MARCH 08, 2015, Vol 65, No 05

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SUNDAY MARCH 8, 2015

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Pope urges cardinals to reach out to those on margins Pour out God’s mercy on the needy, Pope Francis tells new cardinals VATICAN CITY – The Catholic Church cannot call itself “Churchâ€? if it is a “closed casteâ€? where the sick, the wounded and sinners are shunned, Pope Francis told the 20 new cardinals he created. “The way of the Church is precisely to leave her four walls behind and to go out in search of those who are distant, those essentially on the outskirts of life,â€? the pope said on Feb 15 as he celebrated Mass in St Peter’s Basilica with 19 of the churchmen who received their red hats the day before and with about 140 other members of the College of Cardinals. The Mass capped a four-day gathering of the cardinals. They met with Pope Francis from Feb 12-13 to review ideas for the reform of the Roman Curia and 9DWLFDQ ÂżQDQFHV DV ZHOO DV WKH progress made in the work of the 3RQWLÂżFDO &RPPLVVLRQ IRU WKH 3URtection of Minors. The pope’s homily at Mass with the cardinals, the meditation on love and charity he offered on Feb 14 when he created the new cardinals, and his exhortation that the reform of the Curia emphasise its role of service, echo remarks he had made as Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio of Buenos Aires at the meetings immediately preceding his election in March 2013. In the almost two years since his election, Pope Francis has repeatedly urged Catholics to reach out to people on the margins of both Church and society. He also frequently cautions against the temptation of being modern-day scribes and Pharisees, who can allow obedience to the letter of the law to prevent them from reaching out to others with compassion. The Sunday Gospel reading was St Mark’s version of Jesus touching a leper – which was forbidden by Jewish law – healing

VOL 65

NO. 05

INSIDE HOME Flash mob promotes marital life Marriage Encounter holds event at Orchard „ Page 4

ASIA Religious freedom in India Pope Francis leaves after a consistory at which he created 20 new cardinals in St Peter’s Basilica on Feb 14. The next day, he told them to follow the example of Jesus, who restored people to their communities. CNS photo

him and, in that way, allowing him back into the community. The purpose of the law against touching someone with leprosy and forcing them to live outside the community “was to safeguard the healthy, to protect the righteous�, the pope said. “Jesus, the new Moses, wanted to heal the leper,� the pope said. “He wanted to touch him and restore him to the community without being ‘hemmed in’ by prejudice, conformity to the prevailing mindset or worry about becoming infected.�

What is more, the pope said, “Jesus responds immediately to the leper’s plea, without waiting to study the situation and all its possible consequences.� “For Jesus, what matters above all is reaching out to save those far off, healing the wounds of the sick, restoring everyone to God’s family,� he said. “This is scandalous to some people.� But Jesus, he said, “does not think of the closed-minded who are scandalised even by a work of healing, scandalised before any kind of openness, by any action outside of

‘

The way of the Church is precisely to leave her four walls behind and to go out in search of those who are distant, those essentially on the outskirts of life.

’ – Pope Francis

their mental and spiritual boxes, by any caress or sign of tenderness ZKLFK GRHV QRW ÂżW LQWR WKHLU XVXDO thinking and their ritual purityâ€?. Pope Francis said there are two basic tendencies in the life of faith: being afraid of losing the saved, or wanting to save the lost. The Church’s way, he said, “has always been the way of Jesus, the way of mercy and reinstatementâ€?. Going out in search of the lost, he told the cardinals, “does not mean underestimating the dangers of letting wolves into the fold,â€? but it does mean “rolling up our sleeves and not standing by and watching passively the suffering of the worldâ€?. “The way of the Church is not to condemn anyone for eternity,â€? he said, but “to pour out the balm of God’s mercy on all those who ask for it with a sincere heartâ€?. „ CNS „ Related stories on Pages 12 & 13

PM assures Christians of ‘freedom of faith’ „ Page 9

WORLD Killing of Egyptian Christians Pope urges prayers, bishop calls them martyrs „ Page 11

POPE FRANCIS Don’t gorge on seafood‌ Even as you abstain from meat in Lent „ Page 15

FEATURE Bishops slam ‘50 Shades of Grey’ Call it ‘direct assault’ on morality „ Page 19

BACK PAGE $500-m bible museum in US Aims to promote biblical awareness „ Page 24

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Sunday March 8, 2015 „ CatholicNews

959 to join Catholic Church this coming Easter At Rite of Election, Archbishop Goh tells Church to aim for greater growth in number of catechumens

Archbishop Goh holds up the Book of the Elect at the Church of the Holy Family. Photo: CHURCH OF THE HOLY FAMILY

Catechumens writing their names in the Book of the Elect.

By Christopher Khoo “In eight more years, I want to see a minimum of 5,000 catechumens a year.â€? This was the challenge Archbishop William Goh threw at the archdiocese during a Rite of Election held at the Church of the Holy Family on Feb 22. Speaking to the congregation WKDW ÂżOOHG WKH FKXUFK KH QRWHG that there were only a total of 764 catechumens to be baptised and 78 Christians to be received into the Catholic Church in Singapore from two Rites of Election held over that weekend. “We have about 300,000 Catholics in Singapore,â€? Archbishop Goh told the participants from the City, East and Serangoon districts. “Seven hundred and sixty-four catechumens is not even 1 percent. If it’s 1 percent, it would be 3,000.â€? He noted that the number of catechumens has been dropping over the years. “If you really believe that Jesus Christ is your Lord and saviour, surely you want to tell everyone!â€? he said in his homily. “In eight more years, I want to see a minimum of 5,000 catechumens a year.â€?

In his closing comments, Archbishop Goh said that when he UHDFKHV KLV ÂżQDO \HDU DV KHDG RI the archdiocese, which would be in 17 years’ time, he wants to see the number rise to 5 percent, or 15,000. “The Christian Churches, they have growth of 3 percent, 5 percent a year,â€? he said. “What is our problem? We have to work at it.â€? There were 386 catechumens and 40 candidates (baptised Christians seeking full communion with the Catholic Church) at the Rite of Election at the Church of the Holy Family. The previous day, at the Church of the Holy Cross, there were 378 catechumens and 38 candidates from the North and West districts and Novena Church. A Chinese Rite of Election was scheduled for March 1 at the Church of St Francis of Assisi with 114 catechumens and three candidates. This would bring the total number of people entering the Catholic Church this Easter to 959. The candidates and catechumens have been preparing for a year or more to receive or complete the Sacraments of Initiation this Easter since joining the various parishes’ RCIA or RCIY (Rite of Christian Initiation

Candidates from the Church of Our Lady of Perpetual Succour taking part in the Call to Continuing Conversion.

of Adults/Youths) programmes. The Rite of Election on Feb 21 and 22 saw the catechumens writing their names in the Book of the Elect, which was in the form of a long scroll, as each person’s godparent placed a hand on his or her shoulder. The candidates took part in a rite called the Call to Continuing Conversion in which they were urged to “hear the Lord’s call to conversion and be faithful

If you really believe ‘that Jesus Christ is your Lord and saviour, surely you want to tell everyone!

’

– Archbishop William Goh

to your baptismal covenantâ€?. Participants said they were PRYHG E\ WKH SUD\HU ÂżOOHG VHUYLFH Ms Adeline Nah, 35, from the Church of St Teresa, said she was “very touchedâ€?. Between now and her baptism, she wants to practise humility, she said, and make a “conscious effort to apologise‌ if I make a mistakeâ€?. Ms Nah, who is pregnant, said she sees her upcoming baptism as God’s special blessing on her. “He has chosen me to be baptised and has blessed me with a child as well,â€? she said. Ms Joanne Teo, 44, a former Methodist, said she “felt so inspired and renewedâ€? during the service. She added that she was happy to feel the warmth of the Catholic community and looks forward to receiving

the Eucharist and viewing it in a whole new way. In the past, it was only a “symbol� to her, she said. The Rite of Election refers to an understanding that God continues to choose people through the covenant of baptism, just as He established a covenant with Israel. The rite provides an opportunity for the catechumens to be formally enrolled among God’s chosen people. The Elect, as the catechumens are now called, will undergo the rite of Scrutinies during the Lenten season to help them examine their lives. The community will also pray that the Elect be freed from temptations and be protected as they continue their journey towards baptism. „ christopher.khoo@catholic.org.sg

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Sunday March 8, 2015 „ CatholicNews

Blessed Sacrament parish holds Mass for elderly, sick By Stella Lee

An excavator brings down the St Clement Pastoral Centre. Photos: JEROME PANG

Demolition works begin at Novena Church 1RYHQD &KXUFK SHUVRQQHO DQG E\VWDQGHUV ZDWFKHG HPRWLRQ ¿OOHG DV DQ H[FDYDWRU UHDFKHG IRU WKH URRI RI WKH FKXUFK¶V 6W &OHPHQW 3DVWRUDO &HQWUH DQG EHJDQ GHPROLVKLQJ LW RQ )HE 7KH LFRQLF EHOO WRZHU ZDV QH[W WR EH EURXJKW GRZQ 7KH FKXUFK¶V UHGHYHORSPHQW works are scheduled to conWLQXH RYHU WKH QH[W IHZ PRQWKV $IWHU WKH WZR VWRUH\ SDVWRUDO FHQWUH LV IXOO\ GHPROLVKHG WKH H[FDYDWRUV DQG EXOOGR]HUV ZLOO WDUJHW WKH 5DIÀHV %ORFN D ODUJHU DQG ROGHU EXLOGLQJ DW WKH rear. (YHQ DV VRPH RI WKH ZHOO known church structures are beLQJ GHPROLVKHG WKH IDoDGH RI WKH RULJLQDO FKXUFK EXLOGLQJ ZLOO EH UHWDLQHG DV LW KDV EHHQ JD]HWWHG IRU conservation. ,W ZLOO EH UHQRYDWHG WR VHUYH as a church hall for daily Masses DQG ZLOO EH DQQH[HG WR WKH QHZ *RWKLF LQVSLUHG FKXUFK EXLOG-

Demolition works seen from the rear of the pastoral centre.

LQJ ZKLFK ZLOO VHUYH DV WKH PDLQ venue for Saturday Novena devotions and weekend Masses. $ QHZ 6W &OHPHQW 3DVWRUDO Centre will be built as well as a KRXU 3UD\HU *DUGHQ ZKLFK SHRSOH FDQ XVH IRU FRQWHPSODWLRQ RU TXLHW SUD\HU Construction of the new buildLQJV LV HVWLPDWHG WR VWDUW LQ WKH second quarter of the year. After Novena Church closed RQ 6HSW IRU WKH UHGHYHORSPHQW works, devotees – affectionately NQRZQ DV 1RYHQD LWHV ± PRYHG to the air-conditioned Church of WKH 5LVHQ &KULVW LQ 7RD 3D\RK IRU Novena devotions. The Saturday Novena sesVLRQV KDYH EHHQ UHGXFHG WR VL[ 7KH (QJOLVK VHVVLRQV DUH DW DP DP DP SP DQG SP while the Mandarin session is at SP Sunday Massses are held at 6W -RVHSK¶V ,QVWLWXWLRQ -XQLRU DW DP DP DQG QRRQ „

New facilities $FFRUGLQJ WR WKH FKXUFK¶V ZHEVLWH WKH QHZ FKXUFK EXLOGLQJ ZLOO KDYH WKH IROORZLQJ IHDWXUHV „ $LU FRQGLWLRQLQJ „ 7LHUHG VHDWLQJ DURXQG WKH DOWDU „ *URWWR RQ ZHVW VLGH DQG D QHZ bell tower on east side „ 1HZ 6W &OHPHQW 3DVWRUDO &HQWUH ZLWK D PXOWL SXUSRVH KDOO WKDW FDQ VHDW SHRSOH DQG QLQH URRPV IRU PHHWLQJV FRXQVHOOLQJ DQG SUD\HU „ New block on west side of new FKXUFK WR KRXVH WKH H[SDQGHG ERRN URRP DGPLQLVWUDWLRQ RI¿FH DQG RI¿FHV RI WKH 5HGHPSWRULVWV „ %DVHPHQW FDUSDUN ZLWK ORWV „ VHDW FDQWHHQ LQ WKH EDVHPHQW „ 1HZ GULYHZD\V GURS RII SRLQWV SDVVHQJHU UDPSV DQG stairways „

7KLUW\ HOGHUO\ VLFN DQG LQ¿UP SDULVKLRQHUV RI %OHVVHG 6DFUDPHQW &KXUFK ZHUH WKH VSHFLDO JXHVWV DW DQ DQQXDO 0DVV KHOG IRU WKHP on Feb 11, feast of Our Lady of Lourdes. 7KH 0DVV ZDV RUJDQLVHG E\ WKH SDULVK¶V 3DVWRUDO &DUH 7HDP 3&7 DQG DVVLVWHG E\ WKH /HJLRQ RI 0DU\¶V 2XU /DG\ RI WKH %OHVVHG 6DFUDPHQW 3UDHVLGLXP ,W DLPHG WR EULQJ WKH VLFN DQG KRXVHERXQG IRU 0DVV WR UHFHLYH DQRLQWLQJ ZLWK KRO\ RLO DQG WR PHHW XS ZLWK WKH SULHVWV DQG IULHQGV DW OHDVW RQFH D year. ,Q KLV KRPLO\ )U 7KRPDV 6XNRWULUDKDUMR XUJHG WKH FURZG WR UHÀHFW RQ 0DU\¶V UROH LQ LQWHUFHGLQJ IRU SHRSOH¶V QHHGV DQG VXIIHULQJV 7KH SULHVW IURP WKH &RQJUHJDWLRQ RI WKH 6DFUHG +HDUWV RI -HVXV DQG 0DU\ HQFRXUDJHG WKH VLFN WR QRXULVK WKHPVHOYHV VSLULWXDOO\ WKURXJK WKH :RUG RI *RG SHUVRQDO SUD\HU DQG WKH VDFUDPHQWV $QRLQWLQJ RI WKH VLFN ZLWK KRO\ RLO IROORZHG ZKLFK SURYHG WR EH D PRYLQJ H[SHULHQFH IRU SDUWLFLSDQWV ³:KHQ )U 7KRPDV SUD\HG RYHU PH , IHOW WKH SUHVHQFH RI -HVXV ´ VDLG 0V (OL]DEHWK <DS ³, ZDV UHOLHYHG DQG SHDFHIXO ´ 0V -XOLDQD &KHZ VKDUHG ³,W ZDV D KDSS\ DQG VSHFLDO PRPHQW IRU PH , DOVR SUD\HG WR 2XU /DG\

Fr Thomas Sukotriraharjo anointing the sick on Feb 11.

IRU SDWLHQFH DQG WROHUDQFH WR EHDU P\ SDLQ DQG GLVFRPIRUW ´ $IWHU +RO\ &RPPXQLRQ )U $QWKRQ\ +XWMHV DQG )U 7KRPDV SUD\HG RYHU WKH FRQJUHJDWLRQ $W WKH HQG RI 0DVV HDFK JXHVW received a hongbao and Lourdes PHGDO %OHVVHG 6DFUDPHQW &KXUFK¶V 3DVWRUDO &DUH 7HDP VHUYHV WKH lonely, sick and housebound in the SDULVK 7KH\ SUD\ YLVLW DQG WDNH +RO\ &RPPXQLRQ WR WKHP For more information on the pastoral care ministry, contact Timothy Sim (8228-0937) or email sim0800@gmail.com „

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Sunday March 8, 2015 „ CatholicNews

0( Ă DVK PRE UHWXUQV

Left: Kenneth and Suelynn Koh with daughter Dawn (standing, extreme right) are joined by the couple’s parents, Willie and Teresa Koh (standing, centre) and Allen and Irene van der Beek (far left). Seated: Suelynn’s sister, Maylynn and husband Edwin Rozells with Elizabeth, their daughter. $ERYH &RXSOHV DW WKH ÀDVK PRE LQ &RZHV %HDFK 0HOERXUQH $XVWUDOLD

Over 250 people took to Ngee Ann City Civic Plaza in Orchard Road on Feb 14 to show passersby that long-lasting marriages and strong families are possible today. Holding signs stating the number of years they have been together, married couples and their FKLOGUHQ KHOG WKHLU SRVHV IRU ¿YH PLQXWHV LQ D IUHH]H ÀDVK PRE Timed for Valentine’s Day, the event was also to observe World Marriage Day, which falls on the second Saturday of February. First organised in 2011 by Marriage Encounter (ME) Singapore, this year’s event is the big-

gest to date. The 2011 event and the second one in 2012 gathered 50 couples each. The initiative has been adopted this year in other ME communities. Six Spanish cities – Alicante, Badajoz, Madrid, Sevilla,Valencia DQG =DUDJR]D ¹ KHOG ÀDVK PREV simultaneously on Feb 14, as did the city of Coban in Guatemala. In Melbourne, Australia, couples took to Cowes Beach on Feb 10 with members of the ME World Council who were meeting there from Feb 4-12. Representatives IURP )LML ÀHZ LQ WR WDNH SDUW WRR Meanwhile, participants of the

ORFDO Ă€DVK PRE VKDUHG VHFUHWV WR happy marriages. Mr Kenneth Koh, his wife Suelynn and their daughter, were joined by the couple’s parents, Mr and Mrs Willie Koh and Mr and Mrs van der Beek as well as Ms Suelynn’s sister and her family. Married for 55 years, Mr Willie Koh said, “In a happy marriage, a couple must live with the concept of togetherness. From decision making to planning, there must be interdependence. Above all there must be love... When there is love, all things will fall into place naturally.â€?

3DUWLFLSDWLQJ LQ WKH Ă€DVK PRE said the younger Mr Koh, “was a great way to celebrate marriages in our family...We feel very blessed to have our parents as role models of happy and long-lasting marriages. We hope to show the world that great marriages can span generations.â€? Said Mr Thomas Lim and wife, Nancy, who have been married for 53 years,“Nowadays people separate for the smallest reason. The secret to long-lasting marriages is to put God in the centre of our lives and to forgive one another.â€? Passing through Singapore

from Australia, the Ecclesial Team for Europe, Mr Antonio Carvalho, his wife, Luisa, from Portugal, and Fr Manuel Antonio Rocha also took part. Said Mrs Carvalho, “We felt the joy and energy that was demonstrated and are grateful to be part of the ME world family.� Mr Carvalho added, “It is very important for us to see this energy. Like in many European countries, [the state of] marriages in Portugal is worse than when we married 46 years ago... We have a great responsibility. We need to evangelise that marriage is permanent.� „

Sunday March 8, 2015 CatholicNews

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Sunday March 8, 2015 „ CatholicNews

Kidnapped Jesuit released, declines to give details NEW DELHI – A Jesuit priest kid-

napped in Afghanistan and held for eight months told reporters “God has saved meâ€?, but said he did not want to discuss details of his captivity. Jesuit Fr Alexis Prem Kumar, kidnapped on June 2 in AfghaniVWDQÂśV +HUDW SURYLQFH ZDV Ă€RZQ to New Delhi from Kabul on Feb 22 with the intervention of the Indian government. “First of all, I thank God almighty. I thought I would never be safe. God has saved me,â€? Fr Kumar, 47, told Catholic News Service in an interview at the Ashoka Hotel, where he met with family and friends. He thanked everyone for their prayers: “the Vatican, the Jesuits, the [Jesuit Refugee Service] and all.â€? Fr Kumar said when Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke to him: “I felt that the whole of India was welcoming me. I am grateful and thankful to the Jesuits and all others who have worked for my release.â€? When media asked the priest to speak about his captivity, he replied, “I want to forget everything for some time.â€? “Anything about Afghanistan or what happened, I am not ready to share now. Please pardon me,â€? he told reporters when the question was repeated. The Catholic Bishops’ Conference of India welcomed Fr Kumar’s release and thanked Mr Modi “for the efforts taken by him personally and for the many steps

adopted by the various agencies of the government of India to secure the safe release of Fr Alexis Premâ€?. Mr Modi tweeted as Fr Kumar ZDV EHLQJ Ă€RZQ WR 1HZ 'HOKL “Delighted at securing the release of Indian Jesuit priest Father Alexis Prem Kumar from captivity in Afghanistan.â€? Fr Kumar had been based in Afghanistan since 2011 and

From left: Frs Eugene Lee, Damian De Wind, Donatien Davaine and Valerian Cheong celebrating the Peranakan Mass on Feb 18. A tradional altar can be seen in the foreground.

Indian Jesuit Fr Alexis Prem Kumar, who was kidnapped for more than eight months, speaks on a cell phone after his release. CNS photo

headed the Jesuit Refugee Service there since 2012. Âł, DP ÂżQH , DP UHDG\ WR JR back or go anywhere,â€? he was heard telling Fr George Pattery, Jesuit South Asia provincial, by phone on his arrival at the hotel room before meeting the media. “It was hard,â€? replied Fr Kumar when a fellow Jesuit asked him if he ate properly during captivity. “Let’s forget all that. Let’s rejoice now,â€? he said. „ CNS

Peranakans celebrate New Year in traditional style By Christopher Khoo SINGAPORE – It was a night of

colour and culture as nyonyas in sarong kebaya and babas in baju lokchuan descended on the Church of the Holy Family for the Lunar New Year Eve Peranakan Mass. The atmosphere was decidedly festive as four priests – Fr Damian De Wind, Redemptorist Fr Eugene Lee, Fr Valerian Cheong and French priest Fr Donatien Davaine – celebrated the Feb 18 Mass in the Peranakan patois. Fr Eugene, who delivered the KRPLO\ LQ Ă€XHQW 3HUDQDNDQ GUHZ laughs from the crowd as he gave tips on how one could celebrate the new year. These included “choot lat buang kita penya pai piakâ€? (working hard to eradicate one’s bad temSHU DQG JHWWLQJ ULG RI RQHÂśV VHOÂżVKness and arrogance, he said. He noted that one is called to pray, fast and perform works of

Nyonyas and babas singing in the choir.

charity during Lent, and gave suggestions on how these can be done. One can deepen one’s prayer life by reading about the lives of saints, such as Mother Teresa, he said. There are also many smartphone apps these days that offer GDLO\ VSLULWXDO UHĂ€HFWLRQV KH DGGHG One can “fastâ€? by sharing one’s possession with others, and perform works of charity by listening to other people’s problems, and being respectful, he added.

He drew more laughs from the crowd when he said that the “mouth can be a weapon of mass destruction�, and urged the crowd to be mindful of the words that they speak. “Don’t ask sensitive questions during [Lunar New Year] visits such as ‘when are you getting married?� he said. “People may feel embarrassed. This is kaypoh [being a busybody].� During the Mass, which also featured a Peranakan altar complete with traditional offerings, a special tribute was paid to the late Fr Alfred Chan, who started the annual Mass 30 years ago. “I believe Fr Alfred Chan is in heaven and smiling as he sees us praying here,� said Mr Rocky Chan, chairperson of the Peranakan community of Holy Family Church. Fr Chan passed away in 2013. „ christopher.khoo@catholic.org.sg

Mass to mark pope’s election SINGAPORE – Archbishop Leopoldo Girelli, the Apostolic Nuncio to Singapore, will celebrate a Mass to mark the second anniversary of the election of Pope Francis. The celebration will be held at St Joseph’s Church (Victoria St) on Sunday, March 15, at 10 am. All are welcome. „

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Sunday March 8, 2015 „ CatholicNews

HK cardinal concerned over 2 bishops HONG KONG – Cardinal Joseph Zen Ze-kiun, retired bishop of Hong Kong, protested at the ChiQHVH /LDLVRQ 2IÂżFH LQ WKH FLW\ DQG asked the whereabouts of Bishop Cosmas Shi Enxiang of Yixian, who was said to have died in detention. The 83-year-old cardinal and members of the diocesan justice and peace commission submitted a petition asking the Chinese government to disclose the situation of Bishop Shi. The bishop’s great-niece was told on Jan 30 that the bishop had died, but the government released no more details. They also sought information on Bishop James Su Zhimin of Baoding, who was arrested in 1997. The group prayed for disapSHDUHG &KXUFK ÂżJXUHV DQG VDQJ songs for them in front of the liDLVRQ RIÂżFH Cardinal Zen and the commission members also urged the Chinese government to stop suppressing the Church and to respect religious freedom. China requires Catholic leaders to register with the governmentcontrolled Catholic Patriotic Association, which has ordained bishops without the approval of the pope, and Chinese authorities have frequently arrested Catholics who reject government control. 0HDQZKLOH LQ D )HE EORJ post, Cardinal Zen wrote, “It looks like someone is trying to shut us down.â€? He added, “We do not see any sign that would encourage the hope that Chinese communists are about to change their religious policy,â€? although both

the Vatican secretary of state and a pro-Beijing newspaper in Hong Kong recently expressed optimism over Sino-Vatican relations. In the blog, he also doubted the accuracy of a recent interview with Chinese Bishop Joseph Wei Jingyi of Qiqihar, who was quoted as saying that the Holy 6HH QHHGV WR WDNH WKH ÂżUVW VWHS RQ Sino-Vatican talks. Cardinal Zen, a member of the Vatican Commission for the Church in China, said he has not been told if there were Sino-Vati-

We do not see ‘ any sign that would encourage the hope that Chinese communists are about to change their religious policy.

’

– Cardinal Cardinal Joseph Zen Ze-kiun

can talks, or the progress of such talks if there were any. He listed a number of thorny issues in the normalisation of the Church life in China and said that having no agreement between the Vatican and China could be better than having a bad agreement. The cardinal said, “It is difÂżFXOW IRU XV WR LPDJLQH WKDW WKH representatives of the Holy See can sit down and talk to their communist counterparts without chagrinâ€? when two old Chinese bishops lost their freedom for upholding their faith. „ CNS

Using sport to promote religious tolerance in Japan KYOTO, JAPAN – Bishop Kenjiro Koriyama, 72, doesn’t run as much as he used to do. But he recently made an exception for a good cause. On Feb 15, the bishop, along with representatives from 14 organisations and a broad spectrum of religions, participated in the annual InterFaith Ekiden, a marathon-length relay race held each year to promote unity and respect among people of different creeds. Responsible for just under 10 km in the four-person relay that covers the same ground as a traditional marathon, Bishop Koriyama – the oldest participant in the event – was slated for the third leg. In cold rain that did little to dampen the spirits of the runners, the bishop made a determined start to the race. But as time passed the spectators, reporters and the runQHU RI WKH WHDPœV ¿QDO OHJ ¹ 0V

1DGMHW $PUL D 0XVOLP ZRPDQ from Luxembourg – began to worry. Event staffers discussed the RSWLRQ RI VHQGLQJ 0V $PUL RQ KHU way even though the bishop had not yet arrived. %XW %LVKRS .RUL\DPD ÂżQDOO\ came into view and was greeted with a resounding cheer. He noted after the race that discourse about Islam in Japan is often negative, and that it was “very movingâ€? for him to end his OHJ E\ SDVVLQJ WKH VDVK WR D 0XVlim. “Peace starts from respecting each other’s differences,â€? Bishop Koriyama said. Buddhist priest Tomonobu Suzukawa, 46, summed up the motivation for all participants at the end of the race. “We all share a common goal. We run as if we are all working together to create a work of art.â€? „ UCANEWS.COM

Cardinal Joseph Zen Ze-kiun holds a poster featuring Bishop Cosmas Shi Enxiang during a protest outside the Chinese government’s OLDLVRQ RI¿FH in Hong Kong. Photo: UCANEWS.COM

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Sunday March 8, 2015 „ CatholicNews

China church demolitions may be slowing down HONG KONG – More than one year since provincial authorities in Zhejiang began demolishing and removing crosses at hundreds of churches, the campaign may have slowed, according to a timeline published on Feb 12 by Christian Solidarity Worldwide (CSW). In the most comprehensive summary to date on what has been among Asia’s most destructive anti-Christian campaigns of recent times, CSW recorded at least 400 crosses removed, and a further 35 churches wholly or partially destroyed in the eastern central province. “Although the Chinese government claims that the church demolitions have nothing to do with religion, the scope of the demolitions indicated by the timeline tells a different story,â€? said CSW’s chief executive Mervyn Thomas. Authorities in Zhejiang have maintained that the campaign is against all structures that violate building codes, not just churches. But in what appear to be leaked provincial government documents dated February last year, Communist Party cadres in Zhejiang were warned of religion that “has grown too fastâ€? and ordered to achieve results against religion “within a yearâ€?. The CSW timeline appears to correlate with the orders of Zhenjiang authorities, showing that cross removals and demolitions peaked between April and July last year. During this three-month period, crosses were removed and buildings destroyed at more than 230 churches in Zhejiang province. Since then, the pace appears to have slowed. In December, CSW recorded four such incidents. “It seems the campaign is fading,â€? said a lay leader in Zhejiang who declined to be named for security reasons. As part of what appears to be WKH ÂżUVW RUGHUV LVVXHG E\ WKH SUR-

A labourer works on scaffolding at a construction site near a church in China. Christian Solidarity Worldwide says that the campaign to demolish churches and remove crosses may have slowed. &16 ÂżOH SKRWR

Although the Chinese ‘government claims that the church demolitions have nothing to do with religion, the scope of the demolitions indicated by the timeline tells a different story.

’

– Christian Solidarity Worldwide’s chief executive Mervyn Thomas

vincial government in the wake of WKH FDPSDLJQ RIÂżFLDOV DUH QRZ regulating the scale of crosses. “The size depends on the requirement of the religious affairs bureau in different localities,â€? the lay leader added. During the crackdown, at least 100 people have been arrested, detained or summoned, according to CSW, and 35 people injured, mostly while trying to protect churches from baton-wielding police.

So far, Catholic and other Christian Church leaders have failed to secure any form of redress. In January, a Wenzhou court refused to accept cases by Protestant Pastor Huang Yizi who claimed he was wrongfully detained and tricked into dismissing his lawyers after he was taken into custody for trying to prevent the removal of a cross by authorities. CSW said that the campaign KDG FDXVHG VLJQLÂżFDQW XQHDVH among Christians, not just in Zhejiang but across all of China. “We renew our call for the Chinese authorities to make consistent efforts to enter into dialogue with religious leaders, with a view to promoting mutual trust and positive relations; to provide clear instructions about the process of applying for permission to build a religious structure; and to establish a complaints mechanism for religious buildings which have been refused permission to build,â€? said Mr Thomas. „ UCANEWS.COM

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Sunday March 8, 2015 CatholicNews

Modi tells Christians his govt will ensure religious freedom DELHI, INDIA – Indian Prime Minster Narendra Modi on Feb 17 told a gathering of Christians that his government would ensure religious freedom, amid increasing criticism that his administration was apathetic towards recent anti-Christian attacks across the country. Mr Modi was speaking as the chief guest at a national seminar on Religious Witnessing organised by a group of Catholics to mark the recent canonisations of Kuriakose Elias Chavara and Mother Euphrasia. “We cannot accept violence against any religion on any pretext and I strongly condemn such violence. My government will act strongly in this regard,” Mr Modi told some 1,200 Christians including Cardinal George Alencherry of Ernakulam-Angamaly, major archbishop of the Syro-Malabar Church. Mr Modi said his government would ensure that there was complete “freedom of faith and that everyone has the undeniable right to retain or adopt the religion of his or her choice”. However, Mr Modi did not VSHFL¿FDOO\ PHQWLRQ DWWDFNV RQ Christian churches and institutions, which Christian leaders say have increased since his rightwing Hindu Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) swept to power last May.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. )LOH SKRWR

Christian clergy say that thousands of their parishioners have faced threats in recent months from hardline groups agitating to make India a Hindu-only nation. Hindu groups have also intensi¿HG WKHLU FDPSDLJQ WR IRUFHIXOO\ re-convert Christians and Muslims to Hinduism, they say. However, Mr Modi sought to reassure Christians that day. “My government will not allow any religious group, belonging to the majority or the minority, to incite hatred against others, overtly or covertly,” said Mr Modi. “Mine will be a government that gives equal respect to all religions.”

Mr Modi went on to appeal to all religious groups “to act with restraint, mutual respect and tolerance” to safeguard the religious rights of all. The programme was organised by the Syro-Malabar Church to celebrate the canonisation of the two saints, who are from that rite. Archbishop Kuriakose Bharanikulangara of Faridabad, chief organiser of the Feb 17 event, said to ucanews.com that the seminar offered an opportunity for Mr Modi to “connect with Christians” and “end his silence”. Fr Savarimuthu Sankar, spokesman for Delhi’s Archbishop Anil Couto, welcomed the prime minister’s comments but indicated they were long overdue. “We are very happy that he has ¿QDOO\ VSRNHQ :H SDUWLFXODUO\ welcome his comments on the issue of religious conversions and freedom to practise any religion of choice,” Fr Sankar told Agence France-Presse. “I won’t say [the comments] are timely. We expected him to speak before Christmas when the big attack on the church happened,” he said. “But we are glad that today he made amply clear that his government will not tolerate violence against any religion.” UCANEWS.COM

Philippine bishops call for prayer in response to coup allegations Philippine bishops on Feb 24 issued an 2UDWLR ,PSHUDWD, or obligatory prayer for peace, amid accusations that they and other groups were plotting to overthrow President Benigno Aquino following the deaths of 44 police commandos in a bungled counterterrorism raid in Mindanao in January. Archbishop Socrates Villegas, president of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines, said the situation in the country requires all bishops “to turn to the Lord in humble supplication and gather our people to pray”. Archbishop Villegas said, “As the nation continues to grieve over the tragedy in Mamasapano and the family of nations is threatened by war and terror from extremist groups, our best contribution to the nation and to the world is to encourage people to pray.” A group of bishops and religious leaders called on President Aquino recently to step down but ODWHU FODUL¿HG WKDW WKH\ ZRXOG QRW support a military coup d’état. “A military coup is violent. We will never allow the use of guns... If you use guns and some-

&16 ¿OH SKRWR

MANILA –

Philippine President Aquino III.

body gets killed, that is not transformation, that is deformation. We are not for that,” said Archbishop Ramon Arguelles of Lipa. Archbishop Arguelles is part of the National Transformation Council, a group of Catholic and Protestant leaders who are vocal critics of the Aquino administration. “We are asking [Aquino] to step down because we think he is not entitled to that position because of what he has done and failed to do,” the prelate said. The religious leaders said that the Jan 25 bungled anti-terrorism

raid was the peak of the Aquino administration’s failure to meet the expectations of the Filipino people. The call to prayer followed a response on Feb 22 by Justice Secretary Leila de Lima, who warned that religious leaders could face criminal prosecution for what she described as fomenting an uprising. Ms Lima said the conferences organised by the religious leaders “can already be contemplated as conspiracies relating to sedition, rebellion or coup d’état”. “The government will not relent in applying the full force of the law against them in order to protect the people and the state from an unconstitutional and illegal power grab,” Ms Lima said. Archbishop Arguelles, however, said there is nothing wrong in what his group was doing. “We are not doing anything illegal. We are patriots defending our country, our constitution and our people,” the archbishop said. Activists are calling for the resignation of President Aquino, but the presidential palace said WKH SUHVLGHQW LV GHWHUPLQHG WR ¿Qish his term, which ends in 2016. UCANEWS.COM

Catholic aid group pledges $3.8 m to help Syrian Christians NEW YORK – Aid to the Church in Need, a Catholic charity helping persecuted Christians around the world, has pledged US$2.8 million (S$3.8 million) in emergency aid to help Christians in Syria. 7KH\ KDYH ³EHQH¿WHG RQO\ WR a limited extent” from relief provided by the United Nations and secular non-governmental organisations, the charity said. “In many cases, Christians are reluctant to register themselves with aid agencies [and] formally identify themselves as Christians for fear of extremist Muslim reprisals who persecute Christians for their faith and their perceived support of the Syrian regime,” it said in announcing the aid. “Relief efforts have been hampered across the board,” the charity added, “due to continued

A boy looks through a hole in a tent at Syria’s Bab Al-Salam camp for displaced people in Azaz, near the Turkish border. &16 ¿OH SKRWR

¿JKWLQJ DQG WKH GUDPDWLF ULVH´ RI the Islamic State (ISIS). Aid to the Church in Need will fund a number of projects to help sizable Christian communities in Aleppo, Homs, Damascus and other Syrian cities and villages hard hit by the war, said Fr Andrzej Halemba, the head of the charity’s Middle East section. Since the outbreak of Syria’s civil war in spring 2011, the death toll has exceeded 200,000, according to several monitoring groups. Hundreds of Christians have died and tens of thousands have been driven from their homes, the charity said. 2I¿FLDO HVWLPDWHV SXW WKH number of people affected by the war in Syria at 12.2 million people. About 7.8 million have been displaced internally, while 4.8 million Syrians live in barely accessible parts of the country or in active war zones. Some 5.6 million children are directly affected by the war; 3 million students are no longer able to attend school. Fr Halemba, citing concerns of local church leaders, said there is “a new and, unfortunately, justified fear of religious cleansing. The Islamic State openly shows its murderous intentions against anyone who does not bend to its brand of extremism.” Aside from “confronting the threat of ISIS”, the international community has “drifted into a form of neglect of the Syrian crisis”, the priest said. CNS

100 Christians abducted in Syria DOHUK, IRAQ – Dozens of Assyrian Christians were abducted by Islamic State (ISIS) forces during a new offensive against a string of villages in northeastern Syria, aid and civil rights organisations reported. The exact number of people being held was unknown, but Fr Emanuel Youkhana, who heads the Christian Aid Program Northern Iraq, CAPNI, said that more than 100 residents had been captured during the assault, which began in the pre-dawn hours of Feb 23. “Knowing the brutal barbaric record of ISIS with the captured, the destiny of those families is a major concern to us,” Fr Youkhana said in a Feb 24 email. The priest said at least two villages – Tal Shamiran and Tal Hermiz – remained surrounded by ISIS forces overnight. Bishop Aprim Nathniel of

the Assyrian Church of the East reported that a local church and community hall were overORDGHG ZLWK SHRSOH ZKR ÀHG WKH villages. Syriac Catholic Patriarch Ignace Joseph III Younan said he had been unable to reach Bishop Jacques Hindo in Hassakeh. “We pray and hope that these latest tragic events end without killing and abusing our Christian community,” the patriarch told Catholic News Service on Feb 24 from the patriarchate in Beirut. He added that the ISIS raids on the Assyrian villages were in an area fuelled by religious hatred. “So it is quite possible that they attacked innocent, defenceless Christians, where no Syrian army exists, but only civilian defenders, in order to revenge serious losses suffered up north, near Qamishli,” he said. CNS

10 WORLD

Sunday March 8, 2015 „ CatholicNews

Vatican gives tips on preparing homilies Recently released document to help homilist reach out to congregation more effectively VATICAN CITY – A homily at Mass

is not a mini catechism class, the Vatican says in a new document on homilies, but it is an opportunity to explain Church teaching using the Scripture readings and the Catechism of the Catholic Church. “In the broadest sense, the homily is a discourse about the mysteries of faith and the standards of Christian life,� says the Homiletic Directory published by the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Sacraments. Dated June 29, 2014, and approved by Pope Francis, the directory was released at the Vatican on Feb 10, along with an appendix of passages from the catechism matched to each of the three readings for the three-year cycle of Sunday Masses and major holy days. It also includes notes on preaching at weddings and funerals. Guinean Cardinal Robert Sarah, whom Pope Francis named prefect of the worship congregation recently, told reporters that for many Catholics the homily, experienced as “beautiful or awful, interesting or boring�, is their basis for judging an entire Mass. Montfort Missionary Fr Cor-

A cardinal delivering a homily. &16 ÂżOH SKRWR

rado Maggioni, congregation undersecretary, said laypeople can help their priests. “We priests may need someone to tell us: ‘It’s too

long,’ ‘it’s too repetitive’ or maybe ‘little notes might help you not go off on a thousand tangents.’� Pope Benedict XVI had asked

‘:H SULHVWV PD\ QHHG VRPHRQH WR WHOO XV Âľ,WÂśV WRR ORQJ Âś Âľ,WÂśV WRR UHSHWLWLYHÂś RU PD\EH ÂľOLWWOH QRWHV PLJKW KHOS \RX QRW JR RII RQ D WKRXVDQG WDQJHQWV Âś

’

– Montfort Missionary Fr Corrado Maggioni, congregation undersecretary

the congregation to draw up the directory after many participants at the 2005 Synod of Bishops on the Eucharist and the 2008 synod on the Word of God requested a handbook to help priests with their homilies. Preaching at Mass, the homilist should show people how *RGÂśV ZRUG LV EHLQJ IXOÂżOOHG LQ their midst, how it calls them to growth and conversion, and how it prepares them to celebrate the Eucharist, the directory says. The directory also notes that its application can and should vary depending on the congregation and the individual preacher with his “gifts and limitationsâ€?. In general, however, it says that an effective homily always requires prayer, preparation, knowledge of the people who will be in WKH FRQJUHJDWLRQ DQG D UHĂ€HFWLRQ on what is happening in the community and the world. The second part of the directory focused on the “art of preachingâ€?. It gives practical suggestions for putting together prayer, biblical study and the catechism in preparing homilies for the Masses of the Triduum and Easter season, the Christmas season and the Sundays of Lent and Advent. „ CNS

Culture could determine if 20-minute homily is long or short VATICAN CITY – A homily’s

appropriate length and style are judged largely by the particular congregation at Mass, said the new head of the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Sacraments. Guinean Cardinal Robert Sarah spoke at a Vatican news conference on Feb 10 to present the congregation’s new Homiletic Directory. The directory recommends that a homily be “neither too long nor too short�. Cardinal Sarah said that a homily’s length depends on the Massgoers, their culture and the occasion. “Clearly in the West, going over 20 minutes seems like too much,� he said, “but in Africa, 20 minutes isn’t enough because people travel a great distance to hear the word of God. If the priest speaks only for 10 or 15 minutes, it’s just not enough. How to nourish the people of God depends on the culture.� „ CNS

WORLD 11

Sunday March 8, 2015 CatholicNews

Kenyan bishops call laced vaccines ‘human rights abuse’ NAIROBI, KENYA – A Kenyan government vaccination campaign, sponsored and funded by the World Health Organisation and UNICEF, amounted to a huge human rights violation, said the Kenyan bishops. They said that the government owes women and children an apology after tests found that the vaccine used during the nationwide tetanus campaign in 2014 was laced with beta human chorionic gonadotropin, or beta hCG, which can lead to miscarriages or sterility. The report also said that “no further vaccination campaign should be undertaken in this country without an all-inclusive sampling and testing exercise done before, during and after the vaccination campaign.” It said that the Kenyan Ministry of Health must stop trusting foreign agencies to secure the safety of Kenyans. During the vaccination campaign, the Kenyan bishops questioned why it was aimed at women between the ages of 14-59 and also why the government was conducting the campaign when the bishops were not aware of a nationwide tetanus crisis. The bishops noted that beta hCG occurs naturally during pregnancy but, when injected with a vaccine like tetanus, it can lead to miscarriages or sterility. “When sterility is induced in any woman, without her knowledge and/or consent, it amounts to a monumental human rights abuse,” said a Feb 13 statement signed by Bishop Paul Kariuki Njiru of Embu, head of the Catholic Health Commission of Kenya. Kenyan doctors who conducted tests on vials of the vaccine were at the news conference at which the bishops released their reports, which the government has refused to acknowledge. CNS

Pope urges prayers for Egyptians killed, bishop hails them as martyrs VATICAN CITY – As Pope Fran-

cis called for prayers for the 21 Egyptian Christians beheaded by Islamic State militants in Libya, an Egyptian Catholic bishop said that they died as martyrs. During a Feb 17 Mass in the chapel of his residence, the pontiff said that the throats of “our 21 brother Copts” had been slit “for the sole reason of being Christians”. He requested people to pray for the victims’ families as well as the victims so “that the Lord welcome them as martyrs”. Pope Francis also asked the people to pray for Egypt’s Orthodox leader, Pope Tawadros II, as he “is suffering so much”. Pope Francis called Pope Tawadros on Feb 16 to express his sorrow over the deaths. Meanwhile, in line with Pope Francis’ assertion at morning Mass on Feb 17, Egyptian Catholic Bishop Antonios Aziz Mina of Giza told the Fides news agency that the video of the beheading, released on Feb 15, shows that “in the moment of their barbaric execution”, some of the Christians were repeating the words “Lord, Jesus Christ,” he said. And like the early Church martyrs, “they entrusted themselves to the one who would receive them soon after. That name, whispered in the last moments, was like the seal of their martyrdom.” Following the news of their assassination in Libya, Christians in the various dioceses of Egypt began praying and fasting, as the government called for seven days of national mourning. Several Egyptian bishops have spoken about constructing churches, dedicated to the 21 martyrs, in their dioceses. Egyptian Prime Minister Ibrahim Mahlab announced that President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi would arrange state funds for the con-

Friends of the Egyptian Christians killed in Libya attend Mass at a church south of Cairo on Feb 16 and pray in front of a banner with pictures of the victims. CNS photo

struction of a church dedicated to the victims in the Egyptian city of Minya, from which many of them hailed. Moreover, by presidential decree, the victims’ families will UHFHLYH ¿QDQFLDO FRPSHQVDWLRQ for the death of their loved ones, as well as a monthly stipend. The families are asking that the remains of their loved ones be re-

turned to Egypt for burial. Mr Al-Sisi also paid a personal visit to Pope Tawadros II on Feb 16 to extend his condolences. Back in Libya, members of the Catholic community resolved to stay put, despite the killings and the emphatic calls from various authorities to evacuate the country. “Few of us remain,” said Latin-rite Bishop Giovanni Martinelli

Our 21 brother Copts had their throats slit ‘for the sole reason of being Christians’, said Pope Francis.

of Tripoli, Libya. He told Fides, the news agency of the Congregation for the Evangelisation of Peoples on Feb 17 that many of those who remain are female Philippine nurses, who have decided to stay because of the dire medical needs in the city after the evacuation of the medical staff at the private St James Hospital. CNS

12 POPE FRANCIS

Sunday March 8, 2015 „ CatholicNews

Becoming a cardinal is a call to greater love, patience VATICAN CITY – In a Valentine’s

Day ceremony to create 20 new cardinals, Pope Francis offered a meditation on Christian love and, especially, what it means for those who guide and minister in the Church. “The greater our responsibility in serving the Church, the more our hearts must expand according to the measure of the heart of Christ,â€? he said on Feb 14 during the consistory, a prayer service during which he personally welcomed 19 churchmen into the College of Cardinals. The 20th new cardinal, 95-yearold Colombian Cardinal Jose Pimiento Rodriguez, retired bishop of Manizales, was unable to attend the ceremony and was to receive his red biretta – a three-cornered hat – and his cardinal’s ring in his homeland. Retired Pope Benedict XVI attended the ceremony, sitting in the front row of St Peter’s Basilica alongside the already existing members of the College of Cardinals. Pope Francis’ meditation at the ceremony focused on the famous passage about love from St Paul’s First Letter to the CorinthiDQV ZKLFK EHJLQV Âł/RYH is patient, love is kind.â€? Âł$OO RI XV P\VHOI ÂżUVW´ VKRXOG be guided by St Paul’s words, he said, because every Christian minLVWU\ ³ÀRZV IURP FKDULW\ PXVW EH exercised in charity and is ordered toward charityâ€?. The patience Christian love calls for, he said, is a call to catholicity. “It means being able to love without limits, but also to be faithful in particular situations and

Cardinals exchange greetings with fellow cardinals during a consistory at which Pope Francis created 20 new cardinals in St Peter’s Basilica at the Vatican on Feb 14. CNS photo

with practical gestures. It means loving what is great without neglecting what is small.� St Paul says love is “not jealous or boastful� and truly being neither, the pope said, “is surely a miracle of love since we humans – all of us, at every stage of our lives – are inclined to jealousy and pride since our nature is wounded by sin�. Not being “irritable or resentful� can be a challenge for a pastor, especially when dealing with other clerics, Pope Francis told the new cardinals. “Charity alone frees us� from the temptation of snapping at others and, especially, from “the mortal danger of pent-up anger, of that smouldering anger which makes

‘

The greater our responsibility in serving the Church, the more our hearts must expand.

’

– Pope Francis to cardinals

us brood over wrongs we have receivedâ€?, he said. “This is unacceptable in a man of the Church.â€? St Paul’s statement that love rejoices over what is right, the pope said, means “those called to the service of governance in the Church need to have a strong sense of justice.â€? The new cardinals and all &KULVWLDQV KH VDLG FDQ ÂżQG D V\Q-

opsis of their calling in St Paul’s DIÂżUPDWLRQ WKDW ORYH ÂłEHDUV DOO things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all thingsâ€?. Christians, the pope said, should be “persons always ready to forgive; always ready to trust, because we are full of faith in God; always ready to inspire hope, because we ourselves are full of hope in God; persons ready to bear patiently every situation and each of our brothers and sisters, in union with Christ.â€? The 20 new cardinals come from 18 nations, including three – Cape Verde, Myanmar and Tonga – that had never had a cardinal before. Only one of the cardinals works in WKH 5RPDQ &XULD )UHQFK &DUGLQDO

Dominique Mamberti, head of the Apostolic Signature, the Vatican’s highest court. With the creation of the 20 new cardinals, the College of CarGLQDOV H[SDQGHG WR PHPEHUV 125 of whom are under the age of 80 and therefore eligible to vote in a conclave to elect a new pope. After the new cardinals professed their faith by reciting the &UHHG DQG IRUPDOO\ VZRUH ÂżGHOLW\ and obedience to the pope and his successors, they approached Pope Francis one by one to receive their biretta, their cardinal’s ring and the assignment of a “titularâ€? church in Rome, which makes them part of the Roman clergy. ,Q WKHLU ÂżUVW RIÂżFLDO DFW DV FDUdinals, the new members of the college along with their confreres attested to their support for Pope Francis to proceed with the canRQLVDWLRQ RI WKUHH ZRPHQ %OHVVHG Jeanne Emilie De Villeneuve, the French founder of the Congregation of the Sisters of the Immaculate Conception; Blessed Mary Alphonsine Danil Ghattas, the Jerusalemborn founder of the Dominican Sisters of the Holy Rosary of JeUXVDOHP WKH ÂżUVW 3DOHVWLQLDQ 5HOLgious order; and Blessed Mariam Baouardy, a Melkite Catholic member of the Discalced Carmelites. The pope announced the canonisation ceremony will be held RQ 0D\ DQG DOVR ZLOO LQFOXGH the canonisation of Italian Blessed Maria Cristina Brando, founder of the Oblation Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament. „ CNS

Pope opens cardinals’ discussion of Curia reform VATICAN CITY – Cardinals dis-

cussed better ways to balance the responsibilities of local bishops and of the Roman Curia during their recent meeting, said the Vatican spokesman. A recurring theme in the cardinals’ Feb 12-13 meeting was “what is it that is done best where,� Jesuit Fr Federico Lombardi told journalists on Feb 13 during a pause in the College of Cardinals’ discussions. About 40 of the 164 cardinals present in the Vatican’s synod hall spoke on Feb 12 about the proposal to reform the Roman Curia, he said. A number of them brought up the subject of “decentralisation� and “the relationship between the Curia and the local churches, the episcopal conferences� as a fundamental part of how best to serve the Church and the world, Fr Lombardi said. Although no decisions were made and no vote was taken, he said, there was an emphasis on determining what tasks are best done where based on “competencies and knowledge of the situation� by either the Curia with its more “universal vision� or by

Proposals include the creation of the Congregation for Laity, Family and Life, and the Congregation for Charity, Justice and Peace.

Pope Francis speaks during a meeting with cardinals and cardinals-designate in the synod hall at the Vatican on Feb 12. On the left is Cardinal Angelo Sodano, dean of the College of Cardinals. CNS photo

dioceses and bishops’ conferences with their direct experience. Fr Lombardi told reporters that cardinals also discussed the role of the laity, “in particular women and their presence in positions of responsibility in the Roman Curia�. The cardinals’ morning session on Feb 13 was dedicated to explaining the work of the Secretariat and the Council for the

Economy and the reform of the so-called Vatican bank. Pope Francis had scheduled the meeting primarily to discuss with the cardinals the proposals his nine-member international Council of Cardinals had developed for the reform of the Curia. These include the creation of WZR QHZ ODUJH KLJK SURÂżOH 9DWLFDQ RIÂżFHV WKH &RQJUHJDWLRQ IRU

Laity, Family and Life, and the Congregation for Charity, Justice and Peace, said Fr Lombardi. The charity and justice congregation would include the existing SRQWLÂżFDO FRXQFLOV IRU KHDOWK FDUH and for migrants, but also would have a new section dedicated to “safeguarding creationâ€?. The Second Vatican Council also insisted on the important vocation and role of the laity in the life of the Church, particularly in witnessing to Christ in the world. Just as there are congregations for bishops, for clergy and for Religious, Fr Lombardi said, it seemed “naturalâ€? to the Council of Cardinals that there would be a

congregation for laity. Given the centrality of family life for many laypeople, it made sense to combine the two councils and to have WKH 3RQWLÂżFDO $FDGHP\ IRU /LIH conduct its work under the new congregation’s auspices, he said. While the congregation would promote lay involvement in the Church, Fr Lombardi said, it is unlikely and almost “unthinkableâ€? that a layperson would be appointed its prefect because the pastoral responsibilities of a Vatican congregation require that it be led by an ordained minister, usually a cardinal. At the beginning of the meeting, Pope Francis reminded his brother cardinals that the aim was “of promoting greater harmony in the work of the various dicasterLHV DQG RIÂżFHV´ RI WKH 9DWLFDQ KH said, in order to have “more effective collaboration with the absolute transparency that builds up authentic synodality and collegialityâ€?, or shared responsibility under the pope’s leadership for the good of the whole Church. „ CNS „ See related stories on Page 13

POPE FRANCIS 13

Sunday March 8, 2015 CatholicNews

Asian cardinals Pope tells Ukraine’s share challenges bishops not to politicise Church as voice of poor in Myanmar their role as pastors VATICAN CITY – The Myanmar Church “must play a greater role” in the country’s reconstruction process. It must also be “the voice of the poor, those at the bottom, the ethnic minorities, and all those who lost hope and are marginalised”, said Cardinal Charles Maung Bo, Archbishop of Yangon. Before he returned to Myanmar after the consistory, he said that the “value of being Christian” and evangelisation are not achieved through “proselytising”, but through work. In recent years, the new cardinal has spoken up on various issues that have taken centre stage in the country’s life. “It is impossible to build a perfect society in two or three years,” he said. Still, “the situation is improving. New schools are opening and political prisoners are being released. There are more rights, but we need patience.” The cardinal also mentioned the Church’s action in favour of democracy, peace and interfaith dialogue in Myanmar. In the past few years, the government and the country’s leaders have focused too much “on the Burmese identity and Buddhist faith”.

VATICAN CITY – Pope Francis

Evangelisation is not achieved through proselytising, but through work, said Cardinal Charles Maung Bo. The Church highlighted the value of interfaith dialogue in Myanmar as it is “now urgent and necessary for everyone”, he said. Catholic leaders have also suggested, “adding courses on religion in the school curriculum, on all religions present in Myanmar”, Cardinal Bo said. “It is important for children to learn about history, respect and coexistence.” ASIANEWS

Combating secularism in Thailand BANGKOK – The main challenge facing the Church today is secularism, said Cardinal Francis Xavier Kriengsak Kovithavanij of Bangkok. “It is not just a challenge for the Asian Churches... all the world is facing the challenge of secularism,” the cardinal told Catholic News Agency on Feb 20. He said that “there are good things in modern culture”, but “people are too easily following the wave of secularism.” He added that “secularism does not affect only Catholics”. Cardinal Kriengsak is one of the 20 bishops who were made cardinals at a Feb 14 consistory held in the Vatican. He is one of the three Asians made cardinals by Pope Francis during that consistory. The other two are Archbishop Pierre Nguyen Van Nhon of Hanoi and Archbishop Charles Bo of Yangon. “We all work together in the Federation of Asians Bishops’ Conferences [FABC], and we have many pastoral activities together,” stressed Cardinal Kriengsak. He added that “in 2007, I found out that 3 million refugees coming from Burma were living in Thailand... they are not given the status of refugees, since the

Cardinal Francis Xavier Kriengsak Kovithavanij of Bangkok is focusing on interreligious dialogue, evangelisation, and Catholic education. Thai state cannot provide for their survival.” This led to a particular collaboration between himself and Cardinal Bo: “I was encouraged to back the convocation of one assembly of the FABC in Burma, and hence we established a team of cooperation between the Thai and Burmese bishops.” Cardinal Kriengsak’s priorities in Thailand have included interreligious dialogue, evangelisation, and Catholic education. CNA

urged Ukraine’s Catholic bishops to focus on the social and human tragedies unfolding in their country and avoid politicising their role as Church leaders. He asked bishops from the nation’s Eastern and Latin-rite traditions to work together and be a clear moral voice calling for peace and harmony. “The sense of justice and truth is moral before being political, and such a task is entrusted to your duties as pastors, too,” he said in a written address. The pope met on Feb 20 with bishops from Ukraine’s Byzantine and Latin-rite communities, who were in Rome on Feb 16-21 for WKHLU ³DG OLPLQD´ ¿YH \HDUO\ YLVits to report on the state of their dioceses. The Vatican said the pope had his two-page written speech handed out to the bishops rather than read aloud. The pope assured the bishops of his prayers and concerns about the ³VHULRXV FRQÀLFW´ LQ WKHLU QDWLRQ However, he added that Ukraine’s bishops must avoid becoming politicised, saying “you are not called to give a direct response” to those historical issues and current concerns that have, “in part, a political basis”. Ahead of the bishops’ meeting with the pope, the head of the Ukrainian Catholic Church said the Ukrainian Catholic bishops intended to share “the truth” with Pope Francis about the ongoing crisis in their country: that it is not a civil war but “the direct aggression of our neighbour”, that is Russia. “We are here to convey the truth to the Holy Father about the situation of Ukraine. This is our whole proposal of the visit ‘ad limina,’” Archbishop Sviatoslav Shevchuk, major archbishop of Kiev-Halych, said on Feb 19. “And the truth is that we, the Ukrainian people, are the victims,” he said.

Ukrainian armed forces ride on armoured personnel carriers near Debaltseve, Ukraine, on Feb 12. CNS photos

We do not have a ‘ civil war in Ukraine. We have an aggression of a foreign country against the Ukrainian citizens and the Ukrainian state.

’

– Archbishop Sviatoslav Shevchuk, major archbishop of Kiev-Halych (left)

The archbishop was responding to questions put to him by Catholic News Service regarding media reports, following the pope’s comments on Ukraine at his Feb 4 general audience. Critics said the pope’s choice of words suggested the Holy See views the crisis in eastern Ukraine as a civil war. They also accused the Holy See of using rhetoric in line with the Russian position on WKH FRQÀLFW IRU WKH VDNH RI NHHSLQJ positive ecumenical relations with the Orthodox Church. Noting “the differing interpretations of the pope’s words”, the 9DWLFDQ SUHVV RI¿FH LVVXHG D VWDWH-

ment on Feb 10, stating that the pope is “following attentively” the situation in Ukraine and has always addressed “all interested parties” ZKHQ VSHDNLQJ DERXW WKH FRQÀLFW However, after a liturgy on Feb 19 to pray for peace in Ukraine, Archbishop Shevchuk said to journalists at the Basilica of St Mary Major, that the situation in his country can be described “in one word: a war”. “But we have to say that we do not have a civil war in Ukraine,” he continued. “We have an aggression of a foreign country against the Ukrainian citizens and the Ukrainian state.” CNS

St Gregory of Narek named doctor of Church File photo

Portrait of St Gregory of Narek.

VATICAN CITY – A 10th-century Armenian monk has been named among the doctors of the Church. Pope Francis approved the designation for St Gregory of Narek during a meeting on Feb 21 with Cardinal Angelo Amato, prefect of the Congregation for Saints’ Causes. The Church confers this designation on saints whose writings are considered to offer key theological insights for the faith. St Gregory of Narek is considHUHG D ¿JXUH RI $UPHQLDQ WKHROogy and many of his prayers are included in the Armenian Divine Liturgy. He was born in AD 950 in the Armenian town of Andzevatsik,

located in present-day Turkey. He was ordained a priest at 25. He lived at the monastery at Narek and taught at the monastic school. His best-known writings include a commentary on the Song of Songs and his Book of Lamentations, more commonly known as “Narek”. It includes 95 prayers and has been translated into more than 30 languages. St Gregory died in Narek around 1005. He brings the current number of doctors of the Church to 36. His feast day in the Armenian churches is Oct 13. He is remembered in the Roman Catholic Church on Feb 27. CNS

14 POPE FRANCIS

Sunday March 8, 2015 „ CatholicNews

Life is enriched with birth of children, says pontiff VATICAN CITY – Children are a

blessing, not a burden, and are D VLJQ RI WKH FRQÂżGHQW KRSH RI D FRXSOH DQG RI VRFLHW\ 3RSH )UDQcis said. Âł,I D IDPLO\ WKDW KDV EHHQ JHQerous in having children is looked XSRQ DV D EXUGHQ VRPHWKLQJÂśV ZURQJ ´ KH VDLG RQ )HE DW KLV ZHHNO\ JHQHUDO DXGLHQFH “The generation of children PXVW EH UHVSRQVLEOH ´ DV %OHVVHG 3DXO 9, ZURWH LQ KLV HQF\FOLFDO +XPDQDH 9LWDH WKH SRSH VDLG Âł%XW KDYLQJ PRUH FKLOGUHQ FDQQRW EH ORRNHG XSRQ DXWRPDWLFDOO\ DV DQ LUUHVSRQVLEOH FKRLFH :KDW is more, not having children is a VHOÂżVK FKRLFH ´ Continuing a series of talks DERXW WKH IDPLO\ 3RSH )UDQFLV said birthrates are a clear indicaWLRQ RI WKH RSWLPLVP DQG KRSH RI D FRXSOH DQG RI WKH VRFLHW\ LQ ZKLFK WKH\ OLYH $ VRFLHW\ WKDW SUHVVXUHV SHRSOH not to have children, “that considers them a concern, a burden, a ULVN LV D VRFLHW\ WKDW LV GHSUHVVHG´ KH VDLG SRLQWLQJ SDUWLFXODUO\ WR (XURSHDQ FRXQWULHV ZLWK GHFOLQLQJ SRSXODWLRQV EHFDXVH RI WKHLU low birthrates. “Think about this,â€? he said. Âł&KLOGUHQ DUH WKH MR\ RI WKH IDPLO\ DQG RI VRFLHW\ 7KH\ DUHQÂśW D SUREOHP RI UHSURGXFWLYH ELRORJ\ RU DQRWKHU ZD\ RI VHOI UHDOLVDWLRQ (YHQ OHVV DUH WKH\ D SRVVHVVLRQ RI WKHLU SDUHQWV 1R &KLOGUHQ DUH D gift. Understand?

&16 ÂżOH SKRWR

Children are ‘the joy of the family and of society. They aren’t a problem of reproductive biology or another way of selfrealisation.

’

Pope Francis smiles at a baby during a general audience at the Vatican.

“Children are a gift,â€? he reSHDWHG Âł(DFK RQH LV XQLTXH DQG XQUHSHDWDEOH ´ 'HSDUWLQJ IURP KLV SUHSDUHG WH[W 3RSH )UDQFLV WROG WKH HVWLPDWHG SHRSOH LQ 6W 3HWHUÂśV 6TXDUH WKDW KH ZDV RQH RI ÂżYH FKLOGUHQ Âł, UHPHPEHU P\ PRP ZRXOG VD\ Âľ, KDYH ÂżYH FKLOGUHQ :KRÂśV P\ IDYRXULWH" , KDYH ÂżYH FKLOGUHQ OLNH , KDYH ÂżYH ÂżQJHUV ,I \RX VODP WKLV RQH LW KXUWV ,I \RX VODP WKDW RQH LW KXUWV $OO ÂżYH ZRXOG KXUW $OO DUH PLQH EXW WKH\ DUH DOO GLIIHUHQW OLNH WKH ÂżQJHUV RQ P\ KDQG ϫ %HLQJ D VRQ RU GDXJKWHU LV DQ

– Pope Francis

H[SHULHQFH RI XQFRQGLWLRQDO ORYH he said, because “children are ORYHG HYHQ EHIRUH WKH\ DUH ERUQ ´ Âł%HLQJ VRQV DQG GDXJKWHUV LV D fundamental condition for knowing the love of God, who is the ultimate source of this authentic miracleâ€? that is new life, he said. 3UHYLRXVO\ ZKLOH RQ KLV ZD\ EDFN WR 5RPH IURP KLV 3KLOLSSLQHV WULS RQ -DQ WKH SRSH KDG VDLG WKDW ÂłVRPH SHRSOH WKLQN Âą H[FXVH PH IRU VD\LQJ WKLV Âą WKDW WR be good Catholics we have to be OLNH UDEELWV ´ \HW &KXUFK WHDFKLQJ SURYLGHV IRU ÂłPDQ\ OLFLW ZD\V´ WR OLPLW UHSURGXFWLRQ „ CNS

POPE FRANCIS 15

Sunday March 8, 2015 „ CatholicNews

Pope: Don’t let meatless Fridays be a seafood splurge VATICAN CITY – Real fasting isn’t

just restricting food choices, it must also include cleansing the KHDUW RI DOO VHOÂżVKQHVV DQG PDNing room in one’s life for those in QHHG DQG WKRVH ZKR KDYH VLQQHG and need healing, Pope Francis said. )DLWK ZLWKRXW FRQFUHWH DFWV RI charity is not only hypocritical, “it LV GHDG ZKDW JRRG LV LW"´ KH VDLG FULWLFLVLQJ WKRVH ZKR KLGH EHKLQG D YHLO RI SLHW\ ZKLOH XQMXVWO\ treating others, such as denying ZRUNHUV IDLU ZDJHV D SHQVLRQ DQG health care. %HLQJ JHQHURXV WRZDUGV WKH &KXUFK EXW VHOÂżVK DQG XQMXVW WRZDUG RWKHUV ÂłLV D YHU\ VHULRXV VLQ It is using God to cover up injusticeâ€?, he said on Feb 20 during his homily in a morning Mass celebrated in the chapel of the Domus 6DQFWDH 0DUWKDH ZKHUH KH OLYHV 7KH SRSHÂśV KRPLO\ ZDV EDVHG on the day’s reading from the %RRN RI ,VDLDK LQ ZKLFK *RG WHOOV His people He does not care for WKRVH ZKR REVHUYH SHQDQFH SDVVLYHO\ Âą ERZHG ÂłOLNH D UHHG´ O\LQJ quietly in “sackcloth and ashesâ€?. In the reading, God points out WKH K\SRFULV\ RI WKH IDLWKIXO ZKR IDVW EXW WUHDW WKHLU ZRUNHUV EDGO\ DQG ÂżJKW DQG TXDUUHO ZLWK RWKHUV Pope Francis said Lent is about IXOÂżOOLQJ DOO FRPPDQGPHQWV ERWK

CNS SKRWR

A worker deheading shrimps. Pope Francis said that gorging on seafood, while abstaining from meat on Fridays, is a sign of gluttony.

WRZDUGV *RG DQG RWKHUV DFFRUGing to reports from Vatican Radio DQG WKH 9DWLFDQ QHZVSDSHU Lent is not about the formal observance of “doing a little ZKDWHYHU´ DQG QRW HDWLQJ PHDW RQ )ULGD\V ZKLOH JLYLQJ RQHVHOI IUHH UHLJQ WR ÂłJURZ LQ VHOÂżVKQHVV H[ploit others and ignore the poorâ€?, he said. 7KHUH PLJKW EH VRPHRQH ZKR thinks, “Today is Friday, I can’t eat meat, but I’m going to have a

7KHUH PLJKW EH VRPHRQH ZKR WKLQNV Âľ7RGD\ LV )ULGD\ , FDQÂśW HDW PHDW EXW ,ÂśP JRLQJ WR KDYH D QLFH SODWH RI VHDIRRG D UHDO EDQTXHW Âś ZKLFK ZKLOH DSSHDULQJ WR EH DQ DEVWLQHQFH IURP PHDW LV WKH VLQ RI JOXWWRQ\ VDLG WKH SRQWLII

6RPH SHRSOH PD\ UHJXODUO\ PDNH ÂżQDQFLDO FRQWULEXWLRQV WR WKH &KXUFK EXW WKH SRSH DVNHG KRZ JHQHURXV DUH WKH\ WRZDUGV WKHLU ORYHG RQHV DQG WKHLU GHSHQGHQWV" $UH WKH\ JHQHURXV DQG MXVW WR WKHP WRR"

0DQ\ ÂľPHQ DQG ZRPHQ KDYH IDLWK EXW WKH\ VHSDUDWH WKH WDEOHWV RI ODZ Âś WKDW LV WKH\ REH\ WKH ÂżUVW FRPPDQGPHQWV DQG REOLJDWLRQV WR *RG ZKLOH LJQRULQJ RU EHLQJ VHOHFWLYH DERXW WKH UHVW RI WKH FRPPDQGPHQWV FRQFHUQLQJ RWKHUV VDLG WKH SRSH

nice plate of seafood, a real banTXHW ´ ZKLFK ZKLOH DSSHDULQJ WR be an abstinence from meat, is the sin of gluttony, the pope said. Some people may also reguODUO\ PDNH ÂżQDQFLDO FRQWULEXWLRQV to the Church, but, the pope asked, KRZ JHQHURXV DUH WKH\ WRZDUG their loved ones and their dependHQWV" $UH WKH\ JHQHURXV DQG MXVW to them, too, he asked. People cannot “make offerings to the Church on the back of injusticeâ€?, he said. “It is not a good &KULVWLDQ ZKR GRHVQÂśW GR MXVWLFH WR WKH SHRSOH ZKR GHSHQG RQ KLP´ DQG ZKR GRHV QRW ÂłGHSULYH KLPself of something essential... in

RUGHU WR JLYH LW WR DQRWKHU ZKR LV in needâ€?. “This is the distinction beWZHHQ IRUPDO DQG UHDO´ KH VDLG ZKLFK -HVXV XQGHUOLQHG WRR ZKHQ He condemned the Pharisees and GRFWRUV RI WKH ODZ ZKR DGKHUHG WR “many external observances but ZLWKRXW WKH WUXWK RI WKH KHDUW´ Unfortunately, he said, many ÂłPHQ DQG ZRPHQ KDYH IDLWK EXW WKH\ VHSDUDWH WKH WDEOHWV RI ODZ ´ WKDW LV WKH\ REH\ WKH ÂżUVW FRPmandments and obligations to *RG ZKLOH LJQRULQJ RU EHLQJ VHlective about the rest of the commandments concerning others. Âł7KH\ DUH XQLWHG ORYH WRZDUGV God and love to your neighbour DUH RQH DQG LI \RX ZDQW WR SUDFtise real, not formal, penance, you have to do it before God and also ZLWK \RXU EURWKHU DQG VLVWHU \RXU neighbour,â€? he said.

The pope asked that during /HQW SHRSOH WKLQN DERXW ZKDW WKH\ FDQ GR IRU WKRVH ZKR DUH LQ YHU\ GLIÂżFXOW VLWXDWLRQV IRU H[DPSOH to help “children and the elderly ZKR GRQÂśW KDYH WKH SRVVLELOLW\ RI being seen by a doctorâ€?. 3HUKDSV WKH\ KDYH WR ZDLW “eight hours to be seen and then they give them an appointment for WKH ZHHN DIWHU´ KH VDLG He asked people to make room LQ WKHLU KHDUWV IRU WKRVH ZKR KDYH VLQQHG WKRVH ZKR ÂłKDYH PDGH mistakes and are in jailâ€?. 7R WKRVH ZKR PD\ SURWHVW DERXW DVVRFLDWLQJ ZLWK SHRSOH ZKR KDYH EHHQ LPSULVRQHG WKH pope said, “He is in jail, but you – if you are not in jail, it is because the Lord helped you to not fall.â€? Pray for them, he said, so that the Lord may help them turn their lives around. „ CNS

Return with tears to God’s embrace during Lent, says pope &16 SKRWR

ROME – Lent is a journey of pu-

ULÂżFDWLRQ DQG SHQDQFH D PRYHment that should bring one tearfully back to the loving arms of the merciful Father, Pope Francis said at an Ash Wednesday Mass WKDW EHJDQ ZLWK D SURFHVVLRQ RQ Rome’s Aventine Hill. $IWHU ZDONLQJ IURP WKH %HQedictine monastery of St Anselm to WKH 'RPLQLFDQ UXQ %DVLOLFD RI 6DQta Sabina on Feb 18, Pope Francis celebrated Mass. He received ashes on the top of his head from Cardinal Jozef Tomko, titular cardinal of the basilica, and distributed ashes to the %HQHGLFWLQHV WKH 'RPLQLFDQV KLV FORVHVW DLGHV DQG D IDPLO\ RI ÂżYH When a priest places ashes on one’s head or forehead, he recites: “Remember that you are dust and to dust you shall returnâ€? or “Repent and believe in the Gospel.â€? %RWK 3RSH )UDQFLV VDLG DUH ÂłD reminder of the truth of human existence: We are limited creatures, VLQQHUV DOZD\V LQ QHHG RI UHSHQWDQFH DQG FRQYHUVLRQ +RZ LPSRUtant it is to listen and accept these reminders.â€? In his homily before the ashes ZHUH GLVWULEXWHG WKH SRSH HQFRXUaged Catholics to ask God for “the gift of tears in order to make our

Pontiff returns donation to Sri Lankan cardinal &16 ÂżOH SKRWR

VATICAN CITY – Pope Francis re-

Pope Francis gives ashes during Ash Wednesday Mass at the Basilica of Santa Sabina in Rome on Feb 18.

prayer and our journey of converVLRQ PRUH DXWKHQWLF DQG ZLWKRXW hypocrisyâ€?. Âł:KHQ ZH GR VRPHWKLQJ JRRG almost instinctively the desire is born in us to be esteemed and admired for this good action, to get some satisfaction from it,â€? the pope VDLG %XW -HVXV ÂłFDOOV XV WR GR WKHVH WKLQJV ZLWKRXW DQ\ RVWHQWDWLRQ DQG WR WUXVW RQO\ LQ *RGÂśV UHZDUG´ Âł'R \RX NQRZ VRPHWKLQJ brothers and sisters, hypocrites do QRW NQRZ KRZ WR FU\ ´ WKH SRSH VDLG

Âł7KH\ KDYH IRUJRWWHQ KRZ WR FU\ ´ The Lenten call to conversion KH DGGHG ÂłLV QRW MXVW D KXPDQ ZRUN 5HFRQFLOLDWLRQ EHWZHHQ XV DQG *RG is possible thanks to the mercy of WKH )DWKHU ZKR RXW RI ORYH IRU XV GLG QRW KHVLWDWH WR VDFULÂżFH KLV RQly-begotten son.â€? Pope Francis also prayed that 0DU\ ZRXOG DFFRPSDQ\ &KULVWLDQV in their “spiritual battle against VLQ´ DQG ZRXOG DFFRPSDQ\ WKHP LQ their Lenten journey so they could H[XOW ZLWK KHU DW (DVWHU „ CNS

turned a gift of a cash donation during his apostolic visit to Asia in January. A local Sri Lankan church had donated more than 8.7 million rupees (S$87,000) to the Charity Fund of the Pontiff, but Pope Francis refused the cheque. He returned it to the Archbishop of Colombo, Cardinal Malcolm Ranjith, requesting that local churches use it to help the poor, reported the RI¿FLDO JRYHUQPHQW QHZV SRUWDO of Sri Lanka. In the Messenger, a Catholic ZHHNO\ &DUGLQDO 5DQMLWK VDLG WKDW MXVW EHIRUH 3RSH )UDQFLV ZDV DERXW WR ERDUG WKH SDSDO ÀLJKW to Manila, during his January YLVLW KH ZRXOG QRW DFFHSW WKH cheque. The pope, the cardinal explained, requested it be used to help the poor and asked to be told KRZ LW ZDV XVHG Accordingly, Sri Lanka’s bishops have decided to dis-

Pope Francis’ visit to Colombo, Sri Lanka, in January.

tribute the money among the dioceses, asking each bishop to use it to help the poor and to send a report to the cardinal RQ KRZ WKH FDVK ZDV XVHG „ ZENIT

16 OPINION

Sunday March 8, 2015 „ CatholicNews

Fortnightly newspaper of the Catholic Archdiocese of Singapore

2 Highland Road, #01-03 Singapore 549102. Telephone: 6858 3055. Fax: 6858 2055. Website: www.catholicnews.sg Facebook: www.facebook.com/catholicnews MANAGING EDITOR: Father Richards Ambrose: ra@catholic.org.sg

IN MEMORIAM: Susan Lim: memoriam@catholic.org.sg

ASSISTANT EDITORS: Christopher Khoo: christopher.khoo@catholic.org.sg Mel Diamse-Lee (Features): mel.lee@catholic.org.sg

SUBSCRIPTIONS: Richard Paul: subscriptions@catholic.org.sg ADVERTISEMENTS: Elaine Ong: advertisements@catholic.org.sg

STAFF CORRESPONDENT: Lorna O’Hara: lorna.ohara@catholic.org.sg EDITORIAL MATTERS AND QUERIES: cnedit@catholic.org.sg

WEBMASTER: Medona Walter: medona.walter@catholic.org.sg

Please include your full name, address and phone no. for all DESIGN / LAYOUT: letters to the editor. All decisions on submissions rest with Christopher Wong: design@catholic.org.sg the CatholicNews. Published submissions will be edited. Elaine Ong: elaine.ong@catholic.org.sg The views or positions presented in articles in CatholicNews do not necessarily represent the views of the Church. Advertisements that appear in CatholicNews are not necessarily endorsed by the Church.

COMMENTARY

Secularism must not marginalise, mute Church By Tom Sheridan Here’s a little maxim certain to please some people and concern others: The world’s just not the same anymore. What’s not the same? The place and role of religion, for one. Blame the world’s seemingly inexorable lurch toward secularism. And in this noisy, humanistic era, the Church’s voice has become harder to hear. Again, that pleases some people and concerns others. But a muted voice of faith in a secular world is no cause for celebration. While that voice may have become quieter, it is no less necessary. Church critics concede – perhaps grudgingly – that religion should guide members’ faith and morality. But they insist everyday matters are best left to experts. What, after all, does religion know about politics or capitalism or income inequality? What about war or agriculture? Or the current big concern – climate change and the environment? Actually, quite a lot. There is an obvious faith perspective to all aspects of life. To deny religion a place at the table in discussions about such very human endeavours is, quite simply, wrong. It smacks of arrogance and even anti-Catholic bias. Of course, when a charismatic pope blames unbridled business for some of the ills of the world, it also angers capitalists who don’t think the Church appreciates them. “Inequality is the root of social ills,â€? Pope Francis said early in his papacy, adding that “as long as the problems of the poor are not radically resolved by rejecting the absolute autonomy of markets and ÂżQDQFLDO VSHFXODWLRQ DQG E\ DWtacking the structural causes of inequality, no solution will be found for the world’s problems.â€? The same anger is seen when the Church speaks about protecting the environment. Climate-change deniers are in a tizzy anticipating

A swan rests on a nest built from plastic garbage. The Church’s concern about the enviroment has not always been welcomed in today’s secularised culture. File photo

Pope Francis’ encyclical on the environment later this year. Indeed, he has already tipped his hand, telling a UN climate change conference LQ 'HFHPEHU WKDW ³WKH WLPH WR ¿QG global solutions is running out.� Then there’s politics. A pope helping to facilitate a softening in relations between the US and Cuba after a half-century chill upset those – including Catholics – who preferred the status quo. But it was an effort to bring about jus-

Today, the Church fuses knowledge of science and life with the truths of faith seeking justice. tice, surely a prerogative of faith. This anger, sadly, is hardly new. It has also greeted other efforts by the Church to recognise the vital intersection of faith and life, that what goes on inside the Church must naturally affect what goes on outside. Back in the mid-1980s, the US bishops wrote Economic Justice for All, a pastoral letter on Catholic social teaching and the US

economy. As a deacon, I took part in several of the “listeningâ€? sessions in my diocese learning how families and others were affected. The outcry from opponents ZDV ÂżHUFH DV ZHUH WKH FKDOOHQJes: What do bishops know about economic theory? Yet, it turns out that the document was a prophetic look at the need for justice in a ZRUOG RI ÂżQDQFLDO LQHTXDOLW\ Admittedly, there is some history involved here. Religion has not always played well with other disciplines, such as science. Today, however, the Church fuses knowledge of science and life with the truths of faith seeking justice. Of course, the Church is no stranger to seeing its positions marginalised, even in areas of faith and morals where it is usuDOO\ JUDQWHG LQĂ€XHQFH Âą FRQVLGHU its stand on same-sex marriage, abortion and other issues. In a secularised, pluralistic society, it’s vital that the Church’s truth not become overshadowed by popular culture. Today, the Church is still learning how to transition from speaking with a commanding voice to one that must persuade and convince. It’s a daunting, but doable, task. „

Christ and nature NUMEROUS groups and individuals today are challenging us with regard to our relationship to Mother Nature. From Green Peace, from various environmental groups, from various Christian and other religious groups, and from various individual voices, comes the challenge to be less blind, less unthinking, and less reckless in terms of how we relate to the earth. Every day our newscasts point RXW KRZ ZLWKRXW PXFK LQ WKH ZD\ RI VHULRXV UHĂ€HFtion, we are polluting the planet, strip-mining its UHVRXUFHV FUHDWLQJ PHJD ODQGÂżOOV SRXULQJ FDUERQ GDQJHURXVO\ LQWR the atmosphere, causing the disappearance of thousands of species, creating bad air and bad water, and thinning the ozone layer. And so the cry goes out: live more simply, use fewer resources, lessen your carbon footprint, and try to recycle whatever you’ve used as much as you can. That challenge, of course, is very good and very important. The air we breathe out is the air we will eventually inhale and so we need to be very careful about what we exhale. This planet is our home and we need to ensure that, long-term, it can provide us with the sustenance and comfort of a home. But, true as this is, there’s still another, very important reason, why we need to treat Mother Nature with more caution and respect, namely, Christ, Himself, is vitally bound-up with nature and His reasons for coming to earth also include the intention of redeeming the physical universe. What’s implied here? Let me begin with an anecdote which captures, in essence, what’s at stake: The scientist-theologian, Pierre Teilhard de Chardin, in conYHUVDWLRQ ZLWK D 9DWLFDQ RIÂżFLDO ZKR ZDV FRQIXVHG E\ KLV ZULWLQJV and doctrinally-suspicious of them, was once asked: “What are you trying to do in your writings?â€? Teilhard’s response: “I am trying to write a Christology that is wide enough to incorporate the full Christ because Christ is not just an anthropological event but He is also a cosmic phenomenon.â€? Simply translated, he is saying that Christ didn’t just come to save people. He came for that, yes, but He also came to save the planet, of which people are only one part. In saying that, Teilhard has solid scriptural backing. Looking at WKH VFULSWXUHV ZH ÂżQG WKDW WKH\ DIÂżUP WKDW &KULVW GLGQÂśW MXVW FRPH to save people, He came to save the world. For example, the Epistle to the Colossians (1:15-20) records an ancient Christian hymn which DIÂżUPV ERWK WKDW &KULVW ZDV DOUHDG\ D YLWDO IRUFH LQVLGH WKH RULJLQDO creation (“that all things were made through Himâ€?) and that Christ is also the end point to of all history, human and cosmic. The Epistle to the Ephesians, also recording an ancient Christian hymn, (1:3-10) makes the same point; while the Epistle to the Romans (8:19-22) is HYHQ PRUH H[SOLFLW LQ DIÂżUPLQJ WKDW SK\VLFDO FUHDWLRQ 0RWKHU 1Dture and our physical universe, are “groaningâ€? as they too wait for UHGHPSWLRQ E\ &KULVW $PRQJ RWKHU WKLQJV WKHVH WH[WV DIÂżUP WKDW WKH physical world is part of God’s plan for eventual heavenly life. What’s contained in that, if we tease out its implications? A number of very clear principles: First, nature, not just humanity, is being redeemed by Christ. The world is not just a stage upon which human history plays out; it has intrinsic meaning and value beyond what it means for us as humans. Physical nature is, in effect, brother and sister with us in the journey towards the divinely-intended end of history. Christ also came to redeem the Earth, not just those of us who DUH OLYLQJ RQ LW 3K\VLFDO FUHDWLRQ WRR ZLOO HQWHU LQ WKH ÂżQDO V\QWKHVLV of history, that is, heaven. Second, this means that nature has intrinsic rights, not just the ULJKWV ZH ÂżQG FRQYHQLHQW WR DFFRUG LW :KDW WKLV PHDQV LV WKDW GHIDFing or abusing nature is not just a legal and environmental issue, it’s a moral issue. We are violating someone’s (something’s) intrinsic rights. Thus when we, mindlessly, throw a coke can into a ditch, we are not just breaking a law. We are also, at some deep level, defacing &KULVW :H QHHG WR UHVSHFW QDWXUH QRW ÂżUVW RI DOO VR WKDW LW GRHVQÂśW recoil on us and give us back our own asphyxiating pollution, but because it, akin to humanity, has its own rights. A teaching too rarely DIÂżUPHG Finally, not least, what is implied in understanding the cosmic dimension of Christ and what that means in terms of our relationship to Mother Nature and the universe is the non-negotiable fact that the quest for community and consummation within God’s Kingdom (our journey towards heaven) is a quest that calls us not just to a proper relationship with God and with each other, but also to a proper relationship with physical creation. We are humans with bodies living on the earth, not disembodied angels living in heaven, and Christ came to save our bodies along with our souls; and He came, as well, to save the physical ground upon which we walk since He was the very pattern upon which and through which the physical world was created. „

FOCUS 17

Sunday March 8, 2015 „ CatholicNews

FEATURING RETREAT HOUSES IN SINGAPORE

Meeting God in a Cenacle retreat By Mel Diamse-Lee Nestled among housing board Ă€DWV LQ -XURQJ :HVW LV D WKUHH storey building occupied by two congregations of Sisters. One of these is the Religious of the Cenacle, which was founded in France in 1826. Their charism is to “accompany others as they search for meaning and direction in life, explore relationshipsâ€? with self, others and God. The Sisters accompany re treatants in directed retreats from three to 30 days. They also direct those who make the retreat in dai ly life, which can last up to eight months. In addition, they conduct workshops for total human de velopment and help out in other forms of spiritual formation. Commenting on the reluctance of most people to make silent di rected retreats, Sr Francisca Tan said, “The atmosphere of silence is something that is gradually experi enced as essential to encountering God in prayer.â€? Many who initially have this reluctance have spoken of the val ue of this type of retreat after their experience, she added. Retreatants do get to talk once a day with their spiritual directors, said the Cenacle Sisters, whose KRXVH DW -XURQJ :HVW 6W DOVR serves as a retreat centre, albeit a small one. $ PLQXWH ZDON IURP WKH KRXVH LV WKH VFHQLF -XURQJ /DNH which allows retreatants to con template nature in silence.

Preparedness Those who are making a directed UHWUHDW IRU WKH ÂżUVW WLPH PXVW SUH pare by having regular quiet time weeks before the retreat.

When was the last time you had fun?

At the last outing with my com PXQLW\ LQ 1RYHPEHU :H learnt a great deal about history and old buildings, historical sites, museums, and others. It was fun, relaxing and a tremendous gift. Name an occasion you felt embarrassed/humiliated.

Part of my community’s training was to go on short mission. An activity was to deliver a talk. I pre pared very diligently and was quite excited to share the Good News with the group. A few minutes into the sharing I suddenly went blank! $ERXW SDLUV RI H\HV ZHUH ¿[HG on me yet no words came from my mouth! Up to today I remember perfectly the day and time!

Retreatants gather at the opening session of Quieting the Soul retreat in Chiang Mai, Thailand.

The chapel at 47 Jurong West St 42 invites one to deep contemplation.

“Prayer is not a matter of tech nique, but a gift from God. Our participation is in disposing our selves to prayer and allowing the Spirit to work in us,â€? remarked Sr Mel Benedictos. In a directed retreat, the spiritual GLUHFWRUÂśV ÂżUVW WDVN DQG PRVW LP portant role, is to listen to the expe riences and prayer of the directee, and to listen to God as He moves, DFWV DQG VSHDNV ZLWKLQ WKH OLIH H[ perience and prayer of the directee. In this relationship of trust, “the spiritual director does not direct or make decisions for the directee, but rather helps him or her to listen to

God,� in order for the directee to ¿QG FODULW\ RU GLUHFWLRQ VDLG 6U 0HO

Post retreat :KLOH VRPH SHRSOH UHFHLYH VSLULW ual direction only during a retreat, others go for regular spiritual direction because they “see the value of accompaniment as very important in spiritual growth�, Sr Mel said. Cenacle retreatants are also invited to join the Upper Room gathering every third Sunday of the month to “sustain the grace of the retreat�. At this session, they receive input from a Sister, spend

WLPH LQ UHĂ€HFWLRQ DQG VLOHQW DGRUD tion and share in small groups.Fol lowing this the participants come together for a general sharing and have fellowship over food. “This is an informal com munity open to anybody. Those who have participated come back again and again and form friend VKLSV ZLWK RWKHUV ,WÂśV OLNH ÂżQGLQJ a prayer community,â€? Sr Mel said. How does one carry on the at titude of prayerful listening as he RU VKH JRHV DERXW GD\ WR GD\ OLIH after the retreat? Hopefully, the retreat would have helped form the habit of prayer in the person, and he or she desires to continue the relation ship with God, which was experi HQFHG GXULQJ WKH UHWUHDW FODULÂżHG Sr Mel. The retreatant is helped to see how the experience of the retreat carries over into one’s life, but in a different way. This is where some form of spiritual direction might be

Retreatants with the Cenacle Sisters are also invited to join the Upper Room gathering every third Sunday of the month to “sustain the grace of the retreat�.

Name an occasion/incident when you felt God was far away.

My father passed away in 2002 and I was out of the country. I felt a great emptiness as I sat in the SODQH IRU D YHU\ ORQJ ÀLJKW KRPH I knew I would not be able to talk to my father again. It was some thing I loved doing and wanted to do for the last time. What do you like best about being a missionary?

a) That God called me and I chose to say “yes� to this life style. b) That I am given the opportu nity take up a degree in The ology so that we can be of greater service to the Church. c) Being a missionary has given

me the opportunity of sharing WKH :RUG RI *RG ZLWK SHRSOH from different places, experi ences, backgrounds and in dif ferent languages.

things, my community tries to live a simple life. Another way is placing all my talents and limita tions at the service of my com munity and the Church.

What are the usual distractions during your prayer time? What do you do about them?

What do you like doing most when with your biological family?

My usual distraction during prayer is thinking about the many things I have to do after prayer. I list down all the things I need to do and tell God to help me not to forget that prayer time is His time. After that I carry on with prayer. Pope Francis calls for a Church for the poor, by the poor. How do you live that within your vocation?

Besides

not

accummulating

Travelling. Also sitting down with my mother, siblings and their kids to share a nice meal, experiences and memories from our childhood. What do you normally do to relax?

Read books, listen to music and go for long walks. Mexican Sister Leticia C Lopez Verbum Dei Missionary Fraternity www.verbumdeisingapore.org

helpful after a retreat, she added.

Experience One retreatant who went to the Quieting the Soul retreat in Chi ang Mai, Thailand, is Ms Thana 7KDYHU /X[VKPH She said, “[The experience] went way beyond my hopes and ex SHFWDWLRQV ,Q WKH VLOHQFH RI WKLV DOO pervading love, and the graces sent day after day, came healing and a gradually growing joy deep within.â€? Mr Roger Mok, who made the same retreat for eight consecutive years, said he is “now much more attunedâ€? to God. After making a midlife spiritu DOLW\ UHWUHDW 0V 0DULD *UDFLD /H non continued to receive spiritual direction. She said, “The [retreat] KHOSHG UH JURXQG P\VHOI RQ P\ identity.â€? 0V /HQRQ LV DPRQJ WR individuals who go to the Cenacle Sisters for monthly spiritual direc tion. 7R ÂżQG RXW PRUH DERXW WKH SURgrammes of the Cenacle Sisters, visit http://www.catholic.org.sg/cenacle/ „ mel.lee@catholic.org.sg

Favourite book or author?

Timothy Radcliffe, a biblical scholar. I resonate with some of his views and opinions. He brings fresh views about Reli gious life in a very relevant, real and appealing way. He is also deep and funny. Favourite food?

Kway teow and beef rendang. I also like h a m burgers. „

18 FAITH ALIVE!

Sunday March 8, 2015 „ CatholicNews

Exploring various forms of prayer during Lenten season By Daniel S Mulhall

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Fasting is done during Lent to help us control our appetites and to focus our attention on God. An ancient Christian Lenten practice is reading and meditating on the Bible, ERWK WKH 2OG DQG 1HZ

The three traditional pillars of Lent are prayer, fasting and almsgiving. &16 ¿OH SKRWR

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our appetites and to focus our atWHQWLRQ RQ *RG ,Q WKLV ZD\ WKH DFW RI IDVWLQJ LWVHOI FDQ EH DQ DFW RI SUD\HU 1R ZRUGV DUH QHHGHG Giving money to the poor (alms) is also a traditional prayer

SUDFWLFH ZKHUH ZH OHDUQ WR EH JHQHURXV ZLWK ZKDW ZH KDYH VR DV WR DFNQRZOHGJH WKDW *RG LV WKH VRXUFH RI DOO WKDW ZH KDYH 7KH DFW RI JLYLQJ LV LWVHOI DQ DFW RI SUD\HU 7KH NH\ KHUH LV WR H[DPLQH RXU PRWLYDWLRQ IRU GRLQJ VR ,W LV HDV\ WR IDOO LQWR WKH WUDS RI EHOLHYLQJ WKDW ZH FDQ EX\ RXU ZD\ LQWR KHDYHQ

7HVWDPHQWV :KLOH UHDGLQJ DQG SUD\LQJ ZLWK WKH %LEOH DOO \HDU ORQJ LV D FHQWUDO DVSHFW RI WKH &KULVWLDQ IDLWK WKH SUD\HU ERRN FRQWDLQLQJ WKH /LWXUJ\ RI WKH +RXUV LV D IRUPDO SDUW RI WKH &KXUFK¶V GDLO\ SUD\HU DQG LV UHTXLUHG IRU WKRVH LQ SURIHVVHG PLQLVWU\ EXW GXULQJ /HQW WKH SUDFWLFH EHFRPHV PRUH FRPPRQ DPRQJ WKH ODLW\ Other Lenten prayer practices

LQFOXGH SUD\LQJ WKH URVDU\ GDLO\ PDNLQJ WKH :D\ RI WKH &URVV DQG DWWHQGLQJ GDLO\ 0DVV 7KHVH SUDFWLFHV KHOS WKH &KULVWLDQ WR IRFXV RQ -HVXV¶ OLIH DQG PLQLVWU\ +LV SDVVLRQ DQG GHDWK DQG +LV UHVXUUHFtion. $V \RX FDQ VHH WKHUH DUH PDQ\ ZD\V RI SUD\LQJ $OO KHOS XV WR WXUQ RXU KHDUWV DQG PLQGV WR *RG DQG WR SUD\ ZLWKRXW FHDVLQJ )LQG WKH RQHV WKDW ZRUN EHVW IRU \RX DQG VSHQG WLPH ZLWK *RG WKLV Lent. „ CNS Mulhall is a catechist. He lives in Laurel, Maryland, USA.

A time to closely imitate Jesus By Marge Fenelon

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ow can we make Lent a PRUH VSLULWXDOO\ IXO¿OOLQJ time instead of just a time IRU XV WR JLYH WKLQJV XS RU IDVW RQ $VK :HGQHVGD\ DQG )ULGD\V" :H FDQ EHJLQ E\ ORRNLQJ DW -HVXV¶ H[ample. :H PD\ ZDQW WR VWHS EDFN IURP WKH EXVLQHVV RI RXU OLYHV HVFDSH WKH FURZGV VR WR VSHDN DQG VSHQG WLPH DORQH ZLWK WKH KHDYHQO\ )DWKHU 7KDW¶V ZKDW -HVXV GLG GXULQJ WKH PRVW LPSRUWDQW DQG action-packed) moments of His life. $IWHU PLUDFXORXVO\ IHHGLQJ SHRSOH ZLWK WKH ¿YH ORDYHV DQG WZR ¿VK +H ZHQW WR SUD\ ³7KHQ +H PDGH WKH GLVFLSOHV JHW LQWR WKH ERDW DQG SUHFHGH +LP WR WKH RWKHU VLGH ZKLOH +H GLVPLVVHG WKH FURZGV $IWHU GRLQJ VR +H ZHQW XS RQ WKH PRXQWDLQ E\ +LPVHOI WR SUD\ :KHQ LW ZDV HYHQLQJ +H ZDV WKHUH DORQH´ 0W %HIRUH +H FKRVH +LV ¿UVW

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A stained glass window portraying Jesus praying. File photo

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preceded an important milestone E\ VSHQGLQJ GD\V LQ WKH GHVHUW SUD\LQJ DQG SUHSDULQJ ZH FDQ

¿QG ZD\V WR GR VRPHWKLQJ VLPLODU HYHQ LQ D ZRUOG WKDW¶V FRQVWDQWO\ VHHNLQJ HYHU\ VHFRQG RI our attention. 6WRS WR FRQVLGHU :KDW FRXOG \RX EH PLVVLQJ LI \RX¶UH FRQVWDQWO\ JLYLQJ LQ WR DOO WKH WKLQJV WKDW GHPDQG \RXU DWWHQWLRQ" +RZ FDQ SUD\HU KHOS \RX PHHW WKH PRVW SUHVVLQJ RI GHPDQGV" <RX PD\ IHHO RYHUZKHOPHG ZLWK WKH GHPDQGV RI GDLO\ OLIH EXW FRQVLGHU WKDW &KULVW IRXQG VWUHQJWK LQ SUD\HU )URP WKH WLPH +H OHIW WKH GHVHUW XQWLO +LV GHDWK +H GHYRWHG HYHU\ ELW RI VWUHQJWK WR PLQLVWHULQJ WR RWKHUV +H ZRXOG SUHDFK KHDO DQG JXLGH WKH people. +LV OLIH ZDV QR ORQJHU +LV RZQ EXW UDWKHU WKH OLIH WKDW WKH KHDYHQO\ )DWKHU UHTXLUHG RI +LP „ CNS Fenelon is a freelance writer from Milwaukee, USA, and author of Imitating Mary: Ten Marian Virtues for the Modern Mom.

FEATURE 19

Sunday March 8, 2015 „ CatholicNews

50 Shades of Grey is ‘direct assault’ on marriage, morality Movie features erotic, sadomasochistic story line WASHINGTON – The new movie Fifty Shades of Grey is “a direct assault on Christian marriage and on the moral and spiritual strength of God’s peopleâ€?, a US archbishop told pastors in his archdiocese. “We need to inform our people about the destructive message of this movie and to highlight the beauty of God’s design for loving relationships between a husband and a wife in the bond of marriage,â€? Archbishop Dennis M Schnurr of Cincinatti said in an early February letter. The letter echoed the sentiment expressed by Catholic and other religious leaders and organisations that have criticised the ÂżOP ,W LV EDVHG RQ WKH ÂżUVW ERRN LQ D trilogy by E L James that features an erotic and sadomasochistic story line about a young college student named Anastasia Steele, who agrees to become a sex slave to business tycoon Christian Grey. Bishop Richard J Malone of %XIIDOR 1HZ <RUN ZKR LV WKH chairman of the US bishops’ Committee on Laity, Marriage, Family

Life and Youth in a letter to his fellow bishops urged them to “remind the faithful of the beauty of the Church’s teaching on the gift of sexual intimacy in marriage, the great dignity of women, and the moral reprehensibility of all domestic violence and sexual exploitation.�

the faithful ‘ofRemind the beauty of the Church’s teaching on the gift of sexual intimacy in marriage.

’

– Bishop Richard J Malone of Buffalo, New York to fellow bishops

John Mulderig, Catholic News Service’s assistant director for media reviews, said in a Feb 11 review that Fifty Shades has “a pornographically narrow focus and a potentially dangerous messageâ€?. 7KH &16 FODVVLÂżFDWLRQ LV FODVVLÂżFDWLRQ LV 2 Âą PRUDOO\ RIIHQVLYH In the Diocese of Sioux City,

,RZD %LVKRS 5 :DONHU 1LFNOHVV issued a Feb 9 memo to priests and GHDFRQV DQG VSRNH RXW VWURQJO\ DJDLQVW WKH ERRN DQG PRYLH He pointed to the immorality RI SRUQRJUDSK\ ÂłLWV REMHFWLÂżFDtion of both men and womenâ€?. Âł:KHQ WKDW REMHFWLÂżFDWLRQ LV combined with masochism and other forms of violence in the sexual act, as in this case of Fifty Shades of Grey, the harm it does to women, and thus also to families and children, is immensely greater,â€? he said. Teresa Tomeo, an author and V\QGLFDWHG &DWKROLF WDON UDGLR host, noted that the Fifty Shades RI *UH\ ERRN WULORJ\ ÂłFRQWLQXHV WR EULQJ LQ WKH ELJ EXFNV´ 7KH ÂżOP she said, was also “expected to be D FDVK FRZ DW WKH ER[ RIÂżFH´ Âł:RPHQ PDNH XS WKH PD-

Jamie Dornan stars in a scene from the movie Fifty Shades of Grey. CNS photo

jority of this particular and very VDG PDUNHW ´ 7RPHR ZURWH The Catholic Church in its teaching “couldn’t be clearer when it comes to why pornography, any type of porn, is a grave offenceâ€?, she said, adding that “secular family study experts are now agreeing that pornography poses great danger to women and to relationships in generalâ€?. Fifty Shades of Grey is rated R21 in Singapore. „

20

Sunday March 8, 2015 CatholicNews

By Jennifer Ficcaglia People loved to ask Jesus questions. Some people would try to trick Jesus with their questions, but others wanted to know more about His teachings. Peter, one of Jesus’ apostles, was a person who wanted to know more. “Lord,” Peter asked one day, “if my brother sins against me, how often must I forgive him? As many as seven times?” “I say to you,” Jesus answered, “not seven times but seventy-seven times.” Peter looked surprised because Jesus was telling him to forgive people an unlimited amount of times. To make His point, Jesus told Peter a parable about a king who wanted his servant to repay him. The servant owed the king a huge debt that he could not repay, Jesus explained. So the king ordered the servant,

as well as his wife, family and all of his possessions, to be sold to repay the debt. The servant fell to his knees. “Be patient with me, and I will pay you back in full,” he promised. The king was merciful and forgave the servant’s debt. Afterward, the servant came upon his fellow servant, who owed him a small amount of money. “Pay back what you owe,” he said as he choked the man. “Be patient with me,” the fellow servant begged, “and I will pay you back.” But the servant said no, and he had the fellow servant thrown in jail until the debt was repaid. Some of the king’s other servants saw what had happened and they were very upset by what took place. They were so upset that they went to the king to tell him what was going on. When the king heard the news

Wordsearch:

of what had happened, he was very angry. He summoned the servant to come and talk to him. “You wicked servant! I forgave you your entire debt because you begged me to,” the king cried. “Should you not have had pity on your fellow servant, as I had pity on you?” So the king changed his mind and had the servant thrown in jail until he could repay his debt. “So will my heavenly Father do

to you,” Jesus warned His followers, “unless each of you forgives his brother from his heart”. Read more about it: Matthew 18

Q&A 1. How many times did Jesus tell Peter to forgive a person? 2. Who told the king that the servant was unforgiving to his fellow servant?

SPOTLIGHT ON SAINTS:

PAY

HUGE

TALK

SOLD

St Patrick

UPSET

LOVED

TRICK

SERVANT

MIND

JAIL

DEBT

FORGAVE

St Patrick was born in Roman Britain around 389. When he was a teenager, he was kidnapped by raiders and became a slave in Ireland. A few years later, Patrick had a dream that God was tellLQJ KLP WR HVFDSH IURP KLV PDVWHU DQG ¿QG SDVVDJH RQ D VKLS back to his homeland, which he did. After being home awhile, Patrick again heard God speaking to him. This time he was told to return to Ireland and bring the Gospel to the people. Patrick studied to be a priest and eventually became a bishop. He returned to Ireland in 433 and converted many people to Christianity over the next 30 years. The saint also performed many miracles. He died around the year 461, and we honour him on March 17.

Bible Accent:

Unscramble the letters in each word to reveal something Jesus said in Matthew 18:22. “ton vesne mesit utb ytveesn vense mesit.” “

_ _ _

_ _ _ _ _

_ _ _ _ _ _ _

_ _ _ _ _

_ _ _ _ _

_ _ _

”

_ _ _ _ _.

Answer to Wordsearch

Share your thoughts with family and friends on a Bible story by writing an essay in response to this question: Why is it important not only to ask for forgiveness, but to be forgiving as well?

PUZZLE:

Answer to puzzle: “Not seven times but seventy-seven times.”

KIDS’ CLUB:

Forgiveness is talked about a lot in the Gospels. In the Gospel of Luke, Jesus told the parable of the lost son, who asked his father for his inheritance, left home and foolishly spent his money until he was poor and hungry. He returned home, even though he thought his father would be mad. Instead, his father forgave him and threw a big party. Also in Luke, Jesus forgave a sinful woman who came to see Him when he was at the home of a Pharisee. She washed His feet with her tears, and Jesus said her faith had saved her and her sins were forgiven. In the Gospel of John, a woman was about to be stoned for committing adultery. Jesus said, “Let the one DPRQJ \RX ZKR LV ZLWKRXW VLQ EH WKH ¿UVW WR WKURZ D VWRQH at her.” They all dropped their stones and left; Jesus forgave the woman and told her to sin no more. And in the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus taught His followers the Lord’s Prayer, part of which talks about forgiveness: “And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.”

WHAT’S ON 21

Sunday March 8, 2015 „ CatholicNews

EVENT SUBMISSIONS We welcome information of events happening in our local Church. Please send your submission at least one month before the event. Online submissions can be made at www. catholic.org.sg/webevent_form.php CATECHISM FOR THE ELDERLY Catechism classes for the elderly are held in English, Mandarin, Peranakan, Hokkien, Teochew and Cantonese on Thursdays from 1pm-2.45pm at Holy Family Church and on Saturdays at St Joseph’s Church, Victoria Street, parish hall from 9.30am11.30am. Register T: 9115 5673 (Andrew). MARCH 1 TO APRIL 28 A BIBLICAL WALK WITH THE BLESSED MOTHER – PRESENTED BY DR ED SRI 9am-10.45am (Sundays); 8pm-9.30pm (Tuesdays); 10am-11.30am (Fridays): If you wonder why Mary is so important to Catholics, join us for a DVD study series ¿OPHG LQ WKH +RO\ /DQG ZKLFK ZLOO WDNH you into the life of Mary while on earth, and how she works in our lives. The series is free of charge. Organised by the Biblical Apostolate Team from IHM. At CAEC, 2 Highland Road, St John’s Room Level 2 (Sundays) / Immaculate Heart of Mary, 24 Highland Road, Parish Centre, St Philips Room, Level 2 (Tuesdays and Fridays). Register E: bat@ihm.sg (Christina / Laura). SUNDAYS FROM MARCH 1 CHRISTIAN LIFE PROGRAMME – CFC SINGLES FOR CHRIST SINGAPORE 2pm-4.30pm: The CFC Singles for Christ is a ministry of Couples for Christ which offers Christian support for single men and women aged 21-40. Singles who are at the crossroads of their life and in the midst of making decisions between marriage, joining a Religious vocation or embracing singlehood are free to join. Organised by CFC Global Family Ministry. At Church of St Vincent de Paul, 301 Yio Chu Kang Road. Enquiries T: 9176 3444 (Debbie) / 8127 4414 (Donald). MARCH 2 LOGOS NIGHT – PRAYING WITH THE WORD OF GOD 8pm-9.30pm: All are welcome to come away and pray with the Word of God. This monthly session is to guide participants to encounter Jesus through His Word, and to grow in love with Him. Organised by Verbum Dei Missionaries. At CANA, 55 Waterloo Street, St Emma’s Room, Level 2, #02-02. Enquiries T: 6280 0354; E: logosencounter@gmail.com. MARCH 3, 10 AND MARCH 17 THE SPIRITUAL EXERCISES OF ST IGNATIUS AND THE SEASON OF LENT 9.30am-noon: For three Tuesday mornings, explore the Lenten themes of prayer, fasting and almsgiving. Facilitated by Jesuit Fr Leslie Raj. Fee: $30. Organised by Church of St Ignatius. At Church of St Ignatius, 120 King’s Road. Register T: 6467 6072; E: cisc2664@gmail.com. MARCH 3 TO APRIL 21 MARY: A BIBLICAL WALK WITH THE BLESSED MOTHER 7.30pm-9.15pm: Join us for an eightsession DVD programme presentation by Dr Edward Sri to know more about Mary’s life. See why she is an essential part of our Catholic faith. Fee for workbook: $35. Organised by Faith Formation Team from Blessed Sacrament Church. At Blessed Sacrament Church, 1 Commonwealth Drive, Damien Hall. Register T (SMS/Whatsapp): 9372 9384; E: cyclops135an@gmail.com. MARCH 3 WHAT IS CHRISTIAN MISSION? TALK ON HOLY SPIRIT (FOR OVERSEAS MISSION) 7.30pm-9.30pm: Join us for a talk on the Christian mission by Fr Gerard Louis, CSSR. Know more about what exactly is Christian mission, why do mission work, and how can we align ourselves to its purpose. Light refreshments will be provided. Organised by CHARIS. At Catholic Centre, 55 Waterloo Street, Level 2, St Flora Room. Enquiries T: 6337 4119. Register E: lilynne@charis-singapore.org (Lilynne). TUESDAYS MARCH 3 TO MARCH 24 SPECIAL NEEDS CATECHESIS 1 – UNDERSTANDING AND SUPPORTING YOUNG PEOPLE WITH SPECIAL NEEDS 7.30pm-10pm: Participants will hear and experience the uniqueness of those with special needs – the frustrations and challenges they encounter. Organised by ONE. At CAEC, 2 Highland Road. Register E: angelina@one.org.sg.

RCIA/RCIY SUNDAYS MARCH 1 TO APRIL 3, 2016 RCIY @ CHURCH OF ST FRANCIS XAVIER 10.15am-noon: At 63A Chartwell Drive. Register T: 9751 3448 (Mark) / 9002 9977 (Angela); E: angela.soh137@gmail.com.

SUNDAYS APRIL 12 RCIA @ CHURCH OF OUR LADY OF PERPETUAL SUCCOUR 7.30pm-9.30pm: 31 Siglap Hill. Register T: 9630 3276 (Edward); E: jjwong5@yahoo.com.sg.

WEDNESDAYS MARCH 4 RCIA @ CHURCH OF HOLY FAMILY 7.30pm-9.30pm: 6 Chapel Road. Register T: 9666 6542; E: rcia@holyfam@gmail.com.

FRIDAYS APRIL 17 RCIA @ CHURCH OF ST TERESA 7.45pm-9pm: 510 Kampong Bahru Road, Parish House, Level 5. Register T: 6271 1184 (Joanna); E: stteresa@singnet.com.sg; W: www.stteresa.org.sg.

SATURDAYS FEBRUARY 28 RCIA @ CHURCH OF ST IGNATIUS 4pm: 120 King’s Road. Enquiries T: 9762 6330 (Evelyn) / 9790 5251 (Ruth); E: rciy.ignatius@gmail.com; W: http://stignatius.org.sg/dvc/rciy.html.

FRIDAYS MARCH 6 RCIA @ CHURCH OF OUR LADY QUEEN OF PEACE 8pm-10pm: 4 Sandy Lane. Enquiries T: 9030 9527; E: admin@queenofpeace.sg / martinds52@gmail.com.

TUESDAYS MAY 19 RCIA @ CHURCH OF STS PETER AND PAUL 7.30pm-9.30pm: 225A Queen Street. Register T: 9753 6863 (Joanna Sng, coordinator); E: sng.joanna@gmail.com.

MARCH 6 TO MARCH 8 MARRIAGE ENCOUNTER WEEKEND 7.30pm(Friday)-6pm(Sunday): For all married couples, join us for a weekend getaway for both you and your spouse. Rediscover the magic in your relationship and build greater intimacy. Organised by Marriage Encounter. At 201B Punggol Seventeeth Avenue. Register T: 9670 5390; W: www.MEsingapore.org.

Why are we called to reach out to those in need? This workshop will focus on the content of Pope Francis’ Evangelii Gaudium. Besides content input, SDUWLFLSDQWV ZLOO EH FKDOOHQJHG WR UHÀHFW on the messages from this document and WR ¿QG ZD\V RQ KRZ WKH\ FDQ SXW WKHVH messages into practice. Organised by Caritas Singapore. At Catholic Centre, 55 Waterloo Street, Level 2. Register T: 6338 9453 (Gail); E: formation@caritas-singapore.org.

MARCH 20 MEDITATIVE PRAYER WITH THE SONGS OF TAIZE 8pm-9pm: Set in an atmosphere of silence and peace, this beautiful form of prayer, inspired by the monastic tradition in Taize (France), can help one invite God’s presence to penetrate one’s innermost being. Come join us in this ecumenical meditative prayer with the songs of Taize, every 3rd Friday of the month. Organised by Taize group at Good Shepherd Place. At Good Shepherd Place, 9 Lor 8 Toa Payoh, chapel. Enquiries E: a.quiet.time@ gmail.com; W: www.taize.fr/en

A journey for those seeking to know more about the Catholic faith. Baptised Catholics are also invited to journey as sponsors. WEDNESDAYS FEBRUARY 11 RCIA @ CHURCH OF CHRIST THE KING 8pm-10pm: 221 Ang Mo Kio Avenue 8, RCIA Room 105. Register T: 8188 4141 (Benjamin Chan) / 8188 4242 (Gwen Lim); E: query.rcia@gmail.com.

MARCH 7 A PRAYER WALK WITH JESUS ON THE LABYRINTH 10am-1pm: Calling all young adults! During this Lenten season, join us for a spiritual journey with Jesus on the labyrinth. During this walking meditation, experience the companionship of Jesus as you make a pilgrimage4 to the Cross. Facilitated by Ms Diana Tan and Ms Roselie Chia. Fee: $30. Organised by Kingsmead Centre. At 120 King’s Road, Annexe Hall, behind Church of St Ignatius. Register T: 6467 6072; E: cisc2664@gmail.com. MARCH 7 COMMON SENSE PARENTING DP SP -RLQ XV IRU D FHUWLÂżHG DQG proven workshop developed from Boystown, USA, to help raise responsible FKLOGUHQ *DLQ PRUH FRQÂżGHQFH LQ managing your children’s behaviour and guiding them in their choices (preventive measures by giving logical and meaningful consequences). At Block 95, Bedok North Avenue 4, #01-1415. Register T: 6285 1377; E: programs@ morningstar.org.sg. MARCH 7 TO MARCH 8 LENTEN PRAYER VIGIL AT CSC 10pm (Saturday)-6am(Sunday): Join us for a Lenten prayer vigil. The theme for the vigil is God Rich in Mercy. Mass will be celebrated by Fr Erbin Fernandez. All are welcome! Organised by Catholic Spirituality Centre. At Catholic Spirituality Centre, 1261 Upper Serangoon Road. Enquiries T: 6288 7901 / 6858 2716. MARCH 8 KKIHS 15TH ANNIVERSARY THANKSGIVING MASS 1.30pm: The Karismatik Katolik Indonesia Holy Spirit will be celebrating their 15th anniversary with a Mass. Mass will be celebrated Archbishop William Goh and Fr Michael Sitaram. Organised by KKIHS. At Church of St Vincent de Paul, 301 Yio Chu Kang Road. Enquiries T: 8299 4171 (Vero) / 9615 9551 (Vonn). MARCH 8 CHILDREN’S EUCHARISTIC ADORATION 3.45pm: Come away together with your children to spend some quiet time with Jesus. Fr Paul Ngo Thanh Phong will be present. The theme would be You Are God’s Temple. All are welcome! Organised by Church of Christ the King’s Children Eucharictic Adoration Team. At Church of Christ the King, 2221 Ang Mo Kio Avenue 8, Basement Chapel. Enquiries T: 9620 7856 (Irene) / 9456 4051 (Susie). MARCH 12 TO MARCH 15 PARISH RENEWAL EXPERIENCE 7.15pm: This retreat would help to heighten the awareness that the parish is not a “we and theyâ€? arrangement but instead, a family living with one another. Organised by Blessed Sacrament Church. At Blessed Sacrament Church, 1 Commonwealth Drive. Register E: PRE@bsc.org. MARCH 13 TO MARCH 14 WORKSHOP ON EVANGELII GAUDIUM BY FR DAVID GARCIA 7.30pm (Friday)-12.30pm (Saturday): How can we evangelise and spread the joy of the Gospel to others in our lives?

MARCH 14 MEDITATIVE PRAYER USING THE SONGS OF TAIZE 8pm-9.30pm: Join us for a meditative prayer using the songs of Taize. All are welcome. Organised by Singapore Taize Core Group. At The Armenian Church of Saint Gregory the Illuminator, 60 Hill Street. Enquiries T: 9837 7256; E: bennycah@gmail.com; W: www.taize.fr/en. MARCH 14 UNDERSTANDING RELATIONSHIPS 10am-noon: Gain some perspectives on how to develop mature and responsible relationships. Fee: $20. Concession for THRIVE partners only. Organised by Clarity. At Theatrette, Nee Soon South CC, 30 Yishun Street 81. Register T: 6757 7990 / 9710 3733; E: registration@clarity-singapore.org. MARCH 14 CENACLE LENTEN RECOLLECTION 9am-4pm: “Come back to me,â€? a familiar refrain during Lent from the prophet Hosea, reminds us that Lent is a call to deeper conversion. This one-day recollection will help us journey through the Lenten season with a deeper sense of coming back to the Lord. Organised by the Cenacle Sisters. At the Cenacle, 47 Jurong West St 42. Register: T: 6565 2895; E: cenaclesing@gmail.com. MARCH 16 CATHOLIC EDUCATION CONFERENCE 2015 8am-5pm: Explore the character of Catholic schools and exchange ideas on forging Catholic ethos in them. Organised by Archdiocesan Commission for Catholic Schools. At St Gabriel’s Secondary School, 24 Serangoon Avenue 1. Register E: katherine.manalang@catholic.org.sg; W: http://www.accs.sg/cec-2015/. MARCH 20 LENTEN ALL NIGHT VIGIL – THE SEVEN LAST WORDS OF CHRIST 8pm-5am: Lent is a time that the Church UHĂ€HFWV RQ &KULVWÂśV SDVVLRQ DQG GHDWK LQ an intensely focused way. As we enter into the season of Lent, let us come together and prepare our hearts in this DOO QLJKW YLJLO E\ UHĂ€HFWLQJ DQG SUD\LQJ on the seven last words of Christ. Dinner, breakfast after Mass at dawn, and light refreshments throughout the night will be provided. Organised by Church of St Ignatius. At Church of St Ignatius, 120 King’s Road. Register T: 6466 0625; E: jennahkwek.stignatius@gmail.com. MARCH 20 TO MARCH 22 BEAUTIFUL YET PRICKLY: A STAYIN LENTEN RETREAT 7pm (Friday)-5pm (Sunday): The Easter palm is both beautiful and prickly. It also lends itself to being bent into graceful shapes in our decorations for the season. We are like these palms. Will we allow the Lord to tame our prickles and bend us into His image so that we radiate both His Passion and Resurrection? Organised by Kingsmead spiritual directors. Fee (non-air con): $180; (with air con) $220. At Kingsmead Centre, 8 Victoria Park Road. Register T: 6467 6072; E: cisc2664@gmail.com.

MARCH 21, 22 AND MARCH 28 BASIC CATECHIST COURSE LEVEL 1 – EVANGELISATION & MISSION 9am-9pm: This personal retreat will be a time of prayer, encounter with the Word, participation in the sacraments, and the paraliturgy to deepen one’s faith. Organised E\ 2I¿FH IRU 7KH 1HZ (YDQJHOLVDWLRQ $W CAEC, 2 Highland Road. Register T: 6858 7012 (Sylvia); E: sylvia@one.org.sg.

Fee: $30. Organised by Kingsmead Centre. At Kingsmead Centre, 8 Victoria Park Road, Hall of the Pilgrim. Register T: 6467 6072; E: cisc2664@gmail.com. MARCH 28 PARENTING SKILLS THAT WORK WITH TEENS 9am-1pm: Learn some parenting skills that will help you understand your teen better. Learn how to communicate with him or her, and how to meet their emotional needs. Organised by Morning Star Community Services. At Morning Star Hougang Centre, 4 Lorong Low Koon. Register T: 6285 1377; E: programs@morningstar.org.sg. MARCH 28 CRUSCIS SINGAPURA 2015 – UNIQUE WAY OF THE CROSS We invite all faithful to join us in an intercession event where we will pray while walking barefoot across Singapore. Participants will walk in pairs across 12 SUH GH¿QHG URXWHV ORQJHVW EHLQJ NP and shortest 2.3km. Upon registration, \RX ZLOO UHFHLYH D FRQ¿UPDWLRQ HPDLO with route map and the Way of the Cross. Registration deadline: March 21. Organised by Jesus Youth Singapore. Register W: www.singapore.jesusyouth. org. Enquiries T: 9006 1884 (Fionne Lai). MARCH 30 TO JUNE 15 LANDINGS PROGRAMME FOR RETURNING CATHOLICS 8pm-10pm: Calling all who have left the faith, come for our 10-week Landings programme to rekindle your personal relationship with God. Organised by Landings. At Church of the Holy Spirit, 248B Upper Thomson Road. Register T: 9369 2100 (Leonard) / 9863 1590 (Tricia); E: returning@landings.org.sg; W: http://www.landings.org.sg.

MARCH 22 LENTEN BLOODMOBILE OUTREACH 9.30am-3.30pm: Give one bag of blood and save up to three lives! Donors must be aged between 16-60 years, and weigh above 45kg. Please bring along your NRIC or passport. Organised by Church of the Immaculate Heart of Mary. At Church of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, 24 Highland Road. Register T: 9751 9906 (Maria); hopejoyasia@yahoo.com.sg.

WEDNESDAYS FROM APRIL 1 TO MAY 6 PRIEST, PROPHET, KING 9.30am-11.30am: Join us for six sessions of a DVD-based Bible programme presented by Fr Robert Baron. Through this programme, you will have a better understanding of Jesus, become more familiar with scripture and realise your priestly, prophetic and kingly mission. Organised by Bible Apostolate of the Church of the Holy Spirit. At Church of the Holy Spirit, 248 Upper Thomson Road, #03-02. Fee for study manual (optional): $32; Registration fee: love offering. Register T: 8228 8220 (Clare); E: HSBibleApostolate@gmail.com.

MARCH 22 TO MARCH 28 WEEK OF GUIDED PRAYER – PRAYING WITH SCRIPTURE There will be a week of guided prayer from March 22-28. This will not be a stay-in retreat. Organised by Sojourners’ Companions from Church of St Francis of Assisi. Registration will be available on March 14-15 at the parish, or on the Sojourners’ Companions website at www.sojourners.com. Enquiries E: wogp@sojourners.sg.

WEDNESDAYS FROM APRIL 1 TO MAY 6 BCC LEVEL 1 – INTRO TO CATECHETICAL PEDAGOGY AND CETECHETICAL METHODS 7.30pm-10pm: This 6-session course will introduce participants to the method of teaching as proposed by the Universal Church. Organised by ONE. At CAEC, 2 Highland Road, #02-02. Register E: emily@one.org.sg; W: http://goo.gl/forms/6rCSu7GDSv.

MARCH 26 MASS FOR INTERGENERATIONAL HEALING 8pm-9.30pm: Fr Tom Curran will be celebrating Mass with a focus on intergenerational healing, followed by a time of individual prayer for healing. All are welcome. Organised by Praise@ Work. At Church of Sts Peter and Paul, 225A Queen Street. Register T: 9459 2450 (Marilyn); E: marilyn8sep@yahoo.com.

APRIL 2 CONTEMPLATIVE PRAYER THROUGH CHANT 8pm-10pm: Fr Damien’s Youth Choir will be singing contemplative Taize FKDQWV 7KH FKDQWV UHÀHFW WKH ORYH DQG suffering of Jesus Christ. Come and join us in prayer and meditation through chant. Organised by Fr Damien’s Youth Choir from Blessed Sacrament Church. At Blessed Sacrament Church, 1 Commonwealth Drive. Enquiries T: 9105 7446 (Gerry Cordeiro); E: Gerrycordeiro@gmail.com.

MARCH 27 STATIONS OF THE CROSS 8pm: Marriage Encounter invites all married couples to join us for a Lenten UHÀHFWLRQ 7KLV UHÀHFWLRQ ZLOO DOORZ FRXSOHV WR H[SHULHQFH WKH VLJQL¿FDQFH of the Lord’s Passion in their marriages. At Church of the Holy Spirit, 248 Upper Thomson Road. Register E: http://goo. gl/forms/u1rFu6Rw3q; Enquiries E: patrick_nt_tan@yahoo.com.sg. Register by March 22. MARCH 27 TO MARCH 29 MARCH CHOICE WEEKEND 6pm: It takes one weekend that will inspire you for the rest of your life. Come away for a Choice Weekend. It is by the FKRLFHV ZH PDNH WKDW GH¿QHV ZKDW RXU life is all about. Organised by Choice Singapore. At Choice Retreat House, 47 Jurong West, Street 42. Register T: 9790 0537 (Hillary) / 9424 2606 (Jacqueline). MARCH 28 A SPECIAL NIGHT OF WAITING 10am-12.30pm: Why is Easter Vigil on Saturday night different from all other nights? La Salle Br Collin Wee will be giving a talk to explain the differences.

FRIDAYS FROM APRIL 3; SATURDAYS FROM APRIL 4 THE HEART AND PRACTICE OF USING ART IN COMMUNITY 2-5pm (for 8 Fridays) or 9am-noon (for 8 Saturdays): This 8-week art course FRPELQHV WKH ¿HOGV RI DUW SV\FKRORJ\ culture and spirituality. Learn and understand the creative process of art and image-making in a group setting. Organised by Heartspace. At Catholic Centre, 55 Waterloo Street. Register E: jo@joannatan.com. APRIL 7 AND APRIL 14 WHAT IS CHRISTIAN MISSION? – TALK ON DISCIPLESHIP 7.30pm-9.30pm: Join us as we journey with Fr Gerard Louis, CSsR, Fr Terence Wee, CSsR and Sr Letitia Lopez, MVD to learn and share about the Trinitarian nature of mission – the thrust of the very heart of Christian life – and how we can do so in a dynamic way. Organised by CHARIS. At 55 Waterloo Street, Catholic Centre Level 2. Register E: lilynne@charis-singapore.org. Enquiries T: 6337 4119 (Lilynne).

24 WORLD

Sunday March 8, 2015 „ CatholicNews

$543 million Bible museum to be built in Washington Expected to open in 2017 – Construction works are underway on a museum in Washington, USA, to promote engagement, education and discussion of the Bible. The Museum of the Bible is scheduled to open in November 2017. Features of the new 39,948 sq-m museum include a 61-m LED screen on the lobby ceiling, displaying a set of rotating images from Israel, Rome and Spain; a facade modelled after various printed manuscripts of the Bible; stainedglass windows from Germany, DQG D WRS Ă€RRU JODVV HQFORVHG promenade that will offer “some amazing viewsâ€? of the National Mall and the Capitol, according

WASHINGTON

to project director Brian Flegel. During the Feb 12 groundbreaking, Mr Flegel showed media the proposed designs of the eight-storey, US$400 million (S$543 million) museum. It also will have an environmentally sustainable “green roof�, a “biblical garden� and a “Foods of the Bible� restaurant, which will be “inspired by the bazaars and markets of the Middle East�, he said. Museum president Cary Summers told reporters that the museum was being built as “we believe that it’s such an important part of our daily life that we should focus our time and efforts so that other people can be engaged with the Bible, just as we are.�

An artist’s impression of the eight-storey Museum of the Bible. CNS photo

The museum according to Mr Summers “will engage heavily with the academic side of the study of the Bible, as well as the scholarship side, which we will have a whole wing deYRWHG WR´ DV ZHOO DV ZKROH Ă€RRUV dedicated to “the impact of the Bible, the history of the Bible, and the narrative or stories of the Bible.â€?

When questioned about con- vate collection. The Museum of cerns that the museum would the Bible currently boasts “the KDYH D VSHFLÂżF UHOLJLRXV RU GH- largest private collection of bibnominational agenda, Mr Sum- lical manuscripts and artifactsâ€? mers assured the media that the on earth, according to Mr Summuseum is taking a “very non- mers. When asked if the museum’s sectarian approachâ€? to its degoal was to bring velopment, which people to Chrisincludes “many It’s been tianity, Mr Steve different Jewish, Green, chairman Catholic and Prota dream and of the board, said estant groupsâ€?. it’s becoming that “we would In addition to hope that people working with Catha reality today. would consider olic groups, the – Mr Steve Green, what the book [the museum also has a chairman of the Bible] has to say... “very strong workmuseum board if it’s compelling, ing relationshipâ€? then that’s a dewith the Vatican Museums and the Vatican Library, cision they can make on their according to Mr Summers. We own.â€? “It’s very exciting to see this “have some of their people involved with us as advisers to this project getting started,â€? said Mr Green. “It’s something that we museumâ€?, he said. The exhibits will feature have been working on and dreampieces from several different LQJ DERXW IRU ÂżYH \HDUV QRZ ,WÂśV libraries around the world, as been a dream and it’s becoming a well as the museum’s own pri- reality today.â€? „ CNS

‘

Using new technology, University of Oxford scholars uncovered the earliest surviving New Testament written in Palestinian Aramaic, a language similar to that used by Jesus. The Museum of the Bible planned for Washington will house an extensive collection of biblical manuscripts. CNS photo

PUBLISHED BY THE CATHOLIC NEWS, 2 HIGHLAND ROAD #01-03, SINGAPORE 549102. PRINTED BY TIMES PRINTERS PRIVATE LIMITED, 16 TUAS AVENUE 5, SINGAPORE 639340.

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