The Archdiocese of Seoul has opened three Holy Doors in as many shrines dedicated to the early martyrs of the Korean Catholic Church to commemorate the 150th anniversary of the beginning of the brutal anti-Christian persecution known as Byeong-in.
The decision is part of the year dedicated to memory of the martyrs proclaimed by the capital’s archbishop, Card Andrew Yeom Soo-jung. “Compared to the Catholics of 150 years ago, our faith today seems weaker,” said the prelate in his homily on Tuesday, the first day of the special year. “May the Lord help us follow the example of the martyrs.”
The great Byeong-in persecution began on 23 February 1866 when, alarmed by the Christian message, which preaches equality among men and contradicts Confucian teachings, Korea’s rulers ordered a nationwide crackdown on Catholics. About 9,000 people, roughly half of the Catholic community at the time, died a violent death by order of the king.
On the same day, 150 years later, the Holy Doors in the three Archdiocesan shrines dedicated to the memory of the martyrs were opened: the Jeoldusan mausoleum (pictured), Saenamteo shrine, and the Catholic church of Yakhyeon. According to the Archdiocese’s Communications Office, about 2,000 faithful took part in the opening ceremony at each site.
For his part, Archbishop Yeom opened the year dedicated to the martyrs’ memory at Myeongdong Cathedral, in the heart of the capital. “Compared to the Catholics of 150 years ago,” he said, “our faith today seems weaker despite all the religious freedom we have. This is why we must remember our ancestors of faith, who kept their beliefs even in the worst and most painful situations.”
For the prelate, “We cannot keep moving forward without reflecting on our past. May the Lord help us follow the example of the martyrs, and live a life of service to others.”
(Source:AsiaNews)
(from Vatican Radio)…
(Vatican Radio) Long-time Vatican official Msgr. Paul Tighe was consecrated a bishop on Saturday afternoon in a ceremony presided over by the Vatican Secretary of State, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, in St. Peter’s Basilica.
The new bishop was in December named the Adjunct Secretary for the Pontifical Council of Culture. He had previously served as Secretary of the Pontifical Council for Social Communications since 2007.
Among those concelebrating the Mass was the Archbishop of Dublin, Diarmuid Martin.
Archbishop Martin said Bishop Tighe, who served as Director of the Communications Office of Dublin Diocese from 2004-2007, “was a person of kindness and integrity, whose contribution to life of the Universal Church, particularly in social communications, was widely respected.”
Archbishop Eamon Martin, Archbishop of Armagh and Primate of All Ireland, sent congratulations to Rome on behalf of the Irish Catholic Bishops’ Conference.
“Bishop Tighe possesses many gifts including a strong pastoral outlook, a fine theological mind and is a communicator par excellence ,” the Armagh Archbishop said. “I am confident that he will do excellent work in his new role as Adjunct Secretary of the Pontifical Council for Culture. I wish Bishop Tighe every blessing in the years to come and assure him of my prayerful support.”
Bishop Tighe was given the titular see of Drivastrum .
(from Vatican Radio)…
(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis on Friday met with Bodo Ramelow, the Minister-President of the German state of Thüringen.
Ramelow is the first politician from the Left Party – which is descended from East Germany’s Communist party – to govern a German state.
After the meeting, Ramelow told Vatican Radio’s German Programme he invited the Holy Father to visit Thüringen to mark the anniversary of the Reformation, although he admitted it was unlikely to happen, given the Pope’s schedule.
“I explained to him that we have created a new programme called Achawa, which is the Hebrew word for brotherhood,” said Ramelow, a practicing Protestant. “This has brought together Catholics, Protestants, and many representatives of civil society… We think about the issues of the Reformation as a common theme, and encourage people to think about faith.”
The two men also spoke about the German response to the current refugee crisis. Ramelow said the first step was “to invite the people to have courage, not fear.”
“We want to talk to them about the fears they have,” he added. “But we do not want to give room to those who would stoke those fears, and certainly we cannot provide a stage to the preachers of hate.”
Ramelow told Vatican Radio he was pleased with his meeting with the Pope, adding “this key term ‘mercy,’ the central element of this pontificate, is truly lived by [Pope Francis]”
During the meeting, Ramelow gave the Pope a replica of a 1534 Bible and a bronze statue of St. Elizabeth of Hungary.
(from Vatican Radio)…
(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis on Saturday morning received in audience the President of Argentina, Mauricio Macri, who subsequently met with the Vatican’s Secretary of State, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, and Archbishop Paul Richard Gallagher, the Secretary for Relations with States.
Listen to Vatican Radio’s report:
President Macri assumed office in December, and was previously the Head of Government of the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires from 2007 to 2015. Previously, he represented the City of Buenos Aires in the lower house of Argentina’s Congress from 2005 to 2007. Pope Francis served as the Archbishop of Buenos Aires from 1998 until his election to the see of Peter in 2013.
A statement released by the Holy See Press Office called the meeting between the two men “cordial,” and said this “demonstrated the good bilateral relations between the Holy See and the Argentine Republic.”
The statement went on to say themes of common interest were considered, such as assistance for integral development, respect for human rights, the fight against poverty and drug trafficking, justice, peace and social reconciliation.
In this context – the statement continued – the positive contribution of the episcopate and Catholic institutions in Argentine society was reiterated, especially in the fields of human promotion and the formation of the new generations, and particularly in the current economic climate. Finally, reference was made to various issues of broader significance and interest at regional and global level.
During the encounter, President Macri gave Pope Francis several gifts, including a poncho, CD’s with traditional Argentine music and tango, and a wooden Matara Cross, the symbol of evangelization in Latin America.
Pope Francis gave the President a Peace Medallion, with the symbol of an olive tree.
(from Vatican Radio)…
(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis on Saturday met with members of the Italian association of manufacturing companies, Confindustria, calling them to reflect together on the ethics of doing business.
Listen to Devin Watkins’ report:
In remarks prepared for the occasion, Pope Francis spoke with the more than 7,000 businessmen and women from Italy’s largest manufacturing association about their slogan ‘ Work Together ‘.
Calling them to make that slogan into a true business program, the Holy Father meditated with the members of Confindustria on its deeper meaning of a way to contribute to a more just society.
“Your proposal,” the pope said, “is to reflect together on the ethics of doing business; together you have decided to focus your attention on values, values which are the ‘backbone’ of any formation project, of the appreciation of your country, and of promoting social relations, and which allow for a concrete alternative to the consumeristic model of profit at all costs.”
He went on to list how a program based on the slogan ‘ Work Together ‘ would take into account the various groups in society most in need and most often forgotten.
These include the family, “in which the work experience, the sacrifice which sustains it, and the fruits which it produces find meaning and import”. It also takes into account those weaker and more marginalized categories of people, like the elderly and young people whose potential for work should not be imprisoned in uncertainty and unemployment.
“All these strengths combined,” Pope Francis said, “can make a difference for a business which places at its center the person, the quality of their relations, and the truth of his or her work to build a more just world, a world truly for all.”
The Pope continued, saying “This attention to the concrete person carries with it a series of important choices: It means giving to each his own, relieving of mothers and fathers of families the worry of not being able to give a future, or even a present, to their children. It means knowing how to direct, but also knowing how to share projects and ideas with humility and trust. It means acting in such a way that one task creates another, one responsibility creates other responsibilities, hope generates other hopes, especially for the younger generations, which today are more than ever are in need.”
Pope Francis concluded his remarks by calling the business people to altruism in favor of the dignity of every person.
“May justice always be your teacher,” he said, “justice which refuses the ‘easy-way-out’ of recommendations and favoritisms, and the dangerous deviations of dishonesty and easy compromises. […] For there is no freedom without justice, and there is no justice without respect for the dignity of every person.”
(from Vatican Radio)…