Françoise Niamien and Clément Ahouandjinou – Vatican City

Five of the deacons are from the Congregation of the Holy Spirit Fathers and six from the Archdiocese of Dakar. They were ordained deacons by Archbishop Benjamin Ndiaye himself.

In his homily at the ordination Mass, the Archbishop of Dakar invited the ordinands to be close to the sick.

“The health context in which you are entering and in which the world finds itself, dear ordinands, should make you sensitive to the many ills and diseases that affect the lives of people today,” said the prelate of Dakar.

“In the face of the many casualties of life,” he continued, “becoming a deacon means taking on the costume of service to serve God in the poor, the sick, the lost, the desperate, always through charity -agape,” he said.

Be the best in serving Christ and his people

Continuing his homily, Bishop Ndiaye encouraged the deacons to give the best of themselves in the service of their brothers and sisters: “Like true sportsmen and women of Christ,” he encouraged them to run “in such a way as to win the prize, as the Apostle Paul says,” and to “always aim higher, further, as the Olympic Games in Japan recently reminded us,” Archbishop Ndiaye said.

In his view, the new deacons should not be “content with being average pastoral ministers”. “Aim to be the best in serving Christ and his people,” Archbishop Ndiaye emphasised.

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Agenzia Fides – Bissau.

The Apostolic Administrator of the Diocese of Bissau, Bishop José Lampra Cà, and the Administrator of the Diocese of Bafatá, Fr. Lucio Brentagni, have both expressed sadness at the death of an Imam committed to peace.

The Imam died of Covid-19.

Loss to Muslims and Christians

“It is with great sadness that we have heard the news of the death of the esteemed Imam of Mansoa and President of the National Union of Imams of Guinea-Bissau, Ustas AladjiI Bubacar Djaló. The Catholic community has a very strong bond with Imam Ustas, and at this moment joins with great sadness his family and the entire Islamic community of Mansoa and Guinea on this untimely death,” said the local Catholic Church representatives.

Voice of Islam

Imam Ustas AladjiI Bubacar Djaló’s desire for peace was known to many, his commitment to fraternal dialogue between religions will not be forgotten. Since the beginning of Radio Sol Mansi, the radio station of the Catholic Church, the imam presented a radioprogramme, entitled, “Voice of Islam”. His faithful presence until his last days was a sign of his great faith in the one God and his desire that religions be at the service of peace and the common good. .

The collaboration between Radio Sol Mansi and the Radio Koran School of Mansoa (RECOM) remains unique in the history of Guinea Bissau and has been an extremely positive example in various places around the world and in the media in Europe and Africa.

Dangers of religious fanaticism

In June of this year, the Imam gave a lecture to the students of the “Leopoldo Pastori” high school in Bafatà on the value of dialogue between believers of various religions. He spoke about the document, “Human Fraternity for World Peace and Living Together,” jointly signed by Pope Francis and the Grand Imam de Al-Azhar Ahmed Al-Tayyib in 2019.

The Imam pointed out, to students, the dangers of religious fanaticism that is spreading in the world and in the sub-region. He condemned the instrumentalisation of religion for political purposes.

Vatican News

By Devin Watkins

Heavy rains hit parts of central Mexico early Tuesday morning, with the worst-affected area centered on the city of Tula, which lies 100 kilometers north of Mexico City.

Flood waters rushed into a public hospital, resulting in the deaths of 16 patients. The national Social Security Institute said the victims likely died after oxygen equipment ceased to function as the power went out.

Tula’s central market was completely flooded, along with dozens of residential homes.

Turn to God in our pain

In response to the disaster, Bishops in Hidalgo State sent their condolences to the victims’ families on Wednesday.

Bishop Juan Pedro Juárez Melendez of Tula said the Church is praying for those affected by the flooding, and encouraged them to turn to God in their pain, “since we know that He never leaves nor abandons us.”

God, he added, “always cares about what happens to us.”

Opportunity for cheerful giving

At the same time, the Bishops have organized a collection of household items to assist people whose homes have been flooded, and called on local Catholics to donate generously.

They are urging the faithful to give items such as blankets, mattresses, and household cleaning supplies like soap, bleach, brooms, buckets, and shovels.

“Our brothers and sisters need our help!” said Archbishop Domingo Diaz Martinez of Tulancingo. “Never forget that Sacred Scripture says ‘God loves a cheerful giver’. We have an opportunity to receive God’s blessing… Be generous!”

The Bishops of Hidalgo state also called on civil authorities and corporations to band together to help those in need.

Painfully complex situation

Bishops in the neighboring Ecatepec municipality, which lies in the State of Mexico, also expressed their solidarity with the victims of Tuesday’s floods.

In the face of the “painful complexity” of the situation, the Bishops urge people to remain united in “our faith which comforts”, “hope which lightens the load”, and “charity which moves us to solidarity”.

Mexican Bishops have also called for special days of prayer this Thursday and Sunday for the flood victims and all those affected.

Vatican News

By Robin Gomes

Pope Francis on Saturday urged Discalced Carmelites to maintain harmony between friendship with God, fraternal life and mission by listening to the Spirit, discerning the signs of the times, and becoming witnesses to all. In all of these, they should not forget their contemplative vocation and charism.

The Pope made the exhortation to members of the 92nd General Chapter of Discalced Carmelites, whom he met in the Vatican on Saturday.  He encouraged them on the path of listening to the Spirit in order to discern the signs of the times and witness to the world, which the August 29 – September 19 General Chapter is discussing.

He said one needs to listen to the Spirit in order to be able to respond to the signs of the times, through which the Lord of history speaks to us and reveals Himself.  Listening and discernment, he said, are needed in view of the witness, of the mission carried out through the proclamation of the Gospel, both with words and, above all, with life.

Fidelity to charism

In this current crisis of the pandemic, which has seen the collapse of so many certainties, the Pope said, the Discalced Carmelites are called to be faithful to the perennial elements of their charism. While this crisis should help us go back to the essential and not live distracted by false certainties, it is also a favourable time for the Carmelites to examine the state of health of their Order and feed the fire of their origins.

The Holy Father defied the prophets of doom who predict that the future of consecrated life is short and running out, saying these pessimistic views are destined to be disproved, because consecrated life is an integral part of the Church, just as Jesus wanted it, and the Spirit continually generates it. “Therefore, we must avoid the temptation to worry about surviving, instead of living fully by welcoming the grace of the present, even with the risks that this entails.”

Pope Francis reminded the Discalced Carmelites that theirs is essentially a contemplative life, in the spirit of the great Carmelite saints Teresa of Avila and John of the Cross, and others.

Faithful to this gift, Carmelite life, he said, is “a response to the thirst of contemporary man, who deep down is thirsting for God, thirsting for the eternal and many times does not understand it, is looking for it everywhere”.

Spirit of worldliness

Pope Francis urged the Carmelites to watch out against the spirit of worldliness, which is very subtle and goes unnoticed, hidden behind psychologisms, spiritualisms or false novelties.

In this regard, he recalled reading a work of renowned 20th century French Jesuit theologian, Father Henri de Lubac, who cites a Bendictine spiritual father who said that spiritual worldliness “is the worst of the evils to beset the Church; indeed, worse than that at the time of the concubine Popes”.

Pope Francis said he mention this also to the Claretians whom he met on Thursday. However, the Pope said the Vatican’s newspaper L’Osservatore Romano was frightened by the expression “concubine Popes”, which are the words of de Lubac citing the Benedictine spiritual father, and instead put: “worse than the concubine fathers”.  Pope Francis said the newspaper was obviously “shocked by the text” and “scared of the truth”, expressing his hopes that the paper would correct it.

The fire of God’s friendship

Speaking about evangelical fidelity, the Holy Father said it is not about refusing change, but making the necessary changes to meet what the Lord asks of us, here and now. Hence, fidelity requires a firm commitment to the values of the Gospel and one’s own charism and the renunciation of that which prevents one from giving the best of oneself to the Lord and to others.

The Pope thus encouraged the Discalced Carmelites on the path of friendship with God, fraternal life in community and mission. He recalled St. Teresa of Avila, according to whom friendship and communion with the Lord is not only praying but also making a prayer of life in joy. “Friendship with God matures in silence, in recollection, in listening to the Word of God; it is a fire that must be nourished and guarded day by day.”

The warmth of God’s friendship, the Pope continued, also helps us to practice fraternal life in the community.  It is not an accessory but a substantial element. Thus Carmelites are reminded of this by their very name: “Barefoot Brothers”.

Rooted in their relationship with God, the Discalced Carmelites are called to cultivate relationships with a healthy balance between being alone and being with others, against the tide of individualism and the standardization of the world.

The Pope once more reminded them that the renewal of their mission is inseparably linked to fidelity to their contemplative vocation, and they must not imitate the mission of other charisms.  Rather than being an escape from reality, he said, contemplation is an opening of the heart and life to the force that truly transforms the world, that is, God’s love.

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