19 Algeria Martyrs

The Promotrix, M. Augusta, of the Trappist (OCSO) Order, has reported that the Seven Atlas Brothers of Tibhirine are now included in the 19 Martyrs of Algeria.

These details are to be found in this Website.

http://newsaints.faithweb.com/martyrs/Algeria.htm

PIERRE-LUCIEN CLAVERIE AND 18 COMPANIONS

FROM THE CLERGY AND RELIGIOUS

OF THE CATHOLIC CHURCH IN ALGERIA

competent diocese: Algiers

CCS protocol number: 2702

type of cause: martyrdom

competentia fori: 05 July 2006 (from the diocese of Oran)

nihil obstat: 31 March 2007

opening of diocesan inquiry: 05 October 2007

closing of diocesan inquiry:

decree of validity of diocesan inquiry:

consignment of Positio to CCS:

meeting of theological consultors:

congregation of CCS cardinals and bishops:

postulator: Frt. Giovanni Bigotto, fms

petitioner: Archdiocèse d’Alger, 13 rue Khélifa-Boukhalfa, 16000 Alger-Gare, ALGERIA

19

Algeria - 19 Martyrs

The seven monks from Atlas – 13th Anniversary of the martyrs of Tibhirine, May 21, 2009.

On May 21, 1996, seven monks of the Cistercian-Trappist monastery of Our Lady of Atlas in Algeria died by assassination at the hands of terrorists: Fr. Christian de Chergé, Br. Luc Dochier, Fr. Christophe Lebreton, Br. Paul Favre-Miville, Br. Michel Fleury, Fr. Bruno Lemarchand, and Fr. Célestin Ringeard.

As we prepare for the Abbatial election at Nunraw we direct our prayers urgently to the Atlas Brothers to help our future.

At the Trappist General Chapter Assisi 2008 there was a Report of the Activities of Postulator 2005-2008. The Postultrix, M. Augusta explains that the number of causes for Beatification are mostly under the responsibility of various dioceses. She says:

In regard to the seven monks from Atlas and for the other twelve martyrs of Algeria the diocesan process began at Algiers on October s" 2007 under the responsibility of the diocese. There have already been several sessions to question witnesses there. Since it is a question of a cause related to 19 martyrs killed in seven different circumstances, the process will take a long time. There are numerous witnesses, a difficult political situation and a new Archbishop. But what the postulators and the persons responsible in the 8 Congregations wanted was to begin the work so as not to lose the witnesses. There is no hurry to have a Beatification. We are working to classify everything about the lives of our brothers and sisters: witnesses, letters that can be found etc. because we think that it is our duty to keep and spread the remembrance of the martyrs of Algeria with the certainty that in so doing we are remembering all the other innocent victims of this terrible page of Algerian history. In regard to the death of our brothers the Congregation for the Saints is well informed and it follows closely everything that is published in the press.

Regine Coeli prayer after Holy Land Pilgrimage

Pope packed summary

Pilgrim's Report

Papal Pilgrimage Ends With a Bang
Benedict XVI Sums Up Message in Packed Address

By Father Thomas D. Williams, LC

JERUSALEM, MAY 15, 2009 (Zenit.org).- As I write this, Benedict XVI is flying back to Rome, having left Tel Aviv Airport less than an hour ago. Yet it turns out that his final send-off at the airport entailed more than a perfunctory adieu.

Benedict took advantage of his last meeting with Israeli President Shimon Peres to reiterate the key messages of his pilgrimage to the Holy Land. This Pope -- whom many consider incapable of uttering a sound bite -- managed to condense his week’s message into an 859-word address that lasted no more than three minutes. Somehow in this brief interval he was able to encapsulate the gist of the 29 different encounters that he had throughout this action-packed week. It seemed as if he were back in the university classroom once again, summing up his day’s lecture to keep his more distracted students on track.

He wasted no time in getting back to the thorny issue of Catholic-Jewish relations, noting first how Christianity had grown out of Judaism. Benedict made reference to the olive tree that he and President Peres had planted together in the garden of the presidential palace earlier in the week. He drew a parallel to Saint Paul’s use of the olive tree as an image to express how the Christian Church was “grafted onto the cultivated olive tree which is the People of the Covenant.” In words that could only facilitate Jewish-Christian dialogue, he reminded his hearers: “We are nourished from the same spiritual roots. We meet as brothers, brothers who at times in our history have had a tense relationship, but now are firmly committed to building bridges of lasting friendship.”

From there Benedict moved to Monday’s Yad Vashem encounter, where the Holy Father had paid his respects to the many Jews who lost their lives in the Shoah as well as meeting with six Holocaust survivors. As if in answer to his critics who thought that Benedict had showed too little emotion at the meeting, the Pope called the encounter “deeply moving” and went on to evoke the memory of his visit three years earlier to the death camp at Auschwitz “where so many Jews -- mothers, fathers, husbands, wives, brothers, sisters, friends -- were brutally exterminated under a godless regime that propagated an ideology of anti-Semitism and hatred.”

To put the final nail in the coffin, especially after his much-criticized lifting of the excommunication of Holocaust-denier Richard Williamson, the Pope stated: “That appalling chapter of history must never be forgotten or denied.”

That wasn’t the end of the emotions, however, as Benedict went on to use moving language in referring to the strife that still exists between Israelis and Palestinians. Benedict called himself a “friend of the Israelis,” as well as “a friend of the Palestinian people” and went on to say that no friend “can fail to weep at the suffering and loss of life that both peoples have endured over the last six decades.”

In the strongest language of his entire visit, Benedict made an impassioned appeal: “No more bloodshed! No more fighting! No more terrorism! No more war! Instead let us break the vicious circle of violence. Let there be lasting peace based on justice, let there be genuine reconciliation and healing.”

To put the final nail in the coffin, especially after his much-criticized lifting of the excommunication of Holocaust-denier Richard Williamson, the Pope stated: “That appalling chapter of history must never be forgotten or denied.”

That wasn’t the end of the emotions, however, as Benedict went on to use moving language in referring to the strife that still exists between Israelis and Palestinians. Benedict called himself a “friend of the Israelis,” as well as “a friend of the Palestinian people” and went on to say that no friend “can fail to weep at the suffering and loss of life that both peoples have endured over the last six decades.”

In the strongest language of his entire visit, Benedict made an impassioned appeal: “No more bloodshed! No more fighting! No more terrorism! No more war! Instead let us break the vicious circle of violence. Let there be lasting peace based on justice, let there be genuine reconciliation and healing.”

Again, to leave no doubts what all this means in practical terms, Benedict declared his intentions in the clearest of terms. First, to those who still dispute Israel’s right to exist as a state, Benedict stated: “Let it be universally recognized that the State of Israel has the right to exist, and to enjoy peace and security within internationally agreed borders.” Yesterday Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had requested that the Pope denounce Iran on Israel’s behalf, especially regarding Iran’s repudiation of Israeli statehood. While avoiding mentioning Iran by name, Benedict lost no time in doing just that.

Moving on to the flip side of the relation, he said: “Let it be likewise acknowledged that the Palestinian people have a right to a sovereign independent homeland, to live with dignity and to travel freely. Let the two-state solution become a reality, not remain a dream.”

If anyone still harbored doubts regarding Benedict XVI’s political aspirations for the Holy Land, this clear statement should leave little room for doubt. His final appeal, in fact, made the next practical step more concrete still. Returning to a theme that he had broached on Wednesday in Bethlehem, Benedict called the wall separating Palestinians from Israelis “one of the saddest sights for me during my visit to these lands.” Acknowledging “how hard it will be to achieve that goal,” Benedict said that he had prayed, and that Catholics would continue to pray, “for a future in which the peoples of the Holy Land can live together in peace and harmony without the need for such instruments of security and separation.”

For anyone looking for a concise summary of Benedict’s weeklong trip to the Holy Land, and especially the second leg in Israel and the Palestinian Territories, Benedict himself provided the material. Benedict’s goodwill and intentions are evident. It remains to be seen what kind of reception this message will receive in the hearts of his hearers.

Israel President bids farewell to Pope

Yad Vashem & Pius xii

Entrance: Yad Vashem Holocaust Monument Memorial

Pilgrim's Report
By Father Thomas D. Williams, LC

Forgiving Sometimes Means Forgetting
The Pope's Unique Role in the Holy Land

JERUSALEM, MAY 13, 2009 (Zenit.org).- Benedict XVI left Jerusalem for Bethlehem early this morning amidst further carping from the locals; I couldn't help but raise my heart to God in gratitude for this gentle, German Pope. I realized just how unique his mission is in this faction-torn land of continual squabbles over everything from land to doctrinal minutiae.

The fact is that the Holy Father didn't come to the Holy Land to play party politics, not even for his own "party." He didn't come merely as a representative of the Catholic Church, but truly on behalf of everyone involved, on behalf of humanity itself.

Benedict speaks on behalf of the Jews, praising their religious heritage and defending their right to security and self-rule. He speaks on behalf of Palestinians and their right to sovereignty and freedom. He speaks on behalf of Muslims, calling them to the best of their religious tradition with its deep religious convictions and heartfelt worship of the one God. He speaks for Christians in their difficult status as a tiny, suffering minority of the population. In a word, he speaks to all and for all.

And this is the singularity of the Pope's voice and message. Paradoxically, amidst all the manipulation of Benedict XVI's message and all the complaints that he doesn't side closely enough with any one group, we see the greatness and uniqueness of his presence here. No other leader in the world can speak with the same moral authority or true impartiality. His very refusal to play partisan politics is why his message is so often rejected, and why it is so desperately important.

Meanwhile, one of those raising the biggest stink over the Pope's supposed lack of remorse for the Shoah is Rabbi Ysrael Meir Lau, chairman of the Yad Vashem memorial. He criticized the Pope's speech as being "devoid of any compassion, any regret, any pain over the horrible tragedy of the six million victims." If you happened to see the broadcast, Lau was the fellow off to the Pope's right looking as if he had recently eaten something particularly disagreeable to his stomach.

It turns out that Rabbi Lau is no stranger to criticism of the papacy. He has also been a tireless disparager of Pope Pius XII, even when this means distorting the truth. During the 1998 Berlin commemorations of the 60th anniversary of Kristallnacht -- the Nov. 9, 1938, event that sparked the era of Jewish persecutions in Germany -- Lau, then chief rabbi of Israel, was invited to speak. During his impassioned address he asked the damning question, "Pius XII, where were you? Why were you silent during the Kristallnacht?" The next day two Italian newspapers ran that title, with the subheading, "The Shameful Silence of Pius XII." The only problem with this was that Pius XII was not elected until March 1939, four months after Kristallnacht. Yet I haven't seen Rabbi Lau rushing to express remorse for his defamation of Pope Pius.

On my flight over to Israel I had the chance to re-read Benedict XVI's candid autobiography "Milestones." I was struck once again by how his own childhood was viciously interrupted by Hitler's rise to power, and how so many good German people have been unfairly tarred with a Nazi brush. If Benedict's critics are to be believed, anyone living in Germany in the 1930s and 1940s is necessarily guilty by association.

Fortunately, some important Jewish voices are beginning to be heard in Jerusalem inviting critics to lay off the Pope. For instance, Noah Frug, the head of the Consortium of Holocaust Survivors' Organizations in Israel, said the criticism directed at the Pontiff was exaggerated. "He came here to bring the Church and Judaism closer together, and we should consider his visit positive and important," Frug added.

Today attention has shifted to Bethlehem, the City of David and birthplace of Jesus Christ, but also a part of the Palestinian Territories. On arriving to Bethlehem, Benedict XVI lost no time in expressing his heartfelt solidarity with the suffering Palestinians, and in affirming the Holy See's position regarding their right to sovereignty. "Mr. President, the Holy See supports the right of your people to a sovereign Palestinian homeland in the land of your forefathers, secure and at peace with its neighbors, within internationally recognized borders," he said.

In theory this should provoke no disagreement, since the official position of the State of Israel coincides with that of the Holy See. Israel, too, affirms the right of the Palestinians to a sovereign homeland, once such an arrangement can be feasibly worked out without detriment to Israel's security. Of course, there's the rub.

Here in the Holy Land I have spoken with a number of people of diverse backgrounds and experiences, and the one thing they all seem to have in common is suffering. Each one wanted to tell me of the hardships and injustices endured, either personally or historically. Each had a tale of woe to tell. No one seems to recall ever having committed injustice, but all remember having suffered it. And I cannot help but wonder, in a land of so much pain and grief, a land whose peoples pride themselves on "remembering," whether on occasion forgetfulness mightn't be a more needed virtue.

Today in Bethlehem, Benedict XVI urged his Christian hearers to "Be a bridge of dialogue and constructive cooperation in the building of a culture of peace to replace the present stalemate of fear, aggression and frustration." This is what he himself is striving to be -- by his presence, by his words and by his patient resolve to persistently preach the Good News "in season and out of season" (2 Timothy 4:2).

Legionary of Christ Father Thomas D. Williams, an American theologian living in Rome, is providing commentary for CBS News on Benedict XVI's historic visit to the Holy Land. He is offering a chronicle of his trip for ZENIT as well.

Bethlehem and Nazareth

Pope admission to Betlehem (Palestinian Authority)

Wednesday, 13 May 2009

Golden Gate to Chapel of Ascension

The Cedron Valley prepared to welcome the Pope

In the Cedron Valley preparations for Benedict XVI’s visit proceed. The most spacious Catholic Church in Jerusalem is the Church of All Nations, in Gethsemane, which can congregate 800 people. However, it is still small for the number of Catholics that will participate in the Mass with the Pope.
The Franciscans have made available a part of the field that they acquired in 1666, which at the time probably formed one estate with the garden of Olives. Father Pierbattista Pizzaballa, Custodian of the Holy Land, explains the beauty and significance of this place.
“This is definitely a very beautiful and fascinating place from a visual point of view but also because of its great significance. We are here under the Golden Gate, or the Gate of Mercy, where, according to the Arab and Jewish mentality, the Judgment Day at the end of time will take place. Near by is the Basilica of Gethsemane. We stand between the Mount of Olives and the Holy City of Jerusalem. A placed filled with so many meanings from the Biblical history of both the Old and the New Testament; here Jesus began His passion, the way to the cross and His Resurrection. Therefore, it is a place that has a truly very profound and uplifting, symbolic meaning.”
Meanwhile preparations continue to welcome 3 to 6 thousand people. A workforce is operating in 18 hours shifts so that all is ready when the Pope arrives. The choice of this place was not random, but followed with careful reflection.
“Above all we had to choose a significant place, not just a simple stadium; a place where the Christian community could come and feel it as their own.”
“As we can see, we are conducting a restoration and restructuring of the garden itself. What you see is mainly the reconstruction of the terraces that hold up the road and function as walls of the valley itself.”

Mount of Olives

The Mt. of Olives is located east of Jerusalem, across the Kidron Valley.

It offers a magnificent view of the Old City and a striking panorama as far as the Dead Sea and the mountains of Moab in the East.

The Mt. of Olives is associated with some of the most important events in Jesus' life.

Here, Jesus ascended to Heaven (Chapel of Ascension), f

oretold the destruction Jerusalem, taught his disciples the Lord's prayer (Pater Noster),

and wept over Jerusalem on his way to the Holy City on Palm Sunday (Church of Dominus Flevit).

The Russian Orthodox Church of St. Mary Magdalene, with its striking onion-shaped spires is also located on the Mt. of Olives.

Basilica of Agony

The Church of All Nations ( also known as the Basilica of Agony) is so named because its construction in 1924 was financed by twelve different countries. The church is built over 2 others, the Egenia dating from around 380, and a crusader basilica of around 1170. The Church is also notable for its Byzantine mosaic floor and the striking mosaic arches above the entrance.

The Church of Virgin Mary's tomb

According to tradition, the Virgin Mary, who died in Jerusalem, was buried in the Kidron Valley. The present church was built by the Crusaders over the ruins of a Byzantine basilica. The site marks the traditional place of Virgin Mary's tomb and her Assumption.