I found the second story fascinating. I had no idea such fees were required to reprint scripture in church bulletins. I presume members of a church’s parish council know this.
POPE’S FEBRUARY PRAYER INTENTION: FOR THE TERMINALLY ILL
Pope Francis releases his prayer intention for the month of February 2024, and invites everyone to pray for the terminally ill and their families.
By Deborah Castellano Lubov (Vatican news)
Pope Francis’ monthly prayer intention this February is for the terminally ill and their families.
The Pope invited the Church to pray for this intention in this month’s The Pope Video, which is entrusted to the entire Catholic Church through the Pope’s Worldwide Prayer Network.
This month’s Video comes during the month in which the Church observes the liturgical memorial of Our Lady of Lourdes, 11 February, on which the World Day of the Sick takes place.
Pope Francis explains that “when some people talk about terminal illnesses, there are two words they often confuse: incurable and un-‘carable.’ But they are not the same.”
Caring even if no cure
He cites his predecessor Pope St. John Paul II, in saying, “Cure if it is possible; always take care.”
The images from The Pope Video for February exemplify situations showing love and tenderness for the terminally ill, and depending on how they are interpreted, depict a series of failures or successes, the failures being “if the only acceptable outcome is a cure,” and successes instead being “if the objective is the care of the patient.”
Pope Francis explains clearly that even when little chance for a cure exists, “every sick person has the right to medical, psychological, spiritual and human assistance.”
“Healing,” he acknowledges, “is not always possible, but we can always care for the sick person, caress them.”
Guarantee of closeness and support
Reflecting on the importance of palliative care, Pope Francis reaffirms that such care “guarantees the patient not only medical attention,” but also “human assistance and closeness.”
Meanwhile, when speaking about the role of the family, he underscores that those suffering “should not be left alone in these difficult moments.”
The role of the family “is decisive,” the Pope said, stressing relatives “need access to adequate means so as to provide appropriate physical, spiritual and social support.”
Pope Francis concludes by asking for prayers and a commitment from everyone so that “the terminally ill and their families always receive the necessary medical and human care and assistance.”
The Pope’s Worldwide Prayer Network
The Pope Video is an official global initiative with the purpose of disseminating the Holy Father’s monthly prayer intentions. It is carried out by the Pope’s Worldwide Prayer Network (Apostleship of Prayer). Since 2016, The Pope Video has had more than 203 million views across all the Vatican’s social networks and is translated into more than 23 languages, receiving press coverage in 114 countries.
The videos are produced and created by The Pope Video Prayer Network team, coordinated by Andrea Sarubbi, and distributed by La Machi Communication for Good Causes. The project is sponsored by Vatican Media. For more information: The Pope Video.
The Pope’s Worldwide Prayer Network is a Vatican foundation, with the mission of mobilizing Catholics through prayer and action in response to the challenges facing humanity and the mission of the Church. These challenges are presented in the form of prayer intentions entrusted by the Pope to the entire Church.
ON USSCB BIBLE LICENSE FEES, “MONEY IS NOT THE POINT”
(THE PILLAR – )
The U.S. bishops’ conference told bishops last month that if parishes want to reprint Scripture in bulletins or worship aids, they need to pay USCCB licensing fees for the privilege. While a memo to bishops said that fees are meant to protect copyrights, a USCCB official told The Pillar that the licensing fees mostly aim to discourage parish production of liturgical worship aids.
“It appears that numerous parishes may be reproducing the daily and Sunday readings in their worship aids or bulletins without a license from the USCCB,” Archbishop Timothy Broglio wrote in a Dec. 4 memo sent to U.S. bishops.
The archbishop warned that unlicensed reproduction of scripture readings “risk undermining the ability of the Conference (on behalf of the Confraternity for Christian Doctrine) to enforce its rights against commercial endeavors that use these Scripture translations in for profit manners.”
“I ask that you please advise your parishes of the situation and encourage them to become licensees if they are not already. The current rate is from $200 per year for up to 250 copies per Sunday to $1,500 per year for 1,500 copies or more per week,” Broglio explained.
TO CONTINUE: https://www.pillarcatholic.com/p/on-usccb-bible-license-fees-the-money?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email
Joan's Rome 