SAFCAM Communique #61 - English

SAFCAM Communique #61            24/07/2021       

Dear Subscribers

The general council will conclude their current plenary sessions this week. Let us keep them in prayer.

Fr Camiel has presented his report of the ATE visitation to the Rector Major and will move on for a well-deserved home leave break in Belgium.

ANS-Salesians News Agency:

If you are not already subscribed to the daily newsletter from ANS it would be a good idea to do so. (Just send a ‘please add my address’ to – ans_newsletter@infoans.org ) Sure we do not have time to read everything, but just getting the headlines helps us to keep in touch with useful news items from all around the salesian world. I try to read one of the 6-8 items sent out every day, and am disappointed that so few ever click ‘mi piace’ (LIKE) at the bottom of articles. The team go to the trouble of translating what is submitted to them from 6 languages into the other 5 languages and select the most significant salesian news for us, and so few make use of the service. Besides it providing some good ideas and promoting solidarity in spirit and prayer, this ANSinfo facility is an opportunity to share our own good news with others. Let’s not be only consumers but producers of good news. Among yesterday’s news is the initial presentation of the theme for Strenna 2022: “Do all through love, nothing through constraint” – a quote from St Francis de Sales

Liturgical restrictions?

Find the latest ‘motu proprio’ of Pope Francis on our website – Guardians of tradition. He has already issued over 40 of these during his pontificate! Although it may not seem very relevant in our region where the Tridentine mass hardly exists, it is important to be aware of these issues which are ‘hot-buttons’ in certain parts of the church. Pope Francis, in his concern for unity in the church, has imposed restrictions on the freedom to celebrate the pre-Vatican II rite, the mass according to the Tridentine liturgical rubrics, often wrongly called the ‘Latin mass’. He has done so because of the way this issue is being politicised or source of division in certain dioceses and parishes. It has immediately provoked much protest among conservative groups, even though most have not even read it. It is very short and easy to read, and we post it on our website for easy access. However, poor Pope Francis is receiving a lot of flack over this!

Here is what one commentator on Twitter wrote yesterday: ‘Many expressed dismay at the document’s remarkable severity and heavy-handedness, issued from the pen of a pope who routinely warns against rigidity and stresses the need for compassion, dialogue, mercy, inclusion and trips to the periphery to meet people where they are. A glaring inconsistency is evident. A pope of mercy and encounter, who has time and words of praise for Fr James Martin, Hollywood celebrities and atheist, left-leaning journalist Eugenio Scalfari, shows little time and patience for a minority of faithful Catholics.’

That should arouse your curiosity! Please read it yourselves and make up your own mind!

‘Titane’ wins top prize in Cannes Film Festival – Disgraceful!

While the media welcomed the decision of the jury in award the top prize to this movie, we deplore the agenda of this film to normalize depravity. French director Julie Ducournau is only the second woman to scoop that prize, for a movie that was one of the wildest, sexiest and most violent ever shown at the Cannes film festival. "It's the first film ever where a Cadillac impregnated a woman. That blew my mind!" Spike Lee said as he announced the result. "That's genius and craziness together." In brief, "Titane" (= ‘Titanium’) tells the story of a woman who has sex with cars and kills without a care, with brutal scenes that had many cinema-goers shielding their eyes during the opening night.

Useful video resources

https://youtu.be/8cy2ZyzjaRs - Porn-Proofing children and teens - with so many kids having easy access to the Internet, pornography is only a few clicks or taps away. All it takes is one wrong link or one influential classmate to get a young impressionable mind hooked for life. How can we prevent this from happening? And if a child has already become exposed to porn, how do we intervene before it becomes a life-long addiction? In this episode #50 of his Chastity Project, Jason Evert interviews Josh Glaser, co-author of the book “Treading Boldly through a Pornographic World.” Learn how to help youngsters avoid the damaging effects of porn.

https://youtu.be/0Fq9ROWVHv4 - Matt Fradd talks with Bishop Joseph Strickland, the Catholic bishop of Tyler, Texas about the Catholic Church’s current state, spiritually and ecclesiastically in the modern era, and discuss over 100 minutes:
– What it feels like to be a Catholic layman in today’s world
– The division in the Catholic laity in present day
– How to navigate the evil and confusion flooding both the world and the Church
– Where to stand amidst the worldly and spiritual chaos currently happening.

True confessions  

Three pastors took a day off and decided to go fishing after a busy Sunday. Sitting along the river bank, with the fish no biting, one pastor thought of sharing his heart with others. No being catholic pastors with the benefit of confession, he said - "Guys, it’s rare to get such an opportunity to be among ourselves like this. It would be good if we look at our lives honestly and help each other with our weaknesses and guilt." 

They all agreed to share on this. So, the first pastor started - "Gents, I need help! The people in my church are generous and contribute a lot of cash every week. I was taking a little out of the collection at first, but I find I can’t resist taking more and more now. I just can't stop stealing from the church please pray for me. One day they’ll find out and I will get fired!”

Another pastor said "Brother, your sins are not as bad as mine! I have slept with nearly every woman in my congregation, including married women. As I preach my eyes hover over the audience looking for the next potential prey. If this gets out, people will not fire me; they will kill me!”

The third pastor's feet were shaking as they were talking. They imagined he had a big story to tell.

He stood up and said - "My brothers my biggest sin is gossip! I can't stay here a moment longer. I have to share your stories with other people! You can keep my fishing rod and tackle; I might not be back...”

The two other pastors fainted!

God bless, and do visit www.safcam.org once a week!

Camiel and François