VATICAN CITY, 12 MAR 2010 (VIS) – At midday today, the Holy Father received participants in a theological congress promoted by the Congregation for the Clergy, and which is being held on 11 and 12 March in the Pontifical Lateran University on the theme: “Faithfulness of Christ, faithfulness of Priests”.

In a time such as our own, said the Pope, “it is important clearly to bear in mind the theological specificity of ordained ministry, in order not to surrender to the temptation of reducing it to predominant cultural models. In the context of widespread secularisation which progressively tends to exclude God from the public sphere and from the shared social conscience, the priest often appears ‘removed’ from common sense”. Yet , the Pope went on, “it is important to avoid a dangerous reductionism which, over recent decades … has presented the priest almost as a ’social worker’, with the risk of betraying the very Priesthood of Christ.

“Just as the hermeneutic of continuity is revealing itself to be ever more important for an adequate understanding of the texts of Vatican Council II”, he added, “in the same way we see the need for a hermeneutic we could describe as ‘of priestly continuity’, one which, starting from Jesus of Nazareth, Lord and Christ, and over the two thousand years of history, greatness, sanctity, culture and piety which the Priesthood has given the world, comes down to our own day”.

Benedict XVI affirmed that “it is particularly important that the call to participate in the one Priesthood of Christ in ordained Ministry should flower from the ‘charism of prophecy’. There is great need for priests who speak of God to the world and who present the world to God; men not subject to ephemeral cultural fashions, but capable of authentically living the freedom that only the certainty of belonging to God can give. … And the prophecy most necessary today is that of faithfulness” which “leads us to live our priesthood in complete adherence to Christ and the Church”.

Priests, the Holy Father continued, “must be careful to distance themselves from the predominant mentality which tends to associate the value of Ministry not with its being, but with its function”. Our “ontological association with God”, he said “is the right framework in which to understand and reaffirm, also in our own time, the value of celibacy which in the Latin Church is a charism imposed by Holy Orders, and is held in great esteem by the Oriental Churches. … It is an expression of the gift of the self to God and to others”.

“The vocation of priests is an exalted one, and remains a great mystery. … Our limitations and weaknesses must induce us to live and safeguard this precious gift with great faith, a gift with which Christ configured us to Himself, making us participants in His mission of salvation. Indeed, the understanding of priestly ministry is linked to faith and requires, ever more strongly, a radical continuity between formation in seminaries and permanent formation”.

The Holy Father concluded by telling his audience that “the men and women of our time ask us only to be priests to the full, nothing else. The lay faithful will be able to meet their human needs in many other people, but only in the priest will they find that Word of God which must always be on his lips, the Mercy of the Father abundantly and gratuitously distributed in the Sacrament of Penance, and the bread of new life”.

Buenos Aires, Argentina, Mar 10, 2010 / 07:04 pm (CNA).- An NGO in Argentina has issued a statement urging one of the country’s governors to oppose the demands of the association, “September 20,” which is calling for the removal of crucifixes and other religious symbols from all public places.

This initiative, the directors of the NGO, “Para Hacerse Oir-Hablemos Claro” (To Be Heard, Speak Clearly) explained, comes in response to a campaign taking place in many parts of Argentina, “which if successful, would rob our society of its religious values, its culture and its traditions. All of which make up our national identity.”

Martin J. Viano and Araceli Alvarez Viano Ramilo, directors of the NGO, said that the “September 20” organization has requested that authorities in the city of Mendoza remove all crucifixes and religious symbols from public spaces, calling them an “invasion” upon modern society. Their organization argued that these “objects” contradict the principle of the “neutrality” of the state and hamper efforts that encourage democracy, pluralism and mutual respect.

Members of Hacerse Oir stressed the importance of understanding that in the Argentinean legal system, under Article 31 of the Argentinean Constitution, the display of religious symbols in public buildings is accepted. The constitution is also the supreme law in Mendoza, they noted adding that the same constitution gives continuity and permanence to both pre-existing and current social structures.

In addition, Article 2 of the constitution explains that the government supports the Roman Catholic religion. In this context, “support” means: “the unification of the morals of the state with the morals of the Church” as well as “the recognition of the Church as a public entity,” Hacerse Oir said.

Due to the purpose of the constitutional declaration regarding the Catholic faith, “the existence of crucifixes in public offices is a clear example of the juridical status enjoyed by the Church,” they stressed.

In his message, the bishop praised women who “give the best of themselves in each one of the roles they are called to take on: as mothers, daughters, wives, career professionals, workers in various fields, students, consecrated women, or committed laywomen.”

He added that “with hope and perseverance,” women “seek to build a better world that is more just and equitable for all.”

The bishop then underscored that today more than ever, “their courage and stoicism are being put to the test amidst so much suffering and human sadness. The vast majority of Chilean women are of profound faith and believers in a God who does not abandon us, who is infinitely merciful, and they base their lives and hope in Him.”

Bishop Karmelic encouraged Chileans to show greater “value and respect for women,” and prayed that “women recognize in themselves the gifts and graces that the Lord has placed in them and that bring dignity to their beings.”

He continued reminding women to follow “the example of the Most Holy Mary.”

“May they convey to those around them and to society, especially in our country, the true image and likeness with which God created them.”

After encouraging women who have lost loved ones to place their hope in Christ, Bishop Karmelic underscored that “in the Marian Year, the Church wishes to give thanks to the Most Holy Trinity for ‘the mystery of woman’” and for the “wonders of God that have been wrought in her and through her in the history of humanity.”

St. Bonaventure “authentically and faithfully interpreted the figure of St. Francis of Assisi”, said the Holy Father. He reacted against the “Spirituals” in the Franciscan Order who, drawing on the ideas of Joachim of Fiore, held that “with St. Francis the final phase of history had begun”, and looked to the creation of a new Church of the Holy Spirit, “no longer tied to the structures of old”.

St. Bonaventure dealt with this question in his last work, “Hexaemeron”, in which he explained that “God is one throughout history. … History is one, even if it is a journey, a journey of progression. … Jesus is the last word of God” and “there is no other Gospel, no other Church to be awaited. Thus the Order of St. Francis must also insert itself into this Church, into her faith and her hierarchical order.

“This does not mean”, Benedict XVI added, “that the Church is immobile, fixed in the past, that there is no room in her for novelty”. With his famous expression “the works of Christ are not lacking but prospering”, St. Bonaventure “explicitly formulated the idea of progress”, certain “that the richness of the word of Christ is never ending and that it can also being new light to new generations. The uniqueness of Chris is also a guarantee of novelty and renewal in the future”.

The Holy Father noted how “today too opinions exist according to which the entire history of the Church in the second millennium is one of constant decline. Some people see this decline as having begun immediately after the New Testament”. Yet, the Pope asked, “what would the Church be without the new spirituality of the Cistercians, the Franciscans and the Dominicans, the spirituality of St. Teresa of Avila and St. John of the Cross? … St. Bonaventure teaches us … how to open ourselves to the new charisms given by Christ, in the Holy Spirit, to His Church”.

“Following Vatican Council II some people were convinced that all was new, that a new Church existed, that the pre-conciliar Church had come to an end and that there would be another, completely different Church, an anarchic utopia. Yet thanks to God the wise helmsmen of the ship of Christ, Paul VI and John Paul II, defended on the one hand the novelty of the Church and, at the same time, the uniqueness and continuity of the Church, which is always a Church of sinners, and always a place of grace”.

Going on then to comment of some of the saint’s mystical and theological writings, “which were the core of his governance” of the Franciscan Order, the Pope identified the most important work as “Itinerarium mentis in Deum” (The Journey of the Mind to God). In that book St. Bonaventure explained that knowledge of God is a six-stage journey, culminating “in the full union with the Trinity through Jesus Christ, in imitation of St. Francis of Assisi”.

In St. Peter’s Basilica, before today’s general audience in the Paul VI Hall, the Pope met with a group of pilgrims from the Italian Don Carlo Gnocchi Foundation, who were marking last October’s beatification “of that outstanding Milanese priest”.

Referring to the “extraordinary activities” they undertake on behalf of “children in need, the disabled, the elderly, the terminally ill and in the vast field of assistance and healthcare”, the Holy Father noted how “through your projects of solidarity you seek to continue the meritorious work begun by Blessed Carlo Gnocchi”.

“In this Year for Priests”, the Pope concluded his remarks to the group, “the Church once again looks to him as a model to imitate. May his shining example support the efforts of those who dedicate themselves to serving the weakest, and arouse in priests the desire to rediscover and reinvigorate their awareness of the extraordinary gift of Grace that ordained ministry represents for the person who receives it, for the entire Church and for the world”.

Cairo, Egypt, Mar 4, 2010 (CNA).- The Catholic Charity Aid to the Church in need (ACN) reported on Wednesday that they are helping fund a new center for the mentally disabled in Egypt. The new facility will allow for those who minister to the disabled population to leave their current center in the dessert.

Magdi Asham Henein, a member of the Al-Fulk community in Minia, Egypt, thanked ACN profusely on Wednesday, saying “We cannot integrate people into society if we are living in the desert – and with the help of ACN we have bought the land for the new community building.”

Aid to the Church in Need has already provided over $20,400 and pledged further assistance in the construction of the new facility. Underscoring the importance of his community’s work, Henein explained that “10 years ago people were rejected in society, nobody understood the nature of mental handicap – it was seen as a punishment from God.”

In addition to often being thrown out and rejected by their families, “Mentally handicapped people were suffering a lot in society – many were living in the streets, and passers-by would make fun of them,” Henein said. “They were completely marginalized.”

The Al-Fulk community, who’s name means “the Ark,” has helped provide a workshop in Minia, where people with mental disabilities can make candles and receive payment for their labor. Henein said that the new facility will not only continue this work but will also “create some kind of social life for the residents with mental disabilities – they like to buy things from shops and to visit people,” he explained.

Al-Fulk, which was founded in 2002, is affiliated with L’Arche international but is overseen by the Coptic Catholic Diocese of Minia.

“The changes in their lives are a sign of resurrection,” Henein continued, saying, “they were completely marginalized but now they have changed, a resurrection has taken place for them and for their families.”

“Society has changed its attitudes, so there is a resurrection both for the person and for the wider society.”

ACN called the Al-Fulk group a sign of unity since there are members of the Catholic and Orthodox faith who live and work together. The community hopes that Muslims will soon be a part of their effort as well.

“Muslims are the majority,” said Henein, “but our work is not widely known and Muslims can be suspicious of it.”

“But in the future,” he noted, “Al-Fulk could be a bridge bringing Muslims and Christians together – as other social activities of the Church manage to do.”

Benedict XVI’s March 2009 remarks on condoms were made to a French reporter as he explained the Church’s two-pronged approach to fighting AIDS. At one point in his response, the Pontiff stressed that AIDS cannot be overcome by advertising slogans and distributing condoms and argued that they “worsen the problem.” The media responded with an avalanche of over 4,000 articles on the subject, calling Benedict a “threat to public health,” and saying that the Catholic Church should “enter the 21st century.”

Harry Knox, a member of President Barack Obama’s Advisory Council on Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships added to the criticism accusing the Pope of “hurting people in the name of Jesus.”

Then last month, when Knox was asked if he still stood by his statement, despite growing evidence that the Pope was right, he replied in the affirmative, stating that “scientific evidence shows otherwise.”

“The Pope is right,” argued Chris Stefanick, director of Youth, Young Adult and Campus Ministries for the Archdiocese of Denver. “And the fact that people like Harry Knox are critiquing the Pope and continuing to throw condoms at the AIDS epidemic globally, and its not working, shows you who has personal dogmas that are more important to them than human lives.”

Stefanick’s statement also referred to Rebecca Hodes of South Africa’s Treatment Action Campaign who said of Pope Benedict, “his opposition to condoms conveys that religious dogma is more important to him than the lives of Africans.”

But, Stefanick argued, the facts are behind Benedict XVI. To prove his point, Stefanick compared the African nations of Botswana and Uganda. Botswana promoted condom use from the beginning. Uganda, a primarily Catholic country, encouraged abstinence.

“In Botswana, Cameroon, and Kenya – they saw AIDS prevalence rise alongside condom distribution until they both leveled out,” noted Stefanick. “In Botswana today, where condoms are available nearly everywhere, one in six people is HIV positive or living with AIDS.”

In Uganda, where abstinence is strongly promoted, the prevalence of AIDS has dropped and now affects less than six percent of the population. Stefanick quoted BBC News who stated that Uganda has done extremely well in fighting AIDS because, in many parts of the country, its prevalence “was at least three times higher in the early 90s.”

Stefanick also cited a similar comparison, made between Thailand and the Philippines, where AIDS broke out at the same time.  Thailand’s approach promoted the distribution of condoms while the highly Catholic Philippines promoted abstinence. Twenty years after the outbreak, the prevalence of AIDS in Thailand is 50 times higher than in the Philippines.

“According to the British Medical Journal, which is not a Catholic publication mind you, ‘the greater the percentage of Catholics in any country, the lower the level of HIV. If the Catholic Church is promoting a message about HIV in those countries it seems to be working,’” said Stefanick.

Other relevant facts to the Pope’s opposition of condom use come from the National Institutes for Health (NIH) itself, said Stefanick. Despite the claims on condom packaging, which assert a 99% effectiveness, the NIH found that condoms are only 85% effective in preventing the transmission of AIDS and about 50% effective at blocking other STDs.

“The calculus of condoms is very simple,” says Stefanick. “You decrease the risk a little, increase the risk takers a whole lot, and pretty soon you get what they have in Botswana where one in six people has AIDS. Or you get what we have here in America, where we are aggressively promoting condoms, yet every year, nine million young people under the age of 25 are getting an STD.”

“Caritas Chile is working in coordination with governmental and civil society organizations in establishing a national help network in spite of enormous communications difficulties,” said Lorenzo Figueroa, Caritas Chile’s director.

The international agency noted that the regions of Maule and Bío Bío were the worst affected and are will be the first to receive aid.

“We are collecting food to be sent immediately to communities which have been most affected by the earthquake and where shortages are already being reported. Our own communications network and capacity to offer warehouses and points of collection and distribution are immediately available,” Figueroa added.

Caritas Internationalis President Cardinal Oscar Rodriguez Maradiaga said, “Caritas Chile and the bishops are keeping us updated on the needs of the people. Chile has faced a terrible catastrophe. The Caritas confederation will be there in support of the survivors in this initial phase of emergency response and as they look to rebuild the country.”

Emergency response, as well as search and rescue teams from Caritas are on their way to the capital city of Santiago. The teams are drawn from an international pool, including Caritas’ Humanitarian Director Alistair Dutton and Caritas Peru’s Hector Hanashiro. The Mexican search and rescue team that recently worked with Caritas in Haiti will be a part of the relief efforts in Chile as well.

Father Alfonso Baeza Donoso, deputy president of Caritas Chile, reported to the Italian news Agency SIR that the earthquake was “a huge catastrophe, especially around Concepción. Our building suffered damage, communications do not work very well. Elevators are out or order, and we are on the seventh floor.” Fr. Baeza also noted that, despite the fact that “there are great difficulties in transport by road, since roads and bridges have been destroyed,” Caritas is working to get food and funds to the people most affected. Already, Caritas has opened a bank account to accept donations. Food is also being collected in several parishes in Santiago.

“In the center of Santiago,” Fr. Baeza added, “I saw at least five churches destroyed. In the south of the country, there must be many more, but we have no definite news yet.”

In an official statement, the President of the Chilean Bishop’s Conference, Bishop Alejandro Goic Karmelic of Rancagua, expressed solidarity with the victims and their families. “The death of our brothers and sisters as a consequence of this catastrophe both hurts and moves/compels us. We direct our prayers for their eternal rest to the God of life and hope and we unite ourselves with their families and friends,” he said.

“We fix our gaze on the Lord Jesus Christ in this moment of tragedy,” Bishop Goic said. “We place our trust in Him that the communities which have suffered the most hurt may be able to lift themselves up both spiritually and materially, assisted by the solidarity of the entire country as well as the international community which generously offers us its help.”

For more information on Caritas relief efforts, visit: http://www.caritas.org

A statement from the Indian bishops, who holding a bishops’ conference meeting in Guwahiti until March 3, was issued on Thursday. “We are deeply offended by the blasphemous image of Christ used on school books and on posters,” they said in the statement published by Fides. “We feel sad and indignant for this act of sacrilege. We support the legal actions taken by the government in the states of Meghalaya and Punjab, towards the perpetrators. ”

The image was originally found in textbooks in the city of Shillong, which is located in the state of Meghalaya. Protests and unrest resulted from the posting of enlarged images in the streets of several Punjabi cities. The state of Meghalaya is preparing a lawsuit against the publisher, Skyline Publications, while the state of Punjab looks to prosecute the groups responsible for the printing and distribution of posters.

In their statement the bishops took their appeal to a higher level, asking the central government to “promote, protect, and defend respect for religious symbols of all communities of believers throughout India.”

An apology issued last week by the publisher claimed that the photo was included in textbooks due to “human error.” The bishops acknowledged the apology and said they hope such an error would never repeat itself in any publication in India.

Commenting on the possibility of an “anti-blasphemy law” in Meghalaya, the Indian Church stated its opposition. Such an article already exists in the country’s penal code which establishes penalties for those who “hurt the religious sentiments of people,” they noted.

The bishops added that a new anti-blasphemy law could possibly be exploited by fundamentalists against Christians, as has occurred in neighboring Pakistan.

In an interview with CNA, Catholics Come Home, Inc. founder and president, Tom Peterson explained that the ads are designed to take people to the website, CatholicsComeHome.org, where they can find answers to questions about Church teachings, and also to put them into contact with their local parish to be led home, back to the Catholic Church.

Prior to founding Catholics Come Home, Peterson worked in advertising until he attended a retreat that completely changed his life.  It was then that he knew God was calling him to use his advertising talents for evangelization.

Years later, he was contacted by the Diocese of Phoenix to help start a three-week campaign which was launched last month.  In Phoenix, the commercials were aired on all major television networks and also ESPN, Lifetime, FOX News and others.

After the first commercial campaign, not only did the diocese report a marked increase in Mass attendance, but over “31,000 unique visitors came to the website from Phoenix and other US cities plus 60 foreign countries, with questions, to look up Mass times, to read information on marriage issues, to watch testimonies or to order Matthew Kelly’s book, ‘Rediscovering Catholicism.’”

The commercials aired on television are produced by CatholicsComeHome.org.  Before airing the ads, two of the clips, “Epic”, and “Movie,” were shown to a focus group that consisted of former and practicing Catholics, non Catholic Christians, as well as those without any faith.

The feedback received from the group was outstanding.  Seventy-eight of the 100 participants had positive responses to the ads.  In another assessment, the organization found that before watching the videos, 90% of the participants had negative impressions of the Catholic Church.  After viewing ads one time, 54% had a much more favorable impression.  Hearts and minds were changed after viewing these creative and inspired ads.

The first commercial, “Epic” portrays the history, beauty, and spirituality of the Church that Jesus started 2,000 years ago.  Peterson mentioned that “many people don’t realize the history of the Church.  They don’t realize that Peter – the Apostle from the Bible – was the first Pope.  They don’t realize the vast accomplishments that the Church has made over the centuries.”

“Epic” also effectively represents the universality of the Church.  The clip shows a Mexican fiesta, an African Mass, a Tongan baptism, aid workers serving in a Vietnamese jungle, among other scenes.

The reaction to the video has been overwhelmingly positive.  Viewers commented, “After seeing ‘Epic’, it made me proud to be Catholic.”  Priests have noted that the video made them feel “re-invigorated about their vocation.”  The video also has touched former Catholics who have said that the video showed the truth about the Church – “truth that they haven’t seen in decades.”

The second commercial, “Movie” has a different effect.  Peterson described the ad as mirroring the Book of Revelation which states that we will give an account of our lives at the end of time.

“Most people are brought to tears when they watch “Movie,” said Peterson.  It shows that though Jesus’ divine mercy, “no matter what we’ve done, we can accept the mercy of Jesus who will help us create the perfect ending to each of our lives.”

Not only have people enjoyed the video clips, but they have also succeeded in bringing people back to the Church.  One woman, Angela, said that she became an agnostic 20 years ago.  After watching the video she commented, “How is it that after seeing the commercial one time, I go to the CatholicsComeHome.org website, look up my local church and go home?”

The commercials encourage people to visit the site which contains information for three groups of people: Those who “used to be Catholic”, those who “are not Catholic” and those who “are practicing Catholics.”

Peterson described the site saying, “The web site provides answers to questions about Church teachings, and why strong faith is important in today’s busy and confusing world.  The site also offers an overview of the faith, with additional resources and a local parish finder.”

The website also includes 26 short testimonial videos – stories of why people left the Church and how they began their journey back home.  The stories are representative of common reasons that people leave the Church and the unique circumstances and call from God that led them back to the Catholic faith.

CatholicsComeHome.org also has a Spanish site: CatolicosRegresen.org.  It is a goal of the organization to launch its ministry worldwide once the commercials are perfected and aired heavily on national TV networks here in the United States first.

While CatholicsComeHome.org is still searching for further funding and quality advisors, the organization is hoping to take the information learned in the focus groups and initial airings, and bring the commercials to other dioceses next year.

When asked where these commercials will be broadcast, Peterson stated, “On main network programs like during American Idol, the evening news, and even the Super Bowl.  Imagine if we can do it, how our culture would change for the better and God would be glorified.”

For more information, and to support this non-profit charity, please visit CatholicsComeHome.org.

On Monday 22 February they focused their reflections on the figure of St. Augustine and prayed for priestly vocations, while yesterday they meditated on St. John Mary Vianney, the “Cure of Ars”, and prayed for missionaries.

Today, the day of Penance, attention will turn to certain biblical references to vocation, with meditations on the themes of “Temptation, doubt and resistance form part of our history” and “Always sinners and always forgiven”. The meditation will focus on Georges Bernanos’ book “Diary of a Country Priest”.

Tomorrow, the Christological day, will be dedicated to the vocation of the first disciples, followed by a meditation on Venerable Servant of God Giuseppe Quadrio S.D.B. (1921-1963).

Friday 26 February is the Marian Day. Attention will focus on the Magnificat of Mary, and on another biblical reference to vocation: “God’s approval; the story of the Annunciation”. In the evening, participants will meditate on Venerable Servant of God John Paul II.

At 9 a.m. on Saturday 27 February, the last day of the spiritual exercises of the Pope and the Roman Curia, Lauds will be celebrated in the Vatican’s “Redemptoris Mater” Chapel with a concluding meditation on the call of the first deacons.