VATICAN INFORMATION SERVICE
YEAR XXII - # 006
DATE 12-01-2015

Summary:
- The Pope addresses the Diplomatic Corps: peace must guide the destiny of peoples
- The Pope baptises thirty-three infants in the Sistine Chapel
- Angelus: deafness to the voice of the Holy Spirit leads to muteness in evangelisation
- Rebuilding the country means rebuilding the person: the Pope at the conference on Haiti
- Meeting of the presidents of the European Episcopal Conferences
- Note on security in the Vatican
- Audiences
- Other Pontifical Acts
- In Memoriam

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The Pope addresses the Diplomatic Corps: peace must guide the destiny of peoples
Vatican City, 12 January 2014 (VIS) - This morning in the Clementine Hall the Holy Father addressed members of the Diplomatic Corps accredited to the Holy See for the exchange of greetings that traditionally takes place at the beginning of the new year. Francis thanked the dean of the ambassadors, Jean-Claude Michel of Monaco, for the efforts made by the Corps in fostering, in a spirit of mutual collaboration, the relations between the states and international organisations they represent and the Holy See, and added that during the past year "these relations were consolidated by an increase in the presence of ambassadors resident in Rome and by the signing of new bilateral Accords, both general, like the one concluded last January with Cameroon, and specific, like those signed with Malta and Serbia".
During his address to the diplomats, Pope Francis examined the international situation from the dual perspective of hope and peace and the aspect of rejection, both personal and social, "leading to the breakdown of society and spawning violence and death". The Pope mentioned a number of dramatic events, such as the massacre of over one hundred children in Pakistan, the confrontation in Ukraine, the continuing tension in the Middle East, the recent
attacks in Paris, the violence against the population in Nigeria, and the civil
conflicts in Libya, the Central African Republic, South Sudan, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo; he also emphasised the fact that wars often involve the widespread incidence of the horrendous crime of rape of women and girls. He also made reference to those afflicted by the Ebola virus, the problems faced by immigrants and refugees, and the lack of assistance for families. The Holy Father remarked that the overview should not however be dominated by pessimism, and he cited positive elements such as the resurgence of Albania, the results of ecumenical dialogue in Turkey, the expectations for Jordan and Lebanon, the decision of the U.S.A. and Cuba to break their mutual silence, the transformations in Burkina Faso, the efforts towards achieving stable peace in Colombia and Venezuela and the decision of the U.S.A. to close the Guantanamo Bay detention centre. He concluded by expressing his hope for the adoption of the Sustainable Development Goals and the drafting of a new Climate Change Agreement over the coming year.
"I thank you for your presence at this traditional meeting, which allows me at
the beginning of each new year to offer to you, your families, and the peoples you represent, my cordial greetings and best wishes. I am especially grateful to your Dean, Ambassador Jean-Claude Michel, for the kind words which he addressed to me in the name of all, and I thank each of you for your constant dedication and efforts to foster, in a spirit of mutual cooperation, relations between the countries and international organisations which you represent and the Holy See. In the course of the past year too, these relations were consolidated by an increase in the presence of ambassadors resident in Rome and
by the signing of new bilateral Accords, both general, like that concluded last
January with Cameroon, and specific, like those signed with Malta and Serbia.
"Today I wish to repeat a word quite dear to us: peace! It comes to us from the angelic hosts who proclaimed it on Christmas night as a precious gift of God, while at the same time as a personal and social responsibility which calls
for our commitment and concern. But together with peace, the image of the Christmas creche speaks to us another tragic reality: that of rejection. In some iconographic representations, both in the West and in the East - I think for example of the splendid Nativity icon of Andrej Rublev - the Child Jesus is
shown not lying in a manger, but in a tomb. The image, which is meant to connect the two principal Christian feasts of Christmas and Easter, shows that the joyful acceptance of this new birth is inseparable from the entire drama of
Jesus' life, his humiliation and rejection, even to death on the cross.
"The Christmas stories themselves show us the hardened heart of a humanity which finds it difficult to accept the Child. From the very start, he is cast aside, left out in the cold, forced to be born in a stable since there was no room in the inn. If this is how the Son of God was treated, how much more so is
it the case with so many of our brothers and sisters! Rejection is an attitude we all share; it makes us see our neighbour not as a brother or sister to be accepted, but as unworthy of our attention, a rival, or someone to be bent to our will. This is the mindset which fosters that 'throwaway culture' which spares nothing and no one: nature, human beings, even God himself. It gives rise to a humanity filled with pain and constantly torn by tensions and conflicts of every sort.
"Emblematic of this, in the Gospel infancy narratives, is King Herod. Feeling his authority threatened by the Child Jesus, he orders all the children of Bethlehem to be killed. We think immediately of Pakistan, where a month ago, more than a hundred children were slaughtered with unspeakable brutality. To their families I wish to renew my personal condolences and the assurance of my continued prayers for the many innocents who lost their lives.
"The personal dimension of rejection is inevitably accompanied by a social dimension, a culture of rejection which severs the deepest and most authentic human bonds, leading to the breakdown of society and spawning violence and death. We see painful evidence of this in the events reported daily in the news, not least the tragic slayings which took place in Paris a few days ago. Other people 'are no longer regarded as beings of equal dignity, as brothers or
sisters sharing a common humanity, but rather as objects'. Losing their freedom, people become enslaved, whether to the latest fads, or to power, money, or even deviant forms of religion. These are dangers which I pointed out
in my recent Message for the World Day of Peace, which dealt with the issue of today's multiple forms of enslavement. All of them are born of a corrupt heart,
a heart incapable of recognising and doing good, of pursuing peace.
"It saddens us to see the tragic consequences of this mentality of rejection and this 'culture of enslavement' in the never-ending spread of conflicts. Like
a true world war fought piecemeal, they affect, albeit in different forms and degrees of intensity, a number of areas in our world, beginning with nearby Ukraine, which has become a dramatic theatre of combat. It is my hope that through dialogue the efforts presently being made to end the hostilities will be consolidated, and that the parties involved will embark as quickly as possible, in a renewed spirit of respect for international law, upon the path of mutual trust and fraternal reconciliation, with the aim of bringing an end to the present crisis.
"My thoughts turn above all to the Middle East, beginning with the beloved land of Jesus which I had the joy of visiting last May, and for whose peace we constantly pray. We did this with extraordinary intensity, together with the then president of Israel, Shimon Peres, and the president of Palestine, Mahmoud
Abbas, inspired by a confident hope that negotiations between the two parties will once more resume, for the sake of ending violence and reaching a solution which can enable Palestinians and Israelis alike to live at last in peace within clearly established and internationally recognised borders, thus implementing the 'two state solution'.
"The Middle East is tragically embroiled in other conflicts which have lasted far too long, with chilling repercussions, due also to the spread of fundamentalist terrorism in Syria and in Iraq. This phenomenon is a consequence
of the throwaway culture being applied to God. Religious fundamentalism, even before it eliminates human beings by perpetrating horrendous killings, eliminates God himself, turning him into a mere ideological pretext. In the face of such unjust aggression, which also strikes Christians and other ethnic and religious groups in the region - the Yezidis for example - a unanimous response is needed, one which, within the framework of international law, can end the spread of acts of violence, restore harmony and heal the deep wounds which the ongoing conflicts have caused. Here, in your presence, I appeal to the entire international community, as I do to the respective governments involved, to take concrete steps to bring about peace and to protect all those who are victims of war and persecution, driven from their homes and their homeland. In a letter written shortly before Christmas, I sought to express my personal closeness and the promise of my prayers to all the Christian communities of the Middle East. Theirs is a precious testimony of faith and courage, for they play a fundamental role as artisans of peace, reconciliation and development in the civil societies of which they are a part. A Middle East without Christians would be a marred and mutilated Middle East! In urging the international community not to remain indifferent in the face of this situation, I express my hope that religious, political and intellectual leaders, especially those of the Muslim community, will condemn all fundamentalist and extremist interpretations of religion which attempt to justify such acts of violence.
"Sadly, comparable acts of brutality, which not infrequently reap victims from
among the poor and the most vulnerable, are found in other parts of the world as well. I think in particular of Nigeria where acts of violence continue to strike indiscriminately and there is a constant increase in the tragic phenomenon of kidnappings, often of young girls carried off to be made objects of trafficking. This is an abominable trade which must not continue! It is a scourge which needs to be eradicated, since it strikes all of us, from individual families to the entire international community.
"I also look with concern to the many civil conflicts taking place in other parts of Africa, beginning with Libya, ravaged by a drawn-out internecine war which has caused unspeakable suffering among its people, with grave repercussions for the delicate balances in the region. I think of the dramatic situation in the Central African Republic, in which, sad to say, the good will inspiring the efforts of those seeking to build a future of peace, security and
prosperity, has encountered resistance and selfish partisan interests. These risk frustrating the hopes of a people which has endured so much and which now longs to shape its future in freedom. Of particular concern, too, is the situation in South Sudan and in some areas of Sudan, the Horn of Africa and the
Democratic Republic of the Congo, where civilian casualties are on the rise and
thousands of persons, including many women and children, are being forced to flee and to endure conditions of extreme distress. I voice my hope for a common
commitment on the part of individual governments and the international community to end every form of fighting, hatred and violence, and to pursue reconciliation, peace and the defence of the transcendent dignity of the person.

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

VATICAN INFORMATION SERVICE
YEAR XXII - # 106
DATE 08-06-2015

Summary:
- To the prelates of Puerto Rico: the Church, by virtue of her mission, is not linked to any political system
- Tenth meeting of the Council of Cardinals
- Audience with the president of Argentina
- Angelus: those who are nourished by the bread of Christ cannot be indifferent to those without daily bread
- Francis urges recognition of the rights of childhood
- Apostolic trip to Sarajevo
- Francis meets the clergy of Sarajevo: the pastoral ministry of hope
- Ecumenical and interreligious meeting: dialogue cannot be confined to the leaders of religious communities
- The Pope to the young of Bosnia and Herzegovina: keep the hope that inspires life
- The Pope interviewed by journalists during return flight from Sarajevo
- Pilgrimage is a symbol of life
- Cardinals Menichelli and Macario do Nascimento Clemente to take possession of their titular churches
- Audiences
- Other Pontifical Acts

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To the prelates of Puerto Rico: the Church, by virtue of her mission, is not linked to any political system
Vatican City, 8 June 2015 (VIS) - The prelates of the Puerto Rican Episcopal Conference were received in audience by Pope Francis this morning, at the end of
their "ad Limina" visit. In the written discourse he handed to the bishops, Francis recalls that one of the first dioceses of the American continent was founded on this Caribbean archipelago, and he invites them to be "heralds of the
Gospel and custodians of the hopes of the people", called to "continue inscribing the work of God in the local Churches, inspired by a spirit of ecclesial communion, ensuring that faith grows and the light of the truth shines
in our days too".
"Spend your energy not in divisions and conflicts, but rather in building and collaborating", the Pope advises. "Be aware that the more intense your communion
is, the more the mission is encouraged. Know how to keep a distance from any form of ideological or political trend that may lead you to waste time and your true zeal for the Kingdom of God. The Church, by virtue of her mission, is not linked to any political system, enabling her always to be a sign and safeguard of the transcendent nature of the human person".
"The bishop is a model for his priests, and I encourage them always to seek spiritual renewal and to discover anew the joy of ministering to the flock within the great family of the Church", Francis observes. "Before the upcoming Jubilee of Mercy, I urge first you and then your priests to be faithful servants
of God's forgiveness, especially in the sacrament of Reconciliation, which allows God's love to be experienced in the flesh and offers every penitent the source of true inner peace".
With reference to the task of the laity, the Pope reminds the bishops that "facilitating the sacramental life of the faithful and offering them an adequate
continuing formation enables them to fulfil their mission", and he expresses his
hope that, "encouraged by the example of distinguished laypersons such as Blessed Carlos Manuel Rodriguez Santiago, model of commitment and apostolic service, or the venerable master Rafael Cordero y Molina, they may continue along the path of a joyful adherence to the Gospel, deepening the social doctrine of the Church and participating lucidly and serenely in the public debates regarding the society in which they live".
The Pope also remarks that one of the initiatives that must be increasingly consolidated is that of the pastoral ministry of the family, "afflicted by serious social problems: the difficult economic situation, migration, domestic violence, unemployment, drug trafficking and corruption. These are issues that give rise to concern. Let me to draw your attention to the value and beauty of marriage. ... The differences between man and women are not of the order of opposition or subordination, but rather communion and generation, always as the image and semblance of God. Without mutual commitment, neither of the two will be able to understand the other in depth. The sacrament of marriage is a sign of
God's love for humanity and Christ's commitment to His Bride, the Church. Take care of this treasure, as one of the most important of the Latin American and Caribbean peoples".

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Tenth meeting of the Council of Cardinals
Vatican City, 8 June 2015 (VIS) - This morning, the Holy Father's tenth meeting
with the Council of Cardinals began. The "Council of Nine" will continue its work until Wednesday 10 June.

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Audience with the president of Argentina
Vatican City, 7 June 2015 (VIS) - This afternoon Pope Francis received the president of Argentina, Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner, in private audience. The
very cordial meeting lasted for more than an hour and a half and took place in the Pope's study next to the Paul VI Hall. The president once again expressed the affection and closeness of the Argentine people to the Pope and asked for his blessing for all their compatriots.
Following the meeting, in the adjacent hall, the Pope greeted the large delegation accompanying the president on her visit, which will continue tomorrow
with their attendance at the Conference of the FAO, meetings with the Italian authorities and finally a visit to the EXPO in Milan.
President Fernandez de Kirchner gave the Pope a number of very meaningful gifts: a large painting of the blessed bishop and martyr Oscar Arnulfo Romero by
the Argentine artist Eugenio Cuttica; a book by Alberto Methol Ferre, an author greatly admired by the Holy Father ("Los estados continentales y el Mercosur"); an edition of the famous national poem "Martin Fierro", occasionally quoted by the Pope in his discourses; two bas-reliefs for the blind or partially-sighted, with the title in braille, depicting the Virgin of Lujan, and a portrait of the Pope; a basket of typical Argentine products and a volume on the architectural heritage of Argentina, published on the occasion of the Bicentenary.
The Pope's gift was a reproduction of a beautiful eleventh-century Russian icon
representing the "Our Lady of Tenderness".
This is the fifth time - including the inauguration of Francis' papacy and World Youth Day in Rio de Janeiro - that the Argentine president has met with the Holy Father.

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Angelus: those who are nourished by the bread of Christ cannot be indifferent to those without daily bread
Vatican City, 7 June 2015 (VIS) - At midday today - the Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ, or according to the better known Latin expression, Corpus Domini - the Pope appeared at the window of his study to pray
the Angelus with the faithful gathered in St. Peter's Square.
Francis commented on the Gospel reading of this Sunday's liturgy, which narrates the institution of the Eucharist during the Last Supper, when Jesus, pronouncing the words, "Take; this is my body", assigns to the bread a function "that is not solely that of simple physical nourishment, but rather that of being present in his Person in the midst of the community of believers".
The Last Supper is "the point of arrival of all of Christ's life. It is not merely the anticipation of His sacrifice that will be fulfilled on the Cross, but also the synthesis of an existence offered for the salvation of all of humanity". Therefore, "when we eat this bread, we are associated with Jesus' life, we enter into communion with Him, we undertake to achieve communion among ourselves, and to transform our life into a gift, especially to the poorest".
"Today's Solemnity evokes this fraternal message, and urges us to welcome the invitation to conversion and to service, to love and to forgiveness. It inspires
us to convert, with our life, into imitators of what we celebrate in the liturgy. Christ, Who nourishes us in the form of the consecrated bread and wine,
is the same Whom we encounter in daily events. ... He is in every human being, even the smallest and most defenceless. The Eucharist, the source of love for the life of the Church, is a school of charity and solidarity. Those who are nourished by the Bread of Christ cannot remain indifferent before those without daily bread. Today, we are aware, this is an increasingly serious problem", Francis concluded.

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Francis urges recognition of the rights of childhood
Vatican City, 8 June 2015 (VIS) - After praying the Angelus, the Pope recalled his recent visit to Sarajevo, a symbolic city that was for centuries known for the co-existence of peoples and religions, to the extent that it earned the name
"Jerusalem of the West", but in the recent past has transformed into a symbol of
destruction and war. "A good process of reconciliation is now in process, and for this reason above all I went there: to encourage this path of peaceful co-existence between difference populations; a strenuous path, difficult but possible. And they are doing this well. I wish to again thank the authorities and citizens for their warm welcome, ... the dear Catholic community, to whom I wished to take the affection of the universal Church, and in particular, all the
faithful: Orthodox, Muslim, Jews and those of other religious minorities. I appreciated the commitment to collaboration and solidarity among these people who belong to different religions, inspiring everyone to carry forward the work of the spiritual and moral reconstruction of society. They work together as true
brothers".
The Solemnity of the Sacred Heart of Jesus will be celebrated next Friday, and the Holy Father therefore invited all to think of Christ's immense love. World Day against Child Labour will be held on the same day. "Many children throughout
the world do not have the freedom to play or to go to school, and end up being exploited as cheap labour", he said. "I hope that the international community will commit itself diligently and constantly to promoting the active recognition
of childhood rights".

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Apostolic trip to Sarajevo

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Francis meets the clergy of Sarajevo: the pastoral ministry of hope
Vatican City, 6 June 2015 (VIS) - The Cathedral of Sarajevo, consecrated to the
Sacred Heart, was the location of the Pope's meeting with priests, men and women
religious, and seminarians of Bosnia and Herzegovina. The building, damaged during the siege of Sarajevo, was subsequently restored and is now able to hold 250 people. At the entrance there is a statue of St. John Paul II to commemorate
his visit in 1997.
Francis was welcomed by the rector of the Cathedral and greeted by the cardinal
archbishop of Sarajevo, Vinko Puljic. He paused for a moment to worship the Holy
Sacrament and prayed silently before the tomb of the Servant of God Josip

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