If there is any place where the role of a bridge is most apt, it is in Sri Lanka, and it is the Church in the country. Vatican Secretary of State, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, made the observation in an interview to Vatican newspaper, L’Osservatore Romano, Vatican Radio and Vatican television CTV, ahead of the visit of Pope Francis to Sri Lanka and the Philippines next week. After visiting the island nation, Jan. 13-15, the Holy Father will fly to the Philippines from where he will return to the Vatican, Jan. 19. The Sinhalese who are mostly Budddhist, make up over 74% of Sri Lanka’s over 21 million population; whereas the Tamils, who are largely Hindu, form some 13%. Catholics are a little over 1.5 million. Sri Lanka was wracked by a 26-year civil war between Tamil rebels and the predominantly Sinhalese government which ended in May 2009 with the defeat of the Tamils. Cardinal Parolin explained that the Catholic Church with members on both sides of the nation’s ethnic divide has the duty of bringing about national dialogue, reconciliation and collaboration. He observed that the island nation has a tradition of inter-religious harmony, but regretted that some extremist groups manipulate public opinion and create tension. He hoped that the nation’s authorities will be able to maintain the tradition of religious coexistence. He hoped the visit of Pope Francis will help the nation to look forward rather than reopen old wounds.
(from Vatican Radio)…
If there is any place where the role of a bridge is most apt, it is in Sri Lanka, and it is the Church in the country. Vatican Secretary of State, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, made the observation in an interview to Vatican newspaper, L’Osservatore Romano, Vatican Radio and Vatican television CTV, ahead of the visit…
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(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis said only the Holy Spirit has the power to open our hearts to God and his love and not thousands of spirituality, yoga or zen courses. His words came during his homily at morning Mass on Friday celebrated in the Santa Marta residence. Listen to this report by Susy Hodges: The…
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Vatican City, 9 January 2014 (VIS) – “The communion of the Church: memory and hope for Haiti five years after the earthquake” is the title of the conference beginning this morning in the Vatican. The event was organised by the Pontifical Council “Cor Unum” and the Pontifical Commission for Latin America in collaboration with the bishops of Haiti, and is a response to the Holy Father’s wish to maintain close attention to a country that continues to suffer the consequences of the earthquake, and to reiterate the Church’s closeness to the Haitian people during the reconstruction phase. It will above all offer the opportunity to present the balance of aid destined for the country and to analyse the results of the implementation of the projects carried out from 2010 to the present day.
In January 2010 the island of Haiti was afflicted by an earthquake, the epicentre of which was located near the capital, Port-au-Prince, causing the death of 230 thousand people and devastated the territory, destroying much of the infrastructure, thousands of homes, and all the hospitals on the island. According to Red Cross estimates, the disaster affected three million people.
The meeting is attended by representatives of the Holy See, the local Haitian church, and various episcopal conferences, workers from Catholic charitable organisations, religious congregations and various Holy See-accredited diplomatic representatives. The conference will begin at 9 a.m. in the St. Pius X building with greetings from Cardinal Marc Ouellet, P.S.S., president of the Pontifical Commission for Latin America, and a report from Cardinal Robert Sarah who, as president of “Cor Unum” until the end of 2014, managed the Holy Father’s donations to the local Church of the island. During the morning session, there will be a debate on the material and spiritual reconstruction process and there will be interventions by Cardinal Chibly Langlois, bishop of Les Cayes and president of the Episcopal Conference of Haiti, Archbishop Thomas Gerald Wenski of Miami, U.S.A., Alberto Piatti, president of the AVSI (Association of Volunteers in International Service) Foundation, engaged in a charitable works on the island, and Eduardo Marques de Almeida, former representative of the Inter-American Development Bank in Haiti. At 11.30 a.m. the delegates present will be received in audience by Pope Francis.
In the afternoon, there will be presentations by those who work in the context of reconstruction, to enable an exchange of experiences regarding the issue of international cooperation and the priorities and criteria for future action. At the end of the meeting, Msgr. Giampietro Dal Toso, secretary of “Cor Unum”, will give an overview of the problems that still remain to be resolved.
The conference will end with a Mass celebrated by Cardinal Secretary of State Pietro Parolin in the church of Santa Maria in Traspontina, at 6.30 p.m….
Vatican City, 9 January 2014 (VIS) – “The communion of the Church: memory and hope for Haiti five years after the earthquake” is the title of the conference beginning this morning in the Vatican. The event was organised by the Pontifical Council “Cor Unum” and the Pontifical Commission for Latin America in collaboration with the…
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