News in Youth

Saint Francis: The Nativity Scene in Greccio

Saint Francis: The Nativity Scene in Greccio

by: Giancarlo Pani SJ in Articles,

 The Franciscan Family is commemorating the 800th anniversary of the death of St. Francis with a celebration spanning four years. It began by recalling the final approval of the Rule by Honorius III in 1223. Attention then turned to the celebration of Christmas at Greccio. The year 2024 sees the commemoration of the Stigmata, while 2025 will be dedicated to the Canticle of Brother Sun and 2026 to the Transitus.

‘None is the Number’: Antonio Monda’s spiritual noir

‘None is the Number’: Antonio Monda’s spiritual noir

by: Antonio Spadaro, SJ - La Civiltà Cattolica in Articles,

In the game of roulette, numbers are everything.This game of chance finds its clear and distinct resolution when the wheel slows its spinning and stops. That is when the suspense melts away and the result comes in. The croupier’s focus is all on the resting point of the  the ball. It is that suspense that makes you hold your breath. The number which comes up is everything. The number changes destinies.

 
Progress and Collapse

Progress and Collapse

by: Giandomenico Mucci, SJ - La Civiltà Cattolica in Articles,

Among the Enlightenment’s legacy there is an idea that spanned the centuries and penetrated deeply into the mentality of people in the West. It is the idea of progress, the idea of moving toward our cultural, moral and material best, especially thanks to the successes of science and technology. This idea shaped much of modern European history; it nourished hope and political ideologies; it spread trust in the future.

 
Religions and Violence

Religions and Violence

by: Marc Rastoin, SJ - Civiltà Cattolica in Articles,

After the attacks of September 11, 2001, the world – and not just the West – is living in a time of Islamic-inspired terrorism. After New York, there was Madrid, London, Paris, Nice, not to mention the punishing series of attacks and massacres in Syria, Pakistan, Nigeria and Sri Lanka.

 
Handing on the Faith to New Generations: 10 Challenges for Education

Handing on the Faith to New Generations: 10 Challenges for Education

by: Emmanuel Sicre - La Civiltà Cattolica in Articles,

This article reflects on the social conditions that can facilitate the handing on of the faith to new generations. What nutrients are needed in the new soil of today’s childhood and youth for them to embrace the faith of our ancestors? What dispositions will we need to cultivate in each growing person so that the incarnate Jesus will find a crib in which to be born? How can the way be gradually smoothed out so that the manifestation of Christ takes place in the lives of those who will succeed us in time?

 
Parrhesia: Freedom of Speech in Early Christianity

Parrhesia: Freedom of Speech in Early Christianity

by: Enrico Cattaneo, SJ - La Civiltà Cattolica in Articles,

The philosopher Michel Foucault defines parrhesia as “the frankness, the openness of heart, the opening of word, the openness of language, the freedom of speech.” However, this does not mean saying what one wants in the way one wants, for by its very nature parrhesia reflects an ethical attitude in that what one has to say is said “because it is both necessary and useful, as well as being true.” Therefore, parrhesia is connected to the truth and to the good, and so excludes calumny, defamation and disinformation, while satire is admissible.

Francis’ Vision for a Renewed Theology

Francis’ Vision for a Renewed Theology

by: James Hanvey, SJ - La Civiltà Cattolica in Articles,

The past ten years of the papacy of Pope Francis have been a time of extraordinary activity and challenge for the Church. Whether involved with internal renewal and synodality, with the urgency of apostolic outreach to other faiths, or opposing conflicts and the ever-widening consequences of the ecological crisis, the pope has been concerned with the Church’s mission.

The Renewal of a College of Cardinals Always Ready for its Service

The Renewal of a College of Cardinals Always Ready for its Service

by: Federico Lombardi, SJ - La Civiltà Cattolica in Articles,

On Sunday, July 9, 2023, at the end of the Angelus in St. Peter’s Square, Pope Francis announced the creation of new cardinals and set the date for the celebration of the Consistory as next September 30, just before the opening of the long-awaited Synodal Assembly. This is a very opportune date, given that several of the new cardinals will participate in the Synod and that the imminence of the Synod itself will encourage the participation of other cardinals and bishops arriving for that occasion.

World Youth Day: participation, perils, promise and prognosis

World Youth Day: participation, perils, promise and prognosis

by: Nuala Kenny OC, MD | Canada in Activities,

 The pope's monthly prayer intention for August is for youth to experience a meaningful encounter with each other and with the person of the living Christ. Arise, witness, and haste convey an urgent need for prophetic witness and missionary disciples in "these troubling times".

Violence Transformed by Art: Five women artists

Violence Transformed by Art: Five women artists

by: Bert Daelemans, SJ in Expressions,

 Art and violence

In 1945 Picasso recounted how a Nazi officer, spotting a reproduction of Guernica in his Paris studio, asked him, horrified, “Did you do this?” The artist replied without hesitation, “No. You did.” It was the painter who had created the art; it was the Nazis who had caused the violence.