Pope Francis

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http://www.news.va/en/news/pope-francis-warns-against-medicine-of-desires

Pope Francis warns against "medicine of desires"
2015-11-19 Vatican Radio

(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis on Thursday met with participants attending a Conference for International Healthcare Workers taking place in Rome.

Greeting the conference members gathered, Pope Francis in his prepared remarks, began by reminding them that this International Healthcare Workers event also coincided with the thirtieth anniversary of the Pontifical Council for Health Care Workers and the twentieth anniversary of the publication Pope Saint John Paul II’s Encyclical Letter Evangelium vitae.

He told the participants that the issues that they have been debating this week such as respect for the value of life, and, even more, the love of it, was fundamental in taking care of those who suffer in body and spirit.

The Pope added that these attitudes would be further highlighted during the Jubilee of Mercy.
 

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http://www.news.va/en/news/pope-francis-to-travel-to-kenya-uganda-and-car

Pope Francis to travel to Kenya, Uganda and Central African Republic
2015-11-19 Vatican Radio

Vatican Radio) Pope Francis is to set off for his first apostolic journey to Africa on the morning of Wednesday 25 November.

At the heart of his 6-day journey, taking him to Kenya, Uganda and the Central African Republic is his desire to bring a message of peace, reconciliation, dialogue and the impetus to overcome internal divisions.

Speaking on Thursday morning at a Press Conference in the Vatican, Press Office Director Fr Federico Lombardi said for Jorge Mario Bergoglio it will be a first time in Africa, and  not only as Pope.

This apostolic visit will be Francis’ 11th journey abroad, but Lombardi pointed out: two Popes have been to these very countries before him.

The first was Blessed Paul VI who visited Uganda in 1969. Then it was the turn of Saint John Paul II who visited some 42 African nations during his pontificate including Kenya in 1980, in 1985 and in 1995; Uganda in 1993; and Central African Republic in 1975.
 

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http://www.news.va/en/news/pope-francis-the-church-must-not-worship-holy-brib

Pope Francis: the Church must not worship “holy bribery”
2015-11-20 Vatican Radio

(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis said that the Church must not be obsessed by money or power, nor worship “holy bribes”. Instead her strength and joy should come from the words of Christ. He was speaking at the morning mass at Casa Santa Marta on Friday.

The Holy Father reflected on the reading from Maccabees, which tells of the people’s joy following the reconsecration of the Holy Temple, which had been destroyed by pagans and those obsessed by worldliness. The people of God celebrated, they rejoiced because they had rekindled “their true identity”. The Pope explained that “those who indulge in worldliness do not know how to celebrate – they can’t celebrate! At most, the worldly spirit can provide amusement, it can provoke excitement, but true joy can only come from faith in the Covenant”. In the Gospel, Jesus drives merchants away from the Temple saying “It is written: my house shall be called the house of prayer. But you have made it a den of thieves”. Pope Francis noted that at the time of the Maccabees, worldly desire “displaced the Living God”. But now, it is happening “in another way altogether”.

“The Gospel says the chief priests and scribes had changed things. They had dishonored and compromised the Temple. They had dishonored the Temple! The Temple was a symbol of the Church. The Church will always – always! – be subject to the temptation of worldliness and power. Jesus did not say ‘No, do not do this inside. Go outside instead.’ He said ‘You have made it a den of thieves!’ And when the Church enters into such a state of decline, the end is bad. Very bad indeed.”
 

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http://www.news.va/en/news/pope-francis-priests-should-not-often-be-sad-or-ne

Pope Francis: Priests should not often be sad or nervous
2015-11-20 Vatican Radio

(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis on Friday said a good priest “creates serenity,” and a priest “that is often sad, nervous, or has a hard character” is not good for himself or his people.

The Holy Father was addressing a Conference sponsored by the Congregation for the Clergy marking the fiftieth anniversary of the proclamation of the Vatican II decrees Presbyterorum ordinis [Decree on the Ministry and Life of Priests] and Optatam Totius [Decree on Priestly Training].

Pope Francis focused on three brief phrases found in a passage of Presbyterorum ordinis, stating that priests are “taken from among men,”  “ordained for men,”  and “live in the midst of other men.”

“Even priests have a biography, and are not ‘mushrooms’ which sprout up suddenly at the Cathedral on their day of ordination,” said the Holy Father. “It is important for formators  and the priests themselves to remember this, and know how to take this personal history into account along the formation path.”
 

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

Pope Francis meets with the President of Ukraine
2015-11-20 Vatican Radio

(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis on Friday met with the President of Ukraine, Petro  Poroshenko, who subsequently met with the Cardinal Secretary of State Pietro Parolin, accompanied by Archbishop Paul Richard Gallagher, secretary for Relations with States.

A statement released by the Holy See Press Office said the parties reaffirmed the good relations between the Holy See and Ukraine, and called the discussions “cordial,” stating they were dedicated principally to matters connected with the situation of conflict in the  country.

In this respect the hope was shared that, with the commitment of all the interested Parties, political solutions may be favoured, starting with the full implementation of the Minsk Accords. At  the same time, concern was expressed regarding the difficulties of facing the humanitarian crisis, with particular reference to access for specialised organisations to areas affected by hostilities, to healthcare, to the exchange of prisoners, and the economic and social repercussions of the conflict, experienced throughout the territory.
 

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http://www.news.va/en/news/pope-francis-to-german-bishops-use-jubilee-to-revi

Pope Francis to German Bishops: Use Jubilee to revive Church
2015-11-20 Vatican Radio

(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis on Friday told the bishops of Germany the upcoming Jubilee of Mercy offers the opportunity to “rediscover the sacraments of Penance and the Eucharist.”

The bishops were meeting with the Holy Father during their ad limina visit to Rome.

In a speech handed to the bishops at the meeting,  Pope Francis noted a sharp decline in sacramental participation among the Catholics in Germany.

“Whereas in the 1960’s the faithful almost everywhere attended Mass every Sunday, today it is often less than 10 percent,” he said.

“The Sacraments are always approached less often,” the Pope continued.

“The Sacrament of Penance is often missing.  Fewer and fewer Catholics receive the Sacrament of Confirmation or contract a Catholic marriage,” he continued. “The number of vocations to the ministerial priesthood and to the consecrated life has significantly diminished. Given these facts, one can truly speak of an erosion of the Catholic faith in Germany.”
 

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http://www.news.va/en/news/pope-francis-educate-openness-to-transcendence-pra

Pope Francis: educate openness to transcendence, practice of mercy
2015-11-21 Vatican Radio

(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis received the participants in a major international congress under the sponsorship of the Congregation for Catholic Education on Saturday morning. For four days this week, more than 2 thousand educators, administrators, students and teachers from around the world have been examining the challenges facing the mission of Catholic education in the 21st century, under the umbrella of Educating today and tomorrow: a passion renewed.

The Conference was organized in connection with 50th anniversary celebrations for the II Vatican Council’s document on Catholic education: Gravissimum educationis.
 

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http://www.news.va/en/news/5-charged-in-vatican-document-leak-case

5 charged in Vatican document leak case
2015-11-21 Vatican Radio

(Vatican) The Vatican formally charged five people in connection with the unauthorized and illicit sharing of sensitive and privileged documents and information, including a pair of journalists who have written recently published books detailing alleged mismanagement in the Vatican, two officials, and a secretary to one of the officials.

A statement from the Press Office of the Holy See on Friday included the detailed charge sheet, which named the journalists, Gianluigi Nuzzi and Emiliano Fittipaldi, as well as the former Vatican officials, Msgr. Lucio Vallejo Balda and Francesca Immacolata Chaouqui, along with Msgr. Vallejo’s secretary, Nicola Maio.
 
A hearing has been scheduled for Tuesday, November 24th, 2015, at 10:30 AM, in the Vatican criminal court.

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http://www.news.va/en/news/pope-francis-angelus-address-for-christ-the-king-s

Pope Francis: Angelus address for Christ the King Sunday
2015-11-22 Vatican Radio

Pope Francis called for all the faithful everywhere to pray for persecuted Christians on Sunday. Speaking to pilgrims and tourists gathered beneath the window of the Papal apartment in the Apostolic Palace, which overlooks St. Peter’s Square, the Holy Father recalled the beatification in Barcelona on Saturday of Bl. Federico da Berga and his 25 Companions, who were martyred during the course of the Spanish Civil War in the 1930s.

“They were,” said Pope Francis, “priests, young professed friars awaiting ordination, and lay brothers belonging to the Capuchin Order of Friars Minor (Franciscans): let us entrust to their intercession the many of our brothers and sisters who, sadly still today, in many different parts of the world, are persectuted because of their faith in Christ.”

Pope Francis also asked the faithful to pray for the success of his upcoming visit to Kenya, Uganda and the Central African Republic, which begins this Wednseday, Nov. 25. "I ask you all to pray for this voyage," he said, "that it might be for all our brothers and sisters in those lands, and also for me, a sign of closeness and of love."

Ahead of the Angelus on Sunday, the Solemnity of Christ the King, with faithful pilgrims and tourists gathered in St. Peter’s Square, the focus of the Holy Father’s remarks was the nature of Christ’s kingship: a kingship that opposes itself to the worldly logic that prizes ambition and rewards ruthlessness, expressing itself in humility and selflessness, and affirming itself silently but efficaciously with the force of truth.
 

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http://www.news.va/en/news/pope-francis-telegram-of-condolence-to-mali

Pope Francis: telegram of condolence to Mali
2015-11-22 Vatican Radio

(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis has sent a telegram expressing his condolences and assuring his prayerful solidarity with the whole people of Mali, in the wake of a terrorist attack on a hotel in the capital, Bamako, which left at least 21 people dead.

Addressed to the Archbishop of Bamako, Jean Zerbo, and signed by the Secretary of State of the Holy See, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the telegram says Pope Francis joins in prayer the pain of bereaved families and the sadness of Malians.
 
Below, please find the full text of the Holy Father’s telegram, in Vatican Radio’s English translation

**************************************
His Excellency Archbishop Jean Zerbo

Archbishop of Bamako                                                                                                                                                                                BAMAKO

Having learned of the tragic attack, which took place in Bamako, His Holiness Pope Francis unites himself in prayer to the pain of bereaved families and the sadness of all Malians. He recommends all the victims to the mercy of God, praying that the Almighty welcome them into His light. He expresses his deepest sympathy with the injured and their families, asking the Lord to bring them comfort and consolation in their ordeal. Appalled by this senseless violence, which the Pope strongly condemns, the Pope implores God for the conversion of hearts and the gift of peace, and  invokes abundance of Divine blessings on all those affected by this tragedy.

Cardinal Pietro Parolin

Secretary of State of His Holiness
 

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http://www.news.va/en/news/holy-fathers-calendar-for-december-2015-and-januar

Holy Father's calendar for December 2015 and January 2016

Vatican City, 18 November 2015 (VIS) – The Office of Liturgical Celebrations of the Supreme Pontiff has published the following calendar of liturgical celebrations at which the Holy Father will preside in the months of December 2015 and January 2016:

DECEMBER

Tuesday 8: Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary. At 9.30 a.m. in St. Peter's Basilica, Holy Mass and opening of the Holy Door.

Tuesday 8: Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary. At 4 p.m. in Piazza di Spagna, veneration of the image of Mary Immaculate.

Saturday 12: Feast of Blessed Virgin Mary of Guadalupe. At 6 p.m. in the Vatican Basilica, Holy Mass.

Sunday 13: “Gaudete Sunday” Third of Advent. At 9.30 a.m. in the Basilica of St. John Lateran, Holy Mass and opening of the Holy Door.

Sunday 13: “Gaudete Sunday” Third of Advent. At 10.30 a.m. in the Basilica of St. Paul Outside-the-Walls, Holy Mass and opening of the Holy Door, presided by Cardinal James Harvey.

Thursday 24: Solemnity of the Nativity of the Lord. At 9.30 p.m. in the Vatican Basilica, Holy Mass.

Friday 25: Solemnity of the Nativity of the Lord. Central loggia of the Vatican Basilica, at 12 p.m., “Urbi et Orbi” blessing.

Sunday 27: Feast of the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph. At 10 a.m. in the Vatican Basilica, Holy Mass for Families.

Thursday 31: Solemnity of Mary Most Holy, Mother of God. At 5 p.m. in the Vatican Basilica, First Vespers and Te Deum, in Thanksgiving for the past year.

JANUARY
 

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http://www.news.va/en/news/pope-widows-are-image-of-church-seeking-to-stay-fa

Pope: widows are image of Church seeking to stay faithful
2015-11-23 Vatican Radio

(Vatican Radio) The Church remains faithful if she keeps her eyes fixed on Jesus, but she becomes lukewarm and mediocre if she seeks comfort in worldly things. That was Pope Francis’ message on Monday as he reflected on the Gospel reading at Mass in the Casa Santa Marta…

Listen to our report:

Pope Francis noted that the reading from St Luke’s Gospel tells the story of the widow who puts her two coins in the temple treasury box, while other wealthy worshippers make a great show of the money they're putting in. Jesus says that “this poor widow put in more than all the rest” because the others were giving away money from their surplus wealth, while she, in her poverty, “has offered her whole livelihood”. In the Bible, Pope Francis said, the widow is the woman who is alone, who has no husband to look after her, who has to manage on her own, who survives on charity. The widow in this Gospel passage, he said, was “a widow who had placed her trust only in the Lord”. I like to look at the widows in the Gospel, he said, as an image of the “widowed” Church who is waiting for Jesus to return.
 

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http://www.news.va/en/news/pope-francis-meets-governor-general-of-antigua-and

Pope Francis meets Governor-General of Antigua and Barbuda
2015-11-23 Vatican Radio

(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis on Monday morning received the Governor-General of Antigua and Barbuda, Sir Rodney Williams. The governor-general later met with the Cardinal Secretary of State, Pietro Parolin, who was accompanied by the Secretary for Relations with States, Archbishop Paul Gallagher.

Antigua and Barbuda is a two-island nation on the Atlantic edge of the Caribbean Sea, with a population of just over ninety-thousand,  of whom around ten-percent are Catholic. Once a British colony, Queen Elizabeth II remains the head of state, with the Governor-General serving as her official representative.

A statement from the Holy See Press Office called the meeting “cordial,” and said the meeting underlined good bilateral relations, which have recently been strengthened by the appointment by Antigua and Barbuda of an Ambassador accredited to the Holy See.
 

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http://www.news.va/en/news/pope-francis-sends-a-video-message-to-kenya-uganda

Pope Francis sends video message to Kenya, Uganda
2015-11-23 Vatican Radio

(Vatican Radio)  Pope Francis on Monday sent a video message to the people of Kenya and Uganda, saying he is coming "as a minister of the Gospel, to proclaim the love of Jesus Christ and his message of reconciliation, forgiveness and peace".

The Holy Father will visit Kenya and Uganda, as well as the Central African Republic (CAR), from 25-30 November.

The full transcription Pope Francis' video message may be found below:
 

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http://www.news.va/en/news/pope-francis-sends-video-message-to-central-africa

Pope Francis sends video message to Central African Republic
(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis on Monday sent a video message to the people of the Central African Republic, on the eve of his visit to the country this Saturday, November 28th.

In his video message, Pope Francis told the people of the Central African Republic of the “joy which pervades me” on the occasion of his first visit to Africa and, in particular, to the CAR.

The Holy Father said, “Your dear country has for too long been affected by a violent situation and by insecurity of which many of you have been innocent victims. The goal of my visit is, above all, to bring you, in the name of Christ, the comfort of consolation and hope. I hope with all my heart that my visit may contribute, in one way or another, to alleviate your wounds and to favor conditions for a better, more serene future for Central Africa and all its inhabitants.”
 

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http://www.news.va/en/news/first-hearing-in-trial-for-the-disclosure-of-confi

First hearing in trial for the disclosure of confidential information

Vatican City, 24 November 2015 (VIS) – This morning, at 10.30 a.m. at the Vatican City State Tribunal, the first hearing in the criminal trial of Msgr. Angel Lucio Vallejo Balda, Francesca Immacolata Chaouqui, Nicola Maio, Emiliano Fittipaldi and Gianluigi Nuzzi, accused of offences connected to the disclosure of reserved information and documents.

The defendants were all present, accompanied by their respective lawyers: Emanuela Bellardini for Msgr. Vallejo Balda, ex officio; Agnese Camilli for Francesca Chaouqui, ex officio; Rita Claudia Baffioni for Nicola Maio, ex officio; Lucia Musso for Emiliano Fittipaldi, private; and Roberto Palombi for Gianluigi Nuzzi, private.

The representative for the injured party, i.e. the Holy See, was not present.
 
The panel of judges, after a meeting in the chamber lasting three quarters of an hour, rejected the two objections present and established the date of the next hearing, to be held on Monday 30 November at 9.30 a.m., during which the questioning of defendants will commence, starting with Msgr. Vallejo Balda, followed by Francesca Chaouqui, and then the other defendants. Various hearings are expected to be held during that week.

The hearing was closed before midday.

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http://en.radiovaticana.va/news/2015/11/24/trial_begins_for_5_people_accused_in_vatileaks_case/1189190

Trial begins for 5 people accused in Vatileaks case
24/11/2015 14:56

 
The five defendants are Monsignor Lucio Vallejo Balda, who serves as Secretary of the Prefecture for the Economic Affairs of the Holy See and was also the Secretary of the Commission in charge of examining and advising on the organisation of the economic and administrative structure of the Holy See (COSEA); his aid Nicola Maio; Italian laywoman Francesca Immaculate Chaouqui, who was also a member of the COSEA commission; and the two journalists who published leaked documents, Emiliano Fittipaldi and Gianluigi Nuzzi.

Msgr. Vallejo Balda, Mr. Maio, and Mrs. Chaouqui are accused of forming a criminal organization and of procuring and leaking confidential documents. Mr. Nuzzi and Mr. Fittipaldi are accused of publishing those documents and of ``soliciting and exercising pressure, above all on Vallejo Balda, to obtain the documents and other reserved information.''
 
After the reading of the charges, the President announced that he had forwarded the request for the appointment of two additional lawyers for Mr. Nuzzi and Msgr. Vallejo Balda to the President of the Court of Appeals, for the necessary authorization.

The Tribunal then heard two preliminary objections:  One by the lawyer for Monsignor Vallejo Balda on the amount of time needed for the gathering of evidence for the defence, and – after a statement by Emiliano Fittipaldi protesting the charges and his freedom as a journalist to publish news – one by his attorney requesting the nullification of his indictment for not containing a precise declaration of the alleged offences with which he is charged.

The Promoter’s Office – in this case, Zannotti -  responded to the second objection by arguing that they were not intending to trample on the freedom of the press, but that the defendant should be held accountable for how he went about obtaining the published documents and other information, and this was stated in his indictment.

After considering the two objections in chambers for about 45 minutes, the court rejected both of them, and announced the next hearing will be on the morning of Monday, 30 November, during which the testimony of the defendants will be heard, beginning with Msgr. Vallejo Balda and Mrs. Chaouqui.  The statement also stated there would be several hearings next week.

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http://www.catholicnews.com/services/englishnews/2015/journalists-uphold-freedom-of-press-at-vatileaks-trial.cfm

Journalists claim freedom of press at 'VatiLeaks' trial
By Junno Arocho Esteves Catholic News Service
11.24.2015 12:17 PM ET

 
The Vatican court granted Fittipaldi's request to address the courtroom at the trial's opening session. He expressed his "disbelief" at finding himself being tried by a non-Italian court system when he wrote and published a book in Italy.

He said the charges against him were not "for publishing false or defamatory news, but simply for publishing news, an act protected by the Italian Constitution," as well as European and universal human rights conventions.

Article 10 of the Vatican criminal code states that whoever "illegitimately obtains or reveals news or documents" that are confidential can face a fine between 1,000 and 5,000 euros and possible imprisonment from six months to two years. Classified information dealing with diplomatic relations or "fundamental interests" of the Holy See or Vatican City State carry more severe penalties, including a maximum eight-year prison sentence.

The Vatican criminalized the release of "news and documents" in July 2013. The move came in the wake of the first so-called "VatiLeaks" trial in 2012 when Pope Benedict XVI's butler was charged with "aggravated theft" for giving Vatican documents and papal correspondence to Nuzzi.

The updated criminal laws were approved by Pope Francis.
 

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http://en.radiovaticana.va/news/2015/11/24/pope_francis_visits_the_vatican_bank_/1189206

Pope Francis visits the Vatican Bank, appoints new Director General
24/11/2015 15:27

(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis on Tuesday visited the Institute for the Works of Religion (IOR), commonly known as the Vatican Bank.

During his visit, he met with the Board of Superintendence for about 20 minutes, where he announced the appointment of a new Director General of the Institution, Dr. Gian Franco Mammi, who has been serving as Vice-Director.
 
According to the IOR website, the purpose of the institution is “to serve the global mission of the Catholic Church by way of protecting and growing its customers’ assets and providing them with dedicated worldwide payment services.”

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http://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/pope-names-first-catholic-bishop-to-oversee-anglican-ordinariate-17881/

Pope names first Catholic bishop to oversee Anglican ordinariate

Vatican City, Nov 24, 2015 / 07:56 am (CNA/EWTN News).- Pope Francis has appointed Msgr. Steven Lopes, a Catholic priest from California, as the new bishop who will head the Anglican Ordinariate in the United States and Canada.

Bishop-elect Lopes, 40, is originally from the Archdiocese of San Francisco in the United States, and currently serves as an official for the Congregation of the Doctrine of the Faith.

He will be taking over for Msgr. Jeffrey N. Steenson, a former Episcopal bishop appointed by Benedict XVI in 2012 to shepherd the Personal Ordinariate of the Chair of St. Peter.

The Personal Ordinariate of the Chair of St. Peter is a special diocese-like structure that allows entire Anglican communities to enter into full communion with the Catholic Church while retaining certain elements of the liturgy and other customs.

Ordinariates are similar to dioceses but typically national in scope. Pope Benedict authorized the creation of ordinariates for Anglican communities seeking to enter the Catholic Church in his 2009 apostolic constitution, “Anglicanorum coetibus.”

Based in Houston, Texas, the Ordinariate has more than 40 Roman Catholic parishes and communities across the United States and Canada