Posted on 07/26/2024 07:09 AM ()
The Vatican Dicastery for Culture and Education illustrates the ongoing events and initiatives of the Holy See Pavilion at Venice’s Giudecca Women’s Prison including the publication of a catalogue and screening of a short film.
Posted on 07/26/2024 06:30 AM ()
Gazans continue to evacuate shelters in the south and north of the strip, many moving so fast that they have fled without any possessions.
Posted on 07/26/2024 04:03 AM ()
The Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops say they “remain committed to walking in solidarity” with Indigenous Peoples as Canada marks two years since Pope Francis’ historic “penitential pilgrimage” of healing and reconciliation.
Posted on 07/26/2024 04:01 AM ()
Half a million people evacuated, dozens of deaths confirmed, and a capsized tanker in Manilla threatening a major oil spill, are part of the havoc caused by Typhoon Gaemi in the Philippines, Taiwan and now in China’s southeastern Fujian province.
Posted on 07/26/2024 03:19 AM ()
The Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in Care releases a report showcasing systemic and pervasive abuse in religious and state care institutions between 1950 and 2019, and demands apologies and compensation from government and Churches.
Posted on 07/26/2024 02:52 AM ()
“Joyful in hope” was the theme of the 3rd edition of the Diocesan Youth Day in the Diocese of Port-Gentil, Gabon.
Posted on 07/26/2024 01:49 AM ()
The great Eucharistic Congress in the US; the words of St John Chrysostom; the defence of every life.
Posted on 07/26/2024 00:18 AM ()
Fr. Lowrent Kamwaza tells Vatican News that the protection of minors and vulnerable persons against all forms of abuse is a key mission of the Church.
Posted on 07/25/2024 05:30 AM (USCCB News Releases)
VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- The elderly must not be accused of saddling younger generations with their medical expenses and pensions -- a notion which foments intergenerational conflict and drives older people into isolation, Pope Francis said.
"The accusation that the elderly 'rob the young of their future' is nowadays present everywhere," the pope wrote in his message for World Day of Grandparents and the Elderly, a church celebration that will take place July 28.
Even in the most advanced and modern societies "there is now a widespread conviction that the elderly are burdening the young with the high cost of the social services that they require, and in this way are diverting resources from the development of the community and thus from the young," he wrote in the message released May 14.
Such a mentality "assumes that the survival of the elderly puts that of the young at risk, that to favor the young it is necessary to neglect or even suppress the elderly," he wrote.
Yet the pope stressed that "intergenerational conflict is a fallacy and the poisoned fruit of conflict."
"To set the young against the old is an unacceptable form of manipulation," he wrote.
The pope's message expanded on the theme chosen for this year's world day which was taken from the Book of Psalms: "Do not cast me off in my old age."
The 2024 celebration marks the fourth edition of World Day for Grandparents and the elderly. In 2021, Pope Francis instituted the world day to be observed each year on the fourth Sunday of July, close to the liturgical memorial of Sts. Joachim and Anne, the grandparents of Jesus.
In his message for this year's celebration, the pope emphasized that "God never abandons his children," even as they grow weak and "can risk appearing useless." But today, a "conspiracy surrounding the life of the elderly" often results in their abandonment by those close to them.
"The loneliness and abandonment of the elderly is not by chance or inevitable, but the fruit of decisions -- political, economic, social and personal decisions -- that fail to acknowledge the infinite dignity of each person," he wrote.
The pope explained that such a phenomenon occurs "once we lose sight of the value of each individual and people are then judged in terms of their cost, which is in some cases considered too high to pay."
Unfortunately, he said, the elderly themselves can succumb to this cost-benefit mindset; "they are made to consider themselves a burden and to feel that they should be the first to step aside."
Pope Francis identified the decline of communal structures in society and the widespread celebration of individualism as other factors behind the isolation of the elderly, "yet once we grow old and our powers begin to decline, the illusion of individualism, that we need no one and can live without social bonds, is revealed for what it is."
The pope then recounted the Bible story in which the elderly Naomi encourages her two daughters-in-law to return to their hometowns after the death of her husband and children since she sees herself as a burden to them. "Her words reflect the rigid social and religious conventions of her day, which apparently seal her own fate," the pope wrote.
While Orpah returns home, grateful for the encouragement, Ruth "is not afraid to challenge customs and inbred patterns of thought" and "courageously remains at her side," he wrote.
The pope encouraged all people to "express our gratitude to all those people who, often at great sacrifice, follow in practice the example of Ruth, as they care for an older person or simply demonstrate daily closeness to relatives or acquaintances who no longer have anyone else."
Pope Francis also pointed out how in poorer countries elderly people are often left alone because their children are forced to emigrate, and in regions ravaged by conflict young men are called into conflict while women and children flee for safety, leaving elderly people alone in areas "where abandonment and death seem to reign supreme."
In a statement released with the pope's message, Cardinal Kevin J. Farrell, prefect of the Dicastery for Laity, the Family and Life, which organizes the world day, lamented the "bitter companion" that is loneliness in the lives of elderly people.
"Attending to our grandparents and the elderly," he said, "is not only a sign of gratitude and affection, but a necessity in the construction of a more human and fraternal society."
The cardinal's message was also accompanied by pastoral guidelines and liturgical resources for parishes and dioceses. The guidelines suggest that Catholics visit the elderly people within their own community, share with them the pope's message and pray together.
The document said that to involve the elderly in the day, "older people can be asked to offer special prayers for young people and for peace."
"The ministry of intercession is a real vocation of the elderly," it said.
Posted on 07/25/2024 05:30 AM (USCCB News Releases)
WASHINGTON - Pope Francis has appointed Reverend Kevin Thomas Kenney, as auxiliary bishop of Saint Paul and Minneapolis. Bishop-elect Kenney is a priest of the Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis, and currently serves as pastor of Saint Olaf Catholic Church, administrator of Saints Cyril and Methodius Catholic Church, and chaplain at DeLaSalle High School, in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The appointment was publicized in Washington, D.C. on July 25, 2024, by Cardinal Christophe Pierre, apostolic nuncio to the United States.
The following biographical information for Bishop-elect Kenney was drawn from preliminary materials provided to the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops:
Father Kenney was born on December 29, 1959, in Minneapolis, Minnesota. He graduated from the University of Saint Thomas in Saint Paul (1978-1983), with a bachelor’s degree in business administration and Spanish and a master of divinity from Catholic Theological Union in Chicago (1992). Bishop-elect Kenney entered the Archdiocesan Seminary of Saint Paul in 1992. He was ordained to the priesthood on May 28, 1994.
Bishop-elect Kenney’s assignments after ordination include: assistant priest at Saint Olaf Catholic Church (1994-1998); pastor at Our Lady of Peace Catholic Church in Minneapolis (1998-2004); pastor at Our Lady of Guadalupe Diocesan Shrine in Saint Paul (2004-2015); regional vicar of Latino ministry (2011-2018); representative of the comprehensive assignment board (2014-2020); pastor of Saint Michael’s Catholic Church in Kenyon (2015-2019); and pastor of Divine Mercy Catholic Church in Faribault (2015-2019). Since 2019, Bishop-elect Kenney has served as administrator of Saints Cyril and Methodius Catholic Church in Minneapolis, chaplain at DeLaSalle High School in Minneapolis, and pastor of Saint Olaf Catholic Church in Minneapolis. Bishop-elect Kenney speaks English and Spanish.
The Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis is comprised of 6,187 square miles in the state of Minnesota and has a total population of 3,532,316 of which 720,000, are Catholic.
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