Westminster Archbishop and Cardinal-elect Vincent Nichols described welfare cuts made by the UK government as a “disgrace” and that “a real, dramatic crisis” has been created. He argued that as a result of the cuts a safety net for the country’s most poor has been removed.
Nichols told The Daily Telegraph that this net was there to ensure people would not go hungry or be destitute.
As a reaction, Iain Duncan Smith, Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, who is a Catholic, said the archbishop was mistaken as the reforms will not lead to the destruction of the safety net but will make three million households better off and lift hundreds of thousands of children out of poverty.
The cardinal-elect held his ground, saying that as a result of the government’s actions some are being left with no resources for several weeks, relying instead on food banks.
Pontifical council led by a married couple?
In an interview with French daily La Croix, Cardinal Oscar Rodriguez Maradiaga, chairman of the Council of Cardinals, suggested that a married couple should head a renewed Pontifical Council for Families.
He also said a restructuring of the Roman Curia should include the creation of a Congregation for the Laity, like it has a congregation for bishops, for Religious life and for the clergy.
Asked whether a lay person could head the new congregation, Maradiaga added that he sees no obstacle for having a Pontifical Council for Families within the Congregation of the Laity and for it to be led by a married couple.
Love – the greatest commandment
In his Angelus message last Sunday, Pope Francis said:
“We must be reconciled with our brothers first to manifest our devotion to the Lord in prayer. Jesus does not give importance simply to disciplinary observance and external conduct. He goes to the root of the law, focusing above all on the intention, and therefore on the heart of man. We, through faith in Christ, open ourselves to the action of the Spirit, who enables us to live God’s love.
“In light of this teaching of Christ, every precept reveals its full meaning as a requirement of love, and all [precepts] come together in the greatest commandment: love God with all your heart and love your neighbour as yourself.”
India’s bishops set out their seven priorities
In a statement published at the end of their annual meeting, the bishops of India outlined seven priorities for the Church and issued a strong condemnation of corruption in India.
The priorities or areas of improvement outlined by the bishops are: fostering a God experience; addressing justice issues; ensuring a rightful place for lay faithful; stamping out discrimination against women; creating a Christian presence in political and public life; promoting dialogue; and safeguarding ecology.
The bishops had very harsh words about corruption: “When we look at our country, we see corruption plaguing every sphere of society,” they said. “In such a scenario, Church institutions must be an example of transparency and probity.
“Another phenomenon is that of internal migration which, while opening opportunities to people, has torn the cultural and religious moorings that sustained them.”
The Catholic population in India forms a small percentage but it is still the nation with the greatest number of seminarians (15,363) and religious sisters (98,381) than any other country in the world.
(Compiled by Fr Joe Borg)