Quotes and news

Christoph Schönborn has told an Austrian Catholic newspaper that "without anticipating a definitive Church judgment, I state that the phenomena witnessed in Medjugorje since 1981 have a strong similarity to other Marian apparitions." His recent visit to Medjugorje has brought about tension with local bishops who are critical of the apparitions.

Schönborn was impressed that the principal message of the alleged apparitions there is one of peace. "In order to doubt that into Medjugorje a stream of grace flows, one must shut one's eyes," he added, comparing Medjugorje to Lourdes as a place where hearts are transformed.

Comparing the Church's caution towards the alleged apparitions to its caution towards St Faustina, the cardinal said the "personal reliability" of the witnesses, the sensus fidelium, and the charitable works associated with Medjugorje are "surely an important element".

Busy 2010 papal calendar

Pope Benedict XVI has a busy calendar for 2010. There are four papal trips, a Middle East Synod of Bishops, a major gathering of the world's priests, a pilgrimage to the Shroud of Turin, a probable consistory, and several likely canonisations and beatifications. The Pope is also expected to publish a document on the bible and the second volume of his own work Jesus of Nazareth.

This year will see further negotiations with the traditionalist Society of St Pius X and the effort to bring its leaders back into full communion.

Pope Benedict will celebrate the fifth anniversary of his pontificate.

Police attack parish

On January 6, a demolition squad raided a parish in Dong Chiem, Hanoi, accompanied by a group of about 500 armed Vietnamese police officers. They arrived at the parish early in the morning and used explosives to destroy a crucifix mounted on a rock outside the parish church.

When worshippers heard the explosion and rushed out, police drove them back, reports the parish priest, Fr Joseph Nguyen Van Huu. Parishioners reported that they were beaten with sticks while the police used tear gas to disperse the crowd.

Rabbi positive about Pope's visit

Rome's chief rabbi said the planned visit of Pope Benedict to Rome's main synagogue and community centre is a sign that Catholics and Jews are committed to respectful dialogue, even when their relationship hits stumbling blocks.

The first pope to set foot in a synagogue in 19 centuries was Pope John Paul II. The visit by Pope Benedict will come 23 years after Pope John Paul's visit.

Bishops blast abortion, gay civil union proposals

Brazilian bishops strongly criticised a national programme for human rights launched by Brazil's President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva that proposes to decriminalise abortion and allow gay civil unions.

But most media coverage focussed on the proposed creation of a truth commission to investigate crimes committed under the former dictatorship. "We see these initiatives as an arbitrary and undemocratic attitude of Lula's government," said Bishop José Simao of Assis, president of the Committee for Defence of Life in the Brazilian Bishops' Conference.

(Compiled by Fr Joe Borg)