Vatican media’s editorial director condemns the "fake news" surrounding the war in Ukraine
In an editorial published after Pope Francis' Angelus appeal for Ukraine, Andrea Tornielli, editorial director of the Dicastery for Communication, denounced the influence of Russian propaganda on the Western public. “At the beginning of his new appeal for peace, Pope Francis refuted the fake news that would like to present what is happening with verbal subterfuge to mask the cruel reality of the facts,” recalled the Italian journalist. This is a war and not a simple "military operation" as the Kremlin would like people to believe. “It is clear that we are talking about a war of aggression, where there are those who attack and those who defend themselves,” the editorial director emphasized. He also noted Pope Francis' heartfelt thanks for journalists. “A thank you that comes just three days after the approval of a new law in Russia that allows Russian and foreign citizens who spread 'false information about the armed forces' to be sentenced to up to 15 years in prison,” noted Tornielli.
Maronite patriarch supports Ukraine
The Lebanese newspaper L'Orient le Jour reports that on the day of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, a communiqué from the Lebanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs denounced the Russian aggression. A position that was not met with unanimity in the political class, as some saw it as a breach of the principle of neutrality. The Maronite Patriarch Béchara Raï, a fervent defender of Lebanon's neutrality on the international level, nevertheless took a stand for Ukraine. To justify himself, the patriarch said that "all neutral states in the world have been quick to express their support for the independence of the Ukrainian state and the freedom of its people.” "If we have strengthened our ties with Russia, we have also condemned in the past all the wars waged against the people of the Middle East and which violated international borders,” he added.
Radio Okapi, the UN radio station in the Democratic Republic of Congo, presents a review of the Congolese press after the announcement of Pope Francis’ visit
The media site of Monusco (the United Nations mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo) published a review of the local press after the announcement of Pope Francis' visit to Kinshasa and Goma in July. "The Pope is coming to bring a message of reconciliation and encouragement," AfricaNews reported, citing the apostolic nuncio in the DRC. For Forum des As, "the Congolese authorities believe that it is more than time to make peace with the ecclesiastics.” “The same authorities who have abused the clergy through pressure, in light of their shenanigans to gain, to their benefit, an electoral post,” the daily continues, recalling that "the Catholic prelates, along with their Protestant colleagues, have long remained intransigent in the face of authorities that they accused of pulling strings to place their pawns in electoral factions, in anticipation of the 2023 election.”
An Italian outlook at the evolution of the Church in Germany: towards revolution or schism?
Among all the storms that are hitting the Church today, reflects journalist Franco Manzitti, the "strongest internal fear is that of a German schism," which he believes could become a real hypothesis. The National Synod, launched in 2019, has resulted in proposals that "contain the demand for a strong reform, carried by an impetuous force," such as power sharing, gender recognition, end of priestly celibacy, election of bishops, ordination of women, Manzitti explains. More broadly, it is the "Petrine primacy" of the Bishop of Rome that seems to be challenged. For the time being, the Holy See has given an "ultra-cautious" response to this crisis, because the Germans are "the locomotive" of a transformation that is now spreading to Latin America, Australia and Spain, says the Italian journalist. The goal is to go "beyond the Second Vatican Council,” he adds.
In Switzerland, Catholics celebrate their first Mass at St. Peter's Cathedral since it came under Protestant rule in the 16th century
After several postponements due to the COVID-19 pandemic, finally on Saturday the Catholics of Geneva were able to gather at St. Peter's Cathedral for the first Mass in nearly five centuries. An initiative "which for a long time seemed unimaginable in the city of Calvin," but for which "the time is ripe," recognizes a pastor interviewed by Swiss outlet Cath.ch. This gesture "values the fruitful ecumenical collaboration" between the Protestants and the Roman Catholics in the canton of Geneva. "It is wonderful that the cathedral, the mother church of our canton, can tonight become a little more a church belonging to all Christians," said Father Pascal Desthieux, Episcopal Vicar. The presence of a priest from the Ukrainian Greek-Catholic Eparchy was also an opportunity to show a closeness with Ukraine; a time of silent prayer was dedicated at the beginning of the ceremony to Ukraine.
