Pope Francis

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http://americamagazine.org/issue/pope-francis-people-says-president-human-rights-organization-argentina

'Pope Francis is With the People,' says President of Human Rights Organization in Argentina
May 27 2016 - 6:07pm

"Pope Francis is with the people, not with the powerful,” said Ms. Hebe de Bonafini after a private conversation with Pope Francis this afternoon in Santa Marte. Ms. Bonafini, 87, is one of the founders of  “Madres de la Plaza de Mayo,” an organization of the mothers of the disappeared in Argentina.
 
“We embraced when we met,” she told the press. “He was very affectionate with me, and he listened attentively when I spoke. I was deeply moved,” she added. Their conversation lasted two hours and they exchanged gifts. She gave him a white scarf, the symbol of the association, and he presented her with rosary beads and “a very beautiful medallion” of the “Mother and the Child Jesus.”

The famous Argentine human rights activist then told the press: “Bergoglio grew when he transformed into Francis. I told him I was sorry because I was wrong about him. When somebody makes a mistake, one has to recognize it, and we mothers…recognize when we make a mistake.”
 
Today’s meeting was but the latest of Francis’ efforts at outreach to the mothers and grandmothers of Argentina’s disappeared persons. In November 2014 he received the president, Estella Carlotto, of the Abuelas de la Plaza de Mayo, Grandmothers of the Plaza de Mayo, together with her grandson who had been found after many years. She, too, admitted that she had been wrong in accusing him of being an accomplice of the military regime. Subsequently, he ordered that the Vatican open its archives on this period of history in Argentina. The church in Argentina will do likewise.

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

Pope Francis meets with President of Singapore
2016-05-28 Vatican Radio

(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis on Saturday met with Mr. Tony Tan Keng Yam, the President of the Republic of Singapore, who subsequently met with the Vatican Secretary of State, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, who was accompanied by Archbishop Paul Richard Gallagher, the Secretary for Relations with States.

A statement issued by the Holy See Press Office said the meeting was “cordial” and the parties spoke about “the good relations between the Holy See and Singapore, as well as the collaboration between Church and State, especially in the educational and social fields.”
 

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http://www.news.va/en/news/pope-francis-to-child-travelers-do-all-the-good-yo

Pope Francis to child travelers: do all the good you can
2016-05-28 Vatican Radio

(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis on Saturday received some four hundred children of different ethnicities, cultures and religions – many of them migrants and refugees – who had traveled to Rome from Calabria in southern Italy aboard the “Children’s Train” – the Treno dei Bambini – an annual initiative of the Pontifical Council for Culture, which this year has as its theme, “Carried by waves”: a theme that is designed at once to invoke the often deadly danger of migration, and the hope in the promise of a better future that drives people – along with the threat of torture, slavery and death – to flee their homelands and seek a better life on strange and distant shores.
 

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http://www.news.va/en/news/jubilee-of-deacons-ordered-to-serve-the-joy-of-the

Jubilee of Deacons: ordered to serve the joy of the Gospel
2016-05-28 Vatican Radio

(Vatican Radio) This weekend here in Rome, the Church is marking the Extraordinary Jubilee Year of Mercy in a special way with the Jubilee of Deacons. As their very title suggests – taken as it is from the Greek word for “servant”, diakonos – Deacons are ordained to a ministry of service in the Church: they proclaim the Good News liturgically, they assist priests at the Altar, and they preach to the faithful on matters pertaining to authentic Christian living. Deacons also bring the Blessed Sacrament to the sick in hospital and to the housebound: they visit prisoners, offering them both companionship and counsel; they baptize, receive the marriage vows of couples entering Holy Matrimony, and they pray for the dead.

Two Deacons from the United States, the Rev. Messrs. Doug Breckenridge and Greg Kandra, visited Vatican Radio during the course of their pilgrimage to celebrate the Jubilee of Deacons, and spoke with us about the joys and challenges of their vocation, especially in the present generation of the Church in the West, which recovered the Permanent Diaconate as a distinct ministry during and after the II Vatican Ecumenical Council.

Click below to hear our extended conversation Deacon Greg Kandra and Deacon Doug Breckenridge
 

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http://www.news.va/en/news/pope-to-deacons-you-are-called-to-serve-not-to-be

Pope to Deacons: ‘you are called to serve, not to be self-serving’
2016-05-29 Vatican Radio

(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis on Sunday told Deacons from across the globe that they must be generous with their lives and with their time.

“One who serves cannot hoard his free time, he said, he has to give up the idea of being master of his day”  because he knows that his time “is not his own, but a gift from God which is then offered back to him. Only in this way will it bear fruit.”
   
The Pope’s words came during the homily at Mass in St. Peter’s Basilica for the conclusion of the Jubilee for Deacons.

Deacons and their families from all around the world were invited to make a pilgrimage to Rome from 27 to 29 May in order to participate in this major gathering on the occasion of the Extraordinary Jubilee year of Mercy.
 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CvfJnB3_VbU
Jubilee for Deacons. Mass and Angelus - 2016.05.29 

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http://www.news.va/en/news/pope-francis-asks-for-prayers-for-syrian-children

Pope Francis asks for prayers for Syrian children
2016-05-29 Vatican Radio

(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis urged the faithful to join in prayer on this coming Wednesday, June 1, International Children’s Day, with a special thought for the children in Syria.

Speaking after the Angelus Prayer in St. Peter’s Square the Pope greeted all the Deacons present in Rome for their Jubilee, thanking them for being present for the occasion but also for their presence in the Church. 

And remarking on the upcoming International Children’s Day, Pope Francis said that it will be particularly significant for Christian communities in Syria where Catholics and Orthodox will hold a special prayer for peace, in which children will be the protagonists.
 

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http://en.radiovaticana.va/news/2016/05/29/pope_francis_greets_members_of_‘schola_occurentes’,_promoter/1233357

Pope Francis greets members of ‘Schola Occurentes’, promoters of peace
29/05/2016 19:39

(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis on Sunday afternoon met with members of the Pontifical Foundation ‘Scholas Occurrentes’ at the conclusion of their World Congress.

The Foundation is an international project based in Argentina that brings together schools and educational networks from different cultures and religious backgrounds.

The informal meeting, which consisted in testimonials, music, videos and a “question and answer” session between Pope Francis and those present, took place in the Vatican Synod Hall.

It came following a three-day meeting which featured representatives of  the Foundation from across the globe gathered in the Pontifical Academy of Sciences in the Vatican to talk on the theme: “University and School: Wall or Bridge".

Amongst the public were personalities like Salma Hayek, George Clooney and Richard Gere.

The meeting aims to mark the beginning of an interactive initiative launched by Scholas Occurentes with the creation of a website, askpopefrancis.scholasoccurrentes.org where it will be possible to put questions to Pope Francis.
 
Video at the link
http://www.romereports.com/2016/05/30/richard-gere-george-clooney-and-salma-hayek-met-pope-francis-at-the-vatican
Richard Gere, George Clooney and Salma Hayek met Pope Francis at the Vatican
2016-05-29

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MOrIV9AkCkQ
World Encounter of the Scholas Occurrentes - 2016.05.29

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http://www.news.va/en/news/pope-francis-at-santa-marta-memory-prophecy-hope

Pope Francis at Santa Marta: memory, prophecy, hope
2016-05-30 Vatican Radio

(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis celebrated Mass in the chapel of the Casa Santa Marta on Monday morning. In remarks to the faithful following the Readings of the Day, the Holy Father focused on the threefold theme of the dynamic unity in Christian life, the signs of which are living memory, the prophetic spirit, and the sure horizon of hope.

The Pope took as the central focus of his reflection the Gospel passage of the day – from the Gospel according to St. Mark (12:1-12), in which Jesus addresses the Priests, Scribes and Pharisees with the parable of the murderous tenant-farmers. Against the landowner who planted a well-organized vineyard and entrusted them with its care, the tenants  decided to revolt, insulting, beating and killing first the  servants the master sent to reclaim the land and collect his due, and then, at the climax of the drama, murdering the only son of the owner – wrongly believing that such an act could earn them a right to inherit the owner’s substance.

Casuistry and freedom

The killing of the master’s servants and of the master’s own son – a Biblical image of the prophets and of Christ Himself – shows a people closed in on itself, one not open to the promises of God, a people that does not await the fulfilment of God’s promises: a people without memory, without prophecy and without hope. The leaders of the people, in particular, are interested in erecting a wall of laws, a “closed juridical system”, and nothing else:
 

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http://www.news.va/en/news/pope-christians-serve-with-joy-and-not-with-a-grim

Pope: Christians serve with joy and not with a grimace
2016-05-31 Vatican Radio

(Vatican Radio)  Pope Francis on Tuesday urged Christians to serve other people, without delay or hesitation, saying if we learnt how to reach out in this way, the world would be a very different place. His remarks came during his homily at the morning Mass in the Santa Marta residence where he used the example of the Blessed Virgin Mary for his reflections on the theme of Christians at the service of others.

May 31st was the final day of the month dedicated to Mary and the Pope used the day’s readings to illustrate Mary’s courage, her helping hand and concern for others and above all her joy, a joy, he said, that fills our hearts and gives meaning and a new direction to our lives. Referring to Mary’s visit to her cousin Elizabeth, Pope Francis said this is a liturgy full of joy that arrives like “a breath of fresh air” to fill our lives. 

Joy and a grimace

“Christians with a grimace or disgruntled expression on their faces, sad Christians, are a very ugly thing.  It’s really ugly, ugly, ugly. However, they are not fully Christian. They think they are (Christians) but they are not fully so. This is the Christian message. And in this atmosphere of joy that today’s liturgy gives us like a gift, I would like to underline just two things: first, an attitude; second, a fact. The attitude is one of service or helping others.”

The Pope pointed out how the gospel describes Mary as setting off immediately and without hesitation to visit her cousin, despite being pregnant and despite the risk of meeting robbers along the route. This young girl of 16 or 17, he said, was courageous by getting up straightaway and setting out on her journey.

The Church’s courageous women
 

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http://www.news.va/en/news/pope-thanks-jains-for-commitment-to-care-for-the-p

Pope thanks Jains for commitment to care for the planet
2016-06-01 Vatican Radio

(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis on Wednesday thanked the Jain community for its commitment to protect “our sister Earth."

The Pope’s words came as he received members of the Institute of Jainology in private audience in the Vatican before leading the weekly General Audience in St. Peter’s Square.

Expressing his joy for the encounter, Pope Francis welcomed the Jains saying that “this encounter nurtures our responsibility to care for creation”, and calling creation a “gift that we have all received” he said “creation is God’s mirror, the mirror of the Creator, the mirror of nature, and it is our mirror too.”
 

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http://www.news.va/en/news/pope-francis-humbleness-honesty-lead-to-gods-mercy

Pope Francis: humbleness, honesty lead to God’s mercy
2016-06-01 Vatican Radio

(Vatican Radio) Tens of thousands of pilgrims crowded St Peter’s Square Wednesday for Pope Francis’ weekly General Audience.  Pope Francis continued his catechesis for the Jubilee Year of Mercy and said “true prayer is born of a heart which repents of its faults and failings, yet pleads for the grace to live the great commandment of love of God and neighbor.”

Pope Francis was referring to the parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector in which  Jesus contrasts the arrogance and self-righteousness of the Pharisee’s prayer with the tax collector’s humble recognition of his sinfulness and need for the Lord’s mercy.

In his prayer, the Pharisee “showed off” his own merits and displayed “ a sense of superiority towards other men,” the Pope said.  He prayed to God but in truth, he was really interested in himself. Rather than “prostrate himself before the grandeur of God,” he remains standing; he feels sure of himself, almost as if he were lord of the temple.”
 

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http://www.news.va/en/news/pope-francis-pray-for-your-clergy-this-jubilee-for

Pope Francis: pray for your clergy this Jubilee for Priests
2016-06-01 Vatican Radio

(Vatican Radio)  At the General Audience Wednesday, Pope Francis recalled that Friday, 3 June, the Church celebrates the Solemnity  of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus which he said this year “is enriched by the Jubilee for Priests.”

Pray the Sacred Heart of Jesus for your priests in June

“I invite everyone to pray the Heart of Jesus for the entire month of June and to support with closeness and affection your priests so that they always reflect the image of that Heart full of merciful love,” the Pope said.

The Jubilee for Priests falls on the 160° anniversary of the institution of the Feast of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus,  introduced in 1856 by Pope Pius IX.

To celebrate their Jubilee in Rome, on Wednesday clergy and seminarians from around the world began the first of three days of prayer and reflection 1-3 June with pilgrimages to the Jubilee churches: S. Salvatore in Lauro, S. Maria in Vallicella (Chiesa Nuova) and S. Giovanni Battista dei Fiorentini.

In a note, the Holy See Press Office said that some 6,000 priests and seminarians “are already present for this Jubilee” in Rome.

Events will provide opportunities for them to reflect and mediate together on the Word of God, to adore the Most Blessed Sacrament, to receive the Sacrament of Penance and Reconciliation, and to make a pilgrimage through the Holy Door of St. Peter’s Basilica.

Pope to offer mediations for televised spiritual retreat Thursday
 

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http://en.radiovaticana.va/news/2016/06/01/pope_to_take_part_in_reformation_events_in_lund_and_malmö/1234020

Pope to take part in Reformation events in Swedish cities of Lund and Malmö
01/06/2016 14:29

(Vatican Radio) The Lutheran World Federation and the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity on Wednesday released details of the ecumenical events that Pope Francis will attend in southern Sweden on October 31st 2016. The joint Lutheran-Catholic commemoration will mark the 500th anniversary of the Reformation and will feature a liturgy in Lund cathedral, followed by a public event at an arena in the nearby city of Malmö.

The commemoration, structured around the themes of thanksgiving, repentance and commitment to common witness, will also celebrate the fruits of 50 years of Catholic-Lutheran dialogue.

The  prayer service in Lund cathedral will be led by Pope Francis, LWF President Bishop Munib Younan and LWF General Secretary Rev. Martin Junge, based on a shared liturgical guide and the joint report entitled ‘From Conflict to Communion’. The event in the Malmö arena will showcase the common witness of the LWF’s World Service and Caritas Internationalis, including their work to care for refugees, peacebuilding, and advocacy for climate justice.

The full programme of Pope Francis’ visit to Sweden, including a Mass with the country's Catholic community on the morning of November 1st, will be published at a later date.

Please find below the full text of the joint press release from the Lutheran World Federation (LFW) and the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity (PCPCU)
 

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http://www.news.va/en/news/pope-leads-retreat-for-jubilee-of-priests

Pope leads retreat for Jubilee of Priests
2016-06-02 Vatican Radio

(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis led a retreat for priests on Thursday, offering a series of three meditations on the theme of mercy.

The retreat was part of the Jubilee of Priests, one of a series of special Jubilees for various groups within the Church during the Holy Year of Mercy.

The Jubilee for Priests began on Wednesday, and will conclude tomorrow, on the Solemnity of the Sacred Heart of Jesus.

The Holy Father delivered his meditations for the priest’s retreat in the Papal Basilicas of St John Lateran, St Mary Major, and St Paul’s Outside the Walls.

“God’s name is mercy,” Pope Francis said in his first meditation. “If we reflect on this natural feeling of mercy we begin to see how God Himself can be understood in terms of this defining attribute by which Jesus wished to reveal Him to us.”

At the papal Archbasilica of St John Lateran, Pope Francis focused on the parable of the prodigal son. He reflected on the “embarrassed dignity” of the son who returned to his father – he is embarrassed by what he has done, but his father restores him to his dignity. Mercy, the Pope said, helps us to maintain the balance between acknowledging that we are sinners, and recognizing our dignity as children loved by the Father. If we can see ourselves in the place of the son, who was shown mercy by the father, we in turn will be led to be merciful to others.

Below, please find the full text of Pope Francis’ prepared remarks for his first meditation for the Retreat for Priests:
 

Video with English comments and translation
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GCiJP46Cud8
Jubilee for priests - first reflection - 2016.06.02

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http://www.news.va/en/news/pope-francis-second-meditation-for-the-retreat-for

Pope Francis' second meditation for the Retreat for Priests
2016-06-02 Vatican Radio

(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis delivered his second meditation for the retreat for priests at the papal Basilica of St Mary Major.

Thursday’s retreat is part of the Jubilee for Priests taking place from 1-3 June.

In his second mediation, Pope Francis reflected on the “vessel of mercy.” “Our sin is like a sieve, or a leaky bucket,” he said, “from which grace quickly drains.” But God keeps forgiving us, and applies mercy to our weakness, creating a clean heart within us. It is precisely our experience of mercy that leads us to be merciful to others.

This, the Pope said, is seen in the life of saints, such as Peter and Paul, John, Augustine, Francis, and Ignatius. In fact, it is precisely those who have experienced mercy who often are the “best practitioners of mercy.”

But it is the sinless Virgin Mary who is the “simple yet perfect vessel that receives and bestows mercy.” The Holy Father contrasted Mary’s “yes” to grace with the sin of the prodigal son, the subject of his first meditation.

Pope Francis, recalling his visit to Mexico and his prayer before the image of Our Lady of Guadalupe, reflected on the maternal gaze of the Blessed Virgin.

He concluded his second meditation by leading the priests in the prayer of the Salve Regina.

Below, please find the full text of Pope Francis’ prepared remarks for his second meditation for the Retreat for Priests:
 

Video with English comments and translation
Jubilee for priests - second reflection - 2016.06.02
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZR5KzP2U-sk

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http://www.news.va/en/news/st-pauls-outside-the-walls-popes-third-meditation

St Paul's Outside the Walls: Pope's third meditation
2016-06-02 Vatican Radio

(Vatican Radio) The theme of the Pope’s third meditation at a spiritual retreat held on Thursday at the Papal Basilica of St. Paul's Outside the Walls was “the good odour of Christ and the light of his mercy.”

At the heart of his reflection were the Works of Mercy saying as priests, “being merciful is not only “a way of life”, but “the way of life”, adding,  “there is no other way of being a priest.”

Drawing from the passage of the Lord’s encounter with the woman caught in adultery, the Pope explained that when Jesus says “Go and sin no more”, “his command has to do with the future, to help her to make a new start and to “walk in love”.  Such is the sensitivity of mercy, the Holy Father continued. “ it looks with compassion on the past and offers encouragement for the future.”

Focusing his attention of the Sacrament of Confession Pope Francis noted that “people come to confession  because they are penitent. They come to confession because they want to change.”

During his meditation, the Pope also invited priests to let themselves “be moved by people’s situation, which at times is a mixture of their own doing, human weakness, sin and insuperable conditionings.  He went on to say, “we have to be like Jesus, who was deeply moved by the sight of people and their problems…”

The Jubilee for priests concludes on Friday with Holy Mass presided over by Pope Francis in St Peter’s Square.

Please find below the English language of Pope Francis' meditation preached at St Paul's Outside the Walls
 

Video with English comments and translation
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l4LXSF4JOwc
Jubilee for priests - third reflection - 2016.06.02

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https://www.catholicculture.org/news/headlines/index.cfm?storyid=28450

Prayer intentions of Pope Francis for June 2016
May 31, 2016

The Vatican has announced the prayer intentions of Pope Francies for June 2016.

The Pope's universal intention is: "That the aged, marginalized, and those who have no one may find, even within the huge cities of the world, opportunities for encounter and solidarity."

His intention for evangelization is: "That seminarians and men and woman entering religious life may have mentors who live the joy of the Gospel and prepare them wisely for their mission."
 

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http://www.news.va/en/news/pope-priests-hearts-pierced-by-the-love-of-the-lor

Pope: Priests' hearts pierced by the love of the Lord
2016-06-03 Vatican Radio

(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis celebrated Holy Mass for the conclusion of the Jubilee for Priests on Friday, the Solemnity of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus.

In his homily for the feast, the Holy Father reflected on “two hearts: the Heart of the Good Shepherd” and the hearts of priests.

“The Heart of the Good Shepherd is not only the Heart that shows us mercy, but is itself mercy,” the Pope said. He reminded priests that “the Heart of the Good Shepherd reaches out to us, above all to those who are most distant.”

The contemplation of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, the Heart of the Good Shepherd, is an invitation to priests to reflect on the question, “Where is my heart directed?” Priestly ministry, the Pope said, is often caught up in “plans, projects, and activities.” While this is necessary, the Holy Father invited priests to consider that the Heart of Jesus is directed to two treasures: the Father and ourselves. Jesus’ days, he said, “were divided between prayer to the Father and encountering people.” Like Jesus, the priest should have his heart turned towards God and towards his brothers and sisters.
 
http://www.news.va/en/news/pope-francis-the-heart-of-the-priest-is-a-heart-pi
Homily for Mass of the Sacred Heart of Jesus: full text
2016-06-03 Vatican Radio

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W2ijmvUEPJo
Jubilee for Priests - Holy Mass - 2016.06.03

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http://www.news.va/en/news/pope-francis-addresses-judges-summit-on-human-traf

Pope Francis addresses Judges' summit on human trafficking and organized crime
2016-06-04 Vatican Radio

(Vatican Radio)  Pope Francis on Friday evening made an unexpected appearance at the Judges' Summit on Human Trafficking and Organized Crime, a two day conference taking place in the Vatican and organized by the Pontifical Academy of Social Sciences.

Speaking to judges and prosecutors from around the world, the Holy Father asked them "to fulfill their vocation and their crucial mission — to establish justice — without which there is neither order nor sustainable and integral development, nor social peace".

He said judges’ unique contribution to humanity is a result of their ‘understanding of indifference and its extreme forms in a globalized world’.

This situation of globalized indifference has led to the creation of ‘structures of sin’, from which judges must be free by vocation.

“Taking charge of one's own vocation also means feeling, and proclaiming oneself, free from the pressures of governments, private institutions and, of course, the ‘structures of sin’ of which my predecessor John Paul II spoke, particularly in regard to organised crime. Without this freedom, a nation's judiciary is corrupted and corrupting.”
 

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http://www.news.va/en/news/pope-francis-reminds-deacons-of-their-vocation-to

Pope Francis reminds deacons of their vocation to service
2016-06-04 Vatican Radio

(Vatican Radio)  Pope Francis on Saturday welcomed deacons from the International Diaconate Center in a private audience, reminding them of Jesus’ commandment of love and their vocation to service as an expression of that love.

In remarks to the delegates from the International Diaconate Center, Pope Francis focused on the early Church’s foundation of the diaconate as a concrete expression of Jesus’ new commandment of love.

He also said their 50th anniversary, which takes place in this Jubilee of Mercy, provides “a spiritual context aimed at renewing in us awareness of the importance of mercy in our lives and in our ministry”.

The Holy Father said Jesus Himself is the newness of the new commandment of love in the Gospel of John.

“The Lord Jesus entrusted the Apostles with a new commandment: “love one another. As I have loved you, so you also should love one another”. Jesus Himself is this ‘newness’. He gave us an example so that, as He did, we should also do… By loving one another, the disciples continue the mission for which the Son of God came into the world. They understand, with the help of the Holy Spirit, that this commandment involves service to our brothers and sisters.”