Pope Francis

[grace-land]

http://www.news.va/en/news/pope-fatima-homily-for-canonization-mass

Pope Fatima: Homily for Canonization Mass
2017-05-13 Vatican Radio

(Vatican Radio) The highlight of Pope Francis’ apostolic visit to Fatima is the canonization Mass this Saturday morning, during which the two shepherd children, Blessed Francisco and Blessed Jacinta are being declared saints in heaven.

During his homily the Pope said, "we can take as our examples Saint Francisco and Saint Jacinta, whom the Virgin Mary introduced into the immense ocean of God’s light and taught to adore him."

Below find the English translation of the Pope's Homily

Homily of His Holiness Pope Francis
Holy Mass, Basilica of Our Lady of the Rosary of Fatima
 13 May 2017

             “[There] appeared in heaven a woman clothed with the sun”.  So the seer of Patmos tells us in the Book of Revelation (12:1), adding that she was about to give birth to a son.  Then, in the Gospel, we hear Jesus say to his disciple, “Here is your mother” (Jn 19:27).  We have a Mother!  “So beautiful a Lady”, as the seers of Fatima said to one another as they returned home on that blessed day of 13 March a hundred years ago.  That evening, Jacinta could not restrain herself and told the secret to her mother: “Today I saw Our Lady”.  They had seen the Mother of Heaven.  Many others sought to share that vision, but… they did not see her.  The Virgin Mother did not come here so that we could see her.  We will have all eternity for that, provided, of course, that we go to heaven.
 

[grace-land]

https://twitter.com/CatholicNewsSvc?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor

http://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/francisco-and-jacinta-have-officially-been-declared-saints-38630/

Francisco and Jacinta have officially been declared saints!

Fatima, Portugal, May 13, 2017 / 03:28 am (CNA/EWTN News).- Pope Francis on Saturday officially declared Francisco and Jacinta Marto saints of the Catholic Church in front of hundreds of thousands of pilgrims at Fatima, Portugal – teaching us that even young children can become saints.

“For the honor of the Blessed Trinity, the exaltation of the Catholic faith and the increase of the Christian life, by the authority of our Lord Jesus Christ, and of the Holy Apostles Peter and Paul, and our own, after due deliberation and frequent prayer for divine assistance, and having sought the counsel of many of our brother Bishops, we declare and define Blessed Francisco Marto and Jacinta Marto to be saints,” Pope Francis exclaimed May 13 as the crowd roared with applause.

“We enroll them among the Saints, decreeing that they are to be venerated as such by the whole Church. In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.”
 

[grace-land]

http://www.news.va/en/news/pope-francis-blesses-the-sick-following-mass-in-fa

Pope Francis blesses the sick following Mass in Fatima
2017-05-13 Vatican Radio

(Vatican Radio) At the conclusion of the Mass in Fatima, after a period of Adoration of the Most Holy Sacrament, Pope Francis gave a special blessing to the sick, who had come to the Shrine to pray to Our Lady.

Following the blessing, the Holy Father greeted the sick, reminding them that “whenever we experience a cross,” Jesus “has already been there ahead of us.” He continued, “In His passion, He took upon Himself all our suffering.  Jesus knows the meaning of sorrow and pain.  He understands us, He comforts us and He gives us strength, as He did to Saint Francisco Marto and Saint Jacinta, and to the saints of every time and place.”

Pope Francis called on those suffering from illnesses to live their lives as a gift: “Like the shepherd children, tell Our Lady that you want to offer yourselves to God with all your heart.”

Below, please find the full text of Pope Francis’ remarks:
 

[grace-land]

http://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/this-is-the-miracle-that-led-to-the-fatima-childrens-canonization-47540/

This is the miracle that led to the Fatima children's canonization

Fatima, Portugal, May 12, 2017 / 07:41 am (CNA/EWTN News).- Tomorrow, on the 100th anniversary of Mary’s first appearance at Fatima, Pope Francis will canonize Jacinta and Francisco Marto, two of the three shepherd children who witnessed the Marian apparitions.

A press conference preceding the Pope’s arrival highlighted the miracle that paved the way for their canonization. The miracle involved a Brazilian boy named Lucas, who was miraculously healed through the intercession of the shepherd children.

Jacinta and Francisco both died before age 12 and will become the youngest non-martyrs to be canonized. Sister Lucia, the third visionary, lived much longer, dying in 2005 at the age of 97. The Church is currently examining documents and collecting testimonies for her beatification cause.

In recounting the story of their son’s healing in the face of almost certain death, João Batista and his wife Lucila Yurie could not hold back tears.
 

[grace-land]

https://twitter.com/CatholicNewsSvc?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor
Catholic News Svc‏Verified account @CatholicNewsSvc · 10h  10 hours ago 

A multitude with #PopeFrancis at #Fatima100 singing Litany of Saints before Francisco & Jacinta formally recognized as being among them

[grace-land]

http://www.news.va/en/news/pope-francis-a-pilgrim-of-peace-and-hope-in-fatima

Pope Francis: a pilgrim of peace and hope in Fatima
2017-05-13 Vatican Radio

(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis concluded his pilgrimage to Fatima on Saturday, with a Mass marking the centenary of the Marian apparitions there, which made the place a famous and beloved place of pilgrimage to millions of faithful from all around the world and across generations.

During the Mass, the Holy Father canonised two of the seers of Fatima, declaring Francisco and Jacinta Marto to be saints in heaven.

At the end of Mass, the Holy Father led the faithful in a moment of Eucharistic adoration and offered Eucharistic benediction. He also met briefly with a group of sick people, before heading to lunch with the Bishops of Portugal, after which he headed to the papal plane for his flight back to Rome.

Our special envoy, Chris Altieri, was in Fatima from start to finish, and sent this overview of this Apostolic pilgrimage.

*************************************************
Pope Francis presided over Mass for hundreds of thousands of pilgrims at the Marian shrine in Fatima on Saturday, the 100th anniversary of the beginning of the apparitions of Our Lady there to three small shepherd children.

The children were a brother and sister, Francisco and Jacinta Marto, and their cousin, Lucia.

Starting on May 13th, 1917, and running until October 13th of that same year – the story goes – Our Lady would appear and entrust the three children with several messages and three “secrets”.

Those secrets have since been generally understood to regard the conduct of human affairs in the years and decades that followed the bloody middle of 1917, at the beginning of the bloodiest century in world history to date.
 

[grace-land]

http://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/full-text-of-may-13-in-flight-interview-with-pope-francis-12886/

Full text of May 13 in-flight interview with Pope Francis

Vatican City, May 13, 2017 / 02:32 pm (CNA/EWTN News).- The following is an unofficial transcript of the in-flight press conference on the papal plane returning from Fatima to Rome on May 13, 2017.
 

[grace-land]

http://en.radiovaticana.va/news/2017/05/14/regina_coeli_pope_reflects_on_pilgrimage_to_fatima/1312173

Regina Coeli: Pope reflects on pilgrimage to Fatima
14/05/2017 12:35

(Vatican Radio) “Let us greet the Virgin of Fatima!”

Following his pilgrimage to Fatima, Pope Francis said the Regina Coeli on Sunday, took on “a particular significance, imbued with memory and prophecy for those who view history with the eyes of faith.” Reflecting on his journey, the Pope said, “At Fatima I was immersed in the prayer of the faithful holy People, prayer that for one hundred years has flowed there like a river, for the maternal protection of Mary for the whole world.”

The Holy Father focused on the “recollected and contemplative climate” during his pilgrimage. “And at the centre of everything,” he said, “was and is the Risen Lord, present in the midst of His People in the Word and in the Eucharist; present in the midst of the many sick people, who are the protagonists of the liturgical and pastoral life of Fatima, as of every Marian sanctuary.”
 
https://zenit.org/articles/regina-coeli-address-on-the-holy-fathers-pilgrimage-to-fatima/
Regina Coeli Address: On the Holy Father’s Pilgrimage to Fatima 
May 14, 2017

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dZvJQpnymdc
2017.05.14 - Regina Coeli 

[grace-land]

http://en.radiovaticana.va/news/2017/05/14/pope_entrusts_those_afflicted_by_war_to_mary,_queen_of_peace/1312181

Pope entrusts those afflicted by war to Mary, Queen of Peace
14/05/2017 12:54

(Vatican Radio) Following the Regina Coeli on Sunday, Pope Francis entrusted “to Mary, the Queen of Peace, the destiny of the peoples afflicted by wars and conflicts, particularly in the Middle East.” Many innocent people, he said, whether Christians, or Muslims, or members of minority groups such as the Yazidis, are “sorely tried,” suffering “tragic violence and discrimination.”

The Holy Father assured them of his solidarity and prayer, and at the same time thanked all those committed to assisting them in their need.
 

[grace-land]

http://en.radiovaticana.va/news/2017/05/14/press_conference_fatima_is_a_message_of_peace/1312211

Press Conference: Fatima is a message of peace
14/05/2017 16:33

Pope Francis answers reporters' questions during the in-flight press conference on the return trip from Fatima. - REUTERS

(Vatican Radio) The in-flight press conference, now a regular and much-anticipated feature of papal voyages, once again covered a range of diverse topics, as reporters took the opportunity to speak frankly with Pope Francis.

The Holy Father answered questions on topics including his upcoming meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump, to relations with the Society of Saint Pius X; from the alleged apparitions associated with Medjugorje, to the Church’s ongoing attempts to confront the sex abuse crisis.

The press conference began, however, with questions about his pilgrimage. “Fatima is a message of peace brought to humanity by three great communicators who were less than 13 years old,” the Pope said. He emphasized the theme of peace: “The world can hope for peace… With everyone I speak of peace!”

Asked about his prayer at the Chapel of Apparitions, in which he referred to himself as a “Bishop in white” – a clear allusion to the famous “Third Secret” of Fatima, Pope Francis noted that the prayer was composed by the staff of the Sanctuary in Fatima. He drew a connection between the so-called Bishop in white, Our Lady dressed in white at Fatima, and the white garment that expresses the innocence of little children after their Baptism. “I believe,” he said, “that (through the color white) they have tried to literally express the will of peace, of innocence, of not making war to the other.” With regard to the Third Secret, Pope Francis said then-Cardinal Ratzinger “explained everything about the third secret clearly” when the content of the message was made public by the Vatican in 2000.

The full text of the Pope’s in-flight press conference can be found at the Vatican website; an unofficial English translation can be found on the website of Catholic News Agency. The quotations used above, as well as the excerpts below, are from CNA’s English translation.
 

[grace-land]

http://www.news.va/en/news/pope-jesus-peace-is-real-and-not-the-worlds-anesth

Pope: Jesus' peace is real and not the world’s anesthetized peace
2017-05-16 Vatican Radio

(Vatican Radio) True peace is not man-made but a gift of the Holy Spirit.  "A peace without a cross is not the peace of Jesus" for it is only the Lord who can give us peace amidst tribulations.  This was the central message of the homily of Pope Francis at Mass, Tuesday morning, in the chapel of the Casa Santa Marta residence in the Vatican.

Developing his homily on the words of Jesus at the Supper in John’s Gospel, "I leave you peace, my peace I give you,” the Holy Father focused on the meaning of the peace given by the Lord.  The day’s reading from the Acts of the Apostles, he noted, speaks of the many tribulations that Paul and Barnabas experienced in their journeys to proclaim the Gospel. "Is this the peace that Jesus gives us?" the Pope asked, and immediately answered saying Jesus emphasizes that the peace He gives is not the one given by the world.

The world wants anesthetized peace to prevent us from seeing the Cross
 

[grace-land]

http://www.news.va/en/news/pope-francis-reflects-on-mary-magdalene-at-general

Pope Francis reflects on Mary Magdalene at General Audience
2017-05-17 Vatican Radio

(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis continued his catechesis on “Christian Hope” at his General Audience on Wednesday, focusing this week on the figure of St Mary Magdalene.

The Holy Father’s reflections were based on a passage from the Gospel of St John, which relates how St Mary Magdalene was the first to see Jesus after His Resurrection. Her visit to Jesus’s tomb, the Pope said, mirrored “the fidelity of so many women” who visit cemeteries to keep alive the memory of those who have passed away. “The most authentic bonds,” he said, “are not broken even by death.”
 
https://zenit.org/articles/general-audience-on-mary-magdalen/
GENERAL AUDIENCE: ‘On Mary Magdalene, Apostle of Hope’ 
May 17, 2017

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=75ZJSWnpYD4
2017.05.17 - General Audience

[grace-land]

http://www.news.va/en/news/pope-we-must-ask-the-lord-for-the-gifts-of-love-an

Pope: ‘we must ask the Lord for the gifts of love and joy'
2017-05-18 Vatican Radio

(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis has reminded believers that Jesus' love is infinite and true, unlike worldly passions that seek power and vanity.

The Pope was speaking during Mass at the Casa Santa Marta during which he pointed out that the Christian mission is to give joy and that God’s love is at the core of a true Christian’s life.

 "As the Father loves me, so I also love you" said Pope Francis quoting from the Gospel reading of the day to highlight the fact that the Lord’s love is infinite.

He said the Lord asks us to stay close to Him and to observe His Commandments: “the Ten Commandments of course are the foundation, but we are also called to follow all the things that Jesus has taught us, the commandments of daily life that represent a Christian lifestyle.
 

[grace-land]

http://www.news.va/en/news/pope-francis-greets-newly-accredited-ambassadors-t

Pope Francis greets newly accredited Ambassadors to the Holy See
2017-05-18 Vatican Radio

Addressing the newly accredited Ambassadors to the Holy See from Kazakhstan, Mauritania, Nepal, Niger, Sudan and Trinidad and Tobago, Pope Francis said the international scene, as he called it, was "at present marked by great complexity", adding nor was it free “of dark clouds.”

The Holy Father said that this situation required “a greater awareness of the approaches and actions needed to pursue the path of peace and to lessen tensions.”  He noted that among the factors aggravating problems is “an economic and financial system that, rather than being at the service of people, is set up principally to serve itself and to evade oversight by public authorities.”
 

[grace-land]

http://www.news.va/en/news/pope-francis-to-huntingtons-sufferers-you-are-prec

Pope Francis to Huntington's sufferers: you are precious to God
2017-05-18 Vatican Radio

(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis welcomed hundreds of people who suffer from a rare degenerative neurological condition known as Huntington’s Disease on Thursday in the Paul VI Hall, along with their families and caregivers, as well as research leaders and patient-advocates.

Huntington’s Disease is a genetic disorder that affects between 5 and 10 people per 100 thousand on average, worldwide – though the prevalence of the disease varies greatly from place to place, with the prevalence in much of Asia at 1 per 1 million, while in the Lake Maracaibo region of Venezuela the prevalence is as high as 700 per 100 thousand people.

The onset of the disease typically comes between 30 and 45 years-of-age, and often manifests through Parkinson’s-like symptoms, though end-stage Huntington’s usually involves full-blown dementia as well as severe physical disability.

Huntington’s Disease has no cure.

In his remarks to Huntington’s sufferers, their family-members, caregivers, researchers, and advocates on Thursday in the Paul VI Hall, Pope Francis said, “For far too long, the fears and difficulties that characterize the life of people affected by Huntington’s Disease have surrounded them with misunderstandings and barriers, veritably excluding them.”

The Holy Father went on to say, “In many cases the sick and their families have experienced the tragedy of shame, isolation and abandonment. Today, however, we are here because we want to say to ourselves and all the world: ‘HIDDEN NO MORE!’”
 

[grace-land]

http://www.catholicnews.com/services/englishnews/2017/commission-reportedly-thought-first-seven-medjugorje-visions-were-real.cfm

Commission reportedly thought first seven Medjugorje visions were real
By Cindy Wooden Catholic News Service
5.17.2017 9:05 AM ET

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- The commission that now-retired Pope Benedict XVI established to study the alleged apparitions of Mary at Medjugorje, Bosnia-Herzegovina, reportedly voted overwhelmingly to recognize as supernatural the first seven appearances of Mary in 1981.

However, according to a report published by the website Vatican Insider, the commission was much more doubtful about the thousands of alleged visions that have occurred since July 4, 1981, and supposedly continue to this day.

Two of the 17 commission members and consultants thought the alleged visions after the period of June 24-July 3, 1981, were not supernatural, while the other members said it was not possible to make a judgment.

The commission said it was clear that the six alleged visionaries and a seventh who claims to have begun receiving messages from Mary in December 1982 were not given adequate spiritual support.

Vatican Insider published its piece on the report May 16, three days after Pope Francis spoke about some details of the report to journalists traveling with him from Fatima, Portugal.

The Vatican press office May 17 declined to comment on the Vatican Insider piece.
 

http://www.lastampa.it/2017/05/16/vaticaninsider/eng/the-vatican/medjugorje-the-findings-of-the-ruini-report-hvBaZ3ssAeDicjdmEcS3UN/pagina.html
Medjugorje; the findings of the Ruini report
Pubblicato il  16/05/2017
Ultima modifica il 17/05/2017 alle ore 12:09

[grace-land]

http://www.news.va/en/news/pope-francis-doctrine-unites-ideology-divides

Pope Francis: doctrine unites, ideology divides
2017-05-19 Vatican Radio

(Vatican Radio) True doctrine unites; ideology divides. That was the message of Pope Francis in the homily at the morning Mass at the Casa Santa Marta on Friday.

The Pope based his reflections on the so-called Council of Jerusalem which, around the year 49 A.D., decided that gentile converts to Christianity would not have to be circumcised.

The Holy Father was commenting on the First Reading, from the Acts of the Apostles. He noted that even in the first Christian community “there were jealousies, power struggles, a certain deviousness that wanted to profit from and to buy power.” There are always problems, he said: “We are human, we are sinners” and there are difficulties, even in the Church. But being sinners leads to humility and to drawing close to the Lord, as Saviour who saves us from our sins. With regard to the gentiles who the Spirit called to become Christians, the Holy Father recalled that, in the reading, the apostles and the elders chose several people to go to Antioch together with Paul and Barnabas. The reading describes two different kinds of people: those who had “forceful discussions” but with “a good spirit,” on the one hand; and those who “sowed confusion”:

“The group of the apostles who want to discuss the problem, and the others who go and create problems. They divide, they divide the Church, they say that what the Apostles preached is not what Jesus said, that it is not the truth.”
 

[grace-land]

http://www.news.va/en/news/pope-francis-mercy-friday-visit-to-ostia-housing-p

Pope Francis: "Mercy Friday" visit to Ostia housing project
2017-05-19 Vatican Radio

(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis is continuing his “Mercy Friday” activities. Begun during the 2015-1016 Extraordinary Jubilee Year of Mercy, the Mercy Fridays see the Holy Father engaged in specific corporal and spiritual works of mercy.

A communiqué from the Press Office of the Holy See explains that the Pope on this Friday made a visit to public housing projects in the parish of Stella Maris – Star of the Sea parish – in the coastal town of Ostia on the outskirts of Rome.
 

[grace-land]

https://cruxnow.com/vatican/2017/05/20/official-callista-gingrich-trumps-vatican-ambassador/

It’s official: Callista Gingrich to be Trump’s Vatican ambassador
Crux Staff   May 20, 2017

President Donald Trump has announced his intention to nominate Callista Gingrich, wife of former House speaker and Trump ally Newt Gingrich, as his ambassador to the Vatican. Though widely rumored, a White House press release on Friday made the move official.

Since 2007, Callista Gingrich has been the President and CEO of Gingrich Productions, which produces historical and public policy documentary videos, often with religious themes. She’s the author of a children’s series called “Ellis the Elephant,” as well as co-author of a book called “Rediscovering God in America.”

Gingrich served as a congressional aide in the U.S. House of Representatives, and as Chief Clerk of the House Committee on Agriculture.

Gingrich also serves as President of The Gingrich Foundation, which supports charitable causes.  She’s sung for two decades with the Choir of the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington, D.C.

Born in Whitehall, Wisconsin, in 1996, Gingrich earned a BA cum laude from Luther College in Decorah, Iowa.

Assuming Gingrich is confirmed by the Senate, she will continue an unbroken tradition of presidents naming Catholics as their envoy to the Vatican since the opening of full diplomatic relations under President Ronald Reagan in 1984.
 

[grace-land]

http://en.radiovaticana.va/news/2017/05/20/wim_wenders’_latest_film_to_feature_pope_francis/1313656

Wim Wenders’ latest film to feature Pope Francis
20/05/2017 15:51

Pope Francis speaks to German film director Wim Wenders - RV

(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis will be the first Pope to participate personally and feature as protagonist in a documentary film.

The announcement was made at the prestigious Cannes Film Festival by film producer “Focus Features” that said it had acquired worldwide rights to “Pope Francis – A Man of His Word.”  

The film, directed by film director Wim Wenders, is a co-production with the Vatican. A press release reveals it’s only the second time the Vatican has collaborated with outside filmmakers and the first to grant direct access to a Pope.

Focus Features said the star film director is currently working the ‘historic non-fiction’ film, emphasizing that it is not a film about Pope Francis, but rather a film project with him.

It said it will feature Pope Francis in conversation, and discussing issues such as ecological responsibility, immigration, consumer behavior and social justice, addressing the audience directly.