(Vatican Radio) The Bishop of Dallas, Kevin Farrell has issued a statement following the shootings which killed 5 police officers and injured 9 others in the city, saying “the magnitude of the violence in downtown Dallas on Thursday night is staggering.”
He added, “our first concern is for the families who have lost loved ones in this tragic attack. The Bishop also said that, “all lives matter, whether they be black, white, Muslim, Christian, Hindu. We are all children of God and all human life is precious.”
Below is full statement from the Bishop of Texas
The magnitude of the violence in downtown Dallas Thursday night is staggering. Five police officers were killed and seven other officers and two civilians were wounded in a deadly spate of gunfire at the conclusion of a peaceful march protesting recent killings of black men in Baton Rouge and Minneapolis.
Our first concern is for the families who have lost loved ones in this tragic attack. We pray for consolation and healing for both the families and those killed and wounded. We are reminded of the ever -present danger to those who are dedicated to protecting us.
We have been swept up in the escalating cycle of violence that has now touched us intimately as it has others throughout our country and the world. All lives matter: black, white, Muslim, Christian, Hindu. We are all children of God and all human life is precious.
We cannot lose respect for each other and we call upon all of our civic leaders to speak to one another and work together to come to a sensible resolution to this escalating violence. Let us implore God our Heavenly Father to touch the minds and hearts of all people to work together for peace and understanding.
Let us recall the words of Pope Francis, “May the God of peace arouse in all an authentic desire for dialogue and reconciliation. Violence cannot be overcome with violence. Violence is overcome with peace.”
(from Vatican Radio)…
(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis on Friday (8 July, 2016) received in private audience His Eminence Cardinal Angelo Amato, S.D.B., Prefect of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints. During the audience the Holy Father authorized the Congregation to promulgate the decrees regarding:
A miracle attributed to the intercession of the Venerable Servant of God Luis Antonio Rosa Ormières, priest and founder of the Congregation of the Sisters of the Holy Guardian Angel; born July 4, 1809 and died on 16 January1890;
The martyrdom of the Servants of God Antonio Arribas Hortigüela and 6 Companions, Missionaries of the Sacred Heart; killed in hatred of the Faith, September 29, 1936;
The martyrdom of the Servant of God Josef Mayr-Nusser, a layman; killed in hatred of the Faith, February 24, 1945;
The heroic virtues of Servant of God Alfonse Gallegos of the Order of Augustinian Recollects, Titular Bishop of Sasabe, auxiliary of Sacramento; born February 20, 1931 and died October 6, 1991;
The heroic virtues of Servant of God Rafael Sánchez García, diocesan priest; born June 14, 1911 and died on August 8, 1973;
The heroic virtues of Servant of God Andrés García Acosta, professed layman of the Order of Friars Minor; born January 10, 1800 and died January 14, 1853;
The heroic virtues of Servant of God Joseph Marchetti, professed priest of the Congregation of the Missionaries of St. Charles; born October 3, 1869 and died December 14, 1896;
The heroic virtues of Servant of God Giacomo Viale, professed priest of the Order of Friars Minor, pastor of Bordighera; born February 28, 1830 and died April 16, 1912;
The heroic virtues of the Servant of God Maria Pia of the Cross (née Maddalena Notari), foundress of the Congregation of Crucified Sisters Adorers of the Eucharist; born December 2, 1847 and died on 1 July 1919.
(from Vatican Radio)…
(Vatican Radio) Father Federico Lombardi, Director of the Vatican Press Office, briefed journalists after the reading of the verdicts in the so-called ‘Vatileaks 2’ trial.
Father Lombardi explained that the trial had to take place because a Law was promulgated in 2013 specifically to contrast the illegal leaking of documents and information.
The proceedings, he continued, had to go ahead in order to give tangible evidence of the firm decision within the Holy See to put an end to all tensions and controversial discussions surrounding internal Vatican matters that too often – in recent times – have stemmed from the leaking of confidential information to the media and have resulted in ambiguous and negative contexts.
“To be able to understand and evaluate the diverse aspects of this situation”, the right thing to do – Lombardi said – was to courageously tackle the issue and understand which was the effective responsibility of the journalists notwithstanding predictable polemical comments regarding press freedom issues.
Father Lombardi said the trial was conducted by competent Lawyers and Judges within the full respect of Laws and procedures and in full (and public) transparency.
The verdict – he concluded – was formulated by the Judges taking part in the formation of the Court in full autonomy, with an attitude of justice and clemency.
(from Vatican Radio)…
Pope Francis became “a spokesman for the deepest
longings of indigenous peoples” in the message disseminated in recent days on
his Worldwide Prayer Network, the
Apostleship of Prayer (www.apmej.org). Speaking in Spanish – the video is
available with subtitles in six languages at www.thepopevideo.org – the Pope
said that his universal prayer intention for the month of July is respect for
those populations whose origins in a particular place date back to prehistoric
times. “I want you to add your voice to mine”, the Pope urges, while images
move across the screen displaying the faces of men and women from different
ethnic groups in traditional dress, “in a heartfelt prayer that all will
respect indigenous peoples, threatened in their identity and even in their
existence”. The video
message for July on the Pope’s Worldwide Prayer Network was inspired by the
speech St. John Paul II addressed to indigenous people at
the Latacunga airport in Ecuador on 31 January 1985. It was an important part
of his apostolic journey, which, 30 years ago, took him to Venezuela, Ecuador,
Peru, and Trinidad and Tobago from 26 January to 5 February. On that occasion
Pope Wojtyła told the
indigenous people that he wanted to be “a spokesman for” their “deepest
longings”. Pope Francis revived those words in the days marking the first
anniversary of his trip to Latin America, during which he travelled to Ecuador,
Bolivia and Paraguay from 5 to 12 July 2015. In each of these three countries, the first Latin
American Pope spent time meeting with indigenous peoples, and the liturgies
celebrated there contained elements of native languages, arts and cultures,
such as Quechua or Guarani. In particular, while participating in the Second
Meeting of World Popular Movements, held at the Expo Feria Exhibition Centre in
Santa Cruz de la Sierra, Bolivia, on Thursday, 9 July 2015, Pope Francis quoted
his predecessor’s specific request for forgiveness. “I wish to be
quite clear, as was Saint John Paul II:
I humbly ask forgiveness, not only for the offences of the Church herself, but
also for crimes committed against the native peoples during the so-called
conquest of America”….
(Vatican Radio) Religious liberty and the importance of the family were among the themes touched on by Cardinal Christoph Schönborn during his mission as papal envoy to Belarus to mark the 25 th anniversary of the establishment of the Minsk-Mohilev archdiocese.
The July 1-2 celebrations were held in the Marian shrine of Budslav.
The cardinal, who represented Pope Francis for the event, met with political representatives, and visited the memorial monument for the victims of national socialism in Trostents, near Minsk. During meetings with religious and state representatives, Cardinal Schönborn emphasized the importance of religious liberty, and the need to have good relations between Church and State.
In his homily for Mass at the Budslav shrine, which was attended by some thirty thousand people, the archbishop of Vienna also spoke on the importance of the family, and how totalitarian regimes – along with other ideologies – want to destroy it.
“We, however, believe in the strength of the family,” Cardinal Schönborn said.
The following Sunday, 3 July, the Cardinal consecrated a new Catholic Church in Minsk.
(from Vatican Radio)…