The Guardian reported that according to Massimo Introvigne, a sociologist and head of Italy’s Centre for the Study of New Religions (Cesnur), hundreds of thousands of people are going back to church and have started the practise Catholic faith.
He described this as the “Francis effect” as it is believed that this new upsurge in religious practice is the result of the election of Pope Francis and his words and action subsequent to his election.
Introvigne reached this conclusion after polling 250 priests in Italy and the administration of 22 cathedrals in Britain. The majority of those interviewed in both cases said the number of people going to church is on the increase. The observation made about the size of congregations in Italy and Britain was also made in other countries.
Showing concern for persecuted Christians should be a priority
During his last speech as president of the US Conference of Catholic Bishops, Cardinal Timothy Dolan of New York said: “Our legitimate and ongoing struggles to protect our ‘first and most cherished freedom’ in the US pale in comparison to the Via Crucis currently being walked by so many of our Christian brothers and sisters in other parts of the world, who are experiencing lethal persecution on a scale that defies belief. If our common membership in the mystical body of Christ is to mean anything, then their suffering must be ours as well.”
“Protecting religious freedom will be a central social and political concern of our time, and we American bishops already have made very important contributions to carrying it forward.”
Church tribunals dispense justice
In a November 8 address to members of the Apostolic Signatura, Pope Francis appealed to them to keep alive the link between “the Church who evangelises and the Church who administers justice”. The Apostolic Segnatura is the Supreme Tribunal of the highest tribunal of the Catholic Church. Pope Francis spoke about “the legitimate wishes of the faithful who turn to their pastors, especially when in good faith they seek authoritative clarification of their status”. He said that the raison d’etre of the Church tribunals is to address such wishes.
The Pope, in line with his constant stance preaching God’s mercy, also added that the inspiration of the officials of these tribunals should come from “the icon of the Good Shepherd, who tends to the lost and injured sheep”.
‘All against all’
The in-fighting between the groups that oppose President Bashar al-Assad of Syria has prompted Fr Paul Karam, director of the Pontifical Mission Societies in Lebanon, to describe the war in Syria as a war of “all against all”. Fr Karam was speaking to the Catholic news agency Fides.
“Is this the Arab Spring? Hatred, fanaticism, terrorism increases: Who pays for all this? Only the exhausted Syrian population and, within society, the minorities who are the most vulnerable of all. I believe it is essential to let every people decide on their fate and their future,” said the exasperated Fr Karam.
He added that “it is necessary to promote a true path of peace that does not take the form of a plan for the division of the country. An international peace conference is needed in order to address the Syrian crisis in a genuine, practical and effective way, following the compass of human rights and religious freedom”.
(Compiled by Fr Joe Borg)