Philippine Asian News Today Vol 20 No 08 | Page 25

April 16 - 30 , 2018 PHILIPPINE ASIAN NEWS TODAY 25

Pope Francis shares a sweet treat for feast of St . George

I-scream , you-scream , Pope Francis screamed ... ‘ gelato !’ on the feast of his patron saint , George , offering some 3,000 ice creams to homeless individuals served in Caritas soup kitchens and shelters around Rome .
Every year the pope ’ s “ onomastico ,” or name-day , is celebrated as an official holiday in the Vatican . Under Francis , whose baptismal name is Jorge Mario Bergoglio , the feast is that of St . George , since Jorge is the Spanish equivalent .
And with temperatures in Rome finally starting to warm up , Francis decided to cool things down for Monday ’ s feast , asking the papal almoner ’ s office to provide the gelato to the poor and needy served by Catholic charitable organization , Caritas .
The papal almoner is Polish Archbishop Konrad Krajewski , who can often be seen mingling with the poor around St . Peter ’ s Basilica .
However , the pope himself is also known to be a gelato lover , his favorite flavor being dolce de leche , according to the Vatican cookbook . An Argentine classic , dolce de leche is essentially the Latin American version of caramel , but richer .
In the past , other papal gelato favorites included classic Italian flavor ‘ cassata Siciliana ’ for retired pontiff Benedict XVI , which is made with chocolate , strawberry and mango ice cream . John Paul II , on the other hand , reportedly indulged in ‘ marron glacé ’ gelato from Rome ’ s Gelateria Giolitti , which is ice cream flavored with candied chestnuts .
In addition to Monday ’ s sweet treat , Pope Francis often makes similar gestures for Rome ’ s poor , homeless , and sick , whether it ’ s a trip to the circus , a tour of the Vatican museums or a pizza party lunch on his birthday .
In the past he has also taken homeless to the beach during the hot summer months , and with temperatures this year expected to exceed the burning weather of 2017 , it ’ s possible another outing will take place in the coming months . ( E . Harris , CNA )

Australian nun to be deported from Philippines for alleged political activism

An Australian Catholic nun who has been working as a missionary in the Philippines for nearly 30 years has been ordered to leave the country on the grounds of allegedly joining protest rallies .
Sister Patricia Fox , 71 , will be deported within 30 days , after the immigration bureau revoked her missionary visa . Her deportation order stated that she was “ found to have engaged in activities that are not allowed under the terms and conditions of her visa ,” according to Reuters .
“ She has not participated in any partisan activity . She is a nun ,” said Jobert Pahilga , one of Fox ’ s lawyers , in a report from Reuters .
“ We will file a motion for reconsideration on this order ,” Pahilga continued .
While her missionary visa was cancelled on Monday , Fox will still be able to enter the Philippines as a tourist , but not as a missionary .
Fox ’ s deportation comes only a week after she was arrested at her convent and detained for 22 hours by authorities . She was later released after “ no probable cause ”
was found for her arrest .
Fox has been a legally documented alien in the country with a missionary visa , who has served as the Philippine superior of the Sisters of Our Lady of Sion . Her primary focus has been working with the rural poor for the past 27 years .
Allegations brought against Fox have included participating in political rallies , which according to Philippines immigration law , would violate her right to stay in the country . However , Pahilga has denied these claims , saying she “ has done nothing wrong or illegal ,” that would warrant her deportation .
Fox did travel to Tagum City in an effort to gather data on human rights violations against farmers within the region . Fox noted that she stood in solidarity with the farmers during a rally in an effort to promote human rights – not politics .
“ I would call it religious because we are called to stand beside the poor ,” Fox said , according to CBCP news , the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines ’
news outlet .
“ I haven ’ t joined partisan political rallies but I have been active in human rights issues ,” she continued .
CBCP also reported that they were told Fox was primarily arrested for being an “ undesirable alien ” within the country because she participated in the farmer rally protests .
President Rodrigo Duterte of the Philippines originally ordered an investigation into Fox for “ disorderly conduct ” and brought claims against her for involvement
in political activity reaching beyond the scope of her missionary work .
Auxiliary Bishop Broderick Pabillo of Manila also recently said that the actions brought against Fox were a “ form of persecution and harassment .””
“ This is political ,” Pabillo said . “ The government is trying to intimidate individuals and groups who are in pursuit of social justice for the oppressed and the poor .”
Fox has 30 days to leave the Philippines upon receipt of the immigration order .( CNA Philippines )
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