Pope Francis

[grace-land]

http://en.radiovaticana.va/news/2016/08/05/pope_leaves_a_message_in_franciscan_refectory_of_assisi/1249426

Pope leaves a message in Franciscan refectory of Assisi
05/08/2016 09:45

Pope Francis prays in the Porziuncola - a small chapel located inside the larger Basilica of St. Mary of the Angels in Assisi


The short, hand-written message in Spanish reads:

Let us bless the Lord, for great is His mercy.

Thank you for your witness, I ask you to please pray for me.

In brotherhood,

Francis

8/4/2016

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8jhH5edVsLQ
Pope Francis’ visit to the Portiuncula in Assisi 
Streamed live on Aug 4, 2016
Pope Francis visits the Basilica of Saint Mary of the Angels, and the Portuncula - Assisi

[grace-land]

http://en.radiovaticana.va/news/2016/08/05/brazil’s_ambassador_is_interviewed_about_the_olympics/1249603

Brazil’s Ambassador is interviewed about the Olympics
05/08/2016 17:49

(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis sent a tweet on Friday saying: “Good luck to the athletes at Rio 2016: May you always be messengers of goodwill and true sporting spirit,” just hours before the official opening of the summer Olympics in the Brazilian city.   

Over ten thousand athletes are taking part in the Rio Olympics over the next 17 days, coming from more than 200 countries across the world.

So, what are the feelings among the people of the host nation as it prepared to host this global sporting bonanza?  Vatican Radio spoke to Brazil’s ambassador to Italy, Ricardo Neiva Tavares to find out.
 

[grace-land]

http://www.catholicnews.com/services/englishnews/2016/at-rios-christ-the-redeemer-statue-cardinal-blesses-olympic-torch.cfm

At Rio's Christ the Redeemer statue, cardinal blesses Olympic torch
By Lise Alves Catholic News Service
8.5.2016 12:12 PM ET

CNS photo/Lise Alves
Cardinal Orani Tempesta of Rio de Janeiro and former Brazilian volleyball player Isabel Barroso hold the Olympic torch in front of the Christ the Redeemer statue in Rio de Janeiro Aug. 5. (CNS photo/Lise Alves) See OLYMPICS-TORCH-STATUE Aug. 5, 2016

RIO DE JANEIRO (CNS) -- High above the city, beneath the statue of Christ the Redeemer, Rio Cardinal Orani Tempesta blessed the Olympic torch, held by Brazil's former Olympic volleyball player, Maria Isabel Barroso Salgado.

"This is the moment for us to surpass our difficulties and work together as a team, making our country and our world safer, less unequal, and putting love in the hearts of all," the cardinal told reporters.

From there, the Olympic torch was carried on the last leg of its 95-day Brazilian journey toward Maracana Stadium, where the opening ceremony was to be held the evening of Aug. 5.

Father Omar Raposo, rector at the Christ the Redeemer Sanctuary, located at the base of the statue, said the blessing was not scheduled by the Games' organizers, but was requested by Rio Mayor Eduardo Paes, a Catholic.
 

[grace-land]

http://www.news.va/en/news/pope-sends-letter-to-refugee-olympic-team

Pope sends letter to Refugee Olympic Team
2016-08-06 Vatican Radio

(Vatican Radio)  Pope Francis sent a letter to the Refugee Olympic Team as they prepared to compete in the Olympic Games 2016 taking place in Rio de Janeiro, wishing each of them success in the competition.

The letter – written in Spanish and dated 26 July 2016 – is addressed to all refugee athletes, calling each by name.

Pope Francis writes of his own research into each squad member’s life through their interviews with various media sources.

The Holy Father goes on to wish each of them success, expressing his desire that ‘your courage and strength find expression through the Olympic Games and serve as a cry for peace and solidarity. May humanity understand through you that peace is possible, and that with peace everything is a triumph; while with war everything is a loss.’

He closes the letter by assuring the refugee team of his prayers for them.

An English translation of the Pope’s letter is below:
 

[grace-land]

http://www.news.va/en/news/pope-francis-at-angelus-vigilance-solicitude-as-we

Pope Francis at Angelus: vigilance, solicitude as we await the coming Lord
2016-08-07 Vatican Radio

(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis prayed the Angelus on Sunday with people gathered in a sun-drenched St. Peter’s Square, beneath the window of the Papal apartments in the Apostolic Palace.

In remarks to the pilgrims and tourists on hand, which he delivered ahead of the traditional noonday prayer of Marian devotion, the Holy Father focused on the Gospel reading of the day, which on this Sunday was from the Holy Gospel according to St. Luke (Lk. 12:32-48), in which Jesus tells the disciples once again not to mind the things of the world, but to work for the kingdom of God and store up treasure in heaven. “For,” he tells them, “where your treasure is, there also will your heart be.”
 
https://zenit.org/articles/angelus-address-on-vigilance-and-awaiting-the-lord/
Angelus Address: On Keeping Watch and Awaiting the Lord 
August 7, 2016

[grace-land]

http://www.news.va/en/news/pope-francis-appeal-for-peace-in-syria-2

Pope Francis: appeal for peace in Syria
2016-08-07 Vatican Radio

(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis renewed his condemnation of violence and his call for peace in Syria on Sunday. The Holy Father’s appeals came following the Angelus prayer with the faithful gathered beneath the window of the Papal apartments in the Apostolic Palace.

“Dear brothers and sisters,” said Pope Francis, “sadly, news continues to reach us from Syria, of civilian victims of the war there, in particular from the city of Aleppo.” The Holy Father went on to say, “It is unacceptable that so many defenseless persons – among them many small children – must pay the price for conflict - for the closure of the hearts and the want of a will for peace among the powerful.”

The Pope renewed his promise of spiritual closeness to all those suffering in Syria, along with his call for prayerful and effective concrete action to aid the sorely tried people of that war-torn land. “Let us draw near to our Syrian brothers and sisters with prayer and solidarity,” he said, “and let us entrust them to the maternal protection of the Virgin Mary,” before inviting the gathered faithful to a moment of silent prayer followed by a Hail Mary.
 

[grace-land]

http://www.news.va/en/news/pope-francis-sends-telegramme-for-victims-of-hurri

Pope Francis sends telegramme for victims of Hurricane Earl
2016-08-09 Vatican Radio

(Vatican Radio)  Pope Francis sent a telegramme on Monday expressing his condolences and prayers for the victims of Hurricane Earl in Central America.

Hurricane Earl is estimated to have caused damages in excess of US$50 million and left 13 people dead in the Dominican Republic and at least 45 others in Mexico.

The telegramme – dated 8 August and signed by the Secretary of State, Cardinal Pietro Parolin – was addressed to the Mexican Episcopal Conference.

A Vatican Radio English translation of the telegramme is below:
 

[grace-land]

http://www.news.va/en/news/pope-francis-calls-quetta-attack-senseless-and-bru

Pope Francis calls Quetta attack "senseless and brutal"
2016-08-09 Vatican Radio

(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis has sent his condolences after the attack on the hospital in Quetta, Pakistan, which killed over 70 people.

The majority of the victims were lawyers who had gathered to mourn the assassination of the president of the Baluchistan Bar Association, Bilal Anwar Kasi, who was killed earlier in the day.

The telegram sent by the Vatican Secretary of State, Cardinal Pietro Parolin reads:
 

[grace-land]

http://en.radiovaticana.va/news/2016/08/09/us_bishops_invite_discernment_ahead_of_presidential_poll/1250139

U.S. Bishops invite discernment ahead of presidential elections
09/08/2016 10:46

(Vatican Radio) As Americans prepare to vote in an increasingly divisive presidential election, the Catholic bishops of the United States are urging U.S. Catholics to catch up on some summer reading.  They’ve republished an updated version of “Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship,”  their teaching document on the political responsibility of Catholics..

Scandals, fear mongering, insults and lies – this electoral campaign pitting Republican Donald Trump against Democrat Hillary Clinton has seen it all.  And U.S. bishops have seen enough.  Reissuing their 2007 online document, they’re calling on American Catholics to think hard about their political responsibilities.  And rather than blindly casting their vote for a certain ideology or a particular political party, to choose the common good and consider” all that protects or threatens human dignity.”

Subdivided into three parts, the bishops’ document begins with a reflection on the Church’s social doctrine, then presents a summary of the U.S. Bishops’  position on the principal ethical questions facing today’s society:  defense of human life, peace and economic justice, the protection of minors and religious freedom, and safeguarding the planet.

The document has been updated from its original version to include the later magisterium of Pope Benedict XVI and that of Pope Francis and takes into account recent developments in the US in both domestic and foreign policy.
 

The link to "Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship" --
http://www.usccb.org/issues-and-action/faithful-citizenship/upload/forming-consciences-for-faithful-citizenship.pdf

[grace-land]

http://www.news.va/en/news/pope-francis-god-tells-us-to-rise-up

Pope Francis: God tells us to "Rise up!"
2016-08-10 Vatican Radio

(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis on Wednesday during the General Audience said God is telling everyone to “Rise up,” and that the Holy Door of the Jubilee is the door where the pain of humanity and the compassion of God meet.

The Holy Father was recounting the story of the Widow whom Jesus met at the city gate of Nain, which the Pope compared to the Holy Door. She was leaving the city in the funeral procession of her son, whom Jesus raised from the dead with the words “Rise up!”

“The passage of Luke's Gospel we have heard presents us with a truly great miracle of Jesus, the resurrection of a young boy,” – Pope Francis said – “Yet, the heart of this story is not a miracle, but Jesus' tenderness towards the mother of this boy. Here, mercy takes the name of great compassion towards a woman who had lost her husband and now travels to the cemetery with her only son. The great pain of this mother moves Jesus and causes the miracle of the resurrection."
 

[grace-land]

http://www.news.va/en/news/pope-francis-visits-20-women-rescued-from-prostitu

Pope Francis visits 20 women rescued from prostitution
2016-08-12 Vatican Radio

(Vatican Radio)  Pope Francis visited a refugee centre in Rome housing women rescued from prostitution as part of his ‘Friday of Mercy’ gestures during this Jubilee Year of Mercy.

The home is run by the Pope John the 23rd community.

During his visit, Pope Francis met 20 women rescued from the sex trade who were trafficked from their countries of origin that included Romania, Albania, Nigeria, Tunisia, Ukraine, and Italy.

All of the women were the victims of severe physical abuse during their ordeal and are living under protection.
 

[grace-land]

http://www.news.va/en/news/pope-at-angelus-church-doesnt-need-bureaucrats-but

Pope at Angelus: Church doesn’t need bureaucrats but impassioned missionaries
2016-08-14 Vatican Radio

(Vatican Radio)  Pope Francis on Sunday spoke about the fire of the Holy Spirit, saying the Church doesn’t need bureaucrats but impassioned missionaries with this fire inside their hearts. He warned that without this fire, the Church risked becoming a cold or merely lukewarm Church, made up of cold and lukewarm Christians, and urged his listeners to reflect on their own attitudes. The Pope’s words came during his Angelus address to pilgrims gathered in St. Peter’s Square.

Quoting from Jesus’ words where he says “I have come to bring fire to the earth and how I wish it were blazing already!” Pope Francis said Christ wants the Holy Spirit “to set alight our hearts and make us capable of loving.” This fire, he explained, “has a creative strength that purifies and renews… it burns up every human misery, every egoism, every sin, it transforms us from within, it regenerates us.” 

He explained that “if we open ourselves completely to the action of the Holy Spirit, He will give us the courage and the fervour to announce Jesus and his consoling message of mercy and salvation to everybody, navigating in the open seas without fear.” "But the fire begins in our hearts."
 

[grace-land]

http://www.news.va/en/news/pope-francis-enslaved-women-deserve-peace-justice

Pope Francis: Enslaved women deserve "peace, justice, love"
2016-08-15 Vatican Radio

(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis on Monday expressed his hope women enslaved to the “arrogance of the powerful” will be allowed to have a life of “peace, justice, and love.”

The Holy Father was speaking during his Angelus address for the Solemnity of the Assumption of Mary.

“The Assumption of Mary is a great mystery that pertains to all of us, regarding our future;” Pope Francis said.

“The exultation of this humble girl from Galilee, expressed in the canticle of the Magnificat, becomes the song of all mankind, who is pleased to see the Lord reach down to all men and all women, lowly creatures, and take them with him in into heaven,” the Pope said.

“The Canticle of Mary also leads us to think about many actual sad situations, in particular those women overwhelmed by the weight of life and the drama of violence; of women who are slaves to the arrogance of the powerful; the girls forced into inhumane work; the women forced to surrender in both body and spirit to the avarice of men,” Pope Francis said.
 

[grace-land]

http://www.news.va/en/news/pope-francis-prays-for-harmony-in-north-kivu-provi

Pope Francis prays for harmony in North Kivu province of DR Congo
2016-08-15 Vatican Radio

(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis turned his attention to the North Kivu province of the Democratic Republic of Congo on Monday during his Angelus for the Solemnity of the Assumption.

The eastern province has long been plagued by violence – often spilling over from conflicts in neighboring countries – and this weekend, another massacre killing at least 40 people.

“To the Queen of Peace, whom we contemplate today in heavenly glory, I want to entrust once again the anxieties and the sorrows of the people in many parts of the world are the innocent victims of persistent conflicts” – Pope Francis said.
 

[grace-land]

http://en.radiovaticana.va/news/2016/08/17/pope_has_private_meeting_with_france’s_president_hollande/1251935

Pope Francis has private meeting with France’s President Hollande
17/08/2016 15:58

(Vatican Radio)  Pope Francis had a private meeting in the Vatican on Wednesday with France’s President Francois Hollande. Their meeting came three weeks after the brutal murder of the elderly French priest, Father Jacques Hamel, who was killed by two young French terrorists claiming allegiance to the so-called Islamic State group whilst he was celebrating Mass in his church near the city of Rouen. 

Following the murder of Father Hamel, President Hollande telephoned Pope Francis to express his closeness and told him that “when a priest is attacked all of France is wounded.”  Speaking on his flight to Poland, the Pope thanked the French President “in a special way” for having contacted him like “a brother.”
 

[grace-land]

http://en.radiovaticana.va/news/2016/08/17/pope_francis_sets_up_dicastery_for_laity,_family_and_life/1251813

Pope Francis sets up new Dicastery for Laity, Family and Life
17/08/2016 12:01

(Vatican Radio) With a Moto Proprio, Pope Francis announced on Wednesday the establishment of a Dicastery for Laity, the Family and Life. The Prefect of the new Dicastery will be the Irish-born Bishop Kevin Joseph Farrell, currently serving as Bishop of Dallas.

http://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/pope-taps-dallas-bishop-to-head-new-vatican-department-for-laity-58240/
Pope taps Dallas bishop to head new Vatican department for laity
Vatican City, Aug 17, 2016 / 04:13 am (CNA/EWTN News).- Bishop Kevin Farrell of Dallas has been appointed the head of Francis’ new 'mega-dicastery' for laity, family, and life – a decision that marks the second major appointment of an American to a Vatican position this summer.
 
http://www.catholicnews.com/services/englishnews/2016/pope-names-dallas-bishop-head-of-new-office-for-laity-family-life.cfm
Pope names Dallas bishop head of new office for laity, family, life
By Cindy Wooden Catholic News Service
8.17.2016 10:00 AM ET

https://cruxnow.com/analysis/2016/08/17/choice-dallas-bishop-vatican-gig-boosts-moderates-americans/
Pope’s choice for new Vatican post boosts moderates, Americans
John L. Allen Jr.
August 17, 2016

[grace-land]

http://www.news.va/en/news/pope-at-audience-mercy-as-the-instrument-of-commun

Pope at Audience: Mercy as the instrument of communion
2016-08-17 Vatican Radio

(Vatican Radio) At his General Audience on Wednesday, which was held in the Paul VI Hall at the Vatican, Pope Francis spoke about mercy as the instrument of communion.

Reflecting on the miracle of the multiplication of the loaves and fishes, taken from the Gospel of St Matthew, the Holy Father focused on Jesus’ compassion for the people who follow after Him. “His compassion is not a vague sentiment,” the Pope said. Jesus “loves us so much, and wants to be close to us.”

Jesus’ concern for the crowd is the impetus for the miracle of the loaves and fishes. Jesus, though, does not act alone, but wishes to involve His disciples in the miracle. “He shows them that the few loaves and fishes they have, with the power of faith and of prayer, can be shared by all the people,” the Pope said. “It is a miracle that He does, but it is the miracle of faith, of prayer with compassion and love.”
 

[grace-land]

http://www.news.va/en/news/archbishop-paglia-is-new-president-of-academy-of-l

Archbishop Paglia is new President of Academy of Life
2016-08-17 Vatican Radio

(Vatican Radio) It was announced on Wednesday Pope Francis appointed Archbishop Vincenzo Paglia as the new President of the Pontifical Academy for Life. Archbishop Paglia had previously served as the President of the Pontifical Council for the Family, which has been merged into the new Dicastery for Laity, Family, and Life.

At the same time, Pope Francis also appointed Archbishop Paglia as Grand Chancellor of the Pontifical John Paul II Institute for Studies on Marriage and Family.

The Holy Father also appointed Msgr. Pierangelo Sequeri as the new President of the Pontifical John Paul II Institute for Studies on Marriage and Family.
 
https://cruxnow.com/vatican/2016/08/18/pope-issues-marching-orders-new-pro-life-leader/
Pope Francis issues marching orders for new pro-life leader
August 18, 2016

[grace-land]

https://cruxnow.com/vatican/2016/08/18/pope-francis-visit-assisi/

Pope Francis to visit Assisi, again
Inés San Martín
August 18, 2016

ROME- Pope Francis will head back to the Italian town of Assisi on Sept. 20 to participate in the closing of a World Day of Prayer for Peace, called “Thirst for peace. Religions and culture in dialogue,” and organized by the Community of Sant’Egidio.

The visit will be the second pilgrimage by the pope to the birthplace of St. Francis in less than two months, as he was also there on August 4, when he paid an afternoon visit to the Basilica of St. Mary of the Angels, home of the Portiuncola, a small chapel restored by the legendary medieval saint in the 1200s.

The Vatican confirmed the pope’s decision to participate through a short statement released on Thursday afternoon. The Franciscan family in Assisi had first shared the pontiff’s intention to come earlier in the week, and confirmed it through a post 0n their website hours before the Holy See.

“It’s a great joy for the Franciscan family,” said Father Mauro Gambetti, custodian of the Assisi friary.

Among the 400 delegates expected to participate in the Sant’Egidio event will be religious, political and social leaders from a variety of backgrounds, together with representatives from the world of culture. The VIP list includes Italian President Sergio Mattarella.

The “Thirst for Peace” encounter will run on Sept. 18-20, and it marks the 30th anniversary of St. Pope John Paul II’s invitation to the world’s religious leaders to join him in a prayer for peace back in 1986. This year’s edition is being organized by the Community of Sant’Egidio together with the Diocese of Assisi and the Franciscan Family.
 

[grace-land]

http://www.news.va/en/news/pope-sends-message-to-2016-rimini-meeting

Pope sends message to 2016 Rimini Meeting
2016-08-19 Vatican Radio

(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis has sent a message to the XXXVII Rimini Meeting for the Friendship of Peoples. Each year in the Italian city of Rimini, thousands of people gather for an encounter among persons of different faiths and cultures, with hundreds of speakers from all over the world and from all walks of life.

The Pope’s message for this year’s Meeting was conveyed in a letter signed by Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin.

In the letter, Cardinal Parolin describes the theme of this year’s Meeting —“You are good for me” — as “courageous”. Too often in the modern world, he says, a certain individualism tempts us to look only at our own concerns, or even to see other people as a burden or a hindrance. But, he continued, in the face of the changing age we are living in, “who can imagine he can save himself by himself, and by his own power?” Rather, “following the example of the Lord Jesus, the Christian always cultivates a thought open to the other, whoever he might be, because he does not consider any person to be definitively lost.

With this attitude, the Cardinal said, Christians can understand their unique contribution to dialogue and communion: in the words of Pope Francis, “the proclamation of the Gospel, which today more than ever finds expression in going forth to bind the wounds of humanity with the powerful yet simple presence of Jesus, and his mercy that consoles and encourages.”