Pope Francis addressed the participants of a meeting convened by the Pontifical Council “Cor Unum” and the Pontifical Council for Latin America to mark the fifth anniversary of the earthquake that struck Haiti. Among those present were representatives of the Holy See, bishops and Episcopal conferences, as well as charitable and religious organizations.
The two day conference, entitled “The Communion of the Church: Memory and Hope for Haiti, 5 Years After the Earthquake” sought to place a spotlight on continuing reconstruction efforts on the island.
Listen to Junno Arocho’s report:
In his address, Pope Francis thanked the bishops of Haiti as well as the representatives of the charitable institutions who continue to aid the people of the island-nation.
“Through the help given to our brothers and sisters in Haiti, we have shown that the Church is a great body, one in which the various members care for one another. It is in this communion, prompted by the Holy Spirit, that our charitable service finds its deepest motivation.”
Turning his attention towards rebuilding efforts, the Pope explained that all that needs to be done “rests on three solid pillars: the human person, ecclesial communion, and the local Church.”
The person, he said, is at the centre of the Church’s activities, thus ensuring that material needs are met in order to help Haitians to “further their own spiritual and religious lives.”
“In this phase of reconstruction, humanitarian and pastoral activities are not in competition with one another, but rather are complementary,: each needs the other, and together they help Haitians to be mature persons and Christians capable of devoting themselves to the good of their brothers and sisters.”
Regarding the second pillar of ecclesial communion, the Holy Father reflected on the various dioceses, religious institutions and charitable organizations who continue to work in the country. However, he stressed that charity is more authentic and incisive when lived in communion.
“Charity is the inner life of the Church and is manifested in ecclesial communion. Communion between bishops and with bishops, who are the first ones responsible for the service of charity.”
Finally, Pope Francis highlighted the importance of the local Church, encouraging the bishops, priests and religious of Haiti to become witnesses of evangelical charity through prayer, listening to the word of God and receiving the Sacraments.
“The Church in Haiti must become always more alive and fruitful, to witness to Christ and to make its contribution to the development of the nation.”
Concluding his address, the Pope expressed his gratitude to those present and urged them to continue along the path of healing and rebuilding Haiti.
(from Vatican Radio)…
The material and spiritual reconstruction of Haiti — devastated five years ago by an
earthquake — must rely on “three solid
pillars: the human person, ecclesial communion, and the local Church”. Pope
Francis recalled this on Saturday morning, 10 January, during an audience to
participants in a meeting organized in Rome by by the Pontifical Council Cor
Unum and the Pontifical Commission for Latin America on the anniversary of the
natural disaster. “Much has been done toward rebuilding the country in these
five years” the Pontiff said, while acknowledging that “much remains to be
done”. His wish is that “the Church in Haiti must become always more alive and
fruitful, to witness to Christ and to make its contribution to the development
of the nation”….
(Vatican Radio) The Archbishop of Paris, Cardinal André Vingt-Trois, has issued a message to the Catholic community of the city, in the wake of deadly terror attacks on the satirical journal, Charlie Hebdo , earlier in the week.
Gunmen with suspected ties to Islamic terrorism stormed the offices of the weekly on Wednesday morning, killing a dozen people, including a Muslim police officer, and crying vengeance for the insult to Islam done by the journal, which had published cartoons of Islamic figures.
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In a letter dated Saturday, January 10 th and appearing in the online pages of the Catholic daily La Croix , Cardinal Vingt-Trois says that the incident is, “a call to rediscover the fundamental values of [the French] republic,” including freedom of religion and freedom of conscience. “A cartoon, however distasteful, cannot be put on the same level as murder,” he writes. “Freedom of the press, whatever the cost,” continues the letter, “is the sign of a mature society.”
Cardinal Vingt-Trois is among a growing chorus of religious and civil leaders, who have condemned the attacks and recalled that, unless freedom of speech protects even that speech, which is offensive and outrageous, then it is meaningless – among them US President Barack Obama, who offered expressions of solidarity with France, his country’s oldest ally. “We grieve with you, we fight alongside you to uphold our values, the values that we share, the universal values that bind us together as friends and as allies,” he said.
The leaders of Germany, Britain, France and Italy announced plans to participate in a vigil in Paris on Sunday called to celebrate French unity in the wake of the violence.
Tensions have been mounting in France in recent times, with as many as 1 thousand 2 hundred of its citizens having left their homes to join Islamic forces fighting in Syria and in Iraq, even as France has emerged as a leader in the effort to counter the rise of Islamic militancy, sending troops to Africa and joining the United States in air combat missions targeting the Islamic State in Iraq.
(from Vatican Radio)…
(Vatican Radio) The Archbishop of Paris, Cardinal André Vingt-Trois, has issued a message to the Catholic community of the city, in the wake of deadly terror attacks on the satirical journal, Charlie Hebdo, earlier in the week. Gunmen with suspected ties to Islamic terrorism stormed the offices of the weekly on Wednesday morning, killing a…
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If there is any place where the role of a bridge is most apt, it is in Sri Lanka, and it is the Church in the country. Vatican Secretary of State, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, made the observation in an interview to Vatican newspaper, L’Osservatore Romano, Vatican Radio and Vatican television CTV, ahead of the visit of Pope Francis to Sri Lanka and the Philippines next week. After visiting the island nation, Jan. 13-15, the Holy Father will fly to the Philippines from where he will return to the Vatican, Jan. 19. The Sinhalese who are mostly Budddhist, make up over 74% of Sri Lanka’s over 21 million population; whereas the Tamils, who are largely Hindu, form some 13%. Catholics are a little over 1.5 million. Sri Lanka was wracked by a 26-year civil war between Tamil rebels and the predominantly Sinhalese government which ended in May 2009 with the defeat of the Tamils. Cardinal Parolin explained that the Catholic Church with members on both sides of the nation’s ethnic divide has the duty of bringing about national dialogue, reconciliation and collaboration. He observed that the island nation has a tradition of inter-religious harmony, but regretted that some extremist groups manipulate public opinion and create tension. He hoped that the nation’s authorities will be able to maintain the tradition of religious coexistence. He hoped the visit of Pope Francis will help the nation to look forward rather than reopen old wounds.
(from Vatican Radio)…