Archdiocese in Peru calls for respecting sacred places following theft from poor box

Bogotá, Colombia, Sep 7, 2017 / 11:22 am (CNA/EWTN News).- In a lengthy speech on Thursday, Pope Francis urged the bishops of Colombia to uphold their pastoral responsibilities, proclaiming and teaching the truth even in the face of challenges.

“From your lips as legitimate shepherds of Christ, Colombia has a right to be challenged by the truth of God, who never ceases to ask: ‘Where is your brother?’ That question may not be silenced…” the Pope said Sept. 7.

“Even if those who hear it can do no more than lower their gaze in embarrassment and stammer in shame that they sold him, perhaps for the price of a fix of narcotics or for some misguided notion of reasons of state, or even for the false belief that the end justifies the means.”

Though many people can help, the mission of the bishops is unique, Pope Francis continued. “You are not mechanics or politicians, but pastors.”

“Christ is the word of reconciliation written on your hearts. You have the power to preach that word not only in pulpits, in ecclesial documents or newspaper articles, but also in the hearts of individual men and women,” he said.

“You have the power to proclaim it in the inner sanctum of their consciences, where they hope to hear the heavenly voice that proclaims: ‘Peace to those whom God loves’ (Lk 2:14). You must speak that word with the frail, lowly yet invincible resource of God’s mercy, which is capable of averting the pride and cynicism of selfish hearts.”

Pope Francis addressed the Colombian bishops in Bogota on the first full day of his Sept. 6-11 apostolic visit to the country.

Keep your gaze fixed not on some vague or generalized “man,” he told the bishops, but on concrete men and women, who are “loved by God and composed of flesh and bones, history, faith, feelings, disappointments, frustrations, sorrows and hurts.”

This approach is what will help to “unmask cold statistics, twisted calculations, blind strategies and falsified data,” he said.

Acknowledging the generous pastoral work already carried out by the bishops, Francis then laid out his concerns for what he sees as challenges to the Church living out its mission.

First among these are challenges to Colombia’s families. The defense of life from the womb to natural death, the “scourge of violence,” alcoholism, the weakening of the marriage bond and the absence of fathers are all attacks on the life of the family today, he said.

Young people are facing the threat of “spiritual emptiness,” which they seek to escape through drug use, frivolous lifestyles and a rebellious spirit. Lay faithful in general, even those who attend Mass and practice their faith, face “the new dogma of selfishness and the death of solidarity,” he noted.

There are also challenges for generous priests, he said, who require support in their daily commitment to Christ and the Church, while others “continue to propose the easy way out, avoiding genuine commitment and remaining isolated and self-centered.”

“I offer you no recipes, much less do I intend to leave you a list of things to do. Still, I would ask you, as you carry out in communion your demanding mission as the bishops of Colombia, to maintain your serenity,” he encouraged.

Though the devil continues to sow weeds, “imitate the patience of the Lord of the harvest and trust in the good quality of his grain. Learn from his patience and generosity. He takes his time, because his loving gaze sees far into the distance.”

When love grows weak we become impatient and anxious, making ourselves busy with many things as we are “hounded by the fear of failure,” he said.

Instead, “believe above all in the smallness of God’s seeds. Trust in the power hidden in his yeast. Let your hearts be drawn to the great beauty that leads us to sell everything we have, in order to possess that divine treasure,” he urged.

Speaking more about priests, who he said are on “the front lines” of the Church, the Pope said that the first gift a bishop can give his priests is to be a father to them – the physical and affective closeness of their bishop is a vital and urgent need.

And although in this digital age it is easy to reach each other instantly, the paternal heart of a bishop should not be content with this impersonal and formal means of communication, but be truly concerned with where and how his priests are living.

“Are they truly living as Jesus’ disciples? Or have they found other forms of security, like financial stability, moral ambiguity, a double life, or the myopic illusion of careerism?”

Pope Francis also appealed to bishops to show concern for the lives of consecrated men and women, who represent “an evangelical rebuke to worldliness.”

“They are called to purify every residue of worldly values in the fire of the Beatitudes lived sine glossa and in total self-abnegation for the service of others.” They should not be looked at as merely “‘useful resources’ for the works of the apostolate,” he said, instead hearing in them the “Bride’s cry of consecrated love: ‘Come, Lord Jesus.’”

The formation of the laity should not be forgotten either, Francis said, noting that they are the ones responsible not only for the strength of their faith communities, “but in great part for the Church’s presence in the area of cultural, political and economic life.”

When it comes to the history of the Church in Colombia, he asked the bishops “not to be afraid to touch the wounded flesh of your own history and that of your people.”

This path isn’t easy, but it’s necessary, he explained. Colombia needs that attention in order “to sustain its courage in taking the first step towards definitive peace and reconciliation, towards abdicating the method of violence and overcoming the inequalities at the root of so much suffering.”

Speaking of the “first step” that must be taken on the path to peace and reconciliation, he said, “God goes before us. We are only branches, not the vine.”

He warned them about silencing the voice of God or falling under the delusion that the success of the mission depends on their own “meagre virtues,” saying that prayer should be fundamental in the life of a bishop.

Instead of relying on themselves or others, he urged praying “fervently when you have so little to give, so that you will be granted something to offer to those who are close to your hearts as pastors.”

In his lengthy speech, the Pope also spoke about the Church in Amazonia, the southernmost region of Colombia, encouraging the bishops not to abandon it and the “profound wisdom of the indigenous peoples.”

He said they should also show particular sensitivity to the Afro-Colombian roots of the country, which have had a great influence on Colombia.

“I am convinced that Colombia has one remarkable feature: it has never been a goal fully attained, a destiny completely achieved, or a treasure totally possessed,” he said.

This treasure includes the nation’s human riches, vast natural resources, culture, heritage of the faith, and irrepressible joy and fidelity to the Gospel of Christ and his Church, he noted.

“And, above all, its indomitable courage in resisting threats of death not merely proclaimed but often experienced at first hand,” he said. “All this recedes, hides itself, from those who come here as foreigners bent on domination, while offering itself freely to those who touch its heart with the meekness of a wayfarer.”

“Such is Colombia.”

[…]

Caracas, Venezuela, Oct 22, 2017 / 06:02 am (ACI Prensa).- The Venezuelan bishops’ conference has criticized bias by the National Electoral Council in favor of the government of socialist President Nicolas Maduro during last Sunday’s regional elections.

The regime took 18 out of 23 disputed governorships, amid allegations of fraud leveled by the opposition. The opposition won five states, an increase of two.

It had been expected that the opposition would win a majority of states, given the economic crisis and months of anti-socialist protests in which more than 120 people were killed.

Regional elections were held Oct. 15. The US State Department has said the elections were neither “free nor fair,” citing last-minute changes to polling station locations without public notice, manipulation of ballot layouts, and limited availability of voting machines in opposition neighborhoods.

The 18 newly elected socialist governors were sworn in by the constituent assembly Oct. 19, while the five governors of the opposition Democratic Unity Roundtable boycotted the event. Maduro has said the governors who will not be sworn in by the constituent assembly may not take office.

The constituent assembly is itself the product of contested elections, which took place July 30. The body has superseded the authority of the National Assembly, Venezuela’s opposition-controlled legislature.

The Venezuelan bishops stated Oct. 19 their denunciation of the National Electoral Council for “ignoring the appeals made by various national and international bodies, has once again shown itself to be a biased arbiter in the service of the governing  political party,” the bishops charged in an Oct. 19 statement.

Even though Venezuela’s constitution indicated regional elections should have been held in October 2016, through the National Electoral Council the government delayed the date of elections.

According to various media, this was became the regime feared losing some of the 20 states they controlled, as their United Socialist Party of Venezuela had low approval ratings. At the same time, protests in recent months had become widespread in the county due to the social and political crisis.

In its statement, the bishops’ conference pointed out that there were “multiple irregularities committed in the implementation of the electoral process: preventing political organizations from substituting candidates as provided by law, sending voters over to other polling stations at the last minute, the lack of neutral international observers, and voters being pressured into voting a certain way.”

“All this constitutes an obstacle to exercising one’s right to vote and creates mistrust in the election processes,” they charged.

The bishops also referred to “the decision to create new authorities, preventing from taking office governors elected in those states that did not support the Maduro regime in the elections.” This “is clearly ignoring and mocking the will of the people on which  the legitimacy of any election rests,” they stated.

However, despite the irregularities that led to a “pro-regime advantage,” the bishops called on Venezuelans to not lose “credibility and confidence in the power of voting as the way to a peaceful and democratic solution for the urgent and momentous changes that the country requires … We cannot do without the electoral route. Let us not lose hope!”

The bishops stated that “it is indispensable to restore justice and ethics to the electoral system” so that citizens “can freely and confidently express themselves” and that in the future, “elections supervised by neutral international bodies may restore peace and tranquility to Venezuelan society.”

The bishops’ conference reiterated “the primacy of the individual and his universal rights over and above ideologies, systems of government and special interests.” They  called upon “all institutions of social life to respect, defend and promote civil rights and to not become discouraged in claiming them,” and they urged citizens to “not be carried away by irrationality or fanaticism in the political controversy.”

“The people have the right to demand that the political leadership concern itself primarily with their most felt necessities, to know and experience them firsthand and to offer to the people a coherent plan for the country, founded on justice and the common good without exclusions,” they said.   

The statement concluded asking God to raise up hope in Venezuelans “in face of the serious problems affecting our society, which creates anxiety and discouragement in many hearts.”

“We commend ourselves to the powerful intercession of Our Lady of Coromoto and we ask her to watch over us to that we can live in harmony, freedom and peace,” the bishops’ conference stated.

Frustration in Venezuela has been building for years due to poor economic policies, including strict price controls coupled with high inflation rates, which have resulted in a severe lack of basic necessities such as toilet paper, milk, flour, diapers, and medicines.

Venezuela’s socialist government is widely blamed for the crisis. Since 2003, price controls on some 160 products, including cooking oil, soap and flour, have meant that while they are affordable, they fly off store shelves only to be resold on the black market at much higher rates.

The International Monetary Fund has forecasted an inflation rate of 2,300 percent in Venezuela in 2018.

[…]

Vancouver, Canada, Jul 28, 2019 / 05:00 am (CNA).- St. Kateri Tekakwitha, the first Native American to be canonized a saint, was celebrated by First Nations people throughout Canada on her July feast day as an important cultural bridge between Catholic… […]