"This is the meaning of calling ourselves Catholics, of speaking of the Catholic Church: it is not a sociological denomination to distinguish us from other Christians. Catholic is an adjective that means ‘universal,'" Pope Francis said in the Vatican's Paul VI Hall on Oct 13.

During his General Audience, Pope Francis explained the need to "inculturate" the Gospel "in every time and place". That is, applying the Gospel message to different peoples and cultures.

"The Church contains within herself, in her very nature, an openness to all peoples and cultures of all times. Because Christ was born, died, and rose for everyone," he said.

Francis said that what gives the Church her catholic identity is not the "imposition of any one cultural model" but in the truths that reside in diverse societies.

"It is not easy. There are many temptations to seek to impose one's own model of life as though it were the most evolved and the most appealing. How many errors have been made in the history of evangelization by seeking to impose a single cultural model."

The pope pointed to examples from Church history in which missionaries who immersed themselves deeply in other cultures were criticized by their contemporaries.

Francis mentioned the 16th-century Jesuit Fr Matteo Ricci, who spent nearly three decades in China, and another Jesuit missionary, Fr Roberto de Nobili (1577-1656), who learned Sanskrit and Tamil while ministering in India.

In his 11th live-streamed address in his cycle of catechesis on Galatians, the pope underlined that "uniformity as a rule of life is not Christian."

"Unity yes, uniformity no," he said.

Sources

• Catholic News
• Rome Reports
• Catholic News Agency

St John Paul II's Ex Corde Ecclesiae stipulated that the majority of staff at Catholic universities should be Catholic.

The LMU survey reveals conservative Catholic staff believe they are in an environment that is hostile to what they see are true Catholic values.

The survey also reports "contention" between conservative and progressive Catholic staff.

One faculty member complained that LMU hosts and honours "highly dubious theologians".

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The Pope said it is the duty of diocesan bishops and parish priests to see that the faithful "are not led into error of misunderstanding" through charitable initiatives.

He said bishops and parish priests "are to prevent publicity being given through parish or diocesan structures to initiatives which, while presenting themselves as charitable, propose choices or methods at odds with the Church's teaching".

In a motu proprio — a letter written on his own initiative — Pope Benedict said: "I intend to provide an organic legislative framework for the better overall ordering of the various organised ecclesial forms of the service of charity."

He gave these rules:

• A charitable group may call itself "Catholic" only with the written consent of Church authorities. If a particular outfit is deemed to be no longer "in conformity with the Church's teaching", the bishop should make that known and take steps to prevent it from using the title "Catholic".

• Personnel must "share, or at least respect" the Catholic identity of Church-affiliated charitable organisations, and must also "give an example of Christian life" beyond their professional competence.

• A Catholic charity may not take money "from groups or institutions that pursue ends contrary to the Church's teaching".

"Above all it's important to remember that practical actions are never enough," the Pope said. "Charity must express a genuine love for people, a love animated by a personal encounter with Christ."

He cautioned that Catholic charities must avoid becoming "just another form of organised social assistance".

The Pope gave specific praise to Caritas, saying this international agency has earned the esteem and trust of people around the world for its "generous and consistent witness of faith and ability to respond to the needs of the poor".

He said every bishop should encourage the creation of a local Caritas service or a similar body in every parish.

Sources:

The Holy See

Catholic News Agency

National Catholic Reporter

Image: Reuters

Yet I know the Church frames my identity, as basic as that. It's the source of consolation without peer. I can't slough it off: it's too embedded in the way I see the world and myself. I take it for granted in some respects, one of the products of being formed in post-WW2 Australian Catholicism, with its strong Irish inheritance.

It has been one of the most rewarding venues of growth and stimulation of any in my life. I believe that if you do hang in there, Christ's great offering from St Matthew's gospel comes true, in ways impossible to imagine: 'I have come to give you life and give it in abundance.' Abundant life: such a precious booty, not available at will.

So no, I'm not about to step aside from this easily.

But the unfolding headlines of late, together with what I've forced myself to look at square in the face, have tested these verities.

Maybe I've been through something of an epiphany, that wonderful biblical word from catechism classes which I once barely grasped. I think that deep down, I've come to believe that the world beyond the institutional church is kinder, gentler, full of more conscientious ethics, values and care for others, than the institutional Church.

That is, the much-criticised secular world in which lay people explicitly live is probably more functional and more ready to conscience-examine than the institutional Church. What an extraordinary thing! This was something of an epic realisation for me which again prompted further reflection: why then am I still a Catholic? Continue reading

Image: Flickr

Geraldine Doogue AO is an Australian journalist and radio and television host.

Almost 15 years ago, the Australian Government received Bringing Them Home: The ‘Stolen Children' Report. As far as I know, it is the only report ever which made politicians on both sides of the House, weep - such was the sadness of its contents. The report told of the removal of a whole generation of young people from their Indigenous parents, and of the placing of those young people in the care of white people: families, Churches, and Government institutions. However, another reading of the text indicates that what were also stolen were the identities of the young people: the loss of their traditional stories and beliefs; their cultural norms and values; their true sense of self.

There are comparisons to be made here with the notion of Catholic identity: who is trying to steal what? I believe that by focussing on ‘the who', we can more easily see ‘the what'. Garry Everett elaborates by naming five ‘whos': relativism, corporatisation, technology leading to lack of discernment, competition and fear. Read more

• Source: The Good Oil
• Image: Prince of Peace Catholic School, Plano TX

Garry Everett has spent all his professional life, as well as much of retirement, as an educator, and mostly of adults. Garry's enduring interests lie in family, Scripture, theology, and Church renewal. At a local level he is involved in social justice, ecumenism and Mercy Partners, a new Public Juridic Person. He is also a member of his parish council and parish St Vincent de Paul Conference.