The Vatican

Pope encourages Church in Greece to "renew confidence in God"

St. Paul the Apostle was "cornered" in the Athenian Areopagus, but "he did not let himself be overcome by discouragement, he did not give up the mission". Francis yesterday encouraged the Church in Greece to "a serene trust in God". In parallel, he sought "communion" with Orthodox Archbishop Ieronymos II.

Rafael Miner-December 5, 2021-Reading time: 5 minutes
RelatedRelated NewsFrancis leaves Cyprus praying with young migrantsRelated News"Luminous Christians are needed" with hope, Pope urges in NicosiaRelated News"We need a fraternal and patient Church," Pope says in Cyprus

The courtesy visit to His Beatitude Ieronymos II, Archbishop of Athens and of all Greece, at the Greek Orthodox Archbishopric, and the subsequent meeting in the Throne Hall of the same archbishopric, was an important act of his visit to Greece, the first in chronological order. Also important was the meeting in the Cathedral of St. Dionysius with the Catholic community: bishops, priests, religious men and women, seminarians and catechists, all of whom he encouraged to keep their trust in God, like St. Paul. We will tell you about the Pope's visit to Lesbos.

In the Orthodox See, before Archbishop Ieronymos II, Pope Francis again noted, as he did in Cyprus, that "as Catholics, we have just begun an itinerary to deepen synodality and we feel that we have much to learn from you; we sincerely desire it. It is true that when brothers and sisters in the faith draw close to one another, the consolation of the Spirit is poured into their hearts".

In his speech, the Holy Father explained the reason for his visit, and asked for forgiveness. "Praying before the trophies of the Church of Rome, which are the tombs of the apostles and martyrs, I felt impelled to come here as a pilgrim, with great respect and humility, to renew that apostolic communion and nourish fraternal charity," he said.

Shortly after, he recalled that "five years ago we met in Lesbos, in the emergency of one of the greatest dramas of our time, that of so many migrant brothers and sisters who cannot be left in indifference and seen only as a burden to be managed or, even worse, to be delegated to someone else". And "now we meet again to share the joy of fraternity and to look at the Mediterranean that surrounds us not only as a place that worries and divides, but also as a sea that unites us".

However, after evoking "the common apostolic roots that we share," he added that "we have grown apart: we have been contaminated by deadly poisons, the weeds of suspicion have increased the distance and we have ceased to cultivate communion. With shame - I recognize it for the Catholic Church - actions and decisions that have little or nothing to do with Jesus and the Gospel, based rather on the thirst for profit and power, have made communion wither".

"Plea for forgiveness" to the Orthodox.

"In this way we have allowed fruitfulness to be threatened by divisions. History has its weight, and here today I feel the need to renew the plea for forgiveness to God and to our brothers and sisters for the mistakes that so many Catholics have made," the Pope said, stressing that "it is a great consolation to know that our roots are apostolic and that, despite the distortions of time, God's plant grows and bears fruit in the same Spirit. And it is a grace that we recognize each other's fruits and that together we thank the Lord for them.

"I pray that the Spirit of charity will overcome our resistance and make us builders of communion, because 'if love succeeds in completely expelling fear and the latter, transformed, becomes love, then we will see that unity is a consequence of salvation,' Francis said, quoting St. Gregory of Nyssa in his homily 15, on the Song of Songs.

On the other hand, he asked: "How can we give witness to the world of the concord of the Gospel if we Christians are still separated? How can we proclaim the love of Christ that gathers people together if we are not united among ourselves? Many steps have been taken to bring us together. Let us call upon the Spirit of communion to impel us in his ways and help us to found communion not on the basis of calculations, strategies and expediencies, but on the one model to which we must look: the Most Holy Trinity".

Dionysius, the Areopagite

In his meeting in the Athenian Cathedral of St. Dionysius with the Catholic community, the Pope was welcomed at the main entrance by the Archbishop of Athens, Theodoros Kontidis, S.I., and by the parish priest who handed him the cross and holy water. After the entrance hymn, Archbishop Sevastianos Rossolatos, Archbishop Emeritus of Athens and President of the Greek Bishops' Conference, greeted the Holy Father. After the testimonies of a Sister of the Incarnate Word and a layman, Pope Francis delivered his address, which focused on the figure of St. Paul the Apostle, with a historical reference to the figure of St. Dionysius, titular of the Cathedral.

"Here in Greece," Pope Francis said, "St. Paul manifested his serene trust in God and this made him welcome the Areopagites who were suspicious of him. With these two attitudes he announced that God who was unknown to his interlocutors, and he came to present to them the face of a God who in Christ Jesus sowed the seed of resurrection, the universal right to hope".

"When Paul announced this good news, most ridiculed him and left. However, 'some men joined him and embraced the faith, among them Dionysius, the Areopagite, a woman named Damaris and some others,' the Holy Father continued, quoting Sacred Scripture.

"Most of them left, a small remnant joined Paul, among them Dionysius, incumbent of this Cathedral. It was a small portion, but this is how God weaves the threads of history, from then until today. I heartily wish you to continue the work in your historic workshop of faith, and to do so with these two ingredients: trust and welcome, so as to savor the Gospel as an experience of joy and fraternity."

"St. Paul was backed into a corner."

The circumstances of St. Paul's mission in Greece "are also important for us: the Apostle was cornered," Francis pointed out. "A little earlier, in Thessalonica, he had been hindered in his preaching and, because of the tumults aroused among the people, who accused him of procuring disorder, he had to escape during the night. Now, in Athens, he was taken for a charlatan and, as an unwelcome guest, was led to the Areopagus. He was not, therefore, living a triumphant moment, but was carrying on the mission under difficult conditions."

The Pope then introduced a central message of his address. "Perhaps in many moments of our journey, we too perceive the weariness and sometimes the frustration of being a small community or a Church with little strength that moves in a context that is not always favorable. Meditate on the story of Paul in Athens: he was alone, outnumbered and had little chance of success, but he did not let himself be overcome by discouragement, he did not give up the mission or allow himself to be trapped by the temptation to lament."

"This is the attitude of the true apostle," he stressed. "To go forward with confidence, preferring the uneasiness of unexpected situations to habit and repetition. Paul had this courage, where did it come from? From trust in God. His courage was that of trust, trust in the greatness of God, who loves to work in our weakness. Dear brothers and sisters, we have confidence because being a small Church makes us an eloquent sign of the Gospel, of the God proclaimed by Jesus who chooses the little ones and the poor, who changes history with the simple exploits of the humble.

"The path opened by the Lord".

Pope Francis then encouraged the representatives of the Catholic Church in the Hellenic country: "Dear friends, I would like to say to you: bless smallness and embrace it, it disposes you to trust in God and in Him alone. To be a minority - and in the whole world the Church is a minority - does not mean to be insignificant, but to walk the path opened by the Lord, which is that of littleness, of kenosis, of abasement and condescension. He descended to the point of hiding himself in the folds of humanity and in the wounds of our flesh. He saved us by serving us. He, in fact," Paul affirms, "emptied himself, taking on the condition of a slave. We are often obsessed with wanting to appear, to attract attention, but 'the Kingdom of God does not come in such a way that it can be visibly detected' (Lk 17:20).

"Let us help each other to renew this trust in the work of God, not to lose the enthusiasm of service. Courage and forward!" concluded His Holiness the Pope, who, after the meeting, made a brief stop in his car to admire the Acropolis of Athens, which he had spoken about upon his arrival in Greece. The Holy Father is today in Lesbos, with the migrants.

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ColumnistsMauro Leonardi

The summer of St. Martin

The so-called summer of St. Martin, in mid-November in Rome, which this year has been particularly hot, reminds us of the call to be saints caring for our common home.

December 5, 2021-Reading time: 2 minutes

In Rome this year, the summer of St. Martin was particularly hot. Perhaps this is to make more evident to all the need for a common effort to combat climate change: the truth is that during the days around November 11 in the capital of Christianity the temperature reached 20 degrees, equaling the historical records of 1978 and 2005.

The meteorological phenomenon prompted me to revisit the history of the traditional miraculous event and, consequently, the figure of a saint who, for centuries, has been acclaimed as one of the most popularly devoted, being "the first" - or among the first - "non-martyr saints". That his figure shines with a special light is shown by the office composed for his feast. There it is emphasized that in order to be "martyr", o "saint"It is not necessary to make a bloody sacrifice of one's own life. "Most holy soul"as it is written in the Antiphon of the Magnificat of his memory, "although the sword has not reached you, you have not lost the glory of martyrdom". His life took place in the years around the Edict of Constantine and this liturgical emphasis is very important. 

It is especially important for those who hold the idea that holiness concerns all Christians, even those of ordinary life, even those who have no possibility of dying as martyrs. Even those who today are called to be saints and to put into practice the many gestures of daily life, which the encyclical Laudato Si (LS) presents as virtuous practices worthy of being promoted because they are oriented to the care of the common home. To cite a few examples, I can mention the invitation to be more careful in the recycling of paper (LS, n. 22), not to waste a precious good such as water (LS, n. 27), not to overcook and not to throw away food (LS, n. 50), not to abuse the environment (LS, n. 50), nor the use of the environment (LS, n. 50). 50), not to abuse the environment (LS, n. 50), not to abuse the use of air conditioners (LS, n. 55), to pay attention to selective waste collection (LS, n. 192), to reduce the use of plastic materials, to plant trees, to turn off unnecessary lights (LS, n. 211), etc. 

Alongside these gestures there are also other examples that have a broader social dimension, since they affect the world of business and research (LS, n. 112) or urban communities, such as the improvement of the public transport system to reduce the use of private cars (LS, n. 153). In short, with his particularly hot summer, perhaps this year St. Martin wanted to encourage us to be saints, not by the sword, but by our commitment to care for our common home.

The authorMauro Leonardi

Priest and writer.

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A star crowns the tower of the Virgin of the Sagrada Família

Rome Reports-December 4, 2021-Reading time: < 1 minute
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The large glass star crowns the new tower dedicated to the Virgin Mary, which measures 138 meters and has 800 windows and completes the first tower of Gaudí's Sagrada Familia basilica in Barcelona. 

The star, illuminated from the inside at night, weighs 5.5 tons and is 7.5 meters in diameter.

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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"Greece invites to a life towards God and the other," Pope encourages

Looking at the Acropolis and the sea, Pope Francis launched in Athens a message of a "renewed humanism", because "Greece invites us to direct the journey of life towards the highest, towards God", and "towards the other". Today there is "a regression of democracy", he affirms.

Rafael Miner-December 4, 2021-Reading time: 6 minutes

 "Some specimens of Mediterranean olive trees testify to a life so long that they predate the birth of Christ. Millennia-old and long-lasting, they have withstood the passage of time and remind us of the importance of preserving strong roots, endowed with memory. This country can be defined as the memory of Europe and I am happy to visit it twenty years after the historic visit of Pope John Paul II and on the bicentenary of its independence," Pope Francis said in his address to the authorities, civil society and the diplomatic corps of Greece, a few hours after his arrival in the country. 

"I come as a pilgrim to these places that overflow with spirituality, culture and civilization, to perceive the same happiness that excited the great Father of the Church [St. Gregory Nazianzen]," the Holy Father added. "It was the joy of cultivating wisdom and sharing its beauty. A happiness, therefore, that is neither individual nor isolated, but which, born of wonder, tends to infinity and opens itself to the community; a wise happiness, which from these places has spread everywhere. Without Athens and Greece, Europe and the world would not be what they are: they would be less wise and less happy".

In this context, the Pope quoted the "well-known phrase of General Colocotronis: 'God has put his signature on the freedom of Greece. God gladly puts his signature on human freedom; it is his greatest gift and what, in turn, he values most in us. He has indeed created us free and what pleases him most is that we freely love him and our neighbor. Laws help to make this possible, but also education in responsibility and the growth of a culture of respect".

In the presence, among other personalities, of the President of the Hellenic Republic, Katerina Sakellaropoulou, and the Prime Minister, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, the Pope affirmed his desire to "renew my thanks for the public recognition of the Catholic community and assure it of his will to promote the common good of Greek society, directing in this direction the universality that characterizes it, with the desire that in practical terms the conditions necessary to carry out its service well may always be guaranteed."

"We need transcendence."

Then the Holy Father Francis continued one of the main themes of his first speech in Greece: the gaze towards transcendence and towards others. "From here [Greece], the horizons of humanity have expanded. I too feel invited to raise my gaze and to stop at the highest part of the city: the Acropolis. Visible from afar to travelers who have reached it over the millennia, it offered an indispensable reference to divinity. It is the call to expand the horizons upwards, from Mount Olympus to the Acropolis and Mount Athos. Greece invites man of all times to direct the journey of life towards the highest: towards God, because we need transcendence to be truly human," the Pontiff said.

"And while today in the West, which was born here, there is a tendency to obfuscate the need for Heaven," he added, "trapped by the frenzy of thousands of earthly careers and by the insatiable greed of a consumerism that depersonalizes, these places invite us to let ourselves be surprised by the infinite, by the beauty of being, by the joy of faith."

"Through here have passed the paths of the Gospel that have united East and West, the Holy Places and Europe, Jerusalem and Rome; those Gospels that, in order to bring to the world the good news of God the lover of man, were written in Greek, the immortal language used by the Word - the Logos - to express itself, the language of human wisdom turned into the voice of divine Wisdom," he added.

"Rollback of democracy"

But in this city, Francis pointed out, "the gaze, in addition to being directed upwards, is also directed towards the other. We are reminded of the sea, to which Athens looks out and which orients the vocation of this land, located in the heart of the Mediterranean, to be a bridge between people". 

"Here democracy was born," the Pope recalled, with an appeal to history: "Here great historians were passionate about narrating the histories of peoples near and far. Here, according to the well-known affirmation of Socrates, the feeling of being citizens not only of one's own country, but of the whole world, began. Citizens, here man became aware of being "a political animal" (Aristotle, Politics, I, 2) and, as part of a community, he saw in others not only subjects, but citizens with whom to organize the polis together. This is where democracy was born. The cradle, millennia later, became a house, a great house of democratic peoples: I am referring to the European Union and the dream of peace and fraternity that it represents for so many peoples".

And yet, Francis stressed, looking at the world, "one cannot fail to note with concern how today, not only on the European continent, there is a decline in democracy. Democracy requires the participation and involvement of all and therefore demands effort and patience; democracy is complex, while authoritarianism is expeditious and the easy promises proposed by populism are appealing. In many societies, preoccupied with security and anesthetized by consumerism, weariness and unease lead to a kind of "democratic skepticism".

"The good policy"

However, the Pontiff recalled, "the participation of all is a fundamental requirement, not only to achieve common goals, but also because it responds to what we are: social beings, unrepeatable and at the same time interdependent". "There is a skepticism in relation to democracy", which he considered "caused by the distance of the institutions, by the fear of the loss of identity and by bureaucracy. The remedy to this does not lie in the obsessive search for popularity, in the thirst for visibility, in the proclamation of impossible promises or in the adherence to abstract ideological colonizations, but in good politics".

"Attending to the weakest"

"Because politics is a good thing and must be so in practice, as the supreme responsibility of the citizen, as the art of the common good," the Pope added, but he set a condition, a key requirement: "For the good to be truly shared, particular, I would say priority, attention must be given to the weakest strata. This is the direction to follow, which a founding father of Europe [A. De Gasperi] indicated as an antidote to the polarizations that animate democracy but threaten to exasperate it: 'There is much talk of who is on the left or on the right, but what is decisive is to move forward, and moving forward means moving toward social justice.

"In this regard, a change of pace is needed, while every day fears are spread, amplified by virtual communication, and theories are developed to oppose others. Let us help one another, instead, to move from partisanship to participation; from mere commitment to support one's own faction to active involvement for the promotion of all," the Holy Father appealed.

"From partisanship to participation". With these words the Pope charted the course to follow. "It is the motivation that should drive us on various fronts: I am thinking of the climate, the pandemic, the common market and above all widespread poverty. These are challenges that call for concrete and active collaboration; the international community needs it, to open paths to peace through a multilateralism that is not stifled by excessive nationalistic pretensions; politics needs it, to put common demands before private interests." In this sense, Francis renewed his "appreciation for the difficult journey that has led to the 'Prespa Agreement', signed between this Republic and that of North Macedonia".

Although the Pope will go this Sunday to Mytilene-Lesbos to meet with refugees, as he did five years ago, in this speech he also made a reference to the issue of migration: "I would like to exhort once again for an overall, communitarian vision of the migration issue, and encourage that attention be directed to those most in need so that, according to the possibilities of each country, they may be welcomed, protected, promoted and integrated with full respect for their human rights and dignity". 

The Hippocratic Oath, current

One of the issues addressed by the Pope to the Hellenic authorities was the right to life. He did so in the following terms: "Some words of Hippocrates' oath seem written for our time, such as the effort to 'regulate the tenor of life for the good of the sick', to 'abstain from all harm and offense' to others, to safeguard life at all times, particularly in the womb (Hippocratic Oath, ancient text). The right to care and treatment for all must always be privileged, so that the weakest, especially the elderly, are never discarded. Indeed, life is a right; death is not; it is welcomed, not provided.

In his conclusion, Francis referred to Athens as "the cradle of civilization", from which "a message has risen - and may it always continue to rise - a message oriented towards the highest and towards the other; which responds to the seductions of authoritarianism with democracy; which opposes individualistic indifference with care for the other, for the poor and for creation, essential pillars for a renewed humanism, which is what our times and our Europe need. O Theós na evloghí tin Elládha! [God bless Greece!"

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The icon of Máriapócs, of which the original and the copy were mourned

It is one of the most venerated images in the region. The simple icon venerated in Hungary, from which tears had flowed, was brought to Vienna. A cup painted to take its place also wept. In the 20th century its fame has spread due to the prayer of St. Josemaría Escrivá, founder of Opus Dei, before the icon, on December 4, 1995.

Daniela Sziklai-December 4, 2021-Reading time: 4 minutes

In St. Stephen's Cathedral in Vienna, many people pray every day before a simply painted icon of the Virgin Mary with the Child Jesus. It is the miraculous image from the small town of Máriapócs in Hungary, which shed tears in 1696. The icon was then immediately transferred to the capital of the Habsburg Empire; but the extraordinary events in the small Hungarian town where the grace had occurred did not end there.

Hungary, late 17th century. Much of the country has just been liberated from Turkish rule, and large areas were still depopulated after 150 years of constant warfare. The country is now owned by the Austrian Habsburgs, but many of the nobles and much of the people are unhappy that the king of Hungary no longer resides in the royal castle of Buda (a part of present-day Budapest), but in distant Vienna.

Original icon venerated in Vienna

In the small wooden church, of Greek-Catholic rite, in the village of Pócs - today located in the northeast of the country - there was then a simple icon of St. Mary painted by the brother of a priest. It belongs to the type of the "Hodegetria" ("she who shows the way") and shows Mary as she points with her finger to the child Jesus on her arm. One day, on November 4, 1696, a peasant who was present during the Sacred Liturgy noticed that tears were flowing from the icon's eyes. The phenomenon, which continued intermittently until December 8, was immediately investigated by the ecclesiastical and civil authorities. Hungary is very fragmented confessionally, but this circumstance is providential in relation to the examination of the miracle: not only Catholics, but also numerous Lutheran and Calvinist Christians attest to the authenticity of the event.

Emperor Leopold I and, above all, his wife Eleanor Magdalena also heard about the event. Soon the decision was made: the miraculous image had to be taken to the center of the empire, to the imperial seat in Vienna! On March 1, 1697, the icon was dismantled in Pocs against the will of the population and moved to Vienna, where it was venerated for months with numerous solemn masses and processions. It was finally given a permanent place in St. Stephen's Cathedral. The veneration of the miraculous image in the Empire grew even more when, only a few months later, on September 11, 1697, Prince Eugene of Savoy won the victory over the Ottomans at the battle of Zenta (then in Hungary, today in Serbia). The imperial family and the preachers of the time attributed the triumph to the intercession of Our Lady of Pötsch, as the Hungarian town is known in German.

The local inhabitants are initially disappointed that "their" miraculous icon has been taken away from them. After no less than ten years, Pócs will receive a copy of the miraculous image. But lo and behold, while the original from Vienna had not shed a tear since then, the next miracle of tears occurred in Pocs as early as August 1, 1715, this time in the eyes of the copy. The bishop concerned had the event re-examined and after a very short time had already approved the veneration of the second miraculous icon in Pocs, which this time was allowed to remain in the village.

The village soon took the name of Our Lady, and since then it has been called Máriapócs. In the middle of the 18th century, a baroque sanctuary church was built to accommodate the great multitude of pilgrims, and a monastery of the order of the Basilians, Greek Catholics, was erected for pastoral care. The miraculous behavior of the icon reaches even to modern times: from December 3, 1905, the image began to weep for the second time; the miracle continued until the end of the month and was again confirmed as authentic after a study.

In 1991, Pope St. John Paul II visited Máriapócs and celebrated the liturgy there according to the tradition of the Eastern Church. Today, several hundred thousand faithful flock to this place of grace in northeastern Hungary every year, making it one of the most important places of worship in the region.

Although the original icon of St. Stephen's Cathedral has not wept again since 1696, its subsequent history is no less significant. In the last days of World War II, when the 400-year-old roof truss of St. Stephen's Cathedral caught fire and the vault of the church collapsed, the icon remained unharmed. In 1948 it was placed on its own altar on the right side of the nave under the magnificent "Öchsel canopy" from the early 16th century.

Plaque recalling St. Josemaría's prayer before the Marian icon

The miraculous image later acquired international fame thanks to the visit of a saint: on December 4, 1955, St. Josemaría Escrivá, founder of Opus Dei, prayed before the "Our Lady of Pötsch". This image of the Mother of God, coming from a village that was then behind the "iron curtain," moved him in a special way. It was for him the gateway to the spread of the faith in those areas that were under communist rule. "Sancta Maria, Stella Orientis, filios tuos adiuva!" (Holy Mary, Star of the East, help your children!), he implores her. This ejaculatory prayer spread throughout the world in the following decades. St. Josemaría's petition was answered in 1989-1980, and communism fell in Eastern Europe. On January 9, 2002, on the centenary of Escriva's birth, Cardinal Christoph Schönborn, Archbishop of Vienna, dedicated a commemorative plaque next to the altar. Today, Our Lady of Máriapócs unites Christians in the East and West, in Central Europe and throughout the world.

The authorDaniela Sziklai

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Francis leaves Cyprus praying with young migrants

"The Lord Jesus comes to meet us in the face of the marginalized and discarded brother, in the face of the despised, rejected and oppressed migrant," the Pope said. The prayer with the migrants was his last act in Cyprus. Today he arrives in Athens.

Rafael Miner-December 4, 2021-Reading time: 4 minutes
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It was in the parish church of the Holy Cross, a reference point of the Catholic community in Cyprus. Yesterday afternoon, Pope Francis had his long-awaited meeting with the migrants. There he listened to the testimonies of four young people who arrived in Cyprus seeking refuge, and before them he delivered a new and forceful speech calling for dignified conditions for those who have been forced to leave their land.

Afterwards, they raised together an ecumenical prayer and prayed the Our Father. Francis thus concluded his official activities on the island of Cyprus, and this Saturday he flies to Athens, the Greek capital. Almost simultaneously, the Pontiff will relocate 50 immigrants from Cyprus to the Vatican, the Cypriot Ministry of the Interior said in a statement.

"The Ministry of Interior wishes to express its sincere appreciation for the important initiative of Pope Francis and the Holy See to relocate 50 migrants from Cyprus to the Vatican," the note can be read in the note. The Cyprus Administration hopes that the Pope's move will help increase solidarity at the European level.

"Fellow citizens of the saints."

In his speech, the Pope thanked the testimonies of the migrants "with an enormous 'thank you' from the heart." "I had received the testimonies in advance, about a month ago, and they had moved me very much, and also today they have moved me," he said.

"But it is not only emotion, it is much more, it is the emotion that comes from the beauty of the truth, like that of Jesus when he exclaimed: 'I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have revealed all these things to the little ones and have hidden them from the wise and the crafty' (Mt 11:25). I also praise the heavenly Father because this is happening today, here, as in the whole world, God is revealing his Kingdom to the little ones: a Kingdom of love, justice and peace.

"After listening to you," Francis added, "we better understand all the prophetic power of the Word of God which, through the Apostle Paul, says: 'You are no longer strangers and aliens, but fellow citizens with the saints and family of God.'"

They were words written to the Christians of Ephesus - not far from here - the Holy Father said. "Very distant in time, but so close that they are more timely than ever, as if they had been written for us today: 'You are not strangers, but fellow citizens'. This is the prophecy of the Church, a community that embodies - with all human limits - God's dream."

The protagonists of the four testimonies were quoted by the Pope. These are their names: "Mariamie, who comes from the Democratic Republic of Congo, and you have defined yourself as 'full of dreams'; "Thamara, who comes from Sri Lanka, and you say that 'I am often asked who I am'; "Maccolins, who comes from Cameroon, and you say that throughout your life you have been 'wounded by hatred'; and "Rozh, who comes from Iraq, and you say you are 'a person on a journey'."

"Dignity of the human person"

The Pope also assured in his words that "the Lord Jesus comes to meet us in the face of the marginalized and discarded brother, in the face of the despised, rejected and oppressed migrant. But also, as you said, in the face of the migrant who is on the way to something, to hope, to a more human coexistence. And so God speaks to us through his dreams.

"That this island, marked by a painful division, may become, with the grace of God, a workshop of fraternity. And it can be so on two conditions," he said. "The first is the effective recognition of the dignity of every human person (Fratelli tutti, 8); this is the ethical foundation, a universal foundation that is also at the heart of Christian social doctrine," he pointed out.

"The second condition is trusting openness to God, Father of all, and this is the 'leaven' we are called to be as believers. With these conditions it is possible for the dream to be translated into a daily journey, made up of concrete steps that go from conflict to communion, from hatred to love," the Pope added. "A patient journey that, day after day, makes us enter the land that God has prepared for us, the land where, if you are asked: 'Who are you,' you can answer with your face uncovered: 'I am your brother.'"

Message to the VII MED Dialogues Conference

In parallel to the trip, the Holy See has released a message from Pope Francis to the participants in the VII Med Dialogues Conference. The Holy Father points out, according to official Vatican media, that the migratory phenomenon in the Mediterranean shows that everything is connected, and warns us that a stable solution requires an approach capable of taking into account the multiple aspects linked to it.

The Rome MED Dialogues Conference is promoted annually by the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation and the Institute for International Policy Studies, and aims to rethink the traditional approach to the Mediterranean area and seek new and shared responses to the important challenges it poses.

The Pope pointed out to them that the "mare nostrum" has a central geopolitical importance, the Mediterranean is the border, and therefore the meeting place of three continents, which are not only bathed by it, but touch each other in it and are therefore called to live together.

The Pontiff warns that politics and diplomacy must do everything possible to prevent the process of globalization from degenerating into the globalization of indifference. Above all, as demonstrated by the climate crisis and the pandemic, "proof that not only States, but even more so continents, can no longer ignore each other".

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Culture

The Ikone of Máriapócs. Wo Original und Kopie weinten

In Vienna's Stephansdom, every day, many people are standing in front of a twinned Ikone, with its beautifully carved walls, which depicts the Virgin Mary with the Jesus Christ. This is the image from the Dörfchen Máriapócs in Ungarn, which was destroyed in 1696. The wonderful Ikone was then transferred to the capital city of the Habsburg Empire - but this was not the end of the story in the small Hungarian village.

Daniela Sziklai-December 4, 2021-Reading time: 3 minutes

Ungarn in the end of the 17th century. The country has been largely occupied by the Turks, some parts of it have been destroyed during the 150 years of the ongoing war. The Austrian Habsburg men are now over the country, but many from Adel and Volk are unhappy that the König of Hungary no longer resides in the Königsburg of Buda (a part of the present Budapest), but rather in modern Vienna.

In the small Greek-Catholic church in the village of Pocs - today in the northwest of the country - there is now a simple Marienikone, which was built by the Bruder of a farmer. It belongs to the type of the "Hodegetria" (Wegweiserin) and shows Maria, how she with her finger on the Jesus Christ on her arm weist. On one day, on November 4, 1696, during the Holy Liturgy, an anwesender Bauer, dass dass aus den Augen der Ikone Tränen fließen. The phenomenon, which will be marked by intercessions up to 8 December, will be marked by both physical and worldly events. Ungarn ist konfessionell stark zersplittert, doch dieser Umstand erweist sich im Fall der Prüfung des Wunders als Glücksfall: Nicht nur nur Katholiken, sondern auch auchas zahlreiche lutherische und calvinistische Christen bezeugen die Authentizität des Ereignisses.

Auch Kaiser Leopold I. und vor allem seine Gattin Eleonore Magdalena werden aufmerksam auf das Ereignis. The decision is clear: The wonderful picture must be used in the center of the Kingdom, in the Residenzstadt Wien! On March 1, 1697, the Ikone in Pocs was assembled and sent to Wien, where it was to be mounted with numerous festivities and events. Your final stop is the Ikone in the Stephansdom, the cathedral of the city. Even more important will be the coming of the Gnadenbildes in the Reich, when, on September 11, 1697, Prince Eugen of Savoy at the Schlacht of Zenta (then Ungarn, now Serbien) makes a siege over the Osmanen. The triumph will be celebrated by the Kaiserhaus and the predecessors of the damned time of the Muttergottes of Pötsch - as the unique place in the German language will be known.

The owners of the farm are first and foremost concerned that they have been given "their" wonderful Ikone. After ten years, Pócs first made a copy of the painting after ten years. But here's the thing: While the original in Vienna was no longer in use, on August 1, 1715, Pócs already had the next three-year anniversary, this time from the days of the copy. The right-handed bischof was the first to take up the idea and after a short period of time, he already made use of the second most beautiful Ikone of Pocs, which remained in the area. The town has lost the name of the Gottesmutter and is known as Máriapócs. In the middle of the 18th century, a baroque wall church was built in order to fill in the large number of pilgrims and a church of the Order of the Greek-Catholic Basilians was erected. The wonderful history of the Ikone remains until the modern era: From 3. December 1905, the picture began a new era - the mystery was still alive until the end of the year and was first published as authentically as possible. In 1991, the beloved Pope Johannes Paul II visited it. Máriapócs and there he celebrates the liturgy according to the most cherished tradition. Today, many hundreds of thousands of people are coming every year to the northwestern Hungarian city, which is one of the most important in the region.

If the Original-Ikone in Stephansdom has no longer existed since 1696, its further history is no less important. In the last days of the Second World War, as the 400 year old high priest of the Stephansdoms Feuer fing and the Pope of the Church began to die, she became a hero. In 1948, she was then placed at an altar on the right side of the Langhauses, under the original "Öchsel-Baldachin" from the 16th century.

Internationale Berühmtheit erhielt das Gnadenbild dann durch den Besuch eines Heiligen: Am 4. December 1955, the son of Josemaría Escrivá, the founder of Opus Dei, visited the "Madonna of Pötsch". The portrait of a priest from a church, which he sees in the background of the Eisernen Vorhang, is an example of this. Es ist für ihn das Tor zur Ausbreitung des Glaubens in jene Gebiete, die unter kommunistischer Herrschaft stehen. "Sancta Maria, Stella Orientis, filios tuos adiuva!" (Heilige Maria, Stern des Ostens, hilf deinen Kindern!), fleht er zu ihr. This stock is growing in the last decades in the whole world. The 1989/90s saw the death of the former Josemaría and the spread of communism in Eastern Europe. On January 9, 1902, on the 100th anniversary of Escrivás' death, the Viennese Cardinal Erzbischof Christoph Schönborn made a donation next to the altar. Today, the Muttergottes of Máriapócs Christen from East and West, from Mitteleuropa and the whole world.

The authorDaniela Sziklai

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"Luminous Christians are needed" with hope, Pope urges in Nicosia

Learning from the Orthodox synodal experience and the need to be "luminous Christians" cured by Jesus of the "blindness of the heart" are some of the main messages of Pope Francis from Nicosia (Cyprus).

Rafael Miner-December 3, 2021-Reading time: 5 minutes
RelatedRelated News"We need a fraternal and patient Church," Pope says in Cyprus

The meeting with the Orthodox Archbishop of Cyprus, His Beatitude Chrysostomos II, and with the Holy Synod in the Orthodox Cathedral; the Holy Mass at the GSP Stadium in Nicosia, and the ecumenical prayer with migrants, have marked the agenda of Pope Francis in his Friday stay in the Cypriot capital.

In his homily at Mass in memory of St. Francis Xavier, the Pope encouraged the need to be "luminous Christians" who "bring the light received from Christ to illuminate the night that often surrounds us". The starting point was the Gospel of St. Matthew, which speaks of the healing of the blind men who go to Jesus, together bring him their sufferings and joyfully announce their healing. They do so because "they perceive that, in the darkness of history, he is the light that illuminates the world".

"Son of David, have mercy on us!" The two blind men in the Gospel," said the Holy Father, "trust" in Jesus and follow him in search of light for their eyes. And they do so because "they perceive that, in the darkness of history, he is the light that illuminates the nights of the heart and of the world, that defeats darkness and overcomes all blindness". 

Blindness of the heart: turning to Jesus

"We too, like the two blind men, have blindness of heart. We too, like the two blind men, are travelers often immersed in the darkness of life. The first thing to do is to turn to Jesus, as he himself said: 'Come to me, all who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest' (Mt 11:28). Who among us is not in some way weary and burdened?" the Holy Father asked. "But we resist going to Jesus; many times we prefer to remain closed in on ourselves, to be alone with our obscurities, to pity ourselves, accepting the bad company of sadness. Jesus is the doctor, He alone, the true light that enlightens every man (cf. Jn 1:9), gives us light, warmth and love in abundance. He alone frees the heart from evil".

The "first step" indicated by the Pope was, therefore, "to go to Jesus": to give him the possibility of healing our hearts. If everyone thinks of himself, blindness cannot be cured, he added. The "second step" is to bring "together" our wounds to Jesus. "In the face of every personal darkness and the challenges we face in the Church and in society," Francis pointed out, we are called "to renew fraternity," since, "if we remain divided among ourselves, if each one thinks only of himself or his group, if we do not come together, if we do not dialogue, if we do not walk together, we will not be able to fully cure blindness." 

It is the "eloquent sign of the Christian life, the distinctive feature of the ecclesial spirit," the Holy Father stressed, which is "to think, speak and act as a 'we', leaving behind the individualism and the pretension of self-sufficiency that sicken the heart."

"Turn on lights of hope"

Although Jesus had recommended to the blind men, after healing them, not to say anything to anyone, they, however, did the opposite. It was not to "disobey the Lord," but simply because they "failed to contain the enthusiasm" of the encounter and their healing.

Hence the last step indicated by the Pope was to "proclaim the Gospel with joy," the distinctive sign of the Christian. "The joy of the Gospel, which is irrepressible, fills the heart and the whole life of those who encounter Jesus (Evangelii gaudium, 1), frees from the risk of an intimate, distant and complaining faith, and introduces into the dynamism of witness." Living the liberating proclamation of the Gospel with joy, Francis assured. "It is not proselytism, but witness; it is not moralism that judges, but mercy that embraces; it is not external worship, but lived love."

mass nicosia

This was his appeal at the GSP Stadium in Nicosia: "We need enlightened Christians, but above all luminous ones, who touch with tenderness the blindness of their brothers and sisters, who with gestures and words of consolation light lights of hope in the darkness; Christians who sow shoots of the Gospel in the arid fields of daily life, who bring caresses to the loneliness of suffering and poverty".

Renewing trust in Jesus, who "hears the cry of our blindness" and who "wants to touch our eyes and our heart," "draw us into the light, make us be reborn and reanimate us interiorly" was the Pope's final recommendation, who invoked, at the end of his homily, "Come, Lord Jesus!"

"Pearl of history and faith."

Before the Holy Mass at the GSP Stadium, early in the morning, Pope Francis went to greet the Orthodox Archbishop of Cyprus, His Beatitude Chrysostomos II, and the meeting with the Holy Synod in the Orthodox Cathedral. During his courtesy visit, the Catholic Pontiff signed in the Book of Honor of the Orthodox Archbishopric of Cyprus, with the following text, which highlighted the path of dialogue to move forward together:

"Pilgrim to Cyprus, pearl of history and of faith, I invoke from God humility and courage to walk together towards full unity and to give to the world, following the example of the Apostles, a fraternal message of consolation and a living witness of hope.

Your Beatitude, thank you for speaking of Mother Church among the people. This is the path that unites us as pastors. Let us go forward together on this path. And thank you very much for speaking of dialogue. We must always advance along the path of dialogue, a laborious, patient and sure path, a path of courage. "Parresia and patience" (in Greek)".

"Common apostolic origin"

Later, in his address to the Holy Synod of Orthodox Bishops, Pope Francis began by stressing that "we have a common apostolic origin: Paul crossed Cyprus and then came to Rome. We therefore descend from the same apostolic ardor and are united by a single path: that of the Gospel. I am pleased to see that we continue to walk in the same direction, in search of ever greater fraternity and full unity".

"In this piece of the Holy Land that spreads the grace of the Holy Places in the Mediterranean, the memory of so many biblical pages and figures comes naturally". The Pope reflected once again on 'Joseph, whom the Apostles called Barnabas' (Acts 4:36): this is how he is presented in the Acts of the Apostles".

"The path of personal encounter"

"Barnabas, son of consolation, exhorts us his brothers to undertake the same mission of proclaiming the Gospel to men, inviting us to understand that the proclamation cannot be based on general exhortations, on the repetition of precepts and norms to be observed, as has often been done," the Holy Father said.

"It is necessary to follow the path of personal encounter, to pay attention to the questions of the people, to their existential needs. To be children of consolation, before saying anything, it is necessary to listen, to allow oneself to be questioned, to discover the other, to share: because the Gospel is transmitted through communion".

Synodal dimension, with the Orthodox

"This is what we, as Catholics, wish to live in the coming years, rediscovering the synodal dimension, constitutive of the being of the Church. And in this we feel the need to walk more intensely with you, dear brothers, who through the experience of your synodality can truly be of great help to us".

"Thank you for your fraternal collaboration, which is also manifested in the active participation in the International Joint Commission for Theological Dialogue between the Catholic Church and the Orthodox Church," he added.

Tomorrow, already in the Greek capital, the Pontiff will visit His Beatitude Ieronymos II, Archbishop of Athens and of all Greece, at the Orthodox Archbishopric of Greece, where a meeting will take place in the Throne Hall of the Archbishopric.

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  • Hanna-Barbara Gerl-Falkovitz, Ratzinger Prize 2021, guest of the next Forum Omnes
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Hanna-Barbara Gerl-Falkovitz, Ratzinger Prize 2021, guest of the next Forum Omnes

"Body, love, pleasure: does it make sense to separate nature and person? This is the title of the conference that, next Thursday, December 16, 2021 from 13:00 h. will be given by the German philosopher Hanna-Barbara Gerl-Falkovitz at the Omnes Forum.

Maria José Atienza-December 3, 2021-Reading time: < 1 minute
RelatedRelated News"We have to have the courage to explain faith."Related NewsRatzinger Awards, a tribute by Pope Francis to his predecessor

Awarded, together with Prof. Ludger Schwienhorst-Schönberger, the Ratzinger Prize in the last edition, Hanna-Barbara Gerl-Falkovitz studied philosophy and German political science. She has taught at the universities of Munich, Bayreuth, Tübingen and Eichstätt. Since 2011 she has been directing the European Institute for Philosophy and Religion at the Benedict XVI Philosophical-Theological University located at the Cistercian monastery Stift Heiligenkreuz near Heiligenkreuz.

The study of Hanna-Barbara Gerl-Falkovitz's long career has focused on the philosophy of religion and cultural anthropology, with special attention to the figures of Edith Stein and Romano Guardini. Gerl-Falkovitz combines these two great figures with the method of phenomenology, i.e., exact observation and description.

In his own words, Gerl-Falkovitz has maintained his faith and has increasingly delved into it through philosophy. His studies provide, moreover, a counterbalance to the Gnostic leveling of the male-female polarity.

The meeting "Body, love, pleasure - does it make sense to separate nature and person?" will be held, in person and following the relevant health guidelines, in the Aula de Grados of the Universidad San Dámaso de Madrid. The meeting will begin at 1:00 p.m. on Thursday, December 16, 2021 and will be moderated by David Torrijos Castrillejo, Professor of Philosophy at the University of Madrid. San Dámaso Ecclesiastical University.

The meeting will be available online at Omnes YouTube channel.

https://youtu.be/QfR4kKeZzLI
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RelatedRelated News"We have to have the courage to explain faith."Related NewsRatzinger Awards, a tribute by Pope Francis to his predecessor
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Criticism of the Sauvé report in France

Critics question "the methodological weaknesses and sometimes dubious analyses" of the CIASE report. The gesture of the academics who resigned would have provoked the postponement by the Vatican of a meeting between the Pope and the members of the Sauvé commission initially scheduled for December 9.

José Luis Domingo-December 3, 2021-Reading time: 3 minutes
RelatedRelated NewsSauvé Report: the French episcopate acknowledges the Church's institutional responsibility

After the shock caused by the revelations of the CIASE (Independent Commission on Sexual Abuse in the Church) of the exhorbitant number of sexual abuses (more than 300,000) on minors in the Church since 1950, almost two months later, criticisms are slowly emerging. 

It all began at the beginning of the week. Eight eminent members of the Catholic Academy of France, created in 2009 to ensure better visibility of the "intellectual production linked (...) to Catholicism," sent a letter of about fifteen pages to Bishop Éric de Moulins-Beaufort, president of the CEF, and to Bishop Celestino Migliore, apostolic nuncio to France, direct representative of the Pope. The document is signed by a large part of the leadership of the Academy, such as Hugues Portelli (president), Jean-Dominique Durand and Yvonne Flour (vice-presidents) and Jean-Luc Chartier (secretary general).

First of all, the document denounces a questionable evaluation of the number of victims, since two studies had been carried out with very different results: 27,000 victims at the most by the researchers of the EPHE (École Pratique des Hautes Etudes) by extrapolating data from archives and surveys, and 330,000 by the researchers of the INSERM from an Internet survey of 24,000 people, to which 171 people had replied that they had been abused, which became, by a very questionable extrapolation, 330,000.000 by INSERM researchers from an Internet survey of 24,000 people, to which 171 people had responded that they had been abused, which became by a very questionable extrapolation 330,000 when extended to the national adult population. This 330,000 figure was the only one retained and the EPHE study was discarded without explanation. From this huge figure, CIASE was able to posit an explanation based on the "systemic" nature of the plague, inherent in the nature and functioning of the "institution" of the Church.

From then on, the most radical recommendations were formulated, questioning the spiritual and sacramental nature of the Catholic Church, attributing to it an image of intrinsic corruption. Thus, the "recommendations" called for a "revision" of confession, absolution, Catholic sexual morality, "the hierarchical constitution of the Church", "the concentration of the powers of order and government in the hands of one person", and also to invoke the civil and social responsibility of the Church because of the "systemic" nature of this scourge (even when the consultation of juridical specialists on the question had dissuaded them), to abolish the secrecy of confession, etc.

Dissensions have torn the Catholic Academy in recent days following these criticisms that question "the methodological weaknesses and sometimes dubious analyses" of the CIASE report. Although the document was not presented as the official position of the Academy but the personal opinion of some of its members, several members of the Academy have resigned from this institution. Eric de Moulins-Beaufort himself, president of the French Episcopal Conference, and Sister Véronique Margron, president of the Conference of Religious of France (Corref). This new document disqualifies the position they had previously taken publicly, of unreserved acceptance of the conclusions of the CIASE.

However, the initiative of the protesting academics is only the tip of a broader movement of criticism of the Sauvé report. A wave that is reaching the highest levels of the Church. The gesture of the eight academics would have provoked, according to some media, the postponement sine die The Vatican has cancelled a meeting between the Pope and the members of the Sauvé Commission initially scheduled for December 9 due to the Pope's scheduling problems, it was reported.

In the midst of this confusing climate, the Church in France has recently received with dismay the resignation of the Archbishop of Paris, Michel Aupetit, from his position at the hands of the Pope, provoked by an intentional leak to the press of an accusation of irregularities in government and of having had intimate relations with a woman nine years ago. Archbishop Aupetit has denied the allegations.

Pope Francis accepted the resignation of Archbishop Michel Aupetit from his pastoral office as head of the Archdiocese of Paris on Thursday, December 2. In turn, the Holy Father has appointed Archbishop Georges Pontier, Archbishop Emeritus of Marseille, Apostolic Administrator of Paris.

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ColumnistsIgnacio Valduérteles

Recovering moral value in society

It is important to create or foster intellectual elites, groups of people with prestige, recognition and influence within their field, who act as referents in the orders of social life, in order to rebuild the European cultural model.

December 3, 2021-Reading time: 3 minutes

It is provocative to talk about intellectual leadership now that the single thought prevails and that those who claim to have their own voice are frowned upon because they supposedly endanger social cohesion.

It is curious that it is precisely those who complain that the Church unifies thoughts and impedes freedom, who insist on subjecting citizens by any means to the uniformity of the single thought, of closed and all-encompassing, totalitarian ideologies.  

In Spain, the slogan par excellence of the sanctimonious left, which accepts dogmas without foundation or analysis, is that the left is morally superior to an immoral by nature and selfish right wing, as well as fascist, a term that serves for everything.

From this pretended superiority, an elaborate project of social engineering is set in motion: deconstruction of the family, abolition of merit and effort, manipulation of language, free disposal of life (abortion and euthanasia), misrepresentation of history, manipulation of education, gender self-assignment and many other things. This, continuously hammered in the populist media, ends up internalizing and shaping a cultural model (Goebbels dixit).

Not long ago the concept of the "Thucydides Trap" was coined to explain that when the hegemony of a dominant power (the left) is disputed by an emerging power (the right), there is a great probability that a war will break out between the two. That war has broken out: the battle of culture, a great opportunity, since one asserts one's being when confronted with the will of the other and has to refine one's opinions and substantiate them.

In order to promote this task, it is important to create or encourage intellectual elites, groups of people with prestige, recognition and influence within their sphere, acting as referents in the orders of social life, to rebuild the European cultural model based on Greek thought, Roman law expanded, where appropriate, by the Judeo-Christian tradition, revelation, reason complemented by faith.

This insubordination to the alleged intellectual superiority of the left is already taking place. It is no coincidence that opinion groups are spontaneously emerging, think-tanks or simple gatherings, engaged in this task. There is also a tribe of writers, mostly young, most of them in digital media, who are making their voices and opinions heard. Curiously enough, they are all popular, spontaneous movements, emerging from society, outside of subsidies and official recognition.

The cofrade world cannot be a mere spectator in this cultural battle, although there are still brotherhoods in which anyone who dares to step outside the common thinking dictated by the self-appointed leaders of the tribe is marginalized. However, when the individual assumes as true the moral superiority of the left and considers that there are only a few morally acceptable ideas, a single label of good citizen, or good brotherhood, granted by the hierarchs, he is renouncing his moral autonomy, basic to the foundation of any free society and to avoid falling into the "kakistocracy", the government of the worst, in society and in the brotherhood.

There are still brotherhoods that continue to take refuge exclusively in the traditional as a safe value; but this is not the way. Brotherhoods, which are called to "sanctify the world from within" (LG. n. 31; CIC c. 298), they cannot shy away from the battle of ideas by making themselves supposedly impervious to cultural changes, arguing that they are in another sphere, that theirs is not politics, taking refuge in tradition and in a misunderstanding of popular piety. This approach is fatal in the medium term, because the brotherhoods can only carry out their mission in a free society.

The ethics of the Grand Inquisitor (Dostoyevsky) assumes that citizens are incapable of bearing the burden of their own morality and freedom and must be supplied with uniform models, in the form of totalitarian ideologies. Assuming such an approach and trying to annul the freedom that Christ won for us is fatal for society and for the brotherhoods. It is urgent to fight the cultural battle from the "moral superiority" and in that effort must be the brotherhoods, constituted in intellectual elites.

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.

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"We need a fraternal and patient Church," Pope says in Cyprus

The first thing the Pope did in Cyprus, at the beginning of his 35th international apostolic journey to the Cypriot country and Greece, was to embrace the Catholic community, which he praised because it "welcomes, integrates and accompanies", and to look at the "great apostle Barnabas".

Rafael Miner-December 2, 2021-Reading time: 8 minutes

The Holy Father has defined the apostolic journey to Cyprus and Greece as a "pilgrimage to the sources". It is the third this year (after Iraq and Budapest/Hungary and Slovakia), and follows in the footsteps of Benedict XVI (2010) and St. John Paul II (2001) in these lands. There are five days, until Monday 6, with nine speeches, two homilies and an Angelus. These are the numbers that mark this trip of the Pope to two countries with a large Orthodox majority and with waters to the Mediterranean, another great protagonist of this trip.

On the flight to Nicosia, the Pontiff told journalists: "It is a beautiful trip, but we will touch wounds". There was no need to speculate too much, because the Holy Father, before leaving Santa Marta, had greeted some refugees accompanied by Cardinal Konrad Krajewski. They were immigrants, now residing in Italy, from Syria, Congo, Somalia and Afghanistan, and had been in Lesbos, where the Pope will travel on Sunday. Some were brought to him by Francis himself in 2016.

After the official reception at the airport of Larnaca, even before the welcoming ceremony at the Presidential Palace in Nicosia, the first meeting of the Pope in Cyprus was with the Catholic community: priests, religious, deacons, catechists, associations and ecclesial movements, in the Maronite Cathedral of Our Lady of Grace.

Orthodox, brothers in the faith

We will now summarize Pope Francis' first message concerning the Apostle Barnabas. First, it is worth remembering that the Holy Father, a few days before his departure, communicated in a video message "the joy" of visiting "these magnificent lands, blessed by history, culture and the Gospel", in the footsteps of "great missionaries", such as "the apostles Paul and Barnabas".

"Pilgrimage to the sources," Francis advanced as a key. "The first is fraternity, 'so precious' in the context of the synodal journey. "There is a 'synodal grace,' an apostolic fraternity that I desire so much and with great respect: it is the expectation of visiting the beloved Blessed Chrysostomos and Ieronymos, Heads of the local Orthodox Churches. As a brother in the faith, I will have the grace to be received by you and to meet with you in the name of the Lord of Peace".

In fact, the Pope will visit His Beatitude Chrysostomos II, Orthodox Archbishop of Cyprus, this Friday in Nicosia at the Archbishop's Palace, followed by a meeting with the Holy Synod in the Orthodox Cathedral of Nicosia, to which Pope Francis will address a speech.

Already on Saturday, in the Hellenic country, the Pontiff will also greet His Beatitude Ieronymos II, Archbishop of Athens and of all Greece, at the Orthodox Archbishopric of Greece, where a meeting will take place in the Throne Hall of the Archbishopric, and the Pope will deliver another speech.

In the footsteps of the "great apostle Barnabas".

The "small Catholic flock", a minority in Cyprus and Greece, was the first to receive an embrace from the Pope, after the greeting of Cardinal Béchara Boutros Raï, Patriarch of Antioch of the Maronites, who referred to the echo of the millenary presence of the Maronites on the island. "Migration from Lebanon took place in the 8th century, long before the arrival of the Crusaders (1192)," he recalled.

"I am happy to be among you. I wish to express my gratitude to Cardinal Béchara Boutros Raï for the words he addressed to me and to greet with affection Patriarch Pierbattista Pizzaballa," the Pope began his address.

Thank you all for your ministry and service. [...]. "I share my joy in visiting this land, walking as a pilgrim in the footsteps of the great apostle Barnabas, son of this people, disciple in love with Jesus, intrepid proclaimer of the Gospel," he added. An apostle who "passing through the nascent Christian communities, saw how the grace of God was at work and rejoiced in it, exhorting 'all to remain united to the Lord with firmness of heart'".

"I come with the same desire," the Holy Father continued. "To see the grace of God at work in your Church and in your land, rejoicing with you for the wonders that the Lord works and exhorting you to persevere always, without tiring, without ever becoming discouraged. I look at you and see the richness of your diversity".

Francis greeted the Maronite Church, "which in the course of the centuries has arrived on the island on various occasions and which, often undergoing many trials, has persevered in the faith". And "also to the Latin Church, present here for millennia, which has seen the enthusiasm of the faith grow over time, together with her children, and which today, thanks to the presence of so many migrant brothers and sisters, presents itself as a 'multicolored' people, an authentic meeting place between different ethnic groups and cultures".

"Cultivate a patient gaze"

Pope Francis then wanted to "share something with you about St. Barnabas, your brother and patron, inspired by two words from his life and mission".

He then stressed: "We need to a patient Church. A Church that does not allow itself to be disturbed and disconcerted by the changes, but serenely welcomes the newness and discerns the situations in the light of the Gospel. On this island, the work you carry out in welcoming new brothers and sisters arriving from other parts of the world is precious. Like Barnabas, you too are called to cultivate a patient and attentive gaze, to be visible and credible signs of the patience of God who never leaves anyone away from home, deprived of his tender embrace".

"The Church in Cyprus has these open arms: she welcomes, integrates and accompanies. It is an important message also for the Church throughout Europe, marked by the crisis of faith," the Holy Father said. "It is no use being impulsive and aggressive, nostalgic or complaining, it is better to move forward reading the signs of the times and also the signs of the crisis. It is necessary to begin again and to proclaim the Gospel with patience, especially to the new generations."

Fraternity of Saints Barnabas and Paul

"In the story of Barnabas, there is a second important aspect that I would like to emphasize: his meeting with Paul of Tarsus and their fraternal friendship, which will lead them to live the mission together," the Pope said, recalling that Barnabas took St. Paul with him after his conversion, presented him to the community, told what had happened to him and vouched for him. And the Pope said: "It is an attitude of friendship and sharing of life. To 'take with oneself', 'to take upon oneself' means to take charge of the other's story, to take time to get to know him without labeling him, to carry him on one's shoulders when he is tired or wounded, as the Good Samaritan does".

"This is called brotherhood, and it is the second word. Barnabas and Paul, as brothers, traveled together to proclaim the Gospel, even in the midst of persecutions" and disagreements. "But Paul and Barnabas did not separate for personal reasons, but they were arguing about their ministry, about how to carry out the mission, and they had different visions," Francis noted.

"This is the fraternity in the Church, it is possible to discuss different visions, sensibilities and ideas. And to say things to each other's face with sincerity in certain cases helps, it is an occasion for growth and change. [...] We discuss, but we remain brothers".

And here comes the Pope's second invitation in his address to the Catholic community:

"Dear brothers and sisters, we need a fraternal Church to be an instrument of fraternity for the world. Here in Cyprus there are many spiritual and ecclesial sensibilities, various histories of origin, different rites and traditions; but we should not feel diversity as a threat against identity, nor should we be suspicious and worried about the respective spaces".

Message "to all of Europe".

"With your fraternity you can remind everyone, the whole of Europe, that to build a future worthy of man it is necessary to work together, overcome divisions, tear down walls and cultivate the dream of unity," the Pope said.

"We need to welcome and integrate, to walk together, to be brothers and sisters. I thank you for what you are and what you do, for the joy with which you proclaim the Gospel, for the fatigue and renunciation with which you support it and move it forward. This is the path traced out by the holy Apostles Paul and Barnabas".

The Holy Father's final exhortation was this: "I wish you always to be a patient Church, which discerns, accompanies and integrates; and a fraternal Church, which makes room for the other, which discusses but remains united. I bless you and please continue to pray for me. Efcharistó!"

Hospitality to migrants, not hostility

The first "source" of pilgrimage of the trip cited by the Pope in the video was fraternity. The second he referred to as constituting "the ancient source of Europe": Cyprus represents "a branch of the Holy Land on the continent", while "Greece is the home of classical culture". Europe, therefore, Francis stressed, "cannot do without the Mediterranean, a sea that has seen the spread of the Gospel" and the development of great civilizations." This is how the Pope puts it:

"The mare nostrum, which connects so many lands, invites us to sail together, not to divide ourselves by going our separate ways, especially in this period in which the fight against the pandemic continues to demand great commitment and the climate crisis looms over us. The sea, which welcomes many peoples, with its open ports reminds us that the sources of coexistence are in welcoming".

And immediately came the Pope's intense appeal not to forget migrants and refugees:

"I think of those who, in recent years and still today, flee from wars and poverty, who land on the coasts of the continent and elsewhere, and find not hospitality, but hostility and are even exploited. How many have lost their lives at sea! Today, the Mare Nostrum, the Mediterranean, is a great cemetery".

Lesbos, a challenge of humanity

The third source of the papal journey, in this line, will be humanity, and it will be visualized in Mytilene - Lesbos, where the Pope will go on the morning of Sunday, December 5, to meet with the refugees. This is what he did five years ago on the same island, and this is how the Pope recalled it:

"Pilgrim at the source of humanity, I will go again to Lesbos, with the conviction that the sources of life in common will only flourish again in fraternity and integration: together. There is no other way, and with this illusion I go to you".

Mediterranean, "an opportunity to meet".

The Pope's visit to Cyprus and Greece has been the subject of analysis and commentary by Vatican authorities and various experts. Among others, Cardinals Pietro Parolin, Secretary of State of the Holy See, and Kurt Koch, President of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity, or the analyst Nikos Tzoitis, stand out.

"Pope Francis will bring to Cyprus and Greece the joy of the Gospel and the light of hope, exhorting Europe and all humanity to unity and not to abandon those in need," said Cardinal Pietro Parolin, in an interview with Vatican media.

The Pope "feels like a pilgrim, a pilgrim to the origins of the Church. Let us remember that these countries were marked by apostolic itineraries of great importance, those that refer to the apostles Barnabas and Paul. It is a return to these origins, "rediscovering - he says - the joy of the Gospel", which is a theme that has run through the entire pontificate, beginning with the first document. The Pope, as always, entrusts his pilgrimage to prayer and asks for prayers from everyone".

As for the Mediterranean, which Francis mentions in his message, Cardinal Parolin emphasizes that "the Pope will bring the light and hope of Christ, and the exhortation that the Mediterranean should move from being a space that divides to being an opportunity for encounter".

"What should be the effort of all countries, of all peoples living around this basin, is to transform it from a space that divides into an opportunity for encounter. Unfortunately, today we are witnessing the opposite phenomenon: so many tensions at the geopolitical level that have the Mediterranean at their center and then the phenomenon of migration," he points out.

"We must sail together."

"The Pope says something very beautiful that takes up a bit the idea that he developed during the time of the pandemic," adds the Cardinal Secretary of State: "Specifically when he says: 'We are in one boat'... And now he says: 'We must sail together'. In my opinion, this invitation to sail together means: look, we face so many problems, we have emergencies, like those of the pandemic, from which we have not yet fully emerged, like those of climate change - we heard it in Glasgow these last few days - or we have chronic phenomena, like war, poverty, hunger... So, in the face of these great phenomena, these great problems and difficulties, we must present a united front, we must have a common, shared, multilateral approach. This is the only way to solve the problems of today's world", he assures.

With regard to Cyprus, which has seen the division of the two communities, Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot, Cardinal Parolin said that "it is a very, very delicate and worrying situation. I believe that the Pope will reiterate the position, the hope, the exhortation of the Holy See: that is, that the Cyprus problem can be resolved through a sincere and loyal dialogue between the parties involved, always taking into account the good of the whole island. It is, therefore, a confirmation of the Holy See's line, reiterating it in situThe hope is that it will have a different effect than proclaiming it from afar".

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Walking and maturing in Christian freedom. Letter to the Galatians (II)

The Pope's catechesis on the Letter to the Galatians occupied fifteen Wednesdays, from June 23 to November 10 of this year 2021. We now complete the presentation we made of the first five audiences in the September issue of Omnes.

Ramiro Pellitero-December 2, 2021-Reading time: 8 minutes

St. Paul opposes the "hypocrisy" (Gal 2:13). In Sacred Scripture there are examples where hypocrisy is combated, such as that of the old man Eleazar. And, above all, the appeals of Jesus to some Pharisees.

Love of truth, wisdom and fraternity 

"The hypocrite" -Francisco points out. "is a person who pretends, flatters and deceives because he lives with a mask on his face and does not have the courage to face the truth. Therefore, he is not capable of truly loving - a hypocrite does not know how to love -, he limits himself to living on selfishness and does not have the strength to show his heart with transparency". (General Audience 25-VIII-2021). 

Today we also have many situations in which hypocrisy can occur, at work, in politics and also in the Church: "To act contrary to the truth means to endanger the unity of the Church, for which the Lord himself prayed." (ibid.). Hypocrisy is one of the dangers of clinging to the formalism of preferring the old Law to the new Law of Christ. 

The apostle Paul wishes to warn the Galatians of these dangers into which they may fall and goes so far as to call them "foolish" (cf. Gal 3:1), that is, they are senseless. They are senseless, the Pope explains, because they cling to "a religiosity based solely on the scrupulous observance of precepts." (General Audience1-IX-2021), forgetting what justifies us: the gratuitousness of Jesus' redemption and that holiness comes from the Holy Spirit.

And so, Francis observes, St. Paul also invites us to reflect: how do we live the faith? Is Christ with his newness the center of our life or are we content with formalisms? And the Pope exhorts us: "Let us ask for the wisdom to always be aware of this reality and to expel the fundamentalists who propose to us a life of artificial asceticism, far from the resurrection of Christ. Asceticism is necessary, but wise asceticism, not artificial." (ibid.).

Christian wisdom is rooted in the new of Christian revelation. Through baptism, we are made children of God. Once we "faith has come" in Jesus Christ (Galatians 3:25), a radically new condition is created that immerses us in the divine filiation. The sonship of which Paul speaks is no longer the general one that involves all men and women as sons and daughters of the one Creator. The apostle affirms that faith makes it possible to be children of God. "in Christ" (v. 26). 

That is the "novelty": "Whoever accepts Christ in faith, through baptism is coated and filial dignity (cf. v. 27)".. And it is not a question of an external "putting on". In the Letter to the Romans, Paul will go so far as to say that, in baptism, we died with Christ and were buried with him in order to live with him (cf. 6:3-14). "How many receive it" -Francisco points out- They are profoundly transformed, in their innermost being, and possess a new life, which allows them to address God and invoke Him with the name 'Abba', that is to say, 'Abba', dad" (General Audience, 8-IX-2021).

It is, therefore, a new identity that transcends ethno-religious differences. Thus, among Christians, there is no longer Jew or Greek, slave or free, male and female (cf. Gal 3:28), but, in fact, there is only brothers. And this was revolutionary at the time and continues to be so. Christians," Francis proposes, "must first reject among ourselves the differences and discriminations that we so often make unconsciously, in order to make concrete and evident the call to the unity of the whole human race (cfr. Lumen gentium, 1).

In this way we see how the love of truth that the Christian faith proposes is transformed into wisdom and promotes fraternity among all people. 

Faith through works, freedom and openness to all cultures

In his catechesis of September 29, the Successor of Peter explained the meaning of the justification by faith and grace, as a consequence of the "God's merciful initiative that grants forgiveness." (Catechism of the Catholic Church, n. 1990). It is not we who are saved by our efforts or merits. It is Jesus who "justifies" us. That is, he makes us righteous or holy (for Scripture identifies God's righteousness and holiness).

But from this we must not conclude that for Paul the Mosaic Law no longer has any value; in fact, it remains an irrevocable gift of God. saint (Rom 7:12). Francis observes that it is also essential for our spiritual life to fulfill the commandments, but we cannot count on our own strength alone. grace of God that we receive from Christ: "From Him we receive that gratuitous love that allows us, at the same time, to love in a concrete way." (General Audience, 29-IX-2021).

In this way we can understand a statement of the Apostle James that could seem to be the opposite of what St. Paul says: "You see how a man is justified by works and not by faith alone [...] For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead." (James 2:24,26). 

This means that justification, which faith works in us, demands our correspondence with our works. This is why the teachings of the two apostles are complementary. From there, we must imitate God's style, which is one of closeness, compassion and tenderness: "The power of grace needs to be combined with our works of mercy, which we are called to live in order to manifest how great God's love is." (ibid.). 

Christian freedom is a gift that springs from the Cross: "Precisely where Jesus allowed himself to be nailed, where he became a slave, God placed the source of man's liberation. This never ceases to amaze us: that the place where we are stripped of all freedom, that is, death, can become the source of freedom." (General Audience, 6-X-2021). In complete freedom, Jesus gave himself up to death (cf. Jn 10:17-18) in order to obtain true life for us.

Therefore, Christian liberty is based on the truth of faith, It is not an abstract theory, but the reality of the living Christ, who illuminates the meaning of our personal life. Many people who have not studied or even know how to read and write, but have understood the message of Christ well, have that wisdom that sets them free.

This Christian path of truth and freedom, Francis points out, is a difficult and tiring path, but not impossible, because in it we are sustained by the love that comes from the cross, and that love reveals the truth to us, gives us freedom and, with it, happiness.

The following Wednesday Francis showed how the Christian faith, which St. Paul preached with a heart inflamed by the love of Christ, does not lead to renouncing the cultures or traditions of peoples, but rather to recognizing the seeds of truth and good that are contained in them, opening them to the universalism of faith and bringing them to their fullness. 

This is called inculturation of the Gospel: "To be able to announce the Good News of Christ the Savior while respecting what is good and true in cultures", although it is not easy, because of the temptation to impose one's own cultural model (General Audience, 13-X-2021). And its foundation is the Incarnation of the Son of God, who has united himself in a certain way with every man (cf. Gaudium et spes, n. 22).

That is why, Francis deduced, the name Catholic Church is not a sociological denomination to distinguish us from other Christians."Catholic is an adjective that means universal: catholicity, universality. Universal Church, meaning Catholic, means that the Church has in herself, in her very nature, openness to all peoples and cultures of all times, because Christ was born, died and rose again for all." (General Audience, ibíd.).

What does this mean in our present moment of technological culture? That the freedom granted to us by faith - he proposed - asks us to be on a constant journey, to "inculturate" the Gospel also in our digital culture. 

And so we see how the Christian faith, which lives in works, opens itself to cultures with the message of the Gospel, encourages dialogue among them and brings out the best in each one. 

Serving and maturing under the guidance of the Holy Spirit

Through baptism," the Pope insisted, "we are baptized. "we have passed from the slavery of fear and sin to the freedom of the children of God." (General Audience, 20-X-2021). But according to St. Paul, this freedom is in no way "a pretext for meat" (Gal 5:13): a libertine life that follows instinct and selfish impulses. On the contrary, the freedom of Jesus leads us, writes the Apostle, to be at the service of one another out of love.

In fact, it is worth noting that Christian freedom expresses the horizon and goal, the path and the very meaning of human freedom: service out of love; for we possess life only if we lose it (cf. Mk. 8:35). "This" -Francisco points out. "is pure Gospel". This is "the freedom test".

The Pope explains that there is no freedom without love. He warns what kind of love it is: "Not with intimate love, with soap opera love, not with the passion that seeks simply what suits us and pleases us, but with the love that we see in Christ, charity: that is the love that is truly free and liberating" (cf. Jn 13:15). A selfish freedom, without end or reference points," he adds, "would be an empty freedom. On the other hand, true freedom, full and concrete, always sets us free (cf. 1 Cor 10:23-24).

Freedom makes sense when we choose the true good for ourselves and others. "Only this freedom is full, concrete and gets us into the real life of every day. True freedom always frees us. (cf. 1 Cor 10:23-24). It is the freedom that leads us to the poor, recognizing in their faces the face of Christ (cf. Gal 2:10). It is not, as is sometimes said, the freedom that "ends where yours begins," but on the contrary: the freedom that opens us to others and to their interests, that grows when the freedom of others grows. 

Well, Francisco proposes: "Especially in this historical moment, we need to rediscover the communitarian, not individualistic, dimension of freedom: the pandemic has taught us that we need each other, but it is not enough to know it, we have to choose it every day concretely, to decide on that path.".

This is the way it is. Christian freedom is not a gift received once and for all, but requires our collaboration in order to unfold in a dynamic way. Freedom is born of God's love and grows in charity. 

Contrary to what St. Paul teaches - the Pope pointed out the following week -, today "many seek religious certainty rather than the living and true God, focusing on rituals and precepts rather than embracing the God of love with their whole being." This is the temptation of the new fundamentalists, which "they seek the security of God and not the God of security." (General Audience, 27-X-2021).

But only the Holy Spirit, who flows for us from the cross of Christ, can change our heart and guide it, with the power of love, in the spiritual combat (cf. Gal 5:19-21). The apostle opposes the "works of the flesh" (cf. Gal 5:19-21), the consequence of a behavior closed in worldly instincts, to the "fruits of the Spirit" (cf. Gal 5:22), which begin with love, peace and joy. 

Christian liberty, as St. Paul says to the Galatians, calls for walk according to the Holy Spirit (cf. 5:16.25). This," explained the Pope in the penultimate of his catecheses, "means letting oneself be guided by him, believing that God "is always stronger than our resistances and greater than our sins." (General Audience, 3-XI-2021).

The apostle uses the plural we to propose: "let us walk according to the Spirit".(v. 25). "How beautiful it is." -Francisco then points out. "when we meet shepherds who walk with their people and do not separate from them." (ibid.), who accompany him with meekness and solidarity. 

The Pope concludes his catechesis with an exhortation not to let ourselves be overcome by weariness, encouraging an attitude of realistic enthusiasm, knowing our limitations. 

For times of difficulty, two pieces of advice. First, in the expression of St. Augustine, "awakening to Christ" which sometimes seems to sleep in us as in the boat (cfr. Speeches 163, B 6): "We must awaken Christ in our hearts and only then will we be able to contemplate things with His gaze, because He sees beyond the storm. Through His serene gaze we can see a panorama that, alone, we cannot even imagine." (General Audience 10-XI-2021).

Second, we must not tire of invoking the Holy Spirit in prayer. "Come, Holy Spirit." as Mary and the disciples did. 

Thus, service out of love makes full freedom under the guidance of the Holy Spirit. And that freedom is accompanied by joy and maturity.

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Antonio López: "With the Crucified, Velázquez observed a body and made a God".

The well-known Spanish painter shared his memories, opinions and experiences at a dinner-colloquium organized by Omnes, which brought together a large group of people in the center of Madrid.

María José Atienza / Rafael Miner-December 1, 2021-Reading time: 5 minutes

Antonio López, master of Spanish realism, is one of the most recognized painters and sculptors of the Spanish artistic scene. He is a native of Tomelloso, where he was born in 1936. Together with friends, collaborators and those close to Omnes, he shared a dinner and a lively discussion last Friday in Madrid.

The meeting started with an introduction and welcome by Jorge Latorre, Professor of Art History at the Universidad Rey Juan Carlos de Madrid who, during the meeting, combined, in a natural way, the memories of the painter and the numerous questions from the audience.

"My uncle changed my life."

One of the most important names in Antonio López's life, as he himself explained, was his uncle, the painter Antonio López Torres, whom he defined as "a truly extraordinary painter". It would be López Torres who changed the course of the life of the boy from Tomelloso when "at the age of 13, he convinced my father and I came to Madrid to prepare to enter Fine Arts. At that time I was preparing to work in an office... That changed my life. After that, it is like being Mozart's nephew, it was the strength, the presence and the example that sustains you".

antonio lopez
Antonio López with Jorge Latorre

"I have arrived at my place."

The arrival in Madrid meant a radical change in the life of the painter who, at the age of 14, arrived in a big city "full of cars, with many priests" and where he began to paint to prepare for the entrance to Fine Arts. In Madrid "I met people who, like me, wanted to be painters or sculptors, and I met my family. I thought 'I've arrived at my place'.

The time in Madrid and the study of Fine Arts was, in López's words, "the most wonderful time of my life". In Madrid he met Mari, his wife, and was fascinated by the classical art that he painted and copied thanks to the reproductions that, at that time, could be seen in the Casón del Buen Retiro.

With a certain irony, the painter recalled that "although I knew very little about art, I had a great instinct to know who among my classmates knew the most. We didn't trust the teachers very much. We would have needed them to talk to us about modern art. When I started to know more, I realized that art was a mystery and how do you get in there, who gives you the key? The teachers, then, were not ready for that, they were overwhelmed by the times. There was no Picasso, Paul Klee, Chagall... That's what we dreamed of.

I realized that art was a mystery, and how do you get in there, who gives you the key?

Antonio López. Painter

"For me, for example, I had no trouble understanding modern art, but it was very difficult for me to understand Velázquez, or the great Spanish art of the Baroque. When I understood modern art I understood the art of the Prado Museum, not the other way around. That's why I think that in fine arts schools you have to teach first what is done in the moment in which you live".

antonio lopez
General view of the meeting

Before the gift received, give thanks

The varied questions from the audience were an opportunity for the painter to share his memories, reflections and opinions on pictorial trends, the role of the artist, the importance of the spectator and his experiences of faith through art.

In response to a question about expressionism or the image of the "tormented artist", Antonio Lopez said that "the cliché that artists are sad people is horrifying, we have to say no. I think other people live worse than we do, because artists are motivated by a job we like. I think other people live worse than we do, because we artists are motivated by a job we like. If you can live from it, of course. I see the news and I get scared. I think life is worse than art. Art seems to me a beauty for life". In this sense, he stressed that "I have experienced art as a liberation. The one who starts with the will to learn finds the best of life. I think it is a torture in the case of the painter, musician, filmmaker..., who does not find an audience, but sometimes what I see in the faculty or in the workshops are people who are there wrong and should not be there".

Antonio López also wanted to remind us that you have to have the strength to dedicate yourself to the artistic field because "in art everyone has doubts, but now, painters, for example, have the freedom to do what they like. Until Goya, painters used to make commissions, they lived depending on the commissions. Not now. Before the artist was a servant of society, now also, but the first step is taken by him".

If it is a matter of transmitting what is religious, what is necessary is to feel it. If you feel it, you transmit it.

Antonio López. Painter

"I am a man of faith"

"I am a man of faith," Antonio López repeated on several occasions. In this sense, he spoke of his visits to the Prado and the contemplation of that "great religious art" that he found difficult to understand. When asked about a painting that reflected his faith, Antonio López stated categorically: "The Crucified Christ by Velázquez". This work, he stressed, "wonderfully reflects religious art. I think there is no other figure of Christ crucified at that level. So immense, so real and so supernatural. Velázquez looked at a body and I don't know what he did, but he made a God. It is a miracle.

The painter wanted to point out, in this area, that religious art has to lead to prayer, that is why he admires "popular art, the carvings of the virgins: the Rocío, the Macarena... Those dressed virgins that the people decorate and put jewels on them, all that seems subjugating to me because it is not distracted in making art. He goes directly to the religious and he gets it right. If you try to transmit the religious, what you need is to feel it. If you feel it, you transmit it. Velázquez achieves it in this Christ in an impressive way".

Emotion has created art

Who creates art? Art historian Ernst Gombrich said that art does not exist but artists do. Antonio Lopez defends something similar when he emphasizes that the creator of art is emotion: "when I am in the Puerta del Sol painting, it is expected of me, and I hope, that there is something more than a reproduction of the Puerta del Sol, because for that we have a photo". That more, said Lopez, is "to capture the emotion, the important thing is the emotion. Emotion is what justifies art. Once the emotion is there, language doesn't matter." "Emotion is what created art. I believe that the painters of Altamira made those paintings because something in nature caught their attention... and it is not the emotion of the painter but the emotion of the beholder."

When I am at the Puerta del Sol painting, I am expected, and I hope, that there is more than just a reproduction of the Puerta del Sol.

Antonio López. Painter

"Art has arisen from a need of man, like religion, I believe they go together. My starting point is precision. I measure things so that the proportion is exact... at the beginning I do things as a craftsman and then there comes a moment when it is the painting that speaks, that makes it have something that photography does not have, something that belongs to me. If it doesn't have that, it will be a display of skill but it is not an art that transmits emotions, like the great art from Bach to flamenco".

antonio lopez
Antonio Lopez

The dinner, which continued throughout the evening, culminated with the presentation of the Omnes multiplatform project to those present and a few words from Jorge Beltrán, member of the board of trustees, as well as a small raffle.

As is well known, the launch of omnesmag.comThe first of the year, the information and analysis portal on the Church, was launched by the Roman Academic Center Foundation (CARF). In addition, the Omnes magazine continues its monthly publication, along with various forums and thematic meetings with personalities from different disciplines, and the publication of periodic newsletters, such as The Compass.

The authorMaría José Atienza / Rafael Miner

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Spain

Ages of Man, Hakuna and Laura Daniele, Bravo Awards 2021

These awards, granted by the Episcopal Commission for Social Communications of the Spanish Episcopal Conference, are given each year to people and projects that stand out for their "service to human dignity, human rights or evangelical values".

Maria José Atienza-December 1, 2021-Reading time: < 1 minute

The Jury designated by the Episcopal Commission for Social Communications (CECS) and constituted in Madrid on December 1, 2021 has granted the "Bravo Awards!" awarded annually by this Commission.

With these awards is recognized "on the part of the Church, the work meritorious of all those who communication professionals in the various mediathat have been distinguished by the service to the dignity of man, human rights or gospel values"(Standards, art. 2).

In the long history of these awards, personalities such as the journalist Luis del Val, the singer Rozalén, the film director Pablo Moreno or diocesan delegations of media such as that of Córdoba.

In this edition, the awardees are the following:

Award Bravo! Special: Ages of Man Foundation on its 25th Anniversary.

Award Bravo! from Press: Laura Daniele.

Award Bravo! from Radio: Eva Fernandez.

Award Bravo! for Television: Vicente Vallés.

Award Bravo! of CinemaJosé Luis López Linares for the film "Spain, the first globalization"..

Award Bravo! in Digital Communicationby: "Asking you questions" by CEU Media.

Award Bravo! for Music: Hakuna Group Music.

Award Bravo! for Advertising: Juegaterapia Foundation for its "Disney Princesses" campaign for children with cancer.

Award Bravo! in Diocesan CommunicationSantiago Ruiz Gómez, of the Diocese of Calahorra and La Calzada-Logroño.

The award ceremony The Bravo! Awards Ceremony will take place at the headquarters of the Episcopal Conference on the following day. May 26, 2022The event will take place on Sunday, May 29, prior to the Solemnity of the Ascension of the Lord, the 56th World Communications Day.

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"Martyrdom cannot be sought as a life project."

On the occasion of the death of Brother Jean-Pierre Schumacher, we recall the interview that Miguel Perez Pichel conducted with the last survivor of Tibhirine. This Cistercian, who died at the age of 97 on November 21, recalled the days of persecution and kidnapping in 1996, which led to the martyrdom of his 7 companions.

Miguel Pérez Pichel-December 1, 2021-Reading time: 9 minutes

On March 27, 1996, a group of terrorists allegedly linked to the Armed Islamic Group kidnapped and subsequently murdered seven monks from the Tibhirine monastery in Algeria. The events were narrated in the film Of gods and menwhich achieved great notoriety a few years ago. One of the survivors was Father Jean-Pierre Schumacher, who sees in the example of his murdered brothers a testimony of friendship towards Islam and forgiveness towards their kidnappers.

The father Jean-Pierre Schumacher was one of the survivors of the kidnapping and subsequent murder of the Cistercian monks of the Tibhirine Monastery (Algeria) in 1996. He is currently 89 years old and lives in the monastery of Notre-Dame de l'Atlas. Kasbah Myriemin the Moroccan town of Midelt. During a conversation with Palabra, he recalls those events and reflects on martyrdom and monasticism.

What does it mean to be a Christian monk in a Muslim-majority country?

To be a monk in a Muslim country is to have a Christian presence in these lands in the name of Jesus and the Church. A presence through which we do not seek any satisfaction beyond allowing ourselves to be inhabited by Him, and to participate in the best of the lives of the people who have welcomed us, as much as the Cistercian contemplative vocation allows us. In this way we become part of their lives, we share their worries and their hopes, their needs and their joys, their sufferings. Therefore, it is a gratuitous presence in which we receive everything through prayer. This desire to live with the people of this place leads us to learn their language, to know their cultural heritage and to make the most of the material resources at our disposal according to our possibilities.

-How is life in the monastery?

Life in the monastery is structured in three areas of activities: on the one hand, the Divine Office and daily Eucharist, as well as time for individual prayer; secondly, the reading of the sacred texts during times of rest; and finally the work that each religious has been assigned according to his or her aptitudes: administration, relations with suppliers and public authorities, liturgy, welcoming visitors and people who come for spiritual exercises, accounting, and so on. We dedicate eight hours a day to each of these three activities.

-How long have you been a monk?

I entered the Abbey of Notre Dame de Timadeuc (Brittany, France) in 1957. I made my solemn profession on August 20, 1960, the Solemnity of St. Bernard.

I had felt called to the monastic life during my novitiate with the Marist Fathers in 1948. This intimate call continued during my studies of philosophy and theology at the seminary of the Marist Fathers in Lyon, and also later, during the four years that I served as an educator at the vocation center for young aspirants to the priesthood of Saint Brieucin Brittany. It was then that, in agreement with my superiors, I made the decision to enter the abbey of Timadeuc. When I arrived there, in October 1957, I did so with the intention of spending the rest of my life with the brothers participating in community life, which is, according to the Benedictine rule followed by the Cistercian order, a "school of divine service". Therefore he had no other pretension than to learn to love God. I could not imagine at all that divine providence had other ways for me. As the proverb says, "man proposes and God disposes".

-When did you arrive at the Tibhirine monastery?

It was September 19, 1964. I was part of a group of three religious appointed by the community of Timadeuc to respond to an urgent request from Cardinal Duval, Archbishop of Algiers, to maintain the small monastery of Tibhirine, which was about to close. The archbishop wished that, despite the massive departure of Europeans and Christians at the end of the Algerian war of 1962, the Church would remain in place, and at the same time offer a new face: that of a Church at the service of all Algerians, whatever their religion. The monastery, according to the cardinal's thinking, should have its own space. I liked the direction my life would thus take: while maintaining its monastic character, it took on the face of a Christian presence in the midst of the Muslim community. It was necessary to discover, through the spirit of the Second Vatican Council, the most suitable mode of presence.

The small group from Timadeuc was not alone. A group of four monks sent by the monastery of Aiguebelle (Rhone) joined us. Then two other monks arrived from the abbey of Citeaux (Burgundy), including Father Etienne Roche, who became our first prior. Upon our arrival we met three monks from the old community established there. Among them was Father Amédée. Thus began the Tibhirine adventure; or rather, it "restarted" but with a new face. An adventure that lasted 32 years, from 1964 to 1996.

-What was life like in the Tibhirine monastery?

The rhythm of the daily routine was as I have explained above. There was also a particular relationship with the neighbors of the small village of Tibhirine: it was necessary a process of inculturation, of discovering each other with our differences of language, culture, religion and nationality. We managed to be accepted as Christian monks through joint activities, such as work in the garden or medical care for the poor and sick in Brother Luc's clinic inside the monastery. There was also the retreat house, monastic prayer for religious and priests, in which lay people also participated, and, later, the biannual meetings with Sufi Muslims. Through all these activities we were interested in the life, concerns and joys of the people. In short: as Father Charles de Foucauld pointed out, the witness to the Gospel was realized more by our way of being and doing than by our words.

The term "conversion" implies "converting" ourselves, rather than trying to convert others. The purpose of our presence there was to live for the people of Tibhirine, to share their experiences, to cultivate their friendship, to walk together towards God in coexistence, respecting the religious and cultural identity of our neighbors and identifying with them, accepting as our own the diversity of religion or nationality.

-When did the problems start?

The situation became difficult and dangerous when the Algerian government interrupted the electoral process when it perceived that the Islamic Salvation Front (FIS) could take control of the country. The FIS then took to the bush and began guerrilla activity. Those were the black years, between 1993 and 1996.

-Why did you decide to stay in Tibhirine despite the danger?

First of all, it seemed to us totally wrong to opt for a solution that would imply withdrawing to a place free from danger, as the authorities of the French embassy in Algeria and the governor of Médéa (the province to which Tibhirine belongs) were asking us to do, while the local population, our neighbors, did not have the option of leaving to escape the violence. Moreover, our presence gave them security.

The second reason is linked to our vocation. We were sent by the Lord to ensure a Christian presence among the Muslims. To flee under the pretext of danger seemed to us to be a serious breach of trust in the Lord: it would have been like doubting that He had really sent us.

-What happened the night of the kidnapping?

The kidnapping of the monks took place during the night of March 26-27, 1996, between 1:00 and 1:30 in the morning. A group claiming to belong to the Armed Islamic Group (GIA) had entered the monastery grounds by jumping over the wall, and then entered the building through the back door that connects the garden with the basement. They first detained the monastery guard, a young family man, and forced him to lead them into the prior's office, and then into the room of Brother Luc, the doctor.

Father Amédée looked through the keyhole in the lock of his door and saw two of the kidnappers in the room to which his cell overlooked and who were shuffling around. They did not try to enter the cell, for they saw that the door was locked. That was how Amédée escaped from the kidnapping. Then they went up to the second floor and took prisoner the five monks who slept there. In the guesthouse, adjacent to that floor, there were some guests who had arrived the night before. One of them, intrigued by the complaints of the fathers, wanted to find out what was going on. He left his room and met the monastery guard, who discreetly warned him of the danger and told him to leave. In the meantime, the kidnappers removed the monks from their rooms, but did not enter the area where the guests were.

I, being the porter, slept in the monastery porter's lodge. The assailants, led by the guard directly to the second floor, did not try to enter the porter's lodge and, as soon as they got hold of the seven monks, they left the place believing that they had already caught the whole community. Father Amédée and I were still there, but they did not know we were there. For the same reason, we also did not witness how they took our brothers out of the building. They probably did it through the back door of the cloister.

Shortly after leaving his cell, Father Amédée first noticed the disappearance of Brother Luc and Father Christian, our prior. Then he went up to the second floor and saw that the other monks had also disappeared. On his way back to the first floor, he called me - I was still in the porter's lodge - to tell me what had happened. "Do you know what happened?"he told me; "our brothers have been kidnapped. We are alone.".

The Pope kisses the hands ofJean-Pierre Schumacher at a meeting in Rabat Cathedral in March 2019. (CNS photo/Vatican Media)

-What did they do next?

Father Amédée, two priests staying at the guesthouse and I decided to pray Vespers. Then, when the curfew was lifted at sunrise, we sent all our guests to Algiers. Then I went with Father Thierry Becker - one of our guests - to Draâ-Esmar to report the events to the military in charge of local security, and then to Médeá to warn the gendarmerie. We did not manage to warn them first by telephone, because all the lines had been destroyed by the kidnappers. On our way back to the monastery we met a group of military security who interrogated the guard and Father Amédée. Father Amédée, Father Thierry Becker and I were then forced to spend the night in a hotel in the village.

Finally, we were transferred to the diocesan house in Algiers. We prayed to the Lord for our confreres, that He would give them sufficient strength and union with Him so that they could remain faithful to their vocation, come what may. On May 27, we were informed of his death by means of a cassette of the GIA addressed to the French government. We have the intimate certainty that they gave their lives in perfect offering to the Lord, as stated in Father Christian's will.

-What did you and Father Amédée feel when you found yourselves alone after the kidnapping?

We were shocked, even though we knew that, in that context of violence, something like this could happen at any moment. We did not want to die martyrs. Our vocation remained to remain among the Muslims and among our Algerian friends, for better or for worse.

-Why do you think God did not call you to martyrdom, like the other monks?

The life of each religious is dedicated to the Lord according to his religious profession. Each one of us has to ask himself that question, and find the answer that the Spirit suggests to him. It was not the time to think about it. We had to get down to work to face the new situation: as far as possible, not to lower our guard in the face of what happened to our confreres, and to ask ourselves what the Lord wanted of us for the future.

-What do you think of the terrorists who murdered the monks?

We still do not know who killed the monks and why. The investigations have not yet provided definitive data. However, I think the exact answer to your question should be based on Father Christian's will: "And to you too, friend of the last instant, who will not know what you are doing, yes, because also for you I want to say this thank you and this 'a-god' in whose face I contemplate you. And may it be given to us to meet again, thieves filled with joy, in paradise, if it so pleases God, our Father, Father of us both. Amen.".

-What is the point of dying a martyr today?

It seems to me that martyrdom is not something that can be sought as a life project that one offers oneself. To be a martyr means to be a witness. The term is often used for anyone who remains faithful to the Lord, who neither fears nor hesitates to bear very painful affronts, and even to expose one's life if necessary. Martyrdom is something that happens without being chosen for oneself, but in which we freely engage out of loyalty. It requires the grace of God.

-Are you homesick for Tibhirine?

I continue to show my love and best wishes to my friends in Tibhirine. I keep in touch with them via phone and email. In any case, I believe that a feeling of homesickness is not appropriate; it is unnecessary and unhealthy. We should be body and soul where the Lord wants us to be. While it is true that, from the very beginning, when we started in Morocco, we have looked with hope at the possibility of resettling in Algeria as soon as circumstances permit.

The authorMiguel Pérez Pichel

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Sunday Readings

The word of God enters history. Readings for the Second Sunday of Advent

Andrea Mardegan comments on the readings for the Second Sunday of Advent and Luis Herrera offers a short video homily. 

Andrea Mardegan-December 1, 2021-Reading time: 2 minutes

In the first words after the Gospel of the infancy of Jesus and John, Luke follows a frequent custom in the prophetic books of the Old Testament and begins by quoting the civil and religious authorities of the time when the word of God "befalls" John.

Like Isaiah, Jeremiah, Baruch, Ezekiel, Hosea, Amos and others, who begin their book by defining the historical time in which the word of God was manifested to them. This means that the Word of God enters history to save it, and its event is historically verifiable. Luke also reveals in this way that he wants to present John as a prophet sent by God. Already in the passages dedicated to the infancy of Jesus and John, Luke had accustomed us to this structure: historical situation and the word of God that arrives. "In the time of Herod, king of Judea." says Luke, the word of God, brought directly by the angel Gabriel, came to Zechariah and then to Mary of Nazareth. He introduces the birth of Jesus by quoting the decree of Caesar Augustus about the census issued "in those days", and that "was made when Quirino was governor of Syria". 

Human history and the Word of God are intertwined, and the Word of God who becomes man in the womb of Mary enters history in a completely new and hitherto unimaginable way. The names of the authorities are seven, five civil and military and two religious. A number that in the Bible recalls the fullness. Luke lets us understand that all the authorities of every type and of every epoch, and all human history, will be inhabited in a new way and forever by the word of God, with extraordinary force and efficacy. "Every valley shall be filled in, every mountain and hill shall be made level; the crooked shall be made straight, and the inaccessible shall be made level." 

We remember the words of Jesus who defines John as "the greatest among those born of women", but also adds: "The least in the Kingdom of Heaven is greater than he." We too are in this littleness. Let us remember, then, the prophetic dimension of our Christian vocation. We recognize that it is God's initiative, and that his word received provokes as a consequence: to go, to act and to speak. It is the same process that occurs in Mary and, with more difficulty, in Zechariah. They receive the word and act, and then they prophesy. This is what happens at baptism and throughout the Christian life. To make it easier for us to listen to the word, we are called to reproduce the desert of John: silence, listening, distancing ourselves from the things that shout and do not allow us to listen to God who speaks and sends us in his name. And let us allow his word to take us wherever he wants us to go.

Homily on the readings for the Second Sunday of Advent

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

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ColumnistsMontserrat Gas Aixendri

Family and ideologies

The reading of "Feria", Ana Iris Simón's first work, confirms something that today many do not want to hear: that the family is not the patrimony of any ideology.

December 1, 2021-Reading time: 2 minutes

I have just read Fairthe first book of Ana Iris Simón. The work transpires the reasonableness that distinguishes what is permanent and common to all human beings, and that is part of the authentic wisdom of the people, with which -like so many others- I have felt identified. I celebrate the success it is having and sincerely congratulate the author for this suggestive invitation to rethink about the things that are really worthwhile, about progress.

Prominent members of progressivism have shouted out loud, for daring the author -a militant left-wing- to offer a sincere and endearing account of the family, an institution that is avowedly right-wing. Those who preach tolerance the most do not seem to be able to accept that someone who is a militant in their ranks deviates from the dictates of what they believe in. politically correct on such a fundamental issue.

According to the speech progressiveThe family is the consecration of heteropatriarchy, which must be demolished for the sake of an egalitarianism that eliminates difference; and of the emancipation of the individual. Some - at least in theory - would like the first human community to be a contract between asexual and autonomous individuals. Unfortunately, some of the fruits of this approach are already more than evident: loneliness and precariousness, not only economically, but above all emotionally. 

The author wonders if it is really progress renounce the authentic values of family relationships, such as lasting and unconditional love, or motherhood and fatherhood. I liked this book above all because it confirms something that many people today do not want to hear: that the family is not the patrimony of any ideology.

Ortega said that "to be of the left is, like being of the right, one of the infinite ways that man can choose to be an imbecile". These forms of "moral hemiplegia," show the inability to think in a way that is extensive and realistic, beyond the filters of ideology, analogous to the person who suffers from motor paralysis in half of his body. It is therefore time to put an end to ideologies, which stiffen and immobilize ideas and, above all, obscure our view of reality.

Family - whether it works better or worse - is what we all have in common. We all come from a family, which is our network of support and mutual care. Family love is the most democratic and egalitarian, since it is essentially a love without preferences. In the words of Fabrice Hadjadj, the family is the community of origin, given by nature and not only established by convention. That is why it is in the family that the most authentic freedom is lived: the freedom to consent and to want what is given to us. The family is what always remains with us, even if we fail in any other area of our life. It is the place to which we can always return.

Not having a family is the only true uprooting. We all have a desire for family, including -although they do not want to recognize it- those who suffer from this sad moral hemiplegiaand insist on putting ideology above evidence.

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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ColumnistsAntonio Moreno

The parties, in their own time

Feasts are an essential part of humanity and it is even a commandment to sanctify them. We are not made only to work and lament for living in this valley of tears, we are made for heaven, for the great celestial banquet.

December 1, 2021-Reading time: 2 minutes
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Four months ago, when I was enjoying my summer vacation, the radio, TV, print and digital press reminded me every day that I could already buy a Christmas lottery number because: "What if it comes here, in my summer vacation spot?

Three months ago, when I had not yet had time to put away my bathing suit, the bakery in my neighborhood began to display in its windows the typical Christmas sweets: mantecados, polvorones, roscos de vino...

Two months ago, when here in Malaga, my city, we were still wearing short sleeves, the first workers began to install Christmas trees, decorations and lights in the main streets and squares of the capital.

A month ago, when we went to the cemeteries to honor the deceased as is traditional, the campaign of the shopping malls with special offers for Christmas time began.

We are looking forward to Christmas, and that's great, but if we anticipate it so much, when it finally arrives, what we want is for it to be over as soon as possible.

To avoid Christmas fatigue, and to really live these holidays, I impose at home the rule of zero traditions until the first Sunday of Advent. Once that limit has been crossed, the ban on sweets, visits to the center to see the lighting, the first suggestions for letters to the kings, etc., gradually opens.

And no, I am not going to go into the hackneyed discourse that Christmas has been commercialized and that it is the holiday of consumerism, because I am not ashamed to say that I, at Christmas, consume much more than at any other time of the year. Of course I do!

Of course consumption is not the meaning of Christmas, of course the Nativity of the Lord brings us a message of closeness to the poor, of simplicity, and of course there is nothing further from charity than squandering when others are in need, but beware of falling into puritanism.

Feasts are an essential part of humanity and it is even a commandment to sanctify them. We are not only made to work and lament for living in this valley of tears, we are made for heaven, for the great celestial banquet. Eating something that we can only afford from time to time, giving a gift that we know someone else is looking forward to, or entertaining family and friends with the best we have are ways of living our faith in a festive spirit, because the bridegroom is with us. The days of fasting and penance will come, but Christmas?

As a good son of the Mediterranean culture, Jesus was very much given to feasting and, for this reason, was much criticized; he was branded as an eater, a drinker and a spendthrift. And this is precisely the mystery of the Incarnation that we are going to celebrate: that God becomes man just like you and me, that he enjoys the same things as you and me, that he eats, drinks, laughs, sings... A God who does not live in the clouds, but who comes at Christmas to sit at our table. Are we going to put a little lettuce so that he does not get indigestion?

As a recommendation for this Advent season, the film that Pope Francis quotes in Amoris Laetitia: "Babette's Feast" (PrimeVideo). It will help us to see the importance that we Catholics give to the feast. Because now, yes, it is time to prepare for the feast.

The authorAntonio Moreno

Journalist. Graduate in Communication Sciences and Bachelor in Religious Sciences. He works in the Diocesan Delegation of Media in Malaga. His numerous "threads" on Twitter about faith and daily life have a great popularity.

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Freedom and commitment, keys to the contemporary world

The 10th St. Josemaría Symposium, held in Jaén on November 19-20, dealt with the relationship between freedom and commitment. Politicians, thinkers, influencers, theologians and religious gathered to reflect on these aspects of St. Josemaría's teachings in today's society.

David Fernández Alonso-November 30, 2021-Reading time: 10 minutes
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"Freedom and commitment are two inextricably linked concepts, as long as we understand the meaning of freedom correctly.". Thus began the former Minister of the Interior, former MEP and now Promoter of the European Federation. One of UsJaime Mayor Oreja, in his address at the inaugural conference of the 10th St. Josemaría Symposium, which was held in Jaén on November 19 and 20. Freedom and commitment. 

The St. Josemaría International Symposium is a meeting that aims to reflect on the teachings of St. Josemaría in today's world. It has been held every two years since 2002, with themes such as education, coexistence, the family and freedom. The Symposium is organized by the Catalina Mir Foundation, a non-profit organization that promotes welfare and orientation activities for families and young people in formation. It promotes social volunteering and development in Third World countries. It is inspired by the ethical values of Christian civilization. This year, as in previous editions, it was attended by a large number of young people.

The list of speakers at the Symposium was wide and varied, including prominent names, in addition to former Minister Mayor Oreja, such as philosopher Jose Maria Torralba; Professor Rafael Palomino; Isabel Rojas, psychologist and psychotherapist; Juan Jolín, priest in charge of caring for COVID patients during the pandemic at IFEMA; Rosa María Aguilar Puiggrós, coordinator of the Fundación Aprender a Mirar; Víctor Petuya, president of the Fundación Aprender a Mirar; and Víctor Petuya, president of the Fundación Aprender a Mirar, among others. European Parents AssociationHarouna Garba, migrant from Togo; Toñi Rodríguez, auxiliary numerary member of Opus Dei; Joaquín Echeverría, father of Ignacio Echeverría; Enrique Muñiz and Jesús Gil, authors of the book Let Jesus alone shine; and Javier López Díaz, Director of the St. Josemaría Chair from 2013 to 2019 at the Pontifical University of the Holy Cross.

At the same time, a program was held exclusively for young people, titled Millennials of faith. Among the speakers were, among others, the engaged couple Marieta Moreno González-Páramo and Iñigo Álvarez Tornos, Pietro Ditano, Carla Restoy, Teresa Palomar, or Mother Verónica Berzosa, founder of Iesu Communio. 

The truth shall set you free

Mayor Oreja spun his speech using two antagonistic expressions, as a proposal to define two ways of understanding freedom: the first one is the evangelical sentence ".the truth shall set you free". The second is the misrepresentation of this aphorism, "freedom will make you true". It is about "two attitudes of life that confront each other in the main debate before us today". Consider that freedom makes us true ".constitutes a lie". What's more, living like this, thinking that doing what you "do" is the best thing you can do.It approaches selfishness, caprice, superficiality, materialism and banality. It constitutes the expression of moral relativism. That is, nothingness. It leads to believe in nothing or almost nothing. And in this way it has become the dominant fashion."said the former minister. 

However, "embrace the evangelical saying the truth shall set you freewill mean a profound and total change in life."Mayor wanted to emphasize. Even so, he considers that the current dominant fashion is based more on the misrepresented sentence than on the evangelical saying. For this reason, "we have to ask ourselves why this prevalence of lies over truth, especially in recent times. We have not known how to manage our improvement in material well-being. We have gone from the prestige of truth to resentment towards it. The dominant fashion has transformed the hierarchy of values.". 

Consequently, the former MEP recalled that years ago we used to point out those who did not have a foundation as a "no-foundationsand now it is labeled as "...".fundamentalistsThe "I am not a "I" but a "I", a "I", a "I", a "I", a "I", a "I", a "I", a "I", a "I", a "I", a "I", a "I", a "I", a "I", a "I". 

The mayor of Jaén, Julio Millán; the former minister Jaime Mayor Oreja; and the president of the Catalina Mir Foundation, Daniel Martínez Apesteguía.

A crisis of civilization

The crisis in Western society, said Mayor, ".it is not a political or economic crisis; it is a crisis of civilization, a crisis of truth, a crisis of foundations, a crisis of conscience.". It is therefore that "when this crisis penetrates the individual, the result is a society presided over by social disorder, which is the main characteristic of current Spanish and European politics and society.". 

Therefore, the speaker continued, "We all have an obligation to seek the truth, but those of us who do not hide our faith have a higher degree of obligation than others, because we believe in an absolute truth. This fact of our faith does not constitute a reason for a supposed and absurd moral superiority or of any kind. What it does mean is a greater degree of obligation and service to our society as a whole.". Therefore, it is an obligation for the Christian "not to remain on the surface of the facts, without knowing anything about what is really going on in our society.". 

A unique moment in history

"We do not live at any time in Western society", Mayor Oreja assured. "After the political and social fracture that the United States is undergoing, many are trying to replace in Europe an order based on Christian foundations with a social disorder.". He stressed that this is the main challenge facing Christians in today's society. A challenge that faces a "accelerated cultural offensive that began some time ago, which has accelerated in the last decade.". A cultural process that in legislation began by legitimizing abortion, he assured. Paraphrasing the Spanish thinker and philosopher Julián Marías, "it is a cultural process that in legislation began by legitimizing abortion.has been the most serious thing that has happened in the 20th century: the social acceptance of abortion, even to the point of believing that it is an advance and not a regression to the darkest forms of history such as torture or slavery.". Abortion, therefore, would constitute "the first expression of evil in this process. After a few years came the sophistication of evil, in a second phase, more difficult to combat: gender ideology. And in a third moment, the socialization of evil: euthanasia. Which means the expansion and extension of the culture of death.". 

This crisis of fundamentals, Mayor Oreja concluded, is based on another crisis. It is a "crisis of faith". "Disregard for the spiritual and religious dimension of the individual and of society"he continued. Therefore, it is necessary to combat this "unhealthy obsession that persecutes us against the Christian foundations of Europe and against the culture of life.". "The most important debate in Europe will take place, in the face of the advance of relativism, between relativism and Christian fundamentals. Between those who believe in nothing or almost nothing and those who try to believe, even if they call us fundamentalists. Neither Europe nor Spain will regenerate by despising its spiritual dimension. They will not regenerate with a vengeance against the foundations that have been the core of our civilization.". On the contrary, he concluded, "we have to search for the truth. We want to confirm that the truth will set us free, from the authenticity of our convictions, of our foundations. And above all from commitment. Freedom and commitment". 

Freedom as pilgrims or as wanderers

The relationship between freedom and commitment were the framework themes of the conference held in Jaén on November 19-20. "Teaching how to live freedom today is the greatest challenge of education."said Professor Josemaría Torralba in one of the main lectures. 

Professor Torralba explained that "freedom can be understood as the view of a 'pilgrim', one who walks through life from one origin, leaving his home and going to another place, to a goal, another home that awaits him. The pilgrim knows where he comes from and knows where he is going. Therefore, for him, freedom is the ability to reach the goal he has set for himself. On the other hand, the other way of going through life is that of the 'wanderer'; the one who goes from one place to another without any end, and has no home. The wanderer understands freedom as simply deciding things without a clear end, without a goal, without orientation. He goes through life without clear direction". 

The professor assured that nowadays it is more and more frequent to find this thought about freedom. The fact of being able to live without ties, "the ties offered by a home, bonds, a family".

Precisely these links, "the commitment"said Josemaría Torralba, ".is a path to freedom". Commitment, therefore, is not something that simply limits us. "Commitment allows us to achieve goods, such as friendship or family.". "And you could say", he continued, "that through commitments we acquire a realized freedom. One gets to make freedom real". The professor of ethics considered that we live in a society where it seems that freedom is achieved as soon as it does not limit one's own life, that which consists in not acquiring commitments. However, "this is a fallacy, a deception, a delusion, a mirage.". On the other hand, "It could be said that the person who has known how to make a good commitment is freer. He has known how to choose the commitments that are worthwhile. Friendship, love, family, society, religion, etc.". 

Torralba reasoned that "today, this ability to direct one's own life produces a certain sense of unease.". A feeling that is given because "it is not easy to find one's way around among so many options". He asserted that the solution lies in discovering that freedom is not reduced to autonomy. "We need to learn to walk through life as pilgrims, who have a home and know where they are going. And not as wanderers, who think they are free because they are unattached, but in reality they are not.". 

Feeling at home in the world

The philosopher used a very illustrative image to consider the true meaning of freedom: "Freedom in the full sense could be defined with this image, feeling at home in the world.". Feeling at home because you "fits into the circumstances of one's own life. The ones you have chosen, but also the ones that have come about". "The greatness of freedom is to know how not to let oneself be conditioned by the difficult circumstances that arise in life, but to overcome them.". 

It is common to associate the dominant relativism with freedom. The speaker conveyed the idea that freedom makes us capable of the lowest, but also, and this is the important and valuable point, freedom makes us capable of the highest and noblest. Therefore, "without freedom there would be no love". And so, in its deepest meaning, "...".To love is to give and share life with another person. It is the most valuable thing we have. It is the ultimate answer to why we have freedom. We are free to be able to love. Today it is more necessary than ever to vindicate freedom.". 

To love is to give and share life with another person. It is the most valuable thing we have. It is the ultimate answer to why we have freedom. We are free to be able to love. Today it is more necessary than ever to reclaim freedom.

Josemaría TorralbaPhilosopher and director of the Core Curriculum at the University of Navarra.

At the end of his speech, Professor Torralba made a digression on the idea of good, which is precisely pursued with freedom. "The good", he said, "always has a person's name. It has the name of a friend, of a child, of a spouse, of God. The good is paradigmatically and principally in the actions we perform for these people or together with them. The good cannot be understood as something abstract. It is convenient to avoid the frequent confusion of thinking that the commitment is free exclusively because no one has forced us and because we can undo it.". 

Thus, "he is freer who has committed himself". This is "the freedom of the pilgrim, who with each step is approaching his end. The freedom of the wanderer, in its extreme version, is the one who does not make important decisions or establish deep bonds. He is less free because he does not know where it is worthwhile to go. Precisely because freedom is an uncertain opening to the future, it requires, if we want to grow in freedom, a look capable of finding meaning in the situations in which life places us. He who loves, suffers".

Integrating everything in life

The meaning we give to our life "allows us to integrate into our own life what has happened and to adapt to circumstances we cannot change". "The wanderer always remains unsatisfied. And this is a reflection of what abounds today. The wanderer fails to find meaning in what he does. And meaning is not a superficial feeling. It is the experience that one fits into one's life situation". 

"It's free." concluded, "the person who, in the situation in which he lives, manages to fit the pieces together, to make sense of the situation, to find a way to make sense of it".". 

Faith in the culture of the 21st century

Following the lecture, the Symposium program included three panels, the first one entitled Are these times good? the second Freedom from pain and fearand a third with testimonials. 

In the first, the intervention of Professor Rafael Palomino, himself a collaborator of Omnes, was particularly noteworthy. His reflection was based on faith in the culture of the 21st century. A reflection that can be encompassed under the words of Bishop Javier Echevarría, predecessor of the current Prelate of Opus Dei: "The faith in the culture of the twenty-first century is a reflection on the faith in the culture of the twenty-first century.Let us not allow the healthy challenge of encouraging many people and institutions throughout the world to promote -pushed by the example of the first Christians- a new culture, a new legislation, a new fashion, coherent with the dignity of the human person and his destiny to the glory of the children of God in Jesus Christ, to fall into a void.".

Professor Palomino framed his words with data from the barometer of the Center for Sociological Research (CIS). In June 1979, according to these data, 90.03 % considered themselves to be Catholics in Spain. Of these, 55 % considered themselves practicing, and 34 % non-practicing. In September 2021, the same barometer indicates that only 57.4 % consider themselves Catholic and the relationship between practicing and non-practicing is inverted: 18.4 % consider themselves practicing and 39 % non-practicing. We found 2.5 % of believers in other religions and the remaining 38.9 % consider themselves agnostic, indifferent or atheist. 

Therefore, it can be seen that Catholicism has ceased to be an influential cultural force. And this is evident because "one of the elements to measure the culture of a country," reflected Palomino, "which is legislation, since 1981 has been introducing social engineering, an experiment to change Spanish society. It began with the modification that introduced causal divorce, which started a process in the legislation. It continued with the decriminalization of abortion, non-causal divorce, same-sex marriage, euthanasia". And the drama is that "legislation makes that which in itself is contrary to human dignity seem totally normal.". 

A cultural climate change

It can be said, in this sense, that ".we are experiencing a spiritual glaciation in the west, and a cultural climate change, also for religions.". "The Christian religion needs to be inculturated, to live in the flesh of the people who profess it.". 

Professor Palomino offered some specific considerations about this situation: firstly, "it is important that in the public debate, we know how to change the conceptual frameworks. If they tell you 'don't think of an elephant', what you are doing is thinking of an elephant. When they impose the frameworks of reflection on you, they are already setting the limits of the debate.". Secondly, that "the medium is the message. Let not the interposition of the media impede the exposure to the people. What communicates in a community is the joy of being Christians, is a smiling family.". Thirdly, it is necessary to "always have a formation plan in place. Our faith is the faith of the Logos. We are obliged to have a solid formation. To always have a formation plan open.". And finally, that "if you are neither part of the solution nor part of the problem, you are part of the landscape. And a Christian cannot be part of the landscape. For evil to triumph, it is enough for good men to do nothing.". 

The Christian religion needs to be inculturated, to live in the flesh of the people who profess it.

Rafael PalominoProfessor of State Ecclesiastical Law.

He concluded by stressing that we must "make faith present in culture. And it is not the same as always. It is about "a new evangelization".  

At the closing of the Symposium, the Vicar of the Prelature of Opus Dei in Eastern Andalusia read the Message of the Prelate of Opus Dei, Bishop Fernando Ocáriz. In his message he stated that "the concepts of freedom and commitment are often presented as opposites and yet they are complementary. What is more, they require each other. Without freedom I cannot commit myself, and commitment always implies a free decision". He also assured that, precisely if "we are clear about the reasons for our commitments, the whys and wherefores of our daily obligations, we will be able to fulfill them freely, out of love, even if at times we tire of them and they become difficult for us.

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The Vatican

The protagonism of people with disabilities

Pope Francis addressed a message on the occasion of the International Day of Persons with Disabilities, where he insisted that as lay and baptized people, they are "sharers in the same vocation as all Christians", and their presence "challenges the pastoral care of the family and is at the heart of the Church's concern for the defense of all life".

Giovanni Tridente-November 29, 2021-Reading time: 3 minutes
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"The Church loves you and needs each one of you to fulfill her mission at the service of the Gospel." These are the opening words of the message that Pope Francis addressed to people "living with some kind of disability" on the occasion of the International Day dedicated to them, which is celebrated on December 3.

It is an anniversary introduced by the United Nations in 1992 to increase awareness and understanding of disability-related issues, as well as efforts to ensure the dignity, rights and well-being of those living with this condition.

From the Vatican, the Dicastery for the Laity, the Family and Life, which in recent times has initiated a reflection and pastoral action in this area, "a new theme in which we have decided to commit ourselves and invest a lot of energy," explained Father Alexandre Awi Mello in a press conference when presenting the Pope's Message. It is a commitment that concerns the three main competencies of the Dicastery, because persons with disabilities, as lay and baptized persons, are "sharers in the same vocation as all Christians", and their presence "challenges the pastoral care of the family and is at the heart of the Church's concern for the defense of all life".

The theme chosen for this year's Message is taken from Chapter 15 of the Gospel of John, "You are my friends," and it is precisely on these words of Jesus that Pope Francis based his "greeting" and his reflection.

Jesus as a friend

"Having Jesus as a friend is the greatest of consolations and can make each of us a grateful and joyful disciple, capable of bearing witness that our own fragility is not an obstacle to living and communicating the Gospel." explains the Pontiff in the document, recalling that precisely this "trusting and personal friendship with Jesus" can be "the spiritual key to accepting the limitations we all experience and to living our condition in a reconciled way."

The need for community

In addition to the personal relationship, community is necessary, and people with disabilities are full members of the Church - Pope Francis reiterates - precisely because of their Baptism and because of Jesus' choice to "be our friend".

It is therefore necessary to banish every form of discrimination, still present at various levels of society, linked to prejudice, ignorance and a culture that struggles to understand "the inestimable value of each person." In the ecclesial sphere, this absence of discrimination translates into greater "spiritual attention", beginning with access to the sacraments.

Protagonism in the light of the Gospel

In the final part of the Message, the Pope reiterates the need for these people to be protagonists in the light of the Gospel: "the Gospel is also for you. It is a Word addressed to all, which consoles and, at the same time, calls to conversion". This translates into a profound appeal to trust in God - as witnessed by the Gospel accounts of the people with disabilities who met Jesus in his day - and a willingness to pray, as a specific mission entrusted by the Pope: "dear brothers and sisters, your prayer today is more urgent than ever."

"They need me."

"I am happy that the Pope has written that I am important for the Church, that I am necessary. Certainly, because of my situation I need many things, but I also have my task as a disciple of Jesus," commented Antonietta Pantone, of the "Faith and Light" Community, as she presented this year's Message to journalists.

Meanwhile, the Dicastery for the Laity, Family and Life has prepared a collection of five videos for the #IamChurch (I am Church) campaign, to be launched on December 6, with the testimonies of some Christians with disabilities from different countries, among them some young deaf people from Mexico or some nuns with Down syndrome who live their vocation in a monastery in France.

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Latin America

Synodal Church marks the Latin American Ecclesial Assembly

Pope Francis' dream of a "synodal Church", with three fundamental keys - communion, participation and mission - has been the focus of the work of the Ecclesial Assembly of Latin America and the Caribbean, which concludes today, Sunday, in Mexico.

Rafael Miner-November 28, 2021-Reading time: 5 minutes
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Last Sunday, Pope Francis addressed the participants of the Ecclesial Assembly of Latin America and the Caribbean, gathered in Mexico City, with the desire "to promote a Church in synodal outreach, to revive the spirit of the V General Conference of the Episcopate which, in Aparecida in 2007, called us to be missionary disciples, and to encourage hope, glimpsing on the horizon the Guadalupan Jubilee in 2031 and the Jubilee of the Redemption in 2033"..

In its MessageThe Pontiff thanked everyone for their presence at this Assembly, "which is a new expression of the Latin American and Caribbean face of our Church, in harmony with the preparatory process for the XVI General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops, which has as its theme: 'Latin America and the Caribbean,'" he said. For a synodal Church: communion, participation and mission".

On the basis of these keys that "vertebrate and orient synodality", the Pope exhorted "to take into account two words in a special way in this journey that you are making together: listening and overflow". And he briefly explained their meaning.

On "listening", he affirmed: "The dynamism of ecclesial assemblies is in the process of listening, dialogue and discernment". "The exchange facilitates listening to the voice of God to the point of listening with him to the cry of the people, and listening to the people to the point of breathing in them the will to which God calls us." "I ask you," the Pope added, "to seek to listen to one another and to hear the cries of our poorest and most forgotten brothers and sisters."

Regarding the "overflow", the Holy Father pointed out that "community discernment requires much prayer and dialogue in order to find God's will together, and it also requires finding ways to overcome differences so that they do not become divisions and polarizations.

In this process, I ask the Lord that your Assembly may be an expression of the "overflow" of the creative love of his Spirit, who urges us to go out fearlessly to meet others, and who encourages the Church to become ever more evangelizing and missionary through a process of pastoral conversion".

The Pontiff thus encouraged everyone to live these days "welcoming with gratitude and joy this call to the overflowing of the Spirit in the faithful People of God on pilgrimage in Latin America and the Caribbean".

Numerous Cardinals and Archbishops

Thousands of participants took part in the Ecclesial Assembly, some in person and others online. You can see here a guide to the Assembly in a popular version. The presence of cardinals from the Vatican Curia and other cardinals and archbishops from Latin America and elsewhere was notable.

Cardinal Marc Ouellet, Prefect of the Congregation for Bishops and President of the Pontifical Commission for Latin America; Mario Grech, Secretary General of the Synod of Bishops; the Honduran Óscar Rodríguez Maradiaga; the Peruvian Pedro Barreto, President of the Pan-Amazonian Ecclesial Network (REPAM); the Archbishop of Luxembourg, Jean Claude Hollerich, President of the Bishops' Conferences of Europe; the Archbishop of Bombay, Oswald Gracias; the Burmese Archbishop Charles Maung Bo, Archbishop of Yangon, President of the Federation of Asian Bishops' Conferences; the Burmese Charles Maung Bo, President of the Federation of Asian Bishops' Conferences; and, of course, the Archbishop of Bombay, Oswald Gracias; Oswald Gracias, Archbishop of Bombay; the Burmese Charles Maung Bo, Archbishop of Yangon, President of the Federation of Asian Bishops' Conferences; naturally Archbishop Miguel Cabrejos, President of the Latin American Episcopal Council (CELAM), and also the Secretary of the Dicastery for Communication, Monsignor Lucio Ruiz, among other prelates, together with the Secretary General of the Pontifical Commission for Latin America, Rodrigo Guerra.

Listening to the Holy Spirit

"What is the dream of a synodal Church? A new fad? A communication strategy? An ideology disguised as a pastoral program? A method for the missionary conversion of the Church?" With these questions, Cardinal Marc Ouellet began by explaining in his intervention that beyond the questions and doubts that may arise about Pope Francis' dream of a synodal Church, the reality is very simple.

"The Pope believes in the Holy Spirit," the cardinal noted, and "wants us to learn to listen to him better at all levels of the Church, from the last neighborhood of the great metropolises of Latin America to the top of the college of pastors, passing through parishes, universities, associations, peasants, popular, cultural and social movements, etc."

According to the Prefect of the Congregation for Bishops, Cardinal Ouellet, "the central point is to listen to what the Holy Spirit is saying to each and everyone with attention, "without haste, without preconceived ideas or prejudices, without inducing at the moment of consultation what we would like to promote as a model of the Church," Vatican News reported.

In this sense, the President of the Pontifical Commission for Latin America emphasized that the Pope hopes that, from the experience of faith, "we can all contribute to renew our hearts, our pastoral care and our structures so that the Church may live more and more in accordance with the style of Jesus.

Dimensions of the Synodal Church

The Vatican Cardinal also emphasized the three dimensions of a synodal Church, which Pope Francis has outlined to guide us in listening to the Holy Spirit. They are communion, participation and mission.

"Participation means awakening faith, so that we all set out on a journey, that we go to Jesus, that we meet Mary at her Cross, that we gather in the Cenacle to commune in his Body and Blood, that we go out into the streets to bear witness to his resurrection and to proclaim the wonders of his Spirit of new and eternal Life, the Life of the Risen One shared and celebrated in our baptism," said Cardinal Ouellet.

Before concluding, the Cardinal congratulated CELAM for the effort made in organizing this Assembly in times of pandemic, in which the figure of the Virgin Mary plays a fundamental role, beyond popular devotion, since, he added, "the Synodal Church in Latin America will be Marian or it will not be".

"I do not say this out of mere devotion," he added, "I say it because of the facts that impose us to think about the future of Latin America in the light of the Marian path of our churches throughout the centuries. The experience of St. Juan Diego in meeting the Virgin of Guadalupe, in bringing good news to Bishop Zumárraga, and in the end, in being available to build communion and reconciliation; educates us in the true synodality that can renew the Church", he concluded.

Relationship between synodality and mission

Cardinal Mario Grech, Secretary General of the Synod of Bishops, highlighted the enormous value of deepening the link between synodality and mission. "These two dimensions of the Church can be one of the most significant contributions of this Assembly and of the synodal journey of our Church," he said.

Taking into account the history of this Assembly and citing the phases of Medellin, Puebla, Santo Domingo and Aparecida, "as the stages of a post-conciliar journey, in which the Churches of Latin America and the Caribbean have lived an extraordinary experience of ecclesial communion", Cardinal Grech underlined the approach of pastoral conversion promoted also by the Apostolic Exhortation Evangelii gaudium.

"This event represents an expression of the pastoral vision of Pope Francis. This Assembly also represents a bridge between the Synod on Amazonia - Dear Amazonia as a truly transformative experience for its region and the Synod on Synodality. They are explicitly connected through the periphery-center approach and the Ecclesiology of the People of God," the Cardinal added.

In his opinion, there is a close relationship between synodality and mission. "These are two constitutive dimensions of the Church, which - precisely because they are constitutive - stand or fall together. Try to think of the mission scenario of a non-synodal Church; a Church in which we do not walk together, we do not proceed in any particular order, each claiming the right to mission," he specified.

Cardinal Grechcitó also to Pope Francis in the Evangelii gaudium (nn. 115 and 117), to underline the idea of "translating the one Gospel of Christ in the Latin American style". This "will not threaten the unity of the Church," he said, but will enrich it, "showing that Tradition is not a unison chant or a melodic line of a single voice, but a symphony, where every voice, every register, every vocal timbre enriches the one Gospel, sung in an infinite possibility of variations," the official Vatican agency reported.

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Initiatives

Alberto Pascual. The Madrugadores, the rosary at first light

In the parish of San Agustín de Guadalix, in Madrid, there is a group of people who, on the first Saturday of the month, meet at 7:30 a.m. to pray the rosary through the streets of the municipality.

Arsenio Fernández de Mesa-November 28, 2021-Reading time: 3 minutes

"The Rosary is a stairway to Heaven"said St. John Paul II, who prayed it so much and encouraged us to pray it. In the popular imagination this prayer seems destined only to old ladies who mumble it in the darkness of a church to pray for their relatives. But to think of men going out into the town to pray it, after an early start, in the middle of the weekend and without fear of human respect because those who contemplate the peculiar scene laugh, that does seem something impossible. Well, in the parish of San Agustín del Guadalix, a municipality north of Madrid with less than 15,000 inhabitants, it is something that happens with some frequency. It is not a punctual experience, it is something that has been done for years with constancy and with true piety and affection for the Virgin. 

Early risers is a group of men who get together on the first Saturday of the month at 7:30 a.m. to pray the Rosary walking through the streets. Alberto Pascual is one of the happy members of this unusual adventure that is pouring so many blessings into the lives of those who take the opportunity to walk it: "I am very happy to be part of it.We gather at the door of the church to greet each other and to wake each other up. The one who arrives to the group for the first time is received in a special way by each of the members. We distribute the mysteries. Then we enter the Church to be in recollection in front of the Tabernacle. We begin by praying the Angelus and then we go out to the streets to pray the Rosary slowly.". The village is quietly dawning and few souls are on the streets: the weekend has just begun! That's why such a scene is so striking. Alberto proudly admits: "The people looked very surprised, because it is not usual to see thirty men praying Hail Marys and Our Fathers at that time of day. At the end we sang the Salve Regina and finished with a simple breakfast prepared by a member of the parish.". 

Early risers consists of three moments: the prayer of the Rosary, a restorative breakfast and a talk on some formative point. This talk is prepared by a person who for fifteen minutes exposes the current topic, always trying to illuminate it with the Magisterium of the Church. When the presentation is finished, a colloquium begins in which everyone contributes their feelings on the topic. The group concludes at 9:30 a.m. and everyone goes home. Alberto insists that "the role of the priest is fundamental in moderating or correcting erroneous approaches, because it is a formative meeting and not a mere debate.". 

Early risers was born years ago, in July 2013. "We had our first meeting by chance. A few of us men got together. There are about 60 people from the parish in the group, but not everyone always participates. There is a lot of freedom to attend.". Alberto tells me that once a year they have a get-together at the monastery of Silos, in Burgos. They spend the weekend there and strengthen their personal bonds of friendship and faith. They also make some cultural excursions. All very familiar in an atmosphere of faith. All very God-like. 

This parishioner from San Agustín del Guadalix feels that he has been blessed with the prayer of the Rosary and tells me that members of this group belong to Schoenstatt and have made the covenant of love with the Blessed Mother for several years.Month after month, year after year, I have the feeling that this group was not formed by men but comes from God. The Holy Spirit in a mysterious way touches the hearts of those of us who are there, either because of what a companion says, or because of a mystery of the Rosary that marks you, or because of the atmosphere of affection that exists. It is a holy, special atmosphere. You can feel that God is in the midst.


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Family

Every Life Matters mobilizes this Sunday with Leire's story

Leire, a young woman from San Sebastian, had an abortion in 2009 under the slogan "we give birth, we decide". In 2010 she had a miscarriage, which she considers closely related to the first one, and little by little, she decided to oppose this "destruction",

Rafael Miner-November 27, 2021-Reading time: 10 minutes

Leire's story is moving. She does not want to be the protagonist of anything, but this Sunday she will be one of the testimonies at the rally of Every Life Mattersat 12:00 noon, at the Puerta de Alcalá (Madrid). The platform, together with the attendees, will demonstrate against the lack of public aid to maternity, the Euthanasia law, the unborn, the attack on the conscientious objection of doctors, and the reform of the Penal Code against the freedom of expression of pro-lifers.

"We are morally obligated. If we don't talk now, when? If we don't do it ourselves, who?" said the president of the Spanish Family Forum, Ignacio García JuliáThe event took place at a press conference held this week by the platform Every Life Matters. In it, the organizers (Foro Español de la Familia, Fundación +Vida, Provida España and Fundación Más futuro - Rescatadores Juan Pablo II) have offered details of this Sunday's rally, along with a video that you can watch here.

"Our experience is that no one is indifferent when this subject is discussed. It is important to show the truth, because the truth and the good in itself, have an impressive value. The culture of life is very strong, this is unstoppable," he said. Alicia LatorrePresident of the Spanish Federation of Pro-Life Associations in Spain.

"In the event, the protagonists will be the women, the sick and the doctors. Why not let the women who have had abortions speak? We want society to see that these new laws, reforms, laziness and attacks are harming our families," she said. Marta Velardepresident of More Future- John Paul II Rescuers.

Among the adhering associations are the following: Assembly for Life, Liberty and Dignity, European Federation One of Us, Association for the Defense of the Right to Conscientious Objection (ANDOC), Jérôme Lejeune Foundation, Catholic Association of Propagandists (ACdP), Association in Defense of Human Life (ADEVIDA), Association of Researchers and Professionals for Life (CÍVICA), Educatio Servanda Foundation, 40 days for Life, Spanish Association of Catholic Pharmacists, Fundación Villacisneros, AESVIDA, Fundación Valores y Sociedad, Asociación Deportistas por la Vida y la Familia, E- Cristian, Cristianos en Democracia, Asociación de Ayuda a la Madre y al Bebé (AMABE), AYUVI, Asociación Voz Postaborto, Plataforma por la Familia Catalunya-ONU, Asociación Cinemanet , Associació Catalana d'Estudis Bioètics (ACEB), ANDEVI y PROVIDA Alicante, Alcalá de H., Badajoz, Barcelona, Bilbao, Castellón, Gijón, Santander, Valencia, Valladolid, Zaragoza, Guadix, Sevilla, Torrejón de Ardoz.

Leire speaks: making post-abortion trauma visible

Leire Navaridas, communication and marketing consultant, will be at the Puerta de Alcalá rally. The young woman describes herself on social networks as "mother of 3, only 1 alive that gives me the strength to fight for the defense of love, truth, life and the union between woman and man. Victim of the IVE".

In conversation with Omnes last Tuesday, in addition to telling her story, she brought out the best in herself by talking about motherhood, "the greatest gift in the world." Then we see it. And 48 hours ago, she wrote on LinkedIn: "From my experience, not only as a victim, but also as a companion to other women, I know how important and necessary it is, today more than ever, to make post-#abortion pain visible (not easy, by the way, because it is traumatic). This Sunday I will be there, as always available to go anywhere that allows me to dismantle the lies surrounding #IVE, to highlight the consequences of the loss of a son or daughter, and to share the experience of saving the #maternity and with it the #happiness".

Lies surrounding abortion

From now on, it is the Leire who continues her story. "In 2009, in Donosti, I let myself be violently intervened in my pregnancy. I say this very consciously. Because the word IVE is used, which they say means Voluntary Interruption of Pregnancy, but I not only do not agree with it, but I completely reject it because it contains a very big lie, well two: one, the idea of "interruption" as if it could somehow be resumed. And second, and more importantly, the "voluntary" thing. And this is fundamental and critical for the women who go through it, because for it to be "voluntary", they would have to give us: first, all the information, then awareness, and third, alternatives". "And the IVE I was telling you about before, I call it Violent Pregnancy Intervention, and for me that is the acronym IVE. I always refer to it with those terms".

"They did not even show me that what I was carrying in my womb was the life of my son, who already had his little heart and his "everything", much less did they tell me what I was going to go through, because when you are subjected to a violent action, which is the case, trauma sets in. It is impossible for violence not to have traumatic consequences and thirdly, I was not given any other alternative. Then, with the idea that if I continued with that, I would have mental problems, they denied me that doing so would not cause them. It is an unbelievable trap", she assures.

I call the IVE a Violent Pregnancy Intervention.

Leire

Abortion in 2009: absolute loneliness

"My case of miscarriage was one of the most typical ones," Leire recalls. "It's when you get pregnant and you say 'it doesn't suit me': because it wasn't in my plans, because I still have an idea of professional development that hasn't materialized yet, and sometimes because we're not in good terms as a couple. This happened to me when I was in Macau, which is an island next to Hong Kong," the young woman tells Omnes. "We were living with my partner and I in Australia, and we had decided to come to live in Spain, for which we got married there in Australia, but he got a job, I went with him, but we were in a tremendous crisis, and the mistake was to have sex in a crisis, but it happened and as a result of that came my first pregnancy".

"I was totally unprepared, in a state of shock, and above all, and this is very relevant, with an absolute sense of loneliness in the face of the problem. So what did I do? I was in Macao, which is the cradle of perversion, of gambling and a very sordid world. A very sick world. It's like a mini Chinese island, a replica of Las Vegas, and that's where all the gamblers come from the mainland to spend their savings, ruin their families, smoke and drink as much as they can and then go home a mess. The situation is that I got pregnant, I lived it as a brown and knowing that for that I was alone, I had the feeling that I didn't count neither with my husband, nor with my family, nor anything", the young woman openly admits.

"So what do I do with that? Well, I happen to call a friend in Donosti who is very closely related to a man I also knew who has an abortion clinic. Well, it's a gynecology clinic, but I knew they performed abortions. At that time, I could have gone to a pro-abortion demonstration under the slogan "We give birth, we decide". And since what we have inside us seems to be nothing more than a jumble of cells, which has no other value, it can be removed like a cyst or a wart.

"I took that on as the viable solution to resolve my situation, and also with the idea that it was going to be harmless and that it was going to return me to the situation before I was pregnant, without any consequences or any more stories," Leire reveals. "I went back to Donosti, I tell my parents. It was 2009. My mother accompanies me, pays for the intervention, I sign that I do it, because it is supposedly going to cause me psychological problems, and there, like someone who is going to have a waxing, I let my pregnancy be violently intervened".

Pregnancy in 2010: "start building".

Leire had been having vertigo since college, and already in Madrid, she decided to go to a therapist who recommended her. The first thing she understands is that "I feel more alone than one, which in fact is the origin of the dizziness, and that treated that, they disappeared". At the second session with him, "I was already pregnant again in 2010, and somehow I experienced it again as unwanted news, let's say bad news. What I did know was that I could not go through the same thing again," she reveals, "but not because I was aware of what I had gone through, but because of an idea I had that if I went through it again, my reproductive system would be destroyed and somehow I would not be able to be a mother again.

I saw that I had an alternative, which was to build, and being aware that what was inside was the life of my daughter or son.

Leire

"I had the illusion of being a mother, then I saw that it was not possible. But at the same time I had no way out, no options. And then I called the therapist who told me: 'don't worry, come here, don't do anything'. It was my partner and I, and I only remember one sentence that worked magic. He told me: 'Leire, stop destroying and start building'.

With that phrase, I could understand the drift of destruction that I had in my life, because I consumed everything: drugs, sex, relationships... and when I was not hurting, I let them hurt me and so a constant dynamic. But I saw that I had an alternative, which was to build, and being aware that what was inside was the life of my daughter or son, I suddenly connected all the illusion for what was going to happen: I loved the idea of being able to read beautiful stories to be able to tell them to him, learn songs...

Suddenly, a halo of light and hope opened up for me and life was wonderful. I had a lot of joy and enthusiasm for life. The bad working conditions I was in seemed irrelevant to me, I was ready to do anything so that my son would have everything. I remember the first ultrasound, hearing his heart, crying with emotion, everything was very beautiful and very exciting, except that at a check-up at 3 months, the gynecologist told me that the heart was no longer beating and that my son was no longer alive".

"Everything was a very hard blow again", reveals the young woman from San Sebastian. Cold as a stone, I said to myself: 'it was nice while it lasted', I didn't shed a tear and this was never spoken of again, neither in my partner, nor in my family, nor in the whole world that knew I was pregnant, this loss faded away again, it was erased from the map of the face of the earth and we moved on".

"Pain, a terrible catharsis".

It went on like that for a couple more years, she continues. "I had gone through the abortion, I had gone through this miscarriage and somehow, moving forward without any kind of mourning and awareness of loss. And after all this, the couple broke up, but I continued on a path of personal development, thanks to the therapist, where I got to know myself better and was peeling back layers, until I reached that layer where all the immense pain that I carried inside came out, and it was also very graphic, because the pain came out of my belly and I couldn't stop crying and crying, like a terrible catharsis.

But it was very nice, because let's say that the love I felt for those children, for my children, came out. Then I was able to reestablish my love relationship with them, I was able to see that after all that pain, there was the love I have as a mother and a new door was opened as well. I felt very guilty because I was already very aware of what had happened, I was very aware that I had lost my children and I felt very guilty about it.

I have offered myself as a testimonial to dismantle all these lies and to try to prevent other women from making the same mistake.

Leire

"Second chance: I get to forgive myself"

"Then comes the guilt, you can't forgive yourself, you think you are the worst, that you are a heartless, cruel woman, that you don't deserve anything and somehow, I was looking for punishment. And I started to have relationships with men, which was basically so that they would finish destroying me completely. But well, thanks to the fact that I am still in that therapeutic environment, I am keeping a little bit the conscience that this is a very bad path, and also thanks to my current partner who encourages me and encourages me to give myself a second chance".

"It was when I finally managed to forgive myself, also thanks to understanding, which was very hard for me to accept, thanks to assuming that I had been a victim of a system that promotes violence in such a hidden and sibylline way. Because a priori [abortion] is a right and a solution, and very far from that, it basically destroys you and has the potential to end your life; well, that's when I became a little indignant with the idea of how a woman has to end up going through something like that for lack of social support, and because of such an unsocial deception that I had believed, because I was a feminist, pro-abortionist and all; and then, when you practice it you see that it destroys you, apart from the fact that you cannot recover the life of your lost children".

"And Lander arrived."

"But Lander arrived," we commented. "Yes, it's the happy ending. When I give myself a new opportunity to return to life, to return to love, not only do I fall in love with my partner, but he gives me Lander, which is the most wonderful thing in the world. Motherhood is the greatest gift in the world, or if not I would say the most, because what I experience with Lander is that it is almost difficult for me to explain it".

"Lander was born in December 2017," Leire specifies. "I was at the 8-M demonstration in 2018, with Lander already a baby of a few months in his little backpack attached to me, and of course, when I see that the claims many are based on promoting abortion, I was so indignant, I refuse. And then I started to raise my voice: I have offered myself as a testimony to dismantle all those lies and to try to prevent other women from making the same mistake I did, because the women who are promoting those posters promoting free abortion, free and super accessible, are not aware of what destroys women".

"In fact, since my testimony reaches many women, many others contact me, because they finally understand that someone will understand them, they know that I can understand them, that I have gone through the same thing, that it is possible to return to life. Many have had several suicide attempts, and those who have not because they already had living children, but there is no way out for what they have done and many cases of women that I have accompanied are terrible".

It has happened to me with women I have accompanied and there has also come a time when they have told me: "this is it". In the end, the key is love.

Leire

"Motherhood, a lot of love."

The last part of the conversation is about motherhood. It is almost impossible to stop Leire. Her arguments come pouring out. "Motherhood, far from destroying your life, is an opportunity where you will receive a lot of pure love, because babies are like that, and you will have the opportunity, thanks to that inspiration, also to transcend any kind of problem, any difficulty, in which you could even be blocked throughout your life. So, for love of them, a woman is capable of doing anything. So, far from tearing you apart and subjugating you or depriving you of anything, on the contrary".

"For me, motherhood is already a reality, let's say, because I have been a mother since the first day, but when Lander came, what I can say is that I am a woman with many resources, which gives me an incredible power to overcome everything and to achieve everything, and also a joy and a love that I feel, and an illusion to be with him every day, that has no comparison with anything I have ever experienced in my life".

In addition, thanks to the awareness of how vulnerable and how valuable life is, Lander is a super respected, super loved child, and everything that his older siblings have not been able to take, he is taking with him, he is a happy child. And for me, bringing happy children into the world, I think it is not only a beautiful act, but also a very necessary one, given the state of society.

"It has happened to me with women I have accompanied and there has also come a time when they have told me: "this is it". In the end, the key is love. The lack of love destroys a lot and what saves is love," concludes Leire.

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Advent wreath arrives

Phillip and Nicholas prepare an Advent wreath in New York. In the reading for the Third Sunday of Advent, December 12, 2021, it says, "Do not be anxious at all, but in everything by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God."

David Fernández Alonso-November 26, 2021-Reading time: < 1 minute
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The Pope, in the new catechesis on St. Joseph: "He is a true master of what is essential".

A few weeks before the end of the year dedicated to St. Joseph, Pope Francis wants to focus a cycle of catechesis on the figure of the holy patriarch.

David Fernández Alonso-November 26, 2021-Reading time: 5 minutes
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Pope Francis began his catechesis by recalling that "on December 8, 1870, Blessed Pius IX proclaimed St. Joseph patron of the universal Church. Now, 150 years after that event, we are living a special year dedicated to St. Joseph, and in the Apostolic Letter Patris corde I have collected some reflections on his figure. Never before as today, in this time marked by a global crisis with different components, he can serve us as a support, consolation and guide. That is why I have decided to dedicate to him a series of catecheses, which I hope will help us to allow ourselves to be enlightened by his example and his witness. For a few weeks we will be talking about St. Joseph".

"In the Bible," the Holy Father stressed, "there are more than ten characters who bear the name of Joseph. The most important of these is the son of Jacob and Rachel, who, through various vicissitudes, went from being a slave to becoming the second most important person in Egypt after Pharaoh (cf. Gn 37-50). The name Joseph in Hebrew means "may God increase. May God make grow". It is a wish, a blessing based on trust in providence and referring especially to the fruitfulness and growth of children. In fact, precisely this name reveals to us an essential aspect of the personality of Joseph of Nazareth. He is a man full of faith in his providence: he believes in God's providence, he has faith in God's providence. Each of his actions, as related in the Gospel, is dictated by the certainty that God "makes increase", that God "increases", that God "adds", that is, that God arranges the continuation of his plan of salvation. And in this, Joseph of Nazareth is very much like Joseph of Egypt".

Francis affirmed that also the main geographical references that refer to Joseph: Bethlehem and Nazareth, assume an important role in the understanding of his figure, and he wanted to dwell on the environment in which he lived to give us some light on his figure.

"In the Old Testament," he said, "the city of Bethlehem is called by the name of Beth LehemThe name is also Efratá, that is, "House of bread", or Efratá, after the tribe that settled there. In Arabic, instead, the name means "House of meat", probably because of the large number of flocks of sheep and goats present in the area. In fact, it is no coincidence that, when Jesus was born, the shepherds were the first witnesses of the event (cf. Lc 2,8-20). In the light of Jesus' account, these allusions to bread and flesh refer to the mystery of the Eucharist: Jesus is the living bread come down from heaven (cf. Jn 6,51). He himself will say of himself: "He who eats my flesh and drinks my blood, has eternal life" (Jn 6,54)".

"Bethlehem is mentioned several times in the Bible, as early as the book of Genesis. Bethlehem is also linked to the story of Ruth and Naomi, told in the small but wonderful Book of Ruth. Ruth gave birth to a son named Obed, who in turn gave birth to Jesse, the father of King David. And it was from David's line that Joseph, the legal father of Jesus, came from. The prophet Micah foretold great things about Bethlehem: "But you, Bethlehem-Ephrathah, though you are the least among the families of Judah, out of you shall come forth to me one who is to be ruler in Israel" (My 5,1). The evangelist Matthew will take up this prophecy and link it to the story of Jesus as its evident fulfillment".

"In fact, the Son of God did not choose Jerusalem as the place of his incarnation, but Bethlehem and Nazareth, two peripheral towns, far from the clamor of the news and the power of time. Yet Jerusalem was the city beloved by the Lord (cf. Is 62,1-12), the "holy city" (Dn 3:28), chosen by God to inhabit it (cf. Zac 3:2; Ps. 132:13). Here, in fact, dwelt the teachers of the Law, the scribes and Pharisees, the high priests and the elders of the people (cf. Lc 2,46; Mt 15,1; Mc 3,22; Jn1,19; Mt 26,3)".

"For this reason," the Pope continued, "the choice of Bethlehem and Nazareth tells us that the periphery and marginality are God's favorite places. Jesus was not born in Jerusalem with all the court... no: he was born in a periphery and spent his life, until he was 30 years old, in that periphery, working as a carpenter, like Joseph. For Jesus, the peripheries and marginalities are his favorite places. Not taking this reality seriously is tantamount to not taking seriously the Gospel and the work of God, who continues to manifest himself in the geographical and existential peripheries. The Lord is always at work in the peripheries, also in our soul, in the peripheries of the soul, of feelings, perhaps feelings of which we are ashamed; but the Lord is there to help us to go forward".

"The Lord continues to manifest himself in the peripheries, both geographical and existential. In particular, Jesus goes in search of sinners, enters their homes, speaks to them, calls them to conversion. And he is also rebuked for this: "But look at this Teacher - the doctors of the law say - look at this Teacher: he eats with sinners, he gets dirty, he goes in search of those who have not done evil, but have suffered it: the sick, the hungry, the poor, the last ones. Jesus always goes to the peripheries. And this should give us great confidence, because the Lord knows the peripheries of our heart, the peripheries of our soul, the peripheries of our society, of our city, of our family, that is, that dark part that we do not let be seen, perhaps out of shame".

"In this respect," Francis concluded, "the society of that time is not very different from ours. Even today there is a center and a periphery. And the Church knows that she is called to announce the good news starting from the peripheries. Joseph, who is a carpenter from Nazareth and who trusts in God's plan for his young betrothed and for himself, reminds the Church that she must fix her gaze on what the world deliberately ignores. Today Joseph teaches us this: "not to look so much at the things that the world praises, to look at the angles, to look at the shadows, to look at the peripheries, at what the world does not want". He reminds each one of us that we must give importance to what others discard. In this sense, he is a true master of the essential: he reminds us that what is truly valuable does not call for our attention, but requires patient discernment to be discovered and valued. Discovering what is valuable. Let us ask him to intercede so that the whole Church may recover this gaze, this ability to discern and this capacity to evaluate what is essential. Let us start again from Bethlehem, let us start again from Nazareth".

"Today I would like to send a message to all men and women who live in the most neglected geographical peripheries of the world or who live in situations of existential marginalization. May they find in St. Joseph the witness and protector to look to. To him we can turn with this prayer, a prayer "made at home", but which has come from the heart":

San José,
you who have always trusted in God,
and you have made your decisions
guided by his providence,
teach us not to count so much in our projects,
but in his plan of love.
You who come from the peripheries,
help us to convert our gaze
and to prefer what the world discards and puts in the margins.
Comforts those who are lonely
And sustains the one who is bent on silence
For defending life and human dignity. Amen

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

Msgr. Luis Marin de San Martin, O.S.A., is one of the undersecretaries for the Synod of Bishops. This Augustinian friar from Madrid, together with the Secretary General of the Synod, Cardinal Mario Grech and the French nun Nathalie Becquart, forms the visible nucleus of the Secretariat of the Synod that coordinates and animates the whole Church in this synodal journey.

Maria José Atienza-November 26, 2021-Reading time: 10 minutes

Translation of the article into English

To walk together, united, to rediscover the essence of the Church, its own synodal way of being. This is the goal of a synod We spoke with Bishop Luis Marín de San Martín about the project, which has begun in parallel in Rome and in all the dioceses of the world. keys and risks and, especially, about the need for everyone to participate in order to recover the essence of the Church from the life of each Catholic. 

-How do you experience a Synod from the inside?

My experience is that it is lived with mixed emotions knowing that you are in front of something big.

First of all, it is lived with a sense of wonder, of gratitude to God because it really is a crucial moment in history, a time of the Spirit that makes you a participant. 

Secondly, it is also lived with a certain fear, especially at the beginning, when the question of how to manage everything arises. But this question is immediately resolved with enormous confidence. I have enormous confidence, and for this reason, you put yourself in God's hands and let yourself be carried along with all the enthusiasm possible.

Thirdly, it is lived with great gratitude. Thankfulness because, even though we are small, the Lord does his work. 

You live it, then, with all these feelings... and a lot of work. The Synod is a work that has involved us a lot. Those of us who collaborate in the Synod secretariat have worked, and are working, a lot, but we do it with the conviction that it is worthwhile. Besides, the more you get involved and get to know it, the more enthusiastic you become. 

-What is the work of the undersecretaries of the Synod?

For the first time, we are two undersecretaries and, also for the first time, we are both religious, with two complementary spiritualities: mine is Augustinian and Sister Nathalie Becquart's is Ignatian. Our task is to collaborate with the Secretary General, Cardinal Mario Grech, and to accompany him in his functions. It is not only a matter of preparing for the Synod of Bishops, but especially of promoting synodality in the Church: to make the Church synodal. We form a team in which we must be the first to live this synodal style: of collaboration, communion and dialogue with Cardinal Grech and among ourselves. 

-Synodal Church": you allude to a term that has entered our vocabulary in recent months, but what is the synodal Church? 

Until now, traditionally, preparations were made for the Assembly of the Synod of Bishops which, from time to time, met in Rome to discuss certain topics. Now, the Pope has opened this up much more. It is about going to what is the Church itself. This is not an invention of the Pope. The Church is synodal, just as it is communitarian or missionary. It belongs to the essence of the Church. 

What does the synodal Church mean, what is this "walking together"? To be a Christian is to participate in what Christ is. Through baptism we are incorporated into Christ and this means that we make our own and participate in that salvific reality which is the reality of Christ the Redeemer. We are missionaries through baptism, we bring Christ's salvation to others because Christians do not live our faith in solitude, but in community: the Church is family, this is "together", walking together. This is what the Church is. 

As Christians, united to Christ and to one another, we go forward bearing salvific witness in the midst of the world until the fullness of the end of time. 

To live the Church is this: to live the Church is to live synodality. Promoting this synodality is the task of all Christians. This synodality is manifested in various ways: the Synod of Bishops is the way in which synodality is manifested for the bishops, but it is not the only one. There are pastoral councils, parish councils, episcopal councils... and there can be other manifestations and concretizations of synodality. It is necessary to make a discernment and see what the Lord is asking of us to live communion, participation and mission as Church.  

–Both the Holy Father and the documents published for this Synod point to the passage from an "event" to a process.

We must not identify "Synod" with the Synod of Bishops. What is important is the journey. In October a Synod was opened, not a preparation. The whole Church has begun the journey and we are advancing along this path of listening, of discernment, seeing how we can participate, what the Holy Spirit is asking of us at this moment in history, what our mission is. 

This journey is made from below: all Christians, parishes, dioceses, episcopal conferences, continental episcopal conferences, the assembly of the Synod of Bishops, and then we will return again to all the faithful, because decisions, ideas, etc., will return to the dioceses. 

The Synod is not an administrative issue, it is not a project to reach an agreement or to "share power", it is not a matter of "doing". 

Msgr. Luis Marín. Undersecretary of the Synod of Bishops

-Are we talking about what we could call a change of mentality, and do you think it will be possible?  

I believe that this is the beginning of a journey, but we do have to go to a change of mentality. The basic essential change is to recognize that we are facing an event of the Holy Spirit.

The Synod is not an administrative issue, it is not a project to reach an agreement or to "share power", it is not a matter of doing. 

The Synod is a time of the Holy Spirit with all that this means, that is, what Pentecost meant for the early Church. What did Pentecost mean? To change the mentality, to break down the walls, the fears, to launch us to preach to the ends of the earth. That is why putting ourselves in the hands of the Spirit is the fundamental change. From there we will discover the way, the things that need to be changed. 

There will be changes, yes. Sometimes fundamental and basic, which will not lead us to outlandish things but to live the essence of our faith, to what the Church is. 

With the passage of time, in the Church we have become accustomed to it, we have lost our enthusiasm, our enthusiasm,... we do not reach everything, in short, we have become stagnant. 

We are in a moment of awakening with a great impulse from the Holy Spirit that will lead us to be truly what we are. The bishop and the priest to be truly bishop or priest, and the layman to be truly lay.

The beauty of the Church lies in the fact that each one brings his charism, brings his vocation, in unity with all, under the impulse of the Holy Spirit. The laity are not "granted" certain tasks "so that they will be happy and thus help us clergy". It is not that he "helps", it is that the laity has to participate in the Church, and to do it as laity, without being clericalized. Let us not clericalize the laity nor laicize the clergy: each according to his function in the Church. 

The Church is not a system of power, but of service. We all have the same rank, neither above nor below, but we have different tasks. That is why in the logo of this Synod we are all walking equally. 

The lay person "helps" in certain tasks of the Church. The lay person must participate in the Church and do so as a lay person.

Msgr. Luis Marín. Undersecretary of the Synod of Bishops

-All changes are scary and in the Church as well....

The Pope often refers to the danger of "it has always been done this way" to avoid change, because we are afraid of novelty, of losing our securities... This is a time of change, of novelty and of losing our securities and placing ourselves in God's hands. 

We must trust in the Spirit, who "makes all things new" and who will make us happier, because he will make us more coherent... We must shake off our fears, it is a time of renewal from within. 

Indeed, fear is one of the problems we face in this process. Fear is very human and we have to open ourselves to the divine, to the Spirit that transforms us. I think that this synodal time is a time of God, because it is a time of authenticity. It is not a time to think that "this is the way it has always been done", but "what is God asking of us? That is what we are talking about when we talk about discernment. Let us listen to one another and also listen to the Holy Spirit. In this synodal journey, the prayerful dimension is indispensable. Without a prayerful dimension we will not be able to move forward or overcome our fears and insecurities.  

-In the world of closed schedules and hurry, how can we recover that necessary prayerful dimension?

Obviously, this requires a conversion and, above all, a beginning. Recently, a major difficulty was posed to me: why doesn't the Christian message reach people? We produce very good documents that remain on the shelf, wonderful gestures that do not reach the people. Although it may seem paradoxical, this is a time to stop and move forward. To be silent, to stop the noises and to rediscover the value of prayer. 

At times we realize that we have lost not only the ability to pray but also the taste for praying and, as a result, we give ourselves over to activism, to "doing things" or to "knowing things". However, Benedict XVI said that we are Christians because of our personal encounter with Christ, not because we say or do a lot of things. This is what it is all about, the personal encounter and friendship with Christ. Without this encounter and this friendship, nothing we do or say will have any meaning. 

It is necessary to return to the personal encounter with Christ because from there we begin the journey. Sometimes we want to tell the Lord what to do, we want to control, to follow a program... The beauty of this process is that we do not know where it will lead us. Sometimes I am asked "what is going to be the end of this Synod? And I answer: "Ask the Holy Spirit, because I don't know". 

What do we have to put in the light of the Holy Spirit? Our world of noise, of doing, of power... those constructions that we have made for ourselves and from which we have to see what we have to change in order to return to what is essential, to rediscover the basis of our faith. 

We Christians must be a seed of hope. To bring the salvation that is Christ in the midst of the world. It is very beautiful to see that this synodal process arises at the time of the pandemic, at a time when the Church is marked by scandals, at a time of empty temples, of a crisis of secularism... We have all asked God to help us in these moments and here we have an answer: synodal Church, going to the essential, listening to the Holy Spirit, united among us... And we are going forward. 

It is a response from God and a great responsibility for all of us, because this response of God in history passes through us. If we do not participate, if we think that this "complicates our lives", we may be frustrating the action of the Holy Spirit. It is a very important moment for which we need a lot of humility, a lot of trust and a lot of love, and we receive this in prayer. 

-There are Catholics who say they do not feel that they belong to the Church or that the Church does not listen to them.... 

Every Catholic is part of the Church because he is part of Christ. There is no Christ without the Church. The risen Christ is Christ the head of the Church, united to her, inseparable. Uniting yourself to Christ unites you to the Church. It is true that we live in an age where there are many Christians who do not participate in the life of the Church, who are on the margins due to various circumstances. For this reason, the Pope encourages us to reach out to those on the margins, to go out to meet them. We have to listen to everyone, not only to those who come to Mass or are with us, but to everyone: to offer these people the possibility to participate, to speak and to listen to them, uniting them to us. This moment of listening is also a very beautiful moment of evangelization.

How to start doing this? By starting. We learn to swim by swimming. We learn to walk together by walking together in the Holy Spirit. And we experience that they come, that they ask: how can I participate? By approaching their parish, asking the pastor. Going to the simple, which is to live our Christian faith that is community, listening to the Spirit and united to Christ. 

Of course, we have to be patient. Our times are not God's times. Christianity spreads by contagion, by the enthusiasm of the first Christians. I believe that every Christian must be an apostle in the sense of being an enthusiast of his faith, because he knows Christ experientially and carries Christ in the midst of the world. By living the authenticity of our faith we will be "contagious" and we will be integrating more people, even those who insult us, as the Pope has told us.

To listen to everyone and, from there, to discern, and to make the necessary decisions that the Holy Spirit will indicate, not the will of each one of us. Many things will have to be changed and renewed, yes, and it will be a path of hope for all. 

We must listen to everyone, not only to those who come to Mass or are with us.

Msgr. Luis Marín. Undersecretary of the Synod of Bishops

-How can we carry out this discernment, knowing what God is asking for and not falling into fads or ideologies?

Discernment requires openness to the Holy Spirit, the vertical axis that puts us in communication with God, and the participation of our brothers and sisters, of everyone, the horizontal axis. This is the way to trace the path together that will lead us to discern what God is asking of the Church today. 

The theme of the Synod places us before three themes that God is asking of the Church: communion, participation and mission.

The first is communion. We have to ask ourselves how I personally live it when in the Church itself there are opposing groups, when ideologies are imposed, etc.

Communion means that together we are enriched. It is very good that we do not have the same personality, the same sensitivity, the same culture ... because otherwise life would be impoverished. Sometimes we forget that we are brothers and we behave like enemies, like members of a kind of political party and Christianity is not an ideology. There are as many ways to follow Christ as there are people in the world.

Then, participation. Each one has to participate according to his condition and charism, as we have pointed out before. We cannot have a passive or clericalist attitude, that is, that the clergy do everything and know everything while many lay people are passive or want to become "little clerics". The structures of participation in the Church must be developed much more.

And finally, mission. In this difficult world, do we bring the good news to others or do we create a kind of ghetto in which we speak a language that no one understands? Do we go out to the peripheries, that is, to all areas of life? These are the questions of the Synod, the challenge. We cannot reduce the Synod to looking for some recipes or four points of examination but it is a movement of the Spirit, it is something deeper.

-How has this new Synod been received throughout the Church? 

I have to say, and I am very happy to say that, in general, it has been very well received, with great enthusiasm. From the Secretariat of the Synod we are in contact with the Bishops' Conferences all over the world, with assemblies of religious and lay associations. There is a lot of expectation, eagerness and, I would say, enthusiasm. We are also aware that in many areas there are doubts, how we are going to do, where we should go, how to start... there has been a very strong initial impulse. In the vast majority of dioceses it has been assumed as what it is, a time of God and an extraordinary opportunity for Christian life. 

The Pope told us that we have to prepare ourselves for surprises. The Holy Spirit will surprise us. In our society we like to have everything "all tied up", but at this moment, we are asked to be open to the surprise of the Spirit. For example, the Secretariat of the Synod has sent us a preparatory document that is a help, but if it does not work... that's okay. We have placed ten themes. At the beginning there were ten clear, broad questions... and someone pointed out to us that it looked like an exam, that it ran the risk of being reduced to answering a series of questions; and what we want is an experience of listening, not closed answers. That's why we changed it to ten thematic nuclei, which cover a greater possibility of reflection. If they work, fine. If not, we will have to look for others.

From the Secretariat of the Synod we are trying to have a connection of materials, of help... so that we can all help each other in this journey, that is why the different materials are available on the web. The key is that the whole Church is involved in this listening and discernment and that it serves. 

In addition, the Synod Secretariat has very intense contact with the bishops' conferences around the world. For the first time we have had large online meetings, divided by language. There have been two, and in the next one we want the Synod referents and coordinators of all the episcopal conferences to participate as well.

We are meeting with the presidents and secretaries of the dicasteries of the Roman Curia. We have also met telematically with the patriarchs of the Eastern Churches, and with the union of superiors of religious institutes, and we are in contact with the communities of contemplative life and lay associations. It is an intense work but it has created a great connection with churches all over the world.

-Has the Roman Curia also initiated this synodal process?

If we say that the Church is synodal, everything that is Church is synodal, it is Synod, therefore, also the Holy See. Indeed, also in the Vatican Curia we are in this process of thinking, of seeing what the Holy Spirit is telling us at this moment and being able to respond to it.

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Twentieth Century Theology

Gustave Thils and the "Theology of terrestrial realities".

Gustave Thils belongs to the golden age of the University of Louvain in the 20th century, and was a pioneer and author of great theological themes, such as ecumenism and dialogue with religions, but especially on temporal realities. 

Juan Luis Lorda-November 25, 2021-Reading time: 7 minutes

Along with Gerard Philips, Charles Moeller and many others from other disciplines (Delhaye, R. Aubert, Coppens, Onclin...), Gustave Thils (1909-2000) is basically the fruit of Cardinal Mercier's concern for the intellectual and spiritual preparation of the diocesan clergy of Brussels (Mechelen) and for the intellectual and Christian revival of the University of Louvain.

Thils was educated in the diocese of Brussels, in its minor and major seminaries, and in Louvain, where he completed his degrees and his doctoral (1935) and habilitation (1937) theses on The Church's Notes on Apologetics since the ReformationThe first of these, showing the changes they had undergone as they moved from patristics and the Creed (one, holy, catholic and apostolic) to the confessional controversy with Lutheranism, was one of the classic subjects of the apologetics course. It was one of the classic subjects of the subject of apologetics. And this subject was the first one he taught when he was asked to be a seminary professor (1937-1949). He was also one of the most appreciated spiritual directors of that seminary, then with more than two hundred candidates. He then became professor of Fundamental Theology in Louvain (1947-1976). 

Thils was characterized by being thoroughly informed on the subjects he had to teach or wanted to introduce. He was not satisfied with the usual manuals. In each case, he composed a history and a thematic overview. And since, especially in the seminary, he was involved in several subjects, he soon produced a set of very informative works. This earned him an early reputation and was quoted throughout the French-speaking theological area. Until almost the end of his long life, he maintained his ability to write clearly and synthesize well. And he was widely translated. 

Overviews and synthesis

The seminary spirituality talks became a synthesis of priestly spirituality, Diocesan priesthood (1942-1946), later expanded in Christian holiness. Compendium of ascetic theology and, later, in Existence and holiness in Jesus Christ (1982). They continue to be inspirational and with a lay spirituality. 

Some courses on virtue morality in the seminary gave rise to the interesting essay Current trends in moral theology (1940). The thematic expansions of the Apologetics and Fundamental Theology (and of his thesis) led him to synthesize a celebrated History of the ecumenical movement (1955). And, putting it all together, to a Current orientations of theology (1958). It also prompted him to study historically the role of the primacy in the Church, in Pontifical infallibility (1969) y The papal primacy (1972). And, always in the line of Fundamental Theology, to enter the world of religions, Purposes and problems of the theology of the non-Christian religions. (1966). And, seeing them coming, syncretism or Catholicity? (1967). And this is just a small selection of his books, to which we must add many articles and many reviews and reviews. He wasted no time. 

Temporal realities and the Council 

But his most recognized contribution was his early Theology of terrestrial realities (Theology of terrestrial realities (Desclée 1946, edition for which we will quote). This was later accompanied by other complementary essays, such as Transcendence and incarnation (1950), y Theology and social reality (1963). 

He was original because he approached the subject systematically, and with sensitivity to the way of thinking of professionals and workers, whom he knew because he led groups and gave courses. 

At the time of the Council (1962-1965) and especially in the work of the Gaudium et speshe was counted on. Apart from the fact that he was a colleague of other Lovanians such as Gerard Philip and Charles Moeller, who had a great influence on the final form and the writing of Lumen Gentium and other documents (they were all good Latinists). He made good comments on the progress of the Council and several of its documents. And he worked in the Secretariat for the Union of Christians. 

The purpose of the book 

The medieval world has disappeared. Christianity (the Church) is no longer accorded an official place in the constitution of states. But how can Christians be disinterested in the temporal city? Do they not have their mission and vocation there, especially the laity? What is to be done, without falling into clericalism? 

"Give to God what is God's and to Caesar what is Caesar's". Agreed, but shouldn't there be a theology, a thoughtful faith, that serves to train future priests to enlighten Christians? Could it be left to Marxism alone to interpret "temporal realities" and their progress? 

As he explains in the prologue, this reflection justifies this remarkable essay in two volumes. The first volume, PreludesThe second one is dedicated to the Theology of history (1939) and we will comment on it later. As always, Thils makes a great map of the subject, which is, in itself, a contribution.

Preludes

It is divided into four parts. The first three are the preparation and framing of the questions; the fourth is an outline of a Christian judgment of the main "terrestrial realities". It takes into account Maritain's essay (Integral humanism1936), on the Christian role in a society that is no longer officially Christian; and an article by the Jesuit Montcheuil, Christian life and temporal action (1943), in addition to other writings that express the concern to be present in the configuration of the new world. 

He begins by pointing out that Christian philosophers, theologians and sociologists "form a very homogeneous chorus to require from theological science indications about the value of the world, of the universe of human societies, of civilization." (14). Catholics, Protestants and Orthodox (Boulgakov, Berdiaev). He even quotes Donoso Cortes: "A civilization is always the reflection of a theology.". 

Nuances and framing

The second part provides theological elements of judgment, entering into the oppositions and paradoxes: God and the world, the sacred and spiritual and the profane, spirit and matter, flesh and spirit. It takes meditation and a lot of nuance to bring things into focus. 

The third part shows the great movement that goes from the creation of God, with the mystery of sin and redemption, to the consummation in Christ, through the work of the Holy Spirit. This is where these realities must be framed. 

There is a creative design of God for human action in the world (which prolongs his creation), there is sin that deforms and redemptive action that heals, and there is eschatological and transcendent tension towards the end: it is not possible to make a world that remains closed in on itself. 

In this context, Gustave Thils is convinced that the action of the Holy Spirit in the world is not limited to the interior sanctification of individuals or to the liturgical action of the Church, but embraces the whole of creation wounded by sin. Christians must participate in this movement from their place in the world. 

Application to temporal realities

The fourth part, called "simple sketches"The longest section of the book applies everything we have seen to some great earthly realities: the constitution of societies, culture and civilization, technology, the arts and human work. In each case it is a matter of understanding their place in the extension of God's creative action, of thinking about how they are affected by sin, healed by redemption and directed by the Spirit towards the glory of God. 

For example, on work. Relying on St. Thomas, he says that all work participates in the divine action, in his causality, and is an extension of his creation. The creative aspect underlines that the human being is the image of God. Certainly, he is touched by sin, but work is not a consequence of sin, it is only a consequence of its painful aspect. And precisely for this reason, it can also have a redemptive aspect. "To restore a society, culture or art is to transfigure it according to the Holy Spirit: this is not only a promise, it is actually realized. [...] That is why the human activity that transmits redemption to the earthly world is, by the same token, a redemptive activity." (191). 

"By uniting all the forms of earthly redemptive activities and joining them to the theological and theocentric activities of the inner life, a fairly complete view of what the 'Christian life' as a whole is, with all the universality it possesses in God and in the Spirit, will be achieved." (194). It is necessary to flee both from a "The humanization of Christianity that turns it into a force of moralization [...] as of a total disembodiment of Christianity by the unilateral insistence on a grace that would not mix at all with the world to penetrate it and transform it. [...] It is necessary to think in the light of Christ the treatise on Christian anthropology, whose reform will be, perhaps, the greatest work of the twentieth century." (198). These are the last words. 

Summary in Orientations

Twelve years later, in its Current orientations of Theology (1958), summarizes the subject. We are no longer in the times when the idea of perfection was linked to that of "monasticism" or "convent" [...]. The laity are immersed in the temporal and tied to earthly tasks. Their duty of state - which is the first means of sanctification - leads them to give visible attention and vital interest to the development of the profane world [...]. This world, in a precarious and transitory way, is the place in which they must sanctify themselves." (quoted from the translation by Troquel, Buenos Aires 1959, 133). Orientations are needed for "to consider this world with the eyes of revelation, helping them to adapt their gaze to God's gaze.". "A theology of temporal realities can help to understand the end of temporal work and to fulfill it." knowing how the image of God is realized in the world. "In the last analysis it is a 'Christian anthropology'."but "integral", not reduced to the description of the soul and the inner role of grace. "If our theological anthropology had been 'integral,' there would never have been the problem of the theology of temporal realities." (135). 

It is extended by collecting bibliography that had grown. First the "everyday theology".where he quotes Jesús Urteaga (The divine value of the human), Mouroux, Scheler, C. S. Lewis. Then on the body (Mouroux, Poucel), work (Haessle, Chenu), family and society (Dubarle, Journet); also art and technique. 

Eschatologists and incarnationists

As mentioned above, the second volume of the Theology of terrestrial realitiesis dedicated to the Theology of history (1949) and to the eschatological aspect, i.e., whether human action in the world and its progress have any relation to the establishment of the Kingdom of God now and at the end of time (the new heavens and the new earth). 

Histories of theology usually divide authors into "eschatologists" and "incarnationists". "Eschatologists" (Daniélou, Bouyer) would be those who center the meaning of history in the spirituality and life of the Church, the rest being accessory or even, to a different degree, subsumed to the "world" as a reality opposed to salvation. "Incarnationists" (Thils, Chenu and later Metz and liberation theology) would be those who give transcendent and eschatological value to human realities, where they understand that the Kingdom is initiated. They differ and, in fact, Daniélou criticized Thils as "too optimistic". But the issue, so rich and complex, is not well reflected in such a simple bipartite division.

The conclusion of Gaudium et spes

Gaudium et speswhich devotes a chapter to human action in the world (nn. 33-39), prudently echoes all this in n. 33: "We must carefully distinguish temporal progress and the growth of Christ's kingdom."but the first one can help "is of great interest to the kingdom of God".. In addition, "the goods of human dignity, fraternal union and freedom; in a word, all the excellent fruits of nature and of our efforts, after having been spread over the earth by the Spirit of the Lord and in accordance with his command, we shall find them again."transfigured in the consummation of
Christ.

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  • Teresa Barrera, psychologist: "Wounds can generate strengths".
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Teresa Barrera, psychologist: "Wounds can generate strengths".

The demand for psychologists and psychiatrists has grown in the pandemic, and how to help in the face of vital fractures is sometimes ignored. Psychologist and therapist Teresa Barrera reviews seven tools for psychological and spiritual accompaniment. She speaks, for example, that "wounds can generate strengths", or to look "in an integrated way".

Rafael Miner-November 25, 2021-Reading time: 5 minutes
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What does it mean to look at people in an integrated way? "Taking into account their three dimensions: psychological, biological and spiritual". We all have our fractures throughout our history, "it is something that we must assume and that also generates in us strengths". This is what the psychologist Teresa Barrera, collaborating specialist of the Dr. Carlos Chiclana Consultation, assures.

"Living in an integrated way allows people to be happy and to know what they have been called to do", said Teresa Barrera at the conference. Psychology and spiritual lifein a session entitled Addressing fractures in the coherence of life of the Christian subject, which he gave to more than 300 people at the Faculty of Theology of the University of Navarra.

The issue of mental health, especially in these times of pandemic, is of increasing concern to some specialists, who warned as early as 2020 that the Covid-19 pandemic would be followed by problems of the mind. For a good accompaniment, Barrera considers it important to know what the person does, how he does it, why and for whom: "This way we will understand the causes of the rupture, to be able to reorder his behavior and that the person lives in freedom. Often it is not a question of attitude, and this makes the patient feel much less guilty. 

Regarding the origin of the incoherence, he distinguished two cases: when it has a psychiatric root, such as cases of Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) or Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD); or when the incoherence has a psychological root, in which case it is helpful to know the personal history.

These are some of the questions that psychologist Teresa Barrera discussed with Omnes, following her intervention at the University of Navarra.

-The American Psychological Association (APA) warned in late summer last year that psychologists and psychiatrists were seeing an increase in consultations in the pandemic. Some said at the time that Have these demands continued to grow?

Yes, it is evident. There are things that were already in people, they were already adapted, and the situations we have lived through of uncertainty have destabilized them, and they have become more present, and that is why they have asked for help. And then there is a lot of grief to live through. Not only personal mourning, but also things that we have lost in our relationship with others, the time we have been away from others, projects that have had to be closed..., These are also mourning that we have to live through. There have been many variables. There have been people who have been destabilized by the instability of the moment, and by the situations they have had to face.

-What type of fractures are you referring to? Because there can be different kinds of fractures. Life is hard and many things can happen.

They do not have to be big fractures. For a Christian, a difficulty in communication; in marriage, a lack of intimacy is a fracture in coherence. We don't have to talk only about addictions, or infidelity, or serious things. And that can have an origin, from a psychiatric point of view, or from a psychological point of view.

For example, laziness can be a symptom of depression, and it is a fracture in coherence, but it has an origin, it has an explanation. Overwork, for example. People who live more for work than for their family.

-You have spoken of the fractures in the coherence of life of the Christian subject, but it is assumed that the psychological tools you propose are also valid for non-Christians.

The title of the presentation spoke of the fracture in coherence. That is, when a person acts inconsistently. That is what we were referring to. Where is the explanation of incoherence, which can have a psychiatric origin or a psychological origin. A person who is dependent on another person. It can have a psychological origin in the first family relationship, and emotional dependencies are generated. That is why it is a fracture in the coherence. Maybe it is a person who does whatever it takes to be loved by the other person.

And the fracture is not in the wound, but in the coherence, in this case. Although my presentation had the title of fractures of the Christian subject, these are things that are also valid, logically, for non-Christians. It is the fracture in coherence. Although here we are talking about Christian values.

-Let's go to the psychological tools for a good accompaniment of the person. You spoke of seven, and you started with this one: 'The relationship that heals'.

The therapeutic relationship in itself is healing, therefore, in spiritual accompaniment it is also fundamental. This therapeutic relationship generates a stable and safe relationship, where emotional expression is allowed, where the person can show him/herself as he/she is, without being judged.

-Second, the framework of spiritual accompaniment, can you summarize it?

A framework is needed to help the person being accompanied to understand what spiritual accompaniment is and its limits: what aspects are to be dealt with, areas of life to be discussed, times, place, frequency and mode of communication.

-Third, what does it mean to 'make a life line, which we will then join to the work on strengths and emotions'? These are his words.

Ordering one's life is key to know oneself and allows to align life events. It can be done in different ways, by years, by crisis...

-Fourth. Strengths.

Our wounds can generate strengths. It is important to reflect this, because if we only show where the problems are, the person becomes frustrated in the end. If we reinforce the attempts at solutions and the things he or she has learned along the way, the person becomes empowered.

-Fifth. Emotional awareness and regulation.

It consists of helping to detect which emotions the person has in important moments, so that he/she integrates them in life and learns to regulate them. Naming emotions, defining them and expressing them allows the person to know him/herself.

-Sixth. Enabling and reflective questions.

We can use questions that help the person to reflect on him/herself, the consequences of his/her actions, what he/she feels and get a glimpse of the strengths mentioned in the previous section.

-And seventh. The ideal self versus the actual self.

To allow the person, through the map of his history where are the shortcomings and strengths, to know his originality and love himself, to know where he wants to direct his life in freedom. We can translate it by working on the ideal by relying on reality. The idea is to work the person from how he/she is, not only from the ideal; to work the ideal based on reality.

-Let's talk for a moment about 'doing whatever it takes' to get attention, as you mentioned before. It often happens sometimes that after a breakup, for example, you can think of anything crazy...

When we reach these extremes, we need therapeutic accompaniment. Because what one feels and what one does is not proportionate to the vital fact. In these cases, when the person does not tolerate the anxiety, the discomfort or the pain of separation, therapeutic accompaniment is necessary, because it is not proportionate. When emotions are disproportionate, they mean that something is not working well. Another thing is that a person is sad, and cries, or gets angry because of the circumstances, but can continue with his or her life.

We conclude the conversation. In case you are interested, the academic conference was also attended by Dr. Jorge Iriarte, doctor, priest and professor at the Faculty of Theology of the University of Navarra; Montserrat Lafuente, psychiatrist and psychotherapist, professor at the Abat Oliva-CEU University and at the seminary of Barcelona; Professor Wenceslao Vial, professor at the Pontifical University of the Holy Cross (Rome); and university professors José María Pardo and Martiño Rodríguez-González Rodríguez, professor at the University of Navarra; Professor Wenceslao Vial, professor at the Pontifical University of the Holy Cross (Rome); and university professors José María Pardo and Martiño Rodríguez-González, who moderated the presentations.

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The Vatican

Pope to journalists: "A mission to explain the world and make it less obscure".

Two journalists have received, from the hands of Pope Francis, the Grand Cross of the Order of the Plan, which is usually awarded to heads of state. During the award ceremony, the Pope took the opportunity to address a few words to the world of journalism.

Giovanni Tridente-November 24, 2021-Reading time: 3 minutes
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For the first time in the history of the Holy See, two journalists received from the hands of Pope Francis, on November 13, the Grand Cross of the Piana Order, which is usually awarded to heads of state. They are Valentina Alazraki, of Mexican television Televisa, and Phil Pullella, of Reuters, professionals who have been covering the Vatican for several decades. Both are, in fact, "deans" of the so-called "Vaticanists", the group of journalists who live in Rome and follow daily all the activities of the Vatican and the Holy See, and fly with the Pope on his international trips around the world. Alazraki, for example, has made more than 150 trips following the last three pontiffs.

For the occasion, the Holy Father addressed a message to the entire community of information professionals, of whom a representation was present in the room, to tell them that with this honor he intended to "pay homage to your entire working community", as well as to show "that he loves you, follows you, esteems you, considers you precious".

On this occasion, Pope Francis gave a short lesson in journalism, recalling the fundamental elements that characterize - or should characterize - a profession truly at the service of good and truth, lived as a natural "mission" of "explaining the world", "making it less obscure", so that "those who live in it may be less afraid of it and look at others with greater awareness, and also with greater trust".

This true vocation must be based on three important pillars. Firstly, listening to the protagonists of the stories being told, which also means seeing, being there, to capture nuances and sensations through a necessary "irreplaceable" personal encounter.

The second pillar refers to in-depth analysis, to the ability to penetrate the context of situations in order to avoid simplification and contrast, very much in vogue today in the media and web landscape.

Finally, telling, which does not mean "putting oneself in the foreground, nor setting oneself up as a judge", but acquiring the attitude that leads to "allowing oneself to be hit and sometimes hurt by the stories we encounter, in order to be able to narrate them with humility to our readers".

The Pope's wish, therefore, is to deal with journalists and communicators "who are passionate about reality, capable of finding the treasures hidden in the folds of our society and of telling them, allowing us to be impacted, to learn, to broaden our minds, to grasp aspects we did not know before".

This ability to empathize with people's problems, to grasp the elements of truth, to contextualize them and to relate them with kindness also applies to all events related to the Church, which "is not a large multinational company run by managers studying at the table how best to sell their product", but was born and exists "to reflect the light of Another, the light of Jesus".

Pope Francis is no stranger to giving useful indications to journalists so that they can better fulfill their delicate task of service. Very often, in speeches, interviews, messages and greetings, he has highlighted some of his "communicative convictions" and "virtuous advice" as a remedy to what he has defined on some other occasion as the "sins of the media." Among them are disinformation, slander and defamation.

In the face of these "violations of truth," the Pontiff has reiterated on several occasions the need to prioritize the love of truth, goodness and beauty, an "existential triad" as he defined it in his first audience with journalists once elected in 2013.

Listening is also part of that "proximity and culture of encounter" typical of other pronouncements of his Magisterium, aware that personal involvement thus becomes the very root of the communicator's reliability.

In all this arises responsibility, the attitude that leads to maintain a high ethical level in the work, avoiding superficiality and always being respectful with people, both with those who are the object of information as well as with those who receive the message.

The Pope also speaks of hope, referring to a type of information and communication that is constructive. In the face of defeatist or pessimistic views, the right attitude-which is a task and also a commitment-must be positive, leaving room for the good things that happen.

Finally, the Pope is aware that the nerve centers where most of the news is concentrated are in the big centers. However, this should not make us forget the countless stories of those who live far away, at a distance, in the now famous suburbs, where alongside the suffering and degradation there are certainly stories of great solidarity, which can help everyone to look at reality in a renewed way.

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Sunday Readings

Commentary on the readings for the First Sunday of Advent: "Your redemption draws near".

Andrea Mardegan comments on the readings for the First Sunday of Advent and Luis Herrera offers a short video homily. 

Andrea Mardegan / Luis Herrera-November 24, 2021-Reading time: 2 minutes

We begin Advent with Jesus' discourses on the end times and his second coming. Jesus speaks of cosmic upheavals. His listeners were convinced of the connection between nature and history, and saw in the stormy sea an image of chaos opposing the order of the stars and the heavens. If disorder and chaos reach the heavens, then the end is near.

Luke, a good physician, highlights the reactions of "anguish", "anxiety" and "fear" that provokes death. In this dramatic picture, which reminds us of real events - earthquakes, hurricanes, floods, volcanic eruptions - appears the image of the second coming of the Son of Man "in a cloud with great power and glory". 

The cloud is in the Bible a sign of God's presence. A cloud envelops Jesus with the three apostles, Moses and Elijah on the Mount of Transfiguration.

Luke describes the Ascension as follows: "As they watched him, he rose and a cloud hid him from their eyes." (Acts 1:9). Two men dressed in white say to the apostles: "This same Jesus, who from among you has been taken up into heaven, will come in like manner as you have seen him go up into heaven."

As they entered the cloud on the Mount of Transfiguration, the apostles "they were afraid"; Jesus, on the other hand, after speaking of the cloud of his second coming, urges us to stand up and raise our heads, attitudes that express an expectation full of hope: "For your redemption draweth nigh.". 

But Jesus also warns us that we could still lose that salvation, and that is why he invites us to watch and pray to prevent our heart from "obfuscate" because of "the drunkenness, drunkenness and the cares of life". The verb used by Luca recalls the hardening of Pharaoh's heart when Moses asked him to let his people go (Ex 7:14).

We watch to keep our hearts awake with the hope that the Lord transmits to us with Jeremiah: "I will raise up David a righteous shoot, who exercises justice and righteousness in the land. In those days Judah shall be saved, and Jerusalem shall dwell in peace, and shall be called, The Lord our righteousness.".

Paul's words to the Thessalonians, the oldest New Testament writing that has come down to us, immersed in the expectation of the second coming of Christ, suggest to us how to pray in this expectation: "May the Lord fill you and make you overflow with love for one another, and with love for all, as is ours for you, so that your hearts may be confirmed in blameless holiness.".

In addition, the Lord will not come alone, but "with all his saints", his friends, our fellow travelers, our brothers in faith and in glory, who are our intercessors.

The homily on the readings of Sunday I of Advent

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

The authorAndrea Mardegan / Luis Herrera

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Spain

Social Weeks in Spain: towards a regeneration of public life

Seville hosts the XLIII Spanish Social Week under the title "Social Week of Spain The regeneration of public life. A call for the common good and participation. 

Maria José Atienza-November 24, 2021-Reading time: 2 minutes

The Episcopal Commission for Social Pastoral and Human Promotion is celebrating in Seville, from November 25 to 27, the XLIII Social Week of Spain, under the title The regeneration of public life. A call for the common good and participation. 

As Jesús Avezuela, president of the Social Weeks of Spain, points out to Omnes, "the celebration of the Social Weeks of this year 2021 have a special importance after a process of revitalization of this institution.". 

The Seville meeting is also preceded, for the first time, "by the work of a series of debates and deliberation forums in various dioceses throughout the Spanish geography during the whole of 2021".

The next Social Week, which takes the baton from the last one held in Orihuela-Alicante in 2015, will begin on November 25 with the inaugural session attended by the Apostolic Nuncio to Spain, Bishop Bernardito Auza; the Archbishop of Seville, Archbishop José Ángel Saiz Meneses, Jesús Avezuela himself; and the Mayor of Seville, as well as the Secretary General of the Spanish Episcopal Conference, Bishop Luis Argüello, in charge of the inaugural address. 

Friday will be the working day for the participating dioceses through working groups, while on Saturday two round tables are scheduled: A policy perspective y A view from business and the social sector moderated by journalists Diego García Cabello and Juan Carlos Blanco Cruz, respectively.

Saturday's program also includes the presentation of the conclusions before the final act, which will be attended by the Archbishop of Seville and the President of the Junta de Andalucía.

Avezuela also emphasizes the importance of this meeting for the Social Weeks and considers that "it is a very opportune moment, within the path undertaken by the Episcopal Conference for the coming years, to renew these initiatives of meeting and social and cultural dialogue by putting together the very different approaches of the deliberation forums of the various working groups of experts in political, economic and socio-cultural issues of the dioceses that are very varied among themselves but that share this search for the common good".

What are Social Weeks?

The so-called "Social Weeks" are based on the encyclical "Social Weeks". Rerum Novarum of Pope Leo XIII. It will be in Lyon, in 1904 when the first Social Weeks with this name and with the aim of bringing together representatives of different religious, social, political and economic organizations. The Social Weeks of Spain, whose organization dates back to 1906, are a service of the Spanish Episcopal Conference for the study, dissemination and application of the Social Doctrine of the Church to relevant and current social issues.

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Germany, towards another Church?

At the plenary assembly of the Central Committee of German Catholics, the report of a commission of historians on sexual abuse in the diocese of Münster was presented, in which the authors question the foundations of the Catholic Church. In addition, the conference of the "archbishopess" of Uppsala dazzled the majority of the assembly members. Does the German Synodal Way consider the Lutheran Church of Sweden as a model for its discussions?

José M. García Pelegrín-November 23, 2021-Reading time: 4 minutes
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On November 19 and 20, the plenary assembly of the Central Committee of German Catholics (ZdK for short), the body that together with the German Bishops' Conference (DBK) leads the Synodal Way. Apart from the election of the new president Irme Stetter-Karp, 65, as successor to Thomas Sternberg (who had chaired the ZdK since 2015), and other positions, the highlights were two: the presentation of the provisional results of a new study on sexual abuse - in this case in the Church of Münster, prepared by a group of historians, and the lecture delivered by the "archbishopess" of the Swedish Lutheran Church.

The project on the sexual abuse in Münster, which began two years ago under the direction of Thomas Grossbölting and Klaus Grosse Kracht and is scheduled for completion in the spring of 2022, the results so far are roughly in line with those of the so-called MHG report (because professors from the universities of Mannheim, Heidelberg and Gießen participated in it): about four percent of the clergy in that diocese have been accused of abuse since 1945.

Overall, these figures - according to Grossbölting and Grosse Kracht - correspond to the share of abusers in Germany's population, which is estimated to be between three and five percent. "In other words, Catholic priests are neither more nor less likely to commit sexual abuse. Neither their training nor their priestly ordination protected them from it."

Surprisingly, the directors of this project do not draw from these results any conclusions for prevention during the training period of priests. And neither do they do so from a fact of particular relevance: as they mention, three quarters of the victims are boys, which is in stark contrast to the structure of victims in the general population, where it is estimated that girls are affected three to four times more often than boys, i.e. just the opposite. It seems that the relationship between abuse and homosexuality remains a taboo subject.

Instead, they conclude: "It is possible that the Catholic Church does not have a quantitative problem with sexual abuse, but a qualitative one. Because the facts, but also the cover-up of abuse, have a profoundly Catholic character in many facets." In other words: according to Grossbölting and Grosse Kracht, the abuses have "systemic causes": in the sexual morality of the Church (this is also surprising: doesn't Catholic sexual morality prohibit sexual abuse?), as well as in the "Church's conception of the ministry in general", in that "the priest is not only superior to the laity in the leadership of the community, but also in his nature" because, with ordination, he acquires a part of the authority of Jesus Christ and represents him "in persona". 

"This is the transcendent basis of the pastoral power that the 'holy man' has over his victims. From this context results the failure of the bishops' leadership."

In their interpretation of the results of the study, Grossbölting and Grosse Kracht argue for a different Church: "We are referring to something fundamental, the understanding of the priestly ministry, the relationship between priests and laity and between women and men, we are referring to the control from the outside of bishops and personnel managers and, essentially, to the limitation of pastoral power". In this way, sexual abuse provides an opportunity to question the foundations of the Catholic Church. In this regard, it is surprising that Thomas Söding, theologian and member of the ZdK presidium, felt compelled to describe the term "abuse of abuse" as a "poisoned word".

The Lutheran "archbishopess" of Uppsala, Sweden Antje Jackelen

In this context, the enthusiasm with which the participants in the ZdK assembly welcomed the lecture given by the Lutheran "archbishopess" Antje Jackelén from Uppsala (Sweden) is also understandable. Originally from Germany, she has been living in Sweden for 40 years; and since 2014 she has been at the head of the Swedish Lutheran Church. The ZdK presidency had asked her to provide an "outsider's view" of the synodal journey in Germany.

Although she considers that it would be "insolent" to indicate a goal for the synodal path, because "the Church of Sweden does not have the solution", Antje Jackelén outlined how synodality is understood in this Lutheran church: "There is what we call two 'lines of responsibility': on the one hand, the 'episcopal line', with bishops, presbyters and deacons: bishops are elected in each diocese by presbyters and deacons, as well as by the same number of lay people; on the other hand, the 'synodal line', whose representatives are elected in direct and democratic ballots. The key concept is common responsibility.

That it is "widely accepted in Sweden that both men and women can be ordained" is another aspect that fell on fertile ground at the ZdK assembly. Irme Stetter-Karp, its newly elected president - who is also vice-president of Caritas in Germany - said after her election: "As a woman, for me this exclusion [of women from ordination to the priesthood] is not acceptable, but not only since the 2000s, but always. I do not think it is reasonable for my Church to ordain, by decree or according to sex, some yes and others no. I do not think it is acceptable for my Church to ordain women to the priesthood.

This is my perspective as a woman, but it is also shared by many men. An equally decisive reason seems to me to be the pastoral question. For this I often use a simile: one cannot roll out dough indefinitely when one wants to bake a cake; at some point it will break. This is a risk I see in many communities. For me, faith is so important that it leads me to say: it would be good if we reconsidered this".

It is not surprising, therefore, that at the end of her presentation Irme Stetter-Karp invited Antje Jackelén to the Convention of German Catholics in 2022; but also other participants in the Assembly were quick to invite her to participate in the deliberations of the synodal journey. It seems that at least some members of the ZdK Assembly consider the Swedish Lutheran Church as a model for the German synodal path.

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Images of the Pope in Greece and Cyprus

Rome Reports-November 23, 2021-Reading time: < 1 minute
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The recent apostolic journey of Pope Francis to Greece and Cyprus has left several moments etched in the retina, such as his meeting with the Orthodox Archbishop of Athens and all Greece, Hieronymus II, where he asked forgiveness for the historical treatment by Catholics of the Orthodox, or his visit to the refugee camp on the Greek island of Lesbos.

AhNow you can enjoy a 20% discount on your subscription to Rome Reports Premiumthe international news agency specializing in the activities of the Pope and the Vatican.
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The World

Sauvé Report: the French episcopate acknowledges the Church's institutional responsibility

The Sauvé study, commissioned by the French Bishops' Conference, was not limited to a numerical count, but called for a detailed analysis of the causes and possible remedies to the drift of abuses. The bishops did not want to "dispute the bill" but to assume their responsibility and call for a profound conversion.

José Luis Domingo-November 22, 2021-Reading time: 4 minutes
RelatedRelated News"Sexual abuse is a bombshell in French society."Related NewsPope's sorrowful plea for forgiveness for abuses

The recent devastating revelations of the Sauvé Report suggesting a significant number of victims of sexual abuse by priests and religious over the past 70 years in France have been analyzed by the French bishops at the meeting held in Lourdes last week.

The study commissioned by the Bishops' Conference was not limited to a numerical count, but called for a detailed analysis of the causes and possible remedies for this drift. The hierarchy had given freedom to M. Sauvé, formerly vice-president of the Council of State, to form his team and to follow the methods he deemed appropriate. The independent character of this commission, which included personalities with multiple and complementary competencies and diverse philosophical and religious opinions: believers, non-believers, agnostics and atheists, was emphasized. The Church wanted to show absolute transparency and its desire to take the necessary measures to eradicate these crimes.

On the other hand, the recovery of credibility in the eyes of public opinion was perceived as a necessity requiring extraordinary means. In the background, the case of Abbé Preynat - now resigned from the clerical state - had shocked public opinion because of the exorbitant number of young scouts assaulted and had put the Cardinal of Lyon himself, Mgr Barbarin, in the dock for the crime of non-denunciation, sentenced in the first instance to six months in prison and finally acquitted on appeal. A film entitled "Thanks be to GodFrançois Ozon's "The Affair" was widely publicized in the country.

Having made public the results of the report already known, the bishops have unreservedly accepted these conclusions, wishing to make public a profound change of mentality and a sincere repentance. The episcopal body as a whole recognized the institutional responsibility of the Church and the systemic character of these acts of violence, "in the sense that they are not only the acts of isolated individuals, but were also made possible by a global context", in the words of Mgr de Moulins Beaufort, president of the French Bishops' Conference: "a degraded ecclesiastical system".

The measures voted on November 8 by the bishops recognize that the treatment of these situations in the past, only internally, had not helped to clarify them. Wishing to redress any injustice, an independent Church body for the recognition and redress of sexual violence has been set up to compensate any victim "whatever the cost". The practical means of raising the necessary funds has not yet been determined, but the sale of real estate or movable property in solidarity among the dioceses is not excluded. The bishops of France are asking the Pope to send apostolic visitators to analyze the way in which each diocese is working in this area. Nine working groups, led by lay people, have been set up, according to the recommendations of the Sauvé report, with the aim of renewing the form of governance.

At the end of the plenary assembly, on the esplanade of the Basilica of Lourdes, in the context of a penitential celebration, the bishops and the faithful present asked the Lord on their knees for forgiveness for all the abuses committed in the Church, while the bells rang out for the dead for all the victims.

The reaction of the episcopate corresponds to an awareness of the responsibility before God and mankind for this serious perversion that the Church has not been able to deal with within herself, apart from the behavior of other secular social institutions. The bishops did not want to "dispute the bill" but to assume their responsibility and call for a profound conversion. And this is perhaps the most significant thing to be retained by the ecclesiastical authorities.

About the Sauvé report

From the point of view of an outside observer, recognizing the seriousness of the problem and without minimizing it, it is legitimate to suggest some questions that could qualify in some sense, the conclusions of the Sauvé report in order to make them more relevant to the transformation of the French ecclesial society.

The staging of the delivery of the report to the bishops on October 5, 2021 showed the awareness that the Commission had taken from its mission of advice and counsel, transforming it into a sanctioning mission in the manner of a moral Tribunal of society without possible appeal, exceeding the mission entrusted to it. It is commendable that the Commission is independent, but any independent audit work requires a phase of confrontation before the publication of the report. Everything indicates that the bishops did not have the opportunity to study the report before its public presentation.

Independent does not mean incriminating. Mr. Sauvé gave the first quarter of an hour of the presentation to the president of a victims' association who did not spare any reproaches to the bishops: "you are the shame of our humanity"; repeating and making the audience repeat: "you must pay for all these crimes". Faced with the results of the report, he said, "the best thing you can do is to shut up and start working hard and fast to thoroughly overhaul the system". A week later, he called for the resignation of all the bishops of France. 

Apart from these violent manifestations, certainly in relation to painful experiences, the report's recommendations for the future are largely relevant, without excluding some isolated recommendations that are less relevant or rather impertinent in contrast to the specificity of the Church, such as, for example, abolishing the sacramental secrecy of confession or reconsidering the celibacy of priests.

The report indicates that most of the abuses took place between 1950 and 1970. When it comes to evaluating the causes and proposing recommendations, there is undoubtedly an anachronism in considering these past events with today's mentality and parameters, without considering the long road that the Church has made and society is trying to make to unmask these behaviors and the cultural and spatio-temporal coordinates that allow them. The report makes a detailed analysis for periods of 20 and 30 years, however, the global synthesis blurs the differences and could lead one to think that the average of this long period of 70 years of aggressions against minors constitutes the current average. Thus, it could be falsely concluded that currently 3 % of priests are abusers and that religious institutions are more dangerous to children than any other, when in fact the darkest period, with 56 % of assaults, was identified in the 1960s.

From an objective point of view, an overall assessment should have been made of the pederasty practices in France since 1950, and of the cultural parameters underlying them, in all the sectors linked to youth (national education, sports clubs, etc.) and not focusing only on the Church.) and not to focus solely on the Church, forgetting that in those years a certain intellectual elite in France defended these practices (suffice it to recall Jean-Paul Sartre, Roland Barthes, Simone de Beauvoir, Gilles et Fanny Deleuze, Francis Ponge, Philippe Sollers, Jack Lang, Bernard Kouchner, Louis Aragon, André Glucksmann, François Châtelet and many others).

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Culture

Zena Hitz. The pleasures of intellectual life

In the American consumerist society, this fascinating book in defense of intellectual life has attracted attention, because it aspires to restore the genuine sense of learning and study. It is worth its prompt translation into Spanish. 

Jaime Nubiola-November 21, 2021-Reading time: 4 minutes

Published in 2020 by Princeton University Press, the book. Lost in Thought: The Hidden Pleasures of an Intellectual Life [American professor Zena Hitz's "Lost in Thought: The Hidden Pleasures of Intellectual Life" grabs you from the very first page. 

The prologue (pp. 1-24) is subtitled. How washing dishes restored my intellectual life and in these pages she recounts her childhood, full of books and nature, her academic studies, her work as a professor of ancient philosophy until, at the age of 38, she joined a remote religious community called Madonna Houseeast of the forests of Ontario (Canada), and how from there he decided to return to the college of his youth to teach the classics.

Tour

In this prologue, he reviews his studies in St. John's and then at three different universities until she got a stable job at a university in the southern United States, focused entirely on American soccer. There she began working as a volunteer in hospice, refugee centers and literacy programs: "This person-to-person service was like a slow drip of water on a dry sponge." (p. 13). By this time, Zena Hitz decided that she must have a religion since she had grown up without one, despite belonging to a Jewish family. The various churches she looked at did not appeal to her, but one Sunday she attended Mass at the local Catholic parish and everything changed. She was baptized at the Easter liturgy in 2006.

Shortly thereafter he moved to another university in Baltimore and was struck by the suffering of the poor and needy, which contrasted so sharply with the superficiality of academic life at an elite American university. He taught classes on Plato, Aristotle and contemporary ethics to large groups of students and received a comfortable salary and excellent benefits, but that kind of life seemed very poor to him: "The teaching that constituted the central activity of my professional life was nothing like the lively, collaborative pursuit of ideas that had delighted me as a student." (p. 17). The academic organization made effective dialogue and communication between teachers and students almost impossible. In the face of this crisis, Zena Hitz sought help in discerning her vocation and decided to enter into Madonna House. She spent three years in the Canadian community, dedicated to the contemplative life and the manual tasks of the monastery, including washing dishes.

This biographical presentation helps to understand the strength of the book. "As I discovered." -writes Hitz (p. 22). "learning is a profession; [...] it begins by hiding: in the intimate thoughts of children and adults, in the quiet life of bookworms, in secret glances at the morning sky on the way to work, or in the casual study of birds from a deckchair. The hidden life of learning is its core, what matters about it. Intellectual activity nourishes an inner life, that human core that is a refuge from suffering as much as it is a resource for reflection itself. There are other ways to nurture the inner life: playing music, helping the weak and vulnerable, spending time in nature or prayer, but study is crucial."

As the book's publisher announces on the back cover: "Lost in Thought is a passionate and timely reminder that a rich life is a life rich in thought. Although the humanities are often defended only for their economic or political utility, Hitz argues that our intellectual lives are valuable not in spite of their practical uselessness, but precisely because of it."

Intellectual life

The central thesis of the book has captivated me because it invites us to rethink the role of universities and humanistic teachings in our society: "Good teaching has all but disappeared from our university campuses, surviving only because of resilient, dedicated and principled people doing beautiful work without recognition or adequate reward." (p. 199). "It is my hope that our institutions that support intellectual activity will regain their original purpose. We must reconnect and remind ourselves how important what we do is, so that this particularly human way of being, its joys and pains, its modes of excellence and its unique bonds of communion are not lost." (p. 200).

To give a graphic example, as opposed to the somewhat bombastic image of the School of Athens in Raphael's rooms towards which we aspiring intellectuals tend to look, Hitz argues "a much lesser known image of intellectual life, though much older and more common in European art, depicting a girl who loved to read." (p. 60). 

Hitz is referring to the Virgin Mary and in his beautiful description he goes through some of the most wonderful paintings of this artistic tradition: from Van Eyck's altarpiece in Ghent in which Mary appears crowned and jeweled as a queen, looking at a code in her hands, to the scene of the Annunciation in the paintings of Filippo Lippi, Fra Angelico or Matthias Grunewald, in which the young Mary awaits the visit of the angel reading a book, perhaps even that passage from the prophet Isaiah in which it is said that a virgin will conceive a child (Is. 7, 14). According to Christian tradition, Mary was versed in the Hebrew scriptures; she had studied the law and meditated on the prophets. Mary knew the intellectual life, she enjoyed inner vitality.


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The World

Pope asks young people at diocesan WYD: "Stand up and bear witness!"

The diocesan edition of World Youth Day 2021 (WYD) takes place on the Solemnity of Jesus Christ King of the Universe, which is celebrated this Sunday, the 21st. The motto is "Arise! I make you a witness of the things you have seen"., inspired by the Lord's words to St. Paul on his way to Damascus. Pope Francis encourages to "get up".

Rafael Miner-November 21, 2021-Reading time: 5 minutes
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"The verse that inspires the theme of World Youth Day 2021 is taken from Paul's testimony before King Agrippa, while he was detained in prison. He, once an enemy and persecutor of Christians, is now on trial for his faith in Christ. Some twenty-five years had passed when the Apostle narrates his story and the fundamental episode of his encounter with Christ", writes the Pope in his Messagesigned on the feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross this year.

It is a papal text that is part of a cycle of three messages that accompany young people on the journey between WYD Panama 2019 and Lisbon 2023. All of them focus on the verb "to rise up".

"Today, once again, God says to each of you: 'Arise!'" the Pope says. "I hope with all my heart that this message will help us prepare for new times, for a new page in the history of humanity. But, dear young people, it is not possible to begin again without you. To get back on its feet, the world needs your strength, enthusiasm and passion. In this regard, I would like us to meditate together on the passage from the Acts of the Apostles in which Jesus says to Paul: 'Arise! I make you a witness of the things you have seen' (cf. Acts 26:16)".

Conversion of St. Paul

The 2021 Day invites young people to reflect and meditate on the conversion of St. Paul, who went from being a "persecutor-executor" to a "disciple-witness." In this context, and following the Damascus episode, the Pope guides young people to discover God's unconditional love for each of us. "The Lord chose someone who had even persecuted Him, who had been completely hostile to Him and His own. But there is no person who is irretrievable for God. Through a personal encounter with Him it is always possible to start again. No young person is beyond the reach of God's grace and mercy", writes the Holy Father.

On the other hand, the Pontiff notes that Paul's attitude before his encounter with the risen Jesus is not strange to young people, since the Apostle had strength and passion in his heart, even though he was fighting "a senseless battle." For this reason, he explains, it is essential to open one's eyes to see correctly, and to avoid getting lost in destructive ideologies.

"How many young people today, perhaps driven by their own political or religious convictions, end up becoming instruments of violence and destruction in the lives of many! Some, digital natives, find in the virtual realm and in social networks the new battlefield, unscrupulously using the weapon of fake news to spread venom and destroy their adversaries." the Pope points out.

Hence the importance, remember, of emphasizing that when the Lord broke into Paul's life, "did not annul his personality, did not erase his zeal and passion, but made his talents bear fruit to make him the great evangelizer to the ends of the earth".

"In the name of Christ, I say to you."

The Pope then strongly invites the young people: "Rise up and bear witness!", "You will be my witness!". "Today Christ's invitation to Paul is addressed to each and every one of you, young people: get up! You cannot remain lying on the ground feeling sorry for yourself, there is a mission awaiting you! You too can be a witness to the works that Jesus has begun to accomplish in you. Therefore, in the name of Christ, I say to you: 

- Arise and bear witness to your experience as a blind man who has found the light, who has seen the good and beauty of God in himself, in others and in the communion of the Church that overcomes all loneliness. 

- Arise and bear witness to the love and respect that can be established in human relationships, in family life, in the dialogue between parents and children, between young and old. 

- Stand up and defend social justice, truth, honesty and human rights; the persecuted, the poor and vulnerable, those who have no voice in society and immigrants. 

- Arise and bear witness to the new look that makes you see creation with amazed eyes, that makes you recognize the earth as our common home and that gives you the courage to defend integral ecology. 

- Arise and witness that failed existences can be rebuilt, that people who have already died in spirit can rise again, that enslaved people can become free, that hearts oppressed by sadness can find hope again.

 - Rise up and witness with joy that Christ lives! Spread his message of love and salvation among your contemporaries, at school, at university, at work, in the digital world, everywhere."

From Panama 2019 to Lisbon 2023

International WYD celebrations usually take place every three years in different countries with the participation of the Holy Father. The last one took place in Panama 2019, and the next one, as is known, will be Lisbon 2023. This was announced by the Holy Father on January 27, 2019, at the end of the Panamanian WYD. Subsequently, the appointment in Lisbon (Portugal) was set for August 2023, because of the pandemic.

The ordinary celebration of WYD, on the other hand, takes place every year in the particular Churches, which organize the event autonomously, and which also serves as a way of preparing for WYD Lisbon 2023, as explained by the Dicastery Vatican for the Laity, Family and Life. 

This dicastery, presided over by Cardinal Kevin Farrell, published a few months ago the document Pastoral guidelinesfor the celebration of World Youth Day in the particular Churches, as reported by Omnes. This is a celebration in the dioceses that "has great meaning and value not only for the young people living in that particular region, but for the entire local ecclesial community," Cardinal Farrell notes in a text approved by Pope Francis, and signed on April 22, 2021, the anniversary of the presentation of the WYD Cross to the youth.

The celebration "serves to sensitize and form the entire ecclesial community - laity, priests, consecrated persons, families, adults and older people - to become increasingly aware of their mission to transmit the faith to the new generations," adds the document, which cites the General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops on the theme "Young People, Faith and Vocational Discernment," which took place in 2018.

A bit of history

"The institution of World Youth Days was undoubtedly a great prophetic intuition of St. John Paul II, who explained his decision thus: 'All young people must feel cared for by the Church: therefore, may the whole Church, in union with the Successor of Peter, feel ever more committed, on a worldwide level, to young people, to their concerns and worries, to their openness and hopes, to correspond to their expectations, communicating the certainty which is Christ, the Truth which is Christ, the love which is Christ....'. This is what is stated in the above-mentioned document of the Dicastery for the Laity, the Family and Life.

"Pope Benedict XVI took up the baton from his predecessor and, on several occasions, has not failed to stress how these events represent a providential gift for the Church and called them 'medicine against the weariness of believing,' 'a new, rejuvenated way of being Christian,' 'a new evangelization lived.'"

"For Pope Francis, too," Cardinal Kevin Farrell continues, "World Youth Days constitute a missionary impulse of extraordinary strength for the whole Church and, in particular, for the younger generations. Just a few months after his election, he inaugurated his pontificate with WYD in Rio de Janeiro in July 2013, at the end of which he said that WYD was 'a new stage in the pilgrimage of young people with the Cross of Christ through the continents.

"We must never forget that World Youth Days are not 'fireworks,' moments of enthusiasm, ends in themselves; they are stages of a long journey, begun in 1985, at the initiative of Pope John Paul II," as Pope Francis pointed out in 2013, and the document reports. "Let us always remember: young people do not follow the Pope, they follow Jesus Christ, carrying his Cross. The Pope guides and accompanies them on this journey of faith and hope," the Holy Father added. 

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Spain

Bishops pray to St. James the Apostle for La Palma and abuse victims

"The concern and pain of the inhabitants of La Palma". "The abuses committed by some members of the Church", which "cause us pain and shame", and the accompaniment of "the victims". "The 11 million people in social exclusion", and "the synodal commitment" of the Church, have been brought to St. James the Apostle by the Spanish bishops.

Rafael Miner-November 19, 2021-Reading time: 5 minutes
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– Supernatural Plenary Assembly of the Spanish Episcopal Conference (CEE), in its 118th edition, has been closed in Santiago de Compostela This week, with a pilgrimage of the 63 Spanish bishops, two diocesan administrators and the two vice-secretaries of the EEC, accompanied by the apostolic nuncio in Spain, Msgr. Bernardito C. AuzaThe event was held at the feet of the Apostle St. James, on the occasion of the Jubilee Year of Compostela, where they left their yearnings and concerns.

The main event was the Pilgrim's Mass at 11.00 a.m. in the cathedral. The bishops entered the church through the Holy Door at about 10:45 a.m. to venerate the tomb of St. James the Apostle in the crypt. The archbishop of Santiago, Mons. Julián Barrio, presided over the Eucharistic celebration. 

After the reading of the Gospel, the President of the EEC and Archbishop of Barcelona, Cardinal Juan José Omellahas made the offering to the Apostle on behalf of the Spanish bishops. He began by referring to the inhabitants of the island of La Palma, punished by the eruption of the Cumbre Vieja volcano.

Solidarity with La Palma

"As pilgrims we come before you to ask for your protection over all the projects of our local Churches, as well as your encouraging presence in the joys and sufferings of our people and all our communities that we serve as pastors. In a special way we present to you the concern and pain of the inhabitants of La Palma, who have been under the eruption of the volcano for more than two months. We wish to reach them not only with our prayers, so necessary, but also with the solidarity of all the peoples of Spain".

Earlier, he addressed the Apostle St. James directly: "We, the bishops of the Church in Spain, go on pilgrimage to this cathedral, where your remains have been venerated since time immemorial. It was you, according to venerable tradition, who brought to these lands the light of the Gospel. We come here in the framework of this Holy Year, which periodically brings tens of thousands of people from all over the world to this cathedral, and we do so also in the framework of our Plenary Assembly meeting, which we wanted to conclude with this pilgrimage.

Causes of suffering

Cardinal Omella also referred to the pandemic, noting that "today we still feel the pain of so many people who suffer the absence of loved ones or the consequences of the disease: health, family, religious, pastoral, social and also economic".

"We have shared these days other causes of suffering," he then added. "The abuses committed by some members of the Church cause us pain and shame. We ask for your strength and your light so that, in all dioceses, we can meet, welcome and accompany, face to face, the victims in the healing of their pain."

The president of the EEC also wanted to place in the hands of the Apostle St. James "the economic difficulties that are leaving more and more people in a situation of exclusion. We are sensitive to the concern for land, housing and work, so often pointed out by Pope Francis. The data offered by Caritas and other entities of the Church tell us that there are currently 11 million people who are already in a situation of social exclusion. Not to mention the more than two and a half million people in situations of extreme vulnerability".

Commitments to those who suffer the most

"We ask you, Apostle James, to accompany those who suffer these sufferings and to arouse in all of us feelings of compassion, as well as effective commitments to make it true that we are one people, and that we are all committed to one another, and all to those who suffer the most," said Cardinal Omella.

Finally, he placed in the hands of the Apostle St. James "the synodal endeavor in which the whole Church is engaged," asked for his "help for this beautiful and exciting mission [evangelization] because we are aware that it surpasses us," and prayed that, "with Mary, star of the new evangelization, under the invocation of the Pillar, which, according to tradition is so closely linked to your person and evangelizing work, intercede for us now and always."

Pioneering decree to tackle abuse

The Plenary Assembly this week approved a General Decree on the protection of minors. It is the first Episcopal Conference in the world to approve this set of norms to deal with cases of sexual abuse against minors and people who usually have an imperfect use of reason, the Spanish Bishops' Conference itself has pointed out,

The text gathers, in a single document, "the canonical norms dispersed in various documents, and will be valid in all Spanish dioceses, in religious institutions of diocesan right. It will also be a good instrument for its application in those of pontifical right. Its implementation will allow for greater coordination and speed in dealing with this type of case and will also guarantee the rights of all parties by clarifying aspects that were previously interpreted by juridical analogy".

This decree "already incorporates the modifications that the Holy See introduced, on this matter, in Book VI of the Code of Canon Law, which was presented on June 1 of this year", and will enter into force as soon as it receives the recognitio of the Holy See.

Also in relation to the protection of minors, the Plenary Assembly specified the formation and work of the Coordination and Counseling Service for the Offices for the Protection of Minors. And "it was glimpsed the growing need to welcome all kinds of people who ask for help for abuses that have taken place in other areas. Also discussed were the common services that the EEC can offer to facilitate the work of these offices", for which "the formation of a team of people in the Conference that can help and provide the services that the offices demand" is under study.

Case by case, not statistics

Luis Argüello, auxiliary bishop of Valladolid and secretary general of the CEE, gave an account of the work of the Plenary Assembly, together with the vice-secretary for economic affairs, Fernando Giménez Barriocanal. In relation to the abuses, Bishop Argüello emphasized that the Conference of Bishops is in favor of "case by case knowledge of the situations of abuse that may have occurred, with the desire that they not be repeated", but not to carry out a task of "sociological or statistical research".

"Our main interest is that each victim can feel that the Church, in each diocese and in each congregation is ready to welcome their situation, and if the possibility of opening a procedure is derived it would be opened, because the Church although it has a twenty-year statute of limitations period, it is always open to lifting the statute of limitations," said the secretary general, according to Cope.

Bylaws, family, budgets

The agenda of the Plenary Assembly also included the approval of the Statutes of the EEC and its organisms. The bishops received information on the project of structure and functioning of the Council of Studies and Projects of the EEC, whose creation is one of the activities foreseen in the plan of action. "Faithful to missionary sending".which was approved at the April 2021 Plenary Meeting.

On the other hand, the European Youth Pilgrimage will take place in Santiago de Compostela from August 4 to 8, 2022, with the theme 'Young man arise and be a witness. The Apostle Santiago awaits you'.which is convened on the occasion of the Holy Year of Compostela. There are already 10,000 young people registered, reports the EEC.

Within the framework of the  Year "Family Amoris Laetitia"the program has been advanced to Marriage Weekpromoted by the EEC, from February 14 to 20, 2022. In addition, the bishops have agreed to join the World Meeting of Families, which will take place in Rome from June 22 to 26, with a national Meeting, in addition to those organized in the various dioceses. They thus accept the invitation of Pope Francis to bring this Meeting to the local Churches.As for the budget of the Interdiocesan Common Fund for 2022, the instrument through which the distribution of the tax allocation to the Spanish dioceses and other ecclesial realities is channeled, "a little more than 295 million euros has been established as the target amount, which represents a 3.5 % increase over the previous year."

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United States

U.S. Bishops approve document on the Eucharist

The plenary assembly of the North American bishops have approved, as part of the national Eucharistic revival project, a key document on the Eucharist.

Gonzalo Meza-November 19, 2021-Reading time: 3 minutes
RelatedRelated NewsU.S. Bishops' Plenary Meeting beginsRelated NewsEucharistic revival and synodality: essential to combat division and polarization

On June 19, 2022, the Solemnity of Corpus Christi, the National Eucharistic Revival Project will begin in the dioceses of the United States under the theme "My Flesh for the Life of the World". This was decided on November 17, 2021 by the bishops of the United States during their Plenary Assembly in Baltimore. The initiative, whose patron saint will be Blessed Carlo Acutis, who died at the age of 15 from leukemia and was beatified in 2020, will culminate in a National Eucharistic Congress in July 2024 in Indianapolis, Indiana. The goal of the project is to renew the Church through a living and personal relationship with Our Lord Jesus Christ in the Most Holy Eucharist. The Initiative has two phases: diocesan and parish.

The first phase will begin with a procession on June 19, 2022, the second a year later on June 11, 2023, both Solemnities of Corpus Christi in the United States. The project contemplates the promotion of Eucharistic Adoration, the 40-hour devotion, mercy nights with Adoration and confession (especially during Advent), missions with renowned preachers on the Eucharistic Mystery, the training of diocesan and parish teams, promotion on websites and social networks and the elaboration of catechetical materials on the crowning Sacrament of Christian life.  

The mystery of the Eucharist in the life of the Church

One of the pillars of this national Eucharistic revival initiative will be the document "The Mystery of the Eucharist in the Life of the Church," which was unanimously approved by the U.S. bishops on Nov. 17. The initial version of this document provoked heated debates among the U.S. prelates during their spring virtual meeting because they thought it was intended to prohibit communion to specific public figures who claim to be Catholic and receive communion, but whose actions go against the Church's teachings, particularly on abortion and family issues; for example, President Joe Biden. The document, the prelates later clarified, is not intended to issue public vetoes but to become a catechetical instrument on the Eucharistic Mystery, in view of the decrease of parishioners at Sunday Mass and the ignorance of 2/3 of American Catholics, for whom the Body and Blood of Christ consecrated in the Mass are only "symbols". 

The thirty-page text takes up the Church's teaching on the Eucharist and includes numerous quotations from the Fathers of the Church, liturgical books, the Catechism of the Catholic Church, Canon Law and the Magisterium. The document includes several themes among them the Paschal Sacrifice, the Real Presence of Christ in the Eucharist, communion with Christ and with the Church. The second section speaks of the coherence that all Catholics should have between their faith and their political, economic and social life. This includes those who exercise some form of public authority, who "have a special responsibility to form their conscience in accordance with the faith of the Church and the moral law, and to serve the human family by defending human life and dignity."

The text also recalls that one should not receive communion while in mortal sin without first approaching sacramental Confession. In this sense, the prelates mention what they had already pointed out in 2006: "If a Catholic in his personal or professional life deliberately and obstinately rejects the doctrines of the Church or if he deliberately repudiates the definitive teachings of the Church in matters of morality, such a person undermines his communion with the Church" and should abstain from receiving Holy Communion.The national Eucharistic revival initiative also calls for a second survey of American Catholics' practices and knowledge of the Eucharist to be conducted by the end of 2024. The bishops hope by then to have succeeded in reaffirming one of the central dogmas of the faith, the Real Presence of Christ in the Eucharist, and thereby increase their personal union with the Lord. 

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ColumnistsIgnacio Valduérteles

Charity and welfare state

Reducing the promotion of charity required of the fraternities to the exercise of social actions carried out only out of solidarity condemns the fraternities to the role of subsidiary responsible for the maintenance of the welfare state.

November 19, 2021-Reading time: 3 minutes

Not many years ago, at a time when the role of the brotherhoods was being questioned, I had the opportunity to conduct a study on the amount of aid that they devoted to charity. It was limited to the city of Seville and the results were surprising to some: more than five million euros, and this was because the study only included quantifiable aid, the others were left out because they could not be translated into euros; but how much is a hug worth, "it is the first time someone has given me a hug in exchange for nothing", a lady who had had a complicated past told a volunteer with emotion. How do you value a moment of company for a person who lives alone, with no one to take care of them? These intangibles were not counted in the study.

I have data that indicate that if this research were done today, after the health crisis, the results would be almost double, something that the brotherhoods can be satisfied with, since one of their missions is the promotion of charity, but which involves a danger: reducing charity to figures and believing that the greater the volume of aid, the more charitable a brotherhood is. This way we run the risk of assimilating the brotherhoods to NGOs, which is why it is opportune to clarify the differences between charity, solidarity and social action, three distinct but complementary concepts.

 Charity is a theological virtue, infused by God into our soul on the day of baptism (Faith, Hope and Charity), although maintaining it and growing in it depends on ourselves. It is the virtue by which we love God above all things and our neighbor as ourselves for love of God, inasmuch as they are dear to God. Charity can only be understood starting from God, who is Love. Also human love, lived as a total, free and gratuitous donation, has the capacity to bring the person to his fullness, to make him happy, because what frustrates a life is not pain, but the lack of love. 

Solidarity, on the other hand, is a human virtue, which we acquire through our efforts and the grace of God, in order to adapt our behavior to the full development of our human condition. It is the awareness of being linked to others through God, and the decision to act in coherence with this mutual link. "It is not a superficial feeling for the evils of so many people, near or far. On the contrary, it is the firm and persevering determination to work for the common good, that is, for the good of each and every one of us. To be aware that we are all truly responsible for everyone" (John Paul II). It has its foundation in divine filiation. We are all children of God and share the same dignity. This is the only way to understand Solidarity correctly, not with a horizontal vision, but with the awareness of being linked, through Christ, to others.

Solidarity cannot be assimilated to charity. Solidarity is justice, Charity is Love. Justice alone is not enough, the dignity of man asks for much more than justice: it asks for Charity, it asks for love. Love for the other contained in the love of God.

Finally, we have Social Action, an activity, or a series of activities, consisting of the management, distribution and application of the material resources obtained from the generosity of the friars and collaborators.

Social action is not an end in itself, that would be social assistance or philanthropy: it is the consequence of the exercise of Charity on the part of the brothers and donors and an expression of their Solidarity.

This threefold distinction is clearly shown in the Gospel, in the multiplication of the loaves:

Christ felt compassion for those who followed him because they had not eaten for a long time: Charity, love of God.

When the apostles tell him of their concern, he proposes to them: "You give them something to eat, it is your responsibility to take care of the needs of others": Solidarity.

He then encourages them to manage this attention: look for resources (they get five loaves of bread and two fish) and organize the distribution of food (make groups of fifty, distribute and collect): Social Action.

It is important to be clear about these concepts. Reducing the promotion of charity required of the brotherhoods to the exercise of social actions carried out only out of solidarity condemns the brotherhoods to the role of subsidiary responsible for the maintenance of the welfare state, which is deceitful and denaturalizes the mission of the brotherhoods.  

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.

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Books

For the good death to come

It may seem that the postmodern approach to the end of life, although it appears to expand individual freedom, constitutes a double fraud. The book that Pablo Requena has just published is essential for anyone who wants to think about euthanasia and, in general, about the end of life.

Vicente Bellver Capella-November 18, 2021-Reading time: 3 minutes
RelatedRelated NewsNotes for reflection and argument on the euthanasia lawRelated NewsConscientious objection. A right against euthanasiaRelated News"Denying institutional conscientious objection is against the Constitution."

We are all afraid of dying. But today's culture, far from providing us with the means to face this final period of our lives in the best possible conditions, assumes that death is the absolute evil and turns its back on it completely. And it does so with the transhumanist proposal to have immortal lives, or with the vindication of euthanasia as a right. Underlying both proposals is the idea that one is sovereign to decide when to end one's life. Life ceases to be a human right, which protects a fundamental good for the person as is his or her life, and becomes a right available to the human being as he or she wishes. 

Book

TitleThe good death. Dignity, palliative care and euthanasia.
AuthorPablo Requena
Editorial: Follow me
City and year: Salamanca, 2021

The postmodern approach to the end of life, while appearing to expand individual freedom, is a double fraud. First, because immortal life is not only a chimera but a nightmare. The epic of human existence is associated with our vulnerable and mortal condition. And second, because no one renounces life and asks for euthanasia if his or her life is worth living. And all life has meaning if we are convinced as a society that this is so and that we act accordingly. One asks to die because one is alone, in pain or because one's life is very limited. But if the person is accompanied, his pain is alleviated and he is given the possibility of being himself, however limited he may be, he will not consider asking for his life to be ended. 

If it were not for the abuse that is made of the expression, I would not hesitate to emphasize that this book that Pablo Requena has just published is essential for anyone who wants to think about euthanasia and, in general, about the end of life. It will be enjoyed not only by health professionals and public policy makers but by all those who are encouraged to read it. Because the subject cannot be approached with greater clarity, serenity, rigor and open-mindedness. The author is a physician by training, professor of bioethics at the Pontifical University of the Holy Cross and currently the Holy See's representative to the World Medical Association. This training and experience, together with a writing that is in keeping with the best tradition of physician-humanists, has enabled him to offer a brief but enlightening book that is not erudite but up to date, that deals with many issues but all of which are assembled with great coherence. 

The book is divided into two parts. In the first, the author asks why we have come to consider euthanasia as an end-of-life option. He focuses on the problem of loneliness, which is the great epidemic of the present time (and much more difficult to combat than Covid-19); on the prolongation of life in often distressing conditions, to which the triumph of medicine over death has led us in the last century; on the existence of a variety of therapeutic options that need not necessarily be exhausted in all cases and which are sometimes abused; on the worrying and growing phenomenon of "feeling a burden to others" that overwhelms many people at the end of their lives. For each of these challenges, he proposes a specific response, based on the defense of the unconditional value of each human being, and presented in such terms that it invites us to think and dialogue rather than to confront each other.  

In the second part, he examines the two alternatives proposed in the face of "the cry for help in asking for death": either to accompany to the end or to apply euthanasia. Pablo Requena insists that both logics are opposed to each other. If we care until the end, it is because we are convinced that the person's life is sacred and does not cease to be so because his or her capacities are diminishing. The logic of palliative care, based on the Hippocratic medical tradition, consists in providing effective care that avoids suffering and never in giving death. The euthanasia logic, on the contrary, is based on the acceptance that one human being can give death to another under certain circumstances.

Precisely because the origin of Hippocratic medicine, the basis of today's medicine, consisted in separating the physician who cures from the guru who can also procure death, the author is extremely concerned about the fact that it is normalized for physicians to practice euthanasia. In this regard, he quotes the father of modern medical deontology in Spain, Gonzalo Herranz, who stated that "euthanasia is not medicine, because it does not complete it, but replaces it".  

Aware that euthanasia is not a right but the abandonment of the person in one of the most critical stages of his or her life, the book ends by insisting on the need to reverse this situation, repealing euthanasia laws whenever possible and advocating comprehensive assistance to people at the end of life, leaving no one behind.

The authorVicente Bellver Capella

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RelatedRelated NewsNotes for reflection and argument on the euthanasia lawRelated NewsConscientious objection. A right against euthanasiaRelated News"Denying institutional conscientious objection is against the Constitution."
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United States

Eucharistic revival and synodality: essential to combat division and polarization

Vital issues such as the pastoral plan for Eucharistic revival and the document on the Mystery of the Eucharist are being discussed at the plenary assembly of the U.S. bishops in Baltimore.

Gonzalo Meza-November 18, 2021-Reading time: 2 minutes
RelatedRelated NewsU.S. Bishops' Plenary Meeting begins

On November 16, the work of the plenary session of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) began in Baltimore. The meeting began with addresses by Bishop Christophe Pierre, Apostolic Nuncio to the United States, and Bishop José H. Gomez, President of the USCCB. In his address, Bishop Pierre referred to the theme of synodality. The synod, he said, is not a parliament sustained by political battles to change Christian truths. Nor is it a campaign to convince or make programs.

Synodality, he pointed out, is walking together: "It is about humbly listening to one another and to the Holy Spirit and thus discerning the will of God". In this sense, synodality, the Nuncio clarified, is a response to the challenges of our time, particularly to alleviate the polarization that is experienced in society and in the Church: "The Church is hurt not only by the crisis of abuses and the effects of the pandemic, but by polarization". A divided Church, said Bishop Pierre, will never be able to bring others to the unity that Christ asks of us. Unity that must be made visible in each particular church with the bishop walking with his people, in communion with the Pope and deciding to bring them together. cum Petro et sub Petro.  

Jose Gomez, President of the USCCB, also acknowledged that there are many divergences in the Church and in society. These divisions, coupled with secularization, are causing American society to lose "a sense of its history. For most of its existence as a nation, "the history that gave meaning to our lives was rooted in the biblical vision and the Judeo-Christian heritage". This history, Bishop Gomez said, served as the model for the founding documents of the United States and shaped our laws and institutions, "it was the substance of our ideals and actions".

Today this narrative is crumbling, he warned. In view of this, the prelate pointed out that it is not necessary to invent another story, but to listen to the true one: that Christ loved us, gave his life for us and that with his death and resurrection he gives hope and meaning to our lives. Quoting Archbishop John Ireland - who led the Diocese of St. Paul, Minnesota from 1884 to 1918 - Gomez pointed out that "the duty of the moment" is to announce that story to the people of our time. The Church exists to evangelize and being a Christian means being a missionary disciple, he said. It is not an easy task, he pointed out, since we no longer have the influence the Church once had in society, nor its "numbers". "Anyway, that never mattered because Christ promised us that if we first sought his Kingdom, everything would be given to us," he said.  

That is why the pastoral plan for Eucharistic revival to be discussed at this plenary and the document on the Mystery of the Eucharist are vital. With these pastoral instruments, Gomez said, it will be possible to bring people closer to the Mystery of faith. "If we truly want to end human indifference and social injustice, we need to revive sacramental awareness." In the sacrament of the Eucharist, people will be able to discover God's love, an unending love.  

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Photo Gallery

A fresco of an apocryphal Roman Council

Where the baths of Titus, Domitian and Trajan were located in pre-Christian times, in the Rione MontiPope Symmachus had a church built over an earlier building dating from the time of Pope Sylvester I. Inside there is a fresco referring to two councils that are said to have taken place in Rome around the Council of Nicaea (325).

Johannes Grohe-November 18, 2021-Reading time: < 1 minute
The authorJohannes Grohe

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The World

Maria Schutz, an Austrian sanctuary in picturesque scenery

At the foot of Mount Sonnwendstein, in the region of Semmering, Austria, is the shrine of Maria Schutz (Mary Help of Christians). A privileged place that not only attracts pilgrims, but is also a frequent destination for tourists visiting the area.

Daniela Sziklai-November 17, 2021-Reading time: 4 minutes
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The Semmering region is located one hour south of Vienna, the Austrian capital. It is a popular hiking destination, and in winter it is a popular skiing area. In the late 19th century many well-to-do Viennese citizens spent the summer season at the newly founded spa in this mountain pass and enjoyed the curative climate. Numerous beautiful old "villas" bear witness to this period, as do the more or less dilapidated buildings of several prestigious hotels.

For many centuries, the Semmering Pass has been an important link between the Austrian states of Lower Austria and Styria. Cars currently drive through a tunnel underneath the pass. A railway tunnel is also being completed, which will relieve freight traffic from 2028 onwards from the colorful Semmering Railway, the world's first mountain railroad, which winds its way to the harbor over numerous viaducts.

Very close to this hiking region, at the foot of the Sonnwendstein mountain, is the shrine of Maria Schutz (Mary Help of Christians). Its two baroque towers are clearly visible from the freeway on the way to the Semmering. They were already there when the Semmering was not yet frequented by tourists, but rather by merchants. This place of prayer and worship dates back to a chapel that was erected here in 1721 to fulfill a vow made during the plague epidemic of 1679. Apparently, at that time the water from the Maria Schutz spring - known as the "holy spring", the "Heiliges Bründl" - cured many plague patients.

The foundation stone of the present church was laid in 1728. Its magnificent baroque decoration testifies to the deep faith of the people and the large number of pilgrimages that came here in the south of Lower Austria in the 18th century. In addition to the fountain, whose water is nowadays poured into a marble basin at the back of the high altar, an image of Our Lady with the Child Jesus is also venerated in Maria Schutz. In a side chapel, next to the main entrance, there are numerous representations testifying to the gratitude of people who have been cured, or saved from mortal danger, thanks to the intercession of Mary Help of Christians.

Over the centuries the church has also suffered greatly; in 1826 the towers burned down, and an earthquake damaged the church building. It was not until 1995 that the domes of the towers could be rebuilt in their original baroque form. In 1945 there was heavy fighting here between Soviet and German troops, but the ensemble remained largely intact. "Maria Schutz defends against all enemies", "Maria Schutz steht allen Feinden zum Trutz": the motto of this pilgrimage site reflects its history.

The Passionist religious have been living in the building adjacent to the monastery since 1925, and serve pilgrims. It is the only monastery in Austria of this order, founded in Italy by St. Paul of the Cross in 1720. At present, three Fathers and one Brother live in the monastery. They offer a rich spiritual program, with adoration for several hours each day, regular reparation evenings and "Fatima Days" (the 13th of each month). Almost every time one enters the church one hears the sound of the prayers, the words of the rosary or adoration. The highlight of each year is the dedication of the church on August 15, the feast of the Assumption of Mary, which is a public holiday in Austria.

In 2020 was the 300th anniversary of the foundation of the Order, but because of the Coronavirus pandemic the Passionists were not able to celebrate it properly, and the celebrations of the anniversary of the foundation could not take place until this year.

The "Marienhof" (House of Mary), a retreat house located in front of the church, is run by the Teaching Sisters of Our Lady of Auerbach, who collaborate with the Passionists in caring for the shrine. Up to 15 people can participate in the retreats, and the house does not have fixed prices, but lives exclusively on the donations of the faithful.

Maria Schutz not only attracts pilgrims; it is also a frequent hiking destination for tourists visiting the Semmering. Several hiking trails start from the church, and from the esplanade there is a breathtaking view of the beautiful landscape all the way to the Schneeberg, which at 2,076 meters is the highest mountain in Lower Austria. It is a sanctuary that combines the beauties of faith, art and nature in a fascinating way.

The authorDaniela Sziklai

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  • Jaime Mayor OrejaRead more : "Nowadays, anyone who defends firm principles is labeled a fundamentalist".
Spain

Jaime Mayor OrejaRead more : "Nowadays, anyone who defends firm principles is labeled a fundamentalist".

Jaime Mayor Oreja, former Minister of the Interior of Spain and current President of the Foundation Values and Societywill be the opening speaker at the X St. Josemaría Symposiumwhich will be held in Jaén on November 19-20. Freedom and commitment is the theme of this symposium and also at the heart of this conversation with the President of the European Federation One Of Us.

Maria José Atienza-November 17, 2021-Reading time: 7 minutes

Committed to political activity since the age of 24, Jaime Mayor Oreja has had a front row seat to the evolution of Spanish politics and society over the last 40 years.

An outspoken Catholic, his defense of Christian principles has led him, at times, "to loneliness", as he himself points out. With an in-depth knowledge of European socio-political life, Jaime Mayor Oreja has granted an interview to Omnes in which he defends the recovery of the Christian voice in today's political, cultural and social life.

We have to go out of the institutions to join together with others who defend the same ideas. This is a battle of David against Goliath and that is how we have to face it.

Jaime Mayor Oreja. Former Minister of the Interior

Do you think it is possible to return to a socio-political unity that prioritizes the common good over ideological positions? How to start this process? 

The first thing we have to do is to accept the diagnosis of our illness. Moral relativism, that is, the lack of references, is a dominant fashion that is winning by a landslide. Not by 2-0 but by 7-0. This is so. In Spain, therefore, we have to remember the Christian foundations of our society and fight a cultural battle. Present an alternative to this dominant fashion.

What has happened is that there has been a cultural incompatibility of the fundamentals: the truth, the nature and dignity of the person, of its main institutions, marriage, what freedom means, the idea of Spain, the idea of the Crown... All these fundamentals are today being undermined by the dominant relativism and it is necessary to be present. 

-Where are the Christian politicians in our society? Do they exist?

They are not very present. People too easily embrace resignation and a feeling of defeat and think that little or nothing can be done. Each one closes in his institution... But, when it is necessary to give a cultural battle of this dimension, it is necessary to do it from the sum, from the synergies and that is what is lacking.

Of course there are Catholic intellectuals, thinkers and politicians but, in the end, there is not enough critical mass to add up. 

We have to go out of the institutions to join together with others who defend the same ideas. This is a battle of David against Goliath and that is how we have to face it. We have to sow, to plant the seed of a true cultural alternative. If there is no alternative, the sign of the government in office will matter nothing. An alternative is something more than a change of party: it is an alternative in fundamental ideas and this is the great challenge in Spain and Europe. 

-Now that you mention Europe, have you lost the spirit that gave you life, the spirit that moved Schuman, Adenauer...?

Europe has lost its soul. Europe was born without a body but with a soul, because it was born post tragedy and one usually has a soul in tragedies. Europe has become a body, with many institutions and a lot of budget, but it has lost its soul. 

Between World War I and World War II, the germ of the European idea was already there, but it did not come to fruition. It took a second tragedy to make it a reality. 

To recover the soul in Europe now is the time for sowing, not harvesting. Europe has fundamentally lost its faith. Secularization has been brutal and it is evident that this is "the cause" among causes. We are facing a crisis of values, of conscience, of principles, of foundations, a crisis of truth. When we delve deeper into all this, it becomes evident that this crisis we are suffering is a crisis of faith. We have stopped believing and we have disregarded a dimension that cannot be disregarded: the religious dimension of a society. It is not that we are all Catholics and Christians in the faith. What is not possible is that there is an unhealthy obsession to destroy all the institutions and all the social doctrine born of Christianity and the Social Doctrine of the Church, to eliminate all the references that Christianity has brought us on life, marriage, the person... This obsession makes us lose our soul.

We are facing a crisis of values, of conscience, of principles, of foundations, a crisis of truth. When we delve deeper into all this, it becomes evident that this crisis we are suffering is a crisis of faith.

Jaime Mayor Oreja. Former Minister of the Interior

-Are you hopeful that he will recover?

I am a Christian, and we Christians have to lose everything except hope. When I am branded as a pessimist, I always make the same joke: I tell them that we Spaniards are lucky to have two different verbs to differentiate between hope and hope. be and the be. I am an optimist who is pessimistic. But I am an optimist. 

Jaime Mayor Oreja during the interview with Omnes.

In the years of lead of the Basque Country I defended the political and social isolation of ETA's environment. We were able to put it into practice, for a short time, thirty years later. Now I defend the Christian foundations of Europe, so I am an optimist. An optimist who sees reality and who knows that we are worried, pessimistic, in the face of that same reality, because otherwise I would be a fool. But we have to be optimistic, we have to believe that we will get out of this situation. Knowing that we are losing 7-0 and with an advance of relativism and the destruction of permanent references. 

So, are we talking about a long-term battle?

You never know if it is medium or long term. Historical cycles are full of surprises. We are at the end of a stage, that's for sure. My generation was at the beginning of a stage: the postwar period, the end of World War II and a little before the Spanish Civil War. Now we are at the end of a period, and decadence is what characterizes the end of eras. So it's very unpredictable, what's going to happen, is there going to be some kind of trauma? We don't know. It can be predicted at the beginning of a period; at the end of a historical stage, prediction is impossible. 

When I was young, people used to criticize a person by saying that he or she was a "sinfundamento". We have gone from sinfundamentals to fundamentalists.

Jaime Mayor Oreja. Former Minister of the Interior

-Do you consider yourself a "loose verse", as you have been called at times, or simply free?

There is freedom to do good, not to do evil. Freedom is not freedom to do whatever you want, whenever you want and however you want. I have always been a person who has sought the truth and I have not betrayed myself. I have had defects and mistakes, but I think I think quite similar to when I started to make the democratic transition in Guipúzcoa at the age of 24. 

I have seen how the dominant fashion has been changing and, obviously, when relativism takes hold you are put in a position where you look like a fundamentalist. But that is a mirage. What has advanced is a dominant fashion. Now everyone who believes in something is called a fundamentalist. And that is not being a fundamentalist. 

When I was young, people used to criticize a person by saying that he or she was a "sinfundamento". We have gone from the sinfundamento to the fundamentalists. In my life I have always defended the same things and I have anticipated processes that were taking place, such as the so-called "peace" process, which changed Spanish society from top to bottom. When you defend that diagnosis you have to know that the strength of your principles and convictions lead you to periods of loneliness. Defending the same things, I have had the greatest possible support in the polls, for example, when I was Minister of the Interior... then you experience loneliness. But I wish not to be alone. I wish that, in the certainty of the diagnosis that some of us make about this crisis, in ten years, many people accompany me. 

-Do you have to keep your beliefs to succeed in politics today?

Today politics is devalued. We are living a moment of mediocrity in the ways in which politicians behave, who are more administrators of states of opinion than references in convictions and principles. It seems that it is incompatible to coherently maintain convictions, principles and solid positions.

During the Spanish transition, the best diplomats, State lawyers, lawyers of the Spanish Parliament or the Council of State, went into politics. Today, the best are not in politics. The fault does not lie with the politicians, but with society, which often punishes principles and has allowed the public man to be so denigrated that, in the end, many have ceased to be public men.

-With this panorama, is Christian commitment to public work more difficult?

Relativism has taken over the public sphere: in society, in the media. The media are of enormous importance in our democracies, because a democracy is a regime of opinion.

If relativism takes hold of a society and its means of opinion, it is evident that the defense of Christian values and principles is greatly complicated. How can this be solved? By overcoming the reverential fear of an environment.

I always remember that, in the 1980s, in the Basque Country there were two fears: physical fear - an organization could kill you - and another "reverential fear" that, for defending the idea of Spain in the Basque Country, or for defending the State security forces, you would be branded as a bad Basque. A reverential fear of an environment, of a dominant fashion, and this fear is more difficult to combat than physical fear.

The current environment also produces this fear. Fear of being told that you are a gentleman of the 17th century, of the Middle Ages or that you are a caveman, for defending your ideas regarding the person, marriage, or what gender ideology means... Fear of being labeled, of being labeled a fundamentalist.

A Christian has to overcome that reverential fear, he cannot hide or use words to disguise what he thinks or wants to say. You have to adapt to the media and new languages of communication, but you don't have to "dress up as a lagarterana". We have to say the things we believe in, with respect, knowing that we are in a free and plural society and that not everyone has the same faith, nor do we try to impose it, but without hiding.

It is surprising to see conference titles in universities or Catholic institutions full of "nice" words avoiding the use of language of faith when the question is: why are we losing our faith, why are we losing our Christian foundations, why is secularization advancing every day, why are families becoming unstructured? 

During the Spanish transition, the best diplomats, State lawyers, lawyers of the Cortes or of the Council of State..., went into politics. Today, the best are not in politics.

Jaime Mayor OrejaFormer Minister of the Interior

-In the face of legislation such as euthanasia or abortion, do you think it is possible to rescue this society from death?

I believe that the main objective of the dominant project now is to replace one society with another. There are those who want to destroy one social order for a new, or better, social order, social disorder.

The political and social debate in the coming decades will change. To date, the debate has been between a political right (less state, more society, less taxes) versus a political left (more state, less society, more taxes).

At present, relativism has been installed both on the left and on the right. Therefore, the debate will be between relativism and fundamentals. In the face of this, we must overcome the reverential fear of being called fundamentalist for defending fundamentals. 

We have to understand the changing times and that those who defend fundamentals will be more attacked. Now, we cannot build a society on lies, on gender, abortion or euthanasia. There is no society that can resist.

Yes, they will hurt and destroy many foundations of our society, but those who defend this disorder are doomed to failure and they know it. They are not right and they have no reason

For our part, it is time to sow and overcome the distances of institutions, of groups, of so many people who think the same thing. To be able to overcome this separation and be united to fight this cultural battle.

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Sunday Readings

Commentary on the Readings of Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe

Andrea Mardegan comments on the readings of Jesus Christ King of the Universe and Luis Herrera offers a brief video homily. 

Andrea Mardegan-November 17, 2021-Reading time: 2 minutes
RelatedRelated NewsCommentary on the readings for the Solemnity of All Saints (B)Related NewsCommentary on the readings for Sunday 33rd Sunday in Ordinary Time (B): Good remains forever.

Of the son of man coming in the clouds of heaven, the book of Daniel says that "he was given power, glory and kingdom; all peoples, nations and tongues served him: his power is an everlasting power, which shall never end, and his kingdom shall never be destroyed." In the Gospel of John, Pilate asks: "Are you the king of the Jews?"Perhaps because of the information received during the years of government in Palestine: the expectation among the people of a messianic king who would liberate Israel from the Romans; the desire of the multitude to make Jesus a king; the declarations of the disciples: "Rabbi, you are the king of Israel" (Jn 1:49), that may have reached you.

Jesus answers him with another question, trying to help him look inside himself: "Are you saying this for yourself, or have others told you this about me?". Pilate does not accept dialogue on an equal footing, much less the authority of Jesus who dominates him. He does not want to look inside himself, he defends himself. "Am I a Jew? Your people and the chief priests have handed you over to me; what have you done?" Jesus decides to explain to him the true nature of his kingdom: "My kingdom is not of this world; if my kingdom were of this world, my servants would have fought that it should not be given to the Jews; but my kingdom is not from here." He has put himself on the level of Pilate, he uses his language: a military argument. It is not a kingdom of this world because it does not have worldly power that kills enemies, imprisons, spills blood, imposes taxes. It is a kingdom that is based on self-giving love, and so it is the king, Jesus, who allows himself to be imprisoned, judged, condemned, and sheds his blood to free his subjects from the slavery of sin. He is not of this world, but he aspires to change this world, with the logic of love and pain suffered for salvation.

"Pilate said to him, 'Are you a king?' Jesus answered, 'You say so: I am a king. For this I was born and for this I came into the world: to bear witness to the truth. Everyone who belongs to the truth listens to my voice.'" Jesus thus gives Pilate the possibility of hearing that truth, which is the full manifestation of the Father's goodness, which Jesus came to bring into the world. But once again Pilate builds a wall: "What is truth?". But Jesus has made an impact on him and tries to save him: since then he repeats that he finds no fault in him. The last attempt is made by presenting Jesus as a king to the Jews: "Shall I crucify your king?". They respond: "We have no king but Caesar." Pilate yields to fear and surrenders to it. We, on the other hand, let us allow ourselves to be conquered by the logic of his kingdom, let us listen to the truth that he came to bring and let us not be afraid to surrender our lives with him, for him, for the authentic freedom of the children of God.

Homily on the readings of Jesus Christ King of the Universe

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

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RelatedRelated NewsCommentary on the readings for the Solemnity of All Saints (B)Related NewsCommentary on the readings for Sunday 33rd Sunday in Ordinary Time (B): Good remains forever.
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Spain

"The Church is neither of the right nor of the left, it is of Christ."

The Social Weeks of Spain, organized by the Spanish Episcopal Conference, will be held in Seville from November 25 to 27.

David Fernández Alonso-November 16, 2021-Reading time: 3 minutes
RelatedRelated News"The brotherhoods bring hope to thousands of people and lead them to faith."

Today, before the accredited media, a press conference was held to present the Social Weeks of Spain, which will be held in Seville from November 25 to 27. The Archbishop of Seville, José Ángel Saiz Meneses, and the president of the Social Weeks, Jesús Avezuela Cárcel, were in charge of presenting these conferences.

The Archbishop of Seville wanted to emphasize that these weeks are inserted in the work plan of the Episcopal Conference assumed for the period from 2021 to 2025. The president of the Social Weeks, Jesús Avezuela, underlined that the Social Weeks are like a "traveling university", in the sense that today, in the century of the Internet, this concept is aimed more at continuing to promote and foster spaces for dialogue and debate on issues addressed by the Social Weeks: political, social and moral concerns; the role of Catholics in public life; the role of religions in the public sphere, etc.

In response to a question, Sainz Meneses wanted to emphasize that "the Church is of Christ and of the Gospel, it is neither of the right nor of the left". And that the Social Doctrine of the Church is very rich, which illuminates the situations of the people.

What are the Social Weeks

The Social Weeks of Spain, whose organization dates back to 1906, are a service of the Spanish Episcopal Conference for the study, dissemination and application of the Social Doctrine of the Church to social issues of notorious importance and topicality. These conferences, which are being held this year in Seville, aim to continue to be a milestone in the Church's social thought, and make a valuable contribution to the discernment of the here and now of the Church, of its contribution to the present moment and of its contribution, from reflection and practice, to the common good of society. To this end, they count on great experts in politics, economics and solidarity who make their contributions in the light of Christian humanism.

Numerous dioceses held their working meetings last September and October under the title "The regeneration of public life. A call to the common good and to participation". The final meeting will take place in Seville next week, November 25-27.

The program

The conference will begin on Thursday, November 25, at 7:00 p.m., with the inaugural session at the Real Alcazar of Seville. Bernardito Auza; the Archbishop of Seville, José Ángel Saiz Meneses; the President of the Social Weeks of Spain, Jesús Avezuela Cárcel; and the Mayor of Seville, Juan Espadas Cejas. The inaugural address will be given by the Secretary General of the Spanish Episcopal Conference, Bishop Luis Argüello.

The meeting on Friday, November 26, will be held at the San Isidoro Faculty of Theology and will be reserved for the spokespersons of the diocesan working groups. They will be welcomed by the Dean of the Faculty, Manuel Palma Ramirez.

Saturday 27 will host two round tables: "A view from politics" and "A view from business and the social sector". The moderators will be journalists Diego García Cabello and Juan Carlos Blanco Cruz, respectively. 

The first round table will be attended by Manuel Alejandro Cardenete Flores, vice-counselor of the vice-presidency and of the Ministry of Tourism, Regeneration, Justice and Local Administration of the Regional Government of Andalusia; Carlos García de Andoin, director of the Diocesan Institute of Theology and Pastoral of Bilbao; and Sol Cruz-Guzmán García, deputy of the Popular Group in the Congress of Deputies. 

The second round table will feature the former Spanish Minister of Employment and Social Security, Fátima Báñez García; the President of the Andalusian Confederation of Employers, Javier González de Lara Sarriá; and the Secretary General of Cáritas, Natalia Peiro. 

Saturday's program also includes the presentation of the conclusions, before the final act in which the archbishop of Seville and the president of the Junta de Andalucía, Juan Manuel Moreno Bonilla, will be present.

RelatedRelated News"The brotherhoods bring hope to thousands of people and lead them to faith."
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ColumnistsIgnacio Valduérteles

Charitable work of the Brotherhoods: more than just solidarity

When the priceless action of the Brotherhoods in favor of the most needy is known, there is a danger of assimilating the brotherhoods to NGOs, that is why it is convenient to reflect on the differences between charity, solidarity and social action.

November 16, 2021-Reading time: 3 minutes

Not many years ago, at a time when the role of the brotherhoods in today's society was being questioned, I had the opportunity to conduct a study on the amount of aid devoted by the brotherhoods to charity. It was limited to the city of Seville and the results were surprising for some: more than five million euros, and that the work only collected the aid that was quantifiable, the others were left out; but how much is a hug worth, "it is the first time that someone gives me a hug in exchange for nothing", a lady who had had a complicated past commented excitedly to a volunteer. How do you value a moment of company to a person who lives alone, with no one to take care of her? These intangibles were left out of the study.

I have data indicating that if this research were done today, after the health crisis, the results would be almost double. This is something that the fraternities can be satisfied with, since one of their missions is to promote charity, but it entails a danger: reducing charity to figures, the greater the volume of aid, the more charitable a fraternity is. This way we run the risk of assimilating the brotherhoods to NGOs, which is why we should reflect on the differences between charity, solidarity and social action, three distinct but complementary concepts.

Charity

It is a theological virtueIt is the virtue of the Faith, Hope and Charity, instilled by God in our soul on the day of baptism (Faith, Hope and Charity), although maintaining it and growing in it depends on ourselves. It is the virtue by which we love God above all things and our neighbor as ourselves for love of God, inasmuch as they are dear to God. Charity can only be understood starting from God, who is Love. 

Human love, lived as a total, free and gratuitous donation, because only from freedom can love be possible. It has the capacity to bring the person to his or her fullness, to make him or her happy, because what frustrates a life is not pain, but the lack of love.

Solidarity

It is a human virtueIt is the awareness of being linked to others through God, and the decision to act in coherence with this mutual linkage. It is the awareness of being linked to others through God, and the decision to act in coherence with this mutual link. "It is not a superficial feeling for the ills of so many people, near or far.

On the contrary, it is the firm and persevering determination to work for the common good, that is, for the good of each and every one of us. To be aware that we are all truly responsible for everyone" (John Paul II). It has its foundation in divine filiation. We are all children of God and share the same dignity. This is the only way to understand Solidarity correctly, not with a horizontal vision, but with the awareness of being linked, through Christ, to others.

Solidarity cannot be assimilated to charity. Solidarity is justice, charity is love. Justice alone is not enough, human dignity demands much more than justice: it demands charity, it demands love. Love for the other contained in the love of God.

Social Action

It is an activity consisting of the distribution and application of the material resources obtained from the generosity of the brothers and collaborators.

Social action is not an end in itself, that would be social assistance or philanthropy: it is the consequence of the exercise of Charity on the part of the brothers and donors and an expression of their Solidarity.

This threefold distinction is clearly shown in the Gospel, in the multiplication of the loaves:

Christ felt compassion for those who followed him because they had not eaten for a long time: Charitylove of God.

"You give them something to eat," he says to the apostles, it is your responsibility to care for the needs of others: Solidarity.

He then encourages them to manage this attention: to look for resources (they get five loaves and two fish) and to organize the distribution of food (make groups of fifty, distribute and collect): Social Action.

Reducing the promotion of charity in the fraternities to social actions carried out only out of solidarity is misleading and condemns the fraternities to the role of subsidiaries responsible for the maintenance of the welfare state is misleading and denaturalizes the mission of the fraternities. On this issue it is also essential to have a rigorous foundation of its conceptual model in order to have clear ideas.

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.

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Spain

Society today. Post-Christian, post-secular and post-liberal.

Christian intellectuals and politicians are faced with the choices of withdrawing from the institutional life or to fight the cultural battle. Both, with the risk of reducing Christianity to a manipulable ideological identity.

Ricardo Calleja Rovira-November 16, 2021-Reading time: 3 minutes

For decades, the majority of Christians - and the magisterium of pastors - joined the great social consensus on the legitimacy of existing institutions, even if they could point out shortcomings. In this open society, Christians would propose, not impose, their ideas, assuming the rules of the game as one of the players. Confident in the power of truth and in the institutional channels of the political system, they aspired to convince by word and example. In this way, they hoped to preserve the foundations of common life, which they understood were not a matter of religious faith. They were confronting secularizing ideologies that eroded those foundations: the dignity of the person and of the family, the definition of marriage, the religious dimension of the person, care for the needy, and so on. What Benedict XVI occasionally called the "non-negotiable principles".

But the conditions under which this was stated have changed significantly. 

At the risk of being drastic, we can say that today we are no longer in a scenario of fundamentally Christian societies facing the tensions of the secularization process through the rules of the game of political liberalism. We are in increasingly post-Christian, post-secular and post-liberal societies.

Today's society

Post-Christian because new principles of justice are emerging that are no longer "Christian virtues gone mad", as Chesterton said. I am referring, for example, to the denial of the uniqueness of the human species, of the dignity of the individual, of rationality as the norm for debates, of the presumption of innocence, etc.

Post-secular because the result of the progressive disappearance of Christianity is not a less religious society in general, but the replacement of Christianity by new civil religions. I am referring to the ideological phenomena linked to identity politics, radical environmentalism, animalism, etc. These are not alternative ideas within the spectrum of free choices in a society, but the pretension to change the principles of common life at the root. Moreover, they are expressed not in a discursive way but mainly in an identitary, emotional and collective way, and we would almost say sacramental. A new religion -or set of religions- that demolishes the idols and statues of the previous one and establishes new taboos.

Post-liberals because the consensus on common institutions, the aspiration for a society of free and equal individuals, the importance of respect for the rules of the institutional game with its alternation in power and relative neutrality of the public space, and the social cohesion typical of prosperous middle classes are disappearing. We are witnessing attempts to occupy institutions with hegemonic eagerness, and the emotivist fragmentation of public opinion, which reduces the common places for encounters. Non-liberal forms of democracy are emerging -plebiscitary, caudillist, identitarian- and sympathy is growing for regimes closer to technocratic authoritarianism.

The Christian's attitude

In the face of these scenarios, the synthesis mentioned at the beginning is no longer valid as a realistic possibility for social and political action, however much one may regret or miss it. The uncritical assimilation of a context increasingly distant from Christianity does not seem a valid or attractive option. Mere expert commitment to institutions - in itself irreproachable - is not enough to contribute effectively to reinforcing the foundations of political life, which are permanently under attack. Even the most classical and rational liberalism seems to have neither electoral pull, nor the will to defend some fundamental substantive values from a Christian perspective.

In Christian intellectual and political circles, more identitarian options are emerging. Some promote a "withdrawal" from institutional political life, due to its corrupting force on individual character and public debate. Others, however, assume the conflictive position and prepare to fight the cultural battle from the institutions. In both cases with the risk of reducing Christianity to an ideological or cultural identity that can be manipulated and is basically empty. And with the perplexity of having to renounce the more or less civilized rules of behavior of democratic politics to which we were accustomed. Because the way to make oneself present in the public space as a harassed minority is no longer cordiality or the simple discreet exercise of one's rights and obligations. Many Christians think that they must make their voice heard, even if it sounds strident, even if it earns them enmity in their social environment and generates conflict in the public sphere. And there is always the temptation to become inwardly intolerant of those who do not fight the battles as we think they should be fought. Or simply with those who fight them, if one thinks that confrontation should be avoided above all.

As Nietzsche wrote, he who fights a monster must be careful not to become another monster. Where is the limit? Does this promote social friendship and the common good, as Pope Francis and the entire classical tradition of politics propose? And at the same time, is not civic confrontation a more sincere mode of encounter than the dialogue of the deaf or the silence of the lambs?

The authorRicardo Calleja Rovira

Professor of Business Ethics and Negotiation at IESE Business School. D. in Law from the Complutense University of Madrid.

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The World

Immigrants turned into political weapons

The migration crisis in Poland highlights the horror of human trafficking and its use as a weapon of political destabilization.

Concepción Lozano-November 16, 2021-Reading time: 4 minutes
RelatedRelated News"We need effective, supportive and creative ways of welcoming migrants."Related NewsPaul R. Gallagher: "Europe needs a mechanism to distribute the reception of migrants".

They arrive driven like sheep and whipped with sticks as if they were animals. Covered with blankets and with some food they board buses organized by the Belarusian regime. They are not from the country, not even some nearby. They come from Afghanistan, Syria or Cameroon. It doesn't matter. Some of them even arrive in Belarus by plane, through organized mafias that charge them for the ticket, thousands of euros, in exchange for bringing them closer to the European dream.

A dream that vanishes as soon as they run into the barbed wire fences placed on the Polish border. On one side a column of Belarusian soldiers who do not let them go back (not an option for them either) on the other, Polish soldiers who return them "in the heat of the moment" if they try to cross the barbed wire fence placed and reinforced to prevent them from passing.

The European Union and NATO have called it "a hybrid attack", a term that has not been used in Brussels until now, despite the fact that the situation is not new. What makes this one different from others is that perhaps the way they are organized, the objectives and the purpose of destabilizing the European continent is clearer and more emphatic than ever. They do not even hide it.

 Belarus acts in retaliation for the sanctions imposed by the EU (economic and political) for the behavior of the dictatorial regime of Alex'ander Lukashenko that have been qualified by the EU authorities as "violation of human rights". Belarus, backed by Russia with whom it shares objectives and political purposes, decides to counterattack by sending hordes, not of soldiers, but of helpless immigrants desperate to start a new life on the European continent. To do so, he organizes their trip, as if it were a macabre tourist operation, and through specialized agencies he moves them from their countries of origin, far away from the EU, to the border with Poland. The EU's external border

The tension has escalated so much that military movements of troops, planes or soldiers on both sides of the border have intensified, in a display of showing each other's teeth, Poland and the European Union on the one hand, and Belarus and Russia on the other, aware of their not only military but also strategic power in the area. The community club consumed 394 billion cubic meters of gas in 2020, of which 43% was imported from Russia, according to Eurostat. The Yamal-Europe pipeline, which is the one that passes through Belarus, has the capacity to transport 33 billion cubic meters annually to the Union. One of Lukashenko's threats is to cut gas transit to Europe at the gates of winter and in the midst of an international energy crisis.

Interview with the Secretary of COMECE

Against the backdrop of the alarming humanitarian and political situation on the Polish-Belarusian border, the COMECEThe European Bishops' Conference issues a statement urging the EU and its member states to express their practical solidarity with migrants and asylum seekers. Its Secretary General, Father Manuel Enrique Barrios, welcomes Omnes to discuss this difficult situation.

- What is the position of the EU bishops on what is happening in Poland?

With concern. It is saddening that people in vulnerable situations are used for political purposes.

- Conciliating the dignity of every human life with respect for the sovereignty of a State is complicated. Do you think that in this case a humanitarian approach should be adopted first and foremost?

This is fundamental. What makes Europe and the European Union what it is, is not first and foremost economic or even political agreements, but a shared culture of values, and the first of these values is the dignity of every human person. Therefore, the first thing to safeguard is the humanitarian approach that must prevail over all others. But, on the other hand, respect for legality and border security is also important.

- Do you think the EU is doing enough to fight human trafficking and illegal immigration?

I think he is trying. In September last year, the European Commission presented a whole package of measures, called the "Pact on Migration and Asylum"The aim of this proposal is to address the migration crisis and the crisis of asylum seekers while respecting their dignity and international law, but also the principles of humanitarian aid, rescue in distress and proposing to do everything by sharing the burden among all the Member States of the Union. We know, however, that because of the way the European Union works, where sometimes unanimous agreements between all the States are required, this is not easy to achieve.

-Do you think that European governments adopt selfish positions and adopt a mainly political perspective that does not take into account the humanitarian and tragic context of these situations?

European governments often have to face several challenges at the same time, such as, for example, the growth of populist positions in their public opinion or the fear of citizens of losing their identity, of insecurity and of losing their jobs, especially in a situation of economic crisis. All this, however, does not justify taking selfish positions and closing in on oneself and one's own borders. It is also true that the real solution to the migration crisis is to help the countries of origin so that people are not forced to emigrate.

Europe cannot allow people to die at its borders in this manner

Manuel Barrios. Secretary COMECE

-It is not the first time we see how human pain is instrumentalized for political and selfish purposes. In this case, do you think Poland is acting correctly in containing immigrants at its borders despite the human tragedy?

I believe that Poland is doing what it can in this very difficult and unfair situation and the European Union and the other member countries have to help Poland. This, however, should not be an obstacle to act with concrete solidarity towards these people by providing all the necessary help, because Europe cannot allow people to die at its borders in this way.

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RelatedRelated News"We need effective, supportive and creative ways of welcoming migrants."Related NewsPaul R. Gallagher: "Europe needs a mechanism to distribute the reception of migrants".
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