CBCP NEWS - Laiko wants organizers of CCP exhibit sued

The CCP and Mideo Cruz have blasphemed and sacrileged the Lord Jesus and His beloved Mother the Virgin Mary - the King and Queen-Mother of our Nation. What Mideo Cruz has done is not only improper but evil... it is Satanic at best. The entire CCP officers must resign. Their concept of Art is not based on what is True, Good and Beautiful but based on distortions, lies and deception. Shame on the Aquino Government for this insult hurled against the Lord and the Blessed Mother.

MANILA, August 9, 2011―With reports about the
closure of the so-called offensive and obscene art exhibit at the
Cultural Center of the Philippines, the executive secretary of
Sangguniang Layko ng Pilipinas Edgardo J. Tria Tirona said he
appreciates the decision of the authorities at the government-owned
institution.

However, he said there is a need to continue the prosecution of
people involved in the exhibit because “a lot of damage” has been done
to the Catholic and other Christian churches.

“Prosecuting those behind the exhibit will teach them a lesson so
that no such ugly episode will be repeated,” he told CBCPNews Tuesday
morning.

Tria Tirona said the approach to create a come-on to exhibits has
already been used time and again, adding that “kumita na ang
pa-kontrobersyal na approach sa exhibits.”

He said it is imperative that the organizers be made to pay for their offensive behavior. 

Meanwhile, the University of Sto Tomas has issued a statement
condemning the art exhibit of Mideo Cruz, an alumnus of the pontifical
university.

“We (Theology professors) strongly denounce the work [of Mideo Cruz]
as spiritually outrageous and demeaning, blasphemous and sacrilegious,
offensive, educationally confusing, misleading, and even scandalous,
particularly to the Catholic faithful and the Thomasian community,” said
Allan Basas, secretary of the Institute of Religion, in a news report
from the Varsitarian.

UST Rector Rolando de la Rosa also said Mideo's interpretation of freedom of artistic expression has gone overboard.

Whether inside or outside the University, Thomasians should “behave
according to the Catholic values imbibed [as] students, and one of these
values is the sense of decency,” de la Rosa said. (Melo Acuna)

Archaeologists Report Finding St. Philip's Tomb

St. Philip the Apostle by El Greco

ROME, JULY 29, 2011 (Zenit.org).- Archaeologists are asserting that they have uncovered the tomb of the Apostle Philip.

The
discovery took place in Pamukkale, former Hierapolis, in Western
Anatolia, Turkey, the city where Philip died, after having preached in
Greece and in Asia Minor.

The discovery was made by an Italian archaeological mission that
began in 1957, and today is made up of an international team, directed
since the year 2000 by Francesco D'Andria, professor of the University
of Salento.

In reporting the announcement, L'Osservatore Romano pointed out that
an important step in the search for St. Philip's tomb was achieved in
2008, when the team identified the processional street that pilgrims
followed to reach the apostle's sepulcher. 

"Next to the Martyrion (octagonal building of worship, built on the
spot where St. Philip was martyred), we have found a fifth-century
basilica with three naves," explained the mission's director. "This
church was built around a first-century Roman tomb, which evidently
enjoyed the highest consideration, if the decision was made later to
build a basilica around it."

Due to these and other elements, "we have come to the certainty of
having found the tomb of the Apostle Philip, which was the aim of the
pilgrimages to that place," said D'Andria.

In the fourth century, Eusebius of Caesarea wrote that two stars
shine in Asia: John, buried in Ephesus, and Philip, "who rests in
Hierapolis."

The question linked to the apostle's death has sparked controversy.
According to an ancient tradition, he was not martyred, but the
apocryphal gospels state that he suffered martyrdom under the Romans.

SSPX ORDINATIONS ILLIGITIMATE!

Pope St. Pius X never tolerated disobedience to the Pope

Vatican City, Jul 5, 2011 / 01:03 pm (CNA/EWTN News).-
The Vatican spokesman Father Federico Lombardi, S.J., has dismissed the
recent ordination of 20 priests by the Society of Saint Pius X as
illegitimate. 

“As long as the Society does not have a canonical
status in the Church - Benedict XVI underlines - its ministers do not
exercise legitimate ministries in the Church,” said Father Lombardi in
response to a question from CNA at a July 5 media conference. 

Fr. Lombardi said that the Society’s canonical status will not be resolved “until the doctrinal questions are clarified.” 

The
Society of Saint Pius X is a traditionalist group founded in 1970 by
the Frenchman Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre. Their relationship with the
Vatican soured in 1988 when Archbishop Lefebvre consecrated four bishops
against the orders of Pope John Paul II. It was an act deemed to be
schismatic by the Vatican. 

While the excommunication of the four
bishops was lifted by Pope Benedict XVI in 2009, the Society still has
not fully resolved doctrinal disagreements with the Catholic Church,
which are mainly tied to the Second Vatican Council.

Over the
past two weeks, the Society has ordained priests in ceremonies in
Switzerland, Germany and the United States. The latter ordinations took
place on June 17 at the group’s seminary in Winona, Minn. and were
conducted by the St. Pius X’s Superior General, Bishop Bernard Fellay.
He used his homily to accuse the Vatican of lacking unity and
consistency in negotiations with the Society. 

“When I speak of
contradiction, my dear brethren, I mean that certain people in Rome
consider us as being outside the Church, excommunicated, and even as
having lost the Faith and being heretics. But there are others who very
clearly accept us as Catholics,” he told the congregation gathered for
the ordination of five priests. 

“When Bishop de Galarreta (a Pius
X bishop) and our priests go to Rome for the doctrinal discussions,
they say Mass in St. Peter’s Basilica. How can you have both attitudes
at the same time? Do you see how strong this contradiction is?” 

Pope
Benedict has been eager to heal the rift between the Pius X Society and
the Church. In 2007 he made it easier to celebrate Mass according to
the older Tridentine rite, saying he hoped it would lead to “an interior
reconciliation in the heart of the Church.” But today’s developments
won’t make that reconciliation any easier to achieve.

After 93 years, Corpus Christi procession to take place in St. Petersburg, Russia

Catholic Cathedral in Moscow, Russia

 

 

Rome, Italy, June 23 (CNA)
.- The mayor of St. Petersburg, Russia has granted permission for the
first Corpus Christi procession to take place in the city since 1918.

 

The announcement was confirmed by the Archdiocese of the Mother of God
in Moscow, reported Vatican Radio. The procession will take place on
Sunday, June 26, through the Prospettiva Nevsky Avenue, the city's main
street.

 

The avenue has traditionally been called the "way of confessional
tolerance," as it is lined with Catholic, Orthodox, Lutheran and
Armenian churches. According to archdiocesan officials, the last time a
Corpus Christ procession took place on the avenue was in 1918. 

 

Now, 93 years later, Catholics will return to the Prospettiva Nevsky Avenue led by Archbishop Paolo Pezzi of Moscow.

Rome to consider possible miracle of ‘Rosary Priest’

The Servant of God Fr. Patrick Peyton

 

Rome to consider possible miracle of ‘Rosary Priest’

By Kevin J. Jones

 

Albany, N.Y., Jun 25, 2011 / 06:55 am (CNA).-
A possible miraculous cure attributed to Catholic media pioneer Fr.
Patrick Peyton, C.S.C., could advance the beatification cause of the
“Rosary Priest” known for his motto “The family that prays together,
stays together.”

A tribunal based in the Diocese of Albany has investigated the alleged miracle and will forward its findings to Rome on June 28.

The details of the possible miracle cannot be shared at this point,
explained Fr. John Phalen, C.S.C., president of Holy Cross Family
Ministries. However, he did report that the case involves a man in his
sixties who was admitted to the hospital with “life-threatening,
multiple organ failure.”

“His family prayed to Father Peyton and they strongly felt that he
was healed through intercessory prayer.  The medical community has
offered information to support this belief,” Fr. Phalen said.

The man’s family is from the Albany area and was “very well aware” of
the famous local priest, said Susan Wallace, director of external
relations at Holy Cross Family Ministries.

“We all love Fr. Peyton dearly. There are many people who tell me
every day ‘Oh he’s a saint, he doesn’t need all that paperwork,” she
told CNA on June 23.

“But it is important for us to move this forward. Any time we make
any progress, we celebrate. We’re very, very pleased. We’re excited to
be moving forward and meeting these milestones.”

Bishop Howard J. Hubbard of Albany and Dr. Andrea Ambrosi, the
postulator of Fr. Peyton’s cause, asked the tribunal to conduct a
thorough review of all aspects of the possible miracle. The tribunal
findings will be forwarded to the Congregation of the Causes of the
Saints in Rome.

Bishop Hubbard will celebrate a closing liturgy for the tribunal at Albany’s St. Vincent de Paul Church at noon on June 28.

Fr. Phalen said Holy Cross Family Ministries, which Fr. Peyton
founded, hears frequently from people around the world who believe they
were healed by the priest’s intercession.

“Many others simply share stories of being touched by his holiness,”
Fr. Phalen explained. “While they may already consider him a saint, we
are all pleased to see progress in his cause.”

Wallace said Fr. Peyton’s entire ministry was rooted in the Family Rosary prayed in his home growing up.

“He knew how strong that made his family,” she said, deeming his motto about family prayer to be “still relevant and powerful.”

“There’s a great need for families to come together and pray,” she added.

Fr. Peyton emigrated from Ireland to the United States in 1928 at the
age of 19. Ordained to the priesthood in 1941, he founded the Family
Rosary apostolate in Albany, New York the following year. He conducted
Rosary crusades in 40 countries and drew 28 million attendees. 

In 1947 he created Family Theater Productions, which has produced
about 600 radio and television programs featuring hundreds of actors and
celebrities. More than 10,000 of these programs have been broadcast.

The priest died in 1992 and was declared a Servant of God in 2001.

Holy Cross Family Ministries runs a website about Fr. Peyton and his cause for beatification at http://www.fatherpeyton.org.

Iraqi sister founding religious order to serve Boston's spiritually poor

Sis. Yolga Yaqob

 

 

Iraqi sister founding religious order to serve Boston's spiritually poor

By Marianne Medlin

 

Boston, Mass., Jun 23, 2011 / 06:05 am (CNA).-
Iraqi Sister Olga Yaqob is beginning a women's religious order in the
Boston archdiocese this year, to carry out the Church's mission to
evangelize.

“Our main spirituality will focus on Jesus, and then carry His
presence out into the world,” Sr. Olga of the Eucharist told CNA on June
21.

“I have seen a lot of spiritual poverty in our country – people who
are spiritually hungry,” she said. “They don't know what kind of loving
Father we have, what kind of beautiful faith our Catholic Church has.”

The 44 year-old sister – known for her tireless energy and beloved by
her students – responded to an invitation from Cardinal Sean O'Malley
to start the new order and is leaving her current post as chaplain at
Boston University.

Sr. Olga explained in a June 21 interview that the process of
founding the Daughters of Mary, Our Lady of Nazareth has been three
years in the making.

She said that Cardinal O'Malley was familiar with her personal story,
including her conversion to the Roman Catholic Church six years ago
after being a member of the Assyrian Church in Iraq and starting a
women's order there in 1995.

“He knew a lot about the history of my vocation and ministry in Iraq
and also here in the United States before he received me into his
diocese,” she said.

After observing her work with young people at Boston University, as
well as her service to parishes throughout the archdiocese, the cardinal
asked Sr. Olga in 2008 if she would consider founding a new women's
religious community.

“To be honest I was really sort of surprised – I never thought I
would do something like this again,” she said, “and humanly speaking I
was a little bit afraid as well because it takes a lot of suffering to
start a new order.”

However, she said that ultimately, “it wasn't really so much
questioning cardinal's discernment, it was more just to discern the
timing.”

Sr. Olga noted that the decision to launch the effort this year was
perfect, and that “it's really amazing to see the response since the
announcement has been made.”

She said that a group of young women from Boston University have been
discerning joining the community with her and she's been receiving
phone calls from parishes and adult Catholic communities in the area as
well as from people out of state.  

“It's been really a tremendous response,” she said.

Right now, however, the main tasks at hand are drafting the order's
constitutions and looking for possible locations for a convent.

“I've told everyone that until the constitutions are signed by His
Eminence I won't be able to officially welcome anyone,” she said.
Meanwhile, the Iraqi sister has already started the official steps “in
terms of writing the constitution and other canonical steps.”

Sr. Olga said that “if everything comes together” the community will open by fall or the end of this year.

She noted that the chosen name of the order – the Daughters of Mary,
Our Lady of Nazareth –  has “a lot to do with the ministry that we will
be doing.”

“We will be a very Eucharistic and Marian order – Eucharistic
communion, daily adoration, and Marian devotion,” she said. “These will
be the two lungs we will be breathing out of as religious women.”

“I personally chose the words 'daughters' instead of 'sisters' of
Mary because it keeps us focused on that element of humility,” Sr. Olga
said. “We always look up to our mother to teach us and guide us and lead
us as we try to bring the good news of Jesus' love and mercy to the
world.”

She said that the group “will be a contemplative and apostolic
community,” meaning that they will base their spirituality off of
contemplative prayer but still go out into the community to perform
“corporal and spiritual works of mercy.”

Sr. Olga also said the order's habits will consist of a simple blue gown and veil along with a draped rosary.

She emphasized how the “presence of a religious sister wearing a
habit, bringing a smile and that motherly face of the Church” serves as
profound witness to the surrounding culture.

“To have that spiritual presence of a religious sister and bringing
that motherhood of the Church – it's very much needed in our country,”
she said. 

Colombian criminals request help from Church to turn themselves in

The Archbishopric Cathedral of Bogotá is a Roman Catholic cathedral located at the eastern side of Bolívar Square in Bogotá, D.C., Colombia. It is seat of the Archbishop of Bogotá, Cardinal Mon. Pedro Rubiano Saenz. Alongside the Cathedral is the Sacred Chapel and the Archbishop's Palace.

Bogotá, Colombia, June 22 (CNA)
.- About 5,000 individuals involved in organized crime in Colombia have
expressed a willingness to turn themselves in to police. They have
asked for the assistance of the Church to do so.

"There
are some 5,000 individuals, and this requires some logistics. The
government needs to assure them that certain rights are going to be
respected: where this will take place, who will take custody of them,
where they will be going once they surrender," Bishop Julio Cesar Vidal
of Monteria, Colombia said.

Bishop
Vidal noted that the persons in question are not interested in
negotiations but rather that the Church finds a way for them to discuss
surrendering.

According
to EFE news agency, among the large group wanting to surrender to
authorities are two of Colombia's most wanted men who have been key
leaders of the drug cartel, Javier Antonio Calle and Maximiliano
Bonilla.

"Many
of these individuals have told me they know that people won't believe
there are so many, but that their surrender would be great news and a
surprise for the world, although they acknowledge that 'this is not
easy.' They say, 'We are at war but we are working toward our goal of
surrendering'," Bishop Vidal said.

Church operating 117,000 centers for AIDS patients worldwide

Mother Teresa of Calcutta, taking good care of the poor

 

 

Vatican City, May 27 (CNA/EWTN News)
.- The president of the Pontifical Council for Health Care reported
that the Catholic Church is currently running 117,000 centers to care
for AIDS patients throughout the world.

Archbishop
Zygmunt Zimowski told L'Osservatore Romano that in the past 30 years,
more than 60 million people have contracted HIV, mostly in Africa. He
spoke to the Vatican paper on the eve of a congress on the treatment and
prevention of HIV and AIDS.

The
conference is taking place May 27-28. It was organized by the Good
Samaritan Foundation, instituted by Blessed John Paul II in 2004 and
entrusted to the Pontifical Council for Health Care.

He
underscored the testimony of "numerous health care workers and
volunteers who, in their courageous care for the sick … have themselves
contracted the infection."

 

He also highlighted the work by Blessed Teresa of Calcutta and the late
Cardinal John Joseph O'Connor of New York, "who promoted numerous heath
care centers for AIDS victims" and "many treatment and assistance
programs in the United States and in other poor countries."

 

The congress is intended to respond to the questions of "many bishops
who contact our dicastery in order to receive constant help, with
material assistance but above all with information on the latest
advances in science in the fight against this disease," Archbishop
Zimowski said.

 

The objectives of the congress include the improvement of pastoral and
health care for AIDS victims and the encouragement of the developed
world  to show solidarity with poor countries, "as too many people die
without access to the treatment they need, especially antiretrovirals"
currently available only in developed countries.

 

In 2008, then-president of the Pontifical Council for Health Care,
Cardinal Javier Lozano Barragan, reported that 27 percent of
institutions around the world caringfor AIDS patients are Catholic; 44
percent are governmental; 11 percent are operated by NGOs; and 8 percent
are run by other religious confessions.

PNoy sounds like Marcos, says prelate

The Madonna and Child

MANILA, May 13, 2011 — President Benigno Simeon C. Aquino III's latest pitch for the controversial RH bill drew more adverse reactions from Catholic bishops today.

It was earlier reported (by Philippine Daily Inquirer) that President Aquino has said that whoever calls for non-payment of taxes and other forms of civil disobedience will possibly face sedition charges.

Several prelates reached by CBCPNews said sedition charges are most welcome.

"He can put us all in jail. We are willing to pay the price to save the unborn from modern Herods and save the executioners from the grasp of the evil one," Lipa Archbishop Ramon Cabrera Arguelles told CBCPNews.

Cotabato Auxiliary Bishop Jose Collin Bagaforo said "Amen! We obey God rather than man."

He considers PNoy's threat of sedition threat as "most welcome."

Former CBCP President Archbishop Angel N. Lagdameo called on the Catholic faithful to "wait and see" as he emphasized the need for both sides to be calm, reasonable and "consider the moral aspect of the issue."

"In the end, we must obey God and not man," the 71 year-old prelate concluded.

But Sorsogon Bishop Arturo Bastes has a single message to President Aquino: "Let him charge all of us bishops, priests, religious, all the faithful with sedition." He added it is better to obey God rather than men and immoral laws.

For CBCP Legal Counsel Jo Imbong said if grounded on one's religious convictions that violates the free exercise clause or freedom of religious belief, then "Let's all Jericho march to jail."

But Archbishop Arguelles, former Military Ordinary, said "He (President Aquino)
sounds like Marcos when his mother called for civil disobedience. What happened
to his mother's terrorist and his father's tormentor?"

Former Senate President Aquilino Q. Pimentel, Jr. told CBCPNews the statement at this point "is plain and simple hot air." He explained there's no RH law yet or actual call for civil disobedience. (Melo Acuña)

CBCP News :: Official news service of Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines Media Office

Source URL (retrieved on 05/14/2011 - 22:16): http://www.cbcpnews.com/?q=node/15499

PRO-LIFE DEBATERS OVERWHELMINGLY DEFEATED THE PRO-RH BILL IN HARAPAN DEBATE OF ABS-CBN

The Madonna and Child brought us Victory over the Condomists and the Abortionists and the Pillists on the Mothers Day Debate with the forces of Death

Question: RH Bill ipasa o ibasura?

The final poll results are:

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXx Ipasa 34.62%


XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX Ibasura 65.38%

These results are no earthquake, and no tsunami, but it looks like the wind beneath our wings was sufficient to grant us a wave strong enough to WIN CONVINCINGLY!

Congratulations to the pro-life panelists. You have fought a good fight, and we thank God that you are there.

Let us continue to move forward, knowing that real pro-life victory requires gaining "converts" DAILY! Dream pro-life and reap abundant life.

We can continue winning only if we are UNITED.

All it takes is political will, which is really synonymous to love of neighbor.


MANALIG TAYO SA DIYOS. IBASURA ANG RH BILL!

FR. ABE:

I watched the Debate last night and it was really nice. Our debaters were very clear and direct to the point. The pro-RH Bill were refuted convincingly point by point. One lady pro-RH Bill even deceptively used some quotes from Pope Gregory and the CBCP in order to appear as if the use of Contraception is acceptable to the Catholic Church but her position was found to be based on distortion. Later she admitted being a non-Catholic. It is a classic case of the devil quoting the Sacred Scriptures.

I salute Fr. Melvin Castro and Cong. Golez for leading our panel to victory.

THIS IS A MAJOR VICTORY.

BECAUSE OUR OPPONENTS, THE CONDOMISTS AND THE ABORTIONISTS, WERE CLAIMING THAT MAJORITY OF THE PEOPLE ARE IN FAVOR OF THE RH BILL. THEY ARE USING THEIR BOGUS SURVEYS. NOW, IN AN OPEN DEBATE WATCHED LIVE BY THE FILIPINO PEOPLE... IN A MANNER SIMILAR TO 'PINOY BIG BROTHER' AND THE 'PHILIPPINE IDOL' THE FILIPINOS REJECTED THE RH BILL IN A LANDSLIDE VOTE: 65 % AGAINST.

PRAISE BE JESUS THE RISEN LORD, THE KING OF KINGS. ALLELUIA.

AVE MARIA PURISSIMA.



RIGHT DURING THE CELEBRATION OF THE MOTHERS DAY THE VIRGIN MARY CRUSHED THE SERPENT OF RH BILL. GLORY TO GOD IN THE HIGHEST...



LORD GOD, CRUSH THE HEAD OF THE SERPENT IN THE FORM OF RH BILL. GRANT US TOTAL VICTORY IN THIS WAR AGAINST THE CULTURE OF DEATH. LET THE GOSPEL OF LIFE TRIUMPH OVER THE POWER OF SATAN'S DEATH. AMEN.

BEATIFICATION OF BLESSED JOHN PAUL THE GREAT THE LARGEST EVER

1M Pilgrims Make for Most Crowded Beatification Ever

Simple and Powerful Pour Into St. Peter's

By Jesús Colina

VATICAN CITY, MAY 1, 2011 (Zenit.org).- More than 1 million pilgrims participated in the most crowded beatification in history today in Rome.

A huge round of applause rose up from St. Peter’s Square, passing along the Via della Conciliazione and side streets to the Circus Maximus -- where thousands of people followed the celebration on video screens -- when Benedict XVI read the formula of beatification.

“We grant that the venerable Servant of God John Paul II, Pope, henceforth be called Blessed and that his feast may be celebrated in the places and according to the regulations established by law, every year on Oct. 22,” he read in Latin.

A smiling portrait of Karol Wojtyla, from a 1995 photograph, was uncovered at that moment on a large banner that hung from the main loggia of St. Peter’s Basilica. The pilgrims, many from Poland, were unable to hold back their tears.

The French nun Marie Simon-Pierre, whose inexplicable healing from Parkinson’s disease made it possible to conclude the beatification process, along with Sister Tobiana, the Polish nun who assisted John Paul II’s physician, carried in procession a relic of Karol Wojtyla, a cruet of his blood.

Security opened St. Peter’s Square at 2 a.m., a few hours before the scheduled time of 5:30, in anticipation of the overwhelming numbers.

The “powerful” of the world were also present: 62 delegations led by heads of state and government as well as royal families, besides the other countries officially represented.

Representing Italy were President Giorgio Napolitano and Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi; representing Poland was President Bronislaw Komorowski; José Manuel Durão represented the European Commission.

Representing Israel was Yossi Peled, a member of the Knesset, who was saved during the Holocaust by a Belgian Catholic family.

Prior to the celebration Peled remarked that the event was “especially significant.” John Paul II, he said, “was born in a period in which one breathed an atmosphere of publicly approved anti-Semitism” but “he rebelled and challenged those who wanted to enslave the human race.”

Mexico was represented by President Felipe Calderón and Honduras by Porfirio Lobo.

Five royal houses were present: those of Spain, Belgium, Luxembourg, Lichtenstein and the United Kingdom.

The United States was represented by its ambassador to the Holy See, Miguel Díaz; Cuba by Caridad Diego Bello, head of the Office for Religious Questions of the Central Committee of the Party; and France by Prime Minister François Fillon.

Some 2,300 journalists were present and 1,300 televisions stations.

POPE JOHN PAUL THE GREAT BEATIFIED BY POPE BENEDICT XVI IN THE HOLY MASS ATTENDED BY ABOUT 2 MILLION PILGRIMS

GOD OUR ALMIGHTY FATHER WE PRAISE AND THANK YOU FOR GIVING US A HOLY POPE IN THE PERSON OF JOHN PAUL THE GREAT. WE ASK YOU TO CONTINUOUSLY BLESS US THROUGH THE PRAYERS AND INTERCESSIONS OF BLESSED JOHN PAUL THE GREAT. AMEN.

POPE BENEDICT XVI's LATEST BOOK IN NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER LIST

NEW YORK, MARCH 18, 2011 (Zenit.org).- Benedict XVI's newest book, released last week, already made the New York Times bestseller list.

The Pope's book, "Jesus of Nazareth Part II: Holy Week -- From the Entrance into Jerusalem to the Resurrection" (Ignatius Press), which was released March 10, appeared among the world's most popular books in the recently publicized March 27 bestseller list.

Mark Brumley, president of Ignatius Press, stated: "We're delighted that 'Jesus of Nazareth: Holy Week' is an instant New York Times bestseller.

"It means that many people across the country are discovering Pope Benedict's insights into the life of Jesus Christ."

"In this way," he added, "more and more people will encounter the real Jesus, which was the Holy Father's goal in writing the book."

Brumley concluded, "It would be great if 'Jesus of Nazareth: Holy Week' became the number one book in America!"

POPE JOHN PAUL THE GREAT TO BE BEATIFIED BY POPE BENEDICT XVI

The Venerable Servant of God, John Paul the Great

Pontiff's Great Fame of Sanctity Acknowledged

VATICAN CITY, JAN. 14, 2011 (Zenit.org).- Benedict XVI is planning to preside over the beatification rite for John Paul II on May 1, Divine Mercy Sunday, in the Vatican.

A communiqué from the Congregation for Saints' Causes announced that today the Pope, in an audience with the congregation's prefect, Cardinal Angelo Amato, "authorized the dicastery to promulgate the decree of the miracle attributed to the intercession of Venerable Servant of God John Paul II (Karol Wojtyla)."

This was the final step in the process preceding the beatification rite, which will be celebrated on Divine Mercy Sunday, a feast day instituted by John Paul II.

The communiqué noted: "It is well known that, by pontifical dispensation, his cause began before the end of the five-year period which the current norms stipulate must pass following the death of a Servant of God.

"This provision was solicited by the great fame of sanctity which Pope John Paul II enjoyed during his life, in his death and after his death.

"In all other ways, the normal canonical dispositions concerning causes of beatification and canonization were observed in full."

The diocesan investigation into the cause for beatification of the Pontiff took place between June 2005 and April 2007. On Dec. 19, 2009, Benedict XVI authorized the promulgation of the decree on his predecessor's heroic virtue.

Miracle

The congregation then examined the report of a miraculous healing through the intercession of John Paul II: the cure from Parkinson's disease of Sister Marie Simon Pierre Normand of the Little Sisters of Catholic Motherhood.

The reports of medical and legal experts on the French nun's healing were submitted to the dicastery for scientific examination last Oct. 21.

The congregation noted that its experts, "having studied the depositions and the entire documentation with their customary scrupulousness, expressed their agreement concerning the scientifically inexplicable nature of the healing."

Thus, on Dec. 14, the theological consulters began an evaluation of the case, and "unanimously recognized the unicity, antecedence and choral nature of the invocation made to Servant of God John Paul II, whose intercession was effective in this prodigious healing."

On Tuesday, during the ordinary session of the congregation, the members expressed their "unanimous approval."

The prelates expressed belief in the miraculous nature of the recovery of Sister Marie Simon Pierre, "having been achieved by God in a scientifically inexplicable manner following the intercession of the Supreme Pontiff John Paul II, trustingly invoked both by Sister Simon herself and by many other faithful." The conclusions were then submitted to Benedict XVI for approval.