Pope Francis

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Two-page article

http://vaticaninsider.lastampa.it/en/the-vatican/detail/articolo/37641/

11/20/2014
Many religions unite in supporting traditional family ideals


(©AFP) The Vatican colloquium on “The Complementarity of Men and Women”

The  3 –day international interreligious Vatican colloquium on “The Complementarity of Man and Woman”, held in the Vatican’s Synod Hall, aimed at reinforcing the image of the traditional family and the positive power of family unity. In a final proclamation, the urgency of strengthening marriages was affirmed. 

 “Marriage is between one man and one woman” was the overriding motto but there were also some voices of dissent to this precept, and even to agreeing on the significance of basic terms.  But this was to be expected in a gathering of about 500 people including a composite ecumenical Christian majority of all denominations and religious and ethnic minorities of the Jewish, Muslim, Sikh, Hindu, Zoroastrian, Jain and Buddhist traditions coming from all continents. 
 

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http://www.news.va/en/news/pope-all-christians-called-to-be-missionaries-not

Pope: all Christians called to be missionaries, 'not just the few'
2014-11-22 Vatican Radio

(Vatican Radio) All Christians and “not just the few” are called to intensify their missionary spirit and go out to proclaim the joy of the Gospel, said Pope Francis.He issued the call on Saturday in speaking at the Vatican to a group of more than 700 participants in Italy’s National Missionary Congress, which was organized by the Italian Episcopal Conference and the Missio Foundation.

“Every generation is called to be missionary,” he said. Reflecting on the theme of the congress, based on God’s call of the prophet Jonah to go to Nineveh and to call the people to conversion, the Pope said the Church is called to be outbound and to bring the Gospel to all nations, “without distinction.”

He urged Christians “to go out and not to remain indifferent to extreme poverty, war, violence in our cities, the abandonment of the elderly, the anonymity of so many people in need and the distance we keep from the least among us.”

Christians, he said, must “be workers for peace, that peace which the Lord gives us each day and of which the world is very much in need.”

Calling Christians to live in hope, he said: “Missionaries never renounce the dream of peace, even when they live difficulties and persecution, which today has returned to make itself felt strongly.”

Pope Francis said being an outbound Church it “means to overcome the temptation to speak among ourselves, forgetting the many who wait for a word of mercy from us, a word of comfort, of hope.”

He called Christians to go out to the periphery, like Jesus, who lived  “far from the centres of power of the Roman Empire…. He met the poor, the sick, the possessed, sinners, prostitutes, gathering around him a small number of disciples and some women who listened to him and served him.”

Jesus’ “word was the beginning of a turning point in history, the beginning of a spiritual and human revolution, the Good News of a Lord, who died and rose for us,” he said.

The mission of bringing the joy of the Gospel to the world “is accomplished by all Christians, not just the few,” the Pope affirmed. “Our Christian vocation asks us to be carriers of this missionary spirit so as to bring about a true ‘missionary conversion’ of the whole Church.”

Below are excerpts from the Pope’s message, translated by Vatican Radio:
 

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http://en.radiovaticana.va/news/2014/11/22/pope_break_down_isolation,_stigma_of_autism/1112005

Pope: Break down isolation, stigma of Autism
22/11/2014 12:04

(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis says we need to “break down the isolation and stigma that burden” people living with autism spectrum disorders. The Pope was speaking to participants at a three-day conference sponsored by the Pontifical Council for Pastoral Health Care titled The Person with Autism Spectrum Disorders: Animating Hope.

650 experts from 57 countries were joined in the Paul VI hall Saturday by hundreds of parents and children affected by autism. Warmly thanking them for their ‘moving and meaningful testimonies’ on what it means to live with the condition, Pope Francis spoke of the fragility of children and families suffering from autism spectrum disorders, describing the stigma and isolation they feel as a Cross.

To meet their needs and break through their loneliness, the Pope spoke of creating a network of support and services on the ground that are comprehensive and accessible.  This is the responsibility of governments and intuitions he said but also of Christian communities, parishes and friends.  This continued the Pope would help families overcome the feelings, that can sometimes arise, of inadequacy, uselessness and frustration when faced with the daily realities of autism.

Pope Francis concluded with words of encouragement for academics and researchers in the field that they may discover therapies and support tools, to help and heal and, above all, prevent the onset of these conditions as soon as possible. While always safeguarding the inalienable dignity of every person.
 
Below a Vatican Radio translation of the Holy Father’s address:
 

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http://www.news.va/en/news/pope-francis-homily-for-christ-the-king-canonizati

Pope Francis: homily for Christ the King canonization Mass
2014-11-23 Vatican Radio



(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis delivered the homily at the Mass celebrated in St Peter's Square on Christ the King Sunday, during the course of which he canonized six new saints: Kuriakose Elias Chavara, Mother Eufrasia Eluvathingal, Amato Ronconi, Giovanni Antonio Farina, Nicola da Longobardi, and Ludovico da Casoria.

Below, please find the full text of the official English translation of the Holy Father's prepared homily.
 

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http://www.zenit.org/en/articles/angelus-on-the-newly-canonized-saints

Angelus: On the Newly Canonized Saints
Vatican City,  November 23, 2014

Here is the translation of the Holy Father's address prior to the recitation of the Angelus prayer at the conclusion of the Canonization Mass of six new Saints.

Dear brothers and sisters,

At the conclusion of this celebration, I would like to greet all of you who have come to honor the new Saints, especially the official Delegations from Italy and India.

May the example of the four Italian saints, born in the provinces of Vicenza, Naples, Cosenza and Rimini, help the dear Italian people to revive the spirit of collaboration and harmony for the common good and to look with hope towards the future, trusting in the closeness of God who never abandons us, even in difficult moments.
 

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http://en.radiovaticana.va/news/2014/11/24/pope_at_santa_marta_everything_for_the_lord_and_others/1112180

Pope at Santa Marta: Everything for the Lord and others
24/11/2014 11:36

(Vatican Radio) When the Church is humble and poor, then "it is faithful" to Christ, giving all it has for the Lord and others, leaving nothing for itself said Pope Francis at morning Mass in  Casa Santa Marta Monday.

Pope Francis based his reflections on the Gospel of the Day which recounts the episode of the poor widow who gives all that she has – two small coins or mites – to the Temple treasury, while the rich made offerings from their surplus wealth under the gaze of Jesus. Pope Francis said the Gospel captures two tendencies always present in the history of the Church. The Church tempted by vanity and the "poor Church", which - he says - "must have no other riches than her Spouse", like the humble widow:
 

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http://www.news.va/en/news/pope-francisheads-of-vatican-departments-discuss-c

Pope Francis/heads of Vatican departments discuss Curial reform
2014-11-24 Vatican Radio

(Vatican Radio)  Pope Francis and the prefects and presidents of pontifical congregations and councils held a three hour meeting Monday morning in the Vatican to discuss proposals for reform of the Roman Curia.

The director of the Vatican Press Office , Father Federico Lombardi, reminded journalists that these meetings are routinely held about every six months or so.  He said that the secretary of the “C9” Council of Cardinals examining the issue of Curial reform , Bishop Marcello Semeraro , gave a brief presentation of the subjects under consideration.   

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http://www.thetablet.co.uk/news/1424/0/pope-francis-appoints-guinea-s-robert-sarah-to-lead-congregation-for-worship-

Pope Francis appoints Guinea’s Robert Sarah to lead Congregation for Worship
24 November 2014 13:20



Pope Francis has appointed Guinean Cardinal Robert Sarah to lead the Congregation for Divine Worship, which deals with the Church’s liturgical affairs, the Vatican announced today.

Speculation was rife in the run-up to today’s announcement as the post had been vacant for three months. Francis moved the previous prefect of the dicastery, Cardinal Antonio Cañizares Llovera, back to Spain to lead the archdiocese of Valencia.

Sarah, who some observers thought could be elected pope in last year’s conclave, is the second African prelate to head the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments after Nigerian Cardinal Francis Arinze, who ran it from 2002 to 2008.
 

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http://www.news.va/en/news/pope-appoints-new-bishop-for-gary-usa

Pope appoints new Bishop for Gary, USA
2014-11-24 Vatican Radio



(Vatican Radio) The Holy Father has named an Auxiliary Bishop of Milwaukee, Donald J. Hying as the new Bishop of Gary, USA. He succeeds Bishop Dale J. Melczek, whose resignation Pope Francis accepted upon having the age limit.

On Monday the Holy Father also named Fr Victor Hlolo Phalana, currently Vicar General of the Archdiocese of the Archdiocese of Pretoria, as the Bishop of Klerksdorp, South Africa.

Biography of Bishop Daniel Hying
 

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http://vaticaninsider.lastampa.it/en/the-vatican/detail/articolo/egitto-egypt-egipto-37712/

11/24/2014
Pope calls for dialogue and peace in the Middle East in meeting with Egypt’s President Al Sisi



The Catholic Church “stands by the side of all the people of Egypt during the period of political transition.” Pope Francis assured Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah Al Sisi of this in an audience held in the Vatican this afternoon, six years after Benedict XVI’s meeting with Hosni Mubarak. He came to Rome as part of a brief European visit which will take him to France. The President’s conversation with the Pope first and then with the Vatican Secretary of State, Cardinal Pietro Parolin were “cordial” and subjects touched on included: “guarantees” offered by the new constitution in the field of religious freedom, the need to “strengthen peaceful co-existence between all parts of society” and the importance “of dialogue and negotiation” as the “only option” left for the conflict-ridden Middle East.
 

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http://www.philly.com/philly/news/20141125_Chaput_offers_some_details_of_next_year_s_World_Meeting_of_Families.html

Chaput offers some details of next year's World Meeting of Families
Last updated: Monday, November 24, 2014, 10:44 PM
Posted: Monday, November 24, 2014, 8:15 PM

 
Lasting six days, the Vatican-sponsored gathering will start Sept. 22 with four days of workshops and "breakout sessions" that explore the value of family and its many challenges.

That Saturday, the Benjamin Franklin Parkway will then be the scene of a three-hour "Festival of Families," where Francis will make his first appearance, for about one hour.

Event organizers expect that the festival - a kind of street fair with prayer and music going from about 6 to 9 p.m. - will draw 850,000 to 1,000,000 people.

That Sunday, the pope will say Mass at an altar at the base of the Art Museum, an event that could draw 1.5 million to two million. Chaput said visitors to the family festival will not be allowed to stay on the Parkway overnight.

Chaput was in Rome last week when Francis made the surprise announcement - not expected until next year - that he would attend the last two days of the World Meeting. Chaput, who arrived home Sunday from Italy, said he still has "no idea" why Benedict chose Philadelphia for the World Meeting.

"No one has said why," he said. "But I'm sure glad it's here."

Although the World Meeting "is going to have a Catholic dimension," he said, it will "welcome everybody."

About one-quarter of the speakers are non-Catholic, he said, and there is "even an atheist" on the roster.

The first four days of the World Meeting, called a "congress," will be at the Convention Center and are expected to draw 10,000 to 15,000 people to its more than 100 events, some of which are geared toward children.
 

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http://www.huffingtonpost.com/sebastien-maillard/pope-francis-ghostwriter_b_6209834.html?utm_hp_ref=world

Holy Ghostwriters: Behind the Pope's Tweets and Encyclicals
Posted:  11/24/2014 4:22 pm EST    Updated:  11/24/2014 4:22 pm EST

ROME -- Pope Francis sent a letter to the chair of the recent G20 summit in Brisbane, Australia chastising "unbridled consumerism" and calling for policies against growing inequality.

He delivered a speech to the Food and Agriculture Organization in Rome on Nov. 20 calling for a fairer distribution of the world's bounty.

He is giving two other important talks this week, at the European Parliament and then at the Council of Europe, in Strasbourg, France.

Though inspired by the Holy Spirit, popes of course do not write all by themselves everything they say. In the case of a very talkative pontiff such as Francis, it would just be impossible.

A year ago, in Nov. 2013, Jorge Bergoglio named the head of the secretariat of state's Italian section in the Holy See, Monsignor Paolo Luca Braida, as coordinator of the preparation of his speeches and homilies. This 55-year old Italian prelate from Lombardia (North of Italy) was already involved in this task. He thus now acts as the pope's ghostwriter, although this position does not officially exist. As one of the pope's close collaborators, he lives at Santa Martha, the residence inside the Vatican where Francis has chosen to settle.

But Mgr. Braida also cannot write everything. Speeches are drafted by the secretariat of state, which stands as the pope's main central office. In the case of the letter for the G20, it was basically written by Monsignor Osvaldo Neves de Almeida, desk officer at the international branch within the Holy See's "ministry of foreign affairs." This Argentinian priest -- compatriot of the pope -- and a member of the religious congregation Opus Dei, also wrote Francis' message read out at the opening of the World Economic Forum's annual meeting in Davos last January.

When the pope travels abroad, local bishops and nuncios (equivalent of the Holy See's Ambassadors) get to mention their concerns about what should be included in the speeches. In the case of Francis' address to the European Parliament, some influence of the president of the EU's bishops, cardinal Reinhard Marx, is much expected.
 

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http://www.news.va/en/news/pope-urges-a-lonely-self-absorbed-europe-to-recove

Pope urges a “lonely” “self-absorbed” Europe to recover its soul
2014-11-25 Vatican Radio



(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis called on a “haggard” and “lonely” Europe to recover its role as a world protagonist, its identity as a defender of the transcendent dignity of man, the poor, the migrant, the persecuted, the old and the young, to recover its soul: Christianity.

Emer McCarthy reports:

In a lengthy address– the first of two on his one day visit to the heart of Europe –  he told members of the European Parliament in Strasbourg that a two-thousand-year-old history links Europe and Christianity, “not free of conflicts or errors, but driven by the desire to work for the good of all”. This “is our present and our future.  It is our identity”, he said

The Pope also urged Europe’s 500 million citizens to see the Union’s problems – economic stagnation, unemployment, immigration, rising poverty levels and a growing polarization -  as a “force for unity” to overcome fears and mutual mistrust.
 

http://www.news.va/en/news/pope-francis-address-to-european-parliament
Pope Francis: Address to European Parliament - full text
2014-11-25 Vatican Radio

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http://www.news.va/en/news/pope-francis-address-to-the-council-of-europe

Pope Francis: Address to the Council of Europe
2014-11-25 Vatican Radio

(Vatican Radio)  Pope Francis on Tuesday called on Europe’s leaders to work diligently and continuously for creative solutions to divisions and conflict for a peaceful continent.  In a wide-ranging speech to the Council of Europe in Strasbourg, Pope Francis observed that “peace continues all too often to be violated” in many parts of the world where conflicts “continue to fester.” Tensions also continue to exist on the European continent, the Pope noted, which “yearns for peace but which so easily falls back into the temptations of the past.”

The Pope observed that the Council of Europe was established in 1949, on the heels of two world wars, with the dream “to rebuild Europe in a spirit of mutual service which today too, in a world prone to make demands than to serve, must be the cornerstone of the Council of Europe’s mission on behalf of peace, freedom and human dignity.”

He urged European leaders to pursue this dream in favour of the common good.

The Council of Europe is an advisory rather than a legislative body comprising 47 member states and representing some 820 million citizens.  Also home to the European Court of Human Rights, the Council of Europe provides a venue for cooperation between member states on the basis of common values and common political decisions.

Below please find the full text of Pope Francis’ address to the Council of Europe:
 

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http://www.catholicnews.com/data/stories/cns/1404914.htm

Nov-25-2014
Pope says he would 'never close the door' on talks with Islamic State

ABOARD THE PAPAL FLIGHT FROM STRASBOURG, France (CNS) -- Pope Francis said he would "never close the door" on dialogue with the Islamic State in an effort to bring peace to a region of the world suffering from violence and persecution.

He also said that "terrorism" could describe not only the actions of such extremist groups but also those of some national governments using military force unilaterally.

Meeting reporters Nov. 25 on his return flight from Strasbourg where he addressed the European Parliament and the Council of Europe, Pope Francis said terrorism is a threat the world must take seriously.

Specifically asked if he thought there was even the most remote possibility of dialoguing with terrorists like those from the Islamic State, Pope Francis said, "I never count anything as lost. Never. Never close the door. It's difficult, you could say almost impossible, but the door is always open."

But Pope Francis also told journalists that the threat of terrorism is not the only horror weighing on the world.

"Slavery is a reality inserted in the social fabric today, and has been for some time: slave labor, the trafficking of persons, the sale of children -- it's a drama. Let's not close our eyes to this. Slavery is a reality today, the exploitation of persons," he explained.
 

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http://www.news.va/en/news/pope-audience-church-is-on-a-journey-towards-heave

Pope Audience: Church is on a journey towards heaven
2014-11-26 Vatican Radio

(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis during his weekly General Audience in the St Peter’s Square (Wednesday) today told pilgrims the Church is on a continuing journey towards heaven. He also asked for prayers for his upcoming Apostolic visit to Turkey.

At the heart of Pope Francis catechesis at his General Audience on Wednesday was the continuing journey of the Church towards Paradise. On a rainy day in St Peter’s Square the Holy Father explained to the pilgrims and tourists present that “the Second Vatican Council reminded us that the Church is not an end in herself, but that she is continually journeying through history to the kingdom of heaven, of which the Church on earth is the seed and beginning.”

The Pope went on to say that at the end of time this pilgrimage will reach its fulfillment when the universe will become a new heavenly Jerusalem consumed by joy, peace and the love of God.
 

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http://www.zenit.org/en/articles/full-text-of-in-flight-papal-press-conference-from-strasbourg

Full Text of In-Flight Papal Press Conference From Strasbourg
Strasbourg, France,  November 26, 2014

Here below is an English translation of the transcript of Pope Francis' press conference given on the flight back from Strasbourg yesterday afternoon.

Father Lombardi: Here we are. Well then, we are already returning from this brief but very intense trip. We are in admiration of the two long and demanding addresses you made. You have already said many things. However, journalists always still have some questions to ask. We have prepared five: you will decide if you wish to respond to all five. Well, we have two Frenchmen – given that we are in France, – and we give the floor immediately to Renaud Bernard, who is of France Television.

Renaud Bernard: Your Holiness, good evening. I am happy to ask this question on behalf of the French journalists. This morning, before the European Parliament, you gave an address with pastoral words, but with words that can be heard as political words, and which can come close – in my opinion – to a social-democratic sentiment. I can give a brief example. When you say that we must avoid removing the real expressive force of peoples in face of multi-national powers -- can we say that you are a social-democratic Pope?

Pope Francis: My dear, this is reductionism! I felt there that I was in a collection of insects: “This is a social-democratic insect …” No, I would say no: I don’t know if there is a social-democratic Pope or not … I don’t dare qualify myself on one side or the other. I dare to say that this comes from the Gospel: This is the message of the Gospel, a matter of the Social Doctrine of the Church. In this, concretely, and in other things – social or political – which I said, I did not detach myself from the Social Doctrine of the Church. The Social Doctrine of the Church comes from the Gospel and from the Christian Tradition. What I said – the identity of peoples – is an evangelical value, no? I say it in this sense. But you have made me laugh, thank you!
 

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http://www.news.va/en/news/pope-at-santa-marta-depression-and-hope

Pope at Santa Marta: Depression and hope
2014-11-27 Vatican Radio

(Vatican Radio) Reality can be ugly, but despite the suffering, corruption and indifference in today’s world as Christians we must hold our heads high in hope said Pope Francis at Mass Thursday morning in Casa Santa Marta.

Basing his reflections on the Readings of the Day, Pope Francis spoke of the fate of the two cities of Babylon and Jerusalem. The Pope pointed out that both the First Reading from Revelation and the Gospel from St Luke Chapter 21, draw our attention to the end of this world.

He noted that they speak of the fall of two cities that refused to welcome the Lord and that drifted away from Him.  These two cities fall for different reasons, he said.   Babylon is the "symbol of evil, of sin" and "falls because of its corruption," the city believed itself to be "the mistress of the world and of itself". When " sin accumulates - he warned - you lose the ability to react and you start to rot". This also happens with "corrupt people, who do not have the strength to react":
 

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http://www.news.va/en/news/pope-to-religious-creative-fidelity-to-tradition

Pope to religious: creative fidelity to tradition
2014-11-27 Vatican Radio

(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis received the participants in the plenary assembly of the Congregation for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life on Thursday in the Clementine Hall of the Apostolic Palace in the Vatican. From the 25th to the 29th of November, the participants in the plenary session are gathered to reflect on the image of new wine in new wineskins, taken from the Gospel according to St. Mark (2:22), with a focus on fostering creative fidelity to their specific callings and to their particular charisms within the broad vocation to consecrated life.

In remarks prepared for the occasion, Pope Francis said, “In the demanding task that brings you together – that of assessing the new wine and testing the quality of the skins which must contain it – may you be guided by the criteria of originality in evangelical choices, charismatic faithfulness, the primacy of service, attention to the smallest and most fragile, respect for the dignity of each person.”
 

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http://www.news.va/en/news/pope-francis-christians-have-a-duty-to-proclaim-th

Pope Francis: Christians have a duty to proclaim the Gospel
2014-11-27 Vatican Radio

(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis on Thursday met with members of the Pauline Family, on the occasion of their 100th anniversary, telling them that Christians have a duty to proclaim the Gospel without exception.

One hundred years ago and against the background of the 1st World War, Blessed James Alberione an Italian priest founded a number of Institutes between 1914 and 1959 which were known as the Pauline Family.

All are linked to one another by the same spirituality and by a profound bond of communion and use the media to proclaim the truth of the Gospel.

The Pauline Family is made up of five religious Congregations, a Lay Association and four Secular Institutes, including the Society of Saint Paul.

On the occasion of their centennial anniversary, Pope Francis received the Family on Thursday telling them that this milestone year offered them the opportunity to renew their commitment to live the faith and to communicate, particularly through publishing and multimedia tools typical of their charism.