Pope Francis

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http://en.radiovaticana.va/news/2013/10/15/apsa_announces_supervisory_board,_outside_financial_review/en1-737556

2013-10-15 17:05:09
APSA announces Supervisory Board, outside financial review

(Vatican Radio) The presidency of the Administration of the Patrimony of the Holy See (APSA) has announced a new supervisory board and a review to be conducted by an independent firm.The APSA is the office of the Roman Curia that handles the properties, real and personal, of the Holy See, in order to provide the funds necessary for the Holy See to function. Below, please find Vatican Radio's translation of the statement from the APSA

In implementation of the presented this past July to the Council of Cardinals for the Study of Organizational and Economic Problems of the Holy See in the report of the Consultors of the Administration of the Patrimony of the Apostolic See (APSA), it appeared appropriate to review the functions of Consultors themselves through the creation of a “Supervisory Board” of the APSA’s Extraordinary Section, for which the same Consultors have given their availability.

As is known, the Administration of the Patrimony of the Apostolic See - Extraordinary Section has the exclusive function of administering its own personal property and personal property entrusted to it by other agencies of the Holy See.
 

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http://en.radiovaticana.va/news/2013/10/16/pope_francis_at_audience:_true_apostles_pray_and_proclaim_/en1-737671

2013-10-16 13:05:44
Pope Francis at Audience: true apostles pray and proclaim

(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis held his weekly General Audience on Wednesday in St Peter’s Square. During his catechetical remarks, the Holy Father focused on the Church’s Apostolic character and nature. Addressing thousands of pilgrims and visitors gathered Wednesday morning in St Peter’s Square under a suddenly brilliant October sky, Pope Francis spoke of a threefold sense in which the Church is Apostolic: through the chain of leadership from Peter and the 12 that has remained unbroken down to the present day and that shall remain unbroken until the end of time; through the Church’s care for and transmission of the whole teaching of Christ; through the Church’s accomplishment in history of the mission of teaching and baptizing all nations, with which Christ entrusted the Apostles and their successors. Listen: RealAudioMP3

Departing from his prepared text, Pope Francis explained that praying is the first task of the Apostle, who is one sent to continue the mission of Christ in history. “The second,” he went on to explain, is to proclaim the Gospel.” Speaking especially of the bishops who are the Apostles’ successors, the Holy Father went on to say, “All of us, if we would be apostles, must ask ourselves: ‘Do I pray for the salvation of the world, and proclaim the Gospel?’ This is the Apostolic Church. It is a constitutive bond we have with the Apostles.”
 

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http://www.lifesitenews.com/news/pro-family-italians-ask-pope-francis-for-aid-against-homophobia-bill/

Pro-family Italians ask Pope Francis for aid against ‘homophobia’ bill
Wed Oct 16, 2013 15:30 EST

ROME, October 16, 2013 (LifeSiteNews.com) – A citizens’ group has issued a public letter to Pope Francis begging his intercession to stop the government’s proposed “anti-homophobia” bill that was passed in the Chamber of Deputies last month.

The letter states that the bill “threatens to severely restrict freedom of expression and association, especially of Catholics, and if approved, would become the springboard for further legislation detrimental to natural law, such as the legalization of so-called ‘same-sex marriage’ and adoptions by homosexual couples.”

The letter says the group appeals to Pope Francis, “moved by our trust that we will receive a response on a matter of utmost importance” and “encouraged by the fact that his Holiness has often shown himself to be attentive to the demands of more ‘small’ church members.”

The bill would punish with imprisonment up to one year and 6 months or a fine of up to €6,000 anyone guilty of “instigating to commit or who commits acts of discrimination for reasons ... based on homophobia or transphobia.”
 

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http://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/franciscan-reform-seen-in-papal-charities-office-appointment/

franciscan-reform-seen-in-papal-charities-office-appointment

Vatican City, Oct 16, 2013 / 04:02 pm (CNA/EWTN News).- Pope Francis' Oct. 12 appointment of Monsignor Diego Ravelli as office chief of the Office of Papal Charities rounds out the bureau which delivers charity to the poor in the name of the Roman Pontiff.

Already on Aug. 3, Archbishop Konrad Krajewski, a priest of the Lódz diocese in Poland, was appointed head of the office, or almoner.

Traditionally, the pontifical almoner sends parchments with the Papal blessing to those who request them, and with the proceeds, as well as with other offerings, he sends a “modest donation” to those in need. The pontifical almoner also accompanies the Pope at official appearances and during international trips.

But under Pope Francis, Archbishop Krajewski's role is to be something more.

Since both Archbishop Krajewski and Monsignor Ravelli have been part of the office of the papal master of ceremonies, it would seem that Pope Francis wishes to mark his pontificate with a sort of “liturgy of the poor.”

The archbishop recounted to L'Osservatore Romano Oct. 4 that Pope Francis immediately explained to him the way he wanted to re-design his office.

“You will not stay behind a desk signing parchments,” Pope Francis told Archbishop Krajewski. “I want you always among the people. In Buenos Aires I often went out in the evening to go find the poor. Now I no longer can: it is difficult for me to leave the Vatican. You will do it for me.”
 

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http://en.radiovaticana.va/news/2013/10/17/pope_francis:_prayer_keeps_us_from_losing_faith/en1-738101

2013-10-17 14:49:22
Pope Francis: Prayer keeps us from losing faith

(Vatican Radio) If a Christian “becomes a disciple of the ideology, he has lost the faith.”
This was the theme of Pope Francis’ homily during his Thursday morning Mass at the Domus Sanctae Marthae. During his homily, the Pope warned Christians against behaving as though the “key is in [their] pocket, and the door closed.” He reiterated that without prayer, one abandons the faith and descends into ideology and moralism. “Woe to you, scholars of the law! You have taken away the key of knowledge!” (Luke 11: 52)
 

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http://en.radiovaticana.va/news/2013/10/17/pope_francis_meets_palestinian_president_abu_mazen/en1-738071

2013-10-17 14:09:15
Pope Francis meets Palestinian President Abu Mazen



(Vatican Radio) The Holy See's Press Office has issued a statement regarding today's meeting between Pope Francis and Palestinian President Abu Mazen. The following is an English translation of that communique:

Today, 17 October 2013, in the Vatican Apostolic Palace, the Holy Father Francis received
in audience Mahmoud Abbas, president of the State of Palestine, who subsequently went on to
meet with Archbishop Dominique Mamberti, secretary for Relations with States.

During the cordial discussions, reference was made to the situation in the Middle East, and
in particular to the reinstatement of negotiations between Israelis and Palestinians. The Parties
expressed their hope that this process may bear fruit and enable a just and lasting solution to be
found to the conflict, an increasingly necessary and urgent objective. In this respect, hope was
expressed that the Parties to the conflict will make courageous and determined decisions in order
to promote peace, with the support of the international Community. Grave concerns remain,
however, regarding the situation in Syria, for which it is hoped that dialogue and reconciliation
may supplant the logic of violence as soon as possible.
 

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http://en.radiovaticana.va/news/2013/10/18/pope_francis:_remember_the_elderly_priests_and_sisters_in_nursing/en1-738462

2013-10-18 15:39:12
Pope Francis: Remember the elderly priests and sisters in nursing homes, true shrines of holiness.

(Vatican Radio) At his morning mass on Friday Pope Francis reflected on the later life challenges of three biblical figures, Moses, St. John the Baptist and St Paul. He said none of the 3 were spared anguish at the end of their lives although the Lord never abandoned them. The Pope also urged the faithful to remember and visit the many elderly priests and sisters living in their nursing homes because they are true shrines of holiness.

Listen to the report by Susy Hodges: RealAudioMP3

In his homily, the Pope looked at the vigour and enthusiasm displayed by the young Moses, St. John the Baptist and St Paul at the beginning of their apostolate and compared it with the solitude and anguish they endured at the end of their lives.
 

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http://en.radiovaticana.va/news/2013/10/18/pope_francis_receives_president_of_cameroon/en1-738436

2013-10-18 15:07:51
Pope Francis receives President of Cameroon



(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis received the President of Cameroon, Paul Biya, on Friday at the Vatican. Below, please find the full text of the statement released by the Press Office of the Holy See following the audience.
 

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http://en.radiovaticana.va/news/2013/10/18/pope_meets_with_international_commission_on_english_in_the_liturgy/en1-738334

2013-10-18 12:35:22
Pope meets with International Commission on English in the Liturgy

(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis on Friday met with members of the International Commission on English in the Liturgy telling them that the “fruits of their labours had helped to form the prayer of countless Catholics. Lydia O’Kane reports RealAudioMP3 Below is a translation of the Holy Father's Address to the “International Commission on English in the Liturgy” (ICEL)

My Brother Bishops,
Dear Friends,
I welcome the members and staff of the International Commission on English in the Liturgy as you gather in Rome to celebrate the fiftieth anniversary of the Commission’s establishment. I thank Archbishop Arthur Roche, Secretary of the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments, and a former President of ICEL, for presenting you. Through you, I send greetings and the expression of my gratitude to the Conferences of Bishops which you represent, and to the consultors and personnel who cooperate in the ongoing work of the Commission.
 

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http://en.radiovaticana.va/news/2013/10/18/pope_sends_video_message_in_english_to_philippines_conference/en1-738275

2013-10-18 10:01:33
Pope sends video message in English to Philippines conference



(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis on Friday sent a video message in English to participants at the conclusion of a conference in the Philippines organized by the archdiocese of Manila. The three day Philippine Conference on the New Evangelization has been focused on three main goals: creating an experience of God in the context of the new millennium, strengthening bonds of communion in the Philippine church, and inspiring the faithful to live by the spirit of mission.
Some five thousand delegates from across South East Asia have been taking part in the meeting which concludes on Friday with the papal message and a Mass celebrated by the nuncio to the Philippines, Archbishop Giuseppe Pinto
 
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Video, with transcript, at the link

http://www.patheos.com/blogs/yimcatholic/2013/10/pope-francis-speaking-to-us-in-english.html

Pope Francis Speaking To Us…In English!
October 18, 2013

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http://en.radiovaticana.va/news/2013/10/19/pope_francis:_arts_express_beauty_of_churchs_faith_/en1-738693

2013-10-19 13:21:31
Pope Francis: Arts express beauty of Church's Faith



(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis on Saturday greeted the “Patrons of the Arts” in the Vatican Museums. The group, which is dedicated to preserving the vast and unique collection of art housed in the Vatican Museums, was in Rome for the 30th anniversary of its founding.

In his address, the Holy Father thanked the Patrons for their “outstanding contribution to the restoration of numerous treasures of art preserved in the Vatican collections and to the broader religious, artistic and cultural mission of the Museums.”

Pope Francis said, “In every age the Church has called upon the arts to give expression to the beauty of her faith and to proclaim the Gospel message of the grandeur of God’s creation, the dignity of human beings made in his image and likeness, and the power of Christ’s death and resurrection to bring redemption and rebirth to a world touched by the tragedy of sin and death.” The Vatican Museums, he said, “make it possible for countless pilgrims and visitors to Rome to encounter this message through works of art which bear witness to the spiritual aspirations of humanity, the sublime mysteries of the Christian faith, and the quest of that supreme beauty which has its source and fulfillment in God.”
 

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http://www.ncregister.com/daily-news/book-on-pope-francis-to-illuminate-his-context-and-background/

Book on Pope Francis to Illuminate his Context and Background
10/18/2013

 
A New Idea of What a Pope Is

“What we’re seeing in Francis is a new idea of what a pope is,” Ivereigh said, explaining that Pope Francis’ “informal, warm, human directness,” “spontaneity” and “his pastoral approach” are “very, very typical of the Church in Latin America.”

Ivereigh added that, in North America and Europe, Catholics are “trying to understand what status the Pope’s comments have” and what doctrines the Pope is speaking to.

Instead, the “Pope is the world’s first parish priest,” bringing a pastorally focused approach rather than a doctrinally focused approach to the papacy.

This understanding is influenced by Pope Francis’ Latin-American roots, Ivereigh explained.

“I think the main factor is that “el pueblo” — the people of God — are the majority, and they are the poor” in most of Latin America.

“I think that changes the way the Church relates to society, because the starting point of the Latin-American Church is that the people they are addressing are poor and mostly uneducated,” shifting focus to pastoral matters and a modeling of Jesus rather than theological understanding.

This has lead to Pope Francis’ “understanding of how to speak” to many of the pressing questions of today’s society in an engaging manner. Pope Francis has “the capacity that he has to identify with the wounds” of society, which enables him to have a dramatic pastoral effect, Ivereigh said.

“He is, in a sense, reframing” the public’s view of the Church.
 

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http://ncronline.org/news/art-media/celluloid-heaven-how-popes-took-church-gospel-big-screen

Celluloid heaven: how popes took church, Gospel to the big screen
Oct. 19, 2013

Vatican City--   
When Pope Benedict XVI joined Twitter in 2012 and Pope Francis appeared on Instagram earlier this year, media watchers may have thought they were witnessing a Vatican revolution. In both cases, however, the pontiffs were merely following in a long tradition.
 
The Catholic church has a history of taking on major technological innovations that promote mass communication, such as the printing press in the 15th century and radio and television in the 20th. In fact, one of the very first motion picture films ever made was an 1896 reel of Pope Leo XIII.
 
Di Giovanni said one of the most media-friendly popes in history was Pope Pius XII, who endorsed and made extensive use of radio, television and cinema.

Pope Pius was the first pontiff to star and act in a film, she said, when he let film crews into the Vatican for eight months to capture a sort of "day in the life" of a pope.

The film, "Pastor Angelicus" of 1942, was a great success all over Europe, she said, showing the pope to a public who otherwise would never have been able to see him.

Pope Pius did the film, Di Giovanni said, as a way "to be near the world," especially those affected by the still-raging World War II.

"It was a way of showing that the pope wasn't a person who was closed up inside the Vatican but was a point of reference for everyone who looked to him for hope."
 
Pope Francis is an avowed film lover whose favorites include the 1987 Danish film "Babette's Feast" and the works of Italian director Federico Fellini, particularly "La Strada," which the pope has said he feels a connection to because of its implicit references to St. Francis of Assisi.

Unfortunately, the future pope said, he never had time to go to the movies when he was archbishop of Buenos Aires. And his busy schedule as pope means his chances of taking in a matinee are slim.

With the screening room just 50 yards from his residence and a treasury of films at his disposal, Di Giovanni says she is hopeful Pope Francis will be among the theater's coming attractions.

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http://en.radiovaticana.va/news/2013/10/20/pope_francis:_pray_always,_without_growing_weary/en1-738940

2013-10-20 13:02:42
Pope Francis: Pray always, without growing weary

(Vatican Radio) In his Angelus address on Sunday, Pope Francis spoke about the need to “pray always, without growing weary.” Starting from the parable of the widow in the day’s Gospel, the Holy Father said we must “cry out to the Lord day and night” – not because God does not know our needs, or doesn’t listen to us, but because the daily struggle against evil requires “patience and resistance.” “There is a struggle to carry on every day,” he said, “but God is our ally, faith in Him is our strength, and prayer is the expression of this faith.”

But Pope Francis also recalled the words of Jesus at the end of the Gospel: “When the Son of Man comes, will He find faith on earth?” (Lk. 18:8 ). “If the faith goes out, if prayer ends,” the Pope said, "we end up walking in darkness, and losing the way on the journey of life.”

After the Angelus, Pope Francis recalled World Mission Sunday, celebrated throughout the Church on the second to last Sunday of October. He thanked all those who support the missions through their prayers and concrete help. On this day, the Pope said, we are especially close to all missionaries, men and women, who quietly give their lives to spread the Gospel message.
 

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http://en.radiovaticana.va/news/2013/10/21/pope_francis:_greed_destroys_people,_families/en1-739140

2013-10-21 12:23:58
Pope Francis: Greed destroys people, families

(Vatican Radio) Greed, attachment to money, destroys people, destroys families and relationships with others: That was Pope Francis’ message this morning during Mass in Santa Marta. The invitation is not to choose poverty per se, but to use the wealth that God gives us to help those in need.

Commenting on the day’s Gospel, in which a man asks Jesus to intervene to resolve a problem of inheritance with his brother, the Pope spoke about the problem of our relationship with money:

“This is a day-to-day problem. How many families have we seen destroyed by the problem of money? Brother against brother, father against son. This is the first result that this attitude of being attached to money does: it destroys! When a person is attached to money, he destroys himself, he destroys the family. Money destroys! It does, doesn’t it? It binds you. Money serves to bring about many good things, so many works for human development, but when your heart is attached in this way, it destroys you.”
 

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http://www.catholicnews.com/data/stories/cns/1304414.htm

Oct-21-2013
Pope Francis receives Hackett, new U.S. envoy to Vatican


Kenneth F. Hackett, new U.S. ambassador to the Holy See, presents his letters of credential to Pope Francis. (CNS/L'Osservatore Romano)

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Presenting his credentials to Pope Francis, Kenneth F. Hackett officially took over as U.S. ambassador to the Holy See Oct. 21, filling a role that had been vacant for nearly a year.

"The United States and the Holy See have converging interests that span a broad range of issues" including "human rights and social justice," Hackett wrote the same day, in the first post on his official ambassador's blog.

"We both work to make a difference on a range of important global issues such as trafficking in persons, interreligious dialogue, conflict resolution, food access and security, HIV/AIDS and care for the environment," wrote Hackett, a former president of Catholic Relief Services, the U.S. bishops' overseas relief and development agency.
 

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http://en.radiovaticana.va/news/2013/10/21/catholics_and_lutherans_journey_towards_communion_and_common_witness/en1-739405

2013-10-21 18:57:31
Catholics and Lutherans journey towards communion and common witness



(Vatican Radio) From division to dialogue. From conflict to communion and common witness. That journey of reconciliation was at the heart of a meeting that Pope Francis had on Monday with members of the World Lutheran Federation who came to present the work of a joint commission looking ahead to the 500th anniversary of the Reformation in 2017.

During the encounter, the Pope said he believed it “is truly important for everyone to confront in dialogue the historical reality of the Reformation, its consequences and the responses it elicited.” Both sides, he said, “can ask forgiveness for the harm they have caused one another.”

Following that meeting, Philippa Hitchen sat down with the president of the World Lutheran Federation, Bishop Munib Younan to discuss progress in the ecumenical dialogue and hopes on the horizons for the upcoming anniversary of the Reformation….
 

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http://en.radiovaticana.va/news/2013/10/22/pope:_god_meddles_with_our_lives_and_heals_our_wounds/en1-739604

2013-10-22 15:45:54
Pope: God meddles with our lives and heals our wounds

(Vatican Radio) Contemplation, proximity and abundance are the three words upon which Pope Francis centered his homily on Tuesday at Mass at the Casa Santa Marta.

Speaking to those present for the morning celebration, the Pope reiterated that one cannot understand God solely with the mind and pointed out that God challenges us by "meddling" in our lives to heal our wounds, just as Jesus did.

Intelligence – the Pope said – is not sufficient to enter into the mystery of God. You need contemplation, proximity and abundance.

Listen to Linda Bordoni's report... RealAudioMP3

Drawing his inspiration from the Letter of St. Paul to the Romans, Pope Francis said there is only one way we can understand they the mystery of our salvation, and that is: on our knees, in contemplation.

Intelligence is not enough – he added: “ You need contemplation, intelligence, heart, knees praying… all together: this is how we enter into the mystery”.

And the Pope went on to speak about closeness – or proximity. “One man created sin, Francis explained, and one man saved us”. God is close, he is close to our history. From the very first moment when he chose our father, Abraham, he walked with His people. And Jesus himself – he said - had a craftsman’s job:a worker who uses his hands. The image that comes to mind – the Pope continued – is that of a nurse in a hospital who heals our wounds, one at a time. Just like God – he explained – who gets involved, who meddles in our miseries, He gets close to our wounds and heals them with his hands. And to actually have hands – he continued – He became man. So God saves us not only by decree: “He saves us with tenderness and with caresses. He saves us with His life for us.”
 

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http://en.radiovaticana.va/news/2013/10/22/archbishop_müller:_care_of_remarried_divorcees_must_not_be_reduced_to/en1-739617

2013-10-22 16:00:50
Archbishop Müller: Care of remarried divorcees must not be reduced to the question of receiving the Eucharist

(Vatican Radio) The Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, Archbishop Gerhard Ludwig Müller, has published an article in the Vatican newspaper, L'Osservatore Romano, speaking about the issue of re-marriage and the reception of the sacraments. He begins by re-affirming the Church's constant teaching that marriage is indissoluble, and that this is testified to both in Scripture and Tradition. In the article, Archbishop Müller acknowledges that modern misunderstandings over the meaning of marriage leads to more marriages being invalid than in previous times, but writes that couples should not decide for themselves whether or not their marriage is null.

"Marriage is not simply about the relationship of two people to God, it is also a reality of the Church, a sacrament, and it is not the individuals concerned to decide on its validity, but rather for the Church, into which individuals are incorporated by faith and baptism," he writes.

The Archbishop says he knows it is not an easy teaching, but those who are divorced and remarried should not that they are not alone, and the Church "as a community of salvation accompanies them on their journey."

"Clearly, the care of remarried divorcees must not be reduced to the question of receiving the Eucharist," he writes. "It involves a much more wide-ranging pastoral approach, which seeks to do justice to to the different situations. It is important to realize that there are other ways, apart from sacramental communion, of being in fellowship with God. One can draw close to God by turning to him in faith, hope and charity, in repentance and prayer. God can grant his closeness and his salvation to people on different paths, even if they find themselves in a contradictory life situation."

Testimony to the power of grace
On the indissolubility of marriage and the debate concerning the civilly remarried and the sacraments
 

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http://en.radiovaticana.va/news/2013/10/23/pope:_mary_as_model_of_faith,_charity_and_union_with_christ/en1-739766

2013-10-23 10:53:12
Pope: Mary as model of faith, charity and union with Christ

(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis said the Church is like Mary who brings Jesus and is not a shop or a humanitarian agency. Speaking at his Wednesday general audience, the Pope said a Church which does not bring Jesus is a dead Church.

Listen to the following report by Susy Hodges: RealAudioMP3

At his general audience Pope Francis continued his catechesis on the model of the Church and reflected on how "Mary is a model of faith and charity for the Church." He said "Mary’s life was centered on Christ, the incarnation of God’s infinite Love."

She teaches us to live a life of faith by her obedience to God’s will and by her unfailing devotion to Jesus and his work. As a model of Charity, the Pope continued, “Mary wishes to bring all of us to the great gift that is Jesus with his love, his peace and his joy.”

"The Church," he said, “is not a shop, or a humanitarian agency, or an NGO, the Church’s mandate is to bring Christ and the gospel” to everyone. The Church brings Jesus and his love and "if the Church were not to bring Jesus it would be a dead Church."