AUSTRALIA : CARDINAL PELL SPEAKS ON RELIGIOUS LIBERTY

Synod Bishops: Cardinal Pell on Islam, Fasting and Religious Liberty

Catholic Communications, Sydney Archdiocese,
19 Oct 2012

More than 200 bishops around the world are attending the Synod which will conclude at the end of the month

During the week 25 synod fathers spoke on various aspects of the Synod of Bishop's theme, "The New Evangelisation and the Transmission of the Christian Faith".
The Synod of Bishops is a permanent institution established by Pope Paul V1 in 1965, in response to the desire of the Fathers of the Second Vatican Council to keep alive the positive spirit engendered by the conciliar experience.
However this month the XXIII Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops is the largest Synod in the history of the church.
During every Synod there are interventions of the Synod Fathers, of which the Archbishop of Sydney, Cardinal George Pell is one.

Cardinal George Pell in Rome attending the Synod

Cardinal Pell was one of five prelates this week who discussed Islam in their intervention.
Cardinal Pell spoke on Islam, fasting and religious liberty.
He said; "Next year will be the 1700th anniversary of the Edict of Milan, when Emperor Constantine promulgated religious freedom in the Roman Empire.
In some European and English-speaking countries Christian religious liberties are being limited by the Courts, by regulations, sometimes by parliaments.
Much more seriously we see examples of violent persecution of Catholics in the Middle East, Africa and parts of Asia.

Pope Benedict XVI at the opening of the Synod of Bishops

Religious liberty, as a basic human right for all law-abiding religious followers, should be a topic in the final message and in the small group discussions.
Recently I hosted a dinner to celebrate the breaking of the Ramadan fast. The Sunni mufti was on my left, the head of the Shiites on my right, with Jewish representatives adjacent. The topic of the night became fasting and penance.
It quickly emerged that the only group who fasted less than our Latin Church was some Protestants. It would be a break from Jewish and Christian tradition if this ancient practice disappeared. I commend the English bishops for reintroducing the traditional Friday abstinence.

This largest Synod in history of the church

It seems to me that we need a much more developed analysis and discussion of the consequences of the Islamic presence in the Western world for the Church and re-evangelization.
At a minimum the efforts to develop local and national interfaith dialogues and friendships should be continued and broadened."
Meantime while Cardinal Pell has been in Rome his latest book has become available online.
It is called "Contemplating Christ with Luke" and comprises a series of reflections on a year's Sunday readings from the Gospel of St Luke. The Cardinal uses contemporary events and landmarks to enrich the appreciation of the Gospel's spiritual messages.

In the introduction to the book Cardinal Pell notes that Luke is a very polished story teller, more eloquent than the other gospel writers, even if he is less dramatic than St John at his best.
"We must be grateful, As St Ambrose, the Arch bishop of Milan in the second half of the fourth century pointed out, because St Luke 'told us more about Our Lord's wonderful works than the other Evangelists'," Cardinal Pell writes.
The book is available through Connorcourt Publishing at http://www.connorcourt.com/catalog1/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=224
SHARED FROM ARCHDIOCESE OF SYDNEY