From http://www.donegaldaily.com/2012/01/29/revealed-bishop-boyce-could-face-charge-over-controversial-knock-sermon/
The Catholic Bishop of Raphoe Dr Philip Boyce is being investigated
by the Director of Public Prosecutions following a formal complaint that
a sermon in Knock amounted to 'incitement to hatred', it was revealed
today.
Gardai have confirmed to former Fine Gael election candidate John
Colgan that they have prepared and forwarded a file to the DPP after he
made allegations that the address by Dr Boyce was in breach of the
Prohibition of Incitement to Hatred Act, 1989.
The homily, entitled: "To Trust in God" was delivered to worshippers
during a Novena in Knock last August where the Bishop referred to the
church being under attack by a 'Godless culture.'
Kildare man Mr Colgan, a humanist, made a formal complaint over two passages in the Donegal bishop's sermon.
Dr Boyce had referred to the church being "attacked from outside by the arrows of a secular and godless culture".
A second passage, which was included in the complaint, stated: "For
the distinguishing mark of Christian believers is the fact they have a
future; it is not that they know all the details that await them, but
they know in general terms that their life will not end in emptiness."
Today Mr Colgan told a newspaper: "I believe statements of this kind
are an incitement to hatred of dissidents, outsiders, secularists,
within the meaning of the [Incitement to Hatred] Act, who are perfectly
good citizens within the meaning of the civil law.
"The statements exemplify the chronic antipathy towards secularists,
humanists etc, which has manifested itself in the ostracising of
otherwise perfectly good Irish citizens, who do not share the aims of
the Vatican's Irish Mission Church."
To back up his complaint, Mr Colgan referred to two statistical
surveys carried out two decades apart by the Jesuit sociologist and
academic Fr Michael MacGreil, entitled: 'Prejudice and Tolerance in
Ireland' and 'Prejudice in Ireland Revisited' which Mr Colgan claims
showed "marked prejudice by Roman Catholics and other Christian
denominations against agnostics and atheists" (humanist was not an
option offered to respondents in either survey).
In his complaint, Mr Colgan said he attributed this prejudice to
"hostile propaganda disseminated in school and chapel in the main by or
for the institutional churches, for there is no rational or temporal
reason". In a statement to the Sunday Independent, Martin Long of the
Catholic Communications office said: "Bishop Boyce's homily 'To Trust in
God' is available for anyone to read at catholicbishops.ie.
"I advise any person to read it and judge it for themselves. It is
clearly a reasonable, balanced, honest -- and indeed self-critical from a
church perspective -- analysis of the value of the Catholic faith.
Bishop Boyce is a good and holy man and much loved by those who know
him."
After the homily was delivered late last summer, Mr Colgan wrote personally to the cleric seeking a corrective statement.
Dr Boyce responded saying that in his homily he did "not wish to
disparage in any way the sincere efforts of those with no religious
beliefs, atheists, humanists etc.
"I have too much respect for each human person, since I believe all
are created in the image of God. At Knock I wished to encourage and
confirm the hope of believers, even in the present challenging times,
since trust in God was the theme I was given."
Monday, January 30, 2012
Saturday, January 28, 2012
Doctors save baby born with no blood
From http://www.foxnews.com/health/2012/01/27/doctors-save-baby-born-with-no-blood/print
A British baby was miraculously saved after being born with no blood in his body.
A rare condition drained Oliver Morgan's small frame of almost every drop while he was in the womb.
When he was delivered he looked pale and stillborn -- and doctors were unable to find a heartbeat for an astonishing 25 minutes.
But battling Oliver survived against all odds after being given oxygen, gentle heart massage and a lifesaving blood transfusion. Medics fought back tears when his heart monitor let out the first telltale beep.
Oliver is now a happy, healthy 15-month-old toddler.
His mom, 36-year-old Katy Morgan from Maidstone, southern England, said Thursday, "Oliver's birth was so traumatic that I haven't been able to bring myself to tell his story till now. He was born dead with no blood in his body -- but now he's sitting here smiling at me."
"The doctors literally brought him back to life and I will never be able to thank them enough for this wonderful gift," she added.
Oliver almost bled to death after a rare condition called vasa previa formed an extra vein in his mom's womb. It burst -- and she woke up covered in blood 37.5 weeks into her pregnancy.
She was rushed to the Maidstone General Hospital and was shocked to discover it had all come from her baby.
Oliver was born by emergency C-section weighing six pounds and one ounce (2.8 kilograms) at 5.12am local time. After attempts to resuscitate him, he was given a blood transfusion pumped into the still-attached umbilical cord.
At 5.37am local time the first heartbeat was detected and grew stronger as he was given more blood.
Katy Morgan -- who was anesthetized and unaware of the drama -- said, "Doctors said it was one of the most amazing recoveries they'd ever seen. Oliver had no blood, no heartbeat and looked stillborn -- but somehow they got him back."
Oliver was taken to a special care baby unit where doctors decided to lower his body temperature to save his brain from damage. He was placed inside a tiny coat which chilled him to 91 degrees Fahrenheit (33 degrees Celsius) to make blood flow away from his skin and to his brain and heart so they would heal more efficiently.
After three nail-biting days, consultants slowly began raising his temperature to the normal 99 degrees Fahrenheit (37 degrees Celsius). And after just 11 days Oliver was well enough to be taken home to start family life.
"It's hard to believe, looking back at what he's been through -- but Ollie's now a bright, happy boy with his whole life ahead of him," his mom said.
Click here to read more from The Sun.
Published January 27, 2012
| NewsCore
A rare condition drained Oliver Morgan's small frame of almost every drop while he was in the womb.
When he was delivered he looked pale and stillborn -- and doctors were unable to find a heartbeat for an astonishing 25 minutes.
But battling Oliver survived against all odds after being given oxygen, gentle heart massage and a lifesaving blood transfusion. Medics fought back tears when his heart monitor let out the first telltale beep.
Oliver is now a happy, healthy 15-month-old toddler.
His mom, 36-year-old Katy Morgan from Maidstone, southern England, said Thursday, "Oliver's birth was so traumatic that I haven't been able to bring myself to tell his story till now. He was born dead with no blood in his body -- but now he's sitting here smiling at me."
"The doctors literally brought him back to life and I will never be able to thank them enough for this wonderful gift," she added.
Oliver almost bled to death after a rare condition called vasa previa formed an extra vein in his mom's womb. It burst -- and she woke up covered in blood 37.5 weeks into her pregnancy.
She was rushed to the Maidstone General Hospital and was shocked to discover it had all come from her baby.
Oliver was born by emergency C-section weighing six pounds and one ounce (2.8 kilograms) at 5.12am local time. After attempts to resuscitate him, he was given a blood transfusion pumped into the still-attached umbilical cord.
At 5.37am local time the first heartbeat was detected and grew stronger as he was given more blood.
Katy Morgan -- who was anesthetized and unaware of the drama -- said, "Doctors said it was one of the most amazing recoveries they'd ever seen. Oliver had no blood, no heartbeat and looked stillborn -- but somehow they got him back."
Oliver was taken to a special care baby unit where doctors decided to lower his body temperature to save his brain from damage. He was placed inside a tiny coat which chilled him to 91 degrees Fahrenheit (33 degrees Celsius) to make blood flow away from his skin and to his brain and heart so they would heal more efficiently.
After three nail-biting days, consultants slowly began raising his temperature to the normal 99 degrees Fahrenheit (37 degrees Celsius). And after just 11 days Oliver was well enough to be taken home to start family life.
"It's hard to believe, looking back at what he's been through -- but Ollie's now a bright, happy boy with his whole life ahead of him," his mom said.
Click here to read more from The Sun.
Thursday, January 26, 2012
Panicked Catholics flee violence in northern Nigeria
.
As many as 35,000 people have fled their homes in northern Nigeria after continuing attacks from the Islamic extremist group Boko Haram. Their numbers include a large number of Catholics who report that churches have been destroyed.
“There is panic. Many just leave everything behind, and run for safety, because they do not know when violence might flare up again,” a source told Aid to the Church in Need on Jan. 24.
On Jan. 20, Boko Haram killed at least 185 people in attacks that rocked Kano city, located in the state of Borno, the Associated Press reports. The coordinated attacks used cars with heavy explosives and suicide bombers who targeted police stations. Men in security uniforms gunned down government officials.
Churches have also been destroyed in Maidiguri in Borno and the city of Bauchi, in Bauchi state.
“It is the stated goal of Boko Haram to make the whole of the north free of Christians,” one source told Aid to the Church in Need.
At the beginning of January, Boko Haram spokesman Abu Qaqa gave Christians a three-day ultimatum to leave the area.
Refugees are headed to where they believe it is safe, especially the city of Jos.
Boko Haram’s name means “western education is sinful” in Nigeria’s Hausa language. The group has killed at least 935 people since its 2009 uprising, and more than 250 since the beginning of 2012, Human Rights Watch reports.
The Catholic bishops of Nigeria have decried the actions of the group.
Analysts believe the group intends to make the administration of President Goodluck Jonathan, a Christian, appear unable to control the country.
As many as 35,000 people have fled their homes in northern Nigeria after continuing attacks from the Islamic extremist group Boko Haram. Their numbers include a large number of Catholics who report that churches have been destroyed.
“There is panic. Many just leave everything behind, and run for safety, because they do not know when violence might flare up again,” a source told Aid to the Church in Need on Jan. 24.
On Jan. 20, Boko Haram killed at least 185 people in attacks that rocked Kano city, located in the state of Borno, the Associated Press reports. The coordinated attacks used cars with heavy explosives and suicide bombers who targeted police stations. Men in security uniforms gunned down government officials.
Churches have also been destroyed in Maidiguri in Borno and the city of Bauchi, in Bauchi state.
“It is the stated goal of Boko Haram to make the whole of the north free of Christians,” one source told Aid to the Church in Need.
At the beginning of January, Boko Haram spokesman Abu Qaqa gave Christians a three-day ultimatum to leave the area.
Refugees are headed to where they believe it is safe, especially the city of Jos.
Boko Haram’s name means “western education is sinful” in Nigeria’s Hausa language. The group has killed at least 935 people since its 2009 uprising, and more than 250 since the beginning of 2012, Human Rights Watch reports.
The Catholic bishops of Nigeria have decried the actions of the group.
Analysts believe the group intends to make the administration of President Goodluck Jonathan, a Christian, appear unable to control the country.
Ireland: “Catholic pride” deals a blow to the Government
From http://vaticaninsider.lastampa.it/en/homepage/world-news/detail/articolo/irlanda-ireland-chiesa-church-iglesia-11962/
Giacomo Galeazzi Vatican City
A Catholic wave has come crashing down on the Irish Prime Minister Enda Kenny. In Dublin, 100,000 postcards were sent to the head of government in protest at the closure of the Irish Embassy to the Holy See. Two months ago, Ireland downgraded its representation in the Holy See from resident to non-resident.
The website of the international movement "We Are Church" reported a statement made by the Jesuit essayist, Fr. Brian Lennon, published in the Italian Jesuit monthly magazine Popoli. Fr. Lennon warned that “the government has got the time frame wrong: it was in 1998 that Cardinal Castrillon Hoyos, head of the Congregation for the Clergy, told the Irish bishops that the Vatican’s policy was to protect priests when they were accused.” According to the Government, this occurred within the last three years. “While it is a regrettable inaccuracy in such an important statement by the government, the minister’s words probably reflect the general indignation aroused by the revelations of the Cloyne Report,” Fr. Brian Lennon observed.
“The government’s decision to close its embassy in the Vatican is a symptom of the profound change in relations between Ireland and the Holy See. In the past, the Church had great influence in Irish society. Bishops and priests were treated with respect and could influence legislation on moral issues. Since the publication of the Reports on the abuse, clerical collars are frowned upon by many and wearers are sometimes insulted in the street.”
A problem that has emerged from this crisis is that many priests and religious persons feel guilty for what happened, “even if they are innocent, because they did not abuse anyone and never held positions of authority.” This, according to Fr. Lennon, “raises the question of collegial relationships: to what extent should innocent members of the Church take a share of responsibility for the actions of the organization they belong to? It is a regular matter of civil law and conflict situations: for example, whether or not young Germans born after 1945 should be asked to pay taxes to contribute to compensation for the people of Israel by the German state for the Holocaust, even though they were not born during the Second World War?”
A second issue raised by the crisis regards the structures governing the Church today. “The Bishop of Cloyne had been able to ignore the Framework Document of 1996 because it was a document from the Irish Conference of Bishops,” the Jesuit emphasized. “Individual bishops are not obligated to respond to the bishops’ conferences, nor are they accountable to any layman. They are accountable only to the Pope.
“Thus, the Conference of Bishops could not impose the Framework Document on the individual bishops, and this is a weakness in Church governance. However, it should also be remembered that the situation has improved since 1996: it was the priest in charge of the protection of children, acting for the Irish Conference of Bishops, who alerted the civil authorities so that they could take care of the protection of children in Cloyne. So, even if he did not have direct authority according to ecclesiastical law, he was still able to have a positive influence. It is a ray of light in an ugly situation.”
The decision to close the embassy in the Vatican was announced with a note from the Irish Foreign Ministry to the effect that the reasons were purely economic - so much so that in addition to the embassy at the Holy See, they are also closing embassies in Iran and East Timor. It is as if to say that for the very Catholic Ireland, representatives in Persia and in the former Portuguese colony have the same weight of office as in the capital of Christendom. That choice ended up not too far from the decision of the Holy See to withdraw its ambassador from Ireland after the decisive attack directed at the Vatican by Irish Prime Minister, Enda Kenny (one year after the publication of the Report on sexual abuse in the Church of Ireland) for the “distant, elitist, and narcissistic” management of abuse cases. “Although the Embassy at the Holy See is one of the oldest missions of Ireland,” the statement reads, “it does not produce economic returns.” So, the Irish government believes that “the interests of Ireland with the Holy See are sufficiently represented by a non-resident ambassador.” There was no official controversy, and no reference to paedophilia cases. The Vatican reply follows along the same lines: “The Holy See notes the decision to close the Embassy of Ireland in Rome at the Holy See,” writes Father Federico Lombardi, director of the Vatican Press Office. He continues: “Any State which has diplomatic relations with the Holy See is free to decide, according to its abilities and interests, whether to have an ambassador at the Holy See living in Rome or as a resident of another country.” Thus, they are not questioning “the diplomatic relations between the Holy See and Ireland.”
Nevertheless, Cardinal Sean Brady, Archbishop of Armagh and Primate of Ireland, has expressed “deep disappointment” at the Irish Government’s decision to close the Dublin embassy to the Holy See. Prior to the closure of the Irish Embassy at the Vatican, the tone was less peaceful. An Irish government commission had published its latest report on sexual abuse by Irish priests in the diocese of Cloyne - a document that has triggered a controversy between the two diplomacies. Irish Prime Minister Enda Kenny has bluntly criticized the shortcomings of the Holy See, which have existed, in his opinion, until the recent past.
On 29 October, the Vatican published a clarification note from the Secretary of State. The Irish Government replied, thanking him for the clarification and asking for “full cooperation” in the future, but reiterated the criticisms and spoke of the “anger” of the Irish population. Meanwhile, the Apostolic Nuncio to Ireland, Archbishop Giuseppe Leanza, who was called back to Rome in protest, was then appointed representative of the Holy See in the Czech Republic.
On 3 November, Dublin’s government announced that the headquarters of the ambassador to the Holy See, which had been vacant for months, would be closed. The Pope had intervened directly on the scandal of paedophilia in Ireland, with a letter to the Irish faithful, an apostolic visit, and the resignation of several bishops. Benedict XVI’s “zero tolerance” rule was introduced during a roundtable hosted by the Senate and the Maltese Prelate Charles J. Scicluna, promoter of justice of the Congregation for the Doctrine of Faith: “The complaint of abuse may be hampered by mistaken considerations and inappropriate loyalty and solidarity.” The Catholic Church, says the Chief Prosecutor of the Holy See, knows that every time one of its ministers (whether it be a bishop, a priest, a deacon, or a lay pastoral agent) sexually abuses a child, a tragic injury is inflicted on the community, subordinated to the indescribably repugnant damage caused to the child.”
Giacomo Galeazzi Vatican City
A Catholic wave has come crashing down on the Irish Prime Minister Enda Kenny. In Dublin, 100,000 postcards were sent to the head of government in protest at the closure of the Irish Embassy to the Holy See. Two months ago, Ireland downgraded its representation in the Holy See from resident to non-resident.
The website of the international movement "We Are Church" reported a statement made by the Jesuit essayist, Fr. Brian Lennon, published in the Italian Jesuit monthly magazine Popoli. Fr. Lennon warned that “the government has got the time frame wrong: it was in 1998 that Cardinal Castrillon Hoyos, head of the Congregation for the Clergy, told the Irish bishops that the Vatican’s policy was to protect priests when they were accused.” According to the Government, this occurred within the last three years. “While it is a regrettable inaccuracy in such an important statement by the government, the minister’s words probably reflect the general indignation aroused by the revelations of the Cloyne Report,” Fr. Brian Lennon observed.
“The government’s decision to close its embassy in the Vatican is a symptom of the profound change in relations between Ireland and the Holy See. In the past, the Church had great influence in Irish society. Bishops and priests were treated with respect and could influence legislation on moral issues. Since the publication of the Reports on the abuse, clerical collars are frowned upon by many and wearers are sometimes insulted in the street.”
A problem that has emerged from this crisis is that many priests and religious persons feel guilty for what happened, “even if they are innocent, because they did not abuse anyone and never held positions of authority.” This, according to Fr. Lennon, “raises the question of collegial relationships: to what extent should innocent members of the Church take a share of responsibility for the actions of the organization they belong to? It is a regular matter of civil law and conflict situations: for example, whether or not young Germans born after 1945 should be asked to pay taxes to contribute to compensation for the people of Israel by the German state for the Holocaust, even though they were not born during the Second World War?”
A second issue raised by the crisis regards the structures governing the Church today. “The Bishop of Cloyne had been able to ignore the Framework Document of 1996 because it was a document from the Irish Conference of Bishops,” the Jesuit emphasized. “Individual bishops are not obligated to respond to the bishops’ conferences, nor are they accountable to any layman. They are accountable only to the Pope.
“Thus, the Conference of Bishops could not impose the Framework Document on the individual bishops, and this is a weakness in Church governance. However, it should also be remembered that the situation has improved since 1996: it was the priest in charge of the protection of children, acting for the Irish Conference of Bishops, who alerted the civil authorities so that they could take care of the protection of children in Cloyne. So, even if he did not have direct authority according to ecclesiastical law, he was still able to have a positive influence. It is a ray of light in an ugly situation.”
The decision to close the embassy in the Vatican was announced with a note from the Irish Foreign Ministry to the effect that the reasons were purely economic - so much so that in addition to the embassy at the Holy See, they are also closing embassies in Iran and East Timor. It is as if to say that for the very Catholic Ireland, representatives in Persia and in the former Portuguese colony have the same weight of office as in the capital of Christendom. That choice ended up not too far from the decision of the Holy See to withdraw its ambassador from Ireland after the decisive attack directed at the Vatican by Irish Prime Minister, Enda Kenny (one year after the publication of the Report on sexual abuse in the Church of Ireland) for the “distant, elitist, and narcissistic” management of abuse cases. “Although the Embassy at the Holy See is one of the oldest missions of Ireland,” the statement reads, “it does not produce economic returns.” So, the Irish government believes that “the interests of Ireland with the Holy See are sufficiently represented by a non-resident ambassador.” There was no official controversy, and no reference to paedophilia cases. The Vatican reply follows along the same lines: “The Holy See notes the decision to close the Embassy of Ireland in Rome at the Holy See,” writes Father Federico Lombardi, director of the Vatican Press Office. He continues: “Any State which has diplomatic relations with the Holy See is free to decide, according to its abilities and interests, whether to have an ambassador at the Holy See living in Rome or as a resident of another country.” Thus, they are not questioning “the diplomatic relations between the Holy See and Ireland.”
Nevertheless, Cardinal Sean Brady, Archbishop of Armagh and Primate of Ireland, has expressed “deep disappointment” at the Irish Government’s decision to close the Dublin embassy to the Holy See. Prior to the closure of the Irish Embassy at the Vatican, the tone was less peaceful. An Irish government commission had published its latest report on sexual abuse by Irish priests in the diocese of Cloyne - a document that has triggered a controversy between the two diplomacies. Irish Prime Minister Enda Kenny has bluntly criticized the shortcomings of the Holy See, which have existed, in his opinion, until the recent past.
On 29 October, the Vatican published a clarification note from the Secretary of State. The Irish Government replied, thanking him for the clarification and asking for “full cooperation” in the future, but reiterated the criticisms and spoke of the “anger” of the Irish population. Meanwhile, the Apostolic Nuncio to Ireland, Archbishop Giuseppe Leanza, who was called back to Rome in protest, was then appointed representative of the Holy See in the Czech Republic.
On 3 November, Dublin’s government announced that the headquarters of the ambassador to the Holy See, which had been vacant for months, would be closed. The Pope had intervened directly on the scandal of paedophilia in Ireland, with a letter to the Irish faithful, an apostolic visit, and the resignation of several bishops. Benedict XVI’s “zero tolerance” rule was introduced during a roundtable hosted by the Senate and the Maltese Prelate Charles J. Scicluna, promoter of justice of the Congregation for the Doctrine of Faith: “The complaint of abuse may be hampered by mistaken considerations and inappropriate loyalty and solidarity.” The Catholic Church, says the Chief Prosecutor of the Holy See, knows that every time one of its ministers (whether it be a bishop, a priest, a deacon, or a lay pastoral agent) sexually abuses a child, a tragic injury is inflicted on the community, subordinated to the indescribably repugnant damage caused to the child.”
Thursday, January 19, 2012
Stolen relic returned to abbey
From http://www.u.tv/articles/ArticlePrint.aspx?cat=news&guid=c2453098-df23-448b-8fa1-21c97046c412
The silver Holy Cross containing the relic was taken from a display case in Holycross Abbey in Thurles, Co Tipperary in October.
Two masked men armed with an angle grinder, a hammer and a screwdriver took the crucifix, along with a separate 14th-century silver cross containing two crosses and two dark stones in what is understood to have been a planned robbery.
Both have now been returned and neither were seriously damaged.
Father Tom Breen said he had been optimistic that the crosses would find their way back home.
"The finding of the relics is a true answer to the enormous prayerful response to their theft," said Fr Breen.
"The thousands of prayers to the Lord by people all over Ireland and beyond, for their safe return, have been answered. It is brilliant news and once again demonstrates the power of prayer."
The relic had been in the abbey since 1180 and attracts 250,000 visitors each year. It is believed to have been a gift from the King of Munster.
The relic was found in a search of a property in the Midlands area on Monday.
Fr Breen paid tribute to the investigating officers, saying: "Their professionalism was outstanding and they have worked tirelessly to retrieve the Relics. I cannot praise them highly enough."
Security at the abbey is now being revised to protect the relics, owing to what Fr Breen described as their enormous devotional importance.
Archbishop of Cashel and Emly Most Reverend Dermot Clifford also thanked Gardai for the return of the artefacts.
"This is a joyous day and one for which thousands of people had been praying for since the relics were stolen last October," the Archbishop added.
"It is still a mystery to us all as to why the relics were stolen as they had little monetary value.
"However we must now find measures to protect the relics.
"In the meantime the thousands of people who annually travel to Holycross to pray and show their devotion to the Lord Jesus will be very happy and thankful that the Relics are to be returned to their proper home," he added.
The silver Holy Cross containing the relic was taken from a display case in Holycross Abbey in Thurles, Co Tipperary in October.
Two masked men armed with an angle grinder, a hammer and a screwdriver took the crucifix, along with a separate 14th-century silver cross containing two crosses and two dark stones in what is understood to have been a planned robbery.
Both have now been returned and neither were seriously damaged.
Father Tom Breen said he had been optimistic that the crosses would find their way back home.
"The finding of the relics is a true answer to the enormous prayerful response to their theft," said Fr Breen.
"The thousands of prayers to the Lord by people all over Ireland and beyond, for their safe return, have been answered. It is brilliant news and once again demonstrates the power of prayer."
The relic had been in the abbey since 1180 and attracts 250,000 visitors each year. It is believed to have been a gift from the King of Munster.
The relic was found in a search of a property in the Midlands area on Monday.
Fr Breen paid tribute to the investigating officers, saying: "Their professionalism was outstanding and they have worked tirelessly to retrieve the Relics. I cannot praise them highly enough."
Security at the abbey is now being revised to protect the relics, owing to what Fr Breen described as their enormous devotional importance.
Archbishop of Cashel and Emly Most Reverend Dermot Clifford also thanked Gardai for the return of the artefacts.
"This is a joyous day and one for which thousands of people had been praying for since the relics were stolen last October," the Archbishop added.
"It is still a mystery to us all as to why the relics were stolen as they had little monetary value.
"However we must now find measures to protect the relics.
"In the meantime the thousands of people who annually travel to Holycross to pray and show their devotion to the Lord Jesus will be very happy and thankful that the Relics are to be returned to their proper home," he added.
Tuesday, January 17, 2012
Public decries closure of embassy to the Vatican
From http://www.irishexaminer.com/ireland/kfidaumhmhkf/rss2/
Writing on the embassy closure, one member of the public claimed Mr Gilmore had a "raw hatred" of the Catholic Church and compared him to Oliver Cromwell.
Another claimed the Government was using the clerical child sexual abuse scandals as "cover" to wage a "vendetta" against the Church.
Several citizens questioned the economic rationale that Mr Gilmore put forward for closing the embassy, and said Ireland’s foreign policy efforts would ultimately suffer.
Mr Gilmore, in his role as foreign affairs minister, announced the decision to close the embassy on November 3 last, citing the need to save money.
He denied the move had anything to do with the fallout from the Cloyne Report in July, during which Mr Kenny had accused the Vatican of downplaying the rape and torture of children to protect its own primacy.
But whereas Mr Kenny received widespread public support following that speech, Mr Gilmore received mostly criticism following the decision to close the embassy.
The Irish Examiner sought to view, under the Freedom of Information Act, all letters and emails received by Mr Gilmore on the subject in the 12 days after the announcement of the decision.
A total of 102 records were released, 95 of which criticised the decision to close the embassy and just seven of which were supportive. In percentage terms, that meant 93.1% of the responses were critical and 6.9% supportive.
That was in contrast to the reaction Mr Kenny received after his July 20 speech, when 94.3% were supportive and just 5.7% were critical.
Monday, January 16, 2012
TÁNAISTE Eamon Gilmore’s decision to close the Irish embassy to the
Vatican was met with overwhelming opposition from the public with over
93% criticising the move.
It was in stark contrast to the hugely
supportive response to Taoiseach Enda Kenny’s blistering speech on the
Cloyne Report. It suggests, while the public thought Mr Kenny’s
denunciation of the Vatican in that speech was merited, the decision to
close the embassy was not. Writing on the embassy closure, one member of the public claimed Mr Gilmore had a "raw hatred" of the Catholic Church and compared him to Oliver Cromwell.
Another claimed the Government was using the clerical child sexual abuse scandals as "cover" to wage a "vendetta" against the Church.
Several citizens questioned the economic rationale that Mr Gilmore put forward for closing the embassy, and said Ireland’s foreign policy efforts would ultimately suffer.
Mr Gilmore, in his role as foreign affairs minister, announced the decision to close the embassy on November 3 last, citing the need to save money.
He denied the move had anything to do with the fallout from the Cloyne Report in July, during which Mr Kenny had accused the Vatican of downplaying the rape and torture of children to protect its own primacy.
But whereas Mr Kenny received widespread public support following that speech, Mr Gilmore received mostly criticism following the decision to close the embassy.
The Irish Examiner sought to view, under the Freedom of Information Act, all letters and emails received by Mr Gilmore on the subject in the 12 days after the announcement of the decision.
A total of 102 records were released, 95 of which criticised the decision to close the embassy and just seven of which were supportive. In percentage terms, that meant 93.1% of the responses were critical and 6.9% supportive.
That was in contrast to the reaction Mr Kenny received after his July 20 speech, when 94.3% were supportive and just 5.7% were critical.
The monk who was burned by a demon in his sleep
From http://www.catholicherald.co.uk/spirituallife/saintoftheweek/2012/01/16/the-monk-who-was-burned-by-a-demon-in-his-sleep/
St Fursey (January 16) helped advance Christianity in East Anglia and northern France
Fursey
(died 648) was an Irish monk who helped to advance Christianity in both
East Anglia and northern France. Precisely where and when Fursey was
born is unknown. According to a seventh-century life, he established a
monastery at Louth, some 35 miles north of Dublin.
The Venerable Bede records that Fursey experienced a vision, in which angels carried him out of his body to a great height. Looking down into a gloomy valley, he saw four fires. The first, an angel explained, was Falsehood; the next Covetousness; the third Discord and the last Injustice. Gradually these fires drew together into one mighty conflagration.
Fursey became alarmed. The angel, though, reassured him: “It will not burn you because you did not kindle it; for although it appears as a great and terrible fire, it tests everyone according according to his desert, and will burn away sinful desires.” Fursey did not entirely escape, for one of the demons who tortured fallen spirits in the flames thrust a victim against him, causing him to be burnt on his (presumably ghostly) shoulder and jaw.
Fursey recognised the man, and remembered that he had appropriated some of his clothes after he died. Restored once more to his body, he found that he had a permanent scar on his shoulder and jaw.
Bede heard this story from a monk who had met Fursey. His informant recalled that, although it was a bitterly cold day when he saw the saint, who was but thinly clad, the holy man was sweating profusely – “either”, as Bede suavely observes, “because of the consolation or the terror of his recollections”.
Around 637 Fursey crossed the Irish Sea to begin his life as a missionary. His first field of endeavour was in East Anglia, where King Sigbert wanted to restore Christianity after the depredations of the pagan Redwald.
Inspired by another vision, Fursey built a monastery on some land given him by Sigbert at Cnobheresburg (Burgh Castle in Suffolk). Soon, though, he turned over the administration of the monastery to his brother Fullan, and went to live with another brother, Ultan, who had become a hermit.
After he had spent some 10 years in East Anglia the kingdom was attacked by the paganissimus Penda of Mercia. Fursey fled across the Channel, where he was welcomed by the Frankish King Clovis II.
The King’s wife Balthild was an Anglo-Saxon aristocrat who had been sold into slavery in Gaul. Whether or not through this contact, Fursey was able to found another monastery at Lagnac, near Paris on the River Marne, before dying on a journey in 649.
Disputes over where he should be buried testified to the high regard in which he was held. Finally he was laid to rest in Péronne, where his cult continued to grow.
St Fursey (January 16) helped advance Christianity in East Anglia and northern France
By Spiritual Life on Monday, 16 January 2012
The Venerable Bede records that Fursey experienced a vision, in which angels carried him out of his body to a great height. Looking down into a gloomy valley, he saw four fires. The first, an angel explained, was Falsehood; the next Covetousness; the third Discord and the last Injustice. Gradually these fires drew together into one mighty conflagration.
Fursey became alarmed. The angel, though, reassured him: “It will not burn you because you did not kindle it; for although it appears as a great and terrible fire, it tests everyone according according to his desert, and will burn away sinful desires.” Fursey did not entirely escape, for one of the demons who tortured fallen spirits in the flames thrust a victim against him, causing him to be burnt on his (presumably ghostly) shoulder and jaw.
Fursey recognised the man, and remembered that he had appropriated some of his clothes after he died. Restored once more to his body, he found that he had a permanent scar on his shoulder and jaw.
Bede heard this story from a monk who had met Fursey. His informant recalled that, although it was a bitterly cold day when he saw the saint, who was but thinly clad, the holy man was sweating profusely – “either”, as Bede suavely observes, “because of the consolation or the terror of his recollections”.
Around 637 Fursey crossed the Irish Sea to begin his life as a missionary. His first field of endeavour was in East Anglia, where King Sigbert wanted to restore Christianity after the depredations of the pagan Redwald.
Inspired by another vision, Fursey built a monastery on some land given him by Sigbert at Cnobheresburg (Burgh Castle in Suffolk). Soon, though, he turned over the administration of the monastery to his brother Fullan, and went to live with another brother, Ultan, who had become a hermit.
After he had spent some 10 years in East Anglia the kingdom was attacked by the paganissimus Penda of Mercia. Fursey fled across the Channel, where he was welcomed by the Frankish King Clovis II.
The King’s wife Balthild was an Anglo-Saxon aristocrat who had been sold into slavery in Gaul. Whether or not through this contact, Fursey was able to found another monastery at Lagnac, near Paris on the River Marne, before dying on a journey in 649.
Disputes over where he should be buried testified to the high regard in which he was held. Finally he was laid to rest in Péronne, where his cult continued to grow.
Thursday, January 12, 2012
Titanic Priest, Fr. Browne, was saved by holy obedience
From http://www.derryjournal.com/lifestyle/fr_browne_s_titanic_album_released_to_mark_centenary_1_3399063
Published on Monday 9 January 2012 06:26
WHEN Derry priest Fr. Eddie O’Donnell stumbled across over 40,000 negatives belonging to the late Fr. Frank Browne he would not have been able to envisage the significance of what he had just discovered.
Fr. Browne, a Jesuit priest, was widely recognised as a skilled photographer. He boarded the Titanic in Southampton and several days later he was ordered off the boat in Cobh, Co. Cork by his superior.
Fr. O’Donnell was born in Dublin but was reared for the first few years of his life in 106 Bogside (close to where the Little Diamond is now) after the death of his mother. He spent summers visiting aunts, uncles and cousins in Derry before joining the Jesuits.
Fr O’Donnell discovered the invaluable collection of photographs and mementoes in a Dublin basement in 1985. His book ‘Father Browne’s Titanic Album’ has been updated and re-released to mark the 100th anniversary of the boat sinking in 1912.
Fr. O’Donell’s father was from the Bogside and his mother was born in Queen Street. The 71 year-old Jesuit priest now lives in the Gonzaga College, Dublin.
Fr. Browne has been described as a master photographer and as Ireland’s answer to Cartier-Breson. He first started taking photographs in 1897 and did so until his death in 1960.
Many of the photographs in the book have been digitally re-mastered and new photographs have been added for the centenary edition of the book.
“When Father Browne’s superior ordered him off the ship it essentially saved his life because very few men travelling in first class survived the tragedy when the boat sank.
“The book was first released in 1997 but we wanted to do something special for the centenary of the sinking of the ship so we added a chapter. It’s a piece that Fr. Browne wrote the day after he disembarked the ship in April 1912. He wrote many things after the tragedy but this was the only piece that I could find that he wrote before the tragedy.
“As a result of Fr. Browne’s article I was able to ascertain that he had been all over the ship and had even had a swim in the swimming pool. This is the type of new information I was able to find out as a result of the article and I think that it gives a fresh feeling to the book.”
Perhaps the most famous story about Fr. Browne on the Titanic was when an American couple offered to pay his fare to America. Unbeknownst to Fr. Browne, when his superior requested that he return to Dublin, his life was potentially saved.
“While he was having a meal in the first class dining room he got chatting to a wealthy American couple. They liked Fr. Browne and asked him to stay on the Titanic with them until the boat reached New York. The American couple even offered to pay the rest of his fare to New York but Fr. Browne told them that his superior in Dublin would never allow it so he had to get off the ship when it stopped in Cobh.
“The American man said to Fr. Browne, ‘come on down to the Marconi room and we’ll send him [the Jesuit superior] a Marconigram (a message sent via radio) and we’ll tell him that we’ll pay your way to New York’.
“When Fr. Browne went down to the Marconi room he took a picture. It was the only picture to be taken of the room - and any films you’ve ever seen that have had the Marconi room in it based it on Fr. Browne’s photograph.”
The telegram was sent by the wealthy Americans to the Irish superior of the Jesuits but after the Titanic stopped in Queenstown in Cobh, Fr. Browne was instructed to return to Dublin.
“The water near Queenstown in Cobh wasn’t deep enough for the Titanic to dock so the only way it could be reached was by another boat called the Ireland.
“The Ireland set off towards the Titanic with bags of mail and the 123 Irish passengers who boarded the ship. Captain Tobin was in charge of the Ireland and he had a small envelope addressed to Fr. Browne. Inside was a note with five words on it - it read: ‘Get Off That Ship - Provincial’.
“Fr. Browne kept the note in his wallet for the rest of his life and said that it was the only time that holy obedience saved a man’s life,” he laughs.
Fr. Browne used what time he had to photograph the Titanic when it arrived in Cobh. One photograph shows a man climbing one of the ship’s large funnels and at the time it was regarded as a bad omen.
“The superstitious people of Cobh said when they saw it that no good could come out of the ship’s journey and that the man in the picture was not a man at all - they claimed that he was the devil.
“The picture shows a tiny black dot on the fourth of the ship’s funnels and it’s actually been confirmed that the black dot was an Irish stowaway who boarded the ship at Southampton. Apparently he climbed down the funnel into the room where the mail was being kept and his pals put him inside one of the mail bags and he was loaded on to the Ireland and managed to get home to his native Cobh.”
Fr. Browne’s photographs have been used as evidence to support man facts about the Titanic.
One of the most contentious issues which split opinion amongst Titanic experts was whether the ship divided into two after it hit the iceberg on April 15, 1912.
Dr. Robert D Ballard, the former US Navy officer who discovered the wreck of the Titanic in 1985, used Fr. Browne’s photographs to confirm that the boat had in fact split in half.
“When Dr. Ballard discovered the wreck he found that the boat was in two pieces almost half a mile apart.
“Some survivors said that the ship split in two just before it sank whilst others said it went down in one piece. No one knew who to believe.
“When Robert Ballard found the boat it was solved for all time. Ballard used photographs taken by Fr. Browne to explain why the boat split in two. It was because of the grand staircase that the boat split - it was nine stories high and was the weakest part of the ship. If the Titanic was going to split anywhere it was going to be where the grand staircase was.
“The Titanic actually split down the middle of where Fr. Browne’s room was because his bedroom was in one half of the wreckage and his living room was in the other half almost half a mile away.”
Fr. Browne’s documentation of the Titanic was so concise that Oscar winning director James Cameron used his photographs as a reference when designing the ship’s bridge for his 1997 movie ‘Titanic’.
“A friend of mine is the secretary of the Titanic Historical Society and was advisor to James Cameron’s movie about the Titanic. He had all of Fr. Browne’s photographs and told Mr. Cameron that he had forgotten to consult them when designing the set. Mr. Cameron then used Fr. Browne’s photographs to redesign the bridge of the boat.”
He added: “I hope people still enjoy the book. It’s a wonderful documentation of life on the ship before it sank. It’s poignant that we have released it again to mark the 100th anniversary.”
‘Father Browne’s Titanic Album - Centenary Edition’ is available to buy from www.messenger.ie.
Published on Monday 9 January 2012 06:26
WHEN Derry priest Fr. Eddie O’Donnell stumbled across over 40,000 negatives belonging to the late Fr. Frank Browne he would not have been able to envisage the significance of what he had just discovered.
Fr. Browne, a Jesuit priest, was widely recognised as a skilled photographer. He boarded the Titanic in Southampton and several days later he was ordered off the boat in Cobh, Co. Cork by his superior.
Fr. O’Donnell was born in Dublin but was reared for the first few years of his life in 106 Bogside (close to where the Little Diamond is now) after the death of his mother. He spent summers visiting aunts, uncles and cousins in Derry before joining the Jesuits.
Fr O’Donnell discovered the invaluable collection of photographs and mementoes in a Dublin basement in 1985. His book ‘Father Browne’s Titanic Album’ has been updated and re-released to mark the 100th anniversary of the boat sinking in 1912.
Fr. O’Donell’s father was from the Bogside and his mother was born in Queen Street. The 71 year-old Jesuit priest now lives in the Gonzaga College, Dublin.
Fr. Browne has been described as a master photographer and as Ireland’s answer to Cartier-Breson. He first started taking photographs in 1897 and did so until his death in 1960.
Many of the photographs in the book have been digitally re-mastered and new photographs have been added for the centenary edition of the book.
“When Father Browne’s superior ordered him off the ship it essentially saved his life because very few men travelling in first class survived the tragedy when the boat sank.
“The book was first released in 1997 but we wanted to do something special for the centenary of the sinking of the ship so we added a chapter. It’s a piece that Fr. Browne wrote the day after he disembarked the ship in April 1912. He wrote many things after the tragedy but this was the only piece that I could find that he wrote before the tragedy.
“As a result of Fr. Browne’s article I was able to ascertain that he had been all over the ship and had even had a swim in the swimming pool. This is the type of new information I was able to find out as a result of the article and I think that it gives a fresh feeling to the book.”
Perhaps the most famous story about Fr. Browne on the Titanic was when an American couple offered to pay his fare to America. Unbeknownst to Fr. Browne, when his superior requested that he return to Dublin, his life was potentially saved.
“While he was having a meal in the first class dining room he got chatting to a wealthy American couple. They liked Fr. Browne and asked him to stay on the Titanic with them until the boat reached New York. The American couple even offered to pay the rest of his fare to New York but Fr. Browne told them that his superior in Dublin would never allow it so he had to get off the ship when it stopped in Cobh.
“The American man said to Fr. Browne, ‘come on down to the Marconi room and we’ll send him [the Jesuit superior] a Marconigram (a message sent via radio) and we’ll tell him that we’ll pay your way to New York’.
“When Fr. Browne went down to the Marconi room he took a picture. It was the only picture to be taken of the room - and any films you’ve ever seen that have had the Marconi room in it based it on Fr. Browne’s photograph.”
The telegram was sent by the wealthy Americans to the Irish superior of the Jesuits but after the Titanic stopped in Queenstown in Cobh, Fr. Browne was instructed to return to Dublin.
“The water near Queenstown in Cobh wasn’t deep enough for the Titanic to dock so the only way it could be reached was by another boat called the Ireland.
“The Ireland set off towards the Titanic with bags of mail and the 123 Irish passengers who boarded the ship. Captain Tobin was in charge of the Ireland and he had a small envelope addressed to Fr. Browne. Inside was a note with five words on it - it read: ‘Get Off That Ship - Provincial’.
“Fr. Browne kept the note in his wallet for the rest of his life and said that it was the only time that holy obedience saved a man’s life,” he laughs.
Fr. Browne used what time he had to photograph the Titanic when it arrived in Cobh. One photograph shows a man climbing one of the ship’s large funnels and at the time it was regarded as a bad omen.
“The superstitious people of Cobh said when they saw it that no good could come out of the ship’s journey and that the man in the picture was not a man at all - they claimed that he was the devil.
“The picture shows a tiny black dot on the fourth of the ship’s funnels and it’s actually been confirmed that the black dot was an Irish stowaway who boarded the ship at Southampton. Apparently he climbed down the funnel into the room where the mail was being kept and his pals put him inside one of the mail bags and he was loaded on to the Ireland and managed to get home to his native Cobh.”
Fr. Browne’s photographs have been used as evidence to support man facts about the Titanic.
One of the most contentious issues which split opinion amongst Titanic experts was whether the ship divided into two after it hit the iceberg on April 15, 1912.
Dr. Robert D Ballard, the former US Navy officer who discovered the wreck of the Titanic in 1985, used Fr. Browne’s photographs to confirm that the boat had in fact split in half.
“When Dr. Ballard discovered the wreck he found that the boat was in two pieces almost half a mile apart.
“Some survivors said that the ship split in two just before it sank whilst others said it went down in one piece. No one knew who to believe.
“When Robert Ballard found the boat it was solved for all time. Ballard used photographs taken by Fr. Browne to explain why the boat split in two. It was because of the grand staircase that the boat split - it was nine stories high and was the weakest part of the ship. If the Titanic was going to split anywhere it was going to be where the grand staircase was.
“The Titanic actually split down the middle of where Fr. Browne’s room was because his bedroom was in one half of the wreckage and his living room was in the other half almost half a mile away.”
Fr. Browne’s documentation of the Titanic was so concise that Oscar winning director James Cameron used his photographs as a reference when designing the ship’s bridge for his 1997 movie ‘Titanic’.
“A friend of mine is the secretary of the Titanic Historical Society and was advisor to James Cameron’s movie about the Titanic. He had all of Fr. Browne’s photographs and told Mr. Cameron that he had forgotten to consult them when designing the set. Mr. Cameron then used Fr. Browne’s photographs to redesign the bridge of the boat.”
He added: “I hope people still enjoy the book. It’s a wonderful documentation of life on the ship before it sank. It’s poignant that we have released it again to mark the 100th anniversary.”
‘Father Browne’s Titanic Album - Centenary Edition’ is available to buy from www.messenger.ie.
Sunday, January 8, 2012
“The bishops? They should be vigilant and not seek glory”
From http://vaticaninsider.lastampa.it/en/homepage/the-vatican/detail/articolo/benedetto-xvi-benedict-xvi-benedicto-xvi-11413/
This is what Benedict XVI said at the Mass for the Epiphany. Ratzinger also celebrated two new Episcopal ordinations
GIACOMO GALEAZZIvatican city The bishops must follow the example of the Magi: be «vigilant and do not to seek worldly glory». We humans are not the only ones who are restless in relation to God. God's heart is restless in relation to man. However, today we try to drug the restlessness of the heart, yet the true supernova that guides us is Christ himself. The magi «were people with a troubled heart», in search of God.
Today very effective “drugs”, are used to try to free man from this concern», preached the Pope during the Mass in St. Peter's for the Epiphany where he celebrated two Episcopal ordinations. Like the Magi, «the bishop too must be a man with a restless heart that is not satisfied of the usual things of this world», with «the courage of humility» and «who does not question himself on what dominant opinion says about him».
In his homily, the Pope also addressed the relationship between faith and reason. «The language of creation is not enough» to find the truth on the existence of man and the world. Scientists can «continue the discussion» on what kind of star had guided the Magi», wondering if the comet resulted from «a conjunction of planets» or rather «a supernova, one of those stars that is initially very weak inside which an explosion can set off an immense splendor for a certain length of time».
For those who have faith, Benedict XVI explains, «the great star, the supernova that guides us is Christ himself: He is the explosion of God's love, which shines the great splendor of his heart over the world». The Magi followed the star. Thus, «through the language of creation they found the God of this story», but they were not the only ones to see that phenomenon in the sky. Why did they understand? «Only the Word of God that we find in Sacred Scripture – responds Joseph Ratzinger - could definitely show them the way». Therefore even today, «Creation and Scripture, reason and faith must stand together to lead us to the living God».
Today the Pope entered St. Peter's Basilica on the now familiar moving platform, at 9.30, to begin the celebration of the Solemnity of the Epiphany. During the Mass, Benedict XVI ordained two bishops, Monsignor Charles John Brown, the new apostolic nuncio in Ireland, and Monsignor Marek Solczynski, new nuncio to Georgia and Armenia. The solemnity of the Epiphany is an ancient feast which originated in the Christian East. «The whole period of Christmas and Epiphany is characterized by the theme of light, also linked to the fact that, in the northern hemisphere, after the winter solstice again the days become longer than the night - said Benedict XVI - But, beyond their geographical location, for all peoples it is the word of Christ that counts: 'I am the light of the world: he that followeth me, walketh not in darkness but have the light of life». «Jesus – said the Pope - is the sun on the horizon of humanity to illuminate the personal life of each one of us and guide us all together toward the goal of our pilgrimage, to the land of freedom and peace, where we will live forever in full communion with God and among ourselves». «The announcement of this mystery of salvation - then observed the Pope - was entrusted by Christ to his Church». Together with Pope Benedict XVI, the mass was concelebrated by the Secretary of State, Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, and the prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, William Levada. «Full of the courage of humility, without questioning himself on what dominant opinion says about him», a Bishop «must be able to precede and show the way» to the faithful. His heart must therefore be «restless» and «vigilant», able to perceive «the subdued language of God and discern the true from the apparent», Benedict XVI urges pastors to lead the Catholic Church throughout, indicating «God’s truth» as the «unit of measure» and recalls the duty to proclaim and defend it in every circumstance, «opportune and importune».
Joseph Ratzinger uses the Gospel story of the Magi to outline the features that serve the Church today, called, he says, to precede He who has preceded us all, because he is the true Shepherd, the true star of promise: Jesus Christ. Each bishop «must have the humility to bow before that God who has made himself so real and so simple, that our foolish pride is contradicted, not wanting to see God so close and so small. He must live to worship the Son of God who became man, that worship which always shows the way». In the Magi, it is possible to search («despite all the differences in vocations and tasks») guidelines for the mission of bishops. The Magi of the Gospel story «were, we can say, men of science, but not only in the sense that they wanted to know many things: they wanted more. They wanted to understand what counts in being men». Again, «they were people from a troubled heart, who were not satisfied by appearances and normality. They were men in search of the promise, in search of God and they were vigilant men, able to perceive the signs of God, his soft and insistent language. But they were also brave and humble at the same time: we can imagine that they had to endure some ridicule, because they set out for the king of the Jews, and for this they faced great efforts. For them it was not deciding what so and so thought and said of them, even if from intelligent and influential people. For them what counted was truth itself, not the opinion of men»
Thus, «a bishop too must be a man with a restless heart that is not satisfied of the usual things of this world, but who follows the restlessness of the heart that drives him to inwardly approach God more, to seek his face, to know him better, to love ever more. The bishop too must be a man with a watchful heart who perceives God’s subdued language can knows how to discern what is real from the apparent. A bishop too must be filled with the courage of humility, who does not question himself on what dominant opinion says about him, but derives his unit of measure from God’s truth and commits himself to it: “opportune and importune”. He must be able to precede and to show the way».
All the cardinals present today in St. Peter's, among them the dean of the Sacred College Angelo Sodano and the former president of the CEI, Camillo Ruini. «Western civilization seems to have lost its orientation, and is navigating by sight. But the Church, through the Word of God, see through this fog. It does not have technical solutions, but keeps the eyes turned to the goal», the Pontiff added during the Angelus. Stressing the meaning of Epiphany as the feast of light, Benedict XVI recalled that this is «a very ancient feast, which originated in the Christian East and highlights the mystery of the revelation of Jesus Christ to all peoples, represented by the Magi». And affirmed that «the world, with all its resources, is not able to give humanity the light to guide its path. We find this today as well: Western civilization seems to have lost orientation, it is navigating by sight. But the Church, through the Word of God - he added - see through this fog. It does not have technical solutions, but keeps its eyes fixed on the goal, and offers the light of the Gospel to all people of good will, of every nation and culture. And this too - noted the Pope – is the mission of the Papal Representatives to States and international organizations».
Furthermore, at the end of the Angelus for the Epiphany the Pope announced the convocation of a Consistory for February 18th . The next day, February 19th , an enthronement Mass will be held. Benedict XVI creates 18 new «voting» cardinals, i.e. under 80 years of age that will enter the conclave for the election of the future Pope after the death of the reigning Pontiff. To these are added four cardinals over eighty. Thus there are 22 new cardinals. Seven of the new cardinals are Italian (Betori, Filoni, Bertello, Versaldi, Calcagno, Coccopalmerio, Vegliò). Twelve Europeans in all, (the Italians plus two and Spaniards and the Archbishops of Utrecht, Berlin and Prague). Ten are leaders of the Roman Curia. Asia has two cardinals (the Indian Alencherry, Major Archbishop of the Syro Malabar and Bishop of Hong Kong John Tong Hon). The Americas four (the Brazilian Braz de Aviz, the Archbishop of New York Dolan, that of Toronto Collins and the Grand Master of the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem, the American O'Brien). There are no Africans.
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