Pope Francis

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http://en.radiovaticana.va/news/2017/06/22/pope_mass_discern_and_denounce_evil,_care_for_others/1320674

Pope Mass: Discern and denounce evil, care for others
22/06/2017 13:03

(Vatican Radio) A shepherd must be passionate, must know how to discern and how to denounce evil. Those were Pope Francis’ words during Mass on Thursday at the Casa Santa Marta, where he focused on the figure of the Apostle Paul and then turned his attention to the example offered by Don Milani. Like the parish priest of Barbiana, the Pope said, one should take care of one’s neighbour.

"The Good Shepherd gives his life for his sheep," said Pope Francis during his homily, drawing inspiration from the readings of the day and dwelling on the characteristics that a shepherd should have. The Pope noted in Saint Paul, the figure of the "true shepherd", who does not abandon his sheep unlike a "mercenary". The first quality, therefore, the Holy Father indicated, is that St Paul  is "passionate". Passionate,  he added, "to the point of telling his people, 'I feel for you all a kind of divine jealousy'." He  is "divinely jealous," the Pope commented.
 

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http://en.radiovaticana.va/news/2017/06/22/pope_francis_meets_king_and_queen_of_the_netherlands/1320803

Pope Francis meets King and Queen of the Netherlands
22/06/2017 17:38

(Vatican Radio)  Pope Francis received King Willem-Alexander and his wife, Queen Máxima, of the Netherlands in a private audience at the Vatican on Thursday.

A communiqué from the Holy See Press Office said their discussions were “cordial” and touched on issues of shared interest, including “the protection of the environment and the fight against poverty, as well as on the specific contribution of the Holy See and the Catholic Church in these fields.”

They also paid “particular attention to the phenomenon of migration, underlining the importance of peaceful co-existence between different cultures, and joint commitment to promoting peace and global security, with special reference to various areas of conflict.”
 

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http://en.radiovaticana.va/news/2017/06/22/pope_to_roaco_recalls_suffering_of_eastern-rite_christians/1320665

Pope to ROACO recalls suffering of Eastern-rite Christians
22/06/2017 12:04

(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis on Thursday met with members of ROACO, (Reunion of Aid Agencies for the Oriental Churches) who have been holding their 90th plenary assembly in Rome this week.

The meeting brings Church leaders from countries across the Middle East, Asia and Eastern Europe together with donor organisations which raise funds for Christians in the Eastern-rite Churches.

The four day meeting has been focused on the difficult situation of Christians in Egypt, Syria, Iraq and the Holy Land, as well as reflecting on the training of priests and seminarians in all the Eastern-rite Churches.

In his message to participants, Pope Francis thanked them for their constant work of charity and solidarity over the past half century in support of Latin and Eastern-rite communities under the care of the Vatican’s Congregation for Oriental Churches.
 

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http://en.radiovaticana.va/news/2017/06/22/pope_appoints_new_president_of_pontifical_academy_of_science/1320612

Pope appoints new president of Pontifical Academy of Sciences
22/06/2017 09:13

Professor Joachim von Braun was elected President of the Pontifical Academy of Sciences by Pope Francis - RV

(Vatican Radio)  Pope Francis appointed Professor Joachim von Braun as the new President of the Pontifical Academy of Sciences on Wednesday.

Professor von Braun is Ordinary Professor of Economics and Technological Change, as well as Director of the Center for Development Research at the University of Bonn in Germany.

He told Vatican Radio's Mario Galgano his goal as head of the Academy will be to seek solutions for inequality and the destruction of the environment.
 

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http://en.radiovaticana.va/news/2017/06/22/pope_extends_ecclesiastica_communio_to_new_patriarch/1320826

Pope extends "Ecclesiastica Communio" to new Patriarch
22/06/2017 18:41

Archbishop Youssef Absi, newly elected Melkite Greek Catholic Patriarch of Antioch - RV

(Vatican Radio) The Holy Father has granted the “Ecclesiastica Communio” in accordance with canon 76 § 2 of the Code of Canons of the Eastern Churches to His Beatitude Youssef Absi, canonically elected as Patriarch of Antioch of the Greek Melkites on 21 June 2017 by the Synod of Bishops of the Patriarchal Church.

The following is the text that Pope Francis sent to the new Patriarch of Antioch of the Greek Melkites for the concession of the “Ecclesiastica Communio”:
 

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http://en.radiovaticana.va/news/2017/06/23/popes_homily_become_small_to_hear_the_voice_of_the_lord/1320929

Pope's homily: Become small to hear the voice of the Lord
23/06/2017 12:36

(Vatican Radio) In order to hear the voice of the Lord, you need to make yourself small. That was the message of Pope Francis in his homily at the daily Mass at the Casa Santa Marta on Friday morning, as the Church celebrates the Solemnity of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus.

The Lord has chosen us, He has “mixed Himself up with us in the journey of life,” and has given “His Son, and the life of His Son, for our love.” In the first Reading, taken from the book of Deuteronomy, Moses says that God has chosen us “from all the nations on the face of the earth to be a people peculiarly His own.” Pope Francis explained how God is praised because “in the Heart of Jesus He gave us the grace to celebrate with joy the great mystery of our salvation, of His love for us”; that is, celebrating “our faith.” In particular, the Pope dwelt on two words contained in the reading: “to choose,” and “smallness.” With regard to choosing, the Holy Father said it is not we who have chosen God, but rather, God has made Himself a “our prisoner”:
 

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The Vatican and the Order of Malta

http://www.lastampa.it/2017/06/23/vaticaninsider/eng/the-vatican/new-knights-of-malta-leader-genuflects-before-francis-in-vatican-meeting-5Nw1VIrOcV8sIyBI2RNz5L/pagina.html

New Knights of Malta leader genuflects before Francis in Vatican meeting
Pope Francis meeting June 23 with Fra’ Giacomo Dalla Torre del Tempio di Sanguinetto, the Lieutenant of the Grand Master of the Knights of Malta
Pubblicato il  23/06/2017

Pope Francis met the new leader of the Knights of Malta Friday in a toned-down encounter in which the head of the historic chivalric order seemed to emphasize its loyalty to the pontiff after a period of tension with the Vatican earlier this year.

As Francis greeted Fra’ Giacomo Dalla Torre del Tempio di Sanguinetto in the antechamber to the papal library, the head knight genuflected before the pontiff and kissed his ring. His face scrunched with emotion, Dalla Torre told Francis he was particularly moved by the encounter and had been following his papacy closely.

Dalla Torre, an Italian, was elected April 29 as the Knights’ Lieutenant of the Grand Master, an interim, one-year leadership post. The election came following months of tension between the Vatican and the order’s previous leader, Briton Matthew Festing. Tensions initially mounted in late December after Festing fired the order’s Grand Chancellor, German Albrecht von Boeselager.
 
Dalla Torre and Francis spoke privately Friday for 25 minutes. Francis then met each member of the head knight’s entourage one-by-one, with several of the other knights also pausing to genuflect and kiss the pope’s ring. The tone seemed jovial, with the pope appearing to joke at one point with a member of the entourage.
 
https://www.orderofmalta.int/2017/06/23/pope-francis-receives-fra-giacomo-dalla-torre-del-tempio-di-sanguinetto-sovereign-council/
Pope Francis receives Fra’ Giacomo Dalla Torre del Tempio di Sanguinetto and the Sovereign Council
Rome, 23/06/2017

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http://en.radiovaticana.va/news/2017/06/23/programme_of_pope_francis_apostolic_journey_to_colombia/1321057

Programme of Pope Francis' Apostolic Journey to Colombia in September
23/06/2017 18:54

(Vatican Radio)  The Vatican has released the details of Pope Francis' Apostolic Journey to Colombia, due to take place from 6 to 11 of September 2017.

Please find below the full programme:

Wednesday 6 September 2017

ROME-BOGOTÁ

11:00  Departure by air from Rome Fiumicino airport for Bogotá

16:30  Arrival in the military area (CATAM) of Bogotá airport

WELCOME CEREMONY
 

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http://en.radiovaticana.va/news/2017/06/25/pope_still_today_christians_face_trials_and_persecutions/1321324

Pope: still today Christians face trials and persecutions
25/06/2017 16:02

(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis on Sunday urged Christians not to be afraid to proclaim the Gospel message, to expect failure and even persecutions, but to always live in the knowledge that the Lord is on their side.

Speaking to the faithful gathered in St. Peter’s Square for the Angelus prayer, the Pope reflected on the liturgical reading of the day in which Jesus said to his disciples “Fear no one” but instructed them and prepared them to face the trials and persecutions the would suffer.

“Jesus’ mission, he said, did not guarantee the disciples success, nor did it shield them from failure or suffering.”

Likewise, the Pope said, Christians must consider the possibility of rejection and persecution: “this is a bit scary, but it is the truth.”
 
https://zenit.org/articles/angelus-address-on-the-life-of-the-missionary-disciple/
Angelus Address: On the Life of the Missionary Disciple
June 25, 2017

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YG7jzbxOb6A
2017.06.25 Angelus Domini 

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http://en.radiovaticana.va/news/2017/06/25/pope_francis_salutes_lithuania’s_first_soviet-era_martyr/1321320

Pope Francis salutes Lithuania’s first Soviet-era martyr
25/06/2017 14:38

(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis sent special greetings to Lithuanian Catholics on Sunday as he recalled the Beatification, in Vilnius, of the nation’s first Soviet-era martyr.

“Today in Vilnius, Bishop Teofilius Matulionis, who was murdered because of hatred towards the faith in 1962 when he was almost 90-years-old, will be Beatified” the  Pope said to the pilgrims gathered in St. Peter’s Square for the Angelus.

“Let us give thanks to the Lord for the witness of this courageous defender of the faith and of human dignity. Let us pay our respects to him and to the entire Lithuanian people with applause” he said.
 
https://www.ncronline.org/news/people/archbishop-become-lithuanias-first-beatified-soviet-era-martyr
Archbishop to become Lithuania's first beatified Soviet-era martyr
Jun. 9, 2017

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http://en.radiovaticana.va/news/2017/06/25/thousands_attend_beautification_of_lithuanias_catholic_mart/1321345

Thousands attend Beautification of Lithuania's Catholic martyr Matulionis
25/06/2017 18:59

Bishops attend the beatification ceremony of Teofilius Matulionis in Cathedral Square. Vilnius, Lithuania, 25 June 2017. - EPA

(Vatican Radio) Thousands of people have gathered in Lithuania's capital Vilnius to attend the official beautification ceremony of Archbishop Teofilius Matulionis, whom - as Stefan Bos reports - became a symbol of persecution endured by Christians when the country was still part of the Soviet Union.

They gathered while Pope Francis called to pay respects to Matulionis and the Lithuanian people as the late church leader became the first Catholic martyr from Lithuania's communist era to be declared blessed.

In front of the neo-classical Vilnius Cathedral in the capital, many sang and prayed as they remembered the suffering of a man who spent many years in prisons and labor camps because of his public dedication to Christ and the Church when Lithuania and effectively ruled by atheist leaders in Moscow. 

Teofilius Matulionis was eventually executed in 1962 after 16 years in detention.

He was raised to archbishop by Pope John XXIII in 1962. But the archbishop was refused Soviet permission to attend the Second Vatican Council. Soon after, on August 20, 1962, he died from a lethal injection, which was apparently administered by a police nurse of the secret service KGB, following a brutal beating in his apartment.
 

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http://en.radiovaticana.va/news/2017/06/25/pope_prays_for_victims_of_landslide_tragedy_in_china/1321314

Pope prays for victims of landslide tragedy in China
25/06/2017 14:00

Rescue workers search for victims of a landslide in Xinmo village in southwestern China - AP

(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis has expressed his closeness and grief for the victims of a landslide that engulfed a village in Sichuan province in south-western China.

Speaking on Sunday after the recitation of the Angelus in St. Peters’ Square, the Pope said “I am close to the population of the Chinese village of Xinmo that was struck yesterday morning by a landslide caused by heavy rains”.

“I pray for the dead and for the injured, he said, and for those who have lost their homes. May God comfort affected families and sustain rescuers.”
 

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http://en.radiovaticana.va/news/2017/06/26/pope_christians_need_not_read_horoscopes_to_foresee_the_fut/1321500

Pope: Christians need not read horoscopes to foresee the future
26/06/2017 16:28

(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis on Monday told believers not to look to horoscopes or to consult fortune-tellers to foresee the future; but to allow God to guide them in a journey full of surprises.

The Pope was speaking during the last Santa Marta Mass of the season before the summer holidays and his return from an apostolic visit to Colombia in September.

Inviting Christians not to be “too settled, stationary, fixed,” Pope Francis reflected on the liturgical reading of the day in which God asks Abraham to leave his country, his homeland, his father’s house and go forth with his kinsfolk, and Abraham – who was seventy five years old – went, as the Lord directed him.

“There is a Christian life-style” the Pope said, “a life-style based on three dimensions: “renunciation”, “promise” and “blessing”.
 

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http://en.radiovaticana.va/news/2017/06/26/taking_care_of_the_sick,_a_reminder_of_christian_grace/1321391

Pope Francis: Taking care of the sick, a reminder of Christian grace
26/06/2017 12:14

(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis on Monday received the Italian League for the Fight against Tumors, stressing the importance of accompanying families and those on the margins on the path of prevention and cure.

Thanking those gathered for their commitment, Pope Francis told them that their  work was a very useful tool of awareness and training, adding that there was a real need to promote  a culture of life, based on attitudes and behaviors.

The League’s commitment to the fight against cancerous tumours is based mainly on three fronts: primary prevention in the form of lifestyle, promotion of a culture of early diagnosis and rehabilitation and social reintegration with attention to the family unit.

In particular the Pope noted, that families need to be accompanied on a path of prevention; A path he said, that involves the various generations.
 

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http://en.radiovaticana.va/news/2017/06/27/pope_francis_marks_25_years_as_a_bishop/1321670

Pope Francis marks 25 years as a bishop
27/06/2017 14:24

(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis celebrated Mass on Tuesday morning in the Pauline Chapel of the Apostolic Palace, together with the members of the College of Cardinals present in the city, in order to mark the 25th jubilee of his ordination to the episcopacy.

The Dean of the College of Cardinals offered greetings and best wishes to Pope Francis on the occasion, recalling the words of St. Paul the Apostle in his Second Letter to the Corinthians, “Make room for us in your hearts,” Cardinal Sodano said. “Holy Father, you need not tell us to make room for you in our hearts,” he continued, pledging him all the love and reverence due the Successor to Peter.

In remarks following the Readings of the Day, the first of which was taken from the Book of Genesis, recounting the episode in which Abraham and Lot part ways, Pope Francis focused on the three imperatives that God gives the Father of Faith: “Arise!” “Look out!” “Be hopeful!”
 
https://zenit.org/articles/popes-homily-for-25th-anniversary-of-his-episcopal-ordination/
Pope’s Homily for 25th Anniversary of His Episcopal Ordination 
Rise up! Look! Hope!
June 27, 2017

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JfuBXdWdvyM
2017.06.27 Mass for the 25th anniversary of Episcopal Ordination
Streamed live 20 hours ago
WITH COMMENTARY - Pope Francis, together with cardinals present in Rome, celebrates Mass for the 25th anniversary of his Episcopal Ordination

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http://en.radiovaticana.va/news/2017/06/27/pope_meets_orthodox_delegation_from_ecumenical_patriarchate/1321635

Pope meets Orthodox delegation from Ecumenical Patriarchate
27/06/2017 13:27

(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis met on Tuesday with members of an Orthodox delegation from the Ecumenical Patriarchate who are here in Rome to celebrate the feast of Saints Peter and Paul.

In his greeting, the Pope noted that this year marks the 50th anniversary of the first exchange of visits between a Roman pontiff and an Ecumenical Patriarch. It was those historic encounters that inaugurated the tradition of sending Catholic and Orthodox delegations to Rome and Istanbul to celebrate the patron saints of the East and Western Churches.

Half a century ago, in July 1967, Pope Paul VI travelled to Istanbul and visited the Phanar, the headquarters of the Ecumenical Patriarchate. There he met with the Orthodox leader Patriarch Athenagoras, who would travel to the Vatican in October of that same year.
 

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https://twitter.com/FatherRosica

Thomas Rosica Retweeted 

Catholic News Svc‏Verified account @CatholicNewsSvc · 24h  24 hours ago 
Here's what the #CollegeofCardinals will look like after Wednesday's #consistory at the Vatican.  (CNS/@nancywiechec )

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http://en.radiovaticana.va/news/2017/06/28/pope_strength_of_the_martyrs_is_hope/1321846

Pope: Strength of the martyrs is hope
28/06/2017 12:32

(Vatican Radio) Continuing his catechesis on “Christian Hope,” Pope Francis spoke Wednesday on “Hope, Strength of the Martyrs” at his General Audience in St Peter’s Square.

The Holy Father reflected on the words of Jesus: “Behold, I am sending you like sheep in the midst of wolves… You will be hated by all because of My Name, but whoever endures to the end will be saved.”

When Jesus sent His disciples on mission, the Pope said, He did not fill them with illusions about easy successes; rather, he warned them that “the proclamation of the Kingdom of God always involves opposition.” Christians love, he said, but they are not always loved; and in a greater or lesser degree, “the confession of faith always takes place in a climate of hostility.”
 
https://zenit.org/articles/popes-general-audience-on-hope-strength-of-martyrs/
Pope’s General Audience: On Hope, Strength of Martyrs 
June 28, 2017

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k86xDnuc8Wk
2017.06.28 General Audience

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http://en.radiovaticana.va/news/2017/06/28/pope_francis_to_new_cardinals_your_mission_is_to_serve/1321895

Pope Francis to new Cardinals: your mission is to serve
28/06/2017 16:30

(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis presided over an Ordinary Public Consistory for the Creation of Cardinals on Wednesday in St. Peter’s Basilica. The Holy Father created five new Cardinals – who are representative members of the Clergy of Rome, whose duties are to elect the Bishop of Rome, to advise the Pope, and to assist him in governing the universal Church.

The five new Cardinals are: Jean Zerbo, Archbishop of Bamako, Mali; Juan José Omella, Archbishop of Barcelona, ​​Spain; Anders Arborelius, Bishop of Stockholm, Sweden; Luis Marie-Ling Mangkhanekhoun, Apostolic Vicar of Paksé, Laos; Gregorio Rosa Chávez, Bishop of Mulli, Auxiliary of the Archdiocese of San Salvador, El Savador.

In his allocution on the occasion, the Holy Father focused on the mission of service to which the new Cardinals are called.

“[Jesus]  calls you to serve like him and with him,” Pope Francis said, “to serve the Father and your brothers and sisters.”
 
https://zenit.org/articles/pope-francis-homily-at-consistory-for-creation-of-new-cardinals/
Pope Francis’ Homily at Consistory for Creation of New Cardinals 
June 28, 2017

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8N11N6PhXhM
2017.06.28 Ordinary Public Consistory for new Cardinals
Streamed live 14 hours ago
WITH COMMENTARY - Pope Francis presides at the Ordinary Public Consistory for the creation of new Cardinals.

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https://cnstopstories.com/2017/06/28/serve-god-humanity-just-like-jesus-did-pope-tells-new-cardinals/

Pope tells new cardinals to serve people, tackle sins
Posted on June 28, 2017

VATICAN CITY (CNS) — Cardinals are not called to be “princes” of the church, but to serve the people of God and tackle the sins of the world, Pope Francis told five new cardinals.

Jesus “calls you to serve like him and with him, to serve the father and your brothers and sisters,” the pope said as he created five new cardinals from five nations June 28.

The new cardinals created during the prayer service in St. Peter’s Basilica were: Cardinals Jean Zerbo of Bamako, Mali, 73; Juan Jose Omella of Barcelona, Spain, 71; Anders Arborelius of Stockholm, 67; Louis-Marie Ling Mangkhanekhoun, apostolic vicar of Pakse, Laos, 73; and Gregorio Rosa Chavez, 74, auxiliary bishop of San Salvador, El Salvador.

After reciting the Creed and taking an oath of fidelity to Pope Francis and his successors, each cardinal — in his new red robes — went up to Pope Francis and knelt before him. The pope gave them each a cardinal’s ring, a red skullcap and a red three-cornered red hat. The crimson hue the cardinals wear is a reminder that they must be courageous and faithful to Christ, his church and the pope to the point of shedding blood, if necessary.

They also received a scroll attesting to their appointment as cardinals and containing the name of their “titular church” in Rome. The assignment of a church is a sign they now are members of the clergy of the pope’s diocese.

After the consistory, Pope Francis and the new cardinals visited retired Pope Benedict XVI in the Mater Ecclesiae Monastery, his residence in the Vatican gardens.
 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VPzpAEsFvQg
EWTN Video of Benedict XVI Greeting New Cardinals
The Pope Emeritus received the five new cardinals and Pope Francis at his 'Mater Ecclesiae' residence after the Ordinary Consistory in St. Peter's basilica, June 28, 2017