NEWS & VIEWS
from a CATHOLIC perspective

      VATICAN (CWNews.com) -- Pope John Paul II today delivered his 27th address in a series of catechetical talks on the work of the Holy Spirit.

      At his weekly public audience, the Pope said that the Holy Spirit is the source of "Christian involvement in transforming the world through the light of the Gospel."

      The Holy Father observed that the Christian's determination to change the world is linked to "hope for the certain arrival of the Kingdom of God." Since the Holy Spirit is the source of both these impulses, it is wrong to suggest-- as some Marxists analysts have-- that there is a conflict between them.

      "Christian spirituality is not a spirituality of escape, or of rejection of the world," the Pope continued; "and it cannot be reduced simply to temporal activity." Believing Christians are called to "give witness to the Resurrection of Christ" and at the same time-- and for the same reason-- to "work together as builders of a new society."

      While working toward, and hoping for, the Kingdom of God, Christians are sustained by the Eucharist, the Holy Father said. The sacraments provide the power through which the faithful "live in the hope of Christ," and "not conformed to the mentality of the present world."

      Meanwhile, the official Vatican newspaper today lamented the "barbaric" killing of a Canadian missionary in Haiti.

      Christian Brother Bernardin Hudon died last Thursday after being hacked with a machete at his home in La Valle. Police have not been able to determine the motive of the crime, or to name a suspect. However, they do suspect that the killer had been hidden inside the building, since there was no sign of forced entry.

      "The only sad certainty," reported L'Osservatore Romano, "is that a new name has been added to the contemporary list of martyrs for the Church." In 1997 there were 68 Catholic priests, religious, and seminarians killed; to date this year there have been at least 15 such killings. Pope John Paul II has said that during the Jubilee Year, the Church will honor the many martyrs of the 20th century.