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Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Sep 10, 2024 / 17:38 pm (CNA).

The "spiritual darkness" that Mother Teresa describes in her writings can be difficult to comprehend, but this feeling of emptiness was not caused by either depression or a loss of faith, according to a lecturer at an academic conference organized by the Mother Teresa Institute.

St. Teresa of Calcutta's "dark night of the soul" was a distinct charism that helped her build her faith and serve others rather than a mere chemical imbalance that induces depression or an abandonment of the Catholic faith, said Loyola University Maryland philosophy professor Derek McAllister at a Sept. 6 symposium held at The Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C., one day after the saint's feast day. 

"If it's a mental emotional problem, they do not of themselves promote virtue or increase depth of relationship with God," McAllister said. "Whereas we know with the dark night, the nights do of themselves greatly increase love, humility, patience, and the like. And they decidedly prepare one for deeper prayer."

The lecture focused on some of Mother Teresa's letters, which describe an emptiness and a spiritual darkness — essentially an inability to feel the presence of God. St. Teresa, who founded the Missionaries of Charity, was an Albanian sister who spent most of her life serving the poor in Calcutta, India. She was canonized in 2016.

"The darkness is so dark, and I am alone," St. Teresa wrote. "Unwanted, forsaken. The loneliness of the heart that wants love is unbearable. Where is my faith? Even deep down, there is nothing but emptiness and darkness. My God, how painful is this unknown pain? It pains without ceasing."

St. Teresa wrote that "the place of God in my soul is blank, there is no God in me" and "I just long and long for God and then it is that I feel he does not want me — he is not there."

McAllister noted that other saints have had such feelings and referenced St. John of the Cross' 16th-century poem "Dark Night of the Soul" and his subsequent commentaries on that poem. It describes the Spanish mystic's crisis of faith and an inability to feel the presence of God even though God was truly present and guiding the experience.

"In darkness and secure, by the secret ladder, disguised — oh, happy chance! — in darkness and in concealment, my house being now at rest," St. John's poem reads.

McAllister cited St. John's descriptions of his experience, noting that "he identifies, by name, melancholy and says that's not what I'm talking about." McAllister argued that an "affective condition that overwhelms people" does not accurately describe those experiences, but rather that the experience actively pushed St. John to grow closer to God.

"While you may experience desolation of God's felt presence of the senses, you're being purgated and drawn closer to God, but you don't feel that you are while you're experiencing that," McAllister explained.

In the case of Mother Teresa, McAllister compared and contrasted the symptoms described in her writing with the criteria used to diagnose major depressive disorder.

According to McAllister, depression often includes an unhealthy introspection and a lack of realism, which he said "advice does little to remedy." Further, someone who has clinical depression, he noted, will often experience chronic fatigue, insomnia, and a depressive affect. He also argued that depression does not promote virtue in and of itself: "That's why it's called a disorder."

He cited her writing to show that she was seeking answers to her spiritual darkness, as when she said to her confessor: "Each time your yes or no [to a question] has satisfied me as the will of God." He also said that she did not experience the other symptoms that commonly accompany depression or depressive affect in everyday activities. The fruits of her experience, he noted, also do not point to a disorder such as depression. 

"What's this [spiritual darkness] for in and of itself?" McAllister asked rhetorically. "Does it bring about humility, charity, kindness, and growth in Christ? And just look at what happened. Yes, absolutely [it did]."

The conference was attended by numerous sisters in the Missionaries of Charity along with lay members of the order, some priests, and a few professors and graduate students.

It was held a short walk from the St. John Paul II National Shrine, which is displaying a Mother Teresa exhibit until Nov. 11. The exhibit contains a first-class relic of St. Teresa and many of her personal items. 

Father Brian Kolodiejchuk, the president of the Mother Teresa Institute, told CNA that the organization functions as "the academic arm of the Mother Teresa Center" that focuses on her writings and her words. He said there is "a lot more depth to Mother Teresa's holiness" than many realize. 

"I think she has a message for the Church," Kolodiejchuk said. "She was one of the great figures of the last century."

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Quito, Ecuador, Sep 10, 2024 / 18:08 pm (CNA).

Bishop Andrew Cozzens of the Diocese of Crookston, Minnesota, who is in Quito, Ecuador, for the International Eucharistic Congress, shared several "surprising" fruits of the recent National Eucharistic Congress, the first the U.S. has held in 83 years.

In an interview with ACI Prensa, CNA's Spanish-language news partner, Cozzens said the blessings flowing from the July event in Indianapolis exceeded all expectations.

"People experience this love of Jesus. And this love that comes when the entire Church is gathered to adore and love Jesus. In those moments, the blessings of God that come to us are great and change us," said the prelate, who served as chairman of the National Eucharistic Congress.

Cozzens made reference to stories of profound healing and renewal, including couples who after the congress want to pray more every day, "priests who were thinking of leaving their ministry and who changed during this Eucharistic Congress," or "bishops who normally experience burdensome and difficult things in their lives and who feel the courage that only comes from Jesus."

Cozzens emphasized that when the "Church gathers and congregates around the Eucharist, Jesus wants to bring us many blessings."

"It was a moment that changed our Church in the United States, and that is why I am here."

Secularization: the challenge of our time

Cozzens identified secularization as one of the biggest challenges facing the Church today. He described it as a worldview in which people live as if "the world were all there is and God is not real."

However, he reminded Catholics that "the sacraments are the strongest way in which God enters the world and wants to enter our lives."

"But many people do not know that they need this encounter and think there is no benefit in this encounter," he lamented.

Faced with this challenge, the prelate called on the faithful to be witnesses of the transforming power of Christ: "All of us who know that this encounter with Jesus in the Eucharist is important have the responsibility to witness to this reality in the world today."

'Jesus wants to change us and convert us in the Eucharist'

The bishop of Crookston also elaborated on Christ's desire to transform man's heart of stone into a heart of flesh through the Eucharist. "Jesus wants to change us and convert us in the Eucharist," he said with conviction.

He highlighted how this encounter with Christ not only changes people individually but also has a social impact: "When we experience this love of Jesus for each one of us, it changes me. And when I change, I can experience the fraternity [that exists] in the world."

"The heart is the part of us that makes the blood circulate, and that is what love is like," Cozzens commented, noting that the main message of the Quito congress is that Christians must be "the heart of the world."

"It's not only human fraternity that is going to [be the agent of] love; it is the love of Christ that can heal the world," he added.

Three keys to a deeper encounter with the Eucharist

Finally, Cozzens gave three recommendations to Catholics to deepen their relationship with the Eucharist and more fully experience its fruits. 

"First, go to confession," he advised, explaining that confession purifies the heart and prepares it to receive the grace of the Eucharist.

Secondly, he invited the faithful to attend Mass not only on Sundays but also during the week. "The more you experience, the more your love will grow," he said.

And third, he urged Catholics to spend time in Eucharistic adoration. "We need that time in silence with Jesus to speak heart to heart," he said, noting that adoration is an opportunity for an intimate dialogue with the Lord.

This story was first published by ACI Prensa, CNA's Spanish-language news partner. It has been translated and adapted by CNA.

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Dili, East Timor, Sep 10, 2024 / 13:21 pm (CNA).

An estimated 600,000 Catholics attended Pope Francis' Mass on Tuesday in East Timor, a small island country that is 98% Catholic.

The pope celebrated the youthfulness of East Timor at the massive outdoor Mass where the crowd appeared like a sea of yellow-and-white Vatican-themed umbrellas used for protection from the island's scorching midday sun. 

"I have been thinking a lot about what is the best thing about Timor …  The best thing is its people. … The best thing about this place is the smiles of the children," Pope Francis said in off-the-cuff remarks in Spanish at the end of the Mass. 

"I wish for you peace, that you keep having many children, and that your smile continues to be your children," the pope told the Timorese.

East Timor is one of the world's most Catholic countries, with 98% of its 1.3 million people identifying as Catholic. The country gained independence in 2002 after a long struggle with Indonesia, during which the Catholic Church played an important role advocating human rights.

The local government declared the three days of the pope's visit as a national holiday in which nearly all of the streets and local businesses were closed with people flocking to the Esplanade of Taci Tolu in the capital city of Dili to take part in the papal Mass. 

Best friends Lareina Rosa Marcia Claver Da Cruz and Zuizina Abigael Maria Fatima de Jesus arrived at the Taci Tolu field with their families at 4:30 a.m. for the Mass that started at 4:30 p.m. to claim their spot in the front of the crowd. The 12-year-old girls said the wait in the hot sun was totally worth it, adding that it helped that they could keep each other company during the wait.

Both girls come from large families. East Timor is among the countries with the highest fertility rates in the world. In the years immediately following the country gaining its independence, the fertility rate was nearly seven children per woman.

Throughout Pope Francis' time in East Timor he has celebrated the country's high birth rate and big families.

"In East Timor it is beautiful, because there are many children: You are a young country where in every corner you can feel life pulsating and exploding. And this is a gift, a great gift: The presence of so much youth and so many children, in fact, constantly renews our energy and our life," Pope Francis said.

"But even more it is a sign, because making space for children, for the little ones, welcoming them, taking care of them, and making ourselves small before God and each other, are precisely the attitudes that open us to action of the Lord."

Despite East Timor's offshore oil and gas reserves, the country's population remains one of the poorest in Southeast Asia. 

During his visit, Pope Francis encouraged the developing country not to be blinded by the pursuit of prosperity at the expense of the poor.

"Let us ask together, in this Eucharist, each of us, as women and men, as a Church, as a society, to be able to reflect in the world the strong light, the tender light of the God of love, of that God who, as we have prayed in the Responsorial Psalm, 'lift the weak from the dust, raise the poor from the rubbish, to make him sit among the princes,'" Pope Francis said in his homily.

The dusty field of Taci Tolu is the same spot where Pope John Paul II offered Mass in 1989 when East Timor was still under Indonesian occupation. Many Catholics in East Timor point to John Paul II's visit as an important moment in their fight for independence.

Fernando Egidio Amaral told CNA that he believes John Paul II's visit "blessed" East Timor with its freedom.

Like many Catholics in Dili, Amaral traveled on foot with his wife and children from their house in Dili before waiting hours for the Mass to begin.

Prayers of the faithful were offered in six local languages: Mambae, Makasae, Bunak, Galole, Baiqueno, and Fataluku, reflecting the linguistic diversity of the small nation.

Pope Francis delivered a strong message to the crowd at the conclusion of the Mass using crocodiles, a revered animal in East Timorese culture who have also overrun some of the island's beaches.

"Be careful! Because I've been told that on some beaches crocodiles come; crocodiles come swimming," the pope said. "Be careful! Be careful of those crocodiles who want to change your culture, who want to change your history. Stay faithful. And don't go near those crocodiles because they bite, and they bite hard."

This Mass marked the culmination of Pope Francis' visit to Asia's newest country, which began on Monday when he arrived to enthusiastic crowds lining the streets of Dili for miles. 

East Timor is the third stop on the pope's 11-day trip to four countries in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Earlier, he visited Indonesia and Papua New Guinea. He will conclude his journey on Friday in Singapore.

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CNA Staff, Sep 10, 2024 / 14:05 pm (CNA).

Franciscan University of Steubenville in Ohio is set to launch a Washington, D.C., program for its students, including residential and learning facilities, the university announced last week.  

The Ward and Kathy Fitzgerald Franciscan University Homeland Mission (FUHM) is part of the university's new "Encounter" initiative, designed to extend Franciscan University's mission and impact beyond its campus in Steubenville, Ohio. It is designed to equip students for "advancing the great global missionary cause of positively impacting the principles and policies guiding the United States government."

The university has purchased a $3 million property on Massachusetts Avenue in the District of Columbia for the program thanks to a $10 million gift from Ward and Kathy Fitzgerald. Their donation helps fund the Outreach and Evangelization component of the university's ongoing $110 million Rebuild My Church Capital Campaign. 

"The Franciscan charism of ongoing conversion, which invites everyone to continually and humbly draw closer to Christ, will be key to carrying out this mission," said university president Father Dave Pivonka, TOR, in a Sept. 3 press release. 

"The Franciscan University Homeland Mission will invite others to deeper conversion through three pillars grounded in the university's mission: Evangelization and Joyful Presence, Intellectual and Personal Formation, and Support for Human Dignity," Pivonka said.

FUHM's operation will be headed by Stephen Catanzarite, executive director of Encounter, along with the political science department and other Franciscan departments and partners. 

The program is intended to bring Gospel values as well as Catholic social teaching "to bear on the political and social atmosphere of Washington, D.C.," the press release said. "This engagement will not only bring the Church's witness to the legislative and political process, but it will also serve to draw more people to Christ and his Church."

"Programs and events at the FUHM will challenge students to work and witness ongoing, systematic change in federal government, placing the sacred human dignity of all people at the center of the work."

Ward Fitzgerald is the CEO of international real estate private equity firm fund investment group EQT Exeter. The Fitzgeralds are members of the Trustees to the Papal Foundation.

"We have been provided great Providence to be able to be vessels of the Holy Spirit by participating with such a worthy university and its students, faculty, and administration," Kathy Fitzgerald said in a statement. "We are too well mindful that nothing we have created or hold is our own but graces and gifts from Our Lord to do his work."

Student rotations at the new center in Washington, D.C., are set to begin this fall on a limited basis and expand in spring 2025. 

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CNA Staff, Sep 10, 2024 / 14:50 pm (CNA).

A foundation that supports a prominent Catholic movement in France is changing its name after revealing nearly 20 fresh abuse allegations against the famed Abbé Pierre, a formerly beloved Capuchin priest who died in 2007. 

A Sept. 6 statement released by Emmaus International, a solidarity movement with over 400 member associations that seeks to combat poverty and homelessness worldwide, detailed new allegations of sexual abuse and misconduct by Pierre, who founded the movement in 1949.

A previous July 17 report from Emmaus had detailed allegations involving at least seven victims, including one who was a minor at the time of her alleged assault. Emmaus France said it first received a report from a woman accusing Pierre of sexual assault in 2023.

The group said it commissioned consulting firm Groupe Egaé to set up a system to allow additional alleged victims to come forward. Since then, Groupe Egaé said, at least 17 additional victims have come forward alleging "sexual violence committed by Abbé Pierre against girls and women."

In light of the allegations against its founder, the Abbé Pierre Foundation, which provided nearly 4 million euros (about $4.4 million) in funding to Emmaus in 2023, has "decided to change its name and has begun the necessary paperwork," Emmaus International said last week. 

In addition to the foundation name change, the Emmaus France board will submit a proposal for the removal of "Abbé Pierre, founder" from its logo at an extraordinary general assembly that will take place in December. 

A museum and cultural center at the house where Pierre lived in Esteville, France, meanwhile, will "remain closed for good" while discussions take place about what to do with it. 

Finally, the group said, a panel of independent experts will be commissioned to "apprehend and explain the flaws in the movement that allowed Abbé Pierre to behave as he did for more than 50 years."

"Our movement knows what it owes to Abbé Pierre. He inspired our organizations and led them for many years. He was a tireless advocate who sparked waves of solidarity. He is a historic figure for the significance of his actions for good," Emmaus International said in its statement. 

"Now, we must also confront the unacceptable suffering that he forced upon others. We must take decisions: first, out of respect for the victims who spoke up; but also for the volunteers, employees, and companions of the Emmaus movement, as well as its supporters and donors. Their daily work for the movement, which is both invaluable and necessary, would be profoundly tarnished if nothing changed."

Groupe Egaé's full report, dated Sept. 4, details allegations of Pierre's forcible touching, rape, sexual remarks, and other sexual contact with adult women and with children. (Warning: The full report contains explicit descriptions of abuse.) The allegations received "took place between the 1950s and the early 2000s." 

Most of the alleged incidents took place in France but also in the U.S., Belgium, Switzerland, and Morocco. The group also received tips from anonymous victims — whom they were unable to contact for follow-up information — about additional alleged abuse. 

Several victims told Groupe Egaé' that "members of Abbé Pierre's close circle would presumably have been informed of some of these acts."

"We reaffirm today our full support of the victims. We commend their courage and thank them for their trust. We believe them and we stand with them," Emmaus said in its Sept. 6 statement. 

The tipline email and phone number set up by Groupe Egaé in July will remain active and available through the end of 2024, Emmaus said. All victims will be offered a session with a psychologist specializing in psychological trauma, and "those who wish to speak with leaders of the Emmaus movement will be welcomed."

Who was Abbé Pierre?

Prior to these recent allegations and findings, the Catholic priest and Capuchin friar, born Henri Groues in 1912, was one of the Church of France's most beloved and iconic figures. 

After being part of the French Resistance in World War II, the priest took on the name "Abbé Pierre" as a cover for his work in manufacturing fake identity papers and helping Jews cross the French border into Switzerland.

Pierre was particularly applauded for his efforts to assist the homeless population in France, often raising large sums of money and persuading the French Parliament to pass laws acting on behalf of the homeless, including a 1950s law forbidding landlords from evicting tenants during the winter. This "Trêve Hivernale," or "Winter Truce," law still exists in France today.

Despite his popularity, Pierre faced other controversies before the most recent one of alleged sexual assaults. The priest faced public scrutiny in 1996 after defending a friend's book, "Founding Myths of Israeli Politics," which questioned the number of Jewish people killed by the Nazis in World War II.

In a 2005 book of interviews by Frederic Lenoir titled "My God… Why?" Pierre suggested he had broken his vow of celibacy by having sex as a younger man. Among other comments made in the book, Pierre expressed his support for married clergy and the ordination of women.

Pierre is the latest French founder of a well-known Catholic movement to face serious sexual and spiritual abuse allegations, with other recent notable examples being Jean Vanier, the founder of L'Arche, and Father Marie-Dominique Philippe, founder of the Brothers of St. John Community.

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Middlesbrough, England, Sep 10, 2024 / 15:35 pm (CNA).

The Irish government has promised to set up an official investigation to examine historical abuse in religious-run day and boarding schools in the light of "appalling" abuse accounts.

The announcement comes as an initial 802-page, five-volume Scoping Inquiry report from the Irish government revealed that 2,395 allegations of abuse had been made in 308 schools between 1927 and 2013. The total number of allegations is believed to be far higher. The allegations were made against 884 abusers. It is believed that half of them have died.

The Scoping Inquiry was set up in the aftermath of a 2022 radio documentary called "Blackrock Boys," which revealed how extensive abuse took place at the Spiritan-run Blackrock College in Dublin.

"I am announcing today that the government has accepted the principal recommendation of the Report of the Scoping Inquiry, which is for the establishment of a Commission of Investigation," Minister for Education Norma Foley said Sept. 3. "Historical sexual abuse is a profoundly serious matter and needs to be examined in detail. The Report of the Scoping Inquiry is a harrowing document, containing some of the most appalling accounts of sexual abuse.

The Scoping Inquiry, written by senior counsel Mary O'Toole, contains extensive accounts of sexual abuse, rape, and sexual assault, and there are warnings in the report that it "may be distressing to read."

Foley acknowledged the experiences of David Ryan and his late brother Mark, whose testimonies were featured in Blackrock Boys. She said they were both "instrumental in the establishment of the Scoping Inquiry."

Some of the "harrowing" allegations mentioned by Foley concerned schools for disabled pupils. There are also descriptions of "physical punishment and violence" in some schools.

Central to the Scoping Inquiry was a survivor engagement process to ascertain the extent of the allegations of historical child sexual abuse in the schools. This involved consultation with survivors in order to "learn what is important to survivors now and what the next steps should be."

The Catholic Education Partnership, which represents the entire Catholic education community across Ireland, acknowledged "the significance of this report, the grave harm caused to survivors and their families, and those who suffered but are no longer with us." Lamenting the safeguarding failings, the partnership denounced the "gravely dysfunctional and abusive education system with respect to child safeguarding."

"It is painfully clear that children and the trust of their families were betrayed in the most devastating of ways," the partnership added. It promised to "fully cooperate" with the Commission of Investigation and pointed out that safeguarding practices have improved significantly in recent years. 

"Catholic schools have robust child safeguarding procedures, most recently reviewed in 2023," the partnership said, adding that it is "fully committed to maintaining effective child safeguarding."

Bishop Kevin Doran from the Irish Bishops' Conference described the report as a "tragedy," given the large numbers of people affected.

"The tragedy of the report is not simply that there are so many of them but that so many of them had to carry their experience alone for so many years before they felt sufficiently free to tell someone else," Doran said. "I am conscious that behind every paragraph is the experience of real people who, as children, suffered abuse and violence in a place where they should have been safe."

The bishop also offered an apology to those affected but acknowledged that the words "may sound hollow to survivors and their families" and said that "actions speak louder than words."

Doran, who is both bishop of Elphin and apostolic administrator of the Diocese of Achonry in Ireland, said: "Together with the safeguarding teams in both dioceses, I am committed to ensuring that the policies and procedures which have been put in place for the safeguarding of children will continue to be fully implemented."

The Irish government is yet to announce who will chair the Commission of Investigation or a time frame for the investigation.

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Rome Newsroom, Sep 10, 2024 / 10:45 am (CNA).

On the second day of his apostolic visit to East Timor (Timor-Leste), Pope Francis first met with children and religious sisters at the Irmãs Alma School in Dili on Tuesday morning and thanked them for their testimony of love.

Approximately 50 children warmly welcomed the Holy Father and Cardinal Virgílio do Carmo da Silva, SDB, archbishop of Dili, with traditional song and dance to their school, run by consecrated sisters of the Association of Lay Ministries (ALMA) who began their missionary work in East Timor in 2004 by caring for poor, disabled, and abandoned children.

"This is what one finds here: love. Without love this cannot be understood. And so we understand the love of Jesus who gave his life for us. We cannot understand the love of Jesus if we do not begin to practice love," the Holy Father said to the ALMA sisters and children gathered inside the school's St. Vincent de Paul Hall.

"I want to thank you for what you do and I also want to thank the girls and the boys and the young men who give us the testimony of letting themselves be cared for. Because they teach us how we should let ourselves be cared for by God … they are our teachers."

Superior of the ALMA community Sister Getrudis Bidi said the children at the school are "our most precious treasures" and thanked Pope Francis for his teachings and example in loving the poor.

"The children we serve in Timor-Leste face numerous limitations and are deaf-mute, mentally disabled, with Down syndrome, physical anomalies, blind, autistic, abandoned, malnourished, and are defenseless and disadvantaged," she shared with the Holy Father.

"The dreams and objectives of the ALMA mission are to make the Gospel real and effective in today's world. As Jesus said, 'As you did it to one of the least of these my brethren, you did it to me.' His Holiness, [you] too, said, 'The poor save us because they let us encounter the face of Jesus Christ.'"

According to World Bank data, East Timor has a national poverty head count ratio at $3.65 a day, with approximately 40% of the population living below the poverty line.

Many children, particularly those with disabilities, are unable to be cared for by their impoverished families and are abandoned or given to Catholic ministries, such as ALMA, for their care and education.

Pope Francis spent some time during his visit to personally speak with a few children and sisters working at the school, while others joyfully sang songs and hymns waving Vatican and East Timor flags throughout the exchange.

Prior to leaving the school to meet with the bishops, priests, deacons, consecrated persons, seminarians, and catechists at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception, the pope gifted the Irmãs Alma School a statue of the Holy Family and reiterated his message to live the testimony of love that knows how to love and be loved.

"This is the gift I leave to this house," the pope said. "Look carefully: St. Joseph takes care of the Virgin, the Virgin takes care of Jesus. The most important is the One who lets himself be cared for the most: Jesus. He lets himself be cared for by Mary and by Joseph."

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Bangalore, India, Sep 10, 2024 / 11:15 am (CNA).

More than 4,000 Catholics on Sept. 2 assembled in the remote Jamboni jungle to mark the 25-year observance of the death of 33-year-old Father Arul Das of the Balasore Diocese, who was shot and pierced with arrows in his thatched chapel-house during the early hours of Sept. 2, 1999.

"Father Arul very closely followed the life of Jesus. Like Jesus as a good shepherd, Father Arul too tried to be a good shepherd for the people of this locality," said Balasore Bishop Varghese Thottamkara in his sermon at the jubilee Mass.

Along with the bishop, over 50 priests and hundreds of nuns from different parts of the sprawling diocese and beyond were present at the celebration at which the clergyman was hailed as a martyr. 

"Father Arul was a priest of Christ. He came to serve the faithful of Balasore, especially of the Ho tribe people," Thottamkara said. 

"Through his life-giving witness he gives the best example for us. The blood of the martyrs is the seed of the Church," the prelate added. 

"While only 18 Ho families had embraced Christian faith in Jamboni at the death of Father Arul in 1999, the number has swelled to over 400 in Jamboni mission area now," Father Varghese Puthumattam, who has compiled the biography of the missionary, told CNA. 

Arul became involved with the Ho tribals in the jungle region when he was assigned as a deacon for pastoral duty at the challenging mission. Even a quarter-century later, the outpost lacks electricity and proper roads.

After his ordination in 1993, he was posted in the area and went to neighboring Jharkhand to learn the Ho language. The priest launched full-fledged work among the tribe, walking through the jungles without motorable roads to reach out to locals, many of them illiterate.  

"We had to carry even bicycles on the shoulders to cross rocky and slushy terrains and streams," Puthumattam remembered, recounting the challenging mission work undertaken with Arul. 

While camping in his hut church at the remote Jamboni village, Arul was killed by a gang led by Hindu fundamentalist Dara Singh when the latter was on the run after having committed a triple murder in January 1999.

"Christian faith has taken deep roots among our people because of the martyrdom of Father Arul," Durga Singh Godsara told CNA. Godsara is a catechist and was one of the first converts that Arul helped lead to the Church. 

After Arul was killed, Godsara recounted what one of his fellow converts told him: "I will give up as it is dangerous and they would kill us too." 

"But I told him we have to die for the faith our guru [master] has taught us. Later I prayed with him; he got healed and he went to live 20 more years," Godsara said.

"Our people have deep faith in the healing power of Father Arul that they bring the sick to this spot and get instant healing," he added. 

"We routinely hear 'the blood of the martyrs is the seed of the Church.' It has been literally fulfilled in Jamboni," Sister Elizabeth Rani told CNA.

"I came here for the first anniversary in 2000. What an amazing development has taken place over the years with the thousands of Ho people embracing the Christian faith," said Rani, who belongs to the Congregation of St Anne.

"'Arul' in our language [Tamil] means 'blessing,' and I am happy — he has indeed become a blessing to the Ho tribals," the nun added.  

"Our people were enthusiastic about the historic occasion," Father Francis Xavier Singh, vicar of Holy Rosary Parish of Bagdapha that comprises the Jamboni area, told CNA.

"They worked voluntarily through the night to prepare the lunch for more than 4,000 people," he added.

Thottamkara told CNA that there "is indeed a growing popular devotion to Father Arul." The bishop noted that several miraculous healings have been reported by the Ho tribe.

"The diocese will set up committees to document and scrutinize these to decide how to take these up further," Thottamkara said.

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CNA Staff, Sep 10, 2024 / 06:00 am (CNA).

Cardinal Christoph Schönborn, OP, archbishop of Vienna, said in a recent interview with a French Catholic magazine that in the face of rising secularization and the growth of Islam in many historically Christian nations, Catholics should "trust in the work of grace" and remember that the Church is "an expert in humanity."

"The Church is alive and will always be, albeit under different circumstances. We must accept the decline of Europe. We tend to gaze at our ecclesiastical navel, but it is an undeniable continental movement," Schönborn said, speaking to Famille Chrétienne. 

"In 20 years, the European population will not be the same as it is today, and it is already not the same as it was 50 years ago. This is inevitable, above all due to the decline in the birth rate in Europe but also due to immigration and the increasing presence of Islam. This poses new challenges for us Christians. We must also not forget that the Lord is at work in his Church! Just think of the 12,000 baptisms of adults and young people in France this year."

The Austrian cardinal, who helped to produce the Catechism of the Catholic Church, said that despite the decline of the Church's influence in Europe, he is convinced that the Church "has not yet breathed its last."

"Despite secularization, the great questions of men and women remain the same as before: birth, growth, education, illness, economic worries. And then there is the family, marriage, and death," Schönborn noted. "There is a lot of talk about change, but too little attention is paid to the constants of society. The Church must remember that it is an expert in humanity, as Paul VI said." 

The cardinal called the idea that France and Europe are "no longer Christian" because of Islam's influence "absurd," but he firmly stressed that "Catholics should return to the Church." 

"If Catholics have left the Church, we should not be surprised that they are in the minority," he continued, calling for a "fraternal rapprochement" with Islam, echoing the words of Pope Francis, noting that Christians "do not take up arms but trust in the work of grace." 

"Both our religions have an absolute appeal. For Muslims, God has demanded that the whole world be subjected to him and the Koran. As for Christ, he has entrusted us with a universal mission: 'Make disciples of all nations.' Neither of them can therefore renounce their mission. But the Christians' way of acting is not that of the Koran but the following of Christ in all dimensions of our lives," he said. 

Addressing the ongoing Synod on Synodality — the final session of which will take place in October in Rome and is expected to produce a final report for the pope's approval — Schönborn said "synodality is central to Francis' pontificate, but there is continuity with previous synods, which have been about communion, participation, and mission."

"You may be disappointed that the specific topics are a little up in the air, but this is first and foremost a synod about the 'modus operandi' within the Church," Schönborn said. 

"In my diocese, I have experienced this synodality with the priests in small groups and tried to live it through spiritual conversation. Everyone agreed that the exchange had never been so deep."

Asked about Fiducia Supplicans, a document published by the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith in December 2023 that authorized nonliturgical blessings for same-sex couples and others in "irregular situations," Schönborn said he believes the document shows "confusion" on the part of the Church. The cardinal had previously, in 2021, criticized the Vatican's rejection of blessings for same-sex couples, saying the document was marked by a "clear communication error."

"I experienced it as I experience things — concretely," the cardinal said. "If friends say to me: 'Our son has just announced to us that he is homosexual and that he has found a partner,' I then ask them: 'Is he still your son?' Most often, the answer comes naturally. I believe that with the two successive documents from Rome [the 2021 Responsum ad Dubium and Fiducia Supplicans], the Church has shown its own dismay in the face of this question. These texts, in my eyes, are shaky. We are faced with a question for which there can be no right answer."

"The path that Pope Francis proposes to us is that of discernment, trying to see what the Lord is showing us," he continued. "Incidentally, the misfortune of the German [Synodal Way] is that they want sharp, unambiguous answers. And unambiguity does not work in concrete life."

Asked about Pope Francis' restrictions on the Traditional Latin Mass by way of the 2021 document Traditionis Custodes, Schönborn expressed the hope that the "new generation" might "easily" move from the TLM to modern movements and "prayer groups" such as the Emmanuel Community. 

The Austrian prelate added: "Let us accept that Francis has his reasons for closing the doors again, at least partially, just as we have accepted that Benedict XVI had his reasons for opening them. Let us trust that the Lord is leading the Church."

Schönborn was finally asked what "profile" the next pope after Francis, who turns 88 in December, should have.

"On that day, the Holy Spirit will lead the Church. We should not worry. If it is an African, it will be an African. Maybe it will be an Asian or a man from old Europe. But the most important thing is that he believes that he is a servant of Christ and that he loves the Church. This is how the Church will move forward," Schönborn said. 

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Dili, East Timor, Sep 10, 2024 / 02:55 am (CNA).

In East Timor, a country where 98% of the population is Catholic, Pope Francis was met with great enthusiasm on Tuesday by local clergy and religious. 

About 600 clergy and religious crammed into the cathedral, and another 1500 faithful had flocked outside as religious sisters, priests, and bishops expressed gratitude for the Catholic country's many vocations and vibrant religious life.

Among those gathered were religious sisters who serve the poor in the developing nation's mountainous regions.

Speaking in the capital city of Dili's Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception on Sept. 10, the pope encouraged those with religious vocations to preserve the faith of the Catholic country by never neglecting to proclaim the Good News of the Gospel.

"The Church exists to evangelize, and we are called to bring to others … the new life of the Gospel," Francis said.

"The Gospel of Jesus has the power to transform … and generate a new society," he added.

Pope Francis landed in East Timor, also called Timor-Leste, on Sept. 9 for the third leg of his 11-day trip to Southeast Asia and Oceania. Evangelization has been an essential theme of the journey, which has already brought him from the island nations of Indonesia to Papua New Guinea.

Lying off the northern coast of Australia, at the boundary between Asia and Oceania, East Timor is one of the world's newest nations — it became a sovereign state in 2002. 

"For we know that at the heart of Christ, the existential peripheries are in fact the center. A Church that does not see the peripheries and hides in the center is a sick Church. But if a Church thinks of the peripheries and sends missionaries, the peripheries become the center," the pope said.

Franciscan Capuchins Serving the Poor

Father Luan Le, a Franciscan Capuchin friar and missionary from Australia, has been serving in East Timor for ten years. He told CNA that the Capuchins primarily work with the poor, visiting villages to administer sacraments and care for the sick.

"Basic education and healthcare remain major challenges, especially in mountainous areas," Le explained. "There's a lack of medical clinics, doctors, nurses, and medicine in many places. People often rely solely on herbal medicine when they get sick."

Describing the excitement surrounding the pope's visit, Le said: "It's a blessing for them. They see him as Christ's vicar, and his presence brings blessing and grace to their families."

Le expressed hope that the pope's visit would promote peace, harmony, and development in education and healthcare. He also emphasized the need for employment opportunities for young people.

Reflecting on his missionary experience, Le contrasted life in Australia with East Timor: "Here, we lack many material things, but it's a blessing because we're closer to the people. You see the joy of the Gospel in their faces when you meet them." 

Religious Orders Aid Development and Education

Many of the religious orders present in East Timor work with the poor in the developing country, where more than 40% of the population still live under the poverty line.

Mother Nunzia Da Silva Pachero is one of eight sisters from East Timor who entered the Missionaries of Charity since the arrival of Mother Teresa's order in the new country in 2008.

"Our apostolate is to visit people and families, consecrating them to the Immaculate Heart, Sacred Heart, and Divine Mercy. We also assist sick families, bringing them to the city for medical treatment. When possible, we provide catechism, preparing people for the sacraments. Additionally, we visit prisoners and those with mental illnesses."

When Hospitaller Sisters of Mercy arrived in East Timor, the sisters noticed that some girls who lived in the mountains had to walk three to four hours to attend school. The girls would make the long journey on foot, attend school for two hours, and then walk three to four hours home.

Although the Sisters of Mercy had to come to the impoverished island to care for the sick and malnourished children, Sister Paola Lacovone explained that they knew that they also needed to do something to help these girls, so they opened a dormitory to help girls pursue their education without needing to walk more than six hours each day.

The Hospitaller Sisters of Mercy, originally from Italy, have 25 sisters in East Timor and have been here since 2011.

The pontiff addressed Church leaders after listening to a welcome address by Bishop Norberto de Amaral, president of the local bishops' conference, and testimonies from a religious sister, priest, and catechist.

Sister Rosa Sarmento, a Canossian Sister, highlighted East Timor's status as the most Catholic country in Southeast Asia and "an oasis of priestly and religious vocations." 

She noted that Timorese religious are now serving in other parts of the world, reversing the historical trend of European missionaries coming to Timor. 

Sister Rosa asked for the pope's blessing "for our children, adolescents, young people, men, women, elderly and, in particular, the disabled, of whom there are many."

Missionaries first brought the Catholic faith to the island of Timor in 1515. The eastern half of the island, the area that became East Timor, was a Portuguese colony for centuries before being invaded and occupied by the neighboring country of Indonesia in 1975. After almost three decades of struggle, East Timor achieved independence in 2002.

Saved by the cassock

Father Sancho Amaral, a 68-year-old diocesan priest with 39 years of service, shared his experience helping the Timorese independence movement. He recounted a pivotal moment in 1991 when he assisted Chief Commander Kay Rala Xanana Gusmão — who currently serves as Prime Minister — in traveling from Dili to the village of Ossu. The two men narrowly avoided detection by the Indonesian military when stopped at a checkpoint. 

"At this point, as I was wearing my cassock, I rolled down the car window with my left arm out, my face sullen and unfriendly, and asked: 'Ada apa?', that is, why did you stop us? But when the soldiers realized I was a priest, they let us pass. So, the cassock, as the garment of priestly identity, saved us from danger," Amaral said.

The priest emphasized how God protects those called to mission, even in times of war, adding: "Today I can be here to give my witness of life, because God loves me and cares for me."

A third witness, Florentino de Jesus Martins — an 89-year-old catechist — shared his lifelong commitment to the Church. He began as a catechist in 1956 and served for 56 years, including in mission stations and other locations, for the diocese of Dili. 

Lacking modern transport, Martins recounted how he "often had to walk from six to ten kilometers in order to catechize." 

"Along the way, I sometimes faced challenges such as rain and strong wind, or overnight stays during the journey. Despite the challenges, I was never discouraged and I continued to work with the utmost responsibility, zeal and devotion."

Although he retired in 2017 due to health issues, Martins still supports and advises other catechists.

The sandalwood and the fragrance of Christ

In his address, Pope Francis said just as Mary of Bethany — the sister of Martha and Lazarus — anointed the feet of Jesus with perfume, Catholics are called to preserve and spread the fragrance of Christ and his Gospel.

"Dear friends, you are the fragrance of Christ," he said, pointing out the country's abundant growth of fragrant, highly-valued sandalwood and connecting it to the bonum odor Christi.

"Like a sandalwood tree, evergreen and strong, which grows and produces fruit, you are missionary disciples who bear the fragrance of the Holy Spirit in order to 'intoxicate' the lives of others," Francis said.

The pontiff warned the audience of falling into "lukewarm spiritual mediocrity," rather than faithfully preserving the fragrance of Christ.

"We [Catholics] rightly look back with gratitude on our preceding history, to the seed of faith sown here," the pope said, praising the witnesses who had just spoken to the gathering. 

"But is this enough? In reality, we must always fan the flame of faith," Pope Francis stressed, explaining this means deepening knowledge of Christian doctrine, purification in the light of the Gospel, and spiritual growth.

East Timor, "rooted in a long Christian history, also needs a renewed impetus toward evangelization, so that the Gospel's fragrance may reach everyone, a fragrance of reconciliation and peace after suffering years of war; a fragrance of compassion, which will help the poor get back on their feet and inspire a renewed commitment to revive the economic and social wellbeing of the country; a fragrance of justice against corruption," he added.

"Be careful about corruption," the pope said.

Francis also urged local Catholics to counter the suffering of alcoholism and violence and overcome any disrespect for the dignity of women with the fragrance of the Gospel.

"The Gospel of Jesus has the power to transform these dark realities and generate a new society," he said.

In closing, the pope appealed to all those gathered in the Cathedral of Dili, saying, "Do not be discouraged! As Father Sancho reminded us in his moving testimony, 'God knows how to take care of those he has called and sent on his mission'. As Father Sancho reminded us today in his moving testimony, 'God knows how to care of those he has called and sent on his mission."

Hannah Brockhaus in Rome contributed to this report.

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