Pope Francis

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http://en.radiovaticana.va/news/2013/04/29/pope:_shame_is_a_true_christian_virtue/en1-687330

2013-04-29 12:43:29
Pope: Shame is a true Christian virtue

(Vatican Radio) The Confessional is not a ‘dry cleaners’ where our sins are automatically washed away and Jesus is not waiting there to ‘beat us up’, but to forgive us with the tenderness of a father for our sins. Moreover, being ashamed of our sins is not only natural, it’s a virtue that helps prepare us for God's forgiveness. This was the central message of Pope Francis’ homily Monday morning during Mass celebrated with staff from the Administration of the Patrimony of the Apostolic See (APSA) and religious present in Casa Santa Marta. Emer McCarthy reports: RealAudioMP3

Commenting on the First Letter of St. John, which states " God is light, and in him there is no darkness at all," Francis Pope pointed out that "we all have darkness in our lives," moments "where everything, even our consciousness, is in the dark”, but this - he pointed out - does not mean we walk in darkness:

"When the Lord forgives us, He does justice" - continued the Pope - first to himself, "because He came to save and forgive", welcoming us with the tenderness of a Father for his children: "The Lord is tender towards those who fear, to those who come to Him "and with tenderness," He always understand us”. He wants to gift us the peace that only He gives. " "This is what happens in the Sacrament of Reconciliation" even though "many times we think that going to confession is like going to the dry cleaner" to clean the dirt from our clothes:

"But Jesus in the confessional is not a dry cleaner: it is an encounter with Jesus, but with this Jesus who waits for us, who waits for us just as we are. “But, Lord, look ... this is how I am”, we are often ashamed to tell the truth: 'I did this, I thought this'. But shame is a true Christian virtue, and even human ... the ability to be ashamed: I do not know if there is a similar saying in Italian, but in our country to those who are never ashamed are called “sin vergüenza’: this means ‘the unashamed ', because they are people who do not have the ability to be ashamed and to be ashamed is a virtue of the humble, of the man and the woman who are humble. "

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http://www.ncregister.com/daily-news/how-will-pope-francis-address-persecution-of-christians-around-the-world/

How Will Pope Francis Address Persecution of Christians Around the World?
Authority Nina Shea discusses the issue and what awaits the Holy Father.
04/29/2013

A rash of recent anti-Christian violence from Nigeria to Pakistan to Syria has highlighted the vulnerable status of this religious group.

Meanwhile, the U.S. bishops have spoken out on behalf of the beleaguered Christian community of Iraq. And, in February, retired Cardinal Joseph Zen Ze-kiun of Hong Kong called on the Vatican to reverse its policy of “compromise” with Beijing that had failed to prevent the government’s interference in the local Church.

Nina Shea is a longtime expert on international religious-freedom issues. She is the co-author, with Paul Marshall and Lela Gilbert, of a new book, Persecuted: The Global Assault on Christians. Shea is also the director of the Center for Religious Freedom of the Hudson Institute in Washington. In March, the center created a new website that aggregates the top stories on religious persecution worldwide.

Shea spoke with Register senior editor Joan Frawley Desmond about some of the most urgent issues that await Pope Francis’ attention.
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Both Blessed John Paul II and Pope Benedict XVII sought to defend the rights of Christians and others persecuted for their faith. How should Pope Francis continue this fight?

Pope Francis has already begun to draw attention to the persecuted Church, especially at his inaugural Mass, when he took a delegation of the heads of the Eastern Churches with him to visit the tomb of St. Peter. He should continue to highlight the plight of these Christians, and he should ensure that the rest of the Church prays for them as well.

Sadly, despite the efforts of his two predecessors, the universal Church is not infused with concern for the persecuted Church. Churches in the West should always remember and pray for those imprisoned, tortured, raped and killed for their Christian beliefs around the world.

Just as St. Paul raised his Roman citizenship to demand due process, we should also be invoking our rights as citizens to press our elected officials to speak out for the human rights of Christians and others.

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http://www.catholicworldreport.com/Blog/2219/when_will_the_media_turn_on_pope_francis.aspx#.UX9SDL4o7IU

When will the media turn on Pope Francis?
April 29, 2013 06:39 EST

Sandro Magister's most recent piece, "The Spell of Pope Francis", reflects on something that has interested me since the election of the new pontiff, summarized in this way by the Italian journalist: "This benevolence of the media toward Pope Francis is one of the features that characterize the beginning of this pontificate." Quite right. Pope Francis has repeatedly, in a very short period of time, made strong statements that would have likely been met with agitation, consternation, or outright indignation if uttered by his predecessor—especially if they had been uttered, say, in the spring and summer of 2005. Magister, having written some thoughts about the preaching style of Pope Francis, states:

The popularity of Pope Francis is due to a large extent this style of preaching and to the easy, widespread success of the concepts on which he insists the most - mercy, forgiveness, the poor, the “peripheries” - seen reflected in his actions and in his own person.
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Magister is undoubtedly correct: the media honeymoon will soon end, and while criticisms of Pope Francis will likely be more muted than they were of Benedict, they will surely grow in both quantity and volume. The bottom line is simply this: most criticisms of John Paul II, Benedict XVI, and Francis are not, in the end, criticisms of those particular men as much as they are rejections of their office and the teachings, authority, and beliefs of the Church. It simply comes with the territory, as should be expected.

[grace-land]

http://en.radiovaticana.va/news/2013/04/30/pope:_a_worldly_church_cannot_transmit_the_gospel/en1-687655

2013-04-30 11:57:59
Pope: A worldly Church cannot transmit the Gospel

(Vatican Radio) A worldly Church is a weak Church. The only way to stop this from happening is to entrust the Church to the Lord through constant prayer. This was the message at the heart of Pope Francis’ homily during Mass Tuesday morning, celebrated with staff from the Administration of the Patrimony of the Apostolic See, also known as APSA. Emer McCarthy reports: RealAudioMP3

"We can safeguard the Church, we can cure the Church, no? We do so with our work, but what’s most important is what the Lord does : He is the only One who can look into the face of evil and overcome it. The prince of the world comes but can do nothing against me: if we don’t want the prince of this world to take the Church into his hands, we must entrust it to the One who can defeat the prince of this world. Here the question arises: do we pray for the Church, for the entire Church? For our brothers and sisters whom we do not know, everywhere in the world? It is the Lord's Church and in our prayer we say to the Lord: Lord, look at your Church ... It' s yours. Your Church is [made up of ] our brothers and sisters. This is a prayer that must come from our heart".
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http://www.catholicherald.co.uk/news/2013/04/30/pope-francis-to-canonise-800-italians-slain-during-historic-siege/

Pope Francis to canonise 800 Italians slain during historic siege
Tuesday, 30 April 2013


People view relics of the martyrs in the Cathedral of Otranto (Photo: CNS)

Pope Francis is preparing to canonise an estimated 800 Italian laymen killed by Ottoman soldiers in the 15th century. The canonisation service will be on May 12 in St Peter’s Square and it will be the first carried out by the Pontiff since he was elected in early March.

The killing of the martyrs by Ottoman troops, who launched a weeks-long siege of Otranto, a small port town at the most eastern tip of southern Italy, took place in 1480.

When Otranto residents refused to surrender to the Ottoman army, the soldiers were ordered to massacre all males over the age of 15. Many were ordered to convert to Islam or die, but Blessed Antonio Primaldo, a tailor, spoke on the prisoners’ behalf. “We believe in Jesus Christ, Son of God, and for Jesus Christ we are ready to die,” he said, according to Blessed John Paul II, who visited Otranto in 1980 for the 500th anniversary of the martyrs’ deaths.
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[grace-land]

http://www.voanews.com/content/pope-accepts-peres-invitation-to-israel/1652098.html

Pope Accepts Peres' Invitation to Israel
April 30, 2013

VATICAN CITY — Israeli President Shimon Peres invited Pope Francis on Tuesday to visit Israel, at his first meeting with the new pontiff who has appealed for peace in the Middle East.

The pope accepted the invitation "with willingness and joy," a Vatican spokesman said, but there was no indication when a trip would be made.

"I am expecting you in Jerusalem, not just me but the whole country of Israel," Peres told the pope in the presence of reporters after 30 minutes of private talks in the Vatican's Apostolic Palace.
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http://www.catholicnews.com/data/stories/cns/1301916.htm

Apr-30-2013
Vatican official says curia reform needs time, dismisses bank rumors

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Amid widespread speculation about a complete and quick reorganization of Vatican departments and rumors in the Italian media that Pope Francis was going to close the Vatican bank, a top Vatican official told everyone to calm down.

"It's a bit strange; the pope still has not met the group of advisers he chose and already the advice is raining down," said Archbishop Angelo Becciu, the substitute secretary for general affairs in the Vatican Secretariat of State.

The Vatican newspaper, L'Osservatore Romano, ran a front-page interview April 30 with Archbishop Becciu, whose job is similar to a chief of staff.

Asked about rumors that Pope Francis intended to close the Institute for Religious Works, commonly called the Vatican bank, Archbishop Becciu said, "The pope was surprised to see attributed to him phrases that he never said and that misrepresent his thought."

Vatican bank employees joined the pope April 24 for his morning Mass; in his homily the pope said the story of the church is part of the story of God's love for humanity and human beings' love for God; Pope Francis said bureaucracies, structures and offices -- like the Vatican bank, for example -- must never get in the way of living and sharing that story of love.

"In the context of a serious call to never lose sight of the essence of the church," the pope's reference to the Vatican bank was simply an acknowledgment that some of the employees were present, the archbishop said.

As for the panel of eight cardinals Pope Francis named April 13 to advise him on "the governance of the universal church and to study a plan" to reorganize the Roman Curia, Archbishop Becciu said, "at this moment it is absolutely premature to advance any hypothesis about the future structure of the Curia."
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http://en.radiovaticana.va/news/2013/05/01/pope:_dignity_for_the_dhaka_workers,_dignity_for_the_jobless_/en1-687977

2013-05-01 12:03:18
Pope: Dignity for the Dhaka workers, dignity for the jobless

(Vatican Radio) A society that “does not pay a just wage”, that “does not give work” to people; a society that “that only looks to its balance books, that only seeks profit” is unjust and goes against God. It is work - not power, not money, not culture – that gives men and women a sense of dignity. By stripping them of work, society strips them of their God given dignity. Emer McCarthy reports: RealAudioMP3

This was the focus of Pope Francis reflections at Mass Wednesday May 1st. The Holy Father marked the feast of St Joseph the Worker together with children and single mothers who are guests at the “Il Ponte” center for solidarity based in the port town of Civitavecchia north of Rome. Mass was concelebrated by the man who founded and runs the center for these families in need, Fr. Egidio Smacchia.

Pope Francis commented on the Gospel chosen for the feast day, from Mathew chapter 13, which recounts Jesus’ return to his hometown Nazareth where he is called “the carpenter’s son”. Joseph was a worker and Jesus learned to work with him. In the first reading we read that God works to create the world. This "icon of God worker - said the Pope – tells us that work is something more than just earning our daily bread":
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http://en.radiovaticana.va/news/2013/05/01/audience:_on_may_1st_an_appeal_against_slave_labor/en1-687958

2013-05-01 11:08:53
Audience: On May 1st an appeal against slave labor

(Vatican Radio) Marking the feast of St Joseph the Worker and World Labor Day this Wednesday May 1st, Pope Francis launched an urgent appeal to Christians and men and women of goodwill worldwide to take decisive steps to end slave labor. Emer McCarthy reports: RealAudioMP3

Speaking during the general audience in Italian he said : “I would like to add a word about another particular work situation that concerns me: I am referring to what we could define as "slave labor", the work that enslaves. How many people worldwide are victims of this type of slavery, in which the person is at the service of his or her work, while work should offer a service to people so they may have dignity. I ask my brothers and sisters in faith and all men and women of good will for a decisive choice to combat trafficking in persons, which includes "slave labor".
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[Lake Erie Princess]

Personally I like Pope Francis.
He seems to be the kind of man who will get
the Roman Catholic Church back up
on its feet again ! He is a true people person.

[grace-land]

Personally I like Pope Francis.
He seems to be the kind of man who will get
the Roman Catholic Church back up
on its feet again ! He is a true people person.

My post to you yesterday disappeared.  Anyway, I like Pope Francis, too.  The media has been respectful in covering him, so far, because of his statements/homilies, personality and informal leadership style. From the many articles about him, he appears to be well prepared to lead the Catholic Church and communicate the Church's teachings to everyone. imo 

[grace-land]

Thursday, May 2, 2013

http://en.radiovaticana.va/news/2013/05/02/pope:_a_church_that_says_‘yes’/en1-688191

2013-05-02 11:12:40
Pope: A Church that says ‘Yes’

(Vatican Radio) When we don't allow the Holy Spirit to work, divisions in the Church grow. This was the message at the heart of Pope Francis’ homily Thursday morning concelebrated with Cardinal Albert Malcolm Ranjith Patabendige, the Archbishop of Colombo Sri Lanka, and staff from the Vatican Museums. Emer McCarthy reports: RealAudioMP3

Pope Francis focused on the first reading from Acts which recounts the first steps of the Church which, after Pentecost, went out to the "outskirts of faith" to proclaim the Gospel. The Pope noted that the Holy Spirit did two things: "first it pushed" and created "problems" and then "fostered harmony within the Church." In Jerusalem, there were many opinions among the first disciples on whether to welcome Gentiles into the Church. There were those who said "no" to any agreement, and instead those who were open:

"There was a ‘No’ Church that said, 'you cannot; no, no, you must not' and a ‘Yes’ Church that said, ‘but ... let’s think about it, let’s be open to this, the Spirit is opening the door to us '. The Holy Spirit had yet to perform his second task: to foster harmony among these positions, the harmony of the Church, among them in Jerusalem, and between them and the pagans. He always does a nice job, the Holy Spirit, throughout history. And when we do not let Him work, the divisions in the Church begin, the sects, all of these things ... because we are closed to the truth of the Spirit. "
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Thursday, May 2, 2013

http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/on-faith/benedict-comes-home-to-new-house-new-pope-as-unprecedented-phase-begins/2013/05/02/c0ba20ea-b30a-11e2-9fb1-62de9581c946_story.html

Benedict returns to Vatican for first time, meets with new pope and moves into new house
Published: May 2
 
VATICAN CITY — Emeritus Pope Benedict XVI came home to the Vatican on Thursday for the first time since he resigned Feb. 28, beginning an unprecedented era for the Catholic Church of having a retired pontiff living alongside a reigning one.

Pope Francis welcomed Benedict outside his new retirement home — a converted monastery on the edge of the Vatican gardens — and the two immediately went into the adjoining chapel to pray together, the Vatican said.

The Vatican said Benedict, 86, was pleased to be back and that he would — as he himself has said — “dedicate himself to the service of the church above all with prayer.” Francis, the statement said, welcomed him with “brotherly cordiality.”

A photo released by the Vatican showed the two men, arms clasped and both smiling, standing inside the doorway of Benedict’s new home as Benedict’s secretary looks on.
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[grace-land]

http://en.radiovaticana.va/news/2013/05/03/pope:_lukewarm_christians_hurt_the_church/en1-688586

2013-05-03 11:36:42
Pope: Lukewarm Christians hurt the Church

(Vatican Radio) All Christians have a duty to pass on the faith with courage, lukewarm Christians, a lukewarm faith hurts the Church, because it creates divisions. The courage to be Christian in today’s society was the focus of Pope Francis homily Friday morning in Casa Santa Marta. Emer McCarthy reports: RealAudioMP3

Pope Francis concelebrated with Archbishop Claudio Maria Celli, president of the Pontifical Council for Social Communications and mass was attended by the Pontifical Swiss Guard with their commander Daniel Rudolf Anrig. On Sunday May 6th, the guard will hold their annual celebration, commemorating the last stand of 1527 with Mass and the swearing in of new recruits.

At the end of the celebration, Pope Francis addressed a special greeting them, describing their service as "is a beautiful testimony of fidelity to the Church" and "love for the Pope."
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http://en.radiovaticana.va/news/2013/05/04/pope_francis_at_mass:_fighting_evil_with_meekness_and_humility_/en1-689083

2013-05-04 12:42:01
Pope Francis at Mass: fighting evil with meekness and humility

(Vatican Radio) “Let us always remain meek and humble, that we might defeat the empty promises and the hatred of the world.” This was the message of Pope Francis on Saturday morning during the homily at Mass in the chapel of the Domus Sanctae Marthae. Humility and meekness are the weapons we have to defend ourselves from the hatred of the world. This was the focus of Pope Francis during his homily, which centered on the struggle between the love of Christ and the hatred of the prince of this world. The Lord, he said, tells us to be not afraid when the world hates us as it hated Him:

“The way of the Christians is the way of Jesus,” he said. “If we want to be followers of Jesus, there is no other way: none other than that, which He indicated to us - and one of the consequences of this is hatred – it is the hatred of the world, and also the prince of this world. The world would love that which belongs to it. [But Jesus tells us], ‘I have chosen you, from the world’: it was precisely He, who rescued us from the world, who chose us - pure grace! With His death, His resurrection, He redeemed us from the power of the world, from the power of the devil, from the power of the prince of this world. The origin of the hate [we experience], then is this: that we are saved. It is that prince who does not want that we should have been saved, who hates.”

Here then is the reason that the hatred and persecution continue from the early days of the Church even unto the present day. There are, “Many persecuted Christian communities in the world,” said Pope Francis, noting with bitterness, “indeed there are more persecuted communities in this time than in the early days: today, right now, in this day and in this hour.” Asking himself why this is the case, the Pope said, “Because the spirit of the world hates.” From this comes a perennially valid admonishment:

"There can be no dialogue with the prince of this world: let this be clear! Today, dialogue is necessary among us humans, it is necessary for peace. Dialogue is a habit, it is an attitude that we must have among us to feel and understand each other…and that [dialogue] must be maintained forever. Dialogue comes from charity, from love. But with that prince, it is impossible to dialogue: one can only respond with the Word of God who defends us, for the world hates us – and just as he did with Jesus, so will he do with us. ‘Only look,’ he will say, ‘just do this one small little scam…it is a small matter, nothing really – and so he begins to lead us on a road that is slightly off. This is a pious lie: ‘Do it, do it, do it: there is no problem,' and it begins little by little, always, no? Then [he says]: ‘But ... you're good, you're a good person: You [get away with] it.’ It is flattering – and he softens us by flattery: and then, we fall into the trap.”
 

[grace-land]

http://en.radiovaticana.va/Articolo.asp?c=689282

2013-05-05 11:37:19
Pope Francis' homily: Be filled with an evangelical, ecclesial, missionary spirit

(Vatican Radio) Below please find the complete text of Pope Francis’ Homily for the Sixth Sunday of Easter, at Mass dedicated, during this Year of Faith, for Confraternities and Popular Piety:

Homily of the Holy Father
Sixth Sunday of Easter
Confraternities
(Saint Peter’s Square, 5 May 2013)

Dear Brothers and Sisters, you were very courageous to come with this rain. . . . May the Lord bless you very much!
As part of the journey of the Year of Faith, I am happy to celebrate this Eucharist dedicated in a special way to confraternities: a traditional reality in the Church, which in recent times has experienced renewal and rediscovery. I greet all of you with affection, particularly the confraternities which have come here from all over the world! Thank you for your presence and your witness!
 

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http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/05/05/pope-francis-act-decisive_n_3218983.html?utm_hp_ref=religion

Pope Francis On Sexual Abuse By Priests: Catholic Church Must 'Act Decisively' (VIDEO)
Posted: 05/05/2013 10:31 am EDT  |  Updated: 05/05/2013 10:37 am EDT

(Reuters) - Pope Francis wants the Catholic Church to "act decisively" to root out sexual abuse of children by priests and ensure the perpetrators are punished, the Vatican said on Friday.

Francis, in a meeting with the Holy See's doctrinal chief, Archbishop Gerhard Mueller, had declared that combating sexual abuse was important "for the Church and its credibility", a statement said.

Francis inherited a Church mired in problems and a major scandal over priestly abuse of children. It was believed to be the first time he had taken up the issue of sex abuse with a senior member of his staff since his election on March 13.

Mueller is head of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, the Vatican department which includes the office of the "promoter of justice", or sex crimes prosecutor, which investigates cases of sexual abuse and decides if priests are to be defrocked.

Francis said the department should continue to "act decisively as far as cases of sexual abuse are concerned, promoting, above all, measures to protect minors, help for those who have suffered such violence in the past (and) the necessary procedures against those who are guilty," a statement said.

It said the pope wanted Catholic bishops around the world to promote and put into place "directives in this matter which is so important for the witness of the Church and its credibility".
 
The Catholic Church's crisis began in Boston in 2002 when media began reporting how cases of abuse were systematically covered up and abusive priests shuttled from parish to parish instead of being defrocked and handed over to civil authorities.

Since then, the Catholic Church in many countries has set up new guidelines to deal with cases of past abuse, prevent new cases, report abuse to police, and stop potential abusers from entering the priesthood in the first place.

[grace-land]

http://www.ncregister.com/daily-news/pope-francis-desires-to-draw-remarried-people-to-christ/

Pope Francis Desires to Draw Remarried People to Christ
by CARL BUNDERSON/CNA/EWTN NEWS 05/02/2013

DENVER — A recently translated book by Pope Francis exhibits a call for Catholics who have been divorced and are remarried to be made welcome in parishes, in the hope that they can remedy their situations.

“Catholic doctrine reminds its divorced members who have remarried that they are not excommunicated — even though they live in a situation on the margin of what indissolubility of marriage and the sacrament of marriage require of them — and they are asked to integrate into the parish life,” he says in his newly translated book On Heaven and Earth.
 

Comments

 

Posted by Jeanette DeMelo on Friday, May 3, 2013 1:38 PM (EDT):

Here’s a clarification regarding divorced and remarried Catholics.  These persons are not excommunicated (to be in the state of mortal sin is not the same as being excommunicated). Excommunication mean a person is exiled from the Church and could not participate in any ceremony of worship. A divorced and remarried person is invited to participate in worship and the activities of the Church but they are not to receive the sacrament of the Eucharist. More information can be found on the US Bishops website: http://www.foryourmarriage.org/catholic-marriage/church-teachings/divorce/ and in the Catechism of the Catholic Church: http://www.vatican.va/archive/ccc_css/archive/catechism/index/d.htm
 Here is what the Catholic Catechism on the Catholic Church says regarding divorce:
 1650 Today there are numerous Catholics in many countries who have recourse to civil divorce and contract new civil unions. In fidelity to the words of Jesus Christ - “Whoever divorces his wife and marries another, commits adultery against her; and if she divorces her husband and marries another, she commits adultery"160 the Church maintains that a new union cannot be recognized as valid, if the first marriage was. If the divorced are remarried civilly, they find themselves in a situation that objectively contravenes God’s law. Consequently, they cannot receive Eucharistic communion as long as this situation persists. For the same reason, they cannot exercise certain ecclesial responsibilities. Reconciliation through the sacrament of Penance can be granted only to those who have repented for having violated the sign of the covenant and of fidelity to Christ, and who are committed to living in complete continence.
 1651 Toward Christians who live in this situation, and who often keep the faith and desire to bring up their children in a Christian manner, priests and the whole community must manifest an attentive solicitude, so that they do not consider themselves separated from the Church, in whose life they can and must participate as baptized persons:
 They should be encouraged to listen to the Word of God, to attend the Sacrifice of the Mass, to persevere in prayer, to contribute to works of charity and to community efforts for justice, to bring up their children in the Christian faith, to cultivate the spirit and practice of penance and thus implore, day by day, God’s grace.161
 

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http://www.novinite.com/view_news.php?id=150083

Pope Francis Greets Orthodox World for Easter
May 5, 2013, Sunday

Catholic Pope Francis has congratulated Orthodox Christians from around the world for Easter, which they celebrate this Sunday, May 5.

"Today Eastern Churches which follow the Julian calendar, are celebrating Easter. I want to send our brothers and sisters my greetings," said the pope du ring Sunday prayer at the St. Peter square in Rome.

"I am uniting all my heart with them in the joyful greeting: "Christ has arisen!" said Pope Francis.
 

[grace-land]

http://en.radiovaticana.va/news/2013/05/06/pope_francis:_the_holy_spirit_opens_our_hearts_to_the_lord/en1-689488

2013-05-06 12:48:01
Pope Francis: The Holy Spirit opens our hearts to the Lord

(Vatican Radio) The Holy Spirit was the subject of Pope Francis’ Homily during morning Mass at the Casa Santa Martha Monday. The Holy Father also stressed that it was important for Christians to examine their conscience on a daily basis.

Present at the Casa Santa Martha was the Archpriest of St Peter’s Basilica, Cardinal Angelo Comastri who concelebrated Mass with Pope Francis. Also present were employees from the complex of St Peter’s Basilica who listened as the Pope focused his Homily on the Holy Spirit.
Pope Francis said that the Holy Spirit whom Jesus called the “Paraclete” was the Person of God who is always there to protect us and support us.

The Holy Father underlined the importance of the Holy Spirit in our lives by saying that without this presence, our Christian lives cannot be understood.