Let us prepare for Christmas by looking to Saint Joseph, says Pope
During the Angelus, Benedict XVI entrusts all the pastors of the Church to the protection of Jesus' lawful father so that they may offer the faithful and the world "Christ's words and actions".

Vatican City (AsiaNews) – Today's Angelus was devoted completely to the figure of Saint Joseph, a "righteous man" who bore witness to Mary's virginity, God's selfless deed", and took care of "the earthly life of the Messiah". Inspired by today's Gospel (fourth day of Advent), Benedict XVI said that Saint Joseph was the "new man, who looked to the future with confidence and courage, who disregarded his own goals, but entrusts himself completely to the infinite mercy of the One who fulfils prophecies and opens time to salvation." To him, the universal patron of the Church, the Pope entrusted all the bishops, urging them to "quietly present Christ's words and actions each day to the faithful and to the whole world". Here is the full text of the Pope's reflection before the Angelus prayer in Saint Peter's Square.


Dear brothers and sisters,
In this fourth Sunday of Advent, the Gospel of Saint Matthew tells us the story of Jesus' birth through the eyes of Saint Joseph. He was betrothed to Mary, "but before they lived together, she was found with child through the Holy Spirit" (Mt, 1:18). The Son of God, fulfilling an ancient prophecy (cf Is, 7:14), became a man in the womb of a virgin, and this mystery shows God's love, wisdom and power for humanity, hurt by sin. Saint Joseph is presented as a "righteous man" (Mt, 1:19), faithful to God's law, and ready to do his will. For this reason, he becomes a party to the Mystery of the Incarnation when an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, "Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary your wife into your home. For it is through the Holy Spirit that this child has been conceived in her. She will bear a son and you are to name him Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins" (Mt, 1:20-21). And so it came about that Joseph gave up the idea of quietly repudiating Mary, and took her in because at this moment his eyes could see in her the work of God.
In his commentary on Saint Luke, Saint Ambrose said, "in Joseph you find the friendliness of the righteous, to give greater worthiness to his standing as witness" (Exp. Ev. sec. Lucam II, 5: CCL 14, 32-33). "He," Ambrose said, "could not contaminate the temple of the Holy Spirit, the Mother of the Lord, the womb fecundated by mystery" (ibid, II, 6: CCL 14, 33). Despite his turmoil, Joseph did "as the angel of the Lord ordered", certain that he was doing the right thing. Even when he gave the name "Jesus" to the child who carries the universe, he joined the army of humble and faithful servants, like the angels and the prophets as well as the martyrs and the apostles, praised in ancient eastern hymns. Saint Joseph announced the marvels of the Lord and bore witness to Mary's virginity, God's selfless deed, whilst protecting the early life of the Messiah. Let us venerate Jesus' lawful father (cf CCC, 532), because in him we see new man, who looked to the future with confidence and courage, who disregarded his own goals, but entrusted himself completely to the infinite mercy of the One who fulfils prophecies and opens time to salvation.
Dear friends, I wish to entrust all pastors to Saint Joseph, universal patron of the Church, urging them to "quietly present Christ's words and actions each day to the faithful and to the whole world," (Letter proclaiming a Year for Priests). May our life join more and more the Person of Jesus, because the "One who is the Word takes on Himself a body, comes from God as a man and draws to himself the whole of humanity, bringing it into the word of God (Gesù di Nazaret, Milan: 2007, 383).
Let us confidently call on the Virgin Mary, full of grace, "adorned with God", so that on this coming Christmas, our eyes might open and see Jesus, and the heart rejoice in this admirable meeting of love.

Iran: Christians jailed for three months over evangelizing activities
A group of nine Christians arrested in Hamadan are in prison, after being held in isolation without specific charges. The media speak of "Christian Zionists." Their main fault seems to be their success in conversions.

Tehran (AsiaNews / Agencies) - Nine Christians have been held in prison in Iran for three months without charges. On the day of their arrest, 19 September 2010, state television said: "A group of nine Christians have been arrested in Hamadan on charges of evangelization activities." Local sources reported security forces statements, according to which the group's purpose was to destroy the Islamic Republic of Iran. The text referred several times to the nine calling them "Christian Zionists."

The names of four of them (five are of unknown identity) are Vahik Abrahamian his wife Sonia Keshish Avanessian (Armenian-Iranian), Arash Kermanjany and Arezou Teimour, Iranians who speak Farsi. The security forces according to the report broke into the house Abrahamian and arrested him together with his wife and two other Christian converts who were his guests. The house was searched, and officers seized various personal items. Later the group was taken to an unknown location.

Other Christian converts were arrested and interrogated in Karaj, Tehran and Hamadan, and some of them were released after having ensured they would stop all evangelization activities. The four arrested in Hamad instead have been imprisoned in the Hamadan prison, in the fourth section, and the women's section.All were placed in isolation for forty days before being transferred to the Hamadan prison, and in that period could not be contacted by families. But in the meantime, the courts have not yet explained why they were imprisoned, or brought specific allegations against them.

Catherine De Hueck Doherty

Catherine, Merton, and Me

by Fr. Bob Wild.
 
Not too long ago, I had the good fortune of getting a book published: Compassionate Fire, a book containing the correspondence between Catherine Doherty and Thomas Merton.
It was when I began editing this correspondence that I realized that these two people were responsible for inspiring two of the most important decisions in my life.

In 1955, I was in a Franciscan seminary, beginning my vocation journey in earnest. One night I overheard a conversation between two seminarians. One of them had just read a book called The Seven Story Mountain, and he said that the book "just breathed holiness."
The next day I started reading it, and in this autobiography of Thomas Merton, I discovered the Trappists. I saw it as a vocation that demanded everything. That's what attracted Merton, (as he said in one of his letters to Catherine) and that's what I wanted as well.
A few months later, I was a novice in the Trappist monastery of Our Lady of the Genesee in Piffard, N.Y., and two years after that, I entered a Carthusian monastery in England.
What I want to emphasize here is that it was Merton's story, his life—not so much his spiritual insights—that started me on the monastic pilgrimage that radically changed my life. This is what attracted me about Catherine Doherty as well—her life. And she changed my life even more radically than Merton did.
Like so many others of my generation, I first heard about Catherine in that same autobiography of Merton, but at that time in my journey she was only of passing interest. Then, after a long journey through monastic life, parish life as a priest, and movements such as Cursillo and the Charismatic Renewal, I came across her once again.
One evening in 1969, after a prayer meeting in Buffalo, New York, where I was a parish priest, someone handed me a copy of Restoration.
It contained a very positive article on the Charismatic Renewal by Fr. Jim Duffy. What struck me was the fact that, at this early stage of the Renewal, when few in the Catholic Church were open to it, this community was. I thought, "They must be very open to the Holy Spirit," and I wanted to experience this openness.
So I came to Madonna House. I found it to be the most profound and spiritually diverse community I had yet encountered—a community truly open to many currents of the Holy Spirit. Let me explain.
My monastic experience had been very deep, but Madonna House contained the richness of many other dimensions which were lacking in the monastery: men and women, priests and laity, the Eastern dimension from Catherine's Russian background, outreach to the poor, art, the presence of guests as part of the community life, and other elements too numerous to list.
It wasn't long before an intuition came to me: only an extraordinary religious genius could have been the graced vehicle for such a community.
I was not mistaken. This graced channel was Catherine Doherty. As I began to read her writings, listen to her speak, and watch her guiding the community, I was gradually getting to know her personally.
It was in this way that I was gradually introduced to a teaching that was as profound as anything I had encountered in the monastery, and equal to any gospel depth I had up to that time encountered in the tradition of the Church.
I think it was my monastic experience that gave me the eyes to see the depth of Catherine's teaching, but it was my experience of her community and of her personality that were, initially, what attracted me.
But her teaching was also unique. I had received different parts of the Gospel, and of ascetical teaching, in my pilgrimage—contemplation, penance, doing God's will, study, work, prayer.
But Catherine was a kind of total person, and through her comprehensive life experience she was able to weave all these elements into a harmonious vision that penetrated the whole of life.
In 1971, I went to Madonna House for a time of discernment. I ended up joining the community and in 1974 was allowed to begin living the poustinik way of life—living in prayer and solitude for three days a week and serving the community the other four.
From 1971 until 1985, when Catherine died, she was a very significant guide for my life. She changed my understanding of holiness, and I came to believe that her vision is one of the great treasures of the Church's tradition.
Very early in my time at Madonna House, therefore, I believed that her writings should be better known.
So, beginning with the book Poustinia, which was published in 1974, I was able to put together a number of books of Catherine's writings.
Then in 1990, I became the postulator for her cause for canonization. As such, I have delved very deeply into her heart and mind, and I've discovered a kind of holiness that I never knew before.
For most of my early life, and certainly during my monastic years, I had a kind of platonic concept of holiness: perfect patience, no distractions in prayer, detachment from everything earthly, a love of God that didn't put too much emphasis on love of neighbor, and so on.
What I found in Catherine's life and teaching, first of all, was a unity of all these disparate elements. She taught me that the spiritual life is a whole, that the Gospel must penetrate everything we do without exception. I probably knew this in an abstract theological way, but didn't really believe it in practice or understand it.
Secondly, she forcefully taught that love is at the heart of holiness and that often faults and failings can and do coexist with deep love for God and others. I found this paradox most dramatically in her own life. She probably carried some faults and failings to her grave.
Catherine spoke and taught out of her life with the Lord, which was a very human life of astounding scope and intensity. As she spoke to us, it was as if she was talking to God and letting us in on the conversation.
It's this kind of spirituality that comes out of life that we need these days. We are tired of words, and great ideas and systems of morality no longer interest and inspire us.
Great and holy lives are what do that: the Wilberforces, the Gandhis, the Mandelas, the Mother Teresas, the John Paul IIs. Maybe it has always been so.
It was Merton's life that inspired me, and it is Catherine's life, most of all, that I wish to make known to the world.

 
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EUROPEAN COURT: NO RIGHT TO ABORT

Upholds Irish Constitution on Prohibiting Abortion

STRASBOURG, France, DEC. 16, 2010 (Zenit.org).- In a case regarding a challenge to the Irish constitution, the European Court of Human Rights ruled that there is "no human right to abortion."

The Grand Chamber of the European court decided today on the A, B and C v. Ireland case, noting that the Irish constitutional prohibition of abortion does not violate the European Convention on Human Rights.

The challenge against Irish law was brought to the court last December by three women who allegedly were "forced" to go abroad for abortions, which they claim put their health in danger.

The court decided that the country's laws do not violate the European Convention on Human Rights, which stresses the "right to respect for private and family life."

The European Centre for Law and Justice, a third party in this case, lauded the court's further recognition of the "right to life of the unborn."

Grégor Puppinck, director of the center, explained to ZENIT the concern that the court would "recognize a right to abortion" as a "new right stemming from the always broader interpretation of article 8."

However, he added, "the court did not recognize such a right;" rather, it "recognized the right to life of the unborn as a legitimate right."

Puppinck clarified that "the court doesn't recognize the right to life of the unborn as an absolute right, but as a right that has to be balanced with other competing interests, such as the health of the mother or other social interests."

Balance of interests

Nonetheless, he added, "the states hold a broad margin of appreciation in the balancing of those competing interests, even if there is a vast pro-abortion consensus in European legislation."

"This is important: The broad pro-abortion consensus in European legislation doesn't create any new obligation, like in other socially and morally discussed issues," the director asserted.

He continued: "So, a state is free to provide a very high degree of protection to the right to life to the unborn children.

"The right to life to the unborn children can legitimately overcome other competing guaranteed rights.

"As such, there is no autonomous right to get an abortion based on the convention."

Puppinck noted, "I do not remember a previous case recognizing clearly an autonomous right to life to the unborn children."

The European Centre for Law and Justice noted in a communiqué that "the natural purpose and duty of the state to protect the life of its people; the people, consequently, hold the right to have their lives protected by the state."

"The reciprocity between people's rights and the duty of the state in the field of life and security is traditionally seen as the foundation of public society; moreover, it is the foundation of state authority and legitimacy," it affirmed.

"Therefore," the statement continued, "the authority to prescribe the protection of the right to life belongs originally to the state and is exercised within the framework of its sovereignty."

CHINA-VATICAN
Vatican's profound sorrow for Beijing's "unacceptable and hostile acts" against the Church
Vatican statement regarding eighth meeting of the representatives of Chinese Catholics, which has "unilaterally damaged " dialogue. The 'repressive attitude "against the Church rather than force indicates "fear and weakness". The "so-called Bishops' Conference and Patriotic Association" incompatible with faith. The responsibility of those who participated.


Vatican City (AsiaNews) - The Holy See has expressed "profound sorrow" and "regret" over the manner of convocation and conclusions of the Assembly of Chinese Catholic Representatives. A statement released today by the Vatican Press Office denounces "the repressive attitude" and "intransigent intolerance" of the authorities towards the Church, "a sign of weakness and fear, instead of one of force, " it reaffirms  the "grave  violation" of religious freedom of Catholics and especially priests and bishops forced to participate, highlighting the responsibility "before God and before the Church" of the pastors present and finally it recalls that the "so-called Bishops' Conference and the Catholic Patriotic Association are not recognized by the Church and are "incompatible" with Catholic faith.
In the document, then, despite the fact "these acts are unacceptable and hostile," the Holy See "reaffirms its willingness to dialogue honestly" and recalls the invitation that the Pope has addressed to all Catholics in the world to pray for the Church in China, which is experiencing particularly difficult times.
"1. With profound sorrow, the Holy See laments the fact that from 7 to 9 December 2010 there was held in Beijing the Eighth Assembly of Chinese Catholic Representatives. This was imposed on numerous Bishops, priests, religious and lay faithful. The manner in which it was convoked and its unfolding manifest a repressive attitude with regard to the exercise of religious liberty, which it was hoped had been consigned to the past in present-day China. The persistent desire to control the most intimate area of citizens' lives, namely their conscience, and to interfere in the internal life of the Catholic Church does no credit to China. On the contrary, it seems to be a sign of fear and weakness rather than of strength; of intransigent intolerance rather than of openness to freedom and to effective respect both of human dignity and of a correct distinction between the civil and religious spheres.
2. On several occasions the Holy See had let it be known, first and foremost to the Bishops, but also to all the faithful, and publicly, that they should not take part in the event. Each one of those who were present knows to what extent he or she is responsible before God and the Church. The Bishops in particular and the priests will also have to face the expectations of their respective communities, who look to their own Pastor and have a right to receive from him sure guidance in the faith and in the moral life.
3. It is known, moreover, that many Bishops and priests were forced to take part in the Assembly. The Holy See condemns this grave violation of their human rights, particularly their freedom of religion and of conscience. Moreover, the Holy See expresses its deepest esteem for those who, in different ways, have borne witness to their faith with courage and it invites the others to pray, to do penance and, through their works, to reaffirm their own will to follow Christ with love, in full communion with the universal Church.
4. Addressing those whose hearts are full of dismay and profound suffering, those who are wondering how it is possible that their own Bishop or their own priests should have taken part in the Assembly, the Holy See asks them to remain steadfast and patient in the faith; it invites them to take account of the pressures experienced by many of their Pastors and to pray for them; it exhorts them to continue courageously supporting them in the face of the unjust impositions that they encounter in the exercise of their ministry.
5. During the Assembly, among other things, the leaders of the so-called Episcopal Conference and of the Chinese Catholic Patriotic Association were appointed. Concerning these two entities, and concerning the Assembly itself, the words written by Pope Benedict XVI in his 2007 Letter to the Church in China continue to apply (cf. nos. 7 and 8).
In particular, the present College of Catholic Bishops of China cannot be recognized as an Episcopal Conference by the Apostolic See: the "clandestine" Bishops, those not recognized by the Government but in communion with the Pope, are not part of it; it includes Bishops who are still illegitimate, and it is governed by statutes that contain elements incompatible with Catholic doctrine. It is deeply deplorable that an illegitimate Bishop has been appointed as its President.
Furthermore, regarding the declared purpose to implement the principles of independence and autonomy, self-management and democratic administration of the Church, it should be remembered that this is incompatible with Catholic doctrine, which from the time of the ancient Creeds professes the Church to be "one, holy, catholic and apostolic". It is therefore lamentable also that a legitimate Bishop has been appointed President of the Chinese Catholic Patriotic Association.
6. This is not the path that the Church must follow in the context of a great and noble nation, which attracts the attention of world opinion for its significant achievements in so many spheres, but still finds it hard to implement the demands of genuine religious freedom, despite the fact that it professes in its Constitution to respect that freedom. What is more, the Assembly has rendered more difficult the path of reconciliation between Catholics of the "clandestine communities" and those of the "official communities", thereby inflicting a deep wound not only upon the Church in China but also upon the universal Church.
7. The Holy See profoundly regrets the fact that the celebration of the above-mentioned Assembly, as also the recent episcopal ordination without the indispensable Papal mandate, have unilaterally damaged the dialogue and the climate of trust that had been established in its relations with the Government of the People's Republic of China. The Holy See, while reaffirming its own wish to dialogue honestly, feels bound to state that unacceptable and hostile acts such as those just mentioned provoke among the faithful, both in China and elsewhere, a grave loss of the trust that is necessary for overcoming the difficulties and building a correct relationship with the Church, for the sake of the common good.
8. In the light of what has happened, the Holy Father's invitation – addressed on 1 December 2010 to all the Catholics of the world to pray for the Church in China which is going through a particularly difficult time – remains pressing".

 

U.S. ambassador in Hanoi, "worrying situation of human rights"
Michael Michalak, U.S. representative in Hanoi, writes on the embassy website: "Still massive violations of the rights of the population in the country. Religious freedom improved somewhat, but the cases of Catholic parishes worrying. "


Hanoi (AsiaNews) - The United States "is still concerned about the human rights situation in Vietnam. The government continues to inhibit freedom of expression, to repress dissidents and to consider all political parties who are not Communist-inspired terrorists. " This is the strong denunciation that appeared on the website of the U.S. Embassy in Vietnam, signed by the U.S.ambassador to Hanoi, Michael Michalak. The article takes its cue from the International Human Rights Day which was celebrated worldwide on 10 December.
A lawyer from Hanoi tells AsiaNews: "After the Asean conference that was held right here in Vietnam, local authorities returned to their crackdown on dissidents, lawyers, intellectuals, democracy activists and all those who criticize the government." Michalak, who has almost completed his mandate, adds: "In 2010, 24 dissidents were arrested and 14 others were sentenced for their search for justice through nonviolence."
For the ambassador, "many intellectuals have said the truth about the society in which they live, but were considered anti-government and imprisoned. In addition, 2010 was the year of the great war against the internet: many sites have been destroyed, and many bloggers have been arrested for their online campaigns. "
Michalak says that the country has made "progress" in religious freedom, but stressed: "The government has used violence in the cases of the parishes of Dong Chiem and Con Dau, and this has led to suspicions about the administration and use of law by the government. This behavoir also damaged the progress made in the field of religious freedom. "

 

Harvard law journal article defends marriage

December 17, 2010

Princeton University politics professor Robert George and two doctoral candidates have coauthored an article in the Harvard Journal of Law and Public Policy defending marriage as the union of one man and one woman. George writes that

those who would redefine civil marriage to eliminate sexual complementarity as an essential element, can give no principled account of why marriage should be (1) a sexual partnership as opposed to a partnership distinguished by exclusivity with respect to other activities (including non-sexual relationships, as between cohabiting adult brothers); or (2) an exclusive union of only two persons (rather than three or more in a polyamorous arrangement). Nor can they give robust reasons for making marriage (3) a legally recognized and regulated relationship in the first place (since, after all, we don't legally recognize or closely regulate most other forms of friendships).

Source(s): these links will take you to other sites, in a new window.

• Robert P. George, Sherif Girgis and Ryan T. Anderson: The Argument Against Gay Marriage: And Why it Doesn't Fail (Public Discourse)
• What is Marriage? (Harvard Journal of Law and Public Policy)

CATHOLICS AND LUTHERANS: CLOSER WITNESS TO THE GOSPEL

CATHOLICS AND LUTHERANS: CLOSER WITNESS TO THE GOSPEL

VATICAN CITY, 16 DEC 2010 (VIS) - This morning in the Vatican, the Holy Father received Bishop Munib A. Younan and Rev. Martin Junge, recently elected as president and secretary general of the Lutheran World Federation, who are leading a delegation on an official visit to Rome.

  Beginning his English-language address to the group, the Pope highlighted "the many significant fruits produced by these decades of bilateral discussions" between Catholics and Lutherans.

  "With God's help it has been possible slowly and patiently to remove barriers and to foster visible bonds of unity by means of theological dialogue and practical co-operation, especially at the level of local communities", he said.

  "Last year marked the tenth anniversary of the signing of the Joint Declaration on the Doctrine of Justification", the Pope noted, affirming that this "proved a significant step along the difficult path towards re-establishing full unity among Christians and a stimulus to further ecumenical discussion.

  "In these years leading up to the five-hundredth anniversary of the events of 1517", he added, "Catholics and Lutherans are called to reflect anew on where our journey towards unity has led us and to implore the Lord's guidance and help for the future".

  The Pope expressed his pleasure at the fact that "the International Lutheran - Roman Catholic Commission on Unity is preparing a joint text which will document what Lutherans and Catholics are able to say together at this point regarding our closer relations after almost five centuries of separation. In order to clarify further the understanding of the Church, which is the main focus of ecumenical dialogue today, the Commission is studying the theme: 'Baptism and Growing Church Communion'".

  The Holy Father concluded: "It is my hope that these ecumenical activities will provide fresh opportunities for Catholics and Lutherans to grow closer in their lives, their witness to the Gospel, and their efforts to bring the light of Christ to all dimensions of society".

IRAQ: Another attack on Iraqi Christians

Another attack on Iraqi Christians

December 16, 2010

A young Iraqi Christian woman was seized by armed men who burst into her home in Mosul on December 15 in the latest targeted attack on a Christian home.

The victim, a student at a local technical school, was taken to an unknown location; her fate is also unknown. The kidnapping is the latest in a series of violent acts in which gunmen have broken into the homes of Iraqi Christians—in most other cases, to kill them.

The Christian community in Mosul, which once numbered 100,000, has now dwindled to about 5,000 as families have fled the city to avoid the campaign of violence. Syrian Catholic Patriarch Ignatius III Younan has denounced the government for its failure to provide security.

Source(s): these links will take you to other sites, in a new window.

• New attack against Christians in Iraq. Girl kidnapped from her home in Mosul (AsiaNews)

‘Righteous Among Nations’; Italian Jesuit honored

Italian Jesuit honored as 'Righteous Among Nations'

December 16, 2010

Yad Vashem, the State of Israel's Holocaust Martyrs' and Heroes' Remembrance Authority, has honored Italian Jesuit Father Raffaele de Ghantuz Cubbe (1904-83) as one of the "Righteous Among the Nations" for hiding three Jewish children at his school during World War II.
Marco Pavoncello, one of the three children, told Vatican Radio that the atmosphere of the school was peaceful and that he never experienced any anti-Semitism or any attempts at forced conversion there.
Source(s): these links will take you to other sites, in a new window.

• La Medaglia "Giusto fra le nazioni" al gesuita padre Cubbe: salvò tre bambini (Vatican Radio)
• Jesuit Honored for Saving 3 Jewish Children (Zenit)
• The Righteous Among The Nations (Yad Vashem)