In an interview, Cardinal Raymond Burke, head of the Church’s highest court, said: “There is a strong sense that the Church is like a ship without a helm, whatever the reason for this may be; now, it is more important than ever to examine our faith, have a healthy spiritual leader and give powerful witness to the faith.
“They are feeling a bit sea sick because they feel the Church’s ship has lost its bearings. We need to set aside the reason for this disorientation because we have not lost our bearings. I am not saying the Pope does this, but there is a risk of the encounter with culture being misinterpreted. Faith cannot adapt to culture but must call to it to convert.
“We are a counter-cultural movement, not a popular one.”
Bishop criticises US spending on arms
Bishop Richard Pates of Des Moines, chairman of the Committee on International Justice and Peace of the US Conference of Catholic Bishops, reacted to news that the Congressional Budget Office estimated that $355 billion will be spent on nuclear forces over the next decade. The US bishops said “the seeming indefinite reliance of the US on a policy that includes significant new investments in nuclear weapons, undermines President Obama’s stated goal of a world free of nuclear weapons”.
‘Defy persecution’
“Profound defiance” should be the reaction of Catholics to persecution, according to Maronite Bishop Gregory Mansour of Brooklyn, New York. He told students at Belmont University: “Jesus was not a passive victim. Christians are not just asked to be nice people and doormats.”
He appealed to students to show their solidarity with persecuted Christians in the Middle East, and to join forces with Christians, Jews and Muslims of goodwill to raise a voice against “the worst injustice you can imagine” being perpetrated by the jihadists of the Islamic State.
Pope’s prayer intentions
Pope Francis’s universal prayer intention is: “That all who suffer loneliness may experience the closeness of God and the support of others”. His evangelical intention is: “That young seminarians and religious may have wise and well-formed mentors”.
Priests, religious have to leave Crimea
As a result of Russia’s annexation of Crimea, Catholic priests and religious and ministers of other religions who are foreigners will have to leave Crimea by the end of the year.
The Federal Migration Service has refused to extend residence permits for foreign citizens working for local religious communities in Crimea.
The authorities have ignored appeals by Catholics to rectify this situation. Crimea’s Justice Ministry confirmed that no religious communities have registration in Crimea and all the applications for registration have been rejected.
Mexican bishops write to the families of kidnapped students
In a letter to the parents and relatives of 43 abducted college students, four Mexican bishops wrote: “As bishops of the Catholic Church, we want to be attentive to your needs, such as those of thousands of families who in recent years have experienced situations like yours, such as kidnappings, extortions, forced displacement and death of a member of family.
“We are committed to supporting them in their faith, to experience comfort and hope, in order to be able to forgive, and heal wounds and anger that have blossomed in your heart.”
(Compiled by Fr Joe Borg)