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JANUARY 21, 2016
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Pope makes ‘mercy Friday’ visit to elderly, infirm CINDY WOODEN CATHOLIC NEWS SERVICE
(CNS PHOTO/MUHAMMAD HAMED, REUTERS)
‘Staggering’: Forcibly displaced at record high
Syrian refugees fleeing the violence in their country walk with their families Jan. 14 after crossing into Jordanian territory, near the capital, Amman. The U.N. Refugee Agency reported last June that at the end of 2014, the number of people forcibly displaced because of persecution, conflict and violence reached the highest number ever recorded: a “staggering” 59.5 million. See Page 8 for more on the Catholic response to the crisis.
ROME – As part of his personal observance of the Year of Mercy, Pope Francis made an unannounced, “private” visit to a retirement home and to a group home for people in a persistent vegetative state, the Vatican said. The visits to the 33 residents of the Bruno Buozzi Retirement Home and the six residents of Casa Iride Jan. 15 were announced with the hashtag #MercyFriday by the pontifical commission organizing the Year of Mercy. The Vatican previously announced that one Friday each month during the Holy Year, Pope Francis would personally and privately perform a work of mercy. The series ended up beginning very publicly Dec. 18 when he visited and celebrated Mass at a shelter run by the Rome diocesan Caritas. For the January visit, journalists were not invited or even informed. Even the residents of the two facilities were not told in advance, said a statement issued by the Vatican press office once the pope had returned to the Vatican. Pope Francis was accompanied by Archbishop Rino Fisichella, who is in charge of the jubilee orgaSEE POPE, PAGE 4
Anglican leaders sanction Episcopalians over same-sex marriage SIMON CALDWELL CATHOLIC NEWS SERVICE
MANCHESTER, England – Because of the U.S. Episcopal Church’s moves to unilaterally change canon law to allow same-sex marriage, Anglican leaders voted to suspend Episcopalians from positions representing the Anglican Communion and from participating in some Anglican bodies. Primates meeting in Canterbury, England, said that for three years, members of the Episcopal Church will be barred sitting on Anglican bodies making decisions on doctrine and polity and from representing the Communion on ecumenical and interfaith bodies. The move comes in response to a policy allowing gay marriages, adopted last year by the General Convention, or governing body, of the Episcopal Church, the Anglican Church in the United States. The change in canon law in the U.S. has been strongly opposed by many of the theologically conservative African churches, some of whose leaders had threatened to walk out of the five-day primate meeting if the Episcopal Church was not penalized for its actions. The suspension was announced in a statement issued by the primates Jan. 14, a day earlier than planned because of leaks to the media.
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(CNS PHOTO/TOBY MELVILLE, REUTERS)
Anglican Archbishop Justin Welby of Canterbury, spiritual leader of the Anglican Communion, speaks with protesters on the grounds of England’s Canterbury Cathedral.
It said the changes in teaching on marriage in the Episcopal Church represent a “fundamental departure from the faith and teaching held by the majority of our provinces on the doctrine of marriage,” which it defined as a lifelong union between a man and a woman. The change had caused “deep pain,” impaired the
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SEE ANGLICAN, PAGE 16
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Anglican Communion by placing “huge strains” on its unity, and created “deeper mistrust between us,” the statement said. The policy set a precedent that could be copied by other provinces, such as Canada, where Anglicans will vote on same-sex marriage in July, and this “could further exacerbate this situation,” the statement said. It added that the primates had expressed a “unanimous commitment to walk together” and had asked Archbishop Justin Welby of Canterbury, spiritual leader of the worldwide Anglican Communion, to appoint a “task group” to work toward dialogue, trust and healing among the provinces. The Jan. 11-15 meeting brought together 39 Anglican primates to reflect on the challenges posed to the unity of their communion. At a Jan. 15 news conference, Archbishop Welby repeatedly insisted that the measures taken against the Episcopal Church were not “sanctions” but were consequences of “going off on your own.” Episcopal Church Presiding Bishop Michael B. Curry addressed his fellow bishops before they voted for suspension, telling them that Episcopalians were committed to creating “an inclusive church.”
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