Pope Francis

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http://www.thetablet.co.uk/news/6699/0/anglican-evensong-to-be-celebrated-at-st-peter-s-basilica-for-the-first-time-

Anglican Evensong to be celebrated at St Peter's Basilica for the first time
07 February 2017 | by Sean Smith

Historic occasion another step towards closer ties between Anglican and Catholic communities

An Anglican Choral Evensong will be celebrated at the altar of the Chair of St Peter in St Peter's Basilica at the Vatican for the first time, it has been announced.

Archbishop David Moxon of the Anglican Centre in Rome will preside over the service on 13 March while the preacher will be Archbishop Arthur Roche, the Secretary of the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments at the Vatican. The music will be sung by the Choir of Merton College, Oxford.

Permission for the service was given by Cardinal Angelo Comastri, Archpriest of St Peter’s Basilica, during a recent meeting with Moxon, who is the Director of the Anglican Centre in Rome.

The announcement comes five months after Pope Francis and Archbishop Justin Welby celebrated Vespers together at the Basilica of San Gregorio al Celio to mark the Anglican Centre’s 50th anniversary. It also reciprocates, the Anglican Centre said, the liturgical hospitality of the Archbishop of Canterbury and Dean Robert Willis in welcoming Cardinal George Pell to celebrate Solemn Mass at the High Altar of Canterbury Cathedral on July 7, 2015.
 
http://anglicancentre.churchinsight.com/Groups/286774/Anglican_Centre_in/News/Evensong_at_St/Evensong_at_St.aspx
First-ever Anglican Evensong in St Peter’s, Rome

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http://www.news.va/en/news/pope-francis-christians-must-be-living-signs-of-ho

Pope Francis: Christians must be living signs of hope
2017-02-08 Vatican Radio

(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis on Wednesday encouraged the faithful to strive to be living signs of hope for the entire human family.

Speaking during the weekly General Audience in the Paul VI Hall, the Pope continued his catechesis on Christian hope, conceding that especially in times of darkness and difficulty, hope is no easy virtue.

Quoting from the Letter of Saint Paul to the Thessalonians he pointed out that Paul encourages the members of the early Church to sustain one another in hope through mutual prayer and practical concern for those in need.

“We must help one another, he said, in the many needs of everyday life, but also when we are in need of hope.” And he referred in particular to those who have the responsibility of providing pastoral guidance, whom he said, on the one hand have the force and the strength of a divine ministry, but on the other are in need of the respect, the comprehension and the support of all.
 
https://zenit.org/articles/general-audience-on-hope-source-of-mutual-comfort-peace/
GENERAL AUDIENCE: On Hope: Source of Mutual Comfort, Peace
February 8, 2017

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vbLO4KKkWxM
2017.02.08 General Audience

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http://www.news.va/en/news/pope-woman-bring-harmony-that-makes-the-world-beau

Pope: Women bring harmony that makes the world beautiful
2017-02-09 Vatican Radio

(Vatican Radio) “Without women, there is no harmony in the world.” That was the message of Pope Francis in his homily at the morning Mass at the Casa Santa Marta. At the center of his reflection was creation of woman, as told in Genesis. Men and women are not equal; the one is not superior to the other. But it is the woman, and not the man, who brings that harmony which makes the world a beautiful place.

Pope Francis was continuing his reflections on creation, the subject of the Readings for the past few days, taken from the Book of Genesis. The Lord had formed every sort of animal, but the man did not find a companion in any of them; he was alone. Then the Lord took a rib and created woman, who the man recognized as “flesh of his flesh.” “But before seeing her,” the Pope said, “the man dreamed of her… In order to understand a woman, it is necessary first to dream of her.”

Without women, there is no harmony

“Often when we speak about women,” the Pope said, we think of them in a ‘functionalist’ manner. Instead, we should see women as bearers of a richness that men do not possess: women bring harmony to creation:
 

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http://www.news.va/en/news/pope-catholic-educators-must-teach-the-grammar-of

Pope: Catholic educators must teach the grammar of dialogue
2017-02-09 Vatican Radio

(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis has urged all those involved in Catholic education to be builders of a more united and peaceful world.

In an address on Thursday morning to the Congregation for Catholic Education that is holding its Plenary Assembly, the Pope pointed out that institutes of education have meaning only in relation to the formation of the person.

Thus, he called on all educators to help young people to be builders of a more united and peaceful world.

And, the Pope reminded those present, more than others, Catholic institutions have a mission to offer horizons that are open to transcendence.

“Gravissimum educationis” he recalled highlights the fact that education is at the service of an integral humanism and that the Church, as a mother and an educator, always looks to the younger generation from the perspective of an integral formation of the human person, both in view of his own ultimate goal, and for the good of society of which he is a member.
 

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http://www.news.va/en/news/pope-fight-anti-semitism-with-education-and-respec

Pope: Fight anti-semitism with education and respect for all
2017-02-09 Vatican Radio

(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis on Thursday met with a delegation from the Anti-Defamation League encouraging them to cultivate justice and foster accord and telling them “the fight against anti-Semitism can benefit from effective instruments, such as information and formation.”

The Anti-Defamation League was founded in 1913 "to stop the defamation of the Jewish people and to secure justice and fair treatment to all,” and on Thursday just like his predecessors, Saint John Paul II and Benedict XVI, Pope Francis received a delegation from the organization, which has maintained relations with the Holy See since the Second Vatican Council.

Speaking to those gathered the Pope recalled his visit last year to the Auschwitz-Birkenau extermination camp saying, “there are no adequate words or thoughts in the face of such horrors of cruelty and sin; there is prayer, that God may have mercy and that such tragedies may never happen again.”
 

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http://www.news.va/en/news/pope-meets-writers-of-jesuit-magazine-civilta-catt

Pope meets writers of Jesuit magazine 'Civiltà Cattolica'
2017-02-09 Vatican Radio

(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis met on Thursday with Jesuits who write for the 'Civiltà Cattolicà' magazine, currently celebrating its 4000th edition. Founded in 1850 and originally available only in Italian, the publication is now adding editions in English, French, Spanish and Korean.

As well as sending the writers a hand-signed note, the Pope reflected at length on the importance of poetry, art and pioneering intellectual research, as the magazine seeks to build bridges with many peoples and cultures.

Your writing must not just defend Catholic ideas, but must witness to Christ in the world with a restless, open-ended and imaginative spirit.  That’s was the Pope’s message to his Jesuit colleagues as he encouraged the work of this “ancient and precious” publication, a copy of which, he confided, “is often on my desk”.

Remain on open seas

Describing the Civiltà Cattolica’s long history as a boat’s voyage on the open seas, the Pope told its current contributors never to be afraid of the storms, but to proceed courageously, guided by the Spirit, into uncharted waters.
 

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http://www.news.va/en/news/pope-francis-to-usg-be-radical-in-prophecy

Pope Francis to USG: Be radical in prophecy
2017-02-09 Vatican Radio

(Vatican Radio) The Jesuit magazine La Civiltà Cattolica will publish the text of Pope Francis’ conversation with 140 Superiors General of male religious orders during the 88th General Assembly of the Union of Superiors General (USG) which took place on 25 November 2016.

An excerpt of this conversation was published on Thursday in the Italian daily Corriere della Sera.

“The Church must accompany the young in their journey towards maturity, and it is only with discernment and not abstractions that young people can discover their path in life and live a life open to God and the world, so I chose this theme to introduce discernment more forcefully into the life of the Church,” the Pope said when asked why the next General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops is on young people.

“You have to work with young people by doing things, working with the popular missions, social work, going every week to feed the homeless,” – the Holy Father continued – “Young people find the Lord in action. Then, after action they have to reflect. But reflection alone doesn’t help, because it is only ideas ... ideas. So, two concepts: listening and movement. This is important. But not only training young people to listen, but first listening to them, the young people themselves. This is an important priority for the Church: listening to young people.”

He also spoke about the falling number of vocations in religious orders, saying it is “certainly linked to the demographic problem,” but added “it is also true that sometimes the pastoral vocation does not respond to the expectations of the young.”

He also expressed “worry” over some of the new religious institutes, remarking “some of them seem to represent a new approach, to express a great apostolic strength, attracting many, only then ... to go bankrupt.”

He also said he was at peace with being Pope, and spoke about his election.
 
The full dialogue between Pope Francis and the Religious superiors will appear in La Civiltà Cattolica on Saturday. The excerpt published by Corriere della Sera on Thursday can be found in English here.

http://www.corriere.it/english/17_febbraio_09/pope-francis-there-is-corruption-the-vatican-but-m-at-peace-5f115a68-eeaa-11e6-b691-ec49635e90c8.shtml

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http://www.news.va/en/news/pope-temptation-calls-for-prayer-not-dialogue

Pope: Temptation calls for prayer, not dialogue
2017-02-10 Vatican Radio

(Vatican Radio) In the weakness of temptation, which we all experience, the grace of Jesus helps us to not hide ourselves from the Lord, but to seek forgiveness in order to get up and go forward. That was Pope Francis’ message during the morning Mass at the Casa Santa Marta. The Holy Father was reflecting on the devil’s temptation both of Adam and Eve, in the first Reading, and of Jesus in the Gospel. With Satan, the Pope said, there is no dialogue, because dialogue with the devil ends in sin and corruption.

The devil uses dialogue to deceive

Temptations lead us to hide ourselves from the Lord, so that we remain with our “fault,” our “sin,” our “corruption.” Beginning with the first Reading, from the Book of Genesis, Pope Francis focused on the temptation of Adam and Eve, and then considered that of Jesus in the desert. The devil appears in the form of a serpent: he is “attractive,” and with his cunning he seeks “to deceive.” In this he is a specialist, he is “the father of lies,” “a liar.” So he knows how to deceive and how to “cheat” people. This is what he did with Eve: he made her “feel good,” the Pope explained, and so he began to dialogue with her; and, step by step, Satan led her where he wanted. With Jesus it is different; it ended badly for the devil, the Pope said. “He tries to dialogue” with Christ, because when the devil deceives a person he does so with dialogue.” He attempts to deceive Him, but Jesus does not give in. Then the devil is revealed for who he is. Jesus answers him, not with His own words, but with the Word of God, because “you can’t dialogue with the devil”; you’ll end up, like Adam and Eve, “naked”:

“The devil is a bad paymaster, he doesn’t pay well. He is a cheat! He promises you everything and leaves you naked. Jesus, too, ended up naked, but on the Cross, through obedience to the Father: this is a different path. The serpent, the devil is cunning: you can’t dialogue with the devil. We all know what temptations are, we all know, because we all have them. So many temptations! Of vanity, pride, greed, avarice… so many!”

Corruption begins in small things

Today, the Pope said, there is a lot of talk of corruption; and for this, too, we should ask for the Lord’s help:
 

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http://www.news.va/en/news/pope-francis-speaks-of-light-and-shadow-in-healthc

Pope Francis speaks of ‘light and shadow’ in healthcare sector
2017-02-10 Vatican Radio

(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis on Friday spoke about the situations of “light and shadow” in the healthcare sector, thanking God for the “many healthcare professionals who live their work like a mission, with knowledge and conscience”.

The Holy Father’s words came in an address to the participants in a meeting promoted by the Charity and Health Commission of the Italian Bishops’ Conference (CEI) organized for the occasion of the 25th World Day for the Sick (11 February).

Pope Francis told the group of Italian healthcare professionals that there have been many social and cultural changes in the years since Pope St. John Paul II instituted the World Day of the Sick in 1992.

He said that today we see “a situation with lights and shadows”.

Regarding the “lights” in the field of healthcare, the Holy Father said, “Scientific research has certainly advanced and we are grateful for the precious results obtained for curing, if not defeating, some pathologies.”

He praised God for the missionary zeal of healthcare professionals who “are participants in the effusive love of the Creator God; with their hands they daily touch the suffering flesh of Christ”. He also expressed his joy for the numerous volunteers who seek “to relieve and humanize the long and difficult days of many sick and elderly people”.

Pope Francis went on to speak about the “shadows” in healthcare, which “risk endangering the experience of our sick brothers and sisters”.
 

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http://www.thetablet.co.uk/news/6721/0/catholics-and-lutherans-celebrate-reformation-with-new-bible-translations

Catholics and Lutherans celebrate Reformation with new Bible translations
10 February 2017 | by Catholic News Service   

PICTURE - Pope Francis meets an ecumenical delegation from Germany, led by top Protestant Bishop Heinrich Bedford-Strohm, chairman of the Evangelical Churches in Germany on February 6, 2017 at the Vatican and is shown the Lutheran translation ahead of the mass at St Eberhard's Catholic Cathedral in Stuttgart

The two Christian churches came together in a demonstration of unity ahead of the 500th anniversary of the Reformation

Five centuries after the start of the Protestant Reformation, leaders of the Catholic and Lutheran churches came together in a demonstration of unity to release new Bible translations.

At an ecumenical service at St Eberhard's Catholic Cathedral, in Stuttgart, Germanyt, clergy from both churches gathered to release revised German translations of the Catholic and Lutheran Bibles.

The release came as the 500th anniversary of the Reformation neared. It began in 1517 when theologian Martin Luther developed his 95 Theses challenging long-held Catholic practices.
 

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Hmmm...a new approach:  a little satire?  a little humor?

https://cruxnow.com/vatican/2017/02/10/fake-vatican-newspaper-delivers-new-shot-pope-francis/

Fake Vatican newspaper delivers new shot at Pope Francis
Inés San Martín   February 10, 2017

Partial reproduction of the fake copy of the Vatican's newspaper L'Osservatore Romano. (Credit: Unknown.)

ROME- Barely a week after Rome woke up full of anti- Pope Francis posters, anonymous critics were back at it, sending a fake version of the Vatican’s official newspaper to cardinals and officials via email, claiming that the pontiff had answered five dubia, or questions, posed to him by four conservative cardinals about his document Amoris Laetita.

“He has answered!” reads the cover of the satirical edition of L’Osservatore Romano (LOR), the Vatican’s newspaper, which carries the date of Jan. 17.

“May your speech be yes yes no no,” reads the excerpt of the cover story, in reference to Matthew’s Gospel that says “But let your ‘Yes’ be ‘Yes,’ and your ‘No,’ ‘No.” (In Roman circles, Si Si No No is also familiar as the title of a small publication put out by the“St. Pius X Catholic Center for Anti-Modernist Studies,” expressing traditionalist criticism of post-Vatican II reforms.)

According to the fake LOR, Francis replied to the five yes-or-no questions put to him with both “yes” and no,” expressing his own “unequivocal previous magisterium.”

The dubia were submitted to Francis by American Cardinal Raymond Burke; Cardinal Carlo Caffarra, archbishop emeritus of Bologna; German Cardinal Walter Brandmüller, president emeritus of the Pontifical Committee for Historical Sciences; and German Cardinal Joachim Meisner, archbishop emeritus of Cologne.

Their claim was that they were seeking clarity over what they perceived as “grave disorientation and great confusion” created by the pope’s document on the family, Amoris Laetitia, particularly when it comes to divorced and civilly remarried Catholics and their access to Communion.

When Francis decided not to respond to the questions, the prelates made them public, prompting endless commentary and analysis.

On Thursday, when the Jesuit-run magazine released the full transcript of a papal address from last November, right in the midst of the dubia-generated turmoil, he may have been talking  about it when he said, “It’s good to be criticized. I have always liked this. Life is also made up of misunderstandings and tensions. And when criticisms make you grow, I accept them, and reply.”

RELATED: Pope denounces ‘restorationist’ orders, pokes fun at Medjugorje

Despite the fact that the fake cover of the Vatican’s newspaper, as the posters around Rome did, seems to once again come from conservative circles, the tone it takes at times is more informal and almost funny- though some parts of it are clearly very dark humor, as they speak of a monsignor dying when reading the pope’s responses.
 
The Associated Press reported that editor-in-chief of L’Osservatore Romano, Giovanni Maria Vian, was unperturbed: “We were only sad because the layout wasn’t as nice as ours.”

https://cruxnow.com/analysis/2017/02/10/amid-nasty-anti-francis-blowback-humor-ray-hope/
Amid nasty anti-Francis blowback, humor is a ray of hope
John L. Allen Jr.   February 10, 2017

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http://www.news.va/en/news/pope-francis-message-for-world-day-of-the-sick

Pope Francis: Message for World Day of the Sick
2017-02-11 Vatican Radio

(Vatican Radio) The World Day of the Sick, established by Pope Saint John Paul II in 1993, is celebrated each year on the Feast of Our Lady of Lourdes, 11 February. This year marks the 25th annual commemoration of the day.

The theme chosen for World Day of the Sick 2017 is “Amazement at what God has accomplished: ‘The Almighty has done great things for me’.” In his message for the Day, Pope Francis said, “This celebration likewise gives the Church renewed spiritual energy for carrying out ever more fully that fundamental part of her mission which includes serving the poor, the infirm, the suffering, the outcast and the marginalized” – echoing the words of St John Paul.

Pope Francis also focused on the Marian aspect of the commemoration, saying, “I encourage all of you, the sick, the suffering, physicians, nurses, family members and volunteers, to see in Mary, Health of the Infirm, the sure sign of God’s love for every human being and a model of surrender to his will.”

The Holy Father noted the role of the Blessed Mother in assisting the Church in her work of aiding the sick. “The gaze of Mary, Comfort of the Afflicted,” he said, “brightens the face of the Church in her daily commitment to the suffering and those in need.”

The full text of the Pope’s Message for World Day of the Sick 2017 can be read below:
 

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http://www.news.va/en/news/pope-appoints-special-envoy-to-medjugorje

Pope appoints Special Envoy to Medjugorje
2017-02-11 Vatican Radio

(Vatican Radio) On Saturday, Pope Francis named Archbishop Henryk Hoser, S.A.C., the Bishop of Warszawa-Praga, as a Special Envoy of the Holy See to Medjugorje, Bosnia and Herzegovina.

The scope of his mission, according to the press release announcing the appointment, is “to acquire a profound understanding of the pastoral situation” in Medjugorje, with special concern for the “needs of the faithful who come on pilgrimage;” and on the basis of that understanding “to suggest possible pastoral initiatives for the future.” His mission, therefore, “will have an exclusively pastoral character.”

Responding to questions from journalists, the Director of the Holy See Press Office, Greg Burke said, “The Special Envoy of the Holy See will not enter into the question of the Marian apparitions, which are the competence of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith.” Archbishop Hoser’s mission, he said, “is a sign of Holy Father’s concern for the pilgrims. It’s purpose is not inquisitive, but strictly pastoral.”
 

https://cruxnow.com/global-church/2017/02/11/pope-taps-delegate-study-pastoral-situation-medjugorje/
Pope taps delegate to study ‘pastoral situation’ at Medjugorje
Inés San Martín February 11, 2017

Our Lady of Peace, at the top of the Mount Podbrdro, in Medjugorje, Bosnia Herzegovina. (Credit: Inés San Martín.)

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February 12, 2017 Tweets
https://twitter.com/roccopalmo

Rocco Palmo ‏@roccopalmo  · 12h  12 hours ago 
Given Gospel's focus on the law (and divorce), at Angelus Pope goes off-script to urge "more" than "formalism": http://bit.ly/2kky20e

http://en.radiovaticana.va/news/2017/02/12/pope_francis_at_angelus_meditation_on_fulfilment_of_the_law/1292086
Pope Francis at Angelus: meditation on fulfilment of the Law
12/02/2017 15:07

(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 offered a meditation on the Gospel reading for this Sunday, taken from the 5th chapter of Gospel according to St. Matthew, in which Our Lord says:

Do not think that I have come to abolish the law or the prophets. I have come not to abolish but to fulfill. Amen, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter or the smallest part of a letter will pass from the law, until all things have taken place.

Therefore, whoever breaks one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do so will be called least in the kingdom of heaven. But whoever obeys and teaches these commandments will be called greatest in the kingdom of heaven. I tell you, unless your righteousness surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven.

Reflecting on the passage, Pope Francis said:

Today's liturgy presents us with another page of the Sermon on the Mount, which we find in the Gospel of Matthew (cf. 5:17-37). In this passage, Jesus wants to help his listeners to achieve a reinterpretation of the Mosaic law. What was said in the Old Covenant was true, but it was not all: Jesus came to fulfill and to enact definitively the law of God, down to the last iota (cf. Mt. 5:18). He manifests the Law’s original purposes and He fulfills its authentic aspects – and He does all this by His preaching and even more by offering Himself on the Cross. So, Jesus teaches how to do the will of God fully – and  He uses this expression: with a “justice superior” to that of the scribes and Pharisees (cf. Mt. 5: 20) – a justice animated  by love, charity, mercy, and therefore capable of realizing the substance of the commandments, avoiding the risk of formalism.

“Formalism,” continued Pope Francis, departing from his prepared text. “This I can do, that I cannot: up to here I can, up to here, I cannot.”

“No,” said Pope Francis, “more, more.”
 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6MOiI1xXJt8
2017.02.12 Angelus Domini

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http://www.news.va/en/news/pope-the-lack-of-brotherhood-leads-to-war-and-bloo

Pope: the lack of brotherhood leads to war and bloodshed
2017-02-13 Vatican Radio

(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis on Monday spoke of the importance of the bond of brotherhood and of how easy it is for petty jealousies and envy to damage that bond and set off a process that can lead to the destruction of families and peoples.

The Pope was speaking during the homily at morning Mass at the Casa Santa Marta, a Mass that he offered to Father Adolfo Nicolás, the former Superior General of the Society of Jesus who is preparing to continue in his mission in Asia.

Brotherhood is destroyed by small things

Reflecting on the first reading of the day which speaks of Cain and Abel, Pope Francis said that in this reading from Genesis, for the first time in Bible we hear the word ‘brother’ and we listen to a “story of brotherhood that should grow and be beautiful, but ends up destroyed”.

“A story which begins ‘with a little jealousy’: Cain is irritated because his sacrifice does not please the Lord and he begins to cultivate a feeling of resentment, a feeling he could control but does not” he said.
 

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http://en.radiovaticana.va/news/2017/02/13/pope_writes_preface_to_book_by_victim_of_clerical_sex_abuse/1292235

Pope writes preface to book by victim of clerical sex abuse
13/02/2017 14:29

(Vatican Radio) “How can a priest, at the service of Christ and of His Church, come to cause such evil? How can one who has consecrated his life to leading the little ones to God, end up instead devouring them in what I have called a ‘diabolic sacrifice,’ which destroys both the victims and the life of the Church?”

Pope Francis has once again spoken out strongly against the evil of sex abuse perpetrated by clergy and religious. His words come in the preface to a book by a victim of clerical sexual abuse, Daniel Pettit, today a husband and father of six children.

In his preface, the Holy Father describes meeting Mr Pettit at the Vatican during the Year of Consecrated Life. “I couldn’t imagine that this man, enthusiastic and passionate about Christ, was a victim of abuse by a priest,” the Pope writes. “And yet this is what he told me, and his suffering struck me deeply. I saw once more the fearful damage caused by sexual abuse, and the long and painful journey that awaits the victims.” In particular, Pope Francis notes that some victims have even taken their own lives. “These deaths weigh on my heart, on my conscience, and on that of the whole Church,” he says. “To their families I offer my sentiments of love and of sorrow, and I humbly ask forgiveness.”
 

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http://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/amid-controversy-council-of-cardinals-backs-pope-francis-71879/

Amid controversy, council of cardinals backs Pope Francis

Vatican City, Feb 13, 2017 / 10:10 am (CNA/EWTN News).- In the wake of several contentious events surrounding the Vatican recently, Pope Francis' advisory board in his ongoing reform of the Roman Curia affirmed their support of the Pope and his work.

On behalf of the group, Cardinal Oscar Andrés Rodríguez Maradiaga greeted Pope Francis at the start of the councils of cardinal's Feb. 13 meeting.

He thanked the Pope for his Christmas address to the Roman Curia Dec. 22, and acknowledging “his encouragement and direction for the work of the council,” a Vatican communique stated.

“In relation to recent events, the Council of Cardinals expresses its full support of the work of the Pope, while ensuring full adhesion and support to his person and his Magisterium,” it added.

The statement comes just over one week after posters criticizing the Pope were plastered on walls of the city center of Rome Feb. 4.
 
https://www.lifesitenews.com/news/breaking-council-of-cardinals-pledge-allegiance-to-pope-francis
Mon Feb 13, 2017 - 10:17 am EST
Council of Cardinals pledges allegiance to Pope Francis

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http://www.news.va/en/news/pope-preach-gospel-with-courage-prayer-and-humilit

Pope: Preach Gospel with courage, prayer, and humility
2017-02-14 Vatican Radio

(Vatican Radio) Courage prayer, and humility: these are the traits that distinguish the great “heralds” who have helped the Church to grow in the world, who have contributed to its missionary character. Pope Francis was speaking at the morning Mass at the Casa Santa Marta, taking his inspiration from the Liturgy and from the example of Sts Cyril and Methodius, the patrons of Europe, who are honoured today.

Cyril and Methodius have made Europe stronger

There is need of “sowers of the Word,” of “missionaries, of true heralds to form the people of God, like Cyril and Methodius, “good heralds,” intrepid brothers and witnesses of God, patrons of Europe who have made Europe stronger. Pope Francis began his homily with these reflections, and then looked at three personality traits of an “envoy” who proclaims the Word of God. He spoke of the day’s first Reading, with the figures of Paul and Barnabas; and of the Gospel from St Luke, with the seventy-two disciples sent out two-by-two by the Lord.

The Word of God is not a suggestion; courage is necessary in order for it to sink in
 

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http://www.news.va/en/news/amoris-laetitia-chap-8-explained-by-cardinal-cocco

'Amoris Laetitia' Chap. 8 explained by Cardinal Coccopalmiero
2017-02-14 Vatican Radio

(Vatican Radio) A newly published book dedicated to Chapter 8 of Pope Francis’s Post Synodal Apostolic Exhortation “Amoris Laetitia” was presented on Tuesday in the Vatican.

Written by Cardinal Francesco Coccopalmerio, President of the Pontifical Council for Legislative Texts, the 30-page booklet, is published by LEV, the Vatican publishing house.

Presenting the book, Father Maurizio Gronchi, theologian, professor at Rome’s Pontifical Urbaniana University and consultant at the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, and veteran journalist Orazio La Rocca, expert in Vatican affairs.

La Rocca explained the publication aims to provide clear and simple guidelines for all readers who are interested in better understanding the Apostolic Exhortation’s chapter dedicated to the Church’s ministry of those who find themselves living outside the traditional boundaries of marriage.
 
https://cnstopstories.com/2017/02/14/vatican-canon-law-official-explains-provisions-of-amoris-laetitia/
Vatican canon law official explains provisions of ‘Amoris Laetitia’
Posted on February 14, 2017

http://www.onepeterfive.com/like-a-bomb-in-slow-motion-more-insights-from-the-coccopalmerio-book/
Like a Bomb in Slow Motion: More Insights from the Coccopalmerio Book
Steve Skojec    February 14, 2017

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http://www.news.va/en/news/pope-meets-representatives-of-indigenous-peoples

Pope meets representatives of indigenous peoples
2017-02-15 Vatican Radio

(Vatican Radio)  Pope Francis met with a group representing indigenous peoples ahead of his Wednesday General Audience, speaking to them about the need to "reconcile the right to development, both social and cultural, with the protection of the particular characteristics of indigenous peoples and their territories".

The representatives are participating in the Indigenous Peoples’ Forum hosted in Rome by the UN’s International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD). The biennial meeting aims to promote greater economic empowerment of indigenous peoples.