DOCSLIB.ORG

The Catholic East

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
The Catholic East Congregation for the Eastern Churches THE CATHOLIC EAST Valore Italiano Congregation for the Eastern Churches THE CATHOLIC EAST Valore Italiano™ 2019 1st English edition edited by: Edward Farrugia, S.J. Gianpaolo Rigotti Michel Van Parys, O.S.B. Scientific Commission: Michel Van Parys, O.S.B., President Gianpaolo Rigotti, Secretary Edward Farrugia, S.J., Member Previous editions in Italian: 1st edition 1929 2nd edition 1932 3rd edition 1962 4th edition 1974 5th edition 2017 THE CATHOLIC EAST Codice ISBN 978-88-97789-71-0 ©2019 Congregation for the Eastern Churches & Valore Italiano™ - All right reserved www.orientecattolico.com – II – Table of contents Preface ............................................................................................................. V Editorial note ................................................................................................... VIII The Eastern Catholic Churches: maps and general statistics ........................ XI Legend of colours and symbols used in the individual maps ........................ XVI Abbreviations for religious institutes ............................................................ XVII Introduction ..................................................................................................... 1 1. The Christian East and the Church of Rome (16th to 20th century) .. 3 2. Liturgical patrimony of the Christian East .......................................... 29 3. Eastern Catholic Churches: Categories of Churches ........................ 41 4. The Codex Canonum Ecclesiarum Orientalium and the Ecumenical Commitment of the Eastern Catholic Churches ................................ 61 5. Historico-institutional Profile of the Congregation for the Eastern Churches ............................................................................................... 69 6. The Second Vatican Council, a new stage in the history of the Congregation for the Eastern Churches ............................................. 97 7. The activity of the Congregation for the Eastern Churches in the last few decades ......................................................................................... 117 Patriarchal Churches ................................................................................... 147 8. Coptic Catholic Church ...................................................................... 149 9. Syriac Catholic Church ....................................................................... 163 10. Greek Melkite Catholic Church ....................................................... 187 11. Syro-Maronite Church ...................................................................... 215 12. Chaldean Catholic Church ............................................................... 253 13. Armenian Catholic Church ............................................................... 283 Major Archiepiscopal Churches ................................................................ 321 14. Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church ................................................... 323 15. Syro-Malabar Catholic Church ........................................................ 361 16. Syro-Malankara Catholic Church .................................................... 395 17. Romanian Greek Catholic Church .................................................... 409 Metropolitan Churches ................................................................................ 433 18. Eastern Catholic Churches of Ethiopia and Eritrea ........................ 435 19. Ruthenian Catholic Church in the United States of America ......... 451 20. Greek Catholic Church of Slovakia ................................................. 473 21. Greek Catholic Church of Hungary .................................................. 491 – III – Eastern eparchies and exarchates ............................................................ 503 22. Italo-Albanian eparchies of Italy ..................................................... 505 23. Eparchy of Križevci in Croatia ........................................................ 529 24. Ruthenian Eparchy of Mukachevo in Ukraine ................................ 545 Preface 25. Eparchy of Strumica-Skopje in North Macedonia .......................... 559 26. Eparchy of Ruski Krstur in Serbia ................................................... 569 The Catholic East is the fruit of a long and intense effort. It is 27. Eparchy of Sofia in Bulgaria ............................................................ 575 published by the Congregation for the Eastern Churches, the dicastery of 28. Apostolic exarchates of Greece and Turkey .................................... 591 the Roman Curia entrusted with supporting the Eastern Catholic Churches. 29. Apostolic exarchate of the Czech Republic ..................................... 611 The dogmatic constitution Lumen Gentium of the Second Vatican Council 30. Exarchic monastery of Santa Maria di Grottaferrata ...................... 619 placed the Churches of the East most appropriately within the communion of Churches: Eastern Catholics without a proper hierarchy ....................................... 627 31. Apostolic exarchates of Russia and Harbin ..................................... 629 By divine providence it has happened that various Churches, founded in 32. Ordinariates for Eastern Catholics lacking a hierarch of their own various places by the apostles and their successors, over the centuries Church sui iuris ................................................................................. 647 have formed into many groups that are organically united, which, saving the unity of the faith and the single divine constitution of the universal 33. Belarus ............................................................................................... 659 Church, enjoy their own discipline, their own liturgical custom, their own 34. Apostolic administration in Kazakhstan and Central Asia ............... 675 theological and spiritual patrimony. Some of these, particularly the 35. Apostolic administration of southern Albania .................................. 679 ancient patriarchal Churches, as mothers in the faith, have given birth to others as their daughters, with which they remain connected up to our day Latin Church .................................................................................................. 691 by a very tight bond of charity in sacramental life and in mutual respect 36. Latin dioceses and the Congregation for the Eastern Churches ...... 693 for rights and obligations. (n. 23) Institutions for the Eastern Churches ....................................................... 783 37. Institutes of formation and Communities in Rome ......................... 785 Thus, Christ’s Church is the spouse circumdata varietate (Psalm 38. Cultural Institutes .............................................................................. 803 44: 15). Many motivations led our dicastery to promote this new edition of 39. Organizations supporting Eastern Churches ................................... 853 The Catholic East: first of all, the desire to make the Catholic faithful know honour, and love the Churches of the East in full communion with the The Christian East in Rome ....................................................................... 875 Apostolic See of Rome, whose rich diversity is great and yet too little 40. Eastern Catholic places of worship in Rome .................................. 877 recognized. 41. Eastern monasticism and art in Rome ............................................. 887 To this aspiration is added the aim of presenting a tool for work 42. Iconographic patrimony of the Congregation for the Eastern Churches .. 913 and consultation that is combined with an effort at objective and academic historical reconstruction, but always capable of being refined and updated, Illustrations .................................................................................................... 943 in the hope that the full ecclesiality of our Churches, progressively rediscovered beginning with the pontificate of Pope Leo XIII, may be Indices ............................................................................................................. 977 appreciated more and more. Analytical index ............................................................................................... 979 Third, The Catholic East desires to be a tribute to the Churches of Index of maps .................................................................................................. 1123 the Christian East, Catholic and Orthodox, and to their numerous martyrs Index of illustrations ....................................................................................... 1131 and confessors of the faith. When the Jubilee Year 2000 was approaching, General index .................................................................................................. 1137 the Congregation for the Eastern Churches organized a conference, “Faith and Martyrdom”, and published its proceedings. Unfortunately, tragic Commemorative Centenary Stamp (1917–2017) ........................................... 1159 – IV – Preface Preface The Catholic East is the fruit of a long and intense effort. It is published by the Congregation for the Eastern Churches, the dicastery of the Roman Curia entrusted with supporting the Eastern Catholic Churches. The dogmatic constitution Lumen Gentium of the Second Vatican Council placed the Churches of the East most
Load more

Recommended publications
  • The Rule Constitutions Additional Code
    THE RULE CONSTITUTIONS ADDITIONAL CODE AUGUSTINIAN RECOLLECTS THE RULE CONSTITUTIONS ADDITIONAL CODE Rome 2012 This English translation is the authorized and faithful version of the official Spanish text approved by the Sacred Congregation for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life. © EDITORIAL AVGVSTINVS General Dávila, 5 bajo D 28003 Madrid, Spain Superiorum permissu ISBN: Legal Deposit: Imprenta Calatrava, Salamanca CONGREGAZIONE PER GLI ISTITUTI DI VITA CONSACRATA E LE SOCIETÀ DI VITA APOSTOLICA Prot. N. A 68-1/2004 DECREE The Order of Augustinian Recollects, whose generalate is located in Rome, in its 54th General Chapter, has authorized, the adapted and revised texts of the Constitutions, already confirmed by the Apostolic See on 13th November, 1982 (Prot. A. 68-1/81). The superior general has presented to this Dicastery the new text, requesting its approval. Having thoroughly studied the document, into which several modifications have been introduced, the Congregation for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life, by this present Decree approves this new text of the Constitutions. This Dicastery expresses its best wishes that the Order may continue to grow in conformity with its charism and and reaffirming its Augustinian Recollect identity. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary. Vatican, 31st May, 2011 Feast of the Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary. ✠ João Braz de Aviz Prefect ✠ Joseph W. Tobin, C.Ss.R. Archbishop Secretary ORDO AUGUSTINIANORUM RECOLLECTORUM GENERALATUS Prot.1-3/11.4 DECREE PROMULGATION OF THE OFFICIAL TEXT OF THE CONSTITUTIONS May the Lord grant that you observe all these precepts with love, as lovers of spiritual beauty …, not as slaves under the law, but as free men under grace.
    [Show full text]
  • The Official Catholic Directory® 2016, Part II
    PRINT MEDIA KIT The Offi cial Catholic Directory® 2016, Part II 199 Years of Service to the Catholic Church ABOUT THE OFFICIAL CATHOLIC DIRECTORY Historically known as The Kenedy Directory, The O cial Catholic Directory is undeniably the most extensive and authoritative source of data available on the Catholic Church in the U.S. This 2-volume set is universally recognized and widely used by clergy and professionals in the Catholic Church and its institutions (parishes, schools, universities, hospitals, care centers and more). DISTRIBUTION Reservation Deadline: The O cial Catholic Directory 2016, Part II, to be published in December October 3, 2016 2016, will be sold and distributed to nearly 9,000 priests, parishes, (arch)dioceses, Materials Due: educational and other institutions, and has a reach of well over 30,000 clergy and October 10, 2016 other professionals. This includes a ‘special honorary distribution’ to members of the church hierarchy – every active Cardinal, Archbishop, Bishop and Chancery Offi ce in Publication Date: the U.S. December 2016 REACH THIS HIGHLY TARGETED AUDIENCE • Present your product or service to a highly targeted audience with purchasing power. • Reach over 30,000 Catholic clergy and professionals across the U.S. • Attain year-round access to decision makers. • Gain recognition in this highly respected publication used throughout the Catholic Church and its institutions. • Enjoy a FREE ONLINE LISTING in our Products & Services Guide with your print advertising http://www.offi cialcatholicdirectory.com/mp/index.php. • Place your advertising message directly into the hands of our readers via our outsert program. “Th e Offi cial Catholic Directory is an indispensible tool for keeping up to date with the church in the U.S.
    [Show full text]
  • Ecclesiastical Circumscriptions and Their Relationship with the Diocesan Bishop
    CANON 294 ECCLESIASTICAL CIRCUMSCRIPTIONS AND THEIR RELATIONSHIP WITH THE DIOCESAN BISHOP What is the relationship of the faithful in personal ecclesiastical circumscriptions to the local diocesan bishop? OPINION The Apostolic See, in the Annual General Statistical Questionnaire, asks diocesan bishops the number of priests in the ecclesiastical circumscription of the diocese, their country of origin and whether they are diocesan or religious. The fact that the diocesan bishop is answering these questions indicates the close relationship between himself and any personal Ecclesiastical Circumscription. Canons 215 and 216 of the 1917 Code required that ecclesiastical circumscriptions be territorial within a diocese and an apostolic indult was needed, for example, to establish personal parishes for an ethnic group of the faithful. After World War II, Pope Pius XII provided for the pastoral care of refugees and migrants in his apostolic constitution Exsul Familia in 1952. Chaplains for migrants were granted special faculties to facilitate pastoral care without receiving the power of jurisdiction or governance. The Second Vatican Council admitted personal criteria in ecclesiastical organisation. The decree Christus Dominus 11 held that the essential element of a particular Church is personal, being a “portion of the people of God”. Personal factors are crucial to determine the communitarian aspect of the makeup of a community. After Vatican II, the Code of Canon Law needed revision. The Synod of Bishops in 1967 approved the principles to guide the revision of the code. The eighth principle stated: “The principle of territoriality in the exercise of ecclesiastical government is to be revised somewhat, for contemporary apostolic factors seem to recommend personal jurisdictional units.
    [Show full text]
  • KAS International Reports 10/2015
    38 KAS INTERNATIONAL REPORTS 10|2015 MICROSTATE AND SUPERPOWER THE VATICAN IN INTERNATIONAL POLITICS Christian E. Rieck / Dorothee Niebuhr At the end of September, Pope Francis met with a triumphal reception in the United States. But while he performed the first canonisation on U.S. soil in Washington and celebrated mass in front of two million faithful in Philadelphia, the attention focused less on the religious aspects of the trip than on the Pope’s vis- its to the sacred halls of political power. On these occasions, the Pope acted less in the role of head of the Church, and therefore Christian E. Rieck a spiritual one, and more in the role of diplomatic actor. In New is Desk officer for York, he spoke at the United Nations Sustainable Development Development Policy th and Human Rights Summit and at the 70 General Assembly. In Washington, he was in the Department the first pope ever to give a speech at the United States Congress, of Political Dialogue which received widespread attention. This was remarkable in that and Analysis at the Konrad-Adenauer- Pope Francis himself is not without his detractors in Congress and Stiftung in Berlin he had, probably intentionally, come to the USA directly from a and member of visit to Cuba, a country that the United States has a difficult rela- its Working Group of Young Foreign tionship with. Policy Experts. Since the election of Pope Francis in 2013, the Holy See has come to play an extremely prominent role in the arena of world poli- tics. The reasons for this enhanced media visibility firstly have to do with the person, the agenda and the biography of this first non-European Pope.
    [Show full text]
  • Theological Foundation for Full Communion Between the Episcopal Church and the United Methodist Church
    ✝ A Theological Foundation for Full Communion between The Episcopal Church and The United Methodist Church The Episcopal­United Methodist Dialogue Team adopted 16 April 2010 Copy: Material Located in the Archives of the Episcopal Church. ✝ A Theological Foundation for Full Communion between The Episcopal Church and The United Methodist Church Copyright © 2010, The Episcopal‐United Methodist Dialogue Team All Rights Reserved Worldwide This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution‐No Derivative Works 3.0 Unported License. To view a copy of this license, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by‐nd/3.0/ or send a letter to Creative Commons, 171 Second Street, Suite 300, San Francisco, California, 94105, USA. The above referenced license provides that this distribution of A Theological Foundation for Full Communion between The Episcopal Church and The United Methodist Church may be copied freely so long as it is copied unaltered, with all copyright, title, and author statements intact. All Scripture citations are from New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright © 1989, the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Copy: Material Located in the Archives of the Episcopal Church. ✝ PREFATORY NOTE The following document, A Theological Foundation for Full Communion between The Episcopal Church and The United Methodist Church, was adopted by the Episcopal‐United Methodist Dialogue Team on Friday, April 16, 2010. As noted in the text of the document, the document speaks only for our current Episcopal‐United Methodist dialogue team at this point, but it is commended to our churches for study and dis‐ cussion.
    [Show full text]
  • Christians and Jews in Muslim Societies
    Arabic and its Alternatives Christians and Jews in Muslim Societies Editorial Board Phillip Ackerman-Lieberman (Vanderbilt University, Nashville, USA) Bernard Heyberger (EHESS, Paris, France) VOLUME 5 The titles published in this series are listed at brill.com/cjms Arabic and its Alternatives Religious Minorities and Their Languages in the Emerging Nation States of the Middle East (1920–1950) Edited by Heleen Murre-van den Berg Karène Sanchez Summerer Tijmen C. Baarda LEIDEN | BOSTON Cover illustration: Assyrian School of Mosul, 1920s–1930s; courtesy Dr. Robin Beth Shamuel, Iraq. This is an open access title distributed under the terms of the CC BY-NC 4.0 license, which permits any non-commercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided no alterations are made and the original author(s) and source are credited. Further information and the complete license text can be found at https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ The terms of the CC license apply only to the original material. The use of material from other sources (indicated by a reference) such as diagrams, illustrations, photos and text samples may require further permission from the respective copyright holder. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Names: Murre-van den Berg, H. L. (Hendrika Lena), 1964– illustrator. | Sanchez-Summerer, Karene, editor. | Baarda, Tijmen C., editor. Title: Arabic and its alternatives : religious minorities and their languages in the emerging nation states of the Middle East (1920–1950) / edited by Heleen Murre-van den Berg, Karène Sanchez, Tijmen C. Baarda. Description: Leiden ; Boston : Brill, 2020. | Series: Christians and Jews in Muslim societies, 2212–5523 ; vol.
    [Show full text]
  • CHAPTER 2 CHRISTIAN INITIATION of ADULTS and CHILDREN of CATECHETICAL AGE I. INTRODUCTION 2.1.1 out of the Baptismal Font, Chri
    CHAPTER 2 CHRISTIAN INITIATION OF ADULTS AND CHILDREN OF CATECHETICAL AGE I. INTRODUCTION 2.1.1 Out of the baptismal font, Christ the Lord generates children to the Church who bear the image of the resurrected one. United to Christ in the Holy Spirit, they are rendered fit to celebrate with Christ the sacred liturgy, spiritual worship.123 2.1.2 “This bath is called enlightenment, because those who receive this instruction are enlightened in their understanding....” Having received in baptism the Word, “the true light that enlightens every man,” the person baptized has been “enlightened,” he becomes a “son of light,” indeed, he becomes “light” himself: “Baptism is God’s most beautiful and magnificent gift.... We call it gift, grace, anointing, enlightenment, garment of immortality, bath of rebirth, seal, and most precious gift. It is called gift because it is conferred on those who bring nothing of their own; grace since it is given even to the guilty; baptism because sin is buried in the water; anointing for it is priestly and royal as are those who are anointed; enlightenment because it radiates light; clothing since it veils our shame; bath because it washes; and seal as it is our guard and the sign of God’s Lordship.”124 2.1.3 From the time of the Apostles, becoming a Christian has been accomplished by a journey and initiation in several stages. This journey can be covered rapidly or slowly, but certain essential elements will always have to be present: proclamation of the Word, acceptance of the Gospel entailing conversion, profession of faith, baptism itself, the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, and admission to Eucharistic Communion.125 2.1.4 The image of the journey of faith is clearly evident in the Church’s ritual for the initiation of adults and older children.
    [Show full text]
  • September 2015 Issue Of
    Eastern Catholic Life Official Publication of the Byzantine Catholic Eparchy of Passaic VOL. LI, NO. 9 SEPTEMBER 2015 In Line With Vatican II: New Rules on Eastern Married Clergy by Archbishop Cyril Vasil’, SJ, with Bishop George Gallaro INTRODUCTION The November 2013 Plenary Session of the Congregation for the Eastern Churches, among other things, adequately dealt with this issue and reached ntil recently, it seemed that the presence and ministry of Eastern the wide-ranging consent of the members present. As a consequence, the UCatholic married clergy in the so-called diaspora (places outside of Prefect of the Eastern Congregation submitted to the Holy Father, Pope the traditional territories) was a closed question. In fact, not much could Francis, the request to grant, under certain conditions, to the respective ec- have been added to its historical or canonical viewpoint that had not al- clesiastical authorities the faculty to allow Eastern Catholic married clergy ready been studiously examined. The issue is summarized by the 1990Code to minister even outside of their traditional territories. of Canons of the Eastern Churches: “The particular law of each Church sui iuris or special norms established by the Holy See are to be followed in ad- The Holy Father, at the audience granted to the Prefect of the Congrega- mitting married men to sacred orders” (Canon 758, paragraph 3). tion for the Eastern Churches, Cardinal Leonardo Sandri, on December 23, 2013, favorably received this request, notwithstanding the least things to Following ancient discipline, all Eastern Catholic Churches – with the the contrary (contrariis quibuslibet minime obstantibus) and the text of the exception of the Syro-Malabar and Syro-Malankara Churches [of India - new norms was published on June 14, 2014.
    [Show full text]
  • JACKSON-THESIS-2016.Pdf (1.747Mb)
    Copyright by Kody Sherman Jackson 2016 The Thesis Committee for Kody Sherman Jackson Certifies that this is the approved version of the following thesis: Jesus, Jung, and the Charismatics: The Pecos Benedictines and Visions of Religious Renewal APPROVED BY SUPERVISING COMMITTEE: Supervisor: Robert Abzug Virginia Garrard-Burnett Jesus, Jung, and the Charismatics: The Pecos Benedictines and Visions of Religious Renewal by Kody Sherman Jackson, B.A. Thesis Presented to the Faculty of the Graduate School of The University of Texas at Austin in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Master of Arts The University of Texas at Austin May 2016 Dedication To all those who helped in the publication of this work (especially Bob Abzug and Ginny Burnett), but most especially my brother. Just like my undergraduate thesis, it will be more interesting than anything you ever write. Abstract Jesus, Jung, and the Charismatics: The Pecos Benedictines and Visions of Religious Renewal Kody Sherman Jackson, M.A. The University of Texas at Austin, 2016 Supervisor: Robert Abzug The Catholic Charismatic Renewal, though changing the face and feel of U.S. Catholicism, has received relatively little scholarly attention. Beginning in 1967 and peaking in the mid-1970s, the Renewal brought Pentecostal practices (speaking in tongues, faith healings, prophecy, etc.) into mainstream Catholicism. This thesis seeks to explore the Renewal on the national, regional, and individual level, with particular attention to lay and religious “covenant communities.” These groups of Catholics (and sometimes Protestants) devoted themselves to spreading Pentecostal practices amongst their brethren, sponsoring retreats, authoring pamphlets, and organizing conferences.
    [Show full text]
  • Sunday Newsletter Fifteenth Sunday of the Year
    ST. JOHN’S ST. MARY’S ST. OSWALD’S HAYDON BRIDGE H E X H A M BELLINGHAM SUNDAY NEWSLETTER FIFTEENTH SUNDAY OF THE YEAR SUNDAY 12TH J ULY 2020 | SUNDAY CYCLE: A | WEEKDAYS: II LITURGY OF THE HOURS: WEEK 3 CLERGY PARISH OFFICE CONTACT Fr Christopher Warren 01434 603119 stmaryshexham.org.uk Rev. Deacon Martin Bell Mon-Thurs. 9:00 - 13:00 [email protected] REFLECTION The parable in today’s Gospel may LIVE STREAMED MASSES THIS WEEK FROM cause us to stop and consider several SAINT MARY’S, HEXHAM questions: What kind of seed are we? This is linked from the St Mary's parish website at Were we scattered on rocky soil or www.stmaryshexham.org.uk. Please bring this to the attention of anyone that fertile? Will we bear fruit? If so, how you think would benefit, and help them to access it if they need assistance much - thirty, sixty, one hundred fold? with the technology. Being viewed as seed scattered on the ground does not seem to leave much 10:30am, on Sunday 12th July room for free will. The seed scattered 6:00pm Mass on Tuesday 14th - Friday 17th July on rocks can scarcely move itself to the fertile soil. Is it the fault of the seed for 10:30am, on Sunday 19th July landing in an inhospitable environment? LEASE REFER TO AGE OF THIS NEWSLETTER FOR Then again, what about the seed that P P 2 finds itself in fertile soil? Is there a FURTHER INFORMATION ABOUT MASS TIMES FROM responsibility to grow and produce fruit? MONDAY 20TH JULY.
    [Show full text]
  • Legalization of Greek Catholic Church in Czechoslovakia in 1968
    E-Theologos, Vol. 1, No. 2 DOI 10.2478/v10154-010-0017-3 Legalization of Greek Catholic Church in Czechoslovakia in 1968 Jaroslav Coranič University of Prešov in Prešov, Faculty of Greek-Catholic Theology A re-legalization of the Greek Catholic Church in Czechoslovakia was one of the most important results of the revival of socio - political process of the Prague Spring. This Church, unlike the Roman Catholic Church in the period 1950 - 1968 did not even exist legally. It was due to power interference of the communist state power in 1950. The plan of Commu- nist Party assumed the "transformation" of Greek Catholic Church into the Orthodox one. Procedure of liquidation of the Greek Catholic Church later came to be known as Action "P". Its climax came in April 28th 1950, when “sobor of Presov”, being prepared for a longer time, took place. The gath- ering in “sobor” manipulated by the communists declared in “sobor” the abolition of the Union with the Vatican, as a result the Greek Catholic Church ceased exist in Czechoslovakia and the clergy and faithful were meant to became the members of the Orthodox Church.1 In fact only a small part of the Greek Catholic clergy succumbed to power pressure and accepted Orthodoxy. Church leaders, as well as many priests who refused to change to the Orthodox have been arrested and sentenced to many years of punishment. The other Greek-Catholic clergy and their families were deported to the Czech lands and were forbidden to perform a duty of priestly ministry and banned from staying in eastern Slovakia for several years.
    [Show full text]
  • The Holy See
    The Holy See SOLEMNITY OF THE EPIPHANY OF THE LORD HOMILY OF HIS HOLINESS POPE JOHN PAUL II Sunday, 6 January 2002 1. "Lumen gentium ... Christus", "Christ is the light of the nations" (Lumen gentium, n. 1). The theme of light dominates the Solemnities of Christmas and Epiphany that in the first centuries - and still today in the East - were celebrated together in a single great "feast of lights". The light appears in the warm intimacy of the Holy Night of Christmas Eve; Christ, the Light of humanity, is born. He is the "sun that shall dawn upon us from on high" (Lk 1,78). He is the sun that came into the world to dispel the darkness of evil and flood it with the splendour of divine love. John the Evangelist writes: "The true light that enlightens every man came into the world" (Jn 1,9). "Deus lux est - God is light", St John reminds us, summing up not a gnostic theory but "the message that we received from him" (1 Jn 1,5), from Jesus. In his Gospel he quotes the words on the lips of the Teacher: "I am the light of the world; he who follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life" (Jn 8,12). In becoming flesh, the Son of God was manifested as light. He is not just an external light in the history of the world, but a light within the human person, in his personal history. He became one of us, giving infinite meaning and immortality to our earthly existence.
    [Show full text]