According to the Bishop of Antwerp, Mgr Johan Bonny, the Church should come up with a ritual to bless non-marital unions, including those of cohabiting couples and homosexual partners.
In his recent book the bishop asks whether the Church can “create different shades between the ‘nothing’ for unmarried cohabiting couples and the ‘all’ of sacramental marriage, that clearly recognise what is ‘already’ there, and at the same time let see what is ‘not yet’ there?” Mgr Bonny writes that “exclusiveness and stability” is a great value and that this should be encouraged in all unions.
Leader of Anglican Church thanks Pope Francis
Addressing Pope Francis on October 6, Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby said: “Your letters and encyclicals have spoken far beyond Rome and her Church, in a manner which is universal.
“Secular values disregard the unborn, especially those with disabilities, and discard the aged. Facing all these perils, and a million more, is the body of Christ, the Church, against which, as was promised to St Peter, the gates of hell shall not prevail.
“In our disunity we grieve the Spirit of God, and we damage every aspect of our lives in Christ. Your Holiness, I ask that, as we have seen in these two days, despite those things that divide, we may be publicly determined to press forward where we may, together with all other Christians, especially those of the Orthodox world and the east.”
‘European Union must be more democratic’
A statement by the General Assembly of the Conference of the 31 Catholic European Justice and Peace Commissions said the EU is in “bad shape” and needs urgent reform to avoid disintegration. These reforms include that the EU be more democratic and less centralist.
The group said that trust in the European Union project was decreasing and “substantial results” in the creation of jobs and security were required along with reforms that better recognised the national sovereignty of Member States. The statement said that the restoration of trust “will require more transparent and democratic procedures. … It will necessitate more respect for national, regional and local traditions.”
JRS assists 724,000 people
Jesuit Refugee Service now assists 724,000 refugees in 45 nations with a $50-million budget. Only 65 of its 1,800 employees are Jesuits. This information was given in a report penned by Fr Thomas Reese SJ. He said the primary work by the JRS is in “psychosocial work and education.”
Pope Francis praised the work of JRS in an audience commemorating the 35th anniversary of its founding by Fr Pedro Arrupe, the order’s superior general from 1965 to 1983. The Pope said that there are now almost 60 million refugees, the highest number since World War II. He praised JRS for its “decision to be present in areas of greatest need, in conflict and post-conflict zones” as well as for its work of education.
Franciscans in Israel appeal for peace in Syria
In a statement, Brother Michael Perry and Brother Francesco Patton, minister general of the Franciscan order and the Franciscan superior of the Holy Land, said: “We appeal to all forces involved, and to all those who hold political responsibility, to put the good of the defenseless population of Syria, and the city of Aleppo, above and before anything else.
“We call on you to immediately silence your weapons; to put an end to hatred and every kind of violence, so that all may find and walk the path of peace, reconciliation and forgiveness.”
(Compiled by Fr Joe Borg)