Commemorative Edition Aid to the Church in Need
Apostles of Hope Signs of Contradiction Signs of the Times 14 - 3
Apostles of Hope
Patriarch Gregorios, Syria
Fr. Michael Shields, Siberia ACN (Ire) Evangelist-at-large
Archbishop Kaigama, Nigeria
Sister Hanan, Lebanon
To learn more about the ‘Apostles of Hope’, please visit the Mirror 2014 Archive on
www.acnireland.org Bishop Kyrillos, Eqypt
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Commemorative Edition Aid to the Church in Need
Contents
Page
Apostles of Hope to a World in Need - JF Declan Quinn ................................ 2 From the Cross we receive strength - Cardinal Piacenza ............................... 6 The Cross as a Sign of Contradiction and Hope - Bishop Sleman ................... 8 Sustaining Hope in the face of Persecution . . . . . . ........................................ 10 Spreading the Gospel of Hope . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ........................................ 12 Peace is the Fruit of Love . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ........................................ 14 Holiness is the calling card of the Church . . . . . . . . . ........................................ 16 Hope for the world and Sign of Contradiction . . ........................................ 23 John Paul II, The Pope of Divine Mercy . . . . . . . . . . . . . ........................................ 29 John Paul II, the great Witness to Hope. . . . . . . . . . . . . . ....................................... 30 Friends in Christ, Apostles of Hope - Pope John Paul II and Fr Werenfried ..... 32 Real Signs of Hope - Johannes Heereman . . . . . . . . . . . . . ....................................... 36
Editor: JĂźrgen Liminski. Publisher: Kirche in Not / Ostpriesterhilfe, Postfach 1209, 61452 KĂśnigstein, Germany. De licentia competentis auctoritatis ecclesiasticae. Printed in Ireland - ISSN 0252-2535. www.acn-intl.org
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Apostles of Hope to the World in Need ver the last 300 years, eleven popes have been beatified and one, Pope Saint Pius X, canonised. The canonisation of Pope Blessed John XXIII and Pope Blessed John Paul II on the 27th April 2014 is consequently an exceptional and joyful event in the history of the Church. This special edition of Aid to the Church in Need’s Mirror extraordimagazine commemorates this extraordi nary event by reflecting upon these Holy mens’ deep appreciation of the Gospel of Hope, Hope that is founded upon the merciful love of God. Piacenza, President of Aid to the Cardinal Piacenza Church in Need (ACN), in our first article highlights that it is ‘from the Cross’ that Christians ‘receive the strength to move forward resolutely each day…and bear witness to our faith in Christ.’ Bishop Elias
Destroyed church in Idlib province, Syria 2
Sleman of Laodicea, Syria, in our second article speaks of radical Islamists ‘hunting down everything that belongs to the Cross’ and refers to the ‘indescribable massacres and atrocities’, poverty and suffering of refugees currently being experienced by Christians throughout Syria. ‘Christ is our hope’ writes Bishop Elias and ‘our hope in Him reaches further than all dangers’. Today ordinary Christian Syrians are providing the world with an extraordinary witness to Faith. In the face of Christian persecution not only in Syria, but in Sudan, Nigeria, China and far too many other countries, Aid to the Church in Need is quietly and effectively at work supporting these heroic witnesses to the Faith as briefly indicated in our third article ‘Sustaining Hope in the face of Persecution’. Indeed sustaining and ‘spreading the Gospel of Hope’ as well as being a duty of every baptised Catholic is the core mission of Aid to the Church in Need. So it is that over the last 67 years ACN has developed a very active and successful media apostolate where it brings the Gospel of Hope to the poorest and most persecuted of the world’s parishes. Our fourth article briefly overviews some of this apostolate’s activities. hroughout the world, amidst great suffering and hardship and hidden from the attention of the world’s media there are millions of living saints, ‘little lights’ who simply radiate
the Joy of the Gospel as they bear their crosses and help other pilgrims bear theirs as they journey through this ‘valley of tears’. These ‘little lights’ who reflect the light of Christ and are sustained by encourageHis Church find comfort and encourage ment in the lives of the ‘great lights’; the ‘great saints’ among whom they are numbered in the Communion of Saints. Pope John XXIII and Pope John Paul II are two such ‘great lights’ who lived lives which lit up the world with their Holi Holiness and the Hope they bore witness too. Both Holy men were true Apostles of Hope and Apostles for Peace. ‘Peace is the Fruit of Love’ Love’, our fifth article, speaks of both Holy Fathers’ con conviction that ‘war is always a defeat for humanity’, here we need only consider what Bishop Elias has written about the human tragedy in Syria.
eace is also the expression of Holiness and ‘Holiness is the calling card of the Church’ (Article Six). Although the Church offers ‘indestructible Hope’, it is ‘a sign of contradiction’ to the world and is often rejected by it; violently and visibly in many places, insidiously and invisibly in others. Our seventh article based upon Pope John XXIII’s opening address to the Second Vatican Council on 11th October 1962, takes up this theme. In this, John XXIII made clear his great hopes for the Council and the Church’s need to read ‘the Signs of the Times’ and prepare itself for a ‘new era’.’. Pope John saw the Church at the threshold of a ‘new era’,, it was the task of his successors in unity with the Holy Spirit to take the Church over the threshold of this new era and ensure that the Gospel of Hope would shine like a beacon within it.
Second Vatican Council, 1962
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The responsibility of guiding the Church into the New Millennium fell to Polish-born Pope John Paul II. During his long 26 plus year reign as successor to Peter, John Paul II proved himself the great witness to Hope in the post-modern age (Article Seven). sucJohn Paul II along with his friend and suc cessor Pope Benedict XVI completed the definiwork of the Council by offering its defini tive interpretation. So it was that Pope John Paul II was able to launch the Church ‘into the deep’ of the New Millennium. prepart was no accident that in prepar ing for the New Millennium, Pope John Paul II would emphasise Divine Mercy (Article Eight). Unquestionably Pope John Paul II was a great pope. He was also a great and beloved friend of ACN’s founder Fr. Werenfried Van Straatan (1913 - 2003). During communist times in Poland, communists planned to build a new town, Nowa Huta, as a ‘city God’, a city without a church. Fr without God’ Werenfried and the then Cardinal Wojtyla friendensured that did not happen. Deep friend ships are forged during times of trial and it Pope John Paul II and Fr. Werenfried, ACN founder, in Castlegondolfo, 1993.
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was no different between these two great warriors for peace (Article Nine). Fr. Werenfried would often remark that ‘The wish of the Pope is our command’. Aid to the Church in Need is a pontifical foundation under the direct supervision of the Congregation of the Clergy and is tasked with the open-ended responsibility of assisting with the Universal Church’s pastoral mission especially in those lands where the Church is experiencing extreme economic hardship and/or persecution. Since Pope John XXIII, the expressed wish of every Pope is for ACN to help Apostles of Hope shine the light of Christ into the darkest recesses of the world thereby bringing the Joy of the Gospel to those who feel abandoned in places and circumstances where even God weeps. Beir Beannacht
J F Declan Quinn Director, Aid to the Church in Need (Ireland)
Pope John Paul II and the Little Bible hen the Pope visited Kazakhstan in 2001 a child proudly showed him a Bible for children in the Kazakh language. The Pope was delighted, for he already knew of our Bible for children indeed he was there when this project, one of the biggest ever by ACN, saw the light of day. It was at Puebla, Mexico in January 1979 and he had just been elected Pope, so that his journey to the plenary assembly of the Latin AmeriAmeri can bishops’ council in Puebla was the first journey of his pontificate. On the occasion of this conference Father Werenfried, ACN Founder, Founder explained that children need a Bible, ‘so that the image of Jesus can become a living reality in their hearts’. hearts’
Often this little Bible is the only printed book some children have ever had, and ‘for many it is the first time they have even seen a book’, as one bishop wrote to us from Brazil. In Africa the book is performing a tremendous service, not least in basic literacy. So it is that ‘God speaks to His Children’ is not just a vital instrument of pastoral work, but makes a valuable contribution to human development and to a sense of linguistic identity for those many millions it serves. •
This little Bible soon became a companion to millions, while for a number of young boys the desire was awakened in reading it to become priests. By now the Bible for children has been published in 176 differdiffer ent languages in a total printing in excess of 51 million copies.
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From the Cross we receive strength Dear Friends, he days of Lent recall to us the 40 days that Jesus spent in the desert, and thus they are marked with the memory of his battle with the tempter. In the desert Jesus is nourished by God’s Word and thus overcomes the devil’s efforts at deception by choosing the will Father, which is our redemption of the Father through his Passion and death on the Cross. During this time then, let us also find strength and joy in God’s Word, so that we can follow the Lord on his way. Only the person who has understood the mystery of suffering out of love can grasp the source and the breadth of joy. Christian strength and joy It is from the Cross that we receive the strength to move forward resolutely each Cardinal Piacenza concelebrating Mass.
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day, in the family, in the workplace, in our relationships with our neighbours, and to bear witness by our good works to our faith in Christ. This unfathomable mystery of the Cross is made present to us above all in the celebration of the Eucharist. Here it becomes for us the nourishment of the Living Bread. In the Eucharistic presence of Jesus we also become more strongly aware that we are poor sinners. We recognise our frailty and woundedness. Yet this realisation of our own sinfulness does not lead to helplessness and resignation. On the contrary,
expression in a sincere sacramental confession. Only this can radically transform our discouragement, sadness and regret into that effervescent joy that characterises the life of grace.. Let us also gratefully embrace the little crosses of our daily life, so that we too may have a share in the life of the Crucified One. As the Belgian Benedictine Paul von Moll once said, ‘If we only knew what immense grace God bestows on us in giving us a cross to bear, we would perceive it as martyrdom to be without it.’
the Passion and total self-abandonment of Christ, even to death on the Cross, enkindles in us fresh confidence in the In turning to the Cross, Merciful Love of let us not forget to ‘The Passion and selfGod, which draws embrace in prayer abandonment of Christ, even and loving concern all us like a magnet to death on the Cross enkindles those members of the into the embrace of in us fresh confidence in the his forgiveness. The Mystical Body who Merciful Love of God’ season of Lent is visibly bear the bleedpermeated through ing wounds of the and through with a sense of heartfelt Redeemer today. Let us entrust the pergratitude in the face of the goodness secuted, the suffering, and all those who and incomparable tenderness of our do not yet know the love of God, to the God, who, in the Crucified Lord, calls heart of the Mother of Sorrows – whom the sinner to Himself and renews him Jesus entrusted to us as our beloved through contrition and penance. Mother as he hung dying on the Cross. et us live this time with heightened awareness under the Sign of the Cross. From the Cross we receive blessing and salvation. The Cross strikes fear into Satan because it leads us on to the path of repentance and conversion. conLet us therefore live this time of con version, of renewal, in a way that finds
My blessing on you all
Cardinal Mauro Piacenza, President of Aid to the Church in Need
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The Cross as a Sign of Contradiction and Hope - Syria Dear Friends in Christ, he Lord says to his disciples, ‘Do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell.’ (Mt 10:28). This is exactly what we are facing today in Syria. Is this a time of grace or a time of testing? We Christians, whether Catholics, Orthodox Christians or Protestants, feel a profound solidarity as disciples of Christ during this time us. of persecution. It is he who unites us What happens to the others, happens to us also. What is at stake is the most funlife. But it is more damental thing of all, life life. than our physical life; it is eternal life We, as servants of salvation, have to be witnesses to this salvation during this time. This makes us strong, despite our weakness. We have no right to waver or
What future for her? Mariam weeps for her missing family.
be fearful. Christ is our hope. The way to him is more sure than all the certainties of this world, our hope in him reaches further than all dangers. The faithful entrusted to us hear this hope in our voices, they see in our eyes the light of faith, they sense in our actions our love of Christ and for the people in this land.
Lumen Christi – Resurrection for a nation in ruins. Maronite Easter Mass in Damascus
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Our roots are here, and we should not leave this land, unless it be to journey to our heavenly homeland.
in our Faith, rooted in our history. We have been here for two thousand years.
n this land we lack everything today, but we have the one thing that matters, the treasure hidden in the field: our Faith. Fidelity to this Faith is what constitutes our identity. There are regions of Syria that are scarcely affected by the war, for example the coast and the mountain range alongside the coast. But for Christians there is no refuge, no tranquil backwater. Radical Islamists are hunting down everything that belongs to the Cross. The fate of the two Orthodox bishops and the three priests who were abducted a year ago is still unknown.
Help us stay! Help us sanctify our land,, this earth, with the work of our hands. We do not fear those who can kill the body. You are our brothers and sisters in the outside world, we have a shared inheritance, our common faith in Christ. Together we are responsible for the sanctification of the world before we go home to our Father. The material goods that we possess in this world are only a means to find our way into the Kingdom of our heavenly Father. We need your prayers. Together with the Pope let us raise up our voices to the Father: ‘Lord, grant us your peace.’ •
We also do not know what has become of the Orthodox nuns of Maaloula. Then there are the events in Sadad, Hafar, Deir Atiyeh, Carah, Nabk, Kseir, Rablé, Dmaineh, Michtayeh, Ghassaniyeh – and the Christian villages in the area, and many other places – from everywhere masnews is coming in of indescribable mas atrocities. sacres and atrocities Poverty is spreading throughout the country. The refugees are suffering. They have no homes, no clothing, no medicines, little or nothing to eat, few blankets to protect against the winter cold. The young can see no future. The older ones are all yearning for peace, for rest, for harmony in their villages, for mutual respect for the dignity of all, regardless of their belief. We are strong
Elias Sleman Bishop of the Maronites in the Eparchy of Lattaquié (Laodicea)
Bishop Elias Sleman of Lattaquié.
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Sustaining Hope in the face of Persecution eaten to death, stabbed, shot dead, hanged – in Colombia, Mexico, Brazil, Venezuela, Panama, Haiti, Brazil Tanzania, Tanzania Madagascar, Nigeria, India, Syria and the Philippines – 19 Catholic priests and religious gave their lives for Christ in these countries during 2013 – not to mention the hundreds of ordiordi nary Catholics who were victims of bomb attacks on churches, etc. Christians are the most persecuted religious minority in the world and estimates put the number of Christians who are currently facing perper secution, discrimination or exile at 100 million worldwide. The little parish of Mpendae on the island of Zanzibar, Zanzibar Tanzania began with just a handful of faithful about 30 years ago. Although it is located in a region with a
Murdered by Islamists – the coffins of Christian victims in Sadad, Syria. 10
large number of radical Islamists, more and more people have been baptised over the years so that there was no room for them all in the little chapel. So they built a new church – and have planned a parish house and a convent for sisters. But that was too much for the extremists. False rumours were spread – ‘The Christians are taking away your jobs’ – and soon a crowd of young men attacked the church, looting it and setting fire to it. And although it has now been repaired, there is still a danger that it will be attacked again. So how can the people pray and celebrate Holy Mass in peace? They want to build a 10-foot high wall around the church, presbytery and convent. Walls can divide, but they also protect. ACN will help to provide protection for the compound. But there is no protection for the Christians who have fled to Syria from Iraq. They can’t go back with war raging in Syria, so they are forced to seek shelter in neighbouring Jordan, Lebanon, Turkey. Often they have escaped with nothing but their lives. WithWith out outside help they could lose these as well. ACN is providing practical humanitarhumanitar ian help – for example for the 50 refugees from Syria who are currently sheltering in the Catholic parish of Mersin in Turkey, waiting for the war to end. But what helps them most to survive is a strong faith. That is why we are also helping with projects that aim to deepen and strengthen the faith and knowledge
of oppressed Christians. For example in Khartoum, where Cardinal Gabriel Zubeir Wako places the highest value on training Religious Education teachers for refugees still living in the northern nation of Sudan and why his auxiliary, Bishop Daniel Adwok Kur,, is particularly concerned for the 16 seminarians who will eventually serve as priests, both in Sudan and in the new nation of South Sudan. The Church in Northern Sudan is being slowly strangled by the Islamist regime there. Without outside help, the walls of Christian faith in this country are in danger of falling. •
The ugly face of persecution – attack on the El-Amir Tadros church in Minya, Egypt.
God’s house in their hearts - China Christianity is growing in China China. Every day five new Christian communities are estab established. Since 1980 the number of Christians has grown from 5 million to at least 80 million, among them some 12 million Catholics. Yet for all this, there is little sign of any significant religious freedom. The Catholic Church herself is subject to constant surveillance. In many places it is still dangerous to pray together. From one region in China we received this testimony: ‘As yet many people still have to attend Holy Mass in old tents, and Eucharistic Adora Adoration is held in an old, derelict house. They have never seen stained glass windows with biblical scenes, never experienced Gothic architecture. On feast days the few benches
available are reserved for children and old people. Most people simply kneel on the floor – and there are more and more of them. The old building can no longer contain them. But nothing can hold back the love of these brothers and sisters for God, or diminish their hope. God’s house is in their hearts. Every Thursday we have Perpetual Adoration. Despite all the difficulties we will still try, by the grace of our Lord, to build a church.’ •
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Spreading the Gospel of Hope s it is written in Psalm 103 (104): ‘Send forth Thy Spirit, and they shall be created. And Thou shalt renew the face of the earth’ earth’. The Spirit inspires the word, and the word is written with letters of ink. This written word has touched the hearts of so many saints and, through them, renews the face of the earth. Saint Augustine is perhaps the best-known example, but countless unknown souls have read this word and been converted. The working of the Spirit rests on the solid foundation of the Bible, the book books. Last year ACN funded the distriof books bution of over 2 million Bibles and other religious publications. The Spirit blows where it will – Pentecost in Mendi, PapuaNew Guinea.
Word, image, Spirit – the Bible speaks to children in Egypt.
In addition to this there were the hundreds of thousands of copies of our own Child’s Bible (now in 176 languages and a total printing of 51.2 million copies), our Children’s Rosary booklet (1 million), adult Rosary booklet (2.7 million), Way of the Cross and many others besides. The goal of Christian proclamation is to renew the face of the earth – through writing, the visual image and the spoken word. And the Spirit also makes use of the modern media. In Ukraine this comes in the shape of EWTN, the Eternal Word Television
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Network. We have already helped EWTN, the world’s largest Catholic TV network, to proclaim the message via cable. The next thing will be to beam it by satellite, so that people in the countryside can also receive it. In a country that is at risk of sliding back into something like a dictatorship, Catholic radio and television can be a window on to freedom. •
Word, image, Spirit – the Bible speaks to children in Egypt.
Hope for Africa In Africa Christianity is growing faster than anywhere else. The continent boasts the most new congregations, the most seminarians, the most priestly ordinations, the most baptisms. And all this despite the pressure of an often aggressive Islam. It is all the more important, then, to bring the Good News in all its fullness, and in all its clarity, to the people of Africa. This is the reason for the ‘African Bible’, a Bible with a commentary and explanations, and with classifications, introductions and interpretative guides in footnotes greatand illustrations. And all with the great est possible care for orthodoxy. It is also about inculturation. The Word of God does not simply thrust aside the various different cultures and traditions, but rather penetrates them with love, in a spirit of evangelisation, and thus becomes incarnate again in each individual soul. The English version
Conveying the Word with clarity – with the help of footnotes and illustrations.
is already available, as is the Portuguese one. What is now needed is the French version. Scholars from West Africa, the African Great Lakes region and from Central Africa are currently working on it, always in close collaboration with Rome. The Daughters of Saint Paul will publish and distribute the ‘African Bible’ in the Francophone countries of Africa. There are no funds to print it, but a project aimed at rooting the Good News in the hearts of Africans must not fail because of a lack of funds – and so we have promised to help. •
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Peace is the Fruit of Love ister Marie Simon-Pierre was healed while in an advanced stage of Parkinson’s disease; little Kevin Jeremie was healed from paralysis. Both miracles are attributed to Blessed II. The lame walk, the sick are John Paul II healed. This is the work of God, through the intercession of his saints, who now live in God. Blessed John Paul II lived with God, worked with God, travelled the globe with God. For 27 years he was God’s Vicar on earth. He produced 14 encyclicals and innuaround 100 apostolic letters, plus innu merable other letters and homilies. He made over 100 journeys and visited over 130 countries.
Pope John XXIII asked Fr. Werenfried to help the Church in Latin America. 14
400 million people turned out to see him; he canonised 500 saints and beatified almost 3 times that number. He inspired millions of young people and brought them together. In Manila, in the Philippines, he celebrated Holy Mass for 4 million people – the largest such gathering of all time. On the 27th April 2014 he was canonised, together with Pope John XXIII. Both these popes were Apostles of Joy and Hope for the World. They reformed the Catholic Church: The ‘good Pope’ as they called John XXIII, with the Second Vatican Council and his encyclical on peace, ‘Pacem in terris’, was the first papal document to be addressed not only to Catholics, but to ‘all men of goodwill’. Peace on Earth – this was the mission of the Church that both men devoted themselves to – for peace is the fruit of love. In this spirit Pope John Paul II brought about the collapse of communism and overcame the divisions in Europe caused by the Iron Curtain. He reconciled the Church with Judaism, and Faith with Science. He energetically promoted reconciliation with the Orthodox Church, revived interreligious dialogue, launched numerous peace initiatives, raised awareness of the importance of the family and had an open ear for the cause of human rights in many parts of the world. As he famously stated, ‘War is always a defeat for humanity’.
Both men also knew Father Werenfried, the Bacon Priest, John Paul II was a personal friend. Both men sent the Bacon Priest further out into the world – John XXIII commended Latin America to him; John Paul II Russia and the Orthodox Church. Father Werenfried obeyed them both: ‘the wish of the Pope is our command’ command’, he would say – and then entrust himself to the generosity of our benefactors. So ACN grew under these two popes, through prayer, sacrifice and creative fidelity. Two friends: John Paul II and Father Werenfried in St Peter’s Square in 1979.
Pope John Paul II wrote history and shaped it; he became, in his own lifetime, a giant not only of the 20th century, but of history itself. A man of superlatives, who nonetheless always pointed us to the One whom he represented. A media star in the early years, a living martyr in the latter ones, as it became clear that he stood for truth, spoken uncompromis uncompromisingly and with love.
Now these two men, who knelt so often and so long before the altar, will themselves be raised to the altar. No doubt from heaven they will continue to help us ease the needs of the universal Church, uncompromisingly, and with love. •
reat too was Pope John XXIII – in faith, and great in his humanity. He understood this always in rela relation to God, to His love. ‘Man is never greater than when he kneels’, he said. Indeed, both men kneels’ kneeled before their Creator - fervently, at length, abandoned, immersed in love.
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Holiness is the calling card and the way of the Church1 umen Gentium Gentium, the Dogmatic Constitution on the Church notes that the holiness of Christians flows from that of the Church and manifests it it. It says that holiness ‘is expressed in many ways by the individuals who, each in his own state of life, tend to the perfection of love, thus sanctifying others’ (LG 39). That a person is declared a Saint is not a statement about perfection. It does not impermean that a person was without imper fection, blindness, deafness or sin. Canonisation means that a person lived his God: or her life with God relying totally on God’s infinite mercy, going forward with God’s strength and power, loving one’s enemies and persecutors, forgiving in the midst of evil and violence, hoping beyond all hope, and leaving the world a better place. Such a person: lets those around him know that there is a force or spirit animating his or her life that is not of this world, but the next. lets us catch a glimpse of the greatness and holiness to which we are all called, and
shows us the face of God as we journey on our pilgrim way on earth. Holiness is the calling card of the Church, it is the authentic face of the Catholic Church. Angelo Roncalli (John XXIII) and Karol Wojtyla (John Paul II)... did not get caught up in the quarrels, squabbles and passing things of their age. They… based their lives on God’s Word, immersed themselves in the liturgy of the Church, drew strength from the Eucharist and the Sacraments, and put their devotion into practice through clear teaching, compassionate loving, gentle yet firm shepherding, patient suffering, and generously serving the poor. They… allowed God’s will to be done in their lives on a daily basis. he Lord worked through their doubts, strengths and human weaknesses to unite the Church. Their action on Jesus’ behalf was always positive, hopeful, courageous, and straightforward. Their active Faith in him and their decisive following of him are the
1 Adapted from Fr. Thomas Rosica ‘Santi Subito! Pope John XXIII and Pope John Paul II to be canonised together’, September 30, 2013 Salt and Light.
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The six Popes since Vatican II
Prayer for the Persecuted Church Heavenly Father, Today your Son is wounded once again in our brothers and sisters in the faith who are persecuted because of their trust in you. Strengthen them in their sufferings, and help us to support them by compassionate intercession and practical generosity.
Amen
Pope John XXII Angelo Roncalli
1958 -1963 Obedientia et Pax (Obedience and Peace)
Pope Paul VI Giovanni Montini
1963 -1978 Cum Ipso in monte (With Him on the Mount)
Pope John Paul I Albino Luciani
1978 Humilitas (Humility)
Pope John Paul II Karol Wojtyła
1978 - 2005 Totus Tuus (Totally Yours)
Pope Bendict XVI Joseph Ratzinger
2005 - 2013 Co-operatores veritatis (Co-workers in the Truth)
Pope Francis Jorge Mario Bergoglio
2013 - Present Miserando atque Eligendo (Lowly but chosen)
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Prayer for the Church in Ireland God of our fathers, renew us in the faith which is our life and salvation, the hope which promises forgiveness and interior renewal, the charity which purifies and opens our hearts to love you, and in you, each of our brothers and sisters. Lord Jesus Christ, may the Church in Ireland renew her age-old commitment to the education of our young people in the way of truth and goodness, holiness and generous service to society. Holy Spirit, comforter, advocate and guide, inspire a new springtime of holiness and apostolic zeal for the Church in Ireland. May our sorrow and our tears, our sincere effort to redress past wrongs, and our firm purpose of amendment bear an abundant harvest of grace for the deepening of the faith in our families, parishes, schools and communities, for the spiritual progress of Irish society, and the growth of charity, justice, joy and peace within the whole human family. To you, Triune God, confident in the loving protection of Mary, Queen of Ireland, our Mother, and of Saint Patrick, Saint Brigid and all the saints, do we entrust ourselves, our children, and the needs of the Church in Ireland.
Amen
of these men for taking steps that were centuries in the making.
Jewish ghetto during the Holocaust.
unchanging quintessence of the Church’s vocation. They are authentic role models for those who wish to serve the Lord as disciples and witnesses today. mong many points of convergence one particular unifying theme in the lives and ministries of John XXIII and John Paul II stands out. Jews throughout the world remember both
IstanAs papal representative in Istan bul during World War II, Angelo Roncalli provided bogus papers to help Jewish refugees flee the Nazis and escape to Palestine.. He personally prodded the Catholic queen of Bulgaria to persuade her husband to protect the Jews of that nation. John XXIII is duly credited with saving the lives of tens of thousands of Jews. Perhaps because of what he saw during the Holocaust, John XXIII never lost an opportunity to modify church practices that nurtured anti-Semitism. He removed the term ‘perfidious’ Jews from the Good Friday prayer. During one audience with a visiting Jewish delegation, he introduced himself with a Biblical verse that alluded to his baptismal name and underscored
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the relationship between Christians and Jews: ‘I am Joseph your brother.’
enau and he established full diplomatic relations with Israel.
If John XXIII brought about a Copernican revolution in the way that Christians and Catholics think, speak and teach about Jews, John Paul II boldly put that change of attitudes into action and went where no pope had ever gone before. As a young man in Poland under Hitler’s evil empire, Karol Wojtyla witnessed hell on earth. On April 13, 1986, the Polish born Pontiff crossed the Tiber and entered Rome’s Great Synagogue, embracing Rome’s Chief Rabbi Elio Toaff and calling Jews the ‘elder brothers’ of Christians.
uring John Paul II’s final illness, the leaders of the Simon Wiesenthal Centre requested an audience with him simply to say thank you. A group of Jewish leaders surrounded the very ill John Paul II and extended their hands in blessing over their brother, Karol.
John Paul II visited Jerusalem and the Western Wall during the Jubilee Year of 2000, praying there for forgiveness for the way Christians had mistreated Jews for almost 2,000 years. He visited the blooddrenched killing fields of Auschwitz-Birk-
Pope John Paul II and Chief Rabbi Elio Toaff.
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Since then warm relationships with the Jewish people continue to be fostered. Pope Benedict XVI referred to the Jews as being our ‘fathers in the faith’ and Pope Francis continues to reach out, hosting them at Domus Sanctae Marthae for Jewish Sabbaths and holy days. Holiness, the putting of the words of the Gospel into practice, heals the deepest of divisions, it is ‘the calling card’ and the way of the Church. •
Hope for the world and Sign of Contradiction2 - Pope Saint John XXIII he voice of the past is both spir spirited and heartening. We remem remember with joy those early popes and their more recent successors to whom we owe so much. Their hallowed, momentous counwords come down to us through the coun cils held in both the East and the West, from the fourth century to the Middle Ages, and uninright down to modern times. Their unin proterrupted witness, so zealously given, pro claims the triumph of Christ’s Church, that divine and human society which derives from its divine Redeemer its title, its gifts of grace, its whole dynamic force. Here is cause indeed for spiritual joy. And yet this history has its darker side too, a fact, which cannot be glossed over. These nineteen hundred years have reaped their harvest of sorrow and bitterness. The aged Simeon’s prophecy to Mary, the Mother of Jesus, proves true in every age: ‘Behold, this child is destined for the fall and for the rise of many in Israel, and for a sign that shall be contradicted.’ Jesus, too, when grown to manhood, made it quite clear that men in times to rememcome would oppose Him. We remem ber those mysterious words of His: ‘He who hears you, hears me.’ St. Luke, who records these words, also quotes Him later as saying: ‘He who is not with me is 2 Redacted from Pope St John XXIII’s opening address to the Second Vatican Council, 11th October 1962. Full version of the text is available at www.acnireland.org and www.vatican.org
against me; and he who does not gather with me scatters.’ Certain it is that the critical issues, the thorny problems that wait upon men’s solution, have remained the same for almost twenty centuries. And why? Because the whole of history and of life hinges on the person of Jesus Christ. Either men anchor themselves on Him and His Church,, and thus enjoy the blessings of light and joy, right order and peace; or they live their lives apart from Him; many positively oppose Him, and deliberately exclude themselves from the Church. The result can only be confusion in their lives, bitterness in their relations with one another, and the savage threat of war. Hopes for the Second Vatican Council The function of every ecumenical council has …been to make a solemn proclamation of the union that exists between Christ and His Church; to diffuse the light of truth; to give right guidance to men both as individuals and as members of a family and a society; to evoke and strengthen their spiritual resources; and
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to set their minds continually on those higher values which are genuine and unfailing. o study of human history during these twenty centuries of Christendom can fail to take note of the evidence of this extraordinary teaching authority of the Church as voiced in her general councils. ….We have every confidence that the Church, in the light of this Council, will gain in spiritual riches. New sources of energy will be opened to her, enabling her to face the future without fear. By introducing timely changes and a prudent system of mutual cooperation, We intend that the Church shall really succeed in bringing men, families and supernatunations to the appreciation of supernatu values. ral values ...In the daily exercise of Our pastoral office, it sometimes happens that We hear Us—opincertain opinions which disturb Us—opin
ions expressed by people who, though fired with a commendable zeal for religion, are lacking in sufficient prudence and judgment in their evaluation of events. They can see nothing but calamity and disaster in the present state of the world. They say over and over that this modern age of ours, in comparison with past ages, is definitely deteriorating. One would think from their attitude that history, that great teacher of life, had taught them nothing. They seem to imagine that in the days of the earlier councils everything was as it should be so far as doctrine and morality and the Church’s rightful liberty were concerned. We feel that We must disagree with these prophets of doom, who are always forecasting worse disasters, as though the end of the world were at hand. resent indications are that the human family is on the threshold of a new era. We must recognise here the hand of God, who, as the years roll by, is ever directing men’s efforts, whether they realise it or not, towards the fulfilment of the inscrutable designs of His providence, wisely arranging everything, even adverse human fortune, for the Church’s good. As a simple example of what We mean, consider the extremely critical problems which exist today in the political and economic spheres. Men are so worried by
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these things that they give scant thought concerns, which are to those religious concerns the province of the Church’s teaching authority. All this is evil, and we are right to condemn it. ut this new state of affairs has at least one undeniable advantage: it has eliminated the innumerable obsta obstacles erected by worldly men to impede the Church’s freedom of action action. We have only to take a cursory glance through the annals of the Church to realise that even those ecu ecumenical councils which are recorded there in letters of gold, were celebrated in the midst of serious difficulties and most dis distressing circumstances, through the unwar unwarranted intervention of the civil authority. dicSuch intervention was sometimes dic tated by a sincere intention on the part of the secular princes to protect the Church’s interests, but more often than not their motives were purely political and selfish, and the resultant situation was fraught with spiritual disadvantage and danger. We must indeed confess to you Our deep sorrow over the fact that so many bishops are missing today from your midst. They suffer imprisonment and every kind of disability because of their faith in Christ. The thought of these dear brothers of Ours impels Us to pray for them with great earnestness. Yet We are not without hope; and We have the immense consolation of knowing that the Church, freed at last from the worldly
fetters that trammelled her in past ages, can through you raise her majestic and solemn voice from this Vatican Basilica, Cenaas from a second Apostolic Cena cle. The major interest of the Ecumenical Council is this: that the sacred heritage of Christian truth be safeguarded and expounded with greater efficacy. That doctrine embraces the whole man, body and soul.. It bids us live as pilgrims here on earth, as we journey onwards towards our heavenly homeland. It demonstrates how we must conduct this mortal life of ours. If we are to achieve God’s purpose in our regard we have a twofold obligation: as citizens of earth, and as citizens of heaven. That is to say, all men without exception, both individually and in society, have a life-long obligation to strive after heavenly values through the right use of the things of this earth.. These temporal goods must be used in such a way as not to jeopardise eternal happiness. Seeking the Kingdom Of God rue enough, Christ our Lord said: ‘Seek first the kingdom of God and His justice,’ and this word ‘first’ indicates what the primary direction of all our thoughts and energies must be. Nevertheless, we must not forget the rest of
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Our Lord’s injunction: ‘and all these things shall be given you besides.’ conThus the traditional as well as the con temporary Christian approach to life is to strive with all zeal for evangelical perfection, and at the same time to contribute toward the material good of humanity. chariIt is from the living example and the chari table enterprise of such Christians as these that all that is highest and noblest in human society takes its strength and growth. Contributing to Society f this doctrine is to make its impact on the various spheres of human activity—in private, family and social life—then it is absolutely vital that the Church shall never for an instant lose sight of that sacred patrimony of truth inherited necfrom the Fathers. But it is equally nec essary for her to conkeep up to date with the changing con ditions of this modern world, and of modern living, for these have opened Cathoup entirely new avenues for the Catho lic apostolate. Beyond Science he Church has never been stinting in her admiration for the results of man’s inventive genius and scienprogress, which have so revolutiontific progress ised modern living. But neither has she been backward in assessing these new developments at their true value. 26
While keeping a watchful eye on these things, she has constantly exhorted men to look beyond such visible phenomena—to God, the source of all wisdom and beauty. Her constant fear has been that man, who was commanded to ‘subject the earth and rule it,’ should in the process forget that other serious command: ‘The Lord thy God shalt thou worship, and Him only shalt thou serve.’ Real progress must not be impeded by a passing infatuation for transient things. A Fresh Approach to Transmitting the Truth Fearlessly This twenty-first Ecumenical Council can draw upon the most effective and valued assistance of experts in every branch of sacred science, in the practical sphere of the apostolate, and in administration. Its intention is to give to the world the whole of that doctrine which, notwithstanding every difficulty and contradiction, has become the common heritage of mankind—to transmit it in all its purity, undiluted, undistorted. t is a treasure of incalculable worth, not indeed coveted by all, but available to all men of good will. And our duty is not just to guard this treasure, as though it were some museumpiece and we the curators, but earnestly and fearlessly to dedicate ourselves to the work that needs to be done in this modern age of ours, pursuing the path
which the Church has followed for almost twenty centuries. … …What is needed at the present time is a new enthusiasm, a new joy and serenity of mind in the unreserved acceptance by all of forthe entire Christian faith, without for feiting that accuracy and precision in its presentation… . What is needed, and what everyone imbued with a truly Christian, Catholic and apostolic spirit craves today, is that this doctrine shall be more widely known, more deeply understood, and more penetrating in its effects on men’s moral lives.
What is needed is that this certain and immutable doctrine, to which the faithful owe obedience, be studied afresh and re-formulated in contemporary terms. For this deposit of faith, or truths which are contained in our time-honoured teaching is one thing; the manner in which these truths are set forth (with their meaning preserved intact) is something else. …We must work out ways and means of expounding these truths in a manner more consistent with a predominantly pastoral view of the Church’s teaching office.. In these days,… it is more obvious than ever before that the Lord’s Truth is indeed eternal. Human ideologies change. Successive generations give rise to varying errors, and these often vanish as quickly as they came, like mist before the sun. The Church has always opposed these errors, and often condemned them with the utmost severity. Today, however, Christ’s Bride prefers the balm of mercy to the arm of severity.. She believes that, present needs are best served by explaining more fully the purport of her doctrines, rather than by publishing condemnations. A Loving Mother he great desire, therefore, of the Catholic Church in raising aloft at this Council the torch of Truth, is to show herself to the world as the loving
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mother other of all mankind; gentle, patient, and full of tenderness and sympathy for her separated children. To the human race oppressed by so many difficulties, she says what Peter once said to the poor man who begged an alms: ‘Silver and gold I have none; but what I have, that I give thee. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, arise and walk’. n other words it is not corruptible wealth, nor the promise of earthly happiness, that the Church offers the world today, but the gifts of divine grace which, since they raise men up to the dignity of being sons of God, are powerful assistance and support for the living of a more fully human life life. She unseals the fountains of her lifegiving doctrine doctrine, so that men, illumined by the light of Christ, will understand their true nature and dignity and purpose. Everywhere, through her children, she extends the frontiers of Christian love, the most powerful means of eradicating the seeds of discord, the most effective means of promoting concord, peace with justice, and universal brotherhood brotherhood. he Church’s anxiety to promote and defend truth springs from her conviction that without the assistance of the whole of revealed doctrine man is quite incapable of attaining to that complete and steadfast unanimity which is associated with genuine peace salvation For such is God’s and eternal salvation. 28
plan. He ‘wishes all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.’ nhappily, however, the entire Christian family has not as yet fully and perfectly attained to this visible unity in the truth. But the Catholic Church considers it her duty to work actively for the fulfilment of that great mystery of unity for which Christ prayed so earnestly to His heavenly Father on the eve of His great sacrifice. The knowledge that she is so intimately associated with that prayer is for her an occasion of ineffable peace and joy. And why should she not rejoice sincerely when she sees Christ’s prayer extending its salvific and ever increasing efficacy even over those who are not of her fold? …It is therefore an overwhelming source of grief to Us to know that, although Christ’s blood has redeemed every man that is born into this world, there is still a great part of the human race that does not share in those sources of supernatural grace, which exist in the Catholic Church. Such…is the aim of the Second Vatican Council. It musters the Church’s best energies and studies with all earnestness how to have the message of salvation more readily welcomed by men. By that very fact it blazes a trail that leads toward that unity of the human race, which is so necessary if this earthly realm of ours is to conform to the realm of heaven, ‘whose king is truth, whose law is love, whose duration is eternity.’ •
Blessed John Paul II, The Pope of Divine Mercy3 arol Wojtyla was an extraordinary witness who, through his devotion, heroic efforts, long suffering and death, communicated the powerful mes message of the Gospel to the men and women of our day. A great part of the success of his message is due to the fact that he has been surrounded by a tremendous cloud of strengthwitnesses who stood by him and strength ened him throughout his life. For John Paul one; it is II, the call to holiness excludes no one not the privilege of a spiritual elite. minisThroughout his priestly and Episcopal minis try, and especially during his Petrine Ministry as Bishop of Rome, John Paul II preached God’s mercy, wrote about it, and lived it. He offered forgiveness to the man who attempted to kill him in St. Peter’s Square. diviThe Pope who witnessed the scandal of divi sions among Christians and the atrocities against the Jewish people as he grew up did everything in his power to heal the wounds caused by the historic conflicts between Catholics and other Christian churches, and especially with the Jewish people. Near the beginning of his pontificate in 1981, Pope John Paul II wrote encyclical dedicated to Divine Mercy – Dives in Misericordia (Rich in Mercy) illustrating that the heart of the mission of Jesus Christ was to reveal the merciful love of the Father. In the Jubilee year 2000, Pope John Paul Kowalska, the II canonised Sr. Faustina Kowalska protagonist and apostle of Divine Mercy,
making her the first canonised saint of the new millennium and he established ‘Divine Mercy Sunday’ as a special title for the Second Sunday of Easter for the universal Church. hy did Pope John Paul II insist so much on God’s Divine Mercy and Love in our time? Mercy is an essential Christian virtue, and is distinct from Justice and Retribution. While recognising the real pain of injury and the rationale for the justification of punishment, Mercy takes a different approach in redressing the injury. Mercy strives to radically change the condition and the soul of the perpetrator to resist doing evil, often by revealing love and one’s true beauty. If any punishment is enforced, it must be for salvation, not for vengeance or retribution. This is a complex message but it is the only way if we as Christians wish to go forward and be ’leaven’ for the world today; if we truly wish to be ‘salt’ and ‘light’ in a culture that has lost the flavour of the Gospel and the light of Christ. Where hatred and the thirst for revenge dominate, where war brings suffering and death to the innocent, where abuse has destroyed countless innocent lives. the grace of mercy is needed in order to settle human minds and hearts and to bring about real healing and peace. • 3 Adapted from Fr. Thomas Rosica ‘Santi Subito! Pope John XXIII and Pope John Paul II to be canonised together’,, September 30, 2013 Salt and Light.
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John Paul II, the great Witness to Hope ope John Paul II is universally recognised as one of the great figures of modern times. He was a man of exceptional courage and strength who, by his words, gestures and journeys, has quite literally changed the geography of the world, the image of the Church and rela relations between nations and religions. He won for the Church a central place in the dynamic of the modern age and often stood out as a lone voice in defence of humanity and its truest and deepest values. In every respect, the pontificate of John Paul II was a pontificate of superlatives. The sheer scale of his activity in every field for over a quarter of a century marked him out as a true world leader and a ‘conscience’ of the nations.
Through his travels - which were more than just pilgrimages, Pope John Paul II ‘broke the mold’ and went far beyond the usual pattern of the papacy. His great historic importance lay in this ‘stepping out’ from the ‘traditional’ sphere of Catholicism onto the world’s political and social scene. Without this Pope, according to Mikhail Gorbachev, it is impossible to understand what happened in Europe at the end of the 20th Century. Elsewhere too, notably in Latin America, Pope John Paul II played a crucial role as catalyst and mediator where right-wing dictatorships ruled on grounds of presumed national security. And he remained unflinching and persistent as he opposed the invasion of Iraq. His social teaching have been a fundamental point of reference in the discussions about a new world order, in which he always stood up for ‘global solidarity’. he enormous influence of Pope John Paul II on the world outside the Church is enough to earn him the title ‘Great’. He has also proved himself to be a giant within the Church and in his relations with other Christian denominations: He showed true determination; he took risks; he alone had the courage to ask forgiveness for the faults of the sons and daughters of the Catholic Church; he embraced Orthodox patriarchs as his brothers, even when this was not always acknowledged or reciprocated.
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solidarity (towards the poor of the world) and dignity of the human person. Similarly, one can summarise his commitment to the Church in three key phrases: Catholic identity, Christian unity, and dialogue with other world faiths.
The crossed keys, the symbol of the papacy, were for Pope John Paul II a symbol of Christ and man. His commitment in the human field can be summarised in three words: liberty (especially in the battle against communism and all dictatorships),
In 1978, when Karol Wojtyla was elected Pope, the then primate of Poland, Cardinal Stefan Wyszynski,, urged him to accept so that he could lead the Church into the third Millennium. That is what John Paul II has done, not only by opening the great Jubilee Year 2000, but especially by launching the Church ‘into the deep’ (cf. Lk 5:4) of the new Millennium. •
Pope John Paul II displayed strength and courage right to the end.
Newly elected Pope John Paul II as he greets world from balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica 1978.
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Friends in Christ, Apostles of Hope Pope John Paul II and Father Werenfried t endured for almost 40 years - the moving friendship between the great Pope from Poland and the tireless helper of the Church in Need around the world. Usually it is not easy to say when acquaintance turns into friendship. In the case of these two towering figures of the universal Church, in all probability, the blossoming of the relationship came with the construction of the spectacular ‘Ship Church’ in Nowa Huta near Krakow, built with ACN funds between 1967 and 1977. Cardinal Karol Wojtyla was then Archbishop of Krakow, and Father Werenfried campaigned energetically among the ben benefactors for support for this immensely difficult undertaking. In one Mirror letter he described the construction of Friends for all eternity: Pope John Paul II and Father Werenfried
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this church in the satellite town of Nowa Huta - planned as a city without God - as ‘one of the boldest campaigns ever carried out in a communist country’. Thanks to our collaboration in this project, Father Werenfried was able to say, the day after the historic conclave of 16th October 1978 which elected the Pope: ‘I know him very well… He is known as a great supporter of social justice and for his opposition against oppression and injustice, on the communist as well as on the capitalist side, and he was always very courageous and unequivocal.’ Father Werenfried congratulated the Holy Father, assuring him of our oneness in faith, in prayer and in action and pledged
to place ‘our whole charity at the fraternal disposal of the suffering Church’. Pope John Paul II replied, thanking him in a letter of 6th November 1978: 1978 ‘On this occasion I should like to thank you, Father, and your collaborators for your charitable work. I thank all your benefactors, who so eloquently bear witness to their Christian poor.’ charity and their solidarity with the poor n March 1980 Father Werenfried wrote in the Mirror: ‘Pope John Paul II is a friend of our charity… We unshakknow him as a courageous man, of unshak able faith and childlike love for the Mother of God. May God grant that through him resurthe Lord’s resurrection becomes a resur rection of the Church, so that she may once more understand that her only task is the Imitation of Christ.’ 1981, deeply shaken by the On 15th May 1981 ‘terrible and sacrilegious attempt on the Father’, Father Werenfried life of the Holy Father’ urged the benefactors ‘to unite in prayer begging our Lord to grant a speedy and full recovery to the visible Head of the Catholic Church, who is himself a son of the Church in need and a witness to its sufferings’. In the same year, the General Assembly of ACN took place in Rome. On 16th November 1981 the participants were received in audience by the Pope. In his words of greeting, Father Werenfried expressed his profound respect for the Holy Father. John Paul II replied: ‘In the two-thousandyear history of Christian charity you have
indeed made a moving and effective contribution, that is fittingly expressed in the name of your charity: Aid to the Church in Need.. I address myself to dear Father Werenfried van Straaten, in order to express to him my gratitude for myself and on behalf of the many bishops, thousands of priests, religious men and women, novices, seminarians and millions of the ordinary faithful. I exhort you all anew, zealous co-workers of this his beautiful charity of ecclesial solidarity,, and impart to you my special apostolic blessing.’ n 6th November 1987,, on the occasion of the next General Assembly, Father Werenfried handed the Holy Father a plaque with the ‘Bacon Priest’ motif and said: ‘God God has entrusted our char charity to the popes.. They have always wrapped us in the mantle of their protection...’ In his
13 May 1981 - an image that shook the world
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address, the Pope again paid tribute to the founder and his charity: ‘Who can tell what it costs to launch and organise a work of this kind, and who can measure the generosity it aroused for Christians in need?’
than we think’): ‘Even bishops are much better than we think’, a comment which, as he later remarked, ‘provoked a hearty laugh and warm applause from the usually solemn cardinals and his Holiness himself’.
ope John Paul II and Father Weren Werenfried also shared a lively sense of humour, as was demonstrated at their meeting on the 3th December 1991, during the European bishops’ synod in Rome. Father Werenfried and the Abbot General of the Norbertines were guests at the Holy Father’s table. Noting the similarity in their clothing during the photo shoot, the Holy Father remarked: ‘What are people going to say about these three Popes?’
From 1981 onwards, during his private audiences, Father Werenfried repeatedly asked the Pope to release him from his duties as head of ACN. The Holy Father’s answer was both friendly yet firm: ‘You must carry on for ten more years... And this period might be extended.’
And when Werenfried addressed the synod about the help given by ACN to Eastern and Central Europe and for the (alludNew Evangelisation, he remarked (allud ing to his well-known slogan, ‘God is better
n 1992, in another of his many personal meetings with the Pope, the Bacon Priest obtained the blessing of the Pope for his help for the Orthodox Church in Russia. On 10th October 1993 Father Werenfried again addressed the Pope during the ACN General Assembly in Rome: ‘We have come to bear testimony to our love and to thank Your Holiness for the kindness and support that we have so often been privileged to receive. We have also come to promise you that all of us present here, together with the 700,000 benefactors of our charity who pray and make sacrifices, all desire to remain your faithful children.’
The ‘three Popes’ - Father Werenfried and the Abbot General of the Norbertines, together with the Holy Father
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In the autumn of 1994 Father Werenfried fell gravely ill and wrote his last
testament. In his concern, the Holy Father sent a message of friendship and ‘get well’ wishes, via Archbishop Giovanni B. Re: Re ‘United with his most fervent blessing, the Holy Father wishes to convey to you his deep union of prayer. May Christ, the help of the sick, who through His sufferings has brought Salvation and Life to mankind, be for you a source of strength and new hope in your trials.’ Within a few months Father Werenfried had recovered so well that he was able once again to actively take part in the work of ACN with his prayer and counsel. n the 8th October 1999 the Bacon Priest was received in audience by Pope John Paul II, together with the newly elected leadership of ACN. Father Werenfried assured him that ‘every us’. wish of the Pope is a command for us’ This is also stated in his last testament. In 2002 Pope John Paul II gave Father Werenfried an image of the Black Madonna of Czestochowa.
In the Jubilee Year 2000, the founder of ACN, now suffering poor health, led his charity on a pilgrimage to Rome. There, he Jubialso celebrated his Diamond Jubi lee of the priesthood. During Holy Mass in St Peter’s on the 4th May 2000, the Pope’s greetings were conveyed to him by Cardinal Castrillón,, the direct superior of ACN in Rome. On the 13th May of the same year, Father Werenfried concelebrated Holy Mass with the Pope in Fatima. 27th April 2002 saw the last meeting between Father Werenfried and Pope John Paul II in Rome. Together with all the ecclesiastical assistants of ACN, the Holy Father concelebrated Holy Mass with him in his private chapel. Afterwards he gave him two personal gifts - his Paschal candle and an image of the Black Madonna of Czestochowa. On 1 February 2003 the Holy Father conveyed his sympathies following the death of Father Werenfried. He described him as ‘an outstanding Apostle of Char Charity’. He gave thanks ‘for the exemplary apostolic zeal he showed, in fidelity to the teaching and spiritual legacy of St Nor Norbert, and also for his deep human and spiritual qualities and his commendable contribution to unity among Christians’. The story of this true friendship between these two great Apostles of Hope fills us with gratitude and is a great legacy for our charity, Aid to the Church in Need. •
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Dear Friends, The Archbishop of Seoul, Andrew Yeom Soo-jung, Soo-jung when he was appointed a cardinal, remarked, ‘After this call from God, I will pray and do my best to ensure that the evangelisation of the Church in Asia advances further, espeespe cially in China and North Korea.’ He added that working to announce the Gospel in Asia was ‘an important task for the Korean Church’. Church’ ACN will be providing on the spot help for this task. The bishops’ conference of South Korea has now given the green light for an ACN office to open in the capicapi tal Seoul. Previously we have helped them, but now we will also be accomaccom panying the benefactors there and gathering their donations for the work of evangelisation. In Mexico too ACN will be opening an office – after Chile and Brazil it will be the third on what is known as the ‘Catholic continent’. continent’ This reflects a shift in Mexico City
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balance within the worldwide Church of today. In this way we will also be closer to the people, closer to the needy, and closer likewise to the benefactors in the region. The love of Christ unites us across every continent – and it is your generosity, your fidelity that makes it all possible. For all this help I would like to say a heartfelt ‘Gracias!’ (I will have to practise a little before I can say thank you in Korean!). God Bless.
Johannes Freiherr Heereman, Executive President of ACN International
You are all helping... You are all in our prayers Let us share our goods, with great love, reaching out our hands to our fellow Christians who are enduring unimaginaunimagina ble suffering because of their faith. What a lesson for us! How humbled and how privileged we are in being able to freely profess our faith in Our Saviour Jesus! Lord, I am deeply touched by the suffering, the hunger, the cold, and particularly the helplessness of the children. You are all in our prayers – especially the littlest ones. A benefactress from Portugal You are helping Your recent newsletter was particularly touching. On every continent, north and south, there is suffering and trouble, from the unborn to the elderly elderly. But you are offering help, so I enclose a cheque and leave the rest to you. A thousand blessings on your work. A lady from Australia Solidarity from Sumbawanga I wholeheartedly appreciate your untiring generosity to our diocese in particular, and to the whole Church at large. It is my hope that your organisation will be able to help me. I promise to pray for your organisation and your benefactors. A priest from Tanzania ‘World in Need’ In the media I so often come across ‘Aid to the Church in Need’ and am always reminded of its extensive worldwide activi activities. Maybe – considering its importance - you could call yourself ‘‘Aid to the World in Need’ instead! Anyhow, your work is part of God’s powerful mercy in this world. An elderly missionary from the Moluccas, Indonesia
...Thank you Dear Friends,
AMGD
Each year thanks to the • Donations • Legacies and • Mass offerings of its benefactors in Ireland and around the world, ACN is able to: • Provide sustenance and the means of survival for approx. 20,000 priests • Support approx. 18,000 seminarians and religious and • Distribute approx. 1.5 million catechetical books for children in over 170 languages. Heartfelt thanks for all your prayers and support provided to Christ’s Suffering and Persecuted Church. May the Good Lord continue to bless you and your family, past and present, now and always.
J F Declan Quinn Director, Aid to the Church in Need (Ireland) Where to send your contribution for the Church in Need: Please use the Freepost envelope. Aid to the Church in Need, 151 St. Mobhi Road, Glasnevin, Dublin 9. TEL (01) 837 7516. EMAIL info@acnireland.org WEB www.acnireland.org Registered Charity Numbers: (RoI) 9492 (NI) XR96620.
If you give by standing order, or have sent a donation recently, please accept our sincere thanks. This Mirror is for your interest and information.