The Bishops’ Conference of Indonesia slammed a proposed law that would weaken the authority of an anti-corruption commission in the country. The bishops took this position along with Muhammadiyah, the nation’s second-largest Muslim organisation. Only three per cent of the population is Catholic.
Conference executive secretary Fr Edy Purwanto said “the Catholic Church joins political parties, observers and civil society groups to support the [commission] and avoid attempts to change the law”.
He pointed to corruption associated with the government’s infrastructure projects as the reason why the government wants to weaken the commission against corruption.
Pope Francis’s prayer intentions for March
The Pope’s universal prayer intention for March is: ‘That families in need may receive the necessary support and that children may grow up in healthy and peaceful environments.’ His intention for evangelisation is: ‘That those Christians who, on account of their faith, are discriminated against or are being persecuted, may remain strong and faithful to the Gospel, thanks to the incessant prayer of the Church.’
God’s patience… our conversion
In his Angelus address last Sunday, Pope Francis said: “It is never too late for us to convert, never! God’s patience waits for us up till the last minute.
“Remember the story of St Therese of the Child Jesus, when she prayed for the man condemned to death, a criminal, who did not want to receive the comfort of the Church. He declined a priest’s visit, didn’t want it. He wanted to die that way. And she prayed, in the convent. And exactly at the moment of his execution he turned to the priest, took the crucifix and kissed it. God’s patience!
He does the same with us, with all of us! How many times – we don’t know. We will know in heaven – how many times we are there [about to fall] and the Lord saves us. He saves us because He has great patience with us. And this is His mercy. It is never too late to repent but it is urgent, the time is now. Let us begin today.”
‘Don’t tie assistance to refugees to conversion’
Cardinal Gerhard Müller, prefect of the Vatican Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, said that Christians in Europe should offer assistance to refugees as an act of love, not with the motive of converting them.
“We must not use the charity we practise and transform it into an instrument of proselytism,” he said. Müller explained that proselytism is “practically a manipulation of conscience”.
Help for refugees, or others in need, should come with no strings attached, the German cardinal said.
He observed: “Sometimes a silent witness is the best witness of the love of God.”
China imprisons Protestant pastor
The Chinese government has sentenced Rev. Bao Guohoa, a Chinese Protestant pastor, to 14 years in jail for resisting the removal of a cross from his church building.
Guohoa was arrested along with several members of the congregation of the Church of Holy Love. He was accused of misappropriation of church funds and “leading a luxurious life”.
A court in Jinhua, in the eastern Zhejiang province, sentenced him for “embezzlement, disturbance of public order, illegal commercial activities, concealment of financial documents and invoices”.
(Compiled by Fr Joe Borg)