January 3rd, 2007

This week's Lectio Divina (from the Carmelite Site).

The Memorial of the Holy Name of Jesus (as celebrated according to the General Roman Calendar).

El Greco's Adoration of the Holy Name of Jesus 1578/9

This memorial is celebrated today on the General Roman Calendar, but on the 14th of January according to the Franciscan and Carmelite calendars. More about this feast from the Catholic Encyclopedia and Wikipedia.

Catholic News Headlines

The Vatican has once again reaffirmed its stance on the Death Penalty. Jesuit Father Federico Lombardi, stated the following on Saturday, December 30th, the day that Saddam Hussein was executed by hanging:

A capital execution is always tragic news... reasons for sadness, even if it is about a person who has been guilty of grave crimes. To kill the guilty one is not the way to rebuild justice and to reconcile society. The risk also exists that, on the contrary, the spirit of vengeance will be fueled and new violence be sown. In this dark time of the life of the Iraqi people one cannot but hope that all those responsible will make every effort so that in a dramatic situation channels of reconciliation and peace will finally be opened.

from EWTN.com, and Zenit.org #ZE07010107.

Cardinal Giovanni Cheli, who served from 1978 to 1986 by appointment of Pope John Paul I as the Holy See’s permanent observer at UN headquarters in New York, is supporting a proposal by his successor, Cardinal Renato Martino, which calls for an international moratorium on the death penalty. Cardinal Martino is known as "the Vatican’s most outspoken critic of the death penalty" (a title to be proud of!).

from EWTN.com .

Pope Benedict XVI stated in his public statement on January 1st, The Solemnity of Mary Mother of God:

Today we contemplate Jesus, born of the Virgin Mary, in His attribute of true 'Prince of Peace.' He 'is our peace,' Who came to break down the wall that divides men and peoples, in other words 'hostility'... it was Paul VI who wished "that the year should begin under the protection of Most Holy Mary, venerated as the Mother of God" and that January 1 "should mark the World Day of Peace, so that each year may start in the light of Christ, the great pacifier of humanity...
Today, I renew my hope for peace to the governors and leaders of nations and of international organizations, and to all men and women of good will. I do so particularly with the special Message that I prepared together with my collaborators in the Pontifical Council of Justice and Peace and that has as its theme this year: 'The Human Person, the Heart of Peace'.
That Message, touches upon an essential point: the value of the human person, who is the column that supports the entire grand edifice of peace. Today there is much talk of human rights, but it is often forgotten that they need a foundation that is firm, not relative or subjective. This foundation can only be the dignity of the person. And respect for this dignity begins with the recognition and protection of people's right to live and profess their own religion freely.
...To the Holy Mother of God we trustingly address our prayer that sacred respect for all human beings and the firm refusal of war and violence may develop in people's consciences. Help us, Mary, you who brought Jesus into the world, to welcome from Him the gift of peace and to be sincere and courageous builders of peace.

Archbishop Charles Chaput of Denver has protested that international officials are ignoring the suffering of Christians in Iraq. In the Washington Times, Archbishop Chaput observed that the Christian minority in Iraq has endured “a disproportionate burden of violent attacks and other human-rights abuses.” The archbishop co-authored the Times essay along with Felice Gaer, who chairs the US Commission on International Religious Freedom.
The Times column observed that religious minorities in Iraq are being subjected to intimidation by extremist Muslim groups, who have attacked their churches, shops, and homes. As a result many Christians have fled the country. The archbishop noted that while Christians constitute only 3% of the Iraqi population, they account for 40% of the refugees leaving the country.
The plight of these Christian refugees is aggravated, Archbishop Chaput and Gaer continued, because the UN has not yet recognized them as constituting a class of refugees in special need of protection and aid.

It should be noted also that the persecution of Christians in Iraq only began after the US invasion in March 2003.