SUMMARY:
- RITE FOR THE BLESSING OF A CHILD IN THE WOMB
- OTHER PONTIFICAL ACTS
_____________________________________
CHRISTIANS
AND BUDDHISTS: INCREASING DIALOGUE THROUGH EDUCATION
Vatican
City, 3 April 2012 (VIS) - Made public today was the annual Message
to Buddhists for the Feast of Vesakh, issued by the Pontifical
Council for Inter-religious Dialogue. The message is signed by
Cardinal Jean-Louis Tauran and Archbishop Pier Luigi Celata,
respectively president and secretary of the council.
Vesakh
is the main Buddhist feast and commemorates the three fundamental
moments in the life of Gautama Buddha. According to tradition, the
historical Buddha was born, achieved enlightenment and passed away
during the full moon of the month of May. Thus Vesakh is a mobile
feast which this year falls on 5 and 6 May, while in China it is
celebrated on the eighth day of the fourth month of the Chinese
calendar, which this year corresponds to 28 April. On those days,
Buddhists decorate their houses with flowers and perfume them with
incense, visit local temples and listen to the teaching of the monks.
This
year's message is entitled: "Christians and Buddhists: Sharing
Responsibility for Educating the Young Generation on Justice and
Peace through Inter-religious Dialogue": Extracts from the
English-language version of the text are given below.
"Today,
more and more in classrooms all over the world, students belonging to
various religions and beliefs sit side-by-side, learning with one
another and from one another. This diversity gives rise to challenges
and sparks deeper reflection on the need to educate young people to
respect and understand the religious beliefs and practices of others,
to grow in knowledge of their own, to advance together as responsible
human beings and to be ready to join hands with those of other
religions to resolve conflicts and to promote friendship, justice,
peace and authentic human development.
"With
His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI, we acknowledge that true education
can support an openness to the transcendent as well as to those
around us. Where education is a reality there is an opportunity for
dialogue, for inter-relatedness and for receptive listening to the
other. In such an atmosphere, young people sense that they are
appreciated for who they are and for what they are able to
contribute; they learn how to grow in appreciation of their brothers
and sisters whose beliefs and practices are different from their own.
When that happens there will be joy in being persons of solidarity
and compassion called to build a just and fraternal society giving
thus hope for the future.
"As
Buddhists you pass on to young people the wisdom regarding the need
to refrain from harming others and to live lives of generosity and
compassion, a practice to be esteemed and recognised as a precious
gift to society. This is one concrete way in which religion
contributes to educating the young generation, sharing the
responsibility and cooperating with others.
"As
a matter of fact, young people are an asset for all societies. By
their genuineness, they encourage us to find an answer to the most
fundamental questions about life and death, justice and peace, the
meaning of suffering, and the reasons for hope. Thus they help us to
progress in our pilgrimage towards Truth. By their dynamism, as
builders of the future, they put pressure on us to destroy all the
walls which unfortunately still separate us. By their questioning
they nurture the dialogue between religions and cultures.
"Dear
friends, we join our hearts to yours and pray that together we will
be able to guide the young people by our example and teaching to
become instruments of justice and peace. Let us share the common
responsibility we have towards the present and future generations,
nurturing them to be peaceful and to be peace makers".
RITE
FOR THE BLESSING OF A CHILD IN THE WOMB
Vatican
City, 3 April 2012 (VIS) - Beginning in the second week of May when
many countries around the world celebrate Mother's Day, the text of
the "Rite for the Blessing of a Child in the Womb", having
received the approval of the Holy See, will be made available in
parishes throughout the United States. The announcement was made
recently in a note issued by the United States Conference of Catholic
Bishops informing the faithful that the the text - printed in both
English and Spanish - has received the "recognitio" of the
Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments.
Cardinal
Daniel N. DiNardo, archbishop of Galveston-Houston and chairman of
the episcopal conference's Committee on Pro-Life Activities, has
explained that the blessing was prepared to "support parents
awaiting the birth of their child, to encourage parish prayers for
and recognition of the precious gift of the child in the womb, and to
foster respect for human life within society". The blessing may
be imparted either during the liturgy or outside of Mass and the text
will eventually be included in the Book of Blessings, after it has
been revised.
The
blessing of unborn children was promoted by Archbishop Joseph Edward
Kurtz of Louisville. When bishop of Knoxville he had asked the
Committee on Pro-Life Activities to see whether a blessing existed
for a child in the womb. When none was found, the committee began
preparing a text which was presented to the Divine Worship Committee
in March 2008. In November of the same year the full body of bishops
approved the prayer and it was sent to the Holy See for the
"recognitio".
OTHER
PONTIFICAL ACTS
Vatican
City, 3 April 2012 (VIS) - The Holy Father:
-
Appointed Bishop Jose Carlos Cabrero Romero of Zacatecas, Mexico, as
archbishop of San Luis Potosi (area 19,428, population 1,925,000,
Catholics 1,845,000, priests 264, permanent deacons 10, religious
985), Mexico. He succeeds Archbishop Luis Morales Reyes, whose
resignation from the pastoral care of the same archdiocese the Holy
Father accepted, upon having reached the age limit.
-
Appointed Bishop Castor Oswaldo Azuaje Perez O.C.D., auxiliary of
Maracaibo, Venezuela, as bishop of Trujillo (area 7,400, population
788,000, Catholics 746,000, priests 117, permanent deacons 23,
religious 93), Venezuela. He succeeds Bishop Vicente Ramon Hernandez
Pena, whose resignation from the pastoral care of the same diocese
the Holy Father accepted, upon having reached the age limit.
You
can find more information at: www.visnews.org
The
news items contained in the Vatican Information Service may be used,
in part or in their entirety, by quoting the source:
V.I.S.
-Vatican Information Service.
Copyright
© Vatican Information Service 00120 Vatican City
No comments:
Post a Comment