1. Ekklesia (http://www.ekklesia.co.uk)
Middle East peace and Benedict's successor
The successor to the Pope Benedict XVI needs to build on the work done by his predecessor in attempting to encourage peace with justice in the Middle East and North Africa, regional expert and Ekklesia associate Dr Harry Hagopian told Premier Christian Radio on 12 February 2013.
In May 2009, Benedict went on an eight-day visit to the Holy Land. On his final day in Jerusalem, he summed up his message by saying that Christ's empty tomb "assures us that God can make all things new," that peace is really possible, and that long-standing hostilities can be overcome, PCR noted on its website today.
Dr Hagopian (http://www.ekklesia.co.uk/HarryHagopian) spoke on Premier's News Hour about one of the Pope's key visits, to Lebanon.
He was commenting on Benedict's surprise resignation. Dr Hagopian, who is Armenian Orthodox, and has been deeply involved in ecumenical work over the years, is an adviser to the Catholic Bishops Conference of England and Wales on Middle East and interfaith concerns.
He told the Premier's Marcus Jones that Benedict's resignation has contributed to ongoing questions as to what the future holds in the Middle East and North Africa region.
・'Search for new Pope underway', PCR -http://www.premier.org.uk/news/current/Search%20for%20new%20Pope%20under...
・Premier Reports - http://www.premier.org.uk/news
・'Papal change, the Middle East and beyond', Ekklesia - http://www.ekklesia.co.uk/node/17977
・'Fear and hope for indigenous Christians in the Middle East and North Africa', by Harry Hagopian -http://www.ekklesia.co.uk/node/17784
・Research: Change and challenge across the Middle East and North Africa Region, by Harry Hagopian -http://www.ekklesia.co.uk/node/17624
・Dr Hagopian’s own website is www.epektasis.net Follow him on Twitter here: @harryhagopian. His articles, blogs and podcasts on Ekklesia can be found here: http://www.ekklesia.co.uk/HarryHagopian
2．Worldwide Religious News（http://wwrn.org）
Pope resigns: Sunni authority al-Azhar eyes better ties
by Ahmed Maher ("BBC News," February 13, 2013)
The top religious authority in Sunni Islam says it hopes Pope Benedict XVI's successor will work for better ties between Muslims and Christians.
Al-Azhar al-Sharif institute in Cairo said it sought to "re-establish ties based on mutual respect and understanding".
The statement was its first response to Pope Benedict's decision to resign.
Relations between the Vatican and the Muslim world became strained in recent years after comments by the Pope.
His papacy got off to a rocky start with al-Azhar, which accused Benedict of repeatedly addressing Islam negatively.
Relations soured in 2006 after Pope Benedict quoted a 14th Century Byzantine emperor in remarks taken by some Muslims to imply that Islam was a violent religion.
Pope Benedict has repeatedly said words did not reflect his personal views, but stopped short of issuing a clear apology to Muslims.
In January 2011, al-Azhar suspended indefinitely its traditional dialogue with the Vatican in protest at what it said were "repetitive and negative statements" about Muslims by the Pope.
Al-Azhar accused Benedict of repeatedly claiming that Christians in the Middle East, and in Egypt in particular, were discriminated against and oppressed.
The Pope's statements on Christians in the Middle East came after a deadly New Year's Eve bombing in the al-Qiddissin church in the Egyptian coastal city of Alexandria three years ago.
At least 21 people were killed and 70 injured in the attack, which authorities said was carried out by a suicide bomber.
'Discrimination'
Egypt has the largest Christian minority in the Arab world. Church figures say Christians comprise about 10% of Egypt's population of 83 million people.
Egyptian Copts (Christians) have long complained about discrimination and outright oppression under former President Hosni Mubarak.
And since Mr Mubarak's overthrow in January 2011, Christian Egyptian leaders have expressed concerns about political gains made by Islamists.
Al-Azhar (which means the "most flourishing and resplendent" in English) was named after Fatima al-Zahraa, daughter of the Prophet Muhammad.
It was established in 971 as a mosque and then expanded into a university.
Over hundreds of years it has drawn millions of Muslim students and scholars from across the world.
Despite its long history and reputation al-Azhar was badly tainted by its close association with a string of Egyptian rulers, especially during Mr Mubarak's three-decade rule.
Disclaimer: WWRN does not endorse or adhere to views or opinions expressed in the articles posted. This is purely an information site, to inform interested parties of religious trends.
3. Union of Catholic Asian News (http://www.ucanews.com)
(1) Own goal as cardinal admits interest in being next pope, 14 February 2013
Cardinal Turkson may have damaged any ambitions he harbored about the papacy.
by Phil Lawler
The possibility that Cardinal Peter Turkson will be elected Pope—never terribly likely—has become more remote with the publication of the Ghanian cardinal’s statement that he would be prepared to accept election. Cardinal-electors generally frown on anything that could be construed as campaigning for the papacy, and Cardinal Turkson already has a reputation for speaking without sufficient forethought.
Back in October, Cardinal Turkson arranged for a screening of a YouTube video entitled Muslim Demographics by all the participants at the Synod of Bishops. Vatican Radio—surely not inclined toward criticism of the Synod’s proceedings—described the video as “fear-mongering.” Cardinal Turkson was forced to issue an apology. That didn’t help his standing among thepapabile, either.
Today's news coverage has included a spate of news reports including quotes from Cardinal Turkson. That's a sign of the media's keen interest in the African cardinal. But it's also a sign of the cardinal's interest in the media, which may not advance his standing among his fellow prelates. In a conclave cardinals are likely to turn to a candidate they consider reliable, dependable, predictable--someone with whom they are comfortable. Right now Cardinal Turkson is making reporters comfortable. That's a very different thing.
Full Story: The first misstep among the papabile
Source: Catholic Culture
(2) Resignation was all about growing old in a fast changing world, 14 February 2013
The writer says that "the Pope’s gesture was almost an act of surrender before the world which is changing at a rhythm which a man born in 1927 could never have imagined," and asks if it always has to be this way.
by Mario Calabresi
Having had a couple of days to digest the shocking news of Benedict XVI’s resignation, the events surrounding the Pope’s decision are emblematic of the times we live in: they reflect the difficulty of reaching a certain age in a society that revolves around technology and information.
A society in which speed and the ability to adapt and react in real time are fundamental. Faced with this dominant scenario, the Pope admitted his weakness with a disarming awareness and clarity of expression: “In today’s world, subject to so many rapid changes and shaken by questions of deep relevance for the life of faith, in order to govern the barque of Saint Peter and proclaim the Gospel, both strength of mind and body are necessary.” “Strength which in the last few months, has deteriorated in me to the extent that…”.
The Pope’s gesture was almost an act of surrender before the world which is changing at a rhythm which a man born in 1927 could never have imagined. It is not just the means and timings of communication that are changing. Today’s world requires that every single detail be communicated and at once. Just as he was considering stepping down from the papacy, the 86-year-old Pope made an attempt to get in step with the bewildering pace of modern communication, launching a Twitter account. He bowed down to the need to the need to communicate in brief and syncopated 140-character messages.
He tried to stick to the global agenda and the deadlines dictated by the media which transmit information around the clock. This was by no means easy for him, particularly in light of people’s hurtful and agonising misunderstandings. An agenda which pushes the limits of ethics and social conventions on a daily basis. A nerve-wracking and unnatural race against time for a man who has been used to a life of study, reflection and silent meditation. In his words and decision to resign one is able to discern a kind of short circuit between his in-depth study of Jesus’ life and the need to constantly be on the ready to fight back, a vicious cycle that was difficult to get out of.
The spread of scandals, controversies and news leaks on a global scale suggest that only the younger generations are able to keep ahead of the game: “I have come to the certainty that my strengths, due to an advanced age, are no longer suited to an adequate exercise of the Petrine ministry.”
But it was not always like this. We need only cast our minds back to the pace at which Paul VI ran the Vatican during his papacy, or to Pius X’s month-long visit to the papal Legations in 1854, reaching the Italian region of Emilia Romagna without making one single speech, bust just giving out blessings. The world had to wait for the Sunday Angelus of the Wednesday General Audience to hear the Pope’s answer on a given issue. Then, when Wojtyla became Pope, papal visits skyrocketed and the pace of his ministry caused the number of events and speeches to multiply.
But is this a train that has no other choice but to accelerate? The Church exists in today’s world and cannot but adapt to this world if it wants to have an influence and make itself heard. And yet great strength is also to be found in holding back, keeping a low profile and avoiding always following the trends. There is also great strength in absence. Take today’s politicians who are forced to make dozens of statements a day, their credibility and length having been carefully examined and compare them to figures such as Alcide De Gasperi, Aldo Moro and Enrico Barlinguer, who were interviewed but a few times a year, not a day.
One could reply back saying that the time frames within which the thousand-year-old Church (and slow politics) operated were possible when information did not travel through walls, when cell phones had not yet become an extension of the human body, when butlers could not make photocopies or send faxes and e-mails and when the Vatican Walls were able to keep a secret.
But, by surrendering to one’s age, by recognising the central and almost determining importance of youth, energy and speed, what room is there for contemplated knowledge, wisdom and experience and what is their value? With his decision to go back to being Joseph Ratzinger, Benedict XVI has already given us his answer to this key and as yet unresolved question. The answer will mould our society, it will decide whether we can accept living in the midst of fragmentation, our memories lightened and relieved of long-term projects.
Full Story: A society that leaves no room for ageing
Source: Vatican Insider/La Stampa
(3) Standing ovation at pope's first post-resignation audience, 14 February 2013
A packed crowd cheered wildly as the pope thanked them and asked for their continued prayers.
by Francis X. Rocca
Vatican City
At his first public appearance since he announced that he would resign at the end of February, Pope Benedict XVI thanked the faithful for their love and prayers and asked them to pray for his successor.
"I have felt, almost physically in these days -- which haven't been easy for me -- the strength that prayers, love for the church and prayers for me bring me," the pope told some 7,000 people at his weekly public audience Feb. 13.
Coming two days after he made the announcement in Latin to a room full of cardinals, the pope's Ash Wednesday audience gave him the chance to explain his historic decision to his global flock, and to get taste of their reactions.
"As you know, I have decided ..." he said, before the capacity crowd in the Vatican audience hall broke out in prolonged applause, bringing a smile to the 85-year-old pope's face.
Pope Benedict explained that he had made his decision "in full freedom, for the good of the church, after having prayed for a long time and having examined my conscience before God, well aware of the seriousness of that act, but also aware of no longer being capable of fulfilling the Petrine ministry with the strength that it requires."
The pope appeared tired but smiled frequently and at times broadly during the hourlong audience.
"The certainty that the church is Christ's and he will never cease guiding it and caring for it sustains me and enlightens me," the pope said. "I thank all of your for the love and prayers with which you have accompanied me.
"Continue to pray for me, for the church, for the future pope," he said in conclusion, drawing an ovation a full minute long.
The rest of the audience proceeded more normally, with Pope Benedict devoting his catechetical talk for Ash Wednesday to the subject of Lent. Sounding one of the major themes of his pontificate, he called on the faithful to make a deeper personal conversion to Christ, in spite of the temptations and hostility of secular society.
Modern societies and cultures truly test Christians today, he said. For instance, "it is not easy to be faithful to Christian matrimony, practice mercy in daily life, leave room for prayer and interior silence; it is not easy to publicly oppose choices that many people consider obvious, like abortion in the case of an unwanted pregnancy, euthanasia in the case of serious illness or the selection of embryos to avoid hereditary diseases."
However, he said, even in the modern age there have been shining examples of people who have converted or returned to their faith, radically changing their lives.
The pope specifically mentioned Pavel Florensky, a Russian mathematician and physicist who converted to the Orthodox Church and eventually became a monk; Etty Hillesum, a young Dutch woman from a Jewish family who discovered Christianity during World War II and died at Auschwitz; and Dorothy Day, the U.S. founder of the Catholic Worker movement.
Day made her "journey toward faith in an environment that was so secularized and very difficult, but grace was still at work, as she herself underlined, the pope said. "God led her to a deep attachment to the church, to a life dedicated to the marginalized."
Full Story: Pope Benedict thanks the faithful, asks them to pray for next pope
Source: Catholic News Service
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