Every day, Aleteia offers a selection of articles written by the international press about the Church and the major issues that concern Catholics around the world. The opinions and views expressed in these articles are not those of the editors.
Thursday 17 March 2022
1- "I am not the penman of Benedict XVI," says Georg Gänswein
2- Pope Francis to Syrians: "You are not alone!"
3- The difficulties of the Holy See in dealing with the question of "just war"
4- Cardinal Czerny denounces trafficking of Ukrainian refugees
5- The letter of a priest in Naples to a member of the mafia
"I am not the penman of Benedict XVI," says Georg Gänswein
"The claim that Benedict XVI no longer writes himself, that Gänswein does everything, might be a compliment to me - but it is complete nonsense." This is what Archbishop Georg Gänswein, personal secretary to the Pope Emeritus and prefect of the papal household, said following comments calling him Benedict XVI's "pen." The German prelate also rejected the accusation that opponents of Pope Francis would "meet" at Mater Ecclesiae, Benedict XVI's retirement home: "It's far-fetched. There is only one Pope, and his name is Francis, and there is only one papal magisterium, and it is Francis who exercises it." During the interview, the prefect of the papal household also defended the obligatory celibacy of priests, saying that "those who live in celibacy do so in freedom" and that "no one is forced." He also again rejected the allegations of cover-up against the Pope Emeritus in the sexual abuse investigation and at the same time criticized the Munich abuse report.
Pope Francis to Syrians: "You are not alone!"
"You are not alone: The Church is particularly interested in your well-being because you are protagonists of Christ's mission on this earth." This was Pope Francis’ message to the participants of the conference on synodality in Syria, promoted jointly by the Congregation for Oriental Churches, and the apostolic nunciature and the Church in the country. The Pope recalled the relationship between synodality and charity and hoped that "the work of these days (would be) an opportunity to deepen and revive the missionary spirit of the Church, tracing new paths to walk together and coordinate the work of charity with loving attention to the poor and the marginalized.” The Pontiff also said to pray for the end of war and the return of peace in Ukraine and Syria.
The difficulties of the Holy See in dealing with the question of "just war"
Italian historian Daniele Menozzi explains in an interview with news outlet Il Foglio how under Pope Francis the concept of a “just war” has been rethought, prioritizing peace over everything. Already in 2017 Pope Francis said that the right way to approach war is “non violence,” meaning not “passively accepting abuse, but finding ways to respond to evil while avoiding using that same evil” the historian explains. The difficulty, Professor Menozzi underlines, rests in the Church’s commitment “to working concretely for peace without resorting to the moral legitimation of violence.” It is also diplomatically difficult condemning an aggressor without mentioning him directly by name, the scholar highlights. Although the Pope “knows he’s paying a moral price” by not condemning Russia or President Putin directly, Professor Menozzi believes that the Holy See accepts sacrificing “a piece of the Holy See's moral authority to keep dialogue with Putin open,” if a mediation for peace was needed.
Cardinal Czerny denounces trafficking of Ukrainian refugees
A few days after his return from Hungary and on the eve of his departure to Slovakia as the Pope's representative, Cardinal Czerny, the Holy See's specialist on migration issues, commented on the current situation. Speaking to the Catholic news site Religion Digital, the Canadian praised the current outpouring of solidarity, but also urged people to "raise awareness" on the realities of migration. If this is not done, he warned, "trafficking will continue to operate under our noses.” He refers to those who today,"to escape violence, have had to pay huge sums to get a ticket to the border" or have even had to avoid "predators ready to rape women or take them prisoner and then exploit them in prostitution.” However, he emphasizes above all the positive response that Europe has been experiencing. "We hope that this example will help all borders, all hearts, to open in the same way," he said.
The letter of a priest in Naples to a member of the mafia
“Who is a camorrista? A brother.” This is how Father Maurizio Patriciello starts his letter, published on the Italian outlet Avvenire, to a member of the “camorra,” the mafia in Naples. An explosive device was recently placed outside Father Patriciello’s parish, located in the outskirts of Naples, in an area where the camorra is very prominent. He states that the Gospel is an “amazing and inimitable announcement of salvation, of freedom, of rediscovered dignity, of love. For everyone, even for the cammorrists themselves.” “The struggle between good and evil has ancient roots [...] unfortunately, as a true illusionist, even evil fascinates,” the Italian priest recognizes. However he is not afraid : “You try to kill me? I love you. You want to oppress my existence? I fight for your rights. [...] You place a bomb at the entrance of my church to scare me? I pray for you and for your loved ones. Brother camorrist, who is the man you want to scare? Just a poor priest, in love with Jesus, his Church, his vocation.”
