Pope Francis

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http://en.radiovaticana.va/news/2017/11/10/pope_mass_marta_homily_corruption/1348142

Pope at Mass: “Christian craftiness” prevents one from falling into the ring of corruption
10/11/2017 14:00

Pope Francis on Friday once more hit out against the powerful networks of corruption, reminding those involved they are dealing with the goods of others, not theirs.   Delivering a homily during his Mass at the Casa Santa Marta residence in the Vatican, the Pope commented on the Gospel of Luke where Jesus recounts the parable of the dishonest steward who later strikes deals with his master’s debtors.

Describing the dealing as “a true ring of corruption” the Pope said this true even in our days.   “Those involved in these corruption rings are so powerful they are like the mafia.”   This, the Pope said, is fact and not a fairy tale or something from ancient history.  We find them daily in newspapers, especially those who administer public goods, which is not theirs.  There is no question about corruption with one’s own goods because they are always defended.
 

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http://en.radiovaticana.va/news/2017/11/10/pope_addresses_disarmament_conference/1348154

Pope addresses disarmament conference
10/11/2017 14:20

(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis addressed the participants in an international symposium on disarmament and development on Friday. The two-day event has been organized by the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development, in order to address issues that are critical both in themselves and in the light of the complex political challenges of the current international scene.

In remarks prepared for the participants and delivered shortly after noon on Friday in the Clementine Hall of the Apostolic Palace in the Vatican, Pope Francis said nuclear weapons,  “exist in the service of a mentality of fear that affects not only the parties in conflict but the entire human race.” He went on to say, “Weapons of mass destruction, particularly nuclear weapons, create nothing but a false sense of security.”
 

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Video at the link

https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/coming-soon-a-virtual-tour-of-the-tomb-of-jesus-21367

Coming soon: A virtual tour of the tomb of Jesus

Washington D.C., Nov 9, 2017 / 03:08 am (CNA/EWTN News).- Next week, the National Geographic Museum in Washington, D.C., will open a 3D virtual tour of the Holy Sepulchre, the site of Jesus’ tomb.

While the exhibit will likely draw tourists from around the country, could it also be used as a type of virtual pilgrimage, perhaps for those who are unable to visit the Holy Land in person, due to cost, disability, or other factors?

Yes, says Dr. Anthony Lilles, academic dean and theology professor at Saint John’s Seminary in Camarillo.

Lilles told CNA that the intention is key in making the experience a pilgrimage. “A tourists goes because they are curious, a pilgrim goes for a sacred purpose,” he explained.

“We must not, so to say, stay on the level of surface appearance, but instead allow our imaginations to be baptized by the places we are visiting virtually – thinking about the reality of Christ’s historical presence and what it means for our lives now.”

The three-dimensional tour opens on Nov. 15 in Washington D.C. and will continue until August 15, 2018.

It will give viewers an inside look at one of the most revered spots in Christian history.

Veneration of Christ's burial place dates back to St. Helena in the fourth century, who discovered and identified the tomb. St. Helena’s son, Emperor Constantine, built the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in 326 and enshrined the tomb.
 

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https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/at-the-met-catholic-inspired-fashion-now-in-style-54505

At the Met, Catholic-inspired fashion now in style

New York City, N.Y., Nov 9, 2017 / 03:30 pm (CNA/EWTN News).- Can the Catholic imagination dream up beautiful and compelling clotheswear?

That’s one of the questions behind an exhibit collection set to open next year through New York City’s Metropolitan Museum of Art

“The Roman Catholic Church has been producing and promoting beautiful works of art for centuries,” Greg Burke, director of the Holy See’s press office, told the New York Times. “Most people have experienced that through religious paintings and architecture. This is another way of sharing some of that beauty that rarely gets seen.”

“Heavenly Bodies: Fashion and the Catholic Imagination,” set to launch in 2018, was organized through the Met’s Costume Institute. The exhibit brings together Church garments borrowed from the Vatican, religious art from the Met collection, and 150 designer fashion pieces that were intended to pay homage to Catholicism, taking inspiration from Catholic iconography, the liturgy, or other parts of the faith tradition.

The exhibition will run May 10 – Oct. 8, 2018.

The church garments, many of which are still in use for liturgies, will be displayed separately from the fashion exhibit out of respect, the New York Times reports. There will be about 50 items in this separate exhibit. They come from the Sistine Chapel sacristy’s Office for the Liturgical Celebrations of the Supreme Pontiff and range in age from the mid-1700s to the pontificate of Saint John Paul II.
 

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http://en.radiovaticana.va/news/2017/11/11/pope_francis_receives_president_of_sierra_leone/1348345

Pope Francis receives President of Sierra Leone
11/11/2017 14:12

Pope Francis and President Ernest Bai Koroma of Sierra Leone - REUTERS
(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis has received in audience Ernest Bai Boroma, President of the Republic of Sierra Leone.

The cordial conversation that took place on Saturday morning during a private audience in the Apostolic Palace between  the Pope and President Bai Koroma focused mainly on the good relations that exist between the Holy See and the west African nation of Sierra Leone and on the important contribution of the Church in development programmes.
 

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http://en.radiovaticana.va/news/2017/11/11/pope_environment_pacific_islands_climate_change/1348335

Pope addresses Pacific Islands Forum leaders
11/11/2017 13:26

(Vatican Radio)  Pope Francis on Saturday shared the concerns of island, coastal and fishing communities, and called for global cooperation, solidarity and strategies to address issues such as the deterioration of the environment and the health of oceans.

Meeting some 46 members of the Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat in the Vatican, the Pope shared the concerns of those exposed to frequent extreme environmental and climate events, and the impact of rising sea levels and the continuous deterioration of the barrier reef.

He blamed many of the causes of this “environmental decay” on the short-sighted human activity… connected with certain ways ‎of exploiting natural and human resources.

Earth without borders

The Pope however expressed satisfaction that the problem of global warming and rising sea levels that mainly affect  impoverished coastal populations, are being discussed in international forums, such as the on-going United Nations COP-23 Climate Change Conference in Bonn.

He evoked the vision of an “earth without borders” that calls for the need for a global outlook, international cooperation and solidarity, and a shared strategy, to address environmental problems.
 

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http://en.radiovaticana.va/news/2017/11/11/pope_to_al_conference_form_consciences,_accompany_faithful/1348321

Pope to AL conference: form consciences, accompany faithful
11/11/2017 12:21

(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis sent a video message on Saturday morning, to participants in a conference organized by the Italian Bishops Conference (CEI) on Pope Francis’ post-Synodal Exhortation, Amoris Laetitia.

Under the theme, The Gospel of Love between Conscience and Norm, the participants are exploring how to respond to the desire for family that emerges in the soul of the young generations, and seeking together ways to help the faithful assimilate and develop Amoris laetitia’s content and style, contribute to pastoral outreach to families in parishes, communities and ecclesial movements, and support all families on their journey through life, helping them to live the joy of the Gospel, and be active cells in the community
 
http://en.radiovaticana.va/news/2017/11/11/pope__sends_vid_message_to_cei_conference_on_amoris_laetitia/1348299
Pope sends video message to CEI conference on Amoris laetitia
11/11/2017 12:02

Pope Francis sent a video message on Saturday morning, to the participants in a conference organized by the Italian Bishops Conference (CEI) on the post-Synodal Apostolic Exhortation, Amoris laetitia. Below, you will find the full text of the Holy Father's remarks, in our English translation.
 

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http://en.radiovaticana.va/news/2017/11/12/pope_at_angelus_charity_fuels_faith_making_it_fruitful_and/1348477

Pope at Angelus: 'charity fuels faith making it fruitful and credible'
12/11/2017 14:22

Pope Francis waves at the faithful during his Sunday Angelus Prayer in St. Peter's Square - REUTERS
(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis on Sunday told the faithful that in order to enter the Kingdom of Heaven, we must be ready to meet with the Lord.

Speaking to the crowds gathered in St. Peter’s Square for the Angelus prayer, the Pope also said that it is not sufficient to lead a life of faith; a Christian must also be fueled by charity.

The parable of the ten virgins

Recalling the parable of the ten virgins the Pope said one must not wait for “the last moment of our lives to collaborate with God’s grace: you must do it now!” he said.
   
Quoting from the liturgical reading in which the Lord said to the foolish virgins “Stay awake for you know neither the day nor the hour” Francis explained that Jesus is telling us that ‘staying awake’ does not mean only not to fall asleep: it is an exhortation to be prepared.
 
https://zenit.org/articles/angelus-address-parable-of-the-five-wise-and-five-foolish-virgins/
Angelus Address: Parable of the Five Wise and Five Foolish Virgins 
November 12, 2017

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bP3nxHCkp7k
2017.11.12 - Angelus Domini 

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http://en.radiovaticana.va/news/2017/11/13/pope_at_santa_marta_scandal_wounds_hearts_and_kills_hope/1348556

Pope at Santa Marta: scandal wounds hearts and kills hope
13/11/2017 11:57

(Vatican Radio) Scandal wounds hearts and kills hopes: this was the core of Pope Francis’ remarks to the faithful following the Gospel at Mass on Monday morning in the chapel of the Domus Sanctae Marthae. “Things that cause sin will inevitably occur,” the Pope said, recalling the words of Our Lord in the Gospel reading, “but woe to the one through whom they occur.” Hence the warning to his disciples: “Be on your guard!”

“So, be careful not to scandalize. Scandal is evil, because scandal wounds – it wounds God’s People where they are most vulnerable, and strikes the People of God where they are weakest – and many times, the wounds inflicted by scandal are borne by the faithful throughout their lives. Not only does it do harm: scandal is capable of murder – of killing hopes, killing dreams, killing families, killing so many hearts.”
 

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http://en.radiovaticana.va/news/2017/11/13/pope_sends_condolences_to_iran,_iraq/1348602

Pope sends condolences to Iran, Iraq following deadly earthquake
13/11/2017 13:30

(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis sent a pair of telegrammes to Iraq and Iran on Monday, expressing his condolences for the damage and loss of life caused by Sunday's severe earthquake.

In the two messages signed by Cardinal Secretary of State Pietro Parolin, Pope Francis says he "was deeply saddened" by news of the 7.3-magnitude earthquake which struck the border region between Iran and Iraq.

He assured all those affected by the tragedy of his "prayerful solidarity" and his "sorrow to all who mourn the loss of their loved ones".

The Pope also offered "his prayers for the deceased and commends them to the mercy of the Almighty."

Pope Francis closed his messages by invoking "the divine blessings of consolation and strength" upon the injured and "the emergency and civil authorities engaged in rescue and recovery efforts".

Please find below the Pope's original telegrammes:
 

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http://en.radiovaticana.va/news/2017/11/12/the_vatican_calls_for_integral_nuclear_disarmament_/1348481

The Vatican calls for integral nuclear disarmament
12/11/2017 14:54

(Vatican Radio) The Vatican is calling for integral nuclear disarmament. According to the preliminary conclusions of a just-ended high level symposium entitled “Prospects for a World Free of Nuclear Weapons and for Integral Disarmament”, integral disarmament is both an urgent immediate need and a long-term process.

The symposium, organized by the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development got underway as tensions escalated between the US and North Korea.

It saw the participation of eleven Nobel peace laureates, top United Nations and NATO officials, leading experts, ‎heads of  major foundations and of civil society organizations, as well representatives of bishops conferences, Christian denominations and other faiths. Pope Francis addressed the gathering on Friday.

Wrapping up the symposium on Saturday, Cardinal Peter Turkson, President of the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development, read out the following preliminary conclusions:
 

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http://www.lastampa.it/2017/11/13/vaticaninsider/eng/the-vatican/the-pope-discusses-priest-formation-with-the-heads-of-the-dicastery-yxoiARmd4FVhyqSAZqAPMK/pagina.html

The Pope discusses priest formation with the heads of the dicastery
andrea tornielli   Pubblicato il  13/11/2017
vatican city

Integral human formation and attention to discernment. Vocations, formation in the seminaries and permanent training of the clergy were discussed at 9.30 a. m. this morning, 13 November 2017 in the Bologna hall of the Apostolic Palace, where Pope Francis presided over a meeting of the heads of the dicasteries of the Roman Curia. It is the so-called “interdicasterial” meeting, which takes place at least twice a year, with cardinals, bishops and prelates at the head of Congregations and Pontifical Councils. 

On the agenda, the formation of new priests starting from the Ratio fundamentalis Institutionis Sacerdotalis, the guide document published by the Congregation of the clergy in December 2016. A text that takes into account the Magisterium of the Pontiff and insists, precisely, on the importance of integral human formation and not only of academic formation. In the three phases of the vocational pastoral work, the formation of seminarians and permanent training for those who are already priests, it is important to “be missionary disciples and pastors”. Discipleship and mission concern all baptized people, while being pastors is specific to priesthood. The importance of integral human formation and therefore also affective formation has been reiterated, so as to form shepherds capable of living among the people and sharing their expectations, joys and wounds.   

The document, in the wake of Francis’ Magisterium - and in particular of the great responsibility that the exhortation Amoris laetitia brings upon the shoulders of priests, especially in accompanying the increasingly frequent difficult marriage situations - insists on the importance of discernment and formation for discernment. In fact, there is a lack of adequate preparation for this accompaniment to married persons and the formators of future priests must verify whether seminarians are able to assume these responsibilities, which never provide for the easy use of an instruction manual, but require commitment, sharing and the ability to identify themselves in situations that are always different from one another.
 

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Useful links...if interested in following the General Assembly of the US Conference of Catholic Bishops

http://www.usccb.org/about/leadership/usccb-general-assembly/index.cfm

USCCB General Assembly 2017 November
November 13-14 in Baltimore

The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) will gather for their annual Fall General Assembly, November 13-14, 2017, in Baltimore, Maryland.

Monitor this page for the latest USCCB news releases, the agenda, speeches, action item and election results, the live stream and video on-demand.
 ::snipping3:

https://twitter.com/USCCB

https://twitter.com/cwwhite212?lang=en

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http://en.radiovaticana.va/news/2017/11/14/card_parolin_us_bishops_work_more_just_inclusive_society/1348886

Card. Parolin urges US Bishops to work for a more just and inclusive society
14/11/2017 16:02

Cardinal Pietro Parolin - AP
(Vatican Radio) Cardinal Pietro Parolin has urged US Bishops to continue their prophetic witness in the face of the challenges facing the nation.

The Vatican Secretary of State’s words came as he travelled to the United States to join celebrations for the 100th anniversary of their episcopal conference and for the opening of their plenary assembly.

To the Bishops gathered for Mass on Sunday at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Baltimore, Cardinal Pietro Parolin reflected on the liturgical reading of the day and said “May the fire of God's love inspire you as a body to make wise decisions free of all partisan spirit.”
 

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http://en.radiovaticana.va/news/2017/11/14/vatican_announces_initaitives_for_first_world_day_of_poor/1348913

Vatican announces initaitives for first World Day of Poor
14/11/2017 17:02

The free mobile clinic that has been set up in front of St Peter's Square to provide medical services, one of the initiatives marking the first World Day of the Poor on November 19th - ANSA
(Vatican Radio) This Sunday, November 19th marks the first World Day of the Poor, which Pope Francis called for at the conclusion of the Jubilee Year of Mercy. The Pontifical Council for New Evangelisation on Tuesday announced a number of special events that are taking place throughout the week to highlight this annual initiative.

On Sunday morning in St Peter’s Basilica, some four thousand poor and needy people, accompanied by volunteers from Italy, France, Spain, Brussels, Luxembourg and Poland will take part in a Mass celebrated by Pope Francis.

Following the Eucharist, 1.500 of the visitors will be invited to lunch in the adjacent Paul VI Hall, while the other 2.500 guests will be taken to lunch in some of the Catholic colleges, seminaries and charitable organisations in the vicinity of the Vatican.

Festive lunch in Paul VI Hall

Those dining in the Paul VI Hall will be served a meal of gnocchi with tomato sauce and veal stew with vegetables, plus tiramisu and coffee for desert, all prepared by papal chef Sergio Dussin from Bassano del Grappa in Italy’s northern Veneto region.

The Vatican police band and a children’s choir will provide background music for the festive lunch, which has been organised in collaboration with a number of local charity organisations and parishes.

Prayer vigil at St Lawrence Basilica
 

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http://en.radiovaticana.va/news/2017/11/14/programme_of_pope_francis_apostolic_visit_to_peru_and_chile/1348723

Programme of Pope Francis' Apostolic Visit to Peru and Chile released
14/11/2017 08:47

Logo of Pope Francis' upcoming Apostolic visit to Peru and Chile - RV
(Vatican Radio) The Vatican has released the details of Pope Francis' Apostolic Journey to Peru and Chile, due to take place from the 15th to 22 January 2018.

Please find below the full programme:
 
http://www.catholicnews.com/services/englishnews/2017/vatican-releases-popes-schedule-for-visit-to-chile-peru.cfm
Vatican releases pope's schedule for visit to Chile, Peru
11.14.2017 9:42 AM ET

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- During his visit to Chile and Peru, Pope Francis will honor the country's religious roots and underline the plight of indigenous men and women.

The Vatican said Pope Francis will be in Chile Jan. 15-18, visiting the cities of Santiago, Temuco and Iquique. He then will fly to Peru and, from Jan. 18-21, he will visit Lima, Puerto Maldonado and Trujillo.

In Chile, the pope will meet with residents of the Mapuche indigenous community in the Araucania region. Members of the Mapuche have called for the government to return lands confiscated prior to the country's return to democracy in the late 1980s.

He will also meet with the indigenous people of the Amazon during his visit to Puerto Maldonado. The Amazon rainforest includes territory belonging to nine countries in South America and has experienced significant deforestation, negatively impacting the indigenous populations in the area and leading to a loss of biodiversity.

A special gathering of the Synod of Bishops to focus on the Amazon region will take place in Rome in October 2019.

The synod, he said, would seek to identify new paths of evangelization, especially for indigenous people who are "often forgotten and left without the prospect of a peaceful future, including because of the crisis of the Amazon forest," which plays a vital role in the environmental health of the entire planet.

The Peru-Chile trip will be Pope Francis' fourth to South America. In July 2013, he visited Brazil for World Youth Day. In July 2015, he traveled to Ecuador, Bolivia and Paraguay. His trip to Colombia in September was his third visit to the continent as pope.
 

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http://en.radiovaticana.va/news/2017/11/15/general_audience_holy_mass_is_the_prayer_par_excellence/1349048

General Audience: Holy Mass is the prayer "par excellence"
15/11/2017 13:33

Pope Francis delivers his catechesis at the General Audience on Wednesday. - AFP

Reading: Luke 11,1-4

[1] He was praying in a certain place, and when he had finished, one of his disciples said to him, “Lord, teach us to pray just as John taught his disciples.” [2]He said to them, “When you pray, say: Father, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come. [3] Give us each day our daily bread [4] and forgive us our sins for we ourselves forgive everyone in debt to us, and do not subject us to the final test.”

(Vatican Radio) At his General Audience on Wednesday, Pope Francis resumed his catechesis on the Holy Mass.

The Mass, the Pope said, is prayer – or rather, it is “the prayer par excellence, the highest, the most sublime, and at the same time, the most ‘concrete’ … it is an encounter with the Lord.”

“But what is prayer, really?” Pope Francis asked. “it is first of all dialogue, a relationship with God.” Man, he continued, “was created as a being in personal relationship with God, who finds his full realization only in the encounter with His Creator.”
 
https://zenit.org/articles/popes-general-audience-and-catechesis/
Pope’s General Audience and Catechesis 
Continuing with the new series of catecheses on the Holy Mass, in his address in Italian the Pope reflected on the theme: “The Mass Is Prayer.”
November 15, 2017

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ResjeOg39xw
2017.11.15 - General Audience 

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http://en.radiovaticana.va/news/2017/11/15/pope_francis_given_lamborghini_to_be_auctioned_for_charity/1349031

Pope Francis given Lamborghini to be auctioned for charity
15/11/2017 12:59

Pope Francis signs a Lamborghini Huracan given to him by the car maker on Wednesday - EPA

(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis was presented with the keys to a brand-new Lamborghini Huracan on Wednesday by officials from the luxury car maker.

The special edition car, however, will be auctioned off by Sotheby's in London and the proceeds given to four charities in Pope Francis' name.

Pope Francis blessed the car and signed the hood after receiving it in front of his Casa Santa Marta residence.

Sporting the papal colors - white with yellow-gold detailing - the Lamborghini Huracan's base price usually start at 183,000 euros but the specially-made papal car should bring far more at auction.

Auction proceeds go to four charities
 

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http://en.radiovaticana.va/news/2017/11/16/pope_at_daily_mass_the_kingdom_of_god_is_within_us/1349336

Pope at daily Mass: The Kingdom of God is within us
16/11/2017 15:12

(Vatican Radio) The kingdom of God is not a show, much less a carnival; it does not go looking for publicity. Its growth comes from the Holy Spirit, rather than from “pastoral plans.” That was the message of Pope Francis in his daily homily at the Casa Santa Marta on Thursday.

The point of departure for the Pope’s homily was the Pharisees’ question in the day’s Gospel about when the Kingdom of God will come. It is a simple question, the Pope said, which can be asked in good faith, as appears in numerous passages in the Gospel. John the Baptist, for example, when he was imprisoned, sent his disciples to Jesus to ask Him if He was the Messiah, or if they should look for another. Later, in another passage, the same question is turned around: during His Passion, the bystanders say to Jesus, “If you are he, come down from the Cross.” Pope Francis said there are always doubts, there is always curiosity about when the Kingdom of God will come.
 

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http://en.radiovaticana.va/news/2017/11/16/pope_francis_meets_with_president_of_austria/1349300

Pope Francis meets with President of Austria, Alexander Van der Bellen
16/11/2017 12:50

(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis met with the President of Austria, Mr. Alexander Van der Bellen, in the Apostolic Palace on Thursday.

A statement from the Holy See Press Office said "the good relations and fruitful collaboration between the Holy See and Austria were evoked."

The two heads of State also spoke about "matters of mutual interest, such as the defence of the inviolable dignity of the human person, the promotion of a culture of encounter, and concern for the care of creation."