Showing posts with label sainthood. Show all posts
Showing posts with label sainthood. Show all posts
Sunday, September 04, 2016
Hundreds of Thousands Gather to Witness Mother Teresa Declared a Saint
Sunday, May 12, 2013
REUTERS.COM: (Reuters) – Pope Francis on Sunday proclaimed as saints some 800 Italians killed in the 15th century for refusing to convert to Islam, and said many Christians were still being persecuted for their faith.
The Vatican seemed at pains not to allow the first canonizations of Francis' two-month-old papacy to be interpreted as anti-Islamic, saying the deaths of the 'Otranto Marytrs' [sic] must be understood in their historical context.
The 800 were killed in 1480 in the siege of Otranto, on the southeastern Adriatic, by Ottoman Turks who sacked the city, killed its archbishop and told the citizens to surrender and convert.
When they refused, the Ottoman commanding officer ordered the execution of all men aged 15 or older, most by beheading.
"While we venerate the Otranto Martyrs, we ask God to sustain the many Christians who, today, in many parts of the world, right now, still suffer violence and give them the courage to be faithful and to respond to evil with good," Francis said before more than 70,000 people in St. Peter's Square.
He did not mention any countries, but the Vatican has expressed deep concern recently about the fate of Christians in parts of the Middle East, including Coptic Christians who have been caught up in sectarian strife in Egypt. » | Philip Pullella | Vatican City | Sunday, May 12, 2013
Sunday, October 23, 2011
THE SUNDAY TELEGRAPH: The Pope named three new saints for the Catholic Church during Sunday Mass in St. Peter's Square that was disrupted by a man who climbed out onto the upper colonnade and burned a bible.
Vatican gendarmes, a bishop and the pope's own bodyguard talked the man back from the edge of the colonnade after he shouted, "Pope, where is Christ?" in English and threw the burned bible to the crowd below.
Benedict and the thousands in the square appeared unfazed by the incident and carried on with the Mass. » | Sunday, October 23, 2011
Sunday, May 01, 2011
FRANKFURTER ALLGEMEINE: Es schien Benedikt XVI. leicht zu fallen, auf den Wunsch aus der Weltkirche einzugehen: die Seligsprechung von Johannes Paul II. Am Wochenende stellte er sich selbst in den Schatten seines Vorgängers - in einen Schatten also, der Weggefährten leuchten lässt.
Am Sonntag um 10.36 Uhr brachen mehr als eine Millionen Menschen auf dem Petersplatz und in der Umgebung in Jubel aus. Noch weiter entfernt liegende Straßen versanken in einem Meer von meist polnischen Fahnen. Der Beifall schreckte die Stare, Möwen und zwei Wildenten auf ihren Rastplätzen auf der Engelsburg auf und ließ sie in den Himmel über Rom entschwinden. Menschen brachen in Freudentränen aus und die Verbindungen der Mobiltelefone brachen zusammen. Selbst die Sonne sandte nach Tagen des Regens wärmende Strahlen herab. „Rom und der Weltkreis“ feierten: „Johannes Paul II. ist selig“. » | Von Jörg Bremer, Rom | Sonntag, 01. Mai 2011
FRANKFURTER ALLGEMEINE: Papst Benedikt XVI. hat Johannes Paul II. selig gesprochen. Hunderttausende verfolgten in Rom die Messe. Derart viele, dass selbst Papst Innozenz XI. musste weichen. Oder gab es andere Gründe für dessen Umbettung?Zum Vatikan gehören Verschwörungsgeschichten. Gerade entsteht eine um den seligen Papst Innozenz XI. (1611-1689), der jetzt aus seiner Grabstätte in der Sebastiankapelle von Sankt Peter weichen musste. Am Wochenende soll an seiner statt Papst Johannes Paul II. (1920-2005) seine letzte Ruhe finden. Am Sonntag wird der Vorgänger von Benedikt XVI. seliggesprochen. Dafür wird sein Sarg aus den Grotten in die Basilika hinaufgebracht. Für die Pilger war es unten zu eng geworden. Zunächst waren Messen am Grab von Karol Wojtyla unweit des Petrusgrabes eine Ausnahme. Mittlerweile werden sie genau gestaffelt, denn fast 20.000 Menschen täglich wollen dem früheren Papst ihre Reverenz erweisen. » | Von Jörg Bremer, Rom | Sonntag, 01. Mai 2011
Saturday, April 30, 2011
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Thousands of excited pilgrims swarmed into central Rome on Saturday on the eve of a ceremony to mark late pope John Paul II's step towards sainthood, as the Vatican geared up for the show."I couldn't miss this, I had to be a part of such a historical moment. We've only just arrived but the atmosphere's great, it's really exciting," said Patricia Wocial, 48, who had come from Britain with her young daughters.
"It's their first pilgrimage and will certainly be an experience to remember," she added, as they stood among the crowds, gazing up at a vast poster of John Paul II hanging from the stone columns outside the Vatican.
Hundreds of thousands of pilgrims are expected to descend on the Italian capital for Sunday's beatification, which will confer a "blessed" status on the charismatic pope, who died in 2005 after reigning for nearly 27 years.
In preparation, the late pope's coffin has been brought out of its resting place in a crypt under Saint Peter's basilica and a phial of John Paul's blood, taken from him during his illness, has been prepared as a relic for veneration.
At least 100,000 people are expected to attend a vigil on Saturday evening to hear those who were close to John Paul II speak. While some then head off to bed, others will take advantage of churches which are staying open all night. » | Saturday, April 30, 2011
Sunday, February 21, 2010
THE JERUSALEM POST: Pius is accused both by Jews and non-Jews of having betrayed the Jews during their darkest hours.
Pope Benedict XVI’s intention to elevate his World War II-era predecessor, Pope Pius XII, to sainthood has inexorably revived the polemic about whether Pius turned a blind eye to the Holocaust. In a transparent effort to calm the controversy it itself has recharged, the Vatican announced last week that it will soon make some of its WWII archives available on the Internet. The Holy See’s semi-official newspaper, L’Osservatore Romano, claimed this will “render service to the historic truth.”
But will it? Odds are that this will be a hi-tech rerun of what occurred in 1999. To counter British author John Cornwell’s book Hitler’s Pope, the Vatican appointed a panel – the International Catholic-Jewish Historical Commission – to go over material kept zealously concealed from public scrutiny. Yet even this handpicked and specifically approved panel was denied full access. Only pre-1923 papers were made available. In reaction, the commission suspended its work in 2001, after producing no findings on the papacy during the Holocaust.
This time, too, it is already being indicated that of the 8,000 pages to be uploaded, none will directly relate to the wartime pope and that only in another five to six years will anything pertaining to Pius see light. Such promises for future lifting of secrecy have been made periodically over the years, and each time the target date is further postponed. >>> JPost Editorial | Saturday, February 20, 2010
Friday, February 19, 2010
THE TELEGRAPH: Pope Benedict XVI has approved Mary MacKillop as Australia's first saint.
The rebellious nun who was revered for her work with children is to become Australia's first Roman Catholic saint on October 17, the Pope said on Friday.
In December, Benedict recognised a miracle in which MacKillop apparently cured a woman of cancer, paving the way for the canonisation of a nun who is already a national icon in Australia. >>> | Friday, February 19, 2010
Wednesday, February 17, 2010
THE TELEGRAPH: Catholic scholars from around the world have "implored" Pope Benedict XVI not to make a controversial wartime pontiff a saint before opening up to scrutiny secret Vatican archives.
In a letter to the Pope, the scholars said that making Pius XII a saint could do grave damage to relations between the Catholic Church and Jews and that he had become a de facto "symbol of Christian anti-Judaism and anti-Semitism".
Jewish groups have long claimed that Pius turned a blind eye to the Holocaust, but this is thought to be the first time that a group of Catholic theologians have issued such a strongly worded appeal to the Pope.
They endorsed demands made by Jewish groups that Vatican archives covering Pius's papacy, from 1939 to 1958, must be opened up before the Church decides whether his predecessor is worthy of being made a saint. They are believed to contain details of his efforts to save Jews from the Holocaust.
The Vatican recently said that there were so many files for its archivists to trawl through that the archives will not be made available until 2015.
The 18 Catholic scholars from Australia, Germany and the United States used the word "implore" twice in the letter, saying that if Pius was made a saint before the historical record was cleared up, it could irreparably harm Catholic-Jewish relations.
"Holy Father, we implore you, acting on your wisdom as a renowned scholar, professor and teacher, to be patient with the cause of Pius XII," the scholars wrote in their letter. >>> Nick Squires in Rome | Wednesday, February 17, 2010
Saturday, December 19, 2009
TIMES ONLINE: The controversial wartime pope accused of failing to openly condemn the Holocaust has moved a step closer to sainthood, the Vatican has confirmed.
Pope Pius XII will be declared venerable after the current pontiff Pope Benedict XVI approved a "heroic virtues decree", the first of three stages before canonisation.
To be declared venerable, a church investigation has to conclude that the person in question lived a life of exemplary holiness and heroic virtue. There must be nothing in the dead person’s writings that enables these characteristics to be challenged. >>> Simon Alford | Saturday, December 19, 2009
Friday, October 10, 2008
*This is not necessarily my own viewpoint; rather, it is the viewpoint of the creator of the video. These ideas, however, are interesting, and are worthy of further exploration, especially in view of the fact that Pope Benedict XVI seems to be preparing to make Pope Pius XII a saint. Maybe Pope Pius XII has been maligned for too long. History will show whether this is so, or not. - ©Mark
The Dawning of a New Dark Age – Paperback (US) Barnes & Noble >>>
The Dawning of a New Dark Age – Hardcover (US) Barnes & Noble >>>
Friday, September 19, 2008
THE TELEGRAPH: The Pope has for the first time publicly defended the wartime record of Pope Pius XII, who for decades has been accused of failing to speak out against the Holocaust.
Pope Benedict XVI said new research showed that the former Pontiff “spared no effort” in trying to save Jews from extermination by Nazi Germany and fascist Italy.
Pope Pius XII has been condemned by some scholars and many Jewish groups for not speaking out more stridently against Nazism and the Final Solution.
His alleged ambivalence to the deportation and murder of Jews has been the subject of several books, including the 1999 Hitler’s Pope: The Secret History of Pope Pius XII, by John Cornwell.
He is edging towards sainthood — a move strongly supported by the last Pope, John Paul II - despite accusations that he kept silent about the Holocaust, was anti-Semitic and was sympathetic to Nazi Germany because of his horror of communism.
“(Pius XII) spared no effort, wherever it was possible, to intervene (for Jews) directly or through instructions given to individuals or institutions in the Catholic Church,” Benedict XVI told a conference which presented new work on Pius ahead of the 50th anniversary of his death on October 9.
Pius XII, who was Pontiff from 1939 to 1958, had to work ”secretly and silently” to ”avert the worst and save the highest number of Jews possible,” Benedict XVI said, repeating assertions made by Vatican experts in the past. The Pope also said Pius XII was thanked by Jewish groups during and after the war for saving the lives of thousands of Jews. He cited a meeting the leader of the Roman Catholic Church had in the Vatican in November 1945 with 80 death camp survivors who ”thanked him personally for his generosity”. Pope Defends Wartime Predecessor >>> By Nick Squires in Rome | September 19, 2008
NZZ Online:
Papst Benedikt XII. verteidigt seinen Vorgänger Pius XII.: Gebet für baldige Seligsprechung >>> | 9. Oktober 2008
SPIEGELONLINE INTERNATIONAL:
Pius XII Controversy Intensifies: Sainthood for the Holocaust Pope?: Pope Benedict XVI on Thursday fueled speculation that beatification may be on the horizon for Pope Pius XII, often criticized for not doing enough to combat the Holocaust. The Vatican has been working hard to improve Pius's popular image.
The process of beatification is usually a backroom deal, taking place inside the Vatican and well outside the public eye. But not this time. For months the Catholic Church has been sending signals that the beatification of Pope Pius XII, who headed the Catholic Church during World War II, may be imminent. Some historians and Jewish leaders, though, have been vociferous in their opposition to the move, arguing Pius XII did less than he should have to save the Jews from the Holocaust. >>> cgh -- with wire reports | October 10, 2008
The Dawning of a New Dark Age (Paperback – Italy)
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