VATICAN INFORMATION SERVICE
YEAR XXII - # 082
DATE 04-05-2015
Summary:
- To the bishops of the Congo: build fraternity rooted in forgiveness and
solidarity
- Catholics and Lutherans are brothers in faith, not adversaries
- The Holy Father thanks the Pontifical Swiss Guard for their hard work
- Pope's message for the 750th anniversary of the birth of Dante
- Visit to the Roman parish of Santa Maria Regina Pacis
- Regina Coeli: true Christians who do good for society
- The Pope presides at the Mass and day of reflection dedicated to Friar
Junipero Serra
- Francis to the faithful of Molise and Abruzzo: job creation cannot be
postponed
- Globalising solidarity: the Pope's message for the inauguration of the Milan
Universal Exposition
- To the Cursillos in Christianity: take your charism to the existential
peripheries
- Four cardinals to take possession of titles and diaconates
- Audiences
- Other Pontifical Acts
___________________________________________________________
To the bishops of the Congo: build fraternity rooted in forgiveness and
solidarity
Vatican City, 4 May 2015 (VIS) - The bishops of the Episcopal Conference of
Congo were received in audience by Pope Francis this morning, at the end of
their "ad Limina" visit. The Holy Father handed them a written discourse in
which he emphasises the vitality of the Catholic Church in this country, which
has led to the creation of three new dioceses, and the work of pastors in the
work of evangelisation, as well as the Church's contribution in the education
and healthcare sectors and her role in national reconciliation following the
grave crisis of the 1990s.
Francis praises the work of the Episcopal Conference with regard to the
mission
of the laity in the Church and society, and mentioned the importance of forming
and accompanying laypeople to offer Christian witness in socio-political
sectors, which constitute a specific sector for the apostolate. "Family
pastoral
ministry is an integral part of this accompaniment. The reluctance of the
faithful to embark on Christian marriage reveals the need for profound
evangelisation, which involves not only the inculturation of faith, but also
the
evangelisation of local traditions and culture".
In these sectors, as in many others, priests are the bishops' first
collaborators and as a result, their living conditions and sanctification must
be central to their concerns. "The immense pastoral needs of the local Church
require rigorous discernment, so that the People of God are able to count on
zealous pastors who edify the faithful through their testimony of life,
especially in relation to celibacy and the spirit of evangelical poverty". The
Pope also remarks that in some dioceses there are great difficulties due to the
lack of available financial and material resources.
"I am aware of the magnitude of the problems and the worries related to this
situation in the heart of a pastor. Therefore, I encourage you to resolutely
engage your dioceses in embarking on the path of autonomy, a gradual takeover
of
control and solidarity between the particular Churches in your country,
following a tradition that dates back to the first Christian communities. In
this respect, you must be careful to ensure that economic aid to your
particular
Churches in support of your specific mission does not limit your freedom as
pastors or obstruct the freedom of the Church, which must have a free hand to
proclaim the Gospel in a credible way. ... With regard to mutual aid and
solidarity between local Churches, this must also be reflected in the promotion
of the missionary spirit first within Africa", affirmed Francis, quoting Paul
VI
in his 1969 discourse in Kampala: "By now, you Africans are missionaries to
yourselves".
In-depth evangelisation is another great challenge for the bishops, and one
which requires "special attention to the concrete conditions of life for the
populations; that is, ultimately, to the development of the human person. Again
here the commitment of the Catholic Church in the Congo is important: in the
fields of education, healthcare, and aid to the various categories of people in
need, including refugees from neighbouring countries, your diocese contribute
in
a significant way. As pastors, continue to ensure that your social ministry is
increasingly carried out in the spirit of the Gospel and perceived as a work of
evangelisation, and not as the action of a non-governmental organisation".
The Pope concludes by noting that in certain sectors of society, the wounds
caused by the grave crisis that affected the Congo at the end of the 1990s have
left deep scars that have not yet fully healed. "In this respect, in
particular,
the Church, strong in the Gospel of Jesus, has received the mission of building
new fraternity anchored in forgiveness and solidarity. You, pastors, continue
to
be models and prophets in this sense!".
___________________________________________________________
Catholics and Lutherans are brothers in faith, not adversaries
Vatican City, 4 May 2015 (VIS) - This morning the Pope received in audience
the
Lutheran archbishop of Uppsala, Sweden, Antje Jackelen, who led a delegation to
the Vatican from the Evangelical-Lutheran Church. Francis greeted them
cordially
and commented that last year was the fiftieth anniversary of the Vatican
Council
II decree on ecumenism, "Unitatis Redintegratio", which continues to be the key
point of reference for the ecumenical efforts of the Catholic Church. "This
document is an invitation to all Catholics to undertake the path of unity to
overcome division between Christians, which is "not only openly opposed to the
will of Christ, but is also a scandal to the world and damages the holiest of
causes: the preaching of the Gospel to every creature".
The decree "expresses a profound respect and appreciation for those brothers
and sisters separated from us, to whom in daily coexistence we at times risk
giving little consideration. In reality, they are not perceived as adversaries
or as competitors, but instead acknowledged for what they are: brothers and
sisters in faith. Catholics and Lutherans must seek and promote unity in
dioceses, in parishes, in communities throughout the world", the Pope
emphasised, mentioning the recent document "From conflict to communion. The
Lutheran-Catholic Common Commemoration of the Reformation in 2017", published
by
the Lutheran-Catholic Commission for Unity. "We sincerely hope that this
initiative may encourage, with God's help and collaboration between Him and
among us, the achievement of further steps on the path of unity".
The call to unity also implies "a pressing exhortation to joint commitment at
the charitable level, in favour of all those who suffer in the world as a
result
of poverty and violence, and have a special need for our mercy; the witness of
our persecuted brothers and sisters in particular drives us to grow in
fraternal
communion. The question of the dignity of human life, always to be respected,
is
of urgent relevance, as are issues regarding the family, marriage and
sexuality,
that may not be set aside or ignored for fear of jeopardising the ecumenical
consensus already received. It would be a pity if new confessional differences
were to be consolidated with regard to these important questions".
Francis concluded his address by giving thanks first to the Swedish Lutheran
Church, "for the welcome given to so many South American migrants in the times
of the dictatorships, a fraternal welcome that has enabled families to grow",
and secondly, to Jackelen, "for the delicacy that you, dear sister, have had in
appointing my dear friend, the pastor Anders Root: I have shared with him the
chair in spiritual theology and he has helped me greatly in spiritual life".
___________________________________________________________
The Holy Father thanks the Pontifical Swiss Guard for their hard work
Vatican City, 4 May 2015 (VIS) - "'Greater love has no one than this, that
someone lay down his life for his friends'. In the history of the Church, many
men and women have heeded the call of this great love. The Swiss Guards who
fought during the Sack of Rome and who gave their lives in defence of the Pope
responded to this call. And answering this call with devotion means following
Christ", said the Holy Father as he received in audience the new recruits to
the
Pontifical Swiss Guard who will take their oath of loyalty tomorrow, 6 May.
"In the Spiritual Exercises, St. Ignatius of Loyola, who in his youth was a
soldier, spoke of the 'call of the Christ the King', who wishes to build His
Kingdom and choose his collaborators. The Lord wishes to build His Kingdom with
the collaboration of men. He needs decisive and courageous people. ... At the
same
time, Ignatius compares the world to two military camps, one with the standard
of Christ, the other under the flag of Satan. There are only these two camps.
For the Christian the choice is clear: he follows Christ's standard".
"Christ is the true King. He Himself goes ahead and His friends follow Him.
One
of Christ's soldiers participates in the life of His Lord. This is also the
call
that is addressed to you: to take on the concerns of Christ, to be His
companions. In this way you learn, day by day, to 'feel' with Christ and with
the Church. A Swiss Guard is a person who truly seeks to follow the Lord Jesus
and who loves the Church in a special way; he is a Christian with genuine
faith", emphasised the Pontiff. "You too, like every Christian, must live all
this through the Sacraments of the Church: with diligent participation in Mass
and frequent Confession. You can live this by reading the Gospel every day.
What
I say to all, I repeat to you: keep a pocket-sized Gospel close to hand, so you
can read it whenever you have a free moment. Your personal prayer, especially
the Rosary, will also help you, during your guards of honour. And it will help
you in your service to the poor, the sick, to those in need of a good word".
The Pope remarked that when the Swiss Guards meet people and pilgrims they
transmit to them, with their "kindness and competence", this "great love" that
comes from their friendship with Christ. Indeed", he exclaimed, "you are a
banner for the Holy See! I thank you and encourage you in your work".
"I know that your service is demanding. When there is extra work to be done,
we
are always able to count on the Swiss Guard. I thank you with affection and
express my great appreciation for all that you do for the Church and for me, as
the Successor of Peter", he concluded.
___________________________________________________________
Pope's message for the 750th anniversary of the birth of Dante
Vatican City, 4 May 2015 (VIS) - This morning, with the commemoration in the
Senate, there began the events with which all Italy will celebrate the birth of
Dante Alighieri (Florence 1265 - Ravenna 1321), the author of "The Divine
Comedy". The Pope participated with a message to Cardinal Gianfranco Ravasi,
president of the Pontifical Council for Culture, also present at the ceremony
presided over by the President of the Republic Sergio Mattarella, and attended
by the minister for Culture Dario Franceschini and the actor Roberto Benigni,
who read Canto XXXIII of Paradise.
"With this message, I wish to join the chorus of those who consider Dante
Alighieri to be an artist of the highest universal value, who still has much to
say and to offer, through his immortal works, to those who wish to follow the
route of true knowledge, of the authentic discovery of the self, of the world,
of the profound and transcendent meaning of existence", writes the Pope.
He notes that many of his predecessors celebrated the anniversaries of Dante
with documents of great importance, in which the figure of Dante Alighieri is
presented precisely for his continuing relevance and his greatness, not only
artistic but also theological and cultural. He cites, among these, Benedict XV
who dedicated his encyclical "In praeclara summorum" (1921) to Dante on the
sixth centenary of his death, affirming and highlighting "the intimate union of
Dante with the See of Peter". Blessed Paul VI dedicated the Apostolic Letter
"Altissimi cantus", at the closure of Vatican Council II, to Dante, affirming
that "Dante is ours! Ours, as in of Catholic faith". St. John Paul II and
Benedict XVI also often referred to the works of the great poet and mentioned
him on numerous occasions. Pope Francis added that in his first encyclical,
"Lumen Fidei", he drew upon the "immense patrimony of images, symbols and
values
that constitute Dante's work".
On the eve of the extraordinary Jubilee of Mercy, the Holy Father expresses
his
hope that during this year the figure of Dante and his work will also accompany
us on this personal and community path. "Indeed", he remarks, "the Comedy may
be
read as a great itinerary, or rather as a true pilgrimage, both personal and
interior, and communal, ecclesial, social and historical. It represents the
paradigm of every authentic journey in which humanity is called upon to leave
what Dante defines as 'the threshing-floor that makes us so ferocious' to
attain
a new condition, marked by harmony, peace and happiness. And this is the
horizon
of every true humanism".
"Dante is, therefore, a prophet of hope, herald of the possibility of
redemption, of liberation, of the profound transformation of every man and
--- MPost/386 v1.21
* Origin: Sursum Corda! BBS=Huntsville AL=bbs.sursum-corda.com (1:396/45)
|
