Pope Francis

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https://twitter.com/roccopalmo
Rocco Palmo ‏@roccopalmo  · 13h  13 hours ago 
Vatican's English summary of 13 circuli reports across languages: http://bit.ly/1LaPYRA  #Synod15

http://visnews-en.blogspot.com/2015/10/circuli-minori-families-are-not-alien.html
Friday, October 9, 2015

Circuli Minori – families are not alien to us

Vatican City, 9 October 2015 (VIS) – This morning, during the fourth General Congregation, the various Circuli Minori – thirteen in total – presented the results of their reflections on the first part of the Instrumentum Laboris examining the mission of the family in the Church and the contemporary world.

In general the rapporteurs from the various groups, which were divided according to language (English, French,Spanish, German and Italian) considered that it was necessary to offer, as Archbishop Mark Coleridge of Brisbane, Australia, writes, “a less negative reading of history, culture and the situation of the family at this time. True, there are negative forces at work at this time in history and in the various cultures of the world; but that is far from the full story. If it were the full story, all the Church could do would be to condemn. There are also forces which are positive, even luminous, and these need to be identified since they may well be the signs of God in history”.
 

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http://ncronline.org/news/vatican/synod-bishops-express-confusion-group-reports-cardinal-calls-it-healthy#.VhgloCQPuwM.twitter

Synod bishops express confusion in group reports, cardinal calls it healthy
by Joshua J. McElwee    |  Oct. 9, 2015

Vatican City --   Catholic prelates attending the worldwide meeting of bishops on family have expressed confusion over what is expected from them in their deliberations, writing in their first public reports from the gathering that they do not understand how their discussions will be used by Catholics around the globe.
 
They also seem to have fairly stark differences of opinion regarding how the church should approach families, particularly over whether Catholic leaders should adopt a stance of criticism towards modern lifestyles or of praise for their positive aspects and even commonalities with certain church teachings.

Participants of the ongoing Synod of Bishops made their observations Friday with a release of reports from 13 different small discussion groups that have been meeting Tuesday through Thursday. The groups are organized by language preference and are split into circles of French, English, Italian, Spanish and German.

The four English language groups -- led respectively by Australian Cardinal George Pell, British Cardinal Vincent Nichols, Irish Archbishop Eamon Martin, and Canadian Cardinal Thomas Collins -- take different tacks towards the work of the prelates.
 

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http://www.news.va/en/news/synod-on-the-family-press-briefing-day-6

Synod on the Family: Press Briefing Day 6
2015-10-10 Vatican Radio

(Vatican Radio) At the end of the first week of the Ordinary Assembly of the Synod of Bishops on the Family in Vatican City, Fr. Thomas Rosica CSB, English Media Attaché for the Holy See, joined Fr. Federico Lombardi SJ to summarise the discussions at the daily press briefing.

A number of issues were spoken about and addressed in interventions from Synod Fathers at the Synod on the Family on Friday evening and Saturday morning. The Fathers continued with their interventions on part two of Instrumentum Laboris. Once they had completed this section they began to listen to interventions on part three, Vatican spokesman Fr. Federico Lombardi, SJ, told the media

Fr. Lombardi said that there were 75 interventions in the plenary session. There were a good number of interventions from Fathers representing Europe, Africa, the Middle East, and Latin America. He noted there were few interventions from North America.

A number of themes emerged from the interventions including the spirituality of family life, the missionary responsibility of families to look after and foster good marriages, the role of various family movements in the Church, and ways that the Church can remain close and show tenderness to families that are struggling.

There were also a number of interventions on the relationship and balance between justice and mercy. The media was told that there are divergent views on this issue amongst the Fathers. One of the Fathers said that mercy does not mean an abandonment of the Church’s teaching.
 

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http://en.radiovaticana.va/news/2015/10/11/pope_one_cannot_live_the_faith_and_be_attached_to_wealth/1178452

Pope Angelus: one cannot live the faith and be attached to wealth
11/10/2015 15:04

(Vatican Radio) Before the recitation of the Marian Prayer, Pope Francis focused his attention on Sunday’s Gospel reading from Mark, which recounts Jesus' encounter with the "rich young man".

The Holy Father explained that this text was built around the "three gazes of Jesus."

The first is his "intense gaze full of tenderness and affection," when the young man expressed that "for him observance of the precepts is not enough, since it does not meet with his desire for wholeness. "

The Pope noted that Jesus understood the man’s weak point, and made a concrete proposal: give all his possessions to the poor and follow him. But the young man's heart, Pope Francis continued,  was torn between two masters: God and money, and he went away sad. This, the Holy Father underlined,  shows that one cannot live the faith and be attached to wealth.

Pope Francis said Jesus’ "second gaze" was "the thoughtful gaze, and one of warning, denoting the Gospel phrase, “How hard it is for those who have wealth to enter the kingdom of God”.

The third gaze of Jesus, is the look of encouragement, said the Pope; it is the one which says, “if we free ourselves from the slavery of things we gain the freedom to serve for love.”
 

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http://en.radiovaticana.va/news/2015/10/11/pope_angelus__sorrow_and_pain_for_turkey_blast_victims/1178429

Pope Angelus: Sorrow and pain for Turkey blast victims
11/10/2015 12:30

(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis on Sunday appealed for the victims of the massacre which killed dozens of people in Ankara, Turkey the day before. The Holy Father said he received the news with great sorrow and spoke of his pain for those who were killed and wounded in the explosions. He also said there was sorrow because the attackers struck defenseless people who were demonstrating for peace.

The Pope made the appeal following the Angelus in St Peter’s Square asking the Lord to welcome the souls of the dead and to comfort the suffering and their families.
 

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http://www.news.va/en/news/pontifical-commission-for-protection-of-minors-h-2

Pontifical Commission for Protection of Minors holds plenary
2015-10-12 Vatican Radio

(Vatican Radio) The Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors has completed its second plenary assembly, focusing on formation of candidate for priesthood and religious life,  the use of forensic assessments for people accused of sex abuse crimes and the use of liturgical support materials for the pastoral care of survivors.

The Commission met in Rome from October 9th to 11th, beginning their plenary with a Mass celebrated by Pope Francis in his Santa Marta residence. Members then focused their sessions on listening to and discussing progress reports presented by the Working Groups formed in the February 2015 Plenary.

Please find below the full press statement from the Commission:
 

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http://www.news.va/en/news/synod-on-the-family-briefing-day-7

Synod on the Family: Press Briefing Day 7
2015-10-12 Vatican Radio

(Vatican Radio) Monday 12 Oct. Fr. Federico Lombardi SJ, spokesman for the Holy See, was accompanied by Fr. Thomas Rosica CSB and two couples - Pedro & Ketty De Rezende from Brazil and Ishwar & Penny Bajaj from India - at the daily press briefing for the Synod on the Family.

It would be a welcome innovation if there was a proposal to the bishops of the world to ensure much more formation and accompaniment of couples was in place before, during and after marriage, said Mr & Mrs De Renzende, a couple attending the Synod on the Family as delegates from Brazil. The formation of couples for marriage and their accompaniment after marriage was spoken about extensively, Fr. Federico Lombardi told the daily press conference.

Fr. Lombardi said that the Synod delegates would be working in small groups on Monday and Tuesday discussing the second part of Instrumentum Laboris. The groups will report back on Wednesday morning to the plenary.

On Monday morning Cardinals Vingt-Tois and Scola said that they did not sign an alleged letter to the Pope expressing concern about the Synod. Fr. Lombardi said that he knew nothing of such a letter and - if there was one - it was not a public letter
 

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http://americamagazine.org/content/dispatches/thirteen-cardinals-including-di-nardo-and-dolan-challenged-popes-decisions-synod

Thirteen Cardinals, Including Di Nardo and Dolan, Challenged Pope’s Decisions on Synod
Oct 12 2015 - 3:23pm

Thirteen cardinals—including Cardinals Di Nardo and Dolan—sent a letter to Pope Francis on the opening day of the Synod on the Family in which they challenged or raised serious objections to decisions taken or approved by him regarding the organization and the conduct of the synod.

In it, they expressed “concerns” in relation to two important aspects of the synod, which they claim are shared by other synod fathers: the basic working document or “Instrumentum Laboris,” which they consider inadequate, and the synod procedures which they allege “lead to a predetermined conclusion.”

The letter was published in Rome one week after it was given to the pope, by Sandro Magister, a well-known writer on Vatican affairs, who is not much in sympathy with the direction of this pontificate, and who was suspended from the Holy See’s press office for his involvement in breaking the Vatican embargo on the pope’s encyclical, "Laudato Si'."

On Oct. 12,  Magister published the text of the letter and the names of 13 cardinals who he claimed had signed the letter. Within hours of publication, however, four of those publicly denied signing the letter: Cardinals Erdo (Hungary), Piacenza (Italy) Scola (Italy) and Vingt-Trois (France). Federico Lombardi, S.J., the director of the Holy See Press Office, would not comment on the letter
 

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http://www.zenit.org/en/articles/synod15-report-from-small-circle-italian-c

Synod15: Report From Small Circle Italian 'C'
Rome,  October 12, 2015

Here is a ZENIT translation of the small group reports from the Italian-language group "C." The reports were released last Friday. The small circles are divided by language and this report summarizes their discussions on the first part of the Instrumentum Laboris.

* * *
Report of the Italian Circle “C”
Moderator: Cardinal Angelo Bagnasco
Relator: H.E. Monsignor Franco Giulio Brambilla

The sessions of the Italian Circle C discussed with great care the text of the first part, in its general aspects, in its architecture and in the linguistic development and development of the content of the document. The fruit of the ample analysis brought to light three aspects of a general character.
 

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http://www.zenit.org/en/articles/synod15-report-from-small-circle-italian-b

Synod15: Report From Small Circle Italian 'B'
Rome,  October 12, 2015

Here is a ZENIT translation of the small group reports from the Italian-language group "B." The reports were released last Friday. The small circles are divided by language and this report summarizes their discussions on the first part of the Instrumentum Laboris.

* * *
Report of the Italian Circle “B”
Moderator: Cardinal Edoardo Menichelli
Relator: Cardinal Mauro Piacenza

The Fathers making up the Italian Circle B proceeded to the reading of the individual numbers of the first part of the Instrumentum Laboris  and to reflection on them, with ample and articulated discussion, always coming to largely shared conclusions.

With an essentially positive vision of the text, they drafted the individual “Ways” always having in mind the pastoral realism that we intend to pursue. In general, the conviction was revealed to simplify the text somewhat, to avoid as much as possible subordinate phrases and to look at it again under the stylistic aspect.
 

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http://www.news.va/en/news/fr-lombardi-on-the-letter-to-the-pope-from-thirtee

Fr. Lombardi on the “Letter to the Pope from thirteen cardinals”

Vatican City, 13 October 2015 (VIS) – The director of the Holy See Press Office, Fr. Federico Lombardi, S.J., has given the following clarification regarding the publication yesterday of a “Letter to the Pope from thirteen cardinals”.

As we are aware, at least four of the Synod Fathers who were included in the list of signatories have denied their involvement (Cardinals Angelo Scola, Andre Vingt-Trois, Mauro Piacenza and Peter Erdo).

Cardinal Pell has declared that a letter sent to the Pope was confidential and should have remained as such, and that neither the text published nor the signatories correspond to what was sent to the Pope.

I would add that, in terms of content, the difficulties included in the letter were mentioned on Monday evening in the Synod Hall, as I have previously said, although not covered extensively or in detail.

As we know, the General Secretary and the Pope responded clearly the following morning. Therefore, to provide this text and this list of signatories some days later constitutes a disruption that was not intended by the signatories (at least by the most authoritative). Therefore it would be inappropriate to allow it to have any influence.
 

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http://www.news.va/en/news/synod-on-the-family-press-briefing-day-8

Synod on the Family: Press Briefing Day 8
2015-10-13 Vatican Radio

(Vatican Radio) Oct 13. On Tuesday the Synod delegates spent the whole day working in “circuli minores,” director of the Holy See Press Office, Fr Federico Lombardi, SJ, told the daily press briefing. He also read statements from Cardinals George Pell and Wilfrid Napier.

He was joined at the briefing by three Synod Assembly delegates: Abbot Jeremias Schröder, General of the Benedictines of St. Ottilien, Mrs Moira McQueen, head of the Canadian Institute for Bioethics and Mrs Thérèse Nyirabukeye of the African Federation of Family Action.

Cardinal George Pell said that a letter sent to the Holy Father was confidential and what had been widely published “does not reflect the text or the signatories”. This was in response to a letter which was addressed to the Pope by thirteen Cardinals who were allegedly unhappy with the way the Synod process was being managed.

Fr. Lombardi went on to say that Cardinal Pell said that whoever handed this letter and the names of signatories to the media had disrupted the process of the Synod which was being conducted in a “good climate”.

Lombardi also read a statement written by Cardinal Wilfrid Napier, one of the president delegates of the Synod. The South African Cardinal stated that what media claimed he said "did not reflect his thought at all.” Napier had been quoted as saying he would challenge the right of the Holy Father to choose the drafting committee of the final report. He said that the Pope did have the right to choose the drafting committee. Lombardi added that the statement was written in Napier’s own hand.

The three guests at the briefing spoke of the importance of good families to foster future vocations. “The quality of the individual is forged in the family,” Nyirabukeye said.

On the question of the ordination of women to the deaconate, Abbot Schröder said that it was a single proposal by an isolated voice that did not seem to be important in the room.
 

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http://www.news.va/en/news/pope-asks-forgiveness-for-the-scandals-that-have-r

Pope asks forgiveness for the scandals that have rocked the Church
2015-10-14 Vatican Radio

(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis on Wednesday asked forgiveness for scandals that have taken place in the Church and here in the Vatican.

He also mentioned recent corruption scandals that have rocked the city of Rome and its municipal administration.

He was speaking to the faithful gathered in St. Peter’s Square before beginning his weekly catechesis.

Commenting on today’s reading in which Jesus says “Woe to the world because of scandals. For if must needs be that scandals come: but nevertheless woe to that man by whom the scandal cometh”.

Jesus’s words, the Pope noted are strong indeed.

And continuing his catechesis on the family he said we must consider the promises we make to our children when we bring them into the world.
    The Pope said the greatest promise we make is love and he pointed out that every child trusts that he or she will be loved and cared for. 

When that promise is broken, Pope Francis said, the result is a “scandal” which Jesus condemns, telling us that their angels in heaven stand in God’s presence (Mt 18:10).
 
http://www.zenit.org/en/articles/on-promises-made-to-children
On Promises Made to Children
Vatican City,  October 14, 2015

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http://www.news.va/en/news/the-circuli-minori-discuss-the-second-part-of-the

The Circuli Minori discuss the second part of the Instrumentum Laboris: the importance of divine pedagogy

Vatican City, 14 October 2015 (VIS) – During this morning's General Congregation the various working groups presented to the Synod Fathers the result of their reflections on the second part of the Instrumentum Laboris.

Almost all the groups agreed on the need for the final document of the Synod to use the language of biblical theology and, as affirmed by the French group B, to be clear and simple, avoiding ambiguity and misunderstandings that may impair understanding of the mission and the vocation of the family in the Church and in the world. It will be necessary to take into account the fragility and the suffering of the family, without overstating the current situation, as these problems have always existed. The emphasis on this dimension leads the group to stress that the Church accompanies all her children, and must proclaim the Gospel and its call to conversion.

The English group B comments that the final document should illustrate how divine pedagogy for marriage and the family has accompanied the entire history of salvation and continues right until our day. “We propose … [beginning] with Genesis, which already provide a definition of marriage as a unique union between a man and a woman, so total and intimate that because of it a man must leave his father and mother in order to be united with his wife. This account of the creation of marriage presents also the three basic characteristics of marriage, as it was in the beginning – monogamy, permanence, and equality of the sexes. … But the divine pedagogy of salvation history concerning marriage and the family reached its climax with the Son of God’s entry in human history”. The group acknowledges that “It is only through reflection on the divine pedagogy that we will understand our ministry as mirroring God’s patience and mercy. The divine plan continues even in our time. It is the divine pedagogy which provides content and tone for the teaching of the Church”. With regard to the difficult situations to be examined in the third part, the group emphasises that “we should always remember that God never gives up on his mercy. It is mercy which reveals God’s true face. God’s mercy reaches out to all of us, especially to those who suffer, those who are weak, and those who fail”.
 

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http://en.radiovaticana.va/news/2015/10/14/synod_on_the_family_press_briefing_day_9/1179307

Synod on the Family: Press Briefing Day 9
14/10/2015 17:28

(Vatican Radio) 14 Oct. At the daily press briefing for the Synod on the Family an African Cardinal said that polygamy was much more of a problem in Africa than divorce and remarriage. Spokesman for Holy See, Fr. Federico Lombardi, SJ, was joined by Cardinals Vincent Nichols of Britain, Phillippe Ouedraogo from Burkina Faso and Rubén Salazar Gomez from Colombia.

Cardinal Ouedraogo told the media that in Europe divorce and remarriage was a real concern for Synod delegates but, in Africa, polygamy was a much more pressing problem. He said that the authors of the Instrumentum Laboris tended towards highlighting Western problems but that the African delegates have spoken about their problems assertively in the small working groups.

The delegates assembled for a plenary session at the Synod on Wednesday morning. They listened to reports of the small group work that has taken place over the last two days. Interventions then began on the third part of the working document, Instrumentum Laboris.

Many groups reported that they thought more Scripture should be used to help families understand their mission and vocation. A number of reports stated that the "indissolubility of marriage” needs to be framed in more positive language - it is not a burden but something that is hopeful and joyful. Some groups advocated for the development of catechetical and prayer resources for families.
 

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http://www.news.va/en/news/pope-francis-beware-of-those-who-limit-the-gratuit

Pope Francis: ‘Beware of those who limit the gratuity of salvation’
2015-10-15 Vatican Radio

(Vatican Radio)  Beware of those who limit God’s horizons and reduce the love of God down to our size.  That was at the heart of Pope Francis’ homily at the Mass Thursday morning (Oct.15) at the Casa Santa Marta.

“Woe to you, scholars of the law! You have taken away the key of knowledge. You yourselves did not enter and you stopped those trying to enter.”  Those were Jesus’ words in the 11th chapter of the Gospel of Luke from which Pope Francis took his cue at Thursday’s Mass at the Casa Santa Marta.

“The key,” he continued, is “of the gratuity of salvation, of that knowledge”.  The scholars of the Law took away the key of God’s free gift of salvation, because, as the Holy Father said, “they thought that by respecting all the commandments one could be saved, and anyone who didn’t do just that was condemned”.  In this way, “they limited God’s horizons and made the love of God into something very, very small”, the Pope said.

Instead of a love based on retribution, Pope Francis said “If I say ‘I love you’, but I have a personal interest behind it, that is not love, that is self-interest.”
 

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http://www.news.va/en/news/synod-bishops-must-welcome-families-as-teachers-an

Synod: Bishops must welcome families as teachers and pastors
2015-10-15 Vatican Radio

(Vatican Radio) ‘Mission impossible’ was how Fr Federico Lombardi on Thursday described the task of trying to sum up the dozens of daily interventions by participants in the Synod of Bishops on the Family, currently coming to the close of its second week in the Vatican’s Synod Hall.

Friday will mark the final day of presentations on part three of the Synod’s working document, before participants move back into their small groups to decide on final changes they’d like to see reflected in a concluding document on marriage and family life.

“The way of Jesus or the way of Walter Kasper”, was how one disgruntled bishop was overheard describing the divisions at the start of this Synod, painting the retired German cardinal into the role of reluctant cheerleader for the perceived ‘progressive’ wing of the Church. It was Kasper’s book on mercy that Pope Francis quoted in his first Angelus address, and it was he whom the Pope asked to speak about the challenges facing the family at the very start of the lengthy Synod process. The cardinal’s suggestion of exploring new ways to show mercy and readmit divorced and remarried Catholics to the Eucharist, through a path of penance and reconciliation, alarmed those who saw it as an overturning of doctrine on the indissolubility of marriage.

While Pope Francis explicitly asked bishops not to see this as the only theme of the Synod, the past two weeks of discussions have highlighted this fault line, with many bishops speaking out firmly in favour of defending unchanging truths, while others have pleaded for a more merciful and compassionate approach to those in both second marriages and in same-sex relationships.
 

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http://www.news.va/en/news/synod-on-the-family-press-briefing-day-10

Synod on the Family: Press Briefing Day 10
2015-10-15 Vatican Radio

(Vatican Radio) Thursday 15 Oct. “The Polish Episcopal Conference does not support the notion of admitting divorced and remarried Catholics to the Eucharist,” said Archbishop Stanislaw Gadecki at the daily Synod briefing.

Archbishop Gadecki, President of the Polish Episcopal Conference, and Archbishop Carlos Aquiar Retes of Mexico, were guests at the briefing. Holy See Press spokesman, Jesuit Father Federico Lombardi, told the media that there had been about 93 interventions on Wednesday afternoon and Thursday morning in the General Assembly. Fr. Lombardi was joined by Basilian Father Thomas Rosica, the English-speaking Media Attache of the Holy See.

Fr. Lombardi explained that the delegates would continue to make interventions on part three of Intrumentum Laboris on Thursday afternoon. On Friday the auditors and fraternal delegates will be given time to make their interventions.

On Friday there will be two media briefings at the Holy See Press Office: one on Sunday's Canonisation of the parents of St. Thérèse of Lisieux at 11:00am; and the daily Synod briefing at 1pm.

The interventions made at the Synod assembly spanned many issues. Some of these included: the need to defend Church doctrine and ensure we are faithful to the tradition of the Church; correct understanding of Scripture texts; clarification of Church teaching on marriage; a possible catechetical pathway for accompanying the divorced and remarried; the important role that the sacrament of reconciliation plays; the teaching of the Church on sin should be highlighted and not lost; the complexities of inter-faith, inter-cultural, inter-religious and multi-racial marriages; the trafficking of women and children and the suffering of couples who are not able to have children - adoption was spoken about in such cases.
 

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http://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/dont-regionalize-church-teaching-on-marriage-says-irish-archbishop-at-synod-97124/

Don't 'regionalize' Church teaching on marriage, says Irish archbishop at synod

Vatican City, Oct 15, 2015 / 04:36 pm (CNA/EWTN News).- Catholic teaching on marriage and the family is universal, not something local bishops’ conferences can decide for themselves, an Irish archbishop said Thursday.

Archbishop Eamon Martin of Armagh, the Primate of All-Ireland, said he did not support “the idea that somehow it’s up to individual bishops conferences to interpret the teaching of the Church.”

“I think if we are part of a universal teaching Church, then we do have a very clear vision for marriage and the family and I don’t think that should be subject to interpretation at the level of individual episcopal conferences,” he told The Irish Catholic Oct. 15.

Archbishop Martin moderates one of the four English-language discussion circles at the Synod of Bishops underway at the Vatican to discuss the vocation and mission of the family.

His remarks come after some bishops have indicated a desire to localize decisions on Church doctrine and practice. For example, in February Cardinal Reinhard Marx of Munich and Freising had indicated that the German bishops would take their own program of pastoral care for marriage and the family regardless of the synod’s outcome.
 

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http://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/do-aliens-exist-pope-francis-tackles-this-and-other-things-in-new-interview-75025/

Do aliens exist? Pope Francis tackles this (and other things) in new interview

Vatican City, Oct 15, 2015 / 11:31 am (CNA/EWTN News).- Pope Francis discussed in a new interview topics ranging from his reasons for canonizing the parents of St. Therese of Lisieux, to his thoughts on whether there could be life on other planets.

The interview with French journalist Caroline Pigozzi of Paris Match was conducted in Italian, and published in both Italian and French Oct. 15.

Pigozzi is known for making the Pope's eyes light up in January when on board his flight to the Philippines she gifted him a silver bas-relief, or carving, of St. Therese of Lisieux, to whom he has a strong devotion.

In the interview, the Pope said that he is doing “well,” but confessed that he is tired due to his recent Sept. 23-27 visit to the United States, as well as the demands of the current synod of bishops on the family.

He then responded to questions covering a wide variety of topics, including climate change, as well as his thoughts on whether or not extraterrestrials exist.