Editorial approved by Fr. Stuart Chipolina
How can
F
Illustration Lorenzo Monaco, Adoration of the Magi, 1422. Uffizi Gallery, Florence.
Grandparents Help? Bishop Kevin Doran speaking at Catholic Grandparents Association Knock Shrine last year.
rom time to time, since I was first ordained as a priest, I have been asked to move from one parish or pastoral situation to another.
There has always been a certain amount of sadness in saying goodbye to people but, over the years, some of those relationships have become real friendships, and have remained strong, even though we didn’t see one another so often. The Letter to Philemon is the shortest book of the New Testament and it gives us some insight into a relationship
just like that. Philemon was a wealthy man who became a Christian, during one of the missionary journeys of St. Paul. He became a friend and supporter of Paul and they remained close, even after Paul moved on to preach the Gospel elsewhere. When Paul was a prisoner in Rome, one of the slaves of Philemon, Onesimus, turned up in the city. He had run away from his master and it seems from the gospel story that Paul welcomed him. Paul describes Onesimus as “a dear child of mine, whose father I became, while wearing these chains”. It seems that Paul must
have Baptised Onesimus and sees himself now as his father in faith. In the Letter to Philemon, it is very clear that Onesimus was a source of practical support to Paul, while he was under house arrest. Paul’s appreciation of Onesimus goes far beyond the fact that he was useful. He values Onesimus as a fellow Christian and as someone who reminds him of his old friend Philemon in Colossae. When he sends Onesimus back to Philemon, he asks Philemon to welcome him “no longer as a slave, but as a dear brother in Christ”. It might seems strange to us that St. Paul doesn’t seem to condemn slavery, or to criticise Philemon for having slaves. I think Paul probably realised that,
before you can change social structures, you have to change peoples hearts. So he begins by inviting Philemon to enter into a new kind of relationship with Onesimus. He knew that if Philemon once recognised Onesimus as a dear brother in Christ, things would inevitably begin to change. You might say to me: “that’s an interesting story”. You can imagine the emotions that come to the surface when Philemon begins to realise the implications of what St. Paul is saying to him. But what has that got to do with us today? Slavery has been abolished. Do these words of St. Paul have anything to say to grandparents? Let me begin by saying that slavery may have been abolished but it is not gone away. Human
Alpha will be running at St. Joseph’s Parish centre, every Wednesday evening for 10 weeks from mid-January 2020. Each evening comprises a meal, a short video and a lively, pressure-free, fun discussion. It’s absolutely free and open to everyone, especially people who are looking for the answers to life’s big questions.
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trafficking is a reality in our society and many migrants workers are valued more for what they can do than for who they are. It doesn’t just happen to migrants either. Depending on the kind of relationships that operate in the workplace, people can find that they are used and then disposed of when they are no longer required. The Greek philosopher Aristotle wrote that there are different ways of thinking about friendship. One way is to say: “you are my friend, because you can do something for me”, but then, as soon as you can no longer do anything for me, then you are no longer my friend. Authentic friendship, he suggested, is when we see the goodness in someone and love them for who they are. It is when we want what is good for them, rather than just looking for what is in it for ourselves. Unfortunately, there is – and there always has been – a tendency in society to value people according to their usefulness, rather than for who they are as unique human beings, or indeed, dear brothers and sisters in Christ. If you ask yourself who is most likely to be negatively affected by that tendency, it is surely those who are not directly involved in the production of wealth; the children, the elderly and those who are sick. They are more easily regarded as a burden. Our society has rightly been criticised for the way that we treated unwanted or “inconvenient” children in the past. The circumstances may have changed, but the attitude has not really changed that much. At a time when there is far more focus on wanted children, and on children who are wanted almost at any cost, we have just
found new and more permanent ways to dispose of children who are not wanted or who don’t measure up to our expectations. Pope Francis, in his letter of encouragement on the Joy of Love wrote: “Our elderly are men and women, fathers and mothers, who came before us on our own road, in our own house, in our daily battle for a worthy life….. How I would like a Church that challenges the throwaway culture by the over-flowing joy of a new between young and old.” He has spoken on many occasions in recent years about the sadness and the emptiness of a society that would put the elderly to one side. “A society that has no room for the elderly or discards them because they create problems, has a deadly virus”… “it is torn from its roots”. In recent times, of course, we have discovered the contribution that grandparents can make to the economy. At a time when the cost if housing is very high and people travel long distances to work the availability of lively, mobile and energetic grandparents makes it easier for hard-pressed mothers and fathers to take their place in the work force. Even if this means that children see less of their parents, it has certainly given rise to the possibility of rich relationships between children and their grandparents. Even in this situation, however, there is the risk at times that the elderly can be valued more for what they can do than for who they are. We need, as a society, to remember that being a grandparent is primarily a relationship, not just a function, and that it shouldn’t become a burden. Just as it was with slavery in the first century, so it is today
with the economic structures of our own society. Some people have influence on the global economy. For most of us, however, our contribution to the building of a better world depends on how we relate with one another in our families and in our local communities. It depends on how, through those relationships, we help to form attitudes of love and care. Just as St. Paul built up a friendship with Philemon and helped him to see Onesimus in a different light, so I think that you grandparents today can support your grandchildren in developing positive attitudes which they will not pick up from social media. In your conversations with them, you can help them to value themselves for who they are and not simply for what they have or even what they achieve. You can help them to value their parents for who they are and not simply for what they provide. In the process, of course, you will also help them to see yourself for who you truly are. Pope Francis has also spoken a lot about how children often hear the good news of the Gospel from their grandparents and how it is often grandparents who teach their grandchildren to pray. I have met young adults
whose faith was not nourished by their parents, but who greatly value that wonderful gift that they received from their grandparents of being introduced to Jesus and to the life of the faith community. I have been very conscious in recent years, as I have celebrated Confirmation, how important grandparents are to children. It would be great if you could take an interest in what they are learning about their faith at school. I know that children love it when grandparents tell stories from the past. I want to encourage you also to share the stories of your own faith; not just your faith now, but your faith when you were their age. Let them see that you have had the same questions as they have. Help them to see how you are still nourished by the Eucharist. Help them to see how the gifts of the Holy Spirit still play a part in your own life today. Scripture poses the question: ‘who can know the mind of God?’
So you may never know what good things God has in store for your grandchildren or how God is working through you to bring those plans to fruitfulness.
Upon this Rock magazine is published monthly by EuropeAxess Media, Gibraltar. Editor: Fr. S. Chipolina: editor@uponthisrock.gi. Production Editor: A. Sargent: angela@europeaxess.com. Upon this Rock magazine is entirely supported by advertising and donations. It is run in liaison with the Catholic Diocese of Gibraltar by EuropeAxess Media Ltd. as a not-for-profit project. For Advertisers: This magazine is handdelivered to homes, churches, hospitals and many businesses around Gibraltar every month. To discuss your advertising requirements, or promote your church group or charity, call Tel: +350 200 79335 email: angela@europeaxess.com. Editorial is selected by EuropeAxess Media in liaison with the Catholic Diocese of Gibraltar. Neither of these parties is responsible for the accuracy of the information contained herein, nor do the views and opinions expressed herein necessarily reflect the views and opinions of either party. Advertisers are not endorsed by virtue of advertising in this magazine. EuropeAxess Media Ltd. reserves the right to refuse space to any submissions or advertisements. Efforts have been made to establish copyright owners of images, but if we have used your material, and have not credited you, please contact us to discuss restoration. The magazine is online at uponthisrock.gi. Cover: Bishop Carmel blesses the Bambinelli, children brought their baby Jesus especially for the event. Photo © A. Sargent
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Footnoted evidence presented by Rev. Dr. Bernard Farrell-Roberts
Difficult Questions
T
Did Jesus Christ really exist?
he historical existence of Jesus Christ is generally accepted among scholars, based upon evidence that includes eyewitness accounts and writings by historians.
The earliest Christian eyewitness accounts come from the epistles of Paul, written no later than 25 years after his death, and from biographical accounts written around 40 years after his death. They were written by people who either
knew him or knew others who did. They all correspond closely with other reliable sources about life in Palestine during the first century. For example, archaeological evidence of leprosy and tuberculosis is consistent with large crowds assembling around a healer in locations where eyewitness accounts place Jesus.1 Dr. Gathercole, Professor of Theological Studies at Cambridge University, argues: “It is difficult to imagine why Christian writers would invent such a thoroughly Jewish
New Course
Foundation Stones of Faith
This short course is designed to deepen the relationship of any Catholic with God. The course does this by unpacking foundational truths of the Catholic Church during eight two-hour sessions over an eight-week period. Each session will comprise of two short presentations followed by open led discussions that give everyone the opportunity to clear up doubts, have their questions answered, and clarify their thoughts. The course will look into the following eight ‘Foundation Stones’ of the Catholic Faith: a Trinitarian God, the Church, Sacred Scripture, Nature, Tradition, Vocation, Evolutionary Creation, and Morality. The course is led by
Deacon Bernard Farrell-Roberts,
Theology Lecturer and Doctor of Bioethics, and starts on
Wednesday 15th January 2020 at the Catholic Community Centre, Gibraltar, at 6.30pm.
Although the course itself will be free of charge, a contribution towards the running costs would be appreciated.
All are very welcome!
For additional information please contact Deacon Bernard at: deaconbernardfarrellroberts@gmail.com
saviour figure in a time and place – under the aegis of the Roman empire – where there was strong suspicion of Judaism.” 2 The evidence from eyewitness accounts is therefore quite convincing, but when we add this to the historical evidence, it becomes compelling. Within decades of his death Jesus had already been mentioned by both Jewish and Roman historians. Their passages corroborate New Testament accounts of his life and death. Many of the early historians did not like Jesus or his followers - yet none denied his existence! In fact, claims that Jesus was a Jew, had followers, and was executed on the orders of the Roman governor of Judea, Pontius Pilate, during the reign of the Emperor Tiberius, were soon afterwards supported by sources written by nonChristians and even by those opposed to Christianity. The Jewish historian Flavius Josephus was probably the first significant non-Christian to mention Jesus by name. He is one of the most authoritative sources regarding first-century Palestine, and mentioned Jesus twice in his history of Judaism called “Jewish Antiquities” (AD 93): “There was about this time Jesus, a wise man, if it be lawful to call him a man, for he was a doer of wonderful works—a teacher of such men as receive the truth with pleasure… He was Christ; and when Pilate, at the suggestion of the principal men amongst us, had condemned him to the cross…” 3 Some 20 years later historians Pliny, the Roman governor of Bithynia, wrote about Jesus, and Tacitus, a senator and a historian of the Roman Empire,
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wrote in “Annals” (AD 115): “Nero fastened the guilt and inflicted the most exquisite tortures on a class hated for their abominations, called ‘Christians’ by the populace. Christus, from whom the name had its origin…” 4 A little later Lucian of Samosata, a second century Greek satirist, wrote: “The Christians … worship a man to this day – the distinguished personage who… was crucified…” 5 As can be seen, the evidence for Christ’s existence on earth is convincing. 1. Luff, R. (2019). Jesus in Context: The Archaeological Evidence. In The Impact of Jesus in FirstCentury Palestine: Textual and Archaeological Evidence for Longstanding Discontent (pp. 75-185). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. 2. https://www.theguardian.com/ world/2017/apr/14/what-is-thehistorical-evidence-that-jesuschrist-lived-and-died 3. MEIER, JOHN P. “Jesus in Josephus: A Modest Proposal.” The Catholic Biblical Quarterly, vol. 52, no. 1, 1990, pp. 76–103. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/43718026. 4. Ref. from http://classics.mit.edu/ Tacitus/annals.mb.txt 5. https://www.sacred-texts.com/cla/ luc/wl4/wl420.htm p.83. Photos: Palestine landscape: medium.com/@Marco..Chimini, Jesus teaching: Tomas Ambt Kofod in Finding Faith in Christ (2003) IMDB
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Gibraltar Church History and Heritage recorded for posterity.
MIRRORS OF
SANCTITY
O
n Tuesday the 19th November last year, the Chairman and Trustees of the Gibraltar Heritage Trust hosted an event at the Main Guard in John Mackintosh Square marking the launch of Manolo Galliano’s latest book.
The Honourable John Cortes Minister for Heritage spoke very proudly of the four books Mr Galliano has now produced in this series, underlining the important contribution they make to the rich history of Catholic churches, hermitages and chapels in Gibraltar. While Mr Galliano insists that this is in fact the final book in the series, the Minister pledged support of any future work the prolific author may embark
Gibraltar’s Lost Churches
upon. ‘Mirrors of Sanctity - The Lost Churches of Gibraltar’ describes the fabric of a number of ecclesiastical buildings not only inside and outside the old city walls but even further afield in the ‘Campo de Gibraltar’ which formed part of the jurisdiction between 1462 and 1704. “These latter chapels would later form the focal point of refuge for the exiled Spanish Gibraltarian residents and become germinating beginnings for the future new townships of the area, viz. San Roque, Los Barrios and Algeciras,” said Mr Galliano. Manolo went on to explain that the title of this book is extracted from a Spanish 1636 poem composed by Fernando Perez Pericon and which describes the churches on the Rock using the term ‘Espejos
Christian Family Movement
25th, 40th, 50th & 60th Wedding Anniversary Celebrations at the Cathedral of St. Mary the Crowned on Friday 7th February 2020 at 7:30pm Mr & Mrs:___________________________________________ Forenames: Husband___________________________________ Forenames: Wife______________________________________ Née:________________________________________________ Address:____________________________________________ ____________________________________________________ E-mail:______________________________________________ Home Tel: ___________________________________________
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de santidades’, or mirrors of sanctity. Readers will find the poem included in the Introduction of the book. This fourth book in the series, as its predecessors, is greatly enriched by Mr Victor Hermida’s impressive drawings, maps, 3D diagrams and photographs. Many pages are given over to these artworks, which are thoughtfully interspersed in the pagination to aid the reader in identifying the location and wherever possible to give a better idea of the appearance of the buildings featured in the narrative. To this end Mr Hermida has used archive material,
drawings, photographs and actual plans dating back hundreds of years. His search to track down exactly the images required took him far beyond Gibraltar, with some references included from the National Archives in London.
Mobile Tel:__________________________________________ Date of Marriage:_____________________________________ Church:_____________________________________________ N.B. If marriage took place outside Gibraltar please produce a copy of the Marriage Certificate when handing in this form. This form should be handed in at the Cathedral bookshop as soon as possible and not later than Friday 24th January 2020, alternatively, e-mail above detail/form to duos@gibtelecom.net - Please keep the details below for your information -
&After the church service celebration, couples are cordially invited
to the Catholic Community Centre for refreshments, along with four guests. This is due to the limited space available. Couples should arrive at the Cathedral on 7th February 2019 no later than 7.15pm. For further information or queries contact Denise Duo on Home no: 20043386 Mob no: 57021000 email: duos@gibtelecom.net
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The Blessing of the ‘Bambinelli’
I
n a joy filled event Bishop Carmel Zammit blessed all the statues of the Baby Jesus (Bambinelli) that were brought forward to the altar at the end of the High Mass by those who were attending the Children’s Liturgy at the Cathedral of St. Mary on Guadete Sunday during Advent.
It was during the Angelus fifty years ago that St. Paul VI first blessed the statues of the Child Jesus brought by children to St. Peter’s Square. That tradition has continued ever since on the Third Sunday of Advent, and is fondly known as ‘Bambinelli Sunday.’ It was one of the ideas of
the dynamic founder of the Grandparents Association, Catherine Wiley to make it more widespread. Mrs. Wiley visited Gibraltar last year and spoke to the Gibraltar Grandparent’s Association at a special ‘Grandparents Day’ held at Loreto School. She encouraged grandparents attending the event to ‘just be themselves’ as by example and including grandchildren in their normal daily activities they could pass on the Faith.
If you would like to join the Gibraltar Grandparents Association ask your parish priest for more information.
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Project Truth - supported by scientific information - Continued from last month
A special Two Part Series giving ten
Pro-Life Answers
to ‘pro-choicers’ questions
W
e can all struggle when answering the statements made by prochoice campaigners. Meritxell, an experienced pro-life campaigner who travelled the city centres of Scotland as part of an educational pro-life roadshow called “Project Truth”, identified for us ten of the most common statements used by advocates for abortion on demand campaigners, and made the point that pro-life is in reality also pro-choice. The difference between the two is that pro-life does not accept the killing of innocent children as a choice that any of us should be allowed to make. The following are her list of statements, to which I have added simple answers that you can use, and additional information that may help you. Often the baby has a completely different blood type from that of the mother, and fifty percent of the time the baby is a different gender from his mother. The false assumption is that a baby is merely a body part of its mother, like one of her limbs or organs. That is biologically incorrect. The genetically distinct unborn child is attached to the mother and dependent on her for life, but the foetus isn’t a part of his or her mother. A
mother’s rights do not include the freedom to kill her own child. 6.. You are pro-life 6. because your religion tells you to be so.
?
Simple Answer: The prolife case doesn’t rely on any religious premises, and the existence of numerous atheist pro-life groups shows how misguided this statement is. The simple non-religious logic that pro-lifers use is as follows:
a b c
It is immoral to intentionally take an innocent human life. Abortion on demand intentionally takes an innocent human life.
Therefore, abortion on demand is immoral.
Information: The statement above begs a fundamental question - what is the unborn? If the unborn is in fact a human being, then humanity cannot permit abortions simply on the basis that Christianity or any other religion opposes it. The truth is that killing children in utero violates the natural law, not just Christian teaching. If something is true, it remains true, regardless of who agrees with it. It is the nature of the unborn that is key to this
debate, not who the groups are debating it.
?
7. It is not a human being, it’s not a baby, it’s just a foetus or a clump of cells or an embryo. Simple Answer: The unborn is human from the point of conception onwards, science has demonstrated and much, and this is widely accepted in scientific circles. Different developments occur both in the womb and outside it, appearances and size change significantly over time, and support is required from the mother, all of this is true. But at no point does an embryo or a foetus change from something other than a human into a human. He or she develops, yes, but at no point ceases to be human, this remains constant throughout this development. Information: The use of terms like the above (“clump of cells”, “just a foetus”) are
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Part Two 6 - 10
attempts to dehumanize the unborn. Once someone has been dehumanized, it becomes far easier to justify their mistreatment, or to remove basic rights from them. This fact was clearly demonstrated by the Nazis treatment of the Jews. Foetus and embryo, just like infant or toddler or adolescent, are simply terms used for specific developmental stages of a human being.
?
8. Pro-lifers want to take away women’s rights.
Simple Answer: This is not true. Fifty percent of unborn children are girls. The unborn female has a body that is separate from that of her mother. She has her own unique DNA. Her own genetic code directs the development and growth of her body from the moment of conception. Therefore, one out of every two abortions takes away all the rights of a single woman, over 20 million of them every year!
Upon This Rock is online
Rev. Dr. Bernard Farrell-Roberts A woman, or a man, has no right to kill an innocent human being, whether male or female.
a result of legal abortions than were dying from illegal ones before its legalization in 1969.
Information: If abortion represents the killing of an innocent member of the human family, it is of its very nature immoral, unethical and cannot be justified. There is no such thing as a right to kill innocent people. By aborting an unborn girl, one takes away her right to control her own body, to become a mother, to live a full life. It also takes away her right to choose anything in the future. Of course, it also takes away a right far more fundamental than the right to choose - the right to not be killed. A mother’s rights do not include the right to kill her own child.
Information: This myth was promoted by the abortion on demand industry. Dr. Bernard Nathanson, the co-founder of the National Abortion Rights Action League, admitted that he and other abortion industry leaders invented the claim that “thousands of women are dying annually from unsafe abortions.” They did this in order to win public sympathy for legalization. In fact, the true numbers of women dying from illegal abortions in the United States during the 1960s and 1970s was around 30 to 40 a year. It is difficult to obtain an accurate number for the current number of women who die each year as a result of the now legal abortions on demand, but what is certain is that this number is significantly higher than the pre-legalization one.
?
9. Women will die of unsafe abortions if they are illegal.
Simple Answer: Is it acceptable for society to sanction the killing of unborn babies just because some people might do it anyway? The fact is that in the US for example more women are dying today as
So, more women are dying today as a result of legal abortion than were dying before its legalization in 1969.
Abortion surgery and abortifacient pills like RU-486 do sometimes result in death from continued bleeding or infection. And post abortion complications also account for many other deaths which are often excluded from official statistics. Studies also show a correlation between abortionchoice and suicide. If we want to keep women from dying we need to end the abortion culture and support your neighbours through their pregnancies.
?
10. A final point. What about compassion for young women who feel that their lives will be ruined by an unwanted pregnancy? Well, what is the unborn? If the
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unborn is in fact a human being, we cannot choose one person’s convenience over another person’s life. The inherent right to not be killed always ranks higher than the alleged right to be free from hardship or inconvenience. For example, it is false to suggest that a woman’s future educational and career goals must end because she becomes pregnant. With the choice of adoption and the many support programs which exist today, young women or teens can postpone their educational plans, or receive additional help, and still achieve their goals.
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Bishop Carmel’s Lenten Appeal for Aid to the Church in Need
UK ‘sees red’…
’
…over persecution of Christians and other faiths
A
cross the UK, public buildings, including government offices, and other landmarks went red as official buildings marked #RedWednesday for the first time.
The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO), Lambeth Palace, the Home Office, and others, went red as part of the campaign organised by Catholic charity Aid to the Church in Need. The UK government backed #RedWednesday, following the recommendations of the Bishop of Truro’s review into FCO support for persecuted Christians. At an event at the FCO, Rehman Chishti, the Prime Minister’s Special Envoy for Freedom of Religion or Belief, underlined political support for those suffering for their faith. Mr Chishti said: “The Prime Minister has made it very clear that the UK government will take seriously the issues of religious freedom.
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Image: Rehman Chishti, Baroness Nicholson and Neville Kyrke-Smith hold a #RedWednesday banner. Photo © Weenson OO/ PICTURE-U.NET
“[The UK Government] will take each recommendation forward. It’s a priority for the Prime Minister, it’s a priority for the Foreign Secretary and it’s a priority for me as the Prime Minister’s Special Envoy for Freedom of Religion or Belief.” Also speaking were Neville Kyrke-Smith, National Director, ACN (UK), and Frank Marooki, a teenage Iraqi Christian subjected to persecution. Neville Kyrke-Smith told faith leaders from Jewish, Muslim, Hindu and Christian communities, and parliamentarians, that the next government must be held to account regarding the recommendations of the Truro Review. He said: “We will need to challenge the new government to follow up on these promises and the report which was backed in parliament.”
by Fionn Shiner
After Decades of Persecution things are
Getting Better for Egypt’s Christians
D
ESPITE the ongoing threat of extremist attacks in Egypt, the situation is improving for the country’s Christians according to a leading bishop. Speaking to Catholic charity Aid to the Church in Need (ACN), Coptic Catholic Bishop Kyrillos William of Assiut, expressed his hopes for Egypt’s Christians. He said: “We thank God that the situation is getting better. The president [el-Sisi] has goodwill towards the Christians. He is a president for all Egyptians.” But the threat of extremist attacks continues, with Islamists wanting to make Christians fearful of their place in Egyptian society.
He said: “Attacks happen from time-to-time perpetrated by Islamists. The goal is not only to attack Christians but also the Egyptian government. “They want to say to Christians, ‘the government cannot protect you. You should leave Egypt.’ They would like to establish an Islamic State but in Egypt it will never materialise. Egyptians are close – Christians and Muslims are too united for the extremists to cause problems.” The bishop added: “There is a mentality since 1952 that treats Christians as secondclass citizens. Now, some change has happened and things are getting better. Building Churches is easier than before. We don’t have to wait years to
get a church built.” According to Bishop William, this is a marked change – for more than 160 years, Christians had to get permission from Egypt’s head of state for new church buildings. Coptic Christian girls are still abducted with some reports suggesting the police facilitate the kidnappings. He said: “In areas where the Islamic organisations are strong they are happening but in our area it is not too much of a problem.”
Frank Marooki fled his hometown of Qaraqosh, Iraq, in 2014 at the age of eight following Daesh’s invasion. He said: “When they came it was the morning. There were explosives thrown around and the windows would shake. My parents said it was not safe and we had to leave. “We had to take a boat to cross the sea [from Turkey] to get to Greece. There were big waves, there were a lot of people. The boat flipped over and everyone drowned. “It was late at night. All I remember is screaming.” Frank’s mother, father, brother and sister all died when their boat capsized. Following the event at the FCO, Mr Chishti led a candlelit Cross procession with hundreds of people from Parliament Square to Westminster Cathedral for a service.
During the liturgy, Edwin Suker, Vice President of the Board of Deputies of British Jews, who had to leave Baghdad when he was a child due to religious bigotry, expressed the necessity for freedom of
religion for all minority groups. He said: “History teaches us that what starts with an attack on one faith never stops there. Once the Jews were made to leave Iraq, all the other faith groups had to too.”
Coptic Catholic Bishop Kyrillos William of Assiut Photo © ACN
Bishop William expressed gratitude for ACN and its benefactors, which provides Mass stipends, training of seminarians, church restoration, and more to Egypt. He said: “We appreciate very much what ACN is doing in many countries to keep Christians in their homelands. “We thank all benefactors for their help and donations to ACN so we can realise our dream of keeping Christians in the Middle East.”
Buildings in more than 15 other countries went red including St. Mary’s Cathedral in Sydney, the Chain Bridge in Budapest, and Manila Cathedral in the Philippines.
The world is largely silent in the face of Christian persecution. The scale of the problem is so great, silence is no longer acceptable. Persecuted Christians need YOU - and all of us! Together our prayers and actions can make a difference. You can PLEDGE YOUR SOLIDARITY by: • Praying ACN’s Prayer found in leaflets in your local Church, or your own prayers for Persecuted Christians in danger. • Sharing this article and Christian Persecution facts with others so that all understand the need. Aid to the Church in Need supports important projects which are undertaken by the local Church – bishops, priests, Sisters and lay people. From building churches to providing copies of our Child’s Bible, our projects help nurture the faith of persecuted and suffering Christians.
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Set up a monthly gift:
Bishop Carmel Zammit Lenten Appeal for‘Aid to the Church in Need’, Gibraltar International Bank, Account Name: ‘Trustees RCC/CAN’ Account Number: 00812022, Sort Code: 60-83-14.
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Anne Mesilio writes
The Light still shines
S
ister to the rescue, “Ah “Good morning”, you must be Mrs K come for your biopsy”. I greeted a timid This was the beginning of my nursing career and I am looking woman, in a reflective mood as this year, 2020, the World Health ushering her Organisation has designated it as “The Year of the Nurse and into the ward. Midwife”. It will also celebrate the 200th Anniversary Birthday “I’m here for of Florence Nightingale. So, as the bells ring out and my autopsy” she fireworks light up the midnight sky in that transition between informed this the years, I will take a brief look back to the beginnings startled, barely of this noble profession of Nursing. I say noble because two months in I wish to honour nurses from past and present who have brought a unique brand of caring uniform nurse! FUNDING AVAILABLE
with generosity, courage and compassion to people in need in all walks of life worldwide. To say they are professionals who take care of sick people sounds somewhat impersonal, this does not fully attribute the qualities of work a nurse undertakes. They have to be patient centred, have excellent attention to detail, an ability for critical thinking and a high level of written and verbal communication skills as well as calm decision making and above all caring, at all times displaying a caring attitude through action and attentiveness. The first known mention of nursing as a profession dates back to the Roman Empire, approx. AD300. Then onto the Middle Ages in
Europe and the Catholic Church’s motivation for medical care. During the 16th century Catholic nuns in Europe set up small medical facilities to care for the sick and injured. Rudimentary at best, help was offered kindheartedly, “Let us watch out for one another to provide love and good works” (Hebrews 10:24). On the 28th March 1854 Britain and France declared war on Russia and so began the Crimean War. This lasted for three years with colossal loss of life, an estimated 900,000 died. Sailing into that war from a London shrouded in thick fog and the stench from the Thames came Florence Nightingale, the founder of modern nursing. She was a well educated Victorian woman when women were not, she had become a nurse when it was considered a degrading occupation and hospitals, such as they were, were cesspits of
The Christian Mission Trust provides local Christians with donations for evangelistic initiatives and outreaches. The Trust is ecumenical and has provided money to many groups, individuals and churches during the last 12 years. It is run by a Board of Trustees. We invite applications for funding from anyone who wishes to launch an evangelistic initiative or who needs support for an existing Christian missionary activity. Please write to: The Chairman, Christian Mission Trust, 4 South Pavilion Road, Gibraltar.
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diseases. Keep that in mind. The British Government asked Miss Nightingale to take thirty eight nurses to Scutari, the barrack hospital in Turkey which would be her base during the war, to nurse wounded British soldiers. This military hospital was a shock to the nurses as they were met with conditions worse than anything encountered in London. They were confronted with a hellish scene of over crowding, dirty rooms, soldiers with festering wounds, grimy blood and pus soaked bandages, and wounded men dying from cholera, typhus and dysentery from which more men died than from injury. No welcome awaited the nurses but far from recoiling in horror, I like to imagine the rolling up of sleeves and lets get on with it attitude. So, against this back drop of one of history’s most heart rending and depressing wars, Florence and her nurses worked towards improving sanitation, nutrition, and activity for recovering soldiers, greatly bettering conditions all round. She considered a clean and well ventilated environment essential to recovery and it was no mean feat to implement this in such a devastating military conflict. She fought her own wars with military officers who considered her a nuisance (and a woman!) with her demands to clean the place up, especially the dirt and drains. Eventually the British government sent a team to flush out the drains and improve ventilation. She had an amazing capacity for work but her compassion
for the suffering and dying was manifest as she made her rounds after dark, small lantern in hand to shine a light on those whose lives were ebbing away, they were not alone. History has remembered her as “The Lady with the Lamp”. In 1860 she established St. Thomas’s Hospital and training school for nurses in London. Thus she became nurse and midwife to this new and lasting venture. The word ‘midwife’ means woman, very appropriate here as women were the traditional birth attendants throughout history, (when they were not being hunted as witches!!). Today, a midwife is a health professional caring for mothers and new born babies. The role is diverse, includes supporting women and families, helping to maintain a healthy pregnancy and carrying out clinical examinations. Nursing has become a highly specialised profession and is constantly evolving to meet the needs of present day society. It’s well earned reputation for compassion and dedication is
both an art and a science, it cares from the heart and mind. A caring heart that listens is invaluable in making vulnerable patients feel valued. Nurses do not need a prescription to dispense kindness, compassion, comfort and caring and when troubles and pain come, nurses do not let the person fight that battle alone. They are there to comfort and encourage; Matthew 25:40 “And the King will answer them, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.’ Nurses need to take care of themselves too, whilst helping others is a good commendable thing, nursing is demanding, both physically and mentally. Nursing is all about the patient, saving lives is a challenging experience yet it brings a certain amount of job satisfaction as the family and individuals greatly benefit from this expert care.
Burnout, is a syndrome conceptualized as resulting from chronic workplace stress that has not been successfully managed. It is characterized by three dimensions: • feelings of energy depletion or exhaustion; • increased mental distance from one’s job, or feelings of negativism or cynicism related to one’s job; • reduced professional efficacy. WHO Director General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus:
“Florence Nightingale used her lamp to illuminate where nurses worked … I hope this year will provide a new 20-20 vision of how nurses can light the way to universal healthcare for all”.
The light still shines.
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Rev. Dr. Bernard Farrell-Roberts
Photo: Nuns, Nursing sisters seen here with baby Noel born Christmas Day. December 1953 1953 © Alamy.com D7672
No place for abortion in
What do we mean by Christian Pastoral Healthcare?
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he Catholic Church has always sought to follow Christian teaching, an important part of this is to care for the sick and those in need just as Christ did.
Jesus’ concern for the sick is clearly visible in the gospel accounts of his ministry. Just look at this list of healing and curing episodes that are recorded in Mark’s gospel alone: he cleansed a man with leprosy; he gave sight to two people who were blind; he cured a woman who was haemorrhaging; and he brought a young girl back to life. As the prophecy of Isaiah had foretold: “He took away our infirmities and bore our diseases”. However, Christ’s care went far beyond medical treatment and cure of diseases. His ‘healing’ was not only physical, but also mental and spiritual, reaching the very deepest level of the existence of each individual, “so that they might have life and have it more abundantly” (Jn 10:10). Christ must be reflected
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and copied in every facet of Catholic health care. Christian love for God and all human beings is the animating principle behind all Catholic teaching. Healing and compassion are for Christians a continuation of Christ’s mission, an obligation that we all share. This understanding is reflected and explained clearly in numerous Church documents. For example, the Pastoral Healthcare Guidelines of the Catholic Bishops Conference of the United States tell us that for Christians, the encounter with suffering and death takes on a positive and distinctive meaning. That suffering becomes a sharing in Christ’s own suffering, passion, and death, offering us the opportunity to participate in the salvation by Christ of humanity itself. A seemingly negative experience is transformed into a positive outcome, an act of love towards our neighbouring humans, a part of our own salvation. Death then is no longer the end, it is simply the next stop in our life journey. This truth does not lessen pain or fear, but it does give us confidence, strength, and importantly hope, and these enable us to bear suffering, rather than being overwhelmed by it. “God himself will always be with them [as their God]. He will wipe every tear from their eyes, and there shall be no more death or mourning, wailing or
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Christian pain, [for] the old order has passed away” (Rev 21:3-4). This does not take any importance away from the often severe pain, trauma, and suffering experienced by so many humans, especially when faced with very difficult situations, such as an unplanned pregnancy. But it does explain how the values associated with Catholic Health Care provide a basis for caring that is second to none; why secular society acknowledges that the Catholic Faith “sets the moral bar” for the rest of society to try to match up to, (as the Chair of a House of Commons Ethical Committee for Healthcare Issues once told me); and how they are able to provide hope to others even in the most severe and difficult of circumstances. History demonstrates how the Church has always followed Christ’s caring example, serving the troubled, the anxious, the hopeless, the sick, the suffering, and the dying. It provides shelter for the traveller; infirmaries for the sick; hospices for the dying, and homes for children, adults, and the elderly. Many religious communities continue this commitment today, and countless lay Catholics share in this ministry, participating actively in the Church’s life and mission, together with many others who are not Catholic. Pastoral Healthcare workers often encounter complicated ethical and moral situations. In today’s world of new medical discoveries, rapid technological developments, and social change, what is new may be either an opportunity for genuine advancement in human culture, or can lead to policies and actions that are contrary to the true dignity and vocation of the human person. Catholic Church leaders continuously engage in consultation with doctors, moral theologians and bioethicists, reviewing these developments, weighing them against the principles of right
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reason and revealed truth, and offering authoritative Christian teaching and guidance. While the Church cannot furnish a ready answer to every moral dilemma, there are many questions about which she is able to provide guidance and direction.
Many USA states have now banned abortion on demand
No place for ‘abortion on demand’. Core to the Church’s commitment to human dignity is an abiding concern for the sanctity of human life from its very beginning. The Church cannot approve medical practices that undermine the biological, psychological, and moral bonds on which the strength of marriage and the family depends. Abortion then, (that is, the directly intended termination of pregnancy before viability or the directly intended destruction of a viable foetus), is never acceptable. Every procedure or chemical intervention whose sole immediate effect is the termination of pregnancy before viability, including the interval between conception and the implantation of the embryo is an abortion. Catholic health care ministry is founded on the absolute sanctity of human life, and that this exists “from the moment of conception until death.” The Church’s defence of life is not limited only to the unborn, it also views as essential the care of mothers, fathers, and their children both during and after pregnancy. It collaborates with others to alleviate the causes of infant mortality, and to provide adequate physical, mental, and spiritual health care and support
Pastoral Healthcare Photo: CNS photo/courtesy Catholic Health Association
Daughters of Charity continue healthcare work rooted in Catholic faith and tradition.
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wherever needed. The Church has deep respect for the family, for the marriage covenant, and for the love that binds a married couple together. It sees children as the supreme gift of God that brings so many important human values into the lives of parents and the community.
ister Carol Keehan served as president and CEO of Catholic Health Association, which has more than 600 member institutions until her retirement last summer. After earning a nursing degree, she joined the Daughters of Charity, and at age 25, opened a children’s hospital in Pensacola, Florida. She later returned, studied for a master’s
degree, and went back to Washington, D.C. Sr. Carol’s life work is rooted in her Catholic faith and the tradition of the Daughters of Charity. She devotes time each day to advocate for affordable healthcare for those in need, and has been a member of several labour, health and domestic policy committees of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, working to
help draft legislation that would expand healthcare coverage. Sr. Carol believes one cannot subscribe to Catholic social teaching without advocating for affordable healthcare. She is proud of the role Catholic Sisters have played in building the United States healthcare system, but is adamant that they have a moral responsibility to continue advocating for those in need of health services.
It sets out to provide pastoral care in the following areas: counselling, adoption, infertility advice, prenatal support, and postnatal support. It is always ready to offer compassionate physical, psychological, moral, and spiritual care to those persons who have suffered, are suffering, or may suffer from
the trauma of abortion.
cure of a proportionately serious pathological condition of a pregnant woman are permitted when they cannot be safely postponed until the unborn child is viable, even if they will result in the death of the unborn child.
Current laws already protect women and doctors in ‘difficult medical cases’. Finally, operations, treatments, and medications that have as their direct purpose the
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Rev. Dr. Bernard Farrell-Roberts
Sister Anne Sophie
* FROM VICTIM TO
LIFE SAVER Recently I met Maria Vallejo-Nagera, a successful author who, thanks to a friend in the United States, came across a very special woman who had gone from experiencing serious childhood abuse, to a life of prayer and service to the vulnerable as a religious sister.
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A
s a result, Maria wrote a book entitled “Badlands”, a biography of this religious, Sister Anne Sophie. Maria explained to me how a few years ago Susan, an American friend of hers, had sent her a small pamphlet that she had found by chance in a Catholic church in Ohio. Maria had put it in a drawer to read it later and, as with so many
such leaflets and articles, there it had remained unread for three years! Looking back now Maria feels that she was not spiritually prepared at that time to recognize the significance of the treasure that those pages contained. When she eventually read the leaflet, she quickly phoned Susan her friend. Those few lines of information had for some reason stirred her heart and soul, and she felt a burning desire to meet the woman they spoke about. She told Susan that they had to find this woman, and together, one each side of the Atlantic, they started to search for a way to contact her. What followed seemed to them quite miraculous, as in a matter of just a few days they found her, contacted her, and agreed to meet her! A few weeks later they met in her hometown of Corpus Christi in Texas, and Maria found the woman of the leaflet, Sr. Anne Sophie, to be a fellow spirit, with a strong bond quickly forming between them. They talked, they prayed together, and as Sr. Anne Sophie recounted the tragic story of her early life Maria “found her own heart breaking” as she shared in the suffering and pain of that terribly abused childhood. Having heard the whole story, she felt compelled to ask Sr. Anne Sophie if she would allow her to write her biography, as she felt that the deeply touching and spiritually nourishing story of this Nun
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would be able to bring so much healing, comfort, grace, and even life itself, to so many others. Although the humble Sister was at first reluctant, when convinced of the good that her story could do for others, especially the unborn, she gave Maria “the immense honour” of writing her life story. Maria found the task to be incredibly difficult – she explained to me the burden she felt as she tried to find words capable of expressing the darkness of the suffering, pain, and trauma… and then the wonderfully healing action of God that had brought so much good, love, and light out of that darkness.
She said though, that all the time she felt God’s encouraging hand pushing her onwards, encouraging her to tell this story, to explain how it conveyed God’s immense love for and mercy towards all human beings, and the infinite tenderness of our Mother Mary towards us.
She cried a lot as she expressed in words, little by little, what Sr. Anne Sophie had been forced to endure during her young life, the human evil she was subjected to, the worst experiences that any innocent young girl could possibly suffer: abuse, rape, and a forced abortion. As she wrote she became amazed and moved by the forgiveness shown by Sr. Anne Sophie, and how God’s love can heal even the worst physical and mental wounds imaginable. God’s grace kept Sr. Anne Sophie herself from slipping through the cracks while growing up in five foster
homes, and now she often manages to catch those who would otherwise slip through the cracks themselves. She was adopted as an adult by the founder of the Birthright centre in her town, and this pro-life family’s open love for her, and their example, had a significant impact on her life, leading to her arrest on one occasion for praying outside an abortion clinic! But it was when she became an extraordinary minister of Holy Communion, taking Christ himself to the bedridden and elderly, that she began to really understand God’s calling for her. She founded a community, the “Society of the Body of Christ”, and on March 25, 1994, Bishop Rene Gracida erected Sr. Anne Sophie’s society as a public association of the faithful with the intention that, one day, it would become a new religious institute. Three months later, on the feast of Corpus Christi, after vowing before Bishop Gracida to live a life of poverty, chastity and obedience, and to defend all human life from conception to natural death, Sr. Anne Sophie received her habit as the society’s first consecrated member. Maria told me that Sr. Anne Sophie today is a woman full of light, hope, mercy and life… she has moved on, forgiven her abusers and is now full of God’s love for others. She now spends her time preparing the dying for peaceful deaths, helping them pray their way towards heaven, helping individuals to become reconciled with the Church, praying babies into the world in the delivery room, praying for the yet-tobe-born, and protecting and helping families. She and her community champion the culture of life in greater Corpus Christi, Texas, where they live. They offer themselves as an “instant family” for any unwanted children in the womb, for any abandoned elderly individuals, and for all those who society consider to be “human inconveniences”, who often do “fall through the cracks”.
They treat everyone as equal children of God. Maria wrote “Badlands” convinced that by doing so she could save the lives of yet to be born children. Sr. Anne Sophie agreed to have her story told in the same belief. Her message to all readers of the book: “I truly hope that
these chapters are of help to you and serve to show you what Jesus is capable of doing through the work of someone as useless and mediocre as I am. Who would have thought that one
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day a book would be written about my life, my work, and my calling! Pray for me, as there is still much for me to accomplish in my lifetime, and my path is often arduous and thorny.”
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SAMUEL - God’s Special Gift
A Story by Manolo Galliano continues to be serialised
Chapter 8
Samuel had fallen ill with a fever while watching Jesus’ arrival upon a donkey from the Mount of Olives…
Four days had elapsed since that momentous occasion at the very gates of Jerusalem, and little Samuel still lay quite sick on the narrow cot in the half-lit room. Even now, he kept tossing and turning and flailing his arms wildly about, whilst his sister Rachel sat patiently by his side, continually sponging his forehead and temples. It was true that he no longer had difficulty in breathing, but he was still sweating profusely, his lips were dry and cracked, and his pupils, under the half-closed eyelids, flickered constantly from side to side. The room itself was pervaded by the strong, sweet aroma of cinnamon and other spices which one of the servants had sprinkled on an earthenware pan standing over a small charcoal fire at one end of the room. Just then the door creaked open and Jacob and Mathias
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This is the story of Samuel, a child with a mental disability and his encounter with Jesus, Continuing from Issue 222 who became his very special friend. entered, accompanied by a stooped and cadaverous-looking man, who was in fact one of the city’s best known physicians. He crossed over to the boy’s bedside and examined him thoroughly. “This child is still quite sick and should not be moved for the present,” he told them finally, “However, he seems to be making quite good progress and might even be fit enough to travel shortly. In the meantime, you must make sure that he is given plenty of liquids so that his fever can be brought down to normal.” Rachel breathed a loud sigh of relief, which was quickly followed by a torrent of uncontrollable tears, “Oh, thank the good Lord. We were so very worried that we would lose him forever!” Her father embraced her, “Come, my daughter, do not lose faith. The physician knows what is best for him and with our constant prayers he will soon be his old self again.” As he was saying this, there was a frantic knocking at the door and before Mathias could open it fully, his wife rushed into the room in total disarray. “Husband, one of the servants
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has just arrived with terrible news! The Master was arrested late last night and even now he is being marched to the Procurator’s Palace.” In somewhat of a panic, they all streamed hurriedly out of the room, leaving Samuel attended by just one of the servants. At that very precise moment, and possibly because of all the commotion, Samuel slipped out of his semi-comatose state, without anybody realising it. Whilst most of the members of the household made ready to leave the house that fateful Spring morning for Jerusalem in order to find out what was happening there, the small boy churned in his mind the meaning of those strange words which had been the apparent cause of his sudden awakening. Of one thing he was certain, and that was that his friend Jesus had to be in very deep trouble for everybody to have gone away like that, when he was feeling so sick. So much thinking made him feel drowsy and before long he had dozed off again into a deep, peaceful sleep. When he re-awoke, some time later, he could still remember vividly
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what had occurred earlier that morning, and he came quickly to the conclusion that he had to do something in order to help Jesus. He noticed that there was nobody else in the room just then, so without another moment’s thought, he got up from bed and, only stopping to put on his sandals, crept outside, ran down the steep stairs and slipped out through the front door into the brilliant sunshine. Soon he was hurrying as quickly as he could through the narrow lane of the sleepy, little village and down the winding road leading to Jerusalem. He noted the fact that, on this occasion, there were far fewer travellers on the road than there had been on that other day when he had been with Mathias and had seen Jesus riding his donkey. The lack of any crowds lent considerable speed to Samuel, who, despite still feeling rather unwell, very soon reached the valley of the Kedron Brook. Passing the well-kept orchards and imposing mausoleums to his left, he arrived breathless with exertion at the Valley Gate. The group of soldiers on sentry duty barely glanced at the small, dishevelled figure marching jauntily into the city, so occupied were they discussing the latest gossip of the day. Samuel entered through
Story so far can be found at uponthisrock.gi the huge gatehouse and walked past the Pool of Siloam and through the Street of the Cheesemakers, the acrid smell emanating from the open-fronted shops making him feel quite queasy. On he continued, without a clue where he was going, through the maze of stepped and cobbled streets and lanes, which were mostly in shadow because of the many awnings and balconies jutting out from the buildings rising on either side. As he penetrated ever deeper into the city, he was steadily deafened by the constant din of criers and tradesmen, the bleating of sheep being led to market or to slaughter, the shouts of the many children playing the most ingenious of games, and the incessant barking of dogs everywhere. He was jostled by an evermoving tide of people, all intent on getting somewhere in a hurry, pushing handcarts, or carrying huge bundles of firewood, baskets or
panniers, or leading mules and donkeys which heaved under massive back-braking loads. His nose was assailed by the myriad smells of herbs and spices, of stale cooking and unwashed bodies, together the awful stench of rotting fruit and vegetables lying in odd corners. To be continued‌
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