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Malaysian Bishops Pledge RM1 Million in Solidarity Fund Against

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Malaysian Bishops Pledge RM1 Million in Solidarity Fund Against Mission Statement For the love of Christ controls us, because we have concluded this: The HERALD is a Catholic that one has died for all, therefore Weekly of the Malaysian all have died; and he died for all, Church. It endeavours to that those who live might no longer communicate up-to-date news live for themselves but for him who for their sake died and was raised. and Christian values and strives THE CATHOLIC WEEKLY to dialogue with all sectors JUNE 20, 2021 TERHAD PP 8460/11/2012(030939) ISSN: 1394-3294 Vol. 28 No. 22 2 Cor. 5: 14-15 of society in order to build a (FOR INTERNAL CIRCULATION ONLY) harmonious community of believers in God. We support Bishop A canon lawyer reviews the Sebastian All are the formation of a participatory first major Francis gives called to changes to Church and encourage the laity an orientation holiness and religious to make moral of PMPC 2026 church law since 1983 decisions in the marketplace. P3 P6 P11 World’s first heart transplant from COVID+ donor at Vatican Children’s Hospital ATICAN: Marking a world unique opportunity. That’s why we did every- first, the Bambino Gesù Hos- thing we could so that the boy on the waiting list could get the organ he was waiting for. It’s pital has performed an or- a choice that can make the difference between V life and death.” gan transplant from a SARS-CoV-2 positive donor to a negative patient. The 15-year-old patient who underwent the heart transplant had dilated cardiomyopathy, a According to a press release issued by the condition that impairs the heart's ability to effi- Vatican’s Children’s Hospital, the 15-year-old ciently pump blood to the body. The frequency boy who received the new heart was treated of the disease in the general adult population with monoclonal antibodies to eliminate the is about 1 in 2,500 cases, but in children it is risk that he might develop COVID-19. The considered rare, with 0.57 cases per 100,000 communiqué explained that the procedure re- people. quired the approval of both the National Trans- The teenager had been on the transplant wait- plant Centre (NTC) and the Italian Pharmaceu- ing list since September of last year. His condi- tical Agency (AIFA). tion had worsened and he had undergone sur- Bambino Gesù’s Professor Antonino Amo- gery to implant an artificial heart, “a life-saving deo explained that “in the paediatric field, it is bridge solution while waiting for a compatible more complicated to find a compatible heart heart for a transplant.” for a transplant than it is for adults. In the last In just two weeks, from May 4 to 19, the year, due to the pandemic and the restrictions medical teams of the Department of Cardiac adopted to fight the spread of the virus, these Surgery, Cardiology and Heart-Lung Trans- difficulties have further increased. Finding plantation of the Hospital performed a total of a compatible heart for a transplant is often a six heart transplants. — Vatican News The Bambino Gesù organ transplant team at work. (Vatican News) Malaysian Bishops pledge RM1 million in Solidarity Fund against COVID-19 KUALA LUMPUR: The Catholic Bishops cause by making a donation to this fund.” Conference of Malaysia (CBCM) has pledged All donations are to go to the Tzu Chi Foun- a sum of RM1 million towards the Malaysia dation Malaysia’s bank account as detailed be- Solidarity COVID-19 Fund which was initi- low. For tax-exempt receipts, please provide ated by the Tzu Chi Foundation Malaysia. full name, identification number and address. The CBCM, together with other religious This is a purpose specific fund where 100 per organisations and NGOs, have given their cent of funds raised will be utilised for the endorsement and support for this initiative, stated purposes. Details of equipment donated Fr Michael Chua said in a chancery notice re- will be published and updated in Tzu Chi’s leased on June 18. website (www.tzuchi.my/en/). “This is an emergency fund in response to The Malaysia Solidarity COVID-19 Fund Tzu Chi Kuala Lumpur and Selangor donate ICU equipment to the Sungai Buloh Hospital. (The Star photo) the urgent call for help from our public hospi- (Tzu Chi) will cease by end of June 2021 tals and healthcare professionals for the supply (MJD News Update #44). How to Donate of varied medical equipment to cope with the Malaysia as of June 17 has 66,097 active Bank: Malayan Banking Berhad Or high number of critical COVID-19 patients. COVID-19 cases, with 909 in the ICU and Name: Tabung Kebajikan Dan Pendidikan FPX & Credit Card: https://onlinedonation. “The CBCM has pledged a sum of RM1 441 needing ventilators. Since the pandemic Yayasan Taiwan Buddhist Tzu Chi Malaysia tzuchi.my/ million for the above fund and the archbish- began we have had a total of 678,764 cases (TBG KBJ & PDDKN YSN) Other ways: https://www.tzuchi.my/en/ ops/bishops of the conference would like to with 4,202 coronavirus-related deaths report- urge all the faithful to support this worthy ed. Account Number: 5124 9112 5866 donate 2 FORUM / REFLECTION HERALD June 20, 2021 Vanity of vanities? uring these lockdowns, we see ing this lockdown is to reflect on our role in many people struggling as job loss- Sunday Observer building this kingdom, as spelt out in this Des mount and many others strug- abridged version of the prayer of Oscar gling with underemployment. By Romero: School leavers are struggling to find It helps, now and then, to step back jobs. Many have resorted to taking on work Anil Netto and take a long view. with little job security or opportunity for [email protected] The Kingdom is not only beyond our advancement. efforts, The government, it seems, has little it is even beyond our vision. money left to help vulnerable groups. At vanities, saith the Preacher, vanity of vani- will be forgotten except for the butchers, We accomplish in our lifetime only a this rate, the lower-income group will be ties; all is vanity.” rogues and scoundrels of history and those tiny fraction stretched to break point, while many in Or as another version of Scriptures puts who have made exceptional contributions of the magnificent enterprise that is the middle class could sink. But not all are it: to humanity. In Genesis, even the name God's work. suffering equally, as some have profited 2 Sheer futility, Qoheleth says. Abel meant vapour or breath or vanity in Nothing we do is complete, enormously from this period of crisis and Sheer futility: everything is futile! Hebrew, a fleeting existence that was gone which is a way of saying that the suffering. 3 What profit can we show for all in a puff, thanks to Cain. Kingdom always lies beyond us…. The nation itself is in a political crisis as our toil, toiling under the sun? 11 No memory remains of the past, This is what we are about. Parliament remains suspended, perhaps the 4 A generation, a generation comes, and so it will be for the centuries to We plant the seeds that one day will only country in the world with a non-func- yet the earth stands firm for ever. come — they will not be remembered grow. tioning parliament in this pandemic. 5 The sun rises, the sun sets; then to by their successors. We water seeds already planted, People are unable to visit loved ones in its place it speeds and there it rises. This may be sobering, even depress- knowing that they hold future other districts, while even those in elderly 6 Southward goes the wind, then ing, but it should give us added impetus to promise. care homes have been cut off from their turns to the north; it turns and turns work for a higher order in society, if our We lay foundations that will need family members. again; then back to its circling goes life is not to be meaningless, in pursuit of further development. Even during these tough times, we still the wind. worldly glory. We provide yeast that produces hear of projects that will cause environ- 7 Into the sea go all the rivers, and There can be no more meaningful pur- effects far beyond our capabilities. mental harm, whether it is forest clearings, yet the sea is never filled, and still to suit than to ensure that our work and in- We cannot do everything, land grabs or land reclamation that will dis- their goal the rivers go. teractions further the kingdom that Jesus and there is a sense of liberation in place fisher folk. Yet, even this should be updated as sea heralded, for which the Holy Spirit pro- realising that. All this should shake us out of our stupor. levels rise with climate change, and even vided the spark, the fire. We can do that in This enables us to do something, Our development model has pursued profit places like Jakarta are sinking. Such is the our own little way, quietly and without any and to do it very well. over people and the planet, while leaving level of ruin that humanity has brought show. It may be incomplete, but it is a many others marginalised and vulnerable. unto the world that it has upset the estab- This kingdom would be built on a foun- beginning, a step along the way, At times like this, we can reflect on the lished natural order.
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