Bulletin: August 2, 2015-18th Sunday in Ordinary Time
More than
300,000 postcards will be distributed to parishioners in England and Wales this
weekend offering guidance about end of life decisions. This initiative is part
of the day for Life celebration to be held on Sunday, 26 July. For this Day,
Pope Francis sent his best wishes and support to the Catholic Church in England
and Wales. The Apostolic Nuncio in Great Britain, Archbishop Antonio Mennini, received a letter and
conveyed it to the Bishop for Day for Life, Bishop John Sherrington, Auxiliary
of Westminster. In the letter, the Holy Father imparts his
apostolic blessing “upon
all those persons who are participating in this significant event and working
in any way for the promotion of the dignity of every human person from the
moment of conception until natural death”. This Sunday is the last of the
various initiatives of the Catholic Church in England regarding end of life
topics. The Bishops chose “Cherishing Life – Accepting
Death” as this year’s theme. Indeed, on 11 September the U.K.’s House of
Commons will be debating and voting on an assisted suicide bill. Presented by
Rob Marris, the bill proposes allowing terminally-ill the possibility of ending
their life with medical assistance….
Catholics in Iraq are ‘challenging’ the
Islamic State not with weapons or violence but through education and teaching,
thanks to the contribution and support of Australian Catholic University. This
October courses will begin at the Catholic University of Erbil, which was
desired by the Chaldean Church in Iraq as a concrete way to aid the Christian
youth in the Middle East. In recent days, Archbishop Bashar Matti
Warda of Erbil for Chaldeans met with
representatives of Australian Catholic University (ACU) and the President of
the Australian Catholic Bishops Conference
and Archbishop Denis James Hart of Melbourne in order to better coordinate the
necessary aid to complete construction on the university located in the city
which is mostly Christian. The Chaldean Church provided the 30,000 square
metres where the university will stand. The goal from the beginning was to create a private
university open to all, which meets the needs of the people. The university
will also serve as centre for scientific research. Almost three years after the dramatic events
that swept the northern regions of Iraq and led to thousands of Christian
refugees to flee from Islamic State jihadists to Erbil, the University will be
a concrete sign of support to young Iraqi Christians, inevitably tempted to
leave the country and leave behind the horrors of war and the uncertainties and
threats that influence their future….
(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis has sent his good wishes and support to the Catholic Church in England and Wales for this Sunday’s Day for Life. Day for Life is the day dedicated to praying for the protection of human life and raising awareness about its meaning and value at every stage and in every condition. The Apostolic Nuncio to the United Kingdom, Archbishop Antonio Mennini received the letter from the Pope and conveyed it to the Bishop for Day for Life, Bishop John Sherrington. The Holy Father cordially imparts his Apostolic Blessing “upon all those persons who are participating in this significant event and working in any way for the promotion of the dignity of every human person from the moment of conception until natural death.” Day for Life 2015 focuses on Catholic teaching about appropriate treatment at the end of life. The essential message for the Day is ‘How do we cherish life while we can and accept death when it comes?’ Bishop Sherrington said: “Catholics cherish and celebrate the gift of life but they are not vitalistic in saying that life must be preserved at all costs. Rather, judgements are to be made about types of treatment, taking into account the benefits and burdens of the treatment as well as the person’s total medical condition and well-being. This means there is no obligation to pursue medical treatment when it no longer has any effect or, indeed, harms the patient, or where the risks or burdens of the treatment outweigh the likely benefits. Sometimes difficult decisions need to be made and the views of family and experts are needed. But in such situations these two questions can guide us: “Is this decision loving life?” and “Is this decision accepting the inevitability of death? Please pray that we will always value the precious gift of life.” Day for Life is celebrated yearly by the Catholic Church in Ireland, Scotland and England and Wales. The Day is celebrated in England and Wales this Sunday (26 July) and in Ireland on 4 October 2015. It was celebrated in Scotland on 31 May 2015. The proceeds of the Day for Life collection to be held in parishes in England and Wales on Sunday 26 July 2015 assist the work of the Anscombe Bioethics Centre and other life-related activities supported by the Church. (from Vatican Radio)…