Eastern Christian theology of iconography

Eastern Christian theology of iconography:

The word "icon" (εικονα) etymologically derives from the verb "ico" (εικω) or "eica" (εοικα) which means "likeness" (or image), namely an imprint of the characteristics of the prototype. This means that an icon does not have its own hypostasis (being) but its value exists in the likeness with the prototype. "For what is imprinted is different from that which is being imprinted" says Saint John Damascene. The icon therefore is the perceptible means between the faithful and the prototype which is invisible to them. Great Basil refers to a distinction between a "natural" and "artificial" icon. Both types of icons have a common known, the likeness of the prototype that they depict. They differ though in this: The likeness of the natural icon to the prototype refers to the essence of the depicted prototype, maintaining the difference in its hypostasis. A characteristic example of a natural icon is the Son and Word of God in relation to God the Father. The Apostle Paul says that "Christ is the icon of the invisible God" (Col 1:15). Namely, the Son is "the identical icon of the Being" as Saint John Damascene mentions, and referred to God the Father as being identical in essence. What makes the Son different to the Father is His hypostasis and specifically the characteristic of being born. On the other side, the artificial icon likens the depicted person in his appearance but differs as of his essence. Since the  artificial icon refers only to the appearance of the one depicted, therefore what is depicted is not his nature but the hypostasis of the prototype as mentioned by Saint Theodore Studite: "What is depicted on an icon is not its nature but its hypostasis". This likeness between the icon and the one depicted constitutes the condition of existence of the artificial picture. That is why the Orthodox icons are not a product of the fantasy of every artist but the prototypes (the Lord, the Theotokos, the Saints) are historic  personalities with their own individual characteristics. Clearly the Fathers of the 7^th Ecumenical Synod observe, "Having seen the Lord, as they saw, so they depicted Him, and having seen James, the brother of the Lord, as they saw him, so they depicted him".

 

 - from "Theological approaches to the Hagiographic art" cited 12 Oct. 2010  from the website of the Holy Monastery of the Pantocrator: http://www.impantokratoros.gr/751A636C.en.aspx

What does your heart see in this piece?

Arvo Part - Cantus In Memory Of Benjamin Britten/Festina Lente

Protection of the Mother of God

 

Protection of the Mother of God

Eastern Catholic Churches Middle East Synod

Makeup of the Middle East Synod

VATICAN CITY, OCT. 11, 2010 (Zenit.org) - The Special Assembly for the Middle East of the Synod of Bishops will see for the first time almost all the ordinaries of the region gathered around the Bishop of Rome.

This is one of the historical elements of the assembly presented at a press conference today by the secretary-general of the synod, Archbishop Nikola Eterović.

Another novelty is that this will be the briefest synod, lasting only 14 days. (It began Sunday and ends Oct. 24). The brevity is due to three principal motives: the smaller number of participants, a simplification of the methodology, and concern for the Catholics of the Middle East (minorities in most of the region) who will be without their pastors.

There are 185 synod fathers, 159 of whom are taking part ex officio. Among them are 101 ordained in the ecclesiastical circumscriptions of the Middle East and 23 in the diaspora, who lead the faithful of the Eastern Catholic Churches who have emigrated from the Middle East to other countries.

There are also 19 bishops of neighboring North and East African nations and European and American countries with Christian communities from the Middle East.

Fourteen leaders of dicasteries of the Roman Curia are participating.

The synod fathers include nine patriarchs, 19 cardinals, 65 archbishops, 10 titular archbishops, 53 bishops, 21 auxiliary bishops and 87 religious.

There are nine heads of synods of bishops of the Catholic Eastern Churches sui iuris, and five representatives of international meetings of episcopal conferences.

There are six presidents of episcopal conferences, one coadjutor archbishop, and four retired archbishops, two of whom are cardinals. Also present is the retired Latin patriarch of Jerusalem and the patriarchal vicar.

Thirty-six experts and 34 auditors, women and men, are participating.

Counting the members of the general secretariat, the translators and assistants, as well as those working in the technical services, close to 330 individuals are participating in the assembly.

There are also representatives from six other Easter Catholic Churches: the Ethiopian, the Greek, the Romanian, the Syro-Malabar, the Syro-Malankara and the Ukrainian.

Of the 185 synod fathers, the majority -- 140 -- belong to Eastern Catholic traditions; there are 45 bishops of Latin traditions, 14 of whom are from the Middle East.

In an atmosphere of prayer, reflection and dialogue, the synod should "serve to further the bonds of communion within each of these Churches," said Archbishop Eterović. "Obviously the bonds of communion should also be reinforced between the particular Churches of different traditions."

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Eastern Catholic Churches encouraged to maintain identity

(Daylife) - Exarch of Greece, Faithful of Eastern Rite (Byzantine), Bishop Dimitrios Salachas (R) chats with an unidentified representative during the opening of a synod on the Middle East on October 11, 2010 at The Vatican. A senior Iranian cleric and a Jewish rabbi are among some of the guests invited by Pope Benedict XVI to attend the synod running from October 10 to 24 to discuss the Middle East.

VATICAN CITY, OCT. 10, 2010 (Zenit.org) - Benedict XVI is encouraging the Eastern Catholic Churches to conserve their identity, patrimony and traditions.

(Daylife) - Syrian Archbishop Flavien Joseph Melki, auxiliary bishop of Antiocha, takes place for the opening of a synod on the Middle East on October 11, 2010 at The Vatican. A senior Iranian cleric and a Jewish rabbi are among some of the guests invited by Pope Benedict XVI to attend the synod running from October 10 to 24 to discuss the Middle East.

The Pope stated this Saturday in an audience with participants in a congress marking the 20th anniversary of the promulgation of the Code of Canons of Eastern Churches.

The congress was organized by the Congregation for Eastern Churches, the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity the Pontifical Oriental Institute, and the Pontifical Council for Legislative Texts.

The Pontiff affirmed that "the 'sacra canones' of the ancient Church, that inspire the Oriental codification in force, stimulate all the Oriental Churches to conserve their own identity, which is simultaneously Eastern and Catholic."

"In preserving the Catholic communion the Eastern Catholic Churches did not at all intend to deny their own tradition," he added.

"As has been many times repeated," the Holy Father said, "the full union of the Eastern Catholic Churches with the Church of Rome that is already realized must not lead to a diminution of the consciousness of the unique authenticity and originality of those Churches."

"For this reason," he continued, "it is the task of all the Eastern Catholic Churches to conserve the common disciplinary patrimony and nourish their own traditions, which is a treasure for the whole Church."







Benedict XVI noted that "the same 'sacri canones' of the first centuries of the Church constitute to a large extent the same basic patrimony of canonical discipline that also regulates the Orthodox Churches."

"Thus the Eastern Catholic Churches can offer a peculiar and relevant contribution to the ecumenical journey," he said.

"In the context of the Church's current effort for a new evangelization," the Pope affirmed, "canon law, as the peculiar and indispensable ordering of ecclesial fellowship, will not fail to contribute to the life and the mission of the Church in the world, if all the components of the People of God know how to interpret is wisely and apply it faithfully."


(Daylife) - Participants leave after a mass led by Pope Benedict XVI on the opening of the Synod on the Middle East on October 10, 2010 at St Peter's basilica at the Vatican. Christianity, Islam and Judaism should work for Middle East peace, Pope Benedict XVI said on Sunday, opening a Vatican conference set to include senior Muslim and Jewish leaders for the first time.

What does your heart see?

What does your heart see?
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AFRICA: Algeria; the Church is reborn

Please excuse the inaccuracies of automated translation:

Algeria: the Church is reborn
An Expert Interview With the decline of Christianity in Africa
 
Portuguese to English automated translation - http://translate.google.com/#pt|en

ALGIERS, Sunday, October 10, 2010 (ZENIT.org) - The Church in Algeria is considered by many as a shadow of its past. In the fifth century, more than 700 bishops were scattered throughout North Africa. Today, Christianity is not even 1% of the entire population.
Camille Eid, a professor at the University of Milan, journalist, writer and expert on churches in the Middle East, talks about the decline of the Church in Algeria and the signs of hope for its renewal.

Could you tell us briefly the history of the Church in Algeria? She was once a thriving church?
Eid: Yes. In the fifth century, had 700 bishops in North Africa. The Arab conquest brought a gradual decline, though at the tenth and eleventh centuries, we have testimony about letters sent to Rome, the Pope, or Christian communities had until that time. So for three centuries after the Islamic conquest, the Christian life was maintained, but declined gradually due to the Donatist heresy. Thereafter, the dynasty had Aghlabid, an Islamic dynasty that drove the conversion to Islam after the Norman conquest - or regaining - Sicily. In revenge, dictated that all Christians from North Africa to embrace the Islamic religion.
What year are we talking about?
Eid: We speak of the eleventh century and the twelfth century, when it ended any presence of Christianity across northern Africa, not only in Algeria but also in Tunisia and Morocco.
The Church became a church of the catacombs?
Eid: Yes We had to wait after that until the new return of Christianity, unfortunately in the form of colonialism. When the French arrived in North Africa, encouraged its citizens to sit, to buy farms, and so we had an increase in the presence of Christians from around 900 000 people, which implied a large increase.
Yes, especially in a very short period of time. Then there was another dip?
Eid: There, but we must remember that the Christian presence was under the influence of the French Republic, which in turn was influenced by Freemasonry, so ordered the Church and the first bishops of Algiers who forbade the local Muslim population entering the Church of print gospels and Christian literature in Arabic, to admit Muslims in their assemblies, to accept priests of Syria or Lebanon to speak Arabic. Ultimately, it was Islam and Christianity to the Algerians for the French. Thus there was an active presence of a missionary Church during this period. There were 900,000 Christians, but it was like an apartheid system.
And then what happened? The rapid decline?
Eid: Just after 1962, all French - "Pieds Noirs" (black feet) - and then returned to France were only a few foreign workers working in the fields of oil and gas. The war against France began in 1954 and ended in 1962, when Algeria became an independent country. In a year or two, all the Christians returned to France and this has reduced the Christian presence to less than 1% of the entire population.
Christians today are about 40 thousand in a population of approximately 33 million. As Christians are seen in Algeria?
Eid: Algeria is a country with socialist ideas of freedom and democracy, even under one-party system. Fundamentalist or radical Islamists are spreading a little into society, especially in major cities. The theme of women who wear the hijab or niqab has nothing to do with the Algerian customs because women tend to wear clothes eastern Algerian and not the niqab, which covers the face and hands. It is clear that there are two views on the Christians: they are the intellectuals, because many Algerians continue to use French in their daily lives, the French have that mentality and have a posture with regard to Christians, clearer and more clear that fundamentalism Arabic.
Where does this fundamentalist movement?
Eid: From Saudi Arabia. When the Saudi government has to hire teachers, nurses and doctors during the boom of oil in the 50s and 60s, the Gulf states, the Saudis asked specifically national of Egypt and Algeria. When these professionals returned, brought with them ideas Islamic fundamentalist Wahhabism or Salafism, as it actually is called. Thus, the Salafis have created associations, have infiltrated the labor unions and students in college and then became the majority. They won the 1990 elections and were on the brink of taking power, after the war began between them and the army. The war of 1990 caused over 200,000 deaths.
As if living in Algeria, the Middle East conflict?
Eid: 
 There are 20 or 30 years, most people are directed to France due to cultural and commercial relations. Now Algeria is moving toward the Islamic world and the central issue is the Palestinian issue, the Arab-Israeli conflict. Thus, we have many Algerian jihadists who go to war in Iraq, the Caucasus (Chechnya or Afghanistan and Pakistan), which they call holy war. This indicates therefore that all these ideas that have great influence originate in Saudi Wahhabism and Salafism in and took this fundamentalist approach, which now reaches other countries and fronts, which are very distant from Algeria.
We talked about various currents of Islam who are now taking a role in Algeria. For example, you mentioned Wahhabism. We could say that at this moment, the greater confrontation for domination of Algeria is not between Christians and Muslims but between Muslims and Muslims?
Eid: Exactly. The problem in Algeria is supporting a socialist military regime after independence, the FLN (Front de Libération Nationale). There never was a democracy. So we are in a transition phase and we expect to emerge a true democracy, because adopted a multiparty system. There is openness to the West and to all religions. The government also wants to tame the fundamentalists. The government wants to be seen as an ally of religion, why has introduced laws that show which is more Islamic fundamentalist.
And at the same time tries to be moderate?
Eid: Yes, but in the end, it becomes more restrictive for the life of the church. The 2006 law, for example, is really very restrictive. It prohibits activities outside of church facilities. The law requires the church not to conclude any rite out of places designated for worship. Limit such practices to places of worship. If a priest goes to the countryside where there is a church, but there is a community of 20 to 50 people can not celebrate because he is not officially listed as place of worship.
Secondly, any attempt to convert a Muslim is punishable by a fine or imprisonment. The government restricts entry visas to Catholic priests. Confiscate all the Catholic literature that comes from France at the airport. Therefore, people who hold that literature often tell employees that is for personal use.
The government admitted that there are conversions every year?
Eid: Six days! We have approximately thirteen thousand converts Algerian Berber origin.
This would not be an official statement because the government probably will not admit that there's more?
Eid: There is no official census, but we know that among the Algerian community in France, especially Berbers, are converted. We also know that the Berbers converted to Islam required. Maybe consider the conversion to Christianity as a form of opposition.
How is the life of a Muslim convert in Algeria?
Eid: There are whole villages in the region who are turning Berber and living this new life, which is really strange in a Muslim country, because the phenomenon can be reached at a level such that the government is unable to oppose this resistance .
They are trying to limit it a bit, but know they themselves are Algerians who converted to Christianity without outside influence of foreign missionaries as before, that came from outside. In the city of Oran, for two years, six Algerians arrested for distributing the gospel. For the first time we have a missionary activity carried out by Algerians and not by foreign missionaries, French or Spanish. This is new.
The former Bishop of Algiers, Henri Teissier Don, said he had "witnessed the slow death of the Church."
Eid: The presence of the Catholic Church in Algeria can not be restricted to those numbers because they impact on society is enormous. For example, the care that the church offers to the disabled and the elderly. All jobs from which Muslims are not concerned in hospitals, are made by the nuns. At universities and in all fields of social life (women, youth, media, translation, literature), the Church is present and there is a giant impact on Algerian society, with less than 10 000 Catholics living there.
There is a risk that the Church from becoming endangered?
Eid: Maybe yes. But perhaps as an institution, as we know, as a church of foreigners. The foreigners are leaving, but the local church in Algeria is experiencing a renaissance that had not happened since the seventh century or X. Then, after a thousand years, reviving local Christians have a new life for the Church. Neither French nor Spanish, nor Italian.
It is a sign of hope?
Eid: Yes In addition, we have many African students from sub-Saharan countries that come to Algeria to study and contribute to the life of the Church. So we have a substitution, the Europeans are gone and are replaced by Africans and by local Christians, who are Arabs or Berbers. I think it's a sign of the Holy Spirit's work, a hopeful sign, because for the first time we have not only local bishops or Arabs, as we saw recently, the new bishop of Algiers is Jordanian, and in neighboring Tunisian, had the Archbishop Fouad Twal (Latin patriarch of Jerusalem today, and N. R.'s) and now the Bishop Maroun Lahham, instead of the French bishops of all the countries of North Africa. We also have Algerian and Arab communities, not foreign communities formed by Europeans or Americans.
What can we do? What can the Catholic Church's universal for their Algerian brothers?
Eid: What pray. To pray and remember that these countries were not originally Muslims, converted to Islam after centuries of Christianity that flourished in these lands. So do not be so strange to return to its roots, Christian roots. In Italy, I met an Algerian couple who converted, and to be baptized, both chose two special names: the husband chose the name of Augustine and his wife, Monica, because of the two saints (St. Augustine and Santa Monica) that were of Algerian origin, of Hippo.
* * *
This interview was conducted by Mark Riedemann for "Cry God on Earth," a weekly radio-television program produced by Catholic Radio and Television Network (CRTN), in collaboration with the Catholic organization Aid to the Church in Need.
More information www.aisbrasil.org.br, www.fundacao-ais.pt.

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"Binh An trong Chua Giesu!" - Peace in Jesus!

Orthodox Church of Japan celebrates 40 years of autonomy

The Orthodox Church of Japan celebrates 40 years of autonomy

(mospat.ru) - On 10 October 2010, the 40th anniversary of canonization of St. Nicholas of Japan, Equal-to-the-Apostles, and the granting of the autonomous status to the Orthodox Church of Japan by the Russian Orthodox Church were celebrated at the Church of the Intercession in Osaka, Japan.

His Eminence Daniel, Archbishop of Tokyo and Metropolitan of All Japan, officiated at the celebration. Taking part bin the celebration, with the blessing of His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia, was a delegation of the Russian Orthodox Church led by Metropolitan Hilarion of Volokolamsk, chairman of the Moscow Patriarchate's Department for External Church Relations (DECR). The delegation consisted of Archbishop Feognost of Sergiev Posad, abbot of the Laura of the Holy Trinity and St. Sergius; the DECR deputy chairman archpriest Nikolai Balashov; DECR staff members hierodeacon Ioann (Kopeikin), L. Sevastianov and S. Petrovsky; and clerics and laymen of the Russian Orthodox Church.

Metropolitan Daniel of Tokyo, Metropolitan Hilarion of Volokolamsk, Archbishop Feognost of Sergiev Posad, Bishop Seraphim of Sendai, and many clergymen celebrated the Divine Liturgy, after which Metropolitan Daniel warmly greeted Metropolitan Hilarion and his suite. Metropolitan Hilarion read out the message of His Holiness Patriarch Kirill on the occasion of the 40th anniversary of the canonization of St. Nicholas of Japan and the autonomous status of the Orthodox Church of Japan and presented an icon of the Mother of God to the Church of the Intercession, and a panagia to the Primate of the Orthodox Church of Japan. A festive reception followed.

That same day Metropolitan Daniel gave dinner in honour of the DECR chairman and members of the Russian Orthodox Church delegation.

On the Rosary

 

On the Rosary

"It Leads Directly to Jesus, Contemplated in His Mysteries"

VATICAN CITY, OCT. 10, 2010 (Zenit.org).- Here is a translation of the address Benedict XVI gave today before praying the midday Angelus together with those gathered in St. Peter's Square.

* * *
Dear Brothers and Sisters!
I have just come from St. Peter's Basilica where I presided at the opening Mass of the Special Assembly for the Middle East of the Synod of Bishops. This extraordinary synodal gathering, which will last two weeks, will see the meeting in Rome of the pastors of the Church that lives in the Middle East, a very diverse reality: In that land, in fact, the one Church of Christ expresses herself in all the wealth of her ancient traditions. We will be reflecting on the following theme: "The Catholic Church in the Middle East: Communion and Witness." In fact, in those countries, unfortunately marked by profound divisions and lacerations by age-old conflicts, the Church is called to be the sign and instrument of unity and of reconciliation, on the model of the first community of Jerusalem, in which "the multitude of those who had become Christian were of one heart and one soul" (Acts 4:32). This is an arduous task since the Christians of the Middle East often find themselves having to endure difficult conditions of life at the personal, familial and communal levels. But this should not be discouraging: it is precisely in this context that the perennial message of Christ becomes more necessary and urgent: "Convert and believe in the Gospel" (Mark 1:15). In my recent visit to Cyprus I consigned the "instrumentum laboris" of this synodal assembly [to the participants]; now that it has begun, I invite everyone to pray, invoking from God an abundant outpouring of the gifts of the Holy Spirit.
The month of October is called the month of the Rosary. This is a "spiritual intonation," so to speak, provided by the liturgical memorial of Our Lady of the Rosary, which is celebrated on October 7. We are thus invited to let ourselves be guided by Mary in this ancient and ever new prayer, which is especially dear to her because it leads directly to Jesus, contemplated in his mysteries of salvation: joyous, luminous, sorrowful and glorious. In the footsteps of the venerable John Paul II (cf. Apostolic Letter "Rosarium Virginis Mariae), I would like to recall that the Rosary is a biblical prayer, completely interwoven with Sacred Scripture. It is a prayer of the heart in which the repetition of the "Hail Mary" orients one's though and affection toward Christ, and thus one confidently supplicates his Mother and ours. It is a prayer that aids meditation on the Word of God and is likened to Eucharistic communion on the model of Mary, who carries in her heart all Jesus did and said and his presence itself.
Dear Friends, we know how much the Virgin Mary is loved and venerated by our brothers and sisters of the Middle East. All look upon her as the caring Mother, near to every suffering, and as the Star of Hope. We entrust the assembly that opens today to her intercession so that the Christians of that region are strengthened in communion and bear witness of the Gospel of love and peace to all.
[After the Angelus the Holy Father greeted the pilgrims in various languages. In Italian he said:]
In recent days there has taken place in Rome the "Mission to Youth 2010," organized by the Diocesan Service for the Pastoral Care of Young People. This year it reached the Tor Bella Monaca and Torre Angela quarters, with many initiatives of spiritual animation, parish, school and university gatherings and visits to the sick. At the center of everything, Eucharistic adoration, that is, the living presence of Jesus Christ. I express my appreciation to the young missionaries, to the seminarians and to all those who were a part of this experience. Thank you, you have done well! May the Lord make the seeds of the Gospel fruitful that you have sown with faith and with love!
[In English he said:]
I offer warm greetings to the English-speaking visitors gathered for this Angelus prayer. I invite all of you to join me in praying for the 'Special Assembly for the Middle East' of the Synod of Bishops, which opened this morning in Saint Peter's Basilica. May this momentous ecclesial event strengthen the communion of the faithful in the Middle East, especially as they give witness to the Gospel of Jesus Christ and to the gift of peace he offers. As we entrust these prayers to the powerful intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary and Saint Joseph, her Spouse, who themselves came from that region, I invoke upon you and your families God's abundant blessings.

UK Archbishop: ‘Make the faith more visible’

Archbishop: ‘Make the faith more visible’
By Simon Caldwell on Wednesday, 29 September 2010

Archbishop Nichols: 'With the blessings of this visit we can be more confident in our faith' (Photo: PA)
Catholics in London are being encouraged to make their faith more visible in daily life in the aftermath of the Pope’s state visit to Britain.
They should offer to pray for people, bless themselves openly with the Sign of the Cross or make such remarks to people as “God bless you”.
The suggestions were made by Archbishop Vincent Nichols of Westminster in a pastoral letter read out in the 214 parishes of his diocese, which covers London north of the Thames, during Masses last weekend.
“With the blessings of this visit we can be more confident in our faith and more ready to speak about it and let it be seen each day,” the Archbishop said in his letter.
“A small step we can all take is to be quicker to say to others that we will pray for them, especially to those in distress,” he said. “Prayer is the first fruit of faith in the Lord and we grow so much by giving prayer its place in our homes and in our hearts.
“Even the simple step of more regularly using the greeting ‘God bless you’, gently and naturally, would make a difference to the tone we set in our daily lives as would the more frequent use of the Sign of the Cross. Making faith visible is so much a part of the invitation the Holy Father has extended to us all.”
He explained that Catholics should see such public witness as a response to Pope Benedict XVI’s wish, expressed during his visit, that they became “ever more conscious of their dignity as a priestly people, called to consecrate the world to God through lives of faith and holiness”.
The letter represents the first address on the subject of the papal visit by the Archbishop, the president of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales, to the people of his archdiocese since the Pope departed.
In the letter he thanked Queen Elizabeth II for inviting the Pope to England and Scotland along with everyone who played a part in preparing for the visit “through difficulties, doubts and criticism” as well as those who attended papal events or who turned out to see the Pontiff.
He said the Pope’s presence had “brought such joy and given a great boost to so many”.
“The Holy Father has given us new heart for our mission,” Archbishop Nichols said, adding that in his address Westminster Cathedral the Pope “spelt out that task” that lay ahead. “He said we are to be witnesses to the beauty of holiness, to the splendour of the truth and to the joy and freedom born of a living relationship with Christ,” he explained.
He recalled the “beauty of holiness” during such moments as the prayer vigil in Hyde Park, London, when 80,000 people prayed in silence before the Blessed Sacrament. “We witness best to the splendour of the truth of our faith when we follow the example given by Pope Benedict,” he said. “In speaking of our faith he was always so gentle and courteous, so sensitive to the achievements and anxieties of his listeners, so clear and reasoned in presenting difficult points, so humble and open-hearted. We must strive for these same qualities when speaking about our faith, in witnessing to its truth.”
He said the Pope had shown what Christian “joy and freedom” meant by his “unfailing generosity” in responding to individuals and crowds. “I thank God for our Pope and for all the blessings of this visit from which we have so much to ponder and learn for a long time to come,” the Archbishop said.The call to make faith more visible is likely to be interpreted as an attempt to counter a trend, which had gathered pace under the last government, to squeeze religion from public life. This saw Christians of all denominations endure harassment, suspension, dismissal, arrest and rejection after publicly expressing their beliefs.
Caroline Petrie, a nurse from Weston-super-Mare who is also a Baptist, was last year suspended and disciplined by the North Somerset Primary Care Trust after she offered to pray for an elderly patient.The right of Christians to assert their beliefs in public was one of the key themes of Pope Benedict’s visit to Britain. He raised the subject during an address to a civic audience in Westminster Hall, close to the spot where St Thomas More was condemned to death in 1535 after refusing to condone the adultery of King Henry VIII.
Evangelical Christians, many of whom have suffered under new equality and human rights legislation, are aiming to reclaim their place in the public arena with their “Not Ashamed” campaign which will be launched by Christian Concern for Our Nation.
Announcing the campaign spokeswoman Andrea Minichiello Williams said: “There is growing pressure in our society to remove Jesus Christ (and the values and truths revealed through Him) from public life and to restrict Him to the domain of the ‘private and personal’.
“Increasingly, Christians are finding that they are barred from the workplace and community involvement if they are not prepared to compromise the biblical teaching on belief and behaviour.
“Meanwhile our society continues to fragment and faces enormous change and challenge. Yet in some quarters of the Church there seems to be a collapse in confidence that Jesus Christ really is ‘good news’ for individuals and for our nation as a whole.”
She said that the group was encouraging its supporters to wear crosses on December 1, the launch date.Lord Carey, the former Archbishop of Canterbury, is writing a booklet explaining why Christians are “not ashamed” of Jesus Christ and MPs will be presented with a declaration by the group.

No Opposition - A Homily

Solemnity of Ss Peter and Paul - 29 June
by Timothy Radcliffe O.P.

By the entrance to the Basilica of Santa Sabina in Rome, where I lived for nine years, the fifth century mosaics give equal dignity to Peter and Paul as cofounders of the diocese of Rome. They are identified respectively as the apostles to the Jews and to the Gentiles.

This was more than a territorial division of the mission. It implied different roles. Peter had been with the Lord since the beginning of his mission, 'during all the time that the Lord Jesus went in and out among us' (Acts 1.21). He had been at the centre of the Jewish community that Jesus gathered around himself. He was the guardian of the received tradition. Paul was the latecomer, was sent by Jesus to initiate a new moment in the evolution of the Church, the outreach to the Gentiles. This is symbolised by their basilicas, St Peter's in what is now the centre of Rome, and St Paul's outside the Walls, summoning us beyond the confines of any fortress that we may construct.

Inevitably there was friction between them which seems to have exploded at Antioch (Galatians 2.11). The Church evolves from the fruitful tension between fidelity to the tradition and the Spirit's ever-fresh impulse towards the new. In hindsight we can usually discern that what seemed revolutionary at the time was in fact a fruit of the tradition, and its faithful development, but in the heat of the moment this may be hard to see. This is the development of doctrine about which Cardinal Newman wrote.

In recent years, especially in the United States, there has often been bitter friction between so-called 'traditional' and 'progressive' Catholics. But though we may by temperament be more inclined to hang on to what we have received or to reach out the new, there cannot be an ultimate opposition between them, just as Peter and Paul may have been in tension in their lifetime, but both witnessed to their common faith by their martyrdom.

Of course, it is impossible to keep the perfect balance. Inevitably the Church has wobbled between tradition and innovation. It is interesting that it was St Peter's that was rebuilt as a triumphant symbol of the Church in the sixteenth century faced with the rise of Protestantism, whereas St Paul's without the walls was rather neglected until it was burnt down in 1823 and rebuilt. The Pope came to be seen more as the successor of St Peter, the rock upon which the Church was founded, the defender of the tradition. Pope Paul VI chose that name because he understood that the Papacy needed to recover Paul's outreach to those beyond the walls.

So on this feast day, let us refuse the divisions that are tearing the Body of Christ. Peter and Paul both died for the truth and the truth is beyond the grasp of any ideology. Both these saints, with their different missions, invite us to continue our pilgrimage towards it.