An ethnic Tamil. A Roman Catholic Priest of the Diocese of Kuzhithurai, Tamil Nadu, India. Promotes creative and alternative ministries; laity participation and progressive thinking in the Church. Believes in ecumenism, inter-faith and inter-religious dialogue. Rooted in Catholic orthodoxy and orthopraxis. Concerned in Eco-spirituality, Minimalism, and lives by the Benevolence of God.
India’s Ministry of Home Affairs on Friday cleared the Missionaries of Charity religious order to continue receiving foreign funds under FCRA rules.
By Vatican News staff reporter
The Indian government has restored the Foreign Contribution Regulation Act (FCRA) license of the Missionaries of Charity (MC), clearing the religious congregation founded by Mother Teresa of Kolkata to receive and utilize foreign funds.
The turnaround by the Ministry of Home Affairs came on 7 January, less than a fortnight after it declined to renew the license of the MC, registered with the government as MoC. In an official statement on 27 December, the MHA explained that “while considering the MoC's renewal application, some adverse inputs were noticed”. “In consideration of these inputs on record, the renewal application of MoC was not approved,” said the Ministry headed by Amit Shah.
FCRA
The FCRA, first enacted in 1976, regulates foreign donations and ensures that such contributions do not adversely affect the sovereignty, integrity and internal security of India or impact friendly relations with any foreign state and does not disrupt communal harmony.
Applicable to all associations, groups and NGOs which intend to receive foreign donations for social, educational, religious, economic and cultural purposes, it was amended in 2010 and 2015 with a slew of measures. The FCRA registration is valid for 5 years and it can be renewed subsequently if they comply with all norms. Filing of annual returns in line with Income Tax rules, is compulsory.
The registration for the MC was renewed as the United Kingdom Parliament was debating to seek to know if the British government had raised the issue of blocking of overseas funds of NGOs in India.
The Ministry on Thursday removed the MC from this list and included it is the list of 16,908 NGOs whose FCRA registration is active.
MC sisters delighted
A spokesperson of the MC expressed delight at the restoration of the FCRA license. “We never expected that our registration could be cancelled but it happened,” Sunita Kumar told UCA News on Saturday. “We are happy that the restoration of our license happened without much delay,” she added.
The Ministry had earlier said the license of the MC was valid till October 31 but was extended till December 31 along with other associations whose renewal was pending.
An MHA official said on January 1 that the Ministry declined the renewal of the FCRA registration to 179 NGOs, while 5,789 associations did not apply for a renewal before the December 31 deadline. The deadline for those NGOs who had applied before December 31 and whose application was not rejected have been given an extension till 31 March.
In West Bengal state, whose capital is Kolkata, where Mother Teresa founded her mission and congregation, there are 1,030 NGOs eligible to receive foreign donations.
The “saint of the gutter”
Mother Teresa was born Agnes Gonxha Bojaxhiu of Albanian parents on 26 August 1910, in Skopje, in what is Macedonia today. In 1929, she came to Kolkata, formerly Calcutta, as an 18-year old missionary with the nuns of the Loreto Sisters of Ireland, whose member she became in 1931.
Later, in what she described as a call within a call, she founded her Missionaries of Charity congregation in 1950. She obtained Indian citizenship the following year. Affectionately known as the "saint of the gutter" for her works of mercy and unconditional love for the poor and the abandoned, she earned numerous national as well as international honours, including the Nobel Peace Prize in 1979.
She died in Kolkata on 5 September 1997, at the age of 87 and St. John Paul II declared her Blessed in the Vatican, on 19 October 2003. Pope Francis officially proclaimed her a saint of the Catholic Church on 4 September 2016, in St. Peter's Square at the Vatican. She is buried at the global headquarters of the Missionaries of Charity in Kolkata.
The Congregation for the Causes of Saints officially announces 4 September 2022 as the date for the beatification of Pope John Paul I. In October, Pope Francis approved a decree recognizing a miracle attributed to the Italian Pope, who was head of the Church for 34 days.
By Vatican News staff writer
Pope John Paul I will be beatified on 4 September 2022 in a celebration presided over by Pope Francis in the Vatican.
In October, the Holy Father signed a decree recognizing a miracle attributed to the intercession of John Paul I (Albino Luciani), clearing the way for his beatification.
Two months later, the Congregation for the Causes of Saints has officially announced his beatification, which was communicated to the postulator of the cause of canonization, Cardinal Beniamino Stella, and to Bishop Renato Marangoni of Belluno-Feltre, the diocese where Luciani's cause opened on November 23, 2003, and closed on November 9, 2017, with the proclamation of his heroic virtues.
Sixth twentieth-century Pope on the path to sainthood
In an article published Thursday in the Italian newspaper L’Avvenire, by vice-postulator of the cause, Stefania Falasca, John Paul I – the 263rd Pope, who spent 34 days at the head of the Church – is the sixth pontiff from the 1900s for whom a cause for beatification and canonization has been introduced. Of this group, four have already been proclaimed saints: Pius X, John XXIII, Paul VI and John Paul II.
Miracle
The miracle approved in the cause of Pope John Paul I involves the healing of a young girl in Buenos Aires, Argentina, who suffered a case of “severe acute inflammatory encephalopathy, a malignant refractory epileptic illness, and septic shock.” Her situation was very serious, characterized by numerous daily seizures and a septic state of broncho-pneumonia.
According to Canon law, the Church will have to wait for the outcome of another Super miro (on the miracle) process after beatification to proceed to canonization.
The cause for beatification
Immediately after the death of the Italian Pope on 28 September 1978, requests for his canonization began to pour in from all parts of the world to the diocese where he was born. Through a grassroots initiative, a collection of signatures began, which soon became international, involving countries like Switzerland, France, Canada, and the United States. In 1990, the 226 bishops of the Brazilian Episcopal Conference also signed a petition requesting the introduction of the cause to Pope John Paul II.
The diocesan inquiry into his heroic virtues and reputation for holiness, the L’Avvenire article noted, took place from 2001-2004 under Bishop Vincenzo Savio of Belluno-Feltre, who in 2003, formally requested consent for the introduction of the process. On 17 June 2003, the Congregation for the Causes of Saints granted the nihil obstat.
On 23 November 2003, the process was formally opened at a ceremony at the Cathedral Basilica of Belluno. Father Pasquale Liberatore, the postulator-general of the Salesian family, was appointed the Postulator of John Paul I’s cause. Upon his death in 2003, the bishop appointed Msgr. Giorgio Lise as vice-postulator; and in 2004, a Salesian, Fr. Enrico dal Covolo as postulator, who in the meantime took over from Fr. Liberatore as general postulator of the Salesian Family. The ecclesiastical tribunal for the diocesan inquiry began its work on November 22, 2003, and concluded its work three years later. In the 203 sessions of the diocesan process, 167 witnesses were examined.
On November 9, 2007, examining the documents received to grant them validity, the ordinary Congress of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints observed that the documentation received presented various gaps in particular with reference to those preserved in the Historical Archives of the Patriarchate of Venice and in the Archives of the Bishops’ Conference of the Triveneto. To acquire this documentation, the Congregation for the Causes of Saints requested additional investigation. On March 25, 2008, the bishop of Belluno-Feltre, Giuseppe Andrich, established the tribunal for the diocesan supplementary inquiry and conferred the task on Dr. Stefania Falasca. Only after the delivery of these archival documents on June 13, 2008, was the formal validity of the acts of the diocesan inquiry recognized by decree.
Afterward began the Roman phase of the process, which included, among other things, the screening of all documentary and testimonial sources that demonstrate the heroic nature and virtues of Pope John Paul I and his reputation for holiness.
On June 27, 2008, Fr. Cristoforo Bove was appointed as rapporteur of the Cause, while the task of drafting the Positio was entrusted to Dr. Stefania Falasca, who, starting from 2012 was joined by Fr. Davide Fiocco. After the death of Fr. Bove, the task was assigned to Fr. Vincenzo Criscuolo, general relator of the same Congregation for the Causes of Saints.
The testimony of Pope Benedict XVI
Between 2008 and 2015 the extra-processual depositions of 21 other witnesses were therefore also acquired, with particular reference to the period of the pontificate and the death of John Paul I, of which the testimony of Pope Benedict XVI is extremely important because it was the first time that a Pontiff issued a face to face testimony about a predecessor.
More than 3600 pages of positio
On October 16, 2015 the bishop of Belluno-Feltre appointed Cardinal Beniamino Stella, native of the diocese of Vittorio Veneto whom Pope John Paul I himself had initiated to the Pontifical Ecclesiastical Academy, as new postulator of the Cause.
On October 17, 2016, with the delivery of the Positio to the Congregation - composed of five volumes of over 3,600 pages in total - the scientific and editorial work that lasted eight years was concluded and the examination of the final judgment by the Congress of theological Consultors and the ordinary one of cardinals and bishops began. Both gave their unanimous positive vote in 2017. The Cause then concluded with the Pope's decree on November 8, 2017, with which the virtues of John Paul I were proclaimed.
At the end of November 2017, the diocesan investigation conducted in 2016 into the healing of the Argentine girl with the serious condition of encephalopathy was concluded. Having reached the Roman phase, the case was discussed by the Medical Council which on 31 October 2019 unanimously established that it was a scientifically inexplicable recovery. On May 6, 2021, the Congress of Theologians also expressed its opinion positively and the “super miro” process ended on October 5, 2021, with the positive vote of the ordinary session of cardinals and bishops. Then, with the decree of October 13, 2021, the miracle was recognized and sanctioned by Pope Francis.
Although his was one of the shortest papacies in history, Pope John Paul I, fondly remembered as the “smiling Pope,” left a lasting impression on the Church.
A court in Myanmar on Monday sentences ousted leader Aung San Suu Kyi to 4 more years in prison on two charges, as Pope Francis deplores the situation in the south-east Asian nation.
By Robin Gomes
Myanmar’s ousted leader Aung San Suu Kyi has been sentenced to 4 more years in jail by a court in the military-ruled country. The court in the capital Naypyidaw on Monday sentenced her on charges of possession of unlicensed walkie-talkies and flouting a disaster management law.
Myanmar has been in turmoil since the 1 February 2021 military coup that ousted Suu Kyi and her democratically elected civilian government. It led to widespread protests and strikes and signalled the end of 10 years of reforms towards democratic rule following decades of harsh military rule.
Pope deplores Myanmar’s crisis
Hours later on Monday, Pope Francis expressed sadness at the continuing crisis in Myanmar.
“Dialogue and fraternity are all the more urgently needed for dealing wisely and effectively with the crisis which for almost a year now has affected Myanmar,” the Pope said in his annual address to the diplomatic corps in the Vatican.
Myanmar’s “streets, once places of encounter, are now the scene of fighting that does not spare even houses of prayer,” he said, condemning unscrupulous profiteers who exacerbate conflicts by selling weapons. In his speech, the Holy Father also cited other troubled spots and crises across the globe.
The charges
Monday's sentences against Suu Kyi appear to have stemmed from when soldiers searched her house on the day of the coup. Police said 6 illegally imported walkie-talkies were found in her home.
Earlier on Dec. 6, the Myanmar court sentenced Suu Kyi to 2 years in jail for inciting people and breaching a natural disaster management law. With the latest conviction, her prison term adds up to 6 years.
Since the military coup nearly a year ago, she has been detained on about a dozen charges, all of which combine to maximum sentences of more than 100 years in prison. The 76-year-old denies all charges.
Secret trial
Monday's trial in the capital was closed to the media, and Suu Kyi's lawyers have been barred from communicating with the media and public. The 1991 Nobel Peace laureate appeared calm when the verdict was read out on Monday, Reuter said citing a source with knowledge of the court proceedings, who requested anonymity for fear of the junta.
The military has not disclosed where Suu Kyi, who spent years under house arrest under a previous military government, is being detained. It claims she is being given due process by an independent court led by a judge appointed by her own administration.
Rights groups react
Human rights groups have denounced the charges and sentencing as “farcical” and “courtroom circus”. Amnesty International said Monday on Twitter that the new convictions were "the latest act in the farcical trial against the civilian leader".
Phil Robertson, Deputy Asia Director Human Rights Watch, said, “The Myanmar junta’s courtroom circus of secret proceedings on bogus charges is all about steadily piling up more convictions against Aung San Suu Kyi so that she will remain in prison indefinitely.”
"Once again, Aung San Suu Kyi has become a symbol of what is happening to her country and returned to the role of political hostage of military hell-bent on controlling power by using intimidation and violence,'' Robertson said in a statement. "Fortunately for her and the future of Myanmar, the Myanmar people's movement has grown well beyond just the leadership of one woman, and one political party.''
More than 1,400 killed
Amnesty called for the release of Suu Kyi along with thousands of others "unjustly detained" since the coup. She is one of more than 11,400 people to have been arrested by the junta since the coup last year.
More than 1,400 have been killed by security forces as of Monday, according to Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP), a rights group that has been documenting and compiling fatalities since the military coup.
Thwarted peace efforts
Last week, protests and rallies were held in some parts of Myanmar as people expressed anger over a 2-day visit by Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen to Myanmar's junta leader Senior General Min Aung Hlaing.
The Cambodian government explained that the visit which began on Friday hoped to invigorate efforts by the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) to start a peace process in Myanmar, but critics denounced it as legitimizing the military rule and its campaign of violence.
The Cambodian strongman, in power for 36 years, currently holds the chairmanship of the ASEAN. He is the first head of government to visit Myanmar since the military takeover last February.
Last April, ASEAN leaders, including Min Aung Hlaing, agreed on a five-point roadmap toward a peaceful settlement of Myanmar’s crisis, including an end to violence and a political dialogue between all stakeholders, but the effort has been thwarted by the junta.
In his address to the diplomatic corps accredited to the Holy See, Pope Francis reiterated the Church’s impartial passion for humanity, especially wounded or humiliated humanity. The Pope’s commitment to building bridges between different people, cultures, and religions is increasingly emerging as a distinctive feature of his pontificate.
By Alessandro Gisotti
Pontiff: 'Builder of bridges.' If there is one feature that has become increasingly clear in the course of nearly nine years of Pope Francis’ pontificate, it is precisely the tireless commitment of the Successor of Peter to building bridges in order to unite where there is division, to cross those visible and sometimes invisible barriers of separation that prevent encounter.
Bridges between peoples and cultures, bridges between religious and political leaders that the Pope has worked to build with an intensity and a sense of urgency that has increased the more he has seen walls erected which, after the end of the Cold War and the division of the world into two blocs, were thought — perhaps a little too optimistically — to be relegated to the history books.
Today, this passionate and unbiased commitment is almost unanimously recognised by the international community, as demonstrated by requests for the mediation and intervention of the Pope and the Holy See in so many crises of our time.
Dialogue and cooperation
Even in Monday's speech to the Diplomatic Corps (a sort of Urbi et Orbi address on the state of health of the planet), Pope Francis reiterated that dialogue and cooperation between peoples are stages along a path we cannot avoid if we really want to prepare a future of hope for future generations.
“We should be unafraid,” he said in a key passage of his speech, “to make room for peace in our lives by cultivating dialogue and fraternity among one another.”
A space that needs an integral and not fragmented vision — as dramatically demonstrated by the pandemic, another central theme in the audience with the ambassadors accredited to the Holy See. In the eyes of the Church — “expert in humanity,” as Paul VI emphasises in Populorum Progressio — peace and development, the environment, and rights are interconnected. Everything fits together. The Church has humanity at heart and nothing else because, in the words of John Paul II, “man is the way of the Church.”
Creativity of love
It is a love for humanity — especially for women and men who are wounded, discarded, humiliated — to which Pope Francis bears witness with words and gestures, following in the footsteps of his predecessors and developing their Magisterium with that “creativity of love” that is a task ideally entrusted to each and every one of us.
Even in 2021, despite the immense difficulties generated by the pandemic, Pope Francis has continued to erect arches and establish pillars, to lay stones to reinforce the road. He is not only initiating processes (to borrow a formula dear to him), but also building bridges. Certainly, not all of them can be completed; but this is no reason to give up.
As Pope Francis reassures us, “blessed are the builders of peace,” even if the fruits of their work will be harvested by others, and in times that we cannot now foresee.
Journey toward fraternity
The “impossible” journey to Iraq is perhaps the most extraordinary example of this effort by the Pope, and not only of the past year. It was a trip that many had advised against, but which proved to be a powerful, prophetic message in favour of peace and fraternity.
This last — “fraternity” — for its part has become almost on the other hand, is almost the second name on the “identity card” of Pope Francis’ pontificate.
The Pope of Fratelli tutti — who in Mosul was able to affirm that “Fraternity is more durable than fratricide” — reminds us that on that bridge, called humanity, we must all take steps in order to encounter one another. And we must do so above all in order to meet those who are furthest away —because however distant they may be from us, they are still our brothers.
இந்தியாவின் பொதுநிலையினர் ஒருவர் திருஅவையில் முதன்முறையாக புனிதராக அறிவிக்கப்பட உள்ளது, இவ்வாண்டு மே மாதம் வத்திக்கானில் இடம்பெறும்.
கிறிஸ்டோபர் பிரான்சிஸ் - வத்திக்கான்
கோவிட் பெருந்தொற்று இவ்வுலகை தொடர்ந்து அச்சுறுத்திக்கொண்டிருக்கும் வேளையில், இவ்வாண்டில் மூன்று முக்கிய நிகழ்வுகள் உரோம் நகரில் இடம்பெற உள்ளதாக திருஅவை அறிவித்துள்ளது.
2019ம் ஆண்டு அக்டோபர் மாதம் ஜான் ஹென்றி நியூமேன் அவர்களுடன் மேலும் நான்கு பேர் புனிதர்களாக அறிவிக்கப்பட்டதைத் தொடர்ந்து, இரண்டாண்டு 7 மாதங்களுக்குப்பின், இவ்வாண்டு மே மாதம் 15ம் தேதி புனிதர் பட்ட அறிவிப்பு திருப்பலி வத்திக்கானில் இடம்பெற உள்ளது.
தமிழகத்தின் முதல் புனிதர் தேவசகாயம் உட்பட 7 பேரின் புனிதர் பட்ட நிகழ்வு மேமாதம் 15ம் தேதி வத்திக்கானில் இடம்பெறும்.
இந்தியாவின் பொதுநிலையினர் ஒருவர் திருஅவையில் புனிதராக அறிவிக்கப்பட உள்ளது இதுவே முதன்முறையாகும்.
இப்புனிதர் பட்டமளிப்பு விழாவைத் தொடர்ந்து ஜூன் மாதம் 22 முதல் 26 வரை, பத்தாவது உலக குடும்பங்கள் மாநாடு வத்திக்கானில் இடம்பெறும்.
கோவிட் பெருந்தொற்று காரணமாக ஏறத்தாழ 2000 பேர் மட்டுமே இக்கருத்தரங்கில் கலந்துகொள்வர் எனவும், அதே நாட்களில் இணையதளம் வழியாகவும், மறைமாவட்டங்களிலும் கருத்தரங்குகள் இடம்பெறும் எனவும் அறிவிக்கப்பட்டுள்ளது.
இவ்வாண்டு திருஅவையில் இடம்பெற உள்ள மூன்றாவது முக்கிய நிகழ்வாக, செப்டம்பர் 4ம் தேதி 'புன்னகையின் திருத்தந்தை' என அறியப்படும், இறையடியார் திருத்தந்தை முதலாம் யோவான் பவுல் அவர்களை அருளாளராக அறிவிக்கும் கொண்டாட்டம் வத்திக்கானில் இடம்பெறும் என அறிவிக்கப்பட்டுள்ளது.
பிப்ரவரி மாதம் 27ம் தேதி, மத்தியதரைக்கடல் பகுதியின் ஆயர்கள், மற்றும் மேயர்களின் சந்திப்பையொட்டி, இத்தாலியின் Florence நகர் செல்கிறார் திருத்தந்தை பிரான்சிஸ்
கிறிஸ்டோபர் பிரான்சிஸ் - வத்திக்கான்
திருத்தந்தை பிரான்சிஸ் அவர்கள், ஜனவரி மற்றும் பிப்ரவரி மாதங்களில் கலந்துகொள்ளும் திருவழிபாட்டுக் கொண்டாட்டங்கள் குறித்த விவரங்களை ஜனவரி 10, திங்களன்று வெளியிட்டது திருப்பீடம்.
ஜனவரி மாதம் 23ம் தேதி சிறப்பிக்கப்படும் இறைவார்த்தை ஞாயிறையொட்டி, வத்திக்கான் புனித பேதுரு பெருங்கோவிலில், இத்தாலிய நேரம் காலை 9.30 மணிக்கு, அதாவது, இந்திய நேரம் பிற்பகல் 2 மணிக்கு திருப்பலி நிறைவேற்றுவார் திருத்தந்தை பிரான்சிஸ்.
ஒவ்வோர் ஆண்டும் ஜனவரி மாதம் இடம்பெறும் கிறிஸ்தவ ஒன்றிப்பு செப வாரத்தின் இறுதி நாளான ஜனவரி 25ம் தேதி, அதாவது, புனித பவுலின் மனமாற்றத் திருவிழாவன்று, புனித பவுல் பெருங்கோவிலில் உள்ளூர் நேரம் மாலை 5.30 மணிக்கு திருவழிபாட்டை நிறைவேற்றுவார் திருத்தந்தை பிரான்சிஸ்.
இயேசுவை கோவிலில் காணிக்கையாக ஒப்புக்கொடுக்கப்பட்ட நாளும், அர்ப்பண வாழ்வின் 26வது உலக தினமுமாகிய பிப்ரவரி 2ம் தேதி மாலை 5.30 மணிக்கு, வத்திக்கான் புனித பேதுரு பெருங்கோவிலில் திருப்பலி நிறைவேற்றும் திருத்தந்தை, அம்மாதம் 27ம் தேதி ஞாயிற்றுக்கிழமையன்று, மத்தியதரைக்கடல் பகுதியின் ஆயர்கள், மற்றும் மேயர்களின் சந்திப்பையொட்டி இத்தாலியின் Florence நகர் சென்று, காலை 10.30 மணிக்கு அந்நகரின் திருச்சிலுவை பெருங்கோவிலில் திருப்பலி நிறைவேற்றுவார்.
குடிபெயர்தல், காலநிலை மாற்றம், பெருந்தொற்று, ஆயுத பயன்பாடு, கல்வியின் முக்கியத்துவம், மாண்புடன் கூடிய வேலைவாய்ப்பு ஆகியவைக் குறித்து திருத்தந்தை
கிறிஸ்டோபர் பிரான்சிஸ் - வத்திக்கான்
மனிதகுலம் இணைந்து வாழ முயல்கையில் உருவாகும் பிரச்சைனைகளுக்குத் தீர்வு கண்டு இணக்க வாழ்வை ஊக்குவிப்பது, அரசியல் இராஜதந்திர செயலாண்மைத் திறனின் நோக்கமாக இருக்கவேண்டும் எனக் கேட்டுக்கொண்டார் திருத்தந்தை பிரான்சிஸ்.
ஒவ்வோர் ஆண்டும் இடம்பெறும் வழக்கப்படி, ஜனவரி 10ம் தேதி, திங்களன்று, திருப்பீடத்திற்கான நாடுகளின் தூதர்களைத் திருப்பீடத்தில் சந்தித்து வாழ்த்துக்கள் கூறிய திருத்தந்தை பிரான்சிஸ் அவர்கள், அனைத்து நிலைகளிலும் ஆழமான ஒன்றிப்பை ஊக்குவிக்கவேண்டியதன் அவசியத்தை வலியுறுத்தினார்.
கொரோனா பெருந்தொற்றால் சமூகத் தனிமைப்படுத்தல்களும், இறப்புகளும் அதிகரித்துள்ள நிலையில், அனைவருக்கும் தடுப்பூசி வழங்கும் திட்டத்தில், தனிமனிதர்களின், அரசுகளின் அனைத்துலக அமைப்புகளின் அர்ப்பணம் இன்றியமையாததாக இருக்கின்றது என்பதையும் சுட்டிக்காட்டி உரையாற்றினார் திருத்தந்தை பிரான்சிஸ்.
லெபனான் நாட்டிலும், ஈராக் நாட்டிலும் அமைதி நிலவ உழைக்க வேண்டியதன் அவசியத்தையும், சிரியாவின் வருங்காலம் குறித்த நிச்சயமற்ற நிலை, அனைத்துலகச் சமுதாயத்தில் பாராமுகத்துடன் நடத்தப்படும் ஏமன் நாட்டுப் பிரச்சனை, பாலஸ்தீனம் மற்றும் இஸ்ரயேல் நாட்டிற்கிடையேயான அமைதி பேச்சு வார்த்தைகளின் மந்தநிலை, லிபியா, சூடான், தென்சூடான், எத்தியோப்பியா ஆகியவைகளில் காணப்படும் பதட்ட நிலைகள், மியான்மாரின் அரசியல் நெருக்கடி ஆகியவைகளையும் எடுத்துரைத்து, தீர்வுகளுக்கு உதவ அழைப்பு விடுத்தார்.
உலகில் புலம் பெயர்ந்தோரின் எண்ணிக்கை அதிகரித்து வருவது குறித்தும் தன் ஆழ்ந்த கவலையை வெளியிட்டு, அவைகளுக்கு உதவி வரும் அமைப்புகளுக்குப் பாராட்டுகளை வழங்கிய அதேவேளை, புலம்பெயரும் மக்கள், குற்றக்கும்பல்களால் பல்வேறு துன்பங்களுக்கு உள்ளாவதையும் எடுத்துரைத்தார் திருத்தந்தை பிரான்சிஸ்.
குடிபெயர்தல், பெருந்தொற்று, காலநிலை மாற்றம் போன்றவை அனைத்து நாடுகளையும் உள்ளடக்கித் தீர்வு காணப்படவேண்டிய பிரச்சனைகளாக இருக்கும் வேளையில், சில குறிப்பிட்ட நாடுகள் தன்னிச்சையாக எடுக்கும் முடிவுகள், ஏனைய நாடுகளில் திணிக்கப்படும் அச்சத்தையும், வரலாறு திரித்து எழுதப்படும் ஆபத்தையும் சுட்டிக்காட்டினார் திருத்தந்தை.
சுற்றுச்சூழல் பாதுகாப்பு அவசியத்தையும், அதற்கும் காலநிலை மாற்றத்திற்கும் இடையேயுள்ள தொடர்பையும் சுட்டிக்காட்டிய திருத்தந்தை பிரான்சிஸ் அவர்கள், பிலிப்பீன்ஸ் நாட்டில் அண்மையில் இடம்பெற்ற பெரும்புயல் அழிவுகளை எடுத்துரைத்து, அடுத்த நவம்பரில் எகிப்தில் நடைபெறயுள்ள COP 27 கூட்டத்திற்குச் சிறப்பான தயாரிப்புகள் இடம்பெறட்டும் என்ற அழைப்பையும் விடுத்தார்.
இன்றைய உலகின் பிரச்சனைகளுக்கு காலநிலை மாற்றம் ஒரு காரணமாக இருக்கும்போது, ஆயுதப் பயன்பாடுகள் அதிகரிப்பும் பிறிதொரு காரணமாக இருக்கின்றது என்பதையும் எடுத்துரைத்தார் திருத்தந்தை பிரான்சிஸ்.
உலகம் தயாரித்துள்ள ஆயுதங்களுள், அணு ஆயுதமே மிகுந்த கவலை தருவதாக உள்ளது என்ற திருத்தந்தை, அணுஆயுதமற்ற ஓர் உலகு என்பது இயலக்கூடியது, மற்றும் அத்தியாவசியமானது என்பதையும் எடுத்துரைத்து, ஈரானுடன் அணுஆயுதக் கட்டுப்பாட்டு ஒப்பந்த முயற்சிகள் வியன்னாவில் மீண்டும் துவக்கப்பட வேண்டியதன் அவசியத்தையும் வலியுறுத்தினார்.
இன்றைய உலகில் கலந்துரையாடல், மற்றும் உடன்பிறந்த நிலையின் கலாச்சாரத்தை ஊக்குவிக்க கல்வியின் முக்கியத்துவம், மற்றும் மாண்புடன் கூடிய வேலைவாய்ப்பு ஆகியவைகளையும் சுட்டிக்காட்டிய திருத்தந்தை, அமைதியை உருவாக்கும் பணிகளில் அனைத்து அரசியல் தூதர்களும் அச்சமின்றி செயல்பட வேண்டும் என்ற விண்ணப்பத்துடன், திருப்பீடத்திற்கான நாடுகளின் அரசியல் தூதர்களுக்குரிய உரையை நிறைவுச் செய்தார்.
துணிந்து இறைவனை தேடிச் செல்வது, தாழ்மையுடன் அவரை ஏற்பது, புதிய பாதைகளைக் கைக்கொள்ள அஞ்சாதிருப்பது என்பவை, மூன்று ஞானிகள் தரும் பாடம்.
கிறிஸ்டோபர் பிரான்சிஸ் - வத்திக்கான்
ஜனவரி 6ம் தேதி வத்திக்கானில் சிறப்பிக்கப்பட்ட, திருக்காட்சிப் பெருவிழாவையொட்டி, ஆறு டுவிட்டர் செய்திகளை வெளியிட்டுள்ளார் திருத்தந்தை பிரான்சிஸ்.
உலகின் இறுதி எல்லைவரைக்கும் தூய ஆவியின் வல்லமையின் துணையுடன், சாட்சியாகவும், இறைவாக்குரைப்பவராகவும், மறைபரப்புப் பணியாளராகவும் செயல்பட, திருமுழுக்கின்வழி நாம் பெற்ற அருளைச் செயல்படுத்துகிறோமா என தன் முதல் டுவிட்டரில் அழைப்புவிடுத்திருக்கும் திருத்தந்தை பிரான்சிஸ் அவர்கள், தன் ஏனைய 5 டுவிட்டர் செய்திகளில், விண்மீனைக் கண்டு இறைவனைத் தேடிச் சென்ற மூன்று ஞானிகளின் பயணம் நமக்குச் சொல்லித் தரும் பாடம் குறித்து விவரித்துள்ளார்.
விசுவாசத்துடன் துணிந்து இறைவனை தேடிச் செல்வது, இறைவனைக் குறித்த கேள்விகளை நமக்குள்ளேயே கேட்பது, நம் வழியில் அச்சுறுத்தல்களுக்கு அஞ்சாமல் முன்னோக்கிச் செல்வது, இறைவனைக் கண்டதும் தாழ்மையுடன் அவரை ஏற்பது, புதிய பாதைகளைக் கைக்கொள்ள அஞ்சாமல் இருப்பது என தன் டுவிட்டர் செய்திகளில் கூறியுள்ளார் திருத்தந்தை பிரான்சிஸ்.
மேலும், இஸ்பெயின் நாட்டு கர்தினால் Francisco Alvarez Martinez அவர்களின் மரணம் குறித்து தன் ஆழ்ந்த அனுதாபங்களை வெளியிட்டு, அந்நாட்டு தலத்திருஅவைக்கு இரங்கல் செய்தி ஒன்றை அனுப்பியுள்ள திருத்தந்தை, இறைவனுக்கும் திருஅவைக்கும் அயராது உழைத்த நல்மேய்ப்பன் என அவரை பாராட்டியுள்ளதுடன், தன் செப உறுதியையும் வழங்கியுள்ளார்.
ஜனவரி மாதம் 5ம் தேதி, புதன்கிழமையன்று இடம்பெற்ற, 96 வயதான கர்தினால் Francisco Alvarez Martinez அவர்களின் மரணத்துடன், திருஅவையில் கர்தினால்களின் எண்ணிக்கை 214 ஆகவும், அதில் திருத்தந்தையை தேர்ந்தெடுக்கும் தகுதியுடைய, 80 வயதிற்குட்பட்ட கர்தினால்களின் எண்ணிக்கை 120 ஆகவும் உள்ளது.
From 21 to 23 December, the Secretary for Relations with States was in Juba, to meet South Sudanese political and religious authorities and collaborators of the Archbishop of Canterbury.
By Paul Samasumo & Salvatore Cernuzio
“There is no perfect time for any such visit,” but it is not excluded that Pope Francis will visit South Sudan next year. This is a wish already expressed several times by the Pope himself and that receives "strong support" so that it can be organized by the authorities.
This is according to Archbishop Paul Richard Gallagher, Vatican Secretary for Relations with States, who made a three-day visit to Juba - from 21 to 23 December - during which he met with local political and religious leaders.
“We believe that there is great support for a visit” by the Holy Father, the Archbishop said speaking to Mbikoyezu John Gbemboyo, a collaborator of Vatican News’ English for Africa Section: " Though like all these things, there is never the perfect time – so we have to move forward in the whole process of discerning,” Archbishop Gallagher said."
The Pope's wish
The pre-Christmas visit to South Sudan by the Secretary for Relations with States had been in the planning for months, coordinated with Lambeth Palace, the organizational support of the Archbishop of Canterbury. And it was with the Anglican Primate, Justin Welby, that Pope Francis in 2017 expressed his desire to carry out an ecumenical mission to South Sudan.
Meeting with the Anglican community at All Saints Church in Rome, the Pope had revealed his intention: "My collaborators are studying the possibility of a trip to South Sudan. But why? Because the Anglican, Presbyterian and Catholic bishops came to tell me: 'Please come to South Sudan maybe just for one day. But don't come alone, come with Justin Welby'. This came from the young church in that country, and it got us thinking about a very bad situation there, and about the fact that they want peace, to work together for peace."
Already in October of that year, it seemed that the visit could take place, but the worsening of the political context and the escalation of clashes in different areas of the country, that led to which a break in the "ceasefire" and a serious humanitarian crisis, put the brakes on the initiative.
Archbishop Gallagher in Juba
The retreat in the Vatican
On the occasion of the spiritual retreat in the Vatican of South Sudan’s highest religious and political authorities in April 2019, Pope Francis reiterated his desire to travel to the nation.
The meeting, conceived by the Archbishop of Canterbury, was attended by President Salva Kiir and the Vice Presidents-designate, including Rebecca Nyandeng De Mabior, widow of South Sudanese leader John Garang, and Riek Machar, leader of the opposition. Pope Francis knelt to kiss their feet pleading for the gift of peace for a people disfigured by nearly six years of civil war.
That unexpected and symbolic gesture is recalled by Gallagher: "The retreat at the Vatican got a lot of attention especially because of the Holy Father's extreme gesture of pleading with the leaders of South Sudan to move the peace process forward for the good of the people. So, we worked on that" during the days of the visit.
Listening to the people and to the leaders
Obviously, Gallagher explains, "it’s been a visit that is affected by Covid-19, but in the end, we decided that there is no perfect time for any such visit. We decided we should come now. We have come with the objective of listening to the people; listening to the leaders, both political and Church leaders, in order to see what is the situation here and what contribution can both the Holy See, in particular, Pope Francis and the Archbishop of Canterbury, make in moving this process forward.”
Archbishop Gallagher and South Sudanese bishops
The meetings
Arriving in Juba in the early afternoon of December 21, accompanied by Monsignor Andrea Piccioni of the Section for Relations with States, Gallagher was welcomed by the Apostolic Nuncio to South Sudan, Archbishop Hubertus Matheus Maria van Megen (who is resident in Nairobi), by Mgr. Ionuţ Paul Strejac, Chargé d'Affaires at the Vatican embassy in Juba, by the Archbishop of Juba and the Bishops of Malakal and Wau, as well as by a representation of religious serving in the country.
At the airport he had a private meeting with the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mayiik Ayii Deng. In the afternoon, at the Nunciature, he met the Anglican Bishop Precious Omuku and Martha Jarvis, representatives of Lambeth Palace, and some diplomats, with whom he discussed the current political, economic and social situation in South Sudan.
This was followed by a conversation with the South Sudanese Bishops, who expressed their gratitude to the Pope "for his paternal closeness" and renewed "the commitment of the local Church in favour of the country".
In conversation with President Salva Kiir
On the morning of December 22, Gallagher, along with delegations from the Holy See and Lambeth Palace, was received by President Salva Kiir Mayardit, at his residence. A cordial conversation, during which the Vatican's support for the peace process was reaffirmed and the possibility of a visit to South Sudan next year by the Pope, Welby and the Moderator of the Presbyterian Church of Scotland was discussed.
The proposal was welcomed with great satisfaction by the Head of State, who reiterated the government's commitment to the implementation of peace, while thanking the Pope and the Archbishop of Canterbury for promoting unity and stability in South Sudan.
In particular, Salva Kiir thanked Pope Francis for the humanitarian assistance offered to the populations affected by the recent floods, especially in the diocese of Malakal.
Gallagher's trip continued with a meeting with some representatives of the Ecumenical Council of Churches of South Sudan and with representatives of civil society.
On the morning of December 23, the Archbishop presided at a Mass in the Cathedral of Juba - in the presence of the third Vice-President, Taban Deng Gai-, during which he encouraged the faithful to live the mystery of Christmas, in the constant search for unity, charity and forgiveness. After the celebration, the prelate met with religious men and women of South Sudan and visited St. Claire’s House for Children orphanage in Juba, where he offered a gift from Pope Francis.
Archbishop Gallagher in Juba
A people of optimism and great faith
At the conclusion of the trip, the Secretary for Relations with States said he was "optimistic" about Africa, despite the many challenges the continent faces: from insecurity to constant poverty to the devastation caused by flooding.
"I am a great believer in Africa. I am optimistic about Africa. I understand the many problems and challenges, but I think, in the end, there is an energy and an optimism. There is talent here which will take the people of Africa forward, including the people of South Sudan,” said Archbishop Gallagher.
He concluded with a thought for Christmas: " “This is a country of great faith, with a great Christian tradition. And Christmas is a moment when indeed Jesus Christ, in his frailty, comes among us. God chooses humanity. Therefore, there is a great message of hope, a message of perseverance.”
The Vatican’s Fides News Agency releases its annual list of Catholic missionaries who died a violent death in 2021, with the majority bearing witness to their faith on the African continent.
By Devin Watkins
Twenty-two missionaries lost their lives across the world this year: 13 priests, 1 religious brother, 2 religious sisters, and 6 lay persons.
Half (11) were killed on the African continent, followed by the Americas (7), then Asia (3), and finally Europe (1).
The Vatican agency says it uses the term “missionary” in a broad sense of “all the baptized engaged in the life of the Church who died in a violent way, not only ‘in hatred of the faith’.”
According to Catholic theology, all baptized Christians are missionary disciples, “whatever their position in the Church or their level of instruction in the faith” (EG 120).
African witnesses
Though Europe counted just one murdered missionary, only the killing of Fr. Olivier Maire, SMM, in France made the headlines of the US- and Euro-centric Western press.
The provincial superior of the Montfort Missionaries died at the hands of a Rwandan-born immigrant whom he had been assisting.
Yet, the African continent counted the most missionary deaths, with a total of 11. The most recent was Fr. Luke Adeleke, a diocesan priest killed on Christmas Eve in a remote part of southwestern Nigeria.
Africa’s most populous nation also witnessed the murders of 3 other priests, in areas where lawless bandits often have free reign.
Three missionaries—2 women religious and one layman—lost their lives in South Sudan, while missionaries were also killed in Burkina Faso, the Central African Republic, Uganda, and Angola.
Activists in the Americas
Mexico endured the bulk of missionary-murders in the Americas, with 4 men bearing witness to the faith in blood.
One was an indigenous lay catechist who was an activist campaigning “for respect of human rights in a non-violent way.”
Missionaries also lost their lives in Haiti, Peru, and Venezuela, where a religious brother was killed by a thief in the school in which he taught.
Asian pastoral workers
In Asia, a Filipino priest was shot in the head as he returned to his Seminary on the island of Mindanao.
The tumult in Myanmar left two Catholic laymen dead. Both were killed by snipers as they brought food and humanitarian aid to refugees fleeing the civil conflict.
Though they did not make the list, at least 35 innocent Catholic civilians were massacred on Christmas Eve by army forces.
Countless others killed in the faith
In its annual report, Fides adds that the list is provisory and only includes missionaries whose fates have been independently verified.
The agency says there are countless others whose names will never be known and who “in every corner of the planet suffer and pay for their faith in Jesus Christ with their lives.”
For example, it fails to include another 16 catechists and pastoral workers killed in South Sudan during armed conflicts in 2021, whom the local bishop said were all “targeted and killed by pistol bullets for having spoken the truth with works of peace!”
The report also points to the murder of a young Italian layman who moved to Mexico to live a simple life and help his poor neighbors in any way possible.
Sr Elena Balatti, a Comboni missionary working in South Sudan, describes the peace process and how Christmas has renewed hope for an end to conflict in the country.
By Antonella Palermo
In the world's youngest country - independent from Sudan since 2011 - the road to peace remains uphill but not stationary. The 2018 RevitalisedAgreement for the Resolution of the Conflict in South Sudan, finds continuous momentum on the ground.
Sister Elena Balatti, of the Comboni Missionaries, is Coordinator of the Office for Integral Human Development (Caritas) in the diocese of Malakal.
Her commitment is humanitarian and in defence of human rights. She works in the field of justice and peace, networking with many other people in South Sudan and in close contact with a group made up entirely of lay people.
In an interview with Vatican News, she describes the challenges of dialogue in the country and the recent glimmers of concrete gestures of reconciliation.
Q: At the beginning of a new year, following the Pope's Message for the World Day of Peace, how is the path to reconciliation proceeding in a country marked by constant conflict? And how much effort is behind this journey?
The word peace is used a lot: "We must continue to pursue the peace agreement... We want real peace that we can touch with our own hands...". This reveals how important it is for us and also how hard it is for we human beings to live in peace, among ourselves, with God and with ourselves. As far as South Sudan is concerned, the process is extremely laborious, but it goes on.
In the diocese of Malakal, for the first time this Christmas, some glimmers of hope are more concrete because the tones have changed; they are more subdued. There have been no accusations. The past has been put a little in parentheses in order to look towards the present and the future, towards an active collaboration of the various forces for development. The President has recently declared that 2022 will be the year of truth. One of the articles of the Peace Accord signed in 2018 provides precisely for the establishment of the Truth Commission to heal the wounds of the past that war necessarily inflicts on civil society.
Looking at history, in fragile situations a consolidated peace can be seen in the long term. The serious economic crisis that the country is experiencing is destabilising in itself, so there are risk factors for localised and nationwide conflicts but, in my view, the indicators for peace far outweigh the potential indicators for a return to conflict.
Q: Sr Balatti, what does 'dialogue' mean in light of your mission?
Dialogue is first of all listening and contemplating. The first characteristic is to be quiet and to look at others. We try to promote it through courses, by preparing our staff to go to the communities in the diocese, a very large diocese - almost a third of the entire territory of the country - the most devastated by the consequences of the civil war.
Dialogue is extremely difficult when people have been directly affected by the events of the war: pain, suffering, loss of possessions, of their social status, of affections. War is all this. Therefore, training consists first of all of a 'conversion' in the sense of a change of perspective, from one in which one has become a victim to one in which one is convinced that one can become an agent of change, that one can come out on a personal level and then be able to drag others out of the vicious circle of violence.
Dialogue is being able to look at others not as enemies but as brothers and sisters, who are all in some way victims like us. The style is to talk to each other, to take time to reflect, not to respond immediately, to go to a slightly deeper level.
I say all this also for me because our community in Malakal, and not only that, became displaced during this last civil conflict. We had to try to talk to ourselves to reopen ourselves to more positive possibilities, because we get discouraged. We must not lose heart, be ready to start again every day.
Dialogue is about keeping the door open at all times, even if it costs so much at times. As the Lord does for us.
Q: As the Pope says, it is about activating processes. The word finality, in essence, does not make much sense. Is that so?
It does. Every day the Lord gives us a new day, and it is a positive becoming. There can never be finality in evil or in a disastrous situation. This applies to everyone, to South Sudan and to other countries that are experiencing conflicts and wars.
Sister Elena Balatti among her people, in Malakal Cathedral
Q: Is there a story you would like to recall which is emblematic of a healing process that has been brought to completion?
Yes, it happened over Christmas. In South Sudan there are opposing ethnic groups. For generations, the Murle and Nuer groups have taken it in turns to raid cattle, which is not even considered stealing. Whereas in the past the raids were carried out with spears and the damage was fairly limited, now the huge presence of small arms has turned them into mini but bloody conflicts. They can cause dozens of deaths. They seem to be never-ending, preventing schooling for the young and development for the population.
Before Christmas, the governor of the Murle area decided to voluntarily return a few hundred cattle to the governor of the other ethnic group. When we heard the news we said: this is Christmas. This is the only way we can be together again: someone has to give something, but they will find that they will get a much bigger reward.
From Christmas to now, the situation on the border of the two tribes is such that there have been no clashes. We hope that this significant gesture will be followed by others like it.
Q: The local bishops have recently asked for progress in the investigation into the attack on Father Cristian Carlassare and for the killers of Sisters Mary Daniel Abbud and Regina Roba to be identified, rejecting "attempts to use the tragedy to wreck the peace process". What updates can you give us on the evolution of these events?
A positive update is that the Rome-talks have resumed; there have been meetings and these negotiations with the groups that are not the signatories of the 2015 and 2018 peace agreements.
The agreements - which had stalled after the killing of the two nuns on the road from Nimule to the capital - have resumed. On the negative side is the fact that there are no publicly known developments in the two investigations.
Q: Have you ever been afraid for your safety?
No, we are not at that level. One must be prudent, however, and not expose oneself too much in moving and speaking. I don't want to say that Father Christian or the two nuns exposed themselves to risks, absolutely not, but there are tense situations in which one has to evaluate well. The Catholic Church is studying these episodes, and we must bear in mind that there have also been other incidents of this kind involving members of the Church and other Churches.
The Church must continue to be prophetic. It cannot remain silent. On the other hand, I think that ecclesiastical diplomacy is trying to arrive at some form of human justice. Personally, I am not afraid. South Sudan is my country where I have lived half my life. Fear can come in the face of threats that can occur almost anywhere. I have experienced it, but you always have to overcome fear, which is paralysing.
Sister Elena Balatti with some of the young people she works with
Q: How widespread is the pandemic in South Sudan, and how widespread are Covid-19 vaccines?
The pandemic is on the rise, but there are no precise figures because only in the capital are there centres where swabs can be taken. In some other major cities, rapid tests can be done but it is difficult to count.
The positive fact is that the number of deaths is proportionally very low. The government has declared a partial lockdown for a few weeks. It has reimposed restrictions in public places, such as universities, and is encouraging vaccinations. The problem is that most people don't want to get vaccinated. Now, however, the number of people who are convinced is increasing a bit.
Q: Coming back to civil society, how severe are the restrictions on its scope for action?
Civil society is not yet well developed. The spaces are limited. The Constitution guarantees freedom of expression, but in fact it is extremely limited, and there are not many organisations or associations that claim to be spokesmen for civil society.
What is needed is widespread schooling, which is progressing. But we also need the formation of an attitude, and it is not enough that it is written in the Constitution.
Q: When do you think the Pope will be able to visit the South Sudanese people?
Let him come this year! Let him come this year! I received the crucifix from the Pope at the missionary vigil in 2019, and as soon as I said: South Sudan, he said: 'I want to go to that country'. And I said: 'Come, come. Everybody loves you in South Sudan.' So, even today, I would repeat that.
