KNOXVILLE, TN (Catholic Online) – When it comes to the news, it seems like ecumenical efforts directed at restoring full Christian communion are taking place under the radar. Even so, I suspect it is a sleeping giant, for when unification is achieved, all of heaven will rejoice and the world will change.  The historic meeting last week between Pope Francis and Tawadros II, the Patriarch of the Coptic Orthodox Church, is the latest example of efforts directed at Christian unity. Their words were filled with generosity and hope.

Tawadros II congratulated Francis on his appointment as Pope and Bishop of Rome. "I am honored and very glad to be here in the Vatican. Despite its being the smallest country in the world, it is the most important country for its great influence and Holy Service."   He wanted this meeting to coincide with the 40th anniversary of the meeting between Pope Paul VI and Patriarch Shenouda III, which took place on May 10, 1973. That was the first visit ever by a patriarch of the Coptic Orthodox Church in Alexandria to the Vatican. It began the process to heal the old wounds of distrust opened centuries ago. Paul VI and Shenouda III signed a joint statement pledging to search for reconciliation and unity between the two Churches.  That meeting was followed by Pope John Paul II’s visit to Egypt in 2000, during his Great Jubilee pilgrimage to the places where Christianity began. John Paul II pictured the unification of the Eastern and Western Churches as breathing with two lungs. As I understand it, the image represents the importance of uniting the West’s more rational and organizational approach with the East’s more intuitive, mystical and contemplative approach.

  BEIRUT: Moody’s negative outlook of both Lebanon’s sovereign bonds and banks’ deposit ratings is seen as another strong message that the political vacuum and failure to implement reforms can no longer be ignored. Just one day after Moody’s changed the outlook of sovereign bonds to negative, the international rating agency changed to negative from […]

  Maronite Patriarch Beshara al-Rahi’s envoy Bishop Samir Mazloum lamented the eruption of the dispute between the Christian Free Patriotic Movement and Lebanese Forces over the parliamentary electoral law, urging calm to resolve their differences, reported al-Joumhouria newspaper Saturday. He told the daily: “A meeting between the two sides has not been scheduled due to the […]

  Maronite Patriarch Beshara al-Rahi urged lawmakers to agree on an electoral law that meets the aspirations of the Lebanese people, the state-run National News Agency reported on Wednesday. "MPs must reach an accord over a vote law that meets the aspirations of Lebanese people inside the country and around the world,” al-Rahi said after meeting […]

  BEIRUT – Somehow, the shots missed Jesus. He survived the rampage by armed men in St. George’s Cathedral during the Lebanese civil war. But since the mosaic of which he is a part is otherwise shell-pocked, his figure has become something of an attraction. The cathedral is not far from downtown Beirut’s posh hotels, […]

  BEIRUT: U.S. Coordinator for Middle East Affairs Philip Gordon, who is on an official visit to Lebanon, condemned Tuesday Hezbollah’s involvement in Syria alongside the regime of President Bashar Assad. The U.S. official also announced that Washington would offer an additional $10 million to help support Syrian refugees in Lebanon.   During his visit to […]

  Despite the recent kerfuffle on social media and promises of street action from activists, a 1.3 kilometer road known as the Fouad Butrous Highway will be built in Ashrafieh, the vice president of Beirut’s Municipal Council told NOW.   “The tender has been accomplished,” Nadim Abu Rizk, from the council, told NOW. “The contractor […]

  The UAE foreign ministry on Sunday advised Emirati citizens not to travel to Lebanon “except in case of utmost necessity” due to “the current situation in the region, especially in Lebanon.” ”If necessary, holders of diplomatic and special passports planning to travel to Lebanon should obtain prior permits from the Ministry and should coordinate with […]

KNOXVILLE, TN (Catholic Online) – I cannot help but wonder at two opposing visions of women on Mother’s Day: the postmodern feminist vision and the Catholic vision. In my first article, I explored a feminist vision of women. In this article, I will explore a Catholic vision using two sources written by Blessed John Paul II: The Gospel of Life and On the Dignity and Vocation of Women, which was written 25-years-ago come this August.

In The Gospel of Life, John Paul II says man is called to a fullness of life which far exceeds the dimensions of his earthly existence. This supernatural vocation reveals the greatness and the inestimable value of human life even in its temporal phase. Life in time is the fundamental condition, the initial stage and an integral part of the entire unified process of human existence.

Human existence is a process of divinization made possible in and through Christ. It reaches its full realization only in eternity. This means that human life is a sacred reality to be preserved and brought to perfection in love as a gift of ourselves to God and to each other.