Canonization and Controversies – Padre Pio

If we take glance over the history of the Catholic Church always there have been controversies especially when ever a new issue of a particular person’s extraordinary saintly life has been exposed or miracles occurring in the particular place, church, statue or holy image and apparitions. Not mostly atheists or those who are against the church have raised these controversies against the Church but those are inside the church, most of the times by the hierarchies. It is always due to jealousy, pride, power crisis and most of the time due to the money that pours in, but of course these things will not be mentioned in public, on the other hand the question of genuineness and faith will be always raised against these issues.
In the case of St. Padre Pio the accusations with regard to the stigmata, which were brought to the knowledge of the Holy See by the local bishop and the other accusations with regard to his misbehaviour towards young women in the confessionals have been authentically disproved after a careful, thorough and detailed inquiry and examination both while he was alive and after his death and has been declared that he was innocent.
After many years the recent reappearance of the controversies on the “CORRIERE DELLA SERA” is more surprising. How common people able to get access to the secret documents that have been protected in the archives of Vatican is also surprising. In his article Sergio Luzzatto has tried to narrate the story of Padre Pio getting phenol secretly from Miss. Maria De Vito to strengthen his argument against the saint but he has completely black out that it was invalidated that phenol was not the cause for his stigmata.
The most common polemical elements against the Church or against the Faith will be of supernatural occurrences. Mostly these events become controversies due to the careless or prejudice way of dealing with the issue. A proper and careful examination and analysis of these happenings can prevent controversies and safeguard the common peoples simple faith.

“Dire senza Dire” in Mark Antony’s funeral speech

The Communicative effect of “Dire senza Dire” in Mark Antony’s funeral speech in Julies Caesar by W. Shakespeare


The entire speech delivered by Mark Antony during the funeral of Julies Caesar has been constructed on the formal of “Dire Senza Dire” which had an enormous communicative impact on the audience and changed the entire situation of the Roman Empire.
In the very beginning of his speech Mark Antony said, “ Friends, Romans, country men lend me your ears; I come to bury Caesar, not to praise him” which was not true because he came to praise Caesar and to proclaim his magnanimity which he revealed as he unfold the secret will, that which was written by Caesar himself for his fellow citizens.
During his speech he said, “Brutus is an honourable man” he repeated the same phrase for four times and he also called the conspirators as “honourable men” for four times during his speech but he actually meant the opposite. He made the public to say that “ they were traitors, they were villains, murderers”.
The most powerful technique used by Mark Antony to instigate the public against the conspirators was he showed each and every point of the stabbing on Caesar’s body “look, in this place ran Cassius’ dagger through: see what a rent the envious Casca made: though this the well beloved Brutus stabbed …” thus he created sympathy and pity for Caesar among the crowd.
At the end before revealing the will written by Caesar he said, “ Good friends, sweet friends, let me not stir you up. To such a sudden flood of mutiny” but actually he made this speech to stir the public against the conspirators. He humbled himself before the public saying “ I have neither wit, nor words, nor worth, action, nor utterance, nor the power of speech” but he made the public to say that he was a powerful and honouable man and leader.
Thus as we read the funeral speech of Mark Antony from the very beginning till the end the whole speech is formed on “Dire senza Dire” and had an powerful communicative impact on the public.

A Jeremiad Press Release by Cardinal Caffarra

Cardinal Caffarra as a more responsible pastor, leader, teacher and head of the local Church of Bologna has expressed with full vitality like prophet Jeremiah, the great prophet of the Old Testament, the pathetic conditions of the city and it’s citizens.
He has made a through study about the city, it’s historical authenticity and back-ground, the present life conditions of the local people, namely, the moral, ethical, educational, economical and social problems, and with out ay dilemma or hesitation like the great prophet Jeremiah has exposed to the light the existing problems and woeful conditions of Bologna.
As a responsible pastor he has taken a bold step to indicate the social and spiritual needs of the people, at the same time, he also tried to remind the civil leaders about their responsibilities and duties to be fulfilled for a smooth running of the society and to eradicate the existing problems from the city. As I read his intervention I am very sure; he much has been dam sure about the negative reactions of the Mayor and other heads of the city. I think this may be his strategy to provoke both the people and the local leaders to work for the betterment of the city.
But still I have some problem with regard to this intervention made my Cardinal Caffarra against the woeful conditions of the city. He has directly attacked the Mayor of the city Mr.Cofferati as if it was his mistake for the present condition of the city today. He has mentioned about the praise worthy steps taken by the Bologna Church to eliminate the poverty in the city but still there are other serious ethical, moral and educational problems present, which he himself has mentioned, and what steps the local church has taken to reduce this problems? Therefore, according to me instead of sending into air the existing problems by blaming the civil and political leaders he could have invited all for a joined venture to eliminate these problems and to safeguard the citizens.
Because, there is no use of sending press releases and interviews in blaming each other, which will never improve the life of the people or solve the existing problems, but simply justifying each ones arguments and proving oneself as if just and honest.

“We don’t have problems but challenges” Dr. Joseph Calstas, the Secretary General UCIP

The International Catholic Union of the Press functions like a guardian angel for the journalists and media professional and promotes justice and peace for the humanity at large like the Archangel St. Michael.
The sharing of Dr. Joseph Calstas, the Secretary General of UCIP was a kind of eye opening and very much interesting for me personally, to know the involvement of the Christian and non Christian lay journalists and media professional in promoting justice and peace. As he was explaining the historical background, the birth and development of the UCIP all over the world was really very much surprising for me. In his dialogue I was able to understand the main emphasis of this union is to promote justice, peace and social development in all the parts of the world. At the same time this union gives an extraordinary importance to encourage and to give a world wide out look and experience for the young journalists especially from Africa, Asia and South American countries, by sending them to other countries to get involved in various exposure programme and field experience.
All through the dialogue one thing very much impressed me was at the end of the session Dr. Joseph Calstas said, “we don’t have problems but challenges”. The challenges to promote the liberty of expression; Justice and equal development in the socially and economically under developed countries; giving awareness to the commoners not to be trapped by sweet coated pills of neo-colonization techniques of the so called super powers of the world and above all giving importance and highlighting the ethical and moral values of human life.
UCIP has created a floor where journalists and media professionals both from the Church side and secular side can come together to share and discusses about these about challenges, thus they enrich and empower themselves with clear vision of the world situation with first hand information and get themselves involved in their media mission to proclaim the Good News of Justice, Peace and Love.