BENEDICT XVI: NEWS, PAPAL TEXTS, PHOTOS AND COMMENTARY

February 6, Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Left, Memorial to the martyrs in Nagasaki.
SAINTS PAULUS MIKI and COMPANIONS (d Nagasaki, 1597), Martyrs
After Francis Xavier brought Christianity to Japan in 1549, the faith grew so fast that by the end of the century, there were an estimated 300,000 Christians in Japan. However, the Japanese government feared the influence of the Jesuits, and persecution of Christians started soon afterwards. In 1597, Paulus (born around 1562), by then a Jesuit brother, along with two other Jesuit brothers, six Spanish Franciscan missionaries, and 17 Japanese laymen including 3 boys, were arrested and forced to march from Kyoto, the imperial capital, to Nagasaki, where they were put to death by crucifixion on what is now called Martyrs Hill, then stabbed in the heart to ensure death. Paulus is remembered for preaching his faith in Christ even from the Cross. He and his 25 fellow martyrs were canonized in 1862 - the first of many Japanese Christian martyrs. The faith would not return to Japan until 1880, when returning missionaries were surprised to find a thriving underground Christian community.
Readings for today's Mass: www.usccb.org/nab/readings/020611.shtml


OR today.

Benedict XVI ordains five archbishops in St. Peter's Basilica:
'Working in God's fields'
Other Page 1 items: A commentary on the Day for Life which the Church in Italy observes today; continuing coverage of the Egyptian crisis and its repercussions in the Arab world; interim Tunisian government seems a bit more stable now; and European fiscal policy now runs along the Merkel-Sarkozy axis.


PAPAL EVENTS TODAY

Sunday Angelus - The Holy Father reflected briefly on the Gospel today in which Jesus says that his followers are 'salt of the earth... and light for the world'; and on his Message for the World Day for the Sick on Feb. 11. He tied in this message with the annual observance today in Italy of the Day for Life, After the Marian prayer, he offered a prayer that calm and peaceful coexistence may return soon to Egypt. He also greeted delegations to a conference of university obstetricians and gynecologists on the subject of health care assistance during pregnancy.




- The Democratic Underground blog that ran an item yesterday entitled 'Pope's organs too holy for mere mortals' has withdrawn that item, but worse morons have taken over from them: today, the disreputably dissident National Catholic Reporter has a similar blog with a similarly gross title. 'Papal organs possibly too holy for the common faithful' with an even more malicious conclusion: "Apparently the pro-life ethic only goes so far!'... And apparently, these morons suddenly think everyone, especially Popes, is morally bound to donate their organs. What other Popes have even had the opportunity to register as an organ donor? And are these moralizing dolts registered as organ donors themselves?... Dissident media daily lead me not just into temptation but to the sins of wrath and lack of charity...

- And the top prize today for 'most deliberately and shamelessly deceptive headline' goes to an Australian newspaper, with the title
"Pope wanted priests to have sex",
www.adelaidenow.com.au/ipad/pope-wanted-priests-to-have-sex/story-fn6bqphm-1226001088488?from=pu...
whose story refers in passing to the 1970 letter co-signed by Joseph Ratzinger, and is actually a brief story about a local priest's opinions on the question of priestly celibacy...