Pope Francis

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http://www.news.va/en/news/pope-francis-celebrates-the-lords-passion

Pope Francis celebrates the Lord’s Passion
2015-04-03 Vatican Radio



(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis presided over the liturgy of Our Lord's Passion in St Peter's Basilica on Good Friday. The celebration, recalling the events leading up to Jesus' Crucifixion and death on the Cross, included reflections given by the preacher of the Papal Household, Father Raniero Cantalamessa.

Please find below an English translation (by Marsha Daigle Williamson) of Father Cantalmessa’s reflections:
 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VUnwyzysp_g
Celebration of the Passion of our Lord - 2015.04.03
Streamed live on Apr 3, 2015
Starts at 5:00 pm - On Good Friday, Pope Francis presides over the Celebration of the Passion of our Lord.

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http://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/true-martyrs-die-in-prayer-not-with-clenched-fists-papal-preacher-says-72152/

True martyrs die in prayer – not with clenched fists, papal preacher says



Vatican City, Apr 3, 2015 / 11:35 am (CNA/EWTN News).- In his homily for the celebration of the Passion of Our Lord on Good Friday, papal preacher Father Raniero Cantalamessa called for a spirit of forgiveness amid rising persecutions in the world.

“True martyrs for Christ do not die with clenched fists but with their hands joined in prayer,” Fr. Cantelamessa said, according to the English translation published by Vatican Radio.

His remarks come as news of 147 Christians slaughtered by Somali jihadists at a University Campus in Kenya.

Remarking on this tragedy, Fr. Cantelamessa observed the fittingness of Jesus’ words to his disciples: “The hour is coming when whoever kills you will think he is offering service to God” (Jn 16:2).
 

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Thousands at Rome's Coliseum for the Way of the Cross with Pope Francis.  Big cheer from crowd as he arrives


http://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/for-pope-francis-good-friday-shrouded-in-grief-over-persecuted-christians-86970/
For Pope Francis, Good Friday shrouded in grief over persecuted Christians

Rome, Italy, Apr 3, 2015 / 03:45 pm (CNA/EWTN News).- Both Pope Francis' Good Friday service at the Vatican and the Stations of the Cross held at the Colosseum later in the day zeroed-in on the plight of persecuted Christians around the world.

“In you, Divine Love, we see again today our persecuted brethren: beheaded, crucified, for their faith in you, beneath our eyes, or often with our complicit silence,” he said in a brief reflection April 3 following the Way of the Cross.

The Pope’s remarks come one day after the massacre of 147 students – mostly Christian, separated from their Muslim colleagues at the start of the attack – at Kenya’s Garissa University College at the hands of Somalian Al Shebaab gunmen.

Earlier today, Pope Francis condemned “this act of senseless brutality,” in a letter of condolence to the Kenyan Bishop’s conference, praying “for a change of heart among its perpetrators.”
 

Meditations at the Stations of the Cross in English--
http://www.vatican.va/news_services/liturgy/2015/documents/ns_lit_doc_20150403_via-crucis-meditazioni_en.html

For a translation, select the "English" button--
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hc1lxZhbWu8
Way of the Cross - 2015.04.03
Streamed live on Apr 3, 2015
Starts at 9:10 pm - The Holy Father presides over the Way of the Cross of Good Friday

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http://www.news.va/en/news/pope-francis-to-baptize-10-at-easter-vigil

Pope Francis to baptize 10 at Easter Vigil
2015-04-04 Vatican Radio

(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis will celebrate the culmination of the Paschal Triduum, the Easter Vigil, tonight at 8:30 PM in St. Peter's Basilica. The celebration of the Easter Vigil will begin with the blessing of the paschal flame in the atrium of St. Peter’s Basilica. The Paschal candle will then be brought in procession into the Church. After which, a deacon will sing the “Exultet” -- the ancient hymn that praises the resurrection.

Lit from the single flame of the Paschal candle, about 7,000 candles in the hands of the congregation will illuminate the basilica.

In one of the highlights of the liturgy, Pope Francis will baptize 10 catechumens. The group to be received into the Church is diverse. The catechumens include five women and four men, and one teenage girl; four are from Italy, three are from Albania, and three others from Cambodia, Kenya, and Portugal respectively. The catechumens range in age, from 13 to 66. 

The Pope is expected to deliver the homily.
 

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http://www.news.va/en/news/pope-at-easter-vigil-entering-the-mystery

Pope at Easter Vigil: Entering the Mystery
2015-04-05 Vatican Radio



(Vatican Radio) The Easter Vigil is a time for us “to enter into the Mystery which God has accomplished with His vigil of love.” That was the message of Pope Francis as he celebrated the Easter Vigil in Saint Peter’s Basilica on Saturday night.

Sean Patrick Lovett’s report:

Pope Francis focused his reflections on the women who, going out early Sunday morning to anoint the Body of the Lord, were the first to see the empty tomb.

“We cannot live Easter,” he said, “without entering into this mystery.”

Entering the Mystery

Entering into the mystery, Pope Francis explained, “means the ability to wonder, to contemplate; the ability to listen to the silence and to hear the tiny whisper amid great silence by which God speaks to us”… it “demands that we not be afraid of reality: that we not be locked into ourselves, that we not flee from what we fail to understand, that we not close our eyes to problems or deny them, that we not dismiss our questions” … “To enter into the mystery means going beyond our own comfort zone, beyond the laziness and indifference which hold us back, and going out in search of truth, beauty and love.”

Humility necessary

The Holy Father said humility is necessary to enter into the mystery, the humility to come down from the pedestals of our presumption, to see ourselves as we really are: “creatures with strengths and weaknesses, sinners in need of forgiveness.”

This, the Pope said, is what the women at the tomb teach us. They had kept watch, they went forth and they entered into the Mystery. Pope Francis concluded his homily with the prayer that we might learn from them “to keep watch with God and with Mary our Mother, so that we too may enter into the Mystery which leads from death to life.”

Below, please find the official English translation of the Holy Father's prepared remarks:
 

For a translation, select the "English" button at the link below--
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sfz_yQGSs0Y
Easter Vigil - 2015.04.04
Streamed live on Apr 4, 2015
Starts at 8:20 pm - The Holy Father presides over the Easter Vigil

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http://www.theblaze.com/stories/2015/04/05/so-beautiful-and-so-ugly-pope-francis-begs-the-world-to-remember-slain-christians-on-easter-sunday/


Pope Francis celebrates an Easter mass, in St. Peter’s square at the Vatican, Sunday, April 5, 2015. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino)

For a translation, select the "English" button at the link below--

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lP284E6Ul3M
Easter Mass - 2015.04.05
Streamed live on Apr 5, 2015
Starts at 10:15 am - The Holy Father presides over the Holy Mass of Easter Day

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http://www.news.va/en/news/pope-francis-urbi-et-orbi-message-2

Pope Francis: Urbi et Orbi Message
2015-04-05 Vatican Radio



(Vatican Radio) Tens of thousands of people gathered in Saint Peter's Square on Sunday morning, despite the cold and the rain, to take part in Solemn Mass with Pope Francis in celebration of Easter. Following the Liturgy, the Holy Father gave the traditional Blessing Urbi et Orbi - to the City [of Rome] and to the World.

Below, please find the official English translation of the Holy Father's prepared remarks:

Pope Francis
 EASTER URBI ET ORBI MESSAGE to the City and to the World
 5 April 2015

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

Jesus Christ is risen!

Love has triumphed over hatred, life has conquered death, light has dispelled the darkness!
 

For a translation, select the "English" button at the link below--
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jfmL3gL_ZVU
Urbi et Orbi - 2015.04.05
Streamed live on Apr 5, 2015
Starts at 12:00 pm - Easter message and Urbi et Orbi blessing of the Holy Father

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http://www.news.va/en/news/pope-francis-let-our-lives-be-conquered-and-transf

Pope Francis: Let our lives be conquered and transformed by the Resurrection
2015-04-06 Vatican Radio



(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis recited the Regina Coeli on Easter Monday, leading the pilgrims in St. Peter’s Square in a rousing chant of “Christ is risen!”

“In Him, through our Baptism, we are risen, we have passed from death to life, from the slavery of sin to the freedom of love,” said the Pope.

“This is the Good News that we are called to carry to others in every environment, animated by the Holy Spirit,” he said.

“Faith in the resurrection of Jesus and the hope He has brought to us is the most beautiful gift that a Christian can and must offer his brothers and sisters,” continued Pope Francis.

“To one and all, therefore, do not tire of repeating: Christ is risen,” he urged the crowd, inviting them to repeat the phrase with him three times in the Square.

Pope Francis said the Good News of the Resurrection should “shine on our face, in our feelings and in our behaviour, in the way in which we treat others.”

“We proclaim the resurrection of Christ when his light illuminates the dark moments of our existence, and we are able share it with others; when we know when to smile with those who smile, and weep with those who weep; when we accompany those who are sad and at risk of losing hope; when we recount our experience of Faith to those who are searching for meaning and happiness,” Pope Francis said. “And there - with our attitude, with our witness, with our life - we say ‘Jesus is Risen,’ with our soul.”
 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=81Yn6h6X2dc
Regina Coeli - 2015.04.06
Streamed live on Apr 6, 2015
Starts at 12:00 pm - The Holy Father recites the Regina Coeli, which in the Easter Season and until the Pentecost replaces the Angelus, and then issues greetings to the faithful.

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http://www.news.va/en/news/pope-francis-do-not-be-silentabout-persecuted-chri

Pope Francis: Do not be "silent"about persecuted Christians
2015-04-06 Vatican Radio



(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis on Monday expressed his hope that the international community does not look on, “silent and inactive”, in the face of the "unacceptable crime" of the persecution of Christians around the world.

The Holy Father was speaking to the Shalom Community at the end of his Easter Monday Regina Coeli Address. The Community had sponsored a relay which ended in St. Peter’s Square to show solidarity with and raise awareness of persecuted Christians.

“Your itinerary on the streets is over, but what must continue on the part of all is the spiritual journey of prayer, intense prayer; the concrete participation and  tangible help in the defense and protection of our brothers and sisters, who are persecuted, exiled, killed, beheaded,  for the only reason of being a Christian,” said Pope Francis.

“They are our martyrs today and they are many; we are able to say that they are more numerous than in the first centuries,” Pope Francis said.
 

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http://vaticaninsider.lastampa.it/en/the-vatican/detail/articolo/mueller-francesco-40243/

04/ 7/2015
Müller suggests new task for Congregation for Doctrine of Faith


Cardinal Müller

In one of the numerous interviews he has given over the past few weeks focusing on the next Synod, Cardinal Gerhard Ludwig Müller, Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, spoke about a new task for his dicastery. It is a task that is never been mentioned in the documents outlining the precise competencies of the former Holy Office.

In an interview with French Catholic newspaper La Croix, the German cardinal stated: “The arrival of a theologian like Benedict XVI in the Chair of St. Peter was no doubt an exception. But John XXIII was not a professional theologian. Pope Francis is also more pastoral and our mission at the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith is to provide the theological structure of a pontificate.” So according to Müller’s statement, the former Holy Office must “theologically structure” Pope Francis’ pontificate. And this is probably the reason why the Prefect gives public statements on such a frequent basis, like never before.

This is a significant piece of news bearing in mind what is stated in article 48 of “Pastor Bonus”, the Apostolic Constitution on the Roman Curia promulgated by John Paul II in 1988: “The proper duty of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith is to promote and safeguard the doctrine on faith and morals in the whole Catholic world.”
 

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http://www.news.va/en/news/pope-francis-at-audience-children-are-greatest-ble

Pope Francis at Audience: children are greatest blessings
2015-04-08 Vatican Radio



(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis held his weekly General Audience on Wednesday, during which he continued his catechetical series on the family, concluding his reflections on the role of children in family life. Below, please find the English summary of the Holy Father's prepared remarks.
***********************************
Dear Brothers and Sisters: Today we continue our reflection on children, the greatest blessing which God has bestowed on man and woman. I wish to focus our attention on the suffering which many children are experiencing. From the first moments of their lives, some are rejected, abandoned, and robbed of their infancy and future. There are those who say it is a mistake to bring these children into the world, due to their fragility, and the hunger and poverty they suffer. But children are never a mistake, and their sufferings are only reasons for us to love them even more.
 
http://www.zenit.org/en/articles/general-audience-on-the-passion-suffered-by-children
General Audience: On the Passion Suffered by Children
Vatican City,  April 08, 2015
Here is a ZENIT translation of the text of Pope Francis' address at the general audience held this morning in St. Peter's Square.
 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OgyEUYKIIzg
General Audience - 2015.04.08
Streamed live on Apr 8, 2015
Starts at 9:50 am - Every Wednesday the Holy Father holds a General Audience where he greets the pilgrims present and delivers a catechesis.

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http://vaticaninsider.lastampa.it/en/the-vatican/detail/articolo/40265/

04/ 8/2015
The Jubilee of Mercy will not be concentrated in Rome


(©LaPresse) JOHN PAUL II AT THE HOLY DOOR IN 1980

While awaiting the inevitable estimated numbers of pilgrims expected to arrive in Rome next year for the extraordinary Jubilee of Mercy announced by Pope Francis, likely to be at least a million worshippers in addition to the usual influx of tourists, everything is ready at the Vatican for the publication of the Bull of Indiction, which will take place in the atrium of St. Peter’s Basilica on Saturday afternoon, in the first vespers of the Sunday of Mercy. Pope Bergoglio involved the Pontifical Council for Promoting the New Evangelization in the preparation of the Jubilee. 

«Dear brothers and sisters, I have often thought about how the Church could make its mission of being a witness of mercy clearer”, said the Pontiff on 13th March, as he announced the Holy Year. “It is a journey that begins with spiritual conversion, thus I have decided to call an extraordinary Jubilee focused on God's mercy.” In entrusting the organisation of the event to the dicastery guided by Archbishop Rino Fisichella, Francis specified that this meant making it “a new station in the mission to bring the Gospel of Mercy to all people”.

“I am convinced that the whole Church, which is in great need of mercy, because we are sinners,” he added “will be able to find in this jubilee the joy of rediscovering and making fruitful the mercy of God, with which we are all called to give consolation to every man and every woman of our time. Let us not forget that God forgives all, and God forgives always. Let us not tire of asking forgiveness.”

In the typical style of the Pope, the Jubilee will not be concentrated solely in Rome, but decentralised and celebrated every diocese. This is nothing new in itself: previous Holy Years have also been celebrated in local churches. It is probable however that more stress will be put on this aspect than ever before. The Pope’s acts, still to be defined calendar of the Roman Church, will be repeated in churches across the globe. Of course there will be those who will want to visit Rome and pass through the Holy Door of St. Peter’s Basilica, but it will not be only way to participate in the Jubilee, centred around the mercy of the Holy Father, who never tires of forgiving and welcoming his children with open arms. It is a message that represents the heart and fulcrum of Francis’ papacy.
 

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http://www.news.va/en/news/international-congress-on-consecrated-life-studies

International Congress on Consecrated Life studies formation
2015-04-08 Vatican Radio

(Vatican Radio) An international Congress for instructors for Consecrated Life kicked off Wednesday in Rome following a prayer vigil Tuesday for the success of the initiative.  The April 7-11 Congress has as its theme “To live in Christ according to the Form of Life of the Gospel – Formed to consecrated life in the heart of the Church and of the world.”

In remarks at the opening of the Congress, the Prefect for the Congregation for Consecrated Life, Cardinal João Braz de Aviz recalled that over the next few days, religious - including hermits, monks, brothers and sisters - of institutes of consecrated life would be reflecting on the basic identity of their calling in the Church and the world, and on formational needs to meet today’s challenges.

He recalled Pope Francis’ invitation “to look to the past with gratitude” and to “look at the signs of the times through the eyes of faith and to respond creatively to the needs of the Church.”  He noted new geographical and cultural challenges which can disorient one today but invited those present to “live the present with passion,” putting the Gospel message into action in their daily lives.
 

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http://en.radiovaticana.va/news/2015/04/09/pope_greets_bishops,_faithful_of_armenian_catholic_church/1135563

Pope greets Bishops, faithful of Armenian Catholic Church
09/04/2015 13:11



(Vatican Radio) On Divine Mercy Sunday, Pope Francis will preside at Solemn Mass for the faithful of the Armenian Rite, in commemoration of the centenary of the “Medz Yeghern” (the “Great Crime”) – the massacre of Armenians by the Ottoman government in what is now Turkey.

During the Mass, the Holy Father will inscribe the great Armenian Saint Gregory of Narek among the Doctors of the Universal Church.

Ahead of Sunday’s commemoration, Pope Francis on Thursday met with the members of the Patriarchal Synod of the Armenian Catholic Church, who will be present for Sunday’s Mass.
 

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http://www.news.va/en/news/pope-francis-meets-with-president-of-slovakia

Pope Francis meets with President of Slovakia
2015-04-09 Vatican Radio



(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis on Thursday received the President of the Slovak Republic, Andrej Kiska, who subsequently met with Msgr. Antoine Camilleri, Under-Secretary for Relations with States, in the Secretariat of State.

A Vatican Press Office statement called the discussion “cordial”, noting they took place shortly before the 25th anniversary of the restoration of diplomatic relations between the Holy See and the then Czech and Slovak Federative Republic, which took place on 19 April 1990 following St. John Paul II’s visit to the country.
 

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http://www.news.va/en/news/the-pope-sends-his-condolences-on-the-death-of-car

The Pope sends his condolences on the death of Cardinal Turcotte
2015-04-08 L’Osservatore Romano



Profound sorrow for the death of Cardinal Jean-Claude Turcotte, Archbishop emeritus of Montréal, was expressed by the Pope in a telegram sent to the cardinal's successor, Archbishop Christian Lépine. “As we are celebrating the Resurrection of the Lord”, the Pope writes, “I implore [Him] to welcome into the light of eternal life this faithful Pastor who served the Church with dedication”.

He served “not only in his diocese but also on a national level as President of the Episcopal Conference of Canada, and at the same time he was a member of various dicasteries in Rome. A zealous pastor, attentive to the challenges of the contemporary Church, he actively participated in the Synod of Bishops in 1994 on 'Consecrated Life and its mission in the Church and in the world' and was one of the leaders at the Synod in 1997 on America”.
 

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http://en.radiovaticana.va/news/2015/04/10/pope_francis_meets_president_of_georgia/1135820

Pope Francis meets president of Georgia
10/04/2015 13:52



(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis on Friday met with the President of Georgia, Giorgi Margvelashvili, who subsequently met with Msgr. Antoine Camilleri, under-Secretary for Relations with States, at the Secretariat of State.

A statement issued by the Holy See Press Office called the discussions “cordial”, and said the two men expressed their appreciation of the development of bilateral relations, and spoke about various themes of mutual interest, with particular reference to the positive contribution of the local Catholic community in the fields of charitable activity and education.
 

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http://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/the-vatican-considers-what-does-vocational-formation-look-like-in-the-modern-age-75993/

The Vatican considers – what does vocational formation look like in the modern age?

Vatican City, Apr 9, 2015 / 01:08 pm (CNA/EWTN News).- Religious formators gathered in Rome for a seminar on fashioning new vocations in contemporary society – a task the Vatican’s point man for consecrated life says is not easy, but still full of hope.

Consecrated life is rooted in “the action of God, in the Holy Spirit, (who) calls some people to follow Christ closely, to transmit the Gospel in a specific way of life, to read the signs of the times with eyes of faith, to respond with creativity to the needs of the Church,” Cardinal Joao Braz de Aviz, said April 8.

Organized by the Congregation for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life, the April 8-11 seminar was held during the Year for Consecrated Life called for by Pope Francis.

The event began with a prayer vigil April 7, and will close April 11 with a Mass celebrated by Cardinal Braz de Aviz, prefect of the congregation, in St. Peter’s Basilica.

Roughly 1200 religious from all over the world gathered to discuss the fundamental identity of consecrated life as well as formational needs unique to the contemporary age.
 

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(VIS – Vatican Information Service)

http://visnews-en.blogspot.com/2015/04/the-pope-to-officially-convoke.html

Friday, April 10, 2015
The Pope to officially convoke the Extraordinary Jubilee of Mercy tomorrow

Vatican City, 10 April 2015 (VIS) – At 5.30 p.m. tomorrow, Saturday 11 April, the eve of Divine Mercy Sunday, in St. Peter's Basilica, the Pope will officially convoke the Extraordinary Jubilee of Mercy with the publication of the Bull of Indiction, “Misericordiae vultus”. The Jubilee Bull, aside from indicating the duration, opening and closing dates, and the main ways in which the Holy Year will unfold, constitutes the basic document for understanding the spirit in which it was convoked, as well as Pope Francis' intentions and the fruit he hopes the Year will bear.

For the proclamation, the Holy Father, accompanied by the cardinals, will proceed to the entrance of the Vatican Basilica. At the side of the Holy Door the Bull of Indiction will be handed to the four cardinal archpriests of the papal basilicas of Rome: Cardinal Angelo Comastri, archpriest of the Basilica of St. Peter in the Vatican; Cardinal Agostino Vallini, archpriest of the Basilica of St. John Lateran; Cardinal James Michael Harvey, St. Paul Outside-the-Walls; and Cardinal Santos Abril y Castello, archpriest of the Basilica of St. Mary Major.
 

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http://www.news.va/en/news/pope-francis-message-to-summit-of-the-americas

Pope Francis: Message to Summit of the Americas
2015-04-11 Vatican Radio



(Vatican Radio) Social justice, immigration and the disparity between the rich and the poor, were the main themes addressed by Pope Francis in his message to the president of Panama, Juan Carlos Varela Rodriguez, on the occasion of the seventh Summit of the Americas.  Panama hosted the two-day summit, which gathered the heads of 35 states in North, Central and Southern America under the summit’s theme of “Prosperity with Equity: the Challenge of Cooperation in the Americas.”  The Pope’s message was delivered by Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin on Friday.

The Pope noted the “inequity, unjust distribution of wealth and resources” in the region, which “are a source of conflict and violence among people.” He criticized the assumption that it is necessary to sacrifice others and their dignity for the sake of progress. Thus achieving a well-being that is unjust in its very roots and is contrary to the dignity of persons.

The Pope said no human being should be denied access to “basic goods,” such as land, work and a home, as well as “public services” such as health care, education and security.

However, the well-being of all is still far from the reality, the Pope said.  Inequalities continue to offend the dignity of persons. He urged the leaders to rise to the great challenge of a globalisation of solidarity and fraternity, rather than the current globalisation of discrimination and indifference. As long as an equitable distribution of wealth is not achieved, the evils of our society will not be resolved.