This year’s Jan. 19 Red Mass speaker, Archbishop Bernardito Cleopas Auza, will give two additional presentations during his Hawaii visit.
The archbishop, who is the Permanent Observer of the Holy See to the United Nations, will speak on Pope Francis’ environmental encyclical “Laudato Si’” at 6 p.m. Jan. 19 at Chaminade University of Honolulu’s Clarence T.C. Ching Conference Center in Eiben Hall.
He will also address religious freedom, physician-assisted suicide and other life issues 6:30-8 p.m. Jan. 20 at St. Ann Church at 46-129 Haiku Road in Kaneohe.
The Chaminade event begins with dinner followed by the presentation at 6:45 p.m. with time for questions and answers. The event is free but an RSVP is requested by Jan. 15. Contact Karen Harp at karen.harp@chaminade.edu, or 735-4827.
The St. Ann talk is sponsored by the diocese’s Respect Life Office. Light refreshments will be served afterward and guests will have an opportunity to meet the archbishop. For more information, call the Respect Life Office, 203-6722, or email respectlife@rcchawaii.org.
Born in the Philippines, Archbishop Auza studied in Manila and Rome. He was ordained a priest in 1985 in Pittsburg, California, and a bishop at St. Peter’s Basilica at the Vatican in 2008.
He worked in various international diplomatic missions for the Holy See before being appointed in 2008 as papal nuncio to Haiti.
Archbishop Auza was named Permanent Observer of the Holy See, or “papal ambassador,” to the United Nations in 2014, and since last July has been serving concurrently as Permanent Observer of the Holy See to the Organization of American States.
He represents Pope Francis in following the work of the U.N. and sharing with the international body Catholic teachings on peace, justice, human dignity and humanitarian cooperation and assistance.
The archbishop is coming to Honolulu to speak at Honolulu’s Red Mass, the diocese’s annual public prayer seeking wisdom and guidance from the Holy Spirit for Hawaii’s public servants. It is celebrated at the Cathedral Basilica of Our Lady of Peace on the day before the opening of the Hawaii State Legislature.
The archbishop’s Red Mass talk is titled “Toward Greater Stewardship of Our Common Home.”
