NEWSWATCH | KAIROS GLOBAL | JANUARY 2024

Author: Sam Biju

World’s First Greek Catholic Museum opened in Hungary

The world’s first Greek Catholic Museum was inaugurated in the spring of 2023 with the main aim of preserving the heritage treasures of Eastern Catholics. Eastern Hungary is famous for its shrine of the Weeping Icon in Máriapócs. Now pilgrims and admirers of Byzantine heritage can also stop at the new museum, which is just a few miles away from the shrine. The Byzantine Rite has had a strong presence in Hungary for a few decades. Originally part of the Ruthenian Orthodox Church, some of the clergy decided to join the Catholic Church in 1646, and has since been in full communion with Rome. Pope Francis further elevated the Greek Catholic Church of Hungary to a sui iuris (self-governing) metropolitan in 2015.

The museum project has been in the making since 2018. The rich heritage of the community in terms of their iconography and spirituality has been exhibited to promote the diversity and beauty of Eastern Catholicism. Much of the past works had long been neglected as a result of Latinisation of Central and Eastern European Churches in the 19th century, as well as lack of funding required for the preservation. Since the 1980s, local religious authorities had begun collecting objects of value, such as icons, liturgy equipment, textiles, Gospel books and goldsmith materials, which are up on display in the museum. The four floor building is divided into thematic units and includes the historical period of wooden churches, the iconostasis, the mystery of the Eucharist and the great celebrations of the liturgical calendar.

The influence of Greek Catholics has spread across many parts of Europe such as Romania, Poland, Ukraine, Slovakia and Hungary. They developed in harmony with local cultures, while each church maintains its own artistic, cultural and ecclesiastical uniqueness. Despite various difficulties, these churches have preserved their rites and traditions. Katalin Novak, the president of Hungary, commented that Greek Catholic artists and writers understood that the cultural creativity of Christianity was something that united Western and Eastern Catholicism. 

While the museum brings Christian people together through art, the curators are also open to works of contemporary artists as additions to the collections on display. Icons occupy a special place in the traditions of Greek Catholics as they are considered to be a direct reflection of the saints, rather than mere representations of them, thus highlighting their evangelising significance and missionary call of artists. Szabó, an anthropologist belonging to the Byzantine Rite, emphasised that by contemplating these works, one can see great witnesses to the faith, and offer us a glimpse into eternity.

HLI Asia-Pacific Congress

The 23rd Asia Pacific Congress (ASPAC) on Faith, Life and Family was conducted in Cebu City, Philippines on November 24-26, 2023. The event was organised by Human Life International (HLI), one of the leading Pro-Life organisations globally, with missions across many countries. ASPAC is a gathering of pro-life leaders from Asia and Oceania who want to learn and organise themselves in promotion and defence of faith, life and family. It also serves as a forum for pro-life leaders from various regions to share and inspire each other as they continually face challenges in promoting a lifestyle centred on God and life. Since its inception in 1991, Catholic faith has been an integral part of all ASPAC gatherings, with Rosaries, Holy Masses and exposition of the Blessed Sacrament every day.

The 23rd ASPAC was the largest event until date in the Pacific region with participants from more than 20 countries. The keynote speaker was Archbishop of Cebu, Most Rev Jose S Palma, DD, who is also a member of the Dicastery for Culture and Education of the Holy See. Fr Shenan Boquet, the president of HLI stated that the Asia-Pacific Congress brings together leaders from across the regions of Asia and Oceania to educate participants on bio-ethical issues, conduct discussions on strategies in how to address these ethical issues, and to unite the pro-life and family community. As we live in a culture which is confused and often holds erroneous ideas about the fundamental truths regarding human life, sexuality, marriage and the family, providing formation to groups and individuals have the greatest potential to influence the structures of society. By asserting Catholic teaching and principles, wounds from ethical dilemmas can be healed and foster authentic renewal within the institutions of marriage and family. 

Dr Ligaya Acosta, the Human Life International Regional Director of Asia and Oceania also emphasised the importance of the Congress in forming future pro-life leaders. Other important speakers in the Congress included Fr Francesco Giordano (Director of Human Life International’s Rome office), Dr Brian Clowes (Human Life International Director of Education and Research) among many others. Talks on topics such as joys of a large family, euthanasia, transhumanism, modernism, along with the importance of prayer and spirituality in winning the battle against the culture of death were conducted. 

Jesus Youth Pro-Life Ministry has associated with Human Life International for many years. In India, a pro-life national conference ‘La Vita’ was held at Irinjalakuda, Kerala, which helped pro-life activists in Kerala and India to better equip themselves with research findings, statistics and undercover resources to support the fight against the culture of death. Delegates from Jesus Youth at ASPAC 2023 included Dino Paul (Jesus Youth India Prolife Ministry coordinator), Dr Finto Francis (Animator, Jesus Youth Prolife India) and Julius Arjun (Jesus Youth Singapore). Dr Finto Francis, a practising gynaecologist by profession, also presented his experience and research on Tubal Reversal Surgery, a procedure to reverse tubectomy, at one of the talks during the Congress. Articles and study materials from HLI have been of immense help to Jesus Youth Prolife Ministry in conducting pro-life formation and outreach programmes.

Violence against Christians on the surge in Nigeria

Nigeria has witnessed an increase in violence against faithful Catholics, priests and seminaries in the past years. Most of these are orchestrated by gangs to carry out indiscriminate attacks, kidnappings for ransom and even killings. The bishop of Nigeria’s Sokoto diocese claims that this lack of security is impoverishing the Church in Nigeria. Thousands of dollars are spent on rescuing hostages and alleviating threats. 

On October 17, a group of three brothers from the Benedictine monastery in the Ilorin Diocese was kidnapped and tortured. They were made to walk barefoot on a five-day journey with no food along a path containing marshes, thorns, rocky grounds and mountains. The kidnappers demanded 150 million naira (USD 190,000) from the monastery for the release of the hostages. During the journey, one of the brothers injured his leg, which made it impossible for him to walk again. Seeing that he would only slow down their journey, the kidnappers killed him on October 18. This was the toughest day, as recounted by one of the surviving brothers, and they were forced to throw the body into a fast flowing river. 

By October 21, negotiations between the abductors and the monastery had reached an agreement and the remaining two brothers were released. When asked what kept them going, one of the brothers said that they did not cease praying mentally. Undergoing recovery now, he said that the ordeal has strengthened his faith. He also maintains that he is prepared to die as a martyr out of his love for Jesus.