European Parliament Passes Resolution Condemning Sudan Over Treatment of Meriam Ibrahim

Says Khartoum Government Breached International Accords to Which it Is a Signatory

The European Parliament has passed a resolution condemning the Sudanese government for its treatment of Meriam Ibrahim and calling on the authorities to protect the religious identity of minority groups.

The joint resolution, unanimously passed Thursday night, underlined that the government of President Omar al-Bashir had breached a number of international accords to which Sudan is a signatory, and that its treatment of Ibrahim was “emblematic” of a “worrying crackdown” by the Sudanese authorities against minorities and other groups.

Meriam Ibrahim, a Catholic, was sentenced to death May 15 unless she “repented” or renounced her faith, causing an international outcry. While imprisoned and in shackles, she gave birth to a baby boy. Ibrahim was freed last month, then almost immediately re-arrested, and then freed again. She has since sought refuge in the U.S. embassy, together with her husband Daniel who is a U.S. citizen.

The “Francis effect” spreads to Korea: New Committee for Unification is established

A once-divided Germany is being used as a model. President Park geun-hye plans to make the most of the Pope’s visit to promote reunification

South Korean politicians call it a “jackpot”. The cardinal of Seoul refers to it as a “miracle”. Civil institutions are speaking of “unification”, while the Catholic Church prefers the term “reconciliation”. But semantic differences aside, the essence is the same: the reunification of the Korean peninsula – divided by what historians call the “bamboo curtain”, for the past 60 years – is the desired but as yet far-off goal. There are too many obstacles, too much shilly shallying and too many unknowns. It is no straight path that’s for sure and the events of the past year, marked by growing tensions in bilateral relations, are proof of this.

Pope Francis’ upcoming visit to Korea (14-18 August) could reshuffle the cards. The President of South Korea, Park Geun-hye, along with leaders of the Korean Catholic Church intends to capitalize on the Pope’s Eastern visit, partly as an impetus to rapprochement between North and South Korea. These two countries are so close (they are the same people, with thousands of families split between North and South) and yet so far in cultural, social, economic, political terms and in terms of their strategic location. If Francis’ visit stimulates a step forward – no matter how small – in relations with Pyongyang, this would undoubtedly constitute a political success for President Park, who represents a party that has always taken a rigid stance toward North Korea. In the domestic sphere, it could boost her image, which was tarnished by last April’s Sewol ferry disaster, which became a national tragedy.

Paglia: “The Synod will not reaffirm doctrines, it will find solutions”

An interview with the President of the Pontifical Council for the Family, Archbishop Vincenzo Paglia

“The goal of the Synod of Bishops on the Family is not just to repeat doctrines but to find solutions for remarried divorcees and for everyone.” Archbishop Vincenzo Paglia, President of the Pontifical Council for the Family talks about the aims and meanings of the historical October meeting on the family and the challenges facing it.

What are the aims of the Synod on the Family?
“The Synod needs to equip itself like a field hospital to heal the many existing open wounds and help build a more solid future in the spirit of mercy. There are fundamental questions that need to be addressed without delay. When Karol Wojtyla was elected Pope he called his first Synod on the Family and then on 13 May 1981 he established the Pontifical Council for the Family but wasn’t able to announce this because of the assassination attempt in St. Peter’s Square. This sealed the whole thing. On the day of John Paul II’s canonization, Francis invoked the help of the papal saint in the upcoming Synod on the family.

Pope’s Angelus Address for July 20th

“In the face of the weeds in the world, the disciple of the Lord is called to imitate the patience of God, nourishing hope with the support of an unshakable faith in the ultimate victory of the good, that is of God.”

At 12pm today, Pope Francis appeared at the window of the study in the Apostolic Palace to pray the Angelus with faithful and pilgrims gathered in St. Peter’s Square.

Here is an English translation of his words introducing the Marian prayer, and his address that followed:

***

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

This Sunday’s liturgy offers some evangelical parables, short stories that Jesus used to proclaim the Kingdom of heaven to the crowds. Among those in the Gospel reading of today, one that is rather complex, is Jesus’ explanation to his disciples of the good wheat and the tares, which addresses the problem of evil in the world and highlights the patience of God (cf. Mt 13,24-30.36-43). The scene takes place in a field where the master sows the wheat. But one night the enemy comes and sows tares, a term that in Hebrew derives from the same word as “Satan” and refers to the concept of division. The servants would straight away cut away the bad weeds, but the master stops them for this reason: “Lest while you gather up the tares, you root up also the wheat with them. (Mt 13:29)”.

US Bishops: Practicing religion in public is not discrimination

Americans must be free to practice their faith in the public square – including business decisions – without being viewed as discriminatory, urged four U.S. bishops.

“Churches, businesses, and individuals should not be punished in any way for living by their religious and moral convictions concerning sexual activity,” the bishops wrote in a July 17 blog post for the U.S. bishops’ conference.

“Eliminating truly unjust discrimination – based on personal characteristics, not sexual behavior – and protecting religious freedom are goals that we all should share,” the bishops emphasized. “The current political climate makes it very difficult to maintain a reasonable dialogue on these contentious issues, but we must keep trying.”

The blog post was authored by Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone of San Francisco, who chairs the bishops’ Subcommittee for the Promotion and Defense of Marriage; Archbishop William Lori of Baltimore, who heads the bishops’ religious liberty committee; Archbishop Thomas Wenski of Miami, chair of the Committee on Domestic Justice and Human Development; and Bishop Richard Malone, head of the marriage and family life committee.

Polygamy, gender identity seen as key challenges for families in Africa

Representatives from the Pontifical Council for the Family gathered in the Republic of the Congo with over 40 bishops last week to discuss the state of families in Africa, highlighting both strengths and challenges they face.

“The bishops are very glad and positive about the family because it is really the structure of African society,” Fr. Andrea Ciucci said, however “there are some problems not typically African but that Africa is learning from Europe and America.”

A priest of the Pontifical Council for the Family, Fr. Ciucci traveled last week to Brazzaville, the capitol of the Republic of the Congo, along with the council’s president, Archbishop Vincenzo Paglia, to meet with the Association of Episcopal Conferences of Central Africa (ACERAC).

Bishops from each of the six nations composing the ACERAC, Congo Brazzaville, Cameroon, Chad, Gabon, Central African Republic and Equatorial Guinea, met alongside various other international bishops to discuss the theme of the family in Central Africa.

Despite Gaza violence, Catholic relief agency works for peace

Though fighting has escalated between Israel and Palestinian militants based in the Gaza Strip, a Catholic Relief Services spokeswoman has stressed that the agency still aims to advance peace in the region.

“This conflict has dimmed the prospects for peace among Israelis and Palestinians, but as a Catholic organization, we are called to be peacemakers,” Liz O’Neill, Catholic Relief Services’ communications officer for the Middle East region, said.

“We continually advocate for our leaders in Washington to take concrete steps to promote a peaceful resolution to the conflict and reach out to Catholic communities in the United States so they can learn about the situation and pray for peace.”

O’Neill, speaking before the Israeli military started its Thursday night ground offensive, noted the conflict’s effects on both Israel and Palestine, saying violence is “inescapable” in Gaza.