Pope Francis

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http://www.news.va/en/news/presenting-the-apostolic-exhortation-harvesting-th

Presenting the Apostolic Exhortation harvesting the fruits of the two synods on the family in 2014 and 2015 - The Joy of Love
2016-04-08 L’Osservatore Romano

To clearly reaffirm not “the ideal” of the family, but its rich and complex reality, in order to reflect on love in the family together with the women and men of our time. With this purpose in mind, on 19 March, the Solemnity of St Joseph, Pope Francis signed the Post-synodal Apostolic Exhortation Amoris Laetitia. The highly anticipated document, presented in the Holy See Press Office on Friday morning, 8 April, speaks the language of experience, offering an open and profoundly positive outlook, which feeds not on abstractions or ideal projections, but on pastoral attention to reality. The text, laden with spiritual points and practical wisdom suitable to every couple and to those people who hope to build a family, was the fruit of practical collaboration with people who have experienced many years of family life.

The vast Exhortation is divided into nine chapters and more than 300 paragraphs which include the results of the two synods on the family convened by Pope Francis in 2014 and 2105. The concluding reports of the two conferences are largely cited, along with documents and teachings of his predecessors, and the Pontiff’s own catecheses on the family. As he has done previously in other circumstances, the Pope also drew from the contributions of various episcopal conferences – among them those of Kenya, Australia and Argentina – and quoted personages such as Martin Luther King and Erich Fromm, along with cues from the world of cinema, such as Francis’ nod to the film Babette’s Feast to explain the concept of truly free giving.

The prologue of Amoris Laetitia is especially meaningful, highlighting the complexity of the issues and the need for continued open discussion. It is in fact the fruit of the interventions of the Synod Fathers, which have composed a “multifaceted gem” for further reflection. In this regard the Pope makes clear that “not all discussions of doctrinal, moral or pastoral issues need to be settled by interventions of the magisterium”. Thus, for some issues, an individual country or region “can seek solutions better suited to its culture and sensitive to its traditions and local needs. For ‘cultures are in fact quite diverse and every general principle... needs to be inculturated, if it is to be respected and applied’”. But Francis seeks to invite an immediate escape from the sterile juxtaposition between fear of change and the pure and simple application of abstract rules. “The debates carried on in the media, in certain publications and even among the Church’s ministers”, he writes, “range from an immoderate desire for total change without sufficient reflection or grounding, to an attitude that would solve everything by applying general rules or deriving undue conclusions from particular theological considerations”.
 

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http://en.radiovaticana.va/news/2016/04/08/pope_francis_apostolic_exhortation_on_the_joy_of_love/1221178

Pope Francis' Apostolic Exhortation on The Joy of Love
08/04/2016 12:00

(Vatican Radio) The Vatican on Friday published Pope Francis’ eagerly-awaited Apostolic Exhoratation on the family, drawing together almost three years of consultations with Catholics in countries around the world.

The lengthy document, entitled ‘Amoris Laetitia’, or The Joy of Love, affirms the Church’s teaching that stable families are the building blocks of a healthy society and a place where children learn to love, respect and interact with others.

At the same time the text warns against idealizing the many challenges facing family life, urging Catholics to care for, rather than condemning, all those whose lives do not reflect the teaching of the Church.

In particular the document focuses on the need for “personal and pastoral discernment’” for individuals, recognizing that “neither the Synod, nor this Exhortation could be expected to provide a new set of general rules, canonical in nature and applicable to all cases”.

The text of the official summary of the Apostolic Exhortation ‘Amoris Laetitia’ or The Joy of Love can be found below. The full, unabridged text, can be found here on the Vatican website.

Summary of
Amoris Laetitia: On Love in the Family

It is not by chance that Amoris Laetitia (AL), “The Joy of Love”, the post-synodal Apostolic Exhortation “on Love in the Family”,was signed on 19 March, the Solemnity of Saint Joseph. It brings together the results of the two Synods on the family convoked by Pope Francis in 2014 and 2015. It often cites their Final Reports; documents and teachings of his Predecessors; and his own numerous catecheses on the family. In addition, as in previous magisterial documents, the Pope also makes use of the contributions of various Episcopal Conferences around the world (Kenya, Australia, Argentina...) and cites significant figures such as Martin Luther King and Erich Fromm.The Pope even quotes the film Babette’s Feast to illustrate the concept of gratuity.

Introduction(1-7)

The Apostolic Exhortation is striking for its breadth and detail. Its 325 paragraphs aredistributed over nine chapters. The seven introductory paragraphs plainly set out the complexity of a topic in urgent need of thorough study. The interventions of the Synod Fathers make up [form] a “multifaceted gem” (AL 4), a precious polyhedron, whose value must be preserved. But the Pope cautions that “not all discussions of doctrinal, moral or pastoral issues need to be settled by interventions of the magisterium”. Indeed, for some questions, “each country or region … can seek solutions better suited to its culture and sensitive to its traditions and local needs. For ‘cultures are in fact quite diverse and every general principle… needs to be inculturated, if it is to be respected and applied’” (AL 3).This principle of inculturation applies to how problems are formulated and addressed and, apart from the dogmatic issues that have been well defined by the Church’s magisterium, none of this approach can be “globalized”.In his address at the end of the 2015 Synod, the Pope said very clearly: “What seems normal for a bishop on one continent, is considered strange and almost scandalous – almost! – for a bishop from another; what is considered a violation of a right in one society is an evident and inviolable rule in another; what for some is freedom of conscience is for others simply confusion.”

The Pope clearly states that we need above all to avoid a sterile juxtaposition between demands for change and the general application of abstract norms. He writes: “The debates carried on in the media, in certain publications and even among the Church’s ministers, range from an immoderate desire for total change without sufficient reflection or grounding, to an attitude that would solve everything by applying general rules or deriving undue conclusions from particular theological considerations” (AL 2).
 

Unabridged text of Apostolic Exhortation ‘Amoris Laetitia’ or The Joy of Love -- http://w2.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/apost_exhortations/documents/papa-francesco_esortazione-ap_20160319_amoris-laetitia.html

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Note:  The Jubilee Audience was held on Saturday morning.

http://www.news.va/en/news/pope-speaks-on-mercy-and-almsgiving-at-jubilee-aud

Pope speaks on Mercy and Almsgiving at Jubilee Audience
2016-04-09 Vatican Radio

(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis held his special monthly Jubilee Audience on Sunday morning, speaking on the relationship between mercy and almsgiving.

Almsgiving, the Pope said, is intimately related to mercy. Throughout the Bible, almost like a refrain, God calls us to have a particular care for the poor, the destitute, strangers, orphans, widows. But this call comes with a special instruction: “When you give, give generously and not with a stingy heart. This means, the Pope said, “that charity requires, before all else, an attitude of interior joy – offering mercy cannot be a weight or a nuisance” from which we quickly free ourselves.

Rather, when we practice mercy by giving alms, we should “look into the faces” of those we help, so that we can see their true needs. At the same time, we must carefully discern, so that our charity is truly helpful. “In short,” the Pope said, “almsgiving is an act of love directed towards those we meet; it is an act of sincere care for those who are near to us and who seek our help.”

Pope Francis reminded his listeners that almsgiving should not be done to win the praise and admiration of others. “It is not the appearance that counts, but to look into the face of those who are near to us, and who need our help.” Recalling the words of Jesus, the Pope reminded us that almsgiving should be done in secret, “where God alone sees and understands the value” of what we do.

Finally, in off the cuff remarks Pope Francis said that almsgiving should involve a sacrifice. This, he said, is a way to unite ourselves with the poor. “I deprive myself of something of my own, to give it to you.” And he called on parents to teach their children to give to others in this way, “to be generous with what we have.”
 

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http://www.news.va/en/news/papal-visits-to-armenia-then-georgia-and-azerbaija

Papal visits to Armenia, then Georgia and Azerbaijan
2016-04-09 Vatican Radio

(Vatican Radio) The Holy See Press Office has announced that Pope Francis will visit Armenia in June of 2016, accepting the invitation of His Holiness, Karekin II, Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos of All Armenia; of the civil authorities; and of the Catholic Church in Armenia. The visit is scheduled for 24-26 of June.

At the same time, the Press Office announced that Pope Francis has accepted an invitation from His Holiness and Beatitude Ilia II, Catholicos-Patriarch of All Georgia; and from the civil and religious authorities of Georgia and Azerbaijan,  visiting these two countries from 30 September to 2 October 2016.

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http://www.news.va/en/news/pope-francis-at-regina-coeli-let-paschal-joy-renew

Pope Francis at Regina coeli: let Paschal joy renew us
2016-04-10 Vatican Radio

(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis prayed the Regina coeli with pilgrims and tourists gathered in a sun-drenched St. Peter’s Square at noon on Sunday. In his remarks ahead of the traditional Eastertide prayer of Marian devotion, the Holy Father reflected on the Gospel reading of the day, which tells of Our Lord’s third appearance to the disciples following His resurrection, and the episode of the miraculous catch of fish, in which the disciples, returned to their old workaday lives, encounter the Risen Jesus on the shore of Lake Galilee.

“The presence of Jesus,” explained Pope Francis, “transforms everything: darkness is overcome by light; vain labor is made once again fruitful and promising; the sense of fatigue and abandonment gives way to a new élan, and to the certainty that He is with us.”

The Pope went on to say that the renewal of hope and missionary spirit, which the disciples experienced then, are with the Church still today.

“If it may seem, by a superficial glance, that the shadows of evil and the weariness of everyday life have the upper hand, the Church knows with certainty that the light of Easter shines with undimming brilliance on all those who follow the Lord Jesus.”
 
http://www.news.va/en/news/pope-francis-regina-coeli-appeal-for-captive-pries
Pope Francis: Regina coeli appeal for captive priest's release
2016-04-10 Vatican Radio

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http://www.news.va/en/news/pope-francis-warns-against-those-who-judge-with-cl

Pope Francis warns against those who 'judge' with closed hearts
2016-04-11 Vatican Radio

(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis on Monday spoke of the importance of taking stock of what is in people’s hearts and lives instead of only taking the law into account.

During his homily at morning Mass at the Casa Santa Marta, the Pope spoke of the Doctors of the Law whom – he said - passed judgment with their hearts closed to God and to prophecy; all that mattered to them – he explained – was to uphold the Law.

Pope Francis was reflecting on the Reading from the Acts of the Apostles in which the Doctors of the Law accuse Stephen of speaking “blasphemous words against Moses and God” because they “could not withstand the wisdom and the Spirit with which he spoke.”

They even instigated false witnesses to uphold their claims, he said.

“Their hearts, closed to God’s truth, clutch only at the truth of the Law, taking it by ‘the letter’, and do not find outlets other than in lies, false witness and death” he said. 
 

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http://www.news.va/en/news/pope-francis-message-to-peacebuilding-conference

Pope Francis: Message to peacebuilding conference
2016-04-11 Vatican Radio

(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis has sent a Message to the participants in a major conference sponsored by Pax Christi International, the Catholic Peacebuilding Network, and the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace, exploring the theme: Nonviolence and Just Peace: Contributing to the Catholic Understanding of and Commitment to Nonviolence.

Addressed to the President of the Pontical Council for Justice and Peace, Cardinal Peter Turkson, the Message renews the Holy Father's call for an end to the use of the death penalty, and calls on all people of good will to recognize what Christians profess as a consequence of faith: that it is only by considering our peers as brothers and sisters that humanity can overcome wars and conflicts.

Below, please find the full text of the Holy Father's Message, in English
 

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http://www.news.va/en/news/mass-at-santa-marta-two-kinds-of-persecution

Mass at Santa Marta - Two kinds of persecution
2016-04-12 L’Osservatore Romano

There are two types of persecution against Christians, the Pope said on Tuesday morning, 12 April, during Mass at Santa Marta. There is the explicit kind — to which he related the martyrs killed at Easter in Pakistan — and the sort of persecution that is “polite, disguised as culture, modernity and progress”, and ends up taking away man’s freedom and even the right to conscientious objection. But in the very suffering of persecution Christians know that that the Lord is always at their side, Francis recalled.

For his meditation the Pontiff drew inspiration from the first reading, taken from the Acts of the Apostles (7:51-8:1). We heard about “the martyrdom of Stephen”, he explained. “The tradition of the Church calls him the Protomartyr, the first martyr of the Christian community”. However, even “before him there had been little martyrs” who suffered persecution under Herod. “From that time until today there have been martyrs in the Church, there have been and there are”. There are “men and women persecuted only for confessing and for saying that Jesus Christ is Lord: this is prohibited!”. Indeed, this confession “at certain times, in certain places, provokes persecution”.
 

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http://en.radiovaticana.va/news/2016/04/12/pax_christi_promotes_just_peace_rather_than_just_war/1222219

Pax Christi promotes 'Just Peace' rather than 'Just War'
12/04/2016 16:48

(Vatican Radio) Is non-violent protest an effective means of combatting war and oppression? Are today’s conflicts caused by deep rooted problems of poverty, injustice and exclusion? And can Catholics continue to support the Just War theory in the face of modern, high-tech militarization? These are just some of the complex questions facing participants at a Rome conference organised jointly by the Catholic peace network, Pax Christi International and the Vatican’s Justice and Peace Council.

Papal message to the meeting

In a message sent to the opening of the meeting on Monday Pope Francis praised the initiative of “revitalizing the tools of non-violence”, particularly during this Jubilee Year of Mercy.

The three day encounter brings together some 80 theologians and peace activists from many conflict zones, including Iraq, Syria, South Sudan, Colombia, Pakistan and the Philippines. Its goal is to explore ways in which their positive experiences of non-violent activism can shape theological thinking and Catholic teaching in schools, universities, seminaries and parishes, moving away from ‘Just War’ towards the concept of a ‘Just Peace’.
 

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http://en.radiovaticana.va/news/2016/04/12/vatican,_moscow_patriarchate_joint_aid_for_mideast_xns/1222185

Vatican, Moscow Patriarchate: joint aid for Mideast Christians
12/04/2016 15:44

(Vatican Radio) Just weeks after the historic meeting in Havana between Pope Francis and Orthodox Patriarch Kirill of Moscow, their two Churches are for the first time joining forces to provide humanitarian assistance to the Middle East’s Christians suffering from conflict and to rebuild churches damaged or destroyed during Syria’s five year war.

A joint Vatican and Moscow Patriarchate delegation visited Syria and Lebanon 6-7 April to coordinate humanitarian aid for refugees and the displaced and begin drawing up a list of Christian sites in need of repair.

Urgent measures needed to improve conditions of Middle East's Christians

In a statement, the Department for External Church Relations of the Russian Orthodox Church said  "everyone knows that the tragedy in the Middle East, which has caused suffering to different Christian denominations and other groups, and the need to take urgent measures to improve the situation there were the focus of the meeting in Havana 12 February 2016."
 

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https://zenit.org/articles/jordans-king-abdullah-ii-to-restore-jesus-tomb/

Jordan’s King Abdullah II to Restore Jesus’ Tomb 
Patriarchal vicar in Jerusalem welcomes ‘excellent news’
•April 12, 2016•

Jordan’s King Abdullah II will fund the restoration of Christ’s Tomb in Jerusalem’s Church of the Holy Sepulchre.

Bishop William Shomali, Latin Patriarchal Vicar in Jerusalem, warmly welcomed the decision of King Abdullah: “This is excellent news, news of a highly symbolic character, since the Holy Sepulchre is the most sacred place for Christians of all confessions. This decision shows the kindness of the King towards Christians and his constant concern to preserve the heritage of Christianity, including his role as guarantor of the Holy Places, Christian and Muslim, Jerusalem, according to the Wadi Araba agreement.”
 

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Photo at the link

http://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/pope-appoints-new-vatican-ambassador-to-the-us-23292/

Pope appoints new Vatican ambassador to the US

Vatican City, Apr 12, 2016 / 05:42 am (CNA/EWTN News).- Pope Francis has appointed French-born Archbishop Christophe Pierre as the Vatican ambassador to the U.S., replacing Archbishop Carlo Maria Viganò, the Holy See press office announced Tuesday.

The appointment of the new Vatican ambassador – known as an apostolic nuncio – comes after Archbishop Viganò reached the retirement age of 75 on Jan. 16 of this year. The Italian prelate had served as apostolic nuncio to the U.S. since 2011.

Archbishop Joseph E. Kurtz of Louisville, Ky., who heads the U.S. bishops’ conference, welcomed the announcement.
 
Magister characterized Archbishop Pierre as a “Bergoglian,” and someone in whom Francis confides.

Additionally, a source close to the Mexican bishops' conference told CNA that Archbishop Pierre “is known for suggesting solid, reliable candidates to the episcopate.”
 

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http://www.news.va/en/news/pope-francis-at-general-audience-jesus-is-the-good

Pope Francis at general audience: Jesus is the ‘Good doctor’
2016-04-13 Vatican Radio

(Vatican Radio) The Church is a community of disciples who follow Christ because they recognize they are sinners in need of forgiveness, Pope Francis said during the Wednesday general audience in St Peter’s Square.

This week’s catechesis of the Pope centred on the Gospel account of Jesus calling St Matthew – a tax collector and a sinner – to be his disciple.

He said that by eating with the tax collectors and sinners, Jesus shows how even they can become disciples.

“Like the tax collector Matthew, every one of us relies on the Lord’s grace, despite our sins. We are all sinners. All of us have sinned.”

“The Church is not a community of the perfect, but of disciples on their way, who follow the Lord because they recognize they are sinners and need forgiveness.”

Pope Francis observed that those who are arrogant and proud are not able to recognize their need for salvation, thereby impeding their ability to see the “merciful face of God” and to act with mercy.

However, the Pope said Jesus is the “good doctor,” and there is no sickness he cannot cure.
 
http://www.news.va/en/news/pope-asks-for-prayer-for-upcoming-trip-to-lesbos
Pope asks for prayer for upcoming trip to Lesbos
2016-04-13 Vatican Radio

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http://www.news.va/en/news/pope-francis-remembers-anniversary-of-baptism-of-p

Pope Francis remembers anniversary of "baptism of Poland"
2016-04-13 Vatican Radio

(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis on Wednesday joined with the Church in Poland in marking the 1050th anniversary of the “baptism of the nation.”

Speaking to Polish pilgrims during the Wednesday general audience, Pope Francis asked God to bless the Polish people both at home and abroad.

“Together with the pastors and faithful, I give thanks to God for this historic event, which over the centuries has formed the faith, the spirituality, and the culture of your country, in the community of peoples  whom Christ has invited to participate in the mystery of His death and resurrection,” Pope Francis said.

“Give thanks to the Lord – according to the words of Saint John Paul II – for the gift of having been - over 1000 years ago - baptized in the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit; to be baptized in the water which, through grace, perfect in us the image of the living God; the water which is a wave of eternity: a spring of water welling up to eternal life (Jn 4:14),” the Holy Father continued.

“I ask God that the present generation and future generations of Poles remain faithful to the grace of baptism, giving witness to the love of Christ and the Church,” Pope Francis said.
 

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http://www.news.va/en/news/pope-francis-greets-antonio-banderas-at-general-au

Pope Francis greets Antonio Banderas at General Audience
2016-04-13 Vatican Radio

(Vatican Radio) Amongst the 30.000 people present in St. Peter's Square on Wednesday for the weekly General Audience was Spanish filmstar Antonio Banderas.

Accompanied by his girlfriend, Nicole Kimpel, Banderas was greeted personally by Pope Francis at the end of his catechesis and after having made an appeal for prayers for his upcoming visit to the Greek island of Lesbos in solidarity with refugees fleeing conflict.

After the meeting Banderas tweeted: 'nice chat with Pope Francis before we start filming in Rome'. Ahead of the audience he had let his followers know he was excited and looking forward to the meeting.

The new film he is referring to is shrouded in secrecy. What has transpired is that Banderas will be playing the lead role in a film on the life of fashion designer Gianni Versace directed by Bille August.
 

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http://en.radiovaticana.va/news/2016/04/13/council_of_cardinals_concludes_meetings_in_vatican/1222534

Council of Cardinals concludes meetings in Vatican
13/04/2016 16:44

(Vatican Radio) The Council of Cardinals concluded three days of meetings on Wednesday. All of the members of the Council were present, with the exception of Cardinal Oswald Gracias, who was impeded by health reasons.

Apart from the Wednesday morning session, which took place during the customary General Audience, Pope Francis himself participated in all of the meetings of the Council.

In a press briefing on the meetings, Father Federico Lombardi, SJ, the Director of the Holy See Press Office, said Cardinals’ discussion focused largely on final considerations concerning the various Dicasteries (departments) of the Roman Curia, in view of a new Apostolic Constitution.

In particular, the Cardinals re-read, and entrusted to the Holy Father, several texts relating to the proposal to create to new Dicasteries, dedicated to “Laity, Family, and Life” and to “Justice, Peace, and Migration.”

Father Lombardi said the Cardinals also took up several other topics in their discussion. In particular, the Council considered criteria for gathering information for the nomination of new bishops, in light of their identity and pastoral mission. They also discussed the significance and role of Nuncios. 

Additionally, the Council heard from two of their own members. Cardinal George Pell updated his colleagues on the work of the Secretariat for the Economy, while Cardinal Sean O’Malley discussed the activities of the Pontifical Council for the Protection of Minors.

The final day of the Council’s work, Father Lombardi said, was dedicated to organizing the results of the foregoing discussion, in order to craft a comprehensive proposal from the Council to the Pope, in view of a new Constitution for the Roman Curia.
 

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http://www.news.va/en/news/be-docile-to-the-holy-spirit-pope-francis-at-casa

Be docile to the Holy Spirit - Pope Francis at Casa Santa Marta
2016-04-14 Vatican Radio

(Vatican Radio) One must be docile to the Holy Spirit, said Pope Francis Thursday at Mass in his residence of Casa Santa Marta, and one must not resist Him. Pope Francis warns against those who resist the Spirit with "so-called fidelity to the law" and invites the faithful to pray for the grace of the docility to the Spirit.

Philip evangelized the Ethiopian, a senior official of Queen Candace. Pope Francis was inspired by this fascinating account in the Acts of the Apostles, in the first reading of today, focusing his attention on the docility to the Holy Spirit.

Do not resist the Spirit under the guise of loyalty to the law

The protagonist of this meeting, Pope Francis noted, is in fact not so much Philip, nor even the Ethiopian, but just the Spirit. "It is Him who does things. It is the Spirit who gives birth to and grows the Church.”

"In days past, the Church has shown us how there can be a drama of resisting the Spirit: closed, hard, foolish hearts resisting the Spirit. We’ve seen things - the healing of the lame man by Peter and John at the Beautiful Gate of the Temple; the words and the great things Stephen was doing … but they were closed off to these signs of the Spirit and resisted the Spirit. They were seeking to justify this resistance with a so-called fidelity to the law, that is, to the letter of the law."
 

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http://www.news.va/en/news/pope-francis-to-scots-college-be-courageous-mercif

Pope Francis to Scots College: be courageous, merciful priests
2016-04-14 Vatican Radio

(Vatican Radio) Offer your lives “completely” to the Lord; “we too are living in a time of martyrdom, and in the midst of a culture so often hostile to the Gospel:”  that’s the message Pope Francis gave to staff and students at the Pontifical Scots College Thursday as they celebrate the 400th anniversary of its founding as a seminary.

The Scots College in Rome was founded by Pope Clement VIII in 1600 for Catholic education at a time when Catholic instruction and preaching were illegal at home. On 10th March 1616, the Pontifical Scots College became a seminary.
 

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http://www.news.va/en/news/card-parolin-celebrates-1050th-anniv-of-polands-co

Card. Parolin celebrates 1050th anniv of Poland's conversion
2016-04-15 Vatican Radio

(Vatican Radio) The Secretary of State of the Holy See, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, was in Poland on Friday to mark the 1050th anniversary of the conversion of the nation to Christianity. “The Polish Church is aware of the new waves that unfailingly call us to find proper ways to be the ‘salt and light’ of the earth and the fire that warms the hearts and attracts people to the proclamation of salvation,” said Cardinal Parolin to the Polish bishops, who were gathered in plenary session on Friday morning to celebrate the recurrence.

Cardinal Parolin praised the historic faithfulness of the Polish people, saying, “[Your] faithfulness to God, to the Gospel and to the Holy See has garnered the respect and esteem of other nations, and  made the Church in Poland a bulwark of Christian faith and charity and a light in the darkness that has enshrouded Europe so many times.”

Also on Friday, Cardinal Parolin met with Polish Prime Minister Beata Szydlo.
 

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http://www.news.va/en/news/holy-see-christians-easiest-target-of-anti-religio

Holy See: Christians "easiest target" of anti-religious bigotry
2016-04-15 Vatican Radio

(Vatican Radio) Monsignor Janusz S. Urbańczyk, Permanent Representative of the Holy See to the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), on Thursday said “a weakening of the freedom of religion” has led to the “discrimination and intolerance against Christians within the OSCE region.”

He was speaking during a meeting on “Policies and Strategies to Further Promote Tolerance and Non-Discrimination” taking place in the 57-nation security organization’s Vienna headquarters.

“Particularly worrisome is the fact that across the OSCE region a sharp dividing line seems to be drawn between religious belief and religious practice: Christians are frequently reminded in public discourse or even in the courts, that they can believe whatever they like in private, and worship as they wish in their own churches, but they simply cannot act on those beliefs in public,” – Msgr. Urbańczyk said. – “This is a deliberate twisting and limiting of what religious freedom, which holds also for Christians, actually means.”

The Vatican diplomat said this is “not the freedom that was enshrined in the OSCE commitments,” beginning with the Helsinki Final Act.