Tag: Christianity

Popova Šapka, North Macedonia and Rakinicë, Kosovo, November 30, 2023

St. Naum Monastery at Popova Šapka, North Macedonia. Photo: tge.mk     

Orthodox sites in North Macedonia and Kosovo were the scene of Albanian provocations this week.

Security camera footage at St. Naum the Wonderworker Monastery on the Popova Šapka peak in North Macedonia shows two masked men removing the Macedonian Orthodox Church flag from the flagpole and replacing it with an Albanian flag on Tuesday afternoon.

Photo: alfa.mk     

The Diocese of Tetovo and Gostivar issued the following statement that day:

The Tetovo-Gostivar Diocese of the MOC-OA strongly condemns the vandalistic act of removing the Church flag from the monastic property at Popova Šapka. The act was reported to the Tetovo Department of Internal Affairs by the parish priest. The Diocese expects the perpetrators to be brought to justice as soon as possible. We appeal to citizens not to succumb to the frequent provocations and to be dedicated to peace and good interreligious relations.

According to Macedonian media reports, the suspected perpetrator was detained several hours after the incident.

At the Church of St. Michael in Rakinicë, Kosovo. Photo: eparhija-prizren.com     

On the same day, a group of people “along with the self-proclaimed and fraudulent priest Nikolla Xhufka, a citizen of the Republic of Albania,” broke into the Archangel Michael Church in the Kosovo village of Rakinicë “to purportedly perform a religious ceremony,” reports the Serbian Orthodox Diocese of Raška and Prizren.

“This act represents a blatant assault on the property of the Serbian Orthodox Church (SOC), aimed at fostering ethnic and religious hatred and instability in Kosovo,” the diocese responds.

The group also published a picture of themselves in front of the church with an Albanian flag:

Photo: eparhija-prizren.com     

“The Raška-Prizren Diocese has been highlighting the process of cultural appropriation of our heritage for years. This latest incident confirms our claims, this time in an undeniable and extremely worrying manner.”

The diocesan report also includes a statement from the canonical Albanian Orthodox Church’s Metropolis of Elbasan about the fraudster Nikolla Xhufka.

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Pochaev, Ternopil Province, Ukraine, November 30, 2023

SBU officers at the Pochaev Lavra. Photo: pravda.com     

The Holy Dormition-Pochaev Lavra and Seminary in Western Ukraine again find themselves the targets of the Ukrainian Security Services (SBU) and police.

Schismatics and nationalists have wanted to drive the Orthodox Church out of the Lavra for years, and efforts have only stepped up since the war began in February 2022. Like the Lavra in Kiev, the Lavra in Pochaev has also been state-owned since Soviet times, and is administered by the Pochaev-Kremenets Reserve.

Local authorities find “violations” at Pochaev LavraLike the Lavra in Kiev, the Lavra in Pochaev has also been state-owned since Soviet times, and is administered by the Pochaev-Kremenets Reserve.

“>In April, the Ternopil Provincial Council claimed to have found “violations” at the Lavra. Local and state representatives have also Procession to Pochaev Lavra begins despite police attempts to turn everyone awayFor several centuries, Orthodox Christians have set out from Kamenets-Podolsk every year on August 19, the feast of the Transfiguration of the Lord, headed for the Lavra, 125 miles away. Various other processions head out from other cities and villages as well.”>hindered pilgrims from making their way to the monastery.

And this morning, SBU officers arrived to “search” the Lavra, due to “the spread of Russian ideology by representatives of the Lavra,” reports Ukrainskaya Pravda, with reference to a source in the SBU.

SBU officers have searched monasteries, churches, diocesan administrations, and private residences belonging to hierarchs and clergy throughout Ukraine over the past year. It is well known that in several cases they have Searches of Ukrainian Church property: new allegations against hierarchs, accusations of planted evidenceThe officers arrived with machine guns, shouting and screaming, and broke down the administration doors, His Eminence Metropolitan Meletiy of Chernivtsi and Bukovina said.

“>planted fake evidence or construed Orthodox books printed in Russia as “proof” that the canonical Ukrainian Orthodox Church is an enemy of the state.

Photo: news.church.ua     

The Kremenets branch of the Pochaev Theological Seminary, where girls study to become choir directors, was also targeted this morning when the St. Nicholas Cathedral in Kremenets, where the school is located, was surrounded by police, reports the Information-Education Department of the UOC, with reference to the press service of the local Ternopil Diocese.

The police broke into the rooms where the girls were sleeping and forced them to gather their belongings and load onto buses to be taken to a nearby college. Everyone on the premises was ordered to leave. “The security forces didn’t even care that the temperature in the yard was below zero at that time.”

The police representative said he had received an order to clear the premises, and he intended to carry it out.

Some of the girls were afraid and locked themselves in their rooms, but the security forces threatened to break down the doors and physically remove the girls from the premises.

The video below shows that the Orthodox faithful chanted Church hymns throughout the ordeal:

​

Today’s incident comes just days after a court rejected the appeal to cancel the order for the Church to vacate the cathedral, despite the fact that the parish community has preserved and beautified the cathedral for the past 30 years.

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Patras, Greece, November 30, 2023

The skull and cross of St. Andrew at the cathedral in Patras. Photo: orthodoxianewsagency.gr     

Patras, Greece, home to the cross upon which the First-Called Apostle St. Andrew was crucified, festively celebrated its patron saint yesterday and today.

The feast began last night with Great Vespers at the Church of St. Andrew. The service was presided over by Metropolitan Chrysostomos of Chalkida, with the concelebration of another eight hierarchs of the Greek Church, including the local hierarch Metropolitan Chrysostomos of Patras, reports the Orthodoxia News Agency.

Photo: orthodoxianewsagency.gr   

The church was filled with Orthodox faithful from Patras and throughout Greece who came to venerate St. Andrew’s Cross and the portion of his relics housed at the cathedral.

The All-Night Vigil was celebrated later that evening.

​

This morning, a number of hierarchs again gathered for the celebration of Orthros and the Divine Liturgy in honor of St. Andrew. Orthros was presided over by Metropolitan Theoklitos of Ierissos, Mt. Athos, and Ardameri. The Liturgy was then led by Metroplitan Hierotheos (Vlachos) of Nafpakto and Agios Vlasios.

Photo: orthodoxianewsagency.gr     

Hundreds of Orthodox faithful again filled the church.

Metropolitan Chrysostomos of Messinia delivered homily sermon, in which, among other things, he referred to the personality and contribution of the Apostle Andrew, who resisted the idols promoted by his era, to spread the Gospel of Christ. In particular, His Eminence spoke about the present times and the trap of false idols that are presented, and about the dangers arising from the false family models that are advanced today. “We haven’t realized the negative consequences. When we do, it may be too late to reverse any possibility of change,” he said.

​

Following the Liturgy, a doxology was celebrated. Met. Chrysostomos of Patras thanked his brother hierarchs who joined in the service and implored the faithful to pray for those suffering the wars that plague the Holy Land and in Ukraine, where the Apostle Andrew himself walked.

The festivities concluded with a procession with the skull of St. Andrew through the central city streets.

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Moscow, December 1, 2023

Photo: ecom.ngo   

The Supreme Court of Russia declared the international LGBT movement to be extremist yesterday, banning its activities within the country.

The Court thus granted the request of the Ministry of Justice, reports RIA-Novosti.

According to the Ministry, the movement contains “signs and manifestations of an extremist orientation, including the incitement of social and religious hatred.”

The decision came into force immediately.

According to Interfax, yesterday’s decision “does not affect citizens’ right to privacy and will not entail any negative legal consequences.”

Restrictions are related to the need to comply with the prohibition on LGBT propaganda, advertising, interest formation, attracting people to the LGBT movement.

The ban is “a form of societal moral self-defense,” said Vakhtang Kipshidze, Deputy Chairman of the Russian Orthodox Church’s Department for Relations Between the Church, Society, and the Media.

“We know from the testimony of many Western Christians who adhere to traditional beliefs regarding marriage and family that the activities of LGBT movements are aimed at displacing the Christian idea of ​​marriage and family from both the public and legal space,” the Church rep added.

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Catholics in Mexico have condemned an initiative to legalize euthanasia, accusing lawmakers of simply wanting to “save money,” while presenting their proposal “under the guise of false piety.”

A proposed law presented in the lower house of Congress is expected to be debated by its health commission and proposes allowing euthanasia for certain patients — including those with irreversible medical conditions that cause chronic pain — so long as they receive medical and psychological evaluations and their written request is reviewed by a notary.

The Mexican bishops’ conference released a statement, dated Nov. 27, opposing the initiative, saying that “more than an act of compassion, taking the life of another person is a gesture of abandonment, which is why euthanasia is always an attack against the dignity of the person.”

The document, signed by Bishop Jesús José Herrera Quiñónez of Culiacán, director of the bishops’ ministry for life matters, continued, “The mere possibility of euthanasia already eliminates all hope, and without it, human beings lose the meaning of life. The key is to understand the difference between ‘causing death’ (killing) and ‘allowing death’ (accepting its natural end).”

The Congress’s health commission had planned to discuss euthanasia Nov. 28, but canceled without explanation, Mexican media reported.

Four parties in the lower house — including the ruling MORENA party, which holds a majority with its allies — proposed reforms to the General Health Law, which would allow euthanasia in certain circumstances. Those circumstances include terminal illness, irreversible conditions and “being in agony.”

The proposal defined euthanasia as “the deliberate act of ending the life of a patient suffering from a terminal illness or irreversible medical condition, at the express and voluntary request of said patient.” It also requires patients to receive full medical and psychological evaluations.

It proposes to abolish Article 166 BIS 21, which prohibits the use of euthanasia in the country.

The proposal sparked disquiet among church leaders and pro-life groups in Mexico, which recalled that the lower house hosted “National Euthanasia Week” in June 2022. “The regulation of euthanasia in Mexico, if approved by the legislative branch, could mean, in terms of investment in health, a ‘savings’ for the state,” Emmanuel Reyes Carmona, the health commission’s president, said at the event.

Recalling these remarks, an editorial by the Archdiocese of Mexico City’s publication Desde la Fe said Nov. 25, “Under the guise of false piety, they seek to hasten the death of terminally ill people in Mexico.”

“In this ‘euthanasia week’ the objective of this practice was publicly exposed: to save money,” it continued.

During the 2022 event, it was mentioned that palliative care was costly and that properly regulated euthanasia “could alleviate” the costs of such care.

“Given this statement, it can be clearly concluded that the public health system would prioritize the application of euthanasia, rather than palliative care, leaving these services, which many families will surely seek for their loved ones, in a private health system,” Desde la Fe’s editorial continued. “In short, palliative care for those who can pay for it, euthanasia for those who cannot.”

President Andrés Manuel López Obrador has promised to create a health system on par with Nordic countries by the time he leaves office in 2024. But his administration hasn’t invested substantially in health, according to analysts, even during the COVID pandemic.

“All five Nordic countries have welfare state models with tax-funded health care systems and minor private health care sectors,” according to research by the National Library of Medicine in the U.S.

An analysis by the National Council of Social Development Policy Evaluation, which publishes a multifactorial measure of poverty in Mexico, found 39% of Mexicans — about 50.4 million people — lacked access to health services in 2022, up from the 16% of the population lacking access when López Obrador took power in 2018.

As of 2023, euthanasia and/or assisted suicide is legal in Belgium, Canada, Colombia, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Portugal (where it is awaiting regulation), Spain and all six states of Australia. In the United States, assisted suicide is legal in 10 states and the District of Columbia.

In his Nov. 27 statement on the proposed legislative reforms regarding euthanasia, Bishop Herrera asked decision-makers, people of goodwill and the church in Mexico to direct their efforts “to put in place palliative means to address (patients’) pain without ever opening the door to actions that directly take the life of a human being, whether he or she asks for it or not.”

“Let us not lose our humanity with actions that dehumanize us,” he concluded before praying for the intercession of the Virgin of Guadalupe to encourage all to treat all those who suffer with love, attention and care.

Sofia, December 1, 2023

Photo: netinfo.bg     

The Bulgarian government must request a review of the European Court of Human Rights’ decision from September 5 obliging the state to create a legal framework to afford legal recognition and protection to gay couples, says the Holy Synod of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church.

The Synod stated after its meeting on November 22:

The Holy Synod of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church-Bulgarian Patriarchate, based on the teaching of Christ’s Church about man as a great creation of God, the national constitutional identity of Bulgaria, and the supremacy of law, has no right and cannot afford not to uphold its consistent position on the issue of the concept of “gender,” marriage, family, and child protection. Marriage and family, understood as a God-blessed union between a man and a woman, are an age-old inviolable value for Christianity. For Christianity, there exists only one concept of gender, which stems from the biological nature of man as a creation of God.

Thus, the state must seek review of the decision in order to safeguard Christian truth, as well as to “to protect Bulgaria’s authority as a sovereign state governed by the rule of law.”

To implement the ECHR’s decision would violate the binding decision of Bulgaria’s Constitutional Court from “Gender” must be understood only in biological sense, rules Bulgarian Constitutional CourtThe court took into account the historical and spiritual traditions and values of Bulgarian society, and ruled almost unanimously, 11 to 1.

“>October 26, 2021:

The principles and provisions of the current Constitution do not allow us to deduce a positive obligation of the state to legally respect the self-determination of persons by gender other than biological, since this would be incompatible with the content of the constitutional term “gender” as fundamental to the constitutional and legal basis of marriage and family.

Asked to give its opinion in the run-up to the Court’s decision, the Bulgarian Synod stated in New gender ideologies are a demonic attack against union with God—Bulgarian ChurchThe Bulgarian Holy Synod recently expressed its view on how the concept of “gender” should be understood in the national constitution in response to a specific invitation for an opinion from the Constitutional Court.

“>June 2021:

Adding content to the concept of ‘gender,’ apart from its biological understanding, would ‘constitutionalize’ a new concept incompatible with the Bulgarian social order, unknown in our national legal system, and would promote ideas incompatible with ancient moral values ​​and the faith of the Holy Orthodox Church, and the Eastern Orthodox faith is part of the national and constitutional identity of Bulgaria.

And concluding its new statement, the Synod writes:

Beyond all human legal principles stand God’s laws. We Christians cannot and should not be indifferent when we witness injustice. God’s punishment will befall not only those who do evil, but also those who remain silent and do not expose it. Each of us will answer before God and our own conscience for our actions. As we do not know God today, do not keep His laws, and live sinfully, the inevitable day will come when we meet Him and the most frightening words we will hear will be: I know you not whence ye are; depart from Me, all ye workers of iniquity (Lk. 13:27). Therefore, we urge you to fulfill your state duty and take actions to reconsider the decision of the ECHR from 09.05.2023 on case 40209/20 Koilova and Babulkova vs. Bulgaria.

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Pope Francis offered condolences to the parents of Indi Gregory and to the mourners at the funeral of “this precious child of God.”

The 8-month-old baby girl, who suffered from a rare mitochondrial disease, died Nov. 13 after courts denied repeated attempts by her parents, Dean Gregory and Claire Staniforth, to stop the withdrawal of life support from her and to allow her to go to the Vatican-owned Bambino Gesù hospital in Rome for care.

Her funeral was celebrated Dec. 1 in St. Barnabas Cathedral in Nottingham, England.

Cardinal Pietro Parolin, Vatican secretary of state, conveyed Pope Francis’ condolences to the family and other mourners in a message to Bishop Patrick J. McKinney of Nottingham.

“His Holiness Pope Francis was saddened to learn of the death of little Indi Gregory,” the message said, “and he sends condolences and the assurance of his spiritual closeness to her parents, Dean and Claire, and to all who mourn the loss of this precious child of God.”

“Entrusting Indi into the tender and loving hands of our heavenly Father, His Holiness joins those gathered for her funeral in thanking almighty God for the gift of her all-too-short life,” the cardinal wrote.

“He likewise prays that the Lord Jesus, who said to his disciples, ‘Let the little children come to me … for it is to such as these that the kingdom of heaven belongs’ will grant abiding comfort, strength and peace to you all.”

Sofia, December 2, 2023

bg-patriarshia.bg     

The diocesan council of the Metropolis of Sofia of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church issued a series of liturgical prayers to be offered for the health of His Holiness Patriarch Neofit throughout the diocese at the Divine Liturgy this Sunday.

Patriarch of Bulgaria hospitalizedHis Holiness Patriarch Neofit of Bulgaria has been hospitalized with a pulmonary disease.

“>OrthoChristian reported on Wednesday that the Patriarch was hospitalized with a pulmonary disease. The Bulgarian primate, 78, has been in and out of the hospital in recent years.

The following prayers are to be added to the Divine Liturgy (unofficial translation):

For the servant of God, our Most Holy Father Neofit, Metropolitan of Sofia and Patriarch of Bulgaria, that he might be forgiven every voluntary and involuntary transgression, and that he might be granted mercy, let us pray to the Lord!

That He might soon raise him from his sick bed with the word of His power, as He once raised the centurion’s son, the daughter of the Canaanite woman, and Peter’s mother-in-law, and mercifully healed them, let us pray to the Lord!

That He might quickly raise him from his sick bed and restore his health, as He once raised the paralytic with the word of His Divine grace, let us pray to the Lord!

That He might not neglect the fervent prayers of His servant, but mercifully hearken and have mercy upon him, and grant him health, let us pray to the Lord!

That He might visit him with His Holy Spirit and heal every ailment and sickness that abides in him, for the glory of His name, let us pray to the Lord!

That He might mercifully hearken, as He did the Canaanite woman, to the prayerful voice of us His unworthy servants, who cry out to Him and, as He healed her daughter, and heal and have mercy upon His ailing servant Neofit, the Patriarch of Bulgaria, let us pray to the Lord!

Protect, save, have mercy, and preserve us, O God, by Thy grace!

Commemorating our most holy, most pure, most blessed and glorious Lady, the Theotokos and Ever-virgin Mary with all the saints, let us commend ourselves and each other, and all our life unto Christ our God.

The Divine Liturgy and Sacrament of Unction were also served for the health of Pat. Neofit today by the vicar of the Sofia Metropolis, His Grace Bishop Polycarp of Belogradchik.

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The funeral for Indi Gregory, the 8-month-old baby who lost her life last month after an end-of-life legal battle, was held at Nottingham Cathedral in England on Friday, Dec. 1, at 10:15 a.m. local time.

More than 100 people attended the service led by Bishop Patrick McKinney of Nottingham. Ahead of the service, Indi’s white coffin, adorned with white and pink flowers, was carried through the streets in a horse-drawn carriage. Behind the carriage, a procession of eight Rolls-Royce cars transported her family to the funeral. Indi’s parents, Dean Gregory and Claire Staniforth, placed her favorite musical lamb toy inside her coffin with her body.

Canon Paul Newman read a tribute on behalf of Dean Gregory in which he called his daughter a “true warrior.”

“I honestly and truly feel, deep in my heart, that Indi was not only beautiful, strong, and unique. I just knew, from the start, she was very special,” he said. “Nonetheless, I could never have imagined the sort of journey we and Indi would have to go through to fight for her life.”

“She didn’t only have to battle against her health problems, she had to battle against a system that makes it almost impossible to win. Yet, it was her weakest point, her health problems, that distinguished Indi as a true warrior.”

Gregory pointed out that Indi had much to overcome, including “seizures, two operations, sepsis, e-coli, including other infections, that even another child would struggle to beat.”

“But Indi’s determination to fight for a chance of life really inspired me,” he added.

“The strength she had for an 8-month-old child was incredible. And this is one of the reasons I would have done anything for Indi to have the chance to live, which was denied her.”

Gregory and Staniforth promised to make sure Indi’s life is “remembered forever.”

“I have now reached the conclusion that this was indeed Indi’s destiny … but now this chapter of Indi’s destiny is over,” the tribute read. “Her legacy, however, has only just begun. I wanted to make sure Indi would be remembered forever and she will live on in our hearts and through our voices.”

An Italian delegation made up of the Italian government’s minister for families, Eugenia Roccella, and minister for disabilities, Alessandra Locatelli; former Italian senator and lawyer Simone Pillon; and Jacopo Coghe, vice president of Pro Vita e Famiglia, was also in attendance.

The Italian government offered to pay for the funeral after trying to have Indi cared for at the Vatican’s Bambino Gesù Pediatric Hospital.

During the service, a book featuring thousands of tributes from Italy was given to Indi’s parents.

“We wish to express the Church’s care and closeness to her grieving family at this difficult time,” read a statement from the bishop of Nottingham and the cathedral dean, Canon Malachy Brett. “As a Church we will continue to contribute to wider discussions on questions of when treatment becomes disproportionate to any possible benefit, the duty of the continuation of basic care, and the rights of parents,” they added.

“Over the coming week, and especially on Friday, we hope you will understand that our sole concern will be supporting Indi’s family as they prepare to lay her to rest. May baby Indi rest in peace, and may all who loved her find consolation in the days ahead,” the statement concluded.

In a papal telegram, Pope Francis expressed his “condolences” and “spiritual closeness” to Indi’s parents as they mourn the loss of their child.

The message, signed by Cardinal Pietro Parolin, Vatican secretary of state, read: “Entrusting Indi into the tender and loving hands of our Heavenly Father, His Holiness joins those gathered for her funeral in thanking Almighty God for the gift of her all-too-short life.”

“He likewise prays that the Lord Jesus, who said to his disciples, ‘Let the little children come to me… for it is to such as these that the kingdom of heaven belongs’ (Mt 19:14), will grant abiding comfort, strength, and peace to you all,” the letter concluded.

Indi, born in February and baptized in September, suffered from a rare degenerative mitochondrial disease. She had been receiving life-sustaining treatment on a ventilator at the Queen’s Medical Centre in Nottingham, England.

England’s high court ruled that it was in the child’s “best interests” to be taken off life support against her parents’ wishes. Indi’s parents repeatedly appealed in U.K. courts to be able to take their baby to Rome for treatment but lost their legal battle, with the second-highest court in the U.K. ruling on Nov. 10 that her life support be removed “immediately.”

Indi died in her mother’s arms in hospice on Nov. 13.

Deaths by suicide grew to “the highest number ever recorded in U.S. history,” reaching nearly 50,000 in 2022, according to new data released by the CDC this month.

The CDC study, which shows the provisional data for 2022, reported that there were 49,449 deaths by suicide last year. Though the sheer number of deaths by suicide was 3% higher than in 2021, the CDC said that the final data for 2022 is expected to show an even higher number.

According to the data, which was “based on more than 99% of all 2022 death records” processed by the National Center for Health Statistics as of August, the suicide rate for 2022 reached 14.3 deaths per 100,000. This exceeds the previous year’s 14.1, which had been the highest rate since 1941.

The most heavily impacted age group was adults above age 35. These groups saw the largest increases from the previous year, with increases ranging from 3% to 9%. The suicide rate for white females was also among the largest increase of any group in 2022, with a rate increase from 7.1 to 7.3.

Four times as many males as females died by suicide in 2022, 39,255 to 10,194, respectively. However, the study does note that “suicides for females are more likely to be incomplete” because “their deaths more frequently involve drug poisonings.”

Notably, the suicide rates for individuals below the age of 35 generally decreased.

Native Americans and Alaska natives continued to be the ethnic group suffering the highest suicide rate, at 26.7 per 100,000.

Dr. Melinda Moore, a clinical psychologist and professor at Eastern Kentucky University (EKU), told CNA that though the number of deaths by suicide is at a record high, she believes the number of people suffering suicidal ideation likely “dwarfs” the number of deaths.

“I see a lot of suicidal ideation on my college campus (students, clients we treat in our training clinic at EKU) and also in my private practice,” Moore said. “We know that about 12.6 million Americans indicated they had serious thoughts of suicide in 2021 and, I suspect, this number is increasing as well.”

Moore said that though “there is not one reason we can ever point to that is able to demonstrate why an individual dies by suicide,” the “suicide rates have been steadily increasing for about 50 years” and this is “likely due to a combination” of “reasons why people despair.”

Poor mental health is oftentimes pointed to as the reason behind suicide, Moore said, but she believes that this is “not the sole cause.”

The lockdowns during the COVID-19 pandemic and “the effects of isolation and physical distancing, and, of course, the anxiety created by the uncertainty of our lives, health, future well-being, and productivity” further exacerbated the issue, according to Moore.

Moore said that “while we now have better assessment methods and empirically supported approaches to treating suicide,” these methods are still “not being widely used by professionals who come in contact with suicidal individuals.”

“Suicide is a problem that is not going to go away without better use of the science we have to assess, treat, and manage it, but it must be addressed like the other major leading causes of death and taken seriously by funders, training institutions, and systems of care to address it broadly and systemically.”

Monsignor Charles Pope, a Washington, D.C., parish priest and author who has contributed to the Christian-based Sanctuary Mental Health Ministries, told CNA that he believes loss of faith in society plays a large part in the record suicide numbers.

Pope said that “stress plus meaninglessness” can make life a kind of prison or “gulag” for many.

“With the biblical narrative gone and the practice of Christian religion dramatically down, there are only ephemeral and worldly goals to seek,” he explained. “But since we have an infinite longing in our heart and the world is finite, it is a recipe for unhappiness, frustration, and depression.”

“The wisdom of the cross is gone,” Pope went on, adding that it is lacking “even among many practicing Catholics.”

“Faith has been reduced to a kind of therapeutic thing,” he said, “devoid of the call to take up a cross and courageously carry it in faith. So, life has little meaning for people today and neither does suffering, which becomes therefore a total disaster rather than something to get through on the way to something glorious.”