scholarly journals Lutheran service to the migrants. Global and Polish experiences

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 67-88
Author(s):  
Jerzy Sojka

The article presents Lutheran engagement for migrants, using the examples of activities undertaken by the Evangelical Church of the Augsburg Confession in Poland, as well as by the Lutheran World Federation, which is the biggest global organisation of Lutheran Churches all over the world. In case of the Evangelical Church of the Augsburg Confession the text provides an overview of the initiatives undertaken since 2015 in service to the migrants on the parish and Church levels, as well as in cooperation with ecumenical partners (including the activities within the Polish Ecumenical Council and in cooperation with the Catholic Church). In case of the Lutheran World Federation, the first step was to present the theological justification for the Federation’s engagement in the work for migrants, and the next one — to outline the characteristics of the work of the Department for World Service (Federation’s humanitarian agency) in 2018.

2005 ◽  
Vol 8 (37) ◽  
pp. 121-146 ◽  
Author(s):  
John McAreavey

This paper traces the developments in the Catholic law on mixed marriages beginning with an outline of the canonical provisions that were in force prior to the Second Vatican Council. The impact of the Council teaching on ecumenism and religious freedom became apparent with the promulgation of Matrimonii sacramentum (1966), Crescens matrimoniorum (1967) and Matrimonia mixta (1970). These documents put the legislation on mixed marriages on a new footing and provided the basis for the legislation of the 1983 Code of Canon Law. Bishop McAreavey analyses various ecumenical dialogues on mixed marriages: ARCIC, the dialogue between the Lutheran World Federation, the World Alliance of Reformed Churches and the Catholic Church, and ongoing dialogues between the Methodist Church and the Orthodox Church (primarily in the United States) and the Catholic Church. He notes in particular what those discussions have to say on the issue of ‘the promises’ and canonical form and comments on the provisions of the 1983 Code of Canon Law on mixed marriages. He considers the basis of the commitment required of the Catholic party ‘to remove dangers of defecting from the faith’ and the commitment ‘to do all in his or her power in order that all the children be baptised and brought up in the Catholic faith’. He accepts the view of Fr Navarrete that whereas the former obligation is of divine law the latter obligation goes no further than ‘to do his or her best’ (pro viribus in the Latin phrase). In the final section, he reflects on the pastoral impact of developments in the canon law regarding mixed marriages, noting the statements of the World Gatherings of Interchurch Families in Geneva (1998) and in Rome (2003).


Religions ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (7) ◽  
pp. 507
Author(s):  
Christopher Cimorelli

This article explores the following question: Given the Roman Catholic Church’s present-day teaching on catholicity, how can St. John Henry Newman’s historically conscious, imaginative view of catholicity assist Catholic Christians today in understanding the concept faithfully, but in a manner ‘open’ to its potential development in an age of shifting metaphysics? After (1) an introduction to the topic and challenges to the notion of catholicity today, this article then (2) analyzes the present-day view of catholicity as a mark of the church according to the ‘Catechism of the Catholic Church’, noting areas of development as well as limitations. The article then (3) investigates Newman’s understanding of catholicity within his sacramental and imaginative worldview. Newman’s understanding of the development of principles and doctrines is particularly relevant for a consideration today of how the church’s view of catholicity might authentically develop from a dialogue between religion and science. The article then (4) synthesizes results in a concluding section that indicates how the fruits of the preceding analysis could be realized through eco-theological dialogue.


2018 ◽  
Vol 15 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Naara Luna

Abstract The present article analyzes the Keys to Bioethics - JMJ Rio 2013 handbook, produced by the Jerôme Lejeune Foundation and the National Commission for Family Pastoral Care, linked to the National Conference of Bishops in Brazil. This booklet was offered to people attending the World Youth Day that took place in Rio de Janeiro in 2013. It is a student’s guide, created to educate young people about the doctrines of the Catholic Church. The text presents bioethical arguments against abortion in any situation, and defends the human rights of embryos and fetuses through topics such as: prenatal diagnosis, medically assisted reproduction, pre-implantation diagnosis, and embryo research (stem cells). The text also condemns euthanasia and repudiates ‘gender theory’ as false. In essence, it questions individual autonomy. The distribution of this booklet is an example of the activities of the Catholic Church in public spaces.


2010 ◽  
Vol 42 (116) ◽  
pp. 77
Author(s):  
Faustino Teixeira

O diálogo inter-religioso apresenta-se hoje como um dos grandes desafios do século XXI, sendo caminho essencial para a afirmação de um horizonte de paz para a humanidade. Trata-se de uma das artes mais difíceis e arriscadas da conversação, mas essencial na construção de uma cidadania que respeite a alteridade. O objetivo desse artigo é apresentar a trajetória de um dos grandes interlocutores do diálogo entre cristianismo e islã, Louis Massignon (1883-1962), um pioneiro na abertura da igreja católica ao mundo muçulmano. Com sua perspectiva de vida e reflexão favoreceu um novo olhar sobre o islã, esse mundo religioso que envolve hoje cerca de uma em cada cinco pessoas do mundo.ABSTRACT: The Inter-religious dialogue is presented today as one of the great challenges of the 21st century, being an essential way for the affirmation of a horizon of peace for humanity. It is about one of the most difficult and risky arts of the conversation, but essential in the construction of a citizenship that respects the alteridade. The objective of this article is to present the trajectory of one of the great interlocutors of the dialogue between Christianity and Islam, Louis Massignon (1883-1962), a pioneer in the opening of the Catholic Church to the Muslim world. With its perspective of life and reflection it favored a new to look at on Islam, this religious world that today involves about one out of every five people of the world.


Xihmai ◽  
2012 ◽  
Vol 2 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Raquel Barceló Quintal

RESUMEN Actualmente, para la mayorí­a de los pueblos del planeta, los doce dí­as relacionados con la fiesta de Navidad representan el nacimiento de Jesús en Belén. Sus antecedentes se remontan a casi 4,000 años, cuando estas fiestas estaban relacionadas con la renovación de la naturaleza. Es hasta 345 años después de la muerte de Cristo, cuando el papa Julio I, fijó como fecha del natalicio de Cristo el 25 de diciembre. No sólo la Iglesia católica participó en la historia de esta festividad, en ella entran los pueblos mediterráneos de Europa, Asia y África; y más tarde las culturas americanas hicieron su parte para incorporar nuevos elementos a esta tradición. Abstract For the majority of Christian communities in the world, the twelve days related to the cele­bration of Christmas represent the birth of Jesus in Bethlehem. The antecedents of this story reach back almost 4,000 years when the celebrations were related to the rebirth of nature. Pope Julius I fixed the 25th of December as Christ’s birth date 345 years after His death. The Catholic Church is not the only participant in the history of the celebration; communities in Mediterranean Europe, Asia and Africa also participated. Later, American cultures have also contributed new elements to the tradition.


2013 ◽  
Vol 38 (152) ◽  
pp. 600-619 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sarah Roddy

The idea of an ‘Irish empire’ has had enduring appeal. It was a rare source of pride promoted by politicians and churchmen during depressed periods in independent Ireland, particularly the 1950s, and the phrase provided an evocative title for at least one popular – and notably sanguine – version of the Irish diaspora's story as late as the turn of this century. In such contexts ‘Irish empire’ can appear simply a wry play on a far more commonly used and, if recent scholarship is to be taken into account, by no means unrelated term, ‘British empire’. Yet as many historians of the Irish abroad, the Irish Catholic Church, and Irish culture more generally have noted, the existence of a peculiarly Irish ‘spiritual empire’ was widely spoken of even as the island's ports were daily choked with emigrants. Nevertheless, the pervasiveness and persistence of the concept, invariably involving the perception of a special, God-given emigrants' ‘mission’ to spread the Catholic religion in whatever part of the world they settled, warrant a more searching analysis than historians in the above-mentioned categories have hitherto devoted to it.


2017 ◽  
Vol 84 (4) ◽  
pp. 367-379 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fr. James McTavish

Sex trafficking has devastating consequences on the physical and mental well-being of millions of women around the world. These trafficking victims often come in contact with medical personnel, and these encounters with suitably prepared staff can be a step toward healing of the victims. The Catholic Church, especially through Pope Francis, is making strenuous efforts to curb the spread of sex trafficking. Same-sex feelings and behavior may arise post-trafficking in individuals, although this does not appear to be mentioned thus far in the literature. Here, we are most likely dealing with a type of “pseudo-lesbianism” post-trauma. The trafficking survivor can be helped to understand some of the likely roots of her feelings such as anti-male sentiments following abuse. She needs to be patiently, and expertly, accompanied to process the trauma she has experienced, and learn how to meet her genuine needs for female affection and affirmation in healthy, chaste, and non-erotic ways. Summary Around the world, millions of female victims of human trafficking are forced into sex “work,” often resulting in serious physical and mental-health problems. Healthcare staff should be alert to spot victims of sex trafficking and be ready to assist them. The Catholic Church, especially through Pope Francis, has been vocal in denouncing this form of modern slavery. Some female victims of sex trafficking may experience same-sex feelings afterward. Healing for such young women involves helping them to process their traumatic experiences, as well as patiently accompanying them as they seek to develop healthy, chaste friendships with other females and males.


2021 ◽  
Vol 66 (2) ◽  
pp. 267-281
Author(s):  
Elżbieta Kużelewska ◽  
Marta Michalczuk-Wlizło

Abstract There is room for everyone in the Catholic Church, but there is no consent for same-sex marriage in that Church as marriage only between a baptized man and a woman is a sacrament. Same-sex marriage is inconsistent with the Holy Scripture where marriage is based on God’s natural law. This official Scripture’s interpretation results in lack of possibility to reconciliate the official teaching of the Church with the recognition of same-sex marriage. The world is moving forward and so are the opinions of Christians and their growing support for same-sex marriage. Such marriage is recognized in thirty states worldwide, including states with dominant Catholic religion. Regardless the official teaching, the Catholic Church’s position is not uniform. The paper discusses the official interpretation of the Scripture concerning homosexuals, analyses the position of the Catholic Church toward same-sex marriage and indicates differences in Christians’ attitudes with respect to same-sex couples in Western and Eastern Europe.


Slovene ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 368-391
Author(s):  
Ilya V. Semenenko-Basin ◽  
Stefano Caprio

The article is devoted to the menologion (calendar of saints) compiled in the 20th century for Russian Byzantine Catholics. The latter are a church community with its own Byzantine-Slavic worship and piety, which follow both the Catholic and the Eastern spiritual traditions. Like the entire liturgical literature of the Russian Eastern Catholics, the menologion was created in Rome under the auspices of the Congregation for Eastern Churches, as part of the activities of the Russian Catholic Apostolate, i.e., of the mission of the Catholic Church addressed to Russia and the Russian diaspora in the world. The corpus of service books for Russian, Bulgarian and Serbian Eastern Catholics was called Recensio Vulgata. The menologion under study is contained in the books of Recensio Vulgata and was compiled on the basis of the Orthodox menologia of pre-revolutionary Russia. The compilers of the Byzantine-Catholic menologion did not just select Russian liturgical memories in a certain way, they also included the names of several martyrs of the Eastern Catholic Churches and some additional commemorations of Western saints. According to the compilers of the menologion, the history of Catholic (orthodox) holiness in North-Eastern Russia ended at the turn of the 1440s, when the Principality of Moscow and the Novgorod Republic abandoned the Union of Florence. The menologion reflects the era after the Union of Florence in the events that show the invariable patronage of the Mother of God over the people and the Russian land. The Recensio Vulgata menologion (RVM) contains twelve Russia-specific holidays that honor icons of the Mother of God, nine of which celebrate the events of the period from the late 15th to the 17th centuries. The compilers of the menologion created a well-devised system in which the East Slavic saints, the ancient saints of the Byzantine menologion, the Latin teachers of the Church, the saints of the Byzantine Catholic churches of different eras all are subject to harmonious logic, and harmony serves to organize the whole.


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