Port au Prince – – 180 Catholic lay faithful from all the dioceses of Haiti took part in the National Congress of Laity held in Port au Prince from 31 October to 3 November. The meeting, promoted by the Church of Haiti in collaboration with the Social School of CELAM, tried to outline the mission of lay baptized in the Church and in society, called to animate temporal realities in the light of the Church’s social doctrine. The Congress’s work highlighted the urgency of deepening the knowledge of the Church’s social doctrine among the laity. The Congress was presided by Francisco Niño, Colombian Priest and vice secretary of CELAM’s General Secretariat. Haiti, the poorest Country in America, is trying to regain social stability. The Church supports the Haitian people and its admirable and moving desire to start again. …
The nation is going through a deep crisis: it is ranked second among the most violent countries in the world, with over 91 violent deaths per 100,000 inhabitants. The State seems to have handed over the control of security to criminal gangs and seems to have abandoned the respect for the rule of law. The country cries out justice, while poverty and food insecurity overwhelm the population. Human rights activists call the international community for urgent action. Link correlati : Continue to read news analysis-Omnis Terra…
Jakarta – The Rosary, the Marian prayer par excellence, is today a support for national unity and inter-religious harmony in Indonesia. And it is a prayer also appreciated by Muslims, “especially because, as Indonesian Catholics, we have invented a special Rosary that symbolizes the unity of the nation, thanks to its two colors, white and red. This Rosary, which we prayed every day , incessantly, in October, reminds us to be 100% Catholic and 100% Indonesian. It is one of our expressions of love for our country and a sign of our concern and our desire to put the Pancasila continuously into practice”, says the Archbishop of Jakarta, Ignazio Suharyo, in a note sent to Fides. The Archbishop participated recently in a meeting with the President of the “Asian Muslim Action Network” , prof. Azyumardi Azra, a well-known Muslim professor and former rector of the Islamic University Syarif Hidayatullah in Jakarta and with Shafii Maarif, “noble father” of Indonesian Islam, founder of the Maarif Institute and former president of the Muhammadiyah Islamic organization. During the meeting, leaders recalled the “oath” of young Indonesians from different religions on 28 October 1928 who, in their youth congress, had proclaimed three ideals that would then lay the foundations for the nation’s independence: a homeland , a nation and only one language. Then prof. Azyumardi took the Rosary with respect and veneration from Archbishop Suharyo and handed it over to Shafii Maarif. Suharyo described the meaning of the prayer, speaking of the colors, red and white, which recall the Indonesian flag. “White recalls holiness and sacredness, pure and sincere love towards God. Red symbolizes the will to defend, with love, truth based on faith”, said Archbishop Suharyo. The chain ends with the “medal of mercy” and the logo of the Archdiocese of Jakarta. The Archdiocese inaugurated the special Rosary, prayed for the unity of the nation, in the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Assumption in Jakarta and donated to the 65 parishes of the city on May 1, 2016. Since then, the Catholics of the capital pray with the red and white Rosary every day during the Mass in the months of May and October. And, in this historic moment, marked by the rise of radical Islamic movements that intend to divide the nation, prayer has an even deeper meaning. The Church of Jakarta has recommended every Catholic family, associations and communities to pray with that Rosary, for the special intention of national unity. The Liturgical Commission of the Archdiocese, that promoted and launched the initiative, states that the Rosary expresses the commitment of the Archdiocese to strengthen the love of the nation among the faithful and their sincere contribution to unity and social and religious harmony. …
Bulletin for 11/05/2017
(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis on Friday celebrated Mass in St. Peter’s Basilica for all those Cardinals and Bishops who have died over the past year .
During his homily the Pope reflected on the reality of death, but he also reminded us of the promise of eternal life which is grounded in our union with the risen Christ.
Listen to the report by Linda Bordoni :
“Today’s celebration, Pope Francis said, once more sets before us the reality of death. It renews our sorrow for the loss of those who were dear and good to us.”
But more importantly, reflecting on the liturgical reading of the day, he said it increases our hope for them and for ourselves, as it expresses speaks of the resurrection of the just.
The resurrection of the just
“They are the multitude – he continued – that, thanks to the goodness and mercy of God, can experience the life that does not pass away, the complete victory over death brought by the resurrection”.
And recalling Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross the Pope said that “by His love, He shattered the yoke of death and opened to us the doors of life”.
Our faith in the resurrection opens the doors to eternal life
The faith we profess in the resurrection, Pope Francis explained, makes us men and woman of hope, not despair, men and women of life, not death, for we are comforted by the promise of eternal life, grounded in our union with the risen Christ.
He urged the faithful to be trusting in the face of death as Jesus has shown us that death is not the last word. Our souls, he said, thirst for the living God whose beauty, happiness, and wisdom has been impressed on the souls of our brother cardinals and bishops whom we remember today.
Hope does not disappoint
Pope Francis concluded giving thanks for their generous service to the gospel and the Church and reminding those present that Hope never disappoints.
(from Vatican Radio)…