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Photo: Pope Francis and Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I embrace.
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ASSISI, Italy, MAY 16, 2007 (Zenit.org).- The Order of Friars Minor Conventual convened their 199th general chapter, which will include a visit from Benedict XVI for a Mass marking the anniversary of St. Francis' conversion.
About 100 friars from 34 countries will meet together until June 20.
During the assembly, held every six years, the Conventual Franciscans will discuss their way of life and pastoral work in light of the challenges of today's world. They will also elect the 119th minister-general of the order.
Benedict XVI will join the friars in Assisi on June 17.
In an Aug. 31 dialogue with priests from the Diocese of Albano, Italy, the Pope said: "Francis was not just an environmentalist or a pacifist. He was, above all, a converted man.
"Before his conversion, Francis was a sort of playboy. Then he felt that this was not enough. He heard the Lord's voice: 'Rebuild my house.' He slowly came to realize what the Lord meant by 'build the house of the Lord.'"
The Franciscan's minister-general, Father Joachim Giermek, echoed the Pope's words. The Conventual Franciscan superior's letter convoking the general chapter said: "The entire order feels called to conversion and to rediscover the vitality of its roots."
Code: ZE07051613
Date: 2007-05-16
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PESHAWAR, Pakistan, MAY 16, 2007 (Zenit.org).- Church leaders condemned the slaying of innocent people after a hotel bomb in Pakistan killed at least 24 people and injured dozens more.
The Tuesday explosion struck the Marhaba Hotel, frequented mostly by Afghans and located near the centuries-old Mahabat Mosque, in northwest Pakistan near the border with Afghanistan, reported www.AsiaNews.it.
The Catholic Church in Pakistan condemned the attack and called on the government to "re-establish law and order" in the country.
"We strongly condemn the killing of innocent people" said Archbishop Lawrence Saldanha, chairman of the bishops' conference of Pakistan.
"It is a sign of greater anarchy and intolerance because of declining law and order. As a result of this, some people are taking advantage of the situation," he added.
The death toll is expected to rise as many of the wounded are in critical condition.
Archbishop Saldanha asked for "impartial investigations into extremism," while offering "prayers for tolerance in Pakistan so that peaceful solutions can be found to conflicts that may lead to a just society."
Code: ZE07051628
Date: 2007-05-16
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Father Philip in Stable Condition
NEW DELHI, India, MAY 16, 2007 (Zenit.org).- Two men shot and injured a priest who is headmaster of a Catholic primary school in a suburb of New Delhi. He remains in the hospital in stable condition.
Two men entered the St. Vincent Palloti Primary School where they sought out Father George Philip and shot him, reported www.AsiaNews.it on Tuesday.
Witnesses said the two young men arrived at the school asking for the headmaster. The priest welcomed them and invited them to take a seat, handing them the admission form.
One of the men then took out a handgun and shot Father Philip three times in the chest.
The 35-year-old priest remains in the hospital where doctors have removed the bullets and report that he is out of danger.
The police said initial investigations suggest a case of attempted robbery. This theory has failed to convince authorities in the Archdiocese of Delhi.
Father Dominic Emmanuel, spokesman of the archdiocese, said: "The police are being very naive to say that the attack was carried out because the men wanted to rob Father Philip of a mobile phone.
"Why would someone who wants to rob a person of his mobile phone carry a gun inside a school? Or fire three shots at the priest?
"Since the attackers carried a pistol, there is reason to be worried about the incident. It is clear that the miscreants had come prepared with the intention of harming him, though the motive for the attack is not clear yet."
Code: ZE07051612
Date: 2007-05-16
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BELEM, Brazil, MAY 16, 2007 (Zenit.org).- A Brazilian rancher was convicted of ordering the killing of Sister Dorothy Stang, an American who had been active in halting deforestation by loggers in the Amazon region.
According to the Associated Press, Vitalmiro Bastos de Moura was sentenced Tuesday to the maximum penalty of 30 years in prison.
The judge said he ''showed a violent personality unsuited to living in society,'' because of his involvement in killing the 73-year-old woman religious.
Originally from Dayton, Ohio, Sister Dorothy, of the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur, was a naturalized Brazilian, who helped to build schools while working with other activists to defend the rights of impoverished farmers.
She was reading the beatitudes when one of two hired gunmen fired six shots into her at close range on Feb. 12, 2005.
The Associated Press reported that human rights defenders were watching this trial to see if the Brazilian courts would finally begin to convict those behind land-related killings in the Amazon state of Para.
Out of 800 estimated land-related killings, only four masterminds have been convicted in the past 30 years.
During the trial, Moura claimed he was innocent of ordering the killing, maintaining that he didn't know Sister Dorothy.
Code: ZE07051611
Date: 2007-05-16
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"Receive the Power" Won Vatican Approval
SYDNEY, Australia, MAY 16, 2007 (Zenit.org).- The theme song for World Youth Day 2008 was written by singer/songwriter Guy Sebastian, the winner of the first Australian Idol contest in 2003.
"Receive the Power" was written by Sebastian, who will also perform the song at the World Youth Day in July 2008.
In choosing the song, the World Youth Day coordinator, Auxiliary Bishop Anthony Fisher, said that "we wanted a song that was stirring and uplifting."
He added: "The ... theme had to measure up thematically and be an anthem -- yet be easily sung by people of all language backgrounds.
"Above all, it had to engage young people and capture the theme of World Youth Day 2008 -- namely, that you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you will be my witnesses."
Bishop Fisher remarked that when the World Youth Day organizers heard "Receive the Power," they knew that they had found their anthem: "To put it simply, 'Receive the Power' hit the mark."
The 47-year-old bishop added that Sebastian "knew we needed a song that would inspire the young people of the world to take up Christ's challenge to go to the ends of the earth and be his witnesses; for many people in the Northern Hemisphere, Australia is the ends of the earth!"
A demo recording was delivered to the Pontifical Council for the Laity, the Vatican dicastery overseeing the youth day preparations, which granted its approval and support during Bishop Fisher's visit to Rome in April.
Bishop Fisher affirmed, "We are confident 'Receive the Power' will rally young Catholics of all backgrounds to World Youth Day in 2008."
Since winning the Australian Idol title, Sebastian has since released three top-five albums and seven top-20 singles, including three that rose to the top of the charts.
Code: ZE07051616
Date: 2007-05-16
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Hopes for Discussion on Marian Aspect of the Church
APARECIDA, Brazil, MAY 16, 2007 (Zenit.org).- Benedict XVI's inaugural address at the bishops' general conference in Aparecida opened the door for a discussion on the role of women in the Church and society, says an expert.
Sandra Ferreira Ribero, who is attending the 5th General Conference of the Episcopate of Latin America and the Caribbean as an expert, pointed to the Pope's comments on chauvinism in Latin American societies.
The Pope said, "In some families in Latin America there still unfortunately persists a chauvinist mentality that ignores the 'newness' of Christianity, in which the equal dignity and responsibility of women relative to men is acknowledged and affirmed."
Ferreira Ribero, a specialist in physics, theology and the sociology of religion, and the national coordinator of the Focolare movement in Brazil, said that she believes the Holy Father mentioned chauvinism and its relation to women as an invitation for further discussion at the conference.
"It is true that the Holy Father underlined this aspect in speaking about the family, but obviously, this goes beyond just the family," Ferreira Ribero said. "Pope John Paul II highlighted what he called the feminine genius. And because the Church is a vast reality, one can look at this from many different points of view."
The conference expert also highlight that the Marian element of the Church -- being equally important to the Petrine-Apostolic element -- "has not been, historically speaking, sufficiently discussed, and this is a challenge for us today."
"Mary is the Queen of Apostles without claiming to have apostolic powers. One thinks immediately of female priesthood, but that is not it," Ferreira Ribero explained, adding that there is "a much greater mission open to women."
"The role of a woman is, practically speaking, the role of Mary in the Church and in society," she said. "Mary is the lay woman par excellence, and therefore the disciple of Christ par excellence."
Code: ZE07051602
Date: 2007-05-16