(Vatican Radio) Catholic Church leaders in Britain are urging people to reflect on the Gospel values at the heart of their vision of society, as they look ahead to the general election scheduled to take place on May 7th.
At a press conference held in London on Tuesday, the head of the bishops conference of England and Wales, Cardinal Vincent Nichols said a letter has been sent to Catholics encouraging them to think deeply about the different election issues and to challenge political candidates who prefer simplistic, ideological slogans.
In the weeks leading up to the ballot, the Bishops’ Conference website will feature a series of short films and articles focused on specific areas such as family and life issues, poverty, education, immigration, religious freedom, overseas aid and climate change.
Philippa Hitchen spoke to Cardinal Nichols to find out more about the bishops’ initiative:
Listen
Cardinal Nichols said the bishops are appealing for a quality debate which springs from a vision of the human person and the way they flourish in society…..
Regarding the issues of immigration, he said “I would love to see a political leadership that doesn’t play to peoples’ fears” but instead raises expectations of how Britain, as a prosperous country, can welcome those in need…..
On the critical question of the economy, Cardinal Nichols said it’s important to see beyond a “pull up your socks and do it yourself” option on the one hand and an “endless pit of hand outs” on the other. He said we need to ask why there are levels of poverty in Britain today where people in employment are going to food banks because they can’t afford to support their families….
The Cardinal noted he has been encouraging discussions with the business community in Britain through an initiative called ‘Blueprint for Better Business’ but he said it’s difficult to get the politicians on board….
The Cardinal believes there’s no such thing as a purely ‘Catholic vote’ in Britain but he stressed people are looking for leaders with a vision of building a better world, at home and abroad.
(from Vatican Radio)…
(Vatican Radio) The head of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church, Major Archbishop Sviatoslav Shevchuk, held a press conference on Monday to share details of the ad limina visits that all Ukrainian bishops have been making to the Vatican this past week.
As well as denouncing the occupation of his country by Russian forces, the Ukrainian leader appealed to all Christians to help with the worsening humanitarian crisis which has been provoked by the conflict, as Philippa Hitchen reports…
Listen:
Ukraine’s Catholic bishops came to tell Pope Francis and other Vatican officials that their country is the victim of Russian military aggression which has caused huge suffering to all sectors of society. While some parts of the media describe the conflict as ‘a civil war’ and even the Pope himself spoke recently of a ‘fratricidal conflict’, Archbishop Shevchuk said these words do not accurately represent the reality that is unfolding in his country today.
“Ukraine is under the direct aggression and invasion of a neighbouring country, we’re a victim of that and we expect the whole Christian world to take our side….”
Up to 6.000 civilians have been killed in the fighting between Russian troops and Ukrainian government forces in the east of the country, with thousands more injured and over a million people displaced by the conflict and dependent on humanitarian aid. The archbishop said every day over 40,000 people receive assistance from churches or Caritas centres which have opened their doors to those most in need.
The Ukrainian Church leader is calling on Vatican diplomats and others in positions of authority to support victims and help bring an end to the crisis. He said he’s invited the Pope to come to his country and do everything in his power to try and stop the fighting:
“Our hope is that his voice, as a powerful moral authority, will help. What that means technically, I don’t know…maybe Holy See or European diplomats can bring some suggestions, but for us it’s so important that the moral authority of the Holy Father will defend those under threat in Ukraine”
Regarding religious relations in the country, Archbishop Shevchuk said the Russian Orthodox Church has become a “powerful weapon” in the Russian propaganda war, making any kind of dialogue with Moscow very difficult indeed:
“Last year was a big effort to establish a dialogue, to be heard by the Moscow Patriarchate, but we got only silence….but we still hope that silence is not the final response, we still do our best to open the dialogue, to convey that we are their friends, we’re not against Russia itself or the Russian Orthodox Church, we just want to be good neighbours…”
The Archbishop praised the efforts of the World Council of Churches which is offering to mediate between the two sides, an initiative which he says may bring a glimmer of hope on a very dark horizon. And he says, at the end of their ad limina visits, the bishops are returning home moved and encouraged by the support that Pope Francis offered to them and to all their suffering people:
“ We were surprised and moved to hear the Pope say ‘I’m shoulder to shoulder with you, I’m at your service’ and we were moved by that paternal reception”
(from Vatican Radio)…
(Vatican Radio) The Jesuit Refugee Service (JRS) has announced the release of Fr Alexis Prem Kumar who was abducted in Afghanistan over eight months ago.
In a statement published Monday, JRS states it is “immensely grateful to the Indian government for its role in achieving his release”.
Fr Prem Kumar was visiting a JRS-supported school near Herat, western Afghanistan, while serving as the service’s Afghanistan director when he was kidnapped by several armed men in June.
He was released on Sunday and has since returned to his home in India.
Jesuit Father Peter Balleis, Director of JRS International, spoke to Fr Prem by telephone immediately after his release. He told Vatican Radio’s Linda Bordoni that he is as well as can be hoped for after such a long time in captivity…
Listen to the interview :
Father Balleis says that expressing his gratitude towards all who have worked hard for his release, Fr Prem revealed that he prayed every day and was confident of a positive outcome to his situation.
Balleis says he himself is not aware whether any conditions were met by the Indian Government to secure the release of the Jesuit priest and says that details may be revealed in the future.
Although the Indian Government is to thank for finalizing Fr Prem’s release, Balleis points out that “we all worked on various levels”.
He says that both JRS International and its ground team in Afghanistan with its community contacts never stopped working. He says that although he and his staff were aware that things were moving, “the actual release came as a surprise”.
Balleis says that after the kidnapping, JRS personnel received news of Fr. Prem only in “late October- early November”.
He says that a video was released proving the priest was still alive and allowing them to have some kind of timeframe: “one thing that we had throughout was the sense and the confidence that he was alive” Balleis says, also because no information was ever received from whatever source that Fr Prem had been killed, “so we worked all the time with the hope that he was alive and kept the momentum going”.
Balleis says JRS held regular meetings with the Indian Embassy, with the Red Cross and with others as well as daily in-house briefings and that “Prem was always in our minds and kept alive by working every day on the latest information and preparing for his release”.
Of course Balleis says the event had an immediate impact on JRS’s work in Afghanistan. He says at first they decided to close the school in Herat that Fr Prem had just visited on the day of his abduction.
However after two months or so, he says it became clear they had to reopen the school as JRS is in the area first and foremost for the children.
“We cannot punish the children for the wrongdoings of some groups who want to interrupt education and have taken our man” he says.
Balleis also says JRS decided to reopen its schools as, for its mission, it also needs to keep the support of the local community because the elders play a big role in the Afghan community, so “we kept all our work going in Afghanistan – in Bamiyan, in Kabul, in Herat, in Sohadat.
He expresses his belief that it is fundamental to keep a positive approach. He says that JRS’s work must continue in difficult situations in a way that is well-structured and it must be conducted also according to professional advice and very importantly: “with a lot of prayer”.
The overall support of people and keeping positive is very important says Balleis “goodness is the only way to overcome negativity”.
“One has to talk in order to find a solution, building trust and moving forward” he says.
He agrees there are many other places in the world today where insecurity poses great problems for humanitarian organizations, but it is something one learns to deal with.
Looking back – Balleis says – more notice should have been taken of a worsening security situation in Herat prior to the kidnapping of Fr Prem: “there are always lessons to be learnt on how to mitigate and reduce risks” he says.
“With some senior advice regarding security we will certainly take steps to reduce risks” for our people on the ground, he says.
(from Vatican Radio)…
On Sunday, 22 February, Pope Francis went
to to Ariccia to participate in spiritual exercises for Lent at the House of the Divin Maestro of the
Pauline Fathers. During the week, the Preacher, Carmelite Fr Bruno Secondin,
will present a pastoral reading of the
Prophet Elijah’s theme of “Servants and Prophets of the Living God”. Aboard one of the two buses which left the
Vatican for Ariccia, the Pope arrived at the Residence at 4:40 pm. He was
welcomed by Archbishop Angelo Becciu,
Substitute of the Secretary of State;
Fr Leonardo Sapienza, Regent of the Prefecture of the Pontifical
Household; Fr Valdir José De Castro, Superior General of the Society of St
Paul, along with the religious community of Ariccia. Then at 6 pm Francis participated in
Eucharistic Adoration and the celebration of Vespers, listening to the
preacher’s introduction in which he reflected on the invitation “leave your own
‘village’”. The next day, 23 February, they focused on Elijah’s “school of
mercy” and following his example of leading a “life on the periphery”, after a
Eucharistic celebration on the theme: “Go East, hide yourself and return to
your roots”. …
(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis has declared Armenian poet and monk, Saint Gregory of Narek, a Doctor of the Universal Church. M eeting with Cardinal Angelo Amato, Prefect of the Congregation for the Cause of Saints on Saturday ahead of his departure for Aricca on Lenten retreat, the Pope confirmed the proposal put forward by the Plenary Session of the Congregation to confer the title of Doctor of the Universal Church on the 10 th century saint.
St. Gregory of Narek is widely revered as one of the greatest figures of medieval Armenian religious thought and literature. Born in the city of Narek in about 950 A.D., St. Gregory came from a line of scholars and churchmen.
St. Gregory received his education under the guidance of his father, Bishop Khosrov, author of the earliest commentary on the Divine Liturgy, and from Anania Vartabed, abbess of Narek Monastery. He and his two brothers entered monastic life at an early age, and St. Gregory soon began to excel in music, astronomy, geometry, mathematics, literature, and theology.
He became a priest at the age of 25 and dedicated himself to God. He lived most of his life in the monastery of Narek, where he taught at the monastic school. St. Gregory began his writings with a commentary on the “Song of Songs,” which was commissioned by an Armenian prince. Despite his reservations that he was too young for the task, the commentary became famous for its clarity of thought and language and its excellence of theological presentation.
He also wrote a number of famous letters, sharagans , treasures, odes, melodies, and discourses. Many of his prayers are included in the Divine Liturgy celebrated each Sunday in Armenian Churches around the world.
St. Gregory’s masterpiece is considered to be his Book of Lamentations . Also known as Narek , it is comprised of 95 prayers, each of which is titled “Conversation with God from the depth of the heart.” A central theme is man’s separation from God, and his quest to reunite with Him. St. Gregory described the work this way: “Its letters like my body, its message like my soul.” He called his book an “encyclopedia of prayer for all nations.” It was his hope that it would serve as a guide to prayer for people all over the world. After the advent of movable type, the book was published in Marseille in 1673, and has been translated into at least 30 languages.
St. Gregory of Narek is remembered by the Armenian Church in October of each year.
(from Vatican Radio)…