The Sacrament of Reconciliation is an integral component of the New Evangelisation, Pope Benedict XVI told 1,300 clerics participating in an annual course organised by the Apostolic Penitentiary.
“The sacraments and the announcement of the Word must never be seen as separate from one another,” he said.
The Pope added that true conversion of hearts means opening up to the transforming and regenerative action of God that is the ‘motor’ of all reform. This is the authentic force for evangelisation he said. He urged priests to make frequent use of the sacrament as penitents themselves as they are sinners too and thus in need of forgiveness.
Confirmation before First Communion
Bishop Samuel Aquila of Fargo has restored the sacraments of initiation to their proper order, administering Confirmation before First Communion, thus earning Pope Benedict XVI’s approval for this bold decision during an ad limina visit to Rome.
When Confirmation is held first, “it puts the emphasis on the Eucharist as being what completes the sacraments of initiation,” he said.
This sequence, he added, guards against some “false theologies” that describe Confirmation as a rite of passage to adulthood.
Catholic population rises by 1.5 per cent
The Catholic population worldwide grew by 15 million in 2010: the last year for which full statistics are available. At that time, Catholics numbered 1.2 billion souls.
The 2012 Annuario Pontificio, the official yearbook of Catholic Church statistics, holds the most recent statistics from every Catholic diocese and religious order in the world.
The percentage of Catholics in the world is 17.5%. The percentage of Catholics dropped in some regions – from 28.54% to 28.34% in South America and from 24.05% to 23.83% in Europe. These slight declines were compensated by an increase in Africa (from 15.15% to 15.55%) and southeast Asia (10.47% to 10.87%). The number of priests has been increasing since 2000. Every continent, except Europe, saw an increase in this regard. The number of priests in Europe is in decline.
Trappists’ brew ranks as the world’s best
A beer called Westvleteren 12, produced by Trappist monks in Belgium has been ranked the world’s best brew by the beer connoisseurs website Ratebeer. The monks are boosting production to fund renovation works at their abbey by selling some of the stock in supermarkets, a first for the order. The beer package features the words: “I’ve contributed to building a monastery”.
Syrian Christians living in fear
The Maronite Catholic Archbishop Samir Nassar of Damascus said the political conflict in Syria is “heading into the unknown”. He said the Christians in the country are living in fear, not knowing what is going to happen to them and what sort of future waits for them.
Mgr Nassar said a year ago a small demonstration was held in the south of Syria. This has now developed into a national political crisis, which affects all the nation and is threatening its unity. In Damascus, he said, the faithful, “at the end of Mass, bid their final farewells, so uncertain is their future”.
(Compiled by Fr Joe Borg)