MIRROR News – Issue August 2018

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No 6 • August 2018 Published eight times per year

www.acnmalta.org

ourselves. The great debates over the defence of life, marriage and the family ultimately depend on this openness to God. So it is, generally speaking, not a matter of material, but of spiritual poverty. This is where each one of us is called to give our own personal testimony as to human nature and the plan of God for us all. The Church, especially through the popes of the last 50 years, has reminded us again and again of this wonder of our human nature. It is the garment of God’s love.

Radical gender ideology, abortion, “marriage equality”, euthanasia, “spare embryos” created by IVF – all these things are manipulations of nature. This kind of thinking destroys our human dignity. This lies at the heart of the culture of death. “Abortion is the greatest destroyer of peace” said Mother Teresa. But education for peace be“One could say, without exaggeration, that the family is the gins in the family. In the next few days tens driving force of the world and of history. Our personality de- of thousands of families will come together velops in the family, by growing up with our mum and dad, our at the World Meeting of Families in Ireland, brothers and sisters, by breathing in the warmth of the home.” in order to bear witness to the “Gospel of Pope Francis, at the plenary assembly of the Pontifical Council for the Family the family”. ACN wants this good news to 25th October 2013 be heard in every family around the world and so we are supporting hundreds of “famChurch and support people in their life of ily projects” worldwide. The civilisation of faith. love needs our support – in Iraq, in Syria, In recent months and years we have often But much is amiss in our wealthy nations around the world, and also in our own reported on the persecuted Church in Iraq too. The creeping loss of faith and of wealthy nations. It is vital to the existence and Syria. The crisis there is of the family. If we do not strive immense, it is literally a matter to protect and defend our chil“When we reject God’s of life and death – and of the dren and young people, marCommandments and define survival of Christianity in its riage and the family, then the ourselves, we remain trapped biblical homeland. But the need tide of evil will sweep away the within ourselves.” is also great in India, Pakistan, foundations. In defending God, Latin America, Africa and we defend man!

China. In all these regions of the world, people’s relationship to God, the Creator of Christians’ material needs are an obstacle life, undermines their spiritual and cultural to the proclamation of the Gospel to all foundations. Disaster and war are always My grateful blessing on you all people so that they can recognise the true caused by spiritual confusion. With the regreatness of their dignity and vocation. And fusal of a binding relationship (re-ligio) the poor, if we abandon them, are “doubly with God, the fundamental principles of our exposed to neglect and to all kinds of dan- lives first blur and then evaporate. When gers to their integrity”, as Pope Francis tells we reject God’s Commandments and deFr Martin Maria Barta us. It is our task to address this need in the fine ourselves, we remain trapped within Ecclesiastical Assistant

© L’Osservatore Romano

“The family is God’s masterpiece.”

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I Believe for Matabeleland “Without good catechetical material in the local language, the work of evangelisation will not succeed.”

At last, in my own language: I Believe in isiNdebele.

This simple statement by the Archbishop of Bulawayo in Zimbabwe particularly applies to some of the poorest regions in the country, like Matabeleland, where almost nobody speaks anything other than the local language isiNdebele. That is why Archbishop Alex Thomas Kaliyanil wants to see ACN’s little Catholic catechism I Believe translated. It will be called Ngiyakholwa and will be distributed among the 47 parishes of the diocese.

Many of these also have outstations, which the priests are only able to visit very occasionally. So it is all the more important to have the Church’s teaching clearly stated, in a form which is easy to refer to. 5,000 copies of the book will be printed initially. And the neighbouring diocese of Hwange, which also has 15,000 Catholic members of the Ndebele tribe, is also waiting for ACN’s “sound catechetical material”. We have promised €8,000 for translation, printing and distribution.

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The most important instrument of evangelisation The complete Bible, both Old and New Testament, has been published in 674 languages, while the New Testament on its own has been translated into an additional 1,515.

The basis of their pastoral work – the Child’s Bible in Tagalog.

It has been translated more than any other book. Even ACN’s Child’s Bible God speaks to his Children has now been published in 189 languages and some 51 million copies.

And demand remains high. In many dioceses the Child’s Bible serves as more than merely religious literature. Bishop Valentin Dimoc, of the Apostolic Vicariate of Bontoc-Lagawe in the Philippines, asked for 4,000 copies in Ilocano and a further 500 copies in Tagalog (as well as 4,000 copies in English) on the grounds that “this beautifully presented book helps our young catechists to teach our children the faith. Teachers and students use it as a textbook for their teaching, and the diocesan family apostolate recommends it to parents as a book to read out to their children in the evenings.” It is the most important instrument of evangelisation in the 22 parishes of the diocese, he tells us. We were more than happy to provide the copies he still needed (€3,920).

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A Bible competition in the Middle East Moderate Muslims regard Christians as “People of the Book”. The Bible is a mark of Christian identity.

What Jesus taught: young people studying the Bible in Cairo.

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So knowing ourselves, means knowing the scriptures. It is also important for understanding where we differ from Islam. So the Coptic Catholics in Egypt are encouraging their young people to do exactly that. Each year they organise a Bible competition, in which some 4,000 schoolchildren aged between 12 and 18 take part. Very often their families are also involved, so that over the course of six months around 15,000 Catholics are studying the Bible and even learning parts of it by heart. At the end of the competition, 100 pupils go through to the final. Similar Bible competitions are also being held in Jordan and in the Gulf states.

There is great enthusiasm for reading the Gospels, the Acts of the Apostles and the Epistles, and as the participants knowledge of the Bible grows, they can read their own stories in the Word of God. We are helping by contributing €5,000 for the cost of new Bibles and the organisation of the competition.

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Summer camps with Christ “The welfare of the family is decisive for the future of the world and that of the Church,” said Pope Francis in a tweet on Twitter. We might also say that the welfare of the children is decisive for the welfare of the family.

It is not only parents who look after children’s welfare. It is true, of course, as Saint John Paul II wrote in his Letter to Families in 1994, that parents are “the first and principal educators” of their children.

But he added that they can also share this responsibility “with other individuals and institutions, such as the Church”, who will fulfil this educational duty on their behalf.

This is what is happening in the summer

camps run by the Ordinariate for Armenian Catholics in Eastern Europe. This year 800 children aged between 9 and 18 will be taking part in the summer camps.

Their parents know that their children will be spending their time here in a Christian atmosphere and at the same time learning a great deal about their spiritual inheritance in the Armenian Catholic Church. In addition to daily Mass and catechism

Sport and games bring friendship – and we all need friends in life.

Getting to know Jesus and belonging to his Church – baptism in the camp.

classes, the programme includes a great deal of sport, hiking and group games, as well as Armenian dancing, folklore and learning about the history and culture of the country.

The children and young people all come from poor families and would otherwise have no opportunity to have such a holiday.

Quite a few of the young people are actually baptised during the summer camp; last year 25 of them received the sacrament.

Others will prepare for their First Holy Communion with the help of the catechists and priests. It would be hard to do more for the welfare of these children. We are helping with €25,000.

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Happy marriages, happy life In the 50 years since Blessed Pope Paul VI wrote Humanae Vitae, this prophetic encyclical has lost none of its relevance.

In Europe and America’s wealthy countries this encyclical is often ignored or even maligned, but in the poor countries of Africa and Asia it is highly esteemed. In the wartorn and crisis-ridden Democratic Republic of the Congo the Archdiocese of Bukavu is organising a congress for priests, religious sisters and catechists from six dioceses in order to study the wisdom of its teachings for the present time. How many people ar

know, for example, that this encyclical praises marriage as “a love which is total – that very special form of personal friendship in which husband and wife generously share everything” and that it does not avoid the problems of fertility regulation, but rather points the way to a happy married and family life? Research in this area encouraged by Pope Paul VI and his successors, especially Saint John Paul II, is a natural part of pastoral care for families. Ranged against this there is a perverse form of ethics, which is all about the selfishness of the individual and the profits of big industry. The aim of the

projects, and enable the pastoral work of Aid to the Church in Need.

Marriage and family is not just a matter of sentiment. Knowledge is important too.

congress is to examine these insights anew and organise the pastoral care of families accordingly. In promoting the natural law, the congress also promotes human happiness.

We are supporting its work with €15,000.

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A new life, with YOUCAT “And the truth will make you free” (Jn 8:32). This truth is directly experienced by the young people visited by Father Gregorio, in prison – the inner freedom of the children of God. For a year now Father Gregorio has been regularly visiting the youth prison in the diocese of Carupano in eastern Venezuela.

“He was like an angel from heaven” says Alejandro. The 15-year-old is behind bars for aggravated theft. “It has completely changed us”, he says. The “it” is the word of God, which tells of the Lord’s love. Father Gregorio has brought it with him in the form of the Bible and YOUCAT, the youth catechism sponsored by ACN. His bishop requested these books from ACN for Father Gregorio. And many other dioceses are waiting for this kind of help. “Father gave me this Bible and the catechism”, Alejandro recalls. “Before that I knew a few stories, but didn’t really want to know.” He takes a deep breath and looks at us with eyes full of hope. “Thanks to these visits, I have now made my first Holy Communion, and in a few days I will be confirmed.”

young people for understanding and love”, she adds. “And not being understood, they became still more aggressive.” But Father Gregorio speaks to them from the heart, she explains. “He brings them the love that they have never experienced in their lives.” All the boys are from broken families. “At first I simply listened to them”, Father Gregorio tells us. “They were lonely, inwardly abandoned, but longing for meaning in their lives, for love, for friendship with God. So then they were able to read in the YOUCAT, and little by little we talked about it.”

Alejandro confirms this: “We see life differently now. The words of Father Gregorio, the Bible and the YOUCAT, it all made us think a great deal. We’re going to live differently now.” His cellmate, who is also going to be confirmed soon, adds, “All this has shown us the way of truth, the way to goodness, to God. I’m so happy that Father Gregorio has shown us this path.” It is this Alejandro is one of 30 young inmates aged joy in the truth that now liberates these lads between 15 and 19. Before Father Grego- and fills their hearts. rio, some of the Protestant sects came, but they only “preached and understood noth- For Antonio José, the visits of the priest ing”, their female warder tells us. “The were a totally new experience. “I was only sects could not supply the longing of these just baptised a few days ago, here behind

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The inner freedom of the children of God: Father Gregorio and his proteges.

bars. I didn’t know the Bible and knew nothing about Christ. Now it’s like I’m born anew; the past seems so far away. Father is helping me to look forward. I want to live with God.” Nor have these young inmates forgotten you, our benefactors. “We know where these good books have come from, which tell us about Christ and help us to overcome our bad habits and inclinations. We are very grateful to the people of ACN. Through the YOUCAT we feel we are united with them; it’s as though they themselves had come to visit us. Thank you.”

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Maria Lozano

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Iraq

Homecoming in Qaraqosh Father George Jahola shows us round his church. “Allahu akbar” and “The Islamic State will return” are still sprayed in Arabic on the walls. “Do you see the graffiti? It was left behind by the Daesh terrorists in order to frighten our people.” Outside, the bell tower still lies in ruins. “It was blown up by Daesh. We’re going to leave it like that as a reminder of the greatest disaster that ever struck our town of Qaraqosh.”

Qaraqosh was once the biggest Christian town in Iraq, with a population of over 50,000 people – until that scorching hot day in August 2014, when all its inhabitants were forced to flee from the advancing forces of so-called “Islamic State”. In a matter of just a few hours, they and tens of thousands of other Christians from the surrounding towns and villages became homeless and dispossessed. Years of uncertainty followed, in refugee camps.

Many people left Iraq altogether and headed for the West. Not until the end of 2016 was this town in northern Iraq finally liberated. “But now half of us are back living here. And we are hoping that still more will come. That is what we are working towards”, says Father George. In practice, he is something like parish priest and mayor rolled into one, the leading figure in the reconstruction of the town. A reconstruction

Home to stay: Basima and her daughter Marijam outside their family home. ar

Rebuilding work is well underway. We plan to restore over 2,700 homes, and we still lack the funds for many of them.

made possible by the continuing support of hundred homes in the town were totally deACN. “Come, I’ll show you how we’re stroyed, they tell us. And thousands of others are virtually uninhabitable. But even helping people.” their own house still needs new doors and We travel through potholed streets and past windows, and a coat of paint. And most of badly damaged houses, till we come to the their furniture has either been stolen or dehouse of the Bassim family. A hammered cayed in the years since they left. metal cross hangs proudly over the entrance to the simple house of this Syriac Catholic And despite their joy at being able to return family. Basima and her daughter Marijam to their own home, they still face major welcome us with tea and cakes. “We simply problems. 21-year-old Marijam, the daughcannot tell you how happy we are to be able ter, is studying engineering. “I absolutely to live back in our own home once again”, want to stay in my own country”, she says. the mother tells us. “We want to thank the “But that depends on whether I can find benefactors of ACN for this, as our fate has work here.” At the moment her father, who touched them. May God grant them health deals in car parts, manages to make a modand long life!” Their family is one of the est living for his family. But the economic more fortunate ones, however. Almost a situation is fragile. During their years as refugees, they have used up all their family savings. But their greatest fear is that the events of 2014 could happen again. “We don’t really feel safe. We are still fearful that Daesh might come back again”, the mother tells us. “May God protect us again in the future.” Father George understands the needs of his parishioners. “Naturally, not everything is good. The problems in our country are enormous. But one thing is certain: if other Christians around the world had not helped us so generously, none of us A reminder of the horror: would be here today.”

Father George next to the ruined bell tower of his church.

projects, and enable the pastoral work of Aid to the Church in Need.

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“Like our daily bread” In the spring of 2017 torrential rain fell like a deluge on the Archdiocese of Piura in Peru. In a matter of hours it turned streams into roaring torrents and washed away or overwhelmed thousands of homes, animals, vehicles and small chapels. The catastrophic deluge was followed by a deluge of aid, but many people in this profoundly religious archdiocese are still lamenting, among other things, the loss of their Bibles. Archbishop José Antonio Eguren appealed to ACN for help and now 3,700 Bibles have been sent to Piura, to chapels, homes and schools, prompting a wave of gratitude: “We are so happy to be able to read about Jesus again”, “the Bible has a special place in our home”, “the words of Jesus are like our daily bread for us”. These and many other expressions of thanks from his people have been sent to us by the archbishop, who also writes, “May God bless you and your work in the service of evangelisation. In this way we will together help to bring about the longed for civilisation of love.”

Need, love and thanks − your letters ACN – a place of encounter ACN is a place of encounter between us and the Church in need. We love to be a part of your work. We are praying for the persecuted and the refugees and for Christian communities living in the face of violence and poverty. And we are also giving a proportion of our earnings. This is the way we can serve our brethren in the Faith. We know that it is not money that brings happiness and goodness, but our accompanying presence and the time and energy we commit to it. ACN is a meeting place where we can accompany others, where we can be the embrace of the mother and the caress of God, the greatest love of all, that says, “You are not alone, I am with you every day.” We have seen that we all need this love. We are all Church in need.

A family in Mexico

Giving something back Please don’t thank me for this donation, as it is not a good deed on my part, but my duty. In the past, when the Church in Slovakia suffered persecution, your many benefactors stood in solidarity with us.

Now we are by your side, and I am grateful to ACN for giving us the opportunity to give something back. Every day in our parishes and families we pray for the Church in need.

A benefactress in Slovakia A little treat I was going to spend this money on giving myself a little treat, now that the holidays are here, but then I thought again. The money would surely be far better used in renovating the chapel of Father Camillo in Burma...

A benefactor in France

Thomas Heine-Geldern, Executive President, ACN (International)

Dear Friends, When it comes to the religious education of our own children, what particularly matters, in addition to teaching the basics, is the example we give by our lives, how we trust in God. This example is especially fruitful when it is lived by both parents. Children find it much easier to develop in their own relationship with God when they have witnessed both their mother and father really taking their faith seriously.

At any rate it seems to me a somewhat unreasonable burden on the mother when, not infrequently, in addition to the double burden of work and family, the task of the religious education of the children also falls on her. It is essential that this joint responsibility should be jointly borne. Again and again one sees how difficult, how almost impossible it is for Catholic mothers to keep their children open to the Faith beyond puberty, if the fathers do not also seek after God. May the coming World Meeting of Families in Ireland bring new inspiration to religious life within the family.

Here too ACN has given generous support. I thank you with all my heart for your constant and generous willingness to provide help, through your prayers and donations.

Editors: Jürgen Liminski & Stephen Axisa Please use the envelope. Aid to the Church in Need, 39B Mdina Road, Publisher: Aid to the Church in Need, 39B Mdina Road, Attard ATD 9038 Attard ATD 9038; Tel: 21487818; Fax: 21586257 APS Bank, IBAN: MT72 APSB 7705 7008 5772 2000 1771 733 Printed in Malta BIC: APSBMTMT De licentia competentis auctoritatis Email: info@acnmalta.org – facebook//Aid to the Church in Need Malta ecclesiasticae Pass this leaflet on to your neighbours, friends or leave it at the Parish www.acnmalta.org Church for others to review.

Where to send your contribution for the Church in Need

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