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Pope's message for 50th World Day of Peace
| Posted on December 13, 2016 at 8:22 AM |
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 Picture: zenit.orgPope Francis asks "God to help all of us to cultivate nonviolence in our most personal thoughts and values." Read the entire message here: https://zenit.org/articles/popes-message-for-50th-world-day-of-peace/ |
Pope Francis claims gender theory is the ‘great enemy of marriage today’
| Posted on October 6, 2016 at 6:03 AM |
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 Pope
Francis has spoken out against the theory of gender, something he has stated as
being the “great enemy of marriage today”.
The pope, speaking to a group of religious men and women in Tbilisi,
Georgia, said: “Today, there is a global war trying to destroy marriage…they
don’t destroy it with weapons, but with ideas.
It’s certain ideological ways of thinking that are destroying it…we have
to defend ourselves from ideological colonisation.” The
pontiff has often spoken about ideological colonisation and gender theory and
the dangers they pose to society. The
ideological colonisation he refers to is primarily to do with developed
countries – mainly in the West – imposing their ideas and values into
developing nations and potentially withholding aid where those ideas and values
are resisted. Gender theory, on the
other hand, is what an individual person believes himself or herself to be and
it may not necessarily correspond with their biological sex. Indeed, it may even be non-binary; that is, neither
male nor female. The next day, during an in-flight press conference on his way home
to Rome, the pope spoke once more about gender theory and expressed deep
concern about “teaching in school about this [gender theory], to change mentalities.” This, he says, “is what I call ideological
colonisation.” He then spoke more specifically about homosexuality and the
pastoral call of the Church with regard to people who experience same-sex
attraction. He said: “First of all, I’ve
accompanied in my life as a priest, a bishop, and even as pope, people with
homosexual tendencies or even homosexual practices, I’ve led them closer to the
Lord.” He called on all people within
the Church to accompany people in such situations “as Jesus accompanies”
because “when a person who has this condition gets in front of Jesus, Jesus won’t
say ‘leave because you’re homosexual.’” The pope was, however, cautious about the more liberal headlines
that have been attributed to him in terms of a possibly softer Church attitude
towards homosexual acts when he said: “I want to be clear, this is a problem of
morals. It’s a problem. It’s a human problem that has to be resolved
as it can, always with God’s mercy.” |
Pope Francis supports defence of family life in Mexico
| Posted on September 27, 2016 at 10:35 AM |
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 Pope Francis has spoken openly about his support for the
Mexican bishops who, along with millions of people, have taken to the streets to
protest against the legalisation of same-sex marriage and the serious threat
it poses to family life. The pope said: “I am very happy to
associate myself with the bishops of Mexico, in supporting the commitment of
the Church and of civil society in favour of the family and of life, which in
this time require special pastoral and cultural attention in all the world.” |
Bishops call for ‘decisive and courageous steps’ towards nuclear disarmament
| Posted on July 12, 2016 at 8:57 AM |
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 The eight Catholic Bishops of ScotlandStatement of the Catholic Bishops of Scotland on nuclear weapons: The Bishops of Scotland have for a long time pointed out the immorality of the use of strategic nuclear weapons due to the indiscriminate destruction of innocent human life that their use would cause. The renewal of Trident is questioned not just by those concerned with the morality of nuclear weapons themselves but also by those concerned about the use of scarce financial resources. Lives are being lost now because money that could be spent on the needy and the poor is tied up in nuclear arsenals. We endorse the words of Pope Francis: “Spending on nuclear weapons squanders the wealth of nations”. The United Kingdom, permanent member of the UN Security Council and declared nuclear power, signed the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty in 1968. That treaty binds signatories who do not have nuclear weapons not to acquire them, but it also binds those who do have nuclear weapons to work towards the disposing and elimination of all nuclear weapons. Britain should take more decisive and courageous steps to revive that aspect of the treaty and not seek to prolong the status quo. Signed + Philip Tartaglia, President of the Bishops’ Conference of Scotland, Archbishop of Glasgow+ Joseph Toal, Vice-President, Bishop of Motherwell+ Hugh Gilbert, Episcopal Secretary, Bishop of Aberdeen+ Leo Cushley, Archbishop of St Andrews and Edinburgh+ Stephen Robson, Bishop of Dunkeld+ John Keenan, Bishop of Paisley+ William Nolan, Bishop of Galloway+ Brian McGee, Bishop of Argyll and The Isles |
Archbishop offers Scotland a path to the common good
| Posted on June 9, 2016 at 6:23 AM |
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 Archbishop of St Andrews
and Edinburgh Leo Cushley celebrates the 125 anniversary of Pope
Leo XIII’s landmark encyclical ‘Rerum Novarum’ Archbishop Leo Cushley has marked the 125
anniversary of the papal encyclical Rerum Novarum by re-proposing its social
teaching for the common good of Scottish society. The encyclical by Pope Leo XIII is arguably
the Church’s most important when it comes to social justice and the Archbishop
can clearly see positives in once again bringing it to the forefront of our
minds. Writing in today's Scotsman Archbishop Cushley said: “At the foundation of Pope Leo’s
vision is an unshakeable belief in the intrinsic value of every man, woman and
child. The degree to which it threatened
or enhanced the life and dignity of the human person”, he says, “is the measure
of any political, moral or economic order”.
It is clear, therefore, that the encyclical has at its very core the
belief that human life must be at the centre of all decisions made by
authority. It is about standing shoulder
to shoulder with the most vulnerable in society, including the poor, the sick,
the elderly, and the unborn. Pope Leo, who rejected unbridled capitalism as well as state
socialism, argued that neither central government nor larger society should
substitute itself for the initiative and responsibility of individuals and
intermediary bodies within civil society.
Archbishop Cushley cited the example of Fife, which has gone from having
82 councils in 1930 to just one today, to illustrate the renewed appetite to
revisit the issue of local empowerment. The Archbishop also referred to the importance of the family
in society. He said: “The twofold
purpose of this [the family] micro-community is traditionally defined as the
good of the spouses and the procreation and education of children. For this reason, nearly all societies – not just
those informed by Christianity – have founded family life upon marriage. Even now, the best sociological evidence
tends to suggest that children generally do best in life when they grow up with
a mum and a dad who are married to each other.
The married family, if you like, is the first, best and cheapest
department of health, welfare and education.”
He then quoted Pope John Paul II as he tried to encapsulate the effect
of the erosion of a marriage-based culture: “As the family goes, so goes the
nation, and so goes the whole world in which we live.” However, the Archbishop also referred to Pope Francis’ call
to appreciate those people for whom the ideal family is not possible, saying
that these people “achieve remarkable things in the most difficult of
circumstances”. He then reiterated Pope
Francis’ call to sympathise with and support those in difficult circumstances. In a world fraught with significant challenges to the family
as we know it, the Archbishop’s consideration of one of the great social
encyclicals is timely. As he said: “The
Church does not seek to impose its social teaching upon Scottish society. We can only propose it as our vision to
anybody seeking new paths towards the common good.” Archbishop Cushley has proposed what he feels is the
fundamental consideration for the common good of society and offered it to the
people of Scotland. It is now up to us lay Catholics
to do the same. Click this link to read the Scotsman article: http://www.scotsman.com/news/opinion/archbishop-leo-cushley-no-imposition-just-the-church-s-vision-1-4149785 |
Pope Francis: to ignore the poor is to despise God
| Posted on May 20, 2016 at 7:05 AM |
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 Pope Francis, during his weekly general audience, has slated
those who turn their backs on the poor, suggesting that their ignorance means
that they despise God.The pope stressed that in the poor “we find Jesus himself:
whatever you did to the least brothers of mine, you did to me”. The message is clear: we are called to wake up to the plight
of the poor and to make sure we never ignore them. I recall one of Pope Francis’ early comments
on the poor. He said that we must get
close to them as Jesus did, and touch their wounds. Touch their wounds! It sounds strange that we would put ourselves
in a position to touch the cuts or sores, or even the diseased body of a
stranger. We may wince at the idea of
shaking the hand of a homeless person, knowing full well that those hands could
be carrying all sorts of germs that could make us ill. But that is what we are called to do! We are called to get close, because by
getting close to the poor and the needy we are getting close to Jesus. And we all know that Jesus will not cause us
any harm or give us anything we cannot deal with by his grace. It is also worth remembering that when Pope Francis refers
to the poor he is not just talking about the homeless or the financially
impoverished. He is also talking about
the poor in spirit; those who have perhaps lost their way in faith or who fail
to recognise the Goodness of God. We are
also called to accompany these people, as well as those who suffer a more typical form of poverty. |
Pope Francis invites us to heed the call of Our Lady of Fatima
| Posted on May 13, 2016 at 7:49 AM |
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 During Wednesday’s General Audience Pope Francis reminded
the gathered that Friday 13 May is the memorial of Our Lady of
Fatima, stressing the importance of paying heed to Mary’s words not to offend
God any more than we already have and to focus our hearts and minds on
abandoning ourselves to God’s love and mercy. The pope said: “In this apparition, Mary invites us once
again to prayer, penitence and conversion. She asks us to offend God no more….She
warns all humanity of the need to abandon itself to God, the wellspring of love
and mercy. Following the example of St. John Paul II, a great devotee of Our
Lady of Fatima, let us listen carefully to the Mother of God, and implore peace
for the world.” |
Accompaniment could be the key to building God’s Kingdom
| Posted on May 3, 2016 at 9:43 AM |
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 Accompaniment. Could
this be one of the most important words in the life of the Church today? One thing above all else struck me in reading Pope Francis’
recent exhortation Amoris Laetitia. It is the call to accompaniment. While we are well aware of our call to love
and to be merciful towards all people, do we know how to achieve this? Think about those who live in ways or
relationships that do not entirely accord with God’s divine plan, such as
same-sex unions, cohabitation and the divorced and remarried. Pope Francis refers to these ways/relationships
as ‘irregular’ and he suggests a need for accompaniment for people in such
situations. Not just the need to love
and be merciful; but the need to commit to actual one-to-one accompaniment. I don’t intend going into the fine detail of Amoris Laetitia as there have been numerous
commentaries on the document and many different views expressed. For me, I would sum up the document as being
insightful in many ways, but especially when it comes to the love we are
expected to show our spouse and our children.
I found it incredibly helpful, directing me towards being more patient
and understanding in family life. It is
in many ways a challenge to live a holy and wholesome home life. But like a fine thread running through the document, there
is this call to accompaniment. The Pope
isn’t advocating anything that is contrary to the teaching of the Church. There is no call to change doctrine and this
is confirmed in the Pope’s own words: ““To show understanding in the face of exceptional circumstances never
implies dimming the light of the fuller ideal, or proposing less than what
Jesus offers to the human being.” Quite
simply, Church doctrine continues to stand strong and will always do so. But perhaps the Pope’s call to “show
understanding” is something we should dwell on for a moment. The Church has
always called its people to be loving, compassionate and merciful; to
understand the difficulties experienced by others. It is after all a hospital for sinners. So, in that sense, there is nothing new
here. The truth is, we should already be
accompanying people in their difficulties and bringing them to Christ. Sadly, however,
the reality is somewhat different. Too
often the Church (that is, the Catholic people) is seen as being judgmental,
lacking compassion with a tendency to take the moral high ground. We are often quick to go on the defensive, preferring
to argue rather than listen. Whether
these accusations are justified is not something we should waste our time
arguing about. The important thing is to
focus our minds on accompanying all people, whatever their circumstances, and
to show them the loving face of Jesus. We
need to stop being defensive and, instead, be positive. If we come across someone in an irregular
situation; be it a same-sex union, or perhaps someone who is divorced and
remarried, we are first and foremost called to show that person what it is like
to meet the loving Christ, to feel the closeness of his endless love and his
unfailing mercy. We must accompany them. Only by imitating
the love of Christ and accompanying our brothers and sisters can we hope to
bring them ever closer to Christ and his teaching. In essence we are offering them an
alternative to what the world offers them. The world, with all its riches and ill-thought-out
‘freedoms’ offers people what they want, whenever they want it, seemingly
satisfying every desire they could ever wish for. Yet this is never the case. People always want more. Always.
The truth is this: people are never satisfied with what the world can
give them. Our patient,
loving accompaniment may offer an alternative to the world’s failure to
satisfy. By understanding the
difficulties experienced by people and walking with them as Christ would we can
bring them closer to the One who can satisfy the longings of each and every
heart. Our mission as Disciples
of Christ is to bring people to know him and to know his Truth. If we want to succeed in this we must first
and foremost accept and act on our call to accompaniment. That must be our first step. Only then, once we have established a loving,
trusting relationship, can we hope to change hearts to acknowledge and perhaps
even accept the Truth; a truth that brings real love, real mercy, and
ultimately, real freedom.
If we want to build God’s Kingdom in our world today,
we must take people by the hand and walk with them.  |
We Christians will be known by our love
| Posted on April 26, 2016 at 9:03 AM |
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 Pope Francis heard Confessions in the days leading up to the MassPope Francis has given a lesson in love and freedom during
his homily at the Jubilee Mass for Young People in Rome. The Pope, speaking to thousands of youth in St Peter’s
Square, said that Jesus himself declared that Christians would be known “by the
way they love one another.” The Pope
continued saying, “love, in other words, is the Christian’s identity card.” The Pope then tackled the meaning of love, stating that love
is something you give. He also added: “it
[love] is caring for others, respecting them, protecting them, and waiting for
them.” Francis then challenged the young people on the true meaning
of freedom, stating that “freedom is not the ability to simply do what I want. This makes us self-centred and aloof.” “Freedom” he said “is the gift of being able to
choose the good: this is true freedom. The free person is the one who
chooses what is good, what is pleasing to God, even if it requires effort, even
if it is not easy.” He then called on the young people to grow in love and
told them how they could do this: “the secret, once again, is the Lord: Jesus
gives us himself in the Mass, he offers us forgiveness and peace in Confession.” The Pope’s call to the young people can be summed up
nicely in the term ‘free love’. He wants
Christians to give themselves freely to
others in love, and he wants us to choose to do this as it is
pleasing to God. He then tells us that
the nourishment we need for this task can be found in the Holy Mass and in the
Sacrament of Confession. Let us be under no illusions. Our mission as Christians is to spread the
love of Christ throughout the world. We
must let his Truth be known to all people and we must deliver this Truth in a
spirit of love; a love that is freely given and that always has the other
person’s best interests at its core. This
message is not just for our young, but for all Christian people. The Christian message is one of great hope, mercy and peace for all
people. But, above all, it is a message
of love. Click this link for the full text of Pope Francis’ homily: https://zenit.org/articles/popes-homily-at-jubilee-mass-for-teens/ |
The Church offers all people a real, authentic and free love
| Posted on April 18, 2016 at 9:36 AM |
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 In this time of persistent and often radical sexual
revolution it is hard to know where to look for some semblance of normality and
a more authentic love. In her latest
Catholic Answers article, Jennifer Roback Morse encourages all people to look
to the Catholic Church in these difficult times, even those who don’t identify
as Catholic.As Jennifer says: “What the Catholic Church does is important to
everyone, no matter their faith. The Catholic Church is the largest institution
still standing against the ideological fraud known as the sexual revolution.
Everyone who is trying to deal with the fallout from this massive social
upheaval has a stake in what the Catholic Church says and does.” Pope Francis, through his recent Exhortation Amoris Laetitia, is asking the
whole of humanity to trust in the teaching of Christ and his Church for our
future. He wants all people to
experience an authentic love, particularly through the Sacrament of Marriage,
and to find out for themselves that the sexual revolution does not satisfy our
longings. Rather, it inhibits us and
restricts our freedom; enslaving us in an endless cycle of pain, misery and
hurt. But the Church offers us hope, and by writing this Exhortation Pope Francis
is building the foundations of a solid response to the sexual revolution. It is a response that invites all people to
an encounter with Christ and his Church in order to experience the true meaning
of a real, authentic and free love. The Church has the answer, we just need to believe in it. |