In a series of decrees approved by Pope Francis, the Vatican has proclaimed 65 new martyrs, all from the 20th century. The martyrs come from Spain, Romania, Germany, Hungary and Italy.
The Congregation for the Causes of Saints also approved a miracle attributed to the intercession of Maria Theresa Bonzel (1830-1905), the German founder of the Sisters of St Francis of Perpetual Adoration. Like the martyrs, she is now eligible for beatification.
The Pope’s prayer and missionary intentions
Pope Francis’ general intention is: “That the public, prayerful celebration of faith may give life to the faithful.” His missionary intention is: “That mission churches may be signs and instruments of hope and resurrection.”
Restructure the Church
Archbishop Diarmuid Martin of Ireland said that the Church needed a process of deconstruction and then restructuring to be able to give effective witness to the Gospel.
He said the Church that still wants to look on itself as an institution of power needs to experience a revival of the faith. During his Easter homily, Mgr Martin said the problem could not be solved by “a Church which is simply a focal point of organised doing good or social reform”. To be truly renewed, he said, the Church must set aside secondary concerns and “witness more concretely to the message of Jesus”.
Mgr Martin said the full respect of the right to life meant the Church must commit itself to “ensure that all can live lives with a dignity worthy of the Lord of life in whose image they have been created”.
“Keep churches open, hear confessions”
On Holy Thursday, Pope Francis joined Archbishop Giovanni Becciu, a prominent Vatican official, and seven priests for lunch. In the informal conversation, the Pope emphasised the importance of hearing confessions. According to Caritas Roma director Mgr Enrico Feroci, the Pope said “open the doors of the Church, and the people will come in… if you keep the light on in the confessional and are available, you will see what kind of line there is for confession”.
Cardinal contradicts Chávez worship
Cardinal Jorge Urosa Savino, Archbishop of Caracas, Venezuela, has contradicted recent affirmations attributing a religious nature to the late President Hugo Chávez and to the cult developing around him.
The cardinal said that God became man only in Jesus Christ and he alone deserves all glory. He said Christ was not any person, nor a simple leader or great man of humanity, neither was he a social activist. “He is God himself made man, who was sent by our loving heavenly Father to reveal to us the immensity of His love, and to show us the way of a serene, peaceable, upright, holy and happy life so that, free from sin and from every sort of evil and ignorance, we can attain to the happiness of eternal salvation.”
Traditionalist’s horror at papal gesture
Traditionalist Catholics were perturbed by Pope Francis’ decision to include two young women – a Muslim and a Catholic – in the traditional foot-washing ritual at the Mass of the Lord’s Supper on Holy Thursday.
Rorate Caeli, one of the most conservative but widely read blog, said that this gesture by Pope Francis meant the death of Pope Benedict’s eight-year project to correct what was described by conservatives as the mistaken interpretations of the reforms of Second Vatican Council.
Meanwhile, many Catholics and the secular press widely applauded the Pope’s gesture. The Vatican press office defended the gesture, which was at odds with the liturgical rules of the Church.
(Compiled by Fr Joe Borg)