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Married people have no priesthood : Pope Francis
Vatican City — Pope Francis has for now rejected a landmark proposal by bishops to allow the ordination of married men in remote areas underserved by priests, a potentially momentous change that conservatives had warned could set the Roman Catholic Church on a path toward lifting priestly celibacy and weakening church traditions.
The decision, in a papal letter made public on Wednesday, was welcomed by conservatives, but it was a major setback for many of the Catholics who see Francis as their best hope for bringing fundamental change to the church.
With the church facing a shortage of priests and increasing competition from evangelicals in many countries, the idea of opening up the priesthood to married men had held broad appeal for liberals worried about the church’s future.
Coming seven years into Francis’ papacy, his decision also raised the question of whether his promotion of discussing once-taboo issues is resulting in a pontificate that is largely talk.
“It’s difficult to reform a longstanding global institution,” said Marco Marzano, the author of “The Immobile Church: Francis and the Missed Revolution,” who called it “improbable” that Francis could deliver on all the changes his supporters hoped for. For liberals, he said, “There has been an exaggerated optimism.”
His closest advisers have acknowledged that the pope’s impact has waned on the global stage, especially on core issues like immigration and the environment. His legacy, they have said, will be inside the church, where his authority is absolute.
But the pope’s refusal to allow married priests came as a relief to conservatives, many of whom have come to see Francis and his emphasis on a more pastoral and inclusive church as a grave threat to the rules, orthodoxy and traditions of the faith. Some interpreted the pope’s decision as an olive branch to conservatives.
Cardinal Gerhard Ludwig Müller, who was fired as the church’s top doctrinal watchdog by Francis in 2017 and has emerged as one of his most prominent conservative critics, welcomed the letter as a “document of reconciliation.”
“This text could also have the reconciling effect of reducing internal church factions, ideological fixations and the danger of inner emigration or open resistance,” Cardinal Müller, of Germany, wrote on Wednesday.
The recommendation to allow married priests in remote areas was approved by more than two-thirds of the voting members who attended a church leaders’ summit on the Amazon region in October.
Francis had in the past expressed openness on the subject, and had often emphasized his desire to empower bishops around the world, to listen to their needs and create a less top-down church.
But the proposal to ordain married men in the Amazon region, where the shortage of priests is dire, set off a polarizing debate.
Progressives said it was high time the church recognized reality and the demands of the faithful; conservatives called the idea a threat to the priesthood, and warned that married priests would follow everywhere, including Europe.
Even the pope’s predecessor, Benedict XVI, put a finger on the scale, arguing for priestly celibacy in a rare intercession that highlighted the hardening of liberal and conservative camps that has come to define Francis’ papacy.
Despite expectations, Francis backed off.
In his letter, which took the form of a 94-page booklet and has the power of church teaching, Francis notably made no mention of ordaining married men in good standing or elevating to the priesthood married deacons, a lower clerical rank that does not require celibacy.
Popular Bible app YouVersion says it has seen more people engage with the Bible this year than ever before, drawing closer to God through His Word and through prayer features on the app.
Developers of the Bible app point out the most popular verse from 2024 reveals that people have been seeking God’s comfort in tumultuous times.
This year, the most searched scripture was Philippians 4:6. It reads: “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.”
YouVersion Founder and CEO Bobby Gruenewald believes it shows that people are more likely to turn to God when they face anxiety and daily struggles.
“In many cases, our anxiety comes from holding onto worries that we aren’t meant to carry,” said Gruenewald. “To me, this verse being sought out the most this year is an illustration that our community is seeking God in prayer and choosing to trust Him to carry their burdens—and we’re seeing that supported in the data.”
The YouVersion app was designed to encourage and challenge people to seek God throughout each day. It offers a free Bible experience in more than 2,170 languages and has been installed on more than 875 million unique devices.
“I was just trying to figure out how to use technology to help people read the Bible more consistently. And just had enough faith to start, to try something, and of course, what we’ve seen God do is incredible. Our faith has grown, but in the very beginning had no idea what it was going to become,” Gruenewald previously told CBN News.
Praying for Peace
Seeking peace through God’s Word is not the only thing that has increased this year.
YouVersion also saw increased interest in prayer around the world.
The words “prayer” and “peace” were among the top in-app search terms this year and the app’s YouVersion Prayer features went up by 46% this year compared to last year.
The YouVersion’s Prayer Team volunteers responded to prayer requests in 20 languages and prayed for concerns involving finances, healing, family, marriage, and anxiety.
The group has partnered with 24-7 Prayer International to facilitate “an unbroken chain of prayer, every hour of the day and night” among churches in more than 65 countries.
This year, they saw a 37% increase in the number of 24-7 Prayer Rooms they’re supporting.
“Throughout 2024, we have seen a rise in the number of people dedicating themselves to night and day prayer in different nations around the world,” said Carla Harding, International Director of Products for 24-7 Prayer International. “Our hope is that through continual prayer, the global church would be ignited in the presence of God and carry His love with greater compassion and power to the communities around them.”
Global Trends
It was a good year for YouVersion for another reason–more people engaged with the scriptures through their smartphones and tablets than ever before.
Every month of 2024 became the highest month in YouVersion for both app installs and daily use.
Across its Family of Apps—which includes Bible App, Bible App Lite, and Bible App for Kids—YouVersion saw an average of 11.2 million new device installs per month and about 14 million people engaging in the Bible every day.
Regional Momentum
YouVersion has also had a major impact in many countries around the world.
Bible engagement is growing at a fast rate in Central Africa (54%) and Eastern Africa (56%), compared to last year.
Countries like South Sudan (82%), Angola (68%), Mozambique (55%), Guinea (50%), Nigeria (35%), and Algeria (35%), saw a rise in daily Bible use in 2024.
YouVersion’s Bible App for Kids has also seen a big boost.
Nigeria, Senegal, and Cote d’Ivoire experienced the biggest engagement spikes among kids in Africa this year.
YouVersion is also seeing sustained growth in Latin America.
Many countries across the region saw a surge in daily Bible use, including growth in Nicaragua (107%), Venezuela (74%), Bolivia (52%), Honduras (50%), Cuba (45%), and Argentina (30%).
The Bible app is moving forward with plans to launch its first-ever Regional Hub in Belo Horizonte, Brazil in support of the roughly one million Brazilians opening the Bible App every day.
YouVersion’s goal for its Regional Hubs is to have a local team recruit content partners and churches to create a more authentic and regionally relevant Bible experience that helps people better connect with God’s Word on a personal level.
“It’s encouraging to see people throughout the YouVersion Community, in every region of the world, engage with the Bible at such high levels,” said Gruenewald. “These Bible engagement trends highlight the commonalities that can be found throughout the global Church—in the struggles we face and in our need for God.”
As CBN News reported, sales of physical, paper Bibles are also up 22% this year.
According to The Wall Street Journal,13.7 million copies were sold in the first 10 months of this year, compared to 14.2 million for all of 2023. Experts expect the total number to outpace last year once they tabulate November and December Bible sales.
Dr. John Plake, chief program officer at the American Bible Society, told CBN News why he thinks so many people, especially Gen Z, are engaging with the Word of God.
“They’re leaning into the Bible,” he shared. “They’re really trying to engage in their faith and they are kind of a bright hope for us as a young generation of American adults.”
Sources:CBN News
വാഷിംഗ്ടണ് ഡിസി: കഴിഞ്ഞ വർഷത്തെ അപേക്ഷിച്ച് ബൈബിൾ വിൽപ്പനയിൽ 22% വർദ്ധനവുണ്ടായതായി പ്രമുഖ മാധ്യമമായ ‘വാള് സ്ട്രീറ്റ് ജേണല്’. 2023ലെ വിൽപ്പനയുമായി താരതമ്യം ചെയ്യുമ്പോൾ ഒക്ടോബർ അവസാനം വരെയുള്ള ബൈബിൾ വിൽപ്പനയിൽ 22% വർദ്ധനവാണ് രേഖപ്പെടുത്തിയിരിക്കുന്നതെന്ന് ബുക്ക് സെയിൽ ട്രാക്കർ എന്നറിയപ്പെടുന്ന ‘ബുക്ക്സ്കാൻ’ പുറത്തുവിട്ട കണക്കുകളെ ഉദ്ധരിച്ചുള്ള റിപ്പോര്ട്ടില് പറയുന്നു.
2022-നെ അപേക്ഷിച്ച് കഴിഞ്ഞ വർഷം ഒക്ടോബർ അവസാനത്തോടെ, ബൈബിൾ വിൽപ്പന 1% ഉയർന്നിട്ടുണ്ടെന്നും കണക്കില് പറയുന്നു. ആദ്യമായി ബൈബിൾ വാങ്ങുന്നവരാണ് ഇതില് ഭൂരിഭാഗമെന്നതു ശ്രദ്ധേയമാണ്. അമേരിക്കയില് ബൈബിൾ വിൽപ്പന 22% വർദ്ധിച്ചപ്പോള് മൊത്തം യു.എസ് പ്രിൻ്റ് ബുക്ക് വിൽപ്പന 1% ൽ താഴെ മാത്രമാണെന്നും റിപ്പോര്ട്ടില് സൂചിപ്പിക്കുന്നുണ്ട്.
ആളുകൾ സ്വയം ഉത്കണ്ഠ അനുഭവിക്കുന്നുണ്ടെന്നും മക്കളെയും പേരക്കുട്ടികളെയും കുറിച്ച് അവർ ആശങ്കാകുലരാണെന്നും ഇവാഞ്ചലിക്കൽ ക്രിസ്ത്യൻ പബ്ലിഷേഴ്സ് അസോസിയേഷൻ്റെ പ്രസിഡൻ്റായി സേവനമനുഷ്ഠിക്കുന്ന ജെഫ് ക്രോസ്ബി ബൈബിള് വില്പ്പനയിലെ വര്ദ്ധവിനെ ചൂണ്ടിക്കാട്ടി പ്രസ്താവിച്ചു. 2019-ൽ, ബൈബിൾ വിൽപ്പന 9.7 ദശലക്ഷത്തിലെത്തിയിരിന്നു. 2024-ൻ്റെ ആദ്യ 10 മാസങ്ങളിൽ 13.7 ദശലക്ഷത്തിലധികം ബൈബിളാണ് ദശലക്ഷങ്ങളിലേക്ക് എത്തിയതെന്നും കണക്കില് ചൂണ്ടിക്കാട്ടുന്നുണ്ട്.
Bible sales in the US have surged 22% this year, driven by first-time buyers and innovative designs. Publishers attribute the rise to anxiety, a search for hope, and targeted marketing. Despite growing secularization, 13.7 million Bibles were sold in the first 10 months of 2024. Gen Z and younger demographics are increasingly drawn to Bibles for guidance and stability.
കടപ്പാട് :പ്രവാചക ശബ്ദം
One pastor from California is extra thankful this year for his training in mixed martial arts.
Pastor Nick Neves of Family First Church in Antioch, a city in the greater San Francisco Bay Area, confronted a would-be thief carrying an ax on Thanksgiving morning last Thursday, after the unnamed intruder broke into the church’s building.
“I shouted at him to stop, and that the police were on their way, and he ran and I grabbed ahold of him and we ended up wrestling in the parking lot of the church,”
When he was first approached by Neves, the unnamed attempted burglar tried fighting the preacher — but he was not very successful.
“I like to stay fit, and I studied in some jujitsu and kickboxing and I have a mixed martial arts background,” said Neves. “So it was very helpful to be able to grapple with this gentleman without having to do much harm to him.”
The pair wrestled for about 15 minutes before the would-be thief gave up until police arrived. Neves said he was able to pin the man to the ground and, although he got up and tried to get away a few times, the pastor never seriously injured the intruder.
“I knew I could outlast him,” the pastor said.
One of the church’s longtime attenders, Jeff Strawther, said the ordeal “could’ve gone in a totally different direction and we thank God that it didn’t,” calling Neves a “very tough” man the church is “grateful” to have as their pastor.
The preacher said it’s “ironic” the burglar attempted to break in to steal things from the church on Thanksgiving Day, especially since his congregation prides itself on providing meals to those in need in their community.
In fact, churchgoers had just given away groceries to 130 families in need earlier in the week.
“If he had come a couple of days earlier, he would have been blessed and get some food and be cared for,” Neves said. “But he decided instead to smash windows and desecrate property and do something that’s going to hurt the ministries.”
The pastor said he hopes this incident serves as a wakeup call to the criminal.
Sources:faithwire
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