Pope's Encyclical:
The Joy of the Gospel

(see: need to cancel "archive" in some search results) V2Catholic.com   A voice for the poor 
Edited by Hong Kong prison chaplain Fr John Wotherspoon O.M.I.  胡 頌 恆 神 父   

DV  A new menu 7 days a week to encourage people who are trying
 to follow the example of Pope Francis by concern for issues like these

 
Imitating Pope Francis Francis 

Whether it was simply fortuitous or divine coincidence that my first foray into the world of imprisonment took me to Latin America I don’t know.  Whatever it was the experience changed my understanding of prisoners and changed my life forever

Vatican II & Renewal (1)

16 Documents of Vatican II

A Call to Action
Assn Catholic Priests Ireland
Bp Pat Power
Bp Geoff Robinson
Bruce Duncan
Catalyst for Renewal
Catholica
Catholics for Ministry  
Catholics for Renewal 
STANDUP4VATICAN2
The Swag
VII - Voice of the Church
We Are Church

Excellent articles on Mission
  Hugh McMahon SSC

Courses 'brainwashing' civil servants

What are Asia's bishops telling Rome?  (...for Synod on the Family)

76. I feel tremendous gratitude to all those who are committed to working in and for the Church. Here I do not wish to discuss at length the activities of the different pastoral workers, from bishops down to those who provide the most humble and hidden services. Rather, I would like to reflect on the challenges that all of them must face in the context of our current globalized culture.

 But in justice, I must say first that the contribution of the Church in today’s world is enormous. The pain and the shame we feel at the sins of some members of the Church, and at our own, must never make us forget how many Christians are giving their lives in love. They help so many people to be healed or to die in peace in makeshift hospitals.

 They are present to those enslaved by different addictions in the poorest places on earth. They devote themselves to the education of children and young people. They take care of the elderly who have been forgotten by everyone else. They look for ways to communicate values in hostile environments. They are dedicated in many other ways to showing an immense love for humanity inspired by the God who became man.

 I am grateful for the beautiful example given to me by so many Christians who joyfully sacrifice their lives and their time. This witness comforts and sustains me in my own effort to overcome selfishness and to give more fully of myself.

In less than two days my post of a previous inmate's letter on Jamii Forums has had 600 views and 15 comments .... to keep the message spreading: Don't bring drugs to HK

This website's Tanzania File
(stopping Africans from being tricked into bringing drugs to HK)
- with links to all letters  from Tanzanian inmates  in Hong Kong prisons

South America file
(stopping South Americans from being tricked into bringing drugs to HK)
 - letters from South American inmates in HK prisons

John Paul II and Benedict XVI deconstructed/emasculated national Episcopal conferences

Sun: Africa           Mon: Europe & Russia          Tues: South Asia          Wed: East Asia    
      Thurs: S.E. Asia & Pacific        Frid: South America           Sat: Central & North America 
    Please join me in praying for one part of the world each day of the week:
Jesus, today, Tuesday, please bless the people of South Asia

On this 18th of the month, Jesus please bless the prisoners of Shandong
Please join me in praying for prisoners in one part of China each day of the month

Darlene Starrs
(Canada)

I highly recommend and encourage you to go to the Catholic Church Reform website and complete a survey for Catholic organizations and individuals. Why fill it out?  There remains hot button issues to be addressed and resolved. Issues such as the closure of parishes, the shortage of priests, 
more sexual abuse cases, the role of women, the decentralization of Rome

(I have signed the petition. jw)

This website's kind bloggers
(past and present)
with archives of articles:

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 Daniel Daring
Inigo Joachim
Brian Lewis
 Judith Lynch 
  Martin Mallon
Chris McDonnell
Bill Mulcahy 
Des O'Donnell
Darlene Starrs
 TASMAD
David Timbs 
Peter Wilkinson
   Harry Winter  
 John Wotherspoon

  Weekly Archive 
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John W:
Previous Daily Blogs

Questions from a Ewe:

Why do Catholics
 leave the church

As a theologically trained, (Master's in Theology, plus 15 years of hospital chaplaincy and various other specialized training), I am still relegated to mainly helping with setting up events, like moving tables, etc. There is nothing wrong with that, but the Church first encouraged the laity to get theologically educated, and now there are thousands who are so, now, they really don't know or are afraid to use them in the roles to which they are trained. I work for a Catholic hospital, but am still hamstrung, as are all of my similar colleagues, in areas like Sacrament of the Sick, which can only be administered by a priest. People do die before finding a priest in time, on occasion, when nationally Catholic accredited lay Chaplains are on the scene, and rendered helpless to provide exactly what the person and/or family wish from their church. How can this possibly be what God intends?

Interactive Bible Quiz - Hebrews

Based on the actual words of the Bible. 
How many times can you get 3/3 ?!

 (Also), what could be significant places of encounter and solidarity often become places of isolation and mutual distrust. Houses and neighbourhoods are more often built to isolate and protect than to connect and integrate. 

The proclamation of the Gospel will be a basis for restoring the dignity of human life in these contexts, for Jesus desires to pour out an abundance of life upon our cities.

 The unified and complete sense of human life that the Gospel proposes is the best remedy for the ills of our cities, even though we have to realize that a uniform and rigid program of evangelization is not suited to this complex reality.

 But to live our human life to the fullest and to meet every challenge as a leaven of Gospel witness in every culture and in every city will make us better Christians and bear fruit in our cities.

This website's Tanzania File
(stopping Africans from being tricked into bringing drugs to HK)
- with links to all letters  from Tanzanian inmates  in Hong Kong prisons

South America file
(stopping South Americans from being tricked into bringing drugs to HK)
 - letters from South American inmates in HK prisons

This sacred ecumenical synod earnestly desires that the venerable institution of synods and councils flourish with fresh vigor

Sun: Africa           Mon: Europe & Russia          Tues: South Asia          Wed: East Asia    
      Thurs: S.E. Asia & Pacific        Frid: South America           Sat: Central & North America 
    Please join me in praying for one part of the world each day of the week:
Jesus, today, Monday, please bless the people of Europe & North Asia

On this 17th of the month, Jesus please bless the prisoners of Shaanxi
Please join me in praying for prisoners in one part of China each day of the month

David Timbs
(Melbourne)

Francis and the Trads   Part Two                      (Part One)

In Australia the Traditionalist/Conservative blog-scape is very similar to that in many other countries. It is bleak, introspective, self-interested, self-absorbed and a very sorry little scene. There is scant evidence of a broad expansive Christian vision for the Church with a Gospel inspired radical hopefulness

(At the end of this article, see David's comments about CathNews)

Pope Francis:
Thank you Holy Spirit

Inspiring photos:

cf
cf		report 01  02

Newness, harmony, mission

Engagements of Pope Francis

Many thanks for checking
 this website each day

St Paul on Metro/Tube/MTR!

Little girl telling the story of Jonah - brilliant!

U.S. Abortion Rate Down

American and British storms are 'holding hands' over Atlantic
Satellite imagery shows the monster storms swirling 'arm-in-arm' across the Atlantic

A new survey - for the Bishops this time!      ( c.f.r.  Elephants)

Pope should consider the church's outdated annulment process

74. What is called for is an evangelization capable of shedding light on these new ways of relating to God, to others and to the world around us, and inspiring essential values. It must reach the places where new narratives and paradigms are being formed, bringing the word of Jesus to the inmost soul of our cities.

 Cities are multicultural; in the larger cities, a connective network is found in which groups of people share a common imagination and dreams about life, and new human interactions arise, new cultures, invisible cities. (But) Various subcultures exist side by side, and often practise segregation and violence.

 The Church is called to be at the service of a difficult dialogue. On the one hand, there are people who have the means needed to develop their personal and family lives, but there are also many “non-citizens”, “half citizens” and “urban remnants”. 

Cities create a sort of permanent ambivalence because, while they offer their residents countless possibilities, they also present many people with any number of obstacles to the full development of their lives. This contrast causes painful suffering. 

In many parts of the world, cities are the scene of mass protests where thousands of people call for freedom, a voice in public life, justice and a variety of other demands which, if not properly understood, will not be silenced by force.

A Jesuit, a Dominican, and a Trappist were marooned on a desert island.  They found a magic lamp, and after some discussion decided to rub it.  Lo and behold, a genie appeared and offered them three wishes.  They decided it was only fair that they could each have one wish. The Jesuit said he wanted to teach at the world's most famous university, and poof, he was gone! The Dominican wished to preach in the world's largest church, and poof, he was gone!  Then the Trappist said, "Wow, I already have my wish!"

New letter (in Swahili) from a Tanzanian inmate in a HK prison
- imploring Tanzanians to be careful of Drug Barons

This website's Tanzania File 
 (stopping Africans from being tricked into bringing drugs to HK)
-  letters  from Tanzanian inmates  in Hong Kong prisons

South America file
(stopping South Americans from being tricked into bringing drugs to HK)
 - letters from South American inmates in HK prisons

 The life of Religious - priests, brothers and nuns - in a diocese

On this 16th of the month, Jesus please bless the prisoners of Qinghai
Please join me in praying for prisoners in one part of China each day of the month

The unjust treatment
 of Bishop Bill Morris

Tribalism lives on, for better and for worse

Sexual abuse in the Church – the failure of the Vatican and Popes

Many countries and many people have put great effort into reconciliation with Japan and its people.  We must ensure that that reconciliation is not undermined by a reckless Japanese Prime Minister

New Missal – to fight or move on?

DV other African countries will soon do the same

73. New cultures are constantly being born in these vast new expanses ((modern cities)) where Christians are no longer the customary interpreters or generators of meaning.

 Instead, they themselves take from these cultures new languages, symbols, messages and paradigms which propose new approaches to life, approaches often in contrast with the Gospel of Jesus.

 A completely new culture has come to life and continues to grow in the cities. The Synod noted that today the changes taking place in these great spaces and the culture which they create are a privileged locus of the new evangelization.

 This challenges us to imagine innovative spaces and possibilities for prayer and communion which are more attractive and meaningful for city dwellers. 

Through the influence of the media, rural areas are being affected by the same cultural changes, which are significantly altering their way of life as well.

Surprise for Shanghai lovers:

Couples looking to enjoy a romantic Valentine's Day by watching a film in Shanghai could be out of luck following a campaign by single people. They have bought up all the odd-numbered seats at a prime-time showing of the movie Beijing Love Story to prevent two people sitting together. The campaign was orchestrated by a man who split up from his girlfriend last year.

A way to stop the closing down and merging of churches

On this 15th of the month, Jesus please bless the prisoners of Liaoning
Please join me in praying for prisoners in one part of China each day of the month

Liturgy - New Translation

1998 ICEL Sacramentary
Misguided Missal 
The new translation
Ghastly process/result

Ron Schmit:
 1962 Mass a condemnation of Vatican II

PrayTell

------------------------------------------

Spirituality

 Sacred Space 
 Daily prayer online.
Available in 19 languages

Jackie Evancho  - To Believe

Pray-as-you-go.org
Daily prayer with 
beautiful music

Whole text of 1966 Jerusalem Bible

Previous Smiles file

The world is in the grip of debt and deflation, and firms that can't keep up with the rigours of falling prices are falling by the roadside.
The internationalisation of China's currency, the renminbi, is funding other developing countries like Vietnam, Bangladesh and Cambodia to industrialise more cheaply, flooding the world with yet more cheap products

The IOC and FIFA think the power of money would cause all, including climate,
to bend before them

(Put this in same folder as recent sacking of Ming Pao editor etc .... HK press freedom continuing to go down the drain as media owners and government toeing the Beijing line)

Hong Kong press freedom threatened as China flexes muscles

In their daily lives people must often struggle for survival and this struggle contains within it a profound understanding of life which often includes a deep religious sense.

We must examine this more closely in order to enter into a dialogue like that of our Lord and the Samaritan woman at the well where she sought to quench her thirst (cf. Jn 4:1-15).

This website's Tanzania File 
(stopping Africans from being tricked into bringing drugs to HK)
-  letters  from Tanzanian inmates  in Hong Kong prisons

South America file
(stopping South Americans from being tricked into bringing drugs to HK)
 - letters from S. American inmates in HK prisons

    May priests turn over administration (finance, schools etc) to lay people
    ....so that priests can get back to being pastors

Sun: Africa           Mon: Europe & Russia          Tues: South Asia          Wed: East Asia    
      Thurs: S.E. Asia & Pacific        Frid: South America           Sat: Central & North America 
    Please join me in praying for one part of the world each day of the week:
Jesus, today, Friday, please bless the people of South America

On this 14th of the month, Jesus please bless the prisoners of Jilin
Please join me in praying for prisoners in one part of China each day of the month

An introduction to Evangelii Gaudium
To encourage a complete reading of this great document, I have recorded significant sentences from each paragraph

This site's full statistics
 for December 2013 

To publish an article on this site please contact Fr John Wotherspoon omi:   jdwomi@gmail.com  

If you find a broken link in this website,
  please contact: jdwomi@gmail.com

Why I collect rubbish for Pope

Taking a stand

Navigation Aids      

  Standing up to bullies

"Reform of reform" agenda

Too Western/European 

Abortion - a true story

"Same-sex marriage": two elephants
 in the men's room     

     Near Death Experiences

Globalisation of Indifference

Tale of Two Brains

John's other sites: 

www.doctorjesus.org

www.riccicenter.com 

www.simplebible.info 

www.china8.org 

  www.jesustower.com 

www.oneminuteenglish.com 

China Library
 - essential reading for anyone interested in China's Christian history

The former child star proved a tireless advocate for aid in Africa among other achievements in an age of male-dominated diplomacy

The Swiss have a long history of direct political participation and politics by referendum. In line with this tradition the bishops did not give their own answers on behalf of the people, but asked the people directly: they put a simplified version of the (Vatican's Family) questionaire online. The following is taken from the website of the Swiss bishops

- a giant in the fight against Apartheid, and a giant at the Second Vatican Council

"An excellent reflection on the narcotic of cultural and religious compliance"

This measure leaves the Government open to a charge of hypocrisy. It expresses support for families and family values. But when it suits its purposes it treats with contempt the most intimate family ties of the most vulnerable people

71. The new Jerusalem, the holy city, is the goal towards which all of humanity is moving. It is (interesting) that God’s revelation tells us that the fullness of humanity and of history is realized in a city.

 We need to look at our cities with a contemplative gaze, a gaze of faith which sees God dwelling in their homes, in their streets and squares. 

God’s presence accompanies the sincere efforts of individuals and groups to find encouragement and meaning in their lives. He dwells among them, fostering solidarity, fraternity, and the desire for goodness, truth and justice.

 This presence must not be contrived but found, uncovered. God does not hide himself from those who seek him with a sincere heart, even though they do so tentatively, in a vague and haphazard manner.

Yesterday as usual on Wednesdays I made a prison visit to Hei Ling Chau Island. The section I went to, "18C", is nicknamed "Tai Yeung Guk" ("Sun Oven") because it's like an oven in Summer. But these days, when the maximum temperature struggles to reach 10 degrees, and because "18C" is at a high exposed part of the island, its nickname changes to "Fung Ji Guk" ("Wind Freezer")!

Australian police find methamphetamine worth £99m in kayaks from China – video

This website's Tanzania File 
(stopping Africans from being tricked into bringing drugs to HK)
- letters  from Tanzanian inmates  in Hong Kong prisons

South America file
(stopping S. Americans from being tricked into bringing drugs to HK)
- letters  from South American inmates  in Hong Kong prisons

May dioceses be smaller, so that bishops have time to meet regularly with all their priests

Sun: Africa           Mon: Europe & Russia          Tues: South Asia          Wed: East Asia    
      Thurs: S.E. Asia & Pacific        Frid: South America           Sat: Central & North America 
    Please join me in praying for one part of the world each day of the week:
Jesus, today, Thursday, please bless the people of South East Asia  

On this 13th of the month, Jesus please bless the prisoners of Jianxi
Please join me in praying for prisoners in one part of China each day of the month

Chris McDonnell
(Wed UK blogger)

A silent reality

What is implied in the title of Pramuk's article is the nature of real silence that is sought out as a positive reality, not just the absence of noise.
For we do indeed live in a world that is forever noise filled, be it the chatter of people in a room or the cacophony of city life. It is hard to find silence. 
There is something liberating about such silence. You are free to dwell in it without the necessity to respond, just to be in that place and at that time

Vatican II - Renewal (2)

Hans Küng: 
 Letter to bishops  

Revolution to stop authoritarianism 

Fr Joseph Ratzinger: 
Writings on Vat II 

Robert Mickens:  
Vatican Implosion

Nicholas Lash:     Vatican II: 
Of Happy Memory - and Hope?

Robert McNally:  
Crisis & Criticism in the Church 

Priests 9 Masses a day
 - need to ordain married men

The evil of compulsory celibacy

Link between compulsory celibacy and sexual abuse

Why are women not being
 ordained to priesthood?

Thousands of Eritreans enslaved in torture camps in Sudan and Egypt

Recent spat between cardinals signals a "battle for the soul of the Church"

Australian government targets asylum seekers with graphic campaign (surely it's time for a bi-partisan convention to work out a humane way of handling this complicated problem?)

70. It is also true that at times greater emphasis is placed on the outward expressions and traditions of some groups, or on alleged private revelations which would replace all else, than on the impulse of Christian piety. 

There is a kind of Christianity made up of devotions reflecting an individual and sentimental faith life which does not in fact correspond to authentic “popular piety”. Some people promote these expressions while not being in the least concerned with the advancement of society or the formation of the laity, and in certain cases they do so in order to obtain economic benefits or some power over others.

 Nor can we overlook the fact that in recent decades there has been a breakdown in the way Catholics pass down the Christian faith to the young. It is undeniable that many people feel disillusioned and no longer identify with the Catholic tradition.

 Growing numbers of parents do not bring their children for baptism or teach them how to pray. There is also a certain exodus towards other faith communities. The causes of this breakdown include: a lack of opportunity for dialogue in families, the influence of the communications media, a relativistic subjectivism, unbridled consumerism which feeds the market, lack of pastoral care among the poor, the failure of our institutions to be welcoming, and our difficulty in restoring a mystical adherence to the faith in a pluralistic religious landscape.

The Conclave took place as expected and under scrutiny of world media. The crowds in St. Peter’s Square in Rome were multiplied many times by television and radio audiences. Most readers will know that after the white smoke had appeared, which signaled the election, there seemed an unusually long wait before the formal announcement, and the appearance of the new Pope. Not everybody may know the reason for the delay. It seems that before appearing in front of the world, the new Pope (Francis)  wanted to have a few words on the phone with his predecessor – a happy gesture and indeed a novel event! It seems however that the recipient of the call – the Pope Emeritus in Castel Gondolfo- had the phone off the hook to watch his successor on TV!
- from Reflections in the Light of Vatican II 

This website's Tanzania File
(stopping Africans from being tricked into bringing drugs to HK)
- letters  from Tanzanian inmates  in Hong Kong prisons

This website's South America file 
(stopping South Americans from being tricked into bringing drugs to HK)
- letters  from South American inmates  in Hong Kong prisons

 The need for regular and personal contact/communication/sharing  between bishop and priests

On this 12th of the month, Jesus please bless the prisoners of Jiangsu
Please join me in praying for prisoners in one part of China each day of the month

On revolving map:

Left click bottom right silver button

Left click country

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....till you find your city/town !

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Table shows location of readers:
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(..well done HK!)

Recent Hong Kong photos          Previous China photos        Ming Pao articles

Fr John Wotherspoon O.M.I.  胡 頌 恆 神 父   
 Email:   jdwomi@gmail.com  
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 China mobile  13030213703 -  out of action for the time being
Mail address: PO Box 74013 Kowloon Central Post Office, Kowloon , Hong Kong

www.China8.org  

www.DoctorJesus.org  

www.JesusTower.com

     www.OneMinuteEnglish.com

  www.RicciCenter.com

 www.SimpleBible.info