(Vatican Radio) The Diocese of Manado is putting the final touches to preparations for the Second Indonesian Youth Day of the Catholic Church, that kicks off on Saturday here in Manado, the capital of the country’s northernmost province of North Sulawesi. The theme of the Oct. 1-6 event is, “The Joy of Gospel Amidst a Plural Society in Indonesia”. This follows from the 1st Indonesian Youth Day that took place in October 2012 in Sanggau, West Kalimantan, on the theme “Rooted and Built Up in Jesus Christ, Strengthened in the Faith.”
Robin Gomes reports:
The Second Indonesian Youth Day, taking place during the worldwide Catholic Church’s Jubilee Year of Mercy, is the first of two important youth celebrations in 2016 and 2017. This is also in preparation for the 6th Asian Youth Day to be hosted in Yogyakarta, Indonesia, July 30 – August 6, in 2017.
With nearly 90% of the nation’s over 250 million people professing Islam, Indonesia is the country with the largest Muslim population in the world. Christians make up almost 10% of the population, or over 25 million people, with Catholics forming some 2.7%. A vast majority of Indonesian Muslims are moderates, but recent incidents indicate that the nation is no exception to the growing threat of Islamic radicalism among its people, and the nation’s authorities are aware of it and taking action. In this context, the Indonesian Youth Day in Manado, focussing on diversity as a unifying factor, is of great relevance to the country, and the government has also shown great interest in this.
Bishop Joseph Suwatan of Manado who is hosting the youth event, told Vatican Radio’s Robin Gomes in Manado, that his diocese which comprises the northern provinces of North Sulawesi, Gorontalo and Central Sulawesi, is a model of peaceful co-existence and brotherhood among religions and peoples.
Interview with Bishop Suwatan:
From Oct. 1 to 6, Catholic youth from all the dioceses will pray, meditate, discuss and share their experiences on how important it is to engage in healthy dialogue, mutual understanding and cooperation, and work together in solidarity with followers other faiths, especially Islam, to create a healthy society for the common good. Commenting on the theme of the 2nd Indonesian Youth Day, “The Joy of Gospel Amidst a Plural Society in Indonesia”, Bishop Suwatan explained that he envisages the youth event in his diocese like the marriage feast of Cana in the Gospel, where Jesus transformed water into wine.
Bishop Suwatan:
According to the Indonesian Youth Day coordinating team at the Bishop’s House in Manado, some 2600 young people from the country’s 37 dioceses will be arriving soon at Manado. The team is coordinating with the various dioceses and assigning participants to Manado’s 37 parishes who will take care of their accommodation and other expenses and also see to the event’s programme at the local level. Fr. Rheinner Saneba, the organizer of the media centre said that the first three days of the Indonesian Youth Day will be at the parish level, with participants taking part in live-in programmes in the homes of local families, both Catholics and non-Catholics. On the fourth day, Oct. 4, the Indonesian Youth Day will be officially inaugurated, with local Catholics as well as others joining the youth representatives from the dioceses for an afternoon of open-air celebration at Manado’s Klabat Stadium. The remaining days will be dedicated to a variety of programmes such as seminars, catechesis, adoration, procession, sharing of testimonies as well as shows by dioceses depicting the rich cultural variety of the far-flung archipelago of Indonesia.
(Robin Gomes, of Vatican Radio)
(from Vatican Radio)…
(Vatican Radio) Archbishop Raphael Minassian hopes that the Papal visit to Azerbaijan and Georgia will promote peace in the region. The small Catholic community in Georgia, which Pope Francis is visiting on Friday and Saturday, is made up of Latin, Chaldean and Armenian rites.
The Armenian presence in Tbilisi and the region on the border with the republic of Armenia dates back to the 4th century. Today the community is under the care of the Ordinary for Armenians in Eastern Europe, Archbishop Raphael Minassian.
Ahead of the Pope’s trip to Georgia, the Archbishop talked to Philippa Hitchen about the relationship of the Armenian community between Azerbaijan and Georgia.
Listen :
Archbishop Raphael Minassian discusses the history of Armenians in Georgia: “The relationship with this country is very old and very constant because Tbilisi was the culture and the city of the Armenians for centuries. It is very normal to see the presence of the Armenians in this country.” He says that the presence in Georgia, “of Armenians is over 200,000 and Armenian Catholics are over 150,000.”
The Archbishop says that the Armenian community in Georgia can act as a bridge for peaceful relations. “In the relationship between the Orthodox and the Catholic Churches, the friendship remains as a base of all kinds of relations.” He also mentions that the Georgian government has been assisting the Catholic Churches, the Chaldean, Latin, and Armenian Catholics, for two years.
Although the Armenian community and the Georgian government are able to maintain a positive relationship, the Archbishop admits that they do experience problems. He says that “Both of them are working strongly for the propaganda of faith and the consolation that we have to encourage and accept it. Even if we are not working together we should work for the same case.” He also says that they are proud to be Christians in this country.
Archbishop Minassian says that Pope Francis has a hard situation on his shoulders: “He is obliged to work with a society where they preach liberty and they are in the situation of domination. They speak about rights and they are the people that strip the rights of human society and at the end if I were to say the word peace, they are the war makers. I am talking about presidents, kings, societies, governments, and all of these, the Holy Father has to pass by and say the reality, defend the rights, defend the liberty, and give peace to everybody. We lost the meaning of these three words and have to rebuild again.”
The Archbishop discusses his thoughts on the Pope’s appeal for peace between Armenia and Azerbaijan: “You know, in a way they used the religion for political issues and the possibility to have peace is very easy. The most important point is between the two nations or the two presidents who have to forget the people because they are the minority of the minorities that are leading the country. I think that if you take out all of the governments all of the people would live in peace.”
Although the governments are taking steps towards peace, the Archbishop hopes that more can be done. “There is work going on for peace, but I hope that also in the visit of his Holiness to Azerbaijan would encourage them also accept the realities because all of us in this world are passengers. No one owns anything in this Earth. So it is not useful to have these wars between people that can live peacefully and very happily.”
(from Vatican Radio)…
(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis departed Rome’s Fiumicino airport just after 9 am on Friday morning for a three day Apostolic visit to Georgia and Azerbaijan.
The Holy Father is due to touch down in the Georgian capital Tbilisi at 3pm local time.
Following a welcoming ceremony at Tbilisi’s international airport the Pope will pay a courtesy visit to the President of Georgia followed by a meeting with authoriites and diplomatics.
Pope Francis’ visit to Georgia and Azerbaijan continues until October 2nd.
(from Vatican Radio)…
(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis received representatives from the various Catholic aid agencies and charitable organizations under the leadership of the Pontifical Council Cor unum working in Iraq, Syria, and other countries in the region affected by the ongoing conflicts in both Syria and Iraq.
The Pontifical Council Cor unum is the Pope’s special instrument for carrying out humanitarian initiatives, promoting integral human development, coordinatinge the initiatives of Catholic Organizations, and encouraging the faithful to give concrete witness to the Gospel through charitable activity.
In remarks prepared for the occasion and delivered to the roughly 100 people – including the UN Secretary-General’s Special Envoy to Syria, Staffan de Mistura – Pope Francis placed the work of Cor unum and partners in the key of mercy.
“The work of all who like you, represent so many workers in the field, who are committed to helping refugees and to safeguarding their dignity,” said Pope Francis, “is certainly a reflection of God’s mercy and, as such, a sign that evil has limits and does not have the last word.”
Click below to hear our report
The Holy Father renewed his condemnation of the ongoing violence, saying, “We must note with great sadness that since our last meeting a year ago, despite extensive efforts made in a variety of areas, the logic of arms and oppression, hidden interests and violence continues to wreak devastation on these countries and that, even now, we have not been able to put an end to the exasperating suffering and repeated violations of human rights.”
Pope Francis went on to discuss the recent attack on a UN humanitarian aid convoy in Syria, saying it is wrapped up in the mystery of iniquity – over which Christ has however won decisive victory.
“Violence begets violence, and we have the impression of being caught up in a spiral of arrogance and inertia from which there is no escape. This evil which grips our will and conscience should challenge us. Why, even at the cost of untold damage to persons, property and the environment, does man continue to pursue abuses of power, revenge and violence? We think of the recent attack on a United Nations humanitarian convoy… This is the experience of the mysterium iniquitatis , that evil which is present in man and in history and which needs to be redeemed. Destruction for destruction’s sake.”
“And so,” Pope Francis continued, “during this Year, in which we fix our gaze more intensely on Christ, on Mercy incarnate who has conquered sin and death, I am reminded of the words of Saint John Paul II: ‘The limit imposed upon evil, of which man is both perpetrator and victim, is ultimately the Divine Mercy.’ It is the only limit.”
“Yes,” said Pope Francis, “the answer to the drama of evil lies in the mystery of Christ.”
(from Vatican Radio)…
(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis received representatives from the various Catholic aid agencies and charitable organizations under the leadership of the Pontifical Council Cor unum working in Iraq, Syria, and other countries in the region affected by the ongoing conflicts in both Syria and Iraq.
The Pontifical Council Cor unum is the Pope’s special instrument for carrying out humanitarian initiatives, promoting integral human development, coordinatinge the initiatives of Catholic Organizations, and encouraging the faithful to give concrete witness to the Gospel through charitable activity.
Below, please find Pope Francis’ prepared remarks, in their official English translation
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Dear Brothers and Sisters,
I thank you for your participation during this moment of common reflection on the Church’s work in the context of the Syrian and Iraqi crisis. I greet all of you, Bishops, priests, religious and lay faithful. In particular, I wish to greet Mr Staffan de Mistura, Special Envoy to Syria of the Secretary-General of the United Nations, whom I thank for his presence. I express my grateful appreciation to Monsignor Dal Toso and the Pontifical Council Cor Unum for the attentive and effective support for what the Church is doing to alleviate the suffering of the millions of victims of these conflicts. In this respect, I would like to stress the importance of renewed cooperation at all levels between the different actors working in this sector.
We must note with great sadness that since our last meeting a year ago, despite extensive efforts made in a variety of areas, the logic of arms and oppression, hidden interests and violence continues to wreak devastation on these countries and that, even now, we have not been able to put an end to the exasperating suffering and repeated violations of human rights. The dramatic consequences of the crisis are already visible well beyond the borders of the region. This is seen in the grave phenomenon of migration.
Violence begets violence, and we have the impression of being caught up in a spiral of arrogance and inertia from which there is no escape. This evil which grips our will and conscience should challenge us. Why, even at the cost of untold damage to persons, property and the environment, does man continue to pursue abuses of power, revenge and violence? We think of the recent attack on a United Nations humanitarian convoy… This is the experience of the mysterium iniquitatis, that evil which is present in man and in history and which needs to be redeemed. Destruction for destruction’s sake. And so, during this Year, in which we fix our gaze more intensely on Christ, on Mercy incarnate who has conquered sin and death, I am reminded of the words of Saint John Paul II: “The limit imposed upon evil, of which man is both perpetrator and victim, is ultimately the Divine Mercy” (Memory and Identity). It is the only limit. Yes, the answer to the drama of evil lies in the mystery of Christ.
Seeing the many suffering faces in Syria, in Iraq and in the neighbouring and distant countries where millions of refugees are forced to seek shelter and protection, the Church beholds the face of her Lord in his Passion.
The work of all who like you, represent so many workers in the field, who are committed to helping refugees and to safeguarding their dignity, is certainly a reflection of God’s mercy and, as such, a sign that evil has limits and does not have the last word. This is a sign of great hope, for which I wish to thank you, and also the many unnamed people – though not nameless to God – who, especially in this Jubilee Year, are praying and interceding in silence for the victims of conflicts, particularly for children and the weak, and who in this way are also supporting your work. In Aleppo, children have to drink polluted water!
Beyond the necessary humanitarian aid, what our brothers and sisters in Syria and Iraq want more than anything else today is peace. And so I will never tire of asking the international community for greater and renewed efforts to achieve peace throughout the Middle East, and of asking not to look the other way.
Putting an end to the conflict is also in the hands of men and women: each of us can and must become a peacemaker, because every situation of violence and injustice is a wound to the body of the whole human family.
This request is my daily prayer to God, to inspire the minds and hearts of all who have political responsibility, that they may be able to renounce their own interests in order to achieve the greater good: peace.
In this regard, our meeting gives me the opportunity to thank and encourage international organizations, in particular the United Nations, for their work of support and mediation among various governments, so that there can be agreement which ends conflict and finally gives priority to the good of defenceless populations. It is a path we must travel together with patience and perseverance, but also with urgency, and the Church will certainly continue to make her contribution.
Finally, my thoughts turn to the Christian communities of the Middle East who suffer the consequences of violence and look to the future with fear. In the midst of so much darkness, these Churches hold high the lamp of faith, hope and charity. As they courageously and without discrimination assist all who suffer and work for a peaceful coexistence, Christians in the Middle East today are a clear sign of God’s mercy. They have the admiration, recognition and support of the universal Church.
I entrust these communities and those who work at the service of victims of this crisis to the intercession of Saint Teresa of Calcutta, exemplar of charity and mercy.
May the Lord bless you and our Blessed Mother keep you.
(from Vatican Radio)…