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INTERVIEW: Head of Ethiopian Catholic Church: Human Rights Crises Merit More Attention at Synod

October 24, 2015 breaking Comments Off on INTERVIEW: Head of Ethiopian Catholic Church: Human Rights Crises Merit More Attention at Synod

Cardinal Souraphiel Suggests Migration of Christian Families Who Are Putting Lives on Line Is an Issue Warranting More Focus Than Same-Sex Unions Vatican City, October 23, 2015 (ZENIT.org) Deborah Castellano Lubov As the synod of bishops draws to a close Sunday, Ethiopian Cardinal Berhaneyesus Demerew Souraphiel says that issues such as same-sex unions are not the main challenge for his nation’s families, but rather the separation of families who are migrating and risking death. In an exclusive interview with ZENIT, the head of the Ethiopian Catholic Church, who was made Cardinal by Pope Francis in last February’s consistory, explained that despite the challenges Africa’s people are facing, the Church of the continent is offering a great deal to the synod…Continue Reading

Synod of bishops fine-tuning final document on family life

October 23, 2015 breaking Comments Off on Synod of bishops fine-tuning final document on family life

(Vatican Radio) With just two days to go until the end of the Synod of Bishops on the Family, participants on Friday gave their reactions to a draft of the final document which is now being fine-tuned and will be voted on by the bishops on Saturday. At a press conference following the morning session, Fr Federico Lombardi was joined by Cardinal Peter Turkson from Ghana, Canadian Cardinal Gérald Cyprien Lacroix of Quebec and Belgian Archbishop Lucas Van Looy of Ghent to talk about their hopes for the outcome of the three-week meeting. Long days and sleepless nights – that’s how Cardinal Turkson characterised the work of the drafting committee, currently trying to integrate over 1,350 proposals for changes to…Continue Reading

Synod on the Family: Press Briefing Day 15

October 22, 2015 breaking Comments Off on Synod on the Family: Press Briefing Day 15

(Vatican Radio) Thursday 22 Oct. The Church’s youngest Cardinal, Soane Mafi, was a guest at the daily press briefing for the Synod on the Family. He was joined by Cardinal Oswald Gracious from India (who is on the Synod’s drafting committee) and Archbishop José H.Gómez from the United States of America. Cardinal Gracious told the briefing that a way forward – for the divorced and civilly re-married – needs to be further explored and could be referred to in the final document which is going to be presented to the Holy Father on Saturday. At the beginning of the briefing Holy See Press Spokesman, Fr. Federico Lombardi, SJ, was again asked about the health of the Holy Father. He assured…Continue Reading

Synod finds strong support for Church teaching in communion debate

October 22, 2015 breaking Comments Off on Synod finds strong support for Church teaching in communion debate

Vatican City, Oct 21, 2015 / 10:17 am (CNA/EWTN News).- Despite pastoral challenges posed by divorced-and-civilly-remarried Catholics, many synod fathers are in favor of current Church teaching and practice according to a new round of small group reports. “The majority without full consensus affirmed the current teaching and practice of the Church regarding the participation in the Eucharist of those who are divorced and civilly remarried,” reads a new report from group “A” of the four English-speaking synod circles. “We acknowledged that this pathway may be difficult, and pastors should accompany them with understanding, always ready to extend God’s mercy to them anew when they stand in need of it.” The vast majority of the group’s members affirmed the current…Continue Reading

Synod on the Family: Press Briefing Day 14

October 21, 2015 breaking Comments Off on Synod on the Family: Press Briefing Day 14

(Vatican Radio) Wednesday 21 Oct. “It is my hope that the Synod will be one that leaves us with open doors, not closed ones,” said Cardinal Reinhard Marx of Germany at the daily press briefing for the Synod on the Family. Marx was present with Cardinal Daniel Sturla Berhouet of Uruguay, and Archbishop Eamon Martin of Ireland. Cardinal Berhouet explained that this was his first Synod so he was “learning many new things.” He said the he was struck by the intensity of work and the diverse opinions of the delegates. He said that he thought the delegates had done what they could to assist the Holy Father decide on a way forward. Berhouet explained that he thought it very…Continue Reading

Family Synod: Press Briefing Day 13

October 20, 2015 breaking Comments Off on Family Synod: Press Briefing Day 13

2015-10-20 Vatican Radio (Vatican Radio) Tuesday 20 Oct. Cardinal Wilfrid Napier of South Africa cautioned against using “politically correct language” at the daily press briefing for the Synod on the Family on Tuesday. Napier was a guest together with Cardinals Lluis Martinez Sistach of Spain and Alberto Suarez Inda of Mexico. Fr. Federico Lombardi, SJ, explained that the interventions in the plenary sessions of all the Synod auditors were now available. Tomorrow the press will be briefed on the reports that come from the working groups – or “circoli minores” – of the Synod. The bishops will meet in plenary for the report back session on Tuesday evening. Each of the three gave an introductory address before taking questions from…Continue Reading

An interview with Archbishop Blase Cupich of Chicago

October 20, 2015 breaking Comments Off on An interview with Archbishop Blase Cupich of Chicago

[From Austen Ivereigh in Rome] Yesterday I was one of a number of journalists who sat down with the Archbishop of Chicago, Blase Cupich, who is one of Pope Francis’s appointees at the synod. Sometimes dubbed ‘America’s Pope Francis’, his appointment in September 2014 to one of the most important sees in the United States was seen as signalling the Pope’s desire for a more pastoral direction for the American Church. The interview gives an important insight into the mindset of those who at this synod want to see the Church adopt strategies and languages that make it easier to show the merciful face of God. In the course of the interview, he tells a powerful story about how allowing…Continue Reading

Synod on the Family: Press Briefing Day 12

October 19, 2015 breaking Comments Off on Synod on the Family: Press Briefing Day 12

(Vatican Radio) Monday 19 Oct. Archbishops Enrico Solmi of Italy, Mark Coleridge of Australia and the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, Beatitude Fouad Twal, answered questions from the media at the daily press briefing on the Synod of the Family. Fr. Federico Lombardi, SJ, explained that the delegates were meeting in small groups on Monday and Tuesday so there will be no report until Wednesday of the discussions that were underway. The three prelates answered a number of questions – mainly focussed on the admission of the divorced and civilly remarried to Communion. “Discernment is always messy and uncertain,” said Archbishop Coleridge. He went on to say that despite the mess and the challenges the Synod faces, he is confident that…Continue Reading

Archbishop Kurtz . . . INTERVIEW: US Bishops’ Leader Says Localizing Certain Pastoral Practices Could Fracture Unity

October 19, 2015 breaking Comments Off on Archbishop Kurtz . . . INTERVIEW: US Bishops’ Leader Says Localizing Certain Pastoral Practices Could Fracture Unity

Vatican City State, October 18, 2015 (ZENIT.org) Deborah Castellano Lubov In reflecting on the synod of bishops underway in Rome, the president of the US episcopal conference, Archbishop Joseph Kurtz of Louisville, Kentucky, says the synod fathers are emphasizing that “we as the body of Christ can have a great effect on families, but families can have a great effect on the life of the Church.” Still, he says, changes won’t come overnight. In an exclusive interview with ZENIT in Rome’s Pontifical North American College on Thursday, Archbishop Kurtz, a native of Pennsylvania, who was appointed bishop of Louisville by Pope Benedict, gives his view on the message that families in the United States might most need to hear. The…Continue Reading

Pope Francis: Homily for Sunday Mass with Canonizations

October 18, 2015 breaking Comments Off on Pope Francis: Homily for Sunday Mass with Canonizations

Homily of His Holiness Pope Francis Mass of the Twenty-Ninth Sunday in Ordinary Time with the Rite of Canonization Sunday, 18 October 2015 Today’s biblical readings present the theme of service. They call us to follow Jesus on the path of humility and the cross. The prophet Isaiah depicts the Servant of the Lord (53:10-11) and his mission of salvation. The Servant is not someone of illustrious lineage; he is despised, shunned by all, a man of sorrows. He does not do great things or make memorable speeches; instead, he fulfils God’s plan through his humble, quiet presence and his suffering. His mission is carried out in suffering, and this enables him to understand those who suffer, to shoulder the…Continue Reading