Pope Francis

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https://cruxnow.com/church-in-oceania/2019/06/24/australians-begin-ad-limina-visits-acknowledging-impact-of-abuse-crisis/

Australians begin ‘ad limina’ visits acknowledging impact of abuse crisis
Cindy Wooden  Jun 24, 2019
CATHOLIC NEWS SERVICE

(Credit: Paul Haring/CNS.)
ROME - The president of the Australian bishops’ conference told his fellow bishops that it is “a time of humiliation” for Catholic Church leaders, but he is convinced that God is still at work.

As church leaders continue to face the reality of the clerical sexual abuse crisis and attempts to cover it up, “we as bishops have to discover anew how small we are and yet how grand is the design into which we have been drawn by the call of God and his commissioning beyond our betrayals,” said Archbishop Mark Coleridge of Brisbane, conference president.

After a weeklong retreat near Rome, the bishops of Australia began their ad limina visits to the Vatican with Mass June 24 at the tomb of St. Peter and a long meeting with Pope Francis.
 

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https://www.vaticannews.va/en/vatican-city/news/2019-06/ecumenical-patriarchate-costantinopole-feast-peter-paul-rome.html

Ecumenical Patriarch's delegation in Rome for the feast of Sts. Peter and Paul
24 June 2019, 13:00

Sts. Peter and Paul.
Each year, the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople and the Vatican send delegations for the feasts of their respective patrons.
By Robin Gomes

An official delegation from the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople in Istanbul, Turkey, will be in Rome, June 27-29, on the occasion of the feast of Sts. Peter and Paul, June 29.

St. Peter, the first ‎bishop of Rome, ‎and St. Paul, the Apostle of the Gentiles, were both martyred in Rome and are patrons of the Eternal City.  Their feast is a holiday both in Rome and in the Vatican.

Each year, the Ecumenical Patriarchate and the Vatican send delegations for the feasts of their respective patrons.  The Vatican sends a delegation to Istanbul on the November 30 feast of St. Andrew, the patron of the Patriarchate.
 

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https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2019-06/council-cardinals-pope-30th-meeting.html

Pope presides over Council of Cardinals meeting on Curial reform
25 June 2019, 15:52

The main focus of the six members of the Council, who are in session until Thursday, is the review of the new Apostolic Constitution on the reform of the Roman Curia whose provisional title is "Praedicate evangelium".

The 30th meeting of the Council of Cardinals that is advising the Pope on the reform of the central government of the Catholic Church began in the Vatican Tuesday morning in the presence of the Pontiff.

The main focus of the meeting that will conclude on Thursday, is the new Apostolic Constitution on the reform of the Roman Curia, the central government of the Catholic Church.

The draft text of the document, whose provisional title is "Praedicate Evangelium" (Preach the Gospel), was approved by the Council of Cardinals and sent to the presidents of the national bishops’ conferences, the Synods of the Eastern Churches, the dicasteries of the Roman Curia, the Conferences of Major Superiors and a few Pontifical Universities which were asked to send observations and suggestions.

"Praedicate Evangelium" is to replace the current Apostolic Constitution "Pastor Bonus" (The Good Shepherd) of Pope St. John Paul II which has been in force since June 28, 1988, and also includes modifications and additions by Popes Benedict XVI and Francis.
 

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https://www.vaticannews.va/en/vatican-city/news/2019-06/holy-see-un-auza-terrorism-religions-tolerance-inclusivity.html

Holy See urges tolerance, inclusivity to combat terrorism against religions
25 June 2019, 13:32

St. Sebastian's Church in Negombo, Sri Lanka, after the Easter Sunday terrorist attack on April 21, 2019.   (Madusanka Siriwardana)

Archbishop Bernardito Auza, the Holy See’s Permanent ******* to the United Nations in New York, on June 24 addressed an event on countering terrorism and other acts of violence against religious believers by fostering a culture of tolerance and inclusivity.
By Robin Gomes

The Holy See is urging patience, perseverance, wisdom, courage and leadership in countering terrorism against every religion by fostering tolerance and inclusivity.

“I hope we will all become part of the short- and long-term solution,” Archbishop Bernardito Auza, the Holy See’s Permanent ******* to the United Nations in New York, urged on Monday at an event on countering terrorism and other acts of violence against all religious believers by fostering a culture of tolerance and inclusivity.

Not just condemnation but action

Condemning several attacks against Jews, Muslims, Christians and other religious believers, and especially mentioning the recent terrorist attacks on “Easter Worshippers” in Sri Lanka, he noted that their houses of worship became “execution chambers”. 

He said that merely condemning these attacks is not enough.   “There is a need to focus on the responsibility and actions of states to protect all of their citizens equally as well as to address with vigour the cultural factors necessary to promote tolerance and inclusivity.”
 

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Update:  Cardinal Pell

https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/due-to-backlash-pell-to-live-in-secure-compound-if-appeal-succeeds-82615
Due to backlash, Pell to live in 'secure compound' if appeal succeeds

Sydney, Australia, Jun 25, 2019 / 12:03 am (CNA).- While Cardinal George Pell of Australia is appealing his sexual abuse conviction in court, he and his supporters are making arrangements for a “safe hideaway” for the cleric, should his conviction be overturned.

According to The Australian, the risk of backlash and threats against the cardinal are so high that he is seeking a “secure compound” in which to live, should his appeal succeed in court. Some possibilities for this place would include an undisclosed location in New South Wales in southeastern Australia, or somewhere in Rome, where he previously lived and worked as prefect of the Secretariat for the Economy, the report noted. He would not reassume his Vatican position.

The Australian noted that one possible safe place for Pell to live, should his conviction overturn, would be a seminary in Sydney, where he stayed as he awaited trial. The difficulty with placing the high-profile cardinal in Australia is that he is easily recognized.
 
The Australian added that the Supreme Court will adjourn between June 29 and July 14, meaning that the final ruling in the appeal might not be handed down until after the recess. Should Pell’s appeal fail, appealing to the Australian High Court could be the next step for his legal team.

“We’re not making any assump­tions at all about whether the appeal will be successful,’’ a friend of Pell told The Australian. “It’s one day at a time.’’

The Vatican opened an internal investigation into Pell following his conviction, but they have said that Pell has the right to maintain his innocence until the “last stage of appeal.”

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https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2019-06/pope-francis-general-audience-26-june-2019-catechesis-acts.html

Pope: Church of Acts a paradigm for every Christian community
26 June 2019, 11:09

Pope Francis greets the faithful at the General Audience  (Vatican Media )
At the weekly General Audience, Pope Francis continues his catechesis on the Acts of the Apostles, focusing on "the life of the primitive community between love of God and love of our brothers and sisters".
By Christopher Wells

In his catechesis at the General Audience on Wednesday, Pope Francis said that St Luke shows us the Church in Jerusalem “as the paradigm of every Christian community”. His reflection was based on a passage from the book of Acts: “And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers” (2:42).

In the Acts of the Apostles, we see the early Christians listening to the apostolic preaching, practicing “a high quality of interpersonal relationships through communion of spiritual and material goods”, remembering the Lord in the celebration of the Eucharist, and dialoguing with God in prayer.
 
https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2019-06/pope-francis-general-audience-26-june-2019-catechesis-acts0.html
Pope General Audience: English Summary
26 June 2019, 11:32

https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2019-06/pope-sorrow-death-migrants-death-united-states-mexico-border.html
Pope saddened by death of migrant father, baby at US-Mexico border
26 June 2019, 14:05

Video at the link below--
Pope Francis - General Audience 2019-06-26
https://www.youtube.com/user/vatican

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https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2019-06/pope-to-stella-maris-delegation-be-missionaries-of-compassion-a.html

Pope to Stella Maris delegation: Be missionaries of compassion and mercy
27 June 2019, 12:30

Pope Francis with Chaplains and voluteers from the Stella Maris Apostolate  (Vatican Media)
Pope Francis on Thursday meets with National Directors, Chaplains and volunteers from the Stella Maris Apostolate telling them to be missionaries of compassion and to confront issues that are the fruit of human greed.
By Lydia O'Kane

The Stella Maris apostolate is active in over three hundred ports worldwide, offering spiritual and material assistance to sailors, fishermen and their often distant families.

Indeed, it was Pope Pius XI who wanted the apostolate to extend its mission to the oceans and the shores of every continent.

National Directors, Chaplains and volunteers have been attending their European Regional Meeting in Rome this week, which included an audience with Pope Francis on Thursday.

Greeting the participants gathered in the Vatican, the Pope told them that “without sailors, the global economy would come to a standstill; and without fishermen, many parts of the world would starve.”
 

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https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2019-06/pope-francis-fao-hunger-food-insecurity-migration-agriculture.html

Pope urges compassion, social and political will to tackle hunger and food insecurity
27 June 2019, 12:49

Pope Francis on June 27 addressed some 500 participants in the 41st General Conference of the Rome-based United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO).
By Robin Gomes

Pope Francis on Thursday urged for the cooperation of all in order to tackle the “scourges of hunger and food insecurity” in the world, whose causes, he said, lie in the lack of compassion, interest and social and political will.

Welcoming in the Vatican some 500 participants in the 41st General Conference of the Rome-based United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the Pope drew attention especially to the first two Sustainable Development Goals of the 2030 Agenda – “no poverty” and “zero hunger”.
 

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https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2019-06/pope-francis-slovenia-prime-minister-sarec-audience.html

Pope meets Slovenian Prime Minister
27 June 2019, 15:06

Pope Francis holding talks with Slovenian Prime Minister Marjan Sarec in the Vatican, June 27, 2019.   (Vatican Media)
The Holy See and Slovenia acknowledged the contribution of the Church in the country and discussed issues of common interest and challenges.

Pope Francis on Thursday received in private audience in the Vatican, Prime Minsiter Marjan Šarec of Slovenia.  Šarec later met Vatican Secretary of State, Cardinal Pietro Parolin along with Vatican Secretary for Relations with States, Archbishop Paul R. Gallagher.

“During the cordial discussions, the parties focused on the good bilateral relations and expressed the hope that these may be consolidated through the signing of specific agreements on some matters of common interest,” the Holy See Press Office said in a communique.
 

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https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2019-06/pope-francis-consitory-canonization-newman-thresia.html

Card. Newman, Sister Thresia of India and 3 others soon to be saints
27 June 2019, 16:49

Cardinal John Henry Newman.
Pope Francis is holding an Ordinary Public Consistory on July 1 to vote on the canonization of five Blesseds.
By Robin Gomes

Pope Francis has called an Ordinary Public Consistory of Cardinals in Rome next week to decide on the canonization of five Blesseds, including Cardinal John Henry Newman of England and Sister Mariam Thresia of India.

The Office for the Liturgical Celebrations of the Supreme Pontiff released a note on Thursday saying the Pope will preside over the celebration of the Liturgy of the Hours and an Ordinary Public Consistory in the Vatican’s Clementine Hall on July 1 for the canonization of the following:

- English Cardinal John Henry Newman, founder of the Oratory of Saint Philip Neri in England;
 

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https://zenit.org/articles/30th-meeting-of-council-of-cardinals-consults-externally-as-works-toward-finalizing-predicate-evangelium/

30th Meeting of Council of Cardinals Consults Externally As Works Toward Finalizing ‘Praedicate Evangelium’ 
“C6” Continues Work of Curial Reform
June 27, 2019 16:01•Deborah Castellano Lubov
 
The 30th meeting of the Council of Cardinals concludes today in the Vatican. The members will conclude the day an hour earlier than usual to partake in the Mass at 6 p.m., which will be presided over by Pope Francis, for the 50th anniversary of the marriage of Guzmán Carriquiry Lecour, Vice-president of the Pontifical Commission for Latin America, and his wife, Lídice María Gómez Mango.

The Council used to be commonly called the C9 but now is being termed by many as the C6, following the dismissal of three of its members during the December 2018 meeting. The Council is studying the plans for reforming the Apostolic Constitution “Pastor Bonus” on the Roman Curia.
 
https://cruxnow.com/vatican/2019/06/27/curial-aide-says-reform-is-about-mission-not-doctrine/
Curial aide says reform is about mission, not doctrine
Elise Harris  Jun 27, 2019

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Hmmm...

full list of invited participants at the link
http://www.ncregister.com/blog/edward-pentin/pre-amazonian-synod-study-meeting-held-in-rome
Jun. 26, 2019
Pre-Amazonian Synod ‘Study Meeting’ Held in Rome
A number of key German Church leaders, including Cardinal Walter Kasper, were in attendance at the June 25 meeting.
Edward Pentin

VATICAN CITY — A private meeting held to discuss the upcoming Amazonian synod and involving largely German-speaking prelates and experts took place on Tuesday in Rome.

According to Holy See spokesman Alessandro Gisotti, the gathering was a “study meeting” of the Pan-Amazonian Ecclesial Network (REPAM).

Earlier in the day, an official at the Synod of Bishops denied all knowledge of the meeting when asked about it.
 

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http://www.ncregister.com/blog/edward-pentin/cardinal-brandmueller-synod-document-is-attack-on-the-foundations-of-the-fa

Jun. 27, 2019
Synod Doc is ‘Attack on the Foundations of the Faith,’ says Cardinal
The instrumentum laboris “constitutes an attack on the foundations of the faith” in a way not thought possible before, says Cardinal Walter Brandmüller
Edward Pentin

Cardinal Walter Brandmüller has firmly criticized the working document of the upcoming Amazonian Synod, saying “decisive points” are “heretical” and that it constitutes an “attack on the foundations of the faith.”

In a June 27 commentary the president emeritus of the Pontifical Committee for Historical Sciences also said the document “burdens” the Synod of Bishops with a “grave breach” of the deposit of faith which he believes will either result in the Church’s “self-destruction,” or reduce her to a “secular NGO with an ecological-social-psychological mandate.”

The German cardinal began his critique, published jointly at LifeSiteNews and Kathnet, by calling it “truly astonishing” that the synod, which takes place in Rome Oct. 6-27, deals exclusively with a region whose population is “just half that of Mexico City.”
 
https://www.lifesitenews.com/news/cardinal-critiques-amazon-synod-working-doc-as-heretical...apostasy-urges-bishops-to-reject-it
Thu Jun 27, 2019 - 6:00 am EST
Cardinal critiques Amazon synod working doc as ‘heretical…apostasy’, urges bishops to ‘reject’ it

http://www.sinodoamazonico.va/content/sinodoamazonico/en/documents/pan-amazon-synod--the-working-document-for-the-synod-of-bishops.html

Special Assembly of the Synod of Bishops for the Pan-Amazon Region - 6 to 27 October
Amazonia: New Paths for the Church and for an Integral Ecology

WORKING DOCUMENT
THE AMAZON: NEW PATHS FOR THE CHURCH AND FOR INTEGRAL ECOLOGY
THE SYNOD OF BISHOPS
SPECIAL ASSEMBLY FOR THE PAN-AMAZON

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Update:  Archbishop Fulton Sheen

https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/fulton-sheens-remains-arrive-in-peoria-sainthood-cause-resumes-40990

Fulton Sheen's remains arrive in Peoria; sainthood cause resumes

Archbishop Fulton Sheen
Peoria, Ill., Jun 27, 2019 / 04:20 pm (CNA).- Venerable Archbishop Fulton Sheen’s remains have been transferred from the Archdiocese of New York to Peoria, Illinois, after three years of litigation, clearing the way for the former archbishop’s sainthood cause to go forward.

Bishop Daniel Jenky of Peoria announced today that Sheen’s remains had been transferred from St. Patrick Cathedral, New York, to the Cathedral of St. Mary of the Immaculate Conception in Peoria.

“Church law requires that the transfer of the remains of one considered for beatification must...be done without any solemnity,” a June 27 release from the diocese explained.

“As a result, the transfer could not be publicized in advance. Also, no liturgical ceremony or public gathering could be held during the transfer. Therefore, the transfer of the remains was done without prior public notice.”
 

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https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2019-06/pope-prayer-network-is-a-mission-of-compassion-for-the-world.html

Pope: Prayer Network is a mission of compassion for the world
28 June 2019, 14:58

Pope Francis during audience with Worldwide Prayer Network  (Vatican Media)
Six thousand people from the Pope’s Worldwide Prayer Network gather in the Paul VI Hall to celebrate the Apostolate’s 175th anniversary.

The Pope’s Worldwide Prayer Network, or the Apostolate of Prayer, looks at the challenges facing humanity and assists the mission of the Church.

The network prays and works to meet the challenges of the world identified by the Pope in his monthly intentions, while walking a spiritual path known as the “Way of the Heart.”

To mark its 175th anniversary, the Pope presided over an event in the Vatican’s Paul VI Hall on Friday, thanking all those present for their commitment to prayer.

He also heard testimonies from a number of people from around the world who are working in prayer ministry.
 

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https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/benedict-xvi-the-churchs-unity-is-stronger-than-internal-conflicts-39329

Benedict XVI: The Church’s unity is stronger than internal conflicts
By Courtney Grogan

Vatican City, Jun 28, 2019 / 04:51 am (CNA).- Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI said in an article published Friday that the unity of the Church has always prevailed over internal struggles and affirmed that there is currently only one pope.

“The Pope is one, it is Francis,” Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI said in an interview with an Italian magazine published by Corriere Della Sera June 28.

“The unity of the Church has always been in danger, for centuries,” Benedict said. “It has been for all its history. Wars, internal conflicts, centrifugal forces, threats of schisms.”

“In the end the awareness that the Church is and must remain united has always prevailed. Its unity has always been stronger than internal struggles and wars,” the pope emeritus explained.
 

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https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2019-06/pope-francis-ecumenical-patriarchate-delegation-greeting.html

Pope: Orthodox and Catholics joining forces to meet present challenges
28 June 2019, 15:35

Ahead of the feast of Sts. Peter and Paul, Pope Francis greets a delegation from the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople, urging Orthodox and Catholic faithful to work together on issues such as welcoming migrants, combating modern slavery, and protecting creation.
By Devin Watkins

As per tradition, an ecumenical delegation sent by the Patriarch of Constantinople, Bartholomew I, is in Rome to celebrate the feast of the patrons of the Eternal City, Sts. Peter and Paul.

On the eve of the June 29th holiday, Pope Francis held an audience with the delegation to exchange a word of greeting.

The Holy Father reciprocates annually by sending a delegation to Istanbul for the feast of St. Andrew, the patron of the Ecumenical Patriarchate.

In his remarks, the Pope praised the delegation’s presence as a sign of the “solid bonds” linking the Catholic and Orthodox Churches, as well as of efforts “to journey towards the fullness of communion”.

“The feast of Saints Peter and Paul,” he said, “invites us to renew the charity that generates unity.”
 

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https://zenit.org/articles/anniversary-of-jorge-mario-bergoglios-episcopal-ordination/

Anniversary of Jorge Mario Bergoglio’s Episcopal Ordination 
June 28, 2019 16:38•Anita Bourdin

Episcopal Ordination Of Jorge Mario Bergoglio © Youtube
June 27, 2019,  was the anniversary of the Episcopal Ordination, 27 years ago, of Father Jorge Mario Bergoglio, in the Cathedral of Our Lady of Buenos Aires, on June 27, 1992, fifth centenary of the Evangelization of Latin America. He was 55 years old.

The Tweet published today on his account, in the form of a Blessing, summarizes, perhaps, how the Pope sees the role of a Bishop: “Blessed is he who believes and has the courage to create encounter and communion.”

However, Pope Francis already drew on several occasion the portrait of the Bishop according to his heart, as he did in his homily on November 12, 2018, at Saint Martha’s: “It’s the Word of God which proclaims that the Bishop must be a meek and humble servant, not a prince.” “It’s not a post-Conciliar novelty, but it goes back to the beginnings of the Church when she realized she had to organize herself,” pointed out the Pope.

“There cannot be order in the Church without this type of Bishop, beginning with “hospitality,” to then “be enamored of the good,” “reasonable, just, holy, master of himself, faithful to the Word that has been taught to him.”
 

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Update:  Pre-Amazon Synod private meeting

A working English translation of the REPAM report is at the link
https://www.lifesitenews.com/news/amazon-pre-Synod-private-meeting-calls-for-female-diaconate-vatican-in-attendance

Fri Jun 28, 2019 - 11:09 am EST
BREAKING: Pre-Amazon Synod private meeting calls for female diaconate, Vatican in attendance

ROME, June 28, 2019 (LifeSiteNews) — A final report from this week’s private and unannounced Pre-Amazonian Synod “study meeting” is openly calling for the Church to reconsider the female diaconate and to ordain married men in the Latin Rite. It is also calling on the Oct. 6-27 synod of bishops to put in place the necessary structures to implement this agenda.

The report, published by REPAM (The Pan-Amazonian Ecclesial Network) on June 26, is the fruit of a private symposium organized and attended by key German prelates and Vatican officials, including Cardinal Walter Kasper and the secretary general of the Synod of Bishops, Cardinal Lorenzo Baldisseri.

REPAM was set up in 2014 by the nine Churches of the Amazon region, including Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, French Guyana, Guyana, Peru, Surinam and Venezuela. Inspired by Pope Francis and backed by the Latin American Bishops’ Conference, CELAM, the network aims to “bring to the world’s attention the fragile situation of indigenous people in the Amazon and the critical importance of the Amazon biome to the planet — our common home.”

According to the REPAM report, the purpose of the three-day theological symposium was to “look in depth” at the Amazon Synod’s controversial working document [Instrumentum laboris]. The document, which will form the basis for discussion at the October Synod, came under unprecedented criticism on Thursday, when German Cardinal Walter Brandmüller, president emeritus of the Pontifical Committee for Historical Science, issued a statement calling the document “heretical” and approaching “apostasy.”

The Pre-Amazonian Synod “study-meeting” was held at a gated hilltop convent on the outskirts of Rome on June 24-26.  News of the meeting came to light on June 25, through independent reports by respected Italian journalist Marco Tosatti, Edward Pentin of the National Catholic Register, and Maike Hickson of LifeSiteNews.

On June 26, LifeSiteNews obtained the list of participants, which may be viewed here.

Below are the key paragraphs on celibacy and the female diaconate from the REPAM final report:
 

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https://cruxnow.com/papal-visit/2019/06/29/vatican-publishes-itinerary-for-papal-trip-to-africa-sept-4-10/

Vatican publishes itinerary for papal trip to Africa Sept. 4-10
Catholic News Service
Jun 29, 2019

(Credit: CNS photo/Vatican Press Office.)
VATICAN CITY - Pope Francis’s sixth foreign trip of 2019 will take him to Mozambique, Madagascar and Mauritius Sept. 4-10, the Vatican announced.

Publishing an initial schedule for the visit June 28, the Vatican listed the main events - from meetings with government officials and Masses to a visit to a local hospital - but it did not provide precise times for most events.

The following is the initial schedule; times listed are local, with Eastern Daylight Time in parentheses.

Wednesday, Sept. 4 (Rome, Maputo)