VATICAN CITY, 8 APR 2011 (VIS) - The Holy Father appointed Fr. Agapitus Enuyehnyoh Nfon of the clergy of Kumbo, as auxiliary bishop of Bamenda (area 10,000, population 1,261,000, Catholics 303,729, priests 92, religious 296), Cameroon. The bishop-elect was born in Kumbo, Cameroon, in 1964 and ordained a priest in 1991.
NEA/ VIS 20110408 (50)
Friday, April 8, 2011
Thursday, April 7, 2011
THE POPE RECEIVES SYRO-MALABAR BISHOPS
VATICAN CITY, 7 APR 2011 (VIS) - This morning the Holy Father received in audience a group of bishops of the Syro-Malabar rite, on their "ad limina" visit.
At the beginning of his discourse, the Pope remembered cardinal Varkey Vithayathil, C.SS.R., major archbishop of Ernakulam-Angamaly of the Syro-Malabars, who died last Friday 1 April at the age of 83.
Benedict XVI, addressing the prelates in English, said that their visit to Rome was "a precious opportunity to give thanks to God for the gift of communion in the apostolic faith and in the life of the Spirit which unites you among yourselves and with your people".
"Each Bishop, for his part", he continued, "is called to be a minister of unity in his particular church and within the universal Church. This responsibility is of special importance in a country like India where the unity of the Church is reflected in the rich diversity of her rites and traditions. I encourage you to do all you can to continue to foster the communion between yourselves and all Catholic Bishops throughout the world, and to be the living expression of that fellowship among your priests and faithful".
Recalling St. Paul's "gentle command" for brotherly love, the Pope emphasised that "within this mystery of loving communion, a privileged expression of sharing in the divine life is through sacramental marriage and family life. The rapid and dramatic changes which are a part of contemporary society throughout the world bring with them not only serious challenges, but new possibilities to proclaim the liberating truth of the Gospel message to transform and elevate all human relationships".
The Holy Father affirmed that the support of the bishops, priests and communities "for the sound and integral education of young people in the ways of chastity and responsibility will not only enable them to embrace the true nature of marriage, but will also benefit Indian culture as a whole". He emphasised that "the Church can no longer count on the support of society at large to promote the Christian understanding of marriage as a permanent and indissoluble union ordered to procreation and the sanctification of the spouses", and added, "Let your preaching and catechesis in this field be patient and constant".
Referring to "the various communities of men and women religious who devote themselves to the service of God and their neighbour", the Pope underlined that "the vocation to religious life and the pursuit of perfect charity is attractive in every age, but it should be nourished by a constant spiritual renewal which is to be fostered by superiors who devote great care to the human, intellectual and spiritual formation of their fellow religious".
"Furthermore, by its nature, formation is never completed, but is ongoing and must be an integral part of the daily life of each individual and community. Much needs to be done in this area, utilising the many resources available in your Church, above all through deeper training in the practice of prayer, the particular spiritual and liturgical traditions of the Syro-Malabar rite, and the intellectual demands of a solid pastoral practice".
Benedict XVI concluded by encouraging the bishops to "plan effectively for such a solid ongoing formation, so that religious men and women continue to be powerful witnesses to the presence of God in the world and to our eternal destiny, so that the complete gift of self to God through religious life may shine with all its beauty and purity before men".
AL/ VIS 20110407 (580)
At the beginning of his discourse, the Pope remembered cardinal Varkey Vithayathil, C.SS.R., major archbishop of Ernakulam-Angamaly of the Syro-Malabars, who died last Friday 1 April at the age of 83.
Benedict XVI, addressing the prelates in English, said that their visit to Rome was "a precious opportunity to give thanks to God for the gift of communion in the apostolic faith and in the life of the Spirit which unites you among yourselves and with your people".
"Each Bishop, for his part", he continued, "is called to be a minister of unity in his particular church and within the universal Church. This responsibility is of special importance in a country like India where the unity of the Church is reflected in the rich diversity of her rites and traditions. I encourage you to do all you can to continue to foster the communion between yourselves and all Catholic Bishops throughout the world, and to be the living expression of that fellowship among your priests and faithful".
Recalling St. Paul's "gentle command" for brotherly love, the Pope emphasised that "within this mystery of loving communion, a privileged expression of sharing in the divine life is through sacramental marriage and family life. The rapid and dramatic changes which are a part of contemporary society throughout the world bring with them not only serious challenges, but new possibilities to proclaim the liberating truth of the Gospel message to transform and elevate all human relationships".
The Holy Father affirmed that the support of the bishops, priests and communities "for the sound and integral education of young people in the ways of chastity and responsibility will not only enable them to embrace the true nature of marriage, but will also benefit Indian culture as a whole". He emphasised that "the Church can no longer count on the support of society at large to promote the Christian understanding of marriage as a permanent and indissoluble union ordered to procreation and the sanctification of the spouses", and added, "Let your preaching and catechesis in this field be patient and constant".
Referring to "the various communities of men and women religious who devote themselves to the service of God and their neighbour", the Pope underlined that "the vocation to religious life and the pursuit of perfect charity is attractive in every age, but it should be nourished by a constant spiritual renewal which is to be fostered by superiors who devote great care to the human, intellectual and spiritual formation of their fellow religious".
"Furthermore, by its nature, formation is never completed, but is ongoing and must be an integral part of the daily life of each individual and community. Much needs to be done in this area, utilising the many resources available in your Church, above all through deeper training in the practice of prayer, the particular spiritual and liturgical traditions of the Syro-Malabar rite, and the intellectual demands of a solid pastoral practice".
Benedict XVI concluded by encouraging the bishops to "plan effectively for such a solid ongoing formation, so that religious men and women continue to be powerful witnesses to the presence of God in the world and to our eternal destiny, so that the complete gift of self to God through religious life may shine with all its beauty and purity before men".
AUDIENCES
VATICAN CITY, 7 APR 2011 (VIS) - The Holy Father today received in separate audiences:
- Cardinal Juan Luis Cipriani Thorne, archbishop of Lima, Peru.
- Bishop Anthony Chirayath of Sagar of the Syro-Malabars, India, on his "ad limina" visit.
- Bishop Mathew Vanializhakkel, C.V., of Satna of the Syro-Malabars, India, on his "ad limina" visit.
- Bishop Sebastian Vadakel of Ujjain of the Syro-Malabars, India, on his "ad limina" visit.
- Bishop Thomas Elavanal, M.C.B.S., of Kalyan of the Syro-Malabars, India, on is "ad limina" visit.
- Bishop Jose Chittooparambil, C.M.I., of Rajkot of the Syro-Malabars, India, on his "ad limina" visit, accompanied by Bishop emeritus Gregory Karotemprel, C.M.I.
AP:AL/ VIS 20110407 (110)
- Cardinal Juan Luis Cipriani Thorne, archbishop of Lima, Peru.
- Bishop Anthony Chirayath of Sagar of the Syro-Malabars, India, on his "ad limina" visit.
- Bishop Mathew Vanializhakkel, C.V., of Satna of the Syro-Malabars, India, on his "ad limina" visit.
- Bishop Sebastian Vadakel of Ujjain of the Syro-Malabars, India, on his "ad limina" visit.
- Bishop Thomas Elavanal, M.C.B.S., of Kalyan of the Syro-Malabars, India, on is "ad limina" visit.
- Bishop Jose Chittooparambil, C.M.I., of Rajkot of the Syro-Malabars, India, on his "ad limina" visit, accompanied by Bishop emeritus Gregory Karotemprel, C.M.I.
AP:AL/ VIS 20110407 (110)
OTHER PONTIFICAL ACTS
VATICAN CITY, 7 APR 2011 (VIS) - The Holy Father accepted the resignation from the pastoral care of the Archdiocese of Lahore, Pakistan, presented by Msgr. Lawrence John Saldanha, upon having reached the age limit.
RE/ VIS 20110407 (40)
RE/ VIS 20110407 (40)
Wednesday, April 6, 2011
ST. THERESE OF LISIEUX AND THE LITTLE WAY
VATICAN CITY, 6 APR 2011 (VIS) - In his general audience in St. Peter's Square today, attended by more than 10,000 people, Benedict XVI dedicated his catechesis to St. Therese of Lisieux, or St. Therese of the Child Jesus and the Holy Face, "who lived in this world for only twenty-four years at the end of the nineteenth century, leading a very simple and hidden life, but who, after her death and the publication of her writings, became one of the best-known and loved saints".
"Little Therese", the Pope continued, "never failed to help the most simple souls, the little ones, the poor and the suffering who prayed to her, but also illuminated all the Church with her profound spiritual doctrine, to the point that the Venerable John Paul II, in 1997, granted her the title of Doctor of the Church ... and described her as an 'expert in scientia amoris'. Therese expressed this science, in which all the truth of the faith is revealed in love, in her autobiography 'The Story of a Soul', published a year after her death".
Therese was born in 1873 in Alencon, France. She was the youngest of the nine children of Louis and Zelie Martin, and was beatified in 2008. Her mother died when she was four years old, and Therese later suffered from a serious nervous disorder from which she recovered in 1886 thanks to what she later described as "the smile of the Virgin". In 1887 she made a pilgrimage to Rome with her father and sister, where she asked Leo XIII for permission to enter Carmel of Lisieux, at just fifteen years of age. Her wish was granted a year later; however, at the same time her father began to suffer from a serious mental illness, which led Therese to the contemplation of the Holy Face of Christ in his Passion. In 1890 she took her vows. 1896 marked the beginning of a period of great physical and spiritual suffering, which accompanied her until her death.
In those moments, "she lived the faith at its most heroic, as the light in the shadows that invade the soul" the Pope said. In this context of suffering, living the greatest love in the littlest things of daily life, the Saint realised her vocation of becoming the love at the heart of the Church".
She died in the afternoon of 30 September, 1897, uttering the simple words, "My Lord, I love You!". "These last words are the key to all her doctrine, to her interpretation of the Gospel", the Pope emphasised. "The act of love, expressed in her final breath, was like the continued breathing of the soul ... The words 'Jesus, I love You' are at the centre of all her writings".
St. Therese is "one of the 'little ones' of the Gospel who allow themselves to be guided by God, in the depth of His mystery. A guide for all, especially for... theologians. With humility and faith, Therese continually entered the heart of the Scriptures which contain the Mystery of Christ. This reading of the Bible, enriched by the science of love, does not oppose academic science. The 'science of the saints', to which she refers on the final page of 'The Story of a Soul', is the highest form of science".
"In the Gospel, Therese discovers above all the Mercy of Jesus ... and 'Trust and Love' are therefore the end point of her account of her life, two words that, like beacons, illuminated her saintly path, in order to guide others along the same 'little way of trust and love', of spiritual childhood. Her trust is like that of a child, entrusting herself to the hands of God, and inseparable from her strong, radical commitment to the true love that is the full giving of oneself", the Holy Father concluded.
AG/ VIS 20110406 (650)
"Little Therese", the Pope continued, "never failed to help the most simple souls, the little ones, the poor and the suffering who prayed to her, but also illuminated all the Church with her profound spiritual doctrine, to the point that the Venerable John Paul II, in 1997, granted her the title of Doctor of the Church ... and described her as an 'expert in scientia amoris'. Therese expressed this science, in which all the truth of the faith is revealed in love, in her autobiography 'The Story of a Soul', published a year after her death".
Therese was born in 1873 in Alencon, France. She was the youngest of the nine children of Louis and Zelie Martin, and was beatified in 2008. Her mother died when she was four years old, and Therese later suffered from a serious nervous disorder from which she recovered in 1886 thanks to what she later described as "the smile of the Virgin". In 1887 she made a pilgrimage to Rome with her father and sister, where she asked Leo XIII for permission to enter Carmel of Lisieux, at just fifteen years of age. Her wish was granted a year later; however, at the same time her father began to suffer from a serious mental illness, which led Therese to the contemplation of the Holy Face of Christ in his Passion. In 1890 she took her vows. 1896 marked the beginning of a period of great physical and spiritual suffering, which accompanied her until her death.
In those moments, "she lived the faith at its most heroic, as the light in the shadows that invade the soul" the Pope said. In this context of suffering, living the greatest love in the littlest things of daily life, the Saint realised her vocation of becoming the love at the heart of the Church".
She died in the afternoon of 30 September, 1897, uttering the simple words, "My Lord, I love You!". "These last words are the key to all her doctrine, to her interpretation of the Gospel", the Pope emphasised. "The act of love, expressed in her final breath, was like the continued breathing of the soul ... The words 'Jesus, I love You' are at the centre of all her writings".
St. Therese is "one of the 'little ones' of the Gospel who allow themselves to be guided by God, in the depth of His mystery. A guide for all, especially for... theologians. With humility and faith, Therese continually entered the heart of the Scriptures which contain the Mystery of Christ. This reading of the Bible, enriched by the science of love, does not oppose academic science. The 'science of the saints', to which she refers on the final page of 'The Story of a Soul', is the highest form of science".
"In the Gospel, Therese discovers above all the Mercy of Jesus ... and 'Trust and Love' are therefore the end point of her account of her life, two words that, like beacons, illuminated her saintly path, in order to guide others along the same 'little way of trust and love', of spiritual childhood. Her trust is like that of a child, entrusting herself to the hands of God, and inseparable from her strong, radical commitment to the true love that is the full giving of oneself", the Holy Father concluded.
AG/ VIS 20110406 (650)
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