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Category: Vatican City

  • MIL-OSI USA: Secretary of Defense to Travel to Brussels and NATO for Defense Ministerial Meetings Followed by G7 Defense Ministers Meeting in Italy and Other Engagements in Italy and Vatican City

    Source: United States Department of Defense

    Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III will travel to Brussels, Belgium, from October 16-18, 2024, to participate in a series of multilateral meetings, including the NATO Defense Ministerial and the Ministerial of the force contributing members of the Global Coalition to Defeat ISIS (D-ISIS). These engagements and others will focus on strengthening NATO’s collective defense posture, adapting the D-ISIS Coalition to an evolving threat from ISIS in the Middle East and globally, and enhancing military support for Ukraine.

    Secretary Austin will then attend the first-ever G7 Defense Ministers Meeting Oct. 19 in Naples, Italy, where he will also meet with Italian Minister of Defense Guido Crosetto and the new Minister of Defense of Japan, Nakatani Gen. The discussions at the G7 will center on ensuring continued security assistance for Ukraine in its defense against Russia’s aggression, addressing the urgent need to deescalate tensions in the Middle East, exchanging views on the importance of a free and open Indo-Pacific, discussing support for partners in Africa, and fostering additional cooperation on defense industry issues among the world’s leading democratic economies.

    Secretary Austin will also conclude his trip with official engagements in Vatican City.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Europe: AFRICA/BURKINA FASO – Signing of the Second Additional Protocol to the Agreement between the Holy See and Burkina Faso on the legal status of the Catholic Church in Burkina Faso

    Source: Agenzia Fides – MIL OSI

    Ouagadougou (Agenzia Fides) – Today, 11 October 2024, the Second Additional Protocol to the Agreement between the Holy See and Burkina Faso on the legal status of the Catholic Church in Burkina Faso was signed in Ouagadougou, at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Burkina Faso.According to the note published by the Vatican Press Office, the agreement was signed: on behalf of the Holy See by Archbishop Michael F. Crotty, titular of Lindisfarne, apostolic nuncio, and for the State of Burkina Faso, by His Excellency Karamoko Jean Marie Traore, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Regional Cooperation and citizens of Burkina Faso abroad.The Additional Protocol, which consists of a Preamble, seven articles and an appendix, further governs the procedure for issuing the certificate of legal personality in Burkina Faso law to public canonical juridical persons based in that nation, thus facilitating their evangelical mission in the promotion of the common good was signed in the Vatican on July 12, 2019 and ratified on September 7, 2020, the day on which it entered into force (see Fides, 8/9/2020).”The Second Additional Protocol”, says the Holy See’s communiqué, “which consists of a Preamble, seven articles and an appendix, further governs the procedure for issuing the certificate of legal personality in Burkina Faso law to public canonical juridical persons based in that nation, thus facilitating their evangelical mission in the promotion of the common good. It came into effect on the day of signing”. (L.M.) (Agenzia Fides, 11/10/2024)
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  • MIL-OSI Global: A realistic statue of Mary giving birth was criticized, then vandalized − but saints and artists have often reimagined Christ’s birth

    Source: The Conversation – USA – By Virginia Raguin, Distinguished Professor of Humanities Emerita, College of the Holy Cross

    A silhouette of onlookers in front of Esther Strauss’ sculpture ‘Crowning.’ Michel M. Raguin with cooperation of the Mariendom Linz , CC BY

    A sculpture of the Virgin Mary showing her giving birth to Jesus was recently attacked and beheaded. Called “Crowning” by the artist Esther Strauss, the sculpture had been part of a temporary exhibition of art outside the Catholic St. Mary Cathedral in Linz, Austria.

    The sculpture was controversial for its explicit depiction of birth; an online petition seeking its removal received more than 12,000 signatures. Strauss’ work was part of a project that sought to look at gender equality and the role of women, designed to honor the 100th anniversary of the cathedral’s consecration to the Virgin Mary. The exhibition opened on June 27, 2024, and the statue was vandalized a few days later.

    My research as a historian of art has shown me that there has never been only one way of depicting the birth of Christ.

    Depiction of birth in early texts

    Early Christian writings reveal that the birth of Christ was of keen interest and reflected ideas of the day.

    A widely read text from the mid-second century, called the The Protoevangelium of James, gives details about the life of the Virgin and infancy of Christ. As women of that time gave birth with the aid of midwives, the text explained that the Mother of God also was helped in her labor. Sections 19-20 of the text give details about Joseph contacting two midwives.

    One woman is said to have doubted the virgin birth. After she inserted her finger into Mary’s vagina, her hands withered. An illustration in a French prayer book from Paris dating to about 1490-1500 shows the midwife with missing hands. The story explained that her hands grew back after she touched the child Christ.

    Menologion of Basil II, an 11th-century illuminated Byzantine manuscript with 430 miniatures depicting the Nativity of Christ, now in the Vatican library.
    Via Wikimedia Commons

    The representation of midwives, as seen in an 11th-century manuscript from Constantinople, is still common in the Eastern church.

    Ideas change over time and place

    New modes of spirituality in later centuries brought changes in art. St. Bridget of Sweden, who founded a new order of nuns, left a large body or writing, including what she believed were revelations from God. One of her revelations included a vision of Christ’s birth she experienced in Bethlehem in 1371–72.

    Although Bridget had given birth eight times, she described Mary’s delivery as “in the twinkling of any eye.” Bridget said she “was unable to notice or discern how or in what member (Mary) was giving birth.” By “member” she may have meant that she did not know through what part of Mary’s body Jesus emerged. Many paintings between the 15th and 16th centuries adopted her vision and showed the child surrounded by light and the Virgin calmly worshipping him.

    A painting by Belgian artist Hugo van der Goes, in about 1475, follows Bridget’s vision of the birth. Instead of being “wrapped in swaddling clothes,” Christ lies naked, perfectly clean, in the “great and ineffable light” that Bridget described.

    Each era and community produces art that speaks to its own priorities. Fifteenth-century Italy introduced traditions of a miraculous childbirth that were different from a realistic tradition cherished by early Christians of the second century. I would argue that “Crowning” is but one more example of such cultural change. Here, Mary is an inspiration for other women, physically strong and capable even in the difficult process of giving birth.

    The sculpture, when intact, was barely 15 inches tall, a clear indication that it was not made for large-scale public veneration. It was a meditative image designed for a one-on-one encounter – for those who decided to engage.

    Virginia Raguin does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

    – ref. A realistic statue of Mary giving birth was criticized, then vandalized − but saints and artists have often reimagined Christ’s birth – https://theconversation.com/a-realistic-statue-of-mary-giving-birth-was-criticized-then-vandalized-but-saints-and-artists-have-often-reimagined-christs-birth-240759

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Translation: Extraordinary Meeting of the Council of Ministers on October 10, 2024

    MIL OSI Translation. Timor-Leste Portuguese to English –

    Presidency of the Council of Ministers

    Spokesperson for the Government of Timor-Leste
    ……………………………………………. ……………………………………………. …………………….

    Press release

    Extraordinary Meeting of the Council of Ministers on October 10, 2024

    The Council of Ministers met at the Government Palace in Dili and approved the Government Resolution project, presented by the Deputy Prime Minister, Coordinating Minister for Social Affairs and Minister for Rural Development and Community Housing, Mariano Assanami Sabino, and by the Executive Director of the Mission Unit to Combat ‘Stunting’, Joel Maria Pereira, which approves the National Multisectoral Annual Plan to Combat ‘Stunting’ for the period 2024 to 2030.

    The National Multisectoral Annual Plan to Combat Stunting for the period 2024 to 2030 has as its main objective to provide a framework for coordinated and multisectoral action to combat stunting. Among the main goals are to increase the rate of exclusive breastfeeding, improve children’s diets and reduce the stunting rate from 47% to less than 25% by 2030. The plan also aims to reduce anemia rates in children and women of reproductive age, as well as improve the coordination of nutrition programs and promote social behavior changes to improve nutritional health.

    The implementation of the plan will be led by the Mission Unit for Combating Stunting, in collaboration with several ministries and development partners. The process will be subject to continuous monitoring to ensure its effectiveness, with the aim of creating a sustainable and resilient environment that promotes improved nutrition and well-being of the Timorese population.

    *****

    The draft Decree-Law, also presented by the Deputy Prime Minister, Mariano Assanami Sabino, referring to the Community Housing Program, was also approved.

    The programme aims to ensure the right to housing as a condition for the integrated and sustainable development of the community, through the planning and construction of housing and the corresponding complementary infrastructure and collective equipment, intended to be allocated to beneficiaries, in accordance with established criteria, as well as subsequent ongoing community support for maintenance and access to services. The implementation of the programme will be led by the Ministry of Rural Development and Community Housing, in conjunction with local administrations and with the active participation of communities. Housing is allocated to beneficiaries according to their financial capacity, and is classified under one of the following schemes: commercial, subsidised, community or social. Under the commercial scheme, the beneficiary pays a consideration defined by market conditions. Under the subsidised scheme, the amount to be paid is adjusted to be more affordable in light of market conditions. Under the community scheme, the allocation of housing is free of charge at an initial stage, with a set amount to be paid after that period. Under the social scheme, housing is allocated free of charge.

    *****

    The Council of Ministers assessed the preliminary report on the expenses of activities related to the visit of His Holiness Pope Francis, presented by the Minister of State Administration, Tomás do Rosário Cabral.

    At its meeting on 28 February 2024, the Council of Ministers authorized expenditure of up to USD 12 million for the Coordinating Committee for the Organization of the Visit of His Holiness Pope Francis, which took place from 9 to 11 September 2024. Of this amount, USD 9,978,658.12 was spent, resulting in a positive balance of USD 2,021,341.12, which will be returned to the State coffers.

    The Timorese Episcopal Conference (CET), through the Church Coordinating Commission team, will hold an internal evaluation meeting on November 23, 2024 and the Joint Commission, composed of the Government, the Church team and the representative of the Holy See in Timor-Leste, will conclude the activities on December 21, 2024, when the representative of the Holy See and the local Church will transmit an official message from the Vatican.

    *****

    Finally, the Council of Ministers also decided to approve the theme “Proud of our identity and culture, we build a future of freedom, justice and hope for our People” for the celebrations of the 49th anniversary of the Proclamation of Independence of the Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste, which will be celebrated on 28 November, and whose main celebrations will take place in Oe-Cusse Ambeno. END

    EDITOR’S NOTE: This article is a translation. Apologies should the grammar and/or sentence structure not be perfect.

    MIL Translation OSI

  • MIL-OSI Europe: Audience with members of the Austrian Ski Association, on the occasion of the World Ski Championships 2025

    Source: The Holy See

    This morning, in the Vatican Apostolic Palace, the Holy Father Francis received in audience the members of the Austrian Ski Association ( Ski Austria ), on the occasion of the World Ski Championships 2025, to be held in Saalbach-Hinterglemm, Austria, from 4 to 16 February.
    The following is the Pope’s greeting to those present at the audience:
     
    Greeting of the Holy Father
    Dear Msgr. Lackner,
    Your Excellency,
    Dear athletes, dear friends,
     
    I warmly greet you, who have come to the Vatican from Austria to meet the Successor of Peter.
    Your homeland, rich in majestic mountains, offers excellent possibilities for alpine sports. Your association, Ski Austria , founded in 1905, aims to promote the various skiing activities nationwide, especially the athletes in their outstanding performances. I would like to encourage all of you to always cultivate in your endeavours the values inherent to sport: such as constancy, sincerity, friendship, solidarity. Constancy, sincerity, friendship, solidarity. In this way you make your contribution to a more fraternal world, because sport creates brotherhood, in order to sing, amidst the wonders of nature in your country, the hymn of praise to the Creator.
    May the Lord accompany you and the Guardian Angels protect you from every danger. I pray for you and you, pray for me.
    (Words in German) Ich bete für Sie, beten Sie für mich: Diese Arbeit ist nicht einfach! Vielen Dank.

    MIL OSI Europe News –

  • MIL-OSI Europe: VATICAN/GENERAL AUDIENCE – Pope Francis: the Holy Spirit is He who ensures the universality and unity of the Church

    Source: Agenzia Fides – MIL OSI

    Wednesday, 9 October 2024

    Vatican Media

    Vatican City (Agenzia Fides) – In the Acts of the Apostles “we see the Spirit work for unity in two ways”: He teaches her to expand in universality, and consolidate in unity. Universal and one: this is the mystery of the Church.During the Wednesday general audience in St. Peter’s Square, Pope Francis continues the cycle of catechesis dedicated to the Holy Spirit and his role in the Church, reflecting on the role played by the Holy Spirit in the Acts of the Apostles.With the account of Pentecost, the Pontiff notes, the author “wished to highlight the universal mission of the Church, as a sign of a new unity between all peoples”. In the following (chapters 10 and 15) we see that the Spirit works for unity in two ways. On the one hand, He drives the Church outwards, so that she can welcome an ever-greater number of people and peoples; on the other hand, she gathers them within to consolidate the unity achieved.The first of the two movements – universality – can be seen in action in the episode of the conversion of Cornelius, “to induce the Apostles to expand their horizon and break down the last barrier, the one between Jews and pagans”. “To this ethnical expansion is added the geographical expansion”, said the Bishop of Rome, who recalls that Paul “wanted to proclaim the Gospel in a new region of Asia Minor; but it is written that they had been “forbidden by the Holy Spirit”; he attempted to enter Bithyn’ia, “but the Spirit of Jesus did not allow them”. We immediately discover the reason for these surprising prohibitions of the Spirit: the following night the Apostle received in a dream the order to pass into Macedonia. The Gospel thus left its native Asia and entered into Europe”, said the Pope.The second movement of the Holy Spirit – that which creates unity – can be seen “in the proceedings of the so-called Council of Jerusalem. The problem is how to ensure that the universality achieved does not compromise the unity of the Church”. The Holy Spirit, Francis points out, ” does not always create unity suddenly, with miraculous and decisive actions, as at Pentecost. He also does so – and in the majority of cases – with discreet work, respecting human time and differences, passing through people and institutions, prayer and confrontation. In, we would say today, a synodal manner”. In this context, the Pope quotes Saint Augustine, who explains the unity brought about by the Holy Spirit with a classic image: ” How the soul is of the body of man is the holy Spirit of the body of Christ, which is the Church”. This “image helps us to understand something important. The Holy Spirit does not create the unity of the Church from the outside; He does not limit Himself to commanding us to be united. He Himself is the “bond of unity”. It is He who creates the unity of the Church”.”The unity of the Church is the unity between people – Pope Francis continued – and is not achieved on the drawing board, but in life. Even “Christian unity is built in this way too: not waiting for others to reach us where we are, but moving together towards Christ”.At the end of the Audience, the Pope again turned his thoughts to the peoples of the world affected by the ravages of war. And he invites everyone to pray for peace: “May the month of October, dedicated to the Holy Rosary, be a precious opportunity to cultivate this traditional Marian prayer. I urge you all to pray the Rosary every day, placing yourselves trustingly in the hands of Mary. To her, the caring Mother, we entrust the suffering and the desire for peace of the peoples who suffer the madness of war, especially the tormented Ukraine, Palestine, Israel, Myanmar, Sudan”. (F.B.) (Agenzia Fides, 9/10/2024)
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  • MIL-OSI Translation: VATICAN/ANGELUS – Middle East, the Pope: Let us unite in prayer against the diabolical plots of war

    MIL OSI Translation. Region: Italy –

    Source: The Holy See in Italian

    Sunday, October 6, 2024

    Vatican Media

    Vatican City (Agenzia Fides) – “Let us unite with the power of Good against the diabolical plots of war”. This is the invitation that Pope Francis addresses to the entire planet at the end of the Angelus. An Angelus prayed on the eve of what the Pontiff himself has indicated as a day of prayer, fasting and penance to invoke from God the gift of peace. The date, obviously, is not chosen by chance: on October 7 of a year ago, with the terrorist attack against the population in Israel, to which the Bishop of Rome renewed his closeness, the conflict in the Holy Land was reignited. “Let us not forget that there are still many hostages in Gaza, for whom I ask for their immediate release” adds Francis who recalls how “since that day the Middle East has fallen into ever more serious suffering, with destructive military actions that continue to affect the Palestinian population. This population is suffering greatly in Gaza and in other territories. These are mostly innocent civilians, all people and they must receive all the necessary humanitarian aid”. “I ask for an immediate ceasefire on all fronts, including Lebanon”, the new appeal of the Pope who invites us to pray “for the Lebanese, especially for the inhabitants of the south, forced to leave their villages”. “I appeal to the international community to put an end to the spiral of revenge and to never repeat attacks, like the one carried out by Iran a few days ago, which can plunge that region into an even greater war”, the Pontiff underlines. “All nations have the right to exist in peace and security, and their territories must not be attacked or invaded, sovereignty must be respected and guaranteed by dialogue and peace, not by hatred and war”, continues the Pope who recalls this afternoon’s appointment. Francis will in fact go to Santa Maria Maggiore, with the Synod Fathers, to pray the Rosary for peace in the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore. (FB) (6/10/2024)Share:

    EDITOR’S NOTE: This article is a translation. Apologies should the grammar and/or sentence structure not be perfect.

    MIL Translation OSI

  • MIL-OSI Translation: VATICAN – Pope announces a Consistory: 21 new Cardinals in December

    MIL OSI Translation. Region: Italy –

    Source: The Holy See in Italian

    Sunday, October 6, 2024

    Vatican Media

    Vatican City (Agenzia Fides) – “I am pleased to announce that on December 8th I will hold a Consistory for the nomination of new Cardinals”. Surprisingly, as has often happened in these years of pontificate, Pope Francis, at the Angelus, announces the imposition of the red hat. In total, 21 monsignors will receive the purple: 10 are European, of which 4 are Italian; 6 are from the American continent, of which 5 are South American, 4 Asian, two African. Of these, only one, having reached the age limit, will not be an elector in a future conclave. Among them also Bishop Baldassarre Reina who from today, as specified by the Pontiff, will hold the role of new Vicar General for the Diocese of Rome, thus succeeding Cardinal De Donatis, appointed Major Penitentiary last April. Here are the names of the new Cardinals: H.E. Monsignor Angelo Acerbi, Apostolic Nuncio; H.E. Monsignor Carlos Gustavo Castillo Mattasoglio, Archbishop of Lima, Peru; H.E. Monsignor Vicente Bokalic Iglic, C.M., Archbishop of Santiago del Estero, Primate of Argentina; H.E. Mons. Cabrera Gerardo Cabrera Herrera, O.F.M., Archbishop of Guayaquil, Ecuador; H.E. Monsignor Natalio Chomalí Garib, Archbishop of Santiago de Chile, Chile; H.E. Mons. Tarcisio Isao Kikuchi, S.V.D, Archbishop of Tokyo, Japan; H.E. Monsignor Pablo Virgilio Siongco David, Bishop of Kalookan, Philippines; H.E. Monsignor Ladislav Nemet, S.V.D., Archbishop of Beograd -Smederevo, Serbia;H.E. Mons. Jaime Spengler, O.F.M, Archbishop of Porto Alegre; H.E. Monsignor Ignace Bessi Dogbo, Archbishop of Abidjan, Ivory Coast; H.E. Monsignor Jean-Paul Vesco, O.P., Archbishop of Alger, Algeria; H.E. Mons. Paskalis Bruno Syukur, O.F.M, Bishop of Bogor, Indonesia; H.E. Mons. Joseph Mathieu, O.F.M. Conv., Archbishop of Tehran Ispahan, Iran; H.E. Monsignor Roberto Repole, Archbishop of Turin, Italy; H.E. Monsignor Baldassare Reina, from today Vicar General for the Diocese of Rome; H.E. Mons. Francis Leo, Archbishop of Toronto, Canada; H.E. Mons. Rolandas Makrickas, Coadjutor Archpriest of the Papal Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore; H.E. Mons. Mykola Bychok, C.Ss.R., Eparch of Saints Peter and Paul of Melbourne of the Ukrainians; Rev. Father Timothy Peter Joseph Radcliffe, O.P, theologian; Rev. Father Fabio Baggio, C.S., Under-Secretary of the Dicastery for the Service of Integral Human Development; Mons. George Jacob Koovakad, Official Secretary of State, responsible for Papal Trips. In total, in these almost twelve years of pontificate, Pope Francis has created 142 cardinals of which 113 electors. From Sunday 8 December 2024, the College of Cardinals will be enriched with new members and will therefore be composed of 256 members, of which 141 electors and 115 non-electors. The biographies of the new cardinalsS. E. Monsignor Tarcisio Isao KIKUCHI, S.V.D., Archbishop of Tokyo (Japan). He was born on 1 November 1958 in the prefecture of Iwate, diocese of Sendai. He studied in Japan. He made his perpetual profession in the Congregation of the Missionaries Verbiti in March 1985 and was ordained a priest in March 1986. He completed his studies at the “Spiritual Institute of Sacred Heart” in Melbourne (Australia). He was: 1986-1992: Missionary in the dioceses of Accra and Koforidua, in Ghana; 1993-1994: Trainer and vice-prefect of Verbiti postulants in Japan, and director for vocations of the Institute; 1994-1999: Provincial Councilor of the Verbiti. Since 1994: Teacher at Nanzan University, member of the “International Aid Committee” of the Episcopal Conference of Japan. Since 1996 he has been Coordinator of the “Justice and Peace” Office in the Asia and Pacific area of ​​the Verbiti. Since 1998: Member of Caritas Japan and representative of the Japanese Bishops for various international conferences and meetings. Since 1999: Provincial Superior of the Verbites in Japan (second mandate since 2002). Executive Director of Caritas Japan. Member of the committee for the ongoing formation of the clergy of the diocese of Nagoya. Prior to his installation as archbishop of Tokyo in 2017, he had served as bishop of Niigata since 2004, when he was first appointed as bishop.H.E. Monsignor Pablo Virgilio SIONGCO DAVID, Bishop of Kalookan (Filipinas) He was born in Betis, Guagua, Pampanga, in the archdiocese of San Fernando, on 2 March 1959. He was ordained a priest on 12 March 1983 for the archdiocese of San Fernando. After a year as assistant parish priest, he was Director of the Mother of God Counsel Seminary until 1986. From 1986 to 1991 he studied abroad, obtaining a licentiate and then a doctorate in Holy Theology at the Catholic University of Louvain, and attending courses at the Ecole Biblique de Jerusalem where he graduated. Upon returning to his homeland he held various management and teaching roles in the educational team of the archdiocesan seminary. In 2002 he became director of the seminary’s Theology Department, continuing to teach Sacred Scripture. In the same year he was elected Vice-President of the Association of Catholic Biblical Scholars of the Philippines and Vice-President of the Archidiocesan Media Apostolate Networks. He is the author, at both an academic and popular level, of several publications on Sacred Scripture. On 27 May 2006 he was appointed titular bishop of Guardialfiera and auxiliary of San Fernando by Benedict XVI, and was consecrated the following 10 July. On 14 October 2015, he was appointed Bishop of Kalookan (Philippines).H.E. Monsignor Paskalis Bruno SYUKUR, O.F.M., Bishop of Bogor (Indonesia) He was born on 17 May 1962 in Ranggu, in the diocese of Ruteng, on the Island of Flores (Indonesia). After primary school, he attended the Pius X minor seminary in Kisol. He completed his philosophical studies at the Faculty of Driyakara Philosophy in Jakarta, then continued his theological studies at the Faculty of Theology in Yogyakarta. He made his solemn profession with the Franciscans Minor on 22 January 1989. He was ordained a priest on 2 February 1991. He then held the following roles: 1991-1993: Ministry in the parish of Moanemani, diocese of Jayapura (West Papua); 1993-1996: Studies for the Licentiate in Spirituality at the Antonianum, in Rome; 1996-2001: Master of Novices at Depok; 1998-2001: Guardian of the O.F.M. Community in Depok and Member of the Provincial Council; 2001-2009: Provincial Minister in Indonesia; since 2009: General Definitor of the O.F.M. for Asia and Oceania in Rome. On 21 November 2013, Pope Francis appointed him Bishop of the diocese of Bogor (Indonesia).S. E. Mons. Dominique Joseph MATHIEU, O.F.M. Conv., Archbishop of Tehran Ispahan (Iran) He was born on 13 June 1963 in Arlon, Belgium. After his high school studies, he entered the Order of Friars Minor Conventual. He made his solemn profession in 1987 and was ordained a priest on 24 September 1989. Since 2013 he has been incardinated in the Provincial Custody of the East and of the Holy Land. Within his Order, he held various positions: Vocational Promoter, Secretary, Vicar and Provincial Minister of the Belgian Province of the Conventual Friars Minor, becoming General Delegate after unification with the Province of France; Rector of the National Sanctuary of Saint Anthony of Padua in Brussels and Director of the related Confraternity. He was also President of two different non-profit associations linked to the presence of the Conventual Friars Minor in Belgium, with roles of responsibility in the Catholic School of Landen. He was President of the Central European Federation of Conventual Friars Minor and a member of the International Commission for the Economy of his Order. Having moved to Lebanon in 2013, he was Custodial Secretary, Formator, Master of Novices and Rector of Postulants and Candidates in the Provincial Custody of the East and the Holy Land. Since 2019 he has been General Definitor and General Assistant for the Central European Federation of Conventual Friars Minor. On 8 January 2021, he was appointed Archbishop of Tehran Ispahan (Iran).H.E. Mons. Jean-Paul VESCO, O.P., Archbishop of Alger (Algeria) He was born in Lyon (France) on 10 March 1962. He obtained a degree in Law and practiced law in a lawyer’s office in Lyon, until the choice to enter the Order of Preacher Fathers. In 1995 he began his novitiate year and made his first religious profession on 14 September 1996. He was ordained a priest on 24 June 2001 in Lyon. He arrived in the diocese of Oran (Algeria) on 6 October 2002 at the convent of Tlemcen. In 2004 he was chosen as a delegate of the diocese for the preparation of the Interdiocesan Assembly of Algeria (AIDA). Since 2005 he has been Vicar General of the same diocese and since 2007 he has also assumed the office of diocesan bursar. On 16 October 2007 he was elected Superior of the Dominican Community of Tlemcen, a position he held until January 2011, when he was elected Provincial Superior of France. On 1 December 2012, he was appointed Bishop of Oran (Algeria), until 27 December 2022, when the Holy Father appointed him Metropolitan Archbishop Alger (Algeria).H.E. Mons. Ignace BESSI DOGBO, Archbishop of Abidjan (Ivory Coast) He was born on 17 August 1961 in Niangon-Adjamé, Diocese of Yopougon. He was ordained a priest on 2 August 1987. He has held the following positions: parish ministry (1987-1989); License in Exegesis from the Pontifical Biblical Institute of Rome; diocesan director of the Pontifical Mission Societies (1993-1995); Vicar General of Yopougon (1995-2004); parish priest of Yopougon Cathedral (1997-2004); Professor of Biblical Languages ​​in the Saint Paul Major Seminary of Abadjin Kouté; Diocesan Spiritual Assistant of the J.E.C. He was elected Bishop of the Diocese of Katiola on 19 March 2004 and received episcopal consecration on the following 4 July; President of the Episcopal Conference (2017-2023); since 2017, Apostolic Administrator ad nutum Sanctae Sedis of the Metropolitan Archdiocese of Korhogo; from 2021 to 2024, Metropolitan Archbishop of Korhogo. On 20 May 2024, he was appointed Archbishop of Abidjan (Ivory Coast).H.E. Mons. Carlos Gustavo CASTILLO MATTASOGLIO Archbishop of Lima (Peru) He was born in Lima on 28 February 1950. Having entered the Santo Toribio major seminary of Mogrovejo of the archdiocese of Lima, he was sent to Rome for his ecclesiastical studies where, in 1979, he obtained a bachelor’s degree in philosophy and, in 1983, in theology from the Pontifical Gregorian University. He was ordained a priest, incardinating in the archdiocese of Lima on 15 July 1984. He obtained the licentiate in 1985 and, in 1987, the doctorate in dogmatic theology, again from the Pontifical Gregorian University. He has held the following positions: Professor of Theology at the Pontifical Catholic University of Peru (from 1987 to the present); Councilor of the National Union of Catholic Students (1987-1998); Parochial vicar in the parish of San Francisco de Asís (1987-1990); Parochial vicar of the parish of La Encarnación (1990-1991); Archdiocesan head of the University Pastoral of Lima and collaborator at the parish of San Juan Apóstol (1991-1999); Vicar for youth ministry of Lima, organizer of the vicar for youth and responsible for vocational ministry (1996-1999); National Councilor of the Episcopal Commission for Youth of the Peruvian Episcopal Conference (1990-2001); parochial vicar of the parish of San Juan Apóstol (1999-2001); National councilor for youth ministry (2000); parish priest of the parish of Virgen Medianera (2002-2009); Director of relations with the Church and member of the University Council of the Pontifical Catholic University of Peru (2003-2006); Parish priest of the parish of San Lázaro (2010-2015). On 25 January 2019 Pope Francis appointed him Metropolitan Archbishop of the archdiocese of Lima (Peru).H.E. Monsignor Vicente BOKALIC IGLIC C.M., Archbishop of Santiago del Estero (Primado de la Argentina). He was born on 11 June 1952 in Lanús (Buenos Aires). In 1970 he entered the Congregation of the Mission (Lazarists). He studied philosophy at the Jesuit Maximo College in San Miguel, and theological studies at the Seminary of Buenos Aires. He took his perpetual vows on 5 June 1976. Ordained a priest on 1 April 1978, he was in charge of the vocational and youth ministry of Buenos Aires and, since 1981, he has also exercised the office of Parish Vicar of Nuestra Señora de la Medalla Milagrosa. From 1983 to 1986 he was a formator and bursar, and from 1987 to 1990 superior in the Seminary of the Congregation of the Mission. From 1991 to 1993 he worked again in the Nuestra Señora de la Medalla Milagrosa Parish, from 1994 to 1997 he was a missionary in the Prelature of Deán Funes and, from 1997 to 2000, Superior of the Seminary of his Congregation in San Miguel. Missionary and parish priest in the diocese of Goya from 2000 to 2003, from December 2003 to December 2009 he exercised the office of Provincial Superior of the Congregation of the Mission. Then he was sent again to the Nuestra Señora de la Medalla Milagrosa Parish in Buenos Aires. On 15 March 2010 he was appointed titular bishop of Summa and auxiliary of Buenos Aires (Argentina). He received episcopal consecration on May 29 of the same year. On 23 December 2013, Pope Francis appointed him Bishop of Santiago del Estero (Argentina). On 22 July 2024, the Holy Father elevated the Diocese of Santiago del Estero (Argentina) to the rank of Primatial Archdiocese of Argentina, and appointed him the first Archbishop of Santiago del Estero (Argentina).H.E. Mons. Luis Gerardo CABRERA HERRERA, O.F.M., Archbishop of Guayaquil (Ecuador). He was born in Azogues on 11 October 1955. He attended the Franciscan minor seminary in Azogues and Quito, studied philosophy and theology at the Pontifical Catholic University of Ecuador and he obtained a Doctorate in philosophy from the Antonianum in Rome. He was ordained a priest on 3 September 1983. He held the following roles: assistant to the Master of Novices O.F.M. and then novitiate master of Riobamba; member of the Provincial Council of the Order, responsible for vocational pastoral care and the formation of aspirants of the Franciscan province; Director of the philosophical-theological institute “Card. B. Echeverría” of Quito; Secretary of the ecumenism sector of the Episcopal Commission of Magisterium and Doctrine of the Ecuadorian Episcopal Conference. In August 2000 he was elected Provincial Minister of the Franciscans of the Province of Ecuador and Vice President of the Conference of Religious. From 2003 until 2009 he was Definitor of the Franciscan Order and Delegate of the Minister General for the Franciscan Provinces of Latin America and the Caribbean. On 20 April 2009 he was appointed Archbishop of Cuenca, receiving episcopal consecration the following 4 July. In the period 2001-2014 he was Vice-President of the Ecuadorian Episcopal Conference. Since 24 September 2015 he has been Archbishop of Guayaquil (Ecuador).H.E. Monsignor Fernando Natalio CHOMALÍ GARIB Archbishop of Santiago de Chile (Chile) He was born on 10 March 1957 in Santiago de Chile. After graduating in Civil Engineering from the Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, he completed his philosophical and theological studies at the Pontifical Major Seminary of Santiago. He received priestly ordination on 6 April 1991 for the Archdiocese of Santiago de Chile. He held the following positions and carried out further studies: Licentiate in Moral Theology at the Pontifical Alphonsian Academy in Rome; Doctorate in Theology at the Pontifical Gregorian University of Rome; Master in Bioethics at the Pontifical John Paul II Theological Institute for Marriage and Family Sciences in Rome; Parish vicar; Episcopal Delegate for University Pastoral; Professor of Moral Theology and Bioethics in the Faculties of Theology and Medicine of the Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile and in the Major Seminary; Parish Priest of Santa María de la Misericordia; Moderator of the Curia and President Delegate of the Economic Council of the Archdiocese of Santiago de Chile; Member of the Pontifical Academy for Life (since 2001). On 6 April 2006 he was appointed titular bishop of Noba and auxiliary of Santiago de Chile, receiving episcopal consecration the following 3 June. On 20 April 2011 he was appointed Archbishop of Concepción and, on 25 October 2023, Archbishop of Santiago de Chile. He is currently Vice President of CECH.S.E. Mons. Jaime SPENGLER, O.F.M., Archbishop of Porto Alegre (Brasil) He was born on 6 September 1960, in Blumenau, in the State of Santa Catarina, in the diocese of the same name. He did his Franciscan postulancy in Guaratinguetá (1981) and his novitiate in Rodeio (1982); he made his perpetual profession in 1985 and was ordained a priest on 17 November 1990. He completed his studies in philosophy at the São Boaventura Philosophical Institute in Campo Largo and those in theology, first at the Franciscan Theological Institute in Petrópolis (1986- 1987) and then at the Theological Institute of Jerusalem (1987-1990), where he obtained a license in Sacred Scripture. Subsequently he obtained a degree in Philosophy in Rome, at the Pontifical Athenaeum Antonianum (1995-1998). He has held the following positions: Professor in the Franciscan Novitiate in Rodeio, Master of Postulants (1990); Professor in the Postulancy and Parish Vicar in Guaratinguetá (1991-1994); Professor and Vice-Rector of the São Boaventura Institute of Philosophy in Campo Largo (2000-2003); Religious Assistant of the Federação Brasileira das Irmãs Concepcionistas (2001-2002); local superior and parish vicar of the Senhor Bom Jesus Parish, in the archdiocese of Curitiba (2004-2006), Professor of Philosophy at the São Boaventura Faculty in Curitiba (2000-2003); Vice-president of the Franciscan Association of Ensino Senhor Bom Jesus in Campo Largo and Guardian of the Local Convent. On 10 November 2010 he was appointed titular bishop of Patara and auxiliary of Porto Alegre. He received episcopal ordination on 5 February 2011. On 18 September 2013, he was appointed Metropolitan Archbishop of Porto Alegre (Brazil).H.E. Mons. Francis LEO, Archbishop of Toronto (Canada) He was born on 30 June 1971 in Montreal (Canada). In 1990 he entered the Seminary obtaining the Baccalaureate in Philosophy (1992), the Licentiate and then the Doctorate in Theology (2005), with specialization in Marian Studies, obtained at the International Marian Research Institute (IMRI), University of Dayton (Ohio ). He was ordained a priest on December 14, 1996 for the Metropolitan Archdiocese of Montreal. After his priestly ordination, he was Deputy Parish Priest of Notre-Dame-de-la-Consolata (1996-2001); Administrator of the Parish Saint-Joseph-de-Rivière-des-Prairies (2003-2005); Chaplain of the Roscelli School and religious teacher of the Collège Reine-Marie (2003-2005); Parish priest of Saint-Raymond-de-Peñafort (2005-2006). From 2006 to 2008 he was sent to the Pontifical Ecclesiastical Academy in Rome. Having entered the diplomatic service of the Holy See, he worked in the Apostolic Nunciature in Australia (2008-2011) and then at the Study Mission of the Holy See in Hong Kong (2011-2012). Returning to Montreal in 2012, he was appointed Director and Professor of Dogmatics of the Major Seminary, Director of the Department of Canon Law of the IFTM and Vice President of the Diocesan Work for Vocations. From 2013 to 2015 he was a member of the Presbyteral Council. From 2015 to 2021 he was General Secretary of the Canadian Episcopal Conference. In 2021 he received the role of Vicar General and Moderator of the Archdiocesan Curia of Montreal. On 16 July 2022 he was appointed titular bishop of Tameda and auxiliary of Montreal, and was consecrated the following 12 September. On 11 February 2023 he was appointed Auxiliary Bishop of the Metropolitan Archdiocese of Montreal.S.E. Monsignor Mykola BYCHOK, C.Ss.R., Bishop of the Eparchy Saints Peter and Paul of Melbourne of the Ukrainians. He was born on 13 February 1980 in Ternopil in Ukraine. He entered the Redemptorist Order in July 1997, and trained in Ukraine and Poland, obtaining a license in Pastoral Theology. On 17 August 2003 he took his final vows, and on 3 May 2005 he was ordained a priest in Lviv. He has held the following positions: missionary in the Mother Church of Perpetual Help in Prokopyevsk in Russia, Superior of the Monastery of St. Joseph and Parish Priest of the Mother Parish of Perpetual Help in Ivano-Frankivsk in Ukraine, Bursar of the Redemptorist Province of Lviv and since 2015 Vicar of the Parish of St. John the Baptist in Newark, NJ, Archeparchy of Philadelphia of the Ukrainians. On 15 January 2020 he was appointed Bishop of the Eparchy Saints Peter and Paul of Melbourne of the Ukrainians. On 7 June 2020 he was consecrated bishop by His Beatitude Patriarch Sviatoslav Shevchuk in St. George’s Cathedral, Lviv. On 12 July 2021, the feast of Saints Peter and Paul in the Julian Calendar, he was enthroned as the third bishop of the Eparchy of Melbourne by His Grace Peter Comensoli, Archbishop of Melbourne, in the Cathedral of Saints Peter and Paul, Melbourne.S. E. Monsignor Ladislav NEMET, S.V.D., Archbishop of Beograd – Smederevo, (Serbia) He was born on 7 September 1956 in Odžaci, in the Diocese of Subotica (Serbia). In 1977 he entered the Society of the Divine Word and was ordained a priest on 1 May 1983. He obtained a Doctorate in Dogmatic Theology from the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome. He held the following positions: Missionary in the Philippines; Teacher in Poland, Austria and Croatia; Collaborator of the Permanent Mission of the Holy See to the UN in Vienna; Provincial of the Hungarian Province of the Society of the Divine Word; General Secretary of the Hungarian Episcopal Conference. He was appointed Bishop of Zrenjanin on 23 April 2008. In 2021, he was re-elected for a second term as President of the International Episcopal Conference of Saints Cyril and Methodius; furthermore, he is Vice President of the Council of Episcopal Conferences of Europe (CCEE).H.E. Mons. Rolandas MAKRICKAS, Coadjutor Archpriest Papal Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore He was born in Biržai, Lithuania, on 31 January 1972. Ordained a priest on 20 July 1996 for the Diocese of Panevėžys, from 1996 to 2001 he was under-secretary of the Lithuanian Episcopal Conference and head of the National Committee of the Great Jubilee of 2000. He obtained a Doctorate in Ecclesiastical History from the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome in 2004. Having entered the diplomatic service of the Holy See on 1 July 2006, he worked at the Pontifical Representations in Georgia, Sweden, the United States of America and Gabon, and at the General Affairs Section of the Secretariat of State. From 15 December 2021 to 19 March 2024 he was extraordinary commissioner for the Papal Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore. On 11 February 2023 he was appointed titular Archbishop of Tolentino and on the following 15 April he received episcopal ordination, in the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore in Rome, from Cardinal Pietro Parolin, Secretary of State of His Holiness. On 19 March 2024 he was appointed by the Holy Father Coadjutor Archpriest with right of succession of the Papal Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore.H.E. Mons. Baldassare REINA, auxiliary bishop of Rome, former vice-gerent and, from today, Vicar General for the Diocese of Rome. He was born on 26 November 1970 in San Giovanni Gemini, in the province and Archdiocese of Agrigento. He entered the Archbishop’s Seminary in 1981. In 1995 he obtained a Baccalaureate in Sacred Theology and in 1998 a Licentiate in Biblical Theology from the Pontifical Gregorian University of Rome. He was ordained a priest on 8 September 1995. From 1998 to 2001 he was Diocesan Assistant of Catholic Action and Vice-Rector of the Archbishop’s Seminary of Agrigento. From 2001 to 2003 he was parish priest of the Blessed Mary Virgin of Itria in Favara. From 2003 to 2009 he was Prefect of studies of the San Gregorio Agrigentino Theological Study and from 2009 to 2013 Parish Priest of S. Leonead Agrigento. From 2013 to 2022 he was Rector of the Major Seminary of Agrigento. He also held the following roles in the Diocese: Teacher of Sacred Scripture at the Institute of Religious Sciences; Permanent teacher at the San Gregorio Agrigentino Theological Studio; Director of the Culture Office; Canon of the Cathedral Chapter; Member of the Presbyteral Council and of the College of Consultors. On 27 May 2022, he was appointed titular bishop of Acque di Mauritania and auxiliary of Rome. On 6 January 2023, the Holy Father appointed him Vicegerent of the Diocese of Rome.H.E. Mons. Roberto REPOLE, Archbishop of Turin (Italy) He was born in Turin on 29 January 1967. Having entered the Seminary at the age of eleven, he completed his high school studies at the Minor Seminary, obtaining his classical high school diploma at the Valsalice Salesian High School in Turin in 1986. He studied philosophy and theology at the archiepiscopal seminary of Turin and received presbyteral ordination on 13 June 1992. From 1992 to 1996 he was parochial vicar at the parish of Gesù Redentore and collaborator of the parish of Ss. Nome di Maria in Turin. He continued his studies in systematic theology at the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome, obtaining his licentiate in 1998 and his doctorate in 2001 with a thesis on the thought of Henri de Lubac in dialogue with Gabriel Marcel. Since 2001 he has taught systematic theology at the parallel Turin branch of the Theological Faculty of Northern Italy and the Higher Institute of Religious Sciences of the same city. Canon of the Royal Church of San Lorenzo in Turin since 2010, he was president of the Italian Theological Association from 2011 to 2019; dean of the Turin section of the Theological Faculty of Northern Italy and collaborator of the Santa Maria della Stella parish in Druento. On 19 February 2022, Pope Francis appointed him the 95th Metropolitan Archbishop of Turin and Bishop of Susa, thus uniting the two sees in person as bishops. On 7 May 2022 he received episcopal ordination. In September 2022, the Permanent Episcopal Council of the CEI appointed him as a member of the Episcopal Commission for Catholic Education, School and University. In October 2022 in Aosta the bishops of Piedmont and Valle d’Aosta elected him vice president of the Episcopal Conference of Piedmont and Valle d’Aosta (CEP).R.P. Timothy Peter Joseph RADCLIFFE, OP, theologian Born in London in 1945, he joined the Dominican order in 1965. After completing his studies in Oxford and Paris, he began teaching sacred Scripture at the University of Oxford. Ordained a priest in 1971, actively involved in the peace movement, he also carried out pastoral ministry among AIDS sufferers. From 1982 to 1988 he was prior of the convent of Oxford, then provincial of England from 1988 to 1992, and finally master general of the order founded by Saint Dominic from 1992 to 2001. Orator, lecturer, preacher and writer of international fame, he is member of CAFOD (agency of the Catholic Church of England and Wales, involved in charitable support and development in overseas countries) and of the theological commission of international Caritas. He has received honorary degrees from Oxford University and other academic institutions in France, Italy and the United States. In 2007 he was awarded the Michael Ramsey Prize for theological writings.R. Fr Fabio BAGGIO, C.S., under secretary of the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development. He was born in Bassano del Grappa in 1965 and, in 1976, entered the Scalabrini-Tirondola Seminary of the Missionaries of San Carlo, making his perpetual profession in 1991. The following year he was ordained a Priest. In 1998 he obtained a doctorate in Church History from the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome. From 1995 to 1997, in Santiago de Chile, in addition to exercising the pastoral ministry, he held the position of Advisor to the Episcopal Commission for Migration of Chile (INCAMI). Subsequently, until 2002, he was Director of the Department for Migration of the Archdiocese of Buenos Aires, also covering, in 1999, the role of National Secretary of the Society for the Propagation of the Faith, Pontifical Mission Societies Argentina. On 14 December 2016 he was appointed Under-Secretary of the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development. On 23 April 2022, the Holy Father confirmed him as Under-Secretary of the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development also with responsibility for the Migrants and Refugees Section and Special Projects Mons. George Jacob KOOVAKAD, Official of the Secretary of State, responsible for Papal Trips. He was born in Chethipuzha (India) on 11 August 1973. He was ordained a Priest on 24 July 2004, incardinated in Changanacherry. Graduated in Canon Law. Having entered the Diplomatic Service of the Holy See on 1 July 2006, he was assigned to the Apostolic Nunciature in Algeria, as Attache. On March 2, 2009, he was transferred to the Apostolic Nunciature in Korea until February 2012, when he was transferred to the Apostolic Nunciature in Iran. On February 16, 2015, he was transferred to the Apostolic Nunciature in Costa Rica. Since July 10, 2020, he has worked in the Secretariat of State, General Affairs section. on 10 July 2020. From 2021, Pope Francis has entrusted him with the organization of papal trips.H.E. Mons. Angelo Acerbi, Apostolic Nuncio He was born on 23 September 1925 in Sesta Godano (Italy) and was ordained a priest on 27 March 1948 for the then Diocese of Pontremoli. Having entered the diplomatic service of the Holy See in 1956, he served in the Papal Representations in Colombia, Brazil, France, Japan and Portugal, as well as in the Council for Public Affairs of the Church of the Secretariat of State. St. Paul VI, on June 22, 1974, appointed him an apostolic pro-nuncio in New Zealand and apostolic delegate in the Pacific Ocean, assigning him the headquarters of Zella and the personal title of Archbishop; The same Holy Pontiff, on the following 30 June, conferred him the episcopal ordination in the papal basilica of San Pietro in the Vatican. St. John Paul II, then, sent him as Nunzio to Colombia – where, together with other diplomats, he was hostage for six weeks by the guerrillas of the Movimiento 19 de Abril – and, subsequently, in Hungary and Moldova and in the Netherlands. From 2001 to 2015 he held the office of prelate of the Sovereign Military Hospital Order of San Giovanni di Jerusalem of Rhodes and Malta.

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  • MIL-OSI Europe: Holy See Press Office Communiqué: Audience with the President of the Republic of Kyrgyzstan

    Source: The Holy See

    Holy See Press Office Communiqué: Audience with the President of the Republic of Kyrgyzstan, 04.10.2024

    Today, 4 October 2024, the Holy Father Francis received in audience, in the study of the Paul VI Hall, the President of the Republic of Kyrgyzstan, His Excellency Mr. Sadyr Zhaparov, who subsequently met with His Eminence Cardinal Pietro Parolin, Secretary of State of His Holiness, accompanied by His Excellency Archbishop Paul Richard Gallagher, Secretary for Relations with States and International Organizations.
    During the cordial discussions, which took place at the Secretariat of State, the good relations between the Holy See and Kyrgyzstan were evoked, and the parties focused on mutual collaboration in the fields of healthcare, educational and culture, and some aspects of the life of the local Church.
    The conversation continued with an exchange of opinions on current international affairs, with special attention to the ongoing conflicts and humanitarian issues, revealing the importance of urgent commitment to the promotion of peace.
    From the Vatican, 4 October 2024

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  • MIL-OSI Translation: APOSTOLIC JOURNEY – Pope in Belgium: “The mission of the baptized is a gift, not a title of boast”

    MIL OSI Translation. Region: Italy –

    Source: The Holy See in Italian

    Sunday, September 29, 2024

    Vatican Media

    Brussels (Agenzia Fides) – “We all, with Baptism, have received a mission in the Church. But it is a gift, not a title of pride”. The Apostolic Journey of Pope Francis to Belgium, the 46th outside Italy, ends with the Holy Mass at the King Baudouin Stadium in Brussels. In front of 35 thousand people, and the royal family, the Pontiff presides over the rite of beatification of Anna of Jesus, born Anna de Lobera, of the order of Discalced Carmelites and announces the start of the beatification process of King Baudouin, the monarch who resigned for a few days so as not to sign the pro-abortion law. Greeted by applause and cheers, before donning the sacred vestments, he greets the crowd in the popemobile who acclaims him, blessing the children and dispensing rosaries and caresses. In the homily, delivered in Italian and with several off-the-cuff additions, he reflects on three key words: openness, communion and testimony. Commenting on today’s Gospel episode, which takes place in Capernaum, where the disciples want to prevent a man from casting out demons in the name of the Master, because – they say – “he did not follow us”, Francis states: “They think like this: ‘Whoever does not follow us, whoever is not one of us cannot perform miracles, he has no right to do so’. But Jesus surprises them, as always, and rebukes them, inviting them to go beyond their schemes, not to be ‘scandalized’ by God’s freedom. He tells them: ‘Do not prevent him […] whoever is not against us is for us’. Hence the reflection on the mission of the baptized, which is “a gift”, “not a title of boast”. The community of believers, in fact, the Bishop of Rome emphasizes, “is not a circle of privileged people, it is a family of saved people, and we are not sent to bring the Gospel to the world for our merits, but by the grace of God, by his mercy and by the trust that, beyond all our limitations and sins, He continues to place in us with the love of the Father, seeing in us what we ourselves cannot see. For this reason he calls us, sends us and accompanies us patiently day by day”. “If we want to cooperate, with open and caring love, in the free action of the Spirit without being a scandal, an obstacle to anyone with our presumption and rigidity, we need to carry out our mission with humility, gratitude and joy. We must not resent it, but rather rejoice in the fact that others can do what we do, so that the Kingdom of God may grow and so that we can all find ourselves united, one day, in the arms of the Father,” adds the Pope. “The Word of God is clear: it says that the ‘cry of the poor’ cannot be ignored” or “cancelled”, as if it were “the wrong note in the perfect concert of the world of well-being, nor can they be muffled with some form of superficial welfare”, he then says, reflecting on the second key word, namely “communion”. On the contrary, Francis underlines, they “are the living voice of the Spirit” and “remind us who we are: we are all poor sinners, the first self, and they call us to convert”. Hence the reflection on the third word, “testimony”: “We can take inspiration, in this regard, from the life and work of Anna of Jesus, on the day of her beatification. This woman was among the protagonists, in the Church of her time, of a great reform movement, in the footsteps of a ‘giant of the spirit’, Teresa of Avila”. Finally, recalling the meeting he had the other evening in the Apostolic Nunciature in Brussels with a group of victims of abuse by the Belgian clergy, he states: “I felt their suffering as abused people and I repeat it here: in the Church there is room for everyone, everyone, everyone” but “there is no room for abuse, for covering up abuse”. “I ask the bishops: do not cover up abuse”, adds the Pontiff, whose words are greeted with a long applause from the faithful present. “Evil cannot be hidden, it must be brought out into the open with courage”. Francis asks that abusers be “judged”, “whether they are lay people, priests or bishops”. The victims’ “lament is one that rises to heaven and makes us ashamed”. At the Angelus, prayed at the end of the celebration, the Pontiff’s thoughts go to the Middle East, in particular to Lebanon, shocked by the spread of the conflict: “I continue to follow with pain and with great concern the spread and intensification of the conflict in Lebanon. Lebanon is a message, but at this moment it is a tormented message, and this war has devastating effects on the population: many, too many people continue to die day after day in the Middle East”. “Let us pray for the victims, for their families, let us pray for peace. I ask all parties to immediately cease fire in Lebanon, in Gaza, in the rest of Palestine, in Israel. Let the hostages be released and humanitarian aid be allowed”, the appeal of the Pontiff, who also asks to pray for Ukraine: “Let us not forget the tormented Ukraine”. (FB) (Agenzia Fides 29/9/2024) Share:

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  • MIL-OSI Europe: AFRICA/KENYA – Resignation and succession of bishop of Isiolo

    Source: Agenzia Fides – MIL OSI

    Saturday, 28 September 2024

    Vatican City (Agenzia Fides) – The Holy Father has accepted the resignation from the pastoral care of the diocese of Isiolo, Kenya, presented by Bishop Anthony Ireri Mukobo, I.M.C. He is succeeded by Bishop Peter Munguti Makau, I.M.C., until now coadjutor bishop of the same diocese. (Agenzia Fides, 28/9/2024)
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  • MIL-OSI Europe: APOSTOLIC JOURNEY – Pope in Belgium: the synodal process must be a return to the Gospel and not about prioritizing “fashionable” reforms

    Source: Agenzia Fides – MIL OSI

    Saturday, 28 September 2024

    Vatican Media

    Brussels (Agenzia Fides) – “The synodal process must involve returning to the Gospel. It is not about prioritizing “fashionable” reforms, but asking, how can we bring the Gospel to a society that is no longer listening or has distanced itself from the faith? Let us all ask ourselves this question”. On the penultimate day of his Apostolic Journey to the heart of Europe, Pope Francis met with the bishops, priests, deacons, consecrated persons, seminarians and pastoral workers of Belgium in the Basilica of the Sacred Heart of Koekelberg, offering numerous suggestions to the local Catholic community and to the entire Western Church in view of what he himself describes as the “crisis of faith” that the West is experiencing.The crisis of faith, said the Pope, have impelled us “to return to what is essential, namely the Gospel. The good news that Jesus brought to the world must once again be proclaimed to all and allowed to shine forth in all its beauty”. The crisis, he continued, “is a time given in order to shock us, to make us question and to change. It is a valuable opportunity, referred to in biblical language as kairòs, a special occasion. Indeed, when we experience desolation, we must always ask ourselves what message the Lord wishes to convey to us”.This “crisis of faith” demonstrates that “we have moved from a Christianity located within a welcoming social framework to a “minority” Christianity, or better, a Christianity of witness”. This, Pope Francis continued, “requires the courage to undertake an ecclesial conversion for enabling those pastoral transformations that concern our habitual ways of doing things, and the language in which we express our faith, so that they are truly directed to evangelization “.In this perspective, “priests also need this courage in order to be priests who are not just preserving or managing a past legacy, but pastors who are in love with Christ and who are attentive to responding to the often implicit demands of the Gospel as they walk with God’s holy people. In doing so, pastors walk sometimes ahead of their people, sometimes in their midst and sometimes behind them”. Hence the reflections on the synodal process, which will enter a next phase in a few days with the celebration of the XVI Ordinary General Assembly in the Vatican.Finally, the Pope recommended to the Church of Belgium to be merciful: “This can sometimes seem “unjust”, when we are faced with the experience of evil. This is because we simply apply an earthly justice that says, “Whoever does wrong must pay”. Yet God’s justice is greater”. The Pope also addressed the concept of justice with regard to the cases of abuse (in the Apostolic Nunciature, Pope Francis met 17 victims of abuse by Belgian clergy, ed.) and thanked the Catholic community “for the great work” that has been done “to transform anger and pain into help, closeness and compassion. Abuse generates atrocious suffering and wounds, undermining even the path of faith. And there is a need for a great deal of mercy to keep us from hardening our hearts before the suffering of victims, so that we can help them feel our closeness and offer all the help we can. We must learn from them, as you said, to be a Church at the service of all without belittling anyone”, said Pope Francis.In greeting those present, Francis recalled a work of art by Magritte, an illustrious Belgian painter entitled “The Act of Faith”. It depicts a closed door viewed from the inside of a room, a door that has been broken through, thus showing us the open sky: “The image invites us to go beyond, to direct our gaze forward and upward and never to close in on ourselves, never. It is an image I leave with you as a symbol of a Church that never closes its doors – please, never close the doors! – a Church that offers everyone an opening to the infinite, and that knows how to look beyond”.”Walk together, all of you, with the Holy Spirit, practice mercy; be this type of Church. Without the Spirit, nothing Christian can take place”, the Pope concluded, who at the end of the meeting went to the royal crypt, beneath the church of Our Lady of Laeken, where many members of Belgium’s royal family are buried.Accompanied by the King and Queen, the Pope paused in silent prayer before the tomb of King Baudouin, whom he praised for his courage for choosing to temporarily “abdicate the throne so as not to sign a murderous law”.In 1992 the sovereign abdicated for 36 hours to avoid signing the law on the legalization of abortion. Finally, the Pope urged the Belgians to look to him at this time when criminal laws are making their way, hoping that his cause for beatification will proceed. (F.B.) (Agenzia Fides, 28/9/2024)
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  • MIL-OSI Europe: Audience with members of the “Custodi del Bello” (“Guardians of Beauty”) Project

    Source: The Holy See

    Audience with members of the “Custodi del Bello” (“Guardians of Beauty”) Project, 30.09.2024
    This morning, in the Vatican Apostolic Palace, the Holy Father Francis received in audience the participants in the “Guardians of Beauty” Project promoted by the Italian Episcopal Conference.
    The following is the address delivered by the Pope to those present:

    Address of the Holy Father
    Address of the Holy Father
    Dear brothers and sisters, good morning and welcome!
    I am pleased to meet you. I greet Bishop Giuseppe Baturi, secretary general of the Italian Episcopal Conference, and Bishop Carlo Redaelli, president of Caritas Italia. I thank all of you for being here and for what you do for our cities.
    Being Guardians of Beauty is a great responsibility, besides being an important message for the ecclesial community and for society as a whole. I would therefore like to reflect with you precisely on the name of your project, which is not a simple slogan, but indicates a way of being, a style, a life decision orientated towards two major purposes: to guard and beauty.
    To safeguard means to protect, to conserve, to watch over, to defend. It is a multi-form action which requires attention and care, because it sets out from the awareness of the value of whom or what is entrusted to us. It therefore does not permit distraction or idleness. Those who guard keep their eyes wide open, they are not afraid to spend time, to get involved, to take responsibility. And all this, in a context that often invites us not to “get our hands dirty”, to delegate, is prophetic, because it calls for personal and community commitment. Everyone, with his or her own abilities and skills, with intelligence and heart, can do something to look after things, others, the common home, from a perspective of integral care for creation.
    Saint Paul tells us that “creation has been groaning in travail” (Rom 8:22); its cry joins that of so many of the earth’s poor, who urgently call for serious and effective decisions to promote the good of all, from a perspective that therefore cannot only be environmental, but must become ecological in a broader, integral sense.
    Many people today find themselves at the margins, rejected, forgotten in an increasingly efficiency-based, ruthless society: the poor, migrants, the elderly and the disabled who are alone, the chronically ill. And yet everyone is precious in the eyes of the Lord (cf. Is 43:1-4). Therefore I urge you, in your work of requalification of many places left to neglect and degradation, always to keep as your primary objective the care of the people who live in and frequent them. Only in this way can creation be restored to its beauty.
    And this is indeed the other value: together with guardianship, beauty. Today we talk about it a great deal, to the point of making it an obsession. Often, however, we consider it in a distorted way, confusing it with ephemeral and standardizing aesthetic models, more linked to hedonistic, commercial and advertising criteria than the integral development of people. An approach of this type is deleterious, because it does not help the best in each person to flourish, but rather leads to the degradation of humankind and of nature. If, indeed, “someone has not learned to stop and admire something beautiful, we should not be surprised if he or she treats everything as an object to be used and abused without scruple” (Encyclical Letter Laudato si’, 215).
    Instead, it is a question of learning to cultivate beauty as something unique and sacred for every creature, conceived, loved and celebrated by God ever since the origins of the world (cf. Gen 1:4), as an inseparable unity of grace and goodness, of aesthetic and moral perfection.
    This is your mission; and I encourage you, as cooperators in the Creator’s great design, not to tire of transforming ugliness into beauty, degradation into opportunity, disorder into harmony.
    May Saint Joseph, the humble and silent guardian of the “fairest of the sons of men” (cf. Ps 45:2), of the Word incarnate in which all things were created and exist (cf. Col 1:16-17), accompany you and be a model for your work. With his discreet and industrious fidelity, Saint Joseph contributed to restoring beauty to the world.
    Thank you for the great deal of good you do! I bless you and pray for you. And I ask you, please, to pray for me.

    MIL OSI Europe News –

  • MIL-OSI Europe: ASIA/BANGLADESH – Apostolic Nuncio on the situation of Christians and aid for Rohingya refugees (with the help of the Pope)

    Source: Agenzia Fides – MIL OSI

    Thursday, 26 September 2024

    by Fabio BerettaDhaka (Agenzia Fides) – “The situation in Bangladesh”, where Christians represent only 0.30% of the population, “is very delicate. In general, Christians live in a peaceful context, but there have also been cases of harassment by their neighbors,” said Archbishop Kevin Randall, Apostolic Nuncio in Bangladesh since 2023, interviewed by Fides after his recent meeting with the Chief Advisor to the interim government. He spoke to Fides about the country’s society and the commitment and support of the local Church and of Pope Francis for Rohingya refugees.What is the situation in Bangladesh after the recent protests and social unrest?The situation in Bangladesh is very delicate. With a transitional government, some wonder when there will be elections. Others want to rewrite the constitution. Still others say that a transitional government does not have the power to rewrite the Constitution. In the meantime, citizen violence dominates the country and the rule of law is limited.How are Christian communities experiencing this historic moment?In general, Christians live in a relatively peaceful context, but there have also been cases of harassment by their neighbors. The police are powerless. After Sheik Hasina left the country, many officials became afraid and went into hiding. They took off their uniforms to wear civilian clothes and stopped going to work.Do Christian communities have special expectations compared to the rest of the population?Yes, the Christian community hopes that the transitional government will protect minorities during this transitional period. Christians’ villages are under threat because there are people who want to take over their land, even if they belong to their own ethnic group. Many citizens, whether Christian, Buddhist or Hindu, are treated as undesirables, “as if they were foreigners,” although they are not. The Constitution declares Bangladesh a secular state with one official religion: Islam. However, there are some who confuse the phrase “official State religion” with the idea that “minorities do not belong here” and that the country is “an Islamic State.”During the meeting with Muhammad Yunus, Chief Advisor to the interim government, the need to “protect” minorities was raised. Where does this concern come from?According to the 2022 census, Christians in Bangladesh make up 0.30% (about 500,000 believers) of the population. There have been cases of threats against villages, houses and especially schools. In many Catholic schools, there have been attempts at intimidation, with several teachers threatened with expulsion. Some Muslims reported to the school administration that their children would dress in a certain way in the future, especially if they were girls. However, wearing the burqa violates our uniform regulations. With Muhammad Yunus, I raised issues that concern Christians, but also Buddhists and Hindus. One must not forget that the Hindu minority is about 8%. Many of their temples have been destroyed and their shops burned down. And the Chief of the interim government agreed that all minorities must be protected and promised that he would try to create a law that can bring order.Recently, the establishment of a body for interreligious dialogue between the Holy See and the scholars of Islam in Bangladesh was proposed. How was this idea received?The idea of having an interreligious dialogue is not mine. The Dicastery for Interreligious Dialogue asked for it in a letter years ago, when Cardinal Jean-Louis Tauran was the head of the then Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue. Tauran himself spoke about it with former Prime Minister Sheik Hasina during one of his visits here in Bangladesh. I have already raised this idea with Sheik Hasina, and recently I have also asked Muhammed Yunus and his team to think about this possibility in concrete terms. The concept has been well received, but I think they have other concerns at the moment.Are there already concrete steps towards this project?No, but we can propose them. But we cannot force them. Unlike in the United Arab Emirates, where Pope Francis signed the document on fraternity, or in Indonesia, where the Pope recently signed a new document on tolerance and praised the “tunnel of friendship” that connects the cathedral with the mosque in Jakarta, interreligious dialogue does not find much support in Bangladesh, even if it takes place at the level of academic discussions.Regarding humanitarian aid for the Rohingya refugees, Mohammed Yden has reportedly asked the Vatican for support. How can this request be met?The Chief Advisor of the interim government did not directly ask for the Holy See’s help, as has been reported in various media. He asked for the Holy See’s support in the reforms he and his government want to implement, but not for financial help, including for the Rohingya.It was the one who asked on behalf of the Pope to continue to help and protect the Rohingya. I explained that the Catholic Church’s Caritas organization has been continuously helping the displaced since 2017, but that funds are decreasing. Before I traveled to Bangladesh, Pope Francis asked me not to forget the Rohingya. These refugees have experienced violence in their own country and came to Bangladesh to ask for help. But unfortunately, the Rohingya are considered by the local population as an ethnic and religious group that belongs to “this country”, Bangladesh.Cardinal Patrick D’Rozario and I paid them an official visit. The living conditions are very difficult. Children and young people do not receive an education. In addition, by law, 25 percent of our aid must go to the Bengali community. However, I am happy to announce that the Pope is sending further financial aid. This gesture of his will help many. (Agenzia Fides, 26/9/2024)
    Share:

    MIL OSI Europe News –

  • MIL-OSI Global: We curated a podcast playlist for you: National Day for Truth and Reconciliation

    Source: The Conversation – Canada – By Vinita Srivastava, Senior Editor, Culture + Society / Host + Exec. Producer, Don’t Call Me Resilient

    On Sept. 30, Canada will observe the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation. Formerly known as Orange Shirt Day, the now federal statutory day honours generations of Indigenous survivors, families and communities impacted by Canada’s residential school system and remembers the children who never returned home. It’s also a good time to honour the “Truth” in Truth and Reconciliation and check in on Canada’s progress on the 94 Calls to Action that came out of the Truth and Reconciliation Committee.

    Here at Don’t Call Me Resilient, we’ve curated a playlist of episodes for you that explore the historical and current issues of Indigenous communities. Through the voices of experts, the playlist features discussions related to Indigenous history, justice, rights and resistance. In each episode, Indigenous scholars and experts present their research and ideas to help explain the issues. They dive deep into conversations about the importance of preserving and protecting Indigenous land, life and identity.

    As a collection, these episodes invite listeners to engage in a process of learning and unlearning; to acknowledge the tragic legacies of residential schools in Canada and to move beyond a single day of remembrance. Individually, the conversations are thoughtful and informative explorations of Indigenous scholarship, living history and the future of reconciliation in Canada.

    Indigenous Land Defenders

    In this episode, two Indigenous land defenders from different nations as well as generations: Ellen Gabriel, a human rights activist and artist well known for her role during the 1990 Oka crisis, and Anne Spice, a professor at Toronto Metropolitan University, discuss the importance and urgency of defending land. They explain why they work to protect the land against invasive development and why their work is necessary for everyone’s survival. Also, check out Gabriel’s forthcoming book with Sean Carleton: When the Pine Needles Fall.
    (first aired: March, 2021)

    How stories about alternate worlds can help us imagine a better future

    Stories are a powerful tool to resist oppressive situations. They give writers from marginalized communities a way to imagine alternate realities, and to critique the one we live in. In this episode, Vinita speaks to two storytellers who offer up wonderous “otherworlds” for Indigenous and Black people. Selwyn Seyfu Hinds is an L.A-based screenwriter and the producer of Esi Edugyan’s Washington Black. Daniel Heath Justice is professor in Indigenous literature at the University of British Columbia and author of Why Indigenous Literatures Matter.

    Stolen Identities: What does it mean to be Indigenous?

    Over the last few years, we’ve seen a lot of high-profile figures accused of falsely claiming Indigenous identity, of being “Pretendians.” These cases have become big news stories, but they have big real-life consequences, too. Misidentifying as Indigenous can have financial and social consequences, with the misdirection of funds, jobs or grants meant for Indigenous peoples. Vinita delves into it all with two researchers who look at identity and belonging in Indigenous communities: Veldon Coburn and Celeste Pedri-Spade from McGill University.
    (first aired: October, 2021)

    Why pollution is as much about colonialism as chemicals

    The state of our environment keeps getting scarier and scarier: and we have yet to find a way forward. Two Indigenous scholars who run labs to address the climate crisis say bringing an Indigenous understanding to environmental justice could help us get unstuck. A big part of that is seeing pollution through a new lens — one that acknowledges it is as much about racism and colonialism as it is toxic chemicals. Vinita talks to Michelle Murphy at the University of Toronto, and Max Liboiron, author of Pollution is Colonialism, and associate professor at Memorial University of Newfoundland.
    (first aired: November, 2021)

    Making our food fairer

    Over 17 per cent of households in Canada are food insecure. For racialized Canadians, that number is higher — two to three times the national average. In this episode, Vinita asks what is happening with our food systems, and what we can do to make them fairer with two women who have been tackling this issue for years. Melana Roberts is Chair of Food Secure Canada and one of the leaders behind Canada’s first Black food sovereignty plan. Also joining the conversation is Tabitha Robin Martens, assistant professor at UBC’s Faculty of Land and Food Systems. Martens researches Indigenous food sovereignty and works with Cree communities to bolster traditional land uses.
    (first aired: November, 2021)

    Unmarked graves of 215 Indigenous children were found in Kamloops a year ago: What’s happened since?

    In this episode, we take a look at what has happened since the unmarked graves of 215 Indigenous children were found in Kamloops, B.C. in May 2021. Vinita speaks to Veldon Coburn, associate professor and faculty chair of the Indigenous Relations Initiative at McGill University about what happened, the widespread grief and outcry and the immediate political response, but also, how none of that lasted despite communities continuing to find bodies. Joining Vinita on the episode is Haley Lewis, then-Don’t Call Me Resilient producer and culture and society editor for The Conversation Canada. Lewis is mixed Kanyen’keha:ká from Tyendinaga and led our coverage of the findings.
    (first aired: May, 2022)

    Diamond mines are not a girl’s best friend

    Since diamond mining started in Canada in 1998, Canada has become the third-largest producer of diamonds in the world. In 2019, the inquiry into missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls linked resource extraction to spikes in violence against women. In this episode, we hear from two women who talk about how diamond mines in the Northwest Territories have negatively impacted and perpetuated gender violence, particularly among Indigenous women. Vinita chats with Rebecca Hall, assistant professor of global development studies at Queen’s University and the author of Refracted Economies: Diamond Mining and Social Reproduction in the North, and Della Green, former victim services co-ordinator, at the Native Women’s Association of the Northwest Territories.
    (first aired: June, 2022)

    Has the meaning behind the Canadian flag changed?

    After weeks of the so-called Freedom Convoy in 2022, many of us took a hard look at the symbolism of the Canadian flag and the attempt to associate it with white supremacy. Some felt a new fear or anger at what they feel the flag represents. But other communities say they have always felt this way about the Canadian flag. Both our guests on this episode have studied multiculturalism, citizenship and belonging. Daniel McNeil looks at history and culture and the complexities of global Black communities. He is a professor and Queen’s National Scholar Chair in Black Studies at Queen’s University. Lucy El-Sherif is an assistant professor of global peace and social justice at McMaster University. They help us unpack the meaning and symbolism of the Canadian flag.
    (first aired: June, 2022)

    How to decolonize journalism

    For decades, Canadian media have covered Indigenous communities with a heavy reliance on stereotypes — casting Indigenous Peoples as victims or warriors. This deep-seated bias in the news can have unsettling consequences for both how a community perceives itself as well as how others perceive them. Award-winning Anishinaabe journalist and former CBC reporter Duncan McCue is trying to change that both in the classroom and in the newsroom. He joins Vinita to talk about what Canadian media could be doing better.
    (first aired: November, 2022)

    About the Queen, the Crown’s crimes and how to talk about the unmourned

    When the Queen died, there was a tremendous outpouring of love and grief for her and the monarchy she represented. But not everyone wanted to take a moment of silence — and there are a lot of reasons why. For example, the head of the Assembly of First Nations, RoseAnne Archibald told CTV News that the Royal Family should apologize for the failures of the Crown… “particularly for the destructiveness of colonization on First Nations people.” To explore these ideas further, we reached out to two scholars, Veldon Coburn, associate professor and faculty chair of the Indigenous Relations Initiative at McGill University and Cheryl Thompson, an associate professor of media and culture at Toronto Metropolitan University. Both say that the Queen’s death could be a uniting moment of dissent for people from current and former colonies.
    (first aired: September, 2022)

    The Vatican just renounced a 500-year-old doctrine that justified colonial land theft… Now what?

    In 2023, the Vatican repudiated the Doctrine of Discovery, a 500-year-old decree used to justify settler colonialism. In this episode, political and Indigenous studies scholar Veldon Coburn explains why the Vatican’s repudiation of the Doctrine is a huge symbolic victory. We also examine what this repudiation may mean for members of Indigenous Nations, what prompted this renouncement, and what still needs to happen.
    (first aired: April, 2023)

    Digging into the colonial roots of gardening

    In this episode, we explore how the practice of gardening is deeply tied to colonialism that affects what we plant and also, who gets to garden. But there is also a growing understanding that centuries-old Indigenous land-based knowledge and practices can foster a more resilient landscape. We speak to community activist Carolynne Crawley — a woman with Mi’kmaw, Black and Irish ancestry who leads workshops and walks that integrate Indigenous teachings into practice — and Jacqueline L. Scott — a PhD candidate at the University of Toronto’s Ontario Institute for Studies in Education whose research focuses on the wilderness and making it a welcoming space for Black people. We discuss a new way forward, discussing practical gardening tips with an eye to Indigenous knowledge.
    (first aired: May, 2023)

    Botanical classification; 227 figures of plant anatomical segments with descriptive text.
    CC BY

    Why preserving Indigenous languages is so critical to culture

    This episode tackles why the revitalization of Indigenous languages is so critical. Guest host Veldon Coburn speaks with Frank Deer, professor of education at the University of Manitoba, to tackle the issue of disappearing Indigenous languages. They delve into how language reflects philosophies that guide political, cultural and ecological relationships — and discuss what more needs to be done to revitalize them.
    (first aired: June, 2023)

    Inside the search for the unmarked graves of children lost to Indian Residential Schools

    In this episode, we take you inside the ongoing quest to document the children who died in Canada’s Indian Residential Schools system. Vinita speaks to Terri Cardinal, associate vice president of Indigenous initiatives and engagement at MacEwan University, about the search she led to uncover the unmarked graves of those who perished at the Blue Quills Residential School in Alberta. It’s deeply personal and emotional work for Cardinal, whose own father is a survivor of the school. Cardinal talks about what she found, how she felt, and what she hopes will come of it. She says the number of unmarked graves across the country is much higher than many of us could have imagined. And she says it’s important to keep shining a light on the rising numbers, especially with so many Canadians in denial about what really happened at these schools.
    (first aired: September, 2023)

    Students at Blue Quills Residential School.
    Provincial Archives of Alberta, CC BY

    How journalists tell Buffy Sainte-Marie’s story matters – explained by a ‘60s Scoop survivor

    Musician Buffy Sainte-Marie in 1970.
    CMA/wikicommons, CC BY

    Lori Campbell, a ‘60s Scoop survivor and associate vice president of Indigenous engagement at the University of Regina, challenges the CBC’s motives in releasing an investigation that questioned the Indigenous roots of legendary singer-songwriter Buffy Sainte-Marie in this episode. Campbell asks: was the story in service of truth and reconciliation or a sensationalist headline? She also highlights the turmoil the story is causing, especially among Indigenous communities in Saskatchewan, home to the Piapot Nation that embraced Sainte-Marie.
    (first aired: November, 2023)

    Colonialists used starvation as a tool of oppression

    Plains Cree Chief Mistahimaskwa resisted signing a treaty with the ‘Crown,’ until starvation of his people propelled him to sign Treaty 6.
    (Library and Archives Canada), CC BY

    Vinita speaks to two famine scholars about the use of starvation as a tool in the colonizer’s playbook through two historic examples — the attempted decimation of Indigenous populations in the Plains, North America and the 1943 famine in Bengal, India. Our guests James Daschuk from the University of Regina and Janam Mukherjee at Toronto Metropolitan University discuss how colonial forces inflicted famine upon Indigenous populations to control them, their land, and their resources.
    (first aired: March, 2024)

    From stereotypes to sovereignty: How Indigenous media makers assert narrative control

    Reservation Dogs: Sarah Podemski and D’Pharaoh Woon-A-Tai.
    Shane Brown/FX

    Indigenous media in North America have rapidly expanded over the last 30 years, with Indigenous media makers gaining greater control of their own narratives, including the ability to subvert colonial representations. Karrmen Crey, who is Stó:lō from Cheam First Nation, is an associate professor in the School of Communication at Simon Fraser University in Burnaby, British Columbia, and the author of “Producing Sovereignty: The Rise of Indigenous Media in Canada.” In this special episode, recorded on-site with an audience in Vancouver at Iron Dog books, Crey speaks with Vinita about the ways Indigenous creators are using humour along with a sharp critique of pop culture to show just how different the world looks when decision-making power over how stories get told shifts and Indigenous media makers take control.
    (first aired: April, 2024)

    – ref. We curated a podcast playlist for you: National Day for Truth and Reconciliation – https://theconversation.com/we-curated-a-podcast-playlist-for-you-national-day-for-truth-and-reconciliation-239669

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Translation: APOSTOLIC JOURNEY – Pope in Luxembourg: “What drives us to mission is the joy of meeting Christ”

    MIL OSI Translation. Region: Italy –

    Source: The Holy See in Italian

    Thursday, September 26, 2024

    Vatican Media

    Luxembourg (Agenzia Fides) – Service, mission, joy. The second and final speech that Pope Francis gave in Luxembourg, the first stop on this Apostolic Journey to the heart of Europe, the 46th abroad for the Argentine Pontiff, revolves around these three words. In the Cathedral of Notre-Dame, a seventeenth-century masterpiece built in late Gothic style, the Bishop of Rome, quoting the words of the local youth, recalls that “the Luxembourgish Church wants to be ‘the Church of Jesus Christ, who did not come to be served but to serve’” because “the spirit of the Gospel is a spirit of welcome, of openness to all, and does not allow any type of exclusion”. Speaking then of the mission, Francis repeats the words of Cardinal Archbishop Jean-Claude Hollerich, who in welcoming the Pope in the Cathedral spoke of an “evolution of the Luxembourgish Church in a secularized society”. “I liked this expression: the Church, in a secularized society, evolves, matures, grows,” adds the Pontiff, who emphasizes: “It does not withdraw into itself, sad, resigned, resentful; rather, it accepts the challenge, in fidelity to the values of always, to rediscover and revalue in a new way the ways of evangelization, moving increasingly from a simple approach of pastoral care to that of missionary proclamation.” In this perspective, the Pope notes, “what drives us to the mission, in fact, is not the need to ‘make up the numbers’, to ‘proselytize’, but the desire to make as many brothers and sisters as possible know the joy of the encounter with Christ.” He then quotes Benedict XVI off the cuff: “Remember what Pope Benedict said: the Church grows by attraction, not by proselytism.” “Beyond the difficulties” there is “the living dynamism of the Holy Spirit who acts in us! Love drives us to proclaim the Gospel by opening ourselves to others and the challenge of proclaiming makes us grow as a community”, he continues. Paraphrasing Saint Gregory the Great, the Pontiff introduces the last of the three words on which he places emphasis, namely joy: “Our faith is like this: it is joyful, ‘dancing’, because it tells us that we are children of a God who is a friend of man, who wants us happy and united, and who is happier with nothing than our salvation”. Finally, the reference to a “beautiful tradition” of Luxembourg, namely the Springprozession, that is, the spring procession “which takes place at Pentecost in Echternach, in memory of the tireless missionary work of Saint Willibrord, evangelizer of these lands. The entire city pours out dancing in the streets and squares, along with many pilgrims and visitors who flock, and the procession becomes a huge, unique dance”. “The mission that the Lord entrusts to us is beautiful, to console and serve, following the example and with the help of Mary”, concludes the Pope who, before reaching the airport to fly to Belgium, opens the Marian Jubilee on the occasion of the 400 years of the veneration of Mary in Luxembourg under the title of “Consoler of the Afflicted”. Francis then pays homage to the statue of the Virgin with the golden rose. But it is already time to say goodbye: the plane to Brussels awaits. (FB) (Agenzia Fides 26/9/2024) Share:

    EDITOR’S NOTE: This article is a translation. Apologies should the grammar and/or sentence structure not be perfect.

    MIL Translation OSI

  • MIL-OSI Translation: ASIA/BANGLADESH – The trials of Bangladeshi Christians and the support for the Rohingya (with the help of the Pope): interview with the Apostolic Nuncio

    MIL OSI Translation. Region: Italy –

    Source: The Holy See in Italian

    Thursday, September 26, 2024

    by Fabio BerettaDacca (Agenzia Fides) – “The situation in Bangladesh”, where Christians represent just 0.30% of the population, “is very delicate. In general, Christians live peacefully, but there have been cases in which they have suffered abuse and bullying from their neighbors.” This was told by Archbishop Kevin Randall, Apostolic Nuncio in Bangladesh since 2023, who, when asked by Fides about the recent meeting he had with the Chief Advisor of the transitional government, outlines a cross-section of society and the commitment and support of the local Church and the Pope Francis in support of the Rohingya. After the protests and social tensions, what is the situation in Bangladesh? The situation in Bangladesh is very delicate. With an interim government some are wondering when there will be elections. Others want to rewrite the Constitution. Others say an interim government has no authority to rewrite the Constitution. In the meantime, mob violence dominates the country and the rule of law is reduced. How are Christian communities experiencing this historical moment? In general, Christians live peacefully, but there have been cases in which they have suffered abuse and bullying by of their neighbors. The police are helpless. After Sheik Hasina left the country, many officers became afraid and went into hiding. They left their uniforms to wear civilian clothes and no longer went to work. Do the Christian communities have specific expectations or feelings compared to the rest of the population? Yes, the Christian community hopes that the provisional government will protect the minorities in this transition period. Christian villages are under threat because there are those who aim to take over their land, even if they come from the same ethnic group as them. Many citizens, whether Christian, Buddhist or Hindu, are treated as unwelcome people, “as if they were foreigners”, when they are not. The Constitution declares that Bangladesh is a secular state with an official religion: Islam. But there are those who confuse the expression “official religion of the State” with the idea that “minorities do not belong to this land” and that this is “an Islamic State”. During the meeting with Muhammad Yunus, Chief Advisor to leadership of the provisional government, the need to “protect” minorities emerged. Where does this concern come from? According to the 2022 census, Christians in Bangladesh represent 0.30% (about 500,000 believers) of the national population. There have been cases of threats against villages, homes and especially schools. In many Catholic schools there have been intimidations leading to several teachers being fired. Some Muslims told school leaders that their children would dress in a certain way, especially if they were girls. But wearing the burqa is against our uniform regulations. With Dr. Yunus I discussed issues that concern Christians, as well as Buddhists and Hindus. It must be remembered that the Hindu minority is around 8%. They had many temples destroyed, their shops were burned. Dr. Yunus agreed that all minorities need protection and is trying to establish a law that would bring order. Recently, the creation of an interreligious dialogue body between the Holy See and scholars of Islam in Bangladesh has been suggested. How was this idea received? The idea of ​​having an interreligious dialogue is not mine. The Dicastery for Interreligious Dialogue, through a letter, asked for it but already years ago, when Cardinal Jean Louis Tauran was head of the then Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue. Tauran himself, during his trip here to Bangladesh, spoke about it with former prime minister Sheik Hasina. I raised this idea with Sheik Hasina and, more recently, asked Dr. Yunus and his team to think concretely about this possibility. The concept was well received, but I think they have other concerns. With respect to this project, are there already concrete steps for its realization? No, but they can be proposed. We can’t force it. Unlike the United Arab Emirates, where Pope Francis signed the document on fraternity, or Indonesia, where the same Pontiff signed a new document on tolerance praising the “friendship tunnel” that connects the cathedral to the mosque in Jakarta, In Bangladesh, interreligious dialogue does not find much support, even when it is practiced at the level of academic discussions. On humanitarian assistance to Rohingya refugees, the Chief Councilor asked for the support of the Vatican. How can this request be taken into consideration? The Chief Councilor did not ask me for help from the Holy See, as reported by various media. He has asked for the Holy See’s support in the reforms he and his team are carrying out but not in terms of financial help, including with regards to the Rohingya. It was I who asked the Chief Adviser, on behalf of the Pope, to continue to help and protect the Rohingya. I explained that the Catholic Church’s Caritas organization has been helping displaced people continuously since 2017, but that funding is dwindling. Before my departure for Bangladesh, Pope Francis asked me not to forget the Rohingya. These migrants were experiencing violence in their own country and came here for help. But unfortunately, the Rohingya are perceived by the Burmese as an ethnic and religious group that belongs to “this country”, Bangladesh. Cardinal Patrick D’Rozario and I paid an official visit. The living conditions are very difficult. Children and young people are not given any education. Additionally, by law, 25% of our assistance must go back to the local community. I am happy to announce that the Pope is sending further financial aid. This gesture of his will help many. (Agenzia Fides 26/9/2024)Share:

    EDITOR’S NOTE: This article is a translation. Apologies should the grammar and/or sentence structure not be perfect.

    MIL Translation OSI

  • MIL-OSI Translation: VATICAN/GENERAL AUDIENCE – Lebanon, the Pope: the international community must do everything possible to stop the “terrible escalation”

    MIL OSI Translation. Region: Italy –

    Source: The Holy See in Italian

    Wednesday, September 25, 2024

    Vatican Media

    Vatican City (Agenzia Fides) – “I am saddened by the news coming from Lebanon, where in recent days intense bombings have caused many victims and destruction”. At the end of the general audience, Pope Francis’ thoughts go to the Middle East, in particular to Lebanon, hit by a new Israeli raid in the last few hours. And while the first Hezbollah missile is intercepted over Tel Aviv, the Pontiff, from the parvis of the Vatican basilica hopes “that the international community will make every effort to stop this terrible escalation. It is unacceptable! I express my closeness to the Lebanese people, who have already suffered too much in the recent past”. “And let us pray for all the peoples who suffer because of the war: let us not forget the tormented Ukraine, Myanmar, Palestine, Israel, Sudan, all tormented peoples. Let us pray for peace”, adds the Pontiff, who during the general audience, today’s five hundredth, reiterates that one must not dialogue with the devil. “The strongest proof of Satan’s existence is not found in sinners or the possessed, but in saints,” says the Bishop of Rome, continuing the series of catecheses on the theme “The Spirit and his bride,” focusing today on the role of the Holy Spirit as “our ally in the fight against evil.” “It is true that the devil is present and operating in certain extreme and inhuman forms of evil and wickedness that we see around us,” Pope Francis emphasizes. “In this way, however, it is practically impossible to arrive, in individual cases, at the certainty that it is really him, given that we cannot know precisely where his action ends and our own evil begins. For this reason, the Church is very prudent and very rigorous in the exercise of exorcism, unlike what happens, unfortunately, in certain films!” “It is in the lives of the saints that the devil is forced to come out into the open, to place himself against the light,” he points out. More or less, all the saints and great believers testify to their struggle with this dark reality, and one cannot honestly suppose that they were all deluded or simply victims of the prejudices of their time”. And in our time, where technology reigns supreme, it is precisely this that offers, “in addition to many positive resources that should be appreciated, also countless means to give occasion to the devil, and many fall for it. Let us think of pornography on the Internet, behind which there is a flourishing market, we all know, it is the devil who works there. This is a very widespread phenomenon, but Christians must be wary of it and must forcefully reject it”. “Any cell phone has access to this brutality, to this language of the devil, pornography on the Internet”, the Pope said off the cuff. “The awareness of the devil’s action in history must not discourage us. The final thought must be, in this case too, one of trust and security. ‘I am with the Lord, go away!’ Christ defeated the devil and gave us the Holy Spirit to make his victory our own. The enemy’s action itself can turn to our advantage, if with God’s help we make it serve our purification. Be careful, the devil is cunning, but we Christians, with the grace of God, are more cunning than him”. (FB) (Agenzia Fides 25/9/2024) Share:

    EDITOR’S NOTE: This article is a translation. Apologies should the grammar and/or sentence structure not be perfect.

    MIL Translation OSI

  • MIL-OSI Europe: VATICAN/GENERAL AUDIENCE – Lebanon: the international community should “make every effort to stop this terrible escalation”

    Source: Agenzia Fides – MIL OSI

    Wednesday, 25 September 2024

    Vatican Media

    Vatican City (Agenzia Fides) – “I am saddened by the news from Lebanon, where in recent days the intense bombings have claimed many victims and caused destruction,” said Francis during the general audience in front of thousands of pilgrims and tourists. “I hope that the international community will make every effort to stop this terrible escalation. It is unacceptable. I express my closeness to the Lebanese people, who have already suffered too much in the recent past.”And let us pray for everyone, for all the peoples who suffer as a result of war: let us not forget tormented Ukraine, Myanmar, Palestine, Israel, Sudan, all the suffering peoples. Let us pray for peace,” added the Pope, who reiterated during today’s 500th general audience of his pontificate that one should not speak to the devil. “The strongest proof of the existence of Satan is found not in sinners or the possessed, but in the saints,” the Pope explained. He continued the cycle of catechisms on the theme “The Spirit and the Bride” and today focused on the role of the Holy Spirit as “our ally in the fight against evil”.”It is true that the devil is present and working in certain extreme and “inhuman” forms of evil and wickedness that we see around us,” said Pope Francis. “But by this route, though, it is practically impossible to reach, in individual cases, the certainty that it is truly him, given that we cannot know with precision where his action ends and our own evil begins. This is why the Church is so prudent and so rigorous in performing exorcism, unlike what happens, unfortunately, in certain films!”.”It is in the life of the saints, precisely there, that the devil is forced to come out into the open, to place himself “against the light,” he stressed. All the saints, all the great believers testify to their struggle with “this obscure reality”and one cannot honestly assume that they were all deluded or mere victims of the prejudices of their time. He was more skeptical about the attempt to deduce the existence of the devil from the evil in the world. “And yet our technological and secularized world is teeming with magicians, occultism, spiritualism, astrologers, sellers of spells and amulets, and unfortunately with real satanic sects.” Unfortunately, modern technology offers “countless means” to give an opportunity to the devil. “Think of online pornography, behind which there is a flourishing market: we all know this. It is the devil at work, there. And this is a very widespread phenomenon, which Christians should beware of and strongly reject.” But Christians should not be discouraged by “knowing the devil’s action in history.” “Christ overcame the devil and gave us the Holy Spirit to make His victory our own.” (F.B.) (Agenzia Fides, 25/9/2024)
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  • MIL-OSI Global: Continuing crackdown on churches and NGOs moves Nicaragua further from democracy to authoritarianism

    Source: The Conversation – USA – By Richard Wood, President of the Institute for Advanced Catholic Studies, USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences

    A man prays at the Metropolitan Cathedral in Managua, the capital of Nicaragua, in August 2022. Oswaldo Rivas/AFP via Getty Images

    The Nicaraguan government recently shut down more than 1,500 nonprofits – many of them civic and religious groups doing humanitarian work in a country long mired in political violence, economic upheaval and social strife.

    The August 2024 closures were the latest in a long-running crackdown on civil society, including religious groups – some of the last influential, independent organizations in the country. That same month, the government revoked churches’ tax-exempt status. Over the past few years, many houses of worship have been closed or had their bank accounts frozen.

    As a sociologist, I have worked with Central American scholars to research the role of religion in public life in Central America, including Nicaragua. Several hundred Catholic figures have been detained in an ongoing crackdown under President Daniel Ortega, now 78, who leads the Sandinista National Liberation Front.

    Sweeping suppression

    Ortega’s FSLN party, as it is known in Spanish, is the authoritarian remnant of the group that led a broad national movement against Anastasio Somoza Debayle’s dictatorship in the 1970s. After overthrowing Somoza in 1979, Ortega and the Sandinistas governed until losing the 1990 election.

    Since Ortega returned to power in the 2006 elections, moderates have fled the FSLN, which since then has used oppression and violence for political and social control. In 2013, the National Assembly removed presidential term limits set by the Nicaraguan constitution.

    In April 2018, Ortega’s regime began targeting student protesters. Since then, hundreds of citizens — religious leaders, university students, academics, journalists and doctors — have been killed or arrested, gone into hiding or been forced to flee the country.

    Ortega’s crackdown has been broad. Universities had their assets confiscated and funding cut, and some have been shut down as the government took control of higher education. Media outlets have been shuttered, and international aid organizations have been expelled.

    Paramilitary police officers and prison guards have been accused of engaging in arbitrary killings and torture. Meanwhile, a record number of refugees are fleeing the country.

    Parishioners attend Mass at St. Agatha Catholic Church in Miami, which has become the spiritual home of the growing Nicaraguan diaspora.
    AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell

    Silencing churches

    Among the nearly 5,500 nonprofits that closed in Nicaragua between 2018 and 2024 are Catholic, evangelical Christian and historical Protestant organizations, as well as secular humanitarian ones. Of those, 1,650 organizations and churches were shuttered in August 2024, with government officials claiming their closure was due to ties to private enterprises or a lack of financial records.

    Catholic media and radio stations, missionary orders and humanitarian groups have been shuttered, too, as Ortega and the vice president – his wife, Rosario Murillo – have sought to eliminate settings where ideas and information freely flow, and people act independently of the government.

    The highest-profile religious leader caught up in the clampdown is Rolando Álvarez, a popular bishop, critic of Ortega, and a prominent Catholic voice of protest. Álvarez was detained in August 2022, accused of “conspiracy and spreading false news,” stripped of his citizenship and sentenced to 26 years in prison.

    Police officers and riot police block the main entrance of a church building in Matagalpa, Nicaragua, in August 2022 to prevent Bishop Rolando Álvarez from leaving.
    STR/AFP via Getty Images

    With international pressure mounting, Alvarez and a group of fellow detained Catholic clergy were released in January 2024 and exiled to the Vatican – where the regime had previously expelled the apostolic nuncio, the pope’s top diplomat in Nicaragua. They are among 245 Catholic figures the country has expelled in recent years. An additional 135 people, including Catholics and evangelicals, were expelled and stripped of their citizenship in September 2024.

    Today, 43% of Nicaraguan citizens identity as Catholics. But that percentage used to be much higher, and the country has deep cultural roots in Catholicism.

    In Nicaragua, as in much of Latin America, the Catholic Church is the most powerful source of social authority and the largest independent institution for public debate. It represents a key channel through which democratic values may take root, grow and thrive – an obstacle, in the regime’s eyes.

    For many years, the church was the only organization to escape Ortega’s grip – but no longer.

    Dangerous path

    I have witnessed firsthand Nicaragua’s shift from a country with promising seeds of democracy to violent autocracy. As civil war raged between the original Sandinista regime and U.S.-backed Contras in the 1980s, I led travel seminars to Nicaragua for faith groups, journalists, congressional aides and university students. I once personally encountered Ortega, serving as translator during a meeting with American journalists when his official translator failed to show up.

    Today, as Ortega continues to consolidate power by crushing opposition, Nicaragua has deteriorated into an oppressive state ruled with an iron fist. This reality reflects broader dynamics globally, from autocratic movements in the U.S. and Western Europe to current regimes in Russia, India, Turkey, Hungary and China.

    Nicaraguan citizens wave from a bus after being released from a Nicaraguan jail and landing in Guatemala City on Sept. 5, 2024.
    AP Photo/Moises Castillo

    Closer to home, Ortega poses a regional threat as a model for other potential autocrats. This is especially the case for neighbors like El Salvador, where President Nayib Bukele – the popular, self-described “coolest dictator” – is going down a similar path of turning the nation into an authoritarian state.

    I have seen Nicaraguans’ generosity and courage in the long fight for liberty and justice. The closure of democratic spaces, civic institutions and humanitarian organizations, along with the suppression of religious freedom, is a glaring sign that the country is being marched toward more oppression and violence – and, as history shows, risks becoming ripe for revolution.

    Only a gradual rebuilding of civil society, I believe, may save Nicaragua from that fate. The tragedy is what Nicaragua could have been: a thriving democratic society, with a commitment to empowering the poor.

    From 1983-1987 and part-time from 1987-1992, Richard Wood worked running travel seminars in Mexico and Central America. From 2010-2012, he received funding from the Center on Religion and Civic Culture at the University of Southern California and The John Templeton Foundation for research collaboration with Central American researchers.

    – ref. Continuing crackdown on churches and NGOs moves Nicaragua further from democracy to authoritarianism – https://theconversation.com/continuing-crackdown-on-churches-and-ngos-moves-nicaragua-further-from-democracy-to-authoritarianism-238178

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Europe: ASIA/INDONESIA – Father Alfonsus Widhiwiryawan appointed National Director of the Pontifical Mission Societies

    Source: Agenzia Fides – MIL OSI

    Tuesday, 24 September 2024

    Vatican City (Agenzia Fides) – On 5 September 2024, Cardinal Luis Antonio G. Tagle, Pro-Prefect of the Dicastery for Evangelization (Section for First Evangelization and New Particular Churches), appointed Father Alfonsus Widhiwiryawan (SX) National Director of the Pontifical Mission Societies in Indonesia for a five-year term.The new National Director was born in 1979 and completed his novitiate and first religious vows at the Society of Saint Francis Xavier for Foreign Missions (Xaverians) in Jakarta. Ordained a priest in 2009, he studied philosophy and theology, obtaining a bachelor’s degree in theology and a canonical license in spirituality. He studied Italian language and culture in Parma, Spanish in Madrid and English in Glasgow.He was Vice Rector of the Pre-Novitiate of the Xaverians in Jakarta (2011-2023), Vice Assistant Priest in the Parish of St. Matius Penginjil in Bintaro (Jakarta), where he also worked as a teacher of religion at a state institute (2013-2015); Lecturer of Theology at STF Driyarkara in Jakarta and member of the Training Commission of the Xaverians of Indonesia (2012-2016). He was Lecturer of Biblical Institutions in Indonesia and Vice Rector of Philosophy Studies at the Xaverians in Jakarta (2015-2016), and he was Director of Animation and Missionary Vocation at the Society of St. Francis Xavier for Foreign Missions in Yogyakarta (2016-2021). In 2021 he was Rector of the Domus St. Francis Xavier in Padang (Central Sumatra). From 2022 to 2024 he headed the Youth Commission of the Diocese of Padang and was Diocesan Director of the Pontifical Mission Societies of the diocese; he was also assistant parish priest of the parish of St. Francis of Assisi in Padangbaru (Central Sumatra) and formator at the “Maria Nirmala” Minor Seminary in Padang. (EG) (Agenzia Fides, 24/9/2024)
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  • MIL-OSI Europe: ASIA/SOUTH KOREA – World Youth Day 2027 in Seoul: young people from all over the world to become “courageous missionaries”

    Source: Agenzia Fides – MIL OSI

    Tuesday, 24 September 2024

    Arcidiocesi Seoul

    Rome (Agenzia Fides) – From a country where faith was transmitted “without the help of missionaries”, young people are to become “courageous missionaries” able to bear witness to the joy of the Gospel. This is the wish of the organizers of the next World Youth Day, to be held in Seoul in 2027, whose logo and theme have already been decided.“Take courage: I have conquered the world” (Jn 16:33) is the theme chosen by the Pope, while the logo depicts a red and blue cross. These colors symbolize Christ’s victory over the world. The overall design is inspired by traditional Korean art, using the brushstroke techniques of Korean painting and including the Hangul characters that represent Seoul. In addition, the red on one side of the cross symbolizes the blood of the martyrs and harmonizes with the theme of “courage”. Blue represents the vitality of youth and symbolizes the call of God. Together, these colors recall the Taegeuk motif of the Korean flag. The yellow that shines behind the cross represents Christ, the “light of the world,” who shines on the Church like the sun that rises in the east and leads the Church to unity.The theme and logo were unveiled this morning during a press conference at the Vatican attended by Cardinal Kevin J. Farrell, Prefect of the Dicastery for Laity, Family and Life, which organizes World Youth Day, Peter Soon-Taick Chung, Archbishop of Seoul and President of the Local Organizing Committee for WYD Seoul 2027, and Paul Kyung Sang Lee, Auxiliary Bishop of Seoul and General Coordinator of WYD Seoul 2027.“The pilgrimage to WYD Seoul 2027 will be more than just a gathering,” said the Archbishop of Seoul, pointing out that, along with the beginning of the Holy Year, “it will be a meaningful journey where young people, united with Jesus Christ, will reflect and discuss the modern challenges and injustices they face. It will be a great celebration where everyone can experience the vibrant and energetic culture of young Koreans. It will also be an opportunity to immerse oneself in and share the dynamic and passionate culture that young Koreans have created. In addition, this celebration will provide young Koreans with a valuable opportunity to engage with and share the concerns and passions of their peers.”Korea, Bishop Paul Kyung Sang Lee continued, “is in a unique context, different from that of previous World Youth Days, characterized by the harmonious coexistence of different religious traditions. In this context, the Korean Catholic Church has always embodied the Christian virtues of ‘forgiveness’ and ‘sharing’, promoting these values in society while living peacefully with other religions. In the reality of living in a ‘divided nation’, the Church has worked tirelessly over the past seven decades to resolve the conflicts inherent in this division and has striven for peace and unity for the Korean people. The emergence of K-Catholic and K-Faith among our youth is a testimony to these efforts. Our youth and young believers remain open to interreligious dialogue and strive for harmonious and peaceful coexistence.”The road to Seoul, however, will first pass through Rome. As is customary after every international WYD, the young people of Lisbon will hand over the symbols of WYD to the young Koreans, namely the Youth Cross and the Marian icon of the “Salus populi romani” on November 24, the Solemnity of Christ, King of the Universe, during the Holy Mass that the Pope will preside over in St. Peter’s Basilica.”We hope that many young people, even those who have never participated in a WYD, will take a journey over the next three years, especially an interior journey, to finally meet the Successor of Peter in Asia and give a courageous witness to Christ together,” concluded Cardinal Farrel. (F.B.) (Agenzia Fides, 24/9/2024)

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  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: SPEECH BY MR ONG YE KUNG, MINISTER FOR HEALTH, AT THE NATIONAL MEDICAL EXCELLENCE AWARDS 2024, 24 SEPTEMBER 2024, 7.30PM AT PAN PACIFIC HOTEL SINGAPORE

    Source: Asia Pacific Region 2 – Singapore

    Award recipients and their families,
    Colleagues, ladies and gentlemen, 
    1. I am pleased to join you tonight for the 16th National Medical Excellence Awards (NMEA) ceremony. The awards are given annually by the Ministry of Health (MOH) to recognise outstanding healthcare professionals who have made significant contributions in the advancement of healthcare in Singapore. 
    2. The NMEA is significant because it recognises people. With resources, any system can construct infrastructure and any system can procure equipment and therapeutics, but it takes special capability to be able to nurture and develop good people who build a great healthcare system. 
    3. Recently the Pope visited Singapore as part of his Asia-Pacific tour. For those who have visited his home city – the Vatican City, we will know about Saint Peter’s Basilica. It is a majestic structure supported by large stone pillars. We have a very small version of this at MOH. When I go to work every day, I will also admire the brick columns fronting the College of Medicine Building. 
    4. The equivalent of these pillars for our healthcare system are our people. Let me briefly describe these pillars, in no particular order. 
    Pillars of Healthcare
    5. The first pillar are our doctors and dentists. They stand at the forefront of patient care, working in multi-disciplinary care teams to deliver holistic care.
    6. Each clinician – specialists and generalists – brings something important to the table. However, as our population ages and patients have multiple conditions, there is an increasing demand for broad-based competencies. That is why we are trying to train more Hospital Clinicians, and Senior and Principal Hospital Clinicians who can oversee and coordinate care for patients. They are increasingly assuming the role of team lead in acute hospitals. 
    7. Clinicians also serve as educators, scientists and mentors. Their work in research shapes the future of medicine, while their roles as mentors and educators nurture the next generation of healthcare professionals. 
    8. This evening, we recognise clinicians who epitomise the spirit and contribution in public healthcare. Tonight, we are recognising Professors Tan Ban Hock, Jerry Chan, Jodhbir Mehta, Tan Suat Hoon, Associate Professor Gerald Chua and Adjunct Professor Lau Tang Ching. 
    9. The second pillar are our nurses, the largest group of healthcare professionals in our healthcare system. We have over the years elevated the role of nurses. Nurses now coordinate care, ensure treatments are properly delivered, comfort patients and their loved ones, and push the boundaries of care through nursing research, education and innovation.
    10. As the healthcare landscape evolves, their contributions extend well beyond bedside care, to anchoring care in the community, even shaping health habits amongst the population. 
    11. Third, Allied Health Professionals and pharmacists, who cover a wide range of expertise. Again, as the centre of gravity of care shifts out of hospitals and towards the community, their roles in screening, diagnosing, rehabilitating, providing vital support to patients and caregivers, and optimising medication regimens, are becoming more embedded in our day to day living environment. 
    12. The importance of their roles is growing, and so are the opportunities for them to lead community care initiatives.
    13. The final pillar comprises the rich expertise of non-healthcare professionals, who work alongside, around or behind healthcare professionals to keep the healthcare system going. I am happy to say that as a non-healthcare professional, this is the pillar that I belong to!
    14. For example, healthcare administrators ensure the smooth operations of our medical facilities and operations. They handle the budgets, finances, manpower, and ensure compliance with MOH’s regulations. IT professionals are transforming healthcare using data and digitalisation. Healthcare social workers help address the determinants of health at home and in the community. 
    15. These four pillars uphold the two key structures of our healthcare system – acute hospital care, and community care. They are separate, but contiguous, even overlapping structures. As I have alluded to in my speech so far, driven by an ageing population with changing healthcare needs, and major national programmes such as Healthier SG and Age Well SG, care is increasingly anchored in communities, health is being built up outside of hospitals, and new care models involving partnership between hospitals and community organisations, are emerging. 
    Caring for our Community
    16. There is therefore a growing need for awards like the NMEA to recognise these decisive changes that are happening. 
    17. Hence, this year, we have introduced the new National Community Care Excellence Team Award. The inaugural recipient of this new award category is the Social Prescribing Programme led by SingHealth Community Hospitals, in partnership with the Agency for Integrated Care, SkillsFuture Singapore, and several Active Ageing Centres. 
    18. The team has successfully integrated clinical care with social prescriptions, by bringing hospital and community partners to work together. As a result, patients recover faster, they can better manage chronic diseases and improve their health and wellbeing. The team has made a name for themselves internationally and have participated as guest speakers for World Health Organization (WHO) webinars and co-developed online courses for WHO’s online course platform.
    19. In addition, and I think this does not happen very frequently, the Clinical Excellence Team Award this year goes to a community-based, rather than a hospital-based initiative. The recipient is the Neighbours for Active Living, or “Neighbours” Programme, by Changi General Hospital (CGH). 
    20. Through this programme, CGH has identified over 14,000 residents who require follow up in the community. With the consent of the residents, they are then engaged by healthcare professionals and trained volunteers, to develop care plans for their health and social needs. The Neighbours programme is a new care model, which gives us a glimpse of the next phase of development of the national Age Well SG programme.
    21. I should add that other than care models, there are many other efforts to help anchor care in the community. For example:
    • We are expanding the capacity of community hospitals and Transitional Care Facilities. 
    • From next month, we will enhance the subsidies of community hospitals, to align with those of acute hospitals. This was announced some time ago, and effective from 1 October. The funding will be aligned. We will also allow subsidises for advanced diagnostics at community hospitals. By doing this, we minimise the delays and remove the friction for transfer from the acute hospitals to community hospitals.
    • We are expanding the number of Active Ageing Centres. Out of a total of 209 centres, 199 are offering programmes across at least the four domains of physical, learning, volunteer and communal dining activities. About one-third of them is engaging 30% or more of the seniors assigned to them. When we started looking at the data, everyone was at the low, single-digit engagement. Now 30% is engaging 30% or more.
    • We continue to make improvements to our data infrastructure, to facilitate sharing of patient data by healthcare professionals across settings. It also removes the need for repeated tests, screenings and assessment each time a patient moves from one setting to another. 
    22. All these added together, plus all your efforts, I think we are transforming the healthcare landscape. All these transformations are happening at a fairly rapid pace. It may be uncomfortable for some, but we have to change as our demography, patient profile and needs are also changing just as fast. With a common purpose and determination, in a few years’ time, we will have a different healthcare system. What will not change is that it will still be a system upheld by those core pillars, which are our people. 
    23. In closing, let me congratulate once again all our NMEA recipients. It is an honour and truly inspiring to be able to work with all of you. Thank you for your hard work and dedication, and also that of your loved ones and families who have supported you and continue to support you in this journey. I wish everyone an enjoyable evening. 

    MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –

  • MIL-OSI Translation: ASIA/SOUTH KOREA – WYD 2027: Young people from all over the world in Seoul to be “courageous missionaries”

    MIL OSI Translation. Region: Italy –

    Source: The Holy See in Italian

    Tuesday, September 24, 2024

    Archdiocese of Seoul

    Rome (Agenzia Fides) – From a land where faith was transmitted “without the assistance of missionaries”, young people will be called to become “courageous missionaries” who can bear witness to the joy of the Gospel in every corner of the planet. This is the hope of the organizers of the next World Youth Day, scheduled to be held in Seoul in 2027, which already has its logo and theme. “Be of good courage: I have conquered the world!” (Jn 16:33) is the theme chosen by the Pope, while the logo depicts a red and blue cross. These colors symbolize Christ’s triumphal victory over the world. Inspired by traditional Korean art, the overall design uses the unique brushstroke techniques of Korean painting and subtly incorporates the Hangul characters that represent Seoul. Furthermore, the red on one side of the cross symbolizes the blood of the martyrs, harmonizing with the theme of “courage”. The blue represents the vitality of young people and symbolizes God’s call. Together, these colors reflect the Taegeuk motif of the Korean flag. The yellow that shines behind the cross represents Christ, who is the “Light of the World” and shines on the Church like the sun that rises from the East and guides the Church towards unity. Both were announced this morning during a press conference held in the Vatican, attended by Cardinal Kevin J. Farrell, Prefect of the Dicastery for the Laity, Family and Life, the Dicastery under which the organization of World Youth Day falls, Peter Soon-Taick Chung, Archbishop of Seoul and President of the Local Organizing Committee of Seoul 2027, Paul Kyung Sang Lee, Auxiliary Bishop of Seoul and General Coordinator of WYD Seoul 2027. “The pilgrimage to WYD Seoul 2027 will be more than a simple gathering,” said the Archbishop of Seoul, specifying that what will begin with the Jubilee “will be a significant journey in which young people, united with Jesus Christ, will reflect and discuss the modern challenges and the injustices they face. It will be a grand celebration that will allow everyone to experience the vibrant and energetic culture that young Koreans have created. It will also be an opportunity to immerse themselves in and share the dynamic and passionate culture that young Koreans have produced. Furthermore, through this celebration, young Koreans will have a valuable opportunity to engage and share the concerns and passions of their peers.” Bishop Paul Kyung Sang Lee noted that Korea “is in a unique context, different from previous World Youth Days, characterized by the harmonious coexistence of different religious traditions. In this context, the Korean Catholic Church has consistently embodied the Christian virtues of ‘forgiveness’ and ‘sharing’, promoting these values in society and peacefully coexisting with other faiths. In a persistent reality of a ‘divided nation’, over the past seven decades the Church has worked diligently to resolve the conflicts inherent in this division, seeking peace and unity for the Korean people. The emergence of K-Catholic and K-Faith among our young people is a testimony to these efforts. Our young people and our young believers remain open to interreligious dialogue and aspire to harmonious and peaceful coexistence”. The journey to Seoul will, however, pass through Rome first. As is customary after every international WYD, in fact, the young people of Lisbon will deliver the symbols of WYD to the young Koreans, namely the Youth Cross and the icon of the Salus populi romani on November 24, Solemnity of Christ the King of the Universe, during the Holy Mass that will be presided over by the Pope in St. Peter’s Basilica. “Our hope is that many young people, even those who have never participated in a WYD, in the next three years will travel a path, especially an interior one, to meet in Asia together with the Successor of Peter and to give together a courageous testimony of Christ”, concluded Cardinal Farrel. (FB) (Agenzia Fides 24/9/2024)

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    EDITOR’S NOTE: This article is a translation. Apologies should the grammar and/or sentence structure not be perfect.

    MIL Translation OSI

  • MIL-OSI Translation: ASIA/INDONESIA – Appointment of the new director of the Pontifical Mission Societies

    MIL OSI Translation. Region: Italy –

    Source: The Holy See in Italian

    Tuesday, September 24, 2024

    Vatican City (Agenzia Fides) – Cardinal Luis Antonio G. Tagle, Pro-Prefect of the Dicastery for Evangelization (Section for the first evangelization and the new particular Churches), on 5 September 2024, appointed Rev. Fr. Alfonsus Widhiwiryawan SX, director of the Pontifical Mission Societies (PMS) of Indonesia for five years. The new director of the Indonesian PMS was born in 1979 and carried out his novitiate and first religious vows with the Xaverian missionaries in Jakarta. He was ordained a priest in 2009 and studied philosophy and theology, obtaining a bachelor’s degree in theology and a license in spirituality. He studied Italian language and culture in Parma, Spanish language in Madrid and English language in Glasgow. He was vice rector of the pre-novitiate of the Xaverian missionaries in Jakarta (2011-2023), assistant parish priest in the parish of St. Matius Penginjil in Bintaro (Jakarta) where he also served as a religion teacher in a state institute (2013-2015); a theology teacher at the STF Driyarkara in Jakarta, he was a member of the formation commission of the Xaverian missionaries of Indonesia (2012-2016). A teacher in biblical institutions in Indonesia and vice rector of the philosophy studentate at the Xaverian missionaries in Jakarta (2015-2016), he was director of animation and missionary vocation of the Xaverian missionaries in Yogyakarta (2016-2021). In 2021 he held the role of rector of the Domus San Francesco Saverio in Padang (Central Sumatra). From 2022 to 2024 he was responsible for the commission for the youth of the diocese of Padang and diocesan director of the PMS of the same diocese; he was also vice parish priest of the parish of San Francesco d’Assisi in Padangbaru (Central Sumatra) and formator of the Minor Seminary “Maria Nirmala” in Padang. (EG) (Agenzia Fides 24/09/2024) Share:

    EDITOR’S NOTE: This article is a translation. Apologies should the grammar and/or sentence structure not be perfect.

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  • MIL-OSI Translation: AFRICA/CONGORD- Appointment of the Bishop of Isiro-Niangara

    MIL OSI Translation. Region: Italy –

    Source: The Holy See in Italian

    Monday, September 23, 2024

    Vatican City (Agenzia Fides) – The Holy Father has appointed Bishop Dieudonné Madrapile Tanzi, currently Bishop of the Diocese of Isangi, as Bishop of Isiro-Niangara, in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, transferring him from the same See. Bishop Dieudonné Madrapile Tanzi was born on 18 August 1958 in Niangara. He received priestly ordination on 25 August 1985 for the Diocese of Isiro-Niangara. He has held the following positions and carried out further studies: Formator in the Minor Seminary of Rungu (1985-1986); Professor and spiritual animator in the Interdiocesan Major Seminary of Philosophy Saint Augustin, Kisangani (1986-1996); Vicar General of the Diocese of Isiro-Niangara (1996-2001); Diocesan Administrator of Isiro-Niangara (2001-2003); Rector of the National Marian Shrine of Blessed Anuarite (2003-2006); Doctorate in Missiology at the Pontifical Urbaniana University, Rome (2006-2013); Chaplain of the Daughters of St. Mary of Providence, Work of Don Guanella, Rome; Professor of Pastoral Theology at the Pontifical Urbaniana University (2012-2016). Since 12 July 2024 he has been Apostolic Administrator of the Diocese of Isiro-Niangara. He was elected Bishop of Isangi on 2 April 2016 and consecrated on 10 July 2016. (EG) (Agenzia Fides 23/09/2024) Share:

    EDITOR’S NOTE: This article is a translation. Apologies should the grammar and/or sentence structure not be perfect.

    MIL Translation OSI

  • MIL-OSI Translation: AFRICA/DR CONGO – Appointment of the Bishop of Isiro-Niangara

    MIL OSI Translation. Region: Italy –

    Source: The Holy See in Italian

    Monday, September 23, 2024

    Vatican City (Agenzia Fides) – The Holy Father Francis has appointed Bishop of Isiro-Niangara, in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, HE Mgr. Dieudonné Madrapile Tanzi, until now Bishop of the Diocese of Isangi, transferring him from the same See. Dieudonné Madrapile Tanzi was born on 18 August 1958 in Niangara. He received priestly ordination on 25 August 1985 for the Diocese of Isiro-Niangara. He has held the following positions and carried out further studies: Formator in the Minor Seminary of Rungu (1985-1986); Professor and spiritual animator in the Interdiocesan Major Seminary of Philosophy Saint Augustin, Kisangani (1986-1996); Vicar General of the Diocese of Isiro-Niangara (1996-2001); Diocesan Administrator of Isiro-Niangara (2001-2003); Rector of the National Marian Shrine of Blessed Anuarite (2003-2006); Doctorate in Missiology at the Pontifical Urbaniana University, Rome (2006-2013); Chaplain of the Daughters of St. Mary of Providence, Work of Don Guanella, Rome; Professor of Pastoral Theology at the Pontifical Urbaniana University (2012-2016). Since 12 July 2024 he has been Apostolic Administrator of the Diocese of Isiro-Niangara. He was elected Bishop of Isangi on 2 April 2016 and consecrated on 10 July 2016. (EG) (Agenzia Fides 23/09/2024) Share:

    EDITOR’S NOTE: This article is a translation. Apologies should the grammar and/or sentence structure not be perfect.

    MIL Translation OSI

  • MIL-OSI Europe: AFRICA/DR CONGO – Appointment of bishop of Isiro-Niangara

    Source: Agenzia Fides – MIL OSI

    Monday, 23 September 2024

    Vatican City (Agenzia Fides) – The Holy Father has appointed Bishop Dieudonné Madrapile Tanzi as bishop of Isiro-Niangara, Democratic Republic of the Congo, transferring him from the pastoral care of the diocese of Isangi.Bishop Bishop Dieudonné Madrapile Tanzi was born on 18 August 1958 in Niangara. He received priestly ordination on 25 August 1985 for the diocese of Isiro-Niangara.After ordination, he first held the roles of formator in Rungu Minor Seminary (1985-1986), teacher and spiritual animator of the Saint Augustin Interdiocesan Major Seminary of philosophy, Kisangani (1986-1996), vicar general of the diocese of Isiro-Niangara (1996-2001), diocesan administrator of Isiro-Niangara (2001-2003), and rector of the Blessed Anuarite National Marian Shrine (2003-2006). After receiving a doctorate in missiology from the Pontifical Urbaniana University, Rome (2006-2013), he went on to serve as chaplain of the Daughters of Saint Mary of Providence, Opera Don Guanella, Rome, and professor of pastoral theology at the Pontifical Urbaniana University (2012-2016). Since 12 July 2024 he has been apostolic administrator of the diocese of Isiro-Niangara. He was elected bishop of Isangi on 2 April 2016 and consecrated on 10 July 2016. (EG) (Agenzia Fides, 23/9/2024)
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  • MIL-OSI Europe: AMERICA/PUERTO RICO – Appointment of special envoy for the celebration of the Sixth American Missionary Congress (CAM6)

    Source: Agenzia Fides – MIL OSI

    Saturday, 21 September 2024

    Vatican City (Agenzia Fides) – The Holy Father has appointed His Eminence Cardinal Baltazar Enrique Porras Cardozo, archbishop emeritus of Caracas, as his special envoy to the celebration of the Sixth American Missionary Congress (CAM6), taking place in Ponce, Puerto Rico, from 19 to 24 November 2024. (Agenzia Fides, 21/9/2024)
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  • MIL-OSI Translation: VATICAN/ANGELUS – The Pope: “We are all alive because we have been welcomed”

    MIL OSI Translation. Region: Italy –

    Source: The Holy See in Italian

    Sunday, September 22, 2024

    Vatican Media

    Vatican City (Agenzia Fides) – “We, all of us, are alive because we have been welcomed”. Pope Francis returns to St. Peter’s Square for the traditional Sunday Angelus prayer and thus comments on today’s Gospel passage, in which Jesus announces his death and resurrection to his disciples. But “while Jesus confided to them the meaning of his life”, Francis points out, “they spoke of power. And so now shame closes their mouths, just as pride had previously closed their hearts”. Yet Christ, explains the Pontiff, “openly responds to the whispered words along the way: ‘If anyone wants to be first, let him be last’. Do you want to be great? Make yourself small, put yourself at the service of all”. “This makes you great”, adds the Bishop of Rome off the cuff, then pointing out the reason why the Master “calls a child, places him among the disciples and embraces him. The child has no power: he needs. When we take care of man, we recognize that man always needs life”. “We are all alive because we have been welcomed, but power makes us forget this truth. Then we become masters, not servants, and the first to suffer are precisely the last: the small, the weak, the poor”. “How many people – warns Francis – suffer and die because of power struggles! They are lives that the world rejects, as it rejected Jesus. When He was delivered into the hands of men, He did not find an embrace, but a cross. The Gospel remains, however, a living word full of hope: He who was rejected, is risen”. After the blessing, the Pope’s thoughts go to Honduras, where Juan Antonio López, delegate of the Word of God, coordinator of the social pastoral care of the Diocese of Trujillo and founding member of the pastoral care of integral ecology in Honduras, was killed: “I join in the mourning of that Church – the words of the Pontiff – and in the condemnation of every form of violence. I am close to those who see their basic rights trampled upon and to those who are committed to the common good in response to the cry of the poor and the earth”. Then, a new appeal for peace: “Let us continue to pray for peace. Unfortunately, tension is very high on the war fronts. Let us listen to the voice of the peoples, who ask for peace. Let us not forget the tormented Ukraine, Palestine, Israel, Myanmar, many countries that are at war. Let us pray for peace”. Finally, the inevitable greeting: “I wish everyone a happy Sunday. And please do not forget to pray for me. Enjoy your lunch and goodbye!”. (FB) (Agenzia Fides 22/9/2024) Share:

    EDITOR’S NOTE: This article is a translation. Apologies should the grammar and/or sentence structure not be perfect.

    MIL Translation OSI