MARCH 23, 2014, Vol 64, No 06

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SUNDAY MARCH 23, 2014

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VOL 64

NO. 6

Pope urges prayers for Ukraine amid tensions

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VATICAN CITY – As uncertainty

Decision made at world council meeting

reigned in Ukraine and Russian troops appeared to have control of the Crimean peninsula, Pope Francis asked the world’s Christians to pray for Ukraine and urged the parties involved to engage in dialogue. “While I hope that all sectors of the country will endeavour to overcome misunderstandings and build the future of the nation together,â€? the pope said, “I make a heartfelt appeal to the international community to support every initiative in favour of dialogue and harmony.â€? Speaking to tens of thousands gathered in St Peter’s Square for the recitation of the Angelus on March 2, he urged people to “pray for Ukraine, which is in a very delicate situationâ€?. After Russian troops entered Crimea, Major Archbishop Sviatoslav Shevchuk of Kiev-Halych, head of the Ukrainian Catholic Church, issued a statement saying, “We must stand up for our country, to be ready – if necessary Âą WR VDFULÂżFH RXU OLYHV LQ RUGHU WR protect the sovereign, free, indeSHQGHQW DQG XQLÂżHG VWDWH ´ A planned March 16 referendum on joining the Russian Federation, organised by pro-Russian authorities in Crimea, has sparked international condemnation. Meanwhile, Catholic clergy in Crimea have defended Ukraine’s right to self-determination. Bishops called for prayers for peace, but a priest in the naval port of Sevastopol said the families of Catholic troops serving with Ukrainian and Russian forces were “deeply confused and worriedâ€? about the military confrontation. Fr Jerzy Ziminski, rector of the St Clement, Pope and Martyr Parish in Sevastopol, told Catholic News Service that he had had no contacts with Russian commanders in the city, but said he had been “treated politelyâ€? and allowed

INSIDE S’pore couple leads Worldwide Marriage Encounter „ Page 5

Scoring in A Levels despite ADHD CJC student shares how he coped „ Page 6

ASIA ‘My pilgrimage to Indonesia’ Young Catholic shares his trip amidst erupting volcano „ Page 11

WORLD The joy of vocation Orthodox clergymen pray next to armed servicemen in Crimea on March 1. CNS photo

through by occupying Russian units when he visited Ukrainian troops on March 3 in their local barracks. Bishop Bronislaw Bernacki of Odessa-Simferopol, whose diocese includes the Autonomous Republic of Crimea, said Catholics believed “every nation has a right to decide about its own future� and were asking Christians worldwide to “fast and pray for peace�. Auxiliary Bishop Jacek Pyl, in a statement released by the Catholic charity Aid to the Church in Need, said, “We pray that the people, who for tens of years live in peace – do

QRW VWDUW ÂżJKWLQJ WRGD\ DQG WKDW WKH bloodshed of the kind we have seen in Kiev Maidan may be avoided here,â€? he added, referring to violence in Kiev’s Independence Square that led to the ouster of Ukrainian Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovych. Oblate Fr Marcin Wrzos told Poland’s Catholic information agency, KAI, on March 5 that 5XVVLDQ Ă€DJV ZHUH Ă€\LQJ RQ PRVW municipal buildings in Crimea, although Ukrainian administrative RIÂżFHV ZHUH VWLOO IXQFWLRQLQJ QRUmally. He said he believed local inhabitants were generally “not

‘:H PXVW EH UHDG\ Âą LI QHFHVVDU\ Âą WR VDFULÂżFH our lives in order to protect the sovereign, IUHH LQGHSHQGHQW DQG XQLÂżHG VWDWH ’ – Major Archbishop Sviatoslav Shevchuk, head of the Ukrainian Catholic Church

very interested� whether Crimea belonged to Ukraine or Russia. The priest said parish life was continuing normally, although more people had attended Mass and received the Sacrament of Reconciliation since the Russian intervention. After Russian troops entered Crimea, Major Archbishop Shevchuk appealed to European Union leaders and international Church bodies to show solidarity against Russia’s “invasion of Ukraine’s sovereign territory in violation of all agreements�, and warned that the disruption of peace and stability in his country could “destabilise the whole global security system�. He added that the “deep and sincere wish� of Ukrainians was for “fraternal and friendly relations with Russia�, and said he counted on foreign Churches not to “be indifferent�. „ CNS

Vatican issues letter for Year of Consecrated Life „ Page 15

POPE FRANCIS Pontiff gives yet another press interview Touches on sensitive issues „ Page 19

COMMENTARY Reaching out to those in failed marriages Church can do better in this area, says writer „ Page 21


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MARCH 23, 2014, Vol 64, No 06 by CatholicNews - Issuu