REALITY BITES

UNITED KINGDOM

TRIBUTES PAID TO QUEEN’S “STEADFAST WITNESS OF FAITH”

Church leaders around the world have expressed their condolences at the death of Queen Elizabeth II. The UK’s longest-serving monarch died at the age of 96 on September 9, at her Balmoral home, surrounded by her family.

In a telegram to offer his condolences to her son Charles, now King Charles III, Pope Francis joined all who mourned her loss “in praying for the late Queen’s eternal rest, and in paying tribute to her life of unstinting service to the good of the Nation and the Commonwealth, her example of devotion to duty, her steadfast witness of faith in Jesus Christ and her firm hope in his promises”.

Catholic Primate of All Ireland, Archbishop Eamon Martin, said he admired her dedication to faith, family, and to peace and reconciliation. “Above all, Queen Elizabeth was a person of deep faith and love for Jesus Christ,” he said. “I have always admired Queen Elizabeth’s quiet dignity and calm nature despite living through very difficult times with much political, economic, social and family upheaval. That was why ordinary people of all backgrounds and faiths could relate to her and held her in such affection.”

He also paid tribute to her “commitment to promoting better understanding and relationships between the Anglican Church and the Catholic Church”, noting that she had met with five popes during her reign, including a warm meeting with Pope Francis in the Vatican in 2014.

The Church of Ireland Primate of All Ireland, the Most Rev John McDowell, recalled her historic visit to St Michael’s Church in Enniskillen in 2012. “I was privileged to be there when, on her Diamond Jubilee visit to Enniskillen, she walked the twenty yards from the Church of Ireland Cathedral of St Macartin and into St Michael’s Roman Catholic church. Barely a hundred paces, but a walk which covered countless miles in the long and unfinished journey of peace on these islands,” he noted.

Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby recalled how, during the Covid-19 pandemic, the Queen spoke powerfully of the light that no darkness can overcome. “She reminded us of a deep truth about ourselves – we are a people of hope who care for one another. Even as the Late Queen mourned the loss of her beloved husband, Prince Philip, we saw once again evidence of her courage, resilience and instinct for putting the needs of others first – all signs of a deeply rooted Christian faith… we saw what it means to receive the gift of life we have been given by God and – through patient, humble, selfless service – share it as a gift to others.”

Photograph by Julian Calder via Wikimedia Commons

NEW FILM TO TELL STORY OF MOTHER TERESA

A new documentary film produced by the Knights of Columbanus aims to place St Teresa of Kolkata “back in the spotlight”.

Mother Teresa: No Greater Love had its premiere on August 31 in the Vatican and is due to be released to cinemas on October 3 and 4.

The documentary, by Emmy award-winning filmmaker, David Naglieri, features archival footage and interviews with commentators who knew St Teresa – known popularly as Mother Teresa – as well as interviews with many Missionaries of Charity who follow in Mother Teresa’s footsteps.

Patrick Kelly of the Knights of Colambanus said at a news conference hosted at Vatican Radio that they had made this film “to reach a new generation with the witness and example of Mother Teresa” and to inspire them.

It will highlight the work Mother Teresa inspired: “When she was feeding the hungry or holding the hands of someone as they lay dying, she was treating them as she would the most important person in her life, Jesus Christ himself,” said Kelly.

In a letter following the premiere, Pope Francis thanked all involved in the film for the efforts made to capture the life of this saint, whose life and testimony have borne much fruit.

“Thank you for promoting this type of initiative that helps, in a creative manner, to make accessible the zeal for evangelisation, especially for the young generations promoting the desire to follow the Lord who loved us first,” he added.

Born in Macedonia in 1910, Mother Teresa died on September 5, 1997 at the age of 86.

VATICAN

MAYNOOTH JULIEANN MORAN APPOINTED GENERAL SECRETARY OF SYNODAL PATHWAY

Julieann Moran

Julieann Moran has been appointed general secretary of the Synodal Pathway in Ireland. Julieann was formerly the national secretary for the Society of Missionary Children at Missio Ireland, where she worked since 2016 to raise mission awareness and develop evangelisation resources for dioceses, parishes and Catholic primary schools across the island of Ireland.

The position of general secretary is a new appointment, and its purpose will be to promote synodality in the Irish Catholic Church, coordinating the work of the national Synodal Pathway and supporting Ireland’s contribution to the Synod on Synodality initiated by Pope Francis for 2021-2023 with the theme ‘For a Synodal Church: Communion, Participation, Mission’. The post includes responsibility for consultation, planning, communications and administration.

Welcoming the appointment, Dr Nicola Brady, chair of the Synodal Steering Committee, said, “Julieann comes to this role having already made a significant contribution to the work of promoting synodality in the Irish Church at all levels – local, national and universal. In particular, Julieann’s experience in connecting the local Church in Ireland to wider global realities will be invaluable as the synodal process develops. On behalf of the Steering Committee I wish Julieann every success as General Secretary.”

Julieann said, “I am delighted to be appointed to this very significant role, and grateful for the opportunity to help shape the next steps taken on this synodal journey. As we continue to reflect upon our preparations for the Universal Synod, and what we have learnt so far in Ireland about who we are as a people of God, I look forward to working with as many people as possible in further outreach, consultations, and spiritual conversations for the Synodal Pathway. This will be a demanding task but a synodal Church is a Church that reaches out and listens: listens to God and listens to one another. With prayer, patience, and the Holy Spirit, I am convinced that synodality is essential in a Church that nurtures and renews the Gospel message of Jesus Christ today.”

Bishop Brendan Leahy, vice-chair of the Synodal Steering Committee, said, “I believe that on the basis of Julieann’s vast experience of Church on so many levels – pastoral, cultural and missionary – she will contribute much to our Synodal Pathway in Ireland. In particular, I believe she will be able to engender a vibrant networking of individuals, parishes and dioceses, as well as congregations, movements and organisations, as we delve into the key Synod question: ‘What does God want from the Church in Ireland at this time?’”

BISHOPS PRAISE EFFORTS TO RESTART SCHOOLING AMIDST WAR

UKRAINE

Ukrainian bishops have welcomed efforts to restart classes for a new school year and have offered church basements as emergency air raid shelters for children.

Auxiliary Bishop Jan Sobilo of KharkivZaporizhzhia told Catholic News Service that “everything is being done to get youngsters back to school, even while our soldiers are fighting at the front.

“The Ukrainian authorities know education is vital for the country’s future… Although the war drags on, there are basic things we must provide them with, including the possibility of being educated. Children can best help Ukraine and their families by studying for their homeland’s future.”

Classes restarted across Ukraine on September 1 after months of disruption caused by Russia’s invasion, amid warnings that children needed protection against shells and bombs.

Bishop Sobilo added that Ukraine’s Education Ministry had asked churches and convents to make cellars available as “certified bomb shelters” for schoolchildren.

“We are very happy to do this, and I’ve invited school principals to see what we have, so they can think how best to equip these basements for children to study in safety,” the archbishop said.

Bishop Sobilo said he had taken refuge in a church basement with his congregation during a Russian bombing raid in July, adding that many older church buildings with large cellars were now listed as municipal shelters.

CHURCH LEADERS CALL FOR COST OF LIVING CRISIS ACTION

IRELAND

With projections for the autumn pointing to a worsening situation for many households across the island of Ireland due to the unfolding cost of living crisis, the leaders of Ireland’s main churches have said that they are deeply concerned particularly for those who are already vulnerable and living in poverty.

In a joint statement issued on August 25, they called “for more practical support to be delivered urgently through direct government initiatives…and also via grassroots charity and community partnerships.”

The Church Leaders Group (Ireland), which includes the Church of Ireland and Roman Catholic Archbishops of Armagh, the Presbyterian Moderator, and the Presidents of the Methodist Church and Irish Council of Churches, also said that they are “deeply concerned regarding the government response in both jurisdictions, in meeting immediate needs and also in relation to longer term strategy”. They stressed that practical support “must go hand in hand with a longer term refocusing of government policies to deliver real and meaningful social justice and eliminate poverty across this island.”

“Followers of Christ have always been called to serve the poor, not just through acts of charity, though these continue every day in ways large and small, but through the pursuit of justice and mercy,” they said.

The church leaders concluded by saying, “It is our shared vocation to witness to Christ and to protect the dignity of those made in God’s image, and so we are compelled to speak up in this moment, out of concern and in hope, for the good and flourishing of everyone in our communities.”

BISHOP ENCOURAGES PRAYER IN TIME OF DROUGHT

SPAIN

As Spain continues to experience its worst drought on record, a Spanish bishop has called on the faithful to “lift up prayers to God asking for rain”.

In his weekly letter, Bishop Demetrio Fernández González of Córdoba in southern Spain said, “We need water and it is a tradition of believers for centuries and centuries that when this drought reaches its extremes, we turn to God with community prayers to ask him for the gift of rain.” He said that while “meteorologists know how to explain and predict”, they cannot produce rain.

“Jesus in the prayer of Our Father taught us to ask for daily bread among other petitions. That is, to ask for the food we need to survive. Right now we need the water from the clouds to fertilise the fields,” he said.

The bishop highlighted that a lot of rain is needed in order for water reserves to be replenished. The volume of reservoir water in Spain is currently at 35 per cent capacity, which is approximately 20 points below the average for this time of year. Scientists have stated that parts of Spain are at their driest in more than 1,000 years, and winter rains are expected to diminish further.

One side effect of the drought has been the re-emergence of underwater historic and religious monuments. At Buendia reservoir near Madrid, the ruins of a village and bathhouses have reappeared, while at a dam near Barcelona a 9th-century Romanesque church has re-emerged intact. In Catalonia, receding waters have exposed the ruins of an 11th-century church in the usually submerged village of Sant Roma de Sau, which was flooded in the 1960s when a dam was built.

Reservoir at half capacity in Lleida, Catalonia, Spain