Monitor

CBCP

PROTAGONIST
OF TRUTH,
PROMOTER
OF PEACE

DECEMBER 5 - 18, 2016 VOL. 20 NO. 30

CBCPMONITOR@AREOPAGUSCOMMUNICATIONS.COM

Filipinos urged
to unite against
death penalty
By Roy Lagarde
The Filipinos need to unite against
the reimposition of capital punishment more urgent than ever amid
attempts to railroad the passage
of the death penalty bill, a ranking
Catholic archbishop said.

Archbishop Socrates Villegas of LingayenDagupan said it is a tragedy that the

proposed measure is being pushed for
approval in Congress before Christmas.
In resisting the threat of the restoration of
the death penalty, we cannot be disunited or
indifferent. On this pro-life issue let us truly
unite. Come out and make a stand! Archbishop
Villegas said.
Voting 12-6-1, the bill restoring the death
penalty for all heinous crimes hurdled the
House justice committee on December 7.
House Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez, one of
the co-authors of the bill, said he is confident
the measure will be approved by the Lower
House by Christmas.
Railroad
Rodolfo Diamante, executive secretary of the
bishops Commission on Prison Pastoral Care,
said that lawmakers allied with the Duterte
administration are trying to railroad the
passage of the bill.
This, he said, despite the fact that during the
committee hearings the anti-death penalty

A miniature model of a giant statue of the

Divine Mercy that will be unveiled on the
occasion of the upcoming World Apostolic
Congress on Mercy in the country from Jan.
16 to 20 next year. With a towering height of
100 feet, the image atop a four storey multipurpose building at the National Shrine of the
Divine Mercy in Marilao, Bulacan, will be tallest
statue of the Divine Mercy in the world.

advocates presented evidences that the death

penalty is not a deterrent to crime, anti-poor
and violates international agreements.
The majority bloc Congressmen just wants
it passed, period. And they want
it fast as it is among the
campaign promises of the
incumbent President, he
said.
Diamante urged those
who believe in the sanctity
of human life and the dignity
of every person to stand
up and resist this railroad
attempt to pass this antilife and anti-poor
measure.
Let us make a
more forceful stand
against the death
penalty, he said.
Now more than
ever we need to
act fast and swiftly
to counteract the
prevailing culture
of death in our
society.
Work together
Next week, the
death penalty bill
is expected to be
Unite / A6

to unveil worlds tallest

Have we become heartless? PH
Divine Mercy statue

Bishop laments public apathy over killings

AS the drug war death toll
nears 6,000, a Catholic
bishop is concerned that
many Christians have become
desensitized to the deliberate
ending of human life.
Bishop Joel Baylon of
Legazpi said it is unfortunate
that the strong moral
outcry for life is seemingly
disappearing.
We are sadly witnessing a
growing callousness among
our people, accepting these
as a fact of life; for they say,
these persons were after all
drug addicts, and therefore
they deserved to die!, said
Baylon.
What is happening to us?
Have we become so heartless
that we cannot anymore feel

for them, their families and

those loved ones they have
left behind? he asked.
In a open letter to President
Rodrigo Duterte, he pointed
out that the drug problem in
country, no matter how bad,
will never justify summary
executions.
We support your drive
against illegal drugs and
other forms of criminality,
but we question the method,
for the end does not justify
the means, stressed the
prelate.
Instead of encouraging
more killings, the bishop
urged the Duterte to examine
his approach to eliminating
the drug menace and to
exert more efforts to stop

Papal nuncio
calls for culture
of mercy

ARCHBISHOP Giuseppe Pinto,

Papal Nuncio to the Philippines,
called on the Catholic faithful to
promote a culture of mercy, one
that is conscious of the needs of
others.

Mercy / A6

the violence.
Mr. President, we urge
you to order, especially these
extra-judicial killings, be
stopped, investigated, and
those responsible arrested
and brought to justice, he
said.
The prelate also announced
the establishment of his
dioceses House of Hope,
a community-based
rehabilitation program for
drug dependents.
The effort, he said, also
aims to provide recovery
coaching, spiritual guidance,
and life skills training to
substance users.
Through this modest but
sincere effort, we not only
want to help these returnees

Legazpi Bishop Joel Baylon

but also assure them that in

life there are second chances
and the opportunity to do
and be better, Baylon said.
(CBCPNews)

Priest alarmed by HIV youth epidemic

AS the country witnesses a rising
number of HIV/AIDS infections
among the youth, a Catholic priest
said its time to redouble efforts to
raise awareness and prevent the
spread of the virus.
Official figures showed that from
1984 to 2016, about 10,279 of the
total number of HIV/AIDS cases
were in the 15-24 years-old range.
But records also revealed that of
the total number of youth cases of
9,066 was reported only in the last
five years, prompting the government
to tag it a youth epidemic.
Fr. Dan Cancino, executive
secretary of the bishops
Commission on Health Care, said
necessary actions should be taken
to reduce them in future data,
noting it is a cause for alarm.

DIOCESE OF

LEGAZPI PHOTO

This is a day for us to increase

our knowledge, awareness,
consciousness [about HIV/
AIDS], especially because of
the youth affected now by this
global problem of HIV and AIDS,
Cancino told Manila archdioceserun Radio Veritas on World AIDS
Day, Dec. 1 in Filipino.
The priest said the lack of adequate
information as well as the prevalence
of pre-marital sexual activities among
the youth are among the main
reasons of the spread of sexually
transmitted diseases.
Most of those affected are our
youth. Cases are rising among
the 15 to 24-year olds. So they
are the future of our country, our
high school and college students,
HIV / A6

WITH a towering height of

100 feet, the worlds tallest
statute of the Divine Mercy
will be unveiled in Bulacan
province early next year.
This will be the biggest
statue of the Divine Mercy
around the world, said World
Apostolic Congress on Mercy
(WACOM) Asia Secretary
General Fr. Prospero Tenorio
during a press briefing in
Manila on December 2.
The statue is seen standing
atop a four storey multipurpose building constructed
at the National Shrine of the
Divine Mercy in Marilao
town, located some 24
kilometers north of Manila.
The construction of the
huge Jesus statue was only
started in January 2016 and
is expected to be fully finished

before the year ends.

Its blessing and unveiling
will be held on Jan. 19 as one
of the highlights of the 4th
World Apostolic Congress on
Mercy (WACOM) to be held
in the Philippines.
Tenorio said the statue
aims to perpetuate the
memory of the said global
Church event that will be held
in Asia for the first time.
According to the priest,
more than 5,000 local and
international delegates will
attend the global event from
Jan. 16 to 20.
The blessing and dedication
of the statue will be held after
a Mass that will be presided
over by Cebu Archbishop
Emeritus Ricardo Cardinal
Vidal with Malolos Bishop
Statue / A6

Schools should give knowledge,

not condoms Church execs

CHURCH officials are opposing

a government safe sex drive in
schools, arguing that students
should be given knowledge, not
condoms.

Fr. Jerome Secillano, executive

secretary of the bishops public
affairs committee, branded the
campaign as nothing but a waste of
School / A6

A2 NEWS

December 5 - 18, 2016 Vol. 20 No. 30

Japanese bishops want nuclear

power abolished worldwide
TOKYO, Japan The bishops
conference of Japan has issued a
statement calling for the worldwide
abolition of nuclear power, five and a
half years after the Fukushima Daiichi
nuclear disaster.
The Catholic Bishops Conference of
Japan (CBCJ) issued their statement,
On the Abolition of Nuclear Power
Generation: A Call by the Catholic
Church in Japan, on Nov. 11.
That same day, Japanese Prime
Minister Shinzo Abe met Indian Prime
Minister NarendraModi and signed
an agreement that would allow Japan
to export nuclear power technology
to India.
We, the CBCJ, appeal to all people
who share a common home called
Earth that we join hands, rise together
and act in solidarity to end nuclear
power generation, the statement said.
For that purpose, we turn first
to the Catholic Church throughout
the world, seeking cooperation and
solidarity. While it may be unusual
for the bishops conference of a single
country to direct a statement to
the entire world, what Japan has
experienced in the five and a half
years since the Fukushima disaster
convinces us that we must inform
the world of the hazards of nuclear
power generation and appeal for its
abolition.
The CBCJ published English,

A man shows an anti-nuclear placard at a rally to protest against re-operation of a nuclear power plant in front of
the Nuclear Regulation Authority in Tokyo on July 8, 2016. AFP

German and Korean translations of

the message on its website. They also
condemned the Japanese governments
pro-nuclear stance.
The bishops also published
a 290-page book in October that
demonstrates the philosophical basis
of their opposition.
Their outreach comes soon after
a 7.4-magnitude earthquake hit the
same area as the 2011 meltdown on
Nov. 22. It caused a tsunami as high

as two meters. A cooling system in

a nuclear power plant in Fukushima
was knocked out of service for over an
hour.
The 2011 Fukushima disaster was
the worst nuclear accident since
Chernobyl. A huge tsunami hit the
facility causing three reactors to melt
down and release nuclear material.
Up to 640 people could die from
radiation-related cancer, according to
one study. (UCAN)

New Catholic Relief Services chairman has

strong Middle East focus
WASHINGTON D.C.
Bishop Gregory John
Mansour, a Maronite bishop
with experience in Middle
East issues, will be the next
chairman of Catholic Relief
Services, the foreign aid arm
of the U.S. bishops.
It is my honor and privilege
to be appointed as chairman
of the CRS board of directors,
Bishop Mansour said Nov.
22. As a member of the CRS
board, Ive witnessed CRS
tremendous work among
the most vulnerable. I have
seen firsthand the suffering
of Christians and others
violently forced from their
homes in the Middle East.
Witnessing their plight was
difficult, but it is heartening
to see the compassionate
work that CRS continues to
do in the midst of chaos.
Since 2004, Bishop
Mansour has headed the
Maronite Eparchy of Saint
Maron of Brooklyn. He
is currently on the relief
agencys board.
Cardinal Daniel DiNardo
of Galveston-Houston, the
new president of the U.S.
Conference of Catholic Bishops,
named Bishop Mansour to his
position at CRS.
We are grateful for Bishop

Mansour in accepting the

appointment of chairman
of the board of CRS and in
overseeing the important work
they do throughout the globe
to bring aid and hope to so
many, Cardinal DiNardo said.
He praised the bishops
long service for CRS and
his pastoral concern for
the agencys humanitarian
efforts in the Middle East
and on behalf of Middle East
Christians, the U.S. bishops
conference said.
Dr. Carolyn Woo, President
of Catholic Relief Services,
welcomed the appointment.
It will be an honor to work
with Bishop Mansour in his
new capacity as chairman
of the board as we continue
to build upon past successes
in serving the poor and the
marginalized throughout the
world, she said.
CRS was founded by the
U.S. bishops in 1943. It aids
130 million people in over
90 countries and territories
around the world.
Bishop Mansour was
born in Flint, Michigan
to a family with ancestral
roots in Lebanon, the Syrian
capital of Damascus, and the
city of Nazareth in presentday Israel. He is part of the

Maronite Catholic Church, a

large Lebanon-based Eastern
Catholic Church with over 3.3
million members worldwide.
He received a bachelors
degree in health education
from Western Michigan
University in 1977 and
studied at Our Lady of
Lebanon Maronite Seminary
in Washington, D.C., his
eparchys website said. He
has received a postgraduate
degree in theological studies
from the Catholic University
of America and a Degree
in Spiritual Theology after
studies at the Pontifical
Gregorian University in
Rome. From 1998 to 2001 he
pursued graduate studies in
the University of CaliforniaLos Angeles Near Eastern
Languages Program, with an
emphasis on Islamic Studies.
The bishop is on the boards
of Aid to the Church in Need,
Caritas Lebanon, and the
Lebanon-based Christian
television broadcaster
Telelumiere/Noursat. He is
on the board of trustees of
the Catholic University of
America. He is also involved
with the group In Defense of
Christians, which supports
and advocates for Christians
of the Middle East.

Other roles for Bishop

Mansour have included
time on the U.S. bishops
pro-life committee and the
catechesis and evangelization
committees.
Bishop Mansours eparchy
includes 16 eastern U.S. states
and the District of Columbia,
with 45 churches, a seminary,
a monastery, and a convent.
Cardinal DiNardo thanked
the outgoing CRS board
chairman, Archbishop Paul
S. Coakley of Oklahoma City,
for his tireless work over his
three-year term.
His leadership, most
particularly in those areas of
assistance to those in regions
of conflict and poverty, is
deeply appreciated.
Archbishop Coakley will
remain on the CRS board. The
U.S. bishops at their fall general
assembly elected two new board
members: Bishop Gregory L.
Parkes of Pensacola-Tallahassee
and Archbishop Jerome E.
Listecki of Milwaukee.
Departing members of the
board are Bishop William P.
Callahan of La Crosse and
Bishop Frank J. Dewane of
Venice in Florida, who are
stepping down after finishing
their three-year terms at the
end of the year.(CNA)

Humanitarian needs going unmet in Iraq, Catholic

leaders tell Congress
WASHINGTON D.C. Given new
and expanded humanitarian crises in
Iraq and elsewhere, Congress should
respond generously to a request to
approve additional aid funding, the
U.S. bishops and Catholic Relief
Services leaders have said in a letter.
As we have already learned in
Iraq, individuals, communities,
and countries divided by war face
significant challenges amidst
their suffering. They must rebuild
their communities, and establish
inclusive governance that protects
majorities and minorities, the
letter said.
We must provide them with
humanitarian help and durable
solutions to their plight because its
the right thing to do, and because
their security and prosperity is
critical to the stability of the entire
region.
The Nov. 28 letter to Senate and
House leaders of the Subcommittees
on State, Foreign Operations and
Related Programs was signed by

Bishop Oscar Cantu of Las Cruces,

chair of the U.S. bishops Committee
on International Justice and Peace;
Bishop Joe Vasquez of Austin, chair
of the U.S. bishops Committee on
Migration; and Dr. Carolyn Woo,
president of Catholic Relief Services.
In partnership with Caritas Iraq
and others, CRS continues to help the
more than 80,000 people affected by
the liberation of Fallujah and others
displaced from Hawija, they said.
But existing funding is insufficient.
More than 50,000 people have fled
Mosul since it was retaken from the
Islamic State group. About 3.3 million
Iraqis have been internally displaced
since 2014, when ISIS militants
began to occupy parts of Iraq.
The Obama administration on
Nov. 11 requested an amendment
to Congress final appropriations
for the 2017 fiscal year to increase
aid funding. The U.S. bishops and
Catholic Relief Services strongly
backed the request for new overseas
contingency operations funds given

unmet humanitarian needs.

Other areas that have witnessed
increased suffering since the
appropriations bill were passed
include the Southern African drought,
South Sudan, the Central African
Republic, and the Lake Chad basin,
the letter reported.
The United States, as the worlds
wealthiest nation, has an obligation
to help the innocent who fall victim
to war, to protect the marginalized,
and to lift people out of poverty, the
bishops and Woo wrote.
At USCCB and CRS, we know
through our own emergency appeals
that when Americans are asked to
help, they respond generously, they
said.
In 2015, CRS aided more than 100
million people across 100 countries,
with the aid of Catholic donors
and public money. Its partnership
with local Catholic organizations
and others who are trusted by local
communities in order to maximize
the impact of assistance. (CNA)

CBCP Monitor

Vatican Briefing

Pope dedicates December to praying for end to

child soldiers
In his latest prayer video, which highlights his prayer
intention for the month of December, Pope Francis
focused on putting an end to the phenomenon of
child-soldiers, which he called a form of slavery.The
video, published Dec. 1, shows a soldier suiting up for
battle in the dark, boots, gun and ammo included.
When the soldiers face is shown, its a young boy
with the lower half of his face covered by a bandana.
The scene then changes to show children running and
playing in the sun, while the Pope says we must do
everything possible so that the dignity of children may
be respected, and end this form of slavery. (Elise
Harris/CNA)
Pope offers prayer, condolences after Colombia
plane crash
After a plane crash in Colombia claimed the lives
of 71 people, including the majority of Brazils up and
coming Chapecoense soccer team, Pope Francis has
offered his prayer and solidarity for the victims and
their families.Deeply distressed to learn of the sad
news of the serious plane accident which has caused
many victims, Pope Francis raises his prayers for
the eternal rest of the deceased, a Nov. 30 telegram
signed by Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro
Parolin read. Addressed to Bishop Fidel Leon Cadavid
Marin of Sonson-Rionegro in the province of Medellin,
Colombia, the letter asked the bishop to convey the
Popes sentiment of condolences to the families of
the victims and to all those who cry for so grievous a
loss.(Elise Harris/CNA)
Scientists play a key role in solving global
problems, Pope says
Pope Francis told a group of scientists Monday that
their role in finding creative solutions to the worlds
problems is more urgent than ever, and praised
increasing collaboration between scientific and
religious communities.It falls to scientists, who work
free of political, economic or ideological interests, to
develop a cultural model which can face the crisis of
climatic change and its social consequences, so that the
vast potential of productivity will not be reserved only
for the few, the Pope said Nov. 28.Francis stressed
that with the cooperation of scientists, the creation of a
normative system that includes inviolable limits and
ensures the protection of ecosystems is now necessary.
(Elise Harris/CNA)
Drugs a new form of slavery, Pope Francis says
Drug addiction is a contemporary form of
slavery, Pope Francis lamented, emphasizing that
a rehabilitation which restores victims joy and
dignity is much needed.Drugs are a wound in our
society. A wound that traps many people in the
networks. They are victims have lost their freedom
to fall into slavery; slavery of a dependency we can
call chemistry, the Pope said Nov. 24.Its certain,
he said, that drugs consist of a new form of slavery,
like many others that plague man today and society in
general.Pope Francis spoke to participants in a Nov.
23-24 workshop organized by the Pontifical Academy
for the Sciences titled Workshop on Narcotics:
Problems and Solutions of this Global Issue.(Elise
Harris/CNA)
Papal Advent advice: Dont be dominated by
material things
The season of Advent is a reminder to us to open our
horizons and have concern for more than just material
things, the Pope said Sunday during his Angelus
address. Advent is an invitation to sobriety, to not
be dominated by the things of this world, to material
reality, but rather to govern them, Pope Francis said
Nov. 27 in St. Peters Square. If, on the contrary, we are
conditioned and overpowered by them, it is not possible
to perceive that which is much more important: our
final encounter with the Lord: and this is important.
That, that encounter.He pointed to the three comings
of Christ, tto which Advent point us: his Incarnation;
his daily walking with us and his consoling presence;
and his coming again in glory to judge the living and
the dead.(CNA)
Pope recognizes martyrdom of Oklahoma priest
killed in Guatemala
Pope Francis has recognized the martyrdom of
Father Stanley Rother of the Archdiocese of Oklahoma
City, making him the first martyr born in the United
States. The Vatican made the announcement Dec. 2.
The recognition of his martyrdom clears the way for
his beatification. Father Rother, born March 27, 1935,
on his familys farm near Okarche, Oklahoma, was
brutally murdered July 28, 1981, in a Guatemalan
village where he ministered to the poor. Many priests
and religious in Guatemala became targets during the
countrys 1960-1996 civil war as government forces
cracked down on leftist rebels supported by the rural
poor. (CNS)
Pope meets Martin Scorsese after director screens
Silence for Jesuits
The morning after screening his film, Silence, for
about 300 Jesuits, the U.S. director Martin Scorsese
had a private audience with Pope Francis. During
the 15-minute audience Nov. 30, Pope Francis told
Scorsese that he had read Japanese author Shusaku
Endos historical novel, Silence, which inspired the
film. The book and film are a fictionalized account of
the persecution of Christians in 17th-century Japan; the
central figures are Jesuit missionaries. Pope Francis
spoke to Scorsese, his wife and two daughters, and
the films producer, about the early Jesuit missions
to Japan and about the Twenty-Six Martyrs Museum
and Monument in Nagasaki, which honors the
Japanese martyrs executed on the site in 1597. (Cindy
Wooden/CNS)

CBCP Monitor

NEWS A3

December 5 - 18, 2016 Vol. 20 No. 30

Why Philippines for global

Divine Mercy Congress?
MANILA When they
arrive in the Philippines
early next year, foreign
delegates will be visiting
a small country viewed
as the future of Divine
Mercy devotion.
French priest Fr.
Patrice Chocholski,
Secretary General of
the 4th World Apostolic
Congress on Mercy
(WACOM), said Filipinos
are the testimony of
faith in the world.
I would say the most
important message
is your responsibility
as Filipinos for future
evangelization, said
Chocholski.
The Divine Mercy can
transform our society.
This is the hope we have
because I feel that the

Fr. Patrice Chocholski, WACOM Secretary General, speaks during a press

briefing in Manila, Dec. 1, 2016. ROY LAGARDE

Philippine Church has an

important responsibility
for the future of the
Church, he said.
From Jan. 16 to 20,

Asias biggest Catholic

nation will be hosting
another major religious
event that is expected to
bring more than 5,000

delegates from across

the world.
The last two years
were busy for the local
Church highlighted by
Pope Francis visit in
2015 and the hosting of
the 51st International
Eucharistic Congress in
Cebu City the year after.
Chocholski said the
WACOM next year will
certainly be another
historic occasion for the
renewal of Catholic faith
and Christian mission.
According to the
priest, it is a fact that
Filipinos all over the
world help spread the
faith in all ends of the
earth.
He also that even in
the previous world and
continental congresses,

the number of Filipino

delegates, among whom
are bishops, priests and
laypeople, was always
notable.
The priest added that
even official delegates
from other countries are
partly Filipinos.
We need the Filipino
mission in the whole
world, Chocholski
said. We are always
happy with the Filipino
community because they
bring us joy the joy of
faith.
The renewal of the
mission I believe will
come from Asia. You
have long experience in
interreligious dialogue
and we need that in the
world, he said. (Roy
Lagarde/CBCPNews)

Pope Francis letter to dying girl read aloud at her funeral

VATICAN Pope Francis has
again captured the hearts of the
world, with a tear-jerking letter
to a young Italian girl dying
from cancer, which was read
aloud at the girls funeral once
she passed away.
Dear Paolina, your photos
are on my desk, because in your
very special gaze I see the light
of goodness and innocence.
Thank you for sending them
to me! the Pope said at the
beginning of his letter.
He instructed the girl to read
this letter together with your
mother, and the kiss she will
now give you will be the kiss of
the Pope.
Originally published on
the Italian website Il Faro di
Roma, the letter was dated
Sept. 22 and addressed to
10-year-old Paolina Libraro,
who was suffering from an
advanced form of cancer.

The girls mother had written

to the Pope asking him to bless
and pray for her daughter. In
response, Francis sent his letter
with a special VIP ticket for this
Oct. 26 general audience, where
he would have given her the
blessing in person.
However, Paolina, who is
from the southeast Italian city
of Massafra, was too ill and
weak to travel as the audience
drew near, and so she couldnt
make the trip to Rome. She
passed away Nov. 22 and was
buried the same day.
The funeral Mass was held
at the Church of St. Leopold
Mandic and was presided over
by Fr. Michele Quaranta. Nearly
the entire town was present,
including the citys mayor,
Fabrizio Quarto.
During his homily, Fr.
Quaranta read aloud the Popes
letter, which reassured Paolina

that I unite my hands to yours

and to those who are praying
for you.
In this way we will make a
long chain that, I am sure, will
reach heaven, Pope Francis
said in the letter, and told the
girl to remember that the first
link in this chain is you, because
you have Jesus in your heart!
Remember it!
He told her to speak to Jesus
not only about herself, but
also about her parents, who
need so much to be helped
and comforted in front of the
difficult steps they are facing.
You will certainly be very
good at suggesting to Jesus
what to do for them, the Pope
said, and asked Paolina to also
tell Jesus what he must to for
me too, while I will remind him
what he must do for you.
I give you a very strong
hug and I bless you with my

whole heart, together with your

parents and your loved ones,
he said, and signed the letter
himself.
Pope Francis is known to
make personal phone calls and
send personal messages to those
who contact him, often to the
surprise of the one who receives
his letter or hears his voice on
the other end of the line.
The Pope is also known to
carry several objects in his
pocket that he considers special
or important, including a rosary
and pocket-sized Way of the
Cross.
Another thing the Pope said
he keeps on his desk because
it touched his heart is a picture
given to him by a child during
his daytrip to the Greek island of
Lesbos. It depicts several people
drowning beside a capsized boat
as the sun above them cries tears
of blood. (Elise Harris/CNA)

That time JP2 changed

Fidel Castros mind
about Christmas
HAVANA, Cuba
After Fidel Castro
gained power in Cuba
in 1959, he spent the
next decade slowly
imposing socialism on
the country, including
state atheism.
In 1960, several
Cuban Catholic bishops
signed a letter reaffirming the Churchs
long-standing rejection
of communism and
called for Catholics to
reject it. In response, his
government confiscated
Catholic property and
arrested Catholics.
Then, in 1969, he
banned the celebration
of Christmas.
This ban on the
celebration of one of the
Churchs high holy days
lasted for nearly three
decades until 1998,
when St. John Paul II
successfully convinced
him to remove the
ban. Joaqun NavarroValls, John Paul IIs
spokesman in the
1990s, recently shared
the amazing story with
Vatican Insider.
I explained to him
[Castro] that now that
the date of [John Paul
IIs] visit was setfor
21 January 1998it
would be interesting if
it were a great success,

Navarro-Valls shared.
Cuba needs to surprise
the word, I told him.
Fidel agreed.
So I added something
about the surprises the
Pope was expecting.
I asked Castro for
Christmas, which was
just around the corner,
to be celebrated as an
official holiday for the
first time since the start
of the Revolution.
Heres how Castro
responded, according
to Navvarro-Valls:
He said it would
be very difficult as
Christmas fell right in
the middle of the sugar
cane harvesting season.
To which I responded:
But the Holy Father
would like to be able
to publicly thank you
for this gesture once he
lands in Havana.
After a long
discussion, Castro
finally said yes, although
he did add: But it could
be for this year only. All
I said was: Great, the
Pope will be grateful to
you for this. And as for
next year, well see.
As we know, to this
day, Christmas is still
celebrated as a public
holiday in Cuba.
(Church Pop via
CNA)

Trying to find confession

times? Theres an app for that

3 ways to obtain an indulgence for the 100-year Fatima anniversary

FATIMA, Portugal For
the 100th anniversary
of the apparitions of
Our Lady of Fatima in
Portugal, Pope Francis
has decided to grant
a plenary indulgence
opportunity throughout
the entire anniversary
year, which began Nov.
27, 2016, and will end
Nov. 26, 2017.
The rector of the
Fatima Shrine in
Portugal, Andr Pereira,
explained to CNA that
the plenary indulgence
can be obtained during
the entire Jubilee
Year. There are three
ways of obtaining the
indulgence, detailed
in a statement on the
shrines website.
To obtain the plenary
indulgence, the faithful
must also fulfill the
ordinary conditions:
go to Confession and

Communion, be
interiorly detached from
sin, and pray for the
intentions of the Holy
Father.
1. Make a pilgrimage
to the shrine
The first way is for
the faithful to make a
pilgrimage to the Fatima
Shrine in Portugal
and participate in a
celebration or prayer
dedicated to the Virgin.
In addition, the
faithful must pray the
Our Father, recite the
Creed, and invoke the
Mother of God.
2. Pray before any
statue of Our Lady of
Fatima
The second way
applies to the pious
faithful who visit with
devotion a statue of
Our Lady of Fatima

invoke Our Lady of

Fatima.

Our Lady of Fatima International Pilgrim Statue

solemnly exposed for

public veneration in
any church, oratory or
proper place during the
days of the anniversary
of the apparitions, the
13th of each month from
May to October (2017),
and there devoutly
participate in some
celebration or prayer
in honor of the Virgin
Mary.
Regarding this second

way, the rector of the

Fatima Shrine told
CNA that the visit to
the statue of the Virgin,
does not necessarily
have to be only at
Fatima or exclusively
in Portugal, but can be
done anywhere in the
world.
Those seeking an
indulgence must also
pray an Our Father,
recite the Creed and

3. The elderly and

infirm
The third way to obtain
a plenary indulgence
applies to people who,
because of age, illness
or other serious cause,
are unable to get around.
These individuals
can pray in front of
a statue of Our Lady
of Fatima and must
spiritually unite
themselves to the
jubilee celebrations
on the days of the
apparitions, the 13th of
each month, between
May and October 2017.
They also must offer
to merciful God with
confidence, through
Mary, their prayers
and sufferings or the
sacrifices they make in
their own lives.

Vaticans anti-abuse commission launches new website

ROME - The Pontifical
Commission for the Protection
of Minors launched a new
website, which is designed to
help inform the public about
their work, and includes
resources for Church leaders
on safeguarding children and
caring for survivors.
Announced by the Vatican
Dec. 6, and coinciding with
the feast of St. Nicholas, the
patron saint of children,
the website is considered
to be in the beta stage
and is still undergoing
development.
However, the website
already includes information
on the history, mission and
members of the Commission,
practical resources and
Church documents on the
topic of abuse, as well as past
and upcoming programs of

the commission, and news

about their current work.
The commission serves as
an advisory body to the Pope,
providing recommendations
on how the Church can best
protect minors and vulnerable
adults. It consists of 17 men
and women from around
the world who work in the
field of abuse prevention and
recovery, including a few
survivors, and is headed by
Cardinal Sean OMalley of
Boston.
The group was first proposed
to the Pope by his Council
of Cardinals in December
2013. After he approved the
proposal, Francis appointed
Cardinal OMalley to form
the commission and carry
forward their work.
The new website aims
to promote a spirit of

transparency, including
information on the
educational programs and
conferences they have given
at the Vatican and in other
parts of the world, such as
a recent presentation given
to bishops Sept. 15 during
a formation course for new
bishops at the Vatican.
Under the websites
resources section can be found
guidelines and practical advice
on responding to complaints
of abuse, advice for meeting
with survivors, using prayer in
the healing process, and how
to contact the commission
with recommendations or
information.
There are also links
to important commission
documents and to addresses,
speeches and letters of
St. John Paul II and Pope

Benedict XVI on the topic

of the protection of minors
and vulnerable adults by the
Church.
And finally, a press and
media section includes press
releases and links to news on
the commissions work.
According to the website,
engaging with the media
is considered an important
aspect of the commissions
promotion of public
awareness about the need
to ensure the protection
of minors throughout the
Church.
The website is currently
only available in English, but
will eventually be expanded
to include Spanish, Italian,
Portuguese and French
language versions. (Hannah
Brockhaus/(CNA/EWTN
News)

Archbishop Leo Cushley (c) demonstrates The Catholic App in St. Peters
Square, Nov. 22, 2016. DANIEL IBANEZ/CNA

E D I N B U R G H ,
Scotland Need to find
confession nearby at the
drop of a dime? Theres
an app for that.
The Archdiocese of
Saint Andrews and
Edinburgh announced
last Tuesday at St.
Peters Square the first
ever GPS-powered
confession finder that
uses technology to
connect individuals with
the closest confession
and Mass times.
This is a little bit
of smart technology
that could make a big
impact on how the
Catholic Church brings
the mercy of God and
the joy of the Gospel
to our contemporary
world, Archbishop
Leo Cushley of Saint
Andrews and Edinburgh
stated, according to the
Telegraph.
The idea was really
inspired by the Holy
Father himself. He
said to be imaginative
about what to do for the
Holy Year of Mercy,
Archbishop Cushley told
Vatican Radio.
The archdiocese hopes
the app will increase
Mass attendance and
help Catholics aged 1855 to become more fully
engaged within the local
Church. Ultimately, the
app will also save on
bulletin printing costs.
The Archdiocese of
Saint Andrews and
Edinburgh contains
more than 110 parishes
spread over more than
2,000 square miles in
Scotland. Although this

archdiocese is the first

to launch the app, The
Guardian reported that
five other dioceses in
the country will likely
incorporate the app in
the near future.
Although some
websites have minted
similar concepts, such
as MassTimes.org, The
Catholic App is the first
mobile-friendly service
to offer sacramentfinding services to
individuals on their
phones. The app also
offers a planning service
to schedule confession in
the future, incorporates
local diocesan news, and
delivers weekly spiritual
inspirations.
The Catholic App
was developed by tech
company Musemantik.
Dr. Maciej Zurawski,
founder of Musemantik,
believes apps are the
only way to keep in
touch with the mobile
generation.
Websites are losing
popularity what is
needed to engage with
the mobile generation
is an app that is smart
and personal, an app
that is like a companion,
a friend that takes the
initiative to inspire you
thats the vision behind
the Catholic App, he
sated.
The app, scheduled
to go live in 2017, can
be found on iPhones
and other tablet devices.
Other dioceses interested
in The Catholic App can
sign up on the apps
website. (CNA/EWTN
News)

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