Pope Francis

[grace-land]

Cardinal Timothy Dolan, Archbishop of New York--comments from press conference about the "Heavenly Bodies" exhibit

http://cardinaldolan.org/index.php/heavenly-bodies-fashion-and-the-catholic-imagination/

May 7, 2018
Heavenly Bodies: Fashion and the Catholic Imagination

I’d like to share with you my comments from the press conference this morning for the opening of the Metropolitan Museum of Art Costume Institute’s exhibition, Heavenly Bodies: Fashion and the Catholic Imagination.

What’s the Church doing here?

What is the Cardinal-Archbishop of New York doing here?

Well, because the Church and “the Catholic imagination,” are all about truth, goodness, and beauty…

That’s why we have great schools… to teach the truth;

That’s why we love and serve the poor – to do good;

That’s why we’re into art, poetry, music, liturgy, and, yes, even fashion… to thank God for beauty; 

I guess that’s why Steve and Christine Schwarzman, cherished friends so generous to our inner-city schools, Catholic Charities, and Saint Patrick’s Cathedral, and I, are here… because of the true, the good, the beautiful.

In the “Catholic imagination,” the True, the Good, and the Beautiful have a name: Jesus Christ, who revealed Himself as “the Way, the Truth, and the Life.”

In the “Catholic imagination,” the truth, goodness, and beauty of God is reflected all over… even in fashion.  The world is shot through with His glory.
 

[grace-land]

https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2018-05/pope-francis-sunday-mass-tor-de-schiavi-love-tongue.html

Pope at Sunday Mass: The tongue is touchstone of knowing our love
07 May 2018, 13:56

Pope Francis visited the Most Holy Sacrament parish of Rome's suburb of Tor de Schiavi on May 6, 2018. (AFP or licensors
Pope Francis celebrated Sunday Mass for the parishioners of the Most Blessed Sacrament Church in the Tor de’ Schiavi neighbourhood, on the eastern periphery of Rome.
By Robin Gomes

Try not to talk ill of others.  And the remedy is easy and within everyone’s reach.  Bite your tongue.  It will swell up but surely it will prevent us from speaking badly about others.  Pope Francis offered the advice to the faithful of the Most Blessed Sacrament Parish in Rome’s suburb of Tor de’ Schiavi, which he visited Sunday afternoon
 

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

[grace-land]

https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2018-05/pope-francis-benedict-xvi-preface-collected-writings-book.html#.WvA7DCKd1Ow.twitter

Pope Francis writes preface for 2nd volume of Ratzinger's collected writings
07 May 2018, 13:11

Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI
Pope Francis has written the preface for the second volume of collected writings by the Pope Emeritus, Benedict XVI, on the theme "faith and politics".

Entitled "Liberating freedom. Faith and politics in the third millennium", Pope Francis describes the work as a sort of compass to "understand our present and find a solid orientation for the future."

He elaborates on the main themes touched upon and concludes his preface saying that together with Benedict’s powerful Opera Omnia these writings are also “ a real source of inspiration for political action that, by placing the family, solidarity and equity at the centre of its attention and planning, truly looks to the future with foresight” .

The volume is scheduled to be launched in Rome on 11 May, in the presence of Archbishop Georg Gänswein, Prefect of the Papal Household and particular secretary of the Pope Emeritus together with other political and religious representatives.

Please find below the full text of Pope Francis’ preface:
 

[grace-land]

Video at the link

https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2018-05/pope-francis-video-message-modern-slavery.html#.WvBTI3k0WXE.twitter

Pope Francis sends video message to forum on 'modern-day slavery'
07 May 2018, 13:47

Pope Francis has called for concerted effort on the part of all actors of society to address the root causes of human trafficking - which he describes as a crime against humanity - and to promote integral human development in building a renewed soceity based on freedom, justice and peace.
By John Waters

Pope Francis has sent a video message to the Forum on modern day slavery, which runs from 5th-8th May, 2018 in Buenos Aires, Argentina. The event is being hosted by the Orthodox Archdiocese of Buenos Aires, and co-sponsored by the Patriarch Athenagoras Institute in Berkely, California. The forum brings together experts from many different walks of life, such as scholars, policymakers, peacekeepers and theologians, in order to address the issue of modern day slavery and propose solutions to the problem. The forum is a continuation of the work begun by the Ecumenical Patriarch, Bartholomew, who is the leader of the Orthodox Churches, and the Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby. The two church leaders convoked a similar conference in Istanbul, Turkey, in 2017.

Pope Francis’s message began with an illustration of the scale of the problem facing the participants. After listing some of the forms of slavery in today’s world, such as human trafficking, exploitation of workers through debt and sexual exploitation, the Pope presented a startling image to the participants.
 

[grace-land]

https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2018-05/pope-francis-ecumenical-pilgrimage-wcc-geneva-programme.html#.WvBnhFVwavo.twitter

Holy See releases schedule of Pope’s June Geneva trip
07 May 2018, 16:26

Pope Francis and World Council Churches General Secretary Rev. Olav Fykse Tveit.
A programme for Pope Francis day trip to the Swiss city of Geneva has been released by the Holy See.
By Richard Marsden

Details have been released today by the Vatican for Pope Francis’ “ecumenical pilgrimage” to Geneva to mark the 70th anniversary of the World Council of Churches (WCC).

The programme for the day visit to the city on Thursday, 21 June includes a meeting with representatives from various denominations at Geneva’s Ecumenical Centre followed by Mass at a convention centre to the north of the city.

Pope Francis will be the first pontiff to visit Geneva since Saint John Paul II, who stopped there in 2004 as part of a six-day pastoral visit to Switzerland.
 

[grace-land]

https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope-francis/mass-casa-santa-marta/2018-05/pope-francis-santa-marta-devil.html

Pope at Mass: Don't dialogue with the devil, the great liar
08 May 2018, 14:02

At Mass at Casa Santa Marta, Tuesday morning, Pope Francis talked about how to deal with the devil who though defeated and dying is still dangerous.
By Robin Gomes

Never approach the devil nor talk to him: he is "defeated" but dangerous because he seduces and, like a chained angry dog, bites if you go to pat him.  Pope Francis offered this advice in his homily at Mass, Tuesday morning, in the chapel of the Casa Santa Marta in the Vatican. 

Commenting on John’s Gospel where Jesus says “the ruler of this world has been condemned," the Pope spoke about the seduction of the devil and how to deal with him.

The Pope said that even though the devil is defeated and dying he has a great power and capacity to seduce.  He promises many things, bringing us beautifully packed  gifts, without revealing their contents
 

[grace-land]

https://www.vaticannews.va/en/vatican-city/news/2018-05/new-statute-dicastery-laity-family-life.html#.WvHihCQEOfc.twitter

New Statute of the Vatican Dicastery for the Laity, Family and Life
08 May 2018, 16:57

The new Statute of the Dicastery established by Pope Francis in 2016 to promote the role of the lay faithful, the family and life, was published on Tuesday.

The new Statute for the Vatican’s Dicastery for Laity, Family and Life was published by the Vatican on May 8. 

The new Dicastery for Laity, Family and Life was instituted by Pope Francis on August 15, 2016 with the Motu Proprio, ‘Sedula Mater’, and was placed under a Statute on an experimental basis on June 4th 2016, and came into effect on September 1, 2016. 

The new Dicastery was invested with responsibilities and functions that previously belonged to the Pontifical Council for the Laity and the Pontifical Council for the Family, which are now defunct. Also linked to the Dicastery is the Pontifical Academy for Life and the John Paul II Pontifical Theological Institute for Marriage and Family Sciences.

Like the previous Statute, the new Statute has been approved on an experimental basis, and will come into effect on May 13.
 
https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/new-statutes-for-vatican-laity-family-life-office-cement-links-with-jpii-institute-69890
New statutes for Vatican laity, family, life office cement links with JPII Institute

The new Statute for the Vatican’s Dicastery for Laity, Family and Life --
http://press.vatican.va/content/salastampa/it/bollettino/pubblico/2018/05/08/0329/00712.html#ing

[grace-land]

https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2018-05/pope-francis-general-audience-catechesis-9-may.html

Pope Francis: “God never disowns his children”
09 May 2018, 12:38

Pope Francis during the General Audience in St. Peter's Square   (AFP or licensors)
During the General Audience in St. Peter’s Square Pope Francis continued his catechesis on Baptism saying it immerses us in the mystery of Christ’s death and rising to new life.
By Linda Bordoni

"God never disowns his children" Pope Francis said to the pilgrims gathered in a cloudy St. Peter’s Square on Wednesday: “He loves us so much - like a Father - and does not leave us alone”.

And explaining that this relationship is definitive, the Pope said that thanks to the rite of Baptism, it is sealed with an indelible mark on the soul: “an indelible spiritual seal that is not erased by any sin.”

And reiterating that the seal of Baptism in never lost “even if a person becoms a criminal who kills people, who perpetrates injustice,” Francis said that seal is not erased. But,  he warned,  “sin prevents Baptism from bearing the fruits of salvation.”
 
https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2018-05/pope-francis-appeal-peace-syria-world.html
Pope Francis appeals for peace in Syria, world
09 May 2018, 11:19

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

[grace-land]

https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/embezzlement-trial-begins-for-ex-vatican-bank-president-19854

Embezzlement trial begins for ex-Vatican Bank president

Vatican City, May 9, 2018 / 10:25 am (CNA/EWTN News).- The first hearing in a trial against the former president of the Institute of Religious Works (IOR) – known as the “Vatican Bank” – and his lawyer took place today at the Vatican.

Angelo Caloia, 78, president of the IOR from 1989-2009, and his lawyer, Gabriele Liuzzo, 95, were indicted March 5 on accusations of having embezzled money from Vatican real estate sales during the years 2001-2008.

At the hearing May 9, the Vatican Court announced plans to appoint experts who will assess the value of properties that Caloia and Liuzzo are accused of selling at below-market rates – while allegedly making off-paper agreements for higher amounts to pocket the difference. The amount embezzled is estimated to be 57 million euros (68 million dollars).
 

[grace-land]

https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/working-document-approved-for-synod-on-youth-28980

Working document approved for synod on youth

Vatican City, May 9, 2018 / 11:14 am (CNA/EWTN News).- After a two-day meeting in Rome, the governing council of the Vatican office for the Synod of Bishops approved the text to be used as the working document for the upcoming October gathering dedicated to youth.

The May 7-8 meeting of the governing council was presided over by Pope Francis and centered on finalizing the text.

A compilation of ideas and thoughts from five sources, the document includes information from answers to a questionnaire sent out to bishops conferences; answers to an online questionnaire for youth; an international seminar on youth that took place in Rome in September 2017; contributions and suggestions from both individuals and groups; and the concluding document of the March 19-24 pre-synod meeting in Rome, which gathered some 300 youth from around the world.

According to a May 9 communique on the Synod of Bishops' council meeting, a draft of the working document was presented which generated “an interesting exchange of opinions.”

Suggestions were made for changes to the text. Once the changes were incorporated, the document was approved by each of the council members participating.
 

[grace-land]

https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2018-05/pope-francis-nomadelfia-loppiano.html#.WvMK705nXkE.twitter

Pope’s May 10 Italian visit to Nomadelfia and Loppiano
09 May 2018, 15:43

On May 10, Pope Francis is visiting Nomadelfia and Loppiano, home to two Catholic movements founded in 40s in the last century.
By Robin Gomes

Pope Francis will be on a half-day pastoral visit on Thursday to the towns of Nomadelfia and Loppiano in the central Italian region of Tuscany, that are associated with two Catholic movements.

Nomadelfia

The Pope will start his 22nd pastoral visit in Italy on May 10, flying in the morning by helicopter to Nomadelfia, that is named after a Catholic community of families and lay unmarried people who adopt a lifestyle of brotherhood inspired by the first Christians in the Acts of the Apostles.   

In the Nomadelfia Community all goods are shared, with no private property.  It is made up of families that take in abandoned children.

After landing in Nomadelfia the Pope will first visit the tomb of Italian priest Father Zeno Saltini, who founded the community in 1948.

He will them visit to one of the Community´s family groups, hold a meeting with members of the community in the church and join young people in their celebration and deliver an address.

Over 4,000 people are expected for the Pope’s Thursday visit.

St. Pope John Paul II visited Nomadelfia on May 21, 1989. 
 

[grace-land]

https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2018-05/pope-francis-nomadelfia-meeting-community.html#.WvQuzqKodLk.twitter

Pope moved by warmth and family spirit of Nomadelfia Community
10 May 2018, 12:56

Pope Francis meeting children during his visit to Nomadelfia, Italy, on May 10, 2018.  (ANSA)
Pope Francis paid a pastoral visit to the Italian town of Nomadelfia, where Fr. Zeno Saltini initiated a community inspired by the first Christian community.
By Robin Gomes

Pope Francis on Thursday visited the central Italian town of Nomadelfia where he was moved by the warmth and family spirit of the community started there by Father Zeno Saltini in 1947.

Nomadelfia was the first of two-stop half-day Italian visit, that also took him to Loppiano associated with the Focolare Movement.  Nomadelfia is named after a Catholic community of families and lay unmarried people who adopt a lifestyle of brotherhood inspired by the first Christian community.
https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2018-05/pope-francis-nomadelfia-loppiano-photo-gallery.html
Nomadelfia Photogallery
10 May 2018, 12:50

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

[grace-land]

https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2018-05/pope-francis-loppiano-meeting-focolare-movement.html#.WvQ_KnQU47A.twitter

Pope tells Focolari members to remain faithful to their roots and to trust in the future
10 May 2018, 14:01

Pope Francis in Loppiano  (ANSA)
The Pope was welcomed on Thursday to the small town of Loppiano in the Italian region of Tuscany by over 7000 members of the Focolare movement.
By Linda Bordoni

Awaiting Pope Francis in Loppiano were not only the town’s 850 inhabitants, but representatives of the Focolare family from all over Italy as well as the thousands across the world who watched the event via live streaming.

The Pope arrived in Loppiano after a visit to Nomadelfia - also in Tuscany - where he met with the community there.

The Focolare Movement is a diverse reality that prioritizes dialogue and a lifestyle that contributes towards building unity and peace in the world. Two million people across the globe share in the Movement's life and activities; many come from Christian Churches, but there are others who profess different religious creeds. There are about 1,000 social projects in different countries of the world, and 800 businesses that base their activities on the principles of the Economy of Communion.
 
https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2018-05/pope-francis-nomadelfia-loppiano-photo-gallery-2.html
Loppiano Photo Gallery
10 May 2018, 13:07

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

[grace-land]

https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2018-05/pope-telegramme-mafia-sicily.html

Pope appeals to young people in Sicily to resist the call of the mafia
10 May 2018, 12:00

Students in southern Italy at a rally to commemorate victims of the mafia   (ANSA)
Pope Francis has marked St. Pope John Paul’s visit to the Sicilian town of Agrigento 25 years ago with an appeal to young people to resist the call of the mafia.
By Linda Bordoni

In a telegramme addressed to the Archbishop of Agrigento in Sicily on Wednesday evening, Pope Francis marked the 25th anniversary of Saint Pope John Paul II’s visit to the town of Agrigento where he denounced the mafia’s organized criminal activities and called on ‘mafiosi’ criminals to convert.

In his message the Pope recalled that St. John Paul II’s prophetic appeal came at the end of Holy Mass on 9 May 1993, celebrated in the famous archaeological site of the Valley of Temples in Agrigento, and said that he too, on this important anniversary, has an appeal for young people today to resist the call of organized crime.
 

[grace-land]

https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2018-05/pope-orthodox-czech-slovak-rastislav-cyril-methodius.html

Pope meets primate of Orthodox Church in Czech, Slovac Republics
11 May 2018, 12:22

Metropolitan Rastislav of the Czech and Slovak lands who met with Pope Francis on Friday
Pope Francis points to Saints Cyril and Methodius, who translated the Gospels into the Slavic language, as models for contemporary evangelisation
By Philippa Hitchen

Pope Francis met on Friday with Metropolitan Rastislav, head of the Orthodox Church in the Czech and Slovak Republics.

It was the first encounter between the pontiff and the primate, who was elected in January 2014.

In his words to the Holy Father, Metropolitan Rastislav compared the two Church leaders to the disciples on the road to Emmaus, who only recognised Jesus when he broke bread with them. While we are still unable to break the Bread of Life together, he said, we “remain fellow disciples who walk together” as pilgrims on the way.

In his response to the Orthodox leader, Pope Francis recalled the legacy of the 9th century Apostles of the Slavs, Saints Cyril and Methodius, whom Saint John Paul II proclaimed co-patrons of Europe in honour of their evangelising mission.
 

[grace-land]

http://catholicphilly.com/2018/05/news/national-news/papal-biographer-to-appear-on-60-minutes-with-excerpts-from-film/

Papal biographer to appear on ’60 Minutes’ with excerpts from film
By Mark Pattison • Catholic News Service • Posted May 11, 2018

WASHINGTON (CNS) — Pope Francis, the subject of a new documentary by German filmmaker Wim Wenders, will appear on the CBS newsmagazine “60 Minutes” in excerpts from the movie, “Pope Francis: A Man of His Word.”

CBS is airing a second hour of “60 Minutes” May 13. The segment featuring the pope will be shown during the second hour, 8-9 p.m. EDT.

CNS News correspondent Jon Wertheim interviews Wenders as part of the segment.
 

[grace-land]

https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2018-05/pope-francis-scholas-occurentes-alert-dream-roots.html

Pope urges Scholas Occurrentes to keep awake and never stop dreaming
12 May 2018, 12:05

Pope Francis at the Scholas Occurrentes centre in Rome on May 11, 2018.   (ANSA)
Pope Francis on Friday met the boys and girls of the Scholas Occurrentes Foundation at their centre in Rome and urged them to keeping dreaming while respecting their roots.
By Robin Gomes

Pope Francis on Friday visited the Scholas Occurrentes Foundation centre in Rome and urged its young people be alert and never give up hoping and dreaming.

The Scholas Occurrentes, the Latin for “schools that meet “, is an educational project launched by Pope Francis in Argentina 2001, when he was Archbishop of Buenos, to encourage social integration ‎and the culture of encounter through sports, arts and technology.  As Pope, he made it into a foundation in 2013.  Today it is present in 190 countries.
 

[grace-land]

https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2018-05/pope-francis-circolo-san-pietro-rome-diocese-charity.html#.WvbQtpH-IlU.twitter

Pope urges “Circolo San Pietro” to be witness of God's mercy and goodness
12 May 2018, 13:06

Pope Francis consoling a poor man.
Pope Francis on Saturday received members of the charity of Rome Diocese who came with a collection for the his charity fund.
By Robin Gomes

Strive to be the face of a Church that pushes itself to the frontiers, never standing still but walking to meet the brothers and sisters who are hungering and thirsting to be welcomed, yearning for sharing, closeness and solidarity.

This was the exhortation that Pope Francis offered on Saturday to some 300 members of the “Circolo San Pietro”, a charity of Rome diocese, who ‎brought him their collection for the Pope’s charity fund called “Peter’s Pence”. 
 

[grace-land]

https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2018-05/pope-francis-regina-coeli-13-may-2018-reflection-ascension.html

Regina Coeli: Looking to heaven with our feet on the ground
13 May 2018, 14:39

The Ascension of the Lord
Forty days after the Resurrection, Jesus ascended into heaven, where He sits at the right hand of God the Father. The mystery of the Ascension was the focus of Pope Francis remarks at the Regina Coeli on Sunday
By Christopher Wells

At the Regina Coeli, Pope Francis focused his reflection on the Solemnity of the Ascension, which is observed on Sunday in Italy and other parts of the world.

The feast of the Ascension, he said, has two main elements. “On the one hand, it directs our gaze to heaven, where Jesus, glorified, sits at the right hand of God. On the other, it reminds us of the beginning of the mission of the Church.”
 
https://zenit.org/articles/regina-coeli-address-on-the-feast-of-the-lords-ascension/
Regina Coeli Address: On the Feast of the Lord’s Ascension 
May 13, 2018 14:49

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

[grace-land]

https://www.vaticannews.va/en/church/news/2018-05/gracias-pope-world-communications-day-message-fake-news.html

Cardinal Gracias: Peace journalism very crucial for today’s world
11 May 2018, 15:38

In a brief interview, the Indian cardinal commented on the message of Pope Francis for the Church's World Communications Day on the theme, “‘The truth will set you free’. Fake news and journalism for peace.”
By Robin Gomes

The Catholic Church is marking its World Communications Day on Sunday, May 13.   

The annual day was established by Pope Paul VI in 1967 to encourage Catholics to reflect on the opportunities and challenges that the modern means of social communication offer the Church to communicate the Gospel message.

World Communications Day is celebrated in most countries on the Sunday before Pentecost Sunday.  However, in some countries, the day is marked on the solemnity of Ascension.

Ahead of each World Communications Day, the Pope issues a message on a particular theme.  “‘The truth will set you free’ (Jn 8:32). Fake news and journalism for peace,” is the theme of the message of Pope Francis for this year’s observance.
 
https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2018-01/pope-world-communications-day-message-2018-truth-journalism-fake.html
Pope Francis releases 2018 World Communications Day message
24 January 2018, 12:01