Pope Francis

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http://en.radiovaticana.va/news/2013/03/31/pope:_urbi_et_orbi_message,_easter,_2013_[full_text]/en1-678468

2013-03-31 12:14:41
Pope: Urbi et Orbi Message, Easter, 2013 [Full text]

Vatican Radio) Below we publish the full text of the Holy Father’s Urbi et Orbi Message, Easter 2013.

Dear brothers and sisters in Rome and throughout the world, Happy Easter!

What a joy it is for me to announce this message: Christ is risen! I would like it to go out to every house and every family, especially where the suffering is greatest, in hospitals, in prisons …

Most of all, I would like it to enter every heart, for it is there that God wants to sow this Good News: Jesus is risen, there is hope for you, you are no longer in the power of sin, of evil! Love has triumphed, mercy has been victorious!
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Peace for the Middle East, and particularly between Israelis and Palestinians, who struggle to find the road of agreement, that they may willingly and courageously resume negotiations to end a conflict that has lasted all too long. Peace in Iraq, that every act of violence may end, and above all for dear Syria, for its people torn by conflict and for the many refugees who await help and comfort. How much blood has been shed! And how much suffering must there still be before a political solution to the crisis will be found?

Peace for Africa, still the scene of violent conflicts. In Mali, may unity and stability be restored; in Nigeria, where attacks sadly continue, gravely threatening the lives of many innocent people, and where great numbers of persons, including children, are held hostage by terrorist groups. Peace in the East of the Democratic Republic of Congo, and in the Central African Republic, where many have been forced to leave their homes and continue to live in fear.

Peace in Asia, above all on the Korean peninsula: may disagreements be overcome and a renewed spirit of reconciliation grow.

Peace in the whole world, still divided by greed looking for easy gain, wounded by the selfishness which threatens human life and the family, selfishness that continues in human trafficking, the most extensive form of slavery in this twenty-first century. Peace to the whole world, torn apart by violence linked to drug trafficking and by the iniquitous exploitation of natural resources! Peace to this our Earth! Made the risen Jesus bring comfort to the victims of natural disasters and make us responsible guardians of creation.

Dear brothers and sisters, to all of you who are listening to me, from Rome and from all over of the world, I address the invitation of the Psalm: “Give thanks to the Lord for he is good; for his steadfast love endures for ever. Let Israel say: ‘His steadfast love endures for ever’” (Ps 117:1-2).

Dear brothers and sisters, who have come from all over the world to this Square, the heart of Christianity, and all of you joining us via communications media, I renew my wishes for a Happy Easter! Bring to your families and your nations the message of joy of hope and peace that each year is powerfully renewed on this day. May the Risen Lord, who defeated sin and death, support us all especially the weakest and those most in need. Thank you for your presence and the witness of your faith. A thought and a particular thanks for the gift of these beautiful flowers from the Netherlands. I affectionately repeat to all of you: May the Risen Christ guide you and all humanity on the paths of justice, love and peace!

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http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/04/01/pope-francis-st-peter-tomb_n_2991400.html?utm_hp_ref=religion

Pope Francis To Pray At St. Peter's Tomb At Vatican (VIDEO) (PHOTOS)
04/01/13 08:47 AM ET EDT

VATICAN CITY — Pope Francis will spend Monday's Vatican holiday praying at the tomb of Peter, the church's first pontiff, during a visit to the excavated necropolis under St. Peter's Basilica.

A Vatican statement called the visit private, but promised to release photos and video later in the day. The basilica was built over the location where early Christians would gather in secret, at a time of persecution in ancient Rome, to pray at an unmarked tomb believed to be that of Peter, the apostle Jesus chose to lead his church.

In past years, popes often spent the day after Easter, known in Italy as `'little Easter," at Castel Gandolfo, the Vatican palace in the Alban Hills, a short drive from Rome. But that oasis of sprawling gardens and strolling paths in the quaint hill town is occupied by the predecessor of Francis, Benedict XVI, who spent the last hours of his papacy there before becoming the first pope in 600 years to retire. Benedict is staying in Castel Gandolfo until a monastery at the Vatican in Rome can be readied for him.

Many Italians spend `'little Easter" by having a picnic lunch in the countryside or in city parks, and Francis told Romans and tourists who gathered in St. Peter's Square on Monday at noon to see him to `'have a good lunch." Francis said he was praying that Easter would inspire the faithful so that `'hatred gives way to love, lies to truth," and that it would especially comfort those in `'most need of trust and hope."

He spoke to them from the studio window of the apartment in the Apostolic Palace overlooking the square. Benedict and popes before him lived there, but so far Francis, who stresses simplicity, has declined to move into the quarters. Instead, he has continued to stay in a hotel on Vatican City's grounds, the same residence where as Buenos Aires archbishop he stayed with fellow cardinals to elect Benedict's successor.

They chose him, Jorge Bergoglio, the first pontiff from South America.

St. Peter's mission was to continue to preach the message of Jesus and reach more souls. Francis, as a Jesuit, is steeped in the evangelizing mission of the church, and the necropolis tour brings him back to the origins of the church in its simplest years as a community of Christians professing their faith in defiance of the crackdown by Roman emperors.

Peter himself was among the Christian martyrs during Nero's reign. He is believed to have been crucified, head down, on the Vatican hill.
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http://www.catholicnews.com/data/stories/cns/1301476.htm

FRANCIS-PETER (UPDATED) Apr-1-2013
Pope Francis tours excavated area near St. Peter's tomb



VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Pope Francis became the first pope to tour the excavated necropolis where St. Peter is buried, said Jesuit Father Federico Lombardi, Vatican spokesman.

With explanations from the two directors of the necropolis, the pope walked down the central path between the mostly second-century burial chambers April 1, then went up a slight incline toward the tomb of Peter, which is directly under the main altar of St. Peter's Basilica.

In the Clementine Chapel, "the place closest to the tomb of the Prince of the Apostles, the pope paused in silent prayer and in a deep and moving moment of reflection," Father Lombardi said.

Pope Francis spent 45 minutes in the necropolis and in the grotto, where he paid homage at the tombs of several popes, including Popes Benedict XV, Pius XI, Pius XII, Paul VI and John Paul I, Father Lombardi said.

The entrance to the grotto and necropolis is across a parking lot from the Domus Sanctae Marthae, where the pope is living. The pope walked there and back, Father Lombardi said.
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http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/pope-francis-lung-18856917#.UVo3E74o7IV

Pope Francis Still Has Most of His Right Lung
BUENOS AIRES, Argentina April 1, 2013

Does the pope have only one lung?

Despite erroneous reports that Pope Francis has lived most of his life with just one lung, the surgery actually only removed the upper part of his right lung, and his friends and family say he remains in good health for a 76-year-old man.

The Buenos Aires archdiocese and the Vatican have declined to provide medical reports or specific details about the surgery. Erroneous reports that his entire lung was removed have appeared in numerous media, including Argentine newspapers and The Associated Press, since as early as 2005, when Bergoglio was considered a potential successor to Pope John Paul II.

But the Vatican spokesman, the Rev. Federico Lombardi, put it this way after Bergoglio succeeded Benedict XVI: "I confirm that many, many years ago he had an operation in which part of a lung was removed." Lombardi added that it wasn't a handicap for Francis, and that "those who know him have always seen him in good health."
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http://www.catholicnews.com/data/stories/cns/1301486.htm

Apr-2-2013
Can't chant, can't speak English? Pope says it's because he's tone-deaf

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- After a musically proficient and polyglot Pope Benedict XVI, it came as a surprise to many that Pope Francis doesn't sing or chant at Mass or speak foreign languages in public.
 
From his first Mass as pope -- his liturgy with the College of Cardinals in the Sistine Chapel March 14 -- the pope has not chanted or sung during the usual moments of the liturgy, such as before the eucharistic prayer.

His ditching any musical pitch was even more evident during the "Regina Coeli" April 1, when he spoke, rather than intoned, the Marian prayer.

And as bishop of Rome, he has been sticking with Italian in his public speeches and remarks.

Journalists had been asking the Vatican spokesman, Jesuit Father Federico Lombardi, for an explanation for some time.
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The article includes the Vatican Radio transcript and translation of the full text of Pope Francis’ Wednesday General Audience and the English summary of the Wednesday General Audience catechesis.

http://en.radiovaticana.va/news/2013/04/03/audience:_the_fundamental_role_of_women_in_the_church_/en1-679206

2013-04-03 10:59:19
Audience: The fundamental role of women in the Church

(Vatican Radio) For the third time this week Pope Francis returned to the topic of women in the Church in his general audience catechesis. On Holy Saturday he had dedicated his Easter Vigil Homily to the women as the first witnesses to the novelty of the Resurrection. On Tuesday morning he had spoken of the tears of the Magdalene and how we should follow her example of faith in our life’s journey. On Wednesday he expanded his reflections to the women of the world, whom he said have a special and fundamental role in the Church and the transmission of the faith . Departing from his scripted text, as is now his very own tradition, he appealed: “Mothers go forward with this witness to the Risen Christ!”. Emer McCarthy reports Listen: RealAudioMP3
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http://www.catholicherald.co.uk/news/2013/04/04/pope-francis-will-keep-to-predecessors-year-of-faith-schedule/

Pope Francis will keep to predecessor’s Year of Faith schedule
By Cindy Wooden on Thursday, 4 April 2013

The Vatican has confirmed that Pope Francis will keep the Year of Faith appointments set by pope Bendict XVI, releasing the new Pontiff’s schedule for liturgical celebrations in April and May.

The first event on the programme is, however, part of the process of Pope Francis’s election. He is scheduled to celebrate Mass on April 7 and be installed at the Rome diocesan cathedral, the Basilica of St John Lateran. On Sunday, April 14, he will celebrate an evening Mass at another of Rome’s patriarchal basilica, St Paul Outside the Walls.
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http://www.catholicherald.co.uk/news/2013/04/05/tarot-readers-and-fortune-tellers-cannot-save-you-says-pope-francis/

Tarot readers and fortune tellers cannot save you, says Pope Francis
Friday, 5 April 2013

Salvation can only come through Jesus Christ, not through tarot readers and fortune tellers, Pope Francis has said.

Preaching at morning Mass at the Domus Sanctae Marthae in Rome today, Pope Francis said: “In order to solve their problems many people resort to fortune tellers and tarot cards. But only Jesus saves, and we must bear witness to this! He is the only one.”
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http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/religion/the-pope/9974271/Pope-Francis-Church-must-act-decisively-against-paedophile-priests.html

Pope Francis: Church must 'act decisively' against paedophile priests
3:01PM BST 05 Apr 2013

Tackling the sexual abuse of children by clergymen was vital for restoring the "credibility" of the Church worldwide, Francis said.

He issued the declaration after holding a meeting with Archbishop Gerhard Muller, the head of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, the Vatican department which investigates cases of sexual abuse and decides if priests should be defrocked.

"The Holy Father in particular asked that the Congregation, continuing the line adopted by Benedict XVI, act decisively in cases of sexual abuse, promoting above all measures to protect minors, help for those who in the past suffered such violence and the necessary procedures against those who are guilty," the Vatican said in a statement.
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http://en.radiovaticana.va/news/2013/04/05/pope_francis_confirms_benedict_xvi’s_decisive_line_on_sex_abuse/en1-679971

2013-04-05 13:42:56
Pope Francis confirms Benedict XVI’s decisive line on sex abuse

(Vatican Radio) Below we publish a translation of a communique issued Friday morning by the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith:

The Holy Father today received in audience Archbishop Gerhard Ludwig Mueller, Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. During the audience, various subjects pertaining to the Dicastery were discussed, the Holy Father recommended in particular that the Congregation, continue the line desired by Benedict XVI of decisive action regarding cases of sexual abuse, primarily by promoting measures for child protection; help for the many who in the past have suffered such violence; due process against those who are guilty; the commitment of Bishops' Conferences in the formulation and implementation of the necessary directives in this area which is of great importance to the witness of the Church and its credibility.   ::snipping2::

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http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/04/05/us-pope-abuse-idUSBRE9340DZ20130405

Pope Francis urges decisive action against sex abuse
VATICAN CITY | Fri Apr 5, 2013 10:30am EDT

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A victims' group, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (SNAP) said the statement did not go far enough and criticized it for saying that the Church's stance against sexual abuse was "a continuation" of the line wanted by Francis' predecessor, Pope Benedict.

"Action, not discussion, is needed," SNAP said in a statement.

"We can't confuse words with actions. When we do, we hurt kids. We must insist on new tangible action that helps vulnerable children protect their bodies, not old vague pledges that help a widely-discredited institution protect its reputation," it said.

SNAP and other victims groups say there is much still to be discovered about how the Church behaved in the past and want more bishops who were aware of abuse to be held responsible.

The Catholic Church's crisis began in Boston in 2002 when media began reporting how cases of abuse were systematically covered up and abusive priests shuttled from parish to parish instead of being defrocked and handed over to civil authorities.

Since then, the Catholic Church in many countries has set up new guidelines to deal with cases of past abuse, prevent new cases, report abuse to police, and stop potential abusers from entering the priesthood in the first place.

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http://www.catholic.org/international/international_story.php?id=50401

Pope Francis takes action against pedophile and sexually abusive clergy
4/5/2013

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The conferences will need to meet individually to determine the various approaches they will take. The approaches will be different because laws vary greatly around the world when it comes to child abuse. However, Pope Francis has made it clear that such abuse will not be tolerated within the Church, no matter what local law says.

This is not to suggest that prior popes have tolerated it. However, they have been less aware of the problem because some regional authorities kept quiet about the issues.

Pope Francis has also called for the bishops to take more steps to serve the victims of abuse.

Since there are no specific rules and regulations announced at this time, it is difficult to say what impact these moves will have over the long run, however it is reasonable to expect this it will help end, on a global scale, the practice of sheltering abusive clergy  and make children safer by providing them with improved protections.

In 2002, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops adopted a zero tolerance policy for abusive clergy requiring their immediate removal from ministry and mandated reporting to the authorities. It is also expected that ongoing high-level, civil and criminal prosecution of Church officials who have sheltered abusive clergy will also change attitudes in the United States.

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http://en.radiovaticana.va/news/2013/04/05/pope_francis_:_his_cathedral_/en1-679040

2013-04-05 16:19:14
Pope Francis : his Cathedral

(Vatican Radio ) Pope Francis on Sunday April 7th 2013 takes possession of his Cathedral, the Archbasilica of Saint John Lateran.

As we know the prime title of Pope Francis is 'Bishop of Rome', a role he has emphasised on many an occasion during the past month. Beginning at the start of his pontificate when he said:
" ...the diocesan community of Rome has its Bishop and now let us begin this journey: bishops and people - this journey of the the Church of Rome which presides in Charity over all the Churches".

As Father James F. Puglisi Minister General of the Franciscan Friars of the Atonement tells us, Saint John Lateran was the seat of the head of the local Church: "... so this title is a very important ecclesiastical title because it's a sacramental title..."

And so on Sunday Pope Francis will take possession of his cathedral, a Church founded here in Rome by the two Apostles Peter and Paul and sanctified by the lives of many martyrs.
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http://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/pope-appoints-top-franciscan-to-vaticans-religious-life-department/

Pope appoints top Franciscan to Vatican's religious life department

Vatican City, Apr 6, 2013 / 09:27 am (CNA/EWTN News).- Pope Francis made his first appointment within the Roman Curia this morning, choosing his friend, Franciscan Father José Rodríguez Carballo, to help run the Vatican’s congregation for consecrated religious.

The Vatican announced April 6 that Pope Francis appointed Fr. Carballo to serve as secretary of the Congregation for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life, simultaneously raising him to the level of archbishop and giving him the titular see of Belcastro.

Until his appointment today, Fr. Carballo was the Minister General of the Order of Friars Minor, the 119th successor of St. Francis of Assisi.  He was elected to that position on June 5, 2003 and re-elected for another six years on June 4, 2009.

Besides being the head of one of the largest international religious orders, Fr. Carballo also personally knows Pope Francis.
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Fr. Carballo was born in 1953 in Lodoselo, Spain. He speaks Spanish, Galician, Italian, French, English and Portuguese, and also knows Latin, Biblical Greek and Biblical Hebrew.

He has published numerous articles in Journals on Consecrated and Religious Life, on Pastoral Theology, Sacred Scripture, Biblical Theology, and Franciscan spirituality.

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Video at link

http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2013/04/07/pope-francis-john-paul-ii/2060773/

Pope Francis honors John Paul II before installation
2:37p.m. EDT April 7, 2013

ROME (AP) — Pope Francis was formally installed as bishop of Rome on Sunday in a ceremony characterized by more simplicity than the usual ritual and pomp enjoyed by papal predecessors taking up their pastoral duties.

In yet another sign that Francis sees his mission as pontiff as one of humble service, he used his arrival at St. John in Lateran Basilica to honor a past pope who remains wildly popular in Rome. Francis arrived a half-hour early to bless a plaque renaming a corner of the piazza outside the church after Pope John Paul II, who died in 2005.
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http://en.radiovaticana.va/news/2013/04/07/pope:_have_the_courage_to_return_to_god/en1-680552

2013-04-07 18:51:05
Pope: have the courage to return to God

Pope Francis on Sunday celebrated Mass in the Archbasilica of St. John Lateran, the Cathedral of the Bishop of Rome, during which he officially took possession of the Basilica.

Find below the full text of the Pope's homily.

It is with joy that I am celebrating the Eucharist for the first time in this Lateran Basilica, the Cathedral of the Bishop of Rome. I greet all of you with great affection: the very dear Cardinal Vicar, the auxiliary bishops, the diocesan presbyterate, the deacons, the men and women religious, and all the lay faithful. I offer my greetings, too, to the mayor and his wife, and to all the civil authorities. Together let us walk in the light of the risen Lord.
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http://www.patheos.com/blogs/deaconsbench/2013/04/a-blast-from-the-past-all-about-pope-francis-crozier/

A blast from the past: all about Pope Francis’ crozier
April 8, 2013



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As a matter of fact, though, Pope Paul VI commissioned the work from Italian sculptor Lello Scorzelli in 1963, and used it for the first time Dec. 8, 1965, at the official closing of the Second Vatican Council. Formally known as a “ferula” in Italian, the pastoral staff was unusual not only because it was rough-hewn and silvery, but because the cross included a corpus. Popes John Paul I, John Paul II and Benedict XVI later used it.

In 1990, Scorzelli made Blessed John Paul a second cross, similar in design, but lighter. The office of the papal master of ceremonies said the crozier used by Pope Francis last night was the original made for Pope Paul.
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Video at link

http://www.romereports.com/palio/pope-francis-meets-with-first-protestant-leader-english-9712.html#.UWOIQb4o7IV

Pope Francis meets with first Protestant leader
2013-04-08 18:41:17

April 8, 2013. (Romereports.com) On Monday morning, Pope Francis welcomed the president of the Evangelical Church in Germany, Nikolaus Schneider, in his first papal audience with a Protestant leader and his wife.   

In a 30 minute meeting, the two leaders spoke about ecumenism. Both spoke about the martyrs as a bond between Christians, as well as the upcoming anniversary of the Reformation in 2017, and the possibility that both Churches will celebrate it together.
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http://en.radiovaticana.va/news/2013/04/09/pope_francis_sends_condolences_after_death_of_margaret_thatcher/en1-680971

2013-04-09 07:38:33
Pope Francis sends condolences after death of Margaret Thatcher

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Below find the full text of the telegram sent by Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone on behalf of Pope Francis

The Right Honourable David Cameron, MP
The Prime Minister

His Holiness Pope Francis was saddened to learn of the death of Baroness Margaret Thatcher. He recalls with appreciation the Christian values which underpinned her commitment to public service and to the promotion of freedom among the family of nations. Entrusting her soul to the mercy of God, and assuring her family and the British people of a remembrance in his prayers, the Holy Father invokes upon all whose lives she touched God’s abundant blessings.

Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone
Secretary of State

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http://www.news.va/en/news/pope-francis-meets-un-secretary-general-ban-ki-moo

Pope Francis meets UN secretary General Ban Ki-moon
2013-04-09 Vatican Radio

(Vatican Radio) On the morning of Tuesday, April 9, 2013, in the Vatican 's Apostolic Palace, the Holy Father, Pope Francis received in audience the Secretary-General of the United Nations, HE Mr Ban Ki-Moon, who later met with His Eminence the Secretary of State, Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, accompanied by Archbishop Antoine Camilleri, Under-Secretary for Relations with States.

The meeting, which is part in the tradition of audiences granted by the Popes to the various Secretaries-General of the United Nations who have succeeded each other over time, desired to express the appreciation that the Holy See has for the central role of the Organization in the preservation of peace in the world, in the promotion of the common good of humanity and the defense of fundamental human rights.
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