Nigeria killings

Giving testimony before the US House Committee on Foreign Affairs, Bishop Wilfred Anagbe of Makurdi diocese, Benue State, Nigeria, said: “Since 2014, when I became bishop, I have lost territory to Islamic militants masquerading as herdsmen. I have had to close 14 parishes because of the danger. The killings of people, even pregnant wo­men and children, and the occupation of their lands, mirror the pattern of Jihadi elements like Boko Haram in other parts of Nigeria. It is disheartening to note that since the atrocities started, nothing serious has been heard to happen to the perpetrators. Our national government has not shown signs of or real commitment to ending the killings.”

 

Accompanying LGBTIQ persons

An excerpt from ‘Like Every Disciple’ – guidelines for pa­rish ministries involved in pas­toral accompaniment of LGBT persons, released by Archbishop William Lori of the US Archdiocese of Baltimore: “Persons who may identify as LGBT are daughters and sons of God, they are our brothers and sisters in Christ, they are members of the Body of Christ, they are our family members and friends. Like every human, they were created with a desire for intimacy with Jesus. Like every disciple, LGBT persons are called to a lifelong journey of turning toward the Lord, receiving his love, and, in turn, seeking to know and love him more and more deeply every day.”

 

Good, bad seeds

In his Angelus last Sunday, the pope reflected on Matthew 13:24-43: “Thinking of the field of the world: do I know how to resist the temptation to ‘bundle all the grass together’, to sweep others aside with my judgments? Thinking of the field of the heart: am I honest in seeking bad weeds in myself, and throwing them into the fire of God’s mercy? Thinking of the neighbour’s field: do I have the wisdom to see what is good without being discouraged by the limitations and limits of others?”

 

(Compiled by Fr Joe Borg)