Chaldean Patriarch opens discussion on the draft Constitution for the Iraqi Kurdistan Region

            In view of the parliamentary debate on the adoption of the Constitution of the Autonomous Region of Iraqi Kurdistan, Chaldean Patriarch Louis Raphael I intends to open a free and serene debate on the formulas which in the constitutional text will indicate members of the various Christian communities as full citizens, with the same rights and duties enjoyed by other members of the local people. The Chaldean patriarch - said in a note sent to Agenzia Fides - is planning to discuss this topic with other primates of the Eastern Churches, such as the Assyrian Church of the East, the Syrian Orthodox Church and the Syrian Catholic Church.
The draft constitutional bill, which will be submitted shortly to the regional parliament for approval, states that the citizens of the Iraqi Kurdistan Region is composed of "Kurds, Turkmens, Arabs, Assyrians, Chaldeans, Syriacs, Armenians and others". The Patriarch in his message, published on the website of the Chaldean Patriarchate, has raised the question whether this formula ends up identifying the local Christian communities exclusively with ethnically defined groups.
            Already in the past, the Chaldean Patriarch had invoked the danger of reducing the belonging of the various Christian churches as a mere "religious" corollary of ethnic and national identity. According to the Primate of the Chaldean Church, in the current phase of history, Christians are likely to be infected with the sectarianism that poisons the coexistence between the peoples of the Middle East: "Now, unfortunately", said Patriarch Louis Raphael I in an interview with Agency Fides "you hear someone who says: I am more Armenian than Christian, more Assyrian than Christian" (see Fides 06/02/2013). 

Imams and priests promote the "culture of encounter" preaching together in schools in Minya

            The collective "mission" of a large group of imam linked to al Azhar – the biggest theological center of Sunni Islam - and Coptic priests, who for a few days together visited the schools in the Egyptian province of Minya to meet the students and promote the culture of encounter and of peace during conferences and debates, enhancing it as the basis of peaceful social and religious coexistence.                                                                              The initiative, supported by the Grand Imam of Al Azhar Ahmad al-Tayyeb and Coptic Orthodox Patriarch Tawadros II, aims to strengthen the fabric of national solidarity and to promote mutual tolerance based on shared values, starting with compassion and solidarity towards fellow citizens in need. "The meetings in schools - says to Agenzia Fides Anba Botros Fahim Awad Hanna, Coptic Catholic Archbishop of Minya - was held under the auspices of the "House of the Egyptian family", the inter-religious body created years ago by the Great Imam of Al Azhar and the Coptic Orthodox Patriarch and revitalized in recent times as a tool to prevent and mitigate sectarian conflicts, in a time when the upsurge of sectarianism fundamentalist seemed to endanger national unity; there are 40 Imams and priests, and all serve for unity and peace. A similar initiative already took place a few weeks ago in some schools in Cairo". The program gradually involves schools in other areas of the Country affected – such as the province of Minya - by sectarian conflicts. (Agenzia Fides)

Muslims collect money to build a church in the Egyptian province of Al Manufiyya

            A Coptic church will rise thanks to monetary donations from Muslims in the Governorate of Al Manufiyya, located in the north of Cairo, in the region of the Nile Delta. This is reported by Coptic sources. The church is dedicated to the Virgin Mary, and the concrete solidarity manifested by Muslim believers is also considered as a result of the wave of emotion registered in the Country after the massacre of Copts in Libya committed by jihadists affiliated to the Islamic State.
            When Coptic Orthodox Bishop Benyamin opened the collection of donations intended for the church, the suggestion of some leading Muslim members in the area to offer a contribution, was taken seriously especially by young people and children. Bishop Benyamin stressed that the initiative developed in the Governorate is a message addressed to the whole world. 
Analysts and commentators have called for the recurrence of similar initiatives in other areas of the country.
            The Governorate of Al Manufiyya is also known for being the birthplace of Egyptian Presidents Anwar Sadat (killed in 1981 in an attack attributed to the group of the Egyptian Islamic Jihad) and Hosni Mubarak, who was forced to resign due to the riots in February 2011. (Agenzia Fides)

"Moving Dadaab Refugee Camp back to Somalia must go hand in hand with allocating more resources to Northern Kenya for it to succeed", says the Bishop of Garissa

           

            "Now that there is a government in Somalia, it is good if the camp is closed and the people are allowed to return back home", said His Exc. Mgr. Paul Darmanin, Bishop of Garissa, commenting on the announcement, by the Government of Kenya, of the upcoming closure of the camps of Somali refugees in Dadaab.
            The Diocese of Darissa, whose jurisdiction covers Dadaab, is still shaken by April 2 2015 terror attack on Garissa University College that left 148 people dead. Among the measures taken by the government in Nairobi after the massacre, is the closure within three months of the five camps in Dadaab, opened in 1991 to accommodate 90,000 people and has now become the largest refugee camp in the world, where today there are about 400,000 Somalis who fled the civil war that disrupts their Country.
            According to the government of Nairobi the structure contributes to insecurity in Kenya because inside there are hidden supporters of Shabaab. "The nature of our society is to protect family and friend. The people in the camps cannot report dangerous criminals among them because they are family. While the closure of the camp may not end terror attacks, it will see a reduction in the channels for recruitments and planning of attacks", said the Bishop to Kenyan Waumini Agency.
            For Mgr. Darmanin, the security situation in Somalia, although "not very good", would allow a return of refugees because the recent attacks of the Shabaab on Somali territory have targeted "government officials and institutions and not civilians", so, said the Bishop of Garissa, "it is better if these people return home and get assistance from there".
Mgr. Darmanin concludes with an appeal to the Kenyan government to bring development to the region of Garissa, inhabited by poor Somalis to the point that many of them have passed themselves off as refugees in order to be able to obtain assistance from organizations that assist the Dadaab camps. "Many Kenyan Somalis have registered in the refugee camp and go there regularly to get food rations and other disbursements, this is dangerous", concluded the Bishop. (Agenzia Fides)

Holy Year of Mercy – Pope Francis

Dear brothers and sisters, I have often thought about how the Church might make clear its mission of being a witness to mercy. It is journey that begins with a spiritual conversion. For this reason, I have decided to call an extraordinary Jubilee that is to have the mercy of God at its center. It shall be a Holy Year of Mercy. We want to live this Year in the light of the Lord's words: “Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful. (cf. Lk 6:36)”

This Holy Year will begin on this coming Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception and will end on November 20, 2016, the Sunday dedicated to Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe – and living face of the Father’s mercy. I entrust the organization of this Jubilee to the Pontifical Council for Promotion of the New Evangelization, that it might animate it as a new stage in the journey of the Church on its mission to bring to every person the Gospel of mercy.

I am convinced that the whole Church will find in this Jubilee the joy needed to rediscover and make fruitful the mercy of God, with which all of us are called to give consolation to every man and woman of our time. From this moment, we entrust this Holy Year to the Mother of Mercy, that she might turn her gaze upon us and watch over our journey. (Source: Vatican Radio)

Children are never a mistake,

The Pope calls adults to responsibility

Children are never a "mistake" and no sacrifice is too great for an adult to make so that children can feel their worth, Pope Francis said. Children are the greatest blessing God has bestowed upon men and women, he said. Yet, many children are "rejected, abandoned, robbed of their childhood and of their future," the pope noted, adding that it is "shameful" when people say it is "a mistake" to bring a child into the world. "Please, let's not unload our faults on children," he said. "Children are never 'a mistake.'"

The hunger, poverty, fragility and ignorance of some children "are not mistakes" but "only reasons for us to love them even more, with more generosity," he said. Pope Francis wondered aloud about the value of international declarations of human and children's rights if children are then punished for the mistakes of adults. "All adults are responsible for children and for doing what we can to change this situation," he said.

"Every marginalized and abandoned child, who lives by begging on the street for every little thing, without schooling or healthcare, is a cry to God," he said. Their suffering is the result of a social system, created by adults, he added.

Even in rich countries, "many children live dramas that scar their lives heavily" due to family crises or inhuman living conditions, he said. They suffer the consequences of "a culture of exaggerated individual rights" and become precocious, he added. And often, they absorb the violence they are exposed to, unable to "dispose of it," and "are forced to become accustomed to degradation," the pope said.

"In every case, these are childhoods violated in body and soul," the pope said. "But none of these children is forgotten by the Father in heaven. None of their tears are lost. "The pope also said children, too often, suffer the effects of their parents' precarious and poorly paid work or unsustainable work hours. Children, he said, "also pay the price of immature unions and irresponsible separations; they are the first victims." He underlined the social responsibility of each person and government toward children.

The pope offered a reflection on the Scripture passage when Jesus calls the children to him so that he can bless them, Mt 19:13-15. "How beautiful was the trust of these parents (to bring their children to him) and this response of Jesus," he said.

The pope said many children with serious problems benefit from "extraordinary parents, ready for every sacrifice and generosity." The church must accompany these parents in their efforts, he said. "The church places her maternal care at the service of children and their families," he added. "It brings God's blessing to the parents and children of this world, maternal tenderness, firm reprimand and strong condemnation. Brothers and sisters, think carefully: don't mess with the lives of children. (Source: Catholic News Service, April 8, 2015)

Good Friday Quotes

1)   It's Good Friday. Good because 2000 years ago the events of today prove that we matter to God.

2)   Good Friday is a day of hope. It is a day where we look forward to a brighter tomorrow. Many things have happened to change the course of our lives, but it has not shaken our faith.

3)   "The cross was two pieces of dead wood; and a helpless, unresisting Man was nailed to it; yet it was mightier than the world, and triumphed, and will ever triumph over it."

4)   Good Friday is a day of sorrow mingled with joy. It is a time to grieve over the sin of man and to meditate and rejoice upon God's love in giving His only Son for the redemption of sin.