In an interview with Vatican News, Joceline Colas Director of the Haitian Bishops’ Commission for Justice and Peace speaks about the the dramatic security situation in Haiti following last weekend’s mass jailbreak in which nearly 4,000 inmates escaped
By Jean-Benoît Harel and Lisa Zengarini
Gang violence is not new in Haiti, but today has reached intolerable levels sparing no one, not even State and Church institutions, says the Director of the National Commission for Justice and Peace, Joceline Colas.
Speaking to Vatican News’ Jean-Benoît Harel in the wake of last weekend’s mass jailbreak from two major prisons stormed by armed gangs in the capital Port-au-Prince in nearby Croix des Bouquets, Ms. Colas confirmed that gang related violence has increased since the beginning of this year and the security situation is out of control.
The U.N. estimates the conflict with gangs killed close to 5,000 people in 2023 and has driven some 300,000 from their homes. In January this year more than 100 were killed, and February reached a new record of 176 killed, mostly by gunfire.
“The country has been in the grip of violence for years, but now armed groups are attacking institutions”, said Ms. Colas. “This is too much. Enough is enough!”
The Church is also increasingly targeted by gangs, who attack parishes and kidnap priests and religious men and women.
The Justice and Peace director said that there is still no news about the six Brothers of the Sacred Heart kidnapped on 23 February in Port-au-Prince. A priest who was abducted on the same day has been released.
“Gangsters attack everyone. They attack everything and almost all institutions, directly or indirectly. And lately the Church has become the target.”
The ongoing insecurity has forced Church institutions, including the Justice and Peace Commission to change their habits: “We are forced to work at home and very rarely we go to our offices for fear of being kidnapped”, Ms. Colas explained.
Also, many Catholic schools have been forced to close.
In the interview the Haitian Justice and Peace Director lamented “the inaction” of the Haitian authorities despite repeated calls also from the Church to take their responsibilities to address the crisis. She suggested that political leaders in Haiti are using gangs to remain in power. “They don’t do anything, so they let it happen,” she said.
“The Haitian crisis has more to do with politics and we are under the impression that the authorities in power are using armed groups to stay in power.”
She noted that the explosion that on 28 January injured Bishop Pierre-André Dumas, the vice-president of the Haitian Bishop Conference confirms that the Church has become a direct target of the gangs. Bishop Dumas, who is now recovering in a hospital in Miami, Florida, has been a vocal critic of the Haitian authorities for not addressing the crisis.
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Meanwhile, the violence continues two rage the country despite the declaration of the state of emergency and the 72-hour curfew imposed by the government after the attack on the two prisons in which nearly 4,000 inmates managed to escape. Gangs are now attacking airports, several public buildings, including hospitals. Among them the Catholic hospital “St. Francis de Sales” in Port-au-Prince, as reported by a local Church source to Fides Agency, who described the situation as “terrifying.”
The Haitian bishops have repeatedly pleaded for the restoration of security in Haiti and in a recent statement joined in calling the Prime Minister Ariel Henry to step aside “for the good of the Nation,” while urging Haitians not to yield to violence.
Henry who became prime minister in 2021 after President Jovenel Moise’s assassination, has been under fierce criticism in the past weeks also for postponing the elections which were due to be held this year. Early in February he announced that he would hold the polls by August 2025 once the situation was more stable. The last elections took place in 2016.
As general elections approach on June 2, when 99 million Mexicans will vote to choose 20,000 officials, the Mexican Bishops’ Conference warns against the possible interference of criminal violence.
By Delphine Allaire
Mexico’s federal elections on June 2 are shaping up to be historic both in terms of record voter turnout and positions to be filled.
Mexicans will elect a new president and the 628 members of both chambers of Congress, as well as 9 out of 32 state governors, and other local officials for a total of 20,000 elected positions.
For the first time, two women will vie to succeed the current President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador (AMLO), who has completed six years in office.
The outgoing mayor of Mexico City, Claudia Sheinbaum, a successor of the current left-wing president and the favourite in the election, will face off against the right-wing senator Xochitl Galvez in a climate of unprecedented violence in the country.
The electoral campaign has already been marred by bloodshed with the death of four soldiers on its first day, Friday, March 1, in a bomb attack on an army patrol in the west.
The more than 120 bishops who make up the Mexican Bishops’ Conference (CEM) have warned against allowing violence to influence the election.
“Electoral democracy mixed with organized crime is a completely unacceptable combination, a sign of the most deplorable corruption that must be avoided at all costs.”
In a message to the Mexican nation published on Sunday, March 3, they lamented “a pact among organized crime and criminal groups to pretend to organize peaceful elections.”
In Mexico, which records 30,000 homicides per year, most linked to drug trafficking, the 120 bishops call for peaceful electoral campaigns and invite citizens to avoid “apathy, indifference, and abstentionism.”
“The conditions the country is going through are unfortunately not the best, as it is evident that, for some time now, we have had many problems in terms of security, social inequality, economic growth, lack of formal and decent jobs, coverage and quality of education and health, migration, social polarization, and other issues,” they noted.
The bishops said they are driven by the desire “to build together the appropriate environment, supported by truth and justice, to celebrate this important political process in peace.”
In this electoral process, the bishops recalled that the greatness of Mexico, providentially blessed by “the event of Guadalupe,” “calls us, in special moments, to give the best of ourselves, as will undoubtedly happen in the electoral process of this year 2024, which will culminate on Sunday, June 2.”
The bishops admitted they are aware of “certain risks that threaten democratic stability through criminal violence and, at the same time, affect the freedom of citizens.”
It was discovered that four Mexican bishops met with cartel leaders in the state of Guerrero (southwest) on February 14, to negotiate a peace agreement. The mediation proposal was supported by AMLO, but rejected by criminal organizations.
The bishops now hope that the 2024 electoral process will be “an example of civility consistent with the democratic culture that Mexicans have built and perfected in recent decades.”
They believe that it is up to the officials of the electoral institutions, the National Electoral Institute (INE), the Electoral Tribunal of the Judicial Power of the Federation (TEPJF), and the Special Prosecutor’s Office for Electoral Offenses (FISEL) to act with impartiality and justice, with ethics and professional competence, to ensure that the process takes place legally and that any possible anomalies are corrected in a timely manner.
The bishops urged Mexicans to avoid attacks and assassinations of candidates, politicians, relatives, journalists, and other citizens in connection with elections, which have multiplied in recent weeks.
Thirty-three local political figures were assassinated between June 4 and February 7, according to the think tank Electoral Laboratory cited by AFP, including sixteen future candidates.
The Mexican bishops finally indicated that electoral campaigns must favour the exercise of free, informed, and secret voting, without manipulation or deception, without undue interference from government authorities or of any other nature.
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Pope Francis encourages aid organizations operating in Latin America to embrace the Cross and unite themselves to Jesus’ mission of concretely assisting those in need.
By Christopher Wells
How can we reconcile the idea of giving while expecting nothing in return with the desire to see the results of our efforts when we engage in charitable works, Pope Francis wondered on Monday.
The Holy Father sent a message to a meeting sponsored by CELAM and the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development that aims to foster solidarity and synodal cooperation between aid agencies and institutions working in Latin America. Representatives of the groups are meeting this week in Bogota, Colombia.
Pope Francis dedicated his message to a reflection on “gratuitousness,” starting with the journalistic questions: Who, What, When, Where, Why, and How.
The Pope made it clear that God is at the heart of giving. It is God who gives, said the Pope, while we are only stewards of His gifts; and He gives us all that we have.
By recognizing the gratuitousness of God’s gift, we avoid becoming slaves to money, relying on false economic security, focused on administrative efficiency and control.
“A turning point in our reflection,” the Pope said, involves realizing that God gives Himself in the midst of His people.
It is necessary, he continued, to reach out to those who “walk blindly, who fall by the wayside, those covered in leprosy of misery,” asking the Lord to help us see “what prevents them from facing their own difficulties.”
Pope Francis emphasized that God gives Himself to His people “always and totally,” setting no limits on his love and forgiveness.
The Pope insisted that gratuitousness, for us, means imitating “Jesus’ way of giving Himself for us, His people, always and totally, in spite of our poverty. And why? Out of love.”
This, the Pope explained, is why we should not be overly focused on the results of our charity. “By giving ourselves in this way, we imitate Jesus, who gave Himself to save us all,” he said.
“To embrace the Cross is not a sign of failure, it is not a work in vain, it is to unite ourselves to the mission of Jesus… to touch concretely the wound of that brother, of that community, which has a name, which has an infinite value to God, to give him light, to strengthen his legs, to cleanse his misery, giving him the opportunity to respond to the plan of love that the Lord has for them, asking on his knees that, when He arrives there, Jesus may find faith in that land.”
Sister Aurélie Allouchéry, a nun of the Congregation of Our Lady of Good Help in Troyes, France, has been active in her community for almost 20 years, dedicating herself to the sick and working as a healthcare assistant.
By Jean-Charles Putzolu
Sister Aurélie Allouchéry, of the Congregation of Our Lady of Good Help in Troyes, tells us the story of her vocation.
She thought she would be called to family life, with children, and to a professional career in teaching.
Sister Aurélie illustrates the path that led her first to religious life, then to accompanying the sick.
Q: Sister Aurélie Allouchéry, you are a nun of Our Lady of Good Help, a congregation that describes its mission in three words: compassion, healing, and liberation. You made your commitment 20 years ago; how did you approach religious life?
As a matter of fact, I have attended church since childhood. My parents always encouraged me to attend Mass on Sundays; my mother was a Sunday school teacher, and I belonged to/was part of a charitable association.
At the age of 25, after a youth well-spent, I asked myself the question. What was my calling? What would have made me happy? So, I participated in a year of discernment, offered by the Diocese of Reims. It ended with a retreat for discernment, at the end of which the answer became clear to me: I truly felt the desire to give my life to Christ, my entire life, everything I am, all my being.
Q: Pope Francis often says that the Church must work by attraction. Did you feel attracted to/by God?
Yes, I did feel attracted by God. At the same time, I had many prejudices about religious life and the nuns I met. I found them to be rather old-fashioned, not very trendy, in short, not very attractive. It is also true that, while participating in that retreat, I had absolutely no idea of the life decision I would make.
I was more inclined towards marriage, with conjugal life and with children, many children. But in the end, I didn’t choose that. I chose religious life. It was this calling from God, this very strong love I felt during that retreat, that attracted me to Him and made me renounce the life I had imagined would be mine.
Q: You say you “renounced” the life you had imagined for yourself. Does your faithfulness to Christ entail sacrifices?
I cannot say that it entails sacrifices because I feel fulfilled by this given, offered life and by the graces I receive in return. Of course, I don’t want to sugarcoat things, but in reality, a life of faithfulness to God, to Christ, truly is a full life. I cannot say anything else.
It doesn’t seem to me that I am making any sacrifices. That being said, as with any state of life, there are things to be given up. You cannot experience everything, do everything, and choose everything. Making a choice necessarily means giving up something else.
Q: Religious life is beautiful because it is varied. There are many communities with different charisms. How did you choose Our Lady of Good Help?
It was truly an unexpected encounter. I came from the field of teaching, and this congregation, whose mission is to provide healthcare, was not exactly ideal for me.
And indeed, it was only by meeting the sisters and by listening to them as they told me of their mission, that I was attracted by their closeness to the sick at home and in families, and the relief they gave to the suffering members of Christ.
Q: What would you say today to young men or women who are asking themselves questions about life decisions to be made, and who may be in search of spirituality, and of a particular kind of life? What guidance would you give them?
It is very difficult to give advice or guidance because everyone has their own path. I like that phrase from the Gospel that says, “Come and see.”
Meet people, listen, observe, perceive things. I think it is truly a life rooted in Christ, a deep desire to follow Him, and a life of commitment.
Q: Do you feel completely fulfilled today in your choice of life, in your spiritual and religious life?
Yes, and I truly mean it. Through the three founding pillars of religious life which are life within the community, prayer life, and apostolic life, one always tries to unify what one is, one’s personality, and also to reach fulfillment, while remaining open to others.
It is a life where you make a gift of yourself, and from the moment you give yourself, I think you are become fulfilled yourself.
Q: Sister Aurélie Allouchéry, was your vocation to be at the bedside of the sick from the very beginning?
No, this did not attract me at all at first. I came from a teaching background and I rather thought of remaining in the field of education, specializing in the accompaniment of children.
But meeting the Sisters of Our Lady of Good Help in Troyes has really made me change my mind. I was sure that precisely this way I could give the best of myself.
Q: The Pope’s prayer intention for this month is for terminal patients. What does accompanying these people entail? What do you give? And what do you receive?
Personally, I believe that the compassionate image of Christ truly dwells within me. Every time I go to the bedside of the sick, what I do, really, is invoking the Spirit, that he may pass through me in order to be that Presence.
So, as a healthcare assistant, it is a presence that materializes in simple acts of care. The fact of being filled by, and of invoking the Spirit, allows me to be totally present and to let the Lord pass through my gestures.
As for accompanying end-of-life patients, I would say that it is identical to accompanying a sick person who has just received a serious diagnosis. Accompanying someone truly requires total presence and profound listening.
Q: The Sisters of Our Lady of Good Help are in some way the expression of Mary’s tenderness towards her Son, the tenderness of a mother. How does this tenderness express itself in your mission?
If I have come to the apostolate of healthcare assistant, it is precisely in order to speak through my gestures and to be that tenderness that comes to console, that comes to provide relief, and that sometimes heals.
Not necessarily in the sense in which “healing” is commonly understood, but in the sense that it does good.
The mission of the Sisters of Our Lady of Good Help is truly to receive the body in their arms and to offer it all the care it needs to regain its dignity and in order to honour the temple of our bodies.
At the end of a week-long workshop on safeguarding in the Church, representatives from the 9-member countries of the Inter-regional Meeting of the Bishops of Southern Africa (IMBISA), on Monday, 4 March, released a final statement pledging to prioritise issues of safeguarding.
Festus Tarawalie – Vatican City.
Bishops, Priests, the Religious and the Lay faithful who participated in the workshop have declared their “unwavering commitment to prioritise the safety, wellbeing and protection of children and vulnerable adults” in Catholic institutions of their region.
“We recognise the immensity and the responsibility we bear in safeguarding the children and the most vulnerable members of our community, society, and the world. We are determined to work towards a safe environment, nurturing, healing and free from abuse, harm, or exploitation,” read the statement.
The participants also pledged, among others, to “uphold the dignity of children and vulnerable persons created in the image of God” and, in line with Pope Francis, “to maintain zero tolerance in responding and reporting cases of abuse and negative behaviour. “We will regularly review our policies to align ourselves with current standards and legislative requirements to support victims/survivors,” the IMBISA statement read in part.
Among those who made presentations at the IMBISA formation workshop in Pretoria, South Africa, was a doctor in Clinical Psychology and a native of Mauritius, Dr Emilie Rivet Duval. The member of the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors spoke about support for victims of abuse.
In an interview with Vatican News, Dr Duval stressed the need to talk more often about the issue of abuse, especially of children and to lay the blame where it belongs. She also spoke about the detrimental effects of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and early marriages on sexual abuse.
The Secretary-General for the Regional Conference of Major Superiors of Southern Africa, Sr Nkhensani Shibambu, presented a paper on “Becoming a trauma-informed Church”. The member of the congregation of the Companions of St. Angela shared her perspective with other IMBISA participants.
Below is the full statement.
We, Bishops, Priests, Religious and the Lay faithful in the IMBISA region, participants of the workshop organised by IMBISA, at Pardre Pio Centre in Pretoria, from the 26th of February to the 1st of March 2024, under the Theme Promoting Safeguarding in the Church declare our unwavering commitment to prioritise the safety, wellbeing and protection of children and vulnerable adults in our Catholic institutions. We recognize the immensity and the responsibility we bear in safeguarding the children, and the most vulnerable members of our community, society, and the world at large. We are determined to work towards an environment that is safe, nurturing, healing and free from any form of abuse, harm, or exploitation. We declare the following on safeguarding of children and vulnerable persons:
● Through the child centered approach, we uphold the dignity of children and vulnerable persons created in the image of God. Thus, promoting their participation and decision-making and listening to their voices and acknowledging their rights and responsibilities.
● In line with the Holy Father, Pope Francis, we maintain zero tolerance in responding and reporting cases of abuse: emotional, physical, sexual, spiritual, and social abuse and negative behaviour. We also denounce negative cultural practices.
● Guided by safeguarding policies in our Catholic institutions we take immediate action to prevent and respond to allegations or incidents of abuse.
● We are committed to maintain safe and healthy environments that mitigate risks to children and vulnerable adults. We are dedicated to adopting without delaying a culture of vigilance, transparency, and accountability.
● We will actively collaborate and work together with our Pastors and the Civil Authorities, Communities, Parents, Children, Youths, and Laity in the IMBISA region.
● We are committed to on-going education, formation, and training to enhance our understanding for protection and safeguarding.
● We will regularly review our Policies to align ourselves with current standards and legislative requirements to support victims/survivors.
● We acknowledge the need to provide Pastoral Care to perpetrators.
● We will act with integrity, empathy and diligence putting prayer as a source of our Gospel values.
The Participants.
In a new interview with Vatican News, the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem repeats his appeal for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, calling on both sides to make compromises.
By Federico Piana and Joseph Tulloch
“A ceasefire in Gaza is more urgent than ever.”
That’s the latest appeal for peace launched by Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem.
Speaking to Vatican News’ Federico Piana, Patriarch Pizzaballa stressed that a ceasefire is possible: “All that’s missing is the will to make it happen.”
In the course of the interview, the Patriarch also touched on the “fragile” situation of Gaza’s Christians, and the role the Church might play in peace negotiations.
The following transcript has been lightly edited for reasons of clarity.
Patriarch Pizzaballa: This is not the first time we have called for a ceasefire and an end to all fighting in Gaza; we have been doing so continuously since October, along with many other religious authorities, foremost among them the Holy Father. Our latest appeal comes precisely because we are in contact with our population in Gaza; we are aware of how the situation is becoming more and more terrible every day.
Q: Why do you think a ceasefire in Gaza is possible?
The elements for a possible ceasefire have always been there; all that is missing is the will to make it happen. It requires both sides to have the willingness to reach compromises, because it’s clear that compromises will have to be made on both sides. It seems to me that at this moment, because Ramadan is approaching, and also because after five months, there is an obvious weariness about the situation, the time is ripe to take a different path.
Q: There has recently been news from Gaza that has shaken the world: this carnage that happened while people were queueing for humanitarian aid. How did you feel when you heard this news? What else can you tell us about what’s happening in Gaza?
My reaction was, like everyone else’s, one of great dismay. Dismay for the chaos into which the entire Gaza Strip has fallen, and dismay for the hunger that has spread, especially in the north of the strip. I know personally that the delivery of food and gas to the strip is increasingly difficult, as those images showed. For example, the Christians in the Strip cook only once or twice a week, at most, and what they cook must last for the whole week. This shows the situation we’re in.
Water is scarce, and what is available is not clean, so, even from the perspective of diseases, the situation is increasingly fragile. Medicines are also lacking; practically everything is missing. I think everyone realizes that we cannot go on like this. I have seen that they have started to drop parachutes with food parcels, but other more coordinated, systematic solutions need to be found because, if we continue like this, it will simply be chaos upon chaos.
Q: How is the local Church, which you just mentioned, reacting to the situation? What is the feeling from the perspective of faith: is there hope or not?
There is always hope; there is always the desire for this to end, the hope to be able to return to as normal a life as possible, although I must say that these are putting it to the test. But there is faith.
I see that the Gaza community prays, has faith, and above all tries to organize itself, in order to sustain itself but also in order to help neighboring groups. As long as there is a desire to do something, to organize, to help, all is not lost.
Q: What role does the Church have in diplomatic negotiations? Is there room for it to intervene in this somewhat complex, international situation, and have an impact in some way?
I don’t know if the Church can play this role, because these are such big, complex situations where power dynamics are essential, and the Church does not have immediate power. However, I can say that the Church is very present in all communication channels, with all parties, with the task of facilitating understanding among the various parties.
Q: Personally, given this complex, painful, and difficult situation, do you think there’s a possibility for a positive outcome, or are you more pessimistic?
In the short term, I don’t think this situation will bring anything positive. But one thing I know for sure is that, after this crisis, which is the most serious in the last 70–80 years, no one will be willing to accept temporary solutions anymore, neither Israelis nor Palestinians.
So, this very serious crisis will clearly force – with dynamics that will need to be defined, which will certainly not be immediate – everyone to find long-term stable solutions to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, which has already claimed too many lives over the years.
Q: So, to conclude: Is there hope for the two-state solution?
I don’t know if we’ll see a two-state solution: it may be two states or another solution, because the two-state solution will not be easy, even though, objectively, it seems the only possible one.
But it is clear that solutions must be found that guarantee stability, freedom, and dignity for both Palestinians and Israelis.
Refugees housed in Gaza’s Holy Family parish
The Pontifical Academy for Life issues a statement upholding French bishops’ opposition to the amendment that would make abortion a constitutional right.
By Vatican News
The Pontifical Academy for Life (PAV) has expressed its support to the French Church’s firm opposition against a constitutional amendment that would make France the first country to enshrine abortion as a constitutional right.
The proposed bill presented by President Emmanuel Macron’s government has been approved by both the National Assembly and the Senate, and is been discussed this afternoon in a joint session of Parliament for its expected final approval by a three-fifths majority.
In a statement issued on Monday PAV echoed the stance put forward by the French Bishops’ Conference (CEF) that abortion, “which remains an attack on life” cannot be seen “exclusively from the perspective of women’s rights”, and joined the bishops in expressing regret that the proposal “does not mention support measures for those who would like to keep their child.”
The Pontifical Academy insisted that “in the era of universal human rights, there cannot be a ‘right’ to taking a human life.”
“All governments and religious traditions, they said, must “do their best so that at this stage in history, the protection of life becomes an absolute priority, with concrete steps in favor of peace and social justice and with effective measures for a universal access to resources, education and healthcare.”
“The particular life situations and difficult and dramatic contexts of our time must be addressed with the tools of a legal civilization that looks first of all to the protection of the weakest and most vulnerable,” PAV said.
“Protection of life, ought to be humanity’s “first objective,” and is something that can only develop in a world voice of conflict and with the fields of science, technology, and industry serving both “the human person and brotherhood.”
Citing Pope Francis, PAV said that for the Catholic Church, “the defence of life is not an ideology, it is a reality, a human reality that involves all Christians, precisely because they are Christian and because they are human.”
“It is about acting on the cultural and educative level to pass on to future generations the attitude of solidarity, of care, of welcome, knowing well that, the culture of life is not the exclusive heritage of Christians, but it belongs to all those who, working to build fraternal relations, recognize the value of every single person, even the fragile and suffering,” the statement said.
The Apostolic Penitentiary kicks off its annual Internal Forum on Penitence, a week-long series of lectures and discussions on topics from indulgences to the relationship between Confession and artificial intelligence.
By Joseph Tulloch
A week-long forum on penitence and forgiveness is now underway in Rome.
Organised by the Vatican’s Apostolic Penitentiary, the annual Internal Forum aims to give newly ordained priests, as well as seminarians soon to receive Holy Orders, an opportunity for “reflection and in-depth training” on the Sacrament of Reconciliation.
During the forum, specialists from many different disciplines will address participants on topics ranging from indulgences to the relationship between confession and artificial intelligence.
In a press release, the organisers of the course said that priority would be given to “the resolution of concrete and complex cases submitted to the discernment and mercy of the Church”.
Each session will be followed by a debate among the participants.
On Friday, March 8th, as the forum comes to an end, participants will be received in audience by Pope Francis.
The forum was opened on Monday afternoon by Cardinal Mauro Piacenza, the head of the Apostolic Penitentiary.
He began his address by reflecting on the upcoming 2025 Jubilee Year, stressing that, although it often goes unnoticed, the aspect of reconciliation is central to the event. While the media, he said, focus above all on the millions of pilgrims expected to descend on Rome for the Jubilee, the penitential dimension is equally essential to the celebration.
Before the “light” of forgiveness can shine in the world, however, Cardinal Piacenza cautioned, it must first shine in each one of us. “Indeed,” he suggested, “it would be unthinkable to hope for a renewal of the Church and the world, without our own personal renewal.”
The Cardinal also pointed out the important of penitence to the reform of the Church. “Reform, necessary at all times,” he said, “does not consist in reshaping ‘our’ Church according to our preferences … but rather in allowing our human constructions to be swept away by the mercy that comes from above.”
Finally, the Cardinal reflected on the eschatological dimension of penitence, which, he said, brings us back into communion not only with the Church on earth but also with the Church in Heaven. Confession, Cardinal Piacenza stressed, thus reconciles us with “the entire ecclesial body.”
Bishops of the Episcopal Conference of Angola and Sao Tomé (CEAST) have expressed concern regarding rising poverty.
Anastácio Sasembele – Luanda.
The warning by the Bishops of the Episcopal Conference of Angola and São Tomé was delivered by CEAST President Archbishop José Manuel Imbamba at the start of the plenary assembly.
21 Bishops from the Episcopal Conference of Angola, São Tomé and Príncipe have been meeting in the Archdiocese of Malanje, about 400 kilometres east of Angola’s capital, Luanda.
In his speech, the Archbishop of Saurimo and CEAST President, highlighted some of the milestones that have marked the life of the Church in the region. He also made remarks about the last year of the triennium dedicated to children that CEAST dioceses have been observing.
Archbishop Imbamba said that there had been notable effort to raise awareness among priests, religious men and women and other pastoral agents on the importance and urgency of caring for and protecting minors as well as encouraging a culture of denouncing abuses against minors.
“Despite the efforts that society has made to improve the quality of life for children, much still needs to be done,” said the Angolan prelate.
In the third and final year of his mandate as President of CEAST, Archbishop Imbamba proposed that the Conference reflects on the profile of priestly and religious life.
“Our present time demands a profound inner renewal from all of us,” he said.
Regarding CEAST’s social situation and challenges, Archbishop Imbamba said that Angola, in particular, is running the risk of turning the scandal of poverty and misery into the new normal. The Archbishop based his arguments on reports presented by various dioceses that make up CEAST and multiple studies on Angola’ social reality.
“Everything bad that we are living through and experiencing is due to a profound crisis of ethics,” said the Archbishop, who prayed for hope and better days.
The CEAST Plenary Assembly ends on 4 March in the city of Malanje.
As nations seek to develop lethal autonomous weapons, Archbishop Ettore Balestrero calls for stringent ethical oversight, emphasizing the importance of human beings to remain in control of decision-making.
By Francesca Merlo
In a statement to the 2024 Group of Governmental Experts (GGE) on Emerging Technologies in the Area of Lethal Autonomous Weapons Systems (LAWS), Archbishop Ettore Balestrero highlighted the Church’s ethical concerns regarding the development and use of autonomous weaponry.
The Apostolic Nuncio and Permanent Observer of the Holy See to the United Nations in Geneva recalled that, in his Message for the 2024 World Day of Peace, Pope Francis emphasized the gravity of these concerns.
He said that “research on emerging technologies in the area of so-called Lethal Autonomous Weapon Systems, including the weaponization of artificial intelligence, is a cause for grave ethical concern.”
Archbishop Balestrero emphasised the need for ethical reflection amidst the proliferation of armed drones and autonomous weapons. He warned against a detachment from the human consequences of warfare, stating, “there can be no escaping serious ethical questions related to the armaments sector.”
Archbishop Balestrero also highlighted that autonomous weapons systems lack the moral agency inherent in human decision-making.
“Autonomous weapons systems cannot be held morally responsible subjects,” he said, highlighting the necessity of human oversight in their deployment.
He went on to note that machines, despite their sophistication, cannot truly comprehend or adhere to the ethical considerations essential in armed conflict.
“Machines, being objects and not subjects, cannot truly think, feel, decide, or be held accountable for their actions,” he said.
Bringing his address to a close, Archbishop Balestrero reiterated the Holy See’s commitment to the abolition of war and urged the GGE to prioritize discussions on the prohibition and regulation of autonomous weapon systems, with a steadfast focus on the dignity of the human person.
Finally, the Archbishop reaffirmed the Holy See’s unwavering belief in the inhumane nature of war and called for a cultural shift towards peace.
He urged the integration of technological advancements into a framework that prioritizes human development and the common good.
“The real solution,” he said, “lies in the conversion to a culture of peace that places technological advancements at the service of humanity.”
In Gaza, one in six children under the age of two is severely malnourished and is dying, warns the humanitarian aid agency UNICEF.
By Vatican News
The humanitarian aid agency UNICEF has sounded the alarm over the tragedy unfolding in Gaza.
“The child deaths we feared are here, as malnutrition ravages the Gaza Strip,” says Adele Khodr, Regional Director for the Middle East and North Africa, who spoke of the humanitarian catastrophe in interviews with international media following a statement she released on Sunday.
“At least ten children have reportedly died because of dehydration and malnutrition in Kamal Adwan Hospital in the Northern Gaza Strip in recent days. There are likely more children fighting for their lives somewhere in one of Gaza’s few remaining hospitals, and likely even more children in the north are unable to obtain care at all.”
In the UNICEF statement, Adele Khodr says the widespread scarcity of nutritious food, clean water, and medical services is a direct result of “impediments to access and multiple dangers facing UN humanitarian operations,” which is weighing heavily on children and mothers and their ability to breastfeed their babies, especially in the Northern Gaza Strip.
“People are hungry, exhausted and traumatized. Many are clinging to life.”
UNICEF, together with other international emergency aid agencies, has appealed for free access to resolve the humanitarian crisis, prevent famine, and save children’s lives.
They have renewed their requests for multiple, reliable entry points to bring aid in from all possible crossings, including to northern Gaza. They are also asking the Israeli authorities “for security assurances and unimpeded passage to distribute aid, at scale, across Gaza, with no denials, delays and access impediments.”
Since October, UNICEF has sounded the alarm over the Gaza death toll and its potential to “increase exponentially if a humanitarian crisis emerged and was left to fester.” It says the situation has only worsened since then and that “an explosion in child deaths” is imminent if the burgeoning nutrition crisis is not addressed.
“Now, the child deaths we feared are here and are likely to rapidly increase unless the war ends, and obstacles to humanitarian relief are immediately resolved.”
The humanitarian agency notes the tragic “sense of helplessness and despair among parents and doctors in realizing that lifesaving aid, just a few kilometres away, is being kept out of reach….but worse still are the anguished cries of those babies slowly perishing under the world’s gaze.”
“The lives of thousands more babies and children depend on urgent action being taken now.”
The Bishops’ Conference of France reaffirms its opposition to enshrining the “right” to abortion in the French Constitution, as the Senate and National Assembly prepare to adopt a new bill.
By Lisa Zengarini
As French lawmakers prepared to convene in a joint session in Versailles on Monday to confirm the amendment that would enshrine abortion as a constitutional right, the French bishops reiterated that abortion “remains an attack on human life” that must be protected from its inception, and that “it cannot be seen exclusively from the perspective of women’s rights.”
The new bill presented to the Council of Ministers in December 2023 by then Prime Minister Élisabeth Borne, wants Article 34 of the Constitution amended to specify that “the law determines the conditions by which is exercised the freedom of women to have recourse to an abortion, which is guaranteed.”
Its latest version was approved by the French Senate on Wednesday, 28 February, after the National Assembly, the lower chamber, gave its go-ahead in January with an overwhelming majority vote.
Abortion was decriminalized in France in 1975 under the presidency of Valéry Giscard d’Estaing.
According to President Emmanuel Macron’s government, the new measure is a response to the recent rollback on so-called abortion rights in the United States, following the 2022 U.S. Supreme Court overturning of the Roe v. Wade ruling, which had protected abortion nationally since 1973.
In a statement released last week, the Bishops’ Conference of France (CEF) expressed “sadness” upon learning the outcome of the Senate’s vote on Wednesday, in which only 50 Senators voted against the proposed text.
While acknowledging the difficulties that may force some women to resort to abortion, the bishops lamented that “support measures for those who would like to keep their child” have not been discussed in the debate.
According to the statement, the French Constitution should instead place the “protection of women and children at its centre.”
The bishops further assured their closeness to those “parents who decide to keep their child,” even in difficult situations, and asked for respect “for the freedom of conscience of doctors and all healthcare personnel,” praising their “courage and dedication.”
The bishops of France had already expressed their strong opposition to the proposed text in a statement released during their plenary assembly in November 2023 entitled “All life is a gift.”
Citing Pope Francis’ Apostolic Exhortation Evangelii Gaudium they remarked that the defence of the life of unborn children is “intimately linked to the defence of all human rights.”
In the past weeks, several French bishops have also taken a public stance on this issue. Archbishop Olivier de Germay of Lyon, denounced what he called “a denial of democracy,” highlighting the difficulty “of expressing opinions on this subject without incurring the risk of being targeted by the media.”
In an interview with the Catholic newspaper La Croix, Archbishop Pascal Wintzer of Poitiers lamented that “death seems more protected than life is encouraged.”
On Monday, the Presidency of the CEF issued a new statement ahead of the final vote in Versailles, inviting Catholics across the country to join in prayer and fasting for the rejection of the amendment.
“As Catholics, we must continue to serve life from conception to death, to be artisans of respect for every human being, which is always a gift given to all others, and to support those who choose to keep their child even in difficult circumstances,” the bishops said.
They noted that France is the only European country where the number of abortions has not decreased and even increased in the last two years.
“Let us pray that our fellow citizens will rediscover the taste for life, for giving it, for receiving it, for accompanying it, for having and raising children,” the bishops concluded.
Listen to our report
As he invites parishes to join his Lenten initiative of prayer and forgiveness, Pope Francis will preside over the upcoming ’24 Hours for the Lord’ prayer service on March 8, at the Roman parish of San Pio V.
By Deborah Castellano Lubov
Pope Francis will preside over the eleventh edition of the ’24 Hours for the Lord’ Lenten initiative this Friday, March 8, at the Roman parish of San Pio V.
The Vatican’s Dicastery for Evangelization announced the news in a statement released on Monday.
Celebrated annually in dioceses worldwide on the eve of the fourth Sunday of Lent, the initiative, dedicated to prayer and reconciliation, was inaugurated by Pope Francis at the start of his pontificate.
This 11th edition will take place from Friday, March 8, to Saturday, March 9, with the theme ‘Walking in a New Life,’ from Chapter 6 of St. Paul’s Letter to the Romans.
Friday’s celebration with the Pope will begin at 4:30 pm at the parish in Rome’s Aurelio district, near the Baldo degli Ubaldi metro station, two stops from the Vatican.
Pope Francis will hear the confessions of several penitents, and all faithful who wish to receive the Sacrament of Reconciliation will have the opportunity.
In preparation for Easter, on Friday evening and throughout the day on Saturday, ecclesial communities are encouraged to provide extraordinary openings of churches, in order to offer the faithful the opportunity to confess and to pause in adoration at any time.
The Holy Father, since last year, has decided to preside over the ’24 Hours for the Lord’ in a different church within the Roman capital, in order to encourage parish participation.
The Dicastery for Evangelization invites all dioceses and parishes, in Italy and around the world, to celebrate the moment of prayer and forgiveness in one’s own community.
In preparation for the event, which this year falls during the Pope’s recently-declared Year of Prayer, the Dicastery has made available pastoral aids to assist in personal prayer and community celebrations.
They can be downloaded in English, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, Polish, and French from the Dicastery website.
A limited number of tickets will be made available for the Holy Father’s liturgy.
Subject to availability, one can collect tickets at the ‘Jubilee 2025 Info Point’ on Via della Conciliazione 7, from Tuesday, March 5, to Thursday, March 7, 2024, from 10 am to 5 pm.
Bishop Laurent Birfuoré Dabiré of Dori, the President of Burkina Faso’s Bishops’ Conference, reflects on gruesome terrorist attacks in the nation that have claimed countless lives, saying “To those who offer us bullets, we extend peace, faith, and hope.”
By Federico Piana and Deborah Castellano Lubov
Bishop Laurent Birfuoré Dabiré says that despite the horrific events plaguing the people of Burkina Faso, Christians believe in responding to them with love and faith.
The Bishop of Dori, who is the President of Burkina Faso’s Bishops’ Conference, offered this perspective in his recent interview with Vatican News, as the African nation continues to make headlines for the scores of lives taken by ongoing terrorism and violence.
A week ago, some 170 people, including women and children, were “executed” in attacks on the villages of Komsilga, Nodin, and Soroe in Yatenga province.
A public prosecutor reported the news on Sunday, appealing for witnesses to help find those who attacked the three villages. It was not known what terrorist group orchestrated the attacks.
On Sunday, February 25, there were two attacks on worshipers of different faiths.
At a mosque in Natiaboani in eastern Burkina Faso, at about 5 am, dozens of Muslims were killed during prayers, when armed men entered on a shooting rampage.
Separately, fifteen people were killed and several others injured at a Catholic church in Essakane, a village in the country’s northern region, just a few hours later, when terrorists opened fire on the praying congregation.
In the interview, Bishop Dabiré confirmed to Vatican News the great difficulty of promoting peace and stability in this dangerous context.
He highlighted that the violence is not just against Christians, as evidenced by the deadly attack the same day against Muslims.
“The terrorists’ strategy,” he suggested, is to “instrumentalize religions to create confusion in the nation” and “pit different communities against each other,” in order to “give the impression that there is a religious war underway.”
“I can assert with certainty,” he said, “that there is no ongoing persecution of Christians.”
Bishop Dabiré has been calling for peace, faith, and hope, and has been appealing to his faithful to continue living Christian charity, “without falling into the temptation of responding to violence with violence.”
“We Christians,” he said, “have no other way to live: we must base our lives on the Gospel. Our relationship with others must be based on brotherhood, friendship, and mutual help.”
“We must avoid it being said that we belong to a religion that meditates revenge,” he said, adding that this “is not true.”
Bishop Dabiré expressed gratitude to the Holy Father for his sorrow over the recent attacks.
“The closeness of the Holy Father,” he said, “gives us courage and strength and invites us to persevere.”
“When our faithful hear that the Pope is informed of their suffering,” the Bishop continued, “they are truly heartened” and feel “a great stimulus to move forward.”
During his Wednesday General Audience and in an earlier telegram of condolences, Pope Francis expressed his sorrow and solidarity with the people of Burkina Faso, as he condemned the violence.
These attacks, which shocked the nation and garnered international attention, have brought to light the ongoing violence and insecurity in the country, which has been increasingly threatened by the terrorist groups operating within its borders.
Violence erupts as more than 3000 inmates of Haiti’s National Penitentiary were freed when violent gangs attacked the facility.
By James Blears
More than three thousand inmates of Haiti’s National Penitentiary in the capital Port Au Prince are roaming the streets after heavily armed street gangs stormed the prison and set them on the loose. Police appealed for reinforcements as hails of gunfire erupted outside the prison, but no help came.
Originally built to contain 3,686 inmates, the prison was chronically overcrowded. Its main doors were flung wide and hundreds of prisoners poured out. A prison volunteer said that one hundred inmates, fearing for their lives, chose to stay put, including the eighteen Colombian mercenaries who are accused of the 2021 assassination of President Jovenel Moise. Five men were shot dead as vendettas flared during the mayhem.
There are reports that another prison in the capital was also stormed and that the gangs have tried to capture the port.
Listen to James Blears’ report
The latest wave of violence flared as Prime Minister Ariel Henry visited Kenya, trying to establish an international peacekeeping force, to tackle the nationwide lawlessness.
Former police officer Jimmy “Barbecue” Cherizier, who now claims to lead an alliance of street gangs, says they aim to capture the police chief and government ministers, topple the Government, and prevent Prime Minister Ariel Henry from returning to Haiti.
The country has not had elections since 2016. Henry was due to step down in February, but the ongoing chaos and pandemonium have prevented that.
Some 170 people are reportedly massacred by insurgents in Burkina Faso.
By Linda Bordoni
In Burkina Faso, some 170 people, including women and children have been “executed” in attacks on three villages.
A public prosecutor reported the killings and appealed for witnesses to help find those who attacked Komsilga, Nordin and Soro.
It was not known which group was behind the attacks.
Separately, army chiefs warned of the increased risk of attacks by militants, “including attacks on urban centres”.
The country’s army seized power in 2022, but more than a third of Burkina Faso is controlled by insurgents.
An investigation is ongoing into the village attacks in Yatenga province on 25 February. (Source BBC, AP and other agencies)
Moscow claims that Ukraine launched a massive drone strike on the Russian-occupied Crimean peninsula on Sunday, prompting Turkey to call for a ceasefire. Sunday’s strike came as Ukrainian authorities said that the bodies of a mother and baby found in the rubble of an apartment block in the Ukrainian Black Sea port city of Odesa brought the death toll from a Russian drone attack to 10.
By Stefan J. Bos
Russia’s defence ministry said Ukraine launched 38 drones on the Crimea Peninsula, which Moscow annexed from Ukraine in 2024. However, the ministry claimed its air defences destroyed all of them.
It did not explain whether any damage or casualties resulted from the attack, with unconfirmed reports of powerful explosions near the port of Feodosia.
Separately, Russian authorities said there was “an emergency” in an apartment building in St Petersburg, with local news media reporting that a Ukrainian drone hit the residential building in Russia’s second-largest city.
Residents were evacuated, and there were no immediate reports of casualties. However, the reported Ukrainian attacks came after the Ukrainian city of Odesa was hit by a Russian strike.
Rescuers have found a killed mother and a baby here, among other victims already discovered beneath the rubble of this apartment block.
Officials say the complex was hit by debris from an Iranian-made drone launched by Russia’s military.
Russian attacks, including artillery and mortar strikes causing death and injuries, were also reported elsewhere in Ukraine, including in the eastern province of Kharkiv and its regional capital with the same name.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stressed that the attacks underscored the need for the faster delivery of Western weapons.
But Turkey, which has brokered grain deals between Kyiv and Moscow in the past, urged a ceasefire in the more than two-year-old war sparked by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Its Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan told the media, “A dialogue for a ceasefire (in Ukraine) should start.”
The minister added that “doesn’t mean recognizing the occupation [by Russia], but issues of sovereignty and ceasefire should be discussed separately.”
Hundreds of thousands of people are believed to have been killed and injured in Europe’s bloodiest conflict since the Second World War.
Listen to the report by Stefan Bos
Pope Francis marks the upcoming International Day for Disarmament and Non-Proliferation Awareness challenging our family of nations to be bold and work for disarmament.
By Linda Bordoni
At a time in which military and arms spending is souring due to the many conflicts afflicting the world, Pope Francis on Sunday urged all members of “the great family of nations” to be courageous and work for disarmament.
He recalled that on March 5, the second International Day for Disarmament and Non-Proliferation Awareness is observed.
“How many resources are wasted on military expenses that, due to the current situation, sadly continue to increase!” the Pope exclaimed during his Angelus address, and he expressed his hope for a shift in mindset and investments.
“I strongly hope that the international community understands that disarmament is, above all, a duty: disarmament is a moral obligation.”
“Disarmament is a duty: a moral obligation.”
Highlighting how important this issue is, the Holy Father highlighted the fact that we need to “engrave this in our minds!”
“This,” he added, “requires courage from all members of the great family of nations: to shift from the balance of fear to a balance of trust.”
“Shift the balance of fear to a balance of trust.”
Pope Francis issues a heartfelt appeal for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, so that the Israeli hostages may be freed and the Palestinian population may receive urgently needed aid.
By Linda Bordoni and Nathan Morley
“Every day, in my heart, I carry the pain and suffering of the populations in Palestine and Israel due to the ongoing hostilities,” said Pope Francis on Sunday in yet another heartfelt appeal for a ceasefire in Gaza.
“I carry the pain and suffering of Palestinians and Israelis in my heart.”
And expressing grief for “the thousands of dead, the wounded, the displaced, the immense destruction that wreaks pain and suffering on the small and defenceless who see their future compromised.” Pope Francis called on all men and women of goodwill to raise their cry for peace.
Speaking during the Angelus in St. Peter’s Square he asked: “Do we really think we are building a better world in this way?”
“Enough, please. Let us all say: Enough, please!” he repeated: “Stop the war.”
“Let us all say: “Enough”, please!”
The Pope continued with an appeal to continue negotiations for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza and throughout the region, “so that the hostages may be freed and return to their anxiously awaiting loved ones, and so that the civilian population may have safe access to necessary and urgent humanitarian aid.”
“I encourage the continuation of negotiations for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza and throughout the region.”
A Palestinian couple mourn the death of their twin babies in an Israeli strike on Rafah
And please, he concluded: “Don’t forget tormented Ukraine, where many people die every day. It is a place of great sorrow.”
“Don’t forget tormented Ukraine, where many people die every day. It is a place of great sorrow”
Pope Francis’ appeal on the Third Sunday of Lent is just the latest in many he has issued since the beginning of the war between Israel and Hamas on 7 October 2023.
There are still 130 Israeli hostages in the hands of Hamas, with over 30 of them feared dead.
The death toll of Palestinians killed by Israeli strikes on the Gaza strip has surpassed 30,000 with thousands more missing. At the same time, over 1.3 million people have been displaced and are facing a catastrophic humanitarian situation. Two-thirds of them are women and children.
The head of the Norwegian Refugee Council who has just returned from Gaza has said he believes there is now a famine in the north of the territory.
Yan Egerlund told the BBC that he had been prepared for a nightmare, but what he saw was much worse. He said that was because Israel was not opening nearby border crossings to let aid in. He also condemned the United States, Germany and the UK for selling weapons to Israel.
Over the weekend, Jordan and the USA jointly carried out airdrops of aid to Gaza. The U.S. Air Force said three planes carried 66 packs containing about 38,000 meals.
Meanwhile, mediators in the Gaza conflict are meeting in Cairo to try to reach an agreement on a temporary ceasefire between Israel and Hamas.
Israel has been waging a war on Gaza after Hamas sprang a deadly surprise attack on Israel in October. Since then, the war has killed 30,320 Palestinians and injured 71,533 in Gaza.
Listen to Nathan Morley’r report
Angelus
Angelus Dómini nuntiávit Mariæ.
Et concépit de Spíritu Sancto.
Ave Maria…
Ecce ancílla Dómini.
Fiat mihi secúndum verbum tuum.
Ave Maria…
Et Verbum caro factum est.
Et habitávit in nobis.
Ave Maria…
Ora pro nobis, sancta Dei génetrix.
Ut digni efficiámur promissiónibus Christi.
Orémus.
Grátiam tuam, quǽsumus, Dómine,
méntibus nostris infunde;
ut qui, Ángelo nuntiánte, Christi Fílii tui incarnatiónem cognóvimus, per passiónem eius et crucem, ad resurrectiónis glóriam perducámur. Per eúndem Christum Dóminum nostrum.
Amen.
Gloria Patri… (ter)
Requiem aeternam…
Benedictio Apostolica seu Papalis
Dominus vobiscum.Et cum spiritu tuo.
Sit nomen Benedicat vos omnipotens Deus,
Pa ter, et Fi lius, et Spiritus Sanctus.
Amen.
The Angelus Prayer
The Angel of the Lord declared unto Mary.
And she conceived of the Holy Spirit.
Hail Mary, etc…
Behold the handmaid of the Lord.
Be it done unto me according to Your Word.
Hail Mary, etc…
And the Word was made Flesh.
And dwelt among us.
Hail Mary, etc…
Pray for us, O Holy Mother of God.
That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.
Let us pray:
Pour forth, we beseech You, O Lord,
Your Grace into our hearts;
that as we have known the incarnation of Christ,
Your Son by the message of an angel,
so by His Passion and Cross
we may be brought to the glory of His Resurrection.
Through the same Christ, Our Lord.
Amen.
Glory be, etc… (3 times)
Eternal rest…
Apostolic Blessing
The Lord be with you.
And with your spirit.
Blessed be the name of the Lord.
Now and forever.
Our help is in the name of the Lord.
Who has made Heaven and Earth.
May Almighty God bless you.
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
As the Church marks the Third Sunday of Lent, Fr. Marion Nguyen, OSB, offers his thoughts on the day’s liturgical readings reflecting on wicked zeal and on good zeal that leads to God and everlasting life.
By Fr Marion Nguyen, OSB *
When the disciples witnessed how Jesus drove out those who made the Father’s house into a marketplace, they recalled the words of the psalmist, “Zeal for your house will consume me” (Ps 69:9). For the Benedictine monk, the word zeal immediately brings his mind to the last chapter of the Rule of Saint Benedict on the good zeal of monks: Just as there is a wicked zeal of bitterness which separates from God and leads to hell, so there is a good zeal which separates from evil and leads to God and everlasting life (RB 72:1-2). Here, Benedict is encouraging his brothers to cast out a wicked and bitter zeal referred in the letter of James as full of jealousy, selfish ambition, earthly, unspiritual and demonic (Jas 3:14-15). This prepares space in the heart of the monk to embrace the good zeal which James equates to wisdom and exudes purity, peace, gentleness, obedience, mercy, fidelity, sincerity and life (Jas 3:17). The good zeal leads the monk to God and everlasting life.
The zeal of Jesus moved him to purify the temple and re-establish it as a meeting place with God. This act of Jesus has a direct spiritual significance and explains why he declared to them, “Destroy this temple and in three days I will raise it up.” Those who heard these words did not fully grasp their meaning until Jesus was raised from the dead. The zeal of Jesus was accomplished in his death and resurrection and brings all believers to God and everlasting life.
It sometimes happens that in the process of conversion, we only focus on the secondary part of the spiritual exercise: the filling our lives with spiritual things such as the corporal and spiritual works of mercy. There are at least two issues with this approach.
The first is that we ignore the basic foundation of wisdom that demands the avoidance of evil before doing good. This dictum is repeated in various ways, but its form always remains the same: turn away from evil and do good (Ps 37:27; 34:15); cease doing evil and learn to do good (Is 1:16); and do to others what you would have them do to you (Mt 7:12; Lk 6:31).
The second issue is that our good works risk being contaminated by a heart that is not completely pure. When James wrote against the bitter zeal, he addressed the kind of false fervour of those who, convinced of their personal perfection, always see defects in others, lament about it, become impatient and attack others under the pretence of a rigorous and faithful spiritual observance. To these, James admonished, “Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts you backsliders!” (Jas 4:8).
Purify first the heart, then offer our sacrifice of good works after. To do the latter without the former is like a runner going full speed in the wrong direction. Jesus cleansing the temple before rededicating it to be a place of communion with the Father reminds us of the first and necessary task of naming our sins and begging for pardon. Having reconciled ourselves with each other, our good works will become acceptable to God (Mt 5:23-24). Let us prefer nothing whatever to Christ, and may He bring us all together to everlasting life (RB 72:11-12).
* Abbot of St. Martin Abbey, Lacey
Washington
Kenya signs an agreement with Haiti, offering the beleaguered Caribbean nation a peacekeeping force, but opposition politicians are already seeking to block the move.
By Linda Bordoni
Following a meeting in Kenya, Haiti`s Prime Minister Ariel Henri, has signed a reciprocal agreement with its President William Ruto. Kenya has offered a thousand peacekeepers to go to crime-stricken Haiti, The Western Hemisphere`s poorest nation, to reinforce and bolster its beleaguered Police and armed forces, combatting street gangs which are terrorizing Haiti, particularly rampaging through its Capital Port Au Prince.
Benin has offered 2,000 troops. Jamaica, Antigua and Barbuda also want to send personnel. While studiously avoiding any manpower commitment, Washington is pledging two hundred million dollars in funding for this peacekeeping force.
President Ruto says: “I take this opportunity to re-iterate Kenya`s commitment to contribute to the success of this multi-national mission.” Prime Minister Henri said: “We need elections to stabilize the country. We need governance in Haiti to encourage people to invest. “
The UN approved such a mission in October of last year. However, in January, Kenya`s High Court ruled the plan unconstitutional and banned the Country`s Security Council from authorizing police deployment outside the country.
Kenyan opposition politician, Ekuru Aukot, is already challenging the validity of the bi-lateral accord, condemning it as a secretive agreement.
Listen to the report by James Blears
In a statement posted on Friday 1 March, the Patriarchs and Heads of the Churches in Jerusalem condemn the “wanton attack against innocent civilians” by the Israeli army the previous day in Gaza during a distribution of emergency food aid. They call for a “immediate and lengthy ceasefire.”
Vatican News
In a statement issued on Friday 1 March, the Patriarchs and Heads of Churches in Jerusalem have joined the international community in condemning the “wanton attack against innocent civilians” that took place the previous day in Gaza City during the distribution of humanitarian aid.
On Thursday 29 February, a doctor from al-Chifa hospital and witnesses said that Israeli soldiers fired on a crowd of civilians desperately seeking food aid being distributed from aid trucks in Gaza City in the north of the Palestinian enclave. The latest death toll stands at 112 with 760 injured, according to the Hamas health ministry. The United States, a staunch ally of Israel, demanded “answers” from Benjamin Netanyahu’s government following Thursday’s slaughter calling for a “thorough investigation.”
The representatives of the Churches in Jerusalem “call for the warring parties to reach an immediate and lengthy ceasefire that allows for the speedy disbursement of relief supplies throughout the Gaza strip, and for the enactment of a negotiated release of those held as captives and prisoners.” They also denounced the denial of responsibility for this violent act by Israeli army spokespersons and attempts to blame the victims.
In sending their thoughts to all the “innocents suffering from the war,” the statement offered “special prayers of support to the Christian communities in Gaza under our pastoral care.” These include the 800 Christians who have taken refuge for the past five months in the Orthodox Church of Saint Porphyrios and the Catholic Church of the Holy Family in Gaza City. “We likewise extend these same expressions of solidarity to the intrepid staff and volunteers of the Anglican-run Ahli Hospital, and to the patients they serve,” the statement adds.
In conclusion, the Church leaders expressed their ultimate hope for an end to the violence, the release of captives, and care for the victims can “open a horizon for serious diplomatic discussions that finally lead to a just and lasting peace here in the land where our Lord Jesus Christ first took up his cross on our behalf.” They pray that God “may grant us all his grace as we seek the fulfilment of this hopeful Easter vision.”
Pope Francis meets with the Chancellor of Germany, discussing the wars in Ukraine and the Middle East, as well as the refugee crisis.
By Mario Galgano and Joseph Tulloch
Pope Francis has received German Chancellor Olaf Scholz in the Vatican.
Although the two had already met at Pope Benedict XVI’s funeral at the beginning of 2023, this was their first private audience. They had also spoken on the phone – after the start of the war in Ukraine two years ago, for example.
After his meeting with the Pope, Chancellor Scholz met with Vatican Cardinal Secretary of State Pietro Parolin.
“I am very grateful for the extensive conversation with the Pope,” the Social Democratic politician said after his visit to the Vatican.
“We also naturally discussed the major challenges and problems of our times and talked about topics that concern us all,” Scholz said in a statement to journalists on Saturday afternoon. He then listed the topics:
“The Russian aggression against Ukraine, the many deaths that this war has already caused, and the threat to the independence and freedom of Ukraine. We also discussed the war in the Middle East and discussed how we can ensure peace and security in our world.”
Other “big questions” under discussion included “migration and the question of justice and coexistence.
An official statement from the Vatican Press Office read: “During the warm conversations in the Secretariat of State, satisfaction was expressed over the good relations and fruitful cooperation between the Holy See and Germany, and the importance of the Christian faith in German society was emphasized.”
Scholz gave the Pope the official football of the upcoming European Championship, which will be hosted in Germany, as well as a white porcelain bear with a German flag on it.
The Pope gave the politician a bronze artwork entitled “Social Love.” It depicts a child helping another to stand up. The bronze work bears the inscription “Amare Aiutare” (Love to Help).
The pair exchange gifts
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