Pope Francis

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http://en.radiovaticana.va/news/2015/05/19/pope_names_new_auxiliaries_to_brooklyn,_ny/1145197

Pope names new Auxiliaries to Brooklyn, NY
19/05/2015 14:48

[Vatican Radio]  The Holy Father has nominated two new Auxiliary Bishops for the Diocese of Brooklyn, New York, in the U.S.  Both men are currently serving as priests of the Diocese

The new Bishops will be:

Rev Fr James Massa, Moderator of the Diocesan Curia and Pastor of “Holy Name Parish.”

Rev Fr Witold Mroziewski, Pastor of “Holy Cross Parish.”
 

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http://en.radiovaticana.va/news/2015/05/20/general_audience_parents_vocation_to_educate_children/1145382

General Audience: Parents' vocation to educate children
20/05/2015 11:57

(Vatican Radio) In his catechesis at the General Audience on Wednesday, Pope Francis focused on the role of parents in the education of their children, which he called “an essential characteristic” of the family.

The Holy Father noted the many difficulties facing parents today, especially those who find themselves in difficult situations. He spoke especially about the difficulties of separated couples, calling on them to “never, never, never take the children hostage!”

He spoke out strongly against “intellectual critics” who have “silenced” parents in order to defend younger generations from real or imagined harm. This has opened up a fracture between families and societies, leading to a crisis in the relationship between families and society. So-called experts have often taken the place of parents, depriving them of their proper place in the education of their own children, “even in the most delicate and personal aspects of their lives.” Parents often are afraid to correct their children, leaving it instead to experts. Pope Francis recalled an episode from his own life, when he had said a bad word to his teacher, and his mother had come to the school to make him apologize to the teacher – and then corrected him when he got home. This wouldn’t happen today, where too often a teacher who tried to discipline a child would be criticized by the child’s parents.
 

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http://en.radiovaticana.va/news/2015/05/20/popes_appeal_for_world_day_of_prayer_for_church_in_china/1145347

Pope's appeal for World Day of Prayer for Church in China
20/05/2015 10:35

(Vatican Radio) At his General Audience on Wednesday, Pope Francis made a special appeal for prayer for Catholics in China.

The Holy Father’s appeal comes ahead of Sunday’s feast of Our Lady, Help of Christians, celebrated throughout the world on May 24.

Chinese Catholics have a special devotion to Mary, Help of Christians, whose feast day is marked with special devotions and pilgrimages, especially to the National Marian Shrine of Sheshan in Shanghai.

In a letter to Chinese Catholics in 2007, Pope Benedict XVI expressed his hope that the liturgical feast of Our Lady, Help of Christians, might “become an occasion for the Catholics of the whole world to be united in prayer with the Church which is in China.”

In his appeal on Wednesday, Pope Francis noted that the statue at the Shrine of Sheshan depicts Mary holding the Child Jesus in the air with his arms outstretched “in a gesture of love and mercy.” He called on all Christians to “ask Mary to help Catholics in China to be ever more credible witnesses of this merciful love in the midst of their people, and to live spiritually united to the rock of Peter on which the Church is built.”

Below please find the English translation of Pope Francis’ appeal for prayer for Catholics in China:
 

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http://en.radiovaticana.va/news/2015/05/20/pope_end_unacceptable_crime_of_persecution_of_christians/1145396

Pope: end "unacceptable crime" of persecution of Christians
20/05/2015 12:33

(Vatican Radio) The many Christians who are being persecuted in our times "are martyrs" Pope Francis said on Wednesday, at the end of his General Audience.

The Holy Father praised an initiative of the Italian Bishops’ Conference (CEI) to make a special remembrance, on the Vigil of Pentecost, of the many “brothers and sisters” who have been exiled or killed for no other reason than being Christian. He expressed his hope that the moment of prayer for the new Christian martyrs would increase the recognition that “religious liberty is an inalienable human right.”
 

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http://en.radiovaticana.va/news/2015/05/20/pontifical_commission_attends_child_protection_congress/1145409

Pontifical Commission attends child protection congress
20/05/2015 12:50

(Vatican Radio) A conference discussing ways to fight and prevent the scourge of child sexual abuse is taking place Wednesday in Paris.

The 2015 Congress organised by the International Catholic Child Bureau (BICE) is bringing together partners, people in the field, representatives from the government, civil society and the media to discuss the question of sexual abuse of children and learn more about its causes and consequences.

Monsignor Robert Oliver, Secretary of the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors, which is charged with advising the Holy Father on the protection of children, the prevention of abuse, and the pastoral care of victims of abuse in the Catholic Church, addressed the Congress on Wednesday morning.
 

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http://www.news.va/en/news/pope-francis-christians-are-called-to-be-one-being

Pope Francis: Christians are called to be one being
2015-05-21 Vatican Radio

(Vatican Radio)  His wounds are the "price" that Jesus paid for the Church to be united forever to Him and to God. Christians today are called to ask for the grace of unity and to fight against all "spirit of division, of war, of jealousy."  That was Pope Francis’s reflection during his Homily at Mass Thursday morning in the chapel of the Santa Marta guesthouse.

For Pope Francis, "the great prayer of Jesus" is that the Church is united - that Christians "be one" as Jesus is with his Father. Drawing his reflections from the day’s readings, Pope Francis immerses us in the atmosphere of the Last Supper - not long before Christ gives Himself over to the Passion.  Recalling Christ’s weighty words entrusted to the Apostles, the Pope warns us against "the great temptation" and entreats us not to yield to the other "father:" the one of "lies" and "division."

The price of unity

It is comforting, observes Francis, to hear Jesus say to the Father that He did not want to pray simply for his disciples but also for those who will believe in Him "through their word." That’s a familiar phrase, but one the Pope thinks is worth drawing special attention to:

"Maybe, we do not pay enough attention to these words: Jesus prayed for me! This is really a source of confidence: He prays for me;  He prayed for me ... I imagine …a figure …as Jesus is before the Father in Heaven. It is so: He prays for us; He prays for me. And what does the Father see? The wounds, the cost. The price He paid for us. Jesus prays for me with His wounds, with His wounded heart and He will continue to do so.”
 

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http://www.news.va/en/news/pope-to-italys-police-act-against-the-violent-and

Pope to Italy’s police: act against the violent and corrupt
2015-05-21 Vatican Radio

(Vatican Radio)  Pope Francis on Thursday (May 21st) encouraged Italy’s police officers to take action against violent and corrupt individuals, saying the country needs people to serve it with altruism, generosity and continuity.  He praised the police officers for their help in welcoming migrants landing on the nation’s shores and in counteracting the “unscrupulous human traffickers" and said their job is an important and noble mission of service to the entire community that sometimes can lead to the sacrifice of their own lives. The Pope’s remarks came in an address to the family members of Italian police officers who were killed or injured whilst on active duty.

Pope Francis said the work of a police officer is a mission that carries a strong sense of duty and discipline and a willingness, if necessary, to lay down one’s life in order to uphold “the rule of law, defend democracy” and engage in the struggle against “organized crime or terrorism.” Your mission, he said, requires "the courage" to rescue whoever is in danger and to stop the aggressor in order to protect the wider society from "the arrogance of corrupt or violent individuals."
 

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http://en.radiovaticana.va/news/2015/05/21/sistine_chapel_choir_ecumenical_endeavors/1145769

Sistine Chapel Choir: ecumenical endeavors
21/05/2015 15:59

(Vatican Radio)  Since 2012, the Sistine Chapel Choir has been engaged in an ongoing project of ecumenical encounter. Over the last three years, it has performed with the choirs of Westminster Abbey (for the Feast of Saints Peter and Paul, 2012), the ThomanerChor of Leipzig (2013) and the Orthodox Patriarchate Choir of Moscow (2014).

This year, for the Feast of Saints Peter and Paul on 29 June, the Vatican’s choir will be joined by the Anglican choir of New College, Oxford.

Together, the two choirs will offer a concert in the Sistine Chapel on Saturday 27 June at 6pm for members of the Roman Curia and for the Heads of Mission of the Embassies accredited to the Holy See.  Works from Tallis, Palestrina, Gibbons, Purcell and Parry will be performed.

On 29 June, the two choirs will sing the Eucharistic Celebration for the Solemnity of Saints Peter and Paul, presided by the Holy Father in St Peter’s Basilica. The direction of the choirs for these two events will be shared between the Master of the Choir of New College Oxford, Robert Quinney, and the Master of the Sistine Chapel Choir “Sistina”, Massimo Palombella.
 

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http://www.catholicworldreport.com/NewsBriefs/Default.aspx?rssGuid=popes-visit-to-vatican-departments-a-beautiful-experience-official-says-45448/

Pope's visit to Vatican departments a 'beautiful experience,' official says
May 22, 2015 8:14 AM



Vatican City, May 22, 2015 / 07:14 am (CNA/EWTN News).- On Friday Pope Francis began making stops at different departments of the Roman Curia – the first in a series of visits. Today’s rounds included four different offices.
 
A Vatican official from one of the departments the Pope stopped in to during his May 22 round of visits told CNA afterward that the pontiff gave them “general reflections about what our work entails.”
 
Francis also responded to some requests for clarification on matters of canon law, the official said. “It was a beautiful experience.”
 
The official, who preferred not to be named, said that he only found out the Pope was coming a few days ago.
 
In order, the departments Pope Francis visited today were the Pontifical Committee for Historical Sciences and the Pontifical Congregations for Catholic Education, Clergy and Institutes of Consecrated Life. All of the offices are in the same building.
 

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http://www.news.va/en/news/pope-francis-let-jesus-gaze-change-our-hearts

Pope Francis: let Jesus’ gaze change our hearts
2015-05-22 Vatican Radio

(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis says each of us should ask Jesus to gaze at us and tell us what we need to do to change our hearts and repent for our sins. We should consider whether Jesus looks at us with a call, with a pardon or with a mission? The Pope’s remarks came during his homily at morning Mass on Friday (May 22nd) at the Santa Marta residence.

Taking his inspiration from the day’s readings, Pope Francis’ homily was a reflection on the three different types of looks which Jesus gave to the Apostle Peter. He said these three different looks were one of choosing, one of forgiveness and one of mission.

The Pope recalled how according to the gospel reading the apostle Andrew told his brother Peter that they had found the Messiah and took him to see Jesus. Christ looked at him and said “You are Simon, son of John. You will be called Peter (Cephas) which means Rock.” He said Peter was enthusiastic after that first look from Jesus and wanted to follow our Lord.

Moving ahead to the night before Jesus’ crucifixion, Pope Francis recalled how Peter disowned him three times and when Jesus turned and looked straight at him after that third denial, Peter wept.

“The gospel of Luke says: ‘He wept bitterly.’ That earlier enthusiasm about following Jesus had turned to grief, because he had sinned: He denied that he knew Jesus.That look (by Jesus) changed Peter’s heart, more than before. The first change was being given a new name and a new vocation. That second look was a gaze that changed his heart and it’s a change of conversion to love.”

The Pope said the third look that Jesus gave Peter was one of mission when he asked three times for a confirmation that Peter loved him and urged him to feed his sheep. He noted how the gospel recounts that Peter was hurt when Jesus asked him that question a third time.
 

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http://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/pope-francis-bosnian-visit-to-steer-clear-of-medjugorje-40577/

Pope Francis' Bosnian visit to steer clear of Medjugorje

Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina, May 22, 2015 / 03:17 pm (CNA).- Pope Francis’ one-day trip to Bosnia and Herzegovina this June will not include a visit to Medjugorje, the location of controversial alleged Marian apparitions, according to a coordinator of the visit.

Monsignor Ivo Tomasevic, communications officer for the papal trip, confirmed to CNA May 22 that the Pope is only going to Sarajevo on June 6, and not the southern town near the Croatian border where six people claim to have seen apparitions of the Virgin Mary.

Msgr. Tomasevic could not confirm whether any visionaries would be at the papal Mass, but he said any delegation from Medjugorje would be treated like any other parish delegation.

He stressed that Medjugorje is “one of the parishes of the Diocese of Mostar-Duvno, and its faithful will take part in the celebration like faithful of the other parishes of the area, with an equal number of places assigned.”

Enzo Manes, the editor of the Magazine “Medjugorje, the presence of Mary,” told CNA May 21 that he has been informed that “some of the visionaries will take part in the Mass.”

He predicted a “strong” presence from Medjugorje.

The alleged apparitions originally began June 24, 1981, when six children in Medjugorje began to experience phenomena which they have claimed to be apparitions of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
 

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http://www.news.va/en/news/pope-francis-labour-must-be-free-creative-particip

Pope Francis: Labour must be free, creative, participatory, and mutually-supportive
2015-05-23 Vatican Radio

(Vatican Radio)  Pope Francis spoke to the Italian Christian Workers Associations (ACLI) on Saturday in the Vatican on occasion of the 70th anniversary of the founding of the Association.

In his speech to the Italian Christian Workers Associations – also known as the ACLI – Pope Francis exhorted those present to support a culture of dignified labour.

He denounced the ‘god of money’ at the heart of our global economic system, promoting a culture of waste which throws away children and the elderly.

Recalling his Apostolic Exhortation Evangelii Gaudium, the Holy Father focused on the need for a culture of ‘free, creative, participatory, and mutually-supportive labour’, by examining each term in depth.

‘True freedom of labour means that man, continuing the work of the Creator, helps the world rediscover its purpose: to be the work of God which incarnates and extends the image of his presence in Creation and in human history’, the Pope said.

The relational aspect is the truly human characteristic of labour which allows man to leave his mark on reality.  This means that labour must be done in solidarity in order to be of benefit for all.

Closing his remarks, Pope Francis noted that Christian inspiration is the cornerstone of the ACLI Association which allows them to apply the social doctrine of the Church to the challenges of the contemporary world.

By being faithful to their founding commitments – to workers, to democracy, and to the world – ACLI workers can apply the Church’s teaching in a new and timeless – commitment to the poor.

Below, please find the English translation of the Pope’s address to ACLI
 

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http://www.news.va/en/news/pope-francis-sends-letter-for-the-beatification-of

Pope Francis sends letter for the beatification of Óscar Romero
2015-05-23 Vatican Radio



(Vatican Radio)  Pope Francis has sent a letter to the Archbishop of San Salvador, Msgr. José Luis Escobar Alas, on the occasion of the beatification of Archbishop Óscar Arnulfo Romero Galdámez.

In the letter, the Holy Father says that “the voice of the newly Blessed continues to resonate today to remind us that the Church, a convocation of brothers surrounding their Lord, is the family of God, in which there should be no division.”

He recalled Archbishop Romero's words as he wrote of the necessary to renounce “the violence of the sword, of hate” and to live “the violence of love, that left Christ nailed to the Cross, that makes each one of us overcome selfishness and so that there be no more such cruel inequality between us.”

In so doing, those who invoke him as intercessor and protector will 'find in him the strength and courage to build the Kingdom of God, to commit to a more equal and dignified social order.'

Please find below a Vatican Radio translation of the letter:
 

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http://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/oscar-romero-a-father-of-the-poor-beatified-in-el-salvador-85139/

Oscar Romero, a 'father of the poor,' beatified in El Salvador

San Salvador, El Salvador, May 23, 2015 / 01:20 pm (CNA/EWTN News).- Archbishop Oscar Romero was beatified in El Salvador this morning, with Pope Francis declaring from the Vatican that the martyr's feast will be celebrated on March 24 each year – the day “in which he was born into heaven.”

Cardinal Angelo Amato, prefect of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints, presided over Blessed Oscar Romero's May 23 beatification Mass in the capital city of San Salvador.

In his homily the cardinal said that “the figure of Romero is still alive and giving comfort to the marginalized of the earth.”

“His option for the poor was not ideological, but evangelical. His charity extended to the persecutors.”

Archbishop Romero was killed due to hatred of the faith on March 24, 1980, in the midst of the birth of a civil war between leftist guerrillas and the dictatorial government of the right. At the beginning of this year Pope Francis approved of his martyrdom and that the ceremony of his beatification be held.

The Mass began at 10:00 a.m. local time in front of a multitude of near 300,000 people, who filled the streets surrounding the Salvador Plaza of the Mundo de San Salvador.
 

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http://www.catholicnews.com/data/stories/cns/1502237.htm

May-23-2015
Blessed Romero 'another brilliant star' belonging to church of Americas

 
But just as he has devotees, Archbishop Romero has had detractors.

After his death, the Vatican received mounds of letters against Archbishop Romero, Archbishop Paglia, has said. And that affected his path toward sainthood, which includes beatification. But three decades after his assassination, Pope Benedict XVI cleared the archbishop's sainthood cause.

In February Pope Francis signed the decree recognizing Archbishop Romero as a martyr, a person killed "in hatred of the faith," which meant there is no need to prove a miracle for beatification. In general two miracles are needed for sainthood -- one for beatification and the second for canonization.
 

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http://www.news.va/en/news/pope-francis-the-gift-of-the-holy-spirit-renews-th

Pope Francis: the gift of the Holy Spirit renews the earth
2015-05-24 Vatican Radio



(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis against the backdrop of St Peter’s Basilica and dressed in scarlet vestments, celebrated Mass on Pentecost Sunday. In his homily, the Holy Father began by focusing on Sunday’s readings saying that, “the word of God, tells us that the Spirit is at work in individuals and communities filled with the Spirit.

Expanding on this theme of the Spirit, Pope Francis said that, in the Gospel, Jesus promises his disciples that, when he has returned to the Father, the Holy Spirit will come to guide them into all the truth. Indeed he calls the Holy Spirit “the Spirit of truth”.

Today’s world Pope Francis stressed, “needs men and women who are not closed in on themselves, but filled with the Holy Spirit.”  Closing oneself off from the Holy Spirit, he said,  means not only a lack of freedom; it is a sin.  There are many ways one can close oneself off to the Holy Spirit, the Pope continued, “by selfishness for one’s own gain; by rigid legalism – seen in the attitude of the doctors of the law to whom Jesus referred as “hypocrites”; by neglect of what Jesus taught; by living the Christian life not as service to others but in the pursuit of personal interests; and in so many other ways.”

He underlined that the gift of the Holy Spirit “has been bestowed upon the Church and upon each one of us, so that we may live lives of genuine faith and active charity, that we may sow the seeds of reconciliation and peace.”
 

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http://www.news.va/en/news/the-popes-homily-on-pentecost-sunday

The Pope's homily on Pentecost Sunday
2015-05-24 Vatican Radio


(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis presided over Mass in St Peter's Basilica this Pentecost Sunday saying that, the world needs men and women who are filled with the Holy Spirit.

Below is the English translation the Pope's homily this Pentecost Sunday

“As the Father has sent me, even so I send you...  Receive the Holy Spirit” (Jn 20:21-22).  The gift of the Spirit on the evening of the Resurrection took place once again on the day of Pentecost, intensified this time by extraordinary outward signs.  On the evening of Easter, Jesus appeared to the Apostles and breathed on them his Spirit (cf. Jn 20:22); on the morning of Pentecost the outpouring occurred in a resounding way, like a wind which shook the place the Apostles were in, filling their minds and hearts.  They received a new strength so great that they were able to proclaim Christ’s Resurrection in different languages: “They were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and began to speak in other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance” (Acts 2:4).  Together with them was Mary, the Mother of Jesus, the first disciple and the Mother of the nascent Church.  With her peace and her smile, she accompanied the joyful young Bride, the Church of Jesus.
 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2LKa0oPI058
Mass of Pentecost - 2015.05.24
Streamed live on May 24, 2015

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http://www.news.va/en/news/pope-sends-greetings-for-us-christian-unity-event

Pope sends greetings for US Christian Unity event
2015-05-24 Vatican Radio

(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis has sent a videomessage on the occasion of the Day for Christian Unity which took place in Phoenix, Arizona in the United States on May 23rd.

Below is the English translation of the Pope's Message.

Brothers and sisters, may the peace of Christ be with you.

Forgive me if I speak in Spanish, but my English isn’t good enough for me to express myself properly.  I speak in Spanish but, above all, I speak in the language of the heart.

I have the invitation you sent me for this celebration of Christian Unity, this day of reconciliation. And I wish to join you from here. “Father, may we be one so that the world may believe you sent me”. This is the slogan, the theme of the meeting: Christ’s prayer to the Father for the grace of unity.
 

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http://www.news.va/en/news/regina-coeli-pope-appeals-for-southeast-asia-migra

Regina Coeli: Pope appeals for Southeast Asia migrants
2015-05-24 Vatican Radio

(Vatican Radio) Following Mass on this Pentecost Sunday, Pope Francis at the Regina Coeli expressed serious concern over the plight of migrants in the Bay of Bengal and the Andaman sea in Southeast Asia.

More than 3,600 people, around half of them from Bangladesh and the others, minority Rohingya Muslims from Myanmar, have come ashore in Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand since May 10. But thousands more are reported to be trapped at sea in desperate conditions.

The Holy Father spoke of his appreciation for the efforts being made by those countries that have expressed a willingness to welcome those people who are facing great suffering and danger. He also encouraged the international community to provide them with the necessary humanitarian assistance.

Pope Francis, after the recitation of the Regina Coeli also recalled Sunday, the one hundreth anniversary of Italy's entry into World War I, describing the conflict as "useless slaughter". He prayed for the victims, asking the Holy Spirit for the gift of peace.

The Pope then recalled Saturday’s Beatification’s of an Archbishop and Nun in El Salvador and Kenya.
 

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http://www.news.va/en/news/blessed-irene-nyaatha-stefani-of-kenya

Blessed Irene “Nyaatha” Stefani of Kenya
2015-05-24 Vatican Radio


Tens of thousands of people gathered in Nyeri, a town in central Kenya Saturday to attend the beatification ceremony of Sister Irene “Nyaatha” Stefani, an Italian nun who worked for many years in this East African nation.  Up to 100,000 people from all over the world gathered in Nyeri to witness the ceremony at Dedan Kimathi University in which Sister Irene Stefani was declared ``Blessed Irene,'' Kenya's Daily Nation newspaper reported Saturday.

Millions more watched the beatification live on television, according to the newspaper. The ceremony was conducted by Archbishop Polycarp Pengo of Dar es Salaam, Tanzania and Archbishop John Njue of Nairobi, Kenya. President Uhuru Kenyatta and his deputy, William Ruto, were among many dignitaries who attended the event, as well as Stefani's relatives from Italy.  ``It is important for them (relatives) to see where sister Irene lived, where she was buried and to see all the people from Kenya and how they loved her,'' said Stefania Euerini, one of Stefani's grandnieces who attended the event.