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The Catholic Spirit
August 4, 2011
News with a Catholic heart
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Famine threatens millions Pope Benedict calls for compassion, sharing with hungry of East Africa Catholic News Service Christians cannot be indifferent to the suffering of hundreds of thousands of people starving in the Horn of Africa, Pope Benedict XVI said. “It is inadmissible to be indifferent in the face of the tragedy of the hungry and thirsty,” the pope said, speaking in Polish after reciting the Angelus July 31 with pilgrims gathered in the courtyard of the papal villa at Castel Gandolfo. When Jesus fed the multitudes by miraculously multiplying loaves and fishes, he gave his disciples an example to follow, the pope said. “He encourages us to give them something to eat and to share bread with the needy. Following Christ, we must be sensitive to people’s poverty,” he said. Commenting on the day’s Gospel passage, the pope said it was natural to read the story of Jesus’ miracle and think of “our many brothers and sisters who, in these days, in the Horn of Africa, suffer from famine aggravated by war and the lack of solid institutions.”
Opening hearts He told the 3,000 people gathered in the courtyard that Jesus set an example of meeting material needs while also addressing the deeper hungers of the human heart. “The love of God is present in the bread of Christ; encountering him, we feed on the living God, so to speak, and we truly eat the bread come down from heaven,” the pope said. “In the Eucharist, Jesus makes us witnesses to God’s compassion for every brother and sister,” the pope said. He prayed that people would open
How to help Archbishop John Nienstedt has asked parishes in the archdiocese to consider taking up a second collection to help lessen the suffering in East Africa. Money collected will be forwarded to Catholic Relief Services. CNS photo / Thomas Mukoya, Reuters
An internally displaced Somali refugee girl waits for her turn to collect water from a tank at a refugee camp in Dadaab, Kenya, near the border with Somalia July 31. More than 3 million Somalis were at risk of starvation in the country, where a deadly mix of drought and conflict has caused mass movements of people seeking help.
their hearts with compassion for their neighbors and would share with those in need. Fides, the news agency of the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples, reported July 30 that Catholic charities are deeply involved in meeting the needs of people suffering from the famine in Somalia, Ethiopia, Eritrea, Djibouti and
Kenya. Hunger and the threat of malnutrition are becoming the daily reality for millions of people in East Africa. A lack of rainfall and rising food prices are increasingly straining their food supply, Catholic Relief Services staff members in the region are reporting. Suzanna Tkalec, who works for CRS, is
assisting Bishop Giorgio Djibouti and Somalia.
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She told Fides that they are working in the Dadaab refugee camp in Kenya about 50 miles from the border with Somalia. “On average, 2,500 people arrive at this camp every day; 80 percent are mothers with young children,” she said.
Pope Benedict’s WYD: Space for silence, solemnity By Cindy Wooden Catholic News Service
Pope Benedict XVI has put his own stamp on the church’s celebration of World Youth Day, and it’s especially clear in the gathering’s moments of prayer. In Cologne, Germany, six years ago — Pope Benedict’s first WYD as pope — he surprised the youth at the Saturday night vigil by urging them to quiet down. The Cologne event was where he started a major new WYD tradition: Instead of ending the vigil with a boisterous musical finale, he ended it with eucharistic adoration — with tens of thousands of young people kneeling silently in a field. The scene was repeated in Australia in 2008. During World Youth Day 2011, scheduled for Aug. 16-21 in Madrid, eucharistic adoration again will cap the pope’s participation at the vigil. Adoration and prayer also will PLEASE TURN TO EUCHARISTIC ON PAGE 9A
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Follow along with MN pilgrims via WYD blog Three youth from Divine Mercy in Faribault and a priest will be blogging from World Youth Day in Madrid, Aug. 16 to 21. Visit HTTP://WORLDYOUTHDAY2011.TUMBLR.COM for reflections and photos from Alex Paukert, Jake Kohl, Molly Davies and Father Erik Lundgren, Divine Mercy’s associate pastor. You can add your own comments and questions as well.