“Dear brothers and sisters, I would like to announce that Saturday, June 6, God willing, I will go to Sarajevo, capital of Bosnia and Herzegovina,” the Pope told pilgrims gathered in St. Peter’s Square Feb. 1.
“I ask you right now to pray that my visit to those dear people is one of encouragement for the Catholic faithful, fosters seeds of good and contributes to the consolidation of fraternity and peace.”
As part of his trip Pope Francis will be visiting the local Catholic community, but will also be entering a nation marked with vast ethnic and religious diversity, which served as a key factor in the country's recent war.
Pope Francis’ visit to Sarajevo falls less than a year after the July 28 centenary of the start of WWI last year, as well as 20 years after the conclusion of the Bosnian War, which lasted from April 1992 until December 1995.
In a June 16-17 Oasis conference in Sarajevo discussing the temptation of violence among religions, the country's archbishop, Cardinal Vinko Puljic, spoke with CNA about the ethnic and religious tensions that still linger in the country.
Cardinal Puljic told CNA June 17 that Catholics in Bosnia are “in a grave position.”
“There is no equality and this is a problem. There is no equality in the Serbian Republic, there is no equality in the federation, (and) where there is no equality, it isn’t possible to live in peace.”
Cardinal Puljic is the sixth and current Archbishop of the Vrhbosna diocese in Sarajevo, Bosnia-Herzegovina.
It is a country, the cardinal said, in which Christians, including those from Orthodox and Catholic traditions, Muslims and Jews live together alongside one another.
With such diversity, Cardinal Puljic explained that “We want to create a paradigm for Europe where it is possible to live together with respect and human rights,” and noted that this “doesn’t depend only on communities of different religions.”
It is also the responsibility of “the international community and the local politics who need to create equality.”
Historically divided into three key ethnic groups, Bosnia-Herzegovina is composed of a majority of Muslim Bosniaks followed by a large percentage of mostly Orthodox Serbs and a great population of Croats, a majority of which are Catholic.
The current religious and ethnic situation is complex, Cardinal Puljic observed. The region has seen a series of wars, the most recent of which is the Bosnian War of 1992-1995 in which the country’s Serb population began a policy of ethnic “cleansing” in large areas of Bosnia inhabited by non-Serbs and Muslim, Croat and Serb populations who opposed their army.
With a diverse population of local Christians, Catholics in Bosnia form a minority whereas the Serbian Republic is mostly Orthodox and the Federation is a majority Muslim.
Cardinal Puljic said that there are currently “great tensions between Orthodox Christians and Muslims,” and observed that Catholics “are like catalysts between them. We want to create tranquility (and) a climate of dialogue.”
Wondering what to give up for Lent? Try indifference, says pope
By Elise Harris
Catholic News Agency
Vatican City -- The “globalization of indifference” was at the heart of Pope Francis’ Lenten message, in which he urged faithful to fight individualism with merciful hearts that are more attentive to the needs of others.
“(Jesus) is interested in each of us; his love does not allow him to be indifferent to what happens to us,” the pope noted in his Jan. 27 Lenten message, saying that often times when we live a healthy and comfortable lifestyle, “we forget about others.”
“We are unconcerned with their problems, their sufferings and the injustices they endure.... Our heart grows cold,” he observed, saying that today this “selfish attitude of indifference has taken on global proportions, to the extent that we can speak of a globalization of indifference.”
Lent, he said, is a time of grace in which we encounter the love of the Lord, who first served us through his life and the washing of the disciples’ feet before his passion, and ultimately in his sacrificial death on the cross.
“God is not indifferent to our world; he so loves it that he gave his Son for our salvation,” the pontiff explained.
This “globalization of indifference” is a reality that Christians must confront by going outside of themselves, he said.
“Flooded with news reports and troubling images of human suffering, we often feel our complete inability to help,” the pope observed.
Both praying together as a community and performing small acts of charity are concrete ways that can prevent us from getting “caught up in this spiral of distress and powerlessness,” the pope explained.
Pope Francis concluded his message by praying that during Lent, each person receive “a heart which is firm and merciful, attentive and generous, a heart which is not closed, indifferent or prey to the globalization of indifference.”
8 February: First International Day of Prayer against Human Trafficking
Vatican City, 3 February 2015 (VIS) – This morning a press conference was held in the Holy See Press Office to present the first International Day of Prayer and Awareness against Human Trafficking. The Day will be held on 8 February, the feast day of Sudanese slave St. Josephine Bakhita who, after being freed, became a Canossian Sister and was canonised in 2000, and will be entitled: “A light against human trafficking”. The Day is promoted by the Pontifical Council for the Pastoral Care of Migrants and Itinerant Peoples, the Pontifical Council “Justice and Peace” and the International Union of Superiors General (UISG).
The conference was attended by Cardinal Joao Braz de Aviz, prefect of the Congregation for the Institutes of Consecrated Life and the Societies of Apostolic Life; Cardinal Antonio Maria Veglio, president of the Pontifical Council for the Pastoral Care of Migrants and Itinerant Peoples; and Cardinal Peter Kodwo Appiah Turkson, president of the Pontifical Council “Justice and Peace”. The other speakers were Sister Carmen Sammut, MSOLA, president of the International Union of Superiors General; Sister Gabriella Bottani, SMC, coordinator of Talitha Kum (the International Network of Consecrated Life against Trafficking in Persons); Sister Valeria Gandini, SMC; and Sister Imelda Poole IBVM, coordinator of the European Talitha Kum network.
Cardinal Turkson, speaking in English, reiterated that “millions of people today – children, women and men of all ages – are deprived of freedom and are forced to live in conditions akin to slavery. For those who cry out – usually in silence – for liberation, St Josephine Bakhita is an exemplary witness of hope. We, victims and advocates alike, could do no better than be inspired by her life and entrust our efforts to her intercession”.
He continued, “the Holy Father invites us all to recognise that we are facing a global phenomenon which exceeds the competence of any one community or country. In order to eliminate it, we need a mobilisation comparable in size to that of the phenomenon itself”. The prelate explained that the International Day against Human Trafficking constitutes “a mobilisation of awareness and prayer on a global scale. Our awareness must expand and extend to the very depths of this evil and its farthest reaches … from awareness to prayer … from prayer to solidarity … and from solidarity to concerted action, until slavery and trafficking are no more”.
On the occasion of this first day of prayer and reflection, all dioceses, parishes, associations, families and individuals are invited to reflect and pray in order to cast light on this crime, as indicated by the theme of the initiative. In addition, prayer vigils will be held in different countries, culminating in the Angelus prayer in St. Peter's Square on 8 February.
On the day, the faithful are invited to recite the following prayer:
“O God, when we hear of children and adults
deceived and taken to unknown places for
purposes of sexual exploitation, forced labour, and
organ ‘harvesting’, our hearts are saddened and
our spirits angry that their dignity and rights are
ignored through threats, lies, and force.
We cry out against the evil practice of this modern
slavery, and pray with St. Bakhita for it to end.
Give us wisdom and courage to reach out and
stand with those whose bodies, hearts and spirits
have been so wounded, so that together we may
make real your promises to fill these sisters and
brothers with a love that is tender and good.
Send the exploiters away empty-handed to be
converted from this wickedness, and help us all to
claim the freedom that is your gift to your
children. Amen”.
Adoption Counseling
Helping people make an informed decision
Amy Falcon is a social worker for Catholic Social Service in Dodge City. She was hired in 2000, and quickly initiated the Teen Moms program. Besides that and the many other programs she oversees is “Adoption Counseling.” The Register asked if she would answer a few questions about this very important ministry. Amy can be contacted at (620) 227-1590, or by emailing This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
SOUTHWEST KANSAS REGISTER: In what ways have you seen women or couples benefit from adoption counseling?
AMY FALCON: I think that the counseling helps them to truly consider each of their options and helps them to feel good about their decision, whether it is to make an adoption plan or a parenting plan.
SKR: Can you share a personal story of a particular mom and how she benefited from adoption counseling?
Pope Francis announces June visit to Bosnia-Herzegovina
By Elise Harris
Vatican City, Feb 1, 2015 / 04:11 am (CNA/EWTN News) - During his Sunday Angelus address Pope Francis announced he will visit the Bosnian capital of Sarajevo in June, where WWI broke out in 1914 with the assassination of Austrian Archduke Franz Ferdinand.
Health care professionals across diocese benefit from
'Infant Adoption Awareness Training'
By PATTIE MCGURK, LBSW
Catholic Social Service
During the past six years, Catholic Social Service has provided the “Infant Adoption Awareness Training” to approximately 1,500 nurses and social workers at hospitals, health departments and related agencies across the state of Kansas.
This training program is funded through a federal grant with “The Spaulding Foundation for Children.” The purpose of this grant is to help health care professionals learn appropriate ways to assist a pregnant woman or teen who might want to consider adoption for their unborn or newborn child.
In July of 2001, a “notice and request for proposal” was issued by the Department of Human Services to develop and implement “Infant Adoption Awareness Training Program” (IAATP) curricula. Spaulding for Children was awarded the grant for the 2001 to 2004 period. This grant was funded and awarded to Spaulding for Children for another two years in 2004 and for another five years in 2006.
Coming soon to the Vatican: haircuts for Rome's homeless
Catholic News Agency -- The Vatican’s continued efforts to help the homeless of Rome have expanded beyond showers and bathrooms at St. Peter’s Square, with a barber shop set to open soon.
“Our primary concern is to give people their dignity,” Archbishop Konrad Krajewski, head of the Office of Papal Charities, told the Italian news agency ANSA.
In November, construction started on new showers and bathrooms for the homeless under the colonnades of St. Peter’s Square. The archbishop, who oversaw the project, set aside space for a barber.
He noted the difficulty that the homeless face in washing themselves, which in turn helps cause others to reject them—or causes them to fear rejection.
“A person needs to keep their hair and facial hair tidy, also in order to prevent diseases,” the archbishop said. “This is another service that homeless people do not have easy access to. It is not easy for them to enter a normal shop because there may be a fear of customers catching something, like scabies for example.”
The initiative will also help “the good of the city,” since homeless people often take buses and the subway and come into contact with others.
The Poland-born Archbishop Krajewski is the papal almoner, who conducts acts of charity for the poor and raises money to fund the charitable work. When the archbishop was appointed, Pope Francis urged him not to stay at his desk but rather to be an active worker for the benefit of the poor.
Many barbers have volunteered with enthusiasm, including two barbers from the national Italian organization that transports the sick to Lourdes, France and other international shrines. Other volunteers are finishing their final year in barber school.
The barber service will be open on Mondays, when barber shops in Italy are traditionally closed. It is scheduled to open in several weeks.
'Justice for Newcomers'
Imagine being so desperate that you leave your family and friends, the land you’ve known and loved all your life, only to risk life and limb to acquire work in a strange land so that you can send money home to your family.
Even if an immigrant can fight the red tape to acquire proper documentation, both the documented and undocumented immigrant face unimaginable challenges once they leave their homeland: the dangerous journey, language barrier, racial intolerance, and, as proven right here in southwest Kansas, unscrupulous people out to steal what little they have.
“Justice for Newcomers” is Catholic Charities’ call for immigration reform. The campaign not only strives to address the problem of a broken immigration system, but it also seeks to address the conditions that compel people to leave their homes, including desperation and lack of opportunities.
It aims to reach beyond the networks of the participating national agencies and enlist the support of Catholic individuals and institutions in dioceses throughout the country.
Catholic Charities USA and its members are committed to working in solidarity with migrants and newcomers to develop a comprehensive solution that creates immigrant policies that work for all people.
Editor’s Note: In 2005, Catholic Charities USA published Justice for Newcomers; A Catholic Call for Solidarity and Reform. A link for this document will be included at www.dcdiocese.org/register.
Pope: the Gospel doesn’t oppress, but frees those enslaved to evil
By Elise Harris
Vatican City, Feb 1, 2015 / 09:33 am (CNA/EWTN News) - In his Sunday Angelus address Pope Francis pointed to the authority with which Jesus preached, saying that his words in the Gospel aren’t aimed to limit, but rather liberate us from evil and worldly spirits.
“The Gospel is the word of life: it does not oppress people, (but) on the contrary it frees those who are enslaved by so many evil spirits in this world: vanity, the attachment to money, pride, sensuality,” the Pope told pilgrims present in St. Peter’s Square Feb. 1.
What the Gospel does, he said, is it “changes the heart, the Gospel changes the heart! It changes life; it transforms the inclination to evil to resolutions of good.”
Pope Francis centered his reflection on the day’s Gospel reading from Mark, in which those present in the synagogue were “amazed” at the authority with which Jesus preached, as well as his act of freeing a man possessed by an evil spirit.
One of the first things Jesus does after entering Capernaum with his disciples is go to the synagogue, the Pope observed, noting how Jesus was more concerned with communicating the word of God than with taking care of the logistical organization of his community.
“And the people in the synagogue are struck, because Jesus ‘taught them as one having authority and not as the scribes,’” the Pope noted, and asked what it means for someone to speak with authority.
To speak with authority the way that Jesus did “means that in the human word of Jesus the strength of the Word of God was felt, the same authoritativeness of God was felt, inspirer of the Holy Scripture,” he said.
One of the key characteristics of God’s word is that it accomplishes what it says, because the word of God corresponds to his will, the Roman Pontiff explained.
While we often pronounce “empty words, without roots or superfluous words, words that do not correspond with the truth,” the word of God always corresponds to the truth, and is united to whatever he says and does, the Pope noted.
Jesus proves his authority when immediately after preaching he frees a man possessed by an evil spirit, he said, observing that it was precisely Jesus’ divine authority that brought on Satan’s reaction.
For his part, Jesus “immediately recognizes the voice of evil and rebuked him and said, 'Quiet! Come out of him!’” the pontiff said, explaining that Jesus frees the man “with only the strength of His word.”
“The word of God astonishes us with that strength. It astonishes us well,” the Bishop of Rome said, noting that the Gospel doesn’t limit us, but rather frees us and has the capacity to change hearts.
It is therefore the “duty” of Christians to spread this redeeming power everywhere and to become true missionaries and preachers of God’s word, he said.
The day’s Gospel passage also closes with this missionary openness when it recounts how Jesus’ fame “spread everywhere” throughout Galilee, he noted, saying that this “new doctrine” taught by Jesus is what the Church brings to the world, along with the authoritative teaching of the Magisterium.
“Always remember that the Gospel has the power to change life! Do not forget this! That is the good news that transforms us only when we allow ourselves to be transformed by it,” the Pope said, and urged those present to read a passage of the Bible every day.
He then asked for the intercession of Mary in assisting all to be “assiduous listeners” of God’s Word, and led the faithful in the recitation of the traditional Marian prayer.
After praying the Angelus with the pilgrims gathered Pope Francis acknowledged how the same day Italy was celebrating the “Day for Life,” which had as its theme “Solidarity for life.”
“When we open ourselves to life and life is served, we come to believe once again in the revolutionary nature of love and tenderness,” he said, noting that this openness to life “beginning a new humanism: the humanism of solidarity.”
Does 'never again' have any meaning? Human rights after the Holocaust
By Adelaide Mena
Washington D.C., Feb 1, 2015 / 04:01 pm (CNA/EWTN News) - Even though it ended seventy years ago, the Holocaust still gives a stark and relevant warning on dehumanization and persecution today, say leaders on human rights and Holocaust history.
The fight to protect human dignity can “never rest,” Katrina Lantos-Swett told CNA Jan. 27, the commemoration of International Holocaust Remembrance Day.
“It requires this constant vigilance. It requires this vigilance to not rest in the face of evil,” she said. “This duty not to forget is a moral duty.”
Swett serves as the Chair of the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom and President of the Lantos Foundation for Human Rights and Justice. Her father, Congressman Tom Lantos (D-Calif.) was the only Holocaust survivor to serve in the United States Congress.
International Holocaust Remembrance Day is commemorated by the United Nations on Jan. 27, the anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau. The 2015 commemoration marked the 70th anniversary of the liberation of the camp in 1945.
During World War II, more than six million European Jews and at least five million non-Jewish Poles, Slavs, Romani Gypsies, Soviets, Catholics, homosexuals, disabled persons, political and religious dissidents at the hands of Nazi troops. The Nazi party justified its persecution and treatment of its victims by calling them subhuman and inferior “lives unworthy of life.”
This rejection of the “inherent dignity of every human being” and the sheer “effort that was made to dehumanize the other,” Swett said, formed the “underlying ideology” of the Holocaust.
In turn, this dehumanization coupled with an oftentimes bureaucratic operation, she continued, led to a system that showcased the “banality of evil.” She noted that many of the crimes of Auschwitz and other camps had been told to the public through escaped prisoners, yet there was a “relative lack of outrage” until months after the liberation of Auschwitz and other camps.
However, the Holocaust did teach the international community a valuable lesson about the “vulnerable” nature of human rights. In the months and years after the Holocaust, a “worldwide revulsion” to the crimes that occurred lead to the codification and safeguarding of human rights, such as in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the classification of genocide and other crimes against humanity, Swett explained.
However, she continued, these lessons must be remembered by subsequent generations. “A lesson learned once doesn’t mean it is mastered forever,” Swett noted, pointing to the persecution of communities around the world such as the Yazidi, Rohynga Muslims, and religious minorities in Sudan and elsewhere.
“In practice we know that there continue to be genocides,” the commissioner said, warning that the lesson of the Holocaust “is only effective in protecting people when there is the political will.”
This emphasis on ending genocide was apparent in the political and religious statements made by world leaders on the legacy of the Holocaust.
“Honoring the victims and survivors begins with our renewed recognition of the value and dignity of each person,” stated United States President Barack Obama. “It demands from us the courage to protect the persecuted and speak out against bigotry and hatred,” adding that such an atrocity “must never happen again.”
“Auschwitz cries out with the pain of immense suffering and pleads for a future of respect, peace and encounter among peoples.” Pope Francis said via Twitter.
Steven Luckert, curator of the permanent exhibition at the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum told CNA that looking into the past and the questions surrounding the Holocaust can help shed light on similar contemporary examples of genocide and persecution.
Society keeps asking “how did this happen?” particularly in a “a society that is very well educated, very well read, well-advanced,” Luckert said. Looking to the rise of the Nazi party and the implementation of the Holocaust, he explained, “what you see is a triumph of an extremist political party dedicated to very radical, extremist goals that were imbued with racism and anti-Semitism.”
Today, he said, “we know that other genocides have happened, and persecution still exists,” but there are some safeguards against horrors to the extent of what occurred in World War II.
While there has been a “spread of intolerance” and anti-Semitism in Europe as well as other “potent” examples of discrimination and persecution around the world, there have been concrete changes in international law, Luckert explained. “There’s more of an international concern and effort to do something about it.”
The remaining Holocaust survivors also help to keep “this history alive” and serve as a testament for the need to stop the violation of persecuted peoples.
These witnesses, Luckert said, show “the importance of speaking out about racism, about anti-Semitism, about contemporary genocide, that 'never again' really can mean 'never again.'”
Teen Moms
CSS program gives hope, guidance
to young mothers
By DAVID MYERS
Southwest Kansas Register
It’s impossible to imagine the fear.
A life unopposed, each day filled with possibilities, a future of fun and promise, suddenly turned upside down.
It’s impossible to imagine the anxiety and helplessness that a young girl – herself a child – feels when she learns that she is pregnant.
It is a problem that has proven prevalent in our society, but it’s also a problem with which Catholic Social Service’s Teen Moms program is equipped to deal.