THE CROSS A3: NEWS A6: LOCAL

Cebu City NEWS SAMMY NAVAJA

B1: PASTORAL CONCERNS
A Supplement Publication of Popes communications day theme: Christian, Muslim leaders push Message of Pope Francis for
the Order of the Knights of Truth in age of fake news peace education in schools World Mission Day 2017
Columbus and KCFAPI

Monitor
CBCP

OCTOBER 2 - 15, 2017, VOL 21, NO. 20 CBCPMONITOR@AREOPAGUSCOMMUNICATIONS.COM

PROTAGONIST OF TRUTH, PROMOTER OF PEACE

Church to give
asylum to cops
testifying in drug
war killings
By Roy Lagarde
A Catholic archbishop
said some police
involved in the
governments bloody
crackdown against
illegal drugs sought
church protection.
Archbishop Socrates Villegas
of Lingayen-Dagupan did not
identify them but said the cops
want to reveal information about
the wave of extrajudicial killings
in the country.
They have expressed their
desire to come out in the open
about their participation in
extrajudicial killings and
summary executions. Their
consciences are troubling them,
Villegas said in a statement
issued on October 2.
He said the archdiocese
through its ministry of mercy
is willing to provide sanctuary to
the cops, including their families
if necessary, provided they tell
the truth.
With the help of independent
volunteer lawyers, he said, we
will look prudently into the
sincerity of their motives and the
veracity of their stories.
The archbishop assured that
the Church will not induce the
policemen to speak or make any
allegations if they wish to testify
in any investigations.
If their preference is to stay
with us in the Church, they will
not be turned over to the State
under its own witness protection
program, according to Villegas.
In the areas of pastoral
counseling and values formation,
the Archdiocese of Lingayen
Dagupan will be the loving
teacher and mother of our law
enforcers. Let us be guardian
angels for one another, he
added.
Feelers
The countrys military bishop
is reaching out to policemen
wanting to reveal information
about the supposed summary
killings under the governments
crackdown against illegal drugs.
Cebu Auxiliary Bishop Oscar
Jaime Florencio, the concurrent
Apostolic Administrator of the
Military Ordinariate of the
Philippines (MOP), said that
he wants to help assess the
testimonies of the cops.
First, I also want to know
their motives, then to help
them deepen their confession,
the sacramental confession,
Asylum / A7 Church people walk towards Rizal Park in Manila for End Tyranny rally to mark the 45th anniversary of the declaration of martial law by the late dictator
Ferdinand Marcos, September 21, 2017. The demonstrators also called on the Duterte administration to put an end to the string of extrajudicial killings;
counted now by the thousands and publicly perceived to be associated with the governments relentless drive against illegal drugs. ROY LAGARDE

PPCRV welcomes postponement of barangay, SK polls Soldiers attend Mass inside

THE Parish Pastoral Council for
Responsible Voting (PPCRV) has
welcomed the postponement of
barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan
elections that had been scheduled for
October 23 this year.
PPCRV chairman Rene Sarmiento
said the postponement was a prudent
decision, allowing all stakeholders to
focus on other pressing matters.
It is good the President finally signed
the law to postpone the barangay
elections, Sarmiento said.
Time, effort, and expense can
be channelled to other constructive
nation-building concerns, he said.
President Rodrigo Duterte on
Wednesday signed a law moving the cathedral desecrated by Maute
elections to May 2018.
The Commission on Elections
(Comelec) also welcomed the move
despite already spending more than
P600 million for the printing of
the ballots and other preparation
activities.
Sarmiento said its a sigh of relief for
them and other people because they
have long suffered from the uncertainty
surrounding the fate of the elections.
The uncertainty among incumbent
barangay officials, among possible
candidates, among NGO electoral
groups, and even within PPCRV will be
put to a stop, he said. (CBCPNews)

Priest urges Muslim religious PH Church opens doors to refugees Soldiers attend Mass inside the damaged St. Marys Cathedral in Marawi City, October

leaders to confront extremism 1, 2017. PHOTO COURTESY OF JOINT TASK FORCE RANAO

MANILA A Mass attended He said the Mass was also

A CATHOLIC priest has
urged the countrys Muslim
religious leaders to lead in
combatting radicalization
and save Islam from the
hands of extremists.
Fr. Sebastiano D Ambra,
an Italian missionary in
southern Philippines, said
the alarming situation in
Mindanao requires more
determination to work and
spread the real message of
Islam as a religion of peace.
We cannot be blind
anymore of many killings,
massacres, cutting of the
heads, often done saying
Bismillah (in the name of
God), said D Ambra in
an open letter to Islamic
leaders.
Fr. Sebastian DAmbra of Silsilah
Dialogue Movement speaks at the 4th
World Apostolic Congress on Mercy at
the UST Pavilion in Manila, January 17,
2017. ROY LAGARDE
Indeed, all of us suffer
and I appeal to you to save
the Islam and Mindanao
from the hands of those who
Confront / A7
by government troops
was held at the St. Marys
Cathedral for the first time
on Sunday, Oct. 1, since the
takeover of Marawi City by
Islamic State-aligned Maute
group.
Presided by a military
chaplain, the 7am
Eucharistic celebration went
on as gunfire and explosions
were heard outside the
cathedral where walls and
Fr. Resty Ogsimer of the CBCPs Commission on Migrants and Itinerant People (center) roof are riddled with bullet
and international students of Adamson University hold placards as they take part in
the local launching of the Share the Journey Campaign in Manila, Sept. 27, 2017. holes.
CBCPNEWS The Mass was held while
assault of government
THE Catholic Church in behind armed conflicts and forces on Mautes defensive
the Philippines has invoked persecution to find a safer positions are ongoing, said
the historical concept home. Col. Romeo Brawner, deputy
of sanctuary, opening its Scalabrinian Fr. Resty commander of Joint Task
doors to refugees who left Refugees / A7` Group Ranao.
significant because Sunday
marked the feast of St.
Therese, the patron saint of
the military.
The military retook the
cathedral last month as they
pursued to take Marawi back
from the Maute group.
The Maute had abducted
Fr. Teresito Chito Suganob
and some churchgoers
last May 23, when the
extremists laid siege to the
predominantly Muslim city,
prompting the government
to put entire Mindanao
under martial law.
Suganob along with
another hostage were
rescued by the military on
Sept. 16 but dozens more
Mass / A6
A2 WORLD NEWS October 2 - 15, 2017, Vol 21, No. 20 CBCP Monitor

Dutch cardinal: Dont underestimate power Vatican Briefing

of Catholics as a creative minority Pope mourns victims of senseless Las Vegas
shooting
Pope Francis offered his condolences and spiritual
support to victims of a deadly shooting in Las Vegas
that left at least 50 people dead and hundreds more
wounded when a gunman opened fire at a country music
festival. Deeply saddened to learn of the shooting in
Las Vegas, Pope Francis sends the assurance of his
spiritual closeness to all those affected by this senseless
tragedy, read an Oct. 2 telegram signed by Vatican
Secretary of State Cardinal PietroParolin. In what has
become deadliest the mass shooting in U.S. history,
more than 50 people were killed and 500 hospitalized
when a shooter opened fire on the last of a the three-
day Route 91 Harvest festival in Las Vegas, Nev. just
after 10 p.m. Sunday night, BBC News reports. (Elise
Harris/CNA)

Take care of those on the peripheries, Pope

Polish Catholics attend the celebration for the Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary at the Jasna Gra Monastery in Czestochowa, Poland, August 15, 2017.
EPISKOPAT NEWS
ROME, Italy Despite the
challenges of secularization,
a Dutch cardinal encouraged
Catholics from his country
and from all parts of the
world to be a creative
minority in society.
Cardinal Wilhelm Jacobus
Eijk, archbishop of Utrecht,
recently spoke with CNA
in Rome, while giving a
presentation on euthanasia.
Eijk studied medicine before
becoming a priest, and wrote
a doctoral dissertation on
euthanasia.
The cardinal, however,
identifies euthanasia as
only one of many issues the
Church is facing amidst a
secularizing society.
Between 2003 and 2013,
the Catholic population of
the Netherlands declined
by 589,500. Catholics now
represent just 22.9 percent
of population, according to
2015 data.
The country underwent a
rapid period of secularization
during the 1970s and 80s,
and religious groups now
find it difficult to identify
their place in public life.
Euthanasia is one of the
most obvious symptoms
of this problem, Eijk said.
The Netherlands legalized
euthanasia and assisted
suicide in 2002. The cardinal
noted that Dutch society
is marked by abortion and
euthanasia.
The situation is similar in
Belgium, the Netherlands
neighbor. There, the cultural
push toward euthanasia has
affected hospitals owned
by the Brothers of Charity
religious order, whose lay-
majority board recently
voted to allow euthanasia
to be performed in their
facilities under certain
conditions.
Cardinal Eijk said
that the struggle against
secularization is mostly
cultural. We have to fight
these secularizing trends
with testimony, he said.
In the public square, he
said, Catholics have limited
possibilities, because they
are just a few, and because
among them there are
even fewer Catholics who
fully accept the Churchs
teaching.
Eijk said the solution is for
faithful Catholics to build a
culture of life by becoming a
creative minority.
When Benedict XVI
traveled to the Czech
Republic, he said that Czech
Catholics could be few in
number, but when a minority
is creative, we can achieve a
lot, Cardinal Eijk said.
The idea of a creative
minority, he explained, is
derived from the English
historian (Arnold) Toynbee.
He analyzed many cultures
and determined that the rise
of culture is due to creative
minorities.
And so, the cardinal
said, we should behave
as Catholics in a way that
shines with the culture of
life and fights the culture of
death.
In pragmatic terms, this
includes fighting euthanasia
through public testimony,
and by providing care for the
sick and suffering.
We work a lot to propose
bills or amendments to bills
in the Parliament, we explain
our positions in our journals
and websites, Eijk said. We
try to announce the Gospel of
Life as clearly and as often
as possible. (CNA/EWTN
News)
Francis tells mayors
Pope Francis mayors that they must go to those on
the margins of their communities in order to learn how
to best serve the common good, including the needs
of the poor, unemployed, and migrants and refugees.
To you, mayors, let me say, as a brother: You must
frequent the peripheries, those urban, those social and
those existential, the Pope said Sept. 30. To do so is
to learn from the best school, he continued, because
it teaches us about the real needs of people, shows us
injustice, and helps us to build better communities,
where everyone is recognized as a person and citizen.
Pope Francis speech was made in an audience with
Italian mayors, members of the National Association
of Italian Towns (ANCI), in the Clementine Hall of
the Vatican Sept. 30. (Hannah Brockhaus/CNA)
Pope Francis re-names Cardinal Burke to
Vaticans highest court
On Oct. 1, the Vatican announced Pope Francis
appointment of Cardinal Raymond Burke as a member
of the Supreme Tribunal of the Apostolic Signatura
the Holy Sees highest court which he previously
headed for six years. Burke, 69, is currently patron
of the Order of the Knights of Malta, which he was
appointed to in 2014 by Pope Francis. An expert
in canon law, he served as prefect of the Apostolic
Signatura from 2008 to 2014. Other members added
to the tribunal were Cardinal Agostino Vallini, 77,
and Cardinal EdoardoMenichelli, also 77. Vallini was
prefect of the Apostolic Signatura before Burke, from
2004 to 2008. He then served as Vicar General of Rome
until his retirement in May of this year. (Hannah
Brockhaus/CNA)

Pope Francis: Evangelization is about knowing

Iraqi nun: We pray for ISIS militants. It helps us forgive
ROME, Italy Three years ago, there
were 73 nuns with the Dominican
Sisters of Saint Catherine of Siena living
in Kurdistan. Since the Islamic State
captured the Plain of Nineveh in 2014,
one-third of them have died.
Sister Silvia is one of the survivors.
Surrounded by devastation, she said
that she is praying for those who
persecute her community, and learning
how to forgive them.
We pray for them every day as sisters.
We pray for them, for those bringing
peace, for our soldiers, for those who
help people have a better life, she told
CNA.
This prayer helps us forgivenot to
forget, because you cant forget, but to
not hate the other person. If we hate
others, that means that were doing what
the devil wants, not what Jesus wants.
Silvia had been living with 35 of her
fellow sisters at a convent in Qaraqosh,
Iraqs largest Christian city.
When we knew that ISIS has arrived,
Europes bishops appeal to continent to recall its Christian roots
MINSK, Belarus The annual
gathering of the presidents
of European episcopal
conferences began Thursday
with a strong appeal to the
continent not to waste itself
by forgetting its Christian
roots, and to shepherds of
Europe to talk about Jesus
to restore hope.
Cardinal Angelo Bagnasco
of Genoa, president of the
Council of the European
Bishops Conferences
(CCEE), set the tune of the
meeting in an inaugural
speech delivered Sep. 28 in
Minsk, where the gathering
is taking place.
This is the first time the
plenary session of the council
has taken place in Belarus.
The CCEE includes
presidents of the episcopal
conferences in forty-five
European states, including
countries not members of
the European Union, such
as Albania, Turkey, and
Russia.
Bagnascos speech was
focused on three main issues:
secularization, a wake-up
call to bishops to restore
hope, and the invitation to
the human heart
Pope Francis said that the work of evangelization
the first thing we felt was fear fear of ourselves and the peace we physically belongs to all people, and that the richness found in a
being taken prisoner by them, fear of live. Living in tranquility, in love, and variety of traditions can be a way of opening peoples
violence, fear of death. helping the people know Jesus because hearts to the Gospel. The new stage of evangelization
The sisterswhose community he is love. we are called upon to follow is certainly the work of
has lived in the Nineveh Plains and I say to all Christians that if we are the whole Church, people on the way to God, he said
Kurdistan regions of Iraq for 120 years really Christians, baptized in the name Sept. 29. Evangelization by its very nature belongs to
were forced to flee in August 2015. of Jesus, we must always trust in the the People of God. Referencing the Second Vatican
During ISIS occupation of the Nineveh fact that Jesus will be with them. Jesus Council document Lumen gentium, he said, From
Plain, some 100 places of worship were is with us. Jesus never leaves us. Even if every population to which we go, a wealth emerges
destroyed, mostly Christian churches. we turn away from him, he will wait for which the Church is called to recognize and value to
Now, thanks to the support of the us to return, she emphasized. bring about the unity of all mankind of which it is
pontifical foundation Aid to the Church Little by little, Christians have begun the sign and the sacrament. Pope Francis speech
in Need, about 1,000 Christian families to return to the Plain of Nineveh, but was part of a meeting with around 60 members of
have returned to their homes. Since there still remains much to be done. the Pontifical Council for the Promotion of the New
2014, the foundation has allocated $36.6 Weve asked Aid to the Church in Evangelization, at the conclusion of their plenary
million for food and housing projects for Need for help in rebuilding our convent, session Sept. 27-29. (Hannah Brockhaus/CNA)
the displaced Christians in northern Iraq. and to allow people to return as soon as
The estimated cost of reconstruction of possible, Sister Silvia said. Vatican office for evangelization of peoples gets
the Christian towns is $250 million. Around 30 sisters will return. We a new undersecretary
Looking forward, Silvia says, she will give hope to the people, we will The Vatican on Sept. 28 announced Pope Francis
hopes to continue the religious mission help educate them, because we have appointment of Fr. RyszardSzmydki, a Missionary
to which she has dedicated her life. schools to educate their children, and Oblate of Mary Immaculate, as the new under-secretary
My dream is to live in peace, she we will continue our catechesis in the of the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples.
said. Both my own peace, within myself churches and the schools, she said. Fr. Szmydki, 66, replaces Fr. Tadeusz Wojda S.A.C., an
because we are also at war within (ACI Prensa /CNA) official of the congregation since 2012 who was appointed
metropolitan archbishop of Bialystok, Poland on April 12.
Originally from Poland, Fr. Szmydki has been secretary
general of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 2014. He
holds a doctorate in dogmatic theology from the Catholic
evangelize by talking about happiness and freedom, as discouragement in front University of Lublin in Poland, where he also taught for
Jesus. opposed to democracy and of the difficulties of the several years. (Hannah Brockhaus/CNA)
The gathering took place the secular state. mission.
Sep. 28 Oct. 1. Among the Bagnasco noted that the Bagnasco spoke about Pope Francis: Charity is the soul of the
topics of discussion were current situation shows these a Christian awakening, Churchs mission
the future of young people kinds of secular ideas seemed explaining that the best On the Feast of St. Vincent de Paul, Pope Francis said
in view of the 2018 Synod, to be inadequate to respond ally of the Gospel is not that charity is central to the Churchs mission, and we
and the Churchs relation to the current crises Europe represented by our are called to share it with the world, especially those in
with Europe and European is facing. organizations, resources need. All of us, in truth, are called to water ourselves
institutions. This is the reason why, and programs, but by upon the rock that is the Lord and to quench the worlds
Bagnasco urged Europe Bagnasco said, the first goal human beings who maintain thirst with the charity that springs from Him, the Pope
not to waste itself and its of bishops of Europe must be the secret wish to meet said Sept. 27. Charity is at the heart of the Church, it is
bimillennial history that links to restore hope, as Europe someone who will help their the reason for its action, the soul of its mission. Pope
itself to Christianity, and cannot be depressed, conscience to re-awake, Francis sent the message Wednesday for the 400th
which produced fruits of uncertain about its soul, thus reawakening the anniversary of the start of the charism of the Vincentian
civilization and culture. weighed by tragic memory. decisive questions linked to Family, a group of organizations founded by or under
He invited Europe to love Bagnasco said that the existence, destiny, the the inspiration of St. Vincent de Paul, whose feast is
itself more and believe in Christianity must take the future beyond death, the Sept. 27. (Hannah Brockhaus/CNA)
its potential and to find commitment to revive mystery of evil that wounds
again the enthusiasm of its European roots, which the human being. Pope mourns victims of senseless Las Vegas
origins with the awareness can still blossom today as In the end, he said the shooting
of offering something nice they did in the past with commitment of European On the Feast of St. Vincent de Paul, Pope Francis
to humanity. so many achievements that bishops must be to reawaken said that charity is central to the Churchs mission,
Bagnasco noted that even cannot be overcome by questions, so that Europe and we are called to share it with the world, especially
Europe is experiencing the some shadows. can become a family of those in need. All of us, in truth, are called to water
ideological colonization The second commitment of nations, centered on the ourselves upon the rock that is the Lord and to quench
Pope Francis has often bishops must be to talk about dignity of the person. the worlds thirst with the charity that springs from
mentioned, most frequently Jesus, since secularizing Bagnasco said that Him, the Pope said Sept. 27. Charity is at the heart of
in reference to developing trends are not unstoppable, Europe could experience the Church, it is the reason for its action, the soul of its
nations. though they have obscured a new flowering of culture mission. Pope Francis sent the message for the 400th
This ideological the conscience of individuals and development, but only anniversary of the start of the charism of the Vincentian
colonization, he said, is the and people. The antidote to under the conditions that the Family, a group of organizations founded by or under
intention to live without Europes secularizing trends, dream of Europes founding the inspiration of St. Vincent de Paul, whose feast is
God, and gives the idea he said, is to announce fathers will be recovered. Sept. 27. (Hannah Brockhaus/CNA)
that religion is opposed to the Gospel, fighting the (CNA/EWTN News)
CBCP Monitor
Activist-actress turned Church
social worker shares story
Her striking stage presence
belied her training in theater,
but it was her candid sharing
on how her heart for the poor
was shaped by the Church that
made her Change Project
one of the most inspiring
fruits of the CBCP National
Secretariat for Social Action/
Caritas Philippines Lead to
Heal leadership program.
From activist, I became
an actress and now, this
is me sosyalista. Active
participation among the
members of the church
became the foundation of
my service, shared Analyn
Julian, who has been part of
the Archdiocese of Cotabatos
social action program for 17
years now.
According to her, since
becoming a Bible quiz bee
champion in Makati, she
always wanted to be in the
church.
Face of God
In my childhood, I
believed that the Church is
the face of God, said Julian.
Her initial admiration
gave way to doubt when she
become more aware of the
suffering of the poor and
marginalized.
But the time came that I
asked myself I saw a lot of
suffering. Is this all that the
Church can do? To pray, to
do catechism? At my young
age, I saw that there was
something lacking in what
the Church can do. Is this the
Church I want to be part of?
shared Julian.
Once her active
participation in the church
grew lukewarm, she would
join other movements to
uphold the rights of the poor.
I became an activist. I
joined the revolutionaries of
the street. I really backslid.
But God has ways to call
us back, said Julian, who
around the same time went
into theater.
It was not long before her
parish priest found out about
her experience in theater and
Iraqi Sisters look forward to coming home
IDPs from Qaraqosh sleep in evacuation centers after being driven out from their
hometown. ANKAWA.COM
WE have decided to return
to our towns.
Religious Sisters in Iraq are
planning to return to a key
town in the ancient Nineveh
Plains where they hope to
provide help and healing
for thousands of Christian
families returning there from
refugee camps.
We trust that our presence
in the area would encourage
the Christians to return
to their land and nourish
the Christian presence in
Iraq, said Sister Clara Nas,
Prioress General of the ISIS-
destroyed Immaculate Mary
(Al-Um Al-Tahira) Convent
in Qaraqosh, a large Christian
town in Nineveh, Iraq.
Historical records show
that the Assyrians of
Qaraqosh were one of the
very first peoples to embrace
Christianity
Despite 30 percent of
Qaraqosh being destroyed
by Daeshs (ISIS) genocidal
violence, the Sisters estimate
that about 1,050 families
returned to the town last
month (August). In total,
nearly 13,000 homes were
damaged or destroyed by
Daesh during their 27-month
occupation of Nineveh.
From 2014-2016, ISIS
jihadists sought to eliminate
Christianity in Qaraqosh
October 2 - 15, 2017, Vol 21, No. 20
Analyn Julian, Program Officer at CBCP-
National Secretariat for Social Action
tapped her to help lead the
parish youth ministry.
Julian would eventually
train the parish youth to stage
plays and concerts that would
become avenues to fundraise
for the churchs social action
programs.
Turning point
During her time in youth
ministry, she became a
scholar of the Basic Ecclesial
Community (BEC) through
the Handog Pag-Ibig
initiative, which were basically
voluntary contributions from
parishioners to help fund the
churchs social action programs.
For Julian, experiencing the
Churchs concrete compassion
became her turning point. I
chose again to be part again
of the ChurchThis was my
transformation.
Nassa/Caritas Philippines
in partnership with
Development Academy
of the Philippines, and
Future By Design Pilipinas
launched the 14-month Lead
to Heal transformational
leadership program with
24 fellows who were trained
to kickstart 24 Change
Projects that would help
improve how the Church
does social action work.
These Change Projects or
transformational stories of
humanitarian development
from across the country
were presented across 4
conversation platforms on
Sept. 23 at the Astoria Plaza,
Ortigas. (Nirvaana Ella
Delacruz/CBCPNews)
by destroying churches
and driving out Christians.
Qaraqosh was liberated
by Iraqi forces late last
year. Although thousands
of families have started to
return to their destroyed
hometown, many still fear
for their life as Iraqi forces
continue to battle ISIS in
nearby Mosul.
Aid to the Church in Need
is repairing the homes of
displaced Christians and
has also given funds to help
Catholic Sisters rebuild their
convent in Qaraqosh.
We have chosen this
convent because of its
location it is close to the
church, the priests house,
the policemens residency
and the primary school that
belongs to our congregation,
Sister Nas said
The Sister explained that
she intends to send members
of her congregation to the
rebuilt convent as and when
security and basic living
needs are met.
ACN is assisting the
Nineveh Reconstruction
Committee (NRC) to facilitate
the return of up to 15,000
Christians to Qaraqosh. The
NRC has so far restored 986
family homes in the area.
(Murcadha O Flaherty,
ACN UK)
NEWS FEATURES A3
Popes communications day theme:
Truth in age of fake news
VATICAN Given the strong divisions days theme is announced every year The popes message for the day will
sparked and fueled by fake news, Pope on Sept. 29, the feast of the archangels propose a reflection on the causes,
Francis is highlighting the importance Michael, Gabriel and Raphael. the logic and the consequences of
of truth in his message for World The theme Pope Francis chose disinformation in the media, and it
Communications Day. relates to so-called fake news will try to help promote professional
The message will call for studying namely baseless information that journalism, which always seeks the
the causes and consequences of contributes to generating and nurturing truth, and therefore a journalism of
baseless information and will promote a strong polarization of opinions, the peace that promotes understanding
professional journalism, which always announcement said. It involves an between people.
seeks the truth and therefore peace and often misleading distortion of facts, Most dioceses will celebrate World
understanding in the world, the Vatican with possible repercussions at the level Communications Day 2018 on May 13,
Secretariat for Communication said, of individual and collective behavior. the Sunday before Pentecost.
announcing the theme. With so many key players in the world The Vatican will release the popes
The truth will set you free: Fake of social media, internet and politics message for the observance Jan.
news and journalism for peace will be beginning to face the phenomenon, it 24, the feast of St. Francis de Sales,
the theme of the churchs celebration of said, the church, too, wishes to offer a patron of journalists. (Carol Glatz
World Communications Day 2018. The contribution. / CNA)
Popes trip to Burma comes amid textbook example of ethnic cleansing
NAYPYIDAW, Burma in 1948, and have suffered rights. society, she said. Its a
When Pope Francis visits violence, and the freedom to Maybe some individual religious conflict.
Burma, also known as move or access clean water Rohingya are acting out in Mark stated that the
Myanmar, this November, since a military coup detat self-defense, but to place religious element of the
his visit will come at one of in 1962. blame on Rohingya is conflict has been a concern
the most contentious periods After a different military misleading, Enos said. of the Commission since its
of the countrys history. regime took control in 1988, The military has a long, founding in 1998. As a result
Over the past month, state- with even harsher military long history of burning of this, weve been following
supported violence against crackdowns throughout the homes and villages, raping this very, very carefully and
Burmas Rohingya Muslim country, the country has been women and children. The for a long time, he said
community an ethnic and referred to as Myanmar. track record is so long that Weve recommended Burma
religious minority has Pope Francis will visit to place the blame on any be designated as a Country
reached staggering levels, the country in November, kind of radical agents within of Particular Concern every
causing the United Nations following stories of horrifying the Rohingya would be really year, a recommendation the
to declare the situation a human rights abuses and a inaccurate. U.S. Department of State has
textbook example of ethnic mass exodus of Rohingya While violence and followed each year its made
cleansing. civilians from Burma. discrimination against the such designations.
The scope of the The most recent wave of Rohingya people at the hands The long history of the
humanitarian crisis is violence began on Aug. 25, of Burmese authorities has conflict means that while
enormous and its ongoing, 2017, after which the Burmese been ongoing since the 1960s, there are immediate steps that
said Daniel Mark, Chairman military and local Buddhist with increases in persecution need to be taken to address
of the U.S. Commission vigilantes enacted a campaign in 2012 and 2015, the current the humanitarian situation,
on International Religious of burning Rohingya villages crisis is of particular concern, work to end the conflict will
Freedom, in an interview and massacring the civilians Enos said. She explained need to look at long-term
with CNA. Once again we within them. It is still unclear that the high levels of solution. This is all a result
unfortunately have another exactly how many people displacement and increased of the systematic exclusion of
terrible crisis thats focusing have been killed in the incidents of violence and these people from Burmese
peoples attention on violence, but Bangladeshi destruction set this conflict society, he explained. All
something thats already a Foreign Affairs minister A.H. apart from the ones that have the things were saying
terrible situation. Mahmood Ali has estimated come before. now about the treatment of
This is a deep and that at least 3,000 have died Also concerning, she said, Rohingya Muslims going
longstanding problem that so far. As many as 400,000 is the fact this conflict is forward are thing that we
weve been trying to call people have been displaced occurring after democratic have been saying all along,
attention to for a long time, within the past month. reforms which took place Mark continued.
but its going to need an Neighboring Bangladesh between 2011-2015. While Its been a tinderbox and
extremely long and concerted has accepted the majority the nation is becoming more that needs to be addressed.
effort to address, Mark told of those refugees, and more democratic, she said, military In the short term,
CNA. people have been internally still maintains significant Mark advocated for
Even addressing the displaced within the country. control within Burma. immediate humanitarian
immediate humanitarian The military claims the Furthermore, the countrys aid and assurance that
crisis is not going to solve this violence is a response to leader - Nobel Peace Prize humanitarian goods will
profound underlying issue attacks by a small group of winner Aung San Suu Kyi get to those in need of
of the Rohingya Muslims in Rohingya against border has remained silent when them. He also called for
Burma. agents in the Rakhine asked about the persecution accountability for human
For years, the Rohingya, province, which left 12 of the group within her rights violations and a
an ethnic group whose main officers dead. However, the country. cessation of violence. He
religion is Islam, have faced violence which includes To add to the worries, Enos also noted the need for the
grave persecution in the arson, sexual violence, and fears that by focusing on international community
Burmese state of Rakhine, internal displacement long the ethnic element of the to help support Bangladesh
where the majority of them precedes those attacks, and conflict, Western leaders as it takes in tens of
live. An estimated 1.1 million other demonstrations within may overlook its religious thousands of people a day,
Rohingya live within the Rohingya communities, said aspect. The vast majority of so a secondary crisis is not
majority-Buddhist country. Olivia Enos, a policy analyst people in Burma are Buddhist created there.
Members of the group have in the Asian Studies Center and they view the Muslim Attacks need to stop
been denied citizenship since at The Heritage Foundation, minority group Rohingya as and aid needs to start.
the foundation of Burma who specializes in human a threat to the native Burman (Adelaide Mena/CNA)
Whats the secret to 70 years of religious life? The Virgin Mary, this nun says
MEXICO CITY, Mexico Sister Crucita
has been a member of the Josephine
Sisters in Mexico for 70 years. At nearly
100 years old, she says she is happy with
her vocation and would not change her
decision to give her life to God.
In an interview with CNA, Sister
Crucita whose full religious name is
Sister Maria of the Royal Cross said
that the secret of her perseverance has
always been her trust in the mercy of
God and the support of the Blessed
Virgin Mary.
I say to the Blessed Virgin Mary,
Take care of me, you already know Im
yours. Deliver me from the snares of
the devil. The Blessed Virgin has taken
great care of me, she said. Sister Crucita. PHOTO COURTESY OF SISTER BEATRIZ
Through the Holy Rosary she was able
to persevere in face of the temptation She began thinking about a religious in Cuba. Later, in 1952, she arrived in
to abandon the religious life on many vocation after a group of religious Guadalajara and was assigned as a nurse
occasions, she said. sisters came to her home town. She even to the Civil Hospital. For many years
One of the strongest temptations discerned with a cloistered convent, but she was the supervisor of the pediatrics
was to want to leave the religious life, was forced to return home after two department.
because there were a lot of difficulties years, due to an illness. I see how the sick suffer and there
at the hospital where I was. The doctors Sister Crucita was introduced to are many who offer everything to God,
encouraged me to leave, but I trusted in the Josephine Sisters by a priest. She they dont complain or anything. So
God and the Blessed Virgin. And here I worked alongside the sisters at a local then I think, if they who are sick and are
am, thanks to them, she said. hospital for a few months, and then always thinking about God, then what
Sister Crucita was born Nov. 23, 1917 entered the novitiate. can I complain about. Anything on my
in the El Oro municipality in Mexico On Aug. 15, 1947, Sister Crucita made part is something passing and I offer it
State. From a very young age, she had a her final vows as a Josephine sister, at to the Lord, she emphasized.
love for Christ and the Church, thanks 30 years of age. Currently she goes to Sister Mara de la Cruz said that one of
to the devotion of her parents who took confession about every two weeks, prays her secrets to keep on going has always
her to Mass. the Holy Rosary three or four times a been to feel welcomed by the mercy of
I always liked going to Mass. I had day, and attends Mass daily. God: I know that He loves me much
an uncle who was a sacristan and I She said her religious vocation was more than I love him. I have always
liked to spend time with him. So I was always tied to her profession as a nurse. thought that He seeks me, he calls me,
always drawn to the things of the Lord, At the start of the 1950s, Sister Crucita that he is always with me. If something
she said. was sent to her congregations hospital Religious life / A6
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