The martyrs of the Church of Our Lady of Salvation showed the world once again who we are, the Christians of Iraq, and

iraq/Church/Attack

they joined the martyrs of our Church, those who sacrificed their lives to Christ our Lord, who taught us to bear witness to the resurrection of life, for forgiveness, for hope, for love, for faith, joy.

The blood of our fallen heroes cries out to the world and all humanity, and urges the Christians of Iraq, wherever we are, to “preach” to the world about the suffering and risen Christ who lives in our wounded land.

Yes, I say “preach” because our faith is good news, as it “was and will always be.” Who has ears to hear, hear us now, and know that Christ lives in the Christians of Iraq. It’s a witness that lives and will continue to live. And if there is someone who does not feel the importance of witnessing in life, we would only say to him and to the whole world, that for us it is life itself. What the world calls “nothing,” for us it is “everything”!

The Christians of Iraq are well aware that the risen Christ has conquered death, not because they are baptized believers, but rather because, with him, they have experienced death on the cross several times, and with him they drank the bitter cup, and have experienced the abandonment of others. And side by side with him they walked the way of his cross, and fell under the weight of their cross — once in the attack on their churches, one with death, and yet another with the massacre of Our Lady of Salvation. Yet, they continue to stand up and live their faith as they have always done throughout history, walking along the path of suffering.

For Christians in Iraq, Oct. 31 was not the first time they have suffered, and no human being, especially those who claim to want peace, but really don’t, can pretend that this will be the last time. But they do not interest us, because our hope has never been, and never will be, in them, but in the One who took up his cross and walked the path of death to ensure that life will continue and eventually win.

Joy and tragedy

Iraq’s Christians have experienced deeply the meaning of life because they have experienced its joys after having tasted the bitterness of grief. They have lived in hope after experiencing the power of tragedy. They experienced laughter after having paid tears, and have experienced smiles after seeing their will broken by violence. These are really the Christians of Iraq with their good hearts, who love everyone, their country, and life, and these are those who forgive their enemies, and sow goodness wherever they are, spreading the spirit of peace. And despite their great suffering, they never forgot to live their Christian spirit in every place they went.

As an example of all this I can show you the Church of Our Lady of Salvation, which speaks on behalf of all Christians in Iraq, and which give examples written with the blood of its martyrs.

Have you heard how they died in this massacre, the two brave priests, and Wasim Sabieh and Thaier Saad Abdal? Did you know that they defended the faithful and tried to save their lives by offering their own from the first moment the criminals set foot in church? Did you know that a father protected his son by covering him completely with his own body while they were lying on the floor, and died in a hail of bullets so that the child would survive? Have you heard that the killers murdered a four-month-old baby girl and a young woman who, on the day of her death, had received the best news, namely that she was pregnant, and so went to church to thank God for this gift?

O people of the world, these are the Christians of Iraq. Hear and evangelize to everyone!

And you Christians of Iraq, when sadness fills your soul and you cannot imagine the future, look up there, to the God of Heaven and Earth, and remember well who you are and let the world know! Christ will not leave us alone, we are his “little flock,” and he wants us to remain forever with him, to live our faith and our love for all as we have always done, because as he tells us, “By this all men will know that you are my disciples” (John 13: 35).

We witness with our lives, so that the world can see what is happening to us, so that those who have plugged their ears and those who have shut their mouths will speak about who we are. We are the Christians of Iraq!( Zanit)

Pope Benedict XVI unveiled a new Vatican agency to promote “new evangelization” and assigned it the task of combating the “de-Christianization” of countries that were first evangelized centuries ago.

Pope Benedict XVI unveiled a new Vatican agency to promote “new evangelization” and assigned it the task of combating the “de-Christianization” of countries that were first evangelized centuries ago.
In an apostolic letter released Oct. 12, the pope warned of a progressive detachment from religious faith, especially in countries marked by scientific and economic progress. The new council, he said, will encourage a clearer understanding of the faith and help “remake the Christian fabric of human society.”
One of the specific tasks of the agency, called the Pontifical Council for Promoting New Evangelization, will be to favor the use of the Catechism of the Catholic Church, the pope said. Speaking at a news conference the same day, the president of the council, Archbishop Rino Fisichella, said missionary activity in modern societies requires a systematic effort against “the lack of awareness of the basic contents of the faith” among many Catholics. “We need to avoid, above all, that ‘new evangelization’ comes across like an abstract formula. We need to fill this idea with theological and pastoral content, and we’ll do it on the strength of the magisterium of these last decades,” he said. The archbishop said the council would work closely with modern communications media — an explicit request of the pope — and that the council’s staff would operate in several languages.
In his apostolic letter, which was released only in Italian and Latin, the pope identified a variety of factors in the weakening of religious faith in the West: advances in science and technology; the widening of individual freedom and lifestyle choices; profound economic changes; the mixing of cultures and ethnic groups brought about by migration; and the growing interdependence among peoples. While such changes have brought about benefits for many people, they have often been accompanied by “a worrisome loss of the sense of the sacred,” he said.
This erosion of religious values has led to a questioning of fundamental truths that once formed the basis of human society, such as “faith in God the creator, the revelation of Jesus Christ as the unique savior, and the shared understanding of such fundamental experiences of man as living, dying and living in a family,” he said.
Although some have hailed these changes as a liberation, the pope said, others have seen that an “interior desert” is formed when people try to live without such essential values. He said the new pontifical council will address these expressions of religious indifference, which he said today were more worrisome than “declared atheism.” The pope added that the situations were different in each country, so a “single formula” of new evangelization is impractical.
In some traditionally Christian countries, he said, the faith still shows vitality; in others it shows signs of weakness; and some areas, unfortunately, have become “almost completely de-Christianized.” He asked the pontifical council to work closely with local bishops’ conferences to promote evangelization strategies. – http://www.catholicnews.com

Calling all filmmakers to be inspired by the 2011 official film festival theme, the Mystery of Love, The John Paul II International Film Festival  has extended its submission deadline until November 7th, 2010.

“The high volume of responses to this year’s theme made us curious to see how filmmakers, especially film students, were interpreting the theme,” said Festival Co-Founder, Laura Alvarado Brennan.

Since the first call for submissions in June 2010, the festival’s theme has drawn in films from France, Russia, India, Poland, England, New Zealand and many states across the U.S.

“When we chose last year’s theme, we found that the only way to express the state of our country and the world was to call for films that demonstrated ‘faith through the storm.’ This year, concurrent with our mission, we are hoping to find a film that exhibits how the mysterious power of love forges a common bond in the human condition.”

The extended deadline will give films currently in post-production an opportunity to be the festival’s Opening Night Film, which is a spot reserved for debuting films with potential for main stream distribution. The second annual JPII Film Festival is scheduled for February 17th- 26th, 2011 in selected venues around Miami, Florida.

Filmmakers are encouraged to visit www.jp2filmfestival.com for more information on how to submit to the 2011 festival.

The Festival is being organized by 7eventhDay Media, Inc, a non- profit organization based in Miami, Florida, that seeks to nurture faith-inspired filmmakers to create high quality productions that serve as witness to their faith.

About The John Paul II International Film Festival

Based on the late Pope John Paul II’s “Letter to Artists”, where he refers to artists as “capable of “render[ing] an exceptional social service in favor of the common good,” The John Paul II International Film Festival™ is an inter-faith event that welcomes films of all faiths and backgrounds with the intention of creating an awareness of a common bond in the human condition through artistic expression.

Orthodox and Catholic theologians studying one of the main issues on the road to full unity — the role of the pope — have concluded their meeting with the resolve to continue studying, and with an emphasis on the “primacy of charity.”

The International Mixed Commission for Theological Dialogue Between the Catholic Church and the Orthodox Church concluded its six-day meeting in Vienna on Monday.

In this 12th plenary session, the commission has been examining the same theme that drew them together in 2009: “The Role of the Bishop of Rome in the Communion of the Church in the First Millennium.” This theme obviously has great ramifications for the ecumenical process, since in the first millennium (before the Great Schism of 1054), there was no split between the Catholic and Orthodox.

During a Eucharistic celebration presided over by Cardinal Christoph Schönborn, archbishop of Vienna, the cardinal affirmed in his homily, “We have and we need a primacy in the canonical sense, but above all there is the primacy of charity.”

“All canonical dispositions in the Church serve this primacy of love (agape),” he added.

A communiqué that was released at the end of the meeting noted that 23 Catholic members of the commission took part in the gathering, and representations from all the Orthodox Churches, except the Patriarchate of Bulgaria.

The participating Orthodox Churches included: the Ecumenical Patriarchate, the Patriarchate of Alexandria, the Patriarchate of Antioch, the Patriarchate of Jerusalem, the Patriarchate of Moscow, the Patriarchate of Serbia, the Patriarchate of Romania, the Patriarchate of Georgia, the Church of Cyprus, the Church of Greece, the Church of Poland, the Church of Albania and the Church of the Czech Lands and Slovakia.

The Catholic co-president of the meeting was for the first time Archbishop Kurt Koch, the new president of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity. He was appointed to that role in July. The Orthodox co-president was Metropolitan Ioannis Zizioulas of Pergamum.

At the opening session on Sept. 22, Cardinal Schönborn and Metropolitan Michael of Austria of the Ecumenical Patriarchate both gave welcoming addresses in which they stressed the importance of Vienna’s place in the history of Christianity.

The co-presidents relayed to the participants the words of Benedict XVI and Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew on the occasion of the meeting.

Authentic testimony

In his Sept. 22 general audience, the Pope appealed, “I exhort everyone to pray intensely for the efforts of the commission and for a continuous development and consolidation of peace among the baptized, so that we can give the world an ever more authentic evangelical testimony.”

In a celebration of the Divine Liturgy in the Orthodox Cathedral of the Holy Trinity, Metropolitan Michael of Austria underlined “the close collaboration between Orthodox and Catholics in Austria and in Vienna in particular, expressing the wish that the Lord’s prayer ‘that all may be one’ (Jn 17:21) be a reality in the search for the unity of his Church.”

The commission continued its discussion on the Bishop of Rome in the 1st Millennium, based on the consideration of a draft text, which is being used as a working document. The commission decided that the document still needs further revisions.

The commission also decided to form a sub-commission to begin consideration “of the theological and ecclesiological aspects of primacy in its relation to synodality,” the communiqué reported.

It noted that this sub-commission will submit its work to the joint coordinating committee of the commission, which will meet next year.

During the meeting, participants were informed of the death of Monsignor Eleuterio Fortino, co-secretary of the joint commission since its inception, and they offered prayers for the repose of his soul.

The communiqué concluded that this meeting “was marked by a spirit of friendship and trustful collaboration.”

It added that the participants “strongly commend the continuing work of the dialogue to the prayers of the faithful.” – ZENIT

Patriarch Kirill Calls for Catholics and Orthodox to Work Together

Catholics understand that Orthodox (people) are their allies. And Orthodox (people) are more and more coming to understand that Catholics are their allies

There is a growing recognition that there is more that joins theologically faithful Catholics and theologically faithful Orthodox than that which separates us. Patriarch Kirill fuels the growing Catholic and Orthodox collaboration to stem the decline of moral values and the hostility of the West toward the Church.

MOSCOW (Catholic Online)  - We welcomed with great hope the selection of Patriarch Kirill as the 16th Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia (See New Russian Patriarch Kirill Elected in Moscow Synod ) The election of Patriarch Kirill was the first election of a Patriarch since the fall of the atheist Communist regime which governed the former Soviet Union for so many years. It was a sign of hope for the revitalization of the ancient faith in this critical time in history.

Patriarch Kirill is theologically and doctrinally solid – a man of deep faith and courage. He is a champion of the authentic Orthodox Christian Tradition and a stalwart defender of the doctrine of the ancient Faith. He is outspoken in his concern over the moral decline of Russian, European and the broader western culture.He is also dedicated to doing something about it by leading a resurgence of authentic Christianity in a new missionary undertaking to the culture.

In an insightful analysis written for Catholic Online entitled Patriarch Kirill & Pope Benedict: A Tale of Two Leaders for a new Missionary Age Orthodox priest Fr Johannes L. Jacobse, the editor of Orthodoxy Today and President of the American Orthodox Institute opined  ” Patriarch Kirill is a theological conservative in the mold of Pope Benedict. Both see religion as the wellspring of culture. Both understand that Europe cannot escape a final capitulation to tyranny if it does not rediscover its Christian roots.”

Patriarch Kirill has not ceased to offer his voice of clarity and authority to the growing Catholic and Orthodox critique of the decline of moral values and the hostility of the contemporary culture toward the Church. He is a fervent and prophetic figure these days, exposing the growing rejection of Christian influence throughout the world and warning of the the dangers such a rejection presents.

Patriarch Kirill has called upon Orthodox Christians to be actively involved in reclaiming the culture with the values informed by the ancient faith. In that vital work, he regularly expresses his support for their collaboration with Catholics.He did so on Tuesday, July 19, 2010. The Patriarch traveled to Ukraine to celebrate the Baptism of Rus. The celebration will continue until July 28, 2010.

One of many signs of the work of the Holy Spirit in the Third Christian Millennium is the rediscovery between Orthodox and Catholic Christians of our common Baptismal bond as brothers and sisters in Jesus Christ. I am numbered among those who believe that the Holy Spirit is gathering a movement of Orthodox and Catholic Christians who recognize a shared calling to herald a new missionary age of the Church in this critical hour.

There is a growing recognition that there is more that joins theologically faithful Catholics and theologically faithful Orthodox than that which separates us. The urgency of the cultural decline compels our collaboration in Christ and is leading us to a growing mutuality of respect which may pave the way toward communion.

Shortly after his selection the Patriarch noted that, “in the Vatican and not only in the Vatican but all over the world, Catholics understand that Orthodox (people) are their allies. And Orthodox (people) are more and more coming to understand that Catholics are their allies in the face of hostile and non-religious secularism.”

On Monday July 19, 2010 the following report appeared in Interfax

Archbishop Pennacchio appointed Apostolic Nuncio to India and Nepal

8 May 2010, Kochi, Kerala, India:Archbishop Salvatore Pennacchio has been appointed Apostolic Nuncio to India and Nepal on May 8, 2010. He succeeds Archbishop Pedro Lopez Quintana. He was born in Marano (Naples) Italy on 7 September 1952. He was ordained a priest on 18 September 1976. He holds a Doctorate in Philosophy and entered into the Diplomatic Service of the Holy See on 15 April, 1979. He served in the Apostolic Nunciature in Panama, Ethiopia, Australia, Turkey, Egypt, Yugoslavia and Ireland. On 28 November, 1998, he was appointed Apostolic Nuncio to Rwanda and on 20 September 2003, he was appointed Apostolic Nuncio to Thailand, Singapore and Cambodia, and Apostolic Delegate in Myanmar, Laos, Malaysia and Brunei. He speaks English, French and Spanish.