Holy Spirit Province PROVINCIAL NEWSLETTER

Date 23/07/13 Edition 032/2013

Dear Brothers and Sisters, Friends in the wider Passionist Family From Fr Joachim CP Our Superior General Joachim and our brother Denis Travers, along with the other Consultors have been attending meetings in Peru and now World Youth Day in Brazil. Fr Joachim writes: The whole General Council arrived in Curitiba, Brazil yesterday (Tues) night after a good presence at the Chapter of the new Province SCOR in Lima, Peru. However they also elected, I believe, a good team to lead them forward. It was good to leave Lima after 8 days of cold and foggy (low cloud) days. Apparently it is always like that! However it was nice to see and experience that part of Peru - a city much more developed than I imagined. The CPs have done a great job there - 100 years presence. A strong presence of lay CPs, including active young people. Its a

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pity I did not get the opportunity to visit the mission of Yurimaguas; it will have to be another time. Now we are in Curtiba - not too far from Sao Paolo. It is a very modern and well-to-do city: the "First World" city of Brazil. Parts are not unlike areas of Sydney. We were taken on a tour of the sites of the city this morning which was enjoyable, especially also because, though cold, was a sunny bright day. Tomorrow we leave for Ponta Grossa where the meetings with the Young Passionist Religious will take place over the weekend. Then we move to another place, closer to Rio, for the day with the young people. In both places I have a homily to preach and, of course, in Ponta Grossa there will be a session of dialogue between the General Council and the young religious. After these CP WYD events, I will remain in Brazil for another 5 weeks doing the visitation in the Province of CALV, ending with the Chapter towards the end of August. I actually leave a day later (on 31 Aug) for Puerto Rico to preside at the Congress there. While here in Brazil, I will also be present for the episcopal ordination of the new Bishop of Pemba (Mozambique), Fr Luis Fernando Lisboa CP on 24th August. I think the Chapter starts a couple of days later. Its all been a hectic, but nice experience for me. I have been welcomed and shown great CP hospitality everywhere. The smile has helped a lot Congratulations to The Configuration of the Sacred Heart At their recent Chapter, from a number of Provinces, vicariates and missions, Passionists from 13 different countries formally became one Province, the Configuration of the Sacred Heart.
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At their first Provincial Council, presided over by Fr Joachim Rego our Superior Genera, in the presence of his General Council, religious from Spain, Cuba, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Bolivia, Chile, Ecuador, Panama, Colombia and Peru became this new Province. Pictured below is the Superior General Fr Joachim and the new Provicial and his Provincial Council of the Configuration of the Sacred Heart(SCOR)

Fr. Carlos San Martn Merino Consultor of the Zone of Central America and Cuba (Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador, Cuba) Fr. Joaqun Mara Vargas Salas Consultor of the Bolivian Zone (Colombia, Equador, Venezuela, Panam) M. Rev. Fr. Joachim Rego General Superior Fr. Jos Mara Sez Martn Provincial of SCOR Fr. Juan Ignacio Villar Cabello Consultor of the Spanish Zone and First Consultor (Spain) Fr. Eddy Alejandro Vsquez Consultor of the Andean Zon (Bolivia, Chile, Peru)

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Congratulations to Archbishop-Elect Julian Porteous With the announcement of the appointment of Bishop Porteous to the Archdiocese of Hobart, I sent this letter of congratulations on behalf of the Province. Dear Bishop Porteous On behalf of myself and our Passionist Congregation, especially in Sydney and Hobart, I would like to offer our congratulations and prayers upon your appointment as Archbishop of Hobart. Our second foundation in Australia was at Newtown in Hobart and our city centre parish of St Joseph's - up the street from your new Cathedral, is also well known. May I assure you our religious in Hobart, led by Fr Peter Addicoat, look forward to your leadership and pastoral care for the Church's mission in Tasmania. Yours in Christ. PNG-Australian Agreement re Asylum Seekers Following the agreement this week between Mr Rudd and Mr ONeil I have sent the following letter to the Bishops Conferences of both countries, and a shorter letter of concern to the Prime Ministers Offices of both countries. A Letter to the Australian and PNG/SI Bishops Conferences Your Eminences, Your Graces, Bishops, Fathers The recent agreement between the Governments of Australia and Papua New Guinea concerning the treatment and procedures for those arriving in boats and seeking asylum in Australia is a matter of enormous and grave
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concern. It is of concern firstly and primarily on humanitarian grounds our concern for the appropriate and proper treatment of people seeking asylum, and especially a concern for the proper care for unaccompanied children. It is of grave concern in its apparent ignoring of both our countries moral obligations in the spirit of the United Nations Conventions we have agreed to. This is especially disturbing for a country who has placed Christian values in the very heart of their Constitution, as Paua New Guinea has. The agreement between our countries is disturbing for the way in which it seemingly uses Papua New Guinea to solve our Australian problem when Papua New Guinea already has such enormous social problems in almost every area, environmental degradation, health, unemployment, lack of social services, corruption at so many levels, violence, the lack of any real rights or protection for women and general crime. Papua New Guinea already receives enormous aid in so many sectors, aid which rarely seems to address or make practical inroads on these social problems. It is also concerning whether the present arrangements in fact are unconstitutional. Highly respected lawyers advise that as long as the boat people are brought into Papua New Guinea and are kept under detention and conditions not humane and against their will, their rights under section 42 (liberty of the person) of the PPNG Constitution is breached. The recent amendments to the Constitution by the PNG Government. Using its numerical strength in Parliament. In order to stay in power is cause for just as grave a concern. The powerlessness of the people in PNG to even publically demonstrate their opinion without police or military approval means that any voices of opposition cannot be heard. As the Provincial Superior of the Passionist Missionaries of Papua New Guinea, I wish to register my own grave concerns and ask you, as the voice of the Catholic Church in Papua New Guinea and Australia to recall our Governments to a sense of the justice and the common law
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upon which the civil society of our countries are founded, and to the Christian principles upon which Papua New Guinea is explicitly founded. What is happening, particularly in the light of recent political events in Australia and the coming Federal elections, smacks of political expediency and cheque book diplomacy. Urgent action is needed and the voices of Justice and the Church need to be heard. On behalf of our Congregation present and working among the people of Papua New Guinea I hope we can make a powerful and whole Church response to these plans which compromise both our Governments, morally and otherwise. Yours sincerely

Tom McDonough CP
Rev Thomas McDonough CP Provincial Superior.

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