Christmas this season in the Holy Land will be celebratory, despite ongoing blood-shed and war, the patriarchs of the Holy Land said, as Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa encouraged pilgrims to come back to the birthplace of Jesus.
“Pilgrimage is now absolutely safe and also important for society,” Pizzaballa said in Cologne Dec. 3, reported KNA, a Catholic news agency in Germany. The cardinal hoped that the relative calming of the war situation in Israel will lead to more pilgrims arriving again over the Christmas season.
Pilgrimages and religious tourism are an important economic factor for many Christians in the region, with many not able to make any income for their families as tourists disappeared and stores across pilgri-mage sites remain closed for the 14th month since Oct. 7, 2023. That is when Hamas attacked Israel killing 1,200 people, which ignited the Israel-Hamas war focusing on the Gaza Strip, destroying vast parts of the enclave and killing over 45,000, according to Gaza’s health ministry.
As Advent approached, the patriarchs and heads of the churches in Jerusalem issued a statement, however, that war this year won’t stop the joyful celebration of Christmas in the land of Jesus.
This year, the patriarchs said, they “encourage our congregations and people to fully commemorate the approach and arrival of Christ’s birth by giving public signs of Christian hope.” At the same time, the patriarchs asked all of the faithful to keep the suffering people of the Holy Land in their prayers, “reaching out to them with deeds of kindness and charity, and welcoming them as Christ himself has welcomed each of us.” This way, they said, “we will echo the Christmas story itself, where the angels announced to the shepherds glad tidings of Christ’s birth in the midst of similarly dark times in our region … offering to them and to the entire world a message of divine hope and peace.”
Nicaea Anniversary To Witness ‘Growing Communion’ Of Catholic And Orthodox
Pope Francis affirmed his intention to attend next year’s celebration marking 1,700 years since the first Council of Nicaea, in Iznik in north-west Turkey. “I am thinking of going there,” the Pope told participants at the Vati-can’s International Theological Commission last week. In a letter to the Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople Bartholomew I, he voiced his support for dialogue between the Roman Catholic Church and Eastern Orthodox Church occasioned by the anniversary.
“The now imminent 1,700th anniversary of the First Ecu-menical Council of Nicaea will be another opportunity to bear witness to the growing commu-nion that already exists among all who are baptised in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,” he said. This would “strengthen existing bonds and encourage all Churches to offer renewed testimony in today’s world.” A delegation led by Cardinal Kurt Koch, prefect of the Dicastery for Promoting Christian Unity, delivered the letter to Patriarch Bartholomew on 30 November, the Feast of St Andrew whom the patriarchate celebrates as its founder.
The first ecumenical Council of Nicaea in 325AD, conducted under the patronage of the Emperor Constantine, is recognised by both Catholics and Orthodox Christians.
Church Leaders Express ‘Hope’ That Syrian Regime Will Respect Christian Communities
Catholic Church leaders in the U.S., Rome, and the Middle East have expressed cautious “hope” that the new regime in Syria will respect Christian communities after a lightning offensive by Islamist rebel groups toppled the regime of President Bashar al-Assad.
Bishop Elias Zaidan of the Maronite Eparchy of Our Lady of Lebanon and chairman of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ (USCCB) Committee on International Justice and Peace issued a statement in which he called on the U.S. and the international community at large to support Syria as it “starts a new chapter in its rich history.” “In yet another dramatic development in the Middle East, after enduring more than a decade of bloody civil war, Syria is undergoing a national political transition that will surely impact the entire region,” Zaidan said.
The 53-year reign of the Assad regime crumbled in little more than 10 days after a coalition of so-called “rebel” forces led by the jihadist Sunni Muslim group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) swept through the war-torn country’s major cities of Aleppo, Hama, Homs, and finally Damascus on Dec. 8. HTS is notorious for its early roots in Al-Qaeda and has been designated as a terror group by the U.S. and the United Nations.
Sudanese Bishop Beaten By Paramilitaries ‘Unable To Eat’
Members of the Rapid Su-pport Force (RSF) seized Bishop Yunan Tombe Trille Kuku Andali of El-Obeid, subjected him to a beating and threatened to execute him as he travelled back to his diocese from a meeting in Juba, the capital of South Sudan.
He had attended a Eucharistic Congress on November 24 and celebrations for the Golden Jubilee of the Sudan and South Sudan Catholic Bishops’ Confe-rence, whose members called on the authorities to protect Bishop Andali following the attack.
“We condemn the violence against the innocent bishop and servant for all,” said Bishop Eduardo Hiiboro Kussala of Yambio-Tombura, in South Sudan. “We ask respect for this man of God and for all human beings,” he said. “We are deeply saddened and troubled by the news,” said Bishop Remijo Adam of Wau. He said Bishop Andali had told him in a text message that RSF gunmen had detained him and an aide as they crossed the border at the South Sudanese town of Renk, and beat him on the face, neck and the side of the head.
They had already been robbed by soldiers of the Sudan Armed Forces (SAF) during their travel. “I can’t eat food and worse of it, we narrowly missed martyr-dom,” said Bishop Andali in the message, explaining that the paramilitaries had been preparing to execute him and his companion when an RSF commander ordered their release.
Vatican: Former Choir Director, Manager Convicted Of Embezzlement, Abuse Of Office
A pair of former Vatican officials has been found guilty of embezzlement and abuse of office as part of a long-running investigation into financial irregularities at a prominent choir there. Monsignor Massimo Palo-mbella, who previously directed the Sistine Chapel Choir in Vatican City, and Michelangelo Nardella, who was the choir’s manager, were both found guilty in the Vatican City State Tribunal on various counts of embezzlement, laundering, and abuse stemming from their time leading the choir.
Nardella’s wife, Simona Rossi, was also convicted of embezzlement in connection with the scandal. News of financial improprieties at the choir first broke in 2018 amid reports that Palombella and Nardella used choir concert pro-ceeds for personal expenses. The Vatican launched an investigation that year.
Palombella resigned his position at the choir in July 2019. In January of that same year, Pope Francis issued a motu proprio that among other things moved the Sistine Chapel Choir under the administration of the Office of Pontifical Liturgical Celebrations. Palombella was sentenced to just over three years in prison as well as a fine of 9,000 euros (about $9,500); Nardella will spend four years and eight months in prison and pay 7,000 euros (about $7,400) in fines. Nardella was also served with “perpetual disqualification from holding public office.” Rossi, meanwhile, will serve two years in prison and pay 5,000 euros (about $5,300) in fines, along with a similar disqualification from public office.
Christians in Aleppo feel an uneasy calm amid rebel takeover of Syrian city
An uneasy calm hangs over Aleppo, Christian leaders report, following the recent lightning takeover of Syria’s second-largest city by Islamist rebels driving out forces of Syrian President Bashar Assad. Concerns also mount over government airstrikes.
“A relatively calm day compared to previous days,” a Catholic priest in Aleppo, who asked not to be identified given the sensitivity of the situation, wrote in a letter made available to OSV News.
“However, this doesn’t mean there haven’t been problems of various kinds: Certain food supplies are already running low in the modest market available, and the survival instinct is pushing people to gather anything that can feed them, starting with bread. Several distribution points in the city are emptying quickly,” he added.
“The situation is confusing. We don’t know what will happen. People outside cannot reach Aleppo because it is closed off and under occupation,” Andrea Avveduto, communications chief for Pro Terra Sancta, told OSV News by phone.
Pro Terra Sancta, based in Jerusalem and Milan, Italy, supports the Franciscan Custody of the Holy Land. Since the start of the conflict, it has aided Franciscan fathers in Syria by opening four emergency centers in Damascus, Latakia, Aleppo, Knayeh and Yacoubieh.
Asian Church must commit to interfaith talks: Cardinal Kikuchi
Cardinal Tarcisio Isao Kiku-chi of Tokyo has urged the Catholic Church in Asia, which is an “absolute minority” in the region, to commit itself to inter-religious dialogue. Kikuchi emphasized that the commitment towards inter-religious dialogue “is not a compromise of our con-viction, but to synergize our po-tential to create [a] better world,” the Crux reported on Dec. 9.
The Asian Church’s actions will aid in realizing the will of God through “peacebuilding, protection of human dignity, protection of the environment, eradication of poverty, and assisting people in difficult life situations,” Kikuchi added.
Kikuchi pointed out that the movement of people over national boundaries has been “a major cause of creating a challenging environment for many in Asia.” “The Asian Church is expected to be a champion of protecting [the dignity of people on the move],” Kikuchi emphasized.
Kikuchi who also serves as the president of Caritas Inter-nationalis, the Vatican’s social service wing, said that his appointment shows Francis’ “expectation for Caritas to be a front-runner of the Synodal Church.” “Being Synodal Chur-ch is what Caritas has been doing for many years all over the world,” Kikuchi remarked.
Kikuchi pointed out that having several cardinals among Asian bishops – especially among the leaders of the Federation of Asian Bishops’ Conferences (FABC) – symbolizes the Catho-lic Church’s expectation for the Asian Church to be “a front-ru-nner for the protection of human dignity.”
Promoting peace: Thai youth go the “Ektra” mile for religious harmony
Over 200 students from more than 40 schools in Thailand came together at the Sarasas Suvarna-bhumi Institute of Technology in Bangkok to present creative solu-tions for fostering interreligious harmony.
The event, titled “Extra Pea-ce: Project Presentation Compe-tition” held on Nov. 30, showcas-ed the ideas of 10 finalists from more than 40 schools, tackling some of the country’s most pressing issues related to religious understanding and coexistence.
The competition was inspired by the success of “Extra Peace,” a student team from Sarasas Ektra School, which received 100,000 THB in funding during the MISSION POSSIBLE: Youth Social Hackathon held in July.
The team used the funding to implement a project aimed at promoting dialogue among di-fferent religious groups, serving as a blueprint for the competition.
Finalists proposed diverse strategies to address challenges such as religious discrimination and fostering interfaith under-standing among youth.
Ideas ranged from creating immersive educational games and producing films to using rap music and augmented reality maps to highlight paths to inter-religious harmony and causes of religious conflict.
Chulabhat Tantichaibori-boon, leader of the Extra Peace team, said Catholic schools “are guided by values of love, compa-ssion, and respect,” adding, “Yet, our community is beauti-fully diverse, with students from many religious backgrounds.
South Korean Bishops: Martial law risks undermining hard-earned democracy
In a strongly worded state-ment released on December 4, the Korean Bishops’ Conference emphasized the importance of safeguarding democracy and called for an explanation and apology from President Yoon Suk Yeol over his declaration of martial law.
“The imposition of a state of emergency last night must have kept many Koreans awake,” the statement read. “Unless there is an urgent need, the government and administrative procedures of a state should be carried out in a normal manner and be known to the citizens.” The unprecedented move by President Yoon was announced live on television at 10 p.m. on December 3. He declared martial law, citing the need to “eliminate the pro-North Korean forces and protect the democratic constitutional order.”
“Constitutional lawyers agree that President Yoon’s declaration of the state of emergency raises numerous problems of procedural legitimacy. Although the state of emergency was lifted following a parliamentary vote, it is questionable whether the matter was serious and urgent enough to justify such a declaration, which was lifted after only six hours,” the statement read.
Kathmandu synodality forum: Indigenous people, ‘not the periphery but at the heart of the Church’
The Asian Forum on Celebrating Synodality and Indigenous Living Traditions in the Church in Asia was held in Kathmandu (Nepal) from 10 to 16 November 2024 to celebrate “Synodality and Indigenous Living Traditions in the Church in Asia”.
Various groups and individuals – lay people, priests, men and women religious, and bishops – belonging the Network of Ministries among Indigenous Peoples in Asia (NMAIPA) came together for the forum. Participants came from 13 Asian countries and various Indigenous communities, brought together by the Federation of Asian Bishops’ Conferences (FABC).
On December 08, the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Forum released its final statement.
“We have resolved to continue to journey on the path of a synodal Church with a preferential option for Indigenous Peoples, with renewed hope and determination to celebrate and safeguard Indigenous living traditions within the local Churches in Asia,” the press release reads.
The forum in Nepal noted the need to provide continuity to the reflection that led to the establishment of the ROOTS network-Catholic Network Among Indigenous Peoples of Asia.
“The network plans to bring together institutions and individuals interested in working for the well-being of Indigenous People towards deeper study, theological and pastoral reflection, and concerted action,” writes Fr George Plathottam, on behalf of the organising committee. “The Network is currently drawing up a detailed action plan – including organising training leaders in transformative community-based leader-ship”.
Participants were divided into four study groups “to continue study and reflection on major issues affecting the Indigenous Peoples of Asia.” The event provided an opportunity to celebrate “Indigenous wisdom”, which combines ancient practices with the values of sharing, acceptance, co-responsibility and healing.