PATH TO PEACE FOUNDATION HONORS KING ABDULLAH, QUEEN RANIA OF JORDAN – ON FEAST OF ST. DAMIEN, HONOLULU DIOCESE OPENS CAUSE OF JOSEPH DUTTON

PATH TO PEACE FOUNDATION HONORS KING ABDULLAH, QUEEN RANIA OF JORDAN

The Path to Peace Foundation annual dinner last night in New York that honors peacemakers honored King Abdullah and Queen Rania of Jordan. It was one of the more amazing events of my life for many reasons. I have been to Jordan and my experiences were very memorable, happy and instructive. Truly a wonderful country and great people, a people whose respect and love for their monarch, in my experience, is palpable.

When I was in Amman in 2014 to cover Pope Francis’ three-day visit to Amman, Bethlehem and Jerusalem, I actually spent 6 days in Jordan, getting acquainted with the nation’s history and culture, including a remarkable visit to the ever-breathtaking Petra!

While there I bought King Abdullah’s book, “Our Last Best Chance: Pursuit of Peace in a Time of Peril.” It is a riveting read by a leader consumed for peace, a well-educated, thoughtful and, in so many ways, a down-to-earth, common sense man.

I also wanted to honor a man I greatly respect and have known for over 25 years, Cardinal Renato Martino, who instituted the Path for Peace Foundation in 1991. As Archbishop Martino, he headed the Holy See Mission to the U.N. for 16 years. Some of those years were in the mid-1990s, a time when I was a member of the Holy See delegations to four international conferences: Cairo, September 1994; Copenhagen, March 1995, Beijing, September 1995 and Istanbul, June 1996.

Last night we were all asked to turn off our phones, so I have no personal photos of Abp. Gabriele Caccia, head of the Holy See Mission to the United Nations and president of the Path to Peace Foundation, or King Abdullah or Queen Rania on the dais for the awards and speeches. I hope to have more photos from the official photographer and also will try to get the full text of King Abdullah’s memorable talk, interrupted numerous times by applause.

In the meantime, here is a great story and photo from the king’s official website: King at New York award ceremony: Our journey on path to peace must travel through Jerusalem | King Abdullah II Official Website

So often, when people say to me “God bless you,” my reply is “He really has!” And now you know one more reason why I feel that way!

ON FEAST OF ST. DAMIEN, HONOLULU DIOCESE OPENS CAUSE OF JOSEPH DUTTON

Exactly one year ago, I posted the following blog that features one of my favorite saints, St. Damien of Moloka’i, whose feast is today. At the time, I was about to leave for Chicago for the ordination of a young man who now, this coming Sunday, will celebrate his first anniversary as Fr. Ryan Brady! Congratulations, dear Ryan! May God continue to bless you and to bless us through you! SAINT OF THE DAY: SAINT DAMIEN OF MOLOKA’I’ | Joan’s Rome (wordpress.com)

The Collect for today’s Mass:

“Father of mercy, who gave us in Saint Damien a shining witness of love for the poorest and most abandoned, grant that, by his intercession, as faithful witnesses of the heart of your Son Jesus, we too may be servants of the most needy and rejected.  Through our Lord Jesus Christ, Your Son, who lives and reigns with You in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, for ever and ever.”

Today is another very big day in the diocese of Honolulu!

Following is a letter from Honolulu Bishop Larry Silva regarding the opening of the diocesan phase of the cause for canonization of Servant of God Joseph Dutton. As you know from reading his story, Joseph Dutton worked for 44 years, half of his life, alongside Fr. Damien and Mother Marianne Cope, both now saints, with the victims of leprosy, also known as Hansen’s disease, who had been exiled to the peninsula of Kalaupapa on the island of Moloka’i.

Several years ago I was asked to become a member of the diocesan guild for the cause of canonization of Joseph Dutton. It has been a joy to work with the incredible members of this guild and to have reached such a high point as today’s Mass. I usually attend one guild meeting a year in person but Covid, and some restrictions in Hawaii, kept me from visiting in 2020 and 2021. I am hoping to remedy that this year!

From Bishop Silva:

“On Tuesday, May 10, 2022, I will celebrate the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass at 6:00 p.m. at the Cathedral Basilica of Our Lady of Peace, 1184 Bishop Street, Honolulu, Hawaii. It is the Memorial of St. Damien DeVeuster. At the end of the Mass, there will be a short ceremony to formally open the Diocesan Inquiry Phase of the cause of Servant of God Joseph Dutton. The members of the Joseph Dutton Guild will be present, and the officials who will play various roles in the investigation of the cause will take their oaths of office.

“It should be noted that beatification and canonization in the Catholic Church is a rigorous process, and there is no guarantee that the process will finally result in Joseph Dutton’s beatification or canonization. Nevertheless, many of the faithful in the Diocese of Honolulu and in other parts of the world have spoken favorably and are hopeful that Joseph Dutton’s holiness of life will be deemed by the Church to be worthy of public veneration and imitation. Please pray that the Holy Spirit will guide this process to its completion according to the will of God and for the good of his holy Church.”

I will be in Honolulu in spirit and prayer as my Hawaii brothers and sisters celebrate this important milestone!

And, as things move along, I will bring you updates!

CARDINAL GRACIAS: AMORIS LAETITIA A GIFT FOR CHURCH, FAMILIES, SOCIETY – POPE APPOINTS NEW NUNCIO TO THE UNITED STATES – JORDAN’S KING ABDULLAH II TO RESTORE JESUS’ TOMB

Is today’s papal tweet the Holy Father’s answer to fans and critics of Amoris Laetitia? – To understand, forgive, accompany and integrate. That is the mindset which should prevail in the Church.

I am very excited about the final story today. I have many good friends in Jordan, very active wonderful Catholics, whom I manage to see on trips to Jordan and when they come to Rome. I am also an admirer of King Abdullah as an individual and as the ruler of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan. His book, “Our Last Best Chance, The Pursuit of Peace in a Time of Peril,” is a must read for anyone who wishes to remotely understand the Middle East. I bought it on my last trip to Jordan and found it to be a page turner. I would love to think people in our State Department have read this, and hopefully they know that Jordan and King Abdullah are very important, trustworthy allies in this part of the world. What’s more, few, if any, leaders in the Middle East have done what King Abdullah has done for Christians living in his country, not to mention the huge number of refugees.

CARDINAL GRACIAS: AMORIS LAETITIA A GIFT FOR CHURCH, FAMILIES, SOCIETY

The Apostolic Exhortation “is a precious gift for our Church, as well as families and society in Asia,” especially since it comes in this Jubilee Year of Mercy. This Card Oswald Gracias, Archbishop of Mumbai and President of the Federation of Asian Bishops’ Conferences, said when speaking to AsiaNews about Amoris Laetitia. (photo: news.va)

For the cardinal, who holds a doctorate in canon law from the Pontifical Urbaniana University and a diploma in jurisprudence from the Pontifical Gregorian University, “Amoris laetitia outlines clearly that marriage is joy, and blessing, a gift from God.” Indeed, the Holy Father “speaks of the beauty and the integrity of this sacrament.

The document, which weaves together the deliberations of the two Synods on the family celebrated in 2014 and 2015, “endorses the social doctrine of the Church” in continuity with the “magisterium of John Paul II and Benedict XVI”. Under no circumstances does it represent a break with Catholic teaching.

It is also “an invitation to apply the medicine of mercy and tenderness,” by promoting an inclusive pastoral ministry that “seeks out those who live on the margins.”

“Citing Paul’s First Epistle to the Corinthians, the pontiff notes that “love is more than a mere feeling’ (n. 94), but is instead a wilful commitment to embark on a definite path by addressing challenging things – being patient, putting aside envy and rivalry, caring about each other . . .”

In Asia, “families are traditionally very united. It is heartening that the pope connects family concerns with social concerns. He argues that families can only flourish if our societies are set up to support them.”

“It is essential that the Church in Asia get into the heart of this document. Bishops and priests can have a positive impact on our pastoral approach.”

“I would like to see our seminarians study this document, and undergo a change in mind-set and heart. Including rather than excluding is the heart of Jesus – a gift for Asia and India.” (AsiaNews)

(Cardinal Gracias is one of the C9 cardinals, the Council of Cardinals that advises the Pope.)

POPE APPOINTS NEW NUNCIO TO THE UNITED STATES

Pope Francis on Tuesday appointed Archbishop Christophe Pierre as the new Apostolic Nuncio to the United States of America. Archbishop Pierre, a native of France, was previously Apostolic Nuncio to Mexico. He replaces Archbishop Carlo Maria Viganò, who reached the age of retirement earlier this year. (photo: news.va)

Born January 30, 1946 in Rennes, France, he was ordained a priest in April 1970 and ordained a bishop in 1995. He was named apostolic nuncio to Haiti in 1995, and subsequently to Uganda and Mexico. In that last post, he was charged with organizing Pope Francis’ recent visit to Mexico.

Abp. Pierre succeeds Abp. Carlo Maria Viganò just months after the latter, having turned 75, offered his resignation to Pope Francis. Last Thursday, April 7, the archbishop received the Rector’s Award at the North American College’s annual Rector’s Dinner.

JORDAN’S KING ABDULLAH II TO RESTORE JESUS’ TOMB

(Vatican Radio)  Jordan’s King Abdullah II will fund the restoration of Christ’s Tomb in Jerusalem’s Church of the Holy Sepulchre.

Bishop William Shomali, Latin Patriarchal Vicar in Jerusalem, warmly welcomed the decision of King Abdullah: “This is excellent news, news of a highly symbolic character, since the Holy Sepulchre is the most sacred place for Christians of all confessions. This decision shows the kindness of the King towards Christians and his constant concern to preserve the heritage of Christianity, including his role as guarantor of the Holy Places, Christian and Muslim, Jerusalem, according to the Wadi Araba agreement.” (photo: news.va)

Jordan’s Royal Court informed the Orthodox Patriarchate of Jerusalem of the “makruma” (Royal Benefaction) in a letter addressed to His Beatitude Theophilos III on 10 April. For his part, the Orthodox Patriarch praised the generosity of King Abdullah, recalling how His Majesty remains the faithful guardian and custodian of Muslim and Christian Holy Places of Jerusalem.

The Orthodox Patriarchate of Jerusalem and the Latin Custody of the Holy Land announced during Holy Week that restoration works on Christ’s Tomb would begin soon after the Orthodox Easter solemnities. The Holy Sepulchre, also known as the Basilica of the Resurrection, has been the holiest site of Christian pilgrimage since the 4^th century. The Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem reports that the restoration work was needed because scientific studies had revealed grave problems of moisture from the “condensation of the breath of visitors,” and oxidation due to candle smoke.

The Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem says the aedicule, the place of burial and Resurrection of Christ, will be the object of the restoration.  It has remained untouched since 1947 when the British put in place steel support beams as part of a restoration project that never took place. The funds offered by His Majesty for the project will be entrusted to a Greek team led by Professor Antonia Moropoulou of the National Technical University of Athens.

The three main Christian denominations that worship at the Church include the Greek Orthodox, Latin and Armenian Churches.  All have agreed to cooperate for the realization of the restoration effort.