Pope Francis

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http://en.radiovaticana.va/news/2017/07/21/pope_francis_donates_€25_thousand_to_ease_east_africa_famine/1326345

Pope Francis donates €25 thousand to ease East Africa famine
21/07/2017 13:45

(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis has donated €25 thousand to the efforts of the United Nations’ Food and Agriculture Organisation, FAO, in support of people facing famine and food insecurity in East Africa.

The Holy Father had pledged personal assistance in a message to FAO's Conference on 3 July 2017, in which he said he was "inspired also by the desire to encourage Governments".

In February of this year, famine was declared in parts of South Sudan (where civil strife has largely interrupted daily life). While the situation has eased after a significant scaling up in the humanitarian response, some 6 million people in the country are still struggling to find enough food every day.

Meanwhile, there are an estimated 16 million people in need of humanitarian assistance in five other East African countries: Somalia, Ethiopia, Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda. That figure represents an increase of about 30 percent since late 2016.

Below, please find the official statement regarding the donation
 

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https://cruxnow.com/global-church/2017/07/22/pope-begins-answering-priests-troubled-nigerian-diocese/

Pope begins answering priests from troubled Nigerian diocese
Inés San Martín   July 22, 2017

ROME- Days after time ran out for the priests of an entire Nigerian diocese to write and apologize for having refused to accept their bishop for the past five years, Pope Francis, through some of his closest advisers, has begun to respond to each of them.

“The pope promised he would write back, and he’s doing so,” said Cardinal John Onaiyekan of Abuja, Nigeria.

The prelate, who’s been the apostolic administrator of the Diocese of Ahiara, also said that the letters “are not passing though me,” so he doesn’t know their content, and added that he probably won’t until the process of delivering the letters is over.

Speaking to Crux over the phone on Friday, Onaiyekan also said that he hopes Bishop Peter Ebere Okpaleke, who was appointed to the southern Nigerian diocese of Ahiara by Benedict XVI in 2012, is accepted by the time the process is over.

“I hope that my brothers will recognize him,” he said. “I’m waiting and praying, hoping that this long crisis will come to an end.”

The letters from the Vatican, which address each priest by name, are slowly beginning to arrive, through the Vatican embassy in Nigeria- technically called a nunciature. The new papal representative, Italian Archbishop Antonio Guido Filipazzi, arrived in Nigeria a few days ago.

Several attempts made by Crux to reach the nunciature to confirm if the letters that have already been delivered had been brought into the country by Filipazzi went unanswered.
 

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http://en.radiovaticana.va/news/2017/07/23/pope_at_angelus_the_line_between_good_and_evil_runs_throug/1326678

Pope at Angelus: 'the line between good and evil runs through the heart of each of us'
23/07/2017 15:22

(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis on Sunday reminded the faithful of God’s infinite patience and of the fact that  “we are all sinners”.

Addressing those gathered in St. Peter’s Square for the Angelus, the Pope reflected on the Gospel of the day remarking on the fact that “the boundary between good and evil runs through the heart of each of us”.

The reading in question tells of how wheat and weeds were sown in the same field illustrating, the Pope said; “the problem of evil in the world” and emphasizing the Lord’s patience.
 
 God, he said, sows good seed while Satan sows weeds. In the parable the householder’s slaves would like to pull the weeds out, but the master objects saying the wheat might be uprooted along with the weeds and he invites them to let them grow together until harvest.

“With this image - the Pope explained - Jesus tells us that in this world good and evil are so intertwined that it is impossible to separate them and to extinguish all evil. Only God can do this, and he will do it in the Last Judgment.
 
https://zenit.org/articles/angelus-address-on-the-parable-of-the-good-seed-and-the-darnel/
Angelus Address: On the Parable of the Good Seed and the Darnel 
July 23, 2017

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FcW2Oya5zRM
2017.07.23 Angelus Domini

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http://en.radiovaticana.va/news/2017/07/23/angelus_pope_appeals_for_dialogue_after_jerusalem_violence/1326659

Angelus: Pope appeals for dialogue after Jerusalem violence
23/07/2017 13:50

Palestinian worshippers run for cover from teargas fired by Israeli forces outside Jerusalem's Old City. - AFP

(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis has appealed for moderation and dialogue after a surge of violence and killings over Jerusalem’s Temple Mount.

Addressing the crowds gathered in St. Peter’s Square for the Sunday Angelus, the Pope said he is following “with trepidation the grave tensions and violence of the last days in Jerusalem.”

Last week Arab gunmen, shooting from the site – which is Holy to Jews and to Muslims -  killed two Israeli policemen sparking a wave of violence in which three Palestinians were killed in street clashes and a Palestinian fatally stabbed three members of an Israeli family.

“I feel the need to express a heartfelt appeal for moderation and dialogue” Francis said and he invited all faithful to join him in prayer so that the Lord may inspire all sides to come together with proposals for reconciliation and peace.
 
http://en.radiovaticana.va/news/2017/07/20/christian_leaders_condemn_violence_at_jerusalem_temple_mount/1326219
Christian leaders condemn violence at Jerusalem's Temple Mount
20/07/2017 17:51

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https://zenit.org/articles/pope-prays-for-charlie-gard-and-his-parents/

Pope Prays for Charlie Gard and His Parents 
July 24, 2017

CHARLIE GARD

"Pope Francis is praying for Charlie and his parents, and feels especially close to them at this time of immense suffering. The Holy Father asks that we join in prayer that they may find God’s consolation and love."

This declaration was made by Director of the Holy See Press Office, Greg Burke, today, in response to the parents of the British 11-month-year old baby, deciding today to abandon their legal battle to bring the infant to the United States for treatment with a therapy thought to help his mitochondrial DNA depletion syndrome.

Recently, medical examinations showed the baby to have irreversible brain damage and no active function.
 

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http://en.radiovaticana.va/news/2017/07/25/italy_drought_vatican_turns_off_fountains_to_save_water/1326884

Italy drought: Vatican turns off fountains to save water
25/07/2017 07:37

One of the fountains, designed by Italian artist Gian Lorenzo Bernini, that adorn St.Peter's Square at the Vatican. - AP

(Vatican Radio) The drought that is affecting the city of Rome and the surrounding areas of the capital has led the Holy See to take measures to save water.

The Governorate of Vatican City State has decided to turn off all the fountains, both the external ones located in St. Peter's Square, and the interior fountains including those in the Vatican Gardens.
 

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https://zenit.org/articles/popes-trip-to-peru-two-places-in-lima-to-receive-between-2-5-m-people/

Pope’s Trip to Peru: Two Places in Lima to Receive Between 2-5 M People 
Young People Who Wish Can Register to Be Part of the “Pope’s Guard,” which Will Assist during the Events
July 25, 2017

Two suitable places in Lima have already been identified, for Pope Francis’ visit to Peru from January 18-21, 2018, which will receive between 2-5 million people, said the director of the Organizing Commission of the Archbishopric of Lima, Father Luis Gaspar Uribe, to Radio “Programs of Peru,” adding that “Rome already knows which ones they are and we are awaiting the approval.”

The Pope will hold two meetings in Lima, which will gather thousands of faithful. One of the meetings will be with young people, and the other with families and the population in general.

One of the Vatican’s commissions in charge of papal trips was in Peru two months ago to assess suitable places for the meetings with the Successor of Peter. Days later, those in charge of security measures also visited the country. “These Commissions gather the information and take it to the Vatican, which analyzes it; then the program is approved,” said Father Gaspar.
 

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Trial of Cardinal Pell, Vatican’s Prefect of the Secretariat for the Economy

https://cruxnow.com/global-church/2017/07/26/beginning-fight-abuse-charges-cardinal-pell-goes-court/

Beginning fight against abuse charges, Pell says he’ll plead ‘not guilty’
John L. Allen Jr.  July 26, 2017

Cardinal George Pell arrives at Melbourne Magistrates Court July 26 with his lawyers Paul Galbally (right) and Robert Richter. (Credit: AP.)

In the first step of what could be a long legal journey, Australian Cardinal George Pell appeared before a court in Melbourne on Wednesday morning for an initial hearing related to charges of sexual abuse, which established that the next act in the drama will come Oct. 6.

The hearing, which began at 10:00 a.m. local time and lasted just six minutes, was a procedural matter intended only to establish when prosecutors will turn over their evidence to defense attorneys and the next time Pell has to appear.
 
Pell has been given a leave of absence by Pope Francis from his position as the Vatican’s Prefect of the Secretariat for the Economy. In a statement released at the time, the Vatican said the pope views the charges with “regret” and praised Pell’s “honesty” and “integrity,” but also pledged “respect for the Australian justice system.”
 

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http://www.catholicnews.com/services/englishnews/2017/british-baby-charlie-gard-dies-in-hospice-care.cfm

British baby Charlie Gard dies in hospice care
7.28.2017 4:50 PM ET

MANCHESTER, England (CNS) -- Charlie Gard, the British baby whose legal battle caught the attention of the world, died July 28, just over a week before his first birthday, his family announced.

Connie Yates, the baby's mother, issued a brief statement saying: "Our beautiful little boy has gone, we are so proud of you Charlie."
 
The situation had caught the world's attention, including the attention of Pope Francis. The day the parents dropped their legal battle, Greg Burke, director of the Vatican press office, said the pope was "praying for Charlie and his parents and feels especially close to them at this time of immense suffering."

After news of Charlie's death, Pope Francis tweeted: "I entrust little Charlie to the Father and pray for his parents and all those who loved him."

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https://zenit.org/articles/the-popes-apostolic-journey-to-chile-three-places-in-santiago/

The Pope’s Apostolic Journey to Chile: Three Places in Santiago 
Vatican’s Delegation Visited Former Aerodrome of Cerrillos, O’Higgins Park and the Jockey Club
July 27, 2017

The Holy See delegation, which over the last four days assessed the places that will gather thousands if not millions of people for Pope Francis’ public events, concluded its work in Chile on Wednesday.

The Holy Father will visit the Andean country from January 15-18, and will then go to Peru, where he will stay until January 21, when he will return to Rome. In Chile, the Pope will visit the cities of Santiago, the capital; Temuco, in the center-south of the country, and Iquique in the North, close to the borders with Peru and Bolivia. He will celebrate Mass in each city with the participation of thousands of people.

Planned in Santiago is a mass event. The possible places where it will be held are O’Higgins Park, the Jockey Club and the Ciudad Parque Bicentenario (former Aerodrome of Cerrillos). O’Higgins Park was used in 1987 by Saint John Paul II, when he beatified Teresa of the Andes. What the organizers are identifying are ample places of easy access, which facilitate the installation of appropriate security structures for the safety of the Holy Father.
 

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http://en.radiovaticana.va/news/2017/07/30/pope_francis_at_angelus_gospel_joy_opens_hearts/1327869

Pope Francis at Angelus: Gospel joy opens hearts
30/07/2017 13:35

People attend the Angelus prayer in St Peter's Square, 30 July, 2017 ANSA/ALESSANDRO DI MEO - ANSA
(Vatican Radio) Ahead of the Sunday Angelus prayer with pilgrims and tourists in St. Peter’s Square, Pope Francis shared a reflection on two of the three parables from the 13th chapter of the Holy Gospel according to St. Matthew, which were read during Mass on Sunday.

Focusing exclusively on the parables of the hidden treasure and the pearl of great price, the Holy Father said, “This day, we are exhorted to contemplate the joy of the farmer,” who sells all he has in order to purchase the field wherein he had hidden the treasure he discovered, “and of the merchant,” who sells all he had in order to purchase the pearl of great price.

“It is the joy of each of us when we discover the closeness and consoling presence of Jesus in our lives,” he said.
 

http://en.radiovaticana.va/news/2017/07/30/pope_francis_appeals_for_end_to_human_trafficking/1327867
Pope Francis appeals for end to human trafficking
30/07/2017 13:11

https://zenit.org/articles/angelus-address-on-parables-of-hidden-treasure-the-precious-pearl/
Angelus Address: On Parables of Hidden Treasure & the Precious Pearl 
Jesus “Is the Hidden Treasure; He Is the Pearl of Great Value
July 30, 2017

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vpUIoyNi7fA
2017.07.30 Angelus Domini

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Photo at the link

http://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/pope-marks-feast-of-st-ignatius-by-lunching-with-brother-jesuits-31421/

Pope marks feast of St Ignatius by lunching with brother Jesuits

Rome, Italy, Jul 31, 2017 / 12:17 pm (CNA/EWTN News).- To mark Monday's feast of St. Ignatius of Loyola, founder of the Society of Jesus, Pope Francis as usual visited his brother Jesuits at their General Curia house in Rome.

The Church's first Jesuit Pope, who is taking a break from all public audiences during July, was welcomed by the Father General of the Jesuits, Fr. Arturo Sosa.

Earlier in the day Pope Francis sent a tweet honoring St. Ignatius and asking for his prayers, telling his 35 million followers: “Like Saint Ignatius of Loyola, let us be won over by the Lord Jesus and, led by Him, place ourselves at the service of others.”

Pope Francis has made a point to visit the Jesuits on the feast of their founder every year since his election.
 

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https://twitter.com/FatherRosica

Francis lives in apartment number 201 of Casa Santa Marta inside Vatican City, built by Wojtyla to provide housing for Cardinals during the Conclaves. It is a five-story building; the Pope’s apartment is on the second floor. It includes a living room, study, bedroom and bathroom

http://www.lastampa.it/2017/07/31/vaticaninsider/eng/the-vatican/praying-reading-and-waking-up-later-francis-staycation-NUWIDULhvWTJVtrEurGNFK/pagina.html

Praying, reading and waking up later. Francis’ staycation
Pubblicato il  31/07/2017
Ultima modifica il 31/07/2017 alle ore 16:43
domenico agasso jr and andrea tornielli

Vatican City

For Pope Wojtyla taking a vacation meant going to the mountains, the high mountains when possible, with long walks and silence while contemplating the peaks. For Benedict XVI vacation meant reading, studying and playing the piano, in the mountains or at Castel Gandolfo. His successor Francis takes a vacation by slowing down everyday commitments, audiences and celebrations, but without leaving home. And so the historic Papal vacation residence - to which John Paul II added a swimming pool to swim undisturbed - remains unused by his pro-tempore owner and has become a museum open to the public. 

Jorge Mario Bergoglio took his last vacation, meant as holiday away from home, in the 1970s. Since then, the current Pontiff has always preferred to spend his summer vacation without leaving his usual residence and his city; slowing down the pace of daily work without leaving home. 

MEMORIES   
 

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http://en.radiovaticana.va/news/2017/08/02/pope_francis_at_audience_remember_the_day_of_your_baptism/1328439

Pope Francis at Audience: Remember the day of your Baptism
02/08/2017 14:01

(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis on Wednesday resumed his General Audiences, after they were suspended during the month of July for a summer break.

The Holy Father once more took up the theme of Christian Hope, focusing on the Sacrament of Baptism, the Gateway of Hope.

In his catechesis, Pope Francis spoke about several aspects of the Baptismal liturgy. The older form of Baptism anticipated catechumens making the first part of their profession of faith turned to the west. After rejecting Satan, they turned to the apse, toward the east, where the sun rises, and professed their faith in God, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

In our times, the Pope said, we have lost our fascination with this rite; we have lost our “sensitivity to the language of the cosmos.” But we have retained the significance of the rite: To be a Christian means “to look to the light, to continue to make the profession of faith in the light, even when the world is wrapped up in the night and in darkness”:
 
https://zenit.org/articles/popes-general-audience-on/
Pope’s General Audience: On Baptism, Door of Hope 
August 2, 2017

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PDvZIoCmae4
2017.08.02 General Audience

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Photo and video at the link

http://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/haitian-children-andrea-bocelli-sing-for-pope-francis-23858/

Haitian children, Andrea Bocelli sing for Pope Francis

Vatican City, Aug 2, 2017 / 09:56 am (CNA/EWTN News).- Wednesday there was a special surprise at the end of Pope Francis' general audience – a performance by acclaimed Italian tenor Andrea Bocelli and a choir of 60 children from the poorest areas of Haiti.

The choir, called “Voices of Haiti,” sang three songs with Bocelli, including 'Amazing Grace' and 'Ave Maria,' following the general audience in the Vatican's Pope Paul VI hall Aug. 2. After the performance the children and world-renowned singer were greeted by Pope Francis.
 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E-qVPYNu5Ww
Pope Francis responds to Andrea Bocelli's compliment: "Thank you. I'm a normal person"
ROME REPORTS in English

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https://zenit.org/articles/pope-francis-prayer-intention-for-august-2017-for-artists/

Pope Francis’ Prayer Intention for August 2017:  For Artists 
August 1, 2017

The Pope’s Worldwide Prayer Network invites all to join in the Holy Father’s August 2017 prayer intention: “That artists of our time, through their ingenuity, may help everyone discover the beauty of creation.”
 
Pope Francis writes of the importance of art and artists in the mission of the Vatican Museums: “Art, aside from being a credible witness to the beauty of creation, is also a tool of evangelization. In the Church, it exists above all to evangelize: through art – music, architecture, sculpture, painting – the Church explains and interprets the revelation… Art has an intrinsic salvific dimension and must be open to everything and everyone, offering consolation and hope to all. For this reason the Church must promote the use of art in its work of evangelization, looking to the past but also to the many current forms of expression.”

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http://en.radiovaticana.va/news/2017/08/02/outcome_document_of_icg_on_corruption/1328359

Outcome Document of ICG on Corruption
02/08/2017 08:58

(Vatican Radio) The organisers of the recently concluded International Consultation Group for Justice, Corruption, Organized Crime and Mafias, sponsored by the Holy See's Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development, have released a document detailing the outcomes of their work.

Below, please find the full text of the Outcome Document, in its official English translation

**********************************************

Outcome document of the “International Debate on Corruption” and goals of the International Consultation Group for justice, corruption, organized crime and mafias.

Outcome document of the “International Debate on Corruption” (15 June 2017)

«That those who have material, political or spiritual power may resist any lure of corruption». This is the universal intention that Pope Francis has entrusted to his Worldwide Prayer Network for the month of February 2018, to commemorate once again the assassination of Blessed Giuseppe Puglisi, priest and martyr.

Starting from the month of September, 2017, the International Consultation Group for Justice of the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development will focus its efforts on this matter for the upcoming year.
 

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http://en.radiovaticana.va/news/2017/08/03/pope_sends_greetings_to_knights_of_columbus/1328657

Pope sends greetings to Knights of Columbus
03/08/2017 13:47

Leaders of the Knights of Columbus at their Supreme Convention. - RV
(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis has sent greetings to the Knights of Columbus on the occasion of their 135th Supreme Convention, which concludes on Thursday in St Louis.

The Pope’s message, conveyed in letter from the Vatican’s Secretary of State, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, says the theme of the Convention – “Convinced of God’s Love and Power” – points “to the secret source of all Christian life and mission: our conviction that God’s saving love, revealed in the death and resurrection of his Son and poured into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, impels us to share the Good News of salvation with every man and woman.” This conviction, it continues, “underlies all our enthusiasm for evangelization.”

It is this experience of God’s love and power, Cardinal Parolin says, that led to the founding of the Knights of Columbus, and to their continued growth.
 

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http://en.radiovaticana.va/news/2017/08/03/pope_francis_sends_letter_to_prayer_meeting_in_japan/1328744

Pope Francis sends letter to interfaith prayer meeting in Japan
03/08/2017 17:16

Pope Francis meets Venerable Koei Morikawa in the Vatican on 16 September 2016 - OSS_ROM

(Vatican Radio)  Pope Francis has sent a letter to the 30th Prayer Meeting on Mount Hiei in Kyoto, Japan, inviting all religions to “pray and work together for peace”.

“It is my pleasure to send my cordial greetings to you and to the distinguished representatives of the different religious traditions,” he wrote.

The Pope’s letter was delivered and read to participants by Cardinal John Tong Hon, Bishop-emeritus of Hong Kong.

It was addressed to Venerable Koei Morikawa, the Supreme Priest of the Tendai Buddhist Denomination, with whom Pope Francis met privately in the Vatican on September 16, 2016.

“This annual religious summit contributes in a special way to the building up of that spirit of dialogue and friendship which allows the followers of the world’s religions to work together to open new paths for peace in our human family.”
 

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http://en.radiovaticana.va/news/2017/08/04/vatican_urges_suspension_of_venezuelas_new_assembly/1328890

Vatican calls for suspension of Venezuela's Constituent Assembly
04/08/2017 14:04

(Vatican Radio) The Vatican on Friday issued an urgent appeal to Venezuela’s leaders to suspend the new Constituent Assembly which, it says, is threatening the future of the South American nation.

The strongly worded communique, issued by the Vatican’s Secretariat of State, says Pope Francis is following closely the situation in Venezuela, where President Nicolas Maduro is headed towards a showdown with the opposition, as he pushes ahead with the inauguration of his new Assembly.

The statement comes as the body's 545 delegates were expected to be installed at the legislative palace in the capital, Caracas, close to the chamber where the opposition-controlled National Assembly meets.