Pope Francis

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http://en.radiovaticana.va/news/2017/01/12/pope_francis_make_the_most_of_each_day/1285261

Pope Francis: make the most of each day
12/01/2017 14:38

(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis celebrated Mass in the chapel of the Casa Santa Marta on Thursday morning. In remarks to the faithful following the readings of the day, the Holy Father reflected on the unique and unrepeatable opportunities each day offers to  grow in faith and love of God.

The day in which we have received God's love

Pope Francis took as the focal point of his reflections the text from Psalm 95, which the author of the Letter to the Hebrews took up in the 3rd chapter, a portion of which was read at Mass. There is “only one ‘today’, in our lives,” – only one real, concrete today. Our temptation and everyone’s temptation is to say: “Yes, I will do tomorrow,” though this is the temptation of a “‘tomorrow’ there will not be,” as Jesus says in the parable of the ten virgins – the five foolish ones who had not taken oil with them along with their lamps, then find the door locked when they go to buy it. Francis also referred to the parable of the man who knocks on the door saying to the Lord, “I ate with you, I was with you,” and hear him respond, “I do not know you, you came late.”:

“I say this not to scare you, but simply to say that our life is today: now or never. I think of this: tomorrow will be the eternal tomorrow that never sets, with the Lord forever – if I am true to this day; and the question that I put to you is the same the Holy Spirit is putting to all of us, i.e. ‘How ought I to live, this day?”
 

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http://www.news.va/en/news/mcdonalds-vatican-branch-to-offer-meals-to-the-hom

McDonald's Vatican branch to offer meals to the homeless
2017-01-12 Vatican Radio

(Vatican Radio) The controversial McDonald’s fast-food restaurant that has just opened only steps away from St. Peter’s Basilica and Vatican City State is to provide thousands of free meals to homeless people in the area.

The restaurant was opened at the beginning of the year after months of protest from locals and prelates who deemed it inappropriate for the unique historical setting of the building it is housed in, with a prime view on the Vatican’s Saint Anne Gate.
   
But a collaboration between the Borgo Pio branch of McDonald's and a local charity organization called ‘Medicina Sociale’ has yielded a fruitful agreement that promises to hand out over 1000 McDonald’s meals to homeless persons every Monday at lunchtime starting from January 16th.

The special “McVatican” - as the outlet has immediately been nicknamed - lunch boxes will include a double cheeseburger, fresh apple slices and a bottle of mineral water.

Lucia Ercoli, director of the charity organization, said she was "very satisfied with this agreement with McDonald's" and pointed out that the fast-food chain responded "promptly" to their request.
 

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http://www.news.va/en/news/pope-francis-get-moving-if-you-want-to-follow-jesu

Pope Francis: Get moving if you want to follow Jesus
2017-01-13 Vatican Radio

(Vatican Radio)  During his homily on Friday morning in the Chapel of Santa Marta, Pope Francis said that authentic faith must be ready to take risks and that real hope is the reward.

Commenting on the Gospel account of the paralytic who is lowered from the roof of the house where Jesus is teaching, the Pope said people follow Jesus out of self interest or because they are looking for a comforting word. Even if no intention is totally pure or perfect, he said, the important thing is to follow Jesus. People were drawn to Him because of the “things He said and the way he said them. They understood Him. He healed them and many people followed Him to be healed”. There were times, said Pope Francis, when Jesus admonished people who were more interested in their own well-being than in the Word of God.

Don’t be Christians to look at life from the balcony and judge others

There were other times, continued the Pope, when people wanted to make Jesus King, thinking He was “the perfect politician!”. But they were wrong and Jesus “went away and hid”. Even so, the Lord let anyone follow Him because He knew that we are all sinners. The bigger problem, confirmed the Pope, “was not with those who followed Jesus”, but with those who stayed where they were.
 

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http://www.news.va/en/news/pope-greets-italian-police-who-protect-the-vatican

Pope greets Italian police who protect the Vatican
2017-01-13 Vatican Radio

(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis greeted the members of the General Inspectorate for Public Security at the Vatican of the Italian State Police (Polizia di Stato) in a traditional new year meeting on Friday. Although Vatican City State has its own police force – the Vatican Gendarmerie Corps –  this force cooperates closely with its Italian counterparts, and the Italian police help patrol St. Peter’s Square.

In his address, Francis expressed his gratitude to all of them for their generous service, not without difficulties and risks. “I know that you run risks”, he said. “You are, in a certain sense, the ‘guardian angels’ of St. Peter’s Square. Indeed, every day you keep watch over this peculiar centre of Christianity, and other relevant areas of the Vatican, with great care, professionalism and a sense of duty. And especially in these recent times, you have shown competence and courage in facing the many challenges and various dangers, working with generosity in the prevention of crimes. In this way you have ensured safe access for pilgrims to the Basilica and to meetings with Peter’s Successor. For all this I thank you. I thank you: they are not merely words, these, they come from the heart. Thank you! I know the hardships of your work and the sacrifices that you must make every day. Know that I appreciate you greatly and often think with sincere gratitude of you and your valuable work”.
 

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http://www.news.va/en/news/pope-writes-to-young-people-ahead-of-synod-on-voca

Pope writes to young people ahead of Synod on Vocational Discernment
2017-01-13 Vatican Radio

(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis has written a letter to young people as the Church prepares for a Synod of Bishops on the theme: “Young People, the Faith and Vocational Discernment”.

The Pope’s letter was published on Friday ahead of a press conference at the Holy See Press Office to present the preparatory document for the Synod which will take place in October 2018.

Please find below the text of the letter: 

My Dear Young People,
     
I am pleased to announce that in October 2018 a Synod of Bishops will take place to treat the topic: “Young People, the Faith and Vocational Discernment.” I wanted you to be the centre of attention, because you are in my heart. Today, the Preparatory Document is being presented, a document which I am also entrusting to you as your “compass” on this synodal journey
 

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http://en.radiovaticana.va/news/2017/01/13/youth_voices_to_be_heard_in_synods_preparatory_process/1285549

Young people's voices to be heard in Synod preparatory process
13/01/2017 16:09

(Vatican Radio) The Vatican on Friday announced preparations for a Synod of Bishops on the theme of young people, as Pope Francis published a personal letter addressed to the youth of the world. In October 2018 bishops from across the globe will come to Rome for the 15th Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops, focused on “Young People, the Faith and Vocational Discernment”.

In the Vatican press office, a young Cape Verdean man and a young Italian woman joined Cardinal Lorenzo Baldisseri and Bishop Fabio Fabene to present the Synod’s preparatory document and to discuss their hopes and expectations for the event.

24 year old Federica and 21 year old Elvis, both students at Rome’s Sapienza University, spoke clearly about their desire to be part of the process of building “a younger, fresher Church”. A Church which is less rigid, more welcoming, and open to discussions, debates and encounters. They want Church leaders who are willing to spend time listening to the experiences of young people, making them “privileged interlocutors” of a Church which is open and engaged in dialogue with the young generations.
 
Listen, discern, act

The preparatory document therefore urges bishops to begin by listening to the concrete challenges facing young men and women today, especially through unemployment and insecurity, corruption, addictions, exclusion or discrimination.  The second part of the 23 page text calls for a careful process of discernment, guided by the Spirit, to help young people mature and make the right life choices. The third part focuses on the pastoral activity of the Church, identifying the people (parents, priests, religious, teachers, the whole Christian community) and the places (such as schools, universities, parishes, volunteering or social centres, the internet) that can offer vital support for those in their formative years.

Website for youth participation

Finally, the preparatory document follows in the footsteps of the previous Synods on the Family by providing Church leaders with a questionnaire to gather statistics and to try and find out what young Catholics really think and want from their Church. Alongside 15 generic points, there are also more specific questions focused on the different continents. And perhaps most significantly of all, the real novelty of this upcoming Synod is a website, to be launched in March, which will question young people directly about their own expectations, feeding the answers into the working document for the bishops gathered in Rome in October 2018.
 

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http://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/youth-to-be-protagonists-in-upcoming-2018-synod-91436/

Youth to be protagonists in upcoming synod of bishops

Vatican City, Jan 13, 2017 / 06:33 am (CNA/EWTN News).- With the 2014-2015 Synod of Bishops on the Family barely falling out of sight, the preparatory document for the next synod dedicated to youth has been released, indicating that young people will play an active role in both the preparation and the discussion.

“Through every phase of this Synod, the Church wants again to state her desire to encounter, accompany and care for every young person, without exception,” a preparatory document for the 2018 synod read.

“The Church cannot, nor does she wish to, abandon them to the isolation and exclusion to which the world exposes them.”

The theme for the 2018 50th General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops, “Young People, the Faith and the Discernment of Vocation,” was announced Oct. 6, 2016.

According to the document, in choosing this specific theme, the Church wanted to not only ask herself “how she can lead young people to recognize and accept the call to the fullness of life and love,” but also “to ask young people to help her in identifying the most effective ways to announce the Good News today.”
 

The preparatory document --   

http://press.vatican.va/content/salastampa/it/bollettino/pubblico/2017/01/13/0021/00050.html#EN

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http://www.catholicnews.com/services/englishnews/2017/cardinal-dolan-has-a-minute-to-read-from-book-of-wisdom-at-inauguration.cfm

Cardinal Dolan has a minute to read from Book of Wisdom at inauguration
By Dennis Sadowski Catholic News Service
1.12.2017 2:42 PM ET

CNS photo/Bob Roller

WASHINGTON (CNS) -- New York Cardinal Timothy M. Dolan said the Scripture passage he chose to read at the Jan. 20 inauguration of Donald J. Trump as president -- Wisdom chapter 9 in which King Solomon prays for wisdom to lead Israel according to God's will -- was an easy one to make.

"I pray it all the time," he told Catholic News Service and joked that "the Lord still hasn't answered the prayer."

Jokes aside, Cardinal Dolan said that Solomon's prayer has been one offered to God for centuries.

In the prayer, Solomon acknowledges that God made humankind "to govern the world in holiness and righteousness and to render judgment in integrity of heart." The king continues by asking God for wisdom, "the consort at your throne, and do not reject me from among your children."

Solomon also pleads with God to send wisdom "that she may be with me and work with me, that I may know what is pleasing to you." He asks that his "deeds will be acceptable and I will judge your people justly and be worthy of my father's throne."

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http://www.news.va/en/news/pope-francis-meets-with-palestinian-president-mahm

Pope Francis meets with Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas
2017-01-14 Vatican Radio

(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis met Saturday morning with Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas at the Vatican. Following the audience, the Holy See Press Office issued the following press release:

This morning the Holy Father Francis received in audience His Excellency Mr. Mahmoud Abbas, president of the State of Palestine, who subsequently met with His Eminence Cardinal Secretary of State Pietro Parolin, accompanied by His Excellency Archbishop Paul Richard Gallagher, secretary for Relations with States.

During the cordial discussions, the parties evoked the existing good relations between the Holy See and Palestine, sealed by the Global Agreement of 2015, which regards essential aspects of the life and activity of the Church in Palestinian society. In this context, mention was made of the important contribution of Catholics to favouring the promotion of human dignity and assistance for those most in need, especially in the fields of education, health and aid.
 

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http://www.news.va/en/news/pope-francis-address-to-global-foundation-roundtab

Pope Francis: address to Global Foundation roundtable
2017-01-14 Vatican Radio

(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis received participants in the Roman Roundtable of the Global Foundation on Saturday.

Based in Melbourne, Australia, the Global Foundation is a worldwide network of concerned citizen-leaders in areas of commerce, industry, law, policy and intellectual endeavour, who seek to enable people from many walks of life to meet and work together in addressing the principal challenges of this moment in history.

The “Rome Roundtable” brought 50 invited participants and a number of observers from the business and investment community, religious leaders, civic insstitutions, academia and civil society, to Rome for a two-day meeting January 13th and 14th, to measure progress and report on the concrete actions taken on global economic, social and environmental matters, such as the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals.

Below, please find the full text of Pope Francis’ prepared remarks to the participants, in their official English translation
 

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http://www.americamagazine.org/content/dispatches/pope-appoints-cardinal-omalley-member-congregation-doctrine-faith

Pope Appoints Cardinal O’Malley as Member of Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith
Jan 14 2017 - 9:38am

Boston Cardinal Sean P. O'Malley speaks at a conference on Jan. 10 at The Catholic University of America in Washington. On Jan. 14, Pope Francis appointed him to the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. (CNS photo/Dana Rene Bowler, The Catholic University of America)

In a highly significant move, Pope Francis has appointed Cardinal Sean P. O’Malley as a full (board) member of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith (C.D.F.).

The Vatican made the announcement at noon on Saturday, Jan. 14, and highlighted the fact that the cardinal-archbishop of Boston also serves as president of the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors that Francis instituted in 2014.

The cardinal’s appointment as a member of the C.D.F. means there is now a direct link between the commission and C.D.F., which has the central role is dealing with all cases of the abuse of minors by clergy, as well as bishops who are negligent in their duty to protect children. It ensures that the C.D.F. and the commission will be able to work more closely together, while fully respecting their distinct and very different roles.
 

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http://www.news.va/en/news/pope-francis-at-angelus-church-called-to-proclaim

Pope Francis at Angelus: Church called to proclaim Christ
2017-01-15 Vatican Radio

(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis prayed the Angelus with pilgrims and tourists gathered in St. Peter’s Square on Sunday. In remarks ahead of the traditional prayer of Marian devotion, the Holy Father focused on the witness borne by John the Baptist to Jesus Christ.

“The Church,” said Pope Francis, “is in every age called to do that, which John the Baptist did: to show Jesus to the people, saying, “Behold the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!”
 
http://www.news.va/en/news/pope-francis-at-angelus-special-care-for-migrant-c
Pope Francis at Angelus: special care for migrant children
2017-01-15 Vatican Radio

https://zenit.org/articles/angelus-address-on-the-need-to-prepare-for-christs-coming/
Angelus Address: On the Need to Prepare for Christ’s Coming
January 15, 2017

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c9l1rrbYFc4
2017.01.15 Angelus Domini 

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http://en.radiovaticana.va/news/2017/01/15/pope_francis_visit_to_santa_maria_a_setteville_parish/1285917

Pope Francis: visit to Santa Maria a Setteville parish
15/01/2017 16:40

(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis said Mass at the Roman parish of Saint Mary in Setteville on Sunday afternoon. The Holy Father made a pastoral visit to the parish, leaving the Vatican at 3PM Rome Time, and spending the afternoon with parishioners, clergy and staff.

The visit featured  moments with the sick of the parish, including a private meeting with one of the parish curates, don Giuseppe Berardino, who suffers from ALS – with the children and young people in the parish’s catechetical programmes – with the parents fo children baptized during the course of the past year – and with parishioners who contribute to Santa Maria’s pastoral outreach initiatives.

The Holy Father spoke briefly, off the cuff, to each group, beginning with the sick and troubled of the parish. “Jesus,” said Pope Francis, “desired to be close to us also in His [own] pain, with his passion, with His [own] suffering, and Jesus is close to you.”
 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VCyGDSVmIvg
2017.01.15 Pastoral visit to the Parish of Santa Maria a Setteville

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http://www.foxnews.com/world/2017/01/14/pope-extends-overhaul-vatican-liturgy-department.html

Pope extends overhaul of Vatican's liturgy department
Published January 14, 2017

VATICAN CITY –  Pope Francis is extending his controversial overhaul of the Vatican's liturgy department, adding a host of new advisers after an initial shake-up removed some leading conservative cardinals.

The 17 new advisers named Saturday include priests, laymen and two women. The experts in liturgy and theology join 27 cardinals and bishops named as full members in October. That reshuffling removed tradition-minded cardinals Raymond Burke and George Pell from the roster, although other conservatives were kept on.

The office is responsible for ensuring Masses and other sacraments are celebrated around the world according to Vatican standards. It is headed by Guinea's conservative Cardinal Robert Sarah.
 
https://twitter.com/roccopalmo
Rocco Palmo ‏@roccopalmo  · Jan 14 

Artist Marko Rupnik SJ, fmr ICEL chief Mgr Bruce Harbert, Lay Centre's Donna Orsuto among Consultors named today to Cong for Divine Worship:
 

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https://cruxnow.com/cna/2017/01/15/siblings-arrested-cyberattack-compromised-vatican-computers/

Siblings arrested in cyberattack that compromised Vatican computers
Catholic News Agency
January 15, 2017

VATICAN CITY - Two arrests have been made in a widespread cyber-attack that compromised communications of prominent Italian institutions and individuals, including the Vatican.

Italian police have arrested Giulio Occhionero, 45, and his sister Francesca Maria Occhionero, 49. The siblings, who also work as engineers and have dual residencies in London and Rome, are accused of illegally accessing classified information, and breaching and intercepting information technology systems and data communications.

The attack reportedly hacked as many as 18,000 accounts, including computers used by Cardinal Gianfranco Ravasi at the Pontifical Council for Culture, computers at a Vatican guest house regularly used by prelates visiting Rome, and thousands of e-mail messages.

Vatican officials have not yet commented on the attack, and it is yet unknown to what extent sensitive Vatican information may have been compromised.

According to Italian authorities, the illegally accessed information was stored on servers in the United States, leading to an ongoing investigation with the assistance of the FBI’s cyberdivision.

Authorities suspect the Occhioneros may have ties to the Freemasons, because the malware used in the hack was called “Eye Pyramid,” believed to be a reference to the all-seeing eye of God, or Eye of Providence, a symbol typically associated with Freemasonry. Several of the compromised accounts belonged to Mason members.

Whether or not there are ties to the Masons, cyber security experts believe it is highly unlikely that the sibling pair acted alone.
 

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http://www.news.va/en/news/pope-francis-receives-the-president-of-republic-of

Pope Francis receives the President of Republic of Guinea
2017-01-16 Vatican Radio

(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis on Monday received in audience Prof. Alpha Condé, President of the Republic of Guinea.

The leader of the West African nation also met with the Vatican Secretary of State, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, and with the Vatican Secretary for Relations with States, Archbishop Paul Gallagher.

A Vatican press released described the colloquiums as cordial and said they highlighted the good relations that exist between the Holy See and the Republic of Guinea.

It said they focused on questions of common interest such as integral human development, care of the environment, the fight against poverty and social injustice and the development of adequate policies in regards to the phenomenon of migration.
 

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http://www.news.va/en/news/pope-christians-are-not-parked-but-rather-courageo

Pope: Christians are not 'parked' but rather courageous
2017-01-17 Vatican Radio

(Vatican Radio) Be courageous Christians, anchored in hope and capable of enduring dark moments. This was the forceful invitation of Pope Francis at the morning Mass on Tuesday at the Casa Santa Marta. Lazy Christians, on the other hand, are stationary, the Pope said, and for them, the Church is a good parking spot.

The life of a Christian is a “courageous life,” Pope Francis said in his homily, which he based on the reading from the Letter to the Hebrews. The zeal spoken of in the reading, the courage to go forward, ought to be our attitude toward life, like the attitude of those who train for victory in the arena. But the Letter also speaks of the laziness that is the opposite of courage. “Living in the fridge,” the Pope summarized, “so that everything stays the same”:
 

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http://en.radiovaticana.va/news/2017/01/17/press_release_on_the_sovereign_military_order_of_malta/1286279

Press release concerning the Sovereign Military Order of Malta
17/01/2017 13:36
 
PRESS RELEASE

In relation to the events of recent weeks concerning the Sovereign Military Order of Malta, the Holy See wishes to reiterate its support and encouragement for the commendable work that members and volunteers carry out in various parts of the world, in fulfilment of the aims of the Order: tuitio fidei (the defence of the Faith) and obsequium pauperum (service to the poor, the sick and those in greatest need).

For the support and advancement of this generous mission, the Holy See reaffirms its confidence in the five Members of the Group appointed by Pope Francis on 21 December 2016 to inform him about the present crisis of the Central Direction of the Order, and rejects, based on the documentation in its possession, any attempt to discredit these Members of the Group and their work.

The Holy See counts on the complete cooperation of all in this sensitive stage, and awaits the Report of the above-mentioned Group in order to adopt, within its area of competence, the most fitting decisions for the good of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta and of the Church.

Rome, 17 January 2017

https://cruxnow.com/vatican/2017/01/17/vatican-fights-attempt-discredit-order-malta-probe/
Vatican fights attempt to discredit Knights of Malta probe
Inés San Martín
January 17, 2017

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http://en.radiovaticana.va/news/2017/01/17/berlin_wall_sign_of_reconciliation_for_christian_unity_week/1286396

Berlin Wall: symbol of reconciliation for Christian unity week
17/01/2017 18:04

A fragment of the Berlin wall, in the shape of a cross, is used as a symbol of the need for reconciliation during the annual Week of Prayer for Christian Unity

(Vatican Radio) Wednesday January 18th marks the opening of the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity, focused this year on the theme of ‘Reconciliation – The Love of Christ Compels Us’. The annual celebration concludes here in Rome with Vespers, presided over by Pope Francis, in the Basilica of St Paul Outside the Walls on January 25th.

The ecumenical context for this year’s week of prayer this year is the 500th anniversary of the Reformation. For that reason the Council of Christian Church in Germany, where the Reformation began, was asked to prepare material for use in local communities around the world.

To find out more Philippa Hitchen spoke to Fr Tony Currer, in charge of relations with Anglicans and Methodists at the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity. He followed closely the preparatory work for this week of prayer for Christian Unity and he notes that as well as looking back 500 years, the German group also used a more recent symbol of division, the Berlin Wall, to reflect on the meaning of reconciliation…..
 

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http://en.radiovaticana.va/news/2017/01/18/pope_blesses_louisiana_project_to_support_trafficked_victims/1286651

Pope blesses Louisiana project to support trafficking victims
18/01/2017 17:43

(Vatican Radio) A delegation from the U.S. state of Louisiana was among the special guests meeting with Pope Francis during his general audience on Wednesday. Led by Governor John Bel Edwards, the delegation asked the Pope to bless the pioneering work that is going on in Louisiana to prevent human trafficking and to protect victims who’ve been trapped in this modern day slavery.

That work includes special training for police officers and the opening of a shelter for sixteen young women in a secure location near the city of Baton Rouge.