Be inspired by the saints of history, Pope urges
In back-to-back audiences with a group of French young people and an Italian association for deaf people, Pope Francis has cited personal example and witness as a vital piece in the Church’s evangelisation mission.
Meeting with young people from the Diocese of Aire et Dax in southwestern France, the Pope encouraged them to remain united with Christ through the sacraments and the example of the saints so that they can spread the message that “God wants to give to the world through your lives”.
The Pope told the young men and women their pilgrimage to Rome was an opportunity to reflect on the lives of the martyrs who remained faithful to Christ until the end.
The martyrs’ example, he added, is important now more than ever “because many people today think it is more difficult to call themselves Christians and live their faith in Christ”.
“The current context isn’t easy, especially due to the painful and complex issue of abuse committed by members of the Church,” the Pope said. “Still, I would like to tell you once again that it isn’t more difficult than in other eras of the Church: It is only different.”
Francis to visit Marian shrine on Romania papal trip
Visiting Romania from May 31–June 2, Pope Francis will stop at six destinations, including a popular Marian shrine in Transylvania. He also will beatify seven bishop-martyrs of the Eastern-rite Romanian Catholic Church, who died during a fierce anti-religious campaign waged under the communist regime. His visit to the predominately Orthodox country will be his 30th foreign trip after visiting Bulgaria and North Macedonia in early May.
The trip will include visits to the Romanian Orthodox and Roman Catholic cathedrals, celebration of a Latin-rite Mass and an Eastern-rite Divine Liturgy, as well as separate meetings with political leaders, young people and families as well as members of the Roma community.
He will visit the capital, Bucharest, the cities of Bacau, Iasi, Sibiu, Blaj and the Marian shrine in Sumuleu Ciuc, an important place of pilgrimage for Hungarian Catholics, especially on Pentecost, which is June 9.
The overwhelming majority – almost 82% – of Romania’s 20 million inhabitants say they belong to the Romanian Orthodox Church led by Patriarch Daniel. About 6% of the population identifies itself as Protestant and around 4% as Catholic.
Peruvian archbishop withdraws lawsuit against journalist
After a court ruled in his favour, Peruvian Archbishop Jose Eguren Anselmi of Piura has unexpectedly withdrawn his defamation suit against a journalist who accused him of knowing about abuses that occurred within an influential Catholic movement.
Winning the initial suit against Pedro Salinas, the archbishop said it “gave rise to a series of unjustified reactions, including within the Church”, so for “a greater good, which is the unity of the mystical body of Christ”, he was withdrawing his claim.
When the archbishop won his suit against Salinas, bishops in the country distanced themselves from the lawsuit and said the Church needs the help of journalists and survivors of clergy sex abuse to overcome the current crisis.
Salinas and fellow journalist Paola Ugaz co-authored a book titled Half Monks, Half Soldiers, which detailed the psychological and sexual abuse, as well as corporal punishment and extreme exercises that young members of Sodalitium Christianae Vitae endured.