Pope Francis

[grace-land]

http://en.radiovaticana.va/news/2013/05/15/audience:_do_not_be_‘part-time’_christians/en1-692235

2013-05-15 11:06:40
Audience: Do not be ‘part-time’ Christians

(Vatican Radio) In preparation for the Feast of Pentecost and in the context of the Year of Faith catechesis on the Creed, Pope Francis dedicated his Wednesday audience to the action that the Holy Spirit accomplishes in us, in guiding us to the Truth. Emer McCarthy reports. Listen: RealAudioMP3

He said “In this Year of Faith let us ask ourselves if we have actually taken a few steps to get to know Christ and the truths of faith more, by reading and meditating on the Scriptures, studying the Catechism, steadily approaching the Sacraments. But at the same time let us ask ourselves what steps we are taking so that the faith directs our whole existence. Do not be a ‘part-time” Christian, at certain moments, in certain circumstances, in certain choices, be Christian at all times! The truth of Christ, that the Holy Spirit teaches us and gives us, always and forever involves our daily lives. Let us invoke him more often, to guide us on the path of Christ's disciples”.
 

[grace-land]

http://au.ibtimes.com/articles/467994/20130516/pope-francis-banishes-disgraced-gay-scottish-cardinal.htm#.UZRB074o7IV

Pope Francis Banishes Disgraced Gay Scottish Cardinal for Prayer, Penance
May 16, 2013 10:10 AM EST

Pope Francis ordered ousted Scottish Cardinal Keith Patrick O'Brien to leave the country and spend the time in prayer and penance. The cardinal was asked to step down by then Pope Benedict XVI in one of his last moves before he retired on Feb 28 after Cardinal O'Brien admitted sexual relations with other priests in his younger days.

Because of his admission, the cardinal was asked to step down as head of the Scottish Roman Catholic Church days before his official retirement and not to join the March conclave that eventually resulted in the election of then Buenos Aires Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio as the new pontiff.

He initially denied the accusations but eventually admitted that there where occasions when he acted inappropriately.

Period of banishment for the disgraced cardinal will be subject to agreement between him and Vatican, although the reports said it would be only for several months.
 

[grace-land]

http://en.radiovaticana.va/news/2013/05/16/pope_at_mass:_an_apostolic_nuisance/en1-692628

2013-05-16 11:41:59
Pope at Mass: An Apostolic nuisance

(Vatican Radio) Saint Paul was the focus of Pope Francis’ homily at Mass Thursday morning, and in particular his talent at ‘being a nuisance’, at unsettling people who had grown too comfortable in their faith and imbuing them with that Apostolic zeal that is necessary for the Church to move forward. Emer McCarthy reports:

Pope Francis said that Apostolic zeal, implies "an element of madness, but of spiritual madness, of healthy madness” and proclaiming Christ has its consequences, which can often result in persecution. Nonetheless, stated the Pope, we must not be ‘backseat Christians’ cozy in our comfort zones.

Drawing inspiration from the Acts of the Apostles, chapter 22, where Paul was brought before the Sanhedrin, Pope Francis pointed out that the life of the Apostle to the Gentiles was one of "persecution", but that this did not discourage him. The fate of Paul, he stressed, "is a fate with many crosses, but he keeps going, he looks to the Lord and keeps going":

"Paul is a nuisance: he is a man who, with his preaching, his work, his attitude irritates others, because testifying to Jesus Christ and the proclamation of Jesus Christ makes us uncomfortable, it threatens our comfort zones – even Christian comfort zones, right? It irritates us. The Lord always wants us to move forward, forward, forward ... not to take refuge in a quiet life or in cozy structures, no?... And Paul, in preaching of the Lord, was a nuisance. But he had deep within him that most Christian of attitudes: Apostolic zeal. He had its apostolic zeal. He was not a man of compromise. No! The truth: forward! The proclamation of Jesus Christ, forward! ".
 

[grace-land]

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2013-05-17/pope-criticises-cult-of-money/4695440

Pope calls for end to 'cult of money'
Posted 4 hours 55 minutes ago

Pope Francis has called on world leaders to reform the global financial system and put an end to the "cult of money".

The Pope made his first major comments on the global financial crisis while speaking to foreign ambassadors in Vatican City.

He said money should serve people, not rule them, and added that people are struggling to live under an economic dictatorship.

"We have created new idols," he said.

"The worship of the golden calf of old has found a new and heartless image in the cult of money and the dictatorship of an economy which is faceless and lacking any truly humane goal."
 
Meanwhile, the Vatican has announced that its own famously secretive bank will start publishing an annual report on a new website.

The Institute is also to hire external consultants to ensure its procedures satisfy international standards against money laundering.

[grace-land]

http://en.radiovaticana.va/news/2013/05/16/pope:_financial_reform_along_ethical_lines/en1-692694

2013-05-16 13:29:36
Pope: Financial reform along ethical lines

(Vatican Radio)“There is a need for financial reform along ethical lines that would produce in its turn an economic reform to benefit everyone.”… “Money has to serve, not to rule” Those were the Pope’s words to new Non Resident Ambassadors who were in the Vatican on Thursday to present their letters of credence. The new Ambassadors from Kyrgyzstan, Antigua and Barbuda, the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg and Botswana listened to Pope Francis as he spoke about a the financial crisis which we are experiencing that ultimately is, he said, as a result of a profound human crisis.

The Holy Father began his address to those present on a positive note by praising advances in various areas. These achievements he underlined, in fields such as health, education and communications can only benefit mankind.

But at the same time, the Pope went on to say, “the majority of the men and women of our time continue to live daily in situations of insecurity, with dire consequences… People have to struggle to live and, frequently, to live in an undignified way.”

Pope Francis explained that in his opinion, one cause of this situation, was our relationship with money, and our acceptance of its power over ourselves and our society. Consequently, he added, the financial crisis which we are experiencing makes us forget that its ultimate origin is to be found in a profound human crisis. “In the denial of the primacy of human beings.”

He continued by saying the worship of the golden calf of old, has now a new image, “in the cult of money and the dictatorship of an economy which is faceless and lacking any truly humane goal.” Our societies, Pope Francis noted are becoming throw away ones, and worse still he added, “human beings themselves are nowadays considered as consumer goods which can be used and thrown away.”

The Pope explained that what we are really seeing concealed behind current attitudes is a rejection of ethics, a rejection of God, and speaking directly to the new Ambassadors the Holy Father encouraged the financial experts and the political leaders of their countries to consider the words of Saint John Chrysostom: “Not to share one’s goods with the poor is to rob them and to deprive them of life. It is not our goods that we possess, but theirs”.

Stressing the need for financial reform along ethical lines, the Pope noted that it would require a courageous change of attitude on the part of political leaders and he urged them to face this challenge with determination and farsightedness, taking account, of their particular situations.

In his concluding comments, Pope Francis said that the Church herself encourages those in power to be truly at the service of the common good of their peoples. Listen to Lydia O’Kane’s report RealAudioMP3

Below is the official English language translation of Pope Francis' address for the New Non-Resident Ambassadors to the Holy See: Kyrgyzstan, Antigua and Barbuda, Luxembourg and Botswana (16 May 2013)
 

[Sister]

http://en.radiovaticana.va/news/2013/05/16/pope_at_mass:_an_apostolic_nuisance/en1-692628

2013-05-16 11:41:59
Pope at Mass: An Apostolic nuisance

(Vatican Radio) Saint Paul was the focus of Pope Francis’ homily at Mass Thursday morning, and in particular his talent at ‘being a nuisance’, at unsettling people who had grown too comfortable in their faith and imbuing them with that Apostolic zeal that is necessary for the Church to move forward. Emer McCarthy reports:

Pope Francis said that Apostolic zeal, implies "an element of madness, but of spiritual madness, of healthy madness” and proclaiming Christ has its consequences, which can often result in persecution. Nonetheless, stated the Pope, we must not be ‘backseat Christians’ cozy in our comfort zones.

Drawing inspiration from the Acts of the Apostles, chapter 22, where Paul was brought before the Sanhedrin, Pope Francis pointed out that the life of the Apostle to the Gentiles was one of "persecution", but that this did not discourage him. The fate of Paul, he stressed, "is a fate with many crosses, but he keeps going, he looks to the Lord and keeps going":

"Paul is a nuisance: he is a man who, with his preaching, his work, his attitude irritates others, because testifying to Jesus Christ and the proclamation of Jesus Christ makes us uncomfortable, it threatens our comfort zones – even Christian comfort zones, right? It irritates us. The Lord always wants us to move forward, forward, forward ... not to take refuge in a quiet life or in cozy structures, no?... And Paul, in preaching of the Lord, was a nuisance. But he had deep within him that most Christian of attitudes: Apostolic zeal. He had its apostolic zeal. He was not a man of compromise. No! The truth: forward! The proclamation of Jesus Christ, forward! ".
 

He is so right about Paul . . . the apostle Peter is another good example.
Thanks for the postings, grace-land.  I do read them.
 

[grace-land]

You're welcome, Sister.  He spoke about Peter at Friday's mass; I'll post it in a minute. 
Oh, yes, I see that you brought Belle to meet Francis today. lol

[grace-land]

http://en.radiovaticana.va/news/2013/05/17/pope_francis_celebrates_friday_morning_mass/en1-692959

2013-05-17 12:28:29
Pope Francis celebrates Friday morning Mass

(Vatican Radio) The problem is not that we are sinners, but that we do not allow ourselves to be transformed by the encounter with Christ in love: this was the main focus of Pope Francis’ remarks at Mass on Friday morning in the chapel of the Domus Sanctae Marthae residence in the Vatican, which was attended by employees of the Vatican Museums. Listen: RealAudioMP3

At the center of the homily was the day's Gospel reading, in which the Risen Jesus thrice asks Peter if Peter loves Him. “It is,” said Pope Francis, “a dialogue of love between the Lord and his disciple,” one that retraces the whole history of Peter’s meetings with Jesus, from Peter’s first calling and invitation to follow the Lord, to his receiving the name of Cephas – the Rock – and with the name, his peculiar mission, “which,” said Pope Francis, “was there, even if Peter understood nothing of it [at the time].” Then, when Peter recognized Jesus as the Christ and went on to reject the way of the Cross, and Jesus said to him, “Get away, Satan!” and “Peter accepted this humiliation.” Peter often “believed himself to be a good fellow,” was “fiery” in the Garden of Gethsemane, and “took the sword” to defend Jesus, but then denied him three times – and when Jesus looked on him with that look, “so beautiful [it was],” said the Pope, that Peter weeps. “Jesus in these meetings is maturing Peter’s soul, Peter's heart,” helping Peter to grow in love. So Peter, when he heard Jesus three times ask him, “Simon, son of John, do you love me?” was ashamed, because he remembered the time when, three times, he said he did not know the Lord:

“Peter was saddened that, for a third time, Jesus asked him, “Do you love me?” This pain, this shame – a great man, this Peter – [and] a sinner, a sinner. The Lord makes him feel that he is a sinner – makes us all feel that we are sinners. The problem is not that we are sinners: the problem is not repenting of sin, not being ashamed of what we have done. That's the problem. And Peter has this shame, this humility, no? The sin, the sin of Peter, is a fact that, with a heart as great as the heart Peter had, brings him to a new encounter with Jesus: to the joy of forgiveness.”
 

[grace-land]

http://www.dfwcatholic.org/gossip-is-like-slapping-jesus-pope-asserts-35631/.html

Gossip is like slapping Jesus, Pope asserts
Posted by CNA Daily News on May 18th, 2013

Vatican City, May 18, 2013 / 09:15 am (CNA/EWTN News).- Pope Francis spoke today about how gossip by Christians is a “slap” to Jesus “in the person of his children.”

“All three – disinformation, defamation and slander – are sins! This is sin! It is to slap Jesus in the person of his children, his brothers,” the Pope said May 18 in the chapel of St. Martha’s House.

The topic game up in Pope Francis’ homily because of the day’s Gospel reading from John 21 in which Peter asks if John will be alive when Jesus returns to earth.

?“What is it to you?” the pontiff began his homily, referring to Jesus’ response to Peter, who was being tempted “to interfere in the lives of others.”

Peter became “nosy,” Pope Francis remarked, noting that there are two ways people are tempted to get involved in others’ lives. The first is “to compare oneself with others” and the second is to gossip.

“It seems nice to chat,” he reflected, “I do not know why, but it looks nice. Like sweet of honey, right? You take one and then another, and another, and another, and in the end you have a stomach ache. And why? The chatter is like that eh? It is sweet at first and it ruins you, it ruins your soul!”
 

[grace-land]

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/05/18/pope-church-must-help-the-poor_n_3299764.html?utm_hp_ref=religion

Pope Francis Insists Church Must Help Poor, Not 'Speak Of Theology'
Posted: 05/18/2013 5:14 pm EDT

VATICAN CITY, May 18 (Reuters) - Pope Francis shared personal moments with 200,000 people on Saturday, telling them he sometimes nods off while praying at the end of a long day and that it "breaks my heart" that the death of a homeless person is not news.

Francis, who has made straight talk and simplicity a hallmark of his papacy, made his unscripted comments in answers to questions by four people at a huge international gathering of Catholic associations in St. Peter's Square.

But he outdid himself in passionately discussing everything from the memory of his grandmother to his decision to become a priest, from political corruption to his worries about a Church that too often closes in on itself instead of looking outward.

"If we step outside of ourselves, we will find poverty," he said, repeating his call for Catholics to do more to seek out those on the fringes of society who need help the most," he said from the steps of St. Peter's Basilica

"Today, and it breaks my heart to say it, finding a homeless person who has died of cold, is not news. Today, the news is scandals, that is news, but the many children who don't have food - that's not news. This is grave. We can't rest easy while things are this way."

The crowd, most of whom are already involved in charity work, interrupted him often with applause.

"We cannot become starched Christians, too polite, who speak of theology calmly over tea. We have to become courageous Christians and seek out those (who need help most)," he said.

To laughter from the crowd, he described how he prays each day before an altar before going to bed.

"Sometimes I doze off, the fatigue of the day makes you fall asleep, but he (God) understands," he said.
 

[grace-land]

http://www.nydailynews.com/news/world/pope-francis-launches-new-mobile-app-article-1.1347861

Pope Francis and Vatican launch new mobile app for Catholics
Missio, an app designed by the Pontifical Mission Societies, offers a Catholic perspective on world news. The Pope officially unlocked the app at the Vatican on Friday.
Saturday, May 18, 2013, 2:39 PM



Are you a diehard Pope Francis fan? There’s an app for that.

The Pope has propelled the Catholic church into the smartphone era with a fresh new mobile app.

The Vatican’s Clementine Hall buzzed with excitement Friday as His Holiness used the Keys of St. Peter to unlock Missio (the Latin word for mission), an app designed by the church’s missionary branch.
 
Missio’s goals are somewhat different. The app presents world news to its users with a Catholic perspective. Users have access to the Pope’s daily homily and videos from the Catholic News Service. The app also collects news stories and photographs from News.va, the Vatican’s news agency and FIDES, the Pontifical Mission Societies’ news agency
 
The application software was developed by Little i Apps and can be downloaded for free on the iTunes App Store and on Google Play. It is available in eight languages: English, Spanish, Italian, German, French, Portuguese, Chinese and Arabic
 

[grace-land]

http://en.radiovaticana.va/news/2013/05/19/pope_at_pentecost:_newness,_harmony_and_mission/en1-693563

2013-05-19 12:53:49
Pope at Pentecost: Newness, harmony and mission

(Vatican Radio) Below the official English language translation of Pope Francis’ homily at Mass for the Feast of Pentecost with New Movements:

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

Today we contemplate and re-live in the liturgy the outpouring of the Holy Spirit sent by the risen Christ upon his Church; an event of grace which filled the Upper Room in Jerusalem and then spread throughout the world.

But what happened on that day, so distant from us and yet so close as to touch the very depths of our hearts? Luke gives us the answer in the passage of the Acts of the Apostles which we have heard (2:1-11). The evangelist brings us back to Jerusalem, to the Upper Room where the apostles were gathered. The first element which draws our attention is the sound which suddenly came from heaven “like the rush of a violent wind”, and filled the house; then the “tongues as of fire” which divided and came to rest on each of the apostles. Sound and tongues of fire: these are clear, concrete signs which touch the apostles not only from without but also within: deep in their minds and hearts. As a result, “all of them were filled with the Holy Spirit”, who unleashed his irresistible power with amazing consequences: they all “began to speak in different languages, as the Spirit gave them ability”. A completely unexpected scene opens up before our eyes: a great crowd gathers, astonished because each one heard the apostles speaking in his own language. They all experience something new, something which had never happened before: “We hear them, each of us, speaking our own language”. And what is it that they are they speaking about? “God’s deeds of power”.

In the light of this passage from Acts, I would like to reflect on three words linked to the working of the Holy Spirit: newness, harmony and mission.
 

[grace-land]

http://en.radiovaticana.va/news/2013/05/19/regina_caeli_:_a_gift_and_a_treasure_for_the_church/en1-693597

2013-05-19 15:50:21
Regina Caeli : A gift and a treasure for the Church

(Vatican Radio) Ahead of reciting the Easter Marian hymn, Regina Caeli, for the last time this year on Pentecost Sunday, Pope Francis had a special message for the estimated 200 thousand men, women and children gathered before for him in St. Peter’s Square and stretching back right to the banks of the Tiber. He told them; “You are a gift and a treasure for the Church”. Emer McCarthy reports: RealAudioMP3
The vast majority gathered to the Vatican Sunday morning were members of the New Movements and Ecclesial Communities – all formed by lay Catholics - that the Pope had convoked to celebrate the Feast of Pentecost together with him, as part of the Year of Faith.

The Feast which falls 50 days after Easter, marks the end of the Easter season. It commemorates Christ’s sending the Holy Spirit down upon his Apostles in the Upper Room and the birth of the Church.
 
Pope Francis then stepped away from the altar, moving to the left of the basilica façade, where the icon of Our Lady, dearly beloved of the Roman faithful Salus populi romani, was enthroned. There he reached out and placed a hand upon the icon as the Regina Caeli rang out across the ocean of faithful marking the end of Easter time. As of Monday the Church enters Ordinary Time.

But not without one last word from Pope Francis. Before once again touring through the throng in his open topped jeep, all the way down to Via della Conciliazione, the Pope bid everyone goodbye in his own way: “Brothers and sisters, thank you so much for your love for the Church! Have a good Sunday, a blessed feast day and a good lunch!

[grace-land]

http://en.radiovaticana.va/news/2013/05/20/pope_at_mass:_courageous,_humble_prayer_can_work_wonders/en1-693742

2013-05-20 13:24:10
Pope at Mass: Courageous, humble prayer can work wonders

(Vatican Radio) Courageous, humble and strong prayer can accomplish miracles: this was Pope Francis’ message at morning Mass in Casa Santa Marta. Emer McCarthy reports: RealAudioMP3

The Pope was commenting on Monday’s Gospel passage which recounts the disciples failure to heal a child; Jesus himself must intervene and laments the disbelief of those present. Responding to the child’s father’s pleas for help He says “everything is possible to one who has faith ". Pope Francis noted that often those who love Jesus don't risk much on believing in him nor entrust themselves completely to Him:

"But why this disbelief? I believe that it is [when] the heart will not open, when the heart is closed, when the heart wants to have everything under control".

It is a heart, then, that "does not open" and does not "give control of things to Jesus" - said the Pope - and when the disciples ask him why they could not drive the spirit out of the boy, the Lord replies that the "this kind can only come out through prayer. " "All of us - he said – carry a little bit of a disbelief, within." Strong prayer is needed, humble and strong prayer that enables Jesus to carry out the miracle. Prayer to ask for a miracle, to ask for an extraordinary action - he continued – must be an involved prayer, a prayer that unites us all”. To further underline his point, the Holy Father told the story of a young child in Argentina who at only 7 years of age fell ill and was given only a few hours to live by doctors. Her father, an electrician, a "man of faith," started “acting like madmen - said the Pope - and in that state of madness “took a bus to the Marian Shrine of Lujan, 70 km away”.

"He finally arrived after 9 pm, when everything was closed. And he began to pray to Our Lady, with his hands gripping the iron fence. And he prayed, and prayed, and wept, and prayed ... and that’s the way he remained all night long. But this man was struggling: he was struggling with God, he struggled with God Himself to heal his daughter. Then, at 6 in the morning, he went to the bus station, took the bus and arrived home, in the hospital at 9 am, more or less. And he found his wife weeping. And he thought the worst. “What’s happened? I do not understand, I do not understand! What has happened? '. 'Well, the doctors came and they told me that the fever is gone, she is breathing well, that there is nothing! They will leave her for two days more, but I do not understand what happened! This still happens, eh? Miracles do happen”.
 

[grace-land]

http://en.radiovaticana.va/news/2013/05/21/pope_at_mass:_true_power,_even_in_the_church,_is_in_serving_others/en1-694087

2013-05-21 13:24:29
Pope at Mass: True power, even in the Church, is in serving others

(Vatican Radio) For a Christian, true progress lies in humbling ourselves as Jesus did. This was the focus of Pope Francis’ homily at morning Mass in the Casa Santa Marta. The Pope also reiterated that true power is in service and that there is no room for power struggles within the Church. During the prayers of the faithful Pope Francis also prayed for the victims of the Oklahoma tornado tragedy. Emer McCarthy reports: RealAudioMP3

In the readings of the day, the source of the Holy Father’s reflections, Jesus speaks of his passion. However his disciples, begin arguing about who is the greatest among them. Commenting on this ‘bitter episode’ the Pope noted: "The struggle for power in the Church nothing new", in fact "it began then with Jesus”. The Pope said: "In the Gospel of Jesus, the struggle for power in the Church must not exist" because true power, that which the Lord "by his example has taught us," is "the power of service".
 

[grace-land]

http://en.radiovaticana.va/news/2013/05/21/fr_lombardi_sj:_pope_did_not_perform_exorcism/en1-694048

2013-05-21 12:25:50
Fr Lombardi SJ: Pope did not perform exorcism

(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis’ decision to place his hands on the head of a sick child and pray over him on Pentecost Sunday stirred speculation he might have performed an exorcism. The Director of the Press Office of the Holy See, Fr. Federico Lombardi, SJ, clarified on Tuesday that the Holy Father did not perform an exorcism on the occasion. "The Holy Father did not intend to perform any exorcism," said Fr Lombardi. "Rather," he explained, "as he frequently does with the sick and the suffering who come his way, he intended simply pray for a suffering person who had been brought before him."

Exorcism is, in the strict sense, the “casting out” of evil spirits. The power to exorcise was conferred by Jesus on the apostles, and it is understood that this power passes to the bishops who are the successors to the apostles, and priests the co-workers. That said, the Church has had – for many hundreds of years, it ought to be added – a very precise ritual of exorcism: there are no evangelical-style tent revival theatrics, but careful, even methodical attention and faithful following of the prescribed prayers, gestures and use of sacramental such as holy water and the crucifix. Fr. Bernd Hagenkord, SJ, clarifies further:
 

[grace-land]

http://en.radiovaticana.va/news/2013/05/22/pope_at_mass:_culture_of_encounter_is_the_foundation_of_peace/en1-694445

2013-05-22 12:40:02
Pope at Mass: Culture of encounter is the foundation of peace

(Vatican Radio) “Doing good” is a principle that unites all humanity, beyond the diversity of ideologies and religions, and creates the “culture of encounter” that is the foundation of peace: this is what Pope said at Mass this morning at the Domus Santae Martae, in the presence of employees of the Governorate of Vatican City. Cardinal Bechara Boutros Rai, Patriarch of Antioch of the Maronites, concelebrated at the Mass.

Wednesday’s Gospel speaks to us about the disciples who prevented a person from outside their group from doing good. “They complain,” the Pope said in his homily, because they say, “If he is not one of us, he cannot do good. If he is not of our party, he cannot do good.” And Jesus corrects them: “Do not hinder him, he says, let him do good.” The disciples, Pope Francis explains, “were a little intolerant,” closed off by the idea of ​​possessing the truth, convinced that “those who do not have the truth, cannot do good.” “This was wrong . . . Jesus broadens the horizon.” Pope Francis said, “The root of this possibility of doing good – that we all have – is in creation”:

"The Lord created us in His image and likeness, and we are the image of the Lord, and He does good and all of us have this commandment at heart: do good and do not do evil. All of us. ‘But, Father, this is not Catholic! He cannot do good.’ Yes, he can. He must. Not can: must! Because he has this commandment within him. Instead, this ‘closing off’ that imagines that those outside, everyone, cannot do good is a wall that leads to war and also to what some people throughout history have conceived of: killing in the name of God. That we can kill in the name of God. And that, simply, is blasphemy. To say that you can kill in the name of God is blasphemy.”
 

[grace-land]

http://en.radiovaticana.va/news/2013/05/22/audience:_the_holy_spirit,_unity_and_communion_[full_text]/en1-694369

2013-05-22 10:52:57
Audience: the Holy Spirit, unity and communion [Full text]

(Vatican Radio) Below a Vatican Radio translation of Pope Francis’ General Audience catechesis, Wednesday, May 22, 2013. [Original text Italian]:

Dear brothers and sisters, good day!

in the Creed, after having professed faith in the Holy Spirit, we say: "We believe in One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church." There is a deep connection between these two realities of faith: the Holy Spirit gives life to the Church, guides Her steps. Without the presence and the incessant action of the Holy Spirit, the Church could not live and could not accomplish the task that the Risen Jesus has entrusted her; to go and make disciples of all nations (cf. Mt 28:18). Evangelization is the mission of the Church, not just of a few, but my, your, our mission. The Apostle Paul exclaimed: "Woe to me if I do not preach the Gospel" (1 Cor 9:16). Everyone must be evangelizers, especially through with their life! Paul VI pointed out that "... evangelizing is in fact the grace and vocation proper to the Church, her deepest identity. She exists in order to evangelize,"(Apostolic Exhortation. Evangelii Nuntiandi, 14).
 

[grace-land]

http://en.radiovaticana.va/news/2013/05/22/vaticans_financial_information_authority_releases_annual_report/en1-694459

2013-05-22 14:35:13
Vatican's Financial Information Authority releases Annual Report

(Vatican Radio) The Holy See Press Office on Wednesday hosted the launch of the Annual Report of the Financial Information Authority for 2012. The Director of the AIF,Rene Brülhart, highlighted the cooperation of various Vatican offices in tackling any potential abuse of the financial system.

Communique on the Annual Report of the Financial Information Authority, 2012
 

[grace-land]

http://en.radiovaticana.va/news/2013/05/23/pope_francis_at_mass:_be_salt_of_the_earth/en1-694853

2013-05-23 13:42:36
Pope Francis at Mass: be salt of the earth

(Vatican Radio) That Christians might spread the spiritual salt of faith, hope and charity: this was Pope Francis’ exhortation at Mass Thursday morning in the chapel of the Domus Sanctae Marthae residence in the Vatican. The Pope warned against the risk of becoming insipid, “Museum-piece Christians.”
 

“Salt makes sense when you [use] it in order to make things more tasty. I also consider that salt stored in the bottle, with moisture, loses strength and is rendered useless. The salt that we have received is to be given out, to be given away, [in order] to spice things up: otherwise, it becomes bland and useless. We must ask the Lord not to [let us] become Christians with flavour-less salt, with salt that stays closed in the bottle. Salt also has another special feature: when salt is used well, one does not notice the taste of salt. The savour of salt - it cannot be perceived! What one tastes is the flavour of the food: salt helps improve the flavor of the meal.”

“When we preach faith, with this salt,” said Pope Francis, “those who receive the proclamation, receive it each according to his peculiarity, as [happens when salt is used judiciously] on food.” So, “Each with his own peculiarities receives the salt and becomes better [for it].” The Holy Father went on to explain that the “originality” that Christian faith brings is therefore not something uniform:

“The Christian originality is not a uniformity! It takes each one as he is, with his own personality, with his own characteristics, his culture – and leaves him with that, because it is a treasure. However, it gives one something more: it gives flavour! This Christian originality is so beautiful, because when we want to make a uniformity - all salted in the same way - things will be like when the woman throws in too much salt and one tastes only salt and not the meal. The Christian originality is this: each is as he is, with the gifts the Lord has given him.”