Pope Francis

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Synod of Bishops for the Pan-Amazon Region, Vatican, Oct. 6-27, 2019

https://www.vaticannews.va/en/vatican-city/news/2019-10/vatican-participants-synod-amazon.html
Voices from the Amazon Synod
10 October 2019, 17:16

Inside the Synod Hall  (Vatican Media)
Participants in the Synod of Bishops for the Amazon include a number of lay men and women who have contributions to make to the ongoing discussions.
By Vatican News

Participating in the Extraordinary Synod of Bishops for the Pan-Amazon Region is also a number of auditors and experts who listen in, and contribute to the work with their own testimonies and interventions.

Amongst them is Belgian film director Jean-Pierre Dutilleux, co-founder and Honorary President of the Forêt Vierge Association that advocates for the rights of indigenous peoples of the rainforest.

Dutilleux rose to international fame with his Academy Award nominated documentary “Raoni”, an investigation of the complex issues surrounding the survival of the remaining indigenous Indians of the Amazon rainforest and, indeed, of the rainforest itself.

He told Vatican Radio he is hopeful the Church will be able to provide concrete help on a grassroots level.
 

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Synod of Bishops for the Pan-Amazon Region, Vatican, Oct. 6-27, 2019

https://www.vaticannews.va/en/vatican-city/news/2019-10/amazon-synod-briefing-ministers-of-the-word-face-of-indigenous.html
Amazon Synod Briefing: Ministers of the Word, face of indigenous Church
10 October 2019, 17:33

Indigenous people in the Amazon
Participants share their personal experiences along with their impressions of Day 4 of the Synod for the Amazon with journalists during Thursday’s briefing in the Holy See Press Office.
By Vatican News

The Prefect of the Vatican Dicastery for Communication, Dr Paolo Ruffini, opened the press briefing by summarizing the main points covered during the Wednesday afternoon's session of the Synod for the Amazon. The first series of interventions by the Synod Fathers concluded on Wednesday evening, he said. Among these interventions was one by Pope Francis himself.

Summary by Dr Paolo Ruffini

The issues discussed during the morning session were all interconnected in some way, added Dr Ruffini. They concerned ecological questions, the future of the planet, the value the Amazon Region represents for the entire planet, the violence committed toward the Amazon as an area, and toward the people who live there, the need to change the paradigm, to respect human rights, and to combat all forms of violence. These issues themselves are connected with culture, dialogue among cultures, evangelization and the inculturation of the Gospel.

Other questions regarded how to “be Church in the Amazon”, and how people living there see the Church. Observations confirmed the lack of vocations in the Amazon region, the need for new forms of ministry, both ordained and non-ordained, the role of women, and the importance of the sacraments in the community. Emphasis was placed on the need to give suitable formation and responsibility to lay people, and to let go of a “clerical vision” in the Church.

Comments by Fr Giacomo Costa SJ

Jesuit Fr Giacomo Costa is Secretary of the Information Commission for the Synod. He developed the connectivity among the themes discussed at the morning session. While examining the Amazon Region, he said, the Synod is also connecting it on the universal level, because the impact of what is happening there affects the entire Church throughout the world.

Fr Costa used the term “missionary synodality” to explain the way the Church can contribute in a specific region. He spoke of a “new way of being Church” that values the contribution of everyone: laity, indigenous, etc.

The Synod has moved on to the next step, he said, describing the so-called “circoli minores”, or small language groups, that began their work on Thursday morning. These groups allow for greater sharing, comparing and exchange of ideas among their members. All these are connected with the interventions in the Synod Hall, he said, and are the result of a period of profound listening, aimed at discerning the new paths of evangelization. These small groups will continue their work on Thursday afternoon and on Friday. The General Congregation will pick up again from Saturday to Tuesday. The relations of the groups will be presented in a week’s time, on the evening of Thursday 17 October and will be published.
 
https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/the-church-has-fought-infanticide-amazon-synod-bishops-say-68979
The Church has fought infanticide, Amazon synod bishops say

http://www.ncregister.com/daily-news/bishop-discusses-the-catholic-churchs-ministry-of-presence-in-the-amazon
Vatican |  Oct. 10, 2019
Bishop Discusses the Catholic Church’s ‘Ministry of Presence’ in the Amazon
Edward Pentin

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Synod of Bishops for the Pan-Amazon Region, Vatican, Oct. 6-27, 2019

https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2019-10/pope-prays-synagogue-attack-germany.html
Pope prays after attack on synagogue in Germany
10 October 2019, 12:57

Sign outside synagogue reading: Jews in Halle we stand with you  (ANSA)
Before concluding the Wednesday evening session in the Synod Hall, Pope Francis prays for victims of the attack on the synagogue of Halle, in Germany.
By Vatican News

Two people died and several bystanders were injured in the attack, which took place on the Jewish holy day of Yom Kippur.

The gunman has been identified as a 27-year old neo-Nazi who attempted to break into the synagogue which was filled with over 70 people, including children. Alerted by the sound of gunfire, a group of worshippers managed to barricade the door in time, and to avoid what could have been a bloodbath.

The German Minister of the Interior has confirmed the “anti-Semitic” motivations for the attack, and German Chancellor Angela Merkel attended a memorial vigil for the victims in Berlin.

The European Parliament in Brussels stopped to hold a minute’s silence, while political and religious leaders called for renewed efforts to resist the rise of anti-Semitism in Europe.

In the Vatican, before concluding the day’s work at the Synod on the Amazon, Pope Francis prayed for the victims and their families.
 

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Synod of Bishops for the Pan-Amazon Region, Vatican, Oct. 6-27, 2019

https://cruxnow.com/news-analysis/2019/10/10/could-the-amazon-synod-be-cardinal-marc-ouellets-last-hurrah/
Could the Amazon synod be Cardinal Marc Ouellet’s last hurrah?
John L. Allen Jr.  Oct 10, 2019

(Credit: CNS photo/Stefano Dal Pozzolo, pool.)
News Analysis
ROME - It’s widely assumed that the Synod of Bishops on the Amazon is poised to endorse married priests for isolated rural communities, and yesterday Retired Bishop Erwin Kräutler of Xingu, Brazil, told reporters that two-thirds of the bishops gathered in Rome back the idea. Yet in all honesty, it’s a little early to know exactly what all 184 synod fathers really think.

Pre-synod consultations focused more on laity, especially indigenous persons, rather than bishops, and so far the talk in the hall has been sufficiently vague as to leave options open.

However, there’s at least one synod bishop who’s gone public with skepticism about the so-called viri probati, or tested married men, albeit in his typically soft-spoken, gracious, and nuanced manner: Canadian Cardinal Marc Ouellet, prefect of the Vatican’s Congregation for Bishops and an erstwhile missionary in Colombia, one of the Amazon nations represented in the synod.

Ouellet, who turned 75 in June and thus has reached the formal retirement age, has been a fixture on the global Catholic stage for almost twenty years, with a profile as a “compassionate conservative” - a big heart, a gentle touch, and real curiosity about other points of view born of genuine intellectual chops. Theologically he’s cut from much the same cloth as Pope emeritus Benedict XVI, and he was a longtime contributor to the journal Communio co-founded by the young Joseph Ratzinger.

Though he probably wouldn’t have chosen it as his battleground, in effect the debate over married priests at the 2019 Amazon synod could be Ouellet’s last hurrah, his final opportunity in a meaningful setting to make the case for tradition in a time of runaway change.
 

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Synod of Bishops for the Pan-Amazon Region, Vatican, Oct. 6-27, 2019

https://www.vaticannews.va/en/vatican-city/news/2019-10/amazon-synod-briefing-day-5-ecological-sins.html

Amazon Synod Briefing: Ecological sins and integral responses
11 October 2019, 17:09

The Day 5 briefing in the Holy See Press Office hears testimonies and answers questions regarding the Synod for the Amazon.
By Vatican News

There were four Synod participants on the podium in the Holy See Press Office on Friday afternoon, each of them sharing their impressions of the discussions so far, and responding to journalist’s questions.

Cardinal Carlos Aguiar Retes, Archbishop of México (Mexico)

Cardinal Carlos Aguiar Retes opened his presentation with a call for “ecological conversion”. Climate change has amplified the “cry of the poor”, he said, and an “integral ecology” is the Church’s response. The Cardinal explained that an integral ecology means a change of lifestyle, abandoning the throwaway culture. It is essential we increase awareness, he said, because it is the poorest people on earth who are being affected.

Archbishop Pedro Brito Guimarâes, of Palmas (Brazil)

Archbishop Pedro Brito Guimarâes, of Palmas, said he comes from Brazil’s youngest State, in the heart of the country. 1.5 million people live there, along with 9 million heads of cattle. The cattle, said the Archbishop, often enjoy better healthcare than the people. That’s because their meat is exported to countries overseas. The primary animal feed in the region is soybean meal, but overplanting has had a negative impact on the earth, said Archbishop Pedro. The land is eroded, while pesticides and chemicals used to grow the soy have polluted the rivers. Cattle raising also requires a lot of water, and this too risks destroying natural resources.

Archbishop Pedro went on to speak of what he called “ecological sins”. They may be something new, he said, but we need to start confessing them. Quoting Pope Francis, he added how “everything is connected”, when you touch something you create a chain reaction, he said. The whole of humanity will feel the effects of decisions taken at this Synod, concluded the Archbishop
 

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Synod of Bishops for the Pan-Amazon Region, Vatican, Oct. 6-27, 2019

https://cruxnow.com/amazon-synod/2019/10/11/synod-member-weary-of-married-priest-debate-rues-getting-stuck-in-70s/
Synod member, weary of married priest debate, rues getting stuck in ’70s
Inés San Martín   Oct 11, 2019

ROME - Since Pope Francis announced a meeting of bishops on the Amazon two years ago, talk in the media and among some of the key organizers, such as Brazilian Cardinal Claudio Hummes, has been dominated by the possibility of ordaining married men as priests to serve isolated rural communities.

Seeing the working document of the Oct. 6-27 Synod of Bishops on the Amazon, the product of the consultation of some 80,000 people from the region, mostly indigenous persons and laity, it would seem there’s little space for debate: Without putting into question the importance of celibacy, the ordination of married men in the Amazon is on the table.

Yet there are dissenting voices, and the pope himself has avoided giving an opinion. He’s also repeatedly insisted that the ordination of what’s known as the viri probati, or men of proven virtue, is far from being a key issue in the synod.

The daily Vatican press briefings don’t supply numbers of who’s on which side of anything, though one retired Brazilian bishop claimed Wednesday that two-thirds of the 184 bishops in the hall are in favor of married priests. On the other hand, Cardinal Marc Ouellet reportedly got an ovation when he defended celibacy, so it’s a bit hard to tell quite yet precisely where people stand.

Father Martin Lasarte from Uruguay, a Salesian who served for 25 years as a missionary in Angola, has spent the past four years visiting much of the Amazon as coordinator of the missionary efforts of the order in Latin America and Africa, and he says he’s tired of the conversation about the viri probati already.

“It’s a valid issue to study, above all, considering the challenges of the contemporary world,” Lasarte told Crux. “But I believe it’s not pertinent to this synod. Not because it’s taboo, but because celibacy is a very rich issue for the whole Church, and it cannot be decided by only one region.”

“We’re talking about the importance of a synodal conversion,” he added. “Well, if we’re going to discuss this issue, let’s ask our brothers from Congo what they think about it, those from Mexico, from Vietnam, from Argentina, from the Far East.”

According to Lasarte, a “papal appointee” for the synod, it’s “not honest, synodal or in communion” to make a decision about celibacy in this setting. He gives the example of the Anglican Communion, in which Anglicans from Europe and North America adopted changes such as female priests and bishops that were against the will of Anglicans in Africa, and a schism ensued.
 

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https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/vatican-pope-francis-never-said-what-scalfari-reported-about-divinity-of-jesus-christ-49912

Vatican: Pope Francis 'never said' what Scalfari reported about divinity of Jesus Christ

Vatican City, Oct 10, 2019 / 07:17 am (CNA).- A Vatican spokesman directly denied on Thursday the report of an Italian journalist who wrote that Pope Francis said he did not believe that Jesus Christ was divine.

“The Holy Father never said what Scalfari wrote,” Vatican communications head Paolo Ruffini said at an Oct. 10 press conference, adding that “both the quoted remarks and the free reconstruction and interpretation by Dr. Scalfari of the conversations, which go back to more than two years ago, cannot be considered a faithful account of what was said by the pope.”

“That will be found rather throughout the Church's magisterium and Pope Francis' own, on Jesus: true God and true man,” Ruffini added.

The statement came in response to an Oct. 9 column in La Repubblica, the newspaper founded by Scalfari, in which the 95-year-old self-declared atheist said that “Pope Francis conceives Christ as Jesus of Nazareth, a man, not God incarnate.”
 

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https://cruxnow.com/vatican/2019/10/11/pope-names-u-s-archbishop-to-head-vatican-academy-for-diplomats/

Pope names U.S. archbishop to head Vatican academy for diplomats
Carol Glatz   Oct 11, 2019
CATHOLIC NEWS SERVICE

(Credit: Mary D. Dillard/One Voice via CNS.)
ROME - Pope Francis named a U.S. archbishop serving as a nuncio to head the Vatican diplomatic academy.

Archbishop Joseph S. Marino, a native of Birmingham, Alabama, 66, was named president of the Pontifical Ecclesiastical Academy, the Vatican announced Oct. 11.

He will be only the second U.S. prelate to head the Rome-based school, which was founded more than 300 years ago; U.S. Cardinal Justin Rigali was president of the academy from 1985 to 1989.
 

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https://cruxnow.com/vatican/2019/10/11/vatican-releases-lineup-for-christmas-concert-supporting-the-amazon/

Vatican releases lineup for Christmas concert supporting the Amazon
Catholic News Service   Oct 11, 2019

(Credit: CNS photo/Jane Barlow, Dylan Martinez, Reuters, Jason Bell.)
ROME - Proceeds from a Christmas concert at the Vatican starring Lionel Richie, Bonnie Tyler and Susan Boyle will go to help protect the Amazon and support indigenous communities there.

Sponsored by the Vatican Congregation for Catholic Education, the Dec. 14 concert will feature several Italian singers and musicians, including the Vatican’s police band.

But the headline performers, the Vatican said, will be: Richie, the U.S. Grammy Award-winning singer and songwriter; Boyle, who was a 2009 finalist on “Britain’s Got Talent”; and Tyler, whose songs “It’s a Heartache” and “Total Eclipse of the Heart” are among the best-selling singles of all time.
 

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Synod of Bishops for the Pan-Amazon Region, Vatican, Oct. 6-27, 2019

https://www.vaticannews.va/en/vatican-city/news/2019-10/synod-briefing-day-6-church-with-indigenous-face.html
Amazon Synod Briefing: Forming a Church with an indigenous face
12 October 2019, 16:57

A view of the Synod Hall
On Day 6 of the Synod for the Amazon, journalists and Synod participants gather in the Holy See Press Office to share impressions and answer questions concerning the main themes under discussion.
By Vatican News

The Saturday afternoon briefing concluded the first week of discussions on the Synod for the Amazon, and saw the participation of four speakers on the podium: two bishops, a woman religious, and a deacon.

Summary by Dr Paolo Ruffini

The Prefect of the Dicastery for Communications, Dr Paolo Ruffini, began by providing a summary of the themes discussed during the morning interventions. These included interreligious, ecumenical and intercultural dialogue, respect for cultures, and the rights of indigenous people to live their own lifestyle.

The Prefect cited words that had been recalled in one of the morning's interventions: those of Pope Saint John Paul II when he visited Manaus in 1991, regarding how the Church is always on the side of dignity and the right to life.

The role of women was another issue introduced several times in the Synod Hall on Saturday morning. The theme of religious life, especially that of women religious as leaders of Christian communities, was underlined. Here the Prefect referrted to a quote of Pope Saint Paul VI used in one of the interventions calling for women to have an influence on the life of the Church: something they are already doing in the Amazon Region, Dr Ruffini said.

Comments by Fr Giacomo Costa SJ

The Secretary of the Information Commission, Jesuit Fr Giacomo Costa, continued by explaining how participants returned to the Synod Hall on Saturday morning after their work in the “circoli minores”. He spoke of a convergence of paths towards an integral conversion beginning with the Gospel. He used the term “Samaritan Church” to describe a prophetic Church, in communion, and based on solidarity.

Other strong themes that emerged, said Fr Costa, were the importance of listening to the cries provoked by violence, being attentive to the dignity of workers, and to the question of youth unemployment. There are new forms of slavery that must be confronted, he added: forced employment, prostitution, and organ trafficking “must be addressed in a prophetic way”, he said.

Another theme was that of “integral education” capable of changing reality and helping us care for our common home. In order to have a Church “that can listen, and be listened to”, said Fr Costa, we need to train people to promote co-citizenship based on compassion, to contribute to the “buen vivir”, or well-being of all.
 

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Synod of Bishops for the Pan-Amazon Region, Vatican, Oct. 6-27, 2019

https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2019-10/pope-brazil-video-message-our-lady-aparecida.html
Pope sends video-message to Brazil on the feast of Our Lady of Aparecida
12 October 2019, 14:34

Pope Francis during his Apostolic Visit to Brazil in 2013
In a video-message recorded on Saturday morning during a break in the work of the Synod on the Amazon, Pope Francis celebrates the festivity of Our Lady of Aparecida, the patron saint of Brazil.
By Vatican News

May the “small and humble” Virgin of Aparecida" continue to accompany the people of Brazil.

This prayer was at the heart of a video-message in which Pope Francis celebrated the feast day of Our Lady of Aparecida, the patron saint of Brazil.

The Pope said that he hopes that the "Mother of every Brazilian" - as he called her when he visited the Shrine of Our Lady of Aparecida in 2013 - will accompany her children on their journey to “peace, joy and justice”.

He prayed that she may also be at their side in their times of suffering, as they face so many political, social and ecological “limitations”, in a perspective of growth and freedom.
 

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Synod of Bishops for the Pan-Amazon Region, Vatican, Oct. 6-27, 2019

https://www.vaticannews.va/en/vatican-city/news/2019-10/synthesis-synod-eighth-general-congregation.html
Amazon Synod Day 6: That faith in the Spirit be stronger than the fear of erring
12 October 2019, 20:59

The first week of the three-week Special Synod for the Pan-Amazon region concluded on Saturday evening, 12 October. Along with the Pope, there were 166 Synod Fathers in the hall, along with others participating in the Synod.
Vatican News – Vatican City

One of the themes put forward in the eighth General Congregation of the Special Synod for the Pan-Amazon region on Saturday afternoon was the centrality of Christ in the Church’s mission. "How many know the Gospel?", one of the Synod participants asked. In addition, it was affirmed that the Good News must be announced not only in the Amazon, but in the entire world. Since evangelization is never undertaken alone, the creation of a team was proposed. The hope is that this team would be able to both respond adequately to the multiple pastoral challenges facing the region and witness to the joy of evangelization.

A Reflection on celibacy and the priesthood

Once again, the proposal for viri probati returned in more than one intervention. Some contributions highlighted that the lack of vocations is not particular to the Amazon. This led to the question, “Why make an exception exclusively for that region?” Taking up this theme in a future Synod was also suggested. Another observed that it is precisely because of celibacy that priests are welcomed by some indigenous populations. Furthermore, it was also stated that today’s world sees celibacy as the last rampart to be demolished using the pressure of a hedonistic and secular culture. It is, therefore, necessary to carry out an attentive reflection on the value of a celibate priesthood.

Others pointed out that a discussion regarding new models of priesthood is both inevitable and desirable. If on the one hand, sending priests to other dioceses and regions is encouraged, then on the other hand, ordaining wise men of proven faith should also be recommended. This hypothesis would not wound communion in the Church, nor would it undermine the value of celibacy. Rather, it might represent a decisive step toward achieving an ordained ministry that does not just visit a territory, but comes from and remains present in it. Another argument is that this response is not being put forward to solve the lack of vocations, but that the Church might have an identity that is truly Amazonian. It was also suggested that the Synod could lay the foundation for this new step forward in faith in the Holy Spirit which must be stronger than the fear of making a mistake.
 

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https://www.vaticannews.va/en/church/news/2019-10/biography-cardinal-john-henry-newman-anglican-catholic.html

Cardinal Henry Newman: From Anglican priest to Catholic cardinal
12 October 2019, 13:17

Cardinal John Henry Newman to be declared a saint during a Canonization Mass in St Peter’s Square this Sunday.
By Vatican News

Cardinal Henry Newman spent his life in search of Truth. He always said it was the only reason for living.

From England to Rome

At the age of 25, Newman said he had met God, not "as a notion, but as a person”. Two years later, he became an Anglican priest and taught at Oxford.

Always one to question the essence of the Truth and of Faith, Newman found an answer when he first visited Rome in 1833. 

From Rome to Oxford

Back in Oxford, he found he was increasingly far from Anglicanism. He began studying the Fathers of the Church, common to all denominations, and gathered around him a group of scholars who questioned themselves on important topics such as respect for the tradition of the first centuries.

In 1843 he made his decision. Two years later he asked to be admitted to the Catholic Church. After completing his theological studies in Rome, he was ordained a priest in 1847.
 
https://www.thetablet.co.uk/news/12120/cardinal-calls-for-newman-to-be-made-doctor-of-the-church-
12 October 2019, The Tablet
Cardinal calls for Newman to be made 'Doctor of the Church'
by Christopher Lamb

https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/uks-prince-charles-praises-cardinal-john-henry-newman-59672
UK's Prince Charles praises Cardinal John Henry Newman

https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/how-cardinal-newman-saved-a-mother-and-baby-in-a-dangerous-pregnancy-85875
How Cardinal Newman saved a mother and baby in a dangerous pregnancy

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https://cruxnow.com/vatican/2019/10/12/four-women-to-be-canonized-alongside-john-henry-newman/

Four women to be canonized alongside John Henry Newman
Elise Harris   Oct 12, 2019

Tapestries hanging from the facade of St. Peter's Basilica portray from left; Dulce Lopes Pontes, Giuseppina Vannini, John Henry Newman, Maria Teresa Chiramel Mankidiyan, and Margarita Bays, at the Vatican, Friday, Oct. 11, 2019. (Credit: AP Photo/Andrew Medichini.)
ROME - When the world celebrates the canonization of Blessed John Henry Newman on Sunday, the 19th-century British cardinal will be elevated to the altar alongside four other individuals known for their humility and closeness to the suffering of Christ.

Perhaps the most famous Anglican convert to Catholicism and one of the Church’s most revered modern theologians, for the English-speaking world Newman is the most recognizable of the five people who will be canonized Oct. 13.

However, while Newman is celebrated for his intellectual contributions to Catholic theology, the other saints are being recognized in great part for their mystical contributions, with two having experienced the stigmata, meaning they developed wounds like those of Jesus Christ after his crucifixion.
 

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https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2019-10/pope-canonization-mass-st-peters-newman.html

Pope at Canonization Mass: New saints "kindly lights" in the gloom of the world
13 October 2019, 11:27

Pope Francis presides over a Canonization Mass in St. Peter's Square  (Vatican Media)
Pope Francis presides over the canonizations of Cardinal John Henry Newman, Sister Marian Thresia, Sister Giuseppina Vannini, Sister Dulce Lopes Pontes, and Marguerite Bays. In his homily, the Pope reflects on the Gospel account of the lepers, and on the verbs “to cry out, to walk, to give thanks”.
By Vatican News

In a sun-drenched St Peter’s Square, and before thousands of pilgrims coming from all over the world, Pope Francis proclaimed five new saints for the Church.

In his homily, he reflected on Saint Luke’s Gospel account of Jesus healing the lepers. Theirs was a “journey of faith”, said the Pope. There are three steps in this journey, he added, all expressed in the actions of the lepers whom Jesus heals: “They cry out, they walk and they give thanks”.
 
Text of the Pope’s homily
https://zenit.org/articles/its-official-saint-john-henry-newman-canonized-by-pope-francis-in-rome/
IT’S OFFICIAL: Saint John Henry Newman, Canonized by Pope Francis in Rome 
October 13, 2019 13:08•Deborah Castellano Lubov

https://zenit.org/articles/angelus-address-on-the-canonization-of-five-blesseds/
Angelus Address: On the Canonization of Five Blesseds 
October 13, 2019 14:25•Virginia Forrester

Video, with English commentary, at the link below--
Pope Francis - Holy Mass with Canonizations and Angelus
https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope-francis/angelus/2019-10/pope-angelus-13-october-2019.html
or
https://www.youtube.com/user/vatican

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Photo gallery at the link

https://www.catholicnews.com/services/englishnews/2019/kindly-lights-in-gloomy-world-pope-declares-five-new-saints.cfm
Kindly lights in gloomy world: Pope declares five new saints
By Cindy Wooden Catholic News Service
10.13.2019 5:40 AM ET

CNS photo/Paul Haring
VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Saints are people who recognized their need for God's help, who took risks to discover God's will and to help others and who nurtured a habit of thanksgiving, Pope Francis said.

"The culmination of the journey of faith is to live a life of continual thanksgiving. Let us ask ourselves: Do we, as people of faith, live each day as a burden, or as an act of praise?" the pope said in his homily Oct. 13 after formally declaring five new saints for the Catholic Church.
 
Tens of thousands of people filled a sunny St. Peter's Square for the canonization ceremony and Mass. Among them were Britain's Prince Charles, Italian President Sergio Mattarella, Brazilian Vice President Hamilton Martins Mourao, a member of Switzerland's federal council and the deputy foreign minister of India.

Melissa Villalobos from Chicago also was there with her husband and children, and they brought up the offertory gifts at the Mass. Villalobos' healing, which saved her life and the life of her unborn child, was accepted as the miracle needed for St. Newman's canonization.
 

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https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2019-10/head-vatican-gendarmerie-resigns-domenico-giani.html

Pope Francis accepts resignation of head of Vatican Gendarmerie
14 October 2019, 15:49

Commander Domenico Giani (R) with Pope Francis
Domenico Giani, the Commander of the Vatican Gendarmerie, tendered his resignation on Monday, which Pope Francis accepted, calling his gesture “an expression of freedom and institutional sensitivity.”
By Vatican News

The Holy See Press Office released a statement on Monday detailing the reasons for Domenico Giani’s resignation, which relate to a leaked document he signed in his capacity as the Commander of the Vatican Gendarmerie.

Several media outlets published the confidential order “concerning the consequences of certain administrative limitations imposed upon Holy See staff members” on October 2nd.

The statement calls its publication “prejudicial to the dignity of the people involved and to the image of the Gendarmerie.”

‘Love for the Church’

“Although the Commander bears no personal responsibility in the unfolding of the events,” the statement reads, “Domenico Giani has tendered his resignation to the Holy Father out of love for the Church and faithfulness to Peter’s Successor.”

His resignation, it continues, is meant to assure “the proper serenity to the ongoing investigation”.

The document was reserved to gendarmes and to members of the Pontifical Swiss Guard, and the person who leaked it “remains unknown”.
 

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Synod of Bishops for the Pan-Amazon Region, Vatican, Oct. 6-27, 2019

https://www.vaticannews.va/en/vatican-city/news/2019-10/amazon-synod-briefing-9th-general-congregation.html
Amazon Synod Briefing: New challenges and new solutions
14 October 2019, 17:12

Synod briefing in the Vatican Press Office
Four participants at the Synod for the Amazon met journalists in the Holy See Press Office on Monday afternoon for an exchange of experiences and impressions regarding the 9th General Congregation.
By Vatican News

The 9th General Congregation, held on Monday morning, was attended by 179 Synod Fathers, together with Pope Francis, who opened the session with a prayer for Ecuador.

This was confirmed by the Prefect of the Vatican Dicastery for Communications, Dr Paolo Ruffini, before he invited Jesuit Fr Giacomo Costa, Secretary of the Information Commission, to provide a summary of what was discussed in the Synod Hall.

Summary by Fr Giacomo Costa SJ

Fr Costa began by affirming how Pope Francis’ Encyclical, Laudato sì, is proving to be more than just a text, but truly rooted in the realities discussed at the Synod. This is being demonstrated by the way “everything is connected”, he said.  Summarizing what was discussed in the Synod Hall on Monday morning, Fr Costa listed several themes: dialogue with indigenous people, and the importance of participating in their lives, protecting local peoples’ rights and safeguarding nature. He said the need to remain rooted in the ground of experience coming from local territory was also mentioned.

The Synod Fathers discussed the challenges to local ministries, he said, how to inculturate the liturgy, and how to respond better to the needs and cultures of the people. The Eucharist, continued Fr Costa, was presented as “a source of unity and light”. Participants at the General Congregation, he said, confirmed we are “custodians of nature”, and stressed the integral and ecological focus of the Synod.

Participants at the morning session, said Fr Costa, affirmed the Church’s role of protecting and promoting the local people, of accompanying those without a voice. A suggestion was put forward to set up an international ecclesiastical observatory on the rights of indigenous people. Some Synod participants confirmed the importance of the Church integrating her perspectives into practices concerning human rights.

Fr Costa continued his summary of the proceedings that included the topic of “circular economic models”: access to food that respects the environment, and has a positive impact on local populations. These models can be achieved through an “integral education” that helps promote an equitable consumption of goods, he reported.

Not just education, but information too, was a topic that came under discussion, said Fr Costa. According to Synod participants, the “communication culture” is growing rapidly in the Amazon Region, and we need to “bridge the communications gap”. This means training local indigenous communicators, and establishing communications networks based on community and solidarity.
 
https://www.vaticannews.va/en/vatican-city/news/2019-10/amazon-synod-briefing-synthesis.html
Amazon Synod: The Church’s commitment against violations of the rights of peoples
14 October 2019, 15:36
By Vatican News

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Synod of Bishops for the Pan-Amazon Region, Vatican, Oct. 6-27, 2019

https://www.vaticannews.va/en/vatican-city/news/2019-10/synthesis-synod-tenth-general-congregation-day-7.html
Synod Day 7: Appreciating the charism of the laity, distancing ourselves from clericalism
14 October 2019, 21:26

During the 10th General Congregation which took place on the afternoon of 14 October, the participants in the Special Amazon Synod continued their work. In addition to Pope Francis, there were 177 Synod Fathers present, as well as other auditors, experts and invited guests.
Vatican News – Vatican City

Rethinking ministry in the Church in the light of the parameters of synodality so that the Church might be more and more formed by the Word of God was defined as one of the challenges of the Church in the Amazon region. Several interventions given this afternoon in the Synod Hall highlighted this.

The Word of God

The Word of God is an active and merciful presence; it is educative and prophetic, formative and performative. It underpins that challenge of integral ecology and can be a means for social, economic, cultural and political development and a new humanism. New ministers of the Word, including women, are needed to provide new responses to contemporary challenges. The Church must, therefore, invest in the formation of a well-prepared laity who, in a missionary spirit, will know how to proclaim the Gospel in every part of the Amazon. Providing an adequate formation for committed laity, it was noted, is also fundamental for promoting indigenous vocations to the religious life and ordained ministries.

The role of the laity and women

It was also said in the Hall that the gifts of the laity need to be better expressed and appreciated in a ministerial Church. Thanks to the laity, the Church is manifesting itself as a Church moving outward, distancing itself from clericalism. One intervention in particular suggested that the question of the so-called viri probati and the discussion regarding ministries open to women should be treated in an Ordinary Assembly of the Synod of Bishops since this theme affects the universal Church. Others suggested that women could be included in non-ordained ministries, ministries intended as service, so as to guarantee the dignity and equality of women in the entire Pan-Amazonian territory. Such ministries could be, for example, that of presiding over celebrations of the Word, or leading the activity of a social-charitable nature.

Viri probati

Another intervention counselled that prior to having viri probati priests, it would be necessary to think of viri probati deacons—that is, that the viri probati priests would come from the ranks of permanent deacons. The Permanent Deaconate can, therefore, be an appropriate “laboratory” for the possible future inclusion of married men to the Sacrament of Holy Orders
 
Pope Francis' reflection

When the Congregation concluded, Pope Francis spoke, reflecting on various themes that had emerged during the afternoon and highlighted a few things that had struck him the most.

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https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2019-10/pope-francis-appoints-broccoletti-commander-vatican-gendarmerie.html

Pope appoints new Commander of the Vatican Gendarmerie
15 October 2019, 15:23

Pope Francis on October 15 appointed Gianluca Gauzzi Broccoletti as the new Commander of the Vatican Gendarmerie Corps.

A day after Domenico Giani, the Commander of the Vatican Gendarmerie resigned his post, Pope Francis appointed Gianluca Gauzzi Broccoletti as the new Commander.

Broccoletti, who was deputy director and deputy commander under Giani, is now also the director of the Directorate for Security Services and Civil Protection of the Vatican City State.

Gianluca Gauzzi Broccoletti was born in Gubbio, Perugia on 3 June 1974, and graduated in safety engineering and protection from the “La Sapienza” University in Rome.  Married with two children, he joined the Gendarme Corps in 1995.  Since 1999 he has been responsible for the design and development of the infrastructure of networking technology and security of the Vatican City State and cyber security.