NOVEMBER 02, 2014, Vol 64, No 22

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Pope Francis says he welcomes bishops’ honest expressions of disagreement VATICAN CITY – After days of ani-

PDWHG GHEDWH RYHU LWV RI¿FLDO PLGterm report, the Synod of Bishops RQ WKH IDPLO\ DJUHHG RQ D ¿QDO document. However, the meeting failed to reach consensus on especially controversial questions of Communion for the divorced and civilly remarried and the pastoral care of homosexuals. The synod’s last working session on Oct 18, also featured a speech by Pope Francis, in which he commended members’ frank exchanges while warning against extremism in the defence of tradition or the pursuit of progress. Discussions in the synod hall had grown heated after the Oct 13 delivery of a midterm report that used strikingly conciliatory language towards people with ways of life contrary to Church teaching, including divorced and civilly remarried Catholics, cohabitating couples and those in same-sex unions. The summaries of workinggroup discussions, published on Oct 16, showed that most particiSDQWV ZDQWHG WKH ¿QDO GRFXPHQW to be clearer on doctrine and give more attention to families whose lives exemplify Church teaching. Participants voted on each of the document’s 62 paragraphs. All received a simple majority, but three failed to gain the two-thirds supermajority ordinarily required for approval of synodal documents. Two of those paragraphs dealt with a controversial proposal by German Cardinal Walter Kasper that would make it easier for divorced and civilly remarried Catholics to receive Communion. The document noted disagreements on the subject and recommended further study. The document’s section on homosexuality, which also fell short of supermajority approval, ZDV VLJQL¿FDQWO\ FKDQJHG IURP LWV counterpart in the midterm report.

Pope Francis thanks the media as he leaves the concluding session of the extraordinary Synod of Bishops on the family at the Vatican on Oct 18. CNS photo

‘

Personally, I would have been very worried and saddened if there hadn’t been these ... animated discussions.

The original section heading of “welcoming homosexualsâ€? was changed to “pastoral attention to persons with homosexual orientationâ€?. A statement that same-sex unions can be a “precious support in the life of the partnersâ€? was removed. 7KH ÂżQDO UHSRUW TXRWHG D

’

– Pope Francis

document from the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith: “There are absolutely no grounds for considering homosexual unions to be in any way similar or even remotely analogous to God’s plan for marriage and family.� Jesuit Fr Federico Lombardi, the Vatican spokesman, told re-

porters that the absence of a supermajority indicated a lack of consensus and a need for more discussion, but stressed that none of the document carried doctrinal ZHLJKW 7KH V\QRGÂśV ÂżQDO UHSRUW will serve as an agenda for the 2FWREHU ZRUOG V\QRG RQ WKH family, which will make recommendations to the pope. Pope Francis said he welcomed participants’ expressions of disagreement. “Personally, I would have been very worried and saddened if there hadn’t been these temptations and these animated discussions,â€? the pope said, “if everybody had agreed or remained silent in a false and quietistic peaceâ€?. “So many commentators, or people who talk, imagined they saw the Church quarrelling, one part against the other, even doubting the Holy Spirit, the true promoter and guarantor of unity and harmony in the Church,â€? he said. However, the pope also warned against several temptations that he said had been present during the two-week synod. One which he cited was that of “hostile rigidityâ€? that seeks refuge in the letter of the law, “in the certainty of what we know and not of what we must still learn and achieveâ€?. This temptation, he said, is characteristic of the “zealous, the scrupulous, the attentive and – today – of the so-called traditionalists and also of intellectualsâ€?. Another temptation, the pope said, was that of “destructive dogoodism, which in the name of a misguided mercy binds up wounds ZLWKRXW ÂżUVW WUHDWLQJ DQG PHGLFDWing them; that treats symptoms and not causes and roots. It is the temptation of do-gooders, of the timorous and also of the so-called progressives and liberals.â€? „ CNS „ More synod stories on Pages 12 and 13

Clarity marks 4th year Hopes to expand mental health services „ Page 2

WORLD Terrorism in Middle East It has reached ‘unimaginable proportions’: pope „ Page 8

US nurse who contracted Ebola Parish offers support, prayers „ Page 10

OPINION ‘Liberal’ vs ‘conservative’ Christians The dangers of using such labels „ Page 16

FOREIGN COMMUNITIES Filipino community in Singapore Integrating into the local Church „ Page 19

MASS SCHEDULE FOR ALL SAINTS’ DAY „ Page 17

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Sunday November 2, 2014 „ CatholicNews

Organisation offering mental health care services hopes to expand

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%\ /RUQD 2œ+DUD A possible development for Clarity, an organisation providing mental health services, would be to set up a day care centre for those who have been discharged from the Institute of Mental Health (IMH). Chairman for Clarity, Joseph Tan Peng Chin, shared this with CatholicNews after a special World Mental Health Day Mass and Clarity’s fourth anniversary celebration. The event was held on Oct 10 at the Church of Our Lady Star of the Sea.

“The reality is that IMH is the main hospital dealing with mental health but they don’t have enough beds to cater to all the patients,� said Mr Tan. “Patients who have been discharged may like to still stay in the hospital or go somewhere� where they can be taken care of. Clarity will also set up another centre at Agape Village when it opens in May 2015. Mr Tan said that Clarity welcomes retired counsellors and clinical psychiatrists who would like to be involved in mental

health, to come onboard and help the team. Mr Tan noted that it is hard for Clarity which has 12 staff, to get more volunteers, counsellors and clinical psychologists as they are also in high demand in local hospitals. ³,WœV YHU\ GLI¿FXOW IRU XV WR EH competing for this small pool of professionals,� he said. During his homily, parish priest Fr John Joseph Fenelon, thanked Clarity for its services. +H VDLG WR EHQH¿FLDULHV partners and Clarity staff, that he

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was grateful for the organisation’s work and added that he refers parishioners who might be suffering from mental illnesses to Clarity. After Mass, there was a cake cutting ceremony and some Clarity staff manned booths in the church’s canteen. For four years, Clarity has been working closely with Khoo Teck Puat Hospital, agencies who run homes, as well as with several private universities. Clarity takes in interns who are taking their masters degree in clinical psychology or doctorate under

the graduate programme in clinical psychology from James Cook University, Monash University and the Singapore Institute of Management, said Ms Grace Ang, executive director of Clarity. She added that 500 people KDYH EHQH¿WHG IURP &ODULW\œV VHUvices over the past four years. 7R ¿QG RXW PRUH DERXW &ODULW\œV VHUYLFHV DQG SURJUDPPHV RU WR YROXQWHHU RU LQWHUQ DW &ODULW\ YLVLW WKHLU ZHEVLWH DW ZZZ FODULW\ VLQJD SRUH RUJ RU FDOO „ lorna.ohara@catholic.org.sg

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Sunday November 2, 2014 „ CatholicNews

Mt Alvernia has new medical centre

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By Lorna O’Hara Archbishop William Goh blessed a new medical centre at Mount Alvernia Hospital (MAH) on Oct 20. Medical Centre D, opened that day, is an eight-storey building which will provide “personalised� services for patients, said hospital board chairman, Mr Philip Tan, during an interview with CatholicNews after the blessing. Previously, it used to be a carpark, said Mr Tan. But now, the building is home to 50 medical clinics and an outpatient laboratory. To provide better healthcare services to patients, these clinics, which are run mostly by private doctors, will provide a range of services – cardiology, obstetrics and gynaecology, orthopaedic surgery and sports medicine, among others. Moreover, there will be 35

beds in the new centre next year, said Mr Tan. This is an addition to the current 303 beds the hospital has. During a media conference that day, Mr Tan said that he hopes, “in time to come, we’ll be a 400-bed hospital�. Mr Lee Suen Ming, CEO of MAH, added that the hospital needs to expand its services to cater to a growing ageing population. The centre also has additional carpark space. Before the centre was erected, there were 230 lots. But now, it’s 370, said Ms Joyce See, senior marketing communications manager at MAH. Health Minister Gan Kim Yong, who was guest-of-honour, unveiled the medical centre plaque. The new centre, which was completed in April, costs $35 million, said Mr Tan. „ lorna.ohara@catholic.org.sg

The centre has 50 clinics offering services such as cardiology and orthopaedic surgery.

From left: General councillors of the FMDM Congregational Leadership Team, Srs Helena McEvilly and Monica Weedon, Archbishop William Goh, Health Minister Gan Kim Yong, board chairman of Mount Alvernia Hospital, Mr Philip Tan and hospital CEO Lee Suen Ming.

Archbishop William Goh blessing the new medical centre.

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Sunday November 2, 2014 CatholicNews

CHANCERY NOTICE APPOINTMENTS 1. Ms Stephanie Yap has been appointed a member of the Board of Family Life for a term of two [2] years with effect from 16 October 2014. 2. Mr Kenneth Tan has been reappointed as a member of the Archdiocesan Commission for Catholic Schools for a term of two [2] years with effect from 22 September 2014. 3. Mr Lim Soo Ping has been reappointed as a member of the Archdiocesan Commission for Catholic Schools for a term of two [2] years with effect from 22 September 2014. 4. Dr Esther Chong has been reappointed as a member of the Archdiocesan Commission for Catholic Schools for a term of two [2] years with effect from 22 September 2014. 5. Sr Clara Tan FDCC has been appointed the Spiritual Director for the Mandarin Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults (RCIA) for a term of two [2] years with effect from 26 September 2014. 6. Fr Thomas Sukotriraharjo SSCC has been appointed as assistant priest at Church of the Blessed Sacrament upon presentation by the Major

Superior of the Congregation of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary (SS.CC.) [can. 146 – 148] for a term of two [2] years with effect from 26 September 2014. 7. The Archdiocesan Strategic Planning of Resources – Finance (ASPR – Finance) has been established with the following members appointed for a term of two [2] years with effect from 29th September 2014: a. Mgr Philip Heng SJ b. Mr Lim Boon Heng – Chairman c. Mr Peter Seah – ViceChairman d. Deacon Clement Chen e. Mr Augustine Tan f. Mr Barry Desker g. Mr Edmund Tie h. Mr Ernest Wong i. Mr Frank Wong j. Mr Jose Isidro Camacho k. Mr Lee Suan Hiang l. Mr Michael Khoo m. Mr Ng Kee Choe n. Mr Tony Choy o. Ms Jennifer Yeo p. Ms Magdalene Lee q. Ms Nancy Tey

OBITUARY 17 October 2014

8. The following have been re-appointed to serve on the Board of Caritas Singapore for a term of two [2] years beginning from 1st January 2015 – 31st December 2016. a. Mr Anthony Soo b. Mr Benedict Cheong c. Ms Irene Chan d. Ms Jane Foo e. Ms Janet Ang f. Prof. Tan Cheng Han g. Sr Maria Lau 9. The following have been appointed to serve on the Board of Caritas Singapore for a term of two [2] years beginning from 1st January 2015 – 31st December 2016. a. Mr Jeremy Khoo b. Mr Joachim Toh c. Ms Patricia Lim d. Ms Sabina Soh e. Ms Teo Jin Lee OTHER MATTERS Sr Sandra Seow FMVD has received an “Imprimatur” from Archbishop William Goh DD for the publication of “Prayer for Living – The Word of God for Daily Prayer. Year B.”

Fr John-Paul Tan, OFM, JCL, Chancellor, Chancery of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Singapore #07-01 Catholic Centre, 55 Waterloo Street, Singapore 187954 Email: chancery@catholic.org.sg

Late Canossian nun known for love of poor Canossian Sr Virginia Crimella, who turned 98 on Sept 2, was called home peacefully to the Lord on Oct 8 at 10.55 pm in St Joseph’s Home at Mandai Estate. Sr Virginia, who felt the call to follow Jesus as a missionary, entered the Canossian Convent as a postulant in Vimercate, Italy, at the age of 19 and was sent as a novice to Hong Kong in 1939. After her First Profession, she was posted to Hankow, China, in 1943, where she served as a kindergarten teacher until 1949 when the communists took over China and she was sent to Singapore. During her years of ministry in Singapore, Sr Virginia touched the lives of many as a teacher at St Anthony’s Convent in Middle Road as well as director of the sewing centre in Canossa Convent. She taught catechism to the primary school children and even to the boys of St Anthony’s Boys’ school. She was also in charge of the sacristy of St Joseph’s Church (Victoria Street). When St Anthony’s Convent moved to Bedok North, she was a joyful pastoral presence in the school and continued to visit the sick in their homes and in the hospital. Sr Virginia had a heart of gold and was much loved by many teachers and ex-pupils whom she nurtured with love and care. Many remember her because of her love for the poor. Assisted by some teachers and students,

Sr Virginia Crimella died at the age of 98.

she would spend many hours preparing and distributing food parcels and clothing for the poor who used to come on Saturdays to collect their monthly supplies. From 1956-1975, Sr Virginia was in Segamat Convent, Malaysia, as superior of the new community. In 2004, she was transferred to St Joseph’s Canossian Convent where, in her retirement years, she would still walk around to talk to the residents of St Joseph’s Home. With her broad smile and words of encouragement, she inspired and communicated God’s love to all who came into contact with her.

Sunday November 2, 2014 CatholicNews

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Priests join Dan Schutte in concert The ‘A Time Will Come for Singing’ concert was inspiring and surprising in various ways, says Lorna O’Hara Songs by American Christian mu- musical accompaniment ceased sic composer Dan Schutte such as and one could almost hear a pin Table of Plenty and Here I Am, drop before the priests resumed Lord have become familiar fa- singing a cappella. Their voices vourites among worshippers. reverberated through the church These hymns, together with and loud applause followed. many others, were sung on Oct For the next piece, Lord To 17 as part of CANA The Catho- Whom Shall We Go, Friar Derlic Centre’s initiative to get “laity rick drew laughter from the crowd to hear the Word of God through when he revealed that he got quite music”, said an organiser. emotional, or “emo” while pracBut the “A Time Will Come tising for the concert. for Singing” concert, held at the He noted that as people often Church of Divine Mercy, was no get caught up in the “whirlwind” ordinary event as Schutte sang with of work and activities, it is always Jesuit Fr Mark Aloysius, Carmelite important to “turn to the Lord, the Fr Edward Lim, and Franciscan Divine Mercy” for strength. Friar Derrick Yap. Members of the Two of the 15 audience said they In between the found the concert songs sung that night upwere composed by Fr evening’s pieces, lifting. Mark – Sensus Christi “I’ve always been the singers and Lord To Whom singing his [Schutte’s] explained Shall We Go – the lathymns so it’s really ter composed together very moving to wittheir song with Filipino Jesuit Fr him singing,” selections and ness Manoling Francisco. said Ms Penny Zhang, In between the the inspirations 31, a choir member of evening’s pieces – the Church of St Franbehind the centred around themes cis of Assisi. compositions. such as joy, trust, unMr Nicholas Tan, certainty and darkness 73, from the Church – the four singers explained their of the Risen Christ, said he “found song selections, and for Schutte the songs really beautiful” as most and Fr Mark, their inspirations be- RI WKH UHÀHFWLRQV VKDUHG E\ WKH hind their compositions. singers “could be applied in dayFr Edward shared that he had to-day life”. been afraid of the dark since childAccording to Ms Janet Lim hood. But “in darkness, there’s a of CANA, close to 1,000 people sense of renewal” as “God is there” snapped up tickets for the Oct 17 through times of hardship, he said. concert, and a similar number also He then sang Holy Darkness, bought tickets for the concert by a powerful piece composed by the same performers the followSchutte. During that performance, ing night, held at the Church of St Schutte closed his eyes as he sat, Mary of the Angels. seemingly in prayer. The Oct 18 concert had a simiThe other two priests, accom- lar line-up with some differences panied by a saxophonist, then in song selections. joined in the singing. In the last part of the song, all lorna.ohara@catholic.org.sg

From left: Jesuit Fr Mark Aloysius, Dan Schutte, Franciscan Friar Derrick Yap and Carmelite Fr Edward Lim performing at the Church of Divine Mercy on Oct 17. Photo: GERARD GOH

6 ASIA

Sunday November 2, 2014 „ CatholicNews

Indonesian Church looks at ways to ‘safeguard’ marriages JAKARTA – Catholic priests and

leaders from 13 Indonesian dioceses met to discuss marriage, divorce, and the future of the family during the same time as the recent Synod of Bishops in Rome. The three-day gathering was held in early October in the Archdiocese of Makassar, the capital of South Sulawesi Province, with the participation of representatives from the dioceses of Amboina, Atambua, Denpasar, Ende, Jayapura, Larantuka, Makassar, Manado, Maumere, Merauke, Ruteng, Weetebula and Samarinda. The conference, promoted by the local archbishop, Msgr John Liku Ada, was meant as a way to meet the growing challenges Indonesian families face, not only divorce, but also all the issues related to “safeguardingâ€? the Catholic marriage. Such challenges and threats, at least in the Asian country, tend WR EHFRPH PDQLIHVW LQ WKH ÂżUVW ÂżYH \HDUV RI PDUULDJH Fr Albertus Sujoko, from the Major Seminary of Pineleng in North Sulawesi, stressed that HFRQRPLF GLIÂżFXOWLHV DQG UHOXFtance to share one’s life are some of the challenges couples have to face and solve. So far, the priest said, parishes have not provided “the necessary educationâ€? to help couples

prepare for their wedding or assist already married couples cope with the challenges of marriage. During the discussions, Indonesian priests suggested some concrete proposals to minimise the risk of divorce or marital breakup. They want more in-depth and advanced preparation for young people who want to marry so that they can understand the

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Philippine general orders prayers for pope’s safety MANILA – The head of the Armed

Forces of the Philippines (AFP) ordered all military chaplains to dedicate their daily rosary for the safe visit of Pope Francis to their country in January. General Gregorio Catapang Jr gave the directive during an Oct 13 Mass at the military headquarters cathedral to commemorate the 97th anniversary of the date RI WKH ÂżUVW 0DULDQ DSSDULWLRQ LQ Fatima, Portugal. In a statement, the military said his message also asked all Catholic service members to also pray a rosary daily for the pope’s safety when he visits the Philippines between Jan 15-19. )U %HUQDUGR 2GÂżQD D OLHXtenant colonel and acting armed forces chief chaplain, said: “We are very much concerned for the successful visit of the Holy Father, Pope Francis here in the Philippines “As father of the AFP, General Catapang is responsible for leading the whole armed forces in supporting the government’s efforts to ensure the safe and peaceful visit of the holy pope.â€? In September, reports sur-

faced that the Islamic State group announced it was targeting the pope, possibly during his travels. In early October, the general VDLG PLOLWDU\ LQWHOOLJHQFH RI¿FLDOV did not have information regarding any terror threat here to Pope Francis, but a Manila-based security analyst said the government should take the Islamic State ¿JKWHUVœ WKUHDW ³YHU\ YHU\ VHULously�. In his message during the Mass, General Catapang also enjoined the military to include in their daily prayers kidnap victims they believe are being held by Abu Sayyaf, a Muslims separatist group in southern Philippines. The military says the group is holding several foreign nationals, including Europeans and Asians. Abu Sayyaf was a Muslim rebel splinter group that started in the early 1990s with money from Al-Qaeda, but after funding dried up in the early 21st century, the rebels resorted to kidnappings for ransom and became notorious for beheadings and bombings. „ CNS

The Holy Family depicted in a painting titled ‘The Presentation in the Temple’ by Canadian Catholic artist Michael D O’Brien. &16 ÂżOH SKRWR

Holy Family the model for all families, Thai couples learn BANGKOK, THAILAND – Young

Catholic married couples in Thailand recently met at a workshop which emphasised the role of the Holy Family as their guide. The seminar was held to help them identify the roles and responsibilities given to them through their participation in the Sacrament of Marriage. “The seminar engaged the couples in exploring the sanctity of marriage, the art of communication, and enhancing their relationship, keeping the Holy Family of Nazareth as the centre of their love,� Fr Ignazio Adisak Somsangsuang, parish priest of St Peter Church in Sam Phran, told Catholic News Agency on Oct 8. “Families are the fundamental cells of union, and of hope of a future,� Fr Somsangsuang continued. “Keeping the Holy Family

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’

– Fr Ignazio Adisak Somsangsuang of St Peter Church, Sam Phran

of Nazareth in mind, they can be fruitful and will contribute to their personal development, and the social development of our society and country.â€? Fr Somsangsuang noted that the Synod on the Family that was held in Rome discussed pastoral challenges to the family throughout the world. “But in our own parish conWH[W ´ KH UHĂ€HFWHG ÂłZH KDYH WKH responsibility to help them understand, to prepare families, to ignite their vocation and faith, for

the building-up of our Church and society.� The couples who attended the workshop prayed for the Synod on the Family, asking God that it would be a successful gathering of the world’s bishops. Fr Somsangsuang remarked that “family relationships are becoming more fragile� in Thailand, noting the isolation brought on by such factors as work stress and the often impersonal nature of social media. “We need to revive family bonds, interpersonal communications, and their relationship as couples, and with their children and society,� said Fr Somsangsuang. Christian families in Thailand face particular challenges, as they form fewer than one percent of the population. Mixed marriages and adult catechumens are also common. „ CNA

Papuan bishops launch new pastoral plan &16 ÂżOH SKRWR

GOROKA, PAPUA NEW GUINEA – Bishops of Papua New Guinea

and Solomon Islands revealed a roadmap for pastoral planning during a recent Mass, that would guide the transformation of their societies. “The new evangelisation is at the core of the pastoral plan, along with the pastoral care of the family, the poor, the youth, street kids, as well as the media and a wide range of social concerns,� Fr Giorgio Licini, head of social communications for the bishops’ conference, told Catholic News Agency. Archbishop Michael Banach, apostolic nuncio to Papua New Guinea and to Solomon Islands, unveiled the pastoral plan in a homily at a Sept 28 Mass in Mary, Help of Christians parish in Goroka, Papua New Guinea. The pastoral plan’s priorities are adapted to the unique challenges facing the population of

Archbishop Michael W Banach, apostolic nuncio to Papua New Guinea and Solomon Islands unveiled the new pastoral plan.

the two island nations located in Melanesia. Many indigenous Papua New

Guineans still believe in sorcery, and retain such practices as contraception, abortion and polygamy. The pastoral plan is meant to underline the importance and the role of the Gospel in transforming Papua New Guinean society. Fr Licini stated that “it is the ÂżUVW WLPH WKDW 3DSXD 1HZ *XLQHD and Solomon Islands have worked out a common pastoral plan.â€? Bishop Arnold Orowae of Wabag who presented the pastoral plan, noted that “the world and the Church are in the midst of a deep and ongoing crisis such as we have never experienced before.â€? Bishop Orowae referred to uncertainty and unemployment facing youth; family breakdowns; and the rise of corruption and violence as some challenges that the people of Papua New Guinea face. He also noted that there is “an identity crisis in the priesthood and Religious lifeâ€?. „ CNA

ASIA 7

Sunday November 2, 2014 CatholicNews

Malala’s Nobel Peace Prize sparks pride in Pakistani bishop VATICAN CITY – The an-

nouncement of 17-yearold Malala Yousafzai’s reception of the Nobel Peace Prize came as a “wonderful surprise” to Archbishop Joseph Coutts of Karachi, Pakistan. “The fact that a young girl like this,” he told Catholic News Agency, “a teenager, [who] has won the prize, such a prestigious international award, is a source of great pride for us, and for the country as a whole. A great honour.” He added that because the international community often associates Pakistan with terrorism, the award “just shows that there’s the other side to the country as well, that there are people like this little girl Malala who stands up to a lot of negative things that are happening”. Malala, who was the youngest recipient of the award, gained global attention when she was shot in the head by Taliban activists in 2012. She was shot at 14, as a punishment for her public campaign for the rights of girls to be educated. 6SHDNLQJ DERXW WKH VLJQL¿cance of Malala’s sharing of the Nobel Peace Prize with Indian activist, Mr Kailash Satyarthi,

Malala Yousafzai, 17, won the Nobel Peace Price on Oct 10.

A teenager [who] ‘has won the prize, is a source of great pride for us, and for the country as a whole.

’

– Archbishop Joseph Coutts of Karachi, Pakistan

Archbishop Coutts said: “I think the connection there is: here is this child in Pakistan ... who

stands up so bravely for the education of women, who was being threatened by a certain extremist group called the Taliban. “Then the other side ... is a senior person, a man who has been also working to save children.” Child labour and abuse are issues common to both India and Pakistan, he added. “Both of [the recipients], in their own way, have been working to protect children and to work for the development of children,” he said. Malala told the press on Oct 10 after she received the award that children “have the right to receive quality education. They have the right not to suffer from child labour, not to suffer from child trafficking. They have the right to live a happy life.” “Through my story, I want to tell other children all around the world that they should stand up for their rights, that they should not wait for someone else, and their voices are more powerful,” she said. “This award is for all those children who are voiceless, whose voices need to be heard,” she added. CNA/EWTN NEWS

8 WORLD

Sunday November 2, 2014 „ CatholicNews

Terrorism in Middle East has reached ‘unimaginable proportions’ VATICAN CITY – The Middle East,

especially Iraq and Syria, are exSHULHQFLQJ ÂłWHUURULVP RI SUHYLously unimaginable proportionsâ€? in ZKLFK WKH SHUSHWUDWRUV VHHP WR KDYH DEVROXWHO\ QR UHJDUG IRU WKH YDOXH RI KXPDQ OLIH 3RSH )UDQFLV VDLG “It seems that the awareness of WKH YDOXH RI KXPDQ OLIH KDV EHHQ lost; it seems that the person does QRW FRXQW DQG FDQ EH VDFULÂżFHG WR RWKHU LQWHUHVWV $QG DOO RI WKLV XQfortunately, with the indifference of many,â€? he said during a special PHHWLQJ ZLWK ZLWK VHYHQ SDWULDUFKV IURP WKH 0LGGOH (DVW RQ 2FW DW WKH 9DWLFDQ The pope met with cardinals to discuss the current situation in the 0LGGOH (DVW Pope Francis announced durLQJ WKH 2FW V\QRG WKDW KH would include a discussion on the 0LGGOH (DVW DW WKH 2FW FRQVLVtory in order to let the region’s VHYHQ SDWULDUFKV ZKR ZHUH WDNLQJ part in the synod, also attend the SURFHHGLQJV Pope Francis told those gathered that in the wake of the closing of the extraordinary synod that

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We want to offer the Christian ‘ communities the most help possible to support their presence in the region.’

– Pope Francis

Above: People gather at the site of an Oct 2 car bomb attack that killed 11 people in Baghdad. Pope Francis met patriarchs from the Middle East to discuss the situation there. Right: Pope Francis talks with a cardinal in the Synod Hall at the Vatican on Oct 20. CNS photos

port because the Holy See also has LWV UROH LWV LPSRUWDQW LQĂ€XHQFH RQ DQ LQWHUQDWLRQDO OHYHO´ KH WROG 9DWLFDQ 5DGLR RQ 2FW Speaking about the role of the United Nations (UN), Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Vatican’s secUHWDU\ RI VWDWH WROG WKH 2FW DVsembly, that the UN must act “to SUHYHQW SRVVLEOH DQG QHZ JHQRcides and to help the numerous UHIXJHHV´ In his talk, which was a sumPDU\ RI WKH 2FW PHHWLQJ ZLWK

Christians, Hindus must seek ‘culture of inclusion’ VATICAN CITY – Despite its many

SRVLWLYH DGYDQFHPHQWV JOREDOLsation also has brought about greater indifference, exploitation and suffering, said the leaders of WKH 3RQWLÂżFDO &RXQFLO IRU ,QWHUUHOLJLRXV 'LDORJXH Christians and Hindus must work together urgently to help foster of “culture of inclusion for a just and peaceful societyâ€?, they said in a written message released E\ WKH 9DWLFDQ RQ 2FW Cardinal Jean-Louis Tauran and Fr Miguel Ayuso Guixot, respecWLYHO\ WKH SUHVLGHQW DQG VHFUHWDU\ RI the council Cardinal extended their EHVW ZLVKHV WR WKH ZRUOGÂśV ELOlion Hindus for the feast of Diwali RU 'HHSDYDOL Their message, said “in the face RI LQFUHDVLQJ GLVFULPLQDWLRQ YLRlence and exclusion throughout the world, ‘nurturing a culture of inclusion’ can be rightly seen as one of the most genuine aspirations of peoSOH HYHU\ZKHUH ´ The message also touched on FKDOOHQJHV IURP JOREDOLVDWLRQ

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Women pray inside a Hindu temple in North India during Diwali.

“Globalisation has contributed VLJQLÂżFDQWO\ WR PDQ\ SHRSOHV ORVing their socio-cultural, economic DQG SROLWLFDO LGHQWLWLHV ´ LW VDLG $SDUW IURP WKH DERYHPHQtioned, other challenges that different parts of the world face is

“religious fundamentalism and HWKQLF WULEDO DQG VHFWDULDQ YLROHQFH´ LW VDLG Particularly for “poor and the marginalisedâ€?, they face excluVLRQ IURP WKH EHQHÂżWV RI JOREDOLsation, resulting in discontent and XQFHUWDLQW\ “Widespread materialism and FRQVXPHULVP PRUHRYHU KDYH PDGH people more self-absorbed, powerhungry and indifferent to the rights, needs and sufferings of others,â€? leading to what Pope Francis has called a “globalisation of indifference,â€? which makes people numb WR WKH VXIIHULQJ RI RWKHUV LW VDLG The interreligious council called on Hindus and Christians to work together to create “a culture RI LQFOXVLRQ´ This shared and urgent responsibility falls to those “who FDUH IRU WKH KHDOWK DQG VXUYLYDO RI the human family here on earth and which needs to be carried out amidst, and in spite of, the forces that perpetuate the culture of exFOXVLRQ´ „ CNS

9DWLFDQ GLSORPDWV DQG RIÂżFLDOV the cardinal said that the most urgent step is for all sides in the Middle East “to lay down their DUPV DQG WDON´ 0XVOLP OHDGHUV KDYH D UHVSRQ-

sibility to denounce the religious claims of the Islamic State and “to condemn the killing of others for UHOLJLRXV UHDVRQV DQG HYHU\ NLQG of discrimination�, Cardinal ParoOLQ VDLG „ CNS

Pakistani Catholic leaders to appeal death penalty for Bibi BANGALORE, INDIA – Catholic A statement from the Cecil leaders in Pakistan will appeal to & Iris Chaudhry Foundation, a their country’s Supreme Court af- Catholic group named after a critter a lower court upheld the death ic of Pakistan’s blasphemy law, penalty for a blasphemy ruling expressed disappointment in the against a Christian UXOLQJ PRWKHU RI ÂżYH FKLOGUHQ “Bibi has wrongly “Like it or not, EHHQ FRQYLFWHG RI ZH KDYH WR DFFHSW WKH EODVSKHP\ :H UHPDLQ court order,â€? Fr Emoptimistic that the rule manuel Yousaf Mani, RI ODZ ZLOO SUHYDLO DQG director of the Najustice will be done tional [Catholic] Com[when the appeal is mission for Justice and heard in the Supreme Peace, told Catholic &RXUW@ )RU QRZ WKDW 1HZV 6HUYLFH RQ 2FW is our only hope,â€? IURP KLV RIÂżFH LQ said the statement by /DKRUH 3DNLVWDQ WKH &DWKROLF DGYRFDF\ Four days earlier, JURXS the Lahore High Court Ms Bibi was acupheld the death sencused of blasphemy tence handed to Ms after an argument with $VLD %LEL LQ Pakistani Christian, her Muslim neighbour “The only option Ms Asia Bibi, is seen RYHU D GULQNLQJ JODVV before us now is to ap- in an undated photo. LQ WKH IUXLW ÂżHOG ZKHUH SHDO DJDLQVW WKH YHUGLFW WKH\ ZRUNHG WRJHWKHU :H KDYH DSSOLHG IRU D FHUWLÂżHG 6KH ZDV WKH ÂżUVW &KULVWLDQ ZRPDQ FRS\ RI WKH YHUGLFW :H ZLOO DSSHDO FRQYLFWHG XQGHU WKH EODVSKHP\ ODZ against it in the Supreme Court,â€? WKDW SURYLGHV IRU PDQGDWRU\ GHDWK Fr Mani said, adding Christians VHQWHQFH HYHQ IRU XQLQWHQWLRQDO ZHUH SUD\LQJ IRU DQ DFTXLWWDO DFWV RU ZRUGV RI EODVSKHP\ „ CNS

WORLD 9

Sunday November 2, 2014 „ CatholicNews

&KXUFK DLGV LQGLJHQRXV LQ ODQG ÀJKW SANTA VICTORIA ESTE, ARGENTINA – As the global economy

SXVKHV JLDQW VR\EHDQ ÂżHOGV DQG petroleum operations farther into previously untouched regions of South America, Church activists in Argentina are standing alongside indigenous communities seeking to defend their land and culture from the destruction that such development has often entailed. “The buzzards are circling, wanting to seize the land from those to whom it belongs,â€? said Consolata Fr Jose Auletta, who coordinates indigenous ministries for the Diocese of Nueva Oran in northern Argentina. “The buzzards are arriving with their agricultural projects, and they’re taking over thousands of hectares of indigenous land. They have a piece of paper granting them title, so they say they can do what they want. They’re doing away with the forest in the last part of Argentina that still has forest. They’re destroying the lungs of Argentina’s North,â€? he told Catholic News Service (CNS). With growing international focus on deforestation in the Amazon basin to the north, foreign corporations seeking land to feed China’s hunger for soybeans have come to the Chaco, a semi-arid forest that stretches across portions of Bolivia, Paraguay and Argentina. Fr Auletta said anyone

Ms Griselda Arias stands outside her home in an indigenous neighbourhood of Embarcacion, Argentina. She is a leader of the Wichi people, who have been aided by the Catholic Church to recover land that has been stolen from them by cattle ranchers and large agricultural plantations. CNS photo

who stands up to the intruders is labelled a subversive. “A poor person who stands up for their land and their rights, instead of being protected by the law, is criminalised, is declared guilty without a legal process. 7KRVH ZKR VWDQG XS ZLWK ÂżUPQHVV

for their rights are considered ‘invaders’, but they are only invaders of their own land,� said Fr Auletta, an Italian who has lived in Argentina for 37 years. Mr Oscar Villalba is a Mocovi indigenous activist in El Tabacal, where Church activists have stood

‘Insurgents destroyed Kidnapped priest 186 Nigerian churches’ released in Syria LAGOS, NIGERIA – Nearly 200 churches in Maidu-

guri Diocese in northeastern Nigeria have been destroyed or razed by Boko Haram insurgents since $XJXVW D GLRFHVDQ RIÂżFLDO VDLG Fr Gideo Obasogie, director of social communications in the diocese, said in a statement released on Oct 6 that violence has affected 186 churches in 14 parishes in Borno, Yobe and Adamawa states. Some parishes lost as many as 25 churches and worship sites, he said. “As a Church, we are really going through a severe moment of persecution. Our ecclesiastical circumscription is facing a sharp disintegration,â€? the priest said. The diocese attributed the violence to Boko Haram, an Islamist militant group with a somewhat XQGHÂżQHG OHDGHUVKLS DQG VWUXFWXUH 7KH RUJDQLVDWLRQ LV LQ WKH ÂżIWK \HDU RI D YLROHQW FDPSDLJQ WKDW KDV LQcluded bombings, attacks on churches, assassinations and abductions in an effort to overthrow the Nigerian government and create an Islamist state. The recent raids also have displaced local govHUQPHQW RIÂżFLDOV WKURZLQJ WKH UHJLRQ LQWR FKDRV as the insurgents have taken over government buildings. The violence has forced thousands of Catholics to Ă€HH WKH UHJLRQ DQG KDV GHOD\HG WKH VWDUW RI WKH VFKRRO year, Fr Obasogie said. “Our children have not yet been fed well or clothed; so resumption to school is practically out of our calculation,â€? his statement said. “In our opinion, if thousands of Nigerian children can’t go to school ... then their future is at stake, quite bleak. The health condition of our people is truly troubling in their displaced camps,â€? he said. The statement offered no solution to the crisis, but said that the problems posed by the insurgent movement must begin to be addressed globally. „ CNS

ROME – Captors have released a Franciscan priest who was among about 20 Christians kidnapped from a Syrian village near the border with Turkey, said the Franciscan Custody of the Holy Land. Franciscan Fr Hanna Jallouf was reported to be staying in a convent in Knayeh, a small Christian village in northwestern Syria after his release, an Oct 9 statement from the Franciscan organisation said. It gave no details.There was no immediate word on the others who were abducted the night and early morning of Oct 5-6. Bishop Georges Abou Khazen, who heads the apostolic vicariate of Aleppo, Syria, told Fides, the news agency of the Vatican Congregation for the Evangeliation of Peoples, that among those kidnapped were boys and girls. Brigades linked to the Al-Nusra front, a branch of Al-Qaeda operating in Syria, are believed to be behind the abductions, the Church agency said. A statement from the Latin Patriarchate said there had been no contact with the priest or his captors and that Franciscan nuns who were in a convent in the village took refuge in neighbouring homes. Fr Jallouf was one of two priests living in the village of 700 Catholic families. Franciscan priests have been present in the village and the surrounding valley of Orontes for more than a century, the Latin Patriarchate said. Before Syria’s civil war began in 2011, the Franciscan community operated a youth centre, kindergarten and health clinic in the village. 7KH NLGQDSSLQJV FRPH DV ¿JKWLQJ EHWZHHQ UHEHO forces and the Syrian army increased in northern sections of the country in early October. The Franciscan Sisters of the Immaculate Heart of Mary in Rome said Franciscan Sr Patrizia GuaULQR ZDV DPRQJ WKRVH ZKR ÀHG WKH FRQYHQW DQG was staying with a family in Knayeh, according to the ANSA news agency on Oct 7. „ CNS

with native communities that have struggled for land for decades. He has been arrested several times for occupying land to which others claim legal title. “We’re not asking the government to give us land, we’re asking

for the return of our own land, the land which belonged to our grandparents but which the government stole from them,� he told CNS. Ever since Argentina emerged from dictatorship in the 1980s, the Catholic Church has pushed hard for a variety of legal measures to guarantee indigenous land rights. Fr Auletta said accompanying the indigenous in their struggles is a slow process but can lead to change. He points to the recent resolution of a huge land dispute in Santa Victoria Este, where GHFDGHV RI FRQÀLFW EHWZHHQ LQdigenous communities and lighter-skinned cattle ranchers often turned violent. Known locally as criollos, the ranchers were pushed to the region by a central government wanting to better populate its border region with Paraguay and Bolivia. They often displaced Wichi, Toba, Tapiete, Chulupi and Chorote indigenous families, many of whom are traditional hunter-gatherers. 7KH FRQÀLFW WRRN D WXUQ IRU WKH better in June when the provincial government agreed to a deal granting the indigenous people title to 400,000 hectares of land. The criollos will get 243,000 hectares. The deal was brokered with accompaniment from Church organisations. „ CNS

10 WORLD

Sunday November 2, 2014 „ CatholicNews

US nurse with Ebola gets parish support DALLAS – 'XULQJ DQ 2FW 0DVV

Members of a hazardous material team prepare to enter the apartment on Oct 13 of nurse Nina Pham who was infected with the Ebola virus at Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital in Dallas. CNS photo

at Our Lady of Fatima Parish in Fort Worth, the pastor, Fr Jim Khoi asked for prayers for Ms 1LQD 3KDP D 'DOODV QXUVH ZKR grew up in the parish and is now in WKH QHZV DV WKH ÂżUVW SHUVRQ NQRZQ to have contracted the Ebola virus in the United States. “She’s very comfortable. She’s very supported now. She knows that everybody knew to pray for her, especially in this difÂżFXOW WLPH ´ WKH SULHVW WROG 7KH 'DOODV 0RUQLQJ 1HZV GDLO\ SDSHU The priest has been updated on the condition of the 26-year-old nurse at Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital by her mother. The Phams have been longtime parishioners at the Vietnamese parish in Fort Worth. “Her mom is very calm and trusts everything to God’s hands,â€? WKH SULHVW WROG WKH 'DOODV QHZVSDper. He also said he has faith that Ms Pham will recover. “Soon Ebola will be something that is treated real well,â€? he

said. “I’m very optimistic.� Ms Pham, who is currently in isolation at Texas Health Presbyterian, has been conversing with her family members by Skype. She received a blood transfusion on Oct 12 from Ebola surYLYRU 'U .HQW %UDQWO\ ZKR KDG been working with Ebola patients in Liberia when he contracted the virus in the summer. He recovered in an Atlanta hospital. Ms Pham is a 2006 graduate of Nolan Catholic High School in Fort Worth. When the school community found out she contracted Ebola, it organised a rosary service at the school’s chapel. Our Lady of Fatima parishioners have praised Ms Pham for her outgoing and kind personality. Mr Phong Tran, a neighbour of WKH 3KDPV WROG 7KH 'DOODV 0RUQing News that he wasn’t surprised that Ms Pham went into nursing because she has “a big heart and loves to help people�. “I just pray to God that everything is all right,� he said. „ CNS

Bishop calls for peace amidst new Ferguson protests

Protesters square off against police in riot gear during a rally for Michael Brown outside the police department in Ferguson, Missouri on Oct 11. CNS photo

ST LOUIS, MISSOURI, USA –

Archbishop Robert J Carlson of St Louis, Missouri, urged protesters to turn away from violence as a new round of protests began over the shooting death of African-American teenager Michael Brown this past summer in the small town of Ferguson. The protests were to take place not only in Ferguson, where Brown was fatally shot by a white )HUJXVRQ SROLFH RIÂżFHU 'DUUHQ Wilson, but also in St Louis under the banner “Ferguson October.â€? “The sin of racism in our cities and our nation must be dealt with, but never with violence,â€? Archbishop Carlson said in an Oct 10 message titled “A Call for Peace in Our Community.â€? “There are small but vocal groups currently threatening violence. I urge anyone who feels the GHVLUH WR YLROHQWO\ ODVK RXW WR ÂżUVW

pause and consider the potential consequences of their actions,â€? Archbishop Carlson said. A St Louis County grand jury has been looking into the Brown shooting to determine if any chargHV VKRXOG EH ÂżOHG DJDLQVW RIÂżFHU Wilson. The 18-year-old was unarmed, but police say Brown strugJOHG ZLWK WKH RIÂżFHU EHIRUH KH ÂżUHG The shooting in August gave rise to weeks of protests, violence in the streets, and looting and vandalism of Ferguson businesses. Activists threaten more such action if the RIÂżFHU LV QRW EURXJKW XS RQ FKDUJHV In his statement issued before the weekend of protests, Archbishop Carlson quoted Rev Martin Luther King Jr., who said, “Returning violence for violence multiplies violence, adding deeper darkness to a night already devoid of stars. ... Hate cannot drive out hate: only love can do that.â€? „ CNS

WORLD 11

Sunday November 2, 2014 „ CatholicNews

%HDWLĂ€HG 3DXO 9, ‘great helmsman’ of 9DWLFDQ &RXQFLO ,, VATICAN CITY – Beatifying Pope Paul VI at the concluding Mass of the Synod of Bishops on the family, Pope Francis praised the late pope as the “great helmsmanâ€? of the Second Vatican Council and founder of the synod, as well as a “humble and prophetic witness of love for Christ and His Churchâ€?. The pope spoke during a homily in St Peter’s Square at a Mass for more than 30,000 people on Oct 19. “When we look to this great pope, this courageous Christian, this tireless apostle, we cannot but say in the sight of God a word as simple as it is heartfelt and important: thanks,â€? the pope said, drawing applause from the congregation, which included retired Pope Benedict, whom Blessed Paul made a cardinal in 1977. “Facing the advent of a secularised and hostile society, [Blessed Paul] could hold fast, with farsightedness and wisdom – and at times alone – to the helm of the barque of Peter,â€? Pope Francis said, in a possible allusion to Humanae Vitae, the late pope’s 1968 HQF\FOLFDO ZKLFK DIÂżUPHG &DWKRlic teaching against contraception amid widespread dissent. The pope pronounced the rite RI EHDWLÂżFDWLRQ DW WKH VWDUW RI WKH Mass. Then Sr Giacomina Pedrini, a member of the Sisters of Holy Child Mary, carried up a relic: a bloodstained vest Blessed Paul wore during a 1970 assassination attempt in the Philippines. Sr Pedrini is the last surviving nun who attended to Blessed Paul. In his homily, Pope Francis did not explicitly mention Humanae Vitae, the achievement for which Blessed Paul is best known today. Instead, the pope highlighted his predecessor’s work presiding over most of Vatican II and establishing the synod. The pope quoted Blessed Paul’s statement that he intended the synod to survey the “signs of the timesâ€? in order to adapt to the

%HDWLÂżFDWLRQ 0DVV RI 3RSH 3DXO 9, LQ 6W 3HWHUÂśV 6TXDUH CNS photos

‘Reassess aid policies, food production framework’ VATICAN CITY – Providing food wasted, products destroyed and aid to people in need is not enough price speculation in the name of to eradicate world hunger, said WKH JRG RI SURÂżW´ Pope Francis. Policymakers need to rememAn overhaul of the entire ber to look beyond the statistics framework of aid policies and food and remember that those who sufproduction is needed so that coun- fer “are people not numbersâ€?. tries can be in charge of their own “To eradicate hunger, it’s not agricultural markets, he stressed. enough to overcome the food gaps “The time has come to start of those who are less fortunate or thinking and deciding based on to assist those who live in emereach person and gency situations community and with help and aid,â€? not from market he said. trends.â€? “Rather, it The pope made is necessary to his comments in a change the paramessage marking digm of aid and the Oct 16 celebradevelopment polition of World Food cies, modify inDay, a commemo- Vegetables on sale. The pope ternational regularation sponsored has lamented that people tions concerning by the UN Food are going hungry in a world agricultural proand Agriculture where much food is wasted. duction and comOrganisation to merce – guaranKLJKOLJKW WKH JOREDO ÂżJKW DJDLQVW teeing countries where agriculture hunger and the need to help farm- represents the foundation of their ers and farm workers. economy and their survival the The theme of the 2014 celebra- self-determination of their own tion was Family Farming: Feeding agricultural markets.â€? the World, Caring for the Earth. 7R SXW SHRSOH DQG QRW SURÂżWV In his written message, Pope SROLFLHV DQG PDUNHWV ÂżUVW KH VDLG Francis said it is “one of the most there also needs to be a change in tragic paradoxes of our timeâ€? that understanding what economic acthere can be so many people go- tivities and goals, food production ing hungry in a world where there and environmental protection are is an “enormous quantity of food really about. „ CNS

Polish priest kidnapped

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“growing needs of our time and the changing conditions of society�. Looking back on the two-week family synod, Pope Francis called it a “great experience�, whose members had “felt the power of the Holy Spirit who constantly guides and renews the Church�. The pope said the synod dem-

onstrated that “Christians look to the future, God’s future ... and respond courageously to whatever new challenges come our way�. “God is not afraid of new things,� the pope said. “That is why he is continually surprising us, opening our hearts and guiding us in unexpected ways.� „ CNS

WARSAW – Poland’s Catholic Church has urged “constant prayersâ€? for one of its missionary priests after he was kidnapped in the Central African Republic. “We still await news of his fate,â€? Ms Lidia Rutkowska of Tarnow GLRFHVHÂśV PLVVLRQ RIÂżFH WROG &DWKRlic News Service on Oct 17. “In the meantime, we’ve called on all Catholics to be united in prayer for him, and to join solidarity marches after Mass on this Mission Sunday.â€? Bishop Andrzej Jez of Tarnow issued the appeal after the Oct 13 overnight abduction of Fr Mateusz Dziedzic, a 38-year-old ministering at a Catholic mission in Baboua. The Polish vicar general of the Central African Republic’s Bouar Diocese, Fr Miroslaw Gucwa,

said uniformed men had forced open the gates of the mission and LGHQWLÂżHG WKHPVHOYHV DV PHPEHUV of the Central African People’s Democratic Assembly, which is ÂżJKWLQJ WKH WUDQVLWLRQDO JRYHUQment of President Catherine Samba-Panza, installed last January. Fr Gucwa added that the group, an offshoot of the Islamistdominated rebel Seleka alliance, was demanding the release of its leader, Abdoulaye Miskine, who was detained in 2013 in neighbouring Cameroon. “They wanted to take two priests as hostages, but after long arguments they agreed to leave one at the mission,â€? Fr Gucwa told Poland’s Catholic information agency, KAI, on Oct 14. „ CNS

12 SYNOD ON FAMILY

Sunday November 2, 2014 CatholicNews

A look at some of the debates, and issues and concerns rais Meeting’s midterm report sparks controversy VATICAN CITY – 7KH RI¿FLDO PLG-

term report from the Synod of Bishops, which uses strikingly conciliatory language towards divorced and remarried Catholics, cohabitating couples and same-sex unions, proved highly controversial, with some participants saying LW GRHV QRW DFFXUDWHO\ UHÀHFW WKH DVsembly’s views. Following a nearly hour-long speech on Oct 13 by Cardinal Peter Erdo of Esztergom-Budapest, who, as the synod’s relator, has the task of guiding the discussion and synthesising its results, 41 of the 184 V\QRG IDWKHUV SUHVHQW WRRN WKH ÀRRU to comment the same morning, the Vatican said. According to the Vatican, a number of synod fathers objected that Cardinal Erdo’s text lacked certain necessary references to Catholic moral teaching. “In regard to homosexuality, there was noted the need for welcoming, with the right degree of prudence, so as not to create the impression of a positive valuation of that orientation,” the Vatican’s summary said. “It was hoped that the same care would be taken in regard to cohabitation.” Bishops also remarked on the midterm report’s scarce references to the concept of sin, and encouraged the assembly to emulate the “prophetic tone of Jesus, to avoid the risk of conforming to the mentality of today’s world”. Regarding one of the synod’s most discussed topics – to make it easier for divorced and civilly re-

married Catholics to receive Communion – at least one bishop argued WKDW LW ZRXOG EH ³GLI¿FXOW WR ZHOcome some exceptions without in reality turning it into a general rule”. The midterm report had said that “homosexuals have gifts and qualities to offer to the Christian community”. “Often they wish to encounter a Church that offers them a welcoming home. Are our communities capable of providing that, accepting and evaluating their sexual orientation, without compromising Catholic doctrine on the family and matrimony?”

Some participants objected that the text lacked certain necessary references to Catholic moral teaching. While Cardinal Erdo said that same-sex unions present unspeci¿HG ³PRUDO SUREOHPV´ DQG WKXV “cannot be considered on the same footing” as traditional marriage, he said they also can exemplify ³PXWXDO DLG WR WKH SRLQW RI VDFUL¿FH [that] constitutes a precious support in the life of the partners”. He noted that the “Church pays special attention to the children who live with couples of the same sex, emphasising that the needs and rights of the little ones must always be given priority”.

Above: Pope Francis attends the morning session of the Synod of Bishops on the family at the Vatican on Oct 18. CNS photos Right: The pope speaks with a cardinal after arriving for a morning session.

The cardinal said a “new sensitivity in the pastoral care of today consists in grasping the positive reality of civil marriages and ... cohabitation,” even though both models fall short of the ideal of sacramental marriage. Similarly, the cardinal said, divorced and civilly remarried Catholics deserve an “accompaniment full of respect, avoiding any language or behaviour that might make them feel discriminated against”. CNS

Church needs to watch its language? VATICAN CITY – ,Q RI¿FLDO UHSRUWV

of the closed-door talks at the Synod of Bishops on the family, an emerging theme had been the call for a new kind of language more appropriate for pastoral care today. “Language appeared many, many times,” Basilian Fr Thomas Rosica, the briefer for Englishspeaking journalists, told reporters on Oct 7. “There’s a great desire that our language has to change in order to meet the very complex situations” the Church faces. One bishop reportedly told fellow participants that “language such as ‘living in sin’, ‘intrinsically disordered’ or ‘contraceptive mentality’ are not necessarily words that invite people to draw closer to Christ and the Church”. (“Intrinsically disordered” is a term used by the Catechism of the Catholic Church to describe homosexual acts.) Speaking to the synod on Oct 7, Archbishop Diarmuid Martin of Dublin spoke of the need for new language with which to communicate with married couples. “To many, the language of the Church appears to be a disincarnated language of telling people what to

‘

To many, the language of the Church appears to be a disincarnated language of telling people what to do, a one-way dialogue.

’

– Archbishop Diarmuid Martin of Dublin

do, a one-way dialogue,” the archbishop said. “The lived experience and struggle of spouses can help ¿QG PRUH HIIHFWLYH ZD\V RI H[SUHVsion of the fundamental elements of Church teaching,” he added. Following the same session, Cardinal Wilfrid Fox Napier of Durban, South Africa, told Catholic News Service that in the past, hell was a reality and it was something people knew and understood. But if someone talked about hell today, people would be confused. German Cardinal Walter Kasper, whose controversial proposal to make it easier for divorced and civilly remarried Catholics to receive Communion had been

a major topic of discussion at the synod, told CNS on Oct 1 that a traditional description of such couples as practising “perpetual adultery” is not acceptable in a pastoral context. “If you tell people who live in this way and they do it in a responsible way, tell them that adultery, permanent adultery, I think they would feel insulted and offended. We must be very careful also in our language,” Cardinal Kasper said in English. “Permanent adultery? It seems to me too strong.” Bishop Johann Bonny of Antwerp, Belgium, who was not a member of the synod, published a widely-read essay in September calling on the assembly to initiate a range of major changes in the Church, including in its language, which he argued is often “offensive” and “humiliating”. Couples cohabiting, using contraception or resorting to in-vitro fertilisation – all activities prohibited by Catholic moral teaching – “deserve more respect and a more nuanced evaluation than the language of certain Church documents appears to prescribe”, Bishop Bonny wrote. CNS

Anglican delegate shares thoughts VATICAN CITY – Upholding the

Christian ideal of marriage and family life while also reaching out WR WKRVH ZKRVH OLYHV GR QRW UHÀHFW that ideal is a pastoral challenge faced by all Christian communities, said the Anglican representative to the Synod of Bishops. Anglican Bishop Paul Butler of Durham, England, and “fraternal delegates” from seven other Christian communities addressed the synod on Oct 10. The bishop shared that Anglicans are “wrestling with how best to respond” to challenges facing family life. He added that “families of all types” exist in society and within the Church. “We have to minister to and with cohabiting, single-

parent and same-sex families. This demands listening, understanding, compassion and care rather than condemnation.” In a Vatican Radio interview, he said he was looking at “the tone” the synod report would take. “It’s about being as positive as we possibly can to families of all make ups, recognising that within the Catholic [Church], marriage is a sacrament, but how can the Church be as welcoming as it is possible to be to those whose family life is not the ideal?” Being welcoming, he said, “is a way of offering hope to people and introducing them to the Christian doctrine. If we are seen as completely negative, then people won’t come near us and they will just dismiss the Christian Gospel.” CNS

SYNOD ON FAMILY 13

Sunday November 2, 2014 „ CatholicNews

ised at the Oct 4-19 Synod of Bishops on the family in Rome An encouraging message to traditional families VATICAN CITY – On its last day of ity of spouses in failed marriages business, the Synod of Bishops on who enter into second unions, the family approved and released “creating family situations which a three-page message expressing are complex and problematic, solidarity with Christian families where the Christian choice is not around the world. REYLRXV´ The message, released on Oct The synod participants said 18, is distinct from the synod’s WKDW WKH\ KDG UHĂ€HFWHG RQ RQH RI ÂżQDO UHSRUW ZKLFK WKH DVVHPEO\ the assembly’s most controversial voted on later that day. topics – the question of whether to The message, approved by a PDNH LW HDVLHU IRU GLYRUFHG DQG FLYlarge majority of the assembly, fo- illy remarried Catholics to receive cused on the challenges and virtues Communion – but gave no suggesof traditional families. tion that they had arrived at any “We recognise the great chal- conclusions. lenge to remain faithful in conjugal Cardinal Gianfranco Ravasi, ORYH ´ WKH ELVKRSV who led the panel said, citing obthat drafted the We recognise the message, was stacles including ÂłHQIHHEOHG IDLWK´ DVNHG DW D QHZV great challenge ÂłLQGLYLGXDOLVP´ conference why “stress that exthe document to remain faithful FOXGHV UHĂ€HFWLRQ´ included no refin conjugal love. DQG D ODFN RI erence to homo“courage to have sexual people. – Synod of Bishops patience and re“With this Ă€HFW WR PDNH VDFmessage we adULÂżFHV DQG WR IRUJLYH RQH DQRWKHU´ dress Christian families, so the The message praised parents matrimonial model is the traditioncaring for disabled children, fami- DO RQH ZLWK DOO LWV SUREOHPV ´ WKH lies suffering economic hardship cardinal said. and the trials of migration, and The message ended on a posiZRPHQ YLFWLPV RI KXPDQ WUDIÂżFN- tive note, celebrating the prayering. ful Christian family as a “small, “Christ wanted His Church to GDLO\ RDVLV RI WKH VSLULW´ DQG VDFbe a house with doors always open ramental “conjugal love, which is WR ZHOFRPH HYHU\RQH ´ WKH ELVKRSV unique and indissoluble [and] ensaid. GXUHV GHVSLWH PDQ\ GLIÂżFXOWLHV´ The document noted the real- „ CNS

‘

Pope Francis talks with Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle of Manila. Also pictured are Cardinal Peter Erdo of EsztergomBudapest, Hungary, relator for the synod (far left), and Cardinal Raymundo Damasceno Assis of Aparecida, Brazil.

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Solidarity with war-stricken families Archbishop John Hung of Taipei (left) and Archbishop John Ha of Kuching talk as they leave a morning session. At right is Cardinal Baselios Cleemis Thottunkal of Trivandrum, India, major archbishop of the Syro-Malankara Catholic Church.

Holding together truth and mercy VATICAN CITY – Austrian Cardi-

nal Christoph Schonborn of Vienna, one of the Church’s best NQRZQ FDUGLQDO WKHRORJLDQV VDLG the Catholic Church must hold together truth and mercy, even if it is criticised for its attempt. The cardinal, editor of the Catechism of the Catholic Church and WKH VRQ RI GLYRUFHG SDUHQWV VSRNH to reporters on Oct 16 about the synod groups’ attempts to improve the meeting’s midterm report, which had garnered attention for its seeming openness to people living in situations the Church traditionally has labelled as irregular or sinful. Still, Cardinal Schonborn said, the synod itself mirrored the difIHUHQFHV RQH PLJKW ÂżQG LQ D IDPily’s approach to new situations. “It often happens in a family that the mother says, ‘It’s too danger-

ous,’ and the dad says, ‘No, don’t be afraid.’ We’re in a big family and some say, ‘Attention!’ and they are right, it’s dangerous. But others VD\ Âľ'RQÂśW EH DIUDLG ϫ Different emphases are normal, he said, because “there are different aspects to consider: There is doctrine and the clear word of the Gospel and there is the evident action of Jesus showing an attitude full of mercy and compassion. How to unite the two is a perennial challenge for the &KXUFK LWV SDVWRUV DQG DOO RI XV ´ When the Church addresses situations in which people have fallen short of the Gospel ideal, he said, it PXVW ÂłVSHDN WKH WUXWK´ EXW ÂłLW GRHV so with compassion and with an inYLWDWLRQ WR XQGHUWDNH D MRXUQH\ RI IDLWK´ At the meeting with the press, WKH FDUGLQDO ZDV DVNHG ZKHWKHU

he thought the Catechism of the Catholic Church would have to be rewritten after the synod; among other things, the catechism teaches that homosexuality is a “disorGHUHG´ LQFOLQDWLRQ DQG WKDW KRPRsexual acts are sinful; it also says that those who are divorced and civilly remarried may not receive Communion without an annulment. The cardinal said the catechism “is a synthesis of what the Church EHOLHYHV DQG OLYHV´ DQG KH VHHV QR reason to change it, although “there DUH GHYHORSPHQWV´ RI &DWKROLF GRFtrine and there have been throughout history. As an example, he cited St John 3DXOÂśV ÂłWKHRORJ\ RI WKH ERG\ ´ ZKLFK KH VDLG ZDV WKH ÂżUVW V\VWHPatic theological discussion of the human body and its role in relationships. „ CNS

VATICAN CITY – Gathered with Pope Francis, members of the Synod of Bishops on the family issued a message of solidarity, support and prayers for all families suffering the impact of war and violence, especially in Iraq and Syria. The members prayed particularly for those who, “because of the Christian faith they profess or because they belong to other ethnic or religious communities, have been forced to abandon everything DQG Ă€HH WRZDUGV D IXWXUH WKDW ODFNV DQ\ NLQG RI FHUWDLQW\´ The Vatican published the message on Oct 10. Members echoed Pope Francis’ words in condemning the claim – used by the Islamic State militants, among others – that they are acting in God’s name when they commit violence and murder. While particularly concerned about the suffering of families there, synod members also offered prayers for “families split apart and suffering in other parts of the world that are subject to persistent YLROHQFH´ “May the merciful Lord convert hearts and give peace

and stability to those who are XQGHUJRLQJ WULDOV ´ WKH PHVVDJH said. A married couple from Iraq, Riyadh Azzo and Sanaa Habeeb, addressed the synod on Oct 10. The bombing of churches, the NLGQDSSLQJ RI SULHVWV DQG IDLWKIXO and – more recently – the activLW\ RI ÂłWKH ,6,6 WHUURULVP JDQJ´ which forced tens of thousands of Christians and other minorities from their homes, has meant the Christian community in the country is “reduced to less than one WKLUG´ LWV VL]H \HDUV DJR Âł)DPLOLHV GLVLQWHJUDWHG ´ WKH\ said. In too many cases, the elderly have been left behind. At the same time, the couple said, “the common danger strengthened the bond between WKH SHRSOH´ DQG PDGH LW FOHDU WKDW “their Christian faith should not be FRPSURPLVHG´ 7KH SDULVKHV WKDW DUH VWLOO RSHQ DUH D ÂłVDIH KDYHQ´ organising relief and aid and becoming real communities. The couple pleaded for more support for the Iraqi Christian family “in the face of threats to its very H[LVWHQFH´ „ CNS

14 POPE FRANCIS

Sunday November 2, 2014 „ CatholicNews

Church called to keep hope alive, be joyful, pope says CNS photo

VATICAN CITY – The Church of

Christ is called to keep the light of hope alive in the world, showing all humanity the path leading to “the merciful face of Godâ€? and salvation in Christ, Pope Francis said. Focusing his general audience talk on Oct 15 on the ultimate destiny of the Church and all its members, Pope Francis asked the estimated 30,000 people in St Peter’s Square to repeat with him three times: “We will be with God forever.â€? “Look,â€? the pope told them, “Christian hope is not simply a desire or wish, it is not optimism. No! For a Christian, hope is expectation, a fervent, passionate expectation of the ultimate and GHÂżQLWLYH IXOÂżOPHQW RI D P\VWHU\ the mystery of the love of God in which we were reborn and are already living.â€? In this world, the Christian life is a time of preparation for the ultimate meeting with the Lord, he said. “The Church is the people of God who follow the Lord and prepare day-by-day for the encounter

Pope Francis greets the crowd at the start of his general audience in St Peter’s Square at the Vatican on Oct 15.

with Him, like a bride preparing for her groom. It’s not just an expression; there will be a real wedding,� Pope Francis said. Je-

Pontiff on Christian unity DQG KLV ÀUVW &RPPXQLRQ VATICAN CITY – Unable to resist

telling the world about a personal event that is dear to his heart, Pope Francis said that 70 years ago to the day, he celebrated his ÂżUVW &RPPXQLRQ “They say that you shouldn’t talk about personal things, but I can’t resist the temptation,â€? he said at his weekly general audience in St Peter’s Square on Oct 8. “Today I am so thankful to the Lord because 70 years ago I made P\ ÂżUVW &RPPXQLRQ ´ KH VDLG with a broad smile. “Let us all thank the Lord for our baptism, DOO RI XV WKDQN KLP IRU RXU ÂżUVW Communion,â€? he said. The 77-year-old pope revealed the personal tidbit to underline what it means to enter into

communion with the Catholic Church and to seek communion with Christians who belong to other traditions. This theme of Christian unity was part of the series of audience talks the pope has been giving on the nature of the Church. In his catechesis, the pope lamented the long history of divisions among Christians, saying such separations “wound the Church and wound Christ� whose desire is “that they may all be one, so that the world may believe�. People’s efforts to share the Gospel message will be “much more credible� when all Christians show they are “able to live in communion and love each other,� the pope said. „ CNS

sus became human, died and rose DJDLQ WR IXO¿O ³WKH SODQ RI FRPmunion and love woven by God in the course of history�.

Missionaries keep people, Church ‘healthy and fruitful’ VATICAN CITY – Missionaries do

enormous good for the world and the Church by bringing God’s love to the far corners of the earth and by keeping the Church healthy and fruitful, Pope Francis said. Missionaries, who leave their homes and even risk their lives, “have done immense good for the Church, because once the Church stops moving and becomes closed up inside herself, she gets ill, she can be corrupted, either by sin or that false knowledge separated from God that is worldly secularism�, he said in a homily on Oct 12. The pope presided over a Mass in St Peter’s Basilica as a celebration of thanksgiving for the canonisations of Sts Marie de l’Incarnation and Francois de

‘Protect your heart’ from devil VATICAN CITY – Just as you pro-

tect your home from thieves, you need to protect your heart from the temptations of the devil, Pope Francis said. Preaching on Oct 10 during Mass in his residence, the Domus Sanctae Marthae, the pope said during his homily that Christians should not be shocked that the devil continues to assail them. Christians need to guard and protect their hearts, “just as you

protect your home – with a lock,� the pope said. “How often do bad thoughts, bad intentions, jealousy, envy enter?� he asked. If one does not safeguard his or her heart, the pope said, it becomes a public “square where everything comes and goes, a heart without intimacy, a heart where the Lord cannot speak or even listen�. The best way to guard one’s heart, he said, is with the daily

At the same time, he said, Christians must ask themselves “with great sincerity: Are we really bright and credible witnesses

of this expectation, this hope? Are our communities marked by the presence of the Lord and eager expectation of his coming? Or do they seem tired, numb, weighed down by effort and resignation?� Pope Francis urged Catholics to pray to Mary, to help the Church “always remain in an attitude of listening and expectation� and “permeated by the love of Christ�. The pope then said that the Bible tells Christians that there will be “a new heaven and a new earth�, and that the Church “will make visible the ‘new Jerusalem’. This means that the Church, in addition to being the bride, is called to become a city – the symbol par excellence of coexistence and human relationships.� The biblical vision, he said, is that the new city will be one where “everyone and all peoples are gathered together� in God’s tent. “And in this glorious structure there will no longer be isolation, abuse of power or discrimination of any kind – social, ethnic or religious – but we will all be one in Christ.� „ CNS

practice of what is classically called an “examination of conscience�. It does not have to be formal or follow preset questions. It requires only that one is alone, quiet and asks, “What happened in my heart today? What passed through my heart?� Such a daily practice, the pope said, is the only way to learn to be watchful and to safeguard one’s heart against “these demons, who are very sneaky and end up tricking all of us�. „ CNS

&16 ÂżOH SKRWR

Once the Church stops moving and becomes closed up inside herself, she gets ill, says Pope Francis.

Blessed Marie de l’Incarnation was a 15th-century missionary in Canada.

Laval, two 17th-century French missionaries who were pioneers of the Catholic Church in Canada. More than 300 people came from Canada to take part in the Mass, along with bishops and priests from the archdioceses of Quebec and Toronto. St Marie de l’Incarnation was a French Ursuline who travelled to Quebec in 1639 and is known as the Mother of the Canadian Church; and St Francois de Laval, who arrived in Quebec 20 years after St Marie EHFDPH WKH ÂżUVW ELVKRS RI 4XHEHF The pope praised the new saints, saying “they inspire us to imitate their faithâ€?.

Cardinal Thomas C Collins of Toronto told Catholic News Service (CNS) on Oct 13 that eveU\RQH FDQ ÂżQG LQVSLUDWLRQ LQ WKH heroic missionaries. Archbishop Paul-Andre Durocher of Gatineau, Quebec, told CNS on Oct 8 that “each one of them was a hero of evangelisation in their creativity, in their attachment to the Gospel and in their love of the people that they met.â€? St Francois de Laval came to Quebec in 1658 as the apostolic vicar of New France, as Quebec was called, and there he began his missionary work. He died in 1708. St Marie de l’Incarnation was born in 1599 and entered the Ursuline order. In 1639, she set sail for Quebec.She died in 1672. Cardinal Collins said even Catholics who do not become actual missionaries can live by the missionary spirit – “taking care of the gathered and scatteredâ€?, those in the pews and those who have drifted from the Church. „ CNS

POPE FRANCIS 15

Sunday November 2, 2014 „ CatholicNews

Laws that don’t lead to Jesus are obsolete: pope VATICAN CITY – God’s laws are

meant to lead all people to Christ and His glory, and if they do not, then they are obsolete, Pope Francis said in a morning homily. In fact, the scholars of the law in Jesus’ day were so wrapped up in doctrine as an end in itself, they were unable to see that Jesus was leading people down a new and surprising path towards His glory, the pope said on Oct 13 during his morning Mass in the Domus Sanctae Marthae, where he lives. Jesus did “strange thingsâ€? like “walk with sinners, eat with tax collectorsâ€? – things the scholars of the law “did not like; doctrine was in danger, that doctrine of the lawâ€? that they and the “theologians had created over the centuriesâ€?, he said, according to Vatican Radio. The scholars “forgot that God is the God of the law, but is also the God of surprisesâ€?, said the pope. “God is always new; He never denies Himself, He never says that what He had said is wrong, but He always surprises us,â€? the pope said. The scholars of the law also forgot that the people of God are a people on a journey, “and when \RX MRXUQH\ \RX DOZD\V ÂżQG QHZ things, things you never knew beforeâ€?, he said. But the journey, like the law, is not an end in itself; they are a path, “a pedagogyâ€?, towards “the ultimate manifestation of the Lord. Life is a journey to-

The scholars of the law in Jesus’ day were so wrapped up in doctrine as an end in itself, they couldn’t see that Jesus was leading people down a new path towards His glory, said the pope. ward the fullness of Jesus Christ, when He will come again.� The law teaches the way to Christ, and “if the law does not lead to Jesus Christ�, he said, “and if it doesn’t get us closer to Jesus Christ, it is dead.�

Pope Francis asked people WR UHĂ€HFW Âł$P , DWWDFKHG WR P\ WKLQJV P\ LGHDV $P , FORVHG"´ Âł$P , DW D VWDQGVWLOO RU DP , D SHUVRQ RQ D MRXUQH\" 'R , EHOLHYH in Jesus Christ, in what Jesus did,â€? dying for humanity’s sins and risLQJ DJDLQ" KH DVNHG Âł$P , DEOH WR XQGHUVWDQG WKH signs of the times and be faithful to the voice of the Lord that is PDQLIHVWHG LQ WKHP"´ Pope Francis urged people to pray to be able to walk “towards maturity, toward the manifestation of the glory of the Lordâ€? and to have a heart “that loves the law, because the law is God’sâ€?. But may people also be able to “love God’s surprises and to know that this holy law is not an end in itselfâ€?, he said. „ CNS

16 OPINION

Sunday November 2, 2014 „ CatholicNews

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COMMENTARY

Going beyond ‘liberal’, ‘conservative’ labels By Marcellino D’Ambrosio Liberal and conservative. The GHÂżQLWLRQV RI WKHVH WHUPV DUH VHOdom spelt out. Usually they are presumed. Typically people call “conservativeâ€? those who prefer old-fashioned ways, and “liberalâ€? those who favour the latest ideas and trends. Using those terms, modernGD\ &KULVWLDQV VRPHWLPHV ÂżQG DQG promote strife against one another. There are some news channels and publications that cater to those we would call “liberalsâ€? and others exclusively to those called “conservativesâ€?. This is the case in society in general and examples of this can be seen easily in TV shows, websites, social media, radio shows and podcasts. But for the Christian, the ultimate question is not of personal preferences, politics, or whether something is old or avant-garde. It is rather whether a particular thing is compatible with the Kingdom of God, which calls on us to love one another. The Kingdom of God is where God’s truth reigns and His commands are observed. To be a good ³¿W´ ZLWK WKH NLQJGRP WKLQJV must be in accordance with God’s will as expressed in Scripture and tradition, but not by attacking each other. In the early Church, there was a lot of debate about whether Christians could eat certain things, SDUWLFXODUO\ PHDW VDFULÂżFHG WR SDgan idols. St Paul’s response was clear: “The Kingdom of God is not a matter of food and drink, but of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spiritâ€? (Rom 14:17). In their squabbles over how far to go in maintaining certain religious traditions, disciples on both sides of the issue were taking their eyes off the ball. If St Paul were speaking today, he might instead insist that the kingdom does not consist in either Latin or

Some people have called Pope Francis a ‘liberal’ but he has also been criticised by those who identify themselves as ‘liberals’. &16 ÂżOH SKRWR

Modern-day Christians have used the terms ‘liberal’ and ‘conservative’ to attack one another. the vernacular, novenas or prayer meetings, organ or guitar music. The person who understands the Kingdom of God, says Jesus, “is like the head of a household who can bring from his store both the new and the old� (Mt 14:46). The late US Archbishop Fulton J Sheen was a great example of this. He loved the traditional faith and piety of the Church (some would say the “old�), but proclaimed it by means of television (“new�). Another great example was St John Paul II. He was devoted to the rosary (old) but enriched it with the Luminous Mysteries (new). He defended the sexual morality of the Church (old) but expressed that morality in a fresh and intriguing way through his “theology of the body� (new). In our time, some attack Pope Francis, calling him a liberal because he advocates for the poor or calls out certain forms of capitalism. But he sometimes is attacked by those who are liberal for any number of statements.

There are a given number of WKLQJV YLHZV WKDW MXVW FDQœW ¿W LQWR the Kingdom and we have to look towards religious leaders, texts and documents to examine them. But ¿HUFH DWWDFKPHQW WR H[SUHVVLRQV based on anything that causes strife and tension among people signals that there is something wrong. We have to recognise that there is a difference between the Pearl of Great Price and its packaging. The pearl always comes in a wrapper. But if we love a particular wrapper so much that, in clutching it, we let go of the pearl, it doesn’t matter if we are liberal or conservative. We’re being just plain foolish. Together with Solomon, let us pray for the wisdom needed in every situation to correctly identify the Kingdom of God, the peace and love it promotes, and hold fast to it. „ CNS D’Ambrosio is co-founder of Crossroads Productions, an apostolate of Catholic renewal and evangelisation in the US.

Sacred permission to be human and the tools to handle frustration SOMETIMES certain texts in the Bible make you wonder: Is this really the word of God? Why is this text in scripture? What’s the lesson here? For example, we have verses in the Psalms, in passages that we pray liturgically, where we ask God to bash the heads of the children of our enemies against a rock. How does that invite us to love our enemies? We see passages in the Book of Job where Job is in despair and curses not on only the day he was born but the very fact that anyone was born. It’s impossiEOH WR ÂżQG HYHQ D WUDFH RI DQ\WKLQJ SRVLWLYH LQ KLV ODPHQW 6LPLODUO\ LQ D UDWKHU IDPRXV WH[W ZH KHDU 4RKHOHWK DIÂżUP WKDW everything in our lives and in the life of this world is simple vanity, wind, vapour, of no substance and of no consequence. What’s the lesson here? Then, in the Gospels, we have passages where the apostles, disFRXUDJHG E\ RSSRVLWLRQ WR WKHLU PHVVDJH DVN -HVXV WR FDOO GRZQ ÂżUH and destroy the very people to whom they are supposed to minister. Hardly an exemplar for ministry! Why are these texts in the Bible? Because they give us sacred permission to feel the way we feel sometimes and they give us sacred tools to help us deal with the shortcomings and frustrations of our lives. They are, in fact, both very important and very consoling texts because, to put it metaphorically, they give us a large enough keyboard to play all the songs that we need to play in our lives. They give us the laments and the prayers we need to utter sometimes in the face of our human condition, with its many frustrations, and in the face of death, tragedy, and depression. To give a simple example, a friend of mine shares this story: Recently he was in church with his family, which included his sevenyear-old son, Michael, and his own mother, Michael’s grandmother. At one point, Michael, seated beside his grandmother, whispered aloud: “I’m so bored!â€? His grandmother pinched him and chided him: “You are not bored!â€? as if the sacred ambience of church and an authoritative command could change human nature. They can’t. When we’re bored, we’re bored! And sometimes we need to be given divine permission to feel what we’re spontaneously feeling. Some years ago, for all the noblest of intentions, a religious community I know wanted to sanitise the Psalms that they pray regularly LQ WKH 'LYLQH 2IÂżFH WR ULG WKHP RI DOO HOHPHQWV RI DQJHU YLROHQFH vengeance, and war. They had some of their own scripture scholars do the work so that it would be scholarly and serious. They succeeded in that, the product was scholarly and serious, but stripped of all motifs of violence, vengeance, anger, and war. What resulted was something that looked more like a Hallmark Card than a series of prayers that express real life and real feelings. :H GRQÂśW DOZD\V IHHO XSEHDW JHQHURXV DQG IDLWK ÂżOOHG 6RPHWLPHV we feel angry, bitter, and vengeful. We need to be given sacred permission to feel that way (though not to act that way) and to pray in honesty out of that space. My parents, and for the most part their whole generation, would, daily, in their prayers, utter these words: To You do we send up our sighs, mourning and weeping in this valley of tears. Our own generation tends to view this as morbid, as somehow denigrating both the beauty and joy of life and the perspective that faith is meant to give us. But there’s a hidden richness in that prayer. In praying in that way, they gave themselves sacred permission to accept the limits of their lives. That prayer carries the symbolic tools to handle frustration; VRPHWKLQJ , VXEPLW ZH KDYH IDLOHG WR VXIÂżFLHQWO\ JLYH WR RXU RZQ children. Too many young people today have never been given the symbolic tools to handle frustration, nor sacred permission to feel what they are feeling. Sometimes, all good intentions aside, we have handed our children more of Walt Disney than Gospel. ,Q WKH %RRN RI /DPHQWDWLRQV ZH ÂżQG D SDVVDJH WKDW ZKLOH VRXQGLQJ negative on the surface, is paradoxically, in the face of death and tragedy, perhaps the most consoling text of all. The text simply states that, sometimes in life, all we can do is put our mouths to the dust and wait! That’s sound advice, spoken from the mouth of experience and the mouth of faith. The poet, Rainer Marie Rilke, once wrote these words to a friend who, in the face of the death of a loved one, wondered how or where he FRXOG HYHU ÂżQG FRQVRODWLRQ :KDW GR , GR ZLWK DOO WKLV JULHI" 5LONHÂśV UHply: “Do not be afraid to suffer, give that heaviness back to the weight of the earth; mountains are heavy, seas are heavy.â€? They are, so too is life sometimes and we need to be given God’s permission to feel that heaviness. „

FOCUS 17

Sunday November 2, 2014 „ CatholicNews

To ‘post’ or not to ‘post? That’s the question Are we stressing out over looking cool to others on social media? By Karen Osborne

CITY Cathedral of The Good Shepherd Under Renovation/Restoration St Joseph’s Church (Victoria St) Oct 31 : 6.30pm, Nov 1 : 10.00am, 12.30pm (Latin), 5.00pm Church of Sts Peter & Paul Oct 31 : 5.30pm, 7.00pm (Mandarin) Nov 1 : 7.20am, 5.30pm Church of Our Lady of Lourdes Oct 31 : 6.30pm Nov 1 : 6.00pm and 7.30pm 8.45pm (Tamil) Church of the Sacred Heart Oct 31 : 5.30pm Nov 1 : 7.00am & 6.00pm Church of St Teresa Oct 31 : 8.00pm Nov 1 : 12.30pm & 6.00pm Church of St Alphonsus (Novena Church) Under Renovation Church of St Bernadette Oct 31 : 6.00pm Nov 1 : 6.30am & 6.00pm Church of St Michael Oct 31 : 8.00pm Nov 1 : 6.30am & 5.30pm

EAST Church of the Holy Family Oct 31 : 7.30pm Nov 1 : 6.15am, 1.00pm, 6.00pm & 8.00pm (Mandarin) Church of Our Lady Queen of Peace Oct 31 : 7.00pm (all in English) (No Chinese Mass at 6.30pm) Nov 1 : 6.30am, 5.30pm Church of Our Lady of Perpetual Succour Oct 31 : 6.15pm Nov 1 : 6.30am, 4.45pm & 6.30pm Church of St Stephen Oct 31 : 8.00pm Nov 1 : 6.30am & 6.00pm Church of the Holy Trinity Oct 31 : 8.00pm Nov 1 : 6.30am, 6.00pm & 8.00pm Church of the Divine Mercy Oct 31 : 7.00pm Nov 1 : 6.30am; 1.00pm & 5.30pm

Church of Our Lady Star of the Sea Oct 31 : 8.00pm Nov 1 : 6.45am, 12.15pm, 5.00pm Church of the Holy Spirit Oct 31 : 8.00pm Nov 1 : 6.30am, 5.30pm Church of the Risen Christ Oct 31 : 6.00pm, 8.00pm Nov 1 : 7.00am, 12.15pm, 6.00pm Church of Christ the King Oct 31 : 8.00pm Nov 1 : 7.00am, 1.00pm, 3.00pm (Mandarin) & 5.30pm

SERANGOON Church of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary Oct 31 : 6.30pm, 8.00pm Nov 1 : 6.30am, 4.00pm (Teochew), 5.30pm & 7.00pm (Mandarin) Church of the Immaculate Heart of Mary Oct 31 : 8.00pm Nov 1 : 6.15am, 12.00pm, 6.15pm Church of St Francis Xavier Oct 31 : 8.00pm Nov 1 : 9.00am, 11.00am & 5.30pm St Anne’s Church Oct 31 : 8.00pm Nov 1 : 8.00am, 10.00am & 6.00pm Church of St Vincent de Paul Oct 31 : 8.00pm Nov 1 : 7.00am, 9.00am & 6.30pm

WEST Church of St Ignatius Oct 31 : 6.00pm Nov 1 : 7.00am, 10.00am & 6.00pm Blessed Sacrament Church Oct 31 : 7.30pm Nov 1 : 7.00am, 8.30am, 6.00pm Church of St Mary of the Angels Oct 31 : 7.30pm Nov 1 : 6.55am, 9.00am, 1.15pm, 5.45pm Church of St Francis of Assisi Oct 31 : 7.00pm Nov 1 : 6.30am, 9.00am, 6.00pm 8.00pm (Mandarin) Church of the Holy Cross Oct 31 : 7.30pm in English (No 6.15pm Mass) Nov 1 : 8.00am (No 6.30am Mass), 5.00pm, 6.30pm (Mandarin)

NORTH Church of St Joseph (Bukit Timah) Oct 31 : 8.00pm Nov 1 : 6.30am, 5.30pm Church of St Anthony Oct 31 : 6.30pm Nov 1 : 8.00am & 6.00pm

Masses in the morning and evening on Sat, Nov 1, will be the Proper of All Saints’ Day, while the Proper of All Souls’ Day will be used on Sun, Nov 2. Those who participate in the evening Masses on Nov 1 fulfil their Sunday obligation.

When I was a kid, “sharingâ€? meant splitting your lunch sandwich with a friend or sharing a book or toy. Today, “sharingâ€? usually means writing a status update on Facebook, posting an Instagram photo or talking via Snapchat. What many call “sharingâ€? today, a previous generation might call “exhibitingâ€?, as if the Internet were an art gallery and our lives were the art on display. Teens share over the Internet many moments of daily life: selfies, pictures of friends in the cafeteria, gossip. Everything goes online. It’s almost expected that your entire life is lived online. I know my friends worry if I don’t post something every couple of days. It’s stressful. Did you run a race? Share the SKRWR RI \RX FURVVLQJ WKH ÂżQLVK line (I am guilty of this). Did you HDW VXVKL IRU WKH ÂżUVW WLPH" 3RVW a reaction shot. Did you see that QHZ DFWLRQ PRYLH" 3URYH LW E\ posing outside the theatre with your friends. 3RVW LW RU LW GLGQÂśW KDSSHQ right? It’s fun to share what makes us happy, especially on the Internet where people can see what we’re doing. I love seeing pictures of my friends’ lives, and I love keeping up with family members who don’t live close by. Sharing on the Internet means we can continue to participate in the lives of those we love, even though we’re far away. But sharing also can be negative. When everything goes on-

line, we start worrying all the time about how we’ll look in the photos we post or others post. We stress out about doing things that will look cool enough to make others jealous. In general, we live as celebrities: always on, always performing, only without the cash or the fame. We also have a tendency to self-censor, to only share the positive and keep the negative parts of

robbed. How did the criminals know when to strike? They saw the victims’ vacation pictures online and knew they were out of town. Next time you want to share something online, think about what you are doing. Do you really want everyone to know what you’re about to post? Would the post offend or hurt? Ask: “Am I just sharing this because I want to be popular or look cool?�

There is often a tendency for people to self-censor on social media, sharing only the positive bits of one’s life while keeping the negative under wraps. This isolates. CNS photo

life under wraps. This isolates; it doesn’t connect us to others. There’s also the problem of over-sharing. I have a friend with whom I barely chat anymore – anything she tells me on the phone, I’ve already read about on Facebook. Sharing on the Internet also can be dangerous. I’ve heard tales of people going on vacation only WR FRPH KRPH DQG ¿QG WKHLU KRPHV

It is OK to keep your photos and ideas to yourself. Not everything needs to be shared with the world. Try it for a day or two: Watch that sunset, enjoy that movie, eat dinner or hang out with your friends without feeling the pressure to tell the world. You might like the feeling of being yourself, not worrying about what others might say or how they might judge you. „ CNS

18 FAITH ALIVE!

Sunday November 2, 2014 „ CatholicNews

Raising Catholic kids in a secular world %\ (IÂżH &DOGDUROD If you surveyed a group of Catholic parents, probably one of their chief concerns would be, How do I raise my child to be a good Catholic in a secular world? This is not an idle question. Recent books explore why young people are leaving churches – not just the Catholic Church – in droves. Some of these self-exiles come back with children of their own, but many join the ranks of the unchurched. And many will say, in all sincerity, that they are “spiritual, not religiousâ€?. So what’s a Catholic parent to do? Obviously, there are no easy bromides, but here are a few thoughts. I had a friend who served in the Jesuit Volunteer Corps with me many years ago. He had multiple criticisms of the institutional Church, and for a few years he stopped attending Mass. But he told me, “Being Catholic is like being Irish. It’s always part of you.â€? Eventually, he and his wife found a parish they loved and became active again. I think of his comment often, and I wonder if children today feel that kind of bond to Catholicism that people of other generations did? Is Catholic a part of their DNA? I’m not one of those who think

Do we make it clear, as parents, that the decisions we make in our home are discerned through an active prayer life? Do we make it clear WKDW ÂżQDQFLDO VXFFHVV is secondary to a life of discipleship with Christ?

A family reading the Bible and praying together in their living room in Muqueibleh, Israel. CNS photo

“Catholic identityâ€? is a complete answer to our children’s formation, but I do think that the externals play a part in helping kids see Catholicism as their home, a home where they are always welcome. &UXFLÂż[HV RQ WKH ZDOOV VD\LQJ grace in a restaurant, celebrating feast days, saying a family rosary, being part of the social life of the parish – all of these things create memories in children of Catholicism as a warm and constant part of childhood.

But as great as those cultural aspects of growing up Catholic are, they aren’t the essential thing. Every child learns by example. Do our children see us pray? I don’t just mean at Sunday Mass. Do they know that a daily prayer time is a vital part of our lives? Do we make it clear, as parents, that the decisions we make in our home are discerned through an active prayer life? 'R ZH PDNH LW FOHDU WKDW ¿QDQ-

cial success is secondary to a life of discipleship with Christ? Do we build friendships with other families who share our values, so that our children grow up within a community of faith that expresses itself through acts of charity and justice? Young people today face incredible decisions about drinking, sexuality, vocation, lifestyle. If we’ve shown them an example of using spirituality to form our own values and decisions,

we’ve set them well on their way to being people of faith. But what’s this “spiritual, not religious� business? Spirituality is a private thing; it’s how we walk individually with Mystery. But throwing out our religious underpinnings is sort of like taking a boat on choppy water without our life vest. Sometimes, like my friend, we have to search for the parish or liturgy that feeds us. But if we can convince our kids that the search is worth it, we hold the key. On the Sunday you were tempted to skip Mass, the homily hits you right in the gut. The church bulletin you almost didn’t see has news of the retreat you’ve been yearning for. The community you need beckons at your parish. You’ve got to be there, paying attention, to grab the lifeline that religion throws you. Can we convince our kids of that? „ CNS Caldarola is a freelance writer and a columnist for Catholic News Service.

How to pass on your faith By Janelle Alberts According to the Second Vatican Council’s Declaration on Christian Education, parents are to hold themselves accountable as an imSRUWDQW DQG ÂżUVW HGXFDWRU WR WKHLU children: “Since parents have given children their life, they are bound by the most serious obligation to educate their offspring and therefore must be recognised as the primary and principal educators.â€? Heavy stuff. Even for parents who gladly take on the responsibility as spiritual stalwarts to their children, their FRQÂżGHQFH FDQ QRQHWKHOHVV VRPHtimes be derailed. The truth is that when children ask parents questions about church, faith, God, Jesus, the Bible – even in childlike honesty and curiosity – most parHQWV IHHO XQGHUTXDOLÂżHG WR DQVZHU That is reasonable. Age alone does not ensure a clear understanding of all things related to the faith. Even a life of devout faith and commitment to the church does not always provide a sure answer. Parents have a lot to panic about, but nothing sends them into a tailspin like a child ques-

3LFWXUHG LV WKH DUWZRUN IURP D ÂżUVW JUDGHU ZKR ZRQ DQ DUW FRQWHVW LQ Connecticut, USA. Children can be the primary religious educators of their parents says Janelle Alberts. CNS photo

tioning the very foundation of the faith upon which they have built their lives – and one that they are hoping their children will likewise build their lives upon as well. Mr Thomas Groome, a professor in theology and religious education at Boston College, told US Catholic magazine that he learned,

“even if you have been a major VFKRODU LQ WKH ÂżHOG RI UHOLJLRXV education for decades, even if you speak internationally on the subject of handing on the faith, and lo, even if you are the primary author of three major catechetical series used by millions of children and young people, your own child will

always be your toughest audienceâ€?. Mr Groome’s advice? “I think there are clues in how Jesus went about it. He had this amazing way of deeply engaging people’s everyday lives.â€? So where does that leave parents passing on the faith? As the professor mentions, as much as it is about the kids, it starts ÂżUVW ZLWK WKH SDUHQWV QRW MXVW DV HGucators, but as pupils themselves. The US Catholic article states that, “After consistently maintaining that parents are the primary religious educators of their children, Mr Groome found himself writing that children can be the primary religious educators of their parents. ‘I hadn’t abandoned P\ ÂżUVW FRQYLFWLRQ Âś KH VD\V ÂľEXW I’d found the reverse to be true as well. Some of the experiences I’ve had with my son have been enormously enriching to my own faith life and my wife’s as well.’â€? Jesus told his disciples to “let the children come to meâ€?. It seems he meant parents too. „ CNS Alberts, who lives in Chagrin, Ohio, is a freelance writer and media relations specialist.

19

Sunday November 2, 2014 CatholicNews

How Filipino Catholics integrate into local church Commmunity leaders also note challenges, including lack of space

Filipino coordinators in charge of the different parishes pose for a photo after their Simbang Gabi 2014 meeting on Sept 21 at Church of St Michael.

By Lorna O’Hara The Filipino Catholic community LQ 6LQJDSRUH LV WKH ¿UVW DQG FXUrently the largest foreign community here. In 1991, there were 70,000 members and now that number stands at around 250,000 according to Filipino community chaplain Fr Angel Luciano. But with a quarter of a million to care for spiritually, it’s not an easy feat for Fr Angel, who has been working in Singapore for the past 23 years. He invited CatholicNews to attend one of the community’s important meetings – to prepare for the upcoming Year of the Family Simbang Gabi 2014 – nine night Masses to prepare for Christmas. At the meeting on Sept 21 at the Church of St Michael, Fr Angel told CatholicNews that the community must continue to be involved in local archdiocesan activities. Currently, some in the community are wardens, choir members, lectors, catechists and communion ministers. There are also those who are involved in Marriage Encounter and in the social mission of the archdiocese as volunteer teachers and befrienders to needy families, elderly or fellow migrants. However, the community faces challenges locally. There were times when Tagalog Masses were replaced by parish-based activities, according to one of the coordinators. “They would prioritise their

events and we won’t be able to have our Mass,” said one coordinator. Within the community, receiving the sacraments can also be a challenging affair. “Some of the Filipinos have PRUH WKDQ ¿YH VHWV RI JRGSDUents because that’s our tradi-

Filipinos must try to be involved in local archdiocesan activities, says Fr Angel Luciano (above). tion,” while local Catholics have a pair of godparents, said Fr Angel. When it comes to marriage in church, some Filipinos who have QRW EHHQ FRQ¿UPHG PLJKW IDFH GLI¿FXOWLHV DV ZHOO Filipinos in the community who spoke to CatholicNews also said that couples who have

not been married in the church PLJKW IDFH GLI¿FXOW\ LI WKH\ ZDQW their children baptised in Singapore. These and other issues are what Fr Angel addresses in his Heart and Soul column in Pinoy Star, a monthly Filipino magazine sold in Singapore, and distributed largely at Lucky Plaza where many Filipino workers gather on their off days. With a big group “to take care of”, Ms Jenny Arancon, coordinator of the Filipino community in the City District’s four parishes, hopes that “Filipinos would go to church. I don’t want them to sit [around] in Lucky Plaza.” Other Catholics from the community said that the faith formation of some Catholic Filipinos is weak. As a result, they may join other Christian denominations, or religious groups, said Ms Arancon. There are also some cases of Filipino domestic workers being unable to come to church as they do not have rest days. For the community, it can also be a challenge to hold meetings in SDULVKHV DV WKHUH DUH LQVXI¿FLHQW rooms. “So what happens is that sometimes we hold meetings in houses instead of in the church,” said one coordinator. During the meeting, Fr Angel said that Filipino Catholics hope for local Catholics to be more understanding of their needs. To get in touch with the community, contact Fr Angel Luciano at 6392-0592, or email him at fracl@singnet.com.sg

Filipinos pack the pews of the Church of St Mary of the Angels during last year’s Simbang Gabi.

Tagalog and English Masses TAGALOG MASSES: 1st Saturday of the month: Church of Our Lady Star of the Sea, Yishun St 22: 6.30 pm 1st Sunday of the month: Church of St Stephen, 30 Sallim Road: 3pm 2nd Saturday of the month: St Anne’s Church, 66 Sengkang East Way: 7.30pm Church of St Bernadette, 12 Zion Road: 1pm 3rd Saturday of the month: Church of Divine Mercy, 19 Pasir Ris St 72: 7.30pm 3rd Sunday of the month: Church of St Michael, 17 St Michael’s Road: 1.30pm Church of the Holy Cross, 450 Clementi Avenue 1: 3pm 4th Saturday of the month: Church of St Anthony, 25 Woodlands Avenue 1: 7.30pm

4th Sunday of the month: Church of St Joseph, 143 Victoria Street: 5pm 1st Friday of the month: Philippines Embassy, 20 Nassim Road: 5.30 pm ENGLISH MASSES WITH PREACHING IN TAGALOG: 1st Friday of the month: Church of St Bernadette: 8pm 1st Tuesday of the month: Church of Divine Mercy, 19 Pasir Ris Street 72: 8pm 5th Saturday of the month: Changi Prison (for all inmates): 3pm ENGLISH MASS: 1st Sunday of the month: Filodep, 49A Holland Road (rotation between Msgr Eugene Vaz and Fr Angel Luciano): 1pm

20

Sunday November 2, 2014 „ CatholicNews

SPOTLIGHT ON SAINTS:

St Illtud

“You shall love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind,â€? Jesus answered. “This is the greatest and WKH ÂżUVW FRPPDQGPHQW 7KH VHFRQG LV OLNH LW <RX VKDOO ORYH \RXU QHLJKERXU as yourself. The whole law and the prophets depend on these two commandments.â€? Not long after, Jesus decided to ask the Pharisees a question of his RZQ DERXW WKH 0HVVLDK 7KH\ FRXOG

not answer, and they did not dare to ask Jesus any more of their tricky questions. „ Read more about it: Matthew 22

Q&A 1. Why did the Pharisees want to trick Jesus? 2. What commandment in the law did Jesus say was the greatest?

Wordsearch: „ IMAGE

6W ,OOWXG VL[WK FHQWXU\ LV RQH RI WKH PRVW FHOHEUDWHG VDLQWV RI „ LORD :DOHV +H LV VDLG WR KDYH EHHQ WKH FRXVLQ RI .LQJ $UWKXU DQG he got married while visiting the king. After visiting Arthur, „ TEACH he entered military service in Glamorgan. It is said that he entered the monastic life after his friends ZHUH NLOOHG LQ D KXQWLQJ DFFLGHQW +H DQG KLV ZLIH EHFDPH hermits and lived near a river. An angel appeared to him and told him to leave his wife, so he did and entered a monastery. +H OLYHG DV D KHUPLW EHVLGH DQRWKHU ULYHU EXW PDQ\ SHRple came to live and work with him. St Illtud’s monastery EHFDPH WKH ¿UVW JUHDW PRQDVWLF VFKRRO LQ :DOHV +H KDG WR ÀHH KLV PRQDVWHU\ IRU D WLPH EHFDXVH D ORFDO chieftain didn’t like him. A sea wall also collapsed and was DERXW WR UXLQ WKH PRQDVWHU\œV ODQG EXW WKH VDLQW ¿[HG WKH ZDOO E\ SHUIRUPLQJ D PLUDFOH St Illtud did some more traveling and died on one of his journeys. We honour him on Nov 6. „

„ TRICK

„ MAD

„ COIN

„ MIND

„ LAW

„ HEART

„ HEAL

„ SOUL

„ TRUTH

BIBLE TRIVIA: In Matthew 7, Jesus said to do to others whatever you would have them do to you. What special name do we give this teaching?

Bible Accent:

Answer to Bible Trivia: The golden rule.

There are many places in the Gospels ZKHUH -HVXV WDONV DERXW KRZ SHRSOH should love. Some of the things He WDXJKW DERXW ORYH VHHPHG UDGLFDO DW WKH WLPH For example, the people knew they were supposed to ORYH *RG EXW -HVXV WROG WKHP WR ORYH WKHLU HQHPLHV WRR 7KH SHRSOH DOVR NQHZ WKH\ VKRXOG ORYH WKHLU QHLJKERUV EXW WKH\ ZHUH WDXJKW WKDW WKHLU QHLJKERXUV ZHUH RQO\ SHRple of the same nationality and religion as them. Using the SDUDEOH RI WKH JRRG 6DPDULWDQ -HVXV WDXJKW WKH SHRSOH WKDW HYHU\RQH VKRXOG EH FRQVLGHUHG WKHLU QHLJKERXUV ZLWKRXW considering their religion or the country they came from. Jesus also gave His apostles a new commandment DERXW ORYH +H WROG WKHP WR ORYH RQH DQRWKHU EHFDXVH WKLV ORYH ZRXOG EH D VLJQ WR DOO ZKR VDZ LW WKDW WKH\ ZHUH IROlowers of Christ. „

PUZZLE: Many types of coins are talked about in the Bible. Of the eight coins listed below, which ones do you think were used in biblical time? Hint: There are four. Shilling

Shekel

Dime

Quadrans

Quarter

Pence

Drachma

Denarius

1.

2.

3.

4.

______________________________________________

______________________________________________

______________________________________________

______________________________________________

Answer to Wordsearch

As Jesus continued to teach and heal people, the Pharisees got together to decide how to stop Him. They thought WKH\ KDG ÂżQDOO\ FRPH XS ZLWK D EULOliant, foolproof way to do it. They decided to send their followers to speak to Jesus. Their followers would act very friendly and DVN -HVXV ZKDW VHHPHG WR EH D YHU\ LQnocent question: “Teacher, we know that you are a truthful man and that you teach the way of God in accordance with the truth. And you are not concerned with anyone’s opinion, for you do not regard a person’s status. Tell us, then, what is your opinion: Is it lawful to pay the census tax to Caesar or not?â€? Either way Jesus answered, the 3KDULVHHV ÂżJXUHG ZRXOG PDNH VRPH-

one mad at Him, either the people or the Roman rulers. But Jesus knew exactly what they were trying to do. “Show me the coin that pays the census tax,â€? He said to the Pharisees’ followers, who handed Him a Roman coin. “Whose image is this and whose inscription?â€? the Lord wanted to know. “Caesar’s,â€? they replied. “Thenâ€?, Jesus answered, “repay WR &DHVDU ZKDW EHORQJV WR &DHVDU DQG WR *RG ZKDW EHORQJV WR *RG´ The Pharisees’ followers were DPD]HG E\ -HVXVÂś DQVZHU DQG VLPSO\ walked away. But the Pharisees did not give up. They soon found another chance to try to trick Jesus. This time one of their experts on the law asked Jesus to name the greatest of the law’s commandments.

Answer to puzzle: Answers: Shekel, Quadrans, Drachma, Denarius

By Jennifer Ficcaglia

WHAT’S ON 21

Sunday November 2, 2014 „ CatholicNews

Register T: 6288 7901/6858 2716; E: cscretreats@gmail.com.

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

NOVEMBER 5 TO NOVEMBER 26 REQUIEM MASSES FOR THE DEPARTED SOULS OF THE ARCHDIOCESE OF SINGAPORE 8pm: Join us on Wednesdays to pray for the departed souls of the Archdiocese in Singapore. On Nov 5, we would pray for out departed bishops, on Nov 12, we would pray for our departed priests, on Nov 19, we would pray for our departed Religious and on Nov 26, we would be praying for our departed laity. Organised by St Joseph’s Church (Victoria Street). At St Joseph’s Church, 143 Victoria Street. Enquiries E: church143.stjoseph@yahoo.com.sg.

OCTOBER 25 TO DECEMBER 31 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 9.30am-11.30am. Register T: 9115 5673 (Andrew).

FRIDAY NOVEMBER 7 TO NOVEMBER 9 MARRIAGE ENCOUNTER WEEKEND 8pm (Fri) - 6pm (Sun): This is a live-in marriage enrichment programme for happily married couples. Come for this once-in-a-lifetime experience to equip yourselves on this till-the-end-of-time journey of love. Organised by Worldwide Marriage Encounter. At 201-B Punggol 17th Avenue. Register T: 9670 5390 (Vincent & Julyn); E: register@marriageencounter-sg.org; W: wwmesg.org.

OCTOBER 31 COME, ADORE – EUCHARISTIC HOLY HOUR WITH THE SAINTS 8pm-9pm: Join us and experience an intimate hour of worship and adoration of the real presence of our Lord as we prepare for All Saints and All Souls. The rite of exposition and benediction will be celebrated at 8pm, together with the exposition of the relics of saints and blessed. All are welcome. Organised by Ministry of Hope for the Unborn, Our Lady of Perpetual Succour. At Church of Our Lady of Perpetual Succour, 31 Siglap Hill. Enquiries E: massofhope@gmail.com.

NOVEMBER 8 MEDITATIVE PRAYER USING THE SONGS OF TAIZE 8pm: Come join us for a meditative prayer session using the songs of Taize. All are welcome. Organised by TaizĂŠ Community. At The Armenian Church of St Gregory the Illuminator, 60 Hill Street. Enquiries T: 9837 7256; E: bennycah@gmail.com.

OCTOBER 31 CHILDREN’S EUCHARISTIC ADORATION 7.45pm: We welcome all children to join us to adore Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament. Organised by Children Eucharistic Adoration Ministry. At Church of the Holy Spirit, 248 Upper Thomson Road.

NOVEMBER 15 FINDING GOD IN POPULAR MUSIC 9am-6pm: Inspired by the spiritual exercises of St Ignatius, this workshop uses popular music to help unlock the graces leading to freedom. Organised by CANA. At CANA, 55 Waterloo Street. Register T: 6338 4080; E: canatheplacetobe2013@gmail.com / seek. anthony@gmail.com.

NOVEMBER 1 TO NOVEMBER 2 INTERCESSION RETREAT 9am-6.30pm: Join us for a 2-day, nonstay in retreat where you can increase your understanding of intercession. Learn how to be an effective intercessor. There will be Mass, praise and worship, talks and testimonies, practical sessions on intercessory prayer leading and empowerment of the Holy Spirit. Organised by Catholic Spirituality Centre. At 1261 Upper Serangoon Road.

NOVEMBER 16 CELEBRATING INNER FREEDOM

– REDUCING HUMAN TOLL IN RELATIONSHIPS 9am-4pm: Join us for an experiential workshop and explore our inner landscape – needs and frustrations, learn a tool for UHÀHFWLRQ GLVFRYHU FRQQHFWLQJ KDELWV DQG language that build happy relationships and enhance personal effectiveness. Fee: $80. Organised by Lifesprings Canossian Spirituality Centre. At Lifesprings Canossian Spirituality Centre, 100 Jalan Merbok. Register T: 6466 2178 (Brenda); E: lifesprings@ singnet.com.sg. NOVEMBER 28 TO DECEMBER 7 OR DECEMBER 1 TO DECEMBER 7 QUIETING THE SOUL 2014 Join us for a silent retreat set in the beautiful Seven Fountain in Chiang Mai, Thailand. The dates include travel time. Organised by the Cenacle Sisters. Register T: 6565 2895 / 9722 3148; E: cenaclesing@gmail.com. For more info, visit www.catholic.org.sg/cenacle. NOVEMBER 29 TO NOVEMBER 30 THE EIGHT BIG PROBLEMS OF LIFE 9am-5pm (on both days): Gluttony, Greed, Anger, Acedia, Lust, Sadness, Vanity, Pride. How can we manage these human problems, transcend them and free ourselves to live more fully and joyfully? Join us for a weekend retreat led by Fr Laurence Freeman, OSB Benedictine monk and director of the World Community for Christian Meditation. Organised by World Community for Christian Meditation Singapore. At Catholic Junior College, 129 Whitley Road. Register T: 9661 0362 (Cecilie) / 9720 5802 (Emily); E: cecilie.dee@gmail.com / christianmemily@yahoo.com. NOVEMBER 30 BATTERY RELOADED – POWER RECHARGED 2pm-5pm: Are you feeling tired, burnt out or frustrated? Do you need a change or are you entering a new phase in life? This session will help you to identify your needs and explore your wants. Discover new and creative ways to live a more IXO¿OOLQJ OLIH )HH 2UJDQLVHG E\ Lifesprings Canossian Spirituality Centre. At Lifesprings Canossian Spirituality Centre, 100 Jalan Merbok. Register T: 6466 2178 (Brenda); E: lifesprings@ singnet.com.sg.

Crossword Puzzle 1122 1

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www.wordgamesforcatholics.com

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Follow St Teresa’s ‘holy hurry’ to share Gospel VATICAN CITY – On the feast of your heart with God and urges you St Teresa of Avila, Pope Francis to serve your brothers and sisters.â€? said he wished the whole Church Prayer was key to her life just would follow her example and be as it is key to the life of any Chrisin a “holy hurryâ€? to bring the Gos- tian, the pope said. St Teresa’s pel and God’s love to the world. example demonstrates that “pray“It is time to walk, proceeding LQJ LVQÂśW D ZD\ WR Ă€HH QRU GRHV LW along the pathways with joy, prayer, mean putting oneself in a bubble, brotherhood and this time lived as nor isolating oneself, but advancgrace,â€? the pope said on Oct 15 in a ing in a friendshipâ€? with God. letter to the bishop of Avila, Spain. While praying alone was imThe diocese is observing the 500th portant to St Teresa, he said, she anniversary of the knew that the birth of St Teresa, Christian joura mystic, reformer ney is not one of the Carmelite people can make order and doctor of alone. They need the Church, from brothers and sisthe Oct 15 feast ters and, even day through the more, they need date of her birth, their mother, the March 28. Church. Pope Francis “How I would asked Carmelite wish that today women to continue A portrait of St Teresa of Avila. there would be to study St Teresa’s more fraternal writings and “tell us who Mother Christian communities where this Teresa was and what she can teach journey is undertaken: proceeding us men and women of todayâ€?. in the truth of humility that frees us For him, he said, St Teresa from ourselves so that we can love teaches Catholics how to be pil- others more and better, especially grims and how to live their lives. the poor,â€? Pope Francis wrote. Joy, prayer, brotherhood and at- “There is nothing more beautiful tentiveness to the needs of the peo- than living and dying as children ple of her day were four things about of mother Church.â€? her that stand out, the pope wrote. Being part of the Church and Every saint reveals something loving others, he said, means payabout God and St Teresa showed ing attention to the world’s probthat “God rejoices with usâ€?, he said. OHPV DQG UHVSRQGLQJ WR WKH GLIÂżHer joy was not fake and did not culties of modern men and women. pretend that life was without trials, “If only we all would be infecthe said, but at the same time, St Te- ed with this holy hurry to go out and resa teaches that “the Gospel is not walk the paths of our age with the a sack of lead that you drag heav- Gospel in our hands and the Spirit LO\ EXW WKH VRXUFH RI MR\ WKDW ÂżOOV in our hearts,â€? the pope wrote. „ CNS

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Sunday November 2, 2014 CatholicNews

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