News from around the Catholic world for the week ending 6 December
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• Pope Francis urges faithful to pray for nuns kidnapped in Syria
• Caritas Internationalis launces global wave of prayer to end hunger
• Australian bishops reaffirm their commitment to ending child sex abuse
• ACT prepares for High Court ruling on same-sex marriage
• Australian Catholic Youth Festival kicks off in Melbourne
• Lights of Christmas will once again draw thousands to St Mary’s Cathedral. The Year of Faith comes to a close in Rome
TRANSCRIPT
BOBBIE: Pope Francis has this week called on the faithful to pray for Greek Orthodox nuns who have been kidnapped in Syria. Christopher Wells from Vatican Radio reports:
POPE FRANCIS: Now I would like to invite everyone to pray for the religious sisters of the Greek Orthodox Monastery of Saint Tecla in Ma’lula, in Syria…
CHRISTOPHER WELLS: Pope Francis on Wednesday called for everyone to pray for a group of nuns taken by force from the Greek Orthodox Monastery of Saint Tecla in the ancient Christian town of Ma’lula in Syria. The town was overrun on Monday by Muslim rebels after three days of fighting.
The nuns and three other women were taken to the nearby rebel-held town of Yabroud, which also has a large Christian population.
In his appeal Pope Francis said “Let us pray for these sisters, and for all those who have been kidnapped on account of the on-going conflict. Let us continue to pray and to work for peace.”
He concluded his appeal with a call to have confidence in the Blessed Mother before leading the faithful in the prayer of the Hail Mary
POPE FRANCIS: Mary, Queen of Peace (pray for us)
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BOBBIE: Caritas Internationalis has announced it will launch a global “wave of prayer” on the 10th of December for an end to world hunger.
Starting in Samoa, the wave will involve Caritas staff, volunteers and other participants from every continent. It marks the beginning of the Caritas anti-hunger campaign, One Human Family, Food For All.
In a video message, Cardinal Oscar Rodríguez Maradiaga, president of Caritas Internationalis, spoke about the torment experienced by many parents of hearing their children crying of hunger.
Cardinal Maradiaga said “There is enough food to feed the planet. We believe that with your help, we can end hunger by 2025.”
Pope Francis has also offered his support for the campaign and has recorded a five-minute video message which will be released on the day of the launch.
One Human Family, Food For All is the first ever global campaign which involves the 164 national organisations that make up the Caritas Internationalis confederation.
Details via the Caritas website.
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Australian Bishops have released a statement acknowledging past mistakes in the handling of cases of sexual abuse and committing to repairing these wrongs in the future.
The statement, which was released on Tuesday, forms part of its submissions to the Royal Commission into Institutional Sexual Abuse. It lists nine points emphasising the indefensible nature of such acts, acknowledging the deep suffering caused and the failure of those in positions of authority to respond.
“For all these things the Church is deeply sorry,” the statement reads.
“It apologises to all who have been harmed and betrayed. It humbly asks for forgiveness.
“The leaders of the Church in Australia commit themselves to endeavour to repair the wrongs of the past, listen to victims, to put their needs first and to do everything possible to ensure a safer future for children.”
The Statement comes ahead of next week’s public hearing, which will focus on the Catholic Church’s Towards Healing protocol in dealing with cases of child sexual abuse.
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The ACT is preparing to conduct its first same-sex weddings this weekend, despite a pending High Court challenge by the Federal Government, which could deem such marriages invalid.
The ACT Labor Government, with support from the Greens, passed legislation in October to allow same-sex couples to marry. The Bill was passed in spite of the Commonwealth Marriage Act, which says “marriage means the union of a man and a woman to the exclusion of all others, voluntarily entered into for life,” and specifies that same-sex unions solemnised overseas may not be recognised in Australia.
The High Court heard arguments from both sides on Tuesday and decided to reserve its decision until next Thursday, 12th December. A number of weddings scheduled for this weekend will proceed, although they may soon be rendered invalid under Australian law.
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Down in Melbourne, over 3000 young people from around the country have gathered for the inaugural Australian Catholic Youth Festival.
The Festival, which is an initiative of the Australian Catholic Bishops Conference, was opened on Thursday with a talk by Archbishop Christopher Prowse and will feature some 120 workshops and plenary sessions.
Festival Park will open throughout the day, featuring a large variety of amusements, activities and workshops in the grounds of Australian Catholic University.
The Festival wraps up on Saturday 7 December. A live broadcast of the plenary sessions and final Mass is being broadcasted via XT3.com.
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In other news, St Mary’s Cathedral Sydney is set to attract as many as half-a-million spectators as it is once again lit up with dazzling laser projections of religious art.
Now in it’s fourth year, Lights of Christmas has become one of Sydney’s fastest growing traditions, last year drawing more than 350,000 people to view the laser show from the Cathedral forecourt.
The event, organised by AGB Events and hosted by the Archdiocese of Sydney, encourages Sydneysiders to reflect on the true meaning of Christmas through visual storytelling.
AGB Events Creative Director Anthony Bastic said this year’s focus is on light as a symbol of eternal life, hope and warmth.
Anthony said “In the first sequence this year we see the story of the nativity unfold as the entire facade of the Cathedral is transformed into an animated stained-glass window.
“In the second sequence we celebrate the hope and excitement of the night before Christmas, as we enter the world of the spirit of Christmas.
“In closing we celebrate the Madonna and Child with beautiful images from the Renaissance to modern day.”
Lights of Christmas will be launched on the 12th of December by Sydney’s Archbishop Cardinal George Pell and will run until the Christmas day. The event will be streamed live via XT3.com.
Details via the Australian Catholic University website.
Music Credit: Waking Up Instrumental – Dexter Britain
