We are Persecuted but Christianity Is on the Rise!

Contrary to what's commonly believed by the Iglesia Ni Cristo® of Manalo founded in 1914 and the enemies of Truth, the Catholic Church (Christianity) is ON THE RISE! Here's a very informative article from ALETEIA!

10 Signs Christianity Is on the Rise

It may look different in the future, but that's a good thing

Christianity is a dying relic of an ancient past. The Internet is killing it. Science is killing it. Western sophistication is killing it. [Also Muslim extremists and Communism want to exterminate it! -CD2000] Right?

Wrong.

In many ways, Christianity is on the rise as never before—worldwide, and in America. Here are the ways we can tell:

1. Christianity is growing by leaps and bounds worldwide.

The research shows Christian numbers rising, not falling worldwide. "Christianity should enjoy a worldwide boom in the coming decades, but the vast majority of believers will be neither white nor European, nor Euro-American,” writes Philip Jenkins of Baylor University, author of The Next Christendom.

In America, this will mean that as white descendants of Europeans fall off a demographic cliff, they will be replaced by the growing Southern Christian and Catholic populations.

2. Nominal Christianity is dead—and that’s a good thing.

Meanwhile, in America, research showing that Christian numbers are tanking is a little misleading. What it really shows is a fall in the number of people who call themselves Christians but have never darkened the door of a Church. We no longer feel we have to dishonestly mark the “Christian” box, and we now feel it's okay to be honest and mark the “atheist” box—but this shows health rather than weakness.

It is an interesting dynamic: In the West, the nominal Christianity that was inherited unthinkingly is disappearing and in the East and South, real Christianity is a rapidly growing grassroots movement. Books like God's Century by Monica Duffy Toft of Public Policy at the John F. Kennedy School of Government and God Is Back by John Micklethwait and Adrian Wooldridge of The Economist are trying to figure out what that will mean.

Queen Elizabeth II visited Pope Francis at the Vatican

Seen by some as a visit by a state leader, but Catholics in the blogsphere is seeing this event as a sign of unity in the Christian world-- Anglicans and Catholics together again.  As one of the commentary by a certain Karen Wilkinson, she says "The Pope has already opened the door for the Anglicans in union with Rome. there are quite a few Churches that have already made the move. Welcome Home."

The Queen's visit is very significant for Christians because she has met met 6 Popes during her reign namely Pius XII, John XXIII, Paul VI, John Paul I, John Paul II and Benedict XVI. And the latest is Pope Francis making it seven Popes.

Here is the story from Catholic News Agency:

Pope, Queen enjoy casual tea during first meeting

Vatican City- Although short, the April 3 encounter between Pope Francis and Queen Elizabeth in the Vatican has been described as cordial and informal, during which the two exchanged gifts and casual conversation.

Taking place in the papal office of the Vatican’s Paul VI Hall, the official tea between the Bishop of Rome and the British Monarch came after the Queen’s lunch with Italian President Giorgio Napolitano, and lasted only 17 minutes.

During the visit, Queen Elizabeth was accompanied by her husband Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh. The two were in Rome only for the day, following an initial invitation extended to Her Majesty by President Napolitano last year, which she was not able to accept due to poor health.

Chinese Bishop Joseph Fan Zhong Liang, SJ, a hero for Christ- a witness and a martyr (RIP)

The Church of Christ has been persecuted from the very beginning of its existence until to our present times.  Please pray for our pastors and all workers in His vineyard for courage and strength-- their seed of martyrdom is a living testament that WE BELONG to the REAL CHURCH of CHRIST-- the CATHOLIC CHURCH.

 
Article from Catholic-sf.org 

Shanghai ’s Vatican-approved bishop, Joseph Fan Zhong Liang, SJ, died at age 96 on March 16 – a Jesuit and convert to Catholicism who resisted Communism and affirmed his Catholic faith during more than 20 years of prison and labor camp, followed by decades of surveillance, arrests and harassment.

“He was never free,” said St. Cecilia parishioner Mary Bernadette Chien, who knew Bishop Fan from before 1955. Both were among the thousands arrested on Sept. 8, 1955, by the Communists in a sweep that netted thousands of lay Catholics, priests, seminarians and nuns. “He was loyal to Christ, his church, to the end,” Chien said.

Bishop Fan refused to affiliate with the government controlled Catholic church, the Chinese Catholic Patriotic Association.

“Fan’s passing marks the end of the generation of Chinese bishops in Shanghai who lived through China’s transition to a Communist country,” Anthony E. Clark, author of “China’s Saints: Catholic Martyrdom During the Qing, 1644-1911,” and an assistant professor of Chinese history at Whitworth University, wrote on IgnatiusInsight.com.

Asia News reported that70 priests, of both the open and the underground Catholic Church, concelebrated the funeral Mass at a funeral parlor, and about 5,000 Catholics attended the Mass. The priests wore red stoles for martyrdom, priests told Asia News. Bishop Fan could not be buried in the cathedral, Asia News reported because the government never acknowledged him as bishop but friends bought a plot in a cemetery where his cremated remains were to be buried.

Longtime San Franciscan Chien herself was imprisoned for her Catholic faith in 1955, spending a year and nine months in prison in Shanghai before being allowed to leave for Hong Kong and eventually the United States, she said, calling imprisonment a time of “great joy” because she knew she was suffering for her faith.

Bishop Fan, born Jan. 13, 1918, converted to Catholicism in 1932. He was ordained a priest in 1951. Released in 1978 after 23 years in prison and labor camp, Bishop Fan was consecrated a bishop in 1985.

“He was never free,” Chien said, recounting that Bishop Fan was arrested many times, always under government surveillance, his house searched, and money given to him for support of the underground Catholic Church confiscated. When he died, Chien said, Bishop Fan had been “a prisoner for Christ the past 60 years.

OFFICIAL: Pope Francis approved the Canonization of John XXIII and John Paul II to become Saints

Pope John XXIII(Time.com) and Pope John Paul II (Time.com)

VATICAN CITY (News.va) - Journalists in the Holy See Press Office busy getting to grips with Pope Francis’ first encyclical the Light of Faith, were somewhat surprised Friday lunchtime when Director Fr. Federico Lombardi S.J. called them back for a second announcement: Pope Francis had approved the cause for canonization of two of his venerable and much loved predecessors Blessed John XXIII and Blessed Pope John Paul II.

Meeting with Cardinal Angelo Amato, Prefect of the Congregation for the Cause of Saints, Friday morning, Pope Francis approved the promulgation of the decree and also convoked a special Consistory of the College of Cardinals to discuss the canonization of the Polish pope in depth.

Furthermore, he approved the favorable votes of the Ordinary Session of the Congregations Cardinals and Bishops regarding the raising to the altars of sainthood of Blessed John XXII.

This slightly unusual gesture was explained by Fr. Lombardi who told journalists that despite the absence of a second miracle it was the Pope’s will that the Sainthood of the great Pope of the Second Vatican Council be recognized.

Fr. Lombardi stated that a canonization without a second miracle is still valid, given that there is already the existing miracle that lead to the Roncalli Pope’s beatification. He also pointed to ongoing discussions among theologians and experts about whether it is necessary to have two distinct miracles for beatification and canonization. Certainly, he added the Pope has the power to dispense, in a Cause, with the second miracle.

However, there was no mention of dates. Neither for the Consistory nor for the Canonizations. Fr. Lombardi did not rule out that both celebrations could coincide, and he did express his belief that they would take place by the end of the year. Either way any date would be established during the Consistory.

News Tells us Facts! There was NO APOSTASY!

While the Catholic Church is on the spotlight for the Papal Conclave, major news agencies have one thing to say about the Catholic Church.

There was NO APOSTASY.  That's a FACT!

"Vatican experts have said the German's decision, which makes him only the second pope to resign by choice in the Church's 2,000-year history, could mean future popes will also step down once their strengths begin to fail them." - AFP

Italian Police standing guard in the Vatican. - AFP

CNA: Catholic faith moves man to forgiveness after murder of wife and daughter

Arturo Martinez-Sanchez and one of his sons.

Las Vegas, Nev., Jul 18, 2012 / (CNA).- Arturo Martinez-Sanchez says he had no choice but to forgive the man suspected of sexually assaulting and killing his wife and young daughter in an April 2012 attack that also left him seriously wounded.

“I have to forgive him, to go the way of life,” the Las Vegas resident told CNA in a July 17 interview. “It's in the Bible … I forgive him because I believe in God.”

“The Bible says: You forgive this gentleman, and you are forgiven yourself. That's the way it is,” said Martinez-Sanchez, a lifelong Catholic who said his upbringing and education in the Church impressed on him the need to forgive Bryan Clay.

Martinez-Sanchez recently held a press conference to declare that he forgave the 22-year-old Clay, who is accused of raping Arturo's 38-year-old wife Yadira and their 10-year-old daughter Karla. Both were beaten to death with a hammer by the attacker, who also inflicted severe head injuries on the father.

Clay and Martinez-Sanchez did not know each other before the home invasion, described by a Las Vegas police lieutenant as “a random, savage act.” The 39-year-old father and his wife also had two sons, Christopher and Alejandro, who were spared in the attack.

Modesty at Mass Is a Must

The importance of dressing for God, not the culture
by JIM GRAVES from National Catholic Register

Jose Guadalupe Martin Rabago, the archbishop of Leon, Mexico, has called on Catholics to dress respectfully when attending Mass. He made the request while speaking to reporters this summer after he was asked why posters were placed at the entrances of Leon parishes requesting that women not enter wearing miniskirts, sleeveless shirts or low-cut blouses. The archbishop said, “If you have any respect for [a church], dress appropriately. This is not a misogynist attitude of any sort. I am simply asking for the dignity and decorum that this place calls for, that is all.”

He added that men, too, need to be respectful in their choice of dress before entering a house of worship.

Bishops in other parts of the world have stressed the need for appropriate dress in church as well. In 2007, the Archdiocese of Manila, Philippines, issued a dress code for Mass, which included posters for parishes indicating appropriate dress. Davao, Philippines, Archbishop Fernando Capalla has made a point of reminding his parishioners of the code, stating, “Everyone should be able to dress up simply and decently [but not necessarily] elegantly for Mass. ... Beach wear and working-out outfits are not for solemn and sacred celebrations like the Mass.”

Cardinal Zen laments China’s illicit ordination of Catholic bishop

Beijing, China, (EWTN News/CNA)

xxxxxxx

China’s government-run Catholic organization has ordained a bishop without the approval of the Pope. In response, a prominent cardinal (link mine) said the action never should have happened.

Fr. Guo Jincai was ordained at Pingquan Church in northeastern Hebei province’s Chengde city on Nov. 20 in the presence of eight Vatican-approved bishops.

The ordination took place under strong security, with dozens of police blocking the building and denying entrance to reporters, the Associated Press says. At least three of the bishops had been sequestered by the government for several days to pressure them to participate.

China and the Vatican broke off diplomatic relations nearly 60 years ago over the unapproved ordinations of bishops. Relations between the Catholic Church and the Chinese government had improved in recent years, though Catholics loyal to Rome have faced harassment and persecution.

Christians in the Middle East essential for the survival of the Arab world

For the Saudi journalist Mshari Al - Zaydi, fundamentalism and the economic crisis have overshadowed the importance of Christians to Muslims in the construction of their countries. Arab society is self-destructing and attacks against minorities are an excuse to vent the blame on someone for the failures of the Islamic world. "Pluralism is the best protection against ignorance and intolerance."

London (AsiaNews / Agencies) - "Christians are an essential part of the Middle East. Jesus himself was born in Palestine and was baptized on the banks of the Jordan. The Arab nations should co-exist with them and defend them. " This, the assertion of Mshari Al - Zaydi, Saudi journalist and expert on Islam in Asharq Al-Awsat Arabic newspaper based in London.

In an article entitled "Our citizens Arab Christians" published today, Mshari examines the plight of Christians in the Middle East, starting with the recent attack against the church of Our Lady of Salvation in Baghdad. He writes“The bloody assault on Baghdad's Church of Our Lady of Salvation has opened the door to a bigger question about the fate of Christian citizens in Middle Eastern countries, and the future of their presence there. Furthermore, it has exposed an Arab and Islamic wound, and we must get to the source of this crisis”.

STATISTICS FOR THE CATHOLIC CHURCH IN SPAIN

Photo from Wikipedia

VATICAN CITY, 29 OCT 2010 (VIS) - For the occasion of Benedict XVI's apostolic trip to the Spanish cities of Santiago de Compostela and Barcelona, due to take place on 6 and 7 November, statistics have been published concerning the Catholic Church in that country. The information, updated to 31 December 2009, comes from the Central Statistical Office of the Church.

Spain has a surface area of 505,992 square kilometres and a population of 45,929,000 of whom 42,470,000 (92.5 percent) are Catholic. There are 70 ecclesiastical circumscriptions and 22,674 parishes. Currently there are 124 bishops, 24,849 priests, 54,599 religious, 2,786 lay members of secular institutes and 101,261 catechists. Minor seminarians number 1,943 and major seminarians 1,963.

A total of 1,596,429 students attend 5,585 centres of Catholic education, from kindergartens to universities. Other institutions belonging to the Church or run by priests or religious in Spain include 93 hospitals, 72 clinics, 788 homes for the elderly or disabled, 435 orphanages and nurseries, 301 family counselling centres and other pro-life centres, 3,036 centres for education and social rehabilitation, and 400 institutions of other kinds.

Sudan's Christian leaders urge UN: Prepare for humanitarian disaster

Catholic Culture - Speaking at the UN on October 11, Sudanese Christian leaders, including two Catholic bishops, urged the international community to prepare now for the humanitarian emergencies that may take early next year.

Sudanese Christians Celebrates Easter
File Photo 2008 from ABC News

“People in the south see the [January] referendum as their opportunity to choose freedom,” the Church leaders note. “Cancellation or postponement of the referendum, or a perception that the referendum outcome does not match the will of the people, will not be understood by the people and will create a dangerous vacuum which could be filled by violence and even a return to war. The international community must be ready for a disputed referendum result.”

“The safety and human rights (including the right to freedom of religion) of southerners living in northern Sudan are in jeopardy before, during and after the referendum,” the Christian leaders add. “Threats and intimidation are already taking place and there is a climate of fear … The international community and the UN must be prepared logistically and financially to deal with the humanitarian consequences of large scale migration, particularly in the case of forced migration.”

Two million lost their lives in the long Sudanese civil war (1983-2005) between the Muslim north and the largely animist and Christian south. The civil war ended when President Omar Hassan Ahmad Al-Bashir, later indicted by the International Criminal Court, granted the south limited autonomy and promised a January 2011 referendum. Since 2005, the nation’s 5.8 million Catholics have fallen under two sets of religion laws. In the north, all schools-- even Christian schools-- must offer instruction in Islam, and converts from Islam to Christianity face not only criminal charges but also death at the hands of their families. In the south, Christians enjoy religious freedom.

15% of Sudan’s 37.2 million people are Catholic, according to Vatican statistics.

Orthodox Archbishop Hilarion Predicts Christian Springtime, Healing of Divisions

(Catholic Online), Dynamic Leader Urges Return to the Church Fathers

"A Christian spring is just about to arrive. The 21st century will see the divisions between Christians healed and a rebirth of the faith, gift of God, just as it was preached by the Apostles and preserved by the Fathers." The prelate described as "erroneous" the consideration of the present time as a "post-Christian" era, and those claims that Christianity will disappear from the religious map in the third millennium and be absorbed by Islam.

Orthodox Archbishop Hilarion Alfeyev of Volokolamsk
Photo Source: Catholic Online

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BARCELONA, Spain (Zenit.org) - Orthodox Archbishop Hilarion Alfeyev of Volokolamsk is expressing the conviction that the 21st century will see a flowering of Christianity, without divisions between the followers of Jesus.

The chairman of the Department of External Affairs of the Moscow Patriarchate made these comments Thursday in a ceremony in which he was given an honorary doctorate by the faculty of theology of Catalonia, which is under the patronage of the Gregorian University of Rome. The ceremony took place in the Conciliar Seminary of Barcelona.

"A Christian spring is just about to arrive," he said. "The 21st century will see the divisions between Christians healed and a rebirth of the faith, gift of God, just as it was preached by the Apostles and preserved by the Fathers."

The prelate described as "erroneous" the consideration of the present time as a "post-Christian" era, and those claims that Christianity will disappear from the religious map in the third millennium and be absorbed by Islam.

"I am sure that Christians will resist together and preserve their teachings, their Church and their tradition," he said.

The archbishop expressed gratitude for the doctorate and acknowledged that it is not as much a tribute to his personal accomplishments as a recognition of the importance of Orthodox theology and as a sign of respect toward the Russian Orthodox Church.

He centered his address on the timeliness of the legacy of the Fathers in today's world, a topic he often treats in his books and public interventions.

"Knowledge of the Fathers enables the Christian not to lose his way amid the multitude of tendencies of modern philosophy" or to "let himself be drawn by complicated and strange doctrines," Archbishop Hilarion said.

Firm relationship with God

He added that "knowledge of the Fathers helps Christians to understand themselves, to build a firm relationship with God, to order their spiritual life."

He continued, "Contrary to the recipes of modern teachings such as psychoanalysis, the advice of the Fathers exhales a healthy spirit, founded as it is on the solid understanding of the human spirit, and the need to combat one's own sinful tendencies and put goodness into practice."

"The counsels of the Fathers are much more universal than the basic postulates of Freudianism, and can be applied to people who live in the most diverse cultural and temporal contexts," the archbishop said.

He added that "the works of the Fathers will never be irrelevant, given that they treat questions, the answers to which are decisive for humanity's destiny."

The investiture ceremony was presided over by the archbishop of Barcelona, Cardinal Lluís Martínez Sistach, and included the intervention of the dean of the faculty, Armand Puig.

Puig explained that the ceremony was "an act of recognition of Orthodox theology as a whole but, above all, it is a tribute to one of its most qualified representatives."

Moreover, he added, it is "a favorable moment for our faculty and the rest of the ecclesial academic institutions of the Catholic Church to reaffirm their commitment to study and appraise the Fathers of the Eastern Church" in studying theology "in the present moment and in the concrete context of 21st century Europe."

Archbishop Hilarion is the author of works on the Fathers of the Church and topics of present-day Orthodox theology, and he maintains a firm and constant commitment and presence in the ecumenical realm.

French President Sarkozy Visits the Vatican and the Pope

Sarkozy Seeks to Confirm Collaboration With Church

VATICAN CITY, (Zenit.org).- French President Nicolas Sarkozy visited Benedict XVI today to confirm constructive collaboration with the Catholic Church, after differences that have arisen in recent months.

French President Nicolas Sarkozy and Pope Benedict XVI
Photo Source: LIFE

A communiqué issued by the Holy See affirmed the "joint desire to maintain permanent dialogue at various institutional levels, and to continue constructive collaboration on matters of mutual interest."

Some positions assumed by Sarkozy's government have caused a distancing of French Catholics who supported the president in the 2007 elections.

The spark that served Sarkozy to request the audience -- held in the Holy Father's library for some 30 minutes -- was kindled on Aug. 22, when the Pope exhorted French pilgrims gathered at Castel Gandolfo for the midday Angelus to "accept legitimate human differences." The Pontiff's comment came after the president announced the expulsion from France of gypsies who in the majority are of European origin.

After today's audience with the Pope, the president and his advisers met for about an hour with Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, the Pope's secretary of state, and Archbishop Dominique Mamberti, secretary for Relations with States.

Common ground

According to the Holy See communiqué, "The cordial discussions focused on the international political situation, including the Middle East peace process, the position of Christians in various countries, and increasing the representation of world regions in multilateral organizations.

"Attention subsequently turned to underlining the importance of the ethical and social dimension of economic problems, in light of the encyclical 'Caritas in Veritate.'"

The communiqué revealed that the Pope and Sarkozy recalled the papal trip to Lourdes and Paris in 2008, and President Sarkozy's visit to the Vatican the previous year, as signs of the collaboration that both seek to promote, in respect of their competent spheres.

At the beginning of the meeting, the Pope said to Sarkozy: "I have great memories of my visit to France" and immediately after, he evoked "the Catholic soul" of the country.

Sarkozy responded assuring him that "the visit was a great success."

In the exchange of gifts, Sarkozy gave the Holy Father original editions of the books "Génie du christianisme" and "Mémoires d'Outre-Tombe," by François-René de Chateaubriand (1768-1848).

The Pope gave the president a large engraving of St. Peter's Square as well as a ceramic representation of the first Pope.

At the end of the meeting, Sarkozy paused a few moments to ask Benedict XVI for a rosary for his niece, like those he had given to each member of the entourage. The Pontiff immediately obliged, obtaining one from his private secretary, Monsignor Georg Gaenswein.

A prayer in the Vatican

After the meeting with Cardinal Bertone, Sarkozy and his delegation went at 1 p.m. to St. Peter's Basilica, which had been closed to the public.

The president paused for a few moments of prayer in the Blessed Sacrament Chapel, before the altar of Our Lady of Perpetual Help and at the altar of the Confession, and the tomb of St. Peter.

Then he was received in the chapel of St. Petronilla by French Cardinal Jean-Louis Tauran, president of the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue.

The cardinal prayed "for the people of France and its leaders, of today and tomorrow," asking for "courage and perseverance so that each one may consider what he can do alone or with others at the service of his neighbor, for absolute respect for life, justice, employment, education, health and the environment, security, to receive the persecuted and immigrants, and for the truth of information, for peace in our land and in the world."

For a new secularity

After leaving the Vatican, Sarkozy presided over a lunch in the Villa Bonaparte, headquarters of the French embassy to the Holy See, in the presence of Cardinal Bertone.

The president gave an address, affirming that he seeks to promote relations with the Church and to defend its positions.

"France does not forget that it has a common history of 2,000 years with the Church and that today it shares with her an inestimable treasure of moral values, of culture, of civilization, which have been inscribed in its identity," said the president.

"The Church, with the spiritual means proper to her [and] the French Republic, with its political means, serve many common causes," he added, assuring that both seek "justice," "balance," "peace," "fraternity."

"Then, why don't they speak to one another? Why can't they work together?" he asked.

"I believe in the distinction of the spiritual and the temporal as a principle of liberty," he said. "I believe in secularity as a principle of respect. But the Church cannot be indifferent in face of the problems of the society to which she belongs as an institution, and politics cannot be indifferent in face of the religious event and spiritual and moral values. There is no religion without social responsibility, there is no politics without morality."

Then Sarkozy mentioned some "moral imperatives" that must be achieved without delay, such as the reform of "world governance," the regulation of finances to avoid "speculative madness," stabilization of markets to prevent hunger, regulation of the Internet and, finally the "fight against illegal immigration" that produces tragedies and deprives poor countries of their living forces.

Franciscan Order Sees Massive Increase In Cameroon

CATHOLICISM IN CAMEROON, AFRICA

Benedict XVI received the Letters of Credence of Antoine Zanga, the new ambassador of Cameroon to the Holy See
(freeforum)

KONIGSTEIN, GERMANY, (EWTN News / CNA) - Membership in a small Franciscan order is booming in Cameroon after only ten years in the country. One of its brothers says its spiritual commitment has a "deep social impact" in the life of its members and in the life of the African country.

The Franciscans of the Emmanuel, founded in Montreal, Canada in 1985, has 75 members. About 60 of them are now based in Cameroon.

Speaking to the charity Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) in a visit to its headquarters in Germany, Br. Denis-Antoine said the order arrived in the African country after a diocesan priest from Nkongsamba city in the west read about the order in a newspaper and requested that they help a group of parishioners who desired to live the spirituality of St. Francis.

"At the request of the (diocesan) bishop, we came and started to form a fraternity of lay members. With time, the groups have expanded, established themselves and multiplied," he reported.

Several of the young lay members soon asked to become friars. Br. Denis-Antoine said he arrived in Cameroon with a young lay brother from Canada to begin the first house of formation there.

"With the help of benefactors, including ACN, the brothers built the friary with 18 bedrooms and the facilities for the community and its mission," he explained.

The growing community in Nkongsamba has 17 friars in formation to become consecrated members. Eight are already professed.

They are being trained for duties in health care, catechesis, agriculture and farming. The community is also involved in parish work such as youth and prison chaplaincy. It ministers to the poorest members of society.

At the local bishop's request, the Franciscans have established a spiritual center to host retreats and formation sessions for groups from across the country.

The order's service has also expanded into the neighboring dioceses of Bafoussam and Douala. In Douala the order recently began a lay fraternity composed mainly of young adults.

There are plans to open a friary there next year. Br. Denis-Antoine told ACN that these will help the Franciscans' regular mission and will take charge of an existing orphanage of 30 children. The order is also working to establish a dispensary and a maternity house in one of Douala's poor neighborhoods.

"The main message that we want to leave to you is that we are there, present with the people, hoping to give them this testimony of the life of the Gospel in the footsteps of our father, St Francis," the Franciscan brother continued.

He explained that a spiritual commitment to the evangelical life has a "deep social impact" both in the life of individuals committed to it and in the life of society.

He also expressed "heartfelt gratitude" for the help of ACN, which supported the order's first friary in Cameroon and its spiritual center.

"Thanks to ACN and all the benefactors for the previous help received and for listening to this new call for support, giving us the opportunity to be your hands and heart to the people of Africa."

Catholic Church in Malaysia grows, despite Islamic pressure

by Jeremy Lim

In the Archdiocese of Kota Kinabalu, Catholics are nearly 10% of the population. Many churches increase the number of Masses to cope with the influx of the faithful. Islam is spreading at a faster speed, especially due to social pressure: non-Muslims are considered inferior.

Kota Kinabalu (AsiaNews) - Catholic community in the Archdiocese of Kota Kinabalu, capital of Sabah, is growing where the faithful are now more than 180 thousand, nearly 10% of the population. Sabah is one of 13 states of Malaysia and is situated in the northern part of Borneo.

Many churches have increased the number of Sunday Masses, to cope with the influx of the faithful. The church of Stella Maris, for example, decided to celebrate on Sunday a third function in Bahasa Melayu, the local language, along with two others in English.

Leonard Chin, faithful of the parish, told AsiaNews that "the Catholic population is growing steadily, albeit slowly. We have built new churches and at Easter 80 people were baptized in a parish that has 5 thousand faithful”.

Alongside the Catholic community, Islam is also spreading: "There are two reasons - Chin continues - for which Muslims are growing more rapidly. On one side they have more children, one the other many members the Kazadan ethnic group, who have been Catholic since the arrival of missionaries in the 19th century, converted for political reasons”.

In Malaysia, the state religion is Islam, religious freedom is guaranteed by the Constitution, although there are several violations of this right. In fact, says Chin, "many people are inclined to convert to Islam" because of social pressure that is brought to bear on non-Muslims, who are considered inferior.

Out of a population of 23 million inhabitants, 60.4% in Malaysia are Muslims and only 9.1% are Christians, mostly Catholics. The vast majority of those living on the island of Borneo where the State of Sabah is located.

Christians and Muslims from Algeria to Italy in the footsteps of Saint Augustine

Rome (AsiaNews) - A group of Christians and Muslims from Algeria, Morocco and France have planned a pilgrimage in the footsteps of Saint Augustine, their countryman, that will lead them to Milan and Pavia, where the remains of the North African saint of Hippo lie. There are several Muslim converts to Christianity among the group, some for over 40 years, others for just over a year.

It is the first time that Christians of North Africa have ever organized a similar pilgrimage. It will take them from August 26 to 28 to Milan, where Augustine was baptized by Ambrose in 387, to Pavia and the basilica of san Pietro in Ciel d’Oro (see photo), which houses his remains in time to take part in local celebrations, the feast of the saint on August 28.

The group has long desired to make this pilgrimage and had also wanted to include an audience with the pope. Among the pilgrims, 17 are of North African origin, 14 are converts from Islam and two are catechumens. There is also a future seminarian; the other 10 are of French origin, all accompanied by Fr Alexis Doucet, S.J.

To mark the occasion a medal bearing a Berber cross was coined, which will be handed to participants at the end of the pilgrimage.

Among the expressed intentions of the pilgrimage is that "Muslims who have heard the call of the Lord Jesus should not be prohibited from entering the Church." The idea refers to some episodes that have occurred in France and Algeria, where many Muslims who wanted to be baptized, have been impeded by priests and bishops, fearful of the consequences and overly precautious.

The pilgrimage will be preceded by a novena of prayer to God, in the words of St. Augustine, the text of which appears on the site notradamedekabylie.

The pilgrimage is organized by the Notre-Dame de Kabylie, Saint-Augustin, Nantes and theMyriam Baouardi et Charles de Foucauld group from Albi / Toulouse.
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Courage brethren, Jesus Christ is always with you! Praise alone to Jesus Christ, now and forever!

Vatican website undergoing upgrade

More and more people are interested to know and discover the Church, the Pope and the Vatican. The Vatican site receives TRHEE MILLION VISITS PER DAY according to Vatican’s Website Director Msgr. Lucio Adrian Ruiz (Argentina), with the greatest number of visits coming from the United States, followed by Italy, Spain, Germany, Brazil, South Korea, Mexico, Canada, France and China.

Vatican City (CNA/EWTN News).- The director of the Vatican’s website, Msgr. Lucio Adrian Ruiz explained this week in an interview that the site is going through an extensive redesign to improve the Church's evangelization efforts.

The old Vatican website design

The website can be viewed at: http://www.vatican.va/.

In an interview with L’Osservatore Romano, the Argentinean priest said the Vatican’s website aims to make the Church's message known to everyone, especially because of the importance Benedict XVI has given to evangelization through the media.

He also said that soon each Vatican dicastery will have its own website and that the general site is undergoing an upgrade, “which will be a long process because vatican.va has 500,000 internal pages ...”

The restructuring efforts will focus on two goals, Msgr. Ruiz continued. First, to make the Petrine ministry more present in the digital era; and second, to increase the Vatican’s understanding of the internet, its language and its culture, in order to respond more adequately, as called for by Pope Benedict XVI in his message for World Communications Day 2010.
The Argentinean priest added that his staff will also create a new video section on the website that will include not only clips of Pope Benedict XVI, but also video footage of previous Popes. The site will also have a more extensive and complete papal documents section.

The redesign will also include a section on the diplomatic activities of the Holy See.

Msgr. Ruiz said the Vatican site receives three million visits per day, with the greatest number of visits coming from the United States, followed by Italy, Spain, Germany, Brazil, South Korea, Mexico, Canada, France and China.

He also noted that the site has occasionally been the target of hackers and cyber attacks, but that the staff works closely with Italian online security officials to keep a close eye on their systems.

“Like all large systems, we are an appealing target for professional hackers. We must always be on alert and continue to develop our online security,” he said.

Msgr. Ruiz said his staff includes 21 employees who are split into two groups—one that deals with the technical side, the other with content management. He explained that his staff members “are aware that they are part of one body, and this unity creates a strong synergy of not only mutual help but also of study and comprehension of the enormous mission the Church must fulfill.”

Catholic University Says It Declined Obama Appearance Over Logistics

Austin, Texas (CNA) - As President Obama makes a fundraising tour for the Democratic party through Texas, St. Edward’s University has announced its decision to decline a White House request for the president to speak on campus. The college cited timing issues as the primary motive for its decision.

St. Edward’s University, which was founded by Fr. Edward Sorin of the Congregation of the Holy Cross, the same priest who founded the University of Notre Dame, sits on a hill top in Austin, Texas. It reports enrolling around 5,000 students and a commitment to critical thinking, social justice and ethical practice.

When President Obama made his recent visit to Austin, the college was asked to be a venue for a presidential speech. However, the school declined the offer.

“St. Edward’s University is honored to have been considered a potential venue for President Obama’s recent visit to Austin,” said university spokeswoman Mischelle Diaz in a Wednesday statement. “Regretfully, it was not a good time for us to consider this. With the short notice provided – only 3 to 4 days – a visit of this importance and magnitude would have been difficult for a campus of our size.”

Diaz noted that a presidential visit “requires and deserves more resources than we were able to provide at the time.” She also mentioned that the university’s staff is busy preparing for the new school year in a variety of ways.

As part of their “thoughtful consideration” of the visit, Diaz noted that, since school is not yet in session, “the vast majority of our student body, and many faculty members, would not be present to participate in a presidential visit.”

Although some reports have drawn parallels between St. Edward’s University and the University of Notre Dame, which attracted the ire of many Catholics by honoring President Obama at its commencement exercises, Diaz informed CNA “as the statement explains, our reasons were logistical.”

Lay Eucharistic ministers not entitled to position, Archbishop Burke clarifies

Archbishop Raymond L. Burke

Vatican City (EWTN News/CNA)- The rights of girls and Catholic lay faithful to carry out certain roles on the altar are not prescribed as "rights" within the Church, according to the Church's top legal authority, Archbishop Raymond Burke. The statement came in a clarification he wrote about the consequences of the reintroduction of the Latin Rite Mass by Pope Benedict.

The Catholic Church of Germany recently printed a commentary on the application of Benedict XVI's 2007 motu proprio, "Summorum Pontificum," which made Pope St. Pius V's Latin Rite Mass more widely available. In the preface of the volume, printed for the third anniversary of the motu proprio, Archbishop Raymond Burke clarified some confusion about the legislation's practical use.

Archbishop Burke is the prefect of the Apostolic Signatura, which is often described as the supreme court of the Catholic Church.

According to Vatican Radio, the archbishop explained in the preface that due to the motu proprio's papal origins, it is not just an act of legislation brought about as a "favor" to a specific group for the celebration of the extraordinary form of the Roman Rite, the Mass in Latin, but one that applies to the entire Church.

Archbishop Burke wrote, "it is about a law whose finality is the protection and promotion of the life of all the mystical body of Christ and the maximum expression of this life, that is to say, the Sacred Liturgy."

It implies an obligation of the Church "to preserve liturgical tradition and maintain the legitimate celebration of both forms of the Roman Rite, that preceding the Second Vatican Council and that which followed it," he said.

Archbishop Burke pointed out that the Holy Father himself explained that for the communion of the Church in the past and the future, "universally accepted uses of uninterrupted apostolic tradition" must be observed.

This, he he pointed out should be done "not only to avoid errors, but also to transmit the integrity of the faith, so that the law of the prayer of the Church might correspond to her law of faith."

The American archbishop went on to point out that certain elements may need to be clarified in this regard. For example, he wrote, among the "rights" of the baptized, assistance by "persons of the feminine sex" at the altar is not included. Additionally, serving as a lector or as an extraordinary distribution of communion is not a right of the laity, he noted.

As such, out of respect for the integrity of the liturgical discipline within the Roman Missal of 1962, these more modern modifications are not observed in the extraordinary form.

This clarification comes just a week after L'Osservatore Romano writer Lucetta Scaraffia published an article on the altar server pilgrimage to the Vatican which drew thousands of boys and girls alike. She drew some attention as she proposed that the introduction of girls into the position of serving at the altar "meant the end of every attribution of impurity to their sex ... it meant a different attention to the liturgy and an approach to the faith in bringing it near to their very hearts."

Archbishop Burke clarified, however, that the reality of the matter is that neither the presence of girls at the altar, nor the participation of lay faithful "belong to the fundamental rights of the baptized."

Women Bishop Vote Threatens to Split Church of England

Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams

CNN News Blog - The Church of England inched closer to allowing women bishops this weekend, with a vote that traditionalists warned could split the church.

The church's governing body narrowly rejected a measure that would allow parishes that oppose women bishops to have an additional male bishop.

The proposal, floated by Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams (pictured) - the titular head of the Church of England - was an attempt to satisfy conservatives.

Campaigners for women bishops hailed the vote as a victory.

But traditionalists said the ballot "has made it very difficult for those who in conscience cannot accept the ministry for women priests and bishops."

The vote happened Saturday at the General Synod, the three-times-a-year meeting that sets policies for the Church of England.

Williams, who is also nominal head of the worldwide Anglican Communion, proposed the measure along with John Sentamu, the Archbishop of York.

The rejection of the compromise was greeted with a "slightly stunned silence," said the Rev. Miranda Threlfall-Holmes.

"Everyone was aware instantly of how close it was, [with] a slight gasp from everybody, thinking, 'Oh no, we only lost that by the skin of our teeth' or 'only passed that by the skin of our teeth,'" she said Sunday.

The Church of England is probably still a couple of years away from having women bishops. If this week's General Synod approves them, as expected, parishes across the church then have at least a year to consider the matter before a future General Synod casts a final vote on the issue.

Chris Sugden of the conservative Anglican Mainstream movement said the vote showed that conservatives were actually the majority.

"Although this group is portrayed as a minority, those who do not want a winner-take-all, scorched-earth policy, are a majority in Synod," he said.

He denied that the vote was about whether or not to ordain women bishops, saying the Church of England had already decided to go ahead with that.

Instead, Sugden said, the vote was about keeping the church together.

The failed compromise was so "that those who cannot accept women bishops can still be part of the Church of England," he said. "We believe in freedom of conscience, in religious freedom," he said of conservatives.

But he said a split was not inevitable, with two days to go before the General Synod concludes.

"Forty-eight hours is a long time in the life of a synod," he told CNN Sunday. "There is a lot of water to flow under the bridge. A lot of conversations are taking place."

The Catholic Group in Synod, another conservative group, suggested it would continue to fight against women bishops.

"The process in General Synod is not over and we would wish to be involved in the ongoing discussions as to a way forward that includes all loyal members of the Church of England," it said in a statement.

But a campaign called Women in the Church hailed the vote.

"We're tying hard not to use the word victory, but yes it is," said Sally Barnes, a Women in the Church representative.

"You can't have a church where we're all supposed to be one in Christ and then treat women as if it's the faulty half of creation," she told CNN Sunday.

"People don't need protecting against women, it's not a Christian concept. It's not how Christ treated women," she argued.

Under Church of England rules, for a measure like the one proposed by Williams and Sentamu to pass, it needed majority support from three different groups: bishops, priests and lay leaders.

Bishops and lay leaders backed the measure, but priests narrowly rejected it, meaning it failed.

The Anglican Communion - of which the Church of England is the British branch - is the world's third-largest Christian denomination, with about 77 million members worldwide.

It's facing serious strains over the ordination of women bishops and gay priests, and the Catholic Church has reached out to disaffected Anglicans, raising the possibility that conservatives could leave en masse.