With Benedict XVI, a pioneer in the fight against abuse is pilloried

Report on sexual abuse in Munich diocese tries to implicate Benedict XVI

With Benedict XVI, a pioneer in the fight against abuse is pilloried

Manfred Lütz, renowned psychiatrist and theologian, and long-time advisor to the Vatican, has published in the prestigious Swiss media "Neue Zürcher Zeitung" (NZZ) an article in which he refers to his own experience with Cardinal Ratzinger / Benedict XVI in relation to the handling of sexual abuse within the Church. Lütz also discusses the recent accusations against the Pope emeritus following the publication of a report on the Munich diocese.

José M. García Pelegrín-February 1, 2022-Reading time: 5 minutes

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On October 24, 1999, the Vatican's top officials met at the Congregation for the Clergy in Piazza Pio XII in Rome. The cardinal prefects of the relevant congregations and their deputy archbishops, about fifteen people, attended. I was there to give a lecture on pedophilia. Before my talk, a young moral theologian urged that U.S. bishops be prevented from making a "summary judgment" of priests suspected of abuse.

Cardinal Castrillon Hoyos, prefect of the Congregation for the Clergy, had earlier read the letter from an American bishop to a priest: "You are suspected of abuse, so you must leave your home immediately; next month you will stop receiving your salary; in other words: you are fired".

But then Cardinal Ratzinger took the floor; he praised the young professor for his work, but said that his opinion was completely different. Of course legal principles had to be respected, but the bishops also had to be understood. That abuse by priests is such a heinous crime and causes such terrible suffering to the victims that it must be dealt with decisively, and the bishops often have the impression that Rome slows everything down and ties their hands. The participants were perplexed; in the afternoon a heated controversy developed in his absence.

Two years later, Cardinal Ratzinger succeeded in getting Pope John Paul II to remove responsibility for the abuses from the Congregation for the Clergy and assign it to the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. Cardinal Castrillón Hoyos reacted aggrieved.

At the beginning of 2002 I met with Cardinal Ratzinger. I told him that the press was satisfied that the Pope was dealing with this matter personally, but that in my opinion it was absolutely necessary for him to talk to international experts, to invite them to the Vatican. He listened attentively and reacted immediately: "Why don't you take care of that? I had not thought about that possibility and I asked him, "Are you sure you want to do it?". He replied, "Yes, I am."

I contacted the leading German experts; I attended international congresses, spoke to the world's most renowned scientists and coordinated everything with Monsignor Scicluna of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. Cardinal Ratzinger insisted that he also wanted the victims' point of view to be mentioned and gave me a letter from the child psychiatrist Jörg Fegert, who had contacted him and whom I also invited.

Thus the first Vatican Congress on Abuse was held at the Apostolic Palace from April 2 to 5, 2003; all the institutions of the Curia concerned were present; Cardinal Ratzinger personally "motivated" those who had hesitated.

International experts - not all of them Catholic - advocated that the perpetrators should be controlled, but not simply thrown out; otherwise, having no social perspective, they would be a further danger to society. At a dinner, some experts tried to convince Ratzinger of this idea; but he disagreed: since abuse was such a terrible thing, the perpetrators could not simply be allowed to continue working as priests.

In 2005, when John Paul II was about to die, Cardinal Ratzinger was in charge of formulating the texts for the Stations of the Cross; at the ninth station he pronounced those words: "How much filth in the Church and among those who, by their priesthood, should be completely dedicated to him! Four weeks later, he was Pope.

He immediately expelled the criminal founder of the "Legionaries of Christ"; he addressed the victims for the first time as Pope on several occasions, which deeply moved some; he wrote to Catholics in Ireland that it was a scandalous crime not to have done what should have been done because of concern for the reputation of the Church.

In 2010, a high-ranking Church official who had falsely accused a priest told me that he could not recant because he had to look after the good reputation of his institution. I was horrified and, when the media asked me about this case, I turned to Pope Benedict. The answer came quickly: "Pope Benedict sends you a message: Speak up, you must tell the truth!

Since 1999, therefore, I had experienced Joseph Ratzinger's firmness against abuse; but what about before that? I was also curious to know what the Munich report said. Perhaps there were wrong decisions, dilettantism, failures. After the press conference, some journalists criticized the annoying theatricality in presenting the report, which did not distinguish between facts, assumptions and moral judgments. Only one point was made clear: that Ratzinger had been convincingly shown to have told a lie about his presence at a certain meeting; moreover, one of his answers, which trivialized exhibitionism, was quoted. Subsequent judgments were predictable, even before the text was known.

However, reading the parts of the report that referred to Ratzinger revealed two surprises: after meticulous investigation by experts in the four cases of which he was accused, there was not a single solid piece of evidence that he had any knowledge of the history of abuse. The only "proof" was the testimony of two dubious witnesses on one case, who by hearsay now claimed the opposite of what they had said years before.

The minutes of the above-mentioned meeting merely stated that it had been decided that a priest who was going to Munich for psychotherapy could live in a parish. Nothing about abuse, nothing about the pastoral assignment. But, above all, I was surprised that in some of the answers it was clear that this was not Benedict's language. "His" comments on exhibitionism sounded like something out of a canon law seminar; here, they were embarrassingly trivial.

It is now clear what the reason was. At 94 years of age, he has not been able to review the thousands of pages of documents himself. His collaborators did, and they made mistakes. Contrary to his response that he had not attended a meeting 42 years ago, he had been present. In addition, the law firm authoring the report displayed a strange style of questioning, with rhetorical, suggestive questions or a mixture of accusation and judgment.

In this situation, anyone would have sought legal advice, as Pope Benedict apparently did. Moreover, the firm's awkward questions left him no chance to answer about his personal responsibility. He has announced that he wishes to comment on this, and how the strange answers came about. It is to be hoped that this is really a text from him: one must have the fairness to wait for this statement.

One is left with the feeling that an elder who, among other things, was a pioneer on the subject of abuse, is being sensationally pilloried instead of finally investigating the decisive questions: why has no Church official in Germany openly admitted his personal guilt and voluntarily resigned?

Already in 2010, Pope Benedict said: "The first concern must be for the victims. How can we make reparation [...] with material, psychological and spiritual help? So why are victims still not helped to organize themselves in a truly independent way, and why are they not adequately compensated on an individual basis? Why is one report after another published without the consequences being drawn?

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Diego Zalbidea: "I hope for a new springtime in the Church".

Evangelization

Vanna CerettaRead more : "The road to transparency is a long one, but we are already reaping the fruits".

Vanna Ceretta is the treasurer and director of the Administrative Office of the Diocese of Padua, Italy. With more than one million faithful and almost 500 parishes. In this interview with Omnes for the 5G Sustainability series, she assures that "listening, sharing, fraternity and transparency are the fundamental ingredients to be coherent with the mission of the Church and at the same time sustain it".

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Vanna Ceretta is the bursar and director of the Administrative Office of the Diocese of Padua (Italy). She is married and mother of three children. She has worked 18 years in the diocesan Mission Office as coordinator. Since 2014 she had been doing coordination work in the bursar's and administrative offices and in 2019 she has become bursar. The Diocese of Padua has more than one million faithful, with almost 500 parishes. It depends directly on the Episcopal Vicar for the temporal goods of the Church. It has a budget for the diocese alone of about 10 million euros. In 2020 alone it has spent more than 38 million euros on local charitable activities and 48 million on charity with other churches. All of this can be seen in the reports that year after year they present in an exemplary exercise of transparency.

What is it that makes people increasingly generous and what characterizes them?

-I would like to respond with an image that comes to us from the Gospel. Jesus is in Bethany and a woman pours on the master a precious and abundant perfume of nard, a gesture of incalculable value, for most people considered an excess, a waste. Instead, the scent invades the scene and gives itself by spreading. Here is this absolutely unprecedented gesture that speaks to us of a generosity that is unexpected and precious gratuitousness. What, then, characterizes the generosity of people? Their gratuitousness in giving, in offering, without calculation and without seeking their own benefit. I have in mind a couple of friends of mine, both very committed professionally and already parents of three children, who welcomed a teenage girl into their home. She became part of their family, altered the dynamics of the relationship, asked for attention and energy to receive that love she so desperately needed to grow. It was not necessary for this couple to "break the alabaster glass," but this commitment of resources and energy has done a lot of good not only for this girl but also for me, my family and many others.

How can we help the faithful to commit themselves to the mission and support of the Church?

-Listening, sharing, fraternity and transparency are the fundamental ingredients for being coherent with the mission of the Church and at the same time sustaining it. In these years of service in the diocese, I have seen communities that have put the poorest and most fragile at the center and have grown in charity. I have met others who have shared their savings with parishes in difficulty. I have met people who offer their professionalism free of charge to deal with the problems that arise in the parish or to passionately take charge of the accounting management. They are examples of how where there is a path of listening, where there is sharing and where fraternity is really lived, which also brings with it the precious values of transparency and fidelity in the administration of goods, the Church grows and the will to participate also on the front of sustainability grows.

Have you verified the pastoral effectiveness of transparency in the diocese of Padua?

-The road to administrative transparency is long and challenging, but we are reaping the rewards, both in terms of credibility and awareness. In the beginning, it was difficult to demand accountability for everything. Moreover, we were often told that charity cannot be reduced to double-entry bookkeeping, but after a long period of listening and dialogue, we became aware that transparency is a fundamental value - and not just an added value - in pastoral action, especially in a troubled time like the one we are living in.

Is it easy for a woman with the position of "bursar" to dialogue and address economic issues with parish priests?

-It is responsibility, not gender, that sustains this office. Assuming the task of bursar, of administrator, means first of all to assume a responsibility that must be carried out with great determination, but which must always be accompanied by a deep spirituality. I have had no explicit difficulties as a woman. Of course, it always requires professionalism and a continuous openness to welcome, to accompany, to give indications sometimes even to say no. A book I read when my children were young is entitled "I no che aiutano a crescere"(The "no's" that help to grow). Teaches to recognize how situations of discomfort are created by the simple inability to say no, and how not knowing how to deny or prohibit something at the right time can have negative consequences in the relationship between parents and children, as well as in any other relationship in which you find yourself exercising a leadership role.. Deciding to say "no" always generates great conflicts: some communities live on nostalgia and cling to a false need for many buildings, many spaces, many activities, showing a face of Church that comes from a past that is still deeply rooted.
How important are financial matters in a diocese?

-Pope Francis reminds us that we are not only living in an era of change, but in a true change of era marked by a general anthropological and socio-environmental crisis.

This complex time forces us to make demanding decisions also at the economic and real estate level that will change the history of our Church. The problems that arise every day require a lot of energy to seek solutions, but we are also called to trigger processes of change. In Padua the question has been on the table for several years and now the path undertaken with the diocesan Synod will help us to discern even more, also in this area.

The bursar's service requires a continuous tension in order to be able to read reality and translate it into this path of renewal.
Why does the Church need goods and resources to carry out its activity if its mission is spiritual?

-The goods and resources are and must be functional to the mission of the Church. Of course, it is always necessary to be very balanced and to read the interventions carried out in the economic field and in the management of goods according to the main mission of the Church: to bear witness to Jesus, to spread the Gospel, to be close to the "poor" and to accompany them, whatever the form of their poverty, material or spiritual.

We must place ourselves before the Word and continually examine ourselves to avoid wrong decisions and priorities.

Has the pandemic affected the generosity of the faithful?

-Surely there has been a decrease not so much in generosity as such, but in offerings, also due to the forced suspension of Masses and Church attendance. But generosity has not changed, and we have experienced this with a pastoral proposal for the year of the pandemic (2020-21) dedicated to the "charity in the time of fraternity" and the instrument we have called "Parish Social Support"." a proposal that has solicited, in various ways, the generosity of Christians to create a parish fund to help individuals and/or families to "start over" from the moment of economic difficulty that continues to hit our country so hard. Thanks to the extraordinary funds received from the Italian Bishops' Conference, the Diocese has placed itself at the side of every parish that has requested it, donating to the parish fund one euro for every inhabitant and hoping that every community, with the help of all the parishioners, would commit at least double the amount. The result exceeded all expectations. We have lived a beautiful journey of experiences of solidarity and closeness that have filled our hard-hit communities with hope.

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ColumnistsIgnacio Valduérteles

Giving or giving

Within the brotherhoods, charity is based on the doctrinal formation that the brotherhood must provide for each brother, which inevitably leads to giving and giving oneself to others.

February 1, 2022-Reading time: 3 minutes

Long live the chains!

A friend of mine, an elder brother of a well-known brotherhood, told me about the difference he appreciated between the corporal works of mercy - feeding, lodging, clothing the naked, visiting prisoners,...- and the spiritual ones -instructing, counseling, consoling, comforting,...-. The difference consisted in the fact that the corporal ones were referred to the givewhile the spiritual ones involved occur.

Some nuances could be made to this affirmation, but in general lines it is well reasoned. This does not imply that one is above the other, both have the same value; but it is true that the corporal works of mercy could be exercised, even in a spurious way, without rectitude of intention, including interests unrelated to the work itself, such as obtaining a tax deduction, improving one's image or soothing one's conscience. The spiritual ones imply a greater commitment, in them the person is more involved. In any case, all of them involve looking at others, being centered on others, knowing and attending to their needs, either directly or through an entity such as the brotherhoods.

It is a matter of giving and giving oneself; but no one gives what he does not have. In order to give oneself, one must possess oneself, which implies accepting oneself as a being created by God in his image and likeness, which is the true nature of man. However, a culture based on the rejection of this acceptance of oneself as a created being, with a given nature, is spreading and taking root, and attempts to endow itself with a new nature elaborated from its own initiative. All these attempts adopt as their intellectual support the dictatorship of relativism, "which does not recognize anything as definitive and which leaves only the self and its desires as the ultimate measure" (Ratzinger); which denies the possibility of reaching a common truth on which to build human coexistence, and replaces it with that which each one establishes at each moment Since there is no truth about the person, this will be what each one deems appropriate. Its approaches will never attack the dignity of the person, because that dignity is also relative, imputable only to a concept of person.

There are many manifestations of the determination of some to establish their own truth about man: gender theory (it is I who decides my gender, regardless of whether I was born male or female); the ability to decide on one's own life (euthanasia, suicide), or that of others (abortion); the deconstruction of the family (new forms of family groupings, education of children by the State); the right of each identity minority, natural or induced, to have their opinions, transformed into enforceable rights, admitted and protected in a way that excludes others (culture, culture, etc.); the right of each identity minority, natural or induced, to have their opinions, transformed into enforceable rights, admitted and protected in a way that excludes others (culture, etc.). woke and cancellation policy), and so on.

Overcoming these approaches, Charity is presented, which resides precisely in this emptying of oneself in order to let God take possession of each one of us.... it is no longer I who live, it is Christ who lives in me... (Galatians 2:20)-, giving fullness to the person, who is invited by God to make his or her biography a continuous act of love, a continuous charity, a permanent gaze on others from Christ.

Thus approached, the concept of Charity opens to the brotherhoods a field of action, and above all of reflection, much broader than that of social assistance, which goes from being an end in itself to the inevitable action of the person in the exercise of his being. Charity is based, then, on the doctrinal formation that the brotherhood must provide to each brother, which inevitably leads to giving and giving oneself to others.

The authorIgnacio Valduérteles

D. in Business Administration. Director of the Instituto de Investigación Aplicada a la Pyme. Eldest Brother (2017-2020) of the Brotherhood of the Soledad de San Lorenzo, in Seville. He has published several books, monographs and articles on brotherhoods.

Long live the chains!

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Hope in the face of growing violations of religious freedom around the world

"Human rights do not depend on quotas"

Professor of State Ecclesiastical Law Francisca Pérez-Madrid argues that a comparison of the Guidelines for religious persecution and those relating to persecution based on gender identity or sexual identity shows a certain inequality of principles.

Maria José Atienza-January 31, 2022-Reading time: 2 minutes

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Francisca Pérez-Madrid, professor of State Ecclesiastical Law at the University of Barcelona developed this idea during her lecture "Asylum in cases of religious persecution and sexual orientation. A comparison".

The conference was the centerpiece of the events held at the School of Canon Law of the University of Navarra on the occasion of the celebration of the feast of St. Raymond of Peñafort.

As he pointed out, there are currently 70 million forcibly displaced persons in the world, of whom only 3.5 million are seeking asylum. A fact to be taken into account: the number of persecuted Christians exceeds 300 million worldwide.

In this line, the professor of State Ecclesiastical Law defended the need to review and update the High Commissioner's guidelines on religious persecution and those on persecution based on gender identity or sexual identity, since "the latter, with a broader and more flexible perspective, take into account the precarious situation of the applicant, and require the authorities to have a proactive point of view when assessing the factual assumptions. The Guidelines on religious persecution, on the other hand, start from a certain presumption of implausibility in the face of potential claims".

Therefore, for Francisca Pérez-Madrid, it is necessary to incorporate the reflections of academic literature, jurisprudential contributions and a person-centered perspective to avoid "differentiation in terms of the level of international protection depending on the reason for persecution".

"Human rights do not depend on numbers or quotas," defended Francisca Pérez-Madrid, "we are all holders of the right to freedom, security and, of course, religious freedom".

In addition, Francisca Perez-Madrid considers that this would guarantee the effective protection of every human being whose life, liberty and security are threatened. "The attitude of the receiving state with respect to the applicant should not be suspicious, but proactive, and there should be equal standards to avoid arbitrariness in the review of the seriousness of the persecution. The important thing is to assess the vulnerability of these people individually and see what situation they are in," he defended.

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The challenge of sustainability of religious institutions

Professional management, transparency and compliance with legal norms, an ethical sense of investment, and emphasizing profitability, but not at any price, are some of the parameters cited by speakers at a CARF Foundation reflection meeting on sustainability and investments by religious institutions.

Rafael Miner-January 31, 2022-Reading time: 4 minutes

The best way to ensuring the sustainability of religious institutionsThe meeting organized by the Centro Academico Romano Foundation (CARF) and the news agency Rome Reportssponsored by Caixabank, and held at the end of last week.

In the meeting discussed the principles of responsible investment as a strategy and practice that incorporates environmental, social and governance factors into investment decisions and asset management, according to practical recommendations of the United Nations and the World Bank. Oeconomicae et Pecuniariae Questiones, published by the Vatican Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith and the Dicastery for the Service of Integral Human Development. This document addresses considerations for ethical discernment in relation to some aspects of the current economic and financial system.

Manage with professionalism

The participants were Cristian Mendoza Obando, priest and professor of Church Management at the Pontifical University of the Holy Cross in Rome; Yadira Oliva, economa of the Congregation of Martha and Mary; Sergio Camarena, bursar of the Augustinian Recollects and David Alonso de Linaje, head of Religious Institutions Private Banking CaixaBank. The meeting was moderated by Antonio Olivié, journalist and CEO of Rome Reports.

The teacher Cristian Mendoza, an expert in the training of bursars of religious institutions, stressed the importance of the economic managers of each congregation or diocese of the Catholic Church being professionals in the sector. The objective is to guarantee the sustainability of these institutions of the Church so that they can serve their specific mission and charism.

He also referred to two concepts that Church institutions should take into account today: transparency and compliance with legal norms. "Society demands more and more information. For this reason, transparency in the Church is very operative," Cristian Mendoza pointed out. In addition, he recalled that public institutions, such as congregations in the Church, must comply with regulations, which are increasingly on the rise. "The Church also has to comply with increasingly demanding regulations," he pointed out.

Looking beyond

Yadira Oliva, bursar of the Congregación Marta y María ̶ an institution founded in Guatemala 43 years ago, which has been in Spain since 1991 and which has has 700 sisters spread throughout the world ̶ , explained some of the economic issues of the institution.

"Our foundress always tells us: we have to look beyond. In Spain, we have 24 homes for the elderly and we also care for priests' residences. Many of our residences are not subsidized, but are supported by the residents' contributions. We make sure that they can receive a service and generous attention," she explained.

One of the problems encountered is the care of elderly religious who, because of age or health problems, are unable to carry out apostolic work. Instead of building residences just for them, this Congregation distributes them in different residences so that they can share the charism. "Our goal is to create a fund to sustain us in the future with our work," she says.

The Apostolic Congregation was founded by Monsignor Miguel Angel Garcia Arauz and Mother Angela Eugenia Silva Sanchez. It bears the name "Martha and Mary", the holy sisters of St. Lazarus, to mark the two principles that govern their lives: contemplation of the Divine Mysteries (Mary) and apostolic action in generous and selfless service to their brothers and sisters (Martha).

Economics at the service of the mission

Sergio Camarena, bursar of the Augustinian Recollects (with more than 400 years of apostolate), recalled in his speech the document of the Holy See on "Economics at the service of the mission"The points made, for example, refer to professionalizing the mission of each congregation or making the patrimony of each Order profitable.

Regarding investments, he clarified that religious institutions must rely on trained professionals, use important criteria to know with whom they are going to invest, and ensure that these investments are in accordance with the Social Doctrine of the Church, that is, to have an ethical sense of investments. "In our Congregation we have an Economic Council that watches over these investments and over what has to be destined to the different social works around the world," Camarena affirmed.

Senior Religious

As in the Congregation of Martha and Mary, a topic of great concern to the Augustinian Recollects today is the care of the older religious of the Order. "Our average age of the brothers is 63 years. Some reside in external institutions, others in our own houses, and others in public institutions. It depends on each country," he explains.

Profitability, but not at any cost

David Alonso de Linaje, head of Religious Institutions at CaixaBank Private Banking, stressed the importance of financial planning for each congregation, i.e., knowing what money is needed today to make the institution sustainable in the future.

"Profitability is important, but not at any price. Financial investments must be governed by prudence, legality and ethics. It is necessary for each Congregation to have experts who know the peculiarities of religious institutions," he said.

In response to questions from the people who followed this online meeting, Alonso de Linaje added that it is necessary to create some criteria for investments to respect the Social Doctrine of the Church (SDC).

On the other hand, Cristian Mendoza emphasized the need for professional training of bursars, and in line with investment in accordance with the DSI, he recalled that religious institutions should not invest in portfolios that promote pornography, alcohol or abortion.

Sustainability, a frequent topic at Omnes

Economic matters, both in the business and ecclesiastical spheres, require in the present era that the mechanisms of control and management in ecclesiastical institutions continue to be refined. In this regard, sustainability and compliance are a frequent topic of discussion in Omnes.

After a Forum in which Diego Zalbidea, priest and professor of Canonical Patrimonial Law at the University of Navarre, and the expert on compliance of KPMG, Alain Casanovas, Professor Zalbidea has published in omnesmag.com a series of articles and interviews with experts on economic issues, under the general title Sustainability 5G.

Among those interviewed were José María Ziarrustamanager-economist of the diocese of Bilbao; Leisa AnslingerAssociate Director of the Office of Pastoral Vitality in the Archdiocese of Cincinnati (USA); Bettina AlonsoDirector of Development for the Archdiocese of New York; Antonio QuintanaDevelopment Director of the Sanctuary of Torreciudad (Huesca), or Abigail MarshProfessor in the Department of Psychology and in the Interdisciplinary Neuroscience Program at Georgetown University (Washington).

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Saints in comic format for the whole family

Rome Reports-January 31, 2022-Reading time: < 1 minute

Ignatius of Loyola, Clare of Assisi or Padre Pio are some of the characters that appear in these books, which, in comic format, summarize the lives of saints of all times for young and old.

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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"Ukraine suffers and deserves peace," says Pope on Day of Prayer

Christianity prays for peace in Ukraine as dialogue continues

Responding to the Pope's invitation, there has been an outcry these days in which the Catholic Church, and in some places such as Kiev, also the Orthodox and Protestant Churches, have prayed to God intensely for peace in Ukraine and in Europe.

Rafael Miner-January 30, 2022-Reading time: 5 minutes

Ukraine "is a suffering people, they have suffered much cruelty and deserve peace."The Holy Father exclaimed on Wednesday at the Day of Fasting and Prayer for Peace, called by Pope Francis. Well, Christianity has echoed, and to a greater or lesser extent, many have begun to pray deeply for peace in Europe, and especially in Ukraine.

"Gathered together in prayer we implore peace for Ukraine," Archbishop Paul Richard Gallaguer, Secretary for Relations with States of the Holy See, asked in the Basilica of Santa Maria in Trastevere in Rome, in a celebration promoted by the Community of Sant'Egidio. "May the winds of war be silent, may the wounds heal, may men, women and children be preserved from the horror of conflict."

"We are in communion with the Pope so that every initiative is at the service of human fraternity", added Monsignor Gallagher. His words highlighted, first of all, the drama of conflicts and the disparity between those who decide them and those who suffer them, between those who systematically carry them out and those who suffer the pain, the official Vatican agency reported.

"We know how dramatic war is and how serious its consequences are: they are painful situations that deprive many people of the most fundamental rights," he added. But even more scandalous, he said, "is to see that those who suffer most from conflicts are not those who decide whether or not to start them, but are above all those who are only helpless victims of them."

"All defeated in humanity"

"How sad," Archbishop Gallagher stressed, "in the 'laceration' of entire populations caused by 'the hand of man,'" by "carefully calculated and systematically carried out actions," and not by "an outburst of anger," or "by natural catastrophes or events beyond human control."

"These are such widespread scenarios today," noted the Secretary for Relations with States, "that we cannot fail to recognize that we are all 'defeated' in our humanity and that we are all 'co-responsible for promoting peace.' But God has made us brothers and sisters, and therefore, aware of this scenario and bearing in our hearts the drama of the 'conflicts that tear' the world apart, we recognize ourselves as brothers and sisters both to those who provoke them and to those who suffer their consequences, and in Jesus Christ we present to the Father both the grave responsibility of the former and the pain of the latter. For all, let us invoke from the Lord the gift of peace".

We invoke peace, but "without limiting ourselves to waiting for agreements and truces to be reached and respected, but imploring and committing ourselves so that in us and in all hearts the new man may be reborn," unified in Christ "who lives in peace and believes in the power of peace," he added.

Ecumenical prayer in Kiev

This week the Ukrainian capital hosted the prayer for peace in the Latin Catholic Cathedral of St. Alexander, in unity with all the communities of the world, reports the Community of Sant'Egidio.

"Since the outbreak of the war in Dombas, the leaders of Sant'Egidio have been organizing every month a moment of prayer for peace, which on this occasion had a special solemnity. In the cathedral, many Kievites, including many young people, took part in the prayer presided over by the Nuncio to Ukraine, Msgr. Vysvaldas Kulbokas, which was attended by representatives of the various Christian churches.

The Nuncio stressed the importance of common prayer: "The temptation is to put before what divides and not what strengthens the human family. But if we give priority to the Kingdom of God, everything becomes secondary, and then the divisions in families, homes, in the people and among different peoples become secondary, because they lose their importance before the sun, which is our God, one for all".

Participating in the prayer were a bishop representing the Latin Catholic Church and another representing the Greek Catholic Church, together with the bishop of the Armenian Orthodox Church and other Orthodox and Protestant representatives, along with civil authorities.

American and European bishops

In addition to the appeal of the Polish and Ukrainian bishops, which reported OmnesThe Commission of the Bishops of the Bishops' Conferences of Europe (COMECE) and the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) have joined the whole Church and the people of Ukraine in two communiqués. In them, they invite the faithful to join the prayer called by Pope Francis for the end of hostilities in Ukraine and for peace in the Old Continent.

"We urge the international community, including the European Union, to renew its commitment to peace and to actively contribute to dialogue efforts, not by demonstrating force and reinforcing the dynamics of armament, but by seeking creative forms of negotiation and value-based compromise," said Cardinal Jean-Claude Hollerich, Archbishop of Luxembourg and President of COMECE, in a statement expressing grave concern over the current tensions between the "neighbors" to the East and expressing solidarity with the brothers and sisters of Ukraine.

In the communiqué, Cardinal Hollerich mentions the statement of the Polish and Ukrainian bishops, in which they call on the rulers to stop "hostilities", since "war is always a defeat for humanity". COMECE calls on all parties to put aside particular interests and promote steps leading to disarmament, which seek a peaceful and sustainable solution to the crisis, based on a truthful dialogue rooted in international law, the Vatican agency reports.

Respect integrity and independence

"In the face of the alarming situation in Ukraine, we call on all leaders to respect the territorial integrity and political independence of Ukraine and to engage in constructive dialogue to peacefully resolve this conflict that affects the lives and livelihoods of 43 million Ukrainians." This is stated in a statement Bishop David J. Malloy, Bishop of Rockford and Chairman of the USCCB's International Justice and Peace Committee.

"Let us join the Holy Father who, in his 2022 address to the diplomatic corps, said: 'Reciprocal trust and readiness to engage in a serene discussion must inspire all parties at stake, so that acceptable and lasting solutions can be found in Ukraine...'"

"The Catholic bishops of Ukraine and Poland issued an appeal on Jan. 24 for leaders to refrain from war and 'withdraw ultimatums immediately.' They called on 'the international community to join efforts in solidarity and actively support those threatened in every possible way."

"In this time of fear and uncertainty," concludes Msgr. Malloy, "we stand in solidarity with the Church in Ukraine and offer our support. We ask all the faithful and people of good will to pray for the people of Ukraine, especially on January 26, that they may know the blessings of peace."

Macron, Putin, Zelenski

At the same time, sources at the Elysee confirmed that the French and Russian presidents, Emmanuel Macron and Vladimir Putin, held a telephone conversation of about an hour on Friday, during which, despite "significant" disagreements, they agreed on the need for a "de-escalation" and to continue the dialogue.

Following the telephone meeting between Emmanuel Macron and Vladimir Putin, "the ball is in Russia's court", said the Elysée on the latent tension on Ukraine's borders, reported France 24. Moreover, a Kremlin communiqué stressed that the answers given by the United States and NATO on Wednesday 26 January did not reassure Putin, because they did not address his security requirements in Eastern Europe, according to the same sources. However, the two leaders left the door open to continue the dialogue on security in Europe.

At the same time, the President of Ukraine, Volodimir Zelenski, has stated that he believes there is danger, but not as imminent as his allies point out. In the same vein, the Russian Foreign Minister, Sergey Lavrov, has pointed out that "Russia does not want a war".

"Ukraine suffers and deserves peace," says Pope on Day of Prayer

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José Luis MumbielaThe face of the Church in Kazakhstan is changing".

The Aragonese José Luis Mumbiela (Monzón, Spain, 1969), has lived in Kazakhstan since 1998, where he arrived from Lleida (Spain), when he was the youngest priest of the diocese (27 years old). In 2011 he was appointed bishop of Almaty, and presides over the Episcopal Conference in a country with a Muslim and Orthodox Christian majority. Almaty has been the epicenter of recent protests. On a possible visit by Pope Francis, he states, "For a father to come to the house, no reason is needed!"

Rafael Miner-January 29, 2022-Reading time: 8 minutes

The first thing to say about this interview with Monsignor José Luis Mumbiela, Bishop of Almaty, the most populous city in Kazakhstan, is that it was conducted a couple of weeks ago. The servitude of paper. So take the bishop's analysis with due caution. The second thing is that we have seen a cheerful bishop, with good humor, in spite of the hard episodes that his country, and especially the city of Almaty, has experienced.

And the third thing is that we talked about the serious disturbances, yes, as the Spanish/Kazakh bishop has done with numerous media, but then we got into the flour of evangelization, the Church in Kazakhstan, the martyrs, the blessed, St. John Paul II, "the culprit of my coming to Kazakhstan", and Pope Francis, of whom he says: "Our great dream is that he will come to this land".

How is Kazakhstan now after the serious events of the past few weeks?

–As of today, we are almost in tranquility. Tranquility is being restored. People are living as before, in the sense of being able to work. Tomorrow there will be the opening of the Metro. The only thing that remains until the 19th is the curfew, which is only in the Almaty region and some other regions. By law it is until the 19th. For the time being it has been maintained, life is being rebuilt. What happens is that apart from this, we have the pandemic. We are in what we call here the red zone, which is the number of contagions. There is also green and yellow. We are in the very red zone, which entails limitations in cafeterias, meetings, etc. And also in religious services. People can have personal visits, we are doing what we can. But we continue with optimism. As of today, our life is already normalizing.

Another thing is the consequences of what has been experienced. For many, they have been very tragic, with many deaths, the number of which is still not known for sure, not only at the level of police and security forces, but also of the attackers, who were belligerents. And we do not know the number of civilian deaths either... The police raids are still continuing, and they are on the lookout for and capture with the data they have. Those involved in violent actions, robberies and looting are being arrested. The cases of public accusations are also being opened at the legal level. Among the security forces, among the police, people are dying, it is not known if they commit suicide or die of heart disease?

If you like, we will analyze this issue later [see analysis], and change the subject. It is now thirty years since the establishment of the hierarchy in Kazakhstan.

-Indeed, last year was the 30th anniversary of the creation of the Diocese of Kazakhstan and Central Asia, the first bishop for all this land, in the present time. There were Catholic bishops in Central Asia already in the Middle Ages. It is necessary to remember the history. The creation of the new structures of the Church in Kazakhstan dates back to 1991. Pope John Paul II was the great promoter of the revival of the Church in Central Asia. He loved and cared personally for these lands. He knew, already from his time in Krakow, the history of the faithful of Kazakhstan and Central Asia. He knew it very well, he followed it closely. When he came to Kazakhstan in 2001 (20 years have passed), the words he said were that he had long dreamed of coming here, I know all your history, all your sufferings. They were not diplomatic words, they were the words he had been dreaming of saying in these lands for years. It was like this. John Paul II loved Kazakhstan, undoubtedly, because of the history of the Poles and the deportees. For his compatriots.

We know, for example, from the story of Blessed Wladislaw Bukowinsky, in the 60s and 70s, when Karol Wojtyla was Archbishop of Krakow, I know that when he went to visit the Archbishop, the Archbishop was waiting for him with a great desire to know how things were going here, and if Bukowinsky was ill., the archbishop was going to the hospital to talk to him. He was interested. Also because I knew he was a holy man. And he wanted to hear from the people, from Krakow. He was a priest born in a part of Poland which is now Ukraine, and he was also deported, taken to a concentration camp, and so he was a prisoner in Kazakhstan. He was in three prisons in Kazakhstan, where he lived for quite a few years. And in the 1950s, after Stalin's death, when he saw the possibility of returning to his country, he decided to stay here in Kazaijstan, working as a priest, risking his life, risking his freedom. He worked in turn as a civilian, he had a passport, he was legal, but he had 'extra-labor' activities [he smiles openly].

Are there any other canonized saints, from Kazakhstan? They have now the process of Gertruda Getzel....

There is a priest who is beatified but he is not from Kazakhstan, he died in Kazakhstan. He was a Greek Catholic, and he served the Greek Catholics and those of the Latin rite. His name was Alexei Zarinsky. He is blessed. His body was taken away. He is buried in Ukraine.

Gertruda Getzel is now in process, laywoman. A Catholic bishop who is buried in Karaganda, who is also a heroic man, could also be in the process, but every process takes time. Thank God, there is a waiting list. Since there are so many blessed bishops and saints, we are now putting a lay woman. Some call her Sister Gertruda, but no, she is a laywoman. She is what a good catechist would be, according to the Pope's dispositions of late. She was also in concentration camps. She was born in Russia, she was deported, etc. She helped priests, was in Georgia and other places. She came here to Kazakhstan, and was in Karaganda, helping also. Wherever she was, she always tried to do catechesis, to pray. I know he was in labor camps, forced labor camps. And when she went to live in Karadanga, at first she accompanied this priest, who was Bukowinsky, until the priest said; better for the woman to stay at home, because it was risky. She organized catechesis for young people, for women, everything, prayer meetings. She was like a spiritual director for girls, a motor of parish life.

There was a bishop that nobody knew he was a bishop, Alexander Hira. He had been a priest in Karaganda since the 1950's, and he died in 81. I guess he knew because he was his confessor. The Holy See knew he was there. Sometimes he went to Ukraine 'on vacation', and it was to see priests, and some bishops as well.. Radio Macuto He said that this woman, Gertruda, was "his archbishop"!

How was your coming to Kazakhstan? I mean yours. You were a young priest...

-I arrived in Kazakhstan in 1998, I came as a young priest, and the person responsible for my coming is John Paul II. John Paul II was very fond of Kazakhstan, and he encouraged the presence of priests for evangelization in this country. He was looking for priests, and he commissioned institutions to look for people to come. I know that he was also looking for priests from the Priestly Society of the Holy Cross, he wanted Opus Dei, but with the whole team. But the Prelature cannot send diocesan priests, juridically it is impossible. So it was decided to look for volunteer priests who were willing to respond to the Pope's call to come to Kazakhstan. The proposal reached many priests in Spain, and it also reached me. The first step was for the priest to be willing. The second step was for the bishop to send him. In my case there were both circumstances. In others, perhaps not.

Had you thought about going on missions?

-I never thought of going on missions around the world. But a proposal came to me: the Holy Father is looking for diocesan priests to go to Kazakhstan, would you be willing? Well, if the Pope wants it, and the bishop sends me, that's what I was ordained for, right? To serve the universal Church. Not me, but any priest, I think, has to be ready for this. Whether I like it or not I like to go on missions, to go to one parish or another, I go wherever the bishop tells me to go. And so it was.

What diocese were you in and what did your bishop tell you?

-I always say that it was a very generous and beautiful gesture of this bishop of Lleida, my bishop, Dr. Ramon Malla, Modélico. A bishop who was very criticized for various things, the issue of ecclesiastical property. But this gesture is exemplary. At first he told me no. I was 27 years old. I was the youngest priest in the diocese, the diocese was going from bad to worse. There was an argument: where there are priests, let them look for them there, in Toledo, Madrid..., but here there are none. But he himself told me later: here we are bad, but there they will be worse. It is a service to the universal Church, let him go. God will say. Chapeau.

When I was appointed bishop in 2011, the news was made public on March 5, 2011. I was called by the then bishop, who had already changed, it was Bishop Joan Piris, who is retired, He called me to congratulate. -I said to him: "Bishop, do you remember something? What is it? Well, today our diocese of Lleida is losing a priest, yes, but I know that tomorrow the Lord will give the diocese of Lleida two priests. You have an ordination of two priests. Yes. -Yes. -Do you realize? Bishop Malla gave one, and God gives us two.

Indeed, on Sunday, March 6, two new priests were ordained. Lleida lost one priest, but gained two. Bishop Malla gave one priest, and God gave him two.

The majority languages in Kazakhstan are Kazakh and Russian. In which language(s) is the language(s) of worship?

-Most of them speak and understand Russian. But the most widespread state language is Kazakh. The Church has always functioned in Russian, but there is a process underway. I often say the face of the Church in Kazakhstan is changing in these years. It is a challenge. We are in a time of transition. In the 1990s, there were Poles, Germans, Ukrainians, Balts... Masses were in German, Polish, depending on the place. Then they switched to Russian, although not all of them. In several villages, some grandmothers refuse to pray in Russian, because it is the language of the enemy... Some accept that the priest says the Mass in Russian, but the hymns have to be in Polish. It is a generational change, a very important one.

Now we are gradually incorporating the Kazakh, which is a change of axes, and which requires an authentic Catholic spirit. Perhaps it is difficult psychologically for many. I remember a priest, who is now a bishop, local, local, when we were talking about learning Kazakh, he said that the local priests were skeptical, until one of them said: we have to admit that we have been educated in Russian, and for us Kazakh was the language of the second class, of the uneducated, etc. For them, psychologically, to switch to Kazakh is to lower themselves. It is a change of mentality. And now he is a bishop. I think he has already changed. There are already beginning to be Masses in Kazakh, little by little, songs in Kazakh, there is a devotional book in Kazakh. And the Kazakhs are very happy. More and more Kazakhs are being baptized, thank God.

The local church is growing...

-Yes, local priests are taking more and more positions. This year, the new Rector of the Seminary will be, in principle, a local priest, half Kazakh, half Ukrainian. His name and surname are already Kazakh. As a fellow Bishop, Ordinary, says, we have to trust the locals once and for all, that's enough! And if they are wrong, let them be wrong, as we foreigners are wrong. Deep down, they want this, and this is what we have to do: let the child grow up, let the child grow up! Come on, come on, this Church is yours. Little by little. It is a dream we have. Growing in this sense. It's like grandparents watching their grandchildren grow up [he jokes again with the examples]. So a big challenge [in Kazaijstan] is that new face for the Catholic Church, which is in transition. A Church, like Kazakhstan itself, multiethnic. That is.

How do you see the interfaith meeting scheduled for September?

-From the beginning, it was a great showcase to show the world that Kazakhstan is a country that wants to be a model of peaceful coexistence between different ethnic groups and religions, and whose religious reality is not a problem, but a normal condition of life. That meeting was held with great support from the Vatican. I do not know if after the events of Almaty the meeting will be possible this year or not. Perhaps because of these events, it would be very nice to have this meeting,

Our great dream is that Pope Francis comes to this land. Since there is a desire for renewal in the country, perhaps his presence would be useful for everyone, on the one hand to give great international support; on the other hand, for him to accompany us, with some words of his, written in a book in the summer, which are 'Let us dream together'. May he accompany us and help us to dream together that new Kazakhstan that we want to create, which is not so new, because some things are already there, to dream and continue dreaming of that Kazakhstan that we want to be a model not only for us but for everyone. And a visit of the Pope can be a great reinforcement for this. Whether or not there is a reason for this meeting, there is no need for a father to come to our home!

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"For many of these children the Church is their only family."

"Illuminare, the mission magazine celebrates its 100th anniversary

The dean of the publications of the Pontifical Mission Societies of Spain celebrates its first centenary on January 31.

Maria José Atienza-January 28, 2022-Reading time: < 1 minute

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Illuminare was born on January 31, 1923, when the Bulletin of the Missionary Union of the Clergy of Spain, which changed its name four years later, in 1927, began to be published in Burgos. One hundred years of "accompanying the mission, the missionaries and missionary animation in Spain" as highlighted by the Pontifical Mission Societies.

Illuminare currently launches three issues a year: in January, April and October, coinciding with the days of the Propagation of the Faith (Domund), Holy Childhood (Missionary Childhood) and St. Peter the Apostle (Native Vocations). There are more than 20,000 copies, which are also supported by a wide projection through the OMP website.

"Illuminare has gone through different stages during all these years of life," explains its director, Rafael Santos, "but it has always tried to help those responsible for missionary animation to live the mission passionately and motivate us all to live it this way. In fact, lluminare's main raison d'être is to support the campaigns of these works and to help priests, religious and other pastoral agents in the preparation and setting of mission-related events.

Missions

Missionary childhood: "Jenet, Michelle and Íscar represent all the children of the world". Related News

"For many of these children the Church is their only family."

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Report on sexual abuse in Munich diocese tries to implicate Benedict XVI

Report on abuse: Cardinal Marx proposes reforming the Church through the synodal process

Cardinal Marx is shocked by the findings on sexual abuse, which according to him have systemic motives. He recommends a profound reform, as - he said - is being carried out in the synodal path. A report commissioned by his diocese had reproached successive archbishops (among them Cardinal Ratzinger) for inadequate treatment of some abuse cases.

José M. García Pelegrín-January 27, 2022-Reading time: 7 minutes

On January 20, a report was presented in Munich on sexual abuses committed in that diocese in the long period of time from 1945 to 2019. During those 75 years, six cardinals ruled the diocese, the last three of whom are still alive today: Joseph Ratzinger/Benedict XVI (1977-1982), Friedrich Wetter (1982-2008) and Reinhard Marx (since 2008). The WSW report - so named by the three partners of the law firm Westpfahl Spilker Wastl, to whom the diocese itself commissioned the investigation - concluded, in its more than 1,200 pages, that at least 497 people had been victims of sexual abuse committed by 235 people (182 clerics and 53 lay people).

In public opinion, attention has focused not so much on the victims or the perpetrators of abuse themselves as on the reaction shown mainly by the three prelates mentioned in response to cases that occurred during their respective administrations and in which they were blamed for "not having reacted adequately or in accordance with the norms to cases of (alleged) abuse that had come to their attention."

The WSW report put the figure for such inadequate action at four cases due to the then Cardinal Ratzinger, at 21 cases in relation to Cardinal Wetter; Cardinal Marx was reproached for not having acted correctly in two cases and, moreover, "not having attached the necessary importance to the issue", for having begun to deal with it directly only in 2018, ten years after arriving at the See of Munich.

Special interest on Benedict XVI

As was to be expected, the possible involvement of the Pope emeritus aroused particular interest, especially in one particular case, since the WSW report devoted an additional volume of more than 350 pages to him: it concerned a priest "H." (in the report also called "X" or "Case X"), who in 1980 moved from the Diocese of Essen to Munich for psychiatric treatment. (in the report also called "X" or "Case X"), who in 1980 moved from the Diocese of Essen to Munich for psychiatric treatment. The first question was whether the then Cardinal Ratzinger was present at a working session of the Munich Curia on January 15, 1980, at which the matter was discussed.

In an 82-page brief in which the Pope emeritus responded to questions posed by the law firm WSW, he said he did not recall being present at the meeting. However, in a statement submitted by his secretary, Archbishop Georg Gänswein on Jan. 24, while announcing that Benedict will soon make a more comprehensive statement, he qualified that statement: "However, he wishes to clarify now that, contrary to what was stated at the hearing, he did attend the meeting of the curia on January 15, 1980.

Therefore, the contrary statement was objectively wrong. He would like to emphasize that this was not done in bad faith, but was the result of an oversight in the wording of his statement. He very much regrets this error and asks to be excused. However, it is factually correct, and documented in the files, to state that no decision was made at this meeting regarding the pastoral assignment of the priest in question. On the contrary, only the request to provide him with accommodation during his therapeutic treatment in Munich was granted."

Indeed, in the minutes of the session - collected in the WSW report - we read: "The Diocese of Essen asks Mr. H. to stay for some time with a priest in a parish in Munich. He is to undergo psychotherapeutic treatment". The curia gave its consent to this at this meeting. In the documents on the matter there is also a more detailed note from the personnel officer of the diocese: "The Diocese of Essen requests the temporary admission of a young chaplain who comes to Munich for psychotherapeutic treatment. The chaplain is very talented and can receive various assignments. It is desired that he stay in a good parish in the home of a sympathetic colleague. The written request from Essen has been received." The personnel officer suggests the parish of St. John the Evangelist in Munich as a possible "destination". However, no decision was made at the meeting about the possible pastoral work of such a priest. Above all, the meeting did not discuss the background of H. Therefore, the Pope Emeritus can rightly declare today that he had "no knowledge" of it. When, later, H.'s sexual misconduct in Munich came to light, Ratzinger had already moved to Rome.

This has also been confirmed by Cardinal Wetter - who has published a response to the accusations made against him, in which he sincerely apologized for everything that happened and for "my erroneous decision in the case of the priest H. with regard to his pastoral assignment". Cardinal Wetter describes his relationship to the case in detail: "As I recall, the first time I came into contact with the case of H. was when the question arose as to whether he could return to pastoral work after his misconduct. The decision - which I took after intensive consultation in the diocesan curia - to send him to Garching/Alz under strict supervision was undoubtedly objectively wrong. I did not think it necessary to have the complete dossier transferred to me from the beginning, since H. had already been working in Munich for quite some time. That was already a mistake. If I had known all about the past, I am convinced today that I would have had him returned to Essen instead of sending him to Garching."

"Without a renewed Church there will be no future for Christianity in our country."

When the report was presented on January 20, Cardinal Marx summoned the media to a press conference for Thursday, January 27, in order to present, after the study of the report in the bishopric, "some first perspectives and to outline the way forward". At the press conference he was shocked by the results of the WSW report, which "represents a before and after for the Church in the archdiocese and beyond", because it shows "the dark side that from now on will be part of the history of our archdiocese"; for many people the Church has become a "place of misfortune instead of a place of salvation, a place of fear and not of consolation". Despite the great commitment shown by priests and other people working in the Church "there has been this dark side that has been coming more and more to light".

The Cardinal described as "completely absurd" to speak of an "abuse of abuses" to oppose a "reform of the Church". This, he added, is what he told the Pope in the letter in which he resigned from the episcopal see -a resignation that Francis did not accept-: "for me, confronting sexual abuse is part of an integral renewal and reform, as the synodal path has assumed. Without a renewed Church there will be no future for Christianity in our country".

The "greatest fault" consisted in having "ignored the people affected", which is unforgivable. "We had no real interest in what had happened to them, in their suffering." According to Marx, "this also has systemic reasons", namely the clericalism of which Pope Francis also speaks; it is therefore of particular relevance to have set up last year an advisory board of those affected and an independent commission to confront the past, "which have already provided us with essential impulses from their perspective".

Resignation from office?

He also referred to the resignation presented to the Pope in May 2021: "Personally, I say it again clearly; as archbishop - according to my moral conviction and as I understand the office - I am responsible for the performance of the archbishopric. I am not attached to my office. The offer to resign last year was serious; the Pope made another decision and asked me to continue my ministry responsibly. I am willing to continue to exercise it, if it is a help for the next steps; but if I come to the opinion that I am more of an obstacle than a help, I would speak to the consultative bodies and have them question me critically. In a synodal Church I will no longer make that decision on my own".

The only personal consequence taken so far concerns Lorenz Wolf, Judicial Vicar of the diocese since 1997, who had been severely criticized in the WSW report: 104 cases in which he is involved give "occasion for criticism", as well as being accused of "putting the interests of the defendants above those of the alleged victims". Wolf wrote to Cardinal Marx renouncing his charges; at the press conference, the Cardinal said: "I agree with him; in due course he will take his position" on the accusations.

Responding to a journalist's question ("Who is telling the truth, the Pope emeritus or the report?"), Marx replied that so far he has no information "that makes me conclude that the Pope emeritus has covered up"; on the other hand, he cannot say that the WSW law firm "has not worked cleanly"; but his report is "neither a judicial sentence nor a judgment of history", but an element to confront the past. The final verdict will be determined by the talks and discussions to be held now, as well as what the experts contribute. In addition, Marx said that it was first necessary to wait for the statement that Benedict XVI has announced. However, his impression is that the Pope emeritus has collaborated constructively with the authors of the report.

On homosexual priests

Reinhard Marx also responded to a question about homosexual priests: no one is obliged to expose his sexual inclination; "but if he does, we must respect it; being homosexual should not be a restriction to the possibility of being a priest". He thus expressly dissociated himself from "some brothers in the episcopate" for not considering homosexuality an obstacle to priestly ordination.

However, he added that all priests - regardless of their sexual orientation - are expected to live celibacy. "At the moment, this is the requirement for the priesthood." Referring to the recent #OutInChurch campaign to change the Church's labor law, Marx said, "If we say that a homosexual relationship is perhaps not a marriage according to Church teaching, but we also positively accept it as a binding relationship," then this should apply to all. The Church's labor law should also be changed in this regard. And Vicar General Christoph Klingan added that there is currently an episcopal working group that is "working intensively on a proposal on how to change this ecclesiastical norm."

Report on sexual abuse in Munich diocese tries to implicate Benedict XVI

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Pope's travels in 2022: increasingly a 'bridge builder

"Ukraine suffers and deserves peace," says Pope on Day of Prayer

The Day of Fasting and Prayer for Peace in Ukraine, called by Pope Francis in the face of the military tension in the area, had three key points: the Vatican, the Basilica of Santa Maria in Trastevere in Rome, and the Ukrainian capital, Kiev. Ukraine "is a suffering people, they have suffered much cruelty and they deserve peace", the Holy Father said.

Rafael Miner-January 26, 2022-Reading time: 5 minutes

On Wednesday morning, at the end of the general audience, the Pope raised his prayer for peace in Ukraine, asking "the Lord with insistence that this land may see fraternity flourish and overcome the wounds, fears and divisions".

On the day of the Day of Fasting and Prayer for Peace in Ukraine, announced by Pope Francis at the Angelus last Sunday, Francis made this appeal, appealing to filiation to God the Father and to fraternity among men: "Let us pray for peace with the Our Father: it is the prayer of children who address the same Father, it is the prayer that makes us brothers, it is the prayer of brothers who implore reconciliation and concord".

The Roman Pontiff, who revealed an inflammation of a ligament in his knee, invited to pray in this way for peace in Ukraine: "let us pray to the Lord with insistence", so "that this land may see fraternity flourish and overcome the wounds, fears and divisions".

The Holy Father added that Ukraine, "is a suffering people; they have been hungry, they have suffered much cruelty and they deserve peace". For this reason, the Pope invited to pray insistently keeping in mind: "may the prayers and invocations that today rise to heaven touch the minds and hearts of those responsible on earth, so that dialogue may prevail and the good of all be put before partisan interests". Francis concluded his exhortation by recalling and underlining "please, never war".

Prayer meetings

In response to Pope Francis' appeal, prayer meetings for peace in Ukraine were held in churches and parishes in various countries. In Rome, in the Basilica of Santa Maria in Trastevere, at 7.15 p.m. the The Community of Sant'Egidio has promoted a special prayer that was presided over by Archbishop Paul Richard GallagherSecretary for Relations with the States of the Holy See, and which can be viewed at here.

Also in Rome, at 6:00 pm, a vespers prayer was celebrated in the Church of St. Sophia, convoked by the Ukrainian community, with the participation of Bishop Benoni Ambarus, the director of the Diocesan Office for Migrants, Msgr. Pierpaolo Felicolo, and the rector of the Basilica, Don Marco Jaroslav Semehen. Promoted by the Diocesan Office for Migrants, the vigil was attended by chaplains and representatives of the various ethnic communities.

In Bologna, Cardinal Archbishop Matteo Zuppi presided over the prayer at 7:30 p.m. in the Basilica of Saints Bartholomew and Gaetano. These moments of prayer were joined by other initiatives promoted by dioceses, movements and ecclesial realities.

Invitation of the Roman Pontiff

Last Sunday, Pope Francis said he was following "with concern the rising tensions that threaten to inflict a new blow to peace in Ukraine and to call into question security on the European continent." Tens of thousands of Russian troops are reportedly deployed on the Ukrainian border. In the background may beat the fact that the Kiev regime aspires to join NATO, following the Crimea crisis of 2014.

The Kremlin acknowledged a few days ago that the tension is "too high", while it has been leaked these days that French President Emmanuel Macron, who has just met in Berlin with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, will talk this Friday with Russian President Vladimir Putin in order to suggest a de-escalation plan.

On the other hand, the Apostolic Nuncio in Ukraine, Monsignor Visvaldas Kulbokas, pointed out that "the Pope's closeness comforts the spirits". In an interview granted to the Vatican media, Monsignor Visvaldas Kulbokas added that the people are grateful to Francis: "to know that they are not alone and forgotten is a great help".

"The risk of a possible escalation of the conflict is lived with more courage," the nuncio adds. "Here in Ukraine, Pope Francis is one of the most respected religious personalities by the local population, so this appeal of the Pope after the Angelus prayer last Sunday was immediately received as very important news, which soothes the heart, expresses closeness and solidarity, and in times of difficulty such as those experienced in Ukraine, knowing that you are not alone and forgotten is already a great help."

Polish and Ukrainian bishops alert

"The current situation represents for the countries of Central and Eastern Europe and for the entire European continent a great danger, which can destroy the progress made so far by many generations in the construction of a peaceful order and unity in Europe," the bishops of Poland and Ukraine stressed Monday in a appeal to seek dialogue and understanding.

"In their speeches, the leaders of many countries point to Russia's increased pressure on Ukraine, as it massively gathers weaponry and troops on its border," the bishops explain. "The occupation of Donbas and Crimea has shown that the Russian Federation - violating the national sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine - disregards the binding norms of international law," read the Appeal, according to the same Vatican agency.

The bishops note that "today, the search for alternatives to war to resolve international conflicts has become an urgent necessity, since the terrifying power of the means of destruction is now in the hands of even medium and small powers, and the ever stronger ties that exist between peoples throughout the earth make it difficult, if not practically impossible, to limit the effects of any conflict."

Avoiding hostility

In this vein, "based on the experience of previous generations, we call on the rulers to refrain from hostility. We encourage leaders to immediately abandon the path of ultimatums and the use of other countries as bargaining chips. Differences of interests should not be resolved through the use of arms, but through agreements. The international community must unite in solidarity and actively support, in every possible way, the society in danger," wrote the bishops of Poland and Ukraine.

"In the name of false ideologies, entire nations were condemned to annihilation, respect for human dignity was violated and the essence of the exercise of political power was reduced to violence alone. Today, too, we wish to make it clear that all war is a tragedy and can never be an adequate means of resolving international problems. It has never been and never will be an adequate solution because it generates new and more serious conflicts," they added.

The authors of the Appeal They recalled the words of St. Paul VI, who in his address to the 1978 session of the UN Conference on Disarmament called war "a most irrational and morally unacceptable means of adjusting relations between States". They also recalled the prayer of St. John Paul II: "Father, grant to our times days of peace. Never again war! Amen.

The Appeal has been signed by Major Archbishop Sviatoslav Shevchuk, Head of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church; Archbishop Stanisław Gądecki, President of the Polish Episcopal Conference; Archbishop Mieczysław Mokrzycki, Vice-President of the Ukrainian Bishops' Conference; Archbishop Eugeniusz Popowicz, Metropolitan of Przemysl - Warsaw of the Greek-Catholic Church in Poland; Archbishop Nil Luszczak, Apostolic Administrator of the Ukrainian Episcopal Conference; Archbishop Nil Luszczak, Apostolic Administrator of the Ukrainian Bishops' Conference; and Archbishop Slav Shevchuk, Head of the Ukrainian Greek-Catholic Church. Headquarters Vacant Eparchy of Mukachevo, Catholic Church of Byzantine-Ruthenian rite of Ukraine.

Pope's travels in 2022: increasingly a 'bridge builder

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Icon of the Salus Populi Romani

January 28, the feast of the Translation of the Salus Populi Romani, marks four years since the icon returned to the Basilica where it is venerated in a climate-controlled reliquary. This month, the corresponding conservation control has been carried out. Pope Francis is a great devotee of this image.

David Fernández Alonso-January 26, 2022-Reading time: < 1 minute

Rome

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"Even in the most painful of our sufferings, we are never alone."

Education

Educating in suffering

The problem of today's society is not that it does not value the sick or that it does not respect death because it is "the end", the problem of today's society is above all that it does not value its own existence. We must change the value we give to life, in order to learn the value of suffering and death.

Lucía Simón-January 26, 2022-Reading time: 9 minutes

Graciano tightened his pace as he fixed his scarf. How cold it was that early morning. He put his hand in his pocket to check if he had taken his house key on his way out. "Everything is forgotten in a hurry," he thought, remembering the time when, also in the middle of the night, he had left his key inside. A night as cold as that one was not to be spent out in the open. He thought of Petra. Perhaps it was her last night. That little old lady full of energy. How many times she had taken his food to the sacristy: "Graciano, if I'm careless, you won't eat for days," she used to tell him.

When she reached the little house with light, she went to the door and knocked. Clara, Petra's youngest daughter, opened the door.

- Thank you, Father. At this hour I didn't know whether to call you, but she insisted so much... She has hardly spoken for days and has been asking me to call you all afternoon.

- You have done well, daughter. I have neither days nor nights of my own. They are all the Lord's.

Clara looked at him gratefully, and after taking the thick coat from him, led him into the room where her mother lay.

Petra was a tiny old woman. She seemed lost among so many blankets and pillows. She clutched a rosary tightly in her hand and stared fixedly at the door. When she heard the footsteps and saw her daughter entering, she was filled with life. As if she concentrated all the life she had left in her eyes.

- Did you bring Graciano?

- Yes, Mother. Here is Father Graciano," a smile of relief lit up his wrinkled face and he seemed to fill with peace. Graciano entered the room and carefully approached the sick woman. Clara left, closing the door.

- Hello, Petra. Good evening, Petra. Your daughter told me that she is worse and I have come here to administer the last rites and give her Communion - Don Graciano piously administered the sacrament and, after giving her Communion, sat down next to her. Petra looked happy and grabbed his hand.

- How many things since you came to town, do you remember? Just ordained and from the city. They said here that you would not adapt to such a hard and retired life," Graciano smiled.

- Here I found the family that God wanted for me. Every one of my parishioners and those who refuse to be parishioners," Petra nodded.

- I have been very happy, Graciano. Now that the end is coming, I understand that God does everything well. I married young and lost four children before I had Manuel and Clara. I thought I would never get over so much pain. Then the hard work, getting my children to study abroad and Antonio's illness.

- I remember him in his wheelchair with his club in his hand. When someone blocked his way or bothered him, he would hit him with it," Petra laughed softly.

- Yes, how many problems the blissful garrotte gave us. I even slept with it.

- Are you in a lot of pain, Petra?

- Many, but I don't care. I have many years and a great faith. God has taught me what is not in the books: to live and, therefore, to die when He wants me to - Graciano looked at her with affection and without hiding the tears that were beginning to wet his face. That woman, like all her generation, was a strong woman. How many lessons they continued to teach her. It was a wise generation, born to sustain.

- It is possible to be happy in suffering, Graciano. My children do not understand it and it is possible that it is because they have had everything easy. And life also teaches through pain. Perhaps they lack the experience of knowing nothing. They think they can do anything. They believe that science and their intelligence can fix everything.

- And, isn't it," Graciano smiled. He liked her to talk. He learned from her. He never got tired of listening.

- No, of course not. In this life only giving meaning and value to things is what brings happiness.

- What's the point of pain, Petra?

- Ah... Graciano, you know it well but you make me talk. No, don't smile. We've known each other for many years. You have eaten at my house more times than I can remember. You accompanied me to the funeral of several of my children and my husband. I never forgot one thing you said at the little boy's funeral: "In life and in death we belong to God".

- That is from Scripture.

- Yeah? I don't know, I didn't learn to read. But how much truth is there. There is no fear for the one who knows he is the son of the One who loves him most.

- Do you feel loved by God, Petra?

- Yes. In every pain I yelled at him and got angry. But I always knew he was by my side. Suffering with me. He gives meaning to meaninglessness. He shapes us in a certain way. Like my husband did with sculptures. With blows, with hardness. To set us free.

- Free?

- Yes, free. We hold on to so many things that happen. We set our hearts on so many things that are not worthwhile. And yet, in misfortune, we realize that the only thing that counts is love of God and love of others. That is to be free. To be tied to nothing in our hearts. I will go in peace today. With my faults, I know that my life has been what He has wanted. I only worry about my children and my grandchild. My children are so busy with things that are worthless. My oldest, with the virus thing, has gone crazy. "Mom, the only thing that matters is health," he was telling me the other day.

- And what did you tell him?

- I told him he was a beggar. Imagine, putting your happiness and trust in something you know you're going to lose. And the other one, Clara, is a good girl but she wants to run everything herself. She doesn't understand that the way to happiness is to obey God and do His will. She only cares about money and comfort. She should have taught them better when they were children.

- Learning the meaning of life is an apprenticeship of some years, Petra.

- Do you think they'll ever understand," she sighed, "I was wrong as a mother in that. I never taught them to suffer. Whenever they had any setback, I did everything I could to take it away from them. And when the pain came, I let them look the other way. I never taught them how to deal with it. I should have taught them. Because then they hit potholes and didn't know what to hold on to. For them, prayer is just reciting little words at full speed. They don't know Who Jesus is. They don't know what the Cross means. I did not teach them to offer, as my mother taught me. I thought it was too hard a teaching. I thought they would not understand until they had a stronger faith. And yet, how far they have gone.

- They still have time to know God, Petra. Let's pray for them and their grandson. When you are absent, I will continue to accompany them. But you can help from heaven, for the task is a big one," Petra smiled.

- Thank you, Graciano. Graciano began to pray and Petra accompanied him. First softly and then from heaven.

After comforting his daughter and promising to return first thing in the morning, Graciano went out into the cold again. But now he forgot to fix his scarf and even to button his coat.

Educate in suffering... educate and give reasons, I thought. But how can we explain the great mystery of God's love and suffering? Society does not understand pain and death because it does not understand life. Gratian thought about abortion. He thought of euthanasia. He thought of the materialism he saw so often and of the coldness towards all that is transcendent. He thought of so many people for whom a life like Petra's, without quality, was meaningless. He thought of those who think that God is like a genie of the lamp who must grant everything we desire and if not, out. Instead of understanding that He is God and we are weak creatures. How can we show all this to others when they neither ask nor are interested in it? Graciano felt very small and then the church bell rang. He smiled as lovers do and changed his way. He would no longer return home that night. He would go to his father's house. To the church where, in a small tabernacle, the Lord of all things dwells. She would ask Him for the grace, the help and the consolation to face the next day, with joy, the immense task that God had entrusted to her.

Society without suffering?

In a society in which no value is given to human life that does not enjoy "quality" according to modern standards, it is increasingly necessary to have spotlights, beacons that illuminate and fill meaninglessness with meaning. Finding meaning in suffering helps us to live it in the most humane way possible. That is why it is important to go deeper into this reality. How many times have we heard from our elders, that of "offer it" when we had some setback. Do we understand well what it means?

In our society it is becoming more and more necessary to educate in suffering. To teach children, according to their capacity, that suffering is part of life. It would be naive to think that we can deprive our children of the experience of pain and it is important to show them how to behave in those moments, what to hold on to and how to move forward. It is very frustrating not to know how to deal with one's own pain or the pain of those around us. Talking to children, according to the circumstances and their capacity to understand, without hiding from them what they are going to encounter sooner or later, means giving them the skills to face these moments. It is also surprising how children understand the mystery of pain and how they become strong and empathetic when we help them to face it, and not to deny it as if it did not exist. It is very positive to educate in this area. On the other hand, it is sad to see how many believers do not want to teach their young children about the cross, for fear of damaging their sensitivity. It is even hypocritical in a society where video games and movies are overrun with senseless violence. To teach how to offer up our pain, to support ourselves in prayer, in the recitation of the rosary and the sacraments, in love and in the support of our loved ones. All these tools God has left us so that we can find him in pain.

Christian suffering

It is possible to find joy in pain. It is possible to find hope where there seems to be nothing left to do. And it is possible because Christ exists. Because Christ rose and freed us from death and suffering, assuming them in his plan of redemption. And he did it through obedience. For he was obedient unto death, even death on the Cross. Indeed, there is a relationship between obedience and suffering. And not obedience as mere compliance or passive acceptance. But obedience as affirmation. As a positive action that affirms something greater, even if it is not clear at times: the Love of God in all circumstances and his loving care for each one. Christ was obedient unto death because he loved his own to the extreme. His obedience was perfect, born of Love. He did not limit himself to accepting "what came his way" but went further, seeing in suffering the occasion to affirm something greater: love for his Father in love for mankind.

Christ learned obedience by suffering. This statement is very revealing. Obedience that is born of love, that affirms, demands suffering from us. It demands of us a death to ourselves. It implies to stop looking at ourselves and to look at Him. Paradoxically, this is "easier" in pain. It is easier for us when we have nothing left. When it is only us and Him. We need to be "destroyed" to let Him rebuild us.

We only become like Christ when we allow Him to act in us. And we only let Him act through the experience of dying to ourselves. If we have had this experience, we will understand. For those who have never experienced their own collapse, it is incomprehensible. It is when we lack everything that seemed important to us that we can truly see our heart. What, or rather, Who we need above all.

Suffering, in itself, is an evil and evil is the absence of good. Suffering is the absence of physical and/or spiritual good. The true and greatest suffering is the absence of God, since without Him no good can exist. That is why Jesus Christ conquered suffering on the Cross. Because He assumed it in such a way that in every pain we can identify with Him. In every pain we are with Him. There is no longer complete absence. Nonsense can have meaning, value.

Christ did not eliminate the suffering of man because he respects human freedom and also the nature damaged by sin. Until the hour of Justice and the end of time arrives, we will live with pain and death. Jesus Christ did not eliminate suffering, but he did transform it at its deepest root. He participated in suffering to the extreme, to the point of invading it with his Presence.

Whoever has never asked himself about the value of his own life, it is very difficult to understand the meaning of suffering and death. One dies as one has lived. The problem of today's society is not that it does not value the sick or that it does not respect death because it is "the end", the problem of today's society is above all that it does not value its own existence. We find hardened people who live as if they were mere matter and thus it is very difficult to open a horizon of hope for them. For them everything is over. To these people we should first ask them what is the meaning of their existence in order to open them to find the meaning of their end.

Sometimes we think that God is a genie of the lamp who has to grant us what we desire if we ask hard enough. Hardly anything is preached today about doing God's will, whatever it may be. The whole Bible is permeated with passages inviting the People of God to fulfill God's will. Our life is for God, to fulfill his will. It is true that we can pray to ask for the removal of this or that suffering or for a solution to our problems. But prayer and trust in God must always be oriented to accept his Will. The anger with God, when suffering arrives, is in not wanting to let go of the reins of our life because we want it our way, or in understanding erroneously that suffering is God's command.

As a society we can help a lot. First of all, as we have pointed out, by educating our children from an early age about the meaning of suffering. But also by promoting solidarity, caring for the sick, investing in the training of health personnel, in palliative care... We must change the image that is often shown of the elderly, giving them their space and the importance and value they have in the face of a culture of youth and materialism. We must change the value we give to life, to learn the value of suffering and death.

The authorLucía Simón

Family

"Even in the most painful of our sufferings, we are never alone."

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Commentary on Sunday readings IV

Sunday Readings

"Physicians and prophets in the name of Jesus". Fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Andrea Mardegan comments on the readings for the Fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time and Luis Herrera offers a short video homily.

Andrea Mardegan / Luis Herrera-January 26, 2022-Reading time: 2 minutes

Jeremiah is called by God to speak on his behalf even though he is young and does not know how to speak. God tells him that He knew him before He formed him in the womb and that He chose him before he was born to be a prophet to the nations. He asks him to say what he will command him, and not to be afraid: "I will not be afraid.I set you today as a fortified city, an iron pillar and a bronze wall before the whole country... They will make war against you, but they will not defeat you, for I am with you to deliver you.". But his life, despite God's protection, will be full of difficulties: persecuted by his compatriots, denounced by family and friends, hated, beaten, tortured. His life is an anticipation of that of Jesus.

In the synagogue in Nazareth, Jesus said that Isaiah's prophecy was being fulfilled in him. At first there is a positive reaction. They notice his gracious words. They are amazed, but doubt arises in their hearts: how is it possible that one of them, with hands tanned by toil, can have the spirit of God and speak as a prophet, be the one of whom the ancient scriptures speak? They doubt that the prophecy can be fulfilled in their small frontier country, ignored by the scriptures: "Is not this the son of Joseph?".

Jesus read their hearts and revealed their expectations. They wanted to see there the miracles he had done in Capernaum and elsewhere. They were disappointed in their fellow citizen. Jesus quotes two proverbs to them. With the first, "Physician, heal thyself"expresses the desire of the Nazarenes to be healed by Him. They consider him a thaumaturge. With the second, "No prophet is accepted among his people"He explains to them that they are not accepting him as a prophet, they would only want to take advantage of his healing powers to live better. But Jesus is a prophet: when he heals, he does it with an eye to the faith of the sick person and to open hearts to the word of God. He speaks to them about the widow of Zarephath of Sidon and Naaman the Syrian. Those two foreigners received God's miracles, not the hard-hearted Israelites. The Nazarenes could have repented by beginning to believe in Jesus. Instead, they take him to the precipice of the mountain to throw him down. They cannot stand his truth. Jesus, escapes them, with a miracle he has done nowhere else: his hour has not come. He opens the way to give us from the cross, with baptism, the power to be all doctors who heal in their place of life, and to be prophets welcomed in their home, in their environment. Thus they will be the first Christians who will spread the faith in their villages and in their families. But also with this Gospel they were prepared not to consider themselves "doctors".of the master"when misunderstanding and persecution came.

The homily on the readings of Sunday 21st Sunday

The priest Luis Herrera Campo offers its nanomiliaa small one-minute reflection for these readings.

The authorAndrea Mardegan / Luis Herrera

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Institution of the first catechists

A Swiss guard guards the celebration of the Sunday Mass of the Word of God in St. Peter's Basilica at the Vatican on January 23, 2022. At the Mass, the Pope formally instituted women and men into the ministries of lector and catechist.

David Fernández Alonso-January 24, 2022-Reading time: < 1 minute

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Re-establishing links with the truth

On the feast of St. Francis de Sales, patron saint of journalists, Pope Francis delivered the Message for the 56th World Communications Day, which this year will be celebrated on May 29, 2022. He highlighted two main ideas: listening and patience.

Giovanni Tridente-January 24, 2022-Reading time: 2 minutes

Message for the World Communications Day Related News

There are two interesting reflections that emerge above all from Pope Francis' Message for the 56th World Communications Day, which this year will be celebrated on May 29, 2022, delivered today to the whole Church on the feast of St. Francis de Sales, patron saint of journalists.

Connecting the ear to the heart

The first idea comes from the title of the Message, Listening with the ear of the heartIt has to do with the ability to connect our vital organ par excellence with the sense of hearing, so that it becomes an "apparatus" truly functional to the purpose and meaning of our existence: men and women who live in extended communities where love, beauty and goodness are shared, with no other purpose than the encounter with the greatest Love.

It is a journey that takes place entirely within man, through "mechanisms" that cannot be deciphered visually, but that necessarily have repercussions on the lived reality, and can benefit (or not) those we meet along the way.

Connecting the ear with the heart is not only the task of the journalist and the communicator - even if the message is essentially addressed to them - but it is an attitude that should concern every baptized person, because each one of us is not only a Christian, but also a citizen, and we are inserted in a society that today is in great need of getting rid of those short circuits that have spoiled the heart-hearing connection, which Sacred Scripture has always proposed at all times and for every person of good will.

The patience of the silence of prayer

The other idea is that of "patience". In the frenetic rhythms in which we are immersed, we have lost the ability to stop, to pause, but also to know how to wait, to know how to slow down, to sit down and listen. To listen mainly to what God has to say to us - and this can only be achieved with the patience of the silence of prayer - but also to what other people like us have to say to us. What they have to tell us, or what they want us to hear, to encourage us to face problems together and to get out of the most difficult situations together, as the pandemic has shown us so well in recent years.

A bath of humility

So the Pope's Message comes as a bath of humility, and an invitation to be concrete in our days: it is useless to frantically pursue an earthly goal that is constantly receding because it is stronger than we are. Let us dedicate ourselves rather to restoring that inner "little stretch" that connects the heart with listening, and animated by "holy patience" let us all become "attentive listeners" to the needs of the world, so that each one can do his or her part for the benefit of all.

Good listening, lots of patience and best wishes to journalists and communicators, those who by vocation feel they must be the first to re-establish links with the truth.

Message for the World Communications Day Related News

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First "March for Life" in Finland

United States

Thousands march in the U.S. in defense of human life

The March for Life in Washington, backed by thousands of people, has been held in the hope that it will be the last nationwide march; and it represents a new cry for the "gift of every human life to be protected by law and embraced with love."

Gonzalo Meza-January 24, 2022-Reading time: 5 minutes

The U.S. Supreme Court could reverse Roe v. Wade Related News

On Friday, January 21, thousands of people gathered in Washington DC to demonstrate in favor of life. The freezing temperatures of -6º Celsius in the US capital and the high infection rates of the Omicron variant of COVID-19 did not dampen the spirits of thousands of young people from all over the country who gathered for the 49th edition of the March for Life. Catholic colleges and universities were represented with hundreds of students who traveled from different parts of the country to the capital to participate in this walk.

Since the "Roe v. Wade" decision

The idea for this March arose 49 years ago, after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled on January 22, 1973 in favor of decriminalizing abortion throughout the country in the case known as "Roe v. Wade". Under this law it is estimated that since that date close to 60 million innocent people have lost their lives. That is why January 22nd has been designated in the church in the United States as the "Day of Prayer for the Legal Protection of Unborn Children". Around this date, ceremonies, vigils, masses, prayer and awareness days, as well as the very popular "9 Days for Life" novena are organized all over the country.

As every year, the January 21 march in the U.S. capital was preceded by a prayer vigil and Mass on January 20 at the National Basilica of the Immaculate Conception. The liturgy was presided over by the Chairman of the Pro-Life Committee of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, Msgr. William E. Lori, Archbishop of Baltimore. Concelebrating with him were dozens of bishops and priests who accompanied the young people on this journey. Even with the health restrictions, nearly 5,000 people participated in the ceremony. In his homily, Msgr. Lori referred to the drama that women who have considered abortion go through: "For many of them, it seemed that their only option was to have an abortion, but deep down they knew that it was a tragic choice with serious permanent consequences. What is most needed in these situations is a witness of love and life!" That witness and concrete help they found in parishes, congregations and pro-life ministries.

In addition to the climate of joy, enthusiasm, prayer, tiredness and cold, this 49th March for Life was marked by the hope that it will be the last march at the national level. In the coming months, one of the cases that will be discussed by the nine justices of the U.S. Supreme Court is the so-called "Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization" case. The justices' ruling on that case could reverse the abortion law at the national level, leaving it up to each state in the U.S. to decide whether or not to decriminalize abortion within their jurisdictions. Abortion would no longer be considered a "national, constitutional right". In this regard, Archbishop Lori stated: "If later this year the Supreme Court overturns Roe v. Wade, how should we prepare ourselves as Catholics? First, we must be a clear and unanimous voice to affirm that our society and laws can and should protect both women and their children. As a matter of fundamental justice, we must work to protect by law the life of the unborn, the most vulnerable and defenseless members of society."

A "pitched battle

Although the Catholic Church remains hopeful that the 1973 Roe v. Wade ruling will be overturned, thereby ending "abortion rights nationwide," the battle against life is being and will be a pitched one. Just on January 22, President Joe Biden - who declares himself a Catholic and attends Sunday Mass - as well as Vice President Kamala Harris noted in a statement, "The constitutional right established in Roe v. Wade nearly 50 years ago is under attack as never before. It is a right we believe should be codified in law. We are committed to defending it with every tool we have."

Different pro-abortion associations follow the same line. Jackson Women's Health Organization" case, the Supreme Court has received an unusual number of legal instruments called "Amici curiae" (a figure similar to a "disinterested advisor"). In these briefs, abortion advocates and organizations ask the justices to consider the series of laws that precede and establish "a woman's constitutional right to choose". This multi-front battle against life also includes desacralization.

On Thursday, January 20, while hundreds of young people were participating in the night vigil at the Basilica of the Immaculate Conception in Washington DC, a self-proclaimed group called "Catholics for choice" projected beams of light on the façade of the Basilica with texts alluding to "abortion rights". This act provoked the anger of the Archbishop of Washington DC, Cardinal Wilton Gregory, who in a statement said: "On that day (January 20) the true voice of the Church was only inside the Shrine. There, people prayed and offered the Eucharist asking God to restore true reverence for every human life. Those who buffoonishly projected words on the outside of the church building demonstrated with these occurrences that they were indeed outside the Church and at night." Cardinal Gregory concludes sharply by quoting Jn 13:30 "As soon as Judas had taken the morsel, he went out. It was night.

On the other coast, Los Angeles

The pro-life march in Washington DC was not the only one throughout the weekend, as several demonstrations were held in different parts of the country, among them the one in Los Angeles, California, entitled "One Life LA". This event also included a walk for life in the streets of Los Angeles, which concluded at the Cathedral with the "Requiem Mass for the Unborn", presided over by the President of the North American Episcopal Conference, Archbishop Jose H. Gomez, Archbishop of Los Angeles. José H. Gomez, Archbishop of Los Angeles.

In his address, Msgr. Gomez urged to work to build a society based on love: "We show that love by how we care for one another, especially how we care for the weakest and most vulnerable. OneLife LA reminds us of the beautiful truth that we are all God's children and that every life is sacred. We move forward with hope, in the spirit of OneLife LA to create a civilization of love that celebrates and protects the beauty and dignity of every human life."

Helping women and families

The day of prayer for life and the different events organized were an opportunity to publicize the different congregations and ministries that exist in the United States to help women and couples facing pregnancies under difficult situations. In recent decades and given the seriousness of abortion, numerous initiatives have emerged in the United States to offer all kinds of help to women and families going through these difficult situations. Among them are: the "Sisters for life" congregation whose mission is to help vulnerable pregnant women; the "Walking with moms in need" ministry; and Project Rachel, which provides care for those who have undergone abortion through a network of experts who offer counseling, retreats, support groups and specialized care.

As we await the ruling of the highest court in the United States, the bishops of this country invite all Catholics to fast and pray between January and June 2022: "Let us pray that this important ruling will be the end of Roe v. Wade. We cannot build a truly just society and remain unmoved by the impact that Roe v. Wade has had on the lives of more than 60 million innocent people. Let us pray, fast and work for the gift of every human life to be protected by law and embraced with love."

The U.S. Supreme Court could reverse Roe v. Wade Related News

First "March for Life" in Finland

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Initiatives

José Miguel Carretié. Perpetual Adoration, a jewel for the diocese

Permanent adorers, occasional adorers, cirineos or emergency adorers. These are the names, depending on their respective circumstances, of the people who commit themselves to the perpetual adoration that takes place in the Madrid parish of San Manuel González.

Arsenio Fernández de Mesa-January 24, 2022-Reading time: 3 minutes

Who has not felt the desire to stop the pace and come face to face with the Eucharist to rest in Him? Some who long to stop the hustle and bustle and place themselves in silence looking at Jesus in the tabernacle often complain that when they can go to pray in the church it is already closed or even that it is very busy and there is no one to pray. This does not happen in San Manuel González, a parish located in San Sebastián de los Reyes where a perpetual adoration chapel was established at the beginning of this school year. Since it was a barracks, the parish priest, Jose Maria Marin, felt the concern that the Lord was accompanied at all times in his real presence. At that time, on Thursdays from eight o'clock in the morning until eleven o'clock at night the Blessed Sacrament was exposed uninterruptedly. Many people came to worship at different hours and there was planted the seed that now germinates. Once the present church was built, it was decided to establish the chapel.

First they had to "sign up" worshippers: they advertised it on the web and went to all the parishes in the area announcing the good news, aware that they were selling a product that was of interest to everyone: "is a jewel not only for the people who go to San Manuel but for the whole area.". All the shifts of permanent worshippers. But there is also the figure of the occasional worshippersThe company has a group of people who can't always commit at the same time. They are included in chat groups so that when a replacement is needed, they can offer themselves. The name is quite graphic: they are the cirineos o emergency worshippers.

Not being able to attend your hour because of an unforeseen event also opens up a beautiful apostolic task, as José Miguel Carretié, general coordinator of this work of God, tells me: "It is in those cases when one looks among friends, family members, acquaintances, for someone who can replace him or her. It is a great act of charity and many times you open a path for them that perhaps they had never thought of before.". It also brings out the best in everyone, as Margarita, one of the coordinators on duty, proudly remarks: some young people "...are not only young people, but also young people with a lot of experience.ask to be put on a difficult shift, first thing in the morning, to start the day off right.". A veritable army of souls in love has been formed and they are already committed. José Miguel tells me that "there are about 340 cirineos and about 280 adorers". But they dream of much more: "the idea is to have two or three per shift. Since there are 168 hours per week I estimate that 300 to 350 fixed shift worshippers is one of the objectives.". This is only to ensure that the Blessed Sacrament is always accompanied, because the apostolate of souls who want to adore Jesus in the Eucharist is a sea without shores. People will always be needed.

José Miguel has been worshiping on Thursdays since the beginning of the barracks. It is essential, according to him, that even if the souls do not want to commit themselves to be adorers, they know that the Lord is always there waiting for them. He always goes there in the evening, two hours from Tuesday to Wednesday. When he arrives he is alone: "is a privilege, face to face, alone, without intermediaries, it has nothing to do with praying during the day.". The experience has made him understand why Jesus chose to pray at night. Many people tell him that as they begin to adore, they notice how the hour passes".flying". He happily confesses that "the people are very happy that this possibility of permanent adoration has arisen because it changes parish life, but also the whole life of the diocese.". It is a torrent of unsuspected grace, a reward for prioritizing supernatural means.

In Spain there are approximately sixty perpetual adoration chapels and in recent months four have been opened.

The general coordinator of the chapel of San Manuel González understands that ".prayer is a school to begin with where you understand many things that you understand with your heart. You experience a particular intimacy with the Lord, a familiarity that fills your heart. You receive light on certain aspects that you did not know before.". And the apostolic work is continuous: "many people around you try to find the peace and quiet that they see in other people who worship and that moves them to approach the chapel.".

People who count

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ColumnistsJuan Luis Rascón Ors

The dream. The happiness of the disciples

What do people see when they look at our parishes? I think what they see is people who are only doing their duties out of habit.

January 23, 2022-Reading time: 2 minutes

I was told a story. A mom goes to wake her son from the deep sleep that five-year-olds have.

- Do you know what today is?

- I don't want to go to mass, Mom.

- No? Why?

- Mom, I don't want to go to church because the people there are not happy.

If it's not true, it's well found...

Let's take a look at the people who attend Mass in any parish on any Sunday. Do they look happy? What conclusion would anyone draw if he or she were curious about one of our Masses? And it is not that, as some people say to me: "You have to have more joyful Masses" (i.e., more boisterous).

It is not the masses that have to be joyful: it is the Christians who have to be joyful.

What do people see when they look at our parishes? What do people see when they look at us Catholics? Do they see a people alive, with the joy of the Gospel burning in their hearts... I think what they see is a people who only fulfill their obligations out of habit.

How does a conversion take place? A conversion takes place from the inside out. It is not the first thing that changes behavior, much less is it the change in behavior that changes the person. To appear happy, you have to be happy; and to be happy, something has to happen to make you happy. You don't become happy by pretending to be happy or by doing the things that those who are happy do.

Let us look at the Gospel, which came first, the chicken or the egg? First goes the Gospel and then the Acts of the Apostles. There is no dilemma here. The conversion of parishes requires us - first of all, pastors - to realize our need to become disciples on fire for Jesus Christ, and to transform parishes through parish communities, doing what the Lord does: choosing a nucleus of disciples, teaching them to be disciples and to make disciples who make other disciples. Jesus, in the Gospel, gathers and forms disciples (the happiest guys in the world); our parishes expect Mass and activity attendees, and the occasional willing volunteer.

Many parishes are immersed in a maelstrom of activism that is absolutely sterile. This frenetic pace of activity, while at the same time diminishing resources, has made us lose our joy and is leading us into a decline that, if things do not change, will inevitably lead us to disappear. Or will it?

The authorJuan Luis Rascón Ors

Pastor in San Antonio de la Florida and San Pío X. Madrid.

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Catholics in the Philippines celebrate 500 years of their evangelization encouraged by the Pope

Bernardito Auza: "Faith is the greatest inheritance we Filipinos have received from Spain".

Bernardito Auza, reaffirmed at the University of Navarra the message of three Popes in the Philippines: "the Catholic Church has been the leaven and soul of Philippine society" (Saints Paul VI and John Paul II, and Francis).

Rafael Miner-January 23, 2022-Reading time: 7 minutes

500 years of the Gospel in the Philippines Related News

The words of the Nuncio of His Holiness, Bishop Bernardito Auza, Filipino, are part of the visit he made to the Faculty of Theology, where he participated in a commemorative day of the V centenary of the evangelization of the PhilippinesFrancisco Pérez, Archbishop of Pamplona, and Bishop Ignacio Barrera, Vice Chancellor of the University of Navarra.

In his speech, Nuncio Auza highlighted some dates and the significance of the arrival of the first expedition that circumnavigated the world. The voyage of Ferdinand Magellan and Juan Sebastian Elcano in 1521, by which "the Gospel reached the Philippine Islands".

"The expedition of Ferdinand Magellan arrived in the Philippines, on the island of Samar, on March 16, 1521. On March 30 of the same month, Easter Sunday, the first Mass was celebrated on the island of Limasawa. On April 14, the first baptisms took place in Cebu. On April 27, Magellan died in the battle of Mactan. And, from that day until the return to Sanlúcar de Barrameda, Sebastián Elcano took command of what would be the first circumnavigation of the island. "to all roundness". of the world. These details come down to us, thanks to the chronicler of the expedition, the Venetian Antonio Pigafetta, who was one of the 18 surviving men".

Later would come "the true inauguration of evangelization", with "the arrival, in 1565 from New Spain, of the second Expedition of the Spanish Crown by the will of Philip II, the work of two Basques: Miguel Lopez de Legazpi (born in Zumarraga, Guipuzcoa, the year 1502; died in Manila the year 1572), and the Augustinian friar Andres de Urdaneta (born in Villafranca de Oria, Guipuzcoa, the year 1508 and died in Mexico the year 1568) and his Augustinian companions."

Today, five centuries later, the papal nuncio added, "the Philippines has 86 ecclesiastical circumscriptions with almost 100 million baptized. Between 85 and 87% of the total population is Catholic. The Filipino people practice their faith without complexes. The faith is publicly confessed and manifested through a lively popular religiosity".

For this reason, the Holy Father Francis, in his homily during the Mass of March 14, 2021 in St. Peter's Basilica, was able to say: "Dear brothers and sisters, five hundred years have passed since the Christian proclamation first came to the Philippines. You have received the joy of the Gospel: God loved us so much that he gave his Son for us. And this joy is seen in your people, it can be seen in your eyes, in your faces, in your songs and in your prayers. The joy with which you carry your faith to other lands".

15th and 16th centuries, the age of discoveries

Bishop Auza alluded to the call to "age of discovery", of the 15th and 16th centuries. "At that time, European navigators carried out truly transcendental feats," he said. And he mentioned "the three most spectacular and with the greatest impact on history. The first, the "discovery" of America in 1492 by Christopher Columbus. The second, the "discovery" of the spice route through the eastern passage, the work of the Portuguese Vasco da Gama, who reached Calicut (Kozhikode), in southwest India, in 1498, connecting the West with the East by the sea route.

The third, the "discovery" of the spice route through the western passage, the work of two great sailors: the Portuguese-Seville-born Ferdinand Magellan, who reached the Philippine Islands in 1521, where he died in the battle of Mactan (April 27, 1521) less than two months after the arrival of the expedition in the islands (March 16, 1521), and the Basque Juan Sebastian Elcano, who completed the first circumnavigation, the first round-the-world voyage, passing through the Spice Islands on the way back to Sanlúcar de Barrameda by the eastern route, despite the Portuguese threats for clearly skipping the Treaty of Tordesillas of 1494".

"This third great historical event," said Nuncio Auza, "is the one that interests our dissertation now, because it was thanks to this voyage of Magellan and Elcano that the Gospel reached the Philippine Islands. At this point, I still have to specify that while the first baptisms took place in Cebu on April 14, 1521, the death of Magellan in the battle of Mactan (two weeks later, on April 27) caused the immediate departure of the survivors of the Expedition, since then under the command of Sebastian Elcano, in the direction of the islands of the spices, until the return in Sanlucar de Barrameda by the eastern route".

Missionaries, "great heroes of human rights".

At this point, Monsignor Auza went directly to evaluate the evangelizing action from the point of view of human rights and perspective. "In spite of the controversies, errors and abuses during the times of "discoveries" and colonization", he affirmed, "the achievements of those times cannot be denied or disregarded. Spain has to be proud of the prowess of the globalization of the modern era, and of its contribution, through centuries, to the historical formation of the civilization we know today".

Indeed, he stressed, "Magellan's action, and before that of Columbus, with his voyages and explorations, resulted in the generation of new knowledge, identities, values, mixtures of peoples and cultures. We could say that they created a "Hispanic identity" in the New World, in particular with a language and a religion. In Spain, the evangelizing experiences of many missionaries who fought to defend the human rights of the indigenous people raised awareness of this unavoidable aspect of society and coexistence among peoples. In this field it is worth mentioning, for example, the Dominicans Antonio de Montesino in Santo Domingo and Venezuela. Bartolomé de las Casas in Chiapas and Central America. And in Manila, Domingo de Salazar".

"In the context of our times," the Philippine nuncio said, "I have no doubt that these missionaries must be recognized as great heroes of the human rights of indigenous peoples. While the United Nations Declaration on the Human Rights of Indigenous Peoples Indigenous Peoples' Rights was adopted in 2007, only twenty-five years ago, already in 1511, in Santo Domingo, Antonio de Montesino preached denouncing the injustices and violence of the encomenderos towards the indigenous people".

Three Popes in the Philippines

"The three Popes who visited the Philippines - St. Paul VI in 1970, St. John Paul II in 1981 and 1995, and Francis in 2015 - underlined that the Catholic Church has been, through centuries, the leaven and soul of Philippine society," His Holiness' nuncio added at another point in his lecture. "It has "shaped" Philippine culture "by the creativity of faith" and animated it through the Gospel of charity, forgiveness and solidarity in the service of the common good. These are the cultural and spiritual values we have received. These are the same values that we have to share with others. Gifted to give; we must give in return. This is the meaning and value of the commemorative events of the 500th Anniversary of the Evangelization of the Philippine Islands".

Bishop Bernardito Auza concluded by saying that "the Christian faith is the most important inheritance that we Filipinos have received from Spain", and he launched a message: "Evangelization is the task and the responsibility that Mother Church asks of us. As in most parts of the world, Philippine society is now experiencing secularization. That is why the theme of the V Centenary of Evangelization, Gifted to Give, inspired by the Gospel of St. Matthew: "freely ye have received, freely give". (Mt 10:8), has the double objective of new evangelization and of promoting evangelization. ad gentes. We pray for the continuity of that evangelizing work that thousands and thousands of Spanish missionaries brought to the Philippines, so that in our days the Gospel continues to shine on our faces and in our lives, and inspiring the work of peace and charity, we may achieve a universal coexistence that is increasingly more human, more fraternal, more peaceful and more peaceful. Laudato si and more Fratelli tutti".

Thanks to the Spanish missionaries

Shortly before, the Philippine nuncio expressed "deep gratitude for all the missionaries who went from Spain to the Philippines and from the Philippines to the vast Asian world, to China, Japan, Vietnam and all of Indochina. So many died as martyrs in those lands, with the exception of the Philippines (because the Filipinos did not kill any missionaries!)".

Furthermore, he added that he "would like to mention in particular three convents in Spain, that I know of, from where thousands and thousands of missionaries left for the missions in the East: the Augustinian convent in Valladolid (Castilla), from where more than three thousand missionaries left for the East; the Recollect convent in Monteagudo (Navarra), from where more than two thousand missionaries left, many of them were missionaries in the islands of Visayas (Bohol, Cebu, Negros, Palawan etc.), like St. Ezekiel Moreno; and the Royal convent of Santo Tomas, in Avila, of the Dominicans of the missionary Province of Santo Rosario, from where many professors of the University of Santo Tomas, in Avila, came from.), such as St. Ezekiel Moreno; and the Royal Convent of Santo Tomas, in Avila, of the Dominicans of the missionary Province of Santo Rosario, from where many professors of the University of Santo Tomas in Manila and other missionaries in the East came from".

More than 300 Filipino students in Navarra

The dean of the Faculty of Theology of the University of Navarra, Gregorio Guitián, recalled that this day constituted "an opportunity to look with perspective at the evangelization of the Philippines carried out by so many people, moved by love for God and their brothers: 'Today it is a joyful reality that the Philippine Church gives back to many countries what it used to receive and is a powerful missionary force in many countries of the West'".

The dean also noted "the abundant reasons to celebrate the 500th anniversary of the evangelization of the Philippines. There are more than 300 students who have been formed in the ecclesiastical faculties of the University, to which we must add the many others who have studied civil careers. It is our hope that their passage through the University will leave in them a lively desire to serve society and the Church".

"Gregorio Guitián reiterated his gratitude to Bishop Auza, for his presence at the University; to the speakers, Professor Inmaculada Alva and Professor José Alviar; and to the participants, among whom were Archbishop Francisco Pérez, Archbishop of Pamplona, and Bishop Ignacio Barrera, Vice Chancellor of the University," the academic center informed.

Bernardito Auza, at the beginning of his lecture, thanked the University of Navarra and the Dean of the Faculty of Theology "for the organization of this academic conference, dedicated to the 500 years of the Evangelization of the Philippines. I consider it a fair initiative because of what the historical fact represents and also because of the significant presence of Filipino students who, then and now, are doing or have done their training in this prestigious University".

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Would you change the Religion class if it were competency-based?

Education

Woke culture in the classroom

Ideological approaches such as animal rights, radical feminism or historical revisionism are finding their way into classrooms through educational laws, the cultural environment and the political struggle of activists.

Javier Segura-January 22, 2022-Reading time: 2 minutes

The woke culture was one of the topics addressed by Pope Francis in his address to the diplomatic officials accredited to the Holy See on January 10.

In the words of Peter's successor, "a single thought is being elaborated - a dangerous one - forced to deny history or, worse, to rewrite it on the basis of contemporary categories, while every historical situation must be interpreted according to the hermeneutics of the time, not according to the hermeneutics of today".

We all remember the demolition of statues of famous people in our history, such as Fray Junípero Serra or Christopher Columbus. We are witnesses of the revision of history that some social movements want to make, presumably linked to a struggle for social justice of certain groups.

The same pressure scheme is joined by other collectives (LGTBI, radical feminism, pantheist ecology, animalists, etc.) that want to promote and ultimately impose their vision of reality.

But, as the Pope points out, behind this whole movement there is an authentic cultural colonization that advocates a single, politically correct way of thinking that ends up ostracizing anyone who does not think as they do. It is the culture of cancellation. And with it the cancellation of culture.

This cultural movement is also permeating our society. It has a lot of division and social rupture, and repeats the old Adamic revolutionary scheme that everything begins today with us.

The culture of cancellation -throwing statues, persecuting historians, rewriting history- is a form of intransigence and cultural totalitarianism, clearly Marxist in nature. A new version of the class struggle.

These ideological approaches are also reaching our classrooms, through educational laws, the cultural environment and the political struggle of activists.

In the first place, because of the ideological keys that permeate the law, especially everything that refers to gender ideology, although not only. Also in the way in which other subjects are approached, for example, the same subject of History. Indeed, on the one hand, the study of the whole part of the past that has sustained our civilization is very reduced, and it seems that what matters most -the only thing?- is the most immediate History. But, in addition, this is presented with more subjective tints, marked by the current vision and problems, from a hermeneutic of today, as the Pope points out.

In reality, what is really happening is that we want to use education to shape the society of tomorrow. And the foundations are already being laid, as set out in the 2030 agenda, on what the society of the future should be like. Education as a tool for building this new world order is part of the project and one of the objectives of the 2030 agenda itself.

In the face of this culture of cancellation, the best we can offer our young people is a true study of history, with a claim to objectivity, with a healthy perspective, which will allow them to have a true critical thinking. A study that helps our young people to discover our roots as people and as a people.

Perhaps we need to reread the motto that gave birth to the woke movement, which comes from the English expression Stay woke! Stay awake! Maybe it is time for us to wake up and realize what is happening in our society and in our classrooms.

Pope Francis seems to have it clear.

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The ministry of catechists

Rosa AbadWhat the Lord transmits to you cannot be silenced".

The Vatican celebration of the Third Sunday of the Word of God, instituted by Pope Francis on September 30, 2019, will feature several new features this year, including the institution of the first ministers of the Catechesis.

Maria José Atienza-January 22, 2022-Reading time: 3 minutes

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"I can only give thanks to God, in capital letters", is how Rosa Abad responds to Omnes. This graduate, librarian by profession and catechist by vocation, will receive, on Word Sunday, the ministry of catechist established through the publication of the Apostolic Letter in the form of Motu Proprio Antiquum Ministeriumon May 10, 2021.

Together with her will be instituted with this ministry two lay people from the Apostolic Vicariate of Yurimaguas (Peru), two faithful from Brazil who are already involved in the formation of catechists, and a woman from Kumasi (Ghana). Also, the President of the Centro Oratori Romani, founded by catechist Arnaldo Canepa and a layman from Łódź. Although they will not be present due to current health restrictions, two other faithful from the Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda will also receive this ministry.

Catechesis never ends

"Receiving the Ministry is an immense joy and a great responsibility for me", Rosa Abad emphasizes, "He knows where this new path will lead me. My answer is: Lord, here I am, may Your will be done".

Catechesis today has a central place in the life of the Church. Not in vain, there are thousands of catechists throughout the world who carry out an irreplaceable mission in the transmission and deepening of the faith. As Rosa points out, catechesis is not a task with set times.

"Catechesis is life", Rosa Abad points out, because "the relationship with God never ends, the more you know the more you want to know and the more you still have to learn". "When you let God into your life it is incredible how everything changes without moving anything" she continues, "God never disappoints, just for that reason alone it is worth opening the door and letting ourselves be led by Him".

Rosa Abad has been a catechist for 10 years in the Parish of Cristo de la Victoria in Madrid. Very involved in catechesis, as her pastor, Alfredo Jiménez, points out, she is a member of the Team of Experts of the Catechesis Delegation of the Archbishopric of Madrid, and a member of the Spanish Association of Catechists (AECA), as highlighted in the weekly magazine of the Madrid archdiocese, Alfa & Omega.

"Apostles on mission".

During the rite, the new catechetical ministers will receive a cross, a reproduction of the pastoral cross used first by St. Paul VI and then by St. John Paul II, as a reminder of the missionary character of the service they are about to administer.

This missionary character of catechesis is key for Abad. "Everything that the Lord transmits to you cannot be silenced, so you have to give it a voice", stresses this laywoman from Madrid, "we have to be apostles in mission".

In the hands of all

With the institution of this ministry of catechist and the opening of the ministries of Lector and Acolyte to women, the Church is focusing on these millions of lay faithful who are the lifeblood of the Church in the world.

In this regard, in fact, the Pontifical Council for Promoting the New Evangelization highlights "the multitude of lay people who have participated directly in spreading the Gospel through catechetical instruction is innumerable. Men and women animated by a great faith and authentic witnesses of holiness who, in some cases, have also been founders of Churches, even to the point of giving their lives".

The lay men and women, like Rosa Abad, who receive these ministries are a sign that "the future of the Church is in the hands of all" as Abad points out, "we are all One and no one should feel excluded, it is our job to make the Church the House of all".

This future planet, for Rosa Abad, has some key challenges: "We have to bring the Word of God without complexes. We have to make the traditional coexist with new technologies without fear. As Pope Francis says 'God is waiting for us in man'. We just have to let him know so that he can fill him with his love".

The Vatican celebration

This year's Word of God Sunday events will be presided over by Pope Francis in St. Peter's Basilica.

The Holy Eucharist will begin at 9:30 a.m. with limited seating capacity due to health regulations in force.

During the celebration, the Holy Father will present to the participants a volume containing a commentary by the Fathers of the Church on chapters 4 and 5 of the Gospel of Luke, "in order to revive the responsibility that believers have in the knowledge of Sacred Scripture and to keep it alive through a work of ongoing transmission and understanding".

Two moments will be particularly significant on this day. For the first time, the ministry of Lector and Acolyte will also be conferred on the laity, and finally, the Holy Father will perform the rite by which the ministry of catechist will be conferred on the lay faithful, women and men, already established through the publication of the Apostolic Letter in the form of Motu Proprio Antiquum Ministerium.

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The papal pharmacy in Rome

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Another year without spiritual exercises for the Roman Curia

Rome Reports-January 21, 2022-Reading time: < 1 minute

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As was the case last year, the Roman Curia will not conduct this year's retreat in person. Each one will do so privately between March 6 and 11.

Pope Francis has canceled his public schedule for those days, including the March 9 general audience.

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ColumnistsSantiago Leyra Curiá

The beatification of Queen Elizabeth

"The elevation to the altars of Queen Isabella the Catholic could be a source of encouragement in the turbulent national panorama. She is one of the most fascinating and unfairly treated characters in history and, according to many, the best queen Spain has ever had. It would be the moment to reconcile ourselves with our most brilliant past, gaining the necessary self-esteem to face the future with optimism. And she could present a good model for the current Princess of Asturias, future Queen Leonor".

January 21, 2022-Reading time: 4 minutes

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A piece of news that could have gone unnoticed at the time was the resumption of the cause for the beatification of Isabella the Catholic by the Spanish Episcopal Conference, at the request of Pope Francis. In the last assembly of the Pontifical Commission for Latin America, according to Cardinal Cañizares, the topic of women in the Church was discussed, and it was when Francis encouraged the resumption of a process that had been paralyzed for years.

The process of beatification of Queen Isabella suffered a halt in 1991 (just before the V Centenary of the Discovery of America), citing the expulsion of the Jews from Spain as the main reason.

In October 2018, two symposiums were held in Valladolid and Granada on the figure of the Queen, who together with her husband, Ferdinand the Catholic, played an essential role in the end of the Reconquest and the Discovery of America.

Currently there is a very favorable circumstance and that is the granting of Spanish nationality to the Sephardim by the previous government, since it was a historical injustice that has been repaired.

The Pope's words could be the definitive impetus for a beatification that remains controversial but which could come from the hand of the first American Roman Pontiff in history.

The great French historian Jean Dumont says in his excellent work about our protagonist The Incomparable Isabella the Catholic: "Elizabeth's sanctity has been established, without possible discussion, in the 28 thick volumes of documents gathered by the postulator of her Cause of beatification, Father Anastasio Gutierrez."

The famous queen of the 15th century loved music, poetry and theater and was apparently an exceptional horsewoman. But above all, Isabella loved God and her neighbor. Starting with her own husband, King Ferdinand, whom she married after the sudden death of her first suitor, and continuing with any of her subjects, not excluding the last of them.

About the call "expulsion of the Jews" It has been argued that it was in fact a kind of suspension of permission to stay in Spain, as was done in all European countries, without this representing any insult and much less anti-Semitism on the part of the Queen, contrary to what has been said and written.

On the reconquest of Granada, Isabella and Ferdinand only crowned an enterprise that began in 718 in Covadonga and whose main objective was the defense of the Catholic faith.

The problem of the Inquisition, on the other hand, has generally been focused on "from a false approach"The religious phenomenon of the "inquisition", as denounced by the postulator Anastasio Gutiérrez, without historians having stopped to consider the real reason that set in motion the entire inquisitorial apparatus of the Kingdom of Castile: the religious phenomenon of the "inquisitors". "converts".

Elizabeth was, according to all existing documentary evidence, a prudent and just Queen; a mother who suffered terribly because of the irreparable loss and suffering of her children; a woman who deeply loved her husband; and a daughter of the Church who defended the Catholic faith until her last breath.

The fortitude of a woman who had to face suffering from a very young age is exemplary. The death of her brother when she was only 15 years old, the attempt on the life of her husband Ferdinand of Aragon or the premature death of her heir, Prince John, and her firstborn daughter Isabella, as well as the ordeal she endured with her daughter Joan, were some of the trials she faced during her life.

It is well known that evangelization was the main reason for Queen Elizabeth's support for the trip to America, and thanks to her, 500 million people pray to God in Spanish.

Characterized by her apostolic zeal, in her first meetings with Christopher Columbus, the sovereign was impressed by the possibilities that the project offered for the extension of the Catholic faith.

"Most religious, like a priest devoted to the worship of God, of the Virgin, of the saints... Given to divine things much more than to human things." This is how the person in charge of the Royal Chapel, Lucius Marinius Siculus, described our monarch.

Hers is one of the many direct testimonies of the virtues that, to a heroic degree, Isabella of Castile lived and that the Cause of Beatification reviews: from faith, hope and charity, to humility, fortitude, temperance, justice and prudence.

Spain, which has contributed so much in a positive way to the evolution of universal history, has had many good kings and queens throughout the centuries. Only two have been canonized to date: Saint Hermenegild and Ferdinand III the Saint.

The beatification of Queen Elizabeth would be not only a recognition of her sanctity of life, but also a tribute to the role of our country since its origins in the defense of the Christian faith.

To some this may seem like a thing of the past, but it is not. For too long we have lived with the "black legend" that our enemies have spread, persuading even many Spaniards of it.

Of course, mistakes have been made in the history of Spain, as in the history of any country that has had the historical importance of ours.

But it is also legitimate and healthy for everyone to be aware of the irreplaceable contributions we have made in the course of history. The doctrine of human rights, which originated in the School of Salamanca in the 16th century and which has so much to do with the Christian character of our nation, is not the least of these. And a better knowledge of the personality and work of Queen Isabella could be an excellent stimulus at the present time, as well as a good model for our future Queen Leonor.

The authorSantiago Leyra Curiá

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Germany, towards another Church?

Report on sexual abuse in Munich diocese tries to implicate Benedict XVI

The report deals with a 75-year period, but in its presentation the focus of interest is on the question of whether the Pope Emeritus knew the past of a particular priest.

José M. García Pelegrín-January 20, 2022-Reading time: 4 minutes

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The report on sexual abuse of minors and vulnerable adults by clergy and lay people working in the Munich-Freising archdiocese between 1945 and 2019, prepared by the Munich law firm "Westpfahl, Spilker, Wastl", was presented in Munich on Wednesday. The report, which is more than 1,200 pages long, is signed by five lawyers from the law firm.

In total, it includes accusations against 261 people (205 clerics and 56 lay people), of which the investigation "showed indications of guilt" against 235 people (182 clerics and 53 lay people), with a total of 363 relevant cases. The authors of the report consider that, in 65 cases, the accusations are proven; in 146 they are at least plausible; in 11 cases they refuted them. In 141 cases (38 %) "there is insufficient basis to draw a definitive judgment". The report assumes that there were at least 497 victims, 247 males and 182 females (in 68 cases "it was not possible to determine"); the largest age group is 8 to 14 years old (59 % among males; 32 % among females).

But, more than the cases themselves, what was of particular interest to public opinion was the way in which the hierarchy had acted; being a 75-year period, it concerns six archbishops, all of them cardinals: Michael von Faulhaber (1917-1952), Joseph Wendel (1952-1960), Julius Döpfner (1961-1976), Joseph Ratzinger (1977-1982), Friedrich Wetter (1982-2008) and Reinhard Marx (since 2008).

An article published in the weekly "Die Zeit" accused Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI of having had knowledge of the case of a priest who - after having committed abuse in his diocese of origin, Essen - moved to Munich for psychotherapy treatment. The authors of the report attach such importance to this case, because the Pope emeritus was asked to take a position on it, to which Benedict XVI responded with a letter of 82 pages, that it forms part of a special volume of more than 300 pages. Apart from that case, the report speaks of four others (one of which is, however, ruled out) in which "he is blamed for not having reacted adequately or in accordance with the norms to cases of (alleged) abuse that had come to his attention."

At the press conference at which the law firm presented the report, virtually all the questions revolved around the question of what the then Cardinal Ratzinger knew about the background of this priest (referred to as "X"; this is case 41 of the report). The matter is complex because it involves both the then Vicar General of the diocese, Gerhard Gruber, and the Judicial Vicar at the time, Lorenz Wolf. In 2010 - when the sexual abuses came to light and the same law firm undertook a first investigation - Gerhard Gruber took full responsibility; now he says that "he was forced into it", but without giving further details as to who would have forced him. And the credibility of Lorenz Wolf, on which "Die Zeit" based its accusations, is called into question by the same law firm.

The authors of the report believe they have found proof that Benedict XVI knew about the situation of priest "X" in the minutes of a working session held in the curia of the diocese on January 15, 1980. In his position, the Pope emeritus claims not to remember having been at that meeting; from the fact that the minutes do not expressly state that he was not there, the lawyer infers that this means that he did attend. From this, lawyer Wastl infers that Benedict XVI was informed about the past of "X".

Now, when a journalist asks him if he can be sure that Benedict XVI had that knowledge, the lawyer measures his words: if that is proof, the courts will have to say so; he considers it "highly probable" that he knew. The next journalist asks if he is sure that in that session the matter of the priest in question was discussed: "Well, we start from the assumption," the lawyer answers, "that it is highly probable that this matter was discussed; now, you know the very creative way in which minutes are taken in the Catholic Church". That is to say, he has no proof that the matter was dealt with, and he adds: "I cannot imagine that it was said that a priest from another diocese was coming and nobody asked why. And if it was known that he was under psychiatric treatment, that no one would ask why. Of course, the fact that I can't imagine it doesn't mean that I know the literal tenor of the meeting". Even if that were so: that in 1980 a "psychotherapy" did not immediately arouse suspicion of sexual abuse is something that does not occur to the lawyer either.

In a first, brief statement, Cardinal Reinhard Marx - who is accused of having acted improperly in two cases and also of not having given the necessary importance to the matter, as he only began to deal with it in 2018, ten years after arriving at the See of Munich - has indicated that he is "shocked and ashamed" and that his first thoughts are for those affected by sexual abuse who have experienced suffering by clerics or other representatives of the Church.

Due to the length of the report (almost 1,700 pages in total), Cardinal Marx announced that it would be studied in the bishopric: "I hope to be able to present next Thursday some initial perspectives and outline the way forward". To this end, he called a press conference for January 27.

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ColumnistsMontserrat Gas Aixendri

Faith and family life

To be a family is, above all, to know how to love in the midst of the imperfection of daily life. The "tensions" of living together, and the difficulties and crises through which every family passes, cannot be solved -only- by praying... it is also necessary to provide human means.

January 20, 2022-Reading time: 2 minutes

Postmodern culture poses important challenges for family life: the growing vision of the human being as independent and self-sufficient; the fragility of affective relationships; or the belief that lasting love is an impossible chimera, have become part of the daily way of life of many families, including those that consider themselves Christian. There are hardly any times of common life, moments of sharing a table, celebrations or care for the sick, the elderly and children are neither foreseen nor valued. Spouses often develop parallel professional and social relationships. Thus, in daily practice, authentic family life together becomes distorted.

No one is immune to this influence. There are, however, Christians who think that, because they are believers, their family should be perfect. That difficulties should hardly affect them. And that family problems, when they inevitably come up against them, are solved by praying. There is no doubt that personal faith and the grace of the sacrament of marriage are important elements in being able to give a Christian family witness. But that does not mean that being a good Christian and praying are enough to guarantee an authentic family life.

In these lines I would like first of all to vindicate what we could call, primacy of the human in family life. We all have the capacity to love and the desire to be loved. To be a family is, above all, to know how to love in the midst of the imperfection of daily life. The normal "tensions" of living together, and the difficulties and crises through which every family passes, cannot be solved -only- by praying... it is also necessary to provide human means.

What can we do? First of all, we need to have enough humility and realism to assume that, although we "know the theory" of what the ideal family "should be", the reality is often far from it. Secondly, it is necessary to know how to ask for help and to allow oneself to be helped by those who can provide it. Family support - the support of people who love us and whom we trust - is of paramount importance today. Experience shows that the main reasons why many families break up today are not really irreparable. On many occasions it is a matter of learning to understand the dynamics of growth and maturation of love, with its moments of tranquility and difficulty, in order to understand the difficulty in a positive way, and to be able to initiate a change of attitude.

Moreover, those who have a living faith will have the invaluable help of grace and the Christian virtues (humility, charity, patience, understanding, etc.), which are key to the good development of family life. And they are also an invaluable help in moments of difficulty, to understand one's own and others' frailties, and to know how to forgive from the heart.

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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ColumnistsKlaus Küng

Christian unity: an intention that concerns us all

Today, the plea for Christian unity takes on special notes, and at the same time connects it with Pope Francis, who calls to act "in going out".

January 20, 2022-Reading time: 5 minutes

The Week of Prayer for Christian Unity reminds me of a meeting on a train many years ago. At that time I was still a young priest, and I wanted to take advantage of the trip to prepare a sermon, pray and read. I had found a quiet seat across from a serious-looking gentleman and, after a brief greeting, I was immediately engrossed in my reading. But when the conductor arrived, the person in front of me took advantage of the interruption to address me, "Are you a Catholic priest?" he asked me, and, at my affirmative answer, he said, "I am a Protestant pastor." He wanted to know where I worked, and I answered that I was a priest of Opus Dei, and when he asked again I tried to explain Opus Dei to him in a few words, as an institution of the Catholic Church to which mainly lay people belong who strive to follow Christ in the midst of the world. His reaction surprised me. He said, "That sounds Protestant to me." Christians living in the world had been Luther's great concern, he told me.

We got to talking. He told me about his work. He said it was hard work, because only a few of them really lived their faith. That their bishop regularly reminded them to keep God's commandments. Without that, praying doesn't do much good, to which I replied, "That sounds Catholic to me." We understood each other well. We then went on to talk about the religious situation in Austria and agreed that in our time a resolute Christianity was necessary. Anything else could not be sustained in the long run.

Many years have passed since then. In Central Europe - as in other prosperous Christian countries around the world - difficult processes are taking place for the Church: a decline in vocations, a crisis in the family, stagnation in youth ministry, allegations of abuse and a growing number of people leaving the Church. Everyone is affected. It is particularly noticeable in the large ecclesiastical institutions, in the Protestant communities and also in the Catholic Church. The process, which was already recognizable 40 years ago, has advanced dramatically and accelerated. It is related to the rapid change in living conditions, but not only to that cause.

People are often absorbed by work, and also by the various influences, goals and ways of life of a largely secularized world. Many lose sight of God, and with Him, for the most part, also of something that belongs to the foundation of the Christian attitude towards life and the Christian way of shaping it. It is not only the number of participants in liturgical celebrations that is decreasing. In many, the practice of the faith is fading, and the integration of children into the life of the Church is no longer achieved, even though they are generally still baptized, receive religious instruction and are preparing for First Communion and Confirmation. The number of believers is decreasing, as is the number of Christian families, the teaching of religion is becoming more and more difficult, if it still takes place at all. Public life is changing, and so is legislation and many other things, including education. Thus, the process of secularization is affecting more and more people. At first it was mostly noticeable in urban areas, but now rural areas are almost equally affected. Even the loneliest farmhouse can receive news and influences from all over the world.

Do we have to stand idly by and simply accept these developments? For decades now, even within the Catholic Church, there have been different approaches to solutions, debates and even tensions, even to the point of running the risk of division. In this context, references to other Christian denominations cannot be overlooked.

Some reform attempts in recent decades are similar to those of liberal Protestantism. Adaptations to today's ideas are required. Some questions of doctrine and ethics, especially sexual morality, are being considered. The priestly ministry should be opened to married people and women, it is said, when its necessity is not questioned. The hierarchical ministry is considered to be in need of reform. The goal is, so to speak, a modern Christianity. The abuse crisis serves as justification and as a means of pressure. Pope Francis has taken a clear position with regard to the synodal process in Germany, where these positions find massive support, and has encouraged the launching of an authentic new evangelization.

But there are other approaches as well. Some churches are filling up again. There are also convents with vocations, and communities that are growing. The importance of prayer is being rediscovered, and especially Eucharistic adoration has spread again in recent years. The reception of the sacrament of Penance, which in recent decades had almost completely disappeared in some places and regions, is being cared for in some churches and monasteries, and is considered a great help. New ways of communicating the faith are being sought. It is increasingly realized that in the preparation for First Communion and Confirmation the parents are as important as the children, or almost more important than they are.

In all this panorama, it is interesting to note that quite a few initiatives and impulses come from other confessions. Alpha courses, born in the Anglican Church, find their place in the Catholic Church with certain adaptations. The same is true of the effort to promote discipleship, which is particularly pronounced among evangelical Christians. The "prayer of the heart," from the Orthodox tradition, is a valuable encouragement for many. In the formation of Christian families as "house churches", evangelical practices serve as an incentive. Not to be forgotten are the impulses that have come from the Pentecostal movement, initially predominantly Protestant, or from the Taizé youth festivals. Mention should also be made of the pro-life and pro-family movements or the fight against pornography in the United States.

When one looks at these contexts, the plea for Christian unity takes on special notes, and at the same time connects it with Pope Francis, who calls to act "on the way out". This has been his great concern from the beginning. It is already found in his first encyclical Evangelii Gaudium. They were the themes he addressed in his pre-conclave speeches. And this is possibly also the hope that has led him to invite the world to a synodal process, despite all the risks that this may entail. At bottom, it is probably a matter of pursuing the central goal of Vatican II: that all the baptized and confirmed should have the desire to carry Christ in their hearts, and to bring him to others. Prayer for one another, and dialogue with one another, are of great urgency and signify great hope!

The authorKlaus Küng

Bishop emeritus of Sankt Pölten, Austria.

Ecumenism

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"Work is essential in human life and is the path to sanctification."

"It does us good to look at ourselves in Joseph's fatherhood and allow the Lord to love us with his tenderness."

In his general audience catechesis this Wednesday, Pope Francis reflected on the tenderness of St. Joseph, encouraging us to experience it in God's love and to be witnesses to it.

David Fernández Alonso-January 19, 2022-Reading time: 4 minutes

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At the audience on Wednesday, January 19, Pope Francis wanted to "deepen the figure of St. Joseph as a father in tenderness".

He recalled that "in the Apostolic Letter Patris corde (December 8, 2020) I was able to reflect on this aspect of St. Joseph's personality. In fact, even if the Gospels do not give us particulars about how he exercised his fatherhood, we can be sure that his being a "just" man translated also into the education given to Jesus. "Joseph saw Jesus progress day by day "in wisdom, in stature, and in favor with God and man" (Lc 2,52). As the Lord did with Israel, so he 'taught him to walk, and took him in his arms: he was to him as a father who lifts up a child to his cheeks, and stoops down to feed him' (cf. Os 11,3-4)" (Patris corde, 2)".

"The Gospels," the Holy Father continued, "testify that Jesus always used the word 'father' to speak of God and his love. Many parables have as their protagonist the figure of a father. [1] Among the most famous is certainly that of the merciful Father, recounted by the Evangelist Luke (cfr. Lc 15,11-32). Precisely in this parable, in addition to the experience of sin and forgiveness, the way in which forgiveness reaches the person who has made a mistake is also emphasized. The text reads: 'While he was still a long way off, his father saw him and, moved, ran and threw himself on his neck and kissed him effusively' (v. 20). The son was expecting a punishment, a justice that at the most could have given him the place of one of the servants, but he finds himself enveloped by the father's embrace. Tenderness is something greater than the logic of the world. It is an unexpected way of doing justice. That is why we must never forget that God is not frightened by our sins, by our mistakes, by our falls, but that he is frightened by the closure of our hearts, by our lack of faith in his love. There is great tenderness in the experience of God's love. And it is beautiful to think that the first one to transmit this reality to Jesus was precisely Joseph. In fact, the things of God always reach us through the mediation of human experiences".

The Pope then encouraged us to "ask ourselves whether we ourselves have experienced this tenderness, and whether we in turn have become witnesses to it. In fact, tenderness is not first of all an emotional or sentimental question: it is the experience of feeling loved and welcomed precisely in our poverty and misery, and therefore transformed by God's love".

"God does not trust only in our talents," Francis affirmed, "but also in our redeemed weakness. This, for example, leads St. Paul to say that there is also a project on his frailty. Thus, in fact, he writes to the community of Corinth: 'Lest I should be puffed up with the sublimity of these revelations, a sting was given to my flesh, an angel of Satan buffeting me [...]. For this reason three times I begged the Lord to depart from me. But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my strength is shown perfect in weakness"' (2 Cor 12,7-9). The experience of tenderness consists in seeing the power of God pass precisely through that which makes us most fragile; provided that we are converted from the gaze of the Evil One who "makes us look at our fragility with a negative judgment", while the Holy Spirit "brings it to light with tenderness" (Patris corde, 2). Tenderness is the best way to touch what is fragile in us. [For this reason it is important to encounter God's mercy, especially in the sacrament of Reconciliation, by having an experience of truth and tenderness. Paradoxically, even the Evil One can tell us the truth, but, if he does, it is to condemn us. We know, however, that the Truth which comes from God does not condemn us, but welcomes us, embraces us, sustains us, forgives us' (Patris corde, 2)".

Already at the end of the catechesis, the Pope assured that "it does us good then to look at ourselves in the fatherhood of Joseph and ask ourselves if we allow the Lord to love us with his tenderness, transforming each one of us into men and women capable of loving in this way. Without this "revolution of tenderness" we run the risk of remaining imprisoned in a justice that does not allow us to rise up easily and that confuses redemption with punishment. For this reason, today I want to remember in a special way our brothers and sisters who are in prison. It is right that those who have made a mistake should pay for their error, but it is equally right that those who have made a mistake should be able to redeem themselves for their own error".

In conclusion, the Pontiff prayed the following prayer to St. Joseph:

"St. Joseph, father in tenderness,
teach us to accept to be loved precisely in what is weakest in us.
Make sure that we do not put any impediment
between our poverty and the greatness of God's love.
It arouses in us the desire to approach the Sacrament of Reconciliation,
to be forgiven and also to be able to love with tenderness
our brothers and sisters in their poverty.
Be close to those who have made a mistake and for this they pay a price;
help them to find, together with justice, also the tenderness to be able to start again. And teach them that the first way to begin again
is to sincerely ask for forgiveness.
Amen.

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Listening is the key to CONFER's work.

Lourdes Perramón is the new Vice-President of CONFER. This Oblate of the Most Holy Redeemer, who is part of the governing bodies of this institution for the first time, reflects on her role and the challenges she faces in this new stage.

Maria José Atienza-January 19, 2022-Reading time: 3 minutes

The vice-presidency that has been entrusted to me I assume it, above all, from the availability and commitment to what CONFER means and wants to be: that space of encounter, support, communion and collective construction.

For many years CONFER has been a support, mediation and reference for me in my personal journey as a religious and more recently in my congregational service as Superior General. Now I have the opportunity to give back something of what I have received and I want to do it generously, within the possibilities of combining it with my congregational responsibility.

Shared responsibility

I am fortunate to join a team that has already been working and this enriches me and offers me security. At the same time, it gives me confidence because it is a shared responsibility and a learning experience, since it is a task that is nourished by a rich group of people, both at the national headquarters and in the different regional and diocesan CONFERs and, of course, in the whole of consecrated life.

In general, we start from a positive reception to the proposals launched by CONFER, but perhaps the great challenge is that it does not remain something unidirectional. We are living a moment of renewal expressed, among others, in the project for the strengthening and viability of CONFER at the service of the religious Congregations in Spain, which was recently presented and approved in the Assembly.

It is a project that wants to respond to the challenges of religious life, gathered in a diagnosis that was elaborated based on the contributions of many congregations. It is precisely in listening to reality that the essential key to the success of this work of support lies, adapting the different services that CONFER offers to the changing needs of the present time.

An important role in the project should be to support the congregations with more difficulties, but also to promote synergies, exchanges or joint actions among congregations. Only from there will it be possible to renew, with creativity and audacity, the essence of our consecrated life and the service we are called to provide in the Church and society, with special attention to those who live in situations of greater vulnerability.

The female face

Female religious life has been and continues to be a majority over male religious life, not only in absolute numbers but also in the regular participation in the activities organized by CONFER.

We can say that CONFER has a feminine face that permeates daily life in its reflections, priorities and actions. We have just lived a relevant fact in the external visibility of this reality, as it has been the first female presidency of CONFER, since more than 25 years ago when the male and female conferences were united. However, I consider that there is no room for conformism in this matter. We must assume the commitment, together with the lay women, so that the Church as a whole does not lose our look, sensitivity, knowledge... and be attentive to participate and share the spaces of ecclesial decision.

A great opportunity

Before the Synod that the whole universal Church is living, religious life starts "with a certain advantage". Life in community, the sharing of all that we are and have in a fruitful communication of goods, the spaces of discernment and decision-making, the collegiality, the paths in shared mission with the laity, the networking with so many entities and the experiences of intercongregationality....

The Synod is a great opportunity and responsibility at the same time, so that from our own experience and in mutual listening with the local communities in the diocesan Church, we are able to make proposals that help to make more real, more incarnated the model of Church, people of God that the Second Vatican Council itself already dreamed of. A Church in mission, that accompanies in solidarity with minorities and the most impoverished without judgment or exclusion.

The vocational challenge

The decline of vocations to the consecrated life is evident but, sometimes, the question is focused on what happens to the youth who do not understand or accept this vocational proposal. Perhaps we need to ask ourselves if we have been able to show in new languages and forms, the mystical and prophetic essence of consecrated life.

And finally, and perhaps most importantly, to recognize that there must be something of God in this reality and that behind the numbers there is still a very evangelical call.

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CONFER announces the recipients of the 'Carisma Awards'.

Jesús Díaz Sariego, OPThe vocational shortage can be an opportunity to take up the Gospel ".

Jesús Díaz Sariego, president of CONFER, shares with Omnes his vision of religious life, the guidelines for the future and his concern for the shortage of vocations.

Maria José Atienza-January 19, 2022-Reading time: 9 minutes

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Jesús Díaz Sariego, Provincial Superior of the Province of Hispania of the Order of Preachers, is, since last November, president of CONFER. This organism of pontifical right brings together Religious Institutes and Societies of Apostolic Life and also includes some male and female monasteries.

-A few weeks ago you assumed the presidency of CONFER, although you have been part of the management team since 2017. What weight does CONFER have within the different congregations, which are already autonomous in themselves?

Enrollment in CONFER is free. It is a decision made by each congregation. This freedom of membership is very appropriate. As you say, each congregation is autonomous according to its charism and mission in the Church. That autonomy is the richness of CONFER. Each charismatic family is a great contribution to the whole. Its weight should be precisely here, and not so much in the number of religious men and women. Neither in the ecclesial and social implantation with more or less visibility and influence. The Spanish Conference of Religious would like to pamper and care for each of its members for their charismatic strength, a gift of the Spirit in the Church.

-Is there unity among the different members of CONFER?

In the most important matters there is communion and unity. Even more. In those matters that could separate us, I perceive a meeting in the fundamentals. In dialogue and in common concerns we end up meeting in what constitutes us as followers of Jesus. There is a common vocation, which summons us in this following. We have a common language in which we understand each other. We even know how to express the differences of styles and approaches. Being in communion does not mean that we are all the same, because we represent many charisms. None is indispensable, but all are necessary.

Moreover, in this historical moment in which we find ourselves, we are developing even more the value of each religious family from itself and from the whole. It is a very interesting moment and a discernment that is leading us to greater communion and synodality among us. The relationship and communication between charisms is a sign of our times that we must explore even more. The path of intercongregationality is a bet, among others, of CONFER for the coming years.

-There is an evident decline in vocations, especially to the priesthood and consecrated life. How is this challenge being taken up in CONFER? Is it the same in all congregations or institutes?

The decline of vocations to the consecrated life and to the priesthood in Spain is a reality that is imposed on us. We must accept it and understand it also from God. Not only from our cultural moment, but also from our cultural moment. I have to say, at the same time, that the situation that is happening in our country, with respect to the decrease of vocations, is not the same as in other countries and in other cultural realities in the different continents.

In Spain, in the fifties of the last century, we have lived through a vocational boom that has led us to be very present in the Spanish society, by the number of religious and by the numerous presences and works that they generated. Many had a missionary spirit beyond our borders. In this sense, the contribution of religious life for decades was magnificent and not always properly recognized.

Now we are in a different moment. Not only because Spanish society has changed, and changed a lot, but also because the Church has changed. We ourselves, as consecrated men and women, are becoming different. We should stop to think if the society of our days requires the same number of religious or rather, it needs another type of yeast to leaven the bread. I am more and more convinced of this.

The secularized world in which we find ourselves needs for its leaven a less numerous leaven, although also very qualified from the evangelical point of view, as have been the religious men and women who have preceded us. It is as if the Gospel stories that refer to the description of what the Kingdom is, which we have heard so many times, had in our present time a message that is especially appropriate for understanding and living our moment.

I invite - I invite myself - to think about the scarcity of vocations more from God than from ourselves. Surely it is telling us something. At least it raises these and other questions: What religious life does God want for the future? In what Church? In what world? The religious vocation, we usually say, is God's, even if it requires our one hundred percent collaboration. But it is God's... Let us try this new way of looking at it.

I would like CONFER to explore this new way of dealing with the decline in vocations. Scarcity can also be a sign of the times, a sign of the Spirit who wants to tell us something.

I can affirm, on the other hand, that the decline in vocations is common to all the religious families registered in CONFER. We must not forget that all of them come from long ago. Some of them are hundreds of years old. In them there is enough serenity, provided by the experience of time, to sit down before God and pray with Him the questions: "Lord, what do you want from us today and how can we give value to scarcity?". Won't scarcity be a new opportunity to take up the Gospel again and turn our lives more and better to God for a better service to what our world claims from us? It is a question that takes me hours of rehearsal looking for answers.

-In this sense, how do you experience the birth of new forms of religious life, often from previous charisms?

The birth of a new charism in the Church is always a blessing from God and, therefore, good news. It shows vitality and dynamism. God, in a certain sense, is leading us.

On the other hand, each charism is a creative way of reading the Word of God in relation to each era.

The following of Jesus does not need many justifications. There are multiple ways of following him. The Lord's will is that we follow him out of love and the expression of that love is plural, giving rise to many forms of religious life.

The men and women of our time also want to follow the Lord by expressing their will to love him and to perceive, at the same time, his love for them. It should not surprise us that new forms of religious life are emerging. As long as love for God is a reality in human beings and in the members of the Church, new charisms will emerge that express it.

The Church in communion will know how to discern each of them and will do so, as she knows how, always taking care to avoid eccentricities or responses that are not entirely in accord with Sacred Scripture read as a whole and with the tradition of the Church. We must not forget that the project of Jesus is always a fraternal, communitarian project. Of integration and communion. If something viscerally harms the whole, I allow myself to doubt its authenticity. God's project is always integrating, it makes us more human and brings us closer to his plan. This is none other than his self-giving love.

No religious family exhausts in itself the charism it once received. The charisms themselves, their deepening and actualization, are dynamic, because of the creativity they contain within themselves.

-In his first speech as president of CONFER he spoke of the need for "creativity"....

Creativity, properly understood, refers rather to our capacity to change (to change the way we think and act). conversion(we would say in evangelical terms). It must be a spiritual process and must spring from intimate prayer with the Lord and deep dialogue with those around you.

Creativity, above all, is observation and trust. Observation of reality and of the needs of others. But also trust in the word of God, which we have also to seeto capture in every detail.

The Gospel is full of creativity. It is an outpouring of imagination when it comes to capturing the details of Jesus in his way of relating to people, in his way of shaping his discourses, in his way of acting and observing reality, in the spirituality that oozes from his contact with the Father, etc. This is the creativity of religious life. It must be born from an attentive reading of the Word of God and from a careful listening to the world before us. To put in relation both looks requires to look for novel forms at the moment of responding to our challenges and problems. This is also true when it comes to bringing the Gospel to our contemporaries.

The expression of God is always creative because it requires intelligence and a good heart. Intelligence puts things in order, dissects them, and delves into their reality.

The heart, in turn, provides passion and affection. It allows personal identification with the program or idea. Intelligence and heart must achieve the necessary balance, understand each other and complement each other.

-How can the various religious families take up this challenge in today's life without getting carried away in ways that are outlandish or far removed from their charism?

I would say that it is a practice, first and foremost a spiritual one. An exercise of new reading of the times that come from God and not so much from ourselves. Inherent in every charism is creativity.

Our founders did not improvise the charism that inspired them to channel their prophetic force. The prophet is always a figure, in Sacred Scripture, groundbreaking, full of creativity, dreamer and inspirer of new paths, but in contrast with God and with reality.

The prophet is first and foremost a contemplative, prayerful man or woman, a seeker in the reality of God's footprints. The true prophet in the Bible is the one who, inspired by the Spirit, is able to discern the voice of God in the historical circumstances before his eyes. This discernment is a process. Slow at times, at rest and ruminated inwardly. This is what our founders teach us.

The different religious families put into practice and assume the challenge of creativity from the prophetic strength that nestles in each charism, especially when God is allowed to act in human mediations.

-Have you been able to define the guidelines for the coming years for Spanish religious life?

After carrying out a diagnosis of the main challenges facing communities of religious life today, in which a very important representation of religious men and women from all over Spain participated, we have initiated a global plan for the strengthening and viability of CONFER.

A plan that will allow us to make the necessary updates that CONFER needs in order to better serve religious life in Spain in the coming years. All of this is based on the rapid changes that we are experiencing within our congregations. But also to the changing reality of Spanish society. We have to continue strengthening CONFER as a common home, a space of reference to continue bringing together and promoting the common values of religious life.

The inter-congregational journey, shared reflection and mission, our presence in public life, the strengthening and development of the diocesan and regional CONFERs, communication and presence in social networks, are action plans that we want to promote in the coming years.

In addition to the above, there is the concern for our ongoing formation, according to the demands of the cultural and social moment in which we are; the financial sustainability of the projects and works; the attention -their care- to the religious men and women according to the vital moment in which they find themselves. Also the support to the weaker congregations; the search for new forms of work, generating dynamisms of team work are, among others, new challenges that we want to consider at this moment.

-Pope Francis does not hide his concern and also his encouragement for religious life. Is this support an incentive for you?

Indeed. Pope Francis is a blessing for religious life. His reflections and suggestions are very motivating for us in this historical moment. Moreover, as a religious, we know that he does so from within; that is, from his own inner experience. This is especially valuable and credible for us. We notice it when he addresses himself especially to us. He is clear and direct in his message. But he is also passionate in what he says. He shows belief in what he tells us. This is a value that communicates and convinces and an impulse that stimulates and encourages us.

-What is your role in diocesan life?

Religious life, through the different communities, has been and continues to be very present in the life of the dioceses. These have been enriched by the contribution of the different congregations and their charisms. In recent years there has been a greater synergy, as we like to say nowadays, between the congregations and the local pastors. This is undoubtedly a path of synodality on which we must travel.

Many religious men and women assume, in turn, important diocesan positions in the ecclesial dynamism of the local Church.

We must not forget that religious life brings to the universal Church and, therefore, to the local Church not only its doing, but above all, its being. Benedict XVI reminds us of this in his exhortation Sacramentum caritatis when he says that the essential contribution that the Church expects from consecrated life is more in the order of being than in the order of doing. When this happens, we consecrated persons become objectively, beyond concrete persons, a reference and anticipation of the journey towards God that every baptized person has undertaken.

From this perspective, our role in diocesan life is not reduced solely and exclusively to pastoral collaboration or to a more or less active participation in the ecclesial life of the diocese. Consecrated life, with its presence, represents a sign of the Kingdom more profoundly and in accordance with the plan of salvation that God has drawn up for all....

It is good and necessary that some baptized men and women, in the life commitment they have acquired, remember in their way of living and being, that dynamism of the Spirit that brings us all closer to the God who sustains and saves us.

-How is religious life in Spain living the synodal process?

Religious life has a lot of experience, for obvious reasons, in its lifestyle and in its way of organizing and functioning, of synodality. Our community life and common participation in the most important decisions of each community and each congregation have educated us in a way of participating and being co-responsible. In this sense I can say that we are a help that springs from our own experience.

Pope Francis often reminds us of this: "Consecrated life is an expert in communion; it promotes fraternity as its own style of life".. The universal Church has opened the path of synodality on the occasion of the next Synod. I believe that it responds to an important and necessary ecclesial moment. For this reason it has set us all to work in the same direction.

Many religious men and women in their parishes and dioceses have already begun to work, together with the whole People of God, in the synodal process of this first phase: the listening phase. I am aware of their interest and participation.

From CONFER, we assume this work and ecclesial project with responsibility. Also with the open spirit of collaborating with the dioceses and with the other ecclesial and social sectors in the processes of mutual listening and common discernment.

We will contribute what we try to live every day, as well as our experience, our searches, our questions and our attempts to answer them. We thank you for counting on us in this ecclesial process in which we are all involved.

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Commentary on the Sunday readings III

Sunday Readings

"The word of God in our life". Third Sunday in Ordinary Time

Andrea Mardegan comments on the readings for the Third Sunday in Ordinary Time and Luis Herrera offers a short video homily.

Andrea Mardegan / Luis Herrera-January 19, 2022-Reading time: 2 minutes

Luke, a man of refined Greek culture, opens his Gospel with a prologue as in the classical works of antiquity. He does not call it a "gospel" but a "story" and "neat handwriting", the result of a "diligent investigation"about the "facts that have been fulfilled among us". It says "between us"He writes from a place far away from the Holy Land and does so after several years, so he is not an eyewitness. This suggests to all readers throughout history that the events of the Incarnation and the Redemption were indeed fulfilled".between us". It is directed by means of a captatio benevolentiae towards the "illustrious Theophilus", "friend of God". He apologizes for having joined the ranks of the "many"He is aware that his research has been accurate and he will expose the facts with "order"giving each event a place full of theological transcendence. Those of us who wish to be part of the illustrious group of God's friends to whom Luke writes, allow ourselves to be persuaded to read his gospel in its entirety, throughout this year, with appropriate commentaries.

Of Jesus' first steps in his public life, Luke highlights the presence of the Spirit who conceived him in his mother's womb and enveloped him in his infancy, descended upon him at his baptism and led him into the desert. Now, it accompanies him with its power in his return to Galilee and in his preaching in the synagogues. And He provokes in those who meet Him, as already in His infancy, the prayer of praise, which in Luke always refers to God. The scene in the synagogue of Nazareth has details proper to a source present at the event, perhaps his mother? Luke points out that Jesus goes to Nazareth, "where he had grown up"Thus referring to where he had grown up, noted in Lk 2:40 and 2:52.

By saying that "entered the synagogue, as was his custom on the Sabbath."The narrative is a visual description: we see him stand up to read, receive the scroll, unroll it, find the passage he is interested in quoting. The narrative is a visual description: we see him stand up to read, receive the scroll, unroll it, find the passage he is interested in quoting. As he reads the passage from Isaiah he stops at "enact the year of the Lord's favor" and omits the following verse: "A day of vengeance from our God". He keeps the humor and omits the revenge. We continue to watch him as he rolls up the book, returns it to the minister and sits down. We realize that in the synagogue all eyes are riveted on him. Then "began to tell them": weighing the words, looking the listeners in the eyes he tells them, literally, that on that day the scripture was fulfilled ".in your ears". If we listen to his word, we allow God to bring it to fulfillment in our lives.

The homily on the readings of Sunday III

The priest Luis Herrera Campo offers its nanomiliaa small one-minute reflection for these readings.

The authorAndrea Mardegan / Luis Herrera

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"Thanks to Caritas, I not only have a home, but a family."

Pandemic raises to 11 million people at risk of social exclusion in Spain

The socio-economic crisis caused by the consequences of the coronavirus pandemic has added 2.5 million more people to the risk of social exclusion in Spain. The crisis is hitting women, young people and migrants the hardest.

Maria José Atienza-January 18, 2022-Reading time: 6 minutes

Caritas has assisted more than half a million new people this year. Related News

Natalia PeiroGeneral Secretary of Cáritas Española and Executive Director of FOESSA, and Raul FloresThe coordinator of the Caritas Research Team and technical secretary of FOESSA, presented "Evolution of social cohesion and consequences of covid-19 in Spain", a very extensive and documented study on the crisis caused by the pandemic.

The research -carried out by a team of more than 30 researchers from more than ten universities and social research entities- was coordinated by professors Luis Ayala Cañón, Miguel Laparra Navarro and Gregorio Rodríguez Cabrero.

As Natalia Peiro pointed out, the pandemic "has further deepened the inequality gap that has been dragging on since the 2008 crisis, leading more than 6 million people to a situation of severe risk of exclusion in Spain. The great victims of Covid-19 are precisely the most fragile and disadvantaged individuals and families, who have not been reached by the public responses of the so-called social shield". In this regard, the report reveals that the difference between the population with the highest and lowest incomes has increased by more than 25 percent, a figure higher than the increase during the 2008 crisis.

In 2020, Caritas served 1.5 million people, 366,000 more than in 2019.

Peiro stressed that the presentation of this report shows that we have spent "decades generating, sustaining and naturalizing the suffering of situations of poverty and social exclusion that are a daily reality for millions of people and families. A social and economic structure that generates inequality, where it is almost impossible for those who have been left out to re-enter".

Likewise, the general secretary of Caritas Spain highlighted the accuracy of this study, which has a minimum margin of error and is carried out "from the eyes of those affected" in order to know the reality to be able to address it with effective measures.

Labor precariousness

Raúl Flores, coordinator of the Caritas Research Team and technical secretary of FOESSA, has been in charge of showing the main results of this study of more than 700 pages.

As Flores wanted to highlight, one of the main consequences of this crisis has been the increase in job insecurity, which has doubled in this time, reaching almost 2 million households in which all members of working age are unemployed.

In line with the chronification of the situation of vulnerability pointed out by Natalia Peiro, Raúl Flores pointed out how, in this area, the most affected have been those who were already in a situation of precarious employment, with temporary or part-time contracts and who have not been able to take advantage of the companies' ERTEs.

The new social exclusion gaps

The report speaks of a new factor of social exclusion that has highlighted this pandemic: digital disconnection. That is, the lack of internet access in 1.8 million households, which is an added factor of difficulty for more than 800,000 families who have lost opportunities to improve their situation due to digital issues such as lack of connection, lack of computing devices or digital skills.

Women suffer, in a special way the consequences of the crisis.Social exclusion in households headed by women has gone from 18% in 2018 to 26% in 2021, an increase that multiplies by 2.5 the one registered during the same period in the case of men (who went from 15% to 18%). In this sense, Raul Flores wanted to highlight that "gender differences have remained absent from the political and media debate in these months, something that refers to structural issues and that it is important to take into account in order to design effective public policies".

Young people, in the tightrope... again

Being young is another factor of exclusion that the pandemic has brought to light. Raúl Flores himself has pointed out that in the case of young people "they have experienced two major crises in an essential phase of their life projects in which the transition to employment, to adult life, emancipation or the construction of new homes is being considered: those who were 18 years old in 2008 have been hit by the 2020 crisis at the age of 30". This means that, in 2021 more than 650,000 people between 16 and 34 will join the situation of exclusion, most of them in a situation of severe exclusion which means 500 thousand young people more compared to 2018.

The migrant population has been another of the groups particularly affected by the pandemic. The study shows how the immigrant population has suffered an incidence rate of Covid-19 almost 3 percentage points higher than among the population of Spanish origin. As Flores points out, "the causes are obvious: worse living conditions, less well ventilated housing and more overcrowding; as well as fewer resources to adopt preventive measures both at home and in the workplace".

Beyond income and work: personal relationships

Another area affected by the pandemic has been personal and family relationships. More than three out of ten families consider that the pandemic has had a considerable or great impact on the deterioration of their social relationships and the percentage of people who have helped or help other people has decreased significantly, and, to a lesser extent, also the percentage of people who have had or have someone who can help them. This weakening of external links to the household continues to be more pronounced in households in severe exclusion and in single-parent households headed by women.

Challenges and proposals

The Covid-19 crisis is leaving a deep imprint that impinges on the burdens of the Great Recession of 2008-2013 that were not fully resolved in the following recovery period.

In view of this situation, the Foessa report and Caritas Española consider it necessary to improve the social protection system in the future with the following proposals:

1. Maintain in a stable manner for the future the provisional measures taken in the case of health, housing or social protection with the necessary adaptations to periods of economic stability. The challenge for the social protection system is to prevent these new situations of vulnerability and intensification of severe exclusion from becoming chronic.

2. Improve the coverage of the Minimum Vital Income, since it represents a significant social advance to correct the imbalance between the social protection of the stable working population and that which is precarious or in a situation of social exclusion. Of the 850,000 beneficiary households initially planned, as of September 2021, only 315,913 households, 37% of those initially planned. An average of 2 beneficiaries for every 10 people living in severe poverty in Spain.

3. Re-launch the welfare state model as a whole, with a clear orientation towards access to rights as a channel for social inclusion and the "rescue" of the most excluded sectors.

4. Implement measures to reduce hyper-flexibility, improving the social organization of working time also in jobs in excluded sectors, unskilled, temporary and precarious jobs - the so-called "essential" sectors of cleaning, hospitality and agricultural work among others -, and to put an end to situations of irregularity.

5. Low wages should also be complemented by other redistributive measures, in the form of employment incentives, either in the form of supplementary benefits for low-wage workers or as refundable tax deductions.

6. Among the pending challenges, there is also the challenge of guaranteeing a quality public health system and a change of strategy and paradigm in the area of care for people in a situation of dependency and in need of care.

7. Implement policies against residential exclusion, as the percentage of households residing in unhealthy housing (up to 7.2% in 2021) or overcrowded (up to 4% in 2021) has doubled since 2018. In addition, COVID-19 has worsened or strained most housing access and maintenance indicators. The number of households, from 1.1 million to more than 2 million, that were in arrears or did not have enough money to pay for housing-related expenses, such as rent or mortgage payments, nearly doubled from 1.1 million to more than 2 million.

8. Overcome the educational gap caused by the digital blackout. Public policies should provide the necessary means for all people to overcome the digital divide. On average, in 2020, 15% of households with children under 15 indicate that their qualifications are worse than in 2019. A percentage that increases considerably in the most vulnerable households: 31% of households in which Roma minority children and adolescents (NNA) live and 25% of households in the lowest income quartile.

9. Moving towards social services adapted to the social realities of the 21st century. Given the enormous global challenges facing social policies, such as, among others, the aging of the population, the fight against social exclusion, the protection of vulnerable minors and the integration of the immigrant population, we need social services adapted to the new social realities.

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Evangelization

Fray Abel de Jesús, the Carmelite who explains theology on Youtube

The fundamental points of the Fratelli Tutti, an explanation of Advent, Christianity in Star Wars or a funny list of things that we often do not do well at Mass, are some of the videos that you can find in the channel of Friar Abel de Jesús.

Maria José Atienza-January 18, 2022-Reading time: 6 minutes

He studied communications but never thought of dedicating himself to it, "I saw it from the negative side," he admits. This 28-year-old Tenerife native was in the diocesan seminary for five years before making the leap to religious life.

He entered Carmel in 2016 and, upon making his religious profession, God made this "anti-net" man see that He wanted him evangelizing in Youtube.

How did Friar Abel's channel begin?

-It was not something I planned. Almost the opposite, I would say. Like all things of God: God takes the initiative and you follow in tow. That's how my life has been, always in God's wake, like the prophet Jonah.

I didn't have social networks or anything. I practically lived in digital abstinence. In the novitiate I hardly used the computer. I would check my email once a week or look for some information and little else. I was "zero" on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram or Youtube.

On the day of my religious profession, kneeling down, I experienced that the Lord was calling me to be an evangelizer through YouTube. And I said to myself: "Let's see, how am I going to be one? It is true that I had studied communication, but almost "to redeem myself": to get to know it, but not to dedicate myself to it. In fact, I saw it from the "negative" side.

The fact is that I experienced this unexpected call to evangelize on Youtube. I thought it was an invention of my mind but, from there, I went through a long process of discernment with my spiritual director, with the formators, etc. until the channel was inaugurated, on October 15, St. Teresa's Day, 2019. I opened myself Twitter e Instagramalthough everything is very focused on Youtube. My idea is to create community on Youtube, this is the sense, although it is true that each network has its own audience.

Why Youtube and not another social network?

-There really is no logical explanation. I only know that, at that moment, I had a crush from God. A very incisive experience. That crystallized in my mind in Youtube, and not in anything else. I knew very little about that world, I knew Antonio García Villarán who is an art critic that I liked a lot but little else.

Do the results confirm that this was what God intended?

-On the one hand, results are not a sign of anything. In the Gospel, the dynamics of success is completely missing. There is no dynamic of success, but rather the opposite. We can say that, from the tile down, with purely human eyes, at least in the life of Christ the preaching of the Gospel was a "resounding failure": he was abandoned, he died on the cross... The seed of the Gospel had to rot in order to bear fruit. We also have to enter, in our apostolates, in the seed dynamicsWe need to rot in order to bear fruit. That is why, I repeat, success is not a criterion for anything.

On the other hand, it is true that I have come across prodigious facts that the very dynamics of the word engenders: fantastic people, people who have felt helped by the channel or who have deepened their faith thanks to the videos... This shows that the effort, that overcoming these personal temptations, is worth it. It is worth the risk. Evangelization, mission, is a risk. Beyond the numbers, it was worth it.

As for the numbers, I'm not complaining. As difficult as it is now to disseminate Catholic content on the web, we are more than happy that there are so many people of all kinds following the channel. We are doing a precious mission, which is a path of shared faith.

How to navigate in a world where it is not difficult to use God as an excuse to look for oneself?

-That is the daily struggle. To see God's will for this work that requires much discernment, much prayer, and to avoid those temptations that are on this path.

Does anyone help you with this task?

-This is a very sacrificing mission, because of the time it takes and the energy it consumes, the emotion you put into it, the attention to the dynamics of operation. To be youtuber is not only a profession, as such, but almost a way of existence.

I count on people who collaborate with me, especially in the management of social networks because I am still quite abstemious in that sense. I respond to questions asked of me personally but I am not a continuous inhabitant of the net. In fact, I don't have a smartphone, so my internet surfing is very restricted to the moment I log on to the computer. And that's basically because I don't have the time. I have four hours in the afternoon, if I spend one of them on social networks, I only have three left to make the video and these videos do not come out with three hours a day but with much more.

How do you balance that youtuber lifestyle with that digital semi-abstinence?

-I approach it from the theological point of view of contemplation. Everything is ordered to this germinal principle: the contemplative life.

The contemplative life from the Teresian point of view requires a lot of evangelical astuteness, it is not all of the devil or everything is our salvation. It is a middle ground that requires taking advantage of all the good that the digital continent has to offer and rejecting everything that could be detrimental to the health of our contemplative life, which is a constant challenge. That is why I consider myself semi-abstemious digital: I work on the Internet but I don't let it take over my whole life.

That's why I don't have a smartphone. I have a computer in one place, away from my room. I have some very specific times when I work in the digital world. I do a kind of ecology of the day that allows me to free my proper contemplative sphere - the cell, the chapel or the refectory - from all the noise that the digital continent can bring in and that is not its own space. That is why I have to delimit space and time very well.

One of the characteristics of your presence in the networks is that you avoid confrontations and polemics, but how do you see these discussions and attacks that manifest themselves in the social networks, also among Catholics?

- One of the creators of the Internet, Jaron Lanier, has become a kind of apostle against what the digital world has become because of a radicalized attention economy that seeks to viscerally capture our attention. All this with the aim of generating interaction, knowledge about us. From this author I got the idea that all radicalized people at this time, with radical or illogical positions, have a particularity: they are, in many cases, addicted to the Internet.

This radical polarization is the result of mismanagement of our experience of the digital continent and we can all fall into this.

From an economic point of view, it is in the interest of the network companies that we are as radical as possible, in all areas. The more radical we are and the more radical our interventions in social networks are, the more interaction we will generate, and therefore, the more data about us and the people around us we will provide them with.

Christians often fall into the idea that a social network is of one political profile or another... Of the left or of the right and it is not so. Social networks are not right-wing or left-wing but of the lowest, of the lowest of the person because polarization produces revenue.

So when we see that some accounts are cancelled in networks, such as Twitter for example, don't you think that they want to silence one or another position?

The first thing to say is that very few accounts are cancelled indefinitely. They are usually cancelled for a week because the algorithm has not worked well. That is, if 300 people "agree" to denounce an account, even if it is about flowers, they are going to cancel it, because the platform's own guidelines work that way. Twitter suspends it as a precautionary measure until it is reviewed by a person and then, generally, it is restored.

However, if a profile goes against the laws of those platforms where it is, -which are private, let's not forget, and they can set the rules they want-, or if its behavior provokes violent behavior, illegal content, they will cancel it indefinitely.

I am not saying that there are not cases in which they have not gone too far, behind the social networks there are people and there can be injustices. But, as far as I perceive, there is no systematic censorship of Catholic profiles.

How would you define your channel?

-It's a very good question because I feel like I've been asking it for two years. With every video it resurrects the question "what am I doing, what is this channel for?"

Lately I think that what I bring to this channel is theology. Theology for Youtube, but I also make videos analyzing the background of High School Musical and the doubt "what is this, geek theology?" comes back.

The truth is that postmodernity today understands disciplines in this sense, almost absurd. The absurd, in a good sense, is almost a category. We only have to look at Canal de Ter, for example.

If we want to talk about postmodernity, sometimes we have to start from comparisons that, from an academic point of view, are banal, absurd.

Theology has to open its format to postmodernity and that means changing the dynamics of the academy to other dynamics in which we are still initiating. I could say that my channel is Theology for the postmodern man.

What have been your "top" videos?

- What I like best are entertaining, but profound, explanations of theological issues that people care about. For example, I did a 10-minute video on Advent that succeeded or one on the Immaculate Conception. I have also commented on recently published magisterial documents. People appreciate it when you explain things in a profound but fresh way.

Rebels Wanted. Explaining faith in "millennial" language.

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ColumnistsSister Carolina Blázquez OSA

Before the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity

This year's Week of Prayer places ecumenism in the field of friendship and the Church's evangelizing mission, and invites us to look to the Christian East. The author proposes to reflect on some documents of the Magisterium on this theme. Everything that favors unity points to the presence of God.

January 18, 2022-Reading time: 4 minutes

Fraternal correction well understood Related News

Beginning of the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity

The Week of Prayer for Christian Unity, which is generally celebrated from January 18 to 25, in this year 2022, is presented to us as an extension of the time of the Epiphany with the motto "We have seen his star rise and have come to worship him" (cf. Mt 2:2).

The Christians of Lebanon, who are in charge of the preparation of the guide materials proposed for this week, have chosen the Gospel passage of the Magi of the East as the theme for reflection and prayer together in an ecumenical perspective.

In this way, two emphases or perspectives of ecumenism are especially highlighted.

On the one hand, we are invited to participate in what we call the ecumenism of friendship, that is, to enter into the movement of rapprochement, knowledge and openness towards Christians of other confessions and, concretely, on this occasion, towards the world of the Christian East.

The other dimension of ecumenism that is proposed to us in a particular way this year is the close relationship between ecumenism and the evangelizing mission that the Lord has entrusted to his Church, which he has sent to carry the message of salvation to the ends of the earth.

Only from a greater mutual knowledge among the various Christian confessions will it be possible to recognize all that unites us, as well as the particular richness that each one brings to the world, offering, in a relationship of exchange and listening to what is good and valuable, the beauty of Christianity.

This year, during the Week of Prayer for Unity, we are invited to become more familiar with the life of the Christians of the East. It is a real opportunity to get to know their traditions, spirituality, liturgical rites, history and their present situation, marked by persecution and minority.

This openness to the East has been present in the hearts of recent Popes, from Leo XIII to the present day. It was especially St. John Paul II, the Pope who came from the East, with his expression of the "Christianity of the two lungs", who most actively encouraged this special love and veneration of the Catholic Church for the Christian East.

An enormous effort has been made in the Catholic sphere to promote reconciliation and forgiveness, dialogue and closeness, in short, communion with the sister Churches of the East. In this sense, it might be interesting, during this week, to read and reflect on some very significant documents of the Magisterium of the Church on this subject.

The first would be Orientalium Dignitas on the Eastern Catholic Churches of Leo XIII. The second proposal would be from the Second Vatican Council, the third chapter of the Decree on the Eastern Catholic Churches. Unitatis RedintegratioThe Council's Decree dedicated to Ecumenism, where, in describing the various separated Christian communities, the esteem and special consideration given to the Eastern Churches is recognized, and a careful and prayerful reading of the Apostolic Exhortation would be very helpful. Orientale lumen of St. John Paul II, written in 1994.

It is necessary to clarify that, when we speak of the Eastern Churches, we have to distinguish between the Eastern Catholic Churches and the Orthodox Churches. The former are part of the Catholic Church and are very important for ecumenical dialogue with Orthodoxy, even though their peculiarity has generally meant a painful situation of foreignness, since for Catholics they are very different in customs and rites and for the Orthodox they are catalogued, sometimes with harshness and hostility, as separate sisters. They, on the other hand, are true bridges between the two shores. On the one hand, they enjoy a common tradition, rites, spirituality and history with the Orthodox Churches and, at the same time, they are in communion with the Catholic Church.

This peculiarity gives rise to an ecumenical hope, for in them we see realized the promise of communion between East and West, as well as the realization of a unity that cannot be understood as uniformity but as harmony in the plurality that is recognized, welcomed and reconciled.

The other aspect of ecumenism that is very present in the motto and materials offered for the celebration of this week 2022 is the link that exists in Christianity between unity and mission, between ecumenism and evangelizing dynamism.

Certainly, the symbol of the Magi of the East and the star that guides them to Christ, recognized as the Savior of the world, refers to the distant peoples, the pagans, the distant ones who allow themselves to be questioned and guided by the signs that God sends to make his grace present in the midst of the world until they come to recognize it and believe in it.

Epiphany in the liturgical cycle of Christmas corresponds to Pentecost in the cycle of Easter. It is the celebration of the manifestation of the Glory of God to all the peoples of the earth, since He wants all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth (cf. 2 Tim 2:1).

The Magi represent the whole of humanity, men of good will, those who are distant and foreign to the chosen people but who have also been called by God, by unsuspected and mysterious ways, to establish with them the new and definitive covenant.

Let us not forget that ecumenism was born at the beginning of the 20th century with the World Missionary Conference of Edinburgh in 1910, where it was noted that a serious missionary problem was the division of Christians. The preaching of the Gospel lost credibility when it was announced by brothers who were at odds with each other, and these confrontations became a paralysis for evangelization.

The division of Christians is an anti-Gospel witness and deforms the visible face of the Church of Christ. It is thus clear that ecumenical commitment and concern are born for the mission and enliven the dynamism of witness. The words of Jesus in Jn 17:21 are the successful expression of this link between unity and mission: "That they may all be one so that the world may believe".

Thus every prayer, every word, every gesture in favor of unity and harmony, in the midst of a world wounded by division, can be the star that illuminates and points to God's presence and closeness.

During this week of prayer for Christian unity, may the world be filled with stars, may the earth be united with heaven and, in the midst of such clarity, the light that comes from the East, may people recognize the God who became man, in Christ Jesus, to save us.

The authorSister Carolina Blázquez OSA

Prioress of the Monastery of the Conversion, in Sotillo de la Adrada (Avila). She is also a professor in the Faculty of Theology at the San Dámaso Ecclesiastical University in Madrid.

Fraternal correction well understood Related News

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ColumnistsAntonio Moreno

Fraternal correction well understood

We Catholics cannot neglect communion within the Church itself, where existing divisions are increasingly being aired by various means.

January 17, 2022-Reading time: 2 minutes

Deciphering Christmas

Whenever the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity comes around, I always ask myself the same question: when is another Week of Prayer for Catholic Unity?

While we must continue to encourage the ecumenical movement that seeks to overcome quarrels between historically separated confessions, we cannot neglect communion within the Catholic Church itself, where the existing divisions are becoming more and more evident. And I do not think it is because there is more disunity than before, but because there are media permanently dedicated to airing them. Because we are in the age of social networks, where fraternal correction has been perverted and has become a back-and-forth of "zascas".

In the best families there are philias and phobias, envy, suspicion and people who, we do not know why, we like or dislike. Also in the great family of the children of God that is the Church, it usually happens to us at the individual level, when we cannot stand the pastor or the sister in the pew next to us; at the group level, when we dislike the neighboring parish, the confraternity across the street or the movement up there; and at the extreme level, when we reject the Church and the Pope outright.

Disagreeing is legitimate, but not understanding that the actions or styles of others can also come from God, even if one does not share them, is not knowing the multiform grace of the Holy Spirit, who blows as He wills, on whom He wills and where He wills.

In the face of the work of the devil (etymologically meaning "the one who divides, who separates, who creates hatred or envy"), the work of the Holy Spirit is communion.

A communion that is not foolish, nor alien to the truth, nor conformist, but understands that the same God manifests himself in different ways through concrete persons.

Working in ecclesial communication has allowed me to get to know the Church, its various sectors, its different sensibilities and to discover the treasure of its diversity. I can assure you that I have seen saints and sinners in all areas.

In the face of those who promote a Church that is foursquare, standardized according to their own point of view, the value of the Christian community lies in its diversity, in its plurality.

As happens in Christian marriage with the spouses, the difference is not an obstacle, it is precisely a call to love, to open oneself to the mystery of the other.

To go out of oneself to discover that things can be done differently, that when we are not two but one flesh we are better because we complement each other, and from this a new life springs forth. This is what Jesus asked of the Father for the Church: "that they may be one"; it is the same thing that He lives in the Trinitarian mystery: unity in diversity.

Differences of opinion should not lead us, therefore, to try to change the other, but to put aside our prejudices and discover what good the Spirit is working through him. What can I learn from my brother? What could I contribute to him? What aspect of my life denounces his style of living the Gospel? How could I cover his shortcomings in order to be complementary? Fraternal correction, properly understood, begins with oneself.

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.

Ecumenism

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What are the holy nails and what is their history?

The holy nails were those used in the crucifixion of Jesus Christ. When he was taken down from the Cross, once dead, according to tradition, the nails were buried with it.

Alejandro Vázquez-Dodero-January 17, 2022-Reading time: 3 minutes

The True Cross and the meaning and significance of the relics of Jesus Christ Related News

We know from historical sources that nails were used in the passion of those condemned to death by crucifixion during the Roman domination of many territories.

They were used to nail Jesus Christ, and because they were "blessed" by his blood, they have always deserved great veneration. When he was taken down from the Cross after his death, according to tradition the nails were buried with it. At the beginning of the fourth century, during her journey to the Holy Land, the Empress Helena took care of recovering the relics of the Passion of the Lord, among which were the holy nails.

Elena would send part of the Cross to her son Constantine, as well as two of the three nails, which she would destine to the bit of her son's horse, his helmet and his shield, so that the emperor would be protected in his battles. The third was to be taken to Rome.

The first written reference to the existence of these relics dates back to the end of the 4th century in a prayer attributed to St. Ambrose of Milan, and later, in the 6th century, a documentation referring to the veneration of some sacred nails was found in Constantinople.

There are certain historiographical traces of various destinations of the three nails. Among them is Santa Maria della Scala in Siena, one of the largest and oldest hospitals in Europe, which in the mid-fourteenth century became a center of pilgrimages, precisely because it had one of the holy nails.

Another nail, as we were saying, was destined by St. Helena for her son, and in Milan the bit - or harness - with the holy relic is preserved. St. Charles Borromeo, archbishop of Milan, in the 16th century used the relic for processions with the faithful of the city, making them partakers of this great treasure. In Milan, every September 14, since time immemorial, the relic is exposed and venerated in the cathedral to celebrate the feast of the exaltation of the Holy Cross.

Various examples or versions of sacred nails

There are many places around the world that claim the authenticity of relics made from parts of the sacred nails incorporated into reliquaries. However, given such a large number, some of these relics could well come from the structure of the Cross itself, and not from the nails.

Relics made from their contact with the holy nails were also distributed, as distinct from incorporating - fusing - samples of them to other instruments that would in fact serve as reliquaries. Consequently, although a certain number of the holy nails may not be authentic, it could be admitted that some reliquaries, or relics properly speaking, contained some particles of the original holy nails. But it seems impossible to know which nails contain those particles of the one Elena took to Rome.

As we said, it is confirmed by the oldest sources that St. Helena found three crosses and three nails. Although it was certainly possible that more than three nails were unearthed, counting those used to crucify the two thieves, those that joined the two crossbeams of the cross or those that fixed the titulus on the top of the cross.

Many scientists, particularly archaeologists, have studied the authenticity of the various versions of sacred nails that we have, based on research about the common use that would be given at the time of Christ to the nails for the crucifixion of the condemned. Thus, by concluding what the size of the nails had to be in order to be able to pierce hands and feet, for example, their authenticity could be determined or not.

We will now list some of the places where nails -or pieces of them- are preserved, venerated as those used in the crucifixion of Christ, although, as we have pointed out, their authenticity is uncertain:

Milan Cathedral (in the shape of a bite or harness, as mentioned above).
Basilica of the Holy Cross of Jerusalem in Rome.
Bamberg Cathedral, Germany.
Cathedral of Colle di Val d'Elsa, near Siena.
Cathedral of Notre-Dame de Paris.
Cathedral of Saint-Etienne de Toul.
Cathedral of Monza (iron crown).
Vienna's Hofburg Imperial Palace (sacred spear).
Monastery of San Nicolò l'Arena in Catania.
Cathedral of Trier (treasure).

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Scripture

"In him dwells the fullness of the Godhead" (Col 2:9-15).

Juan Luis Caballero-January 17, 2022-Reading time: 4 minutes

The mediation of Christ is one of the central points of the Christology of the Letter to the Colossians. Starting from the concrete situation of the Christian community of Colossae, Paul universalizes his message and offers a profound reflection on the primacy of Christ in creation and redemption. The text from which we point out some key points is Colossians 2:9-15, especially verses 13-15: "And you, who were dead through your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, he has made alive again with him, having forgiven all your trespasses, having cancelled the manuscript, with its decrees, which was adverse to us, and has abolished it, having nailed it to the cross; having disarmed the principalities and powers, he has safely given them in show, celebrating with a triumphal procession his victory over them, in him.".

Context of the passage

The general content of Colossians is the work of Christ for the holiness of believers and faithfulness to the gospel received and announced by Paul. These themes are developed in Col 1:24-4:1. The heart of the exposition (Col 2:6-23) consists of a series of exhortations and warnings that frame the Christological reasons: Christ and the believers with him (Col 2:9-15). This unit is divided into two argumentative stages:

a) First, motivations based on the present situation (verses 9-10): in Christ dwells all the fullness of the divinity "bodily" (Christ/God relationship); in him you have been fully filled (Christ/believers relationship); Christ, head of all principality and power (Christ/powers).

b) Second, motivations based on past events (verses 11-15). On the one hand, the transformation accomplished in the believers: separation of the flesh and sin (circumcision, with a baptismal connotation, v. 11) and union with Christ (death/resurrection, with baptismal connotation, v. 12). On the other hand, the work of God/Christ in their favor through the cross (verses 13-14) and the action on the powers (v. 15).

The decisive point is the fullness received in Christ by believers: they are filled in him, they are risen with him. In Christ, believers have already received everything and have no need of practices that suppose that the salvific gifts received in Christ are incomplete or have yet to be obtained.

The present situation and past events

Verses 9-10 stress that the fullness of divinity is found in Christ, in him alone and in no other, in a real, truly, really, really, fully way, and that Christians have access to that fullness, without recourse to spiritual powers and the practices they require, by incorporation "in Christ". It is also emphasized that Christ is the head of all principality and power. The relation of Christ to Christians is that of head of a body; the relation of Christ to the powers is that of head as superiority and domination. The powers, submitted to Christ, can neither question nor threaten the fullness that believers receive from Christ alone. These, having received everything from him, are not subject to the powers, both angelic and earthly.

With these verses, the argument moves from the present situation of the believers (the definitive union to Christ) to what has produced it.

Starting from the rite of circumcision as a way of getting rid of a piece of flesh, Paul speaks of the superiority of the "circumcision of Christ," which is spiritual and transforms the whole man, freeing him from all that is "carnal" (an allusion to the new condition of the Christian, now in the order of Christ) through baptism, thus making possible access to the divine fullness through definitive union with the dead and glorified Christ, without the need for any special practice or rite added to it. This separation or disrobing of the carnal goes hand in hand with a union as death and resurrection, understood as the new and transformed life of the baptized (personal union with Christ), but still pending definitive glorification. This resurrection has been made possible by openness (faith) to the power of God.

Verses 13-15 now shift the emphasis to the mediation of Christ by not making explicit the subject of the verbs used. Our death had its cause in not adhering to the divine will, which is the same as "uncircumcision of the heart" as refusal to renounce the "flesh"; life (association to the fullness of Christ) has come thanks to Christ and the forgiveness of sins.

The meaning of verses 14-15 could be summarized as follows: Christ, head, has worked pacification between God and men, reducing to impotence every power that opposed him and disarming every power that, even when subdued, had a punitive and coercive role. In the text, therefore, the expression "principalities and powers" refers to both types of powers, both evil and good. The expression "to give in spectacle" refers, equally to both: with a negative connotation (victory and surrender to mockery) and with a neutral or positive connotation (manifestation of their fidelity), depending on the person concerned. The triumphal celebration also affects both. The document referred to in v. 14 is the book in which the angels recorded the sins of men, deserving for them a punishment for whose application and execution the angels had to watch over. The death of Christ on the cross has made this document disappear, sins having been forgiven by grace.

The authorJuan Luis Caballero

Professor of New Testament, University of Navarra.

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A nun known to the Pope, on her way to the altars

Rome Reports-January 16, 2022-Reading time: < 1 minute

The Italian Maria Bernardetta of the Immaculate entered the Congregation of the Poor Sisters of St. Joseph at the age of 17. She spent most of her life in Argentina. In 2001, at the end of her days, already in Rome, she received the visitation and anointing of the sick from the hands of the then Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio.

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

Intelligence and couple relationship

Who is smarter, the person who knows how to do complicated mathematical and financial calculations, or the one who manages to have a united and happy family where the wife, husband and children are at ease at home?

José María Contreras-January 16, 2022-Reading time: 2 minutes

As a general rule, a person who knew how to solve complicated technical problems or intricate philosophical reasoning has always been considered intelligent.

With the passage of time has come super-specialization, which basically consists of knowing a great deal about almost nothing.

We are finding ourselves in a society in which some people have a very high level of knowledge in small areas of knowledge, but in the long run they do not know, and it seems that they are not interested in seeing, the reality as a whole.

Thus, as is logical, we follow in society, in matters vital to our lives, the opinions of people who are famous for other subjects.

Their opinions are often taken by the rest of us as unquestionable. We trust those who say them because of their prestige, because of their popularity, as if they were wise in the matter, but the reality is that they know no more than the average citizen.

To this is added the classical view that "the intelligent person is the one who goes further with reason than others"; a definition that, however classical it may be, is still a reductionism since, in addition to a rational one, there are other types of intelligence.

One of these types of intelligence is emotional intelligence, but there is also social intelligence, numerical intelligence, spatial intelligence...

Let us ask ourselves: who is smarter, the person who knows how to do complicated mathematical and financial calculations, or the one who manages to have a united and happy family where the wife, husband and children are at ease at home?

To grant the criterion of intelligence only to what we take for intellectual is, in my opinion, a mistake.

The person must have a vision of his life as a whole; he cannot be divided into work, family, friendships, hobbies... He must know how to intelligently unite all these facets that make up a person's life; if he does not, he will never achieve a full life.

"It's just that to become a top scientist you have to be very smart," one might reply.

And to harmonize a happy family, don't you also have to be very intelligent?

Let's look at society and draw conclusions.

The most intelligent always has a moderately complete view of reality.

No one will be able to achieve a harmonious family if he or she does not have this vision in his or her life.

In order to achieve a satisfying life, emotional intelligence must be trained.

Don't you think we spend too much time training rational intelligence and little or none on emotional intelligence?

The closer we are to what human beings are really looking for, even if they don't know it, the easier it will be for us to lead a reasonably happy life.

For that you have to learn, be trained, acquire solid knowledge, not the stereotypes that often model a society and that do not make people happier, but more manipulable.

Let us not forget that the training of the other intelligences, without neglecting the rational one, will give us more happiness as people, which, after all, is what we are.

Listen to the podcast "Love and intelligence".

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ColumnistsIgnacio Valduérteles

Long live the chains!

The values that sustain the activity of people are not established by majority or consensus, nor from dialectical conflict, nor from cyberactivism, but by their adequacy to the truth, which man can reach to know only with the help of reason, driven, if necessary, by faith.

January 16, 2022-Reading time: 2 minutes

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Strolling through the city

I have never been through the Channel Tunnel, but I can imagine what it must be like to enter it with a specific landscape, climate, language and culture, and then find yourself in a different environment. A different language and customs, which requires adapting one's behavior to these new circumstances, but without losing one's own identity.

We have gone through the pandemic tunnel in the same way. We enter it from a known world and when we come out - if we are coming out at all - we find ourselves in a quite different social environment.

The pandemic has not been the cause of these changes, but it has accelerated trends that were already manifesting themselves and are trying to shape a new social model. It is now necessary to verify whether this proposed society is livable, is human, whether it is adapted to the reality of man.

The most immediate thing is to identify what these changes are. If they refer only to superficial issues or affect our values, our worldview and our relationship with God. If so, in this case, we would have to resort to Christian anthropology to reconstruct the truth about man, and the brotherhoods must be involved in this task.

The keys to such analysis are not in sociology - "everyone thinks it," "everyone does it" - because sociology is not a normative science.

In a risky comparison, we could establish a certain parallelism between this situation and the Spain of the Liberal Triennium (1820-1823) promoted by Riego against the absolutist immobilism of Ferdinand VII. It should be noted that the liberals were a minority and were among the most enlightened of the emerging middle class.

Simplifying a period as intense as it was complex in the history of Spain, we will say that the liberal adventure ended early, barely three years, and badly.

Riego was hanged and Ferdinand VII was received in Madrid amidst the enthusiasm of the people to the shouts of "Long live the chains!". Thus proclaiming their fear of living in freedom, of having to consider and solve the problems of coexistence and political organization.

It seems that this fear of freedom still lingers in some Christian and fraternal environments. Even now there are those who prefer to embrace absolutist approaches, taking refuge in a misunderstood tradition. They renounce the act proper to freedom, which is to love the good, and their capacity to orient themselves with their actions towards God, who is Good and Truth.

It is the study of action that reveals the person. The reality of the person is constructed from the person himself, uniting the subjectivity of experience with the objectivity of revealed truth.

Just the opposite of social engineering, which tries to create new values - rather counter-values - to which the person has to adapt his actions or behavior, thus changing the reality of man.

This is now the task of the brotherhoods: to elaborate a model of analysis of reality, with a rigorous doctrinal foundation. An analysis that truly serves their mission towards their brothers and sisters and society: to assume their own truth as a vocation.

The authorIgnacio Valduérteles

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Rediscovering the Holy Land

The expected opening of the borders recently announced by the Israeli government is joined by a curious reality that has emerged in the pandemic: the visit or stay of Jews residing in Israel in Christian institutions in view of the impossibility of traveling outside the country.

Maria José Atienza-January 15, 2022-Reading time: 4 minutes

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On January 6, the Israeli government announced the reopening of the country's borders. This allows vaccinated residents of Israel to travel anywhere in the world again without the need for a special permit.

This fact finally opens a door of hope for religious families, pilgrim and visitor centers and Christian families who live directly from tourism and religious pilgrimages to the Holy Land.

The impact of the pandemic

The Holy Land has been one of the areas hardest hit by border closures and difficulties in international travel.

Tourism, especially Christian pilgrimages, has for years been one of the main drivers of the economy in the Holy Land. Especially for the Palestinian Christian community residing in the Holy Land which is dedicated, in large part, to the sale of religious handicrafts.

According to data from Israel's Ministry of Tourism, the outbreak of the pandemic at the beginning of 2020 caused the number of tourists to plummet to 832,500, compared to four and a half million in 2019. A figure that dropped, even further in 2021, with 401,500 foreign visits to the Holy Land.

Now, with open borders and massive vaccination, a gradual recovery in the number of cases is expected. pilgrimages and trips to the land of Jesus.

Return to the Holy Land!

Last November, a group of religious journalists were able to learn first-hand about the difficult situation that the pandemic has left on the religious communities residing in the Holy Land, the Christian faithful and, in general, the Israeli tourism sector.

Return to the Holy Land, pilgrims! The Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, Bishop Pierbattista Pizzaballa O.F.M., with whom we were able to speak for a few minutes, encouraged the Christians to return to the Holy Land. "which is your land" pointed out.

Visiting the sacred places, residing in the houses of the Franciscan Custody and other institutions present in the Holy Land and, above all, to help financially the Christian communities in which the economic crisis, together with their already difficult social situation, are shaping up as the hope for recovery in the coming months.

The rediscovery of one's own land

With this hope for the return of normality, there is also a curious phenomenon that has occurred during the months of border closure: the "internal" tourism that has led many Jewish residents in the Holy Land to visit Christian places and to stay, on many occasions, in pilgrims' houses located in different parts of the country. A movement that has even aroused the curiosity of the local media.

Irish priest Eamon Kelly, deputy director of Magdala CenterThe Legionaries of Christ's guest house in Migdal, formerly Magdala, confirms this reality.

During the construction of this center, the foundations and part of the walls of a 1st century synagogue were discovered, as well as part of the maritime roadway, the Via Marisin a very good state of preservation.

In addition to all this, the discovery of the first menorah carved in stone that is on record. All this has made Magdala a special place for many Jews in the area who have chosen it for their children's Bar Mitzvah celebrations.

It is also common to see Jewish families eating in the center's restaurant or visiting the remains of the synagogue and baths that can be seen in Magdala.

Enriching faith

A similar experience has been experienced in Saxum Visitor CenterThe project, promoted by the Prelature of the Opus Dei and whose name recalls the nickname by which its founder, St. Josemaría Escrivá, called his first successor at the head of the Work, Blessed Álvaro del Portillo, who visited the Holy Land in March 1994 just before his death.

During the November visit, Almudena RomeroThe director of the visitor center said that during the months of the pandemic, more than a hundred Jews from neighboring towns had come to see "what that house was like.

"They are often surprised that we show the Jewish past of Jesus and that we have the entire history of the people of Israel captured in the timeline of the courtyard" he stresses. Isabel RodriguezSaxum's communications manager.

On one occasion, at the end of the visit to the center, a Jewish guide of French origin stayed "for more than an hour asking me all kinds of questions," recalls Elizabeth. "I explained to him that, for me, living in Jerusalem and visiting the holy places has meant understanding in depth that Jesus is Jewish and that the Christian faith - when one understands the Old Testament, the Jewish feasts and traditions - acquires a new dimension, it is much richer in its meaning."

saxum_explanation — Almudena Romero explains the entrance courtyard at Saxum

Hope for the Holy Land

"Saxum is a place where it is easy to build bridges and share commonalities across cultures and religious traditions," adds Isabel. A statement to which Father Kelly adds "many Jews in the area thank us for taking care of the synagogue and the archaeological remains".

The reticence towards Christians on the part of many Jews vanishes with these visits. Something that may have been impossible before and that the pandemic has helped to change.

Little by little, with the normalization of the socio-sanitary situation, rediscovering the Holy Land is once again a possible dream.

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"Pilgrims of hope": preparation for the 2025 Jubilee begins

On the way to a new Holy Year of the universal Church, the Jubilee of 2025, Pope Francis wants to begin his preparations, and to this end he has unveiled the Jubilee motto: "Pilgrims of Hope". The last 25 years have represented for the Church and for society a "change of epoch", as the Holy Father has repeatedly emphasized.

Giovanni Tridente-January 14, 2022-Reading time: 2 minutes

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"Pilgrims of Hope" is the motto chosen by Pope Francis for the next Holy Year of the universal Church, the Jubilee of 2025. It was Archbishop Rino Fisichella, President of the Pontifical Council for Promoting the New Evangelization, who announced it in the last few hours, recounting the results of the recent private audience he had with the Holy Father in early January.

The news that it would be the Vatican department headed by Monsignor Fisichella who would coordinate the preparation of the next Jubilee on behalf of the Holy See, in contact with the Italian civil authorities, was announced the day after Christmas, but close talks had already been going on for several months with the organizations concerned.

The Pontifical Council for Promoting the New Evangelization, which according to the forthcoming text of the reform of the organization of the Roman Curia - Praedicate evangelium - should be merged with the Congregation of Propaganda Fide, already managed the previous "Jubilee of Mercy" (December 8, 2015 - November 20, 2016). It is true that then it was an event that not only came as a surprise at the behest of Pope Francis, but was intended to be "diffusive" with respect to the single city of Rome, with the opening of the "Holy Doors" in all the dioceses of the world. The first Holy Door to be opened, as will be recalled, was not that of St. Peter's Basilica, but that of the peripheral Cathedral of Banguì, in the Central African Republic.

The path of preparation

Returning to the next Jubilee in 2025, in addition to the logistical aspect, there will undoubtedly be the path of spiritual preparation. Suffice it to recall that for the Great Jubilee of the Year 2000, the path of preparation began six years earlier, in 1994, when John Paul II delivered to the whole Church the Apostolic Letter Tertio Millenio Adveniente. In that document, he anticipated the three phases that would lead to the fullness of this celebration: an "ante-preparatory" phase and three strictly preparatory years, from 1997 to 1999.

We are certainly not at the imminence of a change of millennium that would require a thoughtful reflection on two millennia of history, but certainly the last 25 years have represented for the Church and for society a "change of epoch," as Pope Francis has repeatedly emphasized.

A reasoning that the Pope also made in 2019 to the Roman Curia, when he reiterated that precisely in this epochal context, where among other things, he said, "we are not in Christendom, not anymore", the real urgency of Christ's witnesses is not to "occupy spaces" but to "initiate processes".

Certainly, the theme of hope also came to the Pope's mind after the events of the last two years, characterized by the pandemic, which in addition to so much suffering has sown in the world despair and disillusionment towards a future that seems uncertain, in which the ability to dream has also been lost.

The Jubilee will therefore be an opportunity to take up again the path of trust and to look with renewed eyes to the future that awaits us, each of us doing our part: pilgrims of hope.

Pope Francis

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What is the communion of saints? The Pope explains

Vocations

Priest Saints: José Gabriel Brochero, the Cura Brochero

Saint Joseph Gabriel Brochero is the first canonized saint who was born, lived and died in Argentina. He died of leprosy on January 26, 1914. He was beatified on September 14, 2013 and canonized on October 16, 2016. His feast day is celebrated every year on March 16.

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The priest Saint José Gabriel Brochero is the first canonized saint who was born, lived and died in Argentina. He is popularly known as the "Cura Brochero". He was born on March 16, 1840. The following day he was baptized. His family was composed of parents who worked hard rural jobs, which would not be an obstacle for them to form a brilliant large family faithful to the Catholic Faith, austere to the extreme and composed of ten children, one of whom would become a priest (José Gabriel Brochero) and two of the faithful religious women of the Congregation of the Sisters of the Orchard.

He died of leprosy on January 26, 1914. The disease lasted for many years, and "devoured" him little by little. He had contracted it as a result of his persevering assistance to an old man suffering from the disease, in spite of all the warnings he was given. He did not want to abandon him, since he was aware that he was the only person who visited him. His feast day is celebrated every year on March 16. He was beatified on September 14, 2013 and canonized on October 16, 2016.

His priestly ministry

Regarding his priestly work, on November 4, 1866 he was ordained priest in the Cathedral of Córdoba (Argentina). The following year he showed his priestly guts by standing out for his courageous generosity in assisting the sick and dying during the cholera epidemic that struck the city of Cordoba in 1867, killing a significant percentage of the population (2,300 people out of some 30,000).

At the end of 1869, the bishop entrusted him with the extensive "Curato" of San Alberto: ten thousand inhabitants scattered in desert and mountainous areas, across 4,336 square kilometers, in an area cut off by the interposition of the "Sierras Grandes", a 2,200 meters high stone massif, whose traverse, although not very high, was very dangerous and inhospitable, which is why it was isolated from the most civilized places.

In his "Curato" the places were distant, and there were almost no roads or schools. In addition, the moral state and material destitution of its inhabitants was lamentable. Nevertheless, Brochero's apostolic heart turned that area into a center of spirituality and a flourishing productive zone.

The seat of the Curato was called "Villa del Tránsito" (today "Cura Brochero"), it consisted of only twelve precarious houses, with no services whatsoever. In that place illiteracy, concubinage, alcoholism, theft and poverty were raging, to which was added the absolute lack of religious instruction and the lack of sacraments.

The Cura Brochero, aware that the state authorities of the provincial capital would not show any interest in those abandoned places, understood that if he did not organize the population so that they would raise their own human dignity, he could not preach the Gospel effectively; Therefore, with remarkable spiritual, sacramental and moral leadership, he organized the inhabitants in teams to build chapels and schools, to lay out roads in rocky and steep places, and to open irrigation ditches that would bring water from the mountain rivers to the crops, transforming the area into an orchard.

Many of these works still survive today, and among them is the "Camino de las Altas Cumbres", which was used in international rally competitions.

On muleback

Unlike the holy Curé of Ars, whom the Holy Spirit impelled to develop a notable "static" pastoral ministry, centered on confessions and preaching to the faithful, Cura Brochero was impelled by the Holy Spirit to the "dynamic" task of parish ministry, For this reason, on the back of a mule, he traveled thousands of kilometers ("thousands" in the literal sense) to visit all his parishioners and bring them the Faith, consolation and the sacraments, bearing cruel wounds on his incurably wounded backside.

One day he understood that his efforts would never bear solid spiritual fruit if he did not achieve the profound conversion of the souls entrusted to him; and he also understood that the only way to convert so many poor and abandoned people was to make them participate, "everyone" (and especially the illiterate, concubines, alcoholics, bandits persecuted by the law, etc.), in batches of spiritual exercises of at least eight days (with less than eight, he considered that "nothing serious" could be done).

In those batches there were four days dedicated to formation in basic Christian doctrine, and another four to the prayer life itself.

In pursuit of this goal, he built a huge retreat house on the site of his parish, which was almost abandoned. Although all his parishioners considered the proposal crazy, it was done: they say that there is no holiness without some magnanimity.

It was built in a short time, and in the first year of use alone, a total of 2,240 retreatants (adding together the men's and women's groups) participated in those spiritual exercises in a "mysterious" way. Anyone who knows the place today would find no human explanation for this fact. And this practice remained firm, in that unpopulated area, from 1877 to 1914 (the year of his death). There were exercise batches of up to 900 participants.

If we take into account that in those years there was no radio, no TV, no WhatsApp, no social networks, and no freezerSince there were no refrigerators, no cold food chains, no gas, no drinking water, and the means of transportation were on foot or blood traction, there is no doubt that the breath of the Holy Spirit in that place, and the correspondence to the grace of the saintly priest, were two undoubted realities.

His faith, as Jesus Christ asked us to do, was capable of "bring forth children of Abraham from the very stones". (Matthew 3:9). On the other hand, the population of the place where the retreat house was built was only a hundred people, so that the rest of the retreatants had to go out to isolated and distant areas, which made success completely inexplicable without the action of the Spirit and the correspondence to grace.

The most important lesson he gave us priests can be summarized as follows (these are not his words): "To convert the ignorant and the rude: Eight days of retreats... at least!" He was a great promoter of popular spiritual retreats for simple people, and also a great inspirer of those parish priests who consider it fundamental to have retreat houses in their own parish: no more making spiritual retreats depend on the free availability of dates in other retreat houses!

To all that has been said, we must add the countless number of anecdotes collected that reflect his good humor, his trust in grace, his faith in the need for the sacraments, and the importance of human promotion as a basis for the action of the Holy Spirit; these anecdotes are inexhaustible and very interesting, but brevity prevents us from presenting them.

His death

When he died he was seventy-three years old. The last part of his life he was blind and very deaf, and abandoned by almost everyone... because of the panic of leprosy, which chilled good feelings. Let us remember that if today we are afraid of the "coronavirus"... how much more was the fear of leprosy then!

He died with all the sacraments, enduring severe pain. They buried him four meters deep in the chapel of the retreat house, and covered the coffin with quicklime, after which they burned all his belongings, except the parish books.

Today those books that record his living faith in the sacraments survive, proof of which is the immeasurable number of people he served, as well as the silent fruits that persevere in that area which he extracted from geographical abandonment and spiritual poverty, which is why all its inhabitants (believers or not, Catholics or anti-Catholics) unanimously esteem him as a historic leader in all areas: human, spiritual, moral and religious.

In the area where he carried out his ministry, it is said that the priest Brochero, as a priestly image of Christ, is worthy of a fame and affection that have made him an "untouchable", a worthy title for one who consumed his life as do the candles that worship God the Father on the altar.

Distinguished Argentine folklorists honored Cura Brochero with a beautiful song, which can be heard below, "A step here a stride there", that summarizes his life very well.

The authorPedro José María Chiesa

Santa Fe, Argentina

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Europe: intolerance towards Christians on the rise

Martin KuglerRead more : "Christians must move from angry majority to creative minority".

Interview with Martin Kugler, director of Kairos Consulting for Non-Profit Organisations and member of the Observatory on Intolerance and Discrimination against Christians in Europe.

Maria José Atienza-January 13, 2022-Reading time: 5 minutes

A few weeks ago the Observatory for Intolerance and Discrimination against Christians in Europe published the report "Under Pressure. The human rights of Christians in Europe."The report for the years 2019-2020 lists some of the main obstacles faced by Christians in Europe.

Faced with this reality of the radicalization of secularism in various environments, the Viennese Martin KuglerIn Omnes, he stresses the need for Christians to "be more authentic and less frightened, to be well informed and to express themselves with intelligible and reasonable arguments.

A very interesting point is the phenomenon that this study calls secular intolerance. There are those who call themselves Christians and defend this idea of religion as "something private". Is the public dimension of a religion being confused with a confessional state?

-The public dimension of the lived Christian faith is evident and necessary. To confuse it with "political Catholicism" is completely anachronistic, but it is deliberately used by proponents of radical secularism to intimidate Christians who actively participate in public life. However, the issue is very simple when one makes it concrete. Our relationship with God and the Church is a very personal thing, but it has consequences that affect our whole lives as citizens, workers or business people, journalists or teachers, voters and politicians, etc.

The same could be said of atheists or agnostics, whom no one would ask to discard their worldview when they write an article or get involved in politics. Yes, even when they make a judicial decision, they are influenced by their beliefs, which can be seen, for example, in decisions of the ECtHR.

The trick, very common among European secularist elites, works very simply: they present the agnostic or even anti-Christian point of view as the neutral position par excellence. In the Viennese Jewish tradition, this is called chutzpahshamelessness.

Our relationship with God and the Church is very personal, but it has consequences that affect our whole life as citizens.
Martin KuglerObservatory for Intolerance and Discrimination against Christians in Europe

Dialogues and rights

The report highlights the ignorance of the religious fact in many governments, which is a problem when dealing with these attacks against Christians. Is there a solution for this? How to act when there is no predisposition to dialogue?

-This ignorance also has to do with a pronounced unwillingness to take seriously the phenomenon of people of faith. To cross this threshold, we need to reduce prejudice and be considerate in style, especially in communicating our concerns and problems.

A good example is the pro-life movement. The choice of words can close doors, but it can also open them. There is a big difference between talking about abortion as "murder" or pointing out that every abortion ends the heartbeat of one of the weakest members of our society. And that abortion is irrevocable and remains a wound forever. It is also often useful to call prejudices by their name in a polite and clear way, and thus awaken part of the public.

We must not resign ourselves to the fact that Christians, especially the Catholic Church, always appear as victimizers and never as victims in movies and theater, in school books, in novels... In general, in the media. This seems to be a dogma, observable in the lack of attention to the drama of the growing persecution of Christians throughout the world or, regionally, in turning a blind eye to the discrimination of Christians in Europe.

The report points to Spain as one of the countries where this intolerance is not only permitted, but almost encouraged by the institutions.. How to combine this call for dialogue with the defense of rights that are violated by a supposed rule of law?

-Like many Austrians, I am a fan of Spain and am therefore very concerned about some developments. In fact, the ideology that prevails in part of the establishment Spanish reminds me of the attitudes of teenagers. Teenagers who, 50 years after Franco's death, had to demonstrate a rebellion against conservative values.

On some issues such as identity politics, sex and gender education or anti-discrimination, it seems as if all adults have left the living room in Western and Northern Europe. And I am not saying this myself, but British liberal author Douglas Murray, who as a homosexual shows great unease about this fact.

However, on certain issues there is hope for a victory of reason, because the cultural Marxist left is divided within itself. One example is the transgender movement, which is full of contradictions and yet is building up massive pressure, rendering the historical gains of the feminist movement obsolete.

In Great Britain, for example, they now refrain from hormonal and surgical treatment of young people only because they express this desire to a psychotherapist or a doctor. A bill to this effect has been stopped.

Responsibility of Christians

One of the serious problems we observe in Europe is the polarization of positions and even a certain "ghettoization" among those who defend one position or the other. How can we overcome this reality? Are there signs of hope anywhere?

-In the book "Democracy without Religion?" published in Madrid in 2014. (Stella Maris) we have already pointed out this danger. The famous Jewish professor Joseph Weiler wrote at the time about a double ghetto for faithful Christians in Europe. One in which they were forced by intimidation, political pressure or even the curtailment of certain rights such as freedom of conscience.

The other ghetto would be the one in which many Christians would have voluntarily placed themselves because it would take a lot of courage, energy and hope to remain in the assigned place, even in the main place of social discourse.

On issues such as identity politics, sex and gender education or anti-discrimination, it seems as if all the adults have left the room.
Martin KuglerObservatory for Intolerance and Discrimination against Christians in Europe

The report is intended to be an aid to dialogue, but there are those who may be even more afraid of seeing this regression of religious freedoms. How can we overcome this fear and lead, without extremism, these realities to a normalization of the rights of Christians?

Pope Benedict delivered an important speech in the German Parliament in 2011. He described the ecology of man as a reality that is always on our side, so to speak, and against all ideologies. His predecessor, St. John Paul II, pointed out that the great "evil" of the 20th century - Nazism and Marxism - was finally overcome also in this last century.

In 1989, in Eastern Europe, after 50 years of communist dictatorship, the people demonstrated a surprising capacity for resistance. And finally, dialogue can also mean preventing bad things from happening, so that a situation is only "half bad". So, please, no "all or nothing" posturing.

The study calls for the involvement of Christians in cultural, social and political life. Has there been a certain neglect of this duty on the part of Christians?

In general, Christians in Europe should abandon the position of a so-called angry majority and become a creative minority. As beacons of society, we could also get the silent majority to speak and act. Or at least give something like a witness of hope for the next generation and create the basis for a new beginning.

It is essential for Christians to be more authentic and less frightened, to be well informed and to express themselves with intelligible and reasonable arguments. In this world, they are increasingly becoming advocates of freedom and a full life.

Europe: intolerance towards Christians on the rise

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Boys play soccer on a dusty field in South Africa

A group of boys play soccer on a dusty field in Soweto, South Africa. Lhe Catholic bishops of Africa expressed their concern about the serious problems that threaten peace throughout the continent.

Omnes-January 13, 2022-Reading time: < 1 minute

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Missionary childhood: "Jenet, Michelle and Íscar represent all the children of the world".

Sofia, a Franciscan missionary, shared the stories of three girls whom she met through her work on the Brazilian border with Venezuela. These three minors represent, for this Vilagarciana, "all the children of the world. I thank God for knowing these stories that give light to a new life and that, in the margin, are the light of the world and teach us to believe in God who is alive".

Maria José Atienza-January 12, 2022-Reading time: 3 minutes

The presentation of the Day of Missionary Childhood, which will be celebrated on Sunday, January 16 in Spain, included the testimony of Sofia Quintans Bouzada, a Franciscan missionary of the Mother of the Divine Shepherd, a missionary in Brazil.

Together with José María Calderón, National Director of OMP Spain, she has given a name to the work that the pontifical work carries out in the most disadvantaged areas of the planet.

Sofia is one of the members of the Franciscan missionary community that settled in 2019 in the north of the country, in the state of Roraima. The area is a border enclave that is one of the most important crossing points for Venezuelan refugees.

Sofia, a Peruvian and a Venezuelan nun, soon to be joined by a Congolese, constitute what he called a "very incarnated, Samaritan and humble ecclesial presence".

Its evangelizing work is focused on caring for refugees from Venezuela who, since 2018 have crossed into the Carioca nation. An estimated 600,000 Venezuelans have crossed into Brazil since 2018. That year, the humanitarian crisis unleashed in this northern border caused the Brazilian government to launch a huge reception operation in which the government itself, the army, NGOs and the different confessions rooted in the country collaborate.

In this complex and varied map of institutions, the Franciscan Missionary Sisters are "a small presence but a strong experience of the poor and small Christ". They collaborate in accompanying, listening to and welcoming thousands of minors, especially girls, who live in particularly harsh conditions.

A process of "welcoming, promoting and integrating these people as if they were Christ himself coming to us," Quintás stressed. A process that makes them feel welcomed through personal and spiritual accompaniment" and always "with a careful respect for the person".

As Sofía Quintás explained, refugees arriving in Brazil begin their lives in "shelters", refugee camps set up by the government. In addition to being smaller, the "shelters" are differentiated by typology -women with children, single men, minors...- in order to meet their needs more effectively.

Three names

This Franciscan missionary has personalized her experience in three different stories of three girls. Jenet, the first, a Pomona girl, came out of an indigenous community in the interior of Venezuela with a tumor in her head. She asked for help, but was without documents. Thanks to various efforts, she was able to be transferred to Sao Paulo for treatment and returned to her indigenous community. "The girl's struggle for life," said Quintás, "was for me a very strong reflection of the living Christ.

The second story has taken the name of Michelle, who for this Franciscan "represents the trafficking of the most vulnerable human beings". She lives in one of these "shelters" and the nun noticed that she stopped attending the integration activities. When asked why she did not attend, the girl replied that she "wanted to go, but she had to work at the traffic lights" begging on the streets.

The third name is that of Íscar, who, "after crossing the border alone at the age of 16," managed to finish her studies and has recently graduated, and every day, she emphasized, thanks God for having been able to get her life back on track and forgive her brother who mistreated her.

2022 a busy year for PMOs

For his part, the National Director of OMP Spain, José María CalderónHe emphasized that this year 2022 has a special accent for the missionary family.

It is not for nothing that this is the first centenary of the institution of Missionary Childhood as a pontifical work, "its placing at the service of the ordinary pastoral work of the Holy Father in the care of children in mission territories".

In addition, on May 22nd she will be proclaimed Blessed Pauline Jaricot, the young Lyonnaise initiator of what would later become the Propagation of the Faith.

Calderon recalled that "missionary childhood is very important. For many children in mission territories, the only place where they find a home, affection, possibilities to grow and study is the church". He also pointed out that this campaign continues the campaign started four years ago in which Missionary Childhood is centered on the life of Jesus as a child. In this edition, "the children of the world are also a light for children without faith, who are ignored, who are not loved".

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Loving "this" world passionately (I)

"Work is essential in human life and is the path to sanctification."

Pope Francis reflected on the work of St. Joseph and how Jesus learned the same trade from his father. He affirmed that work does not "only serve to earn adequate sustenance," but is primarily "a path of sanctification."

David Fernández Alonso-January 12, 2022-Reading time: 3 minutes

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"The evangelists Matthew and Mark define Joseph as a "carpenter" or "woodworker." We have recently heard that the people of Nazareth, hearing Jesus speak, wondered, "Is not this the carpenter's son?" (13:55; cfr. Mc 6,3). Jesus practiced the office of his father". This is how the Holy Father Francis began his catechesis on Wednesday, January 12, in Paul VI Hall.

The Pope reflected on the office of Joseph: "The Greek term tektonused to indicate Joseph's work, has been translated in various ways. The Latin Fathers of the Church did it with "carpenter". But let us keep in mind that in the Palestine of Jesus' time wood was used, besides for making plows and various furniture, also for building houses, which had wooden windows and terrace roofs made of beams connected together with branches and earth".

"Carpenter" or "woodworker" was therefore a generic qualification, indicating both wood craftsmen and workers engaged in activities related to construction. It was a rather hard job, having to work with heavy materials such as wood, stone and iron. From the economic point of view, it did not assure great profits, as can be deduced from the fact that Mary and Joseph, when they presented Jesus in the Temple, offered only a pair of turtledoves or pigeons (cfr. Lc 2:24), as prescribed by the Law for the poor (cfr. Lv 12,8)".

Pope Francis during a general audience in the Paul VI Hall at the Vatican, Jan. 12, 2022. (CNS photo/Paul Haring)

In relation to Jesus as an adolescent, the Pope says that therefore, "he learned this trade from his father. That is why, when as an adult he began to preach, his astonished countrymen wondered: "Where did this man get this wisdom and these miracles?" (Mt 13:54), and they were scandalized because of him (cf. v. 57)".

"This biographical information about Joseph and Jesus" made the Pope think, he said, "of all the workers in the world, especially those who do hard work in mines and in certain factories; those who are exploited through undeclared work; the victims of work; the children who are forced to work and those who scavenge in landfills in search of something useful to exchange... But I also think of those who are without work; of those who rightly feel their dignity wounded because they cannot find work. Many young people, many fathers and many mothers live the drama of not having a job that allows them to live serenely. And often the search becomes so dramatic that it leads them to the point of losing all hope and desire for life. In these times of pandemic, many people have lost their jobs and some, crushed by an unbearable burden, have gone so far as to take their own lives. Today I would like to remember each one of them and their families".

Work, the Holy Father stressed, "is an essential component in human life, and also in the path of sanctification. It is also a place where we experience ourselves, where we feel useful, and where we learn the great lesson of concreteness, which helps to ensure that the spiritual life does not turn into spiritualism. But unfortunately work is often hostage to social injustice and, rather than being a means of humanization, it becomes an existential periphery. I often ask myself: in what spirit do we go about our daily work? How do we face fatigue? Do we see our activity as linked only to our destiny or also to the destiny of others? In fact, work is a way of expressing our personality, which is by its nature relational".

"It is beautiful," Francis concluded, "to think that Jesus himself worked and that he learned this art from St. Joseph. Today we must ask ourselves what we can do to recover the value of work; and what contribution, as Church, we can make so that it can be rescued from the logic of mere profit and can be lived as a fundamental right and duty of the person, which expresses and increases his dignity".

The Pope wanted to pray with those present the prayer that St. Paul VI raised to St. Joseph on May 1, 1969:

"Oh, Saint Joseph,
patron saint of the Church,
you who together with the Word incarnate
you worked every day to earn your bread,
finding in Him the strength to live and work;
you who have felt the restlessness of tomorrow,
the bitterness of poverty, the precariousness of work;
you who today show the example of your figure,
humble before men,
but very great before God,
protects workers in their harsh daily existence,
defend them from discouragement,
of the denying revolt,
and from the temptation of hedonism;
and safeguards the peace of the world,
that peace which alone can guarantee the development of peoples. Amen"

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Twentieth Century Theology

The stages of Joseph Ratzinger (I)

Joseph Ratzinger is one of the great theologians of the 20th century and, moreover, an exceptional witness of the life of the Church, with his four stages as theologian and professor, Archbishop of Munich, Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, and Pope.

Juan Luis Lorda-January 12, 2022-Reading time: 7 minutes

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What defines a theologian? It seems obvious to look at the external effect. First, in his books. Then, in the main ideas or clichés attributed to him, fixed, with better or worse success, by a tradition first of essays and, above all, of dictionary entries and manuals. In Joseph Ratzinger, not enough time has passed for this operation. And even his work is not completely fixed, as his Collected Works are being published, grouping his writings by themes and gathering unpublished and minor or little known writings, thus transforming their appearance and, in the long run, their reading.

Four theological stages

What is fixed are the four stages of his life. After a period of formation comes his work as a theologian (1953-1977), including his participation in the Council (1962-1965); then, as Archbishop of Munich (1977-1981), as Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith (1982-2005) and as Pope (2005-2013). Thus, two more stages dedicated to theological thought or discernment are combined, as professor and as prefect; and two purely pastoral stages, as bishop and as pope. It is a happy combination. It would be a grave error regarding the nature of theology, and a tremendous impoverishment, to reduce his theological contribution to "professional" dedication: articles, books, conferences....

In the four stages he has done theology, although in different ways. And one can try to synthesize what each period contributes as well as the basic lines that run through them all. In his conversations, he himself has stated that he sees himself with a certain continuity, although circumstances have placed him in different positions. Kierkegaard used different pseudonyms to show the different perspectives with which he could look at things. Joseph Ratzinger has been given them by the course of his life. Because a young theologian, a bishop in a complex era, a prefect for the doctrine of the faith who has to pay universal attention to doctrine, and a Pope who has to be a good Shepherd and a reference of communion for the whole Church, with a particular mission regarding the interpretation and application of the Second Vatican Council, do not see things with the same perspective.

Roots of faith

Joseph Ratzinger has portrayed himself very well in this exceptional and charming autobiographical book, My life (1927-1977)which he published in 1997 and which compiles his trajectory as a professor. It is completed with the four books of conversations with Seewald and with some moments of gatherings and expansion during his pontificate.

There we can see how much he has been marked by the experience of faith lived in his childhood, in the traditional Bavarian environment, with his simple and believing family, with the liturgy joyfully and solemnly celebrated in the parishes he knew as a child, with the stages and feasts of the liturgical calendar that marked the rhythm of the life of all those believing people. He could have lost or changed these roots, but in the course of his life he has consolidated them, and that Christian experience is the basis of his theology.

Liturgy as lived faith

In the presentation of his Complete Works (vol. I, dedicated to the Liturgy), he explains: "The liturgy of the Church was for me, from my childhood, a central reality in life and it also became [...] the center of my theological endeavor. As a subject of study I chose fundamental theology, because I wanted above all to keep track of the question: Why do we believe? But in this question was the other question about the right answer to God and, therefore, the question of divine worship [...], of the anchoring of the liturgy in the founding act of our faith and, thus also, of its place in the whole of our human existence." And a little earlier he explained: "In the word 'Orthodoxy' the second half, 'doxa', does not mean 'opinion', but 'glory'; it is not about having a correct 'opinion' about God, but about the correct way to glorify Him, to respond to Him. This is indeed the fundamental question asked by the man who begins to understand himself correctly: how should I meet God?"

His itinerary through fundamental theology, on the nature and problems of faith, which also addresses the situation of the modern world, will find a liturgical response. The faith can and must be thought about in order to understand, explain and defend it, but above all it must be lived and celebrated. From this he also deduces the role of the theologian and his own.

Theological roots

Joseph Ratzinger was educated at the seminary of his diocese, in Freising, and later at the theological faculty of Munich (1947-1951), still in ruins as a result of the war. At My life reflects very well the enthusiastic and renewing atmosphere of the time. The harsh experiences of Nazism had aroused in the German Church a yearning for renewal and evangelization, which received with enthusiasm the new ferments of liturgical theology (Guardini), ecclesiology (De Lubac) and Scripture, as well as the new philosophical inspirations, especially phenomenology and personalism (Guardini, Max Scheler, Buber). All this gave him a certain tone of overcoming (and superiority) with respect to the old scholastic (and Roman) theology. The young Ratzinger was impressed by Catholicism by De Lubac, and by the Meaning of the Liturgyby Guardini. And, from then until the end of his life, he kept himself well informed of the progress of biblical theology.

Somewhat unexpectedly, he became a professor at the seminary and specialized in Fundamental Theology, where the great questions of faith in the modern world, the sciences, politics, and the difficulties of people today in believing were raised. His doctoral thesis on St. Augustine (Village and house of God in San Agustín1953), led him to delve deeper into ecclesiology. And the habilitation thesis on The Theology of History in St. Bonaventure (1959) addressed a new approach to fundamental theology: revelation, before being concretized in formulas of faith (dogmas), is the manifestation of God himself in the history of salvation. This confronted him with Schmaus in the thesis tribunal, but it was an idea that already prevailed and would end up being taken up by the Second Vatican Council: revelation is with "deeds and words" of God, and founds the profound unity of the two sources, Scripture and Tradition.

Ratzinger professor and theologian (1953-1977)

There followed a very intense period as professor of Fundamental Theology (and later also of Dogmatic Theology) at the seminary (1953-1959) and then at four universities: Bonn (1959-1963), Münster (1963-1966), Tübingen (1966-1969) and Regensburg (1969-1977).

Ratzinger is a young and intelligent professor and feels united to a current of German theological renewal with representative figures, such as Rahner and Küng, who appreciate him. He was also appreciated by Cardinal Frings, who took him on as an advisor and conciliar expert, after having heard him give a lecture on how the Council should be (1962-1965). He will work a lot for the Cardinal (almost blind), and the Council will give him a new experience of the life of the Church and dealings with great and veteran theologians he admires, such as De Lubac and Congar.

Within that theological enthusiasm, he began to perceive the symptoms of the post-conciliar crisis and, little by little, he distanced himself from the vedetism of some theologians, such as Küng, and also from those who understood themselves as the true and authentic teachers of the faith, a council of theologians constituted as a permanent source of change in the Church. This will be the reason for their adhesion to the project of the magazine Communioby Von Balthasar and De Lubac, in contrast to the magazine ConciliumRahner. Discernment is needed. It is also necessary to discern and focus biblical theology, so that it brings us closer to Christ and does not separate us from him. It is a concern that is born then and grows in his life until the end when, already as Pope, he writes Jesus of Nazareth.

The work of this period

At first glance, his work as a theologian is not very extensive and is somewhat hidden, because he has many dictionary articles and commentaries. As a result of his work in Fundamental Theology, he will later publish his Theory of theological principles (1982). In addition, he has collected his articles on ecclesiology in The new People of God (1969) and, later, in Church, ecumenism and politics. New essays in ecclesiology.

However, the book that makes him famous at this time and that brings together all his concern to explain the Christian faith to a modern world more or less problematized and critical, is his Introduction to Christianity (1968: complex year), soon translated into many languages. It is a course for university students, but it gathers and synthesizes many of his points of view.

In addition, after he had already been appointed Archbishop of Munich, he completed and published a brief Eschatology (1977), which is more important than it seems in his thought, since it gives the cosmic sense of history, puts human life before the great questions and allows him to approach the problem of the soul and the person from a theological point of view renewed by personalist thought. The human being is, above all, a word of God and someone destined for him.

Ratzinger bishop (1978-1982)

It came as a complete surprise to him, as he confesses with complete simplicity in My life. Not even when the nuncio called him did he imagine what was coming his way. But Paul VI had thought of him as a theologian-bishop with sufficient personal authority to help settle the difficult post-conciliar ecclesial situation in Germany. Joseph Ratzinger suffered it. The most beautiful and rewarding part of his ministry was preaching and dealing with the simple people. The hardest thing was the resistance and the manias of the ecclesial structures, so developed (and sometimes problematized) in Germany. The first is the lived faith, in which the authenticity and efficacy of the Gospel is appreciated. But the second, which is difficult to handle, also belongs to the reality of the Church in this world and cannot be ignored.

As the second part remains more hidden, it can be said that this period is characterized by a great expansion of his attention to the liturgy and preaching on Christian holiness. And this consolidates his theology as a pastor, recalling the intense tradition of the ancient Church fathers, theologians and bishops. The mission of a bishop is, above all, to celebrate and preach, as well as to guide the life of the Church. The same activity allows him to develop his liturgical thought, and to develop his reference to the holiness of the Church, reflected in the mysteries of the Lord's life and in the lives of the saints.

The work of this period

It is a short period, four years, but key in the development of his liturgical theology. What, at first, as a priest and professor, had been occasional preaching, gradually became a body on the mysteries of the faith and the life of Jesus Christ that the Church celebrates throughout the year. For example, the four sermons on Eucharist, center of the Church (1978), The God of Jesus Christ. Meditations on the Triune God, y The party of the faith (1981). His liturgical reflection, previously a bit scattered and occasional, is now consolidated in a general vision, and will end, already as prefect, in his The meaning of the Liturgy (2000). In which he also includes his interest in art and, especially, in sacred music.

In addition, this period highlights his preaching on creation in the face of questions of modern science and evolution, which results in an intelligent and lucid book, Creation and sin.

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