Tag: Catholic news

Pope Benedict: Force in the name of Christian faith a great shame and an abuse

Assisi day of prayer for peace – today and 25 years ago

VATICAN CITY, 27 OCT 2011 (VIS) – Today marks the twenty-fifth anniversary of the historic meeting for peace in the Italian town of Assisi, called by Blessed John Paul II. For the occasion, Benedict XVI has made a pilgrimage to the city of St. Francis, accompanied by representatives of other religions and by non-believers, for a Day of reflection, dialogue and prayer for peace and justice in the world under the theme: “Pilgrims of Truth, Pilgrims of Peace”.

The Pontiff and the members of the various delegations left the Vatican by train at 8 a.m. today, reaching Assisi at 9.45 a.m. where they were greeted by the civil and religious authorities in front of the Basilica of Santa Maria degli Angeli. As the ceremony unfolded inside the basilica, the large numbers of faithful present were able to follow events on giant screens set up in the square outside.

Following a greeting from Cardinal Peter Kodwo Turkson, president of the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace, a video was screened in commemoration of the 1986 meeting. Then, one after the other, the representatives of the various religions rose to speak: His Holiness Bartholomew I, Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople; Anglican Archbishop Rowan Williams of Canterbury, Primate of the Anglican Communion; Archbishop Norvan Zakarian, Primate of the Armenian Diocese of France; Rev. Olav Fyske Tveit, secretary general of the World Council of Churches; Rabbi David Rosen, representative of the Chief Rabbinate of Israel; Wande Abimbola, spokesperson for the Yoruba faith; Acharya Shri Shrivatsa Goswami, representative for Hinduism; Ja-Seung, president of the Jogye Order of Korean Buddhism; Kyai Haji Hasyom Muzadi, secretary general of the International Conference of Islamic Schools, and Julia Kristeva, representing non-believers.

The Holy Father then rose to make his address, extracts of which are given below: Continue reading “Pope Benedict: Force in the name of Christian faith a great shame and an abuse” →

Pope Benedict: The Kingdom of Christ cannot be built by force

VATICAN CITY, 26 OCT 2011 (VIS) – Because of the rain, the Holy Father presided over this morning’s celebration of the Word in the Paul VI Hall, rather than in St. Peter’s Square as had been scheduled. The celebration of the Word took the place of the usual general audience, in view of the event due to take place tomorrow in the Italian town of Assisi: “Day of Reflection, Dialogue and Prayer for Peace and Justice in the World: Pilgrims of Truth, Pilgrims of Peace”. Before the celebration this morning, the Holy Father greeted pilgrims gathered in the Vatican Basilica who had been unable to find space in the Paul VI Hall.

Following a greeting from Cardinal Agostino Vallini, the Pope’s vicar general for the diocese of Rome, and the readings from the Bible, the Holy Father pronounced his homily.

“As Christians”, he said, “we are convinced that prayer is the most precious contribution we can make to the cause of peace. For this reason we, the Church of Rome and pilgrims from elsewhere, are gathered here today to listen to the Word of God and to invoke the gift of peace”. Continue reading “Pope Benedict: The Kingdom of Christ cannot be built by force” →

Catholic theologians in the U.S. speak out against the death penalty

A Catholic Call to Abolish the Death Penalty

There were two state-sanctioned executions in the United States on September 21, 2011. In Georgia, Troy Anthony Davis, an African American man, was put to death for the 1989 murder of Savannah police officer Mark MacPhail. In Texas, Lawrence Brewer, a white supremacist, was executed for his participation in the racist hate crime dragging murder of James Byrd in Jasper in 1998. As theologians, scholars, and social justice advocates who participate in the public discussion of Catholic theology, we protest the state-sanctioned killings of both of these men, and we call for the abolition of the death penalty in the US. Continue reading “Catholic theologians in the U.S. speak out against the death penalty” →

Reflections on 9/11 and Catholic peacebuilding in US Catholic

Maryanne Cusimano Love
Maryanne Cusimano Love

In its September issue, US Catholic interviewed Maryann Cusimano Love on the aftermath of 9/11 and Catholic understandings of peacebuilding.  Cusimano Love is a friend of Bridgefolk who teaches at the Catholic University of America in Washington DC.  Among her reflections are these:

That nonviolent resistance can be very effective is something most Catholics don’t understand, but we’ve seen it in Egypt and Tunisia. Sometimes it takes an outside example to help us draw on our own tradition.

For the U.S. military, peace is the absence of the use of military force right now. So if nothing’s blowing up today, that’s peace in Iraq, right?

The Catholic Church says, not so much. You have to rebuild social relationships, restore people who have been traumatized by violence, reintegrate refugees and internally displaced persons back into their communities, and rebuild the human infrastructure.We think about peace in a sustainable and holistic way, as being about education and development.

When the U.S. military or other state organizations talk about building peace, they’re really talking about construction projects. How many roads and bridges can we put in?

The Catholic Church says building peace is not just about bricks and mortar. It’s about rebuilding the people and the human community. If you don’t do that work, then the bricks-and-mortar stuff you rebuild today is going to be blown up tomorrow.

To read the entire article in US Catholic, click here.

Pope salutes ecumenical peace convocation

Kingston, Jamaica (WCC) — Pope Benedict XVI saluted the International Ecumenical Peace Convocation (IEPC) on Sunday, praying that “every act of violence is eliminated.”

Before 30,000 people gathered at the Regina Caeli in St Peter’s Square, he commended the work of some 1,000 IEPC participants who are gathered in Jamaica to explore ways to move toward a just peace across the world.

“Let us join in prayer,” Benedict said, “for this noble intention, and recommit ourselves to eliminating violence in families, in society and in the international community.”

The IEPC participants have spent the past four days discussing the role of the church in ending violence between countries and within them. They have explored peace in the community, peace with the earth, and peace in the marketplace; on Monday, they will continue with peace among the peoples. On Tuesday, they will issue a convocation message that aims to unite churches worldwide in their vision of peacemaking.

The IEPC ends on Tuesday.

More information on cooperation between the Roman Catholic Church and the WCC

 

Beatification of anti-Nazi martyrs divides Lutherans, Catholics

Luebeck, Germany (ENInews)–Residents of this north German city have long taken pride in four native sons — three Catholic priests and a Lutheran pastor — who were beheaded in quick succession on 10 November 1943 by the Nazi regime. The commingled blood of Catholic priests Johannes Prassek, Hermann Lange, Eduard Mueller and Lutheran pastor Karl Friedrich Stellbrink spawned an ecumenical cooperation between the city’s majority Lutherans and minority Catholics that still lasts, Religion News Service reports. But the Vatican’s decision to beatify the three priests on 25 June — but not Stellbrink — is testing that ecumenical spirit, and has some religious leaders worried that the event could drive a wedge between the two communities.   Click here to read more.

 

Vatican announces day of reflection, dialogue and prayer in Assisi

VATICAN CITY, 2 APR 2011 (VIS) – The Holy See Press Office today published the following English-language communique:

“On 1 January 2011, after the Angelus, Pope Benedict XVI announced that he wished to commemorate the twenty-fifth anniversary of the historic meeting that took place in Assisi on 27 October 1986, at the wish of the Venerable Servant of God John Paul II. On the day of the anniversary, 27 October this year, the Holy Father intends to hold a ‘Day of reflection, dialogue and prayer for peace and justice in the world’, making a pilgrimage to the home of St. Francis and inviting fellow Christians from different denominations, representatives of the world’s religious traditions and, in some sense, all men and women of good will, to join him once again on this journey. Continue reading “Vatican announces day of reflection, dialogue and prayer in Assisi” →