Pope Francis and the Latin patriarch of Jerusalem called for peace after Israel declared “war” following a major attack by Hamas fighters over the weekend.
The pope said at the end of a public address on Sunday he is following the violence “with apprehension and sorrow,” and issued an appeal to “please stop weapons attacks!”
The head of the Catholic Church in Jerusalem, Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, called for a de-escalation of the situation in a statement Oct. 7.
“The continuing bloodshed and declarations of war remind us once again of the urgent need to find a lasting and comprehensive solution to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict in this land,” he said.
A series of rocket attacks and incursions on Israel from Hamas militants had reportedly killed hundreds and wounded many between Saturday and Sunday morning.
The surprise attacks began early on the morning of Oct. 7, the start of the observance of the Jewish holiday Simchat Torah.
Israel reacted to the attacks by fighting back in southern Israel and launching airstrikes in Gaza. Israeli military official Daniel Hagari told reporters Sunday morning that “hundreds of terrorists” had been killed during fighting in Gaza and southern Israel, the Associated Press reported.
Synod, October 4: Pope emphasizes role of Holy Spirit; Cardinal Hollerich calls for ‘new insights’
Following a two-year period of preparation, the first session of the 16th Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops opened on October 4 with Mass in St. Peter’s Square, an Italian-language greeting by Coptic Catholic Patriarch Ibrahim Sedrak, an address by Pope Francis, and an Italian-language report by Cardinal Mario Grech, before the longer introductory talk delivered by Cardinal Jean-Claude Hollerich, SJ.
The official theme of the Synod, which will continue with a second session in October 2024, is “For a synodal Church: communion, participation and mission.”
“Let the centrality of Christ be the guiding thread of this Synod,” said Patriarch Sedrak, one of the Synod’s presidents-delegate, who preside over the deliberations in the place of Pope Francis. “May He be the Alpha and Omega of our discussions, may He be the light that enlightens us our debates, may He be the final goal of all our efforts. Only in this way the Synod will be able to achieve his own goals.”
Synod, October 9: participants turn to new topic; Orthodox prelate draws sharp contrast between Eastern synodality, current Synod
On October 9, participants in the first session of the 16th Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops turned their attention to a new discussion topic: “How can we be more fully a sign and instrument of union with God and of the unity of all humanity?” An Eastern Orthodox prelate also told participants that the Synod he was witnessing in Rome “differs greatly” from the Eastern practice of synodality.
The first phase of the Synod (October 4-7) was devoted to a discussion of the Synod’s first module (For a synodal Church: An integral experience). The Synod’s second module (“Communion, participation, mission: Three priority issues for the synodal Church”) is divided into three topics:
· B1. A communion that radiates: How can we be more fully a sign and instrument of union with God and of the unity of all humanity?
· B2. Co-responsibility in Mission: How can we better share gifts and tasks in the service of the Gospel?
· B3. Participation, governance and authority: What processes, structures and institutions in a missionary synodal Church
The first session of the Synod concludes on October 29; the results of the Synod’s first session will form the agenda of the Synod’s second session in October 2024.
In the morning, participants gathered in St. Peter’s Basilica for the celebration of the Divine Liturgy according to the Byzantine rite (CWN coverage). Patriarch Youssef Absi, the head of the Melkite Greek Catholic Church, presided at the liturgy, and Cardinal Bechara Boutros al-Rahi, the Patriarch of the Maronite Church, preached the homily.
Reflecting on the Lord’s words that “the harvest is great, but the laborers are few,” the Maronite Patriarch preached:
“We read in the Instrumentum laboris [working document] that in a synodal assembly Christ makes himself present and acts, transforms history and daily events, grants the Spirit that guides the Church to find a consensus on how to walk together toward the Kingdom and how to help humanity move forward in the direction of unity,” Cardinal Patriarch al-Rahi continued.
What name for Jesus in the Indonesian language?
The Indonesian government will no longer use, in Bahasa, Indonesia’s national language, the term “Isa Al-Masih,” a word of Arabic origin, to refer to Jesus Christ and Christian holidays. An end will thus be put to the decades-long practice of using the term routinely used by believers of the Islamic religion, who draw from the Arabic terminology in the Quran. Beginning in 2024, public institutions will use the term “Yesus Kristus in both documents and speeches,” which baptized Indonesians of all denominations use in their prayers and liturgies. “There will be a change in nomenclature, as far as the names of holidays are concerned, in accordance with the Minister for Religious Affairs,” said the Coordinating Minister for Human Development and Culture, Muhadjir Effendy, in recent days, reporting that “the name Isa Al-Masih will be changed to Yesus Kristus.” The deputy minister for religious affairs, Saiful Rahmat, specified that the change was requested by representatives of Indonesian Christians.
The measure has generated mixed reactions and opinions in the public, which have also emerged in the Indonesian media. According to some Christians, it is the right decision because, in Christian liturgies the word “Isa Al-Masih” is never used, but “Yesus Kristus” is used. According to others, the change was unnecessary because “people already know that saying Isa Al masih refers to Jesus Christ, and the name is interchangeable.”
Two Asians speak at the Synod, giving voice to basic communities and those who are silent
Asia’s sufferings but also its gifts echoed yesterday at the Synod Assembly in the Vatican through the words of Vanessa Cheng, a lay woman from Hong Kong and a member of the Focolare movement, and Fr Clarence Devadass, a priest from Malaysia, during the public session that opened the days dedicated to the examination of the second part of the Instrumentum Laboris.
“Hong Kong society has been torn apart after two years of social unrest, the synodal process has helped the Church to restart. ‘Walking together” bears the fruit of healing’,” said Vanessa Cheng, citing the continent-level report.
In her description of the synodal path in Asia, she cited the image of “taking off our shoes”, which is deeply connected to the sense of the sacred that inhabits local communities.
Although Christians are but a “small flock”: 6.5 %, with Catholics just above 3 % they stand side by side with other great religions born in the continent, as well as all those who have no faith of their own and await the Good News. This is why listening rooted in respect is so central.
For Vanessa Cheng, “we must also be aware that many Asian cultures do not favour outspokenness for a variety of reasons, such as the fear of making mistakes and losing ‘face’, of not being accepted by one’s social circle, of being identified as problematic, disrespectful and challenging in front of all kinds of authority, and so on.
“As a result, many faithful may tend to remain silent instead of voicing their own views and concerns. Therefore, we need to pay even more attention to those who are silent for some reason. It is very important that the experiences of joy and wounds and the issues raised in the Report should be taken seriously.”
For his part, Fr Devadass notes, “Some may see us as small and insignificant, but we consider ourselves as unique and valuable parts of not just the church but also building and transforming human society.”
“In many parts of Asia, the Church takes the lead in the service of integral human development and the common good, especially in the fields of education, healthcare, and reaching out to the poor and marginalised groups in society beyond the boundaries of our churches.”
Lawyers, civil society support judge who fled Sri Lanka
Lawyers have decided to boycott court proceedings as protesters took to the streets in support of a judge who fled Sri Lanka after an order on a disputed religious site.
Rallies have been taking place in Northern and Eastern provinces almost all days this week, demanding independence of the judiciary after district judge T Saravanarajah quit and fled the nation.
He was handling the case of a disputed archaeological site, claimed by both Buddhists and minority Tamil Hindus as their place of worship with historical importance.
Saravanarajah’s resignation letter, dated Sept. 23 and addressed to the secretary of Sri Lanka’s Judicial Services Commission, said he was resigning because of the “threat to my life and stress.”
Civil society groups and lawyers organized a human chain on Oct. 4. covering 10 kilometers on the main road from Jaffna town to Maruthanarmadam in the Northern province.
Meanwhile, lawyers attached to the Bar Associations across eight districts in the two provinces have decided to boycott court proceedings till “a transparent and independent probe” is conducted.
President Ranil Wickremesinghe has called for a report after criticism from the Bar Association of Sri Lanka and civil society outfits.
Killed and kidnapped in a war not their own: dozens of Thais and Nepalese among Hamas victims
Victims of a conflict that is not theirs. There are also many Asian families among those mourning the dead of the Hamas incursion into the kibbutzim around Gaza or anxious about the kidnapping of loved ones.
It is no coincidence: the agricultural settlements of southern Israel are one of the areas where the work of migrants arriving from the Far East is most concentrated.
Migrants we have often talked about due to the harsh working conditions imposed by one of the most restrictive legislation in the world: they have residence permits strictly linked to temporary work contracts, without any possibility of accessing Israeli citizenship. Yet they too were treated as “collaborators”, without any mercy on the part of the Palestinian commandos.
Two deaths have been confirmed so far by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Bangkok, as communicated by the deputy minister Jakkaphong Sangmanee, but according to various sources, including Israeli employers, there are a dozen in total, to which should be added eight injured, two of whom are serious and 11 kidnapped by militiamen, the details of three of whom have been released.
13 Card Francis: inculturation and universality, the challenges for the Church in Malaysia
Bishop Sebastian Fran-cis of Penang (Malaysia) is among the 21 new cardi-nals created by the pontiff on 30 September during a ceremony held in St Peter’s Square.
Speaking to AsiaNews, he said, “Pope Francis told me to concentrate and focus my mission on the inculturation of the faith” in his country, promoting the path of evange-lisation in the local culture and “work for the universality, not uniformity of the Church.”
In his view, “These fa-ctors are the starting points of my mission in a new context, but always linked to the direction indicated by the pope, which we must follow.”
Card Francis was born on 11 November 1951 in what was then the Feder-ation of Malaya, the son of migrant pare-nts from Kerala (India).
Appointed as bishop of Penang in 2011, he is the second Malaysian in the country’s history to become cardinal after Archbishop Anthony Soter Fernandez of Kuala Lumpur, a former bishop of Penang (1977-1983) who passed away in 2020 at the age of 88.
About a hundred people – members of his family, priests and nuns, as well as people from his diocese and the capital – travelled to Rome to attend the ceremony that saw him elevated to the rank of cardinal.
With respect to evangelisation, the cardinal explained, “both Malaysia and the Asian continent as a whole are still young,” with a low average age and a youthful population in several countries.
Indian priest who joined Hindu nationalist party relieved of duties by bishop
An elderly Catholic priest in India’s Kerala state was suspended from priestly duties for joining India’s ruling BJP (Bharatiya Janata Party or Indian People’s Party), which is known for pursuing a Hindu nationalist agenda.
The BJP is the party of Prime Minister Narendra Damodardas Modi. The priest’s action took place at a time of rising persecution of Christians in India. According to the United Christians Forum (UCF), in the first eight months of 2023, 525 incidents of violence against Christians have been reported in 23 states of India.
“There was no option but to act, as it has become a scandal to the faithful,” Bishop John Nellikunnel of the Diocese of Idukki told CNA about the Oct. 2 suspension of Father Kuriakose Mattam, vicar of St. Thomas Parish of Mankua.
“His action violated the canon law, which prohibits priests from joining political parties without permission,” Nellikunnel said.
Elaborating further, Nellikunnel noted: “It seems that Father Kuriakose, who is close to retirement [he will be 75 in six months], was misled into joining the BJP. As the news spread, the priest was also disturbed. So, he was moved out.”
Father Jins Karackattu, spokesperson for the diocese, told CNA that a couple of local Catholics who are actively associated with the BJP had “lured” the elderly priest into joining the BJP two weeks ago, promising him a quick repair of roads in the area.
Religious leaders of Manipur meet for peace in Guwahati
Even as Imphal Valley was in turmoil over the disappearance of two students, Interfaith Forum for Peace and harmony, Manipur, were meeting with Kuki Church leaders searching for ways of peace.
While this meeting was the initiative of interfaith forum, it was prompted and supported by Archbishop Emeritus Thomas Menamparampil of Guwahati, who had visited Manipur four times since 3rd May violence, in an effort to begin a peace dialogue in some manner or the other. He was assisted by Father Tom Mangattutthazhe and Joshua Thiek.
In Manipur itself, Deben Bachaspatimayum had been working tirelessly to mobilize groups in favour of peace. The emergence of the Interfaith Forum for Peace and Harmony on June 5, of which Archbishop Menamparampil was chosen as the Convenor, was the fruit of his sustained effort.
Archbishop Dominic Lumon of Imphal, who was one of the founders of the Interfaith Forum was personally present at the meeting in Guwahati, made several insightful suggestions at key moments of the discussion.
Archbishop Menamparampil set a tone for the discussions with his initial remarks about the need of mutual respect and openness in dialogue. He pointed out that the time was sensitive and this was the first meeting of some significance.