(Vatican Radio) The Kingdom of God is growing every day thanks to those who witness without making any “noise”, praying and living their faith in the family, at work, in communities, said Pope Francis at morning Mass, Thursday in Casa Santa Marta. In the silence of a home, where there may only be 50 cents…
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Acceptance, temperance, patience,
meekness, trustworthiness, goodness of heart: this is “the alphabet, the basic
grammar, of every ministry” in the Church. But — Pope Francis recalled at the
General Audience on Wednesday, 12 November in St Peter’s Square — there is
“basic conduct” which must not be forgotten: the “awareness that everything is
a gift, everything is grace, also helps a Pastor not to fall into the
temptation of placing himself at the centre of attention and trusting only in
himself”. Ministers of the Church must humbly “listen to the people”. And he relaunched
his international appeal against the “absurd violence” being inflicted on
Christians. The following is a translation of the Holy Father’s address, which
he delivered in Italian. Dear Brothers and Sisters, Good morning, In
preceding catecheses on the Church, we pointed out how the Lord continues to shepherd his flock
through the ministry of bishops, assisted by priests and deacons. It is in them
that Jesus makes himself present, in the power of his Spirit, and continues to
serve the Church, nourishing within her faith, hope and the witness of love.
These ministers are thus a great gift of the Lord for every Christian community and for the whole
of the Church, as they are a living sign of the presence of his love. Today
we want to ask ourselves: what is asked of these ministers of the Church, in
order that they may live out their service in a genuine and fruitful way. 1. In the “Pastoral Letters”
sent to his disciples, Timothy and Titus, the Apostle Paul carefully pauses on
the figures of bishop, priest and deacon, — also on the figures of the
faithful, the elderly and young people. He pauses on a description of each state of a Christian in the Church,
delineating for the bishops, priests and deacons what they are called to and
what prerogatives must be acknowledged in those chosen and invested with these
ministries. Today it is emblematic that, along with the gifts inherent in the
faith and in spiritual life — which cannot be overlooked, for they are life
itself — some exquisitely human qualities are listed: acceptance, temperance,
patience, meekness, trustworthiness, goodness of heart. This is the alphabet,
the basic grammar, of every ministry! It must be the basic grammar of every
bishop, priest and deacon. Yes, for without this beautiful and genuine
predisposition, to meet, to know, to dialogue, to appreciate and to relate with
brothers in a respectful and sincere way — it is not possible to offer truly
joyous and credible service and testimony. 2.
There is then the basic conduct which Paul recommends to his disciples and, as
a result, to all those who are called to pastoral ministry, be they bishops,
priests, presbyters or deacons. The Apostle says that the gift which has been
received must be continually rekindled (cf. 1 Tm 4:14; 2 Tm 1:6). This means
that there must always be a profound awareness that one is not bishop, priest or deacon because he is more
intelligent, worthier or better than other men; he is such only pursuant to a
gift, a gift of love bestowed by God, through the power of his Spirit, for the
good of his people. This awareness is very important and constitutes a grace to
ask for every day! Indeed, a Pastor who is cognizant that his ministry springs
only from the heart of God can never assume an authoritarian attitude, as if everyone
were at his feet and the community were his property, his personal kingdom. 3.
The awareness that everything is a gift, everything is grace, also helps a
Pastor not to fall into the temptation of placing himself at the centre of
attention and trusting only in himself. They are the temptations of vanity,
pride, sufficiency, arrogance. There would be problems if a bishop, a priest or
a deacon thought he knew everything, that he always had the right answer for
everything and did not need anyone. On the contrary, awareness that he, as the
first recipient of the mercy and compassion of God, should lead a minister of
the Church to always be humble and sympathetic with respect to others. Also, in
the awareness of being called to bravely guard the faith entrusted (cf. 1 Tm
6:20), he shall listen to the people. He is in fact cognizant of always having
something to learn, even from those who may still be far from the faith and
from the Church. With his confreres, then, all this must lead to taking on a
new attitude marked by sharing, joint responsibility and communion. Dear
friends, we must always be grateful to the Lord, for in the person and in the
ministry of bishops, priests and deacons, he continues to guide and shape his
Church, making her grow along the path of holiness. At the same time, we must
continue to pray, that the Pastors of our communities can be living images of
the communion and of the love of God. Special
Greetings With
great trepidation I am following the tragic events of Christians who, in
various parts of the world, are being persecuted and killed because of their
religious beliefs. I feel the need to express my deep spiritual closeness to
the Christian communities severely affected by this absurd violence which shows no sign of
stopping, while I encourage the Pastors and all the faithful to remain strong
and steadfast in hope. Once again, I would like to make a heartfelt appeal to
local and international political leaders, as well as to all people of good
will, that a widespread mobilization of
conscience be taken up in support of persecuted Christians. They have the right
to recover safety and peace of mind in their countries, freely professing our
faith. And now for all Christians, persecuted for being Christians, I ask you
to pray the Our Father. I
greet the English-speaking pilgrims and visitors taking part in today’s
Audience, including the various groups from England, Denmark, South Africa,
Indonesia, Japan and the United States of America. I thank the choirs for their
praise of God in song. Upon all of you, and your families, I invoke joy and
peace in the Lord Jesus. God bless you all!…
Bishop Oliver Dashe Doeme of Maiduguri Diocese has described the situation of Nigerians in the Boko Haram affected states of the Northeastern region as “a pathetic state of human degradation, with the government watching helplessly-on, in spite of their claiming to be on top of the situation.”
Bishop Doeme made this assertion during a recent interview with Aid to the Church in Need, an International Catholic agency which provides assistance to the suffering and persecuted church in more than 140 countries of the world, under the guidance of the Holy See.
The Bishop disclosed that the unchallenged take-over of many towns and villages in the northeast part of Nigeria has resulted in many thousands of Internally Displaced People (IDP’s), with some of them living in caves and in the forest. Some have sought refuge in houses of well-wishers and church buildings in areas that are still safe from attacks by the Boko Haram terrorists. Other people have fled to neighbouring Cameroun for safety. Bishop Doeme regretted that most of the people are facing difficult living conditions because of lack of food, shelter and medication. He noted that “people are dying every day and in most cases with no one to give them a decent burial – they are left to rot; their homes and properties looted,” adding that “people have become slaves and prisoners in their homeland.”
Bishop Doeme is saddened by the fact that life has become so cheap in the northeastern area that it can be wasted at any moment as the government was no longer capable of safeguarding the lives of its citizens. To stress his point, he made a startling analogy when he said, “We used to think that salt is the cheapest commodity on the market – life is cheaper now, especially in the northeastern part of Nigeria.”
Bishop Doeme strongly believes that the Boko Haram insurgency has religious undertones even if both Moslems and Christians have been affected by the group’s unrelenting campaign of terror. “We might shy away from it and we may be silent, unable to speak up – at least for now – against this push to Islamise the northeast and eventually all of Nigeria. But what we are witnessing in Adamawa state is a clear confirmation of the pursuit of this agenda.” The Bishop added:
According to the Bishop, government funds earmarked for victims of terrorism seldom reach the actual people on the ground. It is for this reason that the Catholic Church has been making efforts to offer as much assistance to the victims. He disclosed that his diocese has been involved in providing essential relief services for some of the victims of displaced by the Boko Haram insurgency. He says, the Diocese of Maiduguri has given some relief materials to over 1, 500 Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) and it has joined hands with Yola Diocese to assist those who have taken refuge there.” He continues, “In the spirit of ecumenism, we have even assisted refugees in Maiduguri whether they are Christians or Moslems.”
Bishop Doeme however noted that the capacity of the diocese to provide the needed charitable work has been stretched to the utmost and the diocese was unable to cope. He appealed for more external assistance to help alleviate the difficult situation of IDPs, “especially of children who are not in school, are prone to diseases and face an uncertain future”.
The people urgently need water, food, clothes, shelter and medical care, the Bishop says.
CNSNigeria
e-mail: engafrica@vatiradio.va
(from Vatican Radio)…
Bishop Oliver Dashe Doeme of Maiduguri Diocese has described the situation of Nigerians in the Boko Haram affected states of the Northeastern region as “a pathetic state of human degradation, with the government watching helplessly-on, in spite of their claiming to be on top of the situation.” Bishop Doeme made this assertion during a recent…
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(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis has appealed to international and local leaders to take action to protect and support persecuted Christians in various parts of the world; he expressed his closeness to the people of Mexico for the disappearance of a group of students who have allegedly been killed by drug traffickers; and he recalled the 30 th anniversary of the peace treaty between Argentina and Chile invoking dialogue and peacemaking for all peoples locked in conflict.
Listen to the report by Linda Bordoni :
In a series of appeals issued during the weekly General Audience, the Pope spoke off- the-cuff to various language groups present in St. Peter’s Square.
In Spanish he turned to pilgrims from Mexico expressing his sorrow for what appears to be the (legal?) disappearance “even although we know they have been murdered” – of 43 students. This renders visible – the Pope said – “the dramatic reality of crime that exists behind the selling and trafficking of drugs”.
And turning to a group of Chilean soldiers, Pope Francis said that in these days we mark the 30 th anniversary of the signing of the peace treaty between Argentina and Chile. Borders – he said – are clear: “let us not continue to argue about borders. Let us argue about other things, but not about this!” And he noted that the signing of the treaty came about thanks to dialogue. “Only when the will for dialogue exists, things are resolved” he said. And he expressed gratitude to “Saint John Paul II and to Cardinal Samorè who did so much to obtain peace for us”.
Let us hope that all peoples locked in conflict of any kind, including cultural borders – Pope Francis said – “make a commitment to resolve their issues at the table of dialogue and not through the cruelty of war”.
And finally speaking in Italian, Pope Francis said he is following with great trepidation the dramatic situation of Christians who “in various parts of the world are persecuted and killed for their religious faith”. He said he feels the need to express his “deep spiritual closeness to Christian communities who are harshly persecuted with an absurd violence that does not give signs of abating”. Encouraging pastors and faithful to be firm and united in hope, “once again” – the Pope said – “I turn to those who have political responsibility both on a local and on an international level, as well as to all persons of goodwill, with a heartfelt appeal to engage in a vast mobilization of consciences in favour of persecuted Christians. They have the right to once again find security and serenity in their own countries, freely professing our faith” he said.
(from Vatican Radio)…