On Thursday, the Indian archdiocese informed the public that reports of its archbishop's death were fictitious. "We can confirm that His Eminence is very much alive and well and faithfully discharging his duties as Shepherd of his flock in the Archdiocese of Bombay," the statement said.

According to the archdiocese, many false messages are circulating on messaging platforms declaring the cardinal dead. "The spread of false information, whether intentionally or accidentally, can cause unnecessary fear and confusion. We therefore ask you to check the facts before passing on a message," warns the archdiocese and calls for correct and responsible communication.

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The "Bangkok Document" released by the Federation of Asian Bishops' Conferences (FABC) highlights refugees, migrants, indigenous peoples, climate change, family matters, women, and youth.

The 40-page document was presented by the federation's leaders during an online ceremony on March 15, following their general conference in Bangkok last October.

The document will be presented during the Synod on Synodality at the Vatican next year.

Bishop Allwyn D'Silva, Auxiliary Bishop of Bombay and FABC 50 General Conference Adjunct Secretary, hosted an online event on Wednesday. "This document is going to make a difference to the Church of Asia," he began, "and the Church of Asia can offer this document to the universal Church."

The meeting drew Church leaders and delegates from approximately 29 countries, marking the federation's golden jubilee. The Asian Continental Synod Assembly was held from 24-26 February after the gathering.

Cardinal Charles Bo of Yangon, president of the Federation, said the document highlights the Asian Church's "journey together by responding to the call of ideality, reflecting on the various emerging realities confronting the Church in Asia, and envisioning new pathways for the future".

The beginning of the journey

The former president of the Federation, Cardinal Oswald Gracias of Bombay (pictured), added that the document is not a "finished product [but] the beginning of [the] journey" and should be approached as "a spiritual document".

The "Bangkok Document" is divided into five parts based on the biblical narrative of the three Magi: journeying together, looking, discerning, offering gifts, and making new pathways. The document is expected to give a fuller expression and affirmation to FABC's longstanding affirmation to triple-dialogue, particularly with religion, culture, and the poor of Asia.

The document aims to articulate the new directions that the Federation feels it is called to undertake in the wider dynamics of the life and mission of the Church in Asia.

The Asian Bishops "Bangkok Document" will be distributed throughout all dioceses and parishes in Asia and is open to further improvements, according to FABC officials. The continental synod's report provides a roadmap for Asian churches to tackle issues that are prevalent in their societies and contribute to the wider Church.

Sources

UCA News

Vatican News

He's a member of the council of cardinals re-writing the Vatican's constitution, and he was also tapped to be one of the four coordinators of a recent Church summit on the protection of minors.

Gracias told Crux said that the reorganization of the Roman Curia - the central government of the Catholic Church - will have a "Francis effect," and have evangelization, service and charity as its three key pillars.

Crux spoke with Gracias on July 3 about the Vatican's new constitution, a possible papal visit to India, and other issues.

What follows are excerpts of that conversation.

You were in Rome last week for the meeting of the council of cardinals that advises the pope, and now you're back. What brought you to the Eternal City this time?

Several things, meetings … I'm participating in the anglophone meeting for the protection of minors that brings together English-speaking bishops from around the world. I also had a meeting at the Secretariat of State to follow up on the February meeting [the summit on sexual abuse.]

The pope recently issued two motu proprios that are connected to that meeting, which focused on the protection of minors. When will we see the next follow-up to that meeting?

We've had a few meetings already, and I hope that by the end of the year we're going to have formalized our contributions.

Some changes in canon law might still follow, and we also want to put more flesh on the pope's motu proprio.

There's one area in the protection of minors that is to make sure that the perpetrators don't do it again.

But there's also the promotion of good practices to create safe environments, through the training of priests, laity, family - prevention. And that is something that we need to take care of.

There are a lot of challenges still, but a lot is being done.

The new constitution is clearly no longer coming out "before the summer." What is its new due date?

It was wishful thinking to think that it would come out in June.

The draft is ready, but we asked for feedback from all over the world and the Curia. And there have been a lot of comments that we haven't been able to see yet.

There's a group working on it, and tomorrow I will have a Skype conference to follow up.

But my hope is that either by September - or December at the latest - the constitution will be public.

Is it true that there are some sections that are still being written, like the role of the spokesperson or that of the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors?

The draft is ready; but some issues have come up, and we're reviewing them.

Like the whole question of how much should these be linked to the Curia or be more independent. For instance, the spokesperson.

Is it that they are the spokesman for the pope, or the Curia?

Because one is more concrete, the other gives them more access.

What will be some of the new elements of the constitution, Praedicate Evangelium?

One key element is that the Curia has to be at the service of the pope but also the bishops' conferences.

The Curia is appointed by the pope, but it has to help everyone.

It will eventually require changes in canon law, because the Curia has always been at the service of the pope, but now it will be at the service of the pope and other bishops, of the universal Church.

This is a major change.

Another major change is that we have given episcopal conferences a central place, even if there's still some doubts about what their juridical validity is.

But they are effective and a present situation in the world, so there's a section on them.

Synodality and collegiality have also come out, but the principal things are being at the service of the pope and the bishops.

What does it mean that the Curia will be at the service of the bishops' conferences? Continue reading

• Image: Crux

"On behalf of the Catholic Church in India, and on my own behalf, I extend my heartiest congratulations to you and to the Bharatiya Janata Party on the emphatic election victory.

"The people of India have given a clear mandate for a stable and effective Government," wrote Cardinal Oswald Gracias, the Archbishop of Bombay and president of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of India. Read more

Zollner says he believes the reason for calling the 21-24 February summit is because "this is a very urgent, very challenging moment for the Church and an urgent question which the Holy Father has made a priority for himself and for the Church, by calling for this unique meeting."

Zollner is the head of the Center for Child Protection at Rome's Pontifical Gregorian University and a member of the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minor.

He is also a member of the organising committee for the summit.

Others include Cardinal Blase Cupich of Chicago, Cardinal Oswald Gracias from India and Archbishop Charles Scicluna of Malta, the Vatican's former top prosecutor of sex abuse crimes.

The heads of all bishop's conferences throughout the world will attend the gathering, as well as members of Eastern Catholic Churches and religious superiors.

Echoing the Pope's words, Zollner says the summit will be a meeting of "pastors" who will come together to pray, and who will "listen to be informed about what they need to do, and to own that."

While a three-day-meeting is not enough to dive into complex issues such as implications related to canon law, there needs to be follow-through on what is discussed.

One goal will be to achieve some sort of global uniformity in terms of best-practices in abuse prevention and prosecution.

"At the same time, there can be no one-size-fits-all guideline for the whole Church, because our languages do not translate certain concepts, the law systems are completely different, the political and social situations are very diverse," he says.

"If Rome comes and gives everybody one guideline, everyone thinks things are solved once and for all," but this is not the case, he said. "You need to be sure those responsible do the work."

Source

• National Catholic Reporter
• Crux Now
• Image: America Magazine

Greg Burke, Director of the Holy See's Press Office, says next February's "unprecedented" meeting shows "Pope Francis has made the protection of minors a fundamental priority for the Church".

The meeting is not only "about keeping children safe from harm worldwide", however.

"Pope Francis wants Church leaders to have a full understanding of the devastating impact that clerical sexual abuse has on victims", says Burke.

Although the meeting is primarily for bishops, who bear responsibility for the "grave problem", Burke says lay men and women who are experts in the field of abuse will also be on hand to give their input.

It is they who "can help address especially what needs to done to ensure transparency and accountability", he says.

The Holy See press office says the Reverend Hans Zollner SJ has been named by Pope Francis as both a member and the contact person for the committee. Other members include:

• Cardinal Blase J. Cupich
• Cardinal Oswald Gracias
• the Most Reverend Charles Scicluna

Others involved in preparatory work will include Dr Gabriella Gambino and Dr Linda Ghisoni, as well as the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors and some victims of abuse by members of the clergy.

The Holy See press office says besides Pope Francis, the February meeting will include:

• the Heads of the Oriental Catholic Churches
• the Superiors of the Secretariat of State
• the Prefects of the Congregations for the Doctrine of the Faith, for the Oriental Churches, for Bishops, for the Evangelization of Peoples, for the Clergy, for Institutes of Consecrated Life and for Societies of Apostolic Life, and of the Dicastery for Laity, the Family and Life
• the Presidents of the Episcopal Conferences
• representatives of the Union of Superiors General and of the International Union of Superiors General

Source

• National Catholic Register
• Vatican News
• NZ Herald
• Image: Vatican News

This request was put to Cardinal Oswald Gracias from India, who is a member of the so-called C8 council which is advising Pope Francis on reform of the Roman Curia.

Cardinal Gracias and Honduran Cardinal Oscar Rodriguez Maradiaga, who heads the C8, were interviewed by Jesuit Fr Thomas Reese, last month.

This was before the latest C8 meeting at the Vatican early this month.

Part of C8 members' work thus far has been to collect suggestions from around the world, Fr Reese wrote.

Most of the bishops' conferences in Asia asked Cardinal Gracias why liturgical translations could not be done at the conference level, especially for languages in which Rome has no expertise, Fr Reese noted.

This is ironic, since Cardinal Gracias is a member of the Vox Clara group appointed by the Vatican to oversee the latest English translations.

"I know about this issue," Cardinal Gracias told Fr Reese. "I think they have a point."

"But I also worry about a bad translation leading to misunderstanding and dogmatic error 50, 100 years from now. So there has to be a balance."

He also noted, "Some conferences are too small to do the work".

"On the other hand, maybe the conferences would do a better job if they thought they would be responsible. Now they know that someone in Rome will check it. I am not sure on this."

Cardinal Ridriguez also hinted that chairs of liturgical committees in bishops' conferences could be members of the Congregation for Divine Worship.

This is how CELAM, the Latin American bishops' council, operates, Cardinal Rodriguez said.

Fr Reese noted that the C8 has set a December deadline for proposing reforms.

Reforms could include limiting service in the Vatican to five years, bringing more laity into the Curia, not making Vatican officials bishops or cardinals, and appointing more diocesan bishops with expertise to serve on congregations and councils, Fr Reese continued.

"These would be earth-shaking reforms for the Vatican," he said.

Among the topics the C8 discussed in July was procedures for the appointment of bishops, but no decisions were made.

Sources

• National Catholic Reporter
• Independent Catholic News
• Image: IBN Live