Pope Francis

[grace-land]

http://www.zenit.org/en/articles/vatican-puts-budget-cap-on-saints-causes

Vatican Puts Budget Cap on Saints' Causes
Spending Review Aims to Help Make Process Simpler and Fairer
Vatican City,  January 15, 2014 

Postulators and actors of causes for sainthood are having to adhere to budget restraints in tune with Pope Francis’ call for austerity, the prefect for the Congregation for the Causes of Saints has announced.

In a speech given to postulators Jan. 13 at the Pontifical Lateran University, Cardinal Angelo Amato said that a “reference tariff” came into force earlier this year “inspired by a sense of simplicity and fairness” in order to avoid causes for beatification and canonization “being treated differently.”

The decision is a “good step” as it helps the postulators and actors to be “aware of the expenses involved, both in terms of Holy See taxes and the postulator pay,” the cardinal said in remarks reported in the Jan. 15 edition of L'Osservatore Romano.

“Some have already sent donations for causes that are less well-funded,” he added.

The Congregation is encouraging actors and postulators to observe the new guidelines so as to ensure “potential worthy causes can be taken into consideration.”

The cardinal also made clear that the cause of John XXIII, who will be canonized April 27th, is not an “equivalent canonization”, made in the absence of miracle, as some reports have suggested. Instead, he said the positio of the late pontiff is “full of accounts of miracles and of signs of fame [for sanctity]”.

He added that since his beatification in 2000, the Congregation has received “numerous reports of graces and favors received through his intercession,” adding that they have come from all over the world and accompanied with medical documentation.
 

[grace-land]

http://www.therecord.com/news-story/4316744-pope-cleans-house-at-troubled-vatican-bank-names-guelph-s-thomas-collins-among-new-cardinal-adviser/

6 hours ago   
Pope cleans house at troubled Vatican Bank, names Guelph’s Thomas Collins among new cardinal advisers

VATICAN CITY– Pope Francis made another move to clean house at the troubled Vatican bank on Wednesday, naming a new roster of cardinal advisers to replace the ones who were in place during its latest brushes with scandal.

Only one cardinal from the previous commission overseeing the bank's operations, Cardinal Jean-Louis Tauran, survived the cut.

Francis on Wednesday named four others to round out the commission, including his hand-picked secretary of state, Cardinal-elect Pietro Parolin, and Francis' close friend Cardinal Santos Abril y Castello.

The other members include Cardinal Christoph Schoenborn, archbishop of Vienna, and Guelph native Cardinal Thomas Collins, archbishop of Toronto.

On Feb. 16, 2013, just days after announcing his resignation, Pope Benedict XVI confirmed the existing members of the bank's supervisory body for another five years. The members included Benedict's longtime deputy and secretary of state, Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, who was widely blamed for many of the Vatican's administrative shortcomings during Benedict's papacy.

Francis has now essentially undone Benedict's decree, relieving Bertone and the other commission members of their jobs as he moves forward with his reform of the bank, formally known as the Institute for Religious Works.

Over the summer, Francis named a trusted friend, Monsignor Battista Ricca, to fill a vacant supervisory position and appointed an independent commission of inquiry to look into the bank's activities and legal status.
 

[grace-land]

http://en.radiovaticana.va/news/2014/01/16/pope_francis:_scandals_happen_when_there_is_no_true_relationship_with/en1-764583

2014-01-16 13:27:15
Pope Francis: scandals happen when there is no true relationship with God

(Vatican Radio) Scandals in the Church happen because there is no living relationship with God and His Word. Thus, corrupt priests, instead of giving the Bread of Life, give a poisoned meal to the holy people of God: that’s what Pope Francis affirmed in his homily Thursday morning during the Mass celebrated in the Santa Marta guesthouse.
Listen to Tracey McClure's report: RealAudioMP3

Commenting on the day 's reading and responsorial Psalm which recount the crushing defeat of the Israelites by the Philistines, the Pope notes that the people of God at that time had forsaken the Lord . It was said that the Word of God was "uncommon" at that time . The old priest Eli was "lukewarm" and his sons "corrupt; they frightened the people and beat them with sticks." In their battle against the Philistines, the Israelites brought with them the Ark of the Covenant, but as something “magical,” "something external ." And they are defeated : the Ark is taken from them by their enemies. There is no true faith in God, in His real presence in life:
 

[grace-land]

http://en.radiovaticana.va/news/2014/01/16/fr_lombardi_sj:_holy_see_committed_to_child_welfare/en1-764544

2014-01-16 12:32:20
Fr Lombardi SJ: Holy See committed to child welfare

(Vatican Radio) Vatican officials are appearing Thursday before the UN committee in Geneva that is responsible for overseeing the implementation of the Convention on the Rights of the Child, to which the Holy See is a party. The Director of the Press Office of the Holy See, Fr. Federico Lombardi, SJ, issued a Note detailing the history of the Holy See’s adherence to the Convention and its response to a series of questions posed by the committee subsequent to the Holy See’s 2nd Report on implementation of the Convention, submitted in 2011.

The three-page Note, written in Italian, stresses that, “The Holy See is deeply saddened by the scourge of sexual abuse of minors, which harms millions of children throughout the world,” and “laments that, sadly, certain members of the clergy have been involved in such abuse.” The Note goes on to say that the dramatic problem of child sex abuse, lived with unspeakable suffering in the community of the Church, has posed a direct challenge to the credibility of the Church’s commitment to the welfare of children – “[A challenge],” writes Fr. Lombardi, “that has led to the development, in the spirit of the Convention [and] under the Holy See’s guidance, of a series of initiatives and directives [that have proven] extremely helpful also outside the Church community.”
 

[grace-land]

http://en.radiovaticana.va/news/2014/01/16/archbishop_tomasi_on_the_holy_sees_committment_to_protecting_children/en1-764477

2014-01-16 11:18:45
Archbishop Tomasi on the Holy See's committment to protecting children

(Vatican Radio) The Holy See, like other states have been discussing Thursday, at the United Nations Office in Geneva, a report on the implementation of the Convention on the Rights of the Child. The agreement includes calls for signatories to take all appropriate measures to protect children from harm and to put children's interests above all else.

The Holy See ratified the convention in 1990

The Vatican will be represented by Bishop Charles Scicluna who previously served as Promoter of Justice at the Congregation of for the Doctrine of the Faith.
Lydia O’Kane spoke to Archbishop Silvano Tomasi, Permanent ******* of the Holy See to the United Nations. Listen RealAudioMP3
See below the transcript of Vatican Radio's interview with Archbishop Tomasi

Q. What is happening today in Geneva regarding this subject?
A. today is in session the committee of experts of the convention of the rights of the child. It is the seat of the Human Rights Office of the United Nations. This committee presents its observations, suggestions, advice to every state that has ratified the convention and therefore has an obligation to present a report on how the convention is implemented in the territory of this state. It’s an occasion to start a dialogue between the state involved and the experts in order to facilitate and to improve the protection of children. Today in this current session of the committee will be examined the reports of Russia, Germany, the Holy See, Portugal, Congo, Yemen, and we will very gladly take this occasion as a constructive moment, an important occasion, to reaffirm the value and the procedures of the convention and to accept any good advice that is given for that can be helpful in the protection of children. The Holy See is more than willing to, as it has declared already when it ratified the convention in 1990, to promote and to sustain the good principles and the good values that are contained in this convention. So, today is a normal day of work for the United Nations. The attention that is given to the Holy See is understandable but it is part of a series of other states that are being examined and we are convinced that some very good results are coming out of this dialogue with the experts.
 

[grace-land]

http://www.zenit.org/en/articles/archbishop-silvano-tomasi-s-address-to-un-committee-on-the-convention-of-the-rights-of-the-child

Archbishop Silvano Tomasi's Address to UN Committee on the Convention of the Rights of the Child
Geneva,  January 16, 2014

http://www.cnn.com/2014/01/16/world/europe/un-vatican-sexual-abuse/?hpt=wo_c1

U.N. committee on sexual abuse grills Vatican officials
updated 12:09 PM EST, Thu January 16, 2014

[grace-land]

http://www.ejpress.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=47764

Pope Francis hosts kosher lunch for Jewish leaders from his native Argentina
Thursday, 16 January 2014 22:51



ROME (EJP)---Pope Francis hosted an informal kosher lunch for a delegation of 15 Jewish leaders from Argentine at the Vatican’s Santa Marta guesthouse.

The conversation with the Catholic pontiff, who was born in Buenos Aires as Jorge Mario Bergoglio, focused on strengthening inter-faith dialogue, according to Claudio Epelman, Executive Director of te Latin American Jewish Congress.

Epelman, who organized the meeting together with Argentine Rabbi Abraham Skorka, spoke of an “extraordinary gesture by Pope Francis to take more than two hours out of his busy schedule for a conversation with Jewish leaders from his native Argentina.”

Epelman, who is the World Jewish Congress official in charge of dialogue with the Catholic Church, added that welcoming the delegation, Pope Francis expressed hope that “this meeting will help nurture the seeds we have planted together” and emphasized how he was looking forward “with great expectations” to his visit to Israel in May.
 
 

[grace-land]

http://www.ncregister.com/daily-news/engaged-couples-to-meet-with-pope-on-valentines-day/

Engaged Couples to Meet With Pope on Valentine’s Day
by ELISE HARRIS/CNA/EWTN NEWS 01/16/2014

VATICAN CITY — The Pontifical Council for the Family is promoting a special encounter between Pope Francis and couples who are engaged, which will take place on the upcoming feast of St. Valentine.

Invited to the meeting with the Pope are those couples “who have already attended or are currently going through their marriage-preparation courses,” the council’s webpage states.

Couples who meet these qualifications will gather in the Vatican’s Paul VI hall on Feb. 14 at 11am to receive the personal greetings and message of the Pope.

The Pontifical Council for the Family, which is organizing the event, is part of the Roman Curia and was established by Blessed John Paul II in 1981 in order to promote the pastoral care of families and to protect their rights and dignity within society so that they might be more able to fulfill their duties.

Although this will be the first meeting of its kind with Pope Francis, it is not the first time this type of encounter has been held.

On Sept. 11, 2011, Benedict XVI met with young couples in Ancona, Italy, in honor of the Eucharistic Congress at the time, and Msgr. Vincenzo Paglia of the Diocese of Terni has also promoted similar activities each year on Valentine’s Day.
 

[Sister]

If you are interested, Sister, I read the following articles about the baptisms by Pope Francis:

http://wdtprs.com/blog/2014/01/pope-francis-baptized-baby-of-couple-with-civil-marriage-only/
Pope Francis baptized baby of couple with civil marriage only
Posted on 12 January 2014 by Fr. John Zuhlsdorf   

http://www.ncregister.com/blog/jimmy-akin/did-pope-francis-baptize-a-baby-whose-parents-arent-married-12-things-to-kn
Did Pope Francis baptize a baby whose parents aren’t married? 12 things to know and share
by Jimmy Akin  Sunday, January 12, 2014 10:45 PM

http://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/hand-on-the-faith-pope-instructs-parents-at-baptism/
'Hand on the faith,' Pope instructs parents at baptism

Vatican City, Jan 12, 2014 / 11:29 am (CNA/EWTN News).- During his homily at Sunday Mass, Pope Francis reminded parents who had brought their infants to be baptized of their duty to pass on the faith to their children.
 

thanks grace-land.  I appreciate the articles.
 

[grace-land]

You're welcome, Sister...hope they were helpful in explaining the specific situation and baptism in the Catholic Church. 

[grace-land]

http://en.radiovaticana.va/news/2014/01/17/pope_francis:_dont_forsake_the_gift_of_being_gods_children/en1-764868

2014-01-17 13:31:51
Pope Francis: Don't forsake the gift of being God's children

(Vatican Radio) We must not sell out the gift of being God’s children for a distorted sense of normality. These were the words of Pope Francis at Mass on Friday morning in the Vatican’s Casa Santa Marta. As Christians, Pope Francis said, we must actively strive against the normality of our everyday lives to remain faithful to God’s choosing. We must not sell out to the temptation of worldliness, of living as if God didn’t exist.

We often forget the Word of God, Pope Francis continued, we forget what the Lord says, and we listen instead to whatever word is more fashionable, more fun. This temptation, the Pope said, is more dangerous than an outright renouncing of faith, because it is more subtle, and less clear. It is true, he recognised, that Christians must be normal people, but they must also bear in mind the Word of God which says to them ‘you are my people, I have chosen you, I am by your side’.
 

[grace-land]

http://en.radiovaticana.va/news/2014/01/17/pope_francis_greets_finnish_ecumenical_delegation/en1-764860

2014-01-17 13:20:11
Pope Francis greets Finnish ecumenical delegation



(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis met on Friday with members of an ecumenical delegation from Finland, led by Lutheran Archbishop Kari Makinen, urging them to continue working for the goal of full, visible unity among Christians. The group is making its annual pilgrimage to Rome for the feast day of Saint Henry, patron saint of Finland. Philippa Hitchen takes a closer look at what the Pope had to say:
Listen: RealAudioMP3

Recalling the theme for this year’s Week of Prayer for Christian Unity which begins on Saturday, ‘Has Christ been divided’, Pope Francis noted that question was put by St Paul to the divided Christian community in Corinth. We must ask ourselves that same question today, he said, in the face of those who no longer see the full, visible unity of the Church as an achievable goal. In this context, he stressed, we must not weaken our ecumenical efforts, but must remain faithful to the prayer that Jesus prayed to his Father ‘that they may be one’.
 

[grace-land]

http://abcnews.go.com/Health/wireStory/apnewsbreak-pope-defrocks-400-priests-years-21576293

Pope Benedict Reportedly Defrocked 400 Priests in 2 Years
VATICAN CITY January 17, 2014 (AP)

In his last two years as pope, Benedict XVI defrocked nearly 400 priests for raping and molesting children, more than twice as many as the two years that preceded a 2010 explosion of sex abuse cases in Europe and beyond, according to a document obtained Friday by The Associated Press and an analysis of Vatican statistics.

The data — 260 priests defrocked in 2011 and 124 in 2012, a total of 384 — represented a dramatic increase over the 171 priests defrocked in 2008 and 2009.

It was the first compilation of the number of priests forcibly removed for sex abuse by the Vatican's in-house procedures — and a canon lawyer said the real figure is likely far higher, since the numbers don't include sentences meted out by diocesan courts.

The spike started a year after the Vatican decided to double the statute of limitations on the crime, enabling victims who were in their late 30s to report abuse committed against them when they were children.

The Vatican has actually made some data public year by year in its annual reports. But an internal Vatican document prepared to help the Holy See defend itself before a U.N. committee this week in Geneva compiled the statistics over the course of several years. Analysis of the raw data cited in that document, which was obtained by the AP, confirmed the figures.

Archbishop Silvano Tomasi, the Vatican's U.N. ambassador in Geneva, referred to just one of the statistics in the course of eight hours of often pointed criticism and questioning Thursday from the U.N. human rights committee. He said 418 new child sex abuse cases were reported to the Vatican in 2012.

The Vatican initially said the AP report seemed to be a misinterpretation of the 418 figure. However, the Vatican spokesman, the Rev. Federico Lombardi, later issued a correction based on confirmation of the AP calculations by the Vatican's former sex crimes prosecutor, Monsignor Charles Scicluna.

The Vatican's annual report contains a wealth of information about the activities of its various offices, including the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, which handles sex abuse cases. Although public, the reports are not readily available or sold outside Rome and are usually found in Vatican offices or Catholic university libraries.
 

[grace-land]

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/01/18/world/europe/384-priests-defrocked-over-abuse-in-2-years.html?_r=0

384 Priests Defrocked Over Abuse in 2 Years
JAN. 17, 2014

 
In 2001, Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, who became Pope Benedict XVI in 2005, arranged for all abuse cases to be sent to his office at the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith in Rome. After the sexual abuse scandal erupted anew in the United States in 2002, American bishops forwarded about 700 abuse cases to the Vatican during the next few years, said Nicholas P. Cafardi, the former dean of the Duquesne University School of Law, who wrote a book about the church’s response to sexual abuse.

“Since the American eruption, you’ve had eruptions in Ireland and Australia and a number of other European countries,” he said. “The cases could be decades old. So it’s certainly a large number, but when you think of the time frame involved, it’s less impressive.”

Cases of abuse by priests can be adjudicated in both church and civil courts, though the vast majority are never prosecuted by civil authorities, often because they are beyond the statute of limitations. Under the church’s canon law, defrocking is the most severe penalty.

The spate of defrocked priests signifies what advocates for abuse victims have called a laudable shift in approach from previous decades, when priests accused of abuse were routinely reassigned to unsuspecting parishes or shipped off to new dioceses or countries.
 
---------------------
Defrocking

...which implies a punitive measure taken against a priest because of objectionable conduct. The more correct canonical term for such a punishment is dismissal from the clerical state. Sometimes this penalty is also termed forced laicization. A priest who is forcibly laicized still remains a priest, since, as we have seen, it is impossible to undo his priestly ordination (c. 1338.2). But he is forbidden from exercising it for the rest of his life.

http://catholicexchange.com/what-does-it-mean-to-defrock-a-priest

[grace-land]

Two more articles on the same topic as above...

http://religion.blogs.cnn.com/2014/01/17/vatican-rebuts-report-on-defrocked-priests/
January 17th, 2014  04:29 PM ET
Update: Vatican clarifies number of defrocked priests

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2541548/Revealed-Pope-Benedict-XVI-defrocked-400-priests-sexually-molesting-children-just-two-years.html
Revealed: Pope Benedict XVI defrocked 400 priests for sexually molesting children in just two years
PUBLISHED: 18:07 EST, 17 January 2014  | UPDATED: 18:54 EST, 17 January 2014

[grace-land]

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/jan/18/pope-francis-tough-paedophile-priests-catholic-church-sex-abuse-crisis

Pope will be tough on paedophile priests, says sex abuse crisis authority
Saturday 18 January 2014 11.13 EST

Pope Francis will not show leniency towards paedophile priests as truth and justice are more important than protecting the church, the Vatican's former sex crimes prosecutor has pledged.

Monsignor Charles Scicluna, the most authoritative Catholic official on the church's abuse crisis, said on Saturday that the number of clerics defrocked by the Vatican was likely to have fallen to about 100 in 2013 from about 125 in 2012 and a peak of 260 in 2011.

Scicluna said Francis would, despite his merciful nature, be very tough on paedophile priests after an abuse crisis that the pope on Thursday called "the shame of the church".

"I have met with Francis and he has expressed great determination to continue on the line of his predecessors," said Scicluna, who served in the Vatican for 17 years before he was named an auxiliary bishop in his native Malta in 2012.

"His gospel of mercy is very important but it is not cheap mercy. It has to respect the truth and the demands of justice," Scicluna said.

The pope, who was elected last March, set up a commission of experts last month to address the sexual abuse of children in the Catholic church, in his first major step to tackle a crisis that has plagued it for two decades.

The group will consider ways to better screen priests, protect minors and help victims in the face of accusations that the Vatican has not done enough to guard the vulnerable or make amends.
 

[grace-land]

http://www.ncregister.com/blog/edward-pentin/vatican-commission-completes-medjugorje-investigation

Vatican Commission Completes Medjugorje Investigation
Saturday, January 18, 2014 8:38 AM

The international Vatican commission investigating the events at Medjugorje has completed its work and will submit its findings to the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, the Vatican confirmed today.

The Vatican released the following statement this morning:

"The director of the Holy See Press Office, Fr. Federico Lombardi, confirmed on Saturday that the international commission investigating the events in Medjugorje held its last meeting on 17 January. The commission, created by the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, is presided by Cardinal Camillo Ruini. The commission has reportedly completed its work and will submit the outcomes of its study to the Congregation."

After the commission’s report is examined by the CDF, it will be given to the Pope who will have the final say, but this may take some time.

The commission, which has been working in strict secrecy since 2010, is made up of an international panel of cardinals, bishops, theologians and other experts who have been undertaking a detailed study of reports of Marian apparitions at Medjugorje which began in 1981. These apparitions continue regularly to this day, according to the shrine’s six “seers”, attracting hundreds of thousands of pilgrims each year.

The local hierarchy has sought to discourage the “Medjugorje phenomenon” which prompted the Vatican to carry out its own investigation. The Holy Father met Bosnian Cardinal Vinko Puljić, Archbishop of Vrhbosna, Sarajevo, in private audience on Thursday.
 

[grace-land]

http://en.radiovaticana.va/news/2014/01/18/cardinal_koch_on_christian_unity_and_jewish-catholic_relations/en1-764917

2014-01-18 07:27:15
Cardinal Koch on Christian Unity and Jewish-Catholic relations

(Vatican Radio) The Week of Prayer for Christian Unity is being celebrated by many Churches in the northern hemisphere from January 18th to 25th, focusing this year on a provocative question from St Paul to the early Christian community in Corinth: ‘Has Christ been divided?’ Resources for this annual event have been developed by an ecumenical group of Christians in Canada and are available on the websites of both the Vatican’s Council for Christian Unity and World Council of Churches.

Here in Rome the week of ecumenical activities, conferences and liturgies will conclude with the celebration of Vespers, with Pope Francis presiding in the Basilica of St Paul Outside the Walls with members of the many other Christian communities.

But what will be the Holy Father’s most important ecumenical appointments over the coming year? What contribution has Pope Francis brought to the search for Christian Unity? And how should we respond to the theme for this year’s Week of Prayer? Philippa Hitchen put those questions to the head of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity, Swiss Cardinal Kurt Koch…
 

[grace-land]

http://en.radiovaticana.va/news/2014/01/18/pope_francis:_public_broadcasting_is_for_the_common_good/en1-765187

2014-01-18 12:37:57
Pope Francis: public broadcasting is 'for the common good'

(Vatican Radio) Directors and staff of Italy’s national broadcaster, RAI, met with Pope Francis on Saturday in the context of its double-anniversary year. The broadcaster is marking its 90th anniversary in radio and its 60th anniversary in television.

During their audience in the Paul VI Hall, the Pope took the occasion to remind broadcasters of their responsibility to maintain high ethical standards and to produce media that promotes human growth.

The double-anniversary, said the Pope, is an occasion to reflect upon the relationship between the RAI and the Holy See these past decades and on the value and demands of public service broadcasting.

Singling out the Second Vatican Council, papal elections, papal visits in Italy, the Jubilee Year, and the funeral of John Paul II as examples, Pope Francis said Italians have always been able to access the words and images of the Pope and to follow Church events through RAI radio or television.

The Pope said the keyword he wanted to highlight on the occasion of these two anniversaries is “collaboration”, in particular the collaboration that happens between the RAI and the Vatican’s radio and television broadcasters.

The Pope also acknowledged the broadcaster’s various religious productions over the years and its role in documenting change in Italian society and in unifying Italy both linguistically and culturally.
 

[grace-land]

http://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/christians-must-be-disciples-of-the-lamb-of-god-says-pope/

Christians must be disciples of the Lamb of God, says Pope

Vatican City, Jan 19, 2014 / 09:49 am (CNA/EWTN News).- In his Angelus address today, Pope Francis reflected on Christ as the “Lamb of God,” focusing on the need for Christians to be welcoming and to live an attitude of solidarity.

“What does it mean for the Church, for us, today, to be disciples of Jesus the Lamb of God? It means replacing malice with innocence, force with love, pride with humility, prestige with service,” Pope Francis proclaimed Jan. 19 in St. Peter's Square.

“To be a disciple of the Lamb does not mean to live like a ‘besieged citadel,’ but as a city placed on a hill, open, welcoming, and sympathetic,” he explained on Jan. 19.

Meditating on the Baptism of Christ, during which John the Baptist proclaims “Behold the lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world,” Pope Francis said this “taking away” is literally Christ's “lifting up” the sin of the world, “taking it upon himself.”

“Jesus came into the world with a precise mission: to free us from the bondage of sin, charging the faults of humanity,” the Roman Pontiff said, by “loving.”

“There is no other way of overcoming evil and sin except with the love that springs from the gift of one’s own life for others.”

Christ is “the true paschal lamb, who immerses himself in the river of our sin, in order to purify us,” he stressed.