Pope Francis

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http://en.radiovaticana.va/news/2013/11/02/pope_francis_set_to_pray_by_the_tombs_of_deceased_roman_pontiffs_/en1-743044

2013-11-02 16:13:53
Pope Francis set to pray by the tombs of deceased Roman Pontiffs

(Vatican Radio) At 6 pm on the day the Church celebrates the Feast of All Souls, Pope Francis will go on a private visit to the Vatican Grottoes in Saint Peter's Basilica to pray by the tombs of the Roman Pontiffs who have preceded him as Successor of Peter.
 

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http://ncronline.org//news/vatican/vatican-asks-parish-level-input-synod-document

Vatican asks for parish-level input on synod document
Oct. 31, 2013

Washington--   
The Vatican has asked national bishops' conferences around the world to conduct a wide-ranging poll of Catholics asking for their opinions on church teachings on contraception, same-sex marriage and divorce.

Archbishop Lorenzo Baldisseri, secretary general of the Vatican's Synod of Bishops, asked the conferences to distribute the poll "immediately as widely as possible to deaneries and parishes so that input from local sources can be received."

The poll, which comes in a questionnaire sent to national bishops' conferences globally in preparation for a Vatican synod on the family next October, is the first time the church's central hierarchy has asked for such input from grass-roots Catholics since at least the establishment of the synod system following the Second Vatican Council.

The upcoming synod, which Pope Francis announced earlier this month, is to be held Oct. 5-19, 2014, on the theme "Pastoral Challenges of the family in the context of evangelization."

The questionnaire was sent Oct. 18 from Baldisseri to the presidents of the world's individual bishops' conferences.

It asks the conferences to quiz their populations on topics that sometimes have sharply divided the U.S. church, like the Catholic teaching prohibiting the use of artificial contraception, the possibility of a divorced Catholic to remarry or receive Communion, and the number of young people choosing to live together before marrying.

NCR obtained a copy of the letter and questionnaire.

While Baldisseri asks in his letter for wide consultation on the questions, an accompanying letter sent with the U.S. version of the Vatican document does not request the American bishops undertake wide consultation in their dioceses.
 
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Link to the letter and questionnaire: http://www.scribd.com/doc/180575701/Letter-from-Msgr-Ronny-Jenkins-to-the-USCCB

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http://en.radiovaticana.va/news/2013/11/03/pope_francis:_let_us_welcome_jesus_into_our_lives_with_joy/en1-743160

2013-11-03 13:07:32
Pope Francis: Let us welcome Jesus into our lives with joy

(Vatican Radio) At his Angelus on Sunday, Pope Francis spoke about the day’s Gospel account of the conversion of Zacchaeus.
 
Jesus, calling Zacchaeus and going to his house, is criticised by the people of Jericho. Why, the Pope asked, with so many good people in Jericho, did Jesus go to the house of that publican? It was precisely because Zacchaeus was ‘lost.’

“There is no occupation or social condition,” Pope Francis said, “no sin or crime of any kind, that could erase from the memory and the heart of God even one of His children.” God is a Father, always keeping a watchful and loving vigil “to see reborn in the hearts of the child the desire to return home. And when He recognizes that desire, even simply stated, He is immediately close by, and with His forgiveness He makes the path of conversion and return easier.”

“Let's look at Zacchaeus, today, on the tree,” the Pope continued. “His is a ridiculous gesture, but it is an act of salvation. And I say to you: if you have a weight on your conscience, if you are ashamed of so many things that you’ve done, stop for a moment, do not panic. Think about the fact that that Someone is waiting for you because He has never stopped remembering you — and this Somone is your Father, it is God Who waits for you! Climb up, as did Zacchaeus, climb onto the tree of the desire of being forgiven. I will assure you that you will not be disappointed. Jesus is merciful and never grows tired of forgiving! Remember well, that’s the way Jesus is.”

“Brothers and sisters, let us also call upon the name Jesus!” Pope Francis said, concluding his Angelus address. “In the depths of the heart, let us listen to His voice that says to us: ‘Today I must stay at your house,’ that is in your life. And let us welcome Him with joy: He can change us, can transform our hearts of stone into hearts of flesh, He can liberate us from selfishness and make our lives a gift of love.”

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http://en.radiovaticana.va/news/2013/11/04/pope_francis_prays_for_deceased_cardinals_and_bishops/en1-743398

2013-11-04 12:27:22
Pope Francis prays for deceased Cardinals and Bishops

(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis on Monday, November 4 celebrated Mass in remembrance of all the Cardinals and Bishops who died during the past year.

During the Mass, which was held in St. Peter's Basilica, the Pope reminded us that we are all in the merciful hands of God who will grant heavenly rewards to the just and the righteous.
Linda Bordoni reports : RealAudioMP3

Please find below Vatican Radio's translation of the Pope's homily:
In the spiritual atmosphere of the month of November which is marked by the memory of the faithful departed, we remember our brother Cardinals and Bishops from around the world who have returned to the Father's house during the past year. While we offer for each of them this Holy Eucharist, let us ask the Lord to grant them the heavenly reward promised to good and faithful servants.
 

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http://en.radiovaticana.va/news/2013/11/02/human_trafficking:_an_ancient_infamy_with_a_new_face/en1-742628

2013-11-02 11:15:13
Human Trafficking: an ancient infamy with a new face

(Vatican Radio) Following a wish expressed by Pope Francis, an international conference to examine human trafficking and modern slavery takes place in the Vatican on November 2 and 3.

Described as a "preparatory workshop", organised by the Pontifical Academy of Sciences and the Pontifical Academy of Social Sciences together with the World Federation of Catholic Medical Associations, the event aims to examine the trade in human persons in order to establish the real state of this phenomenon and an agenda to combat this heinous crime.

Each participant at the two-day conference will present a study shining the light on a particular perspective of human trafficking.

Professor Marcelo Suarez-Orozco is dean of the UCLA Graduate School of Education and Information Studies. He and his wife, Professor Carola Suarez-Orozco, will present papers that focus on the trafficking of children in the global millenium.

Listen to Linda Bordoni's interview with Prof. Marcelo Suarez-Orozco... RealAudioMP3

Professor Suarez-Orozco says “Human trafficking is a very ancient infamy with a very new face”.
 

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http://www.ncregister.com/daily-news/journalist-pope-concerned-about-misunderstanding-of-la-repubblica-interview/

Journalist: Pope Concerned About Misunderstanding of ‘La Repubblica’ Interview
According to Catholic columnist Antonio Socci, the Holy Father afterward took corrective measures to address the problem.
by ANDREA GAGLIARDUCCI/CNA/EWTN NEWS 11/04/2013

VATICAN CITY — According to a Catholic writer in Italy, Pope Francis was aware that his reported words in an Oct. 1 interview published in La Repubblica could be misunderstood and took measures concerning this.

Antonio Socci, a Catholic columnist for the Italian newspaper Libero, wrote Oct. 27 that, after the publication of the interview, Pope Francis was fully aware of the risk of misunderstanding some of his words, particularly those on conscience.

In the interview, Eugenio Scalfari, the atheist founder and former director of La Repubblica, quoted Pope Francis as saying that “the conscience is autonomous, and everyone must obey his conscience.”

Pope Francis reportedly reiterated his phrase, adding that “everyone has his own idea of good and evil and must choose to follow the good and fight evil as he conceives them. That would be enough to make the world a better place.”

These sentences led to a certain amount of criticism for the Holy Father.

The Pope’s knowledge that he could be misunderstood is why — according to Socci — Father Federico Lombardi, director of the Holy See Press Office, was “told to maintain that the text of the interview had not been revised by Pope Francis and that it was penned by Scalfari after an informal chat.”

Father Lombardi also underlined that “the interview is not part of Pope Francis’ magisterium.”

Despite this, L’Osservatore Romano, the Vatican newspaper, re-published the interview in its Oct. 2 edition, and it is included among Pope Francis’ speeches on the Vatican’s website.

According to Socci, Pope Francis “regretted” the publication of the interview in L’Osservatore Romano and “complained of it to the director, Gian Maria Vian, in Assisi on Oct. 4.”
 

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http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/on-faith/vatican-female-cardinals-arent-even-remotely-realistic/2013/11/04/a39e6890-4595-11e3-95a9-3f15b5618ba8_story.html

Vatican: Female cardinals aren’t ‘even remotely realistic’
By  Eric J. Lyman | Religion News Service

ROME — The Vatican on Monday (Nov. 4) moved to quash speculation that at least two women would be among the cardinals that Pope Francis will name in February, saying such a move was “not a realistic possibility.”

Over the weekend, Irish media reported that Francis could name Linda Hogan and Mary McAleese as cardinals. Both are associated with Trinity College in Dublin: Hogan as a professor of ecumenism, and McAleese , the former president of Ireland, as a former professor.
 
 

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http://pressreleases.religionnews.com/2013/11/04/alice-von-hildebrand-invested-dame-grand-cross-equestrian-order-st-gregory-raymond-leo-cardinal-burke-90th-birthday-gala/

Alice von Hildebrand invested as a Dame Grand Cross of the Equestrian Order of St. Gregory by Raymond Leo Cardinal Burke at her 90th birthday gala
November 4, 2013



New York City, NY — In honor of her exemplary personal witness as a philosopher, teacher, author, and leading Catholic voice on cultural matters, Alice von Hildebrand was formally invested as a Dame Grand Cross of the Equestrian Order of St. Gregory, on Oct. 30th, at a gala dinner celebrating her 90th birthday, hosted by the Dietrich von Hildebrand Legacy Project.

Raymond Leo Cardinal Burke, Prefect of the Apostolic Signatura, presented the honor to Alice von Hildebrand:

“Pope Francis, in recognition of the outstanding and faithful service of Dr. Alice von Hildebrand to the Church and to society in general has deigned to confer upon her the title of Lady Grand Cross of the Equestrian Order of Saint Gregory in public recognition of the esteem in which she is held in the Church.
 

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http://en.radiovaticana.va/news/2013/11/05/pope_francis:_it_is_everyones_church/en1-743763

2013-11-05 13:56:45
Pope Francis: It is everyone's Church

(Vatican Radio) At the heart of Christianity is an invitation to the Lord’s feast. That was Pope Francis’ message at Mass this morning at the Casa Santa Marta. The Pope said that the Church is “not only for good people;” the invitation to be a part of it concerns everyone. And he added that, at the Lord’s feast we must “participate fully” and with everyone; we can’t pick and choose. Christians, he said, can’t be content with simply being on the guest list – not participating fully is like not joining in.

The readings of the day, the Pope said, the identity of the Christian. He emphasized that “first of all, the Christian essence is an invitation: we only become Christians if we are invited.” It is a “free invitation” from God to participate. You can’t pay to get into the feast, he warned: “either you are invited or you can’t come in.” If “in our conscience,” he said, “we don’t have this certainty of being invited” then “we haven’t understood what a Christian is”:

“A Christian is one who is invited. Invited to what? To a shop? To take a walk? The Lord wants to tell us something more: You are invited to join in the feast, to the joy of being saved, to the joy of being redeemed, to the joy of sharing life with Christ. This is a joy! You are called to a party! A feast is a gathering of people who talk, laugh, celebrate, are happy together. I have never seen anyone party on their own. That would be boring, no? Opening the bottle of wine . . . That’s not a feast, it’s something else. You have to party with others, with the family, with friends, with those who’ve been invited, as I was invited. Being Christian means belonging, belonging to this body, to the people that have been invited to the feast: this is Christian belonging.”
 

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http://www.ncregister.com/daily-news/vatican-releases-preparatory-document-for-synod-on-family/

Vatican Releases Preparatory Document for Synod on Family
by ELISE HARRIS/CNA/EWTN NEWS 11/05/2013

VATICAN CITY — At a press conference Tuesday, the Vatican released the official preparatory document on the upcoming synod of bishops on the family, revealing key topics the meeting’s discussion will focus on.

“The document contains, as well as a general presentation on the matter, various essential Biblical and Magisterial quotations on the theme as well as a questionnaire on the main challenges regarding the family,” said Cardinal Peter Erdo of Esztergom-Budapest, Hungary.

Cardinal Erdo, who was appointed as the new General Secretary of the Synod of Bishops by Pope Francis on Sept. 21, made the announcement at the press conference.

The Extraordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops is slated to occur Oct. 5-19 of next year, and will explore the theme of “The pastoral challenges of the family in the context of evangelization.”

During the press conference, the cardinal explained that “in order to initiate the process of consultation,” an invitation has been sent out to circulate the document among diaconates and parishes within dioceses “with the aim of obtaining concrete and real data on the synodal theme.”

Amid the claims of some news organizations that the questionnaire is “a Vatican survey asking (Catholics’) opinions on church teachings” that has been presented to Catholics worldwide in order to consult on homosexual unions and divorced persons, Vatican spokesman Jesuit Father Federico Lombardi stressed that the questions “are not regarding the doctrinal position of the Church.”
 
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Link to the official preparatory document:  http://visnews-en.blogspot.ca/2013/11/preparatory-document-of-synod.html
 

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http://www.catholicnews.com/data/stories/cns/1304653.htm

Nov-5-2013
Officials say family synod to be based on doctrine, not public opinion
By Francis X. Rocca
Catholic News Service

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Although preparations for the 2014 extraordinary Synod of Bishops on the family will include an assessment of Catholics' attitudes toward relevant church teachings, the synod's work will be based on Catholic doctrine and not on current public opinion, officials said.

"Certainly the doctrine of the magisterium must be the basis of the common reasoning of the synod," said Cardinal Peter Erdo of Esztergom-Budapest, Hungary, at a Vatican news conference Nov. 5. "It is not a question of public opinion."

As the synod's relator, Cardinal Erdo will synthesize the remarks and recommendations of his fellow bishops in two speeches during the gathering, which Pope Francis has called for October 2014.

In October 2013, the synod's general secretary, Archbishop Lorenzo Baldisseri, sent bishops' conferences around the world a preparatory document that included a 39-item questionnaire asking about the promotion and acceptance of Catholic teachings on marriage and the family, and cultural and social challenges to those teachings.
 

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http://www.ncregister.com/blog/jimmy-akin/will-there-be-an-earthquake-at-the-extraordinary-synod-12-things-to-know-an

Will there be an earthquake at the Extraordinary Synod? (12 things to know and share)
by Jimmy Akin  Tuesday, November 05, 2013 8:04 PM

Pope Francis has called for an extraordinary meeting of the Synod of Bishops.
It’s only the third such meeting that’s taken place.
The topic Pope Francis feels urgently needs to be addressed is the family.
Some are have hopes—or fears—that the bishops will overturn traditional Catholic teachings or practices about the family.
Now a new document sheds light on what we should expect.

Here are 12 things to know and share . . .

1) In broad terms, what’s going to happen?

The pope and a select group of bishops from around the world will meet in an extraordinary synod from October 5-19, 2014.
The theme for this meeting is “The pastoral challenges for the family in the context of evangelization.”
Based on what happens at this synod, a synod already scheduled for 2015, will take up the subject of the family again,
So we’re about to see two synods deal with the subject of the family, two years in a row.
At the synods, the bishops will make various proposals, which will be submitted to the pope for his consideration.
He will make the final decisions about what, if anything, will be done on a practical level.

2) What tells us that he feels that this situation is urgent?

The first thing is that the 2014 synod is an extraordinary session—only the third such extraordinary meeting of the synod that’s been called.

The second is that the next synod, in 2015, will address the same subject.

And the third is that they’re re-jiggering how the synod itself works. According to Bishop Lorenzo Baldisseri, the secretary general of the synod, “the synodal methodology is under general revision at present.”

He further stated:
 

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http://en.radiovaticana.va/news/2013/11/06/pope_audience:_the_church_grows_through_love_not_detachment/en1-744062

2013-11-06 12:49:02
Pope Audience: The Church grows through love not detachment

(Vatican Radio) At his weekly General Audience on Wednesday, Pope Francis continued his series of catechetical reflections on the Creed, focusing again this week on the Communion of Saints. The Pope also remarked that the Church cannot grow through detachment, but through love. Lydia O’Kane reports RealAudioMP3

In his continuing catechesis on the Creed, Pope Francis turned this attention again this week to the “the communion of saints” which he said was a communion not only of persons, but also of spiritual goods.

Through our sharing in those goods, the Pope continued, we grow in communion with Christ and with the Church. He then focused on what he called “these three spiritual treasures: the sacraments, charisms and charity.

In the sacraments, the Pope explained “we encounter Christ in all his saving power, we are confirmed in the joy of faith, and sent forth to share with others the joy of salvation.” In off the cuff remarks in Italian, the Holy Father also underlined how important it is to take communion, and the importance of baptizing children early because he said “this is the presence of Jesus Christ in us, who helps us.”
 

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http://en.radiovaticana.va/news/2013/11/06/ecumenical_springtime/en1-744146

2013-11-06 15:46:35
Ecumenical Springtime?

(Vatican Radio) After examining new challenges in the field of mission, the World Council of Churches Assembly in Busan, South Korea returned to the crucial theme of the search for unity between the divided Christian Churches. Earlier this year, a new document from the WCC’s Faith and Order Commission showed that today there is more common ground than ever before, a development that was built on by the Busan encounter. Philippa Hitchen is following events with the Catholic delegation at the Assembly…..

Those who still talk of an ecumenical winter and an impasse on the road to Christian unity, are quite simply out of step with the spirit of the times. Firstly, because the upbeat atmosphere at this gathering of 345 churches, plus many other ecumenical partners, speaks loudly of the conviction that people who pray together, stay together and eventually find a way together. That’s why each day of the meeting begins and ends with a prayer service led by different Christian traditions: from the Orthodox blessing of loaves of bread, to the mystical, meditative Taize chanting, from Catholic or Anglican evening prayer, to the exuberant gospel choirs of the newer Evangelical communities. While not everyone can yet share the Eucharist together, we can and should do much more in the way of common worship and celebration.
 

[grace-land]

http://en.radiovaticana.va/news/2013/11/07/pope_francis:_god_has_a_loving_weakness_for_the_lost_sheep/en1-744370

2013-11-07 11:41:09
Pope Francis: God has a loving weakness for the lost sheep

(Vatican Radio) Finding the lost sheep is a joy to God, because he has a “loving weakness” for those who are lost. These were the words of Pope Francis during his homily at Mass on Thursday morning in Casa Santa Marta.

Commenting on the parables of the lost sheep and of the lost coin, Pope Francis talked about the attitude of the scribes and the Pharisees, who were scandalised by the things that Jesus did. They murmured against him: “This man is dangerous, he eats with the publicans and the sinners, he offends God, he desecrates the ministry of the prophet to accost these people”. Jesus, the Pope explained, says that this “is the music of hypocrisy”, and “answers this hypocrisy with a parable”.

“He replies to this murmuring with a joyful parable. The words ‘joy’ and ‘happiness’ appear in this short text four times: three times joy, and once happiness. “And you” – it’s as if he were saying – “you are scandalised by this, but my Father rejoices”. That is the most profound message of this story: the joy of God, a God who doesn’t like to lose. God is not a good loser, and this is why, in order not to lose, He goes out on his own, and He goes, He searches. He is a God who searches: He searches for all those who are far away from Him, like the shepherd who goes to search for the lost sheep.”
 

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http://en.radiovaticana.va/news/2013/11/07/pope_francis_announces_themes_for_world_youth_days/en1-744416

2013-11-07 12:48:15
Pope Francis announces themes for World Youth Days

(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis has decided on the themes for the next three World Youth Days. These mark a three-year itinerary of spiritual preparation that will culminate with the international WYD with the Successor of Peter scheduled for Krakow in Poland in July 2016.

29th World Youth Day, 2014
“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven” (Mt 5:3).

30th World Youth Day, 2015
“Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God” (Mt 5:8 )

31st World Youth Day, 2016 (Krakow)
“Blessed are the merciful, for they will receive mercy” (Mt 5:7)
 

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Photos at the links

http://www.cnn.com/2013/11/07/world/europe/pope-francis-embrace/

Pope Francis' embrace of a severely disfigured man touches world    
updated 6:43 PM EST, Thu November 7, 2013

(CNN) -- It was the embrace that melted hearts worldwide.

Pope Francis, pausing for a moment to pray and lay his hands on a man with a disfiguring disease. The man gently burying his head in the Pope's chest, his many facial tumors visible.

His encounter with the ailing man occurred in Vatican City on Wednesday at the end of the general audience, which had about 50,000 attendees.

Images of the Pope's embrace in St. Peter's Square went viral on social media.
 
The man the Pope comforted suffers from neurofibromatosis, according to the Catholic News Agency. The genetic disorder causes pain and thousands of tumors throughout the body. It leads to hearing and vision loss, heart and blood vessel complications, and severe disability from nerve compression by tumors.

The moment marked the latest in a series of memorable encounters for the Pope.

Last month, a pint-sized papal pal joined him on stage -- and refused to let go.
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http://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/pope-francis-embraces-man-with-tumorous-disease/

Pope Francis embraces man with tumorous disease

Vatican City, Nov 6, 2013 / 02:30 pm (CNA).- At the end of the Nov. 6 general audience in St. Peter's Square, Pope Francis drew attention by warmly embracing a man who suffers from a rare disease causing neuronal tumors all over his body.

The man was identified as suffering from neurofibromatosis, which causes great pain and can result in impaired vision, learning impairnment, and even cancer, according to non-profit research group Mayo Clinic. Treatment of the condition is very complicated.

People with this disease – which is genetic and not contagious – often face discrimination because of their appearance.

As he carried out his typical greeting of pilgrims at the conclusion of the general audience, Pope Francis paused for several minutes to receive the sick man in his arms.

Moments later, he took the man’s face in his hands, kissed him, and gave him a blessing.
 

[Sister]

grace-land, the picture of the Pope cradling this man's face -- brought me to tears.  What a compassionate man he is.

[grace-land]

grace-land, the picture of the Pope cradling this man's face -- brought me to tears.  What a compassionate man he is.

Oh, sister, it was so moving to see his compassion for that man.  The picture reminded me of Mother Theresa of Calcutta, a nun, who spent many years in the slums helping the poorest of the poor and the sick and the dying.
 
 

[grace-land]

http://en.radiovaticana.va/news/2013/11/08/pope_francis:_children_fed_unclean_bread_of_corruption_are_starved/en1-744767

2013-11-08 12:07:11
Pope Francis: children fed "unclean bread" of corruption are starved of dignity

(Vatican Radio) Parents who feed their children on “unclean bread”, earned through bribes and corruption, are starving their children of dignity, because dishonest work robs us of our dignity. These were the words of Pope Francis during his homily at Mass on Friday morning in the Vatican’s Casa Santa Marta.

Pope Francis focused his homily on the parable of the dishonest steward, in order to talk about the dangers “of worldliness, of mundane affairs”. Jesus “prayed to the Father that his disciples might not fall into the trap of worldliness”, which is “the enemy”.

“When we think of our enemies, we really think of the devil first, because it’s the devil that harms us. The devil enjoys the atmosphere, the lifestyle of worldliness. And this steward is an example of worldliness. Some of you might say: “But this man only did what everyone does!”. But no, not everyone! Some company administrators, some public administrators, some government administrators… perhaps there are not even very many. But it’s that attitude of the shortcut, of the most comfortable way to earn a living.”