Don’t look at churches in Africa

Rafael Liciani, a lay Venezuelan theologian and a member of the Synod of Bishops’ Theological Commission, during an interview with the German bishops’ news agency, said:

“Anyone who looks to Africa, Asia or North America will recognise that the reception of the [Second Vatican] Council did not take place by means of the ecclesiology of the image of the people of God. In Africa or the Middle East, the concept of the ecclesial assembly, in which the voice of the laity is equal to that of the bishops, is unknown.”

Pope Francis “has a double task to fulfil: he must promote the change in the understanding of the Church and also ensure that this innovation reaches all local churches”.

Prayer and faith open the heart

Pope Francis said true faith and prayer open one’s heart and are never based on one’s prejudices – when one prays only to find confirmation of one’s own convictions and judgements. The pope was speaking before the Angelus on Sunday.

“True faith and prayer open the mind and the heart; they do not close them. When you find a person who is closed in mind and prayer, their faith and prayer are not true.”

Staying human

La Croix International asked expert Joseph Vuvek what are some strategies to adopt to “stay human” in the artificial intelligence age.

“The key to staying human in an era of AI is to make sure that in these little, everyday ways in which AI offers promises to make our lives more efficient and easier, that we make these quiet personal acts of resistance and not cede a decision, or a thank you note, or this e-mail to what some AI tells me to do, and rather do it on your own.

“That’s hard [but] it’s more a matter of figuring out the kinds of humans we want to be and where and if AI fits into that life.”

(Compiled by Fr Joe Borg)