Quotes and news

At his midday audience last Sunday, Pope Benedict said: “Each moment can be the auspicious ‘today’ of our conversion. Each day can be the salvific ‘today’ because salvation is a continuous story for the Church and for each of Christ’s disciples.

“This is the Christian meaning of carpe diem; seize the day that God calls on you to offer you salvation.

“In our times of dispersion and distraction, this gospel passage invites us to ask ourselves about our ability to listen.

“Before we can speak of God and with God, we have to listen to Him, and the Church’s liturgy is the ‘school’ of this listening to the Lord who speaks to us.”

Bishops to review Catholic hospitals

Colorado’s three bishops reacted to the position taken by a Catholic hospital which argued in court that an unborn child should not be considered a ‘person’ for purposes of a wrongful-death lawsuit.

The bishops said: “Catholics and Catholic institutions have the duty to protect and foster human life... no Catholic institution may legitimately work to undermine fundamental human dignity.”

The bishops added that the hospital management assured them of their intention to observe the moral and ethical obligations of the Catholic Church. The bishops of Colorado said they will undertake a full review of this litigation, and of the policies and practices of the hospital to ensure fidelity and faithful witness to the teachings of the Catholic Church.

Vatican encourages fight against leprosy

The fight against leprosy should be taken in earnest, according to a message for the World Day for the Fight against Leprosy by the Pontifical Council for Health Care.

The Vatican message notes that 220,000 people contracted leprosy in 2011. It said this statistic demonstrates the need for more work to eliminate the disease, pointing particularly to “lack of education as regards prevention in communities that run the risk of contagion, as well as the need for specifically designed medico-hygienic initiatives”.

Cardinal defends ‘baby hatches’

Following the call by the United Nations’ Committee on the Rights of the Child to abolish ‘baby hatches’, Cardinal Stanislaw Dziwisz of Kraków defended the practice.

‘Baby hatches’, also known as ‘life windows’ are places where mothers can anonymously abandon infants for whom they are unable or unwilling to care. There are 11 EU states that permit the practice.

Cardinal Dziwisz defended the practice, saying that “a child thrown on a rubbish tip cannot fail to shock our consciences”.

He added that these life windows are the Church’s answer to this tragedy.

Nigerian bishop on nation-building

Speaking at the 10th Daily Trust Newspapers dialogue on the theme Nation Building: Challenges and Reality, in Abuja, Nigeria, Bishop Matthew Hassan Kukah of Sokoto said: “I have been listening to what people are saying about revolution. But I can tell you very frankly that no revolution is going to take place in this country.”

Bishop Kukah criticised people who describe Nigeria as a mere geographical expression and say it cannot be united.

“There isn’t a single nation in the world that was not a mere geographical expression until nation-building built it up,” he said.

(Compiled by Fr Joe Borg)