News/International

DUBLIN - Canadian Cardinal Marc Ouellet, representing Pope Benedict XVI, met with Irish victims of church-related child abuse.

The cardinal, papal legate to the International Eucharistic Congress, met with the victims of institutional and clerical abuse during a pilgrimage to Lough Derg in Country Donegal June 12 and 13.

DUBLIN - The Catholic Church is under attack "partly because of the sins of some of its leaders, but mainly because of its uncompromising teachings" on marriage, said an Australian archbishop.

"Faced with this, the Church can either compromise and face irrelevance, or continue to teach Christ's truth about marriage, life and love, and pray that the world will listen," Archbishop Barry Hickey, retired archbishop of Perth, told pilgrims at the International Eucharistic Congress June 12.

His comments followed those of Canadian Cardinal Marc Oullet who earlier urged Catholics to use the resource of the family to confront the challenges of secularized societies.

DUBLIN - The church in Ireland is on the path to renewal, Church leaders told pilgrims at the opening Mass of the 50th International Eucharistic Congress June 10.

Welcoming pilgrims from more than 120 countries at an open-air Mass, Dublin Archbishop Diarmuid Martin said: "The church in Ireland rejoices today in the presence of pilgrims from many parts of the world who witness to the universality of our Catholic faith and who show their faith-filled fellowship and solidarity with the Church in Ireland."

VATICAN CITY - Team sports such as soccer can educate participants and spectators in important values, including self-sacrifice and respect for one's adversaries, Pope Benedict XVI said in a message to participants in the European Championships soccer tournament.

Group sporting events, he said, are "an important school for educating one in the meaning of respect for others -- including the opposing team -- the spirit of personal sacrifice for the good of the whole group," and in the importance of recognizing the talents and skills of each person on a team.

VATICAN CITY - Economic recovery needs to focus on job creation, especially for young adults, and protecting workers, a Vatican official said.

"The path forward to an effective recovery presupposes a new vision and strategic investments to provide employment and to sustain enterprises," said Archbishop Silvano Tomasi, the Vatican's permanent observer to U.N. agencies based in Geneva.

VATICAN CITY - The leader of the traditionalist Society of St. Pius X said talks with the Vatican demonstrate that "Rome no longer makes total acceptance" of the teachings of the Second Vatican Council a condition for his group's full reconciliation with the church.

Accepting the council's teaching is no longer "a prerequisite for the canonical solution" of the status of the society, said Bishop Bernard Fellay, superior general of the SSPX.

In an interview published June 7 on the society's news site, www.dici.org, Bishop Fellay said it was the Vatican that approached the society, and not the society that went to the Vatican, asking to begin the talks.

VATICAN CITY - In her 60-year reign, Britain's Queen Elizabeth II has offered the world an inspiring example of Christian leadership and dedication to duty, Pope Benedict XVI said in a message to the monarch.

Congratulating the queen on her diamond jubilee, the Pope said her reign demonstrated "a commitment to maintaining the principles of freedom, justice and democracy, in keeping with a noble vision of the role of a Christian monarch."

DUBLIN - As it prepares this week to welcome the Catholic world for the International Eucharistic Congress, the Church in Ireland is showing sparks of renewal following a dramatic loss of credibility over the past decade.

A recent survey by the Association of Catholic Priests found that weekly Mass attendance throughout the country is still one of the highest in Europe at 35 per cent.  The 2011 Irish census indicated 84 per cent of people still self-identify as Catholic.

But problems remain. In the capital, still reeling from a combination of religious apathy, secularism and disenchantment as a result of clergy sex abuse scandals, Mass attendance in some parishes is just two per cent.

Canada’s Salt+Light Television has been selected as an official broadcaster of the 50th Eucharistic Congress and will provide live daily coverage from Dublin.

Hosted by Fr. Thomas Rosica, coverage will begin at 8 a.m. EDT on June 10 with the opening ceremonies and Mass celebrated by Canadian Cardinal Marc Oullet, Prefect of the Congregation of Bishops.

The eight days of coverage, with programming in English, French and Cantonese, will focus on catechesis, personal testimonies and liturgies from a long list of Church leaders, including Vancouver Archbishop Michael Miller on June 13.

LAGOS, Nigeria - Cardinal Anthony Okogie of Lagos consoled the families of the victims of the crashed Dana Air plane and urged them to draw strength from God.

"My heart goes out to all those who lost their loved ones, friends and well-wishers. I condole with them and indeed all Nigerians," the cardinal said in a statement June 4, the day after the crash.