Pope Francis

[grace-land]

http://www.news.va/en/news/pope-audience-gods-hope-does-not-exclude

Pope Audience: God's hope does not exclude
2017-02-15 Vatican Radio

(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis, continuing his catechesis on Christian hope at his Wednesday General Audience, told pilgrims that God’s hope calls us to be "channels of humility and simplicity for all."

"The hope that we have been given does not separate us from others, nor does it lead us to discredit or marginalize them.”

Those were Pope Francis’ words at his weekly General Audience in the Paul VI Hall on Wednesday as he continued his catechesis on Christian hope, dedicating his audience to the theme “Hope does not disappoint”.

The Pope underlined that God does not have favourites and does not exclude anyone, but opens his home to all human beings beginning with the least.

Hope, the Holy Father remarked, “is a gift of which we are called to become 'channels', with humility 'and simplicity', for all.”
 
https://zenit.org/articles/general-audience-on-hope-that-doesnt-disappoint/
GENERAL AUDIENCE: On Hope That Doesn’t Disappoint 
February 15, 2017

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V_zaqtUxIHI
2017.02.15 General Audience

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http://www.news.va/en/news/press-briefing-for-xviii-meeting-of-cardinal-advis

Press briefing for XVIII Meeting of Cardinal Advisors
2017-02-15 Vatican Radio

(Vatican Radio) The Vice-director of the Holy See Press Office, Paloma Garcia Ovejero, gave a briefing on Wednesday on the XVIII Meeting of the Cardinal Advisors with Pope Francis.

The Council of Cardinals met together with the Holy Father for three days, Monday through Wednesday, 13-15 February.

Pope Francis was not present for the second part of the morning meeting on Monday, on account of the ad limina visit of the Bishops of Costa Rica; he was absent as well on Wednesday morning because of the weekly General Audience. He will, however, be present at the 105th sitting of the Council set for Wednesday afternoon.

On Monday and Tuesday the Cardinals concelebrated Mass with the Pope.

Following their first meeting on 13 February, the Cardinals released the following statement through the Holy See Press Office:

The Council of Cardinals began its eighteenth session today.

At the beginning, Cardinal Oscar Andrés Rodríguez Maradiaga, coordinator of the group, after greeting the Holy Father, thanked him on behalf of all the Members for his words in the Christmas address to the Roman Curia on 22 December 2016, acknowledging his encouragement and guidance for the work of the Council.

In relation to recent events, the Council of Cardinals pledges its full support for the Pope’s work, assuring him at the same time of its adhesion and loyalty to the figure of the Pope and to his Magisterium.

The working sessions of the Council’s meeting took place each morning from 9:00-12:30, and each afternoon from 16:30-19:00; and were dedicated to further considerations concerning the different Curial Dicasteries. In particular, they continued the discussion on the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples (Propaganda Fide); the Congregation for Oriental Churches; and the Pontifical Council for Inter-religious Dialogue.

The Cardinals also began their examination of the “Diakonia of Justice,” and thus considerable time was dedicated to the Tribunals: the Apostolic Penitentiary, the Supreme Tribunal of the Apostolic Segnatura, and the Tribunal of the Roman Rota.

During the meetings, the Council also studied the process for the selection of candidates to the Episcopate.
 
http://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/in-latest-round-of-meetings-papal-advisors-cover-court-bishop-selection-16383/
In latest round of meetings, papal advisors cover court, bishop selection

http://www.ncregister.com/blog/edward-pentin/cardinal-marx-c9-pledge-of-support-for-pope-well-received
Blogs  |  Feb. 15, 2017
Cardinal Marx: C9 Pledge of Support for Pope Francis “Well Received”

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The Vatican and the Order of Malta... election of a new Grand Master on April 29

http://en.radiovaticana.va/news/2017/02/15/knights_of_malta_announce_date_for_election_of_grand_master/1292736

Knights of Malta announce date for election of Grand Master
15/02/2017 16:02

(Vatican Radio) The Order of Malta has announced the date for the upcoming election of a new Grand Master. In a statement issued on its website, the Order said that the Council Complete of State – the Order’s constitutional body – will meet in the group’s Magistral Villa in Rome on 29 to hold the election. The statement also noted that constitution of the Order provides for the possibility of the election instead of a Lieutenant of the Grand Master, who would hold office for up to a year.

The government of the Order, the Sovereign Council, met on Tuesday to set the date for the election, which was needed after the resignation of the 79th Grand Master, Fra’ Matthew Festing, which was accepted on 28 January. Fra’ Festing was asked to resign by Pope Francis who later expressed his “appreciation and gratitude to Fra’ Festing for his loyalty and devotion to the Successor of Peter, and his willingness to serve humbly the good of the Order and the Church.”
 
https://www.orderofmalta.int/2017/02/14/government-convene-council-complete-state/
The government of the Order of Malta to convene the Council Complete of State on 29 April to elect the successor of the Grand Master
Rome, 14/02/2017

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https://cnstopstories.com/2017/02/15/cardinal-burke-presiding-over-trial-investigating-guam-archbishop/

Cardinal Burke presiding over trial investigating Guam archbishop
Posted on February 15, 2017   

VATICAN CITY (CNS) — Cardinal Raymond L. Burke, a church law expert and former head of the Vatican’s highest court, arrived in Guam Feb. 15 as the presiding judge in a church trial investigating allegations of sexual abuse leveled against Archbishop Anthony S. Apuron of Agana.

The Vatican press office confirmed a “tribunal of the first instance” was constituted by the Vatican Oct. 5 and its presiding judge is Cardinal Burke. Four other judges, all of whom are bishops, also were appointed, the press office said.

“When an action is in a ‘first instance’ court, that indicates that it is in the initial trial phase,” according to the website of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, which handles accusations of clerical sexual abuse.
 

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https://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2017/02/15/world/europe/ap-eu-rel-vatican-guam.html?_r=2

Cardinal Sent to Guam to Investigate Sex Abuse Claims
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS  FEB. 15, 2017, 1:24 P.M. E.S.T.
 
Burke, a top canon lawyer, had headed the Vatican's high court until 2014, when Francis removed him and named him patron of the Knights of Malta religious order. Francis recently sidelined Burke from that position after Burke was involved in the problematic ouster of a senior knight.

Burke's defense of church doctrine has made him a hero to conservative and traditionalist Catholics upset with Francis' mercy-over-morals priorities. He is one of four cardinals who has asked Francis to clarify his controversial opening to divorced and civilly remarried Catholics.
 

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http://www.news.va/en/news/pope-at-mass-may-god-give-us-the-grace-to-proclaim

Pope at Mass: ‘May God give us the grace to proclaim an end to wars in world’
2017-02-16 Vatican Radio

(Vatican Radio) War begins in a person’s heart, for this reason we are all responsible for caring for peace. This was Pope Francis’ message during his morning Mass at the Casa Santa Marta.

Pope Francis at Mass spoke about the sufferings of so many people whose lives are upset by wars waged by the powerful and arms traffickers.

The dove, the rainbow, and the Covenant. The Holy Father spoke about these three images, present in the day’s First Reading from the Book of Genesis, in which Noah releases a dove after the flood. This dove, which returns with an olive branch, is “a sign of what God desired after the flood: peace, that is, that all would live in peace.” He said, “The dove and the rainbow are fragile. The rainbow is beautiful after a storm, but then a cloud comes and it disappears.” Even the dove, he added, is fragile. The Pope said he was reminded of when at a Sunday Angelus two years ago a seagull swooped in and killed the two doves he and two children had just released from a window of the Apostolic Palace.

People die in wars promoted by the powerful and arms traffickers

Pope Francis said, “The Covenant which God makes is strong, but we accept it in weakness. God makes peace with us but it is not easy to care for peace. It is a daily task, because within each of us is that seed of original sin, that is, the spirit of Cain which – for envy, jealousy, greed, and the desire to dominate – leads to war.” In this way, the Holy Father observed that, when speaking of the Covenant between God and humanity, reference is made to “blood”. As the First Reading states, “For your own lifeblood, too, I will demand an accounting: from every animal I will demand it, and from one man in regard to his fellow man.” We, the Pope said, “are our brothers’ keeper, and when there is blood spilt, there is sin, and God will demand an accounting.”
 

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http://www.news.va/en/news/pope-special-olympics-be-a-heartbeat-for-the-world

Pope Special Olympics: be a heartbeat for the world
2017-02-16 Vatican Radio

(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis on Thursday meeting with a delegation from the Special Olympics International in the Vatican, said they were “a sign of hope for all who commit themselves to a more inclusive society.”

This March the Special Olympics World Winter Games, takes place in Styria, Austria and on Thursday Pope Francis met a delegation from the Special Olympics International telling them “you will be, as the theme of this year’s event says, a “heartbeat for the world”.

In a way, the Pope told those gathered, “at the heart of all sporting activity is joy: the joy of exercising, of being together, of being alive and rejoicing in the gifts the Creator gives us each day. He continued, “the sweetest victory is when we surpass ourselves – we realize what true and well-deserved joy feels like.”
 

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http://www.news.va/en/news/pope-francis-to-university-students-keep-hope-aliv

Pope Francis to university students: keep hope alive
2017-02-17 Vatican Radio

(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis on Friday visited one of Rome’s major institutions of higher education: the  Università degli studi “Roma 3”, which has an enrollment of roughly 40 thousand students.

The Holy Father fielded four questions, each one from a student at a different level of study and in a different department, from post-graduates to married professionals in continuing formation to young undergrads from the business school and the arts and sciences.

One of the students was Nour Essa, a 31 year-old married mother and a refugee from Syria. She came to Rome with her family via Lesbos, making the last leg of her journey with Pope Francis, himself, aboard the Papal plane in 2016.

“I remember a question posed by a reporter on your plane, returning from Lesbos,” she said. “This question was on Europeans’ fear [It. la paura europea] of those coming from Syria or Iraq: do these people not threaten the Christian culture of Europe?”

In his largely off-the-cuff response, Pope Francis said, “Migrations are not a danger, but a challenge to grow.”

Pope Francis also responded to questions of European identity, of the special identity, character, and mission of the city of Rome – and of the duty of the students to the city – as well as of the need for a creative response to overcome a culture of violence, and the need to transform the global culture and become workers of intellectual charity in order to contribute to a constructive renewal of society.
 

[grace-land]

http://www.news.va/en/news/pope-sends-message-to-popular-movements-meeting-in

Pope sends message to popular movements meeting in California
2017-02-17 Vatican Radio

(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis has sent a message to hundreds of faith and community leaders taking part in a regional meeting of popular movements in Modesto, California, in the United States.

The encounter, taking place from February 16th to 18th, has been organised with the support of the Vatican’s new Dicastery for the Promotion of Integral Human Development, the U.S. Catholic Campaign for Human Development and the National Network of People Improving Communities through Organizing (PICO).

We must become good neighbours to any person in need. That was Pope Francis’ message to the leaders of popular movements that are working for structural changes in society to promote greater social, economic and racial justice.

Reflecting on the current global crisis, driven by what he called the “invisible tyranny of money”, the Pope said we must find opportunities to respond with compassion to those suffering most from the violence, corruption and injustice in our societies.

The god of money leaves people by the wayside

Speaking of the parable of the Good Samaritan, Pope Francis said  an economic system that has the god of money at its center can act with the same brutality as the robbers in that story. While we try to ignore the injuries it causes, he said, the suffering is televised live yet “nothing is done systematically to heal the wounds or to confront the structures that leave so many brothers and sisters by the wayside”

Shifting blame for society's ills

But Pope Francis told the leaders of grassroots organizations that “the system’s gangrene cannot be whitewashed forever because sooner or later the stench becomes too strong”. When it can no longer be denied, he said, the same power that spawned this state of affairs sets about manipulating peoples’ fear, insecurity and indignation in order to shift the responsibility onto a “non-neighbour” who can be blamed for society’s ills.

Follow the example of the Good Samaritan

We must follow the examples of the Samaritan and the innkeeper, the Pope said, by providing practical support for those suffering in body and spirit. He urged the popular movements to persevere in combatting the ecological crisis and in standing alongside migrants or those who are branded as criminals or terrorists.

No people is criminal, no religion is terrorist

No people is criminal and no religion is terrorist, he insisted, adding that there are fundamentalists and violent individuals in all peoples and religions. With intolerant generalisations, he said, they become stronger, feeding on hate and xenophobia, but by confronting terror with love, we work for peace.

Please find below the full English language text of Pope Francis’ message:
 

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http://www.news.va/en/news/pope-open-hearts-with-the-gospel-message

Pope: Open hearts with the Gospel message
2017-02-18 Vatican Radio

(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis on Saturday  received the Congregation of Marian Fathers of the Immaculate Conception who are in Rome for their General Chapter, telling them to open hearts with the Gospel message.

The Congregation of Marian Fathers of the Immaculate Conception was founded, in 1673, in Poland and works in 26 countries around the world.

In prepared remarks to the participants of the Congregation’s General Chapter on Saturday, Pope Francis told them that the example of their founder, St. Stanislaus of Jesus and Mary, who was canonized last year, was both the light and guide of their walk and fully understood the meaning of being a disciple of Christ.

In this perspective, the Pope said, “your service of the Word is the witness of the Risen Christ, that you have encountered on your path…” adding, that they were called to spread the Gospel message wherever they are sent.
 

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The Vatican and the Order of Malta...

https://cruxnow.com/analysis/2017/02/15/knights-malta-chief-says-burke-asked-official-resign/
Knights of Malta chief says it was Burke who asked official to resign
Austen Ivereigh   February 15, 2017

In an interview with an Austrian newspaper, the acting head of the Order of Malta has described being present at the meeting where the Grand Chancellor was asked to resign -- and that it was American Cardinal Raymond Burke, not the Grand Master, who made the request.
 

http://www.ncregister.com/blog/edward-pentin/cardinal-burke-explains-his-mission-to-guam
Blogs  |  Feb. 18, 2017
Cardinal Burke Firmly Rejects Account by Order of Malta’s Acting Head

The Cardinal Patron of the Order says he is “stunned” by Von Rumerstein’s account of Albrecht von Boeselager's dismissal and considers it “a calumny”; also gives interview detailing his recent visit to Guam.
Edward Pentin
 

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https://cruxnow.com/vatican/2017/02/18/cardinal-burke-denies-mission-guam-punishment/

Cardinal Burke denies mission in Guam is a ‘punishment’
Crux Staff   February 18, 2017

When American Cardinal Raymond Burke was recently dispatched to Guam to preside over a Church trial for an archbishop accused of abusing altar boys in the 1970s, some were inclined to interpret the move as a sort of exile.

Burke, a former president of the Apostolic Signatura, the Vatican’s Supreme Court, is well known as the perceived face of conservative opposition to Pope Francis, and also ran afoul of the pontiff in a recent controversy involving the leadership of the Knights of Malta, the group for which he serves as the ecclesiastical patron.

In an interview with an Italian TV outlet, however, Burke denies that the assignment in Guam is any sort of punishment. In fact, the outlet reports that it was the Vatican’s Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, not Pope Francis, who entrusted the assignment to Burke, and Francis didn’t even know about it until Burke was already in Guam.

Translated excerpts from that interview appear below, courtesy of TGCom 24.
 

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http://www.news.va/en/news/pope-christs-law-of-love-overcomes-law-of-retaliat

Pope: Christ's law of love overcomes law of retaliation
2017-02-19 Vatican Radio

(Vatican Radio) During his Angelus address on Sunday, Pope Francis said the day’s Gospel – part of the Sermon on the Mount, from the Gospel of Saint Matthew – is one of the Biblical passages that best expresses the Christian “revolution.”

In the day’s Gospel reading, he said, “Christ shows the path of true justice, through the law of love that overcomes that of retaliation, that is, ‘an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth’.” Jesus, he continued, does not ask His disciples simply to bear evils patiently, but to return good for evil: “Only in this way can the chains of evil be broken, and things can truly change.”
 
https://zenit.org/articles/angelus-address-on-loving-our-enemies/
ANGELUS ADDRESS: On Loving Our Enemies 
February 19, 2017

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AXXjqlv4vU8
2017.02.19 Angelus Domini

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http://www.news.va/en/news/pope-visits-parish-of-santa-maria-josefa-del-cuore

Pope visits parish of Santa Maria Josefa del Cuore di Gesù
2017-02-19 Vatican Radio

(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis travelled across Rome Sunday afternoon for a visit to the parish of Santa Maria Josefa of the Heart of Jesus (It: Santa Maria Josefa del Cuore di Gesù) in the suburb of Castelverde. It’s the Pope’s thirteenth visit to a Roman parish.
 
As is usual, Pope Francis had an encounter with children and young people in the parish, followed by visits with sick persons and the elderly, married couples who have had children baptized recently; families assisted by Caritas, and workers in the parish.

Following the meetings with parishioners, the Holy Father celebrated Mass in the parish church, where he delivered an off-the-cuff homily.

https://cruxnow.com/vatican/2017/02/19/parish-visit-pope-says-vendetta-rancor-arent-christian/
On parish visit, Pope says vendetta and rancor aren’t Christian
February 19, 2017

In his first visit to a Roman parish since posters went up around town on Feb. 4 charging that the pontiff lacks mercy, Pope Francis on Sunday insisted that pursuing a vendetta and talking behind people’s backs “is not Christian,” urging believers to pray for people who don’t like them.

The path to holiness, Francis said in an improvised homily, means “first of all, don’t resist evil, and don’t go on a vendetta … this is not Christian.

“Don’t give in to rancor, though that can be almost impossible,” Francis said. “Forget offenses, and when you’re struck on one cheek, offer the other.

“Evil must be defeated with good,” the pope, “with the strength of generosity.”
 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bmH6B2FbT58
2017.02.19 Pastoral Visit to the Parish of Santa Maria Josefa del Cuore di Gesù

[grace-land]

http://www.news.va/en/news/pope-at-mass-holy-shame-overcomes-temptation-of-am

Pope at Mass: ‘Holy shame overcomes temptation of ambition’
2017-02-21 Vatican Radio

(Vatican Radio) “May the Lord give us the grace of ‘holy shame’ before the temptation of ambition.” That was Pope Francis’ message at daily Mass in the Casa Santa Marta on Tuesday, saying that the one who wants to be the first must be last and the servant of all.

Pope Francis began his homily at daily Mass noting that “We will all be tempted.” He drew inspiration from the First Reading, which recalls that whoever wishes to serve the Lord must prepare for temptations, and the Gospel reading, in which Jesus tells his disciples of his impending death.

Temptation of ambition

The disciples do not understand why Jesus has told them of his coming death but are too afraid to ask what he means. This, the Pope said, is “the temptation to not complete the mission”. He said even Jesus suffered this temptation.

The day’s Gospel also mentioned another temptation, that of ambition. The disciples argue along the way about who among them was the greatest, but remain silent when Jesus asks them what they are discussing. The Holy Father said they do not respond because they are ashamed of their words:
 

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http://www.news.va/en/news/pope-francis-the-protection-of-migrants-is-a-moral

Pope Francis: 'the protection of migrants is a moral duty'
2017-02-21 Vatican Radio

(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis on Tuesday said the challenges of migration and the promotion of peace cannot be tackled without development and integration.

Speaking to participants of an International Forum on Migration and Peace taking place in Rome, whom he received in the Vatican , the Pope said the political community, civil society and the Church must offer a shared response to the complexities of the phenomenon of migration today .

“Our shared response, he said,  may be articulated by four verbs: to welcome, to protect, to promote and to integrate”.

He also drew attention to particularly vulnerable group of migrants, exiles and refugees:  “children and young people who are forced to live far from their homeland and who are separated from their loved ones”. 

The two-day High-Level International Forum  is organized by the new Vatican Dicastery for the Promotion of Integral Human Development in collaboration with the Scalabrini International Migration Network.
 

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The Vatican and the Order of Malta...

http://www.thetablet.co.uk/news/6759/0/burke-suspended-de-facto-as-knights-patron-grand-chancellor-says-

Burke suspended 'de facto' as Knights patron, Grand Chancellor says
21 February 2017 | by Christa Pongratz-Lippitt   

Accusations of pope violating Order's sovereignty unfounded, says von Beoselager

Cardinal Raymond Burke has now “de facto” been suspended as Patron of the Sovereign Order of Malta, according to Grand Chancellor Albrecht von Boeselager.

In a long interview for the Cologne archdiocese’s website domradio.de on 19 February, von Boeselager explained that Archbishop Angelo Becciu, “who has the full confidence of the Pope and is his spokesman”, was now responsible. “That means that Cardinal Burke as Cardinal Patron of the Order is now de facto suspended.”

The chief thing now was to restore peace in the Order so that it could concentrate on its real task, namely to promote and spread its worldwide aid projects, he added.

Asked if donations had declined because of the turbulence, von Boeselager said the decline had “fortunately” only been slight.

Questioned about how the crisis had come about, von Boeselager said that within the last “three or four years” the Grand Master [Matthew Festing] had become alienated from the Order’s government with the result that his [Festing’s] desired candidates had not been elected. “Others were put in important positions - and then the Grand Master tried to interfere and in my case force me out of office. Personality structures which I do not want to go into played a role”, von Boeselager said.

Pope Francis accepted the resignation of Grand Master Festing last month, and announced that the governance of the order would be taken over by a papal delegate, who was named on 4 February as Archbishop Becciu, who as substitute at the Secretariat of State is the Vatican’s second top diplomat.
 

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Meanwhile...Cardinal Burke and the trial

https://www.postguam.com/news/local/vatican-tribunal-concludes-guam-part-of-inquiry/article_42cca5ec-f67a-11e6-89aa-4f544829d9da.html
Vatican tribunal concludes Guam part of inquiry
Feb 20, 2017 Updated Feb 20, 2017

A cardinal and the rest of the members of a Vatican tribunal that came to Guam to investigate sex abuse allegations against suspended Archbishop Anthony Apuron have concluded the Guam part of their inquiry.

Cardinal Raymond Leo Burke, the judge of the tribunal, and other members of his party, left Friday, according to the Archdiocese of Agana.

The tribunal’s Guam visit is part of the canonical trial for Apuron, who faces penal charges in connection with allegations of sexual abuse of altar boys decades ago when he was a Guam priest.
 

https://www.postguam.com/news/local/vatican-tribunal-moves-on-to-hawaii/article_ff42bbce-f749-11e6-a662-df7a612c2be5.html
Vatican tribunal moves on to Hawaii
Feb 21, 2017 Updated 16 hrs ago

The Vatican tribunal led by Cardinal Raymond Leo Burke, which came to Guam last week to investigate sex abuse allegations against Archbishop Anthony Apuron, is in Hawaii to hear testimony from former Agat Parish altar boy Roy Quintanilla, according to a document The Guam Daily Post has received.

"As this tribunal has been informed of your readiness to be heard in the above-titled case regarding accusations against His Excellency, the Most Reverend Anthony Sablan Apuron, OFM Cap., at the direction of the Presiding Judge, I am forwarding to you his decree of citation by which you are called for said hearing," Rev. Justin Wachs wrote to Quintanilla.

According to Post files, the tribunal comprises Burke who serves as the presiding judge, Rev. Robert Geisinger who serves as the prosecutor, Rev. James Conn who serves as Apuron's advocate, and Wachs who serves as the tribunal's notary and designated recorder.
 

[grace-land]

http://www.news.va/en/news/pope-audience-hope-helps-to-see-beyond-negativity

Pope Audience: ‘Hope helps to see beyond negativity of present’
2017-02-22 Vatican Radio

(Vatican Radio)  Self-centeredness and sin corrupt the beauty of Creation, but God does not abandon humanity and turns Creation’s groans into hope for new life. That was at the heart of Pope Francis’ catechesis on Christian hope at his Wednesday General Audience.

Drawing inspiration from Chapter 8 of the Letter to the Romans, Pope Francis continued his catechesis on Christian hope. He said that St. Paul reminds us that Creation is God’s gift to humanity but that sin corrupts it.

“St. Paul reminds us that Creation is a marvelous gift, which God has placed in our hands, so that we can enter into relationship with Him and recognize the imprint of His love, in whose realization we are all called to collaborate, every single day.”
 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RPOEtuMrjIA
2017.02.22 General Audience

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http://en.radiovaticana.va/news/2017/02/22/secretariat_of_state_to_increase_protection_of_papal_images_/1294169

Secretariat of State to increase protection of Papal images
22/02/2017 12:00

(Vatican Radio) The Secretariat of State of the Holy See issued a press release on Wednesday, detailing the steps being taken to protect the image of the Holy Father. Below, please find the full text of the communiqué, in unofficial English translation.
***************************

The Secretariat of State, among its tasks, has also that of protecting the image of the Holy Father, so that his message can reach the faithful intact and that his person not be exploited.

It is in view of these same purposes, that the Secretary of State protects the symbols and coats of arms of the Holy See, through appropriate regulatory instruments provided for on an international level.
 

http://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/vatican-to-crack-down-on-illegal-sale-of-papal-symbols-coat-of-arms-15200/
Vatican to crack down on illegal sale of papal symbols, coat of arms
 
The Secretariat of State’s crackdown is a follow-up of their 2009 decision to issue a strict copyright of the Pope’s name, image and symbols.

In the Dec. 19, 2009, statement announcing the copyright deal, the Vatican stressed that “it alone has the right to ensure the respect due to the Successors of Peter, and therefore, to protect the figure and personal identity of the Pope from the unauthorized use of his name and/or the papal coat of arms for ends and activities which have little or nothing to do with the Catholic Church.”

“Consequently, the use of anything referring directly to the person or office of the Supreme Pontiff... and/or the use of the title 'Pontifical,' must receive previous and express authorization from the Holy See,” the statement read.