Pope Francis

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http://www.news.va/en/news/encyclicals-launch-highlights-science-theology-bus

Encyclical's launch highlights science, theology, business
2015-06-18 Vatican Radio


The eagerly-awaited papal encyclical entitled ‘Laudato Si’: on the care of our common home’ was presented at a press conference on Thursday morning in the Vatican’s synod hall, which was packed with journalists, diplomats and religious leaders. The 192 page document, published in eight languages, was introduced by Cardinal Peter Turkson, president of the Pontifical Justice and Peace council, together with a leading Orthodox theologian, an acclaimed German climate scientist, an American businesswoman and an Italian school teacher.

Pope Francis’ first encyclical focuses on the idea of ‘integral ecology’, connecting care of the natural world with justice for the poorest and most vulnerable people. Only by radically reshaping our relationships with God, with our neighbours and with the natural world, he says, can we hope to tackle the threats facing our planet today. Science, he insists, is the best tool by which we can listen to the cry of the earth, while dialogue and education are the two keys that can “help us to escape the spiral of self-destruction which currently engulfs us”.

If that seems like strong language, Professor John Schellnhuber, head of the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research and member of the Pontifical Academy of Sciences, used a power point presentation to show just how just how urgent the environmental crisis has become. His charts and diagrams showed how dramatically the use of fossil fuels over the past century has damaged the fragile equilibrium of the planet, leading to rising temperatures and threatening the existence of people in the poorest parts of our world. Global warming of just a few degrees may not sound like much, he said, but just compare it to a rise in your own body temperature…..
 

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http://www.news.va/en/news/laudato-si-a-press-guide-to-the-new-encyclical

Laudato si’: a press guide to the new Encyclical
2015-06-18 Vatican Radio



(Vatican Radio)  The following text is a useful guide for an initial reading of the Encyclical. It will help you to grasp the overall development and identify the basic themes. The first two pages are an overview of Laudato si’ (literally “Be praised” or better, “Praise be to you”). Then for each of the six chapters, there is a one-page summary which gives the argument or main points and some key passages. The numbers in parentheses refer to the paragraphs in the Encyclical.

An overview

"What kind of world do we want to leave to those who come after us, to children who are now growing up?” (160). This question is at the heart of Laudato si’ (May You be praised), the anticipated Encyclical on the care of the common home by Pope Francis. “This question does not have to do with the environment alone and in isolation; the issue cannot be approached piecemeal”. This leads us to ask ourselves about the meaning of existence and its values at the basis of social life: “What is the purpose of our life in this world? What is the goal of our work and all our efforts? What need does the earth have of us?” “Unless we struggle with these deeper issues – says the Pope – I do not believe that our concern for ecology will produce significant results” (160).

The Encyclical takes its name from the invocation of Saint Francis, “Praise be to you, my Lord”, in his Canticle of the Creatures. It reminds us that the earth, our common home “is like a sister with whom we share our life and a beautiful mother who opens her arms to embrace us” (1). We have forgotten that “we ourselves are dust of the earth (cf. Gen 2:7); our very bodies are made up of her elements, we breathe her air and we receive life and refreshment from her waters.” (2).
 

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http://www.news.va/en/news/press-conference-for-the-presentation-of-the-encyc

Press conference for the presentation of the Encyclical Laudato si'



Vatican City, 18 June 2015 (VIS) – This morning in the New Synod Hall Cardinal Peter Kodwo Appiah Turkson, president of the Pontifical Council “Justice and Peace”, introduced Pope Francis' Encyclical “Laudato si'”, on care for our common home.

The cardinal welcomed the presenters of the document: the Metropolitan of Pergamon, John Zizioulas, representing the Ecumenical Patriarchate and the Orthodox Church, who spoke on theology and spirituality, the opening and closing themes of the encyclical; Professor John Schellnhuber, founder and director of the Institute for Climate Impact in Potsdam, Federal Republic of Germany, representing the field of natural sciences, with which the encyclical enters into profound dialogue, and who was recently appointed as an ordinary member of the Pontifical Academy of the Sciences; Carolyn Woo, president of Catholic Relief Services and former dean of the Mendoza College of Business of the University of Notre Dame, U.S.A., representing the sectors of economy, finance, trade and commerce, whose responses to the great environmental challenges are crucial; and Valeria Martano, a teacher for 20 years in the outskirts of Rome and witness to human and environmental degradation, as well as to some examples of “best practice”, a sign of hope.

The speakers demonstrated that the Encyclical, from the very beginning, seeks to establish a dialogue with all, both individuals as well as the organisations and institutions that share the same concerns as the Pope, approached from different perspectives, in a global situation that renders them increasingly intertwined and complementary. “This type of dialogue was also employed as the method of preparation that the Holy Father embraced in the writing of the Encyclical”, said Cardinal Turkson. “He relied on a wide range of contributions. Some, in particular those from many Episcopal Conferences from all the continents, are mentioned. ... Others who participated in the various phases of this work … remain unnamed. The Lord knows well how to reward their generosity and dedication”.
 

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http://www.news.va/en/news/encyclical-laudato-si-on-the-care-of-our-common-2

Encyclical 'Laudato Si': on the Care of our Common Home'
2015-06-18 Vatican Radio


LAUDATO SI’: ON THE CARE OF OUR COMMON HOME

(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis’ first encyclical is focused on the idea of ‘integral ecology’, connecting care of the natural world with justice for the poorest and most vulnerable people. Only by radically reshaping our relationships with God, with our neighbours and with the natural world, he says, can we hope to tackle the threats facing our planet today. Science, he insists, is the best tool by which we can listen to the cry of the earth, while dialogue and education are the two keys that can “help us to escape the spiral of self-destruction which currently engulfs us”.

At the heart of the Pope’s reflections is the question: “What kind of world do we want to leave to those who come after us, to children who are now growing up?”. The answers he suggests call for profound changes to political, economic, cultural and social systems, as well as to our individual lifestyles.

Chapter 1 sets out six of the most serious challenges facing “our common home

”​Pollution, waste and our throwaway mentality: “the earth, our home, is beginning to look more and more like an immense pile of filth”

​Climate change: “one of the principle challenges facing humanity in our day” but “many of those who possess more resources and economic or political power seem mostly to be concerned with masking the problems or concealing their symptoms”

Water: “access to safe drinkable water is a basic and universal human right” yet entire populations, and especially children get sick and die because of contaminated water

Biodiversity: “Each year sees the disappearance of thousands of plant and animal species” and the consequences cannot be predicted as “all of us, as living creatures, are dependent on one another”. Often transnational economic interests obstruct this protection

Breakdown of society: Current models of development adversely affect the quality of life of most of humanity and “many cities are huge, inefficient structures, excessively wasteful of energy and water

Global inequality: Environmental problems affect the most vulnerable people, the greater part of the world’s population and the solution is not reducing the birth rate but counteracting “an extreme and selective consumerism”.
 

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Links to full text of papal encyclical, LAUDATO SI' --

http://whispersintheloggia.blogspot.com/2015/06/laudato-si.html  (select FULLTEXT – HTML or PDF)

http://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/click-here-for-the-full-text-of-the-popes-new-encyclical-75582/ (to access Vatican website)

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June 18, 2015 Tweets
https://twitter.com/roccopalmo

Rocco Palmo ‏@roccopalmo  · 6h 6 hours ago 
Too lazy to read all of #LaudatoSi? You're in luck – Vatican preps 12-page exec summary of Eco-cyclical: http://bit.ly/1GulD0i

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June 18, 2015 Tweets
https://twitter.com/roccopalmo

Rocco Palmo ‏@roccopalmo  · 7h7 hours ago 
Visiting @PCCS_VA today, Pope tells staff #LaudatoSi isn't a "green" text, but a "social" one – via @ariel_beramendi

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http://vaticaninsider.lastampa.it/en/inquiries-and-interviews/detail/articolo/bartolomeo-bartholomew-bartolome-enciclica-encyclical-enciclica-41834/

06/18/2015
Bartholomew I: Concern for the environment implies also concern for poverty


[Translate to English:] Bartolomeo I

andrea tornielli
 vatican city
 
"The gracious reference by our brother Pope Francis...". The new encyclical quotes the his teachings regarding the protection of the environment: Vatican Insider interviews the Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople, Bartholomew I.

The Pope in his encyclical on ecology has dedicated three paragraphs to your teachings on this topic. Were you surprised by this?

The gracious reference by our brother Pope Francis to the Ecumenical Patriarchate and our humble ministry did not surprise me for several reasons. First, anyone that invariably seeks to discern the beauty of God in the sacredness of creation will also inevitably recognize “whatever is true and honorable, whatever is just and pure, whatever is beautiful and grace-filled.” (Philippians 4.8 ) Second, inasmuch as we cannot speak of a double order or double reality in creation, all churches, all religions and all disciplines confess the same truth, namely that the world is a divine gift that we are all called to protect and preserve. And third, there is an ecumenical dimension to the ecological crisis: no one institution can be singled out and blamed for the damage we have wrought on creation; and no one institution can resolve the ecological crisis alone.
 

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http://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/the-first-encyclical-wholly-from-francis-overturns-expectations-44552/

The first encyclical wholly from Francis overturns expectations
By Angela Ambrogetti

Vatican City, Jun 19, 2015 / 12:04 am (CNA/EWTN News).- 'Laudato si' is not only an example of the Magisterium's social teaching: it also represents the birth of a new literary genre among papal documents.

Normally in the modern epoch, Popes have included in encyclicals doctrinal themes. But 'Laudato si' is not a doctrinal text -- it is rather a pastoral letter based on the classical Latin American method: see, judge, act.

Pope Francis begins his encyclical by inviting readers to marvel, like St. Francis of Assisi, before creation, which he says is the only path toward an integrated ecology. He then explains what his encyclical will do.

“I will begin,” the Pope writes, “by briefly reviewing several aspects of the present ecological crisis, with the aim of drawing on the results of the best scientific research available today, letting them touch us deeply and provide a concrete foundation for the ethical and spiritual itinerary that follows. I will then consider some principles drawn from the Judaeo-Christian tradition which can render our commitment to the environment more coherent. I will then attempt to get to the roots of the present situation, so as to consider not only its symptoms but also its deepest causes.”

 “In light of this reflection, I will advance some broader proposals for dialogue and action which would involve each of us as individuals, and also affect international policy. Finally … I will offer some inspired guidelines for human development to be found in the treasure of Christian spiritual experience.”
 

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http://www.news.va/en/news/pope-francis-greed-corrupts-and-is-at-the-root-of

Pope Francis: Greed corrupts and is at the root of many wars
2015-06-19 Vatican Radio

(Vatican Radio)  Pope Francis warns against the corrupting effects of greed and accumulating wealth for ourselves, saying they are at the root of wars and family divisions. His words came during his homily at his morning Mass on Friday (June 19th) at the Santa Marta residence.

Taking his inspiration from the day’s gospel reading where Jesus warned his disciples not to accumulate treasures on the earth but instead in heaven, the Pope reflects on the many dangers posed by greed and human ambition. He said these vices end up corrupting and enslaving our hearts and rather than accumulating wealth for ourselves we should be using it for the common good. 

Greed corrupts and destroys
 

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http://www.news.va/en/news/pope-francis-to-special-olympians-play-hard-make-f

Pope Francis to Special Olympians: play hard, make friends
2015-06-19 Vatican Radio


(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis on Friday received the Italian delegation of athletes to the upcoming Special Olympics in the US city of Los Angeles. In remarks prepared for the occasion, Pope Francis praised the athletes for their courage and hard work.

He also praised sport in general as a very positive means of self-discovery, that can help those who practice it to open themselves up to others and learn the valuable lessons of teamwork, common effort, and fair play: an effective means of breaking down barriers of mistrust and discrimination, while building friendship and understanding.
 

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http://www.news.va/en/news/pope-blood-of-martyrs-is-the-seed-of-unity-in-the

Pope: Blood of martyrs is the seed of unity in the Church
2015-06-19 Vatican Radio


(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis welcomed the Patriarch of the Syrian Orthodox Church, Mor Ignatius Aphram II, to the Vatican on Friday.

In his address to the Patriarch, Pope Francis spoke about the “bonds of unity and fraternity” that unite the Church of Rome to the Church of Antioch, recalling the meetings between Patriarch Mor Ignatius Jacob II and Pope Paul VI in Rome, and between Pope Saint John Paul II and Patriarch Mor Ignatius Zakka Iwas in Rome and Damascus.

“How much has changed since those first encounters,” Pope Francis exclaimed. The Syrian Orthodox Church, he continued, “is a Church of martyrs from the very beginning, and it is so today, too, in the Middle East, where it continues to endure, together with other Christian communities and other minorities, the terrible sufferings caused by war, violence, and persecutions.” And yet, the Pope said, “it seems that the powers of this world are incapable of finding solutions.”

Pope Francis called for mutual prayers for “all the victims of this brutal violence” and for victims “of all the situations of war present in the world.” He especially remembered two Eastern Archbishops who were kidnapped in Syria more than two years ago, as well as all those who have been deprived of their liberty. The Holy Father also asked for prayers for the grace “to be always ready to forgive” and to always be workers of reconciliation and peace.” This, he said, “is what animates the witness of the martyrs. The blood of the martyrs is the seed of unity in the Church and the instrument of the building up of the kingdom of God, which is a kingdom of peace and of justice.”

Pope Francis concluded his message with a call to strengthen the bonds of unity between the Catholic Church and the Syrian Orthodox Church. “Let us hasten our steps along the common path, keeping our gaze fixed on the day when we will be able to celebrate our belonging to the one Church of Christ around the same altar of Sacrifice and of praise.”

Below, please find the complete text of Pope Francis' address:
 

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http://www.news.va/en/news/pope-francis-receives-catholic-biblical-federation

Pope Francis receives Catholic Biblical Federation
2015-06-19 Vatican Radio


(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis received the participants in the Plenary Assembly of the Catholic Biblical Federation on Friday. The CBF is a worldwide association of Episcopal Conferences and more than 200 Catholic Biblical institutions, representatives of which are gathered in the small town of Nemi near Rome from June 18th-23rd to explore Sacred Scripture as a source of evangelization, especially in light of the passage from the 1st Letter of St. John (1:3): “What we have seen and heard we are proclaiming to you.”

Putting aside his prepared remarks for the occasion, which he nevertheless delivered in written form, Pope Francis reflected on two characteristics of Biblical evangelizers and teachers of the faith: parrhesia or ‘frankness’; hypomone or ‘patience’.
 

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http://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/will-pope-francis-change-the-date-of-easter-87684/

Will Pope Francis change the date of Easter?

Vatican City, Jun 19, 2015 / 03:53 am (CNA).- Speaking to a global gathering of priests, Pope Francis signaled an openness to changing the date of Easter in the West so that all Christians around the world could celebrate the feast on the same day.

The Pope on June 12 said “we have to come to an agreement” for a common date on Easter. 

His comments came in remarks to the World Retreat of Priests at the Basilica of Saint John Lateran in Rome. The event drew priests from five continents.

The Pope joked that Christians could say to one another: “When did Christ rise from the dead? My Christ rose today, and yours next week,” adding that this disunity is a scandal.

The Orthodox churches normally celebrate Easter a week after the Catholics. Some Orthodox leaders have also reflected on the dating of the Christian holy day. In May, Coptic Orthodox Pope Tawadros II wrote to the papal nuncio in Egypt suggesting a common date for Easter.

Historian Lucetta Scaraffia, writing in the Vatican daily newspaper L’Osservatore Romano, said the Pope is offering this initiative to change the date of Easter “as a gift of unity with the other Christian churches.”

A common date for Easter, she said, would encourage “reconciliation between the Christian churches and …a sort of making sense out of the calendar.”
 

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http://www.zenit.org/en/articles/vatican-message-to-muslims-for-ramadan--6

Vatican Message to Muslims for Ramadan
Vatican City State,  June 19, 2015

Here is a text published today by the Vatican of a message sent to Muslims by the president of the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue. The message was sent on the occasion of the month of Ramadan:
***
Christians and Muslims:

Together to counter violence perpetrated in the name of religion

Dear Muslim brothers and sisters,

1. I am pleased to send you, in the name of all the Catholics around the world and in my name as well, best wishes for a peaceful and joyful celebration of ‘Id al-Fitr. You exercise during the month of Ramadan many religious and social practices, like fasting, prayer, almsgiving, help to the poor, visits to family members and to friends.

I hope and pray that the fruits of these good deeds may enrich your life.
 

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http://www.catholicworldreport.com/NewsBriefs/Default.aspx?rssGuid=infallible-informal-how-binding-is-the-new-encyclical-on-catholics-24963/

Infallible? Informal? How binding is the new encyclical on Catholics?
June 19, 2015 5:25 PM

Washington D.C., Jun 19, 2015 / 04:25 pm (CNA).- With the release of Pope Francis’ encyclical on the environment this week came a wave of controversy over the Pope’s statements about climate change, species extinction and other scientific topics.

Alongside the debate came a resounding question: what is the Catholic obligation to respond?

One theologian offered an answer: Catholics should respect and listen to Pope Francis in his new encyclical, even if they may disagree with some of its scientific and political statements.

“I think people need to accept that with an open and docile heart,” offered Fr. Thomas Petri, vice president and academic dean of the Pontifical Faculty of the Immaculate Conception in Washington, D.C.

“In the Church’s teaching, even in areas where we are allowed to disagree with the Pope, we are still expected to respect and to give it a fair hearing and to be docile to it. It doesn’t mean blindly accepting it, but it does mean not just outright dismissing it.”

He told CNA that while Catholics may prudentially disagree with a specific policy guidance or factual explanation, they must respectfully consider the Pope’s words and are obliged to follow the Pope’s moral counsel – such as the moral guidelines for the social issues addressed in “Laudato Si.”

“Even if it is true that science disproves some of what the Holy Father claims as erroneous, for example, about the causes of climate change, that does not negate from the obligation to be moral with regard to how we treat the climate, how we treat nature, and how we treat the excluded,” Fr. Petri said.
 
“Humanae Vitae,” the 1968 encyclical by Pope Paul VI on married love and human life also addressed the timely subject of birth control, reiterating the Church’s teaching against artificial contraception.

In the case of “Humanae Vitae,” the Church teaching on contraception is a clear-cut moral issue and binding on the consciences of Catholics. “Laudato Si” is some 5 times longer than “Humanae Vitae” and addresses a much broader array of topics – both moral and scientific – which, Fr. Petri said, do not all carry the same weight.
 

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http://www.news.va/en/news/pope-the-human-being-is-at-the-centre-of-developme

Pope: the human being is at the centre of development
2015-06-20 Vatican Radio


(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis on Saturday addressed members of the Italian National Federation of the Knights of Labour during an audience at the Vatican.

In his address, Pope Francis spoke of some of the economic issues we face in our time, singling out inequality and unemployment – especially among young people. Youth unemployment, he said, “is a true and proper social plague.” The world of labour should welcome young people and the contributions they can make, but instead seems to tell them they are not needed.

Continuing his analysis of contemporary social issues, the Holy Father said the common good cannot be advanced simply by achieving higher profits and greater production. “The social teaching of the Church continually recalls this fundamental criterion: that the human being is at the centre of development,” he said. “As long as men and women remain passive or marginalized, the common good cannot be considered fully achieved.” This, he said, is the social aspect of labour, which must involve people in a way that promotes interdependence, creativity, and commitment.
 

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http://www.news.va/en/news/pope-francis-to-visit-with-youth-homeless-inmates

Pope Francis to visit with youth, homeless, inmates in Turin
2015-06-20 Vatican Radio

(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis will make a two-day apostolic visit to the northern Italian city of Turin, 21-22 June, which will include a moment of prayer before the Shroud of Turin and a visit to the Basilica of Mary Help of Christians to mark the 200th anniversary of the birth of St. John Bosco.

The pope’s packed schedule includes visits of other religious institutions and encounters with various groups of people, generally marginalized by society.

It is expected to be another early start for Pope Francis on his two-day visit on Sunday to Turin in northern Italy. Leaving Rome on Sunday at 7 a.m., local time, the Pope is expected to arrive in Turin one hour later and set off immediately on a series of encounters.

His first encounter  is expected to be with workers in a city square, where a farmer, a factory worker and a business owner are expected to extend their greetings to the Pope. After addressing the workers, the Pope is expected to walk to the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist nearby, where he will spend a few moments in prayer before the Shroud of Turin, revered by many as the burial cloth of Jesus. He is also expected to spend a few moments in prayer before the altar dedicated to a young blessed, born in Turin, Piergiorgio Frassati.
 

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http://www.news.va/en/news/pope-francis-to-workers-and-entrepreneurs-in-turin

Pope Francis to workers of Turin: 'No to an economy of waste'
2015-06-21 Vatican Radio


(Vatican Radio)  Pope Francis’s two-day Apostolic Visit to Turin (June 21-22) began Sunday morning with an audience in Piazza Rebaudengo for a vast array of workers, farmers, and entrepreneurs.

After speeches from local labourers which focused on their daily difficulties, the Holy Father affirmed that work is necessary, not only for the economy, but also for the integrity of the human person, for their dignity and social inclusion.  He acknowledged the problems caused by the current economic crisis on the health, education, and future of individuals.

In this time of increased immigration, Pope Francis recognized that new migrants increase competition, but that "they are not to be blamed, because they are also victims of inequality, of this ‘throw-away economy’, and of war".

Proposing a solution to the economic crisis which has left many Italians unemployed, the Holy Father said all must say ‘NO’ to an economy of waste which excludes persons who do not produce, ‘NO’ to corruption and the idolatry of money, and ‘NO’ to inequality which generates violence.  "Don Bosco", he reminded the saint’s compatriots, "teaches us that the best method is prevention:  even social conflict must be prevented, and this is done with justice".
 

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http://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/shroud-of-turin-reminds-us-of-all-human-suffering-pope-francis-says-29925/

Shroud of Turin reminds us of all human suffering, Pope Francis says

Turin, Italy, Jun 21, 2015 / 07:42 am (CNA/EWTN News).- Pope Francis prayed before the Shroud of Turin on Sunday and reflected on the role the reputed burial cloth of Jesus Christ can play in Christian spiritual life.

“The Shroud attracts (us) toward the martyred face and body of Jesus,” the Pope said June 21.

“At the same time, it pushes (us) toward the face of every suffering and unjustly persecuted person. It pushes us in the same direction as the gift of Jesus’ love,” the pontiff said during his noontime Angelus address at Turin’s Piazza Vittorio Veneto.

Earlier that morning Pope Francis had visited the Shroud of Turin, housed in Turin’s Cathedral of Saint John the Baptist.

The cathedral is kept dark while the shroud is on display. The Pope spent several minutes in silent prayer before the relic. He then approached the shroud’s reliquary and touched it.
 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uXZnTEh5yq4
Pope in Turin, Meeting with the world of labor and visit to the Holy Shroud exhibition 2015.06.21
Streamed live on Jun 21, 2015

Starts at 8.15 am - Pope Francis meets the world of labor, in the course of his pastoral visit to Turin, on the occasion of the bicentennial of the birth of Don Bosco; in conclusion prayer in the Cathedral before the Holy Shroud.