Toute l’histoire du salut est l’histoire de Dieu qui cherche l’homme

"Toute l’histoire du salut est l’histoire de Dieu qui cherche l’homme: il lui offre son amour, l’accueille avec tendresse."

Pape François (@Pontifex_fr)

Tutta la storia della salvezza è la storia di Dio che cerca l’uomo

"Tutta la storia della salvezza è la storia di Dio che cerca l’uomo: gli offre il suo amore, lo accoglie con tenerezza."

Papa Francesco (@Pontifex_it)

Dignidade do trabalho e do trabalhador

“A história marcou a fogo no nosso povo o sentido da dignidade do trabalho e do trabalhador. Existe algo mais humilhante do que a condenação a não poder ganhar o pão? Existe forma pior de decretar a inutilidade e inexistência de um ser humano? Pode uma sociedade, que aceita tamanha iniquidade, escudando-se em considerações técnicas abstractas, ser caminho para a realização do ser humano?”

Papa Francisco, 2002

Liberté, égalité, fraternité

Lors de la traditionnelle messe pour la France célébrée mercredi matin en la basilique Saint-Pierre de Rome à l’occasion de la fête de sainte Pétronille, le cardinal Ricard, archevêque de Bordeaux, a rappelé devant l’ambassadeur de France près le Saint-Siège, qu’il était important d’être fidèle aux « valeurs de la République » que sont la liberté, l’égalité et la fraternité.

« Nous vivons aujourd’hui à une époque, a souligné le cardinal Ricard dans son homélie, où un certain nombre de nos contemporains doutent que la fidélité soit possible ». Certains se demandent ainsi, « dans un univers relativiste », si l’on peut « rester au long des années fidèle à une personne dans le couple, à une cause, à des idées », a-t-il relevé, tandis que « certains même vont plus loin et suspectent la fidélité d’être une entrave à la liberté ».L’archevêque de Bordeaux a soutenu que la fidélité était possible parce qu’elle était « un don de Dieu ». Il a assuré qu'elle était « une œuvre créatrice », expliquant que « loin d’être une nostalgie paralysante qui nous rendrait prisonniers du passé », elle « se vit dans le présent et nous tourne vers l’avenir ».

(http://www.news.va/fr/news/cardinal-ricard-etre-fidele-aux-valeurs-de-la-repu)

Friends of God (93) - Peace and happiness to all men

Christians are ordinary people, but their hearts overflow with the joy that comes when we set out to fulfil, with the constant help of grace, the will of the Father. Christians don't see themselves as victims, underrated, or restricted in their behaviour. They walk head on high, because they are men and children of God.

Christians should be second to none as human beings. Those who follow Christ are able (not by their own merit but by the grace of God) to communicate to those around them what they at times suspect but cannot quite grasp: that true happiness, a genuine spirit of serving our neighbour, can only come by passing through the Heart of our Redeemer, perfectus Deus, perfectus homo.

Let us turn to Mary, our Mother, and the most excellent creature ever fashioned by God's hands. Let us ask her to make us humanly good so that our human virtues, woven into the life of grace, may become our best way of helping those who, with us, are working in the world to bring peace and happiness to all men.

St. Josemaría Escrivá

Friends of God (92) - Sadness is the end product of selfishness

"Sadness is the end product of selfishness. If we truly want to live for God, we will never lack cheerfulness, even when we discover our errors and wretchedness. Cheerfulness finds its way into our life of prayer, so much so that we cannot help singing for joy. For we are in love, and singing is a thing that lovers do."

St. Josemaría Escrivá

Love story

"Every time we give in to selfishness and say “No” to God, we spoil his loving plan for us."

Pope Francis (@Pontifex)

História de amor

"Cada vez que seguimos o nosso egoísmo e dizemos não a Deus, arruinamos a sua história de amor conosco."

Papa Francisco (‏@Pontifex_pt)

Historia de amor

"Cada vez que somos egoístas y decimos no a Dios, arruinamos su historia de amor con nosotros."

Papa Francisco (@Pontifex_es)

Storia di amore

"Ogni volta che seguiamo il nostro egoismo e diciamo no a Dio, roviniamo la sua storia di amore con noi."

Papa Francesco (@Pontifex_it)

Histoire d’amour

"Chaque fois que nous suivons notre égoïsme et disons non à Dieu, nous détériorons son histoire d’amour avec nous."

Pape François (@Pontifex_fr)

God is love

God is not something vague, abstract. He has a name: 'God is love.'

Pope Francis, today, 26 May 2013

(http://www.asianews.it/news-en/Pope:-the-Trinity,-the-face-with-which-God-revealed-himself-as-love-28023.html)

China Catholics mark Prayer Day at Shanghai shrine

Catholic laymen carry the statue of Our Lady of Sheshan in the procession on May 24

Around 2,000 Chinese pilgrims gathered at China’s largest Catholic shrine this morning to observe the feast of Our Lady of Sheshan and the World Prayer Day for the Church in China.

Pope Francis on Wednesday encouraged Catholics across the globe to join in the World Day of Prayer, which was first declared by his predecessor Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI in 2007.

(http://www.ucanews.com/news/china-catholics-mark-prayer-day-at-shanghai-shrine/68342)

Heaven for atheists? Pope sparks debate

"American atheists welcomed Pope Francis’ comments that God redeems nonbelievers, saying that the new pontiff's historic outreach is helping to topple longstanding barriers.

“The Lord has redeemed all of us, all of us, with the Blood of Christ: all of us, not just Catholics. Everyone,” the pope told worshipers at morning Mass on Wednesday. “‘Father, the atheists?’ Even the atheists. Everyone!”

Francis continued, “We must meet one another doing good. ‘But I don’t believe, Father, I am an atheist!’ But do good: we will meet one another there.”

Roy Speckhardt, executive director of the American Humanist Association, said that although he has been skeptical of Francis' outreach to the nonreligious, he welcomed Wednesday’s comments.

“I gather from this statement that his view of the world's religious and philosophical diversity is expanding,” Speckhardt said. “While humanists have been saying for years that one can be good without a god, hearing this from the leader of the Catholic Church is quite heartening."

He continued, “If other religious leaders join him, it could do much to reduce the automatic distrust and discrimination that atheists, humanists, and other nontheists so regularly face. “

Francis’ comments received a great deal of attention on social media, with a number of people asking whether the Catholic leader believes that atheists and agnostics go to heaven, too.

On Thursday, the Vatican issued an “explanatory note on the meaning to ‘salvation.'"

The Rev. Thomas Rosica, a Vatican spokesman, said that people who aware of the Catholic church “cannot be saved” if they “refuse to enter her or remain in her.”

At the same time, Rosica writes, “every man or woman, whatever their situation, can be saved. Even non-Christians can respond to this saving action of the Spirit. No person is excluded from salvation simply because of so-called original sin.”

Rosica also said that Francis had “no intention of provoking a theological debate on the nature of salvation,” during his homily on Wednesday.

Although the pope's comments about salvation surprised some, bishops and experts in Catholicism say Francis was expressing a core tenant of the faith.

"Francis was clear that whatever graces are offered to atheists (such that they may be saved) are from Christ," the Rev. John Zuhlsdorf, a conservative Catholic priest, wrote on his blog.

"He was clear that salvation is only through Christ’s Sacrifice.  In other words, he is not suggesting – and I think some are taking it this way – that you can be saved, get to heaven, without Christ."

Chad Pecknold, an assistant professor of theology at the Catholic University of America, agreed with Zuhlsdorf, pointing out that the pope’s comments came on the Feast of Saint Rita, the Catholic patron saint of impossible things.

“The remarks about atheists show that there is even a saint for atheists,” Pecknold said. “Including all of humanity, on this day especially, remarks like that are almost called for.”

“To stress that the gospel redeems all people, including atheists, is the teaching of the church,” he added. “This is an objective fact that the church believes.”

Greg Epstein, the humanist chaplain at Harvard University, said Francis' comments reflect “the interfaith and inter-community work many of us nontheists are dedicated to.”

That said, Epstein hopes that lay Catholics are listening.

“I hope Catholics, and all people hearing the pope's statement, will recognize that his words about atheists need to symbolize much more than just a curiosity or an exception to the rule,” Epstein said. “If someone thinks there are only a few atheists out there doing good just like Catholics do, that's a major misunderstanding that can lead to prejudice and discrimination.”

The pope’s comments come a few months after he told worshipers that Catholics should be close to all men and women, including those who don’t belong to any religious tradition.

"In this we feel the closeness also of those men and women who, while not belonging to any religious tradition, feel, however the need to search for the truth, the goodness and the beauty of God, and who are our precious allies in efforts to defend the dignity of man, in the building of a peaceful coexistence between peoples and in the careful protection of creation,” Francis said shortly after his election as pope in March.

Even atheists like David Silverman, president of American Atheists, who has had an antagonistic relationship with the Catholic church, welcomed the pope’s remarks.

“While the concept of Jesus dying for atheists is wrong on many levels (especially given that Jesus himself promised hell for blasphemers), I can appreciate the pope's `good faith' effort to include atheists in the moral discussion,” Silverman said.

“Atheists on the whole want no part in Catholicism, of course, but we are all interested in basic human rights.”

(http://www.ucanindia.in/news/popes-comment-on-redemption-for-atheists-sparks-debate/21063/daily)

Friends of God (91) - Love is proved by deeds and we cannot love God only by word, but with deeds and in truth

"The human virtues are, I insist, the foundation for the supernatural ones. These in turn provide us with constant encouragement to behave as good human beings. In either case, it is not sufficient merely to want to have these virtues. We have to learn how to practise them. Discite benefacere, learn to do good. We need to make a habit of exercising each virtue, by actually being sincere, truthful, balanced, calm and patient... for love is proved by deeds and we cannot love God only by word, but 'with deeds and in truth'."

St. Josemaría Escrivá

Pope: the economic crisis has ethical roots, we need a global rethink of system

Pope: the economic crisis has ethical roots, we need a global rethink of system

We can not put "the idols of power, profit, money, over and above the value of the human person." Unemployment "is spreading like wildfire in large areas of the West and boundaries of poverty are spreading at an alarming rate. And there is no worse material poverty, I am compelled to emphasize, than that which does not allow people to earn their daily bread and deprives them of the dignity of work. "

Vatican City (AsiaNews) - "Rethinking solidarity", "returning to the centrality of man, to a more ethical vision of human activities and relationships" for "a global rethinking of the system" is a requirement made more pressing by the current crisis, with "the phenomenon of unemployment spreading like wildfire." The crisis, in fact, warns Pope Francis, "is not only economic and financial but is rooted in an anthropological and ethical crisis" that puts "the idols of power, profit, money, over and above the value of the human person "forgetting that" above the business, logic and parameters of the marketplace, is a human being", who must able to "live in dignity".

The meeting with the Centesimus Annus - Pro Pontifice Foundation, who have been holding an n international conference on the theme "Rethinking Solidarity for Employment: The Challenges of the Twenty-First Century", was an opportunity today for the Pope's reflection on the actuality of the social doctrine of the Church and the need to "combine Church teaching with socio-economic development, which, being constant and fast, always presents us with new aspects."

In a reference to the problem addressed by the Foundation - established by Pope John Paul II twenty years ago, and which bears the name of one of his encyclical on work and the human person - Francis noted that "rethinking solidarity" certainly "does not mean questioning recent Magisterium, the foresight and actuality of which is increasingly coming to bear".  It means "above all combining Church teaching with socio-economic development, which, being constant and fast, always presents new aspects for discussion".  Secondly, it means "deepening and further reflecting on it, to bring out the entire fecundity of a value - solidarity, in this case - that draws deeply from the Gospel, which is Jesus Christ, and as such contains inexhaustible potential".
"The current economic and social crisis adds urgency to this 'rethinking' and brings out the truth and relevance of the Churches social teaching even more." Inside the crisis is the phenomenon of unemployment, "the lack and of loss employment, which is spreading like wildfire in large areas of the West and which is alarmingly spreading the confines of poverty. And there is no worse material poverty, I am compelled to emphasize, than that which does not allow people to earn their daily bread and deprives them of the dignity of work. By now this 'something is wrong' no longer concerns only the South, but the entire planet. This is why there is an ever greater need to 'rethink solidarity' no longer as simple assistance to the poor, but as a global rethinking of the whole system, such as finding ways to reform it and correct it in a manner consistent with the fundamental human rights of all men. We must restore this word 'solidarity', which is not well seen by the economic world - as if it were a bad word - its well-deserved social citizenship".
"The current crisis is not only economic and financial but is rooted in an anthropological and ethical crisis. The idols of power, profit, money, over and above the value of the human person, has become a basic mode of operation and decisive criterion in organization. It is forgotten and people still forget that above the business logic and parameters of the marketplace, there is the human being and there is something which is due to man , by virtue of his profound dignity: the opportunity to live with dignity and participate actively in the common good. Benedict XVI reminded us that every human activity, even in the economic sphere, precisely because it is human, must be structured and governed in an ethical manner. We must return to the centrality of man, to more ethical human activities and relationships, without the fear that in doing so we will lose something."

 
(http://www.asianews.it/news-en/Pope:-the-economic-crisis-has-ethical-roots,-we-need-a-global-rethink-of-system-28022.html)

CHINA - Marking World Day, Chinese pray for "unity" and "communion" with Universal Church

CHINA
Marking World Day, Chinese pray for "unity" and "communion" with Universal Church
by Bodi Jiao
From Shanghai to Beijing, marking the day dedicated to Our Lady of Sheshan and the Church in China, the faithful gather to pray, attend Mass, Eucharistic adoration and make pilgrimages. Feast day focuses on the theme internal unity and communion with Catholics around the world. Six years after the Letter, heartfelt gratitude of the faithful to Benedict XVI still growing.


Shanghai (AsiaNews) - May 24 is the special day devoted to prayer for the Church in China. It is the feast of Our Lady of Sheshan, "Help of Christians", in Shanghai. And yesterday coincided with the sixth anniversary of the invitation from Pope emeritus Benedict XVI to Christians throughout the world to join in prayer for Chinese Catholics, in the sacred month dedicated to the Virgin Mary.
Benedict XVI's Letter to Chinese Catholics, continues to be - even today - a source of inspiration for the faithful in China, urging them to be witnesses of truth, love and hope for China today. So we want to again thank His Holiness for his deep love and blessing given to the Catholic Church in China.
To date a large number of dioceses in China have organized various activities and religious services to celebrate the feast of May 24, among others, Eucharistic adoration, the Rosary, pilgrimages, celebrations of harvest, all directed to the unity of the Church in China and communion with the Universal Church.
Yesterday morning, priests and seminarians of the Sheshan seminary in the diocese of Shanghai, celebrated Mass at the Marian shrine on top of the mountain on which one of the most important places of worship in the country stands. The liturgy was attended by thousands of faithful. They prayed to Our Lady of Sheshan, asking her to intercede for the Church in China. Moreover, in this month of May, all the parishes of the city went on a pilgrimage to the Shrine of Sheshan.
At the same time, several priests, religious, seminarians and faithful of the Diocese of Zhouzhi, in Shanxi Province, took part in Eucharistic adoration in the minor seminary, with special prayers for the solidarity of the church in China and communion with the Universal Church. Each parish organized different religious activities. Likewise, they made a pilgrimage to the mountains of Shanxi where there is a cross dedicated to Our Lady of China.
And again, the Catholics of the diocese of Beijing offered special prayers for the unity of the church in China. Also yesterday, 24 May, many parishes promoted pilgrimages to the Marian grotto Sang Yu Hou, dedicated to "Our Lady of Lourdes," which is located in a small village in a mountainous area. According to tradition, over the centuries the site has been a source of repeated miracles. And that is precisely the place where the community celebrated the victory of faith in difficult times of persecution and, thanks to the fundamental help provided by the Virgin Mary.
In conclusion, May 24 was a day of celebration in which Chinese Catholics have asked Our Lady of China to pray for the Church. So we want to ask everyone, together, for one last prayer for the unity of the church in China, using the same words contained in the letter of the Holy Father Benedict XVI.

"Virgin Most Holy, Mother of the Incarnate Word and our Mother, venerated in the Shrine of Sheshan under the title "Help of Christians", the entire Church in China looks to you with devout affection.  We come before you today to implore your protection.  Look upon the People of God and, with a mother's care, guide them, along the paths of truth and love, so that they may always be a leaven of harmonious coexistence among all citizens.

...

Sustain all those in China, who, amid their daily trials, continue to believe, to hope, to love. May they never be afraid to speak of Jesus to the world and of the world to Jesus.

...

Mother of China and all Asia, pray for us, now and for ever. Amen"

(http://www.asianews.it/news-en/Marking-World-Day,-Chinese-pray-for-unity-and-communion-with-Universal-Church-28019.html)

Our Lady of Sheshan

"On the feast of Mary Help of Christians I join the Catholics in China who trust in the protection of Our Lady of Sheshan and I pray for them."

Pope Francis (@Pontifex)

Day of Prayer for Catholics in China

(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis has invited Catholics around the world to pray on Friday especially for the Church in China. Noting that May 24th marks the feast of Our Lady Help of Christians, who is venerated in a special way at the shrine of Sheshan near Shanghai, the Pope at his general audience this week prayed that Chinese Catholics would “continue to believe, hope, love” and never be afraid to speak about their faith. Quoting from a prayer written especially for the Church in China by his predecessor, Benedict XVI, Pope Francis asked Our Lady to support Catholics there and to help the Church grow in faithfulness to the Successor of Peter and in service to all the Chinese people.

 

(http://www.news.va/en/news/day-of-prayer-for-catholics-in-china)

ASIA/INDIA - Christians will bring aid to Syrian refugees during a journey of solidarity

"Ernakulam - The Indian Christians mobilize for their confreres in Syria which has caused since the beginning of the civil war more than 90,000 victims and refugees continue to increase. The Syrian Christians are suffering along with the population because of displacement and poverty, and it is estimated that over a million and a half Syrians have emigrated. Due to this alarming situation, the Jacobite Church in Kerala, linked to the Syriac Orthodox Patriarchate of Antioch, has launched a collection of humanitarian aid for the assistance to the Christian communities in Syria. "The fight has become increasingly violent and has damaged most of the churches and Christian properties in Syria," explains a note sent to Fides Agency by the Jacobite Church. All the communities of the faithful in Kerala are contributing generously to the collection, which will be led by Catholicos Baselios Thomas I, leader of the Jacobite Church in India. In the coming weeks a delegation of the Church will carry out a solidarity mission in Syria and will deliver the aid. The Christian communities in India, of all denominations, express sympathy and concern for the delicate, unresolved matter regarding the kidnapping of two Syrian bishops.The Jacobite Syriac Church, one of the various Christian churches founded in India by the preaching of St. Thomas the Apostle, is an integral part of the Syriac Orthodox Church, and the Patriarch of Antioch as its supreme head. The head of the Church in India is the "Catholicos of the East", currently Baselios Thomas I, and its seat is in the state of Kerala in southern India."

(http://www.news.va/en/news/asiaindia-christians-will-bring-aid-to-syrian-refu)

Pray for Chinese Catholics

Pope: pray for Chinese Catholics that they may "never be afraid to speak of Jesus to the world and the world to Jesus"
At the General audience, Francis speaks of the "duty" to evangelize that belongs to every Christian: the Spirit urges us to preach the Good News “courageously, loudly" and to all. 

(http://www.asianews.it/news-en/Pope:-pray-for-Chinese-Catholics-that-they-may-never-be-afraid-to-speak-of-Jesus-to-the-world-and-the-world-to-Jesus-27988.html)

Friends of God (91) - Once a person is striving to improve in the human virtues, his heart is already very close to Christ

"Once a person is striving to improve in the human virtues, his heart is already very close to Christ. If he is a Christian, he will realise that the theological virtues (faith, hope and charity) and all the other virtues which God's grace brings with it are an encouragement never to neglect the good qualities he shares with so many of his fellow men."

St. Josemaría Escrivá

Pope takes another swipe at the global 'cult of money'

"Not to share one's goods with the poor is to rob them".

Vatican City: 

Pope Francis has called on world leaders to put an end to the "cult of money" and to do more to help the poor, warning that insecurity was rising in many regions of the world and the "joy of life" was diminishing in developed countries.

"The worship of the golden calf of old has found a new and heartless image in the cult of money and the dictatorship of an economy which is faceless and lacking any truly human goal," Francis said in an address to ambassadors to the Vatican on Thursday.

Francis said that radical free-market ideologies had created "a new, invisible, and at times virtual, tyranny" and human beings "considered as consumer goods" and called for global financial reform that would benefit everyone.

"Solidarity, which is the treasure of the poor, is often considered counterproductive, opposed to the logic of finance and the economy. While the income of a minority is increasing exponentially, that of the majority is crumbling," he said.

"I encourage the financial exports and the political leaders of your countries to consider the words of St John Chrysostom "Not to share one's goods with the poor is to rob them", he said.

The Argentine pope, formerly the archbishop of Buenos Aires Jorge Mario Bergoglio, became a powerful voice on the side of the poor during his homeland's devastating economic crisis.

Increasing transparency

The Vatican Bank, a centre of scandals for decades, is to launch its own website and publish its annual report in an effort to increase transparency, its new president said.

Ernst von Freyberg told the bank's employees of the changes, which should be in place by the end of the year, this week, according to Vatican Radio.

He also said the bank, formally known as the Institute for Works of Religion (IOR) and dubbed the world's most secretive bank by Forbes magazine, had also hired an auditing firm to make sure it meets international standards against money laundering.

Freyberg was appointed in February to take the place of Ettore Gotti Tedeschi who was fired last May.

Gotti Tedeschi said he was dismissed because he wanted more transparency but the board, made up of international financial experts, said he had neglected basic management responsibilities and alienated staff.

His abrupt departure, along with the arrest of Pope Benedict's butler for stealing confidential papal documents, came during a leaks scandal that shook the Vatican last year and contributed to Benedict's decision to resign.

The Vatican has been trying to shed its image as a murky financial centre since 1982, when Roberto Calvi, known as "God's Banker" because of his links to the Vatican, was found hanging from London's Blackfriars Bridge.

Calvi was head of the Banco Ambrosiano, then Italy's largest private bank, which collapsed in a fraudulent bankruptcy.

The Vatican bank owned part of the Ambrosiano.

In July, a European anti-money laundering committee said the Vatican Bank failed to meet all its standards on fighting money laundering, tax evasion and other financial crimes.

The report by Moneyval, a monitoring group of the 47-nation Council of Europe, found the Vatican had passed only nine of 16 "key and core" aspects of its financial dealings.

(http://robertjohnkennedy.blogspot.in/2013/05/pope-takes-another-swipe-at-global-cult.html?spref=bl)

Church of Our Lady of Immaculate Conception, Goa, India

Established in 1541, the Church of Mary Immaculate Conception is one of the earliest churches built in Goa. Located at the heart of Panaji, this majestic church is a prominent landmark of the city. The great bell at the church is acclaimed as the second largest bell in the world. Known as the Bell of the Inquisition, this bell was previously a part of the Church of Our Lady of Grace in Old Goa. The main altar dedicated to Mary Immaculate is flanked by two altars on either side. The left altar is dedicated to Jesus Crucified while the right one honors Our Lady of the Rosary. At the side of each altar is a marble statue, one of St Peter and one of St Paul. The Chapel of St. Francis Xavier, located to the south of the main altar, houses a glass-encased statue of him. On 8th December every year, devotees flock to the church in large numbers to attend the Feast of the Immaculate Conception. The feast is a celebration of the conception of Lord Jesus by Mother Mary.

Friends of God (90) - Be truthful, loyal, sincere, courageous, temperate, generous, serene, just, hard-working, patient

"Neither the decent human lives of those who, through no fault of their own, do not know Christ, nor the lives of Christians, should be odd or strange. The human virtues which we are considering today lead us, each and every one of them, to the same conclusion. That man is truly human who strives to be truthful, loyal, sincere, courageous, temperate, generous, serene, just, hard-working, patient. Such behaviour may be difficult to achieve, but it can never be strange. If some people find it surprising, it is because their eyes have grown dim and they are clouded by a hidden cowardice and a lack of determination."

St. Josemaría Escrivá

Why do we men become dejected?

"Put not the slightest trust in those who present the virtue of humility as something degrading, or as a virtue condemning us to a permanent state of dejection. To know we are made of clay, riveted together again, is a continual source of joy. It means acknowledging our littleness in the eyes of God: a little child, a son. Can there be any joy to compare with that of the person who, knowing himself to be poor and weak, knows also that he is a son of God? Why do we men become dejected? It is because life on earth does not go the way we had hoped, or because obstacles arise which prevent us from satisfying our personal ambitions."

(http://www.opusdei.org.in/sec.php?s=310)

A new tyranny

The majority of the men and women of our time continue to live daily in situations of insecurity, with dire consequences. Certain pathologies are increasing, with their psychological consequences; fear and desperation grip the hearts of many people, even in the so-called rich countries; the joy of life is diminishing; indecency and violence are on the rise; poverty is becoming more and more evident. People have to struggle to live and, frequently, to live in an undignified way. One cause of this situation, in my opinion, is in the our relationship with money, and our acceptance of its power over ourselves and our society. Consequently the financial crisis which we are experiencing makes us forget that its ultimate origin is to be found in a profound human crisis. In the denial of the primacy of human beings! We have created new idols. The worship of the golden calf of old (cf. Ex 32:15-34) has found a new and heartless image in the cult of money and the dictatorship of an economy which is faceless and lacking any truly humane goal.

The worldwide financial and economic crisis seems to highlight their distortions and above all the gravely deficient human perspective, which reduces man to one of his needs alone, namely, consumption. Worse yet, human beings themselves are nowadays considered as consumer goods which can be used and thrown away. We have begun a throw away culture. This tendency is seen on the level of individuals and whole societies; and it is being promoted! In circumstances like these, solidarity, which is the treasure of the poor, is often considered counterproductive, opposed to the logic of finance and the economy. While the income of a minority is increasing exponentially, that of the majority is crumbling. This imbalance results from ideologies which uphold the absolute autonomy of markets and financial speculation, and thus deny the right of control to States, which are themselves charged with providing for the common good. A new, invisible and at times virtual, tyranny is established, one which unilaterally and irremediably imposes its own laws and rules. Moreover, indebtedness and credit distance countries from their real economy and citizens from their real buying power. Added to this, as if it were needed, is widespread corruption and selfish fiscal evasion which have taken on worldwide dimensions. The will to power and of possession has become limitless.

Concealed behind this attitude is a rejection of ethics, a rejection of God. Ethics, like solidarity, is a nuisance! It is regarded as counterproductive: as something too human, because it relativizes money and power; as a threat, because it rejects manipulation and subjection of people: because ethics leads to God, who is situated outside the categories of the market. These financiers, economists and politicians consider God to be unmanageable, unmanageable even dangerous, because he calls man to his full realization and to independence from any kind of slavery. Ethics – naturally, not the ethics of ideology – makes it possible, in my view, to create a balanced social order that is more humane. In this sense, I encourage the financial experts and the political leaders of your countries to consider the words of Saint John Chrysostom: “Not to share one’s goods with the poor is to rob them and to deprive them of life. It is not our goods that we possess, but theirs” (Homily on Lazarus, 1:6 – PG 48, 992D).

There is a need for financial reform along ethical lines that would produce in its turn an economic reform to benefit everyone. This would nevertheless require a courageous change of attitude on the part of political leaders. I urge them to face this challenge with determination and farsightedness, taking account, naturally, of their particular situations. Money has to serve, not to rule! The Pope loves everyone, rich and poor alike, but the Pope has the duty, in Christ’s name, to remind the rich to help the poor, to respect them, to promote them. The Pope appeals for disinterested solidarity and for a return to person-centred ethics in the world of finance and economics.

For her part, the Church always works for the integral development of every person. In this sense, she reiterates that the common good should not be simply an extra, simply a conceptual scheme of inferior quality tacked onto political programmes. The Church encourages those in power to be truly at the service of the common good of their peoples. She urges financial leaders to take account of ethics and solidarity. And why should they not turn to God to draw inspiration from his designs? In this way, a new political and economic mindset would arise that would help to transform the absolute dichotomy between the economic and social spheres into a healthy symbiosis.

Pope Francis

(http://www.news.va/en/news/pope-financial-reform-along-ethical-lines)

Friends of God (90) - Naturalness and simplicity

"Naturalness and simplicity are two marvellous human virtues which enable men to take in the message of Christ. On the other hand, all that is tangled and complicated, the twisting and turning about one's own problems, all this builds up a barrier which often prevents people from hearing Our Lord's voice. Remember Christ's reproach to the Pharisees: they had enmeshed themselves in a maze-ridden world which made them pay tithes of mint, dill and cumin, while neglecting the most essential duties of the law, of justice and of faith. They were careful to strain everything they drank so as not to let even a mosquito pass, and they ended up swallowing a camel."

St. Josemaría Escrivá

É preciso trabalhar por uma maior distribuição da riqueza

Cardeal Turkson: "Agir juntos por um sistema financeiro orientado ao bem comum"

Cidade do Vaticano (RV) - "A sociedade civil, as multinacionais e os Estados devem agir juntos por um sistema financeiro orientado ao bem comum", foi o que disse o Presidente do Pontifício Conselho da Justiça e da Paz, Cardeal Peter Kodwo Appiah Turkson, durante a conferência sobre ética bancaria realizada, nesta segunda-feira, na sede desse organismo, em Roma.

Banqueiros, empresários e economistas concordam que é preciso trabalhar por uma maior distribuição da riqueza, mas sobre as maneiras, as opiniões são divergentes.

O valor da subsidiariedade não é negociável e por isso requer uma maior abertura por parte dos operadores financeiros. Segundo o purpurado, "o conceito de solidariedade europeia está em declínio, pois se afirmam comportamentos nacionalistas míopes que ameaçam o projeto da União Europeia".

"Temos que tentar realmente chegar à raiz da crise. Em nossa opinião, seria ideal começar com a supervisão de um país, do sistema bancário de uma nação", frisou ainda o Cardeal Turkson.

Para o presidente da Uniapac Europa (Organização Internacional de Empresários Cristãos), Burkhard Leffers, "é preciso manter uma política mais rígida e colocar as finanças públicas no lugar, não obstante o risco de tensões sociais". "Se olharmos para trás na história, a dívida pública tem sempre aumentado", disse ele.

Segundo o economista Luigi Becchetti "a Europa precisa perceber que hoje o perigo de inflação na globalização não existe e deve fazer muita oferta de moeda para fazer o dinheiro chegar diretamente às famílias e empresas, e não apenas aos bancos".

O objetivo é ajudar os pobres, garantir a paz e o respeito pela Criação. Três conceitos que levaram o Papa a escolher o nome Francisco. (MJ)

(http://www.news.va/pt/news/cardeal-turkson-agir-juntos-por-um-sistema-finance)

Imbalance between a rapid globalisation of the world's economic system and the lack of a corresponding political authority to monitor this global phenomenon

Justice and Peace Council: 'Banking on the Common Good'

(Vatican Radio) A international colloquium on the theme ‘Banking on the Common Good’ is taking place in the Vatican on Monday, with discussions focused on how to bring ethical values to bear on the world’s financial and monetary systems.
Jointly sponsored by the Pontifical Justice and Peace Council and several institutes supporting a values based economy, the colloquium took as its starting point a recent document from the Council which explores the roots of the global financial crisis.In a key note speech, the president of the Pontifical Council, Cardinal Peter Turkson from Ghana, said the past five years of economic crisis have shown there is an urgent need to restore public trust in the banks and other financial institutions. This can only be done, he said, if their activities are more focused on the common good and if there is some form of effective governance to make sure this goal is achieved.

Cardinal Turkson highlights the imbalance between a rapid globalisation of the world's economic system and the lack of a corresponding political authority to monitor this global phenomenon...."

(http://www.news.va/en/news/justice-and-peace-council-banking-on-the-common-go)

True wealth

"I have come that they may have life and have it in abundance, says Jesus. This is where true wealth is found, not in material things!"

Pope Francis (@Pontifex)

Profound trust in love

"The Holy Spirit brings to our hearts a most precious gift: profound trust in God’s love and mercy."

Pope Francis (@Pontifex)

A profunda confiança no amor

"Um dom precioso que o Espírito Santo traz aos nossos corações é a profunda confiança no amor e na misericórdia de Deus."

Papa Francisco (‏@Pontifex_pt)

A verdadeira riqueza

"Diz Jesus: Eu vim para que tenham vida, e a tenham em abundância. Esta é a verdadeira riqueza; não a material!"

Papa Francisco (‏@Pontifex_pt)

La confianza profunda en el amor

"El don precioso que el Espíritu Santo trae a nuestro corazón es la confianza profunda en el amor y en la misericordia de Dios."

Papa Francisco (@Pontifex_es)

La verdadera riqueza

"Yo he venido para que tengan vida, y la tengan en abundancia, dice Jesús. Esta la verdadera riqueza, no la riqueza material."

Papa Francisco (@Pontifex_es)

La vraie richesse

"Je suis venu pour qu’ils aient la vie et qu’ils l’aient en abondance, dit Jésus. Là est la vraie richesse, non la richesse matérielle !"

Pape François (@Pontifex_fr)

La confiance profonde en l’amour

"Le don précieux que l’Esprit Saint apporte dans nos cœurs est la confiance profonde en l’amour et en la miséricorde de Dieu."

Pape François (@Pontifex_fr)

La vera ricchezza

"Io sono venuto perché abbiano la vita e l’abbiano in abbondanza, dice Gesù. Questa è la vera ricchezza, non quella materiale!"

Papa Francesco (@Pontifex_it)

Profonda fiducia nell’amore

"Dono prezioso che lo Spirito Santo porta nei nostri cuori è la profonda fiducia nell’amore e nella misericordia di Dio."

Papa Francesco (@Pontifex_it) 

To view others with fresh eyes

‏"The Holy Spirit helps us to view others with fresh eyes, seeing them always as brothers and sisters in Jesus, to be respected and loved."

Pope Francis (@Pontifex)

Olhar para os outros de modo novo

"O Espírito Santo faz-nos olhar para os outros de modo novo, vendo-os sempre, em Jesus, como irmãos e irmãs que temos de respeitar e amar."

Papa Francisco (‏@Pontifex_pt)

Ver de modo nuevo

"El Espíritu Santo nos hace ver de modo nuevo a los demás, como hermanos y hermanas en Jesús, a los que hemos de respetar y amar."

Papa Francisco (@Pontifex_es)

Un regard nouveau

"L’Esprit Saint nous donne un regard nouveau envers les autres, vus toujours comme frères et sœurs en Jésus à respecter et à aimer."

Pape François (@Pontifex_fr)

Uno sguardo nuovo

"Lo Spirito Santo ci dà uno sguardo nuovo verso gli altri, visti sempre come fratelli e sorelle in Gesù, da rispettare e amare."

Papa Francesco (@Pontifex_it) 

A poems book

"This morning, on the avenue, my death was walking next to me, under the plane-trees. I came back home, lied on the bed. My death looked tired as much as I was. A few minuts later, I woke up, made a coffee and opened a poems book. Some light came out from the book. I think it was at this moment that my death left the appartment, crossing the door, without noise. It was not her time, and perhaps she was depressed by the beauty of a few words, yes, perhaps the death doesn't support books and prefers the head ache maker television."

Christian Bobin, Autoportrait Au Radiateur

We can sanctify our profession or job, our home life, and social relations

"The fruit of our prayer today should be the conviction that our journey on earth, at all times and whatever the circumstances, is for God; that it is a treasure of glory, a foretaste of heaven, something marvelous, which has been entrusted to us to administer, with a sense of responsibility, being answerable both to men and to God. But it is not necessary for us to change our situation in life. Right in the middle of the world we can sanctify our profession or job, our home life, and social relations — in fact all those things that seem to have only a worldly significance." (Friends of God, 53-54)

(http://www.opusdei.org.in/sec.php?s=310)

Papa Francisco - Transitar em paciência

"É um tema do qual me fui apercebendo, durante anos, ao ler um livro de um autor italiano, com um título muito sugestivo: Teologia del fallimento, ou seja, teologia do fracasso, onde se expõe como Jesus entrou em paciência. Na experiência do limite, no diálogo com o limite, forja-se a paciência. Às vezes, a vida leva-nos não a «fazer», mas sim a «padecer», suportando, sustentando as nossas limitações e as dos outros. Transitar a paciência é apercebermo-nos de que o que amadurece é o tempo. Transitar em paciência é deixar que o tempo paute e amasse as nossas vidas".

 "Transitar em paciência implica aceitar que a vida é isso: uma aprendizagem contínua. Quando uma pessoa é nova, julga que pode mudar o mundo; e isso está certo, tem de ser assim. Mas, depois, quando procura, descobre a lógica da paciência na própria vida e na dos outros. Transitar em paciência é assumir o tempo e deixar que os outros façam a sua vida. Um bom pai, tal como uma boa mãe, é aquele que vai intervindo na vida do filho o suficiente para lhe marcar as pautas de crescimento, para o ajudar, mas que depois sabe ser espetador dos fracassos próprios e alheios, e os supera".

 "... segurar o papagaio [de papel] assemelha-se à atitude que é preciso ter perante o crescimento da pessoa: em dado momento, é preciso dar-lhe corda, porque «rabeia». Dito de outra maneira: é preciso dar-lhe tempo. Temos de saber pôr o limite no momento justo. Mas, outras vezes, temos de saber olhar para o outro lado e fazer como o pai da parábola, que deixa que o filho se vá embora e desperdice a sua fortuna, para que faça a sua própria experiência"

 "Quantas vezes, na vida, é preciso travar, não querer atingir tudo de repente! Transitar na paciência pressupõe todas essas coisas: é claudicar da pretensão de querer solucionar tudo. É preciso fazer um esforço, mas entendendo que uma pessoa não pode tudo. Há que relativizar um pouco a mística da eficácia".

 

(http://tbcparoquia.blogspot.be/2013/05/papa-francisco-transitar-em-paciencia.html)

 

God is love, and he who abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him

"“God is love, and he who abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him” (1 Jn 4:16). These words from the First Letter of John express with remarkable clarity the heart of the Christian faith: the Christian image of God and the resulting image of mankind and its destiny. 

Jesus united into a single precept this commandment of love for God and the commandment of love for neighbour found in the Book of Leviticus: “You shall love your neighbour as yourself” (19:18; cf. Mk 12:29-31). Since God has first loved us (cf. 1 Jn 4:10), love is now no longer a mere “command”; it is the response to the gift of love with which God draws near to us.

In a world where the name of God is sometimes associated with vengeance or even a duty of hatred and violence, this message is both timely and significant."

Pope Benedict XVI

(http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/benedict_xvi/encyclicals/documents/hf_ben-xvi_enc_20051225_deus-caritas-est_en.html)

Papa Francisco - sobre a DOR

       "A dor não é uma virtude em si mesma, mas o modo como é assumida pode ser virtuoso. A nossa vocação é a plenitude e a felicidade, e, nessa busca, a dor é um limite. Por isso, o sentido da dor só é entendido plenamente através da dor de Deus feito Cristo...

       Por isso, a solução passa por entender a Cruz como semente de ressurreição. Toda a tentativa de suportar a dor obterá resultados parciais, se não for fundamentada na transcendência. É uma dádiva entender e viver a dor em plenitude. Mais ainda: viver em plenitude é uma dádiva...

       Tanto a dor física como a espiritual puxam para dentro, onde ninguém pode entrar; implicam uma dose de solidão. Do que a pessoa precisa é de saber que alguém a acompanha, que gosta dela, que respeita o seu silêncio e reza para que Deus entre nesse espaço que é pura solidão".

 

(http://tbcparoquia.blogspot.in/2013/05/papa-francisco-sobre-dor.html)

Acting according to Love

Christianity that goes to the roots realize that it has everything to do with a radical sensibility to suffering. It has to do with a radical encounter with those who live an experience of passion ...
Jesus had com-passion of the crowds ... and acted according to Love ...

Papa Francisco: «Ninguém é dono da verdade»

O Papa afirmou esta quarta-feira que «ninguém é dono da verdade» e estimulou os católicos a seguirem o exemplo da evangelização feita por S. Paulo, que foi um «construtor de pontes» e não de «muros».

«A verdade não entra numa enciclopédia. A verdade é um encontro; é um encontro com a Suma Verdade: Jesus, a grande verdade. Ninguém é dono da verdade. A verdade recebe-se no encontro», disse Francisco, citado pelo portal de notícias da Santa Sé.

À imagem de Cristo, «que falou com todos», o cristão que anuncia o Evangelho deve «escutar todos», tendo presente que a Igreja “não cresce com proselitismo”, mas pela «atração, pelo seu testemunho, pela sua pregação».

«Os cristãos que têm medo de fazer pontes e preferem construir muros são cristãos inseguros da própria fé, não seguros de Jesus Cristo», frisou Francisco na missa a que presidiu na Casa de Santa Marta.

Praça de S. Pedro. Vaticano, 8.5.2013. Foto: REUTERS/Stefano Rellandini

Quando os católicos perdem a «coragem apostólica», prosseguiu, a Igreja perde a «fecundidade» porque deixa de «ir às periferias, onde tantas pessoas são vítimas da mundanidade, da idolatria, de pensamentos débeis».

Depois da missa o Papa foi acolhido por cerca de 80 mil pessoas que o aguardavam na Praça de São Pedro para a audiência geral, que Francisco continuou a dedicar ao Credo, fórmula com os enunciados principais da fé professada pelos católicos.

Papa Francisco depõe flores na imagem de Nossa Senhora de Luján, padroeira da Argentina. Praça de S. Pedro. Vaticano, 8.5.2013. Foto: REUTERS/Stefano Rellandini.

«O cristão é uma pessoa que pensa e age segundo Deus, segundo o Espírito Santo. Mas faço-me uma pergunta: e nós, pensamos segundo Deus? Agimos segundo Deus?» Ou deixamo-nos guiar por tantas outras coisas que não são propriamente Deus? Cada um de nós deve responder a isto no fundo do seu coração», acentuou.

Após a audiência geral,  o Papa recebeu cerca de 900 religiosas de todo o mundo, que participam na assembleia geral da União Internacional das Superioras Gerais.

A pobreza deve ser entendida como «superação de todos os egoísmos na lógica do Evangelho que ensina a confiar na Providência de Deus», apontou.

«Pobreza como indicação a toda a Igreja que não somos nós a construir o Reino de Deus, não são os meios humanos que o fazem crescer, mas é principalmente o poder, a graça do Senhor, que opera através da nossa fraqueza», explicou.

Para Francisco a pobreza revela-se através da «solidariedade, a partilha e a caridade», bem como na «sobriedade e alegria pelo essencial», a par da vigilância face aos «ídolos materiais que obscurecem o sentido autêntico da vida».
«A pobreza teórica não nos serve. A pobreza aprende-se tocando a carne de Cristo pobre, nos humildes, nos pobres, nos doentes, nas crianças», vincou.

A «castidade», por seu lado, é um «carisma precioso» que faz resplandecer o «primado de Deus» e que se associa à maternidade.

«A consagrada é mãe, deve ser mãe e não "solteirona". Desculpem-me se falo assim, mas é importante esta maternidade da vida consagrada, esta fecundidade. Esta alegria da fecundidade espiritual anime a vossa existência», apelou.

Solidéu do papa Francisco na cabeça de uma jovem. Praça de S. Pedro. Vaticano, 8.5.2013. Fotos: AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino, REUTERS/Stefano Rellandini

«Sabei sempre exercitar a autoridade acompanhando, compreendendo, ajudando, amando; abraçando todos e todas, sobretudo as pessoas que se sentem sós, excluídas, áridas, as periferias existencais do coração humano. Tenhamos o olhar orientado para a Cruz. Ali se coloca toda e qualquer autoridade na Igreja, onde aquele que é o Senhor se faz servo até ao dom total de si mesmo», declarou.

REUTERS/Stefano Rellandini

Rui Jorge Martins
© SNPC | 08.05.13

(http://www.snpcultura.org/ninguem_e_dono_verdade.html)

Friends of God (89) - They look so perfect, they must be artificial!

"Remember how Our Lord comes into the world, just like every other human being. He spends his childhood and adolescence in a village in Palestine, where he is no different from his fellow villagers. Time and again in his public life we hear echoes of his everyday existence in Nazareth. He speaks about work. He is concerned to see that his disciples rest. He makes a point of meeting people of every sort and never refuses to talk with anyone. To his followers he expressly indicates that they should not hinder children from coming to him. Recalling perhaps memories of his own childhood he uses the example of the children playing in the marketplace.

Surely all this is quite normal, natural and straightforward? Surely it can be lived in ordinary life? What happens is that people tend to get used to what is plain and ordinary and, without realising it, they begin to look for what is showy and artificial. You will have come across examples of this, as I have, as when for instance you remark on the beauty of some freshly cut roses, with delicately fragrant petals, and someone comments 'They look so perfect, they must be artificial!'"

St. Josemaría Escrivá

Friends of God (89) - Simplicity

"We have been speaking about human virtues. Now perhaps some of you might wonder: if I behave in this way, will it not involve cutting myself off from my normal environment? Isn't it something alien to the everyday world? No. Nowhere is it written that Christians should be strangers to the world. Our Lord Jesus by his deeds and by his teaching has bestowed praise on another human virtue which is particularly dear to me, the virtue of naturalness or simplicity."

St. Josemaría Escrivá

Fraternity and peace

"I would recall the prayer asking God to make us instruments of his peace, to be able to bring his love wherever there is hatred, his mercy wherever there is hurt, and true faith wherever there is doubt. For our part, let us join Blessed John XXIII in asking God to enlighten all leaders so that, besides caring for the proper material welfare of their peoples, they may secure for them the precious gift of peace, break down the walls which divide them, strengthen the bonds of mutual love, grow in understanding, and pardon those who have done them wrong; in this way, by his power and inspiration all the peoples of the earth will experience fraternity, and the peace for which they long will ever flourish and reign among them.

With this prayer I express my hope that all will be true peacemakers, so that the city of man may grow in fraternal harmony, prosperity and peace."

Pope Benedict XVI

(http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/benedict_xvi/messages/peace/documents/hf_ben-xvi_mes_20121208_xlvi-world-day-peace_en.html)

Friends of God (88) - The prudent heart shall possess knowledge

"A person is prudent not because he never makes a mistake, but because he corrects his errors. He shows his prudence in preferring to miss the mark twenty times rather than give in to an easygoing 'do nothing' attitude. He won't rush into things foolishly or behave with absurd rashness. He will run the risk of his decisions. Fear of failure will not make him give up in his effort to do good. As we go through life we find ourselves coming across people who are objective and know how to weigh things up, who don't get heated or try to tip the balance towards that which favours them. Almost instinctively, we find ourselves trusting such people, because, unassumingly and quietly, they always act in a good and upright manner.

This open-hearted virtue is indispensable for Christian living. But the highest goal of prudence is not social harmony or the peace which results from not creating friction. The fundamental motive behind prudence is to fulfil the will of God who wants us to be straightforward without being childish, friends of truth but never bewildered or superficial. 'The prudent heart shall possess knowledge', the knowledge given by God's Love, that ultimate knowledge which can save us and bring to all creation the reward of peace and understanding and, to each soul, eternal life."

St. Josemaría Escrivá

Friends of God (86) - To be prudent the first step is to acknowledge our own limitations

"To be prudent the first step is to acknowledge our own limitations. This is the virtue of humility. Through it, we admit that in certain matters we cannot cover everything, that in so many cases we cannot take in all the circumstances that have to be borne in mind in order to make a fair judgement. So, we look for advice; but not from just anyone. We go to a person with the right qualities, to someone who wants to love God as sincerely as we do and who tries to follow him faithfully. It is not enough to ask just anyone for their opinion. We must go to a person who can give us sound and disinterested advice.

Next we have to judge, because as a rule, prudence demands that we come to a suitable decision, and promptly. Though at times it is prudent to delay a decision until all the factors that should influence our judgement have been brought together, on other occasions it would be very imprudent not to begin to carry out immediately what we see needs to be done. This is specially true when the good of others is at stake."

St. Josemaría Escrivá

There is a need to teach people to love one another

In the end, we see clearly the need to propose and promote a pedagogy of peace. This calls for a rich interior life, clear and valid moral points of reference, and appropriate attitudes and lifestyles. Acts of peacemaking converge for the achievement of the common good; they create interest in peace and cultivate peace. Thoughts, words and gestures of peace create a mentality and a culture of peace, and a respectful, honest and cordial atmosphere. There is a need, then, to teach people to love one another, to cultivate peace and to live with good will rather than mere tolerance. A fundamental encouragement to this is “to say no to revenge, to recognize injustices, to accept apologies without looking for them, and finally, to forgive”, in such a way that mistakes and offences can be acknowledged in truth, so as to move forward together towards reconciliation. This requires the growth of a pedagogy of pardon. Evil is in fact overcome by good, and justice is to be sought in imitating God the Father who loves all his children (cf. Mt 5:21-48). This is a slow process, for it presupposes a spiritual evolution, an education in lofty values, a new vision of human history. There is a need to renounce that false peace promised by the idols of this world along with the dangers which accompany it, that false peace which dulls consciences, which leads to self-absorption, to a withered existence lived in indifference. The pedagogy of peace, on the other hand, implies activity, compassion, solidarity, courage and perseverance.

Pope Benedict XVI

(http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/benedict_xvi/messages/peace/documents/hf_ben-xvi_mes_20121208_xlvi-world-day-peace_en.html)

The reopening of the “long-stalled” canonization of martyred Archbishop Oscar Romero of El Salvador

"Gunned down in 1980 while celebrating Mass, Romero was openly sympathetic to “liberation theologians” and those who fought political repression and injustice.

Wrote David Gibson for Religion News Service: “But the news that Pope Francis, just six weeks on the job, has cleared the way for the long-stalled canonization of [Romero] is a stunner that sends another important signal about the new pope’s priorities.”

Gibson quoted Jesuit theology professor Fr. Harvey Egan: “Sainthood is often as much about politics and image as anything else. It’s not surprising to me that this present pope, being from South America, having the same inclinations as Romero, would unblock the process and say, ‘Push his cause through,’ and I think rightly so.”

Romero championed the poor and human rights during the bloody war in El Salvador. A right-wing death squad gunned him down while he was at the altar. There is a famous black-and-white photo that shows Romero slumped on the floor, surrounded by nuns. Being proliberation had its price.

Although Romero was instantly hailed as a martyr, his cause did not sail smoothly, partly, it is surmised, because then Pope John Paul II and his doctrinal enforcer Josef Cardinal Ratzinger (who would later become Pope Benedict XVI) were not too fond of left-leaning liberation theology.

In the 1980s, here in the Philippines where many militant clergy, religious and Church workers fought against the excesses of martial rule, Romero was an icon. He was an inspiration to priests, nuns and bishops who strode the fine line. And then the name Romero seemed to have vanished in the Church firmament.

The good news is that two weeks ago, Archbishop Vincenzo Paglia, a Vatican official who is in charge of Romero’s cause, announced that he and the Pope had met on the matter and that Romero’s case was now “unblocked.” In other words, proceed.

Martyrdom, in Church parlance, means dying for one’s faith and not for some ideological or political reasons. Martyrdom can be a fast path to beatification (the process before canonization). The usual requirements can be waived and only one miracle—instead of two—is required for sainthood."

(http://opinion.inquirer.net/51821/sainthood-for-archbishop-oscar-romero#ixzz2S6lUHa31)

Bishops' May Day message stresses workers' social security

The message stressed on to organize the unorganized workers in some format in order to secure justice.

By Bijay Kumar Minj
New Delhi: 

Indian bishops have asked Church organizations and dioceses to promote a social security scheme and just wages among unorganized workers at all levels to ensure worker's rights, especially of migrants and women.

The May Day message from the Catholic Bishops' Conference of India (CBCI) stressed on to organize the unorganized workers in some format in order to secure justice.

It said that the Compendium of Social Doctrine of the Church states that workers' unions are “a positive influence" for social order and solidarity and are therefore an "indispensable element of social life.”

The message from CBCI Labor Commission also asked to create a pastoral desk in each diocese to cater to the needs of the inter-state migrant workers to promote their spiritual and social integration.

Fr. Jaison Vadassery, Commission secretary, said in order to intervene meaningfully in the issues of the poor workers of our country "we need to strengthen these national movements and regional structures under each Catholic diocese.

"We bargain and fight for just wages for all the employees of our country, we also struggle hard to ensure just wages for the employees in the Church's institutions," he said.

The social security for the employees in our institutions is also the special concern of the Church. Therefore CBCI has come forward with Mazdoor Suraksha Yojana (MSY), for Church workers across the country.

It is a contributory pension scheme that deposits minimum of Rs.1000 for the employee and the government also contributes. At the age of sixty (60) Governments through Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority (PFRDA) will give pension for staff and family. During the period of employment the worker is covered under life insurance also.

The CBCI promotes this scheme in the civil society as well as within Church institutions because Right to Work and right to rest are the fundamental rights of every human being, the priest said.

The May Day message also urged to combat the child labor and promote just wages.

(http://www.ucanindia.in/news/bishops-may-day-message-stresses-workers-social-security/20865/daily)