Pope Francis

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http://en.radiovaticana.va/news/2014/02/27/pope_to_christians:_practice_what_you_preach/en1-776949

2014-02-27 12:14:37
Pope to Christians: Practice what you preach

(Vatican Radio) The incoherent Christian gives scandal, and scandal kills: those were the very strong words Pope Francis used today in his homily at Mass at the Casa Santa Marta.

The Holy Father took his cue from a Confirmation administered during the Mass. The person who receives this Sacrament, Pope Francis said, “manifested the desire to be a Christian. To be Christian means to bear witness to Jesus Christ.” A Christian is a person who “thinks like a Christian, feels like a Christian and acts like a Christian. And this is coherency in the life of a Christian. Someone can be said to have faith, “but if one of these things is missing, he is not a Christian, there’s something wrong, there’s a certain incoherence. And Christians “who ordinarily, commonly live in incoherence, do so much harm”:
 
 

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http://en.radiovaticana.va/news/2014/02/27/pope_francis:_society_needs_example_of_reciprocal_love_among/en1-776965

2014-02-27 12:44:36
Pope Francis: Society needs example of reciprocal love among Christians

(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis received bishops who support the Focolari Movement on Thursday and stressed the importance of fraternal co-existence for the Church and its members. Noting that the theme chosen by the Focolari Lay Movement for their meeting this year is “reciprocal love among the disciples of Christ” the Pope explained how the message contained within this theme is a powerful evangelizing tool for the Church.
 

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http://en.radiovaticana.va/news/2014/02/27/pope_defines_the_mission_for_the_congregation_for_bishops/en1-777111

2014-02-27 16:34:06
Pope defines the mission for the congregation for bishops

(VIS) – This morning, in the Sala Bologna of the Vatican Apostolic Palace, Pope Francis presided over a meeting of the Congregation for Bishops, whose prefect is Cardinal Marc Ouellet, P.S.S., and gave an address to those present regarding the mission of this congregation and the criteria that should determine the selection of a bishop, as well as the characteristics he should embody and his task in relation to the faithful entrusted to him. The Holy Father concluded by urging greater attention in scouring the fields in search of suitable pastors for this ministry, with the certainty that Christ never abandons His Church.

Extensive extracts are published below:
 

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http://en.radiovaticana.va/news/2014/02/27/holy_see_to_participate_with_pavillion_at_expo_milan_2015_/en1-777116

2014-02-27 16:35:39
Holy See to participate with Pavillion at Expo Milan 2015

(VIS) – This morning in the Holy See Press Office the protocol was presented for the participation of the Holy See at Expo Milan 2015. The general theme of the event will be “Feeding the Planet, Energy for Life”.

Cardinal Gianfranco Ravasi, Commissioner General for the Holy See for Expo Milan 2015, and Giuseppe Sala, Sole Commissioner Delegate of the Italian Government for Expo Milan 2015, signed the Protocol this morning in the Sala Regia of the Vatican Apostolic Palace, and spoke at the press conference.

Expo Milan 2015 will begin on 1 May 2015 and will continue until 31 October; 140 countries will participate with their respective pavilions. The theme of the Holy See's pavilion will be “Not by bread alone”, and aims to “highlight, above all, the inner, religious and cultural dimension that affects both the person and his relationships at all levels. Inner nourishment is just as necessary as that which responds to more immediate needs”.

From the universal value of sharing and solidarity to the protection of the Earth's resources that must not be squandered or plundered, the Holy See's pavilion will promote profound reflection on the concept of “nourishment”, and will do so by presenting four areas.
 

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http://en.radiovaticana.va/news/2014/02/27/protecting_the_author_copyright_of_pope_francis:/en1-776978

2014-02-27 13:08:35
Protecting the author copyright of Pope Francis:

(Vatican Radio) The Vatican on Thursday confirmed that the Libreria Editrice Vaticana (Vatican Publishing House) holds the author copyrights for all works written by Pope Francis. 

[grace-land]

Video at the link

http://www.romereports.com/pg155926-vatican-publishes-letter-addressed-to-religious-en

Vatican publishes letter addressed to religious
2014-02-27

Pope Francis usually highlights that consecrated life is a synonym to joy. The Vatican's Congregation for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life wants that same 'joy' to play a key role next year, dedicated to religious people.

Not by chance, the Congregation published a preparatory letter titled 'Rejoice.'

MSGR. JOSÉ RODRÍGUEZ CARBALLO
Secretary, Congregation for Consecrated Life

"The joy we're talking about, and the one the title of the letter refers to, is a joy that comes from meeting Jesus. It is a joy that comes from the deep within the heart.”

This document compiles homilies and speeches Pope Francis addressed to consecrated men and women.
 
The Year of Consecrated Life will start on November 2014 and will end in February 2016. One of the major events planned is a world gathering of young consecrated men and women in Rome.

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http://en.radiovaticana.va/news/2014/02/28/pope_francis:_accompany,_dont_condemn,_those_who_have_experience/en1-777372

2014-02-28 14:24:56
Pope Francis: accompany, don't condemn, those who have experience failure in marriage

(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis celebrated Mass in the chapel of the Casa Santa Marta residence in the Vatican this morning. In remarks following the readings of the day, the Holy Father focused on the beauty of marriage and warned that the Church must accompany – not condemn – those who experience failure in married life. He explained that Christ is the Bridegroom of the Church, and therefore you cannot understand one without the Other.

The Holy Father also warned against giving in to the temptation to entertain “special pleading” in questions regarding marriage. The Pharisees, he noted, present Jesus with the problem of divorce. Their method, the Pope said, is always the same: “casuistry,” — “is this licit or not?”
 

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http://en.radiovaticana.va/news/2014/02/28/pope_francis_meets_high_level_interfaith_group_on_its_return_from/en1-777207

2014-02-28 09:36:42
Pope Francis meets high level interfaith group on its return from Holy Land pilgrimage

(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis has met with 45 important interfaith leaders from Argentina who have just returned from the Holy Land, which the Pontiff himself is due to visit May 24-26. Thursday’s meeting in the Santa Marta guesthouse included 15 Jews, 15 Muslims and 15 Catholics. Their trip covered many of the stops which the Holy Father is expected to visit during his brief pilgrimage to Jordan , Israel and Palestine. The group met leading political and religious authorities and visited the holy sites of the three monotheistic religions.

According to a report in the Vatican paper, L’Osservatore Romano, many members of the group, which included several rabbis, imams and priests, have known the Pope since he was Cardinal Bergoglio, Archbishop of Buenos Aires. They had collaborated with him in inter-religious dialogue and worked with him on a number of joint social and charitable projects aimed at helping people in difficult situations.
 

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http://en.radiovaticana.va/news/2014/02/28/pope_receives_members_of_pontifical_commission_for_latin_america/en1-777324

2014-02-28 12:57:55
Pope receives members of Pontifical Commission for Latin America

(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis received the members of the Pontifical Commission for Latin America on Friday. Founded in 1958 to offer advice and assistance to the particular Churches in Latin America, the Commission operates under the Congregation for Bishops. Members have been in Plenary Assembly this week to discuss the theme: Educational Emergency and the Transmission of the Faith to Latin American Youth.

In remarks delivered to the members on Friday in the Clementine Hall of the Apostolic Palace in the Vatican, Pope Francis addressed the topic under their consideration through the key of the Gospel story of Jesus and the rich young man.
 

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http://en.radiovaticana.va/news/2014/02/27/cdf_official:_my_memories_of_that_historic_day_when_pope_benedict/en1-777143

2014-02-28 17:01:05
CDF official: My memories of that historic day when Pope Benedict stepped down



(Vatican Radio) Exactly one year ago (on February 28th 2013) Pope Benedict left the Vatican for the last time as Pope and was flown by helicopter to the papal summer residence at Castel Gandolfo. Benedict was the first Pope to step down in more than 600 years and for many people within the Vatican those final moments of his papacy are indelible images stamped in their memories.

One of those who was an eyewitness on that historic day was Monsignor John Kennedy, a senior official at the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. Monsignor Kennedy worked with Pope Benedict for several years when as Cardinal Josef Ratzinger he was the Prefect of that Congregation. He shared with Susy Hodges his memories and emotions of that day that was like no other.
Listen to the full interview with Monsignor Kennedy: RealAudioMP3

Monsignor Kennedy recalls that February 28th last year when Pope Benedict formally stepped down was “a typically bright early spring day but it was so surreal.” As a result he said it was really hard for him and his colleagues to concentrate on their work. “Our minds were on our desks but our hearts were with Pope Benedict.” He describes how the people working at the Congregation that day “all felt magnetically drawn” to go up onto the roof of their office building to witness with their own eyes the final scenes of Benedict’s departure from the Vatican.
 
“At eight o’clock the bells chimed … and then everybody in the square began to clap and I thought this was a nice way of saying (to Benedict) ‘Well done, thank you for everything you’ve done for us and we wish you well in the future.”

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http://www.catholicnews.com/data/stories/cns/1400852.htm

Feb-28-2014
Cardinal outlines possible paths to Communion for divorced, remarried

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- The Catholic Church needs to find a way to offer healing, strength and salvation to Catholics whose marriages have failed, who are committed to making a new union work and who long to do so within the church and with the grace of Communion, Cardinal Walter Kasper told the world's cardinals.

Jesus' teaching on the indissolubility of sacramental marriage is clear, the retired German cardinal said, and it would harm individuals and the church to pretend otherwise. However, "after the shipwreck of sin, the shipwrecked person should not have a second boat at his or her disposal, but rather a life raft" in the form of the sacrament of Communion, he said.

Pope Francis had asked Cardinal Walter Kasper, a well-known theologian and author of a book on mercy as a fundamental trait of God, to introduce a Feb. 20-21 discussion by the College of Cardinals on family life. The Vatican did not publish the cardinal's text, but Catholic News Service obtained a copy.
 

[grace-land]

http://en.radiovaticana.va/news/2014/03/02/pope_angelus:_appeal_for_ukraine_and_christian_fraternity/en1-777871

2014-03-02 13:10:52
Pope Angelus: Appeal for Ukraine and Christian fraternity

(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis asked for prayers for Ukraine on Sunday, which he said was living through a delicate situation.
The Holy Father expressed the hope that all parts of the country “will endeavour to overcome misunderstandings and build together the future of the nation.”

The Pope also appealed to the international community “to support any initiative for dialogue and harmony.”
He made the call following the recitation of the Angelus in St Peter’s Square.

Before the Marian prayer and referring to Sunday’s liturgy, the Pope underlined the need to trust in the Divine Providence of God and also stressed as Christians, we should help our brothers and sisters who are in need.

Looking at society today where people live in precarious conditions such as poverty and the difficulties faced by many as a result of the economic crisis that offends their dignity, the Pope said that in times like these the words of Jesus may seem abstract.
 

[Sister]

http://www.catholicnews.com/data/stories/cns/1400852.htm

Feb-28-2014
Cardinal outlines possible paths to Communion for divorced, remarried

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- The Catholic Church needs to find a way to offer healing, strength and salvation to Catholics whose marriages have failed, who are committed to making a new union work and who long to do so within the church and with the grace of Communion, Cardinal Walter Kasper told the world's cardinals.

Jesus' teaching on the indissolubility of sacramental marriage is clear, the retired German cardinal said, and it would harm individuals and the church to pretend otherwise. However, "after the shipwreck of sin, the shipwrecked person should not have a second boat at his or her disposal, but rather a life raft" in the form of the sacrament of Communion, he said.

Pope Francis had asked Cardinal Walter Kasper, a well-known theologian and author of a book on mercy as a fundamental trait of God, to introduce a Feb. 20-21 discussion by the College of Cardinals on family life. The Vatican did not publish the cardinal's text, but Catholic News Service obtained a copy.
 

I am so glad they are talking about this . . .

thanks grace-land for all the articles.  I enjoy reading them and I am learning a lot.
 

[grace-land]

You're welcome, Sister.   

I'm glad, too, that they will be engaged in serious discussions about the possibility of communion for divorced, remarried Catholics; it's long overdue imo.  Hopefully, there is a solution that will provide healing and spiritual comfort to them.

[grace-land]

http://en.radiovaticana.va/news/2014/03/03/pope_francis:_pray_for_vocations/en1-778043

2014-03-03 12:35:33
Pope Francis: Pray for vocations

(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis on Monday asked the faithful to pray for vocations, so that God may send priests and nuns whose hearts are for Him only; free from the idolatry of vanity, of power and of wealth.

Speaking during morning Mass at Casa Santa Marta, Pope Francis took his cue from the Gospel reading of day which tells of a rich man who ran up to Jesus, knelt down before him, and asked him what he should do to inherit eternal life. This man – the Pope said – really wanted to hear what Jesus had to say. “He was a good man, a man who had observed the commandments from his youth, but this was not enough for him, he wanted more. The Holy Spirit was pushing him further”. Jesus looked at him, loved him and said to him: ‘Go, sell what you have, and give to the poor; then come, follow me’. At that statement, his face fell, and he went away sad, for he had many possessions:
 

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http://en.radiovaticana.va/news/2014/03/03/pope_francis_to_spanish_bishops:_be_in_permanent_mission/en1-778137

2014-03-03 14:58:08
Pope Francis to Spanish Bishops: Be in permanent mission

(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis on Monday met with the Spanish bishops who were in Rome this week on the ad limina visit. He spoke to them about the current situation of the Church in Spain and the western world.

“At this time when you are suffering the difficult experience of the indifference of many of the baptized and you must cope with a worldly culture, which squeezes God into the private life, and excludes him from the public sphere, one must not forget your history,” Pope Francis said. “From it, we learn that the grace of God is never extinguished, and the Holy Spirit continues to work in the present reality with generosity.”

The Holy Father told the bishops to trust the Holy Spirit to plant seeds in the hearts of those whom he has entrusted to their pastoral care.

“Therefore, dear brothers, spare no efforts in opening new paths to the gospels, that reach the hearts of all people, so that they discover what is already nestled within: Christ as a friend and brother,” said the Pope.
 

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http://en.radiovaticana.va/news/2014/03/03/pope_francis:_holy_spirit_protagonist_of_spiritual_life/en1-778040

2014-03-03 13:01:49
Pope Francis: Holy Spirit protagonist of spiritual life

(Vatican Radio) A week before beginning his own Lenten spiritual exercises, Pope Francis greeted members of the Italian Federation of Spiritual Exercises (FIES), which is marking its 50th anniversary.

Pope Francis said such an important anniversary was an opportunity for them to take stock and reflect on their history and recall their roots as they read the new signs of the times.

“The men and women of today need to meet God, to know Him ‘not from hearsay’”, Pope Francis said. “Your service is completely oriented towards this, and you accomplish this by providing spaces and times of listening intensely to the Word in silence and prayer.”

He commended the doctrinal and spiritual competence and quality of the personnel working in the Federation’s spiritual retreats and houses, but reminded them that the protagonist of the spiritual life is always the Holy Spirit, who “sustains everything we do.”
 

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http://en.radiovaticana.va/news/2014/03/03/pope_francis_names_secretary-general_for_economy_secretariat/en1-778143

2014-03-03 15:15:52
Pope Francis names secretary-general for Economy Secretariat



(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis has named Monsignor Alfred Xuereb as the prelate secretary-general of the Economy Secretariat, whose Prefect is Australian Cardinal George Pell. Monsignor Xuereb is the private secretary of Pope Francis, and served as the deputy private secretary to Pope Benedict XVI until he retired. 

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http://en.radiovaticana.va/news/2014/03/04/pope_francis:_there_are_christians_nowadays_condemned_for_having_a/en1-778419

2014-03-04 13:31:58
Pope Francis: There are Christians nowadays condemned for having a Bible

(Vatican Radio) The persecution of Christians in contemporary society was the focus of Pope Francis’ homily at his Mass on Tuesday morning in the Santa Marta residence. He warned that the Cross is always on the road of a Christian, saying there are more Christian martyrs today than during the early days of the Church.
Listen to this report by Susy Hodges: RealAudioMP3

In his homily, the Pope took as his cue the biblical account of where Peter asked Jesus what the disciples would receive in return for following him. He said Peter probably thought that following Jesus would be a great commercial activity because Jesus is generous but, as Christ warned, whatever they would gain would always be accompanied by persecutions.

“It’s as if Jesus said, ”Yes, you have left everything and you will receive here on earth many things: but with persecutions!” Like a salad with the oil of persecution: always! This is what the Christian gains and this is the road for the person who wants to follow Jesus, because it’s the road that He himself trod.: He was persecuted! It’s the road of humbling yourself. That’s what Paul wrote in his letter to the Philippians. ‘Jesus emptied himself and being in every way like a human being, he was humbler yet, even to accepting death, death on a cross’. This is the reality of Christian life.”
 

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http://www.news.va/en/news/cardinal-abril-y-castillo-appointed-president-of-t

Cardinal Abril y Castillo appointed president of the Cardinals's Commission for the IOR

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Vatican City, 4 March 2014 (VIS) – The members of the Cardinals’ Commission of the Istituto per le Opere di Religione (IOR) have nominated Cardinal Santos Abril y Castello as their President.

According to the Institute’s Statutes, the members of the Cardinals’ Commission are appointed by the Holy Father for a period of five years. The Cardinals’ Commission is called to meet by its President at least twice a year. It reviews reports on major business processes and strategy presented by the President of the Board of Superintendence. The Commission further oversees the Institute’s adherence to statutory norms and appoints the members of the Board of Superintendence.