Pope Francis

[grace-land]

http://www.forbes.com/sites/jerrybowyer/2013/05/23/pope-franciss-economics-yes-he-has-a-leftist-view-of-free-markets/

Op/Ed
5/23/2013 @ 8:00AM
Pope Francis's Economics: Yes, He Has A Leftist View Of Free Markets

When Cardinal Bergoglio was first chosen as Pope, my immediate reaction was that, although he would probably not tamper with the Church’s views on sexual issues, he would likely move it to the left in terms of economic rhetoric. I based that to some small degree on his choice of name: Saint Francis is something of a favorite of progressives in the Church due to his vow of poverty and his love of animals. But even more important to me was the intellectual milieu out of which he came: Argentine populism, and his own public statements as a cardinal in support of those themes. You can read my thoughts at the time here.
 

[grace-land]

http://www.religionnews.com/2013/05/24/is-pope-francis-is-a-heretic-no-but-he-does-raise-questions/

Is Pope Francis is a heretic? No, but he does raise questions
May 24, 2013

(RNS) Is Pope Francis endorsing heresy?

It might look that way from the eye-catching headlines this week that made it appear everyone was bound for heaven — “even atheists!” — thanks to Jesus’ death on the cross.

The passage that prompted the reports came from Francis’ brief homily at the informal morning Mass that he celebrates in the chapel at the Vatican guesthouse.

Speaking on Wednesday (May 22), Francis said that as human beings created in the image of God, everyone has a “duty to do good.”

“The Lord has redeemed all of us, all of us, with the Blood of Christ: all of us, not just Catholics. Everyone! ‘Father, the atheists?’ Even the atheists,” he said, answering his own query. “Everyone! And this blood makes us children of God of the first class! We are created children in the likeness of God and the blood of Christ has redeemed us all!”

Cue the jaw dropping and head scratching. Atheists were pleasantly surprised, conservative Catholics were dazed and confused, and the pope’s comments raced around the Internet; for a while they were the second-most shared piece on Reddit.

So was Francis preaching a form of “universalism”? That is the unorthodox teaching that says, essentially, that all faiths are equal and all are going to heaven, especially if you are nice to people here on earth. It’s also a heresy that Francis’ predecessor, Benedict XVI, spent a career quashing every time he thought he thought he spied a hint of it in some theologian’s writings.

But the short answer to the question is easy: No. Francis was only affirming the doctrine that Christ redeemed the whole world. Whether people accept that belief is another matter.
 

[grace-land]

http://en.radiovaticana.va/news/2013/05/24/pope_francis:_suffering_difficulties_with_patience_and_overcomin/en1-695179

2013-05-24 13:52:24
Pope Francis: Suffering difficulties with patience and overcoming oppression with love

(Vatican Radio) “To suffer with patience and to overcome external and internal oppression with love.” That was the prayer of Pope Francis today at the Domus Sanctae Martae during Mass on the feast of Mary Help of Christians.

In his homily, Pope Francis requested two graces: “To endure with patience and to overcome with love.” These are “graces proper to a Christian.” “To suffer with patience,” he notes, “is not easy.” “It is not easy, whether the difficulties come from without, or are problems within the heart, the soul, internal problems.” But to suffer, he explained, is not simply to “bear with a difficulty.”:

“To suffer is to take the difficulty and to carry it with strength, so that the difficulty does not drag us down. To carry it with strength: this is a Christian virtue. Saint Paul says several times: Suffer [endure]. This means do not let ourselves be overcome by difficulties. This means that the Christian has the strength not to give up, to carry difficulties with strength. Carry them, but carry them with strength. It is not easy, because discouragement comes, and one has the urge to give up and say, ‘Well, come on, we’ll do what we can but no more.’ But no, it is a grace to suffer. In difficulties, we must ask for [this grace], in difficulty.”

The other grace the Pope asks for is “to overcome with love”:
 

[grace-land]

http://en.radiovaticana.va/news/2013/05/25/pope:_open_the_door_to_faith/en1-695466

2013-05-25 12:58:41
Pope: Open the door to faith

(Vatican Radio) Those who approach the Church should find the doors open and not find people who want to control the faith. This is what the Pope said this morning during Mass in the Casa Santa Marta.
 
"I remember once, coming out of the city of Salta, on the patronal feast, there was a humble lady who asked for a priest's blessing. The priest said, 'All right, but you were at the Mass' and explained the whole theology of blessing in the church. You did well: 'Ah, thank you father, yes father,' said the woman. When the priest had gone, the woman turned to another priest: 'Give me your blessing!'. All these words did not register with her, because she had another necessity: the need to be touched by the Lord. That is the faith that we always look for , this is the faith that brings the Holy Spirit. We must facilitate it, make it grow, help it grow. "

The Pope also mentioned the story of the blind man of Jericho, who was rebuked by the disciples because he cried to the Lord, "Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!"

"The Gospel says that they didn’t want him to shout, they wanted him not to shout but he wanted to shout more, why? Because he had faith in Jesus! The Holy Spirit had put faith in his heart. And they said, 'No, you cannot do this! You don’t shout to the Lord. Protocol does not allow it. And 'the second Person of the Trinity! Look what you do... 'as if they were saying that, right? ".

And think about the attitude of many Christians:

"Think of the good Christians, with good will, we think about the parish secretary, a secretary of the parish ... 'Good evening, good morning, the two of us - boyfriend and girlfriend - we want to get married'. And instead of saying, 'That's great!'. They say, 'Oh, well, have a seat. If you want the Mass, it costs a lot ... '. This, instead of receiving a good welcome- It is a good thing to get married! '- But instead they get this response:' Do you have the certificate of baptism, all right ... '. And they find a closed door. When this Christian and that Christian has the ability to open a door, thanking God for this fact of a new marriage ... We are many times controllers of faith, instead of becoming facilitators of the faith of the people. "

And 'there is always a temptation - said the Pope - "try and take possession of the Lord." And he tells another story:
 

[grace-land]

http://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/god-is-love-but-not-in-emotional-sense-pope-says/

Vatican City, May 26, 2013 / 06:25 am (CNA/EWTN News).- As he celebrated the Feast of the Most Holy Trinity, Pope Francis spoke about how God is love, but not in an “emotional” or “sentimental” way.

“The light of Easter and Pentecost have renewed in us each year the joy and wonder of faith that recognizes that God is not something vague, abstract, but has a name: ‘God is love,’” the Pope said May 26, before reciting the Angelus in St. Peter’s Square.

And this love “is not sentimental, emotional, but the love of the Father who is the source of all life, the love of the Son who died on the cross and rose, the love of the Spirit who renews man and the world,” he stated.

Pope Francis then reflected on how the Trinity “is not the product of human reasoning, it is the face which God himself revealed, not from the top of a throne, but walking with humanity in the history of the people of Israel, and above all in Jesus of Nazareth.

“Jesus is the Son who made us know the merciful Father and brought to the world his ‘fire,’ the Holy Spirit,” he said.

On today’s feast, he explained, “we praise God not for a particular mystery, but for himself, ‘for his glory is immense,’ as the liturgical hymn says. We praise him and thank him because he is love, and for how he calls us to enter the embrace of his communion, which is eternal life.”
 

[grace-land]

http://www.foxnews.com/world/2013/05/26/pope-hails-priest-martyred-by-mafia-decries-mobsters-for-criminal-rackets-like/

Pope hails priest martyred by Mafia, urges mobsters to abandon evil ways
Published May 26, 2013

VATICAN CITY –  Pope Francis paid tribute to a courageous priest murdered by the Sicilian Mafia as a martyr and urged mobsters on Sunday to abandon their evil ways, particularly the exploitation of people in trafficking rackets such as prostitution.

Francis issued his call to organized crime members to convert their hearts, a day after the beatification of the Rev. Giuseppe "Pino" Puglisi in Palermo. The Vatican honored Puglisi as a martyr in the ceremony, 20 years after he was slain in the city by mobsters for defiantly preaching against the Mafia in a neighborhood where Cosa Nostra held sway.

Francis told a crowd in St. Peter's Square that the Mafia killed the Rev. Giuseppe Puglisi because he tried to keep youths from being recruited by mobsters.

Beatification is the last formal step before possible sainthood. As part of the process leading to beatification, church officials considered statements that convicted Mafiosi had given to investigators. The mobsters told authorities that Cosa Nostra bosses had ordered Puglisi's murder because he had dared defy the Mafia by his preaching and work with young people. Mafia bosses convicted of ordering the slaying and are serving life sentences in prison.
 

[grace-land]

http://en.radiovaticana.va/news/2013/05/27/pope:_the_culture_of_economic_wellbeing_and_attraction_towards_th/en1-695924

2013-05-27 14:44:53
Pope: the culture of economic wellbeing and attraction towards the provisional prevent us from following Jesus

(Vatican Radio) In order to follow Jesus we must get rid of our culture based on economic wellbeing and of our attraction for the provisional. This was the message highlighted this morning by Pope Francis during Mass at the Domus Sanctae Marthae.   

Jesus asked a young man to give all his riches to the poor and then to follow him. But when the young man heard this, he went away sad. Pope Francis’ homily found inspiration in the well-known episode narrated in the Gospel, and he underlined that “riches are an impediment” that “do not facilitate our journey towards the Kingdom of God”. And he pointed out: “Each and every one of us has riches”. There is always, he said, a richness that “stops us from getting close to Jesus”. And this must be singled out. We must all, he continued, examine our conscience and pinpoint our riches because they stop us from getting close to Jesus on the path of life”. And the Pope focused on what he called two “cultural riches”: the first, a “culture of economic wellbeing that causes us to be lacking in courage, makes us lazy, makes us selfish”. Wellbeing, he said, “anaesthetizes us, it’s an anaesthetic”.

“No, no, not more than one child, because otherwise we will not be able to go on holiday, we will not be able to go out, we will not be able to buy a house. It’s all very well to follow the Lord, but only up to a certain point. This is what economic wellbeing does to us: we all know what wellbeing is, but it deprives us of courage, of the courage we need to get close to Jesus. This is the first richness of the culture of today, the culture of economic wellbeing”.

There is also, he added, “another richness in our culture”, another richness that prevents us from getting close to Jesus: it’s our fascination for the temporary”. We, he observed, are “in love with the provisional”. We don’t like Jesus’s “definitive proposals”. Instead we like what is temporary because “we are afraid of God’s time” which is definitive.

“He is the Lord of time; we are the masters of the moment. Why? Because we are in command of the moment: I will follow the Lord up to this point, and then I will see… I heard of a man who wanted to become a priest - but only for ten years, not any longer…” Attraction for the provisional: this is a richness. We want to become masters of time, we live for the moment. These two riches are the ones that, in this moment, prevent us from going forward. I think of so many men and women who have left their land to work throughout their lives as missionaries: that is definitive!”.
 

[grace-land]

http://www.catholicnews.com/data/stories/cns/1302333.htm

POPE-ENCYCLICAL May-28-2013
Pope Francis plans to complete encyclical on faith, spokesman says

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Continuing a papal tradition of finishing a predecessor's work in progress, Pope Francis intends to complete an encyclical -- on the virtue of faith -- begun during the pontificate of Pope Benedict XVI.

"I can confirm that the plan for an encyclical on faith, begun by Benedict XVI, has been taken up by the new pope," Jesuit Father Federico Lombardi, Vatican spokesman, said in a May 24 email response to questions. He said it would "be premature" to guess when the encyclical would be completed.
 

[grace-land]

http://en.radiovaticana.va/news/2013/05/28/pope_at_mass:_following_christ_is_not_a_career,_it_is_the_way_of_th/en1-696136

2013-05-28 11:38:09
Pope at Mass: Following Christ is not a career, it is the way of the Cross

(Vatican Radio) We should not reduce the proclamation of Jesus to being a mere cultural ‘gloss’ or ‘veneer’, it must go ‘straight to the heart’ and change us. Moreover, following Jesus ‘does not mean more power’, it is not a ‘career’ because His way is that of the Cross. This was the focus of Pope Francis’ homily at morning Mass Tuesday in the chapel of the Casa Santa Marta residence. Emer McCarthy reports:

What is our reward in following you? Pope Francis began with the question Peter puts to Jesus. A question, he said, which in the end concerns the life of every Christian. Jesus says that those who follow Him will have "many good things" but "with persecution." The path of the Lord, he continued, "is a road of humility, a road that ends in the Cross." That is why, he added, "there will always be difficulties," "persecution." There will always be, "because He travelled this road before" us. The Pope warned that "when a Christian has no difficulties in life – when everything is fine, everything is beautiful - something is wrong." It leads us to think that he or she is "a great friend of the spirit of the world, of worldliness." The Pope noted this "is a temptation particular to Christians":

"Following Jesus, yes, but up to a certain point: following Jesus because of culture: I am a Christian, I have this culture ... But without the necessity of true discipleship of Jesus, the necessity to travel this His road. If you follow Jesus as a cultural proposal, then you are using this road to get higher up, to have more power. And the history of the Church is full of this, starting with some emperors and then many rulers and many people, no? And even some - I will not say a lot, but some - priests, bishops, no? Some say that there are many ... but they are those who think that following Jesus is a career. "
 

[grace-land]

http://en.radiovaticana.va/news/2013/05/28/vatican_to_un:_100_thousand_christians_killed_for_the_faith_each_year/en1-696232

2013-05-28 14:31:57
Vatican to UN: 100 thousand Christians killed for the faith each year

(Vatican Radio) The Holy See has expressed "deep concern" for violations of religious freedom and systematic attacks on Christian communities in regions of the world such as Africa, Asia and the Middle East. This was pointed out by Msgr. Silvano Maria Tomasi, who spoke Monday at the United Nations in Geneva.

Statement by His Excellency Archbishop Silvano M. Tomasi Permanent ******* of the Holy See to the United Nations and Other International Organizations in Geneva 23rd Session of the Human Rights Council Interactive Dialogue with High Commissioner - Item 2
Geneva, May 27, 2013
 

[Sister]

http://www.religionnews.com/2013/05/24/is-pope-francis-is-a-heretic-no-but-he-does-raise-questions/

Is Pope Francis is a heretic? No, but he does raise questions
May 24, 2013

(RNS) Is Pope Francis endorsing heresy?

It might look that way from the eye-catching headlines this week that made it appear everyone was bound for heaven — “even atheists!” — thanks to Jesus’ death on the cross.

The passage that prompted the reports came from Francis’ brief homily at the informal morning Mass that he celebrates in the chapel at the Vatican guesthouse.

Speaking on Wednesday (May 22), Francis said that as human beings created in the image of God, everyone has a “duty to do good.”

“The Lord has redeemed all of us, all of us, with the Blood of Christ: all of us, not just Catholics. Everyone! ‘Father, the atheists?’ Even the atheists,” he said, answering his own query. “Everyone! And this blood makes us children of God of the first class! We are created children in the likeness of God and the blood of Christ has redeemed us all!”

Cue the jaw dropping and head scratching. Atheists were pleasantly surprised, conservative Catholics were dazed and confused, and the pope’s comments raced around the Internet; for a while they were the second-most shared piece on Reddit.

So was Francis preaching a form of “universalism”? That is the unorthodox teaching that says, essentially, that all faiths are equal and all are going to heaven, especially if you are nice to people here on earth. It’s also a heresy that Francis’ predecessor, Benedict XVI, spent a career quashing every time he thought he thought he spied a hint of it in some theologian’s writings.

But the short answer to the question is easy: No. Francis was only affirming the doctrine that Christ redeemed the whole world. Whether people accept that belief is another matter.
 

grace-land, I hear what he is saying, but I'm not sure I agree.  I know a lot of people who do "good" but scorn the name of the Lord.  Just saying . . .

[Sister]

http://en.radiovaticana.va/news/2013/05/25/pope:_open_the_door_to_faith/en1-695466

2013-05-25 12:58:41
Pope: Open the door to faith

(Vatican Radio) Those who approach the Church should find the doors open and not find people who want to control the faith. This is what the Pope said this morning during Mass in the Casa Santa Marta.
 
"I remember once, coming out of the city of Salta, on the patronal feast, there was a humble lady who asked for a priest's blessing. The priest said, 'All right, but you were at the Mass' and explained the whole theology of blessing in the church. You did well: 'Ah, thank you father, yes father,' said the woman. When the priest had gone, the woman turned to another priest: 'Give me your blessing!'. All these words did not register with her, because she had another necessity: the need to be touched by the Lord. That is the faith that we always look for , this is the faith that brings the Holy Spirit. We must facilitate it, make it grow, help it grow. "

The Pope also mentioned the story of the blind man of Jericho, who was rebuked by the disciples because he cried to the Lord, "Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!"

"The Gospel says that they didn’t want him to shout, they wanted him not to shout but he wanted to shout more, why? Because he had faith in Jesus! The Holy Spirit had put faith in his heart. And they said, 'No, you cannot do this! You don’t shout to the Lord. Protocol does not allow it. And 'the second Person of the Trinity! Look what you do... 'as if they were saying that, right? ".

And think about the attitude of many Christians:

"Think of the good Christians, with good will, we think about the parish secretary, a secretary of the parish ... 'Good evening, good morning, the two of us - boyfriend and girlfriend - we want to get married'. And instead of saying, 'That's great!'. They say, 'Oh, well, have a seat. If you want the Mass, it costs a lot ... '. This, instead of receiving a good welcome- It is a good thing to get married! '- But instead they get this response:' Do you have the certificate of baptism, all right ... '. And they find a closed door. When this Christian and that Christian has the ability to open a door, thanking God for this fact of a new marriage ... We are many times controllers of faith, instead of becoming facilitators of the faith of the people. "

And 'there is always a temptation - said the Pope - "try and take possession of the Lord." And he tells another story:
 

and yet, if I go into a Catholic church, I am not "allowed" to take communion.  That's a real stumbling block for me.  The Eucharist is of God, not the church.

[grace-land]

Sister, I hear you.  When I read his homily about atheists and salvation, I was confused.  The article that sought to explain it ended with, "But the short answer to the question is easy: No. Francis was only affirming the doctrine that Christ redeemed the whole world. Whether people accept that belief is another matter."
 
Here's another interesting article that explains the issue:

http://saltandlighttv.org/blog/fr-thomas-rosica/explanatory-note-on-the-meaning-of-salvation-in-pope-francis-daily-homily-of-may-22-2013
The Meaning of “Salvation” according to Pope Francis
May 23, 2013 by Fr. Thomas Rosica

I have received numerous calls and messages throughout the day yesterday and again today regarding Pope Francis’ daily homily in the Chapel of Domus Sanctae Marthae on Wednesday May 22, 2013.  The homily was inspired by the passage in the Gospel of Mark (9:38-40) in which the disciples tell Jesus that they tried to stop someone from driving out demons because he was not one of their party.  Jesus rebukes them saying: “There is no one who performs a mighty deed in my name who can at the same time speak ill of me. For whoever is not against us is for us.”

In one section of his homily, Pope Francis stated: “The Lord has redeemed all of us, all of us, with the Blood of Christ: all of us, not just Catholics. Everyone! ‘Father, the atheists?’ Even the atheists. Everyone! And this Blood makes us children of God of the first class! We are created children in the likeness of God and the Blood of Christ has redeemed us all! And we all have a duty to do good. And this commandment for everyone to do good, I think, is a beautiful path towards peace. If we, each doing our own part, if we do good to others, if we meet there, doing good, and we go slowly, gently, little by little, we will make that culture of encounter: we need that so much. We must meet one another doing good. ‘But I don’t believe, Father, I am an atheist!’ But do good: we will meet one another there.”

Questions can be summed up under three categories:

1)      How can atheists be saved?

2)      Is Pope Francis describing some kind of “anonymous Christianity” at work in the world today?

3)      What are the implications of the Pope’s homily for daily living?

I have prepared some brief thoughts and responses to these questions.  They flow from my own theological studies, from five years living in the Middle East, in a Christian minority in Israel, Palestine, Jordan and Egypt as well as working in Interreligious dialogue with Jews and Muslims for many years.  I have also had much to do with atheists and agnostics on secular university campuses in Canada
 
 

[grace-land]

Oh, Sister, I think that the matter of receiving communion stems from the teachings of a particular church.  My non-Catholic friends and relatives do not receive communion when they attend mass at a Catholic church.

Here are some articles that might explain it clearer:

http://www.ewtn.com/faith/teachings/eucha1a.htm
Questions about The Holy Eucharist

http://www.ewtn.com/expert/answers/intercommunion.htm
Communion of Non-Catholics or Intercommunion

[grace-land]

http://en.radiovaticana.va/news/2013/05/29/pope_at_mass:_the_temptation_of_triumphalism_/en1-696517

2013-05-29 13:05:00
Pope at Mass: The temptation of triumphalism

(Vatican Radio) Triumphalism impedes the Church: it is the temptation of a Christianity without the Cross, a Church that only wants to go half way on the journey of redemption, overly concerned with organization and success, without understanding that real triumph is born out of failure, like the triumph of Christ on the Cross. This was the focus of Pope Francis’ homily at morning Mass in Casa Santa Marta. Emer McCarthy reports: RealAudioMP3

The Gospel of the day recounts how Jesus, on his way to Jerusalem with his disciples, announces His passion, death and resurrection. Pope Francis described it as “the journey of faith”. He noted the disciples have another plan in mind, they plan to go only half way, that it is better to stop and they discuss among themselves how to arrange the Church and arrange salvation. Thus , John and James, ask Him to grant that in His glory one may sit one at His right and the other at His left, prompting a argument among the other about who was most important in the Church.
 

[grace-land]

http://en.radiovaticana.va/news/2013/05/29/pope,_pilgrims_undeterred_by_rain_at_audience/en1-696502

2013-05-29 13:01:25
Pope, pilgrims undeterred by rain at audience

(Vatican Radio) Neither Pope Francis, nor the thousands of people who had begun to gather for the Holy Father’s weekly General Audience in St Peter’s Square even before daybreak, allowed the sudden rainstorm that blew through the city of Rome on Wednesday morning to dampen their spirits. After thanking the pilgrims and tourists for their intrepid spirit, and listening to a reading from the Gospel according to St John in which the episode of the soldiers’ piercing the crucified Lord’s side is recounted (Jn 19:32-35), Pope Francis began a new series of catechetical reflections, centred on the mystery of the Church as presented through some well-known phrases from the documents of the II Vatican Council. Listen: RealAudioMP3

“The whole history of salvation,” said the Holy Father, “ is the story of God seeking man, offer[ing] humanity His love, embracing mankind.” The Holy Father went on to recall how God called Abraham to be the father of a multitude, chose the people of Israel to forge an alliance that embraces all nations, and sent, in the fullness of time, His Son, that His plan of love and salvation be realised in a new and everlasting covenant with humanity.

“When we read the Gospels,” he said, “we see that Jesus gathers around him a small community that receives His word, follows Him, shares His journey, becomes His family – and with this community, He prepares and builds His Church.”
 

[grace-land]

http://www.patheos.com/blogs/deaconsbench/2013/05/pope-francis-explains-why-he-chose-to-live-away-from-the-papal-apartments/

Pope Francis Explains Why He Chose to Live Away From the Papal Apartments
May 30, 2013

Pope Francis has revealed for the first time the reasons for his decision to shun the official papal apartments and instead live in a much more modest Vatican ‘hotel’.

He has told a friend that he likes being in daily contact with ordinary people, does not want to be isolated and enjoys sitting down to meals with visiting clergy.

The Pope, 76, who on first seeing the papal apartments reportedly exclaimed “But there is room here for 300 people!” hinted that the arrangement may be permanent.

The Pope broke with Vatican tradition when he decided, after being elected on March 13 during a secret conclave of cardinals, not to live in the apostolic apartments.

Instead he opted to remain in the Casa Santa Marta, a Vatican residence which accommodates visiting clergy and lay people, where he had stayed with his fellow cardinals during the conclave.

He lives in a suite of rooms in the residence, which sits in the shadow of St Peter’s Basilica, on the other side of the Vatican city state to the apostolic apartments.
 

[grace-land]

I think that many people and news agencies are reading/listening/watching video of the daily mass homilies by Pope Francis. The homily mentioning atheists and salvation seems to have provoked much discussion; and, therefore, the Vatican has responded with an explanation of the daily mass homilies.

http://en.radiovaticana.va/news/2013/05/30/lombardi:_note_on_daily_mass_homilies/en1-696783

2013-05-30 12:00:37
Lombardi: Note on daily Mass homilies

(Vatican Radio) On account of the great interest expressed in Pope Francis’ homilies at morning Mass, many people have asked about the possibility of receiving the full text of those homilies, and not just the summaries published by L’Osservatore Romano and Vatican Radio.

In a brief note, Father Lombardi, the Director of the Holy See Press Office, has explained the decision to publish partial syntheses of the Holy Father’s homily, rather than the full text.

Pope Francis, he said, wants to retain the familiar atmosphere that characterises the daily Mass, which is typically attended by a small number of the faithful. “For that reason,” Fr. Lombardi said, the Holy Father has specifically requested that the live video and audio not be broadcast.

The Pope’s daily homily, Fr. Lombardi said, is delivered spontaneously, and not from a written text, and in Italian – a language Pope Francis knows well, but which is not his mother tongue. An integral, or official, text, would necessarily have to be transcribed and slightly reworked, given the differences between a written work and the homilies’ original oral form. In short, he said, there would have to be a revision by the Holy Father himself – but this would clearly result in something that differs from what the Holy Father intends in his daily homily.

Father Lombardi went on to explain how the Holy See has resolved the question:
 

[grace-land]

http://en.radiovaticana.va/news/2013/05/30/corpus_christi_procession:_in_my_life,_im_following_christ/en1-696872

2013-05-30 13:31:31
Corpus Christi procession: 'In my life, I'm following Christ'



(Vatican Radio) Each year for the Feast of Corpus Christi, the Pope, the Bishop of Rome celebrates Mass in the City’s Cathedral, the Archbasilica of Saint John Lateran.

Immediately following the Mass, the Holy Father will process with the Blessed Sacrament from the Lateran to the Basilica of St. Mary Major.

Parishes, confraternities and other groups of the faithful take part in Procession, which was revived during the Pontificate of Blessed John Paul II.

“All the external symbols that we have in the procession for the Blessed Eucharist come from the ancient world, and they were symbols, things used to honour a person,” said Father Joseph Kramer, the Pastor of Santissima Trinità dei Pellegrini in Rome. “And I think that’s the big message of the procession, that this is a VIP holding up the traffic today, moving from one point in Rome to another . . . the fact that the Pope is the first person that’s following the monstrance, gives you an indication that here we’ve got Somebody more important than the Pope in Rome, and that’s our Lord Himself Who’s being carried in procession.”
 

[grace-land]

http://www.catholicculture.org/news/headlines/index.cfm?storyid=18021

Pope Francis leads Corpus Christi procession through streets of Rome
CWN - May 30, 2013

Pope Francis led the Corpus Christi procession through the streets of Rome on May 30, after celebrating Mass at the basilica of St. John Lateran and telling the congregation that the Eucharist should nourish an attitude of solidarity.

The feast of Corpus Christi is celebrated as a holy day in Rome, and Vatican offices were closed. The Pope celebrated an outdoor Mass on the plaza outside the Lateran basilica for a congregation of about 20,000 people, then joined in the candlelight procession to the basilica of St. Mary Major for Benediction.

The tradition of a Corpus Christi procession through Rome, with the Blessed Sacrament in a monstrance on a platform truck, was revived by Blessed John Paul II and continued by Pope Benedict XVI. In a concession to their age, these last two Pontiffs had knelt before the Eucharist. But Pope Francis walked the route: a distance of about 1.5 miles.