News from the Church in Malta
Church collections on Holy Thursday
Pope Benedict XVI has decided the collection taken up at his Holy Thursday evening Mass will be used to offer humanitarian aid to Syrian refugees.
The Pontifical Mission for Palestine — the Vatican’s emergency relief agency for the Middle East — estimates it would cost $20 million to care for all the Syrian refugees now in Jordan… Read more »
Cuban Minister of Foreign Affairs
Cuba’s foreign minister said his government was looking forward to welcoming Pope Benedict XVI and exchanging points of view with him, even after the pope used his in-flight news conference to criticize Marxist ideology.
Bruno Rodriguez, the foreign minister of Cuba’s communist government, was asked about the pope’s remarks March 23 during the opening of the Havana press center for the papal visit… Read more »
We refer to the statement issued in the Press by the Band Clubs Association where it was stated that the Association suspended the agreement reached with the Curia in December 2011.
The Curia wishes to bring to mind two general principles. First, any agreement reached and signed by two parties should be respected by both parties. Secondly, this particular agreement was made between two parties; therefore it can only be changed through another agreement between the two. … Read more »
Pope during mass in Cuba
Celebrating an outdoor Mass on his first day in Cuba, Pope Benedict XVI acknowledged the struggles of the country’s Catholics after half a century of communism and described human freedom as a necessity for both salvation and social justice.
The pope spoke March 26 in Antonio Maceo Revolution Square, in Cuba’s second-largest city. He had arrived in the country a few hours earlier, after spending three days in Mexico… Read more »
The Church Secretariat for Social and Charitable Action is organizing a Week of Sacrifice between Friday 30th March, the feast of Our Lady of Sorrows and 6th April, Good Friday. The theme for this year is The Joy of Giving. The Secretariat has selected this theme to signify that when one gives from the heart, it brings happiness. On the contrary, self-centeredness causes one to suppress the good in oneself and life loses its meaning… Read more »
On Friday, 23rd March 2012, Archbishop Paul Cremona O.P. attended the Annual General Meeting of the Cana Movement. The meeting was attended by a number of members who offer their voluntary services within the Movement. In their addresses, both the President, Dr Anna Vella and the Director, Rev Dr Joseph Mizzi, stated that it is important that Cana is not just viewed as a service-provider, an agency which offers several different services to families; rather it should retain its full identity as a Movement… Read more »
Pope Benedict in Mexico
Pope Benedict XVI has condemned drug-trafficking and corruption at a huge open-air Mass in central Mexico. He urged Catholics to look to their faith in response to poverty and crime and to reject violence and revenge.
More than 500,000 people gathered to hear his message beside the Christ the King monument in Silao – one of the most important symbols of Mexican Catholicism… Read more »
“L-ottimiżmu ta’ Fr Peter kien ġej mill-fehma sħiħa li kellu li, bit-trawwim u t-tħaddim xieraq tal-qalb u l-moħħ, xejn, xejn ma kellu għalfejn iżomm lill-bniedem milli jagħmel l-aħħar daħka fuq kull sitwazzjoni tal-ħajja.”
Din l-istqarrija għamilha Fr Mark Montebello OP fl-omelija li għamel waqt il-quddiesa tal-funeral ta’ Fr Peter Serracino Inglott, li saret ilbieraħ fil-knisja Arċipretali ta’ San Pawl Nawfraġu fil-Belt Valletta, u li kienet immexxija mill-Pro Vigarju Ġenerali, Mons Anton Gouder… Read more »
Archbishop Paul Cremona O.P. will lead Lenten sermons for separated persons as from Monday 26th to Thursday 29th March, daily at 7.00 p.m. These talks will be held at Sarria Church, Floriana. Similar talks for seperated persons were also held last year.
When asked to comment about these Lenten sermons, the Archbishop said that the Church wants to spread the message of the Gospel to all people, particularly those who are passing through situations in life which require consolation and encouragement… Read more »
Cardinal Reinhard Marx has been elected as the new President of the Commission of Catholic Bishops’ Conferences in the EU (COMECE). The Archbishop of Munich and Freising was elected by the Bishop Members yesterday, for a 3-year term of office as the COMECE Chair. He will be assisted by four Vice-Presidents: Mgr Gianni Ambrosio (Bishop of Piacenza-Bobbio, Italy), Mgr Virgil Bercea (Bishop of Oradea Mare, Romania), Mgr Jarecki (Auxiliary Bishop of Warsaw, Poland) and Mgr Jean Kockerols (Auxiliary Bishop of Brussels-Malines, Belgium)… Read more »
