Pope Francis

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http://www.news.va/en/news/pope-people-cant-forgive-a-priest-attached-to-mone

Pope: people can’t forgive a priest attached to money
2016-11-18 Vatican Radio

(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis appealed for God to grant believers the courage to embrace Christian poverty, saying people cannot forgive a priest who is attached to money. His remarks came during his Mass celebrated on Friday morning in the chapel of the Santa Marta residence.

Taking his inspiration from the day’s Gospel reading where Jesus drove out the traders from the temple, accusing them of transforming it into a den of thieves, the Pope’s homily was a reflection on the power and allure of money. He said Jesus’s action helps us to understand where the seed of the antichrist is contained, the seed of the enemy that ruins his Kingdom: attachment to money.

“Our Lord God, the house of our Lord God is a house of prayer. Our encounter with the Lord (is) with the God of love. And the money-lord that enters into the house of God, is constantly seeking to enter inside. And those people who were changing money or selling things, they were renting their places, right? – from the priests… the priests were renting out those places and then received money. This is the lord that can ruin our life and can lead us to end our life in a bad way, without happiness, without the joy of serving the true Lord who is the only one capable of giving us that true joy.”

Noting it’s a personal choice, Pope Francis then asked his listeners: “How is your attachment to money?  Are you attached to money?”
 

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http://www.catholicregister.org/faith/item/23634-pope-tells-bishops-to-have-compassion-on-those-with-failed-marriages

Pope tells bishops to have compassion on those with failed marriages
By  Elise Harris, CNA/EWTN News
November 18, 2016

VATICAN CITY - On Friday Pope Francis stopped by a formation course for bishops on the new marriage nullity process, telling attendees that as bishops, and now as local judges in annulment cases, they must pursue the truth, but never exclude those whose marriages have failed.
 
The Church, “who is embodied in the sad stories and sufferings of the people,” bends down to the poor “and to those who are far away from the ecclesial community or consider themselves outside of it due to their marital failure,” the Pope said Nov. 18.

Despite whatever distance couples who find themselves in this situation might feel, “they are and remain incorporated in Christ in virtue of their baptism,” Francis said.

He stressed that the Church has always had the attitude of a mother “who welcomes and loves, following the example of Jesus the Good Samaritan.” Because of this, it is the responsibility of bishops to never “consider them strangers to the Body of Christ, which is the Church.”

Pope Francis spoke to bishops currently in Rome to participate in a Nov. 17-19 formation course on the new, streamlined annulment process rolled out last year.

He reformed the process for the causes of marriage nullity in December 2015, giving the possibility of a stronger role to local bishops, among other things.

According to the new norms, the bishop may act as a judge in cases of nullity, and can use a swifter process than is typical when nullity is “sustained by particularly evident arguments.”
 

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http://www.catholicherald.co.uk/news/2016/11/18/pope-criticises-legalism-after-cardinals-request-for-clarification/

Pope criticises ‘legalism’ after cardinals’ request for clarification
posted Friday, 18 Nov 2016

The debate over Amoris Laetitia has intensified, after Pope Francis suggested that some responses do not understand the document.

In an interview with the Italian newspaper Avvenire, partially translated by La Stampa, the Pope criticised “a certain legalism.” He said that responses to Amoris Laetitia exemplified this, and that some people thought issues were “black and white, even though it is in the course of life that we are called to discern”.
 
It comes after four senior cardinals asked the Pope to clarify Amoris Laetitia. In a letter to the Pope, Cardinals Raymond Burke, Carlo Caffarra, Walter Brandmüller and Joachim Meisner submitted five “dubia” – a traditional way of asking for clarification.

The cardinals asked the Pope whether certain Church teachings about Communion and the moral law, which Amoris Laetitia discusses ambiguously, are still valid.

These included the doctrine that the divorced and remarried cannot receive Communion unless living as brother and sister, and the doctrine that some acts are intrinsically wrong.

The submission of “dubia” invites a yes-or-no answer. In this case, it was a question of whether the Pope thought some teachings, especially Catholic doctrine on the moral law, should still be regarded as true.

The letter was sent in September, but the Pope has not replied. The cardinals said they took this as an invitation to publish the letter and let the debate continue in public.

In an interview with the Vatican journalist Edward Pentin, Cardinal Burke said that if the Pope remained silent, it might be necessary to issue a “formal act of correction of a serious error”.

Pentin told EWTN yesterday: “I do understand, from sources within [the Pope’s residence] Santa Marta, that the Pope is not happy at all, that he’s quite at his…boiling with rage.” Fr Antonio Spadaro, an associate of the Pope, has dismissed these reports.

This weekend, the Pope will officially appoint new cardinals at a meeting known as a consistory. However, he has cancelled the usual pre-consistory session where cardinals raise issues of concern. No reason has been given, but there is speculation that other cardinals might have wanted to ask about the dubia.

Cardinal-designate Joseph Tobin, who will be created a cardinal at the consistory, told the Tablet that he thought the four cardinals’ letter was “at best naive”.

Meanwhile, two American archbishops have clashed over implementation of Amoris Laetitia.
 

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https://www.lifesitenews.com/news/breaking-pope-francis-blasts-legalism-of-amoris-laetitia-critics3

Fri Nov 18, 2016 - 9:31 am EST
BREAKING: In wake of 4 Cardinals letter, Pope Francis rebukes ‘legalism’ of Amoris Laetitia critics

November 18, 2016 (LifeSiteNews) – Pope Francis has criticized the "legalism" of Catholics raising concern about his apostolic exhortation Amoris Laetitia mere days after four cardinals went public with their request that he clarify it.

“Some, as with certain responses to Amoris Laetitia, persist in seeing only white or black, when rather one ought to discern in the flow of life," Pope Francis said in an interview with Avvenire. "But these critiques – if they’re not from an evil spirit – do help. Some types of rigorism spring from the desire to hide one’s own dissatisfaction under armour."
 
https://zenit.org/articles/pope-grants-interview-to-italian-catholic-daily-avvenire/
Pope Grants Interview to Italian Catholic Daily ‘Avvenire’ 
In a Long Interview with Stefania Falasca, Francis Evaluates the Jubilee and Explains Why Christian Unity Is Necessary in a World Lacerated by Conflicts
November 18, 2016

http://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/close-of-jubilee-at-heart-of-new-papal-interview-51538/
In new interview, Pope reflects on close of Jubilee

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http://www.archindy.org/criterion/national/11-15-consistory.html

November 15, 2016
New cardinals, old traditions at play for Nov. 19 consistory

VATICAN CITY (CNS)—In a rather simple prayer service on Nov. 19, Pope Francis will create 17 new cardinals and symbolically bind them to ancient church traditions.

In the months following the consistory—as any gathering of cardinals is called—the new cardinals under the age of 80 will be named members of various Vatican congregations, councils, dicasteries and offices. For most of the cardinals, the memberships, while not involving a permanent move to Rome, will be the most regular exercise of their new ministry as advisers to the pope.

The most serious responsibility that cardinals have is the solemn obligation to gather in a conclave to elect a new pope. That right is reserved to cardinals under the age of 80.

Three U.S. citizens are among the new cardinals. They are: Cardinal-designate Joseph W. Tobin, who recently was transferred from Indianapolis to Newark, N.J.; Cardinal-designate Blase J. Cupich of Chicago; and Cardinal-designate Kevin J. Farrell, prefect of the new Vatican office for laity, family and life.

At the consistory for creating new cardinals, Pope Francis will give each of the 17 a scroll with the “title” to a church or parish in Rome. As the “titular cardinal” of the church, a cardinal from anywhere in the world becomes a special member of the clergy of Rome. The practice echoes the ancient tradition of the Roman clergy electing their bishop, the pope.
 

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http://en.radiovaticana.va/news/2016/11/19/pope_francis_to_new_cardinals_be_living_signs_of_mercy/1273425

Pope Francis to new Cardinals: be living signs of mercy
19/11/2016 13:33

(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis created 17 new Cardinals on Saturday in St. Peter’s Basilica, during an Ordinary Public Consistory he had convoked for that purpose: 13 Cardinal-electors, and four Cardinals above the age of 80, who received the “Red Hat” in recognition of their exemplary service to the Church and witness to the Gospel.

The 13 Cardinal-electors are:
Mario Zenari, who remains the Apostolic Nuncio of the beloved and martyred Syria (Italy)
Dieudonné Nzapalainga, cssp., of Bangui (Central African Republic)
Carlos Osoro Sierra of Madrid (Spain)
Sérgio da Rocha of Brasilia (Brazil)
Blase J. Cupich of Chicago (USA)
Patrick D’Rozario, csc, of Dhaka (Bangladesh)
Baltazar Enrique Porras Cardozo of Mérida (Venezuela)
Jozef De Kesel of Malines-Bruxelles (Belgium)
Bishop Maurice Piat, cssp., of Port Louis (Mauritius)
Kevin Joseph Farrell, Prefect of the Dicastery for Laity, Family, and Life (USA)
Carlos Aguiar Retes, Archbishop of Tlalnepantla (Mexico)
John Ribat, msc, Archbishop of Port Moresby (Papua New Guinea)
Joseph William Tobin, cssr, Archbishop of Indianapolis (USA). [On November 7h, 2016 the Holy Father Francis appointed him as Archbishop of Newark, USA]

The four Cardinals above the age of 80 years are:
Anthony Soter Fernandez, Archbishop emeritus of Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia)
Renato Corti, Bishop emeritus of Novara (Italy)
Sebastian Koto Khoarai, OMI, Bishop emeritus of Mohale’s Hoek (Lesotho) – who did not make the trip to Rome due to his advanced age and infirmity, and who shall receive the insignia of his new office by Papal emissary
Ernest Simoni, Presbyter of the Archdiocese of Shkodrë-Pult (Shkodër – Albania)
 

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http://www.news.va/en/news/full-text-of-pope-francis-homily-for-the-consistor

Full text of Pope Francis' homily for the Consistory
2016-11-19 Vatican Radio

(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis, in his homily at the Consistory which took place in St Peter’s Basilica on Saturday, reflected on the Lord’s “Sermon on the Plain,” found in the Gospel of St Luke.

The Holy Father said that, by taking the Apostles down from the mountaintop and setting them in the midst of the people on the plain, our Lord “shows the Apostles, and ourselves, that the true heights are reached on the plain, while the plain reminds us that the heights are found in a gaze and above all in a call: ‘Be merciful as the Father is merciful’.”

Speaking to the newly created Cardinals, Pope Francis said, “Today each of you, dear brothers, is asked to cherish in your own heart, and in the heart, this summons to be merciful like the Father.”

Read the full text of the Pope’s homily, as prepared:
 
http://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/pope-warns-new-cardinals-against-falling-into-polemics-division-62090/
Pope warns new cardinals against falling into polemics, division

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V4GRQoZfUJk
Consistory for the creation of new cardinals

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Direct links are provided for the listed information--

http://saltandlighttv.org/blogfeed/getpost.php?id=72852

Up-to-date Information and Statistics on the College of Cardinals
Salt and Light Media
November 19, 2016

This information is provided courtesy of the Holy See Press Office.

List of Cardinals in alphabetical order.

List of Cardinals in order of Age.

List of Cardinals according to Nations and in order of Age.

Graph: Distribution of Cardinal electors and non-electors.

Graph: Distribution of Cardinals according to role.

Composition of Cardinals according to geographical region.

Graph: Distribution of Cardinals according to geographical region.

Cardinals and their titular Churches (see below.)
 

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http://en.radiovaticana.va/news/2016/11/19/pope,_new_cardinals_visit_pope-emeritus_benedict_xvi/1273450
Pope, new Cardinals visit Pope-Emeritus Benedict XVI
19/11/2016 15:00

Pope Francis stands next Pope-Emeritus Benedict XVI to introduce him the new cardinals following the consistory ceremony in St. Peter's Basilica

http://www.lastampa.it/2016/11/19/vaticaninsider/eng/the-vatican/pope-and-new-cardinals-pay-ratzinger-a-visit-after-the-consistory-NVwrt9PaWK7xs9ioVUL37I/pagina.html?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter

Pope and new cardinals pay Ratzinger a visit after the Consistory
Pubblicato il  19/11/2016
domenico agasso jr
vatican city
 
There was hugging galore during the visit which Francis and newly-created cardinals paid Pope Emeritus, Benedict XVI, today. After Pope Francis’ third Consistory for the creation of new cardinals , the Pope and the new cardinals boarded two minibuses and headed towards the Mater Ecclesiae monastery where the Pope Emeritus lives.

The visit began with a warm and powerful embrace between Francis and Benedict XVI in the presence of the new cardinals. The Pope was greeted by the Prefect of the Papal Household, Mgr. Georg Ganswein, in the courtyard of the Mater Ecclesiae monastery, while Francis’ predecessor, Benedict XVI, waited in the chapel.

After the affectionate embrace between the two popes, Ratzinger hugged each of the 16 new cardinals present. 

Jorge Mario Bergoglio and Benedict XVI stood side by side at the centre of the chapel: After Francis gave a nod of approval, the Pope Emeritus led a prayer and imparted his blessing to the 16 cardinals present. 

Benedict XVI appeared thinner but smiley and very much involved. 

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http://en.radiovaticana.va/news/2016/11/20/pope_francis_on_jubilee_close_become_instruments_of_mercy/1273637

Pope Francis on Jubilee close: become instruments of mercy
20/11/2016 14:22

(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis celebrated Mass on Sunday in St. Peter’s Square, on the Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ King of the Universe, and the conclusion of the Extraordinary Jubilee Year of Mercy.

The liturgy began with the Holy Father closing the Holy Door in St. Peter’s Basilica, through which pilgrims passed during the course of the Jubilee as a sign of penance and devotion.

In his homily, Pope Francis said, “[E]ven if the Holy Door closes, the true door of mercy which is the heart of Christ always remains open wide for us.”

The kingship of Christ in its cosmic, social, and personal dimensions was the main focus of the Holy Father’s remarks to the faithful.

“[T]he grandeur of [Christ’s] kingdom is not power as defined by this world, but the love of God, a love capable of encountering and healing all things,” said Pope Francis. “Christ lowered himself to us out of this love, he lived our human misery, he suffered the lowest point of our human condition: injustice, betrayal, abandonment; he experienced death, the tomb, hell.”

“And so,” the Pope went on to say, “our King went to the ends of the universe in order to embrace and save every living being.  He did not condemn us, nor did he conquer us, and he never disregarded our freedom, but he paved the way with a humble love that forgives all things, hopes all things, sustains all things (cf. 1 Cor 13:7).”

“This love alone,” Pope Francis said, “overcame and continues to overcome our worst enemies: sin, death, fear.”

Following the conclusion of the Mass, the Holy Father signed the Apostolic Letter Misecordia et misera, addressed to the whole Church, which is to be published Monday as a concluding reflection on the Year of Mercy.
 

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https://twitter.com/CatholicNewsSvc?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor
Catholic News Svc Retweeted
Cindy Wooden ‏@Cindy_Wooden  · 13h  13 hours ago 
#PopeFrancis: The church is "radiant when it is welcoming, free, faithful, poor in means but rich in love & on mission."


http://en.radiovaticana.va/news/2016/11/20/pope_full_text_of_homily_for_solemnity_of_christ_the_king/1273568
Pope: Full text of homily for Solemnity of Christ the King
20/11/2016 10:30

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-jrIGHvUtLA
Holy Mass closing the Jubilee of Mercy

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https://twitter.com/CatholicNewsSvc?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor
Catholic News Svc ‏@CatholicNewsSvc  · 13h  13 hours ago   Vatican City   
#PopeFrancis signs apostolic letter, "Misericordia et Misera," and gives first copy to @CardinalChito


https://zenit.org/articles/during-angelus-pope-gives-thanks-for-jubilee/
During Angelus, Pope Gives Thanks for Jubilee; Signs Apostolic Letter 
November 20, 2016

Pope Francis has given thanks for the Extraordinary Jubilee of Mercy, Dec. 8, 2015-Nov. 20, 2016, which concluded this morning, including to those who have spiritually contributed.

Francis did this during his Angelus address to some 70,000 pilgrims present in St. Peter’s Square who were present for the Mass, with the new cardinals, the College of Cardinals, religious and faithful, officially closing the Holy Year. At the beginning of the Mass, the Supreme Pontiff led the Rite of closing of the Holy Door of St. Peter’s Basilica.

Before the midday prayer, the Pope said, ‘We give God praise and thanksgiving for the gift that the Holy Year of Mercy has been for the Church and for so many people of good will.’ Remembering those who contributed spiritually to the Holy Year, the Pope noted, “I think of many elderly and sick people, who prayed incessantly, even offering their sufferings for the Jubilee.”
 
After the Angelus, Pope Francis signed Misericordia et misera, his Apostolic letter to mark the end of the Jubilee Year, which will be published and presented tomorrow.
 
https://zenit.org/articles/popes-angelus-address-at-closure-of-jubilee-year-of-mercy/
ANGELUS ADDRESS at Closure of Jubilee Year of Mercy
November 20, 2016

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https://cruxnow.com/vatican/2016/11/20/pope-francis-calls-abortion-horrendous-crime-grave-sin/

Pope Francis calls abortion ‘horrendous crime’ and ‘very grave sin’
Inés San Martín   November 20, 2016

ROME - Often faulted by critics as not being sufficiently clear when it comes to the Church’s negative judgment on abortion, Pope Francis on Sunday couldn’t have been more firm in calling it a “very grave sin” and a “horrendous crime.”

“I was thinking on the attitude of sending the kids back before they’re born, this horrendous crime, they send them back because it’s better like that, because it’s more comfortable, it’s a great responsibility- a very grave sin,” Francis said.

The comments came in an interview with the Italian Catholic media outlets TV2000 and Blu Radio, released on Sunday after the closing of the Jubilee Year of Mercy.

His words came as he was remembering two moments of the Holy Year which he found to be particularly memorable, asked specifically about the 12 “Fridays of Mercy.”
 
https://cnstopstories.com/2016/11/20/year-of-mercy-affirmed-dignity-sacredness-of-human-life-pope-says/
Year of Mercy affirmed dignity, sacredness of human life, pope says
Posted on November 20, 2016
By Cindy Wooden Catholic News Service

VATICAN CITY (CNS) — Visiting young women rescued from forced prostitution and meeting with a mother inconsolable over the loss of one of her newborn triplets are images from the Year of Mercy that Pope Francis said remain impressed on his heart.

Reviewing the Holy Year in a 40-minute interview aired Nov. 20 on TV2000, a television station owned by the Italian bishops’ conference, Pope Francis also spoke about handling stress, his upcoming 80th birthday and a sense of humor, among other topics.
 

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http://en.radiovaticana.va/news/2016/11/21/now_is_a_time_of_mercy_pope_issues_new_apostolic_letter/1273725

Now is a time of mercy: Pope issues new Apostolic Letter
21/11/2016 12:00

(Vatican Radio) Although the Extraordinary Jubilee Year has concluded, we are still living in a “time of mercy.” That was the message of Pope Francis in a lengthy Apostolic Letter, entitled Misericordia et misera, (“Mercy and Misery”), issued on Monday following the close of the Year of Mercy.

The title refers to the encounter between Jesus and the woman caught in adultery, from the eighth chapter of the Gospel of Saint John. In his commentary on the Gospel, St Augustine said of that encounter, “The two of them” – Jesus and the woman – “remained alone: mercy with misery.” The teaching of this Gospel, the Pope said, “serves not only to throw light on the conclusion of the Extraordinary Jubilee of Mercy, but also to point out the path that we are called to follow in the future.”

In light of the “great graces of mercy” we have received during the Jubilee, our first response is to give thanks to the Lord for His gifts. But in going forward, we must also continue to celebrate mercy, especially in the liturgical celebrations of the Church, including in the Sacrifice of the Mass, and in the other Sacraments, especially in Reconciliation and in Anointing of the Sick, the two “sacraments of healing.”

Pope Francis proposed a number of ideas to continue the celebration of mercy, including an annual day dedicated to making the Scriptures better known and more widely diffused. He also called on the faithful to restore the Sacrament of Reconciliation to a “central place in Christian life.”

The Holy Father also extended a number of initiatives already begun in the Holy Year, asking the Missionaries of Mercy to continue their ministry, and extending indefinitely the faculties of priests of the Society of St Pius X to hear confessions and grant absolution. Pope Francis also extended the faculties of all priests to absolve the sin of procured abortion. “I want to insist as firmly as I can that abortion is a grave sin,” the Pope said, “because it puts an end to an innocent life.” But, he continued, “I can and I must state that there is no sin that God’s mercy cannot reach and wipe away when it finds a repentant heart seeking to be reconciled with the Father.”
 
As a final initiative for the future, Pope Francis asked the whole Church to celebrate, on the second to last Sunday of the liturgical year, the World Day of the Poor. This Day, he said, “will also represent a genuine form of new evangelization (cf. Mt 11:5) which can renew the face of the Church as she perseveres in her perennial activity of pastoral conversion and witness to mercy.”

Read the full text of Pope Francis' Apostolic Letter Misericordia et misera.

http://w2.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/apost_letters/documents/papa-francesco-lettera-ap_20161120_misericordia-et-misera.html

FRANCIS

TO ALL WHO READ THIS APOSTOLIC LETTER
MERCY AND PEACE

MISERICORDIA ET MISERA is a phrase used by Saint Augustine in recounting the story of Jesus’ meeting with the woman taken in adultery (cf. Jn 8:1-11). It would be difficult to imagine a more beautiful or apt way of expressing the mystery of God’s love when it touches the sinner: “the two of them alone remained: mercy with misery”.[1] What great mercy and divine justice shine forth in this narrative! Its teaching serves not only to throw light on the conclusion of the Extraordinary Jubilee of Mercy, but also to point out the path that we are called to follow in the future.
 

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http://www.news.va/en/news/pope-death-is-not-to-be-feared-if-were-faithful-to

Pope: Death is not to be feared if we’re faithful to God
2016-11-22 Vatican Radio

(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis said death is not to be feared if we are faithful to the Lord but warned against being trapped into basing our lives around superficial things that are not transcendent as though we never had to die. He was speaking at his Mass celebrated on Tuesday morning in the chapel of the Santa Marta residence.

Taking his cue from the day’s reading from the book of Revelation, the Pope’s homily focused on the reality of how all of us will face Jesus on the day of judgement. He said a call from the Lord to think about the end of our lives, the end for each of us because all of us will die, comes as the Church heads into the final week of the Liturgical Year. Pope Francis acknowledged that we do not like to think of these things but said this is the reality facing all of us. He then disclosed that he keeps a diary where he writes down when a person dies and each day “I see that anniversary” and I see how time has passed. The Pope said this makes us think about what we’ll leave behind and what will be the trace of our lives and what will be the judgement for each one of us.

“We’d do well to think: ‘But what will the day be like when I will be in front of Jesus? When He asks me about the talents that he gave me, what use I made of them, when He will ask me: how was my heart when the seed was dropped, like a path or like thorns: that Parable of the Kingdom of God. How did I receive His Word? With an open heart?  Did I make it germinate for the good of all or in secret?”
 

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http://www.news.va/en/news/pope-continues-catechesis-on-works-of-mercy

Pope continues catechesis on works of mercy
2016-11-23 Vatican Radio

(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis focused on two more of the Spiritual Works of Mercy at his General Audience on Wednesday: “Counseling the Doubtful” and “Instructing the Ignorant”.

Both of these Works can be lived out both individually and in a more organized manner, the Pope said. Instructing the ignorant especially can be the focus of more institutional efforts, as seen by the work of so many sainted men and women throughout the ages. “These ‘pioneers of instruction’,” Pope Francis continued, “fully understood this work of mercy, and found a way of life that was able to transform society itself.” Pope Francis also noted the importance of vocational schools that focus on professional training, without neglecting the importance of teaching students human and Christian values.

Counseling the doubtful, on the other hand, is not so much a question of imparting knowledge, but of “soothing the pain and suffering that comes from the fear and anguish that are the consequences of doubt.” The Pope explained that this work of mercy is “an act of love” that aims at supporting people who are suffering from uncertainty.
 
https://zenit.org/articles/general-audience-on-education/
GENERAL AUDIENCE: On Education 
These are doubts that make one grow! Therefore, it is good that we ask ourselves questions about the faith, because in this way we are pushed to deepen it. In any case, doubts can be overcome.’
November 23, 2016

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FS0C4C7UmqQ
General Audience

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http://www.news.va/en/news/pope-meets-with-irans-islamic-culture-and-relation

Pope meets with Iran's Islamic Culture and Relations group
2016-11-23 Vatican Radio

(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis met in the Vatican on Wednesday with participants at a Colloquium organised by the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue and the Islamic Culture and Relations Organisation from Teheran.

In brief words of greeting to the group, the Pope said he greatly appreciated the presence of those who had travelled from Iran to attend the meeting. He recalled with joy his meeting last January with Iranian President Hassan Rouhani, as well as an encounter he had with the country’s vice president for women and family affairs, Shahindokht Mowlaverdi, who visited the Vatican with a group of female professors in February 2015. That visit, he said left him with a very positive impression of Iranian culture.
 

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http://en.radiovaticana.va/news/2016/11/23/pope_meets_vietnamese_president_in_private_audience/1274359

Pope meets Vietnamese president in private audience
23/11/2016 18:55

(Vatican Radio)  Pope Francis met with the President of Vietnam, Tran Dai Quang, in a private audience on Wednesday.

A statement from the Holy See Press Office said, "During the cordial meeting, the good relations between the Holy See and Vietnam were recalled, which are sustained by a common spirit of dialogue and the constant search for the correct instruments so that they may progress." The statement said the collaboration between the Church and the Vietnamese State was also highlighted.

President Tran Dai Quang presented Pope Francis with a small drum with a bronze base, while the Holy Father gave him a medal of his pontificate and copies of Evangelii gaudium, Amoris laetitia, and Laudato si'.
 

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http://www.news.va/en/news/pope-francis-gives-patriarch-kirill-birthday-gift

Pope Francis gives Patriarch Kirill birthday gift of relic
2016-11-23 Vatican Radio

(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis has given Patriarch Kirill of Moscow a relic of St. Francis of Assisi, to mark the Russian Orthodox leader’s 70th birthday.

The President of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity, Cardinal Kurt Koch, conveyed the present to Patriarch Kirill at an audience granted him at the Patriarchal residence on Tuesday.

A statement from the Moscow Patriarchate on the meeting is below
 

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http://www.news.va/en/news/synod-2018-organisers-meet-in-rome

Synod 2018 organisers meet in Rome
2016-11-23 Vatican Radio

(Vatican Radio) The Ordinary Council of the Synod of Bishops held a two-day meeting in Rome on Monday and Tuesday of this week, to continue preparations for the next Ordinary Assembly of the Synod of Bishops, which is scheduled to take place in October, 2018.

Participants will gather at the Vatican for three weeks to debate Youth, Faith and Vocational Discernment, in order to “accompany young people on their way of life towards maturity so that, through a process of discernment, they can discover their life project and realize it with joy, opening the encounter with God and with men, and actively participating in the building up of the Church and society.”
 
http://press.vatican.va/content/salastampa/en/bollettino/pubblico/2016/11/23/161123d.html

Second meeting of the Fourteenth Ordinary Council of the Secretariat General of the Synod of Bishops, 23.11.2016

On the days 21 to 22 November 2016 the second meeting of the Fourteenth Ordinary Council of the Secretariat General of the Synod of Bishops was held, at which the Holy Father Francis presided.

The works began with an address by the Secretary General, Cardinal Lorenzo Baldisseri. In his greetings he thanked the Holy Father for his presence and took the opportunity to convey his wishes to the new cardinals present at the meeting. Indeed, among the members of the Council, their Eminences Sérgio Da Rocha and Carlos Osoro Sierra were created cardinals. Furthermore, the prefects of three dicasteries of the Roman Curia were invited to attend the meeting on account of their competence regarding the issue synodal matters: Cardinal João Braz de Aviz, prefect of the Congregation for the Institutes of Consecrated Life and the Societies of Apostolic Life; Cardinal Beniamino Stella, prefect of the Congregation for the Clergy; and Cardinal Kevin Farrell, prefect of the Dicastery for the Laity, Family and Life.

This was followed by an examination of the Preparatory Document for the Fifteenth Ordinary General Assembly, drafted by the Secretariat General with the assistance of experts in synod matters: The young, faith and vocational discernment. In this regard the Members of the Council expressed their appreciation for the document plan and offered their suggestions to improve it.