Archbishop: Being a Catholic in a Secular World

INDEPENDENT CATHOLIC NEWS, May 22 — Archbishop Vincent Nichols of the Archdiocese of Birmingham said society tends to ignore the Word of God and live as if God does not exist, the news service reported.

In a pastoral letter marking the feast of the Ascension, Archbishop Nichols outlined four ways Catholics can bear witness to Christ in a secular society.

“First we must understand and live in a right relationship with wealth and prosperity,” he said. “To long for wealth for its own sake is to lack inner freedom and to be enslaved. … “Secondly, with this [inner] freedom we can uphold the key truth that human life is not our own possession but always and everywhere a gift of God, from conception until natural death. …Thirdly, whether we are married or single we uphold the family as the basis of stable life both for its members and for society as a whole. … Fourthly we support and promote the right of parents to be the first and most important educators of their children, the first and best teachers of the faith.”

Archbishop Nichols concluded his letter, “In building our lives in this way we respond to God’s invitation and promote within our society the truths that serve the well-being of all. In these ways we become builders of his Kingdom, often hidden and unsung but faithful and pleasing to the Lord.”

Cathedral of St. Joseph Opens in Sofia

SOFIA NEWS AGENCY, May 21 — The newly built Cathedral of St. Joseph opened its doors in Sofia, 62 years after the previous structure was destroyed by bombs before it was completed, the Bulgarian news service reported.

Cardinal Angelo Sodano, the Vatican secretary of state, consecrated the cathedral during a Mass before more than 1,000 faithful from all over Bulgaria and Macedonia. Pope John Paul II consecrated the first stone during a visit to the capital in 2002.

The cardinal said the new cathedral represents a sign of the revival of religious values in the country. After the Mass, Cardinal Sodano met with President Georgi Purvanov discussing Bulgaria’s bid to join the European Union. The Vatican has expressed support for the country’s membership.

Uganda to Hold World Council of Catholic Students

ALLAFRICA, May 19 — The International Young Catholic Students movement, celebrating its 60th anniversary, will hold its first world council in 16 years in Kampala, Uganda, in August 2007, the African news service reported.

The two-week world council will include workshops, sessions, reflections on Pope Benedict XVI’s encyclical Deus Caritas Est (God Is Love) and collective prayer times.

The movement has members in 85 countries. Margareta Brosnan, international coordinator of the International Young Catholic Students, said 200 student representatives with their chaplains from across the globe will attend the council meeting.

The chaplain of the group, South African Dominican Father Mike Deeb, said there is a sense of urgency surrounding this upcoming event. “It’s great that here the young leaders of the future can taste, see and go past their own nationalistic consciousness and work to understand others at this real and active level ... a vital step in achieving peace.”