Pope Francis

[grace-land]

https://cruxnow.com/


Larger image at the link below--
http://www.ksdk.com/article/news/nation-now/lithuania-sends-pope-francis-worlds-smallest-nativity-scene-for-christmas/465-5fc6bab9-2a75-4c89-9392-1595872fd8cc

Lithuania sends Pope Francis 'world's smallest' nativity scene for Christmas
World's smallest nativity ever? Ask the Pope
Author:   Deutsche Welle 
Published:   2:21 PM EST December 22, 2017 

Pope Francis will have to look extra hard to see what's special about his Christmas present from Lithuania.

Lithuania's government and researchers in the capital Vilnius announced on Friday that they sent Francis a nativity scene that is invisible to the naked eye.

The scene is a replica of the life-sized creche located in Cathedral Square in downtown Vilnius.

Lithuanian President Dalia Grybauskaite posted a picture on Twitter of herself using a microscope to view a copy of the one that was sent to Francis earlier this month.
 

[grace-land]

https://www.romereports.com/en/2017/12/23/pope-francis-to-preside-over-all-major-christmas-ceremonies/

2017/12/23
Pope Francis to preside over all major Christmas ceremonies

Pope Francis will spend the holidays in the Vatican. Although he'll have fewer work meetings, more traditional ceremonies await him.

On Christmas Eve, the pope will celebrate the “night before Christmas” Mass at 9:30 p.m.

The Mass, which welcomes diplomats and pilgrims, concludes with the moving procession of the baby Jesus.

At noon on December 25, the Holy Father will give his Christmas message from the basilica's central balcony and share the “Urbi et Orbi” blessing, which is reserved for the two most important Catholic feasts – Easter and Christmas.
 

[grace-land]

http://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2017-12/angelus-for-christmas-eve--mary-the-perfect-collaborator-in-god-.html#.Wj-eDgDqtj8.twitter

Angelus: Mary the perfect collaborator in God's project
By Christopher Wells

Pope Francis leads the faithful in the Angelus from St Peter's Square (file photo)
On Christmas Eve, which this year falls on the Fourth Sunday of Advent, Pope Francis reflected on the Annunciation during the weekly Angelus.

The Holy Father noted the contrast between “the promises of the Angel and Mary’s answer.” The Angel’s greeting is a long revelation, which becomes even more detailed in response to Mary’s request for an explanation. The Child that will be born of this humble girl from Nazareth will be called the Son of the Most High: it is not possible to conceive a higher dignity than this.

Mary’s response, on the other hand, is a brief phrase: “Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it done unto me according to thy word.” She does not speak of “glory or privilege,” the Pope said, but only of availability and service.”
 
http://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2017-12/angelus--full-text.html#.Wj-eV0mZFz8.twitter
Angelus: Full Text
English translation of Pope Francis' remarks at the Angelus of 24 December 2017.
24 December 2017, 12:16 

Video at the link below--
https://www.youtube.com/user/vatican

[grace-land]

http://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2017-12/pope-homily-christmas-night-mass-full-text.html

Pope's homily for Christmas Mass during the night: full text

Christmas Mass in St Peter's Basilica
Full official English translation of Pope Francis' homily for the Mass During the Night for Christmas 2017:

Homily of His Holiness Pope Francis

Solemnity of the Nativity of Our Lord
 Mass during the Night

24 December 2017

Mary “gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in bands of cloth, and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn” (Lk 2:7). In these plain and clear words, Luke brings us to the heart of that holy night: Mary gave birth; she gave us Jesus, the Light of the world. A simple story that plunges us into the event that changes our history for ever. Everything, that night, became a source of hope.
 

Video at the link below--
https://www.youtube.com/user/vatican

[grace-land]

http://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2017-12/-urbi-et-orbi--christmas-message-and-blessing-of-pope-francis.html

"Urbi et Orbi" Christmas Message and Blessing of Pope Francis
25 December 2017, 11:30 

S.S. Francesco - Benedizione Urbi et Orbi 25-12-20  (@Vatican Media)

On Christmas Day Pope Francis prays for world peace and gives his "Urbi et Orbi" blessing

Pope Francis has appealed for peace and for a world in which children across the globe may be able to hope for a future of justice, security and joy.

The Pope's words came on Christmas Day as he addressed the city and the world during his traditional "Urbi et Orbi" message from the Central Loggia of St. Peter's Basilica.   

Please find below the full text of the Pope's message:
 

Video at the link below--
https://www.youtube.com/user/vatican

[grace-land]

http://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2017-12/pope-at-angelus--christ-s-coming-means-conversion--change.html

Pope at Angelus: Christ's coming means conversion, change
26 December 2017, 12:54

Pope Francis greets the crowds at the Angelus on St Stephen's Day  (AFP or licensors)
Christopher Wells

Pope Francis said that Christ’s coming into the world means we must “convert” and change our way of thinking.

The Holy Father was speaking ahead of the Angelus on Tuesday. In Italy, and in many countries throughout the world, the day after Christmas, which commemorates St Stephen, the first martyr, is kept as an important holiday.

In his reflection, Pope Francis said the connection between the birth of Jesus on Christmas, and the martyrdom of St Stephen the following day, might not seem clear – but in fact, there is a strong link between them. Stephen was martyred, he said, because of his firm faith, and proclamation, of the “new presence of God among men.” He knew that Jesus, “the eternal Word come to dwell among us” was the true temple of God.
 
http://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2017-12/full-text--angelus-address-of-26-december-2017.html
Full text: Angelus address of 26 December 2017

Video at the link below--
https://www.youtube.com/user/vatican

[grace-land]

https://zenit.org/articles/pope-francis-makes-christmas-visit-to-pope-emeritus-benedict-xvi-3/

Pope Francis Makes Christmas Visit to Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI 
December 26, 2017

© Servizio Fotografico - L'Osservatore Romano
Pope Francis visited Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI Thursday afternoon to personally give his Christmas greetings to the Pontiff Emeritus at his residence at the Mater Ecclesiae Monastery in Vatican City, reported the Holy See Press Office.

As has become their tradition, they prayed together briefly and then spent some time having pleasant conversation. The visit lasted about 30 minutes.
 

[grace-land]

http://www.vaticannews.va/en/vatican-city/news/2017-12/pope-to-card--maradiaga--i-m-sorry-for-the-evil-they-have-done-a.html

Pope to Card. Maradiaga: I'm sorry for the evil they have done against you
26 December 2017, 13:21

Pope Francis with Card. Oscar Rodriguez Maradiaga, file photo
Pope Francis spoke via telephone with Cardinal Rodriguez in the wake of the allegations against the Cardinal, who states that the accusations are an attack by those opposed to the Holy Father's curial reform efforts

Pope Francis spoke by telephone with Cardinal Óscar Andrés Rodríguez Maradiaga, Archbishop of Tegucigalpa, after the journalistic accusations addressed to the Cardinal regarding the use of large sums of money received from the Catholic University of Honduras, of which he is Chancellor. In an interview given to Suyapa TV, a television channel of the Church of Honduras, the Cardinal forcefully defined the allegations as calumnious.

The phone call with the Pope: do not be worried

The Cardinal, who holds the role of coordinator of the so-called C9, the Council of Cardinals which collaborates with the Pope on the reform of the Roman Curia, stated that he has had many attestations of solidarity, even from non-Catholic exponents. He then talked about a phone call with the Pope, who told him: “‘I’m sorry for all the evil they have done against you, but do not you worry’. I said to him, ‘Holiness, I am at peace – at peace because I am with the Lord Jesus who knows everyone’s heart’.”
 

[grace-land]

https://zenit.org/articles/christmas-is-about-jesus-otherwise-it-is-fake-pope-says/

Christmas Is About Jesus, Otherwise It Is Fake, Pope Says 
December 27, 2017

© L'Osservatore Romano
The birth of Jesus is the greatest gesture of love of our Father in Heaven, and therefore, we must resist attempts to distort Christmas which detract from its meaning.

Pope Francis stressed this during this morning’s General Audience in the Vatican’s Paul VI Hall, Dec. 27, 2017, as he discussed the significance of Christmas, which in these days we are living in faith and in celebrations.

The Pope began mentioning that the construction of the nativity scene and the readings and traditional songs, have made those present with him for the General Audience hall relive today, the day in which Christ, the Lord, was born.

Warning: Distortion

In our time, especially in Europe, the Pope said, we witness a sort of “distortion” of Christmas.

“In the name of a false respect that is not Christian, which often hides the will to marginalize the faith,” Francis continued, “it eliminates from the celebration any reference to the birth of Jesus. But, in fact, this event is the only true Christmas!”

“Without Jesus there is no Christmas,” the Pope decried, “there is another party, but not Christmas.”
 
https://zenit.org/articles/general-audience-full-text-on-lord-jesus-birth/
GENERAL AUDIENCE : On Christmas, Lord Jesus’ Birth (FULL TEXT) 
December 27, 2017

Video at the link below--
https://www.youtube.com/user/vatican

[grace-land]

https://zenit.org/articles/for-an-outgoing-missionary-church-theological-ministry-is-an-urgent-important-priority/

‘For an Outgoing Missionary Church, Theological Ministry Is an Urgent, Important Priority’ 
December 29, 2017

© Vatican Media
For an outgoing missionary Church, Pope Francis says theological ministry is an urgent and important priority.

The Holy Father stressed this to the Italian Theological Association which he met for the 50th anniversary of its founding, in the Vatican this morning.

In his remarks, the Pope recalled how in these days, we are immersed in the joyful contemplation of the mystery of our God, Who “has become so involved and compromised with our poor humanity” that He sends His Son to us, taking on our flesh.

“Every Christian theological thought cannot, but always, begin incessantly from here, in a reflection that will never exhaust the living source of divine Love, which has been left to touch, watch and savor in the crib of Bethlehem.”

After 50 years of dedication, the Pope thanked the theologians for the contribution they have given to theological development and to the life of the Church.

The association, in accordance with Vatican II, the Pope observed, contributes to this ‘new stage of evangelization’ where [with Vatican II] She assumed the responsibility of announcing the Gospel in a new way, more in harmony with a deeply changed world and culture.”
 
https://zenit.org/articles/popes-address-to-italian-theological-association/
Pope’s Address to Italian Theological Association 
50th Anniversary of Their Founding
December 29, 2017

[grace-land]

http://www.vaticannews.va/en/vatican-city/news/2017-12/st--peter_s-basilica-gets-digital-organ-for-papal-celebrations.html

St. Peter’s Basilica gets digital organ for papal celebrations
30 December 2017, 11:09 

Christmas Mass inside St. Peter's Basilica
A new, digital organ has been installed in St. Peter’s Basilica for papal celebrations. The Director of the Pontifical Sistine Chapel Choir says it responds both to the Basilica’s practical, acoustic demands and to the liturgical reforms of the Second Vatican Council.

“New demands require new solutions,” according to Msgr. Massimo Palombella, Director of the Pontifical Sistine Chapel Choir.

His remark refers to the introduction in 2017 of an electronic organ in St. Peter’s Basilica for use during papal celebrations

The state-of-the-art digital organ was donated by the Allen Organ Company, a market leader in the United States for the last 70 years.

Msgr. Palombella says the system is able to fill “excellently” the entire acoustic space of one of the world’s largest places of worship.

The new organ made its debut on the evening of 24 December as Pope Francis celebrated Christmas Mass During the Night.

Traditional pipe organ still in use

Despite the presence of this new, digital organ for large celebrations, the traditional – and beautiful – pipe organ remains irreplaceable for events held at the Altar of the Chair. “It is truly perfect for that space in all its breadth, through the real sound of the pipes, without requiring amplification,” Msgr. Palombella said.

Up to now, the musical production of the pipe organ had been picked up by microphones and rebroadcast digitally throughout the Basilica and St. Peter’s Square. This method, however, caused inevitable frequency distortion and quite a few problems related to background noise.
 
 
Video at the link
http://www.mcall.com/business/mc-biz-allen-organ-pope-rome-20171215-story.html
O holy music: An Allen organ lands at Vatican in time for Christmas Eve Mass
By Anthony Salamone•Contact Reporter
Of The Morning Call
December 22, 2017 |Macungie

If you watch the Christmas Eve Mass at St. Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican on TV Sunday, you may want to pay extra close attention.

For the first time, the keyboard sounds of “The First Noel,” “Oh Come All Ye Faithful” and other seasonal hymns that fill the giant church will be coming from an organ produced by Allen Organ Co.

The Macungie company’s instrument is now the exclusive organ of the Sistine Chapel Choir, the pope’s personal choir. But beyond accompanying the pope’s choir, the GeniSys is movable and will be used for performances around the Vatican complex.

Allen Organ President Steven A. Markowitz said the organ will make its worldwide debut Sunday during the special Christmas Eve liturgy.
 

Christmas Vigil Mass--
https://www.youtube.com/user/vatican

[grace-land]

https://zenit.org/articles/pope-parents-help-children-to-mature/

Pope: Parents Help Children to Mature 
December 31, 2017

Vatican News Screenshot
Parents must help their children to mature, Pope Francis said on December 31, 2017, in his address before praying the Angelus with the crowd gathered at noon in St. Peter’s Square. He noted that the growth of children is a great joy of the family.

“The Gospel invites us to reflect on the experience lived by Mary, Joseph, and Jesus, while they grow together as a family in mutual love and trust in God,” according to the Holy Father.  He went on to explain that the Holy Family fulfilled the law by offering their son to God in the temple, recognizing that “God alone is Lord of individual and family history.”

“Every family is called to acknowledge this primacy, protecting and educating the children to open themselves to God who is the very source of life,” Francis continued. “Every family is called to acknowledge this primacy, protecting and educating the children to open themselves to God who is the very source of life”

The Pope concluded by reminding the faithful gathered in the square that Christ is “truly one of us: the Son of God makes himself a child, accepts to grow, is strengthened, is full of wisdom and the grace of God is upon Him.”
 
http://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2017-12/pope-expresses-closeness-to-coptic-christians-after-attack-in-eg.html
Pope expresses closeness to Coptic Christians after attack in Egypt
31 December 2017, 12:32 

https://zenit.org/articles/angelus-address-on-the-feast-of-the-holy-family/
Angelus Address: On the Feast of the Holy Family
December 31, 2017

Video at the link below--
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CnfGGlH5o3k

[grace-land]

https://cruxnow.com/vatican/2017/12/31/pope-francis-set-visit-much-discussed-nativity-scene-tonight/

Pope Francis set to visit much-discussed nativity scene tonight
John L. Allen Jr.   Dec 31, 2017

The Vatican's annual nativity scene for 2017, which Pope Francis will visit on New Year's Eve. (Credit: Stock image.)
ROME - An odd thing about being pope is that while St. Peter’s Square belongs to you, you can’t just pop over and stroll around like an ordinary person. Doing so would cause security nightmares, and likely would also become a mob scene upending whatever sense of relaxation or spiritual repose might have been the aim.

As a result, every year moments are built into a pope’s calendar in which he can visit the square on his own, including the annual display of the Vatican’s nativity scene. It comes each year on New Year’s Eve, after the pontiff has finished celebrating a vespers service in St. Peter’s Basilica and saying the Te Deum in gratitude to God for the year coming to a close.

Shortly after the service wraps up, the pope comes into the piazza, surveys the nativity scene, and has a few moments of silent prayer. Afterwards, he usually spends some time greeting Vatican personnel gathered in the square.

In general, it’s about the least controversial thing a pope does every year. It’s perhaps another sign of the dynamics of the Pope Francis era, however, that some have found a basis for tumult even here.

Ever since the nativity set was inaugurated in early December, it’s generated a wide range of reaction, and not all of it positive. The images are designed to display the corporal works of mercy - feeding the hungry, giving water to the thirsty, clothing the naked, and so on. The display includes a prominent image of a naked male on the ground reaching up to another man, which some observers have said “steals the scene.”

Fans have found the image of the naked man thought-provoking and dramatic, critics say it’s needlessly racy and distracting. At that level, it’s largely an argument over aesthetics and tastes.

However, there are also politics involved, because this nativity set was prepared by the abbey shrine of Montevergine, located near Naples in southern Italy. As it happens, that abbey also hosts an image of the Virgin Mary that’s been adopted as a patroness by a large LGBT community, which makes an annual pilgrimage there, so some see an explicit link between the Vatican nativity set produced by the shrine and efforts to promote a more “LGBT-friendly” church.

The connection between the nativity set and the Montevergine LGBT pilgrimage was first reported by LifeSite News, quoting a leader of the local LGBT community as saying, “The presence of the Vatican nativity scene for us is a reason to be even happier this year.”

Veteran Italian Vatican writer Sandro Magister recently described the connotations surrounding the nativity scene as an “own-goal” by Pope Francis and his team, meaning a self-inflicted bit of turbulence at the end of the year.

It’s not clear, however, whether Francis even will be aware of that bit of subtext when he makes his visit to the nativity set later tonight.
 

[grace-land]

http://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2017-12/pope-leads-vespers-and-te-deum-on-new-years-eve.html

Pope leads Vespers and Te Deum on New Year’s Eve
31 December 2017, 13:14

Pope Francis celebrates Vespers in St Peter's Basilica and thanks those who strive for the common good  (AFP or licensors)
In his homily at Vespers in St Peter’s Basilica, Pope Francis thanks all Rome’s residents who strive to promote the common good in the Eternal City.

Leading a celebration of Vespers in the Vatican Basilica on Sunday afternoon, Pope Francis spoke of his gratitude for the many ways in which Rome’s residents have worked to promote the common good of the city over the past year.

The celebration concluded with the singing of the traditional Te Deum, after which the Pope went outside and spent a few moments greeting well-wishers and praying in front of the life-sized Nativity scene in St Peter's Square.

Fullness of time

The Pope began his homily at Vespers by reflecting on the “fullness of time” when the Word was made flesh through the birth of the Christ child.

Mary, the Mother of God or Theotokos as she’s called in the Orthodox world, was the first to experience that sense of fullness, the Pope said, as her humble heart and her whole being was “saturated with the Holy Spirit”.

Sense of gratitude

From Mary, he continued, the Church inherits this inner perception of fullness which nourishes a sense of gratitude as the only human response to God’s great gift for us. In this spirit of gratitude, he said, we lift up to God our thanksgiving for the year that draws to a close.

Wasting God’s gift

As we look back over 2017, Pope Francis said, we must recognise the many ways we have wasted and wounded God’s gifts “with works of death, with lies and injustices”. Wars are the flagrant sign of this backsliding and absurd pride, he said, but so are all the small and great offenses against life, truth, and solidarity, which cause multiple forms of human, social and environmental degradation.

Working for the common good

But the Pope also expressed his gratitude to all those living and working for the common good in the city of Rome, seeking to “do their duty”, to “respect public places”, to “point out things that are wrong” and to “pay attention to the elderly or those in difficulty”.

Teaching civic values

In particular, he praised the work of all parents, teachers and educators who try to train children and young people in a civic sense and an ethic of responsibility. Though they may not make the news, he said, they are the majority of Rome’s residents, striving to do what they can, even though many live in difficult economic conditions.

Today, in thanksgiving to God, the Pope concluded, let us all express our gratitude for all these craftsmen of the common good, who love their city not only with words but also with deeds.

Please find below the full text of the Pope’s homily for Vespers in St Peter’s Basilica
 

Video at the link below--
https://www.youtube.com/user/vatican

[grace-land]

More images at the link

https://twitter.com/Cindy_Wooden
Cindy Wooden‏Verified account @Cindy_Wooden · 31 Dec 2017 

Swiss Guard band plays as #PopeFrancis prays before the Nativity scene in St. Peter's Square.

[grace-land]

https://zenit.org/articles/pope-francis-year-opens-in-the-name-of-the-mother/

Pope Francis: Year Opens in the Name of the Mother 
January 1, 2018

© L'Osservatore Romano
“The year opens in the name of the Mother,” Pope Francis said in his homily at Mass in St. Peter’s Basilica on January 1, 2018, the Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God. “Mother of God is the most important title of Our Lady”

The Holy Father reminded the congregation that the Church has declared that Mary is not only the Mother of Jesus but the Mother of God. That shows “a magnificent truth” that God “took on our humanity.”

“The word mother (mater) is related to the word matter,” the Pope continued. “In his Mother, the God of heaven, the infinite God, made himself small, he became matter, not only to be with us but also to be like us.”

Devotion to Mary is “a requirement of the Christian life…not spiritual etiquette,” Francis concluded.  He noted that it is important to “leave behind all sorts of useless baggage” and look to Mary to find what really matters.

The Homily of the Holy Father
 
https://cruxnow.com/vatican/2018/01/01/pope-new-years-want-peace-start-mary-crib/
Pope on New Year’s: If you want peace, start with Mary and the crib
John L. Allen Jr.   Jan 1, 2018

Video at the link below
https://www.youtube.com/user/vatican

[grace-land]

A link to the Message for the 2018 World Day of Peace is in the article.

https://zenit.org/articles/angelus-address-on-the-solemnity-of-the-mother-of-god-and-the-world-day-of-peace/

Angelus Address: On the Solemnity of the Mother of God and the World Day of Peace 
January 1, 2018

Vatican News Screenshot
VATICAN CITY, JANUARY 1, 2018 (Zenit.org).- Here is a ZENIT translation of the address Pope Francis gave today, before and after praying the midday Angelus with those gathered in St. Peter’s Square.
* * *
Before the Angelus:

Dear Brothers and Sisters, good morning!

On the first page of the calendar of the New Year, which the Lord gives us, the Church puts as stupendous miniature the liturgical solemnity of Mary Most Holy, Mother of God. On this first day of the solar year, let us fix our gaze on her, to take up again, under her maternal protection, the journey along the paths of time.

Today’s Gospel (Cf. Luke 2:16-21) takes us back to the stable of Bethlehem. The shepherds arrive in haste and find Mary, Joseph, and the Child, and refer to the proclamation given to them by the Angels, namely, that that Newborn is the Saviour. All are astonished, while “Mary kept all these things, pondering them in her heart” (v. 19). The Virgin makes us understand how the event of Christmas is to be received: not superficially but in the heart. She indicates the true way to receive God’s gift: to keep it in the heart and ponder it. It’s an invitation addressed to each one of us to pray, contemplating and enjoying this gift that is Jesus Himself.

It’s through Mary that the Son of God assumes corporeity. However, Mary’s maternity isn’t reduced to this: thanks to her faith, she is the first disciple of Jesus and this “dilates” her maternity. It was Mary’s faith that at Cana caused the first miraculous “sign,” which contributed to arouse the disciples’ faith. Mary is present with the same faith at the foot of the cross and receives as son the Apostle John. And, finally, after the Resurrection, she becomes the praying Mother of the Church, on which the Holy Spirit descends powerfully on the Day of Pentecost.

As Mother, Mary carries out a very special function: she puts herself between her Son Jesus and men in the reality of their privations, indigence, and sufferings. Mary intercedes, as at Cana, aware that, as Mother, she can, rather, must make present to her Son the needs of men, especially the weakest and most disadvantaged. It’s in fact to these persons that the theme is dedicated of the World Day of Peace that we celebrate today: “Migrants and Refugees: Men and Women in Search of Peace,” so is the motto of this Day. Once again, I wish to make myself voice of these our brothers and sisters, who invoke for their future a horizon of peace. For this peace, which is a right of all, many of them are prepared to risk their life in a journey that in most cases is long and dangerous; they are willing to face toils and sufferings (Cf. Message for the 2018 World Day of Peace, 1).
 

Video at the link below--
https://www.youtube.com/user/vatican

[grace-land]

https://www.lifesitenews.com/news/breaking-three-bishops-call-popes-reading-of-amoris-laetitia-alien-to-catho

Tue Jan 2, 2018 - 1:36 pm EST
Three bishops call Pope’s reading of Amoris Laetitia ‘alien’ to Catholic faith

ROME, January 2, 2018 (LifeSiteNews) — Three bishops have spoken out against Pope Francis’ interpretation of Amoris Laetitia to allow some remarried divorcees access to Holy Communion, saying such a reading is causing “rampant confusion,” is “alien” to the Catholic faith, and will spread “a plague of divorce” in the Church.

Bishop Athanasius Schneider, auxiliary of Astana, Kazakhstan, Archbishop Tomash Peta, Metropolitan of Astana, and Archbishop Jan Pawel Lenga of Karaganda, Kazakhstan issued a Profession of the immutable truths about sacramental marriage on December 31 as a “service of charity in truth” to the Church of today and to the Pope.

The bishops took the decision to make a “public and unequivocal profession of the truth” regarding the Church’s teaching on the indissolubility of marriage because they say they “are not allowed to be silent.”

As Catholic bishops charged with defending and promoting the Catholic faith and common discipline, they say they have a “grave responsibility” and “duty before the faithful” who expect from them “a public and unequivocal profession of the truth and the immutable discipline of the Church regarding the indissolubility of marriage.”

They note that after the publication of Pope Francis’ document on the family, Amoris Laetitia, various bishops and bishops’ conferences have issued norms allowing some civilly remarried divorcees, not living in sexual continence, to receive the sacraments of Penance and Holy Communion. They point out that these various hierarchical authorities (Germany, Malta, and Buenos Aires, although they do not cite them by name), have also received approval “even from the supreme authority of the Church.”
 
https://www.lifesitenews.com/news/full-text-of-kazakhstan-catholic-bishops-statement-on-amoris-laetitia
Tue Jan 2, 2018 - 1:37 pm EST
Full text of Kazakhstan Catholic Bishops statement on Amoris Laetitia

[grace-land]

https://zenit.org/articles/general-audience-on-the-penitential-act-full-text/

GENERAL AUDIENCE : On the Penitential Rite (FULL TEXT) 
January 3, 2018

© Vatican Media
This morning’s General Audience, the first of the year 2018, was held at 9:25 in Paul VI Hall, where the Holy Father Francis met with groups of pilgrims and faithful from Italy and from all over the world.

Continuing with the series of catecheses on the Holy Mass, in his address in Italian the Pope focused his meditation, which Zenit has translated in its entirety below, on the penitential rite.

After summarizing his catechesis in several languages, the Holy Father expressed special greetings to groups of faithful present.

The General Audience ended with the singing of the Pater Noster and the Apostolic Blessing.
* * *
The Holy Father’s Catechesis

Dear Brothers and Sisters, good morning!
 

Video at the link below--
https://www.youtube.com/user/vatican

[grace-land]

http://www.vaticannews.va/en/vatican-city/news/2018-01/dicastery-human-development-first-year-turkson.html

First year of the Vatican Dicastery for Human Development
04 January 2018, 16:02
By Robin Gomes

The Vatican’s Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development has just completed its first year of activity.  The Dicastery is an outcome of Pope Francis reform of the Roman Curia to overhaul and stream line the central administration of the Catholic Church here in the Vatican.

The Pope announced the new Dicastery on 31 August 2016 with the release of his Motu Proprio “Humanam progressionem”(Latin for “Human Development”).  He appointed Cardinal Peter Turkson, the President of the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace to be its first prefect.

The Dicastery came into effect on 1 January 2017, with the merger of four Pontifical Councils: Justice and Peace, Cor Unum, Pastoral Care of Migrants and Itinerant People, and Health Care Workers.