Pope Francis

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http://www.news.va/en/news/un-leader-meets-pope-and-addresses-climate-change

UN leader meets Pope and addresses climate change conference
2015-04-28 Vatican Radio



(Vatican Radio)  The United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon met with Pope Francis in the Vatican on Tuesday before going on to address a conference exploring the moral issues connected to climate change. The one day international symposium has been organized by the Pontifical Academy of Sciences and will include a video message to participants from Pope Francis about the Christian imperative of stewardship of creation. The UN leader said he had a “fruitful and wide ranging conversation with the Pope and he commended participants in the symposium for raising awareness of the urgent need to tackle climate change and promote sustainable development

Please see below the full text of Ban Ki-moon’s address
 

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http://www.news.va/en/news/cardinal-turkson-together-for-stewardship-of-creat

Cardinal Turkson: together for stewardship of creation
2015-04-28 Vatican Radio



Vatican Radio) The President of the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace, Cardinal Peter Turkson, delivered an address on Tuesday, to the participants in a major international conference sponsored by the Pontifical Academy of Sciences on climate change and stewardship of creation. Below, please find the full text of Cardinal Turkson's prepared remarks in English.
********************************************************
Protect the Earth, Dignify Humanity:
The Moral Dimensions of Climate Change and Sustainable Development

Cardinal Peter K.A. Turkson

Casino Pio IV, Vatican City, 28 April 2015

Our topic and task, in the words of today’s title, is to “Protect the Earth, Dignify Humanity”. The subtitle would have us grasp “climate change and sustainable development” by insisting upon their “moral dimensions”. We will indeed come to grips with the problems if, and only if, the stand we take is substantially human and moral.

Out of this title and sub-title, let me focus on three points to frame the discussion:

·         The title states the problems as imperatives – the earth needs to be protected, humanity needs to be dignified.

·         The subtitle, secondly, names the solutions as course correction – to manage climate change and to promote sustainable development.

·         As the problems are vast and the solutions long-running, thirdly, the solutions cannot be merely technical, nor our commitments merely contractual. Rather, they must be grounded in morality, oriented by morality and measured in terms of human flourishing and well-being.
 

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http://en.radiovaticana.va/news/2015/04/28/final_declaration_on_workshop_on_climate_change/1140356

Final Declaration on Workshop on climate change
28/04/2015 19:20



(Vatican Radio) World leaders meeting at the Vatican for a conference on climate change have issued a final statement, declaring that “human-induced climate change is a scientific reality” and “its decisive mitigation is a moral and religious imperative for humanity.”

The statement says that humans have the technological and financial means, and the know-how, to combat human-induced climate change, while at the same time eliminating global poverty.

The Workshop, entitled “Protect the Earth, Dignify Humanity: The Moral Dimensions of Climate Change and Sustainable Humanity” was organized by the Pontifical Academy of Sciences, the Pontifical Academy of Social Sciences, SDSN and Religions for Peace.

Below, please find the full text of the Final Declaration from the Workshop:
 

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http://www.zenit.org/en/articles/general-audience-on-marriage

General Audience: On Marriage
Rome,  April 29, 2015

Here is the translation of the Holy Father's address during his Wednesday General Audience in St. Peter's Square.
* * *
Dear Brothers and Sisters, good morning!

After having considered the two accounts of the book of Genesis, our reflection on God’s original design on the man-woman couple is now addressed directly to Jesus

At the beginning of his Gospel, the Evangelist John recounts the episode of the Wedding at Cana, in which the Virgin Mary and Jesus, with his first disciples, were present (Cf. John 2:1-11). Not only did Jesus participate in that marriage, but he “saved the celebration” with his miracle of the wine! Therefore, the first of his prodigious signs, with which he revealed his glory, he carried out in the context of a marriage, and it was a lovely gesture for that nascent family, solicited by Mary’s maternal concern. This makes us recall the Book of Genesis, when God finishes the work of creation and makes his masterpiece; the masterpiece is man and woman. And here, in fact, with this masterpiece is where Jesus begins his miracles, in a marriage, in a wedding feast: a man and a woman. Thus Jesus teaches us that the masterpiece of society is the family: man and woman who love one another! This is the masterpiece!

Since the time of the Wedding at Cana, so many things have changed, but that “sign” of Jesus contains a message that is always valid.

Today it does not seem easy to speak of marriage as a celebration that is renewed in time, in the different stages of the whole life of the spouses. It is a fact that persons who marry are always fewer; this is a fact: young people do not want to get married. Instead, in many countries the number of separations increases, while the number of children decreases. The difficulty to remain together – be it as a couple, be it as a family – leads to breaking the bonds with ever greater frequency and rapidity, and, in fact, it is the children that are the first to bear the consequences. But let us think that the first victims, the most important victims, the victims that suffer most in a separation are the children. If you experience from the time you are little that marriage is a bond for “a determined time,” it will be so for you unconsciously. In fact, many young people are led to renounce the project itself of an irrevocable bond and of a lasting family. I think we have to reflect very seriously on why so many young people “don’t feel like” getting married. There is this culture of the provisional ... everything is provisional, it seems there is nothing definitive.
 

[grace-land]

http://www.zenit.org/en/articles/marriage-is-and-always-will-be-the-union-between-one-man-and-one-woman

"Marriage Is and Always Will Be the Union Between One Man and One Woman"
Washington, D.C.,  April 29, 2015

The U.S. Supreme Court heard oral arguments Tuesday on the constitutionality of states defining and recognizing marriage as the union of one man and one woman.

Commenting on the oral arguments before the Court, Archbishop Joseph E. Kurtz of Louisville, Kentucky, president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, said, “Today is a moment of great consequence. Marriage is a perennial institution, with deep roots in who we are and in our nation’s culture and laws. Marriage is and always will be the union between one man and one woman. This truth is inseparable from the duty to honor the God-given dignity of every human person.

"We pray that the justices will uphold the responsibility of states to protect the beautiful truth of marriage, which concerns the essential well-being of the nation, especially children. Children have a basic right, wherever possible, to know and be loved by their mother and father together. The Church will always defend this right and looks to people of good will to continue this debate with charity and civility.”

The Supreme Court is expected to issue a ruling by the end of June.
 

[grace-land]

http://www.news.va/en/news/pope-history-and-service-two-traits-of-christian-i

Pope: history and service, two traits of Christian identity
2015-04-30 Vatican Radio

(Vatican Radio) “History and service.” In his homily on Thursday morning, Pope Francis spoke about these “two traits of Christian identity.”

Beginning with “history,” Pope Francis said Saint Paul, Saint Peter, and the other disciples “did not proclaim a Jesus without a history: They proclaimed Jesus in the history of the people, a people God led through the centuries in order to arrive… at the fullness of time.” God enters into history and into the journey with His people:

“The Christian is a man or woman of history, because he does not pertain to himself alone – he is inserted into a people, a people that is on a journey. One cannot imagine a Christian selfishness, no, this won’t fly. The Christian is not a spiritual man or woman in a laboratory, [the Christian] is a spiritual man or woman inserted into a people, which has a long history and which continues to journey until the Lord returns.
 

[grace-land]

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

Pope Francis meets President of Seychelles
2015-04-30 Vatican Radio



(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis on Thursday received  the President of the Republic of the Seychelles, James Alix  Michel, who subsequently met the Cardinal Secretary of State Pietro Parolin,  accompanied by Msgr. Antoine Camilleri, under-Secretary for Relations with States.

The Republic of the Seychelles is an archipelago-nation in the Indian Ocean, about 1,500 kilometres east of mainland Southeast Africa, with a population of 92,000.

A statement from the Holy See Press Office called the discussions “cordial”, and said satisfaction was expressed for the good relations existing  between the Holy See and the Republic of the Seychelles.
 

[grace-land]

http://www.news.va/en/news/pope-meets-members-of-anglican-roman-catholic-inte

Pope meets members of Anglican-Roman Catholic International Commission
2015-04-30 Vatican Radio



(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis met on Thursday with members of the Anglican-Roman Catholic International Commission, telling them that the cause of unity is not an optional undertaking. The 18 Anglican and Catholic members of the commission, known as ARCIC III,  are holding their annual encounter this week at an ancient retreat house in the Alban hills, south of Rome. Philippa Hitchen reports

The original Anglican-Roman Catholic International Commission was founded in the wake of a historic meeting in 1966 between a Pope and an Archbishop of Canterbury  - the first since the Reformation and the Church of England’s breakaway from Rome. On that occasion, Pope Paul VI and Archbishop Michael Ramsey inaugurated a dialogue “ founded on the Gospels and on the ancient common traditions” which they hoped would lead to “unity in truth for which Christ prayed”.
 

[grace-land]

http://www.news.va/en/news/pope-urges-catholics-to-spread-culture-of-justice

Pope Francis: we only know Christ by touching his wounds
2015-04-30 Vatican Radio

(Vatican Radio)  Pope Francis said on Thursday that we can only know Christ by touching his wounds and stressed that it’s better to have fewer priests rather than accept those who do not have the courage to suffer, endure loneliness and offer love to their flock. He also urged Catholics not to be put off by the reputation of corruption in politcs but become involved in political life in order to promote the common good. At the same time he stressed it was not necessary for Catholics to form their own party. The Pope’s words came during an audience with two Catholic associations, the Community of Christian Life in Italy and the Missionary League for Italian Students.

Pope Francis did not read his prepared remarks in which he had urged those present to do their utmost to spread a culture of justice and peace and reach out to the world’s most poor and needy people.  Instead he handed it over to the organizers of the encounter and spoke off-the-cuff answering questions put to him by four of the participants.
 
During the audience, Pope Francis was presented with an unusual gift, a drone bearing the Vatican colours and the papal emblem, which came from students at a Jesuit school in Rome.

A papal drone...? 
https://twitter.com/FatherRosica

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http://en.radiovaticana.va/news/2015/04/30/new_commission_for_vatican_communications/1140851

New commission for Vatican communications
30/04/2015 15:19

(VIS) During the last meeting of the Council of Cardinals to assist the Holy Father in the governance of the universal Church and to draw up a plan for the revision of the apostolic constitution “Pastor bonus” on the Roman Curia (13-15 April 2015), the final report of the committee charged with proposing reform of Vatican communications, the so-called Vatican Media Committee (VMC), was examined.

The Council of Cardinals subsequently proposed to His Holiness the institution of a commission to study this final report and to suggest feasible approaches to its implementation. The proposal was favourably accepted by the Holy Father, who on 23 April decided to institute the commission and to appoint its members.
 

[grace-land]

http://www.news.va/en/news/pope-francis-meets-with-cusillos-in-christianity-m

Pope Francis meets with Cursillos in Christianity movement
2015-04-30 Vatican Radio



(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis on Thursday evening in the Paul VI Hall greeted the Cursillos in Christianity movement who are in Rome for their European meeting and who are celebrating the 50th anniversary of the group in Italy.

There was also a questions to the Holy Father from members of the movement

Cursillos in Christianity is a Catholic movement that was founded by a group of laymen in 1944 in Majorca, Spain.

The charism of the Cursillo focuses on giving Christian lay people the tools needed to become effective Christian leaders over the course of a three-day weekend. They in turn are asked to take what they have learned back out into the world.

In his prepared remarks the Pope told the estimated 7,000 cursillista’s gathered in the Paul VI Hall that they were called to build on the charism that the Lord has entrusted to them.

He said the pioneers of the movement were authentic missionaries and did not hesitate to take the initiative and bravely approach people, to help them on their journey of faith.
 

[grace-land]

http://www.news.va/en/news/pope-francis-addresses-milan-expo-inauguration

Pope Francis addresses Milan Expo inauguration
2015-05-01 Vatican Radio

(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis on Friday participated in the opening ceremony of the 2015 edition of the Milan Expo – the Universal Exhibition that the northern Italian city of Milan is hosting from May 1 to October 31, 2015, which this year is focusing on the theme: Feeding the planet – energy for life.

Over the course of the Expo’s six-month run, more than 140 participating countries are to showcase the best of their technology and demonstrate its usefulness in the cause of eradicating hunger and achieving global food security. In addition to the exhibitor nations, the Expo also involves international organizations, and expects to welcome over 20 million visitors to its 1.1 million square meters of exhibition area.
 

[grace-land]

http://en.radiovaticana.va/news/2015/04/30/pope_francis_saint_joseph_and_the_dignity_of_labour_/1140861

Pope Francis: Saint Joseph and the dignity of labour
30/04/2015 15:22

(Vatican Radio) To mark International  Labour Day which coincides with the Feast day of  Saint Joseph the worker, Veronica Scarisbrick takes a look at the special devotion Pope Francis has for this Saint. As well as focus briefly on one of the social issues central to his thinking: the dignity of labour.

Let’s begin with his devotion to Saint Joseph as there’s quite a list of things that connect Pope Francis to this saint. Among them the choice of the date for the beginning of his pontificate the 19th of March, Saint Joseph’s feast day, and the choice of the nard flower symbolic of this saint on his coat of arms. Then in July 2013 his decision to consecrate Vatican City State not just to Saint Michael, as had been previously planned, but to Saint Joseph as well. And on a more personal note his admission to cherishing a wooden statue representing a dormant Saint Joseph, dressed  in gold trimmed dark green and red garments according to Hispanic iconography, by which he places prayer requests. Simply because as he mentioned  when he confided to us this personal gesture: “ He’s a carpenter and he gets the job done, even though he sometimes makes you wait”.
 

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http://www.news.va/en/news/pope-francis-celebrates-junipero-serra-at-romes-no

Pope Francis celebrates Junipero Serra at Rome's North American College
2015-05-02 Vatican Radio



(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis on Saturday made the short trip to Rome’s Janiculum Hill to the Pontifical North American College, the national seminary for the United States.

The College was hosting a day of reflection on Blessed Junipero Serra, the Franciscan missionary to California who will canonized by Pope Francis during his trip to Washington, DC, in September.

Pope Francis said during his homily he wanted to discuss three aspect of the life of Blessed Serra – his missionary zeal, his Marian devotion, and his witness of holiness.
 

[grace-land]

http://www.news.va/en/news/pope-parish-must-be-privileged-place-of-listening

Pope: parish must be 'privileged place' of listening, proclamation
2015-05-02 Vatican Radio

(Vatican Radio) Faithful from the Diocese of Isernia-Venafro paid a return visit to Pope Francis on Saturday.

The Pope received the pilgrims in an audience and recalled the message of solidarity he shared with them during his pastoral visit last July.

He also spoke of the call of parishes to be missionary communities.

“Every parish is called to be a privileged place of listening and of the proclamation of the Gospel; a house of prayer gathered around the Eucharist; a true school of communion, where the ardour of charity prevails over the temptation of a superficial and dry religiosity,” said Pope Francis to pilgrims from the southern Italian Diocese of Isernia-Venafro.
 

[grace-land]

http://www.news.va/en/news/pope-francis-attends-swiss-guard-flag-ceremony

Pope Francis attends Swiss Guard flag ceremony
2015-05-02 Vatican Radio



(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis attended a Swiss Guard ceremony Friday afternoon -- unexpected by most of the people present -- and addressed the corps, speaking as well about the characteristics of a commander, according to the Gospel.

Following the nomination in February of Christoph Graf as the new Commander of the Swiss Guard, the military corps held a ceremony May 1 for the inauguration and blessing of its new flag.

Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin celebrated Mass in the Church of the Teutonic Ceremony, located on the grounds of the Vatican. Subsequently, in the Guards Quarter, was the “military act,” which was attended unexpectedly by Pope Francis.
 

[grace-land]

http://www.news.va/en/news/pope-appoints-envoy-for-600th-anniversary-of-john

Pope appoints envoy for 600th anniversary of John Hus' death
2015-05-02 Vatican Radio



(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis has appointed Cardinal Miloslav Vlk, Archbishop Emeritus of Prague, to be his special envoy to the July 5-6 events in Prague, marking the 600th anniversary of the death of John Hus (1369-1415).

In an address to the International Symposium on John Hus in 1999, St John Paul II said the Bohemian church reformer, who was condemned of heresy and burnt at the stake, was a "memorable figure," particularly for "his moral courage in the face of adversity and death."
 

[Sister]

http://www.zenit.org/en/articles/marriage-is-and-always-will-be-the-union-between-one-man-and-one-woman

"Marriage Is and Always Will Be the Union Between One Man and One Woman"
Washington, D.C.,  April 29, 2015

The U.S. Supreme Court heard oral arguments Tuesday on the constitutionality of states defining and recognizing marriage as the union of one man and one woman.

Commenting on the oral arguments before the Court, Archbishop Joseph E. Kurtz of Louisville, Kentucky, president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, said, “Today is a moment of great consequence. Marriage is a perennial institution, with deep roots in who we are and in our nation’s culture and laws. Marriage is and always will be the union between one man and one woman. This truth is inseparable from the duty to honor the God-given dignity of every human person.

"We pray that the justices will uphold the responsibility of states to protect the beautiful truth of marriage, which concerns the essential well-being of the nation, especially children. Children have a basic right, wherever possible, to know and be loved by their mother and father together. The Church will always defend this right and looks to people of good will to continue this debate with charity and civility.”

The Supreme Court is expected to issue a ruling by the end of June.
 

I am praying that marriage remains as God made it -- 

[grace-land]

http://www.news.va/en/news/pope-celebrates-sunday-mass-at-roman-parish

Pope celebrates Sunday Mass at Roman parish
2015-05-03 Vatican Radio



(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis on Sunday celebrated Mass at the Roman parish of Regina Pacis (Queen of Peace) in the suburb of Ostia. During his homily on the day’s Gospel, the Pope focused on the words of Christ at the Last Supper: “Remain with me.” The Christian life, he said, consists precisely in remaining in Jesus. “To remain in Jesus means to be united to Him, to receive life from Him, to receive love from Him, to receive the Holy Spirit from Him.”

Before the Mass, the Holy Father met with members of the parish, including they elderly and the sick. He spoke about their wisdom of life, which comes from experience – an experience the has the wisdom of sorrows, and of patience. “It is a wisdom we often forget,” he said. But the elderly have an experience of life that they hand down to their children, giving them “the memory of our people, the memory of our family.” The sick, he said, are similar to Jesus in their suffering: they suffer with Him, and bear the Cross as Jesus did. In that sense, they are privileged. Pope Francis spoke, too, about the children of the parish, who will carry life forward – with the wisdom, the patience, the constancy of those who go before them.
 

[grace-land]

http://www.news.va/en/news/pope-bear-the-fruits-of-membership-in-christ-and-t

Pope: Bear the fruits of membership in Christ and the Church
2015-05-03 Vatican Radio

(Vatican Radio) On Sunday, Pope Francis spoke about Jesus' parable of the vine and the branches - Jesus is the true vine, and we are the branches, dependent on Him. Through this parable, "Jesus wants us to understand the importance of remaining united to Him." What is this new way, the Pope asked? Although Jesus is no longer with us as He was with the Disciples, we are able to remain united with Christ "in vital communion" through the Church.

“Jesus is the vine,” Pope Francis continued, “and through Him, the very love of God passes” to us “the branches”:

“The branches are not self-sufficient, but depend totally on the vine, in which is found the source of their life. So it is with us Christians. Grafted by Baptism in Christ, we have freely received from Him the gift of new life; and we are able to remain in vital communion with Christ.”