(Vatican Radio) The Presidents of the Bishops’ Conferences of South-east Europe met from 17-21 April 2015 in Bucharest, Romania. The meeting, held within the framework of the work of the Council of European Episcopal Conferences (CCEE), took place in Romania at the invitation of the Metropolitan Archbishop of Bucharest and President of the Romanian Bishops’ Conference, Archbishop Ioan Robu.
The Bishops of the region met annually from 2002-20012, and are renewing the tradition, due to the similarity of the pastoral challenges and the situation of the Catholic Church in these. There are two aims: to strengthen relationships of ecclesial communion by sharing the common pastoral challenges and to examine in depth some of the issues surrounding the theme of the family with a view to the next Ordinary Synod of Bishops (October 2015) and in the light of the 2014 Extraordinary Synod.
In the dialogue-comparison about the family, the Prelates focused on the following pastoral challenges:
1. Mixed marriages between Catholics and Orthodox. There are challenges and problems due to the differences in the way in which marriage is perceived and its sacramentality; but couples must be accompanied in a journey of faith, so that the differences do not lead to relativism and religious indifference. Mixed marriages that are well-lived out are an experience of authentic ecumenical dialogue. This issue had already been the object of in-depth reflection at their 2008 meeting in Sofia (Bulgaria).
2. The globalised economy which has neither care nor concern for the poor nor for the young people and often forces the people of this area of Europe to seek work in other regions of the world. Migration is a major challenge for the family which demands special attention from the Church. Many families have been divided due to migration. It is hoped for closer pastoral collaboration between the countries of origin and those to which they emigrate, for example, with regard to marriage preparation: the Catholic communities in the countries which welcome the migrants should guarantee preparation and then accompany the young couples who come to marry in their native countries.
3. In any case marriage preparation must be very serious and carried out in a pastoral atmosphere of welcome, so that each person feels welcomed and ready for a journey of preparation which may also be a time of encounter with Jesus and with faith. One must not forget the challenges laid down by a digital culture which, enabling access to a vast array of information, is not always integrated in a mature personality capable of taking definitive decisions and assuming responsibility for a family.
4. Pastoral care for families, which cannot be pastoral care en masse but rather a pastoral care of closeness and personal contact. In the countries of South-east Europe, the significance of family is very much alive. The family is appreciated and desired by young people. For such pastoral work there is a need for priests, but also married couples who have an important role of support at moments of happiness but also in times of trial.
5. Family groups. The participants noted with some satisfaction and a reason for hope the presence of groups of families and those movements which have a special charism devoted to the family and which are a fundamental resource for the pastoral care of the family.
6. Finally, the participants wanted to recall that the Christian family is based, grows and develops with the “Sunday Eucharist”, when with the whole Church, the family sits at table with the Lord. He gives Himself to us all, pilgrims through history towards the goal of the final encounter when “Christ is all and in all” (Col 3,11).” (Pope Francis, Message of the III Extraordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops).
At the end the participants, shocked by the dangerous illegal construction of a building next to St Joseph’s Cathedral, declared a Monument of historic national and international interest in 1955, signed a statement, testifying to their solidarity with the efforts of the Catholic Church in Bucharest to resolve the issue. They expressed the hope that the Public Authorities might respect the final decisions of the Appeal Court in Ploiesti and the Supreme Court to put back the park which existed there previously.
During their stay in Bucharest, there was another tragedy in the Mediterranean Sea, claiming the lives of more than 700 people, who had been seeking a more dignified life and had been exploited by people without scruples. The participants at the meeting prayed for them and for all those who have lost their lives in a similar fashion and for their families, uniting their voices to all those who refuse to give in to the violence and exploitation, calling for every person to be respected in their dignity as sons and daughters of God.
Participants at the meeting were His Eminence Cardinal Vinko Puljić, Archbishop of Sarajevo and President of the Bosnia Herzegovina Bishops’ Conference; His Grace Mgr Angelo Massafra O.F.M., Metropolitan Archbishop of Shkodrë-Pult and President of the Bishops’ Conference of Albania and CCEE Vice-president; His Lordship Fragkiskos Papamanólis (O.F.M. Cap.), Bishop Emeritus of Syros-Creta-Santorini and President of the Bishops’ Conference of Greece; and His Lordship Mgr Christo Proykov, Apostolic Exarch of Sofia and President of the Bulgarian Bishops’ Conference.
In the course of the meeting, the participants visited the Latin-rite St Joseph’s Cathedral in Bucharest, where they celebrated Mass on Saturday 18 and Sunday 19 with packed congregations; they also visited the Greek-Catholic Cathedral of Bucharest where they met His Lordship Mgr Mihai Fratila, Bishop of the Eparchy of Saint Basil the Great-Bucharest; the Church of Our Lady of the Graces, the first Catholic Church in Bucharest; the Sisters of the Congregatio Jesu (‘English ladies’), a Congregation founded by the Venerable Mary Ward; the Catholic cemetery and the parish of Saint Teresa of the Child Jesus, which also houses two buildings of a Catholic secondary school and the Monastery of the Carmelite Fathers at Ciofliceni. In these various places it was also possible to hear testimonies from the Communist era when persecution, especially of Greek-Catholics, was very severe.
On Sunday afternoon the Bishops went to Constanta, the port on the Black Sea, which is a Vicariate of the Archdiocese of Bucharest and they stayed there until Monday to visit Constanta and Adamclisi and to celebrate Mass in the Basilica of Saint Anthony of Padua.
(from Vatican Radio)…
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(Vatican Radio) The Presidents of the Bishops’ Conferences of South-east Europe met from 17-21 April 2015 in Bucharest, Romania. The meeting, held within the framework of the work of the Council of European Episcopal Conferences (CCEE), took place in Romania at the invitation of the Metropolitan Archbishop of Bucharest and President of the Romanian Bishops’…
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(Vatican Radio/VIS) “Buddhists and Christians, together to counter modern slavery” is the title of the message from the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue to Buddhists, to celebrate the month of Vesakh, the commemoration of the three most significant events in the life of Gautama Buddha – his birth, enlightenment and death. This occasion, according to the president of the Council, Cardinal Jean-Louis Tauran, also provides an opportunity “to think of the unfortunate and all who suffer, and to rededicate ourselves to bringing them comfort and happiness through acts of love and compassion”. This year’s text is inspired by Pope Francis’s “Message for the 2015 World Day of Peace”, entitled No Longer Slaves, but Brothers and Sisters, in which the Holy Father observes that, historically, the institution of slavery was once generally accepted and resulted in the “rejection of others, their mistreatment, violations of their dignity and fundamental rights, and institutionalised inequality”. Accordingly, “a slave could be bought and sold, given away or acquired, as if he or she were a commercial product” and although slavery has been formally abolished throughout the world, there are still “millions of people today – children, women and men of all ages – deprived of freedom and forced to live in conditions akin to slavery”. Pope Francis gives examples of modern day slavery: men, women and child labourers; migrants who undergo physical, emotional and sexual abuse while working in shameful working conditions; persons forced into prostitution, many of whom are minors, as well as male and female sex slaves; those kidnapped by terrorists and forced to be combatants, and those who are tortured, mutilated or killed. Human hearts deformed by corruption and ignorance are, according to the Holy Father, the cause of these terrible evils against humanity. When hearts are corrupted, human beings no longer see others as “beings of equal dignity, as brothers or sisters sharing a common humanity, but rather as objects”. “Dear friends, we share the conviction that modern slavery and human trafficking are grave crimes, open wounds on the body of contemporary society”, states the message for Vesakh. In one section of the “Eightfold Path” – namely “Right Livelihood” – the Buddha declares that trading in live beings, including slaves and prostitutes, is one of five occupations that are not to be engaged in. He instructs that possessions are to be acquired peacefully, honestly and by legal means, without coercion, violence or deceit, and by means that do not cause harm or suffering. In this way, Buddhism promotes respect for the life and freedom of each person”. “As Buddhists and Christians committed to respect for human life, we must cooperate together to end this social plague. Pope Francis invites us to overcome indifference and ignorance by offering assistance to victims, in working for their psychological and educational rehabilitation, and in efforts to reintegrate them into society where they live or from which they come”. The text concludes, “We pray that your celebration of Vesakh, which includes making special efforts to bring happiness to those less fortunate in our midst, may be a time of deepened consideration of the various ways in which we can work together so that there will no longer be slaves, but brothers and sisters living in fraternity, loving kindness and compassion for all”. (from Vatican Radio)…
(Vatican Radio/VIS) Pope Francis has sent a letter of condolences to the Chief Rabbi of the Jewish community of Rome, Riccardo Di Segni, after the death on Sunday of his predecessor, Rabbi Elio Toaff, at the age of 99. The following is the full text of the letter.
“I wish to express my heartfelt participation in the mourning of the family and the entire Jewish community of the capital following the departure of the Rabbi Professor Elio Toaff, the long-time spiritual guide of the Jews of Rome.
A key figure in Italian Jewish and civil history during recent decades, he knew how to earn esteem and appreciation through his moral authority, linked to a profound humanity.
I recall with gratitude his generous efforts and sincere willingness to promote dialogue and fraternal relations between Jews and Catholics, which experienced a significant moment in his memorable encounter with St. John Paul II at the Synagogue of Rome.
I raise prayers that the Almighty, rich in love and faithfulness, welcome him in His Kingdom of peace”.
(from Vatican Radio)…