Maria, ster van de evangelisatie

The first wave of disobedience among the clergy was a century ago. Rome reacted with a crackdown, and it all finished with a little schism. Cardinal Brandmüller (photo) is proposing that the same thing be done today, against the new rebels

"That the African continent may find strength in Christ to pursue justice and reconciliation as set fourth by the second Synod of African Bishops"

Pope Benedict XVI received the bishops of Angola and Sao Tomé on Saturday, who are here in Rome for their ad limina visits. In greeting the bishops, the Holy Father recalled his March, 2009 visit to Luanda, during which he said he was able to celebrate Jesus Christ in the midst of a people who never tire of seeking to love and serve with generosity and joy. Pope Benedict also used the occasion to explain that his recent decision to proclaim the Year of Faith from October 2012 to November 2013, was so that the whole Church might demonstrate to all a more beautiful and credible face, that the face of the Lord might show through the Church more clearly.

Assisi 2011 was the theme of a press conference held in the Vatican on Tuesday looking ahead to next week’s Day of Reflection, Dialogue and Prayer for Peace and Justice in the World. Organised by the Pontifical Councils for Christian Unity, for Interreligious Dialogue, for Justice and Peace and for Culture, next Thursday’s event was called for by Pope Benedict on January 1^st and will bring together in the Umbrian hill town some 300 representatives of all the world’s major religions, as Philippa Hitchen reports:

The New Evangelisation of Europe: it’s the theme of the next synod of bishops set for October 2012. It’s also the theme of the Plenary Assembly of the CCEE, the Council of European Bishops Conferences which is taking place from Thursday to Sunday in the Albanian capital, Tirana.

For the first time in the history of the former communist nation, the heads of the bishops conferences of 33 European countries will be meeting there to discuss ways of making the Church more relevant and more able to reach out to people of all backgrounds and all walks of life.

Tirana (Agenzia Fides) – The next Plenary Assembly of the Council of European Bishops’ conferences (CCEE) will take place, from September 29 to October 2. The central theme of the assembly will be the New Evangelization. To facilitate the discussion, CCEE has sent a questionnaire to the Bishops’ Conferences in order to collect and highlight ideas, situations and proposals, also in view of the Synod Assembly in 2012 devoted to this theme. During the Assembly, the Presidents of Bishops’ Conferences of Europe members of CCEE will elect the new CCEE Presidency for the quinquennial period 2011-2016. The second part of the meeting will focus on the presentation of the activities of the various CCEE Commissions, about CCEE’s work in the sphere of the members of ecumenical dialogue with the appointment of the members of CCEE-CEC (Conference of the European Churches) Joint Committee.

VATICAN CITY, 15 SEP 2011 (VIS) - Today in Castelgandolfo the Holy Father received a group of newly consecrated bishops who are currently participating in a meeting organised by the Congregation for Bishops. For the last ten years the congregation has been inviting new bishops to make a pilgrimage to the tomb of St. Peter in order to reflect on the main responsibilities of episcopal ministry.

"You are invited", the Pope told the group "to renew your profession of faith and your trusting adherence to Jesus Christ over the tomb of the Prince of the Apostles, showing the same impulse of love as Peter himself and strengthening your ties of communion with his Successor and with your brother bishops".

In this context Benedict XVI explained that "the bishop ... is not alone, he is part of that 'corpus episcoporum' which, joining us to Christ, has been handed down from the Apostles' time to our own". He encouraged the prelates to live every day in episcopal fraternity, working in communion with the Pope and their brother bishops, while "seeking to cultivate friendship with them and with your priests".

The roots of Christianity in India reach back to Apostolic times, with tradition having St Thomas the Apostle be the first to bring the Gospel to those shores. Today, the Church in India is a youthful, vibrant participant in the life of the country that contributes to Indian society on scale hugely disproportionate with its numbers. Comprising no more than 2.0 % of India’s population, the Catholic Church is responsible for more than a fifth of all health care provided in the country. The Church has also taken a leading role in the drive for integral human development in India, with over 60% of Catholic schools situated in rural areas. Saturday morning saw six bishops from central and south-western India in to see the Holy Father – the leadership of the Church in parts of India ranging from coastal Karwar near Goa to Mangalore further south, and inland to the central Gulbarga diocese.

This year’s World Youth Day will take place in the Spanish capital Aug. 16-20. Pope Benedict XVI is scheduled to arrive Thursday, Aug. 18. In total, he will preside at nine events with young people over four days. 

But this, the Pope’s third visit to Spain, will also have the diplomatic protocol of an official state visit. In fact the Holy Father will visit with the head of Spain, King Juan Carlos and meet with the Prime Minister, José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero.

Pope Benedict XVI's appeals not to ignore our responsibility to do everything in our power to bring assistance to those who suffer from hunger and thirst are yielding their fruit. 

Bishop Giorgio Bertin, Apostolic Administrator to Mogadishu, Somalia, Bishop of Djibouti, and President of the local Caritas offices in the Horn of Africa region, told Vatican Radio, that Pope Benedict's appeals for aid and awareness regarding the dramatic situation of drought and famine in the Horn of Africa have proved extremely important.