Pope Francis

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http://www.news.va/en/news/members-and-substitutes-for-the-synod-of-bishops-2

Members and substitutes for the Synod of Bishops
2015-07-24 Vatican Radio

(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis on Friday confirmed more members and substitutes for the Fourteenth Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops, which will take place from October 4-25, 2015, under the theme "The vocation and mission of the family in the Church and in the contemporary world."

For a listing of other members and substitutes confirmed for the Synod on the Family, see our previous posts on 26 March and 16 June.

The following is a list of the members and substitutes appointed by the competent entities and ratified by the Holy Father on 24 July.
 

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http://www.zenit.org/en/articles/pope-calls-for-unity-in-the-fight-against-hiv-aids

Pope Calls for Unity in the Fight Against HIV/AIDS
Rome,  July 24, 2015

Advances in the treatment of HIV/AIDS “give witness to the possibilities for beneficial outcome when all sectors of society unite in common purpose.”

This was the sentiment expressed by Pope Francis to the 6,000 participants of the International AIDS Society’s 8th Conference on HIV Pathogenesis, Treatment and Prevention.

The Holy Father sent a message to the conference through Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin. It was addressed to Dr. Julio Montaner, Director of the British Columbia Center of Excellence in HIV/AIDS at St. Paul’s Hospital, Vancouver, and Co-Chairperson of the Conference.

The 78-year-old Pontiff assured the participants of his prayers “that all advances in pharmacology, treatment, and research will be matched by a firm commitment to promote the integral development of each person as a beloved child of God.”
 

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http://www.cruxnow.com/church/2015/07/24/the-popes-staycation-opening-mail-sipping-mate/

The pope’s ‘staycation': Opening mail, sipping mate
Catholic News Service | July 24, 2015

VATICAN CITY — Returning to the Vatican in the midst of a heat wave after an eight-day, three-country trip to South America, Pope Francis took the kind of vacation he said he prefers: what has become known as a “staycation.”

With the exception of a July 21 meeting with a group of mayors from around the world and the Sunday recitation of the Angelus, Pope Francis’ schedule was cleared of meetings, audiences, and public appearances July 13-Aug. 4.

August is the heart of vacation time in Italy and at the Vatican, so the pope’s schedule will continue to be lighter than normal, but he will resume holding his weekly general audiences Aug. 5.
 

“Then there are the documents and projects for events in the immediate future,” Karcher said, including for Pope Francis’ Sept. 19-27 visit to Cuba and the United States. The pope had told reporters traveling with him to Ecuador, Bolivia, and Paraguay in early July that “studying” for the September trip was on the top of his staycation to-do list.

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http://edition.cnn.com/2015/07/24/world/archbishop-sorondo-qanda/index.html

Pope likely to alter economic message in the U.S., Vatican adviser says
By Daniel Burke, CNN Religion Editor
Updated 2210 GMT (0510 HKT) July 24, 2015

(CNN)—Archbishop Marcelo Sanchez Sorondo has steered the Pontifical Academy of Sciences since 1998, but it's likely that his profile has never been more robustly public than now.

For the past year, Sanchez Sorondo has teamed with scientists and political leaders to help research, promote and defend Pope Francis' stern and sweeping condemnation of current environmental and economic trends.

Most recently, the archbishop, who, like Francis, hails from Buenos Aires, convened a conference of more than 60 mayors and other local politicians this week at the Vatican.

Sanchez Sorondo spoke with CNN on Friday about the controversy swirling around the Pope's economic and environmental statements, how Francis will likely recalibrate his message this September when he visits in the United States and the leak of the pontiff's environmental statement this summer.

Some of the archbishop's answers have been edited for length and clarity.
 

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http://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/want-to-walk-with-pope-francis-then-take-this-pledge-33847/

Want to walk with Pope Francis? Then take this pledge

Washington D.C., Jul 23, 2015 / 05:24 pm (CNA/EWTN News).- Catholics in Washington, D.C. are hoping a new charity pledge will go viral like last year’s “Ice Bucket Challenge,” but there’s a new twist – this pledge is for Pope Francis.

“The 'Walk with Francis' Pledge offers people the opportunity to demonstrate solidarity with the Holy Father and answer his call to bring Christ's love, mercy and hope to others, especially those on the margins of society,” Cardinal Donald Wuerl of Washington, D.C. said on Wednesday.

“The goal is to allow everyone in this community to enter into a physical, tangible way of helping others so that we can offer that as our gift to the Pope,” he said at the opening press conference for the campaign.

The pledge is open to anyone who wants to express solidarity with Pope Francis through acts of charity before he comes to visit Washington, D.C. in late September.

Participants can pledge to give money to charity, pray more, perform acts of service, or promote Church teaching in the public square on a number of issues like respect for human life or immigration. They announce their pledge on social media using the hashtag #WalkwithFrancis and challenge someone else to take the pledge.
 

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http://en.radiovaticana.va/news/2015/07/25/pope_francis_saddened_by_death_of_cardinal_baum/1160812

Pope Francis "saddened" by death of Cardinal Baum
25/07/2015 13:26


(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis has sent a telegram expressing his sadness upon the death of Cardinal William Wakefield Baum, Archbishop Emeritus of Washington.

In his message to the current Archbishop of Washington, Cardinal Donald Wuerl, the Holy Father offered his “heartfelt condolences, together with the assurance of my prayers, to you and to all the faithful of the Archdiocese.”

Pope Francis also expressed his gratitude for Cardinal Baum’s service to the Church, both in diocesan leadership, as well as his various duties in the Vatican.
 

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http://en.radiovaticana.va/news/2015/07/25/pope_francis_congratulates_new_armenian_catholic_patriarch/1160861

Pope Francis congratulates new Armenian Catholic Patriarch
25/07/2015 14:54


(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis has sent a message of congratulations to the new Armenian Catholic Paticarch of Cilicia, his Beatiude Grégoire Pierre XX Ghabroyan.

In the message Pope Francis expresses his joy at the Patriarch’s election and the hope that his new ministry will bear many fruits. The Holy Father in the congratulatory note also grants his Beatiude Grégoire Pierre XX Ghabroyan the "Ecclesiastical Communion" which the Patricarch requested in an earlier letter.
 

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http://www.news.va/en/news/pope-francis-multiply-good-works-like-the-loaves-a

Pope Francis: Multiply good works like the loaves and fishes
2015-07-26 Vatican Radio

(Vatican Radio) Before the recitation of the Marian Prayer before the faithful in St Peter's Square, Pope Francis recalled Sunday’s Gospel about the multiplication of the loaves and the fishes. The Pope explained that "Jesus satisfies not only material hunger, but the most profound of hungers, the hunger for meaning in life, the hunger for God."

He went on to say that  “in the face of suffering, loneliness, poverty and difficulties of so many people, what can we do?”
 
http://www.zenit.org/en/articles/angelus-on-the-multiplication-of-the-loaves
Angelus: On the Multiplication of the Loaves
Vatican City,  July 26, 2015

Here is the translation of the Holy Father's address today before and after the recitation of the Angelus to the faithful gathered in St. Peter's Square.
 

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http://www.news.va/en/news/pope-appeals-for-captives-in-syria-and-opens-wyd-r

Pope appeals for captives in Syria and opens WYD registration
2015-07-26 Vatican Radio


(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis on Sunday remembered the people of Syria caught up in the continuing conflict in the country. In particular, the Holy Father made an urgent and heartfelt appeal for the release of Italian Jesuit priest Father Paolo Dall'Oglio who was kidnapped in Syria almost two years ago.

He also remembered both the Greek and Syriac Orthodox archbishops of Aleppo, Boulos Yazigi and Gregorios Yohanna Ibrahim, who were kidnapped in Syria near the Turkish border in 2013. The Holy Father expressed the hope that with the commitment of international and local authorities these religious would be restored to freedom.

Pope Francis made the appeal following the Angelus prayer in his studio above St Peter’s Square where, with the clic of a button, he became the first person to register for World Youth Day to be held next year in in Krakow, Poland.
 

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http://www.news.va/en/news/pope-francis-celebrates-spanish-grandparents

Pope Francis celebrates Spanish grandparents
2015-07-26 Vatican Radio

(Vatican Radio) "Confirm the faith with the closeness to the Lord that never abandons us" and in the belief of being able to contribute to their wisdom and loving gestures towards life and the human growth of their families.

That was the message addressed to all elderly Spaniards and to the organizers and participants of the XVI edition of the Grandparents Day which is being celebrated Sunday, July 26, throughout Spain.

In the message, sent from the Nunciature in Madrid, the Holy Father also reaffirms his support "to those who care for the elderly with love, contributing to the common good of society."

The Day is promoted every year on the Feast of Saints Joachim and Anna - the grandparents of Jesus - by the Spanish Catholic "Edad Dorada-Mensajeros de la Paz" which is committed to supporting and promoting the elderly. The goal is to raise awareness in society about the respect due to older people who have given so much in their lives, to appreciate the great value of grandparents in every family and to draw attention to the needs of the elderly population. They are also the concepts outlined in the messages for the occasion by the archbishop of Madrid, Carlos Osoros, and Spanish military ordinary Bishop Juan del Río Martín.
 

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http://vaticaninsider.lastampa.it/en/the-vatican/detail/articolo/polisca-francesco-francisco-francis-42568/

07/28/2015
Polisca remains Ratzinger’s doctor but not Francis’

Pope Francis will soon be in the care of a new personal doctor  and the Vatican City will have a new health services director. Patrizio Polisca is leaving his post as director of  Vatican Health Services and as such will no longer be Francis’ personal physician. He will, however continue his service as private physician to the Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI and will also hold onto other roles he holds in the Vatican, including his position in the Congregation for the Causes of Saints. He will also continue to reside in the Vatican. The director of the Holy See Press Office, Fr. Federico Lombardi clarified this in a statement to journalists who asked him about certain speculations about Polisca’s alleged “ousting” from the Vatican. Accoridng to the information at hand, the doctor was informed about the change-over at the end of May and was expected to leave his post at the end of July.

“Regarding the speculations in the Italian press this morning, I would like to clarify that Patrizio Polisca's five-year term of service as director of the Vatican Health Services has ended. A rotation (of directors) is to be considered normal, based on regulations for directorial lay personnel in the Holy See and Vatican City.” “Polisca,” Fr. Lombardi emphasised, “will continue his invaluable service, as Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI’s personal physician and will continue to reside in the Vatican.”
 
The choice of new director of the Vatican Health Services, on the other hand, should be announced soon. “We shall wait and see which doctor will accompany the Pope on his trip to Cuba and the United States in September,” said Fr. Lombardi.

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http://www.phillymag.com/news/2015/07/28/septa-pope-pass-sales-lottery/

SEPTA Pope Passes: Back to Square One — Now With a Lottery
July 28, 2015 at 4:33 pm   

SEPTA announced at a 3 p.m. news conference today that it will push the reset button on sales of those special one-day Regional Rail passes for the visit of Pope Francis September 26th and 27th.

Sales of the special one-day Regional Rail passes for the papal visit will resume on Monday, August 3rd.

But this time, you'll have to be lucky — not fast — to get one, for sales will be conducted by lottery using a system developed by Philadelphia-based Ticketleap.
 

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http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2015/07/28/pope-francis-house-attendance/30794797/

U.S. House votes to restrict attendance for papal address
4:31 p.m. EDT July 28, 2015

WASHINGTON — The U.S. House voted Tuesday to restrict access to the House floor on Sept. 24 for Pope Francis's address to a joint meeting of Congress.
 
House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, announced earlier this month the address will be broadcast live on the West Front of the U.S. Capitol. The pope is expected to make an appearance on the West Front as well.

The House chamber will be reserved for sitting lawmakers and their designated guests, as well as for those customarily invited to joint sessions of Congress, including the president and vice president, Supreme Court justices, appointed U.S. Capitol officials and other guests at the discretion of the speaker.

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http://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/shadow-council-speaker-pushed-church-acceptance-of-contraception-gay-sex-98836/

'Shadow council' speaker pushes Church acceptance of contraception, gay sex
By Andrea Gagliarducci

Rome, Italy, Jul 29, 2015 / 03:01 am (CNA).- Yes to contraception, homosexual acts, and Communion for the divorced and remarried – all considering the circumstances. No to understanding any acts as intrinsically evil.

These are the positions advocated by speakers at the May 25 “shadow council” which gathered prelates and theologians, led by the German bishops, at a Jesuit university in Rome.

That day 50 specially chosen representatives of the the German, Swiss, and French bishops conferences gathered at the Pontifical Gregorian University for a closed-door meeting, with the aim of reflecting on the biblical and theological bases of the family, and of discussing their goals for the Synod on the Family which will be held at the Vatican this October.

Only a few journalists were invited to participate in the meeting, and under the condition that they would not attribute by name what they heard there. One participant told CNA they were barred from granting interviews, as “confidentiality has been requested about the discussions at stake.”

But on July 17, nearly two months after the fact, the German bishops conference released the text of the meeting's interventions, in French, German, and Italian. Missing, however, was the final speech from Cardinal Reinhard Marx of Munich and Freising.

The document's introduction explained that the convention was divided into three parts: a reflection on Christ's words regarding marriage and divorce; on sexuality as an expression of love and “a theology of love”; and on the gift of life and “a narrative theology” – theology based on personal experience.

This “narrative theology,” based on individual experiences – and the consequences of adopting it – is the real news of the ‘Shadow Synod’ convention.
 

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http://vaticaninsider.lastampa.it/en/the-vatican/detail/articolo/sanchez-sorondo-42584/

07/29/2015
Holy See leaves Global Freedom Network

The Holy See no longer forms part of the Global Freedom Network, the interreligious alliance that works to combat human trafficking, launched by a foundation that is financed by Australian magnate Andrew Forrest.

“The Holy See actually withdrew some time ago,” says the Chancellor of the Pontifical Social Science and Science Academies, Mgr. Marcelo Sánchez Sorondo. “We do not want to be used: a businessman has the right to make money but not by using the Pope,” the Argentinian prelate stated without going into further detail.

Australian current affairs programme Four Corners, broadcast by ABC, first broke the news a few days ago. The Global Freedom Network had made the first move, signing an agreement in the Vatican on 17 March 2014 with the aim of creating an international interreligious network supported by Andrew Forrest’s Walk Free Foundation, to foster awareness among religious communities against “modern slavery”, in other words prostitution, forced labour and organ trafficking. Other goals included the promotion of faire trade, boosting care for victims and survivors, exercising pressure on governments and parliaments, promoting social awareness and fundraising. Just a few months later, last December, senior representatives of the world’s religions – Islam, Judaism, Hinduism, Buddhism – and other Christian denominations (including the Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby and the Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople, Bartholomew, who joined via video link) met in the Vatican to sign a joint declaration. UN General Secretary Ban Ki-moon sent a message of support.
 

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http://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/lgbt-grant-maker-wants-to-win-religious-liberty-fight-within-three-years-96064/

LGBT grant-maker wants to win religious liberty fight within three years

Washington D.C., Jul 29, 2015 / 12:31 am (CNA).- A leader in LGBT grant-making has told business leaders that he wants to shut down the political fight for religious freedom exemptions in the U.S. within three years.

And these words are not empty rhetoric. A CNA investigation has found that millions of dollars have been poured into efforts to combat religious freedom exemptions in the United States.

“We are at a crossroads where the choices we make will mean we will fight religious exemptions for two to three years or have a protracted twenty year struggle on our hands,” Tim Sweeney told leading business executives and others attending the Out & Equal Workplace Advocates executive forum, held in San Francisco in late March 2015.

Sweeney is a former program director of the Evelyn & Walter Haas, Jr. Fund and a former president and CEO of the Gill Foundation, which he left in 2013.

Both non-profit foundations are involved in funding LGBT advocacy, including gay marriage, and have begun to target religious freedom. A CNA examination of public grant listings and tax forms has found at least six foundations and funds have made grants totaling about $4.8 million to target religious freedom, especially as it is exercised by objectors to gay marriage.
 

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http://www.news.va/en/news/calendar-for-the-jubilee-of-mercy

Calendar for the Jubilee of Mercy
2015-07-30 Vatican Radio


(Vatican Radio) The Pontifical Council for the Promotion of the New Evangelization has published a calendar of "Great Events with Pope Francis" which will take place during the upcoming Jubilee of Mercy.
 
The Jubilee will begin Tuesday 8 December, the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception, with the opening of the Holy Door of Saint Peter’s Basilica. The following Sunday, 13 December, the Third Sunday of Advent, Holy Doors will be opened at the Archbasilica of Saint John Lateran and in Cathedrals around the world.

Highlights of the Jubilee include the sending forth of the Missionaries of Mercy on Ash Wednesday, 10 February, and World Youth Day, which will take place in Krakow, Poland from 26-31 July. The theme of next year’s World Youth Day is “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy” (Mt 5:7).
 

http://www.zenit.org/en/articles/year-of-mercy-calendar
Year of Mercy Calendar
Vatican City,  July 30, 2015

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http://en.radiovaticana.va/news/2015/07/30/cardinal_omalley_denounces_work_of_planned_parenthood/1161773

Cardinal O'Malley denounces work of Planned Parenthood
30/07/2015 06:47


(Vatican Radio) Cardinal Seán O’Malley, OFM Cap., archbishop of Boston and chairman of the Committee on Pro-Life Activities of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB), responded on Wednesday to recent videos showing leaders from Planned Parenthood discussing the provision of fetal organs, tissues, and body parts from their abortion clinics.

Pope Francis, he said, "has called abortion the product of a 'widespread mentality of profit, the throwaway culture, which has today enslaved the hearts and minds of so many'.” Cardinal O'Malley went on to describe abortion as “a direct attack on human life in its most vulnerable condition.” The videos, he said, also reveal “the now standard practice of obtaining fetal organs and tissues through abortion.” Both actions, he continued, “fail to respect the humanity and dignity of human life.”

Cardinal O’Malley also drew attention to the Church’s post-abortion healing ministry Project Rachel, which welcomes “all persons… with compassion and assistance.” Project Rachel offers confidential and non-judgmental help to persons who are traumatized by their involvement with abortion.

Below, please find the full text of Cardinal O’Malley’s statement:
 

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http://en.radiovaticana.va/news/2015/08/01/pope_to_hold_extra_general_audiences_during_year_of_mercy/1162460

Pope to hold extra General Audiences during Year of Mercy
01/08/2015 19:50

(Vatican Radio) The month of August promises to be a busy one for Pope Francis who is scheduled to be involved in a series of public events.

Archbishop Georg Gaenswein, Prefect of the Pontifical Household, told Vatican Radio that the Pope will meet publically with the faithful in numerous occasions during the summer month and that preparations are underway to organize an extra General Audience each month (possibly on a Saturday) during the upcoming Jubilee Year of Mercy.

Monsignor Gaenswein said that next Tuesday afternoon, August 4, Pope Francis will meet with some 12,000 German speaking participants of the International Pilgrimage of Altar Servers.

On Wednesday, August 5, the Pope will resume his weekly General Audiences which see the participation of thousands of pilgrims from across the world. Archbishop Gaenswein pointed out that the General Audience on August 26 will mark the 100th such occasion for Pope Francis. Due to the heat, the August General Audiences will take place inside the Paul VIth Hall.
 

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http://vaticaninsider.lastampa.it/en/the-vatican/detail/articolo/giordania-jordan-jordania-iraq-iraq-irak-ortega-martin-giorgio-lingua-42638/

08/ 1/2015
Pope nominates Mgr. Ortega Martin as Nuncio to Jordan and Iraq

 
Mgr. Ortega Martin was born in Madrid 52 years ago and was ordained a priest on 28 April 1990. He holds a degree in Canon Law and joined the diplomatic service of the Holy See in 1997. He subsequently served in the Nunciatures of Nicaragua, South Africa, Lebanon and in the Secretariat of State’s Section for Relations with States. He speaks Spanish, French, English and Italian. Mgr. Ortega Martin replaces Mgr. Giorgio Lingua, whom the Pope appointed as Apostolic Nuncio to Cuba.