Pope Francis

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http://www.news.va/en/news/at-the-general-audience-dedicated-to-the-easter-tr

​At the General Audience dedicated to the Easter Triduum the Pope asks that everyone unite in condemnation of the terrorist attacks in Brussels - Cruel abominations
2016-03-23 L’Osservatore Romano

Pope Francis requested a collective ‘Hail Mary’ along with silent prayer “for the victims, for the injured, for the families and for all the people of Belgium”, a day after the terrorist attacks of Tuesday, 22 March. At the General Audience in St Peter’s Square the following day, all the faithful present joined the Pontiff in witnessing closeness to the population, the victims’ relatives and to all those who are hospitalized due to the “cruel abominations that only cause death, dread or horror”, as Francis defined such acts.

Addressing a new “appeal to all people of good will to join in the unanimous condemnation” of the events of the previous day, the Pope asked everyone to “to persevere in prayer and in asking the Lord, in this Holy Week, to comfort suffering hearts and to convert the hearts of these people blinded by cruel fundamentalism”. The following is a translation of the Holy Father’s catechesis which he gave in Italian.

Dear Bothers and Sisters,

Good morning,

Our reflection on the mercy of God introduces us today to the Easter Triduum. We will live Holy Thursday, Good Friday and Holy Saturday as powerful moments that allow us to enter ever further into the great mystery of our faith: the Resurrection of Our Lord Jesus Christ. Everything in these three days speaks of mercy, because it makes visible how far the love of God can reach. We will listen to the account of the final days of Jesus’ life. John the Evangelist offers us the key to understanding its profound meaning: “having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end” (Jn 13:1). The love of God has no bounds. As St Augustine often repeated, it is a love that goes “to the end without end”. God truly offers all of himself for each of us and holds nothing back. The Mystery which we adore in this Holy Week is a great history of love which knows no obstacles. The Passion of Jesus lasts until the end of the world, because it is a story of sharing in the suffering of all humanity and a permanent presence in the events of the private life of each of us. Indeed, the Easter Triduum is the commemoration of a drama of love which gives us the certainty that we will never be abandoned in life’s trials.
 

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http://www.news.va/en/news/pope-francis-do-not-forget-persecution-of-iraqi-ch

Pope Francis: Do not forget persecution of Iraqi Christians
2016-03-23 Vatican Radio

(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis has called on people to “not forget the tragedy of persecution” in a letter sent Iraq Christians in Erbil, the capital of Iraqi Kurdistan.

The letter – along with a gift of liturgical vestments and monetary support – was brought to the city by a delegation of the Italian branch of Aid to the Church in Need, led by the Bishop of Carpi, Francesco Cavina.

Erbil has been hosting thousands of Christian refugees from Mosul and the Nineveh Plains, which was overrun by the so-called Islamic State in 2014.

“As soon as the Holy Father learned about  my journey with Aid to the Church in Need,  he called me and expressed a desire to send a gift to our Iraqi brothers in faith,” Bishop Cavina said.

The letter sent by the Holy Father expressed his “friendship, Ecclesial communion, and spiritual closeness” to Iraqi Christians, adding their suffering “grieves me deeply, and invites us to defend the inalienable right of every person to freely profess their faith.”
 

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http://www.news.va/en/news/father-lombardi-confirms-archives-to-be-opened

Father Lombardi confirms Archives to be opened
2016-03-23 Vatican Radio

(Vatican Radio) Portions of the Vatican archives pertaining to the military dictatorship in Argentina are expected to be opened to scholars in the coming months.

The materials from that period (1976-1983) are in the process of being catalogued. The director of the Holy See Press Office, Father Federico Lombardi, SJ, confirmed that work is proceeding, according to the express intention of Pope Francis. When the cataloguing is completed, the conditions for consulting the archives will be determined in consultation with the Bishops’ Conference of Argentina.
 

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http://www.news.va/en/news/chrism-mass-gods-excess-of-mercy-in-encounter-forg

Chrism Mass: God's excess of mercy in encounter, forgiveness
2016-03-24 Vatican Radio

(Vatican Radio) On the morning of Holy Thursday, Pope Francis celebrated the Mass of Chrism at St Peter’s Basilica.

During the Holy Mass, the Holy Father blessed the sacred oils (Chrism, the oil of catechumens, and the oil of the sick), which will be used during the Easter Vigil, and in liturgical celebrations throughout the year.

The Mass also included a renewal of promises for the priests present, on the ceremonial anniversary of Christ’s institution of the priesthood.

In his homily, Pope Francis reminded his fellow priests that “we are witnesses to and ministers of the ever-increasing abundance of the Father’s mercy; we have the rewarding and consoling task of incarnating mercy, as Jesus did.”

Focusing once again on the theme of mercy, the Pope spoke especially about two areas where the Lord shows “an excess of mercy”: in encounter, and in forgiveness.
 
http://www.news.va/en/news/pope-francis-at-chrism-mass-full-text-of-homily
Pope Francis at Chrism Mass: full text of homily
2016-03-24 Vatican Radio

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xx0i-PA86Uo
Chrism Mass 2016.03.24

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http://www.news.va/en/news/pope-francis-celebrates-missa-in-coena-domini

http://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/an-emotional-mass-for-migrants-with-pope-francis-89279/
An emotional Mass for migrants with Pope Francis

Rome, Italy, Mar 24, 2016 / 11:50 am (CNA/EWTN News).- During a Mass in Rome on Holy Thursday Pope Francis washed the feet of migrants and refugees, many of whom were moved to tears by the gesture.

The Pope told them that while there are some people in the world who seek to sow violence, Jesus shows us the path to unity, brotherhood and peace.

“Today, right now, when I do the same gesture as Jesus in washing the feet of you 12, all of us are making the same gesture of brotherhood,” he said March 24.

“We are different, we are unique. We have different cultures and religions, but we are brothers and we want to live in peace,” he said, adding that “each of you has your own story. Many crosses, many pains, but also an open heart that wants brotherhood.”

Francis spoke to the 900 migrants and refugees currently housed at the Reception Center for Asylum Seekers, or CARA, in Castelnuovo di Porto, just over 18 miles outside of Rome. Nearly all of them come from sub-Saharan Africa.

The Pope decided to celebrate his Holy Thursday Mass of the Lord’s Supper at the center, after spending previous years offering the Mass in prisons and a rehab center for the disabled.

Nearly 900 migrants and more than 100 volunteers will attend the Mass. Most of the migrants hosted at CARA are Muslims, and among the Christians, most are Copts or Protestants.

During the Mass, Pope Francis washed the feet of 11 migrants and of one volunteer. Of the migrants, four were Catholic youths from Nigeria, three were Coptic women from Eritrea, three were Muslims, and one was a Hindu youth from India.

While tears could be seen in the eyes of several of the men and women whose feet the Pope washed, one woman was particularly moved. She had been tearful while the Pope washed her feet, but began to sob as Francis reached up to touch her baby.
 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zd8N_oMqahk
In Coena Domini Mass 2016.03.24

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http://www.news.va/en/news/pope-francis-presides-over-passion-liturgy-in-st-p

Pope Francis presides over Passion Liturgy in St. Peter's
2016-03-25 Vatican Radio

(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis presided over the Passion Liturgy on Friday afternoon – Good Friday – the day on which the whole Church recalls the suffering, crucifixion, and death of Our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

Not a Mass, for Good Friday is the one day in all the year on which nowhere in the Latin Church is the sacrifice offered, the liturgy of Good Friday unfolds in silence broken by readings from Sacred Scripture and  punctuated by the singing of short tracts.

As is Custom at the Passion liturgy in St. Peter’s Basilica, the Preacher of the Papal Household delivered the homily.

The Preacher, Fr. Raniero Cantalamessa, OFM Cap., spoke of God’s mercy as the Divine response to sinful man, offered freely and lovingly in keeping with Divine Justice – according to the Divine nature. “The love of God reached human beings at the farthest point to which they were driven in their flight from him, death itself,” said Fr. Cantalamessa. “The death of Christ needed to demonstrate to everyone the supreme proof of God’s mercy toward sinners,” he continued
 
http://www.news.va/en/news/cantalamessa-homily-for-good-friday
Cantalamessa: Homily for Good Friday
2016-03-25 Vatican Radio

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dPmCo9SeY9w
Celebration of the Passion of our Lord 2016.03.25 

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http://saltandlighttv.org/blog/lent-easter/good-friday-way-of-the-cross-led-by-his-holiness-pope-francis

Good Friday – Way of the Cross led by His Holiness Pope Francis
March 25, 2016 by Salt and Light Media

Good Friday – Passion of the Lord

Way of the Cross led by His Holiness Pope Francis

Colosseum
 Rome, 25 March 2016
“God is Mercy”
Meditations by Cardinal Gualtiero Bassetti

INTRODUCTION

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,
 the Father of mercies and the God of all consolation (2 Cor 1:3)

In this extraordinary Jubilee Year, we are drawn to the Way of the Cross of Good Friday by a particular power, the mercy of our Heavenly Father, who wishes to fill us with his Spirit of grace and consolation.
 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=46EtvQatkSQ
Way of the Cross 2016.03.25

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http://www.news.va/en/news/pope-at-easter-vigil-urges-us-to-let-risen-christ

Pope at Easter Vigil urges us to let Risen Christ into our lives
2016-03-26 Vatican Radio

(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis on Saturday evening presided at the Easter Vigil in St Peter’s Basilica, with the baptism of 12 catechumens from Italy, Albania, Cameroon, Korea, India and China.

In his homily the Pope reflected on the actions of Peter who ran to Jesus’ tomb on the first Easter morning. Even though he, like the other disciples,  had not believed the testimony of the women who had already found the empty grave, the Pope noted that Peter was not overwhelmed by doubt or consumed by remorse.

Listen:

Like the women who had gone to bury the body, the Pope said, Peter did not give into sadness and darkness but allowed the light of God to enter his heart. Like Peter and the women, he said, let us not stay imprisoned within ourselves, but instead break open our sealed tombs and let the Risen Christ into our hearts. Though we will always encounter problem, we must let the light of Christ shine on them, knowing that He is always at our side and will not let us down

Pope Francis said this certainty is the foundation of our Christian hope which is not mere optimism or a desire to be courageous. The Spirit, he said, does not remove evil with a magic wand. But rather He pours into us the vitality of life and the knowledge that Christ has conquered fear, sin and death, compelling us to set out and announce this Easter message to others.

Please find below the English translation of Pope Francis’ homily at the Mass of the Easter Vigil
 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pPopGdeX_C0
Easter Vigil 2016.03.26

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https://twitter.com/CatholicNewsSvc?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor

Catholic News Svc Retweeted
Cindy Wooden ‏@Cindy_Wooden  · 14h  14 hours ago 
At Easter morning Mass, #PopeFrancis does not give homily. There is silent reflection.


Catholic News Svc ‏@CatholicNewsSvc  · 15h  15 hours ago 
#PopeFrancis celebrating Easter Mass. Live on ctv.va


Select button for language option
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Guddd6ngQz8
Easter Mass 2016.03.27

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http://www.news.va/en/news/pope-francis-christ-has-won-perfect-victory-over-e

Pope Francis: Christ has won perfect victory over evil
2016-03-27 Vatican Radio

(Vatican Radio) St. Peter’s Square filled to overflowing on Easter Sunday morning, as scores of thousands of pilgrims and tourists gathered under a brilliant Roman spring sky for Mass, followed by the traditional Benedictio urbi et orbi – the “Blessing of the City and the World”.

Delivered from the central loggia – the balcony set in the middle of the upper level of the façade of St. Pater’s Basilica – the Holy Father’s remarks on the occasion focused on Christ’s perfect triumph over evil and sin in the Resurrection.

The Holy Father recalled all victims of terrorism everywhere, saying, “May He draw us closer on this Easter feast to the victims of terrorism, that blind and brutal form of violence which continues to shed blood in different parts of the world, as in the recent attacks in Belgium, Turkey, Nigeria, Chad, Cameroon, and Côte d’Ivoire.”
 
http://www.news.va/en/news/pope-francis-easter-urbi-et-orbi-a-message-of-hope
Pope Francis: Easter Urbi et Orbi a message of hope
2016-03-27 Vatican Radio

Select button for language option
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ql1isLQcJD4
Urbi et Orbi 2016.03.27

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Rest in Peace, Mother Angelica 

http://www.ewtnnews.com/catholic-news/US.php?id=13464

Mother Angelica, foundress of EWTN, dies on Easter
Irondale, Ala., Mar 27, 2016 / 07:00 pm (EWTN News/CNA)

Mother Angelica. Credit: EWTN

The Catholic Church in the United States has lost the Poor Clare nun who changed the face of Catholicism in the United States and around the world. Mother Mary Angelica of the Annunciation, foundress of the Eternal Word Television Network (EWTN), passed away on March 27 after a lengthy struggle with the aftereffects of a stroke. She was 92 years old.

“Mother has always and will always personify EWTN, the network that God asked her to found,” said EWTN Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Michael Warsaw. “Her accomplishments and legacies in evangelization throughout the world are nothing short of miraculous and can only be attributed to divine Providence and her unwavering faithfulness to Our Lord.”
 

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http://www.news.va/en/news/pope-francis-mercy-and-love-have-conquered-sin-at

Pope Francis: Mercy and love have conquered sin at Easter
2016-03-28 Vatican Radio

(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis said “we also stand today before the empty tomb of Jesus, and meditate with wonder and gratitude on the great mystery of the Resurrection of the Lord” during his  Easter Monday Regina Coeli address.

“Life has conquered death. Mercy and love have conquered sin! There is need of faith and hope to open this new and wonderful horizon,” Pope Francis said.
 
After reciting the Regina Coeli, Pope Francis condemned the “reprehensible” terrorist attack in Lahore, Pakistan, and called on civil and other authorities to “do everything possible to restore security and peace to the population and, in particular, to the most vulnerable religious minorities.”

At the end of his address, the Holy Father encouraged everyone to spend a little bit of time every day reading from the Gospels.

“It takes no more than five minutes to read a passage from the Gospel. Remember this!...And do not forget to pray for me!” Pope Francis concluded.

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http://www.news.va/en/news/at-the-general-audience-the-pope-recalls-that-gods

At the General Audience the Pope recalls that God’s forgiveness blots out sin at the root - The ocean and the snow
2016-03-30 L’Osservatore Romano

God in his goodness “does not hide the sin but destroys and blots it out”. Indeed, “he blots it out from the very root, not as they do at the dry cleaners’ when we take a suit and they remove a stain“. No! God blots out our sin from the very root, completely! ”. With this evocative imagery Pope Francis spoke of divine mercy in the catechesis — the last in a series dedicated to the Jubilee theme in light of the Old Testament — during the General Audience on Wednesday, 30 March. With the faithful present in St Peter’s Square, the Pope elaborated on Psalm 51[50], the ‘Miserere’. The following is a translation of the Holy Father’s address, which he gave in Italian. 

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

Good morning,

Today we shall complete the catecheses on mercy in the Old Testament, and do so by meditating on Psalm 51[50], known as the Miserere. It is a penitential prayer in which the request for forgiveness is preceded by the confession of sins and in which the one praying allows himself to be purified by the Lord’s love. Thus, he becomes a new creature, capable of obedience, steadfastness of spirit, and of sincere praise.
 

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http://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/shes-in-heaven-pope-francis-on-mother-angelica-91933/

'She's in heaven' – Pope Francis on Mother Angelica

Pope Francis offers a special blessing for the repose of Mother Angelica's soul during his general audience March 30, 2016. Credit: CNA.

Vatican City, Mar 30, 2016 / 06:00 am (CNA/EWTN News).- Pope Francis on Wednesday offered a special blessing for Mother Angelica following her death on Easter Sunday, expressing his confidence that she is already in heaven.

“She’s in heaven.” The Pope pointed to the sky as he spoke these words to members of EWTN’s Rome bureau, who brought an image of the late Poor Clare nun to his March 30 general audience as a sign of affection and remembrance.

Francis saw the framed photo in the crowd, and blessed it when asked by EWTN’s Executive TV Producer in Rome, Martha Calderon, for a blessing for Mother Angelica’s soul.
 

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http://www.news.va/en/news/april-8-release-of-post-synodal-apostolic-exhortat

April 8: Release of post-synodal Apostolic Exhortation
2016-03-31 Vatican Radio

(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis’s highly-anticipated post-synodal Apostolic Exhortation, “Amoris Laetitia” (The Joy of Love) on love in the family will be released on Friday 8th April. The Vatican said the Exhortation will be presented to journalists at the Holy See’s Press Office on Friday 8th April at 11.30.

The text of the Apostolic Exhortation in Italian, French, English, German, Spanish and  Portuguese (in paper and/or digital format) will be available to accredited journalists from 8.00 a.m. (Rome time) on Friday 8th April. However, the document will remain under embargo until 12 noon that day.

The panel of speakers at the press conference will include: Cardinal Lorenzo Baldisseri, general secretary of the Synod of Bishops; Cardinal Christoph Schönborn, O.P., archbishop of Vienna, and an Italian married couple: Professor Francesco Miano, lecturer in moral philosophy at Rome’s University of Tor Vergata, and his wife, Professor Giuseppina De Simone in Miano, lecturer in philosophy at the Theological Faculty of Southern Italy in Naples.

A simultaneous translation service will be available in Italian, English and Spanish. The Press Conference can be seen via live streaming (audio-video) on the site:

http://player.rv.va (Vatican Player, Vatican Radio) where it will subsequently remain available on demand.

The Apostolic Exhortation is the conclusion of a two-year synod process discussing both the beauty and challenges of family life today.
 

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http://en.radiovaticana.va/news/2016/03/31/european_apostolic_congress_on_mercy__opens_in_rome/1219368

European Apostolic Congress on Mercy opens in Rome
31/03/2016 16:32

(Vatican Radio) Cardinal Christoph Schonborn, Archbishop of Vienna, says mercy is always here and now and is to be directed to all those who are suffering. His remarks came during a speech opening the 4-day European Apostolic Congress on Mercy in Rome. On Saturday (April 2nd), participants at the Congress will take part with Pope Francis in a Prayer Vigil in St Peter's Square for those who are devoted to the spirituality of Divine Mercy.  The following day, the participants will also attend the Divine Mercy Sunday Mass in the Square celebrated by the Pope. The gatherings are some of the highlights of the ongoing Jubilee Year of Mercy. 
 

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http://www.news.va/en/news/pope-francis-leads-prayer-vigil-for-divine-mercy

Pope Francis leads prayer vigil for Divine Mercy
2016-04-02 Vatican Radio

(Vatican Radio)  Pope Francis on Saturday lead a prayer vigil for Divine Mercy, in which he spoke of the many faces of the mercy of God.

The prayer vigil took place on the eve of Divine Mercy Sunday and coincided with the 11th anniversary of Pope St. John Paul II’s death.

Thousands of people gathered in St. Peter’s Square on Saturday in the Octave of Easter for the celebration of a prayer vigil for Divine Mercy.

In remarks prepared for the occasion, Pope Francis reflected on the ‘vast ocean’ that is the mercy of God, saying “so great and infinite is his mercy, to the point that it is greatly challenging to describe it in all its entirety”.

Turning to the testimony of Scripture, Pope Francis noted that the Bible expresses God’s mercy as nearness to His people and in the expression of tenderness, especially in the prophet Hosea.

The Holy Father went on to name the many faces of God’s mercy.

“How many expressions there are of God’s mercy! This mercy comes to us as closeness and tenderness, and because of this, comes also as compassion and solidarity, as consolation and forgiveness. The more we receive, the more we are called to share it with others; it cannot be kept hidden or kept only for ourselves. It is something which burns within our hearts, driving us to love, thus recognizing the face of Jesus Christ, above all in those who are most distant, weak, alone, confused and marginalized.”
 
http://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/you-cant-receive-mercy-without-sharing-it-pope-says-65073/
You can’t receive mercy without sharing it, Pope says

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7ErlZcAkIJU
Prayer vigil on Divine Mercy Sunday - 2016.04.02

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http://aleteia.org/2016/04/02/pope-francis-makes-surprise-announcement-at-divine-mercy-prayer-vigil/

Pope Francis Makes Surprise Announcement at Divine Mercy Prayer Vigil
Read pope’s address on the eve of the Jubilee of Divine Mercy (FULL TEXT)
April 2, 2016   

VATICAN CITY — Pope Francis has made a surprise announcement to dioceses around the world, on the eve of Divine Mercy Sunday.

Addressing faithful in St. Peter’s Square at a Saturday evening prayer vigil for the Jubilee of Divine Mercy — 11 years to the day after the death of St. John Paul II — the pope announced his wish that, in every diocese, “a hospital, a home for the elderly or abandoned children, a school …, a home for recovering addicts” or some similar structure be established as “a living reminder” of the Year of Mercy.

The Pope said the idea came to him recently during a meeting with directors of a charitable association. But he thought to himself: “I’ll say it in the square on Saturday.”

“So many things are possible,” he said. “It would be lovely if every diocese were to think: What can I leave as a living reminder, as a living work of mercy, as a wound of the living Jesus for this Year of Mercy? Let’s think about it and we’ll talk about it with the bishops.”
 

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Hmmm...the homily "can be viewed as an interpretive key behind the contents of Amoris, and even Francis' unofficial "introduction" to the coming document."  It will be interesting to read the post-synodal Apostolic Exhortation, “Amoris Laetitia” (The Joy of Love) when it is released on April 8.

http://whispersintheloggia.blogspot.com/2016/04/jesus-wishes-to-throw-open-our-closed.html
Sunday, April 03, 2016
 "Jesus Wishes To Throw Open Our Closed Doors" – On Mercy Sunday, The Pope's Coming "Gospel"

At least in the minds of many, with Friday's release of Amoris laetitia – the all-important, hysterically-anticipated Apostolic Exhortation closing out the twin Synods on the Family – the Pope faces the most consequential moment to date of his three-year reign.
 

Sticking to his usual practice, while the Pope's homily at today's Mass kept on the surface to this Sunday's Gospel – the Risen Christ's encounter with Thomas, one of the few texts assigned across the three-year lectionary cycle – the striking five-paragraph preach can be viewed as an interpretive key behind the contents of Amoris, and even Francis' unofficial "introduction" to the coming document.

 Here, its English translation in full (emphases original):

“Jesus did many other signs in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book” (Jn 20:30). The Gospel is the book of God’s mercy, to be read and reread, because everything that Jesus said and did is an expression of the Father’s mercy. Not everything, however, was written down; the Gospel of mercy remains an open book, in which the signs of Christ’s disciples – concrete acts of love and the best witness to mercy – continue to be written. We are all called to become living writers of the Gospel, heralds of the Good News to all men and women of today. We do this by practicing the corporal and spiritual works of mercy, which are the hallmarks of the Christian life. By means of these simple yet powerful gestures, even when unseen, we can accompany the needy, bringing God’s tenderness and consolation. Thus continues the great work of Jesus on Easter day, when he poured into the hearts of his fearful disciples the Father’s mercy, bringing them the Holy Spirit who forgives sins and bestows joy.
 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yBGZl5KqvGw
Holy Mass on the liturgical feast of Divine Mercy - 2016.04.03

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http://www.news.va/en/news/pope-francis-appeals-for-peace-in-ukraine-2

Pope Francis appeals for peace and help for Ukraine
2016-04-03 Vatican Radio

(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis has appealed for peace in Ukraine and highlighted the tragedy of “all  those who thirst for reconciliation and peace”.

Speaking on Sunday during the Regina Caeli prayer in St. Peter’s Square the Pope said he is thinking in particular of the many who are suffering the effects of violence here in Europe.

“I am thinking of the ordeal of those who suffer the consequences of the violence in Ukraine: of those who continue to live in lands that are turned upside-down by hostilities that have caused thousands of deaths, and of those – over a million – who have been forced to leave due to  the grave situation that persists” he said.

And noting that the most vulnerable are always involved – elderly people and children – Pope Francis said that while  he accompanies them with prayers he has also announced a special charity collection to support them.

Inviting all faithful to join in favour of this initiative, the Pope said that next Sunday, April 24, it will be possible to contribute to the collection in all Catholic Churches in Europe.
 
Pope Francis also recalled that on April 4 we mark the International Day of Awareness Against Antipersonnel Mines. He said that too many people continue to be killed or mutilated by these terrible explosives and that brave men and women risk their lives to clear mined land.

“Please, let us renew the commitment for a world without landmines” he appealed.