Pope Francis called on Jews and Christians to work together to construct a “more just and fraternal world,” and said he looked forward to his upcoming visit to Israel.Francis made his remarks during an audience at the Vatican on Thursday with a 50-member delegation of American Jewish Committee leaders.He called his visit to Israel, scheduled for May, a pilgrimage of “communion, hope and peace.”Francis praised the AJC for its work in promoting Jewish-Catholic dialogue. He noted that next year marks the 50th anniversary of the Nostra Aetate declaration, which launched the formal dialogue and, he said, “constitutes for the Church the sure point of reference for relations” between Catholics and Jews.”“It is important that we dedicate ourselves to new generations the heritage of our mutual knowledge, esteem and friendship which has, thanks to the commitment of associations like yours, grown over these years,” he told the group.AJC President Stanley Bergman called Francis a “true friend.” He said the pope’s visit to Israel in May is “eagerly anticipated, and we pray that it will be an inspiration to all in the region to reject the path of violence and pursue the path of peace.” 

02/11/2014 VATICAN INSIDER

Ratzinger’s resignation seen from the south

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Cardinal Hummes
Cardinal Hummes

Hummes: “People’s faith in the Church has been restored”

Alver Metalli Buenos Aires He comforted him in the Sistine Chapel when “things got a bit dangerous”; he “advised” him on what name to take; he was at his side on the central Loggia of St. Peter’s Basilica on that all-important evening of 13 March. Francis’ decision to have him there with him on the balcony on his first public appearance after his election was the first of many gestures outside protocol which the new Pope would make. Dom Claudio Hummes has a great deal to tell, starting with Ratzinger’s resignation a month prior to this: “I don’t remember where I was that day but it really came as a real and unexpected surprise.”

The former cardinal of São Paulo is calm and there is an intensity in his manner as he recalls the day of Benedict XVI’s resignation. “We were all a bit lost and a bit worried about how the future would turn out, especially as the Church was going through a difficult moment: “the de-Christianisation of the Western world, the drop in priest numbers, the crisis in religious life and the big scandals, the IOR, the Lefebvrians … Catholics were really down, sad, worried, they held their heads down. But you also try to look at this in the light of faith, trusting that Christ will lead the Church even through that really unusual moment.” Behind him is a picture that shows the eighty-year-old cardinal in the Sistine Chapel by Pope Francis’ side after he was elected Pope and dressed in his papal garb as the latter was going towards the Loggia of the Blessing.
 
Dom Claudio is a theologian so of course he knew it was possible for a Pope to resign, he knew Roman Canon Law allows it and he was aware of Ratzinger having mentioned it on a number of occasions . “But in practice it seemed impossible after 600 years.” “Benedict XVI’s resignation “was completely unexpected,” Hummes stressed. The reasons given for his resignation were unusual. “Only a Pope like Benedict XVI could have made a gesture of this kind, because it takes a very rational mind to do it, as well as great faith and a deeply holy life, in order to leave everything in God’s hands. And he - Ratzinger - is that kind of man.
 
From that moment on things started to change at such a speed that even a veteran of Church government like the Archbishop of São Paulo – formerly Prefect of the Congregation for the Clergy from 2006-2010 – is still left speechless. Pope Francis’ election and the signs he sent out right from the start meant “new doors opened as old ones closed.” Things have changed “so fast and in such a wonderful way. People were happy, they started to have faith in the Church again, they realised they could get through this difficult moment and this faith, this hope have not gone away.” There is still a crisis, Hummes admitted, “but it is being dealt with in a positive way and the scandals need to be cleared up, but now people have faith.”

02/11/2014 VATICAN INSIDER

Rohani’s Iran looks to Francis for a peace alliance

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Hassan Rohani
(©Ansa) Hassan Rohani

On the 35th anniversary of the Islamic Revolution, Ambassador Mohammed Taher Rabbani expresses his eagerness to organise a meeting

Iacopo Scaramuzzi vatican city He is one of the first ambassadors to be accredited to the Holy See in the Pope Francis era, in a ceremony on 6 May 2013. He represents a country – Iran – which has always taken an interest in the Vatican (“We have over 60 years of diplomatic relations, but our relations with the Holy See date back to the XIII century…”). Teheran does not just see the Holy See as the global crossroads of another Abrahamic religion, besides Islam and Judaism, it also sees it as an authoritative and independent geopolitical centre that is different from Washington and European governments which have difficult relationships with Iran. While the new President Hassan Rohani - the moderate candidate who elected last June who is showing a willingness for appeasement with the West – celebrates the 35th anniversary of the Islamic Revolution  of the Ayatollah Ruhollah Mosavi Khomeini, in Teheran, Iran’s Ambassador to the Holy See, Mohammad Taher Rabbani has met with a group of journalists in Rome to draw attention to the common views the Holy See and Iran have with regard to thorny international issues. These include the Syrian crisis, the importance of ensuring respect for Christians in Iran and praise for the figure of Pope Jorge Mario Bergoglio. The ambassador expressed the hope that “when the circumstances are favourable,” the Pope would meet President Rohani.

 “The Holy Father’s work and the conception he has of the poor, the weaker sections of society, the vulnerable members of the human community and his conception of justice have inspired a keen interest among Iran’s high society and its scholars,” Rabbani said. Pope Francis “is a virtuous figure, he is brimming with morality and modesty and the Iranian people expect him to resist oppressors and the powerful, with divine help, just like Jesus Christ.” The Argentinean Pope “is trying to bring justice and combat discrimination among people, substituting it with freedom and authoritarianism with wellbeing, war and bloodshed with peace, development and progress, violence with tolerance.” The Iranian diplomat assured that “in the first year of my mission at the Holy See I got to know the thinking of the Holy Father and I must stress that he is a treasure trove of knowledge and religious science in today’s world.” “I pray every day that God grants the Holy Father good health, success and a long life.” As to the likelihood of the Pope meeting Rohani, Rabbadi said: “Certainly, when the circumstances are favourable, we hope to plan a meeting between his Excellency Dr. Hassan Rohani and the Holy Father Pope Francis.”

Ambassador Rabbani was critical of the way in which the European Union and United States have dealt with the Syrian crisis ahead of the Geneva conference. The Secretary General of the United Nations Ban Ki-moon withdrew the invitation he had extended to Teheran to take part in the Syria talks. But the Pontifical Academy of Sciences expressed the hope that Iran would take part in the talks.” Russia and the US reached an agreement on the resolution of the Syrian crisis. They contacted both the Syrian government and the rioters. But the conference demonstrated that there had no agreement had actually been reached on a ceasefire or on access to humanitarian aid,” the Iranian diplomat stated. “The rebels have the support of some governments and at Geneva it was stressed that there will be no ceasefire as long as the Assad government is in power. The Syrian foreign affairs minister highlighted that the government is combating terrorism. In Geneva, Western governments have tried unsuccessfully to achieve their goals through media propaganda, while the Iranian people are still suffering as a result of the war. I agree that the Holy See could be a good interlocutor for Iran, given that Western government shave not been sincere in their objectives. If the United States and Europe had been serious and sincere in Geneva, we could have seen an end to the Syrian crisis.”
 
The ambassador hopes Iran and the Holy See can work together to bring peace. He referred back to a resolution proposed by the Iranian president and approved by the UN in December, entitled “Wave, World Against Violence and Extremism”. “In the last elections, the Iranian people consciously voted for President Rohani whose slogan in the election campaign was “a government of discernment and hope”. President Rohani is interested in reinforcing relations with the Holy See led by Pope Francis through constructive dialogue. He wishes to do so within the context of religious diplomacy, in other words diplomacy that is inspired by religious principles and is capable of putting together a plan to combat violence and extremism in the world, putting an end to war.” “With divine help and the help of the great Abrahamic religions, especially with Pope Francis, Iran – as the country that heads the nations which are not aligned with the West, it could form a global alliance against violence and radicalism to promote lasting peace in the world.” In response to the question of whether an agreement could be reached between the Holy See and Iran on the Palestinian situation, the ambassador simply stressed that “rejecting violence and extremism” can “reinforce relations between the Holy See and Iran.” Ambassador Rabbani made some reassuring comments regarding the situation of Christians in Iran: “Under article 12 and 13 of the Iranian Constitution, all religious minorities in Iran, that is, Christians, Jews and Zoroastrians, are entitled to fundamental rights such as the freedom of worship, the freedom of association and the right to be judged according to the rules of their own religion.” “There are five archbishops in Iran. The Assyrian Chaldean community and the Armenian community each have a representative in Parliament. The Rohani government also appointed a special representative who is in charge of problems faced by religious minorities. As Rohani promised during his election campaign, a letter is currently being written to citizens, clearly outlining the rights of minorities.”

02/12/2014 VATICAN INSIDER

Müller: “I’m not Francis’conservative opponent”

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Gerhard Ludwig Müller
Gerhard Ludwig Müller

The Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith who was also recently created cardinal protests against the media's portrayal of him and talks about the good relations he has with Francis

ANDREA TORNIELLI vatican city Just a few days before the Consistory that will create him cardinal and after months of controversies in the media over his seemingly rigid stance on pastoral care for remarried divorced persons, an issue which will be discussed at the next Synod, the Prefect of the Congregation, Gerhard Müller, was eager to stress that he is on good terms with Francis. “I am not his conservative opponent,” he said in an interview published by German Catholic news agency Kathpress.The German prelate whom the Pope appointed leader of the dicastery in charge of Church doctrine, is not happy about being presented as an internal opponent of Francis’ pontificate. Müller accepts there are differences in terms of formation and approach but “these complement each other, they are not contradictory.” The new cardinal stated that Francis’ magisterium and speeches cover the “entire Catholic faith.”The Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith meets the Pope two or three times a month and the two communicate in Italian or Spanish (Müller speaks Spanish well having spend quite a bit of time in Latin America).As far as women’s role in the Church is concerned, Müller said they could be given some high-ranking positions in the Vatican: not in the Congregations but in the Pontifical Councils, for example the Pontifical Council on the Family (which is led by Bishop Vincenzo Paglia) or for Health Care Workers. The Prefect clarified, however, that as it is ordained ministers that hold jurisdictional power, neither lay people nor women can become heads of Congregations, that is, the dicasteries that have the jurisdictional power to act on the Pope’s behalf. Other areas in which women could play a greater role are theological research and Caritas, although Müller is against the introduction of set quotas of women.What Müller had to say about the Society of St. Pius X was also importance given that reconciliation is still a possibility: “The door is open,” he said during the interview, recalling the famous “doctrinal preamble” sent to the Lefebvrians in 2012.Finally, Müller remarked on the spirit of collegiality, not authoritarianism that exists in his dicastery. Although the Pope must give his final approval, decisions are taken collectively. The Prefect recalled that in his address to participants of the plenary meeting of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith on 31 January, Francis praised the dicastery for its practices of collegiality.