6 Headlines You May Have Missed (19 September)

0

Catholic HeadlinesNews from around the Catholic world for the week ending 19 September.

DOWNLOAD (Right click to save) (10:35 mins)

•  Bishop Anthony Fisher named new Archbishop of Sydney

•  Pope Francis presides over the marriage of 20 Roman couples

•  Nigerian Bishop reports 2500 Catholics have died at the hands of Boko Haram

•  International Caritas gathering formulates ongoing response to crisis in the Middle East

•  Australian Bishops launch social justice statement focusing on sport

•  Australian pilgrims set to celebrate Schoenstatt’s centenary in Germany.

TRANSCRIPT

BOBBIE: Most Reverend Anthony Fisher OP was yesterday named as the new Archbishop of Sydney by Pope Francis.

Archbishop Fisher was appointed Auxiliary Bishop of Sydney by St John Paul II in 2003, and has served as Bishop of Parramatta since 2010.

Apostolic Administrator Bishop Peter Comensoli has released a statement saying the Catholic community in Sydney is “delighted” with the appointment.

“Archbishop Anthony brings with him a deep knowledge of the Archdiocese and is well-known to our priests, people, parishes and agencies,” Bishop Comensoli said.

“He will be a “good shepherd”, a bishop devoted to the people and communities which have been entrusted to him, who will lead the Church in Sydney into a new evangelical and missionary era,” he said.

A date for Archbishop Fisher’s installation at St Mary’s Cathedral will be announced in the coming days.

Pope Francis presided over the marriage of 20 couples from the Diocese of Rome at St. Peter’s Basilica last Sunday during Mass for the Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross.

During his homily the Holy Father reflected on the First Reading from the Book of Numbers, imagining families led by Moses on the journey through the desert.

He noted that families “are the first place in which we are formed as persons and, at the same time, the bricks for the building up of society.” But just like the Israelites in the desert, families and indeed spouses, the Pope said, can become “impatient on their journey of conjugal and family life.” “The hardship of the journey”, he added, “causes them to experience interior weariness; they lose the flavour of matrimony and they cease to draw water from the well of the Sacrament. Daily life becomes burdensome, even nauseating.”

To counter that, he called on couples to seek the love of Christ. It is that love, the Holy Father stressed, “which has blessed and sanctified the union of husband and wife, and is able to sustain their love and to renew it when, humanly speaking, it becomes lost, wounded or worn out.”

He concluded his homily with some advice to the couples, reiterating that if a couple argues they should never end the day without making peace with each other.

Read the full homily at news.va

A Nigerian bishop has reported that at least 2500 Catholics from his diocese have been killed as militant group Boko Haram continue to gain ground.

Bishop Oliver Dashe Doemee of the Diocese of Maiduguri told local newspaper This Day that he has taken refuge with thousands of Catholics in a parish in a neighbouring state after narrowly escaping death. The group was displaced as Boko Haram rampaged through their villages. He said that many parents were still searching for their children after being separated.

A list of 25 towns under the control of Boko Haram has since been released, covering the three Northeastern states of Borno, Yobe and Adamawa.

According to a statement from Caritas Nigeria, the Diocese of Maiduguri’s secretary Fr. John Bakeni has contacted them asking for help.

“The last two weeks have been terrible for innocent civilians, Christians and Muslims alike,” Fr Bakeni said.

“Many people have been forced out of their ancestral homes, towns and villages by the Boko Haram insurgents.

Most of our 10,000 parishioners and other Christians are taking refuge in Kolofata in the Cameroon”, he said.

Fr Bakeni also reported that a number of churches had been burnt down, along with the Diocese’s new hospital.

“What we are faced with now in Maiduguri is a huge humanitarian crisis,” Fr Bakeni said.

“The urgent needs now are food, medication, shelter and clothing. Many children are out of school and their future undetermined. Trauma is real and our people are dying,” he said.

Caritas Nigeria has since responded with financial assistance for the Diocese.

More on that story via news.va. 

– – –

80 representatives from the Middle East and around the world have gathered in Rome to formulate an International humanitarian response to the ongoing crises in the Middle East.

In a three day conference, which concluded on Wednesday, Caritas Internationalis delegates including Caritas Australia CEO Paul O’Callaghan, heard from representatives from Iraq, Syria, Jordan, Lebanon and Turkey about the difficulties faced in their own regions.

Presenters predicted that the current humanitarian crisis in Iraq and Syria will only get worse, with millennia old pluralist communities collapsing and foreign weapons fuelling further violence.

Interfaith reconciliation was highlighted as a key aspect of ensuring the freedom and safety of minorities in the region.

In a media statement, Caritas Internationalis said delegates agreed on a long-term work plan that will focus on inter-religious cooperation, community peacebuilding, strengthening national Caritas organisations and working more closely with Church and other faith-based groups.

Archbishop Youssef Soueif, President of Caritas Cyprus and board member of Caritas Internationalis said, “This forum will help us to strengthen our humanitarian aid, to do more to advocate for the dignity of all human beings and to promote peace and reconciliation based on the Christian message of love for your neighbour.”

For more information on the work of Caritas Internationalis visit caritas.org.

The Australian Catholic Bishops Conference has launched this year’s Social Justice Statement, focusing on the transformative power of sport.

The statement, entitled “A Crown for Australia”, was officially released at the St Mary’s Cathedral Crypt in Sydney on Wednesday by AFL player and coach Kevin Sheedy and ABC journalist and commentator Geraldine Doogue.

The statement explores the role which sport can play in improving individuals, communities and society as a whole.

In commenting on the statement, Australian Catholic Social Justice Council chairman Bishop Christopher Saunders said, “Sport brings us together, builds communities and lets us celebrate the joy of movement and skill.”

“Good sport makes everyone a winner,” he said.

Bishop Saunders also highlighted that sport can allow society to examine itself and its values, whether good or bad.

He said, “[s]port also holds a mirror up to society. It reflects the best in us as individuals and as a nation – but it can also reflect the worst in us.”

“Discrimination and exclusion undermine a key attribute of sport to build bridges across social divides and show a special concern for people who are marginalised,” Bishop Saunders said.

The statement can be found in full at www.socialjustice.catholic.org.au.

Australian pilgrims are set to travel to Germany for the Schoenstatt Movement’s centenary celebrations.

The Schoenstatt movement was founded in Germany by Fr Joseph Kentenich in 1914, with a focus on living the different paths of Gospel through different vocations and various stages of life. The movement currently has several shrines in Australia, including one in Mulgoa, west of Sydney.

Celebrations are set to take place in the founding location of the Schoenstatt movement in Germany on the 18th and 19th of October. Pilgrims from Australia will be making the trip to the original Schoenstatt shrine, including 33 people from New South Wales. A Mass will be taking place for these pilgrims this Sunday at the Schoenstatt shrine in Mulgoa.

Sr Julie Brcar, a sister of the Schoenstatt movement and leader of the pilgrimage, spoke to Cradio about the pilgrimage and centenary celebrations:

SR JULIE BRCAR:  So in October there will be about 50 people from Australia who will be making their way to original Schoenstatt to celebrate the centenary of Schoenstatt – of its founding – which is also celebrating 100 years of the Covenant of Love, which is the foundation of our spirituality. It is important that we, along with representatives around the world, will gather at the place of origin, which is the source of the grace, to celebrate as an international family. The international Schoenstatt movement comprises of many different communities for all states in life, so we would have: Schoenstatt Fathers, diocesan priests, sisters, brothers of Mary, families, mothers, women, men, boys’ youth, girls’ youth, professional, apostolate of the sick, so there’s a lot out there and unfortunately many of those communities aren’t represented yet in Australia. So what will be a wonderful experience for the Australians is to see the diversity of Schoenstatt, and just to see – just to experience it on that very global, international level.

Music Credit: Waking Up by Dexter Britain.

 

About Author

Leave A Reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.