Holy Father: Catechesis on the "Miserere"

Rome, 31 (NE) Is already the fourth time that the Holy Father centers his Wednesday catechesis on the reflection about the Psalm 50. "In fact, - affirmed John Paul II about this psalm- proposed to us every Friday so that it may become an oasis of meditation where we can discover the evil that nests within our conscience and ask the Lord for purification and pardon. ..." The song of David shows "with all the seriousness and gravity the limit and the fragility of the human creature, his perverse capacity to sow evil and the violence, the impurity and the lie".

But the psalm itself is not exclusively focused on the negative aspect. As the Holy Father continues explaining "However, the message of hope of the 'Miserere' that the psalmist puts on the lips of David, a converted sinner, is this: God can 'erase, clean, purify'
any failing confessed with a contrite heart (See Psalm 50:2-3)". And it is in this aspect of the psalm, collected in a special way in its conclusion, that the Pope centers his meditation. He refers to end of the psalm as "an end full of hope because the sinner is conscious of having been forgiven (cfr vv. 17-21)". He recalls in that sense that "the most pleasing sacrifice that can be elevated to the Lord as perfume and smooth fragrance (Cf. Genesis 8:21) is not the holocaust of bulls or lambs, but the 'broken and humiliated heart' (Psalm 50:19)".

John Paul II remarks on the conclusion of the psalm, "that it seems even contradictory", because "from the last petition of a single sinner, it goes to a prayer for the
reconstruction of the whole city of Jerusalem, what transports us to the epoch of David to that of the destruction of the city, centuries later".. He explains that "In the final part, there is a "later addition" to "correct or at least to complete the outlook of the Psalm of David". "On the one hand, the psalmist did not want it to be one individual prayer; it was necessary to also think about the plight of the whole city. On the other hand, the psalmist wanted to put the divine rejection of sacrificial rituals into perspective; this rejection however could not be complete nor definitive for it has been prescribed by God Himself in the Torah".
That is why "Sinners are not capable of purifying themselves alone; good intentions
are not sufficient. Effective external meditation is necessary", whose full meaning is revealed is Christ.

Spanish Episcopal conference responds to law that permits experimentation with embryos

Madrid, 30 (NE) The Executive Committee of the Spanish Episcopal Conference has published a note in answer to the reform of the law in force in Spain concerning the attended techniques of reproduction, communicated the past July 25th and that according to its title is considered "a reform for better, but very insufficient". The CEE (as it is known in Spanish) has denounced in several occasions the Law of Reproduction of 1988 as "seriously unjust", as a legislature that "violates the right of children to be engendered in the fertile act of interpersonal donation of their parents and treats them as if they were objects of production, injuring thus their dignity of persons". "Under their care -continues the text of the note- thousands of embryos called 'surpluses', who are frozen and condemned to an uncertain destiny, are produced; eugenic and abortive practices have been carried out ". By that motive, the note affirms that such law "is asking for a reform in depth… Unfortunately, the reform that Government thinks about realizing is unsatisfactory, because does not respond to such principle".

The communiqué recognizes that "the projected reform would limit the damages that are being caused for obeying the 1988 law and, in this sense, although very insufficient, such reform does not result rejecting by itself", and mentions some advances concerning the previous matter: "the limitation of the number of fertilizations and transfers in each cycle; the prohibition of the embryonic reduction; the assumption of responsibility on the part of the progenitors over their frozen embryos and the express exclusion of the utilization of these embryos in any different purpose that of reproduction".

Another serious problem discussed in the note is the destiny of the present frozen embryos, which the statistics affirm to be between 35.000 and 200.000. The document reiterates that "the human embryo deserves the respect owned to the human person. It is not a thing nor a mere living aggregate of cells, but the first stadium of human being's existence. All of us have also been embryos. Therefore, it is not lawful to remove their lives neither to doing them anything that will not result in their own benefit". It also criticizes the use of the term "pre-embryos" for the embryos with less than 14 days, this term, it says, is a "linguistic fiction that "hides the fact of the fundamental continuity that is given in the diverse phases of the new human body development". On the base of these principles, the document affirms the "moral unlawfulness of possible investigations carried out on human embryos that could cause them damage or their death". About the frozen embryos, making a strong remark on that the best option would have been that such accumulation had never been realized, it affirms that "to proceed the defrosting is putting an end to such abuse and permitting that the nature continue its course, that is to say, that death be produced. Letting die in peace is not the same as killing", clarifying also that "the suspension of the congealing should not be done in a way it becomes the direct cause of embryos death, neither can go accompanied by any other causing action of death".

About the embryos who have died after being defrosted under the mentioned circumstances, the note says that "they can be considered as 'donors' of their cells, that could later be employed on the investigation on the framework of a strict control, similar to what is established for the utilization of organs or weaves proceeding from persons who have passed away and have donated them with this purpose".

Holy See announces new document

Rome, 29 (NE) The Press Room of the Holy See has recently announced the publication of a new document by the Congregation for the Doctrine of Faith, presided by the Cardinal Ratzinger. The document, that will be divulged on Thursday, July 31, is titled "Considerations Regarding Proposals to Give Legal Recognition to Unions between Homosexual Persons" and comes in answer to the present debates in diverse countries regarding the place that should be given in laws to the homosexual unions.

It is not the first time the Holy See speaks about the homosexual persons. Congregation for the Doctrine of Faith did it previously in some occasions, as for example in the "Letter on the pastoral care of homosexual persons" in 1986 or previously in 1975, in a "Declaration on certain questions concerning sexual ethics". The Pope John Paul II speaks about it in his encyclical Veritatis Splendor (cf. n. 47), and in one of his Angelus, affirms that the Catechism of Catholic Church "after declaring that the homosexual acts are opponents to the natural law, continues thus: The number of men and women who have deep-seated homosexual tendencies is not negligible. This inclination, which is objectively disordered, constitutes for most of them a trial. They must be accepted with respect, compassion and sensitivity. Every sign of unjust discrimination in their regard should be avoided. These persons are called to fulfil God's will in their lives and, if they are Christians, to unite to the sacrifice of the Lord's Cross the difficulties they may encounter from their condition".

Holy Father stands out mission "ad intra Ecclesiam"

Rome, 28 (NE) Before praying this Sunday the Angelus with the faithful and pilgrims in the internal patio of his residence in Castelgandolfo, the Holy Father pronounced a small speech in which he affirmed that "it is necessary that all believers know how to rediscover the enthusiasm of proclaiming and bearing witness to the Gospel".

Although "some regions and realms are waiting to receive the Gospel announcement for the first time", as affirmed the Pope, in his message he insists especially in the mission toward inside the Church, it means, in all those places where being already present the Gospel, "it is necessary that it be renewed". "Often -continues the Holy Father- knowledge of Christianity is taken for granted, while in reality the Bible is read or studied very little, catechism is not always studied in depth, and the Sacraments are not frequented. In this way, authentic faith is substituted by a vague and negligent religious sentiment that can turn into agnosticism or practical atheism".

Referring to his exhortation Ecclesia in Europe, John Paul II indicated that "Europe today," he continued, "requires the presence of Catholics with mature faith and Christian missionary communities that give testimony to God's love to all human beings". He affirmed also that "this renewed announcement of Christ must be accompanied by deep unity and communion within the Church".

"The Gospel is the light that illuminates the vast sphere of
social life: family, culture, schools and universities, young people, the media, business and politics. ... Christ goes to encounter man wherever he lives and works and gives meaning to his existence", said the Holy Father.

He concluded, finally, with a citation from Ecclesia in Europe: "Church in Europe, ¡enter the new millennium with the book of the Gospels!", urging all ecclesial communities "to embrace
the Gospel with joy" so that it becomes "a credible sign of the message of salvation."

After the Angelus, the Holy Father prayed for the situation in Liberia. "Today's encounter-he said- is also a favorable occasion to declare our solidarity to the brothers and sisters in Africa, where along with the progresses and positive initiatives of peace, deadly spots of violence last. I refer in a particular way to the tragic news arrived from Liberia. Before the tests that those dear populations have to bear, we can only ask to those who have a weapon in their hands that they depose it, to give space once again to dialogue and to the arranged action of the international community".

Archbishop Chaput recalls 10 years of the world youth day in Denver

Denver, 28 (NE) 10 years ago by these epochs Denver was prepared to receive the Holy Father John Paul II for the World Day of the Youth. As recalled Archbishop Charles Chaput, despite that many thought that was going to be a failure doubting that would be able to go more than 60.000 persons, the event surpassed in a great deal the most generous expectations, to such extent that in the Mass of closure they participated near 700.000 persons. "Thousands of people came to the Church for the first time. Thousands more recovered their faith or found a new spirit and energy in their Catholic identity", affirmed the archbishop.

"World Youth Day 1993 was a moment of grace for everyone involved, and the seed planted still bears fruit a decade later" he afirmed, mentioning as exemple the growth of parishes, youth programs and Hispanic ministry, the growth of vigorous new Catholic communities and renewal movements. Before this reality, he emphasized that "Our job this August is not just remembering the beauty and the power of the events of a decade ago, but even more importantly passing them on to a new generation of young Catholics who will carry the Church and Jesus Christ forward into the world.

He concludes announcing that on August 15th, solemnity of the Assumption, he will unite together with Monsignor Gómez, Auxiliar Bishop of Denver, and Cardinal Francis Stafford to celebrate a Mass in honor of the World Youth Day and also to bless the new doors of the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception that will commemorate permanently the pilgrims of 1993 and the Holy Father.

Catholic nuns maintain hospital in China

Rome, 28 (NE) Recently UCANews, a catholic agency of Asian news, published an interview with Sr. Yue Xinyan, director of the Catholic Hospital of Xinli, in the Diocese of Luliang. Xinli is a small village, predominantly catholic, situated to an hour of the capital of the Fenyang province and 480 km southwest from Beijing. The small Hospital counts on 22 beds and offers medical from consultations to smaller surgeries, and counts on a personnel of 30 professionals of health, among which 15 are religious. According to the Sr. Yue, who has studied medicine before joining the convent in 1991, two big difficulties are the lack of resources and the shortage of qualified medical staff. She affirms, nevertheless, that the catholic medical center " has attracted more patients than government hospitals in the area because of its low fees". "The charges for surgery are in a great deal cheaper than in the other hospitals", she explained. Therefore, she considers that the hospital has become "a window for evangelization", permitting also to many non-catholic to get in contact with the religious. The sisters expect in a short time to count on a priest who will be able to attend the patients in the hospital and celebrate the Mass daily.

Pope stresses importance of Christian roots for Europe

Rome, 21 (NE) On Sunday morning, in the courtyard of the summer papal residence, the Holy Father recited the Angelus with the pilgrims who had come to Castelgandolfo, and also reflected on the future European constitution and Europe's strong bonds with Christianity. In his address to pilgrims, the Pope noted that recent months had been dedicated to editing the new constitution, "whose definitive version will be approved by an intergovernmental conference starting next October. Even the Church feels the duty to offer her contribution to this important task which involves all components of European society."

Recalling the Post-synodal Apostolic Exhortation 'Ecclesia in Europa', the Pope said that "'Europe has been broadly and deeply penetrated by Christianity'. This constitutes, in the continent's complex history, a central and qualifying element that has become consolidated on the basis of the classic legacy and the diverse contributions offered by the cultural-ethnic flow that has taken place over the centuries."

"We could say that the Christian faith has formed the culture of Europe, becoming one with its history and, notwithstanding the painful division between East and West, Christianity has become 'the religion of the Europeans themselves'. Its influence has remained notable, even in the modern and contemporary era, despite the strong and widespread phenomenon of secularization."

In concluding remarks, the Holy Father said: "The Church knows that her interest for Europe comes from her very mission. As the deposit of the Gospel, she has promoted those values which have made the European culture universally appreciated. This patrimony cannot vanish. Rather, the new Europe must be helped 'to build itself in revitalizing the Christian roots that gave origin to it."

Pope recalls pontificate of H.H. Leo XIII

Rome, 21 (NE) Following the recitation of the Angelus with the faithful who had gathered in the courtyard of the Apostolic palace at Castelgandolfo last Sunday, the Pope recalled the death, 100 years ago today, of his predecessor, Leo XIII. Pope Leo XIII reigned for 25 years and five months, making his the third longest pontificate in history. Pope John Paul's is the fourth longest.

The Holy Father noted that Leo XIII, "remembered above all as the Pope of 'Rerum novarum', the encyclical that marked the start of the modern social doctrine of the Church, developed a broad magisterium; in particular he relaunched Thomistic studies and promoted the growth of the spiritual life of the Christian people. In this year of the Rosary, we cannot forget that Leo XIII dedicated 10 encyclicals to the Rosary. Today we fervently thank the Lord for this great Pontiff."

The Church is holy and the mother of all peoples

Rome, 18 (NE) During this Wednesday's general audience celebrated in the courtyard of the Apostolic Palace at Castelgandolfo, the Pope spoke about the Canticle of the last chapter of the Book of Isaiah, "In the city of God, consolation and joy."

The Holy Father said that this hymn of Isaiah which speaks about joy begins in this way: "'Rejoice and be glad, sparkle with joy'. ... It is dominated by the maternal figure of Jerusalem and the attentive love of God Himself" who rejoices in the happiness of His people.

"The origin and reason for this interior joy lie in the rediscovered vitality of Jerusalem" after "the dark period of Babylonian exile. ... Jerusalem becomes once again a mother-city that embraces, feeds and delights her children, that is, her inhabitants."

"Jerusalem's prosperity, its 'peace' (shalom), a generous gift from God, will assure her children a life full of maternal tenderness: 'You will be carried in her arms, caressed on her knee' and this maternal tenderness will be the tenderness of God Himself: 'As a mother consoles a son, so too will I console you'. In this way, the Lord uses a maternal metaphor to describe His love for His creatures."

Pope John Paul II affirmed that "before the mother-city it is easy to extend our gaze to the profile of the Church, virgin and fecund mother." The Church, he concluded, "is virgin because of the sanctity that she receives in the sacraments and she is the mother of all peoples."

"Cor unum" gives report on Papal charity in 2002

Rome, 18 (NE) Made public this week was a report from the Pontifical Council 003 VA "Cor Unum" on the Pope's charitable activity throughout the world in 2002, including contributions to countries affected by natural disasters and war, as well as human advancement in developing countries. The council is the principal curia office for administering papal charity.

The report opens with reference to trips made by council president, Archbishop Paul Josef Cordes, including one to Uganda from October 25 to 30, 2002 during which he distributed 500,000 euros donated by the Holy Father for projects sponsored by local Catholic NGOs (Non-governmental Organizations) and by the Missionaries of Charity of Mother Teresa of Calcutta. During his stay in the Holy Land November 4-10 he presented $400,000 to the Latin patriarch of Jerusalem, the Franciscan Fathers, Caritas and several other Catholic communities. Finally, on his visit to the Ukraine on December 2 and 3, he participated in a seminar on pastoral charity with bishops of the Greek-Catholic and Latin rite.

The dicastery that administers papal charity assigned $1,917,700 for aid to populations affected by disasters, terrorism and war. Assistance to the Holy Land and to victims of terrorism and war came from funds raised on the World Day of Prayer and Fasting on December 14, 2001. In addition, Cor Unum's president delivered $150,000 to help populations affected by war.

The Pope was able to give $1,905,606 and 25,331 euros - fruit of the generosity of many faithful - to 48 countries for projects involving health care, education, professional formation and agriculture as well as those for the home, and for aid to youths, the elderly and women.

The report concludes by indicating that the Board of Directors of the Populorum Progressio Foundation, established by the Pope in 1992 to foster the integral human advancement of indigenous, mixed race and Afro-American rural peoples in Latin America and the Caribbean, examined 300 projects and decided to fund 223 for a total of $1,895,300.

Archbishop Foley celebrates Our Lady of Mt. Carmel in New York

Rome, 18 (NE) Last July 16, liturgical memory of Our Lady of Mt. Carmel, Archbishop John Foley concelebrated Mass at the shrine of the same name in Brooklyn, New York. The president of the Pontifical Council for Social Communications noted that "the origins of this celebration go at least to the establishment of the Carmelite Order on Mt. Carmel in the Holy Land in the 12th century."

His homily focussed on prayer and on Mary, the Mother of God to whom we pray, asking her intercession "to reach Christ in this life through faith and at the end of our lives in the Beatific Vision, when we shall see Him as He is." We ask Mary to protect us from physical and spiritual harm, and from "the danger of temptation and the evil of sin."

He suggested we petition Mary to help us "imitate her - in her openness to the will of God in all things; in her example of prayer; in her kindness and thoughtfulness to Elizabeth, her cousin; in her complete dedication to Jesus, her Son; in her presence with her Son in His moments of greatest suffering, when almost all others had abandoned him."

Archbishop Foley stressed that what we should truly be seeking in prayer is to do God's will. "Nothing else - pleasure, wealth, power or fame - is worth seeking or having if it does not help us to do God's will, if it does not help us on our road to heaven."

Pope calls to join solidarity and Evangelization

Rome, 8 (NE) In a message to Fouad El-Hage, president of Caritas Internationalis, Pope John Paul II stressed the importance of uniting solidarity and the announcement of the Gospel. The Pope's message was given on occasion of the 17th General Assembly of Caritas, which begun yesterday at the Pontifical Urban University in Rome on the theme "Globalizing Solidarity." The assembly ends July 12. Caritas International meets every four years to discuss global issues and set future goals.

In the Message, written in French and dated July 4, the Pope expresses his "appreciation" to Caritas "for having carried out, in an active and competent way, the precept of charity and for your generous work throughout the world, most notably in serving the least protected." He says this is a great challenge in today's world, marked by interdependence among people and nations "but also threatened by break-ups, separations and violent opposition, such as we have seen with a resurgence of terrorism."

The Holy Father notes that "globalization has become the obligatory horizon of all politics. ... For solidarity to become global, one must effectively take into account all peoples of all regions of the world. This calls for great efforts, and above all of firm international guarantees vis-a-vis humanitarian organizations, often put to one side, despite themselves, wherever there are conflicts because they cannot be guaranteed security nor be assured of the right to assist persons."

Holy See: Decrees promulgated for causes of canonization and beatification

Rome, 8 (NE) Several decrees concerning causes of canonization and beatification where promulgated yesterday, during an act held in the Clementine Hall. Decrees relative to 10 Blesseds and Servants of God were promulgated in the presence of the Holy Father, members of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints and the postulators of the respective causes. Cardinal Jose Saraiva Martins, prefect of the Congregation, read a speech detailing the lives of the Blesseds and Servants of God.

The decrees promulgated the approval of miracles for the causes of Blessed Luigi Orione, Italian, priest and founder of the Small Work of Divine Providence and of the Congregation of the Missionary Sisters of Charity (1872-1940); Venerable Servant of God Jean Marie Cassant, French, priest and monk of the Order of Cistercians of Strict Observance (Trappists) (1878-1903); Venerable Servant of God Laura of St. Catherine of Siena, nee Laura Montoya y Upegui, Colombian, foundress of the Congregation of Missionary Sisters of Immaculate Mary and of St. Catherine of Siena (1874-1944); Venerable Servant of God Anna Caterina Emmerick, German, professed nun of the Order of Regular Nuns of St. Augustine (1774-1824); and Venerable Servant of God Alberto Marvelli, Italian, lay person, (1918-1946).

Also promulgated where the decrees concerning the martyrdoms of the Servant of God Basil Hopko, Slovakian, auxiliary bishop of Presov, Slovakia (1904-1976); and the Servant of God Zdenka, nee Cecilia Schelingova, Slovakian, of the Congregation of the Sisters of Charity of the Holy Cross (1916-1955).

Finally, decrees concerning the heroic virtues of Servant of God Pierre Vigne, French, priest of the diocese of Viviers, France, founder of the Congregation of the Sisters of the Most Holy Sacrament (1670-1740); Servant of God Maria Maddalena Della Passione, nee Costanza Starace, Italian, foundress of the Congregation of the Compassionist Sisters, Servants of Mary (1845-1921); and Servant of God Eurosia Fabris, Italian, mother of a family, of the Third Order of St. Francis (1866-1932).

Holy Father invites faithful to value chastity and purity of heart

Rome, 8 (NE) Pope John Paul II called faithful this Sunday to value chastity and purity of heart. Before praying the Angelus, the Pope reminded the faithful gathered in St. Peter's Square the centenary celebration of the death of St. Maria Goretti, who is buried in Neptuno, in the diocese of Albano, Italy.

"What does this fragile but Christianly mature girl say to today's young people with her heroic death?" asked the Holy Father. "Marietta, as her family called her, reminds young people of the third millennium that true happiness requires courage and a spirit of sacrifice, a rejection of any compromise to evil and a disposition to personally pay for fidelity to God and to His commandments, even with death."

The Pope underlined that this message "is very current," adding: "Today pleasure, selfishness and even immorality are often exalted in the name of the false ideals of freedom and happiness. It is necessary to reaffirm with clarity that we must defend purity of the heart and body because chastity 'guards' authentic love. ... Pureness of heart, like all virtues, requires daily training of the will and constant interior discipline. It requires above all assiduous recourse to God in prayer."

The Holy Father concluded by asking the Virgin Mary "to help everyone, especially adolescents and young people, to discover once again the value and importance of chastity in order to build up a civilization of love, as you sustained Maria Goretti in her trial."

We are not abandoned to ourselves, stresses Pope during weekly catechesis

Rome, 3 (NE) During yesterday's general audience in the Paul VI Hall, the Holy Father spoke about Psalm 145, "Blessed are they who hope in the Lord," in which "God's sovereignty over human history" is proclaimed. "We are not abandoned to ourselves," said the Pope, "daily events are not dominated by chaos and chance, they do not represent a mere succession of acts without any sense or purpose. From this conviction, a true and genuine profession of faith in God is developed."

"God is the creator of the heaven and earth," said the Pope, "He is the faithful guardian of the pact that unites Him to His people. ... The Lord is not a distant sovereign of creatures but is involved in their history, like the one who supports justice, and remains alongside the needy, those who are victims, the oppressed and those who are unhappy."

"Man finds himself, therefore, before a radical choice between two contrasting possibilities: on the one hand there is the temptation to 'trust the powerful', adopting their criteria inspired by evil, selfishness and pride." The other possibility that exists, he said, is "the way of faith in God, eternal and faithful."

Pope John Paul II emphasized that "it is necessary to live according to the divine will, to offer bread to the hungry, visit those in prison, take care of and comfort the sick, defend and welcome foreigners, dedicate oneself to the poor and miserable. It is, in essence, the same spirit of the Beatitudes; that is, to dedicate oneself to that proposal of love that saves us, starting with this life, and that will be the object of our examination at the final judgement which will seal history."

Holy See calls international community to solidarity and justice

Rome, 3 (NE) This week in Geneva, Archbishop Celestino Migliore, permanent observer of the Holy See to the United Nations, addressed the United Nations Economic and Social Council on "Promoting an Integrated Approach to Rural Development in Developing Countries for Poverty Eradication and Sustainable Development."

The archbishop said the meeting was "a momentous occasion for the international community to discuss and address the eradication of poverty and its correlation with sustainable development in rural areas." He highlighted the need for "the establishment of a strong development alliance" which would "recognize that those blessed with economic resources and the power to use them are called in solidarity to address the plight of those who are amongst the most vulnerable." He also stressed that "justice must prevail in the economic world."

The nuncio issued an appeal by the Holy See "for an integrated strategy that would implement a series of generous economic and trade concessions without asking reciprocity, at least in the short term."

"The world of today is holding on to a fragile peace," said the nuncio. "Too many people are without hope, are confronted with broken promises, and lose their trust in the effectiveness of regional and international summits. It is the search for a healing of the despair of the poor that must fuel the continuing work of the world community. We cannot allow our work to end here."

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