Daily Archives: November 3, 2019

Asian

Philippines to host world’s tallest Marian statue

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The tallest statue of the Virgin Mary in the world is about to be ready in the Philippines.

Almost 100 meters (315 feet) high, the statue is expected to be ready in 2021, in time for the 500th anniversary of Christianity’s arrival in the Philippines

The Marian monument-sculpture-shrine of The Mother of All Asia, also called “The Tower of Peace,” is located at the Montemaría (literally, “Mary’s Mount”) Pilgrimage Site in Batangas City, some 310 km south of the national capital of Manila.

It was designed by the renowned (and recently deceased) constructivist Filipino sculptor Eduardo De Los Santos Castrillo.

The Mother of All Asia will then be the tallest statue of the Virgin Mary in the world, a position now occupied by the Venezuelan 153-feet-tall “Our Lady of Peace” statue, which was built in 1983.

The Montemaría Pilgrimage site’s centrepiece, this image of the Virgin Mary is dedicated to the unity and peace of all peoples and countries in Southeast Asia.

Asian

Redemptorists in Vietnam mark mission’s 50 years

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Redemptorist missionaries have improved the religious and material lives of tens of thousands of ethnic groups in Vietnam’s Central Highlands despite challenges and sufferings for half a century.

Thousands of Catholics from the ethnic Jarai, Bahnar and Kinh majority groups attended special ceremonies on Oct. 14-16 to commemorate the start of the Redemptorist mission in Gia Lai province 50 years ago.

Bishop Alosius Nguyen Hung Vi of Kontum presided at the Mass held at Pleikly Evangelization Centre, the cradle of Catholicism for Jarai villagers.

Bishop VI said the local Church was extremely grateful to Redemptorist Missionaries who volunteered to live among ethnic villagers, brought the Good News to them, translated the Scriptures into their languages and helped them conserve their cultures.

He said at first only four Redemptorists worked with the Jarai group and later with other ethnic groups.

Asian

New Sri Lankan president must unite nation, says Caritas

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Caritas  Sri Lanka has stressed the need for only candidates committed to restoring national unity to stand for the presidency next month. The charity-linked Catholic National Commission for Justice, Peace and Human Development said it had studied various aspects of the current political scene, plus a range of social and economic issues faced by the people.

The commission wants to see the introduction of an action plan to combat ethnic and religious conflicts as well as concerns about missing people and enforced disappearances.

“Draft a new constitution in consultation with all stakeholders in order to ensure devolution of power and to fulfil the aspirations of all communities,” urged the Catholic charity, which is also the national secretariat of the Justice, Peace and Human Development Commission of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference.

“Establish an independent judiciary supported by a culture of justice and transparency,” it continued, “and introduce good governance in all state and private institutions, with proper monitoring mechanisms, and restore law and order in the country.”

Asian

Catholic mystic singer found safe in Bangladesh

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Police in northern Bangladesh have found a prominent Catholic mystic singer safe and sound nearly a month after his mysterious disappearance. Subas Rozario, 40, was found alive and well in Hari Narayanpur, a village in Kushtia district, on Oct. 18, police said. The village is close to the mausoleum of Lalon Shah, a 19th century Bengali musician, philosopher, humanist and social reformer who popularized baul (mystic) philosophy and songs.

International

Bishop bans yoga for being ‘unchristian’

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Catholic schools under the patronage of the Diocese of Water-ford and Lismore have been told by their bishop not to do yoga in the classroom because it is not Christian. In a letter to schools sent on 10th October, Bishop Phonsie Cullinan said yoga was not suitable for a parish school setting, “especially not during religious education time.”

Explaining to school staff that he had been asked by several people to speak about yoga and mindfulness, the bishop indicated that schools need to incorporate Christian mindfulness which he said was “not mindlessness but is meditation based on Christ.”

Elsewhere in his letter, Dr Cullinan reminded staff that October is the “month of the Rosary” and he encouraged principals and teachers to pray the Rosary and help children to spend time with Jesus in adoration or in quiet meditation in the classroom.

The Bishop also referred to a homily given by Pope Francis in 2015 in which he said: “Practices like yoga are not capable of opening our hearts up to God.” The Pope continued: “You can take a million courses in spirituality, a million courses in yoga, Zen and all these things but all of this will never be able to give you freedom.”

International

Learning from Kipchoge, the marathon marvel

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The first sub-two-hour marathon is an astonishing individual achievement, but it is also a lesson in leadership, as a distinguished African theologian explains. On 12 October, on a misty morning in a Vienna park, Kenyan athlete Eliud Kipchoge completed a marathon in 1 hr 59 min 40.2 sec. His feat captivated the imagination of people around the world, far beyond the sporting community.   I take away from his astonishing achievement.‘You cannot train alone and expect to run a fast time. There is a formula: 100% of me is nothing compared to 1% of the whole team. And that’s teamwork. That’s what I value.’

National

Mulakkal case: Christian women condemn Church inaction

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The Indian Christian Women’s Movement (ICWM) has criticized the Church for its inaction as the survivor nun in the Mulakkal case continues to face harassment and slander. The ecumenical women’s group offered solidarity and support to the alleged victim of rape by Bishop Franco Mulakkal of Jalandhar.

The ICWM “stands solidly, every step of the way, with the survivor nun in her quest for justice in the Franco Mulakkal case,” says a statement the group’s national team issued on October 25. The bishop stood trial from November 11 in the District Court of Kottayam, Kerala.

On October 19, the survivor nun had filed a complaint alleging that Malayalam YouTube channel Christian Times harassed her at the behest of Bishop Mulakkal.

The survivor also wrote to the Kerala State’s Women’s Commission, and the National Women’s Commission that she has been experiencing humiliation because of the slander campaign against herby Bishop Mulakkal and his followers. “After filing the complaint against Bishop Franco, a YouTube channel called Christian Times has been constantly maligning me and my fellow sisters. We suspect that the channel is run by Bishop Franco and his fellow workers,” said the survivor’s letter.

National

Incidents of violence, discrimination not conforming to India”s legal protections for minorities: US

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Incidents of violence and discrimination against minorities, including attacks on Dalits and Muslims by cow vigilantes, are not in keeping with India”s legal protections for minorities, a top US diplomat told a Congressional subcommittee on Oct. 22.

“Incidents of violence and discrimination against minorities in India, including cow vigilante attacks against members of the Dalit and Muslim communities, and the existence of anti-conversion laws in nine states are not in keeping with India”s legal protections for minorities,” Acting Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asia Alice G Wells told Subcommittee on Asia, the Pacific, and Non-proliferation of the House Foreign Affairs Committee.

She said the US calls upon the Indian government to “fully” uphold the universal right to religious freedom and protect vulnerable individuals, “including the 1.9 million people in Assam at risk for statelessness because of questions about their citizenship; condemn all incidents of violence; and hold perpetrators accountable.”

Last May, 68% of eligible Indian voters went to the polls for an historic election, Wells said, adding Indians of every religion, caste, sect, and socioeconomic background participated in the remarkable display of parliamentary democracy, which also witnessed a record turnout of women voters.

National

Church needs to address crises with transparency, accountability

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Transparency and accountability are necessary while addressing crises in the church, stressed the Association of Moral Theologians of India (AMTI) in its latest meeting.

The recent crisis in the Church, especially due to the abuse scandal, according to many is the biggest in the history of the Church. Some others would say that it should be considered at least as the biggest crisis since Reformation. Although it began as an issue in the Western countries, it is becoming clear that no part of the world is immune to this crisis, said Father Shaji George Kochuthara, president of AMTI.

International

Nigerian, other African bishops stand against xenophobia in South Africa

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In early September, violent riots targeting several stores owned by foreigners broke out across South Africa, in Johannesburg, Pretoria and surrounding areas. At least 10 people, including two foreigners, were reportedly killed in days of violence that erupted after armed mobs razed and vandalized several businesses and stores owned by immigrants. South African police in a Sept. 3 statement said they had arrested 189 people.

This is not the first time that foreigners have been targeted in South Africa. Nigerians, Zimbabweans, Somalis and Kenyans, among others, have all been victims of anti-foreigner violence. The 2008 attacks on foreigners and their investments in South Africa obviously marked the dawn of xenophobic attacks against foreigners living in South Africa.