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Photo: Pope Francis and Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I embrace.
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Königstein, Germany. 2007-06-06 - His Beatitude Baselios Mar Cleemis, whoin February this year was appointed as Major Archbishop of Trivandrum in southern India, and thus also as the new head of the Malankara Catholic Church -- an Eastern Catholic church in communion with Rome -- was encouraged by the Pope in his commitment for Christian unity. This information was given by Archbishop Cleemis himself, who now bears the official title of "Catholicos", to the international Catholic pastoral charity Aid to the Church in Need (ACN). In a personal meeting with Pope Benedict XVI on 28 May this year the Holy Father had told him that the presence and witness of the Syro Malankara Church was vital and had urged him to continue the dialogue both with our Christian sister churches and with the non-Christian religious communities. Archbishop Cleemis in turn had thanked the Holy Father for his commitment to Christian unity.
Speaking to ACN, Isaac Mar Cleemis expressed his longing for Eucharistic unity between the Catholic Church and the Orthodox churches, while preserving the individual traditions and forms of expression of the various different rites. He would be "the happiest man in the world", if this were to come about, he said. Indeed, if necessary, he would even be prepared to resign from his office in order to achieve this goal. He himself was convinced that unity would come one day. In Kerala, where the Catholic Church of various different rites coexists alongside Orthodox churches, the collaboration between them was already very good, he added. Thus Christians of the various different denominations were co-operating more and more closely together, especially in the field of the Bible and family apostolate, the formation of youth and the commitment for the defence of human life.
Read story at the ACN (Aid to the Church in Need) website (a new window will open).
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Baghdad, Jun. 6, 2007 (CWNews.com) - Iraqi Christians oppose a plan to create an "Assyrian ghetto" in northern Iraq as an enclave for Christians, according to an analysis by the AsiaNews service. The plan, however, has strong backing from some Iraqis living abroad, AsiaNews notes.
The proposal for a Christian enclave has gained backing because of the steady campaign of violence and intimidation aimed at the Christian minority in Iraq.
The AsiaNews analysis explains that the proposal to create an "Assyrian enclave" adjacent to Kurdistan has the backing of Christians in the US. The proposal could be on the agenda when President George W. Bush meets with Pope Benedict on June 8.
Last year the US bishops wrote to Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice to suggest the possibility of creating a new “administrative region” around Niniveh, to "provide Christians and other minorities with greater safety and offer more opportunity to control their own affairs.”
But Iraqi Christians are skeptical about a plan that would concentrate the Christian population in one area, providing a convenient target for Muslim extremists. Moreover, opponents told AsiaNews, the proposal “reduces Christians to an ethnic group and puts an end to the Church’s mission, which is that of working and witnessing the Gospel among nations.”
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06/06/2007 17:26 - Baghdad (AsiaNews via CWNews.com) – Another Chaldean priest was abducted in Baghdad today. Fr Hani Abdel Ahad, in his early 30s, was taken in a north-eastern section of the capital called Suleikh along with four boys who were going with him to visit the city’s minor seminar. The incident has plunged the Christian community in a state of gloom. Some faithful have reacted to terrible news saying that they have “the impression that they are all alone, like Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane, when he felt abandoned by the Father.”
Unconfirmed rumours have raised the possibility that Patriarch Emmanuel III Delly might have already received a ransom note.
Click here to read story at www.AsiaNews.it (a new window will open).
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"In the Name of What God of Death Have They Killed You?"
ROME, JUNE 6, 2007 (Zenit.org).- Here is a translation of a letter written posthumously to Father Ragheed Aziz Ganni by a Muslim friend of his who is a professor at the Pontifical Gregorian University. Father Ragheed and three deacons were shot and killed in Mosul, Iraq, on Sunday after Mass.
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In the name of the compassionate and merciful God,
Ragheed, my brother,
I ask your forgiveness for not being with you when those criminals opened fire against you and your brothers. The bullets that have gone through your pure and innocent body have also gone through my heart and soul.
You were one of the first people I met when I arrived to Rome. We met in the halls of the Angelicum and we would drink our cappuccino in the university's cafeteria. You impressed me with your innocence, joy, your pure and tender smile that never left you.
I always picture you smiling, joyful and full of zest for life. Ragheed is to me innocence personified; a wise innocence that carries in its heart the sorrows of his unhappy people. I remember the time, in the university's dining room, when Iraq was under embargo and you told me that the price of a single cappuccino would have satisfied the needs of an Iraqi family for a whole day.
You told me this as if you were feeling guilty for being far away from your persecuted people and unable to share in their sufferings …
In fact, you returned to Iraq, not only to share the suffering and destiny of your people but also to join your blood to the blood of thousands of Iraqis killed each day. I will never forget the day of your ordination [Oct. 13, 2001] in the [Pontifical] Urbanian University … with tears in your eyes, you told me: "Today, I have died to self" … a hard thing to say.
I didn't understand it right away, or maybe I didn't take it as seriously as I should have. … But today, through your martyrdom, I have understood that phrase. … You have died in your soul and body to be raised up in your beloved, in your teacher, and so that Christ would be raised up in you, despite the sufferings, sorrows, despite the chaos and madness.
In the name of what god of death have they killed you? In the name of which paganism have they crucified you? Did they truly know what they were doing?
O God, we don't ask you for revenge or retaliation. We ask you for victory, a victory of justice over falsehood, life over death, innocence over treachery, blood over the sword. … Your blood will not have been shed in vain, dear Ragheed, because with it you have blessed the soil of your country. And from heaven, your tender smile will continue to light the darkness of our nights and announce to us a better tomorrow.
I ask your forgiveness, brother, for when the living get together they think they have all the time in the world to talk, visit, and share feelings and thoughts. You had invited me to Iraq … I dreamed of that visit, of visiting your house, your parents, your office. … It never occurred to me that it would be your tomb that one day I would visit or that it would be verses from my Quran that I would recite for the repose of your soul …
One day, before your first trip to Iraq after a prolonged absence, I went with you to buy souvenirs and presents for your family. You spoke with me of your future work: "I would like to preside over the people on the base of charity before justice" -- you said.
It was difficult for me to imagine you a "canonical judge" … And today your blood and your martyrdom have spoken for you, a verdict of fidelity and patience, of hope against all suffering, of survival, in spite of death, in spite of everything.
Brother, your blood hasn't been shed in vain, and your church's altar wasn't a masquerade. … You assumed your role with deep seriousness until the end, with a smile that would never be extinguished … ever.
Your loving brother,
Adnam Mokrani
Rome, June 4, 2007
Professor of Islamic Studies in the Institute for the Study of Religion and Culture,
Pontifical Gregorian University
[Original text: Arabic. Translation by ZENIT]
Code: ZE07060621
Date: 2007-06-06
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VATICAN CITY, JUNE 6, 2007 (Zenit.org).- Here is the appeal Benedict XVI voiced today after the general audience to the heads of state meeting at the Group of Eight summit.
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Today in Heiligendamm, Germany, under the Presidency of the Federal Republic of Germany, the Annual Summit of Heads of State and Heads of Government of the G8 -- that is, the seven most industrialized countries of the world plus the Russian Federation -- has begun. On 16 December last I had occasion to write to Chancellor Angela Merkel, thanking her, in the name of the Catholic Church, for the decision to keep the theme of world poverty on the agenda of the G8, with specific reference to Africa. Doctor Merkel kindly replied to me on 2 February last, assuring me of the G8's commitment to attaining the Millennium Development Goals. Now, I should like to make a further appeal to the leaders meeting at Heiligendamm, not to retreat from their promises to make a substantial increase in development aid in favour of the most needy populations, especially those of the African Continent.
In this regard, the second Millennium goal merits special attention: "to achieve universal primary education -- to ensure that all boys and girls complete a full course of primary schooling by 2015". This is an integral part of the attainment of all the other Millennium Goals: it is a guarantee of the consolidation of goals already reached; it is the starting-point for autonomous and sustainable processes of development.
It must not be forgotten that the Catholic Church has always been at the forefront in the field of education, reaching places, particularly in the poorest countries, that State structures often fail to reach. Other Christian Churches, religious groups and organizations of civil society share this educational commitment. According to the principle of subsidiarity, this reality should be recognized, valued and supported by Governments and International Organizations, among other things by the allocation of sufficient funding, so that greater efficacy may be guaranteed in the attainment of the Millennium Development Goals. Let us hope that serious efforts be made to reach these objectives.
[Original text: English]
© Copyright 2007 -- Libreria Editrice Vaticana
ZE07060609 - 2007-06-06
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ROME, JUNE 6, 2007 (Zenit.org).- President Bush will be meeting with leaders of the Community of Sant'Egidio during his visit to Rome on Saturday.
Speaking to ZENIT about why the Catholic group was chosen, Francis Rooney, the U.S. ambassador to the Holy See, said: "This meeting is important to highlight the role of faith-based organizations -- like Sant'Egidio's DREAM Project which addresses HIV/AIDS.
"This is also a priority for the president who has committed to battling the disease with his Emergency Program for AIDS Relief."
Of its many initiatives, Sant'Egidio's DREAM Project, or Drug Resource Enhancement against AIDS and Malnutrition, is based on a holistic approach of treating AIDS in Africa. It began in 2002 and is now available in Mozambique, Malawi, Tanzania, Kenya, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Nigeria, Angola and Congo.
The Community of Sant'Egidio, founded in Rome in 1968, is an ecclesial movement that promotes peace and charitable works. Today, the lay movement has 50,000 members in about 70 countries.
ZE07060606 - 2007-06-06