News Briefs

The Syria visited by Pope John Paul II, and Syria today

April 3, 2018 CNA Daily News 1

Damascus, Syria, Apr 3, 2018 / 02:00 pm (CNA).- When Pope Saint John Paul II visited Syria in 2001, he called on Christians to remember Syria’s “magnificent contribution” to the history of Christianity. As the country reels from seven years of civil war, Christian communities in Damascus continue to struggle to protect that heritage.

“We remember that it was in fact in Syria that the Church of Christ discovered her truly catholic character and took on her universal mission. The Apostles Peter and Paul, each according to the grace received, worked here to gather together the one family of Christ, welcoming believers coming from different cultures and nations,” said Pope John Paul II in Damascus on May 6, 2001.

Within the walls of the Damascus’ Old City is the tomb of St. John the Baptist, the house where St. Ananias took in a blinded Saul, and the Gate of St. Thomas, known as Bab Touma, through which the apostle traveled on his way to evangelize India.

For John Paul II, it was primarily a pilgrimage in the footsteps of Saint Paul that brought him to Damascus. The pontiff spent three days in Syria in 2001 as a part of a six-day journey following Saint Paul’s evangelizing missions in the Mediterranean, including stops in Greece and Malta.

“At the gates of Damascus, when he met the Risen Christ, Saint Paul learned this truth and made it the content of his preaching. The wonderful reality of the Cross of Christ, upon which the work of the world’s Redemption was wrought, became present before him … Brothers and sisters, let us lift our eyes to the Cross of Christ to find the source of our hope!” proclaimed the pope during his trip.

The Holy Father also praised the great contributions of Syria’s saints throughout history.
“From the very beginning of Christianity, flourishing communities were to be found here. In the Syrian desert Christian monasticism flourished; and the names of Syrians such as Saint Ephraem and Saint John Damascene are etched for ever in Christian memory. Some of my predecessors were born in this area.”

One of the historic monasteries built in the fifth-century has been destroyed. St. Elias Monastery was bulldozed by the Islamic State in April 2016, during the jihadist group’s genocide of Christians in Syria and Iraq.

Today, the reality of the cross is vivid for the remaining Christians in Syria, who have seen their communities drop by 75 percent in cities like Aleppo, once home to the country’s largest Christian population.

On Easter, Pope Francis prayed for an end to the “carnage” in “the beloved and long-suffering land of Syria, whose people are worn down by an apparently endless war.”

Catholics who remain in Damascus walked through the Old City’s narrow streets on Holy Thursday to pray at seven historic churches, some of which had been damaged by mortar coming from the Eastern Ghouta suburb, only 12 kilometers away.

One of the churches visited during the Holy Week procession is the Syrian Orthodox Cathedral of Saint George, the same church in which St. John Paul II reflected ten years before the start of the Syrian civil war, “these will be the marks of our fidelity to God: to pray, to carry the Cross, to obey God’s will and to honour everyone as a brother or sister.”

John Paul II made history during his short visit in May 2001 by being the first pope to enter a mosque. The Umayyad Mosque was decorated with Vatican and Syrian flags for the occasion. In 715 AD, the mosque was built on top of a fourth-century Christian cathedral containing the head of John the Baptist, according to tradition.

The pope lamented that his short trip to Syria did not allow him to visit “all the Churches dedicated to the Mother of God in this great and noble city of Damascus.”

“I would also have liked my pilgrimage in the footsteps of Saint Paul to have included a visit to some of the venerable Shrines of the Virgin Mother of God, such as those at nearby Seidnaya, or in Homs, Aleppo, Tartus and elsewhere. I have not forgotten that according to a pious tradition it was near Tartus that the Apostle Peter, on a journey from Jerusalem to Antioch along the Mediterranean coast, dedicated a chapel to the Virgin Mary, the first Marian shrine in Syria,” continued the pontiff.

Homs and Aleppo, mentioned by the late pope, are among the cities most devastated by the Syrian conflict.

Between 5,000 to 13,000 people have been executed in the city of Seidnaya by Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s government during the conflict, according to Amnesty International. The 6th-century Seidnaya Monastery, containing a miraculous icon of the Theotokos, has also been damaged in the conflict.

The Syria encountered by Saint John Paul II in 2001, before the September 11th terrorist attacks, was vastly different from the war-torn Syria today, but Christians there still cling to words he spoke during his visit to the country:

“The joy of Easter flowered on the wood of the Cross … When God acts, the impossible becomes possible. It is our task to say ‘yes’ to God’s saving will and to accept his mysterious plan with our whole being.”

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Founder of 40 Days for Life enters Catholic Church on Easter

April 3, 2018 CNA Daily News 2

Fredericksburg, Va., Apr 3, 2018 / 01:07 pm (CNA).- David Bereit, the founder of 40 Days for Life, entered the Catholic Church on Easter, giving thanks for the inspiration of influential Catholics, including his wife and children.

“After years of prayer, discernment, and a whole lot of wrestling with God, I was received into full communion with the Catholic Church at last night’s Easter Vigil,” wrote Bereit in an April 1 Facebook post.

Bereit celebrated Easter with his family at St. Mary of the Immaculate Conception Church in Fredericksburg, Virginia. His wife Margaret was his sponsor, and his son Patrick was an altar server at the Mass. His daughter Claire and mother-in-law Helen were also in attendance.

Bereit said that he had been attending Sunday Mass with his wife – who is Catholic – every week for the last 28 years, ever since their second date at St. Mary’s Catholic Center at Texas A&M in 1990.

But while he and Margaret shared many things in common as Christians, Bereit said he also longed to be more unified in their church affiliation and therefore spent years wrestling with the Catholic Church.

“I struggled with many questions, misconceptions, and hangups along the way. I have endeavored to continually learn and grow through prayer, studying Scripture, theology, and church history, reading, and seeking wise counsel,” he said.

“Throughout my life I have also been surrounded by many amazing Catholic Christians whose faithful, loving witness has continually inspired and attracted me – most notably the beautiful example lived out by my incredible wife and wonderful children.”

Last September, Bereit experienced a profound encounter of faith during Eucharistic adoration. Soon after, he began attending RCIA classes, which he said led to a more fruitful Lent and Easter this year.

“Lent took on far more meaning than usual for me, as I prayed and fasted more intensely than ever with a focused desire to continue growing closer to Christ. Now I am filled with joy, and am at complete peace, about this next step in my life-long journey of faith.”

In 2004, Bereit began 40 Days for Life as a local prolife advocacy group in Bryan-College Station, Texas. The group has grown into an international organization, holding Christian campaigns of prayer and activism to end abortion. Over the course of 40 days, participants hold a 24/7 prayer vigil outside of a single abortion facility in the community. The organization also engages in community outreach, through partnerships with churches and door-to-door petitions.

Bereit stepped down as CEO in 2016, but continues to be actively involved in the pro-life movement.

He said in his Facebook post that his decision to become Catholic may be surprising to some, but it will not change his dedication to serve the entire body of Christ.

“This journey has deepened my appreciation for a wonderful Christian upbringing, my years of experiences within the Presbyterian Church, the time I was involved with Evangelical ministries while in college, and the blessing of getting to work and pray alongside the many different parts of the Body of Christ in my 15+ years of pro-life work.”

 

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Four Christians killed in Pakistan

April 3, 2018 CNA Daily News 0

Quetta, Pakistan, Apr 3, 2018 / 12:11 pm (CNA/EWTN News).- Four members of a Christian family were killed by gunfire in the Pakistani city of Quetta on Monday in an attack for which the Islamic State has claimed responsibility.

The April 2 attack by men on two motorcycle came as the family was travelling in a rickshaw in a Christian neighborhood. The family, from Punjab province, were in the capital of Balochistan province to visit relatives for Easter.

According to Dawn, a Karachi daily, the deceased are Imran Masih, Tariq Masih, Pervez Masih, and Firdus Bibi. Sehar Pervez, a girl of about 12 and a daughter of one of the deceased, was injured in the attack.

“It appears to have been a targeted attack,” provincial police official Moazzam Jah Ansari told Reuters. “It was an act of terrorism.”

The Islamic State claimed responsibility for the attack April 3 through its Amaq News Agency.

In a separate incident in Quetta the same day, five people were killed after a protest by Hazaras, a Shia Muslim minority ethnic group.

Pakistan’s state religion is Islam, and around 97 percent of the population is Muslim.

Christians have been targets of terrorist attacks and persecutions for blasphemy in recent years. A December 2017 attack on a Methodist church in Quetta killed eight.

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Thirteen years after his death, John Paul II continues to inspire, friend says

April 3, 2018 CNA Daily News 0

Krakow, Poland, Apr 3, 2018 / 10:04 am (CNA/EWTN News).- Thirteen years after the death of St. John Paul II, a close friend and colleague of the beloved Polish pope said the pontiff’s vast legacy and influence can still be felt, and is a source of inspiration for the world.

“Thirteen years have passed since the death of this Holy Shepherd, yet he unceasingly continues to speak, inspiring, showing the way, and encouraging,” said Cardinal Stanislaw Dziwisz April 2.

In looking at the “book of life” for John Paul, Dziwisz said it is clear that the Polish pope’s life and ministry were a reflection of Jesus Christ, and were built on the “rock” of his personal relationship with God.

Dziwisz, archbishop emeritus of Krakow, was a close friend of Pope Saint John Paul II and served as his personal secretary for 40 years – both in Poland before the pontiff was elected to the papacy, and afterward for the entirety of his pontificate.

Cardinal Dziwisz spoke during a special Mass inside the Sanctuary of St. John Paul II in Krakow commemorating the 13th anniversary of the John Paul II’s death April 2, 2005.

In his homily, the cardinal said that John Paul II’s attitude throughout his life was one of “respect and readiness for service.”

This was demonstrated particularly in John Paul’s attention to the pastoral care of the faithful, from the family, to youth, the unborn, the sick, disabled and elderly, he said: John Paul II “was convinced that man is the way of the Church and that this is why he constantly urged the Church to serve man.”

Dziwisz also pointed to John Paul II’s influence in the wider, international community, and specifically his role in helping bring down communism in Europe during the 1980s.

John Paul, Dziwisz said, “was a realist. He saw good and evil in the world. He saw selfishness, tensions, and conflicts,” and tried to reach everyone, “especially those responsible for the fate of nations but not always guided by the same values and motivations as he was.”

The Polish pope was not only able to bring together leaders from the world’s different religions to pray for and promote peace, but he “contributed in a decisive way to freeing the Central and Eastern European nations from the shackles of a totalitarian system.”

Karol Jozef Wojtyla, who would later choose the name John Paul II upon his election to the papacy, was born the youngest of three children in the Polish town of Wadowice, a small city 50 kilometers from Krakow, on May 18, 1920.

In 1942, at the height of World War II, he began courses in the clandestine seminary of Krakow, and was eventually ordained in 1946. He took part in Vatican Council II (1962-1965), being appointed archbishop of Krakow in 1964, and contributed to drafting the Constitution Gaudium et spes.

Wojtyla was elected pope Oct. 16, 1978, at the age of 58, and took the papal name John Paul II. Over the course of his 27 year pontificate – one of the longest in Church history – he traveled to 129 countries, and was instrumental in the fall of Communism in Europe.

He died at 9:37 p.m. April 2, 2005, the day before Divine Mercy Sunday – a feast he established during his pontificate – after a long battle with Parkinson’s disease.

John Paul II was beatified by Pope Benedict XVI on May 1, 2011, Divine Mercy Sunday, at a ceremony which saw an estimated 2 million pilgrims flock to Rome. He was canonized April 27, 2014, in Saint Peter’s Square by Pope Francis on the same feast day.

In his homily commemorating the anniversary of John Paul II’s death, Cardinal Dziwisz said he had a great love for the Church, with all of her strengths and weaknesses.

The Church John Paul II loved, he said, was not “an ideal Church that does not exist,” but was rather “the Church of weak and sinful people, people who are converting, returning to the paths indicated in the Gospel.”

“John Paul II wisely and patiently guided the great community of a very diversified Church which speaks different languages and expresses the faith in different cultural contexts and traditions,” he said, adding that “there was a place for everyone in his pastoral heart.”

In leading the Church into the third millennium of the Christian faith, John Paul encouraged Christians to “look at the face of Jesus Christ, the only Savior of the world, and to go out into the depths of faith, hope, and love, and so become a leaven of good in our turbulent world.”

Dziwisz closed his homily calling John Paul II a gift to the Church and to the world, and prayed that everyone would be inspired “by the desire that he realized to the very end: to make a gift of himself to others and ultimately to God.”

 

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