Mother Teresa to be made saint at Vatican ceremony

VATICAN CITY -- Mother Teresa of Calcutta, a Nobel peace laureate known as the "saint of the gutters" during her lifetime, will be made a saint of the Roman Catholic Church on Sunday.

More than 100,000 pilgrims are expected to attend a service led by Pope Francis in St. Peter's Square at the Vatican to honor the tiny nun who worked among the world's neediest in the slums of the Indian city now known as Kolkata.

Her legacy fits neatly with Francis's vision of a poor church that strives to serve the poor, and the ceremony will be a highlight of his Holy Year of Mercy which runs until Nov. 8.

Mother Teresa and her Missionaries of Charity (MoC) order have been criticized both during her life and since her death in 1997, but many Catholics revere her as a model of compassion.

Thousands attended a papal audience on Saturday in the Vatican, where a large canvas of the late nun in her blue-hemmed white robes hung from St. Peter's basilica.

"Her testimony makes us reflect and transform...and make a better world," Brazilian priest Carlos Jose Nacimento said.

Critics say she did little to alleviate the pain of the terminally ill and nothing to tackle the root causes of poverty. Atheist writer Christopher Hitchens made a documentary about her called "Hell's Angel."

She was also accused of trying to convert the destitute in predominantly Hindu India to Christianity, a charge her mission has repeatedly denied.

But Pope John Paul II, who met her often, had no doubt about her eligibility for sainthood, and put her on a fast track to elevation two years after her death instead of the usual five.

The Church defines as saints those believed to have led such holy lives they are now in Heaven and can intercede with God to perform miracles -- two of which are needed to confer sainthood.

She is credited with healing an Indian woman from stomach cancer in 1998 and a Brazilian man from a brain infection in 2008.

The canonization will also be celebrated in Skopje, the capital of modern Macedonia where Mother Teresa was born of Albanian parents in 1910 and became a nun aged 16.

In Kolkata, where the first MoC mission was set up in 1952, there will be prayers, talks and cultural events, but no major ceremony.

Delegations from at least 15 national governments are expected at the Vatican.

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

Bishops face sack for child abuse 'negligence': pope

VATICAN CITY - Catholic bishops guilty of negligence in child abuse cases can now be dismissed from office, Pope Francis said Saturday in a move hiking pressure on the Church's hierarchy.

The move was announced just two weeks after the pope came under fire for meeting a top French cardinal accused of covering up for a paedophile priest in a scandal that has shaken France's Catholic Church.

The decision, which will also apply to other senior Church officials, was unveiled in a papal decree which said such cases would now fall under existing canon law allowing for prelates to be sacked for "serious reasons".

"The Church, like a loving mother, loves all her children, but treats and protects with special affection the smallest and most helpless," the papal decree said.

Pope Francis came to power promising a crackdown on cover-ups and a zero tolerance approach to abuse itself, but victims' groups have expressed discontent with his record on ridding the Church of the taint of paedophilia.

Known as an Apostolic letter, the text stresses the need for "special diligence" in caring for minors and vulnerable adults, with those who demonstrate negligence in tackling cases of abuse facing the threat of dismissal.

That diligence is required even "without grave moral culpability" on the part of the bishop involved, Vatican spokesman Federico Lombardi said in an explanatory statement.

"For removal from office, in the case of abuse of minors, it is 'sufficient for the lack of diligence to be grave' while in other cases a 'very grave' lack of diligence must be demonstrated," he added.

A "college of legal experts" -- cardinals and bishops -- has been set up to assist the pope reach a decision arriving at a definitive decision in a particular case.

The new approach will take effect from September 5, Lombardi said.

- The Barbarin case -

A string of historic paedophilia cases in North America and Europe has unleashed widespread criticism of the Catholic hierarchy, including allegations that in some cases bishops were aware of sexual predators among the priesthood but failed to curb them.

Last month, Francis held a surprise meeting with French Cardinal Philippe Barbarin, the under-fire Archbishop of Lyon who is suspected of covering up for a pedophile priest.

The meeting came just days after the pope was quoted as saying it would be "nonsensical and imprudent" to seek Barbarin's resignation at this stage.

It was not immediately clear whether the papal decree would impact on the Barbarin case.

French examining magistrates are currently carrying out two preliminary investigations to decide whether to pursue charges against the archbishop for his handling of the allegations against Bernard Preynat, a priest in his diocese who has been charged with sex abuse.

Police this week raided the offices of Nicolas de Boccard, a clerical judicial adviser to the Lyon diocese, sources close to the case said Saturday.

Barbarin will be questioned by shortly, the sources told AFP.

- 'Sceptical' -

A US group representing victims of paedophile priests suggested that the Vatican's initiative on Saturday sought to put a brake on efforts to stop abusers and bring them to justice.

"We're extraordinarily sceptical," David Clohessy, director of SNAP, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, said in a statement.

"Popes and bishops have long had the power, but not the will, to oust those who protect predators and endanger kids. They refuse to do this, and the consequences are devastating," Clohessy said.

"When it's advantageous to move quickly, Catholic officials move quickly. When they want to move slowly, or not at all, they set up commissions and 'processes' and the like."

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

Bernie gets mobbed by media in Rome, but no pope meeting

ROME, Italy -- He came (to Rome), he saw (the inside of the Vatican but not Pope Francis) and he conquered (the few dozen students and expats who turned out to see him).

In the process, Bernie Sanders got very nearly trampled by a Roman media scrum.

And with Pope Francis opting not to spend any time in the company of the Vermont senator, aides must have been wondering if the 8,500-mile roundtrip and two days out of the race to be the Democrat presidential candidate were worth it.

Sanders did have a few relaxed moments in the spring sunshine on Friday, strolling through the Vatican's Perugino gate to greet a group of around 30 American expatriates and students brandishing "Go Bernie" and "Feel the Bern" placards.

The relaxed meet and greet lasted only seconds however before a swarm of international media engulfed the democratic socialist.

Flustered, flushed and looking all of his 74 years, Sanders stumbled at one point and briefly looked as if he might fall to the Roman cobblestones.

"Can we get everyone back behind the barriers," one of the security team frantically shouted, before adding, more forlornly, "Could someone say that in Italian."

Having recovered his balance, Sanders shoved forward and regained his focus. "Are there any American reporters here?" he asked.

The rolling maul of cameras, microphones and sweaty hacks never made it back behind the barricades, so Bernie opted to deliver his explanation of what he was doing here from the middle of it.

He said he had come to Rome out of respect for Francis's positions on the global economy and the environment -- "historic and incredible" positions the pontiff happens to share with a certain Brooklyn native.

- 'Could not refuse invite' -

"What the pope is saying is that we cannot continue to go forward when so few have so much and when greed is such a destructive force, not only in the United States of course but around this world," Sanders said.

And he said Francis's intervention in the climate change debate had been a game changer.

"So when I received this invitation, and I know it's taking me away from the campaign trail for a day, it was so moving to me that it was simply something I could not refuse to attend."

Sanders had flown to Rome at the invitation of the Pontifical Academy of Social Sciences, a kind of Vatican think-tank on social, economic and environmental issues, for a Friday conference.

Some political commentators have suggested he was looking for a boost to his ratings among US Catholics with a trip that could be spun as an indication of Vatican endorsement.

Although the papal spokesman had made it clear earlier in the week there was no prospect of a personal audience with Francis, the pontiff would normally have turned out to greet all of the attendees at such a high-profile seminar.

On this occasion however he sent a letter of apology, citing his need to prepare for Saturday's trip to Lesbos.

Sanders was unlikely to get a warm greeting from two other attendees of the Vatican-hosted meeting -- Ecuador's President Rafael Correa and Bolivian President Evo Morales -- both known for being hostile to US interference in Latin America.

The 79-year-old pontiff will have an early start with a 7am flight to catch to the Greek island at the centre of Europe's migrant crisis.

Sanders may or may not have been disappointed with the papal no-show but American expatriates Linda Lauretta and Chelsie Nieman were delighted to have seen him in the flesh.

"We have been here since 9.30am this morning. We weren't sure where he was going to be but luckily one of the Swiss guards took pity on us and told us to come here," said Lauretta, an English teacher from New York state.

"I think a lot of Americans living outside of the US back Bernie because they have experienced different types of society and they can see them working."

Nieman, a graphic designer from Atlanta, added: "I've just been really impressed with everything that he stands for."

Why the Vatican changed the Way of the Cross

THE resurrection of Christ is the sum and substance of the Catholic faith.

So, for Catholics reflecting on the life and passion of Christ, shouldn't the Resurrection be the finale, or the last station of the "The Way of the Cross"?

The Catholic hierarchy has never kept it a secret that the Vatican, since 1991, at the time of Pope John Paul II, began promoting a new version of the Stations of the Cross in commemorating the death and suffering of Christ, which now includes the Resurrection of Christ.

The Way of the Cross originated from the first centuries of the Church, when devoted Christians reenacted the passion of Christ in Jerusalem between the 12th and 13th centuries, according to Fr .Paolo O. Pirlo, SHMI rector.

The Franciscans popularized the devotion around the word, introducing the 14 traditional stations in all Catholic Churches, so that those who were impeded to travel to Jerusalem could reenact Jesus' passion in their own parishes. That is now called the Traditional Way which ends with the burial of Jesus.

Pope John Paul wanted the spotlight on the Resurrection; hence the changes. Does anybody know how many times Christ really fell while carrying the cross? Here are the old or traditional version and the new one. What's new? What's missing? Spot the difference.

Mobile users can view the desktop version of the slideshow here.

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

Pope Francis posts first picture on Instagram

VATICAN CITY - Pope Francis posted his first photo on Instagram on Saturday, a picture showing him kneeling down praying, on the third anniversary of his inauguration as Holy Father.

"I want to walk with you along the way of God's mercy and tenderness," he wrote on the photo-sharing platform, under the account name franciscus.

"Instagram will help to tell the story of a papacy, letting everyone who wants to come along and get to know the papacy of Pope Francis," said Vatican communications chief Dario Vigano.

Photos from Vatican daily the Osservatore Romano will be posted, as well as brief videos, "to try to show details which demonstrate .. aspects of intimacy and inclusion which Pope Francis lives every day," he said.

Pope Francis met Instagram chief and founder Kevin Systrom at the Vatican last month. Instagram, which was acquired by social media giant Facebook in 2012, had over 400 million users as of the end of February.

The pope has some 30 million followers in nine languages on Twitter, which he joined in 2012 under the handle @pontifex -- the word "pope" in Latin.

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

Pope Francis to join Instagram

VATICAN - Pope Francis will make his Instagram debut on Saturday, joining the likes of Justin Bieber and Cristiano Ronaldo on the image-sharing forum under the handle Franciscus, the Vatican confirmed Wednesday.

The date for the pontiff's debut on the celebrity-dominated social medium was chosen by the 79-year-old himself as it marks the third anniversary of his inauguration as the leader of the world's 1.2 billion Catholics.

The move represents the latest plank of a Vatican social media strategy designed to ensure Francis's message reaches a maximum number of believers and non-believers across the world with particular focus on the younger generation.

Francis is already a major player on Twitter. Under the @Pontifex handle he tweets in nine languages, including Latin, with the English account followed by nearly nine million people and the Spanish one by more than 11 million.

The move to join Instagram has been anticipated for some time as it is now bigger and faster-growing than Twitter with some 400 million users worldwide.

Kevin Systrom, Instagram's CEO and co-founder, met the pontiff at the Vatican last month, later revealing they had discussed "the power of images to unite people across different cultures and languages."

In a post on his own Instagram account, Systrom also said: "It was by far one of the most memorable experiences of my life!"

Francis joined the Twittersphere four days after his March 2013 election with what has become his trademark appeal to believers to "pray for me."

The central importance of prayer has been a recurring theme of the tweets that have followed, at a rate of a little under one a day.

Some have been barely comprehensible to non-Catholics such as: "The Sacraments, especially Confession and the Eucharist, are privileged places of encountering Christ."

But it has not all been theology. He has also used the medium to react to global events like Typhoon Hiayan/Yolanda, or voice his views on the social issues of the day.

Francis has also demonstrated a nice line in homespun tips for living, such as: "I cannot imagine a Christian who does not know how to smile."

To date however his Twitter feed has been short on images with only two photographs and one short video clip uploaded.

And given that he nearly always wears the same clothes and spends most of his time in one place, generating an interesting photo stream for Instagram will present some challenges for his media team.

On the upside, Francis does have a steady flow of interesting visitors, he gets to some remote places and he does have exclusive access to the artistic treasures of the Vatican museums.

Francis's interest in the Internet was underlined in January when he spoke out against online trolls. He has also hosted major figures in the new digital economy, including Google boss Eric Schmidt and Apple supremo Tim Cook.

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

Pope urges return to simple values at Christmas

VATICAN CITY, HOLY SEE - Pope Francis ushered in Christmas by urging the faithful to reject the materialism that pervades the gift-giving season, and to embrace "simple, balanced" values, as violence subdued festivities in the Holy Land.

The pontiff, at his annual Christmas Eve Mass at Saint Peter's Basilica, called on Christians everywhere to push back against the excesses of modern society, which he said was "so often intoxicated by consumerism and hedonism, wealth and extravagance, appearances and narcissism".

Christianity calls on believers "to act soberly -- in other words, in a way that is simple, balanced, consistent, capable of seeing and doing what is essential," said the 79-year old pope, leader of the world's 1.2 billion Catholics.

In many countries across the world, Christians were fearful for their future, and some were even prohibited from celebrating the holy day, a state of affairs that did not go ignored by Francis.

"In a world which all too often is merciless to the sinner and lenient to the sin, we need to cultivate a strong sense of justice, to discern and to do God's will," the Argentine pontiff said.

Condemning a "culture of indifference which not infrequently turns ruthless", the pope asked Catholics to combine prayer with an attitude of "empathy, compassion and mercy" after a year of global unrest that saw one million migrants and refugees, mostly from Syria, reach Europe in search of a better life.

Amid an unusually heavy security presence in Saint Peter's Square, the visibly pale pontiff, who is reportedly suffering from the flu, in a hoarse voice called on believers at risk of persecution to resist fear.

'PRAYING FOR PEACE'

Half a world away in Bethlehem, the head of the Roman Catholic Church in the Holy Land arrived for the traditional midnight mass at the Church of the Nativity -- built over the site where Christians believe Jesus was born.

Travelling from Jerusalem nearby, the Jordanian Latin patriarch Fouad Twal would have had to pass through the Israeli wall that separates the two cities, with Bethlehem located in the occupied West Bank.

A wave of violence has led to a sharp decline in pilgrims visiting Bethlehem and the rest of the Holy Land this year, and only a sparse crowd was on hand to welcome Twal's procession.

Violent protests and a series of Palestinian attacks on Israelis since October have killed 129 Palestinians, 19 Israelis, an American and an Eritrean. Many of the Palestinians were attackers, while others were killed in clashes.

The Bethlehem mass commemorating the birth of Jesus will be dedicated to victims of violence and their families, Twal said, with celebrations "moderate" due to violence in the Palestinian territories, Israel and the world.

Twal has also called for parishes to switch off Christmas tree lights for five minutes in solidarity with victims of violence and terrorism. Lights on trees in Manger Square were shut off for a few minutes at 7:00 pm.

The plight of embattled Christians in the Middle East, especially where they have been threatened by the advance of Islamic State group, has been thrown into the spotlight this year, and in Iraq, the mood was also sombre.

"We are praying for the restoration of peace and security and the return of the displaced to their land," said one worshipper, Farida, as she arrived at Our Lady of Salvation church in Baghdad, one member of a dwindling Christian community trickling in to churches.

She said 12 of her relatives lost their homes when IS took over Iraq's second city Mosul in 2014 and ordered Christians to convert to Islam, pay a heavy tax as second-class citizens or face death.

In Somalia, the government has banned celebrations of Christmas and New Year in the Muslim majority country, saying the festivities might attract Islamist attacks.

The same is true in oil-rich Brunei, where the country's authorities have threatened five-year jail sentences for those who violate a ban imposed on "open and excessive" celebrations.

And in the troubled nearby southern Philippines, seven Christian farmers were killed as Muslim guerrillas launched a series of attacks.

Meanwhile, the US and British embassies in China issued an unusual warning about possible threats against Westerners in a popular Beijing neighbourhood ahead of the Christmas holiday.

And security was due to be stepped up at churches in France for mass, following last month's jihadist attacks in Paris that left 130 people dead.

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

Pope Francis to allow all priests to forgive abortion

VATICAN CITY - Pope Francis will give all priests discretion during the Roman Catholic Church's upcoming Holy Year to formally forgive women who have had abortions, in the Argentine pontiff's latest move towards a more open and inclusive church.

In Church teaching, abortion is such a grave sin that those who procure or perform it incur an automatic excommunication, which can only be lifted by designated church officials.

However, from Dec. 8 to Nov. 26, during an extraordinary Holy Year or "Jubilee" on the theme of mercy, all priests will be able to do so if the women repent "with a contrite heart", the pope said in a letter published by the Vatican on Tuesday.

Francis described the "existential and moral ordeal" faced by women who have terminated pregnancies and said he had "met so many women who bear in their heart the scar of this agonizing and painful decision".

The pope's letter did not mention those who perform abortions.

Francis is the first non-European pope in 1,300 years and has marked himself out for tolerance on taboo topics. Although he has shown no intention of retracting the Church's opposition to abortion, he has alarmed conservatives by taking a less forceful tone than his predecessors.

"This is by no means an attempt to minimize the gravity of this sin, but to widen the possibility of showing mercy," Vatican chief spokesman Father Federico Lombardi told reporters.

Deputy Vatican spokesman Father Ciro Benedettini said that "for now" the change would apply only during the Holy Year.

Usually only a bishop, missionary or the chief confessor of a diocese can offer absolution for an abortion, Benedettini said, although bishops in countries such as the United States and Britain, have delegated this authority to parish priests.

Boston College theology professor James Bretzke said the Pope was "emphasizing mercy and not retribution ... embracing reconciliation and not excommunication".

Liberal group Catholics for Choice welcomed the move as a gesture of engagement with women, but said Catholic women in the United States have abortions at the same rate as non-Catholics, highlighting the gulf between religious teaching and real life.

"This is a pope who is not stuck in the pelvic zone, and perhaps his message on how he thinks about abortion is more for his brother bishops than Catholics in the pew," Catholics for Choice President Jon O'Brien said.

INDULGENCES

The Holy Year is one of the 1.2 billion-member church's most important events, and sees the faithful make pilgrimages to Rome and other religious sites. It takes place every 25 years unless a pope decrees an extraordinary one to bring attention to a particular topic or need.

Catholics performing pilgrimages or good works during the Holy Year can traditionally gain indulgences, or the remission of punishment for sins, under certain conditions.

Unlike in previous holy years, when pilgrims had to come to Rome, cathedrals and other religious venues around the world are expected to be designated national pilgrimage sites.

In his letter, the pope also said indulgences would be available to prisoners who cannot pass through the Holy Doors of the papal basilicas in Rome and the Vatican City, which are bricked up in non-Jubilee years.

Of prisoners, Francis said: "May the gesture of directing their thought and prayer to the Father each time they cross the threshold of their cell signify for them their passage through the Holy Door."

Holy Year activities will also be open to adherents of the ultra-traditionalist Roman Catholic splinter group known as the Society of Saint Pius X (SSPX).

The Swiss-based SSPX, which rejects some of the reforms made at the historic 1962-1965 Second Vatican Council, defied Rome in 1988 by illegally consecrating four bishops, triggering their excommunication by the late Pope John Paul.

Pope Benedict lifted the excommunications in 2009 and made some concessions to the group. But one of the bishops, British-born Bishop Richard Williamson, caused an uproar by denying the Holocaust.

(Additional reporting by Philip Pullella,; Editing by Raissa Kasolowsky and Crispian Balmer)

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

Pinoy boy shares encounter with Pope Francis

ITALY – A seven-year old Filipino boy's Christmas was even made more meaningful after his encounter with Pope Francis in the Vatican.

Nathan Reyn Martin Gutierrez was among the eight children—four boys and four girls—who are of Korean, Filipino, Italian and Chinese descent selected to offer flowers during the Christmas Eve mass at St. Peter's Basilica.

"Masaya," said the grade 2 pupil of Conrado Ferrini when asked about how he felt.

The boy felt even more blessed after Pope Francis gave him a kiss.

Guiterrez described the Pope as "kind and handsome".

Born in Italy, Gutierrez grew up in a religious family. They hear mass every Sunday at the Alliance of Two Hearts Vescovio Filipino Community.

"Pinalakas namin ang kanyang loob para hindi siya mahiya na maglakad sa maraming tao, iba-ibang lahi at iba-ibang nasyon," said his father, Erwin.

His mother Rebecca is equally proud of him.

"Proud din at masaya dahil sa lahat ng bata sa Italy ay siya ang napili na makaharap ang Papa at mag offer ng bulaklak," she said. Report from Jocelyn Ruiz, ABS-CBN Europe News Bureau

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

Pope mistakenly says Italian word for 'f--k'

Pope Francis committed a mistake during his Sunday address in Saint Peter's Square.

The Pope accidentally said the Italian counterpart of the "f" word instead of saying caso, which is Italian for "example." He was calling for an end to the conflict in Ukraine.

A transcript from the Vatican of the Pope's speech in Italian reads:

"Se ognuno di noi non accumula ricchezze soltanto per sé ma le mette al servizio degli altri, in questo caso la Provvidenza di Dio si rende visibile in questo gesto di solidarietà."

Loosely translated into English, the text says: "If each of us does not accumulate riches only for himself but puts them at the service of others, in this case the Providence of God is made visible in this gesture of solidarity."

He did realize his mistake, correcting himself on the spot.




Francis also tweeted, "In life, we all make many mistakes. Let us learn to recognize our errors and ask forgiveness."



People have generally been forgiving.

They say, the Pope's mix-up is a common mistake for those who move from speaking Spanish to Italian.

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

Vatican recalls envoy over pedophilia accusations

VATICAN CITY - The Vatican has recalled its ambassador to the Dominican Republic and relieved him of his duties pending an investigation, after local media accused him of pedophilia, a spokesman for the Roman Catholic Church said on Wednesday.

The Dominican Attorney General later announced that a special prosecutor had been appointed to investigate Archbishop Josef Wesolowski, who has been nuncio, or ambassador, in the capital Santo Domingo for nearly six years.

Vatican spokesman Father Federico Lombardi said the Holy See had started a probe of Wesolowski and that he had been recalled "in the last few weeks," specifically over the pedophilia accusations.

"He has been relieved of his duties and the Holy See has begun an investigation," Lombardi said when asked about allegations against Wesolowski in the local media.

Wesolowski could not be reached for comment.

Weeks after his election in March as the first non-European pontiff in 1,300 years, Pope Francis announced he wanted the church to root out sexual abuse of children by priests and ensure that abusers are punished.

Monsignor Agripino Núñez Collado, a church official in the Caribbean nation, told reporters the Vatican acted as soon as the pope had been informed of Wesolowski's alleged "missteps."

He said Wesolowski faces possible punishment by the Vatican but may be immune from prosecution in the Dominican Republic because a nuncio has diplomatic status.

Dominican Attorney General Francisco Domínguez Brito told reporters the investigation would take into account national and international law, "given his status as a diplomat."

The prosecutor for the Santo Domingo district, Yeni Berenice Reynoso, said the probe was triggered by accusations broadcast on Monday by two local TV channels.

She said Wesolowski "must be investigated and punished in the (Dominican Republic) and not in the Holy See."

Wesolowski's whereabouts are unknown. Local media reports say he left the country in early August.

He is the second Polish priest in the Dominican Republic to be accused of child sex abuse this year.

Dominican authorities are also investigating Wojciech Gil, who was suspended by his religious order in the rural parish of Juncalito in May after local residents accused him of molesting altar boys, according to the church.

Gil was on vacation in Poland when he was suspended, the church said. It is not known if he returned to the Dominican Republic. He could not be reached for comment.

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com