ZENIT in Roswell, Georgia, United States for Friday, 17 June 2016 "With Video Message, Pope Calls Faithful to Join Charity’s ‘Be God’s Mercy’ Campaign..."

ZENIT in Roswell, Georgia, United States for Friday, 17 June 2016 "With Video Message, Pope Calls Faithful to Join Charity’s ‘Be God’s Mercy’ Campaign..."
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With Video Message, Pope Calls Faithful to Join Charity’s ‘Be God’s Mercy’ Campaign by Marta Petrosillo

International Catholic charity Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) has launched a worldwide campaign that calls on the faithful to help the sick and suffering around the world with acts of charity.
The “Be God’s Mercy” campaign has the Church’s most important backing—that of Pope Francis, who personally endorses the four-month-long initiative that will conclude Oct. 4, 2016. On that day, Feast of St. Francis of Assisi, ACN officials will present the Pope with the “first fruits” of the campaign.
At a press conference formally launching the campaign today, the Pope—in a video message—called on Catholics around the world to “carry out works of mercy together with ACN, in every part of the world, in order to meet the many, many needs of today.”
See the one-minute video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=475tyHQV1aQ
Projects that will benefit from the unprecedented fundraising effort—driven by all of the 22 national offices of ACN—will include pastoral ministry in prisons, drug rehabilitation centers, support groups for battered women; and aid for refugees.
The very first benefactor of the campaign is Pope Francis himself who—prior to a recent visit by an Italian delegation of ACN to Erbil in Iraqi Kurdistan—entrusted a donation to the organization earmarked for Iraqi Christians. The papal gift will be presented to St. Joseph’s Clinic in Erbil, which offers free medical care to around 2,800 refugees of various religious backgrounds.
Present at the press conference were: ACN’s international President Cardinal Mauro Piacenza, and General Secretary Philipp Ozores. Along with other members of the ACN delegation, the officials were received in private audience by the Pope just prior to the press conference.
The press conference—which was moderated by the Vatican’ media spokesperson Father Federico Lombardi—featured an account by Archbishop Sebastian Francis Shaw of Lahore, Pakistan, on how local Christian communities have reacted to the Easter bomb attack on a local park that killed 76 Christians, including 30 children.
Three projects in the “Be God’s Mercy” campaign will support the Church in Lahore, partly to aid victims of an earlier March 2015 attack on two churches in the city’s Christian; and partly to improve security measures for one of these churches, the Church of St John, as well as for the nearby diocesan seminary of St Francis Xavier.
The relationship between Pope Francis and ACN goes back a long way. As archbishop of Buenos Aires, then-Cardinal Bergoglio carried out a number of projects with the help of ACN, which he described, in a letter written to mark the 60th anniversary of the charity, as a “symbol of communion and fraternity with the suffering Church.”
For more information about the Be God’s Mercy Campaign, please consult the multi-lingual website www.acnmercy.org
Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=475tyHQV1aQ
Full English translation of the Pope’s video message on behalf of the charity, ACN:
“I want to appeal to all men and women of good will all around the world for a work of mercy to be done in each town, in each diocese, in each association. We, men and women, need God’s mercy, but we also need each other’s mercy. We need to take each other’s hand, caress each other, take care of each other and not make so many wars. I am looking here at the dossier prepared by Kirche in Not, a papal foundation, to carry out works of mercy in the whole world. I trust Kirche in Not with this work… I also entrust them to carry on the spirit they have inherited from Father Werenfried van Straaten who had the vision at the right time to carry out in the world these gestures of closeness, of proximity, of goodness, of love and of mercy. So I invite all of you, together with Kirche in Not, to do, everywhere in the world, a work of mercy but one that stays, a permanent work of mercy; a structure for so many needs that there are today in the world. I thank you for everything you do. And do not be afraid of mercy: mercy is God’s caress.”
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Aid to the Church in Need is an international Catholic charity under the guidance of the Holy See, providing assistance to the suffering and persecuted Church in more than 140 countries. www.churchinneed.org (USA); www.acnuk.org (UK); www.aidtochurch.org (AUS); www.acnireland.org (IRL); www.acn-aed-ca.org (CAN)www.acnmalta.org (Malta)
For Friday of Mercy, Pope Drops In on Elderly, Suffering Priests by ZENIT Staff

Continuing the series of Jubilee initiatives of the “Fridays of Mercy,” this afternoon Pope Francis dedicated his attention to priests.
The Vatican press office reported:
Precisely in the month in which he celebrated the Jubilee of Priests, addressing to them his meditations in the Roman Basilicas (June 2) and celebrating the Eucharist with them in Saint Peter’s Square on the Solemnity of the Sacred Heart of Jesus (June 3), the Pope wished to express his closeness and attention also to those priests who were unable to take part physically in the very beautiful Jubilee celebrations, but who are always present in his prayer and in his heart.
Therefore, tireless, the Pope chose not only one but two communities of priests where he went on a visit, in a long and intense afternoon, rich in meetings, emotions, spiritual joy and moments of prayer, after leaving the Vatican before 4:00 pm.
The first was the “Mount Thabor” community, where there are eight priests from different dioceses, suffering from differnt forms of hardship, accompanied by Permanent Deacon Ermes Luparia, former Colonel of Aeronautics, now specialized in psychology and dedicated to the service of accompaniment in the spirit of the Salvatorian Fathers. The Pope met with the priests guests in the small chapel, listening to them and praying for them.
Then Pope Francis went to the community of elderly priests of the Diocese of Rome, called officially “Saint Cajetan’s House,” but better known as “The One Hundred Priests.” At present there are 21 elderly priests there, some of whom are very sick, and assisted by three Sisters and other staff. Father Antonio Antonelli, “Director” of the House was a parish priest for many years and is now himself very ill. In the majority they are diocesan priests, but a few Religious live there as well.
After having given their life in the service of the Church and of the faithful, these priests now live in retirement, and not many remember them, but the Pope does, and with this visit, he wished to demonstrate it to each one of them with his very concrete and warm affection, rich in consolation, and, once again, he has given an effective example of mercy, care and gratitude to all the community of Rome and to the Church. In the main, the Jubilee consists of works of mercy both corporal and spiritual.
Today’s was the sixth sign of mercy carried out by Pope Francis in the course of the Jubilee: in January he visited a care home for the elderly and the sick; in February a community for drug addicts at Castelgandolfo; in March (Holy Thursday) the Center of Reception for Refugees (CARA) of Castelnuovo di Porto; in April he visited refugees and migrants in Lesbos Island; and in May the “Chicco” community for individuals with serious mental disabilities at Ciampino.
9 More Syrian Refugees Brought to Rome by ZENIT Staff

Nine more Syrian refugees have been brought from the Greek island of Lesbos to Rome, where they will be cared for by the Sant’Egidio Community
Pope Francis visited the island April 16, making an ardent plea to the international community to respond to the humanitarian crisis. He told the refugees not to lose hope: “God created mankind to be one family; when any of our brothers and sisters suffer, we are all affected.”
At the close of that trip, the Holy Father brought back to Rome with him three refugee families.
Related: Meet one of the families Francis brought home from Lesbos
Now a second group of nine refugees, including two Christians, has arrived in Rome.
The Vatican Gendarmeria, with the help of the Interior Ministry of Greece, the Greek Asylum Service and the Sant’Egidio Community, accompanied the refugees from Athens to Rome on Thursday. The Sant’Egidio Community will provide for their housing.
The refugees, six adults and three children, are all Syrian citizens who were in the Kara Tepe refugee camp. They had arrived in Lesbos from Turkey.
INTERVIEW- Celibacy: a Blessing, Not a Burden by Karna Swanson

Why does the Church continue to require priests to practice celibacy? One simple answer is that it was the path Jesus himself chose to follow, says Father Gary Selin, assistant professor at St. John Vianney Theological Seminary in Denver.
The author of the recently published “Priestly Celibacy: Theological Foundations” (CUA Press), explained to Denver Catholic that just as Jesus was “poor, celibate and obedient to the Father’s will…. Likewise, the priest seeks to imitate Jesus in these ways through his priestly ministry and life.”
In “Priestly Celibacy,” Father Selin, who earned a doctorate in Sacred Theology from Catholic University of America in 2011, offers a theological presentation of priestly celibacy, beginning with the biblical foundations for the practice, and including the history of the discipline from the very foundation of the Church.
In this interview, Father Selin speaks of the positive aspects of priestly celibacy as a “gift,” and his hope that more Catholics will learn to appreciate the practice as “a blessing bestowed upon the Church as whole, rather than a burden or imposition.”
Q: Pope Francis recently said that priestly celibacy is a “gift for the Church”. In what ways is that true?
Father Selin: Jesus Christ promised great rewards to the disciples who would leave all things, including marriage and the family, in order to follow Him (Lk 18:28-30). Jesus himself was poor, celibate and obedient to the Father’s will. Likewise, the priest seeks to imitate Jesus in these ways through his priestly ministry and life.
To enable the priest to fulfill his mission, the Holy Spirit gives to him particular gifts, or charisms, among which is priestly celibacy. Seen in this light, celibacy is a gift for the Church that needs to be protected and cherished. It is noteworthy that Pope Francis described celibacy as a gift for the Church. That is, it is a blessing bestowed upon the Church as whole, rather than a burden or imposition, as many believe today.
Q: Is this approach of seeing celibacy as gift new to the Church?
Father Selin: From the time of the Apostles, the Church has understood celibacy as a gift. St. Paul offered celibacy as a way of life for men and women, for he wanted them to be free from worldly anxieties: “The unmarried man is anxious about the affairs of the Lord, how to please the Lord; but the married man is anxious about the affairs of the world, how to please his wife, and his interests are divided” (1 Cor 7:32-33).
Priestly celibacy as such enables the priest to be united, with an undivided heart, to Jesus Christ, the Eternal High Priest. This gift of divine intimacy is the first fruit of celibacy. Consequently, the priest is better able to pour himself out in a life of service to the Church through pastoral charity.
Q: We are often told that celibacy is a “discipline” in the Catholic Church. What does this mean? Could the requirement for celibacy ever change?
Father Selin: Every treasure must be protected. For example, we have banks that secure our money. Likewise, priestly celibacy needs to be protected by a law of the Church, which provides a safeguard for the priest’s chaste celibacy, and also defends this treasure from those who would seek to destroy it.
Therefore, the discipline of priestly celibacy is the juridical protection that the Church provides for the gift of celibacy. This discipline is written in our Code of Canon Law (n. 277.1), and it requires priests and bishops in the Latin Church to life a life of perfect and perpetual continence, or celibacy.
As such, the discipline could change. That is, the pope could “loose” the requirement of celibacy for candidates to the priesthood, and thus open the way for married men to be ordained. While this change is theoretically possible, I believe that it is unlikely in view of our perennial tradition.
As stated above, Jesus Christ himself was celibate, and called his disciples to follow him. Imitation of Christ and obedience to his call of discipleship are the principal reasons for safeguarding the gift of priestly celibacy.
Q: There are many books about celibacy and virginity, what is unique about the approach you take in your book?
Father Selin: A review of contemporary literature shows that works abound on the history, sociology, psychology, and spirituality of priestly celibacy. Sadly, very little has been offered in the way of a clear theology of priestly celibacy. This book, however, will help to fill in the gap.
The collective ignorance among Catholics of the scriptural, patristic, and theological foundations for priestly celibacy is widespread. It is my hope that this book will enable the faithful to form their minds about celibacy according to the teaching of the Church, rather than according to the relentless secularism of the media.
We must pray that this gift is treasured and lived by priests, and prayerfully supported by the lay faithful. It is not a relic of bygone years that should be cast aside. Rather, it is a pearl of great price (Mt 13:46).
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More information
“Priestly Celibacy: Theological Foundations,” by Father Gary B. Selin, STD
The Catholic University of America Press (April 4, 2016)
https://www.amazon.com/Priestly-Celibacy-Gary-Selin-STD/dp/0813228417
Pope Invites Laity Council to Look Forward With Hope as It’s Merged Into New Dicastery by ZENIT Staff

“An outboard Church, an outbound laity,” was Pope Francis’ proposal to the participants in the assembly of the Pontifical Council for the Laity, whom he received in audience this morning. In this specific historic moment, and in the context of the Jubilee of Mercy, he said, the Church is called to be ever more aware of being “the house of the father where the doors are always wide open to each person, with his or her weary life, and of being a permanently outbound Church, an evangelising community that knows how to take the initiative without fear, to reach out to others, to seek out those who are distant and to reach out to crossroads, to invite in the excluded.”
He urged those present to raise their eyes and look outwards to the most distant reaches of our world, to the many families in difficulty and in need of mercy, to the many fields of the apostolate that have not yet been explored, to the many laypeople with a good and generous heart who would willingly place their energies, time and abilities at the service of the Gospel if they were involved, valued and accompanied with affection and dedication by pastors and ecclesial institutions.
“We need well-formed laypeople, inspired by a sincere and clear faith, whose life has been touched by the personal and merciful encounter with the love of Jesus Christ,” he said.
Since the Pontifical Council for the Laity will soon assume a new form, as the Pope has created a new dicastery for Laity, Family and Life, the Holy Father took the opportunity to summarise the various stages in the existence of the pontifical council, established at the behest of Blessed Paul VI following Vatican Council II, and which has accompanied the life, maturation and transformation of the Catholic laity over more than half a century.
Francis recalled the new season which, along with lay associations of a long and worthy history has seen the emergence of many movements and new communities of great missionary zeal; movements whose development has been followed by the dicastery, accompanied with care, and assisted in the delicate phase of the juridical recognition of their statutes. There has also been the appearance of new lay ministries, to which a significant number of apostolic activities have been entrusted, and the expanding role of women in the Church. Finally, the creation of the World Youth Days, a “providential gesture of St. John Paul II, a tool for the evangelisation of the new generations,” followed with great attention by the dicastery, which also included Karol Wojtyla himself among its members and consultors.
“We can say, therefore, that the mandate you have received from the Council was precisely that of encouraging the lay faithful to be increasingly and better involved in the evangelising mission of the Church, not by ‘delegation’ from the hierarchy, but rather because its apostolate is participation in the salvific mission of the Church, an apostolate to which all are destined by the Lord Himself by virtue of our baptism and confirmation. Baptism makes each one of the lay faithful a missionary disciple of the Lord, salt of the earth, light of the world, and leaven that transforms reality from within.”
“In the light of the journey undertaken thus far, it is time to look anew with hope for the future. Much remains to be done, broadening horizons and accepting the new challenges that reality presents to us. It is from here that the Curia’s plan for reform was born, in particular the incorporation of your dicastery with the Pontifical Council for the Family, in connection with the Academy for Life,” explained Francis. “I invite you to welcome this reform, which will involve you, as a sign of the appreciation and esteem for the work that you carry our and as a sign of renewed trust in the vocation and mission of the laity in today’s Church. The new dicastery that is about to be established will have as a ‘rudder’, to continue to navigate its course, on one side the Christifideles laici and on the other Evangelii Gaudium and Amoris Laetitia , and its primary fields of work will be the family and the defence of life.”
Laudato Si’ One Year Later by Thomas Rosica

There is a story within the story of Laudato Sì – Pope Francis’ landmark encyclical letter “On the Care of our Common Home.” The letter is an overview of the environmental crisis from a religious point of view. Until the publication of the Pope’s important document one year ago on June 18, the dialogue about the environment had been framed mainly using political, scientific and economic language. Now, the language of faith enters the discussion – clearly, decisively and systematically.
The encyclical is addressed to “everyone living on this planet” and calls for a new way of looking at things. We face an urgent crisis, when the earth has begun to look more and more like, in the Pope’s vivid image, “an immense pile of filth”. Still, the document is hopeful, reminding us that because God is with us, all of us can strive to change course. We can move towards an “ecological conversion” in which we can listen to the “cry of the earth and the cry of the poor”. This is a deeply uncomfortable encyclical because it is not content simply to face up to the institutional and moral issues of climate change and environmental degradation, but addresses the deeper tragedy of humanity itself.
“Laudato Sì” is a privileged instrument of Evangelization of our contemporary world because it strives to answer the deeper questions about ecology and the environment within God’s revelation as found in his creation and the teachings of the Catholic Church. At this critical moment in history, what is at stake is not just our respect for biodiversity, but our very survival. Scientists calculate that those most harmed by global warming in the future will be the most vulnerable and marginalized. The dignity and rights of human beings are intimately and integrally related to the beauty and the rights of the earth itself. After all, who will dare to speak for the voiceless resources of our planet? Who will step up to protect the silent diversity of its species? Will our generation accept responsibility for pushing our environment over the tipping-point?
Christian spirituality has a precious contribution to make in responding to the environment crisis because it “can motivate us to a more passionate concern for the protection of our world,” (LS §216). For Francis, spirituality does not mean turning away from the world. There is a mystical meaning to be found in everything in the universe. A good spirituality finds God not only in the interior of our hearts but also in creatures outside of ourselves, whether it be “in a leaf, in a mountain trail, in a dewdrop, in a poor person’s face.” (LS §233)
At the heart Laudato Sì is this question: “What kind of world do we want to leave to those who come after us, to children who are now growing up?” Pope Francis continues: “This question does not have to do with the environment alone and in isolation; the issue cannot be approached piecemeal”. (LS §160) This leads us to ask ourselves about the meaning of existence and its values at the base of social life: “What is the purpose of our life in this world? Why are we here? What is the goal of our work and all our efforts? What need does the earth have of us?” (LS§160)
Laudato Sì is not simply a random sampling of issues that the Bishop of Rome considers important for our understanding of the environmental crisis of our times: “the noise and distractions of information overload”; access to clean drinking water; the crisis of hope in a “better tomorrow”; “the myth of progress”; modern architecture; the “culture of relativism”; drug abuse in rich countries; the need to accept “one’s own body in its femininity or masculinity” and how it is “not healthy to cancel out sexual difference”; the diversity of species; rising sea levels; global inequality. Pope Francis’ tone is passionate, personal and urgent. He has drafted this major encyclical letter with the mind and heart of a disciple of Jesus and the pen and voice of a prophet who has seen and personally experienced the grave injustices and ugliness that human beings can cause on this earth.
With Laudato Sì, Pope Francis has encouraged us all to care for others and for the gift of God’s creation. He has touched people’s hearts and moved them to action. Laudato Sì addresses a moral issue. It is a call to care for others. It is a call to care for God’s creation. It speaks of Catholic distinctiveness. It invites us to an integral ecology. We are called to live an integrated life rooted in what Pope Francis calls an “integral ecology.” We’re called to cooperate with God’s design in our relationship with the natural world and with one another. When we get these intertwined relationships right, we grow closer to God. We understand that our individual decisions have social consequences. We recognize the strong link between respecting human dignity and care for the natural world. We know that population isn’t the problem: it’s the throwaway culture that’s the problem.
Pope Francis’ Encyclical
Pope Francis’ document on ecology puts the human person firmly at the center and draw attention to the connection between environmental problems and poverty. Such a document is urgently needed to correct many philosophical and theological errors that have crept into the environmental movement. Ecological efforts that seemingly begin with the program of saving our environment quickly run their logic to the point where the environment takes absolute priority over human beings. When taken to the extreme, many make the erroneous claim that the human person is simply one of a very large number of species, all equally valuable and enjoying the same rights.
Over the past year I have had the privilege of addressing many groups, including Church leaders, throughout North America on this important encyclical. I am convinced that Laudato Sì is a privileged instrument and catalyst of dialogue with other Christians, with believers of other religions, with people of little or no faith, and with people of good will. The questions that the encyclical raises have elicited intense, serious and passionate dialogue. One year after the publication of this masterful teaching document of the Roman Catholic Church, let us ask some questions of how we have truly “received” the encyclical in our ecclesial community and put it into practice.
What does Pope Francis mean by a “throwaway culture” (22)? Do you agree with him? Why?
What are the effects on people’s lives of environmental deterioration, current models of development, and the throwaway culture (43-47)?
Why does Pope Francis think that simply reducing birth rates of the poor is not a just or adequate response to the problem of poverty or environmental degradation (50)?
Why does Pope Francis argue that “we are faced not with two separate crises, one environmental and the other social, but rather with one complex crisis which is both social and environmental” (139)?
What does Pope Francis see as the successes and failures of the global response to environmental issues (166-169)?
What does the Pope mean by an ecological spirituality, and how can it motivate us to a passionate concern for the protection of our world (216)?
Pope Francis proposes that the natural world is integral to our sacramental and spiritual lives (233-242). How have you experienced this?
How is this encyclical changing your life and your way of thinking about the world that God so loved?
Laudato Si’ must be read not only as a work of Catholic social teaching, but also as great instrument of the first Evangelization and the new Evangelization, and a witness to ecumenism and interreligious dialogue. Pope Francis’ letter reflects a profound confidence and openness to the world. The encyclical is a perfect example of how the Church, at the highest level, understands the modern world, enters into a profound dialogue with the world, and repeats again her age-old message of salvation in a new way. With this landmark encyclical letter, Pope Francis lays the groundwork for a new Christian humanism, rooted in the simple and beautiful image of Jesus that he presents for the world’s consideration. For in the end, it is in the name and mission of Jesus of Nazareth that the Pope issues his call to conversion – a compelling invitation to each of us to look at the earth and all of its creatures with the loving eyes and heart of Jesus Christ.
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For more information, teaching and discussions tools on Laudato Sì, visit: http://saltandlighttv.org/laudatosi/
Fr. Thomas Rosica, CSB, is CEO of the Salt and Light Catholic Media Foundation in Canada. He also serves as English language Media Attaché to the Holy See Press Office.
Vatican Message to Muslims for Ramadan by ZENIT Staff

Christians and Muslims:
Beneficiaries and Instruments of Divine Mercy
Dear Muslim brothers and sisters,
1. The month of Ramadan and ‘Id al-Fitr is an important religious event for Muslims around the world, focused on fasting, prayer and good deeds, and is esteemed by Christians, your friends and neighbours. On behalf of the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue and Christians all over the world, we extend best wishes for a spiritually rewarding fast, supported by good deeds, and for a joyful feast.
As is our cherished custom, we wish to share with you on this occasion some reflections in the hope of strengthening the spiritual bonds we share.
2. A theme that is close to the hearts of Muslims and Christians alike is mercy.
We know that Christianity and Islam both believe in a merciful God, who shows his mercy and compassion towards all his creatures, in particular the human family. He created us out of an immense love. He is merciful in caring for each of us, bestowing upon us the gifts we need for our daily life, such as food, shelter and security. God’s mercy is manifested in a particular way, however, through the pardon of our faults; hence he is the one who pardons (al-Ghâfir), but the one who pardons much and always (al-Ghafour).
3. To underscore the importance of mercy, His Holiness Pope Francis declared a Jubilee Year of Mercy to be celebrated from 8 December 2015 to 20 November 2016. In this regard he said: “Here… is the reason for the Jubilee: because this is the time for mercy. It is the favorable time to heal wounds, a time not to be weary of meeting all those who are waiting to see and to touch with their hands the signs of the closeness of God, a time to offer everyone, everyone, the way of forgiveness and reconciliation” (“Homily”, 11 April 2015).
Your pilgrimage (hajj) to the Holy places, mainly Mecca and Medina, is surely a special time for you to experience God’s mercy. In fact, among the well-known aspirations addressed to Muslim pilgrims is: “I wish you a blessed pilgrimage, praiseworthy efforts and the pardon of your sins”. Making a pilgrimage to obtain God’s pardon for sins, both for the living and dead, is truly a salient custom practice among believers.
4. We, Christians and Muslims, are called to do our best to imitate God. He, the Merciful, asks us to be merciful and compassionate towards others, especially those who are in any kind of need. So too he calls us to be forgiving of one another.
When we gaze upon humanity today, we are saddened to see so many victims of conflicts and violence – here we think in particular of the elderly, and children and women, especially those who fall prey to human trafficking and the many people who suffer from poverty, illness, natural disasters and unemployment.
5. We cannot close our eyes to these realities, or turn away from these sufferings. It is true that situation are often very complex and that their solution exceeds our capacities. It is vital, therefore, that all work together in assisting those in need. It is a source of great hope when we experience or hear of Muslims and Christians joining hands to help the needy. When we do join hands, we heed an important command in our respective religions and show forth God’s mercy, thus offering a more credible witness, individually and communally, to our beliefs.
May the Merciful and Almighty God help us to walk always along the path of goodness and compassion!
6. We join our prayerful good wishes to those of Pope Francis for abundant blessings during Ramadan and for a lasting joy of ‘Id al-Fitr.
Happy Feast to you all!
From the Vatican, 10 June 2016
Jean-Louis Cardinal Tauran
President
Bishop Miguel Ángel Ayuso Guixot, M.C.C.I.
Secretary
Basilian Father Named Auxiliary of Toronto by ZENIT Staff

Pope Francis today appointed Father Robert Kasun, C.S.B., as auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of Toronto. Father Kasun will join three other auxiliaries in assisting Cardinal Archbishop Thomas Collins.
Robert Kasun was born Dec. 20, 1951, in Cudworth, Saskatchewan. He joined the Basilian Fathers after graduating with a Bachelor’s degree in English. Following novitiate, he continued his studies, earning a Master’s of Divinity from St. Michael’s College in the University of Toronto, and subsequently, both Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in education from the University of Toronto. Following ordination in 1978, Father Kasun began his teaching ministry in schools operated by the Basilian Fathers in Merrillville, Indiana, and in Ontario at Sudbury and at St. Michael’s College. Toronto. He also served as Vocation Director for the Basilian Fathers based in Rochester, New York, and taught with the Calgary Catholic School District at St. Francis High School in Calgary.
Father Kasun served as a member of the General Council of the Basilian Fathers from 1989 to 1997 as Regional Representative for Western Canada, and as Vice-President of the then Western Region of the Canadian Religious Conference. Also in Calgary, he served as Associate Pastor and then Pastor of St. Pius X Parish, Pastor of St. Thomas More Parish, a member of the Presbyteral Council of the Diocese of Calgary, and a member of the executive committee of the Board of Governors for St. Mary’s University College. Since 2009, he has served in the Archdiocese of Edmonton as Pastor of St. Alphonsus-St. Clare Parish, two inner-city parishes which are now twinned.
According to the CCCB 2016 Directory, the Archdiocese of Toronto has 249 parishes and missions, with a population of 1,626,465 Catholics, served by 296 diocesan priests, 413 priests who are members of institutes of consecrated life, 130 permanent deacons, 556 Sisters and 44 Brothers who are members of religious institutes, as well as 68 lay pastoral workers.
Scottish Youth Stand Up for Religious Freedom by ZENIT Staff

By Michael J Robinson
More than 1,000 young people from across Scotland took part in a youth rally Thursday, standing shoulder to shoulder in solidarity with those who are persecuted and oppressed for their religious faith.
The event, involving 26 Catholic schools, was organised by the Scottish office of Aid to the Church in Need, a Catholic charity for persecuted and oppressed Christians.
The focus of the day in Carfin Grotto, Motherwell, was to raise awareness, encourage prayer, and take action in support of the persecuted Church.
The keynote speaker was Sarmad Ozan, who fled Mosul, northern Iraq, after it was seized by Daesh (ISIS) in the summer of 2014.
“In 2014 ISIS invaded many cities, including my city Mosul with the ambitions to destroy all minorities, including Christians and to create an Islamic state in Iraq,” Ozan said. “One day we woke up and noticed a letter ‘N’ was marked above all our doors which stands for Nazareans, signifying the house within are Christians.
“In addition, there was a marking stating ‘This is now the property of ISIS.’ We were all terrified and then, as we walked around the city, we saw that it was barricaded and surrounded by ISIS military.”
Bishop John Keenan of Paisley read out a personal message from Pope Francis, thanking the young people: “…for their prayers and solidarity with all Christians who suffer persecution throughout the world”.
ACN called on attendees to show the Scottish Government that young people want to stand up for religious freedom.
Angela Constance, Cabinet Secretary for Communities and Equalities on behalf of the Scottish Government, offered a message of support and thanks to the young people in attendance: “The Scottish Government strongly condemns all persecution on the basis of religion or belief.”
Constance added: “I hope that you enjoy today’s rally and thank you for your commitment to promoting religious freedom around the world.”
Event organiser Lorraine McMahon, ACN’s Head of Operations in Scotland, said: “The atmosphere at the youth rally was incredible and we are very pleased with the turn-out and participation of all involved.
“Christian persecution is a human rights issue and one that needs to be recognised more by the media and parliament.”
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Aid to the Church in Need is an international Catholic charity under the guidance of the Holy See, providing assistance to the suffering and persecuted Church in more than 140 countries. www.churchinneed.org (USA); www.acnuk.org (UK); www.aidtochurch.org (AUS); www.acnireland.org (IRL); www.acn-aed-ca.org (CAN)www.acnmalta.org (Malta)
To Pray to Understand by Archbishop Francesco Follo

Roman rite
Zec 12.10 to 11; 13.1; Ps 63; Gal 3.26 to 29; Lk 9.18 to 24
Ambrosian Rite
Gen 18, 1-2a.16-33; Ps 27; Rm 4.16 to 25; Lk 13.23 to 29
Fifth Sunday after Pentecost
1) An event that has happened in a “spiritual place”: prayer.
In today’s Gospel Jesus asks to his disciples what the people think of him referring the question directly to them, “Who do you say that I am?”. On behalf of himself and of his friends, Peter replies: “The Christ of God” (Lk 9:20) because he sensed that Jesus is the Son of Man, the Servant of the Lord. He overcomes evil because he does not do evil and has the strength to take it upon himself without drop it onto others. He is the Redeemer in whom God, who is love, became man, and his sacrifice has redeemed humanity from the slavery of evil, giving it a reasonable hope.
What is the meaning of this dialogue? Why does Jesus want to know what his disciples think of him? The Redeemer wants that the disciples are aware of what is hidden in their minds and in their hearts, and that they express their conviction. At the same time, he knows that the judgment that they will express will not be theirs alone because it will reveal what God has poured into their hearts by the grace of faith.
In this dialog we see the mystery of the beginning and of the growth of faith. First, there is the grace of the revelation: God love gives himself to man and calls him to a friendship with Him. Then there is the request of giving an answer to this vocation. Finally comes the response of man, a response which from now on must give meaning and shape to his whole life. That’s what faith is! It is the rational and free human response to the word of the living God.
The questions that Jesus asks, the answers that are given by the Apostles and finally by Simon Peter, are a test of the maturity of the faith of those who are closest to Christ. It is a closeness not only physical but spiritual. In fact, it should be noted that while St. Mark and St. Matthew place this dialogue at Caesarea Philippi, which is the farthest point that Jesus reached into his path and is far from Jerusalem, St. Luke does not indicate any place. Or rather, he does not indicate a material place but a spiritual one: prayer. In fact, this Evangelist writes: “Once when Jesus was praying by himself, and the disciples were with him, he asked them, “Who do the crowds say that I am?” “(Lk 9, 18).
It is as if St. Luke wanted to teach us that prayer is the “place” where we begin to understand something of who the Lord is. It is the place where we are ourselves and it is the place where we begin to understand something of the truth. Prayer is not so much the context in which we understand something intellectually, but it is the place of the experience and of the communion with the Lord, the Lord with us. In prayer, we return to our natural place because prayer is to stand before God. We are in the image and likeness of God. When we stand before Him we find ourselves. So, prayer is the place of our truth and of the truth of God. Prayer is something foreign to life, prayer is life, it is to live before God with simplicity, piety, attention and devotion.
2) Our response.
Today, two thousand years later, this question, “But who do you say that I am?” Is addressed to each of us and from each of us Christ demands a lived response. “A response that is not found in the books as a formula, but in the experience of those who indeed follow Jesus, with the help of a “great worker”, the Holy Spirit” (Pope Francis, 20 February 2014).
In order to give “the same answer as Peter and what we have learned in the catechism: you are the Son of the living God, you are the Redeemer, and you are the Lord!” (Pope Francis, 20 February 2014), we must have within us the same motivation of St. Peter, who in another occasion made it explicit saying: “Master, to whom shall we go, only you have the words of eternal life” (Jn 6:68). This are true words that explain and give us life now and for eternity. The answer of the First of the Apostles: “You are the Christ of God”, namely the true and full sense of personal and human history, coincided with recognizing Christ as the only possible answer to the human journey and adventure on this Earth.
Christ’s question is not made to know the opinion of the people and of his disciples regarding Him, but to teach that life is a response to God, a personal response. Peter answered, “You are the Christ.” It is the right answer, but it is not an easy answer. The answer to the question “Who is Jesus for you now?” is not an obvious answer nor a manifestation of our view of Christ.
Today Jesus asks us how the encounter with him changes our lives, how it acts in our lives. This “yes” to him means something important and life changing. We acknowledge him as the Living One, the Love that is donated.
To be able to say: “You are the Christ,” we must have heard the falsity or insufficiency of the earthly solutions. It is necessary to be simple, pure in heart and poor, so poor to suffer for the nostalgia of God, rich in mercy.
Our answer, as that of St. Peter, is a profession of faith not in one of the prophets of history, but in the Redeemer, center of the world and of history.
With this profession of faith Saint Peter “embraced all things together, because he expressed the nature and the name of the Messiah” (St. Ambrose). In front of this profession of faith, Jesus renews to St. Peter and to the other disciples the invitation to follow him on the demanding road of love up to the Cross.
The first of the Apostles is opposed to the fact of Christ going to the cross. Of course, he does not want Jesus to die because he loves him and says “May God preserve you! This will never happen to you. “He is sincere, because he really loves Jesus, but it is a wrong way to love. However, he loves him and he tells it to Christ. What did Jesus reply? He did not say “Go away from me” but “Come behind me” (I think that this is the correct translation of the Messiah’s words), that is, “follow me.”
The Christian adventure is this to go behind Him, who is the Messiah and fulfills the desires of man. He is the Christ that overcomes evil not doing evil (dominion over others, power, prestige) but wins it with good and with love.
The important thing is to understand and experience the beauty of following the Lord of life, because our life is Him: “He is my life, because He won me over with his love” (Phil. 3). He is the Shepherd of life.
Even to us, that recognize the Redeemer as the Christ of God, Jesus addresses the proposal to follow him every day and reminds us that to be his disciples it is necessary to get hold of the power of his Cross, good and substance of our hope.
Certainly it is not easy to accept the cross that Jesus carried on his shoulders as a sign of his power of love. In a sense, I am afraid to accept the invitation of Christ: “If anyone wants to come after me, let him deny himself and take up his daily cross and follow me.”
Taking up the cross means to strive to defeat the sin that blocks the way to God, to accept the will of the Lord, and to increase our faith especially in the face of problems, difficulties and suffering.
The Carmelite Sister Benedicta of the Cross (Edith Stein) has testified it in a time of persecution. In 1938, in the Cologne Carmel she wrote: “Today I understand … what it means to be the bride of Christ in the sign of the cross, although it will never be possible to understand it in full, since it is a mystery … The more it gets dark around to us the more we must open our hearts to the light that comes from above.”
Nowadays, in an “apparently” less dramatically way, the consecrated Virgins in the world witness the life that flows from the cross, because the love of self-giving “is lost,” and offers itself.
Their follow Christ, accepting his invitation to deny themselves and shows that it is possible to stop thinking about themselves. It testifies that love is not to put one’s self at the center, but to put the other at the center. Love is not static, it is ecstatic. It pulls us out of ourselves, correlates and makes sure that we take notice of the other as he or she is. This is life and love, the Holy Spirit, the love between Father and Son that reigns among us. This love is the life of God. Otherwise death reigns and we will kill each other.
Virginity is our bodies and our hearts crucified by and for love, given to God without reserve. Living virginally means that, carrying the cross daily and offering ourselves to Christ, we die to be reborn in Him in whom we have totally put ourselves. Each of us has his or her cross to bear and that means that every day we die to be reborn. It means that on the Cross goes the old selfish man and dies in it, while in it the new person whose life is love is born. A life given (crucified) for love is a life fully realized as Jesus did with his.
Becoming bearers of the Cross, these women have committed to become bearers of the Spirit. They are authentically spiritual women, capable of secretly fecundate history with the prayer of praise and continual intercession, and the works of spiritual and material mercy.
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Patristic Reading
Golden Chain
On Lk 9,18-22
CYRIL; Our Lord having retired from the multitude, and being in a place apart, was engaged in prayer. As it is said, And it came to pass, as he was alone praying. For He ordained Himself as an example of this, instructing His disciples by an easy’ method of teaching. For I suppose the rulers of the people ought to be superior also in good deeds, to those that are under them, ever holding converse with them in all necessary things, and treating of those things in which God delights.
THEOPHYL; Now the disciples were with the Lord, but He alone prayed to the Father, since the saints may be joined to the Lord in the bond of faith and love, but the Son alone is able to penetrate the incomprehensible secrets of the Father’s will. Every where then He prays alone, for human wishes comprehend not the counsel of God, nor can any one be a partaker with Christ of the deep things of God.
CYRIL; Now His engaging in prayer might perplex His disciples. For they saw Him praying like a man, Whom before they had seen performing miracles with divine power. In order then to banish all perplexity of this kind, He asks them this question, not because He did not know the reports which they had gathered from without, but that He might rid them of the opinion of the many, and instill into them the true faith. Hence it follows, And he asked them, saying, Whom say the people that I am?
THEOPHYL; Rightly does our Lord, when about to inquire into the faith of the disciples, first inquire into the opinion of the multitudes, lest their confession should appear not to be determined by their knowledge, but to be formed by the opinion of the generality, and they should be considered not to believe from experience, but like Herod to be perplexed by different reports which they heard.
AUG. Now it may raise a question, that Luke says that our Lord asked His disciples, Whom do men say that I am? at the same time that He was alone praying, and they also were with Him; whereas Mark says, that they were asked this question by our Lord on the way; but this is difficult only to him who never prayed on the way.
AMBROSE; But it is no trifling opinion of the multitude which the disciples mention, when it is added, But they answering said, John the Baptist, (whom they knew to be beheaded;) but some say, Elias, (whom they thought would come,) but others say that one of the old Prophets is risen again. But to make this inquiry belongs to a different kind of wisdom from ours, for if it were enough for the Apostle Paul to know nothing but Christ Jesus, and Him crucified, what more can I desire to know than Christ?
CYRIL; But mark the subtle skill of the question. For he directs them first to the praises of strangers, that having overthrown these, He might beget in them the right opinion. So when the disciples had given the opinion of the people, He asks them their own opinion; as it is added, And He said to them, Whom say you that I am? How marked is you! He excludes them from the other, that they may avoid their opinions; as if He said, you who by my decree are called to the Apostleship, the witnesses of my miracles, whom do you say that I am? But Peter anticipated the rest, and becomes the mouthpiece of the whole company, and launching forth into the eloquence of divine love, utters the confession of faith, as it is added, Peter answering said, The Christ of God. He says not merely that He was Christ of God, but now He uses the article. Hence it is in the Greek. For many divinely accounted persons are in diverse ways called Christs, for some were anointed kings, some prophets. But we through Christ have been anointed by the holy Spirit, have obtained the name of Christ. But there is only one who is the Christ of God and the Father, He alone as it were having His own Father who is in heaven. And so Luke agrees indeed in the same opinion as Matthew, who relates Peter to have said, You are Christ, the Son of the living God, but speaking briefly Luke says that Peter answered, the Christ of God.
AMBROSE; In this one name there is the expression both of His divinity and incarnation, and the belief of His passion. He has therefore comprehended every thing, having expressed both the nature and tile name wherein is all virtue.
CYRIL; But we must observe, that Peter most wisely confessed Christ to be one, against those who presumed to divide Immanuel into two Christs. For Christ did not inquire of them, saying, Whom do men say the divine Word is? but the Son of man, whom Peter confessed to be the Son of God. Herein then is Peter to be admired, and thought worthy of such chief honor, seeing that Him whom he marveled at in our form, he believed to be the Christ of the Father, that is to say, that the Word which proceeded of the Father’s Substance was become man.
AMBROSE; But our Lord Jesus Christ was as at first unwilling to be preached, lest an uproar should arise; as it follows, And he straitly charged them, and commanded them to tell no man any thing. For many reasons He commands His disciples to be silent; to deceive the prince of this world, to reject boasting, to teach humility. Christ then would not boast, and cost you boast who are of ignoble birth? Likewise He did it to prevent rude and as yet imperfect disciples from being oppressed with the wonder of this awful announcement. They are then forbid to preach Him as the Son of God, that they might afterwards preach Him crucified.
CHRYS. Timely also was our Lord’s command that no one should tell that He was Christ, in order that when offenses should be taken away and the sufferings of the cross completed, a proper opinion of Him might be firmly rooted in the minds of the hearers. For that which has once taken root and afterwards been torn up, when fresh planted will scarcely ever be preserved. But that which when once planted continues undisturbed, grows up securely. For if Peter was offended merely by what he heard, what would be the feelings of those many who, after they had heard that He was the Son of God, saw Him crucified, and spit upon?
CYRIL; It was the duty then of the disciples to preach Him throughout the world. For this was the work of those who were chosen by Him to the office of the Apostleship. But as holy Scripture bears witness, There is a time for every thing. For it was fitting that the cross and resurrection should be accomplished, an d then should follow the preaching of the Apostles; as it is spoken, saying, The Son of man must needs suffer many things.
AMBROSE; Perhaps because the Lord knew that the disciples would believe even the difficult mystery of the Passion and Resurrection, He wished to be Himself the proclaimer of His own Passion and Resurrection.
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