Pope Francis

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http://www.religionnews.com/2014/06/10/vatican-nothing-worry-pope-francis-cancels-meetings/

Vatican: ‘Nothing to worry about’ as tired Pope Francis cancels meetings
Jun 10, 2014

VATICAN CITY (RNS) Pope Francis canceled a second day of private audiences and his morning Mass on Tuesday (June 10) because of a minor illness, but Vatican officials downplayed speculation about ill health.

The Vatican’s chief spokesman, the Rev. Federico Lombardi, said the pope had postponed several appointments and was resting.

“There is nothing to worry about,” Lombardi said. “His life has been very intense in the past few weeks. It is totally normal for the pope to rest.”

Lombardi said 77-year-old Francis would be well enough to attend his general audience Wednesday.

Francis has set a frantic pace since he was elected pope last year, and his schedule intensified in recent weeks he traveled to the Middle East on a demanding three-day official visit. After celebrating Pentecost Sunday, he hosted the Israeli and Palestinian presidents for a momentous Vatican prayer summit Sunday evening.

Vatican officials have privately expressed concern at the pope’s heavy workload, particularly since he had a portion of one lung removed as a young man. Italian media reports have also suggested he has suffered from back pain recently.

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It doesn't look like Pope Francis will get much of a summer vacation, he is schedule to visit South Korea from Aug. 13-18. 

http://www.thetablet.co.uk/news/884/0/pope-francis-cancels-engagements-for-second-day-as-aides-urge-him-to-take-a-holiday

Pope Francis cancels engagements for second day as aides urge him to take a holiday
10 June 2014 14:02 by Hannah Roberts in Rome

 
A Vatican spokesman, Fr Thomas Rosica, said: “Following a very historic and full weekend, the Holy Father has chosen to rest on Monday afternoon and today Tuesday," adding that his condition was "not serious".

Fr Federico Lombardi, head of the Holy See’s press office, said the two-day absence was "nothing to worry about."

The Pope, who rises at 4.30am every day, has been a whirlwind of activity since his election more than a year ago, but his advisers are hoping that he will take some time off this summer.

One close aide, Honduran Cardinal Oscar Rodriguez Maradiaga, said: “We have been asking him to have holidays this year.”

“Because last year he didn’t and sometimes he’s very tired.”

“So I think that during August he’s going to retire to rest.”

Traditionally popes move to the papal summer palace at Castel Gandolfo outside Rome during the summer months but last year Francis worked through the summer.

Papal aides reportedly say that Francis thrives off a fast pace and “eats work,” and finds it hard to relinquish control to others.

But he has some underlying health problems, including sciatica and a back problem, and had part of one of his lungs removed in his youth due to an infection.

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http://en.radiovaticana.va/news/2014/06/11/pope_francis_at_his_weekly_general_audience/1101622

Pope Francis at his Weekly General Audience
11/06/2014

(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis warned corrupt persons in positions of power that they would do well to fear God’s justice and repent on Wednesday, during the course of the catechetical portion of his weekly General Audience, dedicated to the seventh and final of the gifts of the Holy Spirit: fear of the Lord.

Departing repeatedly from his prepared text in Italian for emphasis, the Holy Father spoke of the fear of the Lord, not as a servile or supine disposition before the Lord, but as the grateful response of people who have first been loved by the infinite love of God the Father.
 

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http://en.radiovaticana.va/news/2014/06/11/pope_francis_appeals_for_end_to_child_labour/1101623

Pope Francis appeals for end to child labour
11/06/2014

(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis appealed for an end to child labour on Wednesday. The call came at the end of his weekly General Audience in St Peter’s Square, one day ahead of the June 12th World Day dedicated to the eradication of the practice. “Tens of millions of children are forced to work in degrading conditions, exposed to forms of slavery and exploitation, as well as to abuse, ill-treatment and discrimination,” said Pope Francis.
 

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http://ncronline.org/news/faith-parish/us-bishops-open-assembly-voting-stay-course

US bishops open assembly by voting to stay the course
by Brian Roewe , Joshua J. McElwee    |  Jun. 11, 2014

New Orleans --   The nation's Catholic bishops during their annual summer assembly voted to stay the course they have set for themselves over the last several years, focusing on issues of religious liberty, same-sex marriage, and participation in the U.S. political sphere.
 
In one of only three public deliberations at the event, the prelates voted to renew their efforts in addressing concerns over religious liberty, granting another three-year term to a special bishops' committee organized on the issue.

The bishops are gathered in New Orleans until Friday for their spring meeting, one of two annual plenary assemblies of the U.S. bishops' conference.

Going into the event, many analysts and even some bishops had asked if the prelates would be reorienting their work around the new emphases of Francis' first year as pope, particularly his apostolic exhortation, Evangelii Gaudium ("The Joy of the Gospel"), and his pastoral tone.

Yet in three and a half hours of open discussion on 17 topics Wednesday, the bishops focused more on old business than new -- hearing updates from the lay group that advises them on preventing sexual abuse of minors, Catholic Relief Services, and the bishops' Subcommittee for the Promotion and Defense of Marriage.
 

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At the link, live updates were posted during the morning and afternoon sessions on Wednesday, June 11, 2014, at the Spring Assembly of the USCCB.  I watched it; it was interesting. 

http://whispersintheloggia.blogspot.com/2014/06/in-crescent-city-bench-marches-in.html

Wednesday, June 11, 2014
In Crescent City, The Bench Marches In

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Entire interview--Official English translation by the Vatican

http://w2.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/speeches/2014/may/documents/papa-francesco_20140526_terra-santa-conferenza-stampa.html

PILGRIMAGE TO THE HOLY LAND ON THE OCCASION OF THE 50th ANNIVERSARY
 OF THE MEETING BETWEEN POPE PAUL VI AND PATRIARCH ATHENAGORAS IN JERUSALEM
 (24-26 MAY 2014)

INTERVIEW OF POPE FRANCIS WITH JOURNALISTS
 DURING THE RETURN FLIGHT FROM THE HOLY LAND

Papal Flight
 Monday, 26 May 2014

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http://en.radiovaticana.va/news/2014/06/12/pope_francis_at_daily_mass_for_thursday/1101673

Pope Francis at daily Mass for Thursday
12/06/2014

(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis celebrated Mass on Thursday morning in the chapel of the Santa Marta residence in the Vatican. In his remarks following the readings of the day, the Holy Father said that Our Lord teaches us three criteria to overcome conflict: realism, coherence, and the [spirit of fraternity rooted in sonship].

How ought we to love one another, according to Jesus? This was the question around which the Holy Father developed his reflections following the Gospel reading, which recounted the Lord’s conversation with His disciples about brotherly love (Mt 5:20-26). Pope Francis observed that Jesus tells us that we must love our neighbor, but not after the manner of the Pharisees, who were not coherent and “used to confuse ideas through smoke and mirrors [It. Facevano tante sfumature di idee] because they were ideologues.” Their attitude, he noted, “was not love,” but “indifference toward one’s neighbor.” Jesus, said Pope Francis, “gives us three criteria”:
 

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http://en.radiovaticana.va/news/2014/06/12/pope_francis_sends_message_to_world_cup_opening/1101659

Pope Francis sends message to World Cup opening
12/06/2014

(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis delivered a video message to the organisers, players and fans participating in the 2014 World Cup tournament in Brazil. Delivered in Portuguese, the message expresses the Holy Father’s hope that, in addition to a celebration of sport, this World Cup can be transformed into a festival of solidarity between peoples.

The message goes on to say sport is not only a form of entertainment, but also a tool to communicate the values ​​that promote the good of the human person and help to build a more peaceful and fraternal coexistence.
 

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http://www.lifesitenews.com/news/defending-marriage-tops-agenda-on-first-day-of-us-bishops-spring-meeting/

Defending marriage tops agenda on first day of US Bishops spring meeting
Wed Jun 11, 2014 15:55 EST

NEW ORLEANS, LA, June 11, 2014 (LifeSiteNews.com) – Much of the opening day of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops 2014 Spring General Assembly on Wednesday was devoted to the defense and promotion of marriage.

Archbishop Salvatore J. Cordileone of San Francisco, chairman of the USCCB Subcommittee on the Promotion and Defense of Marriage, led the charge by telling his brother bishops: “We are at a critical point in this country as it comes to defense of marriage in the law.”

Archbishop Cordileone outlined the grave situation for the defense of traditional marriage and resulting threats to religious freedom.  He noted that if the Supreme Court takes up one of the state marriage amendment cases, by next June 2015 we could have a decision.

“A negative decision by the Supreme Court would undoubtedly have a profound impact on the nation,” he said. The archbishop ended by promoting the March for Marriage in Washington, DC on June 19.

Archbishop Cordileone’s presentation was followed by one from Archbishop Joseph Kurtz of Louisville, Kentucky, USCCB president, who spoke on the upcoming Extraordinary Synod of Bishops on the Family to take place at the Vatican in October.

Archbishop Kurtz disclosed the general themes of the consultation with Catholic laity that was undertaken as a preparatory measure for the synod.

He related that:
• Catholic laity appreciated being asked for their input.
• There is much ground to cover regarding sharing the good news of marriage and family.
• There is need for greater teaching on the key tenets of our faith – the indissolubility of marriage, the importance of sexual differences in marriage, natural law and a married couple’s openness to life.
• Many of the faithful indicated a great desire to hear the teachings in a faithful and accessible way.
• Many noted distractions caused by inaccurate portrayals of the Church’s teachings.
• Parents often felt at a loss to teach the faith to their children because they themselves have not been fully catechized and evangelized.
 

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http://www.catholicnews.com/data/stories/cns/1402433.htm

Jun-12-2014
Bishops focus on religious liberty, election document, upcoming synod
Catholic News Service

NEW ORLEANS (CNS) -- During their June 11-13 spring general assembly in New Orleans, the nation's Catholic bishops voted to extend their Ad Hoc Committee on Religious Liberty and to approve work on a limited revision of their quadrennial document aimed at guiding Catholics in election decisions.

They also were urged to promote and support Catholic families by paying close attention to the upcoming synod on the family at the Vatican and to promote the World Meeting of Families next year in Philadelphia.

The bishops heard about the progress made and the work that still needs to be done on efforts to protect children from sexual abuse. They received a report about their aid to typhoon victims in the Philippines and were advised about the work being done to make sure religious educational materials conform to the Catechism of the Catholic Church.

The public sessions of the meetings took place June 11 and the morning of June 12 before the bishops went into executive session.

"It is always a great joy for us to be together," Archbishop Carlo Maria Vigano, apostolic nuncio to the United States, told the bishops at the start of their meeting. There is "unity and strength from the Holy Spirit when you gather as one church," he added.
 

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http://en.radiovaticana.va/news/2014/06/13/pope_francis_god_prepares_us_to_accomplish_our_mission/1101716

Pope Francis: God prepares us to accomplish our mission
13/06/2014

(Vatican Radio) When the Lord wants to entrust a mission to us, “He prepares us” to do it well. And our response should be based on prayer and fidelity. That was the main thrust of Pope Francis’ homily at the Mass celebrated Friday morning at the Casa Santa Marta.

It can happen that one day we are courageous opponents of idolatry in the service of God, and afterwards we become depressed to the point where we want to die because someone, in the course of our mission, has frightened us. It is, and always will be, up to God to balance these two extremes of strength and human frailty, as long as we are faithful to Him. That is what we see in the story of the Prophet Elijah, described in the First Book of Kings. In his homily, Pope Francis took this story as a model of the experience of every person of faith. The day’s famous liturgical passage shows Elijah on Mount Horeb receiving the invitation to come out of the cave in order to see the presence of the Lord. When the Lord passed, there was a strong wind, an earthquake, and a fire, one after another – but the Lord was not present in any of them. Then there was a light breeze… and it was in the breeze, the Pope recalled, that Elijah recognized the passage of the Lord:

“But the Lord was not in the wind, the earthquake, the fire, but in that whisper of a light breeze, in the peace, or, as the original says, -- the true original, a beautiful expression – it says: ‘The Lord was in a thread of silent sound’ [un filo di silenzio sonoro]. It seems to be a contradiction: He was in that thread of silent sound. Elijah knew how to discern where the Lord was, and the Lord prepared him with the gift of discernment. And then He gave him the mission.”
 

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http://www.catholicworldreport.com/Blog/3187/pope_francis_interview_with_spanish_magazine_la_vanguardia_full_text.aspx

Pope Francis' Interview with Spanish magazine, "La Vanguardia" [Full text]
The pontiff discusses Pius XII and Jews, Orthodox-Catholic relations, motivations behind his prayer meeting at the Vatican last Sunday, and more
June 13, 2014 02:48 EST

Vatican City, Jun 13, 2014 / 07:00 am (CNA/EWTN News).- In an interview granted with Spanish-language magazine "La Vanguardia" on Monday, Pope Francis lauded Pius XII for his efforts in saving Jews, discussed Orthodox-Catholic relations, as well as the motivations behind his prayer meeting at the Vatican last Sunday.

Below, please find the full text of his interview in English:

Interview with Pope Francis: “One has to take the secession of a nation with grain of salt.”

“Our world economic system can’t take it anymore,” says the Bishop of Rome in an interview with La Vanguardia. “I’m no illumined one. I didn’t bring any personal projects under my arm.” “We are throwing away an entire generation to maintain a system that isn’t good,” he opines with respect to unemployed youth.

“The persecuted Christians are a concern that touches me very deeply as a pastor. I know a lot about persecutions but it doesn’t seem prudent to talk about them here so I don’t offend anyone. But in some places it is prohibited to have a Bible or teach the catechism or wear a cross… What I would like to be clear on is one thing, I am convinced that the persecution against Christians today is stronger than in the first centuries of the Church. Today there are more Christian martyrs than in that period. And, it's not because of fantasy, it’s because of the numbers."

Pope Francis received us last Monday in the Vatican - a day after the prayer for peace with the presidents of Israel and Palestine - for this exclusive interview with “La Vanguardia.” The Pope was happy to have done everything possible for understanding between Israelis and Palestinians.

Violence in the name of God dominates the Middle East. 
 

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http://en.radiovaticana.va/news/2014/06/14/pope_releases_message_for_88th_annual_world_mission_day/1101769

Pope Releases Message for World Mission Day
14/06/2014

(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis has released a message ahead of the 88th World Mission Day, which this year will take place on 19 October.

Please find the Pope’s full message in English below:

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

Today vast numbers of people still do not know Jesus Christ. For this reason, the mission ad gentes continues to be most urgent. All the members of the Church are called to participate in this mission, for the Church is missionary by her very nature: she was born “to go forth”. World Mission Day is a privileged moment when the faithful of various continents engage in prayer and concrete gestures of solidarity in support of the young Churches in mission lands. It is a celebration of grace and joy. A celebration of grace, because the Holy Spirit, sent by the Father, offers wisdom and strength to those who are obedient to his action. A celebration of joy, because Jesus Christ, the Father’s Son, sent to evangelize the world, supports and accompanies our missionary efforts. This joy of Jesus and missionary disciples leads me to propose a biblical icon, which we find in the Gospel of Luke (cf. 10:21-23) .
 

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http://en.radiovaticana.va/news/2014/06/14/pope__imitate_christ,_walk_the_streets_of_the_world/1101755

Pope to Italy’s oldest voluntary movement: Imitate Christ, walk the streets of the world
14/06/2014

(Vatican Radio) It was another crowded Saturday in St. Peter’s this weekend as tens of thousands of members of Italy’s oldest voluntary movement descended on the square to meet Pope Francis.

The Misericordie, or Mercies, were founded 770 years ago in assistance to the poor and marginalized.  Today they have 30,000 volunteers throughout the peninsula, and are distinguised by their emblematic turquoise and yellow uniforms.

After touring at length among them in greeting, the Holy Father noted that :“Following the example of our Master, we are called to draw close to others and to share in the condition of the people we meet. Our words, our actions, our attitudes must express solidarity, we must not remain strangers to the pain of others, and we must do this with fraternal warmth and without falling into any form of paternalism.
 

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http://en.radiovaticana.va/news/2014/06/15/angelus_love_is_at_the_heart_of_the_trinity/1101803

Angelus: Love is at the heart of the Trinity
15/06/2014

(Vatican Radio) On the Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity, Pope Francis spoke about the love that is at the heart of the divine life of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

It is, he said, “a life of profound communion and perfect love, the origin and end of the whole universe and of every creature.”

But the Holy Trinity is also the model of the Church “in which we are called to love one another as Jesus has loved us.” Love, Pope Francis said, is the distinctive mark of the Christian.

As Christians, “we are called to bear witness to and announce the message that ‘God is love,’ that God is not distant or insensible to our human affairs.” God, the Pope said, “is close to us, He is always by our side, He walks with us to share our joys and our sorrows, our hopes and our struggles.” He loves human beings so much that He sent His only Son, the Second Person of the Trinity, into the world, that the world might be saved through Jesus.
 

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http://en.radiovaticana.va/news/2014/06/15/pope_francis_prayers_for_peace_in_iraq/1101800

Pope Francis: Prayers for peace in Iraq
15/06/2014

(Vatican Radio) “I invite all of you to unite yourselves with my prayer for the dear Iraqi nation, especially for the victims and for those who most suffer the consequences of the growing violence, in particular the many persons, among whom are so many Christians, who have had to leave their homes.” Pope Francis made an appeal for prayers for Iraq on Sunday at his weekly Angelus address. “I am following with lively concern the events of these last days in Iraq,” the Pope said.
 

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http://en.radiovaticana.va/news/2014/06/15/pope_to_visit_albania/1101799

Pope to visit Albania
15/06/2014

(Vatican Radio) At his Angelus address on Sunday, Pope Francis announced that he will be visiting the city of Tirana in Albania on Sunday 21 September. 

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http://en.radiovaticana.va/news/2014/06/16/pope_francis_at_monday_mass_in_santa_marta/1101813

Pope Francis at Monday Mass in Santa Marta
16/06/2014

(Vatican Radio) The poor are the ones who end up paying for the damage wrought by the corruption of the powerful, whose avidity leaves the poor without the things of which they have need and to which they have a right. This was the theme of the Holy Father’s remarks following the readings of the day at Mass in the chapel of the Casa Santa Marta residence. “The only wat to [defeat] the sin of corruption,” he concluded, is “service” to others that purifies the heart.

A “very sad” story  that, even if very old, is still a reflection of one of the most “handy” sins: corruption. Pope Francis reflections turned on the story, told in the readings of the day, of Naboth, the owner of a vineyard that had been in his family for generations. When King Ahab – meaning, explained Pope Francis, to “to widen his garden a bit,” – asks him to sell it, Naboth refuses because he does not intend to dispose of' the “inheritance of his fathers.” The King took the rejection very badly, so his wife Jezebel weaves a trap with the help of false witnesses, and Naboth is dragged into court, convicted and stoned to death. In the end, Jezebel delivers the desired vineyard to her husband, who takes the land calmly, “as though nothing had happened.” Pope Francis said, “This story is continuously repeating itself,” among the ranks of those, who wield power, whether material, political or spiritual:
 

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http://en.radiovaticana.va/news/2014/06/16/pope_francis_investors_must_link_profit_to_solidarity/1101814

Pope Francis: investors must link profit to solidarity
16/06/2014

(Vatican Radio)  Pope Francis on Monday expressed appreciation for a Conference on ethical investment pointing out that the world of finance must serve the interests of peoples and the common good of humanity.

In a discourse to participants of the two-day Symposium “Investing for the Poor” that is taking place in the Vatican, the Pope said that speculation on food prices is a scandal and he called on Governments throughout the world to develop an international framework that promotes a market of high impact investments, and thus combat an economy which excludes and discards.
   
The symposium, jointly sponsored by the Pontifical Council of Justice and Peace headed by Cardinal Peter Turkson, Catholic Relief Services and the Mendoza College of Business from the University of Notre Dame, is examining “impact” investing and how it can serve the poor.