Pope Francis

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http://en.radiovaticana.va/news/2014/04/13/pope_on_palm_sunday:_where_is_my_heart_before_the_suffering_jesus/en1-790560

2014-04-13 16:34:48
Pope on Palm Sunday: Where is my heart before the suffering Jesus?

(Vatican Radio) In the narrative of Christ’s Passion and Death, who am I?

This was the central question of Pope Francis’ homily during Palm Sunday Mass in Saint Peter’s Square, where 100,000 had gathered from around the world, bearing palms and olive branches.

The Pope said that while this week begins with a festive procession of welcome and praise of Jesus, it also recalls the mystery of the Lord’s death and resurrection of Holy Week.

During this week, he said, “We would do well to ask just one question: who am I? Who am I, before my Lord? Who am I, who enters into Jerusalem in celebration? Am I able to express my joy, to praise Him? Or do I keep distant? Who am I, before Jesus Who suffers?”

The Holy Father recalled the names of those appearing in the Gospel reading for the day which recounts Christ’s Passion and Death. “Is my life asleep,” he said, like that of the disciples who slept while the Lord suffered? “Am I like Judas, who pretended to love, and kissed the Master to give him over, to betray him? Am I a traitor?”

Pope Francis listed the other players in the account of Christ’s Passion, calling us to ask ourselves if we are like one of these: Pilate, who washed his hands of his responsibility in condemning Jesus; the crowds who chose the criminal Barabbas over Jesus; the soldiers who struck Jesus and mocked him; the passersby who mocked Jesus as he hung on the Cross.

The Pope then went on to name those in the Gospel reading who showed their fidelity to Jesus: Simon of Cyrene, who helped carry the Cross; Joseph of Arimathea, the “hidden disciple,” who offered his own newly-hewn tomb for Jesus’ Body to be laid in; the women who wept and prayed before the tomb. Am I like Mary, he said, the “Mother of Jesus, who was there, suffering silently?”

Pope Francis concluded his homily saying that this question ought to accompany us through Holy Week: “Where is my heart? To which of these people am I most alike?”
 

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http://abclocal.go.com/kabc/story?section=news/world_news&id=9502193

Pope Francis poses for 'selfies' after Palm Sunday homily
Sunday, April 13, 2014



VATICAN CITY --  Pope Francis, marking Palm Sunday in a packed St. Peter's Square, ignored his prepared homily and spoke entirely off-the-cuff in a remarkable departure from practice. Later, he continued to stray from the script by hopping off his popemobile to pose for "selfies" with young people and also sipping tea passed to him from the crowd.

In his homily, Francis called on people, himself included, to look into their own hearts to see how they are living their lives.

"Has my life fallen asleep?" Francis asked after listening to a Gospel account of how Jesus' disciples fell asleep shortly before he was betrayed by Judas before his crucifixion.

"Am I like Pontius Pilate, who, when he sees the situation is difficult, washes my hands?"

He sounded tired, frequently pausing to catch his breath, as he spoke for about 15 minutes in his homily during Palm Sunday Mass, which solemnly opens Holy Week for the Roman Catholic Church.

"Where is my heart?" the pope asked, pinpointing that as the "question which accompanies us" throughout Holy Week.

Francis seemed to regain his wind after the 2 ½ hour ceremony. He shed his red vestments atop his plain white cassock, chatted amiably with cardinals dressed more formally than he at that point. Then he posed for "selfies" with young people from Rio de Janeiro who had carried a large cross in the square.
 

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http://en.radiovaticana.va/news/2014/04/14/pope_to_seminarians:_be_shepherds_like_the_good_shepherd/en1-790711

2014-04-14 13:53:21
Pope to seminarians: Be shepherds like the Good Shepherd

(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis on Monday met with members of the Pontifical Leonine College of Anagni, a regional seminary for several of the Diocese around the city of Rome. The College was founded by Pope Leo XIII in 1897.

In his address, Pope Francis spoke about the importance of forming seminarians in “a climate of prayer and fraternity.” This atmosphere, he said, allows seminarians to grow closer to “the sentiments of Jesus Christ, His love for the Father and for the Church,” and His dedication to the people of God.

The Pope warned the seminarians that they are not preparing to be functionaries, but true shepherds in the image of Jesus the Good Shepherd.
 

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http://en.radiovaticana.va/news/2014/04/14/way_of_cross_meditations_for_colosseum_procession_reflect_on_sins,/en1-790721

2014-04-14 14:10:43
Way of Cross meditations for Colosseum procession reflect on sins, injustices of man

(Vatican Radio) The Way of the Cross led by Pope around Rome’s ancient Colosseum this upcoming Good Friday invites us to reflect on the current economic crisis and its dire consequences, on the suffering of migrants and on the evils that tear many young lives apart . The texts of the meditations, which will be published Tuesday by the Vatican publishing house Libreria Editrice Vaticana, were written by Msgr. Giancarlo Bregantini, Archbishop of Campobasso – Boiano in southern Italy.

In his meditations for the 14 stations of the Lord’s Passion, Archbishop Bregantini captures the dramatic situations that have traumatized so many in today’s world, including those in his own southern Italy.
 

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http://en.radiovaticana.va/news/2014/04/14/good_friday_collection_in_solidarity_with_church_in_holy_land/en1-790673

2014-04-14 12:20:11
Good Friday Collection in solidarity with Church in Holy Land

(Vatican Radio) Parishes around the world this week will be taking up the traditional annual Good Friday Collection for the Church in the Holy Land.The proceeds from the Good Friday Collection go to the Franciscan Custody of the Holy Land. The Franciscans have been caring for the holy sites there since 1209. They also assist the poor, run schools, provide scholarships, and conduct pastoral ministries to keep Christianity alive in the land where it originated.

In his appeal to Catholics to donate generously this Good Friday, Cardinal Leonardo Sandri, Prefect of the Congregation for Eastern Churches, said “The Collection is still today the principal source which sustains the life and works of the region’s Christians.”
 

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http://en.radiovaticana.va/news/2014/04/15/pope_francis_wishes_rome’s_jewish_community_a_happy_pesach/en1-790900

2014-04-15 08:35:33
Pope Francis wishes Rome’s Jewish Community a happy Pesach

(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis has written to the Chief Rabbi of Rome to wish the Eternal City’s Jewish community – and by extension the global community – a happy Pesach, or Passover. A telegram signed by Pope Francis and addressed to Riccardo Di Segni reads:

“As the great feast of Passover approaches I would like to extend my most cordial greetings of peace to you and all the Jewish Community of Rome. The memory of the liberation from oppression by the strong arm of the Lord inspires thoughts of mercy, reconciliation and fraternal closeness to all those who suffer under the weight of new [forms of ] slavery. Turning our thoughts to Jerusalem, which I will have the joy of visiting in the near future, I ask you to accompany me with your prayers while I assure you of my thoughts and invoke abundant blessings”
 

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http://en.radiovaticana.va/news/2014/04/16/pope_francis:_weekly_general_audience/en1-791261

2014-04-16 10:57:05
Pope Francis: weekly General Audience

(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis held his weekly General Audience on Wednesday – the Wednesday of Holy Week or “Spy Wednesday” as it is called in many parts of the English-speaking world. The Gospel reading of the day recounts Judas’ betrayal of Jesus, which sets in motion the events of Christ’s Passion, Death and Resurrection. In his catechetical remarks to pilgrims and tourists gathered in St. Peter’s Square under a brilliant blue April sky, with a crisp spring breeze blowing through the city, Pope Francis spoke of Christ’s free embrace of suffering and death, which he took on for our sake. It was a theme to which he returned in the English-language remarks that were read out following the main catechesis in Italian.

“Out of love for us,” wrote Pope Francis, “Jesus freely walked the path of humiliation and self-abandonment for our salvation.” Listen: RealAudioMP3
 

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http://en.radiovaticana.va/news/2014/04/17/pope_francis_at_chrism_mass:_the_joy_of_being_a_priest/en1-791702

2014-04-17 12:50:38
Pope Francis at Chrism Mass: the joy of being a priest

(Vatican Radio) “The Lord anointed us in Christ with the oil of gladness, and this anointing invites us to accept and appreciate this great gift: the gladness, the joy of being a priest.” At the Chrism Mass in Saint Peter’s, Pope Francis spoke about “priestly joy,” a joy, he said, “which anoints us,” an “imperishable joy,” a “missionary joy.”

The joy which anoints priests, the Pope said, “has penetrated deep within our hearts, it has shaped them, and strengthened them sacramentally.” It is a joy that can never be taken away; although it “can lie dormant, or be clogged by sin or by life’s troubles … deep down it remains intact, like the embers of a burnt log beneath the ashes, and it can always be renewed.”

Pope Francis focused especially on the third feature of priestly joy: “Priestly joy is deeply bound up with God’s holy and faithful people, for it is an eminently missionary joy.” This joy, he said, “arises only when the shepherd is in the midst of his flock.” There, his joy is “guarded” by the faithful, by “God’s faithful people” who are able to protect and embrace their priests, to help them open their hearts “to find renewed joy.”

Priestly joy, the Holy Father continued, is guarded, not only by the flock, but “by three sisters who surround it, tend it, and defend it: sister poverty, sister fidelity, and sister obedience.”
 

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http://en.radiovaticana.va/news/2014/04/17/franciscan_custos_on_jerusalem_easter_celebrations,_good_friday/en1-791669

2014-04-17 12:44:12   
Franciscan Custos on Jerusalem Easter celebrations, Good Friday Collection

(Vatican Radio) The Franciscan Custos of the Holy Land has described this year’s coinciding of Easter among the different Christian denominations as a challenge but a “wonderful experience” for pilgrims coming to Jerusalem.

Orthodox churches and the Catholic and Protestant communities all celebrate Easter on the same day this year.

“It is wonderful to celebrate all together, “ says Fr. Pierbattista Pizzaballa, “but from the practical point of view, it is very problematic because we are celebrating different liturgies in the same place and at the same hours.”
 

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http://en.radiovaticana.va/news/2014/04/17/pope_francis:_serve_one_another_in_love/en1-791875

2014-04-17 20:51:14
Pope Francis: 'Serve one another in love'



(Vatican Radio) In a gesture of humility and service, and in imitation of Christ, Pope Francis put on an apron and knelt down to wash the feet of 12 patients at a long-term care facility, during the Missa In Coena Domini, or the Mass of the Lord’s Supper, on Thursday evening.

Visibly fatigued and requiring assistance to kneel and stand up again as he came close to the end of the rite, Pope Francis conveyed tenderness and concern for each person, pouring water on each person’s foot, then drying it and kissing it, before offering a loving gaze, sometimes reciprocated, depending on each person’s state of health. The patients ranged in age from 16 to 86, and all suffer from a variety disabilities. All of them are Italian (though three were of a different ethnic origin), including one Muslim man.
 

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http://en.radiovaticana.va/news/2014/04/18/papal_good_friday_liturgy_solemn,_prayerful/en1-792032

2014-04-18 19:17:55
Papal Good Friday liturgy solemn, prayerful



(Vatican Radio) Hundreds of faithful filled St Peter’s Basilica Friday evening for the celebration of the Passion of Our Lord. The liturgy, also known as the Good Friday service, recalls the crucifixion and death of Jesus. Pope Francis presided the liturgy, whose focal points included the reading of the Passion of Christ and the Adoration of the Holy Cross.

Earlier in the day, Fr Federico Lombardi, director of the Holy See Press Office, told a press conference that the celebration of the Passion of Our Lord is the only papal liturgy in the year when the Pope does not preach the homily.

The Pope presides, but he does not speak any of his own words, said Fr Lombardi. Instead, the homily is given by the preacher of the papal household, currently Father Raniero Cantalamessa, O.F.M. Cap.
 

Video at the link

http://www.romereports.com/pg156503-pope-leads-good-friday-at-the-vatican--en
Pope leads Good Friday at the Vatican
2014-04-18

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http://en.radiovaticana.va/news/2014/04/18/pope_francis:_the_way_of_the_cross_at_the_colosseum/en1-792093

2014-04-18 20:03:20
Pope Francis: the Way of the Cross at the Colosseum



(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis presides over the via crucis – the Way of the Cross – this Good Friday evening at the Colosseum in Rome. The Way of the Cross is a centuries-old and much beloved devotion, that began as a sort of spiritual pilgrimage to the places and scenes and events of Christ’s passion for those who could not make the pilgrimage to the Holy Land in person, as well as for those who had made it and wished to relive their experience, and for those who were preparing for the journey. The practice of placing the “stations” of the Cross in churches, as well as the number of stations – 14 – is traceable at least to the 18th century.

Archbishop Giancarlo Maria Bregantini of Campobasso-Boiano in Italy has composed the meditations accompanying this year’s via cruces devotion at the Colosseum.
 

Video at the link

http://www.romereports.com/pg156504-pope-francis-presides-over-way-of-the-cross-at-rome-s-colosseum-en
Pope Francis presides over Way of the Cross at Rome's Colosseum
2014-04-18

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http://en.radiovaticana.va/news/2014/04/19/pope_francis_urges_prayers_for_victims_of_s._korean_ferry_disaster/en1-792210

2014-04-19 11:19:39
Pope Francis urges prayers for victims of S. Korean ferry disaster

(Vatican Radio) This Holy Saturday, Pope Francis has asked people worldwide to join him in prayer for the victims of the tragic ferry disaster in South Korea.

Using the global twitter network, the Holy Father tweeted: “Please join me in praying for the victims of the ferry disaster in Korea and their families”.

South Korea has been plunged into mourning following the sinking of a shuttle ferry the Sewol earlier this week carrying 476 passengers on board. Many of them – over 300 - were high school students on a school trip to the holiday island of Jeju.
 
Pope Francis is due to visit South Korea this August for Asian Youth Day, August 14-18, and the beatification of the 124 new Korean Martyrs.

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http://en.radiovaticana.va/news/2014/04/19/pope_francis_set_to_preside_over_easter_vigil_in_saint_peters/en1-792407

2014-04-19 19:04:42
Pope Francis set to preside over Easter Vigil in Saint Peter's Basilica

(Vatican Radio) On the evening of April 19, Pope Francis is scheduled to preside over the Easter Vigil celebration in Saint Peter's Basilica.

During this celebration the Pope will baptise ten catechumens, the youngest of whom is a seven year old Italian and the eldest a fifty- eight year old from Vietnam. The catechumens come from a number of different countries including France, Bielorussia, Lebanon and Senegal.

On Easter Sunday morning Pope Francis will preside over Holy Mass in Saint Peter’s Square at 10.15 a.m. and will then impart his traditional ‘Urbi et Orbi’ blessing, to the city and to the world from the central balcony of Saint Peter’s Basilica.
 

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http://whispersintheloggia.blogspot.com/

Saturday, April 19, 2014
On Easter Night, "For Each of Us, There Is A 'Galilee'"

HOMILY OF POPE FRANCIS
THE EASTER VIGIL IN THE HOLY NIGHT
 ST PETER'S BASILICA
 19 APRIL 2014

The Gospel of the resurrection of Jesus Christ begins with the journey of the women to the tomb at dawn on the day after the Sabbath. They go to the tomb to honour the body of the Lord, but they find it open and empty. A mighty angel says to them: “Do not be afraid!” (Mt 28:5) and orders them to go and tell the disciples: “He has been raised from the dead, and indeed he is going ahead of you to Galilee” (v. 7). The women quickly depart and on the way Jesus himself meets them and says: “Do not fear; go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee; there they will see me” (v. 10).
 
For each of us, too, there is a “Galilee” at the origin of our journey with Jesus. “To go to Galilee” means something beautiful, it means rediscovering our baptism as a living fountainhead, drawing new energy from the sources of our faith and our Christian experience. To return to Galilee means above all to return to that blazing light with which God’s grace touched me at the start of the journey. From that flame I can light a fire for today and every day, and bring heat and light to my brothers and sisters. That flame ignites a humble joy, a joy which sorrow and distress cannot dismay, a good, gentle joy.
 

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http://en.radiovaticana.va/news/2014/04/20/pope_pleads_for_peace_in_easter_message/en1-792498

2014-04-20 13:42:49
Pope pleads for peace in Easter message



(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis celebrated the Easter Morning mass, with an assembly of about 150,000 gathered in St. Peter’s Square. After the mass, as is custom, he ascended to the loggia to pronounce his Easter message and to grant his blessing Urbi et Orbi.

Below is a translation of the Pope’s message, which pleads for peace in the most distressing places in our world today.
***************
Dear Brothers and Sisters, Happy and Holy Easter!

The Church throughout the world echoes the angel’s message to the women: “Do not be afraid! I know that you are looking for Jesus who was crucified. He is not here; for he has been raised… Come, see the place where he lay” (Mt 28:5-6). “Do not be afraid! The Lord is Risen!
 

Video at the link:  Easter Mass
 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4G9abYv8lsI&list=UU7E-LYc1wivk33iyt5bR5zQ
Easter Mass
Streamed live on Apr 20, 2014 
The Holy Father presides over the Holy Mass of Easter Day, St. Peter's Square

Video at the link:  Urbi et Orbi

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zOZwkVNqL1I&list=UU7E-LYc1wivk33iyt5bR5zQ
Urbi et Orbi
Streamed live on Apr 20, 2014 
Easter message and Urbi et Orbi blessing of the Holy Father

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http://nypost.com/2014/04/20/canonization-of-popes-john-paul-ii-john-xxiii-to-draw-millions-to-rome/

Canonization of popes John Paul II, John XXIII to draw millions to Rome
April 20, 2014 | 1:25am

Easter services today are expected to kick off a record-breaking week at the Vatican.

Two beloved modern popes — John Paul II and John XXIII — are to be canonized at the Vatican next Sunday by Pope Francis.

There will be services all week, which could draw the most pilgrims ever to the Catholic capital.

John Paul II is remembered for helping to bring down communism and for inspiring a generation of Catholics. Many now call him “The Great,” only the fourth pope to have earned the moniker.

And while much of the crowd’s focus will be on the Polish pope’s remarkable achievements, Pope John XXIII — known as the “Good Pope” for his kindhearted nature — was no less revolutionary.

Pope Francis bypassed the second miracle typically required for canonization for John XXIII, declaring that he deserved the honor for having convened the Second Vatican Council.

Rome officials said they expected 3 million visitors in the city during the period from the Easter celebrations this weekend and the canonization next Sunday.

Nineteen heads of state and 24 prime ministers are expected to attend the canonization ceremony in St. Peter’s Square.
 

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http://en.radiovaticana.va/news/2014/04/21/pope_francis:_let_the_joy_of_the_risen_lord_be_imprinted_in_our/en1-792621

2014-04-21 12:41:59
Pope Francis: Let the joy of the Risen Lord be imprinted in our hearts and lives

(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis began his Regina Coeli address on Monday by saying Happy Easter !Christ is risen! He is truly risen ."

The Holy Father told the faithful gathered in Saint Peter’s Square that the dominant feeling that shines in the Gospel accounts of the Resurrection is one of joy and wonder, and he went on to say that in the liturgy we relive the mood of the disciples with the news that the women had brought, Jesus is risen!

The Pope said, “Let this experience imprinted in the Gospel, be imprinted in our hearts and in our lives. Let the joyous wonder of Easter Sunday radiate through our thoughts , looks, attitudes , gestures and words ..." But, he stressed, let this come from within us.
 
Recalling the Mother of Jesus, the Holy Father said, we would do well this week to think about Mary, as her pain was strong enough to pierce her soul.

In going through the experience of the death and resurrection of her Son, her heart became a source of peace, comfort , hope , and mercy. Mary, underlined the Pope is the Mother full of hope, the Mother of all the disciples , the Mother of the Church.

After the recitation of the Regina Coeli Pope Francis all the faithful in St Peter’s Square wishing them a very Happy and Holy Easter. Listen to Lydia O'Kane's report RealAudioMP3

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http://en.radiovaticana.va/news/2014/04/22/santa_marta_homilies_available_in_italian_volume/en1-792935

2014-04-22 17:45:07
'Santa Marta' homilies available in Italian volume

(Vatican Radio) It’s one of the most eagerly anticipated items for listeners tuning in to our Vatican Radio news broadcasts. It’s one of the most clicked on stories for those browsing the different language pages of our Vatican Radio website. And it’s one of the most popular pieces picked up by the many other agencies, sites and social networks that share our daily output of news from here at the heart of the Holy See. It is, of course, the homily that Pope Francis gives at his regular morning Mass in the chapel of the Casa Santa Marta where he’s been living since his election on March 13th last year.

Now these reflections – 186 of them to be precise – have been gathered together in one Italian language volume which will go on sale from next Thursday April 24th with the title “The Truth is an Encounter. Homilies from Santa Marta”. Produced by Rizzoli publishers, the volume contains an introduction by Jesuit Fr Antonio Spadaro, editor of the twice monthly publication Civiltà Cattolica, and a preface by Vatican Radio director general, Jesuit Fr Federico Lombardi.
 
From May 7th, bookshops will also be selling the new volume together with a CD of all the homilies, recapturing the very distinctive voice of the Argentinian Pope, with his memorable expressions and colourful turns of phrase that have been captivating listeners around the world for the past 13 months.

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http://en.radiovaticana.va/news/2014/04/22/canonization_vatican_briefing:_the_postulators_talk_about_the_two/en1-792927

2014-04-22 17:21:25
Canonization Vatican Briefing: The postulators talk about the two Popes



(Vatican Radio) Why are Popes John XXIII and John Paul II saints? That was the key question being asked at a briefing in the Vatican’s Press Hall on Tuesday that was attended by the postulators for the two Popes’ sainthood causes. The briefing kicked off a week of events in the Vatican leading up to Sunday’s canonization of Blessed John XXIII and Blessed John Paul II.

Listen to this report by Susy Hodges: RealAudioMP3

Father Giovangiuseppe Califano, the postulator for John XXIII, said as a 15 year old seminarian Angelo Roncalli was already making resolutions that were intended to help him become a saint for real. He said Pope John’s sainthood was characterized by a deep humility and he was both a shepherd and a father.