A daily news service

February 19

At Requiem Mass, multitude pays homage to exemplary Christian life of German Doig Klinge

Lima, 19 (NE) A great number of faithful, many of them members of numerous Church movements, associations and different religious congregations, expressed their recognition and paid homage last Thursday, February 15, to the life and work of German Doig Klinge, Vicar General of the Sodalitium Christianae Vitae and General Coordinator of the Christian Life Movement. With profound Christian hope and faith in the Plan of God, hundreds of faithful participated at the Requiem Mass and the burial of the beloved Peruvian thinker and layman, exemplar apostle of youth and untiring evangelizer.

On Thursday, since early in the morning, the faithful filled the "Our Lady of Reconciliation" church in Lima, giving witness of the spiritual union and gratitude that joined them to this great apostle of the new evangelization. From Tuesday to Thursday, thousands of people visited the temple where the remains where kept, to pray and to participate from the different Masses that took place every 3 hours.

On Thursday, after Mass, the faithful went to the "Park of Remembrance" graveyard, where the simple wooden coffin, covered by a blue banner with the emblem of the Sodalitium Christianae Vitae, was buried, amidst prayers and religious songs. The coffin lays in the graveyard's section named after Saint Rose of Lima, the first flower of holiness of the American Continent.

Father Jaime Baertl, General Spirituality Assistant of the Sodalitium Christianae Vitae, presided over the Eucharistic celebration. He vividly recalled, with moving words, the exemplary Christian witness and untiring apostolate of German Doig, who during his lifetime lived "a full Christian life, lived at the stature of Christ." Father Baertl encouraged those present to a greater commitment with faith, as well as to "announce the Lord, who we know in first person." Father Baertl noted how grieved we all are before an event such as this, for the death of the "best one among us" took place in a moment of special growth for the Sodalitium and the CLM to which German Doig gave himself with such commitment and abnegation. He also pointed out that to the eyes of men this is a premature calling, but he urged to make an interpretation from the Marian point of view, trying to interpret what happened with the eyes of faith and to discover with the light that comes from Above the lesson that the Lord teaches us, putting before us an exemplar Christian, a model of apostle in the XXI century. Remembering moments of his life, and making a review of some of his Christian virtues, the priest recalled that the emblem of the existence of German Doig Klinge was "My life is Christ."

At the end of Mass, Luis Fernando Figari, Founder and General Superior of the Sodalitium Christianae Vitae, stood beside the coffin, and said some vibrant words -by times deeply emotive- in remembrance of German Doig, exemplar apostle of the new evangelization.

February 14

Apostle of the new evangelization German Doig Klinge called to the Presence of the Father

Lima, 14 (NE) German Doig Klinge, Vicar General of the Sodalitium Christianae Vitae and General Coordinator of the Christian Life Movement was called yesterday to the Presence of the Father, in the city of Lima, Peru. A large multitude of people gathered in the church of Our Lady of Reconciliation in the Peruvian capital to express their recognition to the life and work of the Catholic consecrated lay Peruvian thinker.

Also present at the church of Our Lady of Reconciliation where members of the different associations of the Christian Life Movement and the Sodalite Family, as well as members of other movements, religious congregations and faithful from different parts of the city. Hymns and prayers, as well the prayer of the Rosary, have been constantly taking place throughout the day. Long cues of faithful have passed beside the simple wooden coffin, expressing their spiritual union and their gratitude to this great apostle of the new evangelization.

Several Bishops, members of religious associations and Catholic intellectuals have also expressed their recognition for the intense labor of service to the Church that marked the life of German Doig. Yesterday Bishop Jose Ramon Gurruchaga of Lurin presided a Eucharist celebration, and today several Masses will continue to take place at the church of Our Lady of Reconciliation, among them one presided by Bishop Miguel Irizar of Callao, Secretary general of the Peruvian Bishops' Conference, and by Bishop emeritus Ricardo Durand of Callao. Other Prelates, such as Archbishop emeritus Fernando Vargas of Arequipa have also been present at the temple.

Born in Lima on May 22, 1957, Luis Germán José Doig Klinge studied first in the "Escuela Inmaculado Corazón" and afterwards in the "Colegio Santa María" of this city. He studied philosophy in the Pontifical Faculty of Theology of Lima, and Law in the San Martín de Porres University. He was founder and Director of the Life and Spirituality Institute (Instituto Vida y Espiritualidad). In his country he was collaborator in the Bishops' Committee for the laity, working for the coordination of the different ecclesial movements and encouraging the role of the laity according to the teachings of the II Vatican Council.

He was also author of several books, among them "John Paul II and culture in Latin America", "Human rights and the Church's social teaching", the "Dictionary of Rio, Medellin, Puebla and Santo Domingo", as well as "The challenge of Technology: Beyond Icarus and Daedalus". This book, published last year, has been an important contribution to the reflection about the role of technology in culture and its relation with the human person.

Pope John Paul II invited him to participate at the IV General conference of the Latin American Bishops in Santo Domingo, in 1992. Years later, in April 1996, he was named by the Holy Father member of the Pontifical Council for the Laity. He also participated at the Special Assembly for the Synod of America, held in Rome from November 16 to December 12, 1997. On that occasion, speaking during the 14th General Congregation, Doig said that "the great perspective that is before us to assume the prophetic intuition of the Vicar of Christ and look with realism towards the challenges of evangelization in the third millennium must be an ecclesiology of communion. In it we discover the need for reconciliation. There cannot be true communion if before there is not true reconciliation".

The life of German Doig was marked by his profound commitment of service to the Church, always giving and exemplary witness of a life founded in faith, hope and charity. As a lay consecrated in the Sodalitium Christianae Vitae, his apostolate and work as Vicar general have been decisive in the growth of the evangelizing service of this new ecclesial institution of apostolic life, founded by Luis Fernando Figari. His tireless work as General Coordinator of the Christian Life Movement has been of great value in the development of this ecclesial movement, already extended to several countries in America and Europe.

Throughout his life, Doig collaborated with the reflection and encouragement of the lay movements, working as well intensely to encourage the commitment of the lay in the life of the Church and stressing their need to answer to their universal call to holiness. In one of his books, "John Paul II and ecclesial movements. Gift of the Spirit", Doig highlights the importance of movements in the life of the Church, basing his reflections on the Holy Father's teachings, who has confirmed and encouraged this associations, aroused by the Spirit, to fidelity and maturity in the service of the Church's mission.

German Doig has been an exemplary Christian, apostle and evangelizer. In his life, he has always proclaimed the Gospel of the Reconciler, convinced of the importance to announce the Good News in every occasion. His life and work have marked the path of a coherent Christian in a continuously changing world. One of the most distinguished accents of his life has been his generous love for the Church. He has lived in an exemplary way the motto "Prayer for life and apostolate; life and apostolate made prayer", characteristic of the spirituality of the Sodalitium Christianae Vitae that he professed since his youth. His modesty, his joy and enthusiasm, his creativity and depth of thought, his option for reconciliation as a way to heal the ruptures of the human being, his living of the Christian virtues, are a path that opens towards the new millennium. At the dawn of the 21st Century, God has called him to the Father's House, leaving to all those that new him an example in following the Lord Jesus through the path of filial love to Blessed Mary. His valuable legacy will undoubtedly continue to bear fruits in favor of the new evangelization in the third millennium of faith, particularly in Peru and in the American Continent.

February 12

Pope encourages evangelization in health care

Rome, 12 (NE) In his letter to Archbishop Lozano Barragan, President of the Pontifical Council for Health Pastoral Care, on occasion of the Ninth World Day of the Sick, Pope John Paul II expressed the need to proclaim the Lord in the field of health care. The theme of the event, celebrated in Sydney, Australia, was "The New Evangelization and the Dignity of the Suffering Person

In his letter, made public yesterday, day dedicated to Our Lady of Lourdes, the Pope said that "few areas of human concern are as subject to the profound social and cultural changes affecting contemporary life as health care", stressing that "at the dawn of the new millennium, it is more urgent than ever that the Gospel of Jesus Christ should permeate every aspect of health care".

"Evangelization must be new - new in method and new in ardour - because so much has changed and is changing in the care of the sick", the Pope said. "Not only is health care facing unprecedented economic pressures and legal complexities, but at times there is also an ethical uncertainty which tends to obscure what have always been its clear moral foundations."

"This uncertainty", the Pontiff underlined, "can become a fatal confusion, manifested as a failure to understand that the essential purpose of health care is to promote and safeguard the well-being of those who need it, that medical research and practice must always be tied to ethical imperatives, that the weak and those who may seem unproductive to the eyes of a consumer society have an inviolable dignity that must always be respected, and that health care should be available as a basic right to all people without exception".

Vatican Radio celebrates 70th anniversary

Rome, 12 (NE) Vatican Radio will celebrate today the 70th anniversary of its foundation. On this occasion, the more than 400 persons -including 200 journalists from 58 different countries, most of them lay- will be received tomorrow in a special audience by Pope John Paul II.

Currently, Vatican Radio transmits in 40 different languages, and its main news program produces daily five regular editions in Italian and three in English, French, Spanish and Portuguese. These emissions are received and retransmitted by Catholic radio stations all over the world, and can also be accessed through the Internet.

Vatican Radio was inaugurated on February 12, 1931 by Pope Pius XI, with his first radio broadcast to the world. That same Pontiff had asked Guglielmo Marconi to set up the radio, which in 1939 started its regular broadcasts. Towards the year 1954, Vatican Radio emitted programs in 29 different languages, and three years later it began its "Radiogiornale", a news program transmitted in seven languages.

Pope Pius XII arranged for the expansion and improvement of the radio. During the II Vatican Council, Vatican Radio fulfilled an important role informing about the Council, broadcasting more than 3000 hours of information in 30 different languages.

Denver Archbishop stresses value of true freedom in business

Denver, 9 (NE) "Real freedom is rooted in self-mastery, self-discipline, and talents that are turned outward for others. We need to give to receive", stressed recently Archbishop Charles Chaput of Denver, during a meeting with Denver business leaders. "Where does God belong in the marketplace? He belongs in the hearts and the actions of the people who make the market succeed… Each of us becomes 'powerful' by becoming free, and we become free by mastering ourselves and living for others," he said.

During the meeting, the Archbishop highlighted as well the importance of considering first the individual and respect the human being in economic issues. "Power, including economic power, can become a kind of addiction. The language of appetite begins to subvert the language of ideals", Archbishop Chaput stressed.

"There's a wonderful dignity in financial success rightly earned. But we never lose responsibility for those around us", he said. "When we do lose sight of that responsibility -when we reduce others to statistics or stereotypes or impersonal social problems- the bonds that hold a nation together begin to unravel."

Stressing the importance of freedom, Archbishop Chaput recalled that "if we associate the idea of freedom with cars or cell phones or computers, as we relentlessly do in our advertising, pretty soon we lose the real vocabulary of freedom". "More importantly, we can't be free until we live, in some sense, for others", he further emphasized.

Sri Lanka: historic Marian pilgrimage for peace and reconciliation

Rome, 9 (NE) The Catholic Church in Sri Lanka will begin in the following days an historic Marian pilgrimage which will cross the country for peace and reconciliation. The image of Our Lady of Madhu, from the national shrine in Madhu, about 220 kilometers north of Colombo, will travel from the northern war zone to the south for the first time in its 450-year history.

"This is not just a program of prayer, it is also education for peace," announced Bishop Malcolm Ranjith of Ratnapura, secretary general of the Catholic Bishops' Conference in Sri Lanka. The prayer campaign, to be organized by the Catholic National Commission for Justice, Peace and Human Development, will include a national prayer rally at the Basilica of Our Lady of Lanka, Tewatte, in Colombo archdiocese.

As it was informed, each area will hold a triduum in preparation for the arrival of the image of Our Lady of Madhu, and all collections during the image's pilgrimage will be channeled to refugees of the war between Tamil rebels and the Sinhalese-led government army in the northern and eastern provinces of Sri Lanka. The Bishops will also issue a pastoral letter explaining the meaning and objectives of the program, according to Bishop Ranjith.

«Church News» authorizes the complete or partial reproduction of the information offered to our readers in this page, quoting the source (NE). Publication of the information in this page does not imply any compromise.

All rights reserved (©) Noticias Eclesiales