Bernardo Cervellera

The new cardinal of Brunei describes his Church and the mission that characterizes it based on education, friendship, the dialogue of life with people of other faiths. "We must not forget that the people here in Asia are hungry for God."

Sunday Gospel: talents, proclamation, work (video)

Our online news agency receives over 20,000 individual visits per day. In 2020, as of November 1st we have had more than 7 million visitors. Reports into Islam and its evolution (or involution) around the world. Many are reducing the Nice attack to Islamic terrorism targeting Christians and call for a "crusade". “Religious wars" only serve the political powers. Benedict XVI: the enemies of peace are religious fundamentalism and relativism. The positivist pride that despises religion relegating it to the obscurantist wastelands of history, is just as dangerous as the beheadings of the Islamist terrorist.

Comment (in Italian) on the Gospel of the Solemnity of All Saints (Matthew 5:1-12)

The Holy See and Beijing have announced the extension of the agreement for another two years. China’s apparent dissatisfaction at continued relations with Taiwan. The Vatican is content with the fruits: no illegitimate bishops. But there are no new bishops and the repression of the official and underground communities has continued and worsened. How to avoid "declarationist nominalism" and work for full religious freedom.

Unofficial voices (from the Vatican side) say that the renewal of the agreement will be signed tomorrow. But a wall of silence remains from China, or quotations from the Vatican only. The hypothesis is that the dialogue with China has reached an impasse: China wants the Holy See to break relations with Taiwan and the Vatican wants the recognition of unofficial bishops. The second elegy of Rainer Maria Rilke.

This afternoon an interreligious meeting will be held in Rome, at Santa Maria in Ara Coeli and then in Piazza del Campidoglio, on the theme “No-one is saved alone. Peace and Fraternity". Pope Francis, Bartholomew I, Jewish, Muslim and Buddhist representatives will be present. The scepticism of a part of the Christian world, which fears the birth of a "universal religion". The scepticism of the technocratic world, for which God has become useless.

Sunday Gospel: God and Caesar (video)

“Leaving” one's culture and one's country is possible only if one is rich in faith in Jesus Christ. This makes the difference. For many, the pandemic has meant closure, isolation, fear of contagion, disinterest, depression, nihilism. For many others it has meant reaching out, nurturing, comforting, consoling, crying, hoping. Missionaries are not just humanitarian workers. The greatest gift we can give to the world is not a little of our well-being, but faith itself.

The pontiff's attempt is to push everyone towards universal fraternity. The pivot is the image of the Good Samaritan, which affects many Muslims, Buddhists and Hindus. The "dream" and the proposals on the UN, foreign debt, the universal destination of private property, the end of the arms trade.

Comment (in Italian) on today’s Gospel, 27th Sunday of Ordinary Time, Year A (Matthew 21:33-43).

At the conference on "The other China" marking the 150th anniversary of the presence of the Pontifical Institute for Foreign Missions in China, the Vatican Secretary of State highlighted the "ecclesial and pastoral" value of the Sino-Vatican Agreement, which touches only episcopal appointments, and is a "starting point" to face the "many other problems" experienced by the Church in China. The Agreement already helps the Church in China to reconcile and contributes to "an international horizon of peace".