Vatican official praises Sr Cristina for going to ‘peripheries’

A priest at the Pontifical Council for the New Evangelization has said Sister Cristina Scuccia, who recently won The Voice Italy, is an example of how the Church must go out to the existential peripheries.

“What Sister Cristina has done can be considered going out to the peripheries, because she has gone to a different stage to bear witness to her choice of life, and in this sense I think she has hit the target,” Father Alejandro Diaz, a Colombian, said in a recent interview with CNA.

Like Sister Cristina, he explained, “we have to come out ourselves to speak of God to others, not in the abstract, but about what God has done in our lives.”

At the beginning of June, the 25 year-old religious won The Voice Italy and gained world-wide acclaim for her charisma and ability to bring share the Word of God with the public.

Pope to Visit Italian City of Caserta Later This Month

The Vatican has announced that Pope Francis will visit the Italian city of Caserta later this month.

In an unannounced briefing in the Vatican Press Office this afternoon, the director of the Holy See Press Office, Father Federico Lombardi, announced the Pope will be making a “private visit” to this city in the Campania region of Italy.

Though its details and logistics are still being determined, the foreseen date of the visit is July 26.

The spokesman stressed the visit will be “extremely fast and simple, in the course of a single morning,” and will likely include a visit to the city’s church.

Caserta has a population of some 80,000 people, mostly Catholic, and is an important agricultural, commercial and industrial comune and city.

St Louis archdiocese settles ‘false’ abuse claim

The Archdiocese of St. Louis has agreed to a legal settlement with a woman the archdiocese says falsely accused a priest known to have committed sexual abuse.

“The archdiocese has vigorously defended this case because it believes Jane Doe 92’s claims and allegations are false,” the archdiocese said, using a pseudonym for the accuser who is now 22 years-old.

The archdiocese has acknowledged that the accused priest, Joseph Ross, abused boys in the 1970s and 1980s.

“To be clear, the archdiocese is not defending Ross. He is a known abuser, which is illegal, wrong and shameful. The archdiocese does, however, have an obligation to defend itself against claims it believes are false, and instead use its money for charitable work and to heal all legitimate victims of sexual abuse.”

The woman claims the priest abused her as a young girl between 1997 and 2001 at St. Cronan Parish.

Catholic Ordinaries of the Holy Land Call for “Courageous Change” in the Region

The Justice and Peace Commission of the Assembly of Catholic Ordinaries in the Holy Land have issued a strong appeal for peace in the region, warning that violence only begets more violence.

Here below is the full text of their statement, issued July 8.

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Justice and Peace Commission
of the Assembly of Catholic Ordinaries in the Holy Land

Call for a Courageous Change

“A voice is heard in Ramah, lamentation and bitter weeping. Rachel is weeping for her children; she refuses to be comforted for her children, because they are no more” (Jeremiah 31:15).

A reality of violence and mourning

Catholic Union of Great Britain Calls on Catholics to Write to MPs, Urging Opposition to Assisted Dying Bill

The British parliament is facing a crucial debate on Friday 18th July when legislation on assisted dying will be voted on in the House of Lords at second reading.

Observers say there won’t be enough parliamentary time for this private members bill to progress through both houses, but there can be no doubt that if passed then or at committee stage, it will be followed by another attempt to get assisted suicide onto the statute book in the next parliament.

The Church has been speaking up against the bill, and the arguments against it have been fully explained in Lord Brennan`s “Suicide and the Law”, and the bishops statement “Sense and nonsense on assisted dying”.

Last month, in a pastoral letter to his diocese, Bishop Mark Davies of Shrewsbury warned the bill may inadvertently lead to the deaths of large numbers of vulnerable people.

Korean celebrities create music video ahead of Pope’s visit

More than 20 Korean celebrities have come together in making a music video honouring Pope Francis’ upcoming visit, and is an initiative they hope will help to overcome religious differences.

“I thought that if we united in praying for others (through this song), it would be the most beautiful flower bouquet that we could give to the pope when he arrives,” actor Ahn Sung-ki, who organized the event, stated in a July 7 news conference releasing the video.

According to the Korea Herald, the video, entitled “Koinonia,” is a celebration of Pope Francis’ Aug. 14 – 18 visit to South Korea, and was named for the title’s Greek meaning of fellowship, sharing in common and communion.

“So many people live just for themselves. If more people prayed for others, the world would be a better place to live,” the song’s composer and lyricist, Noh Young-sim, said at the news conference, which was held in Seoul’s Myeongdong Cathedral where Pope Francis will celebrate Mass his final day in Korea.