning to "enter into the heart of the Christian mystery, to deepen our doctrine, to study and meditate on the Word of God. The ultimate goal is to become, evidently, in the variety of the anxieties of our time, true "witnesses of God's love".. 

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The Vatican

Pope Francis. A decade at the head of the Church

Rome Reports-March 13, 2023-Reading time: < 1 minute
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Fighting economic corruption within the Vatican, sexual abuses, and taking the limelight away from the curia and giving it to the dioceses were the three main axes that the cardinals proposed during the meetings held before the 2013 conclave from which Jorge Mario Bergoglio, Pope Francis, was elected.

These themes have also been at the core of his pontificate, which has also been characterized by his closeness to the most vulnerable.

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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Family

Thousands of families defend life in Madrid

Several tens of thousands of people took to the streets of Madrid this Sunday to defend the right to life and the dignity of every human being, from conception to natural death. Madrid was dyed green with entire families, including grandparents and many babies in strollers or chairs.

Francisco Otamendi-March 13, 2023-Reading time: 4 minutes
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It is not easy to know whether the members of the Platform Yes to Life were waiting for these thousands of people and so many families. But the truth is that around fifty thousand people were there this Sunday, according to the organizers, to keep the flame of life burning, and to proclaim, as the Manifesto read at the end of the March points out, "that every human being has the right to life and to be treated as his or her special dignity deserves, from conception to natural death and at all times and in all circumstances".

The March took place between the end of Serrano Street, at the height of the Plaza de Colón, to the Puerta de Alcalá, and then down to Cibeles, to go up Castellana, where the stage was located this year. There were young and old, more than four hundred volunteers, men and women, and many children, something not frequent in these times, from Madrid and several Spanish cities, cheered by Coldplay's 'Viva la vida' or the 'Viva la vida' by Coldplay.Long live life', by Martínez Brothers, along with influencers Carla Restoy, José Martín Aguado or Pablo Delgado (from Instagram). All enlivened by Dj Juan Herranz, founder of Eight Ball Event.

Behind the banner, among others, were Alicia Latorre, president of the Spanish Federation of Pro-Life Associationsand Esperanza Puente; Alfonso Bullón de Mendoza, president of the ACdP and of the San Pablo CEU University FoundationCarmen F. de la Cigoña (CEU Institute of Family Studies); Amaya Azcona (general director of Red Madre), Álvaro Ortega (Fundación + Vida) and representatives of the Family Forum.

In addition, Marta Velarde (+Futuro), Rosa Arregui (Adevida), Ana del Pino (One of Us), Eva María Martín (Andoc); Oscar Rivas (Educatio Servanda); Reme Losada (Aesvida) or Javier Fernández Jáuregui (Deportistas por la Vida y la Familia). Next to the front row were Jaime Mayor Oreja (One of Us) and María San Gil (Villacisneros Foundation), for example. And in the stage area, Jesús Poveda (School of Rescuers) and representatives of more than 500 pro-life associations, among others, could be seen.

Among the banners, photos of human embryos, "listen to the heartbeat, I tell you I am alive", "the voice of the heart", "is this the heartbeat you want to hide?", "no mother regrets being a mother", "Plataforma Córdoba por el derecho a la Vida", "Cantabria por la Vida", "Álava, verdad y vida", or "Cada vida importa. Alicante", among many others, and balloons, many green and white balloons.

In the past few days, Omnes has published reports on the defense of lifeand emphasized that abortion is also a a man's thing. Also interviews such as those conducted with Isabel Vaughan-SpruceThe woman who was arrested in Birmingham for "praying in her mind" in front of an abortion clinic, and Alejandra and Benjamin, a married couple of evangelists, Samuel's parentswho lived 6 hours outside the mother's womb.

9 points of the Manifesto

The nine points of the Manifesto read this Sunday by the Yes to Life Platform are the following:

"1) We proclaim that every human being has the right to life and to be treated as his or her special dignity deserves, from conception to natural death and at all times and in all circumstances.

2) We want to show the greatness of the culture of life and its fruits, a culture that is generous, welcoming, constructive, joyful, that heals wounds, that does not give up.

3) We reject all laws and practices that threaten life and human nature at any moment of its existence, as well as the businesses and ideologies that sustain them.

4) We demand that the biological truth of human life not be hidden, nor the knowledge and experiences that can be contributed from all fields. We also demand that there be no lies about abortion, euthanasia, attacks on the embryo, gender ideology... nor denial of the cruelty, injustice and pain inflicted by the culture of death.

5) We demand that, as a priority, medical advances and care should reach everyone without exception, those who have not yet been born and their mothers, the chronically ill, those suffering from rare or very frequent diseases, those in need of palliative care... and that all the necessary material and personal resources should be allocated for this purpose.

6) We support and thank all the people and associations that from different fields of action work in favor of all human life, despite the many difficulties and even persecution.

7) And we also address those who think differently, those who suffer for the bad decisions of the past or for their indifference, because we cannot recover the lives lost or change the past, but we have the future in our hands, because we have much good to do ahead of us and we are all, without exception, necessary.

8) We will continue working to ensure that no illegitimate and perverse law is in force in our legal system, as we believe that Spain must be an advanced nation, progressive in terms of true rights and conservative of objective and perennial values.

 And 9) And while the laws change, while the culture of death pretends to continue to dominate, we will continue to light a light, showing the truth, saving lives and hopes. For all these reasons, we show, one more year, our public and unitary commitment to continue saying always and in all circumstances Yes to life!"

Raffles, travel, support

On the occasion of the celebration, a raffle was also held on the Instagram profile of the Yes to Life Platform sponsored by. Methos Mediatwo 100 euro vouchers and a dinner at a restaurant in Madrid. And a Multi Adventure Pack trip for 4 people sponsored by Pangea Travel and Methos.Media.

The organization also calls for solidarity to help defray the costs of this event. You can collaborate through: Bizum ONG: 00589; by bank transfer: ES28 0081 7306 6900 0140 0041, account holder: Federación Española de Asociaciones Provida. Concept: Yes to Life, and indicate which person or association is making the payment. Or by the campaign of crowdfunding created for this March Yes to Life 2023.

The authorFrancisco Otamendi

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The Vatican

A decade with Pope Francis

It has been a decade since Pope Francis took the helm of the Church after the resignation of Benedict XVI.

Giancarlos Candanedo-March 13, 2023-Reading time: 3 minutes

Ten years after the election of Francis (13-III-2013), we have the opportunity to recall some milestones of his pontificate.

The euphoria caused by the election of the first pontiff from the American continent was fueled by signs that some interpreted as the announcement of radical changes in the Church.

The following are 10 of the actions that many commentators consider among the most relevant of the Argentine pope's actions.

1. Emphasis on social justice

He has consistently promoted measures to combat poverty and inequality, sometimes criticizing the excesses of capitalism. He has been a voice of support for the thousands of refugees and migrants, promoting and defending their rights and calling on governments to provide them with protection and assistance.

2. Efforts to combat sexual abuse

In continuity with his predecessor, he has taken steps to address this drama. In 2019, the pope held a summit on the subject and, in 2020, he introduced new rules making it mandatory to report allegations of abuse to civil authorities.

3. Curia reform

With the promulgation of the apostolic constitution Prædicate Evangelium (19-III-2023), on the Roman Curia and its service to the Church in the world, restructured this central organism of the Church to emphasize its missionary dimension; among other things, it sought the unification of some dicasteries (Vatican ministries) to optimize economic resources and reduce bureaucracy.

4. Reforms in finance

He opted for the creation of a new economic secretariat; he has also been unceasing in his efforts to promote transparency and accountability in financial matters. The most recent action involves a rescript in which it eliminates economic facilities for top-level prelates working in the curia who benefit from apartment rentals and special rates in Vatican lodgings.

5. Pandemic COVID-19

He launched several messages of a spiritual nature and also messages to governments and scientists, encouraging them to show solidarity in search of answers and concrete actions to overcome the crisis, emphasizing the importance of caring for the most vulnerable in society.

In some countries the situation posed a challenge to the human right to religious freedom.

6. Papal documents

He has presented three encyclicals of great relevance: Lumen Fidei (2013), completing the trilogy of encyclicals on the theological virtues (faith, hope, charity) initiated by Benedict XVI; Laudato si (2015), the first papal document devoted exclusively to environmental issues; and Fratelli tutti (2020), presenting a reflection "so that, in the face of various and current forms of eliminating or ignoring others, we may be able to react with a new dream of fraternity and social friendship that does not remain in words".

He has signed five apostolic exhortations in which he addresses important and topical issues for the Church such as: the proclamation of the Gospel in today's world (Evangelii gaudium24-XI-2013); love in the family, its problems, challenges and possible solutions (Amoris laetitia, 19-III-2016); the call to holiness in the contemporary world and in the midst of ordinary activities (Gaudete et exsultate, 19-III-2018); youth, encouraging them to "grow in holiness and commitment to one's vocation" (Christus vivit25-III-2019); and the reality and problems of the Amazon (Dear Amazonia, 2-II-2020).

7. Appeals for peace

It is dealing with political and war situations around the world. With the collaboration of the Secretary of State's Office, responsible for the Vatican diplomacyThe Church has been present in various diplomatic efforts related to the political situations in the region. Nicaragua and Venezuela, as well as in the ongoing military conflict between Russia and Ukraine.

He has called for dialogue, the search for peaceful solutions, the protection of human rights and democratic institutions in these and other conflicts.

Synodality and the German Synodal Way

In order for Catholics to jointly discern how to move forward to be a more synodal Church in the long term, he has convened a synod on synodality ("walking together"), with which it tries to put into practice one of the pending matters foreseen by the Second Vatican Council.

At the same time, he has called for the German synod, convened with the intention of discussing and finding solutions to various issues facing the Church in Germany, Among them, issues such as celibacy, the ordination of women and sexual morality, he addresses these issues from the perspective of current Catholic doctrine and morality, not from the margins of it.

In general, the Catholic Church's stance toward the German synod is one of caution and dialogue, emphasizing the need to balance local concerns with the broader unity and fidelity of the Church.

Dissemination of reconciliation

He is one of the pontiffs who has most spread the sacrament of reconciliation. He convoked the Extraordinary Jubilee of Mercy, which took place from November 29, 2015 to November 20, 2016.

We have seen him confess and go to confession, and he has developed a pastoral care of confession that is gradually spreading throughout the world.

Dialogue with other religions

He strives to promote dialogue and understanding between the Catholic Church and other religions, particularly Islam.

He has made several country travel predominantly Muslim and has spoken out against religious extremism.

The authorGiancarlos Candanedo

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The Synodal Way and the policy of fait accompli

With the adoption of a series of resolutions, the German Synodal Way departs from the doctrine of the Catholic Church and intends to start implementing some of them already. It asks the Pope to reconsider celibacy, to allow women to be deacons, to allow the laity to preach at Mass and to administer various sacraments. He also breaks with Christian anthropology to introduce "sexual diversity" and the blessing of homosexual couples.

José M. García Pelegrín-March 13, 2023-Reading time: 7 minutes
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One of the most eagerly awaited questions at the fifth Assembly of the German Synodal Way, held March 9-11, was how the bishops would position themselves in relation to the so-called "Synodal Council": initially planned to perpetuate the Synodal Way - since it would be a governing body made up of clergy and laity that would direct the diocese together with the bishop, being able to control the ordinary and even impose itself on the latter -, the The Holy See warned in a Note dated July 2022 that "it would not be licit to introduce into dioceses new official structures or doctrines that would constitute a violation of ecclesial communion and a threat to the unity of the Church before agreement has been reached at the level of the universal Church".

For this reason, at the Fourth Assembly in September 2022, a compromise formula was reached by approving the creation of a "Synodal Commission" to prepare the "Synodal Council".

Synodal Councils

However, on the agenda of the Fifth Assembly, the text on the creation of "synodal councils with advisory and decision-making capacity at the diocesan and parish levels" reappeared.

Between the Assemblies of November 2022 and March 2023, significant pronouncements were made by the Vatican during the ad limina visit of November 2022 (Cfr. Dossier on the Synodal Way published in the February 2023 issue of Omnes magazine) and subsequently in a letter, dated January 16, 2023 and signed by Cardinal Secretary of State Pietro Parolin and Cardinals Luis Ladaria and Marc OuelletThe Pope's express approval, in which it was again stated that the Synodal Way does not have the competence to create a "Synodal Council".

Moreover, in words of greeting to the Bishops' Conference on the occasion of its Spring Assembly, which took place from February 27 to March 2, the Apostolic Nuncio Nikola Eterović repeated once again the illegality of creating synodal councils, also at the diocesan or individual parish level.

This insistence and clarity led several bishops to take the floor at the Assembly, among them the three auxiliary bishops of Cologne: Dominik Schwaderlapp ("I feel bound by the Pope's instruction and therefore cannot agree with the text"), Rolf Steinhäuser and Ansgar Puff. In view of the fact that a two-thirds majority of the bishops would not be obtained, it was decided not to vote on this text, but to pass it on to the "Synodal Commission", whose members were elected at the Fifth Assembly, which will be responsible for updating or modifying the text.

According to Msgr. Georg BätzingPresident of the German Bishops' Conference and Co-Chairman of the German Bishops' Conference. Synodal WayThis will be done "on the basis of current Canon Law", which - in view of Vatican pronouncements and the comments of well-known canonists - seems to be squaring the circle.

Reconsider celibacy, diaconate for women

The rest of the documents presented in the Assembly did obtain the necessary majority; in a first basic text on "Priestly Existence Today" it was said that it is "impossible to continue as before", also because of the high number of priests who have committed sexual abuse and "the systemic causes that favor acts of sexual abuse and power". For this reason it "asks the Holy Father, in the context of the process of the universal Synod, to examine the link between the administration of Orders and the obligation of celibacy". In the meantime, the Pope is asked to "promptly" admit to the priesthood the so-called "viri probati".

The Assembly also voted for the diaconate of women: although several participants had advocated that the text should refer not to the diaconate but to the priesthood - "we need to be on the same level at the altar", "the Catholic Church has a responsibility for the image of women in the world" - the definitive text refers to the diaconate: "The Assembly of the Synodal Way requests the highest authority of the Church, that is the Pope and the Council, to examine whether the doctrine of Ordinatio Sacerdotalis definitively binds the Church or not." However, this should not lead us to think that the assembly members have abandoned the idea of demanding the priesthood for women. Although Nuncio Nikola Eterović, in the aforementioned words of greeting to the Bishops' Conference at the Spring Assembly, recalled that the doctrine contained in Ordinatio Sacerdotalis is definitive, the text of the Synodal Way said, "Theological argumentation in Germany has shown that the doctrinal texts presented have not reached the degree of definitive binding." For this reason, it was approved that a commission be created in Germany to deal with "the subject of sacramental ordination for persons of either sex.

Preaching and administration of the sacraments by laypersons

The text on "Women in services and ministries in the Church" dealt with a greater participation of women; in short, it dealt with preaching in the Eucharist and the administration of certain sacraments by lay men and women. After, at the request of the Bishops' Conference - against a majority of women - the introduction of "the administration of confession by lay people within the framework of spiritual accompaniment" was removed, a text was approved in which the bishops were urged to draw up a particular norm on the preaching of the laity in the Eucharist and to request the permission of the Holy See. The administration of Baptism and Anointing of the Sick by lay people "in cases of necessity" was also approved, although the auxiliary bishop of Cologne Ansgar Puff does not consider that there is a need for this in Germany. In this context, the Bishop of Augsburg Betram Meier spoke of a "certain tendency in Germany for more and more women and men to be able to administer the sacraments"; thus the question could end up being asked: "Why do we need consecrated persons?

Although the text speaks of situations of necessity, at the press conference at the end of the Assembly, Bishop Bode of Osnabrück referred to the fact that, after a period of formation of a few months, the preaching of the Eucharist by laymen and laywomen, as well as the administration of Baptism by "non-consecrated persons", would be introduced in his diocese. According to this, it seems that he does not consider necessary the permission that, according to the text, must be requested from the Holy See.

At the origin of the Synodal Way was the desire to prevent sexual abuse, following the shock produced by the study conducted by three universities in 2018. Now, the fifth Assembly has approved a text with measures on "Prevention of sexual abuse". It is significant, however, that just two days before the start of the Assembly, the Augsburger Allgemeine newspaper published an interview with the German Jesuit Hans Zollner, director of the Institute for the Protection against Abuse at the Gregorian and one of the leading experts in the field, in which he criticized "the slowness and lack of standards for dealing with abuse in Germany", in contrast to the measures adopted by other countries. Such statements corroborate repeated criticisms that by speaking exclusively of "systemic or structural causes", the guilt of individual persons in committing and covering up these crimes is not being pursued. It has also been widely criticized that the sexual abuses have been instrumentalized by the Synodal Way ("abuse of the abuses") to introduce modifications to Catholic doctrine.

Sexual diversity, blessing of homosexual couples

Among these modifications is "the recognition of sexual diversity", which means a break with Christian anthropology based on Genesis 1, 27: "And God created man in his own image. He created him in the image of God; he created them male and female". Although for example Stefan Zekorn, Auxiliary Bishop of Münster, expressed that he could not assent to a text "which is practically based entirely on gender theory", it was approved, and it states that "the current positivistic Christian anthropology of natural law, as it underlies current ecclesiastical texts, legitimizes and promotes the exclusion, violence and persecution of people whom the Church should actually protect". Instead, "Church doctrine and law continue to assign highly precarious and vulnerable positions to trans and intersex persons." For this reason, the Synodal Assembly makes a series of recommendations to the bishops, including the appointment of "LGBTI* responsible persons" in all dioceses to oversee "spiritual accompaniment marked by acceptance of trans and intersex believers." Among other things, it is requested that transgender believers be able to change their gender in the baptismal register without bureaucratic red tape.

In relation to the priesthood, the text says that "the determination of external sexual characteristics should be suppressed wherever it is still practiced in the course of the acceptance of a person as a candidate for the priesthood". Along these lines, the Synodal Assembly demands of the Pope that "access to the ministries of the Church and to pastoral vocations must also be examined in each individual case for intersex and transsexual baptized and confirmed persons who intuit a vocation for themselves; these must not be excluded in a generalized way."

Related to this is also the Assembly's approval of the blessing of couples "who love each other" and who cannot or do not want to go to the sacrament of marriage - that is, homosexual couples or divorced couples who have contracted a new civil marriage - because it recognizes "that in the common life of couples who live together in a committed and responsible way there is a moral good". Although the text refers to the Note of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith 2021 in which it was said that it is not possible to bless homosexual couples, "the refusal to bless the relationship of two people who want to live their partnership in love, commitment and mutual responsibility and with God is ruthless or even discriminatory in a society that has conquered human dignity and free self-determination as maxims of moral normalization".

At the final press conference, Bishop Bätzing said that in his Limburg diocese the blessing of couples "who love each other" would be introduced "immediately".

How will the Synodal Way continue?

Although this fifth Assembly is theoretically the last - a sixth is planned for three years from now to evaluate the implementation of the resolutions - the president of the Central Committee of German Catholics and co-chair of the Synodal Way, Irme Stetter-KarpIn that press conference, he pointed out that the Synodal Way was really beginning now. For his part, Bishop Bätzing declared that he will send, in those questions that do not fall under the competence of a particular bishop or Episcopal Conference, "our questions to the space of the universal Church", and that he will not be satisfied with "bureaucratic answers to these questions from any office of the Curia, and even less from dark rooms, but expects synodal processes at the level of the universal Church that address such weighty questions, debate them and lead to decisions".

To this end, he has asked the Holy See for a meeting in Rome, with the entire Presidency of the Synodal Way; that is, also with the laity. And he added that he had told Cardinal Luis Ladaria, Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith: "They have to learn also in Rome to follow synodal processes in which many participate".

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The desert monks

The Desert Fathers, the first exponents of monastic life, emerged first in the Christian communities of the East and then in those of the West. This month we will take a look at the Easterners, the initiators of a fruitful tradition that has survived to the present day.

Antonio de la Torre-March 13, 2023-Reading time: 5 minutes

During the first three centuries of Christianity, communities living their faith in Jesus Christ formed an extensive network throughout the Roman Empire. We have seen how, instructed, encouraged, and protected by the Holy FathersChristians fulfilled to the full the role of being leaven in the midst of the world that Jesus entrusted to them in his teaching. Organized in small, lively communities, presided over by a bishop and served by a college of priests, the Christians sowed in the world the seeds of the leaven that Jesus entrusted to them in his teaching. pagan world with abundance. In the world they carried out their apostolate, suffered conflicts, dialogued with different cultures, suffered persecutions, and went through different political scenarios until, in the end, the Roman Empire became Christian.

A new path

Alongside this path of Christians in the midst of the world, we find a small path, which, although at the beginning was hidden, in time gave rise to a broad and new way of living the Christian life. We refer to the Christians who decided to live a particular consecration to God, first living in the world and then leaving it to live in the desert.

From the beginning, in fact, there were Christians who discovered as their own vocation to live as closely as possible the counsel of asceticism preached by Jesus of Nazareth: "If any man will come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me."(Mk 8:34). Thus, both in the New Testament and in the early Fathers of the Church, we find testimonies to this form of life, which would soon become concrete in virginity and in the continent's life in the world, as a way of living renunciation in order to imitate Jesus and attain the fullness of contemplation in following him.

Therefore, in many places in the East, but especially in Egypt, many Christians took up this ideal of evangelical life or apostolic life, complementary to the ideal of the majority of Christians, who lived as leaven in the midst of the world. It was only a matter of time before this ideal moved many to a stricter imitation, going out of the world to live the radical following of Jesus in the solitude of the desert, living alone, as monks, just as Jesus in his public life assiduously withdrew to the solitude of desert places to give himself to prayer and intimate contemplation of his Father God.

Anchorite monks

Throughout the third century, coinciding with the great persecutions, we find great figures of ancient Christianity who fled to the desert, not to escape imperial violence, but to flee the corruption and toxic vanity of the still pagan world. This fuga mundi He rejected a society that lived for worldly glory, the lust for luxury, self-celebration of self and the desire to leave a glorious memory for posterity.

In contrast to this approach, the call to live alone (monachós in Greek, from which the Latin will come from monachusThe desert will entail seeking humility, detachment, austerity, silence, hidden living and self-forgetfulness. Not out of mere opposition to the world, but in order to manifest before it "all that is necessary"(Lk 10:42), which is the contemplation of divine realities, and to imitate the life of Jesus Christ as a solitary prayerful person in desert places.

In the desert, like Jesus, the monk who has renounced his family, his patrimony, his affections, and himself, to dedicate himself to solitude and prayer, will suffer a hard fight from the devil, as Jesus Christ suffered in the desert of Judea. He will not lack temptations, harassments, attacks and seductions; neither will he lack the violence of the world nor the attacks of wild beasts. But he will emerge triumphant from all of them thanks to God's blessing and his personal ascetic effort to conquer the virtues.

This is the story told by the numerous Lives that have come down to us from the so-called Desert Fathers, the first anchorites (the separatedThe most important is the one written by St. Athanasius about St. Anthony Abbot, the true father of this new monastic experience in solitude. The most important is the one written by St. Athanasius about St. Anthony Abbot, the true father of this new monastic experience in solitude. In it he narrates the conversion of St. Anthony, his beginnings in the hard experience as an anchorite, his life first among tombs and then in the Egyptian deserts. And it reveals that the saint's reputation for holiness and wisdom, the fruit of his generous dedication to the imitation and following of Jesus Christ, brought him numerous disciples.

As we can imagine, the Fathers of this desert monasticism did not dedicate themselves to writing books, like the other Fathers we are looking at in this series. Much less their own biography. But, fortunately, their disciples, and those of the other early desert fathers, were collected in collections called Apotegmas. Each of these narratives presents us with the thread of an anecdote from the monk's life, a dialogue in which the monk teaches his disciple. And the fact is that more and more Christians began a disciple's journey with these venerated anchorites, looking for "....successfully practice the heavenly life and walk the way of the kingdom of Heaven"as we are told by a former apothegm.

The cenobitic movement

Over time, this individual experience, somewhat charismatic and surprisingly contagious, gave rise to a progressive configuration of institutions, community organization and literary production. This is what we know as cenobism (from koinós-bios(community of life in Greek). Communities of anchorites were forming with a first form of common life, already guided by a written rule, in the great areas of Christianity: Egypt, Palestine, Syria or Cappadocia.

Egypt, especially the desert around Thebes (what is known as the Thebaid), must be highlighted as the place of origin of this movement, as it was also the place of origin of the life of the anchorites. Pachomius is the great patriarch of cenobitic life, writer of the first monastic rule and initiator of an important series of great heroes of ancient monasticism, such as Shenute, Porphyry, Sabas or Euthymius. The lives of these fathers were read as biographies of authentic heroes of spirituality, who inspired many Christians in their experience of cenobitic life. During the IV and V centuries, with Christianity already fully established in the Roman Empire, the collections of apothegms and biographies of these desert fathers, as we can see in the Lausanne HistoryPalladius, a curious encyclopedia of these great heroes of asceticism and their spiritual teachings.

Because we cannot forget that what is essential in this experience is not the personal ascetic effort or the radicality of the renunciations, but the spiritual grace that God puts in these people by calling them to life in the desert. Hence the teachings of these fathers are an inexhaustible source of spiritual nourishment. In this sense, those compiled by authors such as Evagrius Ponticus or Cassian (IV-V centuries) are of great value.

Specifically, the Practical treatise and the About prayer of Evagrius are an essential reference for understanding the monastic spirituality of the Eastern Church, which later had such a great influence on the various currents of cenobism in the Latin Church. From the second work, which seeks to instruct the disciple in impassibility and contemplation, following the ancient traditions of the early fathers, come the quotations that accompany this article. 

Surely they still have much to say today to those who, inside or outside the world, seek a greater identification with Jesus Christ and a greater spiritual depth in following him.

The authorAntonio de la Torre

Doctor of Theology

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The Vatican

Pope Francis: "Jesus quenches our thirst with love".

Pope Francis prayed the Angelus from the window with the faithful gathered in St. Peter's Square. During his meditation, he focused on the request that Jesus addresses to the Samaritan woman in today's Gospel: "Give me a drink".

Paloma López Campos-March 12, 2023-Reading time: 2 minutes
RelatedRelated NewsThe saving power of God. Third Sunday of Lent (A)

This Sunday Pope Francis prayed the Angelus with the people gathered in St. Peter's Square. He also gave a brief meditation on the Gospel passage read on this Third Sunday of the year. Lentabout Jesus and the Samaritan woman at Jacob's well.

The Pope explains that the fact that Jesus, thirsty and tired, stops to rest and asks a woman for a drink, shows us "an image of God's abasement: in Jesus, God became one of us; thirsty like us". This thirst of Christ, says Francis, "is not only physical, it expresses the deepest dryness of our life: it is above all the thirst for our love".

But the Lord, the one who asks to drink, is also the one who gives to drink. "Jesus, thirsting for love, quenches our thirst with love. And he does with us as he did with the Samaritan woman: he comes close to us in our daily lives, he shares our thirst, he promises us the living water that makes eternal life spring up in us".

A much deeper thirst

This phrase of Jesus is much more profound, says the Pope. "These words are not only Jesus' request to the Samaritan woman, but an appeal - sometimes silent - that every day rises up to us and asks us to take on the thirst of others."

"Give me to drink is the appeal of our society, where haste, the race for consumption and indifference generate aridity and inner emptiness."

In this way, Francis points out, "the Gospel today offers each of us the living water that can make us become a source of refreshment for others". And, furthermore, this passage invites us to ask ourselves: "Do I thirst for God, do I realize that I need his love like water to drink? And then: do I care about the thirst of others?"

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Family

Suzanne Aho (UN)We must disseminate the Casablanca Declaration".

Suzanne Aho, former Minister of Health of Togo, has participated as an independent observer in the signing of the Casablanca Declaration for the universal abolition of surrogacy.

Maria José Atienza-March 12, 2023-Reading time: 3 minutes
RelatedRelated NewsSurrogacy in France and the Ukrainian warRelated NewsHuman rights depend on universal values

March 3, 2023 is a historic day for the promotion of the dignity of women and children. children. On that day, the signing in Casablanca (Morocco) of the Casablanca Declaration for the universal abolition of surrogacy.

The Declaration, signed by 100 jurists, physicians, psychologists and other experts from 75 countries around the world, is a first step towards the conclusion of an international treaty to abolish the practice. The members of the Casablanca Group of Experts come from very diverse backgrounds and cultures, and the only thing that unites them is the desire to abolish the practice worldwide, whatever form it takes. They intend to work together in this direction to raise public and government awareness of the reality of this globalized market. They note that, although few countries have legalized surrogacy, its promoters take advantage of globalization to offer their business to rich people who will be able to rent the wombs of poor women who have no other means of subsistence.

As a first step in this effort to inform the authorities, two members of the United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child (CRC), the body that monitors the implementation of the Convention on the Rights of the Child, were invited as independent observers. Luis Ernesto Pedernera Reyna of Uruguay, former Chair of the CRC and current member, welcomed and thanked the participants.

Suzanne Aho, former Togolese Minister of Health (2003-2006) and mayor of Lomé for 10 years, who is beginning her third term as a member of the CRC (2023-2027), also gave a welcome address and attended the seminar in Casablanca. She tells us about it in this interview with Omnes.

What is your opinion of the Casablanca group's work and seminar on March 3, 2023?

-First of all, I would like to thank all those who, from near and far, have contributed to and supported the success of the Casablanca Group's March 3, 2023 seminar on such a delicate subject as surrogacy. I welcome this initiative, which gives rise to contradictory debates and appeals to the medical, ethical and legal fields. One of the legal problems arises when it comes to transcribing birth certificates issued abroad. Some jurisdictions do not recognize surrogacy as a legal mode of procreation in the name of the principle of commodification. This seminar is timely. The various topics covered aptly demonstrate all aspects of surrogacy.

To what extent is surrogacy (surrogate motherhood) controlled under the UNCRC?

-For the committee, it is as relevant and worrisome as any other issue. The CRC talks about surrogacy, including international surrogacy. The issue is on our list of issues to be addressed.

What are the risks of this practice?

-The consequences for the mother and the child are quite serious, depending on the case: dignity, violence, etc. These are the key words of this practice.

The French National Consultative Committee on Ethics has issued an opinion (Opinion no. 126 of June 15, 2017) in which it declares itself "favorable to the elaboration of an international convention banning surrogacy and is particularly attached to the diplomatic effort". This is the same position adopted by the Casablanca group of experts. Do you see an international treaty to abolish surrogacy as possible?

-Yes, it would be possible to conclude an international convention, but several questions need to be answered first: has the French advisory committee been well prepared for it? What is the state of the art? What are the statistics of the surrogacy market in the world? Are the states that practice and authorize surrogacy prepared for it?

In my humble opinion, it is still too early to conclude such an agreement. We should start this process by publicizing the Casablanca Declaration.

Does this practice not represent a regression of the rights of children and women, who are reduced to "objects of transaction"?

-Certainly, it is an attack on human dignity and, therefore, a violation of the rights of children and women.

We must fight against the trafficking of children born from surrogacy.

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Samuel's parents, facing pressure to abort: "Don't give up".

This is the story of a young evangelical couple, Alejandra and Benjamin, she Costa Rican, he German, who refused to follow the insistent medical advice to abort, and had Samuel, with Edwards syndrome, who lived only 6 hours outside the womb. On the eve of the March for Life on Sunday the 12th, they tell Omnes.

Francisco Otamendi-March 11, 2023-Reading time: 6 minutes
RelatedRelated NewsAbortion is also a man's businessRelated NewsIsabel Vaughan-Spruce: "The damage abortion inflicts on women alone should be enough to make us pro-life".

Alejandra and Benjamin are an evangelical couple who refused to abort Samuel, their son with Edwards syndrome, who lived six hours outside his mother's womb. "The biggest miracle was that Samuel made it to 38 weeks in the pregnancy. It was painful, very hard, to lose him after delivery, but today he is in heaven," Alejandra tells Omnes, after explaining that she became pregnant in 2020, in the middle of Covid. Her son, diagnosed with Edwards' syndrome, was born on July 5, 2021, and died six hours after birth." 

With this syndrome, the baby, instead of having two copies of chromosome 18 (two pairs), has three. It is, therefore, similar to Down syndrome, although this is a trisomy of chromosome 21.

"We had a lot of pressure from the doctors to abort," Alejandra explains, but "even in the midst of the greatest pain I had ever felt, I was able to hear God, in a moment of prayer, at night, tell me clear and direct: 'keep going, don't give up.' These words gave me the strength to have faith that my pregnancy was going to be okay".

For the first doctor they went to, "privately, in a medical center in Torrejón de Ardoz, abortion was "the quickest solution' and perhaps for him 'less painful', since according to medical statistics, the baby would die in my womb anyway".

"Ben and I wanted a second opinion and the answer was the same: our child would not survive in my womb and the best thing to do was to abort. That's how the weeks and even months went by, during which I was seen by at least ten doctors; six of them suggested abortion as a solution to the pregnancy I was carrying," Alejandra adds.

"One of the risks was that his heart would stop beating and that he would die inside my womb, then we would have to perform surgery to remove him, etc. But as I said, I had a promise from God that he would not die in my womb, not that he would live, but that he would not die in my womb", says the mother of Samuel, who is called Sami.

"But as I said, the words I received from God: 'keep going, don't give up,' kept me firm, as time went by I knew that Sami would not die in my womb, I could even feel him moving inside me," Alejandra reveals. 

"It was a very hard pregnancy, a constant struggle for life, but I was never alone," adds this Costa Rican: "I took great refuge in God, our families created prayer chains for Sami, and our church and friends were always by our side giving us unconditional support. The anguish alone would have been much more painful.

Ben: "A medical statement does not have the final word."

In the conversation a natural question arises, which Alejandra does not avoid: "Did you find support in your husband? Her answer is immediate: "Very much so. He was, in fact, very hurt because being so close to the Covid, with its after-effects, they wouldn't let him in, and I received almost all the news alone. I would go to appointments and he would wait for me outside. I think it's painful not to have been able to be with me at those appointments. But yes, he thought the same way I did, abortion was never an option.

Benjamin (Hamburg, Germany), a missionary evangelist, corroborates what his wife says, telling Omnes that "a medical statement does not and can never have the final word. In many different instances and situations, I have seen God heal people. This is no exaggeration. The final word belongs to God alone. I remember when we got the news, we were praying, and I said, I can't let this have the final say on the life of our baby, which at the time we didn't know was going to be a son, we thought it was going to be a daughter."

"God has given a value, a dignity to human life, made in his image and likeness, that no one has the right to take away, much less for convenience. This has been very clear to us. We decided to fight for the life of our baby, then and thereafter. Because the dignity of the life that is received comes from God, and not from us, from our convenience, or from medical reports," says Samuel's father, who has lived in Spain since the beginning of 2018. 

Is it harder for your wife to have to go in alone, because of the pandemic, to the medical appointments, or to wait outside for the results of those appointments? I think it was harder for my wife," he answers, "because I know that she has been affected a lot by this too. For me, waiting outside has been really hard at all the doctor's appointments, and especially the C-section. I have struggled a lot in life, but where I have experienced God's support and guidance has been here. In every waiting time I have been praying."

"He was reacting to my voice."

We let Ben, Sami's father, continue: "It was very difficult for our son to survive, because of all the problems he had, he could die at any moment, and affect the mother's life. We thought this was not true, and even I could feel from the outside our son's movements, and could experience that he was reacting to my voice. This has been a miracle, yes, despite what the doctors said".

"Also when he was born, in the first moment he did not breathe, and the doctors were fighting for his life, and we were also able to meet our son outside the womb, we were able to hold him. This was an answer to our prayers. Well, I was between the floor upstairs, to meet him, and record him, and with Ale, who was downstairs, coming back from the C-section. The whole thing was a miracle.

Ester Marie's gift

"Six months later we got pregnant. The doctor scolded me a little, but there she is, Ester Marie, who was born in September 2022, and is now five months old. We see her as a gift from God, and she is completely healthy, very pink, very chubby, no genetic problem, no nothing," Alejandra had told me in the morning. Hours later, her husband, Ben, reiterated: "Absolutely, a gift from God".

Alejandra comments: "With AESVIDA We went to the March last year. Now we are talking with Susana, and the idea is to create something to help moms in Torrejón de Ardoz. Like the food banks, to create a bank of baby needs. Because we work in Torrejón, although we live near Alcalá".

As we concluded, we asked Ben how that conviction, that strength to defend life and its dignity, came to him. "It's a long story. My family is a bit complicated. But it comes after my mother passed away in Germany, then I started looking for God. And connected with YWAMI started reading the Bible... That's when it all began. Since 2010 I gave myself to God, and I have tried to live the best way I can. And years later it has led me to missions here in Spain. Now I am a missionary with an organization called Youth with a Mission. My focus right now is Bible Schools. And my wife is also a missionary, with a ministry called Transformación".

Yes to Life March on Sunday

As reported by Omnesthis Sunday, the 12th, a March will take place, promoted by the Plataforma Yes to Lifesupported by more than 500 associations and civic organizations, which will tour the center of Madrid, and will begin at 12 noon on Serrano Street corner Goya, to Cibeles, where the manifesto of the Platform will be read. 
The event will be hosted by influencers Carla Restoy and José Martín Aguado. Juan Herranz, founder of Eight Ball Events, will lead the musical theme with a short concert, in which the hymn 'Long Live Lifecreated by Hermanos Martínez, which will be 5 years old in 2023. In addition, among others, Pablo Delgado de la Serna, influencer, physiotherapist and university professor, will give his testimony,
The March Yes to Life 2023 already has more than 400 volunteers helping to organize it. According to the Platform, organizations that will leave in buses from cities such as Murcia, Pamplona, Salamanca, Cuenca, Alicante, Bilbao, Getxo, Valencia, Avila, Santander, Zaragoza or Huesca, among others, have confirmed their attendance.

The authorFrancisco Otamendi

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RelatedRelated NewsAbortion is also a man's businessRelated NewsIsabel Vaughan-Spruce: "The damage abortion inflicts on women alone should be enough to make us pro-life".
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Culture

Omnes Forum on affective life and priestly personality

The Omnes Forum "Affective life and priestly personality. Keys for formation" will be held on Wednesday, March 15 at 5:30 p.m. at the Carlos de Amberes Foundation.

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

What kind of priests does the Church of today need? What should their human and spiritual formation be like? Do they miss anything in this formation?

These and other questions will be the focus of the next Omnes Forum "Affective Life and Priestly Personality. Keys for formation" that will be held, in person, on the next Wednesday, March 15 at 5:30 pm.

Joan Enric VivesPresident of the Episcopal Commission for the Clergy and Seminaries of the Spanish Episcopal Conference, and Dr. Carlos Chiclana, psychiatrist and author of the study Challenges, risks and opportunities in the affective life of a priest will be the speakers at this meeting to be held at the Carlos de Amberes Foundation, (Claudio Coello 99, 28006 Madrid).

As a follower and reader of Omnes, we invite you to attend. If you would like to attend, please confirm your attendance by sending an email to [email protected].

The Forum, organized by Omnes in partnership with the CARF FoundationThe event, with the collaboration of Banco Sabadell.

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The Vatican

What has and has not changed in the so-called "Vatican Bank".

The Institute for the Works of Religion has had a new statute since March 7. A chirograph that, however, does not bring great novelties although it does change the governing body.

Andrea Gagliarducci-March 10, 2023-Reading time: 4 minutes
RelatedRelated NewsVatican finances: how they work and what are their organs?Related NewsHow the Vatican's economic organizations are organized following Praedicate Evangelium

It's called, really, Institute for the Works of Religionand many consider it the "Vatican bank". But it is not a bank, it is a financial institution created to serve subjects linked to the Catholic Church (from employees of the Curia to religious congregations; from dioceses to embassies accredited to the Holy See) and to allocate the profits, precisely, to "religious works".

Although its name has often been linked, rightly and wrongly, to scandals, the IOR is an agency of the Holy See that has its raison d'être precisely in the need to provide the Holy See with independence in managing and distributing funds and carrying out its mission. Pope Francis has reformed it, for the second time in a few years.

On March 7, the following laws were enacted new statutes of the Institute for the Works of Religion, also known as IOR. Just three and a half years ago, the IOR already had a new statute, replacing St. John Paul II's chirograph of 1990.

However, it is wrong to think that the new statutes present substantial novelties. They are mainly adjustments, some minor novelties and, in the case of the latter statute, a new adjustment to the new constitution of the Curia, the Praedicate EvangeliumThe term of the appointments, which are for a five-year term, has been reduced to five years.

A bit of history

The history of the IOR begins in 1942, when Pius XII established the Institute for the Works of Religion in Vatican City, with juridical personality, absorbing into it the pre-existing Administration for the Works of Religion.

The statute of the IOR had been approved by Pope Pacelli himself on March 17, 1941 and had its first origin in the Commission ad pias causas established by Leo XIII in 1887.

John Paul II regulated the IOR with a chirograph in 1990. Pope Francis renewed the statute in 2019. But what changes, what remains and what is missing in the new statutes?

What remains

The IOR remains autonomous with regard to personnel selection and also salaries, which therefore deviate from the general salary levels of the Roman Curia (Article 27 of the Statute).

The organs of the Institute are maintained: the Cardinal's Commission, the Prelate, the Council of Superintendence, the Directorate.

The terms of office are all for five years with the possibility of a single renewal, as defined by Praedicate Evangelium and as, in any case, already established by the 2019 Statute.

As for the Cardinal Commission, it is certain that it will be the cardinals who will elect its presidents, and they will also elect the prelate of the IOR.

The latest additions to the 2019 Bylaws also remain: the outsourcing of auditors, the increase in the number of the lay governing board from five to seven, and some restrictions on the temporal extension of appointments.

What changes

The governing body changes. In 2019, it was structured with a principal and a vice principal, appointed by the Board of Superintendents with the approval of the cardinal commission.

Under the new bylaws, the management becomes a monocratic body, and the director has all the powers, and is only obliged to submit to the Board of Superintendence any act that is not within his competence. In addition, "in cases of urgency, the Chief Executive Officer may be authorized to act outside his competence by the Chairman of the Board of Superintendence, who shall hear at least one of the other members of the Board. The determination, signed by the Director General and effective immediately vis-à-vis third parties, must, however, be submitted for ratification by the Board of Superintendence at its first useful meeting".

The figure of the Deputy Director is maintained, but this is only a function that the General Manager may delegate from time to time.

Therefore, the Director has more powers and manages and administers the Institute. The Superintendent Council, on the other hand, has the function of defining the strategic lines, general policies and supervision of the IOR's activities.

The Cardinal Commission and the Council of Superintendence will have a non-simultaneous mandate, that is, they will not expire together. Therefore, there will be a time when the Council of Superintendence will act with a new Cardinal Commission, and vice versa.

A conflict of interest provision is also included, according to which "each member of the Board of Superintendence shall abstain from voting on resolutions in which he/she has an interest, real or potential, on his/her own behalf or on behalf of third parties".

The General Director continues to be appointed by the Council of Superintendence and approved by the Cardinal Commission, but from now on "from a list of at least three suitable candidates". He may be hired for an indefinite or permanent term.

What is missing

What is missing in the Statute? There is no mention of the supervisory framework to which the IOR belongs, nor of the Authority of Surveillance and Financial Intelligence, which is the body that oversees the operations of the IOR. It seems, in short, that the IOR remains a kind of institute in itself, almost alien to the great reform of Vatican finances desired by Pope Francis.

An impression that is reinforced by the fact that the IOR can only accept deposits between entities and persons of the Holy See and Vatican City State. This is a wording that was already present in the 2019 Statute, which, however, did not go so far as to include other users of the IOR, such as dioceses and parishes, but also institutes of canon law and embassies to the Holy See. 

Both the supervisory framework and the range of customers are mentioned in the official website of the InstituteIt is therefore surprising that they are not included in the new bylaws.

These omissions suggest that further adjustments will have to be made. Rather than real reforms, these are adaptations to the new rules and regulations. But the IOR remains an independent body, supervised by the Authority for Surveillance and Financial Intelligence, but is not part of the Roman Curia.

The authorAndrea Gagliarducci

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RelatedRelated NewsVatican finances: how they work and what are their organs?Related NewsHow the Vatican's economic organizations are organized following Praedicate Evangelium
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Family

Abortion is also a man's business

Abortion is usually seen as a “female topic”, which makes sense. But, if we really want to talk about this important and controversial matter, we need to think about all those involved: women, children… and men?

Paloma López Campos-March 10, 2023-Reading time: 3 minutes
RelatedRelated NewsSisters of LifeThe pregnant woman who does not want to be a mother is already a mother".Related NewsCan we overcome social polarization on the issue of abortion?Related NewsAbortion and jurisprudence in the United States

When talking about abortion, it makes sense to shine the spotlight over women. They are the main affected ones, but there are many other victims.

Truth be told, abortion affects men. We don’t talk about it enough, but we just can’t forget that the human life being eliminated during an abortion has a mother and a father. That’s why there’s a ministry of the Archdiocese of Los Angeles, called "By Your Side LA"where they help women, men, family and friends who are suffering after an abortion.

Jeanette Seneviratne, director

Omnes has talked to the Director of this ministry, Jeanette Seneviratne, who has told us about men and their experience.

How does abortion affect men?

–Men experience a potential mental health effect of personal and relational injury after an abortion. Many studies have shown that in the aftermath of abortion, particularly where the feelings around the decision to abort are ambivalent, men often feel depressed and when they have not been consulted about the decision, they often feel angry about being legally disenfranchised.

It affects men personally, spiritually, and emotionally; the whole person and perspective in life from the trauma whether direct or indirect involvement in the abortion. We also understand from a faith perspective, that the relationship between man and God can be severed due to the feelings of guilt, shame, and the trauma. This is why healing and understanding of God’s mercy is part of our By Your Side LA accompaniment journey by the Merciful Companions.

Is the grieving process different for men and women?

–Men and women both go through their individual grieving process, but we understand that many of the same emotions, guilt, anger and shame can be commonly experienced by both because it is a disenfranchised grief.

What is the job of the Merciful Companions? 

–Merciful Companions are trained active listeners who help those affected by abortion tell their stories by providing support so they can begin their healing journey.

How do you help men affected by abortion?

–By Your Side LA Ministry offers a website, a call center, trained lay Merciful Companions to walk with those in need as they heal, and referrals to mental health professionals, retreats, support groups, spiritual healing, and other resources.

Abortion is a topic strongly connected to women. How can we help men understand that it is important for them to also seek help and guidance?

–We can help men understand that it is important for them to seek help and guidance by letting them know that abortion affects everyone in the family and how healing restores community and brings joy. We also have male Merciful Companions that can draw from their own experience of loss that can provide guidance and hope.

We can provide a compassionate approach of accompaniment and say,” Sharing your experience with abortion may feel daunting. Maybe you have never told anyone about it before. You might feel guilty. You might feel sad. You might feel angry. Whatever you are feeling is perfectly normal, but it is not what you want to keep feeling forever. You can heal. You can get help. You are not alone. There are people you can talk to — people you can trust. You might not know what to say or how to start the conversation. Let us help you begin. It’s easy to connect with us to support you”.

How can a man grow in his faith while healing from an abortion?

–A man’s faith and relationship to God can be restored by journeying to understand the impact of finding a new place of forgiveness and peace. A man does not have to remain permanently stuck in the emotional distress that his abortion experience may have left him in. There is a process for redemption and restoration that a father involved in an abortion can move into and find hope, healing, and wholeness.

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  • Riches of the Roman Missal: the Sundays of Lent (III)
Resources

Riches of the Roman Missal: the Sundays of Lent (III)

On the third Sunday of Lent, we look forward to a collective prayer that raises our gaze to divine mercy.

Carlos Guillén-March 10, 2023-Reading time: 3 minutes
RelatedRelated News"The Dialogue of Love between the Father and the Son", Third Sunday of Lent.Related News"The light of faith makes us see God's mercy."

At the beginning of this third week we find ourselves with the longest Sunday Collect of Lent. The experts in charge of revising the prayers of the Missal replaced the one in use until 1962 with one from the old Gelasian sacramentary, with very minor changes. This is how we arrive at the current formulation:

O God, author of all mercy and goodness, who accepts fasting, prayer and almsgiving as a remedy for our sins, look with love on the recognition of our littleness and lift up with your mercy those of us who are cast down by our conscience.Deus, omnium misericordiárum et totíus bonitátis auctor, qui peccatórum remédia in ieiúniis oratiónibus et eleemósynis demonstrásti, hanc humilitátis nostrae confessiónem propítius intuére,ut, qui inclinámur consciéntia nostra, tua semper misericórdia sublevémur.

The pillars of Lent

A first reading is enough to reveal the cornerstone on which this text is built: the mercy of God. In fact, this divine attribute appears both in the extensive initial invocation and in the second petition, thus receiving special emphasis. We invoke the Father of mercies (cf. 2Co 1:3), as so many pious Jews have invoked him (cf. Ps 41 [40]; 51 [50]), in a way that is in itself a petition. Jesus taught the same thing in the parable of the Pharisee and the tax collector (cf. Lk 18:9-14). And this is what so many implored him, like the blind man on the outskirts of Jericho (cf. Lk 18:38). Whether what we need is healing of the soul or of the body, the path always passes through divine mercy.

It was not for nothing that the Holy Father wanted to proclaim a Jubilee of Mercy a few years ago. On that occasion, he wrote in the Bull of Convocation: "We always need to contemplate the mystery of mercy. It is a source of joy, serenity and peace. It is a condition for our salvation. Mercy: is the word that reveals the mystery of the Most Holy Trinity. Mercy: it is the ultimate and supreme act by which God comes to meet us (...) Mercy: it is the way that unites God and man, because it opens the way to God's salvation. heartbeat to the hope of being loved forever in spite of the limit of our sin".

At the same time, divine goodness has to meet human goodness, and those who ask for what they cannot, must do all they can. That is why the Collect mentions prayer, fasting and almsgiving as the ascetic pillars of Lent. By using them we will find a good remedy for our sins. Jesus refers to them in his preaching, as we remember on Ash Wednesday (cf. Mt 6:1-18). In the same vein, St. Augustine helps us to understand their value: "Do you want your prayer to fly to God? Give it two wings: fasting and almsgiving".

On the firm ground of divine mercy

Through the aforementioned Lenten practices, lived in a spirit of penitence and trust in the Lord, we confess our humility and littleness before God (humilitatis nostrae confessionem), and we ask him to look upon us with indulgence, understanding and forgiveness (propitius intuere), not of rejection or condemnation, because we are certain that God wants all men to be saved (cf. 1 Tim 2:4) and for this purpose he sent his Son into the world (cf. Jn 3:17).

It is the same gaze that we invoke the Father to have when we present to Him in the Eucharistic prayer our gifts and our life united to the offering made by Christ on the Cross: "Look with eyes of goodness on this offering and accept it" (Roman Canon). Having limitations, miseries and sins is not a reason to turn away from God, nor to think that He turns away from us. On the contrary, it is a reason for us to seek Him more earnestly and a call for Him to draw near to us, because, just as the healthy do not need a physician but the sick, so the Lord came to call not the righteous but sinners to penance (cf. Mk 2:17).

Therefore, God's gaze will always be a merciful gaze, which lifts us up (mercy sublevemur), even when the sins that weigh on our conscience would like to keep us oppressed, inclined (inclinamur conscientia nostra). It is the reaction of the merciful father who, when the prodigal son begins to confess to him "I have sinned against heaven and against you, I am no longer worthy to be called your son", rushes to cover him with kisses and asks for the best robe, the ring, the sandals and organizes a banquet (cf. Lk 15:11-32).

Nothing better, moreover, than to end this Lenten prayer with a veiled allusion to Easter, because the grace of Christ lifts us up, raises us from the lowest to the highest, that is, gives us a new life, that of the Risen One. Filled with this new life, we can walk erect and upright, as befits those who are risen in Christ, firmly resting on the firm ground of divine mercy.

The authorCarlos Guillén

Priest from Peru. Liturgist.

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RelatedRelated News"The Dialogue of Love between the Father and the Son", Third Sunday of Lent.Related News"The light of faith makes us see God's mercy."
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Sunday Readings

The saving power of God. Third Sunday of Lent (A)

Joseph Evans comments on the readings for the III Sunday of Lent and Luis Herrera offers a brief video homily.

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

There is no doubt that thirst is the dominant theme in today’s readings. Whereas in the first reading, thirst takes God’s own people away from him, in the gospel thirst brings a sinful woman and her renegade people closer to God.

The first reading describes the episode at a place called Massah when the people of Israel were going through the desert after their escape from Egypt. We read simply: “But the people thirsted there for water, and the people murmured against Moses.” They are close to stoning him, so he calls out to the Lord. God then tells him to strike the rock "and water shall come out of it, that the people may drink."Moses does so and water gushes forth. But the sacred writer comments: "And he called the name of the place Massah and Meribah, because of the fault-finding of the children of Israel, and because they put the Lord to the proof by saying, ‘Is the Lord among us or not?".

In the gospel the thirst of a sinful Samaritan woman leads her to encounter Jesus. The Samaritans had cut themselves off from Israel and were considered ethnically and religiously impure by the Israelites. The woman, we will learn, had a deeply disordered personal life. She had been married a staggering five times and was now living with a new man who was not her husband. She went to the well seeking water but found God made man waiting for her. Seated by the well, Our Lord engages her in conversation.

He will certainly confront her with the disorder of her life, but first he will speak to her of "God’s gift", not just running water but a greater spiritual "spring of water welling up to eternal life". He is speaking both of baptism and the grace of the Holy Spirit in our souls. St Paul, in the second reading, uses a similar ‘liquid’ image to describe the action of the Spirit: "God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit which has been given to us." .” The woman, whom it seems had been shunned by her fellow villagers (she had to go for water alone at the hottest part of the day), now goes to proclaim Jesus to them: "Come, see a man who told me all that I ever did. Can this be the Christ?”. 

The message is clear: we should thirst not just for earthly satisfaction (our Lenten penances should be helping us to restrain this desire) but for the grace of God. We shouldn’t rely on our ‘status’ but trust more in God’s power to save and convert us, no matter how disordered our life might have been up to now – the people of Israel rebel against God; a sinful woman becomes Christ’s apostle. Our hard rock-like hearts need to be watered by the grace of the Spirit. The bitter Samaritan woman was surprised by Christ and her life found new meaning. God has surprises for us too in this holy season. 

Homily on the readings of Sunday III of Lent (A)

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

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The Vatican

Raffaella Petrini: "Women's leadership in the service of the Church".

"Women have innate gifts, including caring for others, which can be traced first and foremost in their structural capacity for motherhood," says Sister Raffaella Petrini, Secretary General of the Governorate of Vatican City State.

Antonino Piccione-March 8, 2023-Reading time: 4 minutes
RelatedRelated NewsVeronica SevillaWomen are a factor of change in the Church".Related NewsPope thanks women for building "a more humane society".

 "Women in high positions, inside and outside the Church, are called today to exercise their freedom to carry out the tasks that Pope Francis attributes to every leader: caring for the fragile and putting the dignity of the person back at the center of every decision. Knowing that the paradigm of the "management of care" constitutes an ethical reference point for any organization: we are all immersed in a network of relationships of dependence, which define who we are and what we will become, becoming fundamental for us and for others."

This is what Sister Raffaella Petrini, Secretary General of the Governorate of the City State of the City of The Vaticanon the occasion of International Women's Day. In his intervention in the second session of the Course of Specialization in Religious Information promoted by ISCOM and the Pontifical University of the Holy Cross, Petrini transfers his reflection to the dilemma of leadership highlighted by the Polish philosopher Zygmunt Bauman, that is, the choice between competition and solidarity. "Competition," Bauman explains, "pushes human beings to advance their own position by imposing their own desires and interests on the other, or on others"; solidarity, on the other hand, presupposes that "men and women can live together in a collaborative way and can try to become, all of them, happier."

"Over the course of recent pontificates," Petrini observes, "especially with Pope Francis, much has been done to offer women the opportunity to express their freedom in more concrete ways, including by formally appointing them to positions of leadership, administration and management within ecclesial structures, including the Roman Curia and the Governatorate of Vatican City State."

Solidarity, a central principle of Christian social thought, is defined as follows by Pope John Paul II in his encyclical "Sollicitudo rei socialis" (1987): "It is, above all, interdependence, felt as a determining system of relationships in the contemporary world, in its economic, cultural, political and religious components, and assumed as a moral category. When interdependence is thus recognized, the correlative response, as a moral and social attitude, as a "virtue", is solidarity. It is not, then, a feeling of vague compassion or superficial sympathy for the ills of so many people, near or far away. On the contrary, it is the firm and persevering determination to commit oneself to the common good: that is, to the good of each and every one, because we are all truly responsible for all.

Three dimensions

In this regard, Sister Raffaella points out "three dimensions that, at least in my personal experience in this first year as Secretary General of the Governorate of Vatican City State, link expressions of solidarity within an organization".

First of all, the awareness of diversity, that is, the recognition of feminine qualities, according to which "women have innate gifts, including care for others, which can be traced above all in their structural capacity for motherhood, hence their readiness to welcome new life, to change and transformation, to protect vulnerability, to sacrifice and to relate to otherness". Among the corollaries, according to the Secretary General of the Governorate of Vatican City State, are attention to people's needs, the responsibility generated by the desire to meet those needs, professional competence and respect. These are all ingredients that are at the origin of the effective functioning of any organizational system.

The complexity of modern organizations - the second dimension of the Franciscan nun's analysis - "necessarily requires a multidisciplinary approach to problem-solving and the willingness, therefore, to seek out and welcome the contribution of different skills, both soft and hard". This is an issue that concerns the Governance itself, divided into seven directorates, of very different nature and functions, which collaborate with the President, the Secretary General and the Deputy Secretary General to carry out the institutional activities of Vatican City State: 1) Infrastructures and Services; 2) Telecommunications and Information Systems; 3) Economy4) Security and Civil Protection Services; 5) Health and Hygiene; 6) Museums and Cultural Heritage; 7) Papal Villas.

Finally, service as an essential attitude of leadership. In the four pillars identified since the 1970s by the American researcher Robert Greenleaf, and schematized as follows by Petrini: service to employees, which, reinforced by internal motivation, fosters productivity; a holistic approach to work, according to which work is for man, and not vice versa; the sense of community, in the awareness of a shared fragility that requires mutual support; the sharing of decision-making power, fostered by less verticalist and more flexible and horizontal structures.

From the unfolding of the dimensions described above flows the aptitude for caring for things, which we are called to manage and not to possess, as the Pope's last Motu Proprio on Original Law also reminds us, and for people, for the human capital capable of making organizations function, beyond the necessary structural reforms. Raffaella Petrini concludes: "It is an attitude based essentially on the principle of mutual dependence, which also belongs to the core of our Christian faith, that is, on the awareness that, in the course of existence, all of us, without exception, have been, are and will be active and passive subjects of care. Today, as women assume greater roles of responsibility in the public sphere, in the political-economic sphere, as well as within the Church, they participate in the effort to reconcile the moral sentiment of care with the moral sentiment of justice".

With a view to building that "social friendship" that induces us to "aim higher than ourselves and our own particular interests," as Pope Francis advocates ("Fratelli Tutti," 245).

The authorAntonino Piccione

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The Vatican

Pope thanks women for building "a more humane society".

Pope Francis' thanks to women for "their commitment to building a more humane society, and their ability to grasp reality with a creative eye and a tender heart," marked today's general audience, along with the suffering for the "pain of the martyred Ukrainian people."

Francisco Otamendi-March 8, 2023-Reading time: 4 minutes
RelatedRelated NewsVeronica SevillaWomen are a factor of change in the Church".

On International Women's Day, Pope Francis had words of thanks and praise for women at the end of the general audience held in St. Peter's Square. "A special blessing for all the women in the square - and a round of applause for the women! They deserve it!" said the Holy Father. The theme of catechesis has been 'The Second Vatican Council. Evangelization as service', continuing the cycle on 'The passion of evangelization. The apostolic zeal of the believer'.

For some days now, the Pope has been referring to women in various audiences to smaller groups, as well as in publications. He has done so, for example, in the preface to the volume 'More Women's Leadership for a Better World: Care as the Motor of Our Common Home', the fruit of a research project promoted by the Centesimus Annus Foundation pro Pontifice, presiding Anna Maria Tarantolaand the Strategic Alliance of Catholic Research Universities (Sacru), published by 'Vita e Pensiero'.

In this preface, the Holy Father wrote that "man does not bring harmony: it is she. It is she who brings that harmony which teaches us to caress, to love tenderly and which makes the world a thing of beauty" (Homily at Santa Marta, February 9, 2017)." And "we are in great need of harmony to fight injustice, blind greed that harms people and the environment, unjust and unacceptable war," he said. Vatican News.

Moreover, Francis adds that "women know that they give birth with pain in order to achieve a great joy: to give life and to open vast new horizons. That is why women always desire peace. Women know how to express both strength and tenderness, they are good, competent, prepared, they know how to inspire new generations (not only their children). It is only fair that they should be able to apply these skills in all areas, not only in the family, and that they should receive the same remuneration as men with equal functions, commitment and responsibility. The differences that still exist are a grave injustice".

In this line of peace, the Pope referred once again in the Audience to the "pain of the martyred Ukrainian", who "suffers so much". Earlier, at the conclusion of the intervention of the Polish nun, he had thanked the people of Poland for "welcoming" the Ukrainian refugees fleeing the war.

"Called to evangelize".

In the first part of the Audience, Pope Francis focused his evangelizing catechesis on the Second Vatican Ecumenical Council, which "presented the Church as the People of God on pilgrimage in time and by its nature missionary (cfr. Ad gentes Decree What does this mean?" he asked.

 "There is a bridge between the first and the last Council, in the sign of evangelization, a bridge whose architect is the Holy Spirit. Today we listen to the Second Vatican Council, to discover that evangelization is always an ecclesial service, never solitary, never isolated or individualistic. Evangelization is always done in the Church, and without proselytizing, because that is not evangelization", he pointed out.

The core of his message, which the Pope himself later summarized, has been 

that "the pilgrim and missionary People of God", as the Second Vatican Council presented the Church, "those of us who are part of this holy People - are all the baptized - we are called to evangelize. And what we transmit is what we, in turn, have received. This dynamism guarantees the authenticity of the Christian message. Evangelizing is not a solitary or individual task, but an ecclesial service".

"Christian vocation of every baptized person."

"Every baptized person participates in the mission of Christ," the Holy Father added in various ways. "That is, he is sent to proclaim the Good News, loving and serving others to the point of giving his own life. This means that we cannot remain passive subjects or mere spectators; apostolic zeal impels us to seek ever new ways of proclaiming and witnessing to God's love. It also urges us, following the example of Christ, to give concrete responses to console our suffering brothers and sisters. 

"Each of the baptized, whatever his function in the Church and the degree of enlightenment of his faith, is an agent of evangelization" (Apostolic Exhortation Evangelii Gaudium, 120)," the Pope reiterated. "By virtue of the Baptism received and the consequent incorporation into the Church, every baptized person participates in the mission of the Church and, in it, to the mission of Christ the King, Priest and Prophet. This duty 'is unique and identical everywhere and in all conditions, even if it is not carried out in the same way according to circumstances' (AG, 6)." "If you are not an evangelizer, if you do not bear witness, you are not a good Christian," the Pope added, going off script.

"Creative search for new ways"

"This invites us not to become sclerotic or fossilized; the missionary zeal of the believer is also expressed as a creative search for new ways of proclaiming and witnessing, for new ways of encountering the wounded humanity that Christ took upon himself. In short, new ways of serving the Gospel and humanity," the Holy Father said.

"Returning to the fundamental love of the Father and to the missions of the Son and the Holy Spirit does not lock us into spaces of static personal tranquility. On the contrary, it leads us to recognize the gratuitousness of the gift of the fullness of life to which we are called, a gift for which we praise and thank God. It is to be given, not only for ourselves.

The Roman Pontiff concluded: "Let us ask the Lord for this grace to take this Christian vocation seriously and to thank the Lord for this treasure that he has given us, and to try to communicate it to others".

The authorFrancisco Otamendi

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Integral ecology

Ecology and feminism

Society would be much better served by employing the female genius in tasks of greater social impact than being a soccer player or firefighter. Environmental care would be one of them, as women are more involved in nature conservation.

Emilio Chuvieco-March 8, 2023-Reading time: 3 minutes

A few months ago a good friend of mine, who has been committed to environmental issues since he was young, told me about his frustration with the ideological drift of some current environmental movements, which mix environmental care with other social issues, in his opinion with little or no relation to nature conservation.

Precisely one of the issues that my friend considered to be most clearly influenced by this deviation from environmentalism was that of so-called ecofeminism. We owe the term to a French feminist, Francoise D'Eubonne, who coined it in the mid-1970s to describe the parallelism between the marginalization of women and nature, both influenced - in the French thinker's opinion - by the patriarchal and hierarchical society, linking certain characteristics of femininity (such as openness to life or care) with those of nature. Women's liberation and environmental liberation would thus be part of the same struggle.

Ecofeminism began to consolidate in the 1980s and 1990s, diversifying into various branches: some more social, characterized by the vindication and confrontation between opposing poles, and others more cultural (or spiritualist), which favored a return to pagan traditions of fertility worship and religious mythologies linked to it. In these tendencies of Western ecofeminism, some figures stand out, such as Petra Kelly, founder of the German Green Party, or the philosophers Karen Warren, Carolyn Merchant or Val Plumwood.

On the other hand, southern ecofeminism places more emphasis on the impacts that environmental deterioration has on women in developing societies (search for water, food, health), and emphasizes the figure of the mother and the ethics of care, while highlighting the role of women in the conservation of traditional forms of agriculture and urban management.

The figures of the Kenyan Wangari Maathai, Nobel Peace Prize winner, or the Indian Vandana Shiva, one of the promoters of agro-ecology and permaculture, are clear exponents of this trend.

Beyond my friend's opinions about the convenience or not of mixing the commitment to environmental conservation with other social issues, I believe that there is a relationship, perhaps a deeper one, between ecology and feminism, or rather between ecology and femininity.

On the one hand, the ecology stresses the importance of diversity and cooperation among complementarians. It is not so much a friend of confrontation as of cooperation. From this point of view, the interest of some branches of feminism in keeping women in permanent opposition to men or, even worse, in their maximum aspiration to do the same things that men do, does not make much sense.

Obviously I am not referring here to equal opportunities or the professional and educational promotion of women, with which I could not agree more. I am referring to a certain obsession of some feminisms to consider male values, which in some cases are rather anti-values, as something worthy of imitation. I am struck by the number of series and movies where the protagonist is dedicated to throwing as many or more punches with her male colleagues, as if that makes her more worthy of commendation.

As a student said to me a few years ago, wouldn't it be more reasonable for feminism to demand that men do the same things as women? Perhaps, in my opinion, it would be even better for men to have the same noble values that women have, to learn from them to welcome, to share and to care.

In other words, it seems to me that society would be much better served by employing the female genius in tasks of greater social impact than being a soccer player or firefighter, including many activities that have traditionally been performed by women and that are essential for society to be more humane, such as caring for other people.

In addition, the contribution of women in tasks previously performed only by men should also help to humanize these tasks, providing a different vision, closer to the female perception of things.

Surely environmental care would be one of them, since women -either because of their material instinct, or because of their greater sensitivity or their greater contemplative capacity- I have no doubt that they are more interested and more involved in the conservation of nature than men. All this, obviously, as a general statement.

Sex has a great influence on people's habits and perception, nothing less than a different chromosome, but it does not determine their character, so we can all learn from the best that others, men and women, bring to us, taking advantage of the cultural biodiversity that enriches us all.

The authorEmilio Chuvieco

Professor of Geography at the University of Alcalá.

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Culture

Wisława Szymborska. The poet of "I don't know"

She is considered one of the most intense and transparent voices of contemporary world poetry. With twelve collections of poems, she stands out for her technical mastery, sharpness, wit, irony and lyrical closeness, illuminating with her poetry the reality, particularly the everyday.

Carmelo Guillén-March 8, 2023-Reading time: 5 minutes

In establishing the keys to Wisława Szymborska's poetry, one must inevitably turn to her discourse of reception of the Nobel Prize in Literaturein which, in a simple, straightforward, direct way, she expresses what drives her to write, inspiration being the result of what she defines as a "creative process". I don't know. In this way he writes: "There is, has been and will continue to be a certain group of people who are touched by inspiration. They are all those who consciously choose their work and perform it with love and imagination. One finds such doctors, and pedagogues, and gardeners, and others in a hundred other professions. Their work can be an endless adventure as long as they are able to perceive new challenges. In spite of difficulties and failures, their curiosity does not cool down. From every resolved doubt flies a swarm of new questions. Inspiration, whatever it is, is born from a constant 'I don't know'.". 

Fruit of inspiration

From this I don't know Wisława Szymborska's poetic work generates a whole creative process of deepening and searching for the essential from the everyday, conceiving lyric writing as a continuous discovery that goes from the concrete to the general, from the particular to the universal, from the insignificant to that which exceeds knowledge; creative process that, in turn, is a way of appreciating reality in which the diminutive contains the great, the futile the transcendent, the contingent the eternal; creative process, moreover, loaded with questions before the amazement of what happens daily and that leads the author to a myriad of uncertainties that make her see that existence is elusive, elusive, too subtle.  

I cannot forget specific texts of his as excellent as the ".In Praise of My Sister", "The clouds", "It can be untitled.", "End and beginning." o "Farewell to a landscape".titles that are in the memory of any self-respecting reader and that deserve the privilege of going down in the history of contemporary lyric poetry for their ability to unveil the things or facts they refer to, all of them genuine testimonies of his powerful and unmistakable voice. 

Reflective presentation

Generally focused on the reflective exposition of scenes of ordinary life in its comic and dramatic aspects, any of Szymborska's poems awakens in the reader a certain curiosity that incites him to remain absorbed in the reading of her verses as if it were a continuous and unusual revelation. As a sample, I choose at random one of the aforementioned compositions, "End and Beginning", in which the poet shows, with discreet detachment, wise irony and intelligent ingenuity, what can happen on a battlefield after the end of a war. 

The fact is that it gives the impression that what he is exposing does not seem to be the painful or tragic result of a war event, as would be proper, but the day after a festive celebration in which it is convenient to clean up a supposedly altered space. In this way he states: "After every war / someone has to clean up / They're not going to sort things out on their own, / I say / Someone has to throw the rubble / into the gutter / so that the carts full of corpses / can pass by."This is the point of view, apparently cold and impassive, which commonly stands out in his poetic creation. 

Another example of the same kind is the poem "The clouds"in which he realizes that his function, when speaking of these masses of watery vapor, must be adjusted to the moment in which they are present in the sky, otherwise he could not photograph them poetically in their instantaneous state, since they are transitory, fleeting, ephemeral. Thus he states: "With the description of the clouds / I should be in a hurry, / in a millisecond / they stop being those and start being others / It is characteristic of them / never to repeat themselves / in shapes, nuances, postures and order.". He concludes: "Let people exist if they will, / And then die one after another, / It matters little to the clouds [...] / Over all Your life / And mine too, still incomplete, / They parade pompously as they paraded / They have no obligation to die with us, / They need not be seen to pass away.". 

The list of references could be very long, but I believe that with those already mentioned the reader can get an idea that Szymborska's poetry, without formal brilliance, conversational at times, prosaic in appearance, but full of discoveries and illuminations, is of enormous emotional power, always prone to unveil, as I said, a reality that she constantly wants to access. 

From her is the phrase: "The things you don't know are what make life fascinating."a new twist on the idea of the I don't know that I pointed out at the beginning and that is at the base of his admirable lyrical work. It is also a twist that allows him to settle his verse on the back of ignorance, perplexity, astonishment, as if in not knowing, paradoxically, the very wisdom itself was seated. In the poem "It is a great luck" he expresses it succinctly with his particular style: "It is a great luck".It is a great good fortune / not to know at all / in what world one lives in.".

Past and future

And it is in the becoming of existence where his poems are finally implanted, a becoming in which everything has its inevitable past - as he expresses it in the composition "Puede ser sin título": "The most fleeting instant also has its past, / its Friday before Saturday, / its May before June." -, with no possibility of turning back. But not only its inevitable past, but also its enigmatic and surprising future. And the fact is that in every beginning there is a continuity to another pre-existing reality. It repeats it in many ways. As an example, I bring here "Farewell to a landscape": "I do not reproach spring / for coming again. / I do not complain that it fulfills / as every year / its obligations. / [...] I demand no change / from the waves to the shore, / light or lazy, / but never obedient. / I ask nothing / of the waters by the forest [...] / One thing I do not accept / to return to that place. / I renounce the privilege / of presence. / I have survived you long enough / and only long enough / to remember from afar". Considerations that the Polish poet makes with the lucid awareness that, as she expresses in the form of an aphorism in "View with grain of sand": "Time rushed by like a messenger with urgent news.".

Time and life

Time and life, the two supports on which Wisława Szymborska's lyrical work moves and which have their basis in the not only reflective but also contemplative character with which this woman looks at existence, hers and that of those around her, dwelling on multiple deeply human circumstances, apparently inconsequential, but always conceived as pure prodigy: "Common miracle / is that many common miracles happen / Common miracle: / in the silence of the night, barking / of invisible dogs / Miracle, one of many: / a light and small cloud / is able to hide a big and heavy moon / [...] Miracle just by looking around: the omnipresent world". Miracles, in short, that are the fruit of that extraordinary capacity to discover the richness of nuances that life brings, as soon as one starts from the beginning. I don't knowas if he were undertaking "an endless adventure"full of challenges.

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The Vatican

Flaminia Giovanelli: More than "the question of women", it is necessary to deal with "the relationship between women and men". 

Interview with Flaminia Giovanelli, the first laywoman to hold a position of responsibility in the Vatican.

Marta Isabel González Álvarez-March 8, 2023-Reading time: 9 minutes

"(...) The time has come (...) for women to acquire influence in the world,
 a weight, a power never before achieved.
(...) Women from all over the universe, Christians or non-believers,
to whom your life is entrusted at this grave moment in history,
it is up to you to save the peace of the world."

Paul VI. Message to women

Although it may seem so, what you have just read is not an excerpt from any feminist manifesto, but part of the message addressed by Pope St. Paul VI "To women." on December 8, 1965, at the closing of the Second Vatican Council. And it is one of the favorite messages of Flaminia Giovanelli, our protagonist today. For her, these brief lines brought the great novelty of taking into account the single, non-religious and non-consecrated women of our world, of which she is a part.

Committed to the Church since her earliest youth, Flaminia was born in Rome on May 24, 1948, and was the first lay woman to hold a position of responsibility in the Church, when Benedict XVI appointed her in 2010 as Undersecretary of the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace, a position she later held also in the current Dicastery for the Service of Integral Human Development.

She is fluent in Spanish, French and English, speaks her native Italian and has some knowledge of Portuguese. She has a degree in Political Science and a Diploma in Library Science. Pontifical Gregorian University and, as a teenager, she participated in Catholic reflection groups. But she assures that it was the example of her parents, who naturally put into practice the most fundamental principles of the social doctrine of the church, that marked her.

Flaminia is elegant, discreet and prudent, especially welcoming and cheerful, intelligent and kind. Small and slim, she is able to comment on the latest news of the international agenda while cooking delicious "Roman artichokes" with her mother's recipe. She has a weakness for felines, especially her silver-gray cat "Cesare", the same color as her hair, which together with the signs of expression on her face are the only thing that give you an inkling of her official age. Because Flaminia's true age is told by the sparkle in her eyes, her contagious laughter, her clean sense of humor, her energy so overflowing that she continues to move around the "Eternal City" on her white bicycle with basket and her presence in a thousand and one activities that keep her up to date researching, writing and giving her testimony wherever she is required, but above all, helping with all her strength the development of girls, young women and women in Mozambique through education and professional training.

What was the young Flaminia who arrived at the Vatican almost 50 years ago like?

-I entered the Vatican in 1974 at the age of 26. I belonged to a family with an international background. I had studied in Brussels and spoke French, English and Spanish, because I have family in Colombia and had spent some time there. I was fortunate to live in a Christian society. My parents were believers, they went to mass and did not belong to any particular Catholic group. Family is very important. In my home, helping the underprivileged was the norm. My mother was a Vincentian volunteer and in Brussels we also participated in an association to help the families of Italian miners. This social commitment in my family was the norm.

That young Flaminia had that "religious spirit" of which the Pope Benedict XVI. I had many defects, like the ones I have now (laughs), but also values such as a sense of duty and responsibility towards commitments. I was cheerful and a good girl. I am the second of two siblings. My parents were married on April 14, 1940, and my father enlisted on June 2 when Italy entered World War II. He left and came back after six years, including being a prisoner in India. I was very close to my parents, especially my father who was very particular, cheerful, cultured and with an extraordinary sense of humor. He was an international civil servant at the Ministry of Industry and Trade. It was the beginning of the ECSC (European Coal and Steel Community) and he was invited to work in Brussels and traveled a lot between Luxembourg, Paris and Geneva. He passed away very young when I was 19 years old so he did not see me at the Vatican. My mother did, she didn't say anything, but she liked the ceremonies at St. Peter's very much.

But I never looked for a Church job, it was offered to me. I had finished my studies and I was teaching French in some schools and I was also part of a group of young friends, we were talking about religion and our assistant was Monsignor Lanza di Montezemolo, at that time the Secretary of the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace, who needed a documentalist. And so I started in the library.

And many years later, I was appointed Undersecretary. But do you know what? I was surprised by the surprise of my appointment, because the circumstances were natural, even though it was not normal. I was the only one working in that office for so many years and there was a change of president and secretary, so it was normal to take someone from the curia at that time. You don't know how many messages I received! I have them saved. So that's how I perceived that there was something unusual, something strange. I mean, I could see that the will was there, but it was not easy, and it was easier to accept a person who was already inside and already old as I was, who at that time was over 60 years old....

During my years of service in Justice and Peace before and after in the Dicastery for the Service of Integral Human Development I have put into practice something that I believe is very womanly and that is the ability to welcome people with real affection and to make people feel comfortable.

Women's leadership in the Church

Do you think that the issue of women in the church will cease to be of interest when there are more women, especially lay women, in leadership positions?

-I have never been one to force things. But I do like to look back, to contemplate and understand better. When I was young I thought my life was going to be like my mother's or the women of that time. But it wasn't. And then looking back I did understand that there was a plan of God, that it was different. And so with everything: I think you have to go forward and then look back to see what happened and how things have gone in the Church for women. After so many years of service in the church, I can say that I have seen many changes and that more things are going to change in a framework that is becoming more and more clear.

But doesn't it happen a bit in the Church, as in society, that women become "under-secretaries" or "vice-presidents" but almost never become directors?

-In the Vatican, we women have already become directors! As for the administrative side, the Franciscan sister Raffaela Petrini (15/1/1969) was appointed in 2021 as Secretary General of the GovernatoratoThe Vatican, the highest position of responsibility given to a woman in the Vatican. And it is a very large body, with more than 2,000 people, mostly men and lay people and she manages very well. And in the Dicastery for the Service of Integral Human Development the Secretary is Sister Alessandra Smerilli (14/11/1974).

"In the Church there are two types of women, the institutional and the vindictive. I consider myself more of a reformer and someone who trusts in the path of history."

And why are more women religious than lay women appointed?

-Many times when these positions are offered, people do not accept them. And if they have to come from abroad, things get more complicated. Maybe that's why there are so many Italians in the curia. Even now that the salary is better than when I started working, the reality is that what is asked for is a lot, a lot of dedication, they ask for languages, theology....

But it also has to do with studies. In my time it was very difficult to study theology. Now there are more women theologians, but well, I think that some time has to pass because some of those who study theology today are "a bit dangerous", they are the ones who want more radical changes, more vindictive. And of course this is not accepted by the Vatican and by many men. It will take some time for these changes to take place.

What is there in what these women are claiming that is fair to claim and what is beyond what is reasonably claimable?

-I don't dare to judge them, I guess I'm not that vindictive, even if I admit that sometimes I thank those who are vindictive. I don't judge what is fair and what is not fair. But what is clear is that we live in an institution and working in an institution with this spirit is a bit difficult. It seems that in the Church there are two types of women, the institutional ones and the vindictive ones. I consider myself more of a reformist and someone who trusts in the march of history and that certain tensions will adjust with the passage of time.

"People are outraged by what's going on in Iran, or in Afghanistan, but they're not outraged enough, they're not outraged enough."

Flaminia Giovanelli

The last Popes and "the woman question".

Flaminia, you have met and worked with several of the recent Popes, from Paul VI to Francis. Tell us about each one and highlight the most significant contribution each has made to women's issues.

-I believe that more than "the question of women" today we should deal with the question of "the relationship between women and men" because by dealing only with the question of women we will not find the solution and it is urgent because among young people and with so much technology there is the risk of forgetting the basic relationship between men and women. And in this the Church has much to contribute, with examples of collaboration in perfect cooperation, as between St. Francis and St. Clare. In the Middle Ages there were many monasteries where there were women and men together, and most of the time the abbess was the woman. Something similar happens today with missionaries, men and women working together.

As for the Popes and even though I did not work with John XXIIAnd let me tell you about him only that his encyclical Pacem in terris is essential in terms of human rights and the vision of justice and peace. But, in addition, he considered the "fourth sign of the times" the appearance of women on the public scene, something that occurs when women begin to study in a habitual and not exceptional way.

From Paul VII would emphasize that he was a great intellectual. The Pope of the Second Vatican Council and of the Populorum proressioThis was essential for the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace, but it also meant that the Church began to be "up to date" because everything that this encyclical deals with is 100% current. He began the Messages for the World Day of Peace that were presented at the end of the year and that expressed the desire to put on the table the essential themes that would be worked on the following year. I already knew him as an old man and although he was not very much given to crowds in short distances he was affectionate, very warm. He wrote his message "To women." where he speaks of unmarried laywomen, which is my case. essential because sometimes it seems that only the woman is conceived as either a nun or a wife.

John Paul I He was the one who began to speak in the "first person", abandoning the capital plural, and that made a big difference.

Juan Palo II was vitality, life, enthusiasm, with an explosive faith. Generations of young people were attracted by his charisma. We worked a lot with him on such important social encyclicals as: Solicitudo res socialis o Centesimus annus and with him the Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church was produced. On the question of women, of course, he emphasizes his Mulieris dignitatemand it is he who raises "the question of women"; and also his letter to Gertrude Mongella, Secretary General of the 4th United Nations International Conference on Women in Beijing.

Benedict XVI was the Pope of the Caritas in veritateWe have worked a lot in our Pontifical Council and then in the Dicastery for the Service of Integral Human Development. In the curia we loved him very much, he knew us and recognized the work we were doing and he was very affectionate.

Pope FrancisThe most appointments of women have been made by the company. In an interesting interview he gave to "America" magazine speaks of women and the Church as something that needs to be further developed, but centered on three ministries: the petrinoThe ordained and the administrative ministry. But strongly emphasizing that the Church is a woman and that it is the "Marian Principle" that inspires everything.

Flaminia with Pope Francis

The gender debate

Do you think we in the Church have enough training to differentiate between gender equality, gender ideology and sexual identity?

-Human rights are born of Christianity because it is in the Gospel and with Jesus that women and all people are treated as children of the same father, with the same dignity. People are scandalized by what is happening in Iran, or in Afghanistan, but they are not scandalized enough, they are not indignant enough. It is urgent.

It is very disconcerting that not all religions respect human rights.

On gender, it is Christians working in international organizations who have to deal with this issue the most. When the Holy See takes the floor on these things, it explains it in a very long and complicated way. And the fact is that they used to talk about sex, but at a certain point they talk about "gender" and it seems like a joke, but the only one who talks about sex today is the Church. The solution is to use the word gender and specify every time we refer to the difference between the two sexes and say that we work for equality between men and women and not say gender equality. Neither we nor our cooperation agencies will ever discriminate against anyone because of these issues. And the essential issue is that in developing countries everything goes through women and that is why women's education is the main element for development. Social life, commerce and of course the family are in the hands of women and that is what the Church should care about, educating women and protecting them.

I am very involved in an organization that helps in Mozambique and I received a message the other day from a girl who had been a guest at our O Viveiro Center until the end of high school and she was a success story. She said "I am a woman with a nursing background, I have a daughter and I have a husband, he is a good husband and we respect each other" And I really liked that. I think that's the future, to have more and more respectful marital relationships and that the woman doesn't have to carry everything by herself. That is the way forward.

"It sounds like a joke, but the only one talking about sex today is the Church."

Flaminia Giovanelli
The authorMarta Isabel González Álvarez

D. in journalism, expert in institutional communication and Communication for Solidarity. In Brussels she coordinated the communication of the international network CIDSE and in Rome the communication of the Dicastery for the Service of Integral Human Development with whom she continues to collaborate. Today she brings her experience to the department of socio-political advocacy campaigns and networking of Manos Unidas and coordinates the communication of the Enlázate por la Justicia network. Twitter: @migasocial

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The World

Florence Oloo, Harambee Award winner: "Empowering women is empowering the community".

Florence Jacqueline Achieng Oloo is the winner of the Harambee 2023 African Women's Empowerment and Equality Award. In addition to being a Professor of Chemical Sciences and a founding member of Strathmore's Ethics Committee, she has spearheaded a program to empower women in Kenya, the "Women Empowerment Program, Jakana - Kenyawegi".

Paloma López Campos-March 7, 2023-Reading time: 2 minutes
RelatedRelated NewsAntonio Hernández DeusAfrican women stand out for their hope and optimism".Related NewsHarambee 2021 Award recognizes the advancement of women in scienceRelated News20 years of Harambee

The international Harambee project has granted the Harambee Award 2023 for the Promotion and Equality of African Women to Florence Oloo. Dr. Oloo holds a PhD in Chemical Sciences from the University of Agriculture and Technology, Jomo Kenyatta of Kenya; a degree in Philosophy and Educational Sciences from the University of Rome; a lecturer at the university; She is the founder of an ethics committee that oversees the supervision of human-related research to prevent abuses in human clinical trials; she is the director of the Centre for Research in Therapeutic Sciences; and she is also the driving force behind the Women Empowerment Program, Jakana - Kenyawegi, the program for which she received the Harambee Award.

A program to help women in Kenya

Dr. Oloo's Jakana Center targets vulnerable women and girls in Kisumu County (Kisumu County).Kenya). They make up more than 50 % of the population and grow up in situations of poverty with the constant threat of teenage pregnancies, child marriages, sexually transmitted diseases and violence.

In the Jakana area, near Kisumu, it is very common for fathers to sell their daughters, while they are still children, to older men. In exchange, the fathers receive a dowry with which they usually pay for the boys' education, while the girls enter into a relationship of absolute dependence on their husbands.

To combat this abusive situation, the Jakana Center modeled a three-month program in which women learn about finance, business management and leadership. In this way, they are given the opportunity to start their own projects to gain independence.

The first program has now been completed and 30 women have participated. The Harambee award is an important help to further promote the Jakana Center, so that Florence Oloo's vision becomes a reality. Empowering women is empowering the whole community, and thus the whole country," she says.

The award, which is given annually, is intended to reward individuals, institutions or groups whose humanitarian, cultural or educational work benefits African women. The prize is worth 10,000 euros and is sponsored by the René Furterer brand of Pierre Fabre Laboratories. In addition, it involves a campaign to make visible and promote the activity of the award winner.

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RelatedRelated NewsAntonio Hernández DeusAfrican women stand out for their hope and optimism".Related NewsHarambee 2021 Award recognizes the advancement of women in scienceRelated News20 years of Harambee
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The Vatican

Pope Francis renews Council of Cardinals

Five new cardinals join this Council, created by Pope Francis a few months after his arrival at the Holy See and whose purpose is to advise the Pope on the governance of the Church.

Maria José Atienza-March 7, 2023-Reading time: < 1 minute

The Holy See has made public the names of the 9 cardinals who will form the Council of Cardinals of Pope Francis. The first meeting of this renewed council will be held on April 24 at the house of Santa Marta.

Pope Francis created the Council of Cardinals shortly after his arrival at the See of Peter, in 2013, to advise him in the government of the Church. Initially there were 9 cardinals, later there were 8 and, at present, 6 cardinals were part of this council and, with the renewal of members and the entry of new cardinals, there are again 9 members of this Council.

The main objective of the group is to advise the Pope in the government, both jointly, as a council and in a personal way, being able to make their own suggestions, although the final decision rests with the pontiff.

The following Spanish cardinals have joined this working group Fernando Vérgez Alzaga, L.C., President of the Pontifical Commission for Vatican City State and President of the Governorate of Vatican City State; and Juan José Omella OmellaArchbishop of Barcelona (Spain) and President of the Spanish Episcopal Conference. In addition, Cardinal Gérald C. Lacroix, Archbishop of Québec (Canada); Cardinal Archbishop of Luxembourg, Jean-Claude Hollerich, S.I.; and the Metropolitan Archbishop of San Salvador de Bahia (Brazil), Cardinal Sérgio da Rocha.

Cardinal Fridolin Ambongo Besungu, O.F.M.Cap., Archbishop of Kinshasa, Cardinal Seán Patrick O'Malley, O.F.M.Cap. Seán Patrick O'Malley, O.F.M.Cap., Metropolitan Archbishop of Boston, and Oswald Gracias, Metropolitan Archbishop of Bombay.

Alongside them, of course, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, Secretary of State, who joined the Council of Cardinals in 2014 and the secretary, Msgr. Marco Mellino, Titular Bishop of Cresima (Italy).

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ColumnistsOmnes

Which Church, which priests?

The formation of priests and candidates to the priesthood is one of the eternal challenges of the Church, which has to take care of the selection of those who will be ordained ministers and the growth in their life of piety.

March 7, 2023-Reading time: 2 minutes

Part of the information that reaches the public about the priesthood transmits a problematic and sometimes openly negative vision: abuses and imbalances, dissonance with respect to current trends in lifestyles, shortage of vocations, accumulation of tasks... In addition to fulfilling the saying about the tree that falls and the grass that grows (the former attracts more attention than the latter), it is understandable that the news is looking for the eye-catching. On the other hand, it is a reality that many of these shadows exist. But neither do many people lack a positive consideration of what the priesthood and its task of service represent. 

For the Church, priests have a great importance that justifies particular attention. Not because they are special characters, but because they recognize the action of God and the service they render to the Christian life of the baptized, for which they have been ordained. Hence the documents of the Popes have frequently referred to it, and the Magisterium on the priesthood in the last century has been reiterated and especially rich. Several articles in this issue of Omnes can serve to rediscover that teaching and to help us draw from it impulses for renewal. It is not in vain that we find in these magisterial texts the theological, sacramental and spiritual reasons for such central aspects as the priestly vocation itself, celibacy and the mission of priests in the Church and in society.

We also offer an interview with Cardinal Lazzaro YouThe interview with Cardinal You, Prefect of the Dicastery for the Clergy at the Holy See, reviews the issues that define the current moment in the life of priests, and in particular those related to their adequate formation. Cardinal You affirms that it is worth every effort to form good pastors; the affective aspect of that formation is the focus of the interview with Dr. Carlos Chiclanawho has studied it from the clinical point of view. Above all, the Prefect emphasizes that the type of priest we seek to form must correspond to the model of Church that God wants at this time, according to this series of questions: what Church, what priests, what formation, what vocations?

The theme of priestly vocations is also addressed in this issue from two other points of view. First of all, the more personal point of view of the correspondence to a call to follow Christ: the testimonies of some young men who are being formed to respond well to this call are luminous. Secondly, from a numerical point of view; although not absolute, it helps us to know the reality. The data show an overall decrease in the number of vocations in the world and a shift towards the African and Asian continents.

The authorOmnes

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  • Valeria GavilanesThe Eucharist allows us to feel and discover God who liberates us".
The World

Valeria GavilanesThe Eucharist allows us to feel and discover God who liberates us".

Quito is the venue of the next International Eucharistic Congress, which is celebrating its 53rd edition and has as its theme "Fraternity to heal the world".

Maria José Atienza-March 7, 2023-Reading time: 8 minutes

The Catholic Church in Ecuador has its sights set on September 2024. From September 8 to 15, 2024, on the occasion of the 150th anniversary of the Consecration of Ecuador to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, the Ecuadorian capital will host the 53rd International Eucharistic Congress.

Valeria Gavilanes, press officer of the International Eucharistic Congress and IEC2024 spokesperson, pointed out to Omnes that this congress "will allow us to rethink the reality of the Catholic world in Latin America, respecting its diversity. It is necessary to re-evangelize through service, following the example of Jesus".

Quito takes the baton from Budapest for the next International Eucharistic Congress. What steps have been taken in the preparation of the Congress?

-In a solemn Eucharist held in Budapest in September 2021 and presided over by Monsignor Alfredo José Espinoza Mateus, sdb, Archbishop of Quito and Primate of Ecuador, it was publicly announced that the Ecuadorian capital will be the site of the 53rd International Eucharistic CongressIEC2024, to be held from September 8 to 15, 2024, on the occasion of the 150th anniversary of the Consecration of Ecuador to the Sacred Heart of Jesus.

From that moment on, we have put our foot on the accelerator so that such a blessed event can be carried out with the height it deserves. The theme proposed and chosen by Pope Francis is "Fraternity to heal the world", with the biblical text: "You are all brothers" Mt 23:8.

We know that spiritual preparation is fundamental and for this reason we have the preparatory prayer in Spanish, English, Portuguese, Italian, Shuar and Quichua, which can be found in the different digital platforms.

Also the official anthem of the Congress will be ready very soon; the melodic and musical proposals were submitted to a contest and the winner will receive the amount of USD 3,000.00. There is a jury that is finalizing the details.

A meeting of such magnitude requires a previous organization. The Local Committee is presided over by Monsignor Espinoza, who appointed Fr. Juan Carlos Garzón, of the Archdiocese of Quito as secretary general, in charge of coordinating and supervising the preparation of the Congress.

In addition, the following commissions were formed: logistical, financial, theological, liturgical, musical, communicational, cultural, pastoral and volunteer work. For its part, the Ecuadorian Episcopal Conference is committed and has delegates in the different jurisdictions and provinces of the country.

We are walking this path hand in hand with the Pontifical Committee. Corrado Maggoni and Fr. Vittore Boccardi, president and secretary of the Pontifical Committee for International Eucharistic Congresses, respectively, who were happy and amazed by the beauty of our country as well as the warmth of its people.

How are you making yourself known, inside and outside Ecuador?

-It is vitally important to publicize this transcendental event for Ecuador, Latin America and the world. We have digital platforms such as the website www.iec2024.ec and social networks, for example @IEC2024 on Facebook, iec202424quito on Twitter or on Instagram.

We also send information to national and international media; we visit the different provinces and soon our first program will be aired on Radio Maria, whose signal reaches the whole world.

Afterwards, we will have our news on line. Spaces like this one in Omnes magazine are a great window to the world.

The socialization of IEC2024 is carried out with the commitment of bishops, priests, religious communities, lay movements, youth, catechists, national and international media.

The theme of the Congress focuses on the Fraternity. In a war-torn world, what relationship can we establish between the Eucharist and fraternity?

-Pope Francis himself chose the theme. The Eucharist is self-giving and fraternity is brotherhood; this gift of the pure and infinite love of God must reach all humanity. It is necessary to go from prayer to action, that is, to reach a Eucharistic coherence to avoid limiting ourselves to mere prayer, valuable yes, because the Eucharist is the summit of the Catholic faith; however, God desires that the love we have experienced, we share it with others, that is, a love that is translated into works.

While it is true that our world is torn by wars, it is necessary to ask ourselves what is their origin, and if perhaps it is within the heart of every human being? The wounds are not only found on the battlefields, in poverty, in inequality, but also in the sadness of those who wait for a voice of encouragement in the midst of the storm and that is the place where we can act as brothers, as children of God, consoling, healing the wounds of the body, but also those of the heart.

We live in a society of appearances where we try to hide what is inside, with masks that separate us from the other, it is God who invites us to show ourselves as we are, to not be afraid to feel weak and vulnerable, to allow Him to heal us with His infinite power, and through our brother.

Pope Francis at the National Eucharistic Congress held in Italy in September 2022 expressed the need for the following to exist "A Church that kneels before the Eucharist and adores with awe the Lord present in the bread; but which also knows how to bow down with compassion and tenderness before the wounds of those who suffer, lifting up the poor, wiping away the tears of those who suffer, becoming bread of hope and joy for all." (September 25, 2022, Matera).

The Eucharist allows us to feel and discover God who frees us, to go out to meet our brothers and sisters, without judgment and without any other language than that of love. Only then will battles be won, when we decide to bet on peace, unity and fraternity, feeling that we are children of the same Father.

How can we propose peace in a world of war, how can we motivate devotion to the Eucharist in a troubled world? This is the challenge of today's Catholic, since we cannot remain with arms folded and remain silent when violence prevails as a solution to conflicts. Battles are won from the heart. It is time to turn our gaze to Jesus the Eucharist, whose mission did not end more than two thousand years ago, but prevails and is updated because he decided to stay among us as a living, close, human God.

How can we reach out to our brothers and sisters throughout the world through the love of Christ in the Eucharist?

-The message of Christ is universal; it marked the history of the world in a before and an after. In spite of the passing of time, it is still valid. It is time to revive his legacy, to tell without fear or shame that we believe in a Christ who died, rose again and decided to remain in the species of bread and wine.

It would seem illusory in a world where science is advancing rapidly and artificial intelligence is becoming more and more widespread. However, it is necessary to return to that Holy Thursday in which Jesus Christ generously decided to institute the sacrament of the Eucharist, to remain with us and to give himself to others. It is the greatest expression of love, because Jesus lived united to the Father in obedience, served humanity, taught that love is the feeling that moves the world and decided to stay with us. It is not a story, it is a reality. It is the living bread that comes down from heaven and is generously shared.

Every Eucharist is a miracle of love, it is God Himself who enters into our intimacy to be one with us and impels us to live in Him and for Him. It is He who heals our physical, psychological and spiritual wounds. It is a gift of love, it is the Eucharistic Mystery that is given to humanity through faith. Today it is an adventure to believe in Christ, and precisely this should be the motive that impels us to risk ourselves for Him, just as He did. It is not a leap into the void, but a leap into love, with the certainty that God takes care of us.

eucharistic congress quito

How is the Church and its faithful in Ecuador preparing for this International Congress?

-The Ecuadorian Church is preparing with great enthusiasm to live this event; the IEC2024 prayer has been translated into different languages and native tongues; in the coming days the official hymn will be ready; work is underway to prepare the basic document that will govern the Eucharistic catechesis of 2024 with the theme "Fraternity to heal the world", and of 2023 around the deepening of the Eucharistic mystery, whose recipients are children, youth, religious and priests.

We are also working on communication products that will allow us to reach the general public with the evangelizing message, in order to motivate their preparation and participation in this important ecclesial meeting that will put Quito at the center of the world's attention.

The logistics and economic commissions are also carrying out initiatives to cover the needs of the meeting, scheduled to be held at the Metropolitan Convention Center in Quito, where Pope Francis was present during his visit to Ecuador in 2015.

During the week of September 8 to 15, 2024, the streets of the historic center of Quito will be the scene of an important Eucharistic procession, and celebrations in different languages will be held in the churches of the colonial area. The closing mass is one of the most awaited, since the Holy Father is expected to be present.

Once the foot on the accelerator, in September 2023, the Plenary Assembly of the Pontifical Eucharistic Committee will be held, which will be attended by delegates for the International Eucharistic Congresses of the Bishops' Conferences of the world, in order to know places and define the details of the realization of IEC2024.

In this context, both the Ecuadorian Church and the country in general are preparing for such an important event. It is Monsignor Alfredo José Espinoza Mateus, Archbishop of Quito and Primate of Ecuador, who presides over this preparation and permanently motivates from the Metropolitan Archdiocese, the entire community to collaborate in the organization of IEC2024.

For the Church on pilgrimage in Quito, it is a true joy to be the host of this meeting, which will also show the beauty of the capital of Ecuador to the whole world.

Latin America is experiencing a moment of re-evangelization and ecclesial renewal. What do you think a congress of these characteristics will mean for this process?

-The Holy Father hopes that the experience of this Congress will manifest the fruitfulness of the Eucharist for the evangelization and renewal of faith in the Latin American continent.

A Congress of such characteristics will allow us to rethink the reality of the Catholic world in Latin America, respecting its diversity. It is necessary to re-evangelize through service, following the example of Jesus, who fought for social justice.

The theme "Fraternity to heal the world" allows us to recognize ourselves as true brothers and sisters and invites us to heal wounds through mercy and forgiveness.

It is important to understand the social dimension of Latin America, as it is going through circumstances of poverty, insecurity, corruption, drug trafficking, human trafficking, migration, lack of access to employment and basic services, among others. Its socio-political situation has had ups and downs, because although it has had rulers of different ideological tendencies, it is evident that there is a clear social and economic debt. Weak democratic systems have contributed to this reality.

The Congress will allow us to focus our attention on Latin America and identify its needs, with an evangelizing and fraternal outlook. It is necessary to know their wounds and how to heal them, starting from the Eucharist, towards the mission, that is, reaching a faith translated into works.

This task must be carried out with the collaboration of committed Catholics willing to break paradigms and take the helm to work together to achieve better times for our Latin American brothers and sisters.

We hope that the 53rd International Eucharistic Congress will contribute to the ongoing re-evangelization and ecclesial renewal, and that its message will reach not only the Catholic world, but especially those who for various reasons are far from the Church, welcoming them with an open heart that transmits fraternity, hope and acceptance; that does not judge, but simply loves.

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The Vatican

Ukraine longs for Pope's visit

Rome Reports-March 6, 2023-Reading time: < 1 minute
rome reports88

Andrii Yurash, ambassador of Ukraine before the Holy See sees it very possible that the Pope will visit their country and is calm. They are already prepared.

He said this in an interview with Rome reports on the one-year anniversary of his arrival in Rome, right at the beginning of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

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 World

Nigeria and Kenya, where the most Catholics attend Mass

Nigeria, Kenya and Lebanon top the list of countries with Catholics who attend Mass on Sundays or more frequently in the world, according to the World Values Survey, analyzed by the Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate, Georgetown University (USA).

Francisco Otamendi-March 6, 2023-Reading time: 5 minutes
RelatedRelated NewsParish renewal. Full Masses, empty Masses

Nigeria, Kenya and Lebanon top the list of countries with Catholics who attend Mass on Sundays or more frequently in the world. They are followed by the Philippines, Colombia, Poland and Ecuador, according to the World Values Survey (WVS), analyzed by the Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate (CARA), Georgetown University (USA).

Nigeria is the most populous country on the African continent, with 210 million inhabitants, of whom about 16 percent, 33 million, are Catholics. And in Kenya, with a population of 42.9 million people, Catholics represent 32.3 percent (approximately 16 million). Lebanon, the third in the ranking, has 6.67 million inhabitants, of whom 2.1 million are Catholics.

These are the countries that lead the ranking of Catholics who attend Mass on Sunday, or more frequently (in Nigeria, 94 %, in Kenya, 73 %, and in Lebanon, 69 %), says the World Values Survey (WVS) in its seventh wave (from the 1980s onwards), disseminated and analyzed by Nineteen Sixty fourresearch blog the CARA Research Center of Georgetownwith data from 36 countries with large Catholic populations. 

The study does not include countries such as Democratic Republic of the CongoNeither Uganda, with 90 million inhabitants, more than half of whom are of the Christian faith, and which Pope Francis has just visited, nor Uganda, where Catholics account for 47 percent, more than 17 million, 47 percent of the country's 36.4 million inhabitants.

Group 2: Philippines, Colombia, Poland, Ecuador...

The next group of countries, where half or more of Catholics (50 % or more) attend weekly Eucharist, includes the Philippines (56 %), Colombia (54 %), Poland (52 %) and Ecuador (50 %). 

Now comes a block in which we find Italy, for example, and in which less than half, but a third or more, attend Mass every week. They are Bosnia and Herzegovina (48 %), Mexico (47 %), Nicaragua (45 %), Bolivia (42 %), Slovakia (40 %), Italy (34 %) and Peru (33 %).

Between three in ten and a quarter of Catholics attend Mass each week in Venezuela (30 %), Albania (29 %), Spain (27 %), Croatia (27 %), New Zealand (25 %) and the United Kingdom (25 %).

In the CARA and WVS survey, approximately 24 % of Catholics in the United States attended Mass every week or more frequently prior to the Covid-19 pandemic in 2019. 

In the most recent survey by the same agencies, 17 % of U.S. Catholic adults reported attending Mass with this frequency, with 5 % watching Mass online or on TV from home.

Other countries with Catholic Mass attendance similar to the United States are Hungary (24 %), Slovenia (24 %), Uruguay (23 %), Australia (21 %), Argentina (21 %), Portugal (20 %), the Czech Republic (201 %) and Austria (17 %). 

The lowest levels of weekly attendance are observed, according to this work, in Lithuania (16 %), Germany (14 %), Canada (14 %), Latvia (11 %), Switzerland (11 %), Brazil (8 %), France (8 %) and the Netherlands (7 %).

People who consider themselves religious

One might assume, the report notes, that the more religious Catholics there are in a country, the more likely they are to attend Mass frequently. However, there is no strong correlation between the numbers of those who identify themselves as 'religious' Catholics and frequent Mass attendance. Specifically, the WVS survey asked respondents, "Regardless of whether you go to church or not, would you say you are...: a religious person, not a religious person, atheist or don't know." 

There are countries where there is a close relationship between the answers to both questions, including the Netherlands, Argentina, Ecuador, the Philippines, Kenya and Nigeria. 

But in many other countries this is not so. Lebanon, for example, has very high Mass attendance, comparatively speaking, but the proportion of Catholics there who consider themselves religious is substantially lower compared to other countries. Ninety-seven percent of Catholics in Uruguay consider themselves a religious person, yet only 23 % of Catholics attend Mass weekly or more frequently. 

In addition to Uruguay, the countries where Catholics "are most likely to consider themselves religious," the study notes, are Nigeria (95 %), Albania (94 %), Slovakia (93 %), Czech Republic (92 %), Italy (92 %), Lithuania (92 %), Kenya (92 %), Colombia (92 %), Bolivia (91 %) and Poland (90 %).
More than three-quarters, but less than nine out of ten Catholics, consider themselves religious persons in these countries: Croatia (88 %), Bosnia and Herzegovina (88 %), Slovenia (87 %), Hungary (86 %), Portugal (85 %), Latvia (85 %), Peru (84 %), Philippines (83 %), Ecuador (82 %), Brazil (82 %), Argentina (79 %), Netherlands (78 %), Mexico (77 %) and Nicaragua (76 %).
Catholics in the United States are behind this group with 74 % considering themselves a religious person. The United States is followed by France (72 %), Austria (69 %), Australia (67 %), Spain (67 %), Germany (65 %), Switzerland (63 %), Lebanon (62 %), United Kingdom, (59 %), Venezuela (57%), Canada (55%) and New Zealand (55%).
It is interesting to note, according to the report, that in terms of identification as a religious person, Catholics in the United States and France are quite similar (74 % and 72 %, respectively). However, only 8 % of Catholics in France attend Mass weekly compared to 17 % of Catholics in the United States (and 24 % attended weekly before the pandemic).

The economic factor

There is a third factor that the report confronts and that is GDP (Gross Domestic Product, national wealth) per capita. Mass attendance drops sharply as GDP per capita increases to $10,000, and then this drop slows and flattens out as GDP per capita continues to increase. 

Religiosity has a more linear, albeit weaker, relationship with GDP per capita. There is a large group of countries with a GDP per capita of less than $25,000 that have one of the highest proportions of Catholics who self-identify as religious. 

"In higher-income countries, religiosity falls," CARA and WVS note. Switzerland, with the highest GDP per capita of the countries surveyed, has low levels of weekly Mass attendance and relatively fewer Catholics who self-identify as religious. 
In this small sample of countries, the report states that "we can assume that Catholicism is strongest in what is often called the developing world, where GDP per capita is lowest, while it appears to be contracting in the wealthier 'developed' countries. The precise mechanisms associated with economic development and wealth that are affecting Catholics' faith participation and identification as religious are unclear. Whatever they are, they matter significantly," the paper concludes.

Mass attendance ranking
The authorFrancisco Otamendi

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Pope's teachings

Sharing and disarming the heart. The Pope in Africa

In his last apostolic journey to the Democratic Republic of Congo and South Sudan, Pope Francis brought to the African continent a message of peace and reconciliation in the hope of helping to build "a new future".

Ramiro Pellitero-March 6, 2023-Reading time: 8 minutes

There are words that ask to be written, in our world, as cries: enough! (of violence), together! (we must work for peace), no! (to resignation), yes! (to hope). They can represent the Pope's teachings in this travelThe teachings that, as always, challenge us all.

From January 31 to February 5, the Pope made a pastoral trip to the Democratic Republic of the Congo and South Sudan, in order to "witnessing that it is possible and necessary to collaborate in diversity, especially if one shares faith in Jesus Christ" (General Audience, 8-II-2023, in which he took stock of the trip).

As he also said the following Wednesday, already in Rome, the trip was the realization of two old dreams of his: to the Congo ("green heart of Africa", which, together with the Amazon, constitutes the "lung" the world's leading "land rich in resources and bloodied by a war that never ends because there are always those who feed the fire."); and to Sudan (where he was accompanied by the Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby, and the Moderator General of the Church of Scotland, Iain Greenschilds).

Seeking peace and justice

The first three days, in Kinshasa (capital of the Democratic Republic of Congo), he addressed a clear message to the nation with two key words: the first negative: Enough! to demand the cessation of the exploitation of this people, in reference to the conflicts and violence associated with diamond mining, which paradoxically have brought about the impoverishment of the people. The second, positive, "together", as an appeal to dignity and respect, together in the name of Christ. 

"In a special way" -noted the Pope- "religions, with their heritage of wisdom, are called upon to contribute to this, in their daily effort to renounce all aggression, proselytism and coercion, which are means unworthy of human freedom".".

On the other hand, "when it degenerates by imposing itself, pursuing followers indiscriminately, by deception or force, it plunders the conscience of others and turns its back on the true God, because -let us not forget- 'where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty' (2 Cor 3:17) and where there is no freedom, the Spirit of the Lord is not"(Meeting with the authorities, civil society and the diplomatic corps)., 31-I-2023).

The following day, the Pope celebrated Mass for peace and justice at the Ndolo airport. Taking his cue from St. John's Gospel (Jn 20:20), Francis observed: "Jesus announces peace while the disciples' hearts are full of rubble; he announces life while they feel death inside. In other words, Jesus' peace comes at the moment when everything seemed to be over for them, at the most unforeseen and unexpected moment, when there was no glimpse of peace.". 

In a world torn apart by violence and war, the Bishop of Rome pointed out, we Christians cannot allow ourselves to be overcome by sadness, resignation or fatalism; rather, we are called to proclaim the prophetic and unexpected proclamation of peace. To preserve and cultivate peace, Francis proposed three sources: forgiveness, community and mission.. 

Forgiveness - he said - is born of the wounds of the side and hands of Christ:"It is born when the wounds suffered do not leave scars of hatred, but become a place to make room for others and welcome their weaknesses. Then fragilities become opportunities and forgiveness becomes the path to peace.".

Jesus asks for a great amnesty of the heart, which consists in cleansing the heart of anger and remorse, resentment and envy. He asks us, also as Christians, to lay down our arms, to renounce violence and to embrace mercy; to be able to say to those we meet: "Peace be with you". Therefore, "let us allow ourselves to be forgiven by God and let us forgive one another.". 

Worth serving

On the same day, the Pope met with the victims of violence in the east of the country, torn for years by war fueled by economic and political interests. "People" -he remarked- "lives in fear and insecurity, sacrificed on the altar of illegal businesses".". He listened to various testimonies and reaffirmed his "no" to violence and resignation, and his "yes" to reconciliation and hope. He asked God's forgiveness for violence against man. He cried out against the exploitation and sacrifice of innocent victims: "Enough of getting rich at the expense of the weakest, enough of getting rich with resources and blood money!". 

With the "no" to violence, he asked them to disarm and demilitarize the heart. With the "no" to resignation, he invited them to strive for fraternity and peace: "We are not going to give up, we are going to give up.A new future will come, if the other, whether Tutsi or Hutu, is no longer an adversary or an enemy, but a brother and a sister - because we are all children of the same Father - in whose heart it is necessary to believe that there is, even if hidden, the same desire for peace.". Also that day, he met with representatives of some charitable works, which work with the poor for the common good and human promotion. "How I wish". -said Francisco. "that the media should give more space to this country and to Africa as a whole.". He deplored, once again, the discarding of the weak (children and the elderly) as inhumane and anti-Christian.

Putting his words into the stories and histories that concrete people brought to him, the Pope invited them so that young people can see "the world as a place where they can see the world and the world as a place where they can see it.faces that overcome indifference by looking people in the eye; hands that do not wield weapons or manipulate money, but reach out to those on the ground and lift them up to their dignity, to the dignity of a child and son of God.".

Therefore, he encouraged them, in their commitment in the social and charitable field, to consider power as service, to strive to overcome inequity in the name of justice and also of faith, which, without works, is dead (cf. James 2:26). He pointed out that charity requires exemplarity (credibility and transparency), breadth of vision (giving life to long-term sustainable projects) and connection (working together in networks and teams to help others, Christian or not).

The meeting with the Congolese youth and catechists (cf. Speech at the Martyrs' Stadium, "The Congolese Youth and Catechists"), Kinshasa, 2-II-2003) must have left a special impression on the Pope, who described it as enthusiastic. It was a catechesis based on the five fingers of his hand, where he indicated five ways in which they could channel their cry for peace and justice, as a force for human and Christian renewal: prayer, community, honesty, forgiveness and service. 

It is worth mentioning a few words about the service, ".power that transforms the world". That is why the Pope asked the young people to ask themselves: "What can I do for others? That is, how can I serve the Church, my community, my country?". Considering that in many parts of Africa catechists are the ones who keep Christian communities alive, he thanked them for their service, their light and their hope, and asked them never to lose heart, because Jesus does not leave them alone. 

Spiritual life and formation

On February 2, in the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Congo (Kinshasa), Francis met with priests, deacons, men and women religious and seminarians, many of whom were very young. He reminded them of some words of Benedict XVI addressed to African priests: "...".Your witness to peaceful living, across tribal and racial boundaries, can touch hearts and minds." (Apostolic Exhortation Africae munus, 108).

For all this, he recommended them to overcome three temptations: spiritual mediocrity, worldly comfort and superficiality. 

Spiritual mediocrity is avoided by taking care of personal prayer (heart to heart), the Mass, the liturgy of the hours and the confession of one's sins, personal prayer (heart to heart), the recitation of the holy Rosary, the "ejaculatories" (small and short prayers that can be recited during the day). "Prayer brings us out of self, opens us to God, puts us back on our feet because it puts us in his hands; it creates in us the space to experience God's closeness, so that his Word becomes familiar to us and, through us, to all those we meet. Without prayer we do not go far".

In such a context - of poverty and suffering - the Pope pointed out that worldly comfort is associated with the risk of".to take advantage of the role we play in satisfying our needs and our comforts"They are to become cold bureaucrats of the spirit, to devote themselves to some profitable business, far from sobriety and interior freedom and neglecting celibacy, instead of working together with the poor.

The third challenge, superficiality, can be overcome with spiritual and theological formation, which must last a lifetime, while remaining open to the concerns of our times, so as to be able to understand the life and needs of people, and thus be able to accompany them. "The wind does not break that which knows how to bend"says a popular saying there. This speaks to us, Francis said, of flexibility, docility and mercy: not to be broken by the winds of division.

In the same vein, he asked the Congolese bishops, gathered at the headquarters of the Episcopal Conference, to serve the people as witnesses of God's love, with compassion, closeness and mercy, with a prophetic spirit that is not political action, but promotion of fraternity. 

Ecumenism of peace

The second part of the trip, in South Sudan, took place under the sign of unity, taking into account the two Christian confessions, the Anglican Communion and the Church of Scotland, present in that land. It was a further step in the process - intensified in recent years, but hindered by the violence and arms trafficking encouraged by many so-called civilized countries - of dialogue to achieve peace. 

Francis urged bishops, priests and consecrated men and women to avoid clericalism and the temptation to resolve conflicts simply on the basis of alliances with human powers. Docility to God, nourished in prayer, must be the light and source of pastoral ministry, understood and exercised as service to the people of God. The Pope has set Moses as a model of this docility and perseverance in intercession for his people (cf. Meeting in the Cathedral of St. Theresa)., Yuba, 4-II-2023).

Francis especially appreciated the moment of prayer celebrated on the same day with the Anglican friars and with those of the Church of Scotland. In a small country of 11 million inhabitants, there are 4 million displaced persons. It is not surprising that the Pope also wanted to have a special meeting with a group of dThe local Church has been supporting these internal displacements for many years.

Salt and light

The last event of the visit to South Sudan, and of the entire trip, was the Eucharistic celebration in Yuba. The Pope's homily revolved around the words of Jesus: ".You are the salt of the earth [...]. You are the light of the world"(Mt 5:13,14). Salt gives taste to everything and is therefore a symbol of wisdom. And the wisdom that Jesus brings us is that of the Beatitudes. They "affirm that, in order to be blessed - that is, fully happy - we should not seek to be strong, rich and powerful, but rather humble, meek and merciful. Do no harm to anyone, but be builders of peace for all." (Homily at the John Garang Mausoleum, Yuba, 5-II-2023).

Moreover, salt preserves food. And in the Bible, what had to be preserved above all was the covenant with God. Thus it taught: "Thou shalt not let thy oblation lack the salt of the covenant of thy God: thou shalt offer salt upon all thy oblations." (Lev 2:13). Y "Therefore, the disciple of Jesus, as the salt of the earth, is a witness of the covenant that He has made and that we celebrate in every Mass; a new, eternal, unbreakable covenant (cf. 1 Cor 11:25; Heb 9), a love for us that not even our infidelities can harm.".

If in the ancient peoples, salt was a symbol of friendship, being a small ingredient that disappears to give flavor, the Christians, "Even if we are fragile and small, even if our strength seems small in the face of the magnitude of the problems and the blind fury of violence, we can make a decisive contribution to change history. In the name of Jesus, in the name of his Beatitudes, let us lay down the weapons of hatred and vengeance and take up the arms of prayer and charity.".

Jesus also uses the image of light, bringing to fulfillment an ancient prophecy about Israel: "...".I destine you to be the light of the nations, so that my salvation may reach to the ends of the earth."(Is 49:6). Jesus is the true light (cf. Jn 1:5,9, Jn 8:12). And he has asked us Christians to be the light of the world, as a city set on high, as a lampstand that will not be extinguished (cf. Mt 5:14-16); for the works of evil must not extinguish the air of our witness.

Finally, Francis wanted to leave them with two words: Esperanza, "as a gift to shareThe "St. Josephine Bakhita, who, with God's grace, transformed her suffering into hope. Y peaceunder the mantle of Mary, Queen of Peace.

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