Pope Francis

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http://en.radiovaticana.va/news/2015/06/05/pope_francis_mission_must_avoid_excessive_functionalism/1149350

Pope Francis: Mission must avoid excessive functionalism
05/06/2015 15:28


(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis said on Friday (June 5th) that Jesus Christ must be the source of all Missionary activity and urged members of the Pontifical Missionary Societies to avoid the temptation of becoming an NGO with excessive functionalism.

In his address, the Pope said "missionary activity is the greatest challenge for the Church" because humanity has such a great need of the Gospel: a source of joy, hope and peace. He urged the members of the Pontifical Missionary Societies who have been attending their General Assembly to encourage a more fervent, joyful, generous and bold evangelizing mission. This renewed evangelization, he continued, must be directed in particular towards the poor, the marginalized and those with no voice.
 

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http://www.news.va/en/news/pope-francis-meets-president-of-chile

Pope Francis meets President of Chile
2015-06-05 Vatican Radio


(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis on Friday met with the President of Chile, Michelle Bachelet Jeria. She  subsequently met with the Cardinal Secretary of State Pietro Parolin, accompanied by Archbishop Paul Richard Gallagher, secretary for Relations with States.

A statement from the Holy See Press Office called their discussions “cordial”, and said mention was made of the existing good bilateral relations  between the Parties, in the hope that they may be further strengthened within the framework of the  provisions of international law.
 

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http://en.radiovaticana.va/news/2015/06/05/pope_francis_to_the_priests_of_the_sacred_heart_of_jesus/1149340

Pope Francis speaks to the Priests of the Sacred Heart of Jesus
05/06/2015 14:03

(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis on Friday greeted the General Chapter of the Priests of the Sacred Heart of Jesus also known as the Dehonians.  The Holy Father called to mind the importance of the General Chapter saying that it “constitutes a privileged moment for deepening and growth of your religious family” and expressed his wishes to the newly elected Superior General, Father Heiner Wilmer.  Pope Francis then greeted all the members of the religious order who work around the world and encouraged them “to continue with generous fidelity their apostolic commitment.”

The Holy Father continued “Therefore, as religious, you are called to be merciful. Which is first of all to live in profound communion with God in prayer; in the meditation on Sacred Scripture and in the celebration of the Eucharist, so that our whole life is a journey of growth in the mercy of God.”  The Pope then said “To the extent that we become aware of the gratuitousness of the Lord and welcome him in ourselves, then we ourselves grow in tenderness, understanding and kindness to the people around us.”
 

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http://en.radiovaticana.va/news/2015/06/06/pope_francis_in_sarajevo_as_‘pilgrim_of_peace_and_dialogue’_/1149526

Pope Francis in Sarajevo as ‘pilgrim of peace and dialogue’
06/06/2015 10:49


(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis said he has travelled to Bosnia and Herzegovina as “a pilgrim of peace and dialogue.”

The Pope arrived at the International Sarajevo Airport on Saturday morning, shortly after 9. After exiting the papal plane and descending the steps, he was greeted on the tarmac by the Croat member of the three-member presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Dragan Covic.

The Pope then proceeded to greet the dignitaries who lined the red carpet, as well as the dozens of young people in traditional folk costumes. Many of the young people held Vatican flags. The Pope also stopped to listen to a few young girls, who sung for him.

The papal motorcade then proceeded to the Presidential Palace, in the heart of the city. The main street was lined with locals, who had gathered to see the pontiff. The Pope was greeted by the current Chairman of the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Mladen Ivanic, the Serb member. The Bosniak member of the presidency, Bakir Izetbegovic, stood with his colleagues and the Pope in front of the Presidential Palace during the Vatican anthem.

The Pope then met with the Bosniak authorities, after which President Ivanic gave an official speech, greeting the pontiff to the country.

Pope Francis, in turn, said he travelled to the country as “a pilgrim of peace and dialogue.”

He said Sarajevo and Bosnia and Herzegovina “have a special significance for Europe and for the whole world.”

“I am pleased to be in this city which, although it has suffered so much in the bloody conflicts of the past century, has once again become a place of dialogue and peaceful coexistence,” he said.

“For centuries in these lands, communities were present who professed different religions, who belonged to distinct ethnic and cultural groups, each endowed with its own rich characteristics,” he said.

After the two discourses, the Pope and the three leaders stepped out onto the main street in front of the presidential palace and set free seven white doves from a wooden cage.

The Pope then boarded his popemobile, accompanied by Cardinal Vinko Puljic of Sarajevo, waving to bystanders and occasionally kissing babies on his way to the stadium, where thousands were awaiting him for Mass.

The full text of the Pope’s greeting to the Bosniak authorities follows:
 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JMJb4efl0Cw
The Pope in Sarejevo - Welcome Ceremony 2015.06.06

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DNc_N9DFs2c
The Pope in Sarajevo - Meeting with authorities 2015.06.06

[grace-land]

http://en.radiovaticana.va/news/2015/06/06/pope_francis_gift_to_serb_president/1149516

Pope Francis' gift to Serb President
06/06/2015 10:27


(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis has given his host, Serb President Mladen Ivanic, a framed mosaic depicting the dome of St. Peter’s Basilica.
 
It shows the majestic architectural structure of Michelangelo’s dome seen through an arch of delicate jasmine flowers.

Created by the Vatican mosaic artists during the past four months, the work is made of tesserae of polychrome enamel and applied with a natural adhesive paste according to the same century-old techniques used to apply mosaics inside St. Peter’s Basilica.

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http://en.radiovaticana.va/news/2015/06/06/pope_“become_artisans_of_peace_in_your_daily_lives”_/1149542

Pope: “become artisans of peace in your daily lives”
06/06/2015 11:24


(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis has called on all men and women to become “artisans of peace” in living out their daily lives.

During his homily as he celebrated Mass at Sarajevo’s “Kosevo Stadium” in the the presence of over 65,000 people, the Pope’s cry for peace echoed forcefully: “war never again!”

In a city which has known the abyss of pain and suffering inflicted by war, the Pope turned his thoughts to the many armed conflicts presently affecting our world and said “they are a kind of third world war being fought piecemeal, and – he said – in the context of global communications we sense an atmosphere of war”.

Reflecting on the fact that “Peace is God’s dream, his plan for humanity, for history, for all creation, the Pope said there are people who wish to incite and foment this atmospherem of war deliberately: “those who want conflict between different cultures and societies, and those who speculate on wars for the purpose of selling arms”.

But war – he said “means children, women and the elderly in refugee camps; it means forced displacement of peoples; it means destroyed houses, streets and factories; it means, above all, countless shattered lives”.

And to the people of Sarajevo he said: “You know this well, having experienced it here: how much suffering, how much destruction, how much pain!”

Appealing to all men and women of goodwill to be peacemakers and to carry forward their work “each day, step by step, without ever growing tired”, Pope Francis said that peace must be put into practice with acts of kindness, fraternity, dialogue and mercy. This must be done - he said - with compassion, kindness, lowliness, meekness patience and a spirit of forgiveness.

The Pope said these attitudes are necessary to become artisans of peace precisely where we live out our daily lives.  But – he said – “we should not fool ourselves into thinking that this all depends on us!  Peace - he said -  is a gift from God” because with his Spirit he can imprint these attitudes in our hearts and in our flesh, and can make us true instruments of his peace.

Pope Francis concluded asking the Lord for the grace to have a simple heart, the grace of patience, the grace to struggle and work for justice, to be merciful, to work for peace, to sow peace and not war and discord.

Please find below the full text of the Pope’s homily:
 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wIn7V5xwGLw
The Pope in Sarajevo - Holy Mass 2015.06.06

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http://en.radiovaticana.va/news/2015/06/06/francis__off_the_cuff_to_men_and_women_religious_in_sarajevo/1149705

Pope Francis off the cuff to men and women religious in Sarajevo
06/06/2015 17:54


(Vatican Radio) On Saturday June 6  Pope Francis was set to deliver a speech during a meeting in Sarajevo with men and women religious. But after listening to first hand testimonies of persecution suffered by people during the recent war and the challenges facing people in the  region today he decided to speak off the cuff. This is Vatican Radio's  translation of what he said: 

I prepared a discourse for you but after hearing the testimony of the priests and woman religious, I feel I need to speak to you off the cuff. They told us about their experiences, good and bad things, so I shall leave my discourse with the Cardinal Archbishop. It’s a good discourse! The witnesses spoke for themselves. This is the memory of your people. A people that has no memory has no future. This is the memory of your fathers and mothers in the Faith. Only three people spoke but behind them are many others who suffered as well.
 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-AVF82ljxz4
The Pope in Sarajevo - Meeting with priests and religious 2015.06.06

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http://www.news.va/en/news/pope-in-sarajevo-urges-youth-to-build-a-more-just

Pope in Sarajevo urges youth to build a more just and peaceful society
2015-06-06 Vatican Radio


(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis on Saturday urged the young people of Bosnia-Herzegovina to be protagonists in the building of a more just, dignified and peaceful society in their country. During the final event of his one-day visit to the capital, Sarajevo, the Pope listened to several young Catholic and Orthodox men and women describe the difficulties they face in challenging prejudices and promoting a culture of dialogue and respect in the ethnically divided nation.

As he did earlier in the afternoon with priests and religious in Sarajevo Cathedral, the Pope set aside his prepared text and responded to questions posed by the young people about how they should try and live their faith in contemporary society. He urged them, as the first post-war generation in Bosnia-Herzegovina, to act with honesty and integrity, building bridges between people and helping to promote a culture of peace. 

In his prepared text, which was delivered as read, the Pope said he hoped the young generations may be offered “real prospects for a dignified future” in Bosnia-Herzegovina, thus avoiding what he termed “the sad phenomenon of mass migration”.  Local institutions, he said, are called upon to put in place timely and courageous plans that will help young men and women to realize their legitimate aspirations for the future.

The local Church, Pope Francis said, can also contribute to this ideal through pastoral projects, focused on educating the civic and moral conscience of the youth.  The Church’s commitment can already be seen, he said, especially through the work of Catholic schools, which are rightly open, not only to Catholics, but to students of other Christian communities and other religions too.

Alongside the economic difficulties and high unemployment rates in the country, the Pope also spoke of “a crisis of moral values and a diminished sense of the purpose of life” facing people in Bosnia-Herzegovina today. Some young people, he said, may give in to the temptation to flee, or become self-absorbed, taking refuge in alcohol, drugs, or ideologies which preach hatred and violence.  These are realities which I know well, he added, because they were “unfortunately also present in Buenos Aires, where I come from”. But the Pope encouraged his young audience to let the strength of their Christian faith “flourish without fear”, enabling them to “sow seeds of a more just, fraternal, welcoming and peaceful society”. Praising them for their ecumenical and interreligious efforts, Pope Francis said if they are open to Christ, they can overcome pessimism, becoming instead prophets and witnesses to hope.

(Philippa Hitchen)

Please find below the full text of Pope Francis’ prepared speech to the young people at the John Paul II Youth Centre in Sarajevo
 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I1S6Nf17Vio
The Pope in Sarajevo - Meeting with the youth 2015.06.06 

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http://vaticaninsider.lastampa.it/en/the-vatican/detail/articolo/francesco-sarajevo-41595/

06/ 6/2015
Francis: The world’s powerful talk about peace and then sell weapons under the counter


(©Ansa) Francis speaks to journalists on board the return flight from Sarajevo

on the flight from Sarajevo to Rome
We are living in a “third world war fought piecemeal”, there is an “atmosphere of war” in the world and some “seek to create and foment it” through culture and civilization clashes and by speculating on the sale of arms, because “some of the world’s powerful talk about peace and then go and sell weapons under the counter.” But peace is possible, it is “God’s plan”. From Sarajevo, a city that has become a symbol of fratricidal war in Europe, Pope Francis said he sees signs of hope. The wounds created by the last conflict fought in the 1990’s still run deep. Francis looked at all the children of different ethnicities and religions waving at him in the streets and addressing Bosnia-Herzegovina’s political authorities he said: “Children are the hope we should be betting on”.

Speaking to journalists on board the return flight from Sarajevo to Rome, Francis explained that the fact that he has chosen to embark on European visits starting with smaller countries such as Albania and Bosnia-Herzegovina, “that have suffered a great deal”, “is a sign”. Just as the words he pronounced before the country’s political authorities were a sign: he said Bosnia-Herzegovina “an integral part of Europe”. Below is a transcription of the questions and answers from the Pope’s conversation with journalists on the return flight.

You spoke about the powerful in the world who are involved in arms trafficking and about those who foment an atmosphere of war. Could you elaborate on this?
 

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http://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/pope-francis-on-medjugorje-its-almost-decision-time-19185/

Pope Francis on Medjugorje: it's almost decision time

Vatican City, Jun 6, 2015 / 04:44 pm (CNA/EWTN News).- When asked by a Bosnian journalist about the status of his decision on the Marian apparitions in Medjugorje on his flight from Sarajevo to Rome, Pope Francis said that after a lengthy study, a decision could be coming soon.

“We’re at this point of making decisions … and then they will be announced,” the Pope told journalists on board his June 6 flight from Sarajevo, Bosnia-Herzegovina to Rome.

Bosnian Croat journalist Silva Tomasevic brought the topic up to the Pope during his brief in-flight news conference in route to Rome following his June 6 apostolic visit to Bosnia-Herzegovina.

When Tomasevic noted that there is a great interest in Bosnia regarding his judgement on the authenticity of the apparitions, the Pope responded by recalling how Benedict XVI created a commission to study the reports surrounding the alleged apparitions.

Presided over by Cardinal Camillo Ruini, emeritus vicar general of the Diocese of Rome, the commission was created by the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith in 2010 under Benedict XVI, and was composed of an international panel of bishops, cardinals, theologians and various experts.

It was established to further investigate “certain doctrinal and disciplinary aspects of the phenomenon of Medjugorje.”

Pope Francis said that commission “made a study and Cardinal Ruini came to me and consigned the study to me after many years. I don’t know, three or four years, more or less.”

He said the commission “did good work,” and revealed that Cardinal Gerhard Mueller, the current prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, told him that “he would do a ‘feria quarta,’ in these times.”

A “feria quarta” is a once-a-month meeting in the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith during which current cases are examined.

“I believe that (the feria quarta) has been done the last Wednesday of last month, but I’m not sure,” Francis said, explaining that a decision could be made soon and that “some guidelines will be given to bishops on the lines they will take.”
 

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http://www.news.va/en/news/pope-francis-seek-christ-in-eucharist-in-neighbour

Pope Francis: seek Christ in Eucharist, in neighbour
2015-06-07 Vatican Radio


(Vatican Radio) Speaking to pilgrims and tourists gathered in St. Peter’s Square, beneath the window of the Papal apartments in the Apostolic Palace, for the Angelus prayer on Sunday, Pope Francis focused his remarks ahead of the traditional Marian devotion on the Gospel reading of the day, which was in Italy and many countries around the world, that of the Feast of Corpus Domini or Corpus Christi – the Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Our Lord Jesus Christ – the great Eucharistic feast instituted in the 13th century for the entire Latin Church.

“[The solemnity of Corpus Domini] evokes this message of solidarity and encourages us to embrace the intimate call to conversion to service, to love, and to forgiveness,” said Pope Francis. “It encourages us to become in our life, imitators of what we celebrate in the liturgy,” he explained. “Christ, who nourishes us under the consecrated species of bread and wine, is the same Christ, whom we meet during the course of everyday life: He is in the poor person who holds out his hand [in supplication]; He is the suffering person who implores [our] help; He is in the brother or sister who asks us to be there and awaits our welcome; He is in the child who knows nothing about Jesus, about salvation, who does not have the faith; He is in every human being, even the smallest and most defenseless.”
 

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http://www.news.va/en/news/pope-francis-at-angelus-sarajevo-symbol-of-reconci

Pope Francis at Angelus: Sarajevo symbol of reconciliation
2015-06-07 Vatican Radio


(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis on Sunday called his brief, but intense visit to the city of Sarajevo, capital of Bosnia and Herzegovina, one he made as, “a pilgrim of peace and hope,” and he renewed his thanks to the civil and religious authorities of the city, as well as his encouragement to people of every ethnic group and religious tradition and confession in the country to continue on the path of reconciliation.

The Holy Father was speaking to pilgrims and tourists gathered in St. Peter’s Square, beneath the window of the Papal apartments in the Apostolic Palace, just after the Angelus prayer on Sunday.

“I renew my gratitude to the authorities and all the citizens for the warm welcome,” said Pope Francis. “In particular,” he continued, “I thank the dear Catholic community, to which I desired to bring the love of the universal Church.” The Holy Father went on to say, “I appreciate the commitment to collaboration and solidarity among people of different religions, urging everyone to continue the work of spiritual and moral reconstruction of society: they work together as true brothers and sisters.”
 

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http://www.news.va/en/news/pope-francis-meets-with-president-of-argentina

Pope Francis meets with President of Argentina
2015-06-08 Vatican Radio


(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis on Sunday afternoon met with the President of Argentina, Cristina Fernández de Kirchner.

The two met for over 90 minutes in the Studio of the Paul VI Audience Hall. During the meeting, President Fernández de Kirchner expressed the affection felt for the Pope by the people of Argentina, and asked for the Pope’s blessings on his countrymen.

After his meeting with the President, Pope Francis met with the delegation accompanying the president on her trip to Italy.  The president will attend the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) Conference, as well as meet Italian officials, before travelling to the Expo Milan.

The president brought several gifts for the Pope, including a portrait of Blessed Oscar Romero by Argentine artist Eugenio Cuttica; a book by Alberto Methol-Ferré, a favorite author of Francis Pope ("Los Continentales estados y el Mercosur"); an edition of the national poem "Martin Fierro", which has been cited by Pope Francis; two bas-reliefs for the blind, with their titles written in Braille, which represent the Virgin of Lujan, and a portrait of the Pope; a basket with typical Argentine food  and an important volume on the architectural heritage of Argentina published for the nation’s bicentennial.

For his part, Pope Francis gave the president a reproduction of a Russian icon of the eleventh century, depicting the "Virgin of Tenderness".
 

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http://en.radiovaticana.va/news/2015/06/08/pope_marriage_between_man_and_woman,_no_to_gender_ideology/1150051

Pope: marriage between man and woman, no to gender ideology
08/06/2015 15:11

(Vatican Radio)  The challenges facing the Church in Puerto Rico were under the spotlight in the Vatican on Monday as Pope Francis met with the bishops of the Caribbean archipelago.

Among the difficulties facing people there, the Pope mentioned the serious economic situation leading to widespread migration, unemployment, corruption, drugs trafficking and domestic violence.

Stressing the need to focus on the pastoral care of the family, Pope Francis also spoke of the challenge of gender ideology in his prepared remarks which were handed to the bishops during the audience .

In his discourse, the Pope again invites the Church to distance itself from ideologies and political trends and asks the Church leaders to bind together to address the many problems facing the Caribbean country and U.S. territory.

The sacrament of marriage is one of the Latin American people’s most important treasures, the Pope says, and it must be defended. He urges them to emphasize family pastoral ministry in order to counter "serious social problems" such as "the difficult economic situation, migration, domestic violence" and  "unemployment, drug trafficking and corruption."

No to gender ideology, protecting the complementarity between men and women

The complementarity between a man and a woman is being questioned by the so-called gender ideology in the name of a freer and more just society, the Pope observes. In fact, he warns, the differences between men and women are not a question of “opposition or subordination but rather of communion and generation… always in the image and likeness of God." Without mutual giving- he adds - neither can have an in-depth understanding of the other.
 

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http://www.ncregister.com/blog/edward-pentin/cardinal-mueller-warns-against-adapting-church-teaching-to-todays-often-pag/?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter

Cardinal Müller Warns Against Adapting the Church to Today's Often Pagan Lifestyles
by Edward Pentin  06/08/2015

Cardinal Gerhard Müller has spoken out firmly against trying to adapt the Church’s teaching to today’s often pagan lifestyles, saying such an approach introduces subjectivism and arbitrariness.

In an interview with the Catholic newspaper Die Tagespost on June 6th, the prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith warned that placing “any so-called lived realities” on the same level as scripture and tradition is “nothing more than the introduction of subjectivism and arbitrariness, wrapped up in sentimental and smug religious terminology.”

The cardinal’s comments have been widely seen as a criticism of a recent “shadow council” when bishops and experts from Germany, France and Switzerland met May 25th in Rome to discuss how the Church could adapt its pastoral approach to today’s current lived experiences, especially regarding sexual ethics.
 

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http://www.zenit.org/en/articles/tenth-meeting-of-council-of-cardinals-begins

Tenth Meeting of Council of Cardinals Begins
Vatican City State,  June 08, 2015

The tenth meeting of the Council of Cardinals charged in assisting Pope Francis in the governance of the Universal Church has begun today in the Vatican. They 'C9' as they are commonly called are studying the plans for reforming the Apostolic Constitution “Pastor Bonus” on the Roman Curia.

The meeting will continue until Wednesday, June 10. As is customary, the Holy Father will be absent from the morning meetings on the final day as he will address the faithful during his weekly General Audience.

The Council of Cardinals consists of the following nine prelates: Cardinal Giuseppe Bertello, president of the Pontifical Commission for the Vatican City State; Cardinal Francisco Javier Errazuriz Ossa, Archbishop Emeritus of Santiago, Chile; Cardinal Oswald Gracias, Archbishop of Bombay; Cardinal Reinhard Marx, Archbishop of Munich; Cardinal Laurent Monsengwo Pasinya, Archbishop of Kinshasa, Congo; Cardinal Sean Patrick O'Malley, Archbishop of Boston; Cardinal George Pell, prefect of the Secretariat for the Economy; Cardinal Oscar Andres Rodriguez Maradiaga, Archbishop of Tegucigalpa, Honduras; and Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Vatican Secretary of State.
 

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http://www.news.va/en/news/pope-francis-dont-weaken-or-water-down-christian-i

Pope Francis: don't weaken or water down Christian identity
2015-06-09 Vatican Radio

(Vatican Radio) Witnessing to the truth of our Christian identity, without watering it down or losing its flavour: that theme was at the heart of Pope Francis’ words during Mass at the Casa Santa Marta on Tuesday morning. Philippa Hitchen reports....

What exactly is our Christian identity? Pope Francis asked at the start of his homily, inviting his listeners to think of it as “a long journey” from ambiguity to a strong faith that we can bear witness to in our daily lives.

It is true that we are sinners, he said, and that we fall down, but with God’s strength we can get up again and continue our journey. “Sin is part of our identity”, he stressed, but we are sinners with faith in God “who has anointed us, put his seal upon us” and given us the Holy Spirit as a pledge in our hearts.

Christians, the Pope said, are not people who follow a particular philosophy, but rather those who remain faithful to this God-given identity as the anointed ones who let the Spirit into their hearts.

The beauty of this identity, he said, can be seen through the way we bear witness to the world. But he warned of several ways in which this witness can be weakened or watered down: firstly by moving from our concrete faith in Christ to a kind of insipid religion of just prayers and ideas, along the lines of the Gnostics in the ancient world. These “modern Gnostics”, Pope Francis said, are tempted to avoid the scandal of the Cross and are content to seek God through their “rather ethereal Christian spirituality”.
 

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http://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/days-after-medjuorge-comment-pope-downplays-predictable-visions-20781/

Days after Medjugorje comment, Pope downplays predictable visions

Vatican City, Jun 9, 2015 / 07:59 am (CNA/EWTN News).- Days after declaring that a decision on the Medjugorje apparitions would be coming soon, Pope Francis cautioned against basing one’s faith solely on predicted visions or anything other than Christ himself.

In his June 9 daily Mass at the Vatican’s Saint Martha Guesthouse, Pope Francis cautioned against those who look for God “with these Christian spiritualties that are a little ethereal,” calling them “modern Gnostics.”

These people, he said, “tell you this or that: no, the last word of God is Jesus Christ, there is no other!”

He also warned against those “who always need novelty of Christian identity. They’ve forgotten that they were chosen, anointed, that they have the guarantee of the Spirit, and they seek.”

Francis observed that there are those who might ask, “But where are the seers who tell us today, ‘the letter that the Madonna will send us at four in the afternoon…’”

He cited this type of predicted vision as an example of those who base their faith on novelties, explaining that these people “live from this.”

However “this isn’t Christian identity. The ultimate word of God is named ‘Jesus,’ nothing more,” he said.

The alleged Marian apparitions of Medjugorje, Bosnia-Herzegovina are the only apparitions said to still happen almost daily since their first occurrence in 1981.
 

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http://www.news.va/en/news/pope-hidden-heroism-of-families-caring-for-the-sic

Pope: Hidden heroism of families caring for the sick
2015-06-10 Vatican Radio

(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis continued his catechesis on the family on Wednesday at his weekly General Audience, focusing on the issue of sickness in the family.

Illness is an issue that affects everyone, Pope Francis said, and when someone in our family is sick, we feel it even more deeply. It is harder for a mother or a father to see their child fall ill than to be sick themselves. And often it is the family that must take the lead in caring for one another.

The Holy Father spoke about the many times Jesus healed people in the Gospel. The Lord never passed people by, but was always close to them. And Jesus always put healing first – healing took priority over the law, even as important and holy a law as the Sabbath rest.

Later, Jesus sent His disciples to do the same works He Himself had accomplished, giving them the power to heal – that is, the Pope said, the ability to be close to the sick, and to care for them to end. It is our duty as Christ’s disciples to help the sick, to console them and lift them up, and to be close to them.

The Church, too, Pope Francis said, invites us to pray continually for those who are ill. “Prayer for the sick must never be lacking! Rather, we must pray more, both personally and as a community.”
 

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http://www.news.va/en/news/holy-see-us-sign-historic-accord-against-tax-evasi

Holy See, U.S. sign historic accord against tax evasion
2015-06-10 Vatican Radio



(Vatican Radio)  The Holy See and the U.S. have signed a first-ever inter-governmental economic accord aimed at fighting tax evasion.   Vatican Secretary for Relations with States, Archbishop Paul Gallagher – acting also on behalf of the Vatican City State -  and the U.S. Ambassador to the Holy See, Kenneth Hackett, signed the agreement in the Vatican on Wednesday.