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Indigenous people have a…

Indigenous people have a « fundamental role » in protecting the planet from « unprecedented » social and environmental threats, Pope Francis said.  

Meeting with participants from the Forum of Indigenous Peoples, organized by the International Fund for Agricultural Development — a U.N. agency based in Rome — the pope praised the theme of this year’s forum, « Leadership of Indigenous peoples on climate issues: Community-based solutions for improving resistance and biodiversity. »

All people should listen to the wisdom of Indigenous people to understand the human roots of the environmental crisis and take steps toward developing sustainable practices, the pope said. « If we really want to care for our common home and better the planet we live in, profound changes in lifestyle, production and consumption are essential. »

« Aboriginal cultures are not to be converted to a modern culture, » he said. « They are to be respected. »

Francis also called on governments to recognize Indigenous people’s rights, as well as their « cultures, languages, traditions and spiritualities. »

Ignoring Indigenous communities, the pope said, « is a grave error, not to say a great injustice. »

A lack of recognition for Indigenous territorial rights has led to the targeting of Indigenous populations, particularly those who live on lands where there are fossil fuel and mineral reserves. Global Witness, a nongovernmental organization, reported that 1,733 land and environmental defenders, many of them Indigenous persons, have been killed since 2012, primarily in Latin America.

Francis specifically noted the mining practices in the Amazon region and deforestation in other places that « destroy peoples. »

The pope told the participants that now, more than ever, many people are calling for changes to the power structures that govern Western society and are seeking to transform the historic relationship of exclusion and discrimination toward Indigenous people « marked by colonialism. » 

Action against climate change, he said, must be taken in « constant collaboration » with Indigenous peoples, « because the environmental challenge we are facing, and its human roots have an impact on each one of us. »

According to the International Labor Organization, Indigenous people represent approximately 6.2% of the world’s population.

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Pencil Preaching for Friday,…

“He has done all things well” (Mark 7:37).

Gn 3:1-8; Mk 7:31-37

If you cannot hear, this will alter your ability to speak. In meeting the deaf man with a speech impediment, Jesus first addresses his deafness.  He puts his finger into the man’s ears, then spits and touches the man’s tongue. “Be opened!” he commands, and the deaf man can hear, the impediment is removed, and he speaks plainly. 

One of the most important daily prayers for Jews, the Sh’ma, begins with the word “Hear.”  The first commandment God utters is, “Listen.” If we truly hear, we will love the Lord our God with all our mind, all our heart, all our soul and our strength. The faithful servant is literally “all ears” to the voice of God, whose Word first calls him or her into existence, naming, loving and guiding them to always orient themselves to the Source. 

How true it is that someone who does not listen will also be unable to speak effectively.  A leader who does not listen is soon isolated, living in his or her own world. Even kings and presidents find themselves alone because they are surrounded by people who only tell them what they think they want to hear, and they become deaf to reality and in a self-referential echo chamber about the world around them.  

 Jesus liberates the deaf mute in an intimate and almost primitive way, by putting his fingers in his ears and using spittle to touch his tongue. Mark depicts Jesus like God kneeling to fashion Adam from the clay of the earth and breathe life into him. 

Mark’s account suggests that Jesus knows this miracle is like creating what did not exist before, bringing a person alive into the community of speaking and listening for the first time. Jesus tries to draw the man away from the crowd so he can work intimately with him. Faith is necessary, not just from the man but for Jesus himself as he calls in Hebrew for heaven to hear his plea: « Ephphatha! » (that is, « Be opened! »). 

We are all called to be evangelists. But before we can announce the Gospel, we must first hear it, not just with our ears but with our hearts. Until Jesus heals us, we are all deaf mutes. Only when he touches us personally do we begin to know him, hear him and obey him. Then nothing can stop us from announcing him to the whole world.  

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‘On God’s Team’ | KnightCast Episode 11

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In response to the devastating…

In response to the devastating earthquake that struck northern Syria Feb. 6, the patriarchs and heads of churches in the country demanded the lifting of « unjust sanctions » on the Syrian people, calling for « exceptional measures » to secure delivery of humanitarian aid.

« We, the three patriarchs with the heads of churches in Syria, demand from the United Nations and the countries imposing sanctions on Syria to lift the embargo and the unjust sanctions imposed on the Syrian people, and to take exceptional measures and immediate initiatives to secure the delivery of the much-needed relief and humanitarian aid, » the church leaders said in a statement.

« We appeal to governments, international organizations, NGOs, charities, and peace advocates everywhere to expedite the support of relief and rescue efforts, irrespective of any political consideration, » the prelates said.

The three patriarchs based in Syria are Melkite Catholic Patriarch Joseph Absi; Syriac Orthodox Patriarch Ignatius Aphrem II and Greek Orthodox Patriarch John X.

« We also appeal to the conscience of all the people of goodwill to advocate on behalf of the Syrians in order to put an end to their misery and enable them to live in dignity as envisioned by the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, » the prelates said.

« This natural disaster adds to the ordeal of the Syrian people, » the Syrian church leaders stressed, adding that the people continue to suffer « from the tragedies of war, crises, disasters, epidemics, and the harsh economic hardships. »

« We pray for the victims and their families, asking the Lord to grant rest to the souls of the departed and recovery to the wounded. We, likewise, pray for all those working in the fields of relief, rescue, and hospitalization, » the prelates said.

The earthquake that hit northwestern Syria and south Turkey in the early morning hours of Feb. 6 left at least 11,000 people dead and thousands more trapped under the rubble.

According to the expert quoted by the Associated Press, hope is fading with every hour of search.

« The first 72 hours are considered to be critical, » Steven Godby, a natural hazards expert at Nottingham Trent University in England, told the AP.

« The survival ratio on average within 24 hours is 74%, after 72 hours it is 22% and by the fifth day it is 6%. »

At the same time, he said it was too soon to abandon hope.

Sako Khaloyian recalled the terror of the night of the earthquake. « We were so frightened, » he told OSV News.

The 35-year-old Armenian Catholic was most worried about his wife, who is 36 weeks pregnant.

« I was very concerned about her. I was trying to protect her with my body.

When the huge tremor stopped, broken glass was everywhere in their apartment.

First, they went to a relative’s home nearby, but still fearing the aftermath of tremors, they took their car and went to a nearby schoolyard, filled with cars of other residents seeking safety.

« It’s an open space, not close to buildings or trees, anything that might fall, » he said. Aftershocks were continuing, however.

« Whenever the aftershocks are occurring, we fear it might be a big one, » he said. « For now, it is decreasing. Hopefully, it will stop. »

« All the churches have opened their halls and are providing shelter, » Khaloyian said, but for himself and his wife, the schoolyard was the nearest possible option.

Despite the fear of aftershocks, the couple returned briefly to their apartment. « My wife started to feel tired after sitting so long and had to lay down. We are on the second floor, so we can escape fast. »

« The worst fear is not knowing what to expect, » Khaloyian said. « After 12 years of war, a terrible economic situation, and now this earthquake, we’ve been going through a lot of hard times. »

« Faith is the only thing that is holding us together. We are praying and believing that God will protect us during these hard times, as he always did, » Khalorian said.

Syria has been devastated, even before the earthquake, by more than a decade of conflict and a dire economic situation. Now, to make things worse, international economic sanctions placed on a regime in power are stopping aid.

« The situation is awful, » Riad Sarji, executive director of Caritas Syria, told OSV News.

While churches, convents and mosques are hosting people, there are still thousands who are in the open air or staying in their cars, fearful of returning to their apartments, he said.

More than 120 buildings in Aleppo are completely destroyed and more than a thousand buildings have cracks.

« People are afraid to go back to their homes. They are afraid of aftershocks and the danger that their building will collapse, » Sarji said.

« The demand is really huge. Some areas don’t have water to drink and they need food, » he said, adding that the sanctions « have badly affected the disaster. »

« Imagine, no electricity, no fuel, nothing, in a very cold area, » he said. « This is a critical time to inform the Western countries to remove the sanctions on Syria. It’s enough. It’s enough. »

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It seemed that 12 years of a…

It seemed that 12 years of a bloody war should have been enough tragedy for the people of Aleppo and other Syrian cities. But in the early hours of Feb. 6, a devastating earthquake struck northwestern Syria, killing 1,500 as of 5 a.m. Eastern on Feb. 7.

In southern Turkey and Syria combined, the death toll reached more than 5,000 as of early morning hours on Feb. 7 and is expected to rise as people are still trapped under the rubble.

In Aleppo, people are trying to pick up the pieces after the shock of the catastrophe.

« It’s a desperate humanitarian situation, » Chaldean Catholic Bishop Antoine Audo of Aleppo, and former president of Caritas Syria, told OSV News.

Even before the catastrophe, there were electricity and fuel shortages in Syria’s second-largest city of more than 2 million people.

« There is no electricity, there is no fuel, the winter is very harsh, and it is cold inside and outside. There is so much poverty, » Audo said, underlining that « on top of all that, we have to face this earthquake. It’s not easy. The situation is really terrible. »

By early morning on Feb. 6, following the earthquake, the bishopry (bishop’s residence where offices are often located) was hosting about 50 people, including children: « We prayed together, and we had some tea. »

Audo explained that people who live on the above-ground floors in apartment buildings do not feel safe. « It is dangerous, especially if there is another earthquake or aftershocks. » In fact, a second earthquake struck early afternoon on Feb. 6.

The Chaldean Catholic bishop said the churches of different rites are organizing centers to provide food and water. « This is the first step of help in this tragedy, » he said.

After almost 12 years of a deadly war in Syria, the earthquake came on top of the suffering its people had already experienced.

« I am from Aleppo, and it’s the first time I experienced a dangerous tragedy of an earthquake, » said the 77-year-old bishop. « I thought it was the end for me. »

Maronite Bishop Joseph Tobji of Aleppo referred to the earthquake as « the biggest terror. »

« I didn’t experience anything like this in all the years of war, » Tobji told OSV News. « People are shocked and crying, » he said.

« We are welcoming people in the bishopry, in the cathedral and in the parishes, » he said, adding that they are « buying food to help the people. » By the afternoon of Feb. 6, the Maronite Cathedral of Saint Elijah in Aleppo was hosting around 150 people.

« Our people have suffered for 12 years now because of the war, because of the sanctions. I have always pleaded to the world to have mercy on our people. »

Sandy Agob, a 29-year-old Maronite Catholic from Aleppo, told OSV News that since 4 a.m., when the earthquake struck, they were « living in horror. »

« I’m so scared, but thank God we are okay, » said Agob, who lives with her parents in a ground-floor apartment. « Today was the worst day ever. Worse even than the war. You realize that in a single moment, there’s just a thread between your life and death, » she added.

Shaken by the earthquake, Agob shared what she told her parents immediately after the tragic shock: « Why do people (in the world) have problems with each other, while life is so fragile that it can be just taken away in seconds? »

Sleeping at the time of the earthquake, Agob said she heard her parents shouting to come to them and that in their apartment, « everything was moving and broken. »

The first quake, which she said lasted four minutes, « was so long. » They « couldn’t stand up, so we sat on the floor » in the entryway to the bathroom, trying to keep safe, Agob said.

« I kept praying, praying, praying, holding a picture of Jesus and Mary. Thank God, He protected us, » she said. Hearing the crashing sounds of stones falling outside, Agob recounted that she thought: « We are going to be killed. »

« But God saved us, » she said.

After five minutes, they felt another quake, not as strong, lasting about 30 seconds.

She and her mother dressed quickly, her father still in his pajamas. « I thought we might never come back to our home » if it got destroyed. Grabbing their important documents, they rushed to their car and drove to an area not surrounded by buildings, staying there until 7 a.m., then returning home.

She noted that her friend, who lives on the sixth floor of a building, in which the earthquake was felt even stronger, ran outside in the rain without any shoes.

By 8 a.m., Agob arrived at the bank where she works. « I thought, ‘let’s go to work, maybe it’s a safer place,’ but it was not » — and by 1:30 p.m., she was back home.

On her way to the bank, Agob saw demolished buildings, fallen balconies and the collapsed minaret of a mosque. « I saw people running, on foot, and driving in their cars, » she said, recounting the frantic reaction all around her.

What makes people even more fearful, she said, is the fragility of Aleppo’s buildings after enduring years of shelling and bombing. « We’re afraid that our buildings can’t support anymore from this earthquake. »

While the power in Aleppo typically comes on for two hours a day, Agob’s family has had no electricity in the last three days. Typically households use kerosene heaters in the city but amid the fuel shortage, her parents were rarely able to use their own in the last days to even slightly take the chill out of their home. « We wear many layers of clothes, » she pointed out.

« I really don’t know why God is testing us with this earthquake, because we had enough problems in the war, » Agob said of the catastrophe. « We hope to live peacefully and not to be afraid of losing our life, » she added.

The Middle East Council of Churches (MECC) held an emergency meeting in Beirut on Feb. 6 to discuss the current situation and how to respond to the earthquake’s repercussions.

« We call on the international community and the international ecumenical family to provide urgent emergency aid to the region, in coordination with the Middle East Council of Churches, the Churches and their affiliated institutions, » the MECC said in a statement.

« We urge the immediate lifting of sanctions on Syria and allowing access to all materials, so sanctions may not turn into a crime against humanity, » the MECC implored.

Syria has been under international sanctions since the beginning of the war. Since the uprisings began in March 2011, « the U.S. government has intensely pursued calibrated sanctions to deprive the regime of the resources it needs to continue violence against civilians and to pressure the Syrian regime to allow for a democratic transition as the Syrian people demand, » the U.S. State Department stated on its website.

The Pontifical Mission Societies in the United States has opened the Earthquake Aid for Turkey and Syria Fund « to provide immediate relief to the families that suffered catastrophic loss due to the earthquake that shook Turkey and Syria Monday morning, » the organization said in a statement.

Proceeds from the fund will support missionary priests, religious women and lay missionaries on the ground providing assistance to those impacted by the disaster, defined by Audo as a « tremendous bomb. »

« While it is too early to know the full extent of the devastation wrought by the earthquake, experience tells us that the days ahead will be critical, » Msgr. Kieran Harrington, national director of The Pontifical Mission Societies USA, said in a statement.

« Missionaries are ready to help, and the national director in Turkey is already working with local NGOs to ensure that every dollar sent goes directly to those most impacted by this tragedy, » he added.

The Pontifical Mission Societies USA will distribute grants through Catholic dioceses and trusted partner organizations to ensure that the funds fully benefit the immediate and ongoing needs of communities impacted by the devastating earthquake.

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In Service to Families | KnightCast Episode 11

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Pencil Preaching for Tuesday,…

“You disregard God’s commandment but cling to human tradition” (Mark 7:7).

Gen 1:20—2:4a; Mk 7:1-13

In today’s gospel passage from Mark, Jesus challenges his religious opponents for insisting on ritual hand washing and the purification of cups and dishes while neglecting the deeper command to be pure of heart. He also criticizes them for excusing themselves from the commandment to honor and support their parents by claiming that they were dedicated to God.  

Jesus’ deepest criticism was that his opponents were neglecting the first commandment of love in favor of their own expanding body of man-made rules. Jesus was not alone in his emphasis on the commandment of love. This debate within the religious community was best answered by the revered Rabbi Hillel, who, it is claimed, when challenged to recite the Law while standing on one leg, simply said, « That which is hateful to you, do not do unto your fellow. That is the whole Torah; the rest is commentary; now go and learn. »

If we sort out essential commandments from church rules, we encounter a long history of reformers arguing for essentials against traditionalists, who insisted on institutional rules and their own theological systems above all else. 

The debate over the church’s all-male, celibate clergy is one of these issues. Though a chronic shortage of priests has meant that believers often do not receive the Eucharist or other sacraments, alternative solutions are rejected. These include the ordination of women based on Jesus’ own inclusion of women among his disciples and Paul’s witness to female leadership in ministry and house churches, and the basic principle of equality for women.   

The current criticism by some in the hierarchy of Pope Francis’ statement on decriminalizing homosexuality or his emphasis on pastoral accompaniment in the case of Catholics in second marriages seems more about enforcing legal standards than acknowledging real suffering with compassion. The pope has angered some critics by simply suggesting that ordinary Catholics are capable of discernment and examining their own situations conscientiously. Priests should be part of that process but without needing to control it. 

All of us are asked to determine what is essential and most important in our lives. Do we insist on our human rules and traditions at the expense of being patient and loving with others in their struggles? Are we living in fear of God’s judgment instead of opening our hearts to God’s mercy?  Jesus came to liberate us from both fear and legalistic thinking. If we do our best and concentrate on love, are we not fulfilling the whole law?  

—————————————–

In the weeks ahead, leading to Lent and Holy Week, many of the scripture readings will reflect the political and religious divisions and uncertainty that roiled Judaism and the earliest decades of Christianity. Our reflections will take into consideration that the texts contain language that historically served to foster ugly stereotypes and fuel ancient hostility toward Jews. The Catholic Church took a huge step toward correcting those perceptions in the Vatican II document Nostra Aetate. More than 50 years after the promulgation of that document, the church is still wrestling with how to interpret our sacred texts in light of new research and understanding. A good point of reference is a 2019 talk by Pope Francis to the Pontifical Biblical Institute as it addressed the topic, “Jesus and the Pharisees: An Interdisciplinary Reappraisal.” He spoke of the need to “find ways to overcome ancient prejudices.”

https://www.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/speeches/2019/may/documents/papa-francesco_20190509_pont-istitutobiblico.html

— Provided by Tom Roberts, former executive editor of NCR    

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In a press conference aboard the…

ON BOARD THE PAPAL PLANE FROM SOUTH SUDAN — Pope Francis on Feb. 5 said the recent death of retired Pope Benedict XVI has been « instrumentalized » by those in the Catholic Church seeking to score points against the current papacy and using the late pope’s death to serve their own agendas.

« Those people are without ethics, » said Francis en route back to Rome following his first international trip after the Dec. 31 death of the late pope emeritus. « They are people who belong to a party, not to the church. »

While Francis didn’t name names, over the last month a number of vocal critics of Francis’ pastoral priorities — including Benedict’s longtime personal secretary, Archbishop Georg Ganswein — have given interviews and published books claiming that in retirement, Benedict was embittered by certain decisions taken by Francis.

Francis dismissed those reports as fabricated and said that such individuals were serving their own agenda, using a colloquial Italian expression for those seeking to divert a community’s water supply solely for their own purposes.

Just days after Benedict’s death, Ganswein published a tell-all memoir claiming that the retired pope was heartbroken by Francis’ 2021 decision to restrict the celebration of the Latin Mass and was at odds with Francis’ 2016 apostolic exhortation, Amoris Laetitia, which offered a cautious opening to Communion for divorced and remarried Catholics. One week later, following the unexpected death of Australian Cardinal George Pell, a long-time ally of Benedict, it was revealed that Pell had been the author of an anonymous March 2022 memo labeling the Francis papacy a « disaster » and out-of-sync with the papacies of Popes John Paul II and Benedict XVI.

Francis, however, told reporters on the plane that he consulted regularly with Benedict and that the two were on the same page. He went on to share an anecdote of an unnamed theologian who went to Benedict with a complaint over Francis’ support for civil unions. Francis said that Benedict tapped several noted theologian-cardinals to examine the complaint. 

« They explained it, and so the story ended, » said Francis, adding that Benedict was not saddened by decisions he had taken over the last 10 years as pope. 

The pope’s remarks came at the end of his six-day African visit to the Democratic Republic of Congo and South Sudan, where he was joined by the Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby and Moderator of the Church of Scotland Iain Greenshields. All three church leaders traveled to the South Sudanese capital of Juba Feb. 3-5 as part of a grand effort to shore up the war-ravaged country’s delicate peace process.

During a first-of-its-kind, on-board joint press conference, the leaders of the three Christian churches reiterated their shared desire for an end to violence in South Sudan, but also offered a rare and united front among the three major Christian leaders against condemning LGBTQ persons, with all three strongly voicing their opposition to the criminalization of homosexuality.

Francis repeated his remarks from a high-profile Jan. 25 interview in which he backed the decriminalization of homosexuality, saying that Catholic leaders should work for the repeal of such « unjust » laws, including in Africa.

« People with homosexual tendencies are children of God, » said Francis when asked his reaction to families, including those in Congo and South Sudan, who ostracize their LGBTQ family members, often citing their Christian faith to support their position.  

« God is walking with them, » the pope added. « To condemn someone like this is a sin. »

Despite significant differences among the three churches on homosexuality, all three offered a forceful defense of gay persons. 

Greenshields, whose churches offers gay blessings, said that « nowhere in my reading of the four gospels do I see Jesus turning anyone away. »

Welby said he heartily agreed with the pope’s words, adding that the Church of England had twice passed resolutions supporting the decriminalization of homosexuality, but added that, regretfully, they had not changed many people’s minds.  

The archbishop’s remarks come ahead of a closely-watched meeting later this week where Anglican leaders will discuss the recent controversial announcement by the country’s bishops’ that they would not back same-sex marriage but would approve the blessing of civil unions.

Reflecting back on the first stop of his visit in the Congo — a nation with rich mineral resources, yet some of the worst poverty rates in the world — Francis repeated his condemnation of nations that exploit and plunder Congo’s minerals, taking advantage of its near-permanent state of instability and fueling war among the country’s more than 100 armed rebel groups.

Francis said the trafficking in arms was the « biggest plague » and that he was once told that if arms sales ended, it would bring a quick end to the world’s famines.

Welby echoed the pope’s sentiments, saying that Congo should not be « the playground of the great powers. » In recent years, superpowers like China, Russia and the United States have been in fierce competition over Congo’s underground treasures, such as cobalt, lithium and copper, in a race to transition towards green energy.

Considering its vast natural resources, Welby said Congo « should be one of the richest countries on the planet, » and be able to provide aid to the rest of Africa.

When asked what his message might be to Russia’s President Vladimir Putin on the eve of the one-year anniversary of his country’s Feb. 24 invasion of Ukraine, the pope again stressed the importance of dialogue and said he remained open to meeting with Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.

Welby, who visited Ukraine in late November, offered a blunter assessment, saying that ending the war is « in the hands of President Putin. »

Both church leaders emphasized the need to not to forget other raging conflicts in the world — including Myanmar, Somalia, Nigeria and, of course, South Sudan.

Prior to leaving South Sudan on Sunday, Feb. 5, Francis celebrated Mass for an estimated 100,000 participants, telling them that Christians can « make a decisive contribution to changing history » if they overcome their chronic divisions and stop « pitting tribes and ethnic groups against one another. »

The pope encouraged the large crowd to be people « capable of building good human relationships as a way of curbing the corruption of evil, the disease of division, the filth of fraudulent business dealings and the plague of injustice. »

En route back to Rome, the 86-year-old Francis, who continues to struggle with mobility issues, said that despite a bothersome knee, he has no plans to slow down on papal travel.  

The pope told reporters that plans are in the works for a trip to Marseilles, France at the end of September, where Francis has been invited to address a meeting of bishops and mayors from the Mediterranean. Directly following that meeting, Francis said he may travel onward to Mongolia to visit the country’s tiny Catholic population.  

Francis also confirmed he plans to attend World Youth Day in Lisbon, Portugal, in August and said he would like to visit India in 2024.

When asked if they would be willing to undertake another voyage with Francis, both the Archbishop of Canterbury and the moderator said they would be delighted to do so if the pope deemed it useful.

Greenshields, however, noted that the term of the moderator is only for one year, after which, he said, « a very capable woman will be taking over, » Sally Foster Fulton. The moderator’s reply was met with applause by some on board the pope’s plane traveling with its nearly all-male Vatican entourage.

« Certainly this is the best airline I’ve ever flown on, » quipped Welby

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« Those who claim to be believers…

Pope Francis on Feb. 4 urged South Sudan’s diverse Christian community not to be overcome by ethnic or tribal conflict that have defined the young nation’s early history, but to see their shared faith as means of building a lasting peace.    

« Those who claim to be believers should have nothing more to do with a culture based on the spirit of vengeance, » said the pope, encouraging more than 50,000 people gathered in the nation’s capital to commit to « spreading Jesus’ way of non-violence. »

The Gospel, he said, « contradicts every tribal understanding of religion. »

Francis’ remarks came during an ecumenical prayer service at the John Garang Mausoleum Square here in Juba, alongside archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby and moderator of the Church of Scotland Iain Greenshields, as the three men continued their historic Feb. 3-5 « pilgrimage of peace, » seeking to shore up unity in the overwhelmingly Christian nation.

In separate prayer services with their respective congregations on the morning of Feb. 4, the three church leaders shared similar messages that all believers, regardless of their tribe or ethnic group, must come together if the war-ravaged country wants to overcome years of incalcitrant divisions.

At a joint appearance at the presidential palace Feb. 3, Francis and the ecumenical leaders who have been intensely involved in holding together the country’s fragile peace agreement issued a stern warning to the country’s political leaders that history would judge them if they fail to work together and bring about peace. 

As they gathered together here Feb. 4, Francis offered a similar message to all the country’s Christians, reminding them it was Jesus’ « heartfelt prayer » that all believers may be one.

« What Jesus teaches us is clear: we are to love everyone, since everyone is loved as a child of our common Father in heaven, » the pope said. « The love of Christians is not only for those close to us, but for everyone, for in Jesus each person is our neighbor, our brother or sister — even our enemies. »

Some participants walked 93 miles over nine days to be here for the pope’s visit. Others, who live within the capital, spoke of the long hours it took them to reach the event by foot, given the city’s lack of roads and infrastructure. Even so, at the joint prayer service, rosary-clutching men and women were seated alongside Anglicans and other Protestant Christians in joint solidarity representing what Welby described as the « fellowship of believers. »

‘The love of Christians is not only for those close to us, but for everyone, for in Jesus each person is our neighbor, our brother or sister — even our enemies.’
—Pope Francis

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« The Gospel must not be just a beautiful religious philosophy, but a prophecy that becomes reality in history, » the pope said. « Let us work for peace by weaving and mending, not by cutting and tearing. Let us follow Jesus, and in following him, let us walk together on the path to peace. »

After decades of tumult, the Christian residents of South Sudan broke away from the Muslim-majority nation of Sudan, declaring independence in 2011. The new country quickly became engulfed in a bloody civil war among its more than 60 ethnic groups. 

Over the last decade, the country’s Christian leaders have been repeatedly praised for transcending the conflict in an effort to keep the peace, though tensions stemming from ethnic divides have begun to emerge, fracturing their historically strong alliance.

While Catholics represent the majority of South Sudan’s Christian population, they are represented by only 7 bishops, compared to some 61 Anglican bishops throughout the vast nation, all of whom have historically coordinated well together to ensure the new country’s fragile peace.

The fact that South Sudan’s president Salva Kiir is Catholic and his major political rival, Riek Machar, is Presbyterian (or Church of Scotland), only underscores the need for unity among Christians if the country’s political leaders are going to peacefully coexist, according to a number of frontline workers in the country.  

Ahead of the trip, Maryknoll lay missioner Gabe Hurrish told NCR that the South Sudanese people need to see the example of the country’s religious leaders overcoming the divisions that have wracked the rest of the nation.

« The leaders of this poor ravaged country have let down their people, » said Hurrish, who works in the Kuron Peace Village on the southeast border of South Sudan. « We pray for these leaders as they are losing their souls. »

Religious leaders, he said, by contrast, can witness to the fact that it is a Christian duty to live in harmony, whether at the grassroots level or among the country’s political class. 

Francis echoed that sentiment during his remarks at the prayer service, pleading that « the tribalism and the partisan spirit that fuel acts of violence in this country not impair relationships between the various confessions. »

« On the contrary, » he continued, « may the witness of unity among believers overflow to the people as a whole. »                       

‘The future cannot lie in refugee camps’

Before the ecumenical prayer service, the Christian leaders met with some 2,000 internally displaced people from all corners of the country, many of whom have lived in refugee camps for 10 years. 

More than 4.3 million people in South Sudan are estimated to need humanitarian assistance — the majority of whom are displaced or refugees.

« Great numbers of children born in recent years have known only the reality of camps for displaced persons, » said Francis. « They have no memory of what it means to have a home; they are losing their connection with their native land, their roots and their traditions. »                             

Despite this grim history, Francis told them to look ahead to a different, brighter tomorrow.

« The future cannot lie in refugee camps, » he said. 

As a sign of their shared commitment to the country, Francis, Welby and Greenshields concluded the gathering with a joint benediction over the country’s displaced persons, blessing to victims of the worst refugee crisis on the African continent.

Precious Blood Sr. Mumbi Kigutha, president of Friends in Solidarity with South Sudan, an organization representing more than 400 religious congregations with an aim of responding to the immediate needs of the country, praised the way the three ecumenical leaders elevated the role of the country’s young people, women and civil society leaders as essential to working alongside political and religious leaders in securing the country’s future during the second day of the high-profile visit.

« In a country as young as South Sudan, where the church has had a huge role in building up the country, there’s a danger of falling into clerical or patriarchal patterns, » she told NCR. « The country is so vast and the religious cannot do everything. »

Committing to training young leaders while the country is still in its infancy, Kigutha said, will help South Sudan avoid « the patterns we’ve seen so many African countries where the power, the privilege and the decision-making lie at the hands of the few, but lies in the hands of the people. »

Pope to clergy: Get your hands dirty

Pope Francis began his first full morning here by meeting with South Sudan’s bishops, priests and religious men and women in Juba’s St. Theresa Cathedral, where he encouraged them to remain committed to ministries of service and to avoid the temptation of seeing themselves as above their flock.

« We are not tribal chieftains, but compassionate and merciful shepherds; not overlords, but servants who stoop to wash the feet of our brothers and sisters, » said the pope. « Not a worldly agency that administers earthly goods, but the community of God’s children. »

The pope encouraged them to be willing to get their hands dirty for the people they serve, including speaking out against injustice and violence.

« We must never exercise our ministry by chasing after religious or social prestige, but rather by walking in the midst of and alongside our people, learning to listen and to dialogue, cooperating as ministers with one another and with the laity, » said the pope.

During his final day here, Sunday, Feb. 5, Francis will celebrate a Mass expected to draw some of the largest crowds in the country’s history before he returns to Rome. 

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The Catholic Church in Germany has…

The Catholic Church in Germany has so far paid more than $43.5 million (40 million euros) to victims of sexual abuse, German Catholic KNA agency has reported.

The Independent Commission for Recognition Payment approved an average amount of $24,000 (22,150 euros) in 1,809 cases. The commission’s annual report was presented in Bonn Feb. 3. There have been a total of 1,839 applications from victims of sex abuse seeking compensation from the Catholic Church.

In 143 cases (about 8%), the commission ordered a payment of more than $54,300 (50,000 euros); in 24 cases (1%) more than $108,600 (100,000 euros). In almost 1,000 cases (54%), the approved amount was $16,300 (15,000 euros) or less, KNA reported.

Most of the applications — three out of four — came from men, and one in four were from women. However, KNA noted, 20 of the 24 payments over $108,600 went to women.

The panel classified nine cases as not plausible. For an additional 21 applications, payments were not awarded because these applications were withdrawn or because they involved multiple applications that were combined, the German Catholic news agency provided.

The Independent Commission for Recognition Payments, headed by lawyer Margarete Reske, formerly the presiding judge at the Cologne Higher Regional Court, has been operating since Jan. 1, 2021. It has 11 members — experts from various disciplines. They were proposed by a majority non-church body and appointed by the German Bishops’ Conference. The members freely make the decisions about applications and payment amounts, KNA reported.

In terms of dioceses, a particularly large number of applications were submitted last year from Cologne (52) and Muenster (51). Among the religious orders, the Salesians (16) and Redemptorists (15) had the most applications submitted.

According to Reske, the average waiting time for a claimant to receive payment is currently less than four months after the commission’s office has received an application, as reported by KNA.