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Photo: Pope Francis and Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I embrace.
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Archbishop Orani João Tempesta, of Belem, Brazil, the spokesman for the conference, which ends today, announced Tuesday that many details of the so-called continental mission are yet to be concretized.
But, he said, what is certain is that the bishops' conferences will focus on evangelization, including efforts ranging from visiting homes to strengthening the Catholic presence in the media.
Archbishop Tempesta explained that the bishops' conference will provide more details about the missionary initiatives in the coming weeks.
The final document of the general conference is nearing completion after a series of votes and amendments to the original drafts.
Code: ZE07053102
Date: 2007-05-31
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VATICAN CITY, MAY 31, 2007 (Zenit.org).- Benedict XVI named Archbishop José Octavio Ruiz Arenas of Villavicencio, Colombia, as vice president of the Pontifical Commission for Latin America.
The announcement was made public by the Vatican press office today, the closing day of the 5th General Conference of the Episcopate of Latin America and the Caribbean.
Archbishop Ruiz Arenas, 62, worked closely with Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, serving as an official of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith from 1985-1996.
Archbishop Ruiz Arenas succeeds Mexican Archbishop Luís Robles Díaz, who died on April 7 at age 69.
The commission is part of the Congregation for Bishops. The president of that congregation, currently Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re, serves as the commission's president.
Code: ZE07053103
Date: 2007-05-31
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Sugarloaf, PA - 20070531 - Bishop Michael J. Dudick, 91, retired Bishop of the Byzantine Catholic Eparchy of Passaic, fell asleep in the Lord on Wednesday at Rest Haven nursing home, Schuylkill Haven. He had previously been in residence at Holy Annunciation Monastery, Sugarloaf. Prior to his retirement in 1995, he had been the Bishop of the Byzantine Catholic Eparchy of Passaic for 27 years. Born in Saint Clair, Feb. 24, 1916, he was a son of the late John and Mary Jurick Dudick. He completed his elementary and secondary education in local schools. In 1939, he entered St. Procpius College, Lisle, Ill., to begin his studies for the priesthood. After successfully completing these studies, he was ordained to the priesthood of Jesus Christ on Nov. 13, 1945, by Bishop Basil Takach of the Byzantine Catholic Exarchate of Munhall.
After only six weeks as pastor of Ss. Peter & Paul Church, Struthers, Ohio, he was appointed Vice Chancellor of the Exarchate of Munhall, a position he held from March 1, 1946 to Jan. 15, 1955. During his tenure as vice-chancellor, he also served various parishes in western Pennsylvania and Ohio including parishes in Wall, Herminia, Tarentum, Pittsburgh, Avella and Toronto.
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29 May 2007 | 07-0404 | www.eni.ch
Photo: Jerusalem skyline. Peter Kenny/ENI
Jerusalem (ENI). Christian leaders in Jerusalem are calling for worldwide support of the International Church Action for Peace in Palestine and Israel campaign to mark 40 years of Israeli occupation of Arab territories captured during six days of fighting in 1967.
The patriarchs and church leaders on 29 May urged support for the 3-9 June week of prayers and action, a campaign led by the World Council of Churches, its member churches and related organizations.
"This year marks the 40th anniversary of the occupation by the Israelis of land previously held by Palestinians," said the Christian leaders. "It is totally unacceptable for the situation to continue where the Palestinians endure daily hardships and humiliations with deprivations of international human rights, allegedly to ensure the safety and security of the Israelis, whereas we believe the security of Israel is dependent on the freedom and justice of the Palestinians."
At the same time, on 29 May, the Geneva-based WCC described the goal of the campaign as being "to raise awareness in churches and civil society and to impress upon governments the need for new efforts to end the conflict and negotiate a just settlement".
In their statement sent to Ecumenical News International the Jerusalem church leaders said, "Now we sincerely believe it is time to intensify action, particularly through negotiation, to end occupation, establish an independent Palestinian State" consistent with UN resolutions and with clearly defined borders, "thus giving both peoples, Israelis and Palestinians alike, human dignity, security and equal opportunities".
They noted, "Many injustices have to be reversed not least the restoration of land to lawful indigenous owners and the so-called security wall demolished. For us as Christians, this land is unique since God chose to reveal his love for human beings here when he gave his Son to be born in Bethlehem; to die on the Cross."
Among the 13 church leaders who signed the message are: Greek Orthodox Patriarch Theophilos III of Jerusalem; Latin Patriarch Michel Sabbah, the highest ranking Roman Catholic in the Holy Land; Coptic Orthodox Bishop, Anba Abraham; Maronite Archbishop Paul Sayyah; Anglican Bishop Suheil Dawani and Lutheran Bishop Munib Younan.
They stated, "All of us, together, must clearly affirm we are God's children and so give specific support to work diligently for peace now."
Details of WCC campaign: www.oikoumene.org/index.php?id=3627
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VATICAN CITY, MAY 31, 2007 (VIS) - A communique made public today announced that the Holy See and the United Arab Emirates (UAE), "being desirous of promoting bonds of mutual friendship and of strengthening international cooperation, have decided by common accord to establish diplomatic relations at the level of apostolic nunciature on the part of the Holy See and at the ambassadorial level on the part of the United Arab Emirates, conforming to the rules fixed by the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations of April 18, 1961."
The joint communique states that the agreement was signed on the part of the Holy See by Archbishop Celestino Migliore, Holy See permanent observer to the United Nations in New York, and for the United Arab Emirates by Abdulaziz Nasser Al-Shamsi, ambassador extraordinary and plenipotentiary of the UAE to the United Nations.
A note attached to the communique recalls that the United Arab Emirates is a federation of seven independent emirates (Abu Dhabi, Ajman, Dubai, Al- Fujayrah, Ras al-Khaimah, Sharjah and Umm al-Qaiwain) located along the central-eastern coast of the Arab peninsula, and has Abu Dhabi as its capital city. It has a surface area of 83,600 square kilometers and a population of more than four million including a large percentage (more than 70 percent) of foreign workers, mostly from other Middle Eastern countries, Pakistan, India, Philippines and Bangladesh. The official language is Arabic.
The majority of UAE citizens is Muslim, which is the official religion of State. "The constitution," the note reads, "affirms the principle of religious freedom and Christians are able to perform their public religious activities in churches and parish centers."
The United Arab Emirates forms part of the Apostolic Vicariate of Arabia which is under the pastoral care of Bishop Paul Hinder O.F.M. Cap. and has its headquarters in Abu Dhabi. "According to reliable estimates," the note continues, "there are more than a million Christians, mostly Catholics, of more than a hundred nationalities who contribute to the social wellbeing of the nation. There are seven churches in the country where Mass is celebrated in various languages and rites. The expectation exists that the authorities, who maintain cordial relations with the Catholic Church, will approve the building of new centers of worship. Various religious congregations offer educational services in seven schools."
.../RELATIONS/UNITED ARAB EMIRATESVIS 070531 (390)
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Letter to the Editors
NEW YORK, MAY 30, 2007 (Zenit.org).- Here is an adapted version of a letter to the editors received by ZENIT from Sister Margherita Marchione, a Pius XII scholar.
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On May 8, members of the Congregation for Saints' Causes voted unanimously to recommend that Benedict XVI formerly declare Pope Pius XII "Venerable." Hopefully this recognition that Pius XII lived the Christian virtues in a heroic manner will bring an end to the controversy over whether he did enough in defense of the Jews and other victims of the Nazis. The 30 cardinals and bishops -- from Italy, Spain, Portugal, Mexico, Japan, and the USA -- studied six volumes of documents comprising more than 3,000 pages.
However, soon after the announcement, Abraham Foxman, national Anti-Defamation League director and a Holocaust survivor, urged Benedict XVI to suspend the action taken by the congregation regarding Pius XII's "heroic virtues" until all Pius XII documents in the Vatican Archives are made available.
Ever since the death of Pius XII in 1958, every Pope from John XXIII to Benedict XVI noted his sanctity. In fact, in his first Christmas message, John XXIII said his predecessor was worthy of canonization and called him "Supreme doctor, light of holy mother Church, lover of the divine law."
Pope John Paul II at the start of his 1987 visit to the United States, defended Pius XII during a meeting with Jewish leaders, recalling "how deeply he felt about the tragedy of the Jewish people, and how hard and effectively he worked to assist them during the Second World War."
It was Pius XII who authorized false baptismal certificates to save Jewish lives. He also distributed visas for Jews to enter other countries, and ordered the superiors of convents and monasteries to open their doors and hide Jews and other victims of the Nazis and Fascists. Angelo Roncalli (Pope John XXIII), who also distributed many certificates, stated that all he was doing was following the Pope's directives.
Almost 50 years have passed since Angelo Giuseppe Roncalli, then apostolic nuncio in Istanbul, wrote in his diary about an audience with Pius XII on Oct. 10, 1941. He declared that the Pope's statements were "prudent."
It is interesting to note that when news of Pius XII's death on Oct. 9, 1958, was flashed around the world, an editorial, "Fighter for Peace," in the Los Angeles Examiner expressed the sentiments of Catholics and non-Catholics, and declared that this "Fighter for Peace" was the "Pope of Peace." Of those mourning the Pope's death, Jews -- who credited him with being one of their greatest benefactors -- were in the forefront.
Did Pius XII help the Jews? Indeed he did. Nor can one claim he was "silent."
Rather one must speak of his "prudence." In his Christmas radio messages of '41, '42, and '43 following this audience, Pius XII denounced theories that attribute rights to "a particular race." He revealed that "hundreds of thousands of people, through no fault of theirs, sometimes only because of nationality or race, were destined to die."
[Text adapted]
Code: ZE07053008
Date: 2007-05-30