Pope Francis

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http://www.news.va/en/news/pope-appeals-for-peace-in-middle-east-iraq-and-ukr

Pope appeals for peace in Middle East, Iraq and Ukraine
2014-07-27 Vatican Radio



(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis on Sunday made another urgent appeal for an end to the conflicts in the Middle East, in Iraq and in Ukraine. Speaking after his regular Angleus address to thousands of people gathered in a hot and sunny St Peter’s Square, the Pope spoke of the victims of war, in particular the children who die or are injured and orphaned by the violence…

“….bambini morti, bambini feriti, bambini mutilate….”

I think especially, the Pope said, of the children whose hopes for a dignified future are taken from them, dead children, injured and mutilated children, orphans and children who have bits of weapons as toys, children who don’t know how to smile. Please stop, the Pope pleaded, I ask you with all my heart…..

“…..Ve lo chiedo con tutto il cuore….Fermatevi, per favore!”

Pope Francis urged all those listening to his words to continue joining him in prayer that God might grant to the peoples and leaders in the Middle East, in Iraq and in Ukraine the wisdom and strength to pursue the path of peace with determination and to face each dispute with the force of dialogue and reconciliation. Every decision, he said, must not be based on particular interests but on the common good and on respect for each person. Remember, the Pope said, that all is lost with war and nothing is lost with peace.

Pope Francis also noted that Monday marks the 100th anniversary of the outbreak of the First Word War which caused millions of victims and vast destruction. This conflict, he said, which the Pope of that time, Benedict XV, called a "senseless slaughter", resulted, after four long years, in a very fragile peace. Tomorrow, the Pope said, as we remember this tragic event, I hope that the mistakes of the past won’t be repeated, but that the lessons of history will be taken into account, so that peace always prevails through patient and courageous dialogue.
 

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http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/religion/10993921/Welbys-unity-plea-to-Pope-Francis-over-women-bishops.html

Welby’s unity plea to Pope Francis over women bishops
10:00PM BST 27 Jul 2014

The Archbishop of Canterbury has written to Pope Francis in a plea to prevent the ordination of women bishops from derailing plans for the eventual reunification between the Anglican and Roman Catholic churches.

The Most Rev Justin Welby acknowledged that the vote at the General Synod earlier this month would be a “further difficulty” on the tortuous road towards eventual unity between the two churches which formally separated in the 16th Century.

But in a letter to the Pope and other global church leaders including leading orthodox patriarchs, he asked for prayers for the Church of England, telling them: “We need each other.”

The letter argues that there is more that unites the churches than divides them and that they should not let differences over issues like women bishops prevent them standing together on major global questions.

His intervention comes after warnings from traditionalists that the admission of women to the episcopate would shatter hopes of eventual unity between the Church of England and Rome.
 

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http://www.news.va/en/news/pope-has-casual-qa-with-priests-of-caserta

Pope has casual Q&A with priests of Caserta
2014-07-28 Vatican Radio



(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis met with the priests of the Diocese of Caserta on his visit there on Saturday afternoon. The Pope engaged in a question-and-answer period with the priests in the Palatina della Reggia di Caserta Chapel. The Vatican Radio translation of this exchange is offered below.

Pope Francis: I prepared a speech but I will give it to the bishop. Thank you very much for the welcome. Thank you. I am happy and I feel a little guilty for having caused many problems on the day of the patronal feast. But I did not know. And when I called the bishop to tell him that I wanted to come and make a private visit here with a friend, Pastor Traettino, he said to me: “Ah, right on the patronal feast day!” And I thought immediately: “In the newspapers the next day it will read: on the patronal feast of Caserta, the Pope visited the Protestants!” Nice headline, eh? And, in this way, we organized the visit, a little rushed, but the bishop helped me out a lot as did the people at the Secretariat of State. I told the substitute when I called him: “Please cut the cord from around my neck.” He did well. Thank you for the questions you will ask. We can begin. Ask the questions and I will see if we can combine two or three, otherwise, I will respond to each one.
 

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http://en.radiovaticana.va/news/2014/07/28/pope_francis_gives_interview_to_argentinian_newspaper/1103580

Pope Francis gives interview to Argentinian newspaper
28/07/2014

(Vatican Radio) To mark the first 500 days of the pontificate of Pope Francis, the Argentinian weekly “Viva” (a supplement of the newspaper El Clarín) on Sunday published the first excerpts of an interview with Pope Francis conducted earlier this month.

Pope Francis reflected on many things - including his memories of his youth, social issues such as immigration, and even the secret of happiness.

“The Romans have a saying, which can be taken as a point of reference, they say: ‘Campa e lascia campà’ …live and let live,” said Pope Francis. “That’s the first step to peace and happiness.”

He mentioned the Argentine novel "Don Segundo Sombra," written by Ricardo Güiraldes.

"In 'Don Segundo Sombra' there is a very beautiful thing, a man who looks back on his life. He says that in youth he was a rocky stream that carried everything ahead;  As an adult, he was a running river, and that in old age, he felt movement, but it was ‘”remansado” [dammed; ie slowed, quiet]. I would use this image of the poet and novelist Ricardo Güiraldes, the last adjective “remansado”. The ability to move with kindness and humility, calmness of life," said the Pope.

He also mentioned the importance of leisure: reading, art, playing with children. Pope Francis said when he was in Buenos Aires, he would often ask young mothers how often they play with their children.
 

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http://www.news.va/en/news/pope-in-caserta-asks-pardon-for-persecution-of-pen

Pope in Caserta asks pardon for persecution of Pentecostals
2014-07-28 Vatican Radio



(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis returned to the southern Italian city of Caserta on Monday for a private visit to the Pentecostal community known as the Evangelical Church of Reconciliation. The Pope first met the founder of the community, Pastor Giovanni Traettino, during his time as archbishop of Buenos Aires and over the past year he has met and received groups of Pentecostals at his Santa Marta residence here in the Vatican.

After greeting the pastor and his family, Pope Francis was welcomed by over 200 Evangelicals who had travelled to Caserta from around Italy, as well as from the U.S. and South America.

"Carissimo Papa Francesco, amato fratello mio, la nostra gioia é grande……"

Calling the Pope, my beloved brother, Rev Traettino said the Evangelical community was deeply grateful for the visit which would have been unthinkable until very recently. Many Evangelicals, he said, pray daily for the Pope and see his election as the work of the Holy Spirit.

"….la Sua elezione al vescovo di Roma sia stato opera dello Spirito Santo…."

Pardon and reconciliation were the themes at the heart of the Pope’s words as, to loud applause he asked forgiveness for the words and actions of Catholics who have persecuted Pentecostals in the past.
 

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http://www.zenit.org/en/articles/evangelical-pastor-giovanni-traettino-s-words-to-pope-francis-in-caserta

Evangelical Pastor Giovanni Traettino's Words to Pope Francis in Caserta
Caserta,  July 29, 2014

Before Pope Francis addressed Monday the Pentecostal community known as the Evangelical Church of Reconciliation in Caserta, Italy, his friend from his days in Buenos Aires, Evangelical Pastor Giovanni Traettino, addressed the Pope.

Below is a translation of the pastor's words.
***
It’s lovely to be before the Lord, no? (People answer: yes!). There is no better place in the world than to be in the presence of God., there is still a better place, to live in the presence of God! It is there that we experience the most profound joys, the truest joys; it is there that our life is transformed and that we become ever more similar to Him.

I wish to share some considerations and, in particular, dearest Pope Francis, my beloved brother, our joy is great because of your visit, my personal joy, that of my family, that of the whole of our community and of our spiritual family, of our guests and of our friends. A great and unexpected gift, unthinkable a short time ago. You will be able to read it in the eyes of the children and the elderly, of young people and of families. We love you very much! And there is something you must know: there is for your person, also among us Evangelicals, so much affection, and so many of us pray for you every day: also every day they pray for you. After all, it is so easy to love you very much. Several of us even believe that your election as Bishop of Rome was wrought by the Holy Spirit. A blessing above all for the whole of Christianity in dealing with the world: this is what I personally think. With this gesture of yours, wholly unexpected and surprising, you have given visibility and concreteness to what appears ever more to be the leading reason for your existence and, hence, of your ministry, because life always precedes ministry. Overcoming with one blow the complications of protocol, you know how to go directly to the heart of life and of human relations and, in particular, in the relation with whom you recognize as brother: to encounter one’s brother, to encounter him where he is, to encounter him as he is. In our case then, to visit us, you actually had to endure two days of exertion. We are particularly grateful to you!
 

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http://www.catholicnews.com/data/stories/cns/1403144.htm

Jul-29-2014
In latest interview, Pope Francis reveals top 10 secrets to happiness

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Slowing down, being generous and fighting for peace are part of Pope Francis' secret recipe for happiness.

In an interview published in part in the Argentine weekly "Viva" July 27, the pope listed his Top 10 tips for bringing greater joy to one's life:

1. "Live and let live." Everyone should be guided by this principle, he said, which has a similar expression in Rome with the saying, "Move forward and let others do the same."

2. "Be giving of yourself to others." People need to be open and generous toward others, he said, because "if you withdraw into yourself, you run the risk of becoming egocentric. And stagnant water becomes putrid."

3. "Proceed calmly" in life. The pope, who used to teach high school literature, used an image from an Argentine novel by Ricardo Guiraldes, in which the protagonist -- gaucho Don Segundo Sombra -- looks back on how he lived his life.

"He says that in his youth he was a stream full of rocks that he carried with him; as an adult, a rushing river; and in old age, he was still moving, but slowly, like a pool" of water, the pope said. He said he likes this latter image of a pool of water -- to have "the ability to move with kindness and humility, a calmness in life."
 

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http://en.radiovaticana.va/news/2014/07/30/wea_hails_popes_caserta_visit_and_apologises_to_catholics/1103673

Evangelicals hail Pope's Caserta visit and apologise to Catholics
30/07/2014

(Vatican Radio) The head of the World Evangelical Alliance has hailed Pope Francis’ meeting with Pentecostals in Caserta and apologised for discrimination of Catholics by Evangelicals in the past. After an encounter with the Catholic community in the southern Italian city on Saturday, the Pope returned to Caserta on Monday where he was welcomed by over 200 members of the Pentecostal Church of Reconciliation.

Commenting on the impact of that historic meeting, the Secretary General of the World Evangelical Alliance, Rev. Dr. Geoff Tunnicliffe said while the official conversations between Catholics and Evangelicals are an essential part of the ecumenical journey, the building up of trust and friendship leads to a deepening of those theological dialogues. He also talked about the importance of a meeting that he and other Christian leaders had in June with Pope Francis in the Vatican and about the legacy of Evangelical leader Tony Palmer who died ten days ago…..
 

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http://www.news.va/en/news/dates-confirmed-for-pope-francis-trip-to-sri-lanka

Dates confirmed for Pope Francis' trip to Sri Lanka, Philippines
2014-07-30 Vatican Radio

 
Accepting the invitation from the civil authorities and the Episcopate, His Holiness Francis will make an Apostolic Trip to Sri Lanka from 12 to 15 January and in the Philippines from 15 to 19 January 2015. The program for the trip will be published shortly.

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http://en.radiovaticana.va/news/2014/07/31/pope_francis_to_albania_full_schedule/1103759

Pope Francis to Albania: Full schedule
31/07/2014

(Vatican Radio) The Holy See has announced the schedule for Pope Francis’ Apostolic Voyage to Albania, set for 21 September 2014. It will be the second visit of a Pope to Albania, after Pope St John Paul II’s visit to the country in 1993.

Pope Francis trip will begin with a welcoming ceremony at Tirana’s “Mother Teresa” international airport, where he will be greeted by Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama. From the airport the Pope will travel to the Presidential Palace where he will pay a courtesy visit to the President, Bujar Nishani. Afterwards he will address representatives of the civil authorities.
 

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http://www.news.va/en/news/pope-francis-celebrates-feast-of-saint-ignatius-wi

Pope Francis celebrates Feast of Saint Ignatius with Jesuits
2014-08-01 Vatican Radio



(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis celebrated the Feast of Saint Ignatius on Thursday by making a surprise visit for dinner at the Jesuit General Curia, which is located on the Borgo Santa Spirito just outside of Vatican City.

Pope Francis arrived in his Ford Focus, and greeted several passers-by outside the front door of the offices of the Jesuit Curia before going inside.

According to a statement issued by the Jesuits, the visit was wholly private, and quite simple. The Pope joined the community for the meal in the refectory, then in the recreation room for coffee, for friendly conversation, and to greet each person personally.

The statement also said the seven brothers and sisters of Father Paolo Dall’Oglio, the Jesuit kidnapped in Syria one year ago, were guests at the meal.  Pope Francis consoled them with words of comfort.  Also at the meal were a group of Jesuit scholastics belonging to EJIF (European Jesuits in Formation).  They are in Rome for a few weeks for their annual gathering at the Jesuit General Curia.
 

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http://www.catholicnews.com/data/stories/cns/1403223.htm

Aug-1-2014
Sign of peace at Mass: Vatican says it stays put, but urges education

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- The sign of peace at Mass has not always led to serenity among liturgists or within the congregations gathered each Sunday in Catholic churches around the world.

After nine years of study and consultation, the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Sacraments has told Latin-rite bishops around the world that the sign of peace will stay where it is in the Mass.

However, the congregation said, "if it is foreseen that it will not take place properly," it can be omitted. But when it is used, it must be done with dignity and awareness that it is not a liturgical form of "good morning," but a witness to the Christian belief that true peace is a gift of Christ's death and resurrection.

The text of the congregation's "circular letter" on "the ritual expression of the gift of peace at Mass," was approved by Pope Francis and posted in Spanish on the website of the Spanish bishops' conference. Jesuit Father Federico Lombardi, Vatican spokesman, confirmed its authenticity Aug. 1.

Catholic News Service obtained a copy of the letter in English.

In 2005, members of the Synod of Bishops on the Eucharist adopted a formal proposition questioning whether the sign of peace might be better placed elsewhere in the Mass, for example at the end of the prayer of the faithful and before the offering of the gifts.
 

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http://en.radiovaticana.va/news/2014/08/02/pope_francis_marks_feast_of_st_peter_faber_sj/1103872

Pope Francis marks feast of St Peter Faber SJ
02/08/2014

(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis marked the first-ever Feast of St. Peter Faber on Saturday, with a Mass to which several young Jesuit priests were invited. St. Peter Faber was one of the original company that formed around St Ignatius Loyola, and eventually became the Society of Jesus. He was the first Jesuit to receive ordination to the priesthood. St. Ignatius, himself, recognized in Fr. Peter the first great master and leader of the Jesuits’ signature Spiritual Exercises.
 

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http://www.zenit.org/en/articles/pope-multiplication-of-the-loaves-is-not-a-magic-trick-but-a-sign-of-trust-in-god-s-providence

Pope: Multiplication of the Loaves is Not a Magic Trick, But A Sign of Trust in God's Providence
Vatican City,  August 03, 2014

Compassion, Sharing and the Eucharist: this is the path that “leads us to face the fellowship the needs of this world.” This was the reflection given by Pope Francis during his address prior to the recitation of the Angelus today to the faithful gathered in St. Peter’s Square.

Thousands of pilgrims braved the rainy weather in Rome to listen to the Holy Father speak at his weekly address. The Pope reflected on Sunday’s Gospel according to St. Mark, which recalled the multiplication of the loaves and fishes.  The miracle performed by Christ, he said, highlights three messages: compassion, sharing and the Eucharist.

Regarding compassion, the Pope said that though the crowds followed Jesus, who retired to an isolated place after the death of John the Baptist, Christ did not react with irritation.

“[Jesus] doesn’t say, “But these people bother me!” No, No. He reacts with a feeling of compassion, because He knows that they do not seek him out of curiosity, but out of need,” the Pope said. 

“But beware: compassion, that which Jesus feels, is not simply to feel pity. It is much more! It means sympathy, that is, to empathize with the suffering of others to the point of taking it upon oneself! That is how Jesus is! He suffers together with us, He suffers with us, He suffers for us.”
 

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http://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/suspension-of-nicaraguan-maryknoll-priest-lifted-32102/

Suspension of Nicaraguan Maryknoll priest lifted

Managua, Nicaragua, Aug 4, 2014 / 05:57 pm (CNA).- Pope Francis has revoked the 'suspension a divinis' of Fr. Miguel d’Escoto Brockmann, who was in 1984 barred from exercising his priestly ministry because he had taken political office.

The gesture of generosity was made after Fr. d'Escoto, 81, had sent a letter expressing his desire to “celebrate the Holy Eucharist again before dying.”

The priest had been suspended for holding office in Nicaragua's Sandinista government as foreign minister, a post he held until 1990. In 2007, he returned to work for the government and between 2008 and 2009 was president of the General Assembly of the United Nations.

Vatican Radio recalled that in 1984 the priest accepted the sentence imposed by St. John Paul II, even though he remained a member of the Maryknoll Congregation, “without being able to participate in any pastoral activity. For some years now the priest has abandoned his political endeavors.”

Canon law bars priests from holding political office.
 

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http://en.radiovaticana.va/news/2014/08/05/pope_meets_with_german_altar_servers/1104041

Pope meets with German altar servers
05/08/2014

(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis on Tuesday evening met with more than 50,000 altar servers from Germany.

The young people are on their annual pilgrimage to Rome, which this year has a motto from Matthew 12:12:  "Freedom! Because it is lawful to do good."

The Holy Father arrived in Saint Peter’s Square at 6 pm Rome time, greeted by lively modern music. After being driven around the Square in the pope-mobile, Pope Francis greeted several of the pilgrims personally. He then presided at the celebration of Vespers (Evening Prayer), and delivered a homily, in German, on the reading from Letter to the Galatians. “The words of St. Paul that we have just heard … attract our attention. The time is fulfilled, says Paul.” Pope Francis said that now is the time when God has accomplished His decisive work, showing us that He is the “Good Father” through the Incarnation of the Son, who becomes one of us.”. “Through this concrete man by the name of Jesus, we can understand what God really meant. He wants to free human beings, so that they might always feel protected as children of a good father.”
 

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http://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/marriages-indissolubility-a-dogma-cardinal-clarifies-33479/

Marriage's indissolubility a dogma, cardinal clarifies

Vatican City, Aug 5, 2014 / 02:06 am (CNA/EWTN News).- In a book-length interview, Cardinal Gerhard Mueller has underscored that the indissolubility of the marriage is no mere doctrine, but a dogma of the Church, and stressed the need to recover the sacramental understanding of marriage and family.

Cardinal Mueller, prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, granted the interview in June to the Spanish journalist Carlos Granados, director of the Biblioteca de Autores Cristianos in Madrid.

The book is titled “The Hope of the Family”, and will be released in English, Italian, and Spanish. It will be published shortly by Ignatius Press, and is priced at $10.95.

In the book, Cardinal Mueller corrects misunderstandings about the Church’s teaching on family; underscores the dramatic situation of the children of separated parents;  and stresses that more education is needed, and that education should start from the reality of the love of God.
 

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http://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/pope-francis-to-give-live-radio-interview-on-argentinian-station-45444/

Pope Francis to give live radio interview on Argentine station

Vatican City, Aug 5, 2014 / 05:50 am (CNA/EWTN News).- This Friday Pope Francis will give a live interview on an Argentine radio station that he helped raise the money to found while Archbishop of Buenos Aires.

Vatican spokesman Fr. Federico Lombardi, S.J., confirmed the event, telling CNA Aug. 4 that although he doesn’t know exactly how it will be done, most likely “the Pope will make a telephone call to the local radio, and this will be aired on the radio itself.”

Fr. Joaquín Giangreco, the parish priest for the village of Campo Gallo in the Diocese of Santiago del Estero, is set to conduct the interview with the Roman Pontiff.

“About two years ago the parish was building its radio for the existing communication need, taking into account the work of the church of Campo Gallo, covering more than (1,900 square miles),” the priest told Spanish newspaper “Nuevo Diario” in an article published Aug. 3.

“When Bergoglio was cardinal, he collaborated with this project through work with different people to raise funds.”

Fr. Giangreco said that the live interview with Pope Francis is set to take place Aug. 8 around 12:30 p.m. local time in Argentina.

Although no set line of questions or topics has been specifically defined, the priest explained to the newspaper that there are many expectations for the interview, and “surely we will speak of the Latin American culture, Argentina and Santiagueña, and of the devotion to our Mother, the Virgin.”

Despite expectations building ahead of the event, Fr. Lombardi stressed that the interview will be directed to the local Church, and that nothing of “great resonance” should be expected outside the context of the local community.
 

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http://www.zenit.org/en/articles/pope-at-general-audience-jesus-reminds-us-how-we-can-find-true-happiness

Pope at General Audience: Jesus Reminds Us How We Can Find True Happiness
Vatican City,  August 06, 2014 

Marking the first General Audience since his summer break, Pope Francis resumed his Catechesis on the Church and the People of God at 10:30 this morning in the Paul VI Hall in the Vatican.

In addition to the catechesis, he underscored the tensions and conflict in the Middle East, as well as the earthquake in the Chinese province of Yunnan, which left hundreds dead and more than 2,000 injured last Sunday. Expressing his closeness, the Pope offered his prayers for the victims and their families, as well as for those injured and who lost homes in the disaster.

“Pray hard for peace” in the Middle East was a plea he again reiterated.

Reflecting on today’s catechesis, the Holy Father said the Church is a new people, one founded on a new covenant.

Yet, he noted that the newness Christ brings does not set aside what went before, but rather brings it to completion.

Focusing on John the Baptist, the Pope stressed how John served as a bridge between the prophecies and promises of the Old Testament and their fulfillment in the New Testament.

The Argentine Pontiff said that John “points to Jesus” and calls us “to follow him in repentance and conversion."

Looking to the Gospel of St. Matthew for inspiration, Francis noted that Jesus reveals to us that our Christian lives will be judged on how we treat him in the least of our brethren
 

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http://www.zenit.org/en/articles/pope-sends-message-for-latin-american-family-congress

Pope Sends Message for Latin American Family Congress
Vatican City,  August 06, 2014 

The First Latin American Congress on the Pastoral Care of the Family sponsored by the bishops of the region, is underway in Panama through Aug. 9.

With the theme "Family and social development for full life and missionary communion," the congress is expected to be addressed this Thursday by Archbishop Vincenzo Paglia, president of the Pontifical Council for the Family.

Below is a translation in English of the message sent by the Pope to the Congress:
***
Dear brothers and sisters,

I unite with all the participants in this first Latin American Congress for the Pastoral Care of the family, organized by CELAM and I congratulate you on this initiative in favour of a value so dear and important today for our peoples.

What is the family? Beyond its more pressing problems and its most urgent needs, the family is a "center of love," where the law of respect and communion reigns, able to withstand the attacks of manipulation and dominance of the worldly "centers of power." In the home, the person is integrated in a natural and harmonious way in a human group, overcoming the false opposition between the individual and society. Within the family, no one is discarded: both the elder and child are welcome. The culture of encounter and dialogue and openness to solidarity and transcendence have it in its cradle.