Cancelled: mass for parliament

The traditional mass for the opening of parliament in Liechtenstein has been cancelled by Archbishop Wolfgang Haas of Liechtenstein. He said he took the decision after parliament approved legislation giving legal recognition to same-sex marriage.

The archbishop explained that “such a liturgical celebration no longer makes sense in view of the parliamentary behaviour of the vast majority... in a matter concerning Christian ethics”. He warned that the approval of legislation allowing “marriage for all” will lead to a further breakdown of moral standards, pointing to the experiences of other nations “where gender ideology and LGBT propaganda reaches into schools”.

 

Attacks against Christians

Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Jerusalem, Theophilos III, warned that Christians in the Holy Land are being targeted by radical Israeli groups. “For the past decade, countless crimes have been committed against Christians, including physical and verbal attacks against priests and clergy; churches and holy places have been vandalised and desecrated; in addition to continuous intimidation of Christians. These radical groups are committing their crimes in a deliberate attempt to expel Christians from Jerusalem and other parts of the Holy Land.”

 

Vatican apology to Russia

Matteo Bruni, director of the Holy See press office, confirmed that the Vatican had apologised for the pope’s remarks on the cruelty of Russian troops in Ukraine.

The Vatican had apologised following the pope’s comments to the Jesuit magazine America. In that interview the pope had said: “Generally, the cruellest are perhaps those who are of Russia but are not of the Russian tradition, such as the Chechens, the Buryats, and so on.”

 

(Compiled by Fr Joe Borg)