Sunday, January 31, 2016

Pope: 'no human condition grounds for exclusion from God'

(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis said on Sunday that “No human condition constitutes grounds for exclusion from the heart of the Father.”

The Pope was speaking during the Angelus prayer in St. Peter’s Square on the day upon which we mark the International Day of Leprosy.

The only privilege in the eyes of God – Pope Francis told the crowds gathered in St. Peter’s Square - is to have no privileges and to be abandoned in His hands." 

And calling on all men and women to guard themselves against the temptation of treating religion as a human investment and of thinking they can “bargain” with God seeking to obtain their own interests, the Pope urged the faithful to open their hearts to the Lord and to his Revelation.

Pope Francis reflected on the Gospel reading of the day in which Jesus, speaking at the Synagogue,  mentions great prophets like Elijah and Elisha who were not given credit, and then he himself is driven out of town “but  passed through the midst of them and went away”.

He said that the Scripture passage is fulfilled today as it was during the time of Jesus.

And he reminded the faithful that God the Father cares for all his creatures, even the smallest and the most insignificant in the eyes of men and that it is always He who takes the first step: “comes to visit us with his mercy, raises us from the dust of our sins”.

God – Pope Francis said – “holds out His hand to draw us back from the abyss into which we have been driven by our pride, and invites us to welcome the consoling truth of the Gospel and to walk on the right paths: He always comes to looking for us” and no human condition constitutes grounds for exclusion from His heart.

After the Marian prayer, the Pope turned his attention to the World Day of Leprosy. 

A "disease – he said - that while being in regression, unfortunately still affects the poorest and most marginalized."

And stressing the fact that it is important to show solidarity to these brothers and sisters who are disabled as a result of this disease, the Pope assured them of his prayers and pledged his support to those who assist them.

Pope Francis also had a special greeting for a group of boys and girls of the Italian Catholic Action movement from the Diocese of Rome.

Commending them for having just passed through the Holy Door of Mercy, he encouraged them to be instruments of peace and mercy among their peers.

Finally, the launch of coloured balloons symbolizing peace and a request that has become customary from Pope Francis but that never fails to touch one’s heart: “Please do not forget to pray for me.”

(from Vatican Radio)

from News.va http://ift.tt/1Su1Uo4
via IFTTT

The International Eucharistic Congress wraps up in Cebu

(Vatican Radio) The 51st International Eucharistic Congress has ended in Cebu, Philippines.

As Vatican Radio's Seàn-Patrick Lovett reports from Cebu, the week long event that saw the participation of faithful and clergy from across the globe concluded in style with a personal video-message from Pope Francis himself who also announced that the next such Congress will take place in 2010 in Budapest, Hungary:

So what exactly do you have to do to get front page news coverage of your international Catholic spiritual festival that brings together over 15,000 delegates from over 70 countries in an exotic location and a context of impeccable organization and style in order to listen to some of the most inspired and inspiring speakers in the world today addressing some of the most pressing issues of our time and that includes a celebration during which 5,000 children receive their First Holy Communion as well as an evening torch-light procession stretching over 5 kilometres and witnessing  the participation of nearly 2 million people representing all ages and social groups and that culminates in an open-air Mass attended by approximately the same number of devout and devoted faithful and that concludes with a video message by no one less than the Pope himself?

Apart from using shorter sentences, you could start by avoiding any reference to the word “Eucharist”. In fact, if you were listening, you might have noticed my reference to the event as a “Catholic spiritual festival”, rather than an “International Eucharistic Congress” – which it was. But then, I’m only trying to help.

The fact is that, with numbers like those, any other political, sporting or entertainment event anywhere else in the world, would have attracted the kind of attention that it deserved. Evidently, the Eucharist doesn’t deserve it. At least as far as mainstream media is concerned. Fortunately, every single person who was here in Cebu (man, woman, child, secular or religious, Catholic and non) – would disagree.

To put it bluntly (and with no disrespect): we had a blast. And to be honest (with the utmost respect): it was more fun because it was in the Philippines. In the words of their own Pastors (and I quote): Filipinos do three things really well: sing, eat and enjoy celebrating their Faith. Of course they do so much more than that. Cardinal Timothy Dolan of New York publicly expressed his gratitude to the many Filipino priests who have taken over parishes in Europe and America that were in crisis due to a lack of local vocations. And what about the Filipino care-givers and computer programmers and artists and engineers who have brought the joyfully exuberant expression of their faith tradition to worn-out and lack-lustre Catholic communities on five continents?

So, by way of conclusion, and since I know you didn’t read or hear about it anywhere else, you need to know that for the past week here in Cebu we have been singing, eating, and celebrating the Catholic Faith the Filipino way: joyfully.

Here in Cebu, singing, eating, and covering the 51st Eucharistic Congress I'm Seàn-Patrick Lovett

(from Vatican Radio)



from News.va http://ift.tt/1OZ7MDz
via IFTTT

The Pope sends video-message to IEC at conclusion of event

Saturday, January 30, 2016

Pope mourns Casa Santa Marta worker

(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis on Saturday spoke of his sadness at the death of one of the workers at his residence at the Casa Santa Marta in the Vatican.

The Holy Father said the woman, whom he called Elvira, had been sick for some time.

He was speaking at the conclusion of his first Jubilee audience during this Year of Mercy in St Peter’s Square and he asked the pilgrims present to pray a Hail Mary for the woman and her family.

The Pope described the Casa Santa Marta as big house, where he said about forty priests, and some bishops who are working in the Curia live. There are also, he added, guests who stay, such as cardinals, bishops and lay people who come to Rome for meetings.

Elvira was just one of a group of men and women, who work at the residence cleaning and working in the kitchen and dining room.

Pope Francis said these people were not just employees, they formed part of a family in the house.

(from Vatican Radio)



from News.va http://ift.tt/1Si7RWR
via IFTTT

Cardinal Dolan: power of Eucharistic Congress in community, example

Jubilee audience: Mercy and mission

(Vatican Radio) In the first monthly Jubilee audience during this Year of Mercy, the Holy Father on Saturday spoke about the close relationship between mercy and mission. 

Recalling the words of Saint John Paul II, the Pope said that his predecessor  “reminded us that the Church lives an authentic life when she professes and proclaims mercy, and leads people to the source of mercy.”

As Christians, Pope Francis said, “we are called to be missionaries of the Gospel.”

He went on to say that just as we naturally seek to share with others the beautiful moments of our lives, we are called also and especially to share the joy of encountering Jesus Christ.

The Pope explained to those gathered in St Peter’s Square that to encounter Jesus was to experience his love, which transforms us and compels us, in turn, to share this love. 

The Holy Father stressed that every Christian was the “bearer of Christ” and said that the mercy we receive from the Father is not given solely for our benefit, but for the good of all, by transforming us into instruments, missionaries of mercy. 

The mercy that we receive from the Father, the Pope noted, was given to us as a private consolation, but it also makes us tools so that others can receive the same gift.

“Let us never tire of feeling the need of His forgiveness”, Pope Francis said, “because when we are weak, his proximity makes us strong and enables us to live with greater joy our faith.”

(from Vatican Radio)



from News.va http://ift.tt/1VwTmMu
via IFTTT

Friday, January 29, 2016

Message for 63rd World Leprosy Day: 'To live is to help to live'

(Vatican Radio)  Archbishop Zygmunt Zimowski, President of the Pontifical Council for Health Care Workers, on Friday released his message for the 63rd World Leprosy Day

The theme of this year's message is 'To live is to help to live'. 

World Leprosy Day is traditionally help around the world on the last Sunday of January. It was begun in 1954 by French philanthropist and writer, Raoul Follereau, as a way to raise awareness of this deadly ancient disease.

The full message is below:

Message of H.E. Msgr. Zygmunt Zimowski, the President of the Pontifical Council for Health Care Workers (for Health Pastoral Care), on the Occasion of the Sixty-Third World Leprosy Day

To live is to help to live

(31 January 2016)

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

This sixty-third World Leprosy Day, which has the title ‘To Live is to Help to Live’, constitutes for everyone an opportunity to continue with the fight against this terrible infection, as well as to weaken the ostracism that often burdens the people who carry its unmistakable signs.

This is a marginalisation that can be traced back to a natural sense of self-defence in relation to a disease which at one time was incurable, and to an almost ‘ancestral’ fear which, however, today no longer has any reason to exist given that leprosy can be defeated and those who have been cured of it can go back to living.

The distancing, like the exclusion from of social life, of those who carry its signs are, therefore, totally unreasonable and indeed they provoke further and unjustified sufferings in totally innocent people who already suffer as a result of the lesions – which are often also accompanied by disability – that are provoked by this disease. In this sense, those who have good health are called to help those who still today are the victims of an unjustified social stigma to live in a dignified way.

This constitutes a concrete sign of solidarity, of authentic fraternity, and of mercy, in line with what – during this Jubilee Year – we are taught by Pope Francis, who points out to us that we must manage to help them, ‘looking them in the eye’, without being ‘afraid to touch them’, so that ‘this gesture of help may also be a gesture of communication…a gesture of tenderness’. [1]

This commitment, in addition, forms a part of that concern that the Holy Father himself emphasised in his Message for the forthcoming World Day of the Sick which will be celebrated on 11 February in the Holy Land: ‘In Mary’s concern we see reflected the tenderness of God. This same tenderness is present in the lives of all those persons who attend the sick and understand their needs, even the most imperceptible ones, because they look upon them with eyes full of love’. In this concrete and disinterested gesture one can truly recognise in action the theme chosen for this event: to live is to help to live.

Making its own the commitment of the Church to caring for people with leprosy and supporting those who have been cured of it, and in order to increase the sensitivity of men and women of good will, our Pontifical Council for Health Care Workers, cooperating, respectively, with the Sasakawa Foundation and the Raoul Follereau Foundation, has organised two study days which will be held on Friday 10 and Saturday 11 June 2016 in the Vatican.

At that event, those taking part will be able to be present at the celebration of the Eucharist presided over by Pope Francis in St. Peter’s Square on Sunday 12 June, on the occasion of the Jubilee for the Sick and Disabled.

I take this opportunity to send my greetings to those with leprosy and to thank dutifully those who do all they can for all those people who have to be treated and cared for, or who are relegated to the margins of society because of this disease, which is still endemic in various countries of Asia, South America and Africa. Equally, we must feel ourselves committed to finding a new impetus against this disease, broadening activities involving information and prevention, but above all fostering, as a gesture of true ‘com-passion’, the social and occupational reintegration of those who have been cured of it and who – despite the fact that they carry the marks of this disease on their bodies – have maintained intact their dignity as persons.

In this work let us take as an example, and be inspired by, many Saints and Blesseds, as well as by men and women of good will, who have dedicated, and at times sacrificed, their lives to be at the side of people with Hansen’s disease, even at a time when leprosy was clinically incurable and a source of innumerable deaths. Amongst the most representative we can but remember St. Damien de Veuster, St. Marianne Cope, the Blessed Jan Beyzym, and Albert Schweitzer.

In expressing by this Message the gospel nearness that the Church still and always intends to bear witness to, both with people who are afflicted by leprosy and with those who take care of them, I entrust the celebration of this World Leprosy Day to the maternal care of the Most Holy Mary, in whose steps we may follow in order to cross – with care and joy – the threshold of the Holy Door of Mercy and meet He who is true Life.

[1] Pope Francis, Angelus (15 February 2015).

(from Vatican Radio)



from News.va http://ift.tt/1VvhgYH
via IFTTT

ABP Fisichella holds press conference on Jubilee events

(Vatican Radio)  Archbishop Rino Fisichella, President of the Pontifical Council for Promoting the New Evangelization, held a press conference on Friday (29 Jan) to discuss the Missionaries of Mercy to be sent out into the world by Pope Francis for the Jubilee of Mercy and the temporary exposition of the body of St. Padre Pio of Pietrelcina in St. Peter's Basilica for the Lenten season.

Archbishop Fisichella also gave some statistics on the number of pilgrims participating in Jubilee Year events taking place in Rome, saying that "as of today 1,392,000 people have participated in Jubilee events," of which some 40% come from abroad, mostly from French or Spanish speaking countries.

Yet he reminded all the most important element of the Jubilee Year is not numbers, but an experience of God's mercy. "A Holy Year of mercy goes well beyond numbers, for it is intended to touch the hearts and the minds of people in order to assist them in coming to understand the ways in which God’s great love manifests itself in their daily lives. It is a time during which to assess our lives of faith and to understand how we are capable of conversion and renewal, both of which come from recognizing the importance of remaining focused upon what is essential."

Archbishop Fisichella also related the life stories of the two saints whose relics are in Rome for the Jubilee Year, Saint Leopold Mandić and Saint Padre Pio of Pietrelcina, giving the details of where and when their remains will be exposed.

He went on to speak of the Missionaries of Mercy who Pope Francis will send out into the world on Ash Wednesday, recalling the words of the Bull of Indiction, Misericordiae vultus. "The Missionaries of Mercy are a select number of priests who have received from the Pope the charge to be privileged witnesses in their respective Churches of the extraordinariness of this Jubilee event. It is only the Pope who nominates these Missionaries, not the Bishops, and it is he who entrusts them with the mandate to announce the beauty of the mercy of God while being humble and wise confessors who possess a great capacity to forgive those who approach the confessional. The Missionaries, who come from every continent, number over 1,000."

The full text of Archbishop Fisichella's speech is below:

"It is has been almost two months now since Pope Francis opened the Holy Door of St. Peter’s. Since that moment, the Doors of Mercy have been opened all around the world. The incredible number of people who have registered for these events allows us to acknowledge how this insight of Pope Francis, his idea of having this Extraordinary Jubilee, has answered a true need of the people of God who are receiving this event of grace with great joy and enthusiasm. We can conclude from this participation that the Jubilee is being intensely lived in all the world and in every local Church, where this time of grace is being organized as a genuine form of renewal for the Church and as a particular moment of the new evangelization.

Every day we receive thousands of pictures and documents from around the world attesting to the commitment and the faith of believers. Yet all of this activity has not stopped a substantial number of pilgrims from arriving in Rome during this period. According to the data available to us on a daily basis, as of today 1,392,000 people have participated in Jubilee events. An interesting detail is that 40% of those who have attended come from abroad, speaking largely Spanish and French. We have registered pilgrims from Bangladesh, Hong Kong, Korea, Kenya, Mozambique, El Salvador, New Zealand, Argentina, Mexico, the Fiji Islands, Russia, Belarus, the Seychelles, the Ivory Coast, Chad, Kuwait, the U.S.A., Albania and from many other countries. I would like to reiterate that this is not the criteria by which to judge the actual outcome of the Jubilee. A Holy Year of mercy goes well beyond numbers, for it is intended to touch the hearts and the minds of people in order to assist them in coming to understand the ways in which God’s great love manifests itself in their daily lives. It is a time during which to assess our lives of faith and to understand how we are capable of conversion and renewal, both of which come from recognizing the importance of remaining focused upon what is essential. In any case, a general evaluation of the Jubilee cannot be made after only two months but must be done at its conclusion. All of the other considerations at the moment are incomplete and temporary and, thus, do not merit particular attention.

During this period, Pope Francis has carried out two particular signs of his concrete witness of mercy. On Friday, December 18, he opened the Door of Charity in the homeless shelter, “Don Luigi di Liegro”, where he celebrated Holy Mass in the refectory. On January 15, he visited the nursing home for the aged, “Bruno Buozzi” in Torrespaccata, after which he went to Casa Iride where he spent time with those in vegetative states who are being assisted by their families. These signs possess a symbolic value before all of the many needs that are present in society today. They are, however, intended to stir in all of us a greater awareness of the many situations of need in our cities and to offer a small response of caring and aid.

There are two particular events that now merit our attention. The first pertains to the presence in Rome of the urns containing the relics of Saint Leopold Mandić and Saint Padre Pio of Pietrelcina. Such an occasion is of great significance for it is an unprecedented event, given the stories of these two saints who spent their lives in the service of the mercy of God. Padre Leopold (1866-1942) was canonized by John Paul II on December 16, 1983 and is less well known than Padre Pio. Yet, his hunger for holiness spread beyond the Church of Padua, where he lived the major part of his life and where his memory and his relics remain. Originally from Croatia, this Capuchin father dedicated all of his life to the confessional. For almost thirty years, he spent from ten to fifteen hours a day in the secrecy of his cell, the very place which became a confessional for thousands of people who found in their relationships with him the privileged witness of forgiveness and of mercy. Some of his brothers noted that he was “ignorant and too lenient in forgiving everyone without discernment.” Yet, his simple and humble response to this charge leaves one speechless: “Should the Crucified blame me for being lenient, I would answer Him: Lord, you gave me this bad example. I have not yet reached the folly of your having died for souls.” Padre Pio (1887-1968), who was canonized in 2002 and also by John Paul II, does not require lengthy presentations. This simple Capuchin friar spent his entire life at San Giovanni Rotondo without ever leaving that town. Certainly, during his life, some in Rome caused him to suffer, but his holiness always prevailed. In the silence of obedience, he also became a privileged witness of mercy, dedicating all of his life to the celebration of the Sacrament of Reconciliation. We are grateful to the Capuchin Fathers and to the Bishops of the Dioceses of Padoa and Manfredonia-Vieste-San Giovanni Rotondo for having responded so graciously to the wish of the Pope that the relics of these two saints remain in Rome for a period of time during the Jubilee.

The program is quite simple. The urns containing the relics will arrive in Rome on February 3 where they will be placed in the Church of San Lorenzo Fuori le Mura. The church will be open to the faithful starting at 15:00 with a celebration of reception. The relics will remain in San Lorenzo until 20:30 the following day, during which time there will be a number of celebrations reserved for the vast extended Franciscan Family. An all-night vigil is being organized in the Jubilee Church of San Salvatore in Lauro, which will begin at 22:00 on February 4. The prayer will continue until the following day, February 5, with various celebrations and will conclude with Holy Mass at 14:00 presided by His Excellency Michele Castoro, the Archbishop of Manfredonia-Vieste-San Giovanni Rotondo. At 16:00, a procession with the two urns containing the relics will begin from San Salvatore in Lauro and then proceed the entire length of Via della Conciliazione in order to arrive at the sagrato of St. Peter’s Basilica. There on the sagrato, His Eminence Angelo Cardinal Comastri, the Archpriest of St. Peter’s Basilica, will receive the relics and after a moment of prayer, will then accompany the relics into the Basilica where they will be placed in the central nave before the Altar of the Confession for people to venerate. The relics will remain in St. Peter’s for veneration until the morning of February 11 when, after the Holy Mass of thanksgiving at 7:30 am at the Altar of the Chair, they will be returned to their original homes. It is opportune to note that on February 10, Ash Wednesday, the Basilica will remain closed in the morning for the General Audience and then, in the afternoon, Holy Mass will be celebrated in the Basilica to mark the beginning of Lent. Thus, those who wish to venerate the relics are kindly asked to choose to do so on one of the previous days and to follow along the Jubilee reserved walkway in order to enter through the security check point as rapidly as possible.

As previously noted, the second event pertains to the celebration that will take place on Ash Wednesday when the Holy Father will give the mandate to the Missionaries of Mercy. As attested to in the Bull of Indiction, Misericordiae vultus, the Missionaries are to be a “sign of the Church’s maternal solicitude for the People of God, enabling them to enter the profound richness of this mystery so fundamental to the faith. There will be priests to whom I will grant the authority to pardon even those sins reserved to the Holy See, so that the breadth of their mandate as confessors will be even clearer. They will be, above all, living signs of the Father’s readiness to welcome those in search of his pardon. They will be missionaries of mercy because they will be facilitators of a truly human encounter, a source of liberation, rich with responsibility for overcoming obstacles and taking up the new life of Baptism again. They will be led in their mission by the words of the Apostle: ‘For God has consigned all men to disobedience, that he may have mercy upon all’” (Rom 11:32).

Thus, the Missionaries of Mercy are a select number of priests who have received from the Pope the charge to be privileged witnesses in their respective Churches of the extraordinariness of this Jubilee event. It is only the Pope who nominates these Missionaries, not the Bishops, and it is he who entrusts them with the mandate to announce the beauty of the mercy of God while being humble and wise confessors who possess a great capacity to forgive those who approach the confessional. The Missionaries, who come from every continent, number over 1,000. I am delighted to announce that there are Missionaries coming from many distant countries and, among these, some of which have a uniquely significant importance such as: Burma, Lebanon, China, South Korea, Tanzania, United Arab Emirates, Israel, Burundi, Vietnam, Zimbabwe, Latvia, East Timor, Indonesia, Thailand, and Egypt. There will also be Oriental Rite priests.

We have received a great response for participation but must place a limit on the large number of requests in order to ensure that the specific sign value, one which expresses how truly special the initiative is, be maintained. All of the Missionaries have received the permission of their respective diocesan Bishops or Religious Superiors and will make themselves available to those requesting their services throughout the entirety of the Jubilee but, most especially, during the Lenten Season.

There will be 700 Missionaries arriving in Rome. Pope Francis will meet with them on February 9 in order to express his feelings regarding this initiative which will certainly be one of the most touching and significant of the Jubilee of Mercy. On the following day, only the Missionaries of Mercy will concelebrate with the Holy Father, during which time they will receive the “mandate”, as well as the faculty to absolve those sins reserved to the Holy See. An interesting story may help to capture the pastoral interest that this initiative has garnered around the world. Father Richard from Australia will visit 27 communities in his rural Diocese of Maitland-Newcastle where there is only one church and no priests in residence. Traveling in a camper, he will journey from community to community as a “Missionary of Mercy on Wheels”! This is but an example of the way in which the Jubilee is meant to reach all, allowing everyone to touch the closeness and the tenderness of God.

Finally, regarding other Jubilee events, the first Jubilee Audience will be held in St. Peter’s Square on Saturday, January 30. Pope Francis has responded generously to the many requests he has received from pilgrims who wish to meet him. Consequently, one Saturday a month has been added to the official calendar for a special audience, one which will be in addition to the regular Wednesday Audiences. This first audience already has 20,000 people registered. Another event of particular interest is the Jubilee for the Curia, the Governorate, and Institutions connected to the Holy See to be held on February 22. This celebration will begin with a reflection given by Father Marco Rupnik at 8:30 am in the Paul VI Hall. After this meditation, there will be a procession through St. Peter’s Square which will pass through the Holy Door. Holy Mass will then be celebrated by Pope Francis at 10:00.

The Jubilee continues to following its course and we are certain that, in accord with the desires of Pope Francis, it will be an important occasion “to live out in our daily lives the mercy which the Father constantly extends to all of us.”

(from Vatican Radio)



from News.va http://ift.tt/1PEL6pj
via IFTTT

Pope meets with Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith

Vatican Diplomat at IEC: Love of Eucharist in social justice

Pope Francis: Sinners, yes; but never corrupt

(Vatican Radio) Let us pray to God that the weakness that leads us to sin will never lead to corruption. This was the theme of Pope Francis homily at daily Mass on Friday morning, a theme he has taken up many times. Beginning with the first reading, which tells the story of David and Bathsheba, the Pope distinguished between regular sinners and those who are corrupt. Unlike regular sinners, the corrupt do not feel the need for forgiveness.

One can sin often, and always return to God seeking forgiveness, never doubting that it will be obtained. It is especially when one becomes corrupt – when one no longer sees the need to be forgiven – that problems begin.

The corrupt feel they don’t need God

This is the attitude King David assumes when he becomes enamoured with Bathsheba, the wife of Uriah, an army officer fighting on the frontlines. The Pope outlined the story narrated in the Scripture. After David seduced Bathsheba, he found out that she was pregnant, and he hatched a plot to cover-up his adultery. He recalled Uriah from the front and encouraged him to visit his wife. Uriah, though, did not go to his wife, but stayed with the other officers in the king’s palace. David then tried to get him drunk, but this plan also fails.

“This puts David in a difficult position,” the Pope said. “But he says to himself, ‘I can do it.’ He sends a letter, as we read: ‘Place Uriah up front, where the fighting is fierce. Then pull back and leave him to be struck down dead.’ He condemns him to death. This man, this faithful man [Uriah] – faithful to the law, faithful to his people, faithful to his king – carries his own death sentence.”

The security of corruption

“David is a saint, but also a sinner.” He falls on account of lust, the Pope said, and yet God still loves him very much. However, the Pope notes, “the great, the noble David” feels so secure – “because the kingdom was strong” – that after having committed adultery he does everything in his power to arrange the death of a loyal man, falsely passing it off as an accidental death in battle:

“This is a moment in David’s life that makes us see a moment through which we all can pass in our life: it is the passage from sin to corruption. This is where David begins, taking the first step towards corruption. He has the power, he has the strength. And for this reason, corruption is a very easy sin for all of us who have some power, whether it be ecclesiastical, religious, economic, political… Because the devil makes us feel certain: ‘I can do it’.”

Sinners, yes; but not corrupt

Corruption – from which David was saved by the grace of God – had wounded the heart of that “courageous youth” who had faced the Philistine with a sling and five small stones. “Today I want to emphasize only one thing,” the Pope concluded. “There is a moment where the attitude of sin, or a moment where our situation is so secure and we see well and we have so much power” that sin “stops” and becomes “corruption.” And “one of the ugliest things” about corruption is that the one who becomes corrupt thinks he has “no need for forgiveness.”

“Today, let us offer a prayer for the Church, beginning with ourselves, for the Pope, for the Bishops, for the priests, for consecrated men and women, for the lay faithful: ‘Lord, save us, save us from corruption. We are sinners, yes, O Lord, all of us, but [let us] never [become] corrupt!’ Let us ask for this grace.”

(from Vatican Radio)

from News.va http://ift.tt/1KJQFSa
via IFTTT

Thursday, January 28, 2016

Possible papal visit to Auschwitz

(Vatican Radio) “It is very likely that Pope Francis will visit the concentration camp at Auschwitz,” during his visit to Kraków, according to Father Federico Lombardi, S.J., the head of the Holy See Press Office. He noted that every Pope who has gone to Kraków has later travelled to the notorious World War II death camp.

Father Lombardi was speaking at the offices of Vatican Radio at on Holocaust Memorial Day. Vatican Radio was hosting a presentation of the book, “We were Jews: That was our only crime,” (Eravamo ebrei: Questa era la nostra unica colpa, published by Marsilio Editore) by Ester and Alberto Mieli. In the book, Ester Mieli, a Holocaust survivor, relates to Alberto, her nephew, the terrible experience of her deportation.

During the event, Fr Lombardi expressed his deep emotion at the fact that the International Holocaust Day could be experienced at the Vatican, with one of the few living survivors of the concentration camps. He recalled the visits of St John Paul II, Benedict XVI and Pope Francis to the Yad Vashem Holocaust Memorial in Jerusalem, and the speeches of John Paul and Benedict at Auschwitz. Father Lombardi said he thought it would not be long before Pope Francis would also have a chance to speak there.

Pope Francis will be visiting the Polish city of Kraków – about 70 km away from Auschwitz – in July of 2016 for the upcoming World Youth Day. 

(from Vatican Radio)



from News.va http://ift.tt/1lWICL6
via IFTTT

Pope Francis meets with actor Leonardo DiCaprio

(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis on Thursday met with actor and environmental activist Leonardo DiCaprio.

The actor gave the Pope a book of art from the Dutch Renaissance painter, Hieronymus Bosch, and at the end of the encounter, DiCaprio kissed the Pope’s ring, and, in Italian, thanked the Holy Father for meeting with him.

DiCaprio addressed the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, earlier this month, calling on business leaders to do more to fight global warming, and announcing The Leonardo DiCaprio Foundation is donating $15 million to environmental projects.

(from Vatican Radio)

from News.va http://ift.tt/1Slkq1T
via IFTTT

Audience with the president of Togo: joint commitment to peace and security in West and Sub-Saharan Africa

Vatican City, 28 January 2016 (VIS) - The Holy Father Francis today received in audience the president of the Republic of Togo, Faure Essozimna Gnassingbe, 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 Parties acknowledged the good existing relations between the Holy See and Togo, and the prospects for their further consolidation. Mention was made of the contribution of the Catholic Church to the development of the country and the integral progress of the Togolese population, especially in the field of education.

Attention then turned to various challenges affecting West and Sub-Saharan Africa, with special emphasis on the need for joint commitment to the promotion of security and peace in the Region.



from News.va http://ift.tt/1QuNgef
via IFTTT

Presentation of the World Day of the Sick

Vatican City, 28 January 2016 (VIS) – This morning in the Holy See Press Office a press conference was held to present the 24th World Day of the Sick, to be celebrated in Nazareth in the Holy Land on 11 February, feast day of Our Lady of Lourdes, on the theme "Entrusting oneself to the merciful Jesus like Mary: 'Do whatever he tells you'”, based on the account of the wedding at Cana according to the Gospel of St. John.

The panel was composed of Archbishop Zygmunt Zimowski, president of the Pontifical Council for Health Care Workers (Health Pastoral Care), Msgr. Jean-Marie Mate Musivi Mupendawatu, secretary of the same dicastery, Rev. Fr. Augusto Chendi, under-secretary, Rev. Fr. Pietro Felet, S.C.I., secretary general of the Assembly of Catholic Ordinaries of the Holy Land and local referent for the organisation of the World Day of the Sick 2016.

The place where the Day will be held – Nazareth, in the Holy Land – is the first point to highlight, said Archbishop Zimowski. Nazareth is the place of the incarnation, where Jesus began His salvific mission and in Galilee cured many people, as is narrated in the Gospel of St. Mark, read in these days, in which Christ calls to the sick to heal them and, in turn, is called to by them. "In a certain sense we are all constantly called upon, although each person in a different way", explained the prelate. "The human being suffers in different places and, at times, suffers terribly. He calls to another person as he is in need of his help and his presence. At times we are intimidated by the fact of not being able to heal, of not being able to help like Jesus. Let us try to overcome this embarrassment. The important thing is to keep going, to stay beside the man who suffers. He needs, perhaps more than healing, the presence of another person, of a human heart full of mercy, of human solidarity".

"These are doctors, nurses, all the representatives of the healthcare professions. They are the institutions that serve human health. … We must support this great tradition at all costs: the work of doctors and nurses is treated not only as a profession but also and perhaps firstly as a service, as a vocation. Care for the physically impaired and the elderly, care for the mentally ill – these sectors constitute, more than any other aspect of social life, the measure of the culture of a society and the state".

Secondly, the archbishop remarked that the Day occurs in the context of the extraordinary Jubilee of Mercy, and that there will be a visit to the Basilica of the Holy Sepulchre and the Basilica of the Agony in Gethsemane, the places where Christ gave Himself to the Father for our salvation. "Jesus unites humanity through His Cross, and the celebration of the World Day of the Sick in the Holy Land will help us to realise the wish Pope Francis expressed in the Bull of Indiction, that is, that 'this Jubilee year celebrating the mercy of God will foster an encounter with [Judaism and Islam] and with other noble religious traditions; may it open us to even more fervent dialogue so that we might know and understand one another better; may it eliminate every form of closed-mindedness and disrespect, and drive out every form of violence and discrimination'. Every hospital and clinic, as the Holy Father reminds us, can be a visible sign and place for promoting the culture of encounter and peace, where the experience of sickness and suffering, as well as professional and fraternal help, may contribute to overcoming every limit and division".

Finally, the archbishop spoke about the role of servants at the wedding of Cana, who Mary told to do as Christ told them. "Naturally, the miracle takes place through Christ's work; however, He sought human help in completing the prodigy. He could have made the wine appear directly in the amphorae. But He wants to count on human collaboration, and asks the servants to fill them with water. How precious and pleasing to God it is to be servants of others! This, more than anything else, makes us similar to Jesus, Who 'came not to be served, but to serve'".

"The fruit of this Day must be concrete: the closeness of our hearts that is expressed in mercy towards the sick and needy, who must feel the closeness or proximity, material and spiritual, of the entire Christian community", he concluded. "It is important that they are not left abandoned or alone as they face such a delicate moment in their life".

Fr. Chendi explained that the programme of the Day is divided into three parts: liturgical moments; theological-pastoral insights, with the presence on 9 February in the Pontifical Institute Notre Dame Centre of Jerusalem of the Catholic Ordinaries and Patriarchs and bishops of the sister Churches of the Holy Land; and concrete gestures of charity, such as visits to various hospitals and healthcare structures present in the area.

The under-secretary also mentioned that plenary indulgence granted by Pope Francis to those who participate in this Day, with the explicit intention that, through corporal and spiritual works of mercy "they will encounter a renewed and authentic witness and discover the Christian meaning of suffering and its sharing among brothers".

With regard to the theological and pastoral dimension, the congress of 9 February "will offer the opportunity to identify problems, also of an ethical and pastoral nature, that are urgent from both a legislative and a clinical and care-related point of view. In particular, in the name of the inviolable value of every human life and the unique dignity characteristic of every person, attention will be paid to issues regarding the end of life and the care of people with different pathologies, both physically and psychologically invalidating".

In relation to the charitable dimension, Fr. Chendi explained that the visits to various entities working in the Holy Land, both Catholic and non-Catholic, will constitute "a tangible sign of what Pope Francis describes in his message as Mary's tenderness in Cana of Galilee, which translates into a predisposition towards serving those in need and in particular our brothers and sisters in sickness".



from News.va http://ift.tt/1Slkq1R
via IFTTT

​At the General Audience the Pope recalls that everyone is precious in the eyes of God - A reserve of gold and silver

We are all “precious gems in the the hands of the good and merciful Father”. Moreover, we are “his personal ‘reserve of gold and silver’, such as King David stated he had given for the construction of the Temple”. This evocative image was offered by Pope Francis on Wednesday, 27 January, at the General Audience dedicated to the theme of the Jubilee of Mercy, read in the light of the Bible. With the faithful who gathered in St Peter’s Square, the Pontiff expanded on the passage from the Book of Exodus (2:23-25) in which the Lord hears the cry of his people and establishes a covenant with them. The following is a translation of the Holy Father’s address, which he delivered in Italian.

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

Good morning!

In Sacred Scripture, God’s mercy is present along the entire history of the people of Israel.

With his mercy, the Lord accompanies the journey of the Patriarchs, gives them children despite being barren, leads them on paths of grace and reconciliation, as demonstrated by the story of Joseph and his brothers (cf. Gen ch. 37-50). I think of the many brothers and sisters in a family who are distant and do not speak to each other. This Year of Mercy is a good opportunity to meet again, embrace, forgive and forget the bad things. But as we know, in Egypt life is hard for the people. It is precisely when the Israelites are about to give in to resignation, that the Lord intervenes and works salvation.

One reads in the Book of Exodus: “In the course of those many days the King of Egypt died. And the people of Israel groaned under their bondage, and cried out for help, and their cry under bondage came up to God. And God heard their groaning, and God remembered his covenant with Abraham, with Isaac, and with Jacob. And God saw the people of Israel, and God knew their condition” (2:23-25). Mercy cannot remain indifferent to the suffering of the oppressed, to the cry of those who are subjected to violence, reduced to slavery, condemned to death. It is a painful reality that afflicts every era, including ours, and which often makes us feel powerless, tempted to harden our heart and thing of something else. However, God “is not indifferent” (Message for the Celebration of the 2016 World Day of Peace, n. 1). He does not look away from our human pain. The God of mercy responds and takes care of the poor, of those who cry out in desperation. God listens and intervenes in order to save, raising men able to hear the groan of suffering and to work in favour of the oppressed.

And so begins the story of Moses as the mediator of liberation for the people. He confronts the Pharaoh to convince him to let Israel depart; and he then leads the people, across the Red Sea and the desert, toward freedom. Moses — whom just after his birth, divine mercy saved from death in the waters of the Nile — becomes the mediator of that very mercy, allowing the people to be born to liberty, saved from the waters of the Red Sea. In this Year of Mercy we too can do this work of acting as mediators of mercy with the works of mercy in order to approach, to give relief, to create unity. So many good things can be done.

God’s mercy always operates to save. It is quite the opposite of the work of those who always act to kill: for example, those who wage war. The Lord, through his servant Moses, guides Israel in the desert as if Israel were a son, educates the people to the faith and makes a covenant with Israel, creating a bond of the strongest love, like that of a father with his child and of a groom with his bride.

Divine mercy goes that far. God offers a special, exclusive, privileged relationship of love. When he gives instructions to Moses regarding the covenant, he says: “if you will obey my voice and keep my covenant, you shall be my own possession among all peoples; for all the earth is mine, and you shall be to me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation” (Ex 19:5-6).

Of course, God already possesses all the earth because he created it; but his people become for him a different, special possession: his personal “reserve of gold and silver” such as King David stated he had given for the construction of the Temple.

So we become thus for God, by accepting his covenant and letting ourselves be saved by him. The Lord’s mercy renders man precious, like a personal treasure that belongs to him, which he safeguards and with which he is well pleased.

These are the wonders of divine mercy, which reaches complete fulfillment in the Lord Jesus, in the “new and eternal covenant” consummated in his blood, which destroys our sin with forgiveness and renders us definitively Children of God (cf. 1 Jn 3:1), precious gems in the the hands of the good and merciful Father. And as we are Children of God and have the opportunity to have this legacy — that of goodness and mercy — in comparison to others, let us ask the Lord that in this Year of Mercy we too may do merciful things; let us open our heart in order to reach everyone with the works of mercy, to work the merciful legacy that God the Father showed toward us.



from News.va http://ift.tt/1nqe9pR
via IFTTT

Pope Francis: human dignity from conception to natural death

(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis on Thursday speaking to the members of the Italian Committee for Bioethics, underlined how the Church supports the efforts of civil society to promote, "the search for truth and goodness on complex human and ethical issues".

He told those gathered that the Church had a sensibility to ethical issues adding that “the Church did not claim any special voice in this field." But, what he highlighted was the importance of serving man, all men and women, he said, with special attention and care, from the most vulnerable and disadvantaged, who are struggling find the their voice.

On this level, he said, “the ecclesial community and civil society meet and are called to cooperate, in accordance with their distinct skills. "

Respect for the human person from conception to natural death

The Pope noted the fact that the Committee "had repeatedly dealt with the respect for the integrity of the human being and the protection of health from conception to natural death, considering the person in his singularity, always as an end and never simply as a means ":

He added that "this ethical principle was also crucial with regard to biotechnology applications in the medical field, which may never be used in a manner detrimental to human dignity, or guided solely by industrial or commercial purposes".

Bioethical research on complex issues, the Pope emphasized, is not easy and does not always quickly reach a harmonious conclusion; it always requires humility and realism, he said.

Concluding his address, the Holy Father stressed three specific areas in which he wanted to encourage the committee’s work.

The first was the interdisciplinary analysis of the causes of environmental degradation.

The Pope said, he hoped that the Committee would  formulate guidelines, in areas that concern the life sciences, to stimulate actions of conservation, preservation and care of the environment essential for future generations.

Secondly, he highlighted the issue of disability and marginalization of vulnerable groups, in a society he said, tending towards competition, and the acceleration of progress.

The culture of waste

Pope Francis stressed the importance and challenge of tackling what he called “the culture of waste,” which, he underlined had many forms, such as treating human embryos and even the sick and elderly who are approaching death as disposable materials.

Thirdly, the Holy Father encouraged the committee to work towards increasing dialogue internationally, even if, he said, that presented difficulties, in order to reach a harmonization of biological and medical standards and rules so that they are able to recognize core values ​​and fundamental rights.

 

 

(from Vatican Radio)

from News.va http://ift.tt/1nR1BbL
via IFTTT

Pope Francis meets with President of Togo

(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis on Thursday received the President of the Republic of Togo, Faure Essozimna Gnassingbé, who later met Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Secretary of State, who was accompanied by Archbishop Paul Richard Gallagher, the  Secretary for Relations with States.

A communique from the Holy See Press Office called the meeting “cordial” and said the parties took note of the good relations existing between the Holy See and Togo, and the prospects for their further consolidation. The talks then focused on the contribution of Catholics to the development of the country and the integral progress of the Togolese people, especially in the field of education.

The communique said they also reviewed a number of challenges affecting the countries of West Africa and sub-Saharan Africa, stressing the need for a common commitment to work towards peace and security in the region.

During the meeting, Pope Francis gave the President copies of  the Encyclical Laudato si’ and the Apostolic Exhortation Evangelii Gaudium. President  Gnassingbé  gave the Holy Father a framed work of abstract art, created by an artist of Togo.

(from Vatican Radio)



from News.va http://ift.tt/1KcKgnp
via IFTTT

Pope: The Christian has a big heart that welcomes all

(Vatican Radio) The heart of the Christian is magnanimous because we were born of a loving Father and our arms should be open wide to welcome everyone with generosity – that’s what the Pope said at Thursday morning’s Mass at the Santa Marta guesthouse in the Vatican. Among those attending the Mass was a number of priests who celebrated with the Pope their 50th year of ordination. 

The Christian is a witness to the light of God

"The mystery of God is light" - says Pope Francis - who comments on the day's Gospel in which Jesus says that the lamp does not come "to be put under a bushel, or under the bed, but to be put on the lampstand to illuminate: "

"And this is one of the traits of a Christian who has received the light in Baptism and must give it. That is, the Christian is a witness. Testimony. One of the peculiarities of Christian behavior. A Christian who brings this light, must show it because he is a witness. When a Christian would prefer not to show the light of God but prefers his own darkness, this enters his heart because he is afraid of the light .  And the idols, which are dark, he likes best. So he lacks: he’s missing something and is not a true Christian. Witness: a Christian is a witness. Of Jesus Christ, the Light of God. He has to put that light on the lampstand of his life."

The Christian is magnanimous: loses in order to gain Christ

In the Gospel, Jesus says: "The measure with which you measure will be measured out to you, and still more will be given to you."  “Another trait of the Christian,”  says the Pope, “is magnanimity, because he is the child of a magnanimous father, of great heart."

"The Christian heart is magnanimous.  It is open, always. It is not a heart that is closed in on its own selfishness. Or one that’s calculating: up to this point, up to here. When you enter this light of Jesus, when you enter into Jesus’ friendship, when you let yourself be guided by the Holy Spirit, the heart becomes open, magnanimous... The Christian, then, does not gain, but loses. But he loses to gain something else, and in this (between quotation marks) 'defeat' of interests, he gains Jesus; he gains by becoming Jesus’ witness.”

Thanks to the priests who have given light

Pope Francis then addresses those present who are celebrating 50 years of service in the priesthood:

"For me it is a joy to celebrate with you today, as you mark the 50th anniversary of your priesthood: 50 years on the path of light and giving witness, 50 years of trying to be better, trying to bring light to the lampstand.  Sometimes we fall, but we get up again, always with the desire to give light, generously, that is, with a magnanimous heart. Only God and your own memory know how many people you have received generously with the kindness of fathers, of brothers ... to how many people whose heart was a bit 'dark’ have you given light, the light of Jesus. Thank you. Thank you for what you have done in the Church, for the Church and for Jesus."

"May the Lord give you joy, this great joy,” the Pope concluded, “of having sown well,  of having shown light well and of having opened your arms to receive all with magnanimity."

(from Vatican Radio)



from News.va http://ift.tt/1PCKccP
via IFTTT

Cardinal Tagle speaks on "cultural intelligence" at IEC

Wednesday, January 27, 2016

General Audience: God of Mercy is not indifferent

Cardinal Bo at IEC: Whole world should work to end poverty

Vatican expresses hope for Israel/Palestine and Syria peace talks

(Vatican Radio)  The need for “substantive” and “sustained” peace talks between Israelis and Palestinians and the conviction that this week’s peace negotiations in Geneva, Switzerland are the “best chance the International Community has to bring a stable and lasting peace to Syria and to the region:”  those are the key points made by a top Vatican diplomat in an address Tuesday at the United Nations Security Council Open Debate on the situation in the Middle East.

Direct peace negotiations needed between Israelis, Palestinians

Archbishop Bernardito Auza, Permanent Observer of the Holy See to the U.N. in New York, said acts of violence in the Holy Land “continue to spiral, bringing many to doubt seriously the continued validity of the Oslo Accords.”  He called for direct negotiations between Israelis and Palestinians “with the strong support of the international community.” Such talks, he added, require “courageous decisions from both Parties” and demand “fair mutual concessions.”

Vatican/Palestine Accord offers a model for other Arab, Muslim countries

The chief of Vatican diplomacy in New York also expressed hope that the Comprehensive Agreement recently signed between the Holy See and the State of Palestine may serve as an example of dialogue and cooperation…for other Arab and Muslim majority countries” where in “some countries” Christians have suffered persecution. The accord, signed June 26, 2015, entered into force on January 2 this year and concerns the life and activity of the Church in Palestine.

Syrian conflict: stop the flow of arms, step up humanitarian action

“Unspeakable acts of horror” have been “committed against the civilian population in Syria and in parts of Iraq” by foreign fighters from “all over the globe,” Archbishop Auza observed, adding that these have led to sectarian violence and persecutions of religious and ethnic minorities.

Recalling Pope Francis’ conviction that “only common and agreed political action can stem the spread of extremism and fundamentalism that spawn terrorist acts,” the Vatican diplomat appealed for “all those concerned to stop the flow of arms into the region and intensify humanitarian action” that will allow refugees and the displaced to remain as close as possible to their homeland.

Peace/Humanitarian conferences best chance to settle conflict and ease suffering

The Holy See, he concluded, “looks forward” to peace talks scheduled to begin Friday in Geneva as the “best chance the International Community has to bring a stable and lasting peace to Syria and to the region.”  Archbishop Auza also expressed hope that the Fourth Humanitarian Conference 4 February 2016 will “ease the suffering of the people in the region and contribute to the overall settlement of the conflict.”

 

Below, please find the full text of Archbishop Auza’s intervention:

Mr. President,

The Holy See commends the Presidency of Uruguay for bringing the topic of the Middle East to the attention of the international community through this Security Council Open Debate.

My delegation wishes to address first the stalled peace process between the Israelis and the Palestinians. With the lack of substantive negotiations taking place, acts of violence continue to spiral, bringing many to doubt seriously the continued validity of the Oslo Accords.

The Holy See believes that the peace process between the Israelis and Palestinians can move forward only if it is directly negotiated between the Parties, with the strong support of the international community. This certainly requires courageous decisions from both Parties and demands fair mutual concessions. But there is no alternative, if both Israel and Palestine are to  enjoy  security,  prosperity  and  peaceful  co-existence,  side  by  side  with  internationally recognized borders.  Certain elements among both peoples have suffered too long from  the misguided view that force will resolve their differences. Only sustained negotiations, entered into in good faith, will resolve their differences and bring peace to the peoples of Israel and Palestine.

Pope Francis, in his 11 January 2016 Address to the Diplomatic Corps accredited to the Holy See,  spoke  of  this  failure  to  bring  forward  the  peace  process  between  the  Israelis  and Palestinians. He expressed the hope that the New Year that has begun “can heal the deep wounds dividing Israelis and Palestinians, and enable the peaceful coexistence of two peoples who – of this I am sure – in the depth of their hearts ask only for peace.” Acts of violence and inflammatory rhetoric must be set aside in favor of the voices of dialogue to give both peoples that peace for which their hearts long.

Mr. President,

The Comprehensive Agreement signed between the Holy See and the State of Palestine on June 26, 2015 entered into force on January 2, 2016. It basically concerns the life and activity of the Church in Palestine.  In  the complex reality of the Middle East, where, in some countries, Christians have suffered persecution, the Holy See hopes that the Agreement may serve as an example  of  dialogue  and  cooperation,  in  particular  for  other  Arab  and  Muslim  majority countries.

Mr. President,

The nearly five-year conflict in Syria rages on. More than being a conflict between Syrians, foreign fighters coming from all over the globe continue to commit unspeakable acts of horror against the civilian population in Syria and in parts of Iraq. The influence of these foreign elements,  has led to sectarian violence and persecutions of religious and ethnic minorities.

Pope  Francis,  calling  upon  the  International  Community  in  his  11  January  2016  address, expressed the conviction  that only  common and agreed political action can stem the spread of extremism and fundamentalism, that spawn terrorist acts which reap countless victims, not only in Syria and Libya, but in other countries in the region and in North Africa.

My delegation will not repeat the litany of horrendous acts of violence against the people of Syria, already mentioned by various delegations, but would rather reiterate its appeal to all those concerned to stop the flow of arms into the region and intensify humanitarian   action, in order to give the desperate refugees, and all those displaced, the wherewithal to remain in their country, or as near as possible to their homeland, with adequate food, medical supplies, water, electricity, access to education for the young, and those elements necessary for a stable and secure life in their own homeland.

Mr. President,

My delegation expresses its support for resolution 2254 of this Council, which calls for the sovereignty, independence, unity and territorial integrity of the Syrian Arab Republic and for a political settlement to the conflict in Syria. The Holy See looks forward to the talks scheduled to begin in Geneva later this week. In spite of the many strong differences still to be found among  the  parties  to  the  talks,  the  Holy  See  believes  that  these  negotiations  are  the  best chance the International Community has to bring a stable and lasting peace to  Syria and  to the  region.  The  Holy  See  also  looks  forward  to  the  Fourth  Humanitarian  Conference scheduled for 4 February 2016 and hosted by the United Kingdom, Germany, Kuwait, Norway and the United Nations, hoping that it will ease the suffering of the peoples in the region and contribute to the overall settlement of the conflict.

Thank you, Mr. President.

 

(from Vatican Radio)

from News.va http://ift.tt/1RN908s
via IFTTT

Pope Francis: Audience appeal for Mideast Christians

(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis made a special appeal for suffering Christians in the Middle Ease on Wednesday, during the course of his weekly General Audience in St. Peter’s Square. “God does not remain silent before the suffering and cries of His children,” he said, “nor does He remain silent before injustice and persecution: He rather intervenes and gives, by His mercy, rescue and salvation.”

“God uses patience with the sinner,” the Holy Father continued, “to induce him to conversion, and he searches for the lost sheep, for, “[God] will have all men to be saved, and to come to the knowledge of the truth. (1 Tim 2:4)”

Pope Francis has been a vocal advocate for the rights of religious minorities around the world, and particularly of Christians in the Middle East, where ancient Christian communities are suffering often brutal and deadly persecution, particularly at the hands of militants fighting for the so-called Islamic State.

Pope Francis concluded his remarks to Arabic-speaking pilgrims with a blessing and an invocation of Divine protection. “God bless you all,” he said, “and protect you from the Evil One.”

(from Vatican Radio)

from News.va http://ift.tt/1WNxfCV
via IFTTT

Pope Francis promotes Lenten retreat for charitable groups

(Vatican Radio) During his General Audience on Wednesday, Pope Francis called attention to a Jubilee Year initiative of the Pontifical Council Cor Unum, promoting a day of spiritual retreat for persons and groups dedicated to the service of charitable works. These days of retreat, to be offered in each diocese during the coming Lent, will offer an opportunity to reflect on the call to be merciful as the Father is merciful. “I invite you to welcome this initiative,” Pope Francis said, “making use of the suggestions and materials prepared by Cor Unum.”

The day of retreat will have as its theme “Caritas Christi urget nos” (2 Cor 5,14: the love of Christ compels us). In a letter announcing the initiative, Cor Unum suggests that each individual charitable group should celebrate its own day of reflection, citing the Holy Father’s desire that the Jubilee be celebrated in local communities. The letter suggests the retreat be organized in three parts: “a penitential celebration with individual confessions; a time of sharing in group and the Eucharistic celebration.”

More information on the Day of Spiritual Retreat can be found here.

The Pontifical Council Cor Unum was instituted by Pope Paul VI in 1971 and, in the words of Pope Benedict XVI, its tasks are to orient and coordinate the Organizations and charitable activities promoted by the Catholic Church.

(from Vatican Radio)

from News.va http://ift.tt/1nOCzKn
via IFTTT

Audience: God hears our cry and makes a covenant with us

(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis on Wednesday dedicated his weekly General Audience to God’s work of mercy throughout the history of the Chosen people.

Below please find the official English language summary of Pope Francis’ remarks:

Dear Brothers and Sisters:  Continuing our weekly catecheses inspired by this Holy Year devoted to divine mercy, we now consider God’s mercy at work in the history of the Chosen People.  The Scriptures show the Lord’s merciful concern for Israel throughout its history, beginning with the call of Abraham.  God’s mercy is expressed particularly, however, in the experience of the exodus from Egypt.  God heard the cry of his people, as he hears the cry of the poor and oppressed in every age.  He raised up Moses to be the mediator of his mercy and salvation.  Through Moses, he led Israel to freedom and, through the covenant, he made them his own possession, “a kingdom of priests and a holy nation” (Ex 19:5-6), a people precious in his eyes.  The mystery of God’s mercy culminates in the sending of his Son, the Lord Jesus, in that “new and eternal covenant” inaugurated in his blood, whereby we are granted the forgiveness of our sins and become truly God’s children, beloved sons and daughters of our good and merciful Father.

(from Vatican Radio)

from News.va http://ift.tt/1UpJKD2
via IFTTT

International Eucharistic Congress: An experience of encounter

Tuesday, January 26, 2016

Pope Francis meets Iranian President Rouhani

Today, in the Vatican Apostolic Palace, the Holy Father Francis received in audience His Excellency Hassan Rouhani, President of the Islamic Republic of Iran, who subsequently met with His Eminence Cardinal Secretary of State Pietro Parolin, accompanied by His Excellency Archbishop Paul Richard Gallagher, secretary for Relations with States. During the cordial discussions, common spiritual values emerged and reference was made to the good state of relations between the Holy See and the Islamic Republic of Iran, the life of the Church in the country and the action of the Holy See to favour the promotion of the dignity of the human person and religious freedom. Attention then turned to the conclusion and application of the Nuclear Accord and the important role that Iran is called upon to fulfil, along with other countries in the Region, to promote suitable political solutions to the problems afflicting the Middle East, to counter the spread of terrorism and arms trafficking. In this respect, the Parties highlighted the importance of interreligious dialogue and the responsibility of religious communities in promoting reconciliation, tolerance and peace.


[00118-EN.01] [Original text: Italian - working translation]



from News.va http://ift.tt/1VnDa06
via IFTTT

Pope Francis: 'Lent is a favourable time for conversion"

(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis is asking us to live this Lenten period as a favourable time for conversion during the Extraordinary Jubilee of Mercy.

In his message for Lent entitled “I desire mercy and not sacrifice. The works of mercy on the road of the Jubilee” the Pope reiterates the importance of the corporal and spiritual works of mercy and condemns the proud, the powerful and the wealthy who refuse to open the doors of their hearts to God and to the poor.
  
Please find below the full text of Pope Francis’ message for Lent:
 
“I desire mercy, and not sacrifice” (Mt 9:13).
The works of mercy on the road of the Jubilee

1. Mary, the image of a Church which evangelizes because she is evangelized

In the Bull of Indiction of the Extraordinary Jubilee of Mercy, I asked that “the season of Lent in this Jubilee Year be lived more intensely as a privileged moment to celebrate and experience God’s mercy” (Misericordiae Vultus, 17).  By calling for an attentive listening to the word of God and encouraging the initiative “24 Hours for the Lord”, I sought to stress the primacy of prayerful listening to God’s word, especially his prophetic word.  The mercy of God is a proclamation made to the world, a proclamation which each Christian is called to experience at first hand.  For this reason, during the season of Lent I will send out Missionaries of Mercy as a concrete sign to everyone of God’s closeness and forgiveness. 

After receiving the Good News told to her by the Archangel Gabriel, Mary, in her Magnificat, prophetically sings of the mercy whereby God chose her.  The Virgin of Nazareth, betrothed to Joseph, thus becomes the perfect icon of the Church which evangelizes, for she was, and continues to be, evangelized by the Holy Spirit, who made her virginal womb fruitful.  In the prophetic tradition, mercy is strictly related – even on the etymological level – to the maternal womb (rahamim) and to a generous, faithful and compassionate goodness (hesed) shown within marriage and family relationships. 

2. God’s covenant with humanity: a history of mercy

The mystery of divine mercy is revealed in the history of the covenant between God and his people Israel.  God shows himself ever rich in mercy, ever ready to treat his people with deep tenderness and compassion, especially at those tragic moments when infidelity ruptures the bond of the covenant, which then needs to be ratified more firmly in justice and truth.  Here is a true love story, in which God plays the role of the betrayed father and husband, while Israel plays the unfaithful child and bride.  These domestic images – as in the case of Hosea (cf. Hos 1-2) – show to what extent God wishes to bind himself to his people.

This love story culminates in the incarnation of God’s Son.  In Christ, the Father pours forth his boundless mercy even to making him “mercy incarnate” (Misericordiae Vultus, 8).  As a man, Jesus of Nazareth is a true son of Israel; he embodies that perfect hearing required of every Jew by the Shema, which today too is the heart of God’s covenant with Israel: “Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God is one Lord; and you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your might” (Dt 6:4-5).  As the Son of God, he is the Bridegroom who does everything to win over the love of his bride, to whom he is bound by an unconditional love which becomes visible in the eternal wedding feast. 

This is the very heart of the apostolic kerygma, in which divine mercy holds a central and fundamental place.  It is “the beauty of the saving love of God made manifest in Jesus Christ who died and rose from the dead” (Evangelii Gaudium, 36), that first proclamation which “we must hear again and again in different ways, the one which we must announce one way or another throughout the process of catechesis, at every level and moment” (ibid., 164).  Mercy “expresses God’s way of reaching out to the sinner, offering him a new chance to look at himself, convert, and believe” (Misericordiae Vultus, 21), thus restoring his relationship with him.  In Jesus crucified, God shows his desire to draw near to sinners, however far they may have strayed from him.   In this way he hopes to soften the hardened heart of his Bride. 

3. The works of mercy 

God’s mercy transforms human hearts; it enables us, through the experience of a faithful love, to become merciful in turn.  In an ever new miracle, divine mercy shines forth in our lives, inspiring each of us to love our neighbour and to devote ourselves to what the Church’s tradition calls the spiritual and corporal works of mercy.  These works remind us that faith finds expression in concrete everyday actions meant to help our neighbours in body and spirit: by feeding, visiting, comforting and instructing them.  On such things will we be judged.  For this reason, I expressed my hope that “the Christian people may reflect on the corporal and spiritual works of mercy; this will be a way to reawaken our conscience, too often grown dull in the face of poverty, and to enter more deeply into the heart of the Gospel where the poor have a special experience of God’s mercy” (ibid., 15).  For in the poor, the flesh of Christ “becomes visible in the flesh of the tortured, the crushed, the scourged, the malnourished, and the exiled… to be acknowledged, touched, and cared for by us” (ibid.).  It is the unprecedented and scandalous mystery of the extension in time of the suffering of the Innocent Lamb, the burning bush of gratuitous love.  Before this love, we can, like Moses, take off our sandals (cf. Ex 3:5), especially when the poor are our brothers or sisters in Christ who are suffering for their faith. 

In the light of this love, which is strong as death (cf. Song 8:6), the real poor are revealed as those who refuse to see themselves as such.  They consider themselves rich, but they are actually the poorest of the poor.  This is because they are slaves to sin, which leads them to use wealth and power not for the service of God and others, but to stifle within their hearts the profound sense that they too are only poor beggars.  The greater their power and wealth, the more this blindness and deception can grow.  It can even reach the point of being blind to Lazarus begging at their doorstep (cf. Lk 16:20-21).  Lazarus, the poor man, is a figure of Christ, who through the poor pleads for our conversion.  As such, he represents the possibility of conversion which God offers us and which we may well fail to see.  Such blindness is often accompanied by the proud illusion of our own omnipotence, which reflects in a sinister way the diabolical “you will be like God” (Gen 3:5) which is the root of all sin.  This illusion can likewise take social and political forms, as shown by the totalitarian systems of the twentieth century, and, in our own day, by the ideologies of monopolizing thought and technoscience, which would make God irrelevant and reduce man to raw material to be exploited.  This illusion can also be seen in the sinful structures linked to a model of false development based on the idolatry of money, which leads to lack of concern for the fate of the poor on the part of wealthier individuals and societies; they close their doors, refusing even to see the poor. 

For all of us, then, the season of Lent in this Jubilee Year is a favourable time to overcome our existential alienation by listening to God’s word and by practising the works of mercy.  In the corporal works of mercy we touch the flesh of Christ in our brothers and sisters who need to be fed, clothed, sheltered, visited; in the spiritual works of mercy – counsel, instruction, forgiveness, admonishment and prayer – we touch more directly our own sinfulness.  The corporal and spiritual works of mercy must never be separated.  By touching the flesh of the crucified Jesus in the suffering, sinners can receive the gift of realizing that they too are poor and in need.  By taking this path, the “proud”, the “powerful” and the “wealthy” spoken of in the Magnificat can also be embraced and undeservedly loved by the crucified Lord who died and rose for them.  This love alone is the answer to that yearning for infinite happiness and love that we think we can satisfy with the idols of knowledge, power and riches.  Yet the danger always remains that by a constant refusal to open the doors of their hearts to Christ who knocks on them in the poor, the proud, rich and powerful will end up condemning themselves and plunging into the eternal abyss of solitude which is Hell.  The pointed words of Abraham apply to them and to all of us: “They have Moses and the prophets; let them hear them” (Lk 16:29).  Such attentive listening will best prepare us to celebrate the final victory over sin and death of the Bridegroom, now risen, who desires to purify his Betrothed in expectation of his coming. 

Let us not waste this season of Lent, so favourable a time for conversion!  We ask this through the maternal intercession of the Virgin Mary, who, encountering the greatness of God’s mercy freely bestowed upon her, was the first to acknowledge her lowliness (cf. Lk 1:48) and to call herself the Lord’s humble servant (cf. Lk 1:38).

(from Vatican Radio)



from News.va http://ift.tt/1K8a4kw
via IFTTT

Monday, January 25, 2016

Pope Francis at Ecumenical Vespers: walk the way of unity

(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis delivered the homily at an ecumenical celebration of Vespers on Monday evening in the Papal Basilica of St. Paul Outside the Walls, to close the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity. In his prepared remarks, the Holy Father focused on the need for sadly still divided Christian communities to walk together in the way of the Lord, in the knowledge that unity is a gift of heaven and in the understanding that all service rendered to the cause of the one Gospel builds up the one true Church and gives glory to the one Lord, Jesus Christ.

“While we journey together toward full communion,” said Pope Francis, “we can begin already to develop many forms of cooperation in order to favor the spread of the Gospel – and walking together, we become aware that we are already united in the name of the Lord.”

Pope Francis placed his reflections in the key of the Jubilee Year of Mercy, calling Catholics and all Christians to forgive past wrongs and to move forward in pilgrimage together. “In this extraordinary Jubilee year of mercy, we must always keep in mind that there cannot be an authentic search for Christian unity without trusting fully in the Father’s mercy,” he said. “We cannot cancel out what has happened, but we do not want to let the weight of past faults continue to contaminate our relationships,” he went on to say.

“God’s mercy,” said Pope Francis, “will renew our relationships.”

 

(from Vatican Radio)

from News.va http://ift.tt/1nKEy2g
via IFTTT

Pope Francis: homily for Christian Unity Vespers

(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis delivered the homily at the closing Vespers of the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity in the Basilica of St. Paul "Outside the Walls" in Rome on Monday evening. Below, please find Vatican Radio's full English translation of the Holy Father's prepared remarks.

*******************************************************

“I am the least of the Apostles … because I persecuted the Church of God. But by the grace of God I am what I am, and His grace in me was not without effect.” That’s how the Apostle Paul sums up the significance of his conversion. Coming after his dramatic encounter with the Risen Christ on the road from Jerusalem to Damascus, it is not primarily a moral conversion but rather an transforming experience of the grace of Christ, and at the same time, a call to the new mission of announcing to everyone the Jesus that he previously persecuted by persecuting the disciples of Christ. At that moment, in fact, Paul understands that there is a real and transcendent union between the eternally living Christ and his followers: Jesus lives and is present in them and they live in him. The vocation to be an Apostle is founded not on Paul’s human merits, which he considers to be ‘the least’ and ‘unworthy’, but rather on the infinite goodness of God who chose him and entrusted him with his ministry.

St Paul also bears witness to a similar understanding of what happened on the road to Damascus in his first letter to Timothy: I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who has given me strength, that he considered me trustworthy, appointing me to his service. Even though I was once a blasphemer and a persecutor and a violent man, I was shown mercy because I acted in ignorance and unbelief. The grace of our Lord was poured out on me abundantly, along with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus.” The overflowing mercy of God is the sole reason upon which Paul’s ministry is based and at the same time it is that which the Apostle must announce to the everyone.

The experience of St Paul is similar to that of the community to which the Apostle Peter writes his first letter. St Peter is writing to members of small and fragile communities, exposed to threats of persecution, and he applies to them the glorious titles attributed to the holy people of God: a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession. For those first Christians, like today for all of us baptized Christians, it is a source of comfort and of constant amazement to know that we have been chosen to be part of God’s plan of salvation, put into effect through Jesus Christ and through the Church. “Why Lord? Why me? Why is it us?” Here we touch the mystery of mercy and of God’s choice. The Father loves us all and wants to save us all, and for this reason He calls some people conquering them through His grace, so that through them His love can reach all people. The mission of the whole people of God is to announce the marvelous works of the Lord, first and foremost the Pasqual mystery of Christ, through which we have passed from the darkness of sin and death to the splendor of His new and eternal life.

In light of the Word of God which we have been listening to, and which has guided us during this Week of Prayer for Christian Unity, we can truly affirm that all of us, believers in Christ, have been called to proclaim the mighty works of God. Beyond the differences which still separate us, we recognise with joy that at the origin of our Christian  life there is always a call from God Himself. We can make progress on the path to full visible communion between us Christians not only when we come closer to each other, but above all as we convert ourselves to the Lord, who through His grace, chooses and calls us to be His disciples. And converting ourselves means letting the Lord live and work in us. For this reason, when Christians of different Churches listen to the Word of God together and seek to put it into practice, they make important steps towards unity.it is not only the call which unites us, but we also share the same mission to proclaim to all the marvelous works of God. Like St Paul, and like the people to whom St Peter is writing, we too cannot fail to announce God’s merciful love which has conquered and transformed us. While we are moving towards full communion among Christians, we can already develop many forms of cooperation to aid the spread of the Gospel.  By walking and working together, we realise that we are already united in the name of the Lord.

In this Extraordinary Jubilee Year of Mercy, we must always keep in mind that there cannot be an authentic search for Christian unity without trusting fully in the Father’s mercy. We ask first of all for forgiveness for the sins of our divisions, which are an open wound in the Body of Christ. As Bishop of Rome and pastor of the Catholic Church, I want to ask for mercy and forgiveness for the behavior of Catholics towards Christians of other Churches which has not reflected Gospel values. At the same time, I invite all Catholic brothers and sisters to forgive if they, today or in the past, have been offended by other Christians. We cannot cancel out what has happened, but we do not want to let the weight of past faults continue to contaminate our relationships. God’s mercy will renew our relationships.

In this atmosphere of intense prayer, I extend fraternal greetings to his Eminence Metropolitan Gennadios, representing the Ecumenical Patriarch, to His Grace David Moxon, the Archbishop of Canterbury’s personal representative in Rome, and all the representatives of the other Churches and ecclesial communities who are gathered here this evening. With them we walked through the Holy Door of this Basilica to remind ourselves that the only door which leads to salvation is Jesus Christ our Lord, the merciful face of the Father. I cordially greet also the young Orthodox and Oriental Orthodox students who are here in Rome with the support of the Committee for Cultural Collaboration with the orthodox churches, working through the Council for the Promotion of Christian Unity, as well as the students from the Ecumenical Institute of Bossey who are visiting Rome to deepen their knowledge of the Catholic Church.

Dear brothers and sisters, let us unite ourselves with the prayer that Jesus Christ prayed to his Father: “May they be one, so that the world may believe”. Unity is the gift of mercy from God the Father. In front of the tomb of St Paul, the apostle and martyr, kept here in this splendid Basilica, we feel that our humble request is sustained by the intercession of the multitudes of Christian martyrs, past and present. They replied generously to the call of the Lord, they gave faithful witness with their lives to the wonderful works that God has done for us and they already enjoy full communion in the presence of God the Father. Sustained by their example and comforted by their intercessions, we make our humble prayer to God.

(from Vatican Radio)

from News.va http://ift.tt/23oveBE
via IFTTT

Spread the joy of the Gospel in the simplicity of life

Vatican City, 25 January 2016 (VIS) – "You are preparing to respond to that impulse from the Spirit, to be the 'future of the Church', in accordance with God's heart; not with individual preferences or passing fashions, but as the announcement of the Gospel requires", said the Pope this morning as he received in audience the Pontifical Community of the Lombard Seminary in Rome, in the Clementine Hall. "To prepare oneself well requires not only extensive work, but also an inner conversion, basing daily ministry on the first call of Jesus, and reviving it in the personal relationship with Him, as did the apostle Paul, whose conversion we remember today".

The pope went on to mention St. Charles Borromeo, whose life is presented as "a constant movement of conversion, reflecting the image of the Pastor. He identified with this image, and he nurtured it with his life, aware that discourse becomes reality at the price of blood: the sanguinis ministri were for him the true priests. He achieved this image by losing himself in it; he applied all his passion to reproducing it. In this way, the great work of the theologians of the time, the Council of Trent, was carried out by holy pastors like Borromeo".

Francis also emphasised that they were the heirs of and witnesses to a great history of sainthood, "rooted in your patrons, the bishops Ambrose and Charles; and in more recent times your alumni have included three Blesseds and three Servants of God. This is the goal to strive for. Often, though, a temptation appears on the way, to be resisted: that of 'normality', of a pastor for whom a 'normal' life is enough. This priest then begins to content himself with any attention he receives, judges his ministry on the basis of his successes and gradually goes in search of what he likes, becoming lukewarm and without true interest in others. The 'normality' for us is instead pastoral holiness, the giving of life. If a priest decides merely to become a normal person, he will be a mediocre priest, or worse".

"The words of life can be announced only those who make their own life into a constant dialogue with the Word of God, or better, with God who speaks. In these years you have been entrusted with the mission of training in this dialogue of life: the knowledge of the various disciplines you study is not an end in itself, but must instead be made concrete in the conversation of prayer and in the real encounter with people. It is not beneficial to form oneself in a compartmentalised fashion, as prayer, cultural and pastoral ministry are the cornerstones of the same edifice: they must remain steadfast and united to support each other, well cemented together, so that the priests of today and tomorrow will be spiritual men and merciful pastors, unified within by the love of the Lord and able to spread the joy of the Gospel in the simplicity of life".

The Pope also remarked that to be a good priest, it is essential to maintain contact and closeness with the bishop. "The characteristic of the diocesan priest is precisely his diocesan nature, and the cornerstone of this is frequent contact with the bishop, in dialogue and discernment with him. A priest who does not maintain a close relationship with his bishop is slowly isolated from the diocesan group and his fruitfulness diminishes, precisely because he does not participate in dialogue with the Father of the Diocese". He concluded by asking those present to "cultivate the beauty of friendship and the art of establishing relations, so as to create a priestly fraternity, made stronger by its particular diversities".



from News.va http://ift.tt/1SeMR1w
via IFTTT

Pope Francis to travel to Sweden for joint Reformation commemoration

(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis will travel to Sweden in October for a joint ecumenical commemoration of the start of the Reformation, together with leaders of the Lutheran World Federation and representatives of other Christian Churches.

The event will take place on October 31st in the southern Swedish city of Lund where the Lutheran World Federation was founded in 1947. While kicking off a year of events to mark the 500th anniversary of the Protestant Reformation, it will also highlight the important ecumenical developments that have taken place during the past 50 years of dialogue between Catholics and Lutherans.

The one-day event will include a common worship service in Lund cathedral based on a Catholic-Lutheran “Common Prayer” liturgical guide, published earlier this month by the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity (PCPCU) and the Lutheran World Federation (LWF).

The commemoration in Lund follows on directly from the publication in 2013 of a joint document entitled ‘From Conflict to Communion’, which focuses on the themes of thanksgiving, repentance and commitment to common witness. While asking for forgiveness for the divisions of past centuries, it  also seeks to showcase the gifts of the Reformation and celebrate the way Catholics and Lutherans around the world work together on issues of common concern.

Please see below the joint press release from the LWF and the PCPCU on the joint ecumenical commemoration of the Reformation in Lund

Pope Francis, LWF President Bishop Younan and General Secretary Junge to lead October event

GENEVA/VATICAN CITY, 25 January 2016 - The Lutheran World Federation (LWF) and the Catholic Church will hold a joint ecumenical commemoration of the Reformation on 31 October 2016 in Lund, Sweden.

Pope Francis, LWF President Bishop Dr Munib A. Younan and General Secretary Rev. Dr Martin Junge will lead the Ecumenical Commemoration in cooperation with the Church of Sweden and the Catholic Diocese of Stockholm.

The joint ecumenical event will take place in the city of Lund in anticipation of the 500th Reformation anniversary in 2017. It will highlight the solid ecumenical developments between Catholics and Lutherans and the joint gifts received through dialogue. The event will include a common worship based on the recently published Catholic-Lutheran “Common Prayer” liturgical guide.

“The LWF is approaching the Reformation anniversary in a spirit of ecumenical accountability,” says LWF General Secretary Rev. Dr Martin Junge. “I’m carried by the profound conviction that by working towards reconciliation between Lutherans and Catholics, we are working towards justice, peace and reconciliation in a world torn apart by conflict and violence.”

Cardinal Koch, President of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity (PCPCU) explains further: “By concentrating together on the centrality of the question of God and on a Christocentric approach, Lutherans and Catholics will have the possibility of an ecumenical commemoration of the Reformation, not simply in a pragmatic way, but in the deep sense of faith in the crucified and resurrected Christ.

“It is with joy and expectation that the Church of Sweden welcomes The Lutheran World Federation and the Catholic Church to hold the joint commemoration of the Reformation in Lund,” says Church of Sweden Archbishop Antje Jackelén. “We shall pray together with the entire ecumenical family in Sweden that the commemoration will contribute to Christian unity in our country and throughout the world.”

“The ecumenical situation in our part of the world is unique and interesting. I hope that this meeting will help us look to the future so that we can be witnesses of Jesus Christ and His gospel in our secularized world,” says Anders Arborelius OCD, Bishop of the Catholic Church in Sweden.

The Lund event is part of the reception process of the study document From Conflict to Communion, which was published in 2013, and has since been widely distributed to Lutheran and Catholic communities. The document is the first attempt by both dialogue partners to describe together at international level the history of the Reformation and its intentions.

Earlier this year, the LWF and PCPCU sent to LWF member churches and  Catholic Bishops’ Conferences a jointly prepared “Common Prayer”, which is a liturgical guide to help churches commemorate the Reformation anniversary together. It is based on the study document From Conflict to Communion: Lutheran-Catholic Common Commemoration of the Reformation in 2017, and features the themes of thanksgiving, repentance and commitment to common witness with the aim of expressing the gifts of the Reformation and asking forgiveness for the division which followed theological disputes.

The year 2017 will also mark 50 years of the international Lutheran-Catholic dialogue, which has yielded notable ecumenical results, of which most significant is the Joint Declaration on the Doctrine of Justification (JDDJ). The JDDJ was signed by the LWF and the Catholic Church in 1999, and affirmed by the World Methodist Council in 2006. The declaration nullified centuries’ old disputes between Catholics and Lutherans over the basic truths of the doctrine of justification, which was at the center of the 16th century Reformation.

(from Vatican Radio)



from News.va http://ift.tt/1Kzo69S
via IFTTT