VATICAN INFORMATION SERVICE
YEAR XXVI - # 19
DATE 29-01-2016
Summary:
- To the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith: faith is not only
knowledge
committed to memory, but truth lived in love
- Two initiatives linked to the Jubilee: the Missionaries of Mercy and the
translation to Rome of the relics of St. Pio of Pietrelcina and St. Leopold
Mandic
- World Leprosy Day: combating disease and reintegrating survivors in society
- Audiences
- Other Pontifical Acts
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To the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith: faith is not only knowledge
committed to memory, but truth lived in love
Vatican City, 29 January 2016 (VIS) - "Mercy is the foundation of the life of
the Church: the first truth of the Church, indeed, is Christ's love", were the
opening words of the Holy Father's discourse to the participants in the plenary
assembly of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, whom he received in
audience this morning in the Clementine Hall. The Pope went on to urge all the
Christian people, both pastors and the faithful, to rediscover during this
Jubilee the corporal and spiritual works of mercy as when, in the twilight of
life, we are asked if we have given food to the hungry and given the thirsty
water to drink, we will also be asked "if we have helped people to set their
doubts aside, if we have committed ourselves to welcoming sinners, admonishing
them and correcting them, if we have been able to combat ignorance, especially
in relation to the Christian faith and the righteous life".
"In faith and in charity a cognitive and unifying relationship is established
with the mystery of Love, which is God Himself. The effective mercy of God
became, in Jesus, affective mercy, as He made Himself man for the salvation of
mankind. The task entrusted to your Dicastery here finds its ultimate
foundation
and and adequate justification. Christian faith, indeed, is not only knowledge
to be committed to memory, but also truth to live in love. Therefore, along
with
the doctrine of the faith, it is also necessary to safeguard the integrity of
customs, particularly in the most delicate areas of life. Adhering to faith in
the person of Christ implies both an act of reason and a moral response to His
gift. In this respect, I thank you for all your commitment and the
responsibility you exercise in treating cases of abuse of minors by members of
the clergy".
"Safeguarding the integrity of faith and customs is a delicate task.
Performing
this mission well requires collegial commitment. ... The correct synodality
must
be promoted at all levels of ecclesial life", added the Pope, citing in this
respect the meeting organised by the Congregation with the Doctrinal
Commissions
of the Episcopal Conferences of Europe, enabling various doctrinal and pastoral
challenges to be faced in a collegial way and thus inspiring in the faithful "a
new missionary impulse and greater openness to the transcendent dimension of
life, without which Europe runs the risk of losing its humanist spirit that it
nevertheless loves and defends".
Another significant contribution of the Congregation to the renewal of
ecclesial life was its study on complementarity between hierarchical and
charismatic gifts, called upon to collaborate in synergy for the good of the
Church and the world, and whose relationship evokes the Trinitarian root, the
bond between the divine Word made flesh and the Holy Spirit, which is always a
gift of the Father and the Son.
"It is precisely this root, if acknowledged and listened to humbly, that
permits the Church to let herself be renewed at any time. ... Unity and
plurality
are the seal of a Church that, moved by the Spirit, knows how to walk with a
sure and faithful step towards the purpose that the Risen Lord has indicated to
them throughout history. Here we see clearly how the synodal dynamic, if
correctly understood, is born from communion and leads towards an increasingly
implemented, deepened and extended, in the service of the life and the mission
of the People of God".
___________________________________________________________
Two initiatives linked to the Jubilee: the Missionaries of Mercy and the
translation to Rome of the relics of St. Pio of Pietrelcina and St. Leopold
Mandic
Vatican City, 29 January 2016 (VIS) - This morning in the Holy See Press
Office
Archbishop Rino Fisichella, president of the Pontifical Council for Promoting
New Evangelisation, and Msgr. Graham Bell, under-secretary of the same
dicastery, presented two initiatives linked to the Jubilee Year: the
Missionaries of Mercy and the temporary translation to Rome of the relics of
St.
Pio of Pietrelcina and St. Leopold Mandic.
"It is has been almost two months now since Pope Francis opened the Holy Door
of St. Peter's", said Archbishop Fisichella. "Since that moment, the Doors of
Mercy have been opened all around the world. The incredible number of people
who
have registered for these events allows us to acknowledge how this insight of
Pope Francis, his idea of having this Extraordinary Jubilee, has answered a
true
need of the people of God who are receiving this event of grace with great joy
and enthusiasm. We can conclude from this participation that the Jubilee is
being intensely lived in all the world and in every local Church, where this
time of grace is being organised as a genuine form of renewal for the Church
and
as a particular moment of the new evangelisation".
"Every day we receive thousands of pictures and documents from around the
world
attesting to the commitment and the faith of believers", he continued. "Yet all
of this activity has not stopped a substantial number of pilgrims from arriving
in Rome during this period. According to the data available to us on a daily
basis, as of today 1,392,000 people have participated in Jubilee events. An
interesting detail is that 40 per cent of those who have attended come from
abroad, speaking largely Spanish and French. We have registered pilgrims from
Bangladesh, Hong Kong, Korea, Kenya, Mozambique, El Salvador, New Zealand,
Argentina, Mexico, the Fiji Islands, Russia, Belarus, the Seychelles, the Ivory
Coast, Chad, Kuwait, the U.S.A., Albania and from many other countries. I would
like to reiterate that this is not the criteria by which to judge the actual
outcome of the Jubilee. A Holy Year of mercy goes well beyond numbers, for it
is
intended to touch the hearts and the minds of people in order to assist them in
coming to understand the ways in which God's great love manifests itself in
their daily lives. It is a time during which to assess our lives of faith and
to
understand how we are capable of conversion and renewal, both of which come
from
recognising the importance of remaining focused upon what is essential. In any
case, a general evaluation of the Jubilee cannot be made after only two months
but must be done at its conclusion. All of the other considerations at the
moment are incomplete and temporary and, thus, do not merit particular
attention".
Archbishop Fisichella described two signs of the Holy Father's concrete
witness
of mercy. On Friday, December 18, he opened the Door of Charity in the homeless
shelter, "Don Luigi di Liegro", where he celebrated Holy Mass in the refectory.
On January 15, he visited first the "Bruno Buozzi" nursing home for the elderly
in Torrespaccata, Rome, then the Casa Iride where he spent time with those in
vegetative states who are being assisted by their families. "These signs
possess
a symbolic value before all of the many needs that are present in society
today", he emphasised, "intended to stir in all of us a greater awareness of
the
many situations of need in our cities and to offer a small response of caring
and aid".
Following these reflections on the first two months of the Jubilee, the
prelate
presented two upcoming special events. The first is the presence in Rome of the
reliquaries containing the relics of St. Leopold Mandic and St. Pio of
Pietrelcina. "Such an occasion is of great significance for it is an
unprecedented event, given the stories of these two saints who spent their
lives
in the service of the mercy of God. Fr. Leopold (1866-1942) was canonised by
St.
John Paul II on December 16, 1983 and is less well known than St. Pio. Yet, his
hunger for holiness spread beyond the Church of Padua, where he lived the major
part of his life and where his memory and his relics remain. Originally from
Croatia, this Capuchin father dedicated all of his life to the confessional.
For
almost thirty years, he spent from ten to fifteen hours a day in the secrecy of
his cell, the very place which became a confessional for thousands of people
who
found in their relationships with him the privileged witness of forgiveness and
of mercy. Some of his brothers noted that he was 'ignorant and too lenient in
forgiving everyone without discernment'. Yet, his simple and humble response to
this charge leaves one speechless: 'Should the Crucified blame me for being
lenient, I would answer Him: Lord, you gave me this bad example. I have not yet
reached the folly of your having died for souls'".
St. Pio (1887-1968), canonised in 2002 by St. John Paul II, "does not require
lengthy presentation. This simple Capuchin friar spent his entire life at San
Giovanni Rotondo without ever leaving that town. Certainly, during his life,
some in Rome caused him to suffer, but his holiness always prevailed. In the
silence of obedience, he also became a privileged witness of mercy, dedicating
all of his life to the celebration of the Sacrament of Reconciliation. We are
grateful to the Capuchin Fathers and to the Bishops of the Dioceses of Padua
and
Manfredonia-Vieste-San Giovanni Rotondo for having responded so graciously to
the wish of the Pope that the relics of these two saints remain in Rome for a
period of time during the Jubilee".
"The program is quite simple", he explained. "The urns containing the relics
will arrive in Rome on February 3 where they will be placed in the Church of
San
Lorenzo Fuori le Mura. The church will be open to the faithful starting at
15:00
with a celebration of reception. The relics will remain in San Lorenzo until
20:30 the following day, during which time there will be a number of
celebrations reserved for the vast extended Franciscan Family. An all-night
vigil is being organised in the Jubilee Church of San Salvatore in Lauro, which
will begin at 22:00 on February 4. The prayer will continue until the following
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* Origin: Sursum Corda! BBS=Huntsville AL=bbs.sursum-corda.com (1:396/45)
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