Pope Francis

[grace-land]

http://en.radiovaticana.va/news/2014/06/26/pope_francis_whom_do_i_like_to_follow/1102207

Pope Francis: Whom do I like to follow?
26/06/2014

(Vatican Radio) People follow Jesus because they recognize that He is the Good Shepherd. That was Pope Francis’ message at Mass on Thursday morning at the Casa Santa Marta. He warned against those who reduce the faith to moralism, pursue a political liberation, or seek deals with power.

In his homily, the Holy Father referred to a kind of “casistica” – literally, “casuistry” – which we have translated as “moralistic quibbling,” the closest English equivalent to the Pope’s meaning.
 
Why do so many people follow Jesus? That was the question Pope Francis asked in his homily, which centred on the people and the teaching of the Lord. The crowds, he said, followed Jesus because “they were astonished by His teaching,” His words “brought wonder to their hearts, the wonder of finding something good, great.” Other people “were speaking, but they did not reach the people.” The Pope mentioned four groups of people that were speaking at the time of Jesus. The first of these was the Pharisees. The Pharisees, he said, were making religion and the worship of God a chain of commandments, turning the Ten Commandments into “more than three hundred,” loading “this weight” on the backs of the people. It was, the Pope said, “a reduction of the faith in the Living God” to a kind of “casuistry” or quibbling. And there were also “contradictions of the cruelest kind of moralistic quibbling”:

“For example, ‘You have to obey the fourth commandment!’ ‘Yes, yes, yes!’ ‘You have to feed your elderly father, your elderly mother!’ ‘Yes, yes, yes!’ ‘But you know, I can’t because I gave my money to the temple!’; ‘You don’t do that? And your parents starve to death!’ So: contradictions of the cruelest kind of moralistic quibbling. The people respect them [the Pharisees], because the people are respectful. They respected them, but they didn’t listen to them! They went about their business [se ne andava]…”
 

[grace-land]

http://en.radiovaticana.va/news/2014/06/26/vatican_releases_working_document_for_synod_on_family/1102212

Vatican releases working document for Synod on Family
26/06/2014

(Vatican Radio)Results of a 2013 survey among Catholics on challenges to the Family were released by the Vatican Thursday in the form of a working document ahead of the upcoming extraordinary Synod of Bishops on the Family.  The Instrumentum Laboris “Pastoral Challenges of the Family in the Context of Evangelization” will be at the heart of the bishops’ reflections over two sessions: the first, in October this year, will engage mostly leaders of national bishops’ conferences.  A second meeting of world bishops will follow in 2015.

In a Vatican Press briefing, Secretary General of the Synod of Bishops, Cardinal Lorenzo Baldisseri, whose office produced the document, reviewed some of the feedback received for the 39 questions examined in the survey.

He said the questionnaire revealed Catholics show scarce familiarity with Church teachings and magisterium regarding marriage and family – suggesting greater emphasis be placed on the preparation of pastoral care workers in different cultural and social contexts.

Other pastoral challenges include crises of faith, inadequate marriage preparation, internal family pressures like addiction to drugs, alcohol and even social networks and external economic, social and cultural factors such as jobs, unemployment, war, poverty, violence, migration and polygamy, which can negatively affect the family.
 
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Instrumentum Laboris for October's Synod on the Family--
https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B5FGuFFkfrDvanFuZlBGbENJdDg/edit?pli=1

[grace-land]

http://www.news.va/en/news/young-astronomers-promoters-of-peace-and-justice

Young Astronomers, Promoters of Peace and Justice



Vatican City, 26 June 2014 (VIS) – “Seeing all of you here today is like looking at a marvellous mosaic made up of people from throughout the world. It is only right that men and women everywhere should have access to research and scientific training”, said the Pope to young astronomers from 23 different countries who are currently participating in a course organised by the Vatican Observatory School in Astrophysics on the theme “Galaxies: Near and Far, Young and Old”, whom he received in audience this morning. “The hope that one day all peoples will be able to enjoy the benefits of science is one which spurs all of us on, scientists in particular”.

He commented that the Vatican Observatory School in Astrophysics is “a place where young people the world over can engage in dialogue and collaboration, helping one another in the search for truth, which in this case is concretised in the study of galaxies. This simple and practical initiative shows how the sciences can be a fitting and effective means for promoting peace and justice. Here too we see a further reason for the Church’s commitment to dialogue with the sciences on the basis of the light provided by faith: it is her conviction that faith is capable of both expanding and enriching the horizons of reason. In this dialogue, the Church rejoices in the marvellous progress of science, seeing it as a sign of the enormous God-given potential of the human mind, even as a mother rejoices and is rightly proud as her children grow in wisdom, and age and grace”.
 

[grace-land]

http://en.radiovaticana.va/news/2014/06/27/pope_francis_to_dialogue_with_god_we_need_to_be_small/1102238

Pope Francis: To have a dialogue with God we need to make ourselves like a small child
27/06/2014

(Vatican Radio)  Pope Francis said God is like a gentle father who holds us by the hand and we need to become like a small child to have a dialogue with Him.  This was the focus of his homily during the Mass he celebrated on Friday in the Santa Marta residence.

June 27th is the feast of the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Pope’s  homily was a reflection on the nature of the love between God and his people.  He described this feast as a celebration of God’s love in Jesus Christ.

“There are two aspects to this love.  First, love is more about giving than receiving.  Second, love is more about actions than words.  When we say it’s more about giving than receiving, that’s because love communicates, it always communicates.  And it’s received by the one who is loved.  And when we say that it’s more about actions than words, that’s because love always generates life and makes us grow.”
 

[grace-land]

http://abcnews.go.com/Health/wireStory/pope-francis-cancels-event-citing-illness-24331706

Pope Francis Again Cancels Event, Citing Ailment
VATICAN CITY — Jun 27, 2014, 10:40 AM ET

Pope Francis canceled a planned visit to one of Rome's main hospitals Friday, the third time this month the 77-year-old has skipped or scaled back an event due to illness or fatigue.

Francis had been due to visit the Gemelli hospital and celebrate a Mass there Friday afternoon. But nearly an hour after he was due to arrive, the Vatican issued a statement saying he was canceling the trip due to an "unexpected indisposition."

The Argentine-born pontiff has only one full lung and suffers from a bad back that can make walking painful. Earlier this month, he skipped two days of audiences due to a stomach bug, then decided not to walk a mile-long procession last week to rest up for a grueling trip to southern Italy.
 
He has another busy weekend ahead of him, including audiences on Saturday and a major Mass on Sunday in St. Peter's Square.

The Vatican has insisted the pope isn't suffering from any major health issues, pointing to his busy schedule and plans for a whirlwind trip to South Korea in August.

[grace-land]

http://en.radiovaticana.va/news/2014/06/27/list_of_metropolitans_to_receive_the_pallium/1102240

List of Metropolitans to receive the pallium
27/06/2014

(Vatican Radio) This coming Sunday, June 29th, the Solemnity of Sts. Peter and Paul, a group of twenty-seven Metropolitan Archbishops installed during the course of the past year will receive the pallium - the white woollen garment that is the traditional and peculiar sign of the metropolitan office. Twenty-four of them will receive the garment at a special liturgy at the Vatican, while three shall receive their pallia separately. Below, please find the official list of those receiving the pallium.
 

29.10.2013
 
Abp. Leonard Paul BLAIR

Archbishop of Hartford (U.S.A.)
 

[grace-land]

http://www.thetablet.co.uk/news/931/0/former-nuncio-to-dominican-republic-to-be-laicised-and-he-faces-criminal-prosecution

Former nuncio to Dominican Republic to be laicised and he faces criminal prosecution
27 June 2014 15:25

A Vatican tribunal has ordered the laicisation of Archbishop Jozef Wesolowski, the former nuncio to the Dominican Republic, who stands accused of sexual abuse. The action has been proposed following a hearing before the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, although the accused has two months to appeal.

The Holy See also announced that the archbishop faces criminal charges in the Vatican courts. 

Laicisation means the archbishop can no longer perform priestly duties or present himself as a priest.

Rome recalled Wesolowski on 21 August last year, and relieved him of his job as papal envoy after the Archbishop of Santo Domingo, Cardinal Nicolas de Jesus Lopez, reported to Pope Francis allegations that Wesolowski had sexually abused teenage boys in the Dominican Republic.
 

[Sister]

http://en.radiovaticana.va/news/2014/06/27/pope_francis_to_dialogue_with_god_we_need_to_be_small/1102238

Pope Francis: To have a dialogue with God we need to make ourselves like a small child
27/06/2014

(Vatican Radio)  Pope Francis said God is like a gentle father who holds us by the hand and we need to become like a small child to have a dialogue with Him.  This was the focus of his homily during the Mass he celebrated on Friday in the Santa Marta residence.

June 27th is the feast of the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Pope’s  homily was a reflection on the nature of the love between God and his people.  He described this feast as a celebration of God’s love in Jesus Christ.

“There are two aspects to this love.  First, love is more about giving than receiving.  Second, love is more about actions than words.  When we say it’s more about giving than receiving, that’s because love communicates, it always communicates.  And it’s received by the one who is loved.  And when we say that it’s more about actions than words, that’s because love always generates life and makes us grow.”
 

I so agree with these precious statements.

[Sister]

Yipes, picked a bad color!!
Sorry.
 

[grace-land]

Yipes, picked a bad color!!
Sorry.
 

Got my attention!...
had to reread what was highlighted, and I accidently signed in "pope francis" to respond to you! 
 

[grace-land]

http://www.news.va/en/news/pope-welcomes-president-of-madagascar

Pope welcomes President of Madagascar
2014-06-28 Vatican Radio



(Vatican Radio) This morning, Saturday 28 June 2014, in the Vatican Apostolic Palace, Pope Francis received in audience the president of the Republic of Madagascar, Hery Martial Rajaonarimampianina, who subsequently met with Cardinal Secretary of State Pietro Parolin, accompanied by Msgr. Antoine Camilleri, under-secretary for Relations with States.

During the cordial discussions, after expressing satisfaction with the good relations between the Holy See and the Republic of Madagascar, the Parties focused on the current phase of recovery within the country, underlining the positive contribution of the Catholic Church on the path to national reconciliation and political stability, as well as her contribution in the education and healthcare sectors. Themes of common interest were then considered, such as the struggle against poverty and social inequality.
 

[grace-land]

http://www.news.va/en/news/pope-francis-meets-delegation-of-ecumenical-patr-2

Pope Francis meets Delegation of Ecumenical Patriarchate
2014-06-28 Vatican Radio

(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis addressed the Delegation of the Ecumenical Patriarchate at the Vatican on Saturday to mark the Solemnity of the Holy Apostles Peter and Paul, celebrated on 29 June.

In his message, the Pope recalled the pilgrimage he shared with Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I to the Holy Land last month and their common prayer at the Vatican with the presidents of Israel and Palestine.

“The Lord granted us these occasions of fraternal encounter, in which we were able to express the love uniting us in Christ, and to renew our mutual desire to walk together along the path to full unity,” the Pope said.

“We know very well that this unity is a gift of God, a gift that even now the Most High grants us the grace to attain whenever, by the power of the Holy Spirit, we choose to look at one another with the eyes of faith and to see ourselves as we truly are in God’s plan, according to the designs of his eternal will, and not what we have become as a result of the historical consequences of our sins,” he said.
 

[grace-land]

http://www.patheos.com/blogs/catholicnews/2014/06/trust-in-god-overcomes-worldly-fears-pope-tells-archbishops/

Trust in God overcomes worldly fears, Pope tells archbishops
June 29, 2014 By CNA Daily News



Vatican City, Jun 29, 2014 / 04:25 am (CNA/EWTN News).- On the feast of Saints Peter and Paul, Pope Francis installed 24 new archbishops with the pallium, urging them, like Peter, to place their security in the Lord when faced by the fear of their own weakness.

“I wonder, dear brother bishops, are we afraid? What are we afraid of? And if we are afraid, what forms of refuge do we seek, in our pastoral life, to find security?” the Pope asked in his June 29 homily.

“Peter experienced how God’s fidelity is always greater than our acts of infidelity, stronger than our denials. He realizes that the God’s fidelity dispels our fears and exceeds every human reckoning.”

Following the installation of the pallium onto the Metropolitan archbishops, Pope Francis took a moment to offer special greetings to the Delegation sent by the Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I, which was led by Metropolitan Ioannis, and to pray for the unity of the two churches.
 

[grace-land]

http://www.news.va/en/news/pope-francis-on-vocations-christians-need-mary-chu

Pope Francis on vocations: Christians need Mary, Church
2014-06-29 Vatican Radio



(Vatican Radio) On Saturday evening, in the Grotto of Lourdes in the Vatican Gardens, Pope Francis with a group of young people from the Diocese of Rome who are involved in vocational discernment.

The meeting with the Pope on the Vigil of the Solemnity of Saints Peter and Paul is a tradition begun by Pope Benedict XVI which has been continued by Pope Francis.

Greeting the young people, the Holy Father apologized for being late, saying punctuality is important.

He then proceeded to speak about the importance of the Blessed Virgin Mary in our lives. “I thank you for this visit, this visit to the Madonna who is so important in our lives. And she accompanies even in the definitive choice, the vocational choice, because she accompanied her Son in his vocational path, which was so hard, so sorrowful. She accompanies us always.”
 

[grace-land]

http://en.radiovaticana.va/news/2014/06/29/pope_grace_of_christ_transformed_peter_and_paul/1102336

Pope: Grace of Christ transformed Peter and Paul
29/06/2014

(Vatican Radio) Peter and Paul were “transformed” by the God’s mercy, Pope Francis said at his weekly Angelus address on Sunday.

The Church in Rome, the Pope noted, has always celebrated a single feast for the two great Apostles of Rome. “Faith in Christ made them brothers, and martyrdom made them one,” he said.

Both Saint Peter and Saint Paul were personally chosen by Christ, “and they responded to the call by offering their whole lives.” Although Peter had denied Christ, and Paul had persecuted the Church, “the grace of Christ accomplished great things in them, it transformed them!” the Pope said. “Both welcomed the love of God and allowed themselves to be transformed by His mercy; they became friends and apostles of Christ.” And so, Pope Francis said, “they continue to speak to the Church, and still today they show the path of salvation.”
 
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http://www.news.va/en/news/pope-calls-for-dialogue-in-iraq

Pope calls for dialogue in Iraq
2014-06-29 Vatican Radio

(Vatican Radio) Following the Angelus on Sunday, Pope Francis again appealed for peace and dialogue in Iraq. “The news coming from Iraq is unfortunately very painful,” he said. “I join the bishops of the country in appealing to governments that, through dialogue, it might be possible to preserve national unity and avoid war.”

The Holy Father also expressed his concern for refugees in Iraq: “I am close to the thousands of families, especially Christian, who have had to leave their homes and who are in grave danger.”

“Violence begets violence,” Pope Francis declared. “Dialogue is the only way to peace.”
 

[grace-land]

http://whispersintheloggia.blogspot.com/

Sunday, June 29, 2014
"The Problem For Us Is Fear" – On Pope's Day, Francis Calls Bishops To "Follow"



Marking the patronal feast of Rome – and, indeed, the papacy itself – on this solemnity of Saints Peter and Paul the city's 266th bishop led the 30th anniversary of the tradition instituted by St John Paul II, conferring the pallium on 24 new metropolitan archbishops named over the last year.

What's more, though, in the process Pope Francis gave himself a new one.... Well, a new-old one.

Six years after the chief MC Msgr Guido Marini devised a "Papal Pallium" adorned with red crosses for B16, at today's rites Francis ditched the model, restoring the same black-crossed version (above) worn by centuries of his predecessors and identical to that given every other archbishop. The sign of the "fullness of the episcopal office" which each metropolitan is entitled to wear at Masses within his province, the return to the common pallium serves to more fully underscore the woolen vestment's intended symbolism over the centuries – namely, a visible sign of the bond between the archbishops of the entire church and the See of Peter.
 
Outside St Peter's, meanwhile, the pontiff returned to the front page of the newspapers in his own voice. For the second time in ten days, an interview with the Pope was released, this time in Il Messaggero, the dominant Rome-based daily, featuring his tidings to the city on its patronal feast. At the same time, the conversation focused much on what Francis called "moral" and "cultural degradation," which he said was visible in issues ranging from corruption and child prostitution to income inequality (the "golden calf" of "the money god") and poverty as well as – repeating an earlier comment – the "phenomenon" of valuing pets over people.

The first Pope-chat Francis has held with a female reporter, the Domus sit-down with Messaggero's Franca Giansoldati – which, notably, took place during Tuesday's infamous Italy-Uruguay World Cup match – likewise dwelt at length on the role of women in the church. (At right, Giansoldati is seen in an airplane selfie with Francis en route to last month's Holy Land tour.)

Saying that "Women are the most beautiful thing God has made," the Pope reiterated his call in Evangelii Gaudium that the "feminine question" in ecclesial life "must be deepened, otherwise you can't understand the church herself."

While Giansoldati explicitly set aside the question of female clergy, she asked Francis whether a woman would be named as head of a Curial dicastery, a prospect which the pontiff left the door wide open to by replying with a chuckle that "Well [orig: 'Beh'], many times priests [already] end up under the authority of their housekeepers."

Along the way, the pontiff exalted the figure of Pope Paul VI, who he'll beatify on 19 October at the close of the Synod for the Family. In Francis' judgment, Paul's 1975 exhortation on evangelization Evangelii Nuntiandi "remains an unsurpassed pastoral document," adding that, being "the first Pope who studied theology after the Council... for us Paul VI was the great light."

Asked where "the church of Bergoglio" is headed, the Pope said "Thank God I don't have a church, I follow Christ. I haven't founded anything." Programmatically speaking, though, he emphasized that "I've done nothing on my own," that his course of governance was merely "the fruit of the meetings before the Conclave" in the priorities and aspirations laid out by the cardinals. Still, as pertains to his own missionary vision, Francis again repeated that "the church must go out into the streets, seek the people, go into the houses, visit families, go toward the peripheries. It can't be a church that only receives, but one which offers."

Back to the basilica, today's rites mark the Pope's last major event before the Curia's summer recess, during which the release of his morning homilies at the Domus and the Wednesday audiences will be suspended.

That's not to say all will be quiet, however – beyond whatever spontaneous things come up (and they will), Tuesday brings the fifth meeting of Francis' "Gang of Eight" cardinal-advisers on the reform of the Curia; set to run four days, the session will be the group's longest to date. In addition, on Friday the Irish Catholic reported that the pontiff's first meeting with survivors of sexual abuse – the first papal meeting with victims at the Vatican – is expected to take place next weekend.
 

[grace-land]

http://en.radiovaticana.va/news/2014/06/30/pope_there_are_more_christian_martyrs_today_than_ever/1102363

Pope: there are more Christian martyrs today than ever
30/06/2014

(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis said on Monday that there are more persecuted Christians in the world today than there were in the first centuries of Christianity. The Pope’s words came as he celebrated Mass at the Casa Santa Marta on the day in which the Church remembers the first Roman martyrs who were martyred during Nero's persecution in 64.

The prayer at the beginning of the Mass recalls that “the blood of the martyrs is the seed of the Church”. We speak of the growth of a plant – the Pope said in his homily – and this makes us think of what Jesus used to say: "The kingdom of heaven is like a seed. Someone took the seed and planted it in the ground and then went home – and whether he slept or was awake – the seed grew and blossomed”. This seed is the Word of God that grows and becomes the Kingdom of Heaven; it becomes Church thanks to the strength of the Holy Spirit and to the witness of Christians.
 

[grace-land]

http://en.radiovaticana.va/news/2014/06/30/pope_francis_tells_dutch_youth_to_think_big_in_faith/1102352

Pope Francis tells Dutch youth to "think big" in following Jesus
30/06/2014

(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis has spoken again about his proposed three-year journey of spiritual preparation to the 2016 World Youth Day in Krakow based on the Beatitudes, which he presented in his 2014 Message for World Youth Day. He spoke about his programme in a Message to the National Catholic Youth Festival of the Netherlands, which took place this past weekend at the Abbey of Mariënkroon in Nieuwkuijk. The Holy Father’s Message discussed the theme of the Festival: New, Pure, and Intense.

Pope Francis said the message of the Beatitudes is new, and is “in fact, revolutionary…[presenting] a model of happiness contrary to the logic of this world.”
 

[grace-land]

http://www.news.va/en/news/the-pope-receives-in-audience-king-felipe-vi-on-hi

The Pope receives in audience king Felipe VI on his first foreign engagement



Vatican City, 30 June 2014 (VIS) – Today in the Vatican Apostolic Palace Pope Francis received in audience Their Majesties King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia of Spain, who subsequently met with Cardinal Secretary of State Pietro Parolin, accompanied by Mgsr. Antoine Camilleri, under-secretary for Relations with States.

During the cordial discussions, satisfaction was expressed for today’s visit, their first trip abroad as reigning monarchs, which follows the recent visit by King Juan Carlos I and Queen Sofia on 28 April. It is hoped that this may mark the strengthening of the existing good relations between the Holy See and Spain.
 

[grace-land]

http://en.radiovaticana.va/news/2014/06/30/financial_intelligence_authority_signs_agreement_with_usa/1102361

Vatican's Financial Intelligence Authority signs agreement with USA
30/06/2014

(Vatican Radio) The Autorità di Informazione Finanziaria(AIF), the Financial Intelligence Authority of the Holy See and Vatican City State, has signed an agreement to exchange information with the US Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC).

This Information Sharing Exchange of Letters is the first bilateral agreement of AIF in its role as Financial Supervisor and Regulator within the Holy See and Vatican City State. It represents a significant strengthening of international cooperation between the Holy See and the United States of America. “This is a further step in Holy See’s efforts towards perfecting a system of financial regulation and part of our commitment to transparency and international cooperation,” said Rene Bruelhart, the Director of AIF. “The Holy See is part of the global family of well-regulated jurisdictions and the signing of this agreement reflects that very clearly.”