Addresses Apostolic Penitentiary on the Sacrament of Reconciliation

Vatican City, March 28, 2014 (Zenit.org)

Addressing members of the Apostolic Penitentiary, Pope Francis offered a reflection on the Sacrament of Reconciliation, a ministry of reconciliation whose protagonist is the Holy Spirit.

Those present were attending the ‘Course on the Internal Forum’, an annual meeting that focuses on the Sacrament of Reconciliation and the ministry of Confessors.

The Holy Father began his discourse by thanking those present for their service in contributing to the formation of good confessors. “I thank you for this valuable service and I encourage you to take it forward with renewed commitment, building on experience gained and with skilful creativity, to always help the Church and confessors to better carry out the ministry of mercy, which is so important!” he said.

Reflecting on the Sacrament itself, the Pope began by explaining that the forgiveness that comes from Reconciliation “is the new life sent by the Risen Lord by means of His Spirit.”

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Members Will Take ‘Multi-Pronged’ Approach in Preventing Abuse

Vatican City, March 24, 2014 (Zenit.org)

On Saturday, the Holy See announced that Pope Francis has named the members of the newly created Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors. The commission was first announced by Cardinal Sean O’Malley of Boston, who is a member of the Council of Cardinals, also known as the G8.

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The Superior General of the Congregation of the Mission reflects on “Lent and the Lesson Lampedusa”

“Lent’s gifts are paradoxical, but they reaffirm a great truth: in bringing both our poverty and riches to the Lord, we are renewed and strengthened as followers of Jesus in the Vincentian way. May Christ’s riches and poverty be yours, bringing you blessings and a fruitful Lent! ”

Read the full letter with its sections

The “Riches and Poverty of Lent”

The ‘Logic” of Love

To recognize and encounter ‘People on the Periphery’

Challenging the “Globalization of Indifference”

To all members of the Vincentian Family

Dear Sisters and Brothers:

May the grace and peace of Our Lord Jesus Christ fill your hearts now and forever!

Let me begin with these words from Sacred Scripture to frame our focus for Lent:

“For you know by the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that although he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that by his poverty you might become rich.” (2 Cor. 8:9) We may wonder at times what it means to be poor or to be rich. But as Lent begins, these words of St. Paul remind us that this season calls us to see poverty and riches through the eyes of God. Read more →

Presentation will Delve Into Science Behind Near-Death and Mystical Experiences

Rome, February 17, 2014 (Zenit.org)

A conference regarding the scientific study of near-death experiences will be held tomorrow at the Pontifical Athenaeum Regina Apostolorum in Rome.

Presenting at the conference will be Professor Robert J. Hesse, Ph.D., co-founder and President of the Contemplative Network. According to a press release by the University, while advanced degrees have been granted in neurotheology, it is still widely debated.

“The subject is being driven by the fact that scientists are starting to recognize that near-death and contemplative experiences are both real and similar, and potentially related to neuroscience,” the communique stated. “Even today there are reports of experiences similar to those described by Sts. & Drs. Teresa of Avila and John of the Cross.”

Dr. Hesse’s presentation will look into the nature of these phenomena, beginning with a study of the biological brain’s dualities, as well as the conscious and unconscious experiences. Those studies will be compared to the neurology of near-death and mystical experiences.

“Because prayer can lead to contemplative experiences and because of the principle of non-dualism, i.e. that the body and soul are interstitially meant for each other, research will be proposed for studying the effects of discursive cataphatic and wordless apophatic prayer on the brain,” the communique concluded.

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For more information on Dr. Robert Hesse’s Contemplative Network, go to: www.contemplative.net.

The ‘right to abortion’ is on the decline in Europe and in the United States which explains the will of the French government to reaffirm it

Rome, February 10, 2014 (Zenit.org)

Two million abortions are legally practiced each year in Europe. To this day, only a third of European States still prohibit abortion on demand. However, the proportion of States which pose conditions on abortion during the first weeks of gestation may increase. In fact, in recent years, a growing number of European and American States are reopening the debate on abortion and revising their legislation in a restrictive sense. The Spanish Bill is an example, amongst others, to the point that we can now speak of a trend. This moves towards considering abortion more as a social problem than as a right or an individual freedom. In general, these new laws aim to reduce the legal time limit for abortion in order to better protect the child and to avoid abortions which lack a sufficiently serious motive. Read more →