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Thursday 24 May, 5:13 PM
(B, II)
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, fredag vecka 7 under året
Läsningar i mässan: Syr 6:5-17, Ps 119:12, 16, 18, 27, 34-35, , Mark 10:1-12
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 Bibel
2000
FOLKBIBELN |
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 Daglig bön
Dagens läsningar o tideböner i mobilen |
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Kyrka i rörelse under Trons år.
05-Apr-2013: 
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Jesusmanifestationen i Stockholm 18 maj, program
03-Apr-2013: 
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KKS nyhetsblogg - Påve Franciskus, Karismatiska förnyelsen och ekumeniken
26-Mar-2013:  Att evangelikala och pingstkarismatiska kristna i Sydamerika gladde sig åt att kardinal Bergoglio hade valts till påve fick vi tidigt indikationer på. Den argentinskfödde evangelisten Luis Pauli berättar i Christianity Today om sin personliga vänskap med kardinalen.
Peter Hocken, katolsk präst och ledamot i ICCRS´s kommission för lärofrågor säger att "påve Franciskus kommer att vara till starkt stöd för den Karismatiska förnyelsen och han förstår den ekumeniska samfundsövergripande karaktären av den helige Andes utgjutande i våra dagar." (EUCCRIL 255)
Kardinal Bergoglio var mycket stödjande för Karismatiska förnyelsen i Argentina och hade nära kontakter med ledande personer inom förnyelsen som Julia Torres, ledare för Comunità di Gesù i Buenos Aires. Bergoglio var de argentinska biskoparnas kontaktperson gentemot Karismatiska förnyelsen. 2012 godkände Argentinas biskopar ett grunddokument om förnyelsen där det sägs att Karismatiska förnyelsen är "en ström av nåd".
Bergoglio är, berättar Peter Hocken, van vid att be för människor och frågar alltid också efter andras förbön för honom. Den senare fick vi ju se exempel på direkt då han presenterades som den nyvalde påven från Peterskyrkans balkong. Kardinalen hade också en nära gemenskap med evangelikala ledare och ledare inom Pingströrelsen i Argentina vilket är unikt. På grund av kardinal Bergoglios öppenhet och värme är relationerna mellan evangelikaler och katoliker mycket bättre i Argentina än i övriga delar av Latinamerika.
Kardinal Bergoglio var involverad i årliga dialogsamtal mellan katoliker och pingstvänner såväl som i de ekumeniska reträtter för präster och pastorer som anordnades i anslutning till dessa samtal. I Latinamerika används termen Evangelicos både om evangelikala och klassiska pingstvänner (varav de senare är i majoritet).
Peter Hocken berättar att han var i Buenos Aires i februari och träffade då både kardinal Bergoglio och en ledande pingstpastor och teolog, Norberto Saracco. Saracco säger till Christianity Today:
"His election has been an answer to our prayers, Bergoglio is a man of God. He is passionate for the unity of the Church—but not just at the institutional level. His priority is unity at the level of the people."
Charles Whitehead, tidigare ordf i ICCRS internationella råd säger: "We're going to see a more relaxed, open and simple papacy, a more collaborative and collegial approach to the government of the Church, a simpler and more direct proclamation of Jesus the Saviour of the world." (EUCCRIL 254)
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Påvens installationsmässa idag på förmiddagen på Kunnskapskanalen och Vatikanens webb-TV
19-Mar-2013: 
Hela ceremonin sänds på Vatikanens webbTV-kanal. Man kan välja kommentarer på olika språk (Kräver Silverlight på datorn)
Man kan också se det på SVT Kunskapskanalen eller dess playkanal med svensk kommentar av Kaj Engelhart.
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KKS nyhetsblogg - Karismatiska förnyelsen, ICCRS och KKS hälsar påve Franciskus välkommen
14-Mar-2013: 
• Welcome, His Holiness Francis I. ICCRS and the CCR praise God and pray for you.
• Benvenuto, Sua Santità Fancesco I. ICCRS e il RCC lodano Dio e pregano per te.
• Bienvenido, su santidad Francisco I. ICCRS y la RCC alaban a Dios y oran por ti.
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KKS nyhetsblogg - Karism förnyelsen gläder sig dubbelt: Påven tidigare fader för Karismatiska förnyelsen i Argentina.
14-Mar-2013: ICCRS skriver på sin hemsida att Karismatiska förnyelsen kan glädja sig dubbelt åt den nye påven Fr...
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KKS nyhetsblogg - ICCRS uppmanar Karismatiska förnyelsen i hela världen till förbön för Kyrkan
27-Feb-2013:
Cyril John, ordförande i ICCRS subkommitté för förbön uppmanar Katolska karismatiska förnyelsen över hela världen att mobilisera maximal böne-support för Kyrkan i denna viktiga historiska fas under det att påvestolen är tom från 28 februari fram till dess ny påve är vald. Alla bönegrupper, kommuniteter och karismatiska grupper uppmanas att be för Kyrkan, påve Benedikt och för den nya påven. Läs mera på ICCRS hemsida. ..
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Famous exorcist says Pope's simple prayer cast out demon
24-May-2013:
Rome, Italy, May 24, 2013 / 03:58 am (CNA/EWTN News).- Rome’s most well known exorcist says Pope Francis performed an exorcism in St. Peter’s Square last Sunday and that the man was possessed because of Mexico’s abortion law.
“The Pope, in good faith, got close to him and performed an exorcism on him in the form of a liberation prayer, not like the classical exorcism that one does with a book,” said Father Gabriele Amorth in a May 22 evening interview with CNA.
“He is really a soul of God, which the Lord is using to criticize Mexico for legalizing abortion,” he said.
According to Fr. Amorth, he himself performed an exorcism for over an hour on the Mexican man before the Pope prayed over him later that same day in St. Peter's Square.
“I’m well informed about that young man; a good, golden, young man, he appears younger than what he is,” said Fr. Amorth. “He is 43 years-old (and) married with children.”
“I saw John Paul II do this same prayer three times,” he said. “Pope Francis laid his hands on him, prayed, and that’s it. It is enough.”
Fr. Amorth, aged 88, has performed over 70,000 exorcisms during the past 27 years. The number is high because carrying out an exorcism can require multiple sessions and each time the rite is administered it is counted as one instance.
After the interview with CNA, he made comments May 22 at Rome’s Lepanto Foundation, a Catholic book organization where he was invited to speak on his two latest books: “The last exorcist, my battle against Satan” and “The sign of the exorcist, my latest battles against Satan.”
“You will have noticed that in his first 10 short speeches, this Pope has always named the devil ‘your excellency,’” he said during the evening meeting, which had a dramatic feel to it because of the subject matter and the pouring rain and thunder outside.
“What did he do last Sunday?” asked the exorcist. “When Mass finished, as he normally does, with his simplicity, he walked over to greet a few sick, and a Mexican priest pointed out to him a young man possessed by the devil.”
He noted that the Pope “did not hide himself in this liberation prayer that he did on this young man at the Square.”
“Jesus did exorcisms on the street, in homes, wherever,” said Fr. Amorth. “I’ve had to change 23 places in Rome to be able to do exorcisms.”
“I would like for everyone to attend exorcisms,” he added. “I’ve seen many priests that, after having seen one, did not doubt anymore about the existence of Satan. One has to see it.”
Fr. Amorth said people no longer believe in the devil now and there is a shortage of exorcists.
“Today there are no more exorcists because of the bishops,” he charged. “I’ve been saying for 27 years that when a bishop doesn’t provide, he commits a mortal sin.”
“But not all bishops are in the state of mortal sin, shucks that would be a lot of bishops,” he joked.
Fr. Amorth stated that everyone has the power to cast out devils if they have enough faith in Jesus Christ, and that these abilities are “gifts of the Holy Spirit.”
“But if one truly has this gift he keeps it hidden and is humble about it,” he pointed out.
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Bipartisan tribute on Hill celebrates Father Hesburgh's life, ministry
24-May-2013:
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Pope Francis urges Christians to not be 'museum pieces'
24-May-2013:
Vatican City, May 23, 2013 / 04:07 pm (CNA/EWTN News).- Pope Francis reflected May 23 on Jesus Christ's exhortation to be “salt of the earth,” warning that Christians who do not live their faith become “flavorless salt” and are fit to be museum pieces.
The pontiff said that God gives Christians the “salt” of faith, hope and charity. This salt should not be hoarded “because if the salt is preserved in a bottle it does not do anything: it is good for nothing.”
“We can show the salt: this is my salt – and how lovely it is! This is the salt that I received in Baptism, this is what I received in Confirmation, this is what I received in catechesis,” he said. “But look: museum-piece Christians! A salt without flavor, a salt that does nothing.”
The Pope’s comments came in his homily during morning Mass at the chapel of St. Martha's residence in the Vatican, Vatican Radio reports. The day’s gospel reading, from the Gospel of Mark’s ninth chapter, contains Jesus’ question to his disciples: “if salt becomes insipid, with what will you restore its flavor?”
Pope Francis said that faith preached with this salt helps others receive it according to their own individual circumstances, as when it is used judiciously on food.
“Each with his own peculiarities receives the salt and becomes better,” he added. “The Christian originality is not a uniformity! It takes each one as he is, with his own personality, with his own characteristics, his culture – and leaves him with that, because it is a treasure.”
He said this “salt” also gives something more. “It gives flavor!” he said. “This Christian originality is so beautiful.”
He said those who want everything to be salted in the same way risk a situation where a cook throws in too much salt.
“One tastes only salt and not the meal,” he said. The Christian originality is this: each as he is, with the gifts the Lord has given him.”
He urged Christians to “get out there with the message, to get out there with this richness that we have in salt, and give it to others.”
The Pope said Christians may give this salt both in service to others and in service to God. The “salt” of faith also keeps its flavor through preaching, prayer and adoration.
“With the worship of the Lord I go beyond myself to the Lord, and with the proclamation of the Gospel I go out of myself to give the message,” he said.
He repeatedly encouraged Christians to share their faith.
“Salt makes sense when you (use) it in order to make things more tasty,” he said. “The salt that we have received is to be given out, to be given away, to spice things up. Otherwise, it becomes bland and useless.”
He said Christians should pray that God not let them become “Christians with flavorless salt that stays closed in the bottle.”
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Pope Francis to visit birthplace of his namesake on saint's feast day
23-May-2013:
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Be salt of the earth, not 'museum Christians,' pope says at Mass
23-May-2013:
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With no bishop, Shanghai priests concerned about Masses, pilgrimages
23-May-2013:
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El Salvador's leader gives pope bloodstained relic of Archbishop Romero
23-May-2013:
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Health care includes spiritual needs, archbishop tells World Assembly
23-May-2013:
Geneva, Switzerland, May 23, 2013 / 12:03 am (CNA).- The head of a Vatican delegation to the World Health Assembly on Wednesday called for universal health care coverage and an “integral” approach to health care that responds to a person’s spiritual needs.
Archbishop Zygmunt Zimowski, head of the Pontifical Council for Pastoral Assistance to Health Care Workers, stressed the need for “integral development.” This approach, he said, does not focus only on health care or economic growth, but also attends to “the spiritual state of the person.”
“Health and development ought to be integral if they are to respond fully to the needs of every human person. What we hold important is the human person - each person, each group of people, and humanity as a whole,” he said May 22 to the 66th World Health Assembly.
The assembly is meeting from May 20-28 in Geneva. It is the decision-making body of the World Health Organization, the public health arm of the United Nations.
The archbishop said that health care contributes to the development of nations “and benefits from it.” He said that the Holy See “strongly believes” that universal health care coverage as a goal of government policy is a more certain way to achieve “the wide range of health concerns,” including preserving present advances.
Archbishop Zimowski then turned to efforts to save the lives of millions of people who die each year “from conditions that can easily be prevented.” He praised a resolution before the assembly to improve the quality, supply and use of 13 “life-saving commodities.”
“The Holy See strongly agrees with the need to achieve further reductions in the loss of life and prevention of illness through increased access to inexpensive interventions that are respectful of the life and dignity of all mothers and children at all stages of life, from conception to natural death,” he said.
However, he voiced “serious concerns” about the assembly’s secretariat report and its executive board-recommended resolution that includes “emergency contraception.” He said some of these drugs have an abortifacient effect.
“For my delegation, it is totally unacceptable to refer to a medical product that constitutes a direct attack on the life of the child in utero as a ‘life-saving commodity’ and, much worse, to encourage ‘increasing use of such substances in all parts of the world’,” he said.
The archbishop welcomed the assembly’s proposed global action plan to control non-communicable diseases. He said his delegation was “especially pleased” that the plan recognizes the “key role” of civil society institutions including faith-based organizations in encouraging the prevention and treatment of these diseases.
“Our delegation is aware that Catholic Church-inspired organizations and institutions throughout the world already have committed themselves to pursue such actions at global, regional, and local community levels,” he said.
Archbishop Zimowski also voiced interest in aspects of preventing and controlling diseases in older age, noting faith-based institutions’ long tradition of care for the aged and the rapid growth of the elderly population. He noted that the Vatican will host an international conference Nov. 21-23 about caring for the elderly with neurodegenerative diseases.
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Vatican financial investigator says laws, roles will be strengthened
23-May-2013:
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Pope says everyone can do good, regardless of belief
23-May-2013:
Vatican City, May 22, 2013 / 04:03 pm (CNA/EWTN News).- Every human person despite his or her beliefs can do good, and a sharing in good works is the prime place for encounter among those who disagree, Pope Francis said at his Mass today.
“The Lord created us in his image and likeness, and we are the image of the Lord, and he does good and all of us have this commandment at heart: do good and avoid evil. All of us,” the Pope taught in his homily May 22 at St. Martha's residence in the Vatican.
“We must meet one another doing good. ‘But I don’t believe, Father, I am an atheist!’ But do good: we will meet one another there.”
The Mass was concelebrated by Cardinal Bechara Boutros Rai, the Maronite Patriarch of Antioch, and attended by employees of the Vatican's governorate, or executive branch.
During his homily, the Bishop of Rome reflected on Christ's response to his disciples, who thought that anyone outside their group could not do good.
“If he is not one of us, he cannot do good. If he is not of our party, he cannot do good.” This viewpoint, Pope Francis said, “was wrong...Jesus broadens the horizon.”
He went on to explain that all human persons are created in the image of God, who is goodness himself and the source of goodness.
“But, Father, this is not Catholic! He cannot do good.' Yes, he can. He must. Not can: must! Because he has this commandment within him.”
The pontiff called this view, that only Catholics can do good, an intolerance and a “closing off” that can lead to war and blasphemy. Blasphemy, he explained, includes “killing in the name of God.”
He emphasized the universality of Christ's saving act on the cross as a compliment to the universal call to holiness, regardless of religious belief.
“The Lord has redeemed all of us, all of us, with the Blood of Christ: all of us, not just Catholics. Everyone.”
“Even the atheists. Everyone,” Pope Francis stressed.
He said that the saving blood of Christ “makes us children of God of the first class. We are created children in the likeness of God and the blood of Christ has redeemed us all. And we all have a duty to do good.”
The Pope said that because to do good is inscribed on the human heart and does not derive from creeds, “it is an identity card that our Father has given to all of us, because he has made us in his image and likeness. And he does good, always.”
Similarly, doing good “is a duty” for all people. The universal commandment to do good, he said, “is a beautiful path towards peace.”
“If we, each doing our own part, if we do good to others, if we meet there, doing good, and we go slowly, gently, little by little, we will make that culture of encounter: we need that so much.”
Noting the memorial of Saint Rita of Cascia, he concluded saying, “let us ask of her this grace, this grace that all, all, all people would do good and that we would encounter one another in this work.”
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Pope praises Missionaries of Charity's 'beautiful' Vatican ministry
22-May-2013:
Vatican City, May 22, 2013 / 12:04 pm (CNA/EWTN News).- Pope Francis thanked the Missionaries of Charity for their work and described one of their houses located inside the Vatican “a beautiful reality” and “a school of charity.”
“I thank all those who in various ways support this beautiful reality of the Vatican,” said Pope Francis during a May 21 evening visit to celebrate the residence’s 25th anniversary.
“This house is a place that teaches charity, a school of charity, that teaches us to go out to every person, not for profit, but out of love,” he stated at the Gift of Mary House.
He noted that “at the border between the Vatican and Italy, it is a powerful reminder to all of us, to the Church, to the city of Rome, to always be more of a family, a home in which we are open to welcome, to attention, and to fraternity.”
Blessed John Paul II placed the house under the care of the sisters on May 21, 1998.
“How many people have you fed in these years, how many wounded, above all wounded spiritually, have you cared for!” he emphasized.
“My presence here tonight is to give first of all my heartfelt thanks to the Missionaries of Charity, founded by Blessed Teresa of Calcutta, working here for 25 years, with many volunteers, in favor of so many people in need of help, thank you!” he told them.
Around 25 homeless women are allowed to live in the residence, and the sisters feed around 60 people each day at the house.
“A home represents the most precious human wealth, that of encounter, that of the relationships between persons of different ages, cultures, and histories who live together and who, together, help one another to grow, and that is what this house has sought to be for 25 years,” said Pope Francis.
Archbishop Georg Gänswein, Prefect of the Papal Household, and Monsignor Alfred Xuereb, the Pope’s personal secretary, accompanied the pontiff on his 5:30 p.m. visit.
The meeting was held in the courtyard located between the Gift of Mary House, the Palace of the Holy Office and the Atrium of the Paul VI Hall.
Cardinal Angelo Comastri and the Mother General of the Missionaries of Charity, Sister Mary Prema Pierick, welcomed Pope Francis.
The sisters then placed a garland of flowers around the Pope’s neck, following Indian tradition.
Over 100 people were also at the house, including its patrons, employees, friends and guests as well as Missionaries of Charity from other different communities around Rome.
The Pope described the homeless women living at the house as its “gift” and “a gift to the Church.”
“You tell us that loving God and our neighbor is not something abstract but profoundly concrete,” he stated.
“It means seeing in every person the face of the Lord to serve and serving him concretely,” he added.
According to the Pope, people everywhere must recover the entire sense of gift, gratuity and solidarity.
“A savage capitalism has taught the logic of profit at any cost, give in order to get, exploitation without looking at persons, and we see the results in the crisis we are living through!” said the pontiff.
Pope Francis noted that another feature of the house is that it is “qualified as a gift of Mary” and she is an example of living charity towards our neighbor, “not out of social duty, but starting from God's love.”
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Selfishness is a downer; proclaiming Christ brings joy, pope says
22-May-2013:
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Religious freedom reports see little improvement in troubling countries
22-May-2013:
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Pope says Christians must recognize good others do, work with them
22-May-2013:
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Vatican's financial intelligence unit nets suspicious activity
22-May-2013:
Vatican City, May 22, 2013 / 09:59 am (CNA/EWTN News).- The Vatican revealed that its enhanced procedures have enabled it to flag more suspicious transactions in 2012 than it did in 2011.
“I’m not saying that everything is great and perfect, but that a lot of progress has been made in the last two years,” said Rene Brülhart, director of the Financial Information Authority, at the Vatican’s press office.
“It’s important that we’re setting a system here to protect the Holy See,” he added.
The Vatican’s Financial Information Authority made the statistics public at a May 22 press conference, where it made its first-ever annual report available.
The report shows that in 2012 there were six reports of suspicious activity, versus one in 2011.
Brülhart said this proves that his department and its system, which became operational in April 2011, are working well.
The director explained that the six suspicious transactions involved sums of money greater than 10,000 Euros ($13,000) but would not provide additional details.
He also revealed that the Financial Authority asked the Promoter of Justice’s office within the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith to study two of the cases and said that they could be related to money laundering.
He stressed that international cooperation to help combat money laundering was “absolutely key and crucial” and that the Vatican is “a key player in global fight of money laundering.”
The Financial Information Authority was set up to help combat money laundering and the financing of terrorism and hired Brülhart as its director just a few months ago.
According to the Swiss native, combating money laundering in the Vatican began back in 2010 after Pope Benedict XVI released a “motu proprio” that laid out the procedures.
“There’s no financial sector in the Vatican, no stock exchange, so it’s a completely different environment,” Brülhart said.
He noted that his office has two functions: to work as an intelligence unit and to supervise the so-called Vatican bank, which is officially called the Institute for Works of Religion.
The Vatican bank also recently received a new president, Ernst von Freyberg, who announced May 13 that it will make its annual report public and launch a website to better inform the public about its mission.
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Pope: Ask if your life promotes unity or division
22-May-2013:
Vatican City, May 22, 2013 / 06:44 am (CNA/EWTN News).- The Holy Spirit made it possible for everyone to hear the apostles in their own language on Pentecost, uniting people who were divided, Pope Francis said, calling on Christians to witness to the faith in a way that reconciles and is forgiving.
“We should all ask ourselves: ‘how do I let myself be guided by the Holy Spirit so that my witness of faith is one of unity and communion? Do I bring the message of reconciliation and love that is the Gospel to the places where I live?’” the Pope said in his May 22 message for the general audience.
The descent of the Holy Spirit undid “the dispersion of peoples and the confusion of tongues” that began with the Tower of Babel, the Pope noted, explaining that the men of the time acted with “arrogance and pride” in wanting to build the tower on their “own strength, and without God.”
Pope Francis address to the crowd of around 50,000 pilgrims in St. Peter’s Square was dedicated to examining the phrase from the Creed, “We believe in One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church.” The talk was part of an ongoing series of reflections during the Year of Faith on the Creed that was started by Benedict XVI.
The pontiff stated that the previous line of the Creed on the Holy Spirit has “a deep connection” to the mission and characteristics of the Church that he dwelt on today.
The Holy Spirit “gives life to the Church, guides her steps. Without the presence and the incessant action of the Holy Spirit, the Church could not live and could not accomplish the task that the Risen Jesus has entrusted her: to go and make disciples of all nations,” the Pope explained.
For that reason, he focused his reflection on three ways that the anointing of the Holy Spirit changes people, marks the Church and prepares it to evangelize.
“Sometimes it seems that what happened at Babel is repeated today; divisions, the inability to understand each other, rivalry, envy, selfishness,” the Holy Father observed.
So he asked the crowd to think about the questions, “What do I do with my life? Do I bring unity? Or do I divide with gossip and envy?”
“Bringing the Gospel means we in the first place must live reconciliation, forgiveness, peace, unity, love that the Holy Spirit gives us. Let us remember the words of Jesus: ‘By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another,’” the Pope said, quoting John 4.
The second way the Spirit prepares believers to share the Gospel is by instilling courage in them, he told the crowd.
“Here is another effect of the Holy Spirit: Courage! – the courage to proclaim the newness of the Gospel of Jesus to all, with self-confidence (parrhesia), in a loud voice, in every time and in every place,” he said.
“And this happens even today for the Church and for each of us,” Pope Francis insisted, urging people, “never be closed to this action!”
“Because evangelizing, announcing Jesus, evangelizing brings us joy! It energizes us. Being closed up within ourselves brings bitterness. Proclaiming the joy and hope that the Lord brings to world lifts us up!” the Pope proclaimed.
But all of this is not possible without a “faithful and intense relationship with God,” the pontiff said as he moved into his third point.
“I will only mention a third element, but it is particularly important: a new evangelization, a Church that evangelizes must always start from prayer, from asking, like the Apostles in the Upper Room, for the fire of the Holy Spirit.
“Without prayer our actions become empty and our proclamation soulless; it is not animated by the Spirit,” he stressed.
Pope Francis encouraged Christians to entrust themselves to the Holy Spirit because he “enables us to live and bear witness to our faith, and enlighten the hearts of those we meet.”
He finished his thoughts on the connection between the Church and the Holy Spirit by recalling Benedict XVI’s statement that the Church today “especially feels the wind of the Holy Spirit that helps us, shows us the right path, and so, with new enthusiasm, we are on our journey and we thank the Lord.”
At the end of the audience the Pope also offered a special message the Catholic in China, who will celebrate the feast of Our Lady Help of Christians on May 24.
May they proclaim Christ “dead and risen, with humility and joy; be faithful to his Church and the Successor of Peter; and live their everyday lives in service to their country and their fellow citizens in a manner consistent with the faith they profess,” he said.
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Pope makes fourth appeal for Oklahoma tornado victims
22-May-2013:
Vatican City, May 22, 2013 / 03:52 am (CNA/EWTN News).- As he hosted his weekly Wednesday audience in St. Peter’s Square, Pope Francis made his fourth appeal for prayer for the victims of the tornado that killed 24 people in Oklahoma.
Before he greeted all of the English-speaking people at the May 22 general audience, Pope Francis invited everyone present to pray for those who were killed or injured by the May 20 tornado that ravaged the Oklahoma City suburb of Moore.
The death toll was originally reported as 91 people, including 20 children, but subsequent counts showed that some casualties were counted twice in the chaos. According to the state’s chief medical officer Doctor Eric Pfeifer, the correct number of dead stands at 24, with nine of those being children.
Besides his request at the general audience, the Pope also sent a May 21 message to Archbishop Paul S. Coakley of Oklahoma City, in which he asked the archbishop to “convey to the entire community the assurance of his solidarity and closeness in prayer.”
“Conscious of the tragic loss of life and the immensity of the work of rebuilding that lies ahead, he asks Almighty God to grant eternal rest to the departed, comfort to the afflicted, and strength and hope to the homeless and injured,” reads the message sent by Secretary of State Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone.
In his first two requests for prayer – during the prayer intentions for his daily Mass and then via Twitter – Pope Francis singled out for particular prayer the tragic death of the children who were killed by the storm.
He repeated that plea in his message to the Oklahoma City archbishop, saying, “in particular way he commends to the Father of Mercies the many young children among the victims and their grieving families.”
“Upon the local civil and religious leaders, and upon all involved in the relief efforts His Holiness invokes the Risen Lord's gifts of consolation, strength and perseverance in every good,” his telegram concluded.
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Pope, visiting shelter, says Christian charity is witness of God's love
22-May-2013:
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Tornadoes exact deadly toll; region needs 'a lot of prayers right now'
22-May-2013:
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Pope: power struggles outside Jesus' vision of Church
21-May-2013:
Vatican City, May 21, 2013 / 01:39 pm (CNA/EWTN News).- While acknowledging that power struggles have existed in the Church since it began, Pope Francis said Jesus’ teaching on power leaves no room for them.
“In the Church the greatest is the one who serves most, the one who is at the service of others,” said Pope Francis on May 21.
“This is the rule, yet from the beginning until now there have been power struggles in the Church, even in our manner of speech,” he said in his homily, which was based on the day’s Gospel reading from Mark 9.
In the reading, Jesus catches the disciples arguing about which of them is the greatest.
“In the Gospel of Jesus, the struggle for power in the Church must not exist because true power, that which the Lord by his example has taught us, is the power of service,” said the Pope.
But the Pope believes the struggle for power in the Church is “nothing new” and that it first appearing when Jesus was forming his disciples.
Pope Francis noted, “when a person is given a job, one that in the eyes of the world is a superior role, they say ‘ah, this woman has been promoted to president of that association, or this man was promoted.’”
“This verb, to promote, yes, it is a nice verb and one we must use in the Church,” he said.
“Yes, he was promoted to the Cross, he was promoted to humiliation,” the Pope remarked.
“True promotion,” he underscored, “is that which makes us seem more like Jesus.”
“If we do not learn this Christian rule, we will never, ever be able to understand Jesus’ true message on power,” said Pope Francis.
“Real power is service as he did, he who came not to be served but to serve, and his service was the service of the Cross,” he said.
The pontiff explained that Jesus “humbled himself unto death, even death on a cross for us, to serve us, to save us and there is no other way in the Church to move forward.”
Pope Francis also drove home his point by recalling that Saint Ignatius of Loyola, the founder of his religious order the Jesuits, asked Jesus for the grace of humiliation.
“This is the true power of the service of the Church, this is the true path of Jesus, true and not worldly advancement,” said the pontiff.
“The path of the Lord is being in his service as he carried out his service, we must follow him, on the path of service, that is the real power in the Church,” he stated.
The congregation included the president and vice-president of the Focolare Movement, Maria Voce and Giancarlo Faletti, as well as the director of the magazine Civiltà Cattolica, Jesuit Father Antonio Spadaro.
Staff from Vatican Radio and the Office of the Vatican City State Governatorate also attended.
During the prayers of the faithful, Pope Francis prayed for the victims of the tornado that hit the Oklahoma City suburb of Moore on the afternoon of May 20. The twister claimed the lives of at least 91 people, including 20 children.
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Vatican denies pope performed public exorcism
21-May-2013:
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Struggle for power in church is sin, pope says at Mass
21-May-2013:
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Pope Francis helped young addict in struggle against drugs
21-May-2013:
Rome, Italy, May 21, 2013 / 12:02 pm (CNA/EWTN News).- According to an Argentine priest, Pope Francis when he was Archbishop of Buenos Aires helped save a young mailman from the abyss of drug addiction and became his spiritual father.
Jesuit priest and Vatican Radio commentator Father Guillermo Ortiz recounted to CNA knowing then-Cardinal Jorge Bergolio when he was still provincial superior of the Jesuits in Argentina, as well as his own personal introduction to the young man.
“When I was living in Buenos Aires,” he recalled, “I met this guy. He listened to me on the radio and since he was a mailman, he knew the address of my office and he began seeking me out to talk about spiritual questions. He was getting out of drugs thanks to prayer, and he always asked for spiritual guidance.”
After a while, however, the young man stopped coming to visit, and Fr. Ortiz began to worry, until one day he ran across him on the street and found that he had completely recovered.
“Do you know who I have been with, Father? Cardinal Bergoglio!” the young man said. “I went by the chancery and I left a note with my name and number saying I wanted to speak with him, and the next Saturday I was in my room resting and my father knocked on the door.”
“I said, 'Don’t knock, this is my day off and I want to sleep a little bit more!' But my father said, 'No, you can’t right now, the cardinal is on the phone,'” he remembered.
“The cardinal himself had called to tell him when he could meet,” Fr. Ortiz said. “Without any calendar, he answered him immediately! These things are wonderful and one can only ask, 'How did he find the time?'”
Fr. Ortiz said the young mailman eventually overcame his addition through prayer and spiritual direction from priests and in this case from Cardinal Bergoglio, who helped him “continue his struggle against drugs.”
What he most admired about the cardinal was his “closeness to the people. He didn’t have any boundaries. Even as bishop and as cardinal he didn’t have a secretary and he called people himself and met with everyone that he could,” Fr. Ortiz said.
Fr. Ortiz is currently the director of Vatican Radio's Spanish-language broadcast. Since the election of Pope Francis, he has spoken with the pontiff on several occasions.
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Pope praying for children, others struck by Oklahoma tornado
21-May-2013:
Vatican City, May 21, 2013 / 08:08 am (CNA/EWTN News).- Pope Francis sent special condolences to those parents who lost their children in a tornado that killed around 100 people in Oklahoma.
“I am close to the families of all who died in the Oklahoma tornado, especially those who lost young children,” the Pope said on his Twitter account on May 21.
“Join me in praying for them,” he added. Pope Francis also tweeted the same message in Spanish.
Earlier in the day during his morning Mass in the Vatican, the Pope personally added a prayer intention for the tornado victims and those who are missing, especially the children.
There are 20 children among the 91 who have died, but officials said the death toll is expected to increase since the tornado hit southern Oklahoma City suburb of Moore on May 20.
The tornado, which was two miles wide at its greatest, touched down at 2:56 p.m. and lashed the area for 45 minutes with winds of up to 200 mph.
It destroyed homes, businesses, the local hospital and other buildings, including Plaza Towers Elementary School.
Local hospitals have treated at least 145 people in Oklahoma City.
President Obama declared the area a major disaster and will be sending federal aid.
In May 1999, Moore was hit by a tornado that broke records with a wind speed of 302 mph.
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Pope prays for victims of Oklahoma tornado
21-May-2013:
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Vatican spokesman denies Pope conducted exorcism
21-May-2013:
Vatican City, May 21, 2013 / 04:31 am (CNA/EWTN News).- Pope Francis did not perform an exorcism when he prayed over a young disabled man in St. Peter’s Square on Pentecost Sunday, according to the Vatican’s spokesman.
“The Pope had no intention of doing an exorcism, so it is absolutely false that this has been done. He simply prayed for the sick person,” Vatican press office director Father Federico Lombardi told CNA May 21.?
The idea that Pope Francis performed an exorcism was fueled by a video posted online by channel TV2000, which is overseen by the Italian bishops’ conference.
In the video, which is a preview of the May 24 episode of “Vade Retro” (“Go Back” in Latin), a young man is presented to the Pope by Legionary Father Juan Rivas.
What he said to the pontiff is unknown, but the Pope seemed to become serious and began praying over the young man in a wheelchair, placing both his hands on his head.
As the Pope prayed, what sounds like a growl can be heard coming from the young man as he opened his mouth and recoiled downward in his chair.
The Pope’s security detail can be seen hovering in the background, and one of them comes in to quickly take a letter from the Fr. Rivas, before the Pope passes on the next person.
“As usual, the Pope had many patients and many people in difficulty presented to him, and the Pope always prays intensely for them,” Fr. Lombardi said about the encounter.
Marta Jimenez Ibanez contributed to this report.
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Chaldean patriarch warns surge in Iraqi violence will divide country
21-May-2013:
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Pope tells Catholics to shout 'Jesus' instead of 'Francis'
21-May-2013:
Vatican City, May 20, 2013 / 04:02 pm (CNA/EWTN News).- Pope Francis asked those gathered for the Pentecost Vigil Mass at the Vatican to chant Christ's name instead of his own, highlighting his role as Christ's vicar on earth.
“From now on no more 'Francis,' only 'Jesus,' alright?” he asked rhetorically during the Pentecost Vigil Mass said May 18 at Saint Peter's Square.
“All of you in the square shouted out 'Francis, Francis, Pope Francis,' but where was Jesus?” he admonished them. “I want to hear you shout out 'Jesus, Jesus is Lord, and he is in our midst.'”
During his homily, he spoke to the more than 200,000 people gathered from ecclesial movements from around the world.
The Pope told how his grandmother was the first to pass on the faith to him, and insisted that a person's faith begins through their family.
“I received my first Christian proclamation right from this woman, from my grandmother. That is something beautiful,” he exclaimed.
“The first proclamation is in the home, within the family. This makes me think of the love of many mothers and so many grandmothers in the transmission of the faith,” he said.
He told mothers to conscientiously transmit faith to their children, because “God puts people alongside us who help our journey of faith.”
He also told how, at the age of 16, he felt a sudden urge to go to confession one day. It was there that he heard the call to priesthood.
“After the confession I felt that something had changed, I was not the same. I felt a voice call me, and I was convinced that I had to become a priest.”
“This experience of faith is important,” he added. “We say that we must seek God, go to him to ask for forgiveness but when we go, he is waiting for us, he is the first one there.”
Attendants had posed four questions to the pontiff, which he answered during his homily. The first question inquired about how he has achieved “certainty of faith” and how he would guide each of them to “overcome our fragility of faith.”
“Fragility’s biggest enemy, curiously enough, is fear. But do not be afraid,” he advised. “We are weak, we know it. But Jesus is stronger and if you are with him, then there is no problem.”
The second question given him was on the challenge of evangelization for ecclesial movements and how to effectively communicate the faith in today’s world.
“If we push ahead with planning and organization – beautiful things indeed – but without Jesus, then we are on the wrong road. Jesus is the most important thing,” emphasized Pope Francis.
The pontiff underscored the importance of prayer and “letting God gaze at you.”
He said that he prays the rosary daily, but often “nods off” in front of the tabernacle. “But he understands me. I feel so much comfort when I think that he is looking at me.”
The Bishop of Rome underscored the need for letting one’s self be guided by God. He reflected on St. Peter's vision of “the sheet with all the animals,” when Christ told him to eat non-kosher foods, Christ having made them clean.
Though St. Peter was at first reluctant and did not understand, “some non-Jews came to call him to go into a house, and he saw how the Holy Spirit was there.”
“Peter was guided by Jesus to reach that first evangelization to the Gentiles,” Pope Francis said. “Be guided by Jesus' own leadership,” he urged.
The third question was concerning suffering, and how the movements may address it for the good of the Church and of society.
“When the Church becomes closed in on itself, it gets sick,” Pope Francis said, appealing to people to “not close in on themselves, on their own friends and movements.”
“Think of a closed room, a room locked for a year, when you go in, has a smell of damp,” he said. “A Church that is closed in on itself is just the same – it is a sick Church.”
When Christians are “starched,” speaking “of theology calmly over tea,” rather than being courageous and encountering non-Christians and the poor, the Church is sick, he said.
The pontiff believes people cannot rest in peace knowing that a starving child is not news worthy.
“We cannot become starched Christians, too polite, who speak of theology calmly over tea, we have to become courageous Christians,” he said.
Catholics must themselves reach out to the poor and assist them on a personal level, he stressed.
“A poor Church for the poor begins with going to the flesh of Christ,” which he called the poor.
Personally helping the poor, for Pope Francis, is a theological response to Christ's own poverty. It is a loving response to God's own solidarity with us, since he “humbled himself” and “became poor, walking with us on the road.”
He also emphasized the danger of letting worldliness creep into the Church. “There is a problem that is not good for Christians: the spirit of the world, the worldly spirit, the spiritual worldliness.”
The final question asked of the pontiff regarded how Catholics can help and support those who are persecuted for their faith.
“We must try to make them feel, these brothers and sisters, that we are deeply united to their situation,” he said, highlighting the importance of praying in solidarity with them.
“In the prayer of every day we must say to Jesus, 'Lord, look upon this brother, look at this sister who suffers so much,'” he concluded.
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At Pentecost vigil, pope shares personal stories of his faith
20-May-2013:
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Courageous prayer leads to miracles, Pope reflects
20-May-2013:
Vatican City, May 20, 2013 / 11:35 am (CNA/EWTN News).- Pope Francis encouraged bold prayer and faithful trust in God during his homily at Mass today at Casa Santa Marta in the Vatican.
“A courageous prayer, that struggles to achieve a miracle,” the Bishop of Rome said May 20. “Not prayers of courtesy: 'Ah, I will pray for you,' I say an Our Father, a Hail Mary and then I forget.”
Rather, he said, “strong prayer is needed. Humble and strong prayer that enables Jesus to carry out the miracle.”
Highlighting the importance of faith in Christ, he told of how an Argentine girl who fell ill and was expected to live but a few hours was miraculously healed after her father prayed intensely for her.
“Her father, an electrician, a man of faith … took a bus to the Marian shrine of Lujan, 70 kilometers (43 miles) away.”
“He finally arrived after 9:00 p.m., when everything was closed. And he began to pray to Our Lady, with his hands gripping the iron fence and he prayed, and prayed, and wept, and prayed … and that’s the way he remained all night long,” Pope Francis added.
The man returned to the hospital the following morning and found his wife weeping. She told him that the doctors came and said the fever was gone and that she would live.
“This still happens,” the Pope reminded his listeners. “Miracles do happen.”
Pope Francis was reflecting on the day's Gospel, which recounts the disciples’ failure to heal a child, and Jesus intervenes saying everything is possible for those who have faith.
According to him, a prayer for a miracle must be “an involved prayer, a prayer that unites us all.”
He took as models the prayer of Abraham, “who struggled with the Lord” to save Sodom and Gomorrah, and Moses' prayer, when he “held his hands high and tired himself out.”
“When people ask us to pray for the many people who suffer in wars, all refugees … pray. But with your heart to the Lord,” he exhorted.
“Do it, but tell him, 'Lord, I believe, help my unbelief.'”
The pontiff stated there is disbelief when “the heart will not open, when the heart is closed, when the heart wants to have everything under control.”
“It is a heart, then, that does not open and does not give control of things to Jesus,” he concluded. “Prayer does wonders, but we have to believe.”
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Rome university launches course on liturgical music
20-May-2013:
Rome, Italy, May 20, 2013 / 09:34 am (CNA/EWTN News).- A pontifical university in Rome has launched a master's program in Gregorian chant and the use of the organ at Mass so as to build unity among Catholics world-wide.
“The most important thing is that music, when it is truly liturgical, creates community,” Father Jordi Piqué, dean of the Pontifical University of Saint Anselmo's liturgical institute, said May 20.
“When one hears a Mass that is sung or the organ interpreting a beautiful melody, it’s never individualistic, it’s always as a group,” he added at the Benedictine Abbey where the university is located.
Fr. Piqué, who plays the organ, is from the Benedictine Abbey of Montserrat, Spain, and was named dean of the program six months ago.
“The Pontifical Liturgical Institute has always had liturgical sources as its base and since the Second Vatican Council studies have been adapted to spread and make liturgy be valued by the faithful,” he explained.
“A very important part of liturgy is the music and chants, and now we’ve been able to unite with the Pontifical University of Sacred Music and offer this Master's.”
The degree will require that students study Gregorian chant with “a scientific reflection” as well as seeing its central place, “directed within the liturgy.”
Classes for the two-year program will be held every Thursday evening and will be divided into three main topics: liturgy, music, and theology.
The university will regularly invite speakers to lecture on topics such as organ improvisation, the sources of Gregorian chant, and music composition.
Students will also learn about how to use the principles of Gregorian chant to compose chant in their own vernacular languages.
There will also be guests for the course including the president of the Pontifical Council for Culture, Cardinal Gianfranco Ravasi, president of the Pontifical Council for Culture, will lecture on the vision of music within the liturgy.
“The biggest challenge of liturgical music is the same as always been: to take modern-day musical languages and translate them into liturgical languages, or vice versa,” reflected Fr. Piqué.
“We have to invite composers to adapt popular and modern day music, but within the environment of the (Eucharistic) celebration.”
Fr. Piqué believes that music can help people pray, but that liturgical celebrations should include times of silence, as well.
“Music needs silence,” he stated.
In explaining the essential link between Gregorian chant and the Roman liturgy, Fr. Piqué noted Saint Augustine's well-known dictum, “who sings, prays twice.”
St. Benedict directed his monks to “sing with pleasure, sing with wisdom,” he added.
He noted that liturgical participation includes not only singing the chants, but attentively listening to them as well.
“Whoever sings, or listens to music, is praying,” he explained, “because you are praying when you are listening” and that “by singing, you reveal what your heart contains.”
He also believes that sacredness has not been lost, but is “transforming itself and taking on new forms that are related to our times.”
Fr. Piqué noted the increasing use of Gregorian chant at Mass, and interpreted it as a refuge from the hurried pace of modern life.
“But our times are very filled with noise, and so music within the liturgy is taking on again the calm, tranquil and serene aspect that this open and serene dialogue with God needs to have,” he concluded.
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Diversity is a blessing when all are united in faith, pope says
20-May-2013:
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Pope ties Church movements Mass to Pentecost
19-May-2013:
Vatican City, May 19, 2013 / 07:22 am (CNA/EWTN News).- St. Peter’s Square was “transformed into an open-air Cenacle,” Pope Francis said after he celebrated Pentecost with Church movements.
“This celebration of faith is about to end, which began yesterday with the Vigil and culminated this morning in the Eucharist.
“A renewed Pentecost that has transformed St. Peter's Square into an open-air Cenacle,” Pope Francis said May 19 before reciting the Regina Caeli Marian prayer with around 200,000 pilgrims.
His brief reflection prior to the prayer recapped his main message for the Mass, which was that the Holy Spirit brings “newness, harmony and mission” to the lives of Christians.
He saw newness in the pilgrims reliving “the experience of the early Church, who agreed in prayer with Mary, the Mother of Jesus.”
The harmony inspired by the Holy Spirit was evident in the Square with the “variety of charisms” and the beauty of those being united in the Church.
Finally, Pope Francis thanked the communities and associations for the gift they are to the Church. He then urged them to mission, the third aspect of the Spirit’s work in Christians’ lives.
“Always carry the power of the Gospel! Always have the joy and passion for communion in the Church! The Risen Lord is always with you and the Madonna protects you!” he proclaimed.
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Spirit's surprises are way to happiness, Pope teaches
19-May-2013:
Vatican City, May 19, 2013 / 06:58 am (CNA/EWTN News).- Around 200,000 pilgrims packed St. Peter’s Square to celebrate Pentecost with Pope Francis, who called on them to be open to “God’s surprises” because they bring true happiness.
“This is not a question of novelty for novelty’s sake, the search for something new to relieve our boredom, as is so often the case in our own day,” the Pope said May 19.
“The newness which God brings into our life is something that actually brings fulfillment, that gives true joy, true serenity, because God loves us and desires only our good,” he stated.
Pope Francis gave his homily during a 10:30 a.m. Mass with Church movements and associations from Europe, Asia and Africa in St. Peter’s Square.
They arrived in Rome for a series of weekend events centered on the Year of Faith, which included a pilgrimage to St. Peter’s tomb, music and testimonies. Their encounter with the Pope began on Saturday afternoon when he held a prayer vigil with them, and it finished with today’s Mass.
The Holy Father dedicated his homily to three ways that the Holy Spirit works in the lives of Christians: “newness, harmony and mission.”
Speaking about the “newness” the Holy Spirit brings, he explained that it requires letting him be the soul and guide of our lives in our every decision.
But the newness and change he brings lasts because it is truly fulfilling and creates joy, the Pope said.
He then posed a series of questions to the crowd:
“Are we open to ‘God’s surprises?’ Or are we closed and fearful before the newness of the Holy Spirit? Do we have the courage to strike out along the new paths which God’s newness sets before us, or do we resist, barricaded in transient structures which have lost their capacity for openness to what is new?”
The second aspect of the Spirit’s work is that he gives different gifts to people, creating diversity in the Church that ends up all being united in harmony by him.
“One of Fathers of the Church has an expression which I love: the Holy Spirit himself is harmony – ‘Ipse harmonia est,’” the Pope said.
He warned that when “we are the ones who try to create diversity and close ourselves up in what makes us different and other, we bring division.”
The key, Pope Francis taught, is to “let ourselves be guided by the Spirit” and live in and with the Church.
“It is the Church which brings Christ to me, and me to Christ; parallel journeys are dangerous!” he cautioned.
“When we venture beyond (proagon) the Church’s teaching and community, and do not remain in them, we are not one with the God of Jesus Christ,” the Pope told the communities.
“So let us ask ourselves: Am I open to the harmony of the Holy Spirit, overcoming every form of exclusivity? Do I let myself be guided by him, living in the Church and with the Church?”
Pope Francis’ final point centered on how the “Holy Spirit is the soul of mission.”
“The older theologians,” he recalled, “used to say that the soul is a kind of sailboat, the Holy Spirit is the wind which fills its sails and drives it forward, and the gusts of wind are the gifts of the Spirit. Lacking his impulse and his grace, we do not go forward.”
He explained that the Holy Spirit “draws us into the mystery of the living God and saves us from the threat of a Church which is gnostic and self-referential, closed in on herself.”
Instead, the Spirit “impels us to open the doors and go forth to proclaim and bear witness to the good news of the Gospel, to communicate the joy of faith, the encounter with Christ,” the Pope preached.
Although the events of Pentecost took place “almost 2,000 years ago,” they are not “something far removed from us; they are events which affect us and become a lived experience in each of us.”
“The Holy Spirit,” Pope Francis noted, “makes us look to the horizon and drive us to the very outskirts of existence in order to proclaim life in Jesus Christ.
“Let us ask ourselves: do we tend to stay closed in on ourselves, on our group, or do we let the Holy Spirit open us to mission?”
He closed his homily by asking God the Father to pour out the Holy Spirit again, using the Latin invocation, “Veni, Sancte Spiritus!” (Come Holy Spirit!).
After Mass Pope Francis recited the Regina Caeli prayer with the assembly, thanking them for their presence and saying that the Holy Spirit renewed Pentecost and changed St. Peter’s Square into an open-air Upper Room.
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Gossip is like slapping Jesus, Pope asserts
18-May-2013:
Vatican City, May 18, 2013 / 09:15 am (CNA/EWTN News).- Pope Francis spoke today about how gossip by Christians is a “slap” to Jesus “in the person of his children.”
“All three - disinformation, defamation and slander - are sins! This is sin! It is to slap Jesus in the person of his children, his brothers,” the Pope said May 18 in the chapel of St. Martha’s House.
The topic game up in Pope Francis’ homily because of the day’s Gospel reading from John 21 in which Peter asks if John will be alive when Jesus returns to earth.
?“What is it to you?” the pontiff began his homily, referring to Jesus’ response to Peter, who was being tempted “to interfere in the lives of others.”
Peter became “nosy,” Pope Francis remarked, noting that there are two ways people are tempted to get involved in others’ lives. The first is “to compare oneself with others” and the second is to gossip.
“It seems nice to chat,” he reflected, “I do not know why, but it looks nice. Like sweet of honey, right? You take one and then another, and another, and another, and in the end you have a stomach ache. And why? The chatter is like that eh? It is sweet at first and it ruins you, it ruins your soul!”
The Pope then referred back to Genesis, saying that gossip is “‘a little’ like the spirit of Cain who killed his brother, his tongue; it kills his brother!”??The consequence of gossiping is that “we become Christians of good manners and bad habits,” he warned, later repeating the description.
According to Pope Francis, people fail in this area in three ways: by giving “misinformation,” by making known the faults of others, and by telling lies about others.
“That is why Jesus does with us what he did with Peter when he says: ‘What is it to you? Follow me.’ The Lord in this instance points the way,” he said.??
“This kind of talk will not do you any good,” the Pope stated, “because it will just bring to the Church a spirit of destruction. ‘Follow me!’ These are the beautiful words of Jesus, it is so clear, that he has so much love for us. As if to say: ‘Don’t have fantasies, believing that salvation is in the comparisons with others or in gossip. Salvation is to go behind me.’”
Pope Francis finished his homily by saying, “Today we ask the Lord Jesus to give us this grace not to ever get involved in the lives of others, not to become Christians of good manners and bad habits, it is to follow Jesus, to walk behind Jesus on his way. And this is enough.”
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American seminarians win Clericus Cup second time
18-May-2013:
Rome, Italy, May 18, 2013 / 07:30 am (CNA/EWTN News).- The North American Martyrs succeeded in clinching the Clericus Cup for the second year in a row, beating the seminarians from Mater Ecclesiae by a score of 1-0.
The game was closely fought, with the Martyrs scoring the game’s only goal about 25 minutes into the second half on a break away down the right-hand side of the field.
The match was primarily a showcase of defense, with the Martyrs appearing to have a slight edge over Mater Ecclesiae throughout the game.
In keeping with tradition, the boisterous American fans showed up dressed as super heroes, including Batman, Captain America and Uncle Sam. They sang patriotic songs, chanted as a drum thumped out the beat, and blew air horns.
The Mater Ecclesiae supporters also turned out for the game in strong numbers, filling the stands and backing their team with the occasional cheer and beating of a drum.
The match was held at the Knights of Columbus Fields, which meant the seminarians could see St. Peter’s Basilica in the background as they duked it out.
As the final whistle sounded, the North American Martyrs fans could be heard changing their chant from “We believe we will win,” to “We believe we have won!”
The Clericus Cup is organized by the Centro Sportivo Italiano, and this year it brought together 13 teams from local Roman seminaries to compete for the prize.
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Vatican Legal: Church teaching doesn't change, but church laws can
17-May-2013:
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Sainthood cause of 16th-century Jesuit moves to Vatican
17-May-2013:
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Spanish bishop exhorts faithful to speak out against abortion
17-May-2013:
Cordoba, Spain, May 17, 2013 / 12:02 pm (CNA).- Bishop Demetrio Fernandez of Cordoba, Spain, is calling on the faithful not to remain silent about the genocide of abortion and to work for “policies inspired in the culture of life.”
“The hundreds of thousands – more than a million – abortions that have taken place in recent years constitute the slow suicide of nation that is incapable to transmitting life to the next generation,” he warned.
In his latest pastoral letter, Bishop Fernandez said the defense of life from the moment of conception is not a religious matter, but is “above all a human matter.”
“The light of God makes us see more clearly that which simply human reason can perceive, if it is not obscured by selfish interests,” he explained.
“We are living in turbulent times in many areas,” the bishop said. For this reason, “we need the Holy Spirit to make clear to us the truth about God and man, to give us the strength to follow the will of God, to inspire us in the mission of brining the Gospel to every person.”
He noted that some people debate about how late into a pregnancy abortion should be allowed. However, he said, “any law that allows abortion will always be a law that is unfit for mankind,” because it allows for the killing of an innocent human life.
Because of the murders that are taking place in the womb, he cautioned, “Europe, and Spain included, is dying of old age.”
Policies should be enacted to encourage births and not to penalize “the family that is generously open to life,” Bishop Fernandez urged.
He also called the faithful to let the Holy Spirit enter into their lives as the “Lord and giver of life.”
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Recognize your sin, ask forgiveness, pope says at Mass
17-May-2013:
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Missio: Pope Francis unlocks app for Pontifical Mission Societies
17-May-2013:
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Pope's mission app launch spreads Gospel
17-May-2013:
Rome, Italy, May 17, 2013 / 11:30 am (CNA).- With the touch of an iPad, Pope Francis became the first pontiff to unlock a new smartphone application and expanded the Church’s footprint in the digital world.
“I was quite anxious that we were going to get the signal and it was all going to work. Because this isn’t made up, these folks are actually waiting for the Holy Father to hit this button before it works,” said Father Andrew Small in a May 17 CNA interview.
The launch of the MISSIO App took place May 17 in the Vatican’s Clementine Hall during a meeting of the Pope and the 120 national directors of the Pontifical Mission Societies.
The mission society’s application for mobile devices and smartphones collects news from Rome, stories and photos from the missions and other material and makes it available to the world.
The actual unlocking of the app was simple.
Fr. Small, the U.S. national director, presented his iPad to the Pope, who asked, “I push here?”
“As soon as the Holy Father hit the button, a little notice came across the top – what they call a ‘push notice’ – and it said, ‘Pope Francis has unlocked the MISSIO App.’
“And he sort of looked a little bit surprised,” Fr. Small recalled.
The button was labeled “Evangelizantur,” which means, “that they be evangelized” in Latin.
Since the app is available in English, Spanish, Italian, German, French,
Portuguese, Chinese and Arabic, Fr. Small explained that the developers settled on the Latin phrase for the launch.
The purpose of the application is to help the Pope and the Church extend the reach of its message, with a particular emphasis on young people.
“Ever since his election, Pope Francis has reached far beyond the Vatican, touching people's lives in simple and meaningful ways,” Fr. Small observed.
By making the app available the Pope is putting “the missionary Gospel in the pockets of millions of people, young and old, rich and poor, believer and searcher,” he added.
The MISSIO App was developed by the company Little iApps and is available for free in the iTunes App Store and on Google Play.
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Pope tells story of bishop who felt 'unworthy'
17-May-2013:
Vatican City, May 17, 2013 / 10:35 am (CNA/EWTN News).- Pope Francis told the story of a man who felt ashamed of being a bishop to say that people should not worry of being sinners but should concentrate on allowing Jesus to transform them.
“He was ashamed because he did not feel worthy, he had a spiritual torment and he went to the confessor,” Pope Francis said at his May 17 daily Mass.
“The confessor heard him and said, ‘but do not worry, if after the mess Peter made of things, they made him Pope, then you go ahead!’” he recalled.
The Pope delivered his homily on the Gospel reading from John 21, which tells the story of Jesus asking Peter if he loved him three separate times.
According to the pontiff, people should try harder to encounter Jesus rather than focus on their own sins.
“Many times, we look the other way because we do not want to talk with the Lord or allow ourselves to encounter the Lord,” he stated.
“Meeting the Lord is important, but more importantly, let us be met by the Lord, this is a grace,” he added.
“Peter let himself be shaped by his many encounters with Jesus,” the Pope noted, “and this is something we all need to do as well, for we are on the same road.”
“Peter is great, not because he is good, but because he has a nobility of heart, which brings him to tears, leads him to this pain, this shame and also to take up his work of shepherding the flock,” he remarked.
The pontiff noted “the problem is not that we are sinners: the problem is not repenting of sin; not being ashamed of what we have done, that’s the problem.”
“The Lord makes us mature with many meetings with Him, even with our weaknesses, when we recognize them with our sins,” Pope Francis said.
“The point is that this is how the Lord is, that’s the way He is,” he said.
Referring back to the Gospel reading, Pope Francis said the questions Jesus posed to Peter are “a dialogue of love between the Lord and his disciple.”
He explained that the narration goes back to the history of Peter’s meetings with Jesus, from his invitation to follow the Lord, to his receiving the name of the Rock, “a mission which was there, even if Peter understood nothing of it at the time.”
“Peter was saddened that, for a third time, Jesus asked him, ‘do you love me?’” said Pope Francis.
Peter was a great man, the Holy Father remarked, but he was also a sinner and this question made him feel “pain” and “shame.”
“The Lord makes him feel that he is a sinner, makes us all feel that we are sinners,” but this shame and humility “brings him to a new encounter with Jesus” and “to the joy of forgiveness,” the Pope preached.
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Pope points mission societies toward young churches
17-May-2013:
Vatican City, May 17, 2013 / 09:58 am (CNA/EWTN News).- Pope Francis met this afternoon with the directors of the Pontifical Mission Societies and encouraged them to help “the young churches” that operate in difficult and sometimes hostile circumstances.
After reminding them not to forget the universal and missionary nature of their work, Pope Francis underscored the importance of helping those in “the young churches, which often operate in a climate of difficulty, discrimination, and persecution.”
The 120 national directors of the Pontifical Mission Societies and Cardinal Fernando Filoni, head of the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples, met with the Pope at 12:30 p.m. in the Vatican’s Clementine Hall.
During the encounter, Pope Francis became the first pontiff to unlock an app for smartphones. He launched the MISSIO app on an iPad by pressing a button that said “Evangelizantur,” which means, “that they be evangelized” in Latin.
The app that he unlocked offers news from the Vatican, stories and photos from the missions, and a way to donate to the society. It is available for Android and Apple devices.
Father Andrew Small, who is the U.S. national director, said in a May 17 interview with CNA that during the directors’ meeting with the Pope he “reclaimed us as the Bishop of Rome, as the Roman pontiff” by emphasizing that they are pontifical institutes.
He also told the leaders that they are, “in a sense, my specialists in the missionary work of the Church,” Fr. Small recalled, before going on to explain how the societies work to help the poor and needy and proclaim the Gospel.
The Pope also underlined the relevance of the societies, saying that they are “still necessary today because there are so many peoples who have still not known and met Christ and it is urgent to find new forms and new ways that God's grace might touch the heart of each man and each woman and bring them to him.”
Pope Francis acknowledged that their mission is a difficult one, but “with the guidance of the Holy Spirit, it becomes an exciting mission. … This is what we should always draw courage from: knowing that the strength of evangelization comes from God, belongs to him.”
The Pope also touched on one of his major themes, telling the societies to bring God’s mercy and to the poor and abandoned while maintaining an outward focus on evangelization, instead of becoming “wrapped up in themselves.”
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Pope's plan to visit Bonaria shrine thrills pastor
17-May-2013:
Cagliari, Italy, May 17, 2013 / 05:05 am (CNA/EWTN News).- Father Giovannino Tolu said his heart began racing when he heard that Pope Francis will the visit the shrine he oversees on the Italian island of Sardinia, making it the fourth time he has received a pontiff.
Pope Francis announced at the end of his May 15 general audience that he will travel to the city of Cagliari in September to venerate Our Lady of Bonaria at the basilica of the same name.
“Can’t you hear my heart going tick, tick, tick?” Fr. Tolu, the basilica’s pastor, asked in reaction to the Pope’s declaration.
“We still don’t know yet if Pope Francis will be here one day or if he will be here several days because we just found out yesterday about this,” Fr. Tolu explained in a May 16 interview with CNA.
But regardless of how long the pontiff stays, Fr. Tolu said, “I feel my heart has accelerated; we have the joy of already having had three Popes here.”
Pope Paul VI visited the shrine in 1970, Blessed John Paul II in 1985 and Pope Benedict XVI in 2008.
“The shrine has a special tie to this Pope because he is from Argentina,” the priest explained.
The link between the two places a world apart is that the city of Buenos Aires is named after Our Lady of Bonaria.
The city’s Spanish founder, Pedro de Mendoza, wanted to name the area “City of the Most Holy Trinity,” but Sardinian sailors, who knew of the special devotion to the Mary, wanted to name the city after her.
They then agreed to call the city “City of the Most Holy Trinity and Port of Our Lady of Bonaria.” But because the name was so long it was eventually shortened to “Bonaria,” which is translated into Spanish as “Buenos Aires,” which means “good air.”
“Our basilica here is an old sanctuary from the time of the Spanish soldiers who came here and built a small church for the soldiers,” said Fr. Tolu.
“But in 1704 they felt the need to expand the basilica, and there is a lot of devotion here,” he added.
Fr. Tolu revealed that the connection between the city and the basilica will soon be further strengthened by a small, blessed replica of the Madonna that measures around four feet (1.10 meters) and will be sent to Buenos Aires on July 1.
The devotion to Our Lady of Bonaria originated in 1370 when a violent storm began to strip all of the equipment from a Spanish sailing vessel.
But when a heavy wooden chest fell overboard and hit the water, the sea suddenly calmed.
The box was found on the shore at the port of Bonaria by some friars, who discovered a locust-wood statue of the Virgin Mary holding the baby Jesus in her left arm and a lit candle in her right hand.
Devotion to the Madonna soon took root among the island’s inhabitants and especially among the sailors who looked to her for protection.
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'Chasm' exists between Pope, liberation theology
17-May-2013:
Rome, Italy, May 16, 2013 / 08:04 pm (CNA).- Even though Pope Francis is deeply concerned for the poor and has been praised by liberation theologians, there is a stark divide between the pontiff and them, according to a Vatican analyst.
“There is a chasm between the vision of the Latin American liberation theologians and the vision of this Argentine pope,” Sandro Magister wrote May 16 in the Italian publication “L'Espresso.”
This is despite perceptions that “when, just three days after his election as pope, Jorge Mario Bergoglio called for 'a Church that is poor and for the poor,' his admission among the ranks of the revolutionaries seemed like a done deal.”
Liberation theology developed in Latin America in the 1950s as a Marxist interpretation of the gospel, focusing on freedom from material poverty and injustice rather than giving primacy to spiritual freedom.
While Pope Francis has been praised by Leonardo Boff, a former Franciscan priest and a leader among liberation theologians, the Roman Pontiff “always registered his disagreement with (liberation theology), even at the cost of finding himself isolated.”
“He knows liberation theology well, he saw it emerge and spread among his Jesuit confrères as well,” Magister wrote.
Rather than being influenced by Boff and other radical liberation theologians, Pope Francis took to Father Juan Carlos Scannone, one of his professors.
Magister said that Fr. Scannone “elaborated a theology not of liberation, but 'of the people,' founded on the culture and religious devotion of the common people, of the poor in the first place, with their traditional spirituality and their sense of justice.”
It was this “people's theology” that the Bishop of Rome has embraced, and not a theology of liberation.
In the preface to a 2006 book by Guzmán Carriquiry on the legacy and future of Latin America, Pope Francis wrote of liberation theology: “After the collapse of 'real socialism,' these currents of thought were plunged into confusion. Incapable of either radical reformulation or new creativity, they survived by inertia, even if there are still some today who, anachronistically, would like to propose it again.”
This “dismissive” judgement of liberation theology, Magister said, is “an enthusiasm for progress that in reality backfires” on Catholic identity.
Pope Francis' frequent references to spiritual realities are a sign of his non-alignment with the immanence characteristic of liberation theology, while at the same time having a deep concern for the poor.
During a homily for a daily Mass said April 30, the Roman Pontiff said that Christ is the one to whom “the prince of this world” comes but can do nothing against. “If we don’t want the prince of this world to take the Church into his hands, we must entrust it to the One who can defeat the prince of this world,” said Pope Francis.
And yet, on May 16, he reminded new ambassadors to the Holy See that he “loves everyone, rich and poor alike, but the Pope has the duty, in Christ's name, to remind the rich to help the poor, to respect them, to promote them.”
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Ripple effect continues five years after immigration raid on Iowa plant
17-May-2013:
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Vatican official urges renewal of spouses' life-long 'yes'
17-May-2013:
Rome, Italy, May 16, 2013 / 04:12 pm (CNA).- Archbishop Vincenzo Paglia, president of the Pontifical Council for the Family, said a cultural change is needed to recover the value and meaning of the life-long “yes” that spouses give each other in marriage.
“Unfortunately, today if you give a ‘life-long yes’ to your football team, that is more acceptable than if you give it to your husband or wife,” Archbishop Paglia said during a meeting with reporters on May 14 in Rome.
“This needs to be re-introduced into the culture,” he stressed.
“Today, spouses do not jointly own their possessions because, they say, ‘You never know,’” he observed, adding that people are perceived as “crazy” if they say that are committed to their marriage “forever.”
Society today suffers from a grave cultural problem because the family is no longer supported by the culture, the archbishop continued.
“Thirty or forty years ago, it was not accepted in society if you didn’t get married by a certain age. But today it is the exact opposite,” he said, adding that there is a lack of trust in modern culture.
Archbishop Paglia lamented the growth of single-parent families and children with no siblings. He observed that families comprised of a father, a mother and children “are the backbone of our countries” and said that the state should promote these stable families.
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When church is too serious, it loses its loving, tender side, pope says
16-May-2013:
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Church needs believers with zeal, not couch-potato Catholics, pope says
16-May-2013:
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Pope: 'If we annoy people, blessed be the Lord'
16-May-2013:
Vatican City, May 16, 2013 / 10:40 am (CNA/EWTN News).- The Pope told Christians it is better to be “annoying” and “a nuisance” than lukewarm in proclaiming Jesus Christ.
“If we annoy people, blessed be the Lord,” said Pope Francis during his morning Mass at the Vatican on May 16.
“We can ask the Holy Spirit to give us all this apostolic fervor and to give us the grace to be annoying when things are too quiet in the Church,” he said at the chapel of the Saint Martha residence, where he lives.
He celebrated the Mass alongside Cardinal Peter Turkson and Bishop Mario Toso, the president and the secretary of the Vatican Council for Justice and Peace.
Council staff and employees from Vatican Radio were among those attending the Eucharistic celebration.
The Pope preached on today’s first reading from Acts 22 and contrasted “backseat Christians” with those who have apostolic zeal.
“There are those who are well mannered, who do everything well, but are unable to bring people to the Church through proclamation and apostolic zeal,” he stated.
The pontiff said apostolic zeal “implies an element of madness,” which he labeled as “healthy” and “spiritual.”
He added that it “can only be understood in an atmosphere of love” and that it is not an “enthusiasm for power and possession.”
Pope Francis also dwelt on St. Paul’s actions in the reading from Acts.
“Paul, in preaching of the Lord, was a nuisance, but he had deep within him that most Christian of attitudes, apostolic zeal,” he stated.
“He was not a man of compromise, no!” he exclaimed. “The truth, forward! The proclamation of Jesus Christ, forward!”
The Pope noted that St. Paul’s fate was one “with many crosses, but he keeps going, he looks to the Lord and keeps going.”
“He is a man who, with his preaching, his work, his attitude irritates others, because testifying to Jesus Christ and the proclamation of Jesus Christ makes us uncomfortable.
“It threatens our comfort zones, even Christian comfort zones, right?” he asked the congregation. “It irritates us.”
Pope Francis underscored that the Lord “always wants us to move forward, forward, forward, not to take refuge in a quiet life or in cozy structures.”
Saint Paul’s apostolic zeal, he observed, comes from knowing Jesus Christ.
Paul did not find and encounter Jesus Christ with an intellectual or scientific knowledge, but with “that first knowledge of the heart and of a personal encounter.”
According to the Pope, St. Paul was a “fiery” individual who was always in trouble, “not in trouble for troubles’ sake, but for Jesus” because “proclaiming Jesus is the consequence.”
“The Church has so much need of this, not only in distant lands, in the young churches, among people who do not know Jesus Christ, but here in the cities, in our cities, they need this proclamation of Jesus Christ,” Pope Francis stressed.
“So let us ask the Holy Spirit for this grace of apostolic zeal, let’s be Christians with apostolic zeal, onwards, as the Lord says to Paul, take courage!” he exclaimed.
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Relations with China affect timing of Matteo Ricci cause
16-May-2013:
Vatican City, May 16, 2013 / 10:00 am (CNA/EWTN News).- Approval for the beatification of the Italian Jesuit missionary Matteo Ricci, who ministered in China 500 years ago, depends to some degree on the Vatican’s relations with China.
“Part of the beatification depends on the political relations between China and the Vatican,” said Father Anton Witwer, the postulator of his cause.
“It’s possible to wait, even if all things are clear for a beatification, something like five years to see if the political situation has changed and is more favorable for the cause,” he told CNA in a May 15 interview.
Jesuit Father Matteo Ricci was an expert in mathematics, cosmology and astronomy, who helped spread the Gospel in China during the 16th century.
The Italian Jesuit was the first Westerner invited into the Forbidden City, the Chinese imperial palace where the emperor lived, and he produced the first map of China where Africa, Europe and America also appeared.
The process of naming him a saint involves several steps, beginning with his life being recognized as one of “heroic virtue,” before he can be beatified, which is the step before sainthood.
According to Fr. Witwer, the process began in 1985 in the Italian town of Macerata, but “it was only a historical opening so it was not sufficient.”
“This is why we had to make a new process,” he added, referring to the one initiated on Jan. 24, 2010.
The German priest, who is the General Postulator of the Society of Jesus, also explained some of the considerations that can impact the timing of Fr. Ricci’s beatification.
“First, a beatification has to help the local church (in China) to sustain and grow faith, and if there is a political impediment, it is sometimes necessary to choose the just time,” Fr. Witwer said.
In fact, the Vatican asked Fr. Witwer to introduce the cause of Fr. Ricci’s lay collaborator Xu Guanqi because “for China, it would maybe be better if a European and a Chinese are beatified more or less together,” he explained.
“This would be better for China because it is easier to accept a Chinese Blessed and not only a missionary working in China,” he added.
But according to the Jesuit postulator, Xu Guanqi’s beatification process is on hold since it was introduced in Shanghai, which is currently without a bishop.
The Italian Diocese of Macerata finished studying the case of Fr. Ricci on May 10, and passed it to the Vatican’s Congregation for the Causes of Saints.
The congregation will now examine the case to decide whether or not to give the missionary, who spoke fluent Chinese and embraced the country’s culture and customs, the status of heroic virtue.
The postulator pointed out that if the Vatican gives Fr. Ricci that status, it would mean “he lived as a virtuous of faith, obedience and poverty, more than the average Christian.”
The next step in eventually proclaiming him a saint would be to beatify him, making him Blessed Mateo Ricci. That step, among other things, will involve a miracle being attributed to his intercession and have it certified as miraculous by separate panels of medical doctors, cardinals and the Pope.
“We still have to wait for the beatification because we have to wait for a miracle, which we don’t have yet,” Fr. Witwer reported.
“The Diocese of Macerata will now bring documents to the congregation and we will have to examine their canonical correctness,” said Fr. Witwer.
The postulator explained that the next step in determining whether Fr. Ricci lived a life of heroic virtue involves drafting a document of around 500 pages – known as a “Positio” – that details the life, writings and virtues of the priest.
It will be directed by the relator of the saints congregation, a “sort of thesis moderator, and then studied by historians, theologians and finally by cardinals,” said Fr. Witwer.
“Maybe in two years we can finish the Positio, then several years will be needed to study it, and then a few more years may be needed before the beatification finally takes place,” he said.
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Pope calls for global, ethical finance reform, end to cult of money
16-May-2013:
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'Money has to serve, not rule!' Pope tells new ambassadors
16-May-2013:
Vatican City, May 16, 2013 / 05:47 am (CNA/EWTN News).- Pope Francis told the new ambassadors to the Holy See from Kyrgyzstan, Antigua and Barbuda, Luxembourg and Botswana to use money to serve and asked them to help reform the world economy along “ethical lines.”
“Money has to serve, not rule!” he said during a May 16 meeting with the new ambassadors of four countries who do not have a physical location for their embassy to the Holy See in Rome.
Pope Francis used the occasion to underscore that “wanting power and possession has become limitless” and “the selfish sprawling of corruption and tax evasion have gone global.”
“The Pope urges a return to the unselfish solidarity and ethics in favor of man in financial and economic reality,” he said during the 11:00 a.m. meeting in the Vatican’s Clementine Hall.
No official explanation was given of why Pope Francis chose to speak about economics with diplomats from such diverse parts of the world, but the four countries have all experienced the effects of the global financial crisis.
The Pope also stressed to the ambassadors that there is a need for financial reform “along ethical lines that would in its turn produce an economic reform to benefit everyone.”
That lesson is one that the people of Antigua and Barbuda know very well, since in 2009 Allen Sanford was accused of running an $8 billion Ponzi scheme from the country.
Pope Francis said he “loves everyone, rich and poor alike, but the Pope has the duty, in Christ's name, to remind the rich to help the poor, to respect them, to promote them.”
“This would require a courageous change of attitude on the part of political leaders,” he stated.
“I urge them to face this challenge with determination and farsightedness, taking account, naturally, of their particular situations,” he added.
The pontiff spoke about the dangers of the current economic crisis, noting it is “a new, invisible tyranny, sometimes virtual.”
“The joy of living is decreasing, indecency and violence are on the rise, and poverty is becoming more evident,” said Pope Francis.
“You must fight to live and often to live in a non-decent way,” he observed.
According to him, one of the causes of the situation lies in the relationship that people now have with money and “its dominion over us and our societies.”
“We have created new idols, the ancient worship the golden calf has found a new and ruthless image in fetishism of money and the dictatorship of the economy without purpose nor a truly human face,” said the Pope.
“It reduces man to one of its demands, consumption and even worse, the human being is today considered himself as a commodity that you can use and then throw away,” he remarked.
The Holy Father also warned that solidarity is often considered counterproductive and contrary to financial and economic logic.
“Financiers, economists and politicians consider God as manageable, even dangerous because it calls man to his full realization and independence from any kind of slavery,” said Pope Francis.
“While the income of a minority is growing exponentially, that of the majority weakens,” he said, pointing to the growing disparity between the rich and poor.
He believes this imbalance stems from “ideologies that promote the absolute autonomy of markets and financial speculation.”
The Pope asked the new ambassadors to assure their natives of his prayers and tell them of his “feelings of gratitude and respect.”
The new ambassadors are Bolot Iskovich Otunbaev of Kyrgyzstan, David Shoul of Antigua and Barbuda, Jean-Paul Senninger of Luxembourg, and Lameck Nthekela of Botsawana.
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Vatican bank plans website launch, annual report
16-May-2013:
Vatican City, May 16, 2013 / 04:18 am (CNA/EWTN News).- The institution often called the Vatican bank will launch a new website and begin publishing its annual report, as it continues to improve its transparency and image.
News of the latest efforts was announced by the Institute for Works of Religion’s new president, Ernst von Freyberg, during a May 13 meeting with the staff.
He was appointed by Benedict XVI on Feb. 15 as part of an ongoing effort to revamp the institute by updating its controls against money laundering and the financing of terrorism.
At the Monday meeting, von Freyberg “expressed his appreciation for the efforts of all, for the high professionalism and the positive results achieved” during his first three months at the helm, Vatican Radio said in a May 14 report.
He also revealed that the institute has obtained the services of an “international organization” to ensure that its transactions meet international and Vatican money-laundering standards.
The main purpose of the website is to increase communication with the public about what the institute does, and it will not offer online banking.
In June 2012, the director of the institute, Paolo Cipriani, told the press that it oversees about 6 billion euros ($7.4 billion) in assets and has around 33,000 accounts.
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Clergy must be shepherds, not wolves, says Pope
16-May-2013:
Vatican City, May 15, 2013 / 04:03 pm (CNA/EWTN News).- Pope Francis said on Wednesday that bishops and priests must take care to avoid temptations in order to be an effective shepherd, protecting their flock from dangers.
He urged the Catholic faithful to pray for bishops and priests, “because if we go on the road to riches, if we go on the road to vanity, we become wolves and not shepherds.”
The Pope’s words came in his May 15 homily in the chapel of the Domus Sanctae Marthae residence at the Vatican.
“A bishop is not a bishop for himself,” Pope Francis said. “He is for the people, and a priest is not a priest for himself. He is for the people: to serve, to nurture them, to shepherd them, who are his flock – in order to defend them from the wolves.”
When the bishops and priests do this, he said, they foster a “relationship of protection and love” between God and the pastor and between the pastor and the laity.
This shows “a true love” that unites the Church, he explained.
The Pope based his homily on the Acts of the Apostles passage in which St. Paul exhorts the Church of Ephesus to guard against the “ravening wolves” and “men speaking perverse things, to draw disciples after them,” Vatican Radio reports.
Pope Francis repeated his prayers for bishops and priests who face temptation.
“We are men and we are sinners,” he said. “We are tempted.”
He cited St. Augustine’s commentaries on the prophet Ezekiel. Augustine warned against the temptations of wealth and vanity, when the bishop and priest “take from the people,” make deals and become “attached to money.”
The Holy Father added that “when a priest, a bishop goes after money, the people do not love him – and that's a sign….he ends badly.”
A bishop or priest on “the road to vanity” is one who “enters into the spirit of careerism – and this hurts the church very much,” the Pontiff said. Such a man “ends up being ridiculous: he boasts, he is pleased to be seen, all powerful – and the people do not like that!”
He pointed to the example of St. Paul, who “did not have a bank account” but worked with his hands and accomplished God’s will.
Pope Francis asked the Catholic faithful to pray for bishops and priests “that we might be poor, that we might be humble, meek, in the service of the people.”
He urged bishops and priests to pray much and to “boldly preach the message of salvation.”
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Marian statue connects pope's native city of Buenos Aires with Sardinia
15-May-2013:
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Researchers' embryonic stem-cell advance decried as morally troubling
15-May-2013:
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Pope highlights religious freedom on Edict of Milan anniversary
15-May-2013:
Vatican City, May 15, 2013 / 01:31 pm (CNA/EWTN News).- Pope Francis stressed the importance of religious freedom in a message for the 1,700th anniversary of the Roman Emperor Constantine legalizing Christianity.
The Pope said in his message, released May 15 by the Vatican’s Secretary of State, that “this historical decision” which gave religious freedom to Christians, “opened new ways to the Gospel and contributed decisively to the birth of the European culture.”
He added that “thanks to the foresight of civil authorities, the right to express one’s own faith is respected everywhere,” and Christianity’s continued contribution “to culture and to the society of our times is accepted.”
Issued in 313 A.D., Emperor Constantine’s decree legalizing Christianity throughout the Roman Empire is known as the “Edict of Milan.” At the time, the empire included modern-day Istanbul, which was called Constantinople during that period.
Cardinal Angelo Scola and the Orthodox Patriarch of Constantinople, Bartholomew I, will celebrate the publication of the edict with a ceremony in Milan on May 16.
The Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople, in collaboration with the Council of Catholic Bishops’ Conferences of Europe, organized the meeting of the two Church leaders.
Given that the edict impacted Christians in both the East and West, Pope Francis said in his message that he hopes “that, today as back then, the common witness of Christians of East and West, supported by the Spirit of the Risen Christ, contributes to the spread of the message of salvation in Europe and in the whole world.”
Cardinal Scola will co-chair an ecumenical prayer service and will comment on the texts chosen for the Liturgy – Acts of the Apostles 26 and John 17 – alongside Patriarch Bartholomew.
The Byzantine Choir of the Conservatory of Acharnes will sing, and there will be music from the chapel of the Cathedral of Milan to emphasize the beauty of the Church.
After Mass, Cardinal Scola and Patriarch Bartholomew will go down into the crypt to venerate the relics of Saint Ambrose and the Saints Gervase and Protaso, a devotion that unites Catholics and Orthodox.
Cardinal Scola will donate to Bartholomew the new Ambrosian Gospels and some relics of St. Ambrose of Milan, martyrs and witnesses of faith.
This will be the second time an Orthodox patriarch has visited the Archdiocese of Milan this week, after the Patriarch of the Coptic Orthodox Church, Pope Tawadros II, stopped there on May 14.
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Pope says there are no part-time Christians; faith is a full-time job
15-May-2013:
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Vatican tells cardinal to leave Scotland for period of prayer, penance
15-May-2013:
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Pope asks prayers for pastors that they not become 'wolves'
15-May-2013:
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Archbishop says people returning to confession because of pope
15-May-2013:
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Church movements bringing 50,000 more than Vatican expected
15-May-2013:
Vatican City, May 15, 2013 / 10:45 am (CNA/EWTN News).- The attendance response to a Pentecost weekend event for Church movements has exceeded the Vatican’s expectations by 50,000 people.
“Over 120,000 people have signaled their attendance, around 150 different ecclesial realities coming from around the world are registered attesting to the fact that the Church's catholicity knows no boundaries,” said Archbishop Rino Fisichella, head of the Pontifical Council for Promoting New Evangelization.
“The Year of Faith is going better than what I thought, because the response has been great so far,” he remarked in a May 15 interview with CNA.
“We expected 70,000 people and we’re reaching double the numbers,” he added.
The Vatican has organized the May 18-19 weekend for Church movements to gather in Rome as part of the “Year of Faith,” an initiative aimed at evangelizing and helping Catholics become more fervent in faith.
The Church movements are typically focused on presenting the Gospel in depth, building and promoting Christian community, and preparing their members to witness to their faith in the public square.
“New movements and associations are the young face of the Church and it’s a fruit of the Second Vatican Council,” the archbishop explained.
Participants in the weekend will have a chance to experience the faith in several ways.
Starting at 7:00 a.m. on May 18, groups of around 50 people will be guided by experts in theology on a pilgrimage to St. Peter’s tomb inside Saint Peter’s Basilica.
Later in the afternoon, between 3-6 p.m., members of the Focolare movement’s Gen Verde musical group, along with a choir of over 150 singers from the various movements will provide music for those gathered in St. Peter’s Square.
Once the music has finished, Pope Francis will join in the celebration with a prayer in front of the image of the Virgin Mary Salus Populi Romani.
The event will continue with two strong testimonies by Irish writer John Waters and Pakistani surgeon Paul Bhatti, whose brother was killed by the Taliban for standing up against the country’s blasphemy law.
Members of the movements will then ask the Pope some questions, which he will respond to off-the-cuff.
A large group of people with disabilities, the parents of a child killed in L’Aquila’s earthquake, and Italian politicians from the Communion and Liberation movement will be among those attending.
The weekend ceremony will conclude on Sunday with Pentecost Mass presided over by Pope Francis at 10:00 a.m. in St. Peter’s Square.
The archbishop explained that Pope Benedict XVI launched the Year of Faith to call people to be witnesses of faith.
“On the other hand, the new Pope’s presence and his simplicity is attracting many people to Rome who want to listen, touch and see him,” said Archbishop Fisichella.
“This is great. And it’s in some way an effect of the Year of Faith, especially seeing Pope Francis being the first witness,” he stated.
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Cardinal O'Brien leaving Scotland for penance, prayer
15-May-2013:
Vatican City, May 15, 2013 / 09:39 am (CNA/EWTN News).- Cardinal Keith P. O’Brien will be spending several months in penance and prayer outside of Scotland after meeting with Pope Francis, according to the Vatican.
The Vatican press office released a one-paragraph statement on May 15 which says that Cardinal O’Brien “for the same reasons he decided not to participate in the last Conclave, and in agreement with the Holy Father, will be leaving Scotland for several months for the purpose of spiritual renewal, prayer, and penance.”
“Any decision regarding future arrangements for His Eminence shall be agreed upon with the Holy See,” it added.
In the days before the election Pope Francis, Cardinal O’Brien – who was the Archbishop of St. Andrews and Edinburgh – became the focus of media attention following accusations by three priests and one former priest that he made inappropriate sexual advances toward them in the 1980s.
The cardinal revealed on Feb. 18 that he would not attend the conclave and at the same time announced that Pope Benedict had accepted his resignation, effective Feb. 25.
Where the cardinal will be living out his time of penance and renewal is not known, and the Scottish Catholic Media Office could not provide any additional information.
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Holy Spirit leads to truth amid relativism, Pope counsels
15-May-2013:
Vatican City, May 15, 2013 / 04:42 am (CNA/EWTN News).- As he looked ahead to Pentecost, Pope Francis spoke about the Holy Spirit’s role in guiding Christians to know Jesus, who is the Truth, in an age of relativism.
“We live in an age rather skeptical of truth,” the Pope said, as he encouraged Christians to let themselves “be imbued with the light of the Holy Spirit, so that he introduces us into the Truth of God.”
But “you cannot grab the truth as if it were an object, you encounter it. It is not a possession, is an encounter with a person,” Pope Francis noted as he recalled Pontius Pilate posing the question, “What is truth?” to Jesus.
The Holy Father made his remarks in the context of an ongoing series of reflections on the Creed that he has been offering each Wednesday, as well as the Feast of Pentecost which will be celebrated this coming Sunday.
For those reasons he focused on the role of the Holy Spirit in leading believers to the Truth.
“First of all, he reminds and imprints on the hearts of believers the words that Jesus said, and precisely through these words, God’s law – as the prophets of the Old Testament had announced – is inscribed in our hearts and becomes within us a principle of evaluation in our choices and of guidance in our daily actions, it becomes a principle of life,” the Pope taught.
The second way that the Holy Spirit leads us, the pontiff taught, is by guiding “us ‘into’ the Truth, that is, he helps us enter into a deeper communion with Jesus himself, gifting us knowledge of the things of God.”
“We cannot achieve this on our own strengths. If God does not enlightens us interiorly, our being Christians will be superficial,” Pope Francis stated.
The May 15 general audience featured more off-the-cuff remarks from the Pope than previous meetings have, and today he seemed to spontaneously compose a prayer to encourage people to be more open to the Holy Spirit.
“And this is a prayer we need to pray every day, every day: Holy Spirit may my heart be open to the Word of God, may my heart be open to good, may my heart be open to the beauty of God, every day,” he urged.
“Will you do it?” he asked the crowd packed into St. Peter’s Square. The pilgrims responded “yes,” but Pope Francis was not satisfied, so he replied, “I can’t hear you!” He was rewarded with a much louder and enthusiastic “Yes!”
Pope Francis also held up Mary as an example and “her ‘yes,’ her total availability to receive the Son of God in her life, and who from that moment was transformed.”
“Do we live in God and of God, is our life really animated by God? How many things do I put before God?” he asked the pilgrims.
Living this way means not being “a ‘part-time’ Christian, at certain moments, in certain circumstances, in certain choices,” he said.
The Pope closed his address by asking Catholics to look at how they have spent the Year of Faith so far.
Have we “actually taken a few steps to get to know Christ and the truths of faith more, by reading and meditating on the Scriptures, studying the Catechism, steadily approaching the Sacraments.
"But at the same time let us ask ourselves what steps we are taking so that the faith directs our whole existence,” he said.
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Tango dancer dedicates performance at St. Peter's to Pope
15-May-2013:
Rome, Italy, May 14, 2013 / 04:05 pm (CNA).- A professional Argentine dancer, who recently travelled to Rome to see his fellow countryman, Pope Francis, hopes to one day perform for the Holy Father in person.
“It is truly a pleasure and an honor for Argentineans to have him as Pope,” Oscar Flores told CNA on May 8 after the Pope’s general audience. “He is a very charismatic person and he knows how to reach the people.”
The dancer was joined by a group of Latin Americans, including Mexicans, Peruvians, Argentineans and Colombians, who filled St. Peter’s with joyful songs dedicated to the Pontiff.
The group was led by Peruvian priest Father Luis Sandoval, who works with immigrants in the Italian Diocese of Benedetto de Tronto.
Flores delighted a group of the faithful with a performance of the traditional tango in St. Peter’s Square.
“I dedicate this dance to Francis,” he said, adding that “it would be an honor and a dream” to dance for the Holy Father in person someday.
Flores began dancing 18 years ago in Argentina, where he teaches various dance styles. He is currently in Italy to attend several different festivals.
This week, Flores will perform in San Benedetto de Tronto, where one of the largest Latin American communities in Italy resides. He will later return to Buenos Aires to teach at a dance academy.
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Vatican commissions art for display at Venice international exhibition
14-May-2013:
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Patroness, inspiration, intercessor: Mary is beloved in Latin America
14-May-2013:
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Pontificate of Pope Francis consecrated to Our Lady of Fatima
14-May-2013:
Lisbon, Portugal, May 14, 2013 / 12:01 pm (CNA/EWTN News).- At the Holy Father’s personal request, Cardinal Jose Polycarp, the Patriarch of Lisbon, consecrated the pontificate of Pope Francis to Our Lady of Fatima on her feast day.
Addressing Our Lady of Fatima during the ceremony, Cardinal Polycarp said, “Grant (Pope Francis) the gift of discernment to know how to identify the paths of renewal for the Church, grant him the courage to not falter in following the paths suggested by the Holy Spirit, protect him in the difficult hours of suffering, so that he may overcome, in charity, the trials that the renewal of the Church will bring him.”
In statements to CNA, Vatican spokesman Father Federico Lombardi said, “As we know, an important celebration takes place on May 13 in Fatima during which it is normal that the pontificate be entrusted to Our Lady of Fatima.”
The consecration took place at the Portuguese shrine dedicated to Our Lady, with thousands of the faithful present.
Cardinal Polycarp recalled that Popes John Paul II and Benedict XVI visited Fatima and expressed his desire that Pope Francis do so as well.
“From here, at this altar of the world, he will be able to bless humanity, to make the world of today feel that God loves all men and women of our time, that the Church loves them and that you, Mother of the Redeemer, lead them with tenderness on the paths of salvation,” the cardinal said.
The path of Church renewal leads to a “rediscovery of the relevance” of the Fatima message and of the need to “converse with God,” he explained.
“Contemporary humanity needs to feel loved by God and by the Church,” Cardinal Polycarp said. “If humanity feels loved, it will overcome the temptation to violence, materialism, estrangement from God, loss of direction, and it will be able to advance towards a new world in which love will prevail.”
During the Mass, Bishop Antonio Marto of Leiria-Fatima read a message from Pope Francis to the Apostolic Nunciature in Portugal.
“The Holy Father said he was pleased with the initiative and expressed deep acknowledgment for satisfying his desire united in prayer with all the pilgrims of Fatima, upon whom he whole-heartedly confers the apostolic blessing,” the message stated.
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Pope: Satan tricks people into being selfish, leaving them loveless
14-May-2013:
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Vatican announces its debut at Venice art festival
14-May-2013:
Vatican City, May 14, 2013 / 09:33 am (CNA/EWTN News).- The Vatican is participating for the first time in a famous international art exposition in Venice under the theme “Creation, Un-Creation and Re-Creation,” with the aim of promoting modern dialogue on faith.
The 55th edition of Venice’s Biannual Art Festival, known as the “Biennale di Venezia” in Italian, will take place June 1 to Nov. 24 and will bring together exhibits from 88 different countries.
The Vatican’s contribution will use the Book of Genesis as its narrative thread.
It is “a project that is not only extraordinarily innovative, but also responds to its own objectives, that is instituting and promoting occasions of dialogue within an ever broader and diversified context,” said Cardinal Gianfranco Ravasi, president of the Pontifical Council for Culture.
“The Pontifical Council for Culture holds contemporary art at the heart of its interests, for it is one of the most important cultural expressions of recent decades,” he added during a May 14 press conference at the Vatican.
The exhibit is being curated Vatican Museums director Antonio Paolucci, who described to the press how each of the themes in linked together.
“None of the three artistic works can be fully appreciated without recourse to the overall meaning of the three moments as presented in the Genesis,” he said.
“Each and every one of these moments is able to contain and comprehend the other two,” he added.
According to the director, the theme of creation “triggers a dialogue, awash with echoes and reverberations, between the vegetable and animal kingdom and the human diemsion.”
“It leads, via memory to other personal narrations on the concept of origins within an interactive plane that is also a temporal intersection,” said Paolucci.
Studio Azurro has been entrusted with the theme of “creation” as well as the last theme, “re-creation.”
Josef Koudelka’s photographs have been chosen to represent “de-creation.”
Paolucci noted that the photographs show “the destruction brought about by war, the material and conceptual consumption of history through time and the two opposing poles of nature and industry are made to emerge.”
“The photographer’s images expose an abandoned, wounded world and at the same time are able to transform fragments of reality into works of art bordering on abstraction,” he commented.
The third theme, “re-creation”, was entrusted to the artist Lawrence Carroll, who Paolucci said is capable of giving life to “salvaged materials.”
The display will cost the private Foundation for the Heritage and Artistic Activities of the Church a total of 750,000 Euros ($970,000), and the costs will be covered entirely by donations.
Miss Micol Forti, who works for the Pontifical Council for Culture, explained the method the Vatican used to select which artists would develop the three sections.
“The theme was the real guide that has conducted our work of reflecting, discussing and then selecting and choosing,” said Forti.
“It was a work that was shared by a scientific committee that reflected thoroughly, based on the … theme’s vitality,” she added.
At the end of his remarks, Cardinal Ravasi alluded to how the Church has been increasing its support for artistic endeavors.
“Clearly, each of these aspects was only a starting point for the selected artists.
“A vital, rich, and elaborate dialogue has been established with them and is a sign of a renewed, modern patronage. To them, my most heartfelt thanks.”
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Satan 'always rips us off,' Pope warns
14-May-2013:
Vatican City, May 14, 2013 / 08:01 am (CNA/EWTN News).- Christians who buy into Satan’s temptation to live selfishly get swindled, while those who live life as a “gift” to others are immersed in love and the Church community, Pope Francis said.
“And, we must say, with Satan the payback is rotten. He always rips us off, always!” the Pope emphasized as he contrasted the kind of selfish living that the devil promotes with the generous way of living Jesus exemplified.
“When a Christian begins to isolate himself, he also insulates his consciousness from the sense of community, from a sense of the Church, and from the love that Jesus gives us,” he explained.
“Instead, the Christian who gives his life, what Jesus calls ‘lost,’ finds it and finds it in its fullness,” the Pope preached May 14 in his homily on John 15.
A group of employees from the Vatican Museums and some students of the Pontifical Portuguese College attended the 7:00 a.m. Mass in the chapel of St. Martha’s residence.
The Pope concelebrated the Mass with the Colombian Archbishop of Medellín, Ricardo Antonio Restrepo Tobón.
The Holy Father explained that wanting to live just for oneself is like Judas, who “in the end loses” his life.
“If we really want to follow Jesus, we must live life as a gift to give to others, not as a treasure to be preserved,” said Pope Francis.
The pontiff compared the path of Jesus to a path of love, while the way of Judas is one of selfishness.
“Jesus tells us today strong words, ‘no one has a stronger love than this, to lay down his life,’” he said.
“But today’s liturgy also shows us Judas, who had just the opposite attitude, and this is because he never understood the meaning of a gift,” he added.
Pope Francis noted that Judas was “off in his solitude” and that his “attitude of selfishness developed into the betrayal of Jesus.”
He explained that the person who loves you gives his life as a gift, but the selfish person “grows in this selfishness and becomes a traitor, but always alone.”
“Those who give their life for love are never alone and are always in the community and in the family,” Pope Francis said.
“ On the other hand, he who isolates his conscience in selfishness, loses it in the end,” he stated.
Judas, the Pope pointed out, was “an idolater, attached to money.”
“This idolatry led him to isolate himself from the community, this is the drama of isolated consciousness,” he said.
Pope Francis finished his homily by invoking the Holy Spirit, asking for “a heart able to love with humility and meekness.”
He asked that the Holy Spirit “free us always” from “the way of selfishness, which eventually ends badly.”
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Syrian crisis part of Western geopolitical strategy, says patriarch
14-May-2013:
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Board game created by nun becomes a hit in Spain
14-May-2013:
Rome, Italy, May 13, 2013 / 04:03 pm (CNA/EWTN News).- A new faith-based board game created by a Spanish nun has become one of the most popular First Communion gifts in Spain this year.
Sister Maria Granados Molina created the new game, “The Joy of the Faith,” which tests players’ knowledge of Catholicism. The game’s publisher said 2,000 copies have been made since the game went on sale a few months ago, and there are hopes to market it in the United States and Latin America.
Thirty-five year-old Sr. Molina was born in Granada and belongs to a Carmelite order in the city of Cuenca. She works as a catechist for the Diocese of Cuenca.
In an interview with CNA, Sr. Molina said she never imagined the game would become so popular. She made the first version of the game at home with her own printer and the help “of the sisters from my congregation in Cuenca.”
“The Joy of the Faith” is intended to help players learn about Jesus and the experience of being a Christian. Players roll dice and answer questions about the Catholic faith to move along the spaces on the board. The game incorporates drawings, gestures and prayers.
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Sr. Molina debuted the game in Madrid last year during a conference on catechesis. It was picked up by a national distributor and made available later throughout the country.
“The game is the fruit of a desire, a concern and a prayer…and I think it has received a surprising reception. Nobody thought that with the way Spain is right now that a game like this would be a success,” she said.
The game is based on the children’s catechetical book “Jesus is Lord,” which was approved by the Bishops’ Conference of Spain. It is intended for children ages 7 and up, and it can be played by groups of young people, families, schools and catechists.
“I wanted people to draw closer to the experience of Jesus,” Sr. Molina said.
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Tens of thousands march for life in Rome
13-May-2013:
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Focusing on self rather than Jesus makes prayer boring, pope says
13-May-2013:
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Pope: Holy Spirit reminds people they once were lost, now found by God
13-May-2013:
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Church is growing worldwide, especially in Asia, Africa, Vatican says
13-May-2013:
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Vatican stats show continued growth in Africa, Asia
13-May-2013:
Vatican City, May 13, 2013 / 11:04 am (CNA/EWTN News).- Vatican statistics released today show that the number of Asian and African Catholics is continuing its upward trajectory, while the Church in Europe is still shrinking.
The number of religious excluding priests has risen 18.5 percent in Africa and a whopping 44.9 percent in Asia in just 10 years, according to the 2013 Pontifical Yearbook.
The Yearbook, which was published May 13 and contains data from 2011, revealed Catholics still make up less than 18 percent of the world’s population, but the Church is growing the fastest in Africa and Asia.
And although it shows “a strong downward trend was observed in data for the professed religious women with a decrease of 10 percent from 2001 to 2011,” there has also been “a sustained increase” with over 28 percent in Africa and 18 percent in Asia.
The Yearbook states that although the number of Catholics in the world increased by just 1.5 percent from 2010 to 2011, it increased by 4.3 percent in Africa and 2 percent in Asia.
The total number of Catholics that were baptized in 2011 had the highest representation in the Americas at 48.8 percent, followed by Europe with 23.5 percent, Africa was at 16 percent, Asia had 10.9 percent and Oceania came in at just under one percent.
“The dynamics of the number of priests in Africa and Asia is somewhat comforting,” says the document.
It reports that there were over 3,000 new priests in the two continents in 2011 and that in 10 years the numbers increased by 39.5 percent in Africa and 32 percent in Asia.
“America remains stationary around an average of 122,000 priests and Europe, in contrast to the global average, has seen a decrease of 9 percent in the past decade,” the Yearbook says.
Another surprising fact is that the number of permanent deacons has also boomed, especially in Europe and the United States, increasing by over 40 percent in the last 10 years.
The Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone and the Substitute for General Affairs Archbishop Angelo Becciu presented the Yearbook on May 13 to Pope Francis.
It was edited by several people, including Monsignor Vittorio Formenti, head of the Central Bureau of Statistics of the Church, and Enrico Nenna, the chief statistician in the Vatican’s Central Office for Church Statistics.
The number of Catholics worldwide has remained steady at 1.214 billion for the year 2011.
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Spirit prevents 'Nobel Prize for Holiness' thoughts, Pope says
13-May-2013:
Vatican City, May 13, 2013 / 10:31 am (CNA/EWTN News).- The Holy Spirit helps Christians remember their personal history so they do not think they are “a winner of the ‘Nobel Prize for Holiness,’” Pope Francis said this morning.
“And when a little vanity creeps in, when someone believes themselves to be a winner of the ‘Nobel Prize for Holiness,’ then memory is also good for us: ‘But ... remember where I took you from, the very least of the flock. You were behind, in the flock,’” the Pope preached May 13 in his homily on Acts 19.
Vatican Radio technicians and staff from the Pontifical Council for the Pastoral Care of Migrant attended the 7:00 a.m. Mass in the chapel of St. Martha’s residence.
The reading from the Acts of the Apostles recalled a trip that St. Paul made to Ephesus, where he met some disciples and asked them if they received the Holy Spirit. They replied, “We have never even heard that there is a Holy Spirit.”
This response served as the launching point for the Pope’s homily.
These first Christians’ lack of awareness is not something that was confined to the first ages of the faith, he noted.
“Even now, many Christians do not know who the Holy Spirit is, what the Holy Spirit is. And you sometimes hear: ‘But I get on well enough with the Father and with Son, because I pray the Our Father to the Father, I have communion with the Son, but I do not know what to do with the Holy Spirit …’” Pope Francis remarked.
These people see the Holy Spirit as “‘the dove, the one that gives us the seven gifts,’” he explained.
“But in this way,” the Pope said, “the poor Holy Spirit always comes last and finds no place in our lives.”
Pope Francis described the Holy Spirit as “God active in us,” “God who helps us remember,” who “awakens our memory.” Jesus himself explained this to the Apostles before Pentecost: the Spirit that God will send in my name “will remind you of everything I have said.”?
“Memory is a great grace, and when a Christian has no memory – this is a hard thing, but it’s true – he is not a Christian, he is an idolater,” the Holy Father stated.
He explained that this is because people who have no memory fall into the trap of thinking that they do not need God and can save themselves.
But the Holy Spirit helps believers “enter into history,” he said, pointing to St. Paul’s Letter to the Hebrews.
There, the Pope taught, “the author says: ‘Remember your fathers in the faith’ – memory; ‘remember the early days of your faith, how you were courageous’ - memory. A memory of our life, of our history, a memory of the moment when we had the grace of meeting Jesus, the memory of all that Jesus has told us.”?
“That memory that comes from the heart, that is a grace of the Holy Spirit,” Pope Francis stressed.
He said remembering also means recalling “one’s own misery, that which makes us slaves, and together with them, the grace of God that redeems us from our miseries.”?
Pope Francis concluded with an invitation to Christians to ask the grace of memory, so that they will never forget the paths that have been taken, “that they will not forget the graces of their lives; that they will not forget the forgiveness of their sins; that they will not forget that they were slaves and the Lord has saved them.”
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Popemobile trip surprises March for Life participants
13-May-2013:
Vatican City, May 13, 2013 / 08:25 am (CNA/EWTN News).- Pro-lifers who had just finished the third annual Italian March for Life on Sunday were surprised to see Pope Francis coming toward them in the popemobile.
“It was a great joy for us because we didn’t expect this at all, we just expected his message,” said March for Life organizer Virginia Coda Nunziante.
“It was extraordinary because I met the people who unexpectedly saw him coming,” she told CNA on May 13.
The popemobile brought the Pope down the first block of Via della Conciliazione after he finished his first canonization Mass and the weekly Regina Caeli prayer on Sunday.
May 12 was also the day that around 20,000 pro-lifers from Italy and beyond converged on Rome to defend the unborn and call for an end to abortion in the country.
Their route took them from the Coliseum to Castel Sant’ Angelo, which sits on the end of Via della Conciliazione. A large number of the pro-lifers then continued down the street to be present for Pope Francis reciting the Regina Caeli.
Before praying the Marian prayer, the Pope acknowledged the presence of the group.
“I greet the participants of the March for Life which took place this morning in Rome and invite everyone to stay focused on the important issue of respect for human life, from the moment of conception,” he said.
“I think Pope Francis understands the importance of this and he encourages all Catholics to stand up against abortion,” said Coda Nunziante.
Speakers at the march included the Mayor of Rome, Giovanni Alemanno, well-known American pro-life activist Lila Rose, and the president of the U.S. March for Life, Jeanne Monahan.
But one speaker at the event, a Chinese seminarian who wore sunglasses and asked participants not to take his picture, stood out because he gave his testimony without revealing his identity.
“His words were very touching and he spoke about what is happening in China where over 400 million babies have been aborted in 40 years,” Coda Nunziante recalled.
Irene Van der Wende, who was conceived in rape and aborted her baby after she was also raped at age 15, also spoke out against abortion at the Coliseum.
“I’ve come here to educate the public about what abortion does to children,” said Van der Wende.
“It’s only when we show the graphics, pictures and the reality that people will be moved in their hearts,” she told CNA.
The event’s main speaker was Jeanne Monahan, the president of the U.S. March for life, who said she thinks the annual American gathering is the largest civil demonstration in the world.
“But coming here is amazing,” Monahan said.
“Italians’ understanding of being involved in the public sphere is very different to ours, so this is pretty new to them,” she commented.
For Monahan “it’s also fascinating to be in Rome” because she is Catholic.
“Italians are a little shy and discouraged to get involved because of the culture of death. So everything that we can do makes a huge difference,” said Monahan.
“I also think it’s beautifully ironic that today is Mother’s Day in Italy and in the U.S. because the call to many women is to be a mother, either spiritually or physically,” she said, summing up the holiday.
On the other hand, “abortion is the most anti-woman thing that anyone could every do,” Monahan stated.
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Pope warns comfortable living causes 'gentrification of the heart'
13-May-2013:
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Italian pro-lifers hope Rome march has global reach
13-May-2013:
Rome, Italy, May 13, 2013 / 04:39 am (CNA/EWTN News).- The main organizer of Italy’s March for Life hopes that its location in Rome means it has global influence by sending “a message to the whole Christian world.”
“This event is very important for us and it gives a worldwide impact since it is in Rome. And I think in the future it could be the most important one,” said Virginia Coda Nunziante, organizer of Italy’s March for Life.
“Rome is the seat of Christianity and to host this here is important because it gives a message to the whole Christian world,” she remarked May 12 during the annual March for Life.
Sunday’s demonstration was the third time the Italian March for Life was held and the second time it took place in Rome.
Some news accounts reported around 40,000 participants for the demonstration, but CNA’s staff on the ground estimated the crowd at around 20,000 marchers.
The annual March for Life in Washington, D.C. regularly draws crowds in the hundreds of thousands that are underreported in the American media.
The most recent march, which took place on January 25, drew around 400,000 people, with about 80 percent of those demonstrators being young people, according to organizers.
People from the United States, Europe and Africa gathered on May 12 outside the Coliseum where they heard from pro-life advocates before beginning their route to Castel Sant’Angelo.
After completing their march, they joined thousands of pilgrims at Saint Peter’s Square who were there for a canonization ceremony and Pope Francis’ weekly Regina Caeli address.
The pro-life marchers were not disappointed, since the Pope greeted them in particular.
“I greet the participants of the March for Life which took place this morning in Rome and invite everyone to stay focused on the important issue of respect for human life, from the moment of conception,” he said.
However, contrary to some news reports, the Pope did not join the march but made a brief trip in the popemobile outside of St. Peter’s Square, as he has done in recent weeks. Participants in the march were at the end of his route and had the chance to see Pope Francis.
The event was organized by several Italian pro-life groups and featured well-known speakers, such as the president of the U.S. March for Life, Jeanne Monahan, pro-life activist Lila Rose, and the Mayor of Rome, Giovanni Alemanno.
“We would like to spread the culture of life in Italy so this is an occasion to get all of Italy’s associations and groups together to say a clear ‘yes’ to life and ‘no’ to abortion,” said march organizer Coda Nunziante.
Italy legalized abortion in 1978, leading to the deaths of six million babies between then and now, according to Coda Nunziante.
But Italians were not the only ones present, since groups from Poland, France, Belgium, Ireland, Spain, Albania and Nigeria also traveled to Rome to defend the unborn.
“This is very important for Italians to understand that abortion is a worldwide problem, so we all have to be tied together in order to have a wider impact,” she said.
A pro-life group from Szczecin, which is very active in Poland, also participated in last year’s march in Rome.
“We shouldn’t only demonstrate defending life in Poland but in the whole world because life is the most important value, it is global and universal,” said Alicia Kanselarcik outside the Coliseum.
Alan Holdren contributed to this report from Rome.
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Pope canonizes hundreds of Italian martyrs
12-May-2013:
Vatican City, May 12, 2013 / 01:30 pm (CNA/EWTN News).- Pope Francis on Sunday canonized hundreds of fifteenth century Italian martyrs who died rather than renounce their Christian faith.
“The martyrs’ faithfulness even unto death and the proclamation of the Gospel are rooted in the love of God that has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit,” said Pope Francis during the May 12 canonization Mass at the Vatican.
He saw in their lives an inspiration for victims of persecution today.
“Let us ask God to sustain those many Christians who, in these times and in many parts of the world, right now, still suffer violence, and give them the courage and fidelity to respond to evil with good,” the Pope said.
In 1480, Turkish invaders beheaded Antonio Primaldo and his hundreds of companions in the far southeastern Italian town of Otranto after they refused to give up their faith.
Pope Francis compared Antonio Primaldo to the first Christian martyr, Saint Stephen, who is described in the Acts of the Apostles as “a man full of the Holy Spirit.”
“This means he was full of the love of God, that his whole person, his whole life was animated by the Spirit of the risen Christ, so as to follow Jesus with total fidelity, even unto to the gift of self,” he said.
He said St. Antonio Primaldo and companions found their strength “in faith, which allows us to see beyond the limits of our human eyes, beyond the boundaries of earthly life, to contemplate the heavens opened and the living Christ at the right hand of the Father.”
The Pope also named two other new saints.
The first canonized Columbian-born saint, Laura di Santa Caterina da Siena Montoya y Upegui, was “an instrument of evangelization,” he said.
“This first saint born on the beautiful Colombian soil teaches us to be generous together with God, not to live the faith alone but to communicate, to radiate the joy of the Gospel by word and witness of life in every place we find ourselves,” he added.
Pope Francis said she was a teacher who then became “the spiritual mother of the indigenous peoples.” She gave them hope and welcomed them with “the love she learned from God,” bringing them to God in a way that respected their own culture.
He underscored that the saint “teaches us to see the face of Jesus reflected in the other, to overcome indifference and individualism.”
The Pope said she teaches us this by “welcoming everyone without prejudice or constraints, with love, giving the best of ourselves and above all, sharing with them the most valuable thing we have, Christ and his Gospel.”
Pope Francis also canonized Maria Guadalupe García Zavala, a Mexican vowed religious who co-founded the Congregation of the Handmaids of St Margaret Mary Alacoque and the Poor.
The Pope said she “gave up a comfortable life to follow the call of Jesus” and taught people to love poverty “in order the more to love the poor and the sick.”
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Stay focused on human life, Pope tells pro-life marchers
12-May-2013:
Vatican City, May 12, 2013 / 11:00 am (CNA/EWTN News).- Pope Francis greeted the thousands of people who had gathered this morning in Rome to protest against abortion, praising efforts to secure legal protection for human beings at their earliest stages of life.
“I greet the participants of the March for Life which took place this morning in Rome and invite everyone to stay focused on the important issue of respect for human life, from the moment of conception,” said the Pope at St. Peter’s Basilica.
He addressed the pro-life advocates at Saint Peter’s Square in his comments for the May 12 Regina Caeli prayer. They had gathered in St. Peter’s Square after marching against abortion earlier that day in Rome.
The march began at Rome’s Colosseum and ended at Castel Sant’Angelo, just a few hundred feet from the Vatican.
Pope Francis praised other pro-life efforts in Italy.
“I am pleased to recall the petition that today takes place in many Italian parishes, in order to support the initiative European ‘One of Us’ to ensure legal protection to the embryo, protecting every human being from the first moment of its existence,” the Pope said.
He announced that the Vatican will host events dedicated to Pope John Paul II’s 1995 encyclical “Evangelium Vitae” on June 15 and 16. Pope Francis said this occasion would be “a special moment for those who have cared about the defense of the sanctity of human life.”
The Pope made his comments during the Regina Caeli prayer, which followed a Mass he celebrated at Saint Peter’s Square to canonize many new saints.
He canonized Blessed Antonio Primaldo and Companions, hundreds of martyrs who were massacred by Turkish invaders when they refused to give up their faith.
Also canonized were the first Colombian-born saint, teacher Bl. Laura di Santa Caterina da Siena Montoya y Upegui, and Bl. Maria Guadalupe Garcia Zavala, a Mexican vowed religious who co-founded the Congregation of the Handmaids of St Margaret Mary Alacoque and the Poor.
He offered a special greeting to official delegations of Italy, Colombia and Mexico who had just previously attended the canonization Mass.
“The martyrs of Otranto help the beloved Italian people to look with hope to the future, trusting in the nearness of God who never abandons, even in difficult times,” said the Pope.
The pontiff also announced that Father Luigi Novarese had been beatified on May 11 in Rome, saying he was “pleased” by it.
Fr. Novarese was the founder of the lay associations the Apostolate of the Suffering and the Silent Workers of the Cross.
“I join in the thanksgiving for this exemplary priest, who was able to renew pastoral care of the sick by making them active participants in the Church,” said Pope Francis.
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Mass held in Rome for kidnapped Syrian bishops
11-May-2013:
Rome, Italy, May 11, 2013 / 11:39 am (CNA/EWTN News).- Eastern Catholic clergy celebrated a Mass in Rome’s Basilica of Santa Maria in Cosmedin to pray for two archbishops and two priests who remain the hostages of rebels in Syria.
Archimandrite Mtanious Haddad, rector of the Greek Melkite Catholic Basilica, said there are “so many” people who have been kidnapped.
“Our Mass today was to pray for all those Christians and moderate Muslims who have been kidnapped,” he told CNA / EWTN News.
According to Fr. Haddad, the rebels “want to show that there is no more coexistence between Christians and Muslims but this isn’t true.”
Greek Orthodox Archbishop Paul Yazigi and Syriac Orthodox Archbishop Yohanna Ibrahim were kidnapped by rebels on April 22 and are still being held in a village northwest of Aleppo.
Gunmen pulled the two Christian archbishops out of their car and shot their driver, a deacon.
They were on their way to Aleppo from the Turkish border in an effort to negotiate the release of two priests, Armenian Catholic Father Michel Kayyal and Father Maher Mahfouz, a Greek Orthodox Christian.
The priests had been abducted on Feb. 9 when the bus they were riding on from Aleppo to Damascus was stopped. They are still being held captive.
Fr. Kayyal was the student of Monsignor Georges Dankaye Noradounguian, the rector of Rome’s Pontifical Armenian College. Msgr. Dankaye concelebrated the solemn Mass in Rome on May 10.
He described Fr. Kayyal as “an excellent and very good person with a lot of faith.”
“He was trying to distribute humanitarian aid with three or four other priests so he has been living the war in a very special way,” the monsignor told CNA/EWTN News after the Mass.
The Lebanese Ambassador to the Holy See, Georges El Khoury, attended the Eucharistic ceremony as did as the Iraqi Ambassador to the Holy See, Habeeb Al-Sadr, who is Muslim.
Msgr. Dankaye said news coverage of Syria is too uniform.
He said that “the international community’s 600 TV channels broadcast the exact same version, while the only Syrian TV channel that exists and broadcasts daily news in English has been blocked.”
“People against the regime are outside Syria,” he said. “War always has its reasons and its logic, and the true reasons for it are always hidden.”
Fr. Haddad also criticized the war.
“The Syrian war is not a crisis between Muslims and Christians or Muslims and other Muslims and it’s not a Syrian civil war from and for Syrians,” he told CNA / EWTN News.
“This is a war imported from outside and we have traitors who have sold themselves to outsiders for a bit of money.”
He said that the rebels are “trying to show there is a problem between Christians and Muslims in Syria when there isn’t and there never has been.”
During his homily he called the kidnappers “traitors” and said Syrians need to solve their own issues “like in a conclave, without outside intervention.”
“Our petro-dollar Arabic neighbors have bought some Syrians and it’s a surprise to me when a Syrian is happy to see a Syrian soldier murdered,” said Fr. Haddad at the basilica.
He added that now there are “terrorists and non-terrorists from Libya, Pakistan and Afghanistan who have gone to fight in Syria saying they want to liberate Jerusalem.”
“But can one liberate Jerusalem from Aleppo?” he asked. “We all know where the path to Jerusalem is.”
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Comic book tackles wage theft with goal of empowering aggrieved workers
11-May-2013:
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Pope says Catholics, Coptic Orthodox united by 'ecumenism of suffering'
10-May-2013:
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Under soot: Spring cleaning means sometimes finding forgotten gems
10-May-2013:
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Through blogs, Catholic moms share their faith as 'digital disciples'
10-May-2013:
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Pope: Sad Christian faces are like pickled peppers
10-May-2013:
Vatican City, May 10, 2013 / 09:33 am (CNA/EWTN News).- Pope Francis underscored the importance of being joyful by contrasting sad Christian faces – which are more like “pickled peppers” – with the testimony of a beautiful life.
“Sometimes these melancholic Christians faces have more in common with pickled peppers than the joy of having a beautiful life,” Pope Francis said May 10.
“If we keep this joy to ourselves it will make us sick in the end, our hearts will grow old and wrinkled and our faces will no longer transmit that great joy, only nostalgia and melancholy which is not healthy,” he added.
The Pope delivered his homily on the reading from Acts 18 in the chapel of St. Martha's residence.
He concelebrated the Mass with the Archbishop of Mérida, Baltazar Enrique Porras Cardozo, and the abbot primate of the Benedictine monks, Notker Wolf.
Vatican Radio staff and their director, Father Federico Lombardi, also attended the Eucharistic celebration.
The pontiff told them Christians should not keep joy “bottled up” for themselves because they risk becoming nostalgic.
Christian joy is not like “having fun, which is good,” he explained, rather it “is more, it is something else.”
“If we want to have fun all the time, in the end it becomes shallow, superficial, and also leads us to that state where we lack Christian wisdom, it makes us a little bit stupid, naive, no?” Pope Francis said.
“Joy is something that does not come from short term economic reasons, from momentary reasons, it is something deeper, it is a gift,” he preached.
The pontiff described joy as “a gift from God” that “fills us from within” and “cannot be held at heel, it must be let go.”
“It is a virtue of the great, of those great ones who rise above the little things in life, above human pettiness,” said Pope Francis.
He explained that it is a virtue “of those who will not allow themselves to be dragged into those little things within the community, within the Church” and that “they always look to the horizon.”
He added that today’s visit by Coptic Pope of Egypt Tawadros II was “a very good reason to be joyful because he is a brother who comes to visit the Church of Rome to speak and to walk part of the path together.”
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Ohio University band gives Vatican taste of America
10-May-2013:
Vatican City, May 10, 2013 / 09:01 am (CNA/EWTN News).- Priests and Vatican employees opened their office windows this afternoon to find out why they were hearing trumpets and drums, and in the piazza below them they discovered the University of Ohio marching band.
“We thought it would be a very epic way to perform, you know. And a lot of people came to watch us,” 22-year-old trumpet player Jenna Smith told CNA.
The sights and sounds of an American marching band are not something people are used to hearing or seeing around the Vatican. In fact, the closest thing to it is probably the Italian national police band, which only appears on rare occasions.
Even more unusual was hearing the song “Gangnam Style” by the Korean pop star Psy being played in view of St. Peter’s Basilica.
As the band played through their list, which included “Cheer,” “Long Train” and the school’s fight song, a crowd gathered to hear the lively music.
The display of Americana ended with a rousing cheer for Ohio University.
The band, known as the Marching 110, arrived in Rome on the evening of May 9 and will be here for four days. The school’s Wind Symphony will perform this evening at 9:00 p.m. in the University of Rome’s Aula Magna Sapienza.
Before arriving in Rome, the band and wind symphony traveled to Ireland, where they played at Dublin’s Green Isle Hotel.
The trip was organized to celebrate the 90th anniversary of Ohio University Bands and the 45th anniversary of the Marching 110.
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Sourpusses hurt the church's witness, mission, pope says at Mass
10-May-2013:
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Coptic Pope stresses urgency of Christian unity at Vatican
10-May-2013:
Vatican City, May 10, 2013 / 07:06 am (CNA/EWTN News).- The Pope of the Coptic Orthodox Church of Egypt met with Pope Francis at the Vatican and spoke about the urgent need for unity among Christians in the Middle East.
“We must prepare our people for this very real and needed unity that we know and live, we must work quickly and seriously,” said Pope Tawadros II in May 10 remarks provided to CNA by his office.
His visit to the Vatican is significant because he leades Egypt’s largest Christian Church with ten million members, as well as historic, since the May 9-13 trip is the first to Rome in 40 years.
Coptic Pope Shenouda III, Tawadros II’s predecessor, visited Pope Paul VI in May 1973 and Pope John Paul II returned the visit to Egypt in 2000.
Coptic Pope Tawadros was elected to succeed Shenouda III in Nov. 2012.
“The rising of Islamic parties in countries like Egypt and Syria means Christians are now feeling they are second or third class citizens,” said Father Rafic Greiche, director of the press office for the Catholic Church in Egypt.
“We Egyptian Christians want our brothers of all world churches to help us, to pray for us and to be real brothers in our Lord Jesus Christ,” he told CNA on May 10 in Rome.
He noted that since the Egyptian uprising that toppled Hosni Mubarak, “nothing changed for Christians and normal modern Muslims.”
“People are getting poorer, the middle class is getting poorer and homeless, and there is no work or tourism,” said Fr. Greiche.
“So we hope our brothers will not help us with money, but with solidarity and that they take our message out to their governments to feel all Christians worldwide are one heart,” he added.
Pope Tawadros prayed with Pope Francis for about 20 minutes after their 15-minute meeting in the Clementine Hall at the Vatican’s Apostolic Palace.
“The most important aim for both the Catholic and Coptic Churches is the promotion of ecumenical dialogue in order to get to the most pursued goal, unity,” Pope Tawadros said in his remarks to Pope Francis.
He said he wished “the excellent relationships between the Coptic Orthodox Church and the Catholic may become stronger and more prosperous.”
Pope Tawadros also invited Pope Francis to visit Egypt and suggested that from today forward the two Churches should observe May 10 as “a celebration of brotherly love between the Catholic Church and the Coptic Orthodox Church.”
Pope Francis answered him assuring him of his prayers and invoking the protection of the apostles Saints Peter and Mark, who established the two Churches.
“If one member suffers, all suffer together, if one member is honored, all rejoice together,” Pope Francis said, quoting St. Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians.
“Let me assure you that your efforts to build communion among believers in Christ, and your lively interest in the future of your country and the role of the Christian communities within the Egyptian society find a deep echo in the heart of the Successor of Peter and of the entire Catholic community,” he added.
Pope Francis noted that “the sharing of daily sufferings can become an effective instrument of unity.”
“From shared suffering can blossom forth forgiveness and reconciliation, with God’s help,” he pointed out.
Before their meeting the Egyptian leader visited the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity and other Roman Curia departments.
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Blind singer-pianist says he relies on God to be his eyes
10-May-2013:
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Thousands expected at March for Life in Rome
10-May-2013:
Rome, Italy, May 9, 2013 / 04:03 pm (CNA/EWTN News).- More than 15,000 people are expected to gather outside the historic Roman Coliseum on May 12 to take part in the third March for Life.
Included among expected participants are leading representatives of pro-life originations from around the world, as well as members of the clergy and European royalty.
Lila Rose, the president of undercover investigative group Live Action, and Nicholas Windsor, the son of the Duchess of Kent and grandson of Queen Elizabeth of England, are only a few of the leading figures who are expected to join in the March.
The march will be preceded by a conference on bioethics at the Pontifical Athenaeum Regina Apostolorum and a prayer vigil on May 11, led by the prefect of the Apostolic Signature, Cardinal Raymond Burke.
The spokesman for the March, Virginia Coda Nunciante, told CNA, that “the main purpose of the march is to stop and to say ‘no’ to the 1978 law that legalized abortion in Italy, causing the deaths of more than five million children.”
“There are many dioceses and parishes that are committed to coming, in addition to the 120 movements and associations that have joined in this initiative,” she continued.
“ Let us take to the streets to reiterate a great yes to life, the first of all rights, because without life no other right can exist, and that is why we have so many families with children with us.”
“The defense of life is not only the responsibility of Catholics, but all those who acknowledge the existence of a natural law, written on the heart of each man which prohibits the killing of the innocent,” Coda said. “Abortion not only violates Catholic morality, but also natural law, which is valid for every man in every age and in all places.”
“We are also marching against euthanasia, which many want to introduce into our legislation, and to oppose the manipulation of embryos, for example, through a law on assisted fertilization,” she added.
According to data from the Ministry of Health, she observed “the number of abortions has fallen, but we also know that there has been an increase in sales of the abortion pill RU486.”
Coda invited all those who will be in Rome on May 12 to take part in the demonstration.
“We need to bring about real change to our own culture, so that it will be easier to understand the seriousness of each attack against life,” she said.
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Belarusian kids with cancer find home away from home at St. Luke's
09-May-2013:
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Sisters encouraged, grateful Pope met with them
09-May-2013:
Vatican City, May 9, 2013 / 10:09 am (CNA/EWTN News).- Sister Alice Matilda Nsiah says that Pope Francis’ decision to meet with her and other superiors general on Wednesday left them encouraged, grateful and proud to be Catholic.
“Our faith is renewed with the Pope and we are very grateful that he give (sic) us the audience. We are very grateful that he has time for us. We are very grateful that we are working together for the Church. So we are very proud to be Catholics,” said Sr. Nsiah, mother superior of the Daughters of the Most Blessed Trinity.
She is one of about 800 religious sisters who were in Rome May 3-7 for the general assembly of the International Union of Superiors General, which discussed the prophetic nature of the Church and the nature of authority.
When they had their last gathering in 2010, Pope Benedict did not meet with them, so the time they had with Pope Francis was eagerly welcomed.
The sisters met with the Pope at 9:30 on Wednesday morning in the Paul VI Hall, about an hour before the start of his weekly general audience in St. Peter’s Square.
Pope Francis spoke with the sisters about how important their work is for the Church and reflected on their vows of poverty, chastity and obedience.
As she left St. Peter’s Square after the May 8 general audience, Sr. Nsiah recounted the meeting for CNA.
“He gave a very good encouragement about our commitment to the Lord, how we are called by the Lord to serve him in the Church and how we are important in the Church,” she said.
The Pope also stressed the importance of the sisters being spiritual “mothers and not spinsters!”
“Chastity enlarges the freedom of your gift to God and others with Christ's tenderness, mercy, and closeness. But, please, (make it) a ‘fertile’ chastity, which generates spiritual children in the Church,” he told the consecrated women.
“Forgive me if I talk like this,” he added, “but this maternity of consecrated life, this fruitfulness is important!”
For Sr. Nsiah, the Holy Father’s words underscored that “without us, the maternity of the Church is lacking.”
Apostolate in Ghana
Sr. Nsiah also shared some of the struggles her congregation, the Daughters of the Most Blessed Trinity, experiences in its work to care for poor women and impoverished mentally or physically disabled people.
“Number one, we have a problem of finances because we are a developing country,” she explained.
The shortage of funding means that the sisters sometimes are not able to help all the people who come to them for assistance.
And although the political situation in Ghana is stable, Sr. Nsiah described development in that realm as “very slow.”
“And so it affects all of us: our mission and our dreams. So it is very difficult,” she explained
“But we are managing to do our best to serve the Lord, in the poor, in the simple, in the children, in the women especially, who are always left behind,” she commented.
When it comes to the Church in Africa as a whole, Sr. Nsiah believes that it is strong and “very committed.”
“Now the Church is greater in Africa and the morale is very high. So we are very proud. The Church is Africa and Africa is gradually growing; growing bigger and bigger everyday. So we are very happy,” she reported.
When she returns to her sisters in the central city of Kumasi, Sr. Nsiah said that she will tell them, “the vocation we have chosen, it is the Lord’s.”
“The work – our work – is the work of the Lord. When we do it well, the Lord will bless us and our reward is in heaven. And our mother, Mary, is our inspiration. And since she was able to work with Jesus, with her support, we are able to do our work.
“So we will not be discouraged, we are there, firm!” she joyfully proclaimed.
Marta Jiménez Ibáñez contributed to this report.
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Church spokesman: Catholics not divided by remarks over women deacons
09-May-2013:
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Pope says evangelists build bridges, not walls
08-May-2013:
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Pope Francis marks Argentina's Our Lady of Lujan feast
08-May-2013:
Vatican City, May 8, 2013 / 01:50 pm (CNA/EWTN News).- Pope Francis commended Argentina to the protection of its patron saint Our Lady of Lujan, bringing white flowers to her statue and pausing in prayer ahead of his Wednesday general audience.
“This is the day in which we celebrate Our Lady of Lujan, heavenly Patroness of Argentina,” the Pope said at his general audience May 8.
“I wish to send to all the children of these beloved Argentine lands my sincere affection while I place all their joys and worries in the hands of the Most Holy Virgin.”
He asked Argentine pilgrims in St. Peter’s Square to give a round of applause for the Virgin of Lujan.
“Stronger. I can’t hear it. Stronger!” he encouraged the crowd which broke out in cheers.
Our Lady of Lujan is a terracotta image of Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception which is about 14 inches tall. It has been venerated in Argentina since 1630.
That year, a Portuguese ranch owner tried to take the statue from Buenos Aires via caravan to his ranch.
After three days of travel, the oxen pulling the statue’s cart stopped moving near the Lujan river about 42 miles northwest of Buenos Aires. After much failed coaxing, the ox driver unloaded the image and found the oxen would again move. The caravan took this as a sign that the Virgin Mary wanted the statue to be venerated at that place.
Many miracles have been attributed to Our Lady of Lujan’s intercession. Prayers honor her as the foundress of the city of Lujan.
Pope Leo XIII honored the statue in 1886 with a papal coronation. Pope Pius XI declared Our Lady of Lujan to be the patroness of Argentina, Uruguay and Paraguay in 1930. The statue is now housed in the Basilica of Lujan.
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Only Holy Spirit can fill hearts thirsting for love, peace, pope says
08-May-2013:
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Cardinal says both sides in LCWR case must be open to dialogue
08-May-2013:
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Without evangelization, Church is barren, says Pope
08-May-2013:
Vatican City, May 8, 2013 / 10:52 am (CNA/EWTN News).- If the Church does not have the “apostolic courage” that led Saint Paul to evangelize, she becomes a “stalled Church … without fertility,” Pope Francis said in his May 8 homily.
“Paul teaches us this journey of evangelization ... because he is sure of Jesus Christ and does not need to justify himself, to seek reasons to justify himself,” the Holy Father said during Mass at the Chapel of the Domus Sanctae Marthae in the Vatican.
“When the Church loses this apostolic courage, she becomes a stalled Church, a tidy Church, a Church that is nice to look at, but that is without fertility, because she has lost the courage to go to the outskirts, where there are many people who are victims of idolatry, worldliness of weak thought, (of) so many things.”
The Mass was concelebrated by Cardinal Francesco Coccopalmerio, president of the Pontifical Council for Legislative Texts, and was attended by employees of the Vatican's general services of the governorate, tribunal chancery, and the floreria, which cares for the state's furniture and decorations.
Pope Francis upheld St. Paul at the Greek Areopagus as a model of apostolic courage and evangelization. At that time, St. Paul sought dialogue with the Greek philosophers, saying their altar “to the unknown God” was a sign of the one true God.
“Paul does not say to the Athenians: ‘This is the encyclopedia of truth. Study this and you have the truth, the truth.’ No! The truth does not enter into an encyclopedia,” said Pope Francis.
“The truth is an encounter - it is a meeting with Supreme Truth: Jesus, the great truth. No one owns the truth. We receive the truth when we meet it.”
St. Paul's willingness to dialogue follows in the footsteps of Christ, who “spoke with everyone,” shunning neither sinners and tax collectors nor teachers of the Jewish law, he said.
“The Christian who would bring the Gospel must go down this road: he must listen to everyone.”
The Roman Pontiff said that as a child, “one would hear in Catholic families, in my family, ‘No, we cannot go to their house, because they are not married in the Church.’ It was as an exclusion. No, you could not go. Neither could we go to the houses of socialists or atheists.”
He said that one benefit of the last 50 or 60 years has been a change from this attitude.
“Now, thank God, people do not say such things, right? (Such an attitude) was a defense of the faith, but it was one of walls: the Lord made bridges … Christians who are afraid to build bridges and prefer to build walls are Christians who are not sure of their faith, not sure of Jesus Christ.”
Christians are called, like St. Paul, to “build bridges and to move forward,” he said.
“A Christian,” Pope Francis said, “must proclaim Jesus Christ in such a way that he be accepted: received, not refused – and Paul knows that he has to sow the Gospel message. He knows that the proclamation of Jesus Christ is not easy, but that it does not depend on him. He must do everything possible, but the proclamation of Jesus Christ, the proclamation of the truth, depends on the Holy Spirit.”
“Let us today ask St. Paul to give us this apostolic courage, this spiritual fervor, so that we might be confident,” concluded the Holy Father.
“'But Father,' you might say, 'we might make mistakes' ... 'Well, what of it,' I might respond, 'Get on with you: if you make a mistake, you get up and go forward: that is the way. Those who do not walk so as not to err, make the more serious mistake.'”
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Pope to sisters: living with Jesus outside Church is absurd
08-May-2013:
Vatican City, May 8, 2013 / 10:01 am (CNA/EWTN News).- Pope Francis told leaders of women’s religious orders today that their vocations can only be recognized within the fold of the Church.
“Your vocation is a fundamental charism for the Church's journey and it isn't possible that a consecrated woman or man might 'feel' themselves not to be with the Church,” he told around 800 female superiors general on May 8.
The International Union of Superiors General has been meeting for its general assembly in Rome since May 3.
Present this year were more than 150 American sisters, some of whom also belong to the Leadership Conference of Women Religious, which has had a strained relationship with the Vatican since it was required in April 2012 to undergo reform.
Bishop Leonard Blaire of Toledo carried out a four-year review and found “serious doctrinal problems” and the need for the LCWR to undergo renewal.
The assessment of the leadership conference expressed concern over “certain radical feminist themes incompatible with the Catholic faith” that were in some presentations sponsored by the conference.
One such address discussed religious sisters “moving beyond the Church” and beyond Jesus.
In addition to highlighting the need for the organization to provide adequate doctrinal formation for its members, the report also voiced concern over letters from LCWR officers suggesting “corporate dissent” from Church teaching on topics such as the sacramental male priesthood and homosexuality.
Pope Francis seemed to address this history during today’s meeting. He told the sisters about the “‘feeling’ of being with the Church,” given to them through baptism.
It is a “feeling,” he said, “that finds its filial expression in fidelity to the Magisterium, in communion with the pastors and Successor of Peter, Bishop of Rome, visible sign of that unity.”
To be otherwise, he said, would be against their vocation.
“It is an absurd dichotomy to think of living with Jesus but without the Church, of following Jesus outside of the Church, of loving Jesus without loving the Church,” he stated.
“Feel the responsibility that you have of caring for the formation of your institutes in sound Church doctrine, in love of the Church, and in an ecclesial spirit,” Pope Francis added.
The Vatican’s doctrine department put Archbishop J. Peter Sartain of Seattle in charge of working with the sisters to reform the organization for a period of up to five years.
On May 5, Cardinal João Braz de Aviz, who heads the Vatican’s Congregation for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life, made waves when he told the sisters gathered in Rome that he was not consulted about the doctrine department’s decision on reforming the LCWR.
His words drew a rare May 7 statement from the doctrine office, which aimed to dismiss the idea of a “divergence” between the doctrine and religious congregations.
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Pope tells sisters the church needs them, they need the church
08-May-2013:
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God's living water satisfies deepest desires, Pope reflects
08-May-2013:
Vatican City, May 8, 2013 / 05:20 am (CNA/EWTN News).- The Holy Spirit is the “living water” that fulfills our lives because he tells us “we are loved by God,” Pope Francis proclaimed.
“The living water that is the Holy Spirit quenches our lives because it tells us that we are loved by God as His children, that we can love God as his children, and that by his grace we can live as children of God, as did Jesus,” the Pope said May 8.
The pontiff offered his reflections on the Holy Spirit to the estimated 70,000 pilgrims who filled St. Peter’s Square for his weekly general audience, which took place on a sunny day with mostly clear skies.
As he made his way through the crowd he got out of the popemobile several times before reaching a section of children with Down Syndrome near the front of the square. Pope Francis made his way up the length of the aisle, shaking hands, kissing the disabled and occasionally blowing a kiss.
He then walked up the steps to his chair and began his address to the throng by noting that the Church is currently living in the season of Easter, which is the “time par excellence of the Holy Spirit.”
Pope Francis has been reflecting on different phrases from the Nicene Creed at his Wednesday audiences, continuing a course of teaching that was initiated by Benedict XVI for the Year of Faith.
Today he looked at the statement, “I believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord and giver of life,” emphasizing that the Spirit is “truly God” and the “third Person of the Blessed Trinity.”
“But I would like to focus on the fact that the Holy Spirit is the inexhaustible source of God’s life in us,” the Pope explained as he launched into the substance of his address.
“Man is like a traveler who, crossing the deserts of life, has a thirst for living water, gushing and fresh, capable of quenching his deep desire for light, love, beauty and peace.
“We all feel this desire!” Pope Francis exclaimed.
“And Jesus gives us this living water: it is the Holy Spirit, who proceeds from the Father and who Jesus pours into our hearts,” he said.
The Pope recalled the encounter between Jesus and the Samaritan woman at the well, whom he told that he would give “eternally abundant ‘living water’” to all those who recognize him as the Son sent by the Father to save us.”
The living water, who is the Holy Spirit, makes it so that “our life may be guided by God, may be animated by God, may be nourished by God.
“When we say that a Christian is a spiritual man, this is what we mean: a Christian is a person who thinks and acts according to God, according to the Holy Spirit,” the Pope explained.
Pope Francis finished his meditation by delving into how the Holy Spirit can “quench our deep thirst.”
“The ‘living water,’ the Holy Spirit, the Gift of the Risen One who comes to dwell in us, cleanses us, enlightens us, renews us, transforms us by rendering us partakers of the very life of God who is Love,” he responded.
The Holy Father taught that the “precious gift that the Holy Spirit brings into our hearts” is “the very life of God, the life of true children, a relationship of familiarity, freedom and trust in the love and mercy of God.”
This new life within believers has the effect of giving them a “new vision of others, near and far, seen always as brothers and sisters in Jesus to be respected and loved,” he said.
“That’s why the living water that is the Holy Spirit quenches our lives because it tells us that we are loved by God as his children, that we can love God as his children, and that by his grace we can live as children of God, as did Jesus.”
“And us? Do we listen to the Holy Spirit who tells us: God loves you? Do we really love God and others as Jesus did?” he concluded.
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Vatican, US sign anti-money-laundering memo
08-May-2013:
Vatican City, May 8, 2013 / 03:50 am (CNA/EWTN News).- The Vatican continued its efforts to update its financial standards by signing an agreement with the United States to allow the two countries to exchange information to prevent money laundering and terrorism funding.
“This is a clear indication that the Holy See and the Vatican City State take international responsibilities to combat money laundering and the financing of terrorism very seriously and that we are cooperating at the highest levels," said René Brülhart, director of the Vatican Financial Information Authority.
The Memorandum of Understanding was agreed upon with the American Financial Crimes Enforcement Network, which came into being after the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks.
The agreement allows the two states to exchange information that will help them prevent criminal financial activity from taking place and was signed in Washington, D.C. on May 7.
The financial developments take place against the backdrop of the Vatican working to show it is making every effort to bring its financial standards up to speed.
Brülhart said that the arrangement with the U.S. demonstrates that the Vatican “is a credible partner internationally and has made a clear commitment in the exchange of information in this fight.”
The Vatican has already inked deals with Belgium, Spain and Slovenia, but the U.S. agreement is clearly the most important one to date.
The Financial Information Authority is currently pursuing agreements with more than 20 other countries and it expects to finalize several of those this year.
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Ethicist lauds Ireland's ruling against assisted suicide
08-May-2013:
Dublin, Ireland, May 8, 2013 / 02:02 am (CNA).- The finding of the Irish Supreme Court that citizens have no right to assisted suicide is being welcomed by an ethicist and healthcare professional as an affirmation of the value of human life.
“It's a clear tragedy when society endorses assisted suicide...I was happy to see the supreme court decision in Ireland,” Doctor Marie Hilliard, director of bioethics and public policy at the National Catholic Bioethics Center, told CNA May 7.
On April 29, the supreme court of the Republic of Ireland ruled against Marie Fleming, who has multiple sclerosis and so is unable to commit suicide. Fleming wanted to ensure that she could end her life with the help of her partner, Tom Curran.
Fleming is in an advanced stage of multiple sclerosis, and is restricted to bed much of the time and has only some effective use of her arms. She reports also having difficulty speaking and swallowing, and frequent severe pain. She cannot control her electric wheelchair, has no bladder control, and requires assistance to eat and drink, and be washed and dressed.
Ireland decriminalized suicide in 1993, but assisting another person to kill themselves is still a criminal offence. Fleming argued that there is a “right to die” and that the prohibition against assisted suicide discriminates against the disabled.
Fleming “states that she now lives with little or no dignity,” and her condition has “left her feeling totally undignified,” according to the ruling.
In its finding, the court said that “there is no constitutional right to commit suicide or to arrange for the determination of one’s life at a time of one’s choosing,” and so Fleming “has no right which may be interfered with by any disability.”
In remarks to CNA, Hilliard reflected that a right to assisted suicide “would undermine the role of physicians as healers, expose the vulnerable to abuse, and would initiate a steady slide toward euthanasia.”
“We don't kill the sufferer to kill the suffering; that's not what health care is about. And it's a societal failure too, in terms of walking with our loved ones.”
She also called the promotion of assisted suicide a “palliative care failure.” Those with diseases such as multiple sclerosis can often fear abandonment, that they won't be cared for because they “won't have the same value in our society.”
“From a medical standpoint, a nursing standpoint, and a social standpoint, it's a communal palliative care failure...so certainly we're happy to see that the Irish supreme court saw this.”
Hilliard pointed out the similarities between the Fleming case and a 1997 U.S. Supreme Court decision, Washington v. Glucksberg.
In that decision, authored by Chief Justice William Rehnquist, a Nixon appointee, the court found that the U.S. Constitution does not protect the right to assistance in committing suicide.
The loneliness and fear which motivate calls for assisted suicide “means we don't have good palliative and hospice care,” according to Hilliard.
To promote assisted suicide “does the opposite of what people think, in terms of developing a caring approach to end of life care.” Rather, a “holistic perspective” needs to be adopted, which integrates families, palliative care nurses, physicians, patients, and pain control.
Hilliard emphasized the difference between subjects of terminal illness and terminal illnesses themselves. Palliative care deals with “how suffering is to be alleviated, not how to alleviate the sufferer,” she said.
The ethicist said it is important for Catholics to engage in hospice care, because “we can't just say we're against assisted suicide and then let folks continue to suffer.”
“We have to have an organized way of addressing what people think is an unresolvable problem in terms of suffering at the end of life. It's not.”
The good works of palliative care, she said, “are the real alternatives that are going to spare the patient, the physicians, and society from doing down that road towards eugenics.”
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Minnesota family endures son's suffering with help from Mary
08-May-2013:
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Pope says Christians must learn to patiently endure trials, each other
07-May-2013:
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Vatican says its congregations collaborate, including on LCWR decision
07-May-2013:
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In Brazil, pope to meet slum-dwellers, politicians, world's youth
07-May-2013:
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How a postage stamp delivered one boy a dream of being a Swiss Guard
07-May-2013:
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Vatican doctrine office confused by cardinal's LCWR comments
07-May-2013:
Vatican City, May 7, 2013 / 08:03 am (CNA/EWTN News).- The Vatican’s doctrine congregation has released a statement saying the media misreported a cardinal’s remarks about the ongoing reform of a group of American sisters, but an inside source at the department says it is confused because the matter is their "exclusive responsibility."
An official at the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith told CNA May 7 on the condition of anonymity that it is “perplexed” by Cardinal João Braz de Aviz saying it did not discuss with him their decision to require an American group of religious superiors to undergo reform.
“We are perplexed because the matter is the exclusive responsibility of the congregation and we aren’t stepping on anyone’s toes,” the source said early on Tuesday afternoon.
The decision was the outcome of a four-year assessment that found the Leadership Conference of Women Religious promoted “radical feminist themes incompatible with the Catholic faith” and dissent from Church teaching on topics including the sacramental male priesthood and homosexuality.
On the afternoon of May 7, the Vatican doctrine congregation released an official statement that said “media comments” on Cardinal Braz de Aviz’s May 5 remarks “suggested a divergence” between the two offices and that “such interpretation of the Cardinal’s remarks were not justified.”
The prefects of these two congregations “work closely together according to their specific responsibilities and collaborated throughout the process of the Doctrinal Assessment of the LCWR,” the statement underscored.
The doctrine congregation’s head, Archbishop Gerhard Müller, and Cardinal Braz de Aviz also met on May 6 and “reaffirmed their common commitment to the renewal of Religious Life, and particularly to the Doctrinal Assessment of the LCWR and the program of reform it requires,” it added.
Cardinal Braz de Aviz, who heads the Vatican’s Congregation for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life, made his claims on Sunday during the general assembly of the International Union of Superior Generals in Rome, one year after the doctrine congregation’s reform mandate was issued.
The cardinal also revealed that Pope Francis allowed him to choose his secretary and said this demonstrated the Pope’s trust in him.
Commenting on his statements about the doctrine congregation, the inside source said, “One does not do this. I don’t know how his comments benefit him or the Church, and he makes it seem that injustice is being done.”
“This was a very slow and objective process and our members are extremely professional theologians and philosophers who consult weekly with the Pope,” he explained.
But according to the source, “there is a lot of pride and one always wants to believe they are right.”
“People are very misinformed theologically, philosophically and academically” about the positions taken by the LCWR, he added.
The doctrine official believes that “the most important part has already happened, which is that Catholics have been informed that these women are wrong.”
He explained that the LCWR follow the “gender ideology” and “have developed an exacerbated ultra feminism which makes them reject all type of male authority.”
“They have been fired in many parishes because they teach things that provoke great discomfort within communities,” he said.
Referring to the April 15, 2013 statement from the doctrine office in which Pope Francis confirmed the finding that the sisters’ conference must be reformed, the source underscored that “this is not an issue about a Pope being spoiled.”
Attempts by CNA to obtain comment from the Congregation for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life were referred to Cardinal Braz de Aviz who was unavailable.
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Good Christians don't whine about suffering, Pope says
07-May-2013:
Vatican City, May 7, 2013 / 06:55 am (CNA/EWTN News).- Reflecting on how St. Paul endured pain for Christ, Pope Francis said that good Christians do not complain about their trials but endure them with patient silence because their hearts are at peace.
A Christian “who constantly complains, fails to be a good Christian: they become Mr. or Mrs. Whiner, no? Because they always complain about everything, right?” the Pope remarked in his May 7 homily at St. Martha’s residence.
The Christian response to suffering is “silence in endurance, silence in patience,” he stated.
During his Passion, the Pope noted, Jesus “did not speak much, only two or three necessary words ... But it is not a sad silence: the silence of bearing the Cross is not a sad silence. It is painful, often very painful, but it is not sad. The heart is at peace.”
The pontiff based his homily on the first reading of the day, Acts 16, in which St. Paul and Silas were persecuted and thrown in jail for proclaiming the Gospel.
But they “were joyful because they followed Jesus in on the path of his passion. A path the Lord travelled with patience,” he added.??“This does not mean being sad. No, no, it's another thing!” Pope Francis taught.
“This means bearing, carrying the weight of difficulties, the weight of contradictions, the weight of tribulations on our shoulders. This Christian attitude of bearing up, of being patient.”
“This is a process – allow me this word ‘process’ – a process of Christian maturity, through the path of patience. A process that takes some time, that you cannot undergo from one day to another. It evolves over a lifetime, arriving at Christian maturity. It is like a good wine.”??The Pope observed that many martyrs were joyful as they approach their final moments, such as the martyrs of Nagasaki who helped each other, as they “waited for the moment of death.”
Some of those men and women went to their martyrdom as if they were going to a “wedding party,” he said. This attitude of endurance, he added, is a Christian’s normal attitude, but it is not masochistic. It is an attitude that leads them “along the path of Jesus.”?
Returning to the example of Paul and Silas, Pope Francis noted that in spite of being in prison, they were praying in peace. “They were in pain, because then it is said that the jailer washed their wounds while they were in prison – they had wounds – but endured in peace. This journey of endurance helps us deepen Christian peace, it makes us stronger in Jesus.”??The Holy Father finished his remarks by repeating that a Christian is called to endure suffering just like Jesus, “without complaint, endure in peace.”
This patience “renews our youth and makes us younger,” he said, mentioning how he has seen this among elderly people in hospice care “who have endured so much in life.”??“Look at their eyes, (they have) young eyes, they have a youthful spirit and a renewed youth,” he underscored.
“And the Lord invites us to this: to be rejuvenated Easter people on a journey of love, patience, enduring our tribulations and also - I would say – putting up with one another. We must also do this with charity and love, because if I have to put up with you, I'm sure you will put up with me and in this way we will move forward on our journey on the path of Jesus.”
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Pope celebrates diversity of popular piety, unity of church
06-May-2013:
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Elderly face danger of 'covert euthanasia,' pope says in book
06-May-2013:
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Absorb Church's Catholic identity, Pope tells new Swiss Guards
06-May-2013:
Vatican City, May 6, 2013 / 11:55 am (CNA/EWTN News).- On the day that it will swear in 35 new members and commemorate the fallen, the Swiss Guard was told by Pope Francis that it has “a privileged opportunity” to deepen its knowledge of Christ by breathing in the catholicity of the Church.
Every May 6, the corps remembers the 147 Swiss soldiers who died defending Pope Clement VII during the 1527 Sack of Rome. In addition, the Swiss Guard also swears in new members for two years of service at the Vatican.
In anticipation of the new recruits joining the corps, the Pope received them and their families in an audience today at 12:45 p.m.
“Today,” he began, “you are not called to this heroic gesture but to another form of sacrifice, which is also challenging: to put your youthful energies at the service of the Church and the Pope. To do this you must be strong, motivated by love, and sustained by your faith in Christ.”
Pope Francis advised them to remember the faith that led them to choose to join the Swiss Guard.
“(T)he faith that God has given you on the day of your baptism is the most precious treasure you have! And your mission of service to the Pope and the Church also finds its source there,” he said.
The Holy Father also pointed out that their service has a missionary aspect, since they “are called upon to bear witness to your faith with joy and a courteous manner.
“How important this is for so many people who pass through Vatican City! But it is also important for those who work here for the Holy See and for me as well!” he added.
Pope Francis also noted that their presence “is a sign of the strength and the beauty of the Gospel that, in every time, calls the young to follow it.”
He finished by saying, “(t)oday when some of you swear to faithfully carry out your service in the Guard and others renew this oath in their hearts, think that your service is a testimony to Christ who calls you to be authentic men and true Christians, protagonists of your own existence.”
The swearing-in ceremony will be held at 5:00 p.m. this evening in the Vatican’s Paul VI Hall. It was originally scheduled for the St. Damaso Courtyard, but rain led to a change of location.
Archbishop Angelo Becciu will be present at the ceremony as the Pope’s representative, as well as the president of the Swiss Confederation, Ueli Maurer.
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Mary is a mother who helps Christians grow, pope says at rosary
06-May-2013:
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Cardinal says dialogue was missing from Vatican's look at LCWR
06-May-2013:
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Only defense against devil, hatred is word of God, humility, pope says
06-May-2013:
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Pope suggests daily Holy Spirit review
06-May-2013:
Vatican City, May 6, 2013 / 07:00 am (CNA/EWTN News).- Pope Francis said people should ask themselves what the Holy Spirit did in them at the end of each day.
“We should get into the habit of asking ourselves before the end of the day, what did the Holy Spirit do in me?” and “what witness did he give me?” he said during daily Mass on May 6.
He explained that, “it is in this way that we can see how Jesus worked in our hearts. It is the Holy Spirit that opens our hearts to know Jesus.”
The pontiff celebrated the Mass alongside the Archpriest of St. Peter’s Basilica, Cardinal Angelo Comastri.
Employees who work in the basilica were among those invited to attend the Pope’s morning Mass.
“The Spirit prepares us for our encounter with Jesus, he leads us down the path of Jesus and works in us throughout the day and throughout our lives,” the Pope observed.
He noted that living without the Holy Spirit “would be a religious life, a compassionate life of someone who believes in God but without the vitality that Jesus wants for his disciples.”
According to the pontiff, “without this presence, our Christian lives cannot be understood.”
“He is a divine presence that helps us move forward in our lives as Christians,” he taught.
The Holy Spirit is also important for mission, the Pope said, because he “bears witness to Jesus so that we can give it to others.”
Pope Francis recalled the story of a woman named Lydia whose heart was opened to pay attention to the words of Saint Paul.
“I ask that people be granted the grace to become accustomed to the presence of the Holy Spirit, this witness of Jesus who tells us where Jesus is, how to find Jesus, what Jesus tells us,” he remarked.
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Pope sends Dallas auxiliary bishop to El Paso
06-May-2013:
Vatican City, May 6, 2013 / 05:50 am (CNA/EWTN News).- Pope Francis has appointed Spanish-speaking Bishop Mark J. Seitz to lead the El Paso diocese in western Texas, placing him just across the border from Ciudad Juarez, Mexico.
“Since I entered the seminary here in Dallas as a young 18-year-old boy, I have loved Dallas and the Church of Dallas,” Bishop Seitz said in a May 6 statement.
“But when I presented myself for ordination as a deacon, I gave my life to God’s service and I promised to be at the disposal of the Church. I accept this call as a new opportunity to follow the Good Shepherd and, with His help, to be one,” he added.
He was ordained as an auxiliary bishop for the Dallas diocese in April 2010, and has been serving there under Bishop Kevin J. Farrell.
“I happily congratulate Bishop Mark Seitz and applaud the decision of our Holy Father to appoint him to lead the Catholic faithful in this important border diocese,” Bishop Farrell said.
His ability to speak Spanish “will be a tremendous asset but he also possesses a prayerful, pastoral manner, keen theological insight and deep devotion to our Church,” the Dallas bishop remarked.
Bishop Seitz was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin on January 10, 1954.
He was ordained a priest on May 17, 1980 and holds master’s degrees in liturgical studies, divinity and theology.
The move from Dallas to El Paso will bring Bishop Seitz across almost the entire state and place him on the border with Mexico.
The diocese was established in 1914 and consists of 10 counties spread over 26,686 square miles. The diocese serves 656,035 Catholics out of a population of 811,739, and is made up of 55 parishes, 20 missions, and has 17 ministries that serve the multicultural, multilingual community.
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Pope remembers child abuse victims, offers prayers
05-May-2013:
Vatican City, May 5, 2013 / 06:57 am (CNA/EWTN News).- At the end of Mass, Pope Francis noted that the Day of Child Victims of Violence is observed today and assured all those who “have suffered and are suffering because of abuse” that they “are present in my prayers.”
“I would also say emphatically that we must all commit ourselves with clarity and courage to every human person, especially children, who are among the most vulnerable,” the Pope told the crowd of thousands on May 5, before reciting the Regina Caeli prayer.
He also spoke to the groups from throughout Europe who are devoted to particular saints and were present at the Mass.
“The love for Our Lady is one of the characteristics of popular piety, which needs to be valued and well oriented,” the Pope explained.
He invited them to “meditate on the last chapter of the Constitution of the Second Vatican Council on the Church, Lumen Gentium, which speaks precisely of Mary in the mystery of Christ and the Church.”
“There it is said that Mary ‘advanced in her pilgrimage of faith’ (n. 58). Dear friends, in the Year of Faith I leave this icon of Mary’s pilgrimage, which follows her Son Jesus and precedes all of us in the journey of faith,” he said.
Pope Francis also greeted all of the Eastern Christian Churches that use the Julian Calendar and are celebrating Easter today.
“I wish to send to these brothers and sisters a special greeting, uniting myself with all my heart to them in proclaiming the good news: Christ is risen! he exclaimed.
The beatification of Blessed Francisca de Paula De Jesus, who was known as “mother of the poor,” also drew the Pope’s notice.
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Pope uses Latin American experience to guide confraternities
05-May-2013:
Vatican City, May 5, 2013 / 06:28 am (CNA/EWTN News).- Drawing on the experience of the Latin American Church, Pope Francis called on groups dedicated to specific saints to grow in their faith, help unite the Church and evangelize through their public acts of devotion.
“Three words, don’t forget them: Evangelical spirit, ecclesial spirit, missionary spirit. Let us ask the Lord always to direct our minds and hearts to him, as living stones of the Church, so that all that we do, our whole Christian life, may be a luminous witness to his mercy and love,” the Pope told the thousands of devotees gathered May 5 in St. Peter’s Square.
Most of the pilgrims began arriving in Rome this past Friday, and their colorful outfits brought a certain flair to the streets surrounding the Vatican. They came for the Year of Faith weekend event dedicated to confraternities – groups of Catholics who are dedicated to a particular saint or spirituality – many of which have ancient roots.
The culmination of the weekend was a Mass that Pope Francis celebrated with them in St. Peter’s Square at 10:00 a.m. on Sunday, May 5.
Although Saturday was sunny, Sunday morning began with an overcast sky that turned to rain just before Mass was about to start, leading the Pope to congratulate the pilgrims for their perseverance.
“Dear brothers and sisters,” he began his homily, “you were very courageous to come with this rain … May the Lord bless you very much!”
The confraternities – which came from Italy, France, Ireland, Malta, Spain and Poland for the event – were welcomed by the Pope, who noted that they are “a traditional reality in the Church, which in recent times has experienced renewal and rediscovery.”
Throughout his homily on the day’s readings, Pope Francis drew on Benedict XVI’s pervious message to confraternities, but also added insights from the Latin American bishops’ remarks on the groups.
His first exhortation to the crowd was to nurture their devotions as a “treasure possessed by the Church, which the bishops of Latin America defined, significantly, as a spirituality, a form of mysticism, which is a place of encounter with Jesus Christ.
“Draw always from Christ, the inexhaustible wellspring; strengthen your faith by attending to your spiritual formation, to personal and communitarian prayer, and to the liturgy,” he urged.
Pope Francis then recalled how the first Christians solved their problems within the Church, not from without.
“And this brings up a second element which I want to remind you of, as Benedict XVI did, namely: ecclesial spirit. Popular piety is a road which leads to what is essential, if it is lived in the Church in profound communion with your pastors,” he said.
The Holy Father observed that this morning St. Peter’s Square contained “a great variety, first of umbrellas, and then of colors and signs.”
“This is also the case with the Church: a great wealth and variety of expressions in which everything leads back to unity, the variety leads back to unity and unity to the encounter with Christ,” he said, repeating a theme he has raised in his daily Masses.
Pope Francis’ final point for the confraternities was that they should have a “missionary spirit.”
“You have a specific and important mission,” he stated, “that of keeping alive the relationship between the faith and the cultures of the peoples to whom you belong. You do this through popular piety.”
“When, for example, you carry the crucifix in procession with such great veneration and love for the Lord, you are not performing a simple outward act … you are reminding yourselves first, as well as the community, that we have to follow Christ along the concrete path of our daily lives so that he can transform us,” he preached.
Quoting from the Latin American bishops’ “Aparecida Document,” Pope Francis said, “(i)n effect, journeying together towards shrines, and participating in other demonstrations of popular piety, bringing along your children and engaging other people, is itself a work of evangelization.”
After Mass finished, the Pope recited the Regina Caeli and greeted the Meter Association, which is dedicated to preventing the abuse of children.
“It allows me the opportunity to turn my thoughts to the many who have suffered and continue to suffer because of abuse,” he said.
“I wish to assure them that they are present in my prayers, and I would also like to say that each of us must do all we can and commit ourselves with clarity and courage so that every human person, especially children, who are in the category of the most vulnerable, are always defended and protected.”
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Pope: Mary helps us not be 'teenagers for life'
04-May-2013:
Rome, Italy, May 4, 2013 / 11:50 am (CNA/EWTN News).- After praying the Rosary this evening, Pope Francis reflected on how Mary “gives us health” by helping Christians mature in their faith and not remain “teenagers for life.”
“Dear brothers and sisters, how hard it is, in our time, to make the ultimate decisions! The temporary seduces us. We are victims of a trend that pushes us to the temporary ... as if we wanted to stay teenagers for life! We should not be afraid of the agreed commitments, commitments that involve and affect the whole life! In this way, our lives will be fruitful!” the Pope said May 4.
The occasion for his reflection was a trip he made to take possession of the Basilica of Saint Mary Major Basilica, one of the five major basilicas of Rome that every Pope oversees. Pope Francis symbolically took possession of the basilica by kissing the crucifix.
His visit began at 6:00 p.m. with a brief visit to the icon of Our Lady Salus Populi Romani (Our Lady Saving Health of the Roman People), where he prayed in silence for a few minutes.
Pope Francis was then greeted by the archpriest of the basilica, Cardinal Santos Abril y Castelló, and then prayed the Joyful Mysteries of the Rosary with the faithful. Following the Marian prayer, the Holy Father offered a meditation on how Mary is “our health” and “gives us health.”
“Tonight we are here in front of Mary. We prayed under her maternal guidance that she lead us to be more and more united to her Son Jesus, we have brought our joys and our sorrows, our hopes and our difficulties, we invoked with the grand title of ‘Salus Populi Romani,’ asking for all of us, for Rome, for the world, to give us health,” the Pope began.
He then reflected on the meaning of Mary maintaining “our health,” saying, “I think mainly of three aspects: she helps us to grow, to face life, and to be free.”
“A mother helps children grow,” Pope Francis said, “which is why she trains them not to give in to laziness … not to recline in a comfortable life which is content to just have things.
“Our Lady does just that with us, helps us to grow humanly and in faith, to be strong and not give in to the temptation of being human and Christian in a superficial way, but to live with responsibility, to strive higher and higher,” he pointed out.
And when a child meets obstacles, the Pope explained, their mother helps them “be realistic about the problems of life and not to get lost in them, but confront them with courage, not to be weak, and to know how to overcome, in a healthy balance that a mother ‘feels’ between the areas of safety and risk.”
“Mary experienced many difficult moments in her life,” he recalled, from “the birth of Jesus, when ‘there was no place for them to stay,’ up to Calvary.
“And like a good mother she is close to us, because we never lose courage in the face of adversity in life, in front of our weakness, in front of our sins, she gives us strength, shows us the way of her Son.
The final way that Mary keeps her children’s health is by showing them how to make important decisions with full freedom, as she did when she “answered ‘yes’ to God’s plan for her life,” the Pope said.
“But what is freedom? It is certainly not doing everything you want, being dominated by passions, moving from one experience to another without discernment, following the fashions of the time,” he counseled.
“Freedom,” the Pope stated, “is given to us because we make good choices in life!”
Through her motherhood, he said, Mary “teaches us to be fruitful, to be open to life and to be more fruitful in goodness, joy, hope, and to give physical and spiritual life to others.”
Pope Francis concluded by praying, this “we ask you tonight, O Mary, Salus Populi Romani, for the people of Rome, for all of us: give us health that only you can give us, to always be signs and instruments of life.”
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Benedict XVI needs new coat of arms, designer says
04-May-2013:
Vatican City, May 4, 2013 / 06:06 am (CNA/EWTN News).- The cardinal who designed Pope Benedict XVI's coat of arms says he needs a new one now that he is no longer the pontiff.
“The problem now is whether the Pope Emeritus can keep that same coat of arms or not,” said Cardinal Andrea Cordero Lanza di Montezemolo.
“And as a person who has always dedicated himself to this, I say ‘no,’” he told CNA during a May 2 interview.
The cardinal, who served from 1990 to 1998 as the first Apostolic Nuncio to Israel and Palestine, designed Benedict’s coat of arms in 2005.
His fascination with ecclesiastical heraldry is a lifelong interest. And that has led him to design the coat of arms for many Catholic institutions, bishops and cardinals.
But now he believes that the “coat of arms needs to be transformed to show that he is a Pope Emeritus,” he stated.
He has drawn up a new coat of arms, which he believes could be used now by the former pontiff.
He moved the big keys of Saint Peter from the back of the coat of arms to the top part of the shield and made them much smaller.
“That shows that he had a historic possession but not a current jurisdiction,” said the cardinal.
He also included the motto that Benedict used as a cardinal at the bottom, a feature that a papal coat of arms does not include.
“But this is only a proposal, it isn’t official,” Cardinal Lanza di Montezemolo qualified.
“I allowed myself to send him a note with suggestions because the elements of jurisdiction in effect need to be removed,” he stated.
The cardinal told how Benedict replied to him with a note stating that he felt “very unsure” and that he “does not dare.”
“But we will see, because the topic is still open,” said the expert in ecclesiastical heraldry.
He explained that while Pope Francis did not ask for his services, Benedict XVI contacted him as soon as he was elected Pope.
“He called on me the following day at 8 o’clock in the morning at the Saint Martha residency,” the cardinal recalled.
“I asked him what he wanted, he showed me the coat of arms that he had as Archbishop of Munich and as cardinal, and then asked me what I thought about it,” he said.
The cardinal answered him that it was good, but “not very correct” because it had four parts with two repeated elements.
“I suggested to put the main elements in three parts, and he replied he did not want the papal tiara,” said Cardinal Lanza di Montezemolo.
“He had a very clear idea of what he wanted, so I proposed some arrangements and I designed eight trials after working all day and night,” he recounted.
The next day the cardinal returned to the Saint Martha’s at 8:00 a.m. with the eight samples and Benedict chose one “very decisively” and signed it.
“It’s interesting how decided he was in adding and removing certain elements on the design,” the cardinal commented.
“I suggested using the miter, the symbol of the bishops.”
‘But one wouldn’t be able to see the difference between a coat of arms of a bishop and that of a Pope,’” Benedict XVI replied.
The cardinal added the keys of Saint Peter behind the coat of arms. Below, he added the pallium, which had never been done by a previous Pope, to show the collegiality between the Pope and the bishops.
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School-choice movement gains slow but steady momentum
04-May-2013:
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St. Mary Major: monument to Mary as protector of the church
03-May-2013:
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Pope moves queen, Italian laywoman closer to sainthood
03-May-2013:
Vatican City, May 3, 2013 / 12:06 pm (CNA/EWTN News).- Pope Francis has approved miracles attributed to a Sicilian queen and a 20th-century Italian laywoman, placing them one step closer to sainthood.
As groups of lay people devoted to saints from Italy, Spain, France and England converge on Rome for a Year of Faith event this weekend, the Pope advanced four causes for sainthood.
Queen Maria Cristina of Savoy, who married King Ferdinand II of the Two Sicilies, is one of the two women who had miracles recognized by Pope Francis.
She was known for being shy but also a dedicated advocate for the poor and those condemned to death. She died in 1836, nine days after giving birth to Francis.
Maria Bolognesi, the other woman for whom a miracle was approved, was an Italian mystic who was known as the “silent woman of charity.” Besides receiving visions, she also opened a convalescent home and lived a life of poverty close to the poor.
Pope Francis also recognized a Spanish priest and a Polish nun as having lived lives of “heroic virtue.”
Father Joaquim Rossello Ferra, founder of the Missionaries of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary, and Mother Janina Kierocinska, who founded the Carmelite Sisters of the Infant Jesus, can both now be referred to as “venerable.”
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Bishops hail repeal of capital punishment in Maryland
03-May-2013:
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Pope: People have guts to be ambitious; instead, be courageous for God
03-May-2013:
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Pope, Lebanese president appeal for aid for Syrian refugees
03-May-2013:
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Lebanese president discusses Syria refugees with Pope
03-May-2013:
Vatican City, May 3, 2013 / 10:25 am (CNA/EWTN News).- Pope Francis and Lebanese president Michel Sleiman met to discuss the Syrian fighting and the influx of refugees it has sent into his country.
According to Father Federico Lombardi, the Vatican press office director, the meeting focused on “the regional situation, with special reference to the Syrian conflict.”
“The Pope is concerned with the large number of Syrian refugees who have sought refuge in Lebanon and neighboring countries,” he said.
The Lebanese president appealed for aid for the countries absorbing the flood of refugees as well as for the people themselves, according to a May 3 statement from the Vatican Secretariat of State.
President Sleiman, a Maronite Catholic, was accompanied by his wife for the May 3 meeting in the Vatican’s Apostolic Palace.
“During the cordial talks they discussed the situation in the country, stressing the importance of dialogue and cooperation between members of different ethnic and religious communities,” said the May 3 statement.
President Sleiman also met with the Vatican’s Secretary of State, Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, and the Secretary for Relations with States, Archbishop Dominique Mamberti.
Lebanon’s parliamentary elections are scheduled for June 9, after the country’s prime minister resigned on March 22, 2013.
“Best wishes were given for the formation of the new government, which will face major challenges to national and international level,” said the Vatican’s press release.
The Syrian conflict has led to growing tensions in Lebanon, which suffered a civil war from 1975 to 1990.
Syrian troops then dominated the small country and ultimately pulled out in 2005 after they were accused of being involved in the assassination of the Lebanese Prime Minister Rafic Hariri.
“A speedy and successful resumption of negotiations between Israelis and Palestinians is also hoped for, which are more and more necessary for the peace and stability of the region,” said the Vatican statement.
“The delicate situation of Christians throughout the Middle East was not overlooked as well as the meaningful contribution that they can offer,” it added.
The post-synodal Apostolic Exhortation “Ecclesia in Medio Oriente,” an important point of reference for Middle Eastern Catholic communities, was also mentioned.
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Pope warns against lukewarm faith with personal story
03-May-2013:
Vatican City, May 3, 2013 / 08:29 am (CNA/EWTN News).- In keeping with his style, Pope Francis cautioned about the dangers of a lukewarm faith by telling a childhood story on the importance of believing in the physical resurrection of Jesus.
“I remember, excuse me, a personal story,” he said during his daily morning Mass on May 3.
“As a child, every Good Friday my grandmother took us to the Procession of Candles and at the end of the procession the recumbent Christ came and my grandmother made us kneel down,” he recalled.
“She told us ‘children, look, he is dead, but tomorrow he will be risen!’” he said.
Pope Francis concelebrated the morning Mass with Archbishop Claudio Maria Celli, the president of the Pontifical Council for Social Communications and other priests.
Around 35 Swiss Guards and their commander Daniel Rudolf Anrig were among the approximately 50 guests invited to attend the Mass.
The Pope explained that his grandmother’s remarks were the vehicle that allowed his “faith in Christ, crucified and risen” to enter his heart.
“In the history of the Church there have been many, many people who have wanted to blur this strong certainty and speak of a spiritual resurrection,” remarked the Pope.
But this view is wrong because “Christ is alive,” he insisted.
In contrast with this deep faith is a lukewarm one that results in only “the courage to get involved in our small things, in our jealousies, our envy, our careerism and in selfishly going forward,” he noted.
“But this is not good for the Church, the Church must be courageous!” he exclaimed.
“Lukewarm Christians, without courage ... that hurts the Church so much because this tepid atmosphere draws you inside,” the Holy Father warned.
The consequence of this is that problems “arise among us, we no longer have the horizon or courage to pray towards heaven or the courage to proclaim the Gospel,” he stated.
Pope Francis pointed to prayer as the antidote to this kind of timidity.
“We all have to be courageous in prayer, in challenging Jesus!”
“Jesus, to put it in stronger terms, challenges us to prayer and says ‘whatever you ask in my name, I will do, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son,’” he said.
The pontiff noted that “this is really powerful” and that “we must have the courage to go to Jesus and ask him to do it.”
“Do we have this courage in prayer or do we pray a little, when we can, spending a bit of time in prayer?” he asked the congregation.
The Swiss Guard will swear in 35 new recruits on May 6 at the Vatican and the Holy Father offered those at the Mass a special greeting, telling them that their service is “a beautiful testimony of fidelity to the Church” and “love for the Pope.”
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Pope names Jesuit to lead Oakland diocese
03-May-2013:
Vatican City, May 3, 2013 / 04:25 am (CNA/EWTN News).- Pope Francis has appointed Jesuit Father Michael C. Barber the next bishop of the Oakland, California diocese.
Bishop-designate Barber is currently the Director of Spiritual Formation at Saint John’s Seminary in Brighton, Mass. and has been serving in that capacity since 2010.
The announcement of his appointment was made on May 3 by the Holy See’s press office. He will succeed Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone who now leads the Archdiocese of San Francisco.
The bishop-designate entered the Jesuits in 1973 and was ordained a priest in 1985.
He earned a bachelor’s degree in philosophy and history at Gonzaga University in 1978, completed his theological studies at Regis College at the University of Toronto in 1985, and obtained an ecclesiastical license in dogmatic theology from the Pontifical Gregorian University in 1989.
At 59 years-old, Bishop-designate Barber has served in numerous capacities, including as a missionary in Western Samoa, an assistant professor at the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome, a tutor and chaplain at the University of Oxford, and as chaplain for the U.S. Navy Reserve.
During his time at the Gregorian, he taught dogmatic theology and conducted research on unpublished manuscripts of sermons by Blessed John Henry Newman.
His time as a military chaplain included being called to active duty in 2003 to serve the 6,000 troops in the 4th Marine Air Wing who participated in the invasion of Iraq.
He speaks English, Italian, Spanish and Latin.
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Theologian dismisses call for women 'deacons'
03-May-2013:
Bern, Switzerland, May 3, 2013 / 02:02 am (CNA).- Theologian Father Manfred Hauke said recent comments from a German archbishop appearing to support a particular diaconate for women are confusing to Catholics and others.
“Allowing women to be deacons would create great confusion for the faithful,” Fr. Hauke, a professor of patristics and dogmatics at the Theological Faculty of Lugano, told CNA April 30.
“You would have to explain to them the difference between male and female deacons,” he pointed out.
Female “deacons” would not be ordained to the sacrament of Holy Orders, and that to call them deacons would be “ambiguous,” Fr. Hauke said. Women could “receive a benediction for services of charity” but not ordination, he clarified.
At the conclusion of a diocesan conference on possible Church reforms last week, Archbishop Robert Zollitsch of Freiburg im Breisgau discussed the possibility of “a specific office of deacon for women.”
This “specific,” or “particular” office of deacon for women was an example of how the Church might “promote the use of new Church ministries and positions, open also to women.”
Archbishop Zollitsch went on to speak of the importance of leadership roles for women, and had earlier talked of the importance of being a more strongly charismatic-oriented Church and the strengthening of the “common priesthood of all the baptized.”
He believes the Church needs to commit to reform in order to regain credibility and strength.
Fr. Hauke said that Archbishop Zollitsch, who was ordained a priest in 1965, has made some confusing remarks on previous occasions and that he probably “got his idea” to introduce a “specific office of deacon for women” from fellow German Cardinal Walter Kasper.
However, Cardinal Kasper, president emeritus of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity, had clearly distinguished between a service ministry for women and the sacramental ordination of men as deacons.
Fr. Hauke said that that most people who advocate for women deacons “ultimately want women in the priesthood.”
The Code of Canon Law makes clear that ordination, including to the diaconate, is validly received only by “a baptized male,” and John Paul II's 1994 apostolic letter “Ordinatio sacerdotalis” teaches definitevly that only men may be ordained priests.
On May 29, 2008, the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith decreed that whoever “shall have attempted to confer holy orders on a woman” – including necessarily the diaconate – “as well as the woman who may have attempted to receive holy orders, incurs a latae sententiae excommunication.”
Fr. Hauke noted that in 2003, the International Theological Commission “published a document with evidence that we have no historical basis for the sacramental diaconate being bestowed on women.”
And in September 2001, the prefects of the Congregations for the Doctrine of the Faith (Joseph Ratzinger, now Pope emeritus Benedict), of Divine Worship, and of Clerics prepared a document, which was approved by John Paul II. It affirmed that “it is not licit to put in place initiatives which in some way aim to prepare female candidates for diaconal ordination,” according to the Italian paper La Stampa.
Bishop Rudolf Voderholzer of Regensburg has said he can appreciate Archbishop Zollitsch's call for a greater role for women in the Church, but that the sacramental diaconate cannot be received by females.
He was quick to distance himself from Archbishop Zollitsch's remarks, and said that a non-sacramental female diaconate would not satisfy the desire for a greater leadership role by women in the Church.
Bishop Voderholzer pointed out that abbesses, general superiors, and school principals all generally have more influence than deacons.
“The sacramental diaconate – like the priesthood and episcopacy – is inextricably a sacrament, which according to the bible-based Tradition of the Church – even the Eastern Churches – is reserved to men,” he stated April 28.
Some have called for the ordination of women deacons by noting ancient documents referring to “deaconesses,” including a letter of Saint Paul.
Fr. Hauke responded that in such instances, the “deaconesses” “cannot be identified as really deacons.”
The word 'deacon' comes from a Greek word which simply meant 'servant,' and so early references to “deaconesses” signify women in roles of service in the Church.
In the early Church, which more frequently practiced baptism by immersion, such “deaconesses” assisted in the baptism of females for the sake of modesty.
These deaconesses were servants of the Church but were not sacramental deacons, as there is no mention of a bishop laying hands on them in an act of ordination.
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Cardinal Dolan asks for prayers for kidnapped Orthodox clergy in Syria
03-May-2013:
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Pope: 'yes' to Holy Spirit prevents division
02-May-2013:
Vatican City, May 2, 2013 / 12:33 pm (CNA/EWTN News).- Pope Francis said that Church divisions begin when it does not say ‘yes’ to the Holy Spirit and allow it to work.
“The divisions in the Church begin, the sects, all of these things, when we do not let him work because we are closed to the truth of the Spirit,” he said in the homily for his May 2 morning Mass.
“He always does a nice job, the Holy Spirit, throughout history,” he quipped, as he celebrated Mass with Cardinal Albert Malcolm Ranjith from Colombo, Sri Lanka and staff from the Vatican Museums.
Pope Francis explained that allowing the Holy Spirit to work results in a Church that says ‘yes.’
He noted that this ‘yes’ happens “when a Christian community lives in love, confesses its sins, worships the Lord, forgives offenses, is charitable towards others and manifests love.”
“It feels the obligation of fidelity to the Lord to observe the commandments,” he underscored.
The pontiff also spoke about the first reading from the Acts of the Apostles, which relates how the Church “went to the outskirts of faith” to proclaim the Gospel after Pentecost.
In his unscripted homily, the Pope said the Holy Spirit first “pushed and created problems” and then “fostered harmony within the Church.”
He explained that although there were disagreements among the first disciples in Jerusalem on whether or not to allow Gentiles into the Church, some believers were open to it because of their love for Jesus.
“There was a ‘no’ Church that said ‘you cannot, no, no, you must not’ and a ‘yes’ Church that said ‘but let’s think about it, let’s be open to this, the Spirit is opening the door to us’,” said Pope Francis.
“The commandments are fulfilled from this ‘yes,’ a community of open doors,” he stated.
The Church teaches that the Holy Spirit is the continual exchange of love between Jesus Christ and God.
The Pope noted that “Jesus asks us to remain in His love.”
He said that that means “carrying a yoke” and is a ‘yes’ that “defends us from the temptation of becoming Puritans, in the etymological sense of the word, to seek a para-evangelical purity and from being a community of ‘no.’”
The pontiff also mentioned James, a Bishop of Jerusalem, who said people “should not impose a yoke on the neck of the disciples that the same fathers were not able to carry.”
“When the service of the Lord becomes such a heavy yoke, the doors of the Christian communities are closed and no one wants to come to the Lord,” he remarked.
In contrast, it is from love “that the observance of his commandments is born and this is the Christian community that says yes.”
“This love leads us to be faithful to the Lord … I will not do this or that because I love the Lord,” he said.
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Israeli court OKs construction of barrier through Salesians' property
02-May-2013:
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Pope Francis welcomes retired Pope Benedict back to Vatican
02-May-2013:
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Saying 'yes' to God's love makes saying 'no' to sin easier, pope says
02-May-2013:
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Pope Francis welcomes Benedict back to Vatican
02-May-2013:
Vatican City, May 2, 2013 / 10:26 am (CNA/EWTN News).- Benedict XVI has returned to the Vatican after moving to the papal summer household outside of Rome to not interfere with the papal election.
“He is now pleased to return to the Vatican, where he intends to devote himself, as he announced on Feb. 11, to the service of the Church in prayer,” said a Vatican statement released on May 2.
The former Pope was picked up by helicopter at 4:30 p.m. from the grounds of Castel Gandolfo, the papal summer residence that is located on the edge of a volcanic crater lake, about 15 miles southeast of Rome.
He had been living in the house for two months as a temporary arrangement since he resigned on February 28.
“The former Pope is happy to return to the Vatican because that is the normal situation for him,” said Father Federico Lombardi, the director of the Holy See’s press office.
“He will live a normal life, I believe that he can walk and also receive visitors and so on, but that depends on him and how he wants to live his life,” Fr. Lombardi told Vatican Radio.
Benedict XVI arrived at around 4:45 p.m. at the Vatican’s heliport and was greeted by Vatican staff and authorities including Cardinal Angelo Sodano, Dean of the College of Cardinals, and Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, the Secretary of State.
Also in attendance were Cardinal Giuseppe Bertello, the President of the Vatican City State Governorate; Archbishop Angelo Becciu, deputy of the Secretariat of State; Archbishop Dominique Mamberti, who is the State Secretariat’s chief of relations with States; and Bishop Giuseppe Sciacca, the secretary for the Vatican City State government.
From the heliport, Benedict XVI took a car to his permanent home, the Mater Ecclesiae monastery, where Pope Francis met him.
After their greeting, the two walked into the chapel of the monastery for a short moment of prayer.
The monastery is located within the Vatican gardens and is a 10-minute walk from the Saint Martha residence where Pope Francis lives.
Renovations to the monastery, which began in Nov. 2012, were recently completed and involved replacing old windows, fixing a problem with humidity in the basement and making repairs to a rooftop terrace.
“It is small but has been well prepared,” Fr. Lombardi commented.
“There is, for example, a study room and a small library and there is also a room for when his brother, Monsignor Georg Ratzinger, comes to visit,” he said.
The monastery also includes a chapel and a choir room.
Benedict XVI will live alongside five other people, including his secretary, Archbishop Georg Gänswein, and the four Memores Domini who lived with him at the Pontifical Household throughout his pontificate.
The Memores Domini are members of a lay association whose members practice obedience, poverty and chastity, and live in a climate of silence and common prayer.
As for the former pontiff’s health, Fr. Lombardi said he is healthy and there is no reason for any “special concern.”
“He is not a young man, he is old and strength slowly goes backwards, but there is no specific illness,” said the Vatican spokesman.
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Flood of reform rumors premature, Vatican official states
02-May-2013:
Vatican City, May 2, 2013 / 08:45 am (CNA/EWTN News).- The number two official from the Vatican’s Secretariat of State has dismissed wide-ranging speculation about the reforms Pope Francis will make as “absolutely premature.”
“The Pope has not yet met with the group of advisers who have been chosen and already advice is raining down,” Archbishop Angelo Becciu said in a May 1 interview with the Vatican’s newspaper, L’Osservatore Romano.
“After having spoken with the Holy Father, I can say that, at this moment, it is absolutely premature to put forward any hypothesis about the future structure of the Curia,” he stated.
Archbishop Becciu characterized the current time as one in which Pope Francis “is listening to everyone but, in the first place, he will want to listen to those whom he has chosen as advisers.”
Among the proposals that have surfaced are: creating a moderator for the Curia, naming two “papal secretaries” – one to handle the Church’s administration and another for international relations – and finally, the idea of shutting down the Vatican’s Institute for Religious Works, which has been the target of negative headlines.
The Pope did recently comment on the institute, known in Rome by its acronym IOR, during a daily Mass where some of its employees were present.
As he spoke about how institutions should not get in the way of the love story of the Church, he said, “I know that people from the IOR are here, so excuse me. Offices are necessary but they are necessary only up to a certain point.”?
The barb was interpreted by some as an indication that Pope Francis was planning to dismantle the institute, which typically funds missions and other outreach projects in places where stable financing is hard to obtain.??But Archbishop Becciu insisted that this was a misreading of the Pope’s meaning.
“The Pope was surprised to see words attributed to him that he never said and that misrepresent his thoughts,” he told L’Osservatore Romano.
“The only mention about it was during a brief homily at the Santa Marta, made off the cuff, in which he passionately recalled how the essence of the Church consists in a story of love between God and human beings, and how the various human structures, the IOR among them, should be less important.”
?The archbishop also said that he does not know the timing of when Pope Francis will begin his reform project, but he did say that the temporary status of the heads of all the Vatican dicasteries and councils is tied to the Holy Father’s desire for prayer and reflection.
Finally, Archbishop Becciu addressed the suggestion that the commission of cardinals Pope Francis created to advise him would in some way diminish his primacy.
“It is a consultative, not a decision-making, body and I truly do not see how Pope Francis' choice might put the primacy in question,” he said.
Their mission of advising the Pope should be understood in theological terms, he said, likening it to groups “in dioceses and parishes, or of councils of superiors, provincials, and generals in the Institutes of consecrated life.”
In the secular world it would not make sense to have a council without decision making power, he acknowledged, but “theologically, advising has a function of absolute importance: helping the superior in the task of discernment, in understanding what the Spirit asks of the Church in a precise historical moment,” he explained.
Archbishop Becciu also noted that process will not move as fast as some have suggested, given that reforms to the apostolic constitution “Pastor Bonus” – which details the structure of the Curia – will still need to go through another process to be implemented.
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Vatican invites Buddhists to help build culture of life
02-May-2013:
Vatican City, May 2, 2013 / 07:22 am (CNA/EWTN News).- The Vatican’s top official for interreligious dialogue, Cardinal Jean-Louis Tauran, sent a message to all Buddhists urging a joint commitment to “unmask the threats to human life.”
In his annual letter for the feast of Vesakh, Cardinal Tauran highlighted the two faiths’ “noble teachings on the sanctity of human life” but lamented that “evil in different forms contributes to the dehumanization of the person” in society, “by mitigating the sense of humanity in individuals and communities.”
“This tragic situation calls upon us, Buddhists and Christians, to join hands to unmask the threats to human life and to awaken the ethical consciousness of our respective followers to generate a spiritual and moral rebirth of individuals and societies,” he wrote in his May 2 letter.
Vesakh is a major Buddhist holy day that commemorates the birth, enlightenment, and death of Gautama Buddha.
According to tradition, the historical Buddha was born, achieved enlightenment and passed away during the full moon of the month of May. This means that Vesakh is a movable feast, which this year falls on May 24 or 25, depending on the country it is celebrated in.
On those days, Buddhists visit local temples to offer the monks food and to hear the teachings of the Buddha, taking special care to meditate and to observe the eight precepts of Buddhism.
This year's message is entitled: “Christians and Buddhists: Loving, Defending, and Promoting Human Life.” The letter is signed by Cardinal Tauran, prefect of the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue, and Father Miguel Angel Ayuso Guixot, the council’s secretary.
Cardinal Tauran also recalled that Pope Francis believes in the importance of interreligious dialogue.
“Pope Francis, at the very beginning of his ministry, has reaffirmed the necessity of a dialogue of friendship among followers of different religions. He noted that: ‘The Church is … conscious of the responsibility which all of us have for our world, for the whole of creation, which we must love and protect. There is much that we can do to benefit the poor, the needy, and those who suffer, and to favor justice, promote reconciliation, and build peace.’”
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In Rio slum, residents recall 1980 visit, look forward to Pope Francis
02-May-2013:
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Strong faith is key to church unity, says doctrinal congregation head
01-May-2013:
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Pope: Unemployment, slave labor go against God's plan, human dignity
01-May-2013:
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Pope warns against work that enslaves man
01-May-2013:
Vatican City, May 1, 2013 / 10:42 am (CNA/EWTN News).- Marking the feast of Saint Joseph the Worker, Pope Francis said at his General Audience this week that work should serve man and contribute to his dignity, rather than man serving his work.
“How many people worldwide are victims of this type of slavery, in which the person is at the service of his or her work, while work should offer a service to people so they may have dignity,” the Pope said May 1 at St. Peter's Square.
He added a plea to “my brothers and sisters in faith and all men and women of good will for a decisive choice to combat trafficking in persons, which is a part of 'slave labor.'”
Rather than a restricted view of “slave labor” focusing merely on enslavement and human trafficking, the Pope said that any “work that enslaves” could be considered “slave labor.”
Work should rather respect the inherent worth of the human person, as Christ learned growing up from his legal father, St. Joseph.
“Jesus is born and lives in a family, in the Holy Family, learning the craft of carpenter from Saint Joseph in his workshop in Nazareth, sharing with him the commitment, effort, satisfaction, and also the difficulties of every day.”
Pope Francis said this is a reminder for us of the “dignity and importance” of labor. “Work is part of God's loving plan,” he said, and the Lord calls us to “cultivate and care for all the goods of creation,” thereby participating in the “work of creation.”
“Work is fundamental to the dignity of a person. Work, to use an image, 'anoints' us with dignity, fills us with dignity, makes us similar to God, who has worked and still works, who always acts; it gives us the ability to maintain ourselves, our family, to contribute to the growth of our nation.”
The Holy Father then reflected on the unemployment afflicting so many, which he said is often due to “a purely economic conception of society, which seeks selfish profit, beyond the parameters of social justice.”
In light of this situation, he called for solidarity among all persons, for politicians to encourage employment out of care “for the dignity of the person,” and for people everywhere to maintain hope.
“St. Joseph also experienced moments of difficulty, but he never lost faith and was able to overcome them, in the certainty that God never abandons us,” he remarked.
Pope Francis exhorted young people to be committed to their daily duties – study, work, friendship and aid to others – reminding them that “your future also depends on how you live these precious years of your life.”
“Do not be afraid of commitment, of sacrifice” he told them, “and do not look with fear towards the future; keep your hope alive: there is always a light on the horizon.”
He concluded by reflecting that St. Joseph and Mary both focused their attention on Christ, and they are models for us.
“To listen to the Lord, we must learn to contemplate, feel His constant presence in our lives and we must stop and converse with Him, give him space in prayer,” he said. “Let us remember the Lord more in our daily life!”
Noting that May is dedicated to Our Lady, Pope Francis reminded his listeners that the Rosary and the Hail Mary lead us to contemplate the mysteries of Christ, “that is, to reflect on the key moments of his life, so that, as with Mary and St. Joseph, he is the center of our thoughts, of our attention and our actions.”
“It would be nice if, especially in this month of May, we could pray the Holy Rosary together in the family, with friends, in the parish, or some prayer to Jesus and the Virgin Mary!” he suggested. “Praying together is a precious moment that further strengthens family life, friendship!”
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Israeli president invites pope to visit Jerusalem
30-Apr-2013:
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Becoming worldly, weak is church's biggest threat, pope says
30-Apr-2013:
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Vatican official says curia reform needs time, dismisses bank rumors
30-Apr-2013:
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Retired Pope Benedict set to return to Vatican May 2
30-Apr-2013:
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Israeli president discusses Middle East conflict, invites Pope to visit
30-Apr-2013:
Vatican City, Apr 30, 2013 / 09:00 am (CNA/EWTN News).- Israeli president Shimon Peres invited Pope Francis to visit the Holy Land during an April 30 meeting with him at the Vatican.
“I am expecting you in Jerusalem, not just me but the whole country of Israel,” Peres told the Pope in the Apostolic Palace.
He made his invitation in front of journalists after holding a private 30-minute meeting with the pontiff in which they discussed the ongoing conflicts in the Middle East.
The Vatican released a statement noting that “a speedy resumption of negotiations between Israelis and Palestinians is hoped for.”
“So that,” it added, “with the courageous decisions and availability of both sides as well as support from the international community, an agreement may be reached that respects the legitimate aspirations of the two peoples, thus decisively contributing to the peace and stability of the region.”
Pope Francis and President Peres also spent time discussing the “conflict that plagues Syria” and hoped for a political solution that “privileges the logic of reconciliation and dialogue,” the Vatican communiqué said.
The two heads of State also discussed relations between Israel and the Holy See, as well as relations between state authorities and local Catholic communities.
The Vatican stated that during their talks they appreciated “significant progress made by the Bilateral Working Commission, which is preparing an agreement regarding issues of common interest” and that a rapid conclusion is expected.
The Bilateral Working Commission includes fiscal negotiations, which were resumed in 2004.
Agreements still need to be reached on taxation and what degree of exemption Catholic churches and institutions have in Israel.
Other issues involve agreeing on which ecclesiastical properties and what level of immunity of expropriation they should enjoy.
After his meeting with Pope Francis, the Israeli president met with the Vatican’s Secretary of State, Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, and with the Secretary for Relations with States, Archbishop Dominique Mamberti.
President Peres will be travelling on May 1 to Assisi, Italy, the hometown of the Pope’s patron saint, Francis of Assisi.
There he will be awarded with an “Honorary Citizenship for Peace” and with a key to the city.
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Mexico's soon-to-be-saint recalled for her ministry to poor, sick
30-Apr-2013:
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Vatican monastery prepares for Benedict XVI's return
30-Apr-2013:
Vatican City, Apr 30, 2013 / 08:30 am (CNA/EWTN News).- Benedict XVI will return to the Vatican on May 2 by helicopter, coming back the same way he left just two months ago when he resigned as Pope.
The return of a former Pope is something that has no historical precedent, making everything a new one for the Vatican’s staff.
Father Federico Lombardi, the director of the Vatican’s press office, told CNA April 30 that “there will be someone there to welcome Benedict XVI” but he is not yet sure who that will be.
The former Pope will arrive by helicopter around 4:30 or 5:00 in the afternoon, and after a brief greeting will head to the Mater Ecclesiae Monastery, where he will live a life of prayer and meditation.
Since he resigned from the papacy on Feb. 28, Benedict XVI has been living at the papal summer residence in Castel Gandolfo.
Blessed John Paul II opened the cloistered monastery in May 1994 as a place dedicated solely to prayer for the Pope, his ministry and the cardinals.
It contains a chapel, a choir room, a library, a semi-basement, a terrace and a visiting room.
Different groups of nuns have lived in the monastery since it was created, rotating out every three years.
But when Benedict XVI announced Feb. 11 that he would abdicate the papacy, the building was empty.
The last group of religious to live in Mater Ecclesiae left in Nov. 2012 when the Vatican began renovations on the building to take replace old windows, fix a problem with humidity in the basement and make repairs to a rooftop terrace.
Mater Ecclesiae will also be home to four consecrated women who have taken care of the papal household since Benedict became pontiff in 2005, and his personal secretary Archbishop Georg Gänswein, who is also the head of the Prefecture of the Papal Household.
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Pope targets worldly Church as biggest threat
30-Apr-2013:
Vatican City, Apr 30, 2013 / 06:50 am (CNA/EWTN News).- The “greatest danger” for the Church is if it becomes worldly, since this prevents her from communicating the message of the Cross, Pope Francis said.
“When the Church becomes worldly, when she has the spirit of the world within herself … it is a weak Church, a defeated Church, unable to transmit the Gospel, the message of the Cross, the scandal of the Cross ... She cannot transmit this if she is worldly,” Pope Francis preached April 30 at his daily Mass.
Pope Francis based his homily on today’s Gospel reading from John 14 in which Jesus says to the disciples, ‘Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give it to you.’
Jesus also encouraged the disciples not to be afraid or troubled, because although he would soon go to the Father and that would involve “the ruler of the world” appearing to have power over him, he would return.
Pope Francis zeroed in on the moment of Christ’s Passion and how it related to the Church today, as he addressed staffers from the Administration of the Patrimony of the Apostolic See who were present at the Mass.
“The prince of the world comes but can do nothing against me: if we don’t want the prince of this world to take the Church into his hands, we must entrust it to the One who can defeat the prince of this world,” he stated.
And this raises the question: “do we pray for the Church, for the entire Church? For our brothers and sisters whom we do not know, everywhere in the world?” he asked.
It is “easy to pray for the grace of the Lord,” “to thank him” for blessings or to ask him for things we need, the Pope noted, but our prayers should also include our fellow believers who have “received the same Baptism.”
“Can we safeguard the Church, can we cure the Church, no? We do so with our work, but what’s most important is what the Lord does: he is the only one who can look into the face of evil and overcome it,” he said.
Pope Francis stressed that this way of praying is “also an act of faith” because it acknowledges that God alone can protect the Church and make it holy. ??If Catholics entrust the Church to Christ, including those who are experiencing “great tribulations and persecutions,” he “will give us … the peace that only He can give,” he said.
“May the Lord make us strong so we do not lose faith, so we do not lose hope.”
Offering the Church to the Lord, the Pope concluded, “will do us and the Church good. It will give us great peace (and although) it will not rid us of our tribulations, it will make us stronger in our sufferings.”
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Council of Europe hailed for religious freedom resolution
30-Apr-2013:
Strasbourg, France, Apr 30, 2013 / 04:02 am (CNA/EWTN News).- A resolution passed by the Council of Europe's Parliamentary Assembly is being lauded as an important – although limited – recognition of religious and conscience rights in the public sphere.
“The important step with this resolution is the mention of the right to conscientious objection and the enlargement of its scope of application,” Dr. Grégor Puppinck, director general of the European Centre for Law and Justice, told CNA April 29.
“It is the first time that I see a document, a source of law, saying there is a right to conscientious objection and freedom of conscience in all 'morally sensitive matters,'” he said, which means it applies to the fundamental right of parents to educate their children.
Resolution 1928, passed by the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe on April 24, says, “The Assembly therefore calls on member States to … accommodate religious beliefs in the public sphere by guaranteeing freedom of thought in relation to health care, education and the civil service.”
However, this accommodation is “provided that the rights of others to be free from discrimination are respected and that the access to lawful services is guaranteed.” This has made some critics wary that rights of religious freedom will be viewed as inferior and secondary to abortion and gay “rights.”
The Council of Europe, which works to promote co-operation among its 47 member states in the area of human rights, adopted the measure almost unanimously, by a vote of 148-3, with seven abstentions.
The resolution's adoption followed spirited debate on a report by an Italian representative, Luca Volonte, on “violence against religious communities.”
The effort to pass the measure met strong resistance from Scandinavian delegates. One Danish representative, complained that the report “insists on putting religious rights above other fundamental rights … of course freedom of religion should be respected, but it should not stand in the way of the right to lawful service, the right to abortion and equality for all, regardless of their homosexuality or heterosexuality.”
Puppinck explained that while “the wording of the resolution is not perfect” and he would have preferred that it be “stronger,” it is not “absolutely bad” and it will in fact “make it easier to uphold Christians' rights” to education of children, freedom of expression and conscientious objection.
The resolution, he said, is a follow-up to a 2011 resolution of the Assembly which focused on the persecution of Christians in the Middle East, which was re-iterated in strong terms in Resolution 1928.
Because it has become “more and more difficult to advocate in Europe” for the three areas of religious freedom mentioned above, Puppinck explained that the resolution is a step forward as an affirmation of those rights.
“Those rights were negated widely in northern Europe, and they are negated by the Socialist governments, so it's important to talk about and to recognize those rights.”
He cited efforts in France, Spain, Germany and Russia which aim to decrease parental rights regarding the education of their children and use state education to promote secularist values.
“In France we are facing a difficult time with our government, which does not at all respect parental rights,” Puppinck explained. “We have some members of the French government who say children belong first to the state, to the community, and secondly to the family.”
He therefore lauded the resolution for reaffirming the “rights of parents concerning the education of children.”
The part of the resolution restricting religious freedom when it clashes with other rights was neither authored by Volonte nor was it present in the original draft, Puppinck said. Rather, this language entered through amendments adopted after debate on the topic, and Volonte assented to them so as to gain a large majority of support for the resolution.
Volonte chaired a seminar after the resolution's adoption which focused on the cases of two British Christians who were penalized in their workplaces for their religious beliefs.
In January, the European Court of Human Rights ruled that Shirly Chaplin, a nurse who was kept from wearing a cross at work, and Gary McFarlane, a therapist who was fired for saying he would be unable to give sex therapy to homosexual couples, had not had their rights unduly violated by U.K. workplace discrimination law.
While acknowledging that the religious beliefs motivating their acts at work were worthy of protection, the court decided that British law in their cases fell within a wide “margin of appreciation,” which gives legislatures and employers broad discretion about how to balance conflicting “rights.”
Chaplin and McFarlane have appealed the decision to the Grand Chamber of the European Court of Human Rights, which is also a body of the Council of Europe.
The assembly's resolutions influence the decisions of the court, Puppinck noted, adding that the cases of McFarlane and Chaplin were part of the motivation for introducing the resolution.
In the January decision against Chaplin and McFarlane, the court did find that British law had insufficiently protected another Christian, Nadia Eweida. It ruled that her freedom of religion had been breached after she was kept from wearing a cross in her employment at British Airways.
All these cases, and the resolution, are part of a growing trend of Europe's “clash of rights” cases involving Christian identity and expression in the public sphere.
Chaplin and McFarlane have appealed to the Grand Chamber saying that protections for the freedom of “thought, conscience and religion” will be effectively meaningless if the Court does not clarify how the rights of Christians, and other religious persons, are to be balanced with the rights upheld by secular persons and societies.
The Grand Chamber is not expected to decide whether to hear the case for several weeks.
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Shanghai's Bishop Jin, who worked to rebuild church, dies at 96
30-Apr-2013:
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Pope tells young to 'swim against the tide; it's good for the heart?
29-Apr-2013:
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Pope: Confession is not like dry cleaners, but is encounter with Jesus
29-Apr-2013:
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Last step to confirmation by pope was nerve-wracking, U.S. teens say
29-Apr-2013:
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Confessional not a 'dry cleaner,' says Pope
29-Apr-2013:
Vatican City, Apr 29, 2013 / 09:46 am (CNA/EWTN News).- Pope Francis said the Sacrament of Confession does not work like a dry cleaner but is a moment in which Jesus imparts his peace.
“Jesus in the confessional is not a dry cleaner, it is an encounter with Jesus but with this Jesus who waits for us just as we are,” said Pope Francis.
“Many times we think that going to confession is like going to the dry cleaner to clean the dirt from our clothes,” he observed during his April 29 homily.
But what really happens is that Jesus “donates to us the peace that only he gives,” he said.
The Pope usually invites different groups to attend his daily Mass in the chapel of Saint Martha’s residence, where he lives.
Today, the personnel from the Administration of the Patrimony of the Apostolic See were among the congregation.
“We are often ashamed to tell the truth, but shame is a true Christian virtue, and even human,” he commented.
“I do not know if there is a similar saying in Italian, but in our country those who are never ashamed are called ‘sin vergüenza,’” he said in his April 29 homily.
“This means ‘the unashamed’ because they are people who do not have the ability to be ashamed. And to be ashamed is a virtue of men and the women who are humble,” he added.
Pope Francis taught that being ashamed of sins is “not only natural, it’s a virtue that helps prepare us for God's forgiveness.”
He underscored that confession is not “a torture session” and that God is not waiting “to beat,” but is instead “always waiting for us, with tenderness to forgive.”
“It is going to praise God, because I, a sinner, have been saved by Him,” said Pope Francis.
“And if tomorrow I do the same?” he asked. “Go again, and go and go and go.”
The Pope encouraged the congregation to “never masquerade before God.”
“Jesus Christ is the righteous (one) and supports us before the Father," he said.
“He defends us in front of our weaknesses, but you need to stand in front of the Lord with our truth of (being) sinners, with confidence, even with joy, without masquerading,” he remarked.
The Holy Father also noted that walking in darkness means being “overly pleased with ourselves and believing that we do not need salvation.”
“That is darkness!” he exclaimed. “When we continue on this road of darkness, it is not easy to turn back.”
“We all have darkness in our lives, moments where everything, even our consciousness, is in the dark, but this does not mean we walk in darkness,” said the Pope.
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Bishop Rey reflects on Pope's liturgy, evangelization connection
29-Apr-2013:
Vatican City, Apr 29, 2013 / 07:17 am (CNA/EWTN News).- Pope Francis understands the important role the liturgy plays in the New Evangelization and combines it with his own style to communicate the grace of God, says Bishop Dominique Rey.
“I think each Pope arrives at his own charism, his own personality. And the personality of Pope Francis is a sense of freedom, simplicity, (an awareness) of context,” Bishop Rey observed in an April 23 interview with CNA.
And the way the faith is conveyed during the liturgy, he said, “is very important.”
Pope Francis, he noted, “speaks each day in the homily, for all the services of the Vatican, and he develops a very strong and simple homily.
“I think many persons are touched by these thoughts, and many persons receive the Holy Father and his teaching as the grace of God,” he said.
Bishop Rey, who heads the Diocese of Fréjus-Toulon in France, came to Rome last week to prepare for the June 25-28 summit on the Sacred Liturgy and the New Evangelization, which will be held at the Pontifical University of the Holy Cross.
The international gathering is intended to underscore the “central place” of the liturgy in “the mission of the Church,” he said, adding that the “source and the goal of the New Evangelization is the adoration and the contemplation of God.”
The conference will feature talks on celebrating the Mass in both the ordinary and extraordinary form, which will be given by Cardinals Antonio Cañizares Llovera and Walter Brandmüller, respectively.
Other liturgy-related topics that will be addressed include, sacred architecture, music, new ecclesial movements, academic formation, catechesis, the bishop’s role as guardian of the liturgy, and liturgical law in the Church’s mission.
As for Pope Francis, Bishop Rey thinks his reflections and Magisterium enter into “the traditional sense of the liturgy; there is no change.”
For more information on the conference, please visit http://sacraliturgia2013.com.
Alan Holdren contributed to this report from Rome.
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Pope stresses workers' dignity after Bangladesh factory collapse
28-Apr-2013:
Vatican City, Apr 28, 2013 / 01:27 pm (CNA/EWTN News).- Pope Francis offered condolences and prayers, along with calls for worker safety, after a factory collapsed and killed more than 350 people in Bangladesh.
“I express my solidarity and deepest sympathy to the families mourning their loved ones,” he said at Saint Peter's Square on April 28.
In his Regina Caeli address, the Holy Father offered prayers “for the many victims” of the tragedy.
On April 24, an eight-story building collapsed in the Rana Plaza complex in Savar, just north of Dhaka, killing at least 352 people.
Around 30 survivors were found yesterday, but police say nearly 1,000 are still missing, trapped under the building's remains.
Rescue teams were still searching for survivors on the night of April 27, using electric drills, shovels and their bare hands.
Police have detained two of the factory's owners as well as two engineers involved in issuing the building's permits.
The building collapsed just a day after warnings had been given saying it was unsafe. A petition has been launched calling for compensation to be given the victims and their families.
A demonstration outside a Primark retail store was held in London after it was revealed that the company had used a floor of the building that collapsed.
Pope Francis appealed in his address for “the dignity and safety of the worker” to always be respected.
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Pope confirms young people, calls them to be 'steadfast'
28-Apr-2013:
Vatican City, Apr 28, 2013 / 09:33 am (CNA/EWTN News).- At a Mass where he confirmed 44 young people, Pope Francis encouraged the youth of the world to persist in their faith even in the midst of obstacles.
“Remaining steadfast in the journey of faith, with firm hope in the Lord, is the secret of our journey,” he told over 70,000 young people gathered in St. Peter’s Square.
“There are no difficulties, trials or misunderstandings to fear, provided we remain united to God as branches to the vine, provided we do not lose our friendship with him, provided we make ever more room for him in our lives,” he said during the 10:00 a.m. Mass on April 28.
The Mass marked the ending of a two-day celebration as part of the Year of Faith, which gathered thousands of youths from around the world.
The day before, the young people had met with teachers of faith, or catechists, at Saint Peter's Square for a pilgrimage to the tombs of Saint Peter and Blessed John Paul II.
The Eucharistic celebration was dedicated to the 44 young people from around the world to whom the Pope imparted the sacrament of Confirmation, and to those who had already received the sacrament earlier this year.
“To go against the current, this is good for the heart, but we need courage to swim against the tide,” Pope Francis noted.
“Jesus gives us this courage,” he stressed.
Examining the day's Gospel reading, the Pontiff observed that the Holy Spirit “makes all things new” and “changes us.”
“The Holy Spirit is truly transforming us, and through us he also wants to transform the world in which we live,” explained the Pope.
“How beautiful it would be,” he said, “if each of you, every evening, could say: Today at school, at home, at work, guided by God, I showed a sign of love towards one of my friends, my parents, an older person!”
He noted that when God makes all things “new,” they are not like “the novelties of this world, all of which are temporary,” but are “lasting, not only in the future but today as well.”
Pope Francis also explained that “we must undergo many trials if we are to enter the Kingdom of God.”
“To follow the Lord, to let his Spirit transform the shadowy parts of our lives, our ungodly ways of acting, and cleanse us of our sins, is to set out on a path with many obstacles, both in the world around us but also within us, in the heart,” he said.
He explained that trials are “part of the path that leads to God's glory” and told the pilgrims that they will always encounter difficulties in life.
“Do not be discouraged,” the Pope emphasized. “We have the power of the Holy Spirit to overcome these trials!”
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Original research team member says science still can't explain Shroud
27-Apr-2013:
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Original research team member says science still can't explain Shroud of Turin
26-Apr-2013:
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Church will benefit from Latin America's evangelization experience
26-Apr-2013:
Rome, Italy, Apr 26, 2013 / 12:24 pm (CNA/EWTN News).- Before meeting with the first Latin American Pope on Thursday, Colombian Cardinal Rubén Salazar Gomez said the South American Church will help the universal Church with its rich history of evangelization.
“There is no doubt that the richness of the evangelizing experience of the Latin American Church is going to benefit the universal Church,” Cardinal Rubén Salazar Gomez told CNA on April 24.
Cardinal Salazar is the vice president of the Episcopal Council of Latin America and the Caribbean, or CELAM, and he met with the Pope on April 25 alongside the council’s five other directors to greet him and offer their support.
The Colombian cardinal said that it was “about time” that Latin America “donated” a Pope to the Church.
“This is for us a huge importance and a reason for profound joy,” he commented.
Cardinal Salazar believes that the Church in South America needs to show “a clear example” of how the Church’s evangelization efforts should look.
CELAM has representatives from 22 bishops’ conferences in Latin America and the Caribbean, and its leaders meet every year in Rome to visit the Pope, as well as the different Vatican departments.
On April 24 they visited the Pontifical Commission for Latin America and its members, including the commission’s secretary, Guzmán Carriquiry.
“Our annual visit to the Holy See is an opportunity to dialogue with dicasteries (departments) and be able to help them or to receive their petition to promote a certain subject,” said Archbishop Carlos Aguiar Retes of Tlalnepantla, Mexico.
“It is a pleasure to be able to meet the Pope,” Archbishop Aguiar commented, “and we want to tell him that he can count on us.”
Pope Francis, he said, is not only “a man of wisdom” but also “a decisive man who is capable of governing and knows clearly what the Church needs.”
“I am certain he will carry out the reform that the cardinals proposed in the general congregations,” Archbishop Aguiar said.
In his view, the fact that there is a Latin American Pope means “a great responsibility” for the Church on the continent.
“It’s true that it’s a great joy but that it also means commitment,” said Archbishop Aguiar.
“It’s not a joy for a short moment,” he qualified, “but rather a joy that should move our conscience to realize that if God has set his eyes on a son of Latin America and on the Church that makes a pilgrimage there, he also wants that those that make up this Church give a specific and important contribution to the life of the Church, in general.”
Cardinal Salazar, Archbishop Aguiar and three other bishops met with Pope Francis on April 25 at 11:45 in the morning.
Marta Jimenez Ibanez contributed to this report.
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Ban on religion forced Albanians to pray in secret: one woman's story
26-Apr-2013:
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Christian life is a time to prepare to enjoy heaven, pope says
26-Apr-2013:
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Corruption is worse than sin because heart hardens to God, pope says
26-Apr-2013:
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Pope says life is 'journey of preparation' for heaven
26-Apr-2013:
Vatican City, Apr 26, 2013 / 10:06 am (CNA/EWTN News).- “The whole journey of life is a journey of preparation” for heaven, Pope Francis said during his homily at Friday morning Mass.
The Pope reflected on the Gospel passage from St. John for today in which Jesus tells the disciples not to be afraid or troubled because he goes to prepare a place in the Father’s house for them.
“Prepare a place means preparing our ability to enjoy the chance, our chance, to see, to feel, to understand the beauty of what lies ahead, of that homeland towards which we walk,” he remarked.
Members of the Vatican Typography office attended the Eucharistic celebration on April 26, alongside the Vatican Labor Office and Vatican State Police inside St. Martha’s House chapel.
The Pope noted that Jesus talks “like a friend, even with the attitude of a pastor.”
“Let not your hearts be troubled, believe in God, believe also in me,” says Jesus, according to today’s Gospel.
“In my Father’s house there are many rooms, if it were not so would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you?” Christ asked the disciples.
The Pope called these “really beautiful words” and asked the congregation what they thought that “place” was like.
“What does prepare a place mean, does it mean renting a room up there?” he asked.
He explained that life is a journey of preparation that involves expanding our eyes, minds and hearts.
It means “beginning to greet him from afar. This is not alienation: this is the truth, this is allowing Jesus to prepare our hearts, our eyes for the beauty that is so great. It is the path of beauty and ‘the path to the homeland,’” he preached.
But sometimes “the Lord has to do it quickly as he did with the good thief.”
“He only had a few minutes to prepare him and he did it,” he affirmed.
“But Father,” the Pope said recounting a common objection, “I went to a philosopher and he told me that all these thoughts are an alienation, that we are alienated, that life is this, the concrete, and no-one knows what is beyond.”
“Some think this is so but Jesus tells us that it is not so and says ‘have faith in me,’” the Pope stated.
He compared Jesus to an engineer and an architect when he recalled Jesus saying he would prepare a place in his Father’s house.
“And Jesus goes to prepare a place for us,” he concluded.
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Pope's plans for encyclical, travel disclosed
26-Apr-2013:
Vatican City, Apr 26, 2013 / 04:18 am (CNA/EWTN News).- Pope Francis could issue his first encyclical this year and so far is only planning one international trip in 2013, according to Vatican press office director Father Federico Lombardi.
Fr. Lombardi said that he "would not exclude" the possibility of Pope Francis issuing his first encyclical "within this year," Vatican Radio reported April 25.
The Vatican spokesman explained that Benedict XVI had already laid the groundwork for an encyclical on the virtue of faith in late 2012 and that Pope Francis could easily revise it and add his own insights to the text.
The encyclical was planned for release in early 2013 but the resignation of Benedict XVI caused the timeline to be adjusted.
Speaking to CNA just days before the announcement, Archbishop Salvatore Fisichella, head of the Pontifical Council for Promoting New Evangelization, said Benedict XVI was “working on a new encyclical on the faith” and that “we expect it will be published during the Year of Faith.”
The idea of a Pope picking up the work of his predecessor is not unprecedented. Pope Benedict reportedly crafted his first encyclical, “Deus caritas est,” using some of John Paul II’s notes.
Fr. Lombardi also revealed on April 25 in a meeting with the international press at Rome’s Foreign Press Association that Pope Francis might only make one trip overseas in 2013.
“I invite you to not expect others to trips abroad this year,” he said, adding that the Pope is likely to visit Assisi.
“The program will follow the desires of the Pope,” Alberto Gassbari, the Pope’s international trip coordinator, told Vatican Radio on April 25.
Finally, Fr. Lombardi confirmed that Benedict XVI is planning to move to Mater Ecclesiae monastery on May 1 and that Pope Francis will remain in Casa Santa Marta.
The Pope “is very well settled,” the Vatican spokesman said. “At the moment, he does not seem to want to change his dwelling, even if a final decision has not been made.”
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Brazil's security officials coordinate safety for World Youth Day
25-Apr-2013:
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Laity key to Irish church's renewal, Dublin archbishop says at Fordham
25-Apr-2013:
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Human evolution: Science, faith explore the mysterious emergence of man
25-Apr-2013:
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Court protects Scottish midwives from abortion involvement
25-Apr-2013:
Glasgow, United Kingdom, Apr 25, 2013 / 12:05 pm (CNA/EWTN News).- Two Scottish midwives won an appeal on April 24 against a court's decision forcing them to indirectly take part in abortions against their will.
“Connie and I are absolutely delighted with today's judgment,” said midwife Mary Doogan in a statement Wednesday.
Glasgow’s Southern General Hospital placed Doogan, 58, and Concepta Wood, 52, in charge of delegating and supporting staff who performed abortions.
Although they objected, the hospital’s management argued that a conscientious objection clause in the 1967 Abortion Act applied only to those directly performing abortions.
The Catholic women then filed a case – with the financial help of the Society for the Protection of Unborn Children, against NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde Health Board – but lost it on Feb. 29, 2012.
Local judge Lady Anne Smith had argued that the 1967 Act allowed only qualified conscientious objection and noted that they were “being protected from having any direct involvement with the procedure to which they object.”
“Nothing they have to do as part of their duties terminates a woman’s pregnancy,” Lady Smith had said last year.
The midwives then appealed the court’s decision and won. Both called the ruling “a welcome affirmation of the rights of all midwives to withdraw from the practice that would violate the conscience and which over time, would indeed debar many from entering what has always been a very rewarding and noble profession.”
The Society for the Protection of the Unborn Children's general secretary, Paul Tully, underscored that “the result is a tremendous victory for these devoted and caring professional women.”
“This outcome will be a great relief to all midwives, nurses and doctors who may be under pressure to supervise abortion procedures and who are wondering whether the law protects their right to opt out,” said Tully in a statement released today by Britain’s largest pro-life organization.
The midwives maintained that their right to opt-out of providing abortions for reasons of conscience was upheld by Article 9 of the European Convention on Human Rights and Section 4(1) of the U.K.’s 1967 Abortion Act.
Both Doogan and Wood had worked for over 20 years at Glasgow’s Southern General Hospital and had always openly stated their conscientious objection to abortion.
Hospital management told midwives employed as “labor ward co-ordinators” that they had to oversee abortion procedures when the hospital transferred late abortion patients to the labor ward instead of the gynecology ward.
But three appeal court judges, Lord Donald Mackay, Lady Leonna Dorrian and Lord Robin McEwan, ruled in their favor.
They said the women can exercise their right to conscientious exemption by “refusing to delegate, supervise or support staff in charge of women undergoing abortions.”
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Vatican official says July trip to Brazil being tailored to new pope
25-Apr-2013:
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Preach the Gospel with courage, humility, pope says at Mass
25-Apr-2013:
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Pope Francis' first encyclical might be out this year, says spokesman
25-Apr-2013:
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Church must evangelize humbly, Pope Francis reflects
25-Apr-2013:
Vatican City, Apr 25, 2013 / 11:10 am (CNA/EWTN News).- Christians are called to do the great work of evangelizing to the ends of the world in a spirit of humility rather than an attitude of conquering, Pope Francis said.
“Today we ask the Lord to become missionaries in the Church, apostles in the Church but in this spirit: a great magnanimity and also a great humility,” he said in his April 25 homily at Mass for members of the Secretariat of the Synod of Bishops at Casa Santa Marta.
Also present at the Mass were Archbishop Nikola Eterovic, Secretary General of the Synod of Bishops, and police from the Vatican Gendarmerie, Vatican Radio reported.
To travel the world preaching the gospel is “the mission of the Church,” Pope Francis said.
“But she does not go forth alone: she goes forth with Jesus...the Lord works with all those who preach the Gospel. This is the magnanimity that Christians should have.”
A timid, or “pusillanimous” Christian, he added, “is incomprehensible: this magnanimity is part of the Christian vocation: always more and more, more and more, more and more, always onwards.”
Preaching the gospel, said the pontiff, requires “humility, service, charity, brotherly love.” To approach evangelization with an imperialism, or attitude of conquering “doesn't work.” Rather, Christians evangelize by their witness.
“The Christian must not be like soldiers who when they win the battle make a clean sweep of everything.”
Pope Francis addressed the tension between magnanimity, or greatness of spirit, and humility in which Christians are called to live.
“When we go forth with this magnanimity and humility, when we are not scared by the great things, by the horizon, but also take on board the little things – humility, daily charity – the Lord confirms the Word.”
“This is divine – it is like a tension between the great and the small,” he said, noting that “Christian missionary activity” proceeds “along this path.”
During his remarks, the Pope also discussed the tension between suffering and Christian triumph.“The triumph of the Church is the Resurrection of Jesus, But there is first the Cross.”
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Irish audits show 'evidence of steady progress' dealing with abuse
25-Apr-2013:
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Feminist group hurls water, insults at archbishop
25-Apr-2013:
Brussels, Belgium, Apr 24, 2013 / 04:13 pm (CNA/EWTN News).- Four semi-nude feminist protestors attacked Archbishop Andre-Joseph Leonard of Malinas-Brussels during a recent conference on freedom of expression.
The April 18 conference took place at the Free University of Brussels and was entitled, “Blasphemy – crime or freedom of expression.”
The four women, who belong to the radical group Femen, removed their shirts and used plastic bottles similar those used by pilgrims at Lourdes to throw water at the archbishop while shouting insults and making violent gestures.
The women painted their bodies with the phrases, “My body, my rules” and “God loves lesbians.” They also carried a sign which read, “Stop homophobia.”
Archbishop Leonard remained silently in prayer until security officials were able to intervene and remove the protestors.
After the incident, the archbishop picked up one of the bottles, which was shaped in the image of the Virgin Mary, and kissed it as a sign of reparation.
In 2010 and 2011, Archbishop Leonard was the target of attacks for his statements against homosexual acts and abortion.
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Church is a love story, Pope Francis says
24-Apr-2013:
Vatican City, Apr 24, 2013 / 11:58 am (CNA/EWTN News).- The Church is not merely “a human enterprise,” but rather “a love story,” said Pope Francis, and the faithful must remember that it is only in the path of love that the Church can grow.
The Church began “in the heart of the Father,” said the Pope at an April 24 Mass for Vatican Bank employees in the Chapel of the Casa Santa Marta.
“So this love story began, a story that has gone on for so long, and is not yet ended,” he explained. “We, the women and men of the Church, we are in the middle of a love story: each of us is a link in this chain of love. And if we do not understand this, we have understood nothing of what the Church is.”
Pointing to the growth and persecution of the early Church, Pope Francis stressed that the faithful must not compromise to get “more partners in this enterprise,” Vatican Radio reported.
He cautioned that “the Church does not grow by human strength” but through the path of love.
While some Christians have “taken the wrong path” and “waged wars of religion,” he said, “that is not the story of love.”
“Yet we learn, with our mistakes, how the story of love goes,” he continued, explaining that it is the Holy Spirit rather than any military strength that allows the Church to grow.
The Pontiff asked the mothers in the congregation how they might feel if someone referred to them as “a domestic administrator.” He suggested that they might respond, “No, I am the mother!”
Likewise, he said, “the Church is Mother.”
“And we are in the middle of a love story that continues thanks to the power of the Holy Spirit. All of us together are a family in the Church, who is our Mother,” he explained.
Pope Francis turned to Mary to ask for “the grace of the spiritual joy of participating in this love story” with her son.
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Prepare for Last Judgment by serving the poor, pope says at audience
24-Apr-2013:
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Church is driven by Holy Spirit, not officials or militants, pope says
24-Apr-2013:
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Pope to welcome 70,000 youths, confirm 44
24-Apr-2013:
Vatican City, Apr 24, 2013 / 10:31 am (CNA/EWTN News).- Pope Francis will be receiving over 70,000 young people when he offers the Sacrament of Confirmation to 44 of them this coming weekend.
“We are joyful because we will be receiving so many young people,” said Archbishop Salvatore R. Fisichella, president of the Pontifical Council for the Promotion of the New Evangelization.
The archbishop made his announcement April 24 at the Vatican press office, as he detailed two upcoming events in Rome for the Year of Faith.
The first is the April 27–28 weekend gathering, which will bring youths who have received the Sacrament of Confirmation in the past year to Rome for a pilgrimage to the tomb of St. Peter and a Mass in which Pope Francis will confirm 44 young people.
The second Year of Faith event is the Day of the Confraternities and Popular Piety, which will take place May 3–5. A confraternity is an organization of lay people that promotes Christian charity and has been officially approved by the Church.
On Saturday, April 27, from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m., youths will gather at Saint Peter’s Square with teachers of the faith, who are known as catechists. The catechists will guide them on a pilgrimage that will include Michelangelo’s Pietà, the tomb of Blessed John Paul II and the Tomb of Saint Peter, where they will make the Profession of Faith.
They will gather again the next morning at 10:00 a.m. for a closing Mass with Pope Francis, during which he will confirm 44 young people from five different continents representing the universal Church.
The youngest are 11-year-olds from Romania and Italy and the oldest is a 55-year-old from Cape Verde. Two more could be arriving from Haiti, bringing the total number to 46.
Other countries that will be represented are: the Congo, Nigeria, Madagascar, Lebanon, Colombia, Sri Lanka, Philippines, Argentina, Brazil, Belarus, France, Germany, Ireland and the United States.
“We have not forgotten the presence of a disabled person to represent those who are privileged in the eyes of the Church and deserve their full attention even in the reception of the sacraments,” Archbishop Fisichella said.
“The Pope will also give the youths a small, simple and symbolic present. But I can’t tell you what it is otherwise it wouldn’t be a surprise anymore,” the archbishop quipped.
The event will finish on Sunday evening in the Vatican’s Paul VI Hall with a “Witness Festival,” which will include music, and testimonies from world figures and those who have been confirmed.
A boy living in China and a girl from the Pacific island of Tonga will speak about their faith.
“We will have Antonio, who comes from the Diocese of Carpi to give a voice and hope to the victims of the earthquake and to those who still suffer situations of profound discomfort,” he added.
Archbishop Fisichella told journalists that a boy from mainland China, Paul, who has lived in Italy for several years as a refugee, and Malia P. Malani of the Island of Tonga will “tell everyone that even in the most remote parts of the world, the Church is alive and present.”
And over 50,000 people have already signed up for the second event in May.
The international gathering will bring confraternities from Italy, Spain, Malta, France, Poland and Ireland that will give their testimony on local traditions.
Confessions will be heard and there will be Eucharistic Adoration from 4:00 p.m. until midnight on May 3 in Roman churches of the confraternities.
On Saturday, May 4 there will be a pilgrimage to the Tomb of Saint Peter at 7:00 a.m., Adoration and confessions from 8:00 a.m. to noon in churches across Rome, catechesis at the Basilica of Saint Paul Outside the Walls and an international Mass in the same basilica at 6:30 p.m.
“On Saturday we will follow the pattern of the pilgrimage to the tomb of Peter divided by language groups, while in the afternoon at four different churches we will have a catechesis with the subsequent celebration of the Holy Eucharist,” Archbishop Fisichella explained.
Catechesis will be in several languages, with Archbishop Arthur Roche delivering the English teaching in the Church of Saint Maria in Traspontina, Cardinal Antonio Cañizares Llovera catechizing in Spanish at the Church of Saint Mary of the Garden, and Bishop Jean Lafitte speaking in French at the Church of the Trinita dei Monti.
On Sunday morning, May 5, members of the confraternities in their habits will take part in a procession down the Via della Conciliazione until they reach Saint Peter’s Square.
Pope Francis will then celebrate Mass at 10:00 a.m. in St. Peter’s Square, followed by the Regina Caeli prayer.
“A moment of faith will be lived, which is found in the simplicity of the expressions of popular piety and rooted in our people, who without interruption live these signs as a strong reminder of the faith of previous generations and a tradition that deserves to be witnessed with courage and enthusiasm,” Archbishop Fisichella said.
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Pope urges Christians to remember final judgment
24-Apr-2013:
Vatican City, Apr 24, 2013 / 07:27 am (CNA/EWTN News).- Christians should not be frightened of the final judgment but should let it affect how they live, Pope Francis told the 100,000 pilgrims who filled St. Peter’s Square.
"Human history begins with the creation of man and woman in the image and likeness of God and concludes with the final judgment of Christ. We often forget these two poles of history, and above all faith in the return of Christ and the final judgment is sometimes not so clear and strong in the hearts of Christians,” Pope Francis said April 24.
The crowd that turned out for the Wednesday audience was one of the largest yet, with the attendance reportedly surpassing expectations by about 25,000 people.
The Pope dedicated his address to the phrase from the Creed, “He will come again in glory, to judge the living and the dead,” continuing a series started by Benedict XVI for the Year of Faith.
He began by noting that Jesus “often focused on the reality of his final coming” during his public ministry.
“Today I would like to reflect on three Gospel texts that help us to enter into this mystery: that of the ten virgins, the talents and that of the final judgment. All three are part of Jesus' discourse on the end times in the Gospel of St. Matthew,” he explained.??At the present moment humanity is living between the moment of Christ’s Ascension and his final return, and this is the context Jesus used when he told the parable of the 10 virgins, the Pope said.
The parable involves 10 virgins who were awaiting the arrival of a bridegroom to his wedding feast. Five of them were wise and had extra lamp oil to provide light until he arrived, but five were foolish, having brought no extra oil.
The foolish virgins were not able to notice the arrival of the bridegroom with their lamps out, and so they were left knocking on the door of the house where the feast was being held.
“They were knocking insistently, but it was too late, the bridegroom responds, ‘I do not know you,’” the Pope recalled.
The Holy Father said that the time of waiting for the bridegroom – who is Jesus – is a period granted by God in his “mercy and patience,” and Christians should not fall asleep, keeping their faith alive through prayer and the sacraments.??Turning to the parable of the talents, Pope Francis recalled how Jesus warned people against letting fear precent them from using the gifts God gave them.
“A Christian who withdraws into himself, hiding all that the Lord has given him, is not a Christian!” the Pope stated.??“I would ask the many young people present to be generous with their God-given talents for the good of others, the Church and our world,” he added.
Pope Francis then spoke about the final parable, in which Jesus describes the final judgment as being like a shepherd who divides his flock into sheep and goats. Those on the right are those who followed the will of God in their lives, while those on the left did not.
“This tells us that we will be judged by God on charity, on how we loved him in our brothers, especially the most vulnerable and needy,” he explained.
“Of course,” the Pope qualified, “we must always keep in mind that we are justified, we are saved by grace, by a free act of the love of God, which always precedes us, we alone cannot do anything. Faith is first of all a gift that we have received.”
“Looking to the final judgment must never frighten us,” Pope Francis concluded.
“Rather, it urges us to live the present better. With mercy and patience, God offers us this time so that we might learn every day to recognize him in the poor and the small, might strive for the good, and might be vigilant in prayer and love,” so that when he comes he will find us his good and faithful servants, he said.
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Swiss theologian: Same-sex civil unions discriminate against married couples
24-Apr-2013:
Rome, Italy, Apr 24, 2013 / 04:31 am (CNA/EWTN News).- After a Vatican official stated that the Church could support same-sex civil unions, a Swiss theologian is saying that if they are equated with marriage these unions discriminate against married heterosexual couples.
“Besides containing an erroneous moral message, it actually means to objectively discriminate against married people, who intentionally have engaged in a union ordered towards the task of the transmission of human life, accepting all the burdens and responsibilities of this task,” said Swiss theologian Father Martin Rhonheimer.
“Conferring legal equality to same-sex unions signifies to publicly establish, in the law system, the principle of dissociation of sexuality and procreation,” he explained in an April 22 telephone interview with CNA.
His comments come after Archbishop Piero Marini, president of the Pontifical Committee for International Eucharistic Congresses, expressed his openness to same-sex civil unions.
“In these discussions, it is necessary, for example, to recognize the union of people of the same sex, because there are many couples who suffer because their civil rights are not recognized," he said on April 20 in an interview with Costa Rican newspaper La Nacion.
“What cannot be recognized is that that couple be a marriage,” said Archbishop Marini.
A second Vatican official, Archbishop Vincenzo Paglia, who spoke on the subject in a March 27 news conference, was misquoted by the press to make it seem he favored it.
Archbishop Paglia, the head of the Pontifical Council of the Family, said that the Church is opposed to anything that treats other unions as equivalent to marriage between a man and a woman, but that it could accept “private law solutions” for protecting people’s rights.
In a Vatican press conference on Feb. 4, he said that there are “several kinds of cohabitation forms that do not constitute a family” and that their number is increasing.
The archbishop suggested that countries could find “private law solutions” to help people living in non-matrimonial relations, to “prevent injustice and make their life easier.”
But Archbishop Paglia persisted in reaffirming that it is society’s responsibility to preserve the unique value of marriage.
Fr. Rhonheimer, who teaches political philosophy and ethics at the Pontifical University of the Holy Cross in Rome, said accepting same-sex civil unions is equating them with marriage, which “by its very nature is a union between a man and a woman.”
But he does not exclude private law solutions as mentioned by Archbishop Paglia, protecting same-sex couples’ civil rights and facilitating, for example, mutual care in case of illness and old age, or adaptations in the field of inheritance law.
“When equating homosexual unions to marriage, however, the legal system starts including a principle which in fact transforms the nature of marriage as a social and legal institution,” Fr. Rhonheimer stated.
“Besides being discriminating against those who bear considerable sacrifices in raising children and contribute in a most essential and irreplaceable way to the common good of society over time, it also has non-predictable long term consequences for the entire legal and social system,” he added.
He explained that approving same-sex unions could only be consistently argued for by assuming there is no moral relevant link between sexuality and procreation, an idea which is the legacy of the “sexual revolution” of the second half of the 20th century having disastrous effects on the societies of Western countries.
“Any attempt of proving the equality, in social and political terms, of heterosexual and homosexual unions is vain, simply because homosexual unions are by their very nature non-procreative,” Fr. Rhonheimer said.
According to the Swiss professor, the Church teaches that homosexual orientation is a disorder, but people who experience that disorder should not be blamed or somehow seen as guilty for having it.
“On the other hand, the Church teaches that homosexual acts are gravely and intrinsically sinful and that therefore persons with homosexual orientation should abstain from sexual acts, being continent (equal to unmarried people),” he said.
The Vatican’s Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith published a document in June 2003 which stated that “respect for homosexual persons cannot lead in any way to approval of homosexual behavior or to legal recognition of homosexual unions.”
The document, titled “Considerations regarding proposals to give legal recognition to unions between homosexual persons,” says the common good requires that laws recognize, promote and protect marriage as the basis of the family.
“Legal recognition of homosexual unions or placing them on the same level as marriage would mean not only the approval of deviant behavior, with the consequence of making it a model in present-day society, but would also obscure basic values which belong to the common inheritance of humanity,” the document says.
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Gloria Estefan says Christ's teachings are key to peace
24-Apr-2013:
Vatican City, Apr 23, 2013 / 04:01 pm (CNA).- Visiting the Vatican to participate in the recent TEDx conference on religious freedom, Cuban singer Gloria Estefan said that the teachings of Jesus Christ are central to ensuring peace in the world.
In an interview with CNA, Estefan said she believes it is important that “the basic teachings of Jesus Christ” be passed on to young people.
“It’s about treating other human beings like you want to be treated, and if we did that, there would be no conflicts or difficulties in life,” she said.
The singer arrived in Rome with her husband Emilio Estefan. During the conference, she performed a song and shared her experience with the hundreds of attendees who arrived from all parts of the world.
“Each religion has love as its foundation,” said Estefan, who was born in Cuba and grew up in Miami.
“We have differences that are more cultural, although religious as well, but I think that it is important that we … try to understand each other, and stop trying simply to change each other’s faith.”
“I think we need to be in communion with others, and I believe a lot in the power of prayer,” the singer stressed.
“I have tried to live that truth even with my music, because my music is like my catharsis, my support, which has helped me get through very difficult times, and having the blessing of my music being heard in other places is a responsibility and a privilege that I take very seriously.”
Estefan said that faith has been a pillar in her life. She recalled the bus accident in 1990 that left her unable to walk and unsure if she would ever sing again. Thanks to the prayers of her fans, she said that she underwent a miraculous recovery.
“When I was in that huge accident I received a lot of prayers from around the world,” she explained. “I believe in God and I will never be an atheist. The world is too beautiful to think that God does not exist.”
After the accident, Estefan composed the song, “Coming Out of the Dark,” a worldwide hit dedicated to God, in which she wanted to “thank all those who sent me their prayers and helped me recover.”
“That song has a very religious meaning for me,” she said. “It signifies the power of prayer and that we all have to help each other.”
Observing that people from all over the world and of different faiths prayed for her, Estefan said she believes that religious freedom “means achieving the goals that all religions share, which are: respect for the human being, respect for women, respect for the family, the values that elevate us and that bring us spiritually to choose the right things.”
The conference was also attended by the president of the Pontifical Council for Culture, Cardinal Gianfranco Ravasi, Guy Consolmagno of the Vatican Observatory, and Alicia Vacas, a Combonian sister who works for peace and unity in Jerusalem.
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Italian media report progress in Blessed John Paul's sainthood cause
23-Apr-2013:
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Debate, protests mark legalization of gay marriage in France
23-Apr-2013:
Paris, France, Apr 23, 2013 / 12:41 pm (CNA/EWTN News).- After months of debate and massive protests, the National Assembly in France passed President Francois Hollande's “marriage for all” bill in to law on April 23.
With 331 votes in favor to the 225 votes against, the lower house approved President Hollande’s draft law which now legalizes “gay marriage,” allows gay couples to receive medical treatment for artificial procreation and to adopt children.
This vote comes after months of protests which saw unprecedented crowds taking to the streets on several occasions to condemn the bill.
One group, La Manif Pour Tous, has organized many of the events, and reported over 1.4 million participants at the March 24 rally in Paris to protest President Hollande’s measure.
The group argues that the now-law is “profoundly discriminatory” towards children since those adopted by two men or two women will, by law, no longer have a mother and father but a “Parent 1” and “Parent 2.”
“(Children) will be deprived of half their origins,” the group said in a statement on their website. “It paves the way for a new, ‘social’ parentage unrelated to human reality. It creates a framework for a new anthropological order founded not on sex but on gender, that is, sexual preference.”
Last week a group of 14,900 French mayors said they would refuse to perform marriage ceremonies for same-sex couples, while some even said they would resign if the measure passed.
Opponents say they have no plans to end the protests and have already organized one to take place in Paris at 7 p.m. local time.
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Catholic members of royal couples won't have to raise kids Catholics
23-Apr-2013:
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Pope offers prayers for Orthodox archbishops kidnapped in Syria
23-Apr-2013:
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One cannot follow Jesus, love Jesus without the church, pope says
23-Apr-2013:
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Jesus not found outside the Church, Pope preaches
23-Apr-2013:
Vatican City, Apr 23, 2013 / 07:39 am (CNA/EWTN News).- Pope Francis said that people cannot be fully united to Jesus outside of the Church during a Mass to commemorate Saint George, the saint he is named after.
“You cannot find Jesus outside the Church,” he said April 23 in the Apostolic Palace’s Pauline Chapel.
“It is the Mother Church who gives us Jesus, who gives us the identity that is not only a seal, it is a belonging,” he declared in his homily.
The pontiff spoke about Christian identity as well as persecution, making it the sixth time in two weeks he has mentioned those who suffer for the faith.
Speaking about the Gospel reading for today from Saint John, Pope Francis underscored that “the missionary expansion of the Church began precisely at a time of persecution.”
“They had this apostolic fervor within them, and that is how the faith spread!” he exclaimed.
It was through the Holy Spirit’s initiative that the Gospel was proclaimed to the Gentiles, the Pope noted, and the Spirit “pushes more and more in this direction of opening the proclamation of the Gospel to all.”
The pontiff also repeated a line from his April 17 homily in St. Martha’s residence, when he emphasized that being a Christian is not like having “an identity card.”
“Christian identity is belonging to the Church, because all of these (the apostles) belonged to the Church, the Mother Church, because finding Jesus outside the Church is impossible,” he said.
“The great Paul VI said it is an absurd dichotomy to want to live with Jesus but without the Church, following Jesus out of the Church, loving Jesus without the Church,” he added.
Pope Francis said that “if we are not sheep of Jesus, faith does not come” and that it is “a rosewater faith and a faith without substance.”
The Pope also commented on Barnabas, who was sent to Antioch and was glad to see that the grace of God had encouraged people there to remain true disciples.
“Let us think of the consolations that Barnabas had, which is the sweet and comforting joy of evangelizing,” he preached.
“Let us ask the Lord for this frankness, this apostolic fervor that impels us to move forward, as brothers, all of us forward,” he remarked.
After the Mass in the papal chapel, the Swiss Guard band offered a brief musical performance in the Courtyard of Saint Damaso for the Pope’s name day.
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Bishops: Immigration bill on right track, some changes sought
23-Apr-2013:
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St. George's feast becomes Vatican holiday this year
22-Apr-2013:
Vatican City, Apr 22, 2013 / 01:03 pm (CNA/EWTN News).- St. George's feast day falling on April 23 means Vatican employees will have the day off to celebrate the saint their boss, Pope Francis, is named after.
But the Holy Father, formerly known as Cardinal Jorge (George) Bergoglio, will continue with his practice of presiding over daily Mass.
Instead of holding it at Saint Martha’s as he has been since being elected Pope, the Eucharistic celebration will take place at the Pauline Chapel in the Apostolic Palace, alongside the cardinals who live in Rome.
Under Pope Benedict XVI, the Solemnity of St. Joseph was a Vatican holiday, since his baptismal name is Joseph Ratzinger.
Pope Francis will celebrate the feast of Saint George, a martyr who lived around the year 300 in what is now Turkey.
St. George, the patron saint of England, was a soldier in the army of the Roman Emperor Diocletian.
Diocletian beheaded him in Palestine for protesting against the Emperor's persecution of Christians and refusing to take part.
Christians rapidly began venerating the saint for his bravery in protecting the poor, the defenseless and Christians.
His banner, the red cross of a martyr on a white background, was adopted for the uniform of English soldiers and later became the flag of England.
St. George’s fame grew after James of Voragine published a book in 1265 called “Legenda Sanctorum,” which later became known as the “Legenda Aurea” (The Golden Legend).
The medieval legend goes that he slew a dragon and rescued an innocent maiden from death.
The Church now commemorates St. George, and although his existence is certain, little is known about him.
It is believed that he was killed in 303 on April 23, the day his feast is now observed on.
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Pope speaks on dangers of being 'climbers' and 'good-sense Christians'
22-Apr-2013:
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Pope ordains new priests, talks about learning to hear Jesus' voice
22-Apr-2013:
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Vatican official says Archbishop Romero's sainthood cause 'unblocked'
22-Apr-2013:
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No room for self-promoters in God's kingdom, Pope says
22-Apr-2013:
Vatican City, Apr 22, 2013 / 10:58 am (CNA/EWTN News).- Pope Francis warned that some people, even in the Church, are “social climbers” that try to promote themselves, instead of seeking to glorify Christ.
?“These social climbers exist even in the Christian communities, no? Those people who are looking out for themselves ... and consciously or unconsciously pretend to enter but are thieves and robbers,” he said at an April 22 Mass for Vatican press office and Vatican Radio employees.
“Why? Why steal the glory from Jesus? They want glory for themselves and this is what (Jesus) said to the Pharisees: ‘You seek for each other's approval,’” the Pope responded.
The result of this approach is that the faith becomes “something of a ‘commercial’ religion,” he reflected.
“I give glory to you and you give glory to me. But these people did not enter through the true gate. The (true) gate is Jesus and those who do not enter by this gate are mistaken.”
Christians can know which way or gate is Jesus’ by looking for the marks of the Beatitudes, he said.?
There are many paths that we can follow, he explained, some perhaps more advantageous than others in getting ahead, but they are “misleading, they are not real; they are false. The only path is Jesus. "
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"Some of you may say, 'Father, you're a fundamentalist!'” Pope Francis recalled.
“No, simply put, this is what Jesus said: 'I am the gate,' 'I am the path.’ … It is a beautiful gate, a gate of love, it is a gate that does not deceive, it is not false. It always tells the truth, but with tenderness and love.”
But, he noted, “we still have … the source of original sin within us, is not it so? We still desire to possess the key to interpreting everything, the key and the power to find our own path, whatever it is, to find our own gate, whatever it is.”
?
"And this is the temptation to look for other gates or other windows to enter the Kingdom of God.
We can only enter by the gate whose name is Jesus,” he emphasized, reminding the congregation that any other path of entering is for 'thieves and robbers.'
“He is simple, the Lord. His words are not complex. He is simple.”
?Pope Francis concluded by encouraging every to ask for “the grace to always knock on that gate.”
?
“Sometimes it's closed: we are sad, we feel desolation, we have problems with knocking, with knocking at that gate. Do not go looking for other gates that seem easier, more comfortable, more at hand. Always the same one: Jesus. Jesus never disappoints, Jesus does not deceive, Jesus is not a thief, not a robber. He gave his life for me. Each of us must say this: ‘And you who gave your life for me, please, open, that I may enter.’”
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Being Christian means risking following Jesus, Pope teaches
22-Apr-2013:
Vatican City, Apr 22, 2013 / 04:57 am (CNA/EWTN News).- Lukewarm Christian try to build a church that conforms to their own common sense and see too much risk in following Jesus, Pope Francis preached.
“They are Christians of good sense only: they keep their distance. Christians, so to speak, who are ‘satellites,’ that have a church small in size: to quote the words of Jesus in Revelation, ‘lukewarm Christians,’” the Pope said at the April 20 morning Mass in the chapel of St. Martha’s residence.
“They walk only in the presence of common sense, common sense ... that worldly prudence: this is a temptation (to use) just worldly prudence,” he added.
He delivered his homily on the Gospel reading from John 6 in which Jesus declares that unless believers eat his flesh and drink his blood they will not have eternal life. Participants in the Mass included volunteers from the Vatican’s St. Martha pediatric dispensary, along with the Daughters of Charity of Saint Vincent De Paul who run the outreach.
"These people have turned away, they are gone, they say, 'this man is a bit strange, he says things that are hard,’” the Pope said referring to the Gospel reading.
“‘It's too big a risk to go down this road. We have common sense, eh? Let's go back a little and not (be) so close to him.’ These people, perhaps, had a certain admiration for Jesus, but a little from afar: ‘not to meddle too much with this man, because he says things that are a bit strange,’” the Pope summarized.
But “these Christians are not united in the Church, they do not walk in God's presence, they don’t have the security of the Holy Spirit, they do not make up the Church,” he stated, describing them as “Christian satellites.”
Today, the Pope noted, there are so many Christians who “bear witness to the name of Jesus, even unto martyrdom.”
And these believers are not ‘Christian satellites,’ because “they go with Jesus on the path of Jesus,” the Holy Father said.
Reflecting on the first reading that described the life of the early Christians, Pope Francis pointed out that the first believers went through a period of persecution, it walked and grew “in the fear of the Lord and with the comfort of the Holy Spirit.”
"It is a style of the Church. To walk in the fear of the Lord is a sense of adoration, the presence of God, no? The Church walks and so when we are in the presence of God we do not do bad things or make bad decisions,” he commented.
And being “in God’s sight with joy and happiness: this is the security of the Holy Spirit, that is the gift that the Lord has given us - this comfort - that keeps us going,” the Pope preached.
“Let us pray for the Church,” he said, that it “will continue to grow, unite, to walk in the fear of God and with the security of the Holy Spirit.
“May the Lord deliver us from the temptation of that ‘common sense,’ and in inverted commas, the temptation to whisper against Jesus, ‘because it is too demanding,’ and from the temptation of scandal.”
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Minister with constant joy, Pope Francis counsels new priests
21-Apr-2013:
Vatican City, Apr 21, 2013 / 07:48 am (CNA/EWTN News).- Pope Francis ordained 10 men as priests this morning, reminding them that they should carry out their ministry with “constant joy and genuine love.”
“Therefore, carry out the ministry of Christ the Priest with constant joy and genuine love, attending not to your own concerns but to those of Jesus Christ. You are pastors, not functionaries. Be mediators, not intermediaries,” the Pope told the newly ordained.
The Mass of Ordination began at 9:30 a.m. in St. Peter’s Basilica, and the crowd was large enough that it spilled out into the square where the crowd followed along on large screen TVs.
The ceremony fell on the 50th anniversary of the World Day of Prayer for Vocations, which was first instituted by Pope Paul VI.
The men who were ordained came from Rome’s Major Seminary, the diocesan college Redemptoris Mater and the seminary of the Oblates of Divine Love.
Pope Francis’ homily based on the one found in the Italian edition of the Pontificale Romano, with a few personal additions. He was joined in celebrating the ceremony by the Vicar General of Rome Cardinal Agostino Vallini, Bishop Filippo Iannone, the diocese’s auxiliary bishops, and the rectors of the various seminaries.?
An English translation of the Pope’s homily follows:
Beloved brothers and sisters: because these our sons, who are your relatives and friends, are now to be advanced to the Order of priests, consider carefully the nature of the rank in the Church to which they are about to be raised.
It is true that God has made his entire holy people a royal priesthood in Christ. Nevertheless, our great Priest himself, Jesus Christ, chose certain disciples to carry out publicly in his name, and on behalf of mankind, a priestly office in the Church. For Christ was sent by the Father and he in turn sent the Apostles into the world, so that through them and their successors, the Bishops, he might continue to exercise his office of Teacher, Priest, and Shepherd. Indeed, priests are established co-workers of the Order of Bishops, with whom they are joined in the priestly office and with whom they are called to the service of the people of God.
After mature deliberation and prayer, these, our brothers, are now to be ordained to the priesthood in the Order of the presbyterate so as to serve Christ the Teacher, Priest, and
Shepherd, by whose ministry his body, that is, the Church, is built and grows into the people of God, a holy temple.
In being configured to Christ the eternal High Priest and joined to the priesthood of the Bishops, they will be consecrated as true priests of the New Testament, to preach the Gospel, to shepherd God’s people, and to celebrate the sacred Liturgy, especially the Lord’s sacrifice.
Now, my dear brothers and sons, you are to be raised to the Order of the Priesthood. For your part you will exercise the sacred duty of teaching in the name of Christ the Teacher. Impart to everyone the word of God which you have received with joy. Remember your mothers, your grandmothers, your catechists, who gave you the word of God, the faith ... the gift of faith! They transmitted to you this gift of faith. Meditating on the law of the Lord, see that you believe what you read, that you teach what you believe, and that you practice what you teach. Remember too that the word of God is not your property: it is the word of God. And the Church is the custodian of the word of God.
In this way, let what you teach be nourishment for the people of God. Let the holiness of your lives be a delightful fragrance to Christ’s faithful, so that by word and example you may build up the house which is God’s Church.
Likewise you will exercise in Christ the office of sanctifying. For by your ministry the spiritual sacrifice of the faithful will be made perfect, being united to the sacrifice of Christ, which will be offered through your hands in an unbloody way on the altar, in union with the faithful, in the celebration of the sacraments. Understand, therefore, what you do and imitate what you celebrate. As celebrants of the mystery of the Lord’s death and resurrection, strive to put to death whatever in your members is sinful and to walk in newness of life.
You will gather others into the people of God through Baptism, and you will forgive sins in the name of Christ and the Church in the sacrament of Penance. Today I ask you in the name of Christ and the Church, never tire of being merciful. You will comfort the sick and the elderly with holy oil: do not hesitate to show tenderness towards the elderly. When you celebrate the sacred rites, when you offer prayers of praise and thanks to God throughout the hours of the day, not only for the people of God but for the world—remember then that you are taken from among men and appointed on their behalf for those things that pertain to God. Therefore, carry out the ministry of Christ the Priest with constant joy and genuine love, attending not to your own concerns but to those of Jesus Christ. You are pastors, not functionaries. Be mediators, not intermediaries.
Finally, dear sons, exercising for your part the office of Christ, Head and Shepherd, while united with the Bishop and subject to him, strive to bring the faithful together into one family, so that you may lead them to God the Father through Christ in the Holy Spirit. Keep always before your eyes the example of the Good Shepherd who came not to be served but to serve, and who came to seek out and save what was lost.
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Ask Jesus what he wants and be brave, Pope tells youth
21-Apr-2013:
Vatican City, Apr 21, 2013 / 06:22 am (CNA/EWTN News).- Just after ordaining 10 men to the priesthood, Pope Francis called on young Catholics to ask Jesus “what he wants from you and be brave!”
“There are many young people today, here in the square. Let me ask this: have you sometimes heard the voice of the Lord through a desire, restlessness, inviting you to follow him more closely? Have you had any desire to be apostles of Jesus?” Pope Francis asked the crowd in St. Peter’s Square.
He urged the youth present in the square for the April 21 Regina Caeli prayers to strive for high ideals. “Ask Jesus what he wants from you and be brave!” he exclaimed.
Pope Francis also encouraged people to pray for those who are discerning their vocation and wondering what God’s will is for their lives.
“Behind and before every vocation to the priesthood or consecrated life,” he said, “there is always strong and intense prayer from someone: a grandmother, a grandfather, a mother, a father, a community ... .”
“Vocations are born in prayer and prayer, and only in prayer can they persevere and bear fruit,” he remarked.
Pope Francis made his remarks after having ordained 10 men as priests for the Diocese of Rome in St. Peter’s Basilica, a celebration that coincided with the World Day of Prayer for Vocations, which was created by Pope Paul VI.
In his remarks before reciting the Regina Caeli prayer, he emphasized the importance of the day and asked for prayers for the new priests.
He finished his words by invoking the intercession of Mary, that she would “help us to know better the voice of Jesus and to follow her to walk in the way of life.”
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Papal stargazer, graffiti artist, rabbi hit stage for religious rights
20-Apr-2013:
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Nearly 15,000 French mayors will refuse to marry gay couples
20-Apr-2013:
Paris, France, Apr 19, 2013 / 04:12 pm (CNA).- A group of at least 14,900 French mayors has said it will not perform “gay marriages,” even if the government moves ahead with plans to legalize the practice.
The administration of French President Francois Hollande has put forth a measure that would legalize “gay marriage,” allow gay couples to receive medical treatment for artificial procreation and to adopt children.
“It is foolish to think that the mobilization of the elected mayors would stop if the law is passed,” said Franck Meyer, spokesman for the association Mayors for Children.
“As citizens, we elected officials will not give up,” he emphasized in statements to the media.
Meyer, who is mayor of Sotteville-sous-le-Val in northern France, observed that some of the mayors in the group have said they “would resign if the law is adopted,” while others “have said they will refuse” to perform marriage ceremonies for same-sex couples.
On April 12, the French Senate passed the measure sponsored by President Hollande, but it has yet to go before the French National Assembly.
The Senate adopted the measure despite massive opposition from the public, including a demonstration attended by an estimated one million French citizens through the streets of Paris calling for the measure to be voted down.
Nathalie de Williencourt, a French lesbian and founder of one of the largest homosexual associations in France, said in January that most homosexual individuals in the country do not want “gay marriage” or the right to adopt children.
“I am French, I am homosexual. The majority of homosexuals do not want either marriage or adoption, and we especially don’t want to be treated the same as heterosexuals because we are different,” she said. “We don’t want equality but we do want justice.”
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Pope says ideological interpretations 'falsify the Gospel'
19-Apr-2013:
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Catholic communities band together after tragedy in West, Texas
19-Apr-2013:
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Citing financial problems, Vatican withholds election-year staff bonus
19-Apr-2013:
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Vatican office works to create community of 'one heart'
19-Apr-2013:
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Catholic Charities leaders plead for needs of poor with Congress
19-Apr-2013:
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Former NBA player visits Swiss Guard basketball team
19-Apr-2013:
Vatican City, Apr 19, 2013 / 10:25 am (CNA/EWTN News).- The former Los Angeles Lakers player Vlade Divac was thrilled to meet with the Swiss Guard to discuss sports and learn about their work at the Vatican.
“I was very excited to be here, and they have a basketball team here with very tall people,” the 7-foot, 1-inch Divac joked in the Swiss Guard's barracks.
“I also told them that if they need a coach, I can help them out,” he told CNA April 18.
It was the first time the world-famous player met with members of the Pope's protective force. He came with his wife, Ana, and a small group of participants from the TEDx Conference on Religious Freedom, which is what brought him to town.
“They do a lot of hard work to protect the people at the Vatican,” remarked Divac from his seat atop a centuries old cannon. He was taking a break after a brief tour of their facilities and armory.
One of the Swiss guards, Corporal Urs Breitenmoser, said it was “very awesome and great fun” to receive the former professional basketball player at their barracks.
The guards have a small basketball team that plays once or twice a week against teams from around Rome. Corporal Breitenmoser is their center, the same position Divac played for 16 years in the NBA.
“I’m a big basketball fan and I’ve been following the NBA since the 90s, so I have a pretty good idea of what happened at that time and who Vlade Divac was,” he said.
“So for me it was an incredible personal meeting and for him also since he got to know the Swiss guards, our history, and to see how we do our service for the Holy Father.”
Divac gave Breitenmoser and nearly a dozen other off-duty guards an impromptu lesson on the hook shot. They also talked basketball and about his career at the Los Angeles Lakers and Sacramento Kings, as well as his “retired” life.
Divac is in Rome to speak alongside others, including singer Gloria Estefan, graffiti artist Mohammed Ali and Soumaya Slim, museum curator and daughter of the world’s richest man.
They are participating in an event called TEDxViadellaConciliazione. The "x" in the title indicates the meeting was organized independently of the TED organization, while the last half of the title refers to the main street that leads to the Vatican, where the event was held.
The TED concept -- which stands for Technology, Entertainment and Design -- began in 1984 and it is centered on inviting speakers to give talks on “ideas worth spreading” in 18 minutes or less.
Divac does not play for the Lakers anymore, but he is still involved in sports and is president of the Olympic Committee of Serbia, his homeland.
He now runs Humanitarian Organization Divac, a group that began helping civil war refugees and orphans find homes five years ago.
“We also work with the youth and help them achieve their dreams,” said Divac.
His foundation is currently raising money to help schools in Serbia. He hopes for the peaceful co-existence of people, regardless of religion.
“He is up there,” said Divac, “and we should do things better while we’re here.”
He mentioned that he would one day return to the Vatican and the Swiss Guard for a visit.
“They gave me a jersey with their logo, the number 21, and I promised them to give them an original jersey next time I come,” he said.
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Pope: answering God with the heart protects against ideologies
19-Apr-2013:
Vatican City, Apr 19, 2013 / 07:15 am (CNA/EWTN News).- Pope Francis spent his homily today reflecting on responding to God’s invitations with the heart and not just the intellect, since this leads to ideologies that falsify the Gospel and weigh down the Church.
“The ideologues falsify the gospel. Every ideological interpretation, wherever it comes from – from (whatever side) – is a falsification of the Gospel,” Pope Francis said April 19 at a Mass he celebrated for employees of the Vatican’s printing press and newspaper.
“And these ideologues, as we have seen in the history of the Church, end up being intellectuals without talent, ethicists without goodness – and let us not so much as mention beauty, of which they understand nothing,” he added.?
The Pope based his homily on today’s readings from the Acts of the Apostles and the Gospel of John.
The first reading, drawn from Acts, recalled the conversion of St. Paul on the Road to Damascus, while the Gospel was about Jesus telling the Jews in Capernaum’s synagogue that they would not have eternal life unless they ate his flesh and drank his blood.
Each time Jesus speaks, the Pope said, his voice “passes through our mind and goes to the heart, for Jesus seeks our conversion.”
The two main characters in the first reading, Paul and Ananias, respond like the great figures in salvation history, such as Jeremiah, Isaiah, Moses and Mary, he noted. ?
“It is the response of humility, of one who welcomes the Word of God with one’s heart.”
“But the doctors,” like those who heard Jesus speaking in the synagogue, “answered only with their heads. They do not know that the Word of God goes to the heart, (they) do not know of conversion.”??
“They are the ones who walk only ‘on the path of duty,’” theirs is the moralistic (outlook) of those who pretend to understand the Gospel with their heads alone,” the Pope explained.
However, he cautioned, they are not “on the road to conversion, that conversion to which Jesus calls us.”??
In fact, the moralists “load everything on the shoulders of the faithful. The ideologues falsify the gospel.”??
In contrast the Holy Father pointed to “the path of love, the way of the Gospel,” which “is simple” and is “the road that the saints understood.”??
Pope Francis finished his homily by encouraging all present to pray for the Church, “that the Lord might free her from any ideological interpretation and open the heart of the Church, our Mother Church, to the simple Gospel, to that pure Gospel that speaks to us of love, which brings love, and is so beautiful!
“It also makes us beautiful, with the beauty of holiness,” he said.
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Pope's Curia reform council reflects Church diversity
19-Apr-2013:
Vatican City, Apr 19, 2013 / 04:06 am (CNA/EWTN News).- The eight cardinals Pope Francis has chosen to advise him on church governance and reform of the Curia come from a variety of backgrounds and countries, bringing with them diverse views and realms of experience.
Paolo Gherri, a professor of theology and canon law at the Pontifical Lateran University, told CNA April 16 that he believes it is significant that only one advisor is Italian and all advisors are residential archbishops who do not work in the Roman Curia.
Gherri said the announcement of the advisory council shows that there is “a sort of think tank working on new guidelines of ecclesiastical policy.”
Bishop Marcello Semeraro of Albano, Italy – the group’s secretary – said that the choice of advisors from various parts of the world allows for “enriching and amplifying the forms of communion in the highest echelons of the church institutions,” the Washington Post reports.
The Roman Curia is the Vatican-based administration that helps the Pope carry out his ministry. It has long been the target of criticism for inefficiency and is sometimes accused of corruption.
Though Italians traditionally have disproportionately high representation in the Curia, only one of Pope Francis’ advisors is from Italy: Cardinal Giuseppe Bertello.
Cardinal Bertello is president of the Vatican City State governorate and a former apostolic nuncio to Rwanda, to the United Nations in Geneva, to Mexico, to Italy and to San Marino. He has been a cardinal since June 2012.
The only other advisor from Europe is Cardinal Reinhard Marx, Archbishop of Munich and Freising in Germany. He is the current president of the Commission of the Bishops’ Conferences of the European Community.
A cardinal since November 2010, he has served on the Congregation for Catholic Education, the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace, and the Congregation for the Oriental Churches.
Two advisors come from the English-speaking world.
Cardinal Sean O’Malley of Boston has spent much of his time as Archbishop of Boston helping the archdiocese to recover from the clergy sex abuse scandals that led to the resignation of his predecessor. He has been a cardinal since March 2006.
He is a member of the Congregation for the Clergy and of the Congregation for the Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life.
Cardinal George Pell, Archbishop of Sydney, Australia, has served on the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments and has been a member of the Pontifical Council for the Family and the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace. He has been a cardinal since October 2003.
In addition, two of the advisors are from Latin America.
Cardinal Francisco Javier Errazuriz Ossa is Archbishop emeritus of Santiago, Chile. He was president of the Latin American Episcopal Council (CELAM) from 2003-2007 and a past superior general of the Schoenstatt Movement. He has been a cardinal since 2001 and has served on the Pontifical Council for Culture and on the Congregation for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life.
He is joined by Cardinal Oscar Andres Rodriguez Maradiaga, Archbishop of Tegucigalpa, Honduras. Cardinal Maradiaga is a member of the Salesian religious order. He was president of CELAM from 1995-1999 and is currently the President of the Episcopal Conference of Honduras.
He has served on the Vatican Congregation for the Clergy, the Pontifical Council for Social Communications, the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace and the Pontifical Commission for Latin America.
In June 2007, he was elected President of Caritas Internationalis, a Catholic charitable agency that performs relief work around the world. He became a cardinal in February 2001.
The lone Asian voice on the council is Cardinal Oswald Gracias, Archbishop of Bombay, India. He has been a cardinal since 2008 and heads the Asian bishops’ conference. He has served on the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments, the Congregation for Catholic Education and the Pontifical Council for Social Communication.
The final advisor comes from Africa: Cardinal Laurent Monsengwo Pasinya, the Archbishop of Kinshasa in the Democratic Republic of Congo. A cardinal since November 2010, he has served on the Congregation for the Evangelization of peoples, the Pontifical Council for Culture and the Pontifical Council for Social Communications.
The advisory group will hold its first meeting Oct. 1-3. It will have no legislative ability but it will serve in an advisory capacity about curial issues.
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Italian bishops launch TV program on stunning cathedral
19-Apr-2013:
Rome, Italy, Apr 19, 2013 / 02:03 am (CNA).- The Italian bishops' conference have produced a twelve-part television series presenting the Creed from Sicily's Monreale cathedral, a 12th century church covered in rich mosaics which explain the faith.
“Step by step, from inside the cathedral, Fr. Innocenzo will unveil the 'spirit' of the images and therefore of the sacred narration, following the outline of the articles of the Creed,” wrote Sandro Magister in his April 18 post for the Italian magazine l'Espresso.
Magister is one of the creators of the program, called “The Creed in the Mosaics of Monreale.” It's first episode will air April 21 on TV 2000, the channel of the Italian bishops' conference.
Each 30-minute episode will air on Sundays, be streamed on the channel's website and will later be posted on Youtube.
An initiative for the Year of Faith, “The Creed in the Mosaics of Monreale” presents the twelve articles of faith as they are found in Catholic Creed, or profession of faith.
The series is presented by Father Innocenzo Gargano, a monk of the Camaldolese order and scholar of scripture and the Church fathers, and by Sara Magister, an art historian.
The Monreale Cathedral was begun near the end of the 12th century in a Romanesque style and is covered in Byzantine-style mosaics.
“The believers who over the past nine centuries had the opportunity to turn their gaze upward and admire the mosaics of the cathedral of Monreale were for the most part illiterate, but not for this reason fatally destined to remain in ignorance,” said the director of TV 2000, Dino Boffo.
“The nourishment of the faith came through the charm of the beautiful, of the majestic. 'One day we will look upon that beautiful face of the Risen One,' Pope Francis said to the cardinals who had just elected him.”
“And so, one foretaste of that unfathomable beauty is precisely in the vault of the apse of Monreale, where the mosaics that decorate the walls of the cathedral converge.”
The Monreale Cathedral is where Romano Guardini spent Holy Week in 1929, and he was struck by how the mosaics formed the faith of the city's inhabitants.
Guardini was a leader of the Liturgical Movement, an early 20th century effort which sought to help the faithful appreciate the beauty and mystery of the liturgy and to help the liturgy inform faith and the spiritual life.
He wrote that the Monreale Cathedral is “grandiose,” of “ineffable beauty,” and said “I am full of gratitude for its existence.”
“What should I say about the splendor of this place? At first, the visitor’s glance sees a basilica of harmonious proportions. Then it perceives a movement within its structure, which is enriched with something new, a desire for transcendence that moves through it to the point of passing beyond it; but all of this culminates in that splendid luminosity.”
He continued, saying that the cathedral's beauty inspired the prayerful participation in the liturgy which he so strongly advocated.
“The crowd sat and watched. The women were wearing veils… Almost no one was reading. All were living in the gaze, all engaged in contemplation. Then it it became clear to me what the foundation of real liturgical piety is: the capacity to find the 'sacred' within the image and its dynamism.”
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Battle with the devil: Pope Francis frames the fight in Jesuit terms
18-Apr-2013:
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Beyond medical help, physician-runner says spiritual help needed, too
18-Apr-2013:
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Pope phones Argentine shoemaker for shoe repairs
18-Apr-2013:
Vatican City, Apr 18, 2013 / 01:02 pm (CNA/EWTN News).- Pope Francis, who has quickly become known for his austere style, will continue using his simple black shoes and has called his shoemaker from his hometown of Buenos Aires, Argentina to repair them.
For 40 years, 81 year-old Carlos Samaria has provided shoes from his store on the outskirts of the Argentine capital for Pope Francis, who was known before his election to the papacy as Cardinal Jorge Bergoglio.
“Hello Samaria, it’s Bergoglio,” the phone conversation began.
“But who is this?” the shoemaker responded with surprise.
“Samaria, it's Francis, the Pope!” the Holy Father replied.
According to Vatican Radio’s Brazilian program, the Holy Father told Samaria, “No red shoes, make them black like usual.”
Samaria said the shoes Pope Francis wears “are simple and made of black leather, with a smooth toe and no decorations.
“If you were to grab one of the Pope’s shoes it would feel like a clog, without any adornment but with laces,” the shoemaker explained.
“He doesn’t want new shows, only that I fix his old ones,” Samaria said.
However, he added that he is planning to “make a new but simple pair to be ready for him when he says I can visit, in May.”
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Pope calls for prayers for victims of Texas factory explosion
18-Apr-2013:
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Pope: God is real, concrete person, not mysterious, intangible mist
18-Apr-2013:
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Pope uses Twitter to mobilize prayers for Texas victims
18-Apr-2013:
Vatican City, Apr 18, 2013 / 10:40 am (CNA/EWTN News).- Pope Francis tweeted a prayer request for the victims of a fertilizer plant explosion in Texas.
“Please join me in praying for the victims of the explosion in Texas and their families," he said on the English channel of his Twitter account, which uses the handle @Pontifex.
Between five and 15 people are believed to be dead and 160 injured in the explosion that took place Wednesday night near Waco, Texas.
Emergency services and rescue workers are still searching through smoldering ruins for missing firefighters and survivors of the huge blast.
The explosion happened at a fertilizer company just off the town of West, a small community of 2,300 people just 20 miles north of Waco.
First-responders were able to evacuate 133 residents of the West Rest Haven Nursing Home, some in wheelchairs, since they were at the plant fighting a fire, about 30 minutes before the deadly blast.
Authorities say 75 houses, several businesses and a 50-unit apartment complex were damaged.
Experts say it is possible that the highly explosive chemical ammonium nitrate, which can be used to make fertilizer, was being stored at the plant.
The U.S. Chemical Safety Board said it was sending a large team to investigate the incident.
The Pope has previously launched appeals at his weekly general audience and during his Sunday Angelus where thousands of pilgrims gather.
But his Dec. 12, 2012 Twitter debut gave the pontiff another venue for making his prayer requests or calls for peace when violence breaks out.
The account shows 18 posts since Pope Francis became the Successor of Peter on March 13, 2012.
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Without evangelization Church becomes babysitter, Pope warns
18-Apr-2013:
Vatican City, Apr 18, 2013 / 09:47 am (CNA/EWTN News).- If Catholics do not proclaim Jesus with their lives, then the Church becomes “not the mother, but the babysitter,” Pope Francis cautioned in a homily and a separate letter to his brother bishops in Argentina.
When believers share their faith, “the Church becomes a mother church that produces children (and more) children, because we, the children of the Church, we carry that. But when we do not, the Church is not the mother, but the babysitter, that takes care of the baby – to put the baby to sleep. It is a Church dormant,” Pope Francis stated.
The solution to this is “to proclaim Christ, to carry the Church – this fruitful motherhood of the Church – forward,” he said.
The Pope first mentioned the importance of being spiritually fruitful during the April 16 Mass he celebrated for employees of the Vatican’s Institute for Works of Religion in St. Martha’s residence.
He based his homily on a reading from the Acts of the Apostles, which recalled the lives of the first Christians.
“They left their homes,” he recalled, “they brought with them only few belongings, and going from place to place proclaiming the Word.
“They were a simple faithful, baptized just a year or so – but they had the courage to go and proclaim,” the Pope said.
?Pope Francis then turned to a point that he emphasized frequently in Buenos Aires.
The early Christians, he stressed, had nothing but “the power of baptism,” which “gave them apostolic courage, the strength of the Spirit.”
But, he asked, do Christians today really believe in the power of their baptism?
“Is it sufficient for evangelization? Or do we rather ‘hope’ that the priest should speak, that the bishop might speak?”
This way of seeing Christianity often carries with it the attitude of, ‘I was baptized, I made Confirmation, First Communion ... I have my identity card, alright.’ And now, go to sleep quietly, you are a Christian,” the Pope explained.
Instead, he said that believers must be “faithful to the Spirit, to proclaim Jesus with our lives, through our witness and our words.”??Pope Francis repeated this message in a letter he sent to his fellow Argentinian bishops who are meeting for their annual full assembly in Pilar, Argentina.
?“Mission,” he underlined, “is key to ministry.”
“A Church that does not go out of itself, sooner or later, sickens from the stale air of closed rooms,” the Pope wrote.
He acknowledged that in going out the Church runs risks, but “I prefer a thousand times over a Church of accidents than a sick Church.”
The Church, the Holy Father observed, typically suffers from being self-referential, only looking to and relying on itself.
This kind of self-centeredness “leads to a routine spirituality and convoluted clericalism” and prevents people from experiencing the sweet and comforting joy of evangelization, he warned.??
Pope Francis finished his letter by greeting the Argentinian people and asking his fellow bishops to pray “I do not grow proud and always know how to listen to what God wants and not what I want.”?
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Syrian patriarch asks Vatican to increase peace efforts
18-Apr-2013:
Rome, Italy, Apr 18, 2013 / 05:00 am (CNA/EWTN News).- The most powerful Catholic leader in Syria met Pope Francis today to ask the Vatican to get more involved in bringing peace to his tortured homeland.
“I think it’s time the Vatican plays a bigger role, when we hear about weapons here and there,” said Patriarch Gregory III Laham.
“We want to hear the voice of the Holy Father saying, ‘This is a sin, it is against humanity,’” he told reporters April 17 at Rome’s Basilica of Santa Maria in Cosmedin.
The Patriarch of Antioch, who is the spiritual leader of the Greek Melkite Catholic Church, said the voice of the Holy See “is now extremely important for us, both Christians and Muslims.”
His Church is in full communion with the Roman Catholic Church.
Patriarch Gregory said Orthodox Christians, Muslims and government leaders also want to meet with Pope Francis.
At the level of diplomacy, he hopes that whoever the next Vatican Secretary of State is will take “new actions.”
“I hope they have the gesture of sending a cardinal to Damascus to pray with us,” remarked Patriarch Gregory.
“We don’t want a protocol gesture, we want to shock the world by praying for peace,” he stated.
“The Vatican’s voice,” he underscored, “is especially important for the future of Syria.”
In addition to praying for peace, the patriarch called on Christians to stay in the Middle East, fearing that if they left, “Jesus would only be a myth” and people would no longer believe in him.
“The reason to remain in the Middle East is to live alongside Islam, because that is our role as Christians,” he told CNA at the press conference.
He recalled how on April 6 he prayed for three people who were killed in the fighting, two Christians and one Muslim, explaining that it was part of every day life.
Patriarch Gregory presided over a funeral in Saidnaya, Syria for a 26-year-old Catholic who was killed by the opposition.
Later in the day he presented his condolences to a 65-year-old Greek Orthodox and a 75-year-old Muslim, both killed in their own homes and, according to him, for no reason.
“There is a war without a face and warriors without faces,” he said, commenting on the absence of any apparent motive for the murders.
“There is a battle of armed people, bandits, opposition, groups from outside and inside, from east and west, and you don’t know with whom you have to do what,” he added.
According to the patriarch, “this is not a civil war, it is war” and he believes it is “a complot.”
“I don’t understand how Europe can allow this situation and send people to fight,” said the patriarch.
“You’re using the name of democracy and you’re sending warriors!” he remarked.
The patriarch wrote a letter to Pope Francis on March 29 appealing for greater support from the Vatican, and asking him to “come and be our cross.”
He also recalled how the Pope referred to his country as “beloved Syria,” saying it “touched all hearts of everyone including Christians, Muslims and the opposition and those are the kinds of words we like to hear.”
In his opinion, the “whole world is now thinking about weapons and not about dialogue.”
But Patriarch Gregory insisted “Syrians, despite two years of fighting, are still able to discuss with each other.”
“Syria is a battlefield,” he said. “You are in full security in every place and in danger in any place.”
According to the patriarch, 2 million Syrians have been forced to leave their homes, over 1,000 Christians have been killed and 20 churches have been destroyed.
“The biggest problem is that whole world is now occupied with deciding to take up arms, deliver more or less weapons to whom, where and how,” he said.
“The world has to think about peace and not about weapons,” Patriarch Gregory maintained.
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Protest launched over clerical sex abuse video game
18-Apr-2013:
Madrid, Spain, Apr 17, 2013 / 04:04 pm (CNA).- Spanish civil rights groups have launched a campaign calling for the removal of a video game based on clerical sex abuse, in which a Pope figure coordinates abuse and tries to avoid being caught by reporters.
The website HazteOir denounced the company RoundGames.com for its March 14 release of “Vatican Quest,” an arcade game that “mocks the underage victims of sexual abuse and brings the trend of slamming the Church and Catholics into the video game business.”
The video game is being distributed in Spain by Minijuegos.
“Vatican Quest belittles the tragedy of the sexual abuse of minors and mocks its victims” through “a for-profit game for computers and smartphones,” HazteOir said.
In the game, the character that represents Benedict XVI has to “bring children dressed as altar boys to cardinals who are waiting for them at the doors of the Vatican palace.”
“The cardinals take the children under their arms and disappear into a dark room, closing the doors behind them,” the website explained.
Benedict XVI’s opponents in the game are “reporters who investigate cases of sexual abuse in the Church.”
HazteOir is supporting human rights group Maslibres.org, which has launched a petition calling for the removal of the game.
“The ‘Vatican Quest’ game for computers and smartphones hurts many people like me for no reason, by portraying Pope-emeritus Benedict XVI as a pimp and the cardinals as pedophiles,” a spokesman of the group said.
“To reduce the tragedy of the sexual abuse of minors to a cartoon and to profit from it offends the victims and their families,” he explained. “Even satire against Christians and their institutions has a limit.”
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Nigerian bishops: Government should be wary of amnesty for Boko Haram
17-Apr-2013:
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Rejecting Holy Spirit's work in Vatican II is 'foolish,' Pope says
17-Apr-2013:
Vatican City, Apr 17, 2013 / 12:09 pm (CNA/EWTN News).- The work of the Holy Spirit at the Second Vatican Council is not yet finished, Pope Francis said, because many in the Church are unwilling to fully embrace what God inspired in the council fathers.
In his homily at an April 16 Mass at St. Martha’s Residence, the Pope observed that the Holy Spirit always “moves us, makes us walk and pushes the Church forward.”
However, he said, we often respond by saying, “Don’t bother us.”
“We want to put the Holy Spirit to sleep,” the Pontiff noted. “We want to ‘tame’ the Holy Spirit. And that doesn’t work, because He is God. He is the wind that comes and goes and we know not from where.”
“He is the strength of God, the one who gives us comfort and drives us to continue forward,” Pope Francis continued. But the idea of “going forward” is what often bothers us, because we want to “remain comfortable,” he explained.
“This temptation is still here today,” the Holy Father observed, pointing the Second Vatican Council as an example.
“The Council was a beautiful work of the Holy Spirit,” he stressed.
“But after 50 years have we done everything that the Holy Spirit told us at the Council?” he asked, questioning whether the Church currently contains the council’s “continuity of growth.”
“No,” he answered.
Some Catholics want to “build a monument” to the council without being willing to change, the Pope lamented. “And what’s more, there are some who want to turn back.”
“This is called being stubborn, this is called wanting to tame the Holy Spirit, this called being foolish and slow of heart,” he stressed.
The same thing happens with our own personal lives, the Holy Father continued, explaining that we often resist when “the Holy Spirit pushes us to take a more evangelical path.”
“Do not resist the Holy Spirit,” Pope Francis urged. “It is the Spirit that makes us free, with that freedom of Jesus, that freedom of the children of God!”
“This is the grace that I wish all of us would ask of the Lord: docility to the Holy Spirit, to that Spirit who comes to us and makes us advance down the path of holiness, that holiness of the Church that is so beautiful,” the Pope concluded.
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In China, young adults plan families based on own experiences as child
17-Apr-2013:
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Best defense against sin, temptation is Jesus, pope says at audience
17-Apr-2013:
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Failure to evangelize makes 'mother church' a 'baby sitter,' pope says
17-Apr-2013:
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Financial decisions key factor in Pope?s reform drive
17-Apr-2013:
Vatican City, Apr 17, 2013 / 09:26 am (CNA/EWTN News).- One month into his papacy, Pope Francis has made his first episcopal and administrative appointments and has met with heads of state and the faithful, but one decision that is likely to play a key role in his reform project will be how he deals with the Vatican’s financial operations.
As the Church’s cardinals were preparing to elect the next Pope one month ago, two of them suggested closing down the Institute for Works of Religion, because it has drawn negative media coverage in recent years.
But Pope Francis might not be inclined to take that path because of a financial mess he had to wade through in his former position as Archbishop of Buenos Aires.
A source familiar with the Vatican’s financial operations told CNA April 12 on the condition of anonymity that based on that experience, Pope Francis “should understand that the Holy See needs financial sovereignty, that is, the capacity to carry out its institutional works of religion and charity without the interference of foreign financial institutions.”
Alberto Barlocci, the long-time director of the Buenos Aires-based magazine Ciudad Nueva, explained in a late March interview that when the future Pope was appointed coadjutor Archbishop of Buenos Aires, he inherited “a diocese with a financial disease.”
In 1998, the administration of his predecessor, Cardinal Antonio Quarracino, was involved in trying to prevent the collapse of a bank in which it was a shareholder.
The cardinal’s secretary, Monsignor Roberto Marcial Toledo, signed an agreement in his boss’ name to obtain 10 million dollars from Sociedad Militar Seguro de Vida (Military Society Life Insurance). The archdiocese then gave the money to the cash-strapped Banco de Credito Provincial, which it held shares in.
But in spite of the injection of capital, the bank collapsed. In the midst of the investigation of the meltdown, Msgr. Toledo was imprisoned.
Then-Archbishop Bergoglio swiftly took responsibility for the financial turmoil in his archdiocese.
The key move, according to his former spokesman Federico Wals, was Archbishop Bergoglio deciding to sell off the archdiocese’s bank shares and to transfer its funds to international banks such as HSBC and UBS “as an ordinary client,” rather than as a partial owner.
Now that he is Pope, Francis will have to consider the idea of whether or not to shutter the Institute for Works of Religion, which receives and administers funds for charitable activities, especially in the developing world where the financial strength of institutions is not always robust.
At the moment, he still has not revealed what path he will choose, but before he makes makes any decision, its reasonable to expect that he will consult with the eight cardinals he has chosen to advise him.
Until now, he has met almost all the heads of the Vatican congregations but has only spoken with a few heads of the pontifical councils, which means a decision is not expected soon.
For its part, the cardinals’ council will not hold its first meeting until October, but Pope Francis is currently in touch with them, leaving open the possibility of a decision before the fall.
Any future decision on the Institute for Works of Religion is also clearly linked to the appointment of the new Secretary of State, who traditionally serves as the president of the commission of cardinals who oversee the institute.
New developments in the status of the institute also mean that the decision making process is still very fluid.
The Vatican’s commitment to financial transparency could soon result in another reform of its anti-money-laundering laws, according to a top official at the Secretariat of State who spoke to CNA April 10 on a condition of anonymity.
The state department source thinks “some novelties will come up” because “the Holy See asked the Council of Europe’s financial arm Moneyval to make a report wider than required.”
Moneyval is a committee that evaluates the adherence of member states to international standards for combating money laundering and the financing of terrorism.
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Jesus' Ascension means we are never alone, Pope says
17-Apr-2013:
Vatican City, Apr 17, 2013 / 05:56 am (CNA/EWTN News).- Pope Francis proclaimed “we are never alone” and that Jesus is our defender, as he reflected on the Ascension during his Wednesday general audience.
“We are never alone in our lives, we have this advocate who waits for us,” the Pope told tens of thousands of pilgrims gathered at Saint Peter’s Square to participate in the April 17 audience.
The Pope centered his teaching on the line from the Creed that says, "he ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father."
Pope Francis is continuing Benedict XVI’s practice of reflecting on the Catholic statement of belief at his weekly general audiences as part of the Year of Faith.
“We are never alone, the Crucified and Risen Lord guides us and there are many brothers and sisters with us,” he stated.
These Christians “live their faith every day and bring to the world the lordship of God’s love together with us, in silence and obscurity, in their family life and work, in their problems and difficulties, in their joys and hopes,” he said.
Jesus’ ascension in to heaven does not mean he is absent, Pope Francis asserted. Instead, it tells us that he is alive among us “in a new way.”
“The Ascension of Jesus into heaven then reveals to us this reality that is so comforting for our journey, (that) in Christ, true God and true man, our humanity was brought to God,” he remarked.
Jesus “has opened the passage up for us,” the Pope said, comparing Christ to a mountaineer who leads the climb up the rock face, has reached the summit and “draws us up to him leading us to God.”
“If we entrust our lives to him, if we let ourselves be guided by him we are sure to be in safe hands, in the hands of our Savior, our advocate,” the Pope said.
“Jesus is the only and eternal priest, who passed through death and the tomb, and rose again and ascended into Heaven,” he explained.
“He is with God the Father, where he always intercedes in our favor.”
Pope Francis noted that Jesus is no longer “in a definite place in the world as he was before the Ascension.”
“He is now in the lordship of God, present in all space and time, next to each of us.”
But the Pope underscored that entering “into the glory of God requires daily fidelity to his will, even when it requires sacrifice, when at times it requires us to change our plans.”
A prime example of how to be faithful to the Lord can be seen in Jesus’ ascension, which happened on the Mount of Olives, near the place where he had retired in prayer before his passion “to be in profound union with the Father.”
“Once again,” the Pope noted, “we see that prayer gives us the grace to live faithfully to the project of God.”
He advised the pilgrims to not be afraid to turn to Jesus with their fears and ask for his blessing and mercy.
“He always forgives us, he is our advocate, he always defends us (and) we must never forget this,” Pope Francis emphasized.
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Grand jury report likens Gosnell's clinic to a 'baby charnel house'
17-Apr-2013:
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Father of boy killed in bombings grateful for 'thoughts and prayers'
17-Apr-2013:
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Spring Hill College marks school's mention in Rev. King's famed letter
17-Apr-2013:
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Advisory group will not weaken Pope's power, analyst explains
16-Apr-2013:
Vatican City, Apr 16, 2013 / 01:28 pm (CNA/EWTN News).- Although some have worried Pope Francis’ creation of a group of cardinals to advise him means he is giving up some of his papal authority, an expert in Church law says a better description of the move is choosing the members of a cabinet.
Paolo Gherri, who teaches the Theology of Canon Law at the Pontifical Lateran University, told CNA in an April 16 interview that he believes Pope Francis “has in some ways chosen the ministers of his administration.”
“The eight cardinals are intended to decide the institutional-political line,” he asserted.
“After that, there will be probably a number of experts to determine the way this line can be put into effect.”
Gherri bases his analysis on a series of observations.
First of all, the choice of the commission is significant as far as Church policy is concerned.
All eight of the cardinals who were selected are residential archbishops, meaning that none of them work in the Roman Curia, the Vatican-based administration that assists the Pope in carrying out his ministry.
Also noteworthy is that only one of them is Italian – Cardinal Giuseppe Bertello – the head of the Vatican City State’s administration, and none of them is a canon law expert, which seems like a necessary skill for developing a reform plan.
It is also evident that “Pope Francis chose people with his same kind of approach,” Gherri said.
Their appointment is an “institutionalization” of a working group of like-minded prelates, he explained, adding that the move communicates “there is a sort of think tank working on new guidelines of ecclesiastical policy.”
But when it comes to how the reform will be carried out, no one is really sure what that will look like.
The debate on how to solve the Curia’s problems is split between those who maintain that the effort of the Holy See as an international body must not be underestimated, and those who underline that diplomacy is secondary and not part of announcing the Gospel.
The collaborator of a cardinal who took part in the conclave revealed in an April 15 conversation with CNA that “the pre-conclave meetings also dealt with the role and function of the Secretariat of State.”
According to the same source, some cardinals pushed for “a new organization to govern the Church.”
They proposed creating two papal secretaries: one that would handle the administration of the Church and one that would manage international relations and in some ways be detached from the central government of the Church.
Currently, the State Secretariat is divided into two sections: the Section for General Affairs and the Section for Relations with States, known as the First Section and Second Section, respectively.
Ways to improve the Curia’s efficiency were also suggested during the pre-conclave meetings.
Several sources agree that Cardinal Francesco Coccopalmerio, president of the Pontifical Council for Legislative Texts, put forth a proposal to create a moderator of the Curia (moderator curiae), a prelate who would identify inefficiencies within the Curia and work for a solution.
The idea was widely appreciated by the cardinals since many of them have experienced how slowly Rome responds to their requests and how the Curia’s bureaucracy can stall procedures for months.
But Gherri cautioned that it is “not time to outline how the eight cardinals on the advisory board will act” to reform the Curia, and what their meeting will be about.
The Pope “can bring into effect the Curia reform through an infinite range of jurisdictional choices,” Gherri explained.
“He could write a four-line motu proprio letter abolishing the current form of the Roman Curia or he could issue a more structured apostolic pastoral constitution that “rearranges the whole ‘geography’ of the offices.”
The eight cardinals will have their first meeting with Pope Francis on October 1.
In the meantime, the Vatican’s April 13 official communiqué on the group underlined that the Pope is keeping in touch with them.
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Benedict XVI receives birthday greetings from Pope Francis
16-Apr-2013:
Vatican City, Apr 16, 2013 / 12:02 pm (CNA/EWTN News).- Pope Francis made a phone call on the morning of April 16 to wish a happy 86th birthday to his predecessor, Benedict XVI.
The Holy Father also sent greetings to Benedict’s brother, Msgr. Georg Ratzinger, who has been at Castel Gandolfo with the retired Pope for several days.
Both Pope Francis – formerly Cardinal Jorge Bergoglio – and Msgr. Ratzinger will celebrate the feast day of their namesake, St. George, on April 23.
The Pope also remembered his predecessor at morning Mass in the chapel of the Domus Sanctae Marthae.
“Today is Benedict XVI's birthday,” he said as he began the celebration of the Mass, inviting attendees to pray for the retired Pontiff.
“We offer the Mass for him, so that the Lord be with him, comfort him, and give him much consolation,” Pope Francis said.
Pope Benedict announced on Feb. 11 that he would be resigning from the papacy at the end of the month due to old age and declining strength. Pope Francis was elected as the new Pontiff on March 13.
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Vatican unveils plans for International Family Center in Nazareth
16-Apr-2013:
Vatican City, Apr 16, 2013 / 10:54 am (CNA/EWTN News).- The Vatican is moving ahead with plans to build the International Family Center in Nazareth, a complex that will include a church, meeting spaces, a hotel for visitors and play areas for children, all as part of an effort to build up the family in the Holy Land.
The project was presented April 16 at a Vatican press conference by Archbishop Vincenzo Paglia of the Pontifical Council for the Family, Salvatore Martinez from the Renewal in the Holy Spirit movement, and Auxiliary Bishop Giacinto-Boulos Marcuzzo of the Latin Rite in Jerusalem.
“There are places, endowed with an extraordinary evocative and symbolic strength. Nazareth is one of those. It is the place where Jesus grew up,” where his house and family were, Archbishop Paglia said as he emphasized some of the reasons for choosing Nazareth as the location.
“It is a land—today even more than at his time—full of tension and pain. But perhaps precisely because of this, it is a land that more than any other claims the right to peace and universal brotherhood. … Christian families can become co-authors of this dream,” the archbishop stated.
Salvatore Martinez, who is the national president of Renewal in the Holy Spirit, hopes that the center will “become a privileged place for spreading the 'Gospel of the Family,' a 'showcase' of all the beautiful, the good, the true, and the just that the family offers and witnesses to in the world.”
The project took a major step in October 2012 when Pope Benedict XVI officially erected a foundation based in Vatican City by the same name, giving it the legal status it needed to proceed. The International Family Center in Nazareth Foundation was officially launched under the auspices of the Pontifical Council for the Family on Jan. 18, 2013.
The center will be built on a hill that overlooks the city and the Basilica of the Annunciation. The Holy See already owns some of the land that will be used, while another parcel will have to be purchased.
The total cost of the project is estimated to be 12 million euro (15.75 million dollars).
Once it is fully operational the family center will have a 500-seat auditorium, a diocesan pastoral center, meeting and study rooms, a 500-seat church, lodging for a residential community, a 100-room hotel with a restaurant designed to accommodate families, a playground and an outdoor children's entertainment area.
Archbishop Paglia described the center’s mission as being a place that encourages the spirituality of the family, provides formation of parental and family life and helps families prepare to engage in the New Evangelization.
“It will be a permanent observatory of study on family ministry in the world, especially in the Holy Land and the Middle East. … And it will be a material support to families in need, especially in the Holy Land, through international fund raising projects,” he added.
At the press conference, Martinez also announced the launch of the Portal of the Family, an online site developed under the concept of a “gift economy.”
The portal aims to provide a wide range of free services from doctors, psychologists, economists, lawyers, educators and priests who will interact with families to support grandparents, parents and children in their Christian lives. It will only be available in Italian at first but other languages, including English, are planned for the future.
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Pope offers prayers for victims, first responders in Boston
16-Apr-2013:
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Pope's G-8: Troubleshooters, outspoken leaders will help reform curia
16-Apr-2013:
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Pope Francis says Catholics still need to enact teachings of Vatican II
16-Apr-2013:
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Pope Francis wishes Pope Benedict happy birthday
16-Apr-2013:
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Boston cardinal says all feel 'deep sorrow' for victims of explosions
16-Apr-2013:
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Pope urges Bostonians to combat evil with good
16-Apr-2013:
Vatican City, Apr 16, 2013 / 06:46 am (CNA/EWTN News).- Pope Francis is praying for those affected by the Boston Marathon bombing and encouraging them not to be overcome by evil but fight it with good.
“At this time of mourning the Holy Father prays that all Bostonians will be united in a resolve not to be overcome by evil, but to combat evil with good, working together to build an ever more just, free and secure society for generations yet to come,” reads a message sent to Cardinal Seán P. O’Malley of Boston on behalf of the Pope.
According to the April 16 message, Pope Francis is “deeply grieved by news of the loss of life and grave injuries” caused by the act of violence perpetrated last evening in Boston.”
The attack occurred on Monday evening during the annual Boston Marathon, one of the oldest and most prestigious races in the world.
Two blasts rocked the area around the finish line, about four hours after the contest began. This year’s race had around 23,000 people registered.
Hospitals reported at least 141 people injured, and at least 17 of them critically.
The explosions took the lives of three people, which according to the Boston Globe included Martin Richards, an 8-year-old boy who had come with his mother and sister to watch his dad complete the race.
The Pope’s message, sent via Secretary of State Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, said that the Holy Father “invokes God’s peace upon the dead, his consolation upon the suffering and his strength upon all those engaged in the continuing work of relief and response."
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Vatican plans huge pro-life, evangelization gathering
16-Apr-2013:
Vatican City, Apr 15, 2013 / 05:03 pm (CNA/EWTN News).- A major highlight for the Year of Faith will be a two-day celebration in Rome on the Church’s teaching about the dignity of life and how it fits with the New Evangelization.
Father Geno Sylva, the English-language official for the Pontifical Council for Promoting New Evangelization, hopes the event will speak so clearly to the secular world that it is “going to have to listen and say, ‘well, there is a culture of life coming out of the Church.’”
The June 15-16 international gathering will begin on Saturday morning with a catechesis session on “The Gospel of Life and the New Evangelization.”
The event will “explore the enduring and timeless truths of Blessed John Paul II's 1995 encyclical, ‘Evangelium Vitae,’ and the central role that the Gospel of Life continues to have in the Church's mission of the New Evangelization,” according to organizers.
Fr. Sylva explained in an April 12 interview with CNA/EWTN News that it’s important for people to realize that the teaching moments are to help them “understand our faith, what are the reasons why we believe.”
“So, when they come here, we’re hoping that their minds are touched as well as their hearts,” he said.
Cardinal Séan O’Malley of Boston will be offering his reflections for English speakers at the Pontifical Urbanian College, followed by a discussion panel with Prof. Francis Beckwith and Robert Royal.
The presence of Cardinal O’Malley is significant because he is the head of the U.S. bishops pro-life committee. But his profile jumped even higher when Pope Francis named him April 13 as one of eight cardinals who will advise him on reforming the Church’s central administration.
On Saturday afternoon and evening, pilgrims will have the chance to visit the tomb of St. Peter, adore the Blessed Sacrament, receive the Sacrament of Reconciliation, and process down the main street leading to St. Peter’s Basilica in a candlelight vigil.
The weekend will finish with a Mass presided over by Pope Francis in St. Peter’s Square on Sunday morning.
But the Gospel of Life weekend is not all the pontifical council has planned for the Year of Faith, which will finish on Nov. 24, 2013.
Another international event is planned for the Feast of Corpus Christi on June 2. The celebration is being designed so that as many people as possible can participate, even if they cannot be present in Rome.
Pope Francis will lead an hour of Eucharistic Adoration at 5:00 p.m. Rome time in St. Peter’s Basilica. Each bishop around the world is also being invited to simultaneously preside over a Holy Hour for the feast.
Between July 4 and 7, seminarians, novices and those discerning their vocation are being invited to attend a gathering that gives them the chance to pray in front of St. Peter’s tomb and experience the universal nature of the Church.
Looking ahead to the fall, Fr. Sylva highlighted the “wonderful” events the council has planned for catechists, families and a celebration of Mary.
For more information on the Year of Faith events, please visit www.annusfidei.va.
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Religious leaders mark 50th anniversary of famed King letter from jail
15-Apr-2013:
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Pope names international panel of cardinals to advise on Vatican reform
15-Apr-2013:
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Christian credibility undermined by hypocrisy, pope says
15-Apr-2013:
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Pope Francis reaffirms Vatican's call for reform of U.S. nuns' group
15-Apr-2013:
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North American College breaks ground on 10-story building
15-Apr-2013:
Rome, Italy, Apr 15, 2013 / 08:29 am (CNA/EWTN News).- Seminarians filled the North American College with strains of “Holy God We Praise Thy Name” as they took part in the groundbreaking ceremony for a new 10-story structure.
“Things have gone so well in the last decades, that we need more space and it’s wonderful,” Archbishop John J. Meyers of Newark explained to CNA April 12 after he led the ceremony.
James and Miriam Mulva of Bartlesville, Okla. donated $8.5 million to fund the $7-million building and a technology upgrade for the seminary’s two campuses.
The Mulvas, their son Jonathan, Cardinal Edwin O’Brien, Archbishop Meyers and the college’s rector, Monsignor James F. Checchio, all joined in breaking the ground for the new addition.
“We’ve been blessed in so many ways and we have a firm belief that it’s important to give back in every way you possibly can,” James Mulva commented.
“We feel so strongly about the Church and about youth and education. So, what better project, what better initiative could we do than to support this new facility for the North American college,” he said.
The 36,000-square-foot building will be home to four new classrooms equipped with the latest technology, which will also give the college the space it needs for the 250 students it has.
The 10-story tower will also feature a new Blessed Sacrament Chapel, rooms for learning to preach, celebrate Mass and the sacraments.
The top floor of the new addition will offer the seminarians a quiet, well-lit space for reading and study, or a view of St. Peter’s Basilica if their minds wander.
Msgr. Checchio described the launch of the project as “a great day for the North American College and for the Church Universal.”
“Certainly the work of forming new priests is foundational for the Church and the future of the Church. And this building will be not only to provide for the needs of the college now but for the needs for many years to come,” he added.
Archbishop Myers, who is the head of the seminary’s board of governors, highlighted the spiritual impact of the new facility.
“Our previous Pope, Benedict, kept calling for us to internalize the faith.
“The interior life was really what it was all about, and with the chapel and also the prayer space in this facility, they will be encouraged even more to grow in their life of prayer and in their interior life,” the archbishop observed.
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Pope backs reform of US sisters' leadership conference
15-Apr-2013:
Vatican City, Apr 15, 2013 / 07:02 am (CNA/EWTN News).- Pope Francis has reaffirmed the Vatican’s assessment of the Leadership Conference of Women Religious, which found it had “serious doctrinal problems” and needed to be reformed.
Archbishop Gerhard L. Müller, the prefect for the Vatican’s doctrine congregation, met in Rome with conference president Sister Florence Deacon on April 15, along with Archbishop J. Peter Sartain of Seattle, who was named to carry out the reform of the group.
Archbishop Müller told Sr. Deacon that he “recently discussed the Doctrinal Assessment with Pope Francis, who reaffirmed the findings of the Assessment and the program of reform for this Conference of Major Superiors,” an April 15 statement from the congregation said.
“It is the sincere desire of the Holy See that this meeting may help to promote the integral witness of women Religious,” the communiqué stated, and this requires “a firm foundation of faith and Christian love, so as to preserve and strengthen it for the enrichment of the Church and society for generations to come.”
Since it was his first time meeting with the leadership of the group, Archbishop Müller thanked the sisters for their “great contribution” to the Church in the United States, “as seen particularly in the many schools, hospitals, and institutions of support for the poor” that have been founded and staffed by religious.
He also “emphasized that a Conference of Major Superiors, such as the LCWR, exists in order to promote common efforts among its member institutes as well as cooperation with the local Conference of Bishops and with individual Bishops.
“For this reason, such Conferences are constituted by and remain under the direction of the Holy See,” he stated, citing canons 708-709.
On April 18, 2012, the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith revealed the findings a four-year doctrinal assessment of the conference, which found “serious doctrinal problems” and the need for reform.
It cited letters from LCWR officers as well as presentations sponsored by the conference which exhibited “radical feminist themes incompatible with the Catholic faith” and dissent from Church teaching on topics including the sacramental male priesthood and homosexuality.
The assessment also noted that while the group adamantly promotes social justice issues, it largely ignores matters of life, marriage and sexuality, which have played a large role in recent public debates.
The leadership conference responded June 1 to the assessment, describing it as being “based on unsubstantiated accusations” and using “a flawed process that lacked transparency.”
At the same time that it announced its findings, the Vatican placed Archbishop Sartain in charge of carrying out a reform of the group.
He has a five-year mandate to help the conference revise its statues and review its connections to affiliated organizations. In addition, he will help create a new formation program to offer a deeper understanding of Church teaching and will be responsible for approving future speakers and presentations at the organization’s assemblies.
Composed of some 1,500 members, the LCWR consists of about three percent of the 57,000 women religious in the U.S. Because its members are leaders of their religious communities, the group says that it represents 80 percent of American sisters. The average age of its members is 74.
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Sacrifice necessary for Christian life, Pope teaches
14-Apr-2013:
Rome, Italy, Apr 14, 2013 / 12:03 pm (CNA/EWTN News).- Pope Francis delved deeper into the readings for the Third Sunday of Eater, highlighting proclamation, witness and worship as essential to the Faith, while also recognizing those who suffer for Christ in the world today.
While speaking of the First Reading, the Pope said “what strikes us is the strength of Peter and the Apostles” during his April 14 homily as he celebrated Mass at the Papal Basilica of St. Paul Outside the Walls.
Although they were ordered to be silent and not teach about the Risen Lord, the Apostles replied “We must obey God rather than men.”
Even in the face of violence and imprisonment, they “proclaim courageously, fearlessly” the Gospel of Jesus, the Pope said.
“And we? Are we capable of bringing the word of God into the environment in which we live?” Pope Francis asked.
He explained that, “Faith is born from listening, and is strengthened by proclamation.”
He likened the testimony of faith to a “great fresco” that is made up of “a variety of colors and shades,” all of which are “important, even those which do not stand out.”
“In God’s great plan, every detail is important, even yours, even my humble little witness, even the hidden witness of those who live their faith with simplicity in everyday family relationships, work relationships, friendships.”
He said that while the world is filled with “hidden” saints in the “middle class of holiness” in which “we can all belong,” many Christians throughout the world are suffering like Peter and the Apostles.
Whichever way we are called to follow Christ, the Holy Father said, we must remember “one cannot proclaim the Gospel of Jesus without the tangible witness of one’s life.”
The Pope explained that “proclamation and witness” are only possible if we recognize Christ since he is the one who chose us and is calling us out.
As Christians, we must live out an intimate and “intense relationship with Jesus” that comes from recognizing and worshiping Jesus as “the Lord.”
He posed the question of whether or not we worship the Lord. “Do we turn to God only to ask him for things, to thank him?” Or rather, do we “also turn to him to worship him?”
He explained that worshipping God “means learning to be with him” and not simply “trying to dialogue with him,” but rather, “sensing that his presence is the most true, the most good, the most important thing of all.”
In all of our lives, Pope Francis said, we either consciously or unconsciously “have a very clear order of priority concerning the things we consider important.”
“Worshipping the Lord,” he explained, “means giving him the place that he must have.”
Rather than clinging to the “many small or great idols” in our lives “on which we often seek to base our security,” Christians must strip ourselves of idols, “even the most hidden ones,” and choose God as the “center” or the “highway of our lives.”
The Holy Father asked for the intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary and Saint Paul to “help us on this journey.”
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Pope prays for courage, comfort in the Church
14-Apr-2013:
Vatican City, Apr 14, 2013 / 10:24 am (CNA/EWTN News).- Pope Francis encouraged the Church to proclaim the Gospel with “frankness and courage” and prayed for persecuted Christians worldwide in his Sunday address at St. Peter’s Square.
In his Regina Caeli address before more than 80 thousand people, the Holy Father summarized a passage from the Acts of the Apostles while explaining that its contents are relevant for everyone, especially for those persecuted for their belief in Christ.
He drew attention to one of the readings for the Third Sunday of Easter, Acts 5:27-32; 40B-41, in which the Apostles’ first preaching in Jerusalem “filled the cities with the news that Jesus truly had risen” despite attempts by the authorities to silence them by imprisonment and scourging.
In addition to that opposition, the Apostles, Pope Francis noted, were not well-educated, but rather “simple” men.
Nonetheless, they were successful in their testimony of the Risen Lord because of the Holy Spirit.
“Only the presence of the Risen Lord with them, and the action of the Holy Spirit can explain this. It was the Lord, who was with them, and the Spirit, who moved them to preach,” he said.
He explained that their encounter with Christ was “so powerful and personal” that they did not fear persecution and even saw it as a “badge of honor.”
The Holy Father said that this episode tells us something very important, which applies “to the Church in every age, and so to us.”
The Apostles’ example teaches us that “when a person truly knows Jesus Christ and believes in Him, one experiences His presence and the power of His Resurrection in one’s life, and one cannot help but communicate this experience.”
Overall, if a Christian “encounters misunderstanding or adversity, one behaves like Jesus in His Passion: one responds with love and with the power of truth.”
This teaching is especially relevant to the “many Christians who suffer persecution in many, many countries” throughout the world today.
The Pope asked for the Blessed Mother’s intercession that the Church would proclaim the Gospel with “frankness and courage” while bearing witness through “signs of brotherly love.”
He asked the Church to pray for our persecuted brothers and sisters “from our heart” that they could “feel the living and comforting presence of the Risen Lord.”
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Pope appoints advisors for Curia reform
13-Apr-2013:
Vatican City, Apr 13, 2013 / 09:08 am (CNA/EWTN News).- In response to suggestions during talks leading up to the papal conclave, Pope Francis has appointed advisors for governing the Church and reforming the Curia, the Vatican said.
Eight cardinals from all over the globe will serve to advise the Pope in “the government of the universal Church” and will “study a plan for revising” the Curia, the Vatican announced April 13.
Those selected for the group are Cardinals Giuseppe Bertello, president of the Vatican City State governante; Francisco Javier Errazuriz Ossa, Archbishop emeritus of Santiago, Chile; Oswald Gracias, Archbishop of Bombay, India; Reinhard Marx, Archbishop of Munich and Freising, Germany; Laurent Monsengwo Pasinya, Archbishop of Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo; Sean O’Malley, Archbishop of Boston, United States; George Pell, Archbishop of Sydney, Australia; and Oscar Andres Rodriguez Maradiaga, Archbishop of Tegucigalpa, Honduras.
Bishop Marcello Semeraro of Albano, Italy will serve as the group’s secretary.
This announcement comes one month after the Holy Father’s election, Vatican Press director, Fr. Federico Lombardi, noted during a briefing saying that the decision shows that Pope Francis “listens attentively” to suggestions of the College of Cardinals.
The group will first meet Oct. 1-3, though the Holy Father is already in touch with all the appointed cardinals.
The group will not have any legislative ability, but will rather serve to advise the Holy Father on governing the Church and revising the Apostolic Constitution on the Roman Curia Pastor bonus, or Church hierarchy.
The group will not interfere with the normal functions of the Roman Curia, the Vatican said.
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At 50, 'Pacem in Terris' guides 21st-century peacebuilding efforts
13-Apr-2013:
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St. Paul Outside the Walls: monument to a church of evangelization
12-Apr-2013:
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North American College breaks ground for $7 million expansion
12-Apr-2013:
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Vatican honors boy for courage during trachea transplant
12-Apr-2013:
Vatican City, Apr 12, 2013 / 11:13 am (CNA/EWTN News).- During the Second International Adult Stem Cell conference at the Vatican, a boy who had his windpipe replaced with one grown using his own stem cells won the “Pontifical Hero Award” for his courage.
Ciaran Finn-Lynch, 14, was the second person to receive the award, and he made the trip from Northern Ireland to the Vatican to receive it.
“Ciaran is a shining example of what this result has shown,” said his father, Paul Finn, in an April 12 interview with CNA.
His mother, Colleen Finn, said “we need to have faith in God to get through all of this.”
“This has made our faith stronger because we need more and more prayers all the time,” she added.
Ciaran was born with long-segment tracheal stenosis, a condition that resulted in a narrow windpipe and made it hard for him to breathe.
He had a major transplant surgery to rebuild his trachea when he was two years-old.
Doctors placed metal stents to hold his windpipe open and he went without any major issues until he was 10 years-old.
One day after school, the stents that had been placed in his windpipe started to cut into his aorta, the main blood vessel coming out of his heart.
He was taken to intensive care at Belfast Hospital and then later transferred to London’s Great Ormond Children’s Hospital.
“He had several operations but he had more bleeding from his stents,” said Doctor Paolo De Coppi, head of the surgery unit at University College London’s Institute of Child Health, during the April 12 morning session of the conference.
“The leader of our team didn’t know what to do next, but an option was to do an operation done before on an adult in Barcelona. But we didn’t have the time to do that,” De Coppi explained.
“But we did something similar and it was a quite difficult operation,” he said.
The operation involved taking a donor trachea and seeding it with stem cells taken from Ciaran’s bone marrow.
The result of the procedure was that after six months, his trachea looked almost normal.
“Ciaran is doing really well and I think he has a chance to become a rock star, since he plays the drums so well,” De Coppi commented after showing a video of Ciaran playing with a band.
Ciaran told CNA that it felt good to receive the award and that he was happy with his life.
His father noted that the stem cells “have been a great contribution to Ciaran’s procedure.”
“What we’ve heard here these last couple of days (at the conference) has been amazing, knowing they’re talking about building other organs,” Paul Finn said.
Ciaran’s mother noted that she was happy that her son is not on any medication, since the operation used his own cells, preventing the need for anti-rejection drugs.
“You just have to keep going on for him, and you can’t show that you’re scared or teary and you just have to put a brave face on,” said Colleen.
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Growing presence demands increased responsibilities, say Latino leaders
12-Apr-2013:
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To understand Bible, one must understand its nature, pope says
12-Apr-2013:
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Pope personally thanks State department for overtime
12-Apr-2013:
Vatican City, Apr 12, 2013 / 09:24 am (CNA/EWTN News).- The last month of papal transition meant that the employees of the Vatican’s Secretariat of State worked long hours, so Pope Francis decided that he would offer his heartfelt thanks by making a personal visit.
“Why am I here today? To thank you, because I know that these days - tomorrow marks one month - you have worked a lot more, many hours more, and that you are not paid for this, because you have worked with your heart and this can only be repaid with a ‘thank you’ but a ‘thank you’ from the heart,” Pope Francis told the 300 employees who gathered in the department’s library.
He emphasized that he wanted to personally convey his gratitude, saying, “Thank you very much, from my heart. Thank you.”?
On Saturday, April 13 it will be one month since Pope Francis was elected to succeed Benedict XVI.
So the day before that anniversary, Pope Francis visited the two sections of the Holy See’s state department, General Affairs and Relations with States.
?The secretariat is currently headed by Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, who welcomed the Pope to the April 11 assembly by saying that the staff is “very pleased with this exceptional visit to the headquarters of the Secretariat of State.”
Cardinal Bertone described the staff as “the great family of your closest collaborators” and pointed out that it is comprised of priests, religious, and lay men and women.??After the short exchange of remarks and a papal blessing, the Holy Father individually greeted the 300 workers.
The 50-minute encounter was significant because the secretariat is the most powerful Vatican department and is part of the Roman Curia that the cardinals spoke about reforming before the conclave that elected Pope Francis.
He is expected to replace Cardinal Bertone as Secretary of State, but that decision is not expected to be made until May, at the earliest because the cardinal is scheduled to ordain new bishops on April 27.?
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'Shepherd in combat boots' awarded Medal of Honor for Korean service
12-Apr-2013:
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Chaplain deserves 'about three or four' Medals of Honor, say veterans
11-Apr-2013:
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Immigration rally cries out to Congress to fix range of problems
11-Apr-2013:
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Vatican office looks at challenges facing couples from different faiths
11-Apr-2013:
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Adult stem cells helping teen with 'brittle bone disease' grow
11-Apr-2013:
Vatican City, Apr 11, 2013 / 10:45 am (CNA/EWTN News).- A girl whose bones used to break every two months was awarded for her courage in successfully battling her disease during a stem cell research conference at the Vatican.
“It feels amazing to win an award like this,” said Elizabeth Lobato, who was given the Pontifical Hero Award April 11 at the Second International Adult Stem Cell Conference in Vatican City.
“I heard I was the first to get this award from Rome and that’s awesome,” said the 14-year-old in an interview with CNA.
Elizabeth was diagnosed with osteogenesis imperfecta, commonly known as brittle bone disease, when she was just 10 months old. People affected by illness – which is caused by a genetic defect – often suffer from muscle weakness, hearing loss, loose joints, curved bones, scoliosis, brittle teeth and short stature.
But the teenager has grown over 13 inches since she began the adult stem cell treatment that involves her receiving bone marrow-derived stem cells from her father.
The teenager, still small for her age and currently in a wheelchair, is in Rome with her parents attending a conference promoting adult stem cell research.
The conference began April 11 at the Vatican’s New Synod Hall under the co-sponsorship of the Pontifical Council for Culture and the New York City-based Stem for Life Foundation.
The first gathering was held back in Nov. 2011, but as the group of physicians, philanthropists and patients assembled in the Vatican hall today, the sense of excitement was palpable.
“Since then it seems the entire world has awakened to a simple reality that adult stem cell therapies have the potential to usher in a new era of health and healing,” said Doctor Robin Smith, chairman and president of the Stem for Life Foundation.
“Adult stem cell therapies hold the promise to vanish countless diseases and dangerous medical conditions, to turn the tide of human suffering, to transform modern-day health care from one that focuses on managing symptoms to one that develops cures,” she said.
Smith added that in the past 17 months there have been thousands of news stories about “breakthrough treatments using adult stem cell research.”
“People have discovered that there already are replacement bladders, tracheas, and skin in a lab,” she explained.
“There are fortunate individuals who have received these precious replacements for organs by participating in clinical trials.”
Elizabeth’s mother called her “a fighter since the moment she was born.”
“I don’t know if I can find the right words to express seeing your child ill from birth and not being able to do the things children her age can do and should be able to do,” said Mary Lobato.
“Now she can spend the day with her friends without us being there, and she spent a week out of town without us. So it’s nice to see her progressing as it should be.”
Terry Lobato, Elizabeth’s father, also underscored that the family is against stem cell research performed using embryos.
“Our faith is very strong, my wife and I were both raised as Catholics and we both believe in God, so that’s why we would never go to embryonic,” he explained.
“As her parents we would do anything for her, we would give our life for our daughter, but we couldn’t ask that of anyone else,” he remarked.
Reflecting on some of the sacrifices involved in caring for his daughter, Terry Lobato said he was “the fortunate one” to be able to give Elizabeth his stem cells, adding that “it is working and she is growing.”
Before finishing the interview, Elizabeth offered some advice to other children suffering with the same disease.
“I would tell them to just never give up, that there is always something, ” she said, with a smile on her face.
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Pope thanks U.S. foundation for fight against poverty, work for peace
11-Apr-2013:
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Pope thanks foundation for fighting material, spiritual poverty
11-Apr-2013:
Vatican City, Apr 11, 2013 / 08:55 am (CNA/EWTN News).- Pope Francis told members of The Papal Foundation that their contributions are helping combat “the many forms of material and spiritual poverty” present throughout the world.
“The needs of God’s people throughout the world are great, and your efforts to advance the Church’s mission are helping to fight the many forms of material and spiritual poverty present in our human family, and to contribute to the growth of fraternity and peace,” the Pope said April 11 in the Vatican’s Clementine Hall.
This year around 100 members of the Philadelphia-based foundation traveled to Rome during the week after Easter to present Pope Francis with their annual contribution.
They were able to present him with an $8.6 million donation, which he will be able to use during the coming year for his charitable activities.
Cardinal Donald W. Wuerl, president of the foundation, has been leading the pilgrimage to Rome, and he highlighted the connection between the Pope’s emphasis on the poor and the foundation.
“From the first day of his election, Pope Francis has reminded us of the Church’s fundamental responsibility to the poor and marginalized,” the cardinal said in an April 11 press release.
William Canny, the foundation’s Chief Operating Officer, pointed out that the annual pilgrimage is “always a deeply spiritual experience, but this year we were especially blessed to have a private audience with Pope Francis as he sets the course for his papacy.
“These are exciting, hope-filled days for the Church, and for a world in need,” Canny stated.
During today’s audience, Pope Francis recalled that over the last 25 years the foundation has “helped the Successor of Saint Peter by supporting a number of apostolates and charities especially close to his heart.”
The donations from the foundation have helped fund the formation of clergy and religious, provided shelter for the homeless, offered medical assistance and care for the poor and needy, and created educational and employment opportunities.
Father Patrick Okoye, a priest of the Diocese of Awka in Nigeria, is one recipient of a Papal Foundation scholarship, which has made it possible for him to study spirituality at the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome.
In an April 10 interview with CNA he said that The Papal Foundation “has changed my life, brought a new geography, and I feel a more deep sense of commitment to the Church, and to give back what has been given to me generously.”
The foundation, Fr. Okoye reflected, has provided him with a “great community of love” where he has met many priests, nuns and other people who have been blessed to receive the financial help they needed.
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With Pope Francis, the 'great continental mission' goes global
10-Apr-2013:
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Vatican spokesman denies report that Benedict XVI is ill
10-Apr-2013:
Vatican City, Apr 10, 2013 / 12:28 pm (CNA/EWTN News).- Vatican spokesman Father Federico Lombardi says that contrary to a report in the Spanish daily El Mundo, the Bishop-emeritus of Rome, Benedict XVI, is not suffering from any illness.
The report in El Mundo by Rocio Galvan quotes statements made by Spanish Vaticanista Paloma Gomez-Borrero in Madrid during the presentation of her most recent book.
“Benedict XVI has something very serious. In 15 days his physical condition has deteriorated tremendously, that’s the news I have,” Gomez-Borrero said.
In comments to CNA on April 10, however, Fr. Lombardi underscored that Benedict XVI “does not have any illness” and that “this has been certified by his doctors.”
He said he was saddened by Gomez-Borrero's comments and that the Spanish journalist, whom he has known for many years, “has begun to speculate after seeing images of a tired Benedict.”
“But to say that he has an illness is foolish. There is no basis for this,” the spokesman said.
“As we all know, Benedict XVI led a very engaged pontificate at his age, and therefore he is enduring the aches and pains of an elderly person who has worked very hard,” Fr. Lombardi added.
Benedict XVI was Pope for eight years and resigned just shy of his 86th birthday. During his pontificate, he made the same number of trips that Blessed John Paul II did in same span of time but at a much older age.
He currently resides at the papal residence of Castel Gandolfo but will return to the Vatican to live once renovations at the former monastery of Mater Ecclesia are completed in May.
Pope Francis has visited Benedict XVI on several occasions and the two maintain a cordial and close relationship.
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God's love is source of salvation, dignity, hope, pope says at Mass
10-Apr-2013:
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Being Christian means acting, loving like Christ, pope says at audience
10-Apr-2013:
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Demographic shifts mean Europe no longer Catholic Church's center
10-Apr-2013:
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World misses God but it can see your joy, Pope tells audience
10-Apr-2013:
Vatican City, Apr 10, 2013 / 10:37 am (CNA/EWTN News).- Pope Francis urged Catholics to serve humanity by showing “the joy of being children of God” to the world, since it “no longer seems able to lift its gaze towards God.”
“Let us show the joy of being children of God, the freedom he gifts us to live in Christ … It is a precious service that we give to our world, which is often no longer able to lift its gaze upwards, it no longer seems able to lift its gaze towards God,” he exclaimed to the 40,000 people gathered April 10 in St. Peter’s Square.
“This means that each day we must let Christ transform us and make us like Him; it means trying to live as Christians, trying to follow him, even if we see our limitations and our weaknesses,” Pope Francis explained.
He noted that “without being discouraged by our falls, can we feel loved by Him, our life will be new, inspired by serenity and joy. God is our strength! God is our hope!”
And the sacraments, he stressed, are vital to this father-child relationship with God.
“This filial relationship with God is not like a treasure that in a corner of our lives, but it must grow, must be fed every day by listening to the word of God, prayer, participation in the sacraments, especially Penance and the Eucharist and charity,” he said.
“Christianity is not simply a matter of following commandments,” the Pope explained.
It is about “living a new life, being in Christ, thinking and acting like Christ, and being transformed by the love of Christ, it is allowing Him take possession of our lives and change them, transform them, to free them from the darkness of evil and sin.”
He also linked behaving as children of God with the resurrection of Jesus and its “meaning and salvific value.”
Pope Francis taught that the Catholic faith is based on the resurrection and is “in vain” without it.
“Our faith is based on the death and resurrection of Christ just like a house built on the foundations, without them the whole house collapses,” said Pope Francis.
“On the cross, Jesus offered himself by taking upon himself our sins and going down into the abyss of death, and the resurrection removes them and opens the way to be reborn to a new life,” he added.
He explained that the day’s Gospel says that the Resurrection of Jesus brings something “absolutely new” because “we are freed from the bondage of sin, we become children of God and we are begotten to a new life.”
“The Holy Spirit produces in us this new status as children of God and this is the greatest gift we receive from the Paschal Mystery of Jesus,” said the Pope.
“God treats us as children, understands us, forgives us, embraces us, loves us even when we make mistakes,” he remarked.
The pontiff explained that after the resurrection of Jesus, “God is now our Father.”
“He treats us as his beloved children, he understands us, forgives us, embraces us, and loves us even when we go astray.”
Pope Francis finished his third general audience by imparting his apostolic blessing and then mingling with the crowd for more than 15 minutes. He blessed statues of Mary, autographed a painting of Mary, and greeted children and people with disabilities.
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Vatican response to financial evaluation will exceed requirements
10-Apr-2013:
Vatican City, Apr 10, 2013 / 10:02 am (CNA/EWTN News).- The Vatican plans to demonstrate its commitment to financial transparency by presenting progress it has made in areas the Council of Europe’s money laundering prevention committee is not requiring.
“With this initiative, the Holy See wishes to provide a more complete overview of the measures taken over the last year to further strengthen its institutional structure in the area of preventing money laundering and the financing of terrorism,” says an April 10 statement from the Vatican.
The Council of Europe’s financial oversight committee, known as MONEYVAL, requires that the states or institutions it reviews submit an update on how they are working to comply with shortcomings highlighted in the “core recommendations” section of its report.
The report also lists items that are less important, which are called “key recommendations,” but entity being evaluated is not obliged to inform the committee on how it is progressing in those areas.
The April 10 communiqué from the Vatican explained that the European financial committee “accepted the Holy See’s own proposal that this next report cover not only the Core Recommendations, but also all the areas covered by the Key Recommendations.”
The Vatican’s financial team will make a report on its progress to the full MONEYVAL assembly in December.
The original evaluation began in Feb. 2011 and the committee’s report was issued in July 2012.
It found the Holy See and Vatican City State to be largely in compliance, with 9 key and core areas receiving a positive assessment and seven needing improvement.
One item that has already been fixed was a conflict of interest created by Cardinal Attilio Nicora having a role in both the Vatican’s financial watchdog agency and its monetary policy body. He resigned from his position with the policy unit in July 2011 but remained the president of the watchdog agency.
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Pope salutes his favorite soccer team
10-Apr-2013:
Vatican City, Apr 10, 2013 / 08:05 am (CNA).- Diverse groups from around the world were present at this morning’s general audience, but one – the Pope’s favorite soccer team – received a greeting from the pontiff that no one else did.
As he moved through the list of those present at the April 10 assembly, he came to the only delegation from his homeland and said, “Ah, this is very important!”
That group was made up of soccer players from the Saint Lawrence Athletic Club, based in Buenos Aires, Argentina. They made Pope Francis a member in 2008, and after his election as Pope sent him congratulations, along with a new team jersey.
In response, Pope Francis sent a letter on March 20 to the club’s president, telling him, “I really appreciate this token of appreciation, which I am happy to respond to, asking our Lord to generously repay this delicacy.”
“Aside from the love of football, I ask you to cultivate friendship with Jesus, the true friend, he will always be with you, in good times and also when there are difficulties,” the Pope wrote.
At today’s audience, Pope Francis also spoke at length in Spanish for the first time, giving the summary of his Italian-language catechesis in his native tongue and greeting the various groups from Latin American and Spain.
Also present at the gathering were English-speaking pilgrims from the NATO Defense College and the Germany-based Wounded Warrior Project for U.S. servicemen. The Pope offered “prayerful good wishes” to students at the college, “that their service to international peace and cooperation be always fruitful.”
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Pope celebrates Mass with America's highest-ranking Latino bishop
10-Apr-2013:
Vatican City, Apr 10, 2013 / 05:20 am (CNA/EWTN News).- The Pope celebrated Mass with Archbishop José H. Gomez, the highest-ranking American bishop of Hispanic origin, on the feast of the Lord’s Annunciation.
“It was a very special Eucharist for me because we were celebrating the Annunciation and I was ordained a Bishop in Denver on the Solemnity of the Annunciation in 2001,” Archbishop Gomez said in an April 8 Facebook post.
“During the Mass,” the archbishop added, “I was praying for Pope Francis and the Church but especially for our great Archdiocese of Los Angeles.
“After Mass I told Pope Francis that all the faithful of Los Angeles love him and that we are praying for him and his ministry and that he has our loyalty. He said that he is grateful for our prayers and he asked for more prayers!”
Archbishop Gomez, originally from Mexico and the current Los Angeles archbishop, concelebrated Mass with Pope Francis at Saint Martha’s House in the Vatican on April 8.
The archbishop is the head of the largest archdiocese in the United States, which also has the highest number and percentage of Hispanics in the country.
“Archbishop Gomez was extremely delighted and very moved,” said Mario Paredes in an April 9 interview with CNA.
Mario Paredes is the chairman emeritus of the Catholic Association of Latino Leaders, a group based in Los Angeles that aims to strengthen ties between Hispanics and the Church.
Around 50 people attended the Mass for the Annunciation of the Lord in the residence’s chapel.
“It was a very simple Mass, and after it finished the Pope greeted every person individually,” said Paredes.
“I was very moved, and we never imagined we would be so close to him,” he added.
The group of 20 people, which attended the Mass alongside Paredes, is in Rome from April 7–12 to meet with Church leaders.
Interestingly, the delegation is staying at Saint Martha’s House, the same place where the Pope has decided to live.
He said the group is “extremely delighted” to have breakfast, lunch and dinner with Pope Francis every day at the residency for Vatican employees.
“He is very affable, simple and very direct. And although he doesn’t speak much, he is very warm,” said Paredes.
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Bishop: North Korea's threats might aim to increase aid, preserve pride
09-Apr-2013:
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Pope to visit Rome center for undocumented refugees
09-Apr-2013:
Rome, Italy, Apr 9, 2013 / 12:02 pm (CNA/EWTN News).- A priest in Rome says Pope Francis personally called him to say he will visit the Astalli Center, a local facility run by the Jesuits, that helps thousands of undocumented refugees – many with tragic histories.
“Yesterday I received a call on my cell phone. It was Pope Francis and he told me he would come. This is wonderful,” Father Giovanni La Manna, head of the Jesuit Service for Refugees in Rome, posted on his Twitter account April 7.
The Astalli Center offers refugees free medical care, psychological counseling, legal advice, meals, showers, a laundromat and educational assistance. Undocumented refugees can use the services at the Center without fear of being identified and deported, due to an agreement between the Jesuits and the city of Rome.
Most the immigrants at the center are Muslims refugees fleeing from the Middle East and Africa, and the lines to use its services are often long.
In a previous interview with CNA, Fr. Manna, who has been working at the center since 2003, said the stories behind many of the refugees are tragic.
Most of them have fled because their lives were in danger because of political or religious reasons, he said. Others have been forced to flee because “being a Christian in a Muslim country is very difficult.”
“There are also many women who have fled because their families force them to marry someone they don’t love,” the priest added.
The inspiration to help these refugees “comes from the Gospel. We don’t make anything up, we just keep in mind what the Gospel says and teaches,” Fr. Manna noted.
And in welcoming these people we make no distinction for race, language or religion. To us they are people who deserve care and help.”
The Jesuit Service to Refugees started in 1980 and has spread throughout the world to help people in need. The Astalli Center in Rome receives nearly 400 people day, and a team of volunteers helps the Jesuits care for them.
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Pope, U.N. head meet, discuss crises in Syria, Korean peninsula
09-Apr-2013:
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Meekness sows harmony in church; gossip sows division, pope says
09-Apr-2013:
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Margaret Thatcher was 'staunch family champion,' says UK ambassador
09-Apr-2013:
Rome, Italy, Apr 9, 2013 / 10:45 am (CNA/EWTN News).- After Pope Francis praised the Christian values of the late Baroness Margaret Thatcher, the British ambassador to the Holy See emphasized her strong defense of family values.
“Lady Thatcher was a staunch champion of the family,” said the British ambassador to the Holy See, Nigel Baker.
“She will be remembered by people of faith in Britain as a leader with conviction, passion, determination and decisiveness, qualities that continue to be those most needed in political and public leadership today,” he told CNA on April 9.
Pope Francis sent a message on April 9 to British Prime Minister David Cameron offering his condolences on the death of the “Iron Lady.”
The Holy Father said he was saddened to hear of her death and recalled with appreciation the Christian values that “underpinned her commitment to public service and to the promotion of freedom among the family of nations.”
Baker said it is “worth recalling that she recited the Prayer of St. Francis when she arrived at Downing Street on her first day in office.”
“Lady Thatcher is recalled by many as a conviction politician, who was not afraid to do what was unpopular if she believed it was right,” he stated.
Baker also said he believes that Thatcher and Blessed John Paul II both contributed to the downfall of communism and that she “played a central role in the reopening of Central and Eastern Europe to freedom.”
“Pope John Paul II was a spiritual leader, Lady Thatcher a stateswoman, but both were adamant that totalitarian communism was an aberration in the history of Europe, and worked tirelessly for the same goal,” Baker said.
“Her personal impact at the time on people in countries like Czechoslovakia, Poland and Hungary was enormous and her personal engagement with Mikhail Gorbachev was a key step towards the end of the Cold War,” he remarked.
The British ambassador recalled the first years of his diplomatic career he spent in Eastern Europe in the early 1990s.
“Two personalities stood out, Pope John Paul II and Margaret Thatcher,” he said.
“Market traders in Budapest remembered vividly her visit there in the 1980s, when she delighted them by buying fruit and vegetables with her own money, negotiating over the price,” said Baker.
He explained that she garnered immense respect amongst ordinary people across the region.
The ambassador also recalled that U.K. Prime Minister David Cameron said yesterday, “Margaret Thatcher didn’t just lead our country, she saved our country.”
When Baker was in school in London during the late 1970s and the Winter of Discontent, he remembered it as a time when “our leaders appeared to be in despair, with no solutions and then this extraordinary woman came along, and shook the country awake.”
“Not everyone agreed at the time, or agree now, with her strong medicine for the country’s ills.
“But as a young man with a keen sense of history, I did believe that Britain was finally back on track, and Margaret Thatcher had played a crucial role in putting us there,” Baker commented.
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Vatican stem cell event aims for wide cultural impact
09-Apr-2013:
Vatican City, Apr 9, 2013 / 10:26 am (CNA/EWTN News).- The Vatican's upcoming conference on adult stem cell research aims to influence culture by promoting dialogue between politicians, medical researchers, journalists and students on the latest developments.
Monsignor Tomasz Trafny, head of the Pontifical Council for Culture's Science and Faith foundation, explained to journalists April 9 that the event hopes to impact society by “pointing to research models of excellence that are...in tune with the highest moral values of protecting the life and dignity of the human being from the moment of conception.”
During the first adult stem cell gathering in 2011, the organizers focused on making the complex world of medical research more understandable to the average person.
But for their second gathering, which will be held April 11-13 in the Vatican’s New Synod Hall, they want to extend their message by working at overcoming some of the “prejudice and antagonism” against adult stem research that can be found in the medical field.
“That is why we feel called to collaborate with the most prestigious professors, research institutes, and universities around the world,” Msgr. Trafny explained.
The keynote speaker for the conference will be Doctor John Gurdon, the 2013 Nobel Prize winner for Physiology or Medicine. This year, the conference will also have students from 25 universities around the world present.
Msgr. Trafny told CNA that during the afternoon sessions the organizers will “try to introduce issues related to cultural, philosophical, ethical, theological discussion.”
“And we would like to offer the possibility to reflect, to discuss, not only scientific achievements but also cultural impact that this research can have in the future.”
Dr. Robin Smith, CEO of NeoStem and the president of the Stem for Life Foundation, took time to address the political and financial aspects of the stem cell debate as well.
“I think that it speaks for itself, in the fact there are 4,300 clinical trials using adult stem cells and only 26 using embryonic stem cells,” Smith said in response to a question from CNA.
“So as we continue to see more data,” she added, “there will be more support to have these therapies developed into the clinic.”
In her estimation, “it’s all about the data and the progress.”
The more people understand the scientific advances, the more “we’ll see that people are starting to learn that the future of stem cell therapy is adult stem cells,” Smith predicted.
And when the momentum builds behind adult stem cell cures, Smith said, “that will impact funding, (and) it will have an impact on government and regulatory bodies.”
“We’re already seeing from ambassadors and ministers of health, they want to embrace this.”
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Canada's bishops issue 'call to action' on environment
08-Apr-2013:
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UK bishops mourn loss of Margaret Thatcher
08-Apr-2013:
London, England, Apr 8, 2013 / 03:15 pm (CNA/EWTN News).- The United Kingdom's Catholic bishops voiced grief and prayed for the soul of former prime minister Margaret Thatcher, who died on Monday following a stroke.
“It was with sadness that we heard the news of the death of Baroness Thatcher, who served this country for many years both as a Member of Parliament and as Prime Minister,” said Archbishop Vincent Nichols of Westminster on behalf of the local bishops' conference.
“We pray for the repose of her soul and for the intentions of her family and all those who now mourn for her.”
Thatcher died the morning of April 8 at the age of 87. She was the first female prime minister of the U.K., and the longest-serving in the 20th century. From 1979 to 1990, she served in the role for the Conservative Party.
She was closely aligned with Ronald Reagan and John Paul II against communism and the Eastern bloc, and was nicknamed the “Iron Lady” by the press of the Soviet Union. Thatcher was also opposed to the movement which has led to the European Union and adoption of the euro.
Domestically, she supported economic deregulation, privatization, and opposed labor unions. She served as a member of parliament from 1959, and was Secretary of State for Education and Science under the government of Edward Heath. While the Labour Party was in control of the U.K. government from 1975 until her election, she served as Leader of the Opposition.
As prime minister, Thatcher defended the U.K.'s possession of the Falkland Islands, an archipelago off the coast of Argentina. The U.K. has held the islands since 1833, though they are claimed by Argentina.
In 1982 Argentina invaded the islands but were repelled by British forces. The two-month war over the islands cost 907 lives. Her decisive response in the conflict renewed her support in the U.K. and helped ensure that the Conservatives won the 1983 election.
Thatcher survived a 1984 assassination attempt by the Irish Republican Army, which was fighting for Irish independence from the U.K.
She was raised Methodist, and joined the Church of England when she married Denis Thatcher in 1951. They were married until his death in 2003. She is survived by her children, Carol and Mark.
David Cameron, the current prime minister, told the BBC that “I believe she will go down as the greatest British peacetime prime minister.”
Justin Welby, the head of the Church of England, said that “it is right that today we give thanks for a life devoted to public service, acknowledging also the faith that inspired and sustained her.”
Queen Elizabeth II has expressed sadness at Thatcher's death, and President Obama said the world has “lost one of the great champions of freedom and liberty.”
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In Argentina, some hope new pope brings Catholics back to churches
08-Apr-2013:
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Bishops offer prayers after death of Britain's Margaret Thatcher
08-Apr-2013:
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At Rome's cathedral, Pope Francis celebrates God's patience
08-Apr-2013:
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Pope names head of Franciscans to Vatican office overseeing religious
08-Apr-2013:
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Next Fargo bishop hopes to copy Pope's service
08-Apr-2013:
Vatican City, Apr 8, 2013 / 10:38 am (CNA/EWTN News).- Monsignor John T. Folda, who has been appointed Bishop of Fargo by Pope Francis, says he hopes to follow the Pope’s example of service, simplicity and joyful faith.
“I only hope I can follow the beautiful example of service, simplicity, and joyful faith that he has already shown the world,” said Bishop-designate Folda in a statement released April 8.
“It is certainly an honor to be chosen by him for this role,” he said.
The bishop-designate comes from the Diocese of Lincoln, Neb. and will be ordained a bishop at Fargo’s Cathedral of Saint Mary in June.
The Bishop of Lincoln, James D. Conley, said the diocese “rejoiced” at the appointment of the eighth Bishop of Fargo, but that he would also “be deeply missed.”
“I have known Msgr. Folda for over 20 years and I know that he will be a stellar bishop,” said Bishop Conley in a letter published today by the Diocese of Lincoln.
“His vast experience, as well as his keen intelligence, his personal humility, and his dedication to Jesus Christ and his Church will prepare Bishop-elect Folda well to teach, govern and sanctify the faithful of the Diocese of Fargo,” Bishop Conley stated.
Denver’s Archbishop Samuel J. Aquila, who led the Fargo diocese until 11 months ago, said he offered his “sincere congratulations, prayers and friendship.”
“Bishop-elect Folda is a man of deep faith, warm leadership and unwavering fidelity to the teachings of the Church,” Archbishop Aquila in an April 8 statement.
“My heart is filled with joy for the Church of Fargo,” he added.
Bishop-designate Folda had been working as the rector of the Minor Seminary Saint Gregory the Great in Seward, Neb., for nearly 14 years.
The 51-year-old studied engineering at the University of Nebraska, after attending Archbishop Ryan High School in Omaha.
He entered the seminary and studied divinity at the Saint Charles Borromeo Seminary in Overbrook, Pa.
The bishop-designate then studied spiritual theology at the Pontifical University of Saint Thomas Aquinas in Rome.
He was ordained a priest in 1989 for the Lincoln diocese and worked as assistant pastor for the Cathedral of the Risen Christ.
The Diocese of Fargo, where he will be serving as bishop, has a population of 396,000 of which 89,400 are Catholics.
The diocese has 126 religious, 120 priests and 43 permanent deacons.
April 8 was also a notable day for Bishop Michael O. Jackels, whom Pope Francis named as Archbishop of Dubuque, Iowa today.
He also appointed Reynaldo Gonda Evangelista as Bishop of Imus, Philippines, and Botros Fahim Awad Hanna as Bishop of Minya, Egypt.
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Pope considering Secretariat of State overhaul
08-Apr-2013:
Vatican City, Apr 8, 2013 / 09:55 am (CNA/EWTN News).- A top official who works at the Secretariat of State says Pope Francis is thinking about streamlining his department by combining it with another Vatican government body.
According to the source – who requested anonymity in an April 6 interview with CNA – the Pope is considering simplifying the Curia by combining a part of the Secretariat of State’s first section with the Vatican City State’s administration. The first section deals with the management of the Church around the world.
Luigi Sandri, a Church observer and historian of the Vatican Councils, remarked in an April 6 interview, “a re-thinking of the Secretariat of State would perfectly follow Pope Francis’ line of considering himself as the bishop of Rome.”
One consequence of these types of changes is that they would enhance Cardinal Giuseppe Bertello’s power.
A former Observer to the United Nations in Geneva and a former Vatican ambassador to Italy, Bertello is now president of the Vatican City State’s administration. He is considered one of strongest contenders for the position of secretary of state, especially if reports are true about him playing a key role in moving some Curia votes to Francis during the conclave.
But the timing for the leadership change at the most powerful Vatican congregation appears to be set for the fall.
A Salesian priest who serves in the Roman Curia explained in an April 6 conversation that, “Cardinal Bertone probably won’t leave his post before September.”
Cardinal Bertone, the current secretary of state, is expected to continue his duties until at least early May, since he is scheduled to ordain new papal ambassador Monsignor Ettore Balestrero as a bishop on April 27 in Saint Peter’s Basilica.
As Msgr. Balestrero explained in a late-March conversation with CNA, Pope Francis decided that new nuncios will always be ordained bishops by the secretary of state. The heads of those departments, on the other hand, will ordain the secretaries for Vatican congregations, he said.
The speculation about who will take the reigns as the next secretary of state began shortly after Pope Francis’ election.
Cardinal Bertello does appear to be in the pole position, but another solution being suggested is that the Pope could appoint a current papal nuncio as his new secretary of state.
This would satisfy the so-called circle of diplomats, cardinals and monsignors in the Curia who maintained that Bertone was unfit for the position because he had no diplomatic experience. This arrangement would also meet the need for a significant change in the Vatican’s “engine room” after the Vatileaks scandal.
There are three other contenders widely considered to be in the running for the position of secretary of state: Archbishop Lorenzo Baldisseri, the former papal nuncio to Brazil and the current secretary of the Congregation for Bishops; Archbishop Luigi Ventura, the nuncio to France and formerly the nuncio to Canada; and Archbishop Claudio Maria Celli, the president of the Pontifical Council for Social Communications, who previously served in the Secretariat of State.
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Pope appoints Bishop Jackels to lead Dubuque archdiocese
08-Apr-2013:
Vatican City, Apr 8, 2013 / 05:59 am (CNA/EWTN News).- Bishop Michael O. Jackels received an early birthday present of sorts when Pope Francis named him April 8 to lead the Archdiocese of Dubuque.
The Vatican press office made the appointment public just after noon Rome time, saying that the Pope also accepted the resignation of current Archbishop Jerome G. Hanus.
The announcement cited canon law 401, section two as the reason Archbishop Hanus is stepping down. This means that he has become “unsuited” for fulfilling his obligations “because of illness or some other grave reason,” according to the regulation.
A press conference is planned for 10:00 a.m. in Dubuque, where further details will be revealed.
Archbishop-designate Jackels was born in Rapid City, South Dakota, and will celebrate his 59th birthday on April 13.
He was ordained a priest of the Diocese of Lincoln on May 30, 1981. During his time as a priest he served as the pastor of the University of Nebraska’s Newman Center in Lincoln, assistant director of the diocese’s vocations office and director of Hispanic ministry.
Between 1997 and 2005 he served as an official at the Vatican’s Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith.
On January 28, 2005 he was appointed Bishop of Wichita, Kansas and was consecrated a bishop on April 4 of the same year.
Archbishop-designate Jackels speaks English, Italian and Spanish. He will be serving around 250,000 Catholics, spread out over 17,403 square miles.
In related news, Pope Francis appointed another Lincoln priest, Monsignor John Folda, as the Bishop of Fargo on April 8.
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Pope calls for courage to accept God's mercy
07-Apr-2013:
Rome, Italy, Apr 7, 2013 / 10:50 am (CNA/EWTN News).- Pope Francis took possession of his cathedral as Bishop of Rome and spoke about how God’s mercy and patience should challenge everyone to find the courage to accept his love.
“Dear brothers and sisters,” he began his homily, “let us be enveloped by the mercy of God; let us trust in his patience, which always gives us more time. Let us find the courage to return to his house, to dwell in his loving wounds, allowing ourselves be loved by him and to encounter his mercy in the sacraments.”
The Pope’s installation in the “cathedra” or seat in St. John Lateran Basilica at around 5:30 p.m. on April 7 signaled that he is now officially taking up his duties as the Bishop of Rome.
When he arrived at the basilica, Pope Francis first participated in the renaming of the small square outside of the church from St. John Lateran to Blessed John Paul II Square.
He then entered the basilica and greeted everyone as he walked down the aisles. He also individually greeted disabled people in what has become a trademark of his encounters with crowds.
In his homily, Pope Francis focused on the theme of God’s mercy, a fitting motif for today’s Feast of Divine Mercy.
“What a beautiful truth of faith this is for our lives: the mercy of God! God’s love for us is so great, so deep; it is an unfailing love, one which always takes us by the hand and supports us, lifts us up and leads us on,” he said.
Noting that the Gospel reading for today is about St. Thomas seeing Jesus after his resurrection and how when he first heard the news of his rising from the dead he did not believe it.
“And how does Jesus react? With patience: Jesus does not abandon Thomas in his stubborn unbelief; he gives him a week’s time, he does not close the door, he waits.
“And Thomas acknowledges his own poverty, his little faith. ‘My Lord and my God!’: with this simple yet faith-filled invocation, he responds to Jesus’ patience,” the Pope observed.
“He lets himself be enveloped by divine mercy; he sees it before his eyes, in the wounds of Christ’s hands and feet and in his open side, and he discovers trust: he is a new man, no longer an unbeliever, but a believer.”
“Brothers and sisters,” Pope Francis urged, “let us never lose trust in the patience and mercy of God!”
He also pointed to the disciples on the road to Emmaus as a good example of “God’s way of doing things.”
God “is not impatient like us, who often want everything all at once, even in our dealings with other people,” the Pope said after recalling how Jesus walked with the despairing disciples, patiently explained the Scriptures and gave them the Eucharist.
“God is patient with us because he loves us, and those who love are able to understand, to hope, to inspire confidence; they do not give up, they do not burn bridges, they are able to forgive,” he added.
Pope Francis stressed one final point in his homily: “God’s patience has to call forth in us the courage to return to him, however many mistakes and sins there may be in our life.”
“Jesus tells Thomas to put his hand in the wounds of his hands and his feet, and in his side. We too can enter into the wounds of Jesus, we can actually touch him. This happens every time that we receive the sacraments with faith,” he underscored.
The Pope recalled how he has heard many people say, “‘Father, I have many sins;’ and I have always pleaded: ‘Don’t be afraid, go to him, he is waiting for you, he will take care of everything.’”
“We hear many offers from the world around us,” Pope Francis said, “but let us take up God’s offer instead: his is a caress of love. … even if we are sinners, we are what is closest to his heart.”
As he came to the end of his homily, the Pope said that in his own life he has “so often seen God’s merciful countenance, his patience; I have also seen so many people find the courage to enter the wounds of Jesus by saying to him: Lord, I am here, accept my poverty, hide my sin in your wounds, wash it away with your blood.”
“And I have always seen that God did just this – he accepted them, consoled them, cleansed them, and loved them.”
To read Pope Francis’ full homily please visit:
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Pope: We are part of those who believe without seeing
07-Apr-2013:
Vatican City, Apr 7, 2013 / 07:12 am (CNA/EWTN News).- On the Feast of Divine Mercy, Pope Francis emphasized that when Jesus said “blessed are those who do not see and yet believe,” he was also referred to those who believed the testimony of the Apostles and everyone today who hears the witness of Christians and believes.
“And who were they who believed without seeing? Other disciples, men and women of Jerusalem that, while they did not meet the resurrected Jesus, believed in the testimony of the Apostles and the women,” Pope Francis said April 7 before a crowd of around 100,000 people.
The Pope made his remarks before praying the Regina Caeli from the window of the papal apartment that overlooks St. Peter’s Square.
He focused on the Gospel reading for today, which recalls the encounter between St. Thomas and Jesus after the resurrection.
When he first heard the news of the resurrection, the Pope noted that Thomas responded, “If I do not see and do not touch, I will not believe.”
But eight days later, Jesus appeared to the Apostles in the upper room and invited Thomas to look at his wounds, to touch them, and he exclaimed: “My Lord my God.”
“Jesus replied, ‘because you have seen me, you have believed: blessed are they that have not seen and yet have believed.’”
“This is a very important word on faith,” Pope Francis stated, adding that “we can call it the beatitude of faith.”
“At all times and in all places are blessed are those who, through the Word of God proclaimed in Church and witnessed by Christians, believe that Jesus Christ is the love of God incarnate, Mercy incarnate.
“And this is true for each of us!” he exclaimed.
The Pope then focused on the Christ’s mission for the Church of passing on to men “the remission of sins, and so grow the Kingdom of love, sowing peace in hearts.”
And this mission also extends to “relationships, societies and institutions,” he added.
Pope Francis concluded his reflections before the Regina Caeli by urging all Christians not to “be afraid of being a Christian and living as a Christian!”
After the Easter-time Marian prayer, Pope Francis offered a special greeting to parishioners from the nearby church of Santo Spirito in Sassia, which is a center of devotion to the Divine Mercy in Rome.
“Dear brothers and sisters, be witnesses and messengers of mercy God!” he encouraged them.
Finally, he welcomed the numerous ecclesial movements that were present, mentioning the Neocatechumenal Way members who will be engaged in evangelizing in the streets of Rome in the coming days.
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Pope appoints top Franciscan to Vatican's religious life department
06-Apr-2013:
Vatican City, Apr 6, 2013 / 09:27 am (CNA/EWTN News).- Pope Francis made his first appointment within the Roman Curia this morning, choosing his friend, Franciscan Father José Rodríguez Carballo, to help run the Vatican’s congregation for consecrated religious.
The Vatican announced April 6 that Pope Francis appointed Fr. Carballo to serve as secretary of the Congregation for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life, simultaneously raising him to the level of archbishop and giving him the titular see of Belcastro.
Until his appointment today, Fr. Carballo was the Minister General of the Order of Friars Minor, the 119th successor of St. Francis of Assisi. He was elected to that position on June 5, 2003 and re-elected for another six years on June 4, 2009.
Besides being the head of one of the largest international religious orders, Fr. Carballo also personally knows Pope Francis.
In a March 14, 2013 video greeting to the new Pope, Fr. Carballo explained that he received the news of Francis’ election with joy because “I know him personally” and because of the name he chose.
“In 2004 he came to visit me at our Franciscan General Curia in Rome. He wanted to ask about some things referring to the Church of Argentina and the Order,” he recalled.
The meeting lasted for an hour, and during that time Fr. Carballo said that “it seemed to me that I had before me a Franciscan brother, a companion, a friend as if we had known each other all our lives.”
“We met on other occasions as well, especially at the Synods, and I was always struck by his simplicity, austerity, closeness and ability to listen,” he said in the video.
That Pope Francis would choose someone he knows as the second in command for the congregation makes sense, given that his familiarity with the personnel in the Church’s central administration is not extensive.
Fr. Carballo succeeds American Archbishop Joseph Tobin, who was appointed to lead the Indianapolis archdiocese in October 2012. The congregation has been involved in a visitation of U.S. religious sisters that was not well received by all the orders involved.
Cardinal Franc Rodé, the congregation's former prefect, began the visitation in December 2008, to “look into the quality of life” of communities nationwide. In January 2011, Cardinal Joao Braz de Aviz took over from Cardinal Rodé as head of the congregation for religious.
Fr. Carballo was born in 1953 in Lodoselo, Spain. He speaks Spanish, Galician, Italian, French, English and Portuguese, and also knows Latin, Biblical Greek and Biblical Hebrew.
He has published numerous articles in Journals on Consecrated and Religious Life, on Pastoral Theology, Sacred Scripture, Biblical Theology, and Franciscan spirituality.
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St. John Lateran: Symbol of church's coexistence with secular power
06-Apr-2013:
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Master of metaphor: Pope Francis can weave a vivid tale
05-Apr-2013:
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Pope urges doctrinal office to act 'decisively' against sex abuse
05-Apr-2013:
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Pope's actions have clear Ignatian roots, Jesuit notes at digital debut
05-Apr-2013:
Rome, Italy, Apr 5, 2013 / 10:14 am (CNA/EWTN News).- At the launch of its first digital publication, the director of a prominent Jesuit Catholic magazine said the Pope’s actions “clearly show” his Jesuit roots.
“We already recognize in all his words, especially in his actions, very clear Ignatian roots,” Jesuit Father Antonio Spadaro, the director of Civiltà Cattolica, said April 5 at the Vatican press office.
“In this edition there is a section that talks about the Ignatian dimension of his first words and actions,” he added in response to a question from CNA.
“Having a Pope that has grown up with our same spirituality, probably at an affectionate level, at a spiritual level, we feel more united,” Fr. Spadaro remarked.
The priest heads La Civiltà Cattolica (The Catholic Civilization), a culture magazine whose contributors are all Jesuits and which is Italy’s oldest magazine to publish without interruption.
The cultural review put out its first edition in 1850, and today it launched itself into the digital world, making its two most recent issues available online.
The journal will also be available on applications for iPad, iPhone, Android, Kindle Fire, and Windows 8.
And a project with Google is underway to make all the issues published from 1850 to 2008 accessible on the web.
It is currently published in its full form in Italian and excerpts are available in English.
Fr. Spadaro also told CNA that the possibility for the Pope to write for the magazine exists.
“Civiltà Cattolica can welcome articles written by Jesuits, only Jesuits, and the Pope is a Jesuit, so he can write,” he said. “We will see.”
“The fact that a Jesuit has become a Pope has excited us Jesuits, but it has also stunned us because we’re not used to having a Jesuit Pope, so we’re trying with time to understand what this means,” he commented.
But the priest clarified that Pope Francis is more than a Jesuit Pope, he is “everyone’s Pope.”
The bi-monthly magazine has a circulation of 15,000, and Fr. Spadaro noted it “uses a language for readers who are not experts in different areas.”
“Communicating means nowadays less and less transmitting news and more sharing other visions and ideas,” he said.
“This is why the journal's content, in its essential form of abstracts, has been opened to the social networks for using, sharing, commenting, and debating in ways made possible in arenas such as Facebook and Twitter,” Fr. Spadaro said.
The cultural review is considered authoritative because it is reviewed by the Vatican’s Secretariat of State, giving it a level of approval not shared by similar publications.
The Vatican’s Under Secretary for Relations with States, Monsignor Antoine Camilleri, said the launch was a “celebration of a renewal.”
“It’s not only exterior, as it could appear superficially, but it is an update which situates La Civiltà Cattolica in an adequate way in the contemporary panorama of high profile culture journalism,” said Msgr. Camilleri.
“La Civiltà Cattolica has always had a particular bond with the Pope and with the Holy See, a bond of love and of faithfulness,” he added.
According to the top Vatican official, the magazine “needs to open itself to the world’s greatest modern day social, political, economical, moral, scientific, artistic and religious problems.”
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Pope Francis confirms strong stance against clerical abuse
05-Apr-2013:
Vatican City, Apr 5, 2013 / 06:49 am (CNA/EWTN News).- Pope Francis has reaffirmed the Vatican process established by Benedict XVI for handling instances of sexual abuse by priests.
The Pope told Archbishop Gerhard L. Müller, who heads the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith and is responsible for abuse cases, to “continue the line desired by Benedict XVI of decisive action regarding cases of sexual abuse,” according to an April 5 statement from the congregation.
He also underscored that “victims of abuse and their suffering are especially present in his thoughts and prayers.”
Pope Francis made his comments during a morning audience with the archbishop.
The main measures that the doctrine congregation is responsible for are “child protection; help for the many who in the past have suffered such violence; due process against those who are guilty; (and) the commitment to help Bishops' Conferences in the formulation and implementation of the necessary directives in this area.”
The April 5 communiqué added that the Church’s response to cases of sexual abuse “is of great importance to the witness of the Church and its credibility.”
Then-Cardinal Ratzinger established a strong response to allegations of sexual abuse during his time as head of the doctrine congregation, which he later continued as Pope.
His efforts began with a 1988 letter in which he shed light on how the procedures laid out in canon law made it difficult for bishops to laicize abusive priests.
In 2001, Pope John Paul II transferred authority for investigating abuse cases from the Congregation for Clergy to Cardinal Ratzinger’s doctrine congregation so that they could be dealt with more speedily.
Finally, in July 2010, the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith presented modifications to canon law that detailed how the department will examine and punish instances of clerical abuse.
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Through pope's embrace, 8-year-old Rhode Island boy touches the world
05-Apr-2013:
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French couple claims police violence at marriage march
04-Apr-2013:
Paris, France, Apr 4, 2013 / 03:59 pm (CNA).- A couple in France is reporting acts of violence by police officers against participants in a recent march to defend marriage against redefinition by the French government.
In an email sent to CNA, Benoit and Marie Dubois described violent actions that they claimed to witness at a March 24 pro-family demonstration.
“The government allowed a peaceful demonstration made up mostly of families comprised grandparents, parents and children, to be violently repressed,” the Duboises said.
“Without any warning and at point blank, they used tear gas, pointed their guns at small children and various young people were beaten for no reason at all.”
More than 1 million people took part in the March for All to voice opposition to French President Francois Hollande’s plan to impose homosexual marriage and adoption on the country.
Shortly after the march, The Telegraph ran a story with pictures taken by Getty Images displaying police spraying tear gas on protestors.
It is unclear whether the violence was provoked by the actions of the demonstrators.
While the Duboises acknowledged that acts of vandalism sometimes occur during demonstrations, they asserted that “none of this happened” at the March for All.
“Instead, this was a peaceful but firm demonstration in order to speak out, and the crowd it drew was so large that there was not enough space in the small area designated by police for the event,” they said.
“How did the police respond? With violence that was absolutely unnecessary,” they argued.
The couple further asserted that the French government has “illegally rejected a petition signed by 700,000 people” and is relying for help on the mass media to redefine marriage in the country.
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U.S. Catholic school enrollment dropped last year but 28 schools opened
04-Apr-2013:
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Pope reflects on wonder as invitation to know God
04-Apr-2013:
Vatican City, Apr 4, 2013 / 12:14 pm (CNA/EWTN News).- Awe and wonder at an encounter with Christ are the first steps in deepening a spiritual life that leads to ultimate peace in the Lord, said Pope Francis at a Vatican Mass.
“First wonder, then spiritual consolation and finally, the last step, peace,” said Pope Francis, adding that “even in the most painful tests, a Christian never loses the peace and presence of Jesus.”
“Wonder is a great grace, the grace that God gives us in our encounter with Jesus Christ,” said the Pope on April 4 at Domus Sanctae Marthae, where he celebrated a Mass that included the staff of the Vatican Typography.
“It is something that draws us outside of ourselves with joy,” he noted. “It is not a mere enthusiasm like that of sports fans when their favorite team wins, but something deeper.”
“It is having an inner experience of meeting the living Christ and thinking that it is not possible, but the Lord helps us understand that is the reality (and) it is wonderful,” he exclaimed.
The Pontiff explained that all of the day’s readings relate to amazement and wonder, giving the examples of the crowds’ amazement at Peter’s healing of the crippled man and the wonder of the disciples at the Risen Christ’s appearance to them.
“This is the Lord’s and this wonder is the beginning of the habitual state of Christians,” he said.
He added, however, that people cannot permanently live “in a state of wonder.”
“But it is the beginning and then this astonishment leaves an impression in the soul and spiritual consolation, the consolation of those who have encountered Jesus Christ,” said Pope Francis.
In this way, he explained, wonder is the first step in attaining peace.
The Pontiff encouraged the congregation to pray, “Lord, grant me this grace which is the hallmark of our encounter with you: spiritual consolation and peace.”
He added that this peace “is a gift of God” which “we cannot lose because it is ours and the Lord’s true peace cannot be bought or sold.”
“This is why we ask for the grace of spiritual consolation and peace of mind, that starts with this joyful wonder of our encounter with Jesus Christ,” said the Pope.
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Pope expresses his closeness to victims of flooding in Buenos Aires
04-Apr-2013:
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Safeguarding creation expected to be major theme at WYD in Rio
04-Apr-2013:
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Story of Pope's desire to visit Sicily emerges
04-Apr-2013:
Rome, Italy, Apr 4, 2013 / 05:05 am (CNA/EWTN News).- Some might call it fate, but through a series of providential connections, Bishop Michele Pennisi discovered that Pope Francis wants to visit Sicily “as soon as possible.”
The story begins with Father Pasquale Di Dio waiting for Pope Francis outside the Vatican parish of Sant’Anna on March 17, standing next to an Argentinian priest.
“The Pope,” Fr. Di Dio related in an April 2 interview with CNA, “recognized and called by name the Argentinian priest, telling him to come into the church. I followed him. This is how I could have access to the Mass in Sant’Anna.”
After the Mass, Fr. Di Dio gave the Pope’s secretary, Monsignor Alfred Xuereb, a letter for Pope Francis.
“In the letter,” he explained, “I asked for special blessings for my family.”
But Fr. Di Dio was surprised to receive a phone call at 9:00 p.m. on April 1 from Msgr. Xuereb, who told him, “the Pope would be pleased to have you and your family at the morning Mass at the Domus Sanctae Martae, on April the 2nd.”
So, he quickly looked for a plane from Sicily to get him and his family to Rome in time for the Pope’s 7:30 a.m. Mass the next morning.
After the Mass, the Pope invited the priest and his family to have breakfast with him.
“During the breakfast, Fr. Di Dio told the Pope that he is my secretary,” Bishop Michele Pennisi explained in an April 2 conversation.
Then “Pope Francis asked Fr. Di Dio to call me. When I answered, he just told me that the Pope was on the line.”
Bishop Pennisi is currently the administrator of the Piazza Armerina diocese, but he has already been appointed Archbishop of Monreale, where he will be installed on April 27.
Bishop Pennisi recounts: “I also was at Sant’Anna on March 17. I did not attend the celebration, but I was in Rome, and so Fr. Di Dio called me inviting me to go.”
Bishop Pennisi arrived in time to see the Pope exit the parish and was able to greet him.
He gave the Pope a letter asking for prayers for his diocese, and the bishop said “the Pope assured me his prayers for the Diocese of Piazza Armerina, which I will be leaving in a few days, and for the Archdiocese of Monreale.
“He also told me that he wishes to visit Sicily as soon as possible.”
“It seems like John Paul II’s times are back,” Bishop Pennisi remarked.
John Paul II used to invite people to attend the Mass he held in his private chapel in the early morning and then for breakfast or lunch.
It was such a common habit that Father Federico Lombardi, director of the Holy See Press Office and Vatican Radio, encouraged the Italian journalist Angela Ambrogetti to write a book about John Paul II's "informal" lunch table conversations.
In the end, she authored two books in Italian on the press conferences Popes John Paul II and Benedict XVI held as they flew to visit the Church overseas.
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Pope's hug embraced everyone with disabilities, dad says
04-Apr-2013:
Rome, Italy, Apr 4, 2013 / 04:02 am (CNA/EWTN News).- The father of a boy with special needs, whose iconic hug from Pope Francis has captured the world's attention, says that the Pope in that instant held “all people” with disabilities.
“The Pope was embracing all the impoverished in that moment and it was a profound blessing,” Dr. Paul Gondreau told CNA April 2.
“Not just for me and my wife,” he added, “but all parents of special needs children or all those who are close to special needs people.”
“Who would think that a little boy with such severe physical limitations would so profoundly move the world?”
Media outlets across the globe have zeroed in on Gondreau's nine year-old son after he was photographed receiving a hug and kiss from Pope Francis following Easter Sunday Mass at St. Peter’s Basilica on March 31.
The moment, however, “almost didn’t happen” said Gondreau, who teaches theology at Providence College's Rome campus.
His family – who hails from Rhode Island and are living in Rome as Gondreau spends a semester teaching – arrived only an hour and fifteen minutes early to the square.
Along with Dominic, the Gondreaus have four other children: 16 year-old Alena Maria, 12 year-old Lucas, and twins, Maria and Junia, who are five.
Although they were too late to get good seats, a Swiss Guard was able to move Dominic and his mother, Christina, to a special section for those with disabilities.
When they arrived, the boy caught the attention of an usher named Augustino who “got it into his head” that Dominic would meet the Holy Father when he toured the square in the pope-mobile.
As Pope Francis was approaching, Augustino instructed Christina to take Dominic out of his chair and to hold him up to receive a blessing.
She did so, but the Pope, who is “very clearly energized by the big crowds,” was looking in the other direction and passed them by.
“The usher was apologetic,” Gondreau said, “but my wife who was this close to the Pope still thought it was fantastic.”
As the Holy Father began a second round of greeting the crowd of 250,000, Augustino enlisted the help of other ushers who caught the attention of the pope-mobile’s driver and signaled him to stop.
“They just lifted him up to the Pope and everyone knows what happened from that point on,” he said.
It was not until his oldest son caught a glimpse of the video screen and called out his brother’s name that Gondreau realized what was happening.
“I was immediately moved to tears along with my son Lucas,” he said. “I will always cherish the memory of hearing my son Lucas say, 'It’s Dominic!'”
As he looked up, Gondreau saw that Pope Francis “held Dominic and gave Dominic a kiss and a hug and just cradled him for a moment.”
The fact that this moment has captured the world’s attention is “profound,” Gondreau said.
“It’s a sign of contradiction because the world that repudiates Christ is moved by a boy who makes little sense apart from Christ.”
Because those with special needs “share more intimately in Christ’s cross” than anyone else, they also “give more profound witness to Christ's love and are more powerful instruments of Christ’s redemptive mercy,” he noted.
The boy has been showing those he comes in contact with “how to love” for his whole life, Gondreau said. This moment is simply the one that God chose for him to show that to the world.
“This is how God works...he chooses the weak and the vulnerable to move and to shame the strong and the wise and he’s been doing this since the very beginning of salvation history.”
Gondreau explained that Dominic was born three and a half months prematurely but was in good health. However, shortly after birth he got an infection and his body had to dedicate all its resources to fighting the illness.
“That’s what caused the cerebral palsy,” Gondreau said.
Now nine years-old, the boy is “cognitively entirely normal” but does have severe physical limitations. In a culture that “reduces human dignity to productivity,” and a world where “abortion is so widespread,” Gondreau said his son’s life “makes no sense.”
However, when seen through Christ’s eyes, it is clear his son’s purpose is to love and to teach others how to love.
“This is what he's productive of,” his father said with a laugh. “He instructs us in a very profound way, in a very powerful way.”
Dominic's gift was illustrated perfectly, he noted, when a woman in the crowd called out to the child's mother after the hug saying, “'You know your son is here to show others how to love.'”
“It was like a heaven-sent confirmation to her of what she has suspected.”
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Constant complaining keeps one from noticing Jesus' presence, pope says
03-Apr-2013:
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Pope's spring calendar filled with liturgies, Year of Faith events
03-Apr-2013:
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Jump into advocacy meshes with background of new director at USCCB
03-Apr-2013:
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Pope Francis asks for 'gift of tears' to see Risen Christ
03-Apr-2013:
Vatican City, Apr 3, 2013 / 12:00 pm (CNA/EWTN News).- During his brief homily at an April 2 Mass at the chapel of St. Marta’s Residence, Pope Francis encouraged the faithful to pray to God for the gift of tears, to imitate Mary Magdalene during this Easter season.
Addressing various members of the Vatican gendarmerie and other Vatican workers present for the Mass, the Holy Father mediated on the passage about the “sinful” woman who wept upon seeing the empty tomb.
Mary Magdalene, he said, is the woman “whom Jesus said had loved much and therefore her sins were forgiven.” However, she had to “confront the loss of all her hopes” in not finding Jesus, and for this reason she wept.
“All of us have felt joy, sadness and sorrow in our lives,” but “have we wept during the darkest moment? Have we had that gift of tears that prepare the eyes to look, to see the Lord?” the Pope asked.
“We too can ask the Lord for the gift of tears,” he said. “It is a beautiful grace…to weep praying for everything: for what is good, for our sins, for graces, for joy itself.”
Weeping, the Holy Father explained, “prepares us to see Jesus.”
It is the Lord, he said, “who gives us the grace, to all, to be able to say with our lives, ‘I have seen the Lord,’ not because he has appeared, but because ‘I have seen him in my heart.’ And this should be the testimony of our lives: ‘I live this way because I have seen the Lord.’”
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Pope says women's love makes them privileged witnesses of Christ
03-Apr-2013:
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Homebody, soccer fan, tango-lover -- some papal pastimes revealed
03-Apr-2013:
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Pope Francis to visit Rome's basilicas before Pentecost
03-Apr-2013:
Vatican City, Apr 3, 2013 / 10:45 am (CNA).- Pope Francis will be praying or celebrating Mass at all four of Rome’s major basilicas between now and Pentecost, as well as holding four public Masses in St. Peter’s Square.
The Holy See’s press office released on April 3 the places and times the pontiff will be presiding over the seven public Masses that will be held between now and May 19.
After he was elected Pope in 2005, Benedict XVI ordained priests for the Rome diocese and celebrated Mass for Pentecost.
In 2005, Pope Benedict beatified two women, Sisters Marianne Cope and Ascension Nicol Goñi.
But Pope Francis will be going a step further and canonizing three saints, two of whom are Hispanics, even though canonizations typically take place during the month of October.
The future saints include Colombian Sister Laura di Santa Caterina da Siena Montoya y Upegui and Mexican Sister Maria Guadalupe Garcia Zavala.
Blessed Antonio Primaldo and Companions, from Italy, will also be canonized in the same Mass on May 12. He was an artist who led 800 men in refusing to convert to Islam during the 840 Turkish invasion of Italy, resulting in their martyrdom.
The new Pope will also preside over Masses or prayers in the four major basilicas of Rome.
On April 7 he will celebrate Mass in the Basilica of Saint John Lateran at 5:30 p.m. and officially take possession of the Roman cathedral as the Bishop of Rome.
The following Sunday, April 14, he will preside over Mass at the Basilica of Saint Paul Outside-the-Walls at the same time of day.
On April 21 he will ordain priests at a 9:30 a.m. Mass in Saint Peter’s Basilica, and the next Sunday he will celebrate the Sacrament of Confirmation at a 10:00 a.m. Mass in Saint Peter’s Square.
The weekend of May 4–5 will be a busy one, with Pope Francis leading the Rosary in Santa Maria Maggiore Basilica at 6:00 p.m. on Saturday and then celebrating a Mass for Confraternities in St. Peter’s Square at 10:00 a.m. on Sunday.
Pope Francis will finish off his string of public liturgies by celebrating the Vigil of Pentecost on May 18, and Mass the next day for the solemnity itself. Both of the liturgies will take place in St. Peter’s Square and will include the participation of the numerous Church movements.
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Women communicate God's look of love, Pope says
03-Apr-2013:
Vatican City, Apr 3, 2013 / 08:23 am (CNA/EWTN News).- Pope Francis said that women’s main role in the Church is to communicate God’s love during his second Wednesday general audience.
“Women have had and still have a special role in opening doors to the Lord, in following him and communicating his face, because the eyes of faith always need the simple and profound look of love,” he said April 3 in Saint Peter’s Square.
“This is beautiful, and this is the mission of women, of mothers and women, to give witness to their children and grandchildren that Christ is Risen,” said the Pope.
According to the Italian authorities, 50,000 people attended the audience, including 43 members of the U.S. Senate.
About 10,000 of the pilgrims came from Milan with their archbishop, Cardinal Angelo Scola.
Pope Francis reminded the crowd that the first witnesses of Christ’s Resurrection were women.
“This tells us that God does not choose according to human criteria: the first witnesses of the birth of Jesus are the shepherds, simple and humble people, the first witnesses of the Resurrection are women,” he said.
“What matters to God is our heart, if we are open to Him, if we are like trusting children,” he stated.
According to the pontiff, the disciples found it harder to believe in the risen Christ. As examples he pointed to Peter, who stopped before the empty tomb, and Thomas who had to touch the wounds of Jesus’ body.
“In our journey of faith it is important to know and feel that God loves us, do not be afraid to love: faith is professed with the mouth and heart, with the word and love,” said Pope Francis.
“Unfortunately, there have often been attempts to obscure faith in the Resurrection of Jesus, and doubts have crept in even among believers themselves,” he warned.
But this kind of faith is “watered down,” due to “superficiality, sometimes because of indifference, occupied by a thousand things considered more important than the faith, or because of a purely horizontal vision of life.”
It is “the Resurrection that gives us the greatest hope,” the Pope emphasized, “because it opens our lives and the life of the world to the eternal future of God, to full happiness, to the certainty that evil, sin, death can be defeated.”
The Pope then told young people, “you, witnesses of Christ, bring forth hope to this world that is aged by wars and sin, go forward young people!”
“Bring forth this certainty to the world: the Lord is alive and walks beside us on our life’s journey,” Pope Francis encouraged the large number of young people at the audience.
“Bring forth this hope, be anchored in this hope, the hope that comes from heaven!” he exclaimed.
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Pope Francis prays at John Paul II's tomb on anniversary
03-Apr-2013:
Vatican City, Apr 3, 2013 / 03:30 am (CNA/EWTN News).- Pope Francis spent a “long time” kneeling in silent prayer before the tomb of Blessed John Paul II on April 2, the eighth anniversary of his death.
The visit “this evening in the Vatican basilica expresses the deep, spiritual continuity of the Petrine ministry shared by the Popes.
“It is precisely this Petrine ministry that Pope Francis so deeply feels and shares, and which he has also shown in his meeting with and repeated telephone calls to his predecessor Benedict XVI,” said an April 2 statement from the Vatican press office.
Over the last two days, the Pope seems to have been steeping himself in the spiritual riches and strength of his predecessors who are buried in St. Peter's Basilica.
Late on Monday afternoon he visited the tomb of St. Peter, as well as the final resting places of Popes Benedict XV, Pius XI, Pius XII, Paul VI and John Paul I.
Then, at around 7:00 p.m. on April 2, Pope Francis went to the tomb of Bl. John Paul II, just after St. Peter’s closed for the evening.
Cardinal Angelo Comastri and the Pope’s personal secretary, Monsignor Alfred Xuereb, accompanied him to the Altar of St. Sebastian, where the late Pope is entombed.
He also stopped and prayed at the tombs of Blessed John XXIII and St. Pius X.
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After cautious start, Haiti church rebuilding program gains momentum
02-Apr-2013:
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John Paul II seen in Pope Francis, Vatican official reflects
02-Apr-2013:
Rome, Italy, Apr 2, 2013 / 10:53 am (CNA/EWTN News).- On the eighth anniversary of Blessed John Paul II’s death, the Vatican official in charge of overseeing his canonization process says that people see some of him in Pope Francis.
“I see that people remember his words and his gestures, and I think that in many actions you can see similarities with Pope Francis,” Monsignor Slawomir Oder told CNA April 2.
“We can perceive that both are similar in their openness, in their simplicity in approaching people and in their prayer,” he said.
“Pope Francis invites each person to hope and to have the courage to embrace God in his life,” he added.
April 2 marks the eighth anniversary of Blessed John Paul II passing away, and he could be proclaimed a saint if a second miracle, currently under study, is proven.
Bishop Emeritus of Rome Benedict XVI beatified him on May 1, 2011, after a French nun with Parkinson’s disease was miraculously cured through his intercession.
“Now we’re at the phase where it’s necessary to wait for one more miracle,” said Msgr. Slawomir Oder.
“I chose a few cases and the Congregation for the Causes of Saints chose one of those, which they are currently evaluating,” he explained.
At 26 years, John Paul II’s pontificate was the third longest in the history of the Catholic Church.
Msgr. Oder told the Italian publication Avvenire that cases which could be labeled as miraculous came from different parts of the world, including Poland, Italy, Spain, the United States, Mexico, Colombia and Brazil.
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Pope: Confession is place to experience mercy, grace
02-Apr-2013:
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Archbishop: Love is important part of therapy for those with autism
02-Apr-2013:
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Can't chant, can't speak English? Pope says it's because he's tone-deaf
02-Apr-2013:
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Recognize Risen Christ in those suffering autism, Vatican says
02-Apr-2013:
Vatican City, Apr 2, 2013 / 06:05 am (CNA/EWTN News).- The Vatican is observing World Autism Awareness Day by calling on Christians to recognize the Risen Christ in autistic people and increase solidarity with them.
“The Council wishes to share with people who suffer because of autism, the hope and certainty that adherence to Love enables us to recognize the Risen Christ every time that he makes himself our neighbor on the journey of life,” said the president of the Pontifical Council for Health Care Workers, Archbishop Zygmunt Zimowski.
“Setting oneself to listen must necessarily be accompanied by an authentic fraternal solidarity,” the archbishop said in his April 2 message.
Today is the sixth year of World Autism Awareness Day, and the Vatican released the message to express solidarity with those suffering from the disorder and their families.
“Such solidarity (…) becomes a loving presence and compassionate nearness for those who suffer, following the example and in imitation of Jesus Christ, the Good Samaritan who by his passion, death and resurrection redeemed humanity,” said Archbishop Zimowski.
“The Church with humility proposes the way of service to the suffering brother, accompanying him with compassion and tenderness on his tortuous human and psycho-relational journey,” he added.
Archbishop Zimowski advocated for people with disabilities being allowed to participate in social life as far as they are able. The “world of rights,” he said quoting Blessed John Paul II, cannot be only for the healthy.
The message also quoted from Pope Francis, who said in the first days of his papacy, “we must not allow a one-dimensional vision of the human person to prevail, according to which man is reduced to what he produces and to what he consumes: this is one of the most dangerous snares of our time.”
The pontifical council president also noted that the Church supports people affected by autism through parishes, associations and Church movements, and he encouraged them to “take advantage” of what is being offered.
Those who care for people with autism were also on his mind.
He counselled them that “no procedure, however perfect it may be, can be ‘effective’ if it is deprived of the ‘salt’ of Love … .”
“(E)very worker, each according to his or her role, must know how to transmit to the sick person and his or her family, not making that person feel like a number but making real the situation of a shared journey that is made up of deeds, of attitudes and of words.”
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Pope Francis tours excavated area near St. Peter's tomb
01-Apr-2013:
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Image on Turin shroud is reminder of God's love, pope says in message
01-Apr-2013:
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At Rome's Colosseum, pope says cross is God's response to evil
01-Apr-2013:
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Pope Francis prays at St. Peter's tomb
01-Apr-2013:
Vatican City, Apr 1, 2013 / 12:24 pm (CNA/EWTN News).- Pope Francis made a private visit to the tomb of St. Peter on the afternoon of Easter Monday to spend time in prayer before the remains of the first pontiff.
Cardinal Angelo Comastri, Archpriest of St. Peter’s Basilica, accompanied the Pope to St. Peter’s tomb in the Necropolis, a series of burial sites beneath the basilica.
St. Peter headed the Christian Church after Jesus Christ ascended into heaven. Peter was martyred under the Roman Emperor Nero in the year 64 on Rome’s Vatican hill. He was crucified upside down at his own request because he said he was not worthy to die as Jesus did.
In 1965 archaeologists working on the Necropolis said they found the bones of St. Peter near an ancient Greek inscription that said “Peter is here.”
Monday marked Pope Francis’ second visit to St. Peter’s tomb in the first month of his pontificate. He visited the tomb upon his inauguration as Pope on March 19.
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Pope to pray at St. Peter's tomb, visits necropolis under basilica
01-Apr-2013:
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Pope urges Catholics to let grace transform, work through them
01-Apr-2013:
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Easter sacraments can revive relationships, Pope teaches
01-Apr-2013:
Vatican City, Apr 1, 2013 / 05:27 am (CNA/EWTN News).- The Pope told a crowd gathered in St. Peter’s Square for the Regina Coeli that the grace from the sacraments received at Easter can renew relationships.
“The grace contained in Easter Sacraments has a huge potential for renewal in personal life, family life and social relations,” Pope Francis said April 1 to a packed Saint Peter’s Square.
He noted that “everything passes through the human heart,” and the sacraments allow people to “receive the grace of the risen Christ,” which gives them the freedom to change those faults that “can hurt me and others.”
The Pope underscored that this “allows the victory of Christ to remain in my life and broaden its beneficial action.”
“Without grace we can do nothing, and with the grace of Baptism and Holy Communion, we can become an instrument of God's mercy,” he said.
“Expressing in life the sacrament we have received here, dear brothers and sisters, is our daily work, but I would say it is also our daily joy,” the Holy Father added.
Today’s Mass liturgy recalls the Apostle Peter preaching on Jesus’ resurrection to crowds in Jerusalem.
He called on the power of the resurrection of Christ to reach everyone, the Pope recalled, “especially those who suffer” and those in “all situations in need of confidence and hope.”
Christ has conquered evil “fully and definitively,” he said, but “it is up to us to welcome this victory in our lives and in the realities of history and society.”
Chuckles were heard across St. Peter’s Square after the Pope concluded the gathering by saying, “thank you all and have a great lunch.”
He then waved a final goodbye, while the crowd waved back at him.
The Regina Coeli is sung or recited in place of the Angelus at 12:00 p.m., from Easter Saturday until Pentecost Sunday. At today’s gathering, the Pope recited the prayer and delivered his remarks in Italian.
The Vatican press office director, Father Federico Lombardi, said at a March 29 press conference that he thinks Pope Francis does not sing during liturgies because has a certain amount of tone deafness.
Pope Francis’ next event will be his second general audience on April 3.
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At Easter, pope calls Christians to be channels of mercy, justice, peace
31-Mar-2013:
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Pope on Easter: let Christ transform us into agents of mercy
31-Mar-2013:
Vatican City, Mar 31, 2013 / 08:45 am (CNA/EWTN News).- After celebrating his first Easter Sunday Mass as pontiff in a packed St. Peter's Square at the Vatican, Pope Francis urged the faithful to let the power of Christ's resurrection enable them to work for peace.
“Let us be renewed by God’s mercy, let us be loved by Jesus, let us enable the power of his love to transform our lives too; and let us become agents of this mercy, channels through which God can water the earth, protect all creation and make justice and peace flourish,” he said March 31.
During his Urbi et Orbi – “to the city and to the world” – message following the Easter liturgy, Pope Francis appealed for peace specifically in the Middle East, Africa and Asia – especially between North and South Korea.
He also prayed for peace for the “whole world,” which he said is “still divided by greed looking for easy gain, wounded by the selfishness which threatens human life and the family.”
“Christ is our peace,” Pope Francis emphasized, “and through him we implore peace for all the world.”
Below is the full text of the Pope's address:
Dear brothers and sisters in Rome and throughout the world, Happy Easter!
What a joy it is for me to announce this message: Christ is risen! I would like it to go out to every house and every family, especially where the suffering is greatest, in hospitals, in prisons …
Most of all, I would like it to enter every heart, for it is there that God wants to sow this Good News: Jesus is risen, there is hope for you, you are no longer in the power of sin, of evil! Love has triumphed, mercy has been victorious!
We too, like the women who were Jesus’ disciples, who went to the tomb and found it empty, may wonder what this event means (cf. Lk 24:4). What does it mean that Jesus is risen? It means that the love of God is stronger than evil and death itself; it means that the love of God can transform our lives and let those desert places in our hearts bloom.
This same love for which the Son of God became man and followed the way of humility and self-giving to the very end, down to hell - to the abyss of separation from God - this same merciful love has flooded with light the dead body of Jesus and transfigured it, has made it pass into eternal life. Jesus did not return to his former life, to earthly life, but entered into the glorious life of God and he entered there with our humanity, opening us to a future of hope.
This is what Easter is: it is the exodus, the passage of human beings from slavery to sin and evil to the freedom of love and goodness. Because God is life, life alone, and his glory is the living man (cf. Irenaeus, Adversus Haereses, 4,20,5-7).
Dear brothers and sisters, Christ died and rose once for all, and for everyone, but the power of the Resurrection, this passover from slavery to evil to the freedom of goodness, must be accomplished in every age, in our concrete existence, in our everyday lives. How many deserts, even today, do human beings need to cross! Above all, the desert within, when we have no love for God or neighbour, when we fail to realize that we are guardians of all that the Creator has given us and continues to give us. God’s mercy can make even the driest land become a garden, can restore life to dry bones (cf. Ez 37:1-14).
So this is the invitation which I address to everyone: Let us accept the grace of Christ’s Resurrection! Let us be renewed by God’s mercy, let us be loved by Jesus, let us enable the power of his love to transform our lives too; and let us become agents of this mercy, channels through which God can water the earth, protect all creation and make justice and peace flourish.
And so we ask the risen Jesus, who turns death into life, to change hatred into love, vengeance into forgiveness, war into peace. Yes, Christ is our peace, and through him we implore peace for all the world.
Peace for the Middle East, and particularly between Israelis and Palestinians, who struggle to find the road of agreement, that they may willingly and courageously resume negotiations to end a conflict that has lasted all too long. Peace in Iraq, that every act of violence may end, and above all for dear Syria, for its people torn by conflict and for the many refugees who await help and comfort. How much blood has been shed! And how much suffering must there still be before a political solution to the crisis will be found?
Peace for Africa, still the scene of violent conflicts. In Mali, may unity and stability be restored; in Nigeria, where attacks sadly continue, gravely threatening the lives of many innocent people, and where great numbers of persons, including children, are held hostage by terrorist groups. Peace in the East of the Democratic Republic of Congo, and in the Central African Republic, where many have been forced to leave their homes and continue to live in fear.
Peace in Asia, above all on the Korean peninsula: may disagreements be overcome and a renewed spirit of reconciliation grow.
Peace in the whole world, still divided by greed looking for easy gain, wounded by the selfishness which threatens human life and the family, selfishness that continues in human trafficking, the most extensive form of slavery in this twenty-first century. Peace to the whole world, torn apart by violence linked to drug trafficking and by the iniquitous exploitation of natural resources! Peace to this our Earth! Made the risen Jesus bring comfort to the victims of natural disasters and make us responsible guardians of creation.
Dear brothers and sisters, to all of you who are listening to me, from Rome and from all over of the world, I address the invitation of the Psalm: “Give thanks to the Lord for he is good; for his steadfast love endures for ever. Let Israel say: ‘His steadfast love endures for ever’” (Ps 117:1-2).
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Vatican: Pope washing women inmates' feet a 'beautiful' gesture
31-Mar-2013:
Vatican City, Mar 30, 2013 / 11:15 pm (CNA/EWTN News).- In response to controversy, the Vatican's spokesman has praised Pope Francis' “simple” act of love for including two women among a group of young prisoners whose feet he washed on Holy Thursday.
In a March 29 statement provided to the media, Father Federico Lombardi called the Pope's move a “very beautiful and simple gesture of a father who desired to embrace those who were on the fringes of society; those who were not refined experts of liturgical rules.”
Pope Francis made headlines recently after deciding to celebrate Holy Thursday Mass on March 28 at Casal del Marmo youth detention center in Rome, instead of the Basilica of Saint John Lateran.
During his leadership of the Buenos Aires archdiocese, then-Cardinal Bergoglio was known to preside over the Holy Thursday liturgy in a prison, a hospital or a hospice for the poor and marginalized people.
Among the twelve young inmates whose feet he washed on Thursday were two women, one of Serbian-Muslim tradition.
Following significant media attention as well as backlash from some within the Church, Fr. Lombardi said that to “have excluded the young women from the ritual washing of feet on Holy Thursday night in this Roman prison, would have detracted our attention from the essence of the Holy Thursday Gospel.”
“One can easily understand that in a great celebration, men would be chosen for the foot washing because Jesus, himself washing the feet of the twelve apostles who were male,” he said.
“However the ritual of the washing of the feet on Holy Thursday evening...took place in a particular, small community that included young women.”
“When Jesus washed the feet of those who were with him on the first Holy Thursday, he desired to teach all a lesson about the meaning of service, using a gesture that included all members of the community,” the spokesman emphasized in his statement.
“That the Holy Father, Francis, washed the feet of young men and women on his first Holy Thursday as Pope, should call our minds and hearts to the simple and spontaneous gesture of love, affection, forgiveness and mercy of the Bishop of Rome, more than to legalistic, liturgical or canonical discussions.”
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Welcome Jesus as a friend, Pope encourages at Easter Vigil
30-Mar-2013:
Vatican City, Mar 30, 2013 / 04:07 pm (CNA/EWTN News).- Pope Francis called on Christians to let the risen Jesus enter their lives and to welcome him with trust as a friend during the Church's most holy night of the year.
“If up until now you have kept him at a distance, step forward...he will receive you with open arms,” Pope Francis said at Saint Peter's Basilica during the Easter Vigil Mass.
“If you have been indifferent, take a risk, you won’t be disappointed,” he told thousands gathered at the Vatican on March 30.
At the opening of the liturgy – which Pope Francis concelebrated with numerous cardinals – candles were lit among the faithful and passed in complete silence, illuminating the church as the Easter candle procession reached the altar.
Over 40,000 flowers and plants from Holland were used to decorate the basilica including daffodils and lilies.
Pope Francis also baptized four people during the service, including a 17-year-old U.S. Citizen of Vietnamese descent, a 30-year-old Albanian, a 30-year-old Russian and a 23-year-old Italian.
After the baptisms, a white cloth was placed over each of the four and flame from the main Easter candle was shared with smaller candles which were given to them to hold. Pope Francis then confirmed them as Catholics, making the sign of the cross on their forehead with oil and kissing them each on the cheek. The four also received their first Holy Communion during the Mass.
During his homily, the new Pope said that if following Christ seems difficult, “don’t be afraid.”
“Trust him, be confident that he is close to you, he is with you and he will give you the peace you are looking for and the strength to live as he would have you do.”
If people remember what God has done for them, he noted, they will not fear what lies in store for their lives.
“To remember what God has done and continues to do for me, for us, to remember the road we have travelled is what opens our hearts to hope for the future,” he said.
The Pope observed that “newness often makes us fearful, including the newness which God brings us, the newness which God asks of us.”
“We are afraid of God’s surprises...he always surprises us!” he exclaimed. However, “Let us not close our hearts, let us not lose confidence, let us never give up.”
Pope Francis reflected on the resurrection narrative from the Gospel reading where the women were sad and afraid to find the tomb of Jesus opened and empty after his death.
“Jesus no longer belongs to the past, but lives in the present and is projected towards the future, he is the everlasting 'today' of God,” he emphasized.
Because of this, Pope Francis explained, sadness is the wrong place to look for life. “How often does Love have to tell us 'why do you look for the living among the dead?'” he asked.
“Our daily problems and worries can wrap us up in ourselves, in sadness and bitterness,” Pope Francis noted. That “is where death is” and “is not the place to look for the one who is alive.”
“Let the risen Jesus enter your life, welcome him as a friend, with trust: he is life!”
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Roman baker sells Easter cakes to commemorate Vatican basilica
30-Mar-2013:
Rome, Italy, Mar 30, 2013 / 08:24 am (CNA/EWTN News).- Italians are known for their food, and at Easter time one Roman baker is putting his craft on display by making cakes to commemorate Saint Peter’s Basilica and remind people of the Holy Spirit.
“We call it ‘Cupolone’ (dome) to recall Catholicism and the Holy Spirit,” said Angelo Colapicchioni, an Italian baker who grew up next to the Vatican.
The big sweet cakes have a similar texture to bread but with a faint taste of orange and are topped with almonds and thick grains of flaky sugar.
“We make them with flour, fresh eggs, butter, candied orange and citrus peels, and almonds from Sicily,” said Colapicchioni.
They are traditionally made each year at Easter time in Italy and are better known as “Colomba,” or doves, since they come in the shape of a dove.
“We are particularly tied to this area (the Vatican) with affection,” he told CNA on March 27.
The 77-year-old Roman grew up on Borgo Pio, a street that ends at one the entrances to the Vatican, and he used to see Pope John XXIII walking in the area.
The baker compared him to Pope Francis, whom he described as “very human” and someone that “breathes trust.”
“Like John Paul II, they are people who are very loved by the people because they are close to the people,” said Colapicchioni.
His father opened the Colapicchioni bakery in 1934 and the business now has two stores with around 23 employees. The original location is on Via Tacito near Castel Sant’Angelo and it specializes in local artisan products like jams and wine from the Lazio region.
The second store, on Via Properzio near the Vatican Museums, is where six bakers dedicate themselves to creating the delicious Italian cakes and desserts that are traditionally eaten at Easter time.
His bakery, which is known simply as “Colapicchioni,” is nearly 80 years-old and sells hundreds of the handmade cakes each Easter.
Romans also eat “pastiera” during Easter, a cheese cake traditionally made in Naples.
“But we use ricotta cheese from Roman sheep and some flavoring but it’s very delicious because it’s a very delicate sweet,” Colapicchioni said.
“The ‘pizza romana’ is another Easter sweet that we make as well as the ‘casatiello’ and Easter chocolate eggs,” he added.
The casatiello is a dish eaten on Easter morning and is composed of cold cuts topped with eggs inside their shells.
“Italians remain tied to certain traditions because even in times of crisis they may eat less, but they still buy these typical Easter products,” said Colapicchioni.
They also buy “pizza di Pasqua” – a salty yellow bread with cheese – and “salami di felino,” a specific type of salami from the Parma region.
“They may buy less but they are never missing on Italian tables on Easter day,” he added.
According to the baker, Italians used to go out on picnics on the Monday after Easter.
“But we are losing this tradition because now there are people who go to the taverns or stay home,” said Colapicchioni.
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Thousands pray Way of the Cross with Pope
29-Mar-2013:
Vatican City, Mar 29, 2013 / 04:00 pm (CNA/EWTN News).- Pope Francis presided over the Way of the Cross at the place where early Christians were martyred, recalling the Passion of Christ.
“Christians must respond to evil with good, taking the Cross upon themselves as Jesus did,” the Pope said at Rome’s Coliseum on March 29.
“One word should suffice this evening, that is the Cross itself,” he said. “The Cross is the word through which God has responded to evil in the world.”
Thousands gathered at the Coliseum, holding candles while the 14 stations of the cross were recalled. The Coliseum was lit up with torches and a giant cross stood at the main entrance lit up by several small torches.
“The word of the Cross is also the answer which Christians offer in the face of evil, the evil that continues to work in us and around us,” said Pope Francis.
A group of people of different nationalities including seminarians from China, Franciscans from the Holy Land, Brazilian youth as well as Nigerian and Lebanese religious took turns carrying a black cross.
They walked inside the first floor of the Coliseum, circling it and pausing to pray each station.
A few in the group carried giant fire torches and some wore the Lebanese flag over their shoulders.
During the fourth station, a disabled woman in a wheelchair joined the group and was given the black cross to lead the group.
The Sistine chapel choir sang during the procession, but a Maronite choir sung the last song.
The stations begin with Jesus being condemned to death and end with him being laid in the tomb after he dies on the cross.
The meditations, written by a group of Lebanese youth, recalled violence in the Middle East, abuse of women and children, Christian division and the promotion of abortion.
The Pope said in his remarks after the stations that Christians now continue the Passion of Christ in their daily lives.
“Let us walk together along the Way of the Cross and let us do so carrying in our hearts this word of love and forgiveness,” the Pope said.
“Let us go forward waiting for the Resurrection of Jesus,” he added.
Pope Francis also thanked his Lebanese “brothers and sisters” for their witness and for writing the "beautiful" reflections that were read during the prayer.
“When Pope Benedict visited Lebanon, we saw the beauty and the strong bond of communion joining Christians together in that land and the friendship of our Muslim brothers and sisters and so many others,” he said.
“That occasion was a sign of hope to the Middle East and to the whole world,” he said.
He acknowleged that sometimes it seems as though God does not react to evil, “as if he is silent.”
“And yet God has spoken, he has replied, and his answer is the Cross of Christ, a word which is love, mercy, forgiveness,” said the pontiff.
But it is also reveals a judgment and that God, in judging us, loves us.
“If I embrace his love then I am saved, if I refuse it, then I am condemned, not by him, but my own self, because God never condemns, he only loves and saves,” remarked the Pope.
Pope Francis thanked those present at the Coliseum for taking part “in these moments of deep prayer,” as well as the media, the sick and the elderly.
He will preside over Easter Vigil Mass tomorrow at 8:30 p.m., when he will baptize four people, including a 17-year-old Vietnamese American.
The Pope will not give a homily on Easter Sunday, but he is expected to give the Urbi et Orbi greeting in 65 languages after the 10:30 a.m. Mass.
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Looking out for No. 2: Who will be Vatican secretary of state?
29-Mar-2013:
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Pope leads Good Friday liturgy, begins rite in silent prayer, adoration
29-Mar-2013:
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Papal preacher urges Church to remove barriers to the Gospel
29-Mar-2013:
Vatican City, Mar 29, 2013 / 12:11 pm (CNA/EWTN News).- On Good Friday, papal preacher Father Raniero Cantalamessa urged Catholics to seize “this moment in which a new time is opening for the Church” and remove any obstacles that stand in the way of sharing Christ.
“May the Holy Spirit, in this moment in which a new time is opening for the Church, full of hope, reawaken in men who are at the window with the expectancy of a message, and in the messengers the will to make it reach them, even at the cost of their life,” Fr. Cantalamessa said March 29 in Saint Peter’s Basilica.
The Good Friday liturgy of the Passion of the Lord began with Pope Francis processing into the basilica and lying prostrate in prayer before the Cross.
The congregation then heard Scripture readings from Isaiah, St. Paul’s Letter to the Hebrews and St. John’s account of Jesus’ crucifixion and death.
Fr. Cantalamessa, who gave the homily in keeping with tradition, focused on the unique moment in history that the Church is living through.
“What an extraordinary thing! This Good Friday celebrated in the Year of Faith and in the presence of the new successor of Peter, could be, if we wish, the principle of a new kind of existence,” he said.
“What is required,” he explained, “is only that we do not hide from the presence of God, as Adam and Eve did after their sin, that we recognize our need to be justified; that we cannot justify ourselves.”
The papal preacher stated that acknowledging this is “the only thing that God needs in order to act” and bring about a new existence.
Looking at modern society, Fr. Cantalamessa said, “Human progress is advancing today at a dizzying pace and humanity sees new and unexpected horizons unfolding before it, the result of its discoveries.”
“Still,” he insisted, “it can be said that the end of time has already come, because in Christ, who ascended to the right hand of the Father, humanity has reached its ultimate goal.”
“Despite all the misery, injustice, the monstrosities present on Earth, he has already inaugurated the final order in the world. What we see with our own eyes may suggest otherwise, but in reality evil and death have been defeated forever.”
But there is one thing that appears different now that Jesus has died and risen, the papal preacher said. Seen with the eyes of faith, death is no longer the same.
“Christ entered death as we enter a dark prison; but he came out of it from the opposite wall. He has opened a breach towards life that no one can ever close, and through which everyone can follow him,” the papal preacher declared.
Father Cantalamessa also considered whether or not the Christian faith could be reborn in Europe and elsewhere.
“The Christian faith could return on our continent and in the secularized world for the same reason it made its entrance: as the only message, that is, which has a sure answer to the great questions of life and death,” he stated.
He then focused on evangelization and its “mystical origin.” It is “a gift that comes from the cross of Christ, from that open side, from that blood and from that water.”
Catholics “must do everything possible so that the Church may never look like that complicated and cluttered castle,” Fr. Cantalamessa said, referring to a passage he read from Franz Kafka.
He also listed “the impediments … that can restrain the messenger: dividing walls, starting with those that separate the various Christian churches from one another, the excess of bureaucracy, the residue of past ceremonials, laws and disputes, now only debris.”
Fr. Cantalamessa stressed, “we must have the courage to knock them down and return the building to the simplicity and linearity of its origins.
“This was the mission that was received one day by a man who prayed before the Crucifix of San Damiano: ‘Go, Francis, and repair my Church.’”
His homily was followed by a time of silence for personal reflection.
The liturgy then moved into praying for the world, specifically mentioning the Church, the Pope, the Jewish people, non-believers, those in public office, and those who are suffering tribulation, among others.
The second part of the Good Friday liturgy was the Adoration of the Cross, which commenced with a deacon processing down the main aisle with the Cross and stopping at three points.
Pope Francis then elevated the Cross in front of the main altar for a time of silent adoration.
The liturgy finished with the Rite of Communion, followed by the Pope blessing the people and the congregation leaving in silence.
Pope Francis will preside over the Way of the Cross at the Coliseum at 9:15 p.m. It will take place by candlelight and will use meditations from Lebanese young people who wrote them to express the need for peace.
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Advocates working to keep needs of poor foremost in U.S. budget debate
29-Mar-2013:
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Youths who wrote Good Friday meditations ask for peace
29-Mar-2013:
Rome, Italy, Mar 29, 2013 / 09:58 am (CNA/EWTN News).- A leader of the Lebanese youth groups that wrote the meditations for today’s Via Crucis at the Coliseum said they focus on unity and peace between Christians and Muslims.
“Benedict told us, ‘I want you, youth, Christian and Muslims, to testify to a new Orient saying no to war and yes to peace,’ so that is our aim, our prayer and our hope,” explained Father Toufic Bou Hadir, the general coordinator for Lebanon’s patriarchal youth department.
Arabic Christians, he pointed out, are experiencing “very difficult days,” but they need to put their “eyes on the cross, because ours is the native land of Christianity and of Jesus Christ.”
“The meditations take in all the suffering, the needs and intentions of the youth in the Middle East to unite it to the Passion of Christ,” Fr. Bou Hadir said in a March 28 interview with CNA.
“This is so we will be real witnesses to the resurrection, especially with Jesus’ resurrection, the 15th station, which gives us hope,” he added.
This evening at 9:15, Pope Francis will lead the Way of the Cross at the Coliseum, a place where many Christians were martyred in ancient Rome.
Fr. Bou Hadir said the authors also took into account all of the war victims in Syria, both Christians and Muslims.
Benedict XVI, who travelled to Lebanon in September, chose youth from that country to write the reflections for each station of the 14 traditional stations, which will be read out by people of different nationalities and a disabled person.
Forty-five young people aged 17 to 30 years old from six different groups wrote the reflections.
Those groups are associated with a university, a high school, an apostolic movement, a religious group, an ecumenical youth group and an interreligious dialogue youth group.
But a special needs group and the charitable organization Mission of Life also helped write the reflections.
The authors arrived in Rome on March 28 at the Aleppino Maronite College, after visiting Assisi and the shrine of Saint Padre Pio of Pietrelcina.
Joseph Semaan is a member of the youth committee from Lebanon’s Maronite Church who helped write the reflections.
“We live with the war next door to us in Syria and Israel, but also with Christian and political division within our own country,” Semaan said.
“We wrote them with the spirit of suffering of Christians in the Middle East,” he remarked.
Semaan explained that he met Christians from the Syrian city of Aleppo who moved to Lebanon to escape the fighting.
Denise El Khoury was involved in writing the reflection of the first station of the way of the cross.
“The main message of the reflections is peace and communion,” said El Khoury.
“‘Give us peace’ is the main message Christians in Syria would like to give to the world,” El Khoury stated.
Her contact with Syrian Christians comes from knowing a group of believers who live in the biggest Christian community in Damascus.
“They live in Baptouma in Damascus and they are insecure and they are waiting for peace,” said El Khoury.
“They get up every day hoping that the war will end on that day, and I know that it’s very difficult for them,” she said.
“The first station compares Pilate to some governors because in some countries they place their own interests above others, especially the poor people,” she said.
El Khoury was also involved in deciding how to distribute the task of writing the reflections to the numerous groups in Lebanon.
“We know what they (Syrians) are enduring because we’ve been there, when we had 30 years of war,” she explained.
El Khoury believes the number of Christians in the Middle East will continue to reduce in the near future.
“All the youths are thinking of leaving their home country to go to places like Australia, the States and Canada where they can build a future,” she reported.
“But we tried, especially with the Pope’s visit, to encourage them to have strength and courage to stay in their country working for peace and justice,” El Khoury said.
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Pope washes feet of 12 young detainees to serve them 'from the heart'
28-Mar-2013:
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'I do this with my heart,' Pope says before washing inmates' feet
28-Mar-2013:
Vatican City, Mar 28, 2013 / 12:20 pm (CNA/EWTN News).- Pope Francis recalled for around 40 young detainees how Jesus washed the disciples’ feet and said that he would willingly do the same for them because he is called to serve.??
“It is the example set by Our Lord, it’s important for Him to wash their feet, because among us the one who is highest up must be at the service of others,” the Pope said, recounted Jesus response to Peter’s refusal for the youths.
“This is a symbol, it is a sign – washing your feet means I am at your service. And we are (servants) too, among each other, but we don’t have to wash each other’s feet each day. So what does this mean? That we have to help each other …” Pope Francis explained March 28 at Casal del Marmo youth detention facility.
?The Pope also offered a heartfelt explanation for why he was washing the feet of the young prisoners.
“This is what Jesus teaches us. This is what I do. And I do it with my heart. I do this with my heart because it is my duty, as a priest and bishop I must be at your service.
“But it is a duty that comes from my heart and a duty I love. I love doing it because this is what the Lord has taught me,” he said.
The Pope encouraged the youths to become more self-giving and helpful. “And thus,” he added, “in helping each other we will do good for each other.”??
Just before performing the ceremony of the Washing of the Feet, Pope Francis told the youths to ask themselves ‘Am I really willing to help others?’
“Think that this sign is Christ’s caress, because Jesus came just for this, to serve us, to help us,” he concluded.
After Communion, the Pope moved the Blessed Sacrament to the Altar of Repose and spent some time adoring Jesus in the Eucharist.
The Pope made the decision to visit the youth detention facility after he was invited by Italy’s Justice Minister Paola Severino.
It is also in keeping with his ministry as Archbishop of Buenos Aires, where he would celebrate Holy Thursday Mass with the poor and sick.
Pope Francis’ next Holy Week ceremony will take place tomorrow, on Good Friday.
He will lead a celebration of the Passion of Our Lord at 4:50 p.m., which will include a Liturgy of the Word and Veneration of the Cross in St. Peter’s Basilica.
At 9:15 in the evening he will preside over the Stations of the Cross at the Coliseum, which will take place by candlelight.
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Pope Francis says good priests bring joy, comfort to those in need
28-Mar-2013:
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Pope recognizes martyrs from communist, fascist regimes
28-Mar-2013:
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Pope advances sainthood causes for persecuted Catholics
28-Mar-2013:
Vatican City, Mar 28, 2013 / 09:43 am (CNA/EWTN News).- Pope Francis has approved moving ahead with 16 causes for sainthood, which include multiple 20th-century martyrs, the foundress of a religious order with U.S. ties, and a lay Portuguese woman.
Cardinal Angelo Amato, head of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints, presented the cases on March 27, and the Pope approved decrees recognizing their various degrees of advancement.
The person with the closest ties to the United States who made a step closer to sainthood was Servant of God Mother Maria Teresa Bonzel. She founded the Franciscan Sisters of Perpetual Adoration at the request of Bishop Konrad Martin in 1863, with the aim of serving the growing number of poor children in Germany.
However, a widespread conflict between the German government and the Catholic Church over control of education and ecclesiastical appointments, known as the Kulturkampf, forced the sisters to leave their homeland and move to the U.S. on Nov. 25, 1875. Once there, they dedicated themselves to educating children and health care as they did in Germany.
The miracle associated with Mother Maria Teresa involved a four-year-old boy from Colorado Springs, Colo. who was suffering from a severe viral infection that should have run its course in one week. Some sisters from the Franciscan order began a novena to their foundress and the boy was healed in 2001 without a scientific explanation.
Pope Francis also approved declarations of martyrdom for 62 people, many of whom were killed during the Spanish Civil War between 1936 and 1938. Their numbers include Bishop Emanuele Basulto Jiménez of Jaén, Father Joaquin Jovani Marin and 14 companions from the Diocesan Labourer Priests of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, five priests from the Diocese of Ávila, and Capuchin Franciscan Father Andrea Palazuelo with 31 companions.
Dominican Friar Giuseppe Girotti, who died April 1, 1945 in the Dachau cocentration camp, was also recognized as a martyr. He was arrested by the Nazis in Italy for arranging hideouts and escape routes for Jews. When he was captured Fr. Girotti was helping a wounded Jewish person.
Salesian Brother Stephen Sándor, who was hung by the Hungarian communist government in 1954, was also named a martyr.
The final martyr approved by the Pope was the Italian seminarian Rolando Rivi, who was killed on April 13, 1945 on the Plains of Monchio after three days of torture by communist partisans.
The declarations for martyrdom each say that the person was “killed in hatred of the faith.”
One of the steps toward sainthood involves the Pope agreeing that the person being considered lived a life of “heroic virtue.”
Today he recognized two Spanish diocesan priests, a Mexican religious priest, two Italian religious priests, a Polish lay brother, and a Portuguese laywoman as heroically virtuous.
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Vatican did not expect Pope to visit youth prison
28-Mar-2013:
Vatican City, Mar 28, 2013 / 08:30 am (CNA/EWTN News).- Vatican officials thought Pope Francis would only celebrate Holy Thursday Mass in St. Peter’s Basilica, but an invitation from a government minister changed their plans.
The Italian Justice Minister, Paola Severino, “was visiting the psychiatric hospital where I serve as chaplain, and she showed interest in inviting the Pope to visit an Italian prison,” explained Monsignor Gino Belleri in a March 26 interview with CNA.
It turned out that “as soon as the Pope knew of the invitation of Minister Severino, he grabbed the occasion,” Msgr. Belleri said.
“He wanted to go to a detention center, and he wanted to do it on Holy Thursday, as he usually did as archbishop,” he added.
In the end, he chose to visit the Casal del Marmo juvenile detention center, where he will wash the feet of 12 young people this evening.
Usually, the Mass of the Lord’s Supper is celebrated in the Basilica of Saint John in Lateran, and it is the occasion for the people of Rome to meet with their bishop, the Pope.
Since Pope Francis will not take possession of the basilica until April 7, the Mass was expected to take place in Saint Peter’s Basilica. In preparation, the Prefecture of the Pontifical Household printed almost 4,000 tickets and delivered close to 1,400 of them.
But Pope Francis was, in fact, already thinking of doing something different.
When he was Archbishop of Buenos Aires, he used to celebrate Holy Thursday Mass in a prison or in any other places for the needy like hospices and slums.
This led to interesting speculation about what was going to happen with the remaining 2,600 tickets.
One anonymous source suggested to the Italian press agency AGI that the Pope wanted to deliver the remaining tickets to the poor.
“It was a false news,” stated Raffaele Iaria, director of the press agency Migrantes Press, which is linked to the Italian Bishops’ conference Migrantes Foundation.
Iaria explained March 27 that as soon as the news spread, he made a phone call to Alberto Colajacomo, the spokesperson of Caritas, the charity agency for the Diocese of Rome, who was supposed to be involved in the deliverance of the tickets.
“Colajacomo,” Iaria said, “had no information on the Pope’s plan.”
In the meantime, Justice Minister Paola Severino had already asked Pope Francis to go and visit a detention center.
Since she became member of Monti’s government in November 2011, Severino has considered reforming Italy’s prison system a top priority.
Inviting the Pope will likely be her last initiative aimed at sensitizing people and institutions to the issue, since the Monti administration is only in charge of ordinary issues, while talks for forming a new government have already begun.
Popes being interested in visiting prisons is not a novelty.
Pope Benedict XVI went to visit the Rebibbia detention center on December 18, 2011. On that occasion, Minister Severino read a letter by a detainee and underlined that “reparation and re-education” must be the main purposes of a detention center.
Pope Pius IX used to go and visit all the Romans prisons. In the last century, John XXIII, Paul VI, John Paul II and Benedict XVI have all visited detention facilities.
But today’s visit by Pope Francis will be the first time a Pope celebrates Holy Thursday Mass in a detention center.
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Pope to priests: anointing others will strengthen your heart
28-Mar-2013:
Vatican City, Mar 28, 2013 / 05:44 am (CNA/EWTN News).- The Pope told priests that if they “anoint” others by bringing the grace of God to their everyday realities, they will be strengthened in their priesthood.
“A good priest can be recognized by the way his people are anointed,” said Pope Francis during the Holy Thursday Chrism Mass at which oils that will be used in the sacraments are blessed.
“When our people are anointed with the oil of gladness, it is obvious, for example, they leave Mass looking as if they have heard good news,” he said at Saint Peter’s Basilica on March 28.
Pope Francis noted that priests must to “go out in order to experience anointing, its power and its redemptive efficacy.”
He illustrated what he meant by recalling the image of Aaron being anointed with oil as High Priest of Israel.
“A fine image of this ‘being for’ others can be found in the Psalm: ‘It is like the precious oil upon the head, running down upon the beard, on the beard of Aaron, running down upon the collar of his robe’ (Ps. 133:2),” the Pope recalled.
“The image of spreading oil, flowing down from the beard of Aaron upon the collar of his sacred robe, is an image of the priestly anointing which, through Christ, the Anointed One, reaches the ends of the earth, represented by the robe,” he said.
Pope Francis warned that priests who do not do this “grow dissatisfied, become sad and lose heart.”
“We need to ‘go out’ … to the outskirts where there is suffering, bloodshed, blindness that longs for sight, and prisoners in thrall to many evil masters,” he told hundreds of priests.
This afternoon, Pope Francis will put his challenge into action by celebrating the Mass of the Last Supper at Casal del Marmo, a youth prison on the northwest side of Rome.
During the Mass, he will wash the feet of 12 inmates who come from different faiths and ethnicities.
“A priest who seldom goes out of himself, who anoints little (…) misses out on the best of our people, on what can stir the depths of his priestly heart,” said Pope Francis.
“People thank us because they feel that we have prayed over the realities of their everyday lives, their troubles, their joys, their burdens and their hopes,” he observed.
The Holy Father added that when people feel “that the fragrance of the Anointed One, of Christ,” has come to them through priests, they feel encouraged to entrust to them everything they want from God.
Pope Francis also called for more unity between priests and lay people.
“Dear lay faithful, be close to your priests with affection and with your prayers, that they may always be shepherds according to God’s heart,” he urged.
This morning’s Mass was significant because it is the only day of the year that the sacred oils for Baptism, Confirmation and Anointing of the Sick are blessed.
After his homily, Pope Francis received and blessed three huge silver urns of the different oils.
Following the ceremony, they were taken back to the sacristy and distributed among the priests of the diocese who took them away in silver vessels.
The remaining oil is then traditionally securely guarded under lock and key.
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Pope Francis to offer hope by washing young inmates' feet
27-Mar-2013:
Rome, Italy, Mar 27, 2013 / 04:59 pm (CNA/EWTN News).- Pope Francis’ decision to wash the feet of 12 young people at a juvenile detention center on Holy Thursday is being described as a display of love for the young people and invitation to renewal.
Prison chaplain Father Gaetano Greco told CNA that the Pope’s visit “will make them see that their lives are not bound by a mistake, that forgiveness exists and that they can begin to build their lives again.”
Fr. Greco confirmed that Pope Francis will wash the feet of 12 of the young people at the detention center after the Vatican announced that the new Holy Father was planning to celebrate the Mass of the Lord’s Supper at Rome’s Casal del Marmo juvenile detention center on Holy Thursday.
Some of the young men volunteered to have their feet washed, Fr. Greco explained, while others were given an invitation to help them overcome their embarrassment or self-consciousness.
“But all of them are very happy, and the visit will make them think, reconsider and understand that there are people in this world who are concerned for them,” he said.
He added that many of the juveniles come from broken families and have sought an escape in drugs and crime.
“That Pope Francis himself is concerned for them is very significant, because it exposes this problem that so many disadvantaged boys and girls are experiencing,” the priest said.
The residents chosen to have their feet washed by the Pope range in age from 16 to 21 years old.
Pope Francis’ visit to the juvenile detention center means that he will not celebrate Holy Thursday at the Basilica of St. John Lateran.
In 2007, former Pope Benedict XVI also celebrated Holy Thursday Mass at the prison.
On that occasion, Benedict said, “Life without God doesn’t work because it has no light.” He encouraged the young people “to abandon sin and chose to return to God.”
“Let us together take this journey of interior liberation,” he told them.
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High court: Definition of marriage less a focus than who's defining it
27-Mar-2013:
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Same symbols, different details: Papal coat of arms undergoes changes
27-Mar-2013:
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Self-absorption is root of evils within church, future pope said
27-Mar-2013:
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Holy Week is time to follow Jesus in search of lost sheep, pope says
27-Mar-2013:
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Christians must resist 'dark joy' of gossiping, pope says
27-Mar-2013:
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Vatican TV documentary reveals Pope Francis' first words
27-Mar-2013:
Vatican City, Mar 27, 2013 / 10:10 am (CNA/EWTN News).- The Vatican Television Center will release the documentary “Francesco” next week, providing an intimate look at the historic events that led to the election of Pope Francis, including his first words after his election.
“I am a great sinner confident in the patience and mercy of God. In suffering, I accept,” said Monsignor Dario Edoardo Vigano, director of Vatican Television, as he recounted the moment when the Pope was asked if he accepted the results of the voting.
The film, titled “Francis: The Election of a Pope from the Ends of the Earth,” will be distributed throughout Italy as a supplement to the April 2 edition of the national newspaper Il Corriere della Sera.
It follows the historic events that have occurred at the Vatican, beginning with Benedict XVI renouncing the papacy on Feb. 11 and concluding with the March 23 meeting between Pope Francis and his predecessor at Castel Gandolfo.
The documentary reconstructs the pivotal moments of the period using interviews with four cardinals – Cardinal Angelo Comastri, archpriest of St. Peter’s Basilica; Cardinal Oscar Rodriguez Maradiaga, Archbishop of Tegucigalpa, Honduras; Cardinal Gianfranco Ravasi, president of the Pontifical Council for Culture; and Cardinal Angelo Sodano, dean of the College of Cardinals.
The DVD supplement in Italian will cost 10.90 euro, and there are plans to make it available in English, French and Spanish through the company HDH Communications.
The film will be debuted for an international audience in Florence and Cannes, Msgr. Vigano said.
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Holy Week is time to bring Christ to forgotten, Pope teaches
27-Mar-2013:
Vatican City, Mar 27, 2013 / 07:28 am (CNA/EWTN News).- Pope Francis said Holy Week is a time for moving beyond a “dull or mechanical” way of living the faith and to bring the joy of Christ to those who are most distant or in need.
“Holy Week is not so much a time of sorrow, but rather a time to enter into Christ’s way of thinking and acting,” Pope Francis said March 27 at his first general audience.
“It is a time of grace given us by the Lord so that we can move beyond a dull or mechanical way of living our faith, and instead open the doors of our hearts, our lives, our parishes, our movements or associations, going out in search of others so as to bring them the light and the joy of our faith in Christ,” he told the thousands of pilgrims.
He explained that this means helping those “especially those furthest away, forgotten, those in need of understanding, consolation and help.”
Since Catholics are observing Holy Week this week, Pope Francis said that after Easter he would resume the “witness” he received from his “beloved predecessor Benedict XVI,” referring to the series of teachings for the Year of Faith.
The Argentinian Pope addressed pilgrims only in Italian, unlike Benedict XVI and John Paul II. However, a summary of his remarks was delivered in French, English, German, Spanish, Polish, Portuguese and Arabic by different presenters.
“It’s so necessary to carry Jesus’ living presence, who is merciful and full of life,” to others, said the Pope.
“Living Holy Week is always entering further into God’s logic, into the logic of the cross, which isn’t firstly about pain and death but about love and self-giving, which gives life,” he added.
The Pope explained that coming out of one’s self means “entering the logic of the Gospel, following Jesus Christ and staying with him.”
“I hope that you all might live these days by courageously following the Lord, carrying within you a ray of his love to all the people you meet,” said the Pope as he reflected on Holy Week.
We too, if we want to stay with him, “should not simply remain in our own secure world, that of the ninety-nine sheep who never strayed from the fold, but we should go out, with Christ, in search of the one lost sheep, however far it may have wandered,” he challenged the crowd.
“People tell me that they don’t have time and that it’s hard. And (they say) what can I do with my weakness and my sins?”
Pope Francis pointed out that when we lack the courage to carry Christ to others, we are a little like Saint Peter, to whom Jesus spoke some of the harshest words in the Gospels: ‘get behind me, Satan, because you don’t think according to God but according to men.’
“God thinks always with mercy, don’t forget this,” said the Pope.
“He thinks like the father who waits the return of his son and would watch every day to see if his son would return home,” he said. “This is our merciful God.”
According to the Pope, God also thinks like the Samaritan who doesn’t look away from the man in need, but helps him without asking for anything in return or asking whether he is Hebrew, pagan, Samaritan, rich or poor.
“He doesn’t ask these things and he doesn’t ask for anything, he just goes to his help,” underscored Pope Francis.
“We come out of ourselves with love, with God’s tenderness, with respect and patience knowing that we put our feet, our hands and our hearts into it, but it’s God who ultimately guides all of our actions,” he said.
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Argentine press claims Pope Francis will visit country in December
26-Mar-2013:
Rome, Italy, Mar 26, 2013 / 04:02 pm (CNA/EWTN News).- Two of Argentina's leading newspapers reported today that Pope Francis will visit the country this year during the first half of December.
In response, however, Vatican spokesman Father Federico Lombardi said the only trip for the Holy Father that has been confirmed so far is his visit to Rio de Janeiro for World Youth Day in July.
On March 26, local newspaper La Nacion reported that Pope Francis took the opportunity during President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner's recent visit to the Vatican to tell her of his decision to postpone a trip to Argentina until after the country holds elections in October.
According to the Argentine daily Clarin, possible travel to the country in December by the Pope has been welcomed by President de Kirchner.
Fr. Lombardi told CNA that although it is “normal that the Pope would go to Argentina sooner or later, as Benedict XVI went to Germany or John Paul II to Poland,” the spokesman does “not have any official confirmation” at this time.
“The only thing I can confirm,” he added, “is his trip to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, for World Youth Day,” which will take place July 23-28.
Valentina Carusi, an official with the Holy See's Argentine Embassy in Rome, told CNA that the press “did indeed give some dates, but we are not going to confirm anything here because there has been no official confirmation by the Vatican about the Pope’s schedule.”
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Court may hold off California marriage law ruling, justices suggest
26-Mar-2013:
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Crowd in support of traditional marriage marches to U.S. Supreme Court
26-Mar-2013:
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Pope Francis to live in Vatican guesthouse, not papal apartments
26-Mar-2013:
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Pope plans to live in Vatican workers' residence
26-Mar-2013:
Vatican City, Mar 26, 2013 / 10:06 am (CNA/EWTN News).- Pope Francis said this morning he will stay at Saint Martha’s residence instead of moving to the Apostolic Palace, according to the Vatican press office.
“After the Mass ended this morning, the Pope told those present that he intends to remain in the Casa Santa Marta and stay with the employees,” said the Holy See’s press office director, Father Federico Lombardi.
His comments came after a 7:00 a.m. Mass that he has been celebrating each day at the residence for Vatican staff who live in some of the rooms during the year.
Pope Francis has been staying at the residence instead of the papal apartment because of renovations that were taking place there. According to the Associated Press, those updates have been completed and the apartment is ready for the Pope to move in.
During the conclave, the year-round residents moved out for the cardinals to stay there. After the cardinals elected Pope Francis, they returned to their homes and the Pope moved into the residency’s papal suite, room 201.
He has invited street-sweepers, Vatican gardeners, the residency’s staff and the Vatican newspaper’s staff to take part in the daily Mass.
The seals of the papal apartment have been removed, but the Argentinian Pope will remain in St. Martha's residence for the time being.
Fr. Lombardi did not say if the Pope will move out in the future.
When he was in Buenos Aires, Pope Francis lived in a small apartment, instead of the grand archbishop’s residence.
For years, he cooked his own meals and traveled on public transport around the city.
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Pope sends Passover greeting, asks for prayers
26-Mar-2013:
Rome, Italy, Mar 26, 2013 / 09:03 am (CNA/EWTN News).- In keeping with tradition, Pope Francis sent a message to the Jewish community in Rome, wishing them a good Passover and requesting prayers.
“May the Almighty, who freed his People from slavery in Egypt in order to lead them to the promised land, continue to deliver you from all evil and to accompany you with his blessing,” reads the letter that was sent March 25.
The celebration of Passover began at sundown on March 25.
The message was addressed to the chief rabbi of Rome, Riccardo Di Segni, and the Pope also made sure to thank him for coming to his installation as Bishop of Rome, along with 15 other Jewish leaders from around the world.
Pope Francis closed his letter by asking Rabbi Di Segni and the Jewish community to pray for him, “while I assure you of my prayers for you, confident that we can deepen our ties of mutual respect and friendship.”
A copy of the Pope’s letter was posted on the Jewish community’s website, accompanied by a short comment that said Rabbi Di Segni was very pleased to receive the greetings and that he will offer his thanks when he sends a letter to the Pope for Easter.
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American seminarians experience rewards of Lent in Rome
25-Mar-2013:
Rome, Italy, Mar 25, 2013 / 04:41 pm (CNA/EWTN News).- Two American seminarians living and studying in Rome have found that their experience of Lent this year has been both challenging and rewarding.
“I’ve given up eating burgers and eating out, but I’ve also added things to my prayer regiment,” said Kyle Sahd, originally from the Diocese of Harrisburg in Pennsylvania.
For Sahd that means organizing Mass at the Station Churches, which the Pontifical North American College sponsors every other Lent.
It also means getting up before 6:00 a.m. to make it in time for Mass at 7:00 a.m. in a different Roman church each day. His duties also involve finding a priest to celebrate Mass, making sure the various churches are available, and taking care of liturgical vestments.
Sahd hopes that in the end this Lenten effort will increase his knowledge of Jesus’ Passion.
Seminarian Alex Kreidler from the Kansas City-St. Joseph diocese is charged with helping Sahd make sure the Station Masses happen.
“It is my house job to be the assistant to Kyle in the Station Churches so I’ve made that a real part of the Lenten practice this year,” said Kreidler.
“It’s become a practice and a penance in itself because last year it was optional for me, but this year it isn’t,” he said.
Organizing the Station Masses also means that the two seminarians are staying in Rome while their classmates head to all corners of Europe for Holy Week, a chance that only comes up every other year.
Kreidler said he hopes to attend some of the Pope’s Masses during the last three days of Holy Week.
“For a Catholic, Holy Week is the holiest week of the year because we concentrate on the Lord’s most important events of his life,” said Kreidler.
“It’s this time of year that forms our identity as Christians and gives substance to the Creed,” he stated.
For Sahd, the transition between Popes has also been a big part of Lent.
“This has been just a wonderful and blessed week and even month to be here during the transition of Benedict to His Holiness, Francis,” Sahd reflected.
“It’s been such a blessed time to witness the faith here in Rome and to see how it is alive in Italy,” said the seminarian, who has been at the college for nearly three years.
He noted that while “celebrating the Pope is part of Italian culture,” it is also “such a joy to see the universality of the Church.”
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From Mount of Olives to Jerusalem, world's Christians mark Jesus' entry
25-Mar-2013:
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Cardinal Levada travels to Assisi to pray for new pope
25-Mar-2013:
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Two books by Pope Francis due to be published in Italian
25-Mar-2013:
Vatican City, Mar 25, 2013 / 02:16 pm (CNA/EWTN News).- Two books written by Pope Francis while he was Archbishop of Buenos Aires will be available on March 26, according to the Vatican.
Both texts were written in Spanish in 2006. They are entitled “Humility, the road towards God,” and “Recovering from Corruption” – also called “Corruption and sin: some thoughts on corruption.”
Both draw upon Jesuit spirituality, offering solutions for the corruption of society based on the wisdom of the Spiritual Exercises of Saint Ignatius of Loyola, founder of the Jesuits. Among the solutions offered by Pope Francis is the need for an ecclesial life characterized by fraternal charity.
“Corruption and Sin” examines corruption in Argentina and the world, finding its roots in the human heart. It distinguishes between corruption and sin in a novel way, according to the Vatican.
The Pope’s book on humility discusses a text by Saint Dorotheus of Gaza, a sixth century abbot, and is strongly spiritual.
The writings of Pope Francis are not yet widely available in English. Image Books, an imprint of Random House, is due to publish “On Heaven and Earth” in May. That work is a conversation between Pope Francis and the rabbi Abraham Skorka on various theological and worldly issues. It was first published in Spanish in 2010.
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Pope plans full Easter schedule with a twist
25-Mar-2013:
Vatican City, Mar 25, 2013 / 10:55 am (CNA/EWTN News).- Pope Francis will celebrate a full schedule this Holy Week, including washing the feet of youth detainees and leading the Stations of the Cross at the Coliseum.
His six main events are: Chrism Mass at Saint Peter’s Basilica on Holy Thursday morning, followed by Mass at a youth detention center that evening, a Communion service and Stations of the Cross on Good Friday, Easter Vigil Mass on Saturday evening and Easter Mass on Sunday morning.
Pope Francis will start the week by celebrating Chrism Mass on March 28 with cardinals and other clergy from Rome at Saint Peter’s Basilica. During the Mass, the Pope will consecrate the oils that will be used throughout the year for Baptism, Confirmation and Anointing of the Sick.
In keeping with his practice in Buenos Aires, he will celebrate Holy Thursday Mass at Casal del Marmo youth detention center, instead of the Basilica of Saint John Lateran.
When he was the Archbishop of Buenos Aires, then-Cardinal Bergoglio celebrated the Mass in a prison, a hospital or a hospice for the poor and marginalized people. This time around he will be with youth offenders and will wash their feet.
On Good Friday, March 29, he will preside over a Communion service and the Veneration of the Cross in St. Peter’s Basilica at 5:00 p.m. local time.
The pontiff will then go to the Coliseum to lead the Stations of the Cross at 9:15 p.m. The prayers for the 14 stations were written by two Lebanese youths with the help of Cardinal Bechara Rai.
The Vatican chose the young Arabs to highlight the suffering of Christians in the Middle East and the growing urgency of their situation.
After the procession around the Coliseum, Pope Francis will give a speech to people gathered there and impart his apostolic blessing.
On Holy Saturday, the Pope will celebrate the first of two Easter Masses when he holds the Easter Vigil in St. Peter’s Basilica.
He will bless a fire in the atrium of St. Peter’s Basilica and enter in a procession with the Paschal candle singing the Easter Proclamation.
The Pope will then concelebrate Mass at 8:30 p.m. local time with the cardinals and impart the sacrament of Baptism, which is traditionally done in churches worldwide at this time of year.
On Sunday at 10:15 a.m. Pope Francis will celebrate Mass at St. Peter’s Square, which will finish with his “Urbi et Orbi” greeting and blessing from the central balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica.
“Urbi et Orbi” means “to the city and to the world” and is a special blessing the Pope gives every Easter and Christmas.
He usually offers a message beforehand and then proceeds to announce the blessing in more than 50 languages, but it remains to be seen if Pope Francis will follow suit.
The blessing includes the remission of all temporal punishment due to sin through a plenary indulgence attached to the papal blessing, under the usual conditions.
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Pope Francis meets retired Pope Benedict, says 'we're brothers'
25-Mar-2013:
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Pope on Palm Sunday: Christ's passion leads to joy
25-Mar-2013:
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Vatican confirms pope to lead full slate of Holy Week, Easter liturgies
25-Mar-2013:
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Lebanese youths lament violence, emigration in Way of Cross reflections
25-Mar-2013:
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Pope Francis wishes Jewish community happy Passover, asks for prayers
25-Mar-2013:
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Pope's election changed headlines but decisions loom
25-Mar-2013:
Vatican City, Mar 25, 2013 / 06:00 am (CNA/EWTN News).- “The election of Pope Francis marked a change in the newspapers headlines regarding the Church,” according to Archbishop Lorenzo Baldisseri, the secretary of the conclave that elected the new pontiff.
In a March 20 interview with CNA, Archbishop Baldisseri invited journalists “not to speculate too much” about why the cardinals chose Pope Francis, but he also maintained that “there was a need for a Pope of this kind, a shepherd able to guide and reform the Church.”
The “kindness of this Pope, who is very close to people, marked a changed in the newspaper headlines,” he underscored, adding, “his gestures will surely give a different image of the Church to the world.”
Right after the election, Jorge Mario Bergoglio put his red berretta on Lorenzo Baldisseri’s head. According to an ancient tradition, the newly elected Pope passes his berretta to the secretary of the conclave, thus indicating that he will be made a cardinal at the next consistory.
The last secretary of the conclave who inherited the berretta rossa from a new Pope was Cardinal Di Jorio, who received the red hat of John XXIII at the end of the 1958 conclave. Popes Paul VI through Benedict XVI decided not to follow the tradition, but Pope Francis returned to it.
Archbishop Baldisseri is not yet a cardinal, but he can wear the red hat.
For the time being, he no longer has to carry out his duties as secretary of the Congregation for Bishops. Instead, he will wait for the next consistory and a job that is in keeping with his new standing.
Meanwhile, Vatican analysts are poised to capture any sign that might indicate what Pope Francis will do with the high profile positions.
Whenever a new Pope is elected, the heads of all the Vatican departments offer their resignations until they are confirmed or replaced by the new pontiff.
So, right after Easter, Pope Francis will have to face some difficult choices, including the appointment of a new Vatican secretary of state.
The current secretary of state, Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, has been confirmed “donec aliter provideatur” (until it is differently provided), but he is 78, three years beyond the age of retirement.
According to officials who work for the Vatican Secretariat of State and who requested anonymity, the frontrunners for the new secretary are Cardinal Giuseppe Bertello, who leads the administration of Vatican City State, and Cardinal Fernando Filoni, the prefect of the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples.
But Archbishop Lorenzo Baldisseri, who served as diplomat before taking the post as secretary of the Congregation for Bishops, is also in the running.
A secretary of a cardinal who took part to the conclave, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, speculated that Cardinal Bertello will be the final choice because he played a key role in the election of Pope Francis.
He explains that the cardinals in the Roman Curia “did not have a common line, and so Bertello worked with the uncertain cardinals, after their vote had been scattered during the previous ballots.”
The source also added that “cardinals wanted somebody able to give a fresh image to the Church.”
Cardinal Oscar Rodriguez Maradiaga underlined in a March 21 conversation that “now it will be easier for people to meet the Pope: his doors are always open.”
But officials within the Vatican Curia are still worried that Pope Francis’ honeymoon with the press will soon end.
An official who served in a Vatican pontifical council said on the condition of anonymity, “things will break up when the Pope will take position about in vitro fertilization or same-sex marriages.”
When Pope Francis was Archbishop of Buenos Aires, he stood strongly against the “same-sex marriage” legislation that was eventually signed into Argentinean law in 2011.
On the other hand, Virginia Bonnard, an Argentinian journalist, claimed that “he simply followed the Episcopal Conference of Argentina line. He is a man of dialogue, more than a man of crusades.”
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Pope Francis delights Palm Sunday crowd
24-Mar-2013:
Vatican City, Mar 24, 2013 / 11:16 am (CNA/EWTN News).- Although his remarks were few before praying the Angelus in St. Peter’s Square, Pope Francis pleased the crowd of 250,000 by spending almost half an hour greeting them afterward.
Once the final blessing for Palm Sunday Mass was given, Pope Francis went straight into his pre-Angelus address and the recitation of the Marian prayer that he normally presides over at noon every Sunday.
“At the end of this celebration,” the Pope said, “we invoke the intercession of the Virgin Mary, that she may accompany us during Holy Week. May she, who followed her Son with faith all the way to Calvary, help us to walk behind him, carrying his Cross with serenity and love, so as to attain the joy of Easter.”
His homily for the Mass contained many of the same themes, focusing on the need for Christians to joyfully embrace the Cross and to live lives of generosity.
Pope Francis then proceeded to spend almost 30 minutes in the square, taking his time as he went up and down each aisle, sometimes stopping the popemobile and walking over to the crowd barriers to shake hands, hug people and kiss children.
The faithful warmly received his signs of closeness and his familiarity, which at one point included him giving thumbs-up to a man he passed in the popemobile.
At the end of his exuberant trip through the crowd, a blind young man was brought to him. He hugged Pope Francis and spoke with him for a few moments.
Some members of the Pope’s security detail then lifted up a few people in wheelchairs so they could receive blessings from the Holy Father.
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Pope Francis urges Christians to joy over Cross
24-Mar-2013:
Vatican City, Mar 24, 2013 / 05:54 am (CNA/EWTN News).- Pope Francis declared on Palm Sunday that Christians must not be sad or discouraged but filled with joy because Jesus conquered evil and every sin “with the force of God’s love.”
“Jesus on the Cross feels the whole weight of the evil, and with the force of God’s love he conquers it, he defeats it with his resurrection,” he said March 24.
“Dear friends,” Pope Francis told the thousands of pilgrims filling St. Peter’s Square and the street leading to it, “we can all conquer the evil that is in us and in the world: with Christ, with the force of good!”
The liturgy began with the Pope touring through the crowd in the open-air popemobile and finishing at the obelisk that stands in the middle of St. Peter’s Square.
Accompanied by cardinals, bishops and laity holding palms, he listened as the readings were proclaimed. The group of clergy and faithful then made their way to the altar in front of the basilica and heard the reading of the Passion of Christ from Matthew’s Gospel.
Pope Francis reflected on three elements in his Palm Sunday homily: the joy that comes from meeting and knowing Christ; the fact that Jesus entered Jerusalem to redeem the world with his loving sacrifice on the Cross; and that young people can teach everyone to embrace the Cross with joy and to live lives of self-sacrifice.
The first word that came to the Pope’s mind as he reflected on the entrance of Jesus into Jerusalem was joy.
“Do not be men and women of sadness: a Christian can never be sad! Never give way to discouragement!
“Ours is not a joy that comes from having many possessions, but from having encountered a Person: Jesus, from knowing that with him we are never alone, even at difficult moments, even when our life’s journey comes up against problems and obstacles that seem insurmountable,” he said.
The Pope then turned to his second point of reflection – the way Jesus entered Jerusalem, as a king who was received “by humble people, simple folk.”
But even more, he entered “to receive a crown of thorns, a staff, a purple robe: his kingship becomes an object of derision.
“And this brings us to the second word: Cross. Jesus enters Jerusalem in order to die on the Cross.
“And it is here that his kingship shines forth in godly fashion: his royal throne is the wood of the Cross,” he underscored.
What Jesus did, Pope Francis said, was to take upon himself “the evil, the filth, the sin of the world, including our own sin,” and cleanse it “with his blood, with the mercy and the love of God.”
He then recalled how the world is filled with the effects of evil and sin:
“Wars, violence, economic conflicts that hit the weakest, greed for money, power, corruption, divisions, crimes against human life and against creation! And our personal sins: our failures in love and respect towards God, towards our neighbor and towards the whole of creation.”
In the face of all this, he asked, “Do we feel weak, inadequate, powerless?”
“But,” he responded, “God is not looking for powerful means: it is through the Cross that he has conquered evil! We must not believe the Evil One when he tells us: you can do nothing to counter violence, corruption, injustice, your sins!”
“We must never grow accustomed to evil!” he insisted.
“With Christ,” he declared, “we can transform ourselves and the world. We must bear the victory of Christ’s Cross to everyone everywhere, we must bear this great love of God.”
Pope Francis dedicated his final words to the youth, who were in St. Peter’s Square today because Palm Sunday is traditionally the day on which World Youth Day is celebrated at the diocesan level.
“Dear young people,” he said, you have “an important part in the celebration of faith! You bring us the joy of faith and you tell us that we must live the faith with a young heart, always, even at the age of seventy or eighty.”
“And you are not ashamed of his Cross! On the contrary, you embrace it, because you have understood that it is in giving ourselves that we have true joy and that God has conquered evil through love,” he told the youth.
Pope Francis also looked ahead to this coming July, when he will participate in his first World Youth Day as Pope.
“Dear friends,” he said, “I too am setting out on a journey with you, in the footsteps of Blessed John Paul II and Benedict XVI.
“We are already close to the next stage of this great pilgrimage of Christ’s Cross. I look forward joyfully to next July in Rio de Janeiro!” he told the young people in St. Peter’s Square.
“I will see you in that great city in Brazil! Prepare well – prepare spiritually above all – in your communities, so that our gathering in Rio may be a sign of faith for the whole world.”
Following Palm Sunday Mass, Pope Francis spent around 25 minutes moving through the piazza greeting the faithful – an unusually long time for a segment that typically takes about 10 minutes.
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Pope Francis and Benedict XVI meet as ?brothers?
23-Mar-2013:
Castel Gandolfo, Italy, Mar 23, 2013 / 10:48 am (CNA/EWTN News).- Pope Francis met with Benedict XVI on Saturday for the first time since his selection, an historic visit that took place in a fraternal atmosphere.
“We are brothers,” Pope Francis told his predecessor before praying side-by-side with him at the papal residence in Castel Gandolfo, Italy.
The March 23 encounter marked the first face-to-face meeting between the two since the March 13 election of the new Pope. The encounter is a unique moment in the history of the Church, which has not had a papal resignation in centuries.
Holy See Press Office director Father Federico Lombardi told Vatican Radio about the meeting.
He said there was “a moving embrace between the two” as they first met on the grounds of the Pontifical Villas.
Both wore a simple white cassock. Benedict XVI toted a white jacket against the cool mountain air. Francis was dressed in the white sash and cape of the pontiff.
A small entourage of at least six accompanied the two for the short drive from the heliport to the residence at Castel Gandolfo Benedict XVI has called home since his resignation on Feb. 28. Those present included Archbishop Georg Ganswein, personal secretary to Benedict XVI who remains prefect of the pontifical household.
Upon arrival, the Pope and his predecessor first prayed together in the chapel and then retired to the papal library. There, they spoke for the better part of an hour.
Fr. Lombardi was unable to share any of the content of their confidential discussions. He did discuss Pope Francis’ present to Benedict XVI. Pope Francis brought an icon of Our Lady of Humility “as a gift for Benedict XVI’s great humility,” the Vatican spokesman said.
“You gave us a great example of humility and tenderness,” Pope Francis told his predecessor, according to the recording of the event made by Vatican Television Center.
World media have put much emphasis on Pope Francis’ evident simplicity and humility in his first days. Some reports insinuate a contrast from the last pontificate, but Benedict XVI too is often described as “meek” by those who know him.
Though this was their first meeting in person, the two had already been in contact since the Argentinean Pope’s election on March 13. Francis called him directly on the night of his election and again for the Pope’s name day, the March 19 Feast of St. Joseph.
Before Benedict XVI stepped down on Feb. 28, he had declared to the College of Cardinals his “unconditional reverence and obedience” to his eventual successor.
Fr. Lombardi said the Saturday meeting was “a moment of profound and elevated communion.”
He said Benedict XVI “had the opportunity to renew this act of reverence and obedience to his successor, and certainly Pope Francis renewed his gratitude and that of the whole Church for Pope Benedict’s ministry during his pontificate.”
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UK pilgrims will carry life-sized cross to historic shrine
23-Mar-2013:
London, England, Mar 23, 2013 / 06:03 am (CNA/EWTN News).- About 250 pilgrims of all ages and backgrounds will spend Holy Week helping to carry a life-sized wooden cross to the historic English Shrine of Our Lady at Walsingham.
“As we walk through the streets carrying the cross, thousands of people see us as we walk by. It serves as a reminder as to what Easter and Lent are really about,” Student Cross coordinator Angela Joyce told CNA March 22.
The pilgrims are divided into 11 groups, with six of them walking up to 130 miles during Holy Week from March 23-29. They will stay overnight in church and village halls. Another two groups will walk for fewer days and the remaining, family-centered groups, will walk only a short distances.
Groups will begin in Colchester, Epping, Oxford, Kettering, Leicester, and Keyworth Notts.
They will end at the Shrine of Our Lady at Walsingham in the east county of Norfolk, a major pilgrimage site in the Middle Ages.
Regarded as the site where the Virgin Mary appeared to a devout English woman in 1061, it was one of the largest pilgrimage destinations within the Church until the Protestant Reformation in the 1500s. A local resurgence of interest in pilgrimages in the 19th century revived the shrine's popularity.
Joyce called the modern pilgrimage this year an opportunity to “focus on what’s important in life.”
“Life isn’t easy, it isn’t meant to be easy. We all have our crosses to carry, our burdens to bear. The cross reminds us that we do not have to carry it alone. Christ carried the cross so that we could live.”
Joyce said she sees the pilgrimage as a “golden” way “to get my head out of the busyness of work and the day to day of life and to reflect on my life and spirituality.”
“With no responsibility other than to make sure that you put one foot in front of the other and keep going, it means you can take a step back and spend time with your fellow pilgrims and more importantly God,” she noted.
“There is a lot of time for reflection and prayer.”
Joyce said pilgrims have become her “family” throughout the year with many reunions and shared experiences that have strengthened their relationship.
In a March 20 announcement for the event, Student Cross referenced Pope Francis' recent call to Christians to be disciples of the Lord by acknowledging and professing the death and resurrection of Christ.
“When we walk without the Cross, when we build without the Cross and when we profess Christ without the Cross, we are not disciples of the Lord,” the Pope told cardinals during his first Mass as pontiff March 14.
Known as Britain's oldest annual pilgrimage, Student Cross began in 1948. Participants are not limited to students and Christians of all denominations, as well as non-Christians, take part in the event.
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Pope celebrates Mass for Vatican gardeners, janitors
22-Mar-2013:
Vatican City, Mar 22, 2013 / 04:00 pm (CNA/EWTN News).- Pope Francis celebrated a small Mass for the Vatican’s janitors and gardeners on the morning of March 22 in the Domus Sanctae Marthae chapel.
Vatican newspaper L'Osservatore Romano described the Mass as “a simple celebration to which the Pope invited employees of the garden and cleaning services of the Governorate of Vatican City State.”
The Pontiff’s short homily commented on the daily readings, explaining that we “stone” Jesus in our weak and vulnerable brothers and sisters when we have hearts of stone, according to the publication.
The Vatican newspaper reported that sisters from three religious communities were also present at the Mass - the Daughters of Charity of St Vincent de Paul, the Daughters of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary and the Sisters of the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary in the Temple.
Throughout the early days of his papacy, the Holy Father has drawn attention for his gestures of humility and simplicity.
During his inaugural Mass, Pope Francis stopped his vehicle during the procession to bless and kiss a disabled man. The Vatican recently announced that the Pope has decided to celebrate the Holy Thursday Mass of the Lord's Supper in a juvenile detention facility in Rome rather than at a basilica, where the Mass is usually held.
As archbishop of Argentina, he was known for his humility and deep affection for the poor, living in a simple apartment where he cooked his own meals, riding public transportation and spending time with the marginalized.
Other small acts since his election to the papacy have also attracted attention. Pope Francis made personal phone calls to both the head of the Jesuits in Rome and the owner of a newspaper kiosk back in Argentina, whom he informed that he would no longer need a paper delivered daily to his residence.
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Archbishop: U.S. risks losing soul by ignoring immigrants' humanity
22-Mar-2013:
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Vatican workers join pope for early morning Masses
22-Mar-2013:
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Obama lights candles, prays at Bethlehem's Church of Nativity compound
22-Mar-2013:
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Pope Francis to diplomats: Moral relativism endangers peace
22-Mar-2013:
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Syrian bishop says war saddens him, but he does not despair
22-Mar-2013:
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Spiritual poverty threatens world peace, Pope states
22-Mar-2013:
Vatican City, Mar 22, 2013 / 05:50 am (CNA/EWTN News).- Pope Francis invited the diplomats accredited to the Holy See to join him in fighting both material and spiritual poverty, which both contribute to the lack of peace in the world.
“Fighting poverty, both material and spiritual, building peace and constructing bridges: these, as it were, are the reference points for a journey that I want to invite each of the countries here represented to take up,” Pope Francis said March 22.
The Pope met this morning in the Regia Hall of the Apostolic Palace with representatives from the more than 180 countries, sovereign orders and international organizations that have formal relations with the Vatican.
After a message of welcome and thanks from Ambassador Jean-Claude Michel, the dean of the diplomatic corps, Pope Francis offered his thoughts on the meeting and the Church’s engagement with the world.
This is “a simple yet deeply felt ceremony that somehow seeks to express the Pope’s embrace of the world. Through you, indeed, I encounter your peoples, and thus in a sense I can reach out to every one of your fellow citizens, with their joys, their troubles, their expectations, their desires,” he said.
He also highlighted some of the reasons why he chose the name Francis, including his love and care for the poor, work that he noted Christians are engaged in throughout the world.
“But there is another form of poverty!” he told the diplomats.
“It is the spiritual poverty of our time, which afflicts the so-called richer countries particularly seriously.
“It is what my much-loved predecessor, Benedict XVI, called the ‘tyranny of relativism,’ which makes everyone his own criterion and endangers the coexistence of peoples,” he said.
The second reason that he chose Francis, the Pope recalled, is that the saint worked to build peace.
“But there is no true peace without truth!” he stressed.
“There cannot be true peace if everyone is his own criterion, if everyone can always claim exclusively his own rights, without at the same time caring for the good of others, of everyone, on the basis of the nature that unites every human being on this earth.”
Pope Francis noted that one of his titles is “pontiff, that is, a builder of bridges with God and between people.”
“My own origins,” he explained, “impel me to work for the building of bridges. As you know, my family is of Italian origin; and so this dialogue between places and cultures a great distance apart matters greatly to me.”
And the growing interconnectedness and interdependence of the world makes the need for “real spaces of authentic fraternity” more important as well, he said.
Pope Francis underscored that building real brotherhood requires the contributions of faith, since it is “not possible to build bridges between people while forgetting God.”
“But the converse is also true: it is not possible to establish true links with God, while ignoring other people,” he added.
For this reason, the Pope told the ambassadors it is “important to intensify dialogue among the various religions” and that he is “thinking particularly of dialogue with Islam” and “non-believers.”
Pope Francis acknowledged that “fighting poverty, both material and spiritual, building peace and constructing bridges” will be “difficult if we do not learn to grow in love for this world of ours,” which involves both people and the environment.
“Here too, it helps me to think of the name of Francis, who teaches us profound respect for the whole of creation and the protection of our environment, which all too often, instead of using for the good, we exploit greedily, to one another’s detriment,” he said.
After delivering his address, Pope Francis individually greeted the diplomats, some of whom were accompanied by their wives.
On Saturday, Pope Francis will take a helicopter to meet with Benedict XVI at Castel Gandolfo around noon. His first Holy Week as Pope will begin the following day with the celebration of Palm Sunday Mass at St. Peter’s Basilica.
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Vatican security scrambling, yet prepared for pope's love of the scrum
22-Mar-2013:
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Table time: Pope discusses, prays, dines with Orthodox representatives
22-Mar-2013:
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USCCB: New proposed rules on mandate still violate religious freedom
21-Mar-2013:
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Nobel laureate: Pope preferred silent diplomacy during 'dirty war'
21-Mar-2013:
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Pope to celebrate Holy Thursday Mass at youth prison
21-Mar-2013:
Vatican City, Mar 21, 2013 / 09:33 am (CNA/EWTN News).- Pope Francis will celebrate the Mass of the Lord’s Supper at a youth detention center rather than the traditional Basilica of St. John Lateran, the Vatican says.
On March 28, Holy Thursday, Pope Francis will celebrate the Chrism Mass in St. Peter’s Basilica in the morning, but then go to the Casal del Marmo youth detention center rather than the Basilica of St. John Lateran.
This tradition is one that new pontiff has practiced since his days as Archbishop of Buenos Aires.
During that time, then-Cardinal Bergoglio would celebrate Holy Thursday Mass in a hospital, prison or shelter for the poor.
Images of the then-Cardinal washing and kissing the feet of AIDS patients and mothers with children began circulating the internet shortly following his election.
In a March 16 address to the media, Pope Francis confirmed that he chose his name after Saint Francis of Assisi after a friend urged him “not to forget the poor” when congratulating him on his election.
“Oh how I would like a poor Church and for the poor!” Pope Francis remarked.
The Holy Thursday Mass is defined by Christ’s commandment to love and his humble gesture of washing his disciples’ feet.
The Office of Liturgical Celebrations has confirmed that other Holy Week celebrations will be held according to tradition.
In 2007, Benedict XVI visited the same youth detention center to celebrate Mass in the Chapel of the Merciful Father.
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Pope Francis changes Holy Thursday plans to celebrate Mass in prison
21-Mar-2013:
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Vendors offer increasing numbers of items with papal image
21-Mar-2013:
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Rome's mayor 'touched' by Pope's simplicity
20-Mar-2013:
Rome, Italy, Mar 20, 2013 / 12:02 pm (CNA/EWTN News).- The mayor of Rome said that the simple humility of Pope Francis “really touched” his heart after the Mass that officially began the Petrine ministry.
“He is a beautiful example, and I really believe this is the right Pope for this time because there is so much crisis and people need hope,” said the mayor of Rome, Gianni Alemanno, at Saint Peter’s Square.
The mayor also said the Pope inspired him to “reflect on being more simple and paying more attention to people.”
“I feel very happy because Pope Francis is truly a person that is immediately endearing,” he told CNA on March 19.
He noted that it is “beautiful to listen to him” and that the Mass had been “wonderful and astonishing.”
“We weren’t expecting this kind of Pope because we had no idea who he was when his name was announced,” said the mayor.
“I’m also happy that it’s been a beautiful morning and that there haven’t been any problems,” he added.
Following the Mass, several Argentinians gathered in front of Saint Peter’s Square, waving their flag and cheering for the Holy Father.
“He is a light of hope for all Catholics and I hope he’ll be able to manage the Church which isn’t an easy job,” said Nicolás Lázaro, who converted to Catholicism eight years ago.
“His constant ‘pray for me’ petition has really touched me,” added the 28-year-old.
Another Argentinian, who was drinking the country’s traditional ‘mate’ tea at the square, said he was very excited.
“I’ve only seen two people become Popes and the first time it was on television,” said Juan Cruz Urbano.
“He transmits a different type of humility than our last pontiff because of his personality and there is a lot of hope,” explained Urbano, who is from Escobar, Argentina.
Colombian Monsignor Umberto González said the Pope’s message today on protecting people and creation was “an extraordinary gift.”
“He has really touched my heart because he is a man that speaks with simplicity but with depth,” said Msgr. González.
“His words show his humanity, his goodness and his love for God,” he observed.
According to the Colombian, Pope Francis has not only shown himself to be a fatherly figure, but also a brother.
“We’ve seen that Europe has given Latin America many things, and now it’s Latin America that is giving to Europe and the whole world,” said Msgr. González.
He reflected that Latin Americans can therefore embrace the Pope with pride, “but also with a commitment to the whole world.”
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Pope Francis calls his predecessor, wishing him happy name day
20-Mar-2013:
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Pope says religions must cooperate to remind humanity God exists
20-Mar-2013:
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Pope to world religious: Truth, beauty, goodness unites!
20-Mar-2013:
Vatican City, Mar 20, 2013 / 06:50 am (CNA/EWTN News).-
Pope Francis told world religious leaders that the desire to search for truth, beauty and goodness is what keeps them all united.
“We feel close to all who, despite being from other traditions and religions, feel the desire to look for truth, beauty and goodness," said the new Pope when he received the leaders at the Vatican today.
He met with Muslim leaders, the head of Rome's Jewish community Rabbi Riccardo di Segni and heads of other Christian denominations including Patriarch Bartholomew I of the Constantinople Church in Turkey.
And it was the first time a Constantinople patriarch attended the Pope's inaugural Mass yesterday since the Great Schism between the Western and Eastern churches nearly 1,000 years ago.
“From my side I wish to ensure you my firm will to continue the path of ecunemical dialogue, which the (Second Vatican) Council initiated,” said Pope Francis at the Clementine Hall of his new home, the Apostolic Palace.
“The Catholic Church knows the importance of promoting friendship and mutual respect between men and women of diverse religious traditions,” he told the religious leaders and repeated the sentence twice.
Pope Francis noted that ecumenism can “do a lot for those who are poor, weak or suffer by promoting justice and peace.”
“But man reduces himself to the “I” who produces and the “I” who consumes,” he said.
The Pope thanked the Patriarch, who had initiated the gathering with a public speech to greet the pontiff, calling him by his first name, Andrea.
“I ask you for the charity of a special prayer to my person so I can be a good pastor according to the heart of Jesus,” he told them.
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Pilgrims rise early to get spot to welcome Pope Francis
20-Mar-2013:
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Pope chooses silver ring, pallium style in keeping with predecessor
19-Mar-2013:
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Rock bands, vendors, big screens, prayer: Buenos Aires celebrates pope
19-Mar-2013:
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Francis' papal symbols linked to past Popes
19-Mar-2013:
Vatican City, Mar 19, 2013 / 01:08 pm (CNA/EWTN News).- When Pope Francis was installed as Bishop of Rome today, the two major symbols of the authority he received were connected to previous Popes.
The inauguration ceremony began with Pope Francis visiting the tomb of St. Peter. He then processed out to the square, with the patriarchs of the Eastern Catholic Churches carrying the Book of the Gospels, his pallium and the Fisherman’s ring.
As the procession made its way, a choir sang a special litany of the saints that included those Popes who have been recognized as saints.
But in addition to these echoes of previous Popes, the papal ring and the pallium – a circular stole of white wool that symbolizes Francis' role as the chief shepherd of the Church – are connected to Paul VI and Benedict XVI, respectively.
The ring, known as the Fisherman’s ring because Jesus made Peter a “fisher of men,” has a unique and circuitous history.
The late Archbishop Pasquale Macchi, former personal secretary of Pope Paul VI, kept the wax cast of a ring made for the Pope by the artist Henry Manfrini.
“The ring was never cast into metal, and Paul VI never wore it because he always wore the ring that was commissioned at the time of the Second Vatican Council,” Vatican press office director Father Federico Lombardi explained March 18.
Archbishop Macchi, who died in 2006, left the cast to Monsignor Ettore Malnati, and he had a silver ring with gold plating made from the wax cast. The ring depicts Saint Peter holding the keys of Heaven.
After he was elected Pope, Francis was offered several possibilities for his Fisherman’s ring and he chose the one that was created for Paul VI.
The other symbol of Pope Francis’ authority that has a papal connection is the pallium that was placed on his shoulders this morning.
The pallium is made from lamb’s wool and has five red crosses on it to recall the five wounds of Christ. Major archbishops also wear palliums signifying their roles as shepherds, but their crosses are black.
The pallium that Pope Francis received was the exact same one worn by Benedict XVI, according to Fr. Lombardi.
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Pope sends love to Argentina before inauguration
19-Mar-2013:
Vatican City, Mar 19, 2013 / 10:55 am (CNA/EWTN News).- After asking Argentinians not to come to Rome and give to the poor instead, Pope Francis called a large gathering to tell them he loves them and needs their prayers.
“Do not forget this bishop who is far but loves you a lot” and “pray for me” were the last words of the message he delivered with a 3:30 a.m. telephone call.
Thousands of his countrymen gathered at the Plaza de Mayo in the country’s capital, Buenos Aires, to watch his installation Mass on huge television screens placed across the cathedral.
“I know you are in the square. I know you are praying, and I need your prayers a lot,” said Pope Francis on May 19, just two hours before the Mass in Rome was set to begin.
It is “so beautiful to pray,” he remarked, inviting his fellow Argentinians to “walk together” with him.
“Let us protect each other, do not hurt each other, and protect life,” said Pope Francis, reinforcing what he had said in Italian during his homily at the Vatican.
“Protect the family, nature, children, the elderly,” he said.
“Let there not be hate, no fighting, put envy aside and do not criticize.”
He asked his countrymen to “talk with each other” and to “keep alive the wish of wanting to protect each other.”
“May your hearts enlarge and may you get closer to God, who is good and always forgives and understands, so do not be afraid of him,” said Pope Francis.
Two hours later he presided over the March 19 Mass that officially started his ministry, although he became the Pope the moment he accepted the vote of the cardinals on March 13.
“Protect creation, protect everyone, especially the poor” was his main message during the homily that he preached to around 200,000 people in St. Peter’s Square.
He also underscored the importance of every person taking responsibility for protecting their hearts and emotions, “because they are the seat of good and evil intentions: intentions that build up and tear down!”
Pope Francis’ next meeting will be on March 20 with Christian delegations that came for his installation, and on March 22 he will meet with the diplomats accredited to the Vatican.
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Changes in style send clear message from Pope Francis
19-Mar-2013:
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Pope begins ministry with biblical symbols, signs of universal ministry
19-Mar-2013:
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Pilgrim at Pope's Mass: 'Today everyone feels Argentinian'
19-Mar-2013:
Vatican City, Mar 19, 2013 / 07:33 am (CNA/EWTN News).- Everyone felt a little Argentinian and extremely happy today, according to members of diverse religious orders who attended the Pope’s installation Mass this morning.
“Today everyone feels Argentinian, or at least us Latin Americans do,” said Peruvian priest Father Jose Tola at Saint Peter’s Square.
“I’m extremely happy and excited,” he told CNA during the March 19 inauguration Mass of Pope Francis, which officially began his pontificate.
American Cardinal William J. Levada described it as “a wonderful and exciting day.”
“It’s a beautiful day here – Saint Joseph’s feast day, installation of the new Holy Father – so I’m all excited and we pray for him, ” said the cardinal, who is prefect emeritus of the Congregation of the Doctrine of the Faith.
Clergy and religious attended the Mass, along with around 200,000 others. The Italian national police and numerous other agencies were careful not to allow too many people in the square, and they also took security precautions by blocking the streets surrounding the Vatican.
Members of the religious order The Small Work of the Divine Providence from Mendoza, Argentina said they had already planned the trip before the Pope Francis was proclaimed the new pontiff.
“It’s such a huge emotion that words cannot describe it,” said a blonde middle-aged lady, who is a member of the order.
“God has rewarded us with this present to be next to Pope Francis,” she added.
Brazilian Brother Paolo said Pope Francis “is a blessing from God.”
“Brazil is waiting for him (for World Youth Day), and Brazil is going to love him, and he is going to love Brazil,” Br. Paolo said.
Another Brazilian, Brother Wagner Campopiano, said that the Pope “has won my heart” and that today’s inauguration brought him “heavenly happiness.”
Several clergy from other Christian denominations, who will meet the Pope tomorrow at 11:00 a.m., were also at the Mass.
“It gives the truly Catholic sense of the Church that it goes beyond, not just our own ecclesiastical jurisdiction, but also beyond the whole world,” said Archbishop William Skurla of the Byzantine Catholic eparchy based in Pittsburgh, Pa.
A religious from the Little Sisters of Jesus order noted that they came because they are part of the Church and they “want to live in communion with everyone that is here.”
“Being here is feeling the Church’s heart through the crowd, and we’ve come because of his very simple, gentle and human gestures,” said Sister Donata, who lives in Rome.
Maureen Ferguson, senior policy advisor for the Catholic Association, described the Pope’s installation Mass as “a pilgrimage.”
“There’s just such excitement out in the square today with all the young people, heads of State from all over the world,” said Ferguson.
“People forget that this is important to Catholics and non-Catholics alike, and it’s beautiful to see people from around the world,” she added.
“The Church is the largest charity in the planet, educates more children around the world and is the strongest defender of human rights and of the dignity of the human person,” Ferguson said.
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Pope Francis begins papacy pledging to protect church, human dignity
19-Mar-2013:
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Everyone must be 'protector' like St. Joseph, Pope says
19-Mar-2013:
Vatican City, Mar 19, 2013 / 03:44 am (CNA/EWTN News).- Pope Francis called on all people to be “protectors,” like Saint Joseph, by watching over and caring for the poor, families, friendships, the environment and their own emotions and hearts.
“In the end, everything has been entrusted to our protection, and all of us are responsible for it. Be protectors of God’s gifts!
“Whenever human beings fail to live up to this responsibility, whenever we fail to care for creation and for our brothers and sisters, the way is opened to destruction and hearts are hardened,” Pope Francis said in his March 19 homily in St. Peter's Square.
The homily was delivered in Italian and focused on St. Joseph, whose feast is celebrated every March 19.
“How does Joseph respond to his calling to be the protector of Mary, Jesus and the Church?” Pope Francis asked.
“By being constantly attentive to God, open to the signs of God’s presence and receptive to God’s plans, and not simply to his own.
“Joseph is a ‘protector’ because he is able to hear God’s voice and be guided by his will; and for this reason he is all the more sensitive to the persons entrusted to his safekeeping. He can look at things realistically, he is in touch with his surroundings, he can make truly wise decisions,” the Pope explained.
Today’s ceremony and Mass are being attended by 132 delegations from around the world, including representatives from the Buddhist, Jain, Jewish and Muslim communities.
Pope Francis, aware of the audience and reach of his message, said that being a protector
“is not just something involving us Christians alone; it also has a prior dimension which is simply human, involving everyone.”
“It means protecting all creation, … respecting each of God’s creatures and respecting the environment … it means protecting people, showing loving concern for each and every person, especially children, the elderly, those in need, who are often the last we think about.
And it also means “caring for one another in our families: husbands and wives first protect one another, and then, as parents, they care for their children, and children themselves, in time, protect their parents. It means building sincere friendships in which we protect one another in trust, respect, and goodness,” the Pope said.
Thirty-three heads of state are present at Pope Francis’ inauguration, and he made an appeal to them and all men and women of goodwill to be “‘protectors’ of creation, protectors of God’s plan inscribed in nature, protectors of one another and of the environment.”
“Let us not allow omens of destruction and death to accompany the advance of this world!” he exclaimed.
Moving to the individual level, Pope Francis stated, “we also have to keep watch over ourselves!”
“Let us not forget that hatred, envy and pride defile our lives!
“Being protectors, then, also means keeping watch over our emotions, over our hearts, because they are the seat of good and evil intentions: intentions that build up and tear down!
He also pointed out that maintaining personal vigilance “demands goodness” and “calls for a certain tenderness.”
“In the Gospels,” the Pope noted, “Saint Joseph appears as a strong and courageous man, a working man, yet in his heart we see great tenderness, which is not the virtue of the weak but rather a sign of strength of spirit and a capacity for concern, for compassion, for genuine openness to others, for love.”
Pope Francis ended his homily by reflecting on how his ministry as Pope is one of service.
“To protect Jesus with Mary, to protect the whole of creation, to protect each person, especially the poorest, to protect ourselves: this is a service that the Bishop of Rome is called to carry out, yet one to which all of us are called, so that the star of hope will shine brightly,” he said.
In contrast with his previous addresses, Pope Francis did not speak off the cuff during today’s homily, but he did continue to ask people to pray for him as he finished his reflection.
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Archbishop says authenticity, simplicity mark his mentor, Pope Francis
19-Mar-2013:
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Vatican releases papal coat of arms, motto by English doctor of church
19-Mar-2013:
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Pope possesses wisdom and simplicity, Argentine cardinal says
18-Mar-2013:
Rome, Italy, Mar 18, 2013 / 04:02 pm (CNA).- The retired cardinal of Parana, Argentina, described his friend Cardinal Jorge Bergoglio – now Pope Francis – as an able pastor with the heart of a missionary.
In an interview with CNA, Cardinal Estanislao Esteban Karlic said it was a “huge surprise” to see his friend appear on the loggia of St. Peter’s Basilica dressed in white.
“The Lord loves us so much, he gave us this immense gift.”
“I pray to God that I will not forget that moment so that I can thank him and so that I can pray for our beloved brother Jorge whom we will now call Francis,” the cardinal said.
He added that the Pope “carries in his heart the message of the Gospel so that it be spread throughout the world and received by all men and women, that it may infuse in us a missionary and evangelical spirit, to the ends of the earth, such that there be no place in the world where the name of Jesus is not heard.”
Cardinal Karlic said Pope Francis will help everyone “understand once again that we all have something to give to others, we all have something to receive from others.”
This is true, he said, “because the truth of God, of the Church, of humanity, is communion among those who love each other as brothers and sisters, as individuals, as families, as nations.”
The cardinal said that seeing a fellow Argentinian elected Pope “is not only a very great honor but also a call to follow his guidance” in serving God.
Pope Francis will always be the first Latin American Pope, he continued, explaining that “this represents a very important historical moment” and a sign of great fruit to be borne in the region’s sanctity.
The Holy Father “is a very simple man” who is “capable of confronting the simplest and also the most complex of issues,” Cardinal Karlic continued.
“He is a man of reflection who puts his wisdom into action. He did so first in leading the Jesuits, later in the Diocese of Buenos Aires, and now in leading the Church as the Supreme Pontiff.”
The fact that he is the first Jesuit in history to be Pope and has chosen the name of Francis, “the name of the humble founder of the Franciscans,” describes perfectly the Holy Father’s personality, Cardinal Karlic said.
“I would even say that in his heart, St. Ignatius of Loyola – the founder of the Jesuits – was greatly inspired by St. Francis to care for the poor…because all of the saints wish to imitate other saints in many of their qualities,” the cardinal said.
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Pope meets with Argentine president, superior general of Jesuits
18-Mar-2013:
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Muslim leaders express hopes for improved relations with Catholics
18-Mar-2013:
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Pope Francis' inauguration brings world to Rome
18-Mar-2013:
Vatican City, Mar 18, 2013 / 12:50 pm (CNA/EWTN News).- Hundreds of thousands of people are expected to converge on St. Peter’s Square March 19 for the installation of Pope Francis, including large delegations from Argentina and Italy.
The ceremony is formally titled “The Inauguration of the Petrine Ministry of the Bishop of Rome” and begins with a visit to the tomb of St. Peter.
The largest delegations will be coming from Argentina and Italy. President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner is leading a group of 19 people from the Argentinian government, while President Gorgio Napolitano is bringing 16 officials on behalf of Italy.
Pope Francis has asked for a few changes to the ceremony, but it will not be significantly different than Benedict XVI’s installation in 2005.
One interesting change will be that the Gospel will be sung only in Greek, whereas in the past it was also sung in Latin, signifying the Eastern and Western branches of the Church.
Pope Francis’ inauguration will begin with him making his way through St. Peter’s Square in the popemobile or the open-air Jeep.
After that he will visit to St. Peter’s tomb under the main altar of the Vatican basilica.
He will be joined at the tomb by the patriarchs of the Eastern Catholic Churches, who will carry his pallium – a circular stole of white wool that evokes the image of the Good Shepherd –into St. Peter’s Square. The patriarchs will also carry his Fisherman’s ring out to the square.
The pallium is the same one that was used by Benedict XVI, the ring belonged to Pope Paul VI. The ring was designed by the famous Italian jeweler Enrico Manfrini and was given to the Pope by Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re.
Vatican press office director Father Federico Lombardi specified March 18 that it is not known whether Paul VI ever wore the ring.
Following the conferral of the pallium and ring, there will be a brief rite of obedience in which six cardinals – two from each order – will offer their loyalty to Pope Francis.
The concelebrants for the Mass will be all of the cardinals, the Eastern Catholic patriarchs, and two priests.
The priests will be Franciscan Father José Rodríguez Carballo and Jesuit Father Adolfo Nicolás, in their roles as president and vice president of the Union of Superiors General, respectively.
Since March 19 is the Feast of Saint Joseph, the readings and Mass parts for that solemnity will be used.
The celebration will have delegations from 132 separate entities, including 33 Christian churches, 16 Jewish representatives, and 31 heads of state.
Significantly, the Orthodox Patriarch Bartholomew I will attend the inauguration for the first time since the Great Schism of the Church into Eastern and Western confessions in 1054.
Papal master of ceremonies Monsignor Guido Marini expects the inauguration and Mass to be finished by 11:30 a.m.
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In Buenos Aires slum, church counters drugs, evangelicals
18-Mar-2013:
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Pope pledges renewed cooperation, Jewish leaders praise election
18-Mar-2013:
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Pope keeps motto of mercy from Buenos Aires
18-Mar-2013:
Vatican City, Mar 18, 2013 / 09:50 am (CNA/EWTN News).- Pope Francis decided this morning that he would keep both the motto and coat of arms that he used during his time as Archbishop of Buenos Aires.
The motto has “a particular meaning in life and spiritual journey of the Pope,” a March 18 statement from the Vatican press office says.
“In fact, on the feast of St. Matthew in 1953, the young Jorge Mario Bergoglio experienced at the age of 17-years-old, in a very special way, the loving presence of God in his life.
“Following a confession, his heart was touched and felt the descent of the mercy of God, that with eyes of tender love, he was being called to the religious life, after the example of St. Ignatius of Loyola,” the communiqué explained.
The motto, “miserando atque eligendo,” was inspired by St. Bede the Venerable’s commentary on Matthew’s Gospel.
The particular passage that spoke to Pope Francis was Jesus seeing Matthew the tax collector, “looked at him with love and said 'Follow me.’”
?The Latin motto stands for “having had mercy, he called him.”
Mercy has been a particular theme of Pope Francis in his homilies and reflections. Most recently he spoke about mercy in his March 17 Sunday Angelus address, reminding the packed piazza that “the Lord never gets tired of forgiving, it is we that get tired of asking forgiveness.”
The Pope’s coat of arms is also the same as the one he adopted in Buenos Aires, with the exception of the papal keys and the papal mitre crowning the image.
The shield has a blue background, and three symbols representing Jesus, Mary and Joseph.
At the top is a sun with the letters IHS in the middle, representing the Society of Jesus as well as Christ. The lower left-hand corner features a star for Mary, and the lower-right hand corner displays the nard flower, which is a symbol for St. Joseph.
“By placing these images in his shield, the Pope wanted to express his particular devotion to the Blessed Virgin and St. Joseph,” the Vatican’s statement said.
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Pope Francis will shake up more than Vatican schedules
18-Mar-2013:
Vatican City, Mar 18, 2013 / 04:45 am (CNA/EWTN News).- All the Vatican officials will continue in their positions “until otherwise provided” while Pope Francis takes time for “reflection, prayer and dialogue before making any definitive appointments,” but one can expect changes to happen.
Usually, when a new Pope begins his ministry, he confirms all the heads of the congregations and pontifical councils, who lost their posts at the beginning of the sede vacante period. He also reconfirms the five-year terms for the secretaries of the Vatican departments – who took over the management of the offices while there was no Pope.
When he issued the normal confirmation on March 16, Pope Francis only offered a two-sentence statement, and nothing is mentioned about the Vatican Secretariat of State, the second most powerful congregation.
“You should expect a lot of changes under Pope Francis’ pontificate,” said Alberto Barlocci, a reporter based in Buenos Aires and the director of the magazine Ciudad Nueva.
“With his first gestures, he wants to make a break with the past and signal that the Church is something different from frills and (its) image.
“But if you think that he would not govern the Curia, you are wrong. He knows very well what the problems are, and he has probably already thought of how to handle them,” Barlocci told CNA on March 15.
One of the first dossiers Pope Francis will receive contains the findings from the investigation conducted by three cardinals into the Vatileaks scandal.
In fact, when he was Archbishop of Buenos Aires, Jorge Mario Bergoglio became acquainted with how maneuvering at the Vatican could affect his ability to carry out his ministry.
An Argentinian prelate who spoke on the condition of anonymity told CNA March 16 that Cardinal Bergoglio was “named as auxiliary and then archbishop of Buenos Aires to save the diocese from the disarray left by his predecessor Guarracino.”
But, he adds, “when new bishops were appointed in Argentina, he always found out that none of the indications he gave had been accepted.”
The papal nuncio to Argentina responded by submitting the same top three suggestions for new bishops to the Vatican’s Congregation of the Clergy, so “the new bishops were in agreement with Bergoglio.”
This maneuvering was guided by Cardinal Angelo Sodano, who was then-secretary of state and had a strong influence in Latin America because of the years he served there as a papal nuncio. And his influence is still felt in the region because of the network of diplomats he has raised up.
However, Pope Francis seems to be very aware of these problems.
In fact, nothing of the Vatileaks dossier will likely surprise him. Pope Francis will take his time to understand how to “reform” the Curia.
“Cardinals told me,” he joked at a March 16 meeting with journalists, “that I had to take the name of Hadrian VII, since there was the need of a Curia reform, and Hadrian VI was a great reformer.”
The first move of the new Pope will presumably be to appoint a new Vatican Secretary of State.
Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone is 78 and he beyond the age of retirement. The race to take over his post seems to be between the two Italians: Giuseppe Bertello – now in charge of the Vatican City State's administration – and Fernando Filoni – the prefect of the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples.
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Portenos paint Pope Francis as kind, outspoken, good administrator
17-Mar-2013:
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Pope Francis greets cheering, flag-waving crowd at first Angelus
17-Mar-2013:
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At first Angelus, Pope Francis says God never tires of forgiving
17-Mar-2013:
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Pope Francis cracks two jokes in first Angelus, winning more hearts
17-Mar-2013:
Vatican City, Mar 17, 2013 / 06:20 am (CNA/EWTN News).- The new Pope's spontaneity was revealed again today after he cracked two jokes during his very first Angelus prayer in front of thousands.
On a more serious note, he asked people to never get tired of asking God for forgiveness.
“Don't forget this, the Lord never gets tired of forgiving, it is we that get tired of asking forgiveness,” said Pope Francis today at Saint Peter's Square.
“Let us not hear words of contempt or condone, but only words of love and mercy that invite us to conversion,” he told the crowd.
The new Pope said that the face of God is like that of a merciful father that always has patience and is always willing to forgive us.
“Have you thought about how much patience he has with you?” he asked.
Pope Francis told how he recently read a book by Cardinal Walter Kasper on mercy.
“That book has done me so much good, but don't think I'm trying to make publicity of my cardinals!” he joked. “It's not like that!”
“It's done me so much good because he says that mercy changes everything, it changes the world making it less cold and more fair,” said Pope Francis.
He explained that the prophet Isaiah said that “if our sins are red like scarlet, God will make them white like snow.”
Pope Francis also told how when the image of Our Lady of Fatima arrived to Buenos Aires in 1992 when he was Bishop, a big Mass was celebrated for the poor during which he spent it confessing.
He told of the conversation between “an old and very humble lady” who came to him towards the end of the Mass.
Pope: "Nonna, do you want to confess yourself?”
Lady: "Yes."
Pope: "But you haven't sinned."
Lady: "We've all sinned."
Pope: "But maybe God won't forgive you."
Lady: "God forgives everyone."
Pope: "How do you know, madame?"
Lady: "If God didn't forgive everything, the world wouldn't exist."
“I wanted to ask her, 'Have you studied at the Gregorian (University)?' because that is the knowledge that the Holy Spirit gives!” exclaimed the Pope, laughing.
Pope Francis then extended his greetings to all faithful and said he chose the name “Francis” to spiritually tie himself to Italy, of which his family is originally from.
“But Jesus has called us to form part of a new family of his Church, in this family of God walking together on the path of the Gospel,” he said.
“Let's not forget that God never gets tired of forgiving so let's never get tired of asking for forgiveness,” he added again.
Pope Francis ended his first Angelus prayer wishing everyone a “nice Sunday and a nice lunch.”
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Weigel thinks Pope Francis embodies Church's future
16-Mar-2013:
Rome, Italy, Mar 16, 2013 / 04:01 pm (CNA).- Catholic author and scholar George Weigel believes that Pope Francis embodies the type of Catholicism that is needed for the Church to thrive in the modern cultural context.
“I think Pope Francis embodies the Church's turn into the Evangelical Catholicism of the future in a profound way,” Weigel told CNA on March 15, just two days into the new papacy.
“If he can reform the Curia and turn it into a more effective instrument of the New Evangelization, while concurrently being the Church's principal evangelist, he will have done precisely what the Church needs in these first decades of the new millennium,” he said.
Weigel, who is the author of the official biography of Pope John Paul II and numerous other books on contemporary Catholicism, has just released “Evangelical Catholicism: Deep Reform in the 21st-Century Church” (Basic Books, $27.99).
In a March 8 interview with CNA before the election of the new Pope, Weigel explained that he was motivated to write the book because it “seemed to me two years ago that a number of things were beginning to come into focus.”
“I had been thinking about the long trajectory of modern Church history for a long time … and it finally came clear to me that this ‘Church of the New Evangelization’ or ‘Evangelical Catholicism’ was the prism through which all of that deep reform that had been underway since Leo XIII was being focused,” he explained.
In fact, Weigel asserted, the Church was and is at “a hinge moment” in its history, a time when “a new mode of being Catholic was being born, and that this was not dissimilar from other such transition points in Catholic history.”
His aim in writing “Evangelical Catholicism” was to describe a future that “is already being born,” and to offer “some very specific suggestions on how to accelerate that.”
Weigel spends the first half of his latest work explaining his vision of Evangelical Catholicism which “is being born out of 120 years of Catholic reform.”
It places “friendship with Jesus Christ at the center of the Christian experience, a friendship nurtured by an intensified sacramental life and a deeper encounter with the Bible, all of which lead to a Church in mission,” he explained to CNA.
In the second half of his book, Weigel looks at the numerous vocations, institutions and apostolates in the Church and offers his ideas for how to carry out an Evangelical Catholic reform.
Some of the areas he addresses are: the episcopate, the priesthood, consecrated life, the liturgy, the lay vocation, the intellectual sphere, the Church’s public policy advocacy, and the papacy.
In the interview, Weigel offered his thoughts on the “Global South,” the area where the Church has grown the most in the recent decades, which also happens to include the new Pope’s homeland of Argentina.
“I think there is real opportunity now in Latin America to move in this direction,” he said, pointing to a 2007 document issued by the bishops of Latin America that “marked the real turning point from institutional maintenance, Counter-Reformation Catholicism, in Latin America, which had counted on the ambient culture to carry the faith for 500 years.”
“That’s not there anymore, so it has to be proposed and proposed and proposed again.”
Weigel also reflected on the “developed world,” where the vital areas of Catholicism “are the Evangelical Catholic parts.”
In his view, “‘Catholic Lite’ is finished. It’s going to take another 20 years for some people to figure that out, but it’s over.
“And it’s over for a very simple reason. It doesn’t work,” he stated.
“It’s incapable of engaging this toxic culture and it’s incapable of inspiring people to embrace the full symphony of Catholic truth and then share that.”
When it comes to Pope Francis, Weigel believes that he understands this reality well.
“He has lived a Gospel-centered ministry in Argentina. He knows that a ‘kept’ Church – ‘kept’ in the sense of legal establishment, cultural habit, or both – has no future, given the acids of secularism.”
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Wikileaks shows US Vatican embassy profiled Pope Francis in 2005
16-Mar-2013:
Vatican City, Mar 16, 2013 / 01:02 pm (CNA).- Leaked U.S. State Department cables published by Wikileaks show that the U.S. Vatican Embassy saw the future Pope Francis as a contender for the papacy in the 2005 conclave, reporting him to be a “wise pastor” who could appeal to allies of Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger.
Six cables mention Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio, the Archbishop of Buenos Aires who became Pope Francis on March 13. One of the unclassified cables, dated April 18, 2005, includes a detailed profile that examined the Argentine cardinal as a possible successor to Pope John Paul II.
“Bergoglio exemplifies the virtues of the wise pastor that many electors value,” said the cable authored by the U.S. Embassy to the Vatican. “Observers have praised his humility: he has been reluctant to accept honors or hold high office and commutes to work on a bus.”
The cable was signed by the U.S. embassy’s then-Charge d’Affaires D. Brent Hardt and was sent the day the 2005 conclave began. It discussed the future Pope Francis as one of 16 possible candidates.
“Bergoglio is said to prefer life in the local Church as opposed to a bureaucratic existence in Rome’s ecclesiastical structures, but at the same time he has been willing to serve on the Vatican's various supervisory committees,” the cable continued.
The embassy analysis said this preference indicated the cardinal could bridge what it characterized as a “divide” between the curia and the cardinal archbishops of local Catholic churches. In the embassy’s view, this made Cardinal Bergoglio “a good compromise candidate” for voting cardinals.
The embassy said the cardinal’s membership in the Jesuit order “could count against him,” citing some senior prelates who are “suspicious of a liberal streak in the order.”
The embassy analysis said Cardinal Bergoglio, along with Cardinals Ruini and Scola, would be “suitable to the Ratzinger camp.”
Like most observers, the embassy incorrectly believed there was not enough conclave support for Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, who would be elected Pope Benedict XVI on April 19, 2005.
In late 2010 the whistleblower website Wikileaks published about 250,000 leaked State Department cables as part of its “Cablegate” project. Hundreds of the cables touched on Catholic issues, including 700 cables originating from the U.S. Embassy to the Holy See.
Catholic News Agency published multiple in-depth reports on the documents from late 2010 through September 2011.
Cardinal Bergoglio is mentioned by name in a total of eight State Department cables in the Cablegate archive, which does not contain all State Department communications from 2010 and earlier.
Several of the cables concern the Catholic Church’s sometimes tense relationship with the Argentine government, especially with current President Cristina Kirchner and her predecessor and late husband President Nestor Kirchner.
An Oct. 11, 2007 cable from the U.S. Embassy in Buenos Aires said that some observers consider Cardinal Bergoglio to be “a leader of the opposition” to the administration of President Nestor Kirchner.
The cable suggested that the conviction of the Catholic priest Christian Von Wernich for his role as an accomplice in murder, torture and illegal imprisonment during Argentina’s “Dirty War” would be used to undermine the moral authority of the Catholic Church and the cardinal.
One confidential cable sent in January 2010 mentioned Cardinal Bergoglio in the context of U.S. Ambassador to Argentina Vilma Martinez’s meeting with Gabriela Michetti. Michetti is a former vice-mayor of Buenos Aires who presently sits in the lower chamber of Argentina’s legislature as a national deputy from Argentina's center-right Republican Proposal (PRO) party.
The cable said Michetti maintained “regular dialogue” with Cardinal Bergoglio and other Catholic groups.
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Pope to journalists: ?I love you so much and I thank you for everything?
16-Mar-2013:
Vatican City, Mar 16, 2013 / 08:11 am (CNA/EWTN News).- Pope Francis told thousands of journalists today he loved them and thanked them for their recent work.
“I love you so much and I thank you for all that you have done,” Pope Francis told over 5,000 journalists today at Paul VI Hall in the Vatican.
“We aren’t called to communicate about ourselves, but on this trinity of truth, goodness and beauty,” he told the journalists at 11:00 a.m. local time.
The newly elected Pope from Argentina spoke to them and their families on the third day of his pontificate.
“Your work needs study, sensibility, experience like all other professions, but needs to also give special attention to truth, goodness and beauty,” said the Pope.
“That is why we are so close because the Church exists to communicate precisely this,” he stated.
He thanked the journalists for their “hard work” covering the days since Benedict XVI announced his resignation adding that it is not easy to communicate to “a vast and varied public.”
“Be sure that the Church reserves a big attention to your precious work,” said the Argentinian 76-year-old.
The pontiff told the professionals that Jesus is the center of the Church and not himself.
“Without him, Peter and the Church would not exist nor would they have a reason for existing,” he said.
Pope Francis also explained that he chose the name ‘Francis’ because it “came from his heart.”
“On the election day I had next to me the Archbishop emeritus of Sao Paolo and the prefect emeritus of the Congregation of the Clergy, Cardinal Claudio Hummes, a great friend,” he said.
“When the voting resulted in the election of the Pope, he hugged me, he kissed me and he told me ‘do not forget the poor’,” said the Pope.
He explained that the words “the poor” remained stuck in his head and he suddenly thought of Saint Francis of Assisi.
“Man of poverty, man of peace, man who loves and guards the Creator,” said Pope Francis.
“And in these times we don’t have a good relation with the Creator, right?,” he asked the crowd.
He explained that it is the poor man who gives “a spirit of peace.”
“Oh how I would like a poor Church and for the poor!,” he remarked.
The new Pope said some people joked saying he should have named himself “Adrian” because Adrian VI was a reformer.
“Another told me I should be called ‘Clement XV’ to revenge myself from Clement XIV who suppressed the Jesuits,” the Pope exclaimed laughing.
The Pope then personally greeted several Vatican journalists including a blind man and his yellow Labrador, which he patted.
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Sts. Ignatius and Francis of Assisi, a bond highlighted by Pope Francis
15-Mar-2013:
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Pope's episcopal motto comes from homily by English doctor of church
15-Mar-2013:
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Pope tells Argentinians to help poor instead of coming to Rome
15-Mar-2013:
Vatican City, Mar 15, 2013 / 12:30 pm (CNA/EWTN News).- Pope Francis told the Apostolic Nuncio to Argentina to ask his countrymen not to travel to Italy for the ceremony that will begin his pontificate.
“Tell the bishops and the faithful to make an offering and an act of solidarity to the poor with the money instead,” said the Vatican’s press office director, Father Federico Lombardi.
Fr. Lombardi spoke March 15 with the nuncio, Archbishop Emil Paul Tscherrig, who confirmed that Pope Francis had telephoned him on the night of his election.
“But those who know him find this very normal, since it is his style,” said Fr. Lombardi at the Vatican’s media center.
“I don’t think he forbade it, he just said it wasn’t necessary for people to come to his installation Mass,” he added.
Archbishop Tscherrig also told the Vatican’s press office director that people in Buenos Aires “are breathing a big atmosphere of joy and of prayer.”
“He said a lot of people are going to church and that in the parish where Pope Francis normally offers Mass, the parish priest told the nuncio that he spent the whole day confessing, including many people who haven’t been to confession in 15 or so years,” said Fr. Lombardi.
“It’s a beautiful moment of grace, of a lot of joy and of a lot of spiritual vitality for the Church now in Argentina,” he remarked.
Fr. Lombardi, who like Pope Francis belongs to the religious order of the Society of Jesus, also added that he thinks the Pope will be dispensed from one of the order’s four vows.
The Jesuits vow to live lives of poverty, charity, obedience, and specifically obedience to the Pope with regard to mission work.
“Evidently he doesn’t have a Pope to obey, so I think the election of Pope Francis dispenses him from this vow,” he said.
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Jesuit doorman surprised by Pope's phone call
15-Mar-2013:
Rome, Italy, Mar 15, 2013 / 11:38 am (CNA/EWTN News).- He thought it was a joke. The young doorman at the Jesuit motherhouse in Rome never expected to receive a phone call from Pope Francis.
The Holy Father had to patiently and kindly convince the doorman who he was in order to speak with the Father General of the Jesuits to thank him for a letter the Pontiff received upon his election.
According to Father Claudio Barriga, SJ, who recounted the incident in an email to fellow Jesuits around the world, the unexpected phone call from Pope came around 10:15 a.m. Rome time on Thursday.
“The doorman answered the phone. They said it was call from St. Martha’s Residence and he heard a soft and serene voice: ‘Buon Giorno, sono il Papa Francesco, vorrei parlare con il Padre Generale (Good morning, it’s Pope Francis. I’d like to speak with the Father General).’”
“The doorman almost answered: ‘Yeah, and I’m Napoleon,’ but he resisted. Instead he replied curtly, ‘May I ask who’s calling?’ The Pope realized the young Italian man didn’t believe it was him, so he kindly repeated, ‘Seriously, it’s Pope Francis. What’s your name?’”
“Ever since the Pope’s election, our phone has been ringing every two minutes and a lot of people are calling, including a few lunatics,” Father Barriga said.
“Once the doorman realized his mistake he answered with a hesitant and nervous voice: ‘My name is Andrew.’”
“How are you, Andrew?” asked the Pope.
“Fine, pardon me, just a little bit confused.”
The Holy Father responded, “Don’t worry, could you please connect me with the Father General? I would like to thank him for the beautiful letter he sent me.”
“Pardon me, Your Holiness, I’ll connect you right now,” said the doorman.
“No problem. I’ll wait as long as necessary,” said Pope Francis.
The doorman handed the phone to the Father General’s private secretary, Brother Alfonso.
“Hello?” Brother Alfonso said.
“With whom am I speaking?” the Pope asked.
“It’s Alfonso, the Father General’s personal secretary,” he replied.
“It’s the Pope, I would like to speak with the Father General to thank him for the beautiful letter he sent me,” the Holy Father said.
“Sure, just a moment,” Brother Alfonso replied in amazement.
As he made his way to the office of Father Adolfo Nicolas, the Jesuit Father General, he continued his conversation.
“Holy Father, congratulations on your election! We are all happy here for your election, we are praying a lot for you,” Brother Alfonso told him.
“Praying that I keep going or that I turn back?” the Pope joked.
“That you keep going, of course,” he replied, as the Holy Father laughed.
“Stunned and bewildered, Brother Alfonso didn’t even bother to knock and simply entered the office of the Father General, who looked at him with surprise. He gave him the phone, looked at him and said: The Pope,” Father Barriga recounted.
“We don’t know the details about what happened next, but the Pope cordially thanked the Father General for his letter. The Father General said he would like to see him to greet him. The Pope said he would instruct his secretary so that they could meet as soon as possible and that somebody from the Vatican would be in touch,” Father Barriga said in his message.
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Pope Francis: Don't give in to pessimism, courageously share Gospel
15-Mar-2013:
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Vatican dismisses claims against Pope Francis during dictatorship
15-Mar-2013:
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Pope tells cardinals: discover new ways to evangelize
15-Mar-2013:
Vatican City, Mar 15, 2013 / 10:17 am (CNA/EWTN News).- Pope Francis urged the College of Cardinals to courageously persevere in finding new ways to evangelize.
“We have the certainty that the Holy Spirit gives his Church, with his powerful breath, the courage to persevere and to search for new ways to evangelize,” Pope Francis said on March 15 in the Vatican’s Clementine Hall.
He met with cardinals, including the elderly ones who did not participate in his election at 11:00 a.m. local time on Friday.
The Argentinian Pope asked the cardinals to give the wisdom they have learned over their lives to young people.
“Like good wine that improves with age, let us give young people this life’s wisdom.
“Half of us are old and I like to think of old age as the seat of wisdom in life,” said Pope Francis.
He compared old people’s wisdom to that of the Bible’s Simeon and Anna, which allowed them to recognize Jesus.
“I remember what a German poet said about aging, ‘old age is a time of peace and prayer,’” he said in reference to his favorite poet, Friedrich Hölderlin.
But Pope Francis’ addressed the cardinals as “brother cardinals” instead of “Lord cardinals,” something unusual for a Pope to do, according to the Vatican’s press office director, Father Federico Lombardi.
Pope Francis, who was elected on March 13, told the cardinals that the Holy Spirit is “a paraclete” and that he “creates all the differences in the Church and seems like an apostle of Babel.”
“On the other hand, the Paraclete unifies all these differences, not making them equal but in harmony with one another,” he explained.
He also thanked the cardinals for their service to the Church in recent days and informed them that Cardinal Jorge M. Mejía, who suffered a heart attack on the day of the Pope's election, is now in a stable condition.
The new Pope also noted that his predecessor Benedict XVI “enriched the Church with his teaching, goodness, guidance, faith, humility, and his meekness, which will remain the spiritual patrimony of all.”
“We feel that Benedict XVI lit a flame in the depth of our hearts, a flame that continues to burn because it will be fanned by his prayers that will continue to sustain the Church on its spiritual and missionary journey,” Pope Francis said.
“Our fervent prayer will always accompany him, our eternal memory, and affectionate gratitude,” he remarked.
The pontiff said the encounter was meant to be “the continuation of that intense ecclesial communion” experienced during this period.
He finished off the meeting by spending time greeting and speaking with each individual cardinal.
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Jesuits, Franciscans joyfully embrace new Pope
15-Mar-2013:
Rome, Italy, Mar 15, 2013 / 02:03 am (CNA/EWTN News).- The Society of Jesus and Franciscans reacted with gratitude to the election of Pope Francis, who is both the first Jesuit Pope and the first pontiff named after the Franciscans' founder St. Francis of Assisi.
“I give thanks to God for the election of our new Pope, Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio, S.J., which opens for the Church a path full of hope,” Father Adolfo Nicolas, S.J., Superior General of the Society of Jesus, said March 14.
“All of us Jesuits accompany with our prayers our brother and we thank him for his generosity in accepting the responsibility of guiding the Church at this crucial time,” he noted.
“From the very first moment in which he appeared before the people of God, he gave visible witness to his simplicity, his humility, his pastoral experience and his spiritual depth.”
Praise also came from the Franciscans of Holy Name Province, the largest community of friars in the U.S. The U.S.-based community has over 300 priests and brothers in 12 states near the East Coast.
Provincial minister Fr. John O'Connor, O.F.M., congratulated the Jesuits “on the occasion of one of their own being elected Pope.”
Fr. O'Connor said he was “delighted” to see a cardinal from South America become Pope, saying this “reflects the true universality of the Catholic Church.”
“This hopefully will move the Church in new and creative ways to evangelize the people of God and respond to the challenges the Church faces today in so many areas of the world,” he said.
“I pray that the Holy Spirit will continue to guide our new Holy Father and the Church as we move forward in history.”
Franciscans have been particularly receptive to Pope Francis’ choice of name.
While some have speculated that the Pope took his name from other famous saints named Francis, like the Jesuit missionary St. Francis Xavier, Vatican spokesman Fr. Federico Lombardi has confirmed that the Pope intended to take his name from the 13th century aristocrat who left his wealthy family to serve the poor and rebuild the Church.
Without intending, St. Francis of Assisi helped create a new Catholic religious order.
Holy Name provincial vicar Fr. Dominic Monti, O.F.M., a church historian, said he believes Pope Francis’ choice of name “reflects his attention to the poor and marginalized.”
Fr. O'Connor said he is “proud” of St. Francis’ impact.
“He challenged the clericalism in the Church, he led by his example of humility, and he reached out to people of all faiths, economic classes and backgrounds,” he said.
“Everything that I hear so far about our new Pope tells me that he is committed to do the same.”
The Jesuit Fr. Nicolas also praised St. Francis. He said Francis is a name that evokes “the Holy Father's evangelical spirit of closeness to the poor, his identification with simple people, and his commitment to the renewal of the Church.”
Fr. Nicolas said the Jesuits “share in the joy of the whole Church” and wish to “express our renewed availability to be sent into the vineyard of the Lord” according to their special vow of obedience.
In addition to standard religious vows of poverty, chastity and obedience, the Jesuits vow obedience to the Pope with regard to mission work.
Fr. Nicolas said the vow “so distinctively” unites Jesuits with the Pope.
The Jesuits were founded in 1540 by St. Ignatius Loyola. The Franciscans have had several members ascend to the papacy since their order’s founding in 1209.
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Pope Francis: Without faith in Christ, church is just 'pitiful NGO'
15-Mar-2013:
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Pope Francis: Choosing a Jesuit as a reformer -- on many levels
14-Mar-2013:
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Without Christ crucified, Church a 'pitiful' organization, Pope says
14-Mar-2013:
Vatican City, Mar 14, 2013 / 12:23 pm (CNA/EWTN News).- The day after he was elected, Pope Francis emphasized that every believer – including bishops, cardinals and Popes – must proclaim Jesus crucified to be true Christians.
“We can build so many things but if we don’t confess Jesus Christ, then something is wrong. We will become a pitiful NGO, but not the Church, spouse of Christ,” Pope Francis said in his March 14 homily.
“He who doesn't pray to God prays to the Devil,” the Pope added in an apparent quote.
Pope Francis made his remarks at the Mass to close the conclave on Thursday evening in the Sistine Chapel with all of the cardinal electors present.
He asserted that the common theme to all three of today’s Scripture readings “is movement: the first reading, the movement of walking; the second reading, the movement of building; and the third, the Gospel, is in confession. To walk, to build, to confess.”
“But, it's not such an easy thing,” he noted.
“In walking, in building, in confession, sometimes there are shocks, there are movements, moments that are not proper to our journey. They are movements that drag us backwards.”
Pope Francis then turned his thoughts to the Gospel reading from Matthew in which Peter confesses Jesus is the Christ.
“This is the same Peter who confesses to Christ, who says ‘you are the Messiah, the Son of the Living God. I will follow you, but let's not speak of crosses! This has nothing to do with it. I will follow you with other possibilities, without the Cross,’” he said, characterizing Peter’s reaction.
“And, if we walk without the Cross, how much do we build without the Cross? And, when we confess Christ without the Cross, then we are not disciples of the Lord.”
The Pope then applied his words to himself and his brother cardinals, saying, “We might be bishops, priests, cardinals and Popes, but we are not disciples of the Lord” if we leave the Cross behind.
“I would like all of us, after these days of grace, to have the courage, precisely the courage, to walk in the presence of the Lord, with the cross of the Lord, to edify the Church in the blood of the Lord poured out on the cross and to confess the only glory, that of Christ crucified. And, in this way, the Church will move forward,” he said as he finished his homily.
Pope Francis’ next event will be a congratulatory meeting with all of the cardinals, both those who are retired and those who are still active, at 1:00 p.m. in the Vatican’s Clementine Hall.
On Saturday morning, he will hold an audience with journalists and media personnel in the Paul VI Hall, as his predecessors did.
Pope Francis will pray the Angelus and make remarks from the window of his apartment at noon on Sunday.
He will be installed as Pope on March 19 at 9:30 a.m. in St. Peter’s Square.
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Pope Francis' personality begins to change routines
14-Mar-2013:
Vatican City, Mar 14, 2013 / 11:09 am (CNA/EWTN News).- At the first press briefing of Pope Francis' pontificate, a more detailed picture of the new Church’s leader and some things he will do differently began to emerge.
“The spontaneity that we saw at work last night and then again this morning indicates a new style of doing things,” said Father Thomas Rosica, the English-language assistant for the Vatican press office, at a March 14 media gathering.
The first sign of the change was that Pope Francis individually received the congratulations of his fellow cardinals standing, instead of sitting in the papal throne.
But his simplicity was also apparent when he later appeared before the people in his papal attire.
Although he could have worn the gold pectoral cross usually worn by pontiffs, he chose to keep the cross from his time as Cardinal Archbishop of Buenos Aires. As far as his papal vestments go, he wore a simple white cassock without the red, ermine-trimmed cape known as the mozzetta.
Fr. Lombardi said that Pope Francis chose his name after St. Francis of Assisi, which also invokes the simplicity and image of that saint.
The simplicity of his message to the city and world – called the Urbi et Orbi address – also stood out for beginning with the commonplace greeting of “good evening,” its emphasis on his role as Bishop of Rome, and his request for the prayers of the people before he gave his blessing.
After he left the Apostolic Palace, Pope Francis had an elegant car with the license plate “Stato Vaticano 1” waiting for him, but he declined it in favor of riding the last minibus back to Casa Santa Marta with his fellow bishops and cardinals.
Early on March 14 at around 8:00 a.m, Pope Francis arrived at Saint Mary Major Basilica to place his pontificate and the city of Rome under the protection of Mary.
He took a regular Vatican car with Archbishop Georg Gänswein and Father Leonardo Sapienza, according to Vatican press office director Father Federico Lombardi.
When he was asked if the Vatican’s security forces were disturbed by the Pope spontaneously making unofficial trips, Fr. Lombardi replied, “the security forces are at the service of the Pope, not the other way around.”
Fr. Rosica added, “we’re going to get used to a new way of doing things. Remember John Paul II, how many rules he broke, in terms of going where he wished to go and doing things in his own way and his own style.”
Pope Francis will be installed as Supreme Pontiff on March 19, the Feast of St. Joseph, at 9:30 a.m. in St. Peter’s Square.
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Jesuits surprised that first of their brethren is elected pope
14-Mar-2013:
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Sequestered by conclave, cardinals missed births, rain, cellphones
14-Mar-2013:
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U.S. cardinals describe Pope Francis as ideal choice for modern times
14-Mar-2013:
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Pope Francis starts first day with Marian prayer, bill paying
14-Mar-2013:
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Pope Francis to cardinals: 'I hope God forgives you'
14-Mar-2013:
Vatican City, Mar 14, 2013 / 07:23 am (CNA/EWTN News).- The newly elected Pope Francis joked with cardinals over dinner telling them he hopes God forgives them for having chosen him.
“When the Secretary of State toasted to him, he toasted back to us and said ‘I hope God forgives you,’” Cardinal Timothy M. Dolan recalled at the Pontifical North American College last night.
“He has already won our hearts, and we had a very fraternal meal at the Domus Santa Marta where we have been staying,” said the cardinal during a March 13 press conference at 11:00 p.m.
“Pope Francis also told us last night, “I’m going to sleep well and something tells me you will, too. And we will, knowing that the Church is in good hands,” said the New York cardinal, who described last night’s decision as bringing a “sense of release and of serenity.”
The Argentinian Pope, former Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio, used only public transportation, unlike many cardinals, to move around the city of Buenos Aires where he was living until now.
Cardinal Dolan told how Pope Francis used the last of the cardinals’ minibuses to return to the St. Martha house, instead of using the papal car with the license plate “Stato Vaticano 1.”
And last night he didn’t go up on the platform to sit on the papal chair, but instead stayed down and greeted each cardinal.
“It’s clear he already takes very seriously his role as the Bishop of Rome, since Pope Francis said he would venerate Our Lady, Help of the Roman People today,” said Cardinal Dolan.
“It was a very beautiful, inspirational and moving evening and it’s something I’ll never forget,” he added.
After Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re announced the Pope’s name to the cardinals last night, Pope Francis accepted. The Jesuit Pope told the cardinals he chose the name Francis in honor of Saint Francis of Assisi, not in honor of the Jesuit Saint Francis Xavier.
Cardinal Battista Re then read the Bible passage where Jesus chooses Saint Peter and says ‘to you I give the keys of the kingdom of heaven, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven and whatever you untie on earth will be untied in heaven.’
The cardinals sang the Te Deum and the new Pope spent a few minutes in adoration, a new tradition which has begun with him.
Cardinal Dolan told journalists that elderly cardinals had said to him, “once you get in there you will feel the gentle breeze of the Holy Spirit and you’ll feel God’s grace very much at work.”
“Not that there was thunder, but you feel a very beautiful sense of resignation and direction as you see things unfolding,” said the cardinal.
He noted that “although you could see God’s hands at work, that didn’t absolve us from our responsibility.”
Cardinal Dolan also described seeing the relationship with a fellow cardinal suddenly change because of his new identity as “an astounding moment.”
“All of a sudden his clothes are different, his name is different and our relationship with him is different.”
He said that the morning of the Pope’s election, he was hugging the Argentinian cardinal.
“As sincere, as simple and as humble as he so radiantly is, his identity is new, and that I found extraordinarily moving,” he said.
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Pope spends half hour asking Mary for protection
14-Mar-2013:
Rome, Italy, Mar 14, 2013 / 04:05 am (CNA/EWTN News).- Pope Francis made a private visit to Saint Mary Major Basilica this morning and prayed for half an hour at the Altar of the Virgin Mary.
In keeping with his humble demeanor, Pope Francis entered the basilica at around 8:00 a.m. through a side door, accompanied by Archbishop Georg Gänswein and Father Leonardo Sapienza, the top two officials from the Papal Household.
The night before, when he was introduced to the hundreds of the thousands of people in St. Peter’s Square, Pope Francis said that he was going to “go pray to the Madonna so that she may protect Rome.”
At a March 13 late-night briefing, Cardinal Timothy Dolan of New York confirmed that Pope Francis would visit Benedict XVI on Thursday.
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Argentina's Cardinal Bergoglio elected pope, chooses Francis
14-Mar-2013:
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Text of Pope Francis' remarks from balcony after his election
14-Mar-2013:
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Crowd in St. Peter's Square joyously welcomes Pope Francis I
14-Mar-2013:
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Vatican spokesman releases pope's initial schedule, speaks of election
14-Mar-2013:
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New Pope lived simple life in Argentina
13-Mar-2013:
Vatican City, Mar 13, 2013 / 03:46 pm (CNA/EWTN News).- Pope Francis lives very simply, brings a pastoral approach to his ministry, and is a man of prayer, according to the Vatican’s press office director.
Father Thomas Rosica, the English-language assistant for the Vatican press office, told journalists at a hastily arranged March 13 press briefing that he talked to Pope Francis this past Sunday.
“Sunday night we were out for a walk and he pulled me over. He took me by the hand and said, 'I want you to pray for me. I’m a little nervous right now.'”
In February 2001, Fr. Rosica was at a meeting in Buenos Aires of the bishops from throughout Latin America to promote World Youth Day in Canada. He was told that Archbishop Bergoglio was going to celebrate Mass for the people at the meeting.
“So I went in earlier, and sat and prayed in the back. And I saw this man come in with a simple black cassock and knelt in front of me and prayed for the longest time. And then when he came out in the procession, it was the archbishop.”
Later he told Fr. Rosica that he lived “very simply in an apartment in Argentina,” where he took care of “a handicapped Jesuit.”
Pope Francis also said that he cooks for himself and rides the bus to work.
For his part, Jesuit Father Federico Lombardi said that he is still “shocked” at the news that a fellow Jesuit was elected Pope.
Fr. Lombardi said he does not know the new Pope well – although he met him once at a General Congregation of the Jesuits – but that one could see his simple spirituality and pastoral sense in his first remarks.
“I didn’t expect it to be white this evening. The choice shows courage on the part of the cardinals. It’s the first time we have a Pope from another continent,” Fr. Lombardi remarked.
Pope Francis will be inaugurated on March 19, the Feast of St. Joseph, at 9:30 a.m. in St. Peter’s Square.
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White smoke: Cardinals elect new pope on fifth ballot
13-Mar-2013:
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Argentine Cardinal Bergoglio elected pope, takes name Francis
13-Mar-2013:
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Pope Francis to have busy schedule in coming days
13-Mar-2013:
Vatican City, Mar 13, 2013 / 02:56 pm (CNA/EWTN News).- The Vatican has announced Pope Francis' schedule for the coming days, which will begin with Mass on Thursday, March 14 in the Sistine Chapel together with the cardinals at 5 p.m.
It is expected that Pope Francis will pay a private visit to Santa Maria Maggiore the same day, asking for the Blessed Virgin's protection and intercession during his pontificate.
On March 15 at 11 a.m. he will officially welcome and address the cardinals, both those who elected him and those who are over 80.
On Saturday March 16, Pope Francis will hold an audience for journalists and media representatives in the Paul VI Hall. He will give an Angelus address on Sunday.
Pope Francis' inauguration as Bishop of Rome will be held Tuesday, March 19, the feast day of Saint Joseph. The inauguration is to be held at St. Peter's Square.
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New pope likely to celebrate installation Mass March 19, spokesman says
13-Mar-2013:
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Pope Francis: cardinals went to end of world to find me
13-Mar-2013:
Vatican City, Mar 13, 2013 / 01:55 pm (CNA/EWTN News).- Pope Francis began his first words to the Church by saying that the cardinals “went to the end of the world” to find the new Bishop of Rome.
“Brothers and Sisters, good evening. You know that the charge of the conclave was to give a bishop of Rome.
“It would seem that my brothers went to the end of the world to choose him,” he said March 13 from the central balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica.
The Pope then called on the crowd of tens of thousands to pray for “our Bishop Emeritus Benedict.”
“This way of the Church that we commence on,” he said, is one of “an evangelization in this beautiful city.”
Before he closed his remarks, Pope Francis asked the crowd for the favor of praying for him in silence before he gave his blessing.
He then bowed at the waist as silence settled over St. Peter’s Square.
The Pope blessed the throng of people, saying, “I give my blessing to you and all people of good will in the world.”
“I’m going to say goodbye now, thank you so much for your welcome.
I say good night “because tomorrow I want to go and pray to Mary for her protection.”
A marching band playing and the bells of St. Peter’s ringing in the night followed Pope Francis’ first words.
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Cardinal Bergoglio elected as Pope Francis
13-Mar-2013:
Vatican City, Mar 13, 2013 / 01:01 pm (CNA/EWTN News).- Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio of Buenos Aires has become the next Pope of the Catholic Church, taking the name Francis.
Pope Francis greeted the crowds of faithful gathered in St. Peter’s Square shortly after 8:00 p.m. local time, after spending time in prayer before the Blessed Sacrament in the Pauline Chapel.
Jorge Mario Bergoglio, now Pope Francis, was Archbishop of Buenos Aires. He is a Jesuit and is 76. He is the first Latin American Pope and the first Jesuit Pope. In 2005, he received the second-most votes in the conclave that elected Pope Benedict.
He entered the Society of Jesus in 1958, and obtained a licentiate in philosophy. He was ordained a priest in 1969, and was a theology professor. He was a provincial leader for the Society and a seminary rector.
The College of Cardinals came to an agreement on the Holy Father’s election the afternoon of March 13, after a total of four inconclusive votes earlier that day and the previous day.
Two-thirds of the cardinals present – in this case, 77 of 115 – are necessary to elect a new Pontiff.
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White smoke from Vatican chimney, new Pope to be announced
13-Mar-2013:
Vatican City, Mar 13, 2013 / 12:06 pm (CNA/EWTN News).- White smoke billowing from the Sistine Chapel’s chimney on March 13 indicated that the
College of Cardinals had chosen a new Pope.
The identity of the new Holy Father will be revealed shortly, and he will greet the faithful gathered in St. Peter’s Square from the balcony of the basilica.
The smoke, which was seen rising from the chimney at 7:06 p.m. local time, was
accompanied by the ringing of bells at St. Peter’s to tell the world that two-thirds of the 115 cardinals gathered in the conclave had come to an agreement in casting their ballots for the new Pope.
The voting began on the evening of March 12, yielding an initial inconclusive vote marked by black smoke.
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Cardinals 80 and older watch, pray -- and give interviews
13-Mar-2013:
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Healthier cardinals means earlier smoke signals
13-Mar-2013:
Vatican City, Mar 13, 2013 / 09:05 am (CNA/EWTN News).- The smoke signals that indicate whether or not a new Pope has been chosen might be earlier than in the past because there are no cardinals in the infirmary.
According to the Vatican’s press office director Father Federico Lombardi, “the rapidity of the vote shows it. Making use of the 'Infirmarii' (those who bring one of the voting urns to any cardinals who are too ill to attend the proceedings in the Sistine Chapel) would require more time.”
In fact, all 115 cardinal electors are present in the Sistine Chapel, even though one African cardinal is in a wheelchair and Cardinal Ivan Dias is using arm braces to walk.
They each required a nurse to help them into the conclave, and those medical assistants remained with them inside, Fr. Lombardi said at a March 13 press briefing.
The smoke, known as the “fumata” in Italian, was originally forecast to be visible around noon and 7:00 p.m. any day after the first evening of the conclave.
Last night’s smoke was expected around 8:00 p.m. because the conclave heard a meditation before its first vote.
But the first black smoke appeared at 7:42 p.m., almost 20 minutes early.
The next signal would normally have been seen at close to noon, however it rose from the smoke stack at 11:40 a.m., in keeping with the pattern of the night before.
Fr. Lombardi also mentioned that the Vatican received numerous phone calls from concerned locals who thought that the amount of smoke must have meant that something went wrong and that it also got inside the chapel.
“The smoke didn't damage any of Michelangelo's frescos or endanger the health of the cardinals,” he said.
“The prelates are all doing well, are in good spirits, and this morning some even walked to the Pauline Chapel, where they celebrated Mass before entering the Sistine Chapel,” Fr. Lombardi added.
The stove that generates the smoke is outfitted with a device that accepts a cartridge containing five doses of a chemical compound that will produce about seven minutes of black or white smoke that mingles with the smoke from the ballots.
The black smoke is produced by a mixture of potassium perchlorate, anthracene, and sulphur, while the white smoke is made by burning a mixture of potassium chlorate, lactose, and rosin – a natural amber resin.
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Three cardinals entered conclave with strong candidacies
13-Mar-2013:
Vatican City, Mar 13, 2013 / 08:00 am (CNA/EWTN News).- Last night black smoke poured out of the Sistine Chapel smoke stack, leaving no doubt that a single cardinal was unable to reach the two-thirds of the vote needed to be elected the next Pope.
In 2005, Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger – according to a cardinal’s diary published in 2006 in the Italian magazine Limes – got 47 votes out of 115 on the first scrutiny, and the consensus around him grew until he overtook the two-thirds margin on the fourth vote and was elected Pope. The election lasted less than one full day.
But this time around, will there be a cardinal that can accomplish Cardinal Ratzinger’s feat? Apparently the answer is no.
According to several sources who gave their analyses to CNA before the conclave – including a cardinal’s secretary and some personnel who work inside the Vatican – three cardinals entered the conclave with a considerable package of votes: the Brazilian Odilo Pe | |