countries, and he also underlined that lack of adequate services to respond to
the effective needs of the population. "Faced with this worrying scenario, a
general mobilisation is necessary, to unite the strengths of the population,
the
institutions, private entities and various civil bodies", he affirmed. "It is
not possible to defer the concrete steps that need to be taken to favour the
creation of new jobs, thus offering the young the possibility of realising
their
potential through honest work".
The diocese is celebrating, on the other hand, a jubilee year dedicated to
Pope
Celestine V, originally from the region, which offers the opportunity for a new
missionary impulse in order to go "beyond a static religious reality" and to
"return to Christ, to the Gospel; to be reconciled with God and neighbour. And
thus there is reborn the desire to bring His love to all, especially those who
are alone, marginalised, humiliated by suffering and by social injustice; to
the
many who, tired of human words, feel a profound nostalgia for God". The jubilee
year will also provide a preparatory stage for the extraordinary Jubilee Year
of
Mercy, and the parishes, where "ecclesial communion finds its most immediate
and
visible expression", is called upon to be the "privileged place for listening
to
and announcing the Gospel; a house of prayer around the Eucharist; a true
school
of communion, where the ardour of charity prevails over the temptation to a
superficial and arid religiosity".
"When difficulties seem to obscure the prospects for a better future, when we
experience failure and emptiness around us, it is the moment of Christian hope,
based in the Risen Lord and accompanied by charitable strength towards those
most in need. This is how your diocesan path, already admirably orientated to
this way of charity, can involve more people and more social and institutional
bodies in assisting those who are homeless or jobless, as well as those who are
affected by forms of poverty both old and new, not only in order to take care
of
their urgent needs but also to build alongside them a more welcoming society,
more respectful of diversity, more just and fraternal. ... Problems can be
overcome with solidarity. I encourage you, therefore, to be witnesses of
solidarity in your cities and towns, at work, at school, in your families, and
in the places where you meet".
Finally, Francis commended all those present to Our Lady and the saints of
Molise and Abruzzo, so they might be "supported by these powerful
intercessors",
in order to look "without fear and with hope to your future and that of your
land".
___________________________________________________________
Globalising solidarity: the Pope's message for the inauguration of the Milan
Universal Exposition
Vatican City, 1 May 2015 (VIS) - The Holy Father spoke at the inauguration of
the Universal Exposition of Milan (1 May - 31 October 2015), on the theme
"Feeding the planet, energy for life" via a video message transmitted life, in
which he emphasises the importance of the event for giving a voice to the poor,
globalising solidarity and defending the environment.
"I am grateful for the opportunity to unite my voice to those of you gathered
here for this inauguration. It is the voice of the bishop of Rome, who speaks
on
behalf of the pilgrim People of God throughout the whole world; it is the voice
of the many poor who form part of this people and with dignity seek to earn
bread through their labours. I would like to be the spokesman for all these
brothers and sisters of ours, Christians and also non-Christians, whom God
loves
as His sons and for whom he gave his life, breaking the brad that is the flesh
of His Son made man. He teaches us to ask God the Father: 'Give us this day our
daily bread'. EXPO is an opportune occasion to globalise solidarity".
Recalling the importance of the theme of the EXPO, Francis emphasises that an
issue so important and so essential cannot remain merely as a theme for the
event, but must instead be accompanied by "an awareness of the faces of the
millions of people who are hungry today, who will not eat today in a way worthy
of a human being. I would like every person who comes to visit the EXPO of
Milan, from today onwards, passing through those wonderful pavilions, to be
able
to perceive the presence of those faces. A hidden presence, but which ought in
reality to be the true protagonist of the event; the faces of the men and women
who are hungry, who become ill or even die as a result of inadequate or harmful
diet".
The "paradox of abundance" an expression used by St. John Paul II in his
address to the FAO (Food and Agriculture Organisation) during the first
Conference on Nutrition in 1992 "still persists, in spite of the efforts made
and some good results. Even EXPO, in some respects, forms part of this paradox
of abundance, if it conforms to the throwaway culture of waste, and does not
contribute to an equitable and sustainable model of development. Therefore, let
us ensure that EXPO provides the opportunity for a change of mentality, so that
we stop thinking that our daily actions - at every level of responsibility - do
not have an impact on the life of those, near and far, who suffer from hunger".
The Pope comments also on the other 'faces' who play an important role in the
Universal Exposition - those of the many workers and researchers in the food
and
agriculture sector. "May the Lord grant wisdom and courage to every one of
them,
as their responsibility is great", he says, expressing his hope that all those
who work in this field be "involved in a great project for solidarity: that of
feeding the planet with respect for every man and woman who inhabit it, and
with
respect for the natural environment". It is, he adds, "the great challenge that
God presents to humanity in the twenty-first century: to finally stop abusing
the garden God has entrusted to us, so that all may eat its fruits".
"However, everything begins here: from a perception of those faces", he
concludes, "especially the most anonymous, the most hidden, that thanks to EXPO
have earned bread to take home. May no-one be deprived of this dignity! And may
no bread be the fruit of work unworthy of mankind! The Lord ... is the true
'energy for life': the love to share bread, 'our daily bread', in peace and
fraternity. And may no man or woman lack bread and the dignity of work".
___________________________________________________________
To the Cursillos in Christianity: take your charism to the existential
peripheries
Vatican City, 1 May 2015 (VIS) - The participants in the third "Ultreya
Europea" organised by the Cursillos in Christianity were received in audience
by
Pope Francis yesterday afternoon. Citing the theme of the encounter, "Ultreya"
("ever onward", the ancient greeting of the pilgrims of Santiago de
Compostela),
he invited them always to continue and to go forward, inspired by the
missionary
but not proselytising spirit of their founders, the Spanish Eduardo Bonnin
Aguilo and the then-bishop of Mallorca, Juan Hervas y Benet. As the Pope
remarked, they and other young laypeople, perceived the need to reach out to
their peers, glimpsing the desire for truth and love present in their hearts.
"Those pioneers ... went towards the people, involving them with warmth and
accompanying them on their path of faith with respect and love. This is
important: friendliness and company. ... I would like to say to your movement:
you
have not engaged in proselytism! And this is a virtue. The Church grows not by
proselytism but by witness, as Pope Benedict said. And it is true. ... Today
you
too wish to announce the Good News of God's love, making yourself close to
others ... so that they can have a personal experience of Christ's infinite
love
that frees and transforms life".
During the meeting, which had a spontaneous nature, the Pope answered some
questions from the participants in the Ultreya, suggesting to them how to make
their charism fruitful, and beginnning by explaining that to help others grow
in
faith, first of all it is necessary to experience first-hand God's goodness and
tenderness to then communicate it with benevolence and mercy. "This is the
amicable witness of dialogue between friends.
"The method of evangelisation of the Cursillos is born precisely of this
ardent
wish for friendship with God, Who is the source of our friendship with our
brothers", he continued. "From the beginning it was understood that only within
a relationship of authentic friendship was it possible to prepare and accompany
people on their path, a path that begins with conversion, passes through the
discovery of the beauty of a life lived in the grace of God, finally reaching
the joy of becoming apostles in daily life. And in this way, since then,
thousands of people throughout the world have been helped to grow in the life
of
faith. In today's context of anonymity and isolation typical of our cities, the
dimension of family welcome, on a human scale, that you offer in your group
meetings is of great importance".
It is also important that these small group meetings are accompanied by
"moments that favour openness to a larger social and ecclesial dimension, also
involving those who come into contact with your charism but do not habitually
participate in the group. ... Effectively, the Church is an 'open-hearted
mother'
who invites us at times to 'slow down' and 'stop rushing to remain with someone
who has faltered along the way'".
Francis concluded by renewing his invitation to "go ever onwards", faithful to
their charism, and to "keep alive the zeal and the flame of the Spirit that
always drives Christ's disciples to reach those who are distant, without
proselytism, to leave their comfort zone and to have the courage to reach out
to
those peripheries in need of the light of the Gospel. ... Every charism is
called
upon to grown as it carries the Holy Spirit inside, and the Holy Spirit makes
it
grow. Every charism must take account of different cultures, with different
ways
of thinking and different values ... letting itself be guided by the Spirit".
___________________________________________________________
Four cardinals to take possession of titles and diaconates
Vatican City, 4 May 2015 (VIS) - According to a note released today by the
Office of Liturgical Celebrations of the Supreme Pontiff, the following
cardinals will take possession of their titles or diaconates in the coming
days:
Cardinal Luis Hector Villalba, archbishop emeritus of Tucuman, Argentina, will
take possession of the title of San Girolamo a Corviale in Via dei Buonvisi 3,
Rome, at 6 p.m. on Saturday 9 May.
Cardinal Arlindo Gomes Furtado, bishop of Santiago de Cabo Verde, will take
possession of the title of San Timoteo in Via Apelle 1, Rome, at 10 a.m. on
Sunday 10 May.
Cardinal Julio Duarte Langa, bishop emeritus of Xai-Xai, Mozambique, will take
possession of the title of San Gabriele dell'Addolorata in Via Ponzio Cominio
93-95, Rome, at 11 a.m. on Sunday 10 May.
Cardinal Dominique Mamberti, prefect of the Supreme Tribunal of the Apostolic
Signatura, will take possession of the diaconate of Santo Spirito in Sassia, in
Via dei Penitenzieri 12, Rome, at 6 p.m. on Sunday 10 May.
___________________________________________________________
Audiences
Vatican City, 4 May 2015 (VIS) - Today, the Holy Father received in audience:
- Archbishop Jose Horacio Gomez of Los Angeles, U.S.A.;
- Dr. Antje Jackelen, archbishop of Uppsala, of the Evangelical-Lutheran
Church
of Sweden, and entourage;
- Cardinal Kurt Koch, president of the Pontifical Council for Promoting
Christian Unity;
- Eleven prelates of the Episcopal Conference of the Republic of the Congo, on
their "ad Limina" visit:
- Archbishop Anatole Milandou of Brazzaville;
- Bishop Bienvenu Manamika Bafouakouahou of Dolisie;
- Bishop Urbain Ngassongo of Gamboma;
- Bishop Jean Gardin, C.S.Sp., of Impfondo;
- Bishop Louis Portella Mbuyu of Kinkala;
- Bishop Daniel Mizonzo of Nkayi, with Bishop emeritus Bernard Nsayi;
- Bishop Yves-Marie Monot, C.S.Sp., of Ouesso, with Bishop emeritus Herve
Itoua;
- Bishop Victor Abagna Mossa of Owando; and
- Bishop Miguel Angel Olaverri Arroniz, S.D.B., of Pointe-Noire.
On Saturday, 2 May, the Holy Father received in audience Cardinal Marc
Ouellet,
P.S.S., prefect of the Congregation for Bishops.
___________________________________________________________
Other Pontifical Acts
Vatican City, 4 May 2015 (VIS) - The Holy Father has appointed:
- Bishop Denis Groudin, auxiliary of Quebec, Canada, as metropolitan
archbishop
of Rimouski (area 20,225, population 147,352, Catholics 143,960, priests 85,
permanent deacons 16, religious 517), Canada.
On Saturday, 2 May the Holy Father appointed Cardinal Miloslav Vlk, archbishop
emeritus of Prague, Czech Republic, as his special envoy to the celebrations
for
the 600th anniversary of the death of Jan Hus, to take place in the city of
Prague on 5 and 6 July 2015.
___________________________________________________________
For more information and to search for documents refer to the site:
www.visnews.org and www.vatican.va
Copyright (VIS): the news contained in the services of the Vatican
Information Service may be reproduced wholly or partially by quoting
the source: V. I. S. - Vatican Information Service.
http://www.vatican.va/news_services/press/vis/vis_en.html
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