Cardinal John Onaiyekan of Abuja, Nigeria, said: “We are all under attack, Christians, Muslims. All these attacks on churches, mosques, armed robbery, kidnappings, demonstrate that we have a government that is not stable and cannot guarantee security. Not only Christians are attacked, also Muslims. Even when churches are attacked, it cannot be interpreted as an attack by Muslims against Christians” but rather as the work of “fanatics, criminals”.
Living in harmony
Cardinal Juan José Omella of Barcelona said: “We are all called to make an effort to weave concord and mutual trust into a society in which there is great cultural, political and even religious diversity. Working for social cohesion is the responsibility of all. [The Church] shares all the challenges proper to living in communion, starting from diversity of points of view, like one big family in which all love and respect one another.”
‘Each individual case must be evaluated’
During an interview in the newspaper Libero, Luigi Negri, Archbishop Emeritus of Ferrara, who had endorsed a document by three Kazakh bishops on Amoris laetitia, does not exclude the possibility of allowing divorced and remarried Catholics to receive Communion, provided that the sacrament is not granted “automatically, without an evaluation of each individual case”.
“It [Communion] cannot be given automatically, without evaluating each individual case. I am against confusion, which is why I would like a papal clarification. Christianity must not be fundamentalism either in one sense or another. Pope Ratzinger exhorted us to create living, active and enterprising lay people.”
Negri pointed out that “there are realities in which responsibility is reduced”. In accompanying people, there are therefore cases in which “attitudes of greater understanding and acceptance” can be adopted.
‘Archie Bunker without charm’
President Donald Trump is “channelling Archie Bunker without the charm”, said Archbishop Thomas Wenski of Miami in response to his alleged comments that African nations are “sh*thole countries”.
Bunker was the popular 1970s sitcom character from the television show All in the Family, which often used bigoted remarks and salty language as a source of humour for the show.
In an interview with Crux, Wenski said the President’s remarks were “disappointing”, and likely came in an effort to assuage his critics after holding a bipartisan meeting where he signalled a willingness to sign comprehensive immigration reform into law.
(Compiled by Fr Joe Borg)