Pope to migrants: Do not be robbed of hope, joy of living
http://www.myspiritfm.com/apps/articles/default.asp?blogid=0&view=post&articleid=121058&link=1&fldKeywords=&fldAuthor=&fldTopic=0
By Junno Arocho EstevesVATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Welcoming thousands of migrants and refugees tothe Vatican for their own Year of Mercy celebration, Pope Francis urged them toresist everything that would rob them of hope and joy."Each of you is the bearer of a history, culture and preciousvalues and, unfortunately, also often of experiences of poverty, oppression andfear," the pope said Jan. 17. But gathering in St. Peter's Square for theHoly Year "is a sign of hope in God. Don't allow yourselves to be robbedof hope and the joy of living, which spring from the experience of divinemercy, also thanksto the people who welcomed and helped you."The pope prayed that passing through the Holy Doorand attending a special jubilee Mass "will fill your hearts with peace." He also thanked the inmates of a maximum security prisonin Milan who prepared the hosts consecrated at the Mass. According to theItalian news agency, ANSA, an estimated 7,000 migrants from 30 countries werepresent. The group pass...
By Junno Arocho Esteves
VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Welcoming thousands of migrants and refugees to
the Vatican for their own Year of Mercy celebration, Pope Francis urged them to
resist everything that would rob them of hope and joy.
"Each of you is the bearer of a history, culture and precious
values and, unfortunately, also often of experiences of poverty, oppression and
fear," the pope said Jan. 17. But gathering in St. Peter's Square for the
Holy Year "is a sign of hope in God. Don't allow yourselves to be robbed
of hope and the joy of living, which spring from the experience of divine
mercy, also thanks
to the people who welcomed and helped you."
The pope prayed that passing through the Holy Door
and attending a special jubilee Mass "will fill your hearts with peace." He also thanked the inmates of a maximum security prison
in Milan who prepared the hosts consecrated at the Mass.
According to the
Italian news agency, ANSA, an estimated 7,000 migrants from 30 countries were
present. The group passed through the Holy Door of St. Peter's Basilica, following a
9-foot tall, 3-foot wide wooden cross made out of the wreckage of boats
carrying migrants from northern Africa to Lampedusa, Italy's southernmost
island.
The Mass was celebrated by Cardinal
Antonio Maria Veglio, president of the Pontifical
Council for Migrants and Travelers, who said in his homily that the cross was
"an expressive symbol" of the tragic circumstances facing migrants
who risk their lives seeking a better future.
The
World Day of Migrants and Refugees, he said, was "a fitting occasion to remember
that the church has
always contemplated in migrants the image of Christ. Moreover, in the Year of
Mercy, we are challenged to rediscover the works of mercy where, among the
corporal works, there is the call to welcome the stranger."
The presence of migrants is a visible sign of the universality of the church and the integration of newcomers is
not about "assimilation"
but an opportunity to recognize "the cultural patrimony of migrants"
for the good of the universal church.
"Everyone has something new and beautiful to contribute, but the
source and steward is the Spirit," he said. "No one should feel
superior to the other, but all must realize the need to collaborate and
contribute to the good of the sole family of God."
Recalling Pope Francis' message for the World Day of Migrants and
Refugees, Cardinal Veglio compared the plight of migrants to the Holy Family
exiled in Egypt, which serves as a reminder that the "welcoming of the
stranger means welcoming God himself."
- - -
Copyright © 2016 Catholic News Service/U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. www.catholicnews.com. All rights reserved. Republishing or redistributing of CNS content, including by framing or similar means without prior permission, is prohibited. You may link to stories on our public site. This copy is for your personal, non-commercial use only. To request permission for republishing or redistributing of CNS content, please contact permissions at cns@catholicnews.com.
Full Article
http://www.myspiritfm.com/apps/articles/default.asp?blogid=0&url=10&view=post&articleid=274761&link=1&fldKeywords=&fldAuthor=&fldTopic=0
A Sacred Heart of Jesus Parish procession honoring the patroness of Cuba on Sept. 7, 2023. / Credit: Sacred Heart of Jesus parish in Havana, CubaACI Prensa Staff, Mar 28, 2024 / 16:00 pm (CNA).The regime of President Miguel Díaz-Canel in Cuba has prohibited several Holy Week processions in different cities of the country, including the El Vedado area of Havana as well as in Bayamo, a town that was the scene of major protests earlier this month.Last week, ACI Prensa, CNA's Spanish-language news partner, reported on the prohibition of processions in the Diocese of the Most Holy Savior located in the Bayamo-Manzanillo area in the province of Granma, due to the regime's fear that new protests would break out. The prohibition has been extended to the capital, Havana, according to a Catholic priest.In a March 25 Facebook post, Father Lester Zayas, pastor of Sacred Heart of Jesus Parish in the El Vedado business district of Havana, reported that the day before he had been notifie...
http://www.myspiritfm.com/apps/articles/default.asp?blogid=0&url=10&view=post&articleid=274760&link=1&fldKeywords=&fldAuthor=&fldTopic=0
The Catholic faithful gathered in the Cenacle in Jerusalem for the Mass of the Lord's Supper that the Franciscan friars celebrated on Holy Thursday, March 28, 2024. The Cenacle is at the center of strong tensions and disputes regarding ownership and rights of access and celebration. An ancient tradition places King David's tomb here and over the centuries Jews and Muslims have leveraged this to first expel the Franciscans and then to prevent Christian worship, which they deemed sacrilegious. / Credit: Marinella BandiniJerusalem, Mar 28, 2024 / 17:15 pm (CNA).On Holy Thursday, the doors of the Cenacle in Jerusalem were opened to welcome the Franciscans of the Custody of the Holy Land. In this "Upper Room," called the Cenacle in the Holy Land, Jesus had his Last Supper, washed his apostles' feet, and instituted the Eucharist. It was here that the Franciscans celebrated the Mass of the Lord's Supper, reenacting those same gestures. (At the Basilica of the Holy Sepulcher,...
http://www.myspiritfm.com/apps/articles/default.asp?blogid=0&url=10&view=post&articleid=274755&link=1&fldKeywords=&fldAuthor=&fldTopic=0
The Oregon State Capitol in Salem. / Credit: Zack Frank/ShutterstockWashington, D.C. Newsroom, Mar 28, 2024 / 15:00 pm (CNA).The Oregon Health Authority (OHA) is reporting a significant rise in assisted suicide prescriptions and deaths in the state, a move that comes after authorities in 2022 began allowing out-of-state residents to access the lethal services.Since the state's passage of the "Death with Dignity Act" in 1997, assisted suicide numbers have been generally rising there, with a markedly sharp uptick since 2013. OHA on March 20 released its 2023 assisted suicide data summary that reported a considerable increase in suicide prescriptions in 2023. The study found that assisted suicide prescriptions in the state rose from 433 in 2022 to 560 last year.Of those 560 prescriptions, 367 people are known to have died from ingesting the suicide "medications." This is up from the 304 who died from assisted suicide drugs in Oregon in 2022.Over half, or 56%, of the assisted ...