VATICAN INSIDER GOES TO CATHOLIC DISTANCE UNIVERSITY
My guest this weekend in the interview segment of Vatican Insider is Marianne Mount, president of Catholic Distance University. She was in Rome from Charles Town, West Virginia, to attend a conference on Catholic Fundraising and Pilgrimage.
As the university’s website states, CDU programs integrate inspiring, Catholic content, always faithful to the Church’s teachings, with state-of-the-art learning management technologies that enable you to access your education in the comfort of your home or wherever you choose. Pope John Paul’s Apostolic Constitution Ex corde ecclesiae (from the heart of the church) is the foundational document and teaching for CDU.
CDU is an innovative, online university providing an accessible Catholic education for undergraduates, graduates, and non-degree seeking students. It has been a pioneer since 1983 using flexible, convenient distance technologies to bring high quality educational programs to each learner. (https://cdu.edu)
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PAPAL CONDOLENCES FOR VICTIMS OF HOSPITAL FIRE IN SOUTH KOREA
The following telegram was sent by Cardinal Secretary of State Pietro Parolin on behalf of Pope Francis:
Deeply saddened to learn of the loss of life and of injuries caused by the outbreak of the fire in Sejong Hospital, Miryang, His Holiness Pope Francis expresses heartfelt solidarity with all those affected by this tragedy. He prays especially for the repose of the deceased and for the healing of those injured. The Holy Father offers encouragement to the civil authorities and emergency personnel as they assist the victims of this disaster, and upon all he willingly invokes the divine blessings of strength and consolation.
FRANCIS ADDRESSES PLENARY OF DOCTRINE CONGREGATION
This morning, the Holy Father addressed the plenary assembly of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. He thanked them for their work, especially “in the various questions that today call for an important pastoral discernment in, for example, examining cases related to graviora delicta and demands for release from the marriage bond in favorem fidei (the so-called Petrine privilege).
Graviora delicta is translated “more grave delict (or crime).” These are external violations against faith and morals or in the celebration of the sacraments. The Church considers such violations so serious that there is a special process to handle them.
The Pope highlighted “the study the congregation has undertaken on several aspects of Christian salvation, with the aim of reaffirming the meaning of redemption in reference to the neo-pelagian and neo-gnostic tendencies of today which are expressions of individualism that relies on its own forces for salvation.
He also mentioned their studies on the ethical implications of an adequate anthropology in the financial-economic field.
“You have also,” said Francis, “studied the delicate question of accompanying the terminally ill. Today’s process of secularisation, as its absolutizes the concept of self-determination and autonomy, has brought to bear in many countries a growing request for euthanasia as an ideological affirmation of the will and power of man over life. Thus, the voluntary interruption of life is seen as a ‘civilized’ choice…:We must always repeat that human life, from conception to its natural end, possesses a dignity that makes it intangible.”
An authentically pastoral action, said the Pope, is “very action where you take a person by the hand when he has lost the sense of his dignity and his destiny, and you lead him with trust to rediscover the loving fatherhood of God, his good destiny and the paths to build a more human world.”
ALSO FRIDAY The Holy Father welcomed members of the Pontifical Theological Academy as it celebrates its third centenary. It was founded by Pope Clement XI on April 23, 1718.
PRESIDENT OF HAITI RECEIVED BY HOLY FATHER
Pope Francis this morning received in audience President Jovenel Moïse of the Republic of Haiti, who subsequently met with Archbishop Paul Gallagher, Secretary for Relations with States.
A press office statement noted that, in both meetings, “satisfaction was expressed at the good relations between the Holy See and Haiti. In addition, the common wish to strengthen collaboration was emphasized, in order to face various social problems, especially regarding young people, the poor and the most vulnerable, highlighting the significant contribution that the Church offers to the country in the sectors of education, healthcare and charity. Mention was then made of several matters of national and regional interest, focusing in particular on the persistent problem of emigration and the importance of dialogue to promote social cohesion and the common good.”
Joan's Rome 