Today is World Mission Sunday

Pope's Message for World Mission Sunday 2011

"As the Father Has Sent Me, So I Send You"

VATICAN CITY, JAN. 25, 2011 (Zenit.org).- Here is a translation of Benedict XVI's message for World Mission Sunday, which will be observed Oct. 23. The message, titled "As the Father Has Sent Me, So I Send You" (John 20:21), was published today by the Vatican press office.

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"As the Father Has Sent Me, So I Send You" (John 20:21). On the occasion of the Jubilee of 2000, the Venerable John Paul II, at the beginning of a new millennium of the Christian era, reaffirmed forcefully the need to renew the commitment to take to all the proclamation of the Gospel with "the same enthusiasm of the Christians of the early times" ("Novo Millennio Ineunte," No. 58). It is the most precious service that the Church can give to humanity and to each person who seeks the profound reasons to live his existence fully. Because of this, this same invitation resounds every year in the celebration of World Mission Sunday. In fact, the incessant proclamation of the Gospel also vivifies the Church, her fervor, her apostolic spirit, it renews her pastoral methods so that they are increasingly appropriate to the new situations -- also those that require a new evangelization -- and animated by the missionary drive: "the mission renews the Church, reinforces the faith and Christian identity, gives new enthusiasm and new motivations. The faith is strengthened by giving it! The new evangelization of Christian peoples will find inspiration and support in the commitment to the universal mission" (John Paul II, "Redemptoris Missio," No. 2).

Atlas shows situation of Catholic Church throughout the world

This new Atlas presents the Catholic Church present in the whole world and the history of each diocese found within every states and cities.

An excerpt from CATHOLICISM

9,000 Converted to Catholicism in Brooklyn: That was in 1891

“Thousands at a Mission: The Work Which Paulist Fathers Have Been Doing In Brooklyn Interesting Services in the Church of the Sacred Heart. Many Total Abstinence Pledges Signed. The Renewal of Baptismal Vows—Conversions to Catholicism"

During the mission a large number of Protestants were converted to Catholicism. Last Monday night Bishop Loughlin confirmed them in the church. Several hundred children also received confirmation. The missionary fathers were highly pleased with the success of the mission. They said last Sunday that the surprisingly large attendance of men was particularly gratifying.

The Brooklyn Eagle, February 15, 1891 [Read the whole story in  McNamara's Blog]

Will there be an Arabic Section of the Vatican's Official Website?

Feeling neglected by the rest of the Christian world, missionaries assigned to the Middle East have very little resources to be used to Evangelize our brethren in the Middle East. Except that of the Coptics made available in Egypt by Christian Copts, we have no other means to bring the message of Christ in their own language. Perhaps an Arabic authorized Catholic Version, or the official Vatican City's website with an Arabic version could speak to millions of Arabs accross the Middle East.

Vatican is planning to include Arabic and Russian in its official website. Hopefully, this will not take much time while the harvest is still plenty, and the harvesters are still waiting for their reaping tools for the harvest. Let's pray to the Lord of the harvest that he may provide our missionaries their tools and send forth the harvesters without delay.

May our Blessed Mother be their inspiration of patience while watching the ripening fruit of our labor.

Catholicism: Vatican mulling Arabic and Russian versions of website

Vatican City, Religiouscope - The Vatican plans to revamp its official website and is considering opening sections in Arabic and Russian, an official said Tuesday.

The need to use language "that is comprehensible to today's internet users," is prompting the initiative, Monsignor Lucio Adrian Ruiz who manages the site, told the Vatican newspaper L'Osservatore Romano.

The site: www.vatican.va currently consists of some half-a-million pages with sections in eight languages: Latin, Italian, English, Spanish, French, Portuguese, German and Chinese.

"First of all it must be made clear that it will be a long process (to update the site). But it has to be done," Ruiz said.

The site was first launched in 1995 with a Christmas message by the then pontiff, John Paul II.

It currently hosts several sections, including archive material, statements and publications from the Holy See's press office - such as the daily bulletin.

There is also an area dedicated to Pope Benedict XVI including speeches, details of his travels and other activities.

Plans include expanding the section on all the 265th popes in history, with online versions of documents and other materials, Ruiz said.

A video archive collecting images of Benedict's pontificate which began in 2005, is also in the pipeline.

The Vatican site currently receives an average of some three million "hits" a day.

However, some of these may be multiple attempts to reach the site from the same source so a new statistical system will be introduced to enable the Holy See to assess how many people actually visit the site, Ruiz explained.

The most hits originate from computers in the US, followed by Italy, Spain, Germany, Brazil, South Korea, Mexico, Canada, France and China, he added.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY Blessed Mother Teresa of Calcutta: 26 August 1910 - 26 August 2010

What It Means To Be Blessed

For many, even in the Church, the Catholic practice of beatifying and canonizing is an enigma. Why does the Church do it? How does the Church do it? What are the implications of being canonized, or in the case of Mother Teresa of Calcutta, beatified?

General History.

First it should be noted that according to the testimony of Sacred Scripture every Christian is a saint. The Greek New Testament speaks in many places of the hagios (Acts 9:32; Rom 15:25, 31; Eph 1:1; Col. 1:2; Jude 1:3 and others). The Latin Vulgate speaks of the sancti, which is rendered in some English translations as the saints and in others as the holy ones. As St. Peter tells Christians, "you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people of his own, so that you may announce the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light." The saints are set apart by God through baptism, filled with His divine life (the Kingdom of God within), and called to announce that Kingdom's presence in the world to the whole human race. Thus it is that in the Scriptural usage all of those baptized into Christ and in the state of grace can rightly be called saints.

In another sense, stricter and more technical, the saints are those in whom Christ's victory over sin, the devil and death has not just begun, as it has in us, but has been completed. This is the case when the wayfaring state of earthy life is concluded and the holiness of life attained in the pilgrim's state is realized perfectly in heaven. Even while saying that no one is truly good but God (Mt 19:17), Christ called us to the perfection of goodness, of holiness, "be perfect as the heavenly Father is perfect" (Mt 5:48, Mt 19:21; Col. 4:12, James 1:4), since nothing imperfect will enter into heaven (Rev 21:27)...

Read More at EWTN on Mother Teresa of Calcutta

Non-Christians Venerate Blessed Mother Teresa of Calcutta

Tibetan leader: “The Dalai Lama tells Buddhists to follow the path of Mother Teresa".

by Nirmala Carvalho

Samdhong Rinpoche reveals the importance of the Blessed of Calcutta for Tibetan Buddhism. "For us, the Mother is the incarnation of Maha Karuna (immeasurable compassion). For her, no one was unreachable. The Dalai Lama had the deepest admiration and respect for Mother. "

New Delhi (AsiaNews) – Continuing our review of testimonies on Mother Teresa of Calcutta promoted by AsiaNews, a few days from the centenary of the birth of the Blessed. On August 26 the anniversary of the Missionary of Charity will be celebrated.

Blessed Mother Teresa of Calcutta
Photo Source: AsiaNews

Samdhong Rinpoche, 71, has lived in exile in India since 1959, when he fled from Tibet due to Chinese government repression. On July 29, 2001, he was elected prime minister of the Tibetan government in exile by civilians who had fled from Tibet. Below his interview with AsiaNews:

How was Mother Teresa viewed by Tibetan Buddhists?

She represents love without distinction and compassion for all humanity. For Tibetan Buddhism, the Mother is the incarnation of Maha Karuna (immeasurable compassion). Everyday love has a reason: we love our family, friends ... But the love of Mother Teresa is the divine love for all human beings. And Mother's love was expressed through humble service.

Mother Teresa served the people, she transfigured the face of suffering humanity through her love and compassion. For her, no one was unreachable, she touched the poorest of the poor with her soul and gave them a reason to live and dignity.

What kind of relationship was there between Mother Teresa and the Dalai Lama?

The Dalai Lama admired Mother Teresa and had the deepest respect for her. After meeting her, he said she was an example of a compassionate person. Often he told Buddhist monks and nuns to follow the example of Mother Teresa and serve the poorest of the poor in an imitation of her spirit, her compassion and her dedication.

The Dalai Lama also said that the spirit, compassion and dedication of Mother Teresa would continue to lead the human community.

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Catholics Venerate the Saints and Angels as oppose to those anti-Catholics and cults who accuse Catholics of "worshipping" them.

Catholicism and Islam

Thanks to Ms. Salome Bintullah, owner of  DAR AL-MASIH for providing us these YouTube Videos of Fr. Corapi. Dar al-Masih is right. It's quite unusual for any Catholic priest to cross that line. Any attempt to proselytize Muslims for conversion is a risky business. As we know, Islam has no "exit doors". Once you convert to Islam, there is no turning back. Those who leave Islam are a sure target for killing because killing could only justify any Muslim deserting Islam.

I salute the courage of Dar al-Masih for pointing out the errors of AHMED DEEDAT, a Muslim "apologiist" who, most converts are indebted too. In the Middle East, books and pamphlets of Ahmed Deedat were translated to Tagalog, Hindi, Nepali, Bangladeshi, Urdu, Malialem, Vietnamese and were freely distributed by converts themselves.  Some of them were put in front of malls, supermarkets, food centers for free. Anyone can take home.

I deeply appreciate the equal courage of ABU DAOUD for providing us very important updates and insights on Islam and the Middle East.

In the Philippines, Bro. Cenon Bibe refutes the claims (mostly rantings) of Filipino converts to Islam. There was a program in the Middle East called "Balik-Islam" (Back to Islam). Here is Bro. Cenon Bibe's SAGOT SA BALIK ISLAM FORUM [Answers for "Back to Islam].

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

Part 4

Part 5

Part 6

Number of Catholics in Korea continues to grow

South Korean Flag

Seoul (AsiaNews) - For the first time, the number of Catholics in Korea has exceeded 10% of the total population. There are 115,997 more Catholics than in 2008.

It is the Church to bear witness to the considerable increase of the faithful in Korea, today 10.1% of the population. The statistics were compiled based on pastoral documents collected from 16 dioceses, seven universities and a number of Catholic religious institutes in Korea.

Of the 15 dioceses, which have a total of 5 million and 120 thousand faithful, the largest is the Archdiocese of Seoul, where 27.4% of Catholics live. The number of baptized in 2009 rose to 157 thousand, 10.9% more than in 2008. If the number of children baptized grew by 7.5% in one year, the number of those baptized before reaching one year, which decreased significantly, is of concern, indicating that it is still necessary to encourage the baptism of newborn infants.

In 2009, 149 priests were ordained, 21 more than 2008 and 69% of 4913 priests present in Korea are between 20 and 40 years of age. According to statistics, by comparing the number of priests with that of the faithful, in Korea there is one priest for every 1,171 faithful.

A Baseball Retiree Wants to Become a Catholic Priest

Top Baseball Prospect Retires to Enter Priesthood (Source: FoxNews)

NEW YORK — As a top prospect for the Oakland Athletics, outfielder Grant Desme might've gotten the call every minor leaguer wants this spring.

Instead, he believed he had another, higher calling.

Desme announced Friday that he was leaving baseball to enter the priesthood, walking away after a breakout season in which he became MVP of the Arizona Fall League.

"I was doing well at ball. But I really had to get down to the bottom of things," the 23-year-old Desme said. "I wasn't at peace with where I was at."

A lifelong Catholic, Desme thought about becoming a priest for about a year and a half. He kept his path quiet within the sports world, and his plan to enter a seminary this summer startled the A's when he told them Thursday night.

General manager Billy Beane "was understanding and supportive," Desme said, but the decision "sort of knocked him off his horse." After the talk, Desme felt "a great amount of peace."

"I love the game, but I aspire to higher things," he said. "I know I have no regrets."

In a statement, Beane said: "We respect Grant's decision and wish him nothing but the best in his future endeavors."

Athletes and the priesthood have overlapped, albeit rarely.

Al Travers, who gave up 24 runs during a one-game career for a makeshift Detroit Tigers team in 1912, became a Catholic priest. More recently, Chase Hilgenbrinck of the New England Revolution left Major League Soccer in 2008 to enter a seminary.

Desme spoke on a conference call for about 10 minutes in a quiet, even tone, hardly sounding like many gung-ho, on-the-rise ballplayers. As for his success in the minors, he said "all of it is very undeserving."

The Athletics picked Desme in the second round of the 2007 amateur draft and he was starting to blossom. He was the only player in the entire minors with 30 home runs and 30 stolen bases last season.

Desme batted .288 with 31 homers, 89 RBIs and 40 steals in 131 games at Class-A Kane County and high Class-A Stockton last year. He hit .315 with a league-leading 11 home runs and 27 RBIs in 27 games this fall in Arizona, a league filled with young talent.

Desme went into the AFL championship game well aware it might be the last time he ever played. "There was no sad feeling," he said. He homered and struck out twice, which "defines my career a bit."

The Big West Player of the Year at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, Desme was ranked as Oakland's No. 8 prospect by Baseball America. There was speculation the Athletics might invite Desme to big league spring training next month.

Rather, Desme intends to enter a seminary in Silverado, California, in August. He said abbey members didn't seem surprised someone who would "define myself as a baseball player" was changing his life so dramatically.

Desme said he didn't consider pursuing his spiritual studies while also trying to play ball. His family backed his decision and he said the positive reaction to his future goal — the surprising news spread quickly over the Internet — was "inspiring."

"It's about a 10-year process," he said. "I desire and hope I become a priest." In a way, he added, it's like "re-entering the minor leagues."

Desme's first two years in the minors were beset by shoulder and wrist problems. He said his days off the field gave him time to think about what was most important to him, to read and study the Bible and to talk to teammates about his faith.

In retrospect, he said, those injuries were "the biggest blessings God ever gave me."

Google and Facebook teach Vatican the mysteries of the internet

(Article Source: Telegraph.co.uk): Media experts will join bishops from across Europe to tell them how best to communicate the Catholic Church's message in the 21st century.

Steeped in history, the Church often struggles to explain its outlook and Pope Benedict XVI has in recent months been mired in controversy over remarks about the role condoms can play in halting the spread of Aids and his decision to rehabilitate a Holocaust-denying British bishop.

During a four-day conference which starts on Thursday, representatives from the social network Facebook, the search engine Google, the YouTube video sharing website and the online encyclopedia Wikipedia will explain the importance of "new media" in the lives of young people.

The bishops will also learn how to combat the threat of hacking, with advice from a young hacker from Switzerland and an Interpol expert on cybercrime.

"The world of hackers is a separate, parallel culture that is mostly ignored by the Church but not by fans of information technology," said the Vatican's 'communications ministry', the Pontifical Council for Social Communications, which is organising the gathering.

The conference is the latest in a series of moves by the Pope, who uses an iPod and a laptop computer, to engage with modern technology.

Be Partners in Evanglism (Word Among Us Ministry)

[Source: Prayer Partner ]

Lord, bless the men and
women of our military as
they answer the call to
serve our nation and defend
our freedom.
Protect them, particularly
those in harm’s way. Most of
all let them know your love:
that you are with them, and
that you will never forsake
or abandon them. I ask this
in the precious name of
Jesus, our Lord and Savior.
Amen.

Visit Word Among Us

Remembering Mother Teresa and Her Missionaries of Charity

Mother Teresa of Calcutta, Pray for Us.

(Photo Source: DailyLife)
(Photo Source: DailyLife)
(Photo Source: Wikipedia)

Photo Source: AsiaNews.it)

Visit also these sites and donate.

Mother Teresa Beatification at EWTN
Missionaries of Charity
Missionaries of Charity - Priests
Missionaries of Charity -Brothers

Webvangelizing

Gone are the days when our Catholic missionaries have to travel through on foot crossing steep mountains and hot deserts preaching the Words of God relying only to their conviction that God has sent them to meet Christ in foreign lands through preaching and example. Our saints are the very witness of the harshness of such a missionary demands of Christ "preaching to all nations baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. (see Mt. 28).

According to our Catholic Catechism, all baptized Christians are missionaries. Not necessarily traveling to foreign lands. A Catholic can be a missionary to his own family example. He can be a missionary to his friends in school and in sports. He can be missionary to his business partners, to his subordinates, and to everyone he may meet everyday.

As witnesses to Christ and his mission, we need not to hitch in every bus with a Bible and a "donation envelop" asking "love offerings" to passengers, nor we shout on top of our lungs in market places. Our being missionaries is right there when we are doing very ordinary things we use to do everyday.

Today, the Holy Father Pope Benedict XVI is asking every Christian Catholic to be missionaries right inside our own rooms. With the latest digital technologies we so love to have, we can spread the Good News to those we may encounter in the web. Just as what I love to do, I use my blog to convey the good message of Jesus, leading men and women to his truth through his One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Church which he established in Jerusalem to St. Peter.

To some, they use the internet to destroy others and to spread lies but we, as Catholics can beat the Devil by doing the opposite. Let's sow love and forgiveness and show them the difference between our loving concern for others through examples.

We can always be assured by the Holy Father that God has willed it that in our day, we are provided with these technology to build his Kingdom for his praise, glory and honor.

Here is the Holy Father's message for this years' 43rd World Day of Communication Pontifical Council for Social Communications, with a theme of "New Technologies, New Relationships: Promoting a Culture of Respect, Dialogue and Friendship." Thanks to Catholic Online for providing us the text of the Holy Father's message.

May 24, 2009, Dear Brothers and Sisters!

In anticipation of the forthcoming World Communications Day, I would like to address to you some reflections on the theme chosen for this year - New Technologies, New Relationships: Promoting a culture of Respect, Dialogue and Friendship. The new digital technologies are, indeed, bringing about fundamental shifts in patterns of communication and human relationships. These changes are particularly evident among those young people who have grown up with the new technologies and are at home in a digital world that often seems quite foreign to those of us who, as adults, have had to learn to understand and appreciate the opportunities it has to offer for communications.

In this year’s message, I am conscious of those who constitute the so-called digital generation and I would like to share with them, in particular, some ideas concerning the extraordinary potential of the new technologies, if they are used to promote human understanding and solidarity. These technologies are truly a gift to humanity and we must endeavor to ensure that the benefits they offer are put at the service of all human individuals and communities, especially those who are most disadvantaged and vulnerable.

The accessibility of mobile telephones and computers, combined with the global reach and penetration of the internet, has opened up a range of means of communication that permit the almost instantaneous communication of words and images across enormous distances and to some of the most isolated corners of the world; something that would have been unthinkable for previous generations.

Young people, in particular, have grasped the enormous capacity of the new media to foster connectedness, communication and understanding between individuals and communities, and they are turning to them as means of communicating with existing friends, of meeting new friends, of forming communities and networks, of seeking information and news, and of sharing their ideas and opinions.

Many benefits flow from this new culture of communication: families are able to maintain contact across great distances; students and researchers have more immediate and easier access to documents, sources and scientific discoveries, hence they can work collaboratively from different locations; moreover, the interactive nature of many of the new media facilitates more dynamic forms of learning and communication, thereby contributing to social progress.

While the speed with which the new technologies have evolved in terms of their efficiency and reliability is rightly a source of wonder, their popularity with users should not surprise us, as they respond to a fundamental desire of people to communicate and to relate to each other. This desire for communication and friendship is rooted in our very nature as human beings and cannot be adequately understood as a response to technical innovations.

In the light of the biblical message, it should be seen primarily as a reflection of our participation in the communicative and unifying Love of God, who desires to make of all humanity one family. When we find ourselves drawn towards other people, when we want to know more about them and make ourselves known to them, we are responding to God’s call - a call that is imprinted in our nature as beings created in the image and likeness of God, the God of communication and communion.

The desire for connectedness and the instinct for communication that are so obvious in contemporary culture are best understood as modern manifestations of the basic and enduring propensity of humans to reach beyond themselves and to seek communion with others. In reality, when we open ourselves to others, we are fulfilling our deepest need and becoming more fully human. Loving is, in fact, what we are designed for by our Creator. Naturally, I am not talking about fleeting, shallow relationships, I am talking about the real love that is at the very heart of Jesus’ moral teaching: "You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength" and "You must love your neighbor as yourself" (cf. Mk 12:30-31).

In this light, reflecting on the significance of the new technologies, it is important to focus not just on their undoubted capacity to foster contact between people, but on the quality of the content that is put into circulation using these means. I would encourage all people of good will who are active in the emerging environment of digital communication to commit themselves to promoting a culture of respect, dialogue and friendship.

Those who are active in the production and dissemination of new media content, therefore, should strive to respect the dignity and worth of the human person. If the new technologies are to serve the good of individuals and of society, all users will avoid the sharing of words and images that are degrading of human beings, that promote hatred and intolerance, that debase the goodness and intimacy of human sexuality or that exploit the weak and vulnerable.

The new technologies have also opened the way for dialogue between people from different countries, cultures and religions. The new digital arena, the so-called cyberspace, allows them to encounter and to know each other’s traditions and values. Such encounters, if they are to be fruitful, require honest and appropriate forms of expression together with attentive and respectful listening.

The dialogue must be rooted in a genuine and mutual searching for truth if it is to realize its potential to promote growth in understanding and tolerance. Life is not just a succession of events or experiences: it is a search for the true, the good and the beautiful. It is to this end that we make our choices; it is for this that we exercise our freedom; it is in this - in truth, in goodness, and in beauty - that we find happiness and joy. We must not allow ourselves to be deceived by those who see us merely as consumers in a market of undifferentiated possibilities, where choice itself becomes the good, novelty usurps beauty, and subjective experience displaces truth.

The concept of friendship has enjoyed a renewed prominence in the vocabulary of the new digital social networks that have emerged in the last few years. The concept is one of the noblest achievements of human culture. It is in and through our friendships that we grow and develop as humans. For this reason, true friendship has always been seen as one of the greatest goods any human person can experience. We should be careful, therefore, never to trivialize the concept or the experience of friendship. It would be sad if our desire to sustain and develop on-line friendships were to be at the cost of our availability to engage with our families, our neighbours and those we meet in the daily reality of our places of work, education and recreation. If the desire for virtual connectedness becomes obsessive, it may in fact function to isolate individuals from real social interaction while also disrupting the patterns of rest, silence and reflection that are necessary for healthy human development.

Friendship is a great human good, but it would be emptied of its ultimate value if it were to be understood as an end in itself. Friends should support and encourage each other in developing their gifts and talents and in putting them at the service of the human community. In this context, it is gratifying to note the emergence of new digital networks that seek to promote human solidarity, peace and justice, human rights and respect for human life and the good of creation. These networks can facilitate forms of co-operation between people from different geographical and cultural contexts that enable them to deepen their common humanity and their sense of shared responsibility for the good of all.

We must, therefore, strive to ensure that the digital world, where such networks can be established, is a world that is truly open to all. It would be a tragedy for the future of humanity if the new instruments of communication, which permit the sharing of knowledge and information in a more rapid and effective manner, were not made accessible to those who are already economically and socially marginalized, or if it should contribute only to increasing the gap separating the poor from the new networks that are developing at the service of human socialization and information.

I would like to conclude this message by addressing myself, in particular, to young Catholic believers: to encourage them to bring the witness of their faith to the digital world. Dear Brothers and Sisters, I ask you to introduce into the culture of this new environment of communications and information technology the values on which you have built your lives. In the early life of the Church, the great Apostles and their disciples brought the Good News of Jesus to the Greek and Roman world.

Just as, at that time, a fruitful evangelization required that careful attention be given to understanding the culture and customs of those pagan peoples so that the truth of the gospel would touch their hearts and minds, so also today, the proclamation of Christ in the world of new technologies requires a profound knowledge of this world if the technologies are to serve our mission adequately. It falls, in particular, to young people, who have an almost spontaneous affinity for the new means of communication, to take on the responsibility for the evangelization of this "digital continent".

Be sure to announce the Gospel to your contemporaries with enthusiasm. You know their fears and their hopes, their aspirations and their disappointments: the greatest gift you can give to them is to share with them the "Good News" of a God who became man, who suffered, died and rose again to save all people. Human hearts are yearning for a world where love endures, where gifts are shared, where unity is built, where freedom finds meaning in truth, and where identity is found in respectful communion. Our faith can respond to these expectations: may you become its heralds! The Pope accompanies you with his prayers and his blessing.

Photos of a Thousand Words

An Israeli man fixing Vatican Flags on sticks in a textile factory a day before the Pope's arrival in Jordan. (Source: Getty Images)

A Palestinian artist Walid Ayyoub draws sketch of the Pope on 10 May 2009. (Source: Reuters)

The Holy Father backdrops a poster of Jordanian King Abdullah II.

The Holy Father with King Abdullah II and his wife Queen Rania

A Palestinian welcoming the Pope by painting his message on a wall separating them from the rest of the world. (Source: Associated Press Photo)

For thorough update, visit American Catholic Blog.

Pope Voices Esteem for Churches in the East

AMMAN, Jordan - Eastern Churches offer a treasure of avenues to bring others to Christ through their ancient living traditions, says Benedict XVI.

In a homily delivered today at the celebration of Vespers in the Greek-Melkite Cathedral of St. George, the Pope addressed leaders of Catholic Churches in the Near East.

Among those present were Gregorios III Laham, the Greek Melkite Patriarch from Damascus, Emeritus Archbishop Georges El-Murr and Archbishop Yasser Ayyach of Petra and Philadelphia, and leaders from the Maronite, Syrian, Armenian, Chaldean and Latin Churches. Archbishop Benediktos Tsikoras of the Greek Orthodox Church was also in attendance.

The Holy Father expressed his sincere thanks for the "opportunity to pray with you and to experience something of the richness of our liturgical traditions."

"The Church herself is a pilgrim people and thus, through the centuries, has been marked by determinant historical events and pervading cultural epochs," the Pope remarked. "Sadly, some of these have included times of theological dispute or periods of repression."

"Others, however, have been moments of reconciliation -- marvelously strengthening the communion of the Church -- and times of rich cultural revival, to which Eastern Christians have contributed so greatly," he continued.

"Particular Churches," the Pope explained, "within the universal Church attest to the dynamism of her earthly journey and manifest to all members of the faithful a treasure of spiritual, liturgical, and ecclesiastical traditions which point to God's universal goodness and his will, seen throughout history, to draw all into his divine life..." (Read more at Catholic Online News or at Zenit.org)

Church and Jews share 'inseparable bond' says Pope

AMMAN, Jordan – Pope Benedict XVI said Saturday that his visit to the Middle East was a reminder of the "inseparable bond" between the Catholic Church and the Jewish people, a relationship that has been strained at times under his leadership.

The pope spoke from Mount Nebo, the wind-swept hill overlooking the Jordan valley from where the Bible says Moses saw the Promised Land. The sun broke through the morning mist just before the pope arrived at the site on the second day of a weeklong visit to the Middle East that will also take him to Israel and the Palestinian territories.

"May our encounter today inspire in us a renewed love for the canon of sacred scripture and a desire to overcome all obstacles to the reconciliation of Christians and Jews in mutual respect and cooperation in the service of that peace to which the word of God calls us," said the German-born Benedict..." (Read more at Yahoo!News)

Saint On the Making in Cuba

International Herald Tribune
The Associated Press
Published: November 29, 2008

Today, the Church has added to its long lists of virtuous men and women who offered their lives to Christ by selflessly giving what they have in the service of the poor.

In Camaguey, Cuba, the only tough standing communist country in South America, Friar Jose Olallo Valdes, a member of the Hospitaller Order of St. John of God was beatified, the first outside Vatican City. The rite was very unusual since Cuba is a communist country and in communism, they give little room for religious tolerance just like Vietnam, North Korea and the equally notorious Chinese government.

Read additional info at Zenit.com or have a view of the beatification at
YouTube