Pope Francis

[grace-land]

http://www.news.va/en/news/pope-francis-receives-first-copy-of-the-name-of-go

Pope Francis receives first copy of “The Name of God is Mercy”
2016-01-12 Vatican Radio

(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis on Monday afternoon received the first copy of the Italian edition of his book-length interview with journalist Andrea Tornielli, entitled The Name of God is Mercy. 

Marina Berlusconi, the President of the Mondadori Group, hand delivered the book to the Holy Father in the Casa Santa Marta.
 
The book was officially released on Tuesday, and is available in Italian, English, French, German, Spanish and Portuguese. During the interview, Pope Francis answered 40 questions, which have been divided into 9 chapters.

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http://www.news.va/en/news/the-name-of-god-is-mercy-new-book-by-pope-francis

‘The Name of God is Mercy’: new book by Pope Francis
2016-01-11 Vatican Radio

Vatican Radio)  “The Name of God is Mercy” is the title of a new book set to be released in 86 countries on Tuesday (12 Jan), in which Pope Francis reveals his vision of God’s mercy in a series of interviews with Vatican reporter Andrea Tornielli.

Several extracts were made available by the publisher, Piemme, ahead of its official release.

The pope, like Peter, is in need of mercy

“The Pope is a man who needs the mercy of God,” the Holy Father says in the book-length interview.

“I said it sincerely to the prisoners of Palmasola, in Bolivia, to those men and women who welcomed me so warmly. I reminded them that even Saint Peter and Saint Paul had been prisoners. I have a special relationship with people in prisons, deprived of their freedom. I have always been very attached to them, precisely because of my awareness of being a sinner.”

“Every time I go through the gates into a prison to celebrate Mass or for a visit, I always think: why them and not me? I should be here. I deserve to be here. Their fall could have been mine. I do not feel superior to the people who stand before me. And so I repeat and pray: why him and not me? It might seem shocking, but I derive consolation from Peter: he betrayed Jesus, and even so he was chosen.”

Pope John Paul I: ‘engraved in dust’

The Holy Father also remembers being touched by the writings of his predecessor Pope John Paul I, Albino Luciani. “There is the homily when Albino Luciani said he had been chosen because the Lord preferred that certain things not be engraved in bronze or marble but in the dust, so that if the writing had remained, it would have been clear that the merit was all and only God’s. He, the bishop and future Pope John Paul I, called himself ‘dust’.”
 

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http://www.news.va/en/news/pope-francis-the-prayers-of-the-faithful-work-mira

Pope Francis: "the prayers of the faithful work miracles"
2016-01-12 Vatican Radio

Vatican Radio) Pope Francis says prayer works miracles and prevents the hardening of the heart.

His words came on Tuesday morning during morning Mass at the Casa Santa Marta.

“It’s the prayer of the faithful – the Pope said – that brings change to the Church; it’s not us popes, bishops or priests who carry the Church forward, but the Saints”.

Pope Francis took his cue from the Bible reading of the day which tells the story of Hannah, a woman whom, deeply distressed by her infertility, desperately prays to the Lord to give her a child, and of Eli, a priest, who looks on vaguely from afar and superficially judges the woman as a drunkard as he can see her babbling but cannot hear her words.

“Hannah was praying silently, her lips moved but her voice was not heard. Hers is the courage of a woman of faith who is weeping and grieving and asks the Lord for his grace. There are many good women in the Church,  many! They place all their trust in prayer...  Let us think of one of them, Saint Monica who was able, with her tears, to be granted the grace of conversion for her son, Saint Augustine. There are so many” the Pope said.

Eli, the priest, is “a poor man” towards whom, Francis says, he feels “a certain sympathy” because – he explains - “I find faults in myself that allow me to understand him well and feel close to him.”  “How easily - the Pope continues – do we judge people and lack the respect to say: 'I wonder what he has in his heart? I do not know, but I will say nothing...’ When the heart lacks compassion one always thinks evil" and does not understand those who pray “with pain and anguish” and “entrust that pain and anguish to the Lord”.
 

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http://www.news.va/en/news/pope-gives-catechesis-on-mercy-in-the-bible

Pope gives catechesis on mercy in the Bible
2016-01-13 Vatican Radio

(Vatican Radio) During his weekly general audience, Pope Francis spoke on the mercy of God as spoken about in the Bible.

Delivering his catechesis Wednesday in the Vatican’s Paul VI hall, the Pope said in the Old Testament, God reveals he is the God of Mercy.

The Holy Father explained how the Hebrew word for Mercy evokes the sort of tenderness shown by a mother for her child.

In Scripture, the Pope said, the God of mercy is gracious, slow to anger, and abounds in “steadfast love and faithfulness.”

Pope Francis concluded his catechesis by inviting the faithful during the Jubilee of Mercy to “turn to God with all our heart, trusting in his mercy and grace, his infinite faithfulness and love.”

Below find the official English language summary of Pope Francis’ catechesis:
 
http://www.zenit.org/en/articles/general-audience-on-mercy
GENERAL AUDIENCE: On Mercy
Jan 13

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http://www.news.va/en/news/pope-prays-for-turkey-at-weekly-audience

Pope prays for Turkey at weekly Audience
2016-01-13 Vatican Radio

(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis Wednesday remembered the victims of Tuesday’s suicide bomb attack in Istanbul which left ten people dead.

Speaking in the Vatican's Paul VI Hall during his weekly general audience, the Pope asked for prayers for those killed in the attack, and for their families.

“Before concluding our encounter, in which we have reflected on God’s Mercy, I invite you to pray for the victims of the attack which took place yesterday in Istanbul.”

“May God, the merciful, grant eternal peace to the departed, comfort to their families, determined solidarity to the whole society, and convert the hearts of the violent."

The suicide bomber killed nine German and one Peruvian tourist on Jan 12 in Istanbul's historic Sultanahmet Square.

The Islamic State is being blamed for the attack, which also injured fifteen people.
 

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http://www.news.va/en/news/pope-at-mass-faith-is-a-gift-it-is-ours-for-the-as

Pope at Mass: faith is a gift, it is ours for the asking
2016-01-14 Vatican Radio

(Vatican Radio) Faith always wins, because it turns even defeat into victory, but it is not something “magical” – it is a personal relationship with God that cannot be learned in books, and is in fact a gift from God, a gift that is our for the asking: this was the essence of Pope Francis’ reflections following the Readings of the Day at Mass on Thursday morning in the chapel of the Casa Santa Marta in the Vatican.

Taken from the Book of Samuel, the First Reading told of the defeat of the People of God at the hands of the Philistines. “the slaughter was very great,” and the people lost everything, “[even] their dignity.” The Holy Father asked, “What led to this defeat?” and answered that the people, “slowly walked away from the Lord, lived in a worldly fashion, and even kept with idols.” The people went out to the Sanctuary of Shiloh, but, “as if it were a mere cultural habit – they had lost their filial relationship with God – they did not worship God – and He left them alone. The people even used the Ark of the Covenant to win the battle, though they did so as though the Ark were a sort of magical talisman. “In the Ark,” recalled Pope Francis, “was the Law – the Law that they did not keep and which they had abandoned.” There was no longer “a personal relationship with the Lord – they had forgotten the God who had saved them,” and were defeated. 30 thousand Israelites were slain, the Ark was taken by the Philistines, the two sons of Eli, “those criminal priests who exploited people in the Sanctuary of Shiloh,” met their end. It was, “A total defeat,” the Pope said. “Thus does a people that has distanced itself from God meet its end.”

The Gospel of the day, however, speaks of a victory:
 

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http://www.news.va/en/news/pope-francis-meet-with-romes-colegio-sacerdotal-ar

Pope Francis meets with Rome’s Colegio Sacerdotal Argentino
2016-01-14 Vatican Radio

(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis on Thursday met with a delegation from Rome’s Colegio Sacerdotal Argentino, which forms priests for Argentina.

“It was a meeting of a shepherd with his flock,” said Father Ángel Hernández, the rector of the College.

In an interview with Vatican Radio’s Spanish service, Father Hernández said the Holy Father told them when they returned to Argentina, they should take care of their prayer life, and preach the Word of God in the place they have been sent.
 

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http://www.news.va/en/news/pope-francis-to-youth-dont-ever-lose-hope

Pope Francis to Youth: Don't ever lose hope!
2016-01-14 Vatican Radio

(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis has urged young people living in situations of “war, extreme poverty, daily troubles and loneliness” to not lose hope and not be taken in “by the messages of hatred or terror all around us.”

His words came in his Message for the Jubilee of Mercy for Young Boys and Girls, which was released on Thursday.

“You are preparing to be Christians capable of making courageous choices and decisions, in order to build daily, even through little things, a world of peace,” Pope Francis said.

“With [Jesus] we can do great things; he will give us the joy of being his disciples, his witnesses,” – the Pope continued  – “Commit yourselves to great ideals, to the most important things.”

The Jubilee for Young Boys and Girls (ages 13-16) will take place in St. Peter’s Square on April 24, 2016, the Fourth Sunday of Easter.   

The full text of the Message is below
 

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http://en.radiovaticana.va/news/2016/01/14/a_circus_for_the_poor_in_rome/1200970

A circus for the poor in Rome
14/01/2016 11:59

(Vatican Radio) The Office of the Papal Almoner has announced a unique charity event scheduled for Thursday afternoon in Rome: a circus for the poor.

The homeless, refugees, prisoners, and those most in need, were invited to the entertainment, offered free of charge at the Rony Roller Circus, which made all 2000 seats under its big top available for the event.
 
In a January audience last year Pope Francis said that those who create circus shows create beauty which is good for the soul. “How much we need beauty,” he said. He applauded circus artists who with perseverance and sacrifice give beauty to others.

The Almoner’s announcement also explained that medical personnel from Vatican Health Services would be available to give treatment free of charge to any of the event’s attendees.

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http://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/a-gay-lobby-at-the-vatican-one-cardinal-says-its-real-and-pope-francis-is-responding-15439/

A 'gay lobby' at the Vatican? One cardinal says it's real, and Pope Francis is responding

Vatican City, Jan 13, 2016 / 04:13 pm (CNA/EWTN News).- The influential Cardinal Oscar Maradiaga has acknowledged the presence of a “gay lobby” in the Vatican. In a new interview, he says that Pope Francis has adopted a gradual approach to address it – and that Catholic teaching won’t change.

The Honduran newspaper El Heraldo asked the cardinal whether there actually was an attempted or successful “infiltration of the gay community in the Vatican.”

Cardinal Maradiaga responded: “Not only that, also the Pope said: there was even a ‘lobby’ in this sense.”

“Little by little the Pope is trying to purify it,” he continued. “One can understand them, and there is pastoral legislation to attend to them, but what is wrong cannot be truth.”

Cardinal Maradiaga is the Archbishop of Tegucigalpa, Honduras and the coordinator of the Council of Cardinals who advise Pope Francis on the reform of the Curia.

HIs interview, published Jan. 12, also touched on some perceptions about Pope Francis.

The newspaper said some people have interpreted Pope Francis’ other remarks to think there was a possibility the Church would support same-sex marriage.

The cardinal rejected this possibility.
 

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http://www.news.va/en/news/pope-at-mass-the-proof-of-faith-is-praise-of-god

Pope at Mass: the proof of faith is praise of God
2016-01-15 Vatican Radio

(Vatican Radio) “How is my faith in Jesus Christ?” This was the question Pope Francis addressed in his remarks to the faithful following the readings of the day at Mass on Friday morning in the chapel of the Casa Santa Marta. The Holy Father focused particularly on the Gospel reading, stressing that, in order really to understand Jesus, we should not have a “closed heart”, but ought to follow the path of forgiveness and humiliation. “Faith,” he said, “is something that no one can one can buy,” it is “a gift” that changes our life.

The Gospel reading on Friday was drawn from the Gospel according to St. Mark, and recounts the miraculous healing of a paralytic in Capernaum.

The people of Capernaum were ready to do anything to get closer to Jesus – they did not heed even risks that may be incurred in order to be able to listen or simply get close enough to brush Him.  So many were the people in and around the house where Jesus was, that they had to open the roof and lower the paralyzed man in search of healing into the house. “They had faith,” the Pope said, “the same faith as that lady who, also in a crowd, arranged to touch the hem of Jesus’ garment, Jesus’ robe, when He going to the house of Jairus, that she too might be healed.” It was the same faith of the centurion, who desired the healing of his servant. “Strong faith, courageous, forward – looking,” said Pope Francis - hearts to faith.”
 

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Interesting...

January 15, 2016 Tweets
https://twitter.com/roccopalmo
Rocco Palmo ‏@roccopalmo  · 58m58 minutes ago 
Not on Google (well, hosted on YouTube): footage of Pope audience w/ CEO Schmidt http://youtu.be/vUt1K4EB0uw  Background: http://bit.ly/1SRT0Br
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http://whispersintheloggia.blogspot.com/2016/01/the-popes-google-hangout.html
Friday, January 15, 2016
In Today's Audiences, The Pope's "Google Hangout"

As it tends to do often these days, this Friday's Noontime Bollettino of the Holy See Press Office carried an interesting bit of news... and this one more notable than most – for the first time in memory, the Pope had granted a full-tilt private audience to a major corporate exec, and a very conspicuous one at that: the Google CEO Eric Schmidt.

 In terms of protocol, the sheer occurrence of the sit-down and its announcement alongside the usual crop of routine meetings with prelates is nothing short of extraordinary. As a matter of course – above all given the Vatican's paranoia about playing into any kind of advertising or "product placement" involving the pontiff – secular executives coming to Rome have only ever met Popes in one of two ways: in the bacimano lines alongside the stage at the Wednesday General Audience (when brief handshakes take place after the gathering), or if a business figure were part of a group being received privately for charitable or ecumenical purposes without reference to their work. (In an example of the former, Claire Diaz-Ortiz – the top Twitter exec who served as the Vatican's lead collaborator in creating the @Pontifex feed – was briefly presented to B16 at the platform's public launch in December 2012.)

 At least, that's been the case until today. While the Vatican has had a partnership with the digital giant since 2009 – when its television arm started running papal events on YouTube – Francis has upped the connection by employing the company's video-chat "Hangout" service (above) on several occasions to hold cyber-encounters with groups of young people far from Rome, with the chats usually tied to his upcoming travel.

 Even as the reigning pontiff has put his foot to the gas on internet outreach – most recently taking his monthly prayer intentions to viral video and naming the Holy See's lead social media "apostle" as a bishop in the Curia – it bears reminding that, despite a keen grasp of the medium's import and style, Francis' actual command of technology is almost exceedingly limited. Having revealed last year that he hasn't watched television in a quarter-century to fulfill a promise to the Madonna, before his election the now-Pope once advised an aide that he couldn't operate any device with "more than two buttons." Having told interviewers in Argentina as a cardinal that he planned to delve into the internet after retiring as archbishop of Buenos Aires, it has emerged that Papa Bergoglio now keeps a personal email address to hear from old friends and a privileged few prelates, with the account likely being handled by his almost invisible private secretary, Msgr Fabian Pedacchio.
 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vUt1K4EB0uw&feature=youtu.be
Pope Francis meets with Google executive, Eric Schmidt 
Published on Jan 15, 2016

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http://en.radiovaticana.va/news/2016/01/15/pope_makes_surprise_visit_to_homes_for_elderly_and_disabled/1201419

Pope makes surprise visit to homes for elderly and disabled
15/01/2016 19:18

(Vatican Radio) In a surprise move on Friday afternoon Pope Francis continued with his program of putting mercy into practice during this Jubilee Year by visiting two homes for elderly and disabled people on the outskirts of Rome.

A statement from the press office said there was great surprise and joy among the 33 residents of the Bruno Buozzi home for the elderly as the Pope spent talking to each one of them. He was accompanied by Archbishop Rino Fisichella, head of the Vatican’s Council for New Evangelisation and one of the principle organisers of activities during this Jubilee Year of Mercy.

Pope Francis has repeatedly emphasized the great value of the elderly and particularly the important role of grandparents in the Church and in society.

Before returning to the Vatican, Pope Francis also visited the nearby Casa Iride where six severely disabled patients in a vegetative state are cared for by their families and by a team of medical staff.
 

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http://www.news.va/en/news/pope-francis-receives-christian-workers-movement

Pope Francis receives Christian Workers Movement
2016-01-16 Vatican Radio

(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis received the participants in a gathering of Italy’s Christian Workers Movement on Saturday, together with representatives from other Christian labor organizations from Eastern Europe, Latin America and the Middle East.

Italy’s Movimento Cristiano Lavoratori was created in 1972, with the union of two major workers’ organizations committed to building a “capitalism with a human face” as the Movement explains, “in the profound conviction that market freedom, solidarity and subsidiarity are complementary components to any sane liberalism.”

In his prepared remarks to the participants, Pope Francis focused on three key words: education, sharing, witness.

“To educate,” said Pope Francis, “means ‘to draw out’: it is the capacity to extract the best from one’s heart – it is not only instruction in this or that technique, nor is it imparting a particular set of notions, but rather it means making ourselves and the reality that surrounds us both more human.” The Holy Father went on to say, “this is particularly valid as far as the world of work is concerned: it is necessary to form people for ‘a new humanism of work’ in which man, and not profit, is at the center; in which the economy serves man, and does not simply make use of him.”
 

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http://en.radiovaticana.va/news/2016/01/16/pope_francis_to_release_new_book_for_children/1201633

Pope Francis to release new book for children
16/01/2016 17:30

(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis is set to release a new children’s book in February, entitled “Love before the World”.

The book – published by Loyola Press (orig. Italian title “L’amore prima del mondo”) – contains the Holy Father’s responses to letters written by children from around the world.

What did God do before creating the world? “God loved.”

Why do my parents fight sometimes? “They are human.”

These are some of the questions put to Pope Francis by children between the ages of 6-13 from 26 countries, including Albania, China, Nigeria, and the Philippines.

Fr. Antonio Spadaro, SJ, director of ‘La Civiltà Cattolica’, met with the pope at the Casa Santa Marta several times during the last months, giving the Holy Father a chance to respond to the children’s letters spontaneously.

“These are hard questions,” Pope Francis said, smiling.

The drawings and questions of 31 children were chosen for the book, which will be presented to the Holy Father by several of the children who wrote the letters on 22 February.

Love before the World hits shelves in Italy on 25 February 2016, and on 1 March in the rest of the world.
 

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http://www.ncregister.com/daily-news/pope-francis-synagogue-visit-underscores-new-document-on-catholic-jewish-re

Pope Francis’ Synagogue Visit Underscores New Document on Catholic-Jewish Relations
NEWS ANALYSIS: The visit will be the third by a pope, after St. John Paul II and Benedict XVI.
by EDWARD PENTIN 01/16/2016

VATICAN CITY — Just over a month since the Vatican issued a controversial document affirming the end of any institutional mission to the Jews, Pope Francis will visit the Great Synagogue of Rome on Sunday afternoon.

The visit, at the invitation of Chief Rabbi Riccardo Di Segni and the Jewish community in the city, will be the third by a pope, after St. John Paul II and Benedict XVI.

Rome’s Jewish community, thought to be the oldest in Europe, dating back to 2 B.C., hopes the Pope’s encounter with them will “open new doors of dialogue” so it can, among other things, face the “inhuman tragedies” of terrorism together.

But the meeting could be dominated by the document “The Gifts and Calling of God Are Irrevocable,” issued Dec. 10 by the Vatican’s Commission for Religious Relations With the Jews, in particular its statement that, “in concrete terms,” the Church “neither conducts nor supports any specific institutional mission work directed towards Jews.”

The document adds that Christians are “nonetheless called to bear witness to their faith in Jesus Christ also to Jews, although they should do so in a humble and sensitive manner, acknowledging that Jews are bearers of God’s word, and particularly in view of the great tragedy of the Shoah.”
 

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http://www.news.va/en/news/pope-tells-migrants-and-refugees-not-to-lose-hope

Pope tells migrants and refugees not to lose hope and joy
2016-01-17 Vatican Radio

(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis has urged migrants and refugees not to allow difficulties deprive them of hope and of the joy of life.

The Pope was speaking to crowds gathered in St. Peter’s Square for the Angelus prayer on the World Day for Migrants and Refugees.

During his address Pope Francis also prayed for the victims of attacks by extremists in Burkina Faso and Indonesia and for support for the efforts of the international community toward peace-building.

Thousands of migrants and refugees of different nationalities were amongst the faithful in St. Peter's Square to celebrate their Jubilee, cross the Holy Door and attend Mass in St. Peter’s Basilica.

To them Pope Francis addressed a special message of closeness saying: “Dear migrants and refugees, each of you carries a story, a culture, precious values; and unfortunately often experiences of poverty, oppression and fear.”

“Your presence in this square – he continued - is a sign of hope in God.”

http://zenit.org/articles/angelus-address-jan-17-on-accepting-miracles/
ANGELUS ADDRESS Jan. 17: On Accepting Miracles 
January 17, 2016

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kzI5nss5zJM
Angelus Domini 2016.01.17

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http://www.news.va/en/news/pope-francis-calls-on-catholics-and-jews-to-work-t

Pope Francis calls on Catholics and Jews to work together for peace
2016-01-17 Vatican Radio

(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis on Sunday became the third pope to visit Rome's synagogue in a sign of continuing Catholic-Jewish friendship.

During the visit that featured welcome speeches by prominent members of Rome's Jewish community and a speech by the Pope, Francis greeted a number of people including including several Holocaust survivors.

Pope Francis recalled the tragedy of the Holocaust and  paid  tribute to the over  2000 Jews who were deported by the Nazis in Rome in October 1943.

He said the past must serve as a lesson for the present and for the future and said that the Holocaust teaches us that utmost vigilance is always needed to be able to take prompt action in defense of human dignity and peace.

The visit, which follows on from that of Pope Benedict XVI in January 2010 and the historic encounter of Pope Saint John Paul II with former Rabbi Elio Toaff there in 1986.

It also comes on the heels of the publication, last December of an important new document from the Vatican’s Commission for religious relations with Jews, exploring the theological developments during the past half century of dialogue between Catholics and Jews.

During his speech to those present Pope Francis highlighted how Catholic – Jewish  relations are very close to his heart and he spoke of how a spiritual bond has been created between the two communities favouring the growth of a genuine friendship and giving life to a shared commitment.

He said we share a unique and special bond thanks to the Jewish roots of Christianity and that we must therefore feel as brothers, united by the same God and by a rich common spiritual patrimony upon which to build the future.

Pope Francis referred to the Second Vatican Council’s Declaration “Nostra Aetate” which made possible the systematic dialogue between the Catholic Church and Judaism and which set the ground for Jewish Catholic dialogue, and he encouraged all those involved in this dialogue to continue in this direction, with discernment and perseverance.

The Pope also said that along with theological issues, we must not lose sight of the big challenges facing the world today and he said that Christians and Jews can and must offer humanity the message of the Bible regarding the care of creation as well as always promote and defend human life.

We must pray with insistence to help us put into practice the logic of peace, of reconciliation, of forgiveness, of life, in Europe, in the Holy Land, in the Middle East, in Africa and elsewhere in the world. And – he concluded – we have to be thankful for all that has been realized in the last fifty years of Catholic Jewish dialogue because between us mutual understanding, mutual trust and friendship have grown and deepened.

Please find below Vatican Radio’s translation of the Pope’s address:
 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QbtWYOz8MhE
Visit to the Great Synagogue of Rome - 2016.01.17

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http://www.news.va/en/news/pope-thanks-vatican-security-personell-for-service

Pope thanks Vatican security personnel for service in Year of Mercy
2016-01-18 Vatican Radio

(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis on Monday thanked Vatican security personnel for their service.

During his annual address to Officers and Agents of the General Inspectorate for Public Security at the Vatican, the Pope expressed appreciation for the work they carry out every day, as well as during pastoral visits in Italy.
   
“Our meeting today – he said - is even more significant because it is within the context of the Holy Year of Mercy, an event of spiritual significance, which has already seen the presence of many pilgrims in Rome from all over the world”.

The Pope pointed out that in a special way the members of public security are called to a greater commitment “to ensure that the celebrations and events connected with the special Jubilee” run smoothly and take place in an atmosphere of serenity and peace.

He said that although the Christmas season is over, the crib can still be viewed in St. Peter's Square -  a reminder to safeguard within ourselves the mystery we have just celebrated.
 

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http://www.news.va/en/news/pope-francis-meets-with-imfs-christine-lagarde

Pope Francis meets with IMF's Christine Lagarde
2016-01-18 Vatican Radio

(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis on Monday met in the Vatican with Christine Lagarde, the Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund.

The two also met in the Vatican on 10 December 2014.

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) is composed of 188 countries, was established in 1944 to help manage countries’ balance of payments