Pope Invites Muslim Scholars to Dialogue

VATICAN CITY – Pope Benedict XVI has responded to a letter from 138 Muslim scholars by inviting a group of them to meet with him and with the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue.

The papal response came in a letter to Jordan’s Prince Ghazi bin Muhammad bin Talal, president of the Royal Aal al-Bayt Institute for Islamic Thought in Amman and architect of the Muslim scholars’ project.

The letter said the pope wanted “to express his deep appreciation” for the statement of the Muslim scholars, “for the positive spirit which inspired the text and for the call for a common commitment to promoting peace in the world.”

The statement, originally signed by 138 Muslim scholars but later endorsed by dozens of others, was addressed to Pope Benedict and the heads of other Christian churches.

Titled “A Common Word Between Us and You,” the text was released in early October and called for new efforts at Christian-Muslim dialogue based on the shared belief in the existence of one God, in God’s love for humanity and in people’s obligation to love one another.

Slovenian Prime Minister Invites Pope to Visit

VATICAN CITY – The prime minister of Slovenia invited Pope Benedict XVI to visit his East European nation and attend the closing of its 2009 Eucharistic Congress.

Prime Minister Janez Jansa met with the pope and the Vatican secretary of state, Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, in separate audiences at the Vatican.

After the 20-minute closed-door papal meeting, the Vatican acknowledged Jansa invited the pope to visit Slovenia in 2009 for “the occasion of the Year of Young People and the closing of the national eucharistic congress.”

In a written statement, the Vatican said talks centered on the priorities and agenda of the European Union.

Slovenia will hold the rotating presidency of the European Union from January to June.

The Vatican said discussions also included bilateral concerns such as the restitution of church property seized during communist rule.

U.S. Province of Sisters Drops Age Restrictionss

MERRILL, Wis. – Spurred on by the vitality of their elderly sisters and the congregation’s motto that “The need of the times is the will of God,” the Holy Cross Sisters have dropped the age restriction that prevented women over 50 from being considered for entrance to the congregation.

“When we look at the energy and vitality of our elderly sisters ..., we know that for us retirement has a very different meaning because there is always something that draws us to bring the good news to others, even at the age of 90,” said Sister Celine Goessl, provincial for the sisters’ USA province, based in Merrill.

The age restriction was dropped by a decision made at the sisters’ provincial chapter last summer.

The chapter asked vocation and formation personnel to rethink and rewrite the criteria for entering the community.

Sister Kathy Wiesneski, director of vocations, said members of the congregation had seen around them “women of many ages who are seeking the ‘will of God’ in vowed religious life.”

She added, “Women tend to be able to productively work and minister longer.”

Pope Prays for Families of Those Who Died of AIDS

VATICAN CITY – Pope Benedict XVI offered his prayers for the families of the estimated 2.1 million people who have died of AIDS this year, and he asked all people to work to end discrimination against those living with AIDS and HIV.

At the end of his Nov. 28 general audience, the pope spoke about the Dec. 1 commemoration of World AIDS Day.

“I am spiritually close to those who suffer because of this terrible disease and their families, especially those who have lost a relative,” he said.
“I assure all of them of my prayers,” the pope said.

“In addition, I want to exhort all people of good will to multiply their efforts to stop the spread of the HIV virus, to oppose the scorn which often strikes those who are afflicted with it and to take care of the sick, especially when they are still youngsters,” he said.

According to figures released by UNAIDS, “global HIV prevalence – the percentage of people living with HIV – has leveled off” and the number of new infections each year has fallen.

UNAIDS estimated that in 2007 about 33.2 million people were living with HIV, 2.5 million became infected and 2.1 million died of AIDS.

British Christians Face Gay-Hatred Ban Dilemma

LONDON – Catholic and Anglican leaders have sought assurances from lawmakers that a proposed law to ban “gay hatred” would not be used to prevent Christians from expressing their beliefs about marriage.

The Catholic Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales and the Church of England released a memorandum to the Public Bill Committee of the House of Commons on their concerns about plans to create a new offense, incitement to hatred on grounds of sexual orientation.

They argued that any new law must not threaten the right to freedom of speech or to publicly criticize or evaluate lifestyle choices.

“Our main concern is that any legislation on incitement to hatred on the grounds of sexual orientation permits the expression of traditional Christian (and other) opinions on sexual behavior and consequent criticisms of particular forms of behavior or lifestyle,” said the memorandum. It was issued as politicians scrutinized government plans to amend the 1986 Public Order Act.

French Bishop: People Still Identify With St. Bernadette

WASHINGTON – People today can identify with the weaknesses of St. Bernadette Soubirous and the message of her Marian apparitions, said a French bishop whose diocese includes Lourdes.

Everyone has limitations and flaws, Bishop Jacques Perrier of Tarbes and Lourdes said.

The eldest of nine children, St. Bernadette was illiterate and her family was so poor that they lived in a former prison, he said.

But St. Bernadette had a “kind of wisdom” and was “strong in the head,” and Mary chose her, said the bishop.