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Last Updated: 19 February 2013

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

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Last Updated: 19 February 2013

To Be Canonized on Sunday

VATICAN CITY, MAY 30, 2007 (Zenit.org).- Here is an adapted version of a biography of Blessed Marie-Eugénie of Jesus (1817-1898), which was published by the Holy See. Benedict XVI will canonize the woman religious on Sunday.

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BLESSED MARIE EUGENIE OF JESUS (1817-1898)

Anne-Eugénie Milleret was born in 1817 in Metz after Napoleon's complete defeat and the restoration of the monarchy. She belonged to a nonbelieving and financially comfortable family and it seemed unlikely that she would trace a new spiritual path across the Church of France.

Her father, a follower of Voltaire and a liberal, was making his fortune in the banking world and in politics. Anne-Eugénie's mother provided the sensitive daughter with an education, which strengthened her character and gave her a strong sense of duty. Family life developed her intellectual curiosity and a romantic spirit, an interest in social questions and a broad worldview.

Like her contemporary, George Sand, Anne-Eugénie went to Mass on feast days and received the sacraments of initiation, as was the custom, but without any real commitment. However, her first Communion was a great mystical experience that foretold the secret of her future. She did not grasp its prophetic meaning until much later, when she recognized it as her path toward total belonging to Jesus Christ and the Church.

Her youth was happy but not without suffering. She was affected when still a child by the death of an elder brother and a baby sister. Her health was delicate and a fall from a horse left serious consequences. Anne-Eugénie was mature for her age and learned how to hide her feelings and to face up to events.

Later, after a prosperous period for her father, she experienced the failure of his banks, the misunderstanding and eventual separation of her parents and the loss of all security. She had to leave her family home and go to Paris while Louis, closest to her in age and faithful companion, went to live with their father. Anne-Eugénie went to Paris with the mother she adored, only to see her die from cholera after a few hours of illness, leaving her alone at the age of 15 in a society that was worldly and superficial. Searching in anguish and almost desperate for the truth, she arrived at her conversion thirsty for the Absolute and open to the Transcendent.

When she was 19, Anne-Eugénie attended the Lenten Conferences at Notre Dame in Paris, preached by the young Abbé Lacordaire, already well-known for his talent as orator.

Lacordaire was a former disciple of Lamennais -- haunted by the vision of a renewed Church with a special place in the world. He understood his time and wanted to change it. He understood young people, their questions and their desires, their idealism and their ignorance of both Christ and the Church.

His words touched Anne-Eugénie's heart, answered her many questions, and aroused her generosity. Anne-Eugénie envisaged Christ as the universal liberator and his kingdom on earth established as a peaceful and just society.

"I was truly converted," she wrote, "and I was seized by a longing to devote all my strength or rather all my weakness to the Church which, from that moment, I saw as alone holding the key to the knowledge and achievement of all that is good."

Just at this time, another preacher, also a former disciple of Lamennais, appeared on the scene. In the confessional, Father Combalot recognized that he had encountered a chosen soul who was designated to be the foundress of the congregation he had dreamed of for a long time. He persuaded Anne-Eugénie to undertake his work by insisting that this congregation was willed by God who had chosen her to establish it. He convinced her that only by education could she evangelize minds, make families truly Christian, and thus transform the society of her time. Anne-Eugénie accepted the project as God's will for her and allowed herself to be guided by the Abbé Combalot.

At 22, Marie Anne-Eugénie became foundress of the Religious of the Assumption, dedicated to consecrate their whole life and strength to extending the Kingdom of Christ in themselves and in the world. In 1839, Anne-Eugénie, with two other young women, began a life of prayer and study in a flat at rue Ferou near the church of St. Sulpice in Paris. In 1841, under the patronage of Madame de Chateaubriand, Lacordaire, Montalembert and their friends, the sisters opened their first school. In a relatively short time there were 16 sisters of four nationalities in the community.

Marie Anne-Eugénie and the first sisters wanted to link the ancient and the new -- to unite the past treasures of the Church's spirituality and wisdom with a type of religious life and education able to satisfy the demands of modern minds. It was a matter of respecting the values of the period and at the same time, making the Gospel values penetrate the rising culture of a new industrial and scientific era. The spirituality of the congregation, centered on Christ and the incarnation, was both deeply contemplative and dedicated to apostolic action. It was a life given to the search for God and the love and service of others.

Marie Anne-Eugénie's long life covered almost the whole of the 19th century. She loved her times passionately and took an active part in their history. Progressively, she channeled all her energy and gifts in tending and extending the congregation, which became her life work.

God gave her sisters and many friends. One of the first sisters was Irish, a mystic and her intimate friend whom she called at the end of her life, "half of myself." Kate O'Neill, called Mother Thérèse Emmanuel in religion, is considered as a co-foundress.

Father Emmanuel d'Alzon, who became Marie Anne-Eugénie's spiritual director soon after the foundation, was a father, brother or friend according to the seasons. In 1845, he founded the Augustinians of the Assumption and the two founders helped each other in a multitude of ways over a period of 40 years. Both had a gift for friendship and they inspired many lay people to work with them and the Church. Together, as they followed Christ and labored with him, the religious and laity traced the path of the Assumption and took their place in the great cloud of witnesses.

In the last years of her life, Mother Marie Anne-Eugénie experienced a progressive physical weakening, which she lived in silence and humility -- a life totally centered on Christ. She received the Eucharist for the last time on March 9, 1898, and on March 10, she passed over to the Lord. She was beatified by Pope Paul VI on Feb. 9, 1975, in Rome.

Today, the Religious of the Assumption are present in 34 countries -- eight in Europe, five in Asia, 10 in America and 11 in Africa. Almost 1,200 sisters form 170 communities throughout the world.

The Lay Assumption -- Assumption Together -- made up of Friends of the Assumption and Communities or Fraternities of the Assumption, are numerous: Thousands of Friends and hundreds of Lay Assumption are committed to live according to the Way of Life.

[Text adapted]

Code: ZE07053028

Date: 2007-05-30

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Last Updated: 19 February 2013

Asks Government for Solutions, not Useless Talk

BAKAVU, Congo, MAY 30, 2007 (Zenit.org).- The Church is asking for troops to be send to the eastern region of Congo, following the slaying of 18 people in Kaniola last weekend.

Archbishop François-Xavier Maroy of Bukavu appealed to the French ambassador in Congo, asking the government to "treat the security problem in the east of the country as a priority and stop trying to distract public opinion with proposed plans for negotiations, dialogue and a round table which leads to nothing," Aid to the Church in Need reported.

Saturday night and Sunday morning, two villages were attacked in the region of South-Kivu. Besides the 18 killed in their sleep, another 27 were wounded and 18 others kidnapped.

"The massacre in Kaniola was carried out almost in the presence of the major of the regular army," the archbishop continued. "The cries of the people clearly did not disturb his sleep, even though the massacre took place not far from the place where he is stationed. ... As in 1996, our army ... was incapable of protecting the people."

"How are we to interpret the silence of the institutions of the republic, of the head of state, the Parliament, the central government and the military, in the face of these repeated massacres in Kaniola?" Archbishop Maroy said. "In other countries the taking of a hostage, even if it is only a matter of a single person, immediately prompts the state apparatus to react.

"So far as the government of the Democratic Republic of Congo is concerned, all they can offer us, in the face of the threat of a new war and while massacres are being perpetrated against the civilian population, is an 'inter-communicative' round-table discussion, instead of tackling the real problems, which involve the restoration of military order and security. Is this complicity or ignorance?"

Code: ZE07053014

Date: 2007-05-30

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"Accomplished a Great Step in the Development of the Trinitarian Dogma"

VATICAN CITY, MAY 30, 2007 (Zenit.org).- Here is a translation of the address Benedict XVI delivered today at the general audience in St. Peter's Square. The Pope continued his catechesis on the Apostolic Fathers. Today's reflection focused on Tertullian.

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Dear Brothers and Sisters,

With today's catechesis we return to the series that we stopped in honor of the trip to Brazil, and we continue to talk about the great personalities of the ancient Church: They are masters of the faith for us even today and witnesses of the perennial actuality of the Christian faith.

Today we speak about an African, Tertullian, who at the end of the second century and the beginning of the third inaugurated Christian literature in Latin. With him we see the beginning of theology in that language.

His work bore decisive fruits, and it would be unforgivable to undervalue them. His influence is developed on many levels: linguistically and in the recovery of the classic culture, and the singling out of a common "Christian soul" in the world and the formulation of new proposals for living together.