Pope prays for victims of Paris attack

VATICAN CITY—Pope Francis celebrated Mass for the victims of the attack on the satirical weekly Charlie Hebdo on Thursday, praying for all those affected by an Islamist assault which left 12 people dead.

“The terror attack in Paris brings to mind so much cruelty, human cruelty, so much terrorism, both isolated terrorism and of state terrorism,” the 78-year old Pontiff said, according to Vatican radio.

“We pray for the victims of this cruelty, so many of them. And we pray also for the perpetrators of such cruelty, that the Lord might change their hearts,” he said.

Following the early morning prayers in the chapel of the Santa Marta residence in the Vatican, where the Pope lives, Francis posted the #PrayersForParis hashtag on Twitter.

The Pontiff had earlier issued a strong condemnation of the “horrible attack” against the weekly, with a plea “to oppose, by all means, hatred and all forms of physical or moral violence that destroy human life or violate a person’s dignity.”

Shouting “Allahu akbar” (“God is greater”), two heavily armed men stormed the Paris headquarters of a satirical weekly on Wednesday, killing some of the country’s most loved cartoonists in cold blood in the worst attack on French soil in decades.

The weekly received numerous threats for publishing cartoons of the Muslim prophet but was also a constant critic of the Roman Catholic Church and its leaders.

Pope Francis is scheduled to visit the Philippines from January 15 to 19.

source: newsinfo.inquirer.net

Pope’s Harley-Davidson to go on sale

LONDON—A Harley-Davidson motorcycle that was once given to Pope Francis by the manufacturer is to go on sale next month in Paris, a British auction house said Monday.

The 1,585cc Dyna Super Glide was given to the pope in June to mark the 110th anniversary of the US motorbike maker, London-based auctioneer Bonhams said.

The bike, which is signed by Pope Francis on the petrol tank, is expected to fetch between 12,000 euros and 15,000 euros ($16,400 and $20,500) when it goes on sale at the Grand Palais in Paris on Feb. 6.

The pope donated the Harley in November to the Roman Catholic charity Caritas Roma and the funds from the sale will go toward the restoration of its Don Luigi di Liegro hostel and soup kitchen based at Rome’s Termini railway station.

“We are incredibly honored to be selling this item on behalf of Caritas Roma,” said Ben Walker, head of motorcycles at Bonhams.

“We hope to be able to do both Pope Francis and Harley-Davidson proud by raising a significant amount of money for a very worthy cause.”

Pope Francis, 77, is not thought to have ridden the Harley, a make well known for its use by motorbike gangs including the “Hells Angels.”

The famously humble pontiff is more of a fan of buses. He opted to ride one the day after his election last year instead of taking a limousine, and regularly used them in his homeland Argentina instead of taxis.

source: newsinfo.inquirer.net

Pope Francis overhauls Catholic image but real reforms await

VATICAN CITY — Pope Francis has turned around the way the Catholic Church is seen but his promise of Vatican reform awaits next year and key problems remain, observers said on Tuesday, as the pontiff celebrated his 77th birthday.

After years of stagnation and turbulence, the first ever Latin American pope has brought a down-to-earth style to the papacy and has shown a willingness to tackle problems like the Vatican’s secretive finances.

Francis has also established himself as a global voice on the side of the dispossessed with his critique of unfettered capitalism — earning the label of “Marxist” from conservative commentators in the United States.

In terms of the Vatican’s sluggish view of time, he has moved quickly in his first months, installing a council of world cardinals to advise him and calling for a less “Vatican-centric” kind of Church with more power for local bishops.

He has accumulated over 10 million followers on Twitter under the @pontifex handle, nearing rock star popularity, and has been named “Person of the Year” by Time magazine.

The change of mood has been all the more remarkable given the strife in the Church before his election, including outrage over child sex abuse scandals and divisions between the Vatican and local churches.

Those issues are far from gone away, however. And analysts warn that progressives in the Church hoping for a raft of reforms of Catholic teachings will be disappointed.

Francis remains a moral conservative, although a compassionate one, who is virtually certain to stick to doctrine on hot-button issues like abortion or contraception, or priestly celibacy and women priests.

Even the pope’s widely-praised comment about gay people — “Who am I to judge?” — is seen as showing tolerance but unlikely to alter the Church’s fundamental condemnation of homosexual acts as a sin.

“Exaggerated expectations will necessarily lead to new disappointments,” German cardinal Walter Kasper was quoted as saying in a new biography of the pope by Rome-based Argentine journalist Elisabetta Pique.

“The new pope can renew the Church but he cannot invent a new Church,” Kasper said, adding that progressives and conservatives alike would be “disappointed.”

Aside from memorable phrases like his call for a “poor Church for the poor,” there have in fact been few major decisions taken by Francis in his first nine months that allow for a deeper analysis of his intentions.

Francis has begun consultations on reforming the Vatican administration and the Vatican’s scandal-tainted bank, the Institute for Works of Religion, and has set up a committee on child abuse.

About to tackle scandals of child sex abuse

On the issue of abuses and cover-ups by Catholic clergymen dating back decades, which continues to anger many Catholics and non-Catholics alike, two events next month could give an indication of the pope’s direction.

One will be the assembly on January 8 of the Legion of Christ, a troubled conservative religious order whose late founder Father Marcial Maciel was discovered to be a sexual predator who molested seminarians and fathered three children despite taking a vow of chastity.

The order has been put under Vatican tutelage as more abuse cases have emerged, but there have been internal tensions over its future ahead of the meeting, when the Vatican will have to show what it intends to do.

Then on January 16, Vatican representatives will travel to Geneva to testify before a meeting of the United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child over its handling of abuse cases after saying it was not legally competent over the actions of individual clergymen.

Seen trying to do too much?

Some experts believe Pope Francis may be trying to do too much and creating confusion among Catholics with his multiple interviews and ad lib speeches.

“Pilot and navigator, accelerator and brake: Pope Bergoglio’s driving is like that,” said Vatican expert Sandro Magister, using Francis’s surname from birth.

He added that the pontiff’s style had led to “misunderstandings and over-the-top expectations.”

And while his public image is that of a kindly parish priest, Vatican gossip is that he can be sometimes be brusque and authoritarian behind the walls.

With the pope’s popularity growing among many non-Catholics too, Vatican spokesman Federico Lombardi expressed concern in a rare critical moment that the focus on him could draw attention away from the message.

At a recent book presentation, he was quoted by Vanity Fair Italy as saying: “The extreme concentration of attention on Francis creates a communication problem.”

source: newsinfo.inquirer.net

Blessed John Paul II and Blessed John XXIII may be canonized Dec. 8

After Pope Francis approved the canonization of Blessed John Paul II and Blessed John XXIII, a buzz emerged from Rome that the canonization date might take place on Dec. 8, feast of the Immaculate Conception.  If this is true, how blessed we are that the canonization of the two popes will fall on a very important feast of the Mother of God.

Since the news came out, I have been praying to Blessed John Paul to intercede for the healing of June Keithley, whom I saw in Rome on May 1, 2011, during the beatification ceremonies. She is very devoted to Blessed John Paul II and to Mama Mary, of course, about whom she wrote about under her title, Our Lady Mediatrix of All Grace, in her book on the Lipa apparitions.

Very popular

The canonization will be a historic  day for 1.2 billion Catholics around the world. The two very popular popes in contemporary times contributed hugely to Church and global history.

Pope John Paul II was the most traveled pope in history. He also beatified and canonized the most number of saints and martyrs. The ebullient, down-to-earth Pope John XXIII launched the Second Vatican Council  to introduce reforms in the Catholic Church.

Adam’s Express Travel sent large delegations to the canonizations of Josemaria Escriva on Oct. 6, 2002, and Sister Faustina in 2011, and the beatification of Mother Teresa and Blessed Pope John Paul II in 2011.  Although there is no official canonization date yet, Adams Travel encourages pilgrims to reserve ahead because millions are expected to attend the canonization. Call Adam’s at 5223876 or 5211651 or text Anna Ayo at 0917-5514468.

Legion of Mary is 73


The Legion of Mary will celebrate its 73rd anniversary in the Philippines with a Thanksgiving Mass at the Senatus of the Northern Philippines headquarters at Dangay Street, QC, on July 21, 11 a.m., with Msgr. Celso Ditan, spiritual director, as Mass presider.

In addition, the Senatus will sponsor the first Friday Mass and vigil, with Sangguniang Layko ng Pilipinas, on Aug. 2 at the CBCP Chapel in Intramuros, Manila. Vigil will be at 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Mass at CBCP Chapel will be at 12 noon.

The Legion of Mary was founded by Servant of God Frank Duff on Sept. 7, 1921, in Dublin, Ireland. It is a lay apostolic organization serving the Church under ecclesiastical guidance.

Frank Duff passed away on Nov. 7, 1980, and the cause of his canonization was introduced by Dublin Archbishop Desmond Connell  in 1996.

An alleged miracle interceded by Frank Duff on the healing of John David Arcega has been submitted to the Dublin church. It will be one of the miracles to be submitted to Rome. John David is now back in school after he recovered from his illness.

Those who want estampitas can write to me c/o Phil. Daily Inquirer at Chino Roces Ave., Makati City. Please enclose a self-addressed stamped envelope for easier mailing.

St. Mary Magdalene fiesta


Thanks to Mila Que, I became devoted to St. Mary Magdalene, patroness of Kawit, Cavite, whose feast day falls on July 22.

I met Jovita Peregrina  who survived cancer through the intercession of  the saint.

Now, Aling Jovita is taking care of the image especially during the novena and fiesta Masses.

Imus Bishop Reynaldo Evangelista will officiate the concelebrated Mass  tomorrow, 9 a.m.  Masses in the afternoon are at 5 p.m. and 6 p.m.  Fr. Romeo Ner is the parish priest.

In the parish of St. Mary Magdalene in Amadeo, Cavite, Fr. Oliver Genuino, parish priest, will lead the celebration of the fiesta tomorrow.

Bishop Evangelista will say Mass at 4 p.m.

I visited this church before Holy Week this year and was impressed by the beautiful image of the saint enthroned on the left side of the altar.

Father Genuino expressed the opinion that Mary Magdalene was not the adulterous woman about to be stoned for her sin, whom Jesus forgave. Neither was she the prostitute who washed Jesus’ feet with her tears and rubbed them with expensive oil in the house of Simon, the Pharisee.

Feast of St. Anne

I became devoted to St. Anne, the mother of Mary, way back in 1981. I had achalasia and I remember placing her prayer near my bed in PGH where I was confined at the time.

I still pray to her, especially when I visit Sta. Ana Church during the feast of Our Lady of the Abandoned. On July 26, Masses in her honor will be said there at 5:30 and 6:30 a.m., and 6:30 p.m.

Try to seek her intercession; especially pray to her and St. Joachim every Tuesday before 9 a.m. and say “St. Anne and St. Joachim, please grant me a pleasant surprise today.”

This prayer was taught to me by the late Albert Seeland, manager of Tempura Misono in the old Hyatt Hotel. Please pray for the repose of Albert Seeland’s soul on Aug. 13, his birth anniversary.

St. Martha fiesta


We who hear Mass at Harrison Plaza Chapel are blessed to have the image of St. Martha there.  The chapel is named after her.  Every Tuesday,  devotees come to pray to her and  click the light in front of her.

The feast of St. Martha falls on July 29. It is also celebrated in Pateros, Rizal.   Her miraculous image is enshrined there in San Roque Church.  Fr. Roy Rosales is the parish priest.

St. James the Apostle feast


The feast of St. James the Apostle  (called Santiago de Compostela in Spain) falls on July 25, Thursday. Fr. Manny Domingo, SDB, will celebrate Holy Mass at 6 p.m. in Don Bosco Chapel on Pasay Road, Makati. St. James is also the patron saint of Dapitan, Zamboanga del Norte, and Bolinao, Pangasinan.

source: lifestyle.inquirer.net

Radwanska dropped by Catholic youth over nude spread

WARSAW — World number four Agnieszka Radwanska has been dropped by a Catholic youth movement in her native Poland for posing nude in the “Body Issue” of ESPN Magazine.

Radwanska, 24, who makes no secret of her strong Catholic faith, is photographed in profile without a stitch, sitting in a lawn chair by a pool filled with tennis balls.

While not explicit, the nude has proven too much for a Catholic group known as Krucjata Mlodych (Youth Crusade), which runs a campaign dubbed “I’m not ashamed of Jesus.”

The young Catholics, who claim more than a million followers, dropped Radwanska last week for what they said was “immoral behavior” in the ESPN spread, which can be seen at espn.go.com/espn/bodyissue.

This year’s beaten Wimbledon semi-finalist previously appeared in a television commercial sponsored by the group in which she spelled out the word “Jesus” with tennis balls and urged young Poles not to be ashamed of their faith.

Other athletes in the buff in the special issue include Puerto Rican motocross champ Tarah Gieger and nine-time major golf champion Gary Player, the oldest model at 77.

Home to the former pope, John Paul II, Poland remains one of Europe’s most devout nations.

More than 90 percent of the population declares itself Roman Catholic.

source: sports.inquirer.net