Pope Francis

[grace-land]

http://www.news.va/en/news/pope-see-you-in-philadelphia

Pope: ‘See you in Philadelphia’
2015-09-20 Vatican Radio

(Vatican Radio)  Pope Francis on Sunday sent a video message to the people of Philadelphia, a week ahead of his arrival there next Saturday, 26 September.

In the video, the Holy Father invites people to attend the papal events, saying “I look forward to greeting the pilgrims and the people of Philadelphia when I come for the World Meeting of Families.”

Pope Francis’ 10-day Apostolic Journey to Cuba, the United States, and the United Nations in New York is organized to focus on the Pope’s address to the 8th World Meeting of Families taking place in Philadelphia, 22-25 September.

The Pope ends by saying “I will be there because you will be there! See you in Philadelphia!”
 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z1SUSWw0Mys&feature=youtu.be
Pope Francis issues a message to Philadelphia: 'I'll be there!' 
Published on Sep 20, 2015

Who knew Pope Francis was so media savvy?

In advance of his upcoming visit to the World Meeting of Families, the Pontiff recorded an unprecedented video address to Philadelphia. In English, he says "I look forward to greeting the pilgrims and the people of Philadelphia."

He then plays right along with the WMOF promotional campaign for the visit: "I will be there," he says, getting the inflection slightly wrong, "because you will be there."
 

[grace-land]

http://www.cleveland.com/metro/index.ssf/2015/09/pope_francis_united_states_vis.html
Pope Francis United States visit TV schedule, live streaming, itinerary, bio and more (photos)
on September 17, 2015 at 4:27 PM, updated September 17, 2015 at 5:26 PM

 
MONDAY, Sept. 21, Havana, Holguin, Santiago de Cuba, El Cobre
•8 a.m.: Departure by air for Holguin, Cuba.
•9:20 a.m.: Arrival at Holguin's Frank Pais International Airport.
•10:30 a.m.: Mass in Holguin's Revolution Square.
•3:45 p.m.: Blessing of the city of Holguin from Cross Hill.
•4:40 p.m.: Departure by air for Santiago de Cuba.
•5:30 p.m.: Arrival at Santiago de Cuba's Antonio Maceo International Airport.
•7 p.m.: Meeting with bishops at the seminary of St. Basil the Great in El Cobre.
•7:45 p.m.: Prayer to Our Lady of Charity with bishops and the papal entourage in the Minor Basilica of the Shrine of Our Lady of Charity of El Cobre.
 

[grace-land]

http://en.radiovaticana.va/news/2015/09/21/pope_francis_and_the_eyes_of_mercy/1173640

Pope Francis and the eyes of mercy
21/09/2015 16:40

(Vatican Radio) On the morning of Monday 21st of September, the day the Church remembers Saint Matthew the Apostle and Evangelist, Pope Francis presided over Holy Mass at Holguin’s 'Plaza de la Revoluçion'.

It’s the first time a Roman Pontiff visits Holguin, the third largest city in Cuba which lies in the south east of this island nation and for the record is where Christopher Columbus landed in 1492.

And so the presence of  Pope Francis in what’s also the largest diocese of the Catholic Church  in Cuba drew thousands of faithful  to the city’s 'Plaza de La Revoluciòn', as he presided over Holy Mass. Faithful who listened in silence when he delivered his homily drawing inspiration from the Saint of the day, the Apostle and Evangelizer, Saint Matthew.He highlighted the  figure of this former tax collector, considered at the time to be a traitor. One whom he pointed out underwent a conversion when Jesus, as none had ever done before, rested his gaze upon him with the eyes of mercy.
 

[grace-land]

http://en.radiovaticana.va/news/2015/09/21/pope_calls_for_conversion_of_hearts_and_minds_in_cuba/1173634

Pope calls for conversion of hearts and minds in Cuba
21/09/2015 16:39

 
Please find below the English translation of the Pope’s prepared homily

Homily of Pope Francis for the Mass at Holguín, (Plaza de la Revolución)

            We are celebrating the feast of the apostle and evangelist Saint Matthew.  We are celebrating the story of a conversion.  Matthew himself, in his Gospel, tell us what it was like, this encounter which changed his life.  He shows us an “exchange of glances” capable of changing history.

            On a day like any other, as Matthew, the tax collector, was seated at his table, Jesus passed by, saw him, came up to him and said: “Follow me”.  Matthew got up and followed him.
 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qYZ620bZNtI
Pope Francis in Cuba - Holy Mass in Holguin 
Streamed live on Sep 21, 2015
Local time: 10.30/12.30 - Pope Francis presides at celebration of Holy Mass in Holguin, on the occasion of his apostolic visit to the island.

[grace-land]

http://www.catholicnews.com/services/englishnews/2015/holguin-catholics-delighted-their-time-has-come-for-papal-visit.cfm

Holguin Catholics delighted their time has come for papal visit
By Rhina Guidos Catholic News Service
9.20.2015 2:20 PM ET

 
The pope also is expected to bless the city of Holguin from a hill that has a large cross that overlooks the city.

The cross on that hill is a symbol of the crosses carried by "Holguineros" as the denizens of Holguin are called, said 69-year-old Oscar Ramirez, but they are crosses that they carry with joy, not with sadness, as Christians are called to do. He said he was happy that the pope would visit his city, known not just for its beautiful parks, but also for its humility and solidarity.

The day before their papal Mass, as Holguin's residents watched Pope Francis celebrate Mass in Havana's Revolution Square, Maria del Carmen Zellek Camayd said Pope Francis arrived in Cuba with the right spirit, one filled with humility.

"He is a priest who is down to earth, organic, a man of the people," she said. His homily in Havana and his first speech after landing in Cuba showed his intelligence and his warmth, which plays well on a population that is poor but humble.

Elizabeth Feria Ramirez, 21, a member of Holguin's Sant'Egidio Community, said: "The people of Cuba have a spirit of service, but it just lacks a little spark," which the pope can bring with his visit.

"He speaks the truth of the Gospel, and that's a Gospel that was born out the poor," she said.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kGakIWKD5PI
Pope Francis in Cuba - Blessing of the City of Hogluin
Streamed live on Sep 21, 2015
Blessing of the city from Loma de la Cruz in Holguín

[grace-land]

http://www.cleveland.com/metro/index.ssf/2015/09/pope_francis_united_states_vis.html
Pope Francis United States visit TV schedule, live streaming, itinerary, bio and more (photos)
on September 17, 2015 at 4:27 PM, updated September 17, 2015 at 5:26 PM

 
TUESDAY, Sept. 22, El Cobre, Santiago de Cuba.
•8 a.m.: Mass in the Minor Basilica of the Shrine of Our Lady of Charity of El Cobre.
•11 a.m.: Meeting with families in the Cathedral of Our Lady of Assumption in Santiago de Cuba. Blessing of the city from the outside of the cathedral.
•12:15 p.m.: Farewell ceremony at Santiago de Cuba's International Airport.
•12:30 p.m.: Departure for Washington, D.C.

POPE FRANCIS VISIT TO UNITED STATES

Schedule
TUESDAY, Sept. 22, Washington, D.C.
•4 p.m.: Arrival from Cuba at Joint Base Andrews
 

[grace-land]

http://en.radiovaticana.va/news/2015/09/22/eyewitness_report_from_mass_at_el_cobre_shrine__in_cuba/1173868

Eyewitness report from Mass at El Cobre Shrine in Cuba
22/09/2015 15:44

(Vatican Radio) Sean Patrick Lovett, the Head of the English Programme at Vatican Radio, was at the Mass celebrated by Pope Francis at the Shrine of Our Lady of Charity of El Cobre on Tuesday.  He filed this report:

“Heat and humidity. I fear that my most vivid memories of following the Pope around Cuba will most likely be associated with efforts to keep cool - in every sense.

The penultimate stop on Pope Francis' Cuban itinerary was back at the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Charity of El Cobre. I say "back" because he'd already paid a private visit to the Shrine the previous evening. This time it was to celebrate Mass - and, unlike his predecessors who celebrated in downtown Santiago, this liturgy took place inside the Sanctuary church, a church that was filled to beyond anything its original architects who built it in 1927 could have possibly imagined. If they had they might have been a little more considerate in providing some sort of ventilation. Instead, the heat was indescribable. Fluttering, makeshift paper fans only shifted the heat around, instead of alleviating it. I envied those who were watching the event from screens outside in the square.
 

[grace-land]

http://en.radiovaticana.va/news/2015/09/22/pope_francis_in_santiago_learn_to_serve_like_mary/1173820

Pope Francis in Santiago: Learn to serve like Mary
22/09/2015 12:18

(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis has been presiding over Mass at the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Charity of El Cobre, Tuesday in Santiago. In his Homily, the Holy Father returned to the theme of  “serving others” recalling the exemplary model of Our Lady, who the Pope said, “left her house and went out to serve.”

He also underlined how this land of Cuba has been “visited by her maternal presence.  The Cuban homeland was born and grew, warmed by devotion to Our Lady of Charity.”

The Pope said the greatest legacy and treasure the Church can give is “to learn like Mary to leave home and set out on the path of visitation.”

Find below Pope the Homily of Pope Francis at Sanctuary of Our Lady of Charity of El Cobre, Santiago.
 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ktSN8gf4DPc
Pope Francis in Cuba-Holy Mass at the Shrine of Our Lady of Charity of El Cobre
Streamed live on Sep 22, 2015
Local Time: 8.00/10.00 - Pope Francis presides at the celebration of Holy Mass at the Shrine of the "Virgen de la Caridad del Cobre", on the occasion of his apostolic visit to the island

[grace-land]

http://en.radiovaticana.va/news/2015/09/22/pope_family_saves_us_from_fragmentation_and_uniformity/1173809

Pope: Family saves us from fragmentation and uniformity
22/09/2015 17:00

(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis’ final engagement in Cuba on Tuesday (22nd September) was a meeting with families in the cathedral in Santiago. After listening to a young mother and father with three children speaking of their hopes, the Pope described families as centres of humanity and warmth. The family, he said, “saves us from two present-day phenomena: fragmentation and uniformity.”

Spesaking off the cuff, Pope Francis recalled how many pregnant women at his weekly general audiences in the Vatican ask him to bless their unborn babies. He said anyone in the audience, or listening via radio or television, who is "pregnant with hope" should place their hand on their tummy and receive the Pope's blessing.

Please find below an English translation of the Pope’s prepared remarks for his address to families in Santiago de Cuba’s Cathedral of Our Lady of Assumption:
 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DBAcZn9SvRI
Pope Francis in Cuba-Meeting with families in Santiago and blessing of the city 
Streamed live on Sep 22, 2015
Local time: 11.00/11.35-Pope Francis meets families from various dioceses of Cuba and Santiago and then blesses the city, on the occasion of his apostolic visit to the island.

[grace-land]

http://en.radiovaticana.va/news/2015/09/22/pope_francis_and__his__revolutionary_message_to_cubans_/1173909

Pope Francis and his "revolutionary" message to Cubans
22/09/2015 17:00

(Vatican Radio) The  head of the English Programme Seán-Patrick Lovett is currently travelling with  Francis on his 10th Apostolic journey abroad. A journey which has taken the Pope to Cuba where he landed in the nation's capital Havana on the 19th of September and from where he departs on the evening of the 22nd of September for the United States. Before his departure Seán shared with us his impressions of the first leg of thistrip.

As the Pope leaves Cuba for the U.S. leg of this (how shall I describe it?) "exciting" (?), "challenging" (!), pilgrimage - a couple of images remain emblazoned on my strained, sleepless and over-heated psyche.

One of them is that of the families gathered in the Cathedral of Santiago de Cuba: young and old, adolescents and infants - a microcosm of society and a vibrant reminder of where we come from, who we are...and what we should be.

The other is of contrasting messages that I have seen scrawled or stenciled on walls and buildings, in the streets and squares we've whizzed through in the papal motorcade over the past three days.

It's clear (to me at least) that Cuban authorities are struggling to keep the cult of the Revolution alive. Everywhere you look you see mementos and monuments of that tumultous moment in their history. They take the form of outrageously oppressive equestrian statues, or ostentatious bronze busts of revolutionary heroes that glare back at you with an uncompromising gaze, or of rhetorical slogans that blaze down from public buildings - while Che and Fidel constantly remind you that without them Cuba would not be what it is today.

The contrast comes with the posters and banners of Pope Francis that decorate the same streets and buildings: his benign and smiling face, the peace and welcome contained (implicitly and explicitly) in his "revolutionary" message, is so strikingly different from the popular revolutionary heroes that surround him - you can't help but notice it.
 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bB0R5OcjEGY
Pope Francis in Cuba-Farewell ceremony at the Airport 
Streamed live on Sep 22, 2015
Local time: 12.15/12.30-Pope Francis concludes his apostolic visit to Cuba with a brief farewell ceremony at the Santiago Airport

[grace-land]

September 22, 2015 Tweets
https://twitter.com/FatherRosica

Thomas Rosica retweeted
Barb Fraze ‏@bfraze  · 1h1 hour ago 
He's on his way! #PopeinUS #PopeInDC #PopeInPhilly #PopeinNYC

[grace-land]

LIVE!

Welcome to the United States, Pope Francis!   

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=166Bg4X5jvI
Pope Francis in the USA - Arrival at Washington
Started on Sep 22, 2015

Local Time: 16.00/16.15-Pope Francis arrives by air in Washington D.C., where his apostolic visit to the United States begins for the occasion of the World Meeting of Families in Philadelphia

[grace-land]

http://en.radiovaticana.va/news/2015/09/22/pope_francis_arrives_in_the_united_states_of_america/1173988

Pope Francis arrives in the United States of America
22/09/2015 21:30

(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis has landed on American soil. He landed at Andrews Air Force Base in Washington DC at 3.50pm local time kicking off the first visit of his life to the United States of America.

Pope Francis’ 10th Apostolic Journey abroad has already taken him to Cuba where he visited Havana, Holguin and Santiago. In the United States of America he will be spending time in Washington DC, in New York and in Philadelphia where the World Meeting of Families is taking place.

Greeting him on the tarmac at the Washington Air Force Base, US President Barack Obama, First Lady Michelle Obama and both of their daughters.

It is the first time in his presidency that Obama has greeted a visiting dignitary at the point of touchdown. Presidents usually have important visitors come to them, at the White House. And in another departure from official protocol, its also the first time ever that the Vice-President and his family have joined the welcoming party.

However, for the record, President George W. Bush and Laura Bush also travelled to the air force base in Maryland to greet Francis' predecessor, the Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI when he visited the United States in 2008.

This visit marks Pope Francis’ second meeting with President Obama whom he first met in the Vatican in March 2014.
 

[grace-land]

http://cnstopstories.com/2015/09/22/breaking-meeting-reporters-pope-defends-his-teaching-on-social-issues/

Meeting reporters on plane, pope defends his teaching on social issues
Posted on September 22, 2015   
By Cindy Wooden Catholic News Service

ABOARD THE PAPAL FLIGHT FROM CUBA (CNS) — Pope Francis defended his position on the economy, the environment and other social issues as faithful repetitions of the basic Catholic social doctrine.

Speaking to reporters flying with him from Cuba to Washington Sept. 22, the pope was asked about comments, mainly from the United States, claiming the pope is a communist and about the Newsweek headline, “Is the pope Catholic?”

“I am certain I have never said anything more than what is in the social doctrine of the church,” he responded. “I follow the church and in this, I do not think I am wrong.”

“Maybe I have given an impression of being a little bit to the left,” the pope admitted. “But if they want me to recite the Creed, I can!”
 
http://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/full-transcript-of-popes-in-flight-interview-from-cuba-to-us-78637/
Full transcript of Pope's in-flight interview from Cuba to US

[grace-land]

http://www.usccb.org/about/leadership/holy-see/francis/papal-visit-2015/2015-papal-visit-schedule.cfm

Schedule: 2015 Apostolic Journey of Pope Francis to the United States of America

Here is the schedule for Pope Francis' September 2015 Apostolic Journey to the United States of America as released by the Vatican on June 30, 2015.  All times listed are Eastern Daylight Time.

tuesday, september 22 (washington, dc)
◾4:00 p.m.    Arrival from Cuba at Joint Base Andrews

wednesday, sePtember 23 (washington, dc)
◾9:15  a.m.  Welcome ceremony and meeting with President Obama at the White House
◾11:00 a.m.  Papal Parade along the Ellipse and the National Mall (time approximate)

◾11:30 a.m. Midday Prayer with the bishops of the United States, St. Matthew's Cathedral
◾4:15  p.m.  Mass of Canonization of Junipero Serra, Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception
 

[grace-land]

Live streaming...and available for viewing later

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z5mk3_yU02g
Pope Francis in the USA- Welcome ceremony and visit to the President
Scheduled for Sep 23, 2015
Local time: 9.30/11.00- Pope Francis participates in the Welcome ceremony at the White House and meets the President of the United States of America

[grace-land]

http://www.zenit.org/en/articles/interview-an-app-to-follow-francis-for-free-in-days-ahead-presented-by-us-bishops

Interview: An App to Follow Francis for Free in Days Ahead, Presented by US Bishops
Washington,  September 22, 2015

Want to follow Pope Francis during his Apostolic Visit to the United States? Want to watch his events, hear his speeches, and understand what's going on in Washington, New York and Philadelphia?

Well, the app USA Catholic Church may bring these elements to your backyard, or your sofa. Bishop Christopher Coyne of Burlington, Vermont, spoke to ZENIT in Washington about the app and what it offers.

The American prelate is the incoming chair for the communications committee for the USCCB, after leading public relations for the Archdiocese of Boston.

"To put a little commercial in there," the bishop began, "in both English and Spanish, there’s a new app for mobile tablets and also phones that uses both iOS and Android protocols."

Published by the US Conference of Catholic Bishops, the app is free and designed for anyone.

"It will contain content from all the papal speeches. It will have content of all the papal visits and all the speeches. All the major events. We will live stream everything, including – we hope—the press conferences in the media filing centers."

"So any of our people out there, around the world, who speak English or Spanish, can simply go to download the App. They’ll have complete access to what the Pope is going to do in the US during the next seven days."

For all of the live streaming, he noted, people are in place. "When he is speaking in Spanish, they’ll be translating to English. When he goes off text," he joked, "hopefully, they’ll be able to keep up with it."
 
On the NET:
To download the App: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/usa-catholic-church/id1023005804?mt=8

[grace-land]

http://www.news.va/en/news/pope-freedom-is-one-of-americas-most-precious-poss

Pope: Freedom is one of America’s most precious possessions
2015-09-23 Vatican Radio

(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis quoted Martin Luther King on Wednesday during his speech at the Welcome Ceremony at The White House in Washington at the start of his six-day apostolic visit to the United States.

Noting that as the son of an immigrant family the Pope said he is happy to be a guest in a country built largely by immigrants, and that he looks forward to listening to and sharing the hopes and dreams of the American people.

Describing American Catholics and all other Americans of goodwill as people who are committed to building a society which is truly tolerant and inclusive, Pope Francis remarked on their concern that a “just and wisely ordered society respect” their right to religious liberty.

“Freedom – he said – remains one of America’s most precious possessions” and he called on all citizens to “preserve and defend that freedom from everything that would threaten or compromise it”.

Pope Francis also had warm words of appreciation for how President Obama is pushing to reduce air pollution.

“When it comes to the care of our “common home”, we are living at a critical moment of history” he said.

Pointing to the fact that environmental issues pertaining to “our common home” have globally been overlooked and that today they must be urgently tackled, he quoted Reverend Martin Luther King’s words: “we can say that we have defaulted on a promissory note and now is the time to honor”.

And reminding believers that “the Creator does not abandon us” Pope Francis said humanity still has the ability to work together in building our common home.

The Pope concluded his address calling on all American men and women of good will to “support the efforts of the international community to protect the vulnerable in our world and to stimulate integral and inclusive models of development, so that our brothers and sisters everywhere may know the blessings of peace and prosperity which God wills for all his children”.

Please find below the full text of Pope Francis’ speech: 
 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z5mk3_yU02g
Pope Francis in the USA- Welcome ceremony and visit to the President

[grace-land]

Live streaming...and available for viewing later

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TbbDavgndpk

Pope Francis in the USA- Meeting with the American Bishops
Scheduled for Sep 23, 2015
Local time 11.30/12.30 - Pope Francis meets with the Bishops of the United States of America at St Matthew's Cathedral.

[grace-land]

http://en.radiovaticana.va/news/2015/09/23/pope_to_us_bishops_be_shepherds_in_unity_and_dialogue/1174163

Pope to U.S. bishops: be shepherds in unity and dialogue
23/09/2015 16:49

(Vatican Radio) After an official welcome from U.S. President Barack Obama on Wednesday, Pope Francis met with the nation’s bishops, urging them to be shepherds who promote dialogue and foster unity at all levels of the Church and society.

Speaking to the U.S. Church leaders in the Cathedral of St Matthew the Apostle, close to the White House, the Pope praised the generosity of the American Church and the support it has given to the spread of the Gospel in many suffering areas of the world. He talked of the “immense efforts” made to welcome and integrate immigrants, as well as the pain and difficulties caused by the sex abuse crisis.

The Pope said he had not come to judge or to lecture the bishops, but rather to support and encourage their work as humble shepherds, shaping a Church that “attracts men and women through the attractive light and warmth of love.”  He urged them to promote a culture of encounter, avoiding “harsh and divisive language” but rather encouraging authentic dialogue as they confront the "challenging issues of our time".

Below please find the prepared text of Pope Francis’ words to the United States Bishops

Meeting with the United States Bishops, Cathedral of Saint Matthew, Washington