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Dates of birth and death unknown. He was the son of Pope Hormisdas who had been married before becoming one of the higher clergy. Silverius entered the service of the Church and was subdeacon at Rome when Pope Agapetus died at Constantinople, 22 April, 536. The Empress Theodora, who favoured the Monophysites sought to bring about the election as pope of the Roman deacon Vigilius who was then at Constantinople and had given her the desired guarantees as to the Monophysites. However, Theodatus, King of the Ostrogoths, who wished to prevent the election of a pope connected with Constantinople, forestalled her, and by his influence the subdeacon Silverius was chosen. The election of a subdeacon as Bishop of Rome was unusual. Consequently, it is easy to understand that, as the author of the first part of the life of Silverius in the "Liber pontificalis" (ed. Duchesne, I, 210) relates, a strong opposition to it appeared among the clergy. This, however, was suppressed by Theodatus so that, finally, after Silverius had been consecrated bishop (probably on 8 June, 536) all the Roman presbyters gave their consent in writing to his elevation. The assertion made by the author just mentioned that Silverius secured the intervention of Theodatus by payment of money is unwarranted, and is to be explained by the writer's hostile opinion of the pope and the Goths. The author of the second part of the life in the "Liber pontificalis" is favourably inclined to Silverius. The pontificate of this pope belongs to an unsettled, disorderly period and he himself fell a victim to the intrigues of the Byzantine Court.
After Silverius had become pope the Empress Theodora sought to win him for the Monophysites. She desired especially to have him enter into communion with the Monophysite Patriarch of Constantinople, Anthimus, who had been excommunicated and deposed by Agapetus, and with Severus of Antioch. However, the pope committed himself to nothing and Theodora now resolved to overthrow him and to gain the papal see for Vigilius. Troublous times befell Rome during the struggle that broke out in Italy between the Ostrogoths and the Byzantines after the death of Amalasuntha, daughter of Theodoric the Great. The Ostrogothic king, Vitiges, who ascended the throne in August, 536, besieged the city. The churches over the catacombs outside of the city were devastated, the graves of the martyrs in the catacombs themselves were broken open and desecrated. In December, 536, the Byzantine general Belisarius garrisoned Rome and was received by the pope in a friendly and courteous manner. Theodora sought to use Belisarius for the carrying out of her plan to depose Silverius and to put in his place the Roman deacon Vigilius, formerly apocrisary at Constantinople, who had now gone to Italy. Antonina, wife of Belisarius, influenced her husband to act as Theodora desired. By means of a forged letter the pope was accused of a treasonable agreement with the Gothic king who was besieging Rome. It was asserted that Silverius had offered the king to leave one of the city gates secretly open so as to permit the Goths to enter. Silverius was consequently arrested in March, 537, roughly stripped of his episcopal dress, given the clothing of a monk and carried off to exile in the East. Vigilius was consecrated Bishop of Rome in his stead.
Silverius was taken to Lycia where he was went to reside at Patara. The Bishop of Patara very soon discovered that the exiled pope was innocent. He journeyed to Constantinople and was able to lay before the Emperor Justinian such proofs of the innocence of the exile that the emperor wrote to Belisarius commanding a new investigation of the matter. Should it turn out that the letter concerning the alleged plot in favour of the Goths was forged, Silverius should be placed once more in possession of the papal see. At the same time the emperor allowed Silverius to return to Italy, and the latter soon entered the country, apparently at Naples. However, Vigilius arranged to take charge of his unlawfully deposed predecessor. He evidently acted in agreement with the Empress Theodora and was aided by Antonina, the wife of Belisarius. Silverius was taken to the Island of Palmaria in the Tyrrhenian Sea and kept their in close confinement. Here he died in consequence of the privations and harsh treatment he endured. The year of his death is unknown, but he probably did not live long after reachingPalmaria. He was buried on the island, according to the testimony of the "Liber pontificalis" on 20 June; his remains were never taken from Palmaria. According to the same witness he was invoked after death by the believers who visited his grave. In later times he was venerated as a saint. The earliest proof of this is given by a list of saints of the eleventh century (Mélanges d'archéologie et d'histoire, 1893, 169). The "Martyrologium" of Peter de Natalibus of the fourteenth century also contains his feast, which is recorded in the present Roman Martyrology on 20 June.
[Editor's note: According to the Liber Pontificalis, Pope St. Silverius was exiled not to Palmaria, but rather to the Island of Palmarola, a much smaller and more desolate island near Ponza, Italy, in the Bay of Naples.]
IN HONOR OF THE YEAR OF FAITH- JCE WORLD NEWS IS SHARING Anthony - Warrior of God. (Image share - Google)
PART 7 - TUNE IN TOMORROW FOR PART 8 OF 10
YOUTUBE ABOUT SHARE: St. Anthony began life as a young nobleman who enjoyed all the sumptuous pleasures and privileges of that medieval Europe could offer. Yet he was compelled by a mysterious inner voice to gaze upon the unspeakable misery, disease and cruelty around him. Overcome with boundless compassion, he entered a monastery, dedicating his fine mind and fragile body to defending the poor and oppressed against injustice. This revolutionary saint dared to challenge the highest spheres of society, the government and even the Church, if they were guilty of exploiting the common people. His story continues to this day with the many accounts of those who have been transformed by "the most famous saint in the world," St. Anthony of Padua.
Vatican Radio REPORT: Christianity is not simply the study of laws or commands: this is an impediment to understanding and living the truth that God is joy and generosity. This was the message of Pope Francis at Mass celebrated this morning in Casa Santa Marta.
The hypocrites who “lead the people of God down a dead-end street” Pope Francis said, are the subject of today’s Gospel. The Pope reflected on the famous passage of Matthew’s Gospel that contrasts the behaviour of the scribes and Pharisees – who make a show of praying, fasting, and almsgiving – with the path indicated by Jesus, Who points out to His disciples the proper attitude to assume in the same circumstances: giving alms and praying “in secret.” “And your Father, Who sees in secret, will reward you.”
Pope Francis criticized not only the vanity of the scribes and Pharisees, but also those who impose “so many precepts on the faithful.” He called them “hypocrites of casuistry,” “intellectuals without talent” who “don’t have the intelligence to find God, to explain God with understanding,” and so prevent themselves and others from entering into the Kingdom of God:
“Jesus says: ‘You do not enter yourselves, nor do you allow entrance to others.’ They are ethicists without goodness, they do not know what goodness is. But they are ethicists, aren’t they? ‘You have to do this, and this, and this . . .’ They fill you with precepts, but without goodness. And those are some of the phylacteries, of the tassels they lengthen, so many things, to make a pretence of being majestic, perfect, they have no sense of beauty. They have no sense of beauty. They achieve only the beauty of a museum. They are intellectuals without talent, ethicists without goodness, the bearers of museum beauty. These are the hypocrites that Jesus rebukes so strongly.
“But He doesn’t stop there,” Pope Francis continued. “In today’s Gospel, the Lord speaks about another class of hypocrites, ‘holy rollers’ [It: quelli che vanno sul sacro]:
“The Lord speaks about fasting, about prayer, about almsgiving: the three pillars of Christian piety, of interior conversion, that the Church proposes to us all in Lent. There are even hypocrites along this path, who make a show of fasting, of giving alms, of praying. I think that when hypocrisy reaches this point in the relation with God, we are coming very close to the sin against the Holy Spirit. These do not know beauty, they do not know love, these do not know the truth: they are small, cowardly.” “We think about the hypocrisy in the Church: how bad it makes all of us,” Pope Francis said candidly. Instead he pointed out another “icon” for imitation, a person described in another passage of the Gospel: the publican who prayed with humble simplicity, “Have mercy on me, O Lord, a sinner.” This, the Pope said, “is the prayer we should say every day, knowing that we are sinners” but “with concrete sins, not theoretical [sin].” And this prayer, he concluded, “will help us to take the opposite road,” the road opposed to the hypocrisy that we are all tempted to:
“But all of us also have grace, the grace that comes from Jesus Christ: the grace of joy; the grace of magnanimity, of largesse. Hypocrites do not know what joy is, what largesse is, what magnanimity is.” The Holy Father concelebrated Mass with Cardinal Marc Ouellet and Archbishop Lorenzo Baldisseri, the prefect and secretary of the Congregation for Bishops; and with Archbishop Vincenzo Paglia and Bishop Jean Lafitte, the president and secretary of the Pontifical Council of the Family. Members of the Congregation of Bishops and of the Pontifical Council of the Family were in attendance at the Mass. SHARED FROM RADIO VATICANA
Vatican Radio REPORT: In the first decree of a liturgical nature of this pontificate, Pope Francis has decided that name of St. Joseph should be added to the Eucharistic Prayers II, II and IV, as they appear in the third typical edition of the Roman Missal, after the name of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Below please find the text of the decree issued Wednesday by the Congregation for Divine Worship and Discipline of the Sacraments:
DECREE
Exercising his paternal care over Jesus, Saint Joseph of Nazareth, set over the Lord’s family, marvelously fulfilled the office he received by grace. Adhering firmly to the mystery of God’s design of salvation in its very beginnings, he stands as an exemplary model of the kindness and humility that the Christian faith raises to a great destiny, and demonstrates the ordinary and simple virtues necessary for men to be good and genuine followers of Christ. Through these virtues, this Just man, caring most lovingly for the Mother of God and happily dedicating himself to the upbringing of Jesus Christ, was placed as guardian over God the Father’s most precious treasures. Therefore he has been the subject of assiduous devotion on the part of the People of God throughout the centuries, as the support of that mystical body, which is the Church.
The faithful in the Catholic Church have shown continuous devotion to Saint Joseph and have solemnly and constantly honored his memory as the most chaste spouse of the Mother of God and as the heavenly Patron of the universal Church. For this reason Blessed Pope John XXIII, in the days of the Most Holy Second Ecumenical Council of the Vatican, decreed that Saint Joseph’s name be added to the ancient Roman Canon. In response to petitions received from places throughout the world, the Supreme Pontiff Benedict XVI deemed them worthy of implementation and graciously approved them. The Supreme Pontiff Francis likewise has recently confirmed them. In this the Pontiffs had before their eyes the full communion of the Saints who, once pilgrims in this world, now lead us to Christ and unite us with him.
Accordingly, mature consideration having been given to all the matters mentioned here above, this Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments, by virtue of the faculties granted by the Supreme Pontiff Francis, is pleased to decree that the name of Saint Joseph, Spouse of the Blessed Virgin Mary is henceforth to be added to Eucharistic Prayers II, III, and IV, as they appear in the third typical edition of the Roman Missal, after the name of the Blessed Virgin Mary, as follows: in Eucharistic Prayer II: “ut cum beáta Dei Genetríce Vírgine María, beáto Ioseph, eius Sponso, beátis Apóstolis”; in Eucharistic Prayer III: “cum beatíssima Vírgine, Dei Genetríce, María, cum beáto Ioseph, eius Sponso, cum beátis Apóstolis”; and in Eucharistic Prayer IV: “cum beáta Vírgine, Dei Genetríce, María, cum beáto Ioseph, eius Sponso, cum Apóstolis ”. As regards the Latin text, these formulas are hereby declared typical. The Congregation itself will soon provide vernacular translations in the more widespread western languages; as for other languages, translations are to be prepared by the Bishops’ Conferences, according to the norm of law, to be confirmed by the Holy See through this Dicastery.
All things to the contrary notwithstanding.
From the offices of the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments, 1 May 2013, on the Memorial of Saint Joseph the Worker. ( Antonio Card. Cañizares Llovera ) Prefect
( X Arthur Roche ) Archbishop Secretary
The Congregation has provided English language translations for the additions to the Mass prayers.
In Eucharistic Prayer II:
that with the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of God, with blessed Joseph, her Spouse, with the blessed Apostles
In Eucharistic Prayer III:
with the most Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of God, with blessed Joseph, her Spouse, with your blessed Apostles and glorious Martyrs
In Eucharistic Prayer IV:
with the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of God, with blessed Joseph, her Spouse, and with your Apostles
GENERAL AUDIENCE: HOW CAN WE HAVE UNITY AMONG CHRISTIANS IF AS CATHOLICS WE AREN'T UNITED?
Vatican City, 19 June 2013 (VIS) - Pope Francis dedicated his catechesis of the Wednesdaygeneral audience to the expression “of the body” that the Second Vatican Council used to indicate the nature of the Church: the Church is the body of Christ. The Pope recalled the text of the conversion of Saul, who became Paul, in order to explain how the Apostle, with that experience, tells us how profound the union between Christians and Christ is.
Below a Vatican Radio translation of the Holy Father’s Catechesis, Wednesday, June 20, 2013 Dear brothers and sisters, good day!
Today I will focus upon another expression with which the Second Vatican Council indicates the nature of the Church: that of the body, the Council says that the Church is the Body of Christ (cf. Lumen Gentium, 7).
I would like to start from a text of the Acts of the Apostles which we know well: the conversion of Saul, who will then be called Paul, one of the greatest evangelists (cf. Acts 9:4-5). Saul was a persecutor of Christians, but while he is on the road leading to the city of Damascus, suddenly a light envelops him, he falls to the ground and hears a voice saying "Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me? '. He asks: "Who are you, Lord?", And the voice answers: "I am Jesus whom you are persecuting" (v. 3-5). This experience of St. Paul tells us how deep the union between we Christians and Christ Himself. When Jesus ascended into heaven he did not leave us orphans, but with the gift of the Holy Spirit, our union with Him has become even more intense. The Second Vatican Council says that Jesus " communicating His Spirit, Christ made His brothers, called together from all nations, mystically the components of His own Body" (Dogmatic Constitution. Lumen Gentium, 7).
The image of the body helps us to understand this deep Church-Christ bond, which St. Paul has developed especially in the First Letter to the Corinthians (cf. chap. 12). First, the body brings our attention to a living reality. The Church is not an charitable, cultural or political association, but a living body, that walks and acts in history. And this body has a head, Jesus, who guides, feeds and supports it. This is a point I want to emphasize: if the head is separated from the rest of the body, the whole person cannot survive. So it is in the Church, we must remain bound ever more deeply to Jesus. But not only that: just as the body needs the lifeblood to keep it alive, so we must allow Jesus to work in us, that His Word guide us, that His presence in the Eucharist nourish us, animate us, that His love gives strength to our love of neighbor. And this always! Dear brothers and sisters, let us remain united to Jesus, let us trust in Him, direct our life according to His Gospel, nourish ourselves with daily prayer, listening to the Word of God, participation in the Sacraments.
And here I come to a second aspect of the Church as the Body of Christ. St Paul says that as members of the human body, although different and many, we form one body, as we were all baptized by one Spirit into one body (cf. 1 Cor 12:12-13). In the Church, therefore, there is a variety, a diversity of tasks and functions, there is no dull uniformity, but the richness of the gifts that the Holy Spirit distributes. But there is communion and unity: we are all in a relation to each other and we all come together to form one living body, deeply connected to Christ. Let us remember this well: being part of the Church means being united to Christ and receiving from Him the divine life that makes us live as Christians; it means remaining united to the Pope and the Bishops who are instruments of unity and communion, and also means overcoming personal interests and divisions, in order to understand each other better, to harmonize the variety and richness of each member; in a word, to love God and the people who are next to us more, in the family, in the parish, in the associations. In order to live a Body and its limbs must be united! Unity is beyond all conflict. Always! Conflicts, when they don’t end well, separate us from each other, they separate us from God. Conflict can help us to grow but can also divide us. We must not travel the path of division, of conflict among us, no we must all be united – with our differences – but united because that is the path of Jesus!
Unity is beyond all conflict. Unity is a grace that we must ask of the Lord so he may save us from the temptations of the division, from internal struggles and selfishness, from gossip. How much damage gossip does! How much damage! Never gossip about others, never!. How much damage divisions among Christians, being partisan, narrow interests causes to the Church,! Divisions among us, but also divisions among the communities: evangelical Christians, orthodox Christians, Catholic Christians, but why divided? We must try to bring about unity. Let me tell you something, today, before leaving home, I spent 40 minutes more or less, half an hour, with an evangelical pastor. And we prayed together, seeking unity. But we Catholics must pray with each other and other Christians. Pray that the Lord gift us unity! Unity among ourselves! How will we ever have unity among Christians if we are not capable of having it among us Catholics,...in the family, how many families fight and split up? Seek unity, unity builds the Church and comes from Jesus Christ. He sends us the Holy Spirit to build unity!
Dear brothers and sisters, let us ask God to help us to be members of the Body of the Church always deeply united to Christ, help us not to hurt the Body of the Church with our conflicts, our divisions, selfishness: help us to be living members bound to each other by a single power, that of love, which the Holy Spirit pours into our hearts (cf. Rom 5:5).
SHARED FROM RADIO VATICANA
FRANCIS: FACE OF CHRIST IS ETCHED IN REFUGEES. THE CHRISTIAN IS ONE WHO SAYS YES TO LIFE Vatican City, 19 June 2013 (VIS) – After giving his catechesis at the general audience, the Holy Father spoke of World Refugee Day, which is commemorated on this day. This year the pontiff asked for “special consideration of the situation of refugee families who are often forced to quickly leave their home and homeland and who lose their every good and safety in order to flee from violence, persecution, or severe discrimination on religious grounds, or for belonging to a particular ethnic group, or for their political views.” “In addition to the dangers of the journey, these families often find themselves at risk of being torn apart and, in the country that receives them, they have to deal with cultures and societies that are different from their own. We cannot be insensitive to these families or towards our refugee brothers and sisters. We are called to help them, opening ourselves to understanding and hospitality. May there be no lack of persons and institutions around the world to assist them. In their faces is etched the face of Christ!” The Pope then recalled that last Sunday, as part of the Year of Faith, “we celebrated God who is Life and the source of life, Christ who gives us the divine life, and the Holy Spirit who keeps us in the vital relationship of true children of God. I wish to extend once more,” he added, “the invitation to receive and to proclaim the 'Gospel of life', to promote and defend life in all its dimensions and all its stages. The Christian is the one who says 'yes' to life, the one who says 'yes' to God, the Living One.”
HOLY SEE AT FAO: WE ARE ALL RESPONSIBLE FOR FUTURE GENERATIONS Vatican City, 19 June 2013 (VIS) – Today, Archbishop Luigi Travaglino, permanent observer of the Holy See to the United Nations Organisations for Food and Agriculture (FAO, IFAD, and WFP), spoke at the 38th session of the FAO Conference held in Rome from 15-22 June. In his address, Archbishop Travaglino emphasized that the Delegation from the Holy See wanted to reiterate its appreciation of the FAO's actions in favour of development and guaranteeing food security, as well as to reaffirm its availability to sustain this work, which concerns a fundamental aspect of personal and communal life. The prelate recalled that, in this particularly difficult moment for the global economy, the Delegation from the Holy See encourages all the parties concerned to further the implementation of the Organisation's programmes carried out in the various areas of agriculture, forestry, and fisheries, especially in view of the objective of food security, which has become indispensable. It is therefore necessary to move from words to deeds, making the necessary resources available to the FAO. At the same time, referring to the planning for the next biennium, he said that the Delegation from the Holy See hopes for a broadening of the forms of support to the artisanal activities and practices that constitute the basic economic reality for the majority of developing countries, which have in their monocultures, forest resources, exploitation of marine resources, or agricultural activities, an essential reference—unfortunately often the sole reference—for their economies and their food supply. He also pointed out that the Holy See's reference to the sustainability of food supply systems cannot be limited to manufacturing techniques, the conservation of resources, or the exchange of information. “It appears to us that the approach of sustainability that is linked to the human person can help give meaning to the responsibility that each of us has towards future generations.”
IN MEMORIAM Vatican City, 19 June 2013 (VIS) – The following prelates passed away between April and June of this year: - Bishop Celso Yegros Estigarribia, emeritus of Carapegua, Paraguay, on 6 April at the age of 77. - Archbishop François-Wolff Ligonde, emeritus of Port-au-Prince, Haiti, on 8 April at the age of 85. - Bishop Luis Antonio Nova Rocha, of Facatativa, Colombia, on 9 April at the age of 69. - Cardinal Lorenzo Antonetti, president emeritus of the Administration of the Patrimony of the Apostolic See, on 10 April at the age of 90. - Bishop Bernhard Rieger, auxiliary emeritus of Rottenburg-Stuttgart, Germany, on 10 April at the age of 90. - Bishop Jaime Enrique Duque Correa, M.X.Y., of El Banco, Colombia, on 14 April at the age of 70. - Bishop Reinhard Lettmann, emeritus of Munster, Germany, on 16 April at the age of 80. - Bishop Martinus Petrus Maria Muskens, emeritus of Breda, Netherlands, on 16 April at the age of 77. - Bishop Peter Michael Chenaparampil, emeritus of Alleppey, India, on 18 April at the age of 83. - Bishop William Edward Murray, emeritus of Wollongong, Australia, on 21 April at the age of 93. - Bishop Jose de Jesus Castillo Rentería, M.N.M., emeritus of Tuxtepec, Oaxaca, Mexico, on23 April at the age of 85. - Bishop Joseph Peter O’Connell, auxiliary emeritus of Melbourne, Australia, on 27 April at the age of 81. - Bishop Arthur Joseph O’Neill, emeritus of Rockford, Illinois, USA, on 27 April at the age of 95. - Bishop Julio Ojeda Pascual, O.F.M., vicar apostolic emeritus of San Ramon, Peru, on 28 April at the age of 81. - Bishop Pietro Garlato, emeritus of Tivoli, Italy, on 29 April at the age of 85. - Bishop Patrick Taval, M.S.C., of Kerema, Papua New Guinea, on 29 April at the age of 57. - Bishop Tito Buss, emeritus of Rio do Sul, Santa Catarina, Brazil, on 30 April at the age of 87. - Bishop Joseph Patrick McFadden, of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, USA, on 2 May at the age of 65. - Bishop Severo Aparicio Quispe, O. de M., auxiliary emeritus of Cuzco, Peru, on 6 May at the age of 89. - Archbishop Andre Sana, emeritus of Kerkuk of the Chaldeans, Iraq, on 8 May at the age of 92. - Bishop Felix Ramananarivo, M.S., emeritus of Antsirabe, Madagascar, on 12 May at the age of 79. - Archbishop Dominic Kodwo Andoh, emeritus of Accra, Ghana, on 17 May at the age of 84. - Archbishop Michael Kpakala Francis, emeritus of Monrovia, Liberia, on 19 May at the age of 77. - Bishop Mykola Simkaylo, of Kolomyia-Chernivtsi of the Ukrainians, Ukraine, on 21 May at the age of 60. - Bishop Silverio Jarbas Paulo de Albuquerque, O.F.M., emeritus of Feira de Santana, Baia, Brazil, on 28 May at the age of 96. - Cardinal Stanislaw Kazimierz Nagy, S.C.I., cardinal deacon of Santa Maria della Scala, on 5 June at the age of 91. - Bishop Joseph Michael Sullivan, auxiliary emeritus of Brooklyn, New York, USA, on 7 June at the age of 83. - Bishop Olavio Lopez Duque, O.A.R., vicar apostolic emeritus of Casanare, Colombia at the age of 81. - Bishop Jose de Lima, emeritus of Sete Lagoas, Minas Gerais, Brazil, on 12 June at the age of 89.
AUDIENCE Vatican City, 19 June 2013 (VIS) – In the sitting room of the Paul VI Hall after the general audience, the Holy Father received participants in the meeting promoted by the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue with the International Islamic Forum for Dialogue from Saudi Arabia.
OTHER PONTIFICAL ACTS Vatican City, 19 June 2013 (VIS) – Today, the Holy Father: - appointed Fr. Jose Carlos Brandao Cabral as bishop of Almenara (area 15,738, population 192,800, Catholics 147,300, priests 18, religious 39), Brazil. The bishop-elect was born in Tupa, Sao Paulo, Brazil, in 1963 and was ordained a priest for the diocese of Limeira in 1993. Since ordination he has served in several pastoral, judicial, and diocesan-level roles, most recently, since 1993, as pastor of the “Menino Jesus” parish in the Diocese of Limeira, since 2005, as judge auditor of the Interdiocesan Ecclesiastic Tribunal and, since 2008, as diocesan chancellor. He succeeds Bishop Hugo Maria Van Steekelenburg, O.F.M., whose resignation from the pastoral care of the same diocese the Holy Father accepted, upon having reached the age limit. - appointed Bishop Jose Carlos Chacorowski, C.M., as bishop of Caraguatatuba (area 1,992, population 292,000, Catholics 179,600, priests 21, permanent deacons 6, religious 53), Brazil. Bishop Chacorowski was previously auxiliary of Sao Luis do Maranhao, Maranho, Brazil, and titular of Casae Nigrae. - appointed Fr. Joseph Mopeli Sephamola, O.M.I., as bishop of Qacha’s Nek (area 11,500, population 400,000, Catholics 200,000, priests 22, religious 104), Lesotho. The bishop-elect was born in Tsoelike Ha Atlali, Lesotho, in 1960 and was ordained a priest in 1991. Since ordination, he has served as a missionary in Zambia, as a delegate for the Oblates in Rome and novitiate master in Quthing, Qacha's Nek, as a delegate for studies in Spirituality in South Africa, and, most recently, as provincial of the Oblate Fathers in Lesotho.
BORNO, June 18, 2013 (CISA) -Four churches were burned in an attack probably committed by members of the jihadist group Boko Haram in Borno State, one of the three northern states of Nigeria where a state of emergency has been imposed.
A group of armed men with improvised explosive devices and petrol bombs attacked the Hwa’a, Kunde, Gathahure and Gjigga communities on Gwoza Hills, burning the four churches, raiding and looting cattle and grain reserves belonging to the population.
“Unfortunately I do not have precise information and do not know what communities the Christian churches destroyed belong to,” Mgr Ignatius Ayau Kaigama Archbishop of Jos and President of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Nigeria said.
“All communications have been cut off with the areas affected by military operations and it is impossible to get in touch with the Bishop of Maiduguri,” he explained. Despite this incident, the Archbishop told Fides that “the operation of the Nigerian army and the imposition of the State of emergency have made the population feel better and safer.
“Before the recent attacks in Niger, it is certain that Boko Haram is coordinating with jihadist groups expelled from Mali.” Boko Haram is a regional issue and should be resolved with a regional approach. We are paying the price of terrible negligence on behalf of our intelligence and our police forces who did not deal with the phenomenon in time. Now we need to bring together the resources of Nigeria, Niger and Mali to address the threat of jihadist groups. I think, however, that eventually they will be defeated,” concluded Bishop Kaigama.
About 450 children of different nationalities, with their teachers, family members and volunteers, are preparing to set off on a special journey through Italy, organised by the Italian Railway System and the Vatican. Cardinal Gianfranco Ravasi, president of the Pontifical Council for Culture, and Mr Mauro Moretti, delegate administrator of the Italian Railway System explained that their 'Journey Through Beauty' will start from Milan on 23 June and make two stops, in Bologna and Florence, before arriving at the Vatican train station where they will be received by Pope Francis himself.
The objective of the initiative is to promote the direct experience of artistic creation, bringing the littlest ones closer to visual communication and the language of images, from which sprang the idea of a journey through beauty. During the trip, other educational and artistic programs dedicated to children will be offered by the personnel of the Italian Railway System.
“I focused on the children,” said Cardinal Ravasi, “because I think that therein lies the root from which we must build a generation of young persons who still have ... the beauty of creativity—that doesn't seem old at the start—who aren't already discouraged the way we are but who are ready to live more the future that awaits them. Basically, religions have precisely this fundamental purpose: to teach how to come together, how to continuously declare the future, that is, hope.” Source: VIS
Please PRAY for Christians in Pakistan - JCE
ASIA NEWS REPORT by Jibran Khan Irfan Masih was arrested on 8 June suspected of a murder he did not commit. For days, he was subjected to abuse in order to extort a confession. He died on Sunday from the serious injuries he suffered. "So what if he died? So many die anyway every day," a police officer said. Human rights activists call for justice, whilst the victim's family is in hiding for fear of reprisals.
Islamabad (AsiaNews) - Taken into custody by police without evidence or a judge's warrant, a 20-year-old Christian man was held in prison for nine days during which he was abused and tortured in order to extract a confession to a crime he did not commit. In the end, he died from the injuries he suffered, including 22 broken bones, according to the doctors who examined his body. This is the tragic story of Irfan Masih, a resident of Sharikpur, Sheikhupura District, in Punjab province, who died on Sunday, still in the clutches of his captors, all members of the local police.
The young man, who was employed by a local company, was arrested on 8 June on suspicion of murder. According to the family, he was held for several days at the police station without evidence or a warrant for his arrest. He died on Wednesday from the injuries he sustained, "multiple fractures" according to the doctors who examined his body.
Despite the barbarous crime, police officers in Sharikpur show no signs of repentance. For the station chief, Masih "was not able to bare" the torture and died. His deputy added laconically and without remorse that he was doing his duty seeking the truth and had no regrets. "So what if he died? So many die anyway every day," Deputy Inspector Variam Ali said.
Human rights activists and organisations, including Life for All, condemned the vicious act and staged a protest in Lahore.
Despite the obstacles involved in suing members of the police, a complaint to the city's High Court is already being prepared in order to bring the torturers to court. Meanwhile, the young man's family has been placed under protection and spirited away to a safe place.
Pakistan is not new to cases of faulty justice, extrajudicial killings and suspicious deaths in prison or police stations. AsiaNews has time after time reported such acts of violence, like the death in prison of Robert Fanish Masih in 2009, who had been sued for an alleged (and false) case of blasphemy. The same occurred to a young man suffering from a mental disorder who died suddenly in jail under suspicious circumstances back in early December after he had been arrested on the basis of the black law.
Speaking about these cases, Fr John Gill, a priest in Lahore, said that "rigorous investigations" are needed to have justice.
"Irfan Gill Masi was an only son," he said, and "we are still asking ourselves what was his fault. Why was he ripped away from his family so brutally? These events must end and the appropriate authorities should act to bring justice."
SHARED FROM ASIA NEWS IT
Vatican Radio REPORT: Christianity is not simply the study of laws or commands: this is an impediment to understanding and living the truth that God is joy and generosity. This was the message of Pope Francis at Mass celebrated this morning in Casa Santa Marta.
