Pope Francis

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http://en.radiovaticana.va/news/2013/11/30/pope_to_students:_cultivate_big_projects/en1-751529

2013-11-30 18:49:51
Pope to students: cultivate big projects



(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis on Saturday continued the long-standing papal tradition of celebrating the Vespers for the first Sunday of Advent with the students and educators of Rome’s universities.

Hundreds filled St. Peter’s Basilica for the service, which includes the handing over of an icon of Mary, Seat of Wisdom – patron of university students – from a Brazilian to a French delegation. The icon, by renowned iconographer Fr. Marko Ivan Rupnik, has been taken to university chaplaincies across Brazil so that students could gather before it in prayer, and will now travel in the same way around France.

In his homily, the Pope spoke of God’s intervention in our lives as “an expression of His fidelity”. God intervenes because human nature is fragile. But He is, above all, faithful to Himself and “to the work He has begun in each one of us”, always bringing it to completion. “This gives us great confidence and security: a confidence that rests in God and requires our active collaboration and bravery to face the challenges of the present moment”, he said. “Dear university students, your will and your abilities, combined with the power of the Holy Spirit who came to dwell within each one of you on the day of your Baptism, allow you to be not spectators, but protagonists of contemporary events.”
 

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http://en.radiovaticana.va/news/2013/12/01/pope_francis:_peace_is_possible/en1-751653

2013-12-01 14:03:48
Pope Francis: Peace is possible

(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis said on Sunday that the day will come when nations will live in peace. He said it will be a great day in which weapons will be dismantled and transformed into instruments of work: “What a great day it will be”. And this – Pope Francis said – is possible. "Let’s put a bet on hope” – he continued – on hope for peace, and peace will be possible.
Listen to Linda Bordoni's report... RealAudioMP3

Speaking to crowds of pilgrims gathered in St. Peter’s Square for the Sunday Angelus, the Pope recalled the passage from the prophet Isaiah who speaks of a time when swords will be broken into plows and nations will live in peace.

And reminding those present that this Sunday marks the first Sunday of Advent, the beginning of a new liturgical year, the Pope pointed out that this is a season that renews “the horizon of hope”. He encouraged the faithful to rediscover the beauty of being on a journey towards the encounter with Jesus and called for the gift of peace.

And as the first Sunday of Advent this year also falls on World Aids Day, the Pope did not fail to make a strong appeal so that all patients affected by the disease may have access to the care they need.
 

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http://en.radiovaticana.va/news/2013/12/01/pope:_we_meet_jesus_when_we_do_good/en1-751713

2013-12-01 20:04:54
Pope: we meet Jesus when we do good

(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis on Sunday evening told the faithful that our meeting with Jesus takes place when we do good to others.

Celebrating Mass in the Rome Parish of Saint Cyril of Alexandria, the Pope said that life is a journey and the most beautiful gift we can receive is our encounter with Jesus.

Before celebrating Mass the Pope met with some sick people and with children preparing for Holy Communion, and he heard the Confessions of some parishioners.
 

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http://en.radiovaticana.va/news/2013/12/02/pope:_allow_lord_to_encounter_us_in_preparation_for_christmas/en1-751912

2013-12-02 14:52:14
Pope: allow Lord to encounter us in preparation for Christmas

(Vatican Radio) Preparing for Christmas through prayer, charity and exhaltation. With this hope, Pope Francis called on the faithful Monday to open their hearts and allow themselves to encounter the Lord who renews all. Tracey McClure has more… RealAudioMP3

In his homily at the Santa Marta guesthouse on this, the first Monday of Advent, Pope Francis recalled that as we proceed towards Christmas, we embark on a journey of faith and prayer in preparation for our encounter with the Lord. “Because Christmas,” he said, isn’t just a temporal celebration or the memory of a beautiful (event).”

“Christmas is something more,” he said, “Christmas is an encounter” with the Lord. And as we make our way towards Him, we must go with open heart and faith, even though this is not always easy.
 

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http://en.radiovaticana.va/news/2013/12/02/pope_to_dutch_prelates:_be_present_in_all_spheres_of_humanity/en1-751958

2013-12-02 15:48:23
Pope to Dutch prelates: "be present in all spheres of humanity"

(VIS) – Pope Francis today received in audience a group of prelates from the Bishops' Conference of the Netherlands on their “ad limina” visit. The Holy Father focused on how to accompany those who suffer from “spiritual emptiness” and who seek the meaning of life. “Listen to them”, he said, “to help them share in the hope, joy, and capacity to carry on that Jesus Christ gives us”.

“The Church”, he continued, “not only proposes immutable moral truths and attitudes which go against the grain, but also proposes them as the key to the good of humanity and social development. Christians have the mission of taking up this challenge. The education of consciences therefore becomes a priority, especially through the formation of critical judgement, in order to have a positive approach to social realities: superficial judgement and resignation to indifference can thus be avoided”.

In the society of the Netherlands, “strongly characterised by secularism”, the Pope invited the prelates to “be present both in public debate in all spheres which affect humanity, to make visible God's mercy and his tenderness to every living creature. … As I have often stated, … the Church enlarges not by proselytism but by attraction. She is sent everywhere to awaken, reawaken and maintain hope! This brings us to the importance of encouraging the faithful to seize opportunities for dialogue, to be present in those places where the future is decided; they will thus be able to bring their contribution into the debates on important social matters regarding, for instance, the family, marriage and the end of life”.
 

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http://www.catholicnews.com/data/stories/cns/1305037.htm

Dec-2-2013 
Pope meet with Israel's Netanyahu, discusses Middle East peace


Pope Francis presents a gift to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during a private audience at the Vatican Dec. 2. (CNS photo/pool)

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Pope Francis met with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel Dec. 2, and discussed prospects for peace in the Middle East and the pope's still-unscheduled trip to the Holy Land.

The two met privately for about 25 minutes in the pope's library.

A statement from the Vatican press office said the leaders discussed the "complex political and social situation in the Middle East, with particular reference to the resumption of negotiations between the Israelis and the Palestinians, hoping that a just and lasting solution may be found as soon as possible."

The pope's plans for a trip to the Holy Land also came up, but the Vatican spokesman, Jesuit Father Federico Lombardi, told reporters no date had been set. Unofficial reports suggest the trip will be in May or June.

After their private meeting, the prime minister presented the pope with a book about the Spanish Inquisition's persecution of the Jews.
 

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http://www.businessinsider.com.au/netanyahu-gave-pope-book-about-spanish-inquisition-2013-12

Why Benjamin Netanyahu Gave The Pope A Book About The Spanish Inquisition
Tomorrow at 6:41 AM

Today Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met Pope Francis at the Vatican. According to the DPA news agency, Netanyahu brought with him a slightly unusual gift: A book about the Spanish Inquisition.

The leader of the world’s only Jewish state giving the leader of the Catholic Church a book that largely revolves about Spanish Catholics questioning, torturing, and punishing Jewish converts to Catholicism is certainly noteworthy. The Spanish Inquisition is widely held up as one of the worst excesses of the Roman Catholic Church, and thousands of people were expelled from Spain or burnt at the stake.

Worse still, the inquisition of Catholic converts (and the use of torture to discover heretics) was first legally sanctioned by Pope Innocent IV.

So, Netanyahu’s gift may seem passive aggressive (or maybe just aggressive), and perhaps it is. But it is important to think of the context of the book, which is written by Netanyahu’s father Ben-Zion Netanyahu, a well-regarded historian who worked at both Hebrew University of Jerusalem and Cornell University.
 

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Photos of the meeting of Pope Francis and PM Benjamin Netanyahu today.

http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/articles/526818/20131202/pope-francis-netanyahu-israel-visit-vatican-book.htm

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http://www.latimes.com/world/worldnow/la-fg-wn-pope-netanyahu-vatican-20131202,0,5095835.story#axzz2mND0pULO

Israel's Netanyahu and Pope Francis exchange gifts, talk policy
December 2, 2013, 1:11 p.m.

 
Diplomatic relations between Israel and the Holy See were established in 1993. Since 1999, the two sides have been negotiating a long list of outstanding issues, including the status of the Roman Catholic Church in Israel, requested sovereignty over certain sites, and taxation and expropriation of church assets in the country. Last year, Israeli officials involved in talks said resolving these matters would bring a "historic upgrade of relations."

Officials in the Vatican made a nod to the pope's plans to visit the Holy Land, but no official announcement was made. According to Israeli media, an advance team from the Vatican is expected in the near future to prepare for Pope Francis' expected visit in May.
 

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Video of the meeting between Pope Francis and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu

http://www.romereports.com/pg154924-vatican-confirms-pope-will-travel-to-israel-during-meeting-with-prime-minister-en

Vatican confirms Pope will travel to Israel, during meeting with prime minister
2013-12-02

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http://en.radiovaticana.va/news/2013/12/03/pope_francis:_a_church_without_joy_is_unthinkable/en1-752182

2013-12-03 12:21:19
Pope Francis: A Church without joy is unthinkable

(Vatican Radio) The Church must always be joyful like Christ. That was the message of Pope Francis at Mass this morning at the Casa Santa Marta. The Pope emphasized that the Church is called to transmit the joy of the Lord to her children—a joy that gives true peace.

Peace and joy. Pope Francis’ homily dwelt on these two themes. In the reading from the book of Isaiah, he noted, we see the desire for peace that we all have. It is the peace, says Isaiah, that the Messiah brings to us. In the Gospel, on the other hand, “we are able to see a little into the soul of Jesus, the heart of Jesus: a joyful heart”:
 

[grace-land]

http://en.radiovaticana.va/news/2013/12/03/pope_francis_meets_with_council_of_cardinals/en1-752290

2013-12-03 15:17:51
Pope Francis meets with Council of Cardinals

(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis on Tuesday met for the second time with the 8-member Council of Cardinals to discuss the proposed reforms of the Roman Curia. The meeting will last until Wednesday. The first meeting took place in October.

In a press briefing, the head of the Holy See Press Office Father Federico Lombardi, SJ, stated the Cardinals have been gathering the insights of the bishops from their various regions of the world. The December meeting will focus on the various Dicasteries of the Curia, with the morning session devoted to the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments.

Father Lombardi reminded the journalists the Cardinals are not seeking “mere tweaks” to the current Apostolic Constitution Pastor Bonus, but will create a “substantial” revision, that will probably end with a new Apostolic Constitution on the Roman Curia.
 
In response to the questions of journalists, Father Lombardi said the Cardinals have widely consulted the various Dicasteries of the Curia, and invited their contributions before the discussions. He also confirmed the Council of Cardinals will come together again next February 17-18.

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The current Apostolic Constitution Pastor Bonus, promulgated by Pope John Paul II on June 28, 1988, which will be discussed by the 8-member Council of Cardinals to "create a 'substantial' revision."   

https://www.ewtn.com/library/papaldoc/jp2pastr.htm

APOSTOLIC CONSTITUTION
PASTOR BONUS

JOHN PAUL, BISHOP
 SERVANT OF THE SERVANTS OF GOD
 FOR AN EVERLASTING MEMORIAL

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Cardinal Oscar Rodriguez Maradiaga is the Chair of the 8-member Council of Cardinals advising Pope Francis.

http://www.catholicnews.com/data/stories/cns/1305062.htm

Dec-3-2013
Pope Francis will help launch worldwide 'wave of prayer' against hunger

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Pope Francis will help launch a global campaign of prayer and action against world hunger.

Organized by Caritas Internationalis, the Vatican-based federation of Catholic charities, the global "wave of prayer" will begin at noon Dec. 10 on the South Pacific island of Samoa and head west across the world's time zones.

Pope Francis will offer his blessing and support for the "One Human Family, Food For All" campaign in a five-minute video message being released on the eve of the global launch.

Caritas Internationalis invited its 164 member organizations and local churches to pray for an end to hunger and malnutrition as well as to act on a local, national or global level against food waste and promote food access and security worldwide.

Nearly 1 billion people -- or about one in eight people -- experienced chronic hunger or undernourishment during 2010-2012, according to the Caritas website.

"One of the worst sounds a parent can hear is their child crying at night tormented by hunger. Many parents living in poverty hear this cry and yet they have no food to give them," Honduran Cardinal Oscar Rodriguez Maradiaga of Tegucigalpa, president of Caritas Internationalis, said in a video message.
 

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http://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/argentine-congress-recommends-pope-francis-for-nobel-peace-prize/

Argentine congress recommends Pope Francis for Nobel Peace Prize

Buenos Aires, Argentina, Dec 2, 2013 / 03:55 pm (CNA/EWTN News).- Argentina’s House of Representatives has passed a resolution to nominate Pope Francis for the Nobel Peace Prize for his call to end the violence in Syria.

The resolution was passed by an overwhelming majority and now goes to the Senate for ratification. 

Representative Oscar Martinez, who sponsored the resolution, described Pope Francis as “a man who throughout this year has been decisive in maintaining international peace through his clear position regarding the conflict in Syria.”
 

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http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/12/04/us-vatican-abuse-idUSBRE9B304620131204

Vatican refuses to share sex abuse investigations with U.N. panel
ROME  Tue Dec 3, 2013 9:04pm EST

(Reuters) - The Vatican refused to provide a United Nations rights panel with information on the Church's internal investigations into the sexual abuse of children by clergy, saying on Tuesday that its policy was to keep such cases confidential.

In response to a series of tough questions posed by the U.N. Committee on the Rights of the Child (CRC), the Holy See said it would not release information on its internal investigations into abuse cases unless required to do so by a request from a state or government to cooperate in legal proceedings.

The response of the Holy See, which will be directly questioned by the panel in January 2014, will be closely watched as it tries to draw a line under financial scandals and abuse by priests that have damaged the standing of the Roman Catholic Church around the world.

Since becoming the first non-European pontiff in 1,300 years, Pope Francis has largely succeeded in changing the subject after the resignation of Benedict XVI in February.

The questions from the panel aimed to assess the Church's adherence to the 1990 U.N. Convention on the Rights of the Child, a treaty guaranteeing a full range of human rights for children which the Holy See has signed.

In its response the Vatican said internal disciplinary proceedings "are not open to the public" in order to protect "witnesses, the accused and the integrity of the Church process", but said this should not discourage victims from reporting crimes to state authorities.
 

[Sister]

I read or heard somewhere the Pope slipped out in the night doing good  . . . what an awesome man he is!
 

[grace-land]

I read or heard somewhere the Pope slipped out in the night doing good  . . . what an awesome man he is!
 

He was known to do that in Argentina. 

His sneaking out of the guesthouse in Vatican City is not confirmed by church officials; however, I bet he was tempted to do it!  lol

http://www.theblaze.com/stories/2013/12/02/is-pope-francis-still-sneaking-out-at-night-to-feed-and-give-money-to-the-poor/
Is Pope Francis Still Sneaking Out at Night to Feed and Give Money to the Poor?
Dec. 2, 2013 6:23pm

Others have managed to sneak out--

http://www.religionnews.com/2013/12/03/pope-francis-sneaks-vatican-maybe-wouldnt-first/
Pope Francis sneaks out of the Vatican? Maybe not, but he wouldn’t be the first
Dec 3, 2013

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http://en.radiovaticana.va/news/2013/12/04/pope_francis:_because_jesus_is_risen,_we_too_shall_rise/en1-752578

2013-12-04 12:45:04
Pope Francis: Because Jesus is risen, we too shall

(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis’ catechesis at the General Audience on Wednesday was focused once again on the Creed, as he continued his reflections on “the resurrection of the body.” “I want to present some aspects regarding the relationship between the Resurrection of Christ and our resurrection,” he said. “He is risen! And because He is risen, we too shall rise.”

Below, please find the full text of the English language summary of Pope Francis’ catechesis:
 

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http://en.radiovaticana.va/news/2013/12/04/pope_calls_for_prayer_for_nuns_kidnapped_in_syria/en1-752530

2013-12-04 11:38:18
Pope calls for prayer for nuns kidnapped in Syria

(Vatican Radio) At the end of his General Audience on Wednesday, Pope Francis called on everyone to pray for a group of nuns taken by force from the Greek Orthodox Monastery of Saint Tecla in the ancient Christian town of Ma’lula in Syria.

“Now I would like to invite everyone to pray for the religious sisters of the Greek Orthodox Monastery of Saint Tecla in Ma’lula, in Syria, who, two days ago, were taken away by force by armed men,” he said. “Let us pray for these sisters, and for all those who have been kidnapped on account of the on-going conflict. Let us continue to pray and to work for peace.”