In a January 14 address to members of the Global Foundation, an Australian organisation founded in 1998 by Prime Minister John Howard and Michael Camdessus, Pope Francis said: “Mother Teresa was accepting of every human life, whether unborn or abandoned and discarded, and she made her voice heard by the powers of this world, calling them to acknowledge the crimes of poverty that they themselves were responsible for. This is the first attitude leading to fraternal and cooperative globalisation.
“In 1991, St John Paul II, responding to the fall of oppressive political systems and the progressive integration of markets that we have come to call globalisation, warned of the risk that an ideology of capitalism would become widespread. This would entail little or no interest for the realities of marginalisation, exploitation and human alienation, a lack of concern for the great numbers of people still living in conditions of grave material and moral poverty, and a blind faith in the unbridled development of market forces alone.
“My predecessor asked if such an economic system would be the model to propose to those seeking the road to genuine economic and social progress, and offered a clearly negative response.”
Preparatory document for next bishops’ synod released
‘Young people, the Faith and vocational discernment’ is the theme for the 15th Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops, which will take place in October 2018. The preparatory document has three chapters: Young people in today’s world; Faith, discernment, vocation; and Pastoral activity.
In an open letter introducing the synod topic, Pope Francis urged youths to hear God’s call. He challenges young people to change the world, to live out the ideals of “your young and youthful hearts, which do not tolerate injustice and cannot bow to a ‘throwaway culture’ nor give in to the globalisation of indifference.”
It was announced that besides the usual preparatory document there will also be a website, which will allow young people to contribute their own thoughts to the process. The website will be active in March.
Worst Christian persecutors
The 10 nations with “extremely high” levels of persecution of Christians are North Korea, Somalia, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Sudan, Syria, Iraq, Iran, Yemen and Eritrea. This information was published in the World Watch list 2017, published by Open Doors, an organisation that works to help persecuted Christians. The full list, which also mentions 21 nations with “very high” levels and 19 with “high” levels of persecution, may be accessed from www.opendoors uk.org/persecution/country_profiles.php.
Just 5% of French attend Mass
Just five per cent of the French population attends Mass on a regular weekly basis, but 53 per cent of the country’s people still identify themselves as Catholics. The survey concluded that 23 per cent of the French population can be categorised as “involved” Catholics. This term includes all those who report an attachment to the Church by means of their donations, their family lives or their commitments.
This wide-ranging sociological study was commissioned by the Bayard Group and published jointly by La Croix and Pèlerin. It was conducted by Ipsos under the direction of Philippe Cibois and Yann Raison du Cleuziou.
(Compiled by Fr Joe Borg)