FEBRUARY 8, 2015, Vol 65, No 03

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Spending time with the sick is ‘holy time’ ... says Pope Francis in his message for the 2015 World Day of the Sick

NO. 03

INSIDE HOME Commissioning of school leaders Four new principals appointed „ Page 5

VATICAN CITY – “Quality of life�

proponents who think the gravely ill lead lives not worth living are peddling a great lie, Pope Francis said in a message for the 2015 World Day of the Sick.

Criticising attitudes that devalue human lives, especially the lives of those who suffer from serious illness, Pope Francis highlighted the importance of offering increased care and concern instead, urging people to demonstrate a compassion that does not judge.

The World Day of the Sick is celebrated annually on Feb 11, the feast of Our Lady of Lourdes. “How great a lie,� he wrote, “lurks behind certain phrases which so insist on the importance of ‘quality of life’ that they make people think that lives affected by grave illness are not worth living.�

Pope Francis invited people to see the world and those who are sick or in need of care with “the wisdom of the heart,� which is pure, peaceable, gentle, open to reason, merciful, certain and sincere. “It is a way of seeing things infused by the Holy Spirit in the minds and the hearts of those who are sensitive to the sufferings of their brothers and sisters and who can see in them the image of God,� he wrote.

Having “wisdom of the heart� means going out of oneself and serving others with compassion and without judgment – unlike those who, in the biblical story of Job, who thought Job’s misfortune “was a punishment from God for his sins�, the pope said in his message. “True charity is a sharing which does not judge, which does not demand the conversion of others; it is free of that false humility which, deep down, seeks praise

VOL 65

Following pope in Manila and Sri Lanka Singapore residents share share their experiences „ Pages 6-7

ASIA Conference of Religious superiors Muslim speakers talk about Islamisation „ Page 9

Obama in India A Missionaries of Charity nun supports a patient in a hospice in Port-au-Prince, Haiti. The World Day of the Sick falls on Feb 11 every year. &16 Âżle photo

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How great a lie ... lurks behind certain phrases which so insist on the importance of “quality of life� that they make people think that lives affected by grave illness are not worth living!

DQG LV VHOI VDWLV¿HG DERXW ZKDWever good it does,� he wrote.

He said an “effective charity and a compassion which understands, assists and promotesâ€? springs from the Church’s misVLRQDU\ QDWXUH DQG UHĂ€HFWV WKH “absolute priorityâ€? of “going forth from ourselves towards our brothers and sistersâ€?.

Leading a hectic life makes people forget about the importance of generously serving and being

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responsible for others, he wrote. “Behind this attitude, there is often a lukewarm faith,� he said, “which has forgotten the Lord’s words� in the Gospel of Matthew that “whatever you did for one of these least brothers of mine, you did for me�.

Spending time with the sick DQG LQÂżUP ÂłLV KRO\ WLPH ,W LV D ZD\ of praising God who conforms us to the image of his Son, who ‘came not to be served but to serve’â€? and

LW LV D ÂłJUHDW SDWK RI VDQFWLÂżFDWLRQ´ The pope recognised the enorPRXV GLIÂżFXOWLHV DQG EXUGHQV DVsociated with offering long-term care to the ill, but he underlined how it offered a special way to get closer to God and support the Church’s mission. “With lively faith let us ask the Holy Spirit to grant us the grace to appreciate the value of our often unspoken willingness to spend time with these sisters and brothers who, thanks to our closeness and affection, feel more loved and comforted,â€? the pope wrote. „ CNS The full message is available at http:// w2.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/ messages/sick/documents/papa-francesco_20141203_giornata-malato.html

Catholic leader welcome his address on religious freedom „ Page 11

POPE FRANCIS In visit to Philippines and Sri Lanka‌ Tells Filipinos to protect family „ Pages 16-18

Canonises Sri Lanka’s ¿UVW VDLQW „ Page 19

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Sunday February 8, 2015 „ CatholicNews

Orthodox, Catholic, Protestant They encourage all Christians to put aside differences, stand

By Lorna O’Hara “There should be better communication between pastors and laity regarding services like this. There could also be intra-faith games or a friendship day, so that we can play together, pray together and serve together,� said Mr Mun Loon Lai, 30, from the Yishun Methodist Mission. “I noticed that today’s service was so solemn. I feel that it should be done differently by having lots of praise and worship. That will get everyone including the youths excited,� said 21-year-old Jabez Tan, from the Convenant Evangelical Free Church, who attended the third service.

These were some of the comments given after the Jan 18-25 Christian Unity Week services, which had the theme: Jesus Said to Her, “Give Me a Drink.�

In Singapore, four services were held in various churches on Jan 19, 21, 22, and 23.

Orthodox Christians joined Catholics and Protestants, from six different denomination, in these services. After every service, fellowship over food and drink followed. A total of at least 400 attended the services.

The hour-long services featured hymns, Gospel readings from St John, which were related to the parable of the Samaritan woman, a sermon, the Nicene Creed, intercessory prayers, the Lord’s Prayer, benediction and exchange of the sign of peace.

The highlight of the services however, was when the ministers faced the laity, and raising their ULJKW KDQG WKH\ UHDG WKH ÂżQDO EOHVVing together.

Catholic priests, pastors from the various Christian denominations, and a priest from one of the Syrian Orthodox churches, took turns to deliver sermons.

First service )RU WKH ÂżUVW VHUYLFH KHOG DW WKH Catholic Church of St Ignatius, Msgr Philip Heng, Vicar General (Ecumenical Relations), delivered the sermon. “In ecumenism there will always be those who are either sceptical or negative in their views of what we can hope to achieve in our efforts of Christian unity,â€? said Msgr Heng.

As a reminder, he told those present that Christians, even with their differences, “should remember that God’s spirit of unity would see through our efforts to build unity among believers of Christ�. “Thus ecumenical dialogue itself should serve as an examination of conscience. It is not simply that the other must convert. We all must be converted through Christ,� he added.

Other ministers present were Rev Fr Abey Chacko from the St Thomas Orthodox Syrian Cathedral; Anglican Archdeacon Wong Tak Meng,

From left: Fr John Joseph Fenelon (Church of Our Lady Star of the Sea), Msgr Philip Heng (Vicar General, Ecumenical Relations), Major Lim Chee Kwee (Salvation Army), Rev Fr Abey Chacko (St Thomas Orthodox Syrian Cathedral), Rev Shibu P Varghese (Mar Thoma Syrian Church), Rev Malcolm Tan (Covenant Community Methodist Church), Rev Martin Jungnickels (St John’s-St Margaret’s Church), Rev Fr Greger R Kollanoor (St Mary’s Jacobite Syrian Orthodox Cathedral) and Rev Jacob Johnson (Church of South India Congregation).

In ecumenism there will ‘always be those who are either sceptical or negative in their views of what we can hope to achieve in our efforts of Christian unity.

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– Msgr Philip Heng

vicar of St Hilda’s Church; Rev Lim Kim Hock from the Lutheran Church of Our Redeemer; Rev Gabriel Liew from the Kampong Kapor Methodist Church, and Pastor Andy Esguerra, from the International Baptist Church of Singapore.

Second service The second Christian Unity Week evening service was slightly different from the rest. Held at the Covenant Community Methodist Church (CCMC), green booklets were handed out to the laity at the door. The booklets contained John Welsey’s letter to a Roman Catholic, his sermons, as well as two statements by Evangelicals and Catholics.

7KH ÂżUVW VWDWHPHQW FDOOHG (&7 Statement I, was written by promi-

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We celebrate our unity in Jesus Christ that already exist because it is a gift for us from the Lord.

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The similarities [between Christians] are far greater than the differences.

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– Rev Malcolm Tan from the Covenant Community Methodist Church

– Fr John Joseph Fenelon, parish priest of the Church of Our Lady Star of the Sea

nent Catholic and Protestant church leaders in 1994. The statement’s purpose was to advance Christian fellowship, cooperation and mutual trust between Evangelical Protestants and Roman Catholics. The second called ECT Statement II, was a brief statePHQW RI FODUL¿FDWLRQ EDVHG RQ ZKDW was presented in ECT Statement I. It was published in October 1997.

Rev Malcolm Tan, CCMC’s pastor-in-charge, delivered the sermon. Rev Tan said “We celebrate our unity in Jesus Christ that already exists because it is a gift for us from the Lord.�

He added that when the Samaritan woman asked Jesus which was the best place to worship, that question is similar to the times when one asks, “which is the right church to go to?�

“And do you know what was Jesus’s answer? It’s not where you worship. It’s about how you worship. It’s whether or not we worship the living God in spirit and in truth... It’s about how we worship from our hearts,� said Rev Tan. He stressed that even though a person might study in a Methodist school, he could end up receiving Jesus in a Catholic Church. In the end, “we are all working together,� he said.

Other ministers who took part in the second service included Pastor Ling Kin Yew from the Covenant Community Methodist Church; Msgr Philip Heng; Fr John Joseph Fenelon, parish priest of the Church of Our Lady Star of the Sea (OLSS); Friar Derrick Yap from the Church of St Mary of the

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We are appointed by God to transform this world... to reach out to different individuals, to help them experience the love God has given to us.

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– Rev Shibu P Varghese from the Mar Thoma Syrian Church in Singapore

Angels, and Rev Chan Mei Ming from the Leng Kwang Baptist Church.

Third service Day three of the Christian Unity Week services, was hosted on Jan 22 by OLSS. Parish priest, Fr Fenelon, delivered the sermon.

After reading the Gospel, Fr Fenelon shared that “The encounter between Jesus and the Samaritan woman invites us to try water from a different well and also to offer a little of our own.� “In diversity, we enrich each other. The Week of Prayer for Christian Unity is a privileged „ Continued on Page 3

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Sunday February 8, 2015 CatholicNews

leaders pray for Christian unity up for the defenceless during Christian Unity Week services Church, an Anglican church, as he was unable to attend the service.

Wrapping up the Christian Unity Week

Church leaders and laity exchange the sign of peace at the St Thomas Orthodox Syrian Cathedral on Jan 23.

From Page 2

moment for prayer, encounter and dialogue,” he said.

“It is an opportunity to recognise the richness and value that are present in the other, the different, and to ask God for the gift of unity.”

Fr Fenelon also shared that his wish for this year’s SG50 campaign is for all in Singapore, especially Christians, to bring back the “kampong culture” where “gifts will be exchanged”.

“The similarities [between Christians] are far greater than the differences,”he said.

7KH ¿QDO EOHVVLQJ ZDV JLYHQ E\ Fr Fenelon; Rev Martin Kee from the Jurong Christian Church; Rev Dr Niam Kai Yew from the Yishun Methodist Mission; Fr Derrick Yap, Fr Jude David; Pastor Ling Kin Yew from CCMC, and Mr Moon Loon Lai from Yishun Methodist Mission. Mr Moon took the place of Rev Joshua Sudharmen from St John’s-St Margaret’s

7KH ¿QDO VHUYLFH ZDV KHOG RQ -DQ 23, at the St Thomas Orthodox Syrian Cathedral.

Upon arrival, it was a different experience for the Catholics and Protestants who came, as footwear had to be removed and placed neatly outside the main hall.

The sermon, delivered by Rev Varghese from the Mar Thoma Syrian Church in Singapore, was about the need for Christians to stand up for the defenceless.

“In the Middle East, the Christian community there is very little and the media shows that there is a lot of suffering happening,” said Rev Varghese.

“At times we feel like helping them but how many of us are serious about that?” he asked.

“We are appointed by God to transform this world, to break all the boundaries, to reach out to different individuals, to help them experience the love God has given to us.

We must be united” so that we can bring the love of Christ to everyone, he concluded.

In total, nine ministers, the most out of the four services, were present: Fr John Joseph Fenelon from OLSS; Msgr Philip Heng; Major Lim Chee Kwee from the Salvation Army; Rev Fr Abey Chacko, the vicar of the St Thomas Orthodox Syrian Cathedral; Rev Shibu P Varghese from the Mar Thoma Syrian Church;

Rev Malcolm Tan from CCMC; Rev Martin Jungnickels from St John’s-St Margaret’s Church; Rev Fr Greger R Kollanoor from the St Mary’s Jacobite Syrian Orthodox Church, and Rev Jacob Johnson from the Church of South India Congregation. lorna.ohara@catholic.org.sg

Participants suggest ways to forge unity: come together to ‘seeWehowshould we can help the poor. It would also be good if we could have family workshops for all Christians.

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– Ms Sarah Biju George, 47, from the Syrian Orthodox Church

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We could have a more structured fellowship in future, like icebreaking, as it would help everyone get to know each other better.

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– Mr David Aw, 21, from the Wesley Methodist Church

Educate people of different ‘Christian denominations about See also story on Page 15

the reason why they wear certain robes, or why they preach or pray the way they do.

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– Ms Cheryl Giam, 22, Covenant Community Methodist Church

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There is a need for more publicity and more involvement by pastors from all Christian churches.

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– Ms Lillian Ong, 50s, from Covenant Community Methodist Church

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It would be good for us to have more dialogue among Christians.

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– Mr Irving Teo, 36, from the Church of Sts Peter and Paul

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Sunday February 8, 2015 „ CatholicNews

Catholics learn about Sikhism through visit to temple

The granthi, (extreme right) who is the temple’s caretaker, describes how Sikhs use the Guru Granth Sahib or Holy Book to pray.

By Lorna O’Hara Catholics from various parishes were greeted with a surprise even before they stepped into the Central Sikh Temple at 2 Towner Road. They caught a glimpse of a newly-wed Sikh couple.

The 16 Catholics including the executive secretary of the Archdiocesan Catholic Council for Interreligious Dialogue (ACCIRD), Mr Gerald Kong, learnt

more about Sikhism on Jan 24.

As a sign of respect, the group removed their footwear, washed their hands, and covered their heads with bandanas and scarfs.

A highlight of the visit was when tour leader, Ms Manjit Kaur, gave a slideshow on the history of Sikhism. She also answered questions posed by the participants.

She started her presentation by demonstrating the Sikh way of greeting guests. “We would put

our hands together and say, Sat Sri Akaal,� she said.

Ms Kaur shared that Sikhs believe in living a truthful and honest life on earth. “We do not believe in heaven as we believe that salvation is here on earth because when we die, we do not know what happens to us,� she added.

Ms Kaur also spoke about the turban which is worn to preserve the Sikh identity, as well as to promote equality. She then went on to H[SODLQ WKH 6LNKVÂś ÂżYH $UWLFOHV RI Faith.

7KH ÂżUVW DUWLFOH LV WKH kirpan or dagger, which is carried by Sikhs to “protect the defencelessâ€?, she said.

The second article, the kesh, refers to long hair. As “hair is a

Ms Manjit Kaur explaining the origins of Sikhism to the group.

gift from God, we should not cut it�, said Ms Kaur.

Next is the kangha or a small wooden comb, which is worn in the hair and used to keep it neat.

The last two Articles of Faith include the kacchera or undergarment, and the kara which is a steel or iron bracelet worn on the right hand.

Boxer shorts are to be worn to GHĂ€HFW OXVWIXO WKRXJKWV ZKLOH WKH bracelet is worn as a reminder to Sikhs of their faith, said Ms Kaur.

Another point shared by Ms Kaur was on the gurus. Even though guru when translated to English means “teacher�, Sikhs “believe that they [the gurus] bring us from darkness to light�, she said.

Ms Kaur also spoke about the

Sikh’s Holy Book which is called the Guru Granth Sahib.

At the end of the presentation, Catholics asked some questions.

A male participant asked why some Sikh boys cut their hair. “It’s a trend now but it’s up to parents to instil the Sikh principles in their children,� said Ms Kaur. “Do Sikh women have to change their surname when they get married?� asked a female participant.

Women can keep their surnames, she said. “In Sikhism, men and women are all equal.�

Ms Kaur shared with CatholicNews later that she was “very happy� to be able to “show Catholics around�.

The group then proceeded to the main hall where the Sikh

The group comprising 16 Catholics visited the gurdwara and had a meal thereafter with other Sikhs in the common canteen. granthi or the temple’s caretaker demonstrated how Sunday services were held.

They also enjoyed some samosas and sweets in the canteen while having a cup of tea.

In the canteen, volunteer cooks were busy providing free food for anyone who visited the temple. “I like the way the Sikhs have an open canteen. It’s the fellowship that they have that makes them stronger,� said a female participant from the Blessed Sacrament Church. “These trips allow us to understand other religions. It is great as now we know how to approach others who come from different faiths,� said a male participant from the Church of the Holy Family.

A similar visit to the temple took place in September 2013. „ lorna.ohara@catholic.org.sg

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Sunday February 8, 2015 CatholicNews

Four new principals of Catholic schools commissioned It was a special day for the Catholic Church as Archbishop William Goh commissioned four new principals of Catholic schools on Jan 24.

To commemorate the occasion, there was a special Mass held in which Archbishop Goh was the main celebrant.

Organised by the Archdiocesan Commission for Catholic Schools, the four new school principals commissioned that day were Mr Wilbur Wong, Montfort Junior School; Mr Mark Gerard Minjoot, Montfort Secondary School, Madam Soh Lai Leng, Catholic High School; and Mr Kevin Hannah, SJI International Elementary School.

More than a hundred family members, friends, educators, colleagues, students and fellow principals attended the Mass, which was held at the chapel of St Joseph’s Institution International.

In his homily, Archbishop Goh reminded all present that every human person ultimately “has a vocation to be a child of God, who shares in the life and love of God”.

“Isn’t education a pursuit of truth and love?” he asked.

He then explained that Catholic schools provide not only academic formation but also human, moral, psychological, and most importantly, spiritual formation.

“This is what makes a person human. Because every human person who has a soul, is seeking for

God ultimately. In every person, the heart is restless,” he added.

He added that he hopes that principals, Catholic educators, and those working in Catholic schools, will continue to build their faith while holding onto Catholic principles, “because we cannot give what we do not have.”

Concluding his homily, Archbishop Goh said that those who work in Catholic schools should not be afraid to teach and guide students according to Christian values, because “the very fact that parents have chosen to send their child to a Catholic school, means they are saying ‘this is a good place for my child’.”

At the end of the homily, all principals and vice-principals present were invited to recite a prayer of commitment and received a blessing from the archbishop.

Mr Wilbur Wong, was formerly the deputy director for the Engagement and Research Division at the Ministry of Education.

Mr Mark Minjoot was principal of Greendale Secondary School from 2008 to 2014.

Madam Soh Lai Leng, was principal of Holy Innocents’ High School for six years.

Mr Kevin Hannah, SJI International Elementary School, was previously the Head of Junior School at All Hallows School in Somerset, UK. He also has had experence working in Perth, Jakarta, London and Kuala Lumpur.

Coming up: Catholic Education Conference There will be a Catholic Education Conference (CEC) from 8 am-5 pm, on March 16 at St Gabriel’s Secondary School.

The March 16 conference, organised by the Archdiocesan Commission for Catholic Schools (ACCS), is themed: Character of Catholic Schools.

The conference aims to provide a better understanding of the character of Catholic schools, and its role in Singapore today. ,W DOVR KRSHV WR DI¿UP DQG encourage all staff, both Catholic and non-Catholic, in their calling by providing a better understanding of what it means to be a Catholic school, as well as their roles in nurturing a Catholic ethos in Catholic educational institutes.

There will be discussions and talks by keynote speaker, Jesuit Fr Christopher Gleeson, a Melbourne-based Provincial Delegate for Education and Mission Formation.

“We are blessed to have Fr Gleeson at this year’s conference. He has a wealth of experi-

Fr Christopher Gleeson will be the keynote speaker.

ence in leading schools through their formation to build a Catholic character,” said Mr Stephen Chin, chairman of the CEC organising committee.

This conference is an avenue “to encourage us to work together and inspire one another in our mission of providing Catholic education here in Singapore”, said Fr Edward Seah, ACCS’ director ad interim.

To register or ¿nd out more about the Catholic (ducation Conference 201 , visit http://accs.sg/cec-201 /

From left: Mr Wilbur Wong (Montfort Junior School), Mr Mark Minjoot (Montfort Sec School), Fr Adrian Danker, SJ, Archbishop William Goh, Fr Edward Seah, Madam Soh Lai Leng (Catholic High School) and Mr Kevin Hannah (SJI International Elementary School).

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Sunday February 8, 2015 „ CatholicNews

Singapore residents take part in Pope Francis’

By Maria Victoria P Villareal Surprises. We experienced our fair share of these on the road to and at the exhilarating and faith-enriching visit of Pope Francis to the Philippines.

We were invited last August to be part of the 1,000-member choir IRU WKH SRSHÂśV FORVLQJ 0DVV RQ -DQ 18. This was after we sang as one of the choirs supporting Jesuit Fr Manoling Francisco in his prayer FRQFHUW DW WKH &KXUFK RI 2XU /DG\ Queen of Peace.

As fellow chorister, Mr Ben Dominguez, said, “We were not expecting that something bigger than the Fr Manoling concert was going to happen. It was humbling and really exciting.�

2XU JURXS 6W )UDQFLV ;DYLHU &KRLU FRPSULVHV PRVWO\ SDULVKLRQHUV RI WKH &KXUFKHV RI 6W ,JQDWLXV and St Vincent de Paul, as well as &KXUFK RI WKH 'LYLQH 0HUF\ :H VWDUWHG UHKHDUVDOV LQ 2FWREHU by learning the basic melody of the newly composed liturgical hymns.

The choral arrangements for all voices would come a month later. With each practice we gelled as a group. ,Q PLG 'HFHPEHU , ÀHZ EDFN WR 0DQLOD WR DWWHQG D IULHQGœV ZHGGLQJ DQG FHOHEUDWH &KULVWPDV DQG 1HZ Year with my family. A new work RSSRUWXQLW\ KDG MXVW ¿]]OHG RXW VR I took the chance to extend my stay until a few days after the pope left Manila.

How fortuitous this turned out to be! I was the only one from our group who got to attend all the combined choir and orchestra rehearsals. A recollection was also conducted for the choir members and other helpers.

During the recollection, we were reminded that while it was understandable to be proud of being part of this incredible event, we should not brag about it. Each of us was called and chosen by God not because of our abilities nor good singing voices, but for the very reaVRQ RI GRLQJ *RGÂśV ZRUN 7KLV ZDV a service, not a performance.

Finally, on Jan 17, our contingent got to rehearse at the Quirino Grandstand with the full choir and orchestra. We also took this time

Being part of ‘the choir was truly an unexpected divine appointment!

Pope Francis was right to say, ‘Let God surprise you’.

- Ms Joy Bautista

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Left: The Singaporebased choir members after the papal Mass on Jan 18. The author is on the extreme right, third row.

Photo: MARKY CANIOS

Singapore-based choristers sing in Manila papal Mass to familiarise ourselves with the placements and positions during the Mass, the venue entrances, exits and washrooms.

Ms Joy Bautista, remarked, “Being part of the choir was truly an unexpected divine appointment!Pope )UDQFLV ZDV ULJKW WR VD\ Âľ/HW *RG VXUSULVH \RXÂś ´

The big day Despite anticipating a huge turnout, none of us was prepared for the deluge of people along the papal PRWRUFDGH URXWH 2XU FDOO WLPH ZDV a good six hours before the event, yet many of us knew we had to be on foot much earlier than that.

A group of us, six women, left our hotel with the objective of crossing to the side of the road

cleared for the papal motorcade as quickly as possible, to avoid the crowds.

This initially seemed bleak since there was no break for us to go through. I prayed for a path to be cleared and lo and behold, a few metres in front of us was an overpass closed-off for security purposes.

We were even escorted across to the other side by security men! I was awed by the manner in which God answered my simple request. ,Q 0DQLOD WKH SRSHÂśV VLQFHUity was met with a disciplined, joyful, patient and resilient crowd that no amount of waiting, crowding, walking nor inclement weather could disperse. Watching them gave me goosebumps.

Another of our members, Ms

Pamela Joyce Foronda, recalled, “The many months of preparaWLRQ KDYH ÂżQDOO\ FRPH WR WKLV DQG a different kind of excitement was building up within me – one that made me sit in reverent silence – as we waited for the pope to arrive.â€?

As we sang with much gusto, some of us held back tears. All of us shared an exhilarating feeling of elation. We felt incredibly blessed and grateful.

0V 3DPHODÂśV VLVWHU 0VDominique Joyce, echoed the sentiments of many of us: “Tears unFRQWUROODEO\ Ă€RZHG IURP P\ H\HV when I saw the people welcoming the pope at every possible location, when I saw the pope and his smile, when I heard the message the pope brought with him through his speeches and his actions.

Touched by the pope and his message Even from afar, I immediately felt the I stood in the choir, I saw the masses of Francis is the most wonderful exam‘Pope SRSHÂśV FRQVROLQJ SUHVHQFH DQG ZDV LQ DZH drenched people and hearing the pope ple of humility and service to mankind. For ‘ PH KH WUXO\ IXOÂżOV KLV UROH DV &KULVWÂśV YLFDU I saw Jesus in him as he went through the crowds, pausing to kiss the children and to touch the sick. He humbled me in so many ways. If the pope himself is able to do this, VR VKRXOG ZH DV PHPEHUV RI KLV Ă€RFN My heart is bursting with thanksgiving DQG P\ IDLWK KDV GHÂżQLWHO\ EHHQ UHNLQGOHG by this experience with Pope Francis. I am SURSHOOHG WR QRZ ÂżQG ZD\V WR SXW P\ IDLWK into action. – Ms Gladys Casacop Torrado

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of his eagerness to reach out to the masses that grew in number despite the steady rain.

During the Mass, I found myself choking back tears in an effort to sing, and on WKH SRSHœV VHFRQG WLPH WR JR DURXQG >WR greet] the people after the Mass, I felt greatly humbled... – Ms Pamela Joyce Foronda

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I was overawed. Tears fell when I saw him waving from his popemobile. Seeing him strengthened my faith‌ From where

speak with compassion was very moving.

I was touched by the homily, especially when he strongly encouraged family prayer. We are trying to do that as a family. – Ms Grace Angel

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entrusted the Filipinos to ‘thePopeSantoFrancis NiĂąo, and we are especially

FDOOHG WR EH ÂľRXWVWDQGLQJÂś PLVVLRQDULHV of the faith. This tells me that one should not stop at just being good, but must work towards holiness. Pope Francis is proof

“Whatever caused the onset of these tears was inexplicable. All I can say is that those tears seem to wash away all worries and just left me with a feeling of joy and peace.�

The pope leaves us humbled by his actions and challenged as to KRZ WR OLYH &KULVWÂśV WHDFKLQJV RI mercy and compassion especially to those in the peripheries.

Perhaps our collective feelings are best summed up by Mr Dominguez, who helped out at the prayer concert and gave his all at the papal Mass. “The whole experience was one for the books! It was very special singing with the pope, for God. The one thing you love to do and doing it for the glory of God, it was quite humbling.� „

that this is achievable, and if we say he inspires us, then we must be compelled to do as he says and does – to be true to our LGHQWLW\ DV PHPEHUV RI *RGœV IDPLO\ – Ms Joy Bautista

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I was touched by his message to stick to WKH YDOXHV WDXJKW E\ WKH &KXUFK DQG H[HUcise mercy and compassion to the abused and abandoned. , UHDOLVHG WKDW LQ P\ RZQ IDPLO\ ,œP not as compassionate. I must change this before I can be merciful and compassionate to others. – Mr Arenas Mark Aniceto

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Sunday February 8, 2015 „ CatholicNews

Jan 13-19 visit to the Philippines and Sri Lanka

‘Ecstatic’ in Sri Lanka Among the thousands who stood for hours under the blazing sun to catch a glimpse of Pope Francis, who arrived in Sri Lanka on Jan 13, was a group of 15 Singaporeans, including pre-press foreman Angela Perumal-Schooling.

She said that upon seeing the pope, she was “ecstatic�.

Ms Perumal-Schooling, who is a parishioner at the Church of St Bernadette shared with CatholicNews that it was “a truly jubilant moment for the group�.

The group included Chinese, Indian and Eurasians from various parishes.

The group had a good view and “We all had a good snap of our dearest pope,� said Ms PerumalSchooling.

They were also “touched to see the sincerity of a family who prepared cold drinks at no cost, going out of their way to distribute it with a personal touch to all, including foreigners. A true Christian spirit of love,� she said.

To prepare for the Jan 14 Mass and the canonisation of Blessed Joseph Vaz, the group woke up as early as 3 am to get ready.

But as the Galle Face Green

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I felt an aura of God’s presence [which] ¿lled the whole place and for one moment, it was so exhilarating [that] tears Must Àowed freely.

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– Ms Christina Selvam, a Singaporean who went to Sri Lanka to see Pope Francis

The group from Singapore including Ms Angela Perumal-Schooling (left foreground), waiting for Pope Francis after he arrived in Sri Lanka on Jan 17.

was already packed by the time the group arrived, the group had to “snake our way through the sea of people,� she said.

Fortunately for the group, they were once again blessed with a “good view�, said Ms PerumalSchooling.

During the Mass, Ms PerumalSchooling said that she made her

way to the main altar “with the help RI D 6UL /DQNDQ RIÂżFLDO´ WR JHW D better view of the pope.

It was her second time seeing a pope, and this was “an inspiring moment for someone whom I hold close to my heart, leading his sheep through all the turmoils on earth�.

The group also learnt humility

braving the hot weather as Pope Francis, dressed in his attire, made his way down the streets, “waving to all with a warm, tired smile�, she said.

Throughout the trip, Ms Chris-

tina Selvam, who was part of the group said, “I felt an aura of God’s SUHVHQFH >ZKLFK@ ÂżOOHG WKH ZKROH place and for one moment, it was so exhilarating [that] tears just Ă€RZHG IUHHO\ ´ Ms Selvam who is the sisterin-law of Ms Perumal-Schooling, helped to make the trip possible.

She shared some of her contacts in Sri Lanka who helped to plan for the trip.

Ms Perumal-Schooling’s husband, Jock, said that he was fortunate to have met Pope Francis.

He also said that he felt spiritually uplifted when he saw the pope’s “smile of love�.

Prior to the trip, Ms Perumal-Schooling said the group prayed for safety, and catechists from the Church of St Bernadette also kept them in their prayers. „

8 HOME

Sunday February 8, 2015 „ CatholicNews

Past and present NFP instructors gather

CONCERT REVIEW

Fr Ricky Manalo performing one of his songs. Photo: PUJIANTO CEMERLANG

Eastern melodies with western harmonies

Past and present instructors (above) were honoured at the reunion; and Dr and Mrs Victor Wee (right) shared memorable experiences.

By Theresa Khoo

By Teresa Phua Natural Family Planning Service Singapore (NFP) held a reunion with over 80 past and current instructors and their families on Jan 17 at Orchid Country Club.

Mass was concelebrated

by Sacred Heart Fr Anthony Hutjes and Dominican Fr David Garcia.

Sharing their most memorable occasions and anecdotes to

huge applause were Dr Victor and Mrs Vivienne Wee, together with Dr Ian Snodgrass.

NFP instructors have been

promoting the method since the early 70s. Besides promoting self-awareness, NFP is also couple-oriented and promotes sharing and joint responsibility in planning a family.

There are now 13 centres and 32 volunteer instructors teaching the Billings Ovulation Method from Mondays to Sundays at selected parishes.

For more information on NFP and Billings Ovulation Method, visit http://naturalfamilyplanning.sg „

It was a concert out of the ordinary as contemplative prayer took centre stage.

Fr Ricky Manalo’s opening hymn, the haunting Be Still and Know I’m Here, was a crowd favourite.

Performing at the Spirit and Grace Jan 23 evening concert at the Church of St Mary of the Angels, he was joined by a choir of about 30, and the parish’s instrumentalists.

But it wasn’t just any concert performance which showcased the American Paulist priest’s compositions. Instead, contemplative prayer took centre stage.

Despite bantering with a crowd of 700, many of whom had queued in true Singaporean fashion for an hour to reserve seats, Fr Ricky looked relaxed even while nursing a bad back.

He sang with the audience

and shared the stories behind his songs, giving a glimpse of his creative genius at work. ,QĂ€XHQFHG E\ KLV )LOLSLQR roots and interest in the Asian culture, Fr Ricky, through his compositions, makes Asian music accessible even to Western listeners.

His songs such as Many and Great, Ang Katawan ni Kristo (The Body of Christ) and By the Waking of our Hearts, consist of eastern melodies infused with western harmonies, resulting in achingly memorable hymns.

In the end, Fr Ricky left a lasting impact on his audience.

And his audience couldn’t agree more. “This has been such a spiritÂżOOHG QLJKW ´ VDLG 0V &KULVWLQH Shiw, who was visibly moved by Fr Ricky’s music. “This concert helped me to pause in the business of life, be with God and sing praises to +LP ´ VDLG 0V %LELDQD 7HK „ CORRECTION: In the story, Restaurant Owners Share How They Put Their Faith Into Practice (CN, Jan 25), the restaurant owners’ names should be Christopher James and Esther Wee. Dr Lu Di, the Chinese business director mentioned in the story, is a woman.

ASIA 9

Sunday February 8, 2015 „ CatholicNews

Religious superiors conference features Muslim speakers

By Sr Wendy Ooi, FSP The Conference of Religious Major Superiors (CRMS) of MalayVLD DQG 6LQJDSRUH KHOG WKH ÂżUVW RI their bi-annual meetings this year from Jan 14-16 in Petaling Jaya, Selangor.

7ZHQW\ ÂżYH VXSHULRUV RI WKH YDULRXV 5HOLJLRXV FRQJUHJDWLRQV in both countries met to plan, disFXVV DQG VKDUH YDULRXV FRQFHUQV pertaining to their ministries and the Church.

A highlight of the three-day conference was a panel discussion with Muslim speakers, which WRRN SODFH RQ WKH ÂżQDO GD\ 7KH HYHQW VWDUWHG ZLWK D 0DVV

by Apostolic Nuncio to Malaysia, Archbishop Joseph Marino, who expressed his appreciation IRU WKH 5HOLJLRXV ZKLOH LQYLWLQJ WKHP WR EH ³FUHDWLYH DQG YHUVDtile� in attending to both the human and spiritual needs of those WKH\ VHUYH The nuncio reminded the superiors of Pope Francis’ desire for a Church that is not merely concerned with itself and its rules but a Church which opens its doors to exclude no one.

This set the tone for a symposium on Islamisation and Dialogue which followed.

Lawyer Zainah Anwar, founder of Sisters-in-Islam; National 8QLYHUVLW\ RI 6LQJDSRUH $VVRFLate Professor Syed Farid Alatas, and journalist Marina Mahathir were the guest panelists.

Ms Anwar spoke on the challenges of the politicisation of Islam in Malaysia. Her work in Sisters-in-Islam, which pushes for procedural change, hopes to SURYLGH D FOHDUHU YLVLRQ RI WKH rich heritage of Islam which can VHUYH VRFLHW\ WRGD\ 6KH VWUHVVHG the need for public outrage and outcry when injustices occur in the name of religion.

A bipartisan approach and judicial training are among the proSRVDOV VKH DGYRFDWHV WR FRXQWHU the problem of the politicisation of Islam, she said.

Assoc Prof Alatas expressed concern that the tolerance of other faiths is under threat in Malaysia due to increased xenophobia, ZKLFK DW WKH VDPH WLPH YLRODWHV ,VODPLF YDOXHV DQG QRUPV Blaming reckless politicians who allow these issues to remain XQUHVROYHG DQG H[WUHPLVW ,VODP leaders who propose anti-multiculturalism, he sees the path towards a multi-cultural “One Malaysia� only through education, the creation of a world class Islamic education system, critique of extremism, inter-religious diaORJXH DQG SHDFHIXO FLYLO GLVREHGLence.

Ms Mahathir spoke on dialogue requiring both language

The Religious Major Superiors of Malaysia and Singapore are joined by (seated, from second left) Ms Marina Mahathir, Ms Zainah Anwar, Archbishop Joseph Marino, Associate Professor Syed Farid Alatas (second from right) and Archbishop Emeritus Anthony Soter Fernandez of Kuala Lumpur (far right).

Assoc Prof Alatas sees the path towards a multi-cultural “One Malaysia� only through education, the creation of a world class Islamic education system, critique of extremism, inter-religious dialogue and peaceful civil disobedience. and freedom of speech. Yet language, she said, is contested these GD\V 6KH LOOXVWUDWHG WKH HYROXWLRQ of the word “pluralism� which today in Malaysia, is not just a benign word meaning “more than one�, but an ideology that needs to be banned.

She echoed Assoc Prof Alatas’ YLHZ WKDW [HQRSKRELD LV YHU\ UHDO in Malaysia and proposed a need for inter-religious dialogue in the ORFDO ODQJXDJHV DQG DW D OHYHO WKDW can be understood by all.

Also a member of Sisters-inIslam, Ms Mathathir uses social media to create awareness of the reciprocity of kindness and solidarity among Christians and Muslims around the world.

7KH V\PSRVLXP SURYLGHG LQsights to the multi-layered challenges posed by extremist Muslim leaders in Malaysia today.

Marist Br Robert Teo said, “It was good to hear about the struggles of the Muslim sisters and to be aware that the trend is more and more against human rights and freedom. Hopefully more FROODERUDWLRQ DPRQJ QRQ JRYHUQment organisations from all sectors can help to bring new hope for all.�

Br Ambrose Heng of the Brothers of Mercy found the in-

puts enlightening especially on “what is going on with the Muslim extremist ideas. We are not DORQH WU\LQJ WR FRQYLQFH DQG clarify the real practice of Islam.

One should then not be afraid and confused but must try our best to encourage one another rather than SRLQWLQJ ¿QJHUV HVSHFLDOO\ ZLWK the global Muslim unrest.�

Cenacle Sr Francisca Tan ex-

pressed the sentiments of the rest of the CRMS members when she said, “It was touching and edifyLQJ WR KDYH WKUHH SURPLQHQW 0XVlims making time to be with us, sitting down with us and sharing VXFK LQIRUPDWLYH PDWHULDO ´ Archbishop Marino’s opening address stressed that interreligious dialogue remains imSRUWDQW DQG YLWDO IRU WKH &KXUFK to promote peace and justice. He described the nature of dialogue as the meeting of “friends in the life of faith on the same journey WR ÂżQG *RG ZLWKRXW ZKRP OLIH LV incompleteâ€?.

The Religious superiors also ZHQW RQ D ÂżHOG WULS WR OHDUQ PRUH

about Christian stewardship. The GLVFXVVLRQ RQ (WKLFDO ,QYHVWPHQW DQG 3DVVLYH ,QFRPH *HQHUDWLRQ was made more real when they YLVLWHG WKH JURXQGV RI WKH 0DULVW Brothers in Port Dickson, where WKH %URWKHUV GHYHORS UHQHZDEOH energy through solar panels.

At the estate of the Brothers RI 6W *DEULHO LQ .XDOD 3LODK WKH superiors learned how oil palm farming was supporting their mission in Malaysia.

An engaging presentation by De La Salle Br John Albert on (YDQJHOLFDO 8VH RI 5HVRXUFHV LOlustrated how economy and misVLRQ WRJHWKHU SOD\ D YLWDO UROH LQ consecrated life today. „

10 ASIA

Sunday February 8, 2015 „ CatholicNews

PM slammed over church attacks DELHI, INDIA – Indian Prime

Minister Narendra Modi is comLQJ XQGHU ¿UH IURP &KULVWLDQ OHDGHUV DQG WKH RSSRVLWLRQ &RQJUHVV 3DUW\ IRU QRW FRQGHPQLQJ VHYHUDO UHFHQW DWWDFNV RQ FKXUFKHV LQ 1HZ 'HOKL ,Q RQH RI WKH ODWHVW LQFLGHQWV ± WKH IRXUWK LQ OHVV WKDQ WZR PRQWKV ± D 0DULDQ JURWWR DW D SDULVK FKXUFK ZDV IRXQG YDQGDOLVHG RQ -DQ &&79 IRRWDJH VKRZHG WZR SHRSOH DUULYLQJ RQ D PRWRUELNH DQG RQH RI WKHP EUHDNLQJ JODVV LQ WKH JURWWR VDLG )U 6DYDULPXWKX 6KDQNDU 'HOKL DUFKGLRFHVH VSRNHVPDQ &KXUFK OHDGHUV VD\ WKH\ VHH D SDWWHUQ LQ WKH DWWDFNV DQG VXVSHFW PHPEHUV RI WKH 5DVKWUL\D 6ZD\DPVHYDN 6DQJK 566 DQ XPEUHOOD JURXS IRU +LQGX KDUGOLQHUV DQG WKH SROLWLFDO ZLQJ RI 0U 0RGL¶V %KDUDWL\D -DQDWD 3DUW\ %-3

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Catholics pray during a Good Friday liturgy inside a church in New Delhi last year. At least four churches have been reportedly attacked in the Indian capital over the recent months. CNS photo

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been criticised over his silence. File photo

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Mr Modi has yet to take action to stop hate campaigns by right-wing activists, said a lay Catholic leader.

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ASIA 11

Sunday February 8, 2015 „ CatholicNews

Indian Church leader welcomes Obama remarks on religious freedom THRISSUR, INDIA â&#x20AC;&#x201C; $Q ,QGLDQ &DWKROLF OHDGHU ZHOFRPHG WKH SDUWLQJ PHVVDJH RI 86 3UHVLGHQW %DUDFN 2EDPD ZKR UHLWHUDWHG IUHHGRP RI UHOLJLRQ DV D IXQGDPHQWDO ULJKW ³:H DUH YHU\ KDSS\ WKDW WKH 86 SUHVLGHQW KDV VSRNHQ RXW FOHDUO\ RQ WKH LVVXH RI UHOLJLRXV IUHHGRP ´ $UFKELVKRS $OEHUW '¶6RX]D RI $JUD VHFUHWDU\ JHQHUDO RI &DWKROLF %LVKRSV¶ &RQIHUHQFH RI ,QGLD WROG &DWKROLF 1HZV 6HUYLFH &16 RQ -DQ 7KH VDPH GD\ 0U 2EDPD VSRNH WR PRUH WKDQ SUHVHOHFWHG SHRSOH PRVW RI WKHP \RXWKV DW D WRZQ KDOO PHHWLQJ LQ 1HZ 'HOKL ,W ZDV RQH RI KLV ODVW DFWV DW WKH HQG RI D WKUHH GD\ YLVLW WR PDUN ,QGLD¶V 5HSXEOLF 'D\ DQG VWUHQJWKHQ 86 ,QGLDQ WLHV ³(YHU\ SHUVRQ KDV D ULJKW WR SUDFWLVH WKHLU IDLWK KRZ WKH\ FKRRVH RU WR SUDFWLVH QR IDLWK DW DOO DQG WR GR VR IUHH RI SHUVHFXWLRQ DQG IHDU DQG GLVFULPLQDWLRQ ´ 0U 2EDPD VDLG ³<RXU >FRQVWLWXWLRQDO@ $UWLFOH VD\V WKDW DOO SHRSOH DUH µHTXDOO\ HQWLWOHG WR IUHHGRP RI FRQVFLHQFH DQG WKH ULJKW IUHHO\ WR SURIHVV DQG SUDFWLFH DQG SURSDJDWH UHOLJLRQ ¶ ,Q ERWK RXU FRXQWULHV LQ DOO FRXQWULHV XSKROGLQJ WKLV IXQGDPHQWDO IUHHGRP RI UHOLJLRQ LV WKH UHVSRQVLELOLW\ RI WKH JRYHUQPHQW EXW LW¶V DOVR WKH UHVSRQVLELOLW\ RI HYHU\ SHUVRQ ´ 0U 2EDPD VDLG +H TXRWHG 0DKDWPD *DQGKL ZKR VDLG SHRSOH DUH ³EHDXWLIXO Ã&#x20AC;RZHUV IURP WKH VDPH JDUGHQ EUDQFKHV RI WKH VDPH PDMHVWLF WUHH´

We are very â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;happy that the US president has spoken out clearly on the issue of religious freedom.

â&#x20AC;&#x2122;

â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Archbishop Albert Dâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Souza of Agra

Attendees listen as US President Barack Obama delivering his Jan 27 speech. An Indian Catholic leader welcomed the parting message of Mr Obama, who reiterated freedom of religion as a fundamental right. CNS photo

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A nun interacts with a child at a hospital in Lebanon. CNS photo

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12 WORLD

Sunday February 8, 2015 CatholicNews

Up to young people in US to end ‘scourge of abortion’ WASHINGTON – On a chilly and

cloudy morning on the National Mall in Washington, USA, crowds gathered on Jan 22 for the annual March for Life, marking the 42nd anniversary of the US Supreme Court’s Roe v Wade decision legalising abortion virtually on demand.

7HQV RI WKRXVDQGV JDWKHUHG ¿UVW to hear a lineup of speakers, before marching from the Mall up Constitution Avenue to the US Supreme Court building on Capitol Hill.

Pope Francis also showed his support of the pro-life gathering by tweeting the theme: Every Life is a Gift with the hashtag #marchforlife.

By late morning, a music group opened the rally with songs.

The music was upbeat with lively mandolin licks and the powerful voice of the lead singer.

Several members of Congress were in attendance, including US Republican Tim Huelskamp, representing Kansas’ First Congressional District.

Mr Levi Fox, a volunteer and a graduate of Liberty University, said, “Sixty million have been killed since Roe v Wade, which is why I am dedicating my time to the March for Life.”

Sixty million have ‘ been killed since Roe v Wade, which is why I am dedicating my time to the March for Life.

’

– Mr Levi Fox, a volunteer and a graduate of Liberty University.

March for Life participants carry the banner past the front of the US Supreme Court building in Washington, USA on Jan 22. CNS photo

After the musical opening, Mr Patrick Kelly, the chairman of the March for Life board, told the crowd that the march is becoming “bigger and younger every year”.

Archbishop Joseph E Kurtz of Louisville, Kentucky, the president of the US bishops’ conference, opened the rally with prayer alongside priests, bishops and patriarchs

of the Greek Orthodox, Orthodox American, Antiochean Orthodox and Serbian Orthodox churches, in a show of what the archbishop called “a sign of Christian unity”.

The archbishop called the marchers to not only “be joyful witnesses to the gospel of life”, but also to be “loving and welcoming” to those in dire circumstances.

Ms Jeanne Monahan-Mancini, director of the March for Life, addressed the marchers, congratulating them for making a “pilgrimage”.

A large congressional delegation also emphasised the importance of the US Health Care Conscience Rights Act, before yielding WKH ÀRRU WR D SDVVLRQDWH DQG HQHUgetic address by US Senator Tim

Scott, representative of South Carolina. Senator Scott said the defense of life was “the responsibility of every single person in America”.

US Republican Chris Smith, representating New Jersey’s Fourth District, said to the crowd, “There have never been more prolife lawmakers in Congress than we have today.”

Ms Julia Johnson, a senior at Shanley Catholic High School in Fargo, North Dakota, also said it was up to the youth of America to “end the scourge of abortion”.

As a member of “the pro-life generation”, she said she was proud to have come alongside “400 prolife warriors”, referring to the school bringing its entire student body on the 2,100 km journey to the march.

“Our generation has seen through the smokescreen of lies and secrets,” she added.

The president of Students for Life, Ms Kristan Hawkins, discussed the gift of her son’s life GHVSLWH D GLDJQRVLV RI F\VWLF ¿EURsis. Ms Hawkins said, “I have personally witnessed the push in our culture to create ‘perfect’ babies.”

The remarks echoed those of the other speakers and marchers in declaring that “we are the pro-life generation”. CNS

WORLD 13

Sunday February 8, 2015 Â&#x201E; CatholicNews

Nigerian bishop calls for Western intervention to stop Boko Haram CNS Âżle photo

ROME â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Underlining the failure of

the Nigerian government to stop the violent rampage of Boko Haram, a Catholic bishop has called for Western military intervention.

The Muslim militant groupâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s increasingly deadly assaults and expanded recruitment from countries across North Africa mean â&#x20AC;&#x153;a concerted military campaign is needed by the West to crush Boko Haramâ&#x20AC;?, said Bishop Oliver Dashe Doeme of Maiduguri, capital of the troubled Borno state. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The West should bring in security â&#x20AC;&#x201C; land forces â&#x20AC;&#x201C; to contain and beat back Boko Haram,â&#x20AC;? he said in an interview on Jan 19 with the international Catholic charity Aid to the Church in Need.

Boko Haram, which the US has labelled a terrorist organisation, claims it seeks to overthrow the Nigerian government and create an Islamic state.

More than 11,000 people have died since Boko Haram launched an insurgency in 2009, engaging in a campaign of terror, mass killings and abductions, carrying out suicide bombings, burning villages and forcing hundreds of thouVDQGV RI SHRSOH WR Ă&#x20AC;HH Bishop Doeme said that of the 125,000 Catholics in his dioFHVH DOPRVW KDYH Ă&#x20AC;HG their homes and about 1,000 have been killed. In his diocese, he said, Boko Haram militants have destroyed more than 50 churches and chapels, and more than 200 churches have had to be abanGRQHG LQ WKH SDVW ÂżYH \HDUV Doctors Without Borders, which has a permanent base in Maiduguri, estimates between 800,000 and 1.5 million people are displaced, mostly in northeastern Nigeria.

Cardinal John Olorunfemi

$ SULHVW DQG VHFXULW\ IRUFHV ORRN RYHU WKH VFHQH RI D FDU ERPE H[SORVLRQ DW 6W 7KHUHVD &DWKROLF &KXUFK LQ 0DGDOOD MXVW RXWVLGH 1LJHULDÂśV FDSLWDO $EXMD RQ 'HF 7KH ,VODPLVW PLOLWDQW JURXS %RNR +DUDP VDLG LW SODQWHG WKH ERPEV WKDW H[SORGHG RQ &KULVWPDV 'D\ DW FKXUFKHV LQ 1LJHULD

Onaiyekan of Abuja said Boko Haram is committing â&#x20AC;&#x153;serious crimes, crimes against humanityâ&#x20AC;?.

However, even more serious is the fact that Nigerian government leaders â&#x20AC;&#x153;continue to do nothing and live as if nothing has happened. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s not that they lack the means: the money is there and lots of it. What is missing is the sense of responsibility on the part of those who govern,â&#x20AC;? he told Vatican Radio on Jan 19.

Bishop Doeme said the Nigerian military is corrupt, complicit and inept. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Among the soldiers, there

Boko Haram, which the US has labelled a terrorist organisation, claims it seeks to overthrow the Nigerian government and create an Islamic state.

were sympathisers with Boko Haram, some of them were even Boko Haram members, and many of them just ran awayâ&#x20AC;? during the militants attack on Baga, he said.

The bishop said the governPHQW DOVR NQRZV ZKR LV ÂżQDQFLDOO\ supporting the group from abroad.

Boko Haram militants have spilled over into neighbouring Cameroon and are recruiting people in neighbouring countries Cardinal Onaiyekan said.

African nations need to cooperate, he said, and prayers are urgently needed â&#x20AC;&#x153;so that our government is able to recognise the seriousness of the situation, so that we can launch not just a military [response] but also a path of political dialogueâ&#x20AC;?. â&#x20AC;&#x153;That way we can slowly begin to change the mentality of these people who commit these atrocities not just against our country but against human life,â&#x20AC;? the cardinal said. Â&#x201E; CNS

Church tries to keep Boko Haram victims from despair MANCHESTER, ENGLAND â&#x20AC;&#x201C; One of the biggest challenges facing the Church is to try to stop victims of Boko Haram, a Muslim militant group in northeast Nigeria, from falling into despair, said Archbishop Ignatius Kaigama of Jos in a Jan 19 email to Catholic News Service. Âł7KH &KXUFK LGHQWLÂżHV ZLWK them [the victims] in their pain,â&#x20AC;? he said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Through homilies, pastoral letters, visits to refugee camps and one-on-one interactions and prayers, we encourage one another with the understanding that we are in it together.â&#x20AC;?

In mid-January, President Goodluck Jonathan, who is seeking re-election on Feb 14, met the Nigerian Catholic bishops to discuss â&#x20AC;&#x153;national issuesâ&#x20AC;?.

Archbishop Kaigama said that the â&#x20AC;&#x153;top of the agendaâ&#x20AC;? for the bishops was the â&#x20AC;&#x153;need for the government to revise its strategy to confrontâ&#x20AC;? Boko Haram. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We informed Mr President of how we have encouraged parishes, Church societies, individuals and families to accept the internally displaced people... and to help out in whatever little way possible.â&#x20AC;?

He also spoke of the Augustinian Sisters whose convent, clinic

and novitiate were attacked.

The archbishop said that in the Diocese of Maiduguri, the worstaffected by the violence, Bishop Oliver Dashe Doeme has established the St Judith Widowâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Association to care for women with families whose husbands have

â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;

Through homilies, pastoral letters, visits to refugee camps and one-on-one interactions and prayers, we encourage one another with the understanding that we are in it together.

â&#x20AC;&#x2122;

Âą $UFKELVKRS ,JQDWLXV .DLJDPD RI -RV RQ EHKDOI RI 1LJHULDQ &DWKROLF ELVKRSV

been killed by Boko Haram.

Archbishop Kaigama said that the bishopsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Department of Interreligious Dialogue is doing a â&#x20AC;&#x153;wonderful jobâ&#x20AC;? because â&#x20AC;&#x153;more Muslim organisations and prominent leaders relate with Christian groups and individuals, and together [they] are denouncing Boko Haram as evil and are working to promote the genuine values of religion.â&#x20AC;? Â&#x201E; CNS

3HRSOH Ă&#x20AC;HHLQJ %RNR +DUDP YLROHQFH LQ WKH QRUWKHDVW UHJLRQ RI 1LJHULD FRRN IRRG DW D FDPS IRU LQWHUQDOO\ GLVSODFHG SHRSOH LQ <ROD RQ -DQ CNS photo

14 WORLD

Sunday February 8, 2015 CatholicNews

Catholics mark 70th anniversary of Auschwitz liberation WARSAW, POLAND – Catholic

leaders joined in commemorations of the 70th anniversary of the liberation of the Auschwitz concentration camp, where 1.2 million mostly Jewish prisoners were killed by the Nazis during World War II. “When we ask how God was present in the hell of Auschwitz, we must remember God’s last word is one of peace,” said Cardinal Stanislaw Dziwisz of Krakow, Poland.

“Peace is a gift from God, for which we have to ask Him. This is why we gather today to pray before taking the next step – and we must take that step, drawing conclusions from the past and from the witness of history.”

The cardinal preached at a Jan 27 Mass in Auschwitz’s churchrun ecumenical Centre for Dialogue and Prayer. The Mass was concelebrated by the Vatican’s nuncio to Poland, Archbishop Celestino Migliore, and attended by Polish President Bronislaw Komorowski and around 150 former camp inmates.

Cardinal Dziwisz said ques-

When we ask how ‘God was present in the hell of Auschwitz, we must remember God’s last word is one of peace.

’

– Cardinal Stanislaw Dziwisz of Krakow, Poland

Pope Francis meeting Auschwitz concentration camp survivors during his weekly general audience in Paul VI hall at the Vatican on Jan 7. CNS ¿le photo

tions still needed to be asked about human responsibility for Auschwitz atrocities, but added that the camp’s liberation was also a reminder that peace could be achieved by human effort.

He said numerous great initiatives had been launched to ensure

Pope: Knowing, doing God’s will isn’t easy, but it’s essential VATICAN CITY – People today

But Jesus, he said, taught huhave so many options about manity that obedience is the only how they will spend their time, path to happiness and salvation. their lives and their money that “It’s not easy,” the pope said, but discovering and doing God’s it was not easy for Mary to accept ZLOO UHDOO\ LV DV GLI¿FXOW DV PRVW God’s will that she bear God’s people claim, Pope Francis son or for Jesus to accept dying said. on the cross or for some of the ini“Every day we tial disciples to folare presented with a low Jesus, so they tray full of options,” ran away.

Do I pray the pope said on Jan The only way to that the Lord 27 during the homily do God’s will is to at his early morning pray for grace and will give me Mass in the chapel strength, the pope the desire to of the Domus Sancsaid. “Do I pray tae Marthae where that the Lord will do His will or he lives. give me the desire do I look for Focusing his to do His will or homily on doing do I look for comcompromises God’s will, the pope promises because I because repeatedly admitted, am afraid of God’s “It’s not easy,” acwill?”

I am afraid cording to Vatican The only way of God’s will?

Radio. to know God’s will The readings “for me and my – Pope Francis for the day’s Mass life, about a decirepeatedly spoke of sion I must make the importance of seeking God’s now, about many things, how will and responding. to handle things”, he said, is to “The opposite began in para- pray. dise with Adam’s failure to obey,” But it is not enough to want to the pope said. “That disobedience do God’s will and to discern His brought evil to all humanity. Sins will in prayer, the pope said. One are acts of disobedience, of not must also pray for the grace to do doing God’s will.”

God’s will. CNS

‘

’

future generations remembered the past while “responsibly building the future”, helped by survivors who recalled “the cry of the victims falling silent as they were brutally suffocated”.

Besides Jewish inmates, who made up 90 percent of victims,

approximately 100,000 mostly Catholic Poles were killed by German occupiers in Auschwitz’s gas chambers and execution sites.

The Nazis also killed Roma, Russian Prisoners Of War and prisoners of other nationalities at the camp, located in Oswiecim, Poland.

St John Paul II visited Auschwitz in 1979, and Pope Benedict XVI visited in 2006. Organisers of World Youth Day 2016 in Krakow expect Pope Francis to visit the camp while he is in the country.

The anniversary of the camp’s

liberation by invading Soviet forces was attended by heads of VWDWH DQG JRYHUQPHQW DQG RI¿FLDO representatives from 40 countries and included interfaith prayers at the nearby Auschwitz-Birkenau extermination centre and a wreath-laying at the camp’s infamous Death Wall.

In a Jan 27 Twitter message, Pope Francis said, “Auschwitz cries out with the pain of immense suffering and pleads for a future of respect, peace and encounter among peoples.”

Meanwhile, Cardinal Reinhard Marx, president of the German bishops’ conference, said Auschwitz ranked “among the fundamental experiences of mankind” as a place where “the Germans systematically and industrially organised the destruction of European Jews.”

He added that the death camp remained “an open wound on the body of humanity”, and said it was important to ask “why the crimes of Auschwitz happened on a continent marked for at least a millennium by Christianity”.

CNS

South African violence continues history of xenophobia: Jesuit institute CAPE TOWN, SOUTH AFRICA –

Recent violence targeting foreign nationals and their businesses in Soweto and other Johannesburg townships, is a national disgrace, and “continues South Africa’s shameful history of xenophobia,” said The Jesuit Institute South Africa.

The attacks and looting that left at least four people dead started on Jan 19 when a Somali national allegedly shot and killed a 14-year-boy who was among a group attempting to break into his shop in Soweto.

“The savagery demonstrated and the failure to put a stop” to the violence “is deeply disturbing and displays a failure of the state to put an end to such behaviour, both by the enforcement of the law and the education of citizens in respect of the rights of foreign nationals,” the institute said in a Jan 23 statement from its Johannesburg headquarters.

With some South African of¿FLDOV GHQ\LQJ WKDW WKH DWWDFNV DUH motivated by xenophobia, The Jesuit Institute said, “An attack on and the systematic looting of a shop that happens to be owned by a foreigner may not necessarily be xenophobic, but a systematic series of attacks on over 80 such shops and foreign-born persons cannot simply be explained away.” ;HQRSKRELD ³LV D ÀDJUDQW DFW

Locals run with items from a shop in Soweto, South Africa, on Jan 22. It was reported that violence broke out on Jan 19 after a 14-year-old South African was shot dead by a foreign shop owner. CNS photo

The failure to put a stop to the violence is deeply disturbing, said the Jesuit Institute of South Africa. of contempt for the culture of human rights central to our constitution”, the statement said, noting that the bill of rights “does not discriminate between citizens and non-citizens”.

Many young South Africans feel hopeless, The Jesuit Institute said, noting that frustration among

the poor is mounting with the government’s failure to address “the growing gap” between the rich and the poor.

Xenophobic violence “is symptomatic of the deep structural problems in South Africa, and foreign nationals have become scapegoats”, it said.

South Africa “must put an end to the shameful phenomenon of xenophobia and xenophobic violence by systematic civic education and by facing the social, economic and political cocktail that leads to fear, hopelessness and anger,” it said. CNS

POPE FRANCIS 15

Sunday February 8, 2015 Â&#x201E; CatholicNews

Christians are united in suffering, pope says VATICAN CITY â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Christians are united as they suffer from violence and persecution in various parts of the world, Pope Francis told Christian leaders.

Todayâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s martyrs are men and women, who through their witness to Jesus, are â&#x20AC;&#x153;persecuted and killed because they are Christianâ&#x20AC;?, the pope said on Jan 25 during an ecumenical prayer service marking the end of the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity.

Those who persecute them make no distinction about â&#x20AC;&#x153;which denomination they belong to.

They are Christians and for that [they are] persecuted. This, brothers and sisters, is the ecumenism of blood.â&#x20AC;?

With Orthodox, Eastern Orthodox, Anglican, Lutheran, Methodist and other Christian representatives present and reading some of the prayers, Pope Francis presided over the service at the Basilica of St Paul Outside the Walls.

The service began with Pope Francis, Orthodox Metropolitan Gennadios of Italy and Anglican Archbishop David Moxon, the archbishop of Canterburyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s representative in Rome, bowing in prayer before the tomb of St Paul on the feast of his conversion.

Closing the Jan 18-25 Week of Prayer for Christian Unity, the pope said Jesus showed that encountering those who are different â&#x20AC;&#x153;from us can make us growâ&#x20AC;?.

Basing his homily on the Gospel story of Jesusâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; encounter with the Samaritan woman at the well, the pope said the encounter is marked by dialogue, patience and respect, showing people today

Pope Francis greets Brother Alois Leser, prior of the Taize ecumenical community in France, at the conclusion of ecumenical vespers at the Basilica of St Paul Outside the Walls in Rome on Jan 25. CNS photo

that â&#x20AC;&#x153;in order to understand each other and grow in love and truth, we have to stop, welcome and listen to each other.â&#x20AC;?

Unity comes about by journeying together, the pope said; nothing comes from standing still.

In fact, â&#x20AC;&#x153;Christian unity will QHYHU EH WKH IUXLW RI UHÂżQHG WKHRretical discussions in which each one will try to convince the other of the validity of oneâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s opinions,â&#x20AC;? he said before asking: â&#x20AC;&#x153;Will the 6RQ RI 0DQ FRPH DQG ÂżQG XV VWLOO having talks?â&#x20AC;?

Christians must recognise that

â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;TheyandareforChristians that [they are] persecuted.

This, brothers and sisters, is the ecumenism of blood.

â&#x20AC;&#x2122;

â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Pope Francis

â&#x20AC;&#x153;we need each other, to come together and face each other under the guidance of the Holy Spirit who harmonises diversity and RYHUFRPHV FRQĂ&#x20AC;LFWV ´ KH VDLG

Confession isnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t like a trip to â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;dry cleanersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; VATICAN CITY â&#x20AC;&#x201C; While people PXVW EH KRQHVW DQG VSHFLÂżF DERXW their sins when they go to confession, they will miss the sacramentâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s key grace if they are â&#x20AC;&#x153;completely mechanicalâ&#x20AC;? about listing their sins, Pope Francis said.

Confession is not a time for judgment, but for an encounter with the merciful God who is always ready to forgive those who seek pardon, the pope said on Jan 23 during Mass in the chapel of his residence, the Domus Sanctae Marthae. â&#x20AC;&#x153;So many times, confessions seem like routine, a formality,â&#x20AC;? he said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Blah, blah, blah. Completely mechanical!â&#x20AC;? â&#x20AC;&#x153;Where is the encounterâ&#x20AC;? in that kind of confession, the pope asked, â&#x20AC;&#x153;the encounter with the Lord who reconciles, embraces you and cel-

â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;

So many times, confessions seem like routine, a formality...

Blah, blah, blah.

Completely mechanical!

â&#x20AC;&#x2122;

â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Pope Francis

ebrates? That is our good God.â&#x20AC;?

According to Vatican Radio, Pope Francis said parents, priests and catechists need to teach people how to â&#x20AC;&#x153;confess well, because going to confession is not like going to the dry cleaners to have a stain removed. No! It is going to meet the Father, who reconciles, forgives and celebratesâ&#x20AC;? the return of the sinner.

When considering the sacraPHQW KH VDLG WKH ÂżUVW WKLQJ WR UHmember is that â&#x20AC;&#x153;God always for-

gives. He never tires of forgiving.

We are the ones who tire of asking forgiveness, but He never tires of forgiving us.â&#x20AC;? â&#x20AC;&#x153;Even if you have lived a life of many sins, of many ugly things, but in the end you are a bit repentant, ask forgiveness,â&#x20AC;? Pope Francis said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;He will forgive you immediately. He always forgives.â&#x20AC;?

People often think that they must somehow buy Godâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s forgiveness, he said. But that is not true. â&#x20AC;&#x153;You donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t have to pay anythingâ&#x20AC;? because â&#x20AC;&#x153;Christ has paid the price for us.â&#x20AC;? â&#x20AC;&#x153;There is no sin that he wonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t forgive,â&#x20AC;? the pope said. Like the father in the parable of the Prodigal Son, he said, most of the time God ZLOO QRW HYHQ OHW \RX ÂżQLVK VD\LQJ how sorry you are before He embraces you and forgives you. Â&#x201E; CNS

Because of the Holy Spirit, â&#x20AC;&#x153;we have become one with Christâ&#x20AC;? and loving children of God, he said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;This mystery of love is the most profound reason of the unity that binds all Christians and is much greater than the divisions that occurred throughout the course of history,â&#x20AC;? he said. That is why the closer each Christian draws to Christ in humility, the closer â&#x20AC;&#x153;we will draw to each another, tooâ&#x20AC;?.

So many people in the world

are tired and thirsting for truth and meaning, the pope said. All churches and Christian communities, being called to evangelise, can do so more effectively by not being self-enclosed, exclusive or bent on â&#x20AC;&#x153;imposing uniformity according to purely human calculationsâ&#x20AC;?. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The common commitment to proclaim the Gospel permits overcoming every form of proselytism and temptation to compete. We are all at the service of the one and same Gospel,â&#x20AC;? he said.

Among those attending the prayer service were men and women belonging to Catholic, Orthodox, Anglican and Protestant Religious orders; they had taken part in a three-day meeting on their role in ecumenism.

The pope, who met with them at the Vatican on Jan 24, said consecrated men and women were particularly suited for promoting unity because Religious life is about seeking union with God and fostering greater unity within the community.

Religious life also shows that â&#x20AC;&#x153;unity is not born of our efforts but is a gift of the Holy Spirit who achieves unity in diversity.â&#x20AC;?

Unity is achieved by â&#x20AC;&#x153;walking togetherâ&#x20AC;?, he said, along a path of â&#x20AC;&#x153;fraternity in love, service and mutual welcomingâ&#x20AC;?.

The more individuals strive to live holy lives in conformity to the Gospel, the closer people will be in union with God and â&#x20AC;&#x153;the more deeply and easily will they be able to grow in mutual brotherly loveâ&#x20AC;?, he said. Â&#x201E; CNS

16 POPE IN PHILIPPINES

Sunday February 8, 2015 Â&#x201E; CatholicNews

Pope speaks up on govern

0LOOLRQV à RFN WR KHDU 3RSH )UDQFLV¡ PHVVDJHV RQ PDWWHUV FORVH CNS photos

Pope Francis greets President Benigno Aquino III during a welcoming ceremony at the presidential palace in Manila.

Pope urges president, govt RIĂ&#x20AC;FLDOV WR HQG FRUUXSWLRQ The poor, the family and street kids )RUPHU VWUHHW FKLOGUHQ Ă&#x20AC;RFN WR PHHW WKH SRSH DW D FKLOGUHQÂśV KRPH

MANILA â&#x20AC;&#x201C; In a nation plagued reSHDWHGO\ E\ FRUUXSWLRQ VFDQGDOV 3RSH )UDQFLV XUJHG ÂłHYHU\RQH DW DOO OHYHOV RI VRFLHW\ WR UHMHFW HYHU\ IRUP RI FRUUXSWLRQ ZKLFK GLYHUWV resources from the poorâ&#x20AC;?. $IWHU DQ RIÂżFLDO ZHOFRPLQJ ceremony on Jan 16 at the MalaFDQDQJ 3DODFH WKH UHVLGHQFH RI WKH 3KLOLSSLQH SUHVLGHQW WKH SRSH DGdressed President Benigno Aquino ,,, JRYHUQPHQW RIÂżFLDOV DQG GLSlomats representing their governments in Manila.

Telling the government leaders and diplomats that he knew their MREV DUH QRW HDV\ DQG WKDW $VLDQ FRXQWULHV IDFH FRPSOH[ FKDOOHQJHV KH DOVR LQVLVWHG ÂłLW LV QRZ PRUH WKDQ HYHU QHFHVVDU\ WKDW SROLWLFDO OHDGHUV EH RXWVWDQGLQJ IRU KRQHVW\ integrity and commitment to the common goodâ&#x20AC;?.

Citing â&#x20AC;&#x153;the moral imperative of HQVXULQJ VRFLDO MXVWLFH DQG UHVSHFW IRU KXPDQ GLJQLW\ ´ 3RSH )UDQFLV stressed â&#x20AC;&#x153;the duty to hear the voice of the poor. It bids us break the bonds

RI LQMXVWLFH DQG RSSUHVVLRQ ZKLFK JLYH ULVH WR JODULQJ DQG LQGHHG VFDQGDORXV VRFLDO LQHTXDOLWLHV´ :KDWHYHU WHFKQLFDO SROLWLFDO SODQV D JRYHUQPHQW RU SDUW\ KDV KH VDLG ÂłUHIRUPLQJ WKH VRFLDO VWUXFWXUHV which perpetuate poverty and the H[FOXVLRQ RI WKH SRRU ÂżUVW UHTXLUHV D conversion of mind and heartâ&#x20AC;?. ,Q KLV VSHHFK WR WKH SRSH 0U Aquino accused some unnamed Philippine Church leaders of being â&#x20AC;&#x153;silentâ&#x20AC;? in the face of corruption under the government of his preGHFHVVRU 0V *ORULD 0DFDSDJDO Arroyo. â&#x20AC;&#x153;One would think that the &KXUFK ZRXOG EH RXU QDWXUDO DOO\ ´ the president said.

Pope Francis said the values QHHGHG WR ÂżJKW FRUUXSWLRQ DQG WR HVWDEOLVK MXVWLFH DUH IRVWHUHG LQ WKH family. â&#x20AC;&#x153;It is in the family that chilGUHQ DUH WUDLQHG LQ VRXQG YDOXHV high ideals and genuine concern IRU RWKHUV ´ KH QRWHG Âł%XW OLNH DOO *RGÂśV JLIWV WKH IDPLO\ FDQ DOVR EH GLVÂżJXUHG DQG GHVWUR\HG ,W QHHGV our support.â&#x20AC;? Â&#x201E; CNS

MANILA â&#x20AC;&#x201C; The Church must com-

bat the causes of the deeply rooted LQHTXDOLW\ DQG LQMXVWLFH ZKLFK PDU WKH IDFH RI )LOLSLQR VRFLHW\ VDLG Pope Francis.

6SHDNLQJ WR 3KLOLSSLQH ELVKRSV SULHVWV DQG 5HOLJLRXV LQ 0DQLODÂśV Immaculate Conception Cathedral 0DVV RQ -DQ KH QRWHG WKDW ÂżQDQFLDO DQG VRFLDO SROLWLFDO GLIÂżculties have left many young FiliSLQRV ÂłEURNHQ LQ VSLULW WHPSWHG WR JLYH XS WR OHDYH VFKRRO DQG WR OLYH on the streetsâ&#x20AC;?.

Young Church workers have a special obligation to be close to WKHLU SHHUV EHFDXVH GHVSLWH HYHU\WKLQJ WKH\ ÂłFRQWLQXH WR VHH WKH &KXUFK DV WKHLU IULHQG RQ WKH MRXUney and a source of hopeâ&#x20AC;?.

He also urged the seminarLDQV \RXQJ SULHVWV DQG 5HOLJLRXV to â&#x20AC;&#x153;proclaim the beauty and truth of the Christian message to a society which is tempted by confusing SUHVHQWDWLRQV RI VH[XDOLW\ PDUULDJH and the familyâ&#x20AC;?.

Âł$V \RX NQRZ ´ KH VDLG ÂłWKHVH realities are increasingly under attack from powerful forces which WKUHDWHQ WR GLVÂżJXUH *RGÂśV SODQ IRU creation and betray the very values which have inspired and shaped all that is best in your culture.â&#x20AC;?

the truth â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Proclaim of the Christian message to a society tempted by confusing presentations of sexuality, marriage and the family.

â&#x20AC;&#x2122;

Although it was not in his ofÂżFLDO SURJUDPPH DIWHU 0DVV KH crossed the street to the Blessed Charles de Foucauld Home for *LUOV UXQ E\ WKH 7XOD\ 1J .DEDWDDQ 71.

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girls and young adults from a numEHU RI 71. KRPHV LQ PHWURSROLWDQ Manila.

Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle of Manila translated for the pope as several children shared their VWRULHV WKDW RIWHQ LQFOXGHG H[periences of exploitation and abuse when they lived on the streets. $V KH OLVWHQHG WKH SRSHÂśV ÂłH\HV were getting cloudy and beginning WR ÂżOO ZLWK WHDUV´ VDLG WKH FDUGLQDO When the children came up to hug WKH SRSH KH VDLG 3RSH )UDQFLV whispered to him that it was clear they yearned for a loving human WRXFK ÂłWKH WRXFK RI D SDUHQW´ 7KH pope â&#x20AC;&#x153;assured the children that WKH\ DUH ORYHG E\ *RG WKDW *RG LV ZLWK WKHP DQG WKDW WKH\ VKRXOG QRW forget thatâ&#x20AC;?.

A statement issued by the centre later said that by taking the time to PHHW WKHVH FKLOGUHQ 3RSH )UDQFLV demonstrated â&#x20AC;&#x153;that he is the pope of the forgottenâ&#x20AC;?. Â&#x201E; CNS

Resist â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;ideological colonisationâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;, pontiff tells Filipino families PASAY CITY â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Pope Francis urged

Catholic families to dream of how WKH\ PLJKW IXOÂżO WKH ZLOO RI *RG while resisting â&#x20AC;&#x153;ideological colonisation that tries to destroy the familyâ&#x20AC;?.

The pope spoke on Jan 16 to a meeting of families at the Mall of $VLD $UHQD LQ 3DVD\ &LW\ DWWHQGHG E\ SHRSOH +H VDLG WKDW LQ WKH SUHVHQW WLPH *RG FDOOV XSRQ SHRSOH WR UHFRJQLVH the dangers threatening their families and to protect them from harm. )LUVW DPRQJ WKHVH GDQJHUV 3RSH

)UDQFLV VDLG ZDV ZKDW KH FDOOHG DQ â&#x20AC;&#x153;ideological colonisationâ&#x20AC;?.

He explained that this referred to â&#x20AC;&#x153;materialism and lifestyles which are destructive of family life and the most basic demands of Christian moralityâ&#x20AC;?.

Pope Francis went on to say that the â&#x20AC;&#x153;family is also threatened by growing efforts on the part of VRPH WR UHGHÂżQH WKH YHU\ LQVWLWXWLRQ RI PDUULDJH E\ UHODWLYLVP E\ WKH FXOWXUH RI WKH HSKHPHUDO E\ D lack of openness to lifeâ&#x20AC;?.

The pope praised Blessed Paul VI for his 1968 encyclical HuPDQDH 9LWDH ZKLFK DIÂżUPHG &DWKolic moral teaching against conWUDFHSWLRQ WKRXJK KH QRWHG WKDW LW also instructed confessors to show â&#x20AC;&#x153;compassion in particular casesâ&#x20AC;? of penitents who failed to follow the teaching. ,Q WKH 3KLOLSSLQH JRYHUQment passed a Responsible ParentKRRG DQG 5HSURGXFWLYH +HDOWK $FW providing for government funding of contraception. Â&#x201E; CNS

Pope Francis uses sign language to communicate with a deaf father and his family during a meeting with families. Beside him is Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle of Manila.

POPE IN PHILIPPINES 17

Sunday February 8, 2015 Â&#x201E; CatholicNews

nance, family, youth issues WR WKH KHDUW RI )LOLSLQRV DQG RWKHUV You are not alone, pope tells typhoon survivors TACLOBAN â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Fourteen months after Typhoon Haiyan devastated much of the central Philippines, Pope Francis braved a tropical storm to encourage survivors in their ongoing work of recovery. The weather forced him to leave the area hours ahead of schedule, so he made up for reduced contact with words and gestures of characteristic spontaneity and emotional directness.

The pope arrived at Tacloban International Airport a little before DP RQ -DQ DIWHU D EXPS\ Ă&#x20AC;LJKW from Manila. For his short ride in an open-sided popemobile to the site of the open-air Mass, he donned the same kind of yellow plastic poncho worn by the hundreds of thousands of people awaiting him in the rain.

He kept the poncho on while he celebrated Mass, as strong winds blew.

For his homily, he abandoned his prepared English text to improvise in his native Spanish with the aid of an interpreter. He recalled his initial reaction, on Nov 8, 2013, to the typhoon that claimed more than 7,300 lives and destroyed more than 1 million homes. â&#x20AC;&#x153;When I saw that catastrophe

from Rome, I felt that I had to be here, and on that day I decided to be here.

Now I have come to be with you â&#x20AC;&#x201C; a little bit late, but I am here,â&#x20AC;? he said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I have come to tell you that Jesus is Lord and He never lets us down... So many of you have lost everything, I donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t know what to say to you. But He does know what to say to you,â&#x20AC;? the pope said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;And beside Him on the cross

When I saw that â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;catastrophe from Rome, I felt that I had to be here.

â&#x20AC;&#x2122;

â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Pope Francis to Typhoon Haiyan survivors

was His mother,â&#x20AC;? the pope said, pointing to a statue of Mary holding the baby Jesus. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We are like that little child there. In moments of pain, when we no longer understand and want to rebel, all we can do is grab KROG RI KHU KDQG ÂżUPO\ DQG WHOO KHU â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;mumâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;, as a child says to his mother when he is afraid. Maybe that is the only word we can say in such difÂżFXOW WLPHV ÂľPRWKHU PXP ϫ

Pope Francis celebrates Mass in a poncho amidst a gathering storm in Tacloban.

â&#x20AC;&#x153;We are not alone,â&#x20AC;? the pope said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We also have many brothers who in this moment of catastrophe came to help us,â&#x20AC;? the pope said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;And we, too, feel more like brothers and sisters because we have helped each other.â&#x20AC;? â&#x20AC;&#x153;Let us move forward, always forward, and walk together as brothers and sisters in the Lord,â&#x20AC;? he said, before the entire congregation

observed a moment of silence.

After the popeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s departure, strong winds caused scaffolding in an area near the altar to fall and hit two women. The accident killed Kristel Padasas, 27, of Manila, a Catholic Relief Services employee on a Typhoon Haiyan recovery project who had attended the papal Mass as a volunteer.

Pope to youths: donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t be afraid to cry at suffering MANILA â&#x20AC;&#x201C; â&#x20AC;&#x153;Certain realities in

life can only be seen through eyes cleansed by tears,â&#x20AC;? said Pope Francis after listening to a 12-yearold girl ask why God allows suffering.

Glyzelle Palomar, who used to live on the streets, but now has a home thanks to a foundation for street children, covered her face with her hand as she wept in front of the microphone. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Why did God let this happen to us?â&#x20AC;? she asked the pope during his Jan 18 meeting with young Filipinos in Manila.

Palomar spoke after Jun Chura â&#x20AC;&#x201C; a 14-year-old rescued from the streets by the same foundation â&#x20AC;&#x201C; described life on the streets as a VWUXJJOH WR ÂżQG HQRXJK WR HDW WR ÂżJKW WKH WHPSWDWLRQ RI GUXJ XVH DQG JOXH VQLIÂżQJ DQG WR DYRLG DGXOWV looking for the young to exploit and abuse.

As about 30,000 young people looked on at the University of Santo Tomas, the pope kissed the top of Palomarâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s head and pulled her close for a big hug, then embraced her and Chura together.

He also listened to the testimony of two other young men and WKHLU TXHVWLRQV +RZ GR \RXQJ SHRple discover Godâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s will for them?

What is love? How can young peo-

Glyzelle Palomar, 12, and Jun Chura, 14, two former street children, walk to their seats after greeting Pope Francis during a meeting with young people.

ple become agents of mercy and compassion?

2QH RI WKH ÂżUVW WKLQJV KH FRPmented on talking to the youths was the fact that Palomar was the only female on the programme. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Sometimes weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re too â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;machistaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; [Spanish for â&#x20AC;&#x153;male chauvinistâ&#x20AC;?] and donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t allow room for the

woman,â&#x20AC;? he said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;But the woman is able to see things with a different eye than men. Women are able to pose questions that we men are not able to understand.â&#x20AC;? â&#x20AC;&#x153;When the next pope comes to Manila,â&#x20AC;? he told them, include â&#x20AC;&#x153;more womenâ&#x20AC;? on the programme.

While it is impossible to explain why God would allow children to suffer, he told the young people, â&#x20AC;&#x153;only when we, too, can cryâ&#x20AC;? can one approach a response. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I invite each one of you here to ask yourself, â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Have I learned to weep and cry when I see a child cast aside, when I see someone with a drug problem, when I see someone who has suffered abuse?â&#x20AC;? the pope asked. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Jesus in the Gospel cried... for His dead friend [Lazarus],â&#x20AC;? said the pope. â&#x20AC;&#x153;He cried in His heart for the family that had lost its child... when He saw the old widow having to bury her son, He was moved to tears of compassion when He saw the multitude of crowds without a pastor,â&#x20AC;? Pope Francis said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;If you donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t learn how to cry you cannot be good Christians.â&#x20AC;?

In the face of suffering like Palomar and Churaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s, he said, â&#x20AC;&#x153;our response must either be silence or the word that is born of our tearsâ&#x20AC;?.

Pope Francis also focused on the topic of love. â&#x20AC;&#x153;What is the most important subject that you have to learn in university, what is the most important subject you learn in life?â&#x20AC;? the pope asked. â&#x20AC;&#x153;To learn to love. This is the challenge that life offers you.â&#x20AC;? â&#x20AC;&#x153;True love is to love and allow yourself to be loved,â&#x20AC;? he said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;It is harder to let yourself be loved than to love.â&#x20AC;?

Even when it comes to the life of faith, he said, it seems easier to love God than to really allow oneself to be loved by Him. But when one succeeds, he continued, God responds with surprises. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t be like a computer, thinking that we know everything,â&#x20AC;? the pope said.

He also urged the young people to learn how â&#x20AC;&#x153;to be evangelised by the poor. The persons we help, the poor, the sick have so much to give us.â&#x20AC;?

Celine Villarin, 19, a member of the Student Catholic Action of the Philippines, told Catholics News Service that the popeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s message was very simple â&#x20AC;&#x153;but I think it really moved us all... The way he talks, he uses simple words, and thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s why he really touches the heart of every Filipino youth.â&#x20AC;? Â&#x201E; CNS

Jesuit Fr Federico Lombardi told reporters later in the day that Pope Francis was consulting with advisers on the best way to reach out to the dead womanâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s family.

The accident left the other woman, Ms Darla Santos, 19, with a dislocated hip.

The pope also had lunch with typhoon survivors later. Â&#x201E; CNS

Meeting with father of volunteer MANILA â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Pope Francis met with

the father and maternal uncle of a charity worker who died after the papal Mass in Tacloban, when high winds blew over scaffolding.

Kristel Padasas, 27, who worked with a recovery project for victims of Typhoon Haiyan, had travelled from Samar Island to volunteer at the Mass.

Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle of Manila told reporters the pope appeared to be struck by what .ULVWHOÂśV IDWKHU VDLG Âł$W ÂżUVW KH said he felt devastated and he even asked God, you know, â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;I have only one child, why is she taken away from me?â&#x20AC;&#x2122;â&#x20AC;? the cardinal said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;But then... this grieving father said, â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;I have accepted this. I have resigned myself to the fact that my daughterâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s no longer with me. I rejoice that she died serving other people, especially serving this visit of the Holy Father. So itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a meaningful death,â&#x20AC;&#x2122;â&#x20AC;? the cardinal quoted the father as saying. Â&#x201E; CNS

Â&#x201E; More stories on the popeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s visit to Philippines and Sri Lanka on Pages 18 and 19

18 POPE IN PHILIPPINES

Sunday February 8, 2015 Â&#x201E; CatholicNews

PLANE PRESS CONFERENCES

Respect for religion should limit freedom of expression SOH WKDW UHIHUUHG WR WKH 9DWLFDQÂśV planner of papal trips, who was Commenting on recent killings by standing beside him as he spoke, Islamist terrorists at a Paris news- WKH SRSH VDLG Âł,WÂśV WUXH RQH FDQpaper, Pope Francis condemned not react violently, but if Dr [Alkilling in the name of God, but berto] Gasbarri, a great friend, said freedom of expression should says a swear word against my be limited by respect for religion mother, then he is going to get a and that mockery of faith can be SXQFK %XW LWÂśV QRUPDO LWÂśV QRUexpected to provoke violence. mal. One cannot provoke, one The pope made his remarks on FDQQRW LQVXOW RWKHU SHRSOHÂśV IDLWK ´ Jan 15 to reporters accompanying Asked about his encyclical on KLP RQ D Ă&#x20AC;LJKW IURP 6UL /DQND WR the environment, Pope Francis said the Philippines. During the 50-min- the document had already been ute news conference, the pope also through three drafts by a team under said his encyclical on Cardinal Peter Turkthe environment likely One cannot son, president of the will be published later &RXQFLO IRU provoke, one 3RQWLÂżFDO this year, and that he Justice and Peace, and will canonise Blessed cannot insult reviewed by the Vati-XQLSHUR 6HUUD DQ other peopleâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s FDQ 6HFUHWDULDW RI 6WDWH 18th-century Franand the theologian of faith. ciscan missionary to the papal household.

North America, in the Pope Francis said â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Pope Francis 86 LQ 6HSWHPEHU it was important the Asked by a French reporter to encyclical come out soon enough compare freedom of religion and WR LQĂ&#x20AC;XHQFH D JOREDO FOLPDWH freedom of expression as human change summit scheduled to open rights, Pope Francis linked his on Nov 30 in Paris. answer to the Jan 7 attacks at the +H DGGHG WKDW LQ 6HSWHPEHU RIÂżFHV RI &KDUOLH +HEGR KH ÂłZLOO FDQRQLVH -XQLSHUR 6HUUD Âł/HWÂśV JR WR 3DULV OHWÂśV VSHDN LQ WKH 8QLWHG 6WDWHV´ clearly,â&#x20AC;? the pope said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;One canThe Franciscan priest estabnot offend, make war, kill in the lished dozens of missions in what QDPH RI RQHÂśV RZQ UHOLJLRQ WKDW is now California and Mexico. is, in the name of God.â&#x20AC;?

7KH SRSH KDV FRQÂżUPHG KH The pope said freedom of will visit Philadelphia for the expression was a â&#x20AC;&#x153;fundamental World Meeting of Families in human rightâ&#x20AC;? like freedom of re- 6HSWHPEHU +H DOVR PLJKW WUDYHO ligion, but one that must be exer- to New York City, Washington, cised â&#x20AC;&#x153;without giving offenceâ&#x20AC;?. and Mexico City but no itinerary Offering a hypothetical exam- has been released. Â&#x201E; CNS

ABOARD THE PAPAL FLIGHT FROM COLOMBO, SRI LANKA â&#x20AC;&#x201C;

â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;

Pope Francis giving the homily while celebrating Mass at Rizal Park in Manila, Philippines on Jan 18. CNS photos

Pope tells Filipinos to protect the family MANILA, PHILIPPINES â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Pope

Francis told a crowd of at least 6 million gathered in a Manila park to protect the family â&#x20AC;&#x153;against insidious attacks and programmes contrary to all that we hold true and sacred, all that is most beautiful and noble in our cultureâ&#x20AC;?.

7KH SRSHÂśV KRPLO\ DW WKH -DQ 18 Mass also reprised several other themes he had sounded during the four-day visit, including environmental problems, poverty and corruption.

Despite continuous rain, the congregation in Rizal Park began to assemble the night before the afternoon celebration.

The government estimated the total crowd size at 6-7 million people. According to the Vatican spokesman, Jesuit Fr Federico /RPEDUGL WKDW ZRXOG EH WKH ODUJest number of people ever to gather to see a pope.

The Mass was celebrated on 6DQWR 1LQR 'D\ RU WKH IHDVW RI WKH +RO\ &KLOG -HVXV 0DQ\ RI WKRVH who walked great distances down closed roads to get to Rizal Park

A young woman holds her statue of Santo Nino, the Holy Child Jesus, as she waits to see Pope Francis after the Mass.

KHOG VWDWXHV RI 6DQWR 1LQR )RU KLV ÂżQDO VFKHGXOHG SXEOLF talk in the country, Pope Francis stuck to his prepared English text DQG GLG QRW LPSURYLVH LQ 6SDQLVK as he had done at several emotional points during the visit.

Those words echoed his warning, during a Jan 16 meeting with

We need to care â&#x20AC;&#x2DC; for our young people, not allowing them to be robbed of hope and condemned to life on the streets.

â&#x20AC;&#x2122;

â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Pope Francis

Filipino families, against â&#x20AC;&#x153;ideological colonisation that tries to destroy the familyâ&#x20AC;? through such practices as same-sex marriage and contraception.

In his homily, Pope Francis said Christians â&#x20AC;&#x153;need to see each child as a gift to be welcomed, cherished and protected. And we need to care for our young people, not allowing

them to be robbed of hope and condemned to life on the streets.â&#x20AC;?

The pope praised the Philippines, whose population is more than 80 percent Catholic, as the â&#x20AC;&#x153;foremost Catholic country in Asiaâ&#x20AC;?, and said its people are â&#x20AC;&#x153;called to be outstanding missionaries of the faith in Asiaâ&#x20AC;?.

Yet he warned the developing QDWLRQ RQH RI $VLDÂśV IDVWHVW JURZing economies, against temptations of materialism, saying the devil â&#x20AC;&#x153;hides his snares behind the appearance of sophistication, the allure of being modern, like eveU\RQH HOVH +H GLVWUDFWV XV ZLWK the promise of ephemeral pleasXUHV VXSHUÂżFLDO SDVWLPHV ´ Pope Francis, who had urged a group of young people earlier in the day to address the challenge of climate change through dedication to the environment, told Massgoers KXPDQ VLQIXOQHVV KDG ÂłGLVÂżJXUHG [the] natural beautyâ&#x20AC;? of creation.

Other consequences of sin, the pope said, were â&#x20AC;&#x153;social structures which perpetuate poverty, ignorance and corruptionâ&#x20AC;?. Â&#x201E; CNS

People attend Pope Francisâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; celebration of Mass at Rizal Park in Manila.

â&#x20AC;&#x2122;

Catholics must practise â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;responsible parenthoodâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; 7KDWÂśV ZKDW , ZDQWHG WR VD\ ´ Asked about the limited rePope Francis stressed that, despite sponse to his calls on Muslim reChurch doctrine against contra- ligious, political and intellectual ception, Catholics fail to practise leaders to condemn violence in â&#x20AC;&#x153;responsible parenthoodâ&#x20AC;? when the name of religion, Pope Francis they have too many children. said that â&#x20AC;&#x153;some of them have done The pope said this on Jan 19 in something, but we need to allow a a news conference with reporters little time, because the situation is on a trip back to Rome from the not easy for them.â&#x20AC;?

Philippines.

Pope Francis added that he did +H DOVR UHDIÂżUPHG not meet the Dalai Church his rejection of pop/DPD LQ 'HFHPEHU teaching ulation-control prowhen he was in Rome grammes. as Vatican protocol provides for Âł6RPH SHRSOH prevents the pope â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;many licit think... that to be good from â&#x20AC;&#x153;receiving heads Catholics we have of state and people at waysâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; to be like rabbits,â&#x20AC;? that level when they to limit he said, yet Church are taking part in an inteaching provides for reproduction. ternational meetingâ&#x20AC;?. â&#x20AC;&#x153;many licit waysâ&#x20AC;? to While addressing limit reproduction. the weightiest topics, the pope once One reporter asked the pope again displayed his disarmingly to explain his controversial Jan 15 frank and informal way of speakstatement, prompted by the recent ing. During extended remarks on killings by Islamist terrorists at a the evil of government corruption, Paris newspaper. he recalled being solicited for a â&#x20AC;&#x153;In theory, we can say what the EULEH E\ $UJHQWLQH RIÂżFLDOV Gospel says, that we should turn â&#x20AC;&#x153;At that moment, I thought the other cheek,â&#x20AC;? he said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;But in about what I would do: either I SUDFWLFH OHWÂśV VWRS D ELW EHFDXVH insult them and give them a kick we are human and we risk provok- ZKHUH WKH VXQ GRHVQÂśW VKLQH RU , ing others. For this reason, freedom play the fool,â&#x20AC;? Pope Francis said. must be accompanied by prudence. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I played the fool.â&#x20AC;? Â&#x201E; CNS ABOARD THE PAPAL FLIGHT FROM MANILA, PHILIPPINES â&#x20AC;&#x201C;

POPE IN SRI LANKA 19

Sunday February 8, 2015 Â&#x201E; CatholicNews

CNS photos

People wait for the start of the canonisation Mass of St Joseph Vaz in Colombo.

Pope Francis arrives to celebrate the Mass.

6UL /DQND¡V Ă&#x20AC;UVW VDLQW FDQRQLVHG COLOMBO â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Canonising Sri Lan-

NDÂśV ÂżUVW VDLQW ZKR PLQLVWHUHG WR Catholics under persecution three centuries earlier, Pope Francis proclaimed what he called the â&#x20AC;&#x153;fundamental human rightâ&#x20AC;? of religious freedom. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Each individual must be free, alone or in association with others, to seek the truth, and to openly express his or her religious convictions, free from intimidation and external compulsion,â&#x20AC;? the pope said on Jan 14 before a congregation of more than 500,000 in a beachfront park on the Indian Ocean.

Pope Francis gave his homily half an hour after canonising St Joseph Vaz, a 17th and 18thcentury missionary from India who rebuilt the Catholic Church in Sri Lanka after its suppression

by Dutch Protestant colonists.

The pope called on Catholics

today to emulate the new saint by spreading the Gospel with â&#x20AC;&#x153;missionary zealâ&#x20AC;?. â&#x20AC;&#x153;St Joseph knew how to offer the truth and the beauty of the Gospel in a multireligious context, with respect, dedication, perseverance and humility,â&#x20AC;? the pope said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We are called to go forth with the same zeal, the same courage of St Joseph, but also with his sensitivity, his reverence for others, his desire to share with them that word of grace which has the power to build them up. We are called to be missionary disciples.â&#x20AC;?

Noting that St Joseph had won the support of a Buddhist king by caring for victims of a smallpox epidemic, and thus â&#x20AC;&#x153;was allowed greater freedom to ministerâ&#x20AC;?, the pope praised todayâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Sri Lankan Catholics, who make up only 7 percent of the population, for their

Portrait of St Joseph Vaz.

charitable service to their neighbours.

The Church in Sri Lanka today â&#x20AC;&#x153;makes no distinction of race,

creed, tribe, status or religion in the service she provides through her schools, hospitals, clinics and many other charitable works. All she asks is the freedom to carry out this mission,â&#x20AC;? he said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;As the life of St Joseph Vaz teaches us, genuine worship of God bears fruit not in discrimination, hatred and violence, but in respect for the sacredness of life, respect for the dignity and freedom of others, and loving commitment to the welfare of all.â&#x20AC;?

7KH FDQRQLVDWLRQ 0DVV UHĂ&#x20AC;HFWed the multicultural character of Sri Lankan society. The pope celebrated the liturgy in English and Latin, but there were readings in the local languages of Tamil and Sinhalese.

Drums and sitars accompanied the choir, and dancers in traditional costumes performed before the start of Mass. The altar

was housed in a structure whose peaked roof recalled the Buddhist temple architecture of Kandy, the central region of the country where St Joseph won acceptance for his ministry.

As the canonisation service began, a black wooden cross was carried in solemn procession. The cross was one that St Joseph had planted in one of the churches; it has been preserved in a church in Sri Lankaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s North Western province.

At the end of Mass, Cardinal Albert Malcolm Ranjith of Colombo addressed the pope, thanking him for the new saint. The cardinal also asked for Pope Francisâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; blessing and guidance in the search for reconciliation after Sri Lankaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s two-and-a-half decade civil war between government forces and rebels from the TamilHindu minority, which ended in 2009. Â&#x201E; CNS

Pope at Marian shrine: reconciliation requires repentance COLOMBO â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Pope Francis told Sri Lankans

Pope Francis leads a prayer service at the Marian shrine in Madhu.

seeking reconciliation after two-and-a-half decades of civil war that, before they can forgive each other, they must repent of their own sins. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Only when we come to understand, in light of the cross, the evil we are capable of, and have even been a part of, can we experience true remorse and true repentance. Only then can we receive the grace to approach one another in true contrition, offering and seeking true forgiveness,â&#x20AC;? the pope said on Jan 14 during a prayer service in the northern jungle town of Madhu.

7KH SRSH KDG Ă&#x20AC;RZQ LQ D KHOLFRSWHU IURP the capital city of Colombo to visit the shrine of Our Lady of the Rosary, which houses a statue of Mary venerated by Sri Lankans since the 16th century.

During the 26-year struggle between government forces and rebels from the countryâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Tamil minority, both sides recognised the area around the shrine as a demilitarised zone, which served as a sanctuary for thousands of war refugees. However, in

2008, the historic statue had to be removed WHPSRUDULO\ ZKHQ LW FDPH XQGHU FURVVÂżUH The 300,000 people assembled for the popeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s visit included families who had lost members during what he described as a ÂłORQJ FRQĂ&#x20AC;LFW ZKLFK WRUH RSHQ WKH KHDUW RI Sri Lankaâ&#x20AC;?.

Pope Francis invoked Mary, who â&#x20AC;&#x153;forgave her sonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s killers at the foot of the crossâ&#x20AC;?, saying she would guide the country to â&#x20AC;&#x153;greater reconciliationâ&#x20AC;?.

He described the shrine as â&#x20AC;&#x153;our motherâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s house,â&#x20AC;? where â&#x20AC;&#x153;every pilgrim can feel at homeâ&#x20AC;?, and where members of the countryâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s two main ethnic groups, â&#x20AC;&#x153;Tamil and Sinhalese alike, come as members of one familyâ&#x20AC;?.

Later, shrine rector, Fr S Emalianuspillai, said the popeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s three-hour visit would â&#x20AC;&#x153;help the renewal of faith and strengthen our people in their spiritual livesâ&#x20AC;?.

After his helicopter landed at Madhu, the pope rode to the shrine in a popemobile, then spent half an hour greeting devotees. He also blessed a group of 2,000 sick and disabled people, including many

who had been injured during the war.

His prayer service stressed national unity, with prayers in both the Tamil and Sinhalese languages.

At the end of the liturgy, Pope Francis raised the statue to bless the crowd with it, then placed a rosary around its neck as an offering. He went inside for a few minutes of private devotion before leaving for the helipad.

After returning to Colombo, the pope paid an unscheduled visit to a Buddhist temple at the headquarters of the Maha Bodhi Society, responding to an invitation he had received the previous day from its head priest, the Venerable Banagala Upatissa.

According to the Vatican spokesman, the pope removed his shoes to enter the temple, where he was given a rare look at some relics of two disciples of the Buddha and listened while some monks prayed.

It was at least the second time a pope had visited a Buddhist temple, following St John Paul IIâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s visit to a temple in Bangkok in 1984. Â&#x201E; CNS

20 OPINION

Sunday February 8, 2015 Â&#x201E; CatholicNews

Private morality and social justice

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LETTER

Too much singing at Mass?

In recent years, I have observed that there tends to be a lot more singing during Mass, especially during Sunday Mass.

Allow me to go back a bit in history. If my memory still serves me, when I was a young boy (I am now in my late 50s), we only sang during the opening hymn, Communion song and the closing song.

Over the years, we added a few more singing parts during Mass i.e. Gloria, Responsorial Psalm, Gospel Acclamation, Hosanna, Our Lordâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Prayer, Breaking of Bread (Lamb of God).

In more recent years, I noticed that we continued to add singing parts.

When we sing a prayer, the tendency is that we focus on the music but not the lyrics.

Over the past year, I attended Masses in various churches. The priest now sings the Opening Prayer, parts of the Liturgy of the Eucharist and the Concluding Rite.

I am not saying that we cannot have any singing during Mass but I do think we have too much singing.

When we sing a prayer, the tendency is that we focus on the music but not the lyrics. When this happens, the meaningfulness of the prayer is lost.

Also, with due respect to the priests, when they sing, for example, parts of the Eucharistic FHOHEUDWLRQ LW LV YHU\ GLIÂżFXOW to comprehend or absorb the prayer.

I guess the singing is to make the Mass livelier but having too PXFK VLQJLQJ PDNHV LW GLIÂżFXOW for us to engage in meaningful prayer.

Eugene Tan Singapore 588153

WE CAN never be challenged too strongly with regard to being committed to social justice. A key, nonnegotiable, summon that comes from Jesus Himself, is precisely the challenge to reach out to the poor, to the excluded and to those whom society deems expendable.

Therefore the huge, global issues of justice should preoccupy us. Can we be good Christians or even decent human beings without letting the daily news baptise us? The majority of the world still lives in hunger, thousands are dying of Ebola and other such illnesses, countless lives are torn apart by war and violence, and we are still, as a world, a long way from dealing realistically with racism, sexism, abortion, and the integrity of physical creation. These are major moral issues and we may not escape into our own private world and simply ignore them.

However, precisely because they are so mammoth and important, we can get the impression that the other moral issues we have to deal with, issues of private morality, are not as important. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s all too easy to conclude that, given the mega-problems in our world, it doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t matter much how we live in the deeper recesses of our private worlds.

Our private, little moral concerns can look pretty petty when weighed against the problems of the world as a whole. Do we really believe that God cares much whether or not we say our morning prayers, gossip about a colleague, nurse a grudge or two, or are less than fully honest in our sexual lives? Does God really care about these things?

Yes. God cares because we care. Large, global issues notwithstanding, issues of personal integrity are generally what make or break our happiness, not to mention our character and our intimate relationships.

In the end, they arenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t petty concerns at all. They shape the big things.

6RFLDO PRUDOLW\ LV VLPSO\ D UHĂ&#x20AC;HFWLRQ RI SULYDWH PRUDOLW\ :KDW ZH VHH LQ WKH JOREDO SLFWXUH LV VLPSO\ D PDJQLÂżFDWLRQ RI WKH KXPDQ KHDUW :KHQ HJR JUHHG OXVW DQG VHOÂżVKQHVV DUH QRW GHDOW ZLWK LQVLGH WKH private recesses of the heart, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s naive to think that they will be dealt with at a global level. How are we to build a just, loving world, if we FDQQRW ÂżUVW RI DOO WDPH VHOÂżVKQHVV LQVLGH XV" 7KHUH ZLOO EH QR WUDQVparency at a global level as long as we continue to think itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s okay to QRW EH WUDQVSDUHQW LQ RXU SULYDWH OLYHV 7KH JOREDO VLPSO\ UHĂ&#x20AC;HFWV WKH private. The failure to recognise this is, to my mind, the elephant in the room in terms of our inability to bring justice to the earth.

Social action that does not have private morality as its base is not spirituality, but simple political action, power dealing with power, important in itself, but the not to be confused with real transformation.

The kingdom of God doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t work that way. It works by conversion and real conversion is an eminently personal act.

Carlos Castaneda, the Native American mystic, writes: â&#x20AC;&#x153;I come from Latin America where intellectuals are always talking about political and social revolution and where a lot of bombs are being thrown.

But nothing has changed much. It takes little daring to bomb a building, but in order to stop being jealous or to come to internal silence, you have to remake yourself. This is where real reform begins.â&#x20AC;?

American Catholic writer and mystic Thomas Merton makes the same point. During the 1960s, when so many intellectuals were involved in various social struggles, Merton was tucked away in a monastery, far (it would seem) from the real battlefronts. Stung by outside criticism of his monastic seclusion, he admitted that to most outsiders it â&#x20AC;&#x153;must seem like small potatoesâ&#x20AC;? to be engaged mainly in a war against oneâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s private demons. +RZHYHU KH VWLOO EHOLHYHG WKDW KH ZDV ÂżJKWLQJ WKH UHDO EDWWOH WKDW of changing hearts. When you change a heart, he says, you have helped bring about some permanent structural, moral change on this planet.

Everything else is simply one power attempting to displace another.

Private morality and all that comes with it â&#x20AC;&#x201C; private prayer and the attempt to be honest and transparent in even the smallest and most secret of things â&#x20AC;&#x201C; is the core from which all morality takes its root.

Writer Jan Walgrave, commenting on the social importance of mysticism, suggests: â&#x20AC;&#x153;You can generate more energy by splitting a single atom than you can by harnessing all the forces of water and wind on earth. That is precisely what Jesus, Buddha, and Mohammed did.

7KH\ VSOLW WKH LQQHU DWRP RI ORYH *UHDW HQHUJ\ Ă&#x20AC;RZHG RXW ´ 6W -RKQ of the Cross, in teaching about the vital importance of honesty in small things, says: â&#x20AC;&#x153;It makes no difference whether a bird is tied down by D KHDY\ URSH RU E\ WKH VOHQGHUHVW RI FRUGV LW FDQÂśW Ă&#x20AC;\ LQ HLWKHU FDVH ´ Private morality is not an unimportant, unaffordable luxury, a soft virtue, something that stands in the way of commitment to social justice. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s the deep place where the moral atom needs to be split. Â&#x201E;

FOCUS 21

Sunday February 8, 2015 CatholicNews

Ash Wednesday (Feb 18, 2015) falls on Chinese New Year Eve. The Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Malaysia-Singapore-Brunei has decided that Masses are to be arranged with imposition of ashes on that day.

However, fasting can take place on Ash Wednesday itself or on another day to be decided by the individual.

The decision was made by the Bishops’ Conference for pastoral reasons to facilitate maximum participation. It tries to accommodate the cultural needs of those who are celebrating the family reunion dinner on the eve of the Chinese New Year. Others may continue with the norm of Ash Wednesday.

Would you fast and abstain?

In view of the announcement above, Catholic News surveyed some Catholics about their Ash Wednesday plans. Here is what they say:

‘

I will try to fast on Ash Wednesday.

I will fast from facebook and eating dessert during the entire Lenten season. No meat on Ash Wednesday and all Fridays of Lent. Among the three pillars of Lent (prayer, fasting and works of charity) prayer is my weakness. I will spend more time in prayer during Lent.

’

Ms Pamela Aw-Young Church of St Ignatius

‘

My family will fast on Ash Wednesday. Our full meal will be the reunion dinner.

’– Mr Francis Lee

Church of Our Lady Queen of Peace

When was the last time you had fun? Name the occasion.

At the 2014 year-end dinner and dance for Mt Alvernia Hospital staff. One of the items we had to do was something like Zumba! I found my hands and legs going in the opposite direction of everyone else’s.

Name an occasion you felt embarrassed/humiliated.

One of the Members of Parliament paid a visit to the hospital during Christmas. As we talked about babies delivered, I said we had 6,000+ babies last month.

When I saw the reaction on his face, I knew I said something stupid. I meant for the year!

Name an occasion when you felt God was far away.

Many years ago when my father was sick for a short while and died. Because of the system in Religious life at that time, I

‘

I will fast and abstain after the Lunar New Year period.

’

– A Religious who declined to be named

‘

I plan to fast on Feb 23. During Lent, I will fast from meat and zip my lips from speaking negatives.

’ – Mr Kevin Toh

Church of Our Lady of Perpetual Succour

‘

My abstinence and fast for Lent, from Ash Wednesday onwards: a. Impatience – to help with my ministry and life to be more attentive and empathetic to people whom I am attending; b. Attitude of rushing things along – to slow down and be more focused with the more important things in life while giving my

wasn’t allowed to visit him. My belief that God will look after my family was shattered.

What has sustained your life as a Religious, especially in the face of challenges/changes?

In the face of challenges/changes, God’s help in my life comes in different forms. Faith is so important. With that as an anchor, I depend on His strength, courage, trust, listening to His word.

What was one of the biggest challenges in your Religious life?

I was appointed to a large community, the majority of whom I had not lived with before. Ages and personalities varied. I was going into a completely new ministry to say the least. I made a retreat and prayed a lot before I went. I had encouraging dreams!

God rewarded me when I got there, and they were very happy years.

time to people needing genuine help; c. One full meal – to be in solidarity with those who have no basic essentials and food and to appreciate what we already have and to be able to share freely.

’

– Fr Aloysius Ong Assistant Priest, Church of Our Lady Queen of Peace

‘

I plan to practise abstinence throughout this coming 40 days [of Lent]. I would mostly abstain from eating too much. To me, Lent is a time of penance and change in preparation for Easter. So with that I feel that stepping out of your comfort zone during this season is important.

abstain from meat dur‘ingI usually lunch every day and fast on Fridays. As I am the only Catholic in my household, I take my family into consideration when we plan meals as we have breakfast and dinner togethHU 0\ PRWKHU DOVR WULHV WR KDYH ¿VK instead of meat for dinner on Fridays VR LW¶V QRW MXVW P\ VDFUL¿FH EXW KHUV too, which I appreciate very much.

“During Lent, I will fast from worries and fears by giving them to the Lord to take charge of. I’ll pray a Hail Mary when these worries and fears come to mind in the mist of prayer and work.

’

’

Ms Pat Lim Church of the Immaculate Heart of Mary

– Mr Miguel Acedera Church of Our Lady Queen of Peace

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

Usually it’s my work plans and worries. Needless to say, once I become aware I stop and listen to what God is telling me and leave everything in His hands.

This happens often until I use my heart instead of my head!

Pope Francis calls for a Church for the poor, by the poor. How do you live that within your vocation?

I see the poor not necessarily as materially poor. There are poor in different ways. People who need time and understanding need our time to care, listen and understand. To really make a difference in the lives of those around us. In my ministry as an FMDM presence in the hospital, I communicate with the staff and those who come through our doors. Some are happy, others distressed or anxious. I try to give time to them

and put them at ease. Give help where needed. Let the migrant workers on site feel appreciated.

A smile goes a long way!

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

Mainly it’s my nephews, niece and their children.

We get together for a meal, talk and laugh about their lives, visit cousins and go shopping.

Favourite food?

I like Indian and Western food. Desserts are favourites – kesari and caramel brûlée.

Singporean Sr Thomasina Franciscan Missionaries of the Divine Motherhood http://www.fmdmsgmy.org

What do you normally do to relax?

Have coffee with a friend in a café and chat. Enjoy walks in lovely parks and gardens. Go window shopping sometimes.

22 FAITH ALIVE!

Sunday February 8, 2015 Â&#x201E; CatholicNews

A fruitful encounter between young and old Learning more about the Presentation of the Lord and how it applies to real life

By Kelly Bothum Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s easy to fall into negative thinking when much of the conversation about raising children today seems to focus on everything thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s going wrong in our families. We hear how itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s so much harder now for parents to keep up with the demands at work and at home, how families are more fragmented than in the past, how myriad distractions keep us from connecting with our faith and each other.

How depressing. How dispiriting. How wrong.

Sure, we can lament the many less-than-ideal aspects of modern society, such as violent video games that trivialise rather than promote life, reality shows that glorify a sexualised lifestyle and the gotta-have-itall consumerism that hastens our slide toward a disposable culture.

The other option is to do something about it. We have to ask: What is our duty as elders in transmitting the values and faith we care about?

In 2014, in his homily for the feast of the Presentation of the Lord, Pope Francis reminded us of the simple act of passing down our principles, including our lives of faith. He reminded us that the feast of the Presentation of the Lord is also called a â&#x20AC;&#x153;feast of encounterâ&#x20AC;?, and there are several encounters going on during the biblical events that took place when Mary and Joseph took their newborn son to the temple.

One encounter is of Jesus meeting His people, but there is also another encounter, the pope

Children observe and learn how we, as parents or elders, live the Ten Commandments, how we treat those who need our help.

)DPLO\ PHPEHUV IURP 6UL /DQND DWWHQG D 0DVV LQ 6W 3HWHUÂśV %DVLOLFD DW WKH 9DWLFDQ 3RSH )UDQFLV UHPLQGV XV RI WKH VLPSOH DFW RI SDVVLQJ GRZQ RXU SULQFLSOHV LQFOXGLQJ RXU OLYHV RI IDLWK WR FKLOGUHQ CNS Âżle photo

said, â&#x20AC;&#x153;between the young, who are full of joy in observing the law of the Lord, and the elderly who are full of joy in the action of the Holy Spiritâ&#x20AC;?.

The elders are Simeon, a pious man, and Anna, a prophetess.

The pope says of them: â&#x20AC;&#x153;In short, these two elders are full of life!

They are full of life because they are enlivened by the Holy Spirit, obedient to his action, sensitive to his calls.â&#x20AC;?

I wonder, are we, as elders, enlivened by the Holy Spirit and obedient, and sensitive to his

calls? Do we show this to the young in our lives, to those who look to us for guidance in life and faith?

I think it was around 3 am, of WKH ÂżUVW QLJKW DIWHU JLYLQJ ELUWK WR my oldest daughter when I realised that parenting, or being an elder in general, requires a vigilance unlike any other.

Everything we do in our lives offers our children and the children of others a lesson. Sometimes itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s as obvious as reminding our children to look both ways before crossing the street or to

say a prayer before going to bed.

Children observe and learn how we, as parents or elders, live the Ten Commandments, how we treat those who need our help.

Sadly, they also learn when we donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t help the poor, when we donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t act in charitable ways, or when we fail to follow the letter of the law.

Are we, like Simeon and Anna, who listened to the Holy Spirit, or like Mary and Joseph, looking to do what is right by the law? In the case of Mary and Joseph, the reason for the visit to

the temple was to comply with a law and that certain zeal that new parents have to do everything right when a new baby comes along. Yet, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s also deeper than that.

The pope described Mary and Joseph as â&#x20AC;&#x153;two newlyweds, they have just had their baby, and they are motivated by the desire to do what is prescribed. This is not an H[WHUQDO IDFW LW LV QRW MXVW WR IHHO right, no! Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a strong desire, a deep desire, full of joy.â&#x20AC;?

Whatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s important, as people of faith, is to maintain this zeal to do things right, to live by Godâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s laws with joy, but also to allow room for the Holy Spirit to inspire us, as he inspired Simeon and Anna.

Rather than lamenting about how bad the world has become or how great it used to be way back when, parents, and the young, need our help in the here and now.

If it takes a village to raise a child, then the Church should be part of a community of believers, of elders, like Simeon and Anna, or Mary and Joseph, â&#x20AC;&#x153;animated by the [Holy] Spiritâ&#x20AC;? with joy to do whatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s right. Â&#x201E; CNS Bothum, a mother of three, is a freelance writer.

The presentation of the Lordâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s biblical beginnings

By Fr Lawrence E Mick

A mosaic of Mary and Joseph presenting the child Jesus to Simeon decoUDWHV WKH FKDSHO RI WKH -HVXLW LQÂżUPDU\ LQ 5RPH 7KH IHDVW RI WKH 3UHVHQWDWLRQ RI WKH /RUG IDOOV RQ )HE CNS Âżle photo

When does Christmas end? Some think it ends on Dec 25. Others observe the 12 days of Christmas.

Our current liturgical calendar says the Christmas season ends with the feast of the Baptism of the Lord, usually the Sunday after Epiphany.

There was a time when Christmas ended on Feb 2 with the feast of the Presentation of the Lord, which made Christmas last for 40 days.

It makes sense that this feast was considered part of Christmas because the biblical basis is part of the infancy narrative in the Gospel according to St Luke.

The Gospel reading for the feast begins with these words: â&#x20AC;&#x153;When the days were completed for WKHLU SXULÂżFDWLRQ DFFRUGLQJ WR the law of Moses, Mary and Joseph took Jesus up to Jerusalem to present Him to the Lord, just as it is written in the law of the Lord, every male that opens the womb shall be consecrated to the Lord.â&#x20AC;?

What law were they following? One passage deals with the SXULÂżFDWLRQ RI WKH PRWKHU /HYLWLcus 12:1-8 says that a woman who gives birth to a boy becomes ritually unclean for seven days. Then the boy is to be circumcised, and the mother is to spend 33 more GD\V EHFRPLQJ SXULÂżHG ,I WKH

baby was a girl, this required 80 days.)

This passage also calls for an offering of a lamb and a pigeon or a turtledove. If the family is poor, they may offer just two pigeons or doves.

In another passage, from Exodus 13:2, God says, â&#x20AC;&#x153;Consecrate WR PH HYHU\ ÂżUVWERUQ ZKDWHYHU opens the womb among the Israelites, whether of human being or beast, belongs to me.â&#x20AC;? So Jesus, WKH ÂżUVWERUQ FKLOG LV SUHVHQWHG LQ the temple to consecrate Him to God. Â&#x201E; CNS Fr Mick is a priest of the Archdiocese of Cincinnati, Ohio, USA and a freelance writer.

COMMENTARY 23

Sunday February 8, 2015 Â&#x201E; CatholicNews

True satire defends what is sacred, not belittle it

By Glen Argan The terrorist attacks that killed 12 people at the French satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo on Jan 7 have rightly been described as acts of â&#x20AC;&#x153;indescribable barbarityâ&#x20AC;?. They were a direct assault on the sanctity of human life and the peaceful order of democratic society.

However, before we make the French cartoonists into innocent martyrs to the cause of free VSHHFK ZH RXJKW WR UHĂ&#x20AC;HFW RQ WKH nature of satire. The terrorist attack has created a rush of people who defend the right of cartoonists to lampoon peopleâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s most basic beliefs and to treat nothing, absolutely nothing, as sacred.

Such, however, is not the only form of satire. Satire can have a moral purpose â&#x20AC;&#x201C; as opposed to the amoral purpose of Charlie Hebdo â&#x20AC;&#x201C; when it ridicules the pomposity and excesses of the wealthy and powerful.

The purpose of such satire is not to destroy, but to inspire justice for the oppressed. Such satire is rooted in the sacred, not opposed to it.

We do not have to look far to ÂżQG UHVSRQVLEOH VDWLUH 7KH EHVW editorial cartooning in daily newspapers assumes just that â&#x20AC;&#x201C; that there are principles of justice that ought to be maintained and that perhaps the most effective way to speak against the violation of such principles is not with reasoned argument, but with ridicule.

To ridicule the central beliefs of a religion is a violent attack on the dignity of adherents of that religion.

The Charlie Hebdo cartoonists, in contrast, strike against the core of human dignity, the sacred centre of the human person which yearns for union with God. That sacred centre typically expresses LWVHOI WKURXJK ÂżGHOLW\ WR RQH RI WKH great religions.

To ridicule, especially with ongoing fervour, the central beliefs of a religion is a psychologically and spiritually violent attack on the dignity of adherents of that religion.

The Second Vatican Councilâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Declaration on Religious Freedom declared that people have an obligation to seek religious truth, an obligation that requires â&#x20AC;&#x153;psychological freedom and immunity from external coercionâ&#x20AC;?. When people do seek religious truth, it should inspire in us not ridicule but profound respect.

Most, if not all, religions have chequered histories. Sometimes their leaders have provoked wars and persecution in the name of God. Such religious violence ought to be criticised.

Religions, however, have also suffered persecution. In the case of Islam, there is a long history of subjugation by what Muslims see as the Christian West. From the Muslim point of view, the Charlie Hebdo cartoonists are but the latest Western assault on their deepest religious beliefs.

This is no excuse for terrorism. But freedom of speech is not a licence to ridicule everyone and everything. The right to free speech is rooted in respect for human dignity. Yet respect for that dignity was severely lacking in the cartoons that provoked the terroristsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; wrath. Â&#x201E; CNS The writer is the editor and general manager of the Western Catholic Reporter, newspaper of the Archdiocese of Edmonton, Canada. This commentary Âżrst appeared in the paperâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Jan 26 issue.

24

Sunday February 8, 2015 Â&#x201E; CatholicNews

In the beginning, God created everything that exists.

He started out by making the heavHQV DQG WKH HDUWK $W ÂżUVW WKH HDUWK ZDV YHU\ ZLQG\ DQG GDUN ,W GLG QRW KDYH D form or a shape, and it did not have anything living on it. The only thing that FRXOG EH IRXQG RQ LW ZDV ZDWHU So for the next six days, God decided to do some creating. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Let there be light,â&#x20AC;? God said, DQG WKHUH ZDV OLJKW He separated the light from the darkness, calling the light day and the darkness night. He also created a dome LQ WKH PLGGOH RI WKH HDUWKÂśV ZDWHU VR WKH ERGLHV RI ZDWHU ZRXOG EH VHSDUDWed. This dome He called the sky. +H WKHQ JDWKHUHG WKH ZDWHU LQWR a basin so dry land could appear. The EDVLQ ZDV FDOOHG VHD DQG WKH ODQG ZDV called earth.

Then God created all sorts of plants and fruit-bearing trees.

Next, God made lights in the sky.

He made a very great light to govern the day (the sun) and then a lesser light (the moon) to govern the night. He made WKH VWDUV WRR *RG ZDQWHG WKHVH OLJKWV to help mark days, nights and seasons.

All this God did in four days. He VSHQW WKH QH[W WZR GD\V FUHDWLQJ DOO the creatures on the earth â&#x20AC;&#x201C; the birds of the sky, the creatures that live in the VHD DQG WKH WDPH DQG WKH ZLOG DQLPDOV that live upon the dry land.

Then God decided to make one more thing. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Let us make human beings in our image, after our likeness,â&#x20AC;? he said. Âł/HW WKHP KDYH GRPLQLRQ RYHU WKH ÂżVK of the sea, the birds of the air, the tame DQLPDOV DOO WKH ZLOG DQLPDOV DQG DOO WKH FUHDWXUHV WKDW FUDZO RQ WKH HDUWK ´ So God created mankind in his imDJH +H PDGH ERWK D PDQ DQG D ZRPDQ

SPOTLIGHT ON SAINTS: St Boniface of Lausanne 6W %RQLIDFH RI /DXVDQQH ZDV ERUQ LQ %UXVVHOV %HOJLXP :KHQ KH ZDV KH OHIW KRPH WR VWXG\ LQ 3DULV DQG EHFDPH NQRZQ DV D JUHDW OHFWXUHU $IWHU VHYHQ \HDUV KH OHIW 3DULV IRU &RORJQH *HUPDQ\ ZKHUH KH ZRUNHG DW WKH FDWKHGUDO VFKRRO 7ZR \HDUV ODWHU KH ZDV QDPHG ELVKRS RI /DXVDQQH 6ZLW]HUODQG 'XULQJ KLV HLJKW \HDUV DV ELVKRS KH GHDOW ZLWK PDQ\ GLIÂżFXOW SHRSOH ZKR PLVXQGHUVWRRG DQG RSSRVHG KLP +H GLG QRW JHW DORQJ ZLWK (PSHURU )UHGHULFN ,, DQG VRPH SHRSOH ZKR ZRUNHG IRU WKH HPSHURU DWWDFNHG 6W %RQLIDFH DQG KXUW KLP The saint then received the popeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s permission to resign.

8SRQ UHWXUQLQJ WR %UXVVHOV KH OLYHG ZLWK &LVWHUFLDQ QXQV DW their abbey until his death. :H KRQRXU KLP RQ )HE Â&#x201E;

+H EOHVVHG WKHVH SHRSOH DV ZHOO DV DOO of the birds, sea creatures, tame animals DQG ZLOG DQLPDOV DQG WROG WKHP DOO WR EH IUXLWIXO DQG PXOWLSO\ WR ÂżOO WKH HDUWK On day six, God looked at all WKDW +H KDG FUHDWHG DQG +H VDZ WKDW LW ZDV JRRG On the seventh day, God decided to enjoy all that He had made. â&#x20AC;&#x153;On the seventh day God comSOHWHG WKH ZRUN +H KDG EHHQ GRLQJ He rested on the seventh day from

DOO WKH ZRUN KH KDG XQGHUWDNHQ *RG blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it He rested from all WKH ZRUN KH KDG GRQH LQ FUHDWLRQ ´ Â&#x201E; Read more about it: Genesis 1 & 2

Q&A 1. How many days did it take for God to create everything on earth?

2. What was the last thing God made?

Wordsearch: Â&#x201E; FISH

Â&#x201E; AIR

Â&#x201E; MIDDLE Â&#x201E; EXISTS

Â&#x201E; SEASON Â&#x201E; BIRDS

Â&#x201E; LIGHT

Â&#x201E; MOON

Â&#x201E; LAND

Â&#x201E; SEA

Â&#x201E; EARTH

Â&#x201E; HOLY

KIDSâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; CLUB: Share your thoughts on a Bible story with family and friends by writing an essay in response to this question: Why was it bad for Adam and Eve to disobey God?

Bible Accent:

Answer to puzzle: Sun (d.); Sky (b.); Mankind (f.); Birds (e.); Light (a.); Vegetation (c.).

,Q WKH ÂżUVW FKDSWHU RI *HQHVLV there is a day-by-day description of the things God created in six days.

On the sixth day, the very last thing +H FUHDWHG ZDV PDQNLQG 0RUH GHWDLOV RQ KRZ *RG FUHDWHG WKH ÂżUVW PDQ DQG ZRPDQ DSSHDU LQ *HQHVLV ,Q WKDW FKDSWHU ZH OHDUQ WKDW *RG FUHDWHG PDQ ÂłRXW RI WKH GXVW RI WKH JURXQG DQG EOHZ LQWR +LV QRVWULOV WKH EUHDWK of life, and the man became a living beingâ&#x20AC;?.

Then God planted a garden, called the Garden of Eden.

He put the man in the garden to cultivate and care of it. *RG GHFLGHG LW ZDV QRW JRRG IRU WKH PDQ EH DORQH LQ the garden, so He put the man into a deep sleep, removed RQH RI KLV ULEV DQG RXW RI WKDW ULE FUHDWHG D ZRPDQ Âł7KLV RQH DW ODVW LV ERQH RI P\ ERQHV DQG Ă&#x20AC;HVK RI P\ Ă&#x20AC;HVK ´ WKH PDQ VDLG DERXW WKH ZRPDQ 7KLV LV ZK\ ZKHQ D PDQ DQG D ZRPDQ JHW PDUULHG ÂłWKH WZR RI WKHP EHFRPH RQH ERG\´ EHFDXVH *RG GLG QRW PDNH ZRPDQ RXW RI WKH GXVW RI WKH HDUWK EXW RXW RI PDQ +LPVHOI Â&#x201E;

PUZZLE: Match the creation with the day on which it was created. Hints have been provided.

Sun (Genesis 1:16-19) a. Day 1 Sky (Genesis 1:7-8) b. Day 2 Mankind (Genesis 1:26-31) c. Day 3 Birds (Genesis 1:20-23) d. Day 4 Light (Genesis 1:3-5) e. Day 5 Vegetation (Genesis 1:11-13) f. Day 6 _____ _____ _____ _____ _____ _____

Answer to Wordsearch

By Jennifer Ficcaglia

WHATâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S ON 25

Sunday February 8, 2015 Â&#x201E; CatholicNews

EVENT SUBMISSIONS We welcome information of events happening in our local Church.

Please send your submission at least one month before the event. Online submissions can be made at www. catholic.org.sg/webevent_form.php

RCIA/RCIY

and Joy Toh. Fee: $10. Organised by Kingsmead Centre. At Kingsmead Centre, 8 Victoria Park Road, Hall of the Pilgrim.

Register T: 6467 6072; E: cisc2664@ gmail.com; W: www.kingsmeadcentre.org.

A journey for those seeking to know more about the Catholic faith.

Baptised Catholics are also invited to journey as sponsors.

WEDNESDAYS MARCH 4 RCIA @ CHURCH OF HOLY FAMILY 7.30pm-9.30pm: 6 Chapel Road.

Register T: 9666 6542; E: rcia@holyfam@gmail.com.

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 Josephâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Church, Victoria Street, parish hall from 9.30am11.30am. Register T: 9115 5673 (Andrew).

TUESDAYS JUNE 24 RCIA @ CHURCH OF STS PETER AND PAUL 7.30pm-9.30pm: 225A Queen Street.

Register T: 9753 6863 (Joanna Sng, coordinator); E: sng.joanna@gmail.com.

FEBRUARY 3 TO MAY 5 ST MARKâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S GOSPEL â&#x20AC;&#x201C; FULL OF FAITH, PASSION AND CHOICE 9.30am-11.30am or 7.45pm-9.45pm: Every Tuesday, join us for a 14-week Bible course conducted by Fr Eugene Vaz on St Markâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Gospel. Organised by Archdiocesan Biblical Apostolate. At CAEC, 2 Highland Road, St Paulâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Auditorium, #01-09.

Register T: 6280 0354 / 8433 2683; E: bibleapostolate@catholic.org.sg.

WEDNESDAYS FEBRUARY 11 RCIA @ CHURCH OF CHRIST THE KING 8pm-10pm: 221 Ang Mo Kio Avenue 8, RCIA Room 105. Register T: 8188 4141 (Benjamin Chan) / 8188 4242 (Gwen Lim); E: query.rcia@gmail.com.

SUNDAYS APRIL 12 RCIA @ CHURCH OF OUR LADY OF PERPETUAL SUCCOUR 7.30pm-9.30pm: 31 Siglap Hill.

Register T: 9630 3276 (Edward); E: jjwong5@yahoo.com.sg.

FEBRUARY 4 TO MARCH 13 BASIC CATECHIST COURSE LEVEL 1 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; SCRIPTURE 7.30-10pm: In this course, catechists will discover the principles that undergird and animate the great themes of Scripture.

The main objective is for catechists to understand how to craft catechism lessons in a way that brings Scripture alive.

Organised by ONE. At CAEC, 2 Highland Road. Register T: 6858 3011 (Angelina); angelina@one.org.sg; W: http://one.org.sg.

SUNDAYS MARCH 1 TO APRIL 3, 2016 RCIY @ CHURCH OF ST FRANCIS XAVIER 10.15am-noon: At 63A Chartwell Drive.

Register T: 9751 3448 (Mark) / 9002 9977 (Angela); E: angela.soh137@gmail.com.

FEBRUARY 4 TO MAY 20 BIBLE STUDY, BOOK OF GENESIS 8pm-10pm: Every Wednesday, there will be Bible study sessions conducted

by Msgr Ambrose Vaz. Free of charge.

Organised by Bible Apostolate team, Church of St Francis Xavier. At Church of St Francis Xavier, 63A Chartwell Drive, SFX Room, parish centre. Register E: ronlee@lucas.com.sg (Ron Lee) / maisielee21@gmail.com (Maisie Lim).

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

SATURDAYS FEBRUARY 28 RCIA @ CHURCH OF ST IGNATIUS 4pm: 120 Kingâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Road. Enquiries T: 9762 6330 (Evelyn) / 9790 5251 (Ruth); E: rciy.ignatius@gmail.com; W: http://stignatius.org.sg/dvc/rciy.html.

FEBRUARY 5 TO MARCH 26 BOOK OF DEUTERONOMY 9.45am-11.45am: Every Thursday for eight sessions, there will be informative sharings by Fr Valerian Cheong on the Book of Deuteronomy. Organised by Bible Apostolate (AM) of the Church of the Holy Spirit. At Church of the Holy Spirit, 248 Upper Thomson Road.

Register T: 8228 8220 (Clare); E: HSBibleApostolate@gmail.com.

called The Joy of the Gospel. Organised

by Church of Christ the King. At Church of Christ the King, Ang Mo Kio Avenue 8, Room 105. Register T: 9777 9109 (Stanley); E: ctkcafe@gmail.com.

FEBRUARY 7 FINDING GOD IN MOVIES 2pm-5pm: Stories in movies allow for UHĂ&#x20AC;HFWLYH PRPHQWV ,W RIWHQ LQYLWHV XV WR question ourselves about our faith, and in a greater sense, about humanity. Join us to watch Frozen, and engage in conversation thereafter. Facilitated by Diana Koh

FEBRUARY 5 TO MARCH 26 CATHOLIC FAITH EXPLORATION (CAFE) 7.45pm: Every Thursday from Feb 5, join us for a CaFE video-based programme

FEBRUARY 7, FEBRUARY 14 AND FEBRUARY 28 CHRISTIAN MEDITATION â&#x20AC;&#x201C; INTRODUCTORY PROGRAMME 9.30am-11am: Join us for a three-session introduction to Christian meditation. The event is free of charge. All are welcome.

Organised by Clarity and WCCM Singapore. At Block 854, Yishun Ring Road, #01-3511. Register T: 6757 7990; E: lyn.pereira@clarity-singapore.org.

FEBRUARY 9 TO APRIL 13 AT HOME RETREAT 7.30pm-9.30pm: Join us for a 10-week programme based on the spiritual exercises of St Ignatius of Loyola, which will enable participants to know Jesus Christ more intimately in the midst of the daily routine of life. Each session will include faith sharing, daily prayer using scripture and spiritual direction. Organised by Cenacle Sisters and team. At St Josephâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Church, 143 Victoria Street. Register T: 6565 2895 / 9722 3138; E: cenaclesing@gmail.com.

FEBRUARY 9 READING WITH THE PILGRIM 8pm-10pm: In his book, The Call to Discernment in Troubled Times, the late Fr Dean Brackley, SJ, explores the social implications of the Spiritual Exercises of St Ignatius. This series of 10 Monday evening gatherings (Feb 9- March 2, March 16 - April 20) will be devoted to reading, praying and sharing questions and insights on this insightful, inspiring and important book. Organised by Kingsmead Centre.

Fee: $ 100. At 8 Victoria Park Road.

Register T: 6467 6072; E: cisc2664@ gmail.com; W: www.kingsmeadcentre.sg.

FEBRUARY 24 TO MARCH 24 PASS IT ON! BY MICHELLE MORAN SP SP -RLQ XV IRU D ÂżYH SDUW video series called Pass It On! The series aims to share the Good News with others.

There will be illustrations and practical tips on how you can respond with courage to the popeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s challenge of the New Evangelisation. Organised by F.R.E.E Ministry from Church of the Risen Christ.

At 91 Toa Payoh Central.

Register E: free.risenchrist@gmail.com; W: http://free.risenchrist.org.sg.

FEBRUARY 24 WHAT IS CHRISTIAN MISSION? TALK ON JESUS CHRIST 7.30pm-9.30pm: If youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d like to know more about why we should do mission work, this talk by Fr Gerard Louis, CSSR, is for you. Light refreshments will be provided. Organised by CHARIS. At 55 Waterloo Street, St Flora Room, Level 2.

Register E: lilynne@charis-singapore.org.

Enquiries T: 6337 4119.

FEBRUARY 28 LOGOS THE ENCOUNTER 1: JESUS THE INCARNATE WORD DP SP 7KLV LV WKH ÂżUVW RXW RI ÂżYH series of retreats which aims to encourage participants to pray with the Scriptures, and apply the Living Word to their own lives. Organised by Verbum Dei Missionaries. Fee inclusive of lunch and tea breaks: $50. Closing date to register: Feb 16. At IHM Retreat House, 46 Kovan Road. Register T: 6280 0354; E: logosencounter@gmail.com.

FEBRUARY 11 WORLD DAY OF THE SICK: LIVING WITH ILLNESS 9.30am-noon: Join us for a talk on â&#x20AC;&#x153;Living with Illnessâ&#x20AC;?, followed by Mass

by Jesuit Fr Leslie Raj. Love offerings would also be collected. Organised by Kingsmead Centre. At Kingsmead Centre, 8 Victoria Park Road, Hall of the Pilgrim.

Enquiries T: 6467 6072; E: cisc2664@ gmail.com; W: www.kingsmeadcentre.sg.

MARCH 1 TO APRIL 28 A BIBLICAL WALK WITH THE BLESSED MOTHER â&#x20AC;&#x201C; PRESENTED

BY DR ED SRI 9am-10.45am (Sundays); 8-9.30pm (Tuesdays); 10-11.30am (Fridays): If you wonder why Mary is so important to Catholics, join us for a DVD study series ÂżOPHG LQ WKH +RO\ /DQG ZKLFK ZLOO WDNH you into the life of Mary while on earth, and how she works in our lives. The series is free of charge. Organised by the Biblical Apostolate Team from IHM. At CAEC, 2 Highland Road, St Johnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Room Level 2 (Sundays) / Immaculate Heart of Mary, 24 Highland Road, Parish Centre, St Philips Room, Level 2 (Tuesdays and Fridays).

Register E: bat@ihm.sg (Christina / Laura).

FEBRUARY 19 TO FEBRUARY 22 ANNUAL RETREAT 9am: Join us for an annual retreat for the spiritual renewal of the Malayalee Christian community in Singapore.

Archbishop William Goh will be the main celebrant for the Mass on the last day.

The retreat will be led by Fr Muttathil and team. Organised by Archdiocessan Commission for Malayalam Apostolate. At Holy Innocentâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s High School, 1191 Upper Serangoon Road. Register T: 6288 7761.

MARCH 3 WHAT IS CHRISTIAN MISSION? TALK ON HOLY SPIRIT (FOR OVERSEAS MISSION) 7.30pm-9.30pm: Join us for a talk on the Christian mission by Fr Gerard Louis, CSSR. Know more about what exactly is Christian mission, why do mission work, and how can we align ourselves to its purpose. Light refreshments will be provided. Organised by CHARIS. At Catholic Centre, 55 Waterloo Street,

Level 2, St Flora Room. Enquiries T: 6337 4119. Register E: lilynne@charissingapore.org (Lilynne).

MARCH 16 CATHOLIC EDUCATION CONFERENCE 2015 8am-5pm: Explore the character of Catholic schools and exchange ideas on forging Catholic ethos in them.

Organised by Archdiocesan Commission for Catholic Schools. At St Gabrielâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Secondary School, 24 Serangoon Avenue 1. Register E: katherine. manalang@catholic.org.sg; W: http://www.accs.sg/cec-2015/.

MARCH 21, 22, 28 AND MARCH 29 IGNITE! LIFE IN THE SPIRIT SEMINAR (LISS) 12.45pm-early evening: Calling all young adults (aged 21-35)! Do you want to begin the year differently? Do you want to be empowered and transformed by the Lord?

Ignite Young Adult Charismatic Community is organising a two-weekend LISS just for you! Fee: $10. At Church of the Holy Trinity hall / chapel. Closing date to register: Feb 28. Enquiries T: 9684 0486 (Dapheni) / 9793 3813 (Johanna); E: dapheni@ gmail.com / mariecanlas@yahoo.com.

MARCH 30 TO JUNE 15 LANDINGS PROGRAMME FOR RETURNING CATHOLICS 8pm-10pm: Calling all who have left the faith, come for our 10-week Landings programme to rekindle your personal relationship with God. Organised by Landings. At Church of the Holy Spirit, 248B Upper Thomson Road. Register T: 9369 2100 (Leonard) / 9863 1590 (Tricia); E: returning@landings.org.sg; W: http://www.landings.org.sg.

APRIL 17 TO APRIL 19 RETROUVAILLE â&#x20AC;&#x201C; A LIFELINE FOR TROUBLED AND HURTING MARRIAGES If you are serious about making your marriage work, this programme could be worthwhile for you. Organised by Retrouvaille Singapore. At Marriage Encounter House, 201B Ponggol Seventeenth Avenue. Register T: 6711 6774 (Laurence and Christina Tan).

JULY 1 TO NOVEMBER 25 BIBLICAL PORTRAITS BY MSGR AMBROSE VAZ 8pm-10pm: Msgr Vaz will highlight in these sessions what the Old Testament ÂżJXUHV DUH OLNH .QRZ PRUH DERXW 1RDK Abraham, Joseph, David, Elijah, what they accomplished, their strengths and weaknesses, and the lessons we can learn from their lives. Organised by HSC Discover! ministry from Church of the Holy Spirit. At 248B, Upper Thomson Road. Register T: 9010 2829 (Angela Kim Ho); E: kin_f_ho@yahoo.com.

Crossword Puzzle 1128 1

2

3

4

5

6

7

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9

10

14

15

16

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20 24 28

29

25

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41

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71 74 77 www.wordgamesforcatholics.com

ACROSS 1 Amosâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; vision of a line (Am 7:7) 6 Second word of a New Year song title 10 Christâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s relationship to the church (Eph 5:23) 14 Spine-tingling 15 Like zero %RWK SUHÂż[

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18 Republic in Africa 19 Permit escape 20 Scarves 22 Charger 24 Furniture wood 26 â&#x20AC;&#x153;Bind them upon your heart always; _____ them about your neck.â&#x20AC;? (Prov 6:21) 27 â&#x20AC;&#x153;For all the promises of God ÂżQG WKHLU BBBB in him.â&#x20AC;? (2 Cor 1:20)

28 Adapted for new use 32 E.T. from Melmac 34 Room within a harem 35 Capital of Vietnam 37 Medieval concept that was never DQ RIÂżFLDO teaching of the Church 41 Esau and Jacob, to Rebekah 43 â&#x20AC;&#x153;___ you destroyed our deathâ&#x20AC;Śâ&#x20AC;?

45 Scottish Celt 46 Online letters 48 Highway to Fairbanks 50 Son of Jacob 51 Cardinal colour 53 Christmas season 55 Congregational initials 58 Air (comb.)

60 The back of 61 Predict

64 Jeremiah was put in these (Jer 20:1â&#x20AC;&#x201C;2) 7HUULHU RI ÂżOP 69 Coll. course 71 Biblical measure 72 Gnostic being 73 Stigma borne by Hester Prynne 74 Laminated rock 75 Vehicles 76 Streetcar 77 Did a pool job DOWN 7KH\ ÂżOO WKH church 2 Princess from Alderaan 3 Jars 4 â&#x20AC;&#x153;How the _____ have fallenâ&#x20AC;?

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52 The Israelites wandered here 54 Award 55 Son of Abraham 56 First of the twelve Minor Prophets 57 Engine 59 Speeder

62 63 65 66 67 70

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Solution to Crossword Puzzle No. 1127 D E U M

A L L O

M I N D

P H L M

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D E A D

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Sunday February 8, 2015 CatholicNews

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