Archbishop Peter Machado, Catholic Bishops of Karnataka meet Pope Francis
A Group of 56 Indian Bishops consisted of prelates not only from Karnataka but also Andhra-Telengana, Tamil Nadu and the Latin Bishops of Kerala went to Rome for their Ad Limina visit, which is mandatory for Bishops to meet with the Pope every five years. They began this visit with the Holy Mass at the Tomb of St Peter in the crypt of St Peter's Basilica on 12th September.
They also celebrated the Holy Masses at the three other major Basilicas of St Paul, Mother Mary and St. John Lateran, and visited important Congregations such as Divine Worship and Discipline of Sacraments, Integral Human development, Inter- Religious dialogue, Laity, Family, Catholic Education etc.
The Bishops also met Pope Francis who met and spent time with each one of them and had words of encouragement for them on September 17. The Pope also reportedly spoke of his concerns for the Church.
In his official speech, the Holy Father thanked the bishops for their dedicated service to the people and also instructed them to reach out the love of Christ to the needy and the poor by upholding simplicity, truth and justice. He then invited questions and clarifications. Archbishop Peter Machado wrote from Rome: “I considered it a unique but humble opportunity to represent the Archdiocese and the Karnataka State in Rome. Both Archbishop Emeritus Bernard Moras and myself were privileged to be provided accommodation at Casa Santa Martha, in the same residence as the Holy Father. In fact we were surprised to find him walking on the corridors and even eating in the same refectory, a little set apart, but we were instructed not to go too close to him or talk to him. The Holy Father is an epitome of simplicity and humility.
“I expressed appreciation for his teachings about the poor and more than anything else his approach to the poor. I assured the Holy Father that with his closeness to the poor, we in our Archdiocese, Karnataka State and Country at large feel consoled that he loves the poor and his heart beats for the poor. I told him of our humble attempts of coming to the aid of the poor, the latest one being opening a night shelter for those sleeping on the streets, beginning with one such shelter in the Archbishop's House Campus, perhaps with more to follow in the Archdiocese. Taking cue from the Holy Father's Celebration of the Day of the Poor, I told His Holiness that in consultation with the Priests, Religious and lay faithful of the Archdiocese of Bangalore, we may keep up the coming year in the Archdiocese as the Year of the Poor. His immediate response in Italian was "Vai Avanti" which means "Go ahead!" was Archbishop Machado’s word from Rome" he further wrote.
“The Holy Father was happy that initiatives are being taken in many dioceses of India of greening the environment. The Pope expressed his keen desire to visit India as he has been visiting so many other countries. The Holy Father closed the audience with a prayer for India and blessings to all the bishops and the faithful of their dioceses. The Holy Father interacted with each one of them, and allowed them to take Groups photographs region-wise” an official press statement from The Archdiocese of Bangalore informed.
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Snowfall blocks two key roads providing alternative connectivity to Kashmir
Rajouri/Jammu (PTI): Traffic on the Mughal and Sinthan Top roads, which provide alternate connectivity to Kashmir, was temporarily suspended on Sunday due to light to moderate snowfall in the high-altitude areas of Jammu and Kashmir, officials said.
However, traffic on the 270-kilometre Jammu-Srinagar national highway -- the only all weather road linking Kashmir with the rest of the country -- was plying as usual despite intermittent rains that ended the over one-and-a-half months long dry spell, they said.
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The Mughal road, which connects the twin border districts of Poonch and Rajouri with south Kashmir's Shopian, was closed for traffic as a precautionary measure after more than three inches of snow was recorded at Peer Ki Gali on Sunday afternoon.
A group of three tea vendors are left stranded on the road and efforts are on to evacuate them to safety, officials said.
After they were trapped in the snow, the vendors made passionate appeals through video messages urging the authorities to rescue them. The Border Roads Organisation has taken up snow clearance work and is trying to reach the stranded persons, officials said.
The Sinthan Top road, which connects Kishtwar and Doda districts in Jammu with south Kashmir's Anantnag, was also closed after moderate snowfall in the higher reaches.
Both the mountainous roads usually remain closed for several months due to heavy snowfall during winter.
