the Vatican Basilica, and by the side of the Holy Door, he presented the Bull
of
Indiction to the four cardinal archpriests of the papal basilicas of Rome: St.
Peter in the Vatican, St. John Lateran, St. Paul Outside-the-Walls and St. Mary
Major. As an expression of his desire that the Jubilee be celebrated both in
Rome and throughout the world, the Pope also handed a copy of the Bull to the
prefects of the Congregations for Bishops, for Evangelisation of Peoples, and
for the Oriental Churches, and thus symbolically to bishops worldwide. A copy
of
the document was received by Archbishop Savio Hon Tai-Fai on behalf of all the
East , and by Archbishop Bartolome Adoukounou for the African continent. Msgr.
Khaled Ayad Bishay of the Patriarchal Church of Alexandria of the Copts
received
the copy destined for the Oriental Churches.
The Regent of the Papal Household, Msgr. Leonardo Sapienza, apostolic
protonotary, read a number of extracts from the official document convoking the
extraordinary Holy Year, in the presence of the Pope. The Holy Father then went
on to preside at first vespers in the Vatican Basilica, and pronounced the
following homily.
"The greeting of the Risen Christ to His disciples on the evening of Easter,
'Peace be with you!', continues to resound in us all. Peace, especially during
this Easter season, remains the desire of so many people who suffer
unprecedented violence of discrimination and death simply because they bear the
name 'Christian'. Our prayer is all the more intense and becomes a cry for help
to the Father, Who is rich in mercy, that He may sustain the faith of our many
brothers and sisters who are in pain. At the same time, we ask for the grace of
the conversion of our own hearts so as to move from indifference to compassion.
"St. Paul reminds us that we have been saved through the mystery of the death
and resurrection of the Lord Jesus. He is the Reconciler, Who is alive in our
midst offering the way to reconciliation with God and with each other. The
Apostle recalls that, notwithstanding the difficulties and the sufferings of
life, the hope of salvation which Christ has sown in our hearts nonetheless
continues to grow. The mercy of God is poured out upon us, making us just and
giving us peace.
"Many question in their hearts: why a Jubilee of Mercy today? Simply because
the Church, in this time of great historical change, is called to offer more
evident signs of God's presence and closeness. This is not the time to be
distracted; on the contrary, we need to be vigilant and to reawaken in
ourselves
the capacity to see what is essential. This is a time for the Church to
rediscover the meaning of the mission entrusted to her by the Lord on the day
of
Easter: to be a sign and an instrument of the Father's mercy.
"For this reason, the Holy Year must keep alive the desire to know how to
welcome the numerous signs of the tenderness which God offers to the whole
world
and, above all, to those who suffer, who are alone and abandoned, without hope
of being pardoned or feeling the Father's love. A Holy Year to experience
strongly within ourselves the joy of having been found by Jesus, the Good
Shepherd Who has come in search of us because we were lost. A Jubilee to
receive
the warmth of His love when He bears us upon his shoulders and brings us back
to
the Father's house. A year in which to be touched by the Lord Jesus and to be
transformed by His mercy, so that we may become witnesses to mercy. Here, then,
is the reason for the Jubilee: because this is the time for mercy. It is the
favourable time to heal wounds, a time not to be weary of meeting all those who
are waiting to see and to touch with their hands the signs of the closeness of
God, a time to offer everyone the way of forgiveness and reconciliation.
"May the Mother of God open our eyes, so that we may comprehend the task to
which we have been called; and may she obtain for us the grace to experience
this Jubilee of Mercy as faithful and fruitful witnesses of Christ".
___________________________________________________________
Summary of the "Misericordiae Vultus", Bull of Indiction of the Extraordinary
Jubilee of Mercy
Vatican City, 12 April 2015 (VIS) - The following is a summary of the Papal
Bull "Misericordiae Vultus", by which Pope Francis convoked the Extraordinary
Jubilee of Mercy.
The Bull of Indiction of the Extraordinary Jubilee of Mercy is composed of 25
numbered sections. Pope Francis has described the most salient features of
mercy, focusing primarily on the theme of the light of Christ's face. Mercy is
not an abstract word, but rather a face to recognise, contemplate and serve.
The
Bull is developed in a Trinitary fashion (Nos. 6-9) and extends to a
description
of the Church as a credible sign of mercy: "Mercy is the very foundation of the
Church's life" (No.10).
Pope Francis indicates the salient phases of the Jubilee. The opening
coincides
with the 50th anniversary of the closing of the Vatican II Ecumenical Council:
"The Church feels a great need to keep this event alive. With the Council, the
Church entered a new phase of her history. The Council Fathers strongly
perceived, as a true breath of the Holy Spirit, a need to talk about God to men
and women of their time in a more accessible way. The walls which too long had
made the Church a kind of fortress were torn down and the time had come to
proclaim the Gospel in a new way" (No. 4). The conclusion will take place "with
the liturgical Solemnity of Christ the King on 20 November 2016. On that day,
as
we seal the Holy Door, we shall be filled, above all, with a sense of gratitude
and thanksgiving to the Most Holy Trinity for having granted us an
extraordinary
time of grace. We will entrust the life of the Church, all humanity, and the
entire cosmos to the Lordship of Christ, asking him to pour out his mercy upon
us like the morning dew, so that everyone may work together to build a brighter
future." (no.5).
A special feature of this Holy Year is the fact that it will be celebrated not
only in Rome, but also in all the other dioceses of the world. The Holy Door
will be opened by the Pope at St. Peter's on 8 December, and on the following
Sunday in all the Churches of the world. Another novelty is that the Pope will
grant the possibility of opening the Holy Door also in Sanctuaries, where many
pilgrims will go in order to pray.
Pope Francis resumes the teaching of St. John XXIII, who spoke of the
"medicine
of Mercy", and of Paul VI who identified the spirituality of Vatican II with
that of the Samaritan. The Bull explains, furthermore, various salient aspects
of the Jubilee: firstly, the motto, "Merciful like the Father", then the
meaning
of pilgrimage and above all the need for forgiveness. The theme that is
particularly close to the Pope's heart is found in section No. 15: the works of
corporal and spiritual mercy are to be resumed in order to "reawaken our
conscience, too often grown dull in the face of poverty. And let us enter more
deeply into the heart of the Gospel where the poor have a special experience of
God's mercy". A further indication is offered by Lent, with the sending out of
the "Missionaries of Mercy" (No. 18), a new and original initiative by which
the
Pope intends to emphasise his pastoral care in a more concrete way. In
paragraphs 20 and 21 the Pope considers the theme of the relationship between
justice and mercy, showing that he does not stop at a legalistic view, but
rather aims at a path that leads to merciful love.
Paragraph 19 is a powerful appeal against organised violence and against those
who are "advocates and accomplices" of corruption. The Pope uses strong words
to
denounce this "festering wound", and insists that during this Holy Year there
must be true conversion: "This is the opportune moment to change our lives!
This
is the time to allow our hearts to be touched! When confronted with evil deeds,
even in the face of serious crimes, it is the time to listen to the cry of
innocent people who are deprived of their property, their dignity, their
feelings, and even their very lives. To stick to the way of evil will only
leave
one deluded and sad. True life is something entirely different. God never tires
of reaching out to us. He is always ready to listen, as I am too, along with my
brother bishops and priests. All one needs to do is to accept the invitation to
conversion and submit oneself to justice during this special time of mercy
offered by the Church" (No. 19).
The granting of indulgences as a traditional theme of the Jubilee year is
expressed in section No. 22. A final original aspect is offered by Pope Francis
with regard to mercy as a theme shared also by Jews and Muslims: "I trust that
this Jubilee year celebrating the mercy of God will foster an encounter with
these religions and with other noble religious traditions; may it open us to
even more fervent dialogue so that we might know and understand one another
better; may it eliminate every form of closed-mindedness and disrespect, and
drive out every form of violence and discrimination" (No. 23).
The Pope's wish is that this Year, experienced also in the sharing of divine
mercy, may be "dedicated to living out in our daily lives the mercy which the
Father constantly extends to all of us. In this Jubilee Year, let us allow God
to surprise us. He never tires of throwing open the doors of his heart and
repeats that he loves us and wants to share his love with us. ... In this
Jubilee
Year, may the Church echo the word of God that resounds strong and clear as a
message and a sign of pardon, strength, aid, and love. May she never tire of
extending mercy, and be ever patient in offering compassion and comfort. May
the
Church become the voice of every man and woman, and repeat confidently without
end: æBe mindful of your mercy, O Lord, and your steadfast love, for they have
been from of old'".
___________________________________________________________
The Pope "in harmony" with the theme of the Seventh Summit of the Americas:
"Prosperity with equity"
Vatican City, 11 April 2015 (VIS) - Pope Francis has sent a message to Juan
Carlos Varela Rodriguez, president of Panama, host country of the Seventh
Summit
of the Americas, which on this occasion takes as its theme "Prosperity with
equity: the challenge of cooperation in the Americas". The Holy Father
commented
that he is "in harmony" with the theme chosen for the Summit, affirms that he
is
"convinced ... that inequality, the unjust distribution of wealth and
resources,
is a source of conflicts and violence among peoples, as it presupposes that the
progress of some is built on the necessary sacrifice of others and that, to be
able to live in a dignified fashion, one must fight with others".
"Well-being reached in this way is unjust at its root and attacks the dignity
of the person", he writes. "There are 'basic goods', such as the earth, work
and
a home, and 'public services', such as health, education, security and the
environment, from which no human being should be denied access. This desire -
which we all share - is unfortunately still far from reality. ... The great
challenge of our world is the globalisation of solidarity and fraternity in the
place of the globalisation of discrimination and indifference, and until a more
equitable distribution of wealth is achieved, the ills of our society will not
be resolved".
Francis remarks that many countries have certainly experienced significant
economic development in recent years, but "it is equally true that others
remain
prostrated in poverty. Moreover, in the emerging economies, a large part of the
population does not benefit from general economic progress, to the point that
frequently a greater rift opens up between rich and poor. 'Trickle down'
theories have been shown to be erroneous: it is not enough to hope that the
poor
may gather the crumbs that fall from the table of the rich. It is necessary to
take direct action in favour of the most disadvantaged, attention to should be
a
priority for governors, as it is for the smallest within a family".
He then turns his attention to the problem of immigration. "The immense
disparity of opportunities between some countries and others ensures that many
people feel compelled to abandon their homeland and their family, thus becoming
easy prey for human trafficking and slave labour, without rights or access to
justice. In some cases, the lack of cooperation between States leaves many
people unprotected by the law and unable to guarantee their own rights, and
thus
obliged to ally themselves with those who take advantage of others, or to
resign
--- MPost/386 v1.21
* Origin: Sursum Corda! BBS=Huntsville AL=bbs.sursum-corda.com (1:396/45)
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