For Pope John Paul II, beatification process may be on final lap

By John Thavis
Catholic News Service

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- They brought flowers and messages to his grave. They sang songs evoking his memory. And they prayed for his beatification.

The fourth anniversary of the death of Pope John Paul II April 2 was marked by a sense of anticipation following reports that the late pontiff would be beatified on the fifth anniversary next year.

The Vatican has played down those rumors. But among the thousands who flocked to his tomb and gathered in St. Peter's Basilica for a memorial Mass, the feeling was strongly hopeful.

"There's all kinds of talk about him being beatified. It's only a matter of time before it happens. He's heading so fast toward sainthood that they're only waiting to give him a little bit more legitimacy, I guess," said Samantha Coveleski, 22, of Lewes, Del.

Coveleski was among hundreds of people who jammed the crypt area of St. Peter's Basilica April 2 to pay their respects at Pope John Paul II's tomb. They left candles, photos and letters, and murmured prayers in many languages. On the white marble tombstone lay three red roses.

"So many people loved this guy so much. When you're at the tomb you can really see what the big deal is," Coveleski said. "He was so accessible during his papacy, and here you can really see and feel how much he was loved."

Pope Benedict XVI celebrated the commemorative Mass and said he was praying for "the gift of beatification" for his predecessor. In 2005, Pope Benedict set Pope John Paul on the fast track to beatification by waiving the normal five-year waiting period for the introduction of his sainthood cause.

That seemed to respond to the "Santo subito!" ("Sainthood now!") banners that were held aloft at Pope John Paul's funeral.

The initial diocesan phase of the cause was completed in April 2007. Last November a team of theological consultors to the Congregation for Saints' Causes began studying the 2,000-page "positio," the document that makes the case for beatification, according to Archbishop Angelo Amato, head of the congregation.

Archbishop Amato told Vatican Radio that once the theological study of the "positio" is completed, the cause will be considered by the cardinal and bishop members of the congregation. If approved, it will then go to the pope for a final decision on a decree of "venerability," which means the person lived the Christian virtues heroically.

Meanwhile, a presumed miracle through the intercession of the late pope -- involving a French nun said to have been cured of Parkinson's disease -- is being studied in a five-step process that involves medical experts, a medical board, theological consultors, the members of the congregation and, finally, the pope.

With the decree of venerability and a confirmed miracle, beatification can take place.

Archbishop Amato emphasized that the Vatican could not promise a timetable for all this. The fact that the Vatican is expediting the cause doesn't mean "haste or superficiality," but on the contrary demands methodical attention to detail, he said.

Five years from death to beatification may not strike people as "subito," but it would be a modern record in the church; even for Blessed Mother Teresa of Calcutta, who was described by many as a "living saint" and for whom the waiting period was also waived, it took six years to complete the process.

Still, the Vatican loves anniversaries, and no one has ruled out next April 2 as the big day. Polish Cardinal Stanislaw Dziwisz of Krakow, personal secretary to the late pope and one of his biggest beatification boosters, said in March that the process would be completed in a few months.

Cardinal Dziwisz, in Rome for the fourth anniversary, told reporters that a presumed miracle had recently occurred at Pope John Paul II's tomb in St. Peter's Basilica.

A nine year-old Polish boy from Gdansk, suffering from cancer of the kidneys and unable to walk, was brought to the tomb by his parents, Cardinal Dziwisz said. When they left St. Peter's, the boy told them, "I want to walk," and began walking in good health, he said.

Vatican officials are not publicizing what are said to be 251 "inexplicable" healings or other events attributed to Pope John Paul II's intercession, and which have been filed away. Like Archbishop Amato, the officials emphasize the seriousness of the study being undertaken and insist there are no foregone conclusions.

The Vatican newspaper, L'Osservatore Romano, has marked this year's anniversary with the same serious tone, saying sainthood was more than the elevation of a popular personality.

"The cry of 'Santo subito!' after the death of John Paul II had strong meaning. But its repetition by the media is mistaken: The official recognition of sainthood must be connected to the church's process of sanctification," said a front-page article April 2.

The same article related an interesting anecdote about the relationship between Pope John Paul and Pope Benedict who, as Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, served more than 23 years under the late pope as head of the doctrinal congregation.

When meeting to review the drafts of important documents with his top collaborators, it said, Pope John Paul would sometimes sit back at the end of the conversation and say: "We need to go back to this topic again. From his expression, I can see that Cardinal Ratzinger is not fully convinced. We need to reflect some more."

At the memorial Mass, Pope Benedict underlined the thematic continuity between the late pope and his own pontificate. Then, like many before him, he went down to the pope's tomb and knelt in prayer.

- - -

Contributing to this story was Nicole Coia in Rome.

END

VATICAN LETTER Apr-3-2009 (940 words)

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Perasaan Bercampur Aduk atas Peran Tony Blair dalam Proses Perdamaian

MANILA (UCAN) -- Setelah kunjungan mantan Perdana Menteri Inggris Tony Blair, reaksi orang-orang Gereja bercampur aduk atas perannya sebagai penasehat pemerintah dan negosiasi-negosiasi perdamaian dengan Front Pembebasan Islam Moro (MILF, Moro Islamic Liberation Front).

Blair, yang mengunjungi negeri itu pada 22-23 Maret, berbicara di Ateneo de Manila University di Quezon City tentang "The Leader as Nation Builder in a Time of Globalization" (Pemimpin sebagai Pembangun Bangsa di Masa Globalisasi) sebagai bagian dari kegiatan peringatan 150 tahun yayasan sekolah Yesuit itu.

Dia juga berbicara dalam Second Leadership Conference Series di Sofitel Philippine Plaza Hotel di Pasay City, yang disponsori bersama oleh De La Salle University yang dikelola oleh Frater-Frater De La Salle

Di selang pembicaraan-pembicaraan itu, dia makan siang bersama dengan Presiden Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo. Menteri Penerangan Cerge Remonde mengatakan dalam sebuah wawancara radio bahwa Arroyo harus meminta bantuan Blair dalam proses perdamaian dengan MILF.

Namun, pada 24 Maret, Remonde mengatakan kepada para wartawan di Manila bahwa tidak ada undangan resmi, tetapi Blair telah memberi advis kepada Arroyo tentang bagaimana menangani negosiasi-negosiasi untuk perdamaian di Mindanao, Filipina selatan.

MILF, yang diciptakan tahun 1970-an untuk membentuk pemerintahan Islam di wilayah-wilayah yang secara tradisional diklaim sebagai milik Moro (Muslim Filipina) di Mindanao dan di Pulau Palawan, telah terlibat dalam pembicaraan-pembicaraan damai dengan pemerintah sejak 1997.

Pembicaraan-pembicaraan terhenti pada Agustus setelah para politisi dan para tokoh masyarakat mengajukan petisi kepada Mahkamah Agung untuk tidak menandatangani kesepakatan tanah-tanah adat yang diklaim sebagai milik Moro.

Pastor Albert Alejo SJ dari Ateneo de Davao mengkoordinasikan tim perencana dari Konferensi Uskup-Ulama (BUC, Bishops-Ulama Conference) yang diminta ketika terhentinya pembicaraan itu untuk mengkoordinasi konsultasi damai di antara para pemegang saham.

Ulama adalah cendekiawan Islam yang diakui sebagai pemimpin agama, dan BUC yang telah berumur 13 tahun itu dibentuk untuk memberdayakan para pemimpin agama untuk bekerja sama dalam menciptakan perdamaian dan pembangunan di Mindanao.

Pastor Alejo mengatakan bahwa Blair, yang menjadi Katolik setelah berhenti dari posisinya sebagai perdana menteri, mungkin bisa dikonsultasi “menyangkut beberapa hal. Namun, dia menambahkan, dia “tidak tahu persis” seberapa jauh politikus Inggris itu dapat diterima oleh kaum Muslim di Mindanao.

Pensiunan Uskup Protestan Hilario Gomez dari United Church of Christ (Gereja Kristus yang Bersatu) di Filipina mengatakan, prestise Blair mungkin bisa mendorong pemerintah dan MILF untuk kembali ke meja perundingan. Namun, nasionalisme orang Filipina harus diperhatikan, kata anggota Protestan dalam BUC itu.

"Ini adalah persoalan orang Filipina dan orang Mindanao dan justru kita sendirilah yang harus menyelesaikannya,” kata Uskup Gomez. "Kita harus menjadikannya sebagai tugas utama kita untuk menyelesaikan persoalan ini."

Dia juga heran, apa maksudnya menggunakan Blair sebagai penasehat. Arroyo telah memintanya dan anggota-anggota BUC – Uskup Agung Davao Mgr Fernando Capalla dari pihak Katolik dan Hamid Barra dari Liga Ulama Filipina – untuk menjadi penasehat-penasehat perdamaian. "Hingga kini, kami tidak pernah dimintai pendapat," kata Gomez.

Dalam sebuah wawancara terpisah pada hari yang sama, Barra mengatakan bahwa secara pribadi dia akan menerima siapa saja yang bisa membantu mempertemukan kembali kedua pihak ke meja perundingan.

"Jika Blair dapat menciptakan pengertian di antara masyarakat kita, maka saya tidak keberatan,” kata representatif untuk ulama dalam BUC itu.

Pastor Romeo Intengan SJ mengatakan, dia menyambut Blair sebagai penasehat karena Blair berpengalaman sebagai seorang perunding antara nasionalis Katolik dan unionis Protestan di Irlandia Utara tahun 1998, serta berperan dalam menciptakan perdamaian antara pemerintah Indonesia dengan Gerakan Aceh Merdeka.

"Bagi saya, ini masuk akal," kata Pastor Intengan, salah satu pendiri Partai Sosialis Demokratik Filipina. Penasehat Keamanan Nasional dari Arroyo adalah anggota partai itu.

“Karya Blair dan stafnya” dalam kebijakan pelucutan senjata, penghancuran, dan integrasi kembali (DDR, disarmament, demobilization and reintegration) diterima pemerintah dalam berbagai negosiasi damai dengan para pemberontak. "Mereka (Blair dan timnya) dipercaya dan berpengalaman dengan DDR," kata Pastor Intengan. Salah satu staf Blair memberi masukan kepada badan keamanan pemerintah tentang DDR akhir tahun lalu dan tim itu telah mengadakan pembicaraan-pembicaraan di belakang layar dengan MILF hingga Februari tahun ini, kata Pastor Intengan.
2009-3-26 | PR06931.635b | 637 kata
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From Jerusalem On Palm Sunday

By Deal W. Hudson
Inside Catholic.com
Posted on April 05, 2009, 1:38 AM


From my window at the Notre Dame Center in Jerusalem I watched the sun come up over the old city. Pilgrims from everywhere have filled every room to celebrate Holy Week at "ground zero" of our faith. In a few hours, we will start the Palm Sunday procession from the Mt. of Olives down and up the hills west of the city until we reach St. Stephen's Gate where Jesus was welcomed so many centuries ago. It will be an occasion of joy which I hope everyone who reads this will, one day, experience for themselves. There will be groups of singing, chanting, even dancing Catholics from around the world -- and, having seen this three times before, I know it will be difficult for me not to join in.


The weather today is perfect, mid-sixties and sunny skies. Already the knights and ladies of the Equestrian Order of the Knights of the Holy Sepulchre are gathering in the lobby in their white robes. I will not be walking with them, but will be cheering from the sidelines.

The head of the center, Fr. Juan Solano, is already making his rounds, greeting pilgrims and making ready for Mass and the procession. Everyone is smiling, and not a grim church-going face in sight.

It is good to be here. Later I will report on the procession and the people I meet along the way.

The next time you are thinking about a trip to Rome, for the second, third, or fourth time, I hope you will consider coming here, and don't worry about the stories you hear about the "danger." There are times to stay away, but they are few and far between.

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The Prayer

This Irish prayer is attributed to Saint Patrick and often referred to as the "breastplate" of St. Patrick--words that shield.

I arise today
Through the strength of heaven;

Light of the sun,
Splendor of fire,
Swiftness of wind,

Depth of the sea,
Stability of earth,
Firmness of rock.

I arise today
Through God's strength to pilot me;
God's might to uphold me,
God's wisdom to guide me,
God's hand to guard me.

Afar and anear,
Alone or in a multitude.

Christ shield me today
Against wounding:

Christ with me,
Christ before me,
Christ behind me,

Christ on my right,
Christ on my left,

Christ beneath me,
Christ above me,
Christ in me.

I arise today
Through the mighty strength
Of the Lord of Creation.


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Vatican Takes Aim at Catholics in Politics

New document says church opposition to abortion, euthanasia, and same-sex marriage not up for negotiation.

BY The Associated Press

Vatican City, January 16, 2003--(AP) The Vatican took aim Thursday at Roman Catholic politicians, telling them church teaching demands they defend "the basic right to life from conception to natural death."

A new set of guidelines approved by Pope John Paul II for Catholic politicians said church opposition to abortion, euthanasia and same-sex marriage was not up for negotiation.

Their release comes a week before major demonstrations planned in the United States by abortion rights and anti-abortion groups and amid continuing efforts, mainly in Europe, to legalize euthanasia and gay marriages.

The Vatican said it was publishing the document now because of medical and scientific advances and because of the "emergence of ambiguities or questionable positions in recent times."

The guidelines, prepared by the Vatican's orthodoxy watchdog, the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, make no changes to the church's long-held positions. Rather, they serve as a reminder to Catholic politicians of church teachings, so that when they vote for legislation or otherwise influence public policy, they do so in line with the church's "nonnegotiable ethical principles."

In particular, the document said laws concerning abortion and euthanasia "must defend the basic right to life from conception to natural death. In the same way, it is necessary to recall the duty to respect and protect the rights of the human embryo."

It said laws safeguarding marriage between man and woman must be promoted and that "in no way can other forms of cohabitation be placed on the same level as marriage, nor can they receive legal recognition as such."

The document also referred vaguely to issues of peace, saying Catholics should not confuse the church's promotion of peace and rejection of violence with "secular" pacifist and ideological visions. The pope's opposition to war in Iraq is likely to make him a rallying point in the event hostilities erupt. "The church recognizes that while democracy is the best expression of the direct participation of citizens in political choices, it succeeds only to the extent that it is based on a correct understanding of the human person," the document said. "Catholic involvement in political life cannot compromise on this principle."

The guidelines don't mention punishment - such as excommunication - for Catholic politicians who fail to toe the line. Rather, they frame the issue as one of "conscience." "Scientific progress has resulted in advances that are unsettling for the consciences of men and women, and call for solutions that respect ethical principles in a coherent and fundamental way," the document said. "Catholics, in this difficult situation, have the right and the duty to recall society to a deeper understanding of human life and to the responsibility of everyone in this regard," it said.

The Vatican stressed it wasn't trying to dictate policy or interfere in matters of state, but to "instruct and illuminate" Catholic political leaders. And it challenged the idea that ethical pluralism "is the very condition for democracy."
The document was released a week before the 30th anniversary of the U.S. Supreme Court's Roe v. Wade decision legalizing abortion. Demonstrations by abortion rights and anti-abortion groups are planned for next Wednesday.

The Vatican never disguised its irritation with Geraldine Ferraro, a Catholic and the U.S. Democratic vice presidential candidate in 1984, for her position that she opposed abortion but also opposed outlawing it. Recently, former Italian Premier Giulio Andreotti, a practicing Catholic, said he deeply regretted having signed the law legalizing abortion in Italy when he was prime minister in 1978.

The Vatican has also been campaigning against efforts to legalize same-sex marriages and offer the unions the same benefits granted traditional heterosexual marriages.
Bishop Wilton Gregory, president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, welcomed the publication of the document, saying it "addresses some of the profound challenges faced by Catholic politicians and voters who are confronted with various moral and social issues in the context of a democratic society." He said he hoped the document would encourage U.S. Catholic politicians to continue to "respect the most essential moral values of our human nature." The Vatican released similar statements from German and Italian cardinals along with the document on Thursday.

While not offering concrete examples of legislation for Catholic politicians to promote, the document proposed a model for them to emulate: St. Thomas More, the 16th-century lawyer and diplomat who refused to renounce the pope and recognize the king as head of the English church. King Henry VIII had More beheaded for his positions. Two years ago, Pope John Paul II made More the patron saint for politicians. "He taught by his life and his death that 'man cannot be separated from God, nor politics from morality,"' the document said.

source: http://www.beliefnet.com

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In midst of conflict, church can bring peace, pope says at audience

By Carol Glatz
Catholic News Service

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Working in areas of conflict and misery, the church has an important duty to be an instrument of peace and reconciliation, Pope Benedict XVI said.

But countries also must recognize the right of their citizens to share in their nation's wealth if there is to be truly lasting peace, he added.

The pope used his April 1 general audience in St. Peter's Square to review his March 17-23 visit to Cameroon and Angola.

Even though his first papal trip to the African continent was limited to two nations, the pope said he "ideally wanted to embrace all of the people of Africa and bless them in the name of the Lord."

Today, the church is accompanying a new Africa, which is working "to strengthen its political independence and national identity in a globalized world," he said.

"Being in the midst of numerous and dramatic conflicts that unfortunately still torment different regions of the continent, the church knows that it must be a sign and instrument of unity and reconciliation by putting into practice the teachings of the Gospel so that all of Africa may together build a future of justice, solidarity and peace," he said.

Angola is one country that has just emerged from a long civil war and is in the process of rebuilding and healing divisions, said the pope.

"But how can this reconciliation and reconstruction be made authentic if they come at the expense of the poorest who have the same right all people do to share in the resources of their nation," he asked.

For this reason his apostolic voyage to Africa was also meant to be a sign of encouragement for those promoting the common good in society, he said.

"All is lost with war; everything can be revived with peace. But tremendous moral stamina is needed to rebuild a nation and here, once again, the role of the church ends up being important as it is called to educate by working thoroughly in renewing and forming consciences," he said.

Only Christ can truly transform people and society, Pope Benedict said; "therefore, returning to God, converting oneself to Christ means moving forward toward the fullness of life."

At the end of his general audience talk, the pope met with two Italian nuns who had been held captive for more than 100 days in Kenya.

Sister Caterina Giraudo, 67, and Sister Maria Teresa Oliviero, 61, were seized by armed men Nov. 10 in northeastern Kenya near the border with Somalia and were freed unharmed Feb. 18.

Pope Benedict had appealed twice for their release.

Cardinal Severino Poletto of Turin, who accompanied the sisters when they greeted the pope, thanked the pope for his appeals.

The nuns are from Cuneo, near Turin, and are members of the Contemplative Missionary Movement of Father Charles de Foucauld. They have both served in Kenya since the early 1970s.

POPE-AUDIENCE Apr-1-2009 (520 words)
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Hundreds of migrants drown trying to reach Europe

By Cindy Wooden
Catholic News Service

ROME (CNS) -- The drowning death of hundreds of people trying to immigrate to Europe through Libya in late March is a sign of the desperation of the poor and persecuted, and of the failure of government efforts to stop illegal immigration, several Catholic agencies said.

"These people have no alternative but to entrust themselves to human smugglers who often treat them as meat," said Berardino Guarino, project director for Fondazione Migrantes, an Italian Catholic organization that assists migrants.

At least 200, and perhaps as many as 300, immigrants were listed as missing and presumed dead after three boats sank off the coast of Libya in rough waters March 27-29. An Italian merchant ship rescued another 300 people and recovered 21 dead bodies from the water the night of March 28-29 after the fishing boat they were packed onto sent out a distress call.

Authorities said those trying to cross the Mediterranean to Italy from Libya included people from Bangladesh, Egypt and other parts of Africa. Refugees and the desperate poor from Asia and Africa cross the Libyan desert to the coast where they pay smugglers for a place on crowded, rickety fishing boats headed for Europe.

Guarino told Vatican Radio March 31 that poverty and oppression mean the influx of migrants to Europe "will not end easily, which means we must find ways to create humanitarian channels so that these people can arrive in Italy without these dangerous voyages."

"We must remember that on these boats there are refugees, people who have a right to asylum," he said. "The question will not be resolved simply by patrolling the coasts."

Oliviero Forti, director of the immigration office of Caritas Italy, told Vatican Radio, "Unfortunately this was a disaster waiting to happen. The fact that governments are enacting increasingly restrictive measures just means that the routes are changing."

Focusing only on blocking immigration has not worked and will not work, he said.

"We need a truly effective policy of international collaboration with the countries of origin and the countries of transit," he said.

"Evidently the conditions causing people to leave are so serious that even this risk (of drowning) is recognized and put into the calculation," Forti said. "Thousands of people cross the sea each year and several hundred -- maybe as many as 1,000 -- meet their deaths."

The Rome-based Community of Sant'Egidio, expressing its condolences to those who lost loved ones at sea, asked the Italian government and the international community for "policies of solidarity, acceptance and respect for asylum-seekers and migrants."

"People call them 'illegals' in a simplistic way and usually do not know the pain and suffering they have experienced, and they deny them their dignity, respect and a welcome," said a March 31 statement from the community.

"Many enter irregularly because they are fleeing war, persecution, corruption, hunger, thirst or catastrophes and it is impossible for them to get a regular entrance visa," the statement said.

The Sant'Egidio members called for "a farsighted policy of development cooperation, particularly for Africa, to concretely help young people remain in their countries in order to contribute to their development."

END

LIBYA-DROWNED Apr-1-2009 (520 words)

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