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The Southern Cross, September 27 to October 3, 2017
INTERNATIONAL
Youth to Vatican: Don’t be shy to talk about sex BY CINDY WOODEN
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EVERAL young people attending a Vatican-sponsored seminar on the upcoming Synod of Bishops urged the Vatican and the bishops themselves to be open to listening to youths talk and ask questions about love, sex and sexuality. A “big gap” exists between the concerns young people want to talk about and the issues most bishops are comfortable discussing, said Therese Hargot, who describes herself as a philosopher and counsellor. Cardinal Lorenzo Baldisseri, secretary-general of the Synod of Bishops, said he wanted to hear from young adults and experts about the challenges young people are facing in the Church and society. Twenty people under the age of 35, along with 70 theologians, priests and academics were meeting as part of the preparatory process for the 2018 Synod of Bishops on “young people, faith and vocational discernment”. But Ms Hargot told the gathering: “It’s surprising we are looking at politics, economics, etc, but not
concern to the seminar. During the discussion about young people and politics, she told the gathering: “For my generation it is extremely important” to learn how to be effective and to be heard. “When political leaders don’t live up to their expectations, the young are willing to take extreme action, including suicide. It is a growing problem in Ukraine, which still is fighting a war in its eastern territories.” Cardinal Baldisseri opened the seminar explaining that the gathering was one attempt to “frame or photograph the situation of young people, identifying the basic traits that are common for youths today while also paying attention to the plurality” determined by geographical and cultural differences. As part of that, his office has posted a questionnaire at youth.synod2018.va and is inviting young people 16-29 to respond. More than 110 000 people have already responded. The response rate, he said, “demonstrates the great desire of young people to have their say”.— CNS
at sexuality and affectivity, which are very important topics for young people”. Ashleigh Green, an Australian delegate to the seminar, said that going around Australia in preparation for the synod she found that “a lot of young people feel like they cannot talk about issues that matter to them” in most Church settings. “It’s important to open up and talk” about sex, sexuality and sexual orientation, she said. “And it’s central to vocation,” which is part of the synod’s focus. Severine Deneulin, an associate professor in international development at England’s University of Bath, said she was finding “it hard to figure out” what the Vatican wanted from the seminar. “In academia, I am accepted for who I am and for my talents. In the Church, I would not be. If we are worried about leadership in the Church, why do we ignore half the Church? “Why aren’t we talking about this?” Natalia Shalata, a young woman from Ukraine who runs a programme to support orphans and street children, brought a different
Philippine priest freed from ISIS
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SENIOR Philippine priest taken hostage by ISIS-inspired militants in the southern city of Marawi has been freed after almost four months of captivity. Fr Teresito Soganub, vicar-general of the prelature of Marawi, said that he was doing as well as could be expected following his ordeal, reported ucanews.com. “I am physically strong and sound,” Fr Soganub said at Camp Aguinaldo, the national military headquarters. He asked Filipinos to pray for other remaining hostages before mil-
Fr Teresito Soganub after his release in Manila, Philippines. (Photo: Rolex Dela Pena, EPA/CNS) itary doctors whisked him off for a medical checkup.
A local Maute terror group linked to ISIS captured Fr Soganub and other Church workers at Marawi cathedral on May 23, the first day of fighting in the Islamic city. As well as taking around 30 people from the cathedral offices, they also tore down and desecrated icons and other sacred images and tried to set fire to the building. Fr Soganub appeared in a video a week after his capture, appealing to Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte to withdraw troops and cease airstrikes against rebels.
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English in the Mass not likely to change soon
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DOCUMENT released by Pope Francis that gives bishops’ conf erences greater power in introducing liturgical texts will have no immediate impact on the current English missal but will facilitate the approval of translations into South Africa’s other languages, according to the bishop responsible for liturgy in Southern Africa. In his motu proprio “Magnum principium” (“The Great Principle”) , Pope Francis made changes to the Code of Canon Law regarding translations of the Mass and other liturgical texts, and highlighted respect for the responsibility of bishops’ conferences. The Vatican no longer will “review” translations submitted by bishops’ conferences, but will “recognise” them. And rather than being called to “prepare and publish” the translations, the bishops are to “approve and publish” them. “I don’t think the motu proprio is immediately applicable to the English [liturgical translations] but rather to our local vernacular languages,” said Bishop Edward Risi, chair of the Department for Christian Formation, Liturgy, and Culture at the Southern African Catholic Bishops’ Conference (SACBC). “‘Magnum principium’ does not simplify the work of translating liturgical texts into local languages. Many hours are spent by dedicated people who debate, argue and struggle to find the correct way of transmitting the correct understanding of the liturgical texts,” Bishop Risi told The Southern Cross. “The motu proprio simplifies the process of recognising these texts by giving much greater recognition to the role of bishops’ conferences in this particular stage of preparing translations into local vernacular languages. “In the SACBC we have adopted the practice of approving the texts prepared in vernacular for a period of five years before applying nitio. to the Holy See for the necessary recoggn But the motu proprio now gives us the right to approve these texts and ask for confirmation from the Holy See. In this sense the process
A page from the current English missal. Pope Francis’ decision to allow bishops’ conferences to approve liturgical texts will likely not lead to an immediate review of the English texts. of confirmation gives greater acknowledgement of the work of local conferences in terms of preparing translations,” he said. Bishop Risi said that he believes Englishspeaking bishops’ conferences will retain the unified approach of the past. “It is of interest to note that the late Archbishop Denis Hurley was one of those who insisted that there should be only one translation of the liturgy in English, and it is one of the founding principles of ICEL,” the International Commission on English in the Liturgy. “I don’t foresee a change of policy regarding English translations,” the bishop said. He noted that the English liturgical texts “are ver y important in the process of other translations because of the great dependence on the English text in the translations into vernacular”. In “Magnum principium” Pope Francis did not overturn previous norms and documents on the principles that should inspire the various translations, but said they were “general guidelines” which should continue to be followed to ensure “integrity and accurate faithfulness, especially in translating some texts of major importance in each liturgical book”. However, the pope seemed to indicate a Continued on paggee 3
Catholic Ireland A pilgrimage with Bishop Victor Phalana Feast day at shrine of Our Lady of Knock, PAPAL MASS in Dublin*, and much more * subject to confirmation
Holy Land pilgrims led by Fr S’milo Mngadi of Vosloorus, Johannesburg diocese, at a 6m-high statue of Nelson Mandela in the Palestinian city of Ramallah. It was donated to the Palestine administrative capital by the City of Johannesburg in April 2016. Ramallah, which means “Heights of God”, once was a mainly Christian city, and the followers of Christ still have a prominent presence in the population of 27 000. The pilgrims were not told that they would visit the statue, and were overjoyed at the surprise of seeing their country’s icon in Palestine. Later that day the pilgrims had Mass in Taybeh, the last 100% Christian village in the Holy Land. (Photo courtesy Fowler Tours)
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Fr James Martin SJ, whose book Building a Bridge has come under attack by Catholic fringe groups. (Photo: Crux)
Bishop defends priest after seminary snub BY RhINA GUIDOS
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US bishop vigorously defended Jesuit Father James Martin when a prominent seminary cancelled an invitation it had extended to the well-known author, who was to speak about Jesus at an October event, after fringe groups unhappy with the priest’s recent book about the Church and ministries to the gay community mounted a series of attacks. The seminary said the cancellation came after it “experienced increasing negative feedback from various social media sites regarding its invitation to Fr Martin”. It did not name the groups associated with the attacks. “This campaign of distortion must be challenged and exposed for what it is—not primarily for Fr Martin’s sake but because this cancer of vilification is seeping into the institutional life of the Church,” said Bishop Robert McElroy of San Diego in a vigorous defence published by America magazine. “The concerted attack on Fr Martin’s work has been driven by three impulses: homophobia, a distortion
of fundamental Catholic moral theology, and a veiled attack on Pope Francis and his campaign against judgmentalism in the Church,” wrote Bishop McElroy. In a Facebook post, the priest wrote about the incident and said the attacks included “a storm of phone calls, emails and messages to the theological college, which included, I was told, people screaming at the receptionists who answered the phone. In the end, they felt that the expected protests and negative publicity would distract from Alumni Day”. Building a Bridge: How the Catholic Church and the LGBT Community Can Enter into a Relationship of Respect, Compassion and Sensitivity, the book that has driven the controversy, grabbed the No 1 spot on Amazon’s Roman Catholicism category. John Garvey, president of The Catholic University of America, where the seminary is housed, issued a statement saying it was “problematic” that groups within the Catholic Church demonstrate an “inability to make distinctions and to exercise charity”.—CNS
Pope expands scope of JP II institute on marriage, family BY CAROL GLATZ
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O better prepare priests and pastoral workers to help meet the challenges families face today, Pope Francis is strengthening the Pontifical John Paul II Institute for Studies on Marriage and Family and changing its name to the Pontifical John Paul II Theological Institute for the Sciences of Marriage and Family. The new institution is to expand and deepen the types of courses offered as well as take “an analytical and diversified approach” that allows students to study all aspects and concerns of today’s families while remaining “faithful to the teaching of Christ”, the pope wrote.
The re-foundation of the institute was issued motu proprio on the pope’s own accord, in an apostolic letter, Summa Familiae Cura (“Great Care for the Family”). The original institute for studies on marriage and the family was established by John Paul II in 1982, after the 1980 Synod of Bishops on the Family called for the creation of centres devoted to the study of the Church’s teaching on marriage and the family. While the central institute is based in Rome, there are branches around the world, including in the US, Australia, Mexico and India. Given the newer gatherings of
the Synod of Bishops on the family, those held in 2014 and 2015, and their call for a more pastoral and missionary approach to modern family life, Pope Francis wrote there is a need for greater reflection and academic formation in a “pastoral perspective and attention to the wounds of humanity” while keeping the original inspiration for the old institute alive. By amplifying the institute’s scope in making it a “theological” institute that is also dedicated to human “sciences”, the pope said, the institute’s work will study—in a “deeper and more rigorous way—the truth of revelation and the wisdom of the tradition of faith”, he said.—CNS
St Peter’s, martyrs’ bones found?
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URING routine restoration of a nearly 1 000year-old church, a worker discovered bone fragments in clay pots—which may belong to St Peter, three other popes, and four early Church martyrs. “There were two clay pots which were inscribed with the names of early popes: Peter, Felix, Callixtus and Cornelius,” the worker told Italian television channel Rai Uno. The existence of the bone fragments has been known for centuries, but they had never been found. Inside the church of Santa Maria in Cappella, a stone inscription recorded the remains, indicating that the relics where kept alongside a piece of fabric taken from the dress of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Due to structural problems, the church has been closed for 35 years. As part of routine maintenance,
the worker discovered the bones under a marble slab behind the altar. The worker then notified Deacon Massimiliano Floridi, who handed the remains over to the Vatican. Church officials have not yet commented on the bones’ authenticity. “We’re waiting for a detailed study to be undertaken. A DNA comparison between these bones and those kept by the Vatican would shed light on the issue,” the deacon said. Santa Maria Church in Cappella, in the district of Trastevere near the Tiber , was consecrated in 1090. Some have theorised that the relics were moved to the church for protection under the rule of Pope Urban II. During a schism, the legitimacy of Pope Urban II was challenged by Clement III, who was an anti-pope backed by Emperor Henry IV.—CNA