(Vatican Radio) Among those greeting Pope Francis at the end of his general audience in St Peter’s Square was Mike Haines, whose brother, David, was murdered by a so-called Islamic State militant in September 2014. Since then, Mike has been working tirelessly to spread a message of interfaith cooperation and unity to combat violence and extremism.
Accompanying him to the Vatican on Wednesday to share this testimony was the wife of another British murder victim, Alan Henning, as well as a Muslim friend of the Haines family, London-based Imam Shahnawaz Haque. Philippa Hitchen met Mike and Shahnawaz just after the audience to find out more about their mission …
Listen here to Philippa’s report:
If you look up the story of David Haines’ kidnapping, you’ll see an all-too-familiar picture of a black clad executioner holding his pale faced victim in a bright orange suit, with a warning that he’ll be the next to die. It’s an image that has haunted Mike Haines, ever since the terrorists murdered US journalist Stephen Sotloff and David’s family knew they had little chance of ever seeing him alive again.
Yet it’s also the image that drives Mike forward with his mission of trying to end fear and hostility between people of different cultures and religions, knowing that it’s the best way he can honour the work that David was doing with refugees on the border between Turkey and Iraq.
That’s why he was here in the Vatican, fighting back the tears, as he told Pope Francis about the message he was bringing. Mike says he’d tried to prepare the right words, but when he saw the Pope arriving, his mind went blank. However, he continued, Pope Francis made him feel at ease, by saying that he was praying for the Haines family and praying for him to continue his work…
Recalling the day he found out his brother had been kidnapped, Mike says he received a phone call from the head of ACTED (Agency for Technical Cooperation and Development) for whom David had been working……his brother, Mike says, was doing what he was best at, going out and helping others… “it was his calling”. Following his capture, Mike adds, he knew that the chances of getting David out were not good so the family’s mantra was “to prepare for the worst and hope for the best”….
Though Mike finds it hard to talk about the tragedy his family has endured, he’s quite clear in his condemnation of those who try to blame the Muslim community for the terrorist atrocities. In fact one of the first things he did in the wake of David’s murder was to seek the advice of a Muslim scholar so he could quote a couple of verses from the Koran to show his solidarity with Britain’s Muslim communities. Islam, he says is about “understanding, tolerance, welcoming, it’s about giving strength” but like every religion, he continues, there are groups of people who take sentences of their holy books to give them justification for their actions and that is wrong….
In his mission to close the gap of fear and suspicion that the terrorists are trying to create, Mike is supported by his friend, psychotherapist and Muslim scholar Shahnawaz Haque who says it is “extremely disturbing, distressing and traumatic” when terrorists use the words of the Koran to justify their acts of unspeakable violence. He recalls that as a young child of Asian immigrants in the UK he suffered from prejudice and racist slurs in the streets and now, he says, it’s hard to imagine or understand the fear that people say they have of the Muslim community…
Shahnawaz Haque says the only way to combat the prejudice and fear is through education and interaction between ordinary people. He believes Pope Francis himself is modelling the true religious qualities of humility and compassion, as well as creating new opportunities for encounter and interfaith understanding between people of so many cultures and communities. “I pray that God assists him in the good work that he’s doing”, he says.
(from Vatican Radio)…
(Vatican Radio) Among those greeting Pope Francis at the end of his general audience in St Peter’s Square was Mike Haines, whose brother, David, was murdered by a so-called Islamic State militant in September 2014. Since then, Mike has been working tirelessly to spread a message of interfaith cooperation and unity to combat violence and…
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Vatican City, 25 March 2015 (VIS) – On Sunday 21 June the Pope will visit Turin. Francis will arrive in the Italian city at 8 a.m. and, half an hour later, will meet with representatives of the world of work in the Piazzetta Reale. From there, he will move on to the Cathedral where he will pray before the Holy Shroud and before the altar of Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati. At 10.45 a.m. he will celebrate the Eucharist in Piazza Vittorio and will recite the Sunday Angelus prayer. Following Mass, the Pope will proceed to the Archbishop’s residence to lunch with young detainees from the “Ferrante Aporti” penitentiary for minors, several immigrants and homeless people, and a Rom family. At 2.40 p.m. he will visit the Sanctuary of the Consolata, where he will withdraw for a few minutes in private prayer. At 3 p.m., in the Basilica of Our Lady Help of Christians, where he will meet with Salesians and the Daughters of Our Lady Help of Christians. An hour later, in the Church of Cottolengo, he will meet with the sick and disabled. Back in Piazza Vittorio, at 6 p.m., he will meet with young people of the city, after which he will retire to the archbishop’s residence. On Monday 22, at 9 a.m., he will visit the Valdese Temple. Upon returning to the archbishop’s residence, where he will meet privately with some of his relatives. He will celebrate a Holy Mass with them in the Chapel and will lunch with them. Before his departure from “Torino Caselle” airport, he will pay a short visit to the members of the Committee of the Shroud, the organisers and supporters of his visit….
Vatican City, 25 March 2015 (VIS) – On Sunday 21 June the Pope will visit Turin. Francis will arrive in the Italian city at 8 a.m. and, half an hour later, will meet with representatives of the world of work in the Piazzetta Reale. From there, he will move on to the Cathedral where he…
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A special “pause in prayer” for the family and for life: this was the
heart of the General Audience on Wednesday, 25 March, the Solemnity of the
Annunciation. The Pope asked the faithful present in St Peter’s Square to pray
a Hail Mary and the prayer to the Holy Family composed for the Synod of
Bishops, recalling that the Church “like a mother, never never abandons the family, even when it is
miserable, wounded and humiliated in so many ways. Nor when it falls into sin,
or moves away from the Church; she will always do anything to try to take care
of it and heal it, to call it to conversion and to reconcile it to the Lord.”
The following is a translation of the Pope’s catechesis, which was give in
Italian. Dear Brothers and Sisters, Good morning! In our
series of catecheses on the family, today’s is a special step: it will be a
pause in prayer. Indeed,
on 25 March in the Church we solemnly celebrate the Annunciation, the mystery
of the Incarnation begins. The Archangel Gabriel visits a humble girl in
Nazareth and proclaims to her that she will conceive and bear the Son of God.
With this Annunciation the Lord illumines and strengthens Mary’s faith, as he
will also do for her spouse Joseph, so that Jesus might be born into a human family . This is very beautiful: it shows
us how deeply the mystery of the Incarnation, as God desired, comprehends not
only the conception in the mother’s womb, but also acceptance in a real family.
Today I would like to contemplate with you on the beauty of this bond, the
beauty of condescension of God; and we can do this by reciting the Hail Mary together, of which the first
part takes up the words of the Angel,
those he addressed to the Virgin. I invite you to pray together: “Hail
Mary, full of grace,
the Lord is with you.
Blessed are you among women,
and blessed is the fruit of your womb, Jesus.
Holy Mary, Mother of God,
Pray for us sinners
Now and at the hour of our death. Amen.” And now a second aspect: on 25
March, the Solemnity of the Annunciation, in many Countries the Day for Life is celebrated. That is why,
20 years ago, St John Paul II on this
day signed the Encyclical Evangelium
Vitae . In order to remember this
anniversary present in the Square today are many followers of the Pro-Life
Movement. In Evangelium Vitae, the family occupies a central plac e, as
it is the womb of human life. The word of my venerable Predecessor reminds us
that a human couple was blessed from the
beginning to form a community of love and life, entrusted with the mission to
generate life . Christian spouses, celebrating the Sacrament of Marriage,
make themselves open to honour this blessing, with the grace of Christ, for
their whole lives. The Church, for her part, is solemnly committed to care for the family that is
born, as a gift of God for her life, in good times and in bad: the bond between the Church and the family
is sacred and inviolable . The Church, like a mother, never abandons the
family, even when it is downhearted, wounded and humiliated in so many ways.
Nor when it falls into sin, or moves away from the Church; she will always do
everything to try to care for and heal it, to call it to conversion and to
reconcile it to the Lord. If this then is the task, it is
clear how much prayer the Church needs
in order to be able, in every age, to carry out
this mission! A prayer full of love for the family and for life. A
prayer that can rejoice with the rejoicing and suffer with the suffering. Here then is what I, together with
my co-workers, have thought to offer today: renewal
of prayer for the Synod of Bishops on the Family . We relaunch this
commitment until this coming October, when the Ordinary Synodal Assembly dedicated to the family will take place. I
would like that this prayer, as the whole journey of the Synod, be animated by
the compassion of the Good Shepherd for his flock, especially for people and
families that, for different reasons, are “harassed and helpless, like sheep
without a shepherd” (Mt 9:36). Thus, sustained and animated by the grace of
God, the Church can be ever more committed, and every more united, in the
witness of the truth of the love of God and of his mercy for the world’s
families, none excluded, both within the fold and without it. I ask you please do not fail to
pray. Everyone – Pope, cardinals, bishops, priests, men and women religious,
lay faithful – we are all called to pray for the Synod. This is
what is needed, not gossip! I
call to prayer also those who feel far
or who are no longer used to doing it. This prayer
for the Synod on the family is for the good of everyone. I know that this
morning you were given a holy card, which you are holding in your hands. I
invite you to keep it and carry it with you, so that in the coming months you
can recite it often, with holy persistence, as Jesus asked us to. Now let us
recite it together: Jesus,
Mary and Joseph in you
we contemplate the
splendour of true love, to you
in trust we turn. Holy
Family of Nazareth, make of
our families too places
of communion and cenacles of prayer, authentic
schools of the Gospel and
domestic Churches. Holy
Family of Nazareth, never
more let families face the experience of
violence, closure and division: whoever
has been wounded or scandalized let them
know immediate consolation and healing. Holy
Family of Nazareth, let the coming Synod of Bishops reawaken
in all awareness of the
sacred and inviolable character of the family, its
beauty in God’s plan. Jesus,
Mary and Joseph, hear,
answer our prayer, Amen. Special greetings I greet the
English-speaking pilgrims and visitors taking part in today’s Audience, including those from England, the Channel
Islands, Denmark, Germany, Malta, Qatar, Indonesia, Australia and the United
States of America. I greet in particular
the representatives of the Hindu Community of Kerala. Upon all of you, and your families, I invoke
an abundance of joy and peace in the Lord.
God bless you all! I greet with special affection workers
from the Province of Vibo Valentia, who are living in a grave economic
situation. I would like to join the interventions of their Bishop, Luigi Renso,
in expressing my concern and closeness to those facing these problems. I
address a heartfelt appeal that the logic of profit not prevail, but rather
that of solidarity and justice. At the centre of every situation, especially
work-related, should be the person and his or her dignity: that is why having
work is a matter of justice, and it is an injustice not to have work! When
people do not earn their bread, they
lose their dignity! And this is the drama of our times, especially for young
people, who, without work, have no prospects in their future and can so easily
become prey to criminal organizations. Please, let us fight for this: the
justice of work….