VATICAN INFORMATION SERVICE
YEAR XXII - # 110
DATE 16-06-2014

Summary:
- THE POPE RECEIVES THE PRIMATE OF THE ANGLICAN CHURCH: GREAT SAINTS, TEACHERS AND COMMUNITIES DEMONSTRATE OUR COMMON ROOTS
- IMPACT INVESTING FOR THE POOR: "IT IS INTOLERABLE THAT FINANCIAL MARKETS SHAPE THE DESTINY OF PEOPLES"
- TO THE SANT'EDIGIO COMMUNITY: CONTINUE ALONG THE PATH OF PRAYER FOR THE POOR AND FOR PEACE
- ANGELUS: IT IS CONTRADICTORY TO IMAGINE CHRISTIANS WHO HATE EACH OTHER
- FRANCIS PRAYS FOR PEACE AND RECONCILATION IN IRAQ
- MESSAGE FOR WORLD MISSION DAY
- LET US IMITATE JESUS IN FACING THE HUMAN TROUBLES WE ENCOUNTER EVERY DAY
- THE HOLY FATHER'S PROGRAMME FOR JULY AND AUGUST
- POPULORUM PROGRESSIO FOUNDATION: INCREASE PROJECTS IN EDUCATION AND PROFESSIONAL TRAINING
- CARDINAL CYPRIEN LACROIX TAKES POSSESSION OF HIS TITULAR CHURCH
- AUDIENCES
- OTHER PONTIFICAL ACTS

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THE POPE RECEIVES THE PRIMATE OF THE ANGLICAN CHURCH: GREAT SAINTS, TEACHERS AND COMMUNITIES DEMONSTRATE OUR COMMON ROOTS
Vatican City, 16 June 2014 (VIS) - The awareness that the objective of unity may seem distant, but is always the aim of the path of ecumenism and common concern for the ills of humanity, especially human trafficking, were some of the key themes in the Holy Father's encounter with His Grace Justin Welby, archbishop of Canterbury, in the Vatican this morning.
"The Lord's question - 'What were you arguing about on the way?' - might also apply to us. When Jesus put this question to his disciples they were silent; they were ashamed, for they had been arguing about who was the greatest among them. We too feel ashamed when we ponder the distance between the Lord's call and our meagre response. Beneath his merciful gaze, we cannot claim that our division is anything less than a scandal and an obstacle to our proclaiming the
Gospel of salvation to the world. Our vision is often blurred by the cumulative
burden of our divisions and our will is not always free of that human ambition which can accompany even our desire to preach the Gospel as the Lord commanded".
Despite these difficulties, "The Holy Spirit gives us the strength not to grow
disheartened and invites us to trust fully in the power of His works. As disciples who strive to follow the Lord, we realise that the faith has come to us through many witnesses. We are indebted to great saints, teachers and communities; they have handed down the faith over the ages and they bear witness to our common roots".
The bishop of Rome went on to remark that yesterday, on the Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity, the archbishop of Canterbury celebrated Vespers in the Church of San Gregorio al Celio, "from which Pope Gregory the Great sent forth Augustine and his monastic companions to evangelise the peoples of England, thus inaugurating a history of faith and holiness which in turn enriched many other European peoples. This glorious history has profoundly shaped institutions and ecclesial traditions which we share and which serve as a solid
basis for our fraternal relations".
"On this basis, then, let us look with confidence to the future. The Anglican-Roman Catholic International Commission and the International Anglican-Roman Catholic Commission for Unity and Mission represent especially significant forums for examining, in a constructive spirit, older and newer challenges to our ecumenical engagement. He also emphasised their shared "horror in the face of the scourge of human trafficking and forms of modern-day
slavery" and thanked Archbishop Welby "for the leadership you have shown in opposing these intolerable crimes against human dignity".
"In attempting to respond to this urgent need, notable collaborative efforts have been initiated on the ecumenical level and in cooperation with civil authorities and international organisations. Many charitable initiatives have been undertaken by our communities, and they are operating with generosity and courage in various parts of the world. I think in particular of the action network against the trafficking in women set up by a number of women's religious institutes". He concluded, "Let us persevere in our commitment to combat new forms of enslavement, in the hope that we can help provide relief to
victims and oppose this deplorable trade. I thank God that, as disciples sent to heal a wounded world, we stand together, with perseverance and determination, in opposing this grave evil".

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IMPACT INVESTING FOR THE POOR: "IT IS INTOLERABLE THAT FINANCIAL MARKETS SHAPE
THE DESTINY OF PEOPLES"
Vatican City, 16 June 2014 (VIS) - A congress to identify current and practicable forms of investment for greater social equality, entitled "Impact Investing for the Poor", has been organised by the Pontifical Council "Justice and Peace", is being held in Rome this week. The participants, including representatives of the Roman Curia, were received in audience by Pope Francis this morning.
Impact Investing is a form of investment that "can benefit local communities and the environment, as well as providing a reasonable return". Investors who follow this practice, the Pontiff explained, "are conscious of the existence of
serious unjust situations, instances of profound social inequality and unacceptable conditions of poverty affecting communities and entire peoples. These investors turn to financial institutes which will use their resources to promote the economic and social development of these groups through investment funds aimed at satisfying basic needs associated with agriculture, access to water, adequate housing and reasonable prices, as well as with primary health care and educational services".
Investments of this type are intended to have positive social repercussions on
local communities, such as job creation, access to energy, training and increased agricultural productivity. The financial return for investors tends to be more moderate than in other types of investment. Pope Francis emphasised that "the logic underlying these innovative forms of intervention is one which acknowledges the ultimate connection between profit and solidarity, the virtuous circle existing between profit and gift ... Christians are called to rediscover, experience and proclaim to all this precious and primordial unity between profit and solidarity".
"It is important that ethics once again play its due part in the world of finance and that markets serve the interests of peoples and the common good of humanity". He exclaimed, "It is increasingly intolerable that financial markets
are shaping the destiny of peoples rather than serving their needs, or that the
few derive immense wealth from financial speculation while the many are deeply burdened by the consequences. Advances in technology have increased the speed of financial transactions, but in the long run this is significant only to the extent that it better serves the common good. In this regard, speculation on food prices is a scandal which seriously compromises access to food on the part
of the poorest members of our human family. It is urgent that governments throughout the world commit themselves to developing an international framework
capable of promoting a market of high impact investments, and thus to combating
an economy which excludes and discards".
Francis mentioned that today the Church celebrates the memorial of Saints Quiricus and Giulitta, a son and mother who, persecuted under Diocletian, left all their possessions to the poor and accepted martyrdom. He concluded, "I join
you in asking the Lord to help us never to forget the transience of earthly goods and to renew our commitment to serve the common good with love and with preference for the most poor and vulnerable of our brothers and sisters".

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TO THE SANT'EDIGIO COMMUNITY: CONTINUE ALONG THE PATH OF PRAYER FOR THE POOR AND FOR PEACE
Vatican City, 15 June 2014 (VIS) - On Sunday afternoon the Pope visited the Sant'Egidio Community in the Roman quarter of Trastevere. In his address, he commented that prayer "preserves the anonymous man of the city from the temptations that may also be ours: the 'protagonism' of those who think that the world revolves around them, indifference, victimism. Prayer is the first task of your Community, and consists of listening to the Word of God, the bread
that gives us strength and enables us to go forth. ... He who looks to the Lord, sees others. You too have learned to see others, in particular the poorest among you; and I hope that you will be able to live out what Professor Riccardi has described - that is, that among you, you forget who gives and who receives help. A care that slowly ceases to be 'care' and transforms into encounter and embrace. ... Who is at the centre of this? Both, or rather, the embrace itself".
The Holy Father rejoiced to see many elderly among those present, and commented on the importance of the alliance between the young and the elderly, in which everyone receives and gives. "A population who does not care for the elderly and does not care for the young is a population without future, a people without hope. Because the young - children, young people - and the elderly are those who carry history forth. The young with their natural strength, and the elderly, providing their memory. But when a society loses its
memory, it is finished". The Pope also spoke against the "throwaway culture", which currently afflicts Europe - "a tired Europe that doesn't know what to do". "We must rejuvenate her and help her to find her roots. It is true that she has disavowed her roots, but we must help her to rediscover them". He affirmed that change in society starts with the poor and the elderly. "Nowadays, unfortunately, the speculative economy has made the poor ever poorer, depriving them of the essentials for life, such as a home and employment. This is unacceptable! Those who live in solidarity with others do not accept this and react. It seems that many people would prefer to remove this word 'solidarity' from the dictionary, as within a certain culture it can seem almost like a profanity. No! Solidarity is a Christian word!".
The Pope encouraged all those who collaborate with the Community from other countries to be friends of God, of the poor, and of peace, "because those who live in this way find blessings in life and will be a blessing for others". Before concluding, he emphasised again the need for prayer and dialogue, but always starting out from one's own identity. "Go forth along this road: prayer,
the poor, and peace. In this way you will help compassion grow in the heart of society - which is the true revolution, that of compassion and tenderness - and
help friendship to grown instead of enmity and indifference".

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ANGELUS: IT IS CONTRADICTORY TO IMAGINE CHRISTIANS WHO HATE EACH OTHER
Vatican City, 15 June 2014 (VIS) - At midday sharp today, as on every Sunday, the Pope appeared at the window of his study in the Vatican Apostolic Palace to
pray the Angelus with the thousands of faithful and pilgrims who awaited him in
St. Peter's Square. Before the prayer, Francis spoke briefly about the Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity, "profound communion and perfect love", the origin and objective of all creation. He said, "in the Trinity we also recognise the model of the Church, in which we are called upon to love each other as Jesus loved us. Love is the concrete sign that manifests faith in God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Love is the distinctive feature of the Christian, as Jesus told us: 'By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another'. It is a contradiction to think of
Christians who hate each other. It is a contradiction! And the devil seeks precisely this: to make us hate each other, because he sows the discord of hate: he does not know love, the love that is God's!".

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VATICAN INFORMATION SERVICE
YEAR XXII - # 150
DATE 09-09-2014

Summary:
- CARDINAL BALDISSERI: NEW METHODOLOGY FOR OCTOBER'S SYNOD OF BISHOPS
- PARTICIPANTS IN THE SYNOD

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CARDINAL BALDISSERI: NEW METHODOLOGY FOR OCTOBER'S SYNOD OF BISHOPS
Vatican City, 2014 (VIS) - The following is the full text of the presentation by Cardinal Lorenzo Baldisseri, secretary general of the Synod of Bishops, of the participants in the upcoming Synod in October 2014:
"Why are two full pages of names being published today in the Osservatore Romano? Because these names correspond to people from all over the world, who will take part in the Extraordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops (5-19 October) on the theme: "Pastoral challenges to the family in the context of evangelisation". The aim of the meeting is to propose to today's world the beauty and the values of the family, which emerge from the proclamation of Jesus Christ Who disperses fear and supports hope.
Synodus - which means 'taking a path together' - is the expression that indicates the eccesial space in which we convene in order to meet and to reflect - in the dual faith in God and man - before today's challenges to the family. The list that follows is made up of representatives from the five continents, subdivided as follows: 114 presidents of Episcopal Conferences, 13 heads of the 'sui iuris' Eastern Catholic Churches, 25 heads of the dicasteries
of the Roman Curia, 9 members of the Ordinary Council of the Secretariat, the secretary general, the under-secretary, 3 nominees from the Union of Superior Generals, and 26 pontifical nominees. Other participants include 8 fraternal delegates, 38 auditors, including 13 married couples, and 16 experts. The total
number of participants in the Synod Assembly is 253.
In the dynamic of the renewal of the Church ordered by Pope Francis, the updating of the institution of the Synod is explained in particular in the preparatory process and in the process of the Assemblies themselves. This project, initiated with the convocation of the Synod Assembly, is developing in
a new and renewed way, with concrete actions. The criterion for renewal is that
of first painting the picture and then adding the frame. The rules in force provide the track along which the train of renewal proceeds. As we go ahead, the steps necessary for changing the rules or eventually setting about a full reconstruction of the Synod as an entity will become evident.
The itinerary of the next Synod will be divided into two phases: the Extraordinary General Assembly of 2014 and the Ordinary General Assembly of 2015. A new working methodology will be applied, rendering the process more dynamic and participatory, with speeches and testimonials, always with a view to continuity towards the second stage, after which the Synod document will be published".

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PARTICIPANTS IN THE SYNOD
Vatican City, 9 September 2014 (VIS) - The following is a list of participants
in the Third General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops, dedicated to "Pastoral challenges to the family in the context of evangelisation":
A. LIST OF SYNOD FATHERS ACCORDING TO ORDER OF PARTICIPATION
I. President
FRANCESCO, Supreme Pontiff
II. Secretary GENERAL
- Cardinal Lorenzo BALDISSERI
III. DELEGATE presidentS
Cardinals AndrΘ VINGT-TROIS, archbishop of Paris, France, Luis Antonio G. TAGLE, archbishop of Manila, Philippines, Raymundo Damasceno ASSIS, archbishop of Aparecida, president of the Episcopal Conference of Brazil.
IV. RELATOR GENERAL
Cardinal PΘter ERD?, archbishop of Esztergom-Budapest, president of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of Hungary, president of the Consilium Conferentiarum Episcoporum Europae (C.C.E.E.)
V. SPECIAL SECRETARY
- Archbishop Bruno FORTE of Chieti-Vasto, Italy
VI. COMMISSION FOR THE MESSAGE
President
- Cardinal Gianfranco RAVASI, president of the Pontifical Council for Culture,
Vatican City
Vice president
- Archbishop Victor Manuel FERN┴NDEZ, rector of the Pontifical Catholic University of Argentina, Argentina
VII. THE ORIENTAL CATHOLIC CHURCHES
Synod of the Coptic Catholic Church
His Beatitude Ibrahim Isaac SIDRAK, Patriarch of Alexandria of the Copts, Head
of the Synod of the Coptic Catholic Church
Synod of the Greek Melkite Catholic Church
His Beatitude GrΘgoire III LAHAM, B.S., Patriarch of Antioch of the Greek-Melkites, Head of the Synod of the Greek-Melkite Catholic Church
Synod of the Syriac Catholic Church
His Beatitude Ignace Youssif III YOUNAN, Patriarch of Antioch of the Syrians, Head of the Synod of the Syriac Catholic Church
Synod of the Maronite Catholic Church
His Beatitude Cardinal Bechara Boutros RA╧, O.M.M., Patriarch of Antioch of the Maronites, Head of the Synod of the Maronite Catholic Church
Synod of the Chaldean Catholic Church
His Beatitude Louis Raphaδl I SAKO, Patriarch of Babylon of the Chaldeans, Head of the Synod of the Chaldean Catholic Church
Synod of the Armenian Catholic Church
His Beatitude Nerses Bedros XIX TARMOUNI, Patriarch of Cilicia of the Armenians, Head of the Synod of the Armenian Catholic Church
Synod of the Greek-Catholic Ukrainian Church
His Beatitude Sviatoslav SHEVCHUK, major archbishop of Kyiv-Haly?, Head of the
Synod of the Greek-Catholic Ukrainian Church
Synod of the Syro-Malabar Church
His Beatitude Cardinal George ALENCHERRY, major archbishop of Ernakulam-Angamaly of the Syro-Malabars, resident of the Synod of the Syro-Malabar Church
Synod of the Syro-Malankars
His Beatitude, Cardinal Baselios Cleemis THOTTUNKAL, major archbishop of Trivandrum of the Syro-Malankars, president of the Synod of the Syro-Malankar Church, president of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of India (C.B.C.I.)
Synod of the Romanian Church
His Beatitud, Cardinal Lucian MURE?AN, major archbishop of F?g?ras ?i Alba Iulia of the Romanians, Head of the Synod of the Romanian Church
Council of the Ethiopian Church
- Archbishop Berhaneyesus Demerew SOURAPHIEL, C.M. of Addis Abeba, president of the Council of the Ethiopian Church, president of the Assembly of Catholic Hierarchs of Ethiopia and Eritrea
Council of the Ruthenian Catholic Church, U.S.A.
Archbishop William Charles SKURLA, metropolitan of Pittsburgh of the Byzantines, president of the Council of the Ruthenian Catholic Church
Council of the Council of the Slovak Church
Archbishop Jan BABJAK, S.J., metropolitan of PreÜov for Catholics of Byzantine
rite, president of the Council of the Slovak Church
VIII. PRESIDENTS OF THE EPISCOPAL CONFERENCES
AFRICA
ANGOLA and S├O TOM╔
Archbishop Gabriel MBILINGI, C.S.SP., of Lubango, Angola, president of the Symposium des ConfΘrences Episcopales d'Afrique et de Madagascar (S.C.E.A.M.)
BENIN
Bishop EugΘne Cyrille HOUND╔KON of Abomey, deputy president of the Episcopal Conference
BOTSWANA, SOUTH AFRICA AND SWAZILAND
Archbishop Stephen BRISLIN of Cape Town, Kaapstad, South Africa
BURKINA FASO AND NIGER
Archbishop Paul Yembuado OU╔DRAOGO of Bobo-Dioulasso, Burkina Faso
BURUNDI
Bishop Gervais BANSHIMIYUBUSA of Ngozi
CAMEROON
Archbishop Samuel KLEDA of Douala
CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC
Archbishop DieudonnΘ NZAPALAINGA, C.S.SP., of Bangui
CHAD
Bishop Jean-Claude BOUCHARD, O.M.I., of Pala
CONGO (Republic of)
Bishop Louis PORTELLA MBUYU of Kinkala
CONGO (Rep. Democrßtica del)
Bishop Nicolas DJOMO LOLA of Tshumbe
COTE D'IVOIRE
Archbishop Alexis TOUABLI YOULO of Agboville
EQUATORIAL GUINEA
Bishop Juan MATOGO OYANA, C.M.F., of Bata, deputy president of the Episcopal Conference
ETHIOPIA AND ERITREA
Archbishop Berhaneyesus Demerew SOURAPHIEL, C.M., of Addis Abeba, president of
the Council of the Ethiopian Church
GABON
Bishop Mathieu MADEGA LEBOUAKEHAN of Mouila
GAMBIA AND SIERRA LEONE
Bishop Patrick Daniel KOROMA of Kenema
GHANA
Bishop Joseph OSEI-BONSU of Konongo-Mampong
GUINEA
Bishop Emmanuel F╔L╔MOU of Kankan
INDIAN OCEAN (C.E.D.O.I.)
Bishop Maurice PIAT, C.S.SP., of Port-Louis, Seychelles
KENYA
Cardinal John NJUE, archbishop of Nairobi
LESOTHO
Archbishop Gerard Tlali LEROTHOLI, O.M.I., of Maseru
LIBERIA
Bishop Anthony Fallah BORWAH of Gbarnga, deputy president of the Episcopal Conference
MADAGASCAR
Archbishop Desire TSARAHAZANA of Toamasina
MALAWI
Bishop Joseph Mukasa ZUZA of Mzuzu
MALI
Bishop Jean-Baptiste TIAMA of Sikasso
MOZAMBIQUE
Bishop L·cio Andrice MUANDULA of Xai-Xai
NAMIBIA
Archbishop Liborius Ndumbukuti NASHENDA, O.M.I., of Windhoek
NIGERIA
Archbishop Ignatius Ayau KAIGAMA of Jos
NORTH AFRICA (C.E.R.N.A.)
Archbishop Vincent LANDEL, S.C.I. of BΘth., of Rabat, Morocco
RWANDA
Bishop Smaragde MBONYINTEGE of Kabgayi
SENEGAL, MAURITANIA, CAPO VERDE AND GUINEA-BISSAU
Bishop Benjamin NDIAYE of Kaolack, Senegal
SUDAN
Cardinal Gabriel ZUBEIR WAKO, archbishop of Khartoum
TANZANIA
Bishop Tarcisius NGALALEKUMTWA of Iringa
TOGO
Bishop Benoit Comlan M. ALOWONOU of Kpalime
UGANDA
Archbishop John Baptist ODAMA of Gulu
ZAMBIA
Archbishop Ignatius CHAMA of Kasama, apostolic administrator "sede vacante et ad nutum Sanctae Sedis" of Mpika
ZIMBABWE
Bishop Michael Dixon BHASERA of Masvingo
AMERICA
ANTILLES
Archbishop Patrick Christopher PINDER of Nassau, Trinidad and Tobago
ARGENTINA
Archbishop JosΘ Marøa ARANCEDO of Santa Fe da la Vera Cruz
BOLIVIA
Archbishop Oscar Omar APARICIO C╔SPEDES, Military Ordinary of Bolivia
BRAZIL
Cardinal Raymundo Damasceno ASSIS, archbishop of Aparecida
CANADA
Archbishop Paul-AndrΘ DUROCHER Gatineau
CHILE

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VATICAN INFORMATION SERVICE
YEAR XXII - # 161
DATE 22-09-2014

Summary:
- Pope Francis gives thanks to the Virgin for his trip to Albania
- Interreligious meeting in Tirana: "God's name must not be used to commit violence"
- In the Cathedral of Tirana: "Today we have touched martyrs"
- Visit to the Bethany Centre: "Here faith becomes concrete charity"
- Pope Francis recounts his emotional trip to Albania
- The Holy Father receives the president of Latvia
- The Church needs pastors able to kneel before others
- The Church must be a sign of closeness to God's mercy
- Special Commission to study marriage annulment reform
- Cardinal Scola special envoy to Cologne
- Audiences
- Other Pontifical Acts

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Pope Francis gives thanks to the Virgin for his trip to Albania
Vatican City, 22 September 2014 (VIS) - At around midday today the Holy Father
visited the Basilica of St. Mary Major to give thanks to the Virgin for her protection following the completion of his trip to Albania.
As usual, he prayed in silence in the Salus Populi Romani Chapel, where he left a large floral tribute he had received yesterday evening in Albania during
his final encounter at the Bethany Centre.
The faithful present in the Basilica joined in singing the Salve Regina, and the Pope returned to the Vatican at around 12.30.

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Interreligious meeting in Tirana: "God's name must not be used to commit violence"
Vatican City, 21 September 2014 (VIS) - At 4 p.m. yesterday, after lunch in the apostolic nunciature with the Albanian bishops, Pope Francis proceeded to the Catholic University "Our Lady of Good Counsel" - instituted in 2004 and administrated by a foundation linked to the Religious Congregation of the Sons of the Immaculate Conception of Tirana - to meet with the heads of other religions and Christian denominations.
The event was attended by representatives of the six largest religious communities in the country: Muslim, Bektashi (an Islamic Sufi order), Catholic,
Orthodox, Evangelical and Jewish. The Pope expressed his joy at meeting with them as their presence together was a sign of dialogue and collaboration for the good of society as a whole.
Pope Francis began his discourse by remarking that Albania had sadly "witnessed the violence and tragedy that can be caused by a forced exclusion of
God from personal and communal life". He continued, "When, in the name of an ideology, there is an attempt to remove God from society, it ends up adoring idols, and very soon men and women lose their way, their dignity is trampled and their rights violated. You know well how much pain comes from the denial of
freedom of conscience and of religious freedom, and how from such a wound comes
a humanity that is impoverished because it lacks hope and ideals".
However, the changes that have taken place since the 1990s have had, as a positive effect, the creation of the conditions for authentic religious freedom, making it possible for communities "to renew traditions that were never really extinguished, despite fierce persecution". This religious freedom has enabled everyone to offer, according to his or her own religious convictions, "a positive contribution to the moral, and subsequently the economic, reconstruction of the country".
However, he added, quoting the words of St. John Paul II, "True religious freedom shuns the temptation to intolerance and sectarianism, and promotes attitudes of respect and constructive dialogue. We cannot deny that intolerance
towards those with different religious convictions is a particularly insidious enemy, one which today is being witnessed in various areas around the world. All believers must be particularly vigilant so that, in living out with conviction our religious and ethical code, we may always express the mystery we
intend to honour. This means that all those forms which present a distorted use
of religion, must be firmly refuted as false since they are unworthy of God or humanity. Authentic religion is a source of peace and not of violence. No one must use the name of God to commit violence. To kill in the name of God is a grave sacrilege. To discriminate in the name of God is inhuman".
"From this point of view, religious freedom is not a right which can be guaranteed solely by existing legislation, although laws are necessary", he remarked. "Rather, religious freedom is a shared space, an atmosphere of respect and cooperation that must be built with the participation of all, even those who have no religious convictions". He went on to outline two attitudes that may be especially useful in promoting this fundamental freedom.
"The first is that of regarding every man and woman, even those of different religious traditions, not as rivals, less still enemies, but rather as brothers
and sisters. When a person is secure in his or her own beliefs, there is no need to impose or put pressure on others: there is a conviction that truth has its own power of attraction. ... Each religious tradition, from within, must be
able to take account of the existence of others".
The second is "commitment to the common good. Whenever belonging to a specific
religious tradition gives rise to service with conviction, generosity and concern for the whole of society without making distinctions, then there too exists an authentic and mature development of religious freedom, which appears not only as a space in which to legitimately defend one's autonomy, but also as
a potential that enriches the human family as it advances".
"Let us look around us: there are so many poor and needy people, so many societies that try to find a more inclusive way of social justice and path of economic development!" exclaimed the Holy Father. "How great is the need for the human heart to be firmly fixed on the deepest meaning of experiences in life and rooted in a rediscovery of hope! Men and women, inspired in these areas by the values of their respective religious traditions, can offer an important, and even unique, contribution. This is truly a fertile land offering
much fruit, also in the field of interreligious dialogue".
"But I would also like to mention an ever-present spectre, that of relativism:
"it is all relative". In this respect, we must keep a basic principle clear in our minds: it is not possible to enter into dialogue other than from the standpoint of one's own identity. Without identity dialogue cannot exist. It would be the spectre of a dialogue, a dialogue on air: without purpose. Each one of us has his or her own religious identity and is faithful to it. But the Lord knows how to lead history on. Each one of us starts from his or her own identity, without pretending to have another, because it is not useful ... and this is relativism. What we have in common is the path of life, and the good will to start out from one's own identity for the good of our brothers and sisters. Each one of us offers the witness of his or her own identity to the other, and dialogues with the other. After this, dialogue may proceed on theological questions, but the most important and most beautiful thing is to walk together without betraying one's own identity, without masking it, without
hypocrisy".
Pope Francis concluded his address by encouraging religious leaders to maintain and develop "the tradition of good relations among the various religious communities in Albania, and to be united in serving your beloved homeland. With a touch of humour, it may be said that this is like a football team: Catholics 'in competition' alongside all the others but all united together for the good of the country and for humanity. Continue to be a sign, for your country and beyond, that good relations and fruitful cooperation are truly possible among men and women of different religions".

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In the Cathedral of Tirana: "Today we have touched martyrs"
Vatican City, 21 September 2014 (VIS) - Following the interreligious meeting at the Catholic University, Pope Francis transferred to the Cathedral of St. Paul in the centre of Tirana to celebrate vespers with priests, religious, seminarians and lay movements. The church, consecrated in 2002, is able to hold
up to 700 persons and a large stained glass window depicting the encounter between St. John Paul II and Blessed Mother Teresa of Calcutta.
The Holy Father had prepared a discourse to deliver there, but after hearing the testimony of an 83 year-old priest and an 85 year-old nun who had both survived persecution under the communist regime, he was moved to tears, embraced them, and setting aside the official text which he handed to the Archbishop of Tirana, Rrok Mirdita, he addressed those present with some off-the-cuff comments, published in full below:
"I had prepared a few words to say to you, and I will give them to the Archbishop, who will make them available for you later. The translation is already done. He will see that you get them.
But right now I would like to tell you something else. In the reading we heard
these words: 'Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and the God of all consolation, who consoles us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to console those who are in any affliction with the consolation with which we ourselves are consoled by God'. This is the text which the Church invites us to reflect upon at this evening's Vespers. Over the past two months I have been preparing for this Visit by reading the history of the persecution in Albania. For me it was surprising: I did not know
that your people had suffered so greatly! Then today, on the road from the airport to the square, there were all those pictures of the martyrs. It is clear that this people today continues to remember their martyrs, those who suffered so dearly! A people of martyrs. And today at the beginning of the celebration, I touched two of them.
"What I can say to you is what they themselves have said, by their lives, by their plain words. They told their stories simply, yet they spoke of so much pain. We can ask them: 'How did you manage to survive such trials?'. And they will tell us what we heard in this passage from the Second Letter to the Corinthians: 'God is the Father of mercies and the God of all consolation. He is the one who consoled us'. They have told us so, and in a straightforward way. They suffered greatly. They suffered physically, mentally, with the anguish of uncertainty: they did not know whether they would be shot or not, and so they lived with this anguish. And the Lord consoled them.
"I think of Peter, imprisoned and in chains, while the whole Church prayed for
him. And the Lord consoled Peter. And the martyrs, including those whom we heard today: the Lord consoled them because there were people in the Church, the People of God - devout and good old women, so many cloistered nuns - who were praying for them.
"This is the mystery of the Church: when the Church asks the Lord to console his people, the Lord consoles them, quietly, even secretly. He consoles them in
the depths of the heart and he comforts them with strength. I am certain that they [the martyrs] do not boast of what they have experienced, because they know that it was the Lord who sustained them.
"But they have something to tell us! They tell us that we, who have been called by the Lord to follow him closely, must find our consolation in him alone. Woe to us if we seek consolation elsewhere! Woe to priests and religious, sisters and novices, consecrated men and women, when they seek consolation far from the Lord! Today I don't want to be harsh and severe with you, but I want you to realise very clearly that if you look for consolation anywhere else, you will not be happy! Even more, you will be unable to comfort others, for your own heart is closed to the Lord's consolation. You will end up, as the great Elijah said to the people of Israel, 'limping with both legs'.
"Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies
and the God of all consolation, who consoles us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to console those who are in any affliction with the consolation with which we ourselves are consoled by God.
"That is what these two [the martyrs] have done, today. Humbly, without pretence or boasting, they have done a service for us: they have consoled us. They also tell us this: 'We are sinners, but the Lord was with us. This is the path. Do not be discouraged!' Excuse me, if I use you as an example, but all of
us have to be examples for one another. Let us go home reflecting on this: today we have touched martyrs".
The following is the full text of the discourse prepared for the Albanian clergy:

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VATICAN INFORMATION SERVICE
YEAR XXII - # 171
DATE 06-10-2014

Summary:
- Francis to the Synod Fathers: "Speak clearly, listen with humility, accept with an open heart"
- Summary of the Relatio ante disceptationem
- Nurturing "God's dream", guided by the Holy Spirit
- Angelus: "A Bible for every family, to read often"
- Prayer vigil for the Synod: may the Synod Fathers be able to listen to God and to the People
- Francis to disabled athletes: your testimony is a great sign of hope
- Christians in the Middle East: the Church cannot remain silent before the persecution of her children
- In brief
- Audiences
- Other Pontifical Acts

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Francis to the Synod Fathers: "Speak clearly, listen with humility, accept with an open heart"
Vatican City, 6 October 2014 (VIS) - This morning, in the presence of the Holy
Father, the First General Congregation of the Synod of Bishops on "Pastoral challenges to the family in the context of new evangelisation" took place in the Synod Hall. The Pope greeted the Synod Fathers and all the collaborators in
the Synod - the relators, consultors, translators and all those "who have worked with dedication, patience and competence, for long months, reading and working on the themes, texts and the work of this Extraordinary General Assembly".
Today I also thank you, dear cardinals, patriarchs, bishops, priests, men and women religious and laypersons for your presence and your participation that enriches the works and the spirit of collegiality and synodality for the good of the Church and families. ... You bring the voice of the particular Churches,
gathered at the level of the local Churches through the Episcopal Conferences. The universal Church and the particular Churches are of divine institution; the
local Churches, understood in this way, are of human institution. You will bring this voice in synodality. It is a great responsibility: bring the reality
and problems of the Churches to help them to walk the path of the Gospel of the
family".
"A general basic condition is this: speak clearly. Let no one say, 'this can't
be said, they will think this or that about me'. Everything we feel must be said, with parrhesia. After the last Consistory in February 2014, which focused
on the family, a Cardinal wrote to me saying that it was a pity that some cardinals did not have the courage to say certain things out of respect for the
Pope, thinking perhaps that the Pope thought differently. This is not good - it
is not synodality, because it is necessary to say everything that in the Lord we feel must be said: without human respect, without timidness. And, at the same time, we must listen with humility and accept with an open heart all that our brothers say. With these two attitudes, synodality is achieved".
"Therefore, I ask of you", insisted Francis, "these two attitudes of brothers in the Lord: speak with parrhesia and listen with humility. And do so with great tranquillity and peace, because the Synod always takes place 'cum Petro et sub Petro', and the presence of the Pope is a guarantee for all and a protection of faith".
At the end the Holy Father's brief address and that of Cardinal Andre Vingt-Trois, archbishop of Paris, France, presiding at the session, Cardinal Lorenzo Baldisseri, secretary general of the Synod of Bishops, gave a presentation of the various stages in the preparation of this Extraordinary Assembly, the number of participants, the novelties and the work of the Secretariat of the Synod following the last Ordinary General Assembly held in October 2012 under the papacy of Benedict XVI. He concluded by expressing the hope that this Synod may be "a privileged space for this synodal collegiality, that proclaims the Gospel while walking its path. May it be permeated by a new openness to the Spirit, by a method and a style of life and witness that guarantee unity in diversity, apostolicity in Catholicity". Cardinal Peter Erdo, archbishop of Esztergom-Budapest and relator general of the Synod, went on to read the "Relatio ante disceptationem", summarised in the following article.

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Summary of the Relatio ante disceptationem
Vatican City, 6 October 2014 (VIS) - The "Report prior to discussion" presented this morning by Cardinal Peter Erdo, relator general, introduces the work of the Synod, emphasising the main points in relation to which the discussion of the Assembly should develop. In this sense, it is important to highlight a new element: the report of this Synod Assembly already includes the
Synod Fathers' written discourses, sent in advance to the Secretariat General of the Synod, with the aim of responding better to the collegial sense of the Assembly.
First and foremost, Cardinal Erdo's report encourages the family to be regarded with hope and mercy, proclaiming its value and beauty as, in spite of the many difficulties, it is not a "model off course"; we live in a world of mere emotions, he continues, in which life "is not a project, but rather a series of moments" and "stable commitment appears formidable" for humanity rendered fragile by individualism. But it is precisely here, faced with these "signs of the times", that the Gospel of the family offers itself as a remedy, a "true medicine" that is to be proposed by "placing oneself in the corner of those who find it more difficult to recognise and live it".
No, therefore, to "doom and surrender" within the Church. "There exists a clear and broadly shared heritage of faith". For example, ideological forms such as gender theory or the equality of homosexual unions with marriage between a man and a woman do not find consensus among the majority of Catholics, while marriage and the family are still largely understood as a "patrimony" for humanity, to be protected, promoted and defended. Certainly, among believers doctrine is often little known or practised, but this does not mean that it is under discussion". This is particularly relevant in relation to
the indissolubility of marriage and its sacramental nature among baptised persons. The indissolubility of marriage is not called into question; on the other hand, it is uncontested and for the greater part observed also in the pastoral practice of the Church with those whose marriages have failed and who seek a new beginning. Therefore, not doctrinal, but rather practical questions - inseparable from the truths of faith - are in discussion in this Synod, of an
exquisitely pastoral nature".
This leads to the need for greater formation, above all for engaged couples, so that they are clearly aware both of the sacramental dignity of marriage, based on "uniqueness, fidelity and fruitfulness", and of its nature as "in institution in society". Although threatened by "disrupting factors" such as divorce, abortion, violence, poverty, abuse, the "nightmare" of precariousness and the imbalance caused by migration, explains Cardinal Erdo, the family remains a "school of humanity". "The family is almost the last welcoming human reality in a world determined near exclusively by finance and technology. A new
culture of the family can be the starting point for a renewed human civilisation".
Therefore, continues the cardinal, the Church supports the family in a concrete way, although this "does not exclude the need for active commitment on
the part of States" in the protection and promotion of the common good, through
suitable policies.
Turning later to those who live in difficult marital conditions, Cardinal Erdo
highlights that the Church is a the "House of the Father"; in relation to these
people, a "renewed and adequate action of family pastoral" is necessary, in particular to enable them to feel loved by God and the ecclesial community, from a merciful perspective that does not, however, cancel out "truth and justice". "Consequently, mercy does not take away the commitments which arise from the demands of the marriage bond. They will continue to exist even when human love is weakened or has ceased. This means that, in the case of a (consummated) sacramental marriage, after a divorce, a second marriage recognised by the Church is impossible, while the first spouse is still alive".
Considering the diversity of situations - divorces, civil marriages, cohabitation - Cardinal Erdo highlighted the need for "clear guidelines" so that the pastors of local communities may offer practical help to couples in difficulty, avoiding improvisation and "do it yourself" pastoral care. With regard to divorced and civilly remarried persons, he underlines that it would be misleading to concentrate only on the question of receiving sacraments - it is instead important to look at the broader context of preparation for marriage
and support - pastoral rather than bureaucratic - for couples, to help them understand the reasons for the failure of their first union and to identify the
causes for nullity: "As regards the divorced who are civilly married, many have
said that the distinction needs to be made between the one who is guilty for the break-up of the marriage and the innocent party. The Church's pastoral care
should extend to each of them in a particular way".
Furthermore, in view of the limited knowledge of the marriage sacrament and an
increasing "divorce mentality", "it does not seem hazardous ... to believe that
many marriages celebrated in the Church may be invalid". This leads to the suggestion included in the Relatio to recognise "in the first place the obligation for two appeals of confirmation on the declaration of nullity of the
marriage bond" and in any case "to avoid any type of mechanics or impression of
granting a divorce" or "to avoid solutions which are unjust and scandalous". In
this respect, it is necessary also to study the practice of various Orthodox Churches which permit second or third marriages of a penitential nature.

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VATICAN INFORMATION SERVICE
YEAR XXII - # 181
DATE 20-10-2014

Summary:
- Francis in the Consistory: we cannot resign ourselves to a Middle East without Christians
- Consistory: peace, reconciliation and religious freedom in the Middle East
- Pope Francis closes the Synod and beatifies Paul VI
- Angelus: Paul VI, tireless supporter of the missio ad gentes
- The Final Report and votes conclude the work of the Synod of Bishops
- The Pope speaks to the Synod Fathers: we walk a path together
- Audience with the Prime Minister of Vietnam: important step in relations with
the Holy See
- Christians and Hindus: together to foster a culture of inclusion
- Audiences
- Other Pontifical Acts

___________________________________________________________

Francis in the Consistory: we cannot resign ourselves to a Middle East without
Christians
Vatican City, 20 October 2014 (VIS) - This morning, in the New Synod Hall, there commenced the Ordinary Public Consistory, presided at by Pope Francis, for the canonisation of Blessed Joseph Vaz, priest of the Oratory of St. Philip
Neri, founder of the Oratory of the Holy Cross of Miracles in Goa. and Maria Cristina of the Immaculate Conception, foundress of the Oblation Sisters of the
Holy Sacrament.
The Holy Father wished to dedicate the opening of the Consistory to the Middle
East, and in particular, the situation experienced by Christians. Francis thanked those brothers from the region for their presence, remarking that "We share a desire for peace and stability in the Middle East, and the will the promote the resolution of conflicts through dialogue, reconciliation and political commitment. At the same time, we would like to give all the help possible to Christian communities to support them in remaining in the region. ... We cannot resign ourselves to imagining a Middle East without Christians, who have profess the name of Jesus there for over two thousand years".
The Pope emphasised his concerns regarding recent events, especially in Iraq and Syria. "We are witnessing a phenomenon of terrorism on an unimaginable scale", he commented. "Many of our brothers and sisters are brutally persecuted
and driven from their homes. It seems that an awareness of the value of human life has been lost; it as is if people do not count and can be sacrificed to other interests. And unfortunately all this encounters indifference on the part
of many".
"This unjust situation requires, aside from our constant prayer, an adequate response on the part of the international community. I am sure that, with the Lord's help, today's meeting will produce valid reflections and suggestions to enable us to help our brothers who suffer, and also to face the crisis of the reduction of the Christian presence in the land where Christianity was born and
from where it spread".

___________________________________________________________

Consistory: peace, reconciliation and religious freedom in the Middle East
Vatican City, 20 October 2014 (VIS) - The Ordinary Consistory began with greetings from the Holy Father and the report from the Secretary of State, Pietro Parolin, on the meeting of apostolic nuncios and diplomatic representatives in the Middle East, which took place in the Vatican from 2 to 4
October.
Immediately after, the Cardinals and Patriarchs present in the Synod Hall intervened. The Patriarchs of the Middle Eastern Churches described the situations and principal problems faced by the Churches in the countries concerned (Iraq, Syria, Egypt, the Holy Land, Jordan, Lebanon). There were approximately thirty interventions, focusing mainly on the need for peace and reconciliation in the Middle East, the defence of religious freedom, support for local communities, the great importance of education for creating new generations able to engage in dialogue, and the role of the international community.
With regard to the first point, it was underlined that the Middle East urgently needs to redefine its future; the importance of Jerusalem was highlighted, in its role as "capital of faith" for the three great monotheistic
religions, and the need was emphasised for a solution to the Israeli-Palestine and Syrian conflicts. In relation to the violence perpetrated by Isis, it was reiterated that no-one may kill in the name of God.
In relation to religious freedom, it was remarked that, along with freedom of worship and conscience, it is a fundamental human right, innate and universal, and a value for all humanity. Alongside this right, the need was underlined for
Christians to recognise the civil rights of other citizens, especially in countries where religion is not currently separate from the State.
Furthermore, with regard to the support for local communities in the region, it was repeated that a Middle East without Christians would be a grave loss for
all, as they have a fundamental role in maintaining equilibrium in the region, and have important commitments in the education sector. It is therefore essential to encourage Christians to stay in the Middle East and to persevere in their mission, as they have always contributed to the wellbeing of the countries where they live. From this perspective, there was a reflection on the
problem of the migration of Christians: they must be welcomed in the Churches and in the States to which they emigrate, where it is hoped there will be adequate pastoral structures for the various rites. Moreover, it was requested that humanitarian aid to the Middle East be continued, to encourage Christians to remain in the area, and that the various manifestations of solidarity possible on the part of the Churches of other countries be cultivated, also by means of journeys and pilgrimages.
In relation to education, it was noted that in many Middle Eastern countries, school text books do not refer positively to beliefs other than the State religion, and that this requires reflection on the part of local institutions. From this point of view, it was hoped that greater interreligious dialogue with
Muslims, starting from the common foundation of reason, would be of use, along with lively ecumenical cooperation, so that all the Churches of the Middle East
might make their voices heard as one.
A request was made for the International community to guarantee to Christian refugees the possibility of returning to their homes as soon as possible, creating "safety zones", for instance on the Nineveh Plain. Finally, an appeal was made for all those who have been kidnapped in the Middle East, in order that the world not forget about them.

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Pope Francis closes the Synod and beatifies Paul VI
Vatican City, 19 October 2014 (VIS) - The Holy Mass celebrated at 10.30 a.m. in St. Peter's Square this morning, during which Pope Paul VI was proclaimed Blessed, closed the Synod of Bishops devoted to "Pastoral challenges to the family in the context of evangelisation". The ceremony was attended by Pope emeritus Benedict XVI and 70,000 faithful from all over the world, and the Holy
Father concelebrated with the cardinals, patriarchs, archbishops and presbyters
who took part in the Synod.
Following the rite of beatification and the Gospel reading, Francis pronounced
a homily in which he emphasised that during the Synod, the participants felt "felt the power of the Holy Spirit who constantly guides and renews the Church ... called to waste no time in seeking to bind up open wounds and to rekindle hope in so many people who have lost it". He described the new Blessed as a "courageous Christian, a tireless apostle and the great helmsman of the Council".
"We have just heard one of the most famous phrases in the entire Gospel: 'Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's'. Goaded by the Pharisees who want to put him to the test in matters of religion, Jesus gives this ironic and brilliant reply. It is a striking phrase which the Lord has bequeathed to all those who experience qualms of conscience,
particularly when their comfort, their wealth, their prestige, their power and their reputation are in question. This happens all the time; it always has".
He continued, "Jesus puts the stress on the second part of the phrase: 'and [render] to God the things that are God's'. This means acknowledging and professing - in the face of any sort of power - that God alone is the Lord of mankind, that there is no other. This is the perennial newness to be discovered
each day, and it requires mastering the fear which we often feel at God's surprises. God is not afraid of the new! That is why he is continually surprising us, opening our hearts and guiding us in unexpected ways. He renews us: he constantly makes us 'new'. A Christian who lives the Gospel is 'God's newness' in the Church and in the world. How much God loves this 'newness'!".
"'Rendering to God the things that are God's' means being docile to his will, devoting our lives to him and working for his kingdom of mercy, love and peace.
Here is where our true strength is found; here is the leaven which makes it grow and the salt which gives flavour to all our efforts to combat the prevalent pessimism which the world proposes to us. Here too is where our hope is found, for when we put our hope in God we are neither fleeing from reality nor seeking an alibi: instead, we are striving to render to God what is God's. That is why we Christians look to the future, God's future. It is so that we can live this life to the fullest - with our feet firmly planted on the ground - and respond courageously to whatever new challenges come our way".
"In these days, during the extraordinary Synod of Bishops, we have seen how true this is. 'Synod' means 'journeying together'. And indeed pastors and lay people from every part of the world have come to Rome, bringing the voice of their particular Churches in order to help today's families walk the path the Gospel with their gaze fixed on Jesus. It has been a great experience, in which
we have lived synodality and collegiality, and felt the power of the Holy Spirit who constantly guides and renews the Church. For the Church is called to
waste no time in seeking to bind up open wounds and to rekindle hope in so many
people who have lost it. For the gift of this Synod and for the constructive spirit which everyone has shown, in union with the Apostle Paul 'we give thanks
to God always for you all, constantly mentioning you in our prayers'. May the Holy Spirit, who during these busy days has enabled us to work generously, in true freedom and humble creativity, continue to guide the journey which, in the
Churches throughout the world, is bringing us to the Ordinary Synod of Bishops in October 2015. We have sown and we continued to sow, patiently and perseveringly, in the certainty that it is the Lord who gives growth to what we
have sown".

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VATICAN INFORMATION SERVICE
YEAR XXII - # 208
DATE 25-11-2014

Summary:
- Francis prays for the intercession of the Virgin for his trip to Strasbourg
- The Pope to the European Parliament: dignity and transcendence, key concepts for the future of Europe
- Francis at the Council of Europe: imposed peace is not enough - it must be loved, free and fraternal
- The Pope receives the President of the Arab Republic of Egypt
- The Pope to convoke a conference in Haiti in January 2015, five years after the earthquake that devastated the island
- Audiences

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Francis prays for the intercession of the Virgin for his trip to Strasbourg
Vatican City, 25 November 2014 (VIS) - Yesterday afternoon, as is his custom before a journey, at around 5.30 the Holy Father went to the Basilica of St. Mary Major to pray before the image of the Virgin Salus Popoli Romani and to ask for her intercession for his apostolic trip to the European institutions based in Strasbourg. Francis prayed for around half an hour and left before the
Virgin a floral tribute in blue and yellow, the colours of the European flag.

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The Pope to the European Parliament: dignity and transcendence, key concepts for the future of Europe
Vatican City, 25 November 2014 (VIS) - Europe's future depends on the rediscovery of the vital and indissoluble nexus between dignity and transcendence, as otherwise it risks slowly losing its soul and the humanistic spirit that loves and defends. This was Pope Francis' message to the members of
the European Parliament during his visit to the legislative body of the European Union (EU) in Strasbourg: it is the only international organisation directly elected by 508 million citizens, and composed of 751 deputies elected in the 28 member states of the EU.
The Holy Father left Rome by air shortly before 8 a.m. and arrived in Strasbourg in 10 a.m., where he was greeted by the French Minister of State for
European Affairs, two deputy presidents, various representatives of the civil authorities, including the mayor of Strasbourg, Roland Ries, and local ecclesiastical figures. Pope Francis then travelled by car to the seat of the Parliament where he was received by President Martin Schulz and, following presentations by the two delegations of the 14 members of the Bureau of the Parliament and the 8 presidents of the political groups of the Assembly, he signed the Gold Book of the Parliament with the following phrase: "I hope that the European Parliament is always the place where each member contributes to ensure that Europe, mindful of her past, looks with confidence to the future to
live with hope in the present".
After attending the Solemn Session of the Parliament and listening to the speech by President Schulz, Pope Francis addressed the Assembly, recalling that
his visit takes place over a quarter of a century after that of Pope John Paul II, and many things have changed in Europe and throughout the world in the intervening period. "The opposing blocs which then divided the continent in two
no longer exist, and gradually the hope is being realised that 'Europe, endowed
with sovereign and free institutions, will one day reach the full dimensions that geography, and even more, history have given it'. As the European Union has expanded, the world itself has become more complex and ever changing; increasingly interconnected and global, it has, as a consequence, become less and less 'Eurocentric'. Despite a larger and stronger Union, Europe seems to give the impression of being somewhat elderly and haggard, feeling less and less a protagonist in a world which frequently regards it with aloofness, mistrust and even, at times, suspicion.
"In addressing you today, I would like, as a pastor, to offer a message of hope and encouragement to all the citizens of Europe. It is a message of hope, based on the confidence that our problems can become powerful forces for unity in working to overcome all those fears which Europe - together with the entire world - is presently experiencing. It is a message of hope in the Lord, who turns evil into good and death into life. It is a message of encouragement to return to the firm conviction of the founders of the European Union, who envisioned a future based on the capacity to work together in bridging divisions and in fostering peace and fellowship between all the peoples of this
continent. At the heart of this ambitious political project was confidence in man, not so much as a citizen or an economic agent, but in man, in men and women as persons endowed with transcendent dignity".
The Pope stressed the close bond between these two words: "dignity" and "transcendent".
"'Dignity' was the pivotal concept in the process of rebuilding which followed
the Second World War", he affirmed. "Our recent past has been marked by the concern to protect human dignity, in contrast to the manifold instances of violence and discrimination which, even in Europe, took place in the course of the centuries. Recognition of the importance of human rights came about as the result of a lengthy process, entailing much suffering and sacrifice, which helped shape an awareness of the unique worth of each individual human person. This awareness was grounded not only in historical events, but above all in European thought, characterised as it is by an enriching encounter whose 'distant springs are many, coming from Greece and Rome, from Celtic, Germanic and Slavic sources, and from Christianity which profoundly shaped them', thus forging the very concept of the 'person'.
"Today, the promotion of human rights is central to the commitment of the European Union to advance the dignity of the person, both within the Union and in its relations with other countries. This is an important and praiseworthy commitment, since there are still too many situations in which human beings are
treated as objects whose conception, configuration and utility can be programmed, and who can then be discarded when no longer useful, due to weakness, illness or old age".
Promoting the dignity of the person, he continued, "means recognising that he or she possesses inalienable rights which no one may take away arbitrarily, much less for the sake of economic interests", yet "care must be taken not to fall into certain errors which can arise from a misunderstanding of the concept
of human rights and from its misuse. Today there is a tendency to claim ever broader individual rights; underlying this is a conception of the human person as detached from all social and anthropological contexts. ... The equally essential and complementary concept of duty no longer seems to be linked to such a concept of rights. As a result, the rights of the individual are upheld,
without regard for the fact that each human being is part of a social context wherein his or her rights and duties are bound up with those of others and with
the common good of society itself".
The Pontiff emphasised, "I believe, therefore, that it is vital to develop a culture of human rights which wisely links the individual, or better, the personal aspect, to that of the common good, of the æall of us' made up of individuals, families and intermediate groups who together constitute society. ... To speak of transcendent human dignity thus means appealing to human nature, to our innate capacity to distinguish good from evil, to that 'compass'
deep within our hearts, which God has impressed upon all creation. Above all, it means regarding human beings not as absolutes, but as beings in relation. In
my view, one of the most common diseases in Europe today is the loneliness typical of those who have no connection with others. This is especially true of
the elderly, who are often abandoned to their fate, and also in the young who lack clear points of reference and opportunities for the future. It is also seen in the many poor who dwell in our cities and in the disorientation of immigrants who came here seeking a better future".
This loneliness, he remarked, "has become more acute as a result of the economic crisis, whose effects continue to have tragic consequences for the life of society. In recent years, as the European Union has expanded, there has
been growing mistrust on the part of citizens towards institutions considered to be aloof, engaged in laying down rules perceived as insensitive to individual peoples, if not downright harmful. In many quarters we encounter a general impression of weariness and ageing, of a Europe which is ... no longer fertile and vibrant. As a result, the great ideas which once inspired Europe seem to have lost their attraction, only to be replaced by the bureaucratic technicalities of its institutions. Together with this, we encounter certain rather selfish lifestyles, marked by an opulence which is no longer sustainable
and frequently indifferent to the world around us, and especially to the poorest of the poor. To our dismay we see technical and economic questions dominating political debate, to the detriment of genuine concern for human beings. Men and women risk being reduced to mere cogs in a machine that treats them as items of consumption to be exploited, with the result that - as is so tragically apparent - whenever a human life no longer proves useful for that machine, it is discarded with few qualms, as in the case of the terminally ill,
the elderly who are abandoned and uncared for, and children who are killed in the womb. This is the great mistake made 'when technology is allowed to take over'; the result is a confusion between ends and means. It is the inevitable consequence of a 'throwaway culture' and an uncontrolled consumerism".
Francis reminded the members of parliament that they are called to a great mission which may however appear impossible: tending to the needs of individuals and peoples. "To care for individuals and peoples in need means protecting memory and hope; it means taking responsibility for the present with
its situations of utter marginalisation and anguish, and being capable of bestowing dignity upon it. How, then, can hope in the future be restored, so that, beginning with the younger generation, there can be a rediscovery of that
confidence needed to pursue the great ideal of a united and peaceful Europe, a Europe which is creative and resourceful, respectful of rights and conscious of
its duties?"
To answer this question, the Pope referred to Raphael's celebrated fresco of the "School of Athens", found in the Vatican. "Plato and Aristotle are in the centre. Plato's finger is pointed upward, to the world of ideas, to the sky, to
heaven as we might say. Aristotle holds his hand out before him, towards the viewer, towards the world, concrete reality. This strikes me as a very apt image of Europe and her history, made up of the constant interplay between heaven and earth, where the sky suggests that openness to the transcendent - to
God - which has always distinguished the peoples of Europe, while the earth represents Europe's practical and concrete ability to confront situations and problems. The future of Europe depends on the recovery of the vital connection between these two elements. A Europe which is no longer open to the transcendent dimension of life is a Europe which risks slowly losing its own soul and that 'humanistic spirit' which it still loves and defends. ... I consider to be fundamental not only the legacy that Christianity has offered in
the past to the social and cultural formation of the continent, but above all the contribution which it desires to offer today, and in the future, to Europe's growth. This contribution does not represent a threat to the secularity of states or to the independence of the institutions of the European
Union, but rather an enrichment. This is clear from the ideals which shaped Europe from the beginning, such as peace, subsidiarity and reciprocal solidarity, and a humanism centred on respect for the dignity of the human person".
Pope Francis went on to reiterate the readiness of the Holy See and the Catholic Church, through the Commission of the Bishops' Conferences of Europe (COMECE), to engage in "meaningful, open and transparent dialogue with the institutions of the European Union. I am likewise convinced that a Europe which
is capable of appreciating its religious roots and of grasping their fruitfulness and potential, will be all the more immune to the many forms of extremism spreading in the world today, not least as a result of the great vacuum of ideals which we are currently witnessing in the West, since 'it is precisely man's forgetfulness of God, and his failure to give him glory, which gives rise to violence'. Here I cannot fail to recall the many instances of injustice and persecution which daily afflict religious minorities, and Christians in particular, in various parts of our world. Communities and individuals today find themselves subjected to barbaric acts of violence: they are evicted from their homes and native lands, sold as slaves, killed, beheaded, crucified or burned alive, under the shameful and complicit silence of so many.

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* Origin: Sursum Corda! BBS=Huntsville AL=bbs.sursum-corda.com (1:396/45)

VATICAN INFORMATION SERVICE
YEAR XXII - # 218
DATE 09-12-2014

Summary:
- Telegram for the death of Cardinal Jorge Maria Mejia
- The Pope at the Conference on the Humanitarian Impact of Nuclear Weapons: "Now is the time to counter the logic of fear with the ethic of responsibility" - Publication of the Lineamenta of the next Synod on the Family
- Presentation of the International Campaign "Stop Threats on the Internet"
- Pope Francis pays homage to the Immaculate Conception in Piazza di Spagna
- Angelus: like Mary, welcome grace and correspond with faith
- The Pope lights the tallest Christmas tree in the world
- Angelus: be messengers of God's consolation
- Decrees of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints
- Director of the Holy See Press Office on the inquiry on two ex-executives of the IOR
- Telegram for the death of Queen Fabiola of Belgium
- Pope's video message for the Christians and people of Iraq
- Audiences
- Other Pontifical Acts

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Telegram for the death of Cardinal Jorge Maria Mejia
Vatican City, 9 December 2014 (VIS) - Pope Francis has sent a telegram of condolences to Alejandro Jaime Mejia for the death of his brother, Cardinal Jorge Maria Mejia, archivist and librarian emeritus of the Holy Roman Church, at the age of 91. The Pontiff comments that the cardinal dedicated "long years of service with fidelity and competence to various organs of the Holy See", and
assures his prayers for the deceased, to whom he was joined in "a long friendship", so that the Lord may grant peace to the Cardinal, who demonstrated
"such intense and generous commitment to the Church".
"With faith in the Paschal mystery of Christ, that illuminates and fills Christian life with hope, and the memory of a Pastor devoted to the evangelising mission, I beg for divine consolation in these moments of suffering, for you and for those loved ones who mourn his passing, to whom I impart the comfort of my heartfelt apostolic blessing", he concluded.

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The Pope at the Conference on the Humanitarian Impact of Nuclear Weapons: "Now
is the time to counter the logic of fear with the ethic of responsibility"
Vatican City, 9 December 2014 (VIS) - Pope Francis' message to Sebastian Kurz,
Austrian federal minister for Foreign Affairs and Integration was read today during the Conference on the Humanitarian Impact of Nuclear Weapons held in Vienna, Austria on 8 and 9 December.
"The humanitarian consequences of nuclear weapons are predictable and planetary. While the focus is often placed on nuclear weapons' potential for mass-killing, more attention must be given to the 'unnecessary suffering' brought on by their use. Military codes and international law, among others, have long banned peoples from inflicting unnecessary suffering. If such suffering is banned in the waging of conventional war, then it should all the more be banned in nuclear conflict. There are those among us who are victims of
these weapons; they warn us not to commit the same irreparable mistakes which have devastated populations and creation".
He continued, "Nuclear deterrence and the threat of mutually assured destruction cannot be the basis for an ethics of fraternity and peaceful coexistence among peoples and states. ... Now is the time to counter the logic of fear with the ethic of responsibility, and so foster a climate of trust and sincere dialogue. Spending on nuclear weapons squanders the wealth of nations. To prioritise such spending is a mistake and a misallocation of resources which
would be far better invested in the areas of integral human development, education, health and the fight against extreme poverty. When these resources are squandered, the poor and the weak living on the margins of society pay the price".
"The desire for peace, security and stability is one of the deepest longings of the human heart. It is rooted in the Creator who makes all people members of
the one human family. This desire can never be satisfied by military means alone, much less the possession of nuclear weapons and other weapons of mass destruction. ... Peace must be built on justice, socio-economic development, freedom, respect for fundamental human rights, the participation of all in public affairs and the building of trust between peoples. Pope Paul VI stated this succinctly in his Encyclical Populorum Progressio: 'Development is the new
name for peace'. It is incumbent on us to adopt concrete actions which promote peace and security, while remaining always aware of the limitation of short-sighted approaches to problems of national and international security".
"In the context of this Conference, I wish to encourage sincere and open dialogue between parties internal to each nuclear state, between various nuclear states, and between nuclear states and non-nuclear states". He emphasised, "This dialogue must be inclusive, involving international organisations, religious communities and civil society, and oriented towards the common good and not the protection of vested interests. 'A world without nuclear weapons' is a goal shared by all nations and echoed by world leaders, as well as the aspiration of millions of men and women. The future and the survival of the human family hinges on moving beyond this ideal and ensuring that it becomes a reality".

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Publication of the Lineamenta of the next Synod on the Family
Vatican City, 9 December 2014 (VIS) - The General Secretariat of the Synod of Bishops has today issued a press release regarding the publication of the Lineamenta of the next Ordinary General Synod of Bishops, to take place from 4 to 25 October, on the theme "The vocation and the mission of the family in the Church and in the contemporary world".
The Lineamenta, or rather the first document for this Assembly, as indicated by Pope Francis in the concluding discourse of the Third Extraordinary Assembly, are constituted essentially by the Relatio Synodi, drafted by the same Assembly. However, to facilitate the reception of the synodal document and
to allow its themes to be considered in depth, the Relatio is accompanied by a series of questions that help to further the Synod's progress on the path it has undertaken, and to assist in the preparation of the subsequent Instrumentum
laboris for the next Ordinary Synod.
The document, thus composed - the Italian-language original of which is published today - is sent to the Episcopal Conferences, the Synods of the sui iuris Oriental Catholic Churches, the Union of Religious Superiors and the dicasteries of the Roman Curia.
The aforementioned ecclesial organisms, who will receive the document translated into the most commonly-used languages, will be able to select the most appropriate methods for confirming the reception and further examination of the Relatio Synodi, involving the different components of the particular Churches and academic organisations, lay associations and other ecclesial bodies with the aim of promoting wide consultation on the family in accordance with the spirit of the synodal process.
The results of this consultation shall be sent to the General Secretariat of the Synod of Bishops by 15 April 2015, to allow them to be examined and taken into consideration in the preparation of the Instrumentum laboris, to be published before the summer.
The Episcopal Conferences and the various ecclesial bodies are invited to accompany the synodal process with timely moments of prayer and celebration for
the family and in preparation for the next Assembly. This should take place in particular on the occasion of the upcoming liturgical feast of the Holy Family on 28 December. In addition, the faithful are invited to recite the Holy Father's prayer for the Synod on the Family. The full text in Italian can be found at
http://w2.vatican.va/content/francesco/it The text of the Lineamenta in Italian
may be consulted on the Vatican website:
http://www.vatican.va ___________________________________________________________

Presentation of the International Campaign "Stop Threats on the Internet"
Vatican City, 9 December 2014 (VIS) - This morning a press conference was held
in the Holy See Press Office during which Cardinal Peter Kodwo Appiah Turkson, president of the Pontifical Council "Justice and Peace", presented the international online bullying awareness campaign "Stop Threats on the Internet", in the context of the 25th anniversary of the Convention on the Rights of the Child. Other speakers at the conference were Don Fortunato Di Noto, president of the Associazione Meter; Olivier Duval, president of the BICE
(Bureau International Catholique de l'Enfance), Laetitia Chanut, a former victim of cyber-bullying and witness for the campaign, and Flaminia Giovanelli,
under secretary of the Pontifical Council "Justice and Peace".

--- MPost/386 v1.21
* Origin: Sursum Corda! BBS=Huntsville AL=bbs.sursum-corda.com (1:396/45)

VATICAN INFORMATION SERVICE
YEAR XXII - # 219
DATE 10-12-2014

Summary:
- General audience: new series of catechesis on the family
- Presentation of the Message for the 48th World Day of Peace
- Slaves no more, but brothers and sisters: the Pope's Message for World Day of
Peace
- "Love is our mission: the family, fully alive": theme of the 7th World Meeting of Families
- Other Pontifical Acts

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General audience: new series of catechesis on the family
Vatican City, 10 December 2014 (VIS) - Having concluded his catechesis on the Church, in today's general audience Pope Francis began a new series dedicated to the family, "a new cycle in this intermediate period between two Synod Assemblies dedicated to this important reality". Before considering the different aspects of family life, Francis began by speaking about the Synod held last October on the theme "Pastoral challenges to the family in the context of new evangelisation".
The Pontiff first praised the work of the Holy See Press Office during the Synod, and the good work accomplished by the media responsible for covering the
assembly. He went on to mention the events and results of the assembly, and emphasised that at no point was there any form of censorship and that the Synod
Fathers were entirely free to speak frankly. "The only think I asked of them was that they speak with sincerity and courage, and listen with humility".
He explained that the Instrumentum laboris always remained the basis of all the interventions that took place, and that this document was the result of a previous consultation involving all of the Church. He remarked that "no intervention challenged the fundamental truths of the Sacrament of Marriage: indissolubility, unity, fidelity and openness to life". All these interventions, in a second phase, were gathered together and gave rise to the Relatio post disceptationem or the post-discussion report, which was divided into three sections: listening to the context and the challenges to the family;
looking steadily at Christ and the Gospel of the family, and comparison with pastoral perspectives. The third phase, the group discussions, followed this first approach at a summary. Finally, at the end of its work, each group presented a report and all the group reports were published immediately, "with transparency, so that what was happening was made known".
Finally, a commission examined all the suggestions that emerged from the groups and the a Final Report was produced, maintaining the same structure as before - listening, looking to the Gospel and pastoral ministry - which was then sent to all the Episcopal Conferences worldwide to enable discussion prior
to the Ordinary Assembly, scheduled for October 2015. As always, a Final Message from the Synod was approved, more concise and informative compared to the Report. The Holy Father remarked that the Synod Fathers "did not argue, but
there were animated discussions. This is the freedom of the Church", and added that there are three official Synod documents: the Final Message, the Final Report, and the Pope's concluding discourse.
The Bishop of Rome emphasised that the Synod is not a parliament but rather a protected space that allows the Holy Spirit to intervene, and that now the work
of prayer, reflection and fraternal discussion must continue in the particular Churches in preparation for the upcoming Assembly. "Let us commend it to the protection of the Virgin Mother, so that she may help us to follow God's will in making pastoral decisions that offer greater and better help to families", he concluded.

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Presentation of the Message for the 48th World Day of Peace
Vatican City, 10 December 2014 (VIS) - This morning in the Holy See Press Office a press conference was held to present the Holy Father's Message for the
48th World Day of Peace, to be held on 1 January 2015 on the theme "Slaves no more, but brothers and sisters". The speakers were Cardinal Peter Kodwo Appiah Turkson, president of the Pontifical Council "Justice and Peace"; Bishop Mario Toso, S.D.B., secretary of the same dicastery; Vittorio V. Alberti, official of
"Justice and Peace"; and Sister Gabriella Bottani, Combonian missionary representing the International Network of Consecrated Life Against Human Trafficking (of the International Union of Superior Generals) and head of Talitha Kum.
The theme chosen by the Pope, explained Cardinal Turkson, "regards not only the foundation of peace but also its concrete achievement in interpersonal relations. Therefore, it must be an invitation to transform social relations from a relationship of dependence-slavery, and the negation of the humanity of the other, to a relationship of fraternity lived between brothers and sisters who share the same Father. An itinerary of conversion for believers that leads to recognition of the other not as an enemy to combat or an inferior being to exploit, but rather a brother or sister to love and for this reason to free from all the chains of slavery".
"Starting from the Epistle of Paul to Philemon and other passages from the Bible, "the Holy Father shows that God's plan for humanity does not have any place for the enslavement of others, since God calls to all of his sons and daughters to renew their interpersonal relationships, respecting in each person
the image and semblance of God along with the intangible dignity of every person, confident in the Good News of Jesus Christ, who is capable of renewing the heart of man, where sin is most abundant".
"However, despite the great efforts of many people, modern slavery continues to be an atrocious scourge that is present on a large scale throughout the world, even as tourism. This 'crime of injured humanity' is masked by apparently accepted habits, but in reality it creates victims in prostitution, human trafficking, forced labour, slave labour, mutilation, the sale of organs,
drug abuse and child labour. They are concealed behind closed doors, in special
places, on the streets, in cars, in factories, in the country, in fishing boats
and in many other places. And this happens in both cities and villages, in the reception centres of the richest and poorest countries in the world. And the worst thing is that this situation unfortunately worsens every day".
With regard to the joint effort against human trafficking and other forms of slavery, the Cardinal emphasised a number of points. First, there is the fact that slavery, "fruit and sign of the rupture of fraternity and the denial of communion, once accepted by civil law as the right to ownership of another person, is now a 'crime of injured humanity' that, as previously mentioned, assumes various faces in the context of globalisation, creating new needs, new forms of poverty and slavery". In this year dedicated to the family, he reiterated that it is unacceptable for the institution of the family, "a place of acceptance and promotion of life", to be "transformed into the place in which life is betrayed, treated with disdain, denied, manipulated and sold". Finally, to defeat the wound of modern slavery, there needs to be a mobilisation on a scale comparable to that of the phenomenon itself, both locally - families, schools, parishes - and at the global levels of state institutions and civil society.
"The Church of Jesus Christ, that announces the Good News of liberation from sin and from every form of enslavement, must continue her mission of announcing
the Word on every occasion, convenient or otherwise, denouncing every form of slavery and violation of the dignity of the human person, offering at the same time, also through daily gestures of welcome and closeness, the witness of a free life, renewed and open to Transcendence".
"Following the example of St. Josephine Bakhita, the former slave who later became a free daughter of God, we look with hope to Jesus Christ Who has defeated evil and Who is the maker and icon of the liberation of humanity and the freedom of the sons and daughters of God", concluded Cardinal Turkson. "We must work together and never tire until there no longer remains any person reduced to slavery in this world, because no-one can be freed without regard for others, for humanity and for the creation that, as St. Paul says in his Letter to the Romans, 'is waiting with eagerness for the children of God to be revealed ... with the intention that the whole creation itself might be freed from its slavery to corruption and brought into the same glorious freedom as the children of God'".

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Slaves no more, but brothers and sisters: the Pope's Message for World Day of Peace
Vatican City, 10 December 2014 (VIS) - Below is the full text of the Holy Father's Message for the 48th World Day of Peace, to be held on 1 January 2015 on the theme "Slaves no more, but brothers and sisters'':
"At the beginning of this New Year, which we welcome as God's gracious gift to
all humanity, I offer heartfelt wishes of peace to every man and woman, to all the world's peoples and nations, to heads of state and government, and to religious leaders. In doing so, I pray for an end to wars, conflicts and the great suffering caused by human agency, by epidemics past and present, and by the devastation wrought by natural disasters. I pray especially that, on the basis of our common calling to cooperate with God and all people of good will for the advancement of harmony and peace in the world, we may resist the temptation to act in a manner unworthy of our humanity.
In my Message for Peace last year, I spoke of 'the desire for a full life ... which includes a longing for fraternity which draws us to fellowship with others and enables us to see them not as enemies or rivals, but as brothers and
sisters to be accepted and embraced'. Since we are by nature relational beings,
meant to find fulfilment through interpersonal relationships inspired by justice and love, it is fundamental for our human development that our dignity,
freedom and autonomy be acknowledged and respected. Tragically, the growing scourge of man's exploitation by man gravely damages the life of communion and our calling to forge interpersonal relations marked by respect, justice and love. This abominable phenomenon, which leads to contempt for the fundamental rights of others and to the suppression of their freedom and dignity, takes many forms. I would like briefly to consider these, so that, in the light of God's word, we can consider all men and women 'no longer slaves, but brothers and sisters'.
Listening to God's plan for humanity
2. The theme I have chosen for this year's message is drawn from Saint Paul's letter to Philemon, in which the Apostle asks his co-worker to welcome Onesimus, formerly Philemon's slave, now a Christian and, therefore, according to Paul, worthy of being considered a brother. The Apostle of the Gentiles writes: 'Perhaps this is why he was parted from you for a while, that you might
have him back for ever, no longer as a slave but more than a slave, as a beloved brother'. Onesimus became Philemon's brother when he became a Christian. Conversion to Christ, the beginning of a life lived Christian discipleship, thus constitutes a new birth which generates fraternity as the fundamental bond of family life and the basis of life in society.

--- MPost/386 v1.21
* Origin: Sursum Corda! BBS=Huntsville AL=bbs.sursum-corda.com (1:396/45)

VATICAN INFORMATION SERVICE
YEAR XXII - # 222
DATE 15-12-2014

Summary:
- Audience with Dragan Covic: the importance of the Catholic contribution to the reconstruction of Bosnia Herzegovina
- To Catholic television workers: avoid the sins of the media
- Pope Francis visits the Roman parish of San Giuseppe all'Aurelio
- Angelus: rediscover the true joy of Jesus Christ
- The Pope gives a prayerbook to the faithful
- Audience with Matteo Renzi: common concern about persistent social and economic problems
- St. Lucy, patroness of the blind and visually-impaired, teaches us the secret
of true happiness
- Francis gives thanks to the foundation of Notre Dame des Sans-Abri for its work with the homeless
- The Pope prays to the Virgin of Guadalupe that the future of Latin America be
forged for the poor
- "I received my first ecumenical sermon from my grandmother, in front of you",
says the Pope to the Salvation Army
- Cardinal Turkson to travel to Sierra Leone and Liberia to bring the solidarity of the Church to two of the countries hardest hit by the Ebola virus - Audiences
- Other Pontifical Acts

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Audience with Dragan Covic: the importance of the Catholic contribution to the
reconstruction of Bosnia Herzegovina
Vatican City, 15 December 2014 (VIS) - This morning in the Vatican Apostolic Palace the Holy Father received in audience Dragan Covic, Croatian member of the Collegial Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina, who subsequently met with Cardinal Secretary of State Pietro Parolin, accompanied by Archbishop Dominique
Mamberti, secretary for Relations with States.
During the cordial discussions, the Parties focused on the situation in the country, with particular reference to the contribution of Catholics to the edification of society and especially their commitment in the field of reconstruction following the devastation caused by floods last spring. Satisfaction was expressed regarding the good bilateral relations, and several issues were discussed in relation to the application of the 2006 Basic Agreement, which governs the relationships and collaboration between the Church
and the State for the common good.
Finally, various themes relating to regional and international politics were considered.

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To Catholic television workers: avoid the sins of the media
Vatican City, 15 December 2014 (VIS) - This morning Pope Francis met with the managers and workers of TV2000, an Italian Church television broadcasting company, with whom he wished to share "three thoughts on the role of the communicator", recalling that "the Catholic media have a very difficult mission
in relation to social communication: seeking to preserve it from all that distorts and twists it for other purposes. Often communication is subject to propaganda, ideologies, political ends, or for the control of the economy or technology. The first thing that is beneficial to communication is parrhesia, or rather the courage to speak directly, to speak frankly and freely. ... If, instead, we are worried about tactical aspects, our words become artificial, and we communicate nothing. Freedom also means freedom from fashions, clichΘs, pre-packaged formulas. ... We must reawaken words. But every word has a spark of fire and life within. Reawaken that spark, so that it comes out. So this is the first task of the communicator: to reawaken the word".
Secondly, he emphasised the need to avoid "filling" and "closing"; the first takes the form of "saturating our perceptions with an excess of slogans that annul our thoughts instead of setting them into motion", whereas the second is that of seeking short cuts instead of favouring longer and more complex routes of understanding, "choosing to present an individual as if he or she could solve all our problems, or on the contrary, as a scapegoat onto whom we can discharge all our responsibilities. [It is] jumping to conclusions immediately,
instead of making the effort to represent the complexity of real life".
Finally, Francis mentioned the third mission, "speaking to the whole person ... avoiding the sins of the media: disinformation, slander and defamation". Authentic communication, he stressed, "is not concerned with attention-grabbing. ... It is necessary to speak to people as a whole: to their
mind and their heart, so that they know how to see beyond the immediate, beyond
a present that risks being forgetful and fearful of the future". Of these three
sins, "the most insidious is disinformation, as it leads to mistakes and to believing only a part of the truth".
These three tasks bring to life "the culture of encounter, so necessary in an increasingly pluralistic context. Confrontation does not lead anywhere", he concluded. "Creating a culture of encounter: it is an important job for you".

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Pope Francis visits the Roman parish of San Giuseppe all'Aurelio
Vatican City, 14 December 2014 (VIS) - This afternoon Pope Francis visited the
Roman parish of San Giuseppe all'Aurelio, in the Primavalle suburb of the capital. Before celebrating the Eucharist, Francis met with various groups of people and spoke informally with them.
First, he met with some children who were preparing for their First Communion,
and spoke about his own, which took place on 8 October 1944. "I remember it as if it were today. I prepared for a year with a very kind nun and two catechists. ... In those times, its was not possible to drink a little water before Mass, nothing - not even a drop of water. It was Pope Pius XII who saved
us from this dictatorship! ... And we all arrived in the Church with our hands together, singing. ... And later, in the afternoon, we returned to the Church for our Confirmation: the same day. And you, who will take your first Communion, will remember that day for ever, all your life: the first day Jesus came to you. He comes, He makes Himself one with us, he nourishes us to give us
strength. ... Do not forget the date, and every year, on that day, confess and take communion, will you?"
He then spoke to the Rom families in the parish, wishing them peace within their families and adding, "May there be work, and may there be joy. The joy of
Jesus, the peace of Jesus, and so on. Do not lose hope in difficult moments, as
hope never disappoints: the Lord gives it to us. And the Lord, sooner or later,
He always awaits us, always".
The Holy Father then met with the sick, and began by thanking them for their witness of patience, of love for God and of hope in the Lord. "This does great good to the Church", he affirmed. "You continually nurture the Church with your
life, with your suffering, with your patience. Thank you, truly. The Church, without the sick, would not carry on. You are the strength of the Church, her true strength".
Finally, he encountered newly baptised children with their parents. "A child always offers a word of hope simply by being. ... A child is a seed of the future. .... And you, parents, will say to God, protect my child in the future.
Our hopes reside in our children. We hand them the torch of faith and life, and
they will pass it on to their children, our grandchildren. This is life. And in
Baptism, you have given them faith, and thus faith from Jesus' time up to the present day is like a chain, transmitted by parents. And this is a real responsibility! Never forget the day of your Baptism".
Finally, after revealing that he was baptised on 25 December, just eight days after his birth, as was the custom at the time, Francis asked all those present
to pray for him, and added, "babies and children cry, they make noise, they run
about ... and it bothers me greatly when a child cries in church and people expect him or her to leave. No! It is the best sermon. The cry of a child is the voice of God. Never, ever send them out of the church!"
Following his meetings with the parishioners, Pope Francis confessed several people and then celebrated Mass. In his homily, he mentioned that "the Church this Sunday anticipates the joy of the Nativity, and it is therefore called 'Gaudete Sunday', joyful Sunday". The joy of the Nativity, he said, is a special joy the the Christian experiences not only on that day, but throughout all his or her life. "It is a serene, calm joy, a joy that always accompanies a
Christian. Even in difficult moments, this joy is transformed into peace. The true Christian never loses this peace, even during suffering. This peace is a gift from the Lord".
Francis emphasised that we encounter Christian joy in prayer and in giving thanks to God, and he spoke about all those people who do not know how to thank
God and who are always looking for something to complain about. "A Christian cannot live like this, always complaining. ... No saint has ever had a sad face. The saints always had joyful faces. Or at least, in moments of suffering,
their faces showed peace". In this way, the Pontiff explained that in order to obtain this Christian joy, which is not the joy of consumerism on 24 December, first one must pray and give thanks - but then there exists a further dimension, which is bringing the glad tidings to others. "Go to others, those who are in need, both materially and spiritually. They are many people who suffer and are distraught as a result of family problems. Bring them peace, the
anointing of Jesus, the oil of Jesus which does so much good and consoles the soul".

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Angelus: rediscover the true joy of Jesus Christ
Vatican City, 14 December 2014 (VIS) - Today, the third Sunday of Advent, known as the "Sunday of Joy" (Gaudete), Pope Francis appeared at the window of his study to pray the Angelus with the faithful gathered in St. Peter's Square,
including many children who had brought their figurines of the baby Jesus from their Nativity displays, to be blessed by the Holy Father.
Francis remarked that the time of Advent, which began two weeks ago, invites us to spiritual vigilance to prepare the way for the Lord who is on his way. "On this third Sunday the liturgy proposes to us another inner attitude with which to await the Lord: joy. Man's heart desires joy. We all wish for joy, every family, every population aspires to happiness. But what is the joy that the Christian is required to live and to bear witness to? It is that which comes from closeness to God, from His presence in our life. Ever since Jesus entered into history, with his birth in Bethlehem, humanity has received the germ of the Kingdom of God, like the terrain that receives the seed, the promise of a future harvest. There is no need to search elsewhere! Jesus has come to bring joy to all for ever. It is not merely a hoped-for joy, or a joy postponed to paradise: here on earth we are sad but in paradise we will be joyful. No! It is not this, but rather it is a joy that is already real and that can be experienced now, because Jesus Himself is our joy, and with Jesus our home is joyful".

--- MPost/386 v1.21
* Origin: Sursum Corda! BBS=Huntsville AL=bbs.sursum-corda.com (1:396/45)

VATICAN INFORMATION SERVICE
YEAR XXII - # 010
DATE 16-01-2015

Summary:
- The Pope speaks with journalists on the flight to Manila
- Francis praises the heroic strength of the Filipino people in the face of natural disasters
- Pope Francis celebrates Mass in the Cathedral of Manila
- To families: be aware of your calling as Jesus' missionary disciples
- Conclusion of the meeting of presidents of Doctrinal Commissions
- Other Pontifical Acts

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The Pope speaks with journalists on the flight to Manila
Vatican City, 15 January 2015 (VIS) - Following the first part of his seventh apostolic trip, on the flight from Colombo to Manila, Pope Francis spent forty minutes answering questions posed by the journalists who accompanied him on a number of issues relating not only to his trip to Sri Lanka and the Philippines, but also the attacks in Paris, freedom of worship and expression, security on papal trips and his forthcoming encyclical. This latter, he said, is likely to be completed around the end of March and published in June or July.
The following is a summary of some of the Pope's answers.
On suicide and kamikaze attacks
"Behind every suicide attack there is an element of human imbalance; I do not know if this can be considered mental imbalance, but human. There is something that does not function in this person. He is not balanced in terms of the meaning of his life, of his own life and that of others. He gives his life, but
he does not do so in the right way. Many people work - missionaries, for example - giving their own lives, but constructively. This, instead, is self-destruction in order to destroy".
On security during papal trips and terrorist threats
"The best way to respond is with gentleness. To be gentle, humble. ... I worry
about the safety of the faithful, and have spoken about this with the Vatican security officials. ... Am I afraid? I have a fault, a large dose of recklessness ... but I know that it is necessary to take security measures, prudent but sure".
On freedom of worship and expression
"I believe that these are both fundamental human rights. ... We are talking about Paris, let''s be clear. Everyone has the right to practice their own religion freely, without offending. ... One cannot offend, make war and kill in
the name of their religion, that is, in God's name. What is happening shocks us. But let us think about how many wars there have been in the name of religion, throughout history. ... We too are sinners in this respect. But we must not kill in the God's name. This is an aberration. ... Every person has not only the freedom, the right, but also the duty to say what he or she thinks
in aid of the common good ... but without offending. It is true that one should
not react violently, but if my friend insults my mother he can expect a punch! It is normal, one should not provoke, one should not insult other people's faith. There is a limit, and there are limits to the freedom of expression".

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Francis praises the heroic strength of the Filipino people in the face of natural disasters
Vatican City, 16 January 2015 (VIS) - This morning, local time, the Pope paid a visit to the Presidential Palace, where he signed the Golden Book and then proceeded to the Music Room, where he was received by Benigno Simeon Conjuangco
Aquino III, president of the Republic of the Philippines and his family. Forty-five minutes later the Pope addressed the authorities and the diplomatic corps in the Rizal Ceremonial Hall.
"In a particular way, this visit is meant to express my closeness to our brothers and sisters who endured the suffering, loss and devastation caused by Typhoon Yolanda", he began. "Together with many people throughout the world, I have admired the heroic strength, faith and resilience demonstrated by so many Filipinos in the face of this natural disaster, and so many others. Those virtues, rooted not least in the hope and solidarity instilled by Christian faith, gave rise to an outpouring of goodness and generosity, especially on the
part of so many of the young. In that moment of national crisis, countless people came to the aid of their neighbours in need. At great sacrifice, they gave of their time and resources, creating networks of mutual help and working for the common good.
"This example of solidarity in the work of rebuilding teaches us an important lesson", he continued. "Like a family, every society draws on its deepest resources in order to face new challenges. Today the Philippines, together with
many other countries in Asia, faces the challenge of building on solid foundations a modern society - a society respectful of authentic human values, protective of our God-given human dignity and rights, and ready to confront new
and complex political and ethical questions. As many voices in your nation have
pointed out, it is now, more than ever, necessary that political leaders be outstanding for honesty, integrity and commitment to the common good. In this way they will help preserve the rich human and natural resources with which God
has blessed this country. Thus will they be able to marshal the moral resources
needed to face the demands of the present, and to pass on to coming generations
a society of authentic justice, solidarity and peace".
Essential to the attainment of these national goals, he explained, "is the moral imperative of ensuring social justice and respect for human dignity. The great biblical tradition enjoins on all peoples the duty to hear the voice of the poor. It bids us break the bonds of injustice and oppression which give rise to glaring, and indeed scandalous, social inequalities. Reforming the social structures which perpetuate poverty and the exclusion of the poor first requires a conversion of mind and heart. The bishops of the Philippines have asked that this year be set aside as the 'Year of the Poor'. I hope that this prophetic summons will challenge everyone, at all levels of society, to reject every form of corruption which diverts resources from the poor, and inspire concerted efforts to ensure the inclusion of every man and woman and child in the life of the community".
A fundamental role in the renewal of society is played "by the family and especially by young people. A highlight of my visit will be my meetings with families and with young people here in Manila. Families have an indispensable mission in society. It is in the family that children are trained in sound values, high ideals and genuine concern for others. But like all God's gifts, the family can also be disfigured and destroyed. It needs our support. We know how difficult it is for our democracies today to preserve and defend such basic
human values as respect for the inviolable dignity of each human person, respect for the rights of conscience and religious freedom, and respect for the
inalienable right to life, beginning with that of the unborn and extending to that of the elderly and infirm. For this reason, families and local communities
must be encouraged and assisted in their efforts to transmit to our young the values and the vision which can help bring about a culture of integrity - one which honours goodness, truthfulness, fidelity and solidarity as the firm foundation and the moral glue which holds society together.
"Mr President, distinguished authorities, dear friends, as I begin my visit to
this country, I cannot fail to mention the Philippines' important role in fostering understanding and cooperation among the countries of Asia. I would also mention the oft-neglected yet real contribution of Filipinos of the diaspora to the life and welfare of the societies in which they live. It is precisely in the light of the rich cultural and religious heritage of which your country is proud that I leave you with a challenge and a word of prayerful
encouragement. May the deepest spiritual values of the Filipino people continue
to find expression in your efforts to provide your fellow citizens with an integral human development. In this way, each person will be able to fulfil his
or her potential, and thus contribute wisely and well to the future of this country. I am confident that the praiseworthy efforts to promote dialogue and cooperation between the followers of the different religions will prove fruitful in the pursuit of this noble goal. In a particular way, I express my trust that the progress made in bringing peace to the south of the country will
result in just solutions in accord with the nation's founding principles and respectful of the inalienable rights of all, including the indigenous peoples and religious minorities".
Following his address, Pope Francis proceeded by car to the Cathedral of Manila.

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Pope Francis celebrates Mass in the Cathedral of Manila
Vatican City, 16 January 2015 (VIS) - The Holy Father made the five-kilometre journey from the Presidential Palace to the Cathedral of Manila by car, arriving shortly before 11 a.m. The Cathedral, dedicated to Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception, is considered the mother of all the churches of the Philippines. The current structure dates from the 1950s when the status of Minor Basilica was granted by St. John Paul II, but the Cathedral has been rebuilt eight times since its initial construction in 1581. It has been destroyed by a typhoon, a fire, various earthquakes, and bombing during the Second World War. It was rebuilt entirely as a result of private donations from
major businesses and from the faithful. Closed since 2012, it reopened in April
2014 with a solemn celebration by Cardinal Luis Antonio G. Tagle, archbishop of
Manila, attended by senior state figures including the president of the Republic, Benigno Aquino III.

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VATICAN INFORMATION SERVICE
YEAR XXII - # 028
DATE 09-02-2015

Summary:
- Pope's eighth meeting with the Council of Cardinals
- Assembly of the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors: make the Church a "safe place" for children
- Angelus: the sick are Christ's flesh
- The Pope denounces the shameful scourge of human trafficking
- In the parish of St. Michael Archangel: maintain daily contact with the Gospel and let Jesus heal our wounds
- To the representatives of EXPO 2015: the root of all ills is inequality
- The Pope: the participation of women in the social and ecclesial spheres is a
challenge that cannot be deferred
- God lives in the city
- Francis to the SECAM: Invest in education in Africa to defend the young from fundamentalism and abuse of religion

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Pope's eighth meeting with the Council of Cardinals
Vatican City, 9 February 2015 (VIS) - The eighth meeting of the Council of Cardinals began this morning. To be attended by the Holy Father, the meeting will continue until 11 February. On the following days, Thursday 12 and Friday 13 February, the Consistory of the College of Cardinals is to be held in the Synod Hall.

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Assembly of the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors: make the Church a "safe place" for children
Vatican City, 8 February 2015 (VIS) - The members of the Pontifical Commission
for the Protection of Minors gathered in Plenary Assembly from 6 to 8 February in Rome.
The members who took part in the Assembly are: Cardinal Sean O'Malley, O.F.M. Cap., U.S.A., president; Msgr. Robert Oliver, U.S.A., secretary; Rev. Luis Manuel Ali Herrera, Colombia; Catherine Bonnet, France; Marie Collins, Ireland;
Gabriel Dy-Liacco, Philippines; Sheila Hollins, England; Bill Kilgallon, New Zealand; Sister Kayula Lesa, M.S.C., Zambia; Sister Hermenegild Makoro, C.P.S.,
Zimbabwe; Kathleen McCormack, Australia; Claudio Papale, Italy; Peter Saunders,
England; Hanna Suchocka, Poland; Krysten Winter-Green, U.S.A.; Rev. Humberto Miguel Yanez, S.J., Argentina and Rev. Hans Zollner, S.J., Germany.
The Pontifical Council subsequently issued the following communique, the full text of which is published below:
"This year's meeting was the first opportunity for all seventeen members of the recently expanded Commission to come together and share their progress in the task entrusted them by the Holy Father, namely to advise Pope Francis in the safeguarding and protection of minors in the Church.
During the meetings, members presented reports from their Working Groups of experts, developed over the past year. The Commission then completed their recommendations regarding the formal structure of the Commission and agreed upon several proposals to submit to the Holy Father for consideration.
The Working Groups are an integral part of the Commission's working structure.
Between Plenary Sessions, these groups bring forward research and projects in areas that are central to the mission of making the Church æa safe home' for children, adolescents, and vulnerable adults. These include: pastoral care for survivors and their families, education, guidelines in best practice, formation
to the priesthood and religious life, ecclesial and civil norms governing allegations of abuse, and the accountability of people in positions of responsibility within the Church when dealing with allegations of abuse.
The Commission is keenly aware that the issue of accountability is of major importance. In its Assembly,members agreed on an initial proposal to submit to Pope Francis for consideration. Moreover, the Commission is developing processes to ensure accountability for everyone in the Church - clergy, religious, and laity - who work with minors.
Part of ensuring accountability is raising awareness and understanding at all levels of the Church regarding the seriousness and urgency in implementing correct safeguarding procedures. To this end, the Commission also agreed to develop seminars to educate Church leadership in the area of the protection of minors.
Following on from the Holy Father's Letter to Presidents of the Episcopal Conferences and to Superiors of Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of
Apostolic Life,dated February 2, the Commission looks forward to collaborating with churches on a local level in making its expertise available to ensure best
practices in guidelines for the protection of minors.
The Commission is also preparing materials for a Day of Prayer for all those who have been harmed by sexual abuse. This will underscore our responsibility to work for spiritual healing and also help raise awareness among the Catholic community about the scourge of the abuse of minors.
Pope Francis writes, in his letter to Church leaders, 'families need to know that the Church is making every effort to protect their children'. Conscious of
the gravity of our task to advise the Holy Father in this effort, we ask you to
support our work with prayer".

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Angelus: the sick are Christ's flesh
Vatican City, 8 February 2015 (VIS) - World Day of the Sick will be held on 11
February, liturgical memory of the Virgin of Lourdes, and the Pope, blessing the preparatory initiatives for the day, and in particular the Vigil to take place in Rome on 10 February, dedicated his meditation prior to this Sunday's Angelus prayer to the meaning and value of illness, recalling that Jesus' main activities in his public life were preaching and healing.
"Through preaching He announces the Kingdom of God and through healing He shows that it is close, that the Kingdom of God is in our midst", said Pope Francis to the faithful gathered at midday in St. Peter's Square, commenting on
the Gospel of St. Mark that narrates the healing of Peter's mother-in-law. After the Sabbath was over and the people could leave and bring Him the sick, He healed a multitude of people afflicted by every kind of malady: physical, mental, spiritual.
"Having come to earth to announce and fulfil the salvation of every person and
of all mankind, Jesus shows a particular predilection for those who are wounded
in body and spirit: the poor, sinners, the possessed, the sick, the marginalised. He thus reveals Himself has a physician of both body and soul, the good Samaritan of humanity. Jesus' healing of the sick invites us to reflect on the meaning and value of sickness".
The salvific work of Christ "does not come to an end with His person and the arc of His earthly life; it continues through the Church, sacrament of love and
of the tenderness of God for mankind. Sending his disciples on their mission, Jesus confers upon them a dual mandate: to announce the Gospel of salvation and
to heal the sick. Faithful to this teaching, the Church has always considered the care of the sick to be an integral part of her mission".
The Pope emphasised Jesus' warning from the Gospel of St. Matthew - "The poor and the suffering you will always have with you" - and affirmed that "the Church continually finds them on her path, considering the sick as a privileged
way to encounter Christ, to welcome and serve Him. To care for a sick person, to welcome him and serve him is to serve Christ. The sick are Christ's flesh".
In our times, too, despite the many advances in science, "the inner and physical suffering of people raises serious questions on the meaning of sickness, pain and on the reasons for death. These are existential questions, to which the pastoral action of the Church should respond in the light of faith, keeping before our eyes the Cross, in which there appears the entire salvific mystery of God the Father, who out of love for mankind did not spare his only Son. Therefore, each one of us is called to bring the light of the Gospel and the strength of grace to those who suffer and to those who assist them - family members, doctors, nurses - so that service to the sick may be carried out with ever increasing humanity, generous dedication, evangelical love, and tenderness. The Mother Church, through our hands, caresses us in our sufferings, heals our wounds, and does so with a mother's tenderness".

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The Pope denounces the shameful scourge of human trafficking
Vatican City, 8 February 2015 (VIS) - Following today's Angelus prayer, Pope Francis commented that today, 8 February, we celebrate the liturgical memory of
St. Josephine Bakhita, the Sudanese nun who as a child suffered the dramatic experience of enslavement. The Union of Superior Generals of religious institutes has established a Day of prayer and reflection against trafficking in persons, to be held on that date.
"I encourage those who are committed to helping men, women and children who are enslaved, exploited and abused as instruments of work or pleasure and often
tortured and mutilated. I hope that those who hold positions of responsibility in governance will act decisively to eliminate the causes of this shameful scourge, a scourge unworthy of a civilised society. May each one of us strive to be a voice for these our brothers and sisters, whose dignity is humiliated. Let us pray together to Our Lady, for them and for their families".

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In the parish of St. Michael Archangel: maintain daily contact with the Gospel
and let Jesus heal our wounds
Vatican City, 8 February 2015 (VIS) - At 4 p.m. today the Holy Father visited the Roman parish of St. Michael Archangel in the Pietralata quarter, in the north of the city. Upon arrival, he made an impromptu change to the itinerary, paying a surprise visit to a settlement near the parish church, known as the "Rainbow Camp", the home of many displaced persons from Africa, Latin America, Ukraine and Russia. At the end of his visit, the inhabitants recited the Lord's
Prayer with him in Spanish. He then met with members of the parish community: the sick, families with children baptised during the past year, young catechumens, scouts and a number of homeless people cared for by the Sant'Egidio Community.

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VATICAN INFORMATION SERVICE
YEAR XXII - # 048
DATE 09-03-2015

Summary:
- Audience with King Philippe and Queen Mathilde of the Belgians
- Centenary of the Argentine Catholic University
- The Pope meets the parishioners of Tor Bella Monaca; discrimination and injustice test the goodness of the people
- Angelus: let us build a temple to God with our lives
- Francis' greetings on International Women's Day: "women give us to the ability to see the world with different eyes"
- Behaviour contrary to justice, honesty and charity cannot be covered up with worship
- The Pope on the sixtieth anniversary of Communion and Liberation: "Keep alive
the call of the first encounter with Christ, and be free"
- The Holy Father to preside at Confession in St. Peter's Basilica on 13 March - Oath-taking Ceremony of the Cardinal Camerlengo
- Cardinal Orlando B. Quevedo, Pope's special envoy to Nagasaki
- Audiences
- Other Pontifical Acts

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Audience with King Philippe and Queen Mathilde of the Belgians
Vatican City, 7 March 2015 (VIS) - This morning in the Vatican Apostolic Palace the Holy Father Francis received in audience His Majesty Philippe King of the Belgians, and Queen Mathilde, who subsequently met with Cardinal Secretary of State Pietro Parolin, accompanied by Archbishop Paul Richard Gallagher, secretary for Relations with States.
During the cordial discussions, the good bilateral relations between Belgium and the Holy See were confirmed. Attention was then paid to matters of mutual interest, such as social cohesion, the education of the young, the phenomenon of migration and the importance of intercultural and interreligious dialogue.
Mention was then made of various problems of an international nature, with special reference to the future prospects of the European continent.

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Centenary of the Argentine Catholic University
Vatican City, 9 March 2015 (VIS) - On occasion of the one hundredth university
of Faculty of Theology of the Universidad Catolica Argentina (U.C.A.), Pope Francis has sent a letter to Cardinal Mario Aurelio Poli, archbishop of Buenos Aires, Grand Chancellor of the faculty. "Teaching and studying theology means living on a frontier", writes the Pope. "We must We must guard against a theology that spends itself in academic dispute or watches humanity from a glass castle. You learn to live: theology and holiness are inseparable". Francis adds that the theology that is developed is therefore rooted and based on Revelation, on tradition, but also accompanies the cultural and social processes" and "must also take on board conflicts: not only those that we experience within the Church, but those that concern the whole world".
The Pope urges all the members of the Faculty not to satisfy themselves with a
theoretical "desktop theology" and not to give in to the temptation to "gloss over it, to perfume it, to adjust it a little and domesticate it". Instead, he writes, good theologians "must, like good pastors, have the odour of the people
and the street, and through their reflection, pour oil and wine on the wounds of men". Similarly, he encourages them to study how the various disciplines ...
may reflect the centrality of mercy", since "without mercy our theology, our law, our pastoral ministry run the risk of collapsing in petty bureaucracy or ideology". He concludes by remarking that the U.C.A. does not form "museum theologians who accumulate data" or "spectators of history", but rather people capable of building up humanity around them, "of transmitting the divine Christian truth in a truly human dimension".

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The Pope meets the parishioners of Tor Bella Monaca; discrimination and injustice test the goodness of the people
Vatican City, 9 March 2015 (VIS) - Yesterday afternoon Pope Francis visited the Roman parish of Santa Maria Madre del Redentore in the peripheral suburb of
Tor Bella Monaca, where he was welcomed by more than a thousand young people. Before entering the Church, the Holy Father visited the Caritas Centre to greet
sick and disabled assisted by the Missionaries of Charity. "Jesus never abandons us", he said, "because on the Cross he experienced pain, sadness, solitude and many other things. ... Never lose your trust in Him".
Later, in the church, he met with a group of children and young people, and answered their questions. The first was: if God forgives everything, why does Hell exist? The Pope replied that Hell is the desire to distance oneself from God and to reject God's love. But", he added, "if you were a terrible sinner, who had committed all the sins in the world, all of them, condemned to death, and even when you are there, you were to blaspheme, insults... and at the moment of death, when you were about to die, you were to look to Heaven and say, 'Lord ...!', where do you go, to Heaven or to Hell? To Heaven! Only those who say, I have no need of You, I can get along by myself, as the devil did, are in Hell - and he is the only one we are certain is there".
The second question regarded how to live Christian morality. Francis answered,
"Christian morality is a grace, a response to the love that He gives you first.
... It is Jesus Who helps you to go ahead, and if you fall it is He Who lifts you up again and Who lets you carry on. But if you think and we think that moral life is just about 'doing this' and 'not doing that', this is not Christian. It is a moral philosophy, but no, it is not Christian. Christian is the love of Jesus, Who is the first to love us. ... Christian morality is this:
you fall? Get up again and keep going. And life is this. But always with Jesus".
Finally, before celebrating Mass, Francis spoke with the parish pastoral council and their collaborators who described to him the situation in the area,
in which many marginalised families live, and where there are many problems linked to drug abuse and crime. "The people of Tor Bella Monaca are good people", emphasised Francis. "They had the same flaw that Jesus, Mary and Joseph had: they are poor. With the difference that Joseph had a job, Jesus had
a job, and many people here do not, but they still need to feed their children.
And how does one get by? You know how. Goodness is sorely tested by injustice; the injustice of unemployment and discrimination. And this is a sin, it is a grave sin. Many people are compelled to do things they do not want to do, because they cannot find another way. ... And very often people, when they feel
they are accompanied, wanted, do not fall into that web of the wicked, who exploit the poor. Mafiosi exploit the poor too, to make them do their dirty work, and then when the police discover them, they find those poor people and not the mafiosi who are safe, and also pay for their safety. Therefore, it is necessary to help the people. ... The first pastoral commandment is closeness: to be close to them. ... We cannot go to a house where there are sick or hungry
children and say 'you must do this, you must do that'. No. It is necessary to go to them with closeness, with that caress that Jesus has taught us. ... This is my main pastoral advice to you".
In the homily he pronounced at the church of Santa Maria del Redentore, the Bishop of Rome commented on the passage from the Gospel according to St. John that narrates the expulsion of the money changers from the temple, remarking that two aspects of the text are particularly notable: an image, and a word. "The image is that of Jesus with the whip who chases away all those who use the
temple to trade. The temple was sacred, and this, which was unclean, was sent out. ... Jesus took the whip and cleansed the temple".
"And the phrase, the word", he continued, "is where it says that many people believed in Him, a terrible phrase: 'But Jesus on his part did not entrust himself to them, because he knew all people and needed no one to bear witness about man, for he himself knew what was in man'. We cannot deceive Jesus. He knows us in depth. Before Him we cannot pretend to be saints and close our eyes, and then lead a life that is not what He wants. ... And we all know that name that Jesus gave to those with two faces: hypocrites".
"It will do us good, today, to enter into our hearts and look at Jesus. To say
to him, 'Lord, look, there are good things, but there are also things that are not good. Jesus, do You trust in me? I am a sinner'. ... Jesus is not afraid of
this. ... However, he who drifts away, who has a dual face; who lets himself be
seen to be good to cover the hidden sin... When we enter into our heart, we find many things that are not good, just as Jesus found in the temple the dirty
affairs of trade. ... We can continue our dialogue with Jesus: 'Jesus, do you trust in me? ... So, I will open the door to You, and You can cleanse my soul".

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VATICAN INFORMATION SERVICE
YEAR XXII - # 069
DATE 13-04-2015

Summary:
- Ninth meeting of the Council of Cardinals
- Mass for the centenary of the Armenian Metz Yeghern: Jesus fills the abyss of sin with the depth of His mercy
- Pope's message to the Armenians
- Regina Coeli: "Invited to contemplate Divine Mercy in the wounds of the Risen Christ"
- Extraordinary Jubilee of Mercy: path of forgiveness and mercy
- Summary of the "Misericordiae Vultus", Bull of Indiction of the Extraordinary Jubilee of Mercy
- The Pope "in harmony" with the theme of the Seventh Summit of the Americas: "Prosperity with equity"
- To formators of consecrated persons: not only teachers, but also witnesses of following Christ
- Audiences
- Other Pontifical Acts

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Ninth meeting of the Council of Cardinals
Vatican City, 13 April 2015 (VIS) - This morning the ninth meeting of the Council of Cardinals, to be attended by the Holy Father, began in the Vatican. The Council will continue its work until Wednesday, 15 April.

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Mass for the centenary of the Armenian Metz Yeghern: Jesus fills the abyss of sin with the depth of His mercy
Vatican City, 12 April 2015 (VIS) - On the second Sunday of Easter, or Divine Mercy Sunday, Pope Francis celebrated Holy Mass in St. Peter's Basilica to commemorate the centenary of the "martyrdom" (Metz Yeghern, or Great Evil) of the Armenian People, and proclaimed a Doctor of the Church St. Gregory of Narek (c. 951 - c. 1003), Armenian monk, theologian, poet and philosopher, whose feast
day is celebrated on 27 February.
His Beatitude Nerses Bedros XIX Tarmouni, Patriarch of Cilicia of the Armenian Catholics concelebrated with the Holy Father, in the presence of His Holiness Karekin II, Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos of All Armenians and His Holiness Aram I, Catholicos of the Great House of Cilicia. The president of the Republic of Armenia, Serz Sargsyan, also attended the Mass.
In his homily, the Pope commented on the Gospel of St. John, who was in the Upper Room with the other disciples on the evening of the first day after the Sabbath, and who tells us that "Jesus came and stood among them, and said, 'Peace be with you!' and He showed them His hands and His side; He showed them His wounds. And in this way they realised that it was not an apparition: it was truly Him, the Lord, and they were filled with joy. On the eighth day Jesus came
once again into the Upper Room and showed His wounds to Thomas, so that he could
touch them as he had wished to, in order to believe and thus become himself a witness to the Resurrection".
To us also, on this Sunday which Saint John Paul II wished to dedicate to Divine Mercy, "the Lord shows us, through the Gospel, his wounds. They are wounds of mercy. It is true: the wounds of Jesus are wounds of mercy. 'With His stripes we are healed'. Jesus invites us to behold these wounds, to touch them as Thomas did, to heal our lack of belief. Above all, He invites us to enter into the mystery of these wounds, which is the mystery of His merciful love".
"Through these wounds, as in a light-filled opening, we can see the entire mystery of Christ and of God", said Pope Francis: "His Passion, His earthly life
- filled with compassion for the weak and the sick - His incarnation in the womb
of Mary. And we can retrace the whole history of salvation: the prophecies - especially about the Servant of the Lord, the Psalms, the Law and the Covenant; to the liberation from Egypt, to the first Passover and to the blood of the slaughtered lambs; and again from the Patriarchs to Abraham, and then all the way back to Abel, whose blood cried out from the earth. All of this we can see in the wounds of Jesus, crucified and risen; with Mary, in her Magnificat, we can perceive that, 'His mercy extends from generation to generation'". He continued, "Faced with the tragic events of human history we can feel crushed at
times, asking ourselves, 'Why?'. Humanity's evil can appear in the world like an
abyss, a great void: empty of love, empty of goodness, empty of life. And so we ask: how can we fill this abyss? For us it is impossible; only God can fill this
emptiness that evil brings to our hearts and to human history. It is Jesus, God made man, Who died on the Cross and Who fills the abyss of sin with the depth of
His mercy".
The saints teach us that "the world is changed beginning with the conversion of
one's own heart, and that this happens through the mercy of God. And so, whether
faced with my own sins or the great tragedies of the world, 'my conscience would
be distressed, but it would not be in turmoil, for I would recall the wounds of the Lord: "He was wounded for our iniquities". What sin is there so deadly that it cannot be pardoned by the death of Christ?'".
"Keeping our gaze on the wounds of the Risen Jesus, we can sing with the Church: 'His love endures forever'; eternal is his mercy. And with these words impressed on our hearts, let us go forth along the paths of history, led by the hand of our Lord and Saviour, our life and our hope", concluded the Pontiff.

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Pope's message to the Armenians
Vatican City, 12 April 2015 (VIS) - At the end of the Holy Mass celebrated in St. Peter's Basilica to commemorate the centenary of the Armenian "martyrdom" (Metz Yeghern) and the proclamation of St. Gregory of Narek as Doctor of the Church, the Pope met with His Holiness Karekin II, Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos of All Armenians, His Holiness Aram I, Catholicos of the Great House of Cilicia, His Beatitude Nerses Bedros XIX Tarmouni, Patriarch of Cilicia of the Armenian Catholic Church, and the president of the Republic of Armenia, Serz
Sargsyan. He handed to each of them a signed copy in Italian of his message he read at the beginning of the celebration, with a translation in Armenian. The following is the full text of his message.
"On a number of occasions I have spoken of our time as a time of war, a third world war which is being fought piecemeal, one in which we daily witness savage crimes, brutal massacres and senseless destruction. Sadly, today too we hear the
muffled and forgotten cry of so many of our defenceless brothers and sisters who, on account of their faith in Christ or their ethnic origin, are publicly and ruthlessly put to death - decapitated, crucified, burned alive - or forced to leave their homeland.
Today too we are experiencing a sort of genocide created by general and collective indifference, by the complicit silence of Cain, who cries out: 'What does it matter to me? Am I my brother's keeper?'.
In the past century our human family has lived through three massive and unprecedented tragedies. The first, which is widely considered 'the first genocide of the twentieth century' (John Paul II and Karekin II, Common Declaration, Etchmiadzin, 27 September 2001), struck your own Armenian people, the first Christian nation, as well as Catholic and Orthodox Syrians, Assyrians,
Chaldeans and Greeks. Bishops and priests, religious, women and men, the elderly
and even defenceless children and the infirm were murdered. The remaining two were perpetrated by Nazism and Stalinism. And more recently there have been other mass killings, like those in Cambodia, Rwanda, Burundi and Bosnia. It seems that humanity is incapable of putting a halt to the shedding of innocent blood. It seems that the enthusiasm generated at the end of the Second World War
has dissipated and is now disappearing. It seems that the human family has refused to learn from its mistakes caused by the law of terror, so that today too there are those who attempt to eliminate others with the help of a few and with the complicit silence of others who simply stand by. We have not yet learned that 'war is madness', 'senseless slaughter'.
Dear Armenian Christians, today, with hearts filled with pain but at the same time with great hope in the risen Lord, we recall the centenary of that tragic event, that immense and senseless slaughter whose cruelty your forebears had to endure. It is necessary, and indeed a duty, to honour their memory, for whenever
memory fades, it means that evil allows wounds to fester. Concealing or denying evil is like allowing a wound to keep bleeding without bandaging it!
I greet you with affection and I thank you for your witness. With gratitude for
his presence, I greet Mr Serz Sargsyan, the President of the Republic of Armenia. My cordial greeting goes also to my brother Patriarchs and Bishops: His
Holiness Kerekin II, Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos of All Armenians; His Holiness Aram I, Catholicos of the Great House of Cilicia, His Beatitude Nerses Bedros XIX, Patriarch of Cilicia of Armenian Catholics; and Catholicosates of the Armenian Apostolic Church and the Patriarchate of the Armenian Catholic Church.
In the certainty that evil never comes from God, Who is infinitely good, and standing firm in faith, let us profess that cruelty may never be considered God's work and, what is more, can find absolutely no justification in his Holy Name. Let us continue this celebration by fixing our gaze on Jesus Christ, risen
from the dead, victor over death and evil".

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Regina Coeli: "Invited to contemplate Divine Mercy in the wounds of the Risen Christ"
Vatican City, 13 April 2015 (VIS) - At midday on Divine Mercy Sunday, following
the celebration of Holy Mass in the Vatican Basilica for the faithful of Armenian Rite, Pope Francis appeared at the window of his study to pray the Regina Coeli with the faithful and pilgrims gathered in St. Peter's Square. Before the Marian prayer, the Pontiff addressed those present.
"Today is the eighth day after Easter, and the Gospel of St. John tells of the two appearances of the Resurrected Jesus to the apostles gathered in the Upper Room. ... The first time, the Lord shows the disciples the wounds on His body. ...
But Thomas was not present that evening, and he did not believe the account given by the others. ... Eight days after - precisely like today - Jesus returned
among them and turned immediately to Thomas, inviting him to touch the wounds on
His hands and on His side. He reaches out to his incredulity so that, through the signs of the Passion, he is able to reach the fullness of Paschal faith: faith in the resurrection of Jesus".
"Thomas is a person who is not easily satisfied, a seeker who wishes to check in person, to attain his own personal experience. After his initial resistance and uneasiness, he too finally reaches the point of believing. ... Jesus awaits him patiently and is attentive to the difficulties and insecurities of the last man to arrive. ... [Thomas] was able to 'touch' the paschal Mystery that fully demonstrates God's salvific love, rich in mercy. And like Thomas, we too, on this second Sunday of Easter, are invited to contemplate, in the wounds of the Risen Christ, the Divine Mercy that overcomes every human limit and shines through the darkness of evil and sin".
Francis explained that the upcoming Extraordinary Jubilee of Mercy will be an intense and prolonged period for welcoming the immense wealth of God's merciful love, and emphasised that the Face of Mercy is Jesus Christ. "Let us keep our gaze upon Him, He Who always seeks us, awaits us, forgives us ... and may the Virgin Mary help us to be merciful towards others, as Jesus is with us".
After the Marian prayer, the Pope greeted those present, especially pilgrims attending the Holy Mass in the Church of the Holy Spirit in Sassia, centre for devotion to Divine Mercy. He mentioned the neocatechumenical communities of Rome, which are beginning a special mission in the city's squares to pray and offer witness of their faith, and congratulated the Oriental Churches which, according to their calendar, celebrate Easter. Finally, he gave thanks for the many Easter greetings that he has received from all over the world.

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Extraordinary Jubilee of Mercy: path of forgiveness and mercy
Vatican City, 12 April 2015 (VIS) - The Pope presided at the first vespers of the second Sunday of Easter - Divine Mercy Sunday - in St. Peter's Basilica at 5.30 p.m. yesterday, Saturday 11 April. The celebration included the consignment
and reading of the official Bull of Indiction of the Extraordinary Jubilee of Mercy, to begin on 8 December 2015 and to close on 16 November 2016.
The Holy Father, accompanied by the cardinals, transferred to the entrance of

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VATICAN INFORMATION SERVICE
YEAR XXII - # 074
DATE 20-04-2015

Summary:
- Ad Limina visit of the bishops of Gabon: evangelise the customs and socio-political realities of your country
- Pope Francis receives the Conference of European Rabbis
- The Holy Father remembers Chief Rabbi of Rome, Elio Toaff
- Buddhists and Christians, together to counter modern slavery
- Regina Coeli: the content of Christian witness is not an ideology
- Men and women like us, seeking a better life
- State Visit of the President of the Italian Republic
- Italy and the Holy See: promoting and protecting religious freedom and human dignity at bilateral and international levels
- To the Pontifical Academy of Social Sciences: raise awareness of new forms of slavery
- The Pope receives the A.C.I.S.J.F.: let young women know they are called to happiness
- Telegram for the death of Cardinal Francis Eugene George
- The Pope to receive Catholic Charismatic Renewal in audience on 3 July
- Symposium on Friar Junipero Serra, to be canonised 23 September
- Audiences
- Other Pontifical Acts

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Ad Limina visit of the bishops of Gabon: evangelise the customs and socio-political realities of your country
Vatican City, 18 April 2015 (VIS) - "In this jubilee year that commemorates several events in the life of the Church in Gabon, including the 170th anniversary of her foundation, I wish to greet and encourage your priests, men and women religious and other pastoral agents who collaborate with you, as well as the lay faithful of your dioceses, whom I join in prayer and thanksgiving", writes the Holy Father in the discourse he handed this morning to the bishops of
the Episcopal Conference of Gabon, at the end of their "ad Limina" visit.
"The courageous missionaries who preached the Gospel in your land, in heroic conditions, and also the first Christians of Gabon, who welcomed the Good News of salvation with a generous heart and bore witness to it, often facing great adversity, are the pioneers of your local Church. Their memory, their zeal and their evangelical witness must never cease to inspire you in your pastoral action, and constitute for the Church of Gabon the source of a renewed commitment to the announcement of the Gospel, as a message of peace, joy and salvation that liberates man from the forces of evil to guide him to the Kingdom
of God".
"To carry out the ministry that has been entrusted to you in each of your dioceses requires you to live in authentic fraternity within your Episcopal Conference", he continues. "Fraternal collaboration must make it possible to respond better to needs such as the challenges of the Church and to assure, with
a collegial spirit, service to the common good all society. In this regard, you have recently taken the initiative of establishing a day of prayer for your country. The Church thus shows that she shares in the concerns of all Gabonese and that the Christian message, far from deterring humanity from building an ever more just and fraternal world, makes doing so a duty. The Centre for Studes
for Social Doctrine and Interreligious Dialogue, established in 2011 in Libreville, also shows your concern for evangelising customs and the socio-political realities of your country".
"The unity of the presbytery with the bishop is an example that gives the faithful the sense of the Church as the family of God. This must be translated in particular into great care to immunise them against the insidious danger of tribal and ethnic discrimination, which are the very negation of the Gospel. This spirit of communion is especially expressed in the fraternal care that you dedicate to the life and the mission of your priests. ... The candidates to the priesthood also need ... effective accompaniment in the indispensable and complex
process of the discernment of vocations. This discernment and the formation of seminarians must be anchored first to the Gospel, and then to the true cultural values of their country, on the sense of honesty, responsibility and the given word. ... Men and women religious, who since the founding of the Church in Gabon
have displayed extraordinary apostolic zeal in the service of the Gospel, are also entitled to privileged and affectionate attention from you ... that may be manifested in constructive dialogue and permanent collaboration at all levels with them, as well as in spiritual closeness and the promotion of different charisms within your dioceses".
The bishop of Rome encourages the prelates to continue in their efforts to "awaken in the laity the sense of their Christian vocation, and to urge them to develop their charisms in order to put them to the service of the Church and of society. The Church is missionary by nature. ... Therefore, the human and Christian formation of the laity is an important way of contributing to the work
of the evangelisation and development of the people, always endeavouring to adopt an 'outbound' approach towards social peripheries. It is also necessary to
present to the young the true face of Christ, their friend and guide, so that they find in Him a solid anchorage to resist ideologies and sects as well as the
illusions of a false modernity and the mirage of material wealth".
"In this regard, it is important to maintain the prestige of Catholic educational institutions in your country, by way of a formation that is increasingly inspired by the spirit of the Gospel. The 2001 Agreement between the Holy See and the Gabonese Republic on the Status of Catholic Education offers valuable support to the local Church, favouring the promotion of each and
every person, with a preferential option for the poorest. I encourage you, therefore, not to hesitate in raising your voice to defend the human person and the sacred nature of life". The Holy Father concludes, "In this time of preparation for the upcoming Synod of Bishops on the family, I invite you to pray and to ask for prayer for a good outcome, to better serve all families".

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Pope Francis receives the Conference of European Rabbis
Vatican City, 20 April 2015 (VIS) - For the first time a delegation of the Conference of European Rabbis, presided by Rabbi Pinchas Goldschmidt, has met with the Successsor of Peter in the Vatican. Pope Francis, who received them this morning, expressed his joy at this event, and at the same time offered his condolences, which he extended to the Jewish community of Rome, for the death yesterday of the ex Grand Rabbi of Rome, Elio Toaff, a "man of peace and dialogue", who received Pope John Paul II during his historical visit to the Great Synagogue of Rome in April 1986. For this reason, the current Chief Rabbi of Rome, Riccardo Di Segni, was not present at the meeting.
In his address to the delegation, the Pope emphasised that the dialogue between
the Catholic Church and the Jewish communities continues to progress as it has for half a century; 28 October will mark the fiftieth anniversary of the conciliar Declaration Nostra Aetate, which is still the reference point for efforts in this regard. "With gratitude to the Lord, may we recall these years, rejoicing in our progress and in the friendship which has grown between us", he said.
"Today, in Europe, it is more important than ever to emphasise the spiritual and religious dimension of human life", he continued. "In a society increasingly
marked by secularism and threatened by atheism, we run the risk of living as if God did not exist. People are often tempted to take the place of God, to consider themselves the criterion of all things, to control them, to use everything according to their own will. It is so important to remember, however,
that our life is a gift from God, and that we must depend on him, confide in him, and turn towards him always. Jews and Christians have the blessing but also
the responsibility to help preserve the religious sense of the men and women of today, and that of our society, by our witness to the sanctity of God and human life. God is holy, and the life he has given is holy and inviolable".
Francis voiced his concerns regarding increasing anti-Semitism and acts of hatred and violence in Europe, and affirmed that "every Christian must be firm in deploring all forms of anti-Semitism, and in showing their solidarity with the Jewish people". He also referred to the recent seventieth anniversary of the
liberation of Auschwitz, the concentration camp which has come to be synonymous with the great tragedy of the Shoah. The memory of what took place there, in the
heart of Europe, is a warning to present and future generations. Acts of hatred and violence against Christians and the faithful of other religions must likewise be condemned everywhere".
"Dear friends", he concluded, "I heartily thank you for this very significant visit. I extend my best wishes to your communities, with the assurance of my closeness and prayers. And, please, do not forget to pray for me. Shalom alechem!".

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The Holy Father remembers Chief Rabbi of Rome, Elio Toaff
Vatican City, 20 April 2015 (VIS) - Pope Francis has sent a letter of condolences to the Chief Rabbi of the Jewish community of Rome, Riccardo Di Segni, for the death yesterday of his predecessor in this role, Rabbi Elio Toaff, at the age of 99. The following is the full text of the letter.
"I wish to express my heartfelt participation in the mourning of the family and
the entire Jewish community of the capital following the departure of the Rabbi Professor Elio Toaff, the long-time spiritual guide of the Jews of Rome.
A key figure in Italian Jewish and civil history during recent decades, he knew
how to earn esteem and appreciation through his moral authority, linked to a profound humanity.
I recall with gratitude his generous efforts and sincere willingness to promote
dialogue and fraternal relations between Jews and Catholics, which experienced a
significant moment in his memorable encounter with St. John Paul II at the Synagogue of Rome.
I raise prayers that the Almighty, rich in love and faithfulness, welcome him in His Kingdom of peace".

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Buddhists and Christians, together to counter modern slavery
Vatican City, 20 April 2015 (VIS) - "Buddhists and Christians, together to counter modern slavery" is the title of the message from the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue to Buddhists, to celebrate the month of Vesakh, the commemoration of the three most significant events in the life of Gautama Buddha
- his birth, enlightenment and death. This occasion, according to the president of the dicastery, Cardinal Jean-Louis Tauran, also provides an opportunity "to

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VATICAN INFORMATION SERVICE
YEAR XXII - # 082
DATE 04-05-2015

Summary:
- To the bishops of the Congo: build fraternity rooted in forgiveness and solidarity
- Catholics and Lutherans are brothers in faith, not adversaries
- The Holy Father thanks the Pontifical Swiss Guard for their hard work
- Pope's message for the 750th anniversary of the birth of Dante
- Visit to the Roman parish of Santa Maria Regina Pacis
- Regina Coeli: true Christians who do good for society
- The Pope presides at the Mass and day of reflection dedicated to Friar Junipero Serra
- Francis to the faithful of Molise and Abruzzo: job creation cannot be postponed
- Globalising solidarity: the Pope's message for the inauguration of the Milan Universal Exposition
- To the Cursillos in Christianity: take your charism to the existential peripheries
- Four cardinals to take possession of titles and diaconates
- Audiences
- Other Pontifical Acts

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To the bishops of the Congo: build fraternity rooted in forgiveness and solidarity
Vatican City, 4 May 2015 (VIS) - The bishops of the Episcopal Conference of Congo were received in audience by Pope Francis this morning, at the end of their "ad Limina" visit. The Holy Father handed them a written discourse in which he emphasises the vitality of the Catholic Church in this country, which has led to the creation of three new dioceses, and the work of pastors in the work of evangelisation, as well as the Church's contribution in the education and healthcare sectors and her role in national reconciliation following the grave crisis of the 1990s.
Francis praises the work of the Episcopal Conference with regard to the mission
of the laity in the Church and society, and mentioned the importance of forming and accompanying laypeople to offer Christian witness in socio-political sectors, which constitute a specific sector for the apostolate. "Family pastoral
ministry is an integral part of this accompaniment. The reluctance of the faithful to embark on Christian marriage reveals the need for profound evangelisation, which involves not only the inculturation of faith, but also the
evangelisation of local traditions and culture".
In these sectors, as in many others, priests are the bishops' first collaborators and as a result, their living conditions and sanctification must be central to their concerns. "The immense pastoral needs of the local Church require rigorous discernment, so that the People of God are able to count on zealous pastors who edify the faithful through their testimony of life, especially in relation to celibacy and the spirit of evangelical poverty". The Pope also remarks that in some dioceses there are great difficulties due to the lack of available financial and material resources.
"I am aware of the magnitude of the problems and the worries related to this situation in the heart of a pastor. Therefore, I encourage you to resolutely engage your dioceses in embarking on the path of autonomy, a gradual takeover of
control and solidarity between the particular Churches in your country, following a tradition that dates back to the first Christian communities. In this respect, you must be careful to ensure that economic aid to your particular
Churches in support of your specific mission does not limit your freedom as pastors or obstruct the freedom of the Church, which must have a free hand to proclaim the Gospel in a credible way. ... With regard to mutual aid and solidarity between local Churches, this must also be reflected in the promotion of the missionary spirit first within Africa", affirmed Francis, quoting Paul VI
in his 1969 discourse in Kampala: "By now, you Africans are missionaries to yourselves".
In-depth evangelisation is another great challenge for the bishops, and one which requires "special attention to the concrete conditions of life for the populations; that is, ultimately, to the development of the human person. Again here the commitment of the Catholic Church in the Congo is important: in the fields of education, healthcare, and aid to the various categories of people in need, including refugees from neighbouring countries, your diocese contribute in
a significant way. As pastors, continue to ensure that your social ministry is increasingly carried out in the spirit of the Gospel and perceived as a work of evangelisation, and not as the action of a non-governmental organisation".
The Pope concludes by noting that in certain sectors of society, the wounds caused by the grave crisis that affected the Congo at the end of the 1990s have left deep scars that have not yet fully healed. "In this respect, in particular,
the Church, strong in the Gospel of Jesus, has received the mission of building new fraternity anchored in forgiveness and solidarity. You, pastors, continue to
be models and prophets in this sense!".

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Catholics and Lutherans are brothers in faith, not adversaries
Vatican City, 4 May 2015 (VIS) - This morning the Pope received in audience the
Lutheran archbishop of Uppsala, Sweden, Antje Jackelen, who led a delegation to the Vatican from the Evangelical-Lutheran Church. Francis greeted them cordially
and commented that last year was the fiftieth anniversary of the Vatican Council
II decree on ecumenism, "Unitatis Redintegratio", which continues to be the key point of reference for the ecumenical efforts of the Catholic Church. "This document is an invitation to all Catholics to undertake the path of unity to overcome division between Christians, which is "not only openly opposed to the will of Christ, but is also a scandal to the world and damages the holiest of causes: the preaching of the Gospel to every creature".
The decree "expresses a profound respect and appreciation for those brothers and sisters separated from us, to whom in daily coexistence we at times risk giving little consideration. In reality, they are not perceived as adversaries or as competitors, but instead acknowledged for what they are: brothers and sisters in faith. Catholics and Lutherans must seek and promote unity in dioceses, in parishes, in communities throughout the world", the Pope emphasised, mentioning the recent document "From conflict to communion. The Lutheran-Catholic Common Commemoration of the Reformation in 2017", published by
the Lutheran-Catholic Commission for Unity. "We sincerely hope that this initiative may encourage, with God's help and collaboration between Him and among us, the achievement of further steps on the path of unity".
The call to unity also implies "a pressing exhortation to joint commitment at the charitable level, in favour of all those who suffer in the world as a result
of poverty and violence, and have a special need for our mercy; the witness of our persecuted brothers and sisters in particular drives us to grow in fraternal
communion. The question of the dignity of human life, always to be respected, is
of urgent relevance, as are issues regarding the family, marriage and sexuality,
that may not be set aside or ignored for fear of jeopardising the ecumenical consensus already received. It would be a pity if new confessional differences were to be consolidated with regard to these important questions".
Francis concluded his address by giving thanks first to the Swedish Lutheran Church, "for the welcome given to so many South American migrants in the times of the dictatorships, a fraternal welcome that has enabled families to grow", and secondly, to Jackelen, "for the delicacy that you, dear sister, have had in appointing my dear friend, the pastor Anders Root: I have shared with him the chair in spiritual theology and he has helped me greatly in spiritual life".

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The Holy Father thanks the Pontifical Swiss Guard for their hard work
Vatican City, 4 May 2015 (VIS) - "'Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends'. In the history of the Church, many men and women have heeded the call of this great love. The Swiss Guards who fought during the Sack of Rome and who gave their lives in defence of the Pope responded to this call. And answering this call with devotion means following Christ", said the Holy Father as he received in audience the new recruits to the
Pontifical Swiss Guard who will take their oath of loyalty tomorrow, 6 May.
"In the Spiritual Exercises, St. Ignatius of Loyola, who in his youth was a soldier, spoke of the 'call of the Christ the King', who wishes to build His Kingdom and choose his collaborators. The Lord wishes to build His Kingdom with the collaboration of men. He needs decisive and courageous people. ... At the same
time, Ignatius compares the world to two military camps, one with the standard of Christ, the other under the flag of Satan. There are only these two camps. For the Christian the choice is clear: he follows Christ's standard".
"Christ is the true King. He Himself goes ahead and His friends follow Him. One
of Christ's soldiers participates in the life of His Lord. This is also the call
that is addressed to you: to take on the concerns of Christ, to be His companions. In this way you learn, day by day, to 'feel' with Christ and with the Church. A Swiss Guard is a person who truly seeks to follow the Lord Jesus and who loves the Church in a special way; he is a Christian with genuine faith", emphasised the Pontiff. "You too, like every Christian, must live all this through the Sacraments of the Church: with diligent participation in Mass and frequent Confession. You can live this by reading the Gospel every day. What
I say to all, I repeat to you: keep a pocket-sized Gospel close to hand, so you can read it whenever you have a free moment. Your personal prayer, especially the Rosary, will also help you, during your guards of honour. And it will help you in your service to the poor, the sick, to those in need of a good word".
The Pope remarked that when the Swiss Guards meet people and pilgrims they transmit to them, with their "kindness and competence", this "great love" that comes from their friendship with Christ. Indeed", he exclaimed, "you are a banner for the Holy See! I thank you and encourage you in your work".
"I know that your service is demanding. When there is extra work to be done, we
are always able to count on the Swiss Guard. I thank you with affection and express my great appreciation for all that you do for the Church and for me, as the Successor of Peter", he concluded.

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Pope's message for the 750th anniversary of the birth of Dante
Vatican City, 4 May 2015 (VIS) - This morning, with the commemoration in the Senate, there began the events with which all Italy will celebrate the birth of Dante Alighieri (Florence 1265 - Ravenna 1321), the author of "The Divine Comedy". The Pope participated with a message to Cardinal Gianfranco Ravasi, president of the Pontifical Council for Culture, also present at the ceremony presided over by the President of the Republic Sergio Mattarella, and attended by the minister for Culture Dario Franceschini and the actor Roberto Benigni, who read Canto XXXIII of Paradise.
"With this message, I wish to join the chorus of those who consider Dante Alighieri to be an artist of the highest universal value, who still has much to say and to offer, through his immortal works, to those who wish to follow the route of true knowledge, of the authentic discovery of the self, of the world, of the profound and transcendent meaning of existence", writes the Pope.
He notes that many of his predecessors celebrated the anniversaries of Dante with documents of great importance, in which the figure of Dante Alighieri is presented precisely for his continuing relevance and his greatness, not only artistic but also theological and cultural. He cites, among these, Benedict XV who dedicated his encyclical "In praeclara summorum" (1921) to Dante on the sixth centenary of his death, affirming and highlighting "the intimate union of Dante with the See of Peter". Blessed Paul VI dedicated the Apostolic Letter "Altissimi cantus", at the closure of Vatican Council II, to Dante, affirming that "Dante is ours! Ours, as in of Catholic faith". St. John Paul II and Benedict XVI also often referred to the works of the great poet and mentioned him on numerous occasions. Pope Francis added that in his first encyclical, "Lumen Fidei", he drew upon the "immense patrimony of images, symbols and values
that constitute Dante's work".
On the eve of the extraordinary Jubilee of Mercy, the Holy Father expresses his
hope that during this year the figure of Dante and his work will also accompany us on this personal and community path. "Indeed", he remarks, "the Comedy may be
read as a great itinerary, or rather as a true pilgrimage, both personal and interior, and communal, ecclesial, social and historical. It represents the paradigm of every authentic journey in which humanity is called upon to leave what Dante defines as 'the threshing-floor that makes us so ferocious' to attain
a new condition, marked by harmony, peace and happiness. And this is the horizon
of every true humanism".
"Dante is, therefore, a prophet of hope, herald of the possibility of redemption, of liberation, of the profound transformation of every man and

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VATICAN INFORMATION SERVICE
YEAR XXII - # 087
DATE 11-05-2015

Summary:
- Francis receives the Episcopal Conference of Togo: spread the values of the Christian family
- The Pope receives the "workers" of the Peace Factory
- The Holy Father receives the president of the Republic of Cuba
- Regina Coeli: love is a concrete path
- Pope's message to His Holiness Tawadros II: continuing friendship between the Orthodox Coptic Church and the Catholic Church
- Pope's letter for the bicentenary of the coronation of Our Lady of Mercy
- To the bishops of Mozambique: always live among the faithful
- Cardinal Daniel Fernando Sturla Berhouet to take possession of his titular church
- Audiences
- Other Pontifical Acts

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Francis receives the Episcopal Conference of Togo: spread the values of the Christian family
Vatican City, 11 May 2015 (VIS) - Defence of the particular nature of the Christian family, and care in the formation of priests and consecrated persons in a country where religious communities and co-existence with other religions present no problems, were the key themes of the discourse Pope Francis handed to
the bishops of the Episcopal Conference of Togo, whom he received in audience this morning at the end of their "ad Limina" visit.
In the text, and in view of the upcoming Synod of Bishops, the Pope underlines the need for the positive aspects of African families to be known and understood. "In particular", he observes, "the African family welcomes life, and
respects and takes into consideration the elderly. This heritage must be preserved, and serves as an example and impetus for others. The sacrament of marriage is a pastoral reality that is well accepted in your country, although there still exist barriers of a cultural and legal nature that prevent some couples from realising their wish to base their married life on faith in Christ.
I encourage you to persevere in your effort to support families in difficulty ...
and to prepare couples for the commitments, demanding but magnificent, of Christian marriage. Togo is not immune to ideological and media attacks that come from all sides these days and which present models of unions and families incompatible with Christian faith. I am aware of the vigilance you show in this area, as well as your efforts, especially in the sector of communications".
"But one of the keys to meeting the challenges presented to your communities and your societies is without doubt the formation of the young", continues the bishop of Rome. "The Church-Family of God in Togo has chosen to stay close to children and young people who receive a good human and religious formation through numerous projects and initiatives. It is crucial that the young learn to
life their faith with coherence, in order to bear witness to it with authenticity and to contribute to a more just and fraternal society. ... Men and
women religious play an indispensable role in the proclamation and transmission of faith in Togo. ... I encourage you always to show paternal care towards the various Institutes. Their numbers are growing rapidly, and their development should be well accompanied; attention should also be paid to the formation of the youngest among them, in particular, to avoid amalgamation at the level of faith and inculturation. ... Vocations are numerous in Togo and seminarians receive good formation in the seminaries ... which must later help them in their
battle against ambition, careerism, jealousy, worldliness, the seduction of money and worldly goods, and in living a sincere and joyful celibacy. I recommend special attention to the spiritual and pastoral care of young priests,
and to be open to listening to their experiences".
The Pope remarks that in recent years Togolese society has made significant progress in the political and social fields, and that "the Catholic Church has made extensive contributions to this, not only through her works of evangelisation and human promotion, but also through her commitment to justice and reconciliation. I thank you warmly for your efforts in this area, especially
for your work in the Commission for Truth, Justice and Reconciliation. I encourage you to continue, ensuring that the Church occupies the place due to her in the the process of institutional reforms. ... However, it is always necessary to take care not to enter directly into political debate or disputes ,
taking care instead to form, encourage and support the laity - whose role this rightly is - so they are able to dedicate themselves to the service of the nation and the highest level and to assume their responsibilities".
"I am glad that this service to Togolese society is also an opportunity for joint action with other Christian communities, as shown by various joint appeals
to the nation. In the same way, in matters of interreligious dialogue, it is always necessary to promote, and perhaps further develop, the culture of dialogue and encounter, given that you enjoy peaceful co-existence especially with Islam, a co-existence that must be maintained considering the current situation in Western Africa. 'Interreligious dialogue is a necessary condition for peace in the world, and so it is a duty for Christians as well as other religious communities'. It is particularly important for young priests to receive a solid education in this matter", concludes the Holy Father.

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The Pope receives the "workers" of the Peace Factory
Vatican City, 10 May 2015 (VIS) - This morning in the Vatican's Paul VI Hall Pope Francis received in audience more than seven thousand children and young people, who form part of the "Peace Factory", an initiative promoted by various institutions, including the Ministry of Education and the Italian Episcopal Conference, to favour multi-ethnic integration and to raise awareness among spiritual, political and educational leaders so that they use the language of peace. The Peace Factory, presented on 5 May at the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) is a large laboratory that seeks to involve all schools in an educational network that, through art, theatre, new technologies and sport, offers a formation in human values to all boys and girls, starting from elementary school.
Upon arrival in the Hall, the Pope was warmly greeted by the thousands of Factory "workers", and answered the questions that some of them posed to him, emphasising above all the inseparable relationship between peace and justice. Francis did not pronounce the discourse he had prepared, but we publish several extracts from it here below:
"Thank you for your invitation to work with you in the 'Peace Factory'! It is good workplace as it is about building a society without injustice and violence,
where all children and young people may be welcomed and grow in love. There is a
great need for peace factories, as unfortunately there is no lack of war factories! ... War is the result of hatred, selfishness, the desire to own more and to dominate others. And to combat it you pledge to spread the culture of inclusion, reconciliation and encounter. ... It is a good path, that requires courage and strength, so that everyone may understand the need for a change in mentality, to ensure the safety of children on the planet, and especially those who live in areas afflicted by wars and persecution".
"The term 'factory' tells us that peace is something that has to ... be built with wisdom and tenacity. But to build a world of peace, we need to begin with our own world, that is, the environments in which we live every day: the family,
school, the playground, the gym, the oratory. ... And it is important to work together with the people who live next to us: our friends, schoolmates, parents and educators. We need the help of all in order to build a better future. ... The
true builder of peace is one who makes the first step towards the other. And this is not weakness, but strength, the strength of peace. How can we put an end
to wars in the world, if we are not capable of overcoming our minor misunderstandings and our arguments? Our acts of dialogue, forgiveness and reconciliation are bricks that serve to construct the edifice of peace".
"Another characteristic of this factory is that it has no borders. One breathes
an air of acceptance and encounter without barriers or exclusion. Faced with people from different countries and ethnic groups, who have other traditions and
religions, your attitude is that of knowledge and dialogue, for the inclusion of
all, with respect for the laws of the State. And you have understood that to construct a world of peace it is indispensable to take an interest in the needs of the poorest, the most suffering and abandoned, even those who are far away. I
think of many of your peers who, just for the fact of being Christians, have been driven from their homes, their countries, and some have been killed for holding the Bible in their hands! And in this way the work of your 'factory' truly becomes a work of love. Loving others, especially the most disadvantaged, means showing that every person is a gift of God. Every person".
"But peace itself is a gift of God, a gift to ask for trustfully in prayer. Therefore it is important not only to be witnesses of peace and love, but also witnesses of prayer. Prayer is speaking to God, our Father in Heaven, to entrust
to Him our wishes, our joys, our sorrows. Prayer is asking Him for forgiveness every time we err and commit a sin, in the certainty that He always forgives. His goodness towards us drives us too to be merciful towards our brothers, forgiving them from our heart when they offend us or harm us. And, finally, peace has a face and a heart: it is the face and the heart of Jesus, the Son of God, Who died on the cross and rose again to bring peace to every man and to all
humanity. Jesus is 'our peace', as he tore down the wall of hate that separated men from each other".

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The Holy Father receives the president of the Republic of Cuba

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VATICAN INFORMATION SERVICE
YEAR XXII - # 096
DATE 25-05-2015

Summary:
- Meeting of the Council of the Secretariat of the Synod of Bishops
- Pentecost: the Holy Spirit makes us capable of dedicating ourselves to works of justice and peace
- Regina Coeli: the Church is not born isolated
- The Pope urges the international community to help refugees in the Bay of Bengal
- Message for World Missions Day: "There is an inseparable bond between our faith and the poor"
- Francis prays with the Pentecostal evangelical pastors of Phoenix for the unity of the Church
- The Pope to Christian workers' association: fight for free, creative, participatory and fraternal work
- Blessed Oscar Arnulfo Romero: a martyr who knew how to guide, defend and protect his flock
- Pope's message for the Second International Conference on Women
- Audiences
- Other Pontifical Acts

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Meeting of the Council of the Secretariat of the Synod of Bishops
Vatican City, 25 May 2015 (VIS) - This morning the Holy Father chaired the meeting of the Council of the Secretariat of the Synod of Bishops.

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Pentecost: the Holy Spirit makes us capable of dedicating ourselves to works of
justice and peace
Vatican City, 24 May 2015 (VIS) - "Strengthened by the Spirit - who guides, who
guides us into the truth, who renews us and the whole earth, and who gives us his fruits - strengthened in the Spirit and by these many gifts, may we be able to battle uncompromisingly against sin, to battle uncompromisingly against corruption, which continues to spread in the world day after day, by devoting ourselves with patient perseverance to the works of justice and peace", said the
Holy Father during Mass in St. Peter's Basilica on the solemnity of Pentecost.
Pope Francis repeated several times during his homily that the Holy Spirit, today as yesterday, guides, renews and bears fruit, acting through people and communities, and making them capable of receiving God, "capax Dei" the Holy Fathers have affirmed.
"On the evening of Easter, Jesus appeared to the Apostles and breathed on them his Spirit; on the morning of Pentecost the outpouring occurred in a resounding way, like a wind which shook the place the Apostles were in, filling their minds
and hearts. They received a new strength so great that they were able to proclaim Christ's Resurrection in different languages. ... Together with them was Mary, the Mother of Jesus, the first disciple, there too as Mother of the nascent Church. With her peace, with her smile,with her maternity, she accompanied the joyful young Bride, the Church of Jesus".
In the Gospel, Jesus promises his disciples that, when he has returned to the Father, the Holy Spirit will come to "guide them into all the truth", and explains to them that its action will bring them to understand ever more clearly
what he, the Messiah, has said and done, especially with regard to his death and
resurrection. "To the Apostles, who could not bear the scandal of their Master's
sufferings, the Spirit would give a new understanding of the truth and beauty of
that saving event. At first they were paralysed with fear, shut in the Upper Room to avoid the aftermath of Good Friday. Now they would no longer be ashamed to be Christ's disciples; they would no longer tremble before the courts of men.
Filled with the Holy Spirit, they would now understand 'all the truth': that the
death of Jesus was not his defeat, but rather the ultimate expression of God's love, a love that, in the Resurrection, conquers death and exalts Jesus as the Living One, the Lord, the Redeemer of mankind, the Lord of history and of the world. This truth, to which the Apostles were witnesses, became Good News, to be
proclaimed to all".
The Holy Spirit also renews the earth. "Respect for creation, then, is a requirement of our faith: the 'garden' in which we live is not entrusted to us to be exploited, but rather to be cultivated and tended with respect. Yet this is possible only if Adam - the man formed from the earth - allows himself in turn to be renewed by the Holy Spirit, only if he allows himself to be re-formed
by the Father on the model of Christ, the new Adam. In this way, renewed by the Spirit of God, we will indeed be able to experience the freedom of the sons and daughters, in harmony with all creation. In every creature we will be able to see reflected the glory of the Creator".
"The world needs men and women who are not closed in on themselves, but filled with the Holy Spirit", exclaimed the Pope at the end of his homily. "Closing oneself off from the Holy Spirit means not only a lack of freedom; it is a sin. There are many ways one can close oneself off to the Holy Spirit: by selfishness
for one's own gain; by rigid legalism - seen in the attitude of the doctors of the law to whom Jesus referred as 'hypocrites'; by neglect of what Jesus taught;
by living the Christian life not as service to others but in the pursuit of personal interests; and in so many other ways. However, the world needs the courage, hope, faith and perseverance of Christ's followers. The world needs the
fruits, the gifts of the Holy Spirit, as Saint Paul lists them: 'love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control'. The gift of the Holy Spirit has been bestowed upon the Church and upon each one of us, so that we may live lives of genuine faith and active charity, that we may sow the seeds of reconciliation and peace".

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Regina Coeli: the Church is not born isolated
Vatican City, 24 May 2015 (VIS) - As is usual on a Sunday, the Pope appeared at
the window of his study at midday today to pray the Regina Coeli with the thousands of pilgrims and faithful gathered in St. Peter's Square.
Before the Marian prayer he again referred to the solemnity of Pentecost, which
represents "the baptism of the Church, which thus begins her path through history, guided by the strength of the Holy Spirit". He continued, "That event, which changes the heart and the life of the apostles and the other disciples, is
immediately reflected outside the Cenacle. Indeed, the door that had been kept closed for fifty days is finally opened and the first Christian Community, no longer closed in on itself, begins to speak to the crowds of different origins of the great things that God has done. ... And every person present hears the disciples speak in his own language. The gift of the Spirit re-establishes the harmony of language lost in Babel, and prefigures the universal dimension of the
apostles' mission".
The Church "is not born isolated: she is born universal, one, Catholic, with a precise identity but open to all, not closed, an identity that embraces the whole world, without exception. The Mother Church does not close her door to anyone! Not even the greatest sinner! And this is due to the strength and the grace of the Holy Spirit. The Mother Church throws her doors wide open to all, because she is a mother".
Pentecost is also "the beginning of a new season: the season of witness and fraternity. It is a season that comes from above, that comes from God, like the flames of fire that came to rest of the head of each disciple. It was the flame of love that burned away all bitterness; it was the language of the Gospel that crosses the boundaries set by man and touches the hearts of the multitude, without distinction of language, race or nationality. As on that day of Pentecost, today too the Holy Spirit is continually poured onto the Church and on each one of us, so that we leave behind our mediocrity and narrow-mindedness,
and communicate the merciful love of the Lord to all the world ... so that as we
announce Jesus, resurrected, living and present in our midst, we warm our own heart and the heart of peoples, drawing them close to Him, the path, the truth, and life".

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The Pope urges the international community to help refugees in the Bay of Bengal
Vatican City, 24 May 2015 (VIS) - Following today's Regina Coeli the Pope voiced his concern and suffering for the fate of the many refugees stranded at sea in the Bay of Bengal and the Andaman Sea, expressing his appreciation for the efforts made by those countries which "have shown their willingness to welcome these people who face great suffering and danger", and urged the international community to offer humanitarian aid.
He went on to recall that today marks the centenary of Italy's entry into the First World War, "that senseless slaughter". "Let us pray for the victims", he said, "asking the Holy Spirit for the gift of peace".
He also mentioned the beatification yesterday of Archbishop Oscar Romero in El Salvador and the Italian religious sister Irene Stefanini in Kenya. "The first was killed in hatred of the faith as he celebrated the Eucharist", he remarked. "This zealous pastor, following Jesus' example, chose to stay among his people, especially the poor and oppressed, even at the cost of his own life. Sister Irene Stefanini, Missionary of Consolation, served the Kenyan population with joy, mercy and tender compassion. May the example of these blesseds inspire in every one of us the wish to bear witness to the Gospel with courage and self-sacrifice".
Finally, on the feast day of Mary Help of Christians, he greeted the Salesian community, asking that the Lord might give them the strength to continue in their work in the spirit of St. John Bosco.

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Message for World Missions Day: "There is an inseparable bond between our faith
and the poor"
Vatican City, 24 May 2015 (VIS) - The Holy Father's message for the 89th World Mission Day was published today. To be held on Sunday 18 October 2015, this year
the Day will take place in the context of the Year of Consecrated Life and will therefore highlight the bond between faith and mission.
The following is the full text of the message:
"The 2015 World Mission Sunday 2015 takes place in the context of the Year of Consecrated Life, which provides a further stimulus for prayer and reflection. For if every baptised person is called to bear witness to the Lord Jesus by proclaiming the faith received as a gift, this is especially so for each consecrated man and woman. There is a clear connection between consecrated life and mission. The desire to follow Jesus closely, which led to the emergence of consecrated life in the Church, responds to his call to take up the cross and follow him, to imitate his dedication to the Father and his service and love, to
lose our life so as to gain it. Since Christ's entire existence had a missionary
character, so too, all those who follow him closely must possess this missionary
quality.
The missionary dimension, which belongs to the very nature of the Church, is also intrinsic to all forms of consecrated life, and cannot be neglected without
detracting from and disfiguring its charism. Being a missionary is not about proselytising or mere strategy; mission is part of the 'grammar' of faith, something essential for those who listen to the voice of the Spirit who whispers
'Come' and 'Go forth'. Those who follow Christ cannot fail to be missionaries, for they know that Jesus 'walks with them, speaks to them, breathes with them. They sense Jesus alive with them in the midst of the missionary enterprise'.
Mission is a passion for Jesus and at the same time a passion for his people. When we pray before Jesus crucified, we see the depth of his love which gives us
dignity and sustains us. At the same time, we realise that the love flowing from
Jesus' pierced heart expands to embrace the People of God and all humanity. We realise once more that he wants to make use of us to draw closer to his beloved people and all those who seek him with a sincere heart. In Jesus' command to 'go
forth', we see the scenarios and ever-present new challenges of the Church's evangelising mission. 'l her members are called to proclaim the Gospel by their

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