Each summer the French Dominican friar and official at the Dicastery for Christian Unity completes a new stage of an uninterrupted pilgrimage on foot that has now taken him from Rome all the way to Antioch. He reflects on the pilgrimage as a synthesis of life, the hospitality received in monasteries and mosques, and the encounters along the way. “Patriarch Bartholomew told me: ‘Go all the way to Jerusalem’.”
The Institute is sad over the death of the murdered missionary but is grateful for the solidarity of friends. It offers prayers for the clergyman’s relatives, other missionaries and his killers. The press statement by the head office of the Pontifical Institute for Foreign Missions (PIME) follows.
Israel’s High Court of Justice is vetting four petitions submitted by victims of terror attacks in Israel; however, it is not likely to overturn the cabinet’s decision. President Peres commutes sentences, but “neither forgets nor forgives”. The overall deal involves the release of 1,027 prisoners held in Israeli prisons.
The death of a PIME missionary and simultaneously the announcement of the Year of Faith, invoked by Benedict XVI to rediscover the Christian faith and learn how to transmit it to the world. The life of the murdered priest is a sign of "good that makes no noise," but nourishes the fruits of faith and love. An alternative to the black bloc.
The Year of Faith "will begin on 11 October 2012, the 50th anniversary of the Second Vatican Council, and will end November 24, 2013, Solemnity of Christ the King." Benedict XVI will prepare a special apostolic letter to explain its value to "strengthen our faith in Him and to proclaim Him with joy to the people of our time." New evangelization and mission ad gentes are in harmony. Some avenues to take: a theology of history, "after the disastrous season of totalitarian empires of the twentieth century"; the "power of the Spirit"; not exclusively reducing the Church's commitment to the political sphere.
The apostolic letter that explains rationale, objectives and guidelines of the Year of Faith is ready, and will be published in the coming days, after nearly 50 years since the Second Vatican Council. As for the Polish pope, the new evangelization and mission ad gentes go together, and are "aspects of the mission of the Church." Paul VI proclaimed a "Year of Faith" in 1967.
Emmanuel Kelly, Saved by the Missionaries of Charity during the conflict, and adopted together with his brother by an Australian Catholic, carries on his body the marks of chemical warfare. His audition for a popular Australian reality show moves audiences: five million hits on Youtube.
Benedict XVI greets the participants at the meeting organised by the Pontifical Council for the Promotion of the New Evangelization. In the contemporary world there is "closure and rejection", indifference and even hostility towards the Word of God, but there is always "good soil" that bears fruit. The new preachers must be men "who speak to God to speak of God."
For the domino effect, the Asian economies affected by the euro crisis and stagnation in the U.S.. The growth model needs to move towards domestic consumption instead of relying on exports. Chinese growth stationary, scaled down in April.
The results of the autopsies will be released Oct. 27. But Egyptian army trying to silence the issue by manipulating the truth and accusing the Copts of provoking the violence despite the eyewitness accounts and videos. Shenouda III is opposed to the military’s version. Obama also assumes that the Copts were violent. Not to forget AsiaNews publishes some pictures of the massacre, sent by Coptic organizations.
Last Sunday’s massacre of Coptic Christians in Cairo raises doubts about the future of Christians in the countries affected by the Arab spring. For Tarek Mitri, a Christian and a former minister in the Lebanese government, the Yasmin Revolution has rekindled the old unity between Christians and Muslims that emerged in the course of the 19th century struggle for independence. Joint political action and mutual understanding among citizens can end the isolation and exodus of Christians from the Middle East.
The head of the Russian Orthodox Church warns that Arabs should not perceive Europe as an invader. In the Middle East, the “interreligious factor” should be avoided “because this all can backfire very painfully” in Europe. He calls on the world to protect the Copts of Egypt.
Holder of dual citizenship, naturalized American Manssor Arbabsiar, was arrested Sept. 29. The Attorney General Eric Holder: "The plot was conceived, sponsored and directed by Iran and constitutes a flagrant violation of U.S. and international laws ". For Iran it is a "propaganda campaign". Saudi Arabia remains silent.
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