Pope Francis

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https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2019-03/pope-miracle-of-cooperation-based-on-relationships-not-profit.html#.XIz2NMIu9as.twitter

Pope: ‘Miracle’ of cooperation based on relationships not profit
16 March 2019, 13:21

The Pope with members of the Confederation of Italian Cooperatives  (Vatican Media)
“The ‘miracle’ of cooperation is a team strategy that opens a gap in the wall of an indifferent crowd that excludes the weakest.” Those were Pope Francis’ words on Saturday to 7,000 members of the Confederation of Italian Cooperatives, on the 100th anniversary of its foundation.

The Pope told the Confederation in the Paul VI Hall on Saturday that its cooperative model, corrects certain tendencies associated with collectivism and statism, which at times are lethal to private initiative; and at the same time, it curbs the temptations of individualism and selfishness associated with liberalism. The reason for this, the Pope pointed out, is because it’s a model “inspired by the social doctrine of the Church”.

True wealth is in relationships

The Pontiff underlined to those gathered that, a “vision of cooperation, based on relationships and not on profit, runs counter to the mentality of the world. Only by discovering that our true wealth is in relationships and not mere material goods, he said, can we find alternative ways of living in a society that is not governed by the god of money, an idol who deludes and then leaves one increasingly inhuman and unjust.”
 

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https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2019-03/pope-francis-receives-president-of-republic-of-south-sudan.html

Pope Francis receives President of Republic of South Sudan
16 March 2019, 13:31

Pope Francis receives the President of the Republic of South Sudan   (Vatican Media)
The Holy See Press Office gives details of Pope Francis’ meeting with the President of the Republic of South Sudan in the Vatican.
By Vatican News

On Saturday, March 16, 2019, Pope Francis received in audience His Excellency Mr. Salva Kiir Mayardit, President of the Republic of South Sudan. The President subsequently met with the Vatican Secretary of State, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, who was accompanied by Archbishop Paul Gallagher, Vatican Secretary for Relations with States.

According to the communique published by the Vatican Press Office, the cordial discussions highlighted the good bilateral relations between the Holy See and the Republic of South Sudan, as well as the contribution of the Catholic Church in the educational and health field, and in the process of reconciliation and reconstruction of the Nation.
 

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http://whispersintheloggia.blogspot.com/2019/03/dinardo-suffers-stroke-gomez-takes.html

Saturday, March 16, 2019
USCCB President Suffers Stroke – Gomez Takes Bench's Reins

Having soldiered through this last year carrying an unprecedented double burden – the daily life of a 1.8 million-member archdiocese (one currently under civil investigation) and the elected leadership of the US' largest religious body amid a season of epic crisis – Houston Chancery released the following statement at 7pm Central tonight on a significant health scare for Cardinal Daniel DiNardo, the President of the US Conference of Catholic Bishops:

Cardinal DiNardo was taken to a Houston hospital last night [Friday, 15 March] after experiencing the symptoms of what tests today have confirmed was a mild stroke. The Cardinal is resting comfortably and conversing with associates, doctors and nurses. It is expected that Cardinal DiNardo will remain hospitalized for a few more days of testing and observation, followed by a transfer to another facility for rehabilitation. he is grateful to the doctors and nurses for their wonderful care and for continued prayers during his recovery. Cardinal DiNardo said, "With so much to do, I am looking forward to getting back to work as soon as possible."
 

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https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2019-03/pope-at-angelus-let-us-fix-our-gaze-on-the-light-of-christ.html#.XI48yf4FiMM.twitter

Pope at Angelus: Let us fix our gaze on the light of Christ
17 March 2019, 12:47

Pope Francis during the Angelus in St Peter's Square  (Vatican Media)
Before the recitation of the Marian prayer, the Pope contemplates the events of the Transfiguration on this second Sunday of Lent.
By Lydia O'Kane

Reflecting on the Gospel of St Luke, in which the Evangelist vividly recounts Jesus transfigured on the mountain, the Pope said, that this was ”a place of light, a fascinating symbol of the unique experience reserved for the three disciples”, Peter, James and John.

The Transfiguration, explained the Pope, “takes place at a very precise moment of Christ's mission, that is, after he confided to his disciples that he "must suffer much, [...] be killed and rise again on the third day" (v. 21).
 
https://zenit.org/articles/angelus-address-on-christs-transfiguration-and-the-christian-perspective-of-suffering/
Angelus Address: On Christ’s Transfiguration and the Christian Perspective of Suffering 
March 17, 2019 14:58•Virginia Forrester

Video at the link below--
Pope Francis - Angelus prayer 2019-03-17
https://www.youtube.com/user/vatican

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Photo Gallery at the link

https://www.catholicnews.com/services/englishnews/2019/worn-marble-steps-of-holy-stairs-to-be-uncovered-for-public-to-climb.cfm

Worn marble steps of Holy Stairs to be uncovered for public to climb
By Carol Glatz Catholic News Service
3.15.2019 2:43 PM ET

CNS photo/Paul Haring
VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- For the first time in 300 years, the marble steps of the Holy Stairs will be free from the thick wooden panels installed in 1723 to protect the stairs and left uncovered for the public.

For at least 40 days, people will be able to touch and climb the bare stones that, according to tradition, are the ones Jesus climbed when Pontius Pilate brought him before the crowd and handed him over to be crucified.

The soon-to-be cleaned steps and newly restored frescoed stairway will be unveiled April 11, the week before Holy Week, during a special blessing ceremony at the Sanctuary of the Holy Stairs. The marble steps were going to be left open to the public temporarily before the original and restored wooden panels would be put back on.

The decision was made during one of the final phases of the sanctuary's restoration -- a 20-year-long project overseen by the Vatican Museums and funded with the help of private donors, foundations and the Patrons of the Arts in the Vatican Museums.
 

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https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope-francis/mass-casa-santa-marta/2019-03/pope-francis-homily-mass-santa-marta-mercy-lord.html#.XI-dznlh6Lk.twitter

Pope Francis at Mass: Imitate the mercy of the Lord
18 March 2019, 12:35

Mass at the Casa Santa Marta  (Vatican Media)
During the Mass celebrated in the chapel of the Casa Santa Marta, the Pope speaks about the mercy of God and offers some suggestions for living the time of Lent to its fullness.
Vatican News

Do not judge others; do not condemn; forgive: in this way you imitate the mercy of the Father. In the Mass at the Casa Santa Marta, Pope Francis reminds us that in order not “to not go astray” in life, we need “to imitate God”, “walk in the sight of the Father”. Beginning with the Gospel from St Luke, the Pope spoke especially about the mercy of God, capable of forgiving even the “worst” actions:

The mercy of God is such a great thing, very great. We must not forget this. How many people [say]: “I have done such terrible things. I have purchased my place in hell, I can’t turn back”. But do they think about the mercy of God? Let us remember that story about the poor widow lady who went to confess to the Curé of Ars. Her husband had committed suicide; he jumped from the bridge into the river. And she wept. She said, “But I am a sinner, a poor woman. But my poor husband! He is in hell. He committed suicide, and suicide is a mortal sin. He is in hell”. And the Curé of Ars said, “But wait a moment, ma’am, because between the bridge and the river, there is the mercy of God”. But to the very end, to the very end, there is the mercy of God.
 

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https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2019-03/pope-to-camillians-witnessing-to-the-tenderness-of-god.html#.XI-d4I4sN0k.twitter

Pope to Camillians: Witnessing to the tenderness of God
18 March 2019, 13:42

Pope Francis meets with members of the Camillian Charismatic Family  (Vatican Media)
Pope Francis meets with men and women religious of the Camillian Charismatic Family and tells them that listening is the key to sharing their charism of assisting the sick and the poor.
By Vatican News

Saint Camillus de Lellis founded the Order of Camillians, or Ministers to the Sick, over 400 years ago. Its identity has remained the same for over four centuries and finds its expression in the charism of mercy towards the sick.

Pope Francis referred to this charism when he met with members of the Order in the Vatican on Monday. When sickness comes and upsets our lives, he said, “we need a brother or sister beside us”, someone who is “compassionate and competent, and who consoles and supports us”.
 

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https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2019-03/pope-francis-italy-court-of-auditors.html#.XI-3EE9b6YQ.twitter

Pope to Court of Audit: May Christ motivate you to serve for the Common Good
18 March 2019, 15:27

Pope Francis during the meeting with the Court of Audit  (AFP or licensors)
Pope Francis meets in audience members of Italy’s Court of Audit, urging them to use their positions to serve the common good. The Court of Audit is a constitutional institution in Italy that has consultative, review, and jurisdictional functions, including monitoring public finances and the administration of the state.
By Francesca Merlo

Pope Francis begins his address to the Court of Auditors by reminding them that their institution incarnates an ethic aimed at promoting the common good. This, he says “is not only an ideological concept” but one that is linked to the conditions of the full development of all citizens. It is for this reason that the State is called upon to be the “defender of each person’s natural human rights”.

Pope Francis expresses the importance of applying three main concepts to their work In order to obtain the common good: the fight against corruption, a control of expenses, and attention to the poor.
 

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https://cruxnow.com/vatican/2019/03/18/french-cardinal-convicted-of-abuse-cover-up-meets-pope/

French cardinal, convicted of abuse cover-up, meets pope
Catholic News Service   Mar 18, 2019

Pope Francis meets with French Cardinal Philippe Barbarin of Lyon at the Vatican March 18, 2019. Barbarin said he was meeting with the pope to hand in his resignation after being convicted of covering up sexual abuse committed by a priest. (Credit: CNS photo/Vatican Media.)
ROME - As he announced he would do after he was convicted of covering up sexual abuse committed by a priest, French Cardinal Philippe Barbarin of Lyon met Pope Francis March 18 to hand in his resignation.

The Vatican confirmed the meeting took place but gave no details and no immediate sign of whether the pope agreed that the 68-year-old cardinal should step down.

The cardinal’s lawyers have filed an appeal of the conviction, which was handed down March 7 by a French court. Barbarin was given a six-month suspended sentence.
 

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https://cruxnow.com/vatican/2019/03/19/pope-francis-refuses-resignation-of-french-cardinal-convicted-of-cover-up/

Pope Francis refuses resignation of French cardinal convicted of cover-up
Catholic News Service   Mar 19, 2019

Pope Francis meets with French Cardinal Philippe Barbarin of Lyon at the Vatican March 18, 2019. (CNS photo/Vatican Media.)
ROME - French Cardinal Philippe Barbarin of Lyon said Pope Francis would not accept his resignation following his conviction for covering up clerical sexual abuse, so he has decided to step aside temporarily for the good of the archdiocese.

The cardinal had met Pope Francis March 18 to hand in his resignation after a French court gave him a six-month suspended sentence in the cover-up case.

In a statement published by the Archdiocese of Lyon March 19, Barbarin said Francis, “invoking the presumption of innocence,” declined to accept his resignation. The cardinal’s lawyers have filed an appeal of the conviction, which was handed down March 7 by a French court.

At the same time, the cardinal said, Francis told him to do whatever he felt necessary for the good of the archdiocese.

“At his suggestion and because the church of Lyon has been suffering for three years, I decided to step away for a while and leave the leadership of the diocese to the vicar general,” Barbarin said.
 

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https://www.vaticannews.va/en/vatican-city/news/2019-03/pope-francis-decrees-saints-venerable-blessed.html

Pope brings 14 men and women a step closer to sainthood
19 March 2019, 16:37

Pope Francis on Tuesday authorized the promulgation of 8 new decrees that gave the Church 9 new Blesseds and 5 Venerables.
By Robin Gomes

Pope Francis on Tuesday took 14 men and women a step closer to sainthood, among them an Italian missionary martyred in Myanmar and 7 bishops killed for their faith in Romania.

The Pope received Cardinal Angelo Becciu, Prefect of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints and authorized the promulgation of 8 new decrees, recognizing the heroic virtues of 4 Italian nuns and an Italian priest, a miracle attributed to the intercession of a Spanish nun and the martyrdom of 8 men.
 

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Happy St. Joseph's Day!
Happy Feast Day, Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI (Joseph Ratzinger)!

https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2019-03/pope-benedict-vi-name-day-march-19.html#.XJDIvza7G94.twitter

Photo gallery of Benedict XVI on feast day
18 March 2019, 13:37


March 19, feast of St Joseph, is the name feast of Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI. Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, adopted the name Benedict on his election as Pope on 19 April 2005.
 

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https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2019-03/pope-francis-general-audience-catechesis-our-father-thy-will.html#.XJI_O55s_lQ.twitter

Pope at Audience: God seeks each one of us personally
20 March 2019, 13:22

Wednesday's General Audience  (Vatican Media)
At the General Audience on Wednesday, Pope Francis continued his catechesis on the Our Father, focusing on the third invocation, “Thy will be done”.
By Christopher Wells

“God is not ambiguous, He is not hidden behind riddles, He has not planned the future of the world in an indecipherable manner.” In his catechesis on the third petition of the “Our Father”, Pope Francis said that we can see the will of the Father expressed in the words of Jesus: God wills “to seek and to save that which was lost”. This, the Pope said, “without any shadow of doubt, is the will of God: the salvation of all human beings”, of each one of us individually.

Because of His love for us, God “knocks on the door of our heart” in order “to draw us to Himself, to lead us forward along the path of salvation”. God, the Pope said, “is close to each one of us with His love, in order to lead us by the hand to salvation”.
 
https://zenit.org/articles/general-audience-of-march-20-2019-full-text/
General Audience of March 20, 2019: Full Text 
March 20, 2019 15:04

Video at the link below--
Pope Francis - General Audience 2019-03-20
https://www.youtube.com/user/vatican

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https://zenit.org/articles/pope-to-sign-vive-christo-during-march-25-visit-to-loreto/

Pope to Sign ‘Vive Christo’ During March 25 Visit to Loreto
Post-Synodal Apostolic Exhortation Follows October 2018 Synod on Youth
March 20, 2019 15:16

Vive Cristo, esperanza nuestra is the opening of the original text in Spanish of the post-Synodal Apostolic Exhortation in the form of a Letter to the Young, which the Pope will sign this 25 March, Solemnity of the Annunciation of the Lord, during his visit to the Marian Shrine of Loreto.

The Pope intends, with this gesture, to entrust to the Virgin Mary the document that completes the work of the Synod of Bishops held in the Vatican from October 3-28, 2018, on the theme: “Young people, the faith, and vocational discernment”.
 

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https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2019-03/pope-to-pediatricians-ensure-equal-access-to-healthcare.html

Pope to Pediatricians : Ensure equal access to healthcare
21 March 2019, 13:30

Pope Francis with members of the Italian Federation of Pediatricians   (Vatican Media)
Pope Francis on Thursday received in audience, members of the Italian Federation of Pediatricians. In prepared remarks, he urged them to commit themselves to an inclusive form of health care that respects the human body.

For more than forty years the Italian Federation of Pediatricians has supported over 5,500 family pediatricians, offering them expertise from a professional and moral point of view, in the sphere of welfare and social security, as well as in the legal and economic fields.

The Federation has distinguished itself for its contribution to the foundation of the Italian National Health Service, and over the years has implemented countless health initiatives and has been involved in the upgrading of services offered to citizens. In prepared remarks to the members of the Federation on Thursday, Pope Francis praised their work with babies, children and adolescents, and noted their commitment in the area of training and education.
 

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https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2019-03/pope-francis-malta-president-preca-audience-vatican.html

Pope Francis meets President of Malta
21 March 2019, 15:15

Pope Francis and President Marie-Louise Coleiro Preca of Malta in the Vatican, March 21, 2019.   (Vatican Media)
European integration, migration in the Mediterranean region, and inter-religious dialogue were among the issues that Pope Francis discussed with Maltese President Marie-Louise Coleiro Preca on Thursday.

Pope Francis received President Marie-Louise Coleiro Preca of Malta in the Vatican on Thursday.  She and her team later met Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin, along with Monsignor Antoine Camilleri, Undersecretary for Relations with States.

During the cordial discussions, the two sides evoked the constructive relations that unite the Holy See and the Republic of Malta, according to a statement released by the Holy See Press Office.

They also discussed the collaboration between the Catholic Church and the State in favour of the human, social, cultural, and spiritual progress of the population, in particular the young, in the light of the centuries-long contribution that Catholicism has offered the country.
 

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https://www.vaticannews.va/en/vatican-city/news/2019-03/pope-francis-youth-post-synod-apostolic-exhortation-loreto.html

“Vive Cristo, esperanza nuestra” – Pope’s post-synodal Apostolic Exhortation
21 March 2019, 11:25

The Marian sanctuary of Loreto, Italy. 
During his March 25 visit to the Marian shrine of Loreto, Pope Francis will sign the post-synodal Apostolic Exhortation, “Vive Cristo, esperanza nuestra”, the Spanish for “Christ, our hope, lives”.

“ Vive  Cristo, esperanza  nuestra  ”, or “Christ, our hope, lives!”, are the opening words of the original Spanish text of the post-synodal Apostolic Exhortation in the form of a Letter to the Young, which Pope Francis will sign when he visits Italy’s Marian Shrine of Loreto in Italy on March 25, the Solemnity of the Annunciation of the Lord.
 
During the less than 6-hour visit to the popular shrine on the Adriatic coast, the Pope will celebrate Mass in the Holy House, meet the sick and lunch with the bishops.

According to a pious tradition, the walls of the Holy House enshrined inside the Loreto basilica, are believed to be of the house of Mary in Nazareth where she lived and where the angel appeared and announced she would be the Mother of God.

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https://www.vaticannews.va/en/church/news/2019-03/cardinal-dinardo-released-from-hospital.html

Cardinal DiNardo released from hospital
21 March 2019, 09:12

Cardinal Daniel DiNardo, Archbishop of Galveston-Houston, and President of the USCCB  (L'OSSERVATORE ROMANO)
The President of the USCCB, Cardinal Daniel DiNardo of Galveston-Houston is expected to make a full recovery.
By Vatican News

The President of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB), Cardinal Daniel DiNardo, was released from hospital on Tuesday, and has entered a “standard rehabilitation program”, expected to last about two weeks. The Archbishop of Galveston-Houston had suffered a mild stroke on Friday, 15 March, while leading the Stations of the Cross.

According to a statement from the Archdiocese, doctors expect Cardinal DiNardo to make a full recovery. Cardinal DiNardo thanked his caregivers: “I could not be more grateful to the truly wonderful doctors and nurses at St. Joseph’s [Hospital] for their expert care and compassion, which has helped hasten my way down the road to a full recovery,” he said. “I am also doubly thankful for the many kind wishes and especially the prayers that have been directed towards my healing, which I can assure you are making a true difference. I look forward to getting back to work soon and continuing the important work we have before us.”
 

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https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2019-03/pope-francis-aid-solidarity-idai-mozambique-zimbabwe-malawi.html

Pope reaches out to Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Malawi
22 March 2019, 16:35

Flooded homes in Mozambique. 
An amount has been sent on behalf of Pope Francis to the people hit by the devastation caused by cyclone Idai[/color.
By Robin Gomes

The Pope’s closeness and solidarity for the people of Mozambique, Zimbabwe and Malawi, devastated by Cyclone Idai, has taken a concrete form.

The Vatican Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development announced on Friday that the Pontiff has decided to send an initial contribution of €150 thousand to the 3 countries to help in the first phase of the emergency. 

The Pope's initiative came not long after his appeal during his General Audience on Wednesday, in which he urged for prayers and support for the victims of the disaster. 
 

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https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2019-03/pope-francis-message-world-water-day.html

Pope: World Water Day urges defense of water access
22 March 2019, 13:15

Pope Francis releases a message to mark World Water Day, and says the misery of those who lack water challenges us to value this indispensable good and fundamental human right.
By Devin Watkins

World Water Day is commemorated annually on March 22nd as a way of concentrating efforts to resolve the water crisis that afflicts people, often the poorest, around the world.

Pope Francis marked the Day on Friday with a message to the Director General of the UN Food and Agriculture Organization, José Graziano da Silva.

Spreading aridity

“Water is an essential asset for the equilibrium of ecosystems and human survival, and it must be managed and cared for so that it is not polluted or lost,” he said.

The Pope noted how aridity and droughts are spreading to new regions, leading to a lack of potable water for more and more people.

“Access to this good is a fundamental human right,” he noted.